E7 - Caged Screams

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(Please feel free to edit the speaker names if incomplete or inaccurate. Names are handled on a best-effort basis depending on the info on the source file. Dialogue is left as is.)
[00:22] Narration
    Roads are a nation's blood vessels.
[00:26] Narration
    Paved roads existed across
    the land before Rome,
[00:30] Narration
    but the approach Romans took to
    building roads was on another level.
[00:34] Narration
    Even for minor branch roads,
    Romans dug deep into the earth,
[00:40] Narration
    laid stones and gravel of different
    sizes in three layers for drainage,
[00:45] Narration
    and painstakingly packed their paved roads
    so that they would last a long time.
[00:50] Narration
    Construction was overseen by
    the empire's legionnaires.
[00:55] Narration
    It is of special note that they
    were professional builders trained
[00:59] Narration
    in civil engineering from the basics.
[01:04] Soldier
    Break time! Time to eat! Gather round!
[01:08] Hernando
    Finally, a break.
[01:11] Pedro
    I-I'm gonna die.
[01:15] Pedro
    Hey, didn't you hear him?
[01:17] Pedro
    It's break time.
[01:20] Pedro
    How long are you gonna keep digging?
[01:22] Pedro
    They'll run out of food, Cestvs!
[01:25] Cestvs
    I heard you. I'll be right there.
SIGN    Caged Screams
[03:08] Pedro
    How many days has it been since we started?
[03:10] Hernando
    It's been... sixty and three days.
[03:14] Getty
    That many already?
[03:15] Pedro
    Two whole months? For real?
[03:17] Cestvs
    Don't complain.
[03:19] Hernando
    I think I might be at my limit.
[03:21] Getty
    How long do we have to keep doing this?
[03:24] Pedro
    I've lost track of how many times
    I've popped my blisters.
[03:28] Pedro
    After all that work,
    I can't even hold a spoon.
[03:32] Pedro
    We've gotten used to eating like dogs.
[03:34] Pedro
    We're supposed to be human, you know.
[03:36] Cestvs
    I told you to quit complaining!
[03:38] Cestvs
    Remember what the master said.
    This is part of our training.
[03:41] Cestvs
    It's necessary for us to become stronger.
[03:43] Pedro
    Well, I'm sick of this.
[03:44] Pedro
    The skin of my palms is so torn up,
    I can't even make a fist.
[03:47] Pedro
    How am I supposed to get stronger?
[03:50] Getty
    You think he's abandoned us?
[03:54] Hernando
    Maybe.
[03:55] Cestvs
    He'd never do that!
[04:01] Cestvs
    The truth is, I have doubts, too.
[04:04] Cestvs
    Every day is so difficult
    and painful and boring.
[04:07] Cestvs
    I'm about to lose my mind.
[04:11] (Flashback) Zafar
    What you all need to work on
    is your lack of decisive power.
[04:14] (Flashback) Zafar
    You lack the strength to take
    advantage of opportunities,
[04:16] (Flashback) Zafar
    the strength to turn a fight to
    your favor with a single blow.
[04:20] (Flashback) Zafar
    You need to strengthen your fists.
[04:25] (Flashback) Zafar
    You'll work with these until
    I tell you you're finished.
[04:29] (Flashback) Zafar
    Don't complain. It's plain, hard work.
[04:33] (Flashback) Zafar
    You'll be on break from all
    other training except running.
[04:35] (Flashback) Zafar
    Dedicate yourselves to digging.
[04:40] Cestvs
    As instructed, we've been digging
    for two months straight.
[04:45] Cestvs
    Our backs are stiff, our arms are numb,
    and our palms are covered in blisters.
[04:50] Cestvs
    Is this simple labor really
    going to make us stronger?
[04:57] Narration
    The pickax was the boxer's symbol.
[05:01] Narration
    This is because in ancient Greece,
    boxers used pickaxes to train their bodies.
[05:09] Narration
    The sequence of movements involved
    in swinging a pickax contains all
[05:13] Narration
    the elements necessary for
    strengthening one's punch.
[05:17] Narration
    Training is the act of working one's
    muscles enough to cause moderate damage,
[05:22] Narration
    thereby encouraging them to regenerate
    thicker and tougher than before.
