The Leap of Lorius
Hello, Dragon Racers! Welcome back, all! I apologise for the last chapter, it wasn't very well written, but I hope you all liked it. So, shall we race? Of course we shall!
I do not own Dragon Booster, only my oc's.
Bold is for dragon speech and bold italics is for mind speak.
An old movie was playing, showing a young racer by the name of Lorius riding his dragon along a track, reaching a fork in the track, Lorius directed his dragon to a jump rather than follow the rest of the racers as they ran the long way. As his dragon approached the edge, Lorius narrowed his eyes before his dragon leapt off the edge, he activated his white aero gear and closed his eyes as he and his dragon glided off into the thick mist.
The video came to an end, fizzling out as Mortis stood beside the screen with Artha, Lance, Iris, who had recovered from her cold a week ago, Parm and Kitt all standing in front of the screen with Beau and Prisma standing behind them. Artha groaned.
"Wait, what happened?"
"Did he make it to the other side?" Parm asked.
"Oh yes. By using a skillful combination of red thrusting, brown trenching and white aero rappel and sledding gear." Mortis listed off the types of gear Loris had used for the leap.
"Drac!" Lance exclaimed, his blue eyes alight. Iris rolled her eyes at her brother.
"That was the last time anyone has ever made that jump… the leap of Lorius."
"Lorius! Of course! I knew he looked familiar. Lorius, the drackest racer ever! After that jump, they named the whole competition after him. I raced in it myself two years ago when I was a rookie." Kitt explained with an almost hero worship voice as they all looked at the information on Lorius.
Mortis nodded at her enthusiasm before addressing the group. "Only the best rookies are invited to compete each year, Artha. This year, you've been invited. And so have you, Iris."
(I know Iris is not much of a racer, but she competed in the gauntlet and won, so I thought it would be alright for her to join Artha in this race. Don't hate me.)
Both teens frowned. "I'm sorry, what?" Iris questioned, her eyes going wide. "I'm not a full racer like Artha is trying to be. How the scales was I invited?"
"You won the gauntlet race, which is a pretty big deal." Mortis reminded her of her win in the gauntlet race a few weeks ago. Just training for it had been hard enough, now she was invited to compete in the Leap of Lorius with Artha!
"Us?" Artha questioned, pointing to himself and Iris.
"You'll never make that jump. Either of you." Lance commented, looking up at his brother and sister.
"Neither of them will have too. No one has made that jump in fifteen years. Everybody takes the longer, safer way to the finish."
Artha looked up before looking at Kitt with a cheeky look on his face. "Fifteen years ago, huh. Guess you couldn't jump it either?" he joked.
Kitt huffed at him with a scowl on her face.
Artha then looked at Beau. "Maybe I'll have to be the next one to make that jump, huh, boy? Then I'll be the dracest racer ever." he pointed to himself as he leant on Beau's snout.
"Yeah, right." Kitt scoffed, rolling her eyes.
Iris glared at him. "Artha, you don't even know what's on the other side of that jump. It's dangerous!" she cautioned, worried not just for her brother, but herself as well.
Prisma rested her head on her shoulder "It's alright, Iris, I'm here with you. You're never alone!"
Iris smiled despite her nerves and hugged her sister around the snout, resting her forehead against the hybrid's, closing her eyes.
"The Leap of Lorius is very scary, Artha. It's like a leap of faith. It begins with a daredevil white aero jump into the unknown." Mortis recounted as Parm gulped with fear. "The, uh, unknown?"
"Then, a precisely red thruster boost is needed to bring you to a central pedestal covered in mist, making it nearly impossible to see."
Iris's face drained of colour and she hid her face in Prisma's scales as Lance asked the burning question. "What if you miss?"
"There is a safety net, down there somewhere."
"Oh, great choice of words, Mortis. Way to make me feel better!" Iris whimpered in her head as Prisma brought her tail around to hug her rider to her side comfortingly.
"Uh, somewhere?" Artha began to look concerned too as Iris looked on the verge of fainting. Parm looked terrified as Kitt frowned.
"I think…" Mortis did not sound very certain and that made Iris's knees wobble and she had to sit down as Prisma curled up around her.
"You think?" Artha questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"Next you instantly move to another location using white rappel gear to latch onto a high, overhead bridge and swing to a grappling wall where you have to make a daredevil free fall drop into a vent tube using white sledding gear."
