damned_institute | Nightshift 35: The Coliseum

The sudden darkness cleared, as abruptly as it'd come. He was on his hands and knees on some hard-packed flooring. Sand. Unlike the last room, it was bright in here, like day out in the desert, minus the heat.

Sanzo got to his feet. Something felt different. His body felt different. Lighter, more confident.

Or maybe there wasn't ever a change, he thought. For some reason, whatever dampening powers had been placed on him were suddenly gone.

And...

A hand touched the banded fabric draped over his shoulders. There was no reason to suddenly have it back, just like that, but it was the sutra. There wasn't any doubt about it. The same hum of power throbbed from the scripture, the same glow that only he could see.

Obi-Wan was not sure how much time had passed since he'd pricked his finger on the fang, but as his eyes opened, the first thing he noticed were feelings from the Force swirling around him. It'd felt like ages since he'd last been this sensitive to his surroundings, and it would have been like taking in a breath of fresh, much-needed air after being kept in a cold, dark prison for years. That is, if he hadn't been bombarded by the thick clouds of fear, anger and aggression clinging to everything around him. It was stifling, making it almost uncomfortable to breathe. His stomach turned with a sudden wave of nausea, but he forced himself onto his feet, and tried to fully take in his surroundings.

The area was a stark contrast to where they'd been before. Where the halls before were dimly lit, this one seemed to have light streaming through the ceiling. And yet there was a greater sense of dread and evil here than Obi-Wan had ever come close to sensing within Landel's before.

It was very unsettling.

By now he'd also realized that, along with his full grasp on the Force, he was also wearing his robes, as well as his traditional Jedi tunic. Wrapped around his waist was his utility belt, and then...at his side was the lightsaber he'd had equipped just prior to his abduction. But it wasn't just any lightsaber. It was Qui-Gon's.

The Jedi Knight could sense where his former Master was, along with Callisto and Goku, so there was no need to look for them. Instead, he focused on Sanzo, who was on the other side of the area. He couldn't help but frown. The more he saw, the more he was starting to get an idea of what this would entail -- a battle of sorts, and one that might not end well.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," he said.

Obi-Wan had been dumped here too, which accounted for the other person giving the so-called blood sacrifice. But where were the others? Callisto he didn't give too much a fuck about, but Qui-Gon hadn't been that bad. And the monkey...

Sanzo stepped out further into the wide space, looking around. It didn't take him long to locate Goku, in time to see him shove Callisto back. They were all seated together, high above the field, in what looked like some seating box.

The suspicion began to grow. The priest looked around, uneasily. Admittedly, he'd just gotten fed up with the bickering; he'd only pricked his finger just to get their asses moving again. Something useful. Goku was partially to blame for it. Of course he'd find someone to fight with in the kappa's absence.

Except there was going to be more to it than just a warning. Sanzo did not like how this was looking to shape up: the wide open space - far too much like a stage for his liking - and the high walls, topped with seats. Seats which offered a perfect view of the entire floor.

Sanzo's fingers tightened around the Smith & Wesson, knuckles whitening.

[over here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/464766.html?thread=37479806#t37479806)]

He knew how to recognize Martin Landel's signature -- or lack thereof -- in the Force -- but with his senses at full capacity, that stark contrast he gave off in comparison to everything else was even more unsettling. Obi-Wan hadn't been able to explain it back when he'd seen the man in the chapel, and he certainly couldn't explain it now. There were many possibilities, of course, but that's all they were -- mere possibilities. The Jedi Knight had hoped to find some answers to those questions tonight.

But it seemed they were only here for their captor's entertainment.

It was then Sanzo resolutely moved towards the edge of the arena. Waves of murderous intent practically radiated off of him, and he didn't have to be a Force-sensitive to pick up on what he was about to do. But there was likely a barrier of some sort separating them from Landel, like the last time he'd appeared before them. Sanzo wouldn't be able to touch him.

"It's no use!" he called, but it was too late. The gunshot rang out, and he couldn't help but grimace. Fighting the Head Doctor this way was only a waste of energy, as far as he was concerned. Right now, he just wanted to know what it was he wanted with them, so he could try to figure out a way out of this.

