The only sound was that of the fire burning in the brazier. The room was large, hazy and humanoid. The light and heat came from a huge bronze brazier to the back of the large room. The room itself was large enough to allow 100 men to fit in comfort, thou the room was a training hall. No windows allowed light in, six wooden columns supported the ceiling. The floor was of bare dirt, pressed hard from years of use. Simple weapons were on rack on each wall, ready for training and use. Two large doors stood at the front, polished oak from the western lands.
In the middle of the room was a small youth just reaching his twenties. His head was shaved bald, dressed in a loin cloth. The only thing that stood out on him was a tattoo of a black raven on his chest. His sweat poured down from the heat of the brazier, his expression on his face was calm. His lean muscular body relaxed, eyes closed. He sat with his knees bent under him in the traditional meditation stance. No one else was in the room but him, the only sound was that of the fire.
Raven floated through the world of meditation. He drifted in darkness, feeling the world around him. The heat against his skin, the snap of the fire, the dirt on the floor. He allowed his other senses to drift, feeling everything, his spirit wondered through him, expanding him.
The air on his skin changed, a slight push on the air against his skin, the sound of something soft landing on the dirt floor warned him that he was no longer alone. He remained calm as not to give himself away. There were four intruders, they moved with the grace of a cat, and just as quietly. They circled, moving slowly towards him. A slight sound of metal against wood told him that one of the weapons on the wall was being removed. There was a hush and all movement stopped at the small sound. When Raven remained still for what seemed forever, the movement continued towards him, cats moving in for the kill. Raven forced himself to relax, any tense or flex of his body would give him away to the intruders, warning them that he was ready.
The air flow changed, pushing against his face. He brought his arm up, easily blocking the kick that came. His other hand flashed up and into the upper thigh of the leg and was rewarded with a grunt. Raven could almost feel the muscle of the leg cramping. Hearing more bodies moving for him he leapt forward, feeling the wind of another attack slice where he just was. Rolling into a comfortable fighting stance a few feet away, Raven spun low with a sweeping kick, knocking down one of his attackers from behind the legs. The dirt of the floor kicked up sticking to the bodies of everyone. Raven kept his eyes closed, dust sticking to his eyes and face.
A grunt and high pitch sound of a weapons moving through the air warned of the next attack. Bring his arm up and blocking the weapon arm helped guild him, he moved in close spinning, driving his elbow into the nose. Hearing the crack and flow of blood against his arm Raven kept his spin going, grabbing the other arm of his attacker. Using his weight and the weight of his attacker, he flipped and locked the elbow, Driving his would be attacker to the ground.
A yell from behind informed him of another incoming attack. Still holding the lock of the elbow Raven kicked backward, striking where the chest and the ribs met. The attacker flew, his air blasted from his lungs.
That left one more attacker. Turn his fist so to strike with the first two knuckles, he struck down into the chest of the one he had locked, Hearing him cry out and go limp Raven returned to his fighting stance, letting his senses tune out the cries of pain and there movement, searching for the last intruder.
A sudden shift behind him came to late, kicking his legs from under him. Falling on his shoulders, Raven kicked both legs up and straight back down again, throwing his body straight back up. His attacker was ready, driving an elbow into Raven's chest. Putting the pain in the back of his mind Raven dropped again, spinning both legs around, driving a kick straight up. His heel connected with a chin, a sharp crack came a instance later and a cry of pain. The oak doors exploded open, "Enough!!"
