Chapter 8 – Spectacle and Scrutiny
The cheer from those attending the spectacle was monstrous in its own right, never mind the sight of five wyverns flying in formation under Kibble's guidance to land in unison on the cleared dock area in front of the stand.
The twenty hopeful riders jogged into view from the main street leading to the docks. Lorna jogged at the front, and as they came to the fore of the stand, she called for them to halt. Cristy stood off to one side, watching the spectacle unfold until Lorna moved in front of the riders, and Cristy stepped forward, joining her.
The riders alone were an impressive sight, each wearing a rider's uniform. The mottled green leather armour was similar in colour to Cristy's and matched the green of the five wyverns' scales almost perfectly. Their colours were ideally suited to the forest areas around Killic. Darren had supported the leatherworkers in the design of the armour, and he had become quite established in the town for his designs, although he was still focusing more on his alchemy under Master Rui.
SJ looked over the hopeful riders; she knew most of them in passing from her frequent attendance at the flight school. The top-rated rider was a being named Coral, an elven druid with an exceptional ability to control the wyvern, and SJ knew she was almost guaranteed a lead position in the flight school. All those in attendance were exceptional riders in their own right.
Lorna stood in front of them as the cheers from the crowd started to lessen.
"Welcome, riders! Today, ten of you earn your wings and will compete for the honour of representing Killic before the Chancellor himself! The event will consist of two phases. Phase one will be a flat race, with five of you competing at a time. Lots will be used to assign wyverns to riders. The fastest three from each group will then compete in aerial combat against me and Lieutenant Cristy. This will eliminate the final two from the proceedings." Lorna finished, turning towards the stands.
"Mayor Maxwell, will you be kind enough to come and select the first flight, please?" Lorna asked.
Zigferd stood and made his way down to the front, where two small boxes had been placed. The first small box contained the names of the wyverns, and the second held the names of the competitors.
Zigferd selected the first flight and announced the participants. As each name was called, the crowd cheered. Many of the riders had already achieved near-celebratory status in the town.
"Basflex will be riding Snaffle... Kaswell will be riding Grifter... Natalia will be riding Blusher... Vincent will be riding Rasper... and finally Safu will be riding Crackle."
The five riders strode forward and stood in front of Lorna as their names were read out, standing at attention with their backs straight and heads held high in pride. SJ could sense the nervous tension emanating from all the riders, their fists clenched and unclenched nervously, while others took deep breaths or glanced at their competitors. This was their opportunity to shine.
"Riders, claim your first clue and take to your mounts," Lorna announced. The five chosen moved towards their respective wyverns after collecting a rolled parchment from Cristy.
Kibble hopped in front of them, squeaking final orders to the five wyverns.
The first phase was a flat-out race around the plateau. SJ, with Kibble's help, had placed parchments with details on them and a box of tokens at each location. It would follow a scavenger hunt mixed with orienteering. Each rider was assigned a specific token to collect and a starting point, to which they would fly. Then, at each location, they would find a clue and proceed to the next location until they had secured five tokens of each kind. Each token was unique to each area, so there was no way that a rider could cheat by claiming more than one token from a single location.
The event would begin with a single horn blast, as Lorna signalled to one of the dwarven guards.
As the horn was blown, the screeching of wyverns mixed with the screaming cheers of the watching crowd as they beat their wings, lifting from the dockside. The first round was underway.
The five wyverns started to turn and bank under their riders, guiding them towards their first pickups. Each of these rounds was expected to take about 20 minutes, given the distance between locations.
"Are you coming?" Kibble asked excitedly as he flew up to where SJ was sitting with Alice and Zigferd.
"Where?" SJ asked, frowning.
"To make sure they aren't slacking. I don't want to be accused of favouring any riders."
"You think you would get questioned?"
"They are my flight after all," Kibble replied, strutting proudly. He was acting like an all-important general.
"Okay then."
"And it beats sitting here waiting," Kibble grinned, showing his sharp, pointed teeth.
