Festival: Bonded Heart Peko Race

The Peko Race season seems to be starting early this year, even before the snow has truly thawed from the ground. There are areas still frozen over, slick with ice, and others which have become muddy messes, making the variation in the racing field more than a simple challenge.

However, the temperatures haven't kept the racing fans at bay. There are many, both Landers and Adventurers alike, who have gathered at the sidelines, bundled in coats and jackets, waving colors or banners with the names of their favorite racers.

There seem to be more racing pairs at the starting line than in the previous year, with many new riders having taken up the mantle during the downtime at the end of the season. It means that there will be new competition this year, likely making matters a bit more difficult.

"Racers, to your places!" Calls out a young, squeaky voice. One that may be familiar to some as the rat enthusiast Nezumi, all the way from her new home in the Ninetails Dominion.

"I, Mister Clerk-"

"I /knew/ the whole thing was stacked against me!"

Uta slams her fists on the wooden sign-up table. Papers and writing implements are sent flying upwards for a brief moment before falling back in place.

"I, Mister Clerk, can assure you that the process is not stacked-"

"Then how do you explain this? Huh? I have shown up on time, I have signed up on time, I have filled in all the forms correctly - I am trained in Law and have /triple/ checked all entries -, I have brought my own mount, which is on file as having taken part to a previous race- you have no grounds whatsoever to bar me from taking part!" Uta punches the table once more, harder, as her face flushes red in indignation.

"Ma'am, your mount is a wyvern slime. The Monster Race was during the Shadow Festival. This is a peko race."

Uta, hunched over the table, blinks. "...oh." She slowly starightens her back, and her shoulders slump.

There is a long, embarrassed silence.

"It's okay, Vern," Uta says, after a sigh, as she turns to pat the mount-sized wyvern slime which, oblivious to everything, wobbles next to her. "You'll always be a champion to me."

Schneider has arrived at the first Peko race of the new season in his new racing hat, which veteran racers will recognize as being quite like the prize for last year's racing season. It looks out of pace with the flashy coat he wears, but lots of players have mismatched gear. It's an MMO thing, and normally he only wears the hat for racing. Though it is a very good hat for adventuring, strangely.

Schneider is on a new racing bird this season, his last season's birds were all right, but were not greatly suited to racing, he felt. Or, rather, they didn't compliment -his- style of racing, and got skittish around fire after being with him for vert long. Who could forsee that?!

Indeed, Schneider, with peko hat, flashy coat, and spritely young peko, who's been registered as 'Butch', walks around in the prestaging area checking out the competition, nods to the familiar faces of the racers he's seen in previous races.

When the call goes out for racers to take their places, he will mount up, looking more sure in the saddle than he did last season, and Butch will saunter up to the starting line, bristling with energy.

Gwen is here with her Peco she doesn't care if she wins or loses she just enjoys getting to do something like this bit. She pets her mount on the head and grins "There will be greens for you after this and even more if we place well."

She will get ready and she is amused. She was too big on Earth to ever horse race? Here somehow even bigger she was able to fo it here. She would wave over to Uta with a pure smile of sunshine.

"Hey Uta! This is going to be fun!"

    Merek will line up on the back of his black peko, which has sleek feathers that lead along to what looks like different colored feathers. The man nods a little bit along to people while he takes the time to prepare for that race. "Alright, it looks like another race to be had with the people."

The first race of the new season, Shiruba wasn't about to let being on an expedition across the worlds stop her from making it! ... And conveniently she'd made sure she was back in Yamato to finish her animal husbrandry training at the same time. Not quite there yet, but close. Still, she's here, trotting up to the starting line on the back of reliable Tradewind.

She's wearing the Peko Peko Hat that was given out at the end of last year of course, but for her its just a novelty decoration. Glamour as Gwen puts it. It's a suitable piece of attire even if it is just for looks.

"Well Tradewind, here we are. Ready for another year?" "Kwah." "Well of course I'm going to still race you. You're a natural at it. Doesn't matter what other animal I may make friends with in the future." "Kwaah!" "You too buddy. Now lets do our best as always~"

Frozen terrain is just fine, as far as Doctor Prophylaxis is concerned. The skin-pricklingly cold temperatures are just a minor annoyance under his many layers of warm, winter clothing. It'll be spring soon enough, and with that comes allergy season and the reawakening of the world, so he might as well enjoy the barren, snow-covered world from atop his trusty steed.

