This place...

[Jack]

(Open. The arena is entirely up to the opponent, but keep it simple. Makes it that much easier, ya?)

"So," Jack said around a forced smile. "This is the citadel?" Off in the distance a cricket chirped, out of disagreement or agreement he couldn't say but an audience of one was better than none. It chirped again and in spite of himself, Jack laughed and shook his head. "Oh the things I amused myself with." Still laughing, and shaking his head, Jack ascended the steps of the grandiose building that people called the Citadel.

The large iron bound doors, polished to the point of gleaming, were imposing enough but the effect was diminished slightly by the man sized door inset in one far right corner. The facade surrounding the doors and its respected arch were also rather imposing, but Jack had a strange feeling that it was exactly genuine. In fact, the more he stared at it the more he was convinced that it was indeed fake. It seemed to shimmer, flicker almost, like it was an illusion. Before he could really study it however, his feet carried him through the man sized front door and he entered into the large lobby like chamber.

The air was moderately cool, with a slight breeze that kept it as such, and the high vaulted ceiling further made sure that all the hot, uncomfortable air stayed far from the tile floors. Almost everything in the large chamber was either bleach white, polished gold, iron or silver and at first glance it was enough to impose great power onto a normal man. For Jack however, it was merely a great show of falsification and in spite of himself, he found that his smile was starting to slip. He was just about to calculate how long it would take before it finally did fail, when a short, stocky looking individual dressed in a dark brown, loose fitting robe approached him.

"How might I help you son?" The individual asked in a soft, well mannered voice. The smile splitting his face was almost enough to cause Jacks to fail out of spite, but somehow he maintained it.

"Uhh," he said around clenched teeth. "What kind of specials are you running today?" Oh brilliant! Brilliant question, dumb shit! Shaking his head to clear the sounds of his self yelling at himself, Jack looked the other in the eyes as the question was mulled about in its mind.

"Wellll," the other said after a moment of thought, and constant fiddling with a bizarre chain hanging from its waist. "We are currently offering a prize for back to back events, if you're interested?"

"Yes," Jack said immediately. Just get me out of here, and away from you! The smile slipped a little further, and continued to slip when the other smiled even wider than before. Jesus hurry the fuck up!

"If you'll follow me, my son," the other said kindly and that was the end of the line for Jack. The smile failed and was instantly replaced with a sneer. Fortunately the other had already turned its back on him, so the sneer when unnoticed, but it was there none-the-less.

Jack found his gaze wandering then, as he absently followed the other through the large room, and everywhere his eyes settled for more than an instant, the sneer grew in intensity. He couldn't explain it, not that he was really trying either, but there was something about this place that just tickled him the wrong way. I have to be careful here...

Careful, was an understatement.

[Ace_of_Spades]

So far the only thing I’ve learned about myself is that my name Hyro Izuahl, other than that I can’t figure much else about myself other than I must have been a fighter. I had heard through passing of a place called The Citadel. It was apparently some sort of proving grounds that warriors venture to. If I am a fighter I might be able to release myself and find out even more about who am I and decide how I belong in such a world. However, I didn’t expect the grand halls of such a place to be, well, so grand. The iron doors that were sitting in front of me daunted at me much like the secrets of my past. Perhaps this was a better idea than I thought; opening the doors to not only The Citadel but my mind as well.

My cloak was oddly unfitting today perhaps at the start of this confrontation I’d consider taking it off to further my flexibility, at least for comfort’s sake. I clinched to my swords on both sides of myself as the doors swung open letting out an almost blinding light. “Del’mustaf aire la fuerté.” I cursed in the language that I refer to as my original instead of tradespeak. I couldn’t find the right words to express the annoyance of the brightness. However, the playing field so to speak on the other side of the doors was interesting to say the least.

Fire bellowed beneath the ground I started to walk on. Molten rock swam the like ocean beating against the daunting cliffs of this ‘place,’ yet I felt oddly at home. The ground extended into the sky creating a roof of spikes and roughed over edges of rocks. “This should be fun.” I spoke to myself trying to lighten the mood of this place seeing as how no one was there yet to greet me. Suddenly the doors opened on the other side of the arena. I quickly began to get myself ready for the oncoming fight.

I threw my cloak on the ground revealing the tattoos covering my entire upper body. The marks weaved in and out of each other creating pictures of horror, and pictures of things never before seen to any man that has lived a merry life. The most distinguishable was the skull and snake centered in the center of my breastplate. The Spectral Blades were held tightly on my sides as my hand only rested on one ready to explode at a moments notice to any sign of hostility. Then I saw him, what appeared to be a mere boy by his build but nothing to be underestimated. “I am Hyro Izuahl, I wish you the best luck you can have.” I smiled quaintly, “Don’t slip.”

