Blue skies shined high overhead as Cervayhn read his novel with great interest, trying his best to ignore the complaints of his young master. The younger dark elf leaned against the railing of the carriage, holding her head in her hands, an expression of pure boredom adorning her face. 

"Why are we doing this again?" Ulmiyda asked as she stared out across the amber, but otherwise barren, fields.

"Because you need to socialize more and this is a good opportunity. This race is for people of all ages, so you're bound to meet someone around your age."

She looks to her retainer with an annoyed expression. "But there is no one out here besides farmers! Also, if the race is open to all ages why aren't you participating?" 

"Because someone needs to be cheering you on." The older dark elf replied with a smirk.

She scoffed at his obvious mocking; as if Cervayhn had ever showed any amount of excited support. 

"I don't even have a mount! How am I supposed to compete!" 

"You will be provided with one. Don't worry about winning. The point is to have fun." 

Ulmiyda's mind raced at his words. Telling her not to worry was the worst thing he could have said to her. Now she was determined to win even if it required some underhanded tactics.

Her eyes lit up with determination as she stared at her attendant.

"No. I'm going to win."

Cervayhn's smirk grew wider as he knew his words had the intended effect. 

"That's the spirit Ulmiyda."

The carriage pulled up to a tiny village as a large crowd came into sight. As soon as the vehicle stopped Ulmiyda hopped to ground and began to run towards the commotion as her retainer did his best to keep up. 

At the center of the crowd was a wide open area where multiple racers were displaying their various vehicles. From extravagant carriages to rickety death wagons, there seemed to be a wide variety of racers participating.

As the young girl observed the show, Cervayhn crouched down to meet her at eye level. 

"So, what do you think?"

"I don't see anyone around my age here…" she replied in a disappointed tone.

"Hmm…" the older dark elf hummed as he rose to his feet. He examined the crowd until his eye caught a small young woman clutching some manner of doll.

"How about her? She looks like she might even be a noble herself. Go on, introduce yourself." He said as he gave Ulmiyda a light push forward.

---

SPOILER: Click to show

Quest Name: To the Races!
Participants: Two or more
Location: King's Valley
Post Requirements: 4 post per person, 200 words per post
Reward: +1 Renown
Description: One of the valley's favorite past times is racing, specifically on horse back, but any animal will do as long as it is exciting. If you want to make a name for yourself in the plains, winning a race is the best way to do that, but it is one of the hardest things to do, locals do not play fair. The quest is simple, get into a race on animal back. You don't have to win, but try your hardest, and keep an eye out, anything goes in these races. (If you do not own a mount, a donkey will be provided for you.)

   Standing amongst the crowd, all I could think was how excited I was to race once more! There are many races as of late, the mother of gossip really wanting to see how I could fair in another. Simply claiming that the first one was just beginners luck. I could only shake my head to allow for another match, memories of the adrenaline spikes resurfacing.

    I turn to Nit, the worry stuck on his face, seeing the many mounts around us. He bends down to my height, whispering, "Are you sure we couldn't bring father's arcuila? He would have lent it to you." I shake my head and point at the donkeys being provided. "They provide rides for those that don't own their own. Your father's arcuila does not count as my property. Besides," I wave the same hand to the crowd, "Where is the fun in flying on a race track?"

   He sighs and shakes his head as he straightens up, already done with my competitive spirit. Around me I could see varieties of different creatures, most to all calling out in pain while their riders shift the saddle to their liking and not what is best for the animal.¹ I shake my head in exasperation at this. I clutch my doll as I stride through the crowds. I notice in distance I notice a child coming up to me. My smile appears with a bright shine.

---

1. Necklace of Animal Speech

NPC: Nitin Ashwood(Earth Domain Apprentice)

This was a familiar feeling to Ulmiyda. The last time her retainer forced her to socialize was during hearth day, which ironically had also involved a race. She hoped this interaction went at least as well as that meeting. At least there was no werewolf here to frighten her this time.

The young human girl had turned to face her with a smile, a gesture she was too nervous to return. Seeing her up close, she bore a striking resemblance to herself. Being the same height and having similarly pure white hair, the two of them could be twins if they weren’t completely different races. Her clothes were also quite fanciful, albeit in a monochrome style as opposed to the warmer reds and oranges she usually wore. Ulmiyda stared curiously at the doll the young girl held; its equally ornate clothing meant it was likely quite costly. The girl must also come from a rich family if she is willing to bring such a fanciful toy to such a rowdy place.