...Who, it seems, has been outfitted with a fluffy, peko-fit winter hat to go with her rider's fluffy ensemble.

Will this be the one? Will Prophylaxis and Konpeko finally make it across the finish line first!? Probably not, if his luck continues to hold. But who knows? Perhaps the doctor whose heart has never known true love might just be the one to come out ahead today...?

    Rizadoman steps up slowly with his Peko to the starting line, "Ok Bird, we are back to win this year. Last year we had some rough races, but tthis time we are going to call upon our ancestors from the beginning and with them guiding us. We. Shall be. Victorious." Then tthe Lizardman feeds his Peko some seed and slowly gets on his mount. Taking another moment he looks at the starter, good to go at a moments notice.

    Yuuki slaps herself in the face!

    The imp tries to psyche herself up as she sits on top of the white peko, "It's a new year! I'm going to leave all my bad luck in peko racing behind in the previous year. This year it's going to be up and up! All Yuuki! I'm going to leave them all in the dust! Isn't that right, Snowy?"

    The peko that Yuuki rides atop warks in response. A determined twinkle in its eyes.

    As the racers are called to the line. Yuuki moves her peko is position, leaning forward in anticipation and staring intently at the cold track ahead. Time to see if her luck has turned around!

    June arrives in style, in her best barbarian princess finery, scale mail bikini polished, fur cape brushed, and her mount groomed and with a fancy saddle. Then she June's speaking aloud in Quinyan "Okay Junie, we'll win this time, just crush our enemies, see them driven before us, and clasp to your bosom their wives and daughters." she nods

    She dismounts to check over her peko "Alright." she says switching to Japanese. "You know the steaks Kan Featherquill Chaucer III... come in last and I'll be having steaks get it." she says holding it's beak to look into it's eyes. "So lets aim for first place, that way even if you screw up it'll be unlikely that you'll follow your predicestors right?" she pats it's cheek "Good boy." she says and remounts before heading to the starting line. "Hey guys." she says wavign to her 'enemies'.

     Eliza had a good time with her last peko race- mainly because she won. So, she and her peko Sunny have signed up once again. Before saddling up on her own mount, however, Eliza looks over the competition with a caring eye. She wants to be sure all the pekos in the race are in good health.

    Once satisfied, Eliza gives Sunny some food from her pack before climbing up onto his back. "This is going to be a race that tests our bond," she says to the bird with a smile. "Let's show them how strong ours is, okay?"

"Hey, Gwen!", Uta waves. Even Vern wobbles, waving its wings, probably as a response to Uta's movement?

"Go and win for me! Show everyone that... uhm... er..." She takes a few seconds to think, in deep concentration, brow furrowed and all.

"...go team Crescent Moon, yeah! That! Win for the guild!"

As the racers line up, there is a silence that seems to settle over the crowd. Everyone is waiting to see what will happen and how the race will play out. It seems, however, that a few people have taken the opportunity to use this as a chance to take an initial advantage in the race.

A few sneaky riders are feeding their pekos a variety of herbs and greens, hoping for some kind of initial burst of speed. Eventually, news of this spreads among all the racers, leaving some falling back on familiar treats that might spur their mount to action. Others, however, might be left scrambling to find anything they might be able to use to encourage their partners from the starting line.

There is some whispering that comes over the magic microphone, "Oh, they're ready? Okay!" Then, in a louder voice, Nezumi calls out, "On your marks! Get set! ..." There is a long, dramatic pause. "Go!"

Racers stream out of the starting gates, jostling for position. But will anything that they have done in offering treats or herbs to their companions actually have a real impact?

Challenge: Cooking or Herbology

    Rizadoman came prepared for this, as he was one of the riders who had planned to do this to begin iwht. How did he get the most tastey treats for his bird, well he spent many many nights mastering the recipe and trying a million recipes. Really if it wasn't suitable fo rhim it wasn't suitable for Bird. In the end he finally found what he was looking for... That's right he found Hifumi's restaraunt who was happy to cook up and dry out Bird treats for use.

    June rather than getting out herbs or some special treat pulls out a fried cluckcluck leg and takes a big bite out of it chewing loudly. She lifts two fingers, points at her eyes then points at her Peko, then back to her self and back to her peko. "Remeber." she says finishing the leg and tossing the bone on the ground in front of her mount. "Don't come in last."

