pirates of the promenade - Part Three

[rubyrubyruby]

Steel. Rock. Cavern. Steel. Rock. Squashed layer of disturbing contents. Steel. Rock. Honeycomb. Nothing but air baby. The ramp is a literal launch, and the two Wheelies driven by the sisters embrace it completely. Everyone's vehicle gets to go airborne. Those clever clogs releasing the nitro accelerant get ~much better~ air time and the G's. The landscape falling away from the Loonie leapers shows a panorama of forest and gravity is starting to reach up greedily at all that momentum. If one has their wits about them to note details, there's some interesting bits gleaned: They've come quite a distance from their starting position and the cliffside penitentiary is a speck. There are whole sections of jungle that have been previously blasted to hell. A graveyard of wrecked machine over yonder, buildings taken over by vines, craters with a faint diamond shimmer in their bowls. Hmmm...there's quite a bit of dust kicked up almost dead ahead, but some miles distant. The oppressive sun glinting off numerous things near the curve of the coast.

Who knew Snail Power could provide so much lift! As it happens with adrenaline-driven moments like this where Lhasa feels like she's going to die, hang-time feels like at least ten minutes, and she is able to make multiple observations about the breahtaking panorama around them, and maybe her life. Among them, the benefits and pitfalls of going Full Lhasa. Namely, the rapidly approaching asphalt. "Blimey," she whispers, between awe and consternation and prayer, just as the wheel reconnects with the road. She leans back with a grunt, trying to spread the impact of their landing across her back and keep that momentum. They careen forward, wobbling a bit, the engine whines but refrains from exploding, the wheels screech but keep pushing them forward. Made it!

It did take a while for Maggie's instincts and knowledge of another mode of rapid transit to settle into the workings of her Honey Bee. The zooming along the cluttered hallway gave her confidence though some of that is shattered when the pointy hatted people ahead resolve into mannequins. "Look out!" But her cry comes too late as Merrisol's Oroborus crunches through the detritus. She slows the Bee, watching to be sure that Merrisol's critter-wheelie is not harmed. She can share her ride with her beloved! And what a ride it is, too! Motioned on, she nods, presuming that all is well with the snek in the circle, "Right. Don't be long, my heart." Turning the Honey Bee around, she takes a lap or two to pick up speed once more, then guns it toward the ramp. The engine whines, then catches, zooming into a roar of power and speed. The jump lifts her from her seat a bit, as with Susan not long ago. Maggie's hair trails after her in a long whip of woven flame, the color not augmented by power. This time. But there is a bit of a whoop of glee, cut off when Maggie takes a moment to look around at the evidence of the pain this island has suffered. A whispered, "Well... shit" might be heard as she takes it all in. The rising action crests and she begins to fall toward that landing yonder. And yonder seems longer than the Honey Bee can manage. Leaning forward, she guns the engine in an attempt to extend the monowheele's reach. The front of the tire hits, screetching as it digs in and gains traction. The rear hangs on for a moment or two more, though Mmaggie's forward leaning frame might give that forward edge some help. The wheel pulls her onto the landing and skreels forward to zip and shimmy to one side. A squeel sounds as Maggie looks back to make sure that merrisol also gets across that gap.

RPG: Lhasa challenges a difficulty of 8. Lhasa chooses Wits and the gifts SKL-OB, SKL-SC, and STY-SW. Lhasa succeeds.

Merrisoleil is the last to take on the ramp and its open gaps of doom, but she wears a look of fierce focus, listening to the timbre of the engine growl, as though tuning the components by ear. Her fingertips receive a few painful static sparks from the sockets as she reroutes the plugs, and she loses some skin off the heel of her palm while tightening the belts in mid-blur. Slamming the cover back over the block between her knees, she snaps the goggles back over her eyes and braces over the pedals and handlebars once more, and opens up the throttle in a jolt of electrics and the Ouroborus leans into the final curve. The scaley treads of the snake wheel howl against the dirty pavement, leaving behind some rubber as it grabs hold and hurtles for the incline. Up the ramp is a motion blur and then perception does its slowdown, the spinning donut leaping the expanse in joyful freedom from the shackles of gravity. When she touches down on the continuation of roadway, it's a shock to catch up with her senses, but even her shout rings loud in her ears. Catching sight of Maggie slowed up ahead to watch, she offers a thumbs-up and an urgent wave ahead. They're not done yet.

RPG: Clive challenges a difficulty of 9. Clive chooses Wits and the gifts SKL-TD, STY-PI, and STY-SW. Clive almost succeeds.

RPG: Merrisol challenges a difficulty of 8. Merrisol chooses Wits and the gift STY-SW. Merrisol succeeds.

RPG: Maggie challenges a difficulty of 8. Maggie chooses Wits and the gifts SKL-OB and STY-SW. Maggie succeeds.

Chiara and Nailah aren't so far ahead now. They managed to stick the landing due to lots of practice, but their wheels chirp and squeal all the same to fight for consistent traction.
The roadway is cracked and missing in places up ahead. The jungle has invaded this route and is trying to reclaim it. Very real foliage is sprouting from cracks in the pavement and threaded through rusted chassis of motor vehicles, and there are whole swaths of uneven surface that makes Wheels unhappy. Alert piloting is needed for certain, and driving in just a straight line would result in a collision eventually. The road dips and rises, the underside of these rises propped up by decaying arches. There's another darn ramp up ahead, using an aircraft that lays drunkenly across the tricky roadway. The tilt of it has one wing connected to the roadway, and the other points to the sky. There's tire marks denoting the successes (and failures) of past attempts.

