Mission Prompt: Race Across Fiore [COMPLETE]

[Hales]

Race Across Fiore

Background/Context:


The race across Fiore is an annual event that allows for individuals without any magical inclination to partake in the biggest race in existence. There is always a prize pot and this year, it is bigger than it has ever been. The race rules are simple:

• Each racer must pass through each checkpoint and cross the finish line.
  
• No racer may inhibit any other racer.
  
• No racer may be assisted by any type of vehicle or machinery.
  
• No racer may use magic to assist them.
  

The two top competitors this year are Klint Tarker and Indy Jamis and rumor has it that Klint intends to cheat. Klint is a well known petty criminal who has never been caught because he gets away too fast. He has associations with several local crime lords and it has been heard that he owes a lot of them money - so the prize would be something he would do anything to obtain. Indy, meanwhile is a young boy - only 15 years old - and he has been running his whole life training so that one day he could enter the race to win the prize money and help dig his family out of poverty.


Indy’s family has sent a request to the magic guilds asking them to send some wizards to keep an eye on Indy throughout his race and to protect him because they fear that Klint may have some nasty tricks up his sleeve. The family points out that while Indy and Klint may be forbidden from using magic, they are not prevented from hiring guild members as an escort or as protection. The family does not want Indy to know that they are protecting him because he would view it as cheating.


Objective(s):

• Assist Indy in getting to each checkpoint and crossing the finish line without his knowledge.
  
• There may (there will) be a few minor dark guild members assisting Klint. People accepting this mission may have to engage them.
  
• Observe for hazards within the route and minimize them when possible
  

Villain(s)/Obstacle(s):


Klint - the gangster willing to do whatever it takes to win the race and claim the prize money


Natural factors such as weather and terrain may also create obstacles the group has to overcome.


Character Requirement(s):


Ability to access a mission request board. No S-Class wizards.


Reward:


While the individuals who requested this mission are impoverished, they have offered a quarter of the prize pot to any wizards assisting Indy in the race if he should win the race.


Current Characters (4/5):

1. Jamke Dain (A-Class) - Lamia Scale -@utdfan22
   
2. Cliff Gallagher (C-Class) - Quatro Cerberus -@sonicfreak101
   
3. Xanthi Maneev (C-Class) - Mermaid Heel -@Nutter
   
4. Valeska (B-Class) - Guildless -@DeadgurlXD
   
5. Avrill Nat (B-Class) - Blue Pegasus - @general ostruppen
   

Mission Prompt Creator:@Hales


Moderator Sponsor:@BLUR


Host Player:@Hales


Status: Closed


Introductory Post

“Welcome one! Welcome all! ‘Tis the race of the year, let’s see who’s fastest of them all!” A loud booming voice filled with enthusiasm rang through the entire town of Hargeon as people bustled about everywhere along the streets, void of all vehicular traffic and yet clogged with people. People from all over Fiore would be in town for this event as they did every year; not only was it a race for a large sum of money, but it was also a long lived tradition that brought everyone together and no one was really in the mood to take that away from the people who very much deserved a reprieve from normal life.


“The Race Across Fiore will be starting soon!” the announcer’s voice continued to echo through every corner of the city, bouncing even into the allies where people were hesitant to go because within this city especially, they could become dangerous fast. “Racers report to the starting line! Citizens, clear the streets! Let’s get this show on the road!”


Amidst all the excited people, one could hear the screams of other people as well. “Popcorn! Get your popcorn!”


“Cotton Candy! We got cotton candy!”


“Bets taken here! Place your bets on who will win it all! Klint’s the frontrunner by far! Will you bet with the underdog?”


The starting line was crudely drawn on the road running right along the water with white spray paint and along it were about 10 contestants, a few appearing out of place when compared to the others. One particular boy looked very young compared to all the others, although it was obvious from the way he carried himself that age was nothing to judge him by in this competition. He looked calm and collected as he surveyed the others with cool blue eyes. Two of the racers were female although they didn’t seem to be too interested in the presence of the other. Then there was the frontrunner, Klint Tarker. While his hair was darker, with a few visible gray strands, his age was clearly nothing to judge him by as his muscular legs were very noticeable while he jumped around keeping his body warm and prepared for the start of the race.


Along the road, ropes were set up keeping the crowds back from the street itself because that was where the runners would run as soon as the gun fired. Most of the racers weren’t really watching the crowd, preferring to keep themselves from allowing any nervousness to set in. Klint’s eyes, though, scanned it with an almost nervous tick as he noticed that within the crowd there were several suspicious figures, cloaked and hooded in black concealing their faces. Swiftly, someone paying close attention would’ve noticed that he looked behind him quickly after that, his eyes falling on a woman with vivid red hair. He gave the slightest of nods before watching her vanish into the crowd.


Another woman had been standing close to the red haired woman - not quite next to this woman although it was close enough to say there was proximity. This woman nervously looked around, her head turning in all directions before flickering to the youngest racer occasionally with almost a protective element in her eyes. “Where are they?” she muttered under her breath softly, remembering the note she had left on the job request she had sent out telling any mages who would accept her request to meet her behind the starting line for further details. Although it was still a few minutes from race time, she knew she wasn’t going to let her son race without a pair of eyes on him at all times.


Legend:


Announcer


Salesperson / Salesperson / Salesperson


Lisa Jamis (the client)


Tags: @utdfan22 @Nutter @DeadgurlXD @sonicfreak101

 

[DeadgurlXD]

Valeska of the K2K

​

Gambling Gangsters

Valeska looked around at the energetic atmosphere around her and smiled. She ran a hand through her long red hair before it came to rest on her bare hip. She wore low fitting short shorts as well as a tank to fit the warm weather. She smirked as she spotted some men who were staring at her, it was always fun for her to show off too. She began to walk over to them. “Excuse me, boys, but do you know where a lady like me could get a beer?” She questioned, closing in on one of the men in particular. She was quickly handed a drink by one of them.


“You know, that gunna cost ya, baby.” The man responded, excitement in his voice. Valeska turned to him with a grin.


“You couldn’t afford me.” She stated simply before walking away, taking a sip from her new drink. Alright, its gotta be around here somewhere. Valeska thought to herself as she continued her trek through the crowd.


“Bets taken here! Place your bets on who will win it all! Klint’s the frontrunner by far! Will you bet with the underdog?” Valeska heard a voice in the distance.


There we go. The gangster smirked and headed toward the voice. She walked up to a tightly packed crowd, all with money. The ones without money currently in their hands were holding desperately onto their tickets. “Who do we got this year?!” Valeska shouted over some of the gamblers. The man handing out the tickets turned to her before shaking his head and smiling.


“Valeska! You don’t miss a bet, do ya!” He replied.


The gangster girl grinned back. “You of all people should know!” She was handed a piece of paper with all the contestants, next to their names was a place to write down how much money you were betting. Hmm, lets see here...Victor, Larry, Gabe, Tyler…..hmm nah...Riley, maybe...Adam...no...Ivy looks promising, then again….that Heidi. Valeska suddenly frowned. There he is, the damn gangster. She thought as she looked upon the name of Klint. I’m here because of you, you bastard. Her eyes finally reached the last name: Indy. Hmm, this one’s new..the underdog maybe? Her eyes suddenly widened. Wait THATS the dude I’m protecting? I feel like he looks different than in the job request….She narrowed her eyes and pulled a pen from the nearby table. Once finished writing she handed it to the man along with her money.


The man’s eyes crinkled as he smiled. “Watch out folks! Valeska here just bet a whole 500 on Indy! Better watch out, she’s been bettin on this race a long time and has almost never lost! Who thinks they can take her!?” The man shouted quickly followed by a whole crowd of new gamblers, desperate to raise the stakes. Satisfied with her work, Valeska walked away from the tight crowd, she had a mission to do here. She took another sip of her beer as she looked around for the starting line.


Seeing a gathering of people Valeska thought she might as well try that direction. Walking over, she flirted with a few more guys. Laughing to herself, at least she was having a good time. After revealing that the gathering of people was just an overly large group of friends she groaned and walked up wot the nearest man. When he saw her walking over to him he grinned, causing Valeska to grin. “Excuse me, do you know where the startin’ line is?” She questioned, invading the man’s personal space. Surprised at how forward she was, the man simply pointed to his left. With a small pat on the man’s chest Valeska walked toward where the man pointed.


Valeska gave a sigh of relief when she finally stumbled upon the starting line. “Finally.” She grumbled. She looked around but no one stood out to her. Taking another sip of her beer, she walked around. “MRS. JAMIS!” Valeska shouted, hoping for a response from her client.


Standing a short distance behind the starting line, a woman turned around at the sound of her name. She had longer brown hair with gentle dark eyes and simple clothing. While it was obvious she had tried to look nice for the occasion she was attending, her clothing were too plain to pull it off the right way. She waved in the direction the sound of her name had come from.


Seeing the woman wave, Valeska walked toward her. She looked her up and down, taking another sip of her beer. Typical mom look I guess. Valeska reasoned.

@Hales


legend:


Valeska talking/thinking


Drunk dude


Salesperson

 

[utdfan22]

JAMKE DAIN [Lamia Scale]

​

Jamke's silver hair bounced about messily as he tried to move through the crowd. His shy nature had him regretting his choice of job as he was dragged along by the currents of people. He just couldn't bring himself to force his way through at the moment, completely unused to navigating such giant groups. "It doesn't help that I have no idea where the starting line is supposed to be at this point. I'm running out of time but I have no idea which way to go." The soft spoken Lamia Scale wizard sighed as he heard the booming voice of the announcer start calling for the streets to clear.


