"Hup!"
"Yah!"
The sounds of battle continued. Entire teams dueled against themselves in preparation for the upcoming tournament now, only a day away. This training room was unlike the others which were for everyday use by all inmates who just wanted to survive.
This was for the cream of the crop, the chosen elite who had been given the honour of competing for nothing other than their freedom. And they went all out in there. Even battles with other teams were allowed although they were strictly monitored so that no one got injured before the final day.
They were even fed and treated differently. Since they were the main event, they had to be in tip-top shape so that they could deliver the best performance.
However, no alliances could be formed with other groups. It was a battle to the death. The last team standing wins back their freedom so no two teams could win at the same time.
Ronin sat in the back as he took a break and watched the other groups, and his as well, battle amongst themselves. Ever since they'd registered for the tournament they'd been moved out of that cramped, smelly cell and moved to a far bigger one with running water and delicious, plentiful food served thrice a day at their doorstep. There were even a change of clothes for them. Not the dirty, tattered kind but fresh, clean ones of all fashions.
Holding one up, he cast his mind back.
'It's been a while...'
He'd even gotten his own bed with crisp, linen sheets and feather stuffed pillows. A truly comfortable period for them indeed.
But all that comfort just made him all the more uncomfortable. He'd preffered to sleep on the floor rather than on the bed. He'd taken a bath, knowing that it could be his last and donned on the new clothes he had available.
He chose a short sleeved , dark green and yellow T-shirt together with a pair of brown jeans. He stared at himself in the mirror taking note of what stared back at him. A young, brown skinned, teenage boy off to meet his death in style.
He gave a sigh as he returned back to the present and watched the others battle. He clutched a brown and white, plastic mask, in the shape of a badge-mole in his hand. It seemed he could request almost anything once he was part of the tournament.
It's purpose was simple. So that all the others wouldn't see the pain in his face when he fell. He'd already resigned himself when he heard about the massacre 2 days ago.
"The Scourge..." he mumbled.
"Hey, Ronin." Soren called.
He ignored the call pretending to be fascinated by something at his feet.
An annoyed Soren made his way towards him and grabbed him by the collar.
"What?" Ronin snapped.
"C'mere and listen to the plan." he said dragging Ronin behind him.
"I'm coming, I'm coming..." he mumbled.
Then he caught sight of him. Imposing, silent and watching him keenly. The guard who'd picked up his toys the other day. Just seeing him there was enough to snap Ronin into an attentive mode.
'What the hell is he doing here?!'
He'd thought the guard positions were only changed around respective zones not amongst different ones because the guards here gave off a different vibe and dressed differently as compared to those on the other side.
He stated back into the scarred, bearded face of the man and the guard continued to stare back at Ronin unfazed that he'd been spotted.
A wall blocked his view as they moved. He turned his attention away from the guard. Come what may, he'd be dead against some demon called the Scourge. Getting scared of an old man when his time was already up would not make much of a difference.
'I'd rather die than use that accursed ability again.' he answered back.
He faltered. He clenched his fist and took a breath.
'No matter what I do, they're gone. And nothing is bringing them back.'
"Alright, we're here!" Soren called to Malik and the leader, Jonathan as they approached. It shook Ronin out of his internal conversation with himself and snapped him back to reality.
"Good." Jonathan replied. His trusty aide Malik stood beside him while he sat on some stairs. They were both covered in bruises and there were burn marks on Maliks clothing.
'They must've just finished sparring with each other.'
Soren stood a few feet away from him and Ronin took up a position besides Soren. Together with Malik, they formed a sort of circle as they faced Jonathan.
He gave Ronin a glance like he was something he didn't want to deal with but at the same time couldn't do away with.
"Tommorow, is a day of victory. Tommorow, is a day of freedom. It is the day where we walk out of this prison into the light of liberty from the sun itself!"
"We never thought we'd make it this far. Each and everyday seemed to be our last. We lost a lot of good people on the way. There never seemed to be an end in sight. Then..."
His eyes swiveled unto Ronin who didn't move a muscle.
"Our answer came in the most unexpected form. A non-bender capable of wooing the crowd on his first day. It's because of him that we can stand here today only a day away from freedom!"
He lowered his eyes and bent his head as he placed his hands behind his back and said as remorsefully as he could:
"I want to apologise for my actions against you. I shunned you, abandoned you and then used you, all for my own selfish needs. No man of honour would ever act like this. I am truly despicable. But this I swear, tomorrow you will walk a free man into the cool embrace of the wind!"
