chapter 2 : The First Steps

 « Damn it ! It's really difficult! Hurfff! » Orion complained, lifting stone alters that he had made himself.

 An iron bar connected two heavy weights and he only had to lift it to work his upper limb muscles, do flexions with the bar on his shoulders to work his leg muscles and he even did exercises. stretching and abdominal work.

 It had been two months since Orion told Marius about his plans and when he started working on his body, he needed to gain some extra muscles.

Basically, he had received combat training in Sparta during his childhood because it was mandatory and he became quite a good warrior in his teens.

 However, although many Spartans recognized his worth as a young warrior, Orion continued to be insulted or discriminated against for being the child of a foreigner.

 His own father did not consider him a son but rather an excellent student, the perfect student . His love, affection, and inheritance were for his legitimate son Talos, younger and less talented than Orion. It was only later that he decided to leave there.

 Marius came and saw his friend exercising, he was shocked by the demonic speed with which Orion had gained muscles in two months.

 "Buddy, I don't know how you managed to change so quickly but it's really scary!" 

 Orion: Of course I'm a genius! What did you expect ?! My body is that of a person… (Marius interrupted)

 Marius: It's okay, we understand, you're a genius! However, this heavy tool you made still intrigues me, it's really very effective! If it were sold we would make a lot of money! 

 Orion: Marius my friend, it's not the tool that counts but the way you use it ! As a powerful Medical Genius (Marius rolled his eyes at that) I know the muscles of the human body and how to work them. I was trained in Sparta so I also know their physical and practical exercises, I have improved them.

 Marius: Explain to me already why you wanted to gain muscle, from what I've seen every day over the last few weeks, you need almost no effort to dodge my blows.

 Orion: It's not enough, I can see your attacks coming but if my body is not able to make the movement as I want at the right time I will still be hit, this is why I work my muscles and also my flexibility.

 "Hmm, not wrong! Your first fight in the pit is tonight, don't get hurt in training " Marius said, returning to the house.

Orion watched him leave, smiling and whispering, « Fortune and glory await us my friend. »

 [Hours later]

 The Pit of Hell, an underground place in Capua where criminals and bad people meet to watch fights to the death.

If the arena was a place where gladiators died with honor or could give up the fight, the pit was different because all fights ended with the death of one of the fighters .

 Marius and Orion entered the underground where the cries of the people echoed to encourage two fighters who already had blood on them showing the violence of their fight.

 The first thing that bothered Orion was the smell, this place stank of blood and sweat. Not to mention the body odors of the screaming people and with Orion's enhanced sense of smell, it was torture.

 "By the gods Orion, what have you gotten me into?!" Marius complained to his friend.

 Orion: Damn dude don't make me talk here! I'll bet whatever you want that this smell even tastes like it's so awful!

 Orion wanted to cry, this place smelled too bad but the worst was that it was full of ugly and dirty women, some even had sex with thugs in front of everyone's eyes.

 One of the women looked at him and winked, "Hey my handsome Apollo, you can take me anywhere you want here ! It's free for you" as she spoke the two men noticed that in her mouth, only three teeth remained.

 The woman came near Orion and behind him, Marius wanted to burst out laughing to make fun of his usually lecherous friend. Orion trembled at the woman's touch, he literally had chills.

 "By the gods! Isn't this woman a creature from Tartarus sent to torment me?!" he said in his mind before gently pushing the woman away.

 Marius was laughing out loud now, he really couldn't take it anymore but immediately he started coughing and vomiting because of the smell.

 "Good for your face bastard ! Dare to make fun of me, just wait until this smell becomes your breath" Orion rejoiced at his friend's misfortune.

 All of a sudden the crowd screamed in excitement, one of the fighters gouged out the eyes of the other and while the latter screamed in pain lying on the sand and blinded.

The other took the hook that he used as a weapon and thrust it under the blinded man's chin before pulling on the hook which returned with his opponent's entire lower jaw on the ground ending the fight and spreading blood everywhere.

 Marius and Orion saw the scene with their mouths open despite the ambient odor,

 "Dear friend , I'm next ! You need to start betting and pour it all on me! » Orion said to Marius.

 Marius: Are you sure?! We can turn around now if you want man.

 Orion: No brother! Our fortune begins here and now!

