Of course!

I was looking forward to the sword contest. There were some very good female soldiers who had entered and I knew I was in for a stern test. I was also confident that I would do well.

Sadly, I couldn't dress as one of the female soldiers. That would lead to too many questions I could answer; no unit, no commanding officer and no placement.

Instead I had dressed as one of the many mercenaries who had also signed up to the contest in the hope of winning the generous first prize. I wore tall boots with flat soles, they were practical, robust and offered some protection. I wanted to keep my agility high so restricted my leggings to the thick thread of fishnets that many of the female gladiators favoured and a leather skirt cut to ensure it didn't get in the way. My bodice was lightly armoured but also designed primarily with freedom of movement in mind.

Yes, I knew that many of the men in the audience liked to watch the games and contests because of the fine athletic bodies of some of the female contenders but that didn't bother me too much.

Further more; I had my mask. I'd picked a masculine mask on purpose - in contrast to my form fitting fighting suit there was nothing slender or sexy about it. My mask had been sculpted from a light metal alloy and depicted a male voice, cheek cut with a deep scar and with his mouth open as if in shout. This was a mask that might well give some of my opponents cause for concern.

Finding a suitable disguise and fighting gear for the contest was the easy part. After queuing to get into the arena's changing rooms it became clear that I might have to wait for some time.