“U-umm are you here to race? I like your doll, and your clothes…” She greeted the girl sheepishly. “I-I’m Ulmiyda… Ulymiyda Flameborne.”

Her eyes looked to the sylvian elf standing beside the girl. He looked frustrated, an expression she was all too used to seeing on Cervayhn. This elf seemed closer to her age than Cervayhn’s however, she’d almost say he was somewhat handsome, that was of course if he didn’t smell like freshly trimmed grass.

“Is he your retainer? Mine forced me into this.”

   She was so shy and cute! I love the little stutter in the intro, it really goes to show how much courage she had to even introduce herself to me. My smile stays as I rock on my heels, "Nice to meet you, Ulymiyda! I'm Keyke!" I give a smile giggle at the end as I wave my doll's left hand to her. I noticed our physical similarities as she observes Nit. I was slightly surprised when she had asked about him being a retainer. I kept my smile on but stopped rocking on my heels.

   "No, he is not a retainer...more like..." as I trail off to remember the word that I can't remember, I hear him not so quietly saying, "Glorified babysitter..." I give a little clap after he says that. "Babysitter, that was what I was saying!" I quickly do a light stomp back on his foot, before stepping back forward, playing it off as me rocking again.

   He quickly retracts his feet from being close to me, feeling the light throb, before looking off at someone trying to release the donkeys. I catch where he looks and send a message to him, "Do it."¹ Not even nodding, he points to about whats and shoots a line of fire² at the person. Quickly the dry grass around them catches on fire and scares them away. I turn to Ulm and watch her reaction to the sudden use of magic.

---

1. Message

2. Fire Bolt

Ulmiyda's tension wanes at Keyke's smile. The wave of her doll's hand signified to her that this wasn't going to be a formal affair between two nobles. She hated it when the adults in her life forced her to behave like any other child in her social class. She returned the young woman's smile with her own as her excitement grew.

"It's nice to meet you too! I'm excited to win this race."

She giggles as Keyke's babysitter winced from the young woman's light stomp. Their similarities grew by the minute as she thought of all the various ways she tormented Cervayhn in a similar fashion. She pointed back through the crowd to her retainer with a grin.

"That's my babysitter. He's a bit of a stick in the mud, but he means well. We travel all across Charon doing odd jobs. He says it's to help me grow up, but I don't see the point of it."

Cervayhn gives a polite wave to the group as he holds a calm smile, unaware of the offhand remarks of his young master.

Keyke's sudden command took her by surprise, even more so when the sylvan elf fired a bolt of flame into the dry grass. Ulmiyda's smile grew immensely. Perhaps she was too quick to judge the floral elf.

"You like fire too!?" she asked gleefully.

Her excitement had blinded her to the purpose of his spell. As it waned, she noticed the collection of mules in the pen.

Her expression collapsed as their purpose dawned on her.

"Wait… those are our mounts, aren't they?"

   Her excitement to fire was simply invigorating. Few people treasure it, as most use it of utility rather than it's natural form, destruction. My eyes watched the beauty of the destruction and saw the reaction of fear from the simpleton who thought he could get away. "It's one of my skills, yes." I could hear his pride from his studies leak into his voice. I do a quick glance down and swipe his shoe out from underneath him.¹ He quick dropped into a kneeling position, quickly causing him to give me a large glare.

   I could practically see the bitter tone in her voice as she realized we just set fire to the pen where the donkeys were held. The smile that had dropped when I gave the order grew back once more as I turned my head back to her. "Some idiots think they can release the given donkeys as a way to get rid of competition." I squint at the retreating figure, keeping him in sight till I could make out some distinct features. "Nitin over here simply needed the go ahead to help out." I could hear his light mutterings of how we could destroy them and any chance of survival in this world as he was getting back up.

   I raise my hand and wave back to her babysitter, or, as she first asked about, retainer. I speak to Ulm, "So, ready for a fun race?"

---

1.Telekinesis

Ulmiyda's grin returns as Keyke knocked her babysitter to his knees. Following her lead, the young dark elf gave Nitin a taunting remark.

"Come on, you should take more pride in your abilities! Fire magic is the best magic after all!"

