Fight to Survive (Solo)

[Ashla]

This Thread is solo. So this Thread is closed to me.

[Ashla]

Fight to Survive

Chapter One: Captured
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Ashla Rose Icebreaker was trying to sleep on the side of a large rock. The rock guarded her from the blazing Fallien sun. Her cat, Fireleaf, was curled up and sleeping at her feet. Ashla was low on supplies, and was in desperate need of food and water. She had been searching for any sign of civilization for weeks and her time was close to an end. The last town she had left had been a goldmine of supplies that were cheap, but still in good condition. When she had left for another place that was four days from her current town, a sand storm had some through and she had become utterly lost in her journey. Ashla was in desperate condition, searching day and night for any place of help, but she could find nothing. Her supplies of food and water had been just about spent, and she had nothing left. She was too tired to get up and search again; the only thing on her mind at the time was sleep...

But sleep would have to wait for the young survivor, for she was about to go in for a wild ride.

Ashla woke up to the sound of feet scuffing in the sand. At once she knew she had been found. She tried not to get her hopes up that she was saved, it could very well be trouble. She placed her hand on her steel sword and cautiously asked, "Who's there?"

There was no response.

Ashla stood up and placed her other hand on her long knife, also made of steel, and drew her weapons taking a stance. "If anyone is there, I don't want to fight you!" Her words were true; for one thing she knew she was too weak to fight for long, the other thing was that she simply was in no mood for trouble (this was rare, Ashla always wanted to get into trouble and adventure whenever she could - but she was plain sick of this adventure already!) She would be forced to fight though, for out of nowhere, a man leaped at her with a mace and swung at her head. The nimble Ashla ducked just in time and raised her sword! Ashla was determined to get this done and over with! She kept trying to hit the man without giving him the chance to attack her. She and the stranger fought briefly in the desert sands before another man came out with a broadsword.

Realizing that she was outnumbered, Ashla decided to take the defensive. She stepped away from the men and took another stance, trying to gather the strength she had left. They both lunged at her, she dodged both of their attacks. The man with the mace swung low in hopes of swiping her off her feet. She jumped, barely missing it. The man with the sword swung at her heart right after she landed on her feet again. She blocked his blow with her sword and with a flash of annoyance threw it off. She ducked and dared to stab him, and she hit him! After he fell, the first man raised his mace and tried hit her head again. Ashla dogged and flipped back. She threw her long knife at the man who easily blocked it. Ashla felt like fainting, she was so tired, but she had get this man out of the way before she would collapse!

She ran towards him raising her sword. Right before she got to hit him though, something shot her neck. She couldn't tell what had hit her, but she was starting to feel very drowsy. She realized with a jolt that she had been drugged! No... she thought frantically, please don't faint, Ashla! Not in a time like this! But she failed to stay cautious. Darkness began to sweep her away from the living world. She fell to the ground, sand flew up, her hands were limp, one was barely even on her sword, her dagger she had dropped and lay close beside her. Ashla was usually hasty enough to grab it in a jiffy; but this time she didn't do that, in fact she didn't move at all. She was out cold, no chance of defending herself against her opponents -seen and unseen- now.

[Ashla]

Fight to Survive

Chapter Two: Cage of Fear


Ashla moaned. Her head hurt, and her body ached. Where am I? She asked herself. She gasped as she heard a voice say "Good, you're up!"

Ashla looked around, startled to see that she was in a cage! It was small too, she tried to get up, but wasn't able to., and she found that she had been leaning against the bars in her sleep, no wonder she was so uncomfortable! She stared across the room she was in, she was in a large room filled with cages just like hers. They were all stacked on top of each other; most of them empty. Some cages though had people inside of them. These people were silent, their eyes lifeless and full of fear. They said nothing to her or each other, they just stared ahead of her, she could not even guess what they were all thinking. Ashla could tel something out though, any fool would know: she was a prisoner her.

Ashla felt fury shoot through her like poison; she didn't belong here! She grabbed the bars and yelled, "Where am I? Let me out!" She yanked at the bars, demanding her freedom! She instead saw a dark man walk up to her from the other side of her cell and say, "I'm afraid we can't let you out, dear. But I can tell you where you are." He gave her a smirk that indicated he was the enemy. His cruel eyes already was making Ashla feel uncomfortable. He had a sword at his side and a quiver that held a short bow and arrows on his back. Ashla turned around and gulped before confronting him.

"Where?" Ashla asked in a dark, threatening tone.

He scratched his hairy head, "You are in the Desert Arena."

"Desert Arena?" Ashla asked in steadily controlled horror, this did not sound good!

"Yes," the man said quite proudly, "In the Desert Arena, we force young warriors we capture to fight against animals we set loose in the main arena."

Ashla realized in dread why she was here, "And you're going to do that to me too?" She asked, trying not to sound frightened, but failing to do so.

"Of course!" The man sneered, he tapped his sword, "And since your awake, I guess we'll put you in there right now!"

Ashla began to feel her hunger and thirst returning to her, she couldn't fight in a state like this; heck, she didn't want to fight at all! "But can I of least have something to eat and drink, sir? I'm so hungry!" Ashla begged, finally giving up the fearless game.

The man only stared at her for a moment, then called over to someone else who was handling the locks to some empty cages far off from them, "Get some bread and water for our young warrior, she needs some strength for the battle coming up!" Soon, a servant came by with a loaf of bread, and a cup of water. The bread was stale, and the water was warm, but Ashla tried not to notice that. She was so tired and low on nutrition, she could eat anything! As she ate her food she thought to herself, Things aren't going to be going well at all here...

