Chronicles of Absolution: Warrior's Honor

Chapter 1

Now

It was quiet… too quiet. Yet there was something there. The only way to find out who was there was to investigate. Yet one had to be careful. There were just too many places for someone to hide. Suddenly that quiet was broken by the sound of footsteps as the owner of a pair of boots crunched on the dirt.

Dean walked slowly through the yard. He held his gun up in the ready position. Experience taught him that when it was that quiet you had to be doubly alert. With the things he had hunted over the years, he knew that the worse ones tend to attack when it was quiet. He rounded the corner of a stack of junkers slowly when he heard a noise.

He backed into the stack, pressing his body against it. Someone was nearby. Dean cocked his gun, ready to fire. He was going to get the surprise on them. Taking a deep breath, Dean whirled around the corner and whipped his gun into position to fire. The person in his sights had him surprised.

"Dammit, Sam! I almost hit you," Dean hissed in a heated whisper.

Sam had been going through his half and somehow ended up where Dean was checking out. The funny thing was he had been through that place before but everything seemed different. Maybe it had something to do with how quiet it was. When Dean pulled his gun on him and hissed at him, he gave the bitch face and replied, "Well you didn't. So what did you find?"

Dean knew that Sam was focused on what they were doing here. In fact over the past month Dean noticed that Sam had become more focused and less moody. He had an idea why and he was rather glad of it. He replied, "Nothing so far but I don't like it. It's too quiet for my liking."

Sam looked around as he held the shotgun he had been carrying. "I didn't find anything and I'm not sure how I ended up here. I went through here yesterday." He frowned a little as he looked around. "Dean, I think things have been moved around."

Dean looked around. Sam was right. "Yeah I think so too. We should go and find…"

A noise startled both of them. It was instinct for them both to bring up their guns and point in a general direction. Dean looked around. Ever since this day started it had been one strange thing after another but he and Sam took this on and he had to open his big mouth and say that they could handle it. He turned back to find that Sam had gone on a little bit. He hissed, "Sam."

Sam stopped and looked at Dean. He watched as his brother motioned for him to stay put… well try to tell him to stay put. Dean's gestures sometimes were not always clear even though they could pretty much read each other when it was required of them. He frowned a little and tried to make out what Dean wanted when suddenly two black clad men jumped in front of him just as two more jumped in front of Dean.

It was fast for Dean as his gun was kicked out of his hand. He felt punches delivered to his diaphragm and he felt winded. He recovered though just enough to counter the next few swings by blocking them with his forearms. As he did so, more of the black clad guys jumped from out of nowhere. They were quick and out for blood. Glancing over he saw that Sam was being taken on by at least five of them at once.

Dean couldn't help but give a slight smirk. The size of his brother always drew more thugs than necessary. He knew though that Sam could take care of his own and he proved it by shoving his attackers off and giving a good kick to one of them. Meanwhile Dean took on his guys with vigor, blocking and striking but it was hard work.

These guys were able to take a punch and they delivered them just as hard. Still Dean was able to wear down the ones that came across him. He ended up with a few bruises for sure but nothing that a good salve could ease. When he looked up, Sam was nowhere in sight. Sighing in annoyance he took off in a systematic search of his brother. Along the way more of those black clad men jumped out to attack him. This wasn't going to be easy.

Sam managed to fight off his attackers but he had been pushed away from his brother. Now he was in a different part of the area and he could hear sounds of his attackers and his brother shouting as he punched the living daylights out of his own attackers. He wandered through the walkways created by the piles of junkers and parts. Rounding a corner, he found his way into a clearing; a place he hadn't seen the day before.

Looking around, Sam couldn't hear the sounds of attack. Now it was quiet again. It was rather nerve wracking as he looked around for any sign of possible attack. He didn't let his guard down by holding his hands up in the ready position to strike.

A slight noise diverted his attention and he whirled around to look. From behind a black clad figure landed softly. The face was covered by a black scarf leaving nothing open but the eyes. After landing in a crouch behind Sam, it walked forward and waited for him to turn around. When he did, the figure gave a short yell and delivered an open palm thrust to his chest and sent him flying until he landed in the center of the circle.

Sam recovered and faced off his opponent. He had his hands up while the other had theirs down but they were in an attack position. His opponent struck first with the left and gave something like an eight punch combination but there were some kicks added into it. Sam blocked and countered with his own punches and kicks. He took a swing and his opponent ducked and popped back up with a backflip that ended up giving him a kick to the chest.

