chapter 8 : Training

Orion had been called by Batiatus to talk about a matter that he considered important so he did not keep him waiting and went to meet him in the villa shirtless because he was training.

 Escorted by a few servants, he tried to tease some of these girls to lighten the mood but they all stiffened and blushed, really boring and shy girls.

 He arrived at the large hall where Batiatus and his wife were near the balcony. Lucretia was making eyes at Orion but he ignored her again, he had neither the time nor the mood to play that game, he was already pissed enough as it was with Spartacus and the guard who insulted him.

 Orion: I am here Batiatus. Why did you interrupt my training?! Let's talk quickly, I have things to do.

 Batiatus: You... (he just remembered that he and Orion were only partners, this guy was free without owing him anything except to shine in the arena) I heard that you found the Thracian's wife.

 Orion: Yeah, A problem with that (he frowned) ?!

 Batiatus: I have a deal with Spartacus, he had to fight and always emerge victorious so that in exchange I could find his wife.

 Orion: I see but that still doesn't explain the connection with me and why I'm here Batiatus.

 Batiatus: I would like you to tell me where she is now, she is the guarantee of an investment that I want to make prosper, I bought Spartacus at a very high price and it would be unfortunate if he lost his motivation now .

 Orion: If it's Spartacus' motivation that we're talking about here then don't worry, I'll make sure he stays focused on his growth and I'll even help him partially train with your permission of course, he's your gladiator.

 Batiatus: You?! Do you want to train Spartacus ?! You think you're more competent than... (interrupted)

 Orion: I don't doubt Oenomaus's teaching skills. However, his way of teaching will not be able to develop Spartacus' potential to its proper level and what's more, I will only be responsible for part of the training. The Thracian is wild and warlike but I know how to channel all that to exploit it in combat.

 Batiatus:... Um you can train him but if he ever dies in the arena, you reimburse me double what it cost me.

 Orion: Okay.

 Batientus: What about Spartacus' wife?!!

 Orion: The Thracian's wife is safe and in good hands, you don't need to know where she is but she will come to see me often and perhaps meet her husband. Now if that's all I'm going to go back to training, I need to be in shape to bring prestige back to this ludus.

 Batiatus nodded and Orion returned to the field still escorted by the handmaidens.

 Staying in the room with her husband, Lucretia said with a bored look, « His status as a free man and his intelligence make him someone who is difficult for us to deal with. »

 Batiatus: Difficult?! There's simply no way we can handle this guy, I've done my research on him and his combat prowess has truly made him a god of the underground pits. He would have fought there every night for over two months, almost 70 fights without being hit once.

 Lucretia: Do you think he's on Crixus' level?!

 Batientus: Oenomaus told me that Orion quickly overpowered him during an altercation, it's possible that he is stronger than Crixus. However, it's not its strength alone that will give us prestige.

 Lucretia: Explain to me.

 Batiatus began to move closer to his wife and caressed her sensually then said

 « This young man has a physique blessed by the gods, he is not only handsome but also very strong.

 How many of these high society ladies who have the attention of their influential husbands will be willing to pay us or owe us favors to see him up close?! »

 Lucretia: It's an excellent plan except for one detail, Orion is not a slave! You can't force him to fuck if he doesn't want to.

 Batiatus: And that is why we cannot upset Orion, he will be the source of our prosperity if he decides to walk with us.

 They started kissing and kissing in front of their servants who stood there motionless.

 Orion back in the courtyard went straight to Spartacus telling him that from now on until he decides to stop, he will be in charge of some of his training.

 Spartacus looked at him strangely before agreeing, Orion had warned him that he was never going to touch Sura while he was this weak. He also looked at varro.

 Orion: Do you want to train with us too blondy?!

 Varro: Why would you do that for me?!

 Orion: You're this idiot's only friend here (he pointed to Spartacus), I don't want you to die.

 Varro: Very well, it doesn't matter, I'll leave it to you then.

 Orion looked at them and said without emotion

 « Your hell will begin tomorrow evening, enjoy your last calm day and remember Doctore's lessons.

 Show impatience or disobedience towards me or him and We're going to stop . Understood ?! »

 They first looked at him, although younger than them, strangely before accepting. They were not stupid, in their condition as gladiators strength was essential and they saw Orion stand up to Oenomaus after having dominated Crixus.