[Ashla]

OCC: I named this chapter after the song "Crashing" by Eowyn (the artist)

Fight to Survive

Chapter Three: My World is Crashing

Ashla had fallen asleep after she ate. The room was so stuffy, Ashla had fallen asleep shortly after she had eaten. Now, it was hard to sleep in such a small cage, but when you're exhausted you could sleep anywhere! Ashla was woken up by a guard, "Time to get going. Battle time." he talked down on her callously.

Ashla straitened up, rubbing her eyes. Fine, idiot... She dare not say those words aloud though; who knew what they would do to her. Yes, even Ashla had a little common sense; don't say something that could get you into trouble. They seized her from her cage and drew her through the dusty, dark room full of empty cages and terrified prisoners to a wooden doorway. For the first time in a while Ashla had a glimpse of daylight. After the gloomy slave area she had been held in against her will, the desert sun blinded her. Ashla flung her arms over her eyes and tried to adjust the sunlight. The guard though didn't stop to give Ashla her time, "Get moving, prisoner!" and he kicked her ahead- actually, he kicked her to the ground.

Ashla coughed, spitting the sand out of her mouth. She looked up to the guard and growled, "Don't tell me what to do..." He instantly took his sword out and pushed its hilt against her head. Ashla cried out in pain, realizing that she had let her mouth slip in her disgust She barely heard the man say, "Don't talk back, shrimp!"

It's official, Ashla thought, I hate you. And he pulled her up by her hair and yelled at her, "Move it!"

"Alright..." Ashla knew he had won. The girl miserably followed his every order of where to go and what to do. She loathed it, and she knew she had to find a way out! ... But how?

By now, Ashla's eyes had gotten used to the bright light so she could see around her. She was being led through the corridors of a long, dull stream of hallways leading to some sort of destination. The walls and everything she saw were made of wood and stone. The doors were old and made of weak, shabby wood and the walls would once in a while crumble. In the heat of day Ashla could see that this place was old. Ashla wondered if in a place so neglected she could make a run for it; but her better senses told her better. There were so many guards stooping around that escape would be impossible- for now. All Ashla could currently do was go where her guard told her to.

Ashla was so sweaty and the halls were so long and skinny, the sun was scorching hot on her skin, she though that the trip would last forever. An eternity of traveling this dull desert passage under the beating sun for some type of crime Ashla had committed that she deserved this. Her long, dark hair was so soppy of her own sweat, it seamed as if she had just plunged under water and came back out again. She felt like she was going to breakdown under this vast heat. But suddenly some type of shade relieved her.

[Ashla]

Fight to Survive

Chapter Four: What is Freedom Here?

Ashla had been looking down to the ground for a while, her hair in her face, but she looked up to see that she had come under a roof. She blinked as she looked around, several other people, her age and up, were all lined up to be given weapons at a weapons rack. The area was secured with guards who were making sure that their hopeless prisoners would not try anything. She blankly looked to see a large doorway before them all. Quite a few guards protected this gate, keeping close eyes on the prisoners to the right.

Ashla looked back to those prisoners. One of them took a knife out and observed it with careful thought. The guard who was with him starred in confusion, "Is this all you're taking? You'll need all the weapons you can get!"

The prisoner, a man, turned to the solder, his eyes wide and coated with fear, "No!" He cried, falling on his hands and knees, "I will not! I dare not continue on into the terror you have chosen for me!" He took his blade and pointed it towards himself, everywhere prisoners gasped, shocked at what this man was doing. Ashla's own alarm rose, she knew what was happening, "No! Don't do it!" She bawled from where she was. The man though, only closed his eyes. He smiled, despite his skinny, tortured form, despite the sweat dripping off him... he seamed strangely calm and happy.

"Goodbye! Goodbye terrible and cruel world!" He screamed to the heavens, "I shall pass into the light!" and he stabbed himself, ending his own life.

Ashla trembled, her eyes so were so wide on what she just witnessed, Why? She ran towards him, "No!" she wailed, "Why?!" Nobody could have stopped her at the speed she was running as she knelt down to the now dead man and took his head into her arms. Despite her face, drenched with her own sweat, she could tell a tear had fallen down her left eye. Suicide. She knew all about it, so many times she herself had dared to do such a thing... but in the end, she realized that despite all she had been through, it was going to he okay- more than okay, she was going to be brilliant! She knew that in the end, she would become stronger, wiser, better, so much more than she was then and now!

... But this one hadn't seen it that way.

Ashla bent down and placed her head on his own, "You could have looked at it the other way," she whispered, her voice was shacking so much she could barely even understand herself though, "You could have risen above it all. Like-" she drew a deep breath, trying to regain herself, "Like I have been- for- for the last... Last two years." She then became suddenly aware of the two guards hanging over her. She looked and and gulped.

One of them had been the guard from before, he spoke down on her once again, "Stop your mopping and chose a weapon. You're next in the arena."

Ashla simply got up and turned for the weapons' rack. She turned her head around to look at the man who had committed his own death; he was being dragged out carelessly by two other guards. Ashla's eyes narrowed, she was suddenly determined, No matter what,
she vowed, No matter what I will survive! No one can stop me! She turned again to the rack and picked out a steel sword, For that man, for everybody here! I will prove that I'm more than just a worthless screw up! She turned to the gate, "I am Ashla Rose Icebreaker!" she shouted as she raised her sword to the ceiling, "I am here to prove you all wrong! I have purpose here!" she walked towards the gate that she knew would lead her to her match, "I will win!"