The people dance and scatter flowers down the street of this quaint little town. It’s a simple tradition, but it’s their tradition nonetheless. “Why are you showing me this, Demitallis?” Vilstrous asks me, as he sits on the chair with his legs crossed.

Demi - “Look more closely. The dance is made of forms, each one represents a hero, or other such influential figures generations ago. The first pose is for a man named Orbolg the architect, and the fifth is for Zink’tel the hunter.”

“Why do you even know this?” He asks, as a little girl runs up to him, and places a garland around his neck- “What the-” He says, about to strike, but I force his hand to stop with threads.

Demi - “It’s customary, the fifth had worn a garland around his neck. It means she recognizes YOUR strength, Vilstrous. I simply asked around, and they shared with enthusiasm. Ask her about it yourself, watch how quickly SHE shares.”

He looks at me, then at the girl… “What… Is this? Why the garland?” He asks, and she stares at him. “Zink’tel the hunter! He was a brave warrior! He could beat anything!” She says, smiling as she shoots her fist into the air.

“Really now… Expand, child.” He says, and she stares at him for a moment. “Oh, um…” She says, thinking to herself for a moment. “He promised to share his strength. That’s why I made you a garland, so he could share it with you too.” She says, as he gently lifts the garland with his hand.

Demi - “Hey, kid, you should probably run off now, we were in the middle of a conversation.”

She looks at me, then runs off- “Hey- Why’d you do that? I thought I was supposed to ask her about that Zink guy.” Vilstrous says, as he looks at me.

Demi - “She probably doesn’t know all that much about him either, and you can ask more later. I just think it’s kind of neat. It’s like a glimpse into a time I’ll never know. It might not be my culture, but it means something to somebody, and that makes it more than worthy of a couple minutes of my time.”

“Do you expect that to mean something to me?” He asks, as he folds his arms, so toxic and defensive.

Demi - “I didn’t think it would. But there’s nothing wrong with sharing, dude. I mean, even that little girl can do it without being judged. It’s not hard.”

“Well- I mean- Fine. Whatever.” He says, as he places his feet on the chair, and holds his knees against his chest.

-√G-

“The first race was quite short, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.” Pondcall says, as she walks in and sits in front of me. “Yeah, I have to admit, even I’m surprised Sunstone lost so early.” I say, and she nods. “Anyways, give a warm welcome to Pondcall, ladies, gentlemen, and everything in between.” I say, as we sit together.

“Pondcall is the mayor of Owneyt, a smaller satellite town to Capital City. We will be recapping the first track of the race.” I say, before looking around and leaning in, while covering up the space next to my mouth.

“I’ll tell you a little secret. I usually would have invited Sunstone to participate, but he kind of creeps me out.” I say, while rubbing the back of my head. “What a price to pay.” Pondcall sarcastically says, while resting on her arm and rolling her eyes, making me laugh.

“Goodness, you’re too much.” I say, waving my hand a little as we sit up. “So Pondcall. Are you excited for the upcoming races? Who do you think will win?” I ask, and she folds her arms. “I won’t lie, I thought The Blue Walrus was quite impressive, but them ending up in fifth place has kind of changed my mind.” She says, confusing me.

“The Blue Walrus?” I ask, surprising her. “Haven’t you heard? They’ve been coming up with names. The white coats called themselves The Blue Walrus.” She says, as I personally question how I never noticed.

“I didn’t know… I feel kind of bad now… Can you quickly tell me the rest? Someone get me a shot of each team as we go through.” I say, pointing at the filming team. “Well, to begin with, at first place we have the Brown Boar, and its team leader Fullbrim.” She says, and I simply nod.

“Next up is the Polar Dominion, and its leader Vultrym, who’s garnered quite the following off of her performance.” She says, reminding me of her power. “I imagined she would, her ability can just naturally output that much power.” I say, as she adjusts her glasses.

“Of course. Now, in third place is Mistral, who hasn’t provided a team name.” She says, as I watch a clip of his performance. “Next is Archy’s Ravagers, who came in third thanks to their member Zumo, who was narrowly beat out by the other three teams.” She says, as I zoom out to see just how close the first four places were.

“Next up is The Blue Walrus, who’s leader has become nicknamed: Big-Coat. For her size.” She says, as I watch them come in about a third of a kilometer behind the first four. “How did Zumo GET there?” I ask, as I focus on him slowly lumbering out of the woods, only to then barely come in fourth place as the other three teams fail to acknowledge him.

