[center][h2]Festival of the Red Leaves[/h2][/center] [center][b]I[/b][/center] “See that? The yellow huts contrast with the green hills and fields! Y’reckon they did it on purpose, Mozzymoz?” Quiqui asked, her gold eyes glued to the warm, picturesque countryside that rolled on and on to either side of the Silvan Internodal 14. The Chariot bounced and skid. They were hit from behind, sending an endless amount of bits and bobs flying around Quiqui’s half of the cockpit. She squealed and coughed as a flask of perfume broke and doused her in the extremely fragrant liquid. Mozmoz’s hatch opened with a hiss, with the Ratkin beauty quickly standing up on her seat and flipping off the Chariot behind theirs, all while maintaining control of the steering bar with her right foot. “Fuck off you freaks!” Mozmoz shouted, a bunch of barely-clothed beastkin immediately leaning out of the following chariot’s cockpit to cheer. “MARRY ME MOZMOZ!” “ANGEL SIGHTED! ANGEL SIGHTED!!!” “WANNA PLAY CAT AND MOUSE WITH ME??!!” “PLEASE STEP ON ME, MOUSE MOMMY” Mozmoz growled and slid back into her seat, not even bothering to look at Quiqui before shouting. “Stop spacing out, Qui! This place is like a warzone-” “I’’LL KILL ALL OF YOU BASTARDS, THAT WAS MY FAVOURITE BOTTLE OF BENEAVOLENCE!” Quiqui roared, leaning out of her cockpit to shoot her arm-mounted crossbow at the chariot behind. The bolt struck the chariot’s front wheel, sending the vehicle skidding into a beautiful barn on the side of the road, where it exploded in a mix of purple soulfire, splinters, and the grieving moans of the desperate. “Shit like this is why I love you, Quiqui.” Laughed Mozmoz as they sped forward into the Canyon section of the stage. [center][b]II[/b][/center] “The Ratcaves’ Beauty Pair speeds ahead, catching up to the second group’s lead, Bitall of the Strongteeth! Will their Chariot, the Rathaus, hold up this time!?” “Meanwhile, the Mysterious Silvan Star maintains a comfortable lead on all other racers and is about to leave the Canyon section! The Anak’s Thas seems to have been built for this terrain, with- WAIT, WHAT’S THIS?!” [center][b]III[/b][/center] [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDhkDJqFTbA&list=PLhaVnVFCipSpMPy445bPSeF44KtVOk75p&index=20]Rocks and debris fell from above[/url], crashing against the cobblestone road and sending shrapnel everywhere. The Silvan Star swerved to avoid the ambush. Suddenly, Ballista bolts started to rain from above, with more than a couple finding their way into the Anak’s Thas chassis. MASTEKEN watched this from behind as he struggled to avoid the bombardment as well. Suddenly, a piece of shrapnel penetrated his cockpit screen and lodged itself firmly into his clavicle. He yelped in pain, but managed to keep the Fang under control. Riding the damn Chariots was hard enough without being shot at, he thought with a growl escaping his maw. It wasn’t just him suffering, he realised. Many chariots in front, behind or to either side of him were swerving right onto the cliffs or into falling rocks, or being taken out by well placed ballista bolts. He didn’t want to use his trump card so early but as he felt his vision grow blurry and his grip slip, he pressed the release button on his dashboard. He heard the thump of two plates released from the back of the Fang, and then he pressed the ‘Rock’ button. The recoil was enough to absolutely disintegrate the back of the Fang, sending MASTEKEN and his cockpit right into one of the canyon cliff faces. [center][b]IV[/b][/center] “MASTEKEN’s done it! He’s shot both his catapults, and now the biggest rockslide I’ve ever seen is happening! The Silvan ambush has been taken care of! As expected of the Fang, he is honourable until the very end!” [center][b]V[/b][/center] Bitall laughed heartily, pushing his Bone-Grinder right against Eleanna’s Bronze Spear, making her swerve right towards a massive mound of debris. “TOO EASY! And you call yourself a goddess, HAHAHA!” Bitall roared, as he piloted his Chariot through the only bit of road still clear enough to ride through. He didn’t expect to see the Bronze Spear soaring through the air and landing right in front of him. “What the fuck!” He shouted. “Don’t underestimate your Goddess, dumbass!” Eleanna shouted back at him, barely missing his head with one of her arm-ballista bolts as they cleared the Canyon section. [center][b]VI[/b][/center] “Over half of the racers have already cleared the Canyon and are approaching the Marbled City! How will they deal with the silvan and soldier-infested roads? Let’s hope they’re prepared for some rough riding!” [center][b]VII[/b][/center] The Silvan Star huffed. His long silver hair flowed in the airflow inside his cockpit, steam almost covering the entirety of