[05:32] Narration
    At the same time, training forces
    everyone to face their own weakness.
[05:38] Narration
    One must confront their own mind,
    while pushing their body to its limit.
[05:43] Narration
    Only then will they find their own
    truth and the will to grow stronger.
[05:47] Zafar
    Stop. Put down your pickaxes.
[05:54] Zafar
    Everyone, come with me.
[05:58] Pedro
    All right! Finally!
[06:00] Getty
    Is it over?
[06:01] Pedro
    All right! We can finally
    say goodbye to this work!
[06:06] Pedro
    It took a long time,
    but we worked really hard!
[06:11] Pedro
    Ow...
[06:13] Zafar
    Don't get the wrong idea.
[06:14] Pedro
    Huh?
[06:15] Zafar
    This is only a temporary interruption.
[06:17] Pedro
    You mean it's not over? No way...
[06:21] Zafar
    You'll be continuing this work
    for six months, at least.
[06:24] Pedro
    S-Six...
[06:27] Cestvs
    What are we doing now, then?
[06:29] Zafar
    The troupe leader wants to talk to you.
[06:33] Man
    Pedro, hang in there.
[06:39] Drisco
    Ah, you're here.
[06:41] Drisco
    I want you to meet someone.
[06:44] Drisco
    Take a good look.
[06:45] Drisco
    This is Cestvs, the fighting
    slave you're looking for.
[06:49] Drisco
    These two are traveling around
    and recruiting exceptional boxers
[06:54] Drisco
    for a tournament to be held by the emperor.
[06:57] Pedro
    Held by the emperor?
[06:59] Hernando
    A tournament?
[07:01] Drisco
    In other words, they're imperial envoys.
    Tournament commissioners.
[07:05] Drisco
    You should be honored. They came all the
    way out here looking for you specifically.
[07:11] Envoy A
    Forgive me, but is this boy really Cestvs?
[07:16] Envoy B
    Are you certain that's him?
[07:17] Drisco
    You don't believe me?
[07:20] Drisco
    Despite how he looks, he's my golden egg.
[07:26] Envoy B
    Very well. Whether that boy is truly strong
    or not will become clear soon enough.
[07:32] Envoy B
    After all, we've come
    to announce a qualifier.
[07:35] Drisco
    A qualifier?
[07:36] Envoy A
    Indeed. His Majesty has declared
    that he shall hold a tournament
[07:41] Envoy A
    to pray for victory in the
    upcoming war for Armenia.
[07:44] Envoy A
    It shall take place three months
    from now at Syracuse in Sicily.
[07:49] Envoy B
    Fighters are being gathered for
    the main event of the tournament,
[07:53] Envoy B
    and we are tasked with bringing in
    strong fighters from all over the world.
[07:57] Envoy B
    Currently, numerous fighters
    across all provinces
[08:00] Envoy B
    are competing to participate
    in the main event.
[08:03] Envoy B
    The fighting slave Cestvs shall participate
    in the qualifier for the boxing division.
[08:08] Envoy B
    This is an imperial order.
[08:17] Drisco
    An imperial order, huh?
[08:19] Cestvs
    In other words, I don't
    have the option to refuse.
[08:23] Envoy A
    All those who participate in the
    main event will be rewarded,
[08:27] Envoy A
    and the champion will receive a
    reward from the emperor himself.
[08:31] Envoy A
    A fighting slave like yourself would
    most likely be granted his freedom.
[08:35] Envoy A
    Your wish will come true.
[08:37] Envoy B
    The greatest honor, freedom,
    as well as other prizes could be yours.
[08:40] Envoy B
    Be a man and claim them with your own fists.
[08:45] Hernando
    Cestvs...
[08:47] Cestvs
    He's right. It may be an imperial order,
[08:51] Cestvs
    or a clever temptation meant to
    take advantage of my situation,
[08:54] Cestvs
    but it's still a great opportunity.
[08:57] Cestvs
    But...
[08:59] Cestvs
    Why do I feel a chill running down my spine?
[09:03] Cestvs
    Is it even possible for me to escape
    from him... from Emperor Nero?
[09:11] Narration
    The emperor's influence and
    intelligence network are vast.
[09:15] Narration
    Traveling south along the Italian peninsula
    merely put him in the emperor's backyard.
