Mattel looked out over at the races with great excitement. If anything he was proud of his peers and wished nothing for the best of them.  To himself he even gave small prayer to the Shogun for them and so they, "Beat Desus' ASS!"

The lunar was fully engaged as an observer and crazed fan. And while he maintained his current demeanor, anyone who thought they might boo and yell against his fellow classmates he made sure there popcorn and drinks spilled. Those who cheered for his friends were met with mutual looks of obscene facial expressions of excitement.

Medium Race

Any hope of surpassing Pebbles is quickly forgotten as she explodes into a blaze of moonlight and shadow that completely engulfs her appearance, and propels forward in a blur so swift she can only be made out by the color of her anima. If Pebbles loses control at the speeds she's going, it'll be painful, to say the least! Her early lead makes many of the serious betters swear unhappily.

Goldfinch is both a showman - dazzling the spectators with distinctive Essence displays - and a consummate rider, even on a magitech 'steed'. If not for Pebbles' boundless speed, he would easily be leading this race. As it stands, Pebbles is already hundreds of yards ahead of him, but his flawless maneuverability carries him easily past obstacles and through each series of rings as if they were simply there for decoration. Even at second place, the crowds are definitely on his side.

Atmadja never manages to correct Goldfinch on her Air Force involvement before the race gets started! Her warbird flares with fiery Essence, lifting off the platform to streak toward the first series of rings, emitting a triumphant, distorted screech as it picks up speed. Still, she is about 80 yards behind Goldfinch by the time her magnificent jade phoenix barrel rolls into the second half of the race, lighting up the sky with contrails of pure flame.

Rajha's golden Essence wings are not nearly as swift as the others' vehicles, but she takes advantage of her body's natural athleticism. She propels herself off improbable surfaces to push herself further and faster, diving smoothly through each ring with graceful acrobatics. She comes close enough to feel the blast of heat vents from Atmadja's warbird, but not quite enough to surpass her... yet.

Edged Blossom gets off to a terrible start, nearly missing the first ring altogether, but with a burst of determination swings her Windblade into a vertical loop and surges through behind Rajha, catching up steadily at every ring until she is about 30 yards away from 4th place.

The second part of the Medium race ramps up in difficulty, starting with stationary rings arranged in backward loops and jagged formations, followed by a compact collection of obstacles (think asteroid field) with rings nestled in their midst, continuing with a series of rings moving in circular or zigzag patterns as the racers hit the final stretch.

After first half
1st: Pebbles
2nd: Goldfinch
3rd: Atmadja
4th: Rajha
5th: Edged Blossom
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:08, Sun 18 Oct 2009.

Professor Marek completed the final preparations of his Warstrider, Wings of Gold was already chatting the check in list before start and Marek followed it perfectly, even after many runs in the Warstrider it was always comforting to follow Wings of Gold's list. When he was ready he asked the Warstrider's AI to balance the giant armor whe performing difficult maneuvers, though Marek could do it in this race Desus was there too and you could never know what tricks he would do during the race so Marek would have to be concentrated on what he and the other races did.

- "So, do you feel like winning today Wings?" Asked Marek to her companion.


- "Completely Marek, I hope Desus will not cry when we'll win this race."

- "Yeah, he doesn't looses much, so he doesn't knows how to loose well."

They continued to chat on the strategies for the race and prepared themselves. When the race countdown began both concentrated fully on it. They waited until the word was spoken.

"START" They shouted and Marek quickly accelerated to race.

Expert Race

The flight in the canyon is difficult to follow for all but the guests lucky enough to have an aerial view. Aerial cameras flock to track the race for the display screens, some breaking apart as they smash into canyon walls or are shredded by the turbulence in the racers' wake.

Desus flies through the twisting turns and rocky obstacles at his leisure, exhibiting none of the 'tricks' Marek might expect. Nothing but pure talent (bolstered by a touch of Essence, naturally) and the speed of his flight-capable automaton steed. He may as well be taking a leisurely stroll down an open field with how much tension he shows, though he's still going much too fast to so much as glance at his fans. A shame.

Most of the spectators are convinced Desus 'allows' Marek to get close. Others argue that Desus is a better sailor than a rider, so the Professor may well have a chance. Whatever the case may be, Marek and Wings of Gold are exactly even with Desus and his Clockwork Simhata as they hurtle into the narrow opening that marks the second half of the race. Desus turns to Marek with a friendly smile and a salute, and urges his flying steed to blast ahead!

70 yards away, Idiori takes up the second position on her incredibly maneuverable moonsilver Windblade. She flies in a forward crouch, tucking in her elbows and knees to make herself more compact and aerodynamic, her moonsilver goggles keeping her vision clear and precise. No matter the obstacle, she never touches the ground, ducking and twisting and spiraling her way under falling rocks and over jagged formations, at one point barely scraping by as she sideswipes the canyon walls.

Even so, Wave is quickly catching up to her, despite being slowed down in the first half of the race by near-collisions and a tight squeeze. She looks amazing doing it, though, her close calls eliciting gasps from a crowd thrilled by danger! With a turn of better luck and a more decisive application of skill, she is sure she can surpass her Lunar counterpart. Passing the two in the lead will be much more of a challenge, though, as both Idiori's Windblade and Wave's crystalline wings lag behind the highly advanced machines of the elder Exalts.

