Chapter 1 - TEST
Submitted July 10, 2008 Updated April 25, 2009 Status Incomplete | No one believes Gero when he tells people he saw something potentially life threatening, so he takes it upon himself to find out the truth. But as his findings unravel deeper secrets, he wonders if anything he knows will ever be the same.
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Chapter 1 - TEST
Chapter 1 - TEST
Chapter 1 – TEST
As the ground around him started to shake violently, Gero gritted his teeth in determination. The five men stood unfazed in front of him, feeling the movements of the earth and each interpreting them to best effect. Gero was uncertain as to whether the earth`s behaviour was controlled by him or one of the other men, but still he searched for cracks beneath him he could use to aid his fight. The man to his far right casually flicked his wrists skyward but it was beneath Gero`s leather sandals that the change occurred. He noticed the trembling becoming greater and greater, until suddenly the rock tore upwards, flinging Gero ten feet in the air. As the second man swept his arms across his body Gero erected a similar pillar next to the one he was stood on. Leaping across to his own platform, the original snapped in to as easily a twig and crashed to the ground. Gero spotting his chance, focused on one of the large rocks falling to the ground, and push it towards the two men standing in front of the pillar. Having no time to duck or dodge they felt the full force as the giant stone knocked them down and out.
Muttering a swift self praise Gero lowered himself back down to the same level, his mind churned with ideas of how he could finish off his remaining opponents. Before he could take a grip on the situation, the trembling grew once more. He threw himself backward, just before a massive spike erupted from the ground inches in front of him. Sighing and clambering to his feet, he felt for any disturbances that would signal another attack. All he could do was react, not having enough time to stop the protruding obstacles. Without a break he was constantly on the back foot, and couldn`t feel the shifts in the rock below him as effectively. One took him by surprise, and although he did everything he could to avoid it, he could stop the rock tearing a chunk from his calf. Cursing aloud, his taste buds recorded the warm sticky substance coating the inside of his mouth. Wiping away the escaping liquid with the back of his hand, he decided he`d had enough. It was time to fight back.
Picking the spike that had almost skewered him (because it had been made in hurry and was relatively unstable) Gero positioned himself behind it. Feeling the footsteps of the approaching men vibrating in the earth, he waited until they were but a few paces away before throwing his arms upward. With a horrendous crack and an almighty scream, the top half of the spine broke away from its counterpart, suspended in mid-air by the strained effort of the now revealed boy standing behind the spike. Beads of sweat trickled down the back of his neck, racing each other towards the soft material clinging to his back. Rotating his hands round, his gift allowed the spike to mimic his action. With a massive groan, Gero released his hold on the stone. As the two men turned their heads sideways, the pike sliced a way through the air, and they were lost underneath the collapsing rubble.
With a gulp of air and a sigh of relief, Gero concentrated on his last opponent. He had not acted previously during the fight, only observed from the shadows of his hood. Now, as he lifted that selfsame hood off the top of his head and bowed low, a large breath of air caught somewhere in Gero`s throat.
He was not shocked by the lack of hair on the man`s head, as that was standard practice from all of the city`s monks. Neither was it the man`s odd behaviour, because in all truth it wasn`t odd, just standard practice for opening honourable combat. What struck Gero so strongly was the combination of lines inscribed on the man`s flat head. In his current position the man was giving Gero a very clear view of the markings, enough so that he could make out certain word like attack and defend. Realising the meaning of the central symbol, Gero could only stare in horror. Mesmerised by the sheer sincerity of the possible situation, he didn`t acknowledge that the man had finished the formalities and planned on having a fight. Noticing the descending darkness all too late, he had time for only one thought before he blacked out; what was the Fire Nation symbol doing on the head of one of the tutors in the Earth Army?
As the ground around him started to shake violently, Gero gritted his teeth in determination. The five men stood unfazed in front of him, feeling the movements of the earth and each interpreting them to best effect. Gero was uncertain as to whether the earth`s behaviour was controlled by him or one of the other men, but still he searched for cracks beneath him he could use to aid his fight. The man to his far right casually flicked his wrists skyward but it was beneath Gero`s leather sandals that the change occurred. He noticed the trembling becoming greater and greater, until suddenly the rock tore upwards, flinging Gero ten feet in the air. As the second man swept his arms across his body Gero erected a similar pillar next to the one he was stood on. Leaping across to his own platform, the original snapped in to as easily a twig and crashed to the ground. Gero spotting his chance, focused on one of the large rocks falling to the ground, and push it towards the two men standing in front of the pillar. Having no time to duck or dodge they felt the full force as the giant stone knocked them down and out.
Muttering a swift self praise Gero lowered himself back down to the same level, his mind churned with ideas of how he could finish off his remaining opponents. Before he could take a grip on the situation, the trembling grew once more. He threw himself backward, just before a massive spike erupted from the ground inches in front of him. Sighing and clambering to his feet, he felt for any disturbances that would signal another attack. All he could do was react, not having enough time to stop the protruding obstacles. Without a break he was constantly on the back foot, and couldn`t feel the shifts in the rock below him as effectively. One took him by surprise, and although he did everything he could to avoid it, he could stop the rock tearing a chunk from his calf. Cursing aloud, his taste buds recorded the warm sticky substance coating the inside of his mouth. Wiping away the escaping liquid with the back of his hand, he decided he`d had enough. It was time to fight back.
Picking the spike that had almost skewered him (because it had been made in hurry and was relatively unstable) Gero positioned himself behind it. Feeling the footsteps of the approaching men vibrating in the earth, he waited until they were but a few paces away before throwing his arms upward. With a horrendous crack and an almighty scream, the top half of the spine broke away from its counterpart, suspended in mid-air by the strained effort of the now revealed boy standing behind the spike. Beads of sweat trickled down the back of his neck, racing each other towards the soft material clinging to his back. Rotating his hands round, his gift allowed the spike to mimic his action. With a massive groan, Gero released his hold on the stone. As the two men turned their heads sideways, the pike sliced a way through the air, and they were lost underneath the collapsing rubble.
With a gulp of air and a sigh of relief, Gero concentrated on his last opponent. He had not acted previously during the fight, only observed from the shadows of his hood. Now, as he lifted that selfsame hood off the top of his head and bowed low, a large breath of air caught somewhere in Gero`s throat.
He was not shocked by the lack of hair on the man`s head, as that was standard practice from all of the city`s monks. Neither was it the man`s odd behaviour, because in all truth it wasn`t odd, just standard practice for opening honourable combat. What struck Gero so strongly was the combination of lines inscribed on the man`s flat head. In his current position the man was giving Gero a very clear view of the markings, enough so that he could make out certain word like attack and defend. Realising the meaning of the central symbol, Gero could only stare in horror. Mesmerised by the sheer sincerity of the possible situation, he didn`t acknowledge that the man had finished the formalities and planned on having a fight. Noticing the descending darkness all too late, he had time for only one thought before he blacked out; what was the Fire Nation symbol doing on the head of one of the tutors in the Earth Army?
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