You always keep treats for rewarding good behavoir on hand, this is one of the first things Shiruba learned even before she was officially training anything. She pulls out a small clump of leafy greens, and holds them forward so it's in Tradewind's field of vision. "Here you go boy. A snack to help give you the energy you'll need." He quickly and gleefully turns his head to snatch the fronds in his beak and nosh them down.

It's not nearly as much as some of the others have offered their mounts, but it's enough to give him a little extra motivation and when the signal to start comes Tradewind has a bit of extra oomph in his stride even if it might not make much of a different in the longer run.

Never underestimate a doctor's knowledge of herbal medicine. While it may mostly be a load of crock back in the outside world, /here/ the kinds of greens that one feeds one's peko has a surprising amount of influence over the bird's overall performance!

And in this case, the doctor... has come prepared.

"Alright Konpeko," Prophylaxis intones as he dangles a bright orange carrot directly in front of his bird's face, "Come on, you get a tasty treat if you go fast enough!"

...

This is perhaps not in the spirit of things, but Prophylaxis nevertheless nearly goes tumbling out of his saddle when his bird abruptly *chomps* down on that juicy carrot and shoots out of the starting gate like a bird-shaped bullet.

...Perhaps there really /is/ something to that carrot...

...Or maybe it's just that the doctor knows how to properly motivate his bird?

Schneider is ready to go when the command to start is given, but he gets off to a slow start. Butch, it seems, is not particularly competitive despite the name, and Schneider didn't think to load up on any of the A-1 Acme-brand bird seed. He's seen it laced with gunpowder too many times. Admittedly, only on TV, but it was a cautionary tale none the less, and he didn't ask for any seed in advance of the race. On the other hand, butch did get a bit of it before the race when Schneider wasn't watching, and he doesn't make too poor a showing, despite the rider's lack of skill.

    Merek of course would give that peko of his wonderful supplement and treats along with things that it might enjoy. And it's off, and even in the beginning of the race, he makes a nice lead along with Prophylaxis, giving the man a thumbs up, "Hey, nice to see ya!"

     Eliza ponders the situation, as Sunny seems to be taking some time to get going. "Right, an animal's diet will affect its performance in competition. That's true for people and pekos alike," she thinks. "I guess I should have considered that earlier, instead of just giving Sunny the usual." She still has much to learn as she tries to become a veterinarian, it seems. Still, there's no time for regrets. Eliza focuses on the road ahead, looking for a chance to make up ground.

Gwen is in great spirits she'll wave to Shiruba and many of the other racers. She also wearing the peco hat she got a while back too. Off she goes. She will have fed her mount some treats to help motivate them the star but they were just a little off on the cooking. Not make you sick but today Gwen wasn't so much of a hotshot to day in the kitchen.

Her bird isn't doing the best with these treats something was just a bit off and he makes an unhappy bird sound as he keeps running onwards.

    People are feeding food to their pekos!? Yuuki didn't know you could do that! She starts flipping through her inventory, looking for something to give to her mount... Nope... Nope... That's poisonous... That'd probably taste awful... That's not food. Though maybe... Nah.

    "Here, buddy. Try this!" Yuuki shoves a vegetable in front of her peko. It looks suspiciously like a hot pepper. The peko chomps on it just as the race starts. Snowy's eyes suddenly go wide as the intense spiciness hits and the peko ROCKETS out from the starting line!

    Holy, look at that thing GO!

    Unfortunately for Yuuki, it's not going in a straight line though, instead weaving all over the place in its panic to try and shake off the hotness of the pepper. So the sudden incredible speed boost only provides a minor advantage in terms of actual race placement.

    Though the audience will probably enjoy the sight of Yuuki holding onto her peko for dear life as it runs all over the place.

On quick feet, the racers move beyond the initial starting line, eventually spreading out along the track. The lines of the race have been marked by small wooden posts that have been decorated with different colored flags, allowing everyone to stay on course. However, away from the bustle of so many bodies, it starts to feel a bit cold out in the frozen fields.

As they run, some are quick to adjust their partner's tack, taking out blankets, scarves, or other clothing customized to pekos in order to help keep their bird from getting too cold. Others have to depend on magic, which is a little more ... chaotic. Pekos are not usually a fan of fire, so it needs to be used with care, focused to only warm the area around them.