The Expert race continues in this narrow, twisty ravine, which soon closes up into a tunnel with branching paths and obstacles to dodge in an uncomfortably tight, enclosed space. Here it's all but impossible for spectators to see a thing, but intrepid cameras and Earth spirits watching from within the tunnel give regular announcements as to the progress of the racers.

The final stretch bursts out into a last section of open air canyon. It's relatively straight but extremely narrow, with opening and closing barriers for racers to time their way through, and automaton beasts that attempt to swat them into the walls or up into the sky to disqualify them. Just staying in the race looks as if it will be treacherous!

After first half
1st: Desus, Marek
2nd: Idiori
3rd: Wave
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:10, Wed 21 Oct 2009.

When Professor Marek arrived at the open stretch he took note of every trap and choke point.

- "Calculate the most effective way through this place and take notice of the obstacles, we need to go as fast as possible if we want to beat Desus, he will have the advantage of his smaller craft so we need to use our speed to win. Make the necessary corrections during our rush." Marek said to Wings of Gold, who quickly showed Marek the best path through the area.

Marek then channeled more essence into the Warstrider wings and, changing his flight configuration for greater speed begun to look more like a giant falcon made of pure gold.

Given the situation... Mattel was a bit on edge. "Surely Wave could catch up and win" he thought out loud. There had to be something he could do... there had to be something. Even though Wave was not the most popular on the floating isle... perhaps it was not too late.

Mattel was not a skilled performer but he was going to do what he could. Jumping to a rail. He looked out at the crowd in the immediate area. He began to chant hoping they catch on.

"Wave!"

"Wave!"

"WAVE!"

Each time he got louder. He was not afraid to show off either. Letting his caste mark gitter and Tell clearly show, he was going for gold. His agile movements increased his visibility for more groups. Then he continued.

"Wave!"

"Wave!"

"WAVE!"

Once he was satisfied with more crowd participation he moved on doing his best to have it spread to all those he could. As the crowd reached it's penacle from what he could determined, he proceeded to give an all out prayer.

"Vanileth, Shogun of Artificial Flight hear the people. They cheer for a champion who deserves much. May you humbly bless her flight so that we can all see the beauty that lies beyond the crystal tower in the Celestial city. It would honor us to honor you in this diplay of artificial flight. Wave Crashes Against The Rocks is a champion for her people. Let her be a heroine in your eyes today as she displays the ingenuity required others lack. Bless her so that we might see flight in it's purest and most beautiful form... artificially!"

Biting her lip in frustration at falling behind as she glides through the narrow ravine, the typhoon of essence whipping after her bleaching the walls as she passes. From above it's like her light actually blasts away the shadows on the walls of the ravine leaving it gleaming and smooth.

Pushing away the feeling of loss she commits herself to the course once more, the tunnels actually suited her rather well she noticed. Short, twisting and tricky to manoeuvre for the larger crafts she slips through the winding corridors with ease, razor tipped wings carving grooves into the walls as she kicks off them and rolls into a new direction barely losing an ounce of speed.

The paths diverge but Wave has a good sense of direction and keeps aligning herself towards the other side when she gets the choice. Down one tunnel spiked chains whipped out from the walls, cutting off the corridor into sections that she could just about duck through, but any false move would have her meeting with the razor sharp spikes along their lengths. At this speed she'd be cut to ribbons, but she refuses to turn back and find another way, gracefully slipping and twisting through the links, before emerging from the web of steel without a single one even trembling. The path out is a veritable gauntlet of traps, spinning blades are parried, thrown up walls are smashed right through and portcullis are bent and broken under her furious charge. She wouldn't place last no matter what happened, her pride simply wouldn't allow it.

A smile flickers on her lips as she sees the sun at last and she looks beyond the short clear stretch of ground to the walls slamming together with a furious roar of chipping stone beyond. Requiring precise timing to pass with safety Wave saw that her smaller frame should give her an advantage here. Diving through one just as it smothers the stream of essence behind her with a thud she streaks out to the next, passing it with ease. She was taking every chance with this ignoring the danger so she could just power right on through as long as the 'gates' were open when she arrived. Her resolve was carrying her on now, drowning out all notion of safety in return for grasping some kind of success for herself. The crowds gasps as she was near pulverized by the walls growing increasingly louder with each near miss, but only spurring her on to take greater risks and find more speed to claw back time.

It almost worked, but as Wave approached the final set her bravery had lead her into its jaws as it snapped closed, deceptively quick. Wave had barely a second to react and didn't even seem to have the chance to move before the two walls met with a disturbing grinding sound that enveloped the iridescent figure still right in it's centre. The Tornado of essence flickered out and the wind swept the dust down on the barriers to reveal them pressed shut.