I was unaware how things may or may not work but I was unwilling to wait to be attacked. I drew my sword fast enough to be missed by once misplaced look. My arm extended up into the air as the tattoo on my arm of yin glowed brightly. I closed my eyes and let the energy from my arm. A blinding light filled the arena with a flash. It was a pure white light aimed to disorient anything that by chance had its eyes open at the wrong point in time. Opening my eyes I found myself mere feet away from what I believed to be my opponent. I lowered my stance and spun low to cut off the foundation of my opponent at the knees.

Hope you enjoy the setting. Since you left it up to me I will be attempting to possibly release a memory or two to add to my history. As well, I know I'm involved in another thread, but I have talked with the other participant and we know how the thread will end so I'm simply setting this after said encounter.

[Jack]

Jack's unease grew by ever increasing increments as he was led deeper into the belly of the Citadel. Hallway after hallway his brow seemed to crease ever tighter together and after the fifth junction he felt sweat form on his brow but when he went to wipe it, his hand came away cold and dry. "Shit," he mumbled. "Hallucinating that I'm sweating."

"What was that?" The stranger who was leading him tilted his head up and back, positioning an ear toward Jack. Jack gulped and dry washed his hands together for a moment before cough and muttering something. The stranger shrugged and pushed his way through another swinging door, beckoning Jack to follow. "Almost."

"Not soon enough," Jack whispered as he shoved his way through the door. The hall beyond wasn't any different from the last, Jack had no idea how the stranger differentiated between all of them, but he suddenly had the feeling that his journey into the bowels of the Citadel was indeed drawing to a close.

Sure enough they stopped a few doorways later, pausing just long enough to let the stranger point and smile at a door and then vanished into thin air. At least, that was how it seemed. One instant the man was there, pointing, smiling and basically scaring Jack shitless and the next, he was gone. "Fucking great," Jack said, loudly and to no one in particular. "Where'd you suppose he went to anyway?"

A quick study up both ends of the hall told Jack nothing, as they were both empty. Another quick study of the walls revealed no hidden doors that he could detect, although how he would detect a hidden door was beyond him. He quickly realized this and ceased his study, wiping his hands uneasily down his shirt and pants as he positioned himself in front of the door.

He stood still then, staring at the door in silence for a good minute or so before he gave himself a visible shake. "Fuck," he whispered. "Guess there's nothing left for it now but to open the door and see what's on the other side..." His hand closed around the knob and a blinding white light swallowed him whole.

*~~*

He thought he'd died and gone to hell. He screamed for the duration of the blinding light and screamed for a few more seconds after it had faded, just to calm his blown nerves. After a semblance of clarity returned to him and he glanced around him, he solidified the belief that he had truly died and gone to hell.

He was standing in a demons paradise, low stalactite riddled ceiling, bubbling cauldron of molten rock all around and a general sizzling to the air. Not exactly the place you wanted to end up after stepping through a portal of blinding white light! He kept his mouth shut however, holding back the scream that wanted to burst forth, at least, until another blinding flash of white light appeared from the far side of the room and spat out another person. Then he couldn't do anything to prevent it.

There was a brief pause as the other took in the cave with an eerie sense of familiarity, broken only by the other speaking his name and general wishes of luck. Jack didn't hear what he said however, having just managed to snap his mouth shut and stop himself from screaming anymore. Taking a deep breath and squeezing his eyes shut, Jack vainly tried to gather his thoughts and wrap himself around his situation in an attempt to understand what was happening. A metallic ring was the only warning he had the something was about to happen and he snapped his eyes open just in time to see a mini flash...

...And time literally slowed for Jack as the second man materialized from thin air, just in front of him, swinging a gleaming sword straight for Jacks legs. With not even enough time to inhale, Jack kicked his feet out from beneath him, pushing himself up off the ground in a standing still swan dive. He watched as the tip of the others sword came within a hairs breadth of his flesh, neatly slicing into his pant legs, parting them like a hot knife through butter, and as quickly as that, time re-accelerated and landed with a loud thwhump on the ground in front of the other.

"Holy fucking shit," Jack shouted as he sprang into a crouch. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!" He screamed again as he dove away from the other, rolling into a mad dash toward the far side of the cave in an attempt to flee from the insane swordsman.

What the fuck is happening!? His mind raced as his body tried to keep pace in the mad dash for his now threatened life.