However, some people clearly haven't mastered this. One peko begins to freak out, squawking and then bucking their rider who had tried to use a fireball spell to keep it warm. Another ends up having their feathers singed and falls way far behiind in the pack.

"Oh no! The poor birds! Their riders have to be really careful here. Using fire is a really bad risk and they don't want to end up burned!" Nezumi warns, her voice carrying with that magical enhancement.

Challenge: Fire or Tailoring
Note: If using Fire, if you roll a four or less (before bonuses) your peko will spook and/or have some other fun, Rp-flavored problem with fire.

    Merek looks to the fire which needs to be used to protect them from the cold. With a hand he will begin to form a shield of flame that will begin to keep the bird comfortable while he keeps on racing through the place. The man seems to be making a lot of progress while he watches the people.

    June reaches into her ofuda case pulling out a strip of rice paper. She slaps it on KFC's neck and keeps spurring him on. The woosh of flames as the ofuda burns up and then a warm bubble of air locks into place around the peko. "Now move your feathery ass let's go!" she says leaning into the peko's neck and keeping her feet up high along the sides of the saddle.

Fortunately with her specialty in weather themed magic Shiruba can keep the duo warm with just heating the air around them. That and training to ride in all manner of environments and weather conditions. The only change she made to Tradewind's tack was a scarf around his neck because it's important to keep the throat warm so you can breath. And because it looks cool. Other than that, it's magic, and magic she has well under control.

Others are more careless with their thermal intents though, and Shiruba has to quickly pull on Tradewind's reigns to steer him away from one of the other pekos that panics when it's tailfeathers are scorched. "I hate to sound mean buddy, but this is our chance to make some headway!" she gives his side a light spurring with her heels once they're clear of the clumsier riders, trying to cover some more distance while others are fumbling.

Schneider is of course a master of fire, and his fire skills are unquestioned, at least as far as max power goes. But for finesse, it's a sketchier business. On the other hand, a semicircle of enveloping flames around either side and behind the peko both keep it comfortably warm and urge it to continue straight forward at a respectable clip. Not in the lead, but not lagging behind too badly as he cranes his neck around to check out the competition. He's in the middle of the pack for now, he's planned his surge for later. Hopefully Butch the Peko will feel like surging.

"Hi," Prophylaxis says to Merek, as the firestorm begins. This time, the doctor has come prepared, however! He hurls a delightfully peko-patterned cloth over his ride. Insulated against heat and cold, Konpeko should have little trouble keeping pace...!

The trouble is that the cloth is... perhaps too comfy. The peko kwehs happily and slows waaaay down to enjoy the snug comfort of its new blanket. This is, however, entirely within Prophylaxis' expectations.

...In that by now he knows just how his luck works. ;/

    Rizadoman can feel the chill as they run forward and the Lizardman is starting to get sleepy. Damn cold weather making him want to go hibernate, where is a warm rock when you need it. As a final thought he takes a deep breath and breathes fire out infront of them, the flames blowing back around them as they run. " Just trust me Bird. We can do this. " They were not using a fireball, they were becoming a fireball.

     Eliza feels a bit frustrated as Sunny shows his discomfort with the cold. "I should have brought the hat I won last time," she says. "Come on, Sunny, this isn't even as cold as it was back then..." Still, since she's not about to break out a knitting needle in the middle of a race, the only choice that seems left to her is to use some basic fire magic to warm things up, despite the risks. The flame sputters and doesn't provide much warmth. Perhaps Eliza is too worried about risking harm to Sunny to put too much power into the flame. Still, she does at least manage to overtake Shiruba. It's not over yet...

Gwen whoops as she rides along she's having fun, she's having a lot of fun. The announcer warns them of the pending hazard. She does not like to menu craft but this is a time where shes' going to need to do so. So on the back of her bir she will craft some heavy cloth barding to put on it even as they ride to help keep her feathered friend warm.

"Easy boy don't worry about the fire I'll keep you safe and this will keep you warm even if it's itchy..."

    The hotness of the pepper finally wears off, Yuuki's peko calming down once more as they continue to press forward. The Champ looks relieved! Not surprising given the madness of the past section of track. Though now that things aren't quite as hectic, she notices that the cold is starting to get to her mount. Ironic, given its name, Snowy.

    Yuuki looks left, seeing one rider covering his peko with a blanket. It seems to actually make things worse... She looks right, see another rider using fire magic to heat up their bird. It seems to work! Yuuki clearly doesn't notice the cases where it doesn't.