But against all expectations, Wave came out past them anyway her anima banner churning up the ground before her as it pulled itself free of the trap. Those of the crowd who'd dare look back to the walls and gaze closely could see her Daiklaive horizontally embedded into both sides of the barrier, a foot deep by both handle and blade keeping the two sides apart just enough for one woman to squeeze through. Wave span in the air to look back and the sword glowed a blindingly bright gold as it come free from it's bindings with a loud snap, two great chunks of the walls breaking off with it and collapsing the whole structure down on itself with a earthshaking rumble. Wave catches the blade in her hand and flicks it behind her, a few drops of white essence drizzling out and burning away in the air as she continue on.

She could see the end, the automatons moving to intercept and as Mattel worked the crowd she could feel that this had become more than just her proving something to herself. People were behind her now and that meant they were counting on her to provide for their faith. It felt a little like home, where the people needed her as much as she needed them and it spurred her on, determined to see this through to the very end. To give less than her all would be unthinkable by now.

An eagle like automaton with vicious, blood red jade talons raked towards and her blade cut it off at the wing, sending the bird to curl up in simulated pain and tumble down to the ground as it spilled its mechanical guts out into the air. Even if they could feel no real fear, the following automatons seemed to hesitate to face her blade advancing slowly and each time paying the price for it. Ducking a wild swing from a walking artillery piece on the ground trying to bring her down with huge heavy balls of steel on a long metal cord she dodges to the side and smashes the ball away with a reverse swing of her Daiklaive the steel cable scything through two of the attacking birds and the momentum of it bowling over the unusually designed siege craft.

No race of this style would be complete without a final, near impossible challenge and while one was no doubt set aside for each Exalt in Wave's case this was a lumbering, man shaped, metal monstrosity with titanic steel jaws on its huge head snapping the air eagerly in anticipation for Wave, the throat blazing red hot with a furnace no doubt contained inside that allowed it to belch out long gouts of fire. Its limbs were moved with powerful devices that rendered Wave's attempted jinking useless, it was so fast that she saw it was going to get her in its maw no matter what she did. Even knowing this though, she didn't stop. The Dawn Caste rolled past a ball of flame and dove into the jaws as the creature roared in triumph, a cry that was cut short as Wave tore through the back of it's metal skull with the blade glowing bright, sending a spray of flaming parts out into the air. The typhoon following her crashed into the giant automaton and sent it over to its side, lying on the ground a broken, smoking heap.

Wave dives to land over the finish line in a crouch with her wings cocooned above her, shielding her from the rain of burning debris that follows. As the last piece of burning scrap bounces clear she rises to her feet imperiously, the halo of light around her giving her triumphant smile a radiant glow. Her wings flicked out to her side and her Daiklaive went over her shoulder, she raises and arm to the sky to wave at the crowds who'd had her back a satisfied glow in her heart that she'd pushed herself right to her current limits. Still catching her breath she'd never felt so drained, it was taking an effort of will to even remain standing as the dizzying rush of power slowly faded. Looking around through the essence fuelled haze of her clothes she finally realised that after all that, she hadn't the faintest idea how she'd done.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:31, Sun 18 Oct 2009.

Pebbles blasts towards the loop of rings and bypasses the backwards loop as she tugs the long scarf that's flapping behind her.  Avoiding any chance of slowing down, she instead uses the scarf as a lasso to snag a stony pillar, allowing centrifugal force to spin her in an incredibly brutal circle as the scarf is forcibly yanked from her hands the the sheer pressure of the turn tears the scaly skin from her hands.  Droplets of blood sizzle into the air as she hits the backwards loop full-tilt.
18:50, Today: Five White Pebbles rolled 8 successes using 18d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 5,2,2,5,4,10,5,7,1,7,1,5,2,10,9,8,2,1. Complex Rings (+Con, +Exc).

Reaching where it suddenly reverses, Pebbles is finally forced to drop speed, and indeed she stops entirely in a narrow confine and slams into the center ring, using it to slow herself down before jumping back off in the opposite direction.  The rings, apparently, had been made of merely mortal steel without magical materials to reinforce their actual structure as the impact of Pebble's warform slamming it, even at a more sedate speed of only three hundred miles an hour, bends it into an oval before she whipcracks into the asteroid field.  Here, she attempts to brazen things out by simply outrunning the asteroid field and winds up slamming into one with crushing force, knocking her back and loosing a tremendous amount of distance recovering her wits as she clings to the floating object and tries to rally her essence.
18:59, Today: Five White Pebbles rolled 3 successes using 18d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 5,4,3,9,4,4,9,6,2,2,2,5,1,2,4,1,6,9. Asteroid Field (ditto).
Owie

Recovering, she tries to take on the moving ring pattern but, tired, out of essence, and suffering from a crippling injury to the shoulder from her collision, she's forced to take it slow and run on the hope that her early lead will last as she dashes for the the finish line, manages to just cross it, and then hits the ground, bouncing twice before rolling nearly twenty yards before her energy is spent.
19:01, Today: Five White Pebbles rolled 5 successes using 18d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 2,5,7,1,2,6,6,7,6,3,3,7,3,4,10,3,1,4. Moving Ring Pattern.
What miserable luck!
This message was last edited by the player at 03:15, Mon 19 Oct 2009.

