章 17: Know your place

There was no hesitation in the bald man's attack.

Having been thoroughly provoked by Icarus he was nearly frothing at the mouth in anger.

The man truly did have some skill, as evidenced by the sharp and efficient movements demonstrated in his combat techniques. But as far as Icarus was concerned the man might as well have been moving in slow motion.

Each strike of the man's sword was easily dodged by Icarus who was moving as gracefully as flowing water.

Every thrust, swipe, and slash was avoided with minimal effort causing the man to grow increasingly frustrated and ashamed.

'How did this brat get so strong so soon?' He lamented as he continued to try to hack Icarus to pieces. 'Last time we met he couldn't even take a single blow from me let alone see them. So what happened?'

Unfortunately for him, his questions would forever remain unanswered as Icarus was disinclined to let the man leave this arena alive, let alone intact enough to ask any questions.

Tilting his head slightly to the right to avoid a thrust at his head Icarus made his first retaliatory strike.

His right fist struck forward fast as lightning hitting the man squarely in the center of his chest and knocking the wind out of him. So sudden and forceful was the blow that the bald man found himself rolling backward for several feet before coming to a stop unable to breathe.

"Pathetic," Icarus said derisively as he slowly approached the man struggling on the ground before him. "After all your talk about being a chosen gladiator, a cut above the rest, the next true champion! This is all you amount to?"

Stopping directly in front of the man Icarus placed his boot on his chest and slowly pressed down. The wheezing and painful groans of the man beneath his boot did nothing to sway Icarus' mind or mood. There was nothing in his eyes but a cold determination to end the life of the man who nearly ended his own.

"What was it you said to me when I was in a similar position to yours?" The utter disdain and cold bloodlust in Icarus' voice caused the man to shiver in fear, not to mention his sidekick who was getting thoroughly beaten not far away nearly pissed himself.

"Oh yes, you looked me in the eye while I was bleeding out and said. 'Know your place you worthless scum, a lowborn like you could never be a gladiator.' Well now let me return the favor!"

Raising his spear above his head Icarus struck down with full force, attempting to purge himself of all the rage and hate he felt towards this man before him who had come so close to ending his journey.

The spear tip glinted in the light before piercing the man's neck and driving itself nearly halfway into the ground beneath them. And while the light began to fade from the man's eyes and a bright pool of red spread out dying the grass a vivid crimson, Icarus looked the man in the eye and said.

"Know your place...you worthless scum!" And with that Icarus tore his spear from the ground removing the bald man's head entirely in the process. While it could never be said that the bald man would have won any beauty contests, the shining drops of blood drawing an arc in the air as his head soared nearly 5 meters away had a certain morbid aesthetic to it that was quite charming.

Taking a moment to allow his adrenaline to subside Icarus basked in the profound release he felt for having gotten his revenge on the man who once tortured him. 'Man, whoever said revenge doesn't make you feel better was either too weak or too stupid to seek it and find out.'

After dispatching his heart demon Icarus turned around just in time to see the sidekick get dispatched in much the same way.

With a graceful slash that truly seemed effortless the young man decapitated the sidekick, and once again a morbidly beautiful sight was presented for their viewing pleasure.

Not to mention the crowd going insane over what they just witnessed. After Icarus' initial kill one of the cameras had focused on him and followed. Thus the entire transaction, including audio, was transmitted to the millions of fans who ate it up like chocolate-covered cinnamon bears.

Now that the target of his vengeance was taken care of he was able to take a good look at the young man before him.

He couldn't be any more than 23 but he was tall and well-built, his body a perfect expression of form and function. He had bright yellow hair that was tied up in a long ponytail, with a set of silver eyes that seemed to glint like steel in the light.

Standing there smiling after finishing off the sidekick the young man wiped the blood from his blade before turning towards Icarus.

"Thank you for the entertainment young man, my name is Achilles Marcus Aurelius. May I know your name friend?" The young man's voice was light and cheerful betraying nothing of the deadly skill he wielded.

But what shocked Icarus even more was the fact that he was an Aurelius. Members of that family were almost exclusive residents of Prime Earth. It was an ancient aristocratic family stemming from the days of the original Marcus Aurelius.

