Festival: Racing a Hurricane

Clouds are ever present throughout the Storm Festival, with the skies looming dark with the threat of rain at any moment. Even with the War against the Palace Lands in full swing, and the movements of enemy forces not all that far away, the will of the Peko racers will not be stymied. Even so, the turn out is a bit smaller than one might have expected. Most of the fans in attendance seem to be in various sorts of rain gear, and there is added security near the gates.

The ground is absolutely sodden beneath their feet, and the starting line looks like a mud pit, complete with deep puddles and plenty of overlapping peko tracks from racers warming up their mounts before the race. There is a lot of jostling as people and mounts have a tendency to sink into the muck and end up mired in it. Others slip and slide, bumping into one another as they move to take their places.

There is a garbled sound to the announcer's microphone as a very disgruntled looking Spriggan with black hair hanging down into his face steps up. "Welcome to another miserable day in the Storm Festival." He calls out, sniffling and wiping his nose on his sleeve. "We're cold. We're wet. We all want to go home. But we're here because we love Peko Racing, right? Not even the storm warnings from the Diviners is going to stop us!"

A few people call out muted cheers, "Now, let's all keep an eye out for each other, out there!" This is unusual, at least. Likely, because of the closeness of the Palace Landers in the South, people are being warned to be on their guard and not just abandon other riders to their fates.

"Racers, to the starting line!" He calls out, then sniffles again.

No matter what happens in Yamato, the Peko Races are an inevitability. They will happen, rain, sleet or shine. Not even the wrath of a hurricane is enough to dissuade the race organizers, nor the racers themselves.

Prophylaxis waits, as ever, atop his loyal steed, the wind whipping through his hair and splattering against his goggles. No hat today-- far too likely it'll get stripped away by an errant gale.

Konpeko, his loyal steed, seems...

...Approximately as chillaxed as she usually is. What's with this bird, anyway? She's so... docile, all the time. Though she does look vaguely like she'd prefer to be seated under a kotatsu right now...

No raging storm or raging war is going to stop Shiruba from enjoying what has become one of her favorite Elder Tale events. She rides up to the starting line saddled atop Tradewind like always, who is picking his way through the gunkier mud to find a reasonably stable spot at the line to stand at. Her bow and quiver at the ready should she need them, but right now her hands were on the reigns to guide her race mount into position. "Ready to show these people that nothing is going to stop us from having a good time?" Tradewind squacks in reply, in what must be an affirmative as she leans over to ruffle his headfeathers. "Atta boy."

Gwen knew there were dark times going on with the Palace Lands, Gwen however wouldn't live in fear. She's do her best to live in the mean time. Also there were prizes from the race that could be of use in the war effort too. She was already on her Peco's back patting it's head. "You ready for another run my friend?"

"HONKA!"

Comes the reply from her mount which seems ready to go.

Schneider rides up to the starting line. Notably, he's on a different Peko than he'd raced on previously. This one is mostly silver-white with blue highlights, and Schneider sits in the saddle in a small bubble of air, trynig to keep dry in the rain. This doesn't help the Peko get traction in the muddy ground, though, and it schlorps up to the starting line with labored steps, its legs muddy to the knee. The stormwinds blow back his hair dramatically, even when it's contrary to the prevailing wind, because there are /some/ perks to being a Sorcerer. The peko is eager to go, and looks almost like it wants to take flight, but Schneider holds it back at the starting line.

    Even with a war on, there's no reason not to do other things! Just doing war stuff is boring and takes the edge off the sharpest of weapons. Not to mention Fuka's wits, which no one ever called the sharpest of weapons.

    Fuka's riding a familiar Peko. Seems she didn't follow through on her threat from last time. Besides it was hardly Sandy's fault; she did magnificently! "Now don't you worry about the storm, Sandy." Fuka murmurs to the Peko, who warrks back casually. She seems utterly unruffled and placid, which makes her a perfect partner for Fuka due to the contrast. "I'm tougher than any storm and twice as wild!" she insists. Sandy just ignores the boast, of course.

    With that she lines up with the others, all cheer and smiles despite the miserable wetness all around. Familiar faces, good! This makes it more fun!

    Bird, Bird is the Peko of the day, or will be at least if Rizadoman has anything to say. So here they were today making there way to the starting line as he leads Bird over near Shiruba and Tradewind as Bird begins to Squawk loudly as if laughing. " Bird that's not nice. You two are suppose to be on the same side." Rizadoman shakes his head as he climbs on Bird's back. "I mean who teaches you those words anyways. What did those palace landers teach you?"

Be it rain or shine. Be it high or low. Be it dirt or snow! There is the big ole earth bird that is Karen from the last Peko race that Haru was in. She is a big bird with ruddy brown feathers and a look of having something to prove. The white haired artificer looks more like a noble on a charger with the size difference. "Thats right, Karen," he pets the bird's side. "Death, destruction, domination, one stomp at a time," he says with great affection. The Peko snorts.

"If its anything as fun as last time, we are in for a treat," Haru says, getting in the racing position.

    Somehow, Miyako and Kotono have managed to dare each other into joining the race this time, after sitting out the last one. The smaller of the two spriggans mounts up, having chosen her mount specifically because of its mild demeanor. She really doesn't expect to win, or even place, she's just doing it so Kotono can't say she chickened out.

    "C'mon, Rimini," she says, clucking her tongue and patting her mount's side. "Let's go for a walk, shall we?"

