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When Kota arrived at home he couldn’t believe his eyes the old airship he and his mother had designed seven years ago was not only running but had a large golden trophy sitting next to the steering column. Inside the house Kota could hear his mother and father screaming. He ran inside with a smile spreading over his face. Scotty was the first person to welcome Kota home as he walked through the door, Scotty suddenly hugged Kota. “She won! Mom one first place in the Bladesville Annual Airship Race! She actually won, Kota can you believe it?” Scotty’s face was lit up like a candle. Further inside Drugen had lifted Kota’s mother off of the ground and was spinning her around and around.

It wasn’t long before the family had lost all of their energy celebrating and they sat down to listen to Ash-Lynn telling the story of her victory. “So I had just unloaded the crops and hides at the market I ended up selling most to that trader Joseph that came through here a few years ago. With all that money I had got from Joseph I went to the mage guild in Bladesville, threw it all on the counter and said ‘I need the most powerful mage stone in the city.’ Well you would have thought I had asked for the head of the mage king. Because they all erupted into a furious debate about where or how they could procure it, I then said ‘I don’t give two fuzzy rats asses how you do it I need that mage stone in hour.’ Then I walked out of the door and went to take a nap on the airship. When I woke up there were four mages loading a mage stone the size of a dog into the power uplink. They thanked me for the money and I thanked them for the stone. I had already signed up for the race earlier that day and it was about to start in less than three minutes so I had to fly like an arrow to get to the starting line on time. When I finally got there the starting flare had just been shot. I was in dead last but I quickly gained a strong hold in the middle of the pack. There were over twenty different airships racing every one of them was sponsored by a local business but my lone flyer was much smaller and smaller means less defenses and more speed. My evasiveness helped in many ways I had one ship try to launch a chain cannon at my steam pump. Without hesitation I threw my anchor down which ended up hitting a ship that was trying to pass me from underneath they ended up pulling me out of the line of fire. But with my anchor hitting their steam reserve they began to lose altitude so I had to dislodge the anchor chain. Without my anchor weighing me down my acceleration and my altitude increased drastically. Soon I was in third place and I couldn’t believe my luck both the airships in second and third were locked in a battle of cannon fire I saw my chance to pass beside the first place vessel and took it. Accelerating as much as possible I began to pull alongside the first place airship but the vessel in second place saw me coming and launched a volley of flares at my ship. I managed to slip by without the flares doing any major damage to the ship but they hit my steam reserve and I began to lose momentum. I only had one option if I expected to overtake them both and pull out in first place. I had to activate my flare boosters but being so close to the enemy ship I was hesitant. I saw the finish line only about a hundred yards ahead. So with my heart in my throat and my hand on the lever I threw my weight down activating the flares. I was hurdled backward almost falling out of my post when they kicked on behind me I saw the crimson flames licking at the side of the enemy ship. But I flew ahead of both of the enemy vessels and rocketed past the finish line! The best part was landing in the winner’s circle and hearing the hundreds of people cheering and applauding. I would trade anything to feel like that again, well anything besides the five hundred gold pieces and that huge trophy sitting in the airship.” Ash-Lynn and the rest of the family giggled for a moment. Then she noticed the bandages wrapped around Kota’s arm. “Drugen dear why don’t you and Scotty go and unload the ship before it gets too dark. And if you have time check on how much a new anchor and chain is going to cost us.” Drugen and Scotty looked at Kota then back to Ash-Lynn then decided to get out of the house and do as she said. Before they finished closing the door Ash-Lynn erupted, “What the hell happened?!” Kota spent the next few hours explaining how the shifter had attacked him and how Quesha had healed him. After he had told Ash-Lynn everything she proceeded to lecture him for another hour on how he could have and should have been more careful. By the time Scotty and Drugen had returned she had fallen asleep sitting in her chair. It was dark outside so Kota had lit a single candle which painted the room in warm light. As soon as Drugen walked through the door Kota stepped out of the back and ran off to the tavern. At night the street was mostly empty aside for the traffic in and out of the tavern. Before Kota stepped inside he made sure the bandages were tight on his arm. Walking in the tavern Morten was waiting at the bar holding two frothy pints of beer. Kota walked up to his old friend, snatched a pint out of his hand and downed it in three gulps.