AngelSubzero - Douma's Adventures

The city of Trastevere was bustling with people. Restaurants were packed, even the market and exhibitions.

It was daytime. The blonde got to Trastevere following the same route the man from yesterday told him about. Now he just had to find some information about the history of the Three Gladiators and just how important their weapons were.

Douma continued walking down a trail leading up to a slope. When he reached its peak, he saw a variety of recreational activities in this open area.

"I'll take all of them!" Someone yelled.

When Douma turned around in the direction the voice came from, he saw a group of people crowding around a stall. There was a chef preparing all kinds of dishes and serving them to his customers.

He was accompanied by other chefs too at that stall but everyone seemed to be paying attention to him, especially his cooking skills. This man with his thick moustache was the star of the show, and his fans got to see it happening right before their very eyes.

The aroma of these dishes was so captivating that it didn't surprise Douma that many people would be drawn to this stall. He walked towards it and stopped in front of the counter where the chef was chopping vegetables and frying the meat at the same time.

No wonder he had many loyal customers and big fans, his skills were incredible. Being able to multitask while still delivering a masterpiece of a dish.

"Hello there! Welcome to Delizie Glorificanti. I'm the honorable chef, Espablo." The chef introduced himself when he saw Douma approaching his stall.

"Man I sure hope my drool doesn't end up on the stove." Douma said, fanning himself as he stood there watching Espablo adding the spices to the broccoli and tomatoes submerged in a cream sauce in the pan.

People were pushing each other to get a close look at Espablo's cooking, the other chefs who worked with him told them to step aside and give them space.

"This is expected when you become famous. Your willpower must be strong or you might easily dismiss the riskiest situations." Espablo told the blonde, flitting his eyes to the rest of the crowd whose screaming and recklessness slowly died down.

The chef's words reminded Douma of his time at the Hasu Mountains. Every now and then he'd encounter the craziest situations because of people's greed and despairs. He managed them well, no matter how much of a hazard some people's actions were, they never found themselves in awful situations that changed their lives for the worst.

Even then, there was still an ungrateful bunch. It's a good thing the blonde didn't have to deal with them anymore.

Maybe he knows about the history of the three gladiators? I should ask him about it. He seems like a friendly guy. Between having to reciprocate to people's rowdiness I'm sure he'd rather have a talk about history and other topics under the sun. Douma looked at Espablo and cleared his throat.

"Excuse me sir, do you know about the Three Gladiators?"

"Oh that's a story enough to keep people up at night. If I tell you about it, are you prepared that you may not have a good night's rest? The words and visions surrounding this story will make your skin crawl." Espablo responded.

"Don't worry I bet there are way more terrifying stories out there compared to this one." Douma added boldly. He didn't need sleep, and what he just told Espablo was no understatement. Worse things existed out there, humans haven't discovered them yet.

"Hahaha! Alright then."

Espablo took out the potatoes from the oven and placed the tray neatly on the counter. "The three gladiators were the fiercest warriors during the revolutionary era of the colosseum's tournaments. It took them five years of slaughtering to earn that title."

Before Douma could even respond to Espablo's sharing, the chef continued, "No one managed to take their place. They were always in the lead and it didn't end well for their opponents. I'm sure you know why their descriptions are plain mortifying, nothing enlightening can be said about these three. Sparing the lives of others never occurred to them, they were living, breathing killing machines."

"It's like a child who takes playtime way too seriously. Breaking their toys in the process and thinking it's part of the session, while the other child cries out of fear. That's exactly how the three gladiators' victims felt when they fought them."

So these three killed their opponents every match knowing they had gone overboard with the rules. I know how screwed in the brain some people can be, but this is another level of cruelty, killing your own kind just to win an annual tournament. Douma couldn't imagine the pain and suffering the participants and audience had to endure at that time. It must be horrifying to even stand near the three gladiators.

"Across Rome, they were known as The Bold, The Tough, and The Feared. Those who hear the words no matter the connection they had to the three gladiators would wish they were deaf. Images of the aftermath at the colosseum and the details spilled out by witnesses haunted many." Espablo went on.

Ryukushu wanting to form some sort of alliance with the Three Gladiators isn't surprising. They're just as heartless as he is, treating humans like pawns for their own twisted entertainment. Controlling the lives of others with the support of the Three Gladiators would maintain Ryukushu's order for a long run. Douma knew what the demon was thinking, he wished nobody had to even hear about such a rule coming up.

"The Bold was this large bulky figure who ambushed his opponents and cracked their skulls in between his fingers before they could even prepare themselves. He didn't care about the possible risks from his mindless decisions, The Bold was a monster in a man's skin, creating a bloodbath in the colosseum from the torn limbs and dislocated jaws on the floor." Espablo narrowed his eyes at Douma and moved on to the next segment of his sharing.

"Strategic and agile, The Tough was equipped with notorious skills that sent his victims into a turmoil when they realized their disadvantage against him. Inferior tactics to counter such precision cost them their precious lives, The Tough never displayed a form of empathy towards these unfortunate lives who wished they never joined the tournament had they listened and believed. He sprinkled crimson splatters of his opponents' shredded flesh and body like a necklace of segregated corpses in the air proudly."

Packing the orders on the table beside the basket, Espablo gulped and spoke again. "Too frightening to even mention, The Feared had a unique way of approaching his battles. He was a manipulative and cunning individual who psychologically tortured his victims to the point where they'd go insane mid-battle and lose track of what was going on. It was a mental challenge for those going up against him, The Feared could read through his opponents, hitting the nail on the coffin every time. The red mark of bloodshed from his own hands left a nauseating mark on those who witnessed the battle that day."

Douma didn't know how to put the words together without sounding too horrified since this was supposed to be a trip that he had to muster up the courage to handle but these stories were sickening to hear about, to even think there were those out there like Ryukushu who was once human, looking up to these power hungry figures in history. There could be more out there who didn't want to show themselves.

"No matter the time period, human nature, can be cruel whenever it wants to. And sometimes because there's a prize when that moment is embraced, it starts to get out of control, taking over the minds of the most susceptible." Looking at the rest of the dishes on the counter, Douma moved away and thought about everything Espablo shared with him.

"They believed each of their views would make humanity stronger. All three of them had the same opinions but they never once tried to turn it into a reality which is a good thing or everybody would be clawing at each other like animals desperate for the slightest bit of power they could get ahold of. If it means to survive the longest."

What Espablo just said reminded Douma of one of the most important questions he needed the answers to, "Do you know where their weapons are-"

"Can I have extra sauce?" One of Espablo's customers asked him while collecting their meal for the day.

"Sure here you go!" The chef responded, pouring more sauce on the dish that the man was holding.

Espablo watched the man thank him and leave joyfully with his meal, "You can read up more about the three gladiators at the museum in the city. They have entire displays about historical events." The chef told the blonde.

Another customer came up to Espablo requesting for additional condiments. The chef tended to the requests of his customers who started approaching him after collecting their meals and placing orders.

Douma took note of the museum and decided to take a walk in the city while thinking of a strategy that he'll need to discuss about thoroughly with the team sent to Rome by Atlas.