Chapter Four Hundred and Eighteen — Reluctantly Crouched at the Starting Line
Chapter Four Hundred and Eighteen — Reluctantly Crouched at the Starting Line As members of Abraham’s extended crew, we were allowed to view the race from some VIP seating. Or at least, that’s how the organiser that came to check up on things put it.In reality, the VIP seating was less seating and more... a place to stand near the starting line alongside the other participating teams.My friends and I, which included most of the Beaver's crew, were above the crew pits, which were near the bottom of our small hill. Big chunks had been carved out of it to give ships room to park and be repaired, and a large tower was erected in the centre.That’s where the race’s organisers were stationed so that they could have a clear view of the entire race.We sat on the bare metal scaffolding of the tower, a floor off the ground so that we had enough height to see everything while our feet dangled off the sides.The race followed a simple route. A single lap would start at the edge of Smoulderglen, circling around the city and passing over the countryside to loop back to the starting line. There would only be two laps, so the racers would need to figure things out quickly. The course was marked out by a series of balloons hanging way up in the air, with anchor-cables festooned in streamers tethering them to the ground.There was quite a crowd out, filling a long section of bleachers set parallel to the start and finishing line. The crowd was actually facing the city itself, and the stands were built atop a rise, giving them a fantastic view over Smoulderglen itself and across the entire race course, though the far end of it was far enough that it would be hard to make out any action.That’s what the announcer was for, I supposed.It helped that the airships, especially with their balloons atop them, were basically the size of a semi truck, or even a house. On such a clear day, we'd be able to see them from a long ways off. Their sheer scale meant that merely watching them form up on the starting line was impressive. It was like being at a monster truck show, only the monster trucks could fly and had balloons filled with potentially explosive gases.... Actually, this was way better than any monster truck show, I decided.There was an eclectic array of ships lined up at the start, with all shapes and sizes represented. From sleek, dart-like vessels to the sturdier, larger and more elaborate ones with intricate brass detailing or bright splashes of paint. A few of the more... piratical ships had rude words painted on their sides, and images of things that weren’t very nice. It did make them very intimidating, especially with all the spikes.The airships idled at the starting line, bristling with anticipation and only held in place by a few tethers designed to quickly be cut off at the start of the race.At least, most of the ships did. A couple were having troubles already and their pit crews were panicking about, trying to get engines started or patching up sudden holes in their balloons.Abraham’s Shady Lady was sitting around the middle-left of the pack. Her engine purred and she looked a little patched up, but still entirely functional. Awen and Raynold had done good work bringing her up to spec. I could see Abraham’s larger-than-life form on the ship’s deck. He was shouting something at a captain of the ship next to his, the friendly banter lost in the winds and in the roar of so many engines. Raynold, meanwhile, was running some last-second checks, making sure the Shady Lady would make it through in one piece.I sat up a little, stretching my head out to follow along the race track. Something didn’t make sense, and I think Amaryllis noticed my confusion. “Are you looking for someone else to bully into friendship or are you just trying to discover a new way to wring your own neck?” she asked.I grinned. “No, I’m trying to figure out the race. They’re supposed to fly between the balloons, right?”“Yes,” she said. She sounded very patient, so I knew that she was about to pounce on me with some sarcastic quibbling. Amaryllis was surprisingly cat-like sometimes, for all that she was more of a bird.“Right, but the balloons aren’t laid out in a circle, or a single path, I guess.”“I see. Or rather, you don’t,” she said with a pleased huff. Still, she decided to be helpful. “See those balloons.”I followed her pointing talon to the nearest balloons. They were some hundred or so metres off the ground, anchored in place with long cables that bowed a little under their own weight. The balloons were trailing streamers of loose, colourful cloth... and a few simple ads, too.“Yup,” I said. “Hard to miss.”