Reanimated as Death's Bane

Gangs

After an hour, another horn sounded, Dave followed the crowd to the mess hall, same as last. He didn't bother with the line, he hadn't gotten a ticket, he slipped away, back to the spot where he had hidden the remains of what he killed.

He buried them under loose dirt and wrapped it with a cloth, after digging it up, he started a small fire and roasted another chunk.

The meat was tougher now, almost stale, but he forced it down, satisfying his hunger. He had to fight tonight and make a name to end this.

With his belly full, Dave strolled the Grounds, with his blades tucked close, he wanted to find higher grounds to unwind and chill.

He felt battle intent as he passed he passed the arena still heading towards the hill in the distance, as his eyes scanned the environment.

Then he heard something, a cry, followed by a wet thud. He slowed down trying to get the direction it was coming from, then he followed it to a collapsed building surrounded by dry bones.

He wanted to stay out of it, but the same feeling that made him interfere with Pete's fight was kicking in. A gang a group of five creatures, not the pale ones but different, humans with gator like skin and spiked tails.

Were beating up another inmate. “Pay up, you piece of shit!” One growled, kicking it hard. “You keep losing bets, yet you keep staking!” Another kick followed. The inmate whimpered. “Please, you can take my tent and my ticket, I'll even work for you, please don't kill me.”

But another kick followed, they weren't listening. Dave stood still observing what unfolded, he didn't want to be noticed, and he wasn't planning to interfere.

But one gang member turned, twitching its tail and its eyes locked on Dave. “Well, well, well.” It smirked, with a menacing voice. “Look who's here. The kid who thinks he's a killer.”

The others turned, and the inmate seized the opportunity to scramble away but one of the gangsters grabbed it with its tail, and squeezed it till it popped. Dave swallowed hard, this was what he wanted to avoid, but he stood his ground.

The leader stepped closer, each step made Dave's heart pound harder. “I didn't realize the young ones aren't so smart, so you think you're tough?” It laughed, and the others closed in encircling Dave.

“I don't want to fight. Back off.” Dave growled, still unmoved despite his fear.

“Oh, you are now,” the leader said, lashing its tail. “Have a go at him, let's see what he's made of.”

One of the thugs launched at Dave, despite him not wanting to fight, he had been around these types of personalities and negotiations with them were useless, he had to fight.

Its tail whipped like a chain, it swung a claw reaching for his throat. Dave sidestepped the strike, kicking up a puff of dust. He countered with a swift arc that grazed the creature's arm.

It growled, charging again with its claws extended, but Dave ducked low, rolling to the side as it scraped the dirt. He sprang up and drove his left blade into its thigh, twisting just enough to weaken it.

The thug staggered, swinging wildly in pain, but Dave was circling it, his eyes locking on weak points, the soft underbelly and its joints. It lashed out once more, with its tail and claws attacking in rhythm, but Dave could see every move before it was made, he dodged through like the wind.

Then delivered a precise slash to the the shoulder, slowing its movement, he swerved down, hooking it's leg with his blades curve yanking it off balance. As it tumbled forward he delivered a brutal kick upwards to the jaw, sending it crumpling to the ground.

The whole exchange felt like a blur, the creature's fury was no match for Dave's precision. Adrenaline surged through him now , melting away the initial fear he had.

The second gang member didn't wait, rushing in with a roar, its spiked tail coiling in for an overhead smash. Dave exhaled sharply, he faced worse in this hellhole and he wasn't about to fold.

The tail swung down like a hammer , Dave pivotsed at the last second as the thud vibrated the earth. He stepped in closer, slicing his blade across the tail but there was no reaction, like metal hitting metal.

It spun, raking its claws in the air, left , right, overhead, but Dave anticipated each, like a natural dance. He parried a claw with one blade, redirecting the momentum and slashing with the other, slicing it's arm from the shoulder.

Then sent it crumbling with a spinning kick. The remaining two didn't hesitate, they had seen their peers fate and charged in a coordinated assault. One came at the left, swinging it's tail low to trip him, while the other went high, swinging it's claws.

Dave's world narrowef to the rhythm of battle, their heavy breaths, the whirlwind of dust, everything felt slow. He leaped over the tail sweep, sacrificing his shoulder as the claw tore his shirt, drawing blood from the spot.

He landed in a crouch, thinking how to end this quickly, they were stronger together, but their aggression was predictable. Using the environment to his advantage, he backed towards a pile of shattered bones, drawing them in.