 Orion's fight came and he was called to the stage with his opponent, he was a tall, bald man with his body covered in scars.

Marius looked at his friend's opponent and was a little stressed, if he was given a sword he could take down the man but Orion unlike him had never killed anyone.

 As Orion and his opponent stood opposite each other, the organizer waved his hand and an almost completely naked beauty brought a metal cauldron filled with small bones, Orion frowned eyebrows not because of the cauldron but because of the naked beauty.

she was the only good looking woman in this cursed place, she passed in front of Orion who with a furtive gesture touched her buttocks.

 The girl turned towards Orion with a smile, Orion winked at her but his face became unsightly in the following seconds as he observed the girl closely. She had a penis!

 Orion wanted to pass out now while Marius was literally crying with laughter.

 Orion was pissed, "What happened to this world?!" What is this absurd place?! A woman with a penis!! A woman… a MAN! He's a fucking guy! ", his eyes were red, he wanted to kill someone and Marius' laughter made him want to cry. What kind of friend was this bastard?!

 They were asked to take a bone at random from the cauldron and Orion drew a rib, meaning that he was going to fight armed with a dagger while his opponent drew a piece of jaw thus equipping himself with two axes.

 Orion was at a disadvantage but not afraid, he was even quite angry still.

 Marius saw the weapons and was afraid for his friend, he was at too much of a disadvantage with a simple dagger against two short axes.

Unless he was an experienced and overtrained warrior, it was impossible for Orion to win but he had faith in his friend, he wished Orion would give up but something told him that this fight was not going to be normal.

 The signal was given and the fight began, the opponent swung the axes and Orion dodged each of them with ease to the loud cries of the audience, Marius watched his friend cleanly dodge the enemy attacks with a certain excitement .

 As he attacked again and again without success, Orion's opponent began to insult and provoke him, Orion as if he was in another world was there on the spot muttering something.

 "What are you whispering, little girl?!" the opponent said while rushing towards Orion who was still not moving, he swung his ax vertically and Orion avoided the blow, he turned around to send his second ax at him and Orion also avoided it but this time by deeply tearing his opponent's abdomen with his dagger.

 The bald guy despite his pain in the abdomen turned around to face Orion behind him but just as he turned around, Orion thrust his hand into his wound in the abdomen and pulled out the intestines from the opponent towards the outside, all with an emotionless face.

 As he fell helplessly, the man could hear Orion whispering, "A guy...that girl was a fucking guy!!" .

He realized that Orion wasn't even taking this fight seriously from the start, with his intestines out, he agonized for a while before dying.

 *General silence*

 Everyone held their breath, no one spoke, even those who were fucking stopped and after a few seconds, the organizer shouted « ORION WINNER OF THE FIGHT!!!»

 "WOOAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" »

 The crowd erupted in screams and applause, this fight had been won in a manner that was both elegant and cruel.

Marius looked at Orion as if he were looking at a Monster. 

« Apparently I was worrying for nothing! Orion who are you really? » he smiled before going to collect the money won in his bet and they had won a large sum.

 As Orion went down to find Marius, the organizer came to him to speak to him.

 "Warrior, your fight was absolutely beautiful, a perfect masterpiece! May I know when are you going to fight again? " he asked.

 Orion: Every day from now on for at least a month!

 Anubis, the organizer was delighted, if a warrior such as Orion fought every evening in the pit, he would attract many more people.

 "Then we will wait for you here warrior, come back quickly and kill at our place again!" Anubis said reverently.

 Orion just nodded, before leaving this place with Marius.

 Once outside, they were hit by the cool air.

 "By the balls of Zeus ! The air still smells so good?! Mercy, my nose had even adapted to this stench capable of putting a putrefied corpse to shame?! Incredible, I'm even ashamed of having a nose!" Orion started to complain.

 Marius: It's okay, it's not death! Plus you won tonight, I didn't know you were so bloodthirsty Orion!

 Orion: Pffff when I was 3, my father was already teaching me the names of the main human organs and forcing me to touch them. He opened the bodies of reported enemies to teach me their locations and functioning, so extracting them from the stomach of an opponent is nothing to me...*sigh*...what father made me do.

