| Welcome to New Nsider. We hope you enjoy your visit. You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free. Join our community! If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features: |
| The Test of Battle; Not a fan-fic but.. | |
|---|---|
| Tweet Topic Started: Apr 24 2006, 03:48 PM (221 Views) | |
| Cziri | Apr 24 2006, 03:48 PM Post #1 |
|
Jedi
|
“The Test of Battle” I opened my eyes a little and within less than a second, they were filled with blue-white sunlight. It took a little time for my eyes to adjust to the irritating light this morning before I could realize the beauty of the star. Our sun, which we call Koasht, sat upon the golden skies as a deep blue gem, quickly dancing around. It’s odd that our planet is so bright despite being so far away from Koasht; we are even separated by two crystalline asteroid belts. The wise elders of this planet, Roas, say that these very belts are what make Roas so bright. Oh my, it’s already late and I wasted more time by spacing out. My name is Sein, and I’m a combatant at the arena here; I’m also quite late for my match. I’m about a one third of a year old – in Kaos years, about in your years, about fifteen years or so. I rushed towards a display chest and quickly took out a lock pick, as I didn’t have time to search for the key I lost. With a few whips of my wrist, the lock gave way, and the case door flew upwards, opening the case. I quickly grabbed my wrinkly blue cloak and a chain made of loose irons and fastened them around my left shoulder. I then pulled up a finely woven shirt spun out of some kind of steel thread across my chest. This cuirass draped down past my thighs where it met a hard, raw, slightly jade mineral legging which were finely forged into one piece of armor, including boots. I pulled simple gauntlets up onto my wrists, and tied my lucky scarlet headband onto my pale white hair with a light shade of green hair. My bangs lashed onto my dark green eyes. Finally, I grabbed my specialized knife I made myself, made out of some sort of glasslike material I bought. I ran towards the arena door accidentally bumping into other combatants who roared at me, some my age, some younger. I continued to run with my boots clashing against the finely made tile, dashing so fast that I could not control my acceleration and crashed into the speaker. The speaker looked at me and remarked, “Don’t expect to win your match that way. Get up.” I said nothing as I angrily wiped of my greaves and raised my hand, with my dagger sheathed. The speaker questioned me, “Are you going to grab the envelope out of my hand, and read it. And then sign the first document. Do it fast, you’re late.” I angrily replied back, “Didn’t I already sign this already – I’ve already fought in a few matches.” He snapped back at me, “Yes, ones you have lost – I don’t know why you need to sign it this time. There’s not much to read – I think it’s for competing in five matches now, and the champion left something in there for you. – And... I bet on you this time, you better win!” If you didn’t know, this arena, the Sea Valley Arena, was the first arena, and one of the first post-war buildings. It was built in a crater, a trench where the sea used to lie. Many – things were destroyed in the “Great War” – I don’t even know much about it as I was less than one hundredth of a year old or – one year. I assume – my parents died in that war, I don’t know, perhaps they vanished, but the champion seems to like me a little bit, as if my father or even my mother was a war hero, or heroes. Many buildings were destroyed in that – war, and people were lost. Arenas started to form, as many veterans still wanted battle in a way, but safely, and figured that arenas with dorms could work in place of cities for the time being. I’m not even sure how I got into this arena, as it is considered the best of the best battle grounds – again, I think it’s because of my parents. If you’re wondering how it was “fought safely” most of our items are enchanted, like the armor we wear, and absorb all contact, and the blades are quite dull as well. Once the armor takes enough hits, it puts us to sleep, really. And the people on the sidelines wake them up and if any wounds were received, they would be quickly healed by our advanced technology. Anyways, I ran towards the open “door”, which was really a carve-out leading to the outside, but whatever. I stepped into the sands which discolored my boots with radiant golden sand, and waited, unsheathing my dagger as a small gate up to my knees held me back. I continued to think about the arena – until the gates suddenly fell and I had to quickly jump to my feet as the other combatant fired a swift arrow at me and called out to me. “Yo, Sein, look out, or you’re gonna lose this match, like every other one,” mocked the other combatant, who happened to be named Kal, and who also happened to my friend. He was just wearing plain, taut, black clothes and a quiver against his back, filled with many kinds of arrows. “He..,” I lashed out at Kal, but I was interrupted when an arrow slapped against me. The tip wasn’t sharp, and the arrow seemed to disintegrate as it hit my armor, but I got dizzy, due to the effects of the enchantments. I quickly snapped off the ground and dashed across the sand as it angrily whipped about striking Kal and knocking him to the ground, and when the sand storm faded, Kal was sleeping straight on the sand, as I just happened to move so fast through the cloud, and slap him with my swift dagger a couple of times. The crowd was amazed – some thought I had cheated – others thought perhaps I wasn’t trying, and therefore was held back in previous matches, but soon a few hurrahs sounded out, masking out the boos. I thought perhaps – I found my true potential – like my parents were – war heroes. Kal was still asleep, he was always lazy, and he wasn’t hurt, just sleeping on one of the comfy beds. The envelope with the forms I had to sign earlier now held a note that I didn’t look at yet. It read – Sein, if you win this match, I got a surprise for you – The Grand Champion, Bear Blade. I was – quite surprised when I got the note, I had watched a few matches of Bear Blade, and idolized him. He fought kind of like a bear – with blades – acting as if they were claws. He fought hard, but he was kind, and light-hearted. I