[09:21] Narration
    The emperor's territory included all the
    land encircling the Mediterranean Sea.
[09:26] Drisco
    All right. You'll fight in
    the boxing division, Cestvs.
[09:31] Cestvs
    Yes, sir.
[09:32] Drisco
    By the way, Mr. Commissioner,
[09:34] Drisco
    there will be divisions besides boxing
    at the tournament, won't there?
[09:37] Envoy B
    Of course.
[09:39] Drisco
    Ruddock, you'll fight in the
    mixed martial arts division.
[09:43] Drisco
    Our troupe will claim two crowns.
[09:48] Ruddock
    All right, got it.
[09:50] Drisco
    Anyway, that's that, Zafar.
[09:52] Drisco
    Get them in fighting shape.
[09:54] Zafar
    You don't need to tell me.
    I'm already getting them prepared.
[09:57] Drisco
    That's what I like to hear.
[10:00] Zafar
    Let's head back.
[10:04] Drisco
    I can't believe he was chosen
    by the emperor himself.
[10:08] Drisco
    He must have quite the past.
[10:14] Zafar
    Cestvs, there's less than a
    month until the qualifier.
[10:17] Zafar
    We need to resume training your instincts,
[10:20] Zafar
    but you'll keep training with
    the pickax, too. Got it?
[10:29] Zafar
    I know what you want to say.
[10:32] Zafar
    But I promise it will produce results.
[10:36] Zafar
    Trust me.
[10:52] Zafar
    It may be too soon, but it's worth
    betting on this opportunity.
[10:55] Zafar
    Unless you reel it in yourself,
    good fortune will pass you by.
[11:01] Narration
    For Cestvs, his master's words were
    absolute, and his only ray of hope.
[11:07] Narration
    Everything he did was to live, to survive.
[11:12] Narration
    The wheel of fate began turning once again.
SIGN    Southern Italy Metapontum
[11:32] Zafar
    This is where you'll be fighting?
SIGN    The Roman Fighter
[11:37] Pedro
    This arena is awfully small.
[11:41] Drisco
    The emperor may be hosting the tournament,
    but this is only the qualifier.
[11:44] Drisco
    They don't need a grand arena for that.
[11:48] Narration
    When we think of Roman arenas,
[11:50] Narration
    we imagine structures made of stone
[11:53] Narration
    because those are the only
    ones left behind as ruins.
[11:57] Narration
    Wooden arenas rotted away
    and were abandoned,
[12:01] Narration
    or were replaced by sturdy stone
    structures and erased from history.
[12:07] Narration
    The Colosseum completed in 80 BCE,
    that pinnacle of Roman architecture,
[12:13] Narration
    began as a simple structure like this one.
[12:17] Cestvs
    The qualifier started yesterday, right?
[12:21] Drisco
    Yeah. For better or worse,
    you're fighting in the last group.
[12:26] Drisco
    Make sure you're well prepared.
[12:28] Drisco
    It'll be a huge loss for me
    if you waste my entry fee.
[12:31] Cestvs
    What? They made us pay
    after inviting us to come?
[12:34] Cestvs
    Who does that?
[12:36] Zafar
    The point of the qualifier is to
    select fighters for the event.
[12:39] Zafar
    It's different from a show for an audience.
[12:41] Zafar
    In other words, it's a private fight
    meant to assess your performance.
[12:44] Ruddock
    Open your eyes.
[12:47] Ruddock
    The fact that it's being held in
    this dump is already suspicious.
[12:52] Ruddock
    This city has grand arenas,
    so why hold the qualifier here?
[12:58] Ruddock
    It's obvious to me what the guys
    putting this event together are up to.
[13:01] Cestvs
    They made us pay an entry fee and
    aren't allowing any audience members
[13:04] Cestvs
    because they want us to
    fight as hard as we can.
[13:07] Zafar
    It's an old trick.
[13:10] Zafar
    Losers receive no pay.
    They can't even promote their name.
[13:14] Zafar
    They lose the entry fee they
    paid for out of pocket.
[13:17] Zafar
    Since only the champion receives a
    reward, everyone's desperate to win.
[13:21] Hernando
    So we have to turn our entry fee into
    a ticket to the main event ourselves.
[13:25] Pedro
    It's an underhanded technique.