Rajha's face drew into a tight frown as she watched everyone else zip ahead of her beating wings. She knew her equipment was probably the weakest hand-me-down in the whole race, while that soft Goldfinch and Pebbles sported in the air as if mocking her. With all of that in mind, she decided then and there to show them what skill could do, with or without a top-flight engine. Golden light began to build up around her as she snaked through the first pattern of rings without even losing speed. It was just like in the jungle, where she had surfed on carpets of moss and leaped through the spaces between branches.

21:13, Today: Rajha rolled 10 successes using 14d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 1,7,2,8,9,1,8,4,4,3,7,4,10,2. #1, +Conviction +3 Succ.

The thought reminded her of her home, and of why she had become a Solar. An animalistic growl burst from her throat as she blazed forward towards the field of stones, heedless of anything that might be in her path, mighty golden wings charged with the force of her anger shedding beams of rainbow light behind them, and as she reached the field, the wings began to strike aside the rocks in her way to the rings. Midway through, her hand reached to her weapon belt and unthinkingly grabbed her sky-cutter, flinging it instinctively at a boulder in her way and shearing it in two, then catching the weapon as she flashed through the ring.

21:13, Today: Rajha rolled 11 successes using 14d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 9,4,5,6,7,2,7,8,1,3,7,3,4,10. #2, +Conviction +4 Succ.

As she passed through the last ring, Rajha's anima burst forth around her, concealing her body entirely within its opaque golden glow. It took the shape of a great serpent forged from sunlight, with six flaming orichalcum wings that carried it through the sky like a fish through the ocean while rainbowed light descended upon the watching crowds. The sun-dragon began diving through the moving rings like the eye of a hurricane, and as she passed through each ring in turn, her speed only increased, launching her from goal to goal with the careless abandon and limitless energy of the Unconquered Sun himself. As she came towards the finish line, she dived like a hawk, then backwinged once. Her serpent dissipated with that launch, leaving only the woman clad in liquid sunlight standing on her toes, an inch over the finish line.

21:14, Today: Rajha rolled 14 successes using 14d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 6,10,2,10,9,3,2,7,7,6,1,7,3,7. #3, +Conviction +5 Succ.

Her wings dissipated, and Rajha fell directly to her knees, almost completely exhausted from the power she had burned.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:48, Mon 19 Oct 2009.

Comet smiles and replies; "Yeah, as also some my student friends are driving there so I am excited to see how they get placed in the contest. Oh, meeting your captain after the races is fine. I am Comet. Nice to meet you Dania."

Finally sure that the Harlequin was up and underway, the slender girl made her way to the main deck.  She'd had to sneak aboard, of course, but the idea both of riding aboard the ship as well as getting a great view of this 'race' spurred her to do it.  She'd almost been nabbed getting on, but very thankfully managed to keep herself concealed from a suspicious crewmember.

Once the ship had shuddered, lifting away from it's berthing, she came out again, climbing up several decks until finally arriving on the main guest deck.  Without hesitation, she went to the rail and stomped her foot with a bit of frustration.  "Darn.  I missed the start of the race!" she thought to herself.  More over, her dress definitely didn't scream that she could have possibly afforded to be where she now stood.  A lack of foresight on her part, perhaps; the young woman didn't give much thought to the occasional stare she received.

She hadn't had any meaningful contact with other Celestials until her arrival at the floating city.  Now, it seemed no matter where she went, they were everywhere.  Even being late to the race, the sight of watching the racers below amazed the very inexperienced Liarra.  The speeds at which the racers could travel defied logic, almost incomprehensibly fast were these Exalted.  Her eyes were very wide, marvelling at the festivities below.  "Wooow!  How is that even possible!?" she said, not speaking to anyone in particular.

Everything was going so well. Clematis was annoyed by Mattel's evaision of his personal gaurd. But then again, he was a lunar. They were tricky in nature, perhaps a little to tricky. He would have to keep a better eye on his mate. Perhaps he should call in an old favor and have him followed.

Attendants passed champagne and sweet delicacies around on the elder solars light battle cruiser he used to watch the races. And just as Clematis was going to stand to cheer on his elder Desus, he spit his drink out. He spit it all over a servant that handed him the drink in the first place. She could see his temper flare and attempted to rush out of the way of his incoming wrath. But then it was already to late.

"What the hell are you doing!? Do you think you could remain here looking like that?" Clematis snorted and started a malicious laugh looking around for those around to join in. "It's ok. I know where you would fit right in. *dramatic pause* Escort miss champagne covered waitress lady to the sewage tanks."

He burst into laughter, along with his groupies on board. And the screams of the horrified servant only gave him more reason to laugh, and laugh hard he did. And just as sudden as he started to laugh, he stopped.

"Now can someone explain to me why Mattel is down there and not up here? Or perhaps someone would like to explain to me how fast a Terrestial exalt falls from this hieght?"

The party was over in the cruiser. Clematis merely sat in his chair mentally isolated and no longer caring for the festivities.

Theater Ship Harlequin

"Good to meet you, Comet! You're actually friends with some of the racers?? That's fascinating!" Dania says to Comet, sounding genuinely surprised. "Captain Emerald will be thrilled. Medium, or Expert? Emerald's favorite for Medium is the son of Peregrine Altair, Goldfinch."

