"50,000 Romans watching every movement of your sword, willing you to make that killer blow. The silence before you strike, and the noise afterwards, it rises, rises, rises up like a storm, as if you were the thunder god himself."
"You were a gladiator?"
"Yes, I was."
"You won your freedom?"
"A long time ago the emperor presented me with a rudius–it's just a wooden sword, a symbol of your freedom. He touched me on the shoulder once, and I was free."
"You knеw Marcus Aurelius?"
"I did not say that I knew him. I said he touchеd me on the shoulder once."
"You asked me what I want. I, too, want to stand in front of the emperor, as you did."
"Then listen to me. Learn from me. I wasn't the best because I killed quickly. I was the best because the crowd loved me. Win the crowd and you'll win your freedom."