 It didn't matter that he was younger than them, if Orion could help them become stronger and therefore survive the arena, they were up for it.

 he then went to talk to Oenomaus about Spartacus' training which they will share with Batiatus' agreement, Doctore saw no problem with it but still had a puzzled look on his face.

 Orion returned to his corner and trained for the rest of the evening before going to clean himself up, eat, drink and sleep.

 The next day, he got up very early, left the ludus compound and went to the Capua market to buy leather and other supplies.

 He then quickly returned to the camps to lock himself in his room again.

 As the others continued to train, they saw Orion go out and collect sand again and again, sometimes in large quantities from a small metal bowl.

 They looked strangely, some even wanted to laugh at him but remembering the guard's screams from last time, they calmed down and ignored him instead.

 Lunch time finally came and Orion was called (politely) by a guard because someone had brought him his food.

 He came out and went to the gate to see Sura who was there with Apollos, the Spartan in charge of escorting them.

 She greeted him with a big smile , it had been a few days since she had seen Orion and she missed him a lot.

 He was an elegant, strong, handsome and incredibly intelligent man, any woman will love his company.

 Orion also greeted her and Apollos next to Sura. The three started talking and Orion heard from Marius who was already receiving big requests for Venus' blood but who was ignoring the messages sent to him to make himself desired more.

 He also checked on his men and his friend's family, he missed his two nephews and to his surprise, Sura even told him that the Spartans had become attached to Marco and Celia.

 Apollos hid his face out of embarrassment because a Spartan is not supposed to show tenderness.

 Orion returned the empty basket and took the new one in addition to the vase of water, he then made his way inside and Sura was disappointed that he did not give any information about the search for her husband but did not didn't say anything, she will be patient with the man who saved her.

 Orion who was already on the other side of the gate turned around and said to Sura as she returned to the cart.

 "Oh by the way my dear, I have something for you! Don't move!" 

 She looked at him curiously but just nodded silently.

 Orion went to where the others were eating and found Spartacus and Varro sitting eating their porridge. He placed the basket on their table and casually said to Spartacus

 "Your wife is at the gate!" 

 With a Thracian starting to get agitated as he ran towards the gate, Orion looked at Varro and asked him to watch the basket.

 He left with Spartacus who in his haste had dropped his bowl to the ground but he didn't care. The guards thought he wanted to escape and tried to attack him but Orion waved his arm to calm them down.

 Sura was still waiting for Orion to return when she saw his figure walking out. When she saw the second figure approaching Orion's side, her legs became weak and tears began to fall from her eyes, it was her husband.

 « SURA!! » Spartacus shouted running towards her with wet eyes, he had thought he would never see the love of his life again. Just as they were about to make contact, Orion, who wanted to prevent Spartacus from touching Sura, finally decided to do nothing because of Sura.

 This woman had suffered and he was not going to deprive her of this moment of happiness.

 As the couple kissed in tears and tears, Orion went next to Apollos who looked at him with a smile.

 « You managed to find him so quickly !!? How lucky are you my lord?! »

 Orion: Luck ?! What luck ?! I tracked him down using my superior intelligence and detective skills. And stop calling me "my lord", you know my name and I am your employer, not your lord or your master. 

 Apollos looked at him with amusement, this guy was really strange. He shook his head and responded with a genuine smile, « Okay Orion ! SO ?! How do you feel about this feat accomplished for Sura?! »

 Orion: Like a pain in the ass!

 Apollos: Huh?! For what ?!

 Orion started to sulk, pretending to cry « This woman, I wanted her for myself, she's hot. Now she has her husband back and no one loves me. » he said to Apollos who laughed at his antics and misfortune. It was good for him, this bastard only had a weakness for women who were already married.

 Orion: You dare to make fun?! Reduction in salary, it will now be 10 denarii per week for you instead of 25.

 Apollos began to beg and flatter Orion to bring his salary back to normal 25 denarii a week was an extremely good salary, these guys lacked nothing already plus they had a high salary. All that without counting what they earn in the pits.

 They never regretted their meeting with Orion who had saved them from slavery and treated them more like family than employees. Secretly, they were already attached and accustomed to their employer.

 The pair were continuing their thing when Orion separated them, he was hungry and Spartacus also had to return before Doctore started training again.

 It was with difficulty that Spartacus let go of his wife, promising her that they would never be separated again before leaving.

 Orion whispered to Apollos "Be careful when you return, if you are followed I want you to eliminate the fool who will do this".