[Still over here addressing the Head Doctor (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/464766.html?thread=37531006#t37531006)]

Obi-Wan couldn't hide the shock on his face as he watched the bullet stop in mid-air, hover in front of him, and drop to the floor. This was no ordinary barrier. It was almost as if he'd used the Force itself to stop the attack. In fact, he couldn't think of any other explanation. And while finding Force-sensitives in even the far corners of the galaxy wasn't unheard of, encountering someone with this kind of power was rare, especially if they hadn't received any formal training. Unless...

He thought of the red lightsaber his friend had found the other night. Was there some kind of connection?

But now wasn't the time to dwell on those sorts of things. He had a more pressing issue on his hands at the moment.

The Jedi Knight listened to these "rules" of Landel's game, and it soon became apparent why the air was so stifled with anger and fear. There was no way to know how many people might have perished within this arena. And, if there was any real weight to this game, someone would be dying tonight. If the fighters did not participate, then the spectators became convenient hostages, it seemed.

Any emotion he might have been feeling was carefully masked, but he could not stop himself from glancing towards Qui-Gon from the corner of his eye.

Still, that did not mean he could submit so easily to Martin Landel's whims.

((Heading to speak to the Head Doctor over here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/464766.html?thread=37539454#t37539454).))

"You're wasting your time," Sanzo muttered. The anger wasn't fading, but turning into something more managable; a cool reality of the situation, and what he had to do.

He'd come to a realization - the truth of the situation- that Obi-wan apparently hadn't arrived at yet, or didn't want to accept.

The man was too tough to crack (not impossible, everyone had some breaking point) and it would take them too much time to chip away at it. They didn't have that time.

There wasn't any way out of the arena that he could see. No way up to Landel, and with that barrier, no way to reach him right now, much less even kill him. If his suspicions were right, that barrier was also cutting them off from the others. It left them trapped on the arena floor, with no way to affect the others or Landel, while they were at the son of a bitch's mercy.

There weren't any other options. Only one.

He couldn't count on Landel fulfilling his bargain. He could count on him to gloat when this was over though. There had to be an opening then, and when Sanzo found it, he'd kill the asswipe, slowly and painfully.

[)

From behind him, Goku gave a strangled moan, nearly covering up the tell-tale crack of bone. Sanzo didn't need to look at Goku to know that he'd been wounded again, and worse than the first set. That Obi-Wan was wasting time, and that the others were paying the price for his naivity.

The monk closed his eyes, drew in a steady breath.

A wave of irritation washed over him. This wouldn't have happened if the dumbass chimp hadn't tagged along. He could've watched out for himself only. Now he was put in a position that Sanzo swore he'd never be in.

The problem was that Goku, despite being an idiot most of the time, could defend himself. He knew Sanzo's stance on the matter, and the monk could always rely on not having to watch the kid's back.

Except this was different. There was no attacker Goku could take down, nothing he could do to stop it.

Which left only Sanzo.

He swore silently. When this was over, Sanzo was going to kick the shit out of Goku and hope that would be enough to knock some sense in him.

There wasn't any way out of this. He'd have to kill. Sanzo didn't care about the prize or promise of escape. Right now he needed to end this, get that opening to kill Landel... and stop the the others from dying.

Qui-Gon wasn't too bad, as people went. But that didn't mean Sanzo harbored any allegiances towards him, or Obi-Wan. He knew what needed to be done. They would have to play by Landel's rules, and later use it against him.

Nothing personal.

Just like those months spent on his own after leaving the temple, killing and surviving. Obi-wan may not have attacked him, but he was in his way.

Sanzo opened his eyes, looking up one last time at the Head Doctor, pure hate in the stare.

The gaze didn't last long. Sanzo turned and struck, grabbing Obi-wan in a chokehold before he could retaliate. The monk swiftly kicked his legs out from under him, right as he released him from the hold.

((From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/464766.html?thread=37668478#t37668478).))

He should have expected this, but he'd allowed his worry for Qui-Gon and the boy, as well as his need to exhaust all other options, to distract him. Careless! he thought as he felt his body collide against the dirt.

Sanzo had made the first move without consulting him. He was acting solely on his need to protect the others, which meant the situation was spiraling out of control. So much for negotiations. Now it was a matter of self-defense on his part.

Obi-Wan didn't waste any time dwelling on all of that, though, choosing instead to focus on that split second as he sharply looked up at Sanzo, ready to make his next move.

