52 B.C.

Marcio watched the boy dance backwards out of reach of Comella’s gladius, his feet moving the proper amount, and no more, her blades missing him by an inch.

The boy was good. Very good. While he was still very lithe and Marcio was certain he would never bulk out, his form was graceful and his movements sure. His toned muscles had been honed to perfection from his constant sparring with Comella. Rather than have her own training stunted, Comella has also flourished during the last 5 years. Her own form was well muscled, her small breasts pushed flat to her chest with her leather armor. She and the boy danced around the small arena, their movements similarly graceful and skilled.

Comella would be a famous Gladiatrix one day, if she managed to not die before then. Her time with Nemis had allowed her more time to train. Most gladiatrix trained from birth to fight and die in the arena would have had their opening debut years ago. She would be at both an advantage and disadvantage during her debut later this year.

Nemis today would be a match for a decent gladiator, but he would be butchered by a master. Largely due to his smaller size. The boy had grown up to an average height so far, but had not grown out. There was a distinct strength difference between his gladiators and this boy. As it was, he stood around 5’4”. For 15, this was about average.

But his skill? The boy had it in him to be a virtuoso. He had the speed to keep up with the greatest of gladiators, and his legwork was flawless. He had also proved to be quite adept with all blades weapons, including the short spear. What he lacked was the size needed for larger weapons, the net and hook, the pike, the trident, and most bashing weapons.

No hammers for this one.

He worshipped Comella, and had grown extremely passionate about using the double gladius. The boy seemed to be naturally ambidextrous as well which meant that his skill ceiling while dual-wielding was actually higher than Comella’s. Was higher than his own, if he was being honest.

The boy’s father was coming to collect the boy for a family outing tonight. They were attending the great theater. The first permanent theater in Rome, by virtue of not being made of wood. The boy’s father had visited every day to teach him, but the boy had not seen his family for 5 long years.

Hopefully the boy’s mother’s ire will have abated.