Double dare? Back and forth dare? Who knows?

Kotono's also in the race too, because of Miyako and... well, you know.

Her light blue mount walks beside her as she warms it up a little, stopping to pat it a few times. "All right, Kaede, we're gonna do our best in this race." She smiles. "Win or lose, it doesn't matter as long as we give it our all!"

    Merek will make a way to the line with his peko, while he begins to prepare, then he nods to people that are there. "Well, it looks like it's time for another race." The man adjusts the scarf which he wears, ponytail back while he takes the time to relax into it, "It's nice to be doing this even with the war."

Challenge 1: Slip-sliding Away

"Alright, looks like everyone is in their places! Riders ready! Mounts ready! One. Two... Three... GO!" The announcer calls out, then promptly starts a fit of coughing. Maybe they should have let the poor Spriggan stay home if he has a cold.

For veteran riders, it is no surprise that this particular race would include a messy, muddy start to the races. As Pekos tense to launch themselves forward, more than a few end up stuck in their tracks, their feet wedged in muck. Others take the first few steps and start sliding, making the area in front of the starting line an obstacle course of stuck and flailing Pekos.

"Oh, it's a real mess out there." The call goes out, "But who will be able to right their Peko first?" No amount of Peko Handling skill seems to be able to help. Instead, it becomes obvious that a little magical intervention is needed. They'll need to create some more 'solid ground' to run on, in order to avoid being left behind with those floundering in the mud.

Roll: Earth

    Off Rizadoman and bird go and instantly run themselves into the mud rather quickly. However Rizadoman and Bird have practiced for this moment in preperation for the storm race. With his shield in hand the lizardman breaks it apart in to it's twinblade form and using the chain binds them to Birds feet making, make-shift ski's allowing bird to move over the mud much easier without sinking. Sure Rizadoman's ancestrial weapon that he worked so hard to craft and bestowed status to him as a part of his clan is literally being trampled into mud but the ends will have to justify the means.

The ground is... Not in the best of shape, sad to say. But it must be fjorded, one way or another. The doctor clicks his tongue thoughtfully, before dragging his staff against the ground underneath his charging peko. Moisture drains out of the mud and thick clay bubbles to the surface, roiling up over loose soil. It's not the best solution, certainly not some kind of pillar-based catapult system, but it's enough for Konpeko to get by and maintain a decent pace.

Though Prophylaxis knows... It's only a matter of time before his infamous fortune rears its ugly head...

Shiruba and Tradewind are both waiting in anticipation, so when the GO! signal comes she snaps the reign and the peko takes off in a powerful start! With how damp and murky the ground is there's no surprise in mud being kicked up by the bird's feet. But being the veteran rider that she is Shiruba came prepared for the likely environmental conditions they would have to face.

The wolven cait sith pulls out a handful of rock chips. "Just like we practiced. Stepping stones!" she commands, as she side-arm snaps one of the rock bits ahead of them. It plops into the mud, which quickly hardens into a more combat earthy form that can be easily trod across. She keeps doing so, making a path that Tradewind's stride can easily bound between the patches of solidified earth.

Shiruba is nice enough that the hardened path doesn't immeadiately break up again, so others that catch on to what she's doing could follow in her wake if necessary.

The countdown is on, and then the signal to go is given! "Here we go, Kaede!" Kotono says as she gets her Peko running with a grin on her face.

The first obstacle seems to be a bit of mud up ahead and it could cause Kaede to lose her balance and fall or possibly get stuck. But Kotono knows what to do as she slows down her Peko a little.

"Nice and steady there, girl," Kotono says as she makes sure to guide her Peko carefully, using slow steps instead of running forwards. "We'll pick up speed when we get closer to the end!"

    The sea of mud is an intimidating one for anyone actually trying to make speed. It would be hideous to try to just run through it at breakneck speed -- it would be -literally 'break' 'neck'. So Miyako doesn't bother to even try.

    "That's it, girl. Keep it steady, don't fall over, just keep going." She smiles lightly and waves casually to Kotono as the the taller spriggan passes her. "Hey, Ko-chan. See you at the finish line."

Schneider is off to a slow start, apparently he's been training in the mud. The peko, rather than trying to dig its feet in, is sliding across the muddy ground like an ice skater, rivulets of muddy water sluicing over the animals feet as it digs in its claws to push itself along, then sliding across the muddy ground, leaving a wake. But pushing across the muddy ground isn't that fast. It's disappointing that this isn't the fastest means of propulsion, like it would be on ice, it seems the peko's feet plowing through the mud create more friction than he'd planned on when he dreamed up the move. Or he hadn't planned on /how badly/ it would be raining and how muddy the track would be. After a few dozen yards of mud-skating, he will nudge his mount back to a normal running pace and try to make up ground.

    Casting a practiced eye over her fellow racers, Fukaziroh chooses to engage in strategy rather than raw strength. The nature of the track is obvious, the challenge equally so. Those tearing off right out of the gate will slip and slide and crash, so the riders will have to do whatever they can to shore up the ground underfoot... if they can.

    Rather than casting spells from pekoback, Fuka holds Sandy back. Despite the name Sandy's no earth peko, able to stride through this sort of thing with equanamity. Fuka's seen her opposition in this race and decides to both conserve her strength and her mount's balance. There are some phenomenal earth casters here, she knows. And as boring as earth may be sometimes, it's quite practical and effective.

