Chapter 5: Please, Don't Make Me, I Don't Wanna Do It

After that more than alarming interaction I was dragged out of the room and all the way back to the cells, where I was unceremoniously thrown inside of one.

As you can imagine, I don't like being thrown into a cell. However at this point I know better than to resist at this point. Now, I'd probably get out. However that Lacy girl knew what I could do, so she was most likely prepared for that. I need to get an account of their movements and time frame for their coming and going.

"Azure!" A voice hisses from behind me. I jerk myself out of what I hope is mud, turning to the voice, fists at the ready. I stop when I see Kit, standing there shaking. "What're we going to do?"

I pat myself off, and sigh heavily. "I'm not sure Kit."

"We're getting out right?" He asks. Then when I don't respond he tries again. "Right?"

"I'll let you know when I figure that out." I grunt. Then I notice the horrified look on his face and realize I've made a horrible miscalculation. "Uh I mean… we'll be out before tea time!"

"When's tea time?" Kit squints at me.

Crap I didn't plan this far ahead. Shit uhhh make something up! "Not now." Perfectly done. However Kit doesn't look reassured. Taking a breath I grip his shoulder and lock eyes with him. "I'll get you out alive."

"Don't make promises you can't keep." A familiar disgruntled voice mutters from the shadows.

"Roy stop being emo and get over here," I snap. "I need your help."

Roy walks forward from the shadows, arms crossed and a sour look on his face. "I'm here because of you."

Everyone's crapping on me today jeez. "How'd you get here to begin with?"

"My father went missing after Vale fell, I was left alone. Got picked up off the streets by that creep Alcatraz."

I tilt my head, there's something familiar in his slightly tan face. His color seems to have returned after the ordeals back in town. "Okay well that's… right." I mutter, nodding in what I hope is a confident way. "How'd you get out?"

"Tricked a guard into letting me stretch my legs before the fight."

I groan rubbing my face. That's not a solid and consistent plan. I turn away from the other two, trying to formulate something, but coming up dry. That's till I remember the obvious and clear escape plan. It's dumb I didn't think of it sooner. Holding out my hand I smirk. "Portus!"

The portal forms and then collapses in on itself. I blink look at my hand and sigh, because of course magic is out. But like that? The core? I shake my head, I have more immediate problems, Silvia will have to figure that out.

I hear a cough and I look over my shoulder to two very confused faces. Roy speaks first. "Right, what was that?"

Shrugging I turn back fully. "Nothing, so back to square one."

"What's square one?" Kit asks.

I point at him and nod. "Excellent question, are there anymore?"

"You don't have a clue what to do, do you?" Roy questions, a rather disgruntled look on his face.

"Well," I mumble crossing my arms. "I don't like that question as much."

But it's true, I don't know. Fighting my out of here would be a death mission for someone in my group, and I can't exactly talk my way out of here when the person I need to out talk is Lacy. Plus with magic being all fussy because someone messed with the core (that's pretty bad why is this not a bigger deal?) I can't teleport out of here.

Damn it where's Lukian when you need him? For the record Lukian is an old friend from about six or seven years ago, and his semblance is teleportation. We used to work together. It's not relevant here, but I like to hear myself talk.

"Azure, you're the only person who can get us out!" Kit says. I turn back, trying to come up with something to say when Roy scoffs.

"Oh come on, this guy? He's a has been." His voice is rough, far tougher than it has any right to be. "I've heard of you. You used to be amazing! You did so many things! The press praised you!"

"I hear a but coming, so you hear a but?" I ask Kit, who just raises an eyebrow.

"But now," told you so. "You're nothing, you could beat six mercs with guns!"

I hold my hands defensively. "There were more than six. And one of them was more than your average merc."

"Yeah? It never stopped you before. You've one soft, I wouldn't be surprised if you died out there today."

"I won't die- wow wait today? I just got here today!"

Roy rolls his eyes, and flops into what I still hope is mud. "There's a fight tonight, with a paying audience. You'll be put out in the dog house."

"Let me tell you this, that's the least of our worries." I grunt. Kit shuffles his feet and looks between Roy and me. "What's up Kit?"

"Will they make me fight?"

Roy shrugs. "I'm not sure, maybe?"

Kit's eyes bulge but before I can freak further I grab both of his arms. "I taught you how to fight. You can win."

"Can I?" The real answer, I don't know.

