“Get up you maggots!” yelled a strange voice. Pain erupted in his side as he was kicked half the distance to Stuart. Reality came in short spurts as adrenaline rushed through his body. Suddenly, it took no effort to get to his feet and set up a defensive stance in front of Stuart.
Stuart had come to his senses with a kick of Max’s heel as he backed into him.
“Get in line!” yelled the armoured man. With his sword he pointed to a line of young boys standing in order from youngest to oldest. Max obeyed, rushing to take up a position in the middle of the group, joined by Stuart.
Both boys wore the same attire as the rest of the group; a bit of cloth with leather straps covered both manly parts of the body, leaving the rest open to the world. His bare chest was covered in sand and blood from crawling, the side of his body bruised from the kick. The pain subsided, replaced with anticipation. His breathing caught as he watched the armoured men pace up and down the line.
Max studied the men with a keen eye. They were obviously not from his world. However, it wasn’t a question of where they were, but when.
The huts and buildings in the area were made from clay and stone, the hills and trees more colourful than he had ever seen, with mountains large and rivers bright blue. The training ground was stained with blood and the entire scene seemed Roman to Max.
His attention was quickly grabbed when a young boy was dragged out to the middle of the grounds. Five men began pushing him around, toying with the boy. Max didn’t hesitate to step out from the line. The boy standing next to him held out his arm to stop him.
“Do you wish us punishment?” snapped the boy, pushing him back into line.
Max looked at the boy. He seemed to be much older than his position in line would warrant. He was around the same age as Max physically, but the look in his eyes told a different story.
“What is this?” Max asked. The boy didn’t move a muscle; his back was straight and his shoulder drawn back with pride.
“A test,” he replied, ending the conversation.
Max turned his focus to the young boy and quickly became impressed by him. The boy was fiercely dodging and countering the attacks as best he could. Stuart flinched as the men struck the boy in the face. Fury in the form of a mad smile settled on the boy’s face as he counter attacked, knocking one man down heavily. The men continued to beat the boy to within an inch of his life, but he somehow remained standing as if drawing on his last breath, and still he smiled.
“Kneel!” yelled the armoured man.
The boy followed the order, sinking heavily to his knees and taking in laboured breaths.
“Who is he?” Max questioned.
Swiftly, the boy next to him grabbed Max by the throat, almost lifting him off the ground. Max desperately grabbed onto his arms in an effort to release the pressure.
“Throne, our commander, will kill all of us for your insolence,” he spat.
He was quickly hit behind the knees with a spear, dropping both boys to the ground.
“Get back to your places. You will have plenty of time to kill each other later,” the soldier barked.
Both boys quickly returned to their positions as if nothing had happened. Max tightened his fist in anger at the boy’s outburst.
Throne unsheathed his sword, carving five lines into the boy’s shoulder as he kneeled on the ground: four parallel lines intersected by a slash – the number of men he had just fought with. It was a sign of manhood. The boy was now ready to join the army and walk among the men of the village.
The soldiers lifted their shields in respect as the boy limped down the line, embracing each boy by grabbing him by the forearms. When he stopped at Max, he embraced him as a brother. The boy had soft features, light brown hair with blue eyes, a soft chin and sharp cheekbones.
Max was surprised to see such virility in one so young; he was indeed a warrior. He looked deep into the boy’s blue eyes struck by his fierceness. It was a weird feeling, but Max suddenly knew that this boy had the potential to be something great; someone to be feared. He had been the youngest ever to sit the test, a boy so gifted it hurt. Max felt a chill run down his spine as the boy let him go and moved on, looking deep into his soul as he passed.
“You’re next, crawler,” said a solider, kicking Max in the back.
This time he did not buckle, his spine straight as the men surrounded him. His power was not going to go to waste and he called upon his electricity. He shifted uncomfortably, feeling no power in his fingertips.
“Bring X,” the commander called.