He raised his head and brought his hands back in front of him.
"Tomorrow we take back what has been taken from us and live our lives however we please. We are gonna win and by any and all means necessary!
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After Jonathan's "inspirational" speech, Ronin had his ass whopped again as they trained with the plan that had been put forward. It was a bender and non-bender against two benders. Of course they mopped the floor with them. (More specifically, him.)
He was sore and tired. If not for the healers stationed there, he doubted he'd be able to move properly. But they'd done a good job so he'd be ready to die in style by tomorrow afternoon. He trudged tiredly to the bed allocated to him.
Looking at it now, it did not seem so strange. He collapsed on the bed and fell into a fitful sleep. Only to be woken by screams of pain and showers of blood from his nightmare. A monster had looked him straight in the eye as it stood over Soren's lifeless body; dowsed in his blood and the blood of many others all littered around. It charged at him and then did he wake up.
The cloth next to his side was wet and he realised that he had been crying. He held his knees to his chest and just lay there unable to go to sleep, for the terror of his dreams and the terror of the day ahead held him tight.
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They had arrived. And right on schedule. His employers weren't kidding around. They meant business and they wanted the girl at all costs.
The assassin had his eyes closed, but he could sense their presences around him. The help he'd asked for just a day ago had arrived. And they'd sent the big guns. Master's of the art of stealth and espionage.
He opened his eyes as he stood in the shadows of some buildings under a crescent moon.
'Four, five...' he counted
There were ten of them all dressed from head to toe in black. They wore combat boots and army trousers with various assortments of gadgets lining their belts. What seemed to be long batons rested on both sides of their waists like samurai swords. On both wrists, a metallic device could be seen stretching up to their elbows.
Seeing that alone brought a wave of ecstasy over him.
He raised his eyes to see the ones who stood on the rooftops at various distances but close enough to hear him speak. Some in the alleys, some on the ground with him and some above him.
He was already beginning to love them.
-------------------------------------------------
Shift over and exhausted, the guards happily left their stations and handed over to the next badge. They all scurried over to their respective places of residence assigned to them by management. All two-roomed with a built in washroom and running water. The food too was okay. Not too good and not too bad.
Just the bare necessities for them to do their work. Teary eyed guards moved lazily to have a rest before their next shifts. However some did not feel all that sleepy and would use the time to do other things. Like sneak to the surface and have a drink or go to a casino and try their luck or...
One guard made his way to his block, took a key from his pocket and thrust it into one of the room doors. He turned it and the door opened to usher him in. He took a survey of his surroundings. The bunk bed in the corner, the small table and chair, the door leading to the washroom and the piece of broken glass stuck determinedly to the wall which served as a mirror for him and his roomate.
The beds were empty. His roommate's shift had just begun so he must've left not too long ago
'Good.'
Squaring his stance, he thrust his hands downward toward the ground and a fissure opened beneath him leading to a wooden door. Grabbing a flashlight from his toolkit, he jumped down and closed the fissure with his bending.
He opened the door and shone the flashlight inside.
He was greeted by the same old sight of maps and dust covered books. There were drawings of various spirits and landmarks from different areas of the four nations. A rickety chair stood behind a table at the far end of the room.
He crossed over towards the table. Atop of which lay an old fashion wireless receiver and transmitter. He sat down at the chair and began working the device as he had been doing for the past 3 days.
He held the receiver to his ear only to be greeted by static. But he proceeded anyway.
"This is Pheta427, do you copy?"
More static.
"Hq do you copy?"
Whatever he was going to say would be recorded so when they did pick up, they'd know what he had said. But he'd been doing this for 3 days straight. Normally they'd have answered back within a day given the gravity of what he'd reported. Frustration got the better of him.
"ANSWER DAMNIT!" he screamed into the receiver.
"He's here! The one we've been looking for all this time! He has the artifacts and in the next day he'll be dead!! Say something! ANSWER ME!!!"
Still more static.
He slammed his large hands on the table. It's old legs gave way and it came tumbling down together with the transmitter.
He understood now. There was no help coming. After being cast away from them, it was only natural that they'd cut him off. But still...
He wrung his hands in fury and marched out of the underground room.
'Seems I'll have to do it all myself!'