"Yes, you can!" I reaffirm. "Now go sit in the mud and collect yourself."

Kit nods slowly and then smiles. "Thanks boss." Without anymore words, Kit turns and stumbles over to the wall and sits down hard.

I pull all of me inside with a full intake of the wretched air, and lean on the bars. They're rusted and gross, but right now they comfort me. Roy sidles up to me.

"He probably won't win."

"Hey, how would you know." I shoot back.

Roy shrugs easily. "I've seen both him and the people here fight." Damn the kids got me.

"I have faith."

Roy swallows hard, and looks at me in the way only a kid can look at you. "Has that ever worked?"

What do I say? Every believer I've ever met has died. All but one I guess. Believers and people who just have faith don't make it. Not in this world. But Roy, he can take the truth.

"No." I grunt.

He pauses and then leans on the bars as well. "Well, I guess you two are enjoying your last few hours of life."

"Why do you think I'm going to die? I'm me!"

"You were you, now you're you."

I blink, then blink again and nod. "Yes that's what I said."

Roy rolls his eyes and rubs his face. "I mean, you're no longer the guy who can take on ten men without trying."

"What makes you think that?" I ask quietly.

Roy smirks slightly and waves his hand. "I heard you talking to Alcaztraz, you said it yourself, you found your peace."

"That's right, my peace." I say. "And unfortunately for me, it was ground into my very soul, you have something you want, you protect it, no matter what."

"But you've only had Kit to train against-"

"Kid I've been sparring with people worse than since I was eleven, if I couldn't learn and get better from there, I would've been stuck." I push myself straight, looking down at the boy. "Here's the bottom line, I'm me, and if it means getting that kid out of here alive, I'm going to do whatever it takes."

"Will you kill?" Roy asks.

"Have you?"

"I had to!"

I snort lightly, and nod, a solemn smile on my face. "Then there's your answer."

Roy's prediction of a fight came true no longer than an hour later, when a group of guards came down the halls with a list in the leaders hands. The lady in the front was calling people's names, and the others were pulling the, from the cages. Some resisted, others went along willingly. They arrived at our cage last.

"Roy, get out here! You too Požar, you get to be in the finale." I glance back at Kit, who remains unmoving as he watches the two of us walk out of the cell. Hopefully he gets to stay, it's safer there.

Stopping in front of the woman, I see that there's maybe thirty men and women gathered to participate. The woman in charge examines everyone and nods in apparent satisfaction. "Alright you fuckers, go get cleaned and armed!"

Like a mass of sheep the group starts moving towards a corner door I'd missed until now. Pushing and shoving through I come into a large room, with enough showers and clean clothes for everyone. I'm about to make my way over when I hear my name. Looking around I spot Alcatraz leaning next to a shower. My curiosity peaked I walk over to him.

"What do you want?" I growl.

"To get out of here, but I'm stuck for now, I was told to tell you this is all for you, enjoy." Alcatraz turns without further comment but I catch his arm.

"You know I'll get out eventually, do you think I'll just let you go?"

He considers me, and finally nods. "Yeah, I do." He tugs his arm free and trudges towards the stands.

I know it's the stands because I can hear the growing murmur of a crowd. Groaning I tug open my shower and find a new high collared black jacket, identical to my own, a belt of knives, and a gunblade. It's just like mine. The collapsable blade fixed firmly to the top of the gun, released by a button on the hilt. Even the color is the same. It's a monstrosity.

I take a shower, then grab the clean clothes, tossing the new jacket aside and pulling on my own. I fix the belt of knives, throwing the gunblade aside with the jacket. I turn now to a large weapon rack, and comb it for two extendable swords, and a handgun. I'm not sure what I'll be fighting, so it's best to be prepared. Locating the items I attack them to my belt, and hide the gun inside my jacket.

"You look set." I turn to find Roy newly dressed and clean. He's got a brand clean red and black jacket of his own, along with red gauntlets, and that shield from before.

"I take it that's your shield?"

Roy glances at it and smiles softly. "Yeah it's mine, always has been. They let me use it because it gives them a good show."

"As long as the masses are entertained." I grunt. "The world shall revolve."

"Okay mister philosopher, whatever you say." Roy quips.

I pop my collar, looking down at him. "I'm not a philosopher."

"Yeah, I know, that's the point." Roy says. "It was a joke."

"It wasn't very funny."

"Funnier than what you said!"

