(Dislcaimer: Don't own City of Heroes/Villains. All heroes named in this fic are either products of mine or my Supergroup)
The arena...it was the greatest gift heroes had ever know. Around the world they were stationed, providing a way for heroes to enjoy a friendly spar. The way this was conducted was by taking a mental image of the hero it putting him in an area to battle it out with fellow heroes. This mental projection was used to prevent injuries, as well as allow heroes from opposite sides of the globe to fight. However, with the recent spring of the villain population; the arena became a way for villains and heroes to test their powers against one another without the threat of being killed or captured. Many heroes were appalled at the idea of the arena being accessed by villains, while others like Korbar, embraced the new aspect.
Then again Korbar would embrace any form of hero vs hero/villain activities. For he is probably the most vicious scrapper I have ever met and was literally crowned champion in many of the arena events. Went so far as to earn badges that would make any melee fighter envious. Not to mention, and that's if the rumors are true, he is the most feared hero in the war zones. But out of all the things I remembered about him, it was the unwritten law he once told me.
"Healers are never a challenge in a one on one arena match"
I remember that "law" because I once asked him if I would ever make his "hit list" for arena matches, and that was the response I got. It had been a dent in my pride and was probably one of the reasons I took Recluse's offer later on. Yeah, it was definitely one of the reasons.
It had been a particularly late night when I went to the arena; I planned on just watching some events for a good laugh. Then, I came across a match that caught my eye. Korbar was hosting a battle, and by the looks of things he was in for a long wait. I'm not quite sure what it was that compelled me to enter, but I did. When I registered for the match, he quickly lowered himself down to my threat level. Whether it was out of spite, or just to be fair, I don't know.
As the match started I quickly summoned my minions and powered them up, I knew that I would have to go all out to win. As he entered my line of site I slowed him down and sent my minions after him. But Korbar never became champion for attacking the obvious threat. He became champion by identifying the real threat and taking it out. Ignoring my minions he still came straight for me and ripped into me. Knowing that I had no way of stopping him long enough for my zombies to do enough damage, I held my ground and focused on defense, relying on my zombies for offense.
I must admit, I didn't last as long as I liked, but I am glad that I had done something I could have never done as a hero. I know that even though my body in the arena was battered and broken, Korbar's body definitely had some marks on it. As a hero, the idea of injuring Korbar was a dream, but now I had managed to cause him some injury, no matter how minor it was.
It makes me wonder even now, that if I had, had the experience that Korbar had, would I have still lost? But, I would rather not focus on "what ifs". For now I will focus on getting more powerful. Because deep down, beneath the guilt, shame, and horror of the path I have chosen, a part of me awaits the day of our next encounter in the arena…