Jamke managed to squeeze free of the crowd, managing to take advantage of his dexterous body to avoid being dragged further along. The young man adjusted his plain white t-shirt, the bandages on his hands in plain view as he glanced around to get his bearings. Given his... questionable sense of direction, this had become an incredibly practiced skill for him. He was feeling a bit cramped in the busy city and it was making him anxious to get started on the job. The missive in the guild hall had made it sound rather urgent and he related very strongly to someone trying to pull themselves out of poverty. "I know what's its like to struggle to make a living... and how hard everyone tries to hide that pain from their kids," Jamke's mused as he unintentionally dragged up an unpleasant memory. The day he'd come home with a petty problem and found his mother lying unconscious on the floor. He shook off those feelings, realising it wasn't helping his situation. At least he'd remembered why he'd chosen this job and found his determination again.


A hand ran through the snow caster's silver hair as he found his bearings and recited the directions in his head. He spotted a shop name that his overly detailed notes had used as a landmark and realised he hadn't gone as far wrong as he'd expected. Spotting a free path, Jamke started to move quickly in the temporary oasis the disorganised movement of the people had created. Turning the corner, Jamke kept his movement going in order to squeeze between two buildings and coming to the back of a gathered group. Glancing at the walls of the alley walls, a slight smile crossed his face. Jamke used the tight space to climb by jamming his elbows and knees against the surface, sliding them along it to gain altitude. He only gained a foot or so of height from his standing position but it was enough to glance over the heads of the crowd and catch sight of the starting line. Jamke's grin widened as he let out a relieved breath, "I made it in time."


The selection of athletes was impressive and a part of Jamke wanted to join the race to see how far he could go. He chuckled slightly at the wayward thought before his eyes fell on the boy they were meant to be watching out for. What immediately drew his attention came when the boy turned his head at one point, stretching the muscles slightly before the race began. It wasn't the slow and deliberate movement though, it was the calm blue eyes. Jamke's own azure eyes recognised the calculating scan, the sizing up of the other racers. Jamke took an instant liking to Indy, appreciating the way he approached what must have been a nerve wracking situation.


Hearing his client's name being shouted in a woman's voice amidst the bustle caught him offguard but suited his purposes just fine. He tucked his arms and legs in before landing in a crouch. He glanced down at the white bandages tracing up around his biceps, making sure they were still fully intact and presentable. Satisfied that they were, he began sliding out into the open. Jamke's eyes perused the area before his eyes were drawn by a woman with long brown hair waving in the direction that the shouting had come from. Her clothing was quite simple but he recognised the effort to appear nice for the occasion. He approached while scratching his cheek slightly awkwardly. As he drew near her, he hesitantly asked, "You wouldn't happen to be Mrs. Jamais, would you?" He smiled softly at the woman before glancing at the tank top wearing female approaching them. He automatically offered her the same pleasant expression and a brief nod of acknowledgment.

 

[sonicfreak101]

Cliff Gallagher

Enter the Melancholy Mage

The air around the starting line seemed to cool slightly as a wizard with a brown baseball cap and staff arrived. He glanced around at all the commotion, trying to spot his client. He maneuvered through the crowd of people, and made his way to the starting line. Cliff hoped, after his utter fail in Scava, that he would do better on this mission. It had been a mistake to let Lance drag him into such a difficult mission. This request was much better suited to the heat mage, or so he prayed. Cliff found it hard to believe that he could do anything right, especially when he let down so many people last time.


As Cliff was lost in his depressive thoughts, he heard a voice call out, “MRS. JAMIS!” from somewhere near the starting line. Cliff froze, turning slowly towards the noise. I know that voice… Cliff paled when he saw none other than Valeska talking with his client. What have I gotten myself into? Cliff slowly made his way over to Mrs. Jamis, not looking forward to have to deal with the overly flirtatious woman.


“Hello? Mrs. Jamis?” Cliff approached the mother of Indy, sticking out his hand. “I’m Cliff Gallagher, from Quatro Cerberus. I’m one of the mages you hired to look after your son.”


Legend:


Cliff talking/thinking


Valeska talking


@Hales @DeadgurlXD

 

[Nutter]

Xanthi Maneev

The short mage whistled to herself as she wove through the crowded street, haphazardly swinging her axe in one hand while holding a cloud of fluffy, pink cotton candy on a white paper stick. She’d come a bit early to enjoy the festivities of the town—especially the food. She’d eaten so much already that the candy floss didn’t seem so appetizing right now, but she could hardly throw it away. She could practically hear Granny screaming, “Don’t waste your food, you ungrateful brat!”


The chatter and laughter that rang in the air reminded her of the perpetually busy harbor back in her Joya hometown. She smiled fondly as two young siblings began rushing towards her, pretending to be competitors in the upcoming race.


“Watch out, bud!” Xanthi yelled at the brother, who was looking back at his lagging younger sister while running straight forwards. The small boy whipped his head around with wide, fearful eyes as he tried to slow himself down.


“Ahh!” He would have met an unfortunate fate by the blade of the Mermaid Heel mage’s axe if not for her dexterity. Snapping her wrist sharply, Xanthi managed to send the heavy weapon twisting into the air far above their heads. As the axe flipped over itself and began falling back towards the ground she lightly spun the boy around with her now free hand as though it were a dance. She let go of him and he spun into someone in the crowd. Smiling, it was not long before her hand, outstretched from releasing the boy, felt a rush of air on her palm as the axe passed it head first. Xanthi gripped the familiar weight of the axe’s long, wooden handle before it could slip past completely. All the while she had somehow kept her cotton candy intact, so she handed it off to the young boy.


“Share with your sister, okay?” Xanthi told him happily, pointing inconspicuously at the shocked little girl who stood not far away from the scene. People were clapping around them, probably thinking she was a performer and not here for a mission. The boy blushed, conscious of all the people.


“She’s not my sister!” He shouted belligerently, but still ran back to the girl and sheepishly gave her the sweet, sugary stuff. “Here! I don’t want it anyways!” The small crowd that still remained laughed at the boy’s reaction, and Xanthi used that moment to make her escaped. She tucked her axe into the belt of her jean overalls. She probably shouldn’t swing that thing around anymore, although it had been a great way to get people to move out of her way in the busy street. The mage hadn’t accounted for the kids, though. Better safe than sorry.


Xanthi wandered on, wading deeper and deeper into the thick swarm of bodies. She got a bit mixed up since with her short stature she had some trouble seeing over everyone. The announcer had just called for all non-competitors to clear the street so that the race could begin, and she let out a breath of relief as she got some of her personal space back. Making her way to one of the food carts along the side of the race track, she climbed up on one of the crates to get a better view still.


The mage’s golden eyes scanned the crowd near the starting line, immediately recognizing the competitor she’d be protecting during this trek. Indy, huh? Calm blue eyes stared determinedly ahead, and Xanthi immediately decided she liked the boy. He did look like a goody-two shoes, though… No wonder his mother wanted them to work in the background for this mission.


Right, right. The mother. Xanthi looked past the competitors for a woman that would fit the role of this boy’s mother. Hm… What was her name again?


As it turns out, however, Xanthi wouldn’t have to try too hard remembering. Just then, someone with a vaguely familiar voice screamed out the client’s name. Xanthi’s eyes locked on the woman who spun around. She looked… Well, she looked pretty “motherly” to the mage. Not that the later memories Xanthi had of her own mom were all that motherly.


Xanthi hopped down from her perch, her black and gray-streaked curls bouncing loosely as she once again threw herself into the throng of people standing between her and Mrs. Jamis. She pulled her pink bandana up from its resting position tied around her neck so that it covered her mouth and nose. Usually she’d use it to hold her hair back and out of her face, but today was a special circumstance. It was starting to smell seriously rank the longer people stood out in the sweltering sun, bodies pressed together and buzzing with excitement. You’d think Xanthi would have some sort of tolerance to this considering her years spent in a harbor filled with stinky fish and other salty ocean creatures, but you’d be wrong. The smell of stinky men was far worse than any odorous fish.


After being redirected a couple of times due to the tide of the crowd, Xanthi had managed to push into the little circle of people surrounding Mrs. Jamis behind the starting line. Around the plain woman stood a teen with silver hair who looked somewhere around Xanthi’s own age, an older man bright orange hair she’d seen before, and a lady with fiery red hair that reminded her of a certain foxy lady. She couldn’t say that the teen was familiar, but she had definitely been in the older pair’s company during their mission in Scava—though she usually tried not to think too much about that. Everyone seemed to have already introduced themselves, so the youngest (and the shortest) mage in their presence figured she should do the same.


“Hiya! I’m Xanthi Maneev. It’s nice ta meet ya, ma’am,” the mage greeted politely, remembering the manners that were all but beat into her (again) when she’d been leaving Mermaid Heel’s guild hall. She made a gesture that would look like she was tilting her hat toward the mother if she had been wearing one. Then she looked around their group of weird haired mages with a toothy smile. “So, we’re doing this mission together, huh? That’s good. Yup. Um- what’s our mission, exactly?”


