IT HAPPENED TEN YEARS AGO when Emilia and Faustus were still kids. The emperor that day was Augustus Marcus Vitellius of House Octavium, the father of Emilia, Tiberius, and Caesar.
Caesar was the eldest of the three. As such, he will become the next emperor once he reached the age of twenty-five. But Tiberius, the second eldest, wanted to be the emperor and not just some royalty.
Even at a young age, royalties were taught to wield weapons, cast magic spells, and ride horses and eagles. Tiberius seemed to excel in all of these, hoping that their father would notice. But in reality, he was just using his money and influence so that he would look competent and better than Caesar.
However, tradition dictates, and it has never been broken for generations in the House Octavium, that the eldest son will always succeed in the current emperor, earning both the title Augustus (the name of the very first emperor of Colosseum Empire) and the first name of the emperor he preceded.
Had Caesar become the next emperor, his name would change from Caesar Octavium to Augustus Vitellius Caesar.
“Father, don't you think it is Tiberius who should be the emperor? I think he would be a better emperor than I am,” Caesar pondered.
“If you are talking about his fighting skills and eagle riding, then perhaps you are right,” Vitellius pointed out. “But those skills are not everything. Your brother is full of ambition and fears no one, but a true emperor knows how to fear his subjects. That's what your grandfather Marcus used to say to me.”
“Grandpa Marcus sure is wise.”
The father and son laughed. But in the shadows, Caesar has been eavesdropping, clenching his fists tight.
One day, when the royal family was outside the Capital, a large Vantablack Bear attacked them. Not even the soldiers guarding the royal family could deal with the enraged bear. In an attempt to save his family, Caesar lured the bear into the woods where Tiberius followed him.
Emilia and Faustus (who has been invited by Emilia to play with) followed as well. Vitellius tried to follow his children, but the soldiers took him and his wife back to the palace for their safety. On their way, Aurelius and a handful of soldiers followed the track of the royal siblings.
Emilia and Faustus lost Caesar and Tiberius. However, Faustus managed to track them as the enraged bear left obvious tracks. The tracks led them inside the forest just outside the Colossan territory. They heard voices so they went in deeper. And there they saw the corpse of the Vantablack Bear stabbed by barbarian weapons.
There were barbarians all over the place, some were injured, some were dead. And among the crowd of barbarians, they saw Caesar lying on the ground, impaled with dozens of barbarian swords. And a man standing near him was Tiberius, who impaled him in the neck with another sword, ultimately killing him.
“Why didn’t you tell the previous emperor about this before?” asked Quintus.
“We were caught by Tiberius. He threatened us. The day after that, he sent me and my family here to Traeux XII. And Emilia…she was very young that day,” answered Faustus.
“How come he did not kill you both as well?”
“The Aquillus's Insignia of the royal family is imbued with magic. It activated and created a barrier that protected us against the barbarians that attempted to kill us. It also alerted the Capital of our location. The barbarians fled before Sir Aurelius and his men arrived. Since then, Sir Aurelius has been Emilia’s protector.”
“And their eldest brother didn’t have this same insignia?”
“The Aquillus's Insignia is a powerful magical emblem. Not even those runic shackles that prevent the use of power and magic could tamper with it. The only explanation is that Tiberius must have swapped Caesar’s insignia with a fake one. That is the only thing I can think of why Caesar was not protected when he was ambushed.”
“I-I’m...I'm sorry, Faustus. This is just too much to take,” said Julius. “To think that our current emperor did something horrifying to his own family...“
“It doesn’t matter if you believe us or not,” said Emilia who has already calmed down. “I’ll go to the Capital and help Daisuke and his friends escape.”
“I think the elves could take care of themselves. If they escape, there will be no problem,” said Faustus.
“They’re basically surrounded by legions of Colossans. Not even the barbarian will be able to stand a chance,” said Emilia.
“How do you propose us to leave our post without alarming the century your brother sent here?” asked Quintus.
Emilia sniffed. “I have a plan. Everyone's sick and tired of living in Traeux villages anyway; not just us, but everyone in every Traeux village.”
* * * * *
Back at the Colosseum Arena, Brutus and Timon were already briefing Daisuke and Siegfried on the plan.
“So, once we got out of our cells, there will be a handful of guards, each armed with your typical swords and bombs. We take them out quietly and make sure no bombs will detonate. Any explosion will alert the army and we cannot afford that,” Brutus explained.
“From here, we need to get to the other side,” Timon continued. “The other side has a secret entrance we made a long time ago to watch the fights for free. It will lead us to the sewers. And from there, you may go away from Capital.”
“Where do the sewers lead?” asked Siegfried.
“The waste leads to the sea on the western side of the empire. Whatever happens, do not go there. Too many rocks and waste. You may have survived three cohorts, but I doubt you will survive gravity and sharp rocks,” Timon explained.
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“I survived being poisoned and an explosion,” Siegfried bragged. “I'm pretty sure I can survive plummeting.”
“Daisuke, you’ll be the one to take on every guard quietly. Use your power to wrap them up nicely and make sure they will not make any noise,” said Brutus.
“Got it.”
“Siegfried, if we ever have to fight, deal with the soldiers quickly.”
“Consider it done,” Siegfried answered confidently.
“I’ll lead us to the other side and Timon will navigate us from there onward. Any questions?”
Siegfried raised his hand.
“Y-You don't need to do that,” said Timon.
“Where are you guys going after we escape?”
Brutus and Timon looked at each other then laughed. They never thought that Siegfried would ask that kind of question.
“Go home to Montagna, I guess. The desert is where I belong,” said Brutus.
“I’ll fetch my family and leave the empire. Maybe live in Pit Valley or any nearby kingdom,” said Timon.