The left one overcommitted, swinging too far, Dave sidestepped and used his battle instinct, grabbing a jagged bone shard mid roll, he hurled it like a spear into its eye, blinding it immediately, it screeched, flailing, which disrupted the others rhythm

Seizing the split second , Dave exploded forward, then he dropped low and swept it's leg with a spinning kick Enhanced with his blades edge, as it fell he followed with a downward stab to pin it from using its tail.

The leader stood back with its arms crossed. “Look at you little human,” it snarled. “Playing little hero in the dirt. You think taking down those scraps makes you king? There's always a bigger fish, come on.

Dave wiped blood from his lip raising his blades, despite him being exhausted. The leader circled him slowly, not rushing in like the others. It moved left, then struck right with its tail in an arc, despite Dave blocking, the impact sent him staggering back.

The fight turned into a cruel dance. Dave's slashes were blocked by armored scales, his Dodges countered by tricky moves that his the leaders true strikes. It laughed mid fight. “You're slowing down kid. Tired already?”

Then came a surprise, it spat a glob of acidic venom, aiming for Dave's eyes , but Dave spotting the swell in it's throat, twisted aside in the last instant.

He hadn't used his ability throughout this fight since he didn't aim to kill but now he was pushed. He ignited his blade and channeled his fading strength to hook the tail mid recovery, he yanked it forward, unbalancing the leader.

As it stumbled Dave drove his other blade into an opening above its armor, twisting deep. The leader roared, delivering blows that connected to Dave's skull, but Dave held on, delivering a final exhausting knee to its gut that folded it over.

It collapsed, gasping, it was defeated but the toll hit Dave like a boulder. His vision hazy, his knees bucked as he leaned on his blades, sweat mixed with blood running down his skin.

A slow deliberate clap echoed from the shadows behind the collapsed building, cutting through the groans. The fallen gang members knew that presence, the turned weakly, hauling themselves to bow low.

Emerging into the light was a towering figure, humanoid, no tail or scales, clad in a weathered black jacket that spread across, stopping at its broad shoulders.

A skull mask, that of ancient warlords like Bane, obscured its face, exuding an aura so menacing it thickened the air.

Dave swallowed hard at the sight of the figure its shadow covered him completely, there was only one thought on his mind, ‘run’.

“Is this the one who made the fire show last night?” The figures voice boomed like thunder. Dave's exhausted body tensed instinctively after hearing that.

The defeated leader, still gasping on the ground, lifted it's head weakly. “Y-yes… that's him.” It said, still bowing down.

The warlords skull mask tilted slightly, the air felt heavier, with an unspoken threat that was before them. “And he's the one who beat you up?” The leader nodded shamefully it's voice full of fear. “Yes”

A low, rumbling hmmp escaped the mask, echoing like distant thunder. The warlords hand extended slowly, it's fingers like iron vices, reaching towards Dave's head ready to crush or grab it.

Dave instincts screamed, ‘get out of here’. But every muscle in his body protested, he dug deep, condensing the last flickers of his energy into a desperate move. Flames erupted along his blades as he unleashed a barrage of flame arcs at the approaching arm.

The air was becoming hotter as the blades multiplied in an illusion of strikes. He didn't wait to see the damage, he took off on his heel, pushing through the pain, as he aimed for the hill in the distance.

But the warlord was not ordinary, with a single earth shaking bound, he launched into the air, the leap defies his size, casting a growing eclipse over Dave fleeing.

The shadow swallowed the ground behind him and Dave's chest tightened. He couldn't dodge it. He turned, igniting every ounce of flame within his capacity, with his arms crossed in a desperate block. He braced as the warlord descended like a meteor.

The impact slammed into him with a bone shattering force. A Crater formed beneath them, but Dave barely held on. Springing up from the crouch, adrenaline and sheer will fueled him, he unleashed everything.

Slashing at the joints, searching for weak spots in the warlords stance. A roll there, kicks and hooks striking rhythmically with every skill he ever learned.

But it was like assaulting a fortress with toothpicks. He hadn't landed a single hit, the warlord just evaded them. Still Dave pressed on, his breath ragged, his vision blurred, but he couldn't stop. It meant death.

Gathering his power into one final hit, he coiled low and exploded upwards, with a roar he drove his knee upward, slamming it under the warlords jaw, with a loud bang.

The warlord didn't even flinch. The knee connected, but the impact was absorbed like a pebble against a mountain. As Dave began his descent, a massive hand shot out, snatching him mid air by the head.

The warlord swung him like a doll smashing him into the earth. The impact had crushed Dave's bones, there was no getting back from that, he lay there twitching.

The warlord stood over him, his voice filled with dark amusement. “Not bad kid. You've got fire in you, real talent. Can't let that go to waste.” He gestured to the thugs. “Wrap him up boys. We've got uses for a fighter like this.”