Legend:


Xanthi talking


Xanthi's thoughts


Boy talking


Granny talking (sort of)


@Hales @DeadgurlXD @sonicfreak101 @utdfan22

 

[Hales]

Lisa Jamis

The first person who walked up to Lisa caused her to raise her eyebrows - not just a bit either. This was very much not the kind of person she had been expecting to volunteer to protect her son in the race. Her eyes travelled up and down the scantily dressed red haired woman rapidly as her face turned to panic before another man walked up. Turning to appraise the newcomer, her expression calmed down a bit. He looked a bit more like the type of person she had been expecting. “Yes,” Lisa answered his question. “I am Mrs. Jamis. You can call me Lisa, though. Don’t want to embarrass Indy by shouting out to the world that his mom is here watching.” Her eyes flickered to the red haired woman accusingly.


Not too soon after that, another mage walked up introducing himself as Cliff Gallagher and Lisa smiled at him kindly as further worry faded from her face, turning to a soft and kind expression. “Nice to meet you,” she said before another mage pushed into the little circle that they had created.


Finally, when all of them were standing in front of her, Lisa appraised them as a whole. “Well,” she sighed, still smiling, “I think this is all of you. They told me four had accepted and I wasn’t even expecting one.” Her eyes flickered to the racers on the starting line, running over all of them although they always made their way back to the youngest.


Shaking her head briefly, Lisa snapped herself from her daze of motherly concern and looked at the shortest mage and the last one to arrive as she contemplated the question. “Thank you for coming. My son, Indy,” she pointed him out as she named him, “will be racing in the Race Across Fiore and Klint,” she pointed to the frontrunner, “is his top competitor. I’m really concerned that things could get ugly really fast. Klint’s been known to be involved with gang activity. I… I just don’t want him to hurt my son.”


Worry was setting in again as she spoke, obvious as she wiped a drop of sweat from her forehead. “Indy would hate me for having hired you. He doesn’t think anything will go wrong, but I just…. I couldn’t be sure and he’s my only boy. Please keep an eye on him. The race is long and lord knows I couldn’t keep up even if I wanted to let alone protect him if trouble did arise.” As she finished her little monologue, her voice was pleading as she threw her hands out in front of her in clear concern. “Indy’s trying to win the money for our family because we don’t have much. He really is such a good kid. I can’t promise a reward, but if he does win I can share some of the prize money.”


As she finished explaining the situation, the announcer came on again, his voice bouncing across the buildings of the city. “The race starts in 5 minutes! Get yourselves to the starting line! I’m sure they’ll sprint off at the gunshot and give us a show to remember!”


Legend


Lisa Jamis


Announcer





@DeadgurlXD @utdfan22 @Nutter @sonicfreak101

 

[general ostruppen]

Averill Nat

​

Averill was getting ready to bet on one of the contestants of the race before meeting his clients. He was still thinking in his mind on who to choose, while stroking his chin. He was also carrying around his suitcase, containing all of his drinks and equipment for a mini bar for special occasions. “Watch out folks! Valeska here just bet a whole 500 on Indy! Better watch out, she’s been bettin on this race a long time and has almost never lost! Who thinks they can take her!?” That caught his attention, someone was betting somewhat high but he can raise even more. He watched the lady with red hair take her ticket and walked off with confidence on her face.After several minutes of waiting patiently, he finally got to the front to place his bet. "So my good sir, who will you be betting in this race today?" Waiting for the stranger to respond, he suddenly got a hand gesture to look down. As he did he saw a large stack of cash. "I will be betting 5,000 on Indy if I may." With that response everyone stopped with shock and stared at the Crazy man. "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?" People around were dumbstruck and shocked.


Averill was trying to figure out why everyone was making such a fuss. "Ummmm sir are you sure you want to bet with that high amount of money? I mean there many other contestants to bet on, if yah want." Averill gave thought and just pushed the money towards him with a straight face. He himself was a gambler and liked to raise the stakes, so far he hasn't lost in any bets so far. The man sighed and gave him his betting ticket. Averill received it and made way through the crowd, the people around him who heard of the large bet looked at him with both worry and anger. Some were looking at there tickets and probably thinking of just giving up on the spot. He managed to make his way through and spot the same woman he saw earlier. Accompanied with several other people, Averill took out two photo's of his client. He looked back and forth and realized that his client was up ahead. He walked towards them, till he was at least a foot behind the group. "Excuse me are you all by chance to work for Mr.Indy." But as he was speaking no one seemed to notice him, this tends to happen to people he just met. He then started tabbing the young lady with red hair, and maybe getting her attention which would draw the others.


@DeadgurlXD @utdfan22 @Nutter @sonicfreak101 @Hales

 

[utdfan22]

JAMKE DAIN (Lamia Scale)

​

The remainder of those who'd taken the job filled in around Mrs. Jamais, Jamke offering each of them a brief nod of polite acknowledgment on ingrained reflex. He was quite engrossed in Mrs.- Miss Lisa's request, his sympathy growing with every word. The fact that she reminded Jamke a lot of his own mother in some ways only reinforced the effect. He had to do something to reassure her or his conscience would bother him long after the job was finished. As the announcer called out his five minute warning, Jamke met the woman's kind eyes with a determined glance. "I promise your son won't come to harm during this race. I'll stake my pride as a Lamia Scale Mage on it."


As he glanced at the people he'd be working with, Jamke found himself surprisingly comfortable. It helped that the warm air that followed thick crowds like these seemed to have abated in favour of a pleasant cool. "Strange given that there's no breeze though," Jamke pondered but decided it didn't matter at that moment. The silver haired magic user nodded to the newest arrival, "Yes, we are all working for Mr. Indy." The snow caster smiled and bowed slightly to the group, "I'm sorry, I'm forgetting my manners. My name is Jamke Dain and I look forward to working with all of you."


Jamke's arms fell to his side but a slight formal stiffness remained in the limbs as they did so. His eyes quickly scanned his companions. His eyes lingered on the beer can in Valeska's hand, "I suppose with all the celebrations, a little drinking is understandable." The stubborn mage knew he could be somewhat overly stiff in regards to such matters and thus he resolved himself not to judge. Jamke's fingers curled slightly to loosen the muscles in his fingers, readying himself to begin the job. These people seemed pleasant and competent, Jamke was determined not to be dead weight dragging them down.

 

[Hales]

Let the Race.... Begin

All of a sudden, everything became silent leaving only the sound of the subtle breeze to whistle through the air, audible by all as a man stepped out next to the racers although he wasn’t quite standing in front of them - that would be dangerous. “Racers to your marks!” he called out as the crowd, held back by ropes that kept them off the road, leaned forward in anticipation. “You know the rules. No magic, fight fair, stay on route.” The man’s eyes scanned over each racer lined up at the starting line as his words contained an unspoken threat and a warning. Break the rules and you can’t win the race.


Up until that moment, the man had held his hands behind his back although it had been barely noticeable. When he revealed them, he held a pistol in his right aimed loosely for the sky. “Racers ready?” Once again his eyes scanned over the ten of them as each one gave the slightest of nods. “On your marks….. Get set….” The next pause may have seemed to the longest pause possible as each racer took in their last calm breath before the intensity of the race set off a chain of adrenaline that was irreversible.


“....Go!” His words were accompanied by the trigger of the pistol as the sound of a gunshot echoed throughout the entire town and the racers shot out of the starting line, each one containing a burst of speed that was blurred due to the intensity of that last moment frozen in wait.


That wasn’t the only event lacking clarity at the start of this race, though. As Klint’s initial launch set him slightly further ahead than the remaining racers, more gunshots were heard throughout Hargeon’s docs as people from the crowd began running and screaming leaving the men in hoods visible as they aimed their weapons at the gangster trying to win the money to repay his debts. As more and more bullets were fired, the sound of shattering windows joined in with the cries of panicking citizens as shots went haywire and the bullets grew nearer to hitting the other racers.


One of the racers froze in the chaos, the other racers quickly pushing their lead ahead of him seemingly unfazed by the excitement that had resounded at the start of the race. It was the boy - the young one who almost looked too young to be competing - and as he turned to look back towards the start, the look on his face was one of terror. He looked right at the mages surrounding his mother, but in that moment, it was like he didn’t see any of them as his eyes only searched for one thing - his mother’s own eyes.


“RUN INDY!” Mrs. Jamis yelled to him, knowing that her boy would never forgive himself if he gave up now.


The slightest of smiles appeared on the boy’s face before his legs carried him after the other racers already having a large gap to fill that would require all of his concentration and then, it was like the chaos was gone for him as his eyes only looked ahead so he could ignore everything else. Mrs. Jamis smiled, a tear dropping down her cheek showing the pride she felt at her son’s courage. Quickly she realized that the mages were still standing around her and her face quickly changed as her hands began shooing them away. “Go!” she yelled. “Keep him safe!”


@utdfan22 @Nutter @general ostruppen @sonicfreak101 @DeadgurlXD

 

[DeadgurlXD]

Valeska of the K2K

​

Early Aging

Valeska smirked at the disapproving look given to her by Mrs. Jamis-err-Lisa. She simply shifted her weight to one leg and took another sip from her beer. Almost instantly more mages began to gather around her. You're all welcome for calling her name out. She thought, noticing no other mage seemed to have an issue finding such a plain woman in this crowd.