“How about the other gladiators? Aren’t we taking them?” asked Daisuke.
Brutus, Timon, and Siegfried exchanged gazes.
* * * * *
From four escapees, they've become thirty-six. All of the Capital’s current/remaining gladiators wanted to be free and thus cooperated down to the last instruction.
As they commenced the plan, Daisuke used his power to take the bombs and entangled the guards with cherry blossom trees. Siegfried assisted from time to time when there were two or three guards at a time. Thanks to the rain, there weren't many people outside the arena, the sound they made was being masked by the wind and raindrops, and most guards were lazing around.
It didn’t take them long to arrive at the other side of the arena where the passage was. Most gladiators quickly went down the secret passage. And just as when Daisuke and Siegfried were getting in, a bomb exploded nearby.
“That’s not good,” said Daisuke. “Looks like I missed someone.”
“Brutus, Timon, lead the gladiators away from here. I’ll hold the guards and soldiers,” said Siegfried.
“I’ll fight as well. Brutus, make sure everyone escapes from here,” added Daisuke.
Brutus didn't argue. “Take care you two. And may Lord Aquillus be in your favor!”
As Brutus continued down the secret passage, Daisuke used his power to block the path.
The remaining guards and soldiers quickly caught up to them and Siegfried and Daisuke ran away as fast as they could, luring them away from the secret passage. When most of the soldiers were already lured, they went to the center of the arena and waited for the soldiers.
“Halt!” shouted one of the soldiers.
“Where are the gladiators?” asked another soldier.
The rain started to subside, but the ground has been a bit muddy.
“Can you fight on this condition?” asked Daisuke.
“I fight in any condition,” Siegfried answered.
Then, around two centuries of reinforcement went to the arena and surrounded them, surrounding the two and blocking all potential escape routes.
Siegfried unsheathed his swords and went into his battle stance. Daisuke used his power to create his Wooden Arms.
* * * * *
With the help of Brunnhilde, Riku and Jack became free to use their ability inside the prison. They escaped the prison by electrocuting the soldiers, wrapping the guards with rose briars, and smashing them with jackfruit.
Soon, they were all now running outside on the street. They, too, took advantage of the rain; there were fewer people outside, and no one suspected them as they ran.
Eventually, they reached halfway to the arena, but they stopped when they heard an explosion.
“What was that?” asked Raijin.
Soldiers suddenly appeared and all went towards the arena. The street was instantly flooded with people as well. The four of them hid behind the trashes in an alley.
“We can’t stay in the open now,” Raijin started to panic.
“Looks like the soldiers are on high alert too,” Jack added.
“The rain is stopping...oh my gods,” Raijin was starting to hyperventilate.
“Any ideas, Riku?” asked Brunnhilde.
Riku was thinking of something on how they could reach the arena. If they leave the alley, soldiers could spot them.
“Come on! Something’s happening in the arena!” yelled one kid.
“Alright! Alright!” replied another.
Raijin looked at Jack. “Should we?“
“Yeah.”
“Okay.”
The four of them discreetly followed the kids further inside the alley. They saw the kids open something on the ground and descended.
“Of course! The sewers! Let’s go!” said Jack.
Riku grumbled, hating the idea of going underground full of filth and horrid smell.
As soon as they all went down the sewers, the kids were already too far. They just navigated where they think the arena could be. Then, they heard the kids screamed.
“Those are the kids,” said Brunnhilde. “That way!”
They ran towards the source of the scream, and when they turned right, they saw around thirty men, all shushing the kids.
“Hey! Leave those kids alone!” Raijin shouted.
Riku and Jack used their ability, making their skins glow.
“Woah, Woah, Woah, Woah, Woah. Wait, wait! We’re not going to harm the kids! We’re just trying to escape from the arena,” Brutus explained.
“Escaping?” asked Brunnhilde.
“Yes. We are the gladiators from the arena. An elf named Daisuke and the barbarian Siegfried helped us escape. But they decided to be left behind so we would not be followed.”
“Which way is it?” asked Riku.
“Just continue going left and right alternatingly this way. You shouldn’t miss a ladder going up an old male comfort room,” said Timon.
“Thank you. Please, take the children back to safety,” said Riku (and much to the kids' dismay). “Come on, we got to hurry.”
“Um, hey! Are you four friends with those two?” asked Brutus.
The four nodded.
“Well, don’t worry too much. Those two could take care of themselves. And if they team up, they'll be unbeatable.”
The gladiators continued on their way as they leave the sewers.
“Let’s go,” said Raijin as he leads the group inside the sewers.
* * * * *
“How did that happen?!” the emperor shouted angrily.
“My Lord, it seems that the barbarian and the elf has teamed up to escape,” said a legatus.
“My Lord, we have already sent a legion to surround and enter the arena. They will not be able to escape,” said one of the senators.
“And my gladiators? Where are my gladiators?!” the emperor demanded.
“They must have escaped during the commotion, My Lord,” said the legatus. “But we’ve already asked for the eagle riders to search from the sky.”
“Close the Capital! Not a single soul may leave this place! And get me that woman the barbarian is so fond of!!”
The doors of the emperor’s room suddenly burst open. Several bruised centurions and prison guards came in, removing thorns from their skin.
“My Lord! Our apologies for the intrusion. The prison guards of the Capital Prison were attacked and the female prisoner that came with the barbarian has escaped—”
“WHAT?!”
“—with the elves.”
“Why is everyone here so incompetent?!” shouted the emperor furiously. “Legatus Claudius. Send a crow to Lagaian XII and IV. Ask for their respective legatus to come here and deal with the elf and barbarian personally! Senator Nero, order all available Elite Eagle Riders to search for the escapees; prisoners, elves, gladiators, everyone who escaped!”