Pondcall just stares at me in surprise for a moment- “Well, nobody knows, He just kind of climbed out of the woods, like a giant fat sasquatch.” She says, making me laugh again. “Fair enough. Continue, if you wouldn’t mind.” I say, as I decide I’ll have to have a talk with him.

“Right. Next up in sixth place is The-Legion-of-Friendship-and-No-Escape.” She says. “Well that’s charming.” I sarcasm, in reply. “They’re led by Zephyr. And finally, the Stone Lotus, and its leader Solstice, in last place.” She says, as I feel kind of bad for my friend.

Those stone golems only get so strong, and Solstice is only so creative. “I think I’ll have a word with Solstice, he didn’t ask for help because he didn’t want to bother the construction crew. I just want to make sure he doesn’t waste his chance.” I say, as I fiddle with a pen on the desk.

I pick it up- “The race is ultimately for fun and entertainment, and it’s no skin off my back who gets the prize.” I say, as I practice that little twirling trick Nolan showed me a while back. “Still, I’ll try to keep myself from helping him, this is still a measure of skill. I just want to drag out his talent, I guess.” I say, as I rest and continue practicing that twirl.

“Well, I think that’s very kind, Ling.” Pondcall says, as she places her hand on her chest. “Yeah, I guess.” I say, rolling my core. “Mutants are no different, everyone. Even Ling here can care just as we do.” She says, as though that would help..

“What do you mean?” I ask, in turn surprising her. “Well, you’re a mutant, aren’t you?” She asks, and I fold my arms. “Since when did anyone care? It’s the hatred of them I was looking for in the first place. I just want to shill my product.” I say, as she grows nervous.

“Is that really it? Is there no ulterior motive?” She asks, and I rest my elbow on the table again. “Well, there kind of is. It’s more of a benefit though, I shouldn’t tell you, it might ruin things.” I say, as I check the now angry chat.

“Oh, get off your high horses. Do you know what I deal with on a daily basis? I won’t pretend to know, and I don’t blame any of you, but I will not be judged for my opinions.” I say, as the audience begins to argue among themselves.

“Once I see a real change in how mutants are treated, then I’ll change my opinion. Otherwise, I’d like to ask that all of you enjoy the show for what it is.” I say, and finally it calms down, surprising me with my level of influence.

“Sorry, about that… I had no idea…” Pondcall says, and I wave it off. “No, it’s not your fault. It’s fine. Let’s just move on to the recap, while the participants get ready.” I say, before straightening up as the recap-channel is turned on.

-√C-

“So you’re something called a monster? I’m sorry… I’ve never heard of that.” I say, as I fold my arms. “Well, Nova, Monsters are just another classification for living creatures, really.” She says, as she hugs another of her little fur-coat-friend-things.

“I see… You must be incredibly obscure.” I say, as I try to figure out why the fuck they have never come up before. “Yeah, actually. Most live underground, you see, so I’m really hoping my team’s presence in the competition will kind of raise awareness.” She says, as another kid runs up to me with a garland-

I raise my hand. “No, I’ve got enough.” I say, and he frowns, before running off. “Aw… But you look so cute in them… Anyways, Monster is mostly used when a creature’s genetics can’t be traced back to anything else.” She says, surprising me.

“Seriously? You guys can’t be traced back at all?” I ask, and she nods. “I know, it’s weird. Maybe…” She says, rubbing her chin- “Think of us as something more like mortalized legendaries. You see, they can’t be traced back either.” She says, as another child runs up, but instead with a weird hat, giving it to Archy.

“How sweet. Thank you, I love it.” She says, placing it on her head, only for her horns to cut through it. “Anyways, Nova, you can see their similarities to other creatures anyways, so they don’t get categorized into monsters.” She says, and I nod in return.

“What about mythical creatures?” I ask, and she thinks to herself for a moment. “They probably evolved from humans, that’s where you get the mythical demihumans. Otherwise, we’re not entirely sure where they come from either.” She says, as I open a holographic window to check and see if Ling has gotten to the actual fucking recap.

“It’s a bit of a heated topic, actually. I guess we shouldn’t talk about it on camera. Some say they are a type of monster, some say they aren’t~ I’m honestly not sure myself, but I know I’m a mutated monster.” She says, surprising me again-

“Right, you mentioned that a while back- How can you tell?” I ask, a little dumbfounded- “Well, I was made in a tube, and I was told. I guess it would be pretty hard to tell otherwise, though. Monsters come in almost endless shapes and sizes.” She says, as I return to the recap.