While the masked woman in green continues conversing with Comet, Liarra creeps her way onto the main deck looking quite out of place. Everyone is elegantly dressed and glittering with jewelry, dancing and cheering and drinking champagne as the races wind on toward a conclusion. More than once she's nearly knocked over by some over-eager reveler or someone rushing by with a tray.

She's within a few feet of Comet and Dania by the time she exclaims at the racers, so Dania picks up on Liarra's simple question. "Silly girl, they're Celestials! They can do anything. They'll tell the laws of nature to sit down and shut up if'n they want."

A split second later, Liarra feels someone brush up behind her, a hand touching her... back?

"Wow.. I never would have imagined such ability." she marvels.  A brushing touch on her back has her turning on her heels.  It wasn't until she took the time to be so close to other people, that she realized just how out of place she appeared.  She does glance curiously at the pair, and looks around in case an immediate source of the touching isn't apparent.  Liarra is no stranger to the 'bump' method of pocket examination, taking a moment to run her hands across her hip.  Casually, of course, as to not attract 'too' much attention to what she's doing.  "And to race on such a beautiful day, yes?  It's amazing!  Or, do I have the Celestials to thank for that too?"

Comet smiles to Dania and replies; "Yeah, both in medium and expert I have student friends. Goldfinch is one which I have met more often and also Wave who is in Expert." Comet records the races in detail as he could with his recorder. When Liarra comes in and talks he smiles and replies; "I guess I should say 'of course' but so far as I know city's weather is full around the clock manipulated with essence. But also weather outside Anthengenia is nice so we should be grateful that no weather affecting god or goddess is grumpy mood today." Comet keeps eye on the man who had obviously tried grab on Liarra, keeping eye out would he re-attempt the action.....readying interfere.

The crowd loved him.

He could feel it; part of him always could, in a way, simply because of who he'd been trained to be. Their eyes were on him, hot and hungry, and a part of him knew, full well, that that really shouldn't matter--but what the hell. He was here. He felt alive. So it was that he was racing like a madman, pushing himself, taking all the tiny tricks and shortcuts that could have felled a lesser horseman and knowing full well he would make it alive, because that's what they wanted him to; how could he, as Eclipse and showman, disappoint?

The arrow snaked out like a bolt of living fire, twisted itself about the center ring; and he pulled, swinging Wingblade and Solar in a tight, killer arc even as the rope frayed itself from the speed. Twine snapped; wood splintered; and the sudden jerk of the rope ran through his body, forcibly realigning the craft in a sudden, midair twist even as the remnants of its original velocity pushed it... further, further, I know I've got this and further through the final ring of the curve, its right blade sparking against the mixed-alloy ring as it shot down an impossibly steep cut in the path, carrying a grinning Celestial on its back.

After all, some people had paid to see this spectacle, and while he didn't doubt the Expert races was probably holding their own mid-air extravaganza, well, he couldn't slack off just because of that. It'd be... unprofessional.

The Wingblade cut to a stop in midair, and all of a sudden, the glowing pad beneath his feet was gone, sending him catapulting head-face off his errant steed.

Like how dying would be horribly unprofessional.

Cloak flaring behind him, the young Solar rose and fell in his private aurora, surrounded by the birds of his Celestial heritage. For a single, dreadful moment, the ground beckoned beneath him, whistling a promise of sudden, messy death--and it probably would have continued into a full-blown musical production of the same, had not the ring he was entering chose the moment to burst into the familiar flames, followed by another... then another...

(One day, he decided, he would find some way of flying with nothing else holding him. At all.)

...and at the bottom of the arc the Windblade was waiting for him, essence playing off its glittering form, oof.

And that's the first part down. Next up; all he had to do was brace himself as he slammed into a boulde--Ow.

There's a breathless moment as his anima flickered, the magpies quietened...

Not dead? Ok.

...and then the great rock burst into an Eclipse's gold and whites, echoing the transmutation of his previous steed. A loud, steady thrumming; and slowly, surely, the great asteroid accelerated, bursts of staccato sound singing as lesser stones began to crash and scrape across its surface, building a strange, cacophonous music in the heart of the race. It wasn't quite what anyone would prefer to hear in their mornings, but even heavy rock(s) had fans; and, well, what better to herald its rider's signature flock?

There was a great, final explosion as the meteor finally slammed into its better, throwing smoke and dust in a terrific, golden inferno--and, at its heart, grinning in fierce exultation, Goldfinch slipped neatly into the first of the rings, four and twenty magpies saluting him with song. But that wasn't all that he set out to do, was it?