[13:27] Drisco
    Hardly.
[13:28] Drisco
    In simpler terms,
    this is a winner-takes-all wager.
[13:33] Drisco
    Only the winner acquires
    the right to participate
[13:36] Drisco
    in the main event and a chance at the prize.
[13:38] Drisco
    You can't win a bet without
    putting money down.
[13:42] Drisco
    The winner takes all.
[13:44] Drisco
    That's the law of competition in this world.
[13:49] Drisco
    There's only one ticket to the main event.
[13:52] Drisco
    If you want it, you'll have to be
    the last fighter standing, Cestvs.
[13:55] Cestvs
    There's no second prize in a serious fight.
[13:59] Cestvs
    I know that much.
[14:05] Narration
    As the tournament commissioners intended,
[14:07] Narration
    the qualifier was cutthroat
    from the first day.
[14:11] Narration
    The stands were filled with only
    associates of the participants.
[14:14] Mob
    What are you doing? Get up!
[14:16] Mob
    Kill him! Crush him!
[14:18] Narration
    Jeers and angry roars flew about,
[14:19] Narration
    and there was no applause
    to praise the fighters.
[14:22] Narration
    With only a scornful glance
    for the crestfallen losers,
[14:24] Narration
    the next fighters steeled their
    resolve and stepped into the arena.
[14:27] Narration
    Win or lose?
[14:29] Narration
    With only two options, it was
    a merciless selection process.
[14:33] Narration
    It was simply a fight for survival.
[14:57] Ref
    Enter the arena!
[15:11] Ref
    It's time for the fourth
    fight of the fourth group.
[15:14] Ref
    This fight will determine the last fighter
[15:16] Ref
    to advance to the second
    round of the qualifier.
[15:18] Ref
    Entering from the east gate, from Drisco's
    boxing group, Cestvs the Young Boxer!
[15:22] Ruddock
    Give it all you've got!
[15:24] Ruddock
    If you lose your first fight,
    you're not getting fed for three days!
[15:28] Ref
    Entering from the west gate, from Catullus's
    training school, Zain the Fighting Slave!
[15:34] Mob A
    His opponent is a kid! Is this a joke?
[15:37] Mob B
    The arena isn't a playground!
[15:39] Mob C
    Go home before Zain makes you cry!
[15:42] Mob D
    Shut up, idiots!
[15:43] Mob E
    Kill him!
[15:44] Ruddock
    Don't let their jeers scare you, Cestvs!
[15:46] Ruddock
    You'd better not embarrass us!
[15:48] Mob A
    What was that? You wanna fight?
[15:50] Mob C
    Don't try to act tough after
    sending a kid to fight for you!
[15:53] Mob
    Yeah!
[15:54] Ref
    Quiet! You're not the ones
    who will be fighting.
[15:57] Ref
    If you don't settle down immediately,
    both of them will be disqualified.
[16:01] Pedro
    Th-The atmosphere here seems really sketchy.
[16:04] Pedro
    Is he going to be okay?
[16:06] Getty
    If there's a riot,
    this derelict arena will collapse.
[16:09] Zafar
    If he can't focus with this
    noise, he'll never survive.
[16:16] Zafar
    On top of that, his head is probably
    full of other concerns right now.
[16:21] Hernando
    Other concerns?
[16:24] Zafar
    Has he mastered what he
    learned during his training?
[16:26] Zafar
    How much stronger has he become?
[16:29] Zafar
    A fighter's true worth can only
    be measured during a real fight.
[16:31] Ref
    Fighters, to the center.
[16:40] Zain
    He's too scared to look me in the eye.
[16:42] Zain
    This will be easy.
[16:43] Zain
    Looks like one win for me.
[16:46] Cestvs
    Finally, my first fight.
[16:48] Cestvs
    I've only just begun.
[16:50] Cestvs
    It's so far away.
[16:51] Cestvs
    How many fights do I have to win here
    before I can go to the main event?
[16:55] Ref
    Fighters, get ready.
[16:59] Cestvs
    How many punches do I have to throw?
    How many fighters do I have to defeat,
[17:04] Cestvs
    just to win my freedom?
[17:07] Ref
    Begin!