The kick wasn't hard but it hurt. Sam recovered though when a punch came towards his blindside and he blocked with his forearm and gave a slight duck. He followed through by wrapping his right arm around his opponent's arm and flipped them over. He was still holding onto his opponent's arm when a foot came at him. He grabbed it with his free hand but missed the second foot and he was down on the ground while his opponent recovered into a crouch.

Sam got to his feet and his opponent didn't move. Instead they held their positions and stared at each other for the longest time. Sudden the black clad opponent sprung forward and began again on another punch and kick combination. Sam countered until they both executed a similar move and grabbed each other by the throat. That led to each combatant trying to get the upper hand with their feet and it was a bit of a dance for a moment.

Sam grunted as he felt the hand tighten slightly to keep a firm grip. It wasn't a death grip since he had been caught in those before. He tightened his grip on his opponent's throat and decided to try one maneuver that he had been in before and was trying to learn. With one foot, he aimed for his opponent's chest but was stopped by the same motion as his opponent and their feet locked. He pushed just as he let go and his opponent did the same and they pushed with equal force and an old science lesson came to mind as he did so.

The result was both of them flying backwards and landing on their backs. Sam's opponent flipped forward to get back on their feet while Sam sat up. He moved his hand and it brushed against something. He saw that it was a piece of piping that had fallen off. Without a second thought, he picked it up and stood up.

His opponent gave a slight chuckle and ripped off piping from a nearby junker and twirled it. Sam stayed where he was until his opponent launched forward. He brought up his piping to defend himself, using both hands. He felt the blow shimmy down his arms but he held on. Sam countered with strikes of his own.

The clashes went back and forth until they locked in an awkward position and each combatant flung them away. Simultaneously both gave a palm thrust to the chest. Like two forces of reaction there was an equal and opposite reaction and both flew back, landing face down. Sam breathed heavily and looked at his opponent who was breathing just as heavily.

"Awesome Sammy!"

Sam looked at his brother who appeared with the black clad men who attacked them earlier. He then turned to his opponent who was getting to their feet. Removing the headscarf revealed a familiar face who was smirking to hide the pride. "Not bad Sam."

Sam made a scoffing sound as he pushed himself to his feet. Dusting himself off, he replied, "Same to you Angie."

Angela chuckled as she wound the scarf up. She was wearing a black tunic tucked into black pants. She dusted her pants and boots off and walked towards Sam who was joined by Dean. She gave a survey of everyone involved and said, "Nice work everyone. You were good too Fang Boy."

Christian gave a mock scowl. "As a favor to you. Thank you for the opportunity." He then barked an order and the trainees walked away.

Dean watched then leave and muttered, "Fight and run."

Angela chuckled, "Don't worry about it Dean. They did their job and it provides good experience. Nothing to worry about." She then looked at Sam who was catching his breath. She smirked and said, "You almost had me there Sam. I think you're ready." The smirk developed into a sad sort of smile before it changed and she said, "Well that's enough today. How about lunch?" She then took off towards the house leaving behind the two brothers each looking at her with their own peculiar expression.

Dean was the first to say, "Don't worry too much about it Sam. The whole thing has her nervous though I have every confidence in you." He followed her.

Sam though wasn't so sure. The past month had Angela pushing him harder than before and that was after she told him that she appealed to difference forces than crossroad demons on behalf of Dean. It was like she had an increased bounce to her step at times especially during training but as the days got closer, she seemed to withdraw again. Something was bothering her and she was not willing to talk about it. At least not at the moment.

Bobby was going through his books and tomes. He wanted to learn everything that he could about this tournament that Angela filled him in on. She had given him the bare bones but he wanted to be sure about it. In resignation, she gave him her book with all the information and explained what he didn't understand. Now he was reading it again to make sure he didn't miss anything.

"You still planning on going?"

"Don't try to convince me otherwise young lady," Bobby huffed aware that it was rather ridiculous to refer to Angela as a young lady considering she was way older than her was. To emphasize his point, he pointed at her.

Angela smiled as walked into his study carrying a tray with a sandwich and a beer. She placed it on the desk and stood by the grizzling hunter. "Don't worry. I've given up on that since Dean is just as determined to go."

"Cause he gets it. You always support your family. Even you should know that."

Angela gave a slight smile. "Hmm maybe."