    One slight problem though, in that Yuuki doesn't have fire magic. Or any magic. She does have fire sword artes though! Yuuki ponders... And gets an idea!

    The imp jumps up to stand on top of her mount, balancing herself as it runs. She needs the extra height to avoid hitting her bird, as she draws her sword. Flames burst to life around the blade as Yuuki brings her arm back. Then with a battle cry she swings her weapon, aimed straight ahead. The flames leap off in a short ranged wave of fire! Yuuki keeps repeating this, quickly draining her MP. But it seems to work, the short bursts of fire heating up the air ahead of the peko just enough to get it through the worst of the cold part of the track!

Unfortunately, it seems that various riders making use of fire has attracted the attention of an unwarranted danger. Three large creatures appear, which have the long bodies of weasels, but their arms seem to be shaped like bladed weapons.

Almost immediately, one of the Peko riders is pounced upon by one of the monsters, identified as a Kamaitachi. The Peko bursts into pixels and the rider is dropped as a tombstone. "Oh no! This is bad, this is very bad! Kamaitachi are super dangerous. They're going to have to find a way to sneak by!"

As soon as the first rider is felled, the others are already looking for other targets. However, most of the riders are smart enough to scatter, taking to nearby trees and areas where they can move more quietly. Others begin to weave spells which either blind the monsters, or shield themselves into the shadows.

It is time to move quickly, and quietly, otherwise risking both the lives of themselves and their mount.

Challenge: Sneaking or Dark

    Merek lifts up a hand while he draws the darkness about him to protect him from the sight of what kamaitachi are looking for the party. He will try to see if anyone needs any assistance while he takes the time to watch the place.

Shiruba stares at the intruding creatures. "Oh dear! Kamaitachi are notoriously fast and deadly! Their sickles are so fast they can slice the wind itself!" That's a terrifying little bit of Japanese folklore to be suddenly staring in the face.

Shiruba grits her teeth and hunches down against Tradewind's back to make a less noticable profile. Her eyes flicker a bit as she uses a combination of magic and her tracking skills to pinpoint where the speedy bastards are moving about, and points. "There! Run between those two trees! They won't be able to turn around and flank us if our sides are covered!" Her peko does just that, leaning forward into his stride and tucking in his wings against her legs to help hold his rider in place and lunge between the trunks.

It's less sneaking and more avoiding a path they can be easily assaulted from, but it works all the same.

    The flames around Bird and Rizadoman fade away and that is when they see the Weasels. They slow for a moment before Rizadoman begins to chant, " Of the ancestors I call on those who were never found. May our steps make no sound. May we go unseen. " With that Rizadoman and Bird take on a cloud of darknesss around them as if the shadows are moving with them keeping them hidden from the weasels. So far so good in terms of the race but it was to early to get to confident in their victory yet.

     "Kamaitachi..." Eliza isn't sure what to do at first. Putting up a defense seems like it'd make sense at first, but those sickles look sharp enough to cut up even the strongest rock-shields she could summon. Being farther back in the pack, however, at least gives her the opportunity to see how the other riders are handling the situation. Sticking to the shadows seems to be working well enough, so Eliza goes with that.

Finally, it seems as though Konpeko has figured out that she can run at speed while wearing that extra warm comforter like a shawl. The doctor and his peko stride boldly forth, a downy blanket fluttering around the bird's long neck between each stride! It looks like they can make up for some lost time, when suddenly--

Evil sky weasels!?!?

Not on the doctor's watch! Prophylaxis' eyes narrow as he extends his staff toward the cloud of swarming kamaitachi. A globe of tenebrous energy plunges the weasels into a haze of utter blackness which blocks out all sight, scent and sound. Without their senses to guide them, Konpeko is able to sprint by utterly unharmed...!

Schneider has come through the cold zone in the middle of the pack, still, but has lost ground as he checks out the path ahead. When he sees the one rider killed instantly along with his peko, he reins in and thinks about it pretty hard. An inspect shows them too dangerous to fight, at least in a timely manner - this is a race - so the only solution it seems is to sneak by.

Sadly, Schneider is not a sneaker. It is anathema to his style, which is all about being seen, and while he can drag the dark around with him, he's not bery good at it, and there's a strange malevolent vibe that is put off when he does it, and that's an additional clue to his presence. He winds up falling behind the pack as his peko slinks along at a walk, trying to avoid the horrible Kamatachi!