Still sparking with Celestial fury, the remnants of the two greater rocks continued to ricochet through the asteroid maze, changing paths and altering momentums. The broken pieces, carried by their explosive momentum, drove pebbles against pebbles and stone against stone, twisting the lay of the land into a significantly different labyrinth... and in their pinballing fury, sent certain strange, weightless rings careening, away from positions and orbits both and one two three fourfivesixseveneight--

(From above, it must have looked like a strange dance of rock and stone--golden bullets, shooting forth from the original explosion, darting forth to hit another, then another, then another--until ten, twenty, thirty-odd; more! suddenly sped out from the growling, crashing mass, to streak, like falcons, out into the third segment to smash headlong into those self-propelling rings, driving them out of orbit for just a moment, just a second, just the briefest of grains to fall--)

And then he was on the other side, a clear, golden road shining behind him from rock through air as the twenty-odd rings held (for a moment) in their clean, sweeping arc; quivered; and, as his anima finally left them, they blew apart, spiraling their own ways back into the mess of rubble and rock. For a moment there, it'd felt so wonderfully easy, watching each ring descend upon him in time to take him from the last; but then he was at the end of the race, cloak flapping behind him, as the last of the thunderous impacts fell away into dust.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:53, Tue 20 Oct 2009.

Theater Ship Harlequin

Liarra glances behind her and sees a tall, well-built man dressed as an employee of the Harlequin. "Well look what I've caught up with," he says loudly, with a smile that shows large, perfect teeth, staring down at the young woman, "a stowaway." A few gasps and whispers pop up nearby in reaction, but most patrons are too engrossed in the music, or watching the racers to care much.

Technically Comet is just as much of a stowaway, but no one here would know. After all, he DID essentially pass by the attendants, if only due to Dianora's wealth!

Dania, meanwhile, waves her fan dismissively at the large man with dark brown hair and a trimmed beard who is apparently some form of security. "Come on, Cainus, let the kids have their fun. You can't tell me you've never slipped onto a ship before just for the thrill of it! We all love flying for a reason." She smiles down at Liarra, her blue eyes framed by a sequined mask that leaves the mouth uncovered. "And what's your name? I'll have to take you to see Captain Emerald as well, but we can wait till after the--"

The rest of her words are swallowed up as the entire deck of the Harlequin roars and shouts in excitement! It looks like the races are finally reaching a conclusion...

As Wave finished her last leg of the race Mattel allowed himself to relax. So sudden his attitude change, he had to remember how poise he usually is. Dusting his clothes off he quickly assumed the "Mattel" posture leaving the poeple to rally who they wanted to. He could only hope the Shogun heard his prayer and made a difference.

The student took to the platform and made his way to the ground where he would meet the Fan club. After all, he was starting to miss them.

<To the Ground>

Medium Race

Most people watching the Medium Race by now are most interested in two things: how long Pebbles can keep up her mind-boggling burst of speed, and how Goldfinch will amaze them next.

Five White Pebbles

The first question is answered when Pebbles smashes hard into an asteroid, losing a considerable amount of speed and getting knocked right off course. The crowd lets out a mixed gasp of thrill of horror, thinking that the impact might have killed her, or crippled her, but a mix of sheer determination and momentum keeps her going for a time. She passes the moving rings without going through them, but is so addled by hitting the asteroid that what she thinks is the finish line isn't a line at all, or on the ground for that matter. Instead she dives into a free fall, losing consciousness!

The cloud elemental announcing for the Medium Race calls out, "Five White Pebbles is disqualified!" The statement only works the spectators up into a furor of concern and, in some cases, morbid excitement as they crane their heads downward to watch her descent. Would someone or something break her fall besides the cold, hard ground? Would they actually be witness to a young Celestial's death?

Goldfinch Altair

On the other hand, those rooting for Goldfinch are far from disappointed. He continues his dazzling routine using every trick he can work in given the confines of the rules. Arrows tied with twine, aimed to ricochet him at increased speed through haphazardly placed rings; daring stunts that sent him hurtling through a series of gold-flaring rings while the Windblade carried on without him; and finally, as Pebbles' lead on him is officially disqualified, spectacularly shattering a series of asteroids into knocking the moving rings into a perfect row. As the young Eclipse passes through the twenty rings with gallant ease, a great many spectators stand up and burst into raucous applause.

"GOLDFINCH! GOLDFINCH! GOLDFINCH!" chant his new fans on the balconies and airship decks as he reaches the end platform with a solid first place finish!

Atmadja Kigal-Usha

Atmadja isn't in the race just to show off. Marshal Sanguinus himself has trained her, and she's eager to show that even as a Terrestrial, she has what it takes to beat some of the best fliers of the Academy student body. Her phoenix warbird flares from within with sheets of Essence that spread out like a second pair of wings, propelling her through complex ring formations with tight and precise maneuverability. Not once does she so much as touch one of the rings as they flare a warm, fiery red-gold at her passing.

Dodging the asteroids is easier now that Goldfinch has broken apart several of the largest ones. Atmadja doesn't even bother entirely avoiding the smaller fragments, allowing them to skim the red jade surface of her flying machine and simply break apart in her wake. By the time she reaches the moving rings, they've shifted back into their normal patterns, but she's completely unfazed. "This is for you, love!!" she shouts exuberantly, the words swallowed up by the rush of wind as she fearlessly takes on the final leg of the race, twisting and spinning and accelerating from ring to ring as if she could predict their shifting patterns with a thought!

