Depthless Hunger

For his entire life, Aniogun had wanted nothing more than to compete in the Hundred Zephyr Rings. He didn't think that he'd win, even though he'd dreamed of it. Usually over five hundred young men and women competed, so getting just one of the rings would have been an accomplishment.

Especially because the competition was so uneven.

There was no rule against collecting more than one of the rings, and it was considered a mark of pride for the nobles to collect two or three. Often the geniuses competed with one another and didn't gather as many as they could, but some brilliant competitors could snap up five or more. There were even stories about a young woman who had won a full twelve rings. Thus typically out of hundreds of competitors, only sixty or seventy at most brought home any rings.

Aniogun had failed the trial of elements, but as a son of the Wind Union he had the right to attempt the test. No matter how low the chances were, no matter how many people told him it was crazy. He'd been studying all the past tests and he'd built up his Physique to E-rank, so he hoped he had a chance to get just one.

Just one Zephyr Ring. That would earn him the right to more resources. Even if he wasn't Windborn, he could help the Wind Union with other strengths.

As all the competitors gathered in the starting area outside the Windwoods, Aniogun took a place far to one side. This was both to avoid attention and for the sake of his strategy. If he rushed directly into the middle of the woods, he'd be knocked off the branches - without Windborn powers, he'd fall and be disqualified without earning anything. He had to play smart to have a chance.

So he looked over the starting area, guessing at the strategies of everyone involved. The princelings, children of powerful Windborn, were in the center, ready to take on the whirlwind and prove their superior skills. The bravest competitors would dare to get close to the Ring Eater and snatch one from the trees around the ancient Delta-ranked monster.

Others were harder to judge. Aniogun guessed that some of those at the edges had gained flight abilities and would be taking off overhead to grab the rings attached to the birds that flew over the Windwoods. There was a big Goralian barbarian, a column of muscle who looked like he'd smash through the first branches by weight alone.

He couldn't have a chance at the main contest... would he try to seize a ring by violence? Aniogun edged away from the grim-looking barbarian and nearly bumped into the exact people he didn't want to meet.

"What are you doing here?" Ierianul of Gales folded her arms and glared at him, and her flunkies began to threaten his flanks. "Didn't you learn your lesson at the trials?"

"I have a right to be here," Aniogun told her. "Same as everyone else."

"Yeah, but do you have a chance? You don't have the wind skills to complete any of the main challenges. Even if you try to rush out for the easy rings, you're too slow."

"I can still try."

Aniogun headed further away from her, hoping that Ierianul and the other princelings wouldn't push him to the ground right at the start. If he didn't get eliminated by another human competitor, then he had a chance. Because Aniogun had been studying all the past tests and he thought he had a chance.

There were always one or two rings at the periphery. There wasn't any glory in reaching them, but they counted just as much as the others - he guessed they existed to reward keen eyesight and observation. If he could skirt the edge of the competition, then he could probably grab one ring and get another chance at life.

Unfortunately, Ierianul was following him and smirking, as if she wanted to make sure he was eliminated. That forced him to keep edging away in the starting area, seeking another path. He couldn't know the exact layout this year, but he knew there were always the whirlwinds, the Ring Eater, and the birds. If he guessed their locations, he could find the fastest path to the periphery.

One of the older Windborn made a speech, but Aniogun was too excited to listen. So soon, he'd find out if what he'd done was enough...

Finally: the wind chimes rang out, the gates were opened, and all five hundred competitors rushed into the Woodwinds.

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Aniogun started on a thick branch but had to jump to a thinner one when he saw Ierianul pursuing him with a grin on her face. She could easily knock him over the side, grab one of the rings in the easiest trees, and still have time to get more for her flunkies.

Except the easy rings were gone.

All strategies went out the window as everyone realized that the competition had changed. The Goralian barbarian moved faster than the wind, snatching up ring after ring in a broad circle. All of the easiest rings near the start were already gone, and Ierianul let out a yelp as she realized her options were disappearing too. Only the challenging rings were left...and hopefully one on the periphery.

