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Abbinnaeus the Gladiator - The Finale

© Elizabeth Batt

Abbinnaeus walked into the arena with his head held high. Although he felt far from confident, it was vital that he appeared so. Despite his helmet, the bright sun hurt his eyes and he was forced to squint as he made his way to the center of the arena. The crowd was a churning sea of white, their frenzied cheering battering his ears.

Approaching him from the opposite side was the retiarius. Abbinnaeus felt the hate beginning to form inside of him - a false hate but a necessary hate. He could allow no pity for this gladiator to creep into his heart, for pity would cause him to falter and his very survival was at stake.

As they met face to face, both gladiators turned as one, seeking the podium and the man in charge of their fate.
"Hail Emperor!" voiced the gladiators. "We salute thee."
Coolly, the man that was the God of so many waved at them with boredom. He would be difficult to please today. The crowd that had ceased its cheers only long enough to acknowledge the salute now started in again with passion. Their bloodlust had yet to be appeased. Abbinnaeus doubted that it ever would.

The gladiators faced each other and began circling, trying to size up any strengths and weaknesses that they could take advantage of. Abbinnaeus knew that he would have to make a move soon before the crowd demanded one. The retiarius began slowly moving backwards, increasing the distance between them as Abbinnaeus advanced cautiously, not wishing to allow his foe to escape too far.

The trident of his opponent kept stabbing at the air in front of him, mocking him, warning him and inviting him to make a move. Abbinnaeus lunged to the side quickly hoping to bypass the pronged trident and get close enough to make a strike. The retiarius read him well and with a flick of his wrist threw the net deftly at Abbinnaeus. Abbinnaeus side-stepped quickly, but not quickly enough as the net caught on his shield. A tug of war began.

Pulling with all his might, the retiarius strove to dislodge the shield from his opponents hand. Abbinnaeus cursing himself for his stupidity, took his sword and began hacking away at the mesh in a desperate attempt to free his only body protector. The crowd had grown wild with the first encounter; their anticipation mounting as they wondered which one of the two gladiators would be the first to draw blood.