Waving my hands up and down, I try not to laugh. "I wasn't joking!"

"Sorry, I meant you are a joke." Roy says, not hiding his own smile.

"Oh, you'd better have meant that apology." I warn. Then I hear a voice over a loudspeaker call two names. "You'll be up before me, won't you?"

Roy nods, fingering the edge of his shield. "Don't worry, I'm used to this life."

"You're a good kid, you shouldn't have to be." I say. I want to say more, I just don't know what that more needs to be.

"Yeah well," Roy heaves a breath together, organizing himself. "My escape didn't exactly pan out."

"I'll get you out, I promise."

"Don't make promises you can't keep." Roy says, his voice heavy. "Watch me, okay?"

"Sure, I have to have something to narrate."

Roy blinks once. "What?"

"What?"

"Uhhh, you know, never mind, it's nothing." Roy says, trying for a smile and only slightly succeeding.

For the next half hour fights raged on, the fighters still waiting in the wings watching through the bars. Slowly, it was only Roy, the person whom I assume he's fighting, and me watching a fight between a large burly man, and a small girl. She'd been running circles around the man, getting small stabs in where she could, otherwise avoiding him to the best of her ability.

"It matter of time, he kill her." Grunts the poorly educated man with Roy and myself. We'd gotten used to his poor speech pattern, and just went with it now.

"He has to land a hit." Roy says.

"That's why it's only a matter of time." I grunt. Roy looks over with a raised eyebrow. I stand a little straighter. "Look, she's getting tired, and she won't be knocking him over any time soon."

"Yes, I say this much before now. She die soon." The man says excitedly.

The group lapses into silence as we watch. No longer than a minute later, the huge man, swings his hammer down, and catches the back of her foot, sending her sprawling. The man advances in her scrambling form, and before she can escape brings it down onto her back. Even from here you could hear the bones bursting.

What's perhaps the sickest part of all of this, is the three of us watch this without even cringing. Even worse, Roy and this poorly educated man were about to try and kill each other, but for the last half hour they've become fast friends. I hate this world, and wish I could burn it to the ground.

As the body is cleared from the stage, and the burly man bows and waves to his now cheering fans, The gate slowly creaks up. Roy gives me one last look. It's not nervous. It's not anything really. Flicking his wrist the shield flips from where it sits on his back, to his arm, ready to fight.

"Good luck."

"You're the one needing it, keep it." Roy says, smirking. Then he follows out his opponent, who'd run onto the battlefield immediately.

They stand across from each other, waiting for the bell. For the first time since the start of the fights, Lacy's voice breaks in over a series of intercoms. "I'm glad you're all enjoying our matches! Now though it's time for the penultimate fight! We have the speedster himself, Wallace Grey, one on side! And on the other, the only fighter who's been here as long as my champion, Roy Kral! They're sure to give us an amazing show, before the special treat I've promised my truly big spenders!"

The static of the intercoms cuts out, and the two of them fall into their fighting positions. I hadn't realized Roy had been here that long. No wonder he wanted to escape.

The bell tolls, and faster than I'd anticipated the man named Wallace had closed the distance. Roy however seemed to have anticipated this, and had already gotten his shield up to block a series of kicks. Roy pushes Wallace off and into the air, then throws the shield at the now airborne Wallace. It hits him, sending him flying back, and Roy summons his shield back into his hand. Wallace was up, and moving back towards Roy before he'd managed to get himself moving. Wallace sends kicks and punches at a lightening speed, knocking Roy back, and forcing him entirely on the defensive. Roy manages to get his shield up and hits Wallace in the chest, who falls back slightly, and Roy follows with a set of kicks to the mans chest. Wallace falls over, but rolls just as Roy's airborne shield finds its mark where he'd been moments before. The man charges Roy, causing him to jump to the side. Roy cartwheels up and over the man and then thrusts out his hand.

Everyone freezes but nothing happens. I frown though, suspecting something was wrong. Wallace turns and looks over his shoulder at Roy's shield which lay behind Wallace. Everyone seemed to know, as I did from watching this fight, the shield was supposed to come, but it didn't.

That's when I saw it, the movement of Roy's other arm. In Wallace's moment of distraction Roy flicked that wrist, and a knife slipped into his hand, where he promptly jammed it into Wallace's neck, and pulled it out, severing his throat. There's just a hairs second of silence, then thunderous applause echoes through the stadium. A team rushes on to the stage and tosses Wallace into a bag, and drags it away, as Roy follows them off, waving at the crowd. Before he goes off I catch the look on his face. It's a mask, there's nothing there.

