The cart finally arrives in the main city. Once the cart passes into a crowded marketplace, Septimus hops off and joins the crowd. He wanders around, looking at the different wares and food. People are bustling from one place to another, not caring about anybody they run into, not caring if they knock anything over. Septimus is not used to this, he is used to the calm atmosphere of Elupia. The smells are completely different as well, foul mostly, but mixed in with the scent of fresh bread and sweet flowers.

Septimus wanders in one direction, ignoring the calls from the shopkeepers to come buy something. Where is it? he thinks, looking for the place of warriors, the coliseum, the battleground. This is where he plans to become infamous, even more so than the emperor.

"Get out of the way!" someone from behind Septimus shouts. He turns, wild-eyed, face to face with a war horse. "I said move!" He looks up at the person on the horse and sees a burly man with a dark brown, scruffy beard and matted hair of the same color. He has a sword slung across his back as well as a shield, and shoulder armor. One of the gladiators. "Are you deaf?" Septimus steps aside and watches in awe as he maneuvers his large horse through the thick crowd of swarming people.

"If I follow him, he will lead me to the arena," Septimus mutters to himself. He quickly takes off at a brisk pace, following the man down the road, almost losing sight of him, despite the fact that he is on the back of one of the largest horses known to man. Septimus pushes through the crowds, saying sorry to everyone he runs into, even helping those who he accidentally knocks down.

Finally arriving at the coliseum, Septimus rushes toward the man on the horse. The man is being let into the coliseum through the gates. Septimus attempts to sneak past the guards and under the gate as it closes, but the guards notice. They cross their spears in front of his chest, preventing him from going any further.

"Halt!" one of the guards demand.

"Please! Let me through!" Septimus shouts at them. The man turns his horse to face the gate. He looks straight into Septimus's blue eyes with his gray ones; eyes like a far away storm cloud. "I want to fight!" The second guard bursts out laughing.

"You? Fight?" he laughs. "You're barely thicker than a toothpick!" Septimus glares at the guard, attempting to look intimidating. "Alright, if you want to fight, where's your given piece of equipment?"

"My what?" Septimus wonders, confused. The first guard sighs.

"You can't pass if you were never given anything by the older warriors," the guard states. He applies more pressure to his spear, making Septimus stumble backward. "You kids aren't told anything these days. If you want to participate, you need to be taken in by a gladiator with five or more years of participation."

"Yeah! And they won't take in anyone as scrawny as you!" the second guard chuckles. "Now just go away and we won't have to kill you!" Septimus glances at the guards, then lets his eyes linger on the man behind the gate.

"Fine!" Septimus growls. If that man won't do anything to help, then no one will, he thinks as he stalks away, making a mental map of Dunsur where the coliseum is the center of the city. "I guess if you want to do something, you need to get it started yourself. This is just like a farm."

"Hey!" someone shouts at Septimus from a nearby building. Septimus turns his head to face a young girl. "Yeah you! Get inside! You shouldn't be outside at night!" Septimus looks up at the sky and see that it is getting darker, then he looks at the streets and sees the shopkeepers packing up and less people on the streets. He goes over to the girl who quickly ushers him in. The house is small, a fireplace in the middle and a table with a few chairs nearby.

"Why can't I be outside at night?" Septimus wonders. The girl sits down by the fireplace.

"Well, you can, technically," she mutters. "But you shouldn't! It's dangerous. Beasts come out as well as thieves and murderers. I only invited you inside because I could tell you weren't from around here. You can sit down if you'd like." Septimus walks over and sits across from the girl. "What brings you to Dunsur?"

"I want to become a gladiator and be the best," Septimus states. The girl giggles. "What? I'm being serious!"

"Oh, I know, but there is no way that you will be able to do it!" she says. "My name's Arcadia Villius by the way, what's yours?"

"I'm Septimus Casca, and I will do it! I'll prove you and those guards wrong!" Septimus exclaims. Arcadia laughs a laugh that sounds like a soft breeze.

"I see that I'm not going to be able to stop you from trying!" she says. Septimus nods. "You can stay here for as long as you want, though there's only one bed, which is mine."

"Thank you, Arcadia, and I'm okay with sleeping on the floor, I'm used to having to do that." Arcadia stands up and stretches.

"I'm going to go to bed now," she tells him. "You should too, it's best to wake up early if you want to get the best bread." Septimus nods, curling up on his side right there by the fire.

* * * * * * *

Septimus is woken by a massive shaking.

"Get up! Get up!" Arcadia shouts in his ear. He groans. "Come on sleepyhead! With you sleeping this much you'll never become the best warrior!"

"Okay, okay," Septimus mumbles. "I'm up." He stretches out his legs and arms then slowly stands up. "Why are you waking me up?"

"The emperor is making a speech!" Arcadia exclaims. "Something interesting always happens during the speeches. Here's your bread." She hands him a piece of warm bread. Septimus eats it as they walk to the middle of the marketplace where a raised platform is. Atop the platform is the emperor on the back of the same horse the man yesterday was riding.

"Citizens of Dunsur!" the emperor starts. He doesn't seem like much, just an old man with a small frame and fancy clothing. "The next gladiator competition will be open to any man who wishes to participate. We cannot ensure your safety, however. If you enter you may die." Septimus stands a little straighter and perks his ears, trying to hear all the words being said. "The winner of the inexperienced round will possibly go onto training to become a full-fledged gladiator, there are no guarantees though. That person will only go into training if an experienced gladiator will take him in. The competition is tomorrow."

"I guess the something interesting this time was the speech!" Arcadia tells Septimus. "You're going to enter, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I am," Septimus confirms.

"Well, you will be beaten extremely quickly if you don't train today. There are lots of buff men in Dunsur, you'll be no match for them. Some of them are extremely ruthless as well."

"I'd better get to training then!" Septimus exclaims. Arcadia rolls her eyes. Septimus has done previous training, self training.

* * * * * * *

The next day Septimus goes to the coliseum, nervous and excited. Arcadia escorted him because she thought that he wouldn't know how to get there, which was probably true. The guards glare at Septimus as he passes through the gates into the coliseum.

"I'll be watching!" Arcadia tells him. Septimus nods. He follows the other competitors into a waiting room where they are getting assigned who they are fighting and in what order. Someone comes up to Septimus and tells him that he will be fighting last with whoever is left.

* * * * * * *

Once everyone has gone, except for Septimus, the same person who told him that he was going last tells him that it is his turn. He nods and walks out from under the arch. The people watching cheer, just like for the other gladiators. The other person is already inside the arena, staring down Septimus. He gulps and walks forward. There is a rack of weapons nearby, Septimus walks to it and takes a battle axe. His opponent charges.