The first of the mages to arrive was a boy around Valeska’s own height. He later introduced himself as Jamke but for the moment Valeska figured he was another mage here for the job rather than the race. He seemed young but his grey hair made her question it. She looked him up and down but couldn’t get her eyes to stray from his hair. What kid has hair that starts greying so early!? @utdfan22


“I’m Cliff Gallagher,” Valeska heard a familiar voice causing her to whip around. There stood Cliff, the ginger mage she met when she last saw that explosion-happy Lance. Damn, that Lance, killing my poor plants and running off without an apology. She recalled. Seeing an opportunity, she closed the space between her and the ginger, wrapping her arm around his waist. @sonicfreak101


“Hey baby! Long time no see!” She stated before taking another sip of her beer. “I can’t believe we went on that mission together and I didn’t even get a goodbye from you!” She complained with a pout. “I thought we had something special…”


Valeska opened her mouth to say something else but stopped when she heard another mage walk up to her client. A little girl, with black and grey hair. What is with kids and greying hair nowadays!? She questioned, her grip on Cliff not waning with her curiosity. The kid introduced herself as Xanthi and gave her a smile. Valeska smirked and waved back. @Nutter


There was one last mage that walked up to the group. Valeska thought she saw him at the betting stand-not, she KNEW she saw him at the betting stand. At a crazed crowd-filled, happy place like this, he stood out with that emotionless, dull look on his face. It was like nothing here interested him. Kind of like a certain bone mage I met… Valeska trailed off as he seemed to be trying to get her attention-or at least someone’s attention. She opened her mouth to say something to him but stopped. Okay seriously?! He looks around my age and his hair is already WHITE! Not even grey anymore! What is happening to the people in this world?! @general ostruppen


With Mrs. Jamis-er-Lisa...This is going to be tough to remember all these names. Valeska complained. With LISA giving them the information that they needed to continue the mission and the race about to start Valeska gulped down the rest of her beer. “Well boys...and girl...my name is Valeska, which Cliff here already knows…” Valeska trailed off again, listening as the announcer began to count down to the start of the race. “I will enjoy working with all of you, but first there is one thing I gotta know,” Valeska began. “Why are your hair colors all-”


A gunshot cut Valeska off from talking, along with a shout of encouragement from Lisa. Valeska looked at the mother who shooed them away saying “Go! Keep him safe!”. Valeska looked at the other mages for only a second before sprinting into the crowd, shoving Cliff accidentally in the process. @Hales


“Guess I’ll ask the question later!!” She shouted back before running in the direction of the racers. Can’t let Klint win, Can’t let Klint win! I swear to the K2K HE WON’T WIN!


legend:


Valeska Talking/Thinking


Cliff Talking


Lisa Talking

 

[general ostruppen]

Averill had finally gotten her attention and everyone else's. But for some reason the mage in front of him had stared at him (especially his hair) with amazement and shock. He didn't say anything to her but decided to give a proper introduction. "My name is Averill Nat from Blue Pegasus, at your service." As he bows. He took a fascination of the young woman's hair, He never saw anyone's hair with this color up close which intrigued him.He then hears the announcement and see's the race begin, he then knew that they didn't have much time and the fact that Mrs.Jamis started rushing them to hurry and protect his son. He decided to open his suitcase in the middle of the group which formed a mini bar stand, it was needed for luckily he packed a map of the area and needed to set it out. "Don't mind the drinks unless your willing to have one and your 21 years or older. Anyways we probably have a better chance if we split up into two groups. I see no problems on who partners up with who but we must act quickly."


As he said that he subconsciously made a drink for himself while not spilling a single drop on the map. Just to make sure no one from the crowd mistakens his stand for open business, he simple pulled out a sign that says "We're closed get going". He waits for everyone's decision on who they were going to partner up with who (I wonder if they have any vehicles that we could us?).

 

[utdfan22]

Jamke turned his attention towards the racers as the announcer began to build towards the race's start. Despite being hired exclusively to protect Indy, he had to admit he was also hoping the boy would pull through. If he didn't win, Jamke didn't get paid and he really could use the money. Not to mention that the youngest racer holding a cool head amongst way older competitors was very easy to cheer for. As the opening gun fired, Jamke glanced at the drinking woman as she mentioned something about hair... only to forget it quickly as the ear-splitting bursts continued to pour on and scatter the crowd. The lithe Iceberg native felt his vision narrow as the crowd spread out around to avoid the hooded men. "We have to stop the shooters before someone gets hit, I've got the one furthest away," he said as his feet were already rushing through the small openings to zone in on one of the armed men. He heard the calm-faced man's excellent suggestion of splitting up and decided he'd let the others sort that out, the immediate situation taking priority. "I only need one person to help with this group."


Snow gathered around Jamke's feet to allow him to slide along the ground at an increased speed. He slid beside the hooded man closest to the edge of the crowd, having used the chaos to avoid drawing attention. His palm struck the underside of the man's forearm to force the barrel to point skyward before closing his grip to avoid more stray fire. "You really need to be more careful with this," Jamke said in his normal formal tone as his free elbow rose to block a wild swing from the man he'd grabbed. The man's fist retracted in pain after the collision, creating a small amount of space for Jamke to slam his elbow into the unknown figure's face. He gripped the gun as the man fell before darting to the side with a quick word, "Someone could get hurt."





Two of the men in hoods turned their attention to him as he shifted the snow he'd created a moment earlier to generate a slick, dropping onto his back and sliding behind one of the stalls that had been near the gathering's edge. It's owner had scattered when the bullets had started to fly. Jamke took a deep breath to steady himself, his pumping adrenaline helping him ignore the graze to his shoulder he'd received just before he'd managed to drop to the ground. The thin wood of the cart wasn't providing much protection, a few shots penetrating it as Jamke glanced about for the nearest exit route. "Draw their fire onto me. It'll at least give the racers time to create some distance and the rest of the people here to get away. After that, use the roofs of the buildings to skip ahead in the race and try to catch up with the group." He glanced at the nearest gap between buildings, twisting his arm to generate a white rune in front of himself. Within a moment, the strip of land opposite his destination was coated in a blinding flurry of snow. As soon as the gunshots resumed, he sprinted in the opposite direction for cover, hoping his distraction would prove enough. He also spun his arm to cause a tail of snow to whip out of the decoy curtain and slap at the gun-wielding hand of one of the remaining shooters in an effort to disarm him.

 

[sonicfreak101]

Cliff Gallagher

Valeska Strikes Back

Cliff’s whole body stiffened when he felt Valeska’s arm wrap around his waist.


“Hey baby! Long time no see!” She stated before taking another sip of her beer. “I can’t believe we went on that mission together and I didn’t even get a goodbye from you!” She complained with a pout. “I thought we had something special…”


“Oh, uh... hi Valeska.” Cliff mumbled nervously. He carefully removed himself from her arm. “It’s nice to see you again…”


Cliff looked around at the other wizards assembled at the starting line. Aside from Valeska there was a grey haired mage who introduced himself as Jamke Dain from Lamia Scale. That was the guild Light, Soren, Libby and Aedon were from, wasn’t it? I hope he doesn't know about how I failed to protect Libby… Then there was also another man named Averill Nat from Blue Pegasus and a young girl named Xanthi Maneev who didn’t specify which guild she was from.


Kung Fu Fighting

Before Cliff could introduce himself to the other mages, a gunshot rang through the air, signaling the start of the race. However, it was quickly followed by even more gunshots. Cliff quickly turned and scanned the crowd of panicked people to see multiple men in hoods shooting at the racers.


“RUN INDY!” Mrs. Jamis shouted to her son.. She then turned to the mages, her eyes becoming glossy with tears and yelled, “Go! Keep him safe!”


Cliff was about to go and engage the gangsters when Valeska shoved him as she tried to catch up with Indy. Cliff stumbled but managed not to fall flat on his face. He saw Jamke run off to engage the gangsters as he yelled "We have to stop the shooters before someone gets hit, I've got the one furthest away." Cliff straightened up and ran for the gangster nearest to him. the guy quickly noticed him and raised his gun to shoot but he was too slow. Cliff whacked the gun out of his hand with his bo staff with ease. He twirled his bo staff around, knocking the guy in the side of the head. He then side kicked him away, before turning around, sinking into a perfect horse.He saw a guy running towards his teammates. Cliff spins the bo staff over his head, switching the side he is holding it on. He then tucks it under his arm and his the guy in the chest as he tried to run past him. The man lets out a pained grunt as Cliff knocks him over with a side kick. Another gangster turns to him, and he’s too far away for Cliff to knock the gun out of his hand without being shot. So Cliff concentrates on the pistol and attempts to suck out all the heat out of that solitary gun. The man tried to fire at him but his gun jams up, as it has been frozen to his hand. Cliff rushes at him, kicks the gun out of his hand, and hits him in the chest with the bo staff horizontally, knocking him off of his feet. He whipped around, scanning the area for more attackers. Seeing a bunch of them going after the racers, Cliff took off as fast as his feet could carry him after the racers. I can’t fail again. He thought, desperately trying to catch up. I won’t let it be like last time.





Legend:


Cliff talking/ thinking


Valeska talking


Mrs. Jamis talking


Jamke talking


@Hales @utdfan22 @Nutter @general ostruppen @DeadgurlXD

 

[Nutter]

Xanthi Maneev

Xanthi was already tense waiting for the first gunshot to signal the start of the race, so when they shots kept firing, and this time into the crowded street—well, she panicked. Her heart drummed loudly in her ears as people immediately dispersed around their group. And yet, when her golden eyes circled around to look at her fellow mages, they all seemed so calm. Heck, that Averill guy was even calm enough to set up a stand and make a drink for himself, all while coming up with a decent plan to split into groups.