Things seem to be working but she sees many others are on fire she frowns about this. She's concerned for the birds and those riders who are locals. There's not much she can do for the moment as something is going after them. Wait a what is coming? Oh gods it's time to move. Gwen does something risky she has a few dark spells. They tend to blow up in her face.

"Here goes nothing..."

She chants

"Oh lord of shadows protect me and mine from that which might seek us out! Dark shadow!"

It works oh god It actually worked as for a brief moment Gwen and her bird become nearly impossible to see.

    As the monsters come running June slips her hand into her ofuda case, another slap of ricepaper to feathers and the peko turns black, then she turns black, and then they just slip into the shadows to keep running along weaving around the Kamaitachi and trees with smooth motions.

    Yuuki drops back down onto the saddle again, breathing a little faster after expending all that energy in repeated sword artes. She's going to need a moment to recover. Hopefully the next section of track will be a breez-oh come on!

    While normally one well intent on killing monsters, Yuuki isn't sure she can pull it off her in current condition! She barely has enough stamina left for one more sword arte... And normal attacks don't look like they'll cut it for these mobs!

    One sword arte... Well, she COULD use that one. Not the debut she had planned for it. But damnit, she wants to win!

    "Right then!" Yuuki holds her sword up straight in front of her, the already fairly dark blade suddenly turning completely black. The black then begins to grow, spreading out from the blade. It's so black, that the light around Yuuki and her mount begins to bend in towards it, like it's being sucked in! Making it more difficult to see the two as they race forward, past the attacking mobs.

Luckily, most of the riders manage to escape the attack from the Kamaitachi, allowing them to gather again along the race track. They can just hear Nezumi, off microphone, calling, "We need to get the Hunter's Guild out to take care of those. They are dangerous! Why didn't the scouts see them when the track was set up?" Apparently, the young girl doesn't understand the concept of turning the spell 'off'.

Unfortunately, they aren't quite out of trouble just yet. The race track runs along a steep cliff, one that seems that much more dangerous with the strange heat and thaw cycles of this time of year. There are a number of rocks and areas of dirt that seem to be unstable. Sure enough, as the first racers begin to pass by, the rumbling of their feet causes things to start to slip.

Rocks fall downward from above, mud slides, and ice begins to shower down from places above. It makes this section of the track particularly dangerous. Speaking at her normal, announcer volume, Nezumi calls out, "Look out! It seems like the cliffs aren't too stable this time of year! Let's see how they lead their partners through the narrow areas! It's going to be a real test of the trust between rider and peko!"

Sure enough, she is right, as the riders are soon pelted with all sorts of debris.

Challenge: Shield or Evasion

    Merek will take the time to ride along with the party, then when they are pelted by things from the cliff, the man begins to bring a whole shield about to protect him and peko, while he keeps on towards the finish while racing along that track.

Shiruba glances over her shoulder a moment as Gwen pulls up near here. "Did you just use dark magic and NOT have it cataclysmicly fail on you? Is that even possible?!"

There's no time to ponder over it though, as they're reaching another hazardous terrain. Shiruba tugs the reins back, wanting her mount to slow down just a little. Just enough so they can watch their step and avoid any crumbling rock surface. As for the debris falling down onto the path, Shiruba can handle that herself. She pulls the Glaive of the Fallen Hero from her belt, charging it with a bit of extra wind magic as she holds it up over her head. Combined with the relic's own deflective magic it forms a bubble of swirling wind around her and her peko which most of the rock and ice and mud rebounds off of, so it isn't necesary for them to slow down any more than they did to be cautious.

Schneider is nearly last by the time he gets to the cliff, but he urges his peko forward, telling it, "Let's make up some time!" He raises a magic shield to ward off the falling rocks, but Butch the peko is not confident in Schneider's ability to keep him from harm, and will only proceed slowly and warily, resulting in Schneider not only not making up ground, but actually falling a little further behind.

Rocks fall! Thenkfully nobody dies. That would have been... Just /incredibly/ tragic. Some might be injured, certainly, but injuries are things that can be healed with enough care and medicine. Death is something else entirely-- even if it is technically temporary.

Prophylaxis and his loyal steed speed down the slope as quick as a night breeze, but even that doesn't save them from being pelted by rocks, boulders and all kinds of other awful things.

But that's what magic is for, isn't it?