“Fair enough. You’ve taught me a lot more than I thought you would.” I oh-so politely say, as always, while I continue writing my report to Skall. I figured I wouldn’t have a good chance otherwise, so I’ll just summon a familiar to bring it to him.

The familiar summon isn’t too complex, as it’s one of the entry spells to the conjuration branch of magic. Although, I will admit that I may not be the best at it- A cat walks out in front of me… It looks at me and hisses, making me stand up from my chair…

“Hey, calm down- I’m sorry.” I say, surprising Archy… “What’s wrong?” She asks, as I continue to back away as the cat approaches me… “Yeah, I’m leaving, I’m leaving.” I say, before running off-

-√A-

Owneyt is quite small, but I like it. It’s quaint, almost, I could really see myself settling down here if I was still human, and old. But I’m not human, and I don’t think Puddle Kids get old. It’s more like a measurement of how long I’ve existed? I guess that’s the best way to put it?

Anyways, the streets are made of nice stone paths, while the houses seem to stick to a specific theme. That tells me they aren’t particularly open to creative design outside of that, so as nice as this place looks, I bet everyone knows each other here, so it would probably be hard to feel welcome.

I could be wrong, of course. But it also explains how it’s stayed small, especially with how old it is. Most people born here probably leave for a different life, while people coming in are most likely chased out, aside from the select few who DO stay for whatever reason.

Once again, I’m probably entirely wrong, but this is some of the stuff I like to think about. I guess it’s more conceptualizing on top of a framework to help me put it all together. You get what I’m saying? Anyways, I guess I should move on.

They’re finishing construction on the starting line for the next race track before we move on to Tauseht, a town with a castle, making it a castle-town.

“Demi, help!” Lex calls out, while running away from cats on top of a building- He lands on my surface, and I fire a bearing next to one of them, as they begin hissing at him. “They don’t like me…” He says, as I watch them stop in front of me and stare at him…

Demi - “What’d you do, man?”

“They’re cats, they’re territorial! Of course they don’t like me!” He screams, as they all begin to either sit or lie down, while they continue their staring.

Demi - “You’re seriously afraid of some cats? What are they gonna do? Hiss at you a little more?”

He waves his arms rapidly in disbelief- “What?! No! They’re trying to chase me out of town! Can’t you see?! Make them leave me alone!” He shouts, as one of them starts cleaning the other-

Demi - “Oh my goodness, Lex. They’re so cute… So what, can you talk to them or something?”

He stares down at me- “Oh- Well, kind of? Cat language is mostly social cues, it’s not nearly as complex as the human standard.” He says, as I try connecting a mana link between one of them.

Demi - “Stop bullying my brother.”

Random-Cat - “No.”

Demi - “Cool, so you CAN talk.”

Rando-Cat - “I guess like this, yeah. A lack of proper vocal cords makes it a little tough to socialize with humans.”

He just sits there, staring at me as his tail waves around. “Are you seriously trying to talk to him?” Lex asks, as he looks back and forth.

Demi - “Are you SURE you can’t leave him alone? He’s half-cat, isn’t he? That’s a good starting point! What do you say? Give him a chance...”

The cat just stares at me though, then rolls his eyes-

Still-just-a-Cat - “The fact that he’s part cat, is why we don’t like him. He’s in OUR territory, we got here BEFORE him, thus he must leave.”

Demi - “Dude, seriously, throw me a bone here, just give him a CHANCE.”

He rolls his eyes again, as one of the other cats begins grooming his adorable dark fur.

Cat - “FINE. I make no promises, though, and it’s not the easiest to convince the others.”

Demi - “Fair enough, I couldn’t ask for more…”

Since you guys being reasonable is obviously too much to ask for- “Demi, we just got access to the Livestream, they’re doing a recap for everyone.” Lex says, surprising me before I spot the holographic-screen in front of him.

Ling’s going through all the teams and their names, Zephyr chose- by leagues -the best team-name out of everyone, and I kind of like Big-Coat, even if it’s a little on-the-nose, as it were- Is that seriously how bad the mutants have it?... He just argued with his audience about how badly mutants are treated in this world…

I guess he doesn’t care, not that he ever said he DID… “Jeez…” Lex says, as a cat lies down next to me. “I can’t believe he said something like that in front of millions of people…” Lex continues, as Ling continues onto the actual recap…

Demi - “Me neither, I guess he’s not as nice as I thought… Not that I blame him, he’s probably been through a lot.”

“He said it like he wants to monetize that hatred, or something. I don’t like it, Demi.” Lex says, his legs crossed as he begins typing something on the screen. “And what’s that other goal?” He continues, as Ling moves onto my part.