Artha gulped. "Sledding gear?"
"The tube shoots out at the finish line."
"I've never used sledding gear, its uncontrollable."
"And unpredictable." Parm added.
"And it has no breaks!"
Artha looked very worried now and he saw Iris bury her face into Prisma's multicoloured scales. "Guess the long way around doesn't seem so bad, does it, stable boy?" Kitt quipped with a smirk on her face.
Artha looked at Beau. "I can make that jump." he stated, pointing a finger.
"Really, Artha! It sounds dangerous!" Beau grumbled, looking worried himself. Artha noticed the look on his dragons face.
"Hey, who asked you?" he accused. Beau growled and burped in Artha's face as Iris giggled at the display, her mood lifting slightly.
"Telling yourself you believe is only the beginning, Artha. True belief requires trusting in yourself and using all you have learned to release the dragon. Something the Dragon Booster must eventually do in order to stop the dragon-human war."
"Well, I for one do believe that you and Iris can make that jump." Parm spoke up, holding his calculator in his hand.
"Really, Parm? Have you gone off the deep end?" Iris asked, staring at the tech geek as Artha stared at his friend. "Really?"
"With the proper draconium energy management, the careful use and deployment of gear, and listening to my advice, of course."
"Oh, of course." Artha said with a raised eyebrow.
"Artha and Iris are jumping? My brother and sister are jumping!" Lace cried out, holding his hands in the air like he was celebrating.
"Whoa, slow down there, Lance, we never said anything about doing that jump, it's far too risky. It'll send me into a panic attack." Iris moaned, face in her hands.
"I'll be right there with you, Iris. We'll be safer together." Artha promised that he would be right there with her on the track. She just looked doubtful of everything.
Iris gripped the handles of the saddle tightly as she waited in line with Artha next to her and Wulf on her other side, Cain stood on Artha's other side with Dorsull on Wulf's right and two other racers at the starting line.
"Hey, Penn's. I hear you two are going to make the Leap of Lorius?" Cain asked in a mocking tone. Artha scowled at him. "What?" his words drew Wulf and Dorsull's attention as Iris crossed her arms and buried her face in them to keep from blushing in embarrassment.
Artha stuttered, his words caught in his throat as Cain scoffed. "I'll believe it when I see it, stable brats!"
Iris lifted her head from her arms and glared daggers at Cain as Artha activated his vid-screen. "You told everyone?" he accused Parm, who stuttered before answering. "Ah, well, you said." but Lance, who was in the frame, made hand gestures for Parm to shut up, but Parm grabbed the boy and held him close till Lance blurted out. "Parm told them."
"When I get my hands on you, Parmon Sean, you won't be able to sleep for a week!" Iris snarled with gritted teeth into her helmet before the gates went down and the race started. Artha yelled out in surprise as Iris yelped as Prisma and Beau raced down the track.
As the dragons spread out, a red magma-class was in front of Cain, who pulled out his drain whip and sent it flying at the dragon, latching onto it's side, the poor thing screeched as Cain pulled it to the ground. Seeing the obstacle, Prisma leapt over it as Artha activated his red thruster gear to get over, as Prisma was more nimble and agile, unlike Beau who was all muscle.
As Artha ran up along-side Cain, the teen steered his dragon to ram into Beau, Artha glared as Wulf activated his green ramming gear and Hyve snarled as Cain also activated his green ramming gear. Seeing her brother in trouble, Iris snarled as she activated her own green ramming gear and Prisma smashed into Coershun, sending him back a few paces as the psi-class growled at the hit he took from the hybrid.
Seeing Wulf still aiming to hit him, Artha saw an overhead beam on the track up ahead and grinned. "Got an idea, sis. Follow my lead. And thanks for the save before." he added to the mic. Iris smiled.
"Anytime."
Shooting out his white rappel hook, it latched onto the beam just as Iris did the same and the line yanked both dragons up and over the beam and back onto the track as Wulf snarled at the siblings getting away.
As Cain recovered from the hit Prisma had given him, his screen lit up, showing Moordryd. "Cain, you fool. Stop wasting your energy!" Moordryd scolded his friend for his foolishness. "Just make sure that everybody stays on course. And nobody makes that leap, my father's wraith dragon will do the rest."