Bobby studied Angela. Every time he saw her the last few days, she always seemed sad or worried. He would often sit with her while she was observing Sam training against the opponent of the day. It couldn't be the hearing that was to be some time later in the year. She was rather happy with that and everybody who knew was glad that she had her powers back. No it had to be this tournament thing. Looking at her, Bobby frowned a little and then asked, "What is it Angie? You've been… off ever since that thing with Bela."

"It's not Bela, Bobby." Angela looked at Bobby and smiled. "And don't think it's the hearing either."

"The tournament then. What? You don't think that Sam could hold his own?"

Angela glanced around the room. She also tuned her ears. She knew they were both listening to every word that was being spoken. Even Dean's chomping and poor table manners were rather quiet. She supposed that she had been rather moody and for reasons she could name and some that she couldn't name. She looked at Bobby and replied, "Bobby, it's not that I don't think Sam could hold his own. I've seen it since I did set a few Chasers on him the last few times and Fang Boy's trainees helped."

"I was thinking more of what you did to him. I saw that."

"Don't change the subject Bobby. I have every confidence in Sam and even Dean could take them on. My problem is that such a thing has lost its purpose. Originally it was about pride and honor, a warrior's honor, but now it is nothing more than a means of showing off. In ancient times, the original battles were fought as a means of controlling the demons. As the centuries passed when the last of Ancients were imprisoned it still was used as a balance of good and evil but now… nothing but thugs that use any means necessary."

"That's why you were hard on both of them."

"I knew that Dean was going to insist on going. He won't be participating but there are those who have a disdain for humans. Funny thing is that I feel like I put a weapon into their hands but… if you could've seen what I saw in the eyes of those that attacked Sam. You know I used to think that my kind would understand humans better with only a few bad apples." Angela looked off out the newly repaired window.

That had been a bitch to repair but she managed to do it even after being pestered by the three men in the house. She had to nearly chase them off with a stick insisting that she could do it. It was one of her forms of therapy to work out thoughts and plans. She managed to explain that to them and they backed off. Seeing it made her say, "Now I understand the purpose we were created for." She then looked at Bobby and smiled and added, "I hope you like it. It's venison… just don't tell Dean."

Bobby watched as she left to head up the stairs to her room. He sighed as he heard the distinct sound of plates clattering as well the hell mutt making a ruckus, probably slobbering over his food. It seemed that the boys were listening to every word and she knew it. Well at least she was being upfront about this whole thing. He dug into his sandwich and was surprised by the smoky flavor and he wondered how in the hell she managed it.

In the kitchen where they were made to sit, Sam and Dean dug in to their lunch. After one taste, Sam knew exactly what it was. Angela actually had him taste it while she was making lunch. When she told him what it was after he asked her what it was he couldn't help but think of Dean's reaction when he found out that he was actually eating Bambi. When he looked at Angela, she had that teasing smile on her face that told him that she knew exactly what he was thinking.

"This is really good Sammy," Dean was trying to say through a mouthful of meat, bread, lettuce and tomato. He swallowed it and it followed with a gulp of beer. "Seriously this is really good."

Sam watched his brother eat with relish. He took a bite and gave a slight shake of his head. He was trying to listen to the conversation that was going on in the nearby study where Angela had taken Bobby his lunch. Dean was chomping away and Sam was straining too hard. He wanted to hear what was going on; had to ever since he heard Bobby ask her what was bothering her.

Since Dean was being a little too loud with Sam gave his brother a slight punch, "Dean." He then motioned with his hands that Dean was to be quiet. He pointed towards the study.

Dean, a little annoyed at the punch Sam gave, looked up and saw the motions. He looked towards the study and upon hearing the voices went quiet to hear what was being said. He glanced at his brother who was straining hard to hear. Dean wasn't mistaken when he heard Angela talk about her worries.

The upside was that she had confidence in Sam but this whole tournament thing went way back for her. The last line she said though was puzzling and looking at his brother he could tell Sam was probably thinking the same thing. That meant research tonight even though they were supposed to be packing. That or Sam will be bothering Angela about when she was doing her Suzie homemaker thing or something else.

When he heard her footsteps die on the stairs, he whispered to Sam, "Seems like there's more to this don't you think. It's just nothing too bad."

Sam said nothing but started in on his sandwich. He was deep into thought about the things that Angela had said. The last thing she said though had him troubled. She mentioned that her kind was created for a purpose. For what, he wasn't sure of and he was sure that it was something that was in that category that she thought would make her hated… as if he and Dean would ever think of her that way.