As her coworkers began to run off to various locations, the shortest mage of the bunch forced herself to calm down. That boy with silver hair quickly began taking out the hooded hitmen, being followed by the older man whose name escaped Xanthi but she remembered from her last big mission (which had been a total bust because she'd barely done anything and she also didn't talk much to the others on the team). The two seemed more than capable as they quickly set to work taking out the race's attackers.


The only thing that was stopping Xanthi from running after the fiery redhead who had already begun to follow Indy as he chased after the rest of his competitors was the boy's mother. The mage had not failed to notice how her son had immediately stopped to locate his mother when he'd first realized what was going on. It seemed stupid to rush to protect Indy when the person he cared for most and was currently in more danger was still standing right in front of Xanthi.


"Let's go, Lisa!" She shouted, wrapping her right arm around the woman shoulders and pulling her down so that she was ducked over. The girl proceeded to grab the woman's closer forearm with her left hand and rapidly guided the woman out of the middle of the street and into a small alleyway. She looked back at Averill as she did, calling back over her shoulder to him. "I'll meet up with you all later!"


Once she had led Lisa through several twist and turns in the city's alleys, running as far and as fast as possible with the lady in tow, Xanthi slowed to a stop, panting. She gripped the woman by her shoulders, looking at her dead-on with blazing eyes.


"Are you all right? I'm going to follow after the others and I promise we'll keep your son safe, but I can't do that if you don't say you are okay right now." She thought about the flash of worry that had spread over Indy's determined face at the beginning of the race, and how his mother encouraged him with a smile that only mother's can accomplish. Xanthi would be damned if she didn't see to it that this woman was safe after witnessing that scene between mother and child.


@Hales @utdfan22 @general ostruppen @DeadgurlXD @sonicfreak101

 

[Hales]

And the Race Continues…

I am Ok

While the race had gotten off to a more than eventful start, that did not mean that the following events were any less intriguing. The racers quickly jetted out of Hargeon paying little or no attention to the chaos that had ensued and thereby failed to realize that it was mages who had saved them. As the people who had been gathered to watch the start of the race slowly began to collect themselves again, there was only one woman who truly understood what had just ensued and had the capacity to be grateful for such a thing… Lisa Jamis.


The woman’s eyes met with those of the mage who had pulled her away from the gunfire and she was honestly surprised by the intensity she spoke with and the fire that blazed in her eyes as it seemed as though such intensity should be beyond someone of this younger girl’s age. The fact that such a fire was present, though, was also reassuring for Lisa Jamis because it meant she had hired the right people to protect her son. She could trust someone like this.


Upon hearing Xanthi’s words, Lisa nodded. Her facial expression was still locked in from the shock of the rapid turn of events that had followed the race’s beginning, but she managed to create a slight smile. “I’m ok,” she muttered. “Please, go make sure my son is the same.”


@Nutter


Gangster War Race

The racers quickly streamed out along the road that would lead them out of Hargeon and to the train tracks that they would follow for the first portion of the race. It remained clear who was a racer and who wasn’t as the shooting gangsters were still marked by their hooded appearances and their determined pursuit. Their ranks had been thinned considerably in the starting moments; some had been attacked by the mages, some had fled upon seeing the others so easily defeated.


Within the jumbled mess of runners of various organizations, one individual stood out as someone who did not belong - a rather small boy, smaller even than the client Indy. There was the slightest flash and a very long staff appeared within the boy’s hands as he swung it clumsily tripping two of the gangsters in the process. “Oops,” he could be heard to mutter within the chaos before the staff disappeared from his hands, poofing into nothingness. The boy shrugged and ran back into the crowd, his short height allowing him to practically vanish within the crowds leaving only two men left in pursuit of the racers.


@sonicfreak101 @DeadgurlXD @utdfan22


Viri and Hunter

As Hunter made his way back into the crowd, Viri ensured that the boy was following her as she knew she would still have further use of his skills as the job continued. The two of them did not pursue the racers, though; rather, their route led into a quiet alley as the only sound was the drip of rainwater from the drain into the sewer water below them.


“I don’t like this,” the boy said to her as she pulled an odd looking tool from her belt. “We’re breaking the rules.”


She turned to him, her expression full of mischief. “You broke the rules when you tried to steal from me boy,” she replied as she brought the tool more into the view of the boy. It looked oddly similar to a toy… a bubblewand. That, of course, was because that’s exactly what it was. A magic circle appeared around the wand as Viri proceeded to blow a bubble, tinted slightly pink although the lack of light made it hard to see. “Get in,” she gestured to the boy who had only recently become her companion. “We’ve got more work to do.” The two of them stepped into the large bubble, phasing through its soapy wall, that seemed as though it should’ve popped merely due to its size as the bubble swiftly carried them up into the light of the sun as it zipped its way out of Hargeon and ahead of the race by riding right in the light of the sun keeping it from being seen. Rather, anyone who looked would only see the blinding rays of light.


The two of them travelled in silence for a time before they landed on the very train tracks that would lead the race through this exact spot and the boy immediately set to work running a thin line from end to end with his tools before he walked down a ways, repeating the same process. Viri smiled as she watched the boy work. She was really beginning to be glad she had stumbled upon him; he was making her job a lot easier. When the boy had finished the work, the two stepped back into Viri’s bubble and assumed position just in front of the sun, still using its light to make them practically invisible, while they awaited the amusement of tripping racers.


Just Keep Running

Indy hadn’t looked behind him once since he had caught his mother’s words telling him to run. That was what he did best and he had no intentions of stopping now so his eyes remained focused ahead of him although the did occasionally glance to the pack of racers he now ran with. While he was by no means at the front of the pack, that didn’t bother him; it was a long race and a lot could happen in so much time.


Ahead of him, the young runner could just barely make out the back of the head of Klint Tarker. He knew it was him because this individual also happened to be in the lead and Indy wouldn’t have expected that to be anyone other than the ruthless man. The small boy noticed something odd though, a small orb floating next to the man although he couldn’t even be sure that it was actually there. The light reflected off of it in such an odd way and Indy had to raise his arm to block a ray of light it sent his way, his eyes wincing as the sun shined in them.


While he was curious, Indy knew there was no time as he kicked into another gear of speed as the entire pack of racers - still close although they were beginning to spread out - made their way out of the city, their path still outlined along the train tracks that would lead them to Clover Town. With crowds no longer lining their path, the racers began to regard each other with a new tension, Indy included. No one was there to enforce the rules anymore. No one would see what ensued.


@general ostruppen (I wasn't quite sure which section to tag you with because you could've followed Xanthi or you could've followed the other 3... so you pick which of the first two sections applies to you)

 

[general ostruppen]

Just as he was about make his mind up on who to go with, a couple of goons decided to make some noise with some guns. (Really we just started and already things are happening) he was about to approach them but it seemed that the others already had it covered. He watched as the others split up to catch up with the racers and other remaining goons. "Hmmmmm I should probably grab some speed to catch up with them." He scanned around and spotted one goon heading towards to what appears to be his car. He seemed a little riled up after that skirmish earlier. He catches up with the man and puts a hand on his shoulder. The man slowly turned his head and attempted to pull his gun out, only to find it missing. He then noticed that the stranger in front of him had his gun. "HOW THE HELL DID YOU GET MY GUN!?" Averill pointed at the mans holster and realized that there was a gaping hole in it. The goon was really shocked and embarrassed. Averill pointed the gun at him, "So this is how its going to work you will be my personal map when I'm driving, you lie to me and get me lost I will not hesitate to hurt you." The goon shakes with a desperate nod in response, Averill then creates steel threads and with a snap of a finger the threads wrapped around him. Averill gets in the car with the goon next to him and then started the car. They sped off to catch off to Xanthi, making sure they don't hit anybody on the way.


After a few minutes of managing to get out of town and on the dirt road Averill manages to spot the cloud of dust which was sure to be the racers.Off in the distance he was able to spot Xanthi and sped up. "Ummmmm I'm guessing thats your friend." with a shaky voice. Averill giving no response to the goon, slowed down and rolled the window down on his side to face Xanthi. "Need a ride or would you prefer running the whole race?" He gives a smile and waits for Xanthi to get in, he turns his direction back to the goon next to him. "So where is our next stop Mr.Map?"





@Nutter

 

[Nutter]

Xanthi Maneev

"Of course," Xanthi assured the woman with a smile of her own. She was rather proud of herself for sounding so cool, taking on that city accent that everyone used in the bustling towns of Fiore. This wasn't exactly the right time for that, but at least the Mage was now motivated to do her best. The Joya native released Lisa's shoulders as she began to turn, ready to go back to her actual mission target. "See you at the finish line, ma'am!"


With that last remark, Xanthi waved over her shoulder as she disappeared once again into the alleyways of the town. She vaguely recalled the race's path from a map she had seen during the earlier festivities. She did not recall, however, the layout of this town's every nook and cranny. Currently, the young woman merely had to find a way back into the main road.