    Quite simply, Fuka picks out a strong caster nearby and lets them do the casting. She conserves Sandy's energy and her own, and simply follows their path. They can race on ahead and she'll follow behind... with the expectation that her saved-up energy will be useful later once the leaders begin to flag...

It is time to start this race off! Haru gives Fuka a look of 'oh, this is ON'. Then the announcement comes right as the Artificer turns to face his bemonocled face to the race tracks.

Time to launch off in style. "Terra. Vocare. Terebro. Numerus. Terebrare. Hostis." Thats the Wave Arte for. Oh. Oh no. Is that music? To the beat of the feet of a charging Peko? Unz unz. Pick up the tempo until its a steady drilling drum. Unz unz unz unz. The Wave Arte for his Earth Elemental courses through the Earth Bird as she warks out to the music playing from Haru's Diamond Drillbeat. It makes for a dance-like heavy advance through the messy, muddy terrain. This was the part that gummed up Karen last time and Haru is making sure his bird is bursting with confidence right from the start. Haru is holding on with those noodle arms and bouncing to the beats, grinning with glee as the two burst along.

Musical Reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIr4C5Ztlcg

The race start Gwen grins widly as all the racers take off. She's never one but she's always had fun with these events. It was a good way to forget one's troubles for a little while. AWay they go and she's looking at how much of a mess things are. she has some ideas about what could happen. the place is quite a mess. She however is able to cast an earth spell which will make a path for herself and she lets out a whoop.

"Just a couple of boys meaning no harm o/~"

    AS the call comes for them to begin the race, Merek takes off with the muddy ground which is beneath the peko's feet, and will work on maneuvering with that. He seems to make progress, though it does look like there's a lot more to go in the race. He calls to the others, "Storm festival is always the best!"

Challenge 2: Gale Force Winds

Once past the initial muck-ups that come with racing this time of year, everyone seems to be able to catch their stride. However, that doesn't make the going any easier. Sure enough, as the Diviners had predicted, harsh winds start to blow and a bit of rain is already starting to fall, lashing into the faces of the riders. They'd have best brought some protective eye-wear or this will be a very unpleasant experience.

Emerging around a set of trees, leaving the starting area behind them, the racers end up running along one of the edges of a sandy beach along the east coast. At the very least, it means that they aren't having to deal with mud. Only the thick sands beneath peko feet.

However, as the wind starts to blow more harshly, it is enough to start making foreward progress quite difficult. In fact, it even makes it a little hard to breath as it presses against both mount and riders with unrelenting force. A few riders actually end up at a stand-still, bracing themselves, while others are tossed to the side, stumbling as the wind changes directions.

Once again, it seems to fall on the riders to aid their mounts, turning the winds to their advantage and pushing them from behind rather than assaulting them from the front.

Roll: Air

    Merek maneuvers his peko along the beach to the coast, taking his time to adjust for the wind. He does lift up a hand to create a makeshift shield which keeps the wind at bay, turning along into the path so that he can maneuver. With that, he will nod a little bit to the others that are there. The weather doesn't look like it bothers the man all that much, he seems to like it. Rain is a friend to him.

Schneider is off to a decent start, holding onto his position close to the back, when a gust of wind takes him at a bad angle, and the actually goes over on it's side, spilling Schneider out of the saddle and across the sandy ground. He picks himself up, covered in wet sand, as the remaining racers race past him, and will resume his saddle and start off again, a bit more carefully this time. With wet sand in places he's not happy about, he mumbles, "If you lose, you're soup," to the bird, which ignores him. He had such high hopes, too.

The Storm Festival is always a wild one. She's found that out already last year. She would keepo moving aware of the general theme of the hazard from last year she had some sligh edge here and she was already making use of her abilities to control the winds about her to keep her from being blown back or slowed down much.

    Miyako's mount picks up a bit of speed as they emerge out onto the sand, away from the mud, but it is short-lived. The winds batter the pair, and the Spriggan pulls her cloak tighter around herself. "Why the heck did I let you talk me into this," she grumbles. "This was stupid." She sighs and hums briefly, her one free hand flicking through a series of runes. The wind around her seems to lessen slightly. Unfortunately, it is only slightly, and her mount ploughs on slowly but surely.

That trick with the mud stones has helped them get a good start, but now the winds are picking up strong, and even Tradewind is starting to loose headway.

Shribua considers for a moment, then draws out her bow. "Just keep running straight on...." She pulls one of the special arrows from her quiver and nocks it into the bow, pulling back. The elemental stones in the arms light up brightly as sparks of electricity crackle up and down the weapon to charge more and more into the highly conductive arrow. "Head down!"

While she doesn't ride Tradewind in combat much she has given him proper combat mount training, which primarily consists of keeping his head out of the line of fire. He ducks forward as soon as she commands, giving Shiruba a clean shot. "Vermillion Harpoon!" The lightning charging in the arrow crackles brightly around the projectile as it's fired. But what is it going to do? It's creating enough energy as it hurtles through the air that the ionized pressure pushes back against the winds, forming a tunnel of sorts for her peko to run through with less buffeting that trying to tackle the windstorm head-on. It's not the faster method of dealing with the obstacle, but it is definitely creative.

