226. Fun Run?

Atop the high castle, a broad balcony provided the perfect vantage point over the entire carnival. Aurelia took in a deep gulp of fresh air, her eyes drawn to the flickering, alternating lights in the distance below.

Down on the streets, crowds began to form lines near the main cobbled road, just a few metres from the castle wall. The participants entered a rest area in two disorderly groups, roughly sixteen each.

“You’re early.” Astrid’s trademark deep voice echoed beside her.

Aurelia spun partially. “Oh, it’s you.” She leaned over the rail, her gaze absently drifting towards the Griffin Inn. “They seem to be having fun… I wonder how Zetius and the others are doing.”

“They’ll be alright.” Astrid joined her, resting her hands on the rail. The breeze swayed her long, loose dress. A yawn escaped her. She stretched, twisting her firm frame as she moaned, “It’s been a long day.”

“But it’s fun, right?” Aurelia probed, stealing a glance at her.

“Absolutely,” Astrid bobbed her head.

Faint chattering drifted from the next balcony to the right, where other high officials were enjoying their evening. On the contrary, the left wing was reserved for the High Zodiac Council members, including Celestius mages such as Vivian Viberty, Whisper, and Virtius Nyra.

Astrid sighed. She’d had enough of dealing with ancient people for one day. To be honest, she’d rather stay with people her own age, even if it was the little princess of Solis Aeternum. Relatively, Aurelia wasn’t so distasteful as she imagined.

Soon, footsteps echoed and stopped behind them. “Woah! Look at all the lightwork!” Cartier exclaimed, her cat-tail wiggling with enthusiasm.

Triss walked hand-in-hand with her. “It’s such a wonderful eve!” she exclaimed, her long lashes fluttering with innocent beauty. Her dark veil and priestess dress were a testament to her service to Virgo.

“Everyone is ready for the race, I see.” Empress Aurora’s voice was accompanied by a small smile. “May I join you all?”

“Of course!” Aurelia dipped her head and curtsied in reverence. “We would be honoured by your company.”

Behind Aurora, Lupus trailed her, uncharacteristically timid in a similar long, loose dress, her hands interlaced in front of her.

As the Empress and her followers settled into their spots, vibrant, multi-coloured ribbons of light illuminated the street. Holographic billboards beamed upwards, revealing the names of the participants — one list for arcanists and another for non-arcanists.

“I wonder if Nyrethein is going to do something rather unorthodox again,” Aurora wondered aloud. “I did tell her to entertain, but only to a reasonable extent.”

“The Celestius of Gemini certainly loves to drive the crowds wild,” Astrid agreed, crossing her arms.

“Zetius…” Lupus grumbled under her breath, prompting Aurelia to skim through the lists.

“Oh… what’s going on?” Aurelia exclaimed, surprised.

Astrid shrugged dismissively. “Huh. He’s just loving the competition, I guess.”

Hovering above on her personal platform, Nyrethein leaned over the railing, her midnight skin glowing in the neon colours of the holographic board. “And for the arcanist participants! Have you ever felt it would be too easy for you? This ordinary race for blitz? Because I came up with something special!”

“What’s that? Is she serious?” A collective murmur rose from the people below. Suspension hung heavy in the air.

Nyrethein gestured to her side, her bust swaying teasingly. “I’ve designed it to make things more… fun. There will be three checkpoints to pass, and each will only allow a limited number of arcanists through. Once enough challengers pass, it will close for good.”

A hologram showed a wall with a cross-sign appearing as a set number of challengers crossed a line. Then, a multi-coloured barrier materialised, blocking the path.

“I knew it the moment I saw her dark-elven face,” Cubie growled.

Zetius’s jaw tightened, his hardened gaze piercing Nyrethein. She took it as a compliment.

Straightening herself, Nyrethein inspected her ornate wristlet. “The first checkpoint is merely a full sprint! If you’re not agile enough, you’re out of the game. Then, the second and third… well, I forgot what they’re about!”

“Ah… typical,” Astrid shook her head, her hand rubbing her brows.

“She is rather eccentric with her games,” Aurora commented, her voice cold.

On the north’s elevated walkway near the Griffin Inn, Lampi, with Rhealin piggy-backing on her, poked her horned head out from the crowds. Friederich, Canis, and Willhelm wobbled as they reached the handrails, all of them more or less under the influence.

“Look! I told you all, Zetius is in the race for real!” Lampi pointed, tapping her hoof-like boots.

“Oh, Gaia. What in the Gaia’s name is my prime disciple up to?” Willhelm brought a hand to his lower lip, suppressing a rising burp.

