Sunday, May 8, 2016

Around and Around We Go

Originally a story for my science class about the rock cycle.



The sky was dark like a mafic type of rock as small dots of light, stars, shone through.  There was no moon tonight on planet Valareel.
The air was crisp and cold. All seemed silent until muffled sound sliced through it.
They were chants of praise.
A light broke thorough the darkness, down near the horizon. No more than a mere speck in the dawning twilight.
I was drawn to it like a moth to a flame.
Urging my horse forward, I bounced alone with her as her hooves clomped softly against the thick sand.
We reached the beacon of light moments later and I finally realized it was a stadium. Ignoring the loud cheers coming from inside, I took a moment to look at the stadium fully.
Despite the dark sky, the stadium was a bright felsic type of color. Marble maybe. White stared at me from all directions clan and pristine despite the dirty sand surrounding it.
“ May I help you?”
I whipped my head around to see a broad man dressed in all black. His thick meaty arms were crossed and his pinched brown eyes stared into my own.
I swallowed what little saliva I had left in my mouth and started speaking. “ Actually yes. I was just passing through and I need a place to sleep for the night. Would you know of any places in particular?”
The man grunted. “ Sorry ma’am. You aren’t going to find one open place at this time of night. Most hotels within a couple miles are closed. The wolves like to prowl around this time.”
I sighed, deflated by the news, but I had barely opened my mouth to thank the man, when he stopped me by speaking once again.
“ You seem like a harmless young lady so for a price you can stay at my place for the night. It’s not the fanciest place ever, but it’ll do.”
I blinked my eyes in surprise and then thanked the man purfurously with a grin.
He waved off my signs of gratitude. “ Don’t mention it. I’m not getting off of work for another two hours so go watch the show. It’s our main attraction here in Valareel after all.”
The cheers intensified.
He smiled showing off a row of yellowing teeth. “ Sounds like something exciting is happening. Go on. I’ll take your horse somewhere safe.”
I nodded as I jumped off my horse and landed on the ground with a dull thud. He walked towards my horse and grasped her reins gently, ready to take off.
“ Wait sir!” I shouted before he took a step into the darkness.
He turned towards me brows furrowing. “ Yeah?”
I swallowed. “ What’s you’re name?”
He grinned. “ Obi.”
“ Em.” I said adjusting the shawl covering my neck and part of my face.
“ Go enjoy the show! It’s not going to last much longer.” He said walking away.
I didn’t say anything further as I watched him guide my horse through the darkness until I could see neither of them anymore.
Another round of cheers and screams pierced the air.
Snapping myself out of my intrusive state of being, I made my way into the well-lit stadium.
Stepping inside, I was immediately assaulted my noise.
Pure, uncontained noise.
I had the urge to cover my ears, but I refrained as I stared at what was in front of me. All I could see were chipped wooden beams supporting seats that seemed to stretch to eternity.
I started walking towards my left; wincing each time another scream pierced the ear destroying my sensitive hearing.
Emerging into the light, I shielded my eyes as I looked around. Hundreds of people filled the stands. Men, women, children, you name it. All of their eyes were focused upon an arena set up on the other side.
Rocks and sand surrounded the closed off area. It was weathered and eroded from years of use and happened to be empty save for a man brushing sand over something with a broom.
I saw a flash of red.
‘Blood’ my mind supplied.
I looked away.
I went to go find a seat and I happened to be lucky enough to find several empty seats located in the front row.
Sitting down, I gripped the hem of my dirty white dress and shifted nervously.
It was then when I finally took a moment to make out the unintelligible garble of the screaming and shouting, I realized they were chanting.
Three names to be exact.
I couldn’t make them out very well considering voices upon voices piled upon each other, but as it became faster and faster; I was forced to cover my ears.
Then a scratchy male voice came over the speakers silencing everyone mid-chant.
“ Ladies and gentleman. Boys and girls. I know your all excited. Impatient dare I say?”
Someone yelled loudly.
“ Well the wait is over! Please give a warm welcome to three of the best fighters in the universe The Rock Trio!”
The crowd roared and stomped there feet as three young boys stepped out into the stadium waving and smiling. They had to be no more than sixteen years old.
I furrowed my brows as I turned to someone sitting next to me. I tapped them on the shoulder and he turned around with an air of curiosity around him.
He smiled. “ What’s up?”
I had to strain my ears to hear him as the screaming intensified. “Would you mind telling me who the Rock Trio is?”
The man looked shocked for a second. Then his smile seemed to widen. “ Oh you must not be from around here. The Rock Trio is one of the best fighting groups of all time. The one with the black hair and all the speckles of color is Sed. He’s pretty tough, but a sweetheart according to most.”
He pointed to one of the other boys in the middle. “ That one over there with the white hair with all the flecks of color is Iggy. He’s pretty much a total softie but he’s a darn good fighter.”
Then he pointed to the last boy. “ That one right there with the black and purple hair cut into layered kind of foliated strips is Met. Now he’s the serious one in the group. He the guy you don’t want to mess with in the slightest.”
As I gazed on each boy the man had pointed out to me, I could hear as the screams and pounding tripled in sound.
All three boys smiled at one another. A mic dropped from the ceiling and landed in Met’s hand. He tapped once. Twice. Then he started speaking causing everyone to be quiet as they listened.