Fortunately, not long after parting did she find herself back on the wide dirt road the racers had set off on. For a while she followed it out of the city, glad that she had exceptional endurance and was able to keep running. Nonetheless, the simple country girl was no match for the competitors in the race. Xanthi was unsure how she and, for that matter, the rest of the mages, would catch up. Ugh... I wish I had some cool teleportation magic...





Just then, a car rolled up next to her and the windows slid down to reveal none other than the very Averill she left behind to save Lisa Jamis. Spitting beside him was one of the hooded gunmen, metal strings coiling tightly around his body to keep him in place.


"Need a ride or would you prefer running the whole race?" Xanthi's gaze whipped back to meet the older man's blue eyes, nodding as she entered the back of the cab without hesitation.


After their captive reluctantly gave directions, they began speeding down the road. Xanthi peered over at the driver through the rear view mirror, fiddling with the pink bandana around her neck. She didn't really have a lot of experience talking with people outside of her guild, and by that she meant most of the male species. There was Carmine, but he hardly counted.


"So..." the young mage started. "Blue Pegasus, huh?" She also didn't know a lot about other guilds. She recalled there being plenty of Lamia Scale mages in her previous mission, but that was about it. The only knowledge she had about Blue Pegasus was that they were supposedly a rather... affected guild. Averill had certainly seemed showy enough with his bar tricks earlier. It was as she was mulling all this guild stuff over that she realized she'd never even announced her own. She supposed all of her pink garb—the bandana around her neck, her t-shirt, and heck, her socks—might be a giveaway, but she figured it was good to state it proudly. She lifted her bandana off of her neck so that it revealed the small insignia etched into the skin covering the hollow of her collar bone. With a toothy smile she pointed at her guild mark. "I'm from Mermaid Heel myself, ya know!"


Legend:


Xanthi speaking


Xanthi thinking


Averill speaking





@general ostruppen @Hales

 

[sonicfreak101]

Valeska and Cliff

The Gangster and the Gentlemen

Valeska tried her best to run after Indy, however, when more gunshots were heard, the crowd erupted into chaos and she was caught in the middle of it. She tried pushing and shoving her way, which seemed to be working well for her. Suddenly one man ran into her at full force, spilling his drink onto her shirt. Valeska growled and pushed the man back. “WATCH IT DUMBASS!!” She shouted over the chaos. As she continued to look around, she managed to see some hooded figures, probably the ones causing this shit. She complained to herself.


She reached for her bag of seeds, ready to throw them at the ground to grow and assist her. She focused on the hooded figures, trying to figure out exactly who-and how many-there were. Valeska began to close in on the one closest to her, when out of the corner of her eye she saw one of them fall. It caught her attention, why would he have just fallen, as she turned her head she understood. He was taken out by one of the mages she was working with. She called out to them “HEY CARROT TOP!”


Cliff’s forehead wrinkled in irritation as he turned his attention to Valeska. Carrot top? Really? While it is extremely difficult to irritate Cliff, he hated people pointing out his obnoxiously orange hair. It made him stand out when he wanted desperately not be seen. Cliff’s expression soon switched to one of fear when he saw a gangster point a gun at Valeska. Crap, he’s too far for me to hit with my staff. He tried his best to focus all his energy onto the gun, trying to suck all the heat out of it. However it was hard to focus on it with all the commotion and trying to both keep up with Indy and not run into anybody. “Valeska!” He shouted desperately. “Behind you!”


Valeska jumped and whipped around, right in front of her stood the hooded figure she has been walking toward. A gun was pointed at her face, all she did was smirk. “Never point a gun at an ACTUAL gangster.” She informed the man before ducking her head around the gun and tackling the man to the ground. “And don’t sneak up on a lady!” She shouted and proceeded to punch the man’s face, knocking him to the ground. She jumped on top of him, continuing to punch at his face with some slight fury.


Cliff’s eyes widened when he saw Valeska completely deck the gangster and proceed to bash his face in repeatedly. He made a mental note to never piss Valeska off before running up to her. “Valeska!” He gently tugged on her shoulder, trying to encourage to get off of the man she is currently mauling. “Come on! We have to catch up with Indy.”


Valeska heard Cliff’s voice and rolled her eyes. She proceeded to get off of the man, however. “Alright, come on.” She sighed and started running after the racers. As she continued to force her way through the crowd she looked toward Cliff. “By the way, did you SEE what this guy did to my shirt?!” She complained. “It doesn’t look too bad does it?”


Cliff continued running alongside Valeska and took a look at her beer soaked shirt. “Uhh, it’s not that bad…” He shrugged. “If you want, once we get a chance I have a couple changes of cloths in my backpack. I can lend you a new shirt. It may be a bit big on you though…”


Valeska stopped running for a second and pushed her way to be next to Cliff. She went right up to him and nudged his shoulder. “D’aww, your such a sweetie.” She cooed. “I’ll stick with you, honey. Now come on, I’m sure you can run faster than this!” She announced playfully and ran ahead of him in the crowd.


Cliff’s face went completely scarlet at Valeska's comment. He tried to tilt his hat down in order to hide his blush but it was useless. “No problem…” He mumbled. His embarrassment faded when Valeska issued him a challenge and ran out in front. A smile graced his face as he ran after her. He was glad to have someone by his side for this mission, but he still couldn’t shake the feeling that anyone close to him was destined to get hurt.


Legend:


Valeska talking/thinking


Cliff talking/thinking





@Hales @DeadgurlXD @general ostruppen @Nutter @utdfan22

 

[utdfan22]

Jamke Dain (Lamia Scale)



​

Jamke saw the gun being knocked from the assassin's hand by his sharp snap attack, his feet still sliding along the ground as the snow gathered about his feet, He continued to slide forwards as the criminal group began to give chase for the racers. The Lamia Scale snow caster darted into the alley dead ahead of him before he hopped against the nearby wall, beginning to bounce between the tight space in order to reach the rooftop with a neat little roll. He burst forwards in a fierce sprint as he slid to his feet, his arms gathering together tightly against his chest as a white ruin started to materialise before him. The two limbs snapped apart in that moment as he shouted, "White Blizzard!" and a heavy sheet of white erupted from the sigil. It flew over the road to swallow several of the chasing gunmen to further stagger their numbers. His arm then twisted upwards to part a hole for Cliff and Valeska to pass through, spotting his two allies going along the ground thanks to the orange haired man's bright contrast to his winter wonderland. He gave them a brief salute before resuming his chase. Then he started into another speedy slide with the aid of his icy powers, before he twisted into a straight line, hopping along the roofs of the tightly packed buildings.


@sonicfreak101 @DeadgurlXD


Between the snow and the direct route, Jamke managed to cut out some of the time in order to gain on the racers. "It also means I won't get lost," Jamke thought somewhat self-deprecatingly with a grin before sighing, "I wish I was joking." As he slid along to the end of the stretch of buildings, his momentum took him over the edge. His hand snapped out to generate a small cushion of white powder along the ground. He hit his self-made padding awkwardly as he rolled to his feet, pausing as his face contorted in pain before he breathed out deeply. Getting back to a vertical base, the Lamia Scale Mage took off again in a run. Years of focus on his physical health had granted him plenty of stamina to keep up with his enhanced pursuit. "My magic should let me get within range of the racers if I really push it. I just need to push it and cut through every path that I can."





Jamke's efforts put the railway tracks in his line of sight and he prayed to the White Tiger that he wasn't headed in the wrong direction. As he moved, his shirt's loose end flapped slightly in the wind, his fluffy silver hair doing the same. The air around him seemed warmer as he finally spotted the group of racers diagonally ahead of him. Jamke was beginning to sweat heavily as he continued his pursuit, having to really push himself to keep the runners in his line of sight. At the front of the pack though, Jamke caught sight of a harsh glare that seemed to be floating in mid-air. Jamke's pale arm quickly moved to shield his vision, "I can't get distracted in this situation. I have to keep an eye out for any other source of attack. Even if no one does seem to be around right now." Tension mounted in his muscles as Jamke sharpened his focus, readying himself to launch another wave of snow.

 

[general ostruppen]

Averill Nat

​

Averill scans the surroundings of the racers up ahead but so far found nothing alarming yet. He pokes his "map" for directions. "If we keep taking the same route we'll ummmmm uuuhhh." He stutters and Averill is starting to realize this guy might not be useful after all. Then after awhile Xanthi started to speak up to him. "Blue Pegasus, huh? I'm from Mermaid Heel myself, ya know!" Averill turns to look at Xanthi and gives her a pleasant smile. "Yes I'm indeed a member of the Blue Pegasus, I also work as the guilds personal bartender whenever I'm present. I've heard about your guild, I hope that your skills will prove your guilds reputation" He then turns his focus back onto the road and the next thing he knew one of the tires popped and the car slid hard to the left. Averill manages to stop, he looks around and checks all the passengers. Luckily they didn't seem too hurt, he exits the car and checks the popped wheel. He looked back on the road and realizes that there were alot of sharp rocks on the road poking out of the ground.


