9/4/1394 — Second Day of Celebration Week: The Karnivox Race
A Fire Hawk carved through the clouds above Solaren, surveying the pulse of the sprawling capital. It dove, gliding past the soaring towers to witness the masses swarming into the city's grandest plaza.
A majestic platform stood behind the starting line, seating the Emperor, the Imperial Adviser, and the Minister of Welfare (a lean, slightly old man with slit eyes, a short sharp white beard, and rich emerald-colored clothing — Mystical Stage).
Drummers lined the edges of the platform, striking massive war drums to electrify the atmosphere with a thunderous rhythm.
Mink: "Once again, it's me, Mink, who will host today's 'Karnivox Raceeeeeeeeee', people!"
As the beat of the drums echoed, a chant rose along with it from the crowd.
Crowd: "Mink! Mink! Mink! Mink! Mink! Mink! Mink! Mink!"
Mink: (Prideful laugh)
Anjan: "Hahaha, seems like this fellow became famous after yesterday."
(Note: A Karnivox is a carnivorous horse with fire aptitude. Horses evolved by atmospheric magic affection. They are bigger, stronger, and faster than ordinary horses, and more intelligent. They can perform high-tier Flame Canon at Evolution Stage. The elites of Agnikhaat use them as mounts. The second day of Celebration Week is a Karnivox race across the Imperial City.)
Mink: "Alright, let's welcome the Flame Riders of this year's race."
Over fifty riders trotted forward, mounted on their Karnivoxes. These were warriors of various clans, some from the City Guards, and some from the Imperial Guards. Among them were notable figures like Melvin, Horlen, and Steven.
Mink: "As we all know, the Karnivox Race is our tradition for more than 400 years. The Farburns were the first to tame the wild Karnivoxes and implement them into the military. Ever since, Karnivoxes became part of our society. The warriors of Farburn always dominated the Karnivox Race until their breaking and probation from Solaren. But their descendants, the Cinders and Celyns, were still upholding their ancestral legacy of being unbeatable in Karnivox races."
Mink paused, letting the weight of the history settle before shifting his tone.
Mink: "And those clans showed us some of the greatest races and competition for the last decade after their return to the capital. I know you people came here with high expectations. But to disappoint you people, they were banned from this year's race as they tried to dishonor the sacred Battle Ceremony with blood. They have been banned from this year's race."
The crowd erupted in anger, their voices drowning out any sense of disappointment.
Crowd: "We are fine! Those bastards dared to sully the sacred ceremony; they deserve it! We don't need them to celebrate! Yes, go on, let's start the race!"
Anjan: "Our people have become strong, just as you envisioned, Your Highness."
Stromas: "We are the strongest land in all of Amilanga. How can we be weak?"
Mink: "Since the vibe is fierce now, I will recite the track! The race will start here at Aevis Plaza, cut through West Gate Road..."
Mink rattled off a series of districts and turns that blurred into the background noise, skipping to the end.
Mink: "...and turn right back into West Gate Road to finish again here in Aevis Plaza."
While the host droned on, Melvin leaned in toward his sibling, his voice low.
Melvin: "Brother."
Horlen: "What?"
Melvin: "How about teaming up? If we can screw that man over, we take victory to the Hearts Clan, and our father would be happy."
Horlen looked over, his eyes landing on Steven. The Border Guard Commander was blatantly suppressing the other contestants with his intimidating aura, making their mounts restless.
Horlen: "He is far more experienced than us. Since he is the Commander of the Border Guards, he is always patrolling on a Karnivox; his knowledge about them is superior. But... if we team up, we have a chance."
Horlen: (Sinister grin) "Let's do this."
Melvin: (Sinister grin) "Yes."
Mink: "And now for the rules: there are none! As long as there is no outside intervention and no killing intent. Properly equip your safety runes."
Mink raised his hand, mana gathering in his palm as he cast an Intermediate Scorch Spell. A burst of flame exploded into the sky, signaling the beginning.
Mink: "Then I hereby declare the start of this year's Karnivox Race!"
The crowd erupted into a deafening roar.
The Karnivoxes reared up, their front hooves clawing at the air as they roared their spirit and dominance. One by one, the riders thundered up the West Road. With every strike of a hoof, the stone pavement groaned, leaving trails of sparks in their wake.
People on both sides of the road and hanging from the balconies of the buildings above cheered wildly for the riders.
In just ten minutes, they reached the West Gate. A towering announcement pole embedded with a Sound Transmission Rune crackled to life.
Mink (Voice Projection): "Riders, you are about to reach West Gate! Turn right into Art Street Road towards North Gate Road. From this checkpoint... the No-Rules Race begins!"
The moment Mink gave the signal, the order collapsed. Riders began sabotaging one another—kicking rivals down, casting spells to destabilize mounts, and unleashing intimidation auras to scare the beasts. It looked less like a horse race and more like a cavalry skirmish.
Melvin and Horlen were chasing Steven, but the Border Guard Commander was already far ahead of them.
Melvin: "We have got to hurry up, brother, or he will be out of our reach at this pace."
Horlen: "What can we even do? The track is in utter chaos as the 'No Rules' phase has begun."
Just as they were speaking, a group of riders caught up to them. One of them called out over the wind.