The doctor raises his staff again, a wall of shining, white light manifesting over the pair like an umbrella, smashing aside falling debris and whatever else might be tumbling down on top of them...!

    They make it past the mob rush, Yuuki's sword buff ending and returning her and her mount to normal once more. The imp leans forward on her peko, looking tired as she feels the effects of a low stamina bar, "Mmmmm, wake me up when we get to the finish line."

    But before Yuuki can drift off, a small rock strikes her in the head. She rubs at the impact spot, but otherwise doesn't react. A larger rock strikes her, once more in the head. This one hurts a bit more, even leaving behind a blotch of red light from the damage. The imp grunts in annoyance, sitting up again and wondering, "Who's throwing rocks?"

    Yuuki then looks up.

    "OH CRAP!"

    Yuuki grabs the reigns, starting to weave her mount through the rain of small to massive sized rocks raining down on them. Through some pretty impressive dodging skills, Yuuki manages to get both of them through without any more than the scratch that Yuuki had already received. Plus, the sudden terror of potentially being crushed, combined with her stamina regenerating some, she's feeling wide awake and alert once more!

    Rizadoman is so lad the spell lasted long enough to get by the weasels. It is only with the blessing of their ancestors that the pair didn't gett noticed. Then comes the falling rocks, and ice and mud and whatever else falls from the sky. " I call upon the dragon emperor and summon your divine blessing to protect us from what falls. " As his prayer is recieved not only does his lizard scales turn to the same quality of dragon scale, Bird's feathers take on the same hardness as dragon scale, making the Peko's feathers active almost like ablative armor for the moment.

    June leans in and slaps another ofuda on her mount, this time on the sadle. A flash of light seems to lock her into place. "Up and over!" she orders, the bird she's riding on runs up the cliff to wall run it's way along above the slide, jumping from tumbly bit to crumbly bit, from icy bit to dicey bit until they're past the danger and return to the track.

     Fortunately, rocks don't have razor-sharp sickles attached to them... well, at least these ones don't. So this is a perfect opportunity for Eliza to raise her shepherd's crook in the air and summon a wall of rock to block out the falling rubble. Though she doesn't seem to be making up any ground, she presses onward. In this sort of competition, wasn't finishing an achievement of its own anyway?

Gwen is able to escape the Kamaitachi, away she goes. She also hears tell of a job that's going to need to be done after the race head onward. There are rocks falling and Gwen will pull her shield out and use it to star deflecting them even triggering a skill off the shield.

"STORMWIND SHIELD LIONS AEGIS!"

For the alliance now and forever.

Gwen keeps going as she knocks rocks out of the way and keeping them from harming her. Or even her bird!

Leaving behind the narrow confines of the cliffside, the group follows a long arc around towards the starting line. The roar of the crowd can be heard, even at a distance, "There they are! It's the last stretch, ladies and gentlemen!" Nezumi calls out, her bardic charisma driving the group to more enthusiasm.

"We all know this is the Bonded Heart Festival, so let's see just how strong the bond is between these riders and their mounts! Can they spur them on to even greater speeds? Who will come out ahead?"

It is a relatively straight shot to the finish line, without any kind of obsticle standing in their way. Instead, this seems to be a test of little more than that bond between rider and peko. Can they find a way to push their mounts to the limits and come out ahead at the last second?

"Here they come!" Nezumi calls out, excutement in her voice, even as racers jostle for position all the way to the last few meters of the race.

Challenge: Handle Animal

Schneider breathes a sigh of relief as he gets past the last obstacle, and now it's a sprint to the finish. Sadly, he's starting in next to last place. If he'd held his initial position, he'd cinch third place, maybe, but as it is, he's so far back that even with his impressive last-minute sprint, with his peko Butch making a stunning performance, he's still well back. But he's almost caught up to the middle of the pack by the time they cross the finish line. That's by way of success, for him, and he shakes his fist in the air, giving a victory cry.

    Merek will use all he can to try and keep that peko along that race. Even though he does not do too well in making it win, he treats the creature pretty well and offers a little bit of patting, "You did well." And look, they placed it looks like!

Sadly, it seems as though Prophylaxis is going to come in at the middle of the pack again today. Not that Konpeko seems particularly bothered, of course. The doctor's peko is as characteristically marshmallow-headed as she always is, bounding lackadasically through the snow towards the finish line. But this is how it goes, isn't it? This is... the fate of all those who dare to hammer their skulls against an insurmountable wall, over and over and over again...