The man who approached the training ground was huge. Max shuddered at his size, feeling instantly daunted. The surrounding men begun to chant his name as he loomed over Max. His whole body was well-defined in pure muscle, not a hint of fat. He was the figurehead of their army, a man who had won countless battles, defeating numerous heroes.
Max gritted his teeth as X approached. He sacrificed a punch to the ribs to land a solid kick to his legs. He clutched his ribs, his breaths coming in short bursts. X landed his punches with great strength, something Max had anticipated. He was not fighting bullies or Elite students at the Elementrix, but rather a trained killer used to war and carnage.
“You will be within a breath of dying before you are branded into this army, boy,” laughed X as he caught Max with a punch to the face.
Max staggered, but felt his confidence grow as he recalled the boy before him, the boy who had smiled in the pit of death.
His attack became a flurry of punches and kicks, but he only landed a few out of the many. His defence was easily broken, X consuming him. Finally, he lay as he had at the start, broken.
“I will not fail,” he muttered, once more getting to his feet. Once more, the men drew blood sending him heavily to the sand. Stuart looked on with pride as Max again clambered to his feet. The soldiers laughed as Max waved for more. Casually, X advanced on Max with a frightening war cry, engulfing him for the last time.
Chapter 16
The Second Assessment
“Good afternoon, Elites,” said Alex. Twelve pupils were lined up in three ranks, one after the other. “Good afternoon, Master,” they loudly replied.
Their black uniforms were draining, absorbing the sun’s heat. Jonny felt the sweat roll down his face, but was disciplined enough not to catch it as it trickled off his chin.
“First four, please,” said Alex, indicating towards the middle of the arena, where lay three swords.
Hilary, Jonny and a boy named Coda were quickly to their feet, grabbing the swords and facing one another.
Ben had been too slow, leaving him swordless as he took his position.
Coda had hated Jonny from the beginning of his Elite training, when he had been publicly beaten up for not joining his crew. From then on he had sworn to even the debt by doing the same.
Both boys had turned their backs to Ben, leaving him every possible opportunity to attack. Ben utilised his bulky muscular body to hit Coda with such force that it freed the sword he was holding. Coda fell to the floor, hesitant about getting up.
Ben’s short-styled black hair blended well with the light brown skin lining his big body. He wasn’t only popular with the students, but the men looked to him as a role model, making his take down even cooler.
The other Elites watched with amazement, learning from his experience. Coda rubbed the pain from his jaw, finally rising. His short, black hair was much thicker than Ben’s and his skin much darker. He glared at Ben, angry about his lost weapon. Jonny chuckled at the strike, watching with excitement for more pain to be inflicted.
“You know not to turn your back on someone like that,” said Jonny, pointing his sword towards Ben.
“Obviously,” spat Coda, changing his glare to Jonny.
“Only giving advice.”
Hilary chose that golden moment to strike Jonny with a sideways slash of her sword. He blocked her move with his own sword as he flicked his head around. Her second attack was a kick t
o Jonny’s leg, making him buckle and forcing him to take a knee.
Jonny stood to retaliate but was stopped by Alexander.
“Retire, Jonny and Coda,” Alex ordered, watching Hilary with interest.
A glance at the two Elites would seem to indicate that this would be an unfair fight, with Ben outweighing Hilary by more than twice her own weight. If anything, it was going to be a fight of skill vs brute force.
Jonny retired back to the crowd of Elites. His feelings of lust grew towards Hilary as she stood there, apparently so innocent, her golden brown hair tied back in a single braid. Jonny knew she was the prettiest and most desired girl in the school and he felt his heart thud as she flicked her hair back in preparation for Ben’s attack.
Hilary’s attention was locked on Ben’s one-handed grip on his sword. He circled her like a hungry animal, waiting to strike. He knew Hilary’s looks were very deceiving; if he failed to strike her simply because she was a girl, he would certainly find himself on the ground, under her control.
