by Dean Henegar
“Ignominia scum,” one of the guards said as we passed. The other soldiers looked down on us with scorn, believing us all to be cowards and traitors. Shame and anger burned in me as I knew that I and perhaps many of the soldiers under me were not guilty of the crimes we were accused of. The insult hurt all the more as it came from a fellow soldier.
“Come to watch the Grand Melee and you’ll see we are no cowards, corporal,” I said, addressing the soldier by his rank.
“Hm, I’m off tomorrow so I’ll be there to watch you get slaughtered. Domax will win this year. Smart money is on that brute to win your category,” the corporal replied as we rode away.
“Wish we had more time to ask him who or what a Domax was,” Wrend said with a sigh. The caravan wound its way through the wide and well paved streets of Romulus to a series of open fields around the arena. We came to a stop and Galba arrived to open our cages.
“Out you lot! We need to get the camp set up quickly. Raytak, the guard here will escort you to Septimus. He wants to have a few words with you,” Galba told us as a guard escorted me to a beaming Septimus who was talking to several well-dressed citizens.
“There he is, the disgraced commander that fights like a demon. You would be well served to bet highly on this one,” Septimus said to the other citizens.
“This is your great entry, Septimus? Looks like a run-down deserter wearing an officer’s uniform. My bets on him will be for your team to die in the starting area,” one of the citizens said, walking away from Septimus with a dismissive wave.
“Those pompous dandies wouldn’t know a gladiator from a cleaning maid,” Septimus bemoaned. “They are part of the committee that ranks the contestant teams. A haughtier bunch I’ve never seen,” Septimus said. In a contest full of dandies, I thought Septimus would be the front runner, but I held my tongue.
“They are sure to rank us lower now. I had hoped to get you up to at least a mid-ranking,” Septimus said.
“Why does ranking matter? Is there an advantage to being higher in the ranks?” I asked. Septimus turned away, thinking for a bit before responding.
“There is no real advantage. I just wanted to get you ranked higher so the emperor would be more apt to take note of your exploits if for some horrible reason you didn’t win. You see, there is little I can do in these matches as there are no advantages or disadvantages to purchase. They like to keep things ‘fair’ here in the capitol. Alas, I don’t even get information on who the competitors are until the match begins,” Septimus said with his usual false concern.
“I wanted you to come with me to the arena so you can see the setup for tomorrow. It’s a unique design for the Grand Melee as this year’s event is the largest melee ever held in the Imperium. Come along . . .” Septimus said with a presumptive wave before walking off toward the edifice that was the arena. I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself at Septimus dismissing me the same way the other citizens had just dismissed his value. Was he purposely trying to emulate them or was he just naturally insulting?
A sign engraved on the wall of the arena itself designated it the Theatrum Magnificus. We were led to a small office and Septimus had to enter on his own. I heard a heated discussion break out and eventually Septimus left the office in a huff. He motioned for me to follow and an arena attendant led us up and toward what I assumed to be the arena itself. We traveled a long way and eventually emerged onto what must have been a private viewing platform for the wealthy. The view was magnificent and there were strange goggle-like devices behind each seat.
“One of the few benefits of our entry is the ability to surveil the battlefield for tomorrow. Those devices will magnify your vision and give you a bird’s eye view of any portion of the arena. We will be starting there,” Septimus said, pointing to one end of the arena. The attendant handed me the goggles and quickly instructed me on the details of their use. Placing the goggles over my head, my vision was replaced with a moveable camera. I could move my view anywhere above the arena and even saw an option to lock onto the point of view of individual competitors.
“These devices are reserved for the wealthy and noble classes. The regular spectators must choose where to sit and buy seats accordingly. The most expensive seats are those around the center with the starting areas being the least expensive. Activate the information tab to view the rules you need to follow and the format for tomorrows bout. There will be a total of twenty competitors in this Grand Melee,” the arena attendant informed me. I hit the information tab and the basics of the coming fight were explained as if it was a marketing tool.
The Grand Melee at the Theatrum Magnificus is the premier gladiatorial event in the capitol. The individual matches for the highest leveled and ranked gladiators may draw more crowds, but the team battles are gaining in popularity. Each year the battlefield is set up differently, granting a unique but fair event each time. This year, twenty teams were invited from the various provinces to compete. The teams are required to show not only strength, but also endurance.
Each team will enter their own starting zone. The competitors will enter from under the arena and face a random challenge. The initial challenge is not another competitor, but instead is a challenge randomly chosen by the arena master. If the challenge is defeated, the gate at the end of the starting area will open, leading to the first battlefield. There are three competitor starting areas linked with the first battlefield. The first team to enter the arena will have a random advantage. The advantages could range from something as simple as a sack of healing potions to a small mercenary force that will join you for the coming fights. The other competitors will enter the arena as they complete their starter challenge. A notification will sound if any competitor fails their starting challenge.
The victors of the first battles will then proceed down the corridor to face another non-competitor battle. As the teams finish the second challenge, they will unlock access to the main arena. The competitors will now fight to conquer their foes in the main arena free-for-all. The free-for-all includes the surviving competitors as well as random challenges that will spawn inside the arena. The victor is the last competitor team standing.
