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209. I'm Here
🕑 Added 2024-11-05 15:00:04 +0000 UTCA horse hurtled out of the pack, closing in on Ike. It rode alone, or so he thought. It turned to the side, and a small child appeared on its back.
“Shawn!” Ike shouted in joy. A second later, he furrowed his brows. What’s Shawn going to do here? I appreciate the help, but he’s… Rank 1, for the most part.
“Hey. Don’t run ahead, you tiny mountain,” another familiar voice called. Wisp joined him, standing between Ike and the pack. She turned and threw her hands out. White thread appeared, wrapping over the entire field. The front line of horses hit the thread and stumbled over it. The mages who were about to launch their spells found themselves suddenly launched into the air as their horses hit the ground.
The attacks in the air closed in on Ike. Without having to worry about new attacks for a moment as the riders navigated Wisp’s trap, he drew his sword and slashed left and right. Storm Clad and River-Splitting Sword resonated. Ike widened his eyes, then pushed aether into the resonating skills. A wave of wind blasted from the blade, and the River-Splitting Sword’s attack pattern cut the attacks down. It was almost like he’d shot the sword attack out into the sky, as if he could cut at the distance. He slashed three more times, cutting down the remaining attacks, then looked at his sword. I wonder if that counts as a new skill?
A new volley of skills hurtled toward him. Ike tightened his grip on his sword, looking up. I’ll have to check later. He sat up straight on the nag and tracked the attacks flying in, preparing to beat another round of attacks to the ground. Lights welled up from all directions. He watched them, but it wasn’t possible to keep his eyes on all of them at once. Frustrated, Ike unleashed his aura, extending it as far as it could go, then pushing further, edging its very limits. I need to see the attacks as soon as possible. I only have so much time to react. If I wait until I can see them, it’s too late!
He pressed his hands together, then threw a Tempest out behind him. The stormy winds sent the attacks flying everywhere. The horsemen behind him scattered, dodging the wind and the stray attacks at once.
The track took a turn, and for a moment, things quieted. The remaining horsemen who hadn’t been toppled by Wisp’s thread leaped rounds of it, dodging around a series of sticky traps. Despite her best efforts, they kept up with her, Ike, and Shawn. The best horsemen amongst them even fought to pull ahead. Unlike Ike’s clumsy riding and the uncooperative nag, they were clearly master riders who’d chosen the horses best suited to them; not the obvious frontrunners, but horses that were powerful in their own right.
As for those who’d chosen the frontrunners, those fast horses had sprinted themselves out. If they were lucky enough to have dodged Wisp’s traps, they hung at the back of the pack on tired horses who had already unleashed their highest speeds.
Ahead, the track turned bumpy. Dirt moguls blocked the way. Gaps opened up in the ground. In some places, the earth fell off in short cliffs, forcing the horses to leap up or down. Ike bounced along, struggling to keep his balance as the nag handled the jumps and hops with experienced ease. He was nothing but a sack of potatoes on its back, but luckily, the nag could handle it. Despite having the worst rider in the world, it easily cleared the track, jumping the cliffs, dodging the moguls, clearing the gaps. Ike took his lumps with as much dignity as he could muster, which is to say, not much.
Unlike Ike, the other riders barely shifted for taking on the bumpy tracks. Attacks rushed at him in a wave, one after another.
Ike unleashed a sweeping sword strike. A storm rushed with it. Sheering winds and fierce lightning raged along the path of the strike. The wind cut through the attack he’d fired it at, while the lightning jolted off, disrupting the other attacks nearby. Another attack pinged at the back of his head. Ike whirled, slashing just in time to cut down a sword thrown at his nag’s neck. He glared. “Who dares attack a harmless beast?”
A blond boy with an aquiline nose and high brows stared back at him, his blue eyes wide. Seeing his attack had missed, he wrinkled his nose and turned around front again, sprinting ahead.
Eh? What’s he running for? Ike turned around, facing fully forward.
Ahead of them, a white line marked the end of the race. Ike’s eyes widened. A few of his opponents had slipped past, and quickly closed in on the line. He whirled and sat forward on the nag, pushing it to run faster. “Come on! Yah!”
The nag harrumphed and continued running at the same speed.
“Come on. I know you have it in you. A little faster?” Ike begged it.
It flicked its tail and managed a little more speed, but not nearly enough to catch those other horses.
Ike wrinkled his nose. At this rate, they wouldn’t come in first. He didn’t know that the ranking order of success mattered, but then, for all he knew, everyone but first got eliminated. Gritting his teeth, he crouched low on the horse, desperately thinking. There had to be something he could do. Some way to entice it to run faster.
The other racers closed in on the finish line. Desperation cut cold to Ike’s heart. Baring his teeth, he threw caution to the wind. “Dammit! You leave me no other choice!”
And with that, he hopped off the horse.`1