Cain developed a determined look on his face, he would stop those brats from making that leap. As Moordryd paced in his crew tent, his wrist-comm beeped and his father showed up on the screen.
"Make sure these young rookies stay on the track, Moordryd. Instead of the Leap of Lorius, they shall take my fall of doom." out on the track, just beyond the fork where the leap of Lorius was located on a bend, a group of wraith dragons lay beneath the track, above them, beeping away steadily, was a fire grenade, rigged to blow when the racers came round the corner and send them falling into the pit of wraiths.
Back on the track, Artha and Iris were neck and neck with Wulf and Dorsull slightly behind them. Artha's screen popped up with Parm as Iris listened through her helmet. "I've got it all figured out, you two. If you both can contain your dragon's bone draconium efficiency at roughly 70%, you'll both have enough energy at the final turn to make the last two gear types you need."
Lance suddenly appeared on screen, his face very close. "And make the Leap of Lorius!"
"Get that thought out of your head, Lance. It's too dangerous!" Iris scolded her brother as Artha rolled his eyes before he noticed Coershun mag Cain into the air, wielding his blocking-staff.
"Right now I have to make another leap, at Cain." Artha said. "Stay here, Iris." he called as Beau magged him into the air to meet Cain halfway. As Cain came down, his blocking-staff raised above his head to strike, he swung! Artha grabbed the staff and was flipped over. He used this opportunity to kick Cain in the back, sending him back down to his saddle.
Beau brought Artha back to his saddle. "Hey, Parm, did you see me kick Cain's…"
He was cut off by an angry Parm. "What did I just say about conserving energy? How will you make the Leap if you keep battling like that?"
"I never said I was going to make the leap, Parm." he protested against the crazy claim.
"What?" Parm shouted before he was pushed out of the way by Kitt. "Yeah, I didn't believe you, not for a second."
Fed up, Artha snapped. "YEAH, GOOD! NEITHER DID I!"
Iris shook her head. "All of you, stop it right now!" she snapped. "Can't you see your making things worse right now? What the scales is wrong with you all? Why are you all so insistent on us making that Leap? Go on, why?"
There was no answer to that and she scowled. "Of course, no answer." her helmet beeped, signalling an incoming call. She knew it couldn't be Kitt, Parm or Lance, so it had to either be Gwen or Astra.
Pressing the button, she was grateful to hear Astra's calm voice. "Iris, hi. I heard you're in the Leap of Lorius race. Congratulations!"
"Congratulations is not how I feel right now, Astra."
Her friend could tell something was wrong. "Are you okay, Iris?"
Iris huffed. "Nope, I am not! Everyone is insisting that Artha and I will make the Leap of Lorius."
"They WHAT!" Astra screeched upon hearing that. "One moment, please, Iris. I need a word with your so-called crew!" Astra switched her link to the others and Iris winced as she gave them a verbal lashing for their part in pressuring her and Artha about the Leap.
Artha could hear the whole thing and he gave Iris a smile, happy that Astra had her back. Once Astra finished chewing the others out, she returned to the link with Iris. "Hopefully they won't bother you about it now, Iris."
"Thanks for that, Astra." Artha thanked her for her help before Wulf came up beside him and shot one of his tandem energy drain coils at Beau, it latched onto his red thruster gear and began draining his energy. Beau groaned in pain as Cain came up and his energy drain whip latched onto Prisma, draining her energy as well. "Prisma, hold on!" Iris cried as her dragon's energy levels lowered.
Seeing his dragon and Prisma being drained and loosing some gear really upset Artha. "That's it!" he snapped.
"Artha! Your loosing your cool out there! Listen to the sound of my voice and stay calm!" Parm's voice sounded like the opposite of calm as he was now freaking out, which was not good.
Hearing that also made Iris mad. "Shut the scales up, Parm!" she shouted.
"Come on, guys! Now!" she ordered and both dragons glowed brightly as they released a mag-burst that rushed up both whips, electrifying both racers and forcing them back and away from the siblings, but doing that drained the two dragons remaining energy and they slowed right down, groaning in pain.
"Beau, are you okay?"
"Prisma, talk to me, girl?"
"We're totally drained, Iris. We can't go any further." Prisma groaned as she and Beau were now in last place on the track. Iris covered her face with her hands. "What did we do?"