Part of her wanted Keyke to torment Cervayhn in a similar way, too often her companions are his side more than hers. It would be nice to team up with someone willing to toy with her retainer in such a way.

As Keyke queries her readiness, Ulmiyda's mind begins to jump to any further possibilities of sabotage they may encounter, as well as nefarious machinations of her own. If she was going to win this race, she might need to fight fire with fire.

"Hmm, not yet, I need to look into something. I'll be back shortly." She responded hastily.

The young dark elf runs off towards the area where the various racers are displaying their carriages. She spots a fancifully dressed human man surrounded by a crowd fawning over him; likely the favorite to win the race. Sneaking around the back of his carriage, she climbs up and finds her suspicions confirmed. The floor of the carriage was lined with all manner of junk. Pots, pans, trinkets, plenty of items that would serve as adequate debris to hinder the other racers. The lock on the back door of the carriage was rigged to a rope, a simple pull and it would come undone, allowing the debris to spill out.

Ulmiyda looked at the set up carefully as she thought of ways to counter this sabotage; that was until she was distracted by a hanging lantern overhead. As she stared at the swinging flame, inspiration struck. With her fingers aglow, she carefully moved the flame through the thin opening for lighting and up to the thin chain it hung from. She let the flame linger there as undid the rope on the backdoor. With the sabotage successfully thwarted, and the chain sufficiently weakened, she carefully tied the rope to the chain, knowing that the chain was on the brink of snapping. She gathered the various debris into a small circle and withdrew a dark sphere^[1] that she placed at the center. She smiles as she looks at her contraption. The racer's scheme would be his own undoing and Cervayhn would have no room to reprimand her.

She hops back down and begins to inspect the rest of the vehicles while their drivers were too busy inflating their egos within the crowd. Each time she found a similar form of sabotage; it seemed no one here was planning to win fairly. She sets up a couple more traps of her own before running back to Keyke.

"Okay I'm ready! I just made sure we won't have any interference from these cheaters!" She told the young woman excitedly.

---

[1]Explosive Ornaments

   After she ran off, I looked to Nit, "You know people who immediately take to your fire are possibly arsonists, right?" He grimaces at memories brought by those few words, thinking to those times people tried to burn the Tempest Peak in hopes of calming the storm in Dragon's Cradle. "Yeah, but..." he look to where she ran too, "I think she is what you could have been without breaking your soul for knowledge." He glares at me," Still don't know why you did it, especially after being in the library for only a day." I give a shrug, "I get to forever be in hold of mysteries of the world now, and I keep being a kid as well! Win win if you ask me!"

   He was about to continue the conversation we he saw Ulm running back to us. He quickly shut up, and the child quickly gave the confirmation to be ready in the race. I reflect her chaotic energy back, bouncing in place. "Yay! Lets get our mounts and lets ride!" I give a fist pump in the air, walking towards the donkeys.

    Before long, we were able to join the racers at the starting line. I wave off Nit, sending him to the stands. While lining up, I remember the final line in her statement, making my way away from the front of the pack. I lean down to my donkey, "Let's ride for fun, don't get hurt, ok?"¹

---

1. Necklace of Animal Speech

“Yeah I’m gonna win this!” Ulmiyda yells as she ran off towards the holding pens. She doesn't make it far before a hand grabs her shoulder. She turns around with a startled face, only to find her retainer looking down at her, his eyes filled with doubt.

“Ulmiyda, open your satchel now.” He commands her with a stern expression.

“I’m not going to do anything! Why do you always doubt me!” She says with a pout as she removes her satchel from her shoulder and hands it to Cervayhn.

The older dark elf digs through the satchel intently, but finds nothing other than candy, utility and cosmetic items, and an exorbitant amount of solars. He breathes a sigh of relief as he doesn’t find any of the explosives the young girl usually carries. Still, he held some doubt, underestimating his master was a disaster more often than not. Better to hold onto this, just in case she added some hidden compartments.

“Hmph, I better hold onto this. You wouldn’t want to drop this on the course after all.” he says to the young girl with a confident smirk.

Ulmiyda tilts her head as she gives her retainer a confused glance.
“Whatever, you can be so weird at times.” She replies as she turns around and heads to the donkey pen.

The older dark elf watches her walk away with an even more confused expression.
I’m not weird… Am I?