SJ turned to Alice and Zigferd. "I'm going to go with Kibble; he wishes to check on the flights."
They both nodded before turning back and watching the wyverns powering away towards their various locations. Several riders had been concerned about the wyverns and their speeds, but Kibble had confirmed that they were all pretty much equal when flying at their maximum speeds. The only one who had a very slight advantage was Grifter. When it came to aerial combat, they were all equally formidable. Rasper, with his size, had power, whereas Blusher, with her slimmer frame, had added agility.
SJ shrank before climbing onto Kibble's back, taking hold of the mithril loop on his collar. She didn't use any form of saddle when riding him; there was no need. She sat perfectly across his shoulders, just in front of his wings.
"Ready?" Kibble asked.
"Yep," SJ replied as Kibble beat his wings and took off.
As they lifted into the air, Kibble turned immediately and hurtled after Grifter, out of all the wyverns, he was the most temperamental, and Kibble had been nervous that he might play up. He had warned him on multiple occasions, but the wyvern had a mischievous streak, which SJ had succumbed to previously when he had dumped her from his saddle when she wasn't strapped in fully. Thankfully, all the riders were strapped in, and even if a wyvern somersaulted, they would not fall from their roosts.
Kibble's immediate acceleration took SJ by surprise, and she gripped onto the ring tightly as he powered behind Grifter. He was not as fast as the larger wyvern when they reached their maximum speed, but he could maintain a decent pace, and what he lacked in size and speed he made up for in sheer mobility. He was so nimble in the air that SJ doubted an elite archer could even come close to ever hitting him in flight. Ever since his fateful encounter with the draconian raid, he had strived to ensure that his air mobility was insurmountable.
SJ could see the other wyvern in her vision as they all careered towards their initial locations.
Grifter suddenly dove and disappeared towards the southern edge of the forest, leading to the cliffside overlooking the desert. That would be his first collection point. The once threatening hole left by the rock gobbler had since been caved in after the shock attack from the draconians and their departure back to the desert region. In its wake, a ring of stones had been positioned where it had once been to mark its location forever. The council doubted that any beast or being apart from another rock gobbler could ever get through the collapsed tunnel after the earth mages had finished destroying it.
"Looks like Kaswell will get a good time on this first leg," SJ said, indicating the rider flying Grifter.
"Yeah, he didn't go off course once," Kibble said happily.
"I'm sure he won't, knowing the lightning zap he would get if he misbehaved."
That comment made Kibble giggle. He had rarely had to discipline the wyvern since they had started to mature, but the ever-present threat of being zapped by his lightning helped with his position of authority granted to him by his bloodline as a miniature wyvern and the imprint he held over them all. Even though any of them could swallow Kibble whole, SJ knew that none of them would ever even attempt it. They were as loyal to Kibble as beasts could be, even Rasper, as the bull-headed and strongest of them, always listened to Kibble intently whenever he spoke to them.
"Okay, everything looks good here so far," Kibble said as he banked and headed low down into the treeline, heading west towards the far side of the plateau. He didn't want to stay visible if he could help it, potentially giving insights into the other locations around the plateau where the tokens and details were located.
The other four locations, excluding the rock gobbler hole at the plateau, were the old mining tunnel by the western mountainside, where the plateau guard had hidden and escaped the initial assault. Then there was the northern edge, by the crags and the entrance to the valley, leading to the plains, then came the eastern stone mine, which SJ had never been inside, and finally Patch's enclave. Since Patch and his pack had been so instrumental in supporting the town, they had been issued rights to live wherever they wished within the plateau. Patch had taken his pack and set up home near the waterfall that fell from the eastern mountains, feeding the lake that filled a vast area of the plateau. Every time SJ thought of the place, she still shivered from the memories of one of her first battles after arriving in Amathera against the spiders. Even though the fight was now a distant memory and a level seven spider wouldn't even make her think twice these days, back then, being captured and wrapped in its sticky web had been a terrifying experience.
"I'm going to fly a circle of the route, that way if any of the riders do spot me, they shouldn't be able to follow me," Kibble said.
