Chapter 1258 1258 *Slaps Wings* This Author has tired of the meme…
--- Nixilei ---
"Now, I'm sure you're all ready to get started and flying but I have ONE FINAL vehicle for your viewing pleasure. I assure you, only the highest level of dedication has gone into constructing this vehicle." Thyme crushed the jacket in their hands down to nothing before tapping a foot on the ground.
The wooden stage split open like a missile silo as a full sized aeroplane rose up out of the floor. It was as very unusual sight for most, but Kat and Lily recognised it as an old-style biplane. It had the two layers of wings, a large propellor up front, and three wheels total. Two at the front and one at the back. The whole thing was also, eye-searingly bright yellow for some reason. In fact, Nixilei was certain Thyme had added a light enchantment just to make it brighter and her eyes were already watering looking at it.
Thyme clapped and the paint dimmed a bit, proving Nixilei's theory. "This here, is a neat little vehicle that I'm testing out for Oditr. It's supposed to fly all by itself… but it doesn't. Not yet. So we've added a whole bunch of enchantments of course! Though do allow me to show off what makes this so special,"
Thyme waved a hand and the wood between the seat and the propellor disappeared. Inside the plane was a massive amount of gears and rods all connected together alongside two different sets of peddles. One for the hands, and one for the feet. Nixilei quickly guessed, just as Thyme confirmed, "This is indeed the flying machine for those more physically inclined. It's heavier then the glider, and as such slightly less mana efficient. That builds up quickly over time, especially if you're aiming for the full two hours…
"Yet with that in mind, if you have the strength of body to compliment your strength of mind then you can go much further. Using these pedals with either your hands, feet, or both together, you can see yourself flying faster, higher, and longer then any of the competition, except perhaps the longer then the hot-air balloon,"
*Damn. March could've dominated the round if she'd gotten the chance to use this thing. Her mana control is better then she thinks. Much better, at least, from what I've seen. Especially some of the information I overheard yesterday during the talks. I should really follow up on that and ask Kat about what she heard… though she may not think it's her place to share. Still, that 'steam body' technique or whatever it was called is a game changer.
Unlike Thyme's implication, I'm quite sure that March could keep this 'aeroplane' in the air using just her physical strength, and then with mana behind her physique enhancing it further? Truly a scary thought and we've not even got into the weapons or other unique systems it has.*
"Now, of course, we can't just leave you with a chance to make up for mana inefficiencies with physical power. That's neat and all… but what's the real draw for something like this? Well first and foremost is of course what I like to call 'the lock'. The entire system here can keep working for around a minute, perfectly fine, without someone at the controls. By channelling your mana into this bar here," Thyme pointed at a bar with a nice fluffy cover over it for resting your hands. "You will 'lock' the vehicle into its current operation. It will keep flying, exactly as you left it, for the next minute.
"It doesn't matter if you move around and hop on the wings. Doesn't matter if the wind picks up. No the only thing that would matter is if something physically got in front of the aeroplane, or just plane to save some time. Additionally, after that one minute mark things will start to wind down. The plane will start to lose speed. Changes in weigh distribution will cause it to wobble. Eventually, the changes will get to much and the whole thing will stop working.
"Of course in a pinch it can still act as a heavier glider and perhaps you can get back into the driver's seat and prevent it from reaching the ground, but nothing magical will be keeping it functioning after around three minutes, but after that first minute the 'locking' magic will be winding down,"
*That is a very neat feature. If this design wasn't so deliberately designed for someone with high physical abilities I might go for it just for that alone. Granted my physical abilities are quite impressive… but not for endurance runs like this. I am trained more for mana control, and short bursts of intense physical confrontation. The sort of endurance needed to make this work is more Gareth's style. Hmm… I do wonder if we should've handed this round over to Gareth. With this plane on offer he could've done quite well… and I certainly have more mana then he did for the previous round. Then again… he probably counts Green doting on him as a bonus. So he's probably fine with how things turned out.*
Thyme then pulled the chair out to reveal a panel on the side of the plane, it had a number of buttons on it. "These here activate the other abilities of the plane. Each button you press will do something different. You can ask me for it to be on the left or right side of the plane, or both if you really want but they will do the same thing regardless of what side they're on. For the plane, if you press a button the chair will suck out the required mana, and then activate the function,"
Thyme paused their speech here for a few moments before looking over the crowd slowly, their mouth looking normal, if a bit annoyed. "Now, because this is enchanted to the highest standard you cannot Overdraft yourself like Gareth did earlier. It shouldn't be an issue… though you may still fall unconscious to be careful when using them if you're low on mana. It may not kill you, but it can still take you out of the contest.
"Now, first button. This activates the 'guns'. Streams of arrows will fire from here, here, and here, as well as on the other side of the wings," explained Thyme as they tapped the corresponding sections of the plane. "There is also a matching button bellow it that sends a stream of arrows flying from the back of the plane. It is weaker, but as its your only method for attacking directly backwards. Still quite useful.
"Next up is this second button here, it drastically sharpens the wings allowing them to slice through enemies that you run into. This, combined with the button below that, can be a devastating combination. As for the button bellow? Well it release a burst of air from the wings and tail that shoots the plane forward. Poor on mana efficiency for keeping things running, but good if you need to jump forward a bit,"
"The next button will turn off the passive drain of the chair. That's what helps keep the plane in the air, so it's quite useful. Still, if you just want to glide, or you're really low on mana you can press it and stop the drain. It isn't much, but it is a constant wear on your reserves so keep it in mind.
"The button below that is similar in a way. It instead increases the drain on your mana, and funnels it into the gears up at the front of the plane, allowing you to rest your body at the cost of some mana. This is not particularly efficient, and I don't recommend using it at all. It's barely worth it. This model is for those physically inclined after all. Of course, if your legs are injured somehow it just might keep you in the air…"
"Right, well the second last button creates a thick cloud of ashy smoke that really gets in your mouth. It will keep spawning as long as you hold the button down and can be great for obscuring your position… but the cloud can very much get in your mouth as well, so do keep that in mind. The enchantment is designed to send it away, but not all that strongly and flying back through it will defiantly get some of it in your mouth and eyes if you're not careful.
"Now for the final button. The final feature on the final vehicle I'm demonstrating for you… the big finale to end it all! By pushing this button right here," Thyme waved a hand over it. "You get…" Thyme paused, making sure all eyes were on them. "A lovely cupholder,"
Nixilei wanted to scream at Thyme for this ridiculousness. It's not like anyone here was carrying drinks! The cupholder was completely useless. Then Thyme continued, "Complete with a nice glass of water just for you," *Why did you wait like ten seconds to add the important part!*
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