Anvard was far out ahead. This put him at a huge advantage, if he wasn't planning to steal anyone’s rod. The Lightning Arc could only be formed if a player has collected four rods. There were two ways to win a rod, and Von already acquired one of them. The rest were supposed to be taken from opponents. This was construed to purposely lead kids into fights over the little white treasures. Those rods were the only things on any of their minds.
The players continued rounding the second lap around the large track. All behind Andy. He figured the third phase was the better place to start taking rods from other players. He'd use the gauntlet on his right arm to dismantle anyone who stood in his way. He was a master with that thing. That is why Von preferred that he run the perilous second phase.
He maintained his lead and pressed forward. He passed the part of the track he'd seen his sister and Claudia cheering him from. He ever so slightly glanced up, and made an exciting revelation. Corinth and Emmy joined the party. Seeing Corinth's fresh looking face put him in a trance. He noticed the all pink collared shirt Cory wore in support of his favorite competitor. That being Andy, of course. The pink in Corinth’s shirt matched Anvard’s eyes, and the pink fish on his jersey. That animal being the Lirian insignia. It warmed his heart that Corinth made it to cheer him on. He figured that they both must have been knocked out of the Deaves competition pretty early if they could make it here before afternoon.
Too many thoughts converged on him at once, and he lost focus. He didn't see a large stone laying on the track in line with his right foot. His green and orange runner’s sneakers tripped over it, and he tumbled to the ground. Corinth covered-his mouth in shock when Andy hit the grass surface and skinned his face across it. The fall left a wave of red scrapes across his dark tan skin. They weren’t bleeding out, but would be soon enough without the medic.
Von's body tightened as he saw Anvard getting up, just to collapse again. He watched from beneath the track, looking into the monitor above his head. He stood inside the booth that he an Andy would share. That's if he could complete his lap around the track in order to move forward to the third phase out on the open field. Von was the only player who didn't need his partner to finish, because he already had a personal rod. The rod he won granted him access to the field alone, or with his partner. If no one else made it onto the field, he'd be the default winner. But no one liked being the default. Levantarse is about overcoming, lifting one's self above and beyond all challengers. He’d get no congratulations for winning that way.
He wanted Anvard to make it. Not just for their team rod, but more so for his strength. He fully intended on working with him in the next phase, which tested the competitors might. He didn't know if he could steal the other player’s rods without some back up. Unless they all turned on each other before acquiring the four rods needed for the Lightning Arc. Then it'd just be every man for himself. He kept willing Andy to get up, holding his hands together like he was praying for it. "Get up, dude," he mumbled under his breath several times until it finally came to be. Anvard stood up to a roaring cheer.
"Yay! Yay! Yay!" the crowd screamed in exaltation of his fearlessness. He was seeking no medic today. The entire stadium was electrified by his will to carry on. If only they had known why he fell in the first place, they might not be so supportive. He had all the time in the world to see Corinth. Yet, he just threw the game away in a moment’s notice to catch a glimpse of his perfect face.
"Come on, dude, he's right behind you! Just run!!!" Von couldn't contain himself in the clear glass booths below the track. The other phase one players watched him screaming and shouting next to them. The booths were sound proof, so they only saw him kicking and widely opening his mouth like some sort a maniac. All the others turned to their monitors to witness firsthand what was freaking Vonczech out so much.
One man's trash—is another man's treasure. The remaining competitors viewed Anvard as a threat. Until now. Trevor, representing Velocidad, slammed his gauntlet into Andy's lane of the track. The fierce force generated from the gauntlet on his forearm broke the lane into pieces where he stood. Sending a shock wave reverberating down the track toward Anvard. The ground rose twenty-feet in the air. The track resembled the rock surface more than the grass at this point. Trevor wanted Anvard's portion of the Lightning Arc, so that he'd be that much closer to forming it for himself.
"That's right, Trev. Do it!" screamed Connor from Draconia.
He turned and looked to Vonczech in booth four. He stuck his tongue out, and threw up the peace sign. Sarcastically, of course. He wanted to destroy both Vonczech and Anvard. If his partner Trevor could take Andy out now, there would be no stopping them. That is, until they had to turn on each other. Only one individual competitor could achieve Thunder.
Anvard was trapped, hanging from the edge of a twenty-foot drop. The fall wasn't that far for a bouncy kneed athlete like himself, and it wasn't what scared him in any sense. It was the fate of the little white rod that kept him from just letting go. It was still on the rugged cliff that Trevor created. And Trev was on the way up to take his reward. Anvard struggled to pull himself up against gravity, but his sweaty hands kept losing grip. And the orange and green gloves he wore couldn’t provide enough traction to maintain and overcome. Trevor cautiously navigated the narrow terrain. One foul move and the entire thing could collapse back down to the track.
