The Ceremony

It was a small rectangular room with no window at all. They only thing in the room was a broken stool. He sat and waited for his introduction
Rigs could hear groups of people enter and take their places in the other room.. He knew the exact number of the population but only those who were not on duty were permitted to show and watch.
The population was something he had to watch very carefully in his position. More people meant more rooms in need of basic essentials. Most of those essentials required power. Power they did not have. It wasn’t just the power that was being stretched thin, so were other necessities such as food, clothing and medicine.
Thankfully, the Ceremony would assist in maintain one of those.
“Rigs Holt!” His name was shouted from the other room with the beautiful class outlook. Rigs went to open the door but stopped. He could feel his chest tighten and his stomach drop. He stood still, his hand poised on the knob but unable to twist it. All noise from the other room ceased. He opened the door.
Four figures rushed straight at him. Two held metal spears whose heads were grinded into a fine point. The other two held makeshift swords and daggers. One figure from either side began flanking.
Rigs observed this as he would deciepher the information flashing across the desk consoles during a power failure. There were of course a few differences. One such difference was the incorporation of all his senses. Viewing the screens he was able to focus all his attention to the visual components. This required a greater amount of skill. He let the information from every source come to him.
That’s when he heard the footsteps behind him. Rigs ducked and whirled sweeping his leg out and causing one of his assailants to tumble to the ground. He shifted his weight and rolled as two steel weapons collided with the cement. The second his feet were back on the ground he rolled again and heard air being split with a sword.
He was now effectively inside the guard of one of the spearmen. Two quick blows disarmed him. The steel spear clattered to the ground. Rigs latched onto the mans muscled forearm and fell backwards using his weight to propel the man off his feet and into one of the swordsman. The second spear darted out in an attempt to land a solid blow on Rigs. It would have connected if it wasn’t for the mans boots flying off mid launch. Luck and chaos were friends of Rigs but their relationship was fickle at the best of times.
Rigs tried to jump to his feet after the toss but one of the unarmed men who had come from behind tackled him. The wind rushed from his lungs as he slammed against the unforgiving concrete floor. Rigs looked up and saw a brutish boy staring down at him, a grin wide across his face.
Somewhere in the room a voice called out, “One point for Zeek.”
Rigs watched as the boy reeled back his right arm. Mistake. Rigs threw a quick jab to the boys unprotected throat. In the split second he watched as the boys eyes bulged and face contort in pain. His hands quickly went to cover his throat but as they did Rigs landed a second blow to the boys left temple. Zeek toppled over in agony, exposing the other competitors watching him crumple to the ground.
Before any of them could react, Rigs was on his feet again. That was when he saw Raven for the first time. Her silver gray eyes pierced his from the back of the group. Behind locks of jet black hair, her olive face peered out, relaxed and confident. In that moment fear and pain crept into his heart. Fear for he knew how intimidating he looked to the boys and girls facing him. Pain because he would have to hurt her. He watched as she shifted backwards and in the instant before she attacked, his gaze fell upon her gloved hands each holding a glimmering dagger.
The Gods have no mercy Rigs thought.
Her scream was nothing short of a battlecry. The five other attackers parted in surprise and terror. She darted to one of her comrades and planted her foot in his side and vaulted toward Rigs. She was small but the force behind her sent the human spring board to his ass. Rigs watched her expertly decrease the distance between them. When she hit the ground she twirled and slashed.
Rigs thrust his hips back and watched as both blades came inches from contact. She was on her feet as he was regaining his stance. She slashed out again but he dodged and slapped her hand away. She followed through with her slash. A distraction Rigs thought as the second blade swiftly sliced towards his midsection. He twisted just in time to save himself from being gutted. Instead the blade left a long gash along his left side at the base of his ribs.
“One point for Raven.”
She was already bringing the first blade back around. Rigs ducked inside her guard and slammed both palms against her chest. She was fierce and sly but she hadn’t fore seen something so simple as a shove to be his counter attack. She toppled backwards and slid across the dirt laden concrete floor. When she looked up, he saw tears in her eyes. He hoped it wasn’t from pain.
“Attack!” came the command from one of the swordsman.
The others in the group launched themselves at him. He had to disarm them quickly. Raven would be searching for an opportunity to score her last two points. The two spearmen advanced first. One tried a quick thrust but Rigs seized the spear point. The second used the opportunity to try a quick thrust as well but Rigs deflected it with the first spear. Rigs pulled and jumped back forcing the spearmen to the ground and freeing the spear.
As an elder he was forbidden to utilize a weapon for attack so he tossed the spear to the wall and then ran towards the group of attackers. Chaos and luck were his friends.
Within a minute four of the five attackers were all disarmed and lying on the ground unconscious or in serious pain. No blows had been landed within the minute. More than a few made his heart race but none had connected. Two attackers remained Raven and a boy with a sword. Raven hugged the outside edge of the arena watching, assessing and waiting. The boy had been smart in staying away but now he was Rigs main focus.
Blood from his side had been flowing freely but the wound was distant in his mind. Rigs and the boy each tried a few attacks but the other countered them. He was testing him for weaknesses. The boy was much better with a sword than Rigs had first thought.
Rigs was focused on testing for a fault in the boys defenses when he heard two quick soft steps behind him. He turned just in time to slap away one of Raven’s daggers. He watched for the second but it didn’t come. Rigs looked over his shoulder just as the boy’s sword was slashing at his back. Rigs fell forward as the blade made a gash in his back.
Rigs screamed in pain as the announcer said, “ One point for Randy.”
Rigs fell flat on his face but instantly rolled to the side. One of Raven’s daggers almost bit into the flesh of his shoulder as he rolled. The second streaked down toward his chest. Rigs seized the blade at the base of the hilt before it was buried in him. Tear drops rained on his face as he looked up at Raven.
“Two points for Raven.”
Raven immediately pulled the blade away and backed up, her eyes wide with fear. Rigs felt the cold metal of the blade recede from the depths of his hand. The blade had opened up his glove and his mind threatened to pull him away. It teetered on the verge of nothingness and oneness. Rigs forced his eyes to look at Randy, his sword was arching toward his thighs. It was over. His daughter was going to watch him die. The circle of torture would continue.
He watched as one second Randy’s muscled arms used the sword to cut a path through the air and the next he was falling backwards a dagger lodged in his throat. Rigs heard the distant sound of a sword clanking against the ground before the dark seas took him.