“You’ll note that not all of them have those colourful flags at the bottom. Especially over there,” Amaryllis said, now pointing further out. “Once the racers have gone around once, the second set of flags will be deployed and the first will be dropped. The race course will basically change.”“Oh!” I said. This time I scanned the balloons with a fresh eye, and I saw what she meant. The first loop around the city was much smaller, sticking to the edges of Smoulderglen and flying through the more industrial sector at the back (where smokestacks and chimneys would probably be an obstacle). The second loop around went wider, out into the countryside and then sweeping around back to the start. “The second loop looks easier, even if it’s longer. Less turns and no obstacles.”“I bet there’s cheaters waiting in the woods,” Calamity said.“Cheaters?” I replied.“Well, cheaters, ambushers, pirates, people with entrenched ballista or very strong archery skills. Maybe a mage or two,” he said. Basically, mercenaries hired to knock out the competition. Maybe some bandits looking to steal a ship." He chuckled. "Though, they'll probably spend half the time fighting each other.I shook my head in disapproval. Cheating! At a race! That just wasn’t nice! Cheating was a fantastic way to lose friends. “I don’t like it,” I said.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.“Actually, it makes some degree of sense,” Caprica said. I turned towards her in disbelief. “If every team, or at least most of them, are prepared to cheat, then it more or less means that there’s an even playing field. Now, the competition isn’t just one where the best ship and crew wins, but one where the best team comes out victorious. We actually had exercises like this at the military academy I attended. Field tests against others where cheating wasn’t allowed, but it was also encouraged.”“That doesn’t make sense,” I said.“For military training, it means thinking outside of the box and preparing contingencies and plans that don’t follow arbitrary rules, which is an important lesson to learn. For a race like this... well,” Caprica gestured at the stands and the ships. “Half of the competitors look like ne’er-do-wells. I imagine the cheating is expected.”I still didn’t like it, but before I could say anything about it, the crowd across from us hushed and the air filled with an electric charge of anticipation. “It’s starting!” Awen said as she leaned forwards.“Ladies, gentlemen, children, and fans of all shapes and sizes!” a voice blasted out from above. I twisted my ears down to protect them while searching for the source of the sound. There was a floating platform above, anchored to the observation tower and surrounded by large brass cones. A tiny figure was waving to the crowd, one hand on a metallic tube just in front of his mouth. “Welcome! Welcome to the annual Smoulderglen Fireship Race!”The crowd erupted into cheers and I joined them, hollering and clapping my hands to add to the excitement.“Today, we gather to witness a spectacle like no other! Airships-from sleek, agile birds to monstrous, looming behemoths-will vie against each other for the coveted title of Smoulderglen’s fastest! The rules are simple, but this race is anything but!”He launched into a reiteration of the race’s rules, explaining about the balloons marking the course (provided by some local airship shop, he was pretty good at sneaking the sponsorship stuff into the cadence of his announcements) and how the changing flags would announce a change in the course. It sounded much grander and more dangerous when he described it, as if we weren't at the edge of a bustling city, but in a gladiator’s ring, the racers all about to go into mortal combat against each other.As the announcer finished up the rules, he pivoted smoothly to introduce the competing ships. “Now, let's meet the daring souls who have dared the odds to partake in today's daring contest!” I noticed the crews onboard the racers perking up.“First up,” the announcer's voice echoed around us, “From the notorious Red Wings, we have The Dawn Screecher, a ship as swift and deadly as the harpy call!” The airship he pointed at was sleek and streamlined, its metallic wings glinting in the sunlight. The human and harpy crew aboard cheered, waving their hats and hooting in the air as their ship's name was called.“Harpy don’t generally have dangerous voices, what is he on about?” Amaryllis grumbled.I laughed and wrapped an arm around her back. “He’s trying to make them sound cool!”The announcer moved on, his booming voice effortlessly filling the valley, “And from the daring ranks of the Ember Hounds, we present the Bellowing Beast, a warship turned racer, where dwarven ingenuity meets droll strength and human adaptability!” The crowd roared in approval as the largest airship in the race revved its many engines and sent up plumes of exhaust smoke. The ship’s hull was covered in awesome looking flames.