“As you can see, they managed to somehow turn one of their members into a bullet, and raided TLOFANE. I was quite surprised, it really came out of nowhere.” Ms. Pondcall says, as Lex looks down at me. “Yeah, and those metal orbs, I had no idea she was so powerful.” Ling adds, an indirect praise.

Demi - “Yeah… I wonder what he’s looking for. I guess it must be personal. Right, the cats said they would try to be reasonable.”

He looks at me again, then nods. “Right, thanks.” He says, sliding off my side, and in front of the cat. “Hey there…” He says, waving his hand at the cat, while it stares at him.

I decide to leave, heading to the Blue Walrus while Ling explains how this Mistral guy got in front of my team. “Demi!” Vascula calls out, as I crawl up to her. “You come to check on the car? I’ve been running maintenance.” She says, as I look at the huge thing.

The racers are all parked in place and ready to move out at a moment’s notice. The Brown Boar is like a mass of buildings, covered in windows and roofs, all placed on a large foundation with wheels. It really is by far the largest vehicle.

The wood structure though, makes it look VERY flammable. They oughta’ get that sorted out.

Demi - “Thanks, yeah, I did. How’s it looking? We need it to move faster if we want to win.”

“Right, come on, we’ll discuss output from the inside.” She says, guiding me into the Blue Walrus.

-√D-

“So, Liyoxis…” I say, as he and Lian share chocolate between each other. “What IS space like?” I ask, as he looks at me. “I… Will tell you a story, Demistar.” He says, surprising me as I hold the plate of chocolates.

“Well, less of a story, and more of a legend.” He continues, as I listen patiently. “There’s a place called Terra, the origin point of all life in the universe, Demistar.” My eyes widened at the prospect- “Where is it?” I ask, and he looks away. “Eh… You’ll find out.” He says, and I fold my arms.

“When will that be?” I ask. “A few years from now.” Lian answers for him, and he thanks her. “Anyways, Life may have begun at Terra, but that was just the beginning. Terra is also known for its endless prosperity, as the cradle of life.” He says, as Lian takes one of the chocolates.

“Endlessly enriched by the crucible, and protected by the temple where its guardian awaits in a semi-eternal slumber until its denizens ascend.” He says, as I continue to stare and listen. “Who are they? The Denizens? And who’s the guardian?” I ask, and Lian takes the chance to pop a chocolate into his mouth.

“The Denizens are beings of immense power and potential, but they are still yet unaware. The Guardian, however… Even I don’t know, they conceal themselves in a blindspot, maybe they too command the power of mind, as I and Lian.” He says…

“Should we…” I try to ask- “No. It’s not within our power, maybe Arigold, but it’s hard to tell.” Liyoxis answers… “Yes, this is where OUR limits in our own abilities lie...” He continues, as I sit down…

-√G-

“Finally, as Big-Coat uses the teleporter on the Blue Walrus, the vehicle passes the finishing line, followed by the League of Friendship, the Stone Lotus, and Sunstone.” Pondcall says, as we watch the recap come to a close.

“Vultrym was really trying to knock Slade out of the race.” I say, as I watch him bolt around his vehicle deflecting shots, only for them to then explode against the ground as they land. “I don’t blame her, I would too, if I was up against the world’s best.” She says, as I roll my eyes.

“I really didn’t want to let him join their team, but then everyone-ever decided they REALLY liked it, so yeah. There he is, practically giving his team a win.” I say, as I grimace at the screen. “You did this, don’t be upset when Slade wins.” I ADD.

Pondcall laughs for a moment. “You need to lighten up, Ling. You said it yourself, it’s no skin off your back.” She says, and I sit back again. “Yeah, fair enough. I guess I don’t like him going behind my back like that. Especially after he- Wait, I shouldn’t say that-” I reply, sitting up again-

“It’s personal, between him and I.” I say, and she rolls her eyes. “You hear that, everyone? It’s PERSONAL, check out Mr. Important, guys.” She teases, pointing at me with her thumb. “You’re just jealous.” I say, as she folds her arms.

She relaxes again. “So… Do you know anything about that Sunstone guy? Who or WHAT is he?” She asks, as I shrug. “I really know nothing. I figured he must be some type of Mechonica.” I say, and she nods. “Yeah, that would do it…” She says.