The shift from the mucky earth to the gale force winds denotes a shift for Haru and Karen. The beat only sticks around for so long before it fades with a notable sound at the end showing that the track has concluded. The big Peko doesnt attempt to go with the direction of the wind. Instead she aims to go through it with sheer willpower. "Easy," Haru says as he leans forward on Karen's frantic assault against gale force winds. They aren't going particularly fast as a result. "One step at a time, you'll tire yourself out. Got plennnntttyyy of race track left," he scritches, drawing her aside to correct course before she drives herself into the ground. The bird has something to prove!

"Inciting fear is liable to motivate your steed to throw you off and run to safety," Prophylaxis advises Schneider-ward as Konpeko sprints forth into the howling headwinds. Raindrops fall sideways into the doctor's goggles as he raises high his old, reliable staff. Stormsong sings an eerie, haunting tune as wind scythes through the channels and ornaments adorning the shaft. Suddenly, the doctor and his mount are running through a globe of clear, tranquil air. A bubble of swirling gales churn around them, drawing the incoming wind into a buoyant breeze at their backs.

Thop thop thop thop, Konpeko continues to run, not a single care in her world~

    Fuka's somewhat surprised to see Haru take off out of the gate as quickly as he does. He must REALLY want to win this competition for some reason! She grins to herself at a private joke and follows him, lowering her head to speak with Sandy. "See that big bird? She's Karen. Now I'm quite fond of Karens in general but YOU have no reason to be." she coaxes. "You're not going to let some big Karen flaunt her stuff in front of you? No of course not! Catch her! Make her eat OUR dust!"

    So saying, the little Sylph makes herself as aerodynamic as possible. She may even use some magic to counter the wind, but if so her spell is subtle. Sandy, equananimous as always, simply charges ahead making steady progess in an energy-conserving lope.

    And as they pass Haru, floundering when the powerful Karen is presented with a heavy wind, she laughs. A wicked, delighted, taunting laugh as she pulls into the lead in their own private competition. "We're BLOWING PAST YOU TWO!" she cheers gleefully.

The mud wasn't much of a problem for Kotono and Kaede. In fact, when Miyako passes by, Kotono returns the wave and smiles. "We'll see who sees who first," The Spriggan replies with a laugh before setting herself for the next challenge.

It's getting a bit windy.

"Easy there, girl," Kotono says as she tries to keep her Peko steady. "Don't try to resist the wind too much."

At one point, the wind almost blows Kotono off of Kaede, but she manages to steady herself. "I won't be defeated so easily!"

    With the use of his tail Rizadoman retrieves his twin blades and quickly puts together the shield and slaps it on his back in an obviously well practiced move. Just in time to as the winds pick up and Rizadoman and Bird are barely making headway until Bird lets out a few Squawks and a bubble of air wraps around them keeping the winds from directly hitting them and they are able to make progress. A small delay but it could absolutely have been worse.

Challenge 3: Battling Stormfall

Maybe it was a bad idea to race along the shoreline during the Storm Festival. Or maybe it is by design that this race is just that much more dangerous with the risk of weather off the sea. Soon enough, hard rains start to batter against the poor riders and their mounts. It almost feels piercing, soaking through feathers and clothing.

As the racers are still running along the beach, it becomes obvious that an entire part of what should be the track, has now been washed out by the rising waves. The problem is, it is hard to tell what might lie beneath the roiling water. Perhaps there was a bridge over a deep river that is now flooded out, or perhaps there is nothing more than sand that they could run through. However, it doesn't seem safe to risk it.

Their best bet is to either solidify the river into ice, or push it out of the way to see if they can find the actual raceway beneath the flooded expanse. Whatever the case, it is going to take a lot of mana, and the race is only getting to the halfway mark.

All the while, the storm continues to batter down on them, threatening both Peko and Rider.

Roll: Water

    Merek lifts up a hand when it seems like they've come to a waterway that's keeping them from progressing. With Frost Shock, the man creates a field of ice, wielding that as a way to make his way along. He does make a little progress although not as much as a few others. That said, he's doing well enough and seems to be satisfied. With a shift of his reins the man will maneuver to the path and to the next challenge.

Schneider squints at Prophylaxis as the doctor passes him and overhears him threatening his peko. He calls back to the departing doctor as he pulls head, "If he understands the threat, it'll be the first thing he understands." He grumbles, trying to get the peko to pick up speed. Gradually it does, but by now, the rain is worse, plastering even his hair down over his face, his peko hat clinging wetly to his head. He feels the sand and earth under the water, and it seems the peko thinks it's just running through the breakers, which is how Schneider had been training it, it's confident enough to keep going strongly, now catching up to last place.

"Birds are pretty smart," Prophylaxis chimes back, "Crows hold grudges, you know!"

What, race on the part of any landmass where any incoming storm would be at its strongest? A bad idea in the middle of the stormiest season in the year!? Never! Not a chance!!

"Looks bad," Prophylaxis murmurs at the giant empty hole where track should be. The wind-globe still swirling around his steed, the doctor clicks his teeth and decides to make use of what he's got. The orb's gyre widens, unfurling into a terrible blizard that sweeps over the submerged track and freezes a path across the water.

That it might cause... issues of visibility among the other riders is not something he's considering at the moment. Only getting across safely matters right now.

Shiruba settles back into the saddle once they make it past the stronger winds.... but doesn't get a chance to really enjoy the moment, ears flicking up as the sound of sloshing water echoes the footfalls of her mount. She leans over a bit, and lets out a gasp at the water rolling up past the initial boundries of the race track. "Oh crap, I didn't plan for flooding!" With a yelp she has to pull the reins to steer Tradewind farther up the coast. "If we get caught in one of those waves it could drag us out to sea!"