Someday, fortune will smile upon him. But that day is not today.

"Ah, it's a nice day for a stroll, isn't it...?" Prophylaxis asks his bird, who only whistles and chirps in reply.

    June leans into her Peko "Run Run Run common we've been doing good you big ball of feathers and snacks." Maybe don't lean into the threats when you're doing well Junie... that or maybe KFC is just tuckered out after his pekoparqour, anyway she slips further behind. Only Eliza saving Kan from the cookpot.

    Yessssss. Yuuki can totally bond with animals. She does that allllllll the time and totally doesn't kill them to farm crafting resources. In fact she does it right now as she strokes the back of her peko's head, "Come on buddy, I know you don't want to lose too. So here-" Yuuki pulls a potion flask from behind her back and opens it, tipping it in preparation of letting her bird get a drink, "-Try this Yuuki Juice that I got someone to make for me. I'm sure it'll do wonders for you!"

    Through her 'bond' with her peko, Yuuki convinces Snowy to drink the liquid. It... Does absolutely nothing. Neither really pushing the peko forward nor hindering it any.

    Well, at least the bird is still alive?

    Rizadoman lays as close against Bird as he can as they lean in to the sprint. " Everythng you got. Right now Bird. For the pride of our ancestors. RUN!" The two had bonded over the lastt year, they had bonded over their ancestors, they had bonded over there victories, and most of all over their hatred for losing. They both really hated losing and had serious pride issues. So here they were running as fast as they could and running some more and they were about to start lap two until Rizadoman realizes they crossed the finish line. Looking around he has no idea who won at the momnet.

Well they're not winning but they are making reasonable pace with their efforts. And that is what Shiruba is here for. The feel of the wind whipping against her face and through her hair, the challenge of working together with her mount to overcome the obstacles, the sheer excitement of the race itself. It may be what encouraged her to pursue more formal training in animal husbandry, but when it came to the Peko races Shiruba enjoyed them simply for what they were -- fun and exciting.

"We're almost there, Tradewind, keep it up!" Shiruba may be giving commands and working the reins, but her Peko was a natural at racing at it showed, instinctively picking up speed when a straight raceway was laid before him. For her part Shiruba leans down and forward, keeping her wind resistance profile to a minimum.

Gwen keeps going she pushe he bird fairlyu hard but she knows Swiftwing's limits. She's not going to get first but she can hangf in a bit longer she thing so she goes to see what she and he frien dan do. "You want those greens right boy! Let's do this!"

     Eliza urges Sunny forward, rushing to catch up with the rest of the group as they near the finish. If nothing else, it had been a nice bit of exercise for her and the peko, as well as a learning experience. Reminding herself to study more animal nutrition, Eliza rides Sunny to the finish, exhaling as the race comes to an end. From the looks of things, her guildmate Rizadoman had won, which gave her a sense of victory despite her own tail-end position.

In the end, it isn't a particularly close race for first. One Peko seems to bolt out in front during the last stretch of the race, zooming through the finish line a good few Peko-lengths before any of the others.

"We have a winner!" Nezumi calls out, leaning over the edge of the announcer box. "It's Rizadoman and his mount, Bird! Let's give them all a round of applause!"

It is a much tighter race for second and third, however. In the end, Merek's mount manages to get second by little more than a beak-length. "In second, we have Merek and Blackwood. And in third we have Gwen and Swiftwing!"

The others start to come in bunches after that, with many possibly looking a bit harried from the sudden dangers that had shown themselves along the race track.

"What a great race! I can't wait to see the next one! Hopefully we'll see all our racers again during the Spring Planting Festival!" Then, as if she is once again forgetting that she's still being recorded, the girl murmurs, "At least it'll be warmer by then."

    tRizadoman and Bird humbling accept their prizes as they are given and takes a bow before waving to the crowd, " May all your bonds grow stronger tthis week!" He shouts out to the crowd and gets a cheer back before they step off stage and go to collapse in the private racer area.

Shiruba doesn't make it into the places but brings up a comfortable fourth. "Congratulations guys!" Once they're past the finish line she reins Tradewind to a halt, slides off his back, and gives him a hug by nuzzling up her cheek to his. "And you did a great job like always. Even if we didn't make the top three that training over the last month has really been paying off!"