Cain and Wulf shot past them. "No Leap for you today!" Cain shouted mockingly over his shoulder as he and Wulf got further ahead of the siblings.
Iris looked over at her brother. "What do we do now, Artha?" she asked, but her brother had no answer for her question.
Back with the others, after their verbal lashing from Astra, they were now in the stands. Lance sighed. "Well, this race is over. It's candy time!" turning to Parm excitedly, he held out his hands. "Parm, can I have some drakkels?"
Thrown off by his request, Parm blinked before looking at the boy. "What? Oh, okay." he handed the boy the money while explaining. "But get three draconi-yum bars, one for each of us. But Lance, this time I want the change."
Lance took off without answering, not hearing the rest of Parm's words.
In his tent, Moordryd was talking to Cain, who had relayed him the news about Artha and Iris being in last place on the track. "Nice. The stable brat and the Penn brat will never make that jump. They'll fall into my father's trap along with everybody else."
Out on the track, the trap lay in wait, the fire grenade still beeping away steadily.
Outside the tents, Lance was walking by with an armful of candy bars, as he was heading back to Parm and Kitt, he tripped over a rock, dropping everything with a yell. Landing on his stomach, he shielded his head as the candy bars hit him on the head before the last one slid forwards under the nearest tent flap. "Oh, that's just great."
"Lance, are you alright?" a voice asked and he lifted his head to see Astra walk up. She'd come here by taxi after her call with Iris to make sure she and Artha were okay and had come upon Lance on the ground, surrounded by candy bars.
"Hey, Astra, yeah, I'm fine. Just need to grab one candy bar that slid under the tent flap." he answered as she helped him up. "Well, let me get it for you. My arm is longer." she offered, kneeling down and sliding her arm under the tent flap, reaching for the stray bar. She found it, but just as she was about to pull it out, a voice stopped her.
"Just do your job, Cain." Astra rolled her eyes at the sound of Moordryd Paynn's voice coming from inside. However, just as she was starting to retract her hand, there was a loud crunch sound and she nearly cried out as he stepped on her hand, she pulled it back, covering her mouth as she cradled it to her chest as Lance winced in sympathy for her.
"I think we're good, Moordryd. I've got everybody's draconium levels down to the point where no one will dare make the Leap of Lorius. Like anybody ever would, anyway." Cain spoke in a smug tone.
Astra's eyes widened in shock and she quickly spoke into her comm-link. "Iris, Artha, Kitt and Parm. I think all of you need to hear this!" making sure her comm was on, Astra slid her arm back under the tent flap so the others could hear the plan.
"Perfect, Cain. When they hit the final ramp it will give way and send them all falling into my father's waiting wraith dragon trap…"
Everyone was listening in on the conversation, horrified by what they were hearing. "...and his new plan: wraith gear for humans! Soon Dragon-City will have both human and dragon wraiths to deal with!" Moordryd cackled as Astra withdrew her arm and helped Lance pick up the candy. "We need to go, now!" she urged and they ran off to find the others.
"What are we going to do? Word is going to turn all the rookie racers into wraiths! He's going to take control of humans too!" Kitt asked Parm, worry in her voice.
"We have to warn them!" Parm said.
"Well, we can't tell the race crews here! Moordryd and his Dragon Eye crew are everywhere!"
Iris shared a look with Artha, both coming to the same decision. "Then we'll have to tell the racers one by one here on the track."
Parm looked worried. "But there's less that two dracometers left in the race. Neither of you will catch them in time."
With Astra, she sent Lance ahead of her. "Go back to Parm and Kitt, I'll meet up with you in a bit." handing his candy over, she sent him on his way. Looking around, she ducked into the Penn crew tents and exhaled. She swore she'd never do this, but Iris needed help, so did Artha.
Reaching into her pocket, she withdrew a list and a small pouch, she opened the pouch and reached in, withdrawing a dark blue crystal. Reading the list, she found the one she was after and closed her hand on the crystal, crushing it in her hand. She concentrated before drawing a rune in the air with her finger. "Ventus Validus." she spoke, conjuring a strong force of wind before sending it towards her friends to give them a needed boost to warn the other racers.
The large flush of wind flew towards Iris and Artha, encircling them and their dragons before shooting them forwards like a rocket, both riders yelled out in surprise as the wind pushed them forwards. The wind dispersed like it had never been there in the first place. "What was…?" Iris stuttered, confused as to where that wind had come from and why it had shot them forwards.