He walks to the stands as he contemplates her words, eventually taking a seat next to the sylvan elf that was accompanying the young woman. Despite his young age, the older man could see the telltale signs of stress on the elf. He looks to him with an expression of solidarity.
“Is that woman a hassle to you like my young master is to me?”

 It's not so much of stress as it is worry. But, can you blame him? The girl he likes is about to be with someone who she hinted at being an arsonist. Perhaps even worse, like, he knows she deals with these kinds of people on a daily basis, but really, does this make him any less worried? No! If anything, it makes him more worried and wishing hat he could get strong enough to convince her to stay in the Peak with him or even just accept her true self rather than this child-like self.

 His spiral of thought quickly ended after the question was finished from the keeper of the young, what was her name, Ulm? Nit quickly gains a full facade that Keyke has taught him. “No, we simply tease the other enough times that we know when we can push and how far.” A bright expression takes over his eyes, “How would yours be a hassle? I do worry for my lady, so any warning would be a blessing.” He raises his hand in the air, a show of listening and watching in his body language.

 My donkey and I were getting along great, sad that I couldn’t get the previous one, but happy enough to have a proper plan and personality on this one. I smile as the countdown begins, my sassy donkey ready under me.

Cervayhn watches as the worried sylvan elf scrambles to a lackluster smile, doing his best to hide his concern for the young woman that accompanied him here. He stares down at the young elf with an unimpressed expression, his eyes piercing through the child's meager disguise.

"Kid, I worked in the Pale Army's intelligence division for almost a century. You're not going to fool me with such a weak facade." He looks back to the racetrack with an amused smirk. "If I had to guess, you feel closer to that girl than she realizes, and thus you are willing to endure much for her. As for me, I'm just a slave to loyalty. I owe my master's father a lot, enough to put up with the absurdity of his daughter." His eyes droop for a moment before he continues.
"Sometimes I feel like I am the only person who actually listens and believes in her. Her parents substitute their time with her with wealth from their careers. I suppose it's easy to forget the value of time when your life stretches across centuries."

Realizing he was going off on a tangent, the dark elf quickly regains his composure as he addresses Nit's question. "Ulmiyda has some rather… chaotic interests. You needn't worry however, she's not the kind of person who harms those who are nice to her." He holds up the young girl's satchel with a grin. "I've got her bag of tricks anyway. She's always been fiercely competitive, sometimes to a fault. Hopefully she learns some humility from this race."

---

After quite some struggle, Ulmiyda finally climbs atop her donkey. The young dark elf playful pats the discontent mule; she had purposely picked the beast with the least friendly disposition, hoping that its bad attitude arose from a competitive nature.

"We've got this in the bag, so don't get scared okay?" She whispers to the animal as she maneuvers it to the starting line.

As she reaches the track, she pulls the reins back, forcing the mule to stop parallel to Keyke's. The two girls and their mounts are dwarfed by the carriages and wagons flanking them. Despite their disadvantage, Ulmiyda looks to the young woman with a confident smile.

"Good luck! Don't panic if you want to win!"

   At the call out to his emotions by the other man, Nit has a light blush of embarrassment covering his pale cheeks. He raises his hand and scratches at his cheek as the man describes the relation between him and the young girl(Ulmiyda was her name) down below. As the man showed the bag with pride, a bit of Nit's hope shattered, he has watch people who would out smart the other in hopes of doing what they want, in which case, Keyke has done to him, multiple times. He speaks up about his thoughts,"Competitive you say... how much? From self boosting to crowd destroyer, in that scale please." He pleads to know before hand, hoping it wasn't what he thought was going to happen. During this conversation, he ignores the hype person for the start of the race.

---

   At the warning, Keyke gave a smile and a small nod. "Thanks, good luck to you as well." I maneuver the reins, allowing the donkey to shift as it got comfortable with the way I sat on it. I dug it's feet in the ground, ready to blast off in the race once the count down ended. A person stands on top of a pillar starts announcing the rules of the track and all that nonsense. I lower my body to allow for a more fluid feel to the ride as they count down from 3, "2...1...GO!" A loud horn blares through the group, I did a flick of my wrist on the reigns, sending me forward to progress the battle at high speeds.

Cervayhn looks to Keyke's companion with a confused expression before holding his hands up to soothe the unnerved elf. "Calm down, she knows right from wrong, she would never hurt innocent people. Whatever she has planned couldn't be that disastrous."

