Chapter 4: Not a game for children

         Valor and Diargo stood in a line amidst a number of other riders and their racers. There were more types of creatures that the two of them had ever seen. The stadium was filled with hundreds of thousands of people, even the murmur of the crowd was enough to make it difficult to talk. The only thing louder than the crowd was the booming voice of the announcer.

            “WELCOME BACK LADIES AND GENTLEMEN TO YOUR MONTHLY QUALIFERS! YOU GUYS KNOW THE DRILL, THIS RACE IS THE OPPORTUNITY OF A LIFETIME FOR ANY YOUNGSTERS LOOKING FOR GLORY, SCORE ENOUGH POINTS AND ONE LUCKY ROOKIE WILL BE ON THEIR WAY TO BECOMING AN OFFICIAL RIDER.”

            The crowd thundered in response, the qualifying races were some of the biggest races to watch, because it allowed anyone over the age of eighteen to join, regardless of your riding status. This typically meant new racers as well as new weapons and fighting styles. While races were held weekly across the planet, it was often the qualifiers that brought in the most fans. However, to the disappointment of most fans, it wasn’t uncommon for no rookies to sign up, especially if that region had a reputation for high deaths. Kypeera was one of those regions, the unforgiving desert was a harsh environment and it produced some of the most infamous riders the planet has seen.

            Valor swallowed as he listened to the announcer, his booming voice could be heard from every corner of the track, the sheer volume was starting to give Valor a headache. As the announcer began introducing each team, he scanned the track. Every month stadiums like this one changed their track to accommodate for the qualifiers. It was a tactic to help aid the rookies to level the playing field. He had no idea how they could alter the terrain of something so massive, but galdenhad to be involved. The track was a mix sand and dirt, with the occasional slope and large rocks. Scattered throughout the track were pockets of water, larger than the hot springs he and Diargo enjoyed the night before. Occasionally the track would split into multiple paths, oftentimes the second path would be a tunnel underground, or a slope up to a high ridge. Typically, all tracks were built to be as diverse as possible, within the specific region limitations.  Siliaph stadium was located in the Kypeeran deserts, so it was no surprise that the track was filled with sand, rocks and underground tunnels.

            “NOW HERE’S A TEAM WHO NEEDS NO INTRODUCTION, AMEERA COPANI AND HER FEARRAT, SCOOPER!”

            Valor glanced sideways at Ameera who stood only a couple teams away. She had large smile plastered on her face and she waved to the crowd, her racer chittered beside her. He had been trying to find her all morning, though she had remained hidden amidst all the other teams. Diargo could sense his anticipation of seeing and sent Valor a playful prod with his mind.

“mmmm pheromones”

Valor shook it off and focused on Ameera, he didn’t have time to worry about defending his intentions. She seemed normal enough, though it was her racer that was far from normal. The Fearrat was not tall, but long. It was built with a snake, but with eight muscular legs protruding from the body, it was covered in snow white fur from head to toe, with a vicious looking face, which reminded him of the desert foxes that would sometimes wander onto to his property. The white fur had a healthy sheen, and the elongated body ended with a large voluptuous tail. It could have passed as capable killer or a showroom pet.  

            Diargo read Valor’s mind, “what in the unholy sun is that.”

            Valor shook his head, equally bewildered by the Fearrat, it was a creature that he never even heard of before.

            “AND HERES THE MOMENT YOU’VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR, THE ROOKIE OF THE EVENING.”

            The stadium erupted in cheers and boos. Valor could hear jeers and heckles from the crowd, and he gave them his biggest smile. He knew that a lot of them attended the race just to watch a rookie perform. Diargo on the other hand was not pleased by the jeers, and the gorilla angrily beat his chest and roared and at the stands. 

            “SILIAPH STADIUM BRINGS YOU, VALOR KNIGHT AND HIS DIAMOND BACK TRYKOORI, DIARGO”.