Obi-Wan went down heavily. From what he'd heard and seen of the Jedi, Sanzo had half expected him to be able to sense the attack before it happened. But it looked like the monk had been able to get the jump on him.

There was that split second, as Obi-Wan landed - hard - and a look of clear surprise was on his face.

Sanzo didn't hesitate; the Smith & Wesson was out in a flash, and he fired at Obi-Wan's chest.

He had allowed his anxiety for his former Master to cloud his senses, but now Obi-Wan's attention was focused solely on Sanzo. The Jedi already knew he was armed, and anticipated the attack before the man had even pulled the trigger. At that precise moment, he rolled out of the way, the bullet grazing the side of his robe. Luckily, he was uninjured.

"It's nice to see we're on the same side!" he said as he seamlessly got to his feet. He was on full alert now, but he wasn't going to lunge at the other patient just yet. "There's got to be a better way to handle this, Sanzo," he added before frowning. "How can you be sure Landel will honor his end of the bargain if you kill me?"

Instead of imbedding itself in the man's chest, the bullet ended up buried in the sand he'd just been thrown onto.

Those reflexes definitely weren't human. Even Homura couldn't dodge bullets, and Obi-Wan had done so, effortlessly; almost as if he'd somehow sensed when the monk as going to pull the trigger. Sanzo regarded the man with cool disinterest.

"I'm not on anyone's side but my own," Sanzo replied. "And unlike you, I'm not trying to delude myself that there's any other way out."

Doing so was only delaying the inevitable, stupidly putting the others at risk. The man was still blind to what was going on. Of course he'd try to stall.

He only had a limited amount of bullets before he'd have to pause to reload. If he could dodge at a certain distance, Sanzo would have to close it and then make the shot.

The monk closed the last few feet between them, a brutal kick swinging at his head.

]

Frown, yell! "Sanzo, stop being an idiot!" Not like Sanzo was being the only dense person around, and it wasn't like Goku had any room to talk. Still, from what he'd see? Sanzo was the one attacking. The thing where Obi-Wan dodged the bullet wasn't exactly making Goku feel any better about this ordeal either.

"You're doing exactly what he wants you to do!"

Obi-Wan ducked, narrowly avoiding Sanzo's foot by inches. He knew he couldn't allow himself to become disoriented by a blow to the head -- it could throw him off balance long enough for the other man to fire another bullet, and actually not miss.

At that same moment, he heard Goku's pleas, and he was glad he at least hadn't fallen for this game. Without wasting a second, the Jedi Knight leaped towards Sanzo, and with fluid precision, moved to grab the arm holding the gun. He had to disarm him.

If he was busy fighting for his life, then there would be little he could do for themselves, much less for Qui-Gon and the boy.

He'd almost nailed the Jedi that time.

Sanzo wasn't about to admit it to anyone, but deep down, there was the ugly hint of something that was almost foreign to the monk. It had reared its head when the Head Doctor explained those rules, and seeing their very-real results.

Pure fear. Fear for Goku.

He wasn't just doing this bullshit for himself, and now he had the monkey making things even more complicated. Of course he'd pipe up, especially when his input wasn't fucking needed. It was distracting him.

"Shut up, you goddamn ape..." Sanzo muttered to himself. Why the hell couldn't Goku just keep his mouth shut for once?!

Obi-Wan was fast, actually manage to grab his gun arm. Even if Sanzo didn't have a Jedi's reflexes, he'd fought enough to realize he was going to try and disarm him.

Sanzo reacted immediately, turning with the grab and driving his other elbow at Obi-wan's stomach.

Fear for his friend practically radiated from Sanzo, acting as the driving force behind his actions, fueling his desire for this fight. As long as he let those feelings guide his actions, then reasoning with him would be almost impossible. "Landel wants you to feel cornered, Sanzo!" Obi-Wan ground out between clenched teeth. And yet, he couldn't blame him. Qui-Gon's distress and pain was like a dull ache in the back of the Jedi Knight's mind, a hard reminder of what was at stake for him.

But then an elbow collided into Obi-Wan's gut, knocking the air out of him for a moment, and he began to fall back -- but he didn't relinquish his grip on Sanzo's arm, instead delivering a sweeping kick across the other man's legs in an attempt to bring him down into the dirt with him.