Some gauges on Susan's monocycle are looking SUPER active right now and her brow furrows with a bit of confusion over what the heck they might mean. Time to getting airtime certainly appears to be less than when that rising needle will the red paint and the other, well, it looks like she has much more time until that hits zero. Mental math is going in her head as she takes a moment to glance about and then winds up going back for a second and third glance upon seeing the everything in play about them. "Holy carp..." She winds up missing a bit of her line-up and before she knows it, she's up in the air and that needle is getting dangerously close to the red! Grimacing, she fights with the bike in the middle of the air, trying to use those last seconds before releasing the boost. The landing is... mostly salvaged, though Susan bounces off her seat, knocks her head on the top of the wheel, and then swerves and wobbles about trying to get back to a straight line. "Aaaaaah!"

Lhasa and Wynter's successful landing elicits a happy cheer from the surgeon. With greater confidence, she winds them around the cracks and foliage and other such obstacles. There's a spot here and there that she'd love to accelerate and just ram through, and another one just up ahead that would beafun little jump, but she just can't do it with Wynter there with her. The Pathian though /had/ insisted on speed, so she accelerates. She takes a moment to glance back at the others to see where they're at, and catches Susan's struggle to land, and that knock to her head. She hears the Selkie's yell and grimaces in anguish. "You alright back there, Smiles?" she calls back. She turns her eyes back on the road and the progress of the sisters ahead, but remains focused most singularly on hearing a response from Susan telling her she's okay.

Lhasa and Wynter's successful landing elicits a happy cheer from the surgeon. With greater confidence, she winds them around the cracks and foliage and other such obstacles. There's a spot here and there that she'd love to accelerate and just ram through, and another one just up ahead that would beafun little jump, but she just can't do it with Wynter there with her. The Pathian though /had/ insisted on speed, so she accelerates. She squints ahead to see where the others are at, and catches Susan's struggle to land, and that knock to her head. She hears the Selkie's yell and grimaces in anguish. "You alright back there, Smiles?" she calls out. Now filled with urgency, she pushes on the throttle, to make the jump over the plane wing and get to him as soon as she can!

Spinning her Honey Bee in a circle, Maggie is relieved to see MerriSoliel's thumbs up. A grin is tossed back to her mate and she calls, "Right. Onward!" Or is that Alonze? Alors! Ahead! And words to that effect. Coming out of the turn, she plays with the buttons a bit, blinking lights turning on and off in rapid sequence. Ahead, she knows that there are dangers aplenty though Susan's cry is lost in the roar of the Bee's engine. Oh, look. A cover. And a button beneath it. Might be the 'get out of trouble' juice so she prudently leaves it alone. Looking up, she is sort of astonished to see a plane's wing up ahead. Going to have to jump that? Yes. She watches Lhasa and Wynter's approach to get some insight into approach.

Looking around as she picks up speed to follow generally in the wheel tracks of the others, Merri double-takes upon recognizing that distant war-scarred cliff and the compound of regimented survivalists. And that causes a grimacing reminder: Argh, still haven't touched base with Ruby! She pats at her tool belt and pocket distractedly, but it's too late again. Why is everyone aiming to roll up onto that crashed plane? "Hohboy.." she hisses, hurriedly examining the route as indicated by the worn markings. The sight of Susan careening right up there like it's old hat.. an old out-of-control hat.. draws her fascinated stare, following the mad arc of the jumping shark with her breath held. Ooooh-owie! Three-point landings aren't for monowheels. "Line it up with the wing's edge, Hotstuff!" she shrieks, not knowing if her words carried down the brush-streaked road or got lost in the tumult of roaring motors. But it seems she's rapidly overtaking both the Snail and the Bee, so she takes that opportunity to reinforce that narrow path with the screaming treads of her own wheel. The tail-devouring snake veers past and jerks onto the down-tipped wing, weaving, straightening out, clearing the hump and shooting straight up that wing skyward. Only after clearing the tip can she clearly make out the desired landing point, but now there's nothing for it but to repeat to herself over and over, she's aimed true.

If anyone nearby is capable of seeing above tree-level, they'd be witness to half a baker's dozen rising on perilous looking parabola. And maybe recheck what's in the canteen they've been drinking today. The daredevil sisters had weaved around the obstacles leading up to the next jump, really concentrating with all the redonkulous things in the way to prevent a cakewalk of lining up a good launch. Their monowheels aren't gentle with the road either. Nailah does look back to look in astonishment that everyone in the group is still there, her wheel carrying her through a minor cloud of some fat languid insects that flutter drunkenly across her path. ~Sssspppt~ The roll of the wheel sucking and spitting out things like a saw blade. The tacky ick is borne with distaste and she ghosts after Chiara. She curses this as some sort of ill omen.
If anything, there's an even better spread for the eyes to feast on for this next uplifting vista...