Friederich snapped his face forward like a tortoise, his half-open eyes scanning the rest area before drifting to Nyrethein on her floating platform. “Holy Gaia! This isn’t good when it involves her.”

Rhea rubbed her drowsy eyes. “Probably ‘cause Pree nagged him… That girl is a reeeeeeeaal piece of work, I told you.”

A deep chuckle echoed from Canis. “I believe he’ll be fine. After all, if push comes to shove, we can always interfere in some way.”

“Right on!” Rhea raised her hands in the air and let them fall limply back down.

Canis searched the crowd until a familiar blonde head stuck out. “Frain! I thought we lost you somehow!” he exclaimed, waving his hands erratically.

“Sir Canis! You’re revived!” Frain bellowed back over the buzzing noise. Zetius’s unique Arc-coat was folded neatly over her arm. She managed to weave her way through the crowd back to regroup with the party.

In the rest area, a staff member signalled and pointed at the digital counter. “Five minutes before commencement!”

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Like a seasoned composer taking the stage, Nyrethein drew a wand, its tip pulsing with a bright glow. A slow, deliberate weave through the air was all it took for a soft melody to begin its descent upon the masses. The music awoke with a lone, noble Montelian horn — the solitary call of warmongering mages, small in number, standing before a majestic, terrifying threat.

Her hands danced, becoming more frantic and dramatic, driving the music forward with thunderous, unrelenting percussion. The deep kettledrums and powerful snare drums were akin to the heartbeat of battle, the pounding footsteps of the orchestral bands on the low balconies.

Then, the grand orchestra erupted as Nyrethein conducted with elegant waves of her wand, a fiery passion in her eyes.

The triumphant, soaring brass section blared the iconic fanfare, a defiant roar that declared their right to conquer and protect their legacy. The orchestra was history being retold. It was the sound of courage solidified, of fear forged into strength. The trumpets and horns were the warmongering mages planting their feet, raising their arc-weapons.

And they refused to be broken.

All their blood, sweat, and tears were engraved into the tune of this music: The Call of the Warmongers, composed by Theon Indomitus, Celestius of Libra.

“Lovely, I’m super inspired!” Pree declared, placing a hand on her strong hip. Her pointed ears twitched and her long tail swayed slightly.

Meanwhile, Zetius stretched his body, focusing on his legs with a quick run in place, driving his knees up towards his chest. His arms pumped in sync with his legs.

The race wasn’t on his agenda for today, and it was made worse by his nemesis being back with another one of her twisted games. He’d be damned if he had to play along with her cards. What were the other two challenges after the first checkpoint? He clicked his tongue, exasperated.

“Wha~what? That’s the idiot who was trying to bring a war machine over. I remember you, puny construct!” a royal guard pointed, resting an arc spear on his shoulder.

“Hey! I’m not puny!” Cubie growled, unfazed.

“Pal, do not insult my girl,” Zetius glared, his expression serious. His square frame loomed over the guard, intimidating.

“What?” the guard sneered, stepping forward.

“Do you have a problem?” Zetius asked, his tone cutting as he tilted his head.

“N~no,” the man eventually backed down, swallowing hard as his gaze fell to the ground. “You clowns won’t even make the first checkpoint. After all, you can’t bring your Armatus into this race,” he grumbled softly, before spitting on the ground and leaving with a slur, “Mechanii sucker.”

“Yeah! Now you’re the one walking away,” Cubie retorted.

“Cubie…” Zetius exhaled sharply. “Let’s focus on the task at hand,” he told her, allowing her to reintegrate into his sternum.

At the front of the line, Pree stood with her chest puffed out, her demeanour overly stiff with both fists at her sides. She blew a breath of air from her mouth, her eyes fixated ahead.

“In position! Wait for the Celestius’s signal!” a staff member announced as the music faded into low rumbles.

With elegance, Pree ran a hand up her forehead, and a sharp, triangular visor integrated over her brows. An ornate red pattern glowed over its obsidian metal surface with a sleek, aerodynamic design.

Zetius crouched low, two fingers touching the ground beside him. He tilted his face toward the centre of the racetrack.

Nyrethein’s dance culminated in a final, dramatic pose as she thrust her wand skyward. Behind her, the complex runic spell flared, its rotation locking into place with a silent, blinding pulse.

Glaring from her nose, her eyes sparked while her smiling lips parted. “Start!”

A beautiful firework erupted behind her, lighting up the sky with blooming sparks as the challengers bolted for the first checkpoint.