“ It sounds like you guys are hyped up!”
The crowd screamed.
He laughed. “ I am too. I’m ready to fight. What about you two? Iggy? Sed?”
Both boys nodded with feral grins. As Met released the mic, it was sent back up into the celling and all three arranged themselves in some sort of triangle facing one another from each direction.
The voice from the speakers came back. “ Let the games begin! One!”
The crowd bounced and yelled even louder. I even saw someone rip of his or her shirt in complete anticipation.
“ Two!”
I could feel the thickness of everyone’s excitement fill my lungs.
“ Three!”
Suddenly everyone seemed to go silent.
“ Fight!”
And that was all it took to get them started. The crowd roared as Iggy made his first move going after Sed.
He seemed to disappear in a flash and reappear again punching Sed square in the chest. Sed flew through the air and into one of the stadium walls producing a large crack that split down the middle.
The crowd gasped. Sed got up with ease and sent his angry glare towards Iggy as he held his arm.
He smirked.
“ Is that all you got shrimp?”
Sed rushed towards Iggy as he readied himself for the oncoming attack. Then he struck by punching repeatedly at Sed.
Sed tried to throw a few punches himself, but only succeeded in gaining more blows to himself.
Yet he still held on strong.
Pieces of skin and blood seemed to chip away slowly causing blood to run down his arms and into the sleeves of his black T-shirt.
Then for some inexplicable reason, he laughed. He laughed.
Then he turned his attention to Iggy and managed to get one really good kick in knocking Iggy down. Bringing down his arms he laughed again and suddenly as powerful shockwave shook the stadium causing some people that were standing to fall.
Sed grabbed Iggy by the arms and flung him over his shoulder and onto the ground.
The air around him seemed to electrify as he gazed down on his opponent. “ Come on Igs. You should know by now that if you hit me with one power enough times, the levels in my amulet will rise. When it reaches it’s limit I’m able absorb whatever power you were using and make it better.”
He tutted. “ Bad mistake on you’re part.”
Suddenly a bright white light started glowing from his chest and his right hand seemed to be…. enlarging.
He grinned. Raising his hand high in the air, he brought it down without hesitation as Iggy’s body was seemingly smashed under the heavy pressure of muscle and bones.
The crowd seemed not find anything wrong while I the other hand wanted to run and stop this match once and for all.
Then something seemed to lift Sed’s hand enough to leave a small gap to escape from. Iggy managed to roll away from under Sed’s hand without much strain.
He jumped up and glared as Sed’s hand shrunk back to its normal size. He didn’t get to bask in the glory long because at that moment Met rammed into his side like a fireball filled to the brim with boiling hot magma.
Sed crashed to the ground groaning in pain as Met landed with the fire dissipating. With some difficulty, Sed managed to get up with a glare and frown marring his angular face.
Met smirked and charged up another fireball that covered his whole body in a magnitude of flames.
Sed chuckled and made both his left and right hand bigger. They stood and leveled each other off with their gazes.
Then they lunged.
Sed swatted at Met as he dodged and increased the heat of his attack. They continued this intricate dance for seemed like forever.
It entranced the audience and I as we watched fascinated.
Then just as suddenly as it had begun it ended just as quickly with a shockwave that sent both participants flying across the field hitting the walls full of sediment.
Both slid to the ground and groaned, but they got up and stared at each other from across the field.
Met heated a part of his hand up staring Sed down. Then with supernatural speed, he ran forward with a loud war cry. Sed did the same.
They were about to meet in the middle in a final deathblow, when Iggy stepped right in the middle and in one fluid motion, he flipped Sed out of the way and took the fire punch from Met.
This caused another shockwave to be produced that was stronger from the previous ones. Then a dim white light filled the stadium that steadily grew brighter with each passing second causing me and everyone else to close their eyes.
When everyone looked again, instead of a pale faced Iggy staring back at them, glassy black skin stood out against pale red eyes. I couldn’t help but think the texture of his skin looked like my favorite rock: obsidian.
He smiled and punched the ground sending both Sed and Met to the floor. Before either one of them could get up, he punched both unconscious forcefully.
The crowd sat stunned as the same dull white light from before surrounded his figure. It dissipated showing his full figure back to normal just as before.
Then the crowd roared and I sat in stunned silence as people jumped up and down shaking the stands.
The voice came over the intercom again. “ Well ladies and gentleman we have a winner! Congratulations Iggy! Now if everyone could leave the stadium in an orderly fashion…”
I couldn’t hear anything further because it was then that people started leaving the stadium anyways making noises. I stood up and while fixing my shawl and took a quick glance at the arena.
Met and Sed were both being taken to the Infirmary on stretchers while Iggy lagged behind with a small grin on his face.
I blinked and followed the crowd outside listening to snippets of conversation take place about the recent fight.
“ Em!”
I spun around to see Obi with a grin on his face. Stopping in front of me he raised an eyebrow.
“ So how did you enjoy the fight? It seemed to be a good one based on the talk going around.”
I smiled and looked at the stadium one last time. “ It was actually pretty interesting. I have to say you lead me in the right direction.”
He laughed. “ Come on. You must be tired.”

And then we left. Leaving the whispering remnants of an exciting fight behind us.

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