"Are those the things you tell yourself before you go to sleep at night? Maybe after this I'll rehash the conversation of how each thing that I make is a little bit of me. If you can handle it, that is." Dirk is entirely confident in his abilities to hold his own against Jake, but that didn't mean he was going to go in blind. He knew that Jake was strong which meant that this would be an actual scuffle and he was banking on it being at least a little distracting.

He ignored the gnawing feeling that something really wasn't right, that this place felt way too much like the colosseums of old. He stood straight, surveying the arena to look for places he could use for cover if need be, potential exits. Of course he didn't find any of the latter. That would be too simple. He was so close to Jake he could hear his erratic breathing. His own rush of adrenaline matched his friend's, but he wasn't sure if it was for the same reason.

The second the buzzer went off, Dirk was moving. He spun away, dodging a blast aimed at his foot and kicking up the dirt that Jake loosened. He didn't expect Jake to actually aim at his person and he was correct. He flipped his sword and dashed in, swinging with the blunt edge. It wouldn't cut, but it would certainly hurt and still had the very likely potential of breaking bone.