“I guess… If anything? He mentioned some guy called the God Hunter. I’ve never heard of them, but supposedly, Sunstone is looking for them.” I say, as she continues to stare. “I’ve never heard of someone like that. Anyone in the chat know?” She asks, and we watch as the chat-box begins to quickly slowly down…

Until it explodes into hundreds of responses telling me that they indeed have never heard of some guy like that either. “Right. So some guy nobody has ever heard of, that only Sunstone knows about. Sunstone was probably just screwing around.” I say, as I harden my cheek and rest it on my hand.

“What are you doing with your cheek there?” She suddenly asks, as it slides against my hardened hand. “Oh, this?” I ask, as I harden my other arm. “Yeah.” She says. “It’s one of my powers, I was born with it. I’m part slime, but I can harden my body.” I say, as I show it off.

“I can even move my mass around.” I continue, as I grow my arm in size and harden it into a giant fist. “Wow, I didn’t know slimes could do that.” Pondcall says, as I fix my shape again. “I honestly have no idea. Slimes are weird in general, and I don’t actually know what else I was made from.” I say, as she nods and straightens up again.

“Anyways, that’s all I have time for, Ling. It’s been fun, but I have a speech to get to.” She says, as we stand up. “Of course, thank you for having me, the race will be starting up tomorrow.” I say, as the camera crew follows me out of the building.

Later, we film the rest of the festival, go to bed, then finally head off to the check point so I can prepare for the next race- I look at the vehicles, and spot them from when I was watching the recap…

The Polar Dominion is more of a hover ship, it’s pretty wide and angular, I assume Vultrym’s been using her power to help it, while the League of Friendship’s ship is more blocky, and not at all aerodynamic…

Then there’s Solstice’s… The Stone Lotus is certainly on the smaller side, but the lack of any kind of thrust is really going to lose him this race…

-√A-

“What’cha got there, Demi?” Vascula asks, as I stare blankly at all these weird words trying to mean something to me. “How's the maintenance going on your end?...” She continues, as she looks at the console. “Seriously? You’ve done nothing?” She asks-

Demi - “OH, THIS? Well I’m glad you asked!”

She folds her arms, and I squish down a little in shame, mostly towards the fact that I’m useless at this technical stuff…

Demi - “Well, you see, it’s a box of cool stuff I decided to buy. Check it out.”

I place the box in front of her, and use my mass to open it. She grabs the shoes and just looks at them, then at me, until I remember I technically can wear them…

Demi - “Listen. I used to like shoes. Alright? Don’t you judge me. Besides, I CAN wear them.”

“You would probably crush the poor things under your weight.” She says, a rude comment on my weight…

Demi - “You listen ‘ere, mate. Another comment on MY weight, and I’ll throw YOUR weight around like a punching bag. You’ll be a living ping-pong-ball. Is that what you want?”

She backs away a little. “No, and you couldn’t if you tried, but I’m not gonna’ fight an infant anyways.” She says, as I stare at her.

Demi - “Girl, I’m the strongest infant you’ve ever seen.”

“That MIGHT be true, but it doesn’t change anything.” She says, as I begin to shrink in size.

Demi - “Besides, I can manipulate my shape.”

I move my water around, until I recreate the form of a human body.

Demi - “See?”

She stares at me… “No?” She asks, and I realize she can’t see me under my cloak. I form bearings in my fingers and swing the cloak up to fire them each at the cameras in the room, only then to take the mask off of my head, surprising Vascula-

“Wait, you can do that?!” She asks, as I decide to just take off the cloak entirely.

Demi - “Yeah, I’m still not very good at it, but as you can see… I can actually make a human shape. Pretty cool, ey?”

She takes off her crystal cloak, then looks at my arm- “Seriously? Can you mimic other stuff? Can you mimic my shape?” She asks, finishing her inspection. I think about it for a moment, then try to form her bat-wings under my arms…

Demi - “Like this?”

She shakes her head, then shows the actual wings off. “See the shape?” She asks, as I place my new arm against her’s, and fine tune the shape until she nods and steps back to look at me. “This is so weird, kid. Who did you even take that original shape from? It was so-” She says, and I quickly transform into my more stable shape, only to then hide myself under my cloak and mask again-

Demi - “Nobody! How could you possibly know ANYTHING?!”

She just stares at me, backing away as rips tear into my cloak again- “Demi- I’m sorry- I didn’t mean that… Calm down, man.” She says, as I consider firing a bearing shot at her…

Demi - “It’s mine, I- Right… I came up with it a while back, made it up myself.”

“Well, alright then… It looks familiar though, like this really famous actress.” She says, surprising me.

