1 - A Time To Fight
Billy spins as he slips past Granger's guard and tags him with his sword. The man swears an oath and brings his sword back around to swing at Billy. But Billy is already away and rolling around to tag the man one his shin. This brings another oath and renewed attempts to hit Billy.
Billy breathes as he retreats for a moment, his eyes watching his opponent. The heat of the sands of the coliseum beats upward at him like another weapon, and he can feel weariness in his muscles and bones like a weight. The sun beat down and his skin was slick in some areas with sweat. A loincloth and a long gauntlet were his only coverings, aside from the sandals that protected his feet from hot sand.
It had been eight weeks since he had arrived here, tossed onto the sands of the nearby beaches like an abandoned piece of shipwood. He still had no idea who he was captive too, or why The Six had sent him here. He was supposed to be on his way to his Quest, his trial, but instead... Eight weeks of this.
Eight long weeks of fighting, slaving for these unknown overlords, playing to the cheers and boos of the faceless crowd. Eight long weeks in Hell.
Time has flown by, but each day has seemed hellishly long, driven by blood, sweat, pain, and tears. He had tried, early on, to use his magic, but the place had a barrier of some kind, something keeping everything inside, in, and everything outside, out.
Time has flown by as he learned to fight all over again with new weapons, and in new styles, and learned to fight to survive, and to defend himself.
Time has flown by as he has refused to kill, even on pain of being placed in the Punishment Box between games.
Time has flown by and even with long hours to think, he has been too tired and too focused to think about his troubles, his worries and his problems from Before. Everything before the Games, everything before the chains, has receded to a dull roar, part of the Things Not Necessary To Survive.
Time has flown by and he is still fighting on this day, his fifteenth birthday, as Granger charges, his blade ever so slightly too high. It is the mistake Billy has been waiting for. He moves, feet sure, and twists under the blade sweeping towards him, using his size and flexibility to go down and then up again, this time inside Granger's guard. His sword comes down, flat side first on the temple of the larger man and Granger half cries out, half-grunts, and falls. Billy reverses the blade and slams it down again, this time behind the man's tilted head, and his opponent slumps, unconscious.
The crowd roars in approbation, then stills as the Prelate, faceless as always, stands. He looks down at Billy and then raises his hand... and then points downward.
The crowd hushes even more for a long moment, for Billy has yet to take a life.
When his blade hits the sands with a hush, the crowd roars again, this time in fury, and there are quickly guards coming for him. He fights, as they know he will, taking out four of them, before they take him down, and make him watch as they kill Granger. Then he is surrounded and chained, and they take him towards the dark tunnel down into the rocky surface.
He knows where he is headed.
Another week in the Box.
Another week in Hell.
***
Weeks pass, time flies, and days speed away. Billy gets stronger, and tougher, and roughened. But he still does not kill.
Four months in Hell, and he is still undefeated, even against two opponents. Four months in Hell and he spends all his off time either training or in the Box. He goes willingly into the Box, now. He spends the time concentrating, meditating, and praying. What he doesn't do is think about the outside, think about the past,
Somewhere in the four months, his heart stopped aching, his mind cleared, and his body stopped feeling the after effects. Somewhere in the four months, he moved on.
Four months in Hell pass, and he is there when the attack comes, when the Justice League finds the place and frees the captives. When he sees them, at first he doesn't believe his eyes and when he does, he finds himself crying, shocked, and confused.
He cries off and on for a week, and even his fellow heroes aren't sure how to treat the man he has become.
Four months lost in Hell, and when he returns to Earth, he finds it worse off than he believed it could be. He intends to take time off, to try to take time down. This, of course, fails, as crisis and chaos spills out.
Life as usual on Earth. He dives in again and tries not to think of the past, of the trauma, of the darkness, or of Milliways.
And time passes.
Billy breathes as he retreats for a moment, his eyes watching his opponent. The heat of the sands of the coliseum beats upward at him like another weapon, and he can feel weariness in his muscles and bones like a weight. The sun beat down and his skin was slick in some areas with sweat. A loincloth and a long gauntlet were his only coverings, aside from the sandals that protected his feet from hot sand.
It had been eight weeks since he had arrived here, tossed onto the sands of the nearby beaches like an abandoned piece of shipwood. He still had no idea who he was captive too, or why The Six had sent him here. He was supposed to be on his way to his Quest, his trial, but instead... Eight weeks of this.
Eight long weeks of fighting, slaving for these unknown overlords, playing to the cheers and boos of the faceless crowd. Eight long weeks in Hell.
Time has flown by, but each day has seemed hellishly long, driven by blood, sweat, pain, and tears. He had tried, early on, to use his magic, but the place had a barrier of some kind, something keeping everything inside, in, and everything outside, out.
Time has flown by as he learned to fight all over again with new weapons, and in new styles, and learned to fight to survive, and to defend himself.
Time has flown by as he has refused to kill, even on pain of being placed in the Punishment Box between games.
Time has flown by and even with long hours to think, he has been too tired and too focused to think about his troubles, his worries and his problems from Before. Everything before the Games, everything before the chains, has receded to a dull roar, part of the Things Not Necessary To Survive.
Time has flown by and he is still fighting on this day, his fifteenth birthday, as Granger charges, his blade ever so slightly too high. It is the mistake Billy has been waiting for. He moves, feet sure, and twists under the blade sweeping towards him, using his size and flexibility to go down and then up again, this time inside Granger's guard. His sword comes down, flat side first on the temple of the larger man and Granger half cries out, half-grunts, and falls. Billy reverses the blade and slams it down again, this time behind the man's tilted head, and his opponent slumps, unconscious.
The crowd roars in approbation, then stills as the Prelate, faceless as always, stands. He looks down at Billy and then raises his hand... and then points downward.
The crowd hushes even more for a long moment, for Billy has yet to take a life.
When his blade hits the sands with a hush, the crowd roars again, this time in fury, and there are quickly guards coming for him. He fights, as they know he will, taking out four of them, before they take him down, and make him watch as they kill Granger. Then he is surrounded and chained, and they take him towards the dark tunnel down into the rocky surface.
He knows where he is headed.
Another week in the Box.
Another week in Hell.
***
Weeks pass, time flies, and days speed away. Billy gets stronger, and tougher, and roughened. But he still does not kill.
Four months in Hell, and he is still undefeated, even against two opponents. Four months in Hell and he spends all his off time either training or in the Box. He goes willingly into the Box, now. He spends the time concentrating, meditating, and praying. What he doesn't do is think about the outside, think about the past,
Somewhere in the four months, his heart stopped aching, his mind cleared, and his body stopped feeling the after effects. Somewhere in the four months, he moved on.
Four months in Hell pass, and he is there when the attack comes, when the Justice League finds the place and frees the captives. When he sees them, at first he doesn't believe his eyes and when he does, he finds himself crying, shocked, and confused.
He cries off and on for a week, and even his fellow heroes aren't sure how to treat the man he has become.
Four months lost in Hell, and when he returns to Earth, he finds it worse off than he believed it could be. He intends to take time off, to try to take time down. This, of course, fails, as crisis and chaos spills out.
Life as usual on Earth. He dives in again and tries not to think of the past, of the trauma, of the darkness, or of Milliways.
And time passes.