Who Rules the Skies?
Luca Villman, 3/17/1983
The war for the title of ‘Greatest Flier’ has quietly raged for decades. The crown has passed through hand after hand, as the Easters fight amongst themselves to get the most impressive record counts. Meanwhile, the rest of us hardly even notice. The development of new magical techniques and telecommunications has seen a revival of interest in the sport of competitive flight - including one of the largest upsets in its history.
Traditionally, competitive flight has been predominantly done by and for Easters, with 92% of participants and an estimated 79% of viewers belonging to an Easter subtype. The Birds of Prey have long dominated most categories, blessed with divine precision in the air, but they can’t afford to rest on their laurels. The Thunderbirds, coming from the far East to compete, have comparable speeds, while the few Griffons in the sport use their sharp grasp of Wind magic to make up for their comparatively inferior technique. And, for decades, that’s just how it was; nobody else entered the contest, not because they weren’t allowed, but because they could hardly compete.
However, two new contestants have done the impossible, and broken the stalemate.
Today, the official Airborne Sports Commission has finally, grudgingly released their updated lists - and four records have been claimed by a race that had never been seen in the games before.
Two Phoenixes now hold those four records between them - Jahi Upada has taken the Long-Distance Flight and Endurance Race medals, while Astrid Mercury has claimed Highest Flight and Fastest Drop. But how did they do it? Phoenixes are known for their fire and immortality, not flight.
The secret lies in the nature of their transformations. Not called the Birds of Hermes for nothing, they are able to turn their bodies into not just fire, but also an actual Phoenix. By combining their racial magics in inventive ways, they were able to claim victory.
The first technique they used was turning into fire to offset their weight. It’s obvious when you consider it, but fire, even magic fire, weighs a lot less than normal matter. By converting most of their bodies to fire while in ‘Phoenix Mode’, they were capable of drastically reducing mass without affecting lift, giving them a massive edge for increasing their height.
The second trick is making thermals. Thermals, pillars of rising hot air, are a key source of energy for fliers in long-distance events. By catching the rising air, they’re able to rise themselves without using any stamina. However, Phoenixes can use their innate heat to simulate thermals beneath them. Using their magic with precision like that is more draining than relying on natural heat, but potentially less exhausting than flapping wings, since they’re already covered in fire.
And while it’s not a technique, the physiology of their bird form provided a significant edge as well. In the highly competitive world of flight, any small advantage can prove the key, with more animalistic Easters having better showings than more personlike ones, the difference of physique and aerodynamics letting them move through the air more easily. With a fully bird-like form, the Phoenixes were capable of taking full advantage of that.
Mr. Upada’s victories relied on his impressive stamina, letting him soar to victory well ahead of the competition. With the added height provided by Phoenix techniques, he could manage a longer flight with less effort, and in the Endurance Race, could sacrifice that extra height for a consistent speed advantage over long distances. He attributes his victories to his strategic meetings with Ms. Mercury, his military training, and the love of his wife, Rehema.
Ms. Mercury’s victories involved magic and bravery. Through thermal manipulation, she managed to rise to an unbelievable 14,750 meters, nearly 40% higher than the previous record. Her drop speed achievement was achieved by crashing into the ground at maximum speed, without flinching - hitting an impressive 410 km/h in the process. Supposedly, the ancient Phoenix used it as a military tactic called a ‘meteor drop’. She was not available to comment on the accusations of using illegal magic doping. Eat shit, Villman, first you scoop me on my own victory, and then this?
The Griffon Champion of the Emperor Circuit, Leon Crestfall, had this to say. “Really, I want to thank those two for the shakeup. The game had been getting stale anyway, and this should kick my challengers back into gear. I hear Hikaru’s [a Thunderbird, and Crestfall’s rival] flirting with Catalyst runecraft, which should be interesting to see. Hell, I’ve been thinking about the potential of Wind myself. If I can pull it off, making a vacuum would let me beat that Hermes girl’s dead drop record, wouldn’t it? This sort of challenge is why I became a flight champ in the first place.”
The upset has seen a dramatic rise in interspecies viewership and attention, with record numbers of other winged races training and registering their events with the Commission, even as the established contestants begin to work out new strategies. Already, those records are looking like they'll be challenged sooner, rather than later. With the established patterns upended, the future of the sport has never been brighter.