>>5170145>>5170151>>5170152It takes considerable effort to jump on Gunpowder and ride him to safety when your wounds from the swamp are still fresh, but your ride manages to do most of the work for you.
Thankfully Gunpowder knows his way around, not wasting any time in zig-zagging left, right and all around the corridors, most the soldiers could do is to try and hit him on foot, but that would be easily intercepted by you whacking them with your pole. No need to stab through them and make a bigger scene on your escape when just a hit on the head already knocks them over.
With Gunpowder providing you some extra energy for you to asborb, you wonder just how strong you've gotten compared to regular humans. While the God Hand is a high bar to pass, these guards certainly don't pose a threat to anyone but the disarmed commoners. Where are the real gladiators?
Coming across a closed iron gate as you climb upwards, you find a large set of engraved doors, if you were a guessing man, this entrance either leads you to the main arena, or towards an exit. You got a glimpse of the inside of some rooms of the coliseum while you were running, and they appeared to be fancy enough to be compared to a noble's castle, but the outside looks as poor and dead as you could imagine. The only thing separating the inner circle of Barnham's estate from the slums is a river and a few bridges surrounding it. No doubt the plague must have gotten over there...
A rumble of footsteps are heard not too far away from you, and when feeling for their presence, you notice a dozen more soldiers chasing you to the gates. Their armor appears to be slightly different than the leather rags you've seen from the others, so they must be from a higher rank.
There is a sturdy lever next to the gate. But given how rusty it is, it might take a bit to pull it down, wait for the contraption to work and escape into the residential area. If you do manage to escape from the guards in time, it will be from the skin of your teeth. And that's if these doors will lead you outside. It certainly seems to be so, but it's your first time in this place, you never know...
>Pull the lever.>Try to fight the soldiers.>Look for another route.>Try to bust the doors open.>Climb the iron gates. 