Keeping his eyes on target proved to be a challenge, because the center of the Windwoods was utter chaos. Some of the competitors had begun to brave the delicate wind-generating trees, traditionally a test of balance that risked even Windborn being knocked below. The barbarian leapt over their heads, grabbed a ring in the process of a handspring, and moved on.

Princelings confident in their elemental skills were navigating the whirlwinds around one of the largest trees, until the barbarian arrived. He hurled himself directly into the winds, piercing them with his sheer bulk, but instead of plummeting out the other side, he changed directions with a thunderclap. Each time he charged through the whirlwind, another ring disappeared.

Realizing just how bad this competition could be, Aniogun forced himself to go faster. No ring, no ring... he didn't think any hidden rings would be this close to the entrance, so he pushed himself onward more recklessly. He thought the leaders would place the periphery rings deeper into the trial area, requiring some skill to reach, but if he didn't see it soon...

Leaves exploded throughout the forest because the barbarian was leaping at birds now. He seemed to have grabbed most of their rings and then dropped down, toward the center. Aniogun couldn't help but watch, somehow knowing that the barbarian wouldn't be afraid of the Ring Eater.

He wasn't: the monstrous man attacked the Ring Eater and killed it in a few blows. Then he calmly picked up the rings around its lair, as if the Ring Eater had been a challenge instead of an obstacle that was supposed to ward off all but the bravest.

Aniogun's sides ached now but he forced himself onward. Finally he spotted it: a ring hung around a thin branch, near the edge of the competition area. Normally his plan would have worked perfectly, but the Windwoods were in disarray because the barbarian had torn through the competition. Aniogun had to leap over the head of a nearby Windborn who was hunting for rings, nearly turned his ankle landing on another branch, and scrambled closer.

Even that might not be enough. The barbarian was now making a wide sweep around the edges of the woods, still not satisfied. And then... no! He was on the other side of the Windwoods, but he set his gaze on the very ring that Aniogun was racing toward.

Pushing past what he'd thought were his limits, Aniogun ran even harder than before. It was so close, but he saw the hulking form closing in... Aniogun leapt and barely managed to snatch the ring, then staggered onto the branch.

The barbarian loomed behind him, just a second too late. Clearly this beast of a man could take the ring by force - there were no rules to stop him, the other competitors wouldn't lift a finger, and Aniogun was certainly helpless to do anything. He still clutched the ring to his chest, staring up into those eyes that almost seemed to burn.

"Good luck," the barbarian said, and then turned away.

At the end of the competition, Aniogun still clung to his single Zephyr Ring, unable to believe what had just happened. When they announced the results, it turned out that the barbarian had taken eighty of the Hundred Zephyr Rings, more than had ever happened in history. The elder Windborn were ready to overturn the results, but the barbarian had said for the rewards to be distributed amidst the others and then walked away.

So Aniogun, with his single Zephyr Ring, had gained more than he'd known. It still didn't make any sense to him, he just knew that he was the luckiest man in the world.

.

..

.

Kai could definitely have taken all one hundred of the rings, but he'd quickly realized this wasn't a real challenge for someone like him. His Thunderbird's Wings ability would be better compared to masters in the Wind Union, not young men and women still developing their abilities. They couldn't compete with his raw speed, so combined with his mobility he could outpace them all.

Instead he made sure to take rings first from the arrogant Windborn who already had all the advantages they needed, and those trying to bully the weakest competitors. He'd "missed" some of them as well, so that the hardest working and most talented could claim a reward.

And he'd pretended to lose the race to the young man at the end. He'd looked so young, even though their ages weren't far apart - the cut-off for the Hundred Zephyr Rings was age twenty-five, so they all had to be close to his age. But that poor guy had looked so desperate and had worked harder than the others...

So he got his ring. Hopefully he'd have an easier life than Kai had.

The rewards of the competition weren't anything too special, so Kai had gladly given them all to those who could actually use them. But he was fairly sure the competition wasn't a bust, and as he walked away from the region he got confirmation of that.

"That's far enough, Goralian!" There was a group of adult Windborn coming after him, armed and armored. "We can't have you meddling in our affairs!"

"Is that so?" Kai turned back to them with a smile.

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