Their political power was second only to the royal family itself, and was host to numerous champions ranging from the local level, all the way to the star cluster level. For context the 40 sectors that make up the empire are housed in only 23 different star clusters, all neighbors to each other making the empire much more homogenous than some of the other's out there who created outposts like nobody's business.

Recognizing whom he was talking too Icarus began to bend his knee before he was stopped by Achilles.

"Please there is no need for that young friend. On this stage I am your equal, we can thank Commodus for that lesson." A slight chuckle escaped from Achilles as he was pretty proud of his little joke. "I just want to know your name and from which gladiator school you hail. Clearly, they are exceptional when it comes to training gladiators, I've never seen anyone move like you do aside from the top gladiators of the aristocracy."

This was truly high praise coming from a man who could safely be said to have been exposed to every training regimen available to the empire. Not to mention the fact that he had been sparing with galactic champions since he was young.

"My lord, my name is Icarus and I hail from the Lupas ludas based here on Gaul 334." Icarus' voice was hesitant but firm so there was no possible way for Achilles to misunderstand him. The problem was Achilles seemed to freeze the moment the Lupas ludas was mentioned.

"My lord?" Icarus was worried that he had somehow offended the young man before him, but what happened next he could never have anticipated.

Achilles lept at him like an enraged tiger catching him totally off guard. All he could feel was a large hand gripping his face and forcing him backward at tremendous speed.

Slamming his back into a tree Icarus nearly lost his breath, but having been rigorously trained by the advanced AI systems he was taught to always brace his body and was therefore spared.

The problem was that even with all of his strength he couldn't force Achilles back. The most he was able to do was slightly lessen the pressure on his face by using both arms to grip Achilles' wrist and push.

Seeming not to notice Achilles began to shout. "System override, mute all transmissions within 50 meters of me! Block all video feeds and delete the footage of the last 10 minutes!"

'What the frack is going on!' Icarus cried inwardly, 'All I did was introduce myself like he asked so why is he reacting like this?' He didn't have to wait long before getting an answer. An answer that would unfortunately raise many more questions.

"Repeat to me exactly what you said! And don't you dare lie to me!" Achilles was almost hysterical, his eyes were bloodshot and large drops of sweat could be seen pouring down his face.

"All I said was my name is Icarus and I come from the Lupas ludas based here on Gaul 334!! Wha...aack...!" Icarus couldn't get out the rest of what he wanted to say because Achilles had switched from pinning him against the tree by his face to pinning him by the throat.

"Listen and listen well Icarus because I am only gonna say this once!" Achilles continued to increase the pressure on Icarus' neck while screaming at him. "If you EVER mention the name of that place in front of the aristocracy they won't hesitate to kill you and everyone you've ever known! The only reason I am sparing your life is because my great-great grandfather was once spared by the Lupas family and I believe in paying back debts, if I were you I would make sure my dominus learned everything he could about the true history of his family. knowing could get you both killed, but not knowing would be far worse."

Once this was said Achilles released his hold on Icarus' throat allowing him to breathe once again.

Chocking out a response between gasps Icarus asked desperately. "What...*cough*do you...*cough* mean?"

"I mean there is a deep black history festering under the surface of this empire, into which you and your dominus have unwittingly stumbled assuming the ludas is new and took the name for funzies. But if your dominus is a real descendent then I am afraid that your situation is far far beyond bad." Achilles began to quickly leave but stopped himself just a few meters away. Turning round once more to face Icarus he said. "For your own sake, leave that ludas, save yourself. Nothing and no one can prevent what is coming for that bloodline should it still exist." And with that Achilles turned on his heel and fled, disappearing into the depths of the forest around them.

It took several long minutes for Icarus to compose himself enough to even begin to process what had just happened to him.

He learned in that moment that the young man only slightly older than himself was far stronger, that his training meant nothing in the face of the aristocracy, that the ludas to which he had pledged himself were possibly wanted by the entire empire, although if that was the case he wondered how they had survived this long, and lastly, he learned that there was some kind of dark secret surrounding his master of which the master himself was unaware.

The only conclusion Icarus could come to was that it was truly good advice to 'Know your place.' Before something or someone came along to put you back in it.