 He smiled at Sura who kept thanking him and he left, telling her that tomorrow Salma will resume her visits but she had to wait for Orion to call on her again.

 She wanted to kiss him on the cheek but refused and left saying "Don't slack off on your training!" .

 Orion went to the table where his meal was guarded by Varro, upon his arrival he saw Spartacus waiting for him and who began to thank him for everything he did for his wife.

 Orion looked at him and shook his head smiling and replied,

 "I didn't do it for you, seeing that woman genuinely smile and be happy was my reward. I even had a weakness for your wife but it's you she loves, I had to see you together for this complex to disappear from me. Lusting married women is over ! Yeah! (he dared to say that out loud as if it was an achievement)"

 All the others: "..."

 Orion: Ahem! Now Spartacus I will make you stronger to deserve her and until you become strong enough you will not see her again.

 Spartacus: What?! Why ?!

 Orion: Shut up! You think I don't know what's going on in your head right now?! I saw you looking around when you were together there and I prefer to warn you that escaping with your weak strength will only lead to Sura's death and I will be the one to send you to join her.

 Spartacus:…Then help us get out of here!!

 Orion: In addition to being selfish, you are also stupid! I'm going to help you and endanger the people I care about here in Capua?! You even forget your friend Varro who will be suspected of complicity and will be put to death according to Roman law?! It's not just about you stupid!

 Spartacus had his head down in shame, Varro was looking at him strangely with disappointment on his face.

 "What should I do then?!" he asked helplessly.

 Orion: Become strong and bring value to your person, and when your value is greater you will be able to buy back your freedom with your earnings because the law gives you this possibility with the agreement of your lanista. I'll try to convince him.

 Spartacus: Do you have this influence with Dominus?

 Orion: For the moment no but in a very short time, you will see. Now are you ready to seriously train?! And you Varro?!

 The two immediately nodded their heads with determination. Orion approved,

 "Alright, the basic step to becoming strong is nutrition, from today on you will no longer have to put up with this low nutrient porridge of shit but will share my meals. Let's eat and gain strength."

 They started to eat, Varro and Spartacus were smiling as they ate as it had been a long time since they ate anything good, the other gladiators practically had venom in their eyes at this point. Orion looked at them smiling, the other hidden reason for their training was their potentials that he had spotted and he didn't want these two to die before awakening them.

 After the afternoon training, Spartacus and Varro were exhausted, they had seen Orion training but he himself was not even out of breath and yet his exercises looked more exhausting than theirs if you look at it. adds the heavy equipment he was carrying.

 He came to them and told them that they will begin their training at nightfall. He also went to see Doctore telling him that these two will only train with him in the afternoon, they will rest in the morning and do their usual training with him while carrying their heavy equipment.

 Doctore was not very happy with this change but Batiatus had given Orion his agreement so he could only helplessly accept.

 Orion went to get a board game, it was a famous strategy game in Rome that looked a lot like chess. He went to sit down, settled down and looked around for someone.

 He saw Ashur standing aside with his injured leg, he was watching the others training with envy.

 "Hey Ashur! Come hang out for a minute, I need a playmate!" he caught her attention by smiling calmly.

 Ashur looked at Orion in disbelief. In general, people despise him a lot in ludus and especially gladiators. That someone would be friendly towards him was amazing!

 He moved closer and looked at the guy who was looking at him and smiling. Orion poured water into a bowl for Ashur and gestured for him to sit down.

 Ashur: Do you need a favor?! Ashur can help you find what you...(interrupted)

 Orion: If sitting down for a few minutes and playing this game with me is a favor then yes, I need that service. Come on, come sit down, let's play and talk.

 Ashur: Do you want to chat and play with Ashur...like a friend?!

 Orion: Why do you say that like it's impossible?! Aren't you a human being?! Afterwards, if you don't want to, it doesn't matter.

 Ashur looked at him silently at first before sitting down and helping arrange the pawns while Orion had a childish smile on his face.

 While the others were training, Barca watched Ashur and Orion who were playing. He signaled Crixus!

 Barca: Look at that! The vermin and the arrogant seem to get along well!

 "This arrogant kid is making friends among all the ludus trash starting with THIS PISS-STINKING THRACE!" Crixus said, raising his voice at the end of the sentence so that Spartacus would listen.

 Barca: By the way, last time when you fought...he took you by surprise, Isn't it ?!

 "Of course ! This coward would never have beaten me so quickly!" Crixus responded with denial; he denied the possibility that Orion had in fact beaten him easily and head-on.