Rajha

Rajha flies on with her Essence-wings, unperturbed by fancy moves or machinery. Blotting out the din of the crowds, she recalls her life in the jungle, relying as much on instinct as on skill. Diving through rings at speeds faster than a cheetah is hardly different from dodging leafy boughs and branch whiplash, landing on her tiptoes on one precarious perch only to leap on toward the next! Rajha's six-winged anima unfurls spectacularly, highlighting her serpentine agility as she navigates the moving rings, while her skycutter pulverizes asteroids even further into inconsequential shards. With Pebbles disqualified, she has a good, clear shot at third place.

Edged Blossom

Edged Blossom has already resigned herself to finishing after the top two, pouring her effort not into winning, but getting close enough for a personal best. At one point she and Rajha are nearly neck and neck, her golden anima rippling outward in a storm of razor petals, urging her Windblade forward yard by hard-earned yard. But all of her desire to compete for third place vanishes as she sees Pebbles fall. Some undeniable impulse seizes her, and she diverts sharply from the floating race track, going into a steep dive to catch her. "No!! I'm coming for you, just... just don't die!!!"

At the finish platform

1st: Goldfinch
2nd: Atmadja (61 yards behind Goldfinch)
3rd: Rajha (140 yards behind Atmadja)

Edged Blossom and Five White Pebbles are disqualified.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:14, Wed 21 Oct 2009.

Liarra grins sheepishly up at the crewman.  As she's about to try and talk her way out of it, the girl raises her fan and intercedes on Liarra's behalf.  With a look that screamed, "I certainly owe you one!" she smiled gratefully.  Once again, about to speak, the young rogue-ish Liarra is interrupted by the eruption of noise from the crowds in attendance.  She turns back to the rail, peering out as the races come to their conclusions.

Once the final standings of the medium race conclude, she turns back to Dania, "Yes!  My name is Liarra Shadesong.  I'd be happy to meet the Captain!  If you don't mind, can I ask your name?"  Liarra manages only barely to keep from trying to give Cainus a gloating stare, so instead she shuffles herself closer to the pair.

He could stay there forever.

Somehow, somewhere behind him, he'd passed the speeding Lunar and left her behind; perhaps someplace in the asteroid fields, or during his flight through the rings. He didn't know. But here he was, first at the finish, and the crowds were shouting his name. It... would be a fine memory, for later times.

"No!! I'm coming for you, just... just don't die!!!"

Ehhh?

Oh, hey, there she was, falling... though... the...

...

Into the asteroid fields.

"Oh, Sol have mercy..." And the whole sequence seemed oddly familiar to him; the cloak, the arrows, the four at the string--oh, right. That was only two weeks ago. It felt like forever.

Slicing through the air, his arrows traced the path that he had just traveled, spiraling down towards the falling Pebbles... and, as twine-chased steel looped themselves about the chassis of her wings, his cloak again blossomed into its full, imperious size, snatching the speed away from her form. It possibly could've been enough--except that Pebbles was still falling towards the asteroid field.

He was speeding back down the line, Wingblade thundering in protest, but... "Blossom! Get her!"

Expert Race

Marek and Desus

The two elder Exalts in the lead disappear into the ravine together. Marek uses the superior maneuverability of his warstrider to eke out an early lead, leaving Desus trailing very close behind. The Eclipse allows him to do just that, keeping up a consistent 10 yard gap that closes as the tunnels swallow them up. Desus immediately branches off toward a separate tunnel from Marek, whose advanced warstrider AI attempts to calculate for him the most ideal path. It's not as easy a task as it seems going at top speed, but Marek manages to avoid any obstacles or dead ends -- in some cases, just barely.

When Marek and Desus burst out of the treacherous, enclosed tunnels, they are once again tied for first. People are astonished that Desus has apparently met his match, while many of his fans scoff that he's just lagging behind to make the race more exciting. Others are just plain disappointed at Desus's lack of showmanship, criticizing him for being too jaded to even bother.

It's only at the final leg of the race that Desus goes out of his way to exhibit his talent. He passes the moving barriers with ease, timing it so close at times that they slam inches from his cloak or his simhata's artificial tail. Flying over a pit with a tentacled automaton, he swerves past its appendages so swiftly and with such sudden movements that it tangles itself just to reach him. A flying machine shaped like a wyvern -- some lesser cousin of the thousand-forged dragon perhaps -- attempts to pursue him, and he ducks down past a closing portal at the last minute so that the wyvern-machine is rewarded by a smashed claw and its head colliding with solid metal.

With several hundred yards remaining to the end platform, an automaton in the likeness of a giant naga looms in Desus' way. Rather than swerving to avoid the metallic monster, he approaches head-on and smashes its nose with an iron-fisted sucker punch, his clockwork simhata blasting its hoof-thrusters right over its face just to add insult to injury! The Desus Fan Club lets out a cheer at the sight of his 'signature move'.

The final moments of the race for first place are breakneck and very, very close. In a contest of pure skill, Desus is still Marek's better -- but he is also handicapped, riding a steed that lacks the maneuverability of Wings of Gold. Nonetheless, Desus is the one that finishes first, by a mere 20 yards.