            The crowed seemed to settle down, and there were many excited and confused whispers and looks. Valor could hear the rider to his right speak under his breath, “knight? No way…”

            Glancing around himself and Diargo, Valor could see almost all of the riders staring at him, grumbling to themselves or looking at him in awe. The attention suddenly seemed too much. Valor leapt smoothly off the ground and onto Diargo’s back and sheepishly scratched the back of his head.

            “Who knew your father had that much of an impact” Diargo said to his friend, as the crowd continue to roar, and the other teams speculated.

            “I mean I knew he was number one on the charts at least some point in his racing career.” Valor responded, shifting uncomfortably.

            The announcer continued to blare his message, discussing the new track that was built this month giving the audience an up to date idea of how the race would be played.

            “By the looks of it, he held that number one spot for a lot longer than you thought” The gorilla replied, nonchalantly opening his mouth to stretch his jaw, sharp fangs glinted in the sunlight. “Don’t look now, but your mate is checking you out”.

            Valor turned to look at Ameera and was met by an icy blue gaze. She was giving Valor her best glare, no longer sporting her fake smile from earlier. Valor gave her a sheepish smile and raised his arm timidly, about to wave hello. Before he could do so, Ameera flipped her hair at him and turned away, focusing closely on the track in front of her.

            Valor put his hand down and said to Diargo, “well she definitely wasn’t checking me out”.

            “Diargo shrugged, “Yeah I got that from the disappointment radiating from your body”

            “THE RACE BEGINS IN TEN” The announcer boomed; the crowd fell silent

            Valor looked at the back of Diargo’s head in mock disgust, “I will throw this race”

            “NINE”, the other riders situated themselves on the racers.

            Diargo tilted his head slightly so his one eye could look at Valor face, “I might have to kill you now, just for saying that.”

            “EIGHT”

            Valor put racing helmet on that was supplied to him by Siliaph stadium, the metal was light as a feather, but offered maximal protection. It was sleek and padded on the inside for comfort, with an aerodynamic design aimed towards speed.

            “Just joking, I’m only here to win.” Valor responded, tightening the helmet strap under his chin.

            “SEVEN”, Valor closed his eyes and took a deep breath in. He could feel the Diargo’s heartbeat thundering underneath him.

            “SIX”

            “I was born to win,” Diargo said, his muscles trembling in anticipation.

            “FIVE”

            “Let’s do this one for dad,” Valor said, patting Diargo on the top of the head.

            “FOUR”

            Diargo only grunted in agreement, the atmosphere had changed, and he could feel the anticipation from all the other teams like a heavy blanket. His body was screaming at him to start running, but he forced himself to be still.

            “THREE”

            The excitement was mounting, and Diargo let out a loud war cry.

            “TWO”

            Somewhere a wolf howled in response, followed by a loud squeal, and then an array of roars, chirps, and rumbles. Every creature lined up was aware that in two seconds they would be fighting for their lives.

            “ONE”

            Diargo bunched up his legs, and gathered his galden, Valor’s grip on Diargo’s neck tightened.

            “RAAAAAAAAAACE”

 

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            The thundering of heavy legs on solid ground was all Valor could hear after the announcer started the race. The racers had exploded out of the starting gate, all pushing themselves at breakneck speeds to reach the front of the pack, in order to set the pace and steer clear of the immediate danger. The larger packs that naturally form in these races are the most dangerous place to be in because every team is fighting tooth and nail to break free and catch up to the leader. Thanks to Diargo’s short legs, the duo was quickly falling behind the main pack.

            “They’re a lot faster than I thought they would be buddy!” Valor said, watching the body of racers slowly increasing the distance between them.

            Diargo was running as fast as he could on four legs, his knuckles slamming into the ground as he galloped across the dirt ground, large clouds of steam blowing from his nostrils as he heaved air in and out of his chest.

            “Because I’m not… designed to run like this… short distances maybe, but… not like this! I was  made…  to rule the jungles of Trykoori” Diargo struggled to get his thoughts across, his attention was more focused on moving his legs.  

            If Valor’s heart wasn’t pounding out of this chest from the adrenaline of the race, he would have rolled his eyes, Diargo didn’t go very long before mentioning Trykoori.

