Thranvalis Contest, Boulderkeep
"Boulderkeep, and Valkatlan warriors! Zor'Vakrex, master of the hover platform, descends into the pit!" Host Vraek said. Then Zor'Vakrex, mounted in an Ixtielan hover platform, hovering a few off the ground, flew to the center of the pit. He wore a metallic helm, swept back, made of kuprix metal. He commanded his hover platform, with his mind. His helm was linked wirelessly to the hover platform. He also wore a complete, armored suit. Then he stood, in the center of the pit, hovering, and Zor'Vakrex, scanned his surrounding, and waited for Tlandar.
Tlandar, who was seated in seiza position, got up. He grabbed his twisted, cedar staff with both hands and slowly walked to the center of the pit. "Greetings, Tlandar, valiant Protector of Astashica. I'm Zor'Vakrex, your fifth challenger in your trial. As you can see, I am skilled in Ixtielan hover platform. I am also a master kuprix plasma rifleman. Do your best to defeat me. Let this fight begin!" Zor'Vakrex said. "Let's end this!" Tlandar said. Then Zor'Vakrex started to moved from one spot of the pit to another, at very high speed and unpredictably. "This is the fifth champion! I must survive and win this trial!" Tlandar said.
Zor'Vakrex started firing his kuprix plasma rifle at Tlandar. He evaded, used his cedar staff as a buffer for the plasma bullets to fall into. "Tlandar, use your mind!" a mysterious, telepathic voice in his head, said. "I surely will!" Tlandar said. He began to concentrate his Aurora Ascendant energy into the cedar staff. He made the wooden staff draw into itself all of Zor'Vakrex's plasma bullets. "Its working!" Tlandar said. "No, it can't be!" Zor'Vakrex said, as he fired his plasma rifle, unsuccessfully hitting Tlandar. The plasma bullets just missed when they got near Tlandar. They were all falling upon his cedar staff, which absorbed all of them into itself. It absorbed all the plasma bullets mostly in the forward-facing tip of the cedar staff.
"This is useless!" Zor'Vakrex said, as he dropped his kuprix plasma rifle. "Tlandar, I'll defeat you any other way!" Zor'Vakrex said. He continued moving about, hovering a feet above the ground, on top of his Ixtielan hover platform. He studied Tlandar, as he moved all over the pit. The hover platform was shaped like a half-circle and had railings on the front, for the operator to brace himself upon while hovering. Tlandar studied him as well, spinning his staff in an sphere around himself. Waiting for Zor'Vakrex's next move. Then looking at Tlandar in front of him, said, "You're mine!" Then Zor'Vakrex activated some automatic, sharp razors at the sides of his hover platform. He flew towards Tlandar in an attempt to use the high powered razors and cut him into pieces. Tlandar jumped, very high up into the air, at the exact moment the hover platform got very close to him. As Tlandar descended, he hit Zor'Vakrex hard in one temple of the head, knocking him off the hover platform. As he fell flat on the pit's ground, Zor'Vakrex's helm flew far away. His hover platform, having not user to control it, because the user must be inside the platform to close the electromagnetic circuit, ran amuck all over the pit. It had the automatic, high powered razors revolving, at higher speed now, and the hover platform began to emit a dark smoke from its vents, underneath.
"You've knocked me off my chariot!" Zor'Vakrex said. Then Zor'Vakrex engaged Tlandar on one-to-one combat. He sent a flying roundhouse kick towards Tlandar, which he block with his staff. Then Zor'Vakrex drew out an small, sharp, asemeri axe from a belt behind his back. Tlandar deflected and blocked Zor'Vakrex's axe twenty times. Each time he countered with lateral strikes and overhead strikes with his heavy wooden staff. Zor'Vakrex's hover platform headed towards them, as they fought with their weapons. When Tlandar saw the hover platform, moving near Zor'Vakrex's back, with its scythes revolving at high speeds, he rolled to one side. At the same time, Zor'Vakrex, saw his own hover platform, with revolving scythes, too late, too near him now. He too rolled to one side, partially evaded the hover platform's cuts and got one foot severed. "My foot!" Zor'Vakrex said. He crawled, moved towards the wall of the pit.
The hover platform returned, moved towards Tlandar. When Tlandar saw it was getting close to him, he jumped high up in the air and fell down on top of the platform, standing up. He grabbed the frontal railings with one hand, while looking for any buttons to turn off the mad, destructive monster of a machinery of war. He did not find any button or levers in it. So he used his mind, and mental willpower. He willed it to stop. Then the hover platform fell down, with the blades still rotating. It began to emit, dark, toxic smoke, engulfing all the pit. Using his wooden staff, Tlandar pushed himself up into the air, in the direction away from the failing hover platform. He rolled, landed on the ground. The hover platform stayed there, unmoving, with the live, revolving blades, spinning, cutting the earth.
"This thing wont hurt anything anymore," Tlandar said. The crowd became very noisy. The excitement of the crowd became madness. They shouted at Tlandar and Zor'Vakrex unintelligible words. The dark smoke was engulfing even the spectators. Tlandar walked slowly towards Zor'Vakrex, who was seated on the ground, with one foot missing, with his back leaning against the pit's wall. "zor'Vakrex, I'm sorry what happaned to your foot, are you able to surrender?" Tlandar said. "You are incredible Tlandar… what the heck just happened here? Why did I loose my foot! I was about to crush you!" Zor'Vakrex said. "It doesn't matter to me. Right now, with all that smoke rising from the hover platform, they cannot see us. This is between you and me… want your foot back?" Tlandar asked. "Sure, absolutely Tlandar! What are you gonna do?" Zor'Vakrex said. Tlandar moved near him, kneeled, and raised one hand. "Let your foot grow!" Tlandar said. Then Zor'Vakrex's foot began to grow, forming a bone structure, flesh covered it. Then Tlandar got up, and helped Zor'Vakrex up.
"Tlandar, who are you? You made regrew my foot! Thank you!" Zor'Vakrex said. "We are allies. We are in this together!" Tlandar said. Then, twenty Valkatlan laborers descended into the pit. One of them wielded a powerful kuprix cannon and fired an strong plasma beam at the hover platform, melting its mechanisms inside. The belt of revolving blades got jammed. Meanwhile, the rest of the laborers extinguished the smoke with portable tubes that suctioned it and returned it as cleaned, clear air, back into the environment.
"Warriors of Val'katl, the winner is Tlandar! Zor'Vakrex has been defeated!" The host, Vraek said. "Thank you Tlandar, for your act of kindness," Zor'Vakrex said. Then he placed his arms crossed on his chest and bowed his head at Tlandar, as their honorable, asemeri chieftain salute. "Let Tlandar live!" Zor'Vakrex said. Then he left the arena chamber as he walked up the stairs of the pit.
The Chieftain Box
"I just don't understand, what happned? Zor'Vakrex lost too? He is a mighty warrior, skilled in the Ixtielan hover platforms. He leads all our hover platform divisions. I don't understand how he lost a foot, then suddenly, he still has it. Did you see that? Anybody?" Chieftain Val'katl said. One of the waiting Valkatlan generals of his forces said, "The boy is very skilled. I think we should stop this contest now. He has proven himself enough!" But Chieftain Val'katl said, "How about, all of you fight him? Let's skip the one on one procedure. If Tlandar defeats the three of you at once, it'll be decided, once and for all, he is truly the Protector of Oracle!". And so, the plan was conceived. The rest of the Valkatlan generals will go down into the pit; together with all their abilities they might defeat Tlandar. "This boy is strong!" One of the Valkatlan generals said. "He will become stronger, with us!" Chieftain Val'katl said.