City Guard: "Hi there, Commander. Are you going for the Border Guards Commander?"
Melvin: "Yes, Benny. Help us bring him down."
Benny: "I'm sorry, Commander. We have our own target."
Melvin: "Well, fine. We all have our own goals. Who is it?"
Benny: "Just as you are going for Commander Steven... we are going for you."
Swoooorsshhhh!
Benny cast a Fire Strike straight at Melvin. Melvin quickly adjusted his weight, swerving his Karnivox to narrowly avoid the blaze.
Melvin: "What? You are going to attack your own Commander?"
Benny: "We are not attacking the Commander of City Guards. We are attacking Melvin of the Hearts Clan. Just as you race for your clan, we race for fun."
Melvin: "Then I will give you all the fun."
BOOM!
Melvin cast a Flame Blast. Benny leaned backward in his saddle to evade the horizontal strike, but he wasn't ready for the second blast raining down from above. The spell nailed Benny, knocking him off his mount.
Before he could recover, his own companions ran over him in the high-speed rush.
Suddenly, Melvin pulled his reins hard. His Karnivox screeched to a halt, rearing its legs high until it stood at a near 90-degree slope. The two riders who were chasing him couldn't stop in time and shot forward. Melvin reached out, grabbing them by their collars as their Karnivoxes bolted ahead, yanking them violently out of their saddles and slamming them into the ground.
Meanwhile, a rider tried to crash into Horlen from the side. Horlen, wearing an evil grin, kept riding sideways, pressing his mount against the attacker and forcing him toward the edge of the road.
Ahead loomed the stone arch entrance to the new street.
Horlen pinned the rider against the wall, crashing him directly into the solid stone pillar of the arch.
On the other side, Melvin stood up on the saddle of his galloping Karnivox, balancing effortlessly before delivering a heavy kick to a rider next to him, sending the man flying into the watching crowd.
Mink (Voice Projection): "Riders, now you are going to enter Mithran Business Street. The narrow roads and occasional overground crossings will be dangerous at your speed. Have fun."
Meanwhile, an old man arrived at the starting line with a beast of a Karnivox. It was a massive creature with long yellow fur covering its wide body and glowing eyes. He came forward before the Emperor's stage.
Anjan: "Welcome. Greetings to the Stable Master of the Imperial Cavalry."
Old Man: "I greet the Light of the Empire—the Emperor, the Imperial Adviser, and the Minister of Welfare."
Spectator: "What?! The legendary Flame Rider of Fardentine? The one who retired to be the Stable Master of the Imperial Army? A Visionary Stage powerhouse! Why is he here?"
Mink: "I greet the Rider of a Thousand Suns, Maaja Carden!"
Maaja Carden—a tall man with a massive body, long yellow hair, and a short beard, covered in ragged cotton clothes. A huge emerald trident was strapped to his back.
Maaja: "Ignorant youngsters these days. No one showed up in time for the race, making His Majesty wait!"
Mink: "A-agh, Master Maaja... the race began way before you arrived."
Maaja (Inner Voice): (Crap! I was just bored and came to bully the youngsters and have fun, but I made a fool of myself in front of the whole crowd and the Emperor.)
Stromas: "Why are you here, Maaja?"
Maaja: "It's been a decade since I came out of the stable. I just want to see how the younger generation handles their Karnivoxes."
Maaja (Fake Anger): "But I saw a group of ignorant fools trying to mess with the Karnivox race! I taught them a severe lesson out of anger, but I lost my opportunity to learn about the new generation!"
Anjan secretly whispered something to Stromas.
Stromas: "Well, don't worry. We can't send back a hero like you during Celebration Week. Mink, announce it."
Mink: "Listen, riders! The race will have a small addition. The Stable Master of the Imperial Army, Maaja Carden, will enter the race as a Hunter right now! Make sure you move fast enough to escape him. If you get caught by him, you will be eliminated from the race!"
Steven: "What the fuck? Why the hell did that old man come here? Oh shit, I pray for the juniors coming up behind me!"
Steven said this while grabbing a rival's hair and dragging him along as he rode through the street.
Maaja rode at monstrous speed across the track. A huge man with yellow hair riding a huge Karnivox with yellow hair. As he rode past the streets, it was like a storm had passed by. The hot wind was so strong the dust trail he formed stood for a whole minute.
In a street where the riders had already passed, people relaxed and watched the telecast through Visual Transmission Runes.
Man: "This year's race is very fierce! It's magnificent that they allowed the City Guards and Imperial Guards to participate as replacements for the banned Cinders and Celyn clans. Even if they aren't as skilled as those big clan members, they are still elites."
Wife: "Did you hear the announcement just now? It said something about a 'Hunter'."
Man: "I can't hear it clearly; the Sound Transmission Pole is too far away."
The ground began shaking as something approached. The man went outside to look at what was happening. He saw the huge figure of Maaja and his horse flicker past him in a flash, followed by a gale of dust and fire sparks.
The eagle from above saw the old man catching up to the participants. At the same time, an unknown figure traveling at the same speed jumped across the buildings. It was Kain.
He jumped across the towering buildings of Solaren at lightning speed with pro parkour movements. He jumped down from a tall building—blink—and he was on the roof of a tall tower, watching down on the city as Maaja reached the riders.