"I don't know, but we'll figure that out later, come on." Artha called and they ran after the other racers. Despite the wind giving them an extra boost, they were still a bit far back from the others.
"Mortis said that I need to remember the lessons I have learned, huh? How about the lesson Word Paynn taught me?!"
Iris blinked at him. "Excuse me? What lesson?"
"When he took control of Beau with his mind gear, he showed me how to combine my gear just like Lorius."
Iris frowned at him. "Are you sure this is a good idea, Artha? It could backfire on us!"
"I know, but we have to at least try." he assured her before activating his red thrust gear and white areo gear, Beau leapt into the air as Iris followed suit with Prisma, both riders jolting from the sudden speed.
Parm suddenly appeared on Artha's screen. "Just what do you think you two are doing?"
"Catching up, Parm! What does it look like?" Iris snapped.
Gliding above the other racers, Artha pressed his pedal back, the aero wings tilting and he aimed for Cain as Iris aimed for just behind him. "Did you miss us?"
Artha rammed into Cain, knocking him out of his saddle and leaving him clinging to the aero wing as Beau landed on the track with Prisma right behind him.
Grinning wickedly, Artha held Cain's terrified gaze, his thumb hovering over the button that would retract the wings. He pressed the button and the wings retracted, leaving Cain to fall to the ground, only for Coershun to mag him back into his saddle as Artha rode up beside Wulf and Dorsull. "Hey! Listen everybody! There's a trap up ahead. The final ramp is rigged to fall into a wraith dragon ambush. We have two choices: stop here or make the Leap of Lorius."
Dorsull exchanged a look with Wulf, neither of them believing him. "It's a trick!"
Iris growled at them. "Oh, I don't think so!" she urged Prisma to follow them. "Hey, he's telling the truth! There really is a trap up ahead! You need to stop right now or you'll both be human wraiths!"
While she was doing this, Artha spoke into his screen. ""Guys, get the mag-rack into position! Iris and I are grabbing the rest of the gear!"
Lance grinned. "You guys are making the Leap?"
Artha shook his head. "I don't think we've got enough energy. I have a better idea. I'm going to use the brown trenching gear to stop them."
Lance frowned. "But how?"
"Remember how Kawake used the gear to hold off Cain? I'm going to use it to force the others off the track! Iris, follow us! Okay, guys, time for a detour!"
Splitting from the others, Artha and Iris rode up a small loop in the track. Seeing the brown trenching gear, both dragons magged them before continuing onwards.
Meanwhile, Cain was now last and Moordryd popped up on his screen. "Penn is up to something! Stop them, Cain!"
"I'm trying, I'm trying." he snapped angrily.
Back with Artha and Iris, they ran out of the loop and Artha rammed right into them, meeting them head-on and held them against the wall using the brown trenching gear as Prisma stood beside Beau.
"We already told you it was a trap. Why won't you listen?" Iris snapped angrily.
While this was happening, Cain came up from behind and activated his green ramming gear, aiming for Artha.
"Artha, watch out!" Parm warned before he was pushed out of the way by Prisma as she took the hit intended for him and Beau, Iris cried out as she was thrown from the saddle and landed hard on the ground, dazed. "Iris!" Artha screamed, seeing her land on the track.
Artha leapt from his saddle and ran to his sister. He knelt beside her as Beau nudged Prisma. "Are you alright, Prisma." he grunted. The hybrid groaned in pain, her energy levels were all but depleted and both Wulf and Dorsull had gotten away and ran ahead, leaving the siblings by themselves.
Back with Astra, she straightened up and headed out of the tent, moving to where Kitt, Parm and Lance were before she heard Kitt.
"Artha, no! Not in front of everybody!" Astra frowned, what was Kitt talking about?
"I have no choice! Iris got hurt because of me!" Artha sighed as she heard him over the screen.
Narrowing her eyes, she moved over to Kitt, Parm and Lance. "Yes, you do, Artha Penn! Listen to me! Iris took the hit because she loves you, your her brother! Cain and Moordryd are trying to stop you both, and it can only be for one reason; because they believe you two can make that jump! And you know what? I believe it too!" she declared proudly.
