Rupegia

Chapter 72: Grand Prix – Part 3

"Would you look at that, Ririmu!" Hukarere exclaims and nearly jumps out of her seat. "Wolf Ryder blasts off the very moment that the 'go' signal is given. The Four try to keep up, but the difference in skill between them is clear."

"The Duo isn't even trying; you can see that they're just observing how the others are flying," Ririmu calmly analyzes.

"Since they're the most inexperienced of them all; you can certainly say that they've made a smart choice. There's no time limit, so they can take as long as they want to finish those Free Laps."

Ririmu nods, making his ears bob. "But they're still using up their mana to stay afloat."

Hukarere nods, but her straightened ears don't bob. "Hovering is the least mana-intensive action they could take."

"Hopefully, they're taking their mana pools into consideration."

"Let's check up on them before they start their race, then."

Ririmu smiles, showing his small white fangs. "Sounds like a great idea, Hukarere."

Hukarere's ears twitch as something catches her attention. "Look at that, Ririmu, Wolf is using the plane at half-power."

Ririmu crosses his arms, looking pleased. "So, he immediately realized the advantage of the Wasp?! Incredible! I can say that he isn't someone who should be lightly challenged to a race."

Hukarere's leathery lizard tail sways lazily, showing satisfaction. "It seems that his talents go deeper than we thought!"

"You can say that again, Hukarere. Of all people, you can say that again…" Ririmu says in a teasing tone.

Her voice gains an edge from her annoyance as she asks, "What ever do you mean by that, Ririmu?"

Ririmu laughs out loud and exclaims, "Nothing at all!" -He suddenly jumps in his seat and points forward- "Now, look! The Four are managing to catch up to Wolf!"

Hukarere regains her composure and becomes serious again. "It seems that Wolf isn't the only fast learner. They may simply be copying his maneuvers, but they're doing excellently for first-timers."

Ririmu also regains his composure and mirrors her serious demeanor. "The Devil and The Beast are wing and wing, boldly trying to fly at full speed. Their flying may seem sloppy, but you can't deny that it's effective."

Her angled eyes suddenly open wide. "Incredible! They switched to plane mode and are now gliding at low power. Not even Wolf went for such a bold maneuver."

Ririmu slaps his forehead with his hand, but his fluffy fur prevents it from making any sound. "Oh…! Maybe that was for a good reason; they missed the ring!"

She hums in understanding and nods. "Hm. Lesson learned, I believe. If you don't fly boldly during the Free Laps, are you even trying?"

He glances at her, giving her a gentle smile. "Indeed, Hukarere. Bold is the way to go, but The Angel and the Demon have caught up now. They even switched to plane mode, too. The Four's flying skills are improving by the second!"

Her face instantly shifts into one of deep concern. "Watch out for that takeover! These ships aren't made of wood or metal, they will break if you bump against someone else."

"The Angel and the Demon are spending the most time in inertial mode, but at least they have the most stable flight. Unfortunately for them, if the Beast and the Devil manage to get their planes under control, they'll be left behind during the real race."

Hukarere nods and crosses her arms, pushing up her pale breasts. "Being too bold can be a bad idea, but right now, it's exactly what they should focus on." Then she leans forward, suddenly very excited. "Oh, my Gods! He's doing it again! Wolf Ryder has gone full throttle!"

Ririmu claps in excitement. "This is what boldness should look like! He has no fear of blacking out; he's doing the corkscrew like a Chamebirb dodging its hunter, and then he follows it up with diving like a Dragolite going for its prey."

She excitedly points to the Four. "Look at the flames, Ririmu! The Beast is angry, and it's chasing after the Devil like a rampaging Tarakona! And what is that gaze?! The Angel and the Demon certainly aren't happy about being left behind. It looks like they've switched tactics and are now blazing down the track in plane mode."

He snorts and asks, "Has the competition already started? I haven't seen so much emotion in the Free laps before!"

Hukarere suddenly shifts her focus to something that catches her attention. "The Fox and the Princess have finally started to move! They're going quite fast for beginners; they seem confident in their ability to fly."

Ririmu becomes serious again as he begins his analysis, "I can see that, Hukarere. Their skills are much sloppier than the Four, but they aren't shying away from using either the medium power or low power modes of the planes. They've realized that their understanding of flight mechanics is poor and are flying solely with their intuition and grit."