He stepped forward to swing, bouncing his sword low off her, quickly flicking it back to catch her off-guard. The attempted attack failed and he rendered himself open to Hilary. She quickly countered, only to hit a solid block.
“Continue,” Alex said, watching quietly.
Hilary shook her wrist as it throbbed from the impact of Ben’s block.
“Not bad for a girl,” Ben criticised, egging her on.
“See, I have to learn how to defend myself against brutes like you.”
The Elites giggled as Hilary’s grin grew wider. Her grin infuriated Ben and his nostrils flared, the look in his eyes hardening. He covered the two paces much quicker than Hilary had, lunging at her with a forward thrust.
Thanks to Hilary’s small, flexible body, she was able to bypass the thrust. Springing forward and elbowing Ben in the back of the neck, she let his momentum take him to the ground.
Alex had expected nothing less from the Elites, clapping at their skill. Hilary used all her might to pull Ben up onto his feet.
“Well done. Not just a pretty face,” he laughed, feeling his tension disappear. He raised his hand, clapping Hilary’s in a high five as he retired.
“Thanks.”
Alex picked a new four to start, pulling Hilary aside.
“Good work. I have something else for you. I would like you to attend the meeting with the other three schools on the preparations for the passing out ceremony. Use your experience to represent the Pillar.”
“It would be my pleasure,” she replied, delighted about the task.
She walked away satisfied with her efforts at training, thinking only of having a shower and washing away the sweat. She jumped as an arm rested around her shoulders.
“Very unexpected outcome,” said Jonny, drawing his body closer to Hilary’s. With a lean of her shoulder, she slid out of his embrace, shattering his pride.
“What? Was it something I said?” he questioned, looking at her in surprise.
“I would prefer if you didn’t,” Hilary said, truthfully.
“Am I not good enough?” Jonny replied, offended by her words.
“You’re too good for me and yourself.”
The words knocked Jonny in the face, leaving him speechless, and he stopped, grabbing her wrist.
“You don’t know what you’re saying; you would have been good with me.”
Hilary yanked her wrist out of his grip, giving him no upper hand in the conversation.
“You don’t get it. I like someone else,” she admitted, watching as his face darkened.
“Maximus?” He watched her face soften at his name.
“I don’t have to explain myself to you,” she said, trying to hide her blush.
“It is him. Don’t try to deny it.” He paced around, letting his emotions take over, questioning every good thought that ever crossed his mind.
“Please don’t make this hard,” Hilary begged.
“Oh, I will,” he assured. “Maximus is mine.”
Jonny turned on his heel and left without another word, frustrated by the idea of Hilary being taken by the one person he hated. It was a challenge, he thought, trying to prevent the fire leaking out of his hand as he ran it over the rails, and disappeared into his quarters.
Chris felt revitalised after his break away from the school. It had only been a week, but his mind had nevertheless been cleared, throwing away all the distractions the school had provided. He was ready for the remainder of the Assessments.
At the moment, he was walking around the edge of the Pillar holding Rachel’s hand. They had drawn close over the last few weeks and he found his thoughts straying to her more and more.
“Are you nervous about your second task?” asked Rachel. He glanced over to meet her gaze.
“Tiny bit,” he admitted, squeezing her hand.
He had a small idea of what was next. It was a combination of teamwork, Elites and a grand finale. They continued to walk towards the north face of the pillar. The sun was high in the sky and the breeze had ceased to exist.
“Did you see that?” Rachel suddenly tugged Chris’s hand, looking up at him. He turned his head in time to see a sharp light flicker and fade away in the distance.
“Stay here,” he ordered.
He was already halfway across the canyon before Rachel turned to get help. His ice faded away as he leapt off the trail to the other side of the canyon. He took off with lengthening strides as he made his way across the rocky terrain. Another light had erupted from the same spot.