"Makes sense," SJ said as she watched the flickering green reflecting in the intense afternoon sun off the scales of the wyvern just lifting back off by the mine tunnel to the west.
"They found it quickly," Kibble said as he saw Crackle, being ridden by Safu, take off from the western edge.
"Very," SJ said, as the wyvern immediately tilted and aimed straight back over the lake towards the north of town and Patch's enclave. "Maybe if we stay in the middle of the lake, we can observe them better?"
"Perhaps. But I want to check on the western one they just left quickly. It should have taken them longer than that to work out the next place to go."
"Safu is very intelligent and logical," SJ replied. Safu was a goblin, an exceedingly intelligent and dedicated goblin who had shown exceptional promise as a rider. She had a no-nonsense nature and was the most devoted in caring for the wyverns.
"All the wyverns love her. She gives the best belly scratches," Kibble purred.
"Oh, I see you've been flirting with Safu."
"What? No, never. You are my one and only," Kibble replied in a hurt voice.
"You're starting to sound as bad as Dave," SJ sighed.
"You rang?" Dave's voice boomed in her mind.
"Do you have to?" SJ said, wincing and almost losing grip of the collar.
"I heard you talk poorly about me again," Dave said.
"No, I talk facts," SJ hmphed as Kibble swooped low, approaching the crevice leading to the abandoned mine.
SJ climbed down from Kibble once he landed and flew to the crevice in the rockface before entering. The tokens were inside the main cavern, where the long-since-abandoned mine was. The clue had been written as a riddle.
In times long past, ore was cleaved here.
But now all that remains are picks and mine gear.
SJ quickly moved along the tunnel to the main cavern. Her vision would have been limited, usually in the pitch dark of the tunnel, but ever since Alethea's realignment of the mana fields, the mosses that covered the cave walls now all glowed with a luminescence providing enough light for her to no longer require a torch.
Alethea was still a vast unknown, and SJ needed to get to terms with her and what she fully stood for since her appearance. It may have been several months since her initial appearance in the desert, but nothing had been explained fully. Dave was still unsure of what she stood for, and the system, according to his feedback, downright hated her existence. The surrounding area around Killic now looked otherworldly at night. Many of the plants held an unnatural glow from her work. It was another reason the chancellor was coming to visit Killic.
The old mine was empty, apart from the fractured remains of old tooling and corroded iron rails that once allowed the carts to exit the mine through the long-since-blocked entrance tunnel. Resting on a flat stone in the middle of the chamber was the pouch containing the tokens and the satchel containing the rolled parchments that gave the riders their next clue.
SJ quickly checked to make sure everything was as it should be before quickly leaving again.
"All good inside," SJ said as she left the tunnel.
"Good. We need to move; the next is already on route," Kibble said, turning his head to look towards the north.
SJ landed back on Kibble as he swiftly lifted into the air and, staying low, headed straight into the forest area, out of sight of the approaching wyvern in the distance. They didn't want to give the location away.
The pair completed their circuit of the lake, checking each location, and the riders were seen at various points as they flew over the plateau. They couldn't have long left now to complete the first race, as long as everyone had discovered their directions easily enough.
As they landed back at the docks, Lorna and Cristy were looking south towards the forest.
"I think the first is coming back," Cristy said excitedly.
"I wonder who it is," Lorna said, squinting into the distance to try to make out which of the riders it was.
The crowd watched on excitedly as the wyvern neared, as Lorna announced.
"It appears Safu and Crackle are the first to return."
The crowd cheered as the wyvern swooped in low over the surrounding buildings before coming to land in front of Lorna.
Safu unclipped herself from the saddle and climbed down, carrying a small pouch which contained the tokens she had collected. She didn't rush as she stopped to scratch Crackle under his chin before she approached Lorna and handed over the pouch, bowing respectfully at the guard captain.
Lorna tried not to raise her eyebrows at the excessive show of respect. She had known many of the riders for several years as members of the town guard beforehand, but couldn't complain at the show they were putting on for the town.