[Ace_of_Spades]

Remarkable speed, remarkable. That’s all I could I think about after seeing my opponent so suddenly dodge a devastatingly quick attack. “Holy fucking shit.” Those were my exact thoughts as he again rolled away at an almost equal speed completely destroying any hopes for a quick second attack. It didn’t matter much a quick survey would more than likely do me better.

I noticed the lack of weapons almost immediately and instantly felt more at ease. A swift punch to my gut would not kill me nearly as fast as a blade would. “You’re either really brave or really naïve for entering a place an arena if you will of gladiators with no weapons. Which is it or will you have me find the information out myself the hard way?” I readied myself again for yet another assault. I wasn’t sure if I could match him speed for speed, but there was only one way to find out, and to find out if was in fact human or not.

“I guess since this isn’t going to be over as quickly as I hoped I might as well introduce myself. I am Hyro Izuahl. I can’t tell you much more than that, but then again there isn’t anything else you need to know.” I repositioned myself in a more casual way allowing myself to appear vulnerable and not alert. I circled my sword in my hand as I began to smile. For whatever reason, this test of power and skill excited me almost to the point of pure enjoyment at the thought of spilling blood.

What is wrong with me? Only evil wishes for blood, am I evil, was I evil. NO! I could feel myself tense up. The thought of being evil was a little revolting and at the same time comforting. My memory, I need to know who I am and what I was. I was feeling scared and now at this point I was vulnerable but my attentions quickly turned back to my opponent. I wasn’t about to let myself get distracted and killed before I found myself.

My stance stayed low as a coiled back as far as I could. All at once I exploded into a sprint drawing at my other blade at the same time. The distance between my self and my opponent quickly closed up as I stabbed first to the stomach and sliced down to separate the head from the body in one strike. I tried to keep my eyes on him to see if there was some patter of defense I could use against, or possibly even a hint to how his quick reflexes work triggered.

[Jack]

Jack ran for six seconds, almost to the furthest wall of the cave, before diving behind a upward thrusting mound of jagged rock. It was almost his last act as a living, breathing human being for not three feet from the outward facing face of the mound was a large pool of molten, bubbling rock. He had to scramble, whilst choking back a terrified screech of surprise, for purchase against the rough edges of the mound in order to prevent himself from become a Jack-ecue.

"Mommy," he whimpered as he pressed himself tight against the mound, sucking in large gulps of the dry, near sizzling air of the cave. His eyes squeezed shut and he sucked in his lower lip, biting it hard to stop himself from screaming. "Shhhhhiiit," he exhaled loudly, quivering violently as he did. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!" He slowly let his head down to rest against the mound of rock, which was surprisingly cool considering the nature of the cave, and he inhaled a few more deep, slow breaths. "What have I gotten myself into?" The whimper returned but he quickly quelled it and lifted his head to seek the sword wielding psycho that had attacked him.

The man, at least Jack thought it was a man (that flash and teleporty stuff had planted the seed of doubt in his mind) was still standing where Jack had left him and he was talking now. Jack couldn't make out precisely what he was saying, just that it was some fluff stuff, perhaps something aimed at being psychological. "Like I need any more of it!" Jack whispered as he ducked down behind the mound a little more. "One thing's for certain though," he continued. "I'm not leaving here alive."

In the frantic moments during his mad dash toward the far wall and mound that he now hid behind, Jack had come to the conclusion that he had been tricked. Some kind of sick, twisted game put on by the stranger, and his cohorts, that had led him to this place. Perhaps it was some kind of gambling game, like those gladiatorial arenas he had read about as a child. Blood sport of some kind where a seasoned warrior would be presented with a fleshy, puny opponent that had no chance of winning. Something to get the spectators blood boiling for the main event.

"And that would make me the puny, fleshy asshole that fell for it!" His words came out in a hiss as he narrowed his gaze at the sword wielding man. "Tricked, blindly led like a lamb to the slaughter!" He could feel his fear ebbing, steadily being replaced by rage and he welcomed it. He need not fear now. Well, perhaps not completely forgo fear, for there was always the ever present fear of death, but enough to let him face his mistake with dignity. In order to do that though, he needed rage. Rage to fuel his body, boil his blood and hone his senses into a razor sharp cutting edge. The quivering in his lips stopped and they drew back into a snarl.

"Like a lamb," he whispered, rage practically dribbling from his mouth. "Like a lamb!" With a wordless cry of pure, unadulterated rage, Jack sprang forth from his hiding spot and -

- yelped as he arched his body backward to avoid a stabbing blade. He then twisted his body to the side, kicking his feet out from beneath him just in time to miss being clove in two by the same falling blade. "Crap," he growled as he rolled to his left even as his body finished bouncing up from the ground. As he started to roll an idea sprang to being in his mind and he changed the roll to a spinning kick, attempting to kick the swordsman's feet out from underneath him.