Then he's gone and it's my turn. Silence returns to the stadium, deeper and more pressing than ever before. It's my turn, and the weight of that seems to crush me as the gate creaks open once again.

I stump my way through the gate, a nice cool night air greats me. The moment I step into the stadium lights, the silence shatters to the sound of a hundred muttered declarations of shock. I can make out comments about Dragon, and huntsman. But the vibe isn't one of disgust, but excitement. As though the thought of me fighting for their entertainment couldn't be more than exciting. Which it probably couldn't be.

The sound of the speaker crackling alive once again silences the crowd. Lacy's sweet voice greats the crowd and me. "I see you're all familiar with my newest find. And I'm even more sure you'll be wanting to make bets on the coming fight against him and my champion. However, I thought we would first put him through the ringer, see what he can really do! While that's occurring find your closest kiosk and make your bets, assuming he lives that long!"

There's a massive cheering, and across the stadium another gate opens, revealing approximately twenty men and women, armed and ready to kill me.

"Oh fun." I mutter, popping my neck. They spot me, and ready their weapons, waiting for the go.

"Well, can the Dragon survive? Let's find OUT!" Lacy shouts, and the bell rings out loudly across the stadium. The mass of people charge me.

I move as well, singling out the fastest individuals, and sprint at them. The fastest one and me meet first. They're wielding a heavy two handed sword. The man slashed over head at me, and I dive forward, rolling under his feet. Coming up behind him, I grab the knife he'd stashed in his belt, and stabbed it through his leg. I yank it out as he falls, and throw it into the neck of the coming person. Standing I swiftly snap his neck, pull a throwing knife from my belt and flip it into the eye socket of a third person.

I heave a breath and nod. The roar of the crowd now a dull roar compared to the drum of my heart. I haven't been this alive in awhile, I just wish these people deserved this.

Two more reach me know, the rest of the group got on their heals. Pulling my swords free I extend them out, I exchange several stabs and parry's with the two, before ducking past and getting between them. One stabs towards my chest, dodging the blade it instead sinks into the other person. Before they can recover from the shock of stabbing the wrong person I've buried my sword in their neck. Spinning around I charge the remainder of the fighters.

Sliding my swords away, I pull of a handful each of knives. I sight my targets, and throw off several, each finding their targets, knocking down the targets. Maybe five people have fallen by the time, I clash with the rest of the group. I grab one person, using them to launch myself over the crowd of attackers and into the air. Spinning, I come down behind the crowd, and with a flick of my wrist I extend my blade again, stabbing it into one of them. The group spins, and grab the long knife from the now dead person's body.

The sheer amount of them force me onto the defensive. I parry, block, and move as the crowd circles me. I kick the legs out from under one, stabbing them into the ground by the face. Block a stab, and cut the arm from that person.

They try and form a complete circle, but I move like a whirlwind, never letting them form it. As I move, I cut down more and more of them. Vaulting over the group, I move away from the core of the group, and cut through them even easier, dropping bodies with ease. It takes another thirty seconds, and I've cleared the field of living people.

Left alone in the center I huff and puff through it. Roy may have been onto something, I'm not usually this tired after such little work. I know it's not done though, I know there's more to come.

"Well now, that was exhilarating!" Lacy declares, the audience cheering along with her. "Such athleticism, acrobatics, and swordsmanship! The rumors, as we can see, as true! The Dragon flies high and strong!"

I wave and smile, hiding my disgust. "Thanks, well I gotta go though. Got a fun funky date sooo…" the audience laughs along with me. Which is not really what I was hoping for.

"And just as funny!" Lacy says jovially. "But now we put him against my champion!"

The gate opens again, this time a single solitary figure moves out from the shadows of the depths. He moves into the light, and I almost drop the sword in my hand. "Obsidian? What are you doing here?"

Obsidian stares across at me stoically. "Hello my friend, I'm sorry we had to meet here."

"Yeah," I mumble, readying my sword. "Me too." Fear has set it in. I don't want to die, not here.

Authors Notes: yes there's a small shout out to the other story that's being written about Silvia at the same time as this story. It's being written by Stitchs04, the same person who's helped me on numerous stories. Go check it out!