Unfortunately playing it safe running farther inland before continuing down the flooding track destroys the lead Shiruba had been building.

    Fuka's last race saw her worst moment as the surf pounded the beach, swamping her and nearly sweeping Sandy off her feet. It should be no surprise to anyone that Fuka came prepared this time to deal with water. "Steady girl... steady!" calls Fukaziroh, directing her peko straight at the path where the race course should be. Straight into the churning surf. Then she flicks a hand out. There's no obvious sign she'd been preparing a spell, no obvious long chant or gestures, just the hidden gathering of mana and focus and a few brief words that could be unheard in anything less than a shout in this weather.

    A globe of frost shoots out from Fuka's hand, turning the path just in front of her briefly solid. A spell that freezes armor is also pretty good at solidifying surf, and it crunches beneath Sandy's feet as the Peko continues her careful lope along the course. Sandy looks back at Fuka once they cross the washed-out lane, letting out a dubious waaaark, but Fuka only laughs in reply. "I told you to trust me!" she tells her animal. "ALWAYS trust Fukaziroh!" she laughs, in utterly high spirits.

"Oh blast, the storm's getting worse," Kotono says as she ducks into Kaede a bit, squinting her eyes as the rain blasts her. "Gotta stay focused. Never know what might be up ahead."

Then she sees the part of the track that's missing, and that gets Kotono worried. She gulps before bringing up her spell runes.

"Let's freeze things over, shall we?" Kotono says as she casts an Ice spell, making an icy bridge to run across. "This is actually kinda fun!"

Haru finishes calming down his bird from her frustrations against the win when he sees, well hears, Fuka rolling forward with glee at the misfortune. He stops grinning as much and goes to a mute smile. "You're doing fine," he whispers to Karen. The two find a better level of pacing as they crash through the course with the sort of thumbs of heavy thunder from such a large bird. She is less a 'racing steed' and more a charger, not letting her size dictate what she can and can't do.

The shoreline is one of the favorite stretches for Haru and Karen. It presents a great view and even a great breeze, when it isn't gale force. The rolling waters are a surprise, but one that the rider and mount handle as Haru draws his hands out to draw the currents shallow enough for the large Peko to crash through with large splashes. Her size proves to be useful against the rapid waves when reduced.

    Rizadoman and Bird get through the horrible wind as it is traded out for the type of rain that makes other rain look like a drizzle. So here they are now standing infront of a flooded track and the two hesitate for a moment before Rizadoman grins. " How do we face problems like this Bird? Head on!" With a powerful squawk, and a leap Bird slams the ground hard pushing the water to both sides and finding ground. "Run Bird! " As they run forward the water crashes behind them, quickly trying to catch up to them.

    Mud. Wind. And now Water. The path before Miyako (and her mount) is flooded out. "Well, partner, looks like we're going to get the mud cleaned off, at least," she murmurs into the Peko's ear. "Let's go, shall we?"

    As the pair approach the water's edge, Miyako traces another series of runes, this one she flicks with her fingertips. The gesture sends the rune-sequence flying from her hands, tumbling until they fall onto the water's surface. Where the runes rest, the water calms, clearing so the ground below can be easily seen.

    "That's it, Rimini, just trust the magic and keep walking." She strokes the peko's neck gently, whispering, and the pair start across the water, making their way slowly but surely across.

The force of water would come into play sooner or later and an idea fills her mind. She'll start freezing a oath across.

Challenge 4: An Unexpected Disturbance

Soon enough, the path of the raceway becomes nearly obscured by the constant barrage of wind and water. Here and there, enchanted signal markers keep them barely on course. The lead racers have the worst of it, as they seem to be taking the brunt of damage from the storm.

The lights start to curve back around at this point, weaving into the dense foliage that makes up much of Eastal. It is, afterall, a land of Forests. However, in the trees, there can be hidden dangers. Sure enough, there is a crackle of lightning that blasts appart a nearby tree. sending bits of flaming wood into eyes and causing some birds to panic.

The source of the blast is only visible briefly through the tumult. A single Adventurer stands on a tree branch. There one moment, gone the next.

Another huge blast of lightning follows, but it seems to have struck further away. It may seem that the danger is over, but no... it is only beginning.

There is a rumble beneath them as an entire stampede of giant hogs known to many as Savages comes running through the trees, pushing over smaller ones in their wake. It will be a hard time for even the most experienced riders to avoid these massive boars and keep their own mounts from panicking and fleeing in the process.

Roll: Animal Handling

Finally, it seems that lady luck has come to collect her due.

Prophylaxis has had it too good for too long, luck decides! He has had TOO SMOOTH of a ride! The doctor squints as flame and lightning alike rain down on the track. This alone is not enough to send his poor bird into a frenzy, but add a set of angry boars...?

The doctor curses creatively and vociferously as Konpeko breaks into a terrified, desperate sprint. He manages to keep her on track, barely, by deflecting incoming projectiles and angry boars this way and that as they come close, but still ends up eating several facefuls of fallen branches regardless.

He thought he saw something in the trees just then... Was this intentional, or is there something else at work...?

    This is hardly the first time in recent weeks that Fuka and Sandy have been riding through the forest, having to deal with beasts and monsters. "Eeeeasy, Sandy." the rider encourages. The peko barely flinches at the lightning strike, something she's actually rather used to with Fuka around. And as for charging boars? Well, the messenger and the peko ride as one, two pairs of eyes and one purpose.

