"Hey! You there! Are you challenging this champion?! Trying to stand in one spot longer than me? Dream on! I haven't moved for seven hours. You will never be able to catch up!"
A loud shout reached the party. They turned around, looking at an ordinary man standing in the centre of the square. An illusionary crown sat on top of his head, golden but surrounded by eerie black smoke.
"What's up with that guy?"
"He's one of the champions.", explained Liam. "They are the keys for us to leave this place. If we can defeat any champion we are out."
"But that guy said he has been standing there for seven hours? Do we need to stand still longer than that in order to defeat him?!"
"Yes. But there are many champions. This one clearly isn't the most suitable."
The friends finally understood the situation. With a goal in mind, it was time to set out. Liam led his friends trough the town, passing two stone bridges. Observing the surroundings there were indeed many champions. Some claimed to be the best at obvious things like jumping high while others claimed obscure titles like Champion of tasting the amount of salt in different meals.
Soon the friends arrived on an island covered in sand where multiple sparring rings have been marked. Liam stopped and said:
"All those who wants to become a champion in various categories of combat gather here. I think it's a good place for us to get some quick wins. Quickstep, you can enter the sword competition, Watchful Eye the staff competition, and Silent Acacia the bow and arrow competition."
"If I enter the sword competition, what about you?"
"And us?", asked Cyclone on behalf of Fortune, Balm, and Silver Blade.
"I will just choose some weapon at random. And you guys can go for the magic competitions. Its right on the island over there. Of course, you can also go for something else if you want to."
Fortune, Balm, and Cyclone appeared rather indifferent. But Silver Blade pondered for a moment before asking what a suitable competition for a tank would look like. Learning from Liam it was about enduring magical attacks she couldn't help but frown.
"It's indeed not the most enjoyable competition. Is there something you would like to do instead?"
"Are there any races or something?"
"Of course. On foot, mount, or flying mount?"
"Flying mount sounds nice!"
It wasn't only Silver Blade who thought so. The eyes of the others also lit up.
"That sounds like fun! Mirage, come, take us to the race!"
"Yes! Yes!"
"Do you all want to race?"
Liam looked at the faces of his friends, seeing many excited eyes. Only Quickstep and Silent Acacia remained somewhat indifferent. They would prefer to complete the quest in the fastest time possible, but they also didn't want to spoil the fun.
"One doesn't exclude the other, guys. Acacia, if you want, you can join the archer competition here. After winning you can take the painting and head back to Grandpa Troo. No need to wait for us. Of course, you can also join the race and use it as training for flying mounts in the future."
Hearing the first half of Liam's suggestion Silent Acacia almost wanted to accept immediately but the latter half got him thinking. Liam indeed had a point. It seemed the race had its value if one considered it as training…
"Ok. I'll come with you."
"Same.", agreed Quickstep, drawing a chuckle from Cyclone.
"I knew you wouldn't be able to resist!"
Changing their plans the party didn't join the competition immediately. Instead, they followed Liam towards an island at the edge of the town. Here, there was a beautiful view of the clouds below and the azure sky above. There was a crowd of people competing in various disciplines. But the one drawing the most attention was still the flying mount race.
At the edge of the island tall birds were standing in a row. They had the bodies of eagles with white feathers and four wings. On top of their heads were a few golden feathers resembling small crowns. The eagles stood proud. But with saddles on their backs, they had clearly been tamed.
When the friends got closer, they could hear a boastful voice over the crowd of onlookers:
"Do none of you dare to face me? Really? Is the name of Heyna the Flying Queen such a deterrence? You cowards are really boring!"
Pushing a way through the crowd Liam and his friends got a good look at Heyna the Flying Queen. She was a goblin with green-yellow skin, her figure considered petite even for those of her race. Her large ears stuck out of a leather cap covering her head, which had wind-shielding goggles attached to it. An illusory crown was hovering above her head.
"This one is quite cute as well. How about making her our mascot?"
The friends didn't even deign Cyclone's whispered suggestion an answer. They observed their surroundings a bit more. There were large red rings floating in the sky with numbers above them marking the racetrack. Right now, a few people were riding on beautiful white eagles, racing from ring to ring.
"Looks pretty straightforward.", said Silver Blade, prompting the others to nod in agreement. There was no reason to delay. The friends stepped forward and Silver Blade addressed Heyna the Flying Queen:
"Champion! We are here to challenge you!"
"Oh ho? Someone actually dares to challenge the Flying Queen? At least you got the guts, something you can't say about all these cowards here. Well, do you need to prepare anything? I can start any time!"
"No, we are good."
"Alright, let's saddle up! Referee!"
Heyna appeared quite excited. She turned around and jumped on the white eagle closest to her. The friends followed her example, choosing their own flying mounts.
"So those are actually flying mounts…"
Balm mumbled as she patted the eagle's head. Mounting the beast she felt a certain connection. She could direct the eagle with a single thought, not much different from riding her basilisk.
While the friends got familiar with their mounts, another goblin came out of the crowd. He wore a black and white striped shirt and surprisingly had a crown floating above his head as well. Some voices from the crowd revealed his identity.
"It's Crana the referee champion!"
"He's really everywhere, so amazing!"
"I heard he has a thousand avatars and knows the rules of every competition."
Crana proudly stuck out his chest. He stopped next to a red line on the ground, which marked the start of the race and shouted:
"Challengers! This is the flying mount race, and you are facing the champion, Heyna the Flying Queen! Since this is your first time here, I will briefly explain the rules:
There are thirty rings numbering from one to thirty. You have to pass them in order while riding on a white-feathered eagle. Each eagle has the [Dash] skill. The use of any other skills is strictly prohibited. Whoever passes the thirtieth ring the fastest wins. Any more questions?"
The friends shook their heads. The rules were pretty straightforward. There was not much to ask.
"Well then…"
At that moment Heyna the Flying Queen suddenly turned towards the players with a kind smile:
"Don't worry. You can familiarize yourself with your mounts first. Take your time."
"Really? That's so kind…"
Fortune wanted to thank Heyna when she got abruptly interrupted. Crana waved his hand, letting out a thundering:
"Go!"
"Wait, what?!"
The friends were caught off guard. Only Heyna and Liam took to the air.
"That's playing dirty! Damn!"
But complaining didn't help. Everyone commanded their flying mounts to rise. The first to follow swiftly was Silver Blade before the rest of the group came with little distance between them.
Heyna snickered to herself. But she suddenly heard the wind being cut right behind her. When she looked back over her shoulder, she was shocked to see one of the challengers closely behind her. But there was nothing a [Dash] couldn't solve!
The wind became obedient, carrying the white eagle as it raced through the sky. With [Dash] active its body became a blur to the naked eye, travelling at insane speeds. Heyna instantly passed the first four rings which were placed in a straight line. However, Liam stuck close to her left, only half a step behind, also using [Dash].
The leading duo raced ahead and soon approached the first curve. Heyna didn't fly in a perfect line, leaving room for Liam to overtake her on the left. Liam's eagle subtly got ahead. Just as it looked like he was about to snatch first place Liam suddenly performed an unexpected move. He commanded his eagle to tilt to the right, slamming its body into Heyna's eagle.
"Challenger! Are you crazy?!"
Some distance behind the two were the rest of the friends. They took the leading duo as example, using [Dash] when they did so and copying the line in which Liam was flying. Yet when they observed Liam's move, they all showed confusion.
"What is he doing?"
"Does he want to open a path for us?"
"Wow, Mirage is playing dirty as well!"