Being at the back of the line, Zetius summoned his trump card. A semi-transparent compartment formed over his long-sleeved undershirt. Triple-rear thrusters exhausted red-hot energy. Its mechanical verniers pivoted swiftly, and the jets burst at full throttle.

“Cubie! Go!” Zetius pierced through the air, overtaking everyone.

He clenched his jaw, bracing against the crushing G-force. The wind tore at his exposed face, feeling like a thousand sharp needles. Damn it, I should have gotten a visor like Pree! He cursed internally.

“What? That fraud? It can’t be!” the spear-wielding guard exclaimed in shock as Zetius blew past him.

“Empyrion~Blast!” Zetius chanted, accelerating further with his open palms. Two triple-rear thrusters and two fire blasts were enough to breach the speed of sound.

The crowds burst into loud cheers, clapping their hands overhead.

“That’s new! Is that little Cubie’s ability?” Canis snapped his head, narrowing his eyes.

Frain also turned, her expression dripping with curiosity.

“She can manifest parts of an Armatus, but she wasn’t very creative with it. So, I, um, gave her a bit of a push,” Willhelm grinned from ear-to-ear, proud of his teaching.

“She’s a literal box of surprises,” Lampi interjected with a series of frantic micro-nods.

In the lead, Pree took long strides, her ears twitching at the sound of a whirring engine. “What?!” Surprised, she spun to see Zetius blasting past her, the ripple of wind swaying her sideways.

“Mm! You’ve got game after all!” Pree smirked, feeling the rush of competition. Her heart yearned for this.

Just two hundred more metres until the first checkpoint. Pree neighed, sending every ounce of explosive energy down her legs. The visor shifted into a ribbon of red.

Her hazy figure became speed itself, defying the wind. The sound barrier shattered into three successive booms.

“Time to get serious!” Pree ramped up her acceleration, already catching up to Zetius’s rear. “I’m not going to lose to a complete newbie!” she nickered, her hands pumping, her forefeet slamming into the cobblestone, rocking the ground.

“Bring it on! Cubie!” Zetius roared back, unyielding. The thrusters boosted again.

The two speedsters took turns taking the lead, a real struggle of spirits and sprint.

Fifty metres now. Zetius blasted forward, bending his chest outward for the shimmering checkpoint.

“HAAAA!” With a final jump, Pree launched herself into the air.

“I can’t see her!“ Canis choked.

“No kidding!” Zetius gasped in surprise. Pree reappeared just a hair’s breadth from the barrier.

And with that, Pree passed through the wall and claimed first place. The massive momentum sent her rolling for several metres before she came to a safe stop, her boots scraping the floor with a long, screeching sound.

Amazed, Zetius hovered just behind her and landed softly on the floor. “That’s your new all-time high, Cubie!” he praised, wiping tears from his eyes.

Cubie emerged from his chest. “You like my industrial-grade triple-rear thrusters?” she quipped, her body brightening to signal her happiness.

“Of course, I do,” Zetius chuckled as the projected jetpack vanished into a shower of sparks. He groaned and ran a hand over his face, which felt raw from the wind. “A helmet would’ve been a good idea,” he muttered, blinking against the lingering sting in his eyes.

The spear-bearer reached the checkpoint third, almost collapsing. His shallow breaths were loud, and sweat dripped from his nose as he clung to his spear for support.

“Fufufu. Who’s laughing now?” Cubie whispered to Zetius in spite.

“Sheesh… She’s a real essence? Amazing!” Pree exclaimed, her voice breathless, her skin smouldering with steam.

“Definitely! We didn’t lie about that,” Cubie spoke sassily.

Once eight participants reached the checkpoint, the barrier solidified, cutting off the late arrivals. Zetius spared a glance for the non-arcanist track. None of them had even made it halfway. The sheer gap in ability was stark.

“The second checkpoint will be very interesting.” Zetius glanced over, noticing strange obstacles scattered on the racetrack in basic shapes like squares, triangles, and spheres.

“An obstacle track? What’s so interesting about that?” Pree asked, standing at his side and placing a hand on his shoulder.

“I’m dying to know that too,” Zetius said, his voice laced with sarcasm.

“What an excellent display of outburst speed! I love it!” Nyrethein’s voice echoed from above. “I won’t wait for you to catch your breath! Proceed to the next checkpoint!”

A horn blasted in urgency.

Soon, the basic shapes chimed and began to attract one another, forming monstrous Golems.

“Z’smite me…” Zetius muttered, biting down on his molars. This wasn't an obstacle course. It was a full-blown battle.