After reviewing the information, I viewed the arena again. The layout placed the large arena in the center; it was many times the size of the one in Shraza. Coming off the main arena were six gates that led to the large corridors that must contain the final challenge for the victors of the starting battles. The starting battlefields were smaller, on par with the arena in Shraza, and I could see the three gates that led from there to the individual starting zones. The starting zone was as small as the first one I had fought in. There would be no room for fancy maneuvering as we faced our first challenge, just a straight up brawl. Doing the math, I saw only eighteen spots for competitors to start and the attendant had said there were twenty teams.
“I see only eighteen starting spots, where will the other two teams be?” I asked the attendant.
“The two top-rated teams do not need to face off in the starter areas as they have already proven their worth. They will begin in the arena in those locations there,” the attendant told me as I looked at the main arena again through the magical goggles. I could make out two chalked out starting positions on either side of the arena.
“I thought the fights were to be fair. How is it fair if the top two teams have no opponents to face other than worn out competitors who have already fought three battles before entering the main arena?” I asked. The whole setup seemed suspect to me.
“The two top-rated teams will face each other initially,” the attendant advised.
“Sure, but they can just stand there and wait to smash the weakened challengers before fighting each other,” I said.
“They can surely do that, and probably will. Remember when the explanation advised that there were random challenges in the main arena? Well those start as soon as the rest of you begin your battles. When you enter the main arena, the top competitors will have already been fighting ag
ainst the random summoned creatures regardless of whether they decided to attack each other. That’s as fair as you will find in a gladiatorial match,” the advisor said dismissively, letting me know he was done justifying the fairness of the Grand Melee.
“Thank you for the information, at least,” I said to the attendant. We were allowed a few more moments to review the arena before we were led to the exit. As we began our walk back to our camp, I tried to come up with strategies for the coming battle. The problem was that I didn’t know any of the opponents, which left me with only general ideas on what to do based on my past battles.
We arrived at the camp and Septimus quickly left again with a few of the guards. I settled in with Wrend and Buford to try and come up with some standard strategies based on the different types of opponents we were likely to face. We came up with plans to counter melee foes, ranged attackers, mages, creatures, and summoners. We were interrupted by Galba walking over to us. The poor guard captain had little to do now that the prisoners were all committed to winning the match and our freedom.
“Raytak, come with me,” Galba said curtly, motioning for Wrend to stay when the sergeant rose to follow.
“It’s okay. Keep working while I’m gone and don’t forget to consult with our sagittarii as to their best deployment,” I told the two. Galba walked me through the rows of parked wagons toward a small, nearby tavern. Opening the door to the tavern, Galba motioned me inside before entering himself.
“Old man Raytak! You’re here!” Yendys shouted from a corner table in the small tavern. I was shocked at seeing my friends all there motioning me over. Yendys, Jacoby, Kathala, Ty, Nitor, some half-orc guy, and Delling all smiled as I sat among them.
“You bought yourselves five minutes with him, no longer,” Galba advised, taking a bag of coin from Jacoby, walking to the bar and ordering a drink.
“Okay, we don’t have much time so let’s get right to it. We’ve all been hard at work and found out what happened to you, Raytak. One of the other competitors in my college class has pulled some dirty tricks to get you out of our zone so he can invade it without any problems. The guy bribed Field Inspector Leighton to frame you and had the assassin that killed us a while back plant those incriminating scrolls in your office while you were waiting to respawn. There is no threat from the Bloody Blades, those clowns disbanded their guild shortly after we met. This other student, he goes by the name of Narbos the Grimm in-game, used them as a red herring to keep us off his trail,” Delling said before he was interrupted.
“The rest of us went on a really cool timed quest to help get evidence to free you, but you still have to fight and stuff before you get out. Oh, and we met some crazy sphinx and I solved the riddle to get him to use his magical super vision to find what happened to you and Crunchy got a new purple bow and we fought that Darkfallow guy again in the other zone where the bad guy Narbos rules and my friend Smashem joined us with his cool barbarian character and we found more evidence in his stinky necromancer lair and . . .” Yendys looked like she wasn’t going to stop.
“Okay, Yendys, he gets the point. Before we forget, here’s the evidence. I’m not sure how the AI is going to handle this, but I assume you’re going to give it to someone after you win the match,” Delling said handing me the quest item.
Quest Updated: Retribution. You have received evidence of your innocence. Present it once you are victorious in the Grand Melee.
“So how are you going to kill that giant guy, Raytak?” Yendys asked.
“What do you mean?” I replied.
“You know, that giant Domax that’s favored to win?” Yendys said.
“Wait, first off . . . how are you all here? How did you find me?” I asked.
“We all received a quest after you were arrested to help find evidence to prove your innocence. While the more combat focused of your friends,” Delling pointed to the rest of the party, “went on some adventures, I used my contacts to locate where you were. The quest looked like it would culminate here at the capitol, so we all took the trip. Once here it was easy enough to find out where the competitors were staying. After a little talk with Galba over there, we came to an agreement on a way to meet you in person,” Delling told me.