    Fuka's actually somewhat overcareful in directing Sandy, and they probably could have done better by taking a riskier route. But they aren't actually bogged down significantly by the threat and, most importantly, neither are harmed by the attack. Yes, attack. She doesn't THINK this is the sort of thing the race organizers would have set up, but... who else could have possibly done so?

Everyone makes mistakes here and there, and unfortunately Kotono misunderstands what's coming. She doesn't know what to make of it at first until she sees the Savages coming.

Unfortunately, Kaede does too, and she starts to panic.

"Kaede, no!" Kotono yells as she panics, attempting to control her Peko. "Easy there," She says, softening her voice and using one hand to pat the Peko gently. "It's gonna be OK. Just focus."

Eventually they get back on track, but they've fallen behind.

Haru has been keeping a good connection with his birb, giving Karen directions through the raceway path as the markers become less visible. The crackling of lightning. A spook of a tree. Another. Its a regular snap crackle pop situation. The pair keep a steady way around when the stampede hits. Karen's larger frame warks at them warkily, serving as being able to wade through several that she need not avoid with nary a fear in her eye about it.

Schneider is luckily not a lead racer, and has a bit of time to prepare for the storm's impact. And the ... "What in the world?" a bunch of wild hogs stampeding, if hogs stampede, across the racetrack's path. But his peko riding hat is lucky for racing, and his peko is undetered, and also he /fireballs/ the Savages in his path, scattering them out of the way, or else broiling them, so that he's got clear sailing and can catch back up to the pack, making a spirited bid now for a strong finish.

    Rizadoman and Bird make it through the tunnel of water only moments before the water catches them . Both the rider and bird are out of breath as they begin to try to pick up the pace. They get it back just in time for the earth to move, oh no that is simply a stampede of giant hogs. Yep Rizadoman does the only thing he can think of doing to avoid all these, he lets go of the reigns. "Bird I trust you." So off they go, with Bird in charge and while they take the long way around they don't really lose as much ground as one might think.

Ears snap up at the sound of lightning, Shiruba turning her head to look as she does. Lightning was to be expected, but that didn't sound entirely natural. Especially when the second blast goes off. She squints... is that someone standing in the trees? Or just a shadow from the flashes...

But there's no time to look more thoroughly as they're charging down the track, as the tree line is torn apart by the herd of Savages, likely startled into stampeding by the lightning, whatever the source of it was.

Tradewind on the other hand, while surprised, just turns and takes off running. "Where are yo---oh." It takes a moment for Shiruba to realize he's cutting an angle back across the track route, to get away from the stampede charging out of the treeline. Running straight across or straight away from the boars would be dangerous, but the angle keeps them moving both away from the chaos and down the track, just not as fast forward as the straight ahead path would. Still, better to make it out alive than lose more than the race...

Shiruba ducks down and forward, trying to reduce her own drag in the strong winds and rely on her bird's own instinct. "Nevermind me, you've got the right idea, keep going!"

    Merek will try to bring the peko through the hogs, though he doesn't do a wonderful job with that. All the same, he will manage to eventually make through to the next path. The man seems to consider the next maneuver, while he guides with his peko.

    Yet again, the staid, sweet demeanor of Miyako's choice of peko come to her aid, as the bird skids to a stop just short of a burning branch that falls across their path. "Good girl," the Spriggan whispers, cooing soothingly, while she prepares a quick water spell to extinguish the fire.

    With the flame gone, the bird is unhampered as it steps over the fallen log and continues on. "That's it, Rimini. Let's race. Don't give those bastards the satisfaction of stopping us."

Gwen is not going to give up buit she's having fun she knows he brid well even if she's not fully trained as a rider. She knows the brid well and they keep going she will maintain control as they manage to evade the hogs thjat come here.

"wild hogs... DAMN IT CANT I GET AWAY FROM THIS!?"

Her bird will end up kicking one hog that gets too close and keep on moving using said hog as a stepping stone...

Challenge 5: Decisions at hand...

At last, the racers come through from the forest into the clearing between the trees that leads back towards the starting line and the end of the race. However, they are not out of the 'woods' yet when it comes to the danger that lurks behind them.

Standing amongst the tree branches, a trio of individuals who all seem to be dressed as mages are casting, their spells glow against the storm. Each one seems to be calling down arcing blasts of lightning all across the field that stands between the riders and victory.

This will test their defenses to the fullest if they hope to succeed and win the day.

However...

Some racers have already fallen behind. Some were knocked from their mounts by the Savages and now struggle to flee from the attacking trio of Palace Landers. Others are so far in the back of the race that they face a life-threatening gauntlet of spells if they were to try to continue.

So, the riders have a choice. They can forge onward and leave the attackers to the guards and the other riders to their fate... or they can turn back and run off the Palace Land attackers to save the fallen riders.

Decisions, decisions...

Roll: (Two Options)
- Shield/Evasion (To continue the race and try to win)
- Ranged (Attack the Palace Landers to save other racers)

    Rizadoman eyes the mages and as he makes them out of to be palace lander mages. With a last look in the direction of the finish line Rizadoman turns Bird toward the mages. " You would dare to attack those who are not ready. You honorless scum. " Lightning may be in the air but fire is in Rizaodman's heart as he launches a ball of fire from his mouth at the mages with a roar that seems to echo with the sound of thunder.