            “I didn’t want to implement this so early, but it looks like we have no choice.”

            Diargo’s relief flooded Valor’s mind as he said this, if they waited any longer the pack would be almost impossible to catch up to. Already the group in front of them couldn’t be seen. They were far enough ahead that the dust cloud they kicked up was shielding them from view.

            “IT LOOKS LIKE WE MAY HAVE OVERESTIMATED THE ROOKIE AND HIS RACER, THEY ARE QUICKLY FALLING BEHIND. BUT WOULD YOU LOOK AT THOSE SHORT LEGS GO!”

            Through the visor in his helmet, Valor could just make out the outline of a large shape hurtling towards them through the dust cloud. Valor’s eyes widen in realization and he started to scream aloud to Diargo.

            “NOW DIARGO, NOW,”

            It wasn’t Valor’s voice that triggered Diargo’s response, but the panic in Valor’s mind. As he started to prepare his galden, he saw it: a massive shape flying through the dusty air. Diargo leapt at just the right moment, his powerful legs just barely clearing over the mass. Time seemed to slow down as Valor peered over Diargo’s shoulder. It was a giant mammal, twice the size of Diargo, its body covered in tough grey skin, completely hairless. It had five massive horns protruded out of its skull. Its fat body was gouged and bloody, and as Diargo seemed to float through the air, Valor caught a glance of the lifeless eyes flying underneath them. Time resumed its normal speed as Diargo’s feet collided with a pillar, sending the pair hurtling further across the sky. Valor glanced back and could see the lifeless body of the racer still rolling and bouncing across the dirt ground.

            “HOLY SHIT” Valor screamed to his friend.

            Diargo could smell the fear and death in the air as they slowly started to gain on the group, the dead racer that narrowly missed them was only the first. A primal bloodlust was starting to burn in his belly. Though he could also feel Valor’s nervousness flooding into his mind. Air whipped around Valor’s head as they flew through the sky, from the height they were at, Valor could see the pack and even the two teams that were in the lead. They were nearing the first turn which was a narrow chasm surrounded by two massive stone walls.

            “Do you see that?” Valor asked, Diargo started to fall back down to the ground, before another pillar launched them back into the sky.

            “Yeah I do, it’s going to be a tight squeeze”

            “We can’t be caught in the pack near at that chasm, it will be blood bath.” Valor replied.

            A few seconds later, and they had completely caught up with the pack. The pillars were keeping the two of them at a consistent height above the rest. Though not high enough to be completely out of harm’s way. Diargo’s next pillar brought them to almost the middle of the back and for a second Diargo and Valor seemed to float twenty feet above the tops of their heads. Valor could see many of the riders looking up at shock.

            Valor felt the rapid build of galden as Diargo started to form another pillar, “wait a minute- “he tried to rush out.

            It was too late, another pillar erupted through the ground, right underneath the feet of a massive reptile. The pillar struck the creature’s chest with such force that Valor could hear the cracking of ribs over the pounding feet of the pack. The pillar carried the lizard through the air, its bright emerald scales flashing in the Kypeeran sun, the Racer let out a high-pitched and vibrating screech, clutching to the pillar with all it’s might. Diargo’s body twisted in the air, trying to avoid the Racer that was now hurtling towards them on top of the pillar. Valor caught a glimpse at the lizard’s rider. A gangly man whose skin was darker than Diargo’s black fur, his long limbs held two curved blades. The panic in the man’s eyes was all Valor could see before they collided. Diargo’s heavy body smashed into the snakelike lizard. For a split-second Valor could hear a loud scream and then nothing but cracking bones. The bodies they had collided with pushed them off course and they started to fall, but Diargo twisted his body in midair to grab hold of the stone pillar. For a couple seconds they slid, and Diargo bared his teeth in pain as his hands slid down the stone. Moments later the two were close enough to the ground that they could leap off safely.

            Valor felt numb, the man’s scream ringing in his ears. The cracking of bones had been so loud that for just a moment it was all he could hear.

            “valor pull it together, I need you.”