Dean couldn't stand the silence but he knew that Sam would obsess through this the whole meal unless he said something. "Well I guess we can expect quite a few things wherever this tournament is being held."

Sam finished his sandwich not completely listening to what he was saying. He put his empty plate into the sink and grabbed his beer and went into the study. He passed Bobby and headed up to the room that he and Dean were staying in.

Dean followed at a slower pace but was halted when Bobby said, "Been eavesdropping again haven't ya Dean?"

"Really Bobby?" Dean tried to play it off.

"I ain't deaf and I ain't stupid idjit. It was really quiet in there and I know Angie heard it all," Bobby replied as he took a gulp of his beer. The venison was really good and he was surprised that he could hardly taste the part that made it venison but the smoky flavor was nice and thick.

Dean looked around and then sighed. "Alright we were listening in. Well Sam told me to shut up in not so many words."

"No duh idjit. I'm surprised you managed to keep quiet with the amount of noise your chewing brings. How much did you hear?"

Dean made a slight face as if to say he didn't know. He finally replied, "Just up to the part that Angie said that she understood the purpose of her kind. That was all. You know what she meant Bobby?"

"Not a clue Dean," Bobby replied when there was a slight thump like the sound of books dropping on the ground. He looked up and then back at Dean and said, "Seems like Sam has an idea of where to look and it doesn't involve asking Angie questions about it."

Dean gave a nod as he finished off his beer. "You know something Bobby…" He was interrupted by a knock on the door. He looked at Bobby who gave a slight shrug of his shoulders. He went to the door and opened it to find a delivery service guy or rather a kid.

"Pardon me, is this the residence of Angela de Malachi?" The kid looked confused as he read the name on the envelope he was delivering.

Dean replied, "Yeah. What do you want?" He realized that he sounded a little protective over Angela but hell when someone came around asking for her, it usually meant trouble with the exception of the trainees that came by.

"Registered letter. I—I need a signature."

"Give it here. I'm… her brother."

It was a spur of the moment response and it gave a legitimate excuse to sign for it. Dean did it with a flourish and took the letter before the kid could say anything else and shut the door. He peered at the letter, tempted to open it but he had greater respect for Angela's stuff. He peered at the envelope and found the seal of the tournament. He knew what it was because she had shown him and Sam what it looked like. "Angie!"

The main hall for the tournament was magnificent even with the lights dimmed. It had been designed in the manner of the main halls used in ancient times. In fact they had the Egyptian motifs that signified the first tournaments that coincided with flooding of the Nile. For millennia the tournaments have been held, first for land and power and now profit but that was going to change.

Hakim looked at the main hall with a surveying eye. It had taken many months but he finally managed to start to change the direction the tournament had been going. He was aware that he was still under a lot of heat from the big guys that invested in the gambling portion. It was a disgrace since even the best and those considered the most honorable participated in the gambling portion.

It had been his father's dream to bring the tournament back to what he called the glory days. It sounded foolish at first since his father was generations removed from remembering those days but his family firmly believed in those days and carried it forward onto future generations. So Hakim decided to carry out his father's dream, the dream that he had been working on for years in spite of the threats and everything else. After all their family was one of the few that were charged with the honor of hosting the tournament.

"Impressive set up you have."

Hakim turned to the newcomer. He had met this one before and he technically could kill him or demand that he leave. However the tournament grounds were neutral territory even though that has become harder to define and maintain. He replied, "Part of it is tradition and the rest is honor. I'm not sure that is in your vocabulary… Crowley."

Crowley looked around at the main hall and then at Hakim. He replied, "Now even you should know that there is honor amongst thieves. Just not the kind of squeaky clean that your family holds to."

"What do you want? Do you wish to participate?" Hakim knew he had to extend the offer. All could join in no matter what affiliation.

"Me? Oh no. I don't do anything unless it's the real deal," Crowley replied. "I am actually here to commend you on your attempt to bring this back to what it was. I am actually here to see what worthy players are going to be here."

"And you should know that it will all be revealed in good time."

"Well I do know that a little sponsorship goes a long way. And that would involve people whose name or title carries weight. It would do quite a bit in getting things the way they should be."

"It's volunteer basis."

"And that's exactly what it will be. A volunteer basis exhibition between two of the most well-known combatants in this part of the world."

A/N: Welcome back folks to episode 2.04 and it starts off with a bang. Looks like a familiar demon is in the loop two. Stay tuned for chapter 2 of Warrior's Honor...