Today was the day, it was almost time for the final performance of Tius. The group made their way to the amphitheater weaving through the dense blocks of people shuffling down the street. There were so many people making their way towards the central plaza Derik wondered whether or not the arena would even have any seats left.

"So how did you even come to become a slave?" Montag asked Tessier as they walked down the road.

"I've been around," she responded. "I used to run with a gang, and I don't mean to brag, but we were some of the best. We were the reason people fear the roads, highwaymen without peer. It was good times back then. Of course, that all changed with that decrepit crypt. We so high on our own success we went to raid the vault. To say it went bad was an understatement. As far as I know, I'm the only one who survived. Got captured after that and ended up here."

"And you want to go back there?" Iris asked.

"I'm sure the old gang would've appreciated me getting some payback."

"How far did you make it?" Lina asked.

"Quite far, we passed plenty of gold. Never got to juicy bits, though."

"I hope you've learned your lesson in captivity," Montag said. "Robbing innocents traveling on the road isn't a desirable profession."

Tessier replied. "Yes, I've found that robbing people on the side of the road isn't worth it. I ain't doing that anymore. I've realized that a life robbing random travelers just isn't worth it."

"Well, I'm glad—"

"That's why I'm going with you guys to raid this place. Why rob the poor when you can rob the tomb of a king?"

Montag looked like he was going to utter a response but didn't end up saying anything.

Derik followed at the rear of the group, speaking to Gonzalez. "Could you two stop making so much noise in the middle of the night? I get the walls are thick, but you are like right next to me."

"There isn't really that much to do for entertainment," Gonzalez replied.

"Just use your damn hand bro."

The group finally reached the central market. The line that led to the arched entrance of the stadium coiled across the entire plaza. When they reached the front of the line, they were surprised to see that they already had a row reserved for them.

"A personal request from Titus," the steward said as he ushered them to their seats.

Derik took his seat as the building began to fill to capacity; he noticed no one sat next to them. It seemed the whole row was theirs. They sat for many minutes as they waited for the show to begin. Gonzalez started to doze off in his chair. Montag sat up straight looking for any sign that the event was going to start. Lina began to pull at her hair, and Iris nursed an alcoholic beverage she purchased.

Derik was staring off into space when he was jolted to life by the sound of blaring trumpets. Derik looked to the outstretched platform above them. A robed man stepped out onto the stage flanked by guards on every side. There was a cheer as he sat. With the emperor properly situated the event began. There were a few events that took place before the action. A procession was first, a host of men paraded their way around the arena. This was followed by a specific ritual sacrifice of animals, bones, crafts, and plants to each of the different gods.

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As the pit was cleared out, there was a battle between Mesburg and Palatine that was reenacted. There was a vast amount of men on each side that fought in formation. They were armed with wooden weapons marked with colorful dyes or paints. Whenever a man would have color smeared across their white uniforms they fell over onto the dirt. The leaders of each side narrated the context to the audience as the sides clashed. Montag looks visibly disturbed, calling out various "gross inaccuracies" that were a lot more like nitpicks. As the battle drew to a close, the final event was slated to begin.

Movable tapestries were briefly brought into the pit, obscuring the crowd's view of what was going on inside. The fans clamored restlessly until the fabrics were taken down by robed individuals wearing clay masks. As the tarps were pulled back, they revealed a man who dressed in an outfit akin to the one Montag had purchased. He faced a vicious assault by a lizard-like humanoid clad in a cloth tunic and a simple metal cap. There was a brief struggle, but the Palatinian was ultimately bested. The crowd booed as the Palatinian soldier collapsed to the ground, a red liquid spilling out of him. The reptile placed his foot on the chest of the downed man.

"Is this the best you have?"

As soon as the man finished his sentence, the doors that led into the pit were slowly moved open. A thin mist emanated from the doors as the audience began to go wild. Titus made his way out into the ring arms outstretched, stepping to the beat of his instrumental backing track. There was a massive wave of applause as he traveled to the center of the pit and faced his opponent. Titus pointed at the man with his sword, and the fight began.

The two men circled and probed at each other. The half-lizard stepped in closer and managed to stab past his guard. A collective gasp came from the audience. Titus clutched his side in pain. He took off his hand to display a gash to the side of his stomach. Titus looked battered, the heavy movements emphasized his injury to the onlookers around him. His adversary closed him and beat him back driving him onto the sand. Titus lay on the ground for a few seconds struggling to get up. The reptilian man taunted the audience.

"I pray that not all of you go down this easy. It seems the once-mighty Palatine has fallen from grace."

Titus had managed to get back on his feet during the duration of the speech. He rocked unsteadily on his feet as his opponent turned backward to face him.

"But there is no need to fear, I for I am merciful," he proclaimed. "Once I conquer this city, I will ensure you all experience a swift death, starting with this one."

He walked towards Titus to finish him off. He thrust directly at Titus, in a flash of motion, he deflected the blow and closed the distance between them. Propelling himself with his rear leg, he thrust towards his opponent like a hawk descending on its prey. He grabbed the leg of his foe and took him to the ground. The surrounding sand plumed as the audience struggled to see what was going on. As the smoke dissipated, it exposed Titus battering the man with the pommel of his sword. After a few heavy-handed strikes, he weakly held up his arm in victory.

The crowd worked itself into a frenzy as the man was taken from the arena by the robed assistants. Derik looked up to see that the emperor had left his position on the overhanging platform. There was a rattling as soldiers walked out to form a row. The crowd went silent as the emperor walked through the path created by the men and met with Titus in the arena. He spoke a few soft words to him and handed him something.

"We salute you," the emperor announced. The crowd raised their arms in solidarity as they left the pit.

Titus walked out of a back entrance in the arena, and the group circled around to met him. Titus walked out in informal robes traditional to the Palatine people. He had partially obscured his face and had a bandage looped around his stomach.

"You actually got stabbed?" Derik asked. "That takes some dedication."

Titus answered, "It's nothing life-threatening. I trusted my opponent would be able to perform the correct maneuvers. Quite a show was it not? I was fortunate to have Hector as my partner. He came out of retirement just for this fight."

"I guess a famous retired heel and the biggest current star would make a crowd so excited. I would be surprised if their throats weren't raw after that," Iris commented.

Titus followed the group back to the accommodations, carefully shielding his face to avoid being bothered.