Lorna handed the pouch to Cristy and walked to a small table where one of the kobold guards sat. She emptied the contents onto the table, and it took only moments for the kobold to nod at Lorna.
"We can confirm first place in the initial round goes to Safu and Crackle."
Before Lorna had even finished announcing, the crowd had roared in celebratory cheers. Safu was a well-respected member of the town guard. Safu smiled broadly at the praise.
"Well done. Now go and rest before the aerial combat," Lorna said.
"Captain," Safu said, again, bowing before turning and waving to the cheering crowd, making them cheer louder.
The second to return was Kaswell with Grifter. Natalia, Vincent and Basflex were still to return. SJ was sitting back in the stands, with Kibble on her shoulder, as he suddenly squeaked excitedly.
"North and from across the lake, two are returning," Kibble squeaked.
The first two riders had been calm and controlled as they came in to land at the docks; it was obvious from the speed at which they were flying that this wasn't the case. Screeches from both wyverns could be heard as they almost blurred toward them at the speed they were flying at in competition. The riders and wyvern would clearly see that two had already returned, and the race was now on.
The crowd was almost in hysterics, screaming cheers of support for both riders as the two wyverns flew like arrows before flaring their wings almost simultaneously as they dropped like rocks to the dockside.
Snaffle snapped angrily at Rasper as the pair of wyverns almost collided as they came to a rest. Even before Snaffle came to a complete stop, Basflex threw himself from his back, landing in a forward roll, before sprinting towards Lorna, who stood awaiting the pouch he carried. Vincent took a few moments before he also jumped down and charged towards her.
The crowd went wild as Basflex handed over the pouch. Vincent didn't give up, though and still sprinted until he could hand his pouch over. The pair of riders looked at each other, and Vincent clapped Basflex on his back, congratulating him.
Cristy took the pouches and walked over to the kobold guard, then tipped them onto the table. He looked over at Lorna and nodded.
"It looks like we have our fourth..." Lorna was in the middle of announcing when Cristy interrupted her.
Lorna frowned and turned where they spoke in hushed whispers before Lorna again turned back around to face the crowd.
"It appears there is a problem. Unfortunately, Basflex is to be disqualified from the race, meaning that Vincent will take fourth place."
Gasps and looks of astonishment filled the crowd before several shouted their feelings at the sudden change in expected finishers.
Vincent stood, frowning, wondering what had happened, while Cristy stood to one side, speaking to a very animated Basflex.
"What's happened?" Zigferd said, sitting next to SJ.
"No idea. It was clear Basflex was first," SJ replied.
"Strange," Zigferd responded as they stared in anticipation at what had occurred.
Cristy finished speaking to Basflex, who now stood looking dejected, his head hanging in shame.
Cristy stepped forward and stood next to Lorna before she coughed and cleared her throat.
"Unfortunately, I have to confirm the disqualification of Basflex from the event due to breaking flight safety protocols."
This comment received even more shocked and confused expressions from the crowd.
Cristy continued. "It was obvious as Basflex came into land on Snaffle that he had already unclipped his safety harness to be able to vault off his back the way he did. This is against flight rules as harnesses must be maintained until the wyvern has come to a full rest. Basflex has admitted he had unclipped while still flying in, and although his attempt and forward roll were admirable, it contradicts the expectations of a rider."
Vincent walked towards Basflex and appeared to be consoling him. The riders had been training for so long for this event that to be disqualified for such a simple mistake must have hit Basflex hard.
The crowd's response was mixed as the three riders left the area, and Vincent was crowned in third place and would compete in the aerial combat phase. As Lorna was about to speak again, Natalia came in to land on the back of Blusher. She looked down, trodden, as she dismounted and walked over with her pouch.
Lorna nodded at her politely and took the pouch before turning to announce again. "There will now be a short break before the second race begins," Lorna announced. Many in the crowd started to file from the stands, SJ knowing that most would probably be heading to the Hogling Arms for a drink.