She smiles warmly as she says, "Such innocent flying! It's like watching Dragolite hatchlings play-fighting, except that they have the intelligence and cunning of adults!"

"The tellers must be quite happy with today's event; there's no clear favorite."

"Having a well-defined divide in skills certainly allows for a wider variety of styles, but once in a while, an exciting and unpredictable match-up like this one is perfect to break up the monotony."

Ririmu nods emphatically. "You can say that again, Hukarere."

"Would you look at that, the Duo is behaving quite competitively already."

"Yet you can see how different their styles are. The Fox seems to be making quite a lot of quick maneuvers. I wonder what her 'Dexterity' and 'Speed' are."

She glances at him and gives him a smile. "She's a werefox, Ririmu. The fox-type Chimeras are certainly the nimblest of our soldiers."

Ririmu nods repeatedly. "Yes, yes, and they're also the most sly. Now, the Princess is betting on a harmonious flight. Her Wasp may seem sluggish and slow to turn, but she's using the aerodynamics of her plane quite well."

"Back to the Four, it seems like the Devil is going to finish first, followed by the Angel, who is closely followed by the now much calmer Beast, and lastly the Demon."

"The Angel is finishing in an unexpected position. I must say that she seems like the safest bet right now," Ririmu analyzes.

"The Fox wins the Free Laps, but it seems that their competitive spirit took a hit once Wolf went full throttle."

"They didn't let rivalries get in the way and used their time to explore the capabilities of their airplanes."

"Certainly the wisest of Wolf's wives."

Ririmu grins. "Fans of the Dark Angel would strongly disagree with that."

"Fans of any wife would disagree with that."

He grins. "Except for the Devil's. Anyway, the wives are lining up for the Honor Lap. It should start at any moment, now."

"Let's give a round of applause to Little Lina, Wolf's dwarven slave, who, despite her great fear of heights, still took control of his ship and flew a lap by her-…"

"Oh! Is that a penis?!" Ririmu interrupts her and lets his mouth hang open in disbelief.

Hukarere's dragon tail perks up in alertness as her pointy ears twitch. "Yes! And what a mighty penis it is!"

"Ooh…! They're doing it while flying!"

She laughs out loud. "Hahah! Now that's a way to celebrate Little Lina."

"Well, this is what makes Honor Laps so interesting, you never know how the eccentric pilots would choose to 'honor' something."

"I can say that I'm thoroughly impressed with this Honor Lap."

"Now, tell me, Hukarere, considering her small size, is her expression one of pain or pleasure?"

"Why not both?" She asks innocently.

"Why not both, indeed." Ririmu laughs.

"And would you look at that: six envious pairs of eyes are following Wolf."

"You can add a seventh," he casually comments.

"What?" She tilts her head and looks at him.

"What?" He mimics her, then grins.

She narrows her eyes dangerously and growls lowly, displaying her dangerous fangs. "Your teasing will come back to bite you in the ass one day."

Ririmu gently smiles. "If it comes from someone as beautiful as you, then I'll be quite happy."

"Enough of that. Look, they're about to finish."

"Finish, indeed."

"A healthy amount of rope is sent flying. Too bad nobody is there to receive it."

"They don't probably don't know about Supreme Divine Waimarie because they're foreigners, so let us follow his ritual ourselves."

They close their eyes and pay in unison, "O Dark Void, we offer this semen to help your insatiable hunger abate. Please accept this refuse and save us from having it come back upon our heads one day."

They open their eyes, and Hukarere announces with a beautiful smile, "And now that the Honor Lap is complete, let's get ready for the first race: the Sly Fox versus the Golden Princess."

"You're too arrogant, Golden Princess," the Sly Fox solemnly says.

"Hohoh! How presumptuous of you, Sly Fox," the Golden Princess responds with a sneer, then gives her a smug smile. "You have no harmony within your heart; you don't have the talent to fly."

The Fox's beautiful orange eyes narrow dangerously. "I've flown with Master for days on end. If I didn't have the talent within me, I wouldn't be able to synchronize with him so perfectly."

