NOVEL WEB Chapter 38: Who Won?
[Scene: Brevia Streets – Early Afternoon]
The city of Brevia was alive with noise and sunlight.
Birds chirped above. Vendors hollered from street corners.
But through the chaos…
Six streaks of motion burst from the docks like firecrackers.
---
Kael led the charge.
He didn't run; he flowed.
His boots hit the cobbled road like drumbeats
as he zigzagged through the main market.
Fruit baskets flipped.
Chickens clucked in terror.
A dustbin flipped behind him from the wind force alone.
> Internal – Kael:
"Crowds are just obstacles with a heartbeat. Easy."
He flipped over a merchant's stall,
rebounded off a stack of crates,
and slid beneath a horse.
A child pointed after him:
"That man is so fast!"
---
Meanwhile, Katrina was a phantom overhead.
Leaping from rooftop to rooftop across the residential quarters,
she barely made a sound.
Her legs moved like pistons.
Her arms slicing the air for balance.
> Internal – Katrina:
"Why slow down for the ground when you can run the sky?"
Her boots hit tile.
Wood.
Even the occasional tree branches.
Birds exploded into flight as she passed them.
A sleepy old man, watering his balcony garden, blinked
and spilled his can as she flipped over his house.
THUMP. Next roof.
THUMP. Next.
---
Solis vanished into the shadows.
His route was narrower—
grimy alleyways slick with old fishwater and lined with hanging laundry.
He sidestepped crates.
Kicked off walls.
Ducked beneath a laundry rope without losing speed.
Every turn—efficient.
Every move—calculated.
Rats scurried out of his way like they'd done this before.
---
Arjun, ever the composed one, took the second main route—
a quieter parallel road. Less crowded, but still busy.
He vaulted over barrels.
Politely shouted at the crowd to move.
And even paused to toss a falling fruit basket back onto a stall.
---
Far behind, Rhask and Eron took the primary road—
an explosion of chaos.
Rhask moved like a linebacker—
pushing through crowds, hopping over dogs and baskets alike.
Eron?
He tried to mimic his path while mumbling apologies to everyone he bumped into.
> Eron (panting):
"I am... never... doing this again."
> Rhask (grinning):
"Too slow, medic!"
---
[Scene: 20 Minutes Later – Edge of Guild District]
Rhask and Eron were neck-and-neck.
It was just the two of them.
Breathing hard.
Racing through the final street.
Ahead—
A bullock cart was turning.
Rhask didn't slow down.
He leapt, boots skimming the tarp
as he flew cleanly over the cart.
Eron gasped—
but veered, twisting sideways and sliding beside the oxen,
just barely avoiding a horn.
They hit the last corner.
There it was.
The Guild Hall.
Home base. Goal. Victory.
But instead of the finish-line cheers—
They were met with a very different sight.
---
Kael stood there, pacing.
Katrina sat on a railing, legs swinging.
Solis leaned against the door, arms crossed.
Arjun had a hand over his face.
Rhask and Eron skidded to a stop.
> Rhask:
"Why aren't we going in?"
> Katrina:
"Because, genius..."
She hopped off the railing and pointed to the Guild Hall door.
> Kael:
"It's locked."
> Solis:
"With a magic item."
> Eron (dread seeping in):
"...You're kidding."
> Arjun (muttering):
"Even you both don't have a spare key. It was pointless for us to wait for you here."
Dead. Silence.
A breeze rustled someone's shirt.
A dog barked in the distance.
> Kael (slowly):
"None of us thought of that?"
> Katrina:
"Apparently, no."
> Solis:
"The door's enchanted. Can't break it."
> Rhask:
"Then what do we do?"
> Arjun:
"We have to go back to the ship."
Everyone stared at each other.
> Eron (falling to his knees):
"I hate all of you."
> Kael:
"Does... does this mean no one wins the race?"
> Katrina (grinning):
"Oh, we all lost."