[center][h2]Festival of the Red Leaves[/h2] First Stage[/center] “Only 20 paces left in the first stage of this year’s Red Leaf Race! Against all expectations, the Bronzed Bloom Eleanna herself is still in the lead! She’s heading straight for the finish line at the Southern Temple in her Chariot, Bronze Spear!” The announcer’s excited voice came through Rac’s earpiece. He grunted as he swerved, barely evading a rock in the middle of the sandy road. Tall dunes stretched as far as the eye could see on either side of the road, with the only evidence of other Chariot Pilots being nearby being that of the massive cloud of sand that had been kicked up by their wheels and the constant roar permeating the air. “Right on the Bronzed Bloom’s tail is last year’s Red Leaf champion, The Wolves’ MASTEKEN, riding his world-famous Fang; who’s in turn being followed by The Lampseekers’ Mysterious Silvan Star riding their prototype Chariot Anak’s Thas! Finally, we’ve got The Daman Lands’ most despicable, most hateable, most handsome villain, the Strongteeth’s Bitall catching up to the Silvan Star, riding his aptly-named Bone-Grinder.” Rac’s heart skipped a beat as he saw a set of huge shadows emerge from the sandcloud. “Fuck!” He shouted, swerving and evading the falling and tumbling Chariot pieces, all coloured either black or red with white smoke trailing from them. “[I]WOW![/I] The second group’s lead, The Toothfixers’ Dr. Smiles, has just gone up in pieces! Was it a rock that did him in? A fault in his Chariot? Or perhaps… A pothole?!” Rac furrowed his brow, sweat trailing down every wrinkle and dripping down his chin. In the distance, he heard the roars of what undoubtedly was… “No! It’s the First Stage’s Surprise Element, none less than The Ruler of the Sands, the Eater of Pilgrims, the Desert Sun himself, [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiU4EAHEfq0]The Bronzed Maw![/url]” Rac gulped and evaded yet another Chariot that flew through the sandcloud. This one was unmistakable. The blue and white colours of MASTEKEN’s Chariot trailed through the air and crashed down unceremoniously onto the sandstone road behind Rac. One of the Chariots following Rac had one of the bigger pieces fall on top of it, sending it swerving right into a sand dune. He could feel his body running dry, but he was so close! He grit his teeth and reached for the Soul-Burner limiter, pulling it so hard that the whole cockpit shook. He blackout out for a split moment, and the next thing he knew was that he had emerged from the sandcloud and could see the tails of the three leading Chariots, Bronze Spear, Anak’s Thas and Bone-Grinder. In the middle of the three Chariots was a massive, ape-like Werebeast with a golden coat of hair and horns covered in countless scratches and chips. It was the Bronzed Maw, and it was chasing the Chariots. “The Shrubs’ Rac the Righteous, riding his Second-hand Jermannic Shield, has just caught up to the leading group after an impressive Soul-burn! Will he be okay?!” Something shot out of Bronze Spear’s top and at the Bronzed Maw. It roared as blood sprayed everywhere, coating the Chariots. “It has begun! Bronzed Bloom has fired the first shot of her wrist-mounted ballista, and at the Maw no less! It’s only a matter of time before-” A gigantic arc of lightning came down from the heavens right onto the Silvan Star, and redirected immediately at the Maw, who caught the lightning with his horns and threw it at Bitall’s Bone-Grinder. As the thunder and the shockwave reached Rac, he saw Bitall fall behind with a singed coat, banging on his steering bar. As he was distracted another wail came from the Maw followed by a spray of blood that reached even him at the back, covering half of his cockpit screen. “And yet another bolt from the Bronzed Bloom herself!” Suddenly, the Maw turned around and jumped at Rac, its roar cracking his screen. He fed his Soul-burner as much of his soul as it would take, feeling himself being pushed back into his seat as the Chariot shot forward. As he passed below the airborne Maw, its sharp toenails tore off his Chariot’s roof and cockpit dome. The wind struck him so hard he nearly lost consciousness, but he managed to keep awake even with blood flowing freely from his eyes, ears, nose and mouth. With Rac out of the range of the Maw, the beast decided to focus on attacking the pilots further back in the race, leaving the three leading chariots to their own devices. It was too late for self control, Rac thought, it was do or die. So he kept burning his soul and shot past the smoking Silvan Star and right up to the Bronzed Bloom’s side, exchanging a bloodied gaze with the Goddess sitting in her cockpit, who was bleeding just as much as him. She scoffed at him and aimed her ballista at him, only for him to bump into her Chariot and force her to miss her shot. “You’ll have to listen to my request now, Bronzed Bloom!” Shouted Rac, with Eleanna grimacing and coughing up blood. Rac grinned madly as his eyes set on the finish line coming into view just as the Southern Temple came into view atop one of the dunes. “AND… THE FIRST TO CROSS THE FINISH LINE, AND THE FIRST TO BE GRANTED THE RIGHT TO DEMAND ANYTHING FROM THE BRONZED BLOOM HERSELF IS RAC THE RIGHTEOUS, THE PALADIN SPONSORED BY THE SHRUBS!” [hider=Summary] The first stage of the Red Leaf Race takes place with Righteous Rac, one of Benea’s travelling Paladins, being the winner. This earns him the right to demand anything from Eleanna herself. [/hider] [hider=Might] 0 Might remaining [/hider]