“I don’t know what to say . . . thank you all for caring enough to try and help me,” I said, humbled by the effort my friends had undertaken to help me in-game. I knew my time was limited, so I pulled myself together.
“Now, back to what Yendys was saying. How do you know the competitors in the Grand Melee? I was told that the information was secret, and we wouldn’t know until we faced our foes in battle,” I asked.
“I’m not sure where you heard that, but the information is all over town. The gambling houses have even released the starting positions of all the teams. Maybe they didn’t tell you because you’re a prisoner or something,” Delling said. I began to get a sneaking suspicion that Septimus was playing us. Galba, who had been listening in on our conversation, looked stunned. He walked over to the table.
“Hey! It hasn’t been five minutes yet, guy,” Yendys said to the approaching Galba, who waved away her complaint.
“Raytak, did Septimus not tell you your opponents? I thought that was what you were strategizing with the others.”
“No, he said at the arena that the information was held secret until the match starts. He also said that there were no advantages or disadvantages available for purchase in the match . . . which I’m beginning to think might have been a lie as well,” I told Galba.
“That snake, that’s low for even him. I knew he didn’t want to give up his cash cow and allow your men to win their freedom, but I didn’t think he would outright set you up to fail. There are most definitely advantages and disadvantages available as well. I’m no paragon of virtue, Raytak. I’m a prison guard for some of the worst the Imperium has to offer. During my time I’ve met many a prisoner who claimed their innocence. You, on the other hand, have behaved honorably since you’ve been here. You’ve kept your word every time you’ve given it and put your men’s wellbeing before your own. Those aren’t the actions of a traitor,” Galba rubbed his chin as he appeared deep in thought and struggling to come to a decision.
“I know you paid for more time, but I need to get Raytak back before Septimus suspects he was outside the camp. Best to let him believe you’re still in the dark. I’ll slip what information I can to you before the fight. After this is over, I think it’s time for me to find a new line of work,” Galba said. My respect for the stern guard captain went up another notch; he didn’t need to risk himself for some prisoners, but he was willing to do so.
“Thank you, my friends, for going through all this trouble for me. If I can pull off a victory tomorrow and get a chance to show this evidence to the powers that be, I will hopefully join you back in Hayden’s Knoll. Doing the gladiator thing has been a fun side adventure, but I’m itching to get back into command of my real forces. See you all later,” I said as Galba led me quickly back to camp.
“What line of work do you think you will take up once you leave Septimus,” I asked Galba.
“Not sure. Maybe I’ll join the town watch or a mercenary guard company or something along those lines. Settling down in one place and maybe starting a family is something I have been considering more and more lately,” Galba told me.
“Have you thought of joining the military? I can always use a good nco and I think you’d do well in the slot. Should things work out tomorrow for me, I’d be glad to recruit you into the legion at Hayden’s Knoll. The town’s growing and will soon be a great place to start a new life. Though if you decide to go the mercenary route, look up the Azure Blades and ask for Bhurke. He leads the group and will give you a shot if you mention my name,” I said. Galba nodded in contemplation but didn’t say anything in reply. Back at camp, I immediately fell back into the discussion with Wrend and Buford, quickly letting them know what was happening.
“That rat! I told you this would happen, Rayt
ak. Never did trust that Septimus character. Should I try to arrange an accident for him tonight, sir?” Wrend asked.
“No, I don’t want anything to further hamper our chances tomorrow. If Septimus is dead, we may no longer be eligible for the fight,” I said as Galba hurried back over to us to us.
“This is all I could gather on short notice. You can at least see who you’ll be facing in the starting arena as well as information on the top two teams. I also found this in Septimus’ wagon. Apparently Ermey dropped these off as a gift just before we left,” Galba said, handing me a bundle of red-colored and slightly bulkier javelins. “There’s more. Septimus has been betting heavily on the coming match . . . against you. Looks like he intends to keep you and the winnings you earn around for a while longer. He’s even paid for a disadvantage against you. Your starting challenge will be more difficult now,” Galba finished, leaving without another word and walking back to check on the other prisoners. I reviewed the information on our foes Galba had passed me, starting with the other two teams we would face in the first battlefield and then reading about the two top teams.
1. Zagmiti Quarrelers: The Zagmiti tribe of kobolds gave the Imperium no end of trouble in their zone. They held off superior numbers of hardened troops by using their skill at ranged weapons. Everywhere the Imperium soldiers tried to move, they were met with hails of stones, arrows, and bolts. The tribe was eventually defeated and the survivors sold to a gladiatorial school. This batch has won their way to the Grand Melee and are led by a deadly sorcerer who augments its ranged troops with defensive and offensive spells.
2. Quarline Ludus: The Quarline Ludus is renowned for training excellent gladiators. Their singles and pairs teams have won their categories on several occasions. This is their first foray into team combat and the ludus has assembled a group of traditional gladiators supplemented by a healer to compete in the games.