Enkind E8

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Terrance stood flexing his hands as he prepared for the next tournament. This was the big one, the most important competition. His dad, uncles, and grandfather all linked with stone elementals; his dad managed to win a stone wyvern as a link. His family expected him to do well at this competition, he needed to uphold the family tradition.
His pride at being second in the air event was tempered by the knowledge that his family considered it to be a more feminine element. His cousins had teased him mercilessly the night before about doing so well in a female’s event. He wished they had not done that; he was skilled with air, that should be something to be proud of.

The competition today would be his most important event, more important than any of the others. If he did poorly hear but did better in the fire challenge, he still might be able to face his village after the competition but if he did poorly there he might as well not come back when he finished his time in the mountains.

Scanning the crowds, he watched his family filing into the arena where he would compete soon. Alternating emotions of gratitude and dismay filled him as he watched them enter. If he did well, they would see his triumph but if he did poorly, they would all see his shame. The pressure to do well went up tenfold watching them go in.

He couldn’t think about that, it would distract him from doing well. He tried to push the feelings aside, but they kept surfacing. He wished that there was someone who he could talk to, but none of the boys nearby came from his village and they wouldn’t understand his predicament.

The lines started marching forward at a signal from the commentator. Terrance walked in first in the boy’s line, directly across from him he watched Melody, her face turned ashen with fright. He caught her eye and smiled. She sent a shaky smile back.

The great stone gates boomed open as they approached, the lines of participants walked through the massive doors awed by their grandeur. Once they were through the doors, they turned and followed the path through the stadium.

“Welcome to the competition of stone. Today you will be doing a competition of endurance. You will be faced with experienced stone users, the longer you last the better you will place.”

“Once you link with the amulets the competition starts, it’s a battle between the participants and the linked.”

Baskets of rocks floated up from the sides of the arena and sped to the participants.

“Participants, get ready. Three, two, one, GO.

Terrance tried to link with the amulet. Nothing happened. He tried again. He felt the edges of the magic but he couldn’t grasp it. A rock whizzed past his face, barely missing knocking him unconscious. He grasped the magic as he dove to the ground and pulled it out. His skin hardened, his strength magnified, and a connection to the earth formed beneath his feet.

Another rock raced towards him, deep in the magic he stopped it another one raced towards the back of his head. He opened the earth beneath his feet and dropped in. He raced under the ground into the midst of the linked. Grabbing the stones above him he started a tornado of stones above him. He sensed the linked racing away from him.

Popping out of the ground he surveyed the damage. Two of the linked were being carried away and ministered to by the nature links. He hoped they would be all right.

He was turning to deal with the other linked when the ground rumbled. The competition ground to a halt as an army of elementals popped out of the earth. A booming voice echoed out of the earth, “I like your competition, but what gives you the right to judge. I think I’ll do that job.”

Each of the linked users were rapidly enveloped in rock, the elementals raced forward, picked them up and moved them to the side of the arena and stacked them neatly.

A figure popped out of the ground, “My name is Cingar. I am an elemental god of rock and earth.

“That’s better. Ok participants, here are the rules you fight for as long as you can and any of you that survive can use my element. If you try to escape before your magic runs out you die. Ready set GO”

The last word was said with a shout that shook the whole arena. Terrance stared around bewilderedly trying to figure out what was going on. A rock whisked past his face, searching for the source he saw the elementals drawing rocks up from the earth.

“Let’s get them,” Pierre shouted at his side and darted forward. Pierre launched salvo after salvo at the elementals, but they just glanced off. Terrane drew on the power in the amulet and felt his skin harden and his strength amplify.
He launched a rock salvo at the nearest elemental. He ducked an incoming projectile and returned fire. He heard a thick thud behind him, throwing a glance to where the sound originated one of his teammates lay on the ground, his arm shattered from the rock. He had been unable to use the magic in his amulet.

All around him Terrance saw those unable to access the magic going down. He drew deeply on the amulet and jerked two walls of rock out of the earth forming a barrier.

“Those unable to use magic between the rocks, we will deflect the rocks away from there.”

Pierre was deep in the enemy lines now; he was unable to use the stone skin and he was bleeding in several places. A rock whizzed at the back of his head and Terrance reached out and moved the ground under Pierre preventing him from being brained. He continued the action and yanked him all the way back to the participants.

“Everyone form a defensive wall, those weakest in the back strongest in the front. First row attack with projectiles. Second and third row deflect the stones away from those who are out of power.”

Terrance watched as the group turned into a confused mess trying to maneuver into position. He turned back to the elementals, deflecting as many projectiles as possible as they formed up.

There were too many and one was coming right at him, he couldn’t reach it however because he was already deflecting two other projectiles headed towards the unempowered. Melody popped up in front of him and jumped forward punching the boulder and blowing it into a million pieces. She landed easily and shot him a grin before deflecting another boulder.

Everyone was in position by this time an Terrance and Melody sprinted forward throwing boulders as they closed with the elementals. Melody flipped through the air as a boulder plowed through where she had just been standing doing a swan dive into the ground and disappearing. Terrance darted through a gap in their defense and flanked them as Melody popped back up in their midst. Terrance sent bolder after bolder through their midst as Melody smashed the elementals to pieces. If a few moments they were gone.

Terrance ran over to where Melody was standing, “We did it. They are gone.”

Just as he spoke the ground started to rumble again. The elementals started to reform themselves. In a short piece of time they were completely surrounded again.

“Do they seem bigger to you?” Melody asked.

Terrance stared at the massive elementals and simply nodded in agreement.

“Good job surviving round one,” the ground rumbled, “Round two. Go.”