"I've had my eye on you, pretty boy. But not for the reasons you'd probably want.” Most students already knew about Anvard’s feeling, but most didn’t bother him with insults this far north. But Trevor was a special case. Still, jeers from him would be more competition based than anything else.“I knew you'd slip up. No one is as good as their reputation. And considering you got kicked out of the Imperativo school system, I'm guessing you actually sucked. No pun intended, dude. Ha-ha!" He laughed hard, nearly losing his balance, but he kept himself steady for now. He continued taunting Anvard as he closed in on the little treasure at the summit of the climb. Anvard could see the purple jaguar on Trevor's shirt. It looked ferocious enough that it too would eat him out of his chance for glory. Just like the jerk who wore the apparel.
"Get a grip, -dude!" Anvard yelled as he noticed the competitor from Hyperborean pass beneath his dangling feet. "If you fall, you're out of the race. And that person just went ahead of us both."
"You don't even know how to play the game!" Trevor shouted out, sounding like a mini-Sebastian. "This phase ain't about how fast you can move your feet around a track, it's about reflexes. The third phase doesn't even start until we get there, bud. I've got all the time in the world to take you out. So there's no rush whatsoever in my head."
"Are there any thoughts whatsoever in your head?" Anvard pondered aloud.
And he was right to question. Because Trevor had spoken too soon. He looked out at the crowd. He hadn't even realized how high up he was. An optical illusion made him feel as if he were leveled with people in the high-rise seats, and those beneath him started to look like ants. Twenty-feet wasn't nearly that high, but his fear of it was. His phobia of heights kicked in. What a dope! His vision went in and out. He cowardly dropped down to his knees, and started throwing up his breakfast like a sour moron.
"Ha!" Anvard chuckled as he made his last attempt for leverage. He swung his left leg over the rocky edge, and pulled with all his strength. Lucky he's so strong. He made it onto the top surface of the miniature mountain Trevor created above the track. Trevor noticed his triumphant rise, and went ballistic while chunks of undigested food covered his chin. He charged Anvard head on, knocking him to the surface of the mini-mount. Anvard used his left foot to kick Trevor's legs out from beneath him. He fell and bumped his head, falling backward.
Anvard reached for the rod quickly. Trevor saw this as he refocused his vision. At that moment, he made a snap decision without thinking even the slightest sly bit. He slammed his thunderous gauntlet into the ground again. He felt the electric surge of energy that the mechanics induced, and every
thing around him came crashing back to the ground of the track below.
Everyone looked on in absolute awe of the moment. As if it weren't enough to see the mountain being erected, they now witnessed it crumple to pieces. Back down to earth it crashed, and splintered into a million little fragments of its former self.
With the reflexes of, guessing a really fast fish, Anvard escaped most of the wreckage. The miniature mountain collapsed inward, but Anvard had already jumped ship, with the rod in hand. The twenty-foot drop was nothing compared to the amount of dust that got in his lungs. He coughed all the way around the track, limping like a wounded animal.
The medics wasted no time pulling Trevor's broken body from the ruins of his man made and man destroyed summit. Vonczech turned to booth two, and flashed a peace sign while sticking out his tongue. Connor banged his fist against the glass like the brat he was, as every competitor, but his teammate, came through for the third phase. With all the mishaps, there were only two teams left. And only four rods available. Just enough to form the Lightning Arc and win this thing.
"Didn't think you were going to pull through for a second there," Von said with a fake smile.
"Neither did I." Andy looked up from his crouched position beside him in their booth. His puppy dog pink eyes meant nothing to Von, as they smiled at one another. He brushed mounds of dirt and dust off of his shoulders, head, in fact, everywhere on his body.
While he knelt there, looking innocent and ready to move on with his teammate, Vonczech had seriously reevaluated the possibilities. He assumed for sure that the competitors from Draconia and Velocidad would be in the running. They were the ones he was afraid of. But these little wimps from Arco and Hyperborean didn't look so tough. They were a bit of a ways away, over in booth one. But Von saw how intimidated they were by Trevor's advances on Anvard. They were sitting ducks standing next to one another in their cozy little booth. He figured he could take them out with ease. After he stomped, an already injured Anvard, into the grounds of the open field. Where magik was no longer prohibited.
"Tighten your gauntlets gentleman and LADY!" the announcer made sure to recognize the girl competitor from Hyperborean. As he had forgotten to do so at different times during his broadcast of the first two phases for those who listened on radios and watch by tv. "The third phase is about to begin, people!"
The gauntlets were used predominately as weapons in the second phase, but in the third, they flipped the switch. They were commonly put to use for their defensive properties. They could deflect spells that students themselves weren't yet powerful enough to defend against. That’s until the electrical circuit in them was fried. At that point, they would just be ugly, oversized, metallic finger-to-elbow gloves.
Though, there's no lethal magik allowed or capable, because the force field above the open field makes it impossible to cast any deadly or overly destructive spells. It was also there to keep any magik from striking the spectators in stands. If you even attempted a naughty spell, the alarms would sound. You'd be eliminated, suspended for four matches, and put on long-term probation.
"And, for those of you who only skimmed through this year’s rerelease of the rulebook, I have a very important announcement." The announcer started up again as he flipped to the page he desired to quote the rulebook. "Once the Lightning Arc has been constructed, magik is no longer allowed."