“No, Broccoli,” Awen said.“Huh?”“We’re not painting flames onto the Beaver.”“I didn’t say anything!” I said, but Awen just shook her head. I pouted. “But it would look cool,” I muttered.Awen patted me on the back.The announcer continued to name off ships. “And, not to be missed,” the announcer's voice suddenly became more enthusiastic, “one of our consistent crowd favourites from Smoulderglen's very own, the Smokestack!”The Smokestack was an all-black blimp-shaped ship. It didn’t look like much, with a gondola fit snugly under its balloon and a few engine pods sticking out of its sides, but it had a large ballista at the front and a small crew who were waving from within the enclosed cockpit.The crowd's cheers rose into an uproar as the Smokestack fired up its engines, sending a surge of smoke spiralling into the sky. We cheered for the ship, and the announcer went on to describe the Smokestacks's past triumphs. It had won the race twice, though it was defeated the previous year by an Ember Hound ship.The rest of the racers were introduced in a similar fashion — with each getting their moment in the spotlight as their ship was pointed out, their feats (or misdeeds) highlighted, and their crews given a chance to bask in the glory of the moment.We, of course, cheered loudest when the Shady Lady came up. The announcer only mentioned that it was captained by a famous explorer and aviation pioneer. I hoped that by the end of the race the Lady would be a little more famous.“Without further ado,” the announcer's voice rose above the clamour, “On your mark, racers, prepare for takeoff!”The roar of the engines grew louder, a cacophony that made the ground beneath us rumble and the air pulse with anticipation. Across the lineup, crew members scrambled into position, pilots gripping their controls, navigators scanning their maps, engineers watching their dials."Three!" The crowd began to count along with the announcer."Two!" The cheers grew louder, matching the crescendo of engines."One!" The crowd was on its feet, anticipation filling the air."GO!" The word cut through the noise like a blade, and with a simultaneous roar, the airships surged forward, breaking free from their tethers. The Smoulderglen Fireship Race had begun.
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Chapter Four Hundred and Nineteen — Reckless and Wild, they Pour Through the Turns
Chapter Four Hundred and Nineteen — Reckless and Wild, they Pour Through the Turns Even as we were still shouting "Go!" a huge bronze cannon fired a blank into the air-the sound was like an echoing blast of thunder, drowning us out for long seconds.A dozen tethers crashed to the ground, no longer holding onto the racing ships as they bucked forwards. I cheered as the racers surged ahead, though really, they had yet to build all that much momentum.Airships were pretty fast, but they weren’t that fast, especially not from a dead start. Even with all of their engines roaring, the ships were still taking a long time to get moving.“And they’re off!” the announcer shouted.The start of the race was a slow left turn that would begin the circle around Smoulderglen. There was a bit of a dip in the landscape as well, so any ship that wanted to gain some early speed could trade height for momentum, and a few did just that.The Bellowing Beast was one of the slower ships, but as it dropped to gain speed it managed to keep in the front. The Shady Lady, meanwhile, flew straight on. It was one of the smallest ships in the race, and its large, well-tuned engine combined with its lightweight build meant that it had an easier time accelerating.That was, until the Lady made a hard turn to the side to avoid The Dawn Screecher. The harpies onboard screamed and shouted from the ship’s deck as it flew past. Probably because they were so focused on screaming at Abraham, the crew of the Screecher wasn't.Which was probably why their port-side wings smashed into the balloon of another smaller ship that was diving to gain some speed.The balloon ripped apart even as the crew of the Screecher tugged in the wing to the ship’s side. Then the port engine, jutting out on a gondola fixed to the airship’s side, skimmed right over the smaller ship’s balloon.Its propeller wasn’t so lucky.The crowd screamed in glee and panic as the Screecher’s prop tore chunks out of the smaller ship’s balloon, sending canvas and bits of lightweight wood flying all over.The smaller ship plummeted out of the sky.I gasped.