The Princess snorts. "Borrowed talent is just that: borrowed."

The Fox shows her fangs threateningly. "I'll make you eat those words!"

The Princess stern blue eyes glare daggers at the Fox's. "Let's see you try!"

The two proud rivals glare at each other, two prideful beings whose entire existences are based on their ability to survive an environment fraught with peril and strife. Their cores are made of competitiveness and ruthlessness, for the world has no mercy for the indecisive and weak of heart.

They look forward to the prize: to make the one they love proud of them. Win or lose, if they give anything short of their best, then they've failed in their reason for existence. They must show everyone their power, skill, and fitness. They must show how well they can survive any challenge. This isn't just a duel, it's a mating ritual.

For a moment, they're all in sync. Their sweaty palms grip the flight stick strongly. Their index fingers tremble as they hold the strafe stick upwards while the rest of their hand hovers over the speed lever, itching to pull it to full throttle. Their hearts pump blood faster with the adrenaline, and their breaths grow heavier. Their pupils narrow as they concentrate. Their minds hone their focus on accomplishing one thing and one thing only: to win.

Five laps, five minutes, one goal.

"GO!" Hukarere gives the signal, and they each force the speed lever forward.

The planes become blurs as they instantly reach their max speed. With caution thrown to the wind, speed is all that matters.

They reach the first hairpin at the same time, but their paths immediately diverge. The Fox goes for a retrograde burn while The Princess follows the curve in plane mode. Both of them suffer from the high G's, but they endure it like true warriors.

The pressure only continues as they pass the corkscrew, then the upwards curve. They reach a straight vertical climb and finally breathe out in relief, but it only lasts for a short moment as the curve continues again, forcing them upside-down, which they correct with a quick roll.

Another hairpin arrives, but this one is maneuvered at a low speed, so they don't feel too much force. Then the slalom comes and The Fox starts to overtake The Princess, whose style slows her down.

They gain impressive speed from the downwards drop, then The Fox shoots off of the course, missing the curve because she didn't slow down enough. This allows for The Princess to catch up as The Fox recovers.

The pressure from the G-force comes back again with a lot more strength as they pass through a tight corkscrew. Their skills waver, and both of them nearly lose control, but The Princess gains the advantage.

They barrel along at full-speed towards a loop. The Princess slows down to be able to traverse it in plane mode, but The Fox pushes her plane to the limit and performs a retrograde burn, then crosses through the loop at a high speed, passing The Princess.

They reach the finish line and complete their first lap. Their flying was full of mistakes, but also full of recoveries, showing their unwavering grit.

They soon reach the slalom again and look at each other. Their brows are sweating from the tension and effort of resisting the G-force, yet their gazes are those of calm warriors in battle.

The Fox's style proves to be faster as she slowly leaves The Princess behind, prompting the other to be even more bold. The Princess starts to gain on The Fox in the third lap, who notices her approaching and tightens her focus, decreasing her mistakes. Their ships creak, and their bodies protest as they push themselves to the limit.

They reach the loop for the fourth time, and The Princess decides to maneuver it at full-speed. She groans as her vision darkens, then a loud snap resounds through the air, and everyone gasps.

Her plane's left wing has snapped, but remains connected to the hull by tufts of wood fibers. She can still fly in inertial mode, but not in plane mode anymore.

The Fox continues on, unaware of what just happened. That's for the best as The Princess would feel shamed if The Fox slowed down for her.

The Fox finishes her fifth lap over fifteen seconds ahead of The Princess, who manages to finish, too, still hanging on to her pride.

The stern eyes of The Sly Fox look down on The Golden Princess as she guides her plane towards the other.

"You have talent," The Princess states solemnly.

The Fox nods, and both of their faces soften, allowing gentle smiles to bloom.

"A gut-wrenching performance from both of them! You could feel The Fox's extreme determination in winning, and the Princess' blinding pride that forbid her from quitting!" Hukarere exclaims and wipes away a tear.

"Indeed, gut-wrenching. I wish that they were allowed a few more days to practice. Just think how their styles would evolve as they fix their mistakes," Ririmu says.

"And their rivalry. Imagine if they could regularly practice against each other."

"What about friendship?" She asks innocently.

