*PAH!*
The sound of wooden swords clashing caused the group of slaves to turn around, only to see the trainer point his now empty right arm to the side of his target. By his neck, was the point of Daniel's wooden sword.
As experienced as Lusius was, he instantly retracted his head backwards, but in doing so, he felt the edge of Daniel's wooden sword grind against his carotid. This brought him to the shocking conclusion that, had the sword Daniel was holding been a real one, he would have already been laying over a pool of his own blood.
Around them, the few dozens of slaves looked on in shock. They had spent the past few weeks training with this man, and his prowess was not only legendary to them, but to anyone who had heard of his name. Who was Lusius, if not a former champion among gladiators, who had won close to a hundred fights, and had refused freedom many times before?
His swordsmanship was famous, and his name made younger gladiators either tremble in fear, or in respect.. Even in his retirement, after finally accepting his freedom due to being too old to compete, he had decided to employ his talents in the field he had been most successful at, moving onto turning promising slaves into warriors that would entertain the very core of the empire.
Daniel, as athletic and valiant as he looked, was just a man his employer had found wandering the streets of Rome. Neither a commander whose legion would want to eagerly protect, nor a rising star whom gladiators' aficionados would recognize.
Lusius' pride and honor did not allow him to believe Daniel had bested him in one swift move. Instead, under the conviction that he hadn't been careful, the former champion picked the sword from the ground and cleared his mind. At that moment, his demeanor suddenly changed, similarly to how it had when facing the group of robbers.
The observing slaves felt a shiver run down their spines. Only once had they witnessed this level of seriousness from one of their trainers, and that was when two or more would spar with one another. On those occasions, while the weapons would still be made out of wood, the two trainers would hold nothing back, as their purpose was to teach the slaves the true path of the gladiator.
As future gladiators, they were taught that they were performers before warriors, to act in an honorable and spectacular way, and in case they lost, they were taught to accept defeat gracefully.. That included allowing their opponents to take their lives, if that was the will of the crowd.
By being unable to control their destiny, and being forced to live as puppets which could be disposed of at any moment, their only card for survival was to become the best fighters they possibly could, and hope for the crowd to take a liking to them, and maybe one day, earn their freedom. This was the way of the gladiator, a life that only allowed the most ferocious and fearless individuals to survive.
After witnessing the man's conviction, Daniel decided to adapt to his surroundings, as this world was not ready for the levels of power he possessed. He suppressed the essence within his body, and prepared himself to fight the man with his skills. His grip onto the two short swords tightened, as he began to observe the man's movements with a mortal's eyes.
For the first time Lusius noticed seriousness in Daniel's inhumanly calm expression, and that put his mind at rest. Once again, the former champion pounced at Daniel, and the spar resumed.
*SPAH* *PAH* *CLA-CLA-CLA* *SPAH*
As the unpleasant sound of wood clashing against wood resounded in the training yard, and splinters began to fly around, Daniel focused on his adversary. Immediately, he could see why this man was so arrogant.
The former champion wielded the two swords like a madman, his body rotated constantly, unafraid to pounce with a vertical slash, or to aim at Daniel's knees and ankles in an attempt to bring him down, making it very easy for the former to keep him on the back foot.
The flurry of attacks forced Daniel to constantly defend himself, yet, as his fingers began to tremble due to the impact of the ceaseless blows, Daniel did not panic. On his face the parvence of a smile was beginning to form, as he once again started to enjoy the feeling of training one's skills with a capable opponent.
One by one Daniel parried, blocked and avoided every attack, until finally Lusius's breath began to shorten. His footing became slightly unstable as he stepped in position to fix his posture, giving Daniel a chance to strike. With as much aggressiveness shown by Lusius, Daniel jumped in the air and hacked downward with his right arm.
While slightly out of breath, Lusius was no pushover. He immediately raised his short swords and crossed them above his head, awaiting for the blow to land. *SPA-KA* Daniel's right arm came down bearing his entire strength and weigh, pushing the two swords down against Lusius' head, and causing the muscles of his arms to twitch from the impact.
The blow had been blocked successfully, but Daniel was not done yet. He tightened his grip onto the remaining sword, and while wielding it as a dagger, he stabbed upwards and in between his opponent's two crossed swords and chest, aiming for his chin.
This move was exceptionally smooth, and it had convinced Daniel of his success, but right as the tip of the sword was about to land, Lusius' head snapped backwards, avoiding Daniel's sword. Then, before the latter could react, Lusius tightened his arms around Daniel's, locking him in place, and by following up the backwards snapping motion of his head, he catapulted his head forward, striking Daniel right on the nose.
Daniel fell on his back, his hands still wrapped tightly around the two swords, while his reddened nose leaked a reddish liquid which Daniel hadn't seen in decades.
For the first time in many years, Daniel had lost a battle of skills.. Yet, no dejection appeared on his face, just a bright smile. "HAHAHAHAH!" He burst out laughing, rolling on the ground unbothered by the dozens of people staring at him, or by the yellowish sand that stuck to his body.
Daniel's hearty laughter got to Lusius, who revealed a wide smile before sticking his swords into the ground. For a couple of minutes the latter's mind went back to his youth, when he used to fight skillful warriors to keep his life.. The rush, the crowd booing or chanting his name. He used to live for that, and only now that he had relieved that rush, did he realize how much he had missed it.