"Boo!!! Boo!!! Boo!!!" The crowd heckled him vehemently. Corinth looked around at the people in the stands shouting out like animals. He had never been to an arena as massive as the Pavilion. Only a few small baseball and basketball games with his dad. But nothing this epic before. He had never even seen Levantarse live. Only on tv, at home with Criston, when his dad basically forced him to indulge.
"Do they want someone to fall off the arc and break their necks?" Corinth leaned over to ask Emmy.
She looked at him ominously. "Truth be told," she paused and looked back out to the open field enclosed by the track, "they probably do." That response hit Corinth in the gut as he thought of Andy crashing down like that. He screamed out when he thought Anvard was trapped beneath the rubble with that Trevor kid. But that's nothing compared to the climb of the Lightning Arc. Achieving Thunder was no small feat.
The announcer pressed on through the showering chant of boos. "You will be disqualified immediately if you try to cast near a spell after the Arc is erected. Please note this change, and redirect your final strategies, if necessary." All of the remaining competitors already knew of this change, so they forged on in silence. Booths one and four began rising, and then the glass doors peeled back from the center. They were standing in front of a ramp that led up to the field. They knew nothing started until after they stepped foot onto the field and the ramp resealed.
Anvard glanced at Vonczech. "Still together?"
The green-eyed, pimpled faced, curly blond-haired jerk had the nerve to crack a smile. "Of course we are, buddy!" Von chirped, while patting Andy on the back like a friend.
Still, it came out all too cynical. Anvard heard the fakeness in his tone loud and clear. But he was already prepared to be betrayed by his roommate. After all, that's why he asked the question that Vonczech unwittingly answered, to begin with.
His pink eyes, dark tan skin, and black buzz cut hair made him look like a jumble of contradictions. His massive toned arms, short hair, and rock hard jaw gave off an air of jockish masculinity. Still, his subtle voice and its patient tone paired with those puppy pink eyes threw most off. He was too beautiful to comprehend. And since he didn't have many affects to compliment his looks, it appeared as an O'natural beauty that emanated from within, but no doubt, showed on the outside too.
Without question they walked up the ramp, stepped outside, and into a roaring cheer. This was the final and most exciting leg of the event. The crowd knew that and showed their appreciation for the climax.
The ramp closed and the other team instantly started running for the rod that lay at the center of the field. This was the only other way to win a rod. It was there for the taking, but also marked the spot where the Lightning Arc was to be erected.
"Amateurs!" Von said with a smirk. "Going for the silver when the gold is right under their noses." Anvard wasn't sure where he was going with that, but he made sure he had his gauntlet clutched tight. "I'll deal with them," he said defiantly from Andy's side. His llave went into rotation quickly. "Stunner!" he shouted, but not at the expected targets. He redirected his aim at the last second, turning to his partner, mimicking the nature of the treacherous looking serpent on his Levantarse jersey.
Anvard didn't just block it, he knocked it back toward its originator. Von was just as quick as Anvard though. He just barely rolled out of the way to his left. He got up on his feet and ran away from Andy, moving toward the back wall. He backed up against the resealed wall they just entered the field from.
"I thought we were working together, man!" Anvard said in a loud but controlled tone as he paced toward Von near the wall.
"I don't need you anymore, so what's the point in that."
Anvard wasn't shocked, but neither did he know what to do. He didn't want the others to get the rod at the center of the field, then they'd have two, and he had only one. Unless, of course, he took the one Von won in the first phase. He flipped his llave into the air like coin. "Nodus!"
"No!!!" Von shouted in dismay. He had no idea what the spell meant, but it wasn’t in English, so it had to be bad. He wasn't used to dealing with people who knew so many spells in Maledictus. He couldn't block or break out of what came next. A series of wires poured out of the metal encasing that locked in the open field. They spiraled down from just above Von’s head, backed up against the wall. They knotted up around his body so tight that he could just barely twitch an eye, let alone move a limb. They pulled him in tighter, strapping him down, arms spread against the wall. Bundled up inside the series of wires now, Von wanted to jump out of his skin. Anvard walked over to him with ease, and then snatched the rod fro
m between his tied up fingers. "Hey dude you can't leave me like this!" His green eyes had every sign of panic flashing throughout them.
"And… why not?" Anvard asked without attachment to his words.
"I'm claustrophobic. I'll go crazy, please. Please, let me out!" He closed his eyes tight and hot tears poured out of them.
Anvard moved in close and waited for Von to open them back up. As he did, the man-boy in charge starting speaking with outright control. Staring, no, daring those green eyes back down to a closed position, as he dominated the betrayer. "Maybe you should have thought about that before you turned on me?" he said, and then walked away like he was taking a Sunday afternoon stroll through the neighborhood. Carefree and effortless, while Vonczech’s eyes closed tight again screaming.
"No! You bastard! I'm going to peck your eyes out in your sleep. Don't close them tonight or you'll lose th—"
Anvard willed another wire to cover that dense trapped of his. He struggled and even cried some more, but silently this time around. Andy didn't bother to look back. He knew what it felt like to have claustrophobia, but this wasn't a game won by mercy. He had two treasured rods. Now he was on a mission to retrieve the third and fourth. He had every intention to win this competition.
Original Souls (A World Apart #1) Page 30