“The first casualty of the race and we’re barely out of the starting stretch!” the announcer exclaimed. “The Tragic Moment goes down in flames!”Fortunately, the racers were only a dozen metres off the ground so close to the start of the race, and the ship still kept some buoyancy even as it crashed, so the crash was less an explosive disintegration and more of a hard meeting of ship and ground.One of the crashed ship’s engines exploded into flames, and I saw the crew abandoning ship with alacrity as ship fuel spread along with the fire.The crowd cheered even louder while a few horse-drawn carriages with large water tanks were rushed to the site of the crash.“Oh no,” I said as I sat closer to the edge of the girder my friends and I had appropriated.“They’re fine,” Amaryllis said. “The entire crew got out.”“That ship’s not fine,” Awen said, which was undeniably the truth. Even with firefighters on the scene, including a few water and dirt mages dampening the fire, the ship wasn’t going to be flying for a while.The race continued on, heedless of the accident, and it was clear that a formation of sorts was already taking shape. The Shady Lady took a spot in third place, with the Smokestack in the lead and another smaller ship wedged between them. Behind, the Bellowing Beast was rumbling ahead, leading the pack, and at the very back was the Dawn Screecher which had clearly taken some damage from the bump at the start but which was still flying after the others.“The Smokestack is taking the lead, proving that it’s once more the fastest boat in the air. Right behind it we have the Empty Bowl, followed by the Shady Lady! The Glorious Emissary of the Transcendent Obsidian Dragon-King is leading the rest of them behind the Bellowing Beast!”It looked like one of their crewmates was hanging off the side of the Dawn Screecher, kicking at a sail that wasn’t deploying properly so that they could manage the next turn.My friends and I stood up as the ships gained some distance and started heading around Smoulderglen. I squinted, lowering one of my ears down to give my eyes some shade from the sun.In the distance, the Smokestack was drawing out its lead, gaining more and more distance from the other racers. “Whoa, they’re fast!” I said.“Very,” Awen said. “What would I give to take a look at that engine.”I glanced at my friend, then used a bit of Cleaning magic to wipe away the drool collecting on the edge of her mouth. She didn't seem to notice, eyes focused intently into the distance. Suddenly, she gasped, and I spun to follow her gaze.The Smokestack was wobbling to the side, more smoke than usual trailing off its sides. “What happened?” I asked.“They were shot,” Caprica said. She pointed to the Bellowing Beast leading the pack of slightly slower ships. The front of the airship had opened up to reveal a large ballista with two drolls reloading it with bolts that were longer than they were tall.“The Beast is showing its fangs early this year! Sniping our local champion right out of the skies! World knows if the Smokestack will be able to recover from this!”The ballista was rearmed, then it fired, the bolt flinging ahead with enough force that the entire ship shook.The Smokestack was falling back to deal with the damage from the first bolt, and now in an eyeblink, the second bolt was halfway to the Shady Lady-"No!" I gasped or maybe shouted-An unmistakable "HA-HAH!" crashed over us, knocking my ears back and setting the metal of the tower to vibrating.The bolt collided with something too small to see and exploded in mid-air only a dozen metres from the Lady’s rear.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.The crowd roared in shock and awe.“What was that?” Calamity asked.“Uncle must have shot down the bolt,” Awen said.“With what? I didn’t even see him carrying a weapon,” Calamity said.“His favourite weapons are pebbles,” Awen said. “He just... picks them up.”“Your uncle’s kinda scary,” Calamity said.The race didn’t stop for us to chit-chat. It was actually actively changing moment by moment. The Bellowing Beast was catching up to the lead the others had gotten near the start, especially since the leaders had to duck and weave to avoid its attacks. The Shady Lady slipped into first as the other ship in the lead got hit by a glancing blow that poked a hole through its gasbag.The racers slalomed through the maze of chimneys and smokestacks near the industrial side of the city. I held my breath as those in the lead were forced to slow down to make it through, letting the others behind them catch up.By the time they were through, the Shady Lady was back in the midst of the pack, with the Bellowing Beast surging out ahead and the Smokestack falling behind a little.The Dawn Screecher was at the rear, but it looked like it had fixed itself up and was speeding along to try and catch up with the rest.