Demi - “What? It shouldn’t look like ANYONE-”

She hits her hand- “I know! Do it again, and if you get as close as possible, I could tell you who you look like!” She says, and so I do, only for her to rub her chin as she stares at my- what I now realize is -naked features…

She claps her hands in realization- “You look like Demistar! You hang out with her a lot, right? You must have subconsciously chosen her as a base!” She says, as I stare at myself…

Demi - “I… Guess you’re right?… I guess I DID steal it?…”

She laughs and puts her crystal cloak back on. “Jeez, and you made such a fuss over your oh-so original design, Demi. You chose well though, if anything… Although, that certainly doesn’t make you any prettier.” She says, and I frown at her-

I can frown- “Hey, you can frown! Oh… Shit, sorry…” She says, as I fold my arms.

Demi - “Yeah, real cool, Vascula. I’m gonna’ get my cloak back on before someone comes in.”

I finally put it back on, reform into my great-orb shape, while Vascula hands me my box, and I teleport it back home. “Cheer up, kid. I’m sure if you work really hard, you can get the proportions right.” She says, and I look away… Yeah, sure…

I spent the rest of the night actually learning a lot from Vascula, she taught me all kinds of stuff about the vehicle, and it’s been giving me all kinds of inspiration on how to improve my bearing shots. I also did pretty well at maintenance!

Anyways, it’s the next day, and everyone has been gathering on the Blue Walrus, Lex even brought a friend, a kitten from the Owneyt. “Lex, it’s so cute!!!” Vascula says, running up and reaching for it- “Hey, no, you’re scaring her-” He says, as she sleeps in his arms.

“Dude, she’s sleeping, come on…” Vascula says, as the others stare at her. “Well… I guess I need to get ready for the race anyways.” He says, then looks away at the front window. “Hey, Arc, wake up.” He says, jostling her a little.

“Arc?” Vascula asks. “Nickname. Her full name is Arckvolicia.” He answers, as Ling appears in front of the starting line with his flying moon-thing, while I climb out onto the top of the Blue Walrus. “Everyone! I’ve got an announcement!” He calls out, as I assume everyone stares.

“Now, I’ve noticed there has been no team changes! As a reminder, there can only be ONE winner! If your team loses, you all go with them! If you want a shot at the prize, you’ll have to eventually change teams.” He says, as I realize I’ll be alone in this at some point…

“What happens if we get to the final finish line with a team anyways?!” One of the contestants asks, and he kind of just rubs the back of his head… “Well… That’s a good question- Oh- Looks like it’s time to start, everyone! Start your engines and wait for the hook!” He shouts, as the moon rises into the sky again.

-√C-

I arrive at the top, and there’s Demitallis. “Hey!” I call out, and walk up to her, as her mask turns to look at me- “Vexalan! I’m gonna’ go and try to beat Vultrym, so I think you should sit this one out.” The little bitch says, and I look down.

“Oh, but I got so good at mythical lightning magic too…” I say, surprising her. “I guess that could actually be useful… Alright, hop on, I’ll take you with me. We’ve gotta’ pick up some others.” She says, as she makes a groove at the top of her surface…

I turn into a bolt of lightning, only to burst forth on top of her, as Vascula run out onto the deck of the Blue Walrus- One of the guns shoot open, and fires a beam, hitting a small sparkle that was heading towards us-

“Vultrym’s already attacking, on us, it seems. We’ve gotta’ move quickly, while the Blue Walrus’s automated defenses protects it.” She says, and the others climb on. “Where’s Veytatasm? I thought she liked fighting.” I say, as I look at Vascula.

“She said she wanted to get some target practice in, mentioned she somehow KNEW Vultrym would be targeting us.” Vascula says, surprising me. “But how?” I ask, and she sits up- “I know right?! How?!” She asks in reply, as Demitallis suddenly shoots into the air, surprising me-

“We’ve gotta’ take out Vultrym as soon as possible if we even want a shot at winning.” Demitallis says, as we watch Vultrym’s vehicle come into view, only for her to shoot a large string into it then create massive sails to pull herself back again.

We land on the Stone Lotus, the vehicle once again in the back- “Solstice, I… Doubt you’ll win, and it’s against the rules to be on another team’s vehicle… So I’ll take you with me to help fight Vultrym.” Demitallis says, and he climbs on, the tall man sitting next to us as we back away.

“Of course, Friend! Ling tried to help, but it seems I’m just not cut out for competitions like this…” He says, as he rubs the back of his head. “It was fun, dude.” Vascula says, and I look away as Demitallis reels us back in-

Team Friendship managed to get up really close to Vultrym’s Polar Dominion, and they’re currently boarding it, while the Blue Walrus shoots down all her attacks! We land in front of her, and Demitallis fires a blunt against her head, as Vascula and I jump off!

