[4] The Waterways

[Friend or Foe]

Oliver Nash hadn't seen someone move so fast in a long, long time. The man who had called himself Jackson Pride had jolted forward, practically disappearing all together and reappearing with his fists swinging. He had jabs and hooks like a boxer and the power of a rhino, which caused his opponent, the man named Oliver Nash, to bring his hands up in defensively. He blocked three swings with his forearm and ducked the fourth, rolling behind Jackson and back up to his feet.

"Come on," Jackson said as he turned around. "You can do better then that."

All that the man named Wizard could think about was getting back to his group and ensuring that they survived their obstacle. "I don't have time for you," he told the bald opponent, "You're just another tool from the Devil to slow me down. But I'm not interested."

Between Wizard and the door stood Jackson, with his K-9 friend nearby, watching. They were atop a catwalk that spanned through the entire ceiling of the main room. Under them was a large laboratory, seemingly sealed off from the rest of the facility. If Wizard jumped down, he might be able to find another way, but there was no guarantee he could escape this man.

Before Nash could continue his train of thoughts on escape, he had to once again avoid a scuffle from Jackson, using his feet to dodge left to the right as the fists rained down like bullets, until Oliver again managed to wiggle past the bald terror and move behind him.

"What is your business with me, demon?" Nash asked, annoyed.

Jackson turned around again. He was obviously hardly trying, and Oliver could tell he had more tricks up his sleeve. Considering how fast he could punch, he was moving slow when it came to turning his body, and kept his hands down in a normal position, leaving his body vulnerable. "My name is Jackson Pride," the man repeated, "I'm one of the Four Demons of Kai Demolic, the overseer of this game."

Kai Demolic... Oliver thought, Is that the name that the Devil himself chose? No, this Kai...he must be a lesser demon.

"He asked me to come here and take you out of this game by force," Jackson continued, "I could have sniped you, taken you out and been done with it. But I told Kai that I wouldn't let you go out like that."

"Why didn't you take the shot, then?" Wizard asked, backing up slightly towards the door.

Jackson smirked, "Because you, unlike the headphones kid...you look like a challenge. I lived my whole life just kicking the crap out of people, ending lives easily. I'm searching, Oliver Nash. I'm looking for somebody. I'm looking for the man who can kill me."

It sounded oddly poetic, coming from the big, hardened warrior in front of him. Oliver Nash felt sympathy. This man...he wasn't just a demon. He was a damned soul, just like Wizard. Jackson Pride was a man who was cursed with the inability to lose. He was bored of being the best, and Oliver had been chosen, like so many before him, to defeat him.

"You might be the one, Wizard," Jackson said, using the man's nickname. "I want a good fight, a clean one on one fight to the death. Maybe...you're the one who will send me out of this life proper. Not by illness, not by accident...but in battle, fighting to survive!"

Wizard backed up as an aura appeared around the giant monster of a man. His muscles seemed to grow and his energy glowed angelically through the dimly lit room, serving as a light from the catwalks.

"So what's it gonna be, Nash?!" The man shouted over his own soaring power level, "Will you accept my challenge?! Will you be the one to end this old man's life!? Or am I doomed to find another challenger, walking from battle to battle until old age takes me?!" He seemed to be fighting his own inner battle as he shouted, his eyes lighting up. Oliver backed up again. "No! I will NOT go out like that! I, Jackson Pride, will fight you with everything I have, and you will NOT deny me my fight!"

"Look," Oliver said, backing up again, getting closer to the door. He didn't know what he would do when he got there, but he was certainly aiming to get near it and find a way through. "I just don't have time. I don't want to fight y-"

Before he could say anything else, Jackson lept forward, again appearing as if he was teleporting. His super speed brought his right in front of Oliver, and unlike last time, he didn't pull his punches. Oliver Nash took three punches to the gut, one to the chest, and then a sharp side-kick which sent him against the railing of the balcony. As he tried to recover, Jackson gripped his throat, angry at the decision Wizard made, and lifted him up for a firm slam.

When Jackson looked up, however, he saw a solid fist coming down to jab him between the eyes. He rolled backwards, giving Oliver time to land firmly on the ground. The bald man stood up, grinning as he looked at the older opponent.

Oliver Nash looked up. It was impossible to tell if he was angry that he was forced to fight, or driven by the speech Jackson had made. Regardless, whether it was treated as an obstacle or a fair, honorable fight, it was clear that the Wizard was not backing down. "Alright Mr. Pride," Wizard said aloud, "You win. One fair fight. To the death."