"Yeah!" Lance cheered with Kitt, both smiling. "Me too!" Parm added. Artha smiled at her, but then he realised, she must know his secret. "Astra, look…" he began, but she stopped him.
"You can explain it to me after the race, just make sure Iris is safe with you, okay?"
The teen nodded to her. He heard Mortis' words in his head. True belief requires trusting in yourself and using all you have learned to release the dragon, something the Dragon Booster must eventually show to all in order to stop the dragon-human war.
Artha put his amulet away. With a determined look in his eyes, he said. "I'm going to make that jump with Iris, together!"
The others cheered as he helped his sister stand, making sure she was alright. "I'm okay, Artha, a little dazed, but fine." she assured him she was not hurt before she mounted her saddle.
Happy she was alright, Artha spoke. "We're going to make that jump and get the others to follow us! We just need that last piece of gear! Let's go guys! Let's release the dragon!"
Beau grunted tiredly before he grew a determined look on his face. "Let's do this!" both dragons unleashed identical loud roars of determination before they took off down the track. Beau's speed increased as a vortex of speed surrounded not just him, but Prisma as well.
The wraiths were still lying in wait at the final bend of the track with the fire grenade still beeping away.
The siblings caught up to Dorsull and Wulf, Artha on the left, Iris on the right. "We're running out of time. The wraith dragon trap is on the next turn. We have to make the Leap of Lorius!"
Wulf stared at him. "Even if you are telling the truth, we've never trained for such a jump! There's no way we can make it!"
"You just have to believe in yourselves!" Iris added, making Wulf look at her while Artha had Dorsull's attention.
"Believe in ourselves? Ha, our dragons don't have the energy for such a jump. Besides, I don't believe you're telling the truth."
"We're not lying, all of us are in very real danger! Can't you see that?" Iris snapped.
"But we can't make the jump!"
"Lorius did it, so why can't we? You just have to believe."
Dorsull and Wulf just stared.
"If each of you works as one with your dragons, we all can make the Leap. Let's all release the dragon! Come on, sis!" he called, Beau moving further up as Prisma was right on his tail.
They passed Cain, who frowned. "Stable brats?"
As they came up to another mag-rack, Beau magged four sledding pods to the backs of his legs, Prisma one second behind him did the same. Seeing them mag the gear seemed to change Dorsull's mind. "The Penn's have magged the gear for the Leap, I'm doing it too, maybe we can make that jump!"
Seeing the other racers mag the gear, Moordryd popped up on the screen. "Cain, they all magged the gear."
"What do you want me to do?" Cain asked, a little panicked.
"Force the stable brat and Penn brat into my father's trap, and the others will follow." Moordryd ordered before the screen deactivated.
Coercion magged red thruster gear and white aero gear to his flanks and leapt into the air, performing the same move Artha and Iris had earlier, aiming to steer Artha and Iris away from the jump. "Artha, heads up!" Iris cried out as Cain came swooping in, both ducked, leaning their saddles to the sides of their dragons as Cain went over their heads, Coershun crashing into the ground, his white aero gear smashing to pieces and skidding across the track as his thruster gear flew around him like a pair of fireworks while Cain screamed.
Wulf and Dorsull's mouths dropped open at the sight while Artha and Iris both aimed for the jump, Beau and Prisma snarled as they leapt from the track in a daring leap of faith as Mortis had described, extending their white aero gliders.
Iris pressed a button that started her red thruster gear, sending her into the thick fog with Artha mimicking her moves. Kitt, Parm, Lance and Astra all stared in shock as the siblings vanished. "Artha! Iris!" Parm cried out as Lance looked through his binocs, trying to spot his brother and sister. "Oh, where are they? I can't see them." the boy sighed in despair as Astra wrapped an arm around his shoulders to comfort him.
With the siblings, Artha looked around, not seeing much of anything. "I can't see anything. Can you?" Iris questioned, looking at her brother. He shook his head. He then spotted a building to his left. "This way, Iris." he called, shutting off his red thruster gear and angling his glider wings for the building she could just now see poking out of the fog.
She followed him, yelping as Prisma made contact with the ground, sliding across it with no signs of stopping! She skidded across the top and leapt off. "Come on, Prisma, go girl!" Iris cheered as the dragon sailed through the air, she activated her red thruster gear again, aiming for the taller building. But just as they were near it, the thruster gear ran out of energy, leaving them falling through the air.