Vultrym looks at Demitallis, and grabs a pen from one of her pockets- It floats in mid air, and I turn into lightning then back again and use the momentum to give her a cataclysmic punch! She’s sent flying across the wing of her vehicle and slows herself down as everyone surrounds her…

She laughs, then snaps her fingers- “Bow!” She screams and the weight grows upon us, trying to force us down as only I and a few can stand, yet barely move… Slade suddenly slams his fist into the top of her head, using the gravity for his own strike!

“No.” He says, as everyone stands up, while she gets back up to face him. “Your vehicle is unguarded!” She shouts, and sends a shot off, only for it too to be shot out of the air… “Right.” She says, as he looks at it, then back at her. “You tried.” He says, while small metal objects fall from her hand.

She suddenly waves her arm, and they shoot off like the rest, making Slade deflect them, until a large one suddenly appears… “I can do so much more…” She says, as the space around her begins to distort… “You see, Slade… It takes energy to warp reality, but that’s so I can WARP it.” She says, as he continues to stare, while attacks from everyone around her are deflected.

“You’re not actually capable of defeating someone like me…” She says, before sending it at him- “We’ll see about that.” He says, as he plants his sword in the ground, and kicks the object, shattering it and destroying everything in front of the race…

“That’s certainly going to summon a guardian…” Someone says, as I remember the time Veyta managed to kill one of those things… “Alright, I’ve had enough.” She says, as she aims her open palm at the League of Friendship’s racer-

The vehicle suddenly falls apart as everyone stares… “I don’t actually have to wave my arms around to warp stuff, it works just fine otherwise. I just wanted to put on a good show, is all.” She says, as we watch the rest of the League jump off the Polar Dominion to go fix their vehicle…

Vascula’s crystals explode around her, and I use the opening to shoot a Judgement Day into the sky, turn into lightning to let me sweep her legs and slam my fist into her gut as my Judgement lands into the opposite spot on her back-

“Jeez kid, you tryna’ kill her?” Slade asks, as I drop her and let her lie against the floor. “Sorry… I just really wanted to help my sister win…” I say, and he raises his eyebrow, before looking at everyone.

“Yeah, alright-” He says, until Vultrym suddenly grabs him, and she suddenly sends him flying- “Dammit all!” He screams, as he flies into the forest… “What does it take to bring her-” Vascula shouts, but Demitallis lands on top of her…

“You think this can contain me?!” She screams- “Don’t try anything, Vultrym, you might kill me.” Demitallis says, and she stops moving. “Yep, you’re inside of ME! No escape, either! I’ve got a hellacious grip!” Demitallis says, as everyone stares at her.

“Hey, Solstice! Why didn’t you help?!” Vascula asks, as he shares tea with the crew… “But they’re so friendly…” He says, as he pours his enemy more tea… “Well isn’t he so sweet…” I begrudgingly say, as I walk up and pull up a chair.

“You two have fun while I share tea with Solstice.” I say, to keep up appearances, and he places a plate and cup. I might also like tea… “Alright then, you have fun with your cute little tea party, Nova.” She says, surprising me, as Slade lands on the vehicle again, destroying one of the wings…

He looks around, then at me- “Where did Vultrym go? I was planning on finishing her here-” I point at Demitallis, who lifts their cloak to show off Vultrym. “Seriously? And she can’t get out?” He asks, and she nods. “Sadly, no, I cannot escape.” She answers, as he chuckles…

“Stop laughing at me, I can still-” She says, raising her arm, but Demitallis pushes it back down. “No you don’t. I could turn you into a meat-ball, Vultrym. Don’t try anything.” Demitallis says, as she just looks up…

“Slade! It’s been a while!” Solstice calls out, surprising him. “Solstice! Hey man! How’s Eizo?” He asks, as he walks up and pulls out his own chair. “You need any books?” I smugly ask… “No. Shut up.” He answers, as Solstice places a cup in front of him.

“He’s doing well, my friend! I’ll be meeting up with him soon, you should really come say hello.” Solstice says, as he nods. “Right, I’ll be there, then. Just tell me when and where.” He says, while we watch the League of Friendship’s recently repaired vehicle makes its way back to us.