the glass screen up until the moment he let the cockpit slide open. As soon as he did that, he saw the legionnaire fortifications up ahead. Ballistas, catapults, scorpions, as well as at least ten different watchtowers and a hundred men. The Silvan Star bit his lip and furrowed his brow. “Bastards…!” He hissed. Yet another shower of ballista bolts suddenly rained down from above. The very air crackled with energy as the bolts penetrated the cobblestone road and lit up, then exploded. He saw a shadow shooting towards him and he twisted in time to avoid a ballista bolt that went straight through where he had just been sitting. It lodged itself in his seat and began to glow. His heart skipped a beat. He grabbed the bolt and pulled it free of his Chariot’s fuselage and threw it as far as he could, shielding his face as burning splinters rained down on him. With blood beginning to pour down his face, he focused back up front and saw a whole legion beginning to form up between him and the entrance to the Marbled City. His teeth chattered as he brought his finger upon the big red button on his dashboard. “Freedom… It will be mine!” He declared, pressing the button. [center][b]VIII[/b][/center] “The Mysterious Silvan Star has just used his trump card, the Silver Sweep! He’s just shot a dozen crystal-laced projectiles at the blockade set up by the Silvan Legions! Wow, can he really get any cooler than this?! He’s just gone through the entrance to the city, and is now riding his chariot through the busy streets! Whew, was that a pedestrian he just ran over? Tough luck!” “Meanwhile, Bitall seems to have given up and has gone off course! We all know Bitall though, surely he’s got some slimy thing planned? Who knows, but wolfettes and gentlebeasts, make sure to check the Silvan Markets this coming weekend! It seems the Beauty Pair, the Bronzed Bloom, as well as many other pilots are catching up to the Silvan Star, however! Will our favourite Silvan get to finally snag a win for his patrons, or is he doomed to fail prey to Daman Supremacy once more?!” [center][b]IX[/b][/center] Eleanna hummed the Daman hymn as she rode the Bronze Spear through the packed main avenue of the Marbled City. She laughed as men, women, and children alike dove out of the way of her Chariot and tried to save their stalls and possessions from the onslaught of Chariots now pouring through their city. Of course, she could see the military emplacements on top of the buildings flanking each side of the avenue, but all of that was beginner stuff. She only had to ride her chariot in their blind spots and she’d be safe… Obviously, that was something the other riders didn’t seem to know. She came to understand this much when one of the would-be racers that attempted to overtake her got blown to bits by a single well placed crystal bolt. Soon, the critical moment had arrived. She turned a tight corner and veered off course, with several other chariots following her. [center][b]X[/b][/center] “The Bronzed bloom has gone off course! She’s heading straight for the most fortified section of the city – The Node itself! And following her are ten unmarked Chariots… They must be her Companions, who must have joined the race sometime during the Canyon section!” [center][b]XI[/b][/center] Yenna came to a sudden stop right behind the Bronze Spear and hopped out of her Chariot to find Eleanna beating up an unconscious legionnaire. She had no weapons other than her arm-ballista, and no armour other than the purely technical chariot jumpsuit. And still she had decided to go through with her craziest plan yet. Yenna herself wasted no time adjusting her armour and ran up to her Goddess, who picked up the legionnaire’s shield and bronze khopesh and walked fearlessly up to the still-open gates. As Eleana and her companion approached the central Bastion great horns bellowed from its towers. From atop the towers gleaming particles began to gather, as if wind had turned gold. All the gates fell shut in an instant. All but one. The horns bellowed again. People ducked and jumped away. A beam shot for the parked chariots, practically evaporating the wood-and-bronze vehicles. The second Companion to arrive on scene was not as lucky as Yenna, for he was targeted by the beam the moment he slowed down. In the blink of an eye and with a resounding thunder, he and his chariot were turned into a smoking pile of ash. Eleanna shut her jaw tightly and ran straight for the still open gates. Two, then three Chariots passed her and burst into the Bastion, with her Companions jumping out of the vehicles with bows and slings in hand. They shot at the men atop the walls and towers, taking cover behind their Chariots and shouting obscenities at the Silvans. The Silvans were