 [time skip]

 A month and three weeks have passed since Orion had started training Spartacus and Varro. These two had already passed the Bridge of Truth ceremony to receive their marks as gladiators of House Batiatus.

 Orion didn't want to be branded, he wasn't a slave but he didn't want to do things halfway either.

 He arranged with Batiatus so that instead of being burned, someone came and tattooed the letter "B" surrounded by laurels on his arm.

 This tattoo was beautiful and fit perfectly with Orion. Batiatus even wondered if he shouldn't have done the same thing for the other gladiators instead of those ugly white-hot iron marks.

 As Orion had predicted, his disciples' progress was quite good. Spartacus was making the greatest progress, however Varro was not far behind him and apart from Orion no one else had noticed their progress.

 From the beginning of the training, they discovered another face of Orion. He was mature, meticulous, perfectionist and demanding.

The duo had completely forgotten how young Orion was because he seemed so mature and wise.

 The training with Orion was divided into two parts. The first consisted of intense physical exercises to work and destroy their muscles. Followed by stretching exercise for flexibility. Spartacus and Varro are the only ones who know how much they suffered.

 What surprised them was that Orion was also training with them and not just watching. It was quite terrifying to imagine that they were still doing the same thing alone in the afternoon.

 The second part of the training and fights where he was giving tips. They played matches for hours on end to accumulate more and more experiences and unleash their ever-growing potential.

All this ordeal was their daily life and Orion was even more demanding of himself.

 Orion had told them not to show off their strengths to the others now and as they carried their heavy equipment while training with the others, their speeds and movements seemed usual to the others who had completely forgotten that Varro and Spartacus were carrying heavy things their speed seemed so normal.

 Only Doctore noticed some changes, especially in their more disciplined attitude. He even found himself playing the strategy game with Orion and Ashur from time to time.

 During all this time, Orion was also going to Marius to follow some training with the Spartans in the morning.

 He learned the advanced use of the spear and the shield, these were the weapons of choice of Spartan warriors and their techniques made them Tyrannical on the battlefield. Although he was also trained in Sparta, his skills were not as deep as those of Apollos, Stratos, and Demiclas.

 He also spent time in bed with Salma and gave Sura news about Spartacus.

 Within a month and three weeks the blood of Venus had become extremely famous and all the rich people of Capua were buying it, the drink was auctioned every day at a base price of 50 denarii in small jugs for a final price sometimes going up to 10 denarius . They planned to increase the base price in the following weeks.

 he had even prepared a weaker version but still good for the poorest, it was an aphrodisiac drug that people could no longer do without in addition to being an excellent wine.

 One afternoon in the ludus of Batiatus, Orion and the others were training as usual when suddenly, Doctore approached them to give them some information.

 Doctore: GLADIATORS!!

 They all stopped to look at him and even Orion put down the two swords of Peter that he was wielding.

 Doctore: The Vulcanalia ceremony has been announced and your Dominus has selected ten pairs of gladiators who will fight in the arena.

 The gladiators were excited, many of them were waiting for this opportunity, especially Orion who wanted to show himself in the arena.

 Doctore: Crixus, as champion of Capua, you are selected to fight during the Primus, your opponent will be decided in the list tonight.

 Crixus was smiling but he suddenly met Orion's gaze and his smile froze because of Orion's expression, he was looking at Crixus like a predator in front of its prey.

Crixus was strong, very strong but he had already experienced Orion's speed and strength, he knew this guy wasn't someone he could mess with. If he had to face him in the arena, he had many chances of losing.

 Doctore: Tonight the master is hosting a reception for the day before the event, you'll have to appear there as the main players in the arena tomorrow.

 You will clean yourself up and have to let the guests admire you and maybe even do more.

 When Orion listened to the last part of the sentence he frowned, he is a free gladiator and his job is to win fights in the arena, the rest had nothing to do with him anymore and he will not let anyone give him orders especially about things he wouldn't like to do.

 They stopped training and went to clean up. In this period of drought, water was scarce and the gladiators who were slaves had a rather meager portion for their dry cleaning.

 Orion was rich and had enough water which he shared with Spartacus and Varro, keeping their bodies well hydrated was part of the training and hygiene too.

 In the eyes of the other gladiators, Spartacus and Varro lived in luxury because of Orion but they were unaware of the hell that the latter put them through during night training.

 The evening soon arrived and the reception in Batiatus' villa had begun.