The benefit of being in the back of the race is that you have plenty of time to respond to things happening in the front. It doesnt count the same way when there is an actual attack coming from behind. Hey, at least he is close to the action. Karen is already a stout bird, so it doesn't take a whole lot for her to slow down and GuardUp. Haru pelts back suppression fire as he trots back to the fallen riders, making use of the extra riding space on the big earth bird to pick up a few of the fallen and evac once Karen has had her full of extra cargo.

    Riding on, Miyako watches as other racers continue to pull ahead of her, though others are slowed by the fire and lightning. Still, she simply carries on at her own pace, making her way and not caring how far behind she might be from the lead.

    And then there are -jerks- trying to disrupt the race. Well. That's just -rude-.

    "C'mon, Rimini, we're never going to win this anyway. Do the right thing." She rides over to a cluster of fallen riders and mounts, puts two fingers to her mouth, and whistles sharply. At the same time, her free hand scribes a series of runes, leaving her cloak to flap wildly behind her in the wind and her clothes to soak through.

    "Alright you yutzes!" she screams out. "You wanna play hardball? D'you really want to /piss me off/?" It would seem they do, as the shadows of her and her mount rise from the earth to cover her and those around her, diverting the foes' blasts away from their would-be victims.

Kotono would've stopped to render aid in any way possible. Unfortunately, she's still new to the racing circuit and handling Pekoes.

She tries to stop Kaede and turn her around to get her to render aid...

But Kaede apparently has a different idea. Winning the race.

"Kaede! Please stop!" Kotono calls out, but it's no use.

There is no decision at all, really. This is a race, this is just a game within a game. But with invaders moving to turn something that should be a recreational event-- a /distraction/ from the anxiety of war-- into a bloodbath... That's not something the doctor can turn his face from.

Konpeko rears up as she turns back around, the doctor charging towards the mages in their tree perches. His staff whirls as lightning arcs down, catching the bolts of hostile electricity on its headpiece. With a roar, straining against the magic threatening to cook him alive, Prophylaxis swings his staff at the palace landers, redirecting their lightning directly into their perches...!

"You bastards picked the wrong damn race to interrupt," the doctor snarls, his eyes ablaze with angry red light. He lifts his staff to the sky, lightning of his own arcing down in bolts of angry skyfire. Simultaneously, a wave of frigid wind surges forth to freeze the enemy magi solid. "Welcome to Yamato! You will find /no/ victory here, only struggle and death!"

They were getting close to the end of the race. Heart was beating in her chest, hair flailing in the wind.

But she couldn't shake the nagging thought that she saw someone in the shadow of the trees just before the lightning and the hog stampede....

"I'm sorry, Tradewind," Shiruba murmurs as she reigns her Peko away from the finish line to turn around. He seems to understand though, following her command.

And upon running back a length it turns out that she was right, she did see someone. And now there was more of them, moving in on the people that were thrown into disarray by the stampade. "Oh, that's it." She already has her magic bow in her hands charging up. "This is one of the few joys we have during all the bullshit you people have thrown down upon us, you are. NOT. RUINING. THIS."

The lightning storm that tore the trees down?

It's nothing compared to the lightning bolts and icicle arrows that fire from Shiruba's bow to drive the interrupting Palace Landers away from the fallen racers.

    Merek looks to the Palace Landers while he takes the time to maneuver away from the path, and will take a new position while lifting up the bow with him to begin shooting arrows at the enemies. "Alright, we need to keep the people safe!" He will take the time to work on that while people assist.

    Seeing casters firing monstrous spells at the racers brings a moment of panic to Fukaziroh. She's in the lead, but she's a small target and Sandy is running strong. They'll be more of a target shortly and she COULD cast a protective spell on herself and her mount. She has a spell ready, and she begins the ponderous chant. Earth, flesh, blood. Rock, protect, area. Earth...

    She pauses, hearing the screams of riders. She can take a hit. Sandy... perhaps. But not all adventurers are as tough as she is. Not all as attuned to their calling. And she'll be DAMNED if she'll let them die just because she wants to win a stupid race! Growling, Fukaziroh shouts out the last few runic words harshly, sweeping her arm broadly to encompass those who are struck and falling from the attacker's spells. Their armor reinforced by her stoneskin spell, she roars once again as she turns Sandy to charge at the attackers, to run them down so they can't hurt anyone. Not as long as she's here. "THE MIGHTY BATTLE FAIRY IS HERE!" she bellows. "FLEE OR BE CUT DOWN, you arrogant WORMS!"

Gwen wanted to win badly for ocne she was winning, however the Palace Landers ruin everything. Seriously they should like drop a moon on the entire contient and be done with. Gwen is going after them she will try to run them down. She will order her pecko to attack and savage them should any of them get down and she's till launching spells. She's almost entirely unable to be understood as the drall is out in force today...she's very mad though.

Schneider rides hard, he can taste the victory, and as the lightning crashes down, he whips his cloak around to guard him, a fan of flames leaping out, and the cloak blocks the lighting as he charges through, riding hellbent for leather, as they say, and it's only too late that he realizes that the attack was an attack and not just one of the challenges of the race. He looks back over his shoulder at the ambush, which he only now realizes was an attack, even as he and Lightning are committed to the home stretch. "Well, crap," he mutters; he'll finish the race, though, he's already committed, and if the other racers haven't driven off the Palace Landers, he'll wheel back around and help finish them off as quickly as he can manage.