It was a bold move, and probably horribly executed, but it was the best he could do. He had very few fighting skills, mostly what he thought would work and he was way beyond his league in this fight. After all, he was just a lamb fighting a steel toothed beast hungry for the kill. Hungry to shed blood.

Fucking fuck, fuck!

[Ace_of_Spades]

I watched as my blades missed again but yet another opportunity presented itself. I might not have been as fast as this man but I certainly could see his movements. A quick came swiftly and as he kicked I tried to grab his ankle to get my finger on him. If I could get my curse on him, then it would possibly slow him down enough for a quick disabling blow. I didn’t have time to notice if my hand landed or not, or if I could get the curse for a long enough period of time to even be useful. His foot met my stomach with a heavy blow knocking me back several feet.

“Shit,” I cursed under my breath. The man hit harder than I thought which caught me off guard. I looked in my hand and noticed that one of my swords had flown several feet behind me. Quickly getting to my feet I had no choice but to grab stomach from pain. He bruised my ribs and possibly cracked them. Looking back on it, I felt leaving myself vulnerable to an attack of that sort for a chance at an advantage was a bad mistake.

I couldn’t let my mistake get to me I had to act fast if I managed to land my curse. I jumped back as far as I could to retrieve my lost blade. Suddenly pain shot through my chest forcing me to support myself on both of my blades. Coughing, I spit up some blood onto the ground. I was dizzied at the kick but I couldn’t back down now; one kick was not going to beat me out of the fight. If I landed the curse then I wouldn’t have much more time to attack, but the pain was slowing me down now.

I had no choice I quickly grabbed both of my swords and pressed forth through the pain. The molten rocks and dangerous pyres that riddled the floor and ceiling melded into a blur as I ran towards the other end of the arena with my blades readied at my side. My tunnel vision locked me onto my opponent with incredible precision and the second I was close enough my blades came through in a scissor motion for the torso. I will have blood. Something was pushing me towards a lethal end, something I couldn’t control.

[Jack]

His arch-fall-twist-kick trick had an unexpected result; it worked. A moment of pure satisfaction surged through Jacks body as he felt his legs connect solidly with the swordsman. He felt an even greater surge when he saw the other doubled over in obvious pain, clutching at his stomach. I didn't know I had struck that high, Jack thought, as he completed his twist by flipping onto his back, readying himself to backpedal away from the swordsman. After all, the only one to do the attacking so far was the other and Jack didn't think he was going to be all to happy to have not landed the first hit.

Something completely unexpected happened then and given the situation, shouldn't have even been in the realistic realm of abstract possibilities. The swordsman, in the same motion used to clutch at his bruised midsection, reached out and brushed the tip of one of his fingers against the exposed skin of Jacks forearm. Normally such an action would warrant nothing more than a passing glance, perhaps a silent question but that was it. This brush however was something else entirely, for as soon as the swordsman's finger lifted from Jacks flesh, he felt the energy literally drain from his body.

"Whooooooa," Jack said thickly, as he swayed in place, his vision quadrupling and his ears suddenly hearing only a high pitched whine. "Whaat thhuh ffuuuhckk....?" He grunted, trying to roll himself over onto his knees, his body reacting out of instinct in an attempt to flee. "Shhitt!" He might as well have been trying to move a mountain using only a hair plucked from his left ass cheek. An impossible feat to say the least. He tried again and -

- as quick as that he was moving again. His mind, still trying desperately to move, over compensated and he literally threw himself into a rolling dive into a nearby rock pile. He landed shoulders first, his head tucked up against his chest and in a wild display of flailing arms and legs, he landed spread eagle, upside down, atop the pile of rocks. From his now upside down vantage point he caught sight of the charging swordsman, on a collision course with him. Fuck...

The way Jack saw it, in the half second he did see it, he had only two options, and both of them hurt. One, he could just lay there and take whatever was coming, knowing that it was either going to a). hurt like hell and most likely kill him or b). hurt like hell and most certainly kill him. Or, he could try and avoid the inevitable and keep putting off his eventual death. The half second ticked away and his primal instinct made the decision for him. Death was a powerful thing to face willingly, and he just wasn't willing.

He screamed as the blades tore into his left side, but he finished out his roll and broke into a scampering crawl away from the swordsman. His mind galloped as he sought a solution to win this fight, even as a voice cried out in his mind that it was over. I don't wanna die!