"The best relationships are both a rivalry and a friendship at the same time." Then they share a knowing smile.

"But of course." She nods, then her voice regains the seriousness from before as she says, "Now, let's begin the final event! The race of the Four: The Red Devil, The Laughing Demon, The Dark Angel, and the Azurite Beast!"

"Their planes are lighter, which makes them faster, but also weaker. It'll take a lot more skill to properly control them and not rip them apart, but they can achieve so much more with these planes when compared to the wooden versions. This is the reason why the featherweight class is the most loved of them all! It's so much more unpredictable!"

"Let's pay attention to the pilots. They're finishing their preparations."

The Red Devil looks to her side and smirks towards the Laughing Demon.

The Laughing Demon stays true to her name and laughs out loud, then grins in return, but there's a dangerous glint in her eyes. "Ohohohoh. Do you think you can intimidate me? I've seen all of your weak spots, sexual or otherwise, so you'd better believe that I'll exploit them!"

"Exploit them, how? This is a race, not a battle of wits," the Dark Angel states as she observes her opponents.

The Demon turns her bewitching gaze to the holy Angel. "If you believe that, then you've already lost," she whispers, then giggles mischievously.

"Never take any battle lightly," The Red Devil growls.

"This is a battle? It feels more like mating to me," The Azurite Beast says.

"It's always about sex," The Demon says, then giggles again.

"I can't deny that," The Angel says and massages her eyes, then dons her aviator glasses again.

Mischief, Pride, Love, Vigor. Four different warriors with four different driving forces at their cores. Their colorful personalities clash in a spectacular fashion. Be it for a mating call, dominance, sportsmanship, or just for fun, they all have a strong desire to win, and to make the others lose.

They hear a low beep.

They give their Master one last look. A wink, a kiss, a smile, a grin.

Another beep.

They face forward and clear their minds.

Another beep.

Their hands grip their speed levers harder. Their minds fill with thoughts about the battle soon to begin.

A high pitched beep resounds, and the planes nearly break from the sudden acceleration as they all force their speed levers to full.

Two blurs cross the hairpin without slowing down. The other two perform a burn before following after them.

They make it past the downwards corkscrew in record time, then they all overshoot above the upwards curve.

They're all possessed by competitive spirits, but their nervous and overeager hearts have clouded their judgments.

They scramble to recover, then resume their mad dash through the course.

The slalom soon comes, and the Devil turns her plane sideways, then uses the instant-acceleration of the forward lever to maneuver forward and backward while still drifting, easily passing through the slalom in an instant.

The Demon ignores the slalom completely, preferring to pass through all the rings on one side at ludicrous speed, then looping back to get the others. Her technique is surprisingly effective since the best characteristic of their planes is their high maximum speed in a straight line.

The Beast starts to get left behind, her dragon hands too awkward to control the plane perfectly, so she starts to use [Telekinesis] to compensate.

The Angel maintains the most stable style, catching up whenever the Devil shoots off course. Her gaze is always on the Demon, though.

The Laughing pilot is considered to be the most dangerous by some. You never know what she'll do, and that frightens the Angel.

Their planes get closer and closer as their styles are too similar to one another. The Angel gets more and more uncomfortable as a sense of danger creeps up along her spine.

Suddenly, the Demon flies upwards and slows down. Her plane nearly hits the Angel, who has to dodge out of the way.

The Dark Angel blinks and looks to the side, she just missed the ring that she needed to pass through.

"I'll hit you next time!" The Angel yells as she's left behind.

"Ohohohoh! You'll just boost me forward, then!" The Demon laughs and returns the taunt.

The Beast calmly passes by the Angel with a cheeky grin on her dragonic face.

The Devil recovers and crosses through the ring at the same time as the Demon. They both get surprised at the other's presence and dodge, flying off course.

"Watch where you're going, lizard!" The Demon taunts.

"Bitch! I'll grab your tail and hurl you away if you get in front of me again!" The Devil returns the taunt.

"Try me! I'll slap your face with my tail!"

Their ships nearly collide again, and both of them glare angrily at the other.

"Move, bitch! Get outta my way!" The Devil taunts.

The slalom comes up again, and they fly close to each other.

The Devil sees something coming towards her. Her [Battlefield Perception] triggers, and she pulls back on the speed lever.