There are gasps from the crowd as what should have been a 'friendly' race through a hurricane (as if that is a normal thing) turns into a battle in the midst of the raging storm. Flashes of lightning along with the cries of pekos can be heard over the raging wind and pummeling rain.

For the fans, there is little chance of actually seeing what is going on. In the end, all they see is a handful of Pekos that make it over the finish line. "Wait, who finished first?" The surly Spriggan can be heard saying to someone away from the magical microphone. "Huh? No, I can't hear you, idiot." There is a pause, then, "Oh!"

"Looks like we have some winners, folks!" His voice barely carries over the din. "We've got Schneider and Lightning in first, followed by Kotono and Kaede in second! But what is going on out there? Where are the other riders?"

Long before Schneider even has a chance to wheel around, the fighting is over. There were far too many riders who cared more about each other than about the race and chose to forfeit their chance. So the Palace Land saboteurs had little real chance of winning against so many.

Out of the wind and rain come the conquering heroes, some helping along limping Pekos and others helping to carry injured riders back to the starting lines. Even if they did not 'win' this day, they certainly won the admiration of their fellow riders and the audience, who cheers their return.

Schneider wheels around hard, his peko's claws turning up turf as he corners, leaning into it like a motorcycle racer, but it's already over, and everyone's returning to the finish line. He feels a bit of a heel now, finishing the race when the others fought the Palace Landers. It does't even feel like a win, even though he thought at first he was just riding hard through a hazard. He's even got a fireball charged, but now no target, so he lets the energy fizzle out.

As mad as she is, once she's dealt some vengeance upon the Palace Land disruptors, Shiruba can turn her attention to the other problem. She guides Tradewind over so she can grab the reigns of one of the panicing Pekos, giving a light tug and then reach over to soothingly pat the bird's cheek to get it to calm down. "Easy.. easy... calm down.. the cruel people are gone. Just follow us." Fortunately its rider managed to hang on, and not fall in the soggy ground to get trampled. Or murdered.

Shiruba eventually leads the bird and rider back to the finish line amongst the rest of the group that faught off the intruders. Which turned out to be most of the race as a whole. "Now that is what I'd call good sportsmanship." "Kwah kwah" "I agree Tradewind. Those jerks got what they deserved."

Second place is Kotono...

But she's not happy.

Stepping down off of her mount, Kotono sighs. "I could've stopped to help out..." She shakes her head, not looking at Kaede as she knows it's not the Peko's fault that this happened.

Still, when Miyako and the others arrive, she'll be applauding them with a smile. "Hopefully, if something like this happens next time, I'll be ready."

    Miyako arrives at the finish line, on her own two feet, one arm over Rimini's shoulder, another adventurer supported upon her own. "Well," she muses as she sees Kotono waiting there. "I see -someone- is sleeping on the couch tonight."

    She helps the other racer over to the waiting healers, and then settles herself on a seat, putting her feet up and glaring at her mud-laden boots.

Gwen will chose to aid other riders over going after the Palce Landers she's still unhappy. Though as the cheering starts the anger starts to melt away as far as she's concerned she did the right thing.

    Fukaziroh is raging furiously and has absolutely no desire to continue the race at this point, even if the attack has been halted. She's helping the fallen and injured, not having any intention of leaving them behind just to win a game. This is her, to the core. Winning is a great thing to boast about, but if you forget about people in order to win, how can you possibly claim to have won? What would be the point?

    Fortunately her fury is quick to come and quick to dissipate. By the time she gets to the finish line with the other Adventurers, she's in a good mood once again, laughing and joking and slapping wounded people on the back. As long as they weren't wounded in the back, naturally! She's carefree, not callous.

    Rizadoman is the last to make it to the finish line, taking of the rear in case any attackers choose to strike while the wounded were being recovered. Mud covered on him and Bird as they slow walk back to the finish line and take last place. The joy that was in his eye is gone as his mood has soured and doesn't even look toward the others. He simply approaches the race officials and says, "I am sorry for the interuption. We will do better to insure that this does not happen again." He takes his consolation prize and then him and Bird simply walk off into the storm, most likely to hunt for any other palace landers.

Winning the race is irrelevant if the price is life. Prophylaxis is on-foot when he arrives at the finish line, having slung several injured racers up over Konpeko's saddle like some kind of bird-shaped stretcher. He can't administer emergency medical aid while he's up atop his bird, after all.

Schneider... Is not actually reprimanded. Prophylaxis has other things to worry about right now, and he can't blame someone for simply not noticing, once the mage explains his situation.

"I'll need somewhere to work," he calls to the spriggan announcer, "Can I borrow a tent to set up a temporary clinic?"

Haru is hauling back three different riders with him on Karen. The Artificer didn't stay to fight, seeing the tempest of heroes making their way all the way to the front to all the way to the back in short order. There is something humble yet important about getting the injured out from the thick of things, and something that a big ruddy earth bird like Karen is built for. Labor of the land and strength. Not as much speed. He makes his way to the healers with the ones he was able to get out of the thick of things and helps them over. The competition is rather secondary to the wellbeing of others, albiet he isn't keen to make that claim right now.

Schneider will head over immediately to back Prophylaxis up on the treatment of the injured. He feels bad enough, but he will absolutely do what he /can/ do to help, now that he understands the situation. Air elementals are charged with keeping the rain off, as the injured are brought up, and he's got a few heal potions, those are offered up quickly.