He quickened his pace and his breathing became heavy as he focused on two bodies lying next to each other in the distance. An ice pole formed in Chris’s right hand as he approached.
“Maximus!” he yelled, sliding to a halt and rolling Max over into the recovery position.
“Check Stuart,” he muttered.
Stuart looked even more battered than Max and was rolling around on the ground in pain.
“What happened?” demanded Chris, frantic as he cradled Stuart in his arms. Max shifted uncomfortably, trying to stretch his aching muscles.
“We were sucked into another world,” explained Max.
“It wasn’t where we were but what time,” replied Stuart, rolling onto his stomach as he struggled to rise.
Chris looked at both boys with disbelief, but said nothing.
He shouldered Stuart and together they stumbled back to the dojo, Max trailing behind. It was slow going and gave them time to tell their story.
“So, you had to fight for your freedom?” replied Chris, listening to Max’s recounting of their story.
“Yes, and as soon as I won I woke up here,” he explained.
“What about you, Stuart?”
“Maximus had the skill to past the test there; however I had to spend a year trapped in that time.”
Max grabbed onto Stuart’s arm as shock rippled through him. It was hard enough to spend an hour in that world, never mind a whole year. Max couldn’t conceive of what Stuart must have endured.
“Carry on,” Chris urged.
“Once Max had won, he was gone and I didn’t see him after that. I had my test straight after him and I failed, couldn’t even get past the first warrior.”
“They were stronger than most,” added Max.
Stuart gripped onto Chris as he dug through the memories, gaining more strength as they pushed on towards the pillar.
“They had me training every day with sword, spear and shield. When I wasn’t training I was working, hammering rock until my arms were raw. There was little food and no rest as the year went on. Finally, they gave me my test again. I clawed through it with what I had left and awoke to you,” he said.
“Brave,” Max breathed in admiration.
“Your year must have been minutes in this world, assuming the first light I saw was Maximus returning.”
Max ducked under Stuart’s other arm, assisting Chris as they made their way back to the Pillar medical unit.
Max threw down his towel in frustration, rubbing his wrist as he sat in his room. Training hadn’t gone as he had planned. It dawned on him that he couldn’t always rely on his instincts to pull him through sticky situations.
He was now on speaking terms with Chris and had invited him to train with Jimmy and Dozer in their private sessions. Chris had accepted, knowing how close the next Assessment was.
Jimmy met Max at lunch, bubbling over with excitement as they sat, unable to keep still.
“I just finished my first mission!” he shouted, passing Max a small, black box.
“What is it?” he questioned, looking at the box with interest.
“For you.”
It was a golden necklace carved with symbols that were etched around a deep red ruby in the middle. Astonished, Max took it out, fitting it around his neck.
“Perfect fit,” Jimmy said, happily.
Max didn’t know what to say; it was the nicest thing anyone had done for him since his cousin was alive.
“How much did this cost?” Max questioned, worried about how much he’d spent.
“It’s a priceless artefact. It was a gift from someone I gave a helping hand to,” said Jimmy, holding up an exact replica with a blue stone.
“They are connected, Max. The lady told me that if one is smashed then that ruby will teleport its owner to the location of the other one.”
“Very interesting,” Max replied, looking at the two rubies.
“They also look cool, like what the sports teams wear over in the United States.”
“But better,” Max smiled.
Jimmy departed, leaving Max in a much better mood. It wasn’t every day that he had someone think enough of him to present a gift.
Returning to his room, he tucked the necklace under his pillow for safe-keeping, then lay on top of the covers to contemplate the wall once more.
He was now very afraid of what it could do. He had already been sucked into it once and if it had the power to hold Stuart for a whole year, what else could it do? Stuart had been grateful for his recovery, gifting Max two posters that he had already put up. One was of a huge stadium, lined with thousands of spectators. The other was of the famous blonde-haired gladiator, notching an arrow on her bow as she stalked her prey. His dreams began with her and the gladiators followed…
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