Idiori and Wave

The race continues for the two Intermediate students. By this point it's pretty much moot that they'll even catch up to Marek and Desus, no matter how fiercely competitive they might be. Still, that doesn't mean they ought to stop trying!

It's uncertain whether Vanileth so much as acknowledges Mattel's attempt at a prayer, but as long as he keeps at it, he manages to rally the people in his vicinity to cheer with him. Plenty of the spectators are simply ordinary people vicariously soaking up the excitement, so when a Lunar starts glowing, showing off and chanting, they enthusiastically follow suit! The crowd likes Wave for her youth, her tenacity despite the odds stacked against her, and the courage and almost reckless daring to her maneuvers.

Idiori doesn't attempt to hide that she's having fun, but at the same time is not the type to underestimate her opponent. She doesn't believe for a second that Wave will allow her to keep the lead, and they're well matched oppnents. Wave has a slight speed advantage with her wings, while Idiori's Windblade is slightly more maneuverable, allowing her to squeeze through slim cracks and navigate tightly cramped spaces. The young Lunar slips beneath the crowd's notice more often than not, taking cover within the deep shadows at the bottom or sides of the ravine to keep her movements unpredictable and difficult to track. At the speeds they are going, even Wave sees little more than a glitter of silver at the edge of her vision, as Idiori's leather outfit camouflages her well against the earth.

Little by little, though, the distance between Wave and that sliver of silver closes in. Against the barriers and the automatons, Wave is at the top of her game, using her daiklave when a nimble dodge just isn't enough, smashing through whatever stands in her way. As machine after machine breaks apart spectacularly to her passing, the crowd roars with appreciation for her entertaining lack of subtlety.

Idiori skims past the moving barriers, dodging the remaining automatons with all the grace and reflexes of an experienced Tamar-Kas hunter. She allows herself to be chased, diving and swerving to lead the would-be hunters to topple or trip themselves on rock formations. She hurls slender javelins of silver light to pierce their visual centers, snap their joints or shatter whatever might serve as their brains. But her focus is not on destruction but evasion, her silver-blue aura rippling in the shape of a giant eagle to bolster her natural dexterity.

Unfortunately, the Windblade rider is forced to dodge all the debris Wave leaves behind. At one point she veers sharply and nearly collides with a wall, when the gigantic walking furnace Wave just wrecked explodes right in her midst! Covered with soot, Idiori grits her teeth for a last burst of effort, claiming a very close fourth place.

At the finish platform

1st: Desus
2nd: Marek (20 yards from Desus)
3rd: Wave (150 yards from Marek)
4th: Idiori (20 yards from Wave)
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:27, Wed 21 Oct 2009.

Edged Blossom is completely oblivious and uncaring of the Expert Race results. Hurrying to Pebbles is all that's on her mind right now, her heart pounding so fast she feels her fingers and toes go numb. Have to catch her have to catch her have to catch -- what is he DOING?!

Her thumping heart nearly stops altogether when Goldfinch aims his arrows at poor, falling Pebbles, but his arrows aim around the WINGS this time, not into poor Pebbles' body. Gasping with relief, and swallowing a whole lot of air in the process, she angles her Windblade's swift approach to catch Pebbles as the makeshift parachute slows the Lunar's fall.

-whumpf-

Goldfinch's quick thinking makes the feat easier, but still awkward. Blossom holds onto Pebbles' unconscious body while balancing on her Windblade, maneuvering awkwardly toward the nearest platform. She looks down at the face of the redhead she just caught, her own expression bewildered and scared all at once. What am I doing? Why did I...?

Then she shakes her head. More important things to think about now! Landing on the platform, the young Dawn Caste glares at the people currently occupying it, carrying Pebbles aloft in her arms. "Out of the way, give me space! She's badly hurt! I don't think shoulders are supposed to bend that way and... and she won't wake up! PLEASE say there's someone here who can help her..."

Fortunately, it isn't long before several ADF security guards arrive to direct people away from the platform Blossom landed on. Tachibana Akio flies up personally, accompanied by his Wood Dragon assistant, and instructs Blossom to lay Pebbles down on the platform carefully so he can examine her.

As he does so, the Twilight caste mark shines clearly on his brow, and the spectators behind the security lines watch with bated breath. Finally he states, "She will live. Her body has suffered a great deal of trauma, but Exalted bodies are resilient. However, we must transport her somewhere where I can concentrate and allow her to lie comfortably, healing her will take a couple hours."

"Getting her there without exacerbating her condition is key. Miss, can we use your Windblade a little bit longer?" Once Blossom nods numbly, he uses the Windblade to create a makeshift stretcher for Pebbles, then floats her down toward ground level with the help of Blossom and Briar. Halfway there, they are met by a gliding chariot painted white with the Caduceus in gold on the hood and sides, and Pebbles is very carefully transferred onto the medical transport.

---

OOC: Oops. I miscalculated. Actually, healing her takes shorter than I thought.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:33, Wed 21 Oct 2009.

Comet recorded last of the races, and when top three racers were shown he deactivated his recorder device and said; "I hope Pebbles is alright, that was quite nasty hits she took. Anycase I think now we can meet the captain, lead the way Dania."