The stillness of the night is interrupted by the sound of a single pair of booted feet upon the worn stones of the corridor. Maximus sits in his cell wondering at life and the circumstances that put him here, slave, and gladiator in the empires greatest city. Once a Free citizen with lands and a title, one of the most powerful generals in the Legion, now forced to fight for his life or bleed to death on the sands, laughed at by those who come for the sport. “It shall never happen,” Maximus, vows to himself. The booted feet draw near, at least this is different.
A guard appears at the cell door “You, move over to the wall!” the guard orders. The guard opens the gate and drops chains to the floor. He then backs out and re locks the gate. “Put those on I shall be right back”. Maximus goes to the pile and picks out the shackles; he notices that they are single metal cuffs at either end of twenty feet of chain. Maximus Pauses in thought, it means he has a visitor. He secures the cuffs into place and the guard returns, opens the door, and with a small hammer bangs the pin into place.
Maximus gathers up the chain in his arms and walks out the cell door. He doesn’t try to fight or run, the coliseum is far to well guarded and he bears the guard no malice, he is just doing his job. After quite a walk Maximus is ushered into a large room. The guard opens a shackle on the wall and places the center of the chain inside it before securing it. Maximus is confined to the space ten feet from that shackle, if the chains are pulled taut, his back to the wall.
Maximus looks around and sees two brass braziers in the corners, flames leap and dance upon them providing the soft ruddy bronze light. There is a large wooden x to which one may be shackled and beaten. Sometimes the rich like to purchase a Gladiator and beat them to death to feel more powerful, Maximus worries not, his value is far to high after winning his match today to be used in such a fashion.