Their conversation is cut off as the crowd begins chanting the race's countdown. The older dark elf looks around with an annoyed expression, finding the noise unnecessary, before leaning back in his seat. He stares intently at his young master, wondering if Nit's concerns are valid.

---

"3…2…1… GO"

With the roar of a horn, the noble carriages take off, eager to get a lead so they can sabotage the rest of the competition. Conversely, Ulmiyda calmly flicks her mule's reins, allowing her competition to gain a substantial lead as her donkey trots through the lingering dust cloud.

That's it buddy, easy does it, you won't be startled so much from back here.

The young girl spots one the carriages she had visited pull into the lead, maneuvering to block off its pursuers. Its driver looks back with a mischievous smirk as he grabs onto a thin rope, which he pulls with a swift yank.

There is a brief moment of silence as the driver reacts to the carriage's backdoor not opening. In frustration he pulls the rope violently, until suddenly, the back half of the carriage explodes, grounding the vehicle. The horseback riders closest to the carriage are thrown off course as their animals panic. Debris is scattered across the raceway causing many of the wagons to flip as their wheels impact the chunks of wood. A portion of the more experienced racers push through the chaos. Luckily for Ulmiyda, most of the remaining competition was also sabotaged in similar ways.

The girl lets out a mischievous giggle as she flicks her reins again, causing her mule to charge forth through the chaos.

"Serves you right!" She yells as she passes the carriage driver, still sitting atop the wreckage, trying to process his misfortune.

---

The carriage explosion causes a cry of shock to ring out from the crowd, with the exception of a certain dark elf who simply lets out a disappointed sigh. He looks back to the sylvan elf with a grim expression. "I may have underestimated her."

   The that was not very comforting, but everything else lowered his worry till the large explosion happened. At the moment Nit quickly stood up and search for me, finally seeing me unharmed.. and happy... The sight of my all to accepting face just sags Nit back down to the chair to then give a teasing grin back at the old man, "May, huh?" The light snark clear in his words before a light chuckle made it's way out. All to entertained of what I made of the scenario his smile stays on, "We both do it seems." The tension from the preambles completely gone, only interest and theories of how the race will go lingered in his mind. "Say," Nit glances at Cervayhn, "You think they will team up for something big at the end?"

---

   Racing along the field was partially nostalgic, but the excitement for the new trials kept me on my toes. Which was a good thing, as the explosion spooked me and the donkey for a moment. In a moment I sent a momentary pulse to calm them down before hitting into a run once more.¹ In the quick confusion, I sighted a loose wheel from the carriage. Without much thought, I lifted it and flung it at the fancy riders without any back weight.² 'This must be what she talked about.' I couldn't help the joyous like that spread across my face at the thought of the possibility of more. Aftre all, what's some fun without pure chaos?

---

1. Calm Emotion

2. Telekinesis

Cervayhn meets Nit’s grin with a confused expression. The sylvan elf's rapid shift from concern to glee bewildered the man, leaving him stunned for words briefly. He contemplates for a moment how he arrived at this scenario.

Why is she, or rather I, so good at finding the crazy folk everywhere I take her?

He shakes his head before refocusing on the younger elf and his strange behavior. “You’re taking this oddly well, now am I curious, just who is your companion and why are you so confident in her abilities?” His stare is unyielding, intending to strike some fear into the young elf who dared to give him some snark. He holds this expression for several seconds before breaking it with a slight smirk. “Maybe, although only if your companion lets Ulmiyda win.”

---

Ulmiyda felt right at home dashing through the carnage, weaving her mule through the litter-ridden track. Her smile grows when another one of the leading drivers reaches for his carriage’s storage box. She leans her head against her shoulder and covers her open ear with one hand, bracing for the incoming explosion. Sure enough, the driver’s carriage bursts into pieces, launching him forward onto one of its horses, now free from their restraints. The horse runs off the track, dragging the former racer to his disqualification.

The remaining racers are startled, even more so when a loose wheel flies in from behind them, seemingly defying gravity before jamming itself into a carriage’s back axle. The sudden stop surprises the driver, who lurches his reins to side causing the horses to turn swiftly and making the carriage roll onto its side, blocking off several contestants. Ulmiyda looks back, spotting Keyke’s joyous expression. She gives the girl a smile of her own, before flicking her reins once more, determined to win this race.