[17:09] Cestvs
    If every punch I throw and every fighter
    I beat gets me closer to freedom, then fine.
[17:15] Cestvs
    I'll keep punching until I get there!
[17:19] Zain
    I'll start by casually introducing myself.
[17:22] Cestvs
    Boxers who underestimate their
    opponent are third-rate.
[17:24] Zain
    This'll send you flying!
[17:26] Cestvs
    I don't mess around!
[17:35] Zain
    He waited to strike until
    after I threw my punch.
[17:38] Zain
    Two punches, first right, and then left.
[17:42] Zain
    Impossible. Who is this kid?
[17:47] Zain
    He's far stronger than me.
[17:52] Zain
    He's too fast.
[17:53] Zain
    I can't handle it.
[17:58] Zain
    Damn it!
[18:13] Cestvs
    I'll be moving on to the next fight.
[18:15] Cestvs
    You got a problem with that?
[18:21] Ref
    Th-The winner is Cestvs!
[18:24] Mob
    Nice work, kid!
[18:25] Mob
    So strong! What a fighter!
[18:28] Mob
    Pathetic, Zain!
[18:29] Drisco
    Yes, yes, yes! We're off to a good start!
[18:34] Getty
    Good work.
[18:34] Pedro
    You did it, Cestvs.
[18:36] Hernando
    That's one victory.
[18:37] Drisco
    You sure have gotten stronger. I'm surprised.
[18:41] Drisco
    Keep it up!
[18:45] Pedro
    What's wrong? You won,
    but you look so sullen.
[18:48] Hernando
    Are you hurt?
[18:50] Cestvs
    It's nothing. I'm not injured.
[18:54] Pedro
    Really? Then it was an easy win.
[18:56] Pedro
    Don't try to act cool. Just be happy!
[18:58] Cestvs
    An easy win? Don't be stupid. I hardly won.
[19:03] Cestvs
    I'm disappointed.
[19:04] Cestvs
    I hardly got to fight at all!
[19:10] Zafar
    Of course you feel that way.
    The qualifier has only just begun.
[19:15] Zafar
    Cestvs, what do you think?
[19:18] Zafar
    Of this arena, I mean.
[19:21] Cestvs
    What do I think?
[19:22] Cestvs
    It's cramped, and the walls felt oppressive.
[19:26] Cestvs
    It felt like being thrown inside a cage.
[19:32] Cestvs
    But even if the arena is small,
    that doesn't change what I have to do.
[19:34] Zafar
    No, you underestimate the situation.
[19:37] Zafar
    A boxer with the slightest bit
[19:39] Zafar
    of intelligence will use that
    cramped space against you.
[19:45] Zafar
    The size of the arena can
    change the nature of a fight.
[19:49] Zafar
    Prepare yourself for fights
    like you've never seen before.
[19:53] Cestvs
    A different kind of fight?
[19:56] Zafar
    There's no time. Let's come up with
    a strategy for your next fight.
[20:14] Man A
    Whoa!
[20:14] Man B
    What is it?
[20:15] Man A
    A crow, damn it. It shit on my head.
[20:20] Man A
    Why me?
[20:25] Felix
    Unlucky men are visited by
    misfortune again and again.
[20:29] Felix
    Look at that. I win again.
[20:31] Man A
    You're kidding!
[20:32] Man B
    You're definitely cheating!
[20:34] Man C
    Yeah, you're cheating!
[20:35] Man D
    We know you're cheating!
[20:36] Felix
    Don't falsely accuse me.
[20:38] Felix
    I'm just an incredibly lucky guy.
[20:40] Man A
    Oh, shut up! You can't win that
    many times in a row on luck alone!
[20:43] Felix
    But when it comes to gambling,
    I've never been abandoned by luck.
[20:50] Felix
    You'll see.
[20:53] Felix
    I'll be the one to advance to the main event.
[20:59] Felix
    I'll prove to you why they
    call me Felix the Lucky Man.
[22:39] Zafar
    It's more than simply applying
    that feeling to your punches.
[22:43] Cestvs
    I'm doing everything I can!
[22:45] Man
    He's changed.
[22:47] Man
    I'm sure Cestvs is struggling, too.
[22:50] Felix
    How very polite of you.
SIGN    Epiphany
[22:52] Man
    Did he lose consciousness?