That Man

They made sure their bosoms were generously rested on his open palms, like he always liked. It was going to be a great showing today and he needed to view it pleasurably, in its strictest definitions.
The first nibbles of female tongues slushed through both sides of the side burns on his face, as hands whose terms of reference were to spider-walk round the perimeter of his torso signaled the beginning of their hedonistic duties. Only then did King Aurelius relaxedly take a first look at where he was.

The coliseum was packed to capacity with eager worshippers, some of whom were trickling in scarcely clad, and with swaying, drunken steps. The temple prostitutes and their cronies clung to some of the men as they made their noisy entry, tugging at what remained of their items of clothing, sometimes succeeding, sometimes not. At a corner close to where there was occasional dry humping, five men sorrounded a large basin of dracha- a locally made delicacy that was rumored to be capable of literally transporting one to the heavens and back. They poured scoops upon scoops of the white affair into their mouths until they were full, sat back, induced themselves to vomit, and resumed the consumption all over again, till basin after basin was downed and a large mess made all over the place.

It was Ishtar, dedicated to the goddess of fertility, and they had grown tired of these methods of proving their point. When they had invented crucifixion, and tested it on the first dissidents, it was adjudged by the pundits as the most effective and effectual deterrent. But it seemed boring after a few months, and despite the variants they added to it, it did not seem to perturb these infidels and their dedication to whatever it was they believed in. How could one live such a drab life, and be prepared to stake his life for it in addition? So suggestions after suggestions as to how to make the execution of prisoners more exciting had been pouring in, and this seemed to hold Aurelius' interest for the time being.

The first few gold coins splattered from a goatskin bag on the wooden platform before him, spilling some on the girl's lap. The hands which threw it were Vesuvuis's, the proconsul who had come visiting.
'I', he said listlessly.
'II', Aurelius replied defiantly, nodding to the orderly, who appeared with a handful of coins.
As soon as Vesuvius had made himself comfortable beside him, two scantily dressed damsels with burning eyes sat astride his thighs, setting to work with relish.

A part of the large space below the milling crowd opened, and a tall hunk of a man, naked to the hair on his body, was pushed out. Unashamedly scanning the space above and around him, he was pushed to the middle of the clearing, and the steel chains were unclasped from his feet. As soon as this was done, a mad loud cheer erupted from somewhere, and was re-echoed through the building, and drinks which carried invectives of all kinds were poured in his direction. After a few minutes of this, the guards, with an unspoken kind of knowing, ran into the crowd like it was a race for life.

Westwards into the clearing, a lion which was almost as tall as the man glided weakly into the clearing. The visible ribs, the dripping saliva and the sunken eyes of the beast left no one in doubt of its state. It however managed to run back a few feet at the first sighting of a man, but prodded on by the desperation to survive, it turned and let out an earth-shaking roar, before turning and launching his onslaught at the man at break neck speed.

With lisping lips and a determined straight gaze, the tall man waited for the lion to lift itself for the pounce. Calculating accurately, he side-stepped as his opponent was within inches of him, and delivered a savage kick to the beast's side, a loud crack informing him he had broken two ribs. The lion, recovering quickly but visibly weakened, charged again, intent on eating today or dying in the process.
This time, the emergency claws were put to good use, lacerating the man's upper body here and there, though it got a weakening share of punches and kicks, with cheers and lewd screams assuming ownership of the air.

At this point, some sticks and pieces of wood were thrown at him.
Arming himself the best he could, he made sure the next pounce was the lion's last. Using the typical side-stepping skill, he got the better of the animal's side, severing skin from bone with a piece of nail which had stuck to the lucky piece of wood. The ground became bloodied, the beast collapsed, and it's chest heaved down and remained so. The crowd was uncontrollable.

When the fatigued man rose, it was only to face two robust and menacing lions which taken strategic positions behind him. His lips never stopped moving. Both of them charged at him at once.