Fairy Tail: The Adventures Of Rin Fernandes

X. The 24-hour Endurance Road Race

X. The 24-hour Endurance Road Race

RIN'S POV

"This is cool! So cool! I'm Jason, reporting live and the coolest event ever! Fairy Tail's annual 24-Hour Endurance Road Race! Pictures from the event will be featured on the Weekly Sorcerer! So cool, so cool! With so many new faces in Fairy Tail this year, will Jet still keep his position at the top? Cool, so cool!"

I sighed, hoping that the reporter could shut up as I stretched my legs. I stood up, adjusting the mint green tank top and black running shorts I borrowed from Lucy. Instead of my short gladiator sandals, I wore a pair of electric blue jogging shoes I had bought. It had surprisingly good cushioning and it made my training much easier as I ran around the forests of Magnolia. I had long recovered from my injuries, and felt as if I was never hurt in the beginning.

The nightmares, however, never stopped coming. Every night I would go for a run after I woke up screaming and covered in cold sweat. I decided to rest at Lucy's place when I was still injured, but I knew she was rather tired when she woke up from all the high-pitched screaming. I'd go to sleep in the midst of the forest every night and when I woke up from my nightmares, I'd run around until fatigue forced me to fall asleep. It was a vicious and draining cycle that screwed up my body clock, but it was the only thing I could do without losing too much sleep and collapsing from fatigue on the job.

I've went on two other jobs after my first job, with plenty of Jewels to spare considering that I only had one drawer worth of items at Lucy's place. I did pay for a small bit of her rent, considering how I had to stay there during my recovery.

When Master Makarov stood on the makeshift stage, everyone stopped what they were doing and focused on him. He then explained how the race was going to be carried out. There was a particular route we were supposed to take, running all the way up a mountain to collect one wyvern scale. All forms of Magic was allowed to be used, with the exception of Flight Magic. I froze when I heard about the punishment for finishing last. A full 10-page photo shoot that would be featured in next week's Sorcerer Magazine. I was already petrified at the thought of a photo shoot, and worst of all? It was those embarrassing photo spreads, and not those cool ones Lucy often gushed over.

I won't lose, I needed to be regarded as a mage and not a joke. I positioned myself quite close to the starting line, as close as I could weave myself in the crowd to do so.

"Rin!" I turn around to see Levy and Lucy smiling behind me. "I guess you don't want to lose either, huh?"

"I don't really like the idea of being on a magazine." I confessed.

"You know it doesn't really matter where we stand?" Levy says, causing Lucy and I to send her a puzzled look. "No one will be standing after the signal."

"Why not?" Lucy asks, and Levy sighs, turning towards where Jet was jogging on the spot.

"Jet always asks me to watch him start, but no one can see anything."

I opened my mouth to ask her why, and what was so special about Jet, but Mirajane, who was not participating, gave the signal to start. The next few moments were an absolute blur, and I found myself on the ground with everyone else, except Jet, who was a little flurry of dust along the straight path we would start from.

Quickly, I stood up and dashed forward, along with many other guild members who got over the initial shock and started to run.

"Oh cool!" Jason yells into the microphone. "Jet's start has always been as cool as always!"

It was only when we started towards the base of the mountain did the viciousness start to show. Mages clawed, shoved and displayed a variety of magic as they tried to race forward. I ran neck-in-neck with Elfman and Gray, my jaw dropping when Natsu burst forward with his flames as a boost. That minor distraction caused my foot to be ensnared by one of Droy's plants he must've thrown forward. It was so hard to tell with Magic being used in all directions. The plant lifted me up and I screamed as it hurled me forwards before it started to pull back, like some kind of catapult. I let out a high-pitched shriek that cause many to cover their ears when I felt a sudden change in direction and speed. Like a rag doll, I was flung backwards and past more than half of all the other competing mages. This was not good. Not good at all.