All in Your Head

Days have gone by and the arena is coated in my own blood. The floor is damp with red liquid while fur and bone fragments stick to the walls. The trident comes at my throat this time and my body automatically ducks while the blade flashes out to knock it off course before its blunt end comes under my chin. I can hear the cracking of bone but ignore it as my other hand whips from my side and slams the warclub against the Merfolk's legs. I refuse to smile at my achievement and roll backwards before a blade sinks into the sand where I was standing seconds ago. The mans legs spring towards me before I open my mouth and screech with all my willpower as a translucent ball of energy emerges and slams into the warrior. I watch him land on his back before I rush to him and slash into his neck with my blade, the club coming down in tandem as sounds escape my shattered jaw that now hangs open. Words appear in my vision but I ignore them and they disappear. A small woman appears nearby and talks in a gentle voice but this place has no friends just opponents. I slash at her with the blade before a jolt of power burns me from the inside and everything goes dark.

I'm awake again. My body isn't hurt anymore and Wake stands before me again. I rush forward holding onto my cane this time as I swing the wolf head topper into his knee as hard as I can listening for the breaking of either bone or weapon. The cane snaps and I throw the shattered half in my hand at his face to distract him as the club appears in my hand. I swing it upward like a golf club and smile maliciously as it hits the back of his knee and pulls it forward completely. As soon as the leg is closer to me I drop the club and grab the scimitar at my side and swing at the knee with a flowing slash. I end up behind him and hear him scream in pain as he topples to one side, his leg falling to the ground as blue blood spurts everywhere. I rush towards my downed tormenter and savagely stab through his meshed facemask, the tip of the blade slamming through his forehead causing an instant fatality as I wrench the embedded blade to the side once, twice, thrice until his face splits in half. I laugh happily at my victory before I feel three spikes pierce through my throat and I gurgle in surprise. I know I'm going to die again so instead of falling I turn around quickly and close my eyes as the neck is torn to pieces by the sharpened trident prongs. My enemy is standing in shock as I weakly stumble towards him and barely nick his armor with the scimitar before everything goes black.

I wake up again. I fight and sometimes I win while others I die. I no longer fear that black void and each death is from a new mistake or attempt. I refuse to repeat my mistakes. This time I win but using the club to shatter his ribs then snatching the trident before I exterminate him. He comes back, I die, it restarts.

------------------------------------------------In the Arena Stands----------------------------------------

"This is horrible! We have to get him out of there, he's turning into an actual monster!" Dawn says in horror as she watches Noortain once again throw himself at his opponent.

"Sadly that's combat. He went from having no instincts in battle at the start to being able to win against my clone about 40% of the time. He's finally figured out how to utilize his fluid strikes skill with all his weapons as well as evolving his psi blast into a deadly weapon to most enemies. Now his biggest obstacle will be to bring himself back from fighting with pure instinct and bring his logic to display also. Once he can combine the two he should be winning against that clone constantly which will end his combat." Wake says calmly as he squints towards the arena as he watches the clone land on its back while Noor jumps onto his chest before grabbing the facemask and releasing a point blank psi bolt into it's head. The clones head disintegrates before the body fades and it's revived nearby.

"But he's behaving like a savage down there! This isn't my Master this is an animal!" Dawn states as she turns away from the fight as Noor's arm is torn from his body. Both gladiator and sprite watch as Noor stumbles forward then throws the scimitar at the clone, the blade imbedding itself deep into the clones chest before both disappear and reappear.

"He's behaving like anybody would after having met death so many times. He's fighting fully to survive and defeat that which is causing him pain. Luckily once he snaps back this arena will help him come back to his own mindset. He will remember all of this pain but instead of reliving it the muscle memory and mental ability to adapt and not fear death will make him fearsome in a fight. Plus by the time he wakes up in the actual world he'll be able to absorb a new enemy and from what I understand, once the Subjugation Hall has so many enemies in it we can then summon them to use as sparring partners as well as setting them from the time of absorption to what their best potential and strength could be. It will help him adapt even faster as well as give him a variety of enemies to hone himself against." Wake says as he smiles while watching Noor slide between his clones legs and slice upwards through its groin and stomach. A savage display but one that takes finesse and timing to pull off.

"No worries Dawn, he's starting to actually come back and he's only been in a constant state of battle for a few weeks in here which translates to a handful of days in the real world so give him some more time and he'll be stronger than ever both skill wise and mentally." Wake says as he watches in fascination at the evolving skills of his Lord.