This annoyed him and really he only drove eight miles and already the car was broken down. He walks to the shot gun side of the car and pulls out the gangster, holding him by the his collar. "Im starting to think that I should just leave you here tied" as he stares at him and making the man really worried


The man looks back and forth a couple of times before answering with a sheepish answer. "uuuuhh eheheheh, WAIT WAIT I know this area way more then you guys. Yah need me." he answers. Averill stares at him with no expression for a minute before dropping. He takes a big sigh and observes there surrounding, the road up ahead leads to a forest not to far from where they were standing. It would probably take half an hour if they walked there, and the racers would be entering very soon soon. He turns his direction to Xanthi and went to make sure she was doing alright, "Are you ok, I'm terribly sorry I didn't notice those rocks till the last minute. "





@Nutter

 

[Hales]

Just Keep Running… Straight into Chaos…

The race thus far was going as well as had been expected. It had been a few hours since the first shots had been fired and as the racers ran along the train tracks that made their way through the valley, the leads had become more defined and evident as the gaps between the racers became longer and more defined. Klint remained the leader of the race for the moment although there were a few racers who were close on his tail. Indy remained closer to the middle of the pack, not far enough back that the lead was invisible, but far enough to not be perceived as a threat for the moment.


The racers had made their way through Oshibana without much difficulty. The cheering crowds did serve to distract a few of them, Indy included, although having quickly made their way out of the smaller town, the distraction had come to an end. Very quickly, the race was becoming so much more than a test of endurance, the one part each racer had trained for as much as the next. It was a test of attention, a test of patience, a test of determination. It was clear that Klint possessed all three while Indy remained uncertain of his own skill, his own abilities. He had never took part in anything nearly as big as this race and the smile that had been on his face at the start of the endeavor from the simple joy of running was beginning to fade.


Something quickly pulled the younger racer’s attention out of his thoughts of what the race was really about. A loud BOOM echoed throughout the valley as smoke appeared ahead of him, ahead of the racers, and the boy realized he could no longer see the lead who had vanished within the fog of such an explosion as appeared to have occurred. Indy sprinted ahead, gaining speed against the racers he had previously been matching stride for stride.


Not paying attention to where he was stepping during his concerned sprint forward, Indy found his foot caught on something just before his momentum sent him flying forward and landing on his face just as he realized that it was a wire that had initially caused his fall. What is a wire doing on the railroad tracks? He couldn’t help but wonder as his head turned to see that the other racers, the ones behind him at least, had stopped short of the wire having seen him fall.


From his position on the ground, Indy’s gaze returned to the smoke which was clearing to reveal that a bridge had been blown and that Klint had somehow miraculously been undamaged by the explosion and had even made it past the damage of such a blast. He was still running, already having progressed beyond the gap that now lied ahead of them. “What do we do now?” Indy voiced out loud although he was fairly certain none of the racers would have any better ideas than he did.


@DeadgurlXD @utdfan22 @general ostruppen @sonicfreak101 @Nutter

 

[utdfan22]

Jamke Dain (Lamia Scale)



​

Jamke's eyes continuously scanned the horizon for any sign of trouble, his sight hindered by the various glints of light that were pouring backwards. His inability to catch sight of much out of the ordinary was starting to wear on his nerves, especially as keeping anything close to pace with the racers with his magic was starting to drain away at him. He internally berated himself as he started to slow to ensure he wouldn't run out of stamina during the middle of the race. The smaller town raced by, seeming to box Jamke in as whatever threats were about practically blended into background. Klint had maintained a steady lead ever since the race kicked off but, despite the gunmen, that seemed to be down to his own pure ability. The thought that he very likely could have won, even if there were no shenanigans involved at all seriously irked the Lamia Scale mage as he lagged further behind due to the thick gathering of people preventing him making use of his snow powers to keep pace. "How can someone with so much ability resort to underhanded tactics? Doesn't he care about testing just how good he really is?" the competitive snow caster's focus became worryingly side-tracked with those thoughts, completely focused on the leading racer.


A massive explosion broke his focus as smoke engulfed the leading racer to completely obscure him to those behind. Alarm bells went off in his head, especially as Indy began to sprint further ahead at the swift change of circumstances, "Wait... don't!" His shout was lost in the swirling confusion of the moment as Indy's feet came out from under him on a wire that had been nearly invisible against the black smoke. Jamke came to a complete halt as the obscuring fog began to lift... revealing the large gap in front of all of the racers not named Klint. The Lamia Scale mage's head twisted around to try and catch sight of anyone who could have laid the trap, only to be again unable to see anything out of the ordinary. His eyes peeled closed as his hand again rose to shield them, "That glare is not helping. I didn't realise the sun was so..." Jamke's trail of thought froze as he thought of the day's weather before the event began and the daily cycle of the time of year, "... low. It's not that low, which means something is refracting the light from above? Like if someone were using a scope... oh, crap!"


The information was filed away and Jamke was sprinting away at the realisation, hoping he would soon run into one of his teammates. His first priority was finding someone who could get them across the gap. His magic was ill-suited for such a task but maybe one of the others would have a plan. "The gap is too deep to fill it with snow, it'd take too long and I'd be helpless afterwards. If that scope is part of the insurance, I'll need to at least magic to be of use. I'll have to trust in the others for now. I really should have thought to figure out what their powers were before but there wasn't much time." A rapid fire analysis of his breif interactions with his teammates blared in his head as he tried to see if there was anything that would help him form his own plan. The slightly older man who'd arranged the bar earlier seemed a good bet. He'd quickly come up with the plan to split into teams and had been the most relaxed when the gunfire started (@general ostruppen ). He'd seen the fighting skills of the shy man with the baseball cap earlier and he'd seemed incredibly capable. Jamke had no trouble putting faith in him ( @sonicfreak101 ). He thought he might have seen the mage with the slight accent dragging Mrs. Jamais out of sight. He wasn't entirely sure but that seemed to be an indicator of a good head, Jamke conceding that he'd completely overlooked that important detail (@Nutter ). The last woman was the hardest one to read but she hadn't lacked for confidence.Her casual drinking and more aggressive demeanour was a bit of a clash with what he was used to though. Still, he figured, "If she's half as smart as she is audacious, I don't think this will be a problem for long." ( @DeadgurlXD )

 

[sonicfreak101]

Valeska and Cliff

Subtle

Cliff frowned as he gazed down the chasm that once had a bridge over it. It was a long drop, one that you would need a miracle to survive from. Some of the racers milled around the edges, grumbling about how they were supposed to cross it. Others gave up and opted to run around. Cliff’s frown deepened as he inspected the ruins of the former bridge. There was foul play here, Cliff was certain of it. Especially after he watched Indy trip over a wire that shouldn't have been there. We gotta find a way across. Going around would take too long and Indy will never catch up. Cliff mused. Although he had only signed on to defend Indy, Cliff felt he deserves a fighting chance at winning this race. Cliff slung his backpack off his back and began rummaging through it. “I might have some rope or climbing gear in here or some-”


“Oh please, honey.” Valeska shot as she pushed past Cliff to look at the gap. She surveyed it for only a moment before turning back around to the man and his backpack. “This is nothin’, my seedlings and I can just grow a new bridge ya know.” She announced. She once again looked at where the bridge once stood. “Ya I mean, just throw some vines down, sure it’ll take a while, but I mean, it's better than trying to go around….ya...shouldn’t be too bad.” The red head continued to mumble to herself as she began to pull out her bag of seeds. Valeska, now confident in her plan, turned toward the crowd of runners and took in a long breath to shout loud enough for all to hear.


“Wait Valeska!” Cliff jumped up and waved in front of her. “We have to be subtle, remember? Indy can’t know we’ve been hired to protect him.”


Valeska smiled at Cliff and grabbed his shoulders. “Honey, I am never subtle.” She explained. Then using her hold of his shoulders she moved him aside and once again began to address the crowd. “YO PEOPLE!” She shouted to get everyone’s attention, and upon hearing her voice everyone quieted down. “DON’T TELL ME ANY OF YOU ARE GOING TO GIVE UP BECAUSE A LITTLE BRIDGE IS OUT?!” Valeska began.


“But it’ll take too long to go around.” One of the runners complained.


Valeska shot them a look before continuing. “NO ONE SAID YOU HAD TO GO AROUND.” She shot as she walked closer to the edge of the gap. She continued to look at the crowd as she walked past, sprinkling seeds onto the ground as she did. One by one the little saplings sprang out of the ground, each intertwining with the ones next to them as they made their way toward the edge. “I’m sure you're all wondering why I’m helping,” Valeska continued to speak, this time a little quieter than before. Meanwhile the vines began to cascade over the edge slowly they began constructing a bridge.


Valeska glanced at Cliff, I know I can’t give away why I’m really here, but there is another reason why I want to help too. “Well, let me be honest with you.” She continued to speak to the crowd. “I HAVE MONEY ON THIS RACE, AND I WANT IT SOONER RATHER THAN LATER.” She shouted. She glanced back at her vines, they were only a third of the way across the gap. A bead a sweat began to appear on her forehead. I might be pushing myself too much for this.


Strong Independent Women

Cliff shook his head at Valeska’s explanation. It was crazy but it was better than nothing. His brow wrinkled in worry though when he noticed Valeska sweating from exhaustion. Crap, I wish there was someway I could help her… “You okay Valeska?” He inquired, “You don’t need to push yourself so hard.”


Valeska looked over at Cliff. “Aww, you’re concerned, how sweet.” Valeska joked even though she knew the reasoning behind his worry. She looked from him back to the crowd who were watching the vines grow with wonder and excitement. “It’s too late to turn back, gotta just push through. I’ll be alright Carrot-top.” She stated. She turned away from him after giving him a small smile to look at her vines. They were halfway across now, she needed to concentrate to finish the job.


