Hunted Part:7 3/2008

As the guards carried him down the long dark corridors his mind worked feverishly. It was obvious the dark symbols were something he had taught her. The style had his look to it...the soft curves even appeared sharp as they swirled and spread across his skin. But how did they work?
He didn't bother to try and figure out where he was being taken, he was already fairly certain he knew.
Suddenly his movement stopped and a loud *THUDTHUD* was heard from the guard at the front. The dark hall was flooded with light as they continued through a doorway.
The arena they entered was sometimes called the black pool. The soft dark earth beneath their feet was often so soaked in blood that it could only be called black making it appear as a giant ink filled pool.
As the guards placed him on the soil, no matter what position they left a limb in it stayed as if frozen though each part moved freely when they touched him.
He couldn't see much as his head was left facing down but he didn't need to see to know this place. He had spent the first 20 years of his life in this ring. Honing his skills. Killing as he was told. No spot of the field had not been kissed by the spray of his enemies blood. The ring was  oval 30 yards wide and 50 yards long with the corners severely rounded to prevent anyone from using the corners to climb out to what they thought might be safety.
The walls themselves were 15 feet high and there were four archers always waiting for the signal to take anyone foolish enough to try for the climb.
As he lay in a crumpled heap he could hear footsteps. Closing his eyes he pictured eight disks out from his awareness. Listening closely he placed the sound in one of the disks. Knowing where he was he could now at least tell where the sound was moving to.
Suddenly unseen hands jerked him to his feet onto his toes. His head jerked around to try and locate who was doing this but there was no one...at least no one near him.
"Ah! Lucian I see your surprise at my new little trick. Do you approve?"
The voice of his tormentor called out to him from a raised chair at one end of the wall.
Lucian's eyes burned at the wizard. Lucian willed his eyes to be daggers, arrows, dragons to fly and kill the wizard but....nothing.
Lucian watched the man flick his finger...a simple gesture but with it came understanding. Gut wrenching understanding. As the finger moved so did Lucian's arm. And so it was clear. He had come all this way to simple become this bastard's puppet once again.
Another large door suddenly boomed open and Lucian watched a large manlike creature squeeze through its archway. One would have called it an Ogre but it had a certain something about it that simply spook of a more cunning evil. Dragging behind it was a poleaxe, large even for this creature.  It wore no shirt nor shoes but simply wrapped its waist with some sort of hide. Chains were attached in various places and from them dangled the skulls of various races...of various ages. And tucked into the creature's chains, like a simple dagger, was Lucian's own blade. Even across the arena he could feel/hear it call to him.
"Lucian, I'd like you to meet my newest project. His name is Dewach. He's by no means as graceful or precise as you were but he has his own talent and charm. I admit he seems a step down but once you left what was one supposed to do, Hmm?"
At the sound of his name Dewach beat his chest and yelled as he swung the poleaxe about. In order to do so he had to get his weight under it and power it into motion. Once there it was simple to keep it going....and woe to that which tried to stop it.
"Now Lucian are you ready for some long awaited fun? I'm sure you are."
The wizard's smile was cold and unfeeling as he spoke. He slowly moved his fingers down and Lucian could do nothing but watch as they slowly forced his arms to his sides.
Dewach roared and begin thumping his feet forward while swinging the poleaxe round and round.
This was not the fun Lucian had been hoping for at all.