 Marius: Man, it's horrible, I understand! No child should have to…. (interrupted by Orion)

 Orion: Where did you hear that I complained about that?! I am a genius ! My father had trained the medical demon that I am today!

 Marius:…

 Orion: Let's go home, I'm hungry! How much did we win tonight actually?!

 Marius: 63 denarii, it's incredible to earn that much in a single evening.

 Orion: And believe me my friend, this is just one of the many ways we're going to make money, lots of money.

 The two friends returned home with money in their pockets this evening.

 For the next few days Orion's name was known in the pit. He was nicknamed "The Untouchable Orion" who took no blows and always had a perfect and deadly response, thus finishing all his fights with enormous ease.

 However, he now entered the pit and fought with a scented cloth that covered the lower part of his face from the nose down because of the terrible odors of that place.

 One morning, Orion came out of his room to find Marius and ask him to help him transport goods to the great square of Capua. Although Marius did not know precisely what it was, he trusted Orion.

 He brought the cart and asked Orion to load his goods. Orion began carrying large, flat, thin objects wrapped in cloth.

 Marius: What are these things Orion?!

 Orion: Wait and see! We will go home unjustly rich tonight!

 Marius just gave a helpless smile and drove the vehicle towards the large market square of Capua. Once the two arrived there, Orion began unloading his cargo, there were exactly 5 rectangular and flat objects. Then he started attracting people.

 "Approach ladies and gentlemen, come, come and see the most beautiful artistic representations of Capua! Fierce and magnificent paintings!" curious people started to gather around Orion who started to remove the fabrics from the first object and it was... a painting.

 "Whoa!! »

 "Prodigious!" »

 " Gorgeous ! »

 Before the eyes of the public, Orion showed a magnificent portrait of the city of Capua seen from the south with basic colors. Even Marius was shocked as he looked at the artwork in front of him.

 "Wait but… it's our city, it's our Capua!" a man in the crowd said.

 " Amazing !! Our city is so beautiful!" 

 "This artist painted by the hand of the gods!" 

 « How did he do that?! Who is he ?! »

 "Ladies and gentlemen we are about to begin the auction for this magnificent painting of our magnificent city. It's a unique work, enjoy it. The starting price is 25 denarii. » Orion said with a smirk.

 "It's really too expensive"

 "Yes it is expensive but the work accomplished is extremely well done and detailed, it is a masterpiece that is worth its price" Orion said with the smile of a perfume salesman. 

 "26 denarii"

 "27"

 " 30 "

 "33"

 "Tch!" 40 denarii! »

 The rich people of the city gave their offerings and Marius in the cart looked at Orion with his mouth so open that it could accommodate 7 eggs at the same time.

A single painting was worth that much?! Not even he knew how his friend had acquired such painting and drawing skills.

 "I'm buying this painting for 20 denarius ! I will offer it to my friend Senator Albinus" a voice rang out.

 Marius listening to the amount wanted to vomit blood, he looked at the old man who spoke and understood who he was. It was the richest slave trader in the entire region, Rufus!

 « Sold ! Although I don't care what you do with my painting! » Orion said nonchalantly.

 Rufus frowned as he listened to Orion's sentence but was still given a large purse full of which Orion began to count,

 "…18...19...20! It's good, dear customer, take your merchandise and may the senator appreciate this gift at its true value, that of a devoted friend! » He said with a friendly smile by putting away the gold coins.

 *silence*

 "This guy… he's really good with his words!" 

 " Shameless ! He said he didn't care at first but now he tells her about it after counting the generous amount. ". Listening to the audience, Marius had already lain down in the cart to laugh and mock.

 "Ahem! We will then move on to the second table! If there are children here cover their eyes because now because I offer you the underground hell, the hidden arena of Capua, the Pit! »

 He removed the cloth to show the second painting which represented the pit in which he fought every night and killed.

The image depicted two men covered in blood with one of them drawing his hook and taking away his opponent's jaw.

It was the first fight that Orion and Marius had seen in the pit but it was so well drawn that all the violence of the fight, the darkness of the place, the madness of the audience, the bright or dark colors and even the sounds were easily imagined just by looking at this drawing.

 "29 denarius and 30 denarii for this one" Rufus immediately yelled.

*** Denarius (gold coin) = 25 Denarii (silver coin), a Denarii = 10 bronze asses