The rock erupted from the alien sands, the pillar bursting forth with such ferocity that it added to the sandstorm gathering around the Torm Mage. He heard the familiar but perpetually unusual sound of rock grating on rock as it closed above, his trap complete, his opponent lost in both the gathering sands and the earth prison. Metz turned to face it, just a couple feet away as he stood heavily favouring his right leg, breath pouring from his lungs before he was forced to hold his breath in the sandstorm. Blinded, he sheathed his knife and painstakingly reloaded his pistol, stepping backwards and listening carefully for any sounds of the rock being damaged. It would be out of character for Metz to underestimate his foe now.

Within the cylinder however his foe’s trials were not yet over. From every side, high and low, even from the very top of the structure, long spiked cylinders of rock suddenly protruded at two hundred feet per second. The javelin was a devastating weapon that flew at roughly half the speed these make-shift rock spikes were travelling, so to say their effects would be grotesque and brutal would be an understatement. His foe was well armed and quick, he could react to the spikes directly in front of him, his swords shearing them before they found purchase in his flesh. But with his speed, to stop them all was an impossibility, and the ones that found their way to his waiting body would be merciless.

The spikes cut through his armour from multiple points at once, particularly behind him, the most damage incurring to the back of his lower body as he failed to stop them in time. Spikes tore through flesh and muscle and shattered against bone, causing a number of near debilitating wounds down his right leg and only a few less to his left. Not to mention the countless grazes and small bleeding wounds suffered to his torso as he managed to move enough so that his armour could just about parry the attack. The main issue was that he lacked the mobility he required to stop the spikes in his narrow cylindrical prison, and that the assault came from all directions. If he survived the initial onslaught of spikes he’d earn himself a moment’s respite, as well as being the first of Metz’ enemies to survive being trapped within a pillar.

The second problem was that he had only moments before the final spikes descended upon him from above, and his body was likely to be held fast by at least a few of the spikes.