Snippet #2767995

As everyone finished their first event and everything finally settled down, the commentators were still at it, pointing out all sorts of things, bringing up interesting dialogue, and so on. Everything seemed to be all well and good, and while there were those that really stood out, there were also a few who...well, no one really remembered them. Plenty of people who were clearly only focused on combat fell out as well, and so the first event was finally completed.

And then, projected onto the sky above, a screen that showed all the people who passed was put up. Everyone who had made an impact was on it, and there were still hundreds of people left. That showed just how large the event would be though, as if that many were left, there would clearly be many more rounds to eliminate the competition.

And with that, Aedrios Gale stepped forward and began to address everyone.

"Well done to everyone! As you can see, the winners have been decided! But for those who did not make it, do not lose heart! For everyone surely made a marvelous effort in their performance for the first round! Now, there will be a break for everyone to rest up and recharge, before we get into the second event that will happen today! We have prepared locker rooms for the contestants to rest in, eat your fill of food and beverages, and shower off or change if you feel it is needed. After all, the second event...shall be a race! But don't be fooled into thinking it will just be a normal race, so make sure you are properly prepared...and ready for anything".

With those ominous words, the doors to the locker rooms were open, and several scents of delicous and delectable food could be picked up from within. During the break, they would also be showing various scenes and performances from the last event, in case two epic performances happened at the same time which caused the audiance to miss one or the other.

ANd inside the locker room, which was rather large, there was a large main room full of benches and tables, a buffet table larger then any seen before, some rather nice ambient music, drinks of all kinds, some workbenches for people to work on or adjust their gear, sports shower rooms to shower off and cool down, as well as lockers to store anything of excess that one might not want to weigh them down during the race. There was also a supply of people in maid and butler uniforms to help assist anyone with anything they could.

...of course, the way it was said...

"Speed is going to be important" Jaune mentioned to Shinku and a few others nearby, as he sat down on a bench and too off his shoes and socks to relax. He also had Kimaru appear, who began to blow magic wind on them both. "But I doubt the race is going to stick to the stadium. They will have it all planned out and monitored of course, but if I had to guess, the race will involve Demon Beasts and traps. Not to mention other contestants".

"I suppose a wind attribute person like yourself would think that...though I am surprised you are putting thought into it at all. You typically just go all free willed and roll on instinct" Shinku added as he grabbed some food and began fueling up. "Well, its rare to say this, but you are probably not wrong. It depends on the specifics, which they are being so shrouded with".

Akamaru appeared on Shinku's back...but in his humanoid form, as a young boy with red ears and a red tail. He pointed at a few male and female contestants who were by the showers, taking off their gear and clothes and some already entering the showers. "Should we shower too? It seems like others are doing it".

"Akamaru! Just, go back into your animal form! Not here!" he said, and the boy became a fox.

"So shy...but we cant lost now, so early into it!"

"Just...shut up. Jaune, how about you..."

But Jaune had already done the same, left his clothes folded in a locker nearby. "Come on Shinku!"

Shinku just facepalmed, remembering again that Jaune was always like this. Never listening, never being concerned, just jumping right in...

On the other side, Ixa was near Ryder, stuffing his face with more food then should fit into his body. On the other side was Snowflake, although she had shrunk down her form so it was not a hassle.

"I hope the race goes through someplace cold. That would be the most ideal for me".

"You should probably be prepared for heat. Looks like a number of people are fire users".

And budging into the group was Nao.

"To be fair, a lot of mages are fire users. Its the most common, at least that is what it feels like. They all hear stories of fire and fire and more fire, so they go fire. I prefer lightning myself. How about you...Ryder was it? Name is Nao. Nao Torretta".

"You going to change too? It looks like a lot of people are layering down, shorts and shirt. Some are even just going shorts".

"Well, admittedly one of the reason people are changing is because the feel of wearing fresh clothes will feel less burdening to them, improving their mental fortitude. Also, a lot of people who won were those who gave it past their all, so they built up sweat. The smart thing to do would be to shower that off, and wear fresh clothes, as it will make it easier to move in and let you be faster and more efficient. But...well, lets just say there is an advantage with my stuff to where using the same gear is helpful. That said...showering off might be best".

"Wait...your gear is special?"

"Hey, I aint answering that anymore. We are competitors after all" Nao said with a smile.

Cyrus meanwhile had taken out a brush, and was brushing off his wings. He wanted to have them in the best condition possible for when they raced, since having them would surely give him an advantage.

"I should probably anticipate part of the race going underground though. Whether they limit it to the city, or take it outside, there are plenty of caves and underground tunnels along with subways. And if they use spacial magic, it could go from the mountains to the deserts to the arctic. Its a gamble basically. Carry too little, and you may be unprepared. Carry too much, you might be overencumbered. In other words, the race is not just about speed. That should be obvious from the start. This test is about cleverness as well, and how we will use our magical abilities to deal with the situation...this is going to be so much fun!"

And Azaken was...he seemed to be sitting calm and still? Even if he was using a fake name, his fake personality was not usually this calm...if his mind was still where his body was, anyways...

I will just take a peek at the race, and have some long range summoning gates put some monsters in areas to make this more interesting. Get their focus away, prepare for even more mischief...

And Astral and Luna meanwhile, were preparing in their own way...eating large amounts of food to fuel up, while arguing about what the best food was at the table.

And Emerin, he was trying to pull Altian all over the place.

"We should try this out! And this! Look at this delicious food! Oh, I wonder if their showers are like back home also. What do you think we will see during the race? You think it will be a tag team race? A three legged race? Maybe we get chased around by monsters? Oh oh, what magic do you think that person can do?"

"How about asking me instead of your friend?" Rivyan mentioned as he sighed. "And for the record, I can use all sorts. Maybe you will see them during the race".

The chaos of having so many mages, with all their various personalities, was becoming clear as they socialized and interacted with each other in the room.