Acting quickly, she pushed her pedal a bit, activating her rappel hook that latched onto the top of the building, letting them swing along the building's side. Having gained enough momentum, she unlatched the rappel hook as Artha followed her lead, both aiming for the building and both dragons dug their claws in, yet their grip wasn't strong enough and they were sliding slowly down the side.
"Come on, Prisma. Get a grip, girl." Iris said, her eyes wide with fear. "I'm trying, Iris. It's not working!"
Pressing a button, she turned her brown trenching gear backwards and two steady poles shot out into the wall, stopping them from falling any further, but leaving them hanging precariously off the side of the building.
"Now what?" she questioned her brother, who looked behind him, seeing the tube below them that would lead them to the finish line.
"I'm not too happy about thaaatttt!" Artha screamed as Beau leapt off the building, free-falling through the air towards the tube. Prisma leapt off the wall too, Iris screaming as they aimed for the tube. Quickly activating their sledding gear, four slim, white sleds formed over their feet and both dragons landed in the tube, sliding down the tube while the siblings screamed in terror, sparks showering all around them, Iris shielded her eyes as a few sparks came dangerously close to her eyes as Artha ducked his head as his helmet scrapped the top of the tube.
Finally, after what seemed like hours but was merely a few moments, the siblings shot out of the tube, towards the finish. "They did it!" Kitt shouted joyfully as the others cheered happily. Cheers were heard all around as Artha crossed the finish line first, closely followed by Iris, then Wulf and finally Dorsull.
Iris blinked, they did the Leap too! "Wow, you all made the Leap?" she asked, smiling once they all came to a stop. Dorsull chuckled. "Well, not everybody."
She frowned, then looked around, it was then that she saw Cain was not with them. Then she remembered seeing how he had tried to force them into the trap and how that had backfired on him. Back with Cain, he was on the track and groaned after coming too from his crash. That's when he heard it, the steady beeping of the fire grenade beneath him. "Oh no!" he resigned to his fate before it went off, crumbling the track and sending him and Coershun tumbling down into the wraith infested lower track, surrounded by an electrical net as Cain screamed helplessly for Moordryd.
Iris hopped out of her saddle and landed on the ground, only to be tackled in a crushing hug by Astra. "Iris, you and Artha did it! You made the Leap! And got the others to follow!"
Her friend smiled at her, trying not to blush. "Thanks, Astra. And thanks for your help today."
Astra grinned, happy to help her with the others and their pressure.
Later on, at the stables and after Iris had explained to Astra about Artha being the Dragon Booster, she was brushing Prisma down when footsteps approached and she saw her brothers, Kitt and Parm walk up with their dragons.
Artha stood near the doorway with a mag-rack, he placed red thruster gear on it as Lance's voice could be heard. "Drac! Everybody's talking about you guys making that jump!"
"And the way you both led the others to follow you." Parm added as Kitt walked up to Artha.
"Well, I have to admit you made a believer out of me." Artha smiled at her words. "I'm proud to be your friend, and part of your racing team!" she turned around, proudly showing off the gold star emblem on the back of her suit, Wyldfyr had one on his flanks. One by one, Parm, Lance, Astra and Gwen, who had arrived half an hour ago, proudly showed off their embalms, along with their dragons marks to show they were part of the team. Mortis smiled as Artha looked at Parm.
"Parm, you did this?" he questioned in wonder as Iris hugged Gwen, thanking her for being part of the team, then Arta looped an around around her shoulders with a smile. She may not have her own dragon, but she knew Iris was happy to let her ride with Prisma.
"Well, I found a chromo-shifter in the gear room, and now, even the dragons are part of your team." he twirled the device in his hand while explaining. "Wow, all this because we made the Leap of Lorius?"
Mortis rested a hand on his shoulder. "No, Artha, it's because you showed everyone how great of a leader you can be." Artha smiled proudly as Iris walked over. "Thanks for being there for me, Artha."
He pulled her into a tight hug. "I'll always be there for you, Iris. You and Lance, and everybody! No matter what!" the others all wandered over and Artha placed his hand in the middle, the rest of the team followed, smiling!
Here you are everyone, I hope you enjoy. I may have snuck a little hint in there somewhere about my next story. If you can guess, you get free cookies!