“And they’re coming around! Watch your ears kids, this is going to be loud!” the announcer shouted above.The first lap soon came to an end, the ships racing around the final stretch of the lap before roaring past.I tugged down on my ears as the overpowering wall of noise battered us. The growling engines and howling propellers combined with the frenzied cheering of the crowd to produce utter pandemonium, which was further enhanced by thick waves of dust that smothered us in the airships' wake.The crowd, at least, had a few wind mages pushing against the dust. We got blasted for a split second before I thought to push against the dust with Cleaning magic.The ships continued to shoot past until the last one had entered the second lap. The flags from the balloons marking out the first lap had dropped, and a new set rose along the route for the second lap. This time, they’d loop around the second track for the final lap, which meant going even further out and around, across forests and craggy hillsides.The Shady Lady was gaining, and the racers were starting to spread out a lot more. It was clear that a number of them just weren’t all that fast. The Bellowing Beast still kept in the lead though.Then I noticed a sort of heat-haze radiating up out of the forest that I was pretty sure hadn’t been there before. “What’s that?” I asked.Before anyone could respond, a brace of large fireballs flashed out of the woods and slammed into the Bellowing Beast’s underside, at least, the first few did. A shimmering shield appeared, covering the airship’s hull, but it was too late for the first few strikes which had already struck.“Oh! The cheaters aren’t even being subtle this year! Are they targeting the Beast because it’s in the lead, or is it the main target of their ire! Recall that the Ember Hounds took out the Red Wing’s racer last year in this very same lap!” the announcer said.The crowd cheered and booed in equal measure, so I wasn’t sure if they didn’t like the cheating or not.The Bellowing Beast continued its flight, but it had to move with its shields up. Squinting, I could just make out the form of a person hanging off the side of the ship with a wand in hand holding the shield up. That couldn’t be cheap on mana.With the lead ship distracted, a few of those behind it made a run for first place, they zipped past the Bellowing Beast and there were too many of them moving past for its ballista to do anything about it.Then more fire came from the forest in great big gouts that curved towards the ships above.The solution, it looked like, was to gain altitude to make it harder for the fire to reach them. The fireballs could only move so quickly and the ships were moving targets at a distance. It did make for a cool show, seeing the airships flying through columns of quickly dissipating fire.“They can’t keep that up for long,” Caprica said. “anti-airship magic attacks are notoriously mana-expensive.”The racers spread out, and I was happy to see the Shady Lady roaring ahead. Surprisingly, the Smokestack and the Dawn Screecher were both making comebacks in this section.Then they reached the crags.“This is where the real challenge begins!” the announcer said.“Oh no,” I said. That couldn’t be good.Just as the first ship crossed the start of the crags, a balloon shot upwards from the ground, rising rapidly into the sky and trailing a long cable beneath it. Then another rose, and another, each spread out from the rest until there were some two dozen balloons in the sky blocking the racer’s paths and rising up much higher than they could.“What are those?” I asked.“They’re barrage balloons,” Caprica said. “They have steel cables under them, to catch flyers. At the speeds they’re all moving at, a collision could be trouble.”I winced as one of the lead ships must have caught one of those cables because the balloon above it jerked down and the ship was sent spinning sideways as if struck, then some parts went flying as they were ripped off.The balloons were joined by more underhanded cheating. There must have been catapults or something hiding in the crags because large flaming rocks were soon tossed up and into the air on high arcs that could easily reach the belly of the airships above.The Bellowing Beast, struggling to regain its momentum after the fireball attacks, crashed into a cable, its shield having expired. The large ship lurched as the cable slashed its balloon, and it plummeted towards the crags below. It was too far for me to see clearly, but I thought I saw parachutes blooming from the falling ship. The crew escaped!The crowd gasped collectively as one of the front-runners disappeared from the race.
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