Similarly, Daniel was delving into his thoughts.
As he laid onto the ground, Daniel realized that the only reason why he had been able to defeat Lusius before, was not because of his abilities, but because of his powers. Capable of moving and reacting at a speed faster than light, no mortal, no matter how skillful, could compare to him. It did not matter how vast of an experience the man had accumulated. In front of a cultivator's eyes their speed was not much better than that of a mannequin, yet, the complete absence of mana had turned mortals into the most skillful warriors. That was a reality that Daniel could not help but laugh at.
As the two men smiled and laughed, the observing slaves stared in confusion. The harsh treatment they had received from their trainers was unlike what Daniel had experienced, and to them, the fight appeared closer to a friendly spar between two veteran gladiators, rather than a trainer trying to hammer a slab of hot metal in an attempt to turn it into a sharp sword.
The odd spectacle attracted the attention of several more people. One of whom was Cossus' daughter, Lucia. Already interested in Daniel the moment he emerged from the dungeon, she was now staring at him with amazement. Her hastened breath and rosy cheeks showed that her interest was deeper than simple curiosity.
Lucia was not the only one to show interest in Daniel. Right before the fight came to an end, a group of men in their mid to late thirties had emerged from one of the doors that led to the estate, each dressed in different attires, and all carrying different types of weapons. Each of these men had the same demeanor Lusius had, and was equally as respected by the observing slaves.
These men walked into the training yard, ready to begin the daily training of the slaves that had been assigned to them, but after witnessing to the last part of the spar, and noticing Lusius' satisfied and prideful expression, they could not help but be taken aback.
Almost as if awakened by Lusius' reignited passion, they approached Daniel with their weapons in hand, and one by one, began sparring with him.
Even if not forced to, Daniel would accept every challenge, and face each fighter with their choice of weapons, be it sword and shield, spear and small round shield, or knuckle dusters.. He would always pick the same weapon, and fight the best way that he could.
—–
As the minutes turned into hours, the training session was moved from the flat training ground to the small arena present within the yard. There, the master of the house sat quietly along with his family, and a stream of guests that would usually make their way to his house to witness the progress of their favorite newcomers, had gathered.
By the end of the day, when the last of these sparring sessions was about to start, the small arena had been filled completely. The crowd looked at Daniel, a fighter who had lost every fight he had been part of, while cheering in support. In their voices, Cossus could hear the excitement of a crowd that had discovered their new favorite gladiator, a crowd that would pay anything to see him fight.
For a very long time the greedy Lanista had dreamed of finding a champion worthy of his investment, but his low status among the capital's gym owners had always prevented his name from spreading. Now, however, Just by looking at Daniel as he effortlessly grabbed a trident and net from the weapon racks with a happy smile on his face, Cossus could almost feel the weight of coins in his hand.
Previously dejected by only being able to purchase average men, and train them to perform as third-rate acts before the most notorious gladiators alive, he had gambled on Daniel, and based on what he was seeing, he believed to have struck gold.
The last spar did not last long. A battle between two net fighters, also known as retiarii, was an unlikely match, and due to Daniel's inaptitude towards such an odd combination, he was made quick work by the veteran he had fought. Yet, he was still able to show his impressive agility, and precision while handling such an odd weapon, showing to the spectators that while inexperienced, he was an immensely talented fighter.
His most outstanding qualities, however, were his appearance and aptitude. The complete lack of scars on his body and valiant features made the eyes of most women, and some men sparkle. His constantly positive aptitude towards the fight brought happiness to the spectators, who did not feel dejected even when he faced defeat. In the crowd's eyes, Daniel was already a star.
Long after the sun had set, the training session ended with the slaves not having to raise a single finger. The guests of the house, satisfied by the spectacle, left the estate uncertain on whether they should have paid to see it or not, while Cossus basked in the glory brought to him not by his best warrior, but his newest recruit.
"You! You are a precious gem!" Cossus exclaimed as he marched towards Daniel's tired figure. He then completely ignored the layer of sweat and dirt that was covering him, and gave him a fatherly hug.
Daniel felt no emotions for this man. Even without reading his mind he had already guessed that Cossus would not do anything that wasn't for his own profit. If Daniel's instinct weren't enough, the red number above his head, and the large amount of karmic power floating around him, were enough to show him that Cossus was either indifferent or ignorant to the concept of Karma, or he wouldn't have lived his life buying slaves, and forcing them to fight for entertainment.
What the man's embrace did was to ruin Daniel's good mood, which immediately went back to a calm and emotionless state. Slightly taken aback by Daniel's indifference, Cossus turned towards his magistri, the trainers, and asked, "Which weapon is he most capable with?"
"Dual wielding." Said Lucious in just a moment, stopping the other eager trainers from claiming him for their discipline. "He will train with me."
"Very well. Move him to a better accommodation, and focus on his training. I want him ready to fight in one month." Cossus ordered before turning around, and leaving the training ground. As he left, the stout man failed to notice his daughter stare at Daniel for several more seconds, before finally following him back into the estate.
Once the man and his daughter left, Daniel turned towards the trainers. "I don't want a better room. I am fine where I am.." He said as the corner of his eyes focused on Cossus' retreating figure, who was shedding karmic power by the moment.