Cliff’s eyebrow twitched at the ‘Carrot-top’ comment. He hated how much his bright orange hair stood out. He let it slide though, since an argument was entirely unnecessary and Valeska needed to concentrate on her magic.


Valeska began to breathe deeply as she continue to force her magic to grow the vines farther. As the plants continued to creep, gravity began to fight against her. She constantly had to weave less of the bridge and more for supports. Once I connect to the other side, I can make the pathway more stable. Valeska figured. If I have enough magic for that.. Doubt that she could accomplish her task started creeping into her mind almost in sync with the vines. She was two thirds of the way across but her original bridge was only half the size it was when it started.


As she continued to grow her vines, she could feel her magic power depleting. Her body began to shake, not violently but just enough so that it could be visibly noticed. She collapsed to her knees when the vines made it all the way across. The plants continued to move and weave itself tighter into itself, while connecting to the other side for more supports. Once finished the crowd cheered and slowly, one by one the runners made their way across.


Happy with her work, Valeska turned to Cliff. “See, I told ya, it was nothin’.” She stated and began to get to her feet. However, she was weak and toppled over, grabbing onto Cliff for stability.


“Whoa! I got you!” Cliff caught Valeska and wrapped an arm around the back of her shoulders. “That didn’t look like nothing. Are you going to be okay?”


“Pchh! I’ll be fine, I just gotta walk it off is all.” Valeska reasoned.


“I don’t think that’s how it works.” Cliff remarked. Crap, how are we going to keep up with Indy if Valeska is this tired. The only option is to… Cliff’s face heated up in embarrassment as he took a sudden interest in the dirt below him. “If you’re too tired to go on I could...carry you. Not if it makes you uncomfortable though! I just don’t want you to collapse from exhaustion.”


“Makes me uncomfortable? Honey, you’re bright red.” Valeska joked with a laugh. Being carried would be awfully nice, but I am no damn delicate flower! Valeska lightly pushed herself away from Cliff, proving that she was capable of standing by herself. “Hey this is a long race anyways, there will be walkers. So I walk a little earlier than the rest, the don’t mean I won’t catch up!” She stated. “Besides, you still got that backpack of yours.” Valeska then began to slowly walk toward her newly made bridge.


Cliff frowned as Valeska walked off, determined to make it through this race on her own. I need to catch up with Indy but what if Valeska DOES collapse from exhaustion. I can’t just leave her. Cliff turned around and notices another one of the mages that was assigned to protect Indy. “Umm, Jamke wasn’t it?” He called over to him. “We need to keep an eye on Indy but Valeska not doing so good. I hate to ask but could you keep an eye on him? I need to stick with Valeska to make sure she doesn't push herself too hard. We’ll make sure to catch up to you as soon as we can, if that’s okay with you?"


Legend:


Cliff talking/thinking


Valeska talking/thinking


Random Racer talking


@utdfan22 @Hales @general ostruppen @Nutter @DeadgurlXD

 

[Nutter]

Xanthi Maneev

"I'm fine," Xanthi groaned, though she did get jostled forward slightly by the abrupt impact. Quickly undoing her seat belt and following Averill outside, the Mermaid Heel mage squinted at the glare her eyes were met with. That's strange... She didn't to have time to ponder the bright light as she refocused on the punctured tire. She didn't like the idea of having to run alongside the racers a ll that much. She might have excellent stamina, but she hadn't been training for a marathon for months like those guys. What a waste of transportation.


There wasn't much in terms of civilization anywhere around them besides the road they'd turned onto at some point. It ran straight ahead for a while before winding and disappearing into the forest. Xanthi looked behind them, but there was nothing besides empty fields, hills, and a scattering of trees. They'd past the last town around here several miles ago. The short mage deducted that they'd probably took a different path for a long while before meeting back up with the path of the runners, no thanks to their little navigation buddy. Those rocks didn't look like they were meant only for passing cars, either. She glowered at their hostage with a rather intimidating scowl for such a petite young woman while she took up next to Averill, who seemed to give up on the guy. But something caught her attention about his words, making her pause.


"We need yah, eh?" She grunted, a habit that certain redheads back at her guild hall frowned upon, and pulled her axe from her belt. Haphazard swings brought the blade closer and closer to the man's body as her accent slipped out. "Since the racers seem to be catchin' up with us, why don't cha tell us what you and yer friends 'ave done tah this place that you learnt so much about it? So we keep you alive and with us, but what's a few cuts here 'n' there, huh? You can just tell everyone that you slipped and fell on these rocks, now could't cha?"


Xanthi watched as the man gulped when the axe came to rest on his shoulder, the blade grazing the base of his neck. She smirked at the slight sputter that came out of his mouth.


"I- I- I- I—!" He was cut off by a small, pale hand slapping over his mouth. He looked at the black-haired mage it belonged to with wide eyes, but she was already turned towards her older companion.


"Did you hear something, Av?" She asked, tacking on a nickname with little care. Concern laced her voice. She could have sworn she'd heard the distinct rumble of an—an explosion. She looked at the road behind them. Though she couldn't see over the landscape too far, she could just barely make out the wisps of black smoke rising into the otherwise blue sky. Oh no... An explosion, rocks, what else did these guys have in store in that forest there? She pushed the thug roughly back into the passenger seat with the blunt end of her weapon and climbed up on top of the car to get a better view. She still couldn't make out much, there being hills and trees between the supposed blast and their location up ahead. She fixed her golden eyes on Averill, coming up with a half-baked plan. "We should probably hide now."





Legend


Xanthi talking


Xanthi thinking


Gangster/thug-hostage dude talking


@Hales @general ostruppen @sonicfreak101 @DeadgurlXD @utdfan22

 

[Hales]

New Bridge… No Big Deal

Indy had to admit that he was just as surprised as everyone else when two mage stepped up to the plate after the explosion had destroyed their only path to continue the race. Apparently, they had been following them all because the lady placed a bet, but it didn’t quite add up for the young lad. On top of all the pieces not quite matching up, he was fairly certain that he had seen her somewhere before although he was too busy focusing on the race to quite put it into place. As soon as the bridge made of vines – odd, he had to admit – was completed, the young racer took off again. He had lost a lot of ground and now he had to make it up.


As soon as the other racers who had gathered near the collapsed bridge saw one person run across it with no falters in the bridge at all – not even the slightest quiver – they were quick to follow suit. One of them, a woman, looked back at the two strangers who had stepped up to help them before she started running. While she didn’t say anything, she gave each of them a slight nod before she ran off. In a way, it was a thank you of sorts.


Time is Passing and Racers are Running

The race continued as planned for quite some time after the incident on the bridge. Racers closed gaps between themselves and other racers; new gaps were formed. Some of the racers fell out of the race entirely while Indy was slowly but surely closing the gap that Klint had gained during the collapse of the bridge.


It was in this time that the race wove its way through the remaining towns along the train tracks finishing their established track within Clover Town. Beyond this point, the race would be up to the racers as two checkpoints remained before the finish line – Shirotsume and Crocus. All the racers had to pass through them, but it was quite possible now that each racer would take a different route. This was one of the many things that made the annual race unique. From the end of Clover Town through to Shirotsume, the leader of the race would become unclear as the racers became unbound from any predetermined route.


The mages who stuck close to Indy would be taken through a semi-forested area that would be scenic enough – certainly more interesting to look at than the barren land that was the path that the racers were bound to in the beginning of the race. There wouldn’t be much more for the racers to entertain themselves with, though, as Indy continued running. Nothing out of the ordinary seemed to be in the way of their charge. Their only challenge remained keeping up with him.


Even that challenge would settle itself in time, though. With a race of this length and timespan, all the racers were expected to stop sooner or later, whether it was for a meal, a nap or just to sit down for a few minutes although the former two options were probably more recommended simply because anyone who could run non-stop on little food or rest was barely human. Indy chose to go along with the former options, stopping in a small town that was slightly out of line with the next checkpoint of Shirotsume.


The inn was a shaggy little place. It was definitely off the beaten path quite a ways, but it was funny how many people often found themselves to be off the beaten path as well – certainly enough to keep the little place afloat and well kept. From the outside, it looked like it could’ve been a comforting little home.


The Beaten Track

Continuing to be quite untrue to its location, the inn was quite a ruckus inside, as anyone would notice as soon as they stepped through the door. Indy, young as he was, was immediately uncomfortable in the situation he had found himself in. He couldn’t really blame anyone, though. He had been the one who studied the map; he had been the one who found this place and determined that it would be as good as any a place to stop. Being as far from the main road as it was meant he was unlikely to run into any other racers.


The young boy wove his way through the crowds of people that only got thicker as you got closer to the bar until he finally made it there himself. “Excuse me!” he called out to the bartender. “Can I get a meal please? No alcohol… just water.” As he spoke, Indy tossed a couple coins onto the table.


“Why certainly!” The bartender proclaimed, his loud voice echoing throughout the entire establishment. “Take a seat. We’ll bring it out.”

This is merely a filler post. I’m working on what comes next because I really want it to be perfect, but I figured I really ought to give you something in the meantime. You are not required to respond to this post, but if you want to do something interesting in the inn – get into a bar fight, meet a random interesting stranger… whatnot – go ahead. I also thought it would be important to point out that the race is something that requires stops. It’s really long!! I should have the continuation post done within a week.

@sonicfreak101 @DeadgurlXD @general ostruppen @utdfan22 @Nutter