A dagger-like tail passes by, close to her face. The way it cuts through the air causes a dangerous-sounding whistle.

"RAAAAH! I'LL FUCK YOU UP, BITCH!" The Devil grows red with anger and lets her wings grow.

"HEEEY! NO WINGS!" The Angel complains as she struggles to not get left behind.

"FUCK YOU!" The Devil responds and flaps her wings.

She suddenly feels a dull pain in the bones of her wings, then she feels the mana of a spell hit her. Someone just cast [Wind Hammer] on her wing, and she won't be having any of that.

She pulls back on the speed lever, slowing down. The Beast passes by, grinning from scale to scale. Then The Red Devil hears a yelp, and a blur passes by the corner of her eye.

"Gotcha!" She exclaims happily, then flaps her wings again.

A [Fire Arrow] flies towards the Beast. She catches it with her hand, then crushes the mana construct as she growls in anger.

"NAHAHAHA! YOU'LL NEVER CATCH U-…!" The Laughing Demon's taunt is interrupted by her [Battlefield Perception] triggering again.

She dodges to the side and misses her ring at the hairpin, then The Beast passes by, missing her by a hair. She grumbles, feeling angry at someone using her maneuver against her, but then gloats as she predicts how her opponent will shoot off the course.

The Laughing Demon's predictions are shattered as The Beast turns her plane vertical, greatly reducing its speed. Then she switches to airplane mode and effortlessly completes the extremely tight curve.

The Demon grumbles and returns to the course. She looks back and sees the Devil and The Angel trying to slam against each other while preserving their planes.

The Demon laughs, then throws a [Fireball] between both planes, making them catch fire.

"BIIIIIITCH!" The Devil yells in anger and spews fire, but it never reaches the Demon.

"BOTH OF YOU! CHEA~~~~TE~RS!" The Angel bellows, incensed.

They lose precious seconds extinguishing the flames on their wings, allowing the Demon to gain some distance again.

Suddenly, both The Devil and The Demon stop their aircraft as they're blinded by The Angel's divine light.

"Ohohoh! Now look who's cheating!" The Demon taunts, but no response comes.

When their eyesight recovers, they notice that the Angel has long since flown past them.

"NOOO~!" They scream in unison and push their planes to the max again.

The Devil continues cheating and uses her wings to boost her speed again. She starts to gain on the others, passing the Demon, then the Angel, and finally The Beast, reaching the leading position.

She slows down for a hairpin, then she feels a magical breeze pass by, followed by the heat of flames, then she's blinded again, and finally, she hears an ominous sound: a snap.

Her eyesight recovers, only for her to see her ship in taters as it burns.

"Cheater, no cheating!" The Angel taunts as she passes by.

The race ends soon after. First place goes to The Azurite Beast, then The Dark Angel, then The Laughing Demon, and last place goes to The Red Devil.

"Gentlemen and Gentlewomen! We have the two winners of the first Grand Prix of Whakamutu Mutu! The Sly Fox and The Azurite Beast!" Ririmu announces.

"Let's give them the applause they deserve while they complete their victory lap!"

Ririmu claps and makes his final analysis, "An incredible victory for the Azurite Beast. Seemingly ignored by the rest of the pilots that were too busy flinging spells at one another, she quietly sneaked past them all and stole the victory from under The Demon's and The Angel's nose. This was their race to lose, so they only have themselves to blame, unfortunately."

"The Devil did as predicted and sowed chaos, but her miscalculation proved fatal as all the other pilots then targeted her. She certainly did make things much more interesting, though."

"Indeed, Hukarere. I've never seen a dragonkin use their own wings to help them fly a Wasp. Truly a novel tactic that I feel will soon be banned in the following Grand Prix's because it is simply too advantageous for certain races with wings."

"Perhaps a new class of racers will emerge, one focused on a balance between combat and flight."

"An interesting idea. Hopefully, someone will leave here today with the inspiration to revolutionize air racing!"

"We can only hope… Anyway, I am Hukarere, and this is my co-host, Ririmu. It's with a heavy heart that I announce that this event has now come to an end. I hope that you all enjoyed it as much as we did."

"I certainly did. Until next time."

"Bye!"