            Valor could hear Diargo as a distant echo, He looked back and could see the pillar still jutting out of the sky, a towering monument erected in honour of their kill. The green body of the lizard hung limp from the tip of the pillar. It’s long neck and tail draped over the top, dripping blood.

            Diargo grunted in frustration, he couldn’t do this alone, Valor’s shock was like a fog in his own brain, and he struggled to focus. There was another separation between them and the other racers, but he was closing the distance as fast as he could. He started to use smaller pillars, relying more on the power of his legs. It gave him more freedom in his decisions, but the timing was difficult to get a hold of. Regardless, Diargo was able to close the distance between him and the rest. Causing the stragglers to shift their attention to him and Valor.

            “VALOR”

            The intensity of Diargo’s voice was like a jerk in Valor’s mind, and the fog started to lift.  Instantaneously a black shafted arrow sprouted from Valor’s shoulder, the barbed arrowhead buried itself deep in Valor’s flesh, imbedding itself into the bone. The power behind the arrow was enough to drive Valor from his seat. Before the boy could even cry out, he could feel himself being lifted into the air, just as Diargo leapt from another pillar. The Trykoori felt his rider’s weight lift from his shoulders the same time he heard the cry of pain and shock. He twisted his upper body as fast as he could and grabbed the human. His big hand closing around the boy’s ankle.

“DIARGO HELP- “

 Diargo swung his arm down, whipping his friends’ body through the air. For a moment the top of the helmet bounced and scraped along the rocky ground. He continued the swing, eventually flipping Valor in the air so he landed right side up on his back.

Valor positioned himself more comfortable back on Diargo’s shoulders, his mind swimming from the event that just took place. He was only off of Diargo’s shoulders for a fraction of a second, but it felt like hours, his racer had reacted with such an unnatural speed. Diargo’s acrobatics did not go unnoticed, and the crowd erupted at the sight of the giant gorilla flipping Valor through the air.

            “Did you really just flip me through the air, that was insane.”

            Diargo’s chest was heaving from exertion and excitement, the galden was flowing powerfully, and he could the lifeblood flooding every muscle. “I’m aware.”

            The rider who shot the arrow cursed out loud and turned back around to face the track in front of him, narrowly dodging an upper hand slash of a sword from another Rider.

            “I’d kiss the back of your hairy head, but I don’t think I can even move with this arrow in my arm,” The burning was starting to intensify, and with every small movement of his arm, he could feel the arrowhead carving a larger incision in his bone.

            Diargo replied, “Thank the arrow for me.”

            “I just… need to… ARGH!”

            Diargo whipped his head back, to see Valor slowly pulling the arrow out of his arm. “Leave it in or break it, idiot”The monkey said.

            Valor scrunched his face, and the muscles in his jaw worked as the arrow continued its exit, “I almost… have it”.

            Diargo shook his head and turned his attention back on the race. The track in front of them was narrowing and they were nearing the tight bend. If they were here, then that meant the other racers were closer to winning than he was. Diargo curled his lip back in anger, and he pushed himself harder.

            “I… got it!” The arrow exited Valor’s arm with a wet ripping noise, the barbed steel tearing his flesh.

            Diargo’s arm burned with the phantom pain of Valor’s injury, but he paid no attention to it, his vision was tunnelling, he was only ten feet away now.  Valor threw the bloody arrow down in triumph, the jagged hole in his arm was not enough to trump the relief he felt with the arrow out. Valor glanced back at the track in front of him and felt his stomach turn to ice.

            “Diargo the chokepoint!” Valor looked at the track in front of him in horror. The stone walls had closed in, and the height of cliffs was enough to stop any racer from travelling over top. It created an effective chokepoint, that forced every racer to establish their positions in the race. Except no team desired to place behind another.

            “HANG ON TO YOUR SEATS LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, IT’S ABOUT TO GET A LITTLE ‘ROCKY’!”

            “Diargo jump now! JUMP NOW!” Valor screamed at the top of his lungs; his companion wasn’t reacting to the panic he was projecting. Diargo was falling for the designer’s trap.

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