shouting obscenities right back, until suddenly an order was barked. From high up, the speedy beastmen could barely hear the word ‘knightfall’. All the archers and arcanii suddenly moved from the walls. Loud thudding could be heard from ahead. When suddenly a handful of humanoid shapes leapt from the walls. In the bright sun the beastmen could only see the silhouettes of whatever was coming down. For a second the whole inner courtyard of the bastion was serene. Until – with great violence – a humanoid construct twice the size of a regular human crashed down with his spear into one of the chariots. Crushing the vehicle entirely and the driver underneath it as well. Two more of the knights crashed down beside the two remaining chariots. One chariot was pushed aside as another flung its axe at the driver. The last driver could get one good look at the shape that now stood before him. Its legs were double jointed like a horse’s, and its body was a dull, orange color with gleaming, crystalline eyes. These things were fashioned to look like heavily armored humans. “Hubris.” It scoffed, before raising its blade and cutting the beastman down. Upon seeing such a display of awesome force, both Eleanna and Yenna stopped in their tracks just a few dozen metres short of the courtyard where the flaming wreckages of the Companions’ chariots lay. “... Fuck.” Yenna gasped, immediately grabbing one of Eleanna’s arms. “WOW! Cool chariots!” Eleanna shouted at the mechanical knights, just in time for five other chariots of her own to arrive. They skid to a stop in between Eleanna and the knights. A large lizardkin jumped out of the chariot closest to her and nodded at her, a massive grin on his misshapen face. “Jaw!” Yenna cried out in relief. “Those things are mine, Anna! Go away and let me have my fun.” He snorted, pulling out a positively massive club out of his chariot, his veins and arteries suddenly starting to glow a bright silver. “What!! But I was here first, you turtle!” Eleanna protested, just in time for a battle cry to pierce through the air. She turned slightly to see one of her Companions charging at two knights, jumping through the air and above a swing of its axe to land on its shoulder, burying his spear to the handle in its joint. The knight’s arm fell limp just in time for the companion to yelp as she noticed a massive metallic fist heading for her. It hit her so hard it sent her straight through a wall and into a house. “Ah, for struggle’s sake…” Eleanna groaned as she switched her normal arm-ballista bolt for an unexploded crystal-laced one that she found stuck to the ground nearby. “Hey, what’re you-” The air whined as Eleanna shot the bolt at the offending knight. Metal screeched loudly as the bolt penetrated the knight’s chestpiece and began to glow. The twitching knight only had enough time to grab onto the bolt with its only functional arm before it exploded, pushing back the other knight that had rushed to its help. Pieces of the first knight rained all over the battlefield while the other knight struggled to get back up on its feet. “Knock yourselves out. You owe me a dozen pints, Jaw-breaker.” Eleanna shook her head and chuckled, then followed Yenna into her chariot, as the Bronze Spear had been destroyed. Having been left on their own device, Jaw-breaker and his friends focused on the lone knight in front of them and wielded their varied weapons. Their Souls glowed bright, and then they charged. [center][b]XII[/b][/center] “Eleanna’s Bronze Spear has been destroyed by the Silvan Forces! There is no need to fret however, as she’s safe and sound and has jumped into everyone’s favourite Hyena’s chariot. Jaw-breaker, Mender, Punsh, Poqqi, and Bik have been left behind to distract the Silvan’s chariots! Everyone, wish for the Companions’ safety, even as the Marbled City burns in the heat of Soulfire and Adventure!” The Announcer hummed. “Aaand… Good news, ladies and gentlebeasts! I’ve gotten word that The Mysterious Sylvan Star has just passed the finishing line to the north of the Marbled City! I wonder what he’s going to ask from the Goddess… Money? Power? Maybe… Freedom?! Thirteen seconds behind the Silvan Star, the Beauty Pair cross the finish line in second place, followed by the rest of the losers!” [hider=Summary] The Red leaf race continues, this time going through Node 14 and its capital city. Eleanna makes a stop at an entrance to the bastion protecting the node and attempts to fight through along with her companions, but is stopped by their mecha knights and has to retreat. The Mysterious Silvan Star wins the race, and Eleanna herself is disqualified from the race due to her chariot being completely destroyed. [/hider] [hider=Might] None used 5 Might Remaining [/hider]