The Bull-Riding Competition

There were attractions buried here and there all around the parade, but one in particular was impossible to miss, seeing as it involved a massive, angry bull. The creature lumbered around inside of a small, circular, dubiously constructed arena while a barker out front tried to drum up business, seemingly in a losing effort. "Come on, ya'll! Ain't ya got a woman on your arm that'd like to see you tame the biggest, meanest galoot outside of the demon lord's army? This fella's as tough as any minotaur out there and twice as ornery! Ya right him for two minutes and yer gal will be ridin' ya for a couple hours tonight, guaranteed!"

The fact that such a sales pitch wasn't getting anyone through the gates was a testament to just how badly he may have overshot with the bull he'd picked for the task. That thing was bigger than any horse you'd ever seen in your time at the recruit's stables and looked several hundred times less suitable for riding, with a hunched back and sinewy shoulders that rippled with every jerky motion of his body. You actually weren't totally sure if it would be worse to be asked to ride the average demon minotaur.

Still, it presented a great opportunity. There was no line, meaning you could get it out of the way right now if you liked, plus, it would be sure to draw eyes from all over the parade. Now, the only problem was how to actually survive on the thing for two minutes. You looked to your saintesses for ideas.

{if Helmid = True}"Sir Vin, it would be my pleasure to give this bull a good breaking. After all, I am dressed for the occassion," Helmid offered, gesturing down towards her outfit. She had a point... but would physical invulnerability actually help in taming a beast like this? From what you'd heard, bull-riding took a bit of finesse, not just strength and endurance. You wondered how many horses Helmid had actually ridden before and, for that matter, how many bulls. "I see the doubt on your face, but worry not. If I lack the strength to stand against a beast of the field like this, how could I possibly be your shield against demonkind? Trust me on this."{endif}{if Amulette = True}

"Give it your greatest gumption, my gallant goofball. I'll rescue you from the rampaging rover if I sense your survival is at stake," Amulette offered, grinning ear to ear. It didn't seem like she intended to help on this one and did think it might be fun to watch you eat shite... "Worry not! If worst comes to worst and we wind up wiping you into a waste-pan, my necromancy will needle you up, near to new!"

You learned something about Amulette's views on your potential **** in the line of duty. Or perhaps it was just her sense of humor?{endif}{if Belit = True}

Belit rubbed her nose with one thumb, then puffed out her inconsequential chest with a cocky grin on her face. "I'm your champion for this one, Vin. A bull's nothing to me. I trained with druids, remember? I've ridden bears before! Riding a bull won't be anything to someone like me," she bragged, opening one eye slightly to watch your reaction. Reading through her bravado, you sensed she was practically begging to be given the shot to prove herself at a task so well suited to her talents.{endif}{if Rosary = True}

Rosary looked idly from side to side, then pointed at herself with a look of bewilderment on her face as your eyes fixed on her. "M-M-Me?! Just because I'm half angel doesn't mean I'm blessed, or I can fly, or anything like that! Th-There's no way! And even though I can heal you, I'm not sure you should try either!" she warned you, clasping her hands together pleadingly. "L-Let's play a different, safer game, okay?"{endif}{if Bangaal = True}

"A bull is too boring for Bangaal. No no. I will not be bothered with it. However, to see you do it, yes, Bangaal would be most excited! As the barker said, yes? Bangaal will ride you till sundown! I'll bet that has you quite motivated, does it not, Lavender Vin?" the genie giggled, running one finger along the cut of your jawline teasingly and grinning a cheeky grin. "Do it for the sex, yes! You love sex. Yes?" She made a strong argument...{endif}{if Liens = True}

As your eyes fell on Liens, she scowled and threw her hands up in a frustrated gesture. "What? No. I can easily tame a bull. That's true. From the ground. With a machine. I can't ride one. Never going to happen. Someone else can do this. Not me." That was really no surprise-- even in combat, Liens didn't want to throw herself at an opponent and fight hand to hand. This was the kind of brutish task a high-minded inventor like her didn't mesh well with at all.{endif}

The barker, a gentleman dressed with a bandit's kerchief over the top half of his face and brown riding leathers over his lanky frame, as though "highwayman" was an appropriate monster to choose for the parade, approached you with a grin. "Saw ya'll starin' and noticed the two lovely ladies on yer arm, my friend! How's about it? Yer manhood's on the line, I'd say! Why not git up on there and show ol' Broadside what ya got? Bull's name is Broadside, don't know if I mentioned that." He pointed a thumb over his shoulder at the behemoth of a beast.

You asked if there was any reward for doing it.

"Peeshaw! I just said yer manhood's at stake! What more reward do ya need?" he scoffed, giving the biggest, most shite-eating grin you'd seen, at least since that corrupted guard checkpoint from your first adventure. It was not hard at all to see why nobody else was trying to do this...

Broadside gave you a **** glare as he stamped the ground with weighty hooves, letting you know he had no problem being the bone-crushing end of your great, prophesied quest.