think he was the veteran of the war – and has said a few things about my parents before – as if they saved his life or something. So, I looked around for him after I walked back into the lobby, but to my distress he wasn’t there – until I saw him jump all the way from the open fourth story down to the basement area, where the lobby and my dorm were sat. The ground shook a little bit under his titanic figure, which looked to be about seven plus feet tall, but it really wasn’t that tall, the cloak and robe he made out of bear parts just made him look that way. His face was old and his skin bronze as he looks down upon me with brown eyes. He polled me with a grin, “Would you like to be my apprentice?” I replied anxiously, “Yes – I would!” He laughed at me, “So would everyone else,” and rolled his eyes, “ – ha-ha, just kidding, I actually want you to be my apprentice. But – you have to prove something for me – there’s this old tower – one still standing from before the war, and it holds a great artifact. It tests many elements of the mind – of those who search for it. Bring me the artifact and something for yourself. And do not ask me again – just do it and seek me out if and when you have completed my quest.” And with those last words, he jumped into the sky again; dropping a small rolled up scroll onto the floor as he flew into the balcony and dashed away into the shadows. I picked up the scroll – yawning, and opened it. It was a map of the nearby area and it had a symbol for a tower on it, only one of it – perhaps it was the only tower left. I looked around outside the arena city, through my dorm window, which just happened to be on the very edge, wondering how life would be outside the city. I’ve been locked here for my all my life, and it hasn’t been bad – I would watch match when I was a kid, and be served meals by the very good chefs here, and just generally did many things. There was a girl I liked – but that’s not to talk about now. I gazed out of the window at the golden sands which gave way to a small layer of hard green in the distance. Without a few words, I dashed out of the city, jumping out the window itself, and looking at the scroll he had handed me. Problem was, I didn’t know much about geography – good thing I was a fast learner and quickly adapted as I walked across the jagged path. There was not much here, right now, just beautiful landscapes, no real encounters, not until I got to the tower did the events begin to unfold. Still, the grassy plain, to the mountainous tundra on which the tower was built on was cool. Now, I was heading towards the tower, which leaned against sharp mountains and was painted by snow. It was made of a white marble – and then I realized, was life here so desolate – was all land outside of those cities completely remote – all these vast stretches of land? I tapped off my feet against the path towards the tower, which seemed to be devoid of snow, all the snow around it was magically pushed away from it somehow. I slowly walked, and then ran towards the tower, and through the door. The door closed behind me, the tower was dark. A few fires lit way up high in the distance, in a pattern as if it looked as the words – Tower of Attributes – Test of Patience. And so, I was patient, waiting as fires began to light up the area all around me, and finally I looked at my scroll again, and to my amazement, the words had changed on it. Well, it was not words, just a few random boxes with markings. I held the scroll as I walked towards a long serious of boxes, next to an array of holes in the structures that seemed to rise out of the abyss. The boxes were switches on the floor. I didn’t bother to read the scroll as I walked clearly onto the switch, and suddenly, arrows shot out of the wall quite quickly, but I was patient, and the arrows stopped coming. These arrows weren’t enchanted – and I could.. feel the pain. Or were they – as I patiently waited, and they fell onto the ground, disappearing, but my wounds were still there. I looked at the scroll again, and realized that the boxes were the switches, and the filled one was the path to take. So, I walked carefully along the path, zigzagging in many directions until I reached one final switch. I stepped on it, only to be met by the same arrows. I didn’t run yet again – and that was a good idea, as I looked in front of me – there were pits of magma. Well, this was really TESTING my PATIENCE. Anyways, the switch soon began to rise like an elevator, and I found myself in a brightly written room. I walked towards the door I saw – and touched it, trying to open it and progress upwards. As I touched it, it lit up, and purple runic text covered its stone composure – I tried to read the words and they looked like this – Patience Were You Tested? Patience Reward! Be patient before you try to go upwards – I have... a reward for you now – and two strange pieces of iron bent around into a star fell to the ground covered with rust. I didn’t know what it meant at first – and I never knew until I made my grueling way back down the tower, luckily being aided by a portal, and then walking back the distance I had came. Bear Blade – seemed to know I was back, and looked at me with a smile. I rose the two iron stars at him, wondering if he was ashamed of me, because to my understanding, I was supposed to make it to the top. He then called out to me, “Apparently, you have done well. If you do not understand why you were not allowed to pass forward, it was the very attribute you were tested on. That tower is linked to this arena, and by patience it means to come back when you have completed more matches. You were patient, and rewarded. That is an old mages’ tower, I’m sure you’ll love to meet the wizard when you can. You are now my apprentice.” I was confused at first as everything came at me so fast, the people seemed to know what I had done, and they applauded me. Well, I received on of the best gifts in the world – the chance to be an apprentice of the Grand Champion. Uh, bah-bye – apparently I have another match right now? I better rush I guess – I’ll write again some other day... Battle is really a test on its own, and this kind makes you tired, literally. -- |
![]() |
|
| « Previous Topic · Fan Creations · Next Topic » |
| Theme: Ashyn | Track Topic · E-mail Topic |
11:30 AM Jul 11
|







11:30 AM Jul 11