He hadn't forgotten the trusty weight of Qui-Gon's lightsaber at his side. It'd make this fight a lot faster, but he was determined to use it only as a last resort.

The monk twitched as Goku's voice went even louder. As if Goku thought that he hadn't been loud enough as it was.

The idiot just couldn't stay quiet. It was bad enough that he couldn't shut the dumbass out of his head, he had to compound that with yelling at him.

"I heard you the first time, idiot!" Sanzo shouted. "Shut the fuck up!" He didn't look back at the monkey - he didn't need to - and fired the gun back at kid, partially out of reflex. He wasn't expecting to hit him; there was that barrier in the way, but it would drive the message home. The monk didn't need his shit right now.

That moment of distraction cost him. Obi-Wan struck back, knocking his legs out from under him.

Sanzo fell heavily, twisting to the side midfall, pushing his free hand out to cushion the fall. He brought the gun swinging towards Obi-Wan, and with a loud crack, fired.

The sound from the first gun shot had just faded as they both collided against the dirt. He instinctively landed in a way that let him roll to the side once more, in an attempt to avoid the next anticipated shot. But he wasn't as fast this time; a sharp pain lanced through the side of his leg, and he sucked in a breath through his teeth.

Only grazed, thankfully, but it was a strong testament to Sanzo's resolve. He intended to kill him.

Drawing upon the Force once more, Obi-Wan blocked the pain and shifted his full attention back onto the other man. He was already back on his feet, which meant the Jedi needed to resort to a more aggressive strategy. Suddenly, he raised his hand and sent a burst of air hurling towards Sanzo in an attempt to knock him back.

Only a graze. He'd hit, but not with the success he'd hoped for. A graze wasn't going to slow Obi-Wan down, much less kill him. And he only had two more rounds before he had to reload. He'd just wasted one on Goku.

It figured.

He didn't know if they had guns like this back in their Republic, or even if Obi-Wan knew just how low he was on ammo. But even he had to recognize the motions of someone reloading. Sanzo didn't have Hakkai or Gojyo or Goku to keep opponents off his ass right now.

Sanzo started to get up. He had to keep in the Jedi's face; he couldn't let that blade come out--

Only he landed unceremoniously back on the sand, as something invisible suddenly knocked him off balance.

For a split second, Obi-Wan was reminded of when he was young, and had held out his hand to throw back an opponent, only to fail. With how long his abilities had been suppressed within Landel's, he'd almost expected to have a repeat of that, but it was refreshing to find his connection to the Force in tact after what had felt like years.

But there wasn't any time to waste. He'd make a final effort to end this peacefully.

His robe billowing behind him, Obi-Wan dashed towards where Sanzo had landed, his focus still trained carefully on him to hold him in place, if only for a short moment. The Jedi aimed a strategic kick towards his arm in an attempt to knock the weapon away from him; at the same time, Qui-Gon's lightsaber flared to life. The green blade hummed through the air, but stopped just inches from the other man's throat.

"This battle is over!" he shouted, clearly for Martin Landel. "Release the hostages, immediately!"

Sanzo glared at the humming blade at his throat, then up at Obi-Wan.

He couldn't fucking move. It was just like that time when Shuei had paralyzed him, except Obi-Wan had done so without any words or any delay. The monk strained to free himself, but he might as well have tried pulling steel apart.

Sanzo glanced as far back as he could, and caught the barest glimpse of the Smith & Wesson. Far behind him, a trail of sand leading up to it, and he couldn't reach it.

And then Obi-Wan spoke. Sanzo rolled his eyes in disgust. Did he honestly think that would work?

Whatever, he still had one last trump card: he only needed to make sure Obi-Wan didn't catch on to just what the chanting was for....

The Head Doctor, who had until now been silently enjoying the fight from his seat, clicked his tongue and narrowed his eyes in amusement.

"For a Jedi, you certainly are impatient, Mr. Kenobi." He arched an eyebrow. "Or is that your concern for your master showing through? Either way..." he shifted his weight, crossing his legs and steepling his fingers, "the battle is over when I say it's over, and from where I stand, it seems like it's only just begun."

He paused in his words and glanced at Sanzo. He smiled slightly before looking back to Obi-Wan. "All I can do right now is tell you that you would do well not to underestimate your opponent."

Arena Floor

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