“Maybe when we get a more private chance, Slade.” He says, smiling as the mask of his power-helmet slides down and slides into place. “In the meantime, I have a race to win!” He shouts, as he stands and equips a large stone sword-

“I cannot lose like this!” Vultrym suddenly shouts, before she erupts from Demitallis, tearing through the cloak- “No!!!” I scream, as I rush over, as I watch her mass of water spill from the underside of her cloak…

Everyone watches as Vultrym shoots hundreds of bullets into the air, while I stand up and look and begin firing at them- “I’ll make you pay!!!” I scream, while she suddenly flies away and I turn into lightning to throw her back into the Polar Dominion!

“Die!” I scream as I fire a lightning bolt and transform it into a thunder spear, while summoning lightning whisps- Hundreds of bullets fly at me, but I knock them all down with a giga discharge while I use lightning to slam my fist into her face!

She catches my fist, surprising me as she nearly belts me in the head, but Solstice somehow stops her- “You think you can stop-” Vultrym tries to say, but Solstice breaks her grip… “You’ve done enough, Vultrym. My friend is dead, there’s no longer any reason to fight.” He says, gesturing to my youngest sister…

He suddenly picks me up, and takes me away, as she folds her arms. “I’m not actually dead, guys.” Demi suddenly says, surprising everyone- “WHAT?!” I SCREAM- “Okay, calm down. I just moved my essence out of the way when I saw her moving, and I couldn’t actually stop her.” She says, as everyone stares in confusion.

Vultrym suddenly crushes vehicle after vehicle, the Blue Walrus barely managing to get out without a scratch before Slade can stop her, while we hit the finish line, and she comes out in first place again- Oh…

Zumo’s already there… Just like he was in the recap… Ling suddenly soars down from the sky in front of us… “Well, would you look at that… Zumo wins first place this time, somehow getting ahead of everyone so quickly…” Ling says, as he floats down next to him…

“And you, Vultrym! You came in third this time! You were so busy making enemies, Mistral slipped right on by! Good job on destroying everyone’s racers, though! And thank goodness you didn’t actually kill someone…” He says, as he lands on the Polar Dominion, walking up to us…

“Seriously, I have no idea what I would have done… Really scared me there, Big-Coat.” He says, pointing at Big-Coat herself. “Sorry, but I also kind of wanted to see how people would react, if they thought I was actually dead.” She says, as everyone just stares…

“Wow, playing with fire, much?” He asks, as he chuckles and folds his arms… “Put me down-” I say, trying to climb out of Solstice’s arms… “I can’t believe you!” Vascula shouts, as she walks up… “I get that you two might have thought that I really died…” She says, filling out her cloak again…

“But right now, I personally feel VERY loved and cherished… Also, what place did we get in, Ling?” She asks, as everyone looks at him. “Right, the Blue Walrus came in fifth place, followed by the League of Friendship, with Solstice losing by not only coming in last place, but also not even being on his vehicle as it passed the finish line.” Ling says, making Solstice laugh as Ling stares at him in disappointment…

“Goodness, friends! I lost in two different ways!” He shouts as Slade walks up and gives him a fist bump. “Hey, victory is just the friends you got to make along the way, and all that jaz, right?” Slade asks, as his helmet lifts up and he kneels down to bump his fist back.

“Hey, Nova, right? You want in on this action?” He asks, as they stare at me, and I roll my eyes under the anonymity of my mask… “Alright.” I kindly say, quickly remembering to keep up appearances. I lightly jump over and bump their fists as Ling walks up.

“Slade.” He says, and Slade looks at him. “Eyup. You decide to come out with it yet?” He asks, surprising him- “No- What?! No! I was just going to tell you how I dislike you being on Fullbrim’s team. ‘Cause I do.” He says, as Slade rolls his eyes.

He sighs, and jumps back onto his chuckling-moon-thing, then it carries him to the front of the race- “Another short race, everyone, but now, I want to welcome you all to Tauseht Town!” He announces, as everyone stares at the larger yet more primitive looking city…

-√G-

“So Zumo…” I say, as I float I lazily let my leg hang off the side of the Laughing Moon, while he stares at me… “I’m gonna’ need you to tell me what your ability is… You see, I can’t have you cheating.” I say, as we sit here in the middle of the woods, away from prying eyes…

He stands up, then narrows his eyes… “So be it…”

-√A-

Demi - “ONE joke, and they LOSE it, dude! You get how I feel, right?”

I say, as I sit here next to Vilstrous. “Totally. What’s bothering them, right? We should totally be free to mess with people as much as we like!” Vilstrous says, making me realize that it may have kind of been a dick move…

End of Chapter: 46√ACDFG “Flying blind.”

Thank you for reading.

“Well, thank you INDEED! I hope you enjoyed the festival!”

“Thanks, now leave me alone.”