Engines roared throughout the track as motorists pushed their skills to the limit and circled the massive stadium. The exercise pitted teams of warriors against each other to test their abilities as combatants, strategists, and riders. Only the absolute best riders would win.
Two broad shouldered figures garbed from head to toe in black uniforms took the lead, each trying to break ahead of the other despite representing the same team. A smaller rider kept third, donning the same black garments and matching their pace. Petite hands squeezed the handlebars. The motor’s hum reverberated through her entire body and electrified the blood coursing through her veins. The powerful machine under her could win. Her confidence flared. Her pulse quickened. She was one of the best. She could win.
But that wasn’t the plan, her conscience nagged in the same voice as their team’s strategist. The girl stifled the urge to speed ahead and instead teased the intense pair at the front through the communication system embedded in their helmets. “Is your old rivalry heating up again, boys? I can be the ace next time if you can’t handle the pressure.”
“Jealous, Ori?” Cassian’s voice sounded through her speaker with amusement. She could tell that he already knew all about how she longed to overtake them in the race. “We’re betting on the first round of drinks tonight. You two want to join in? Might make the game more interesting.”
So far, the three of them and her brother were the only riders to begin the final lap. They had a good start and maintained the upper hand. As far as she knew, the coast was clear, but they couldn’t get too cocky. Unfortunately, she and her teammates had developed a taste for victory over the years, and pride had crept into their ranks. They maintained a near perfect record in the quarterly performance assessments and only considered a few others of their peers real challenges.
The six riders dressed in black made up the Alpha Team, a squad of ambitious recruits from across the empire. Cass and Ciel, close combat experts, took the lead as soon as the race began. Then, their competitive natures turned on each other, exactly as Sabino planned. Nothing spurred them on like the chance to show the other up in an assessment, especially when they didn’t have anything to lose. Sabino’s strategy worked like a charm, as usual. While Cass and Ciel competed at the very front, Aurelia and Milo dispatched the other teams’ lead riders, thinning out the competition until they caught up with their teammates. Their last two riders, Sabino and Dante, came up at the tail of their maneuver, using their long distance prowess to hold back the other teams. Sabino’s tactics were effective but not infallible, and they often forgot to keep on guard when he was quiet.
“Absolutely not!” Milo indignantly shut down Cassian’s invitation to make a wager.
“Lighten up, Miles, it’s just a race,” Cass taunted in a goading tone.
“I’m not falling for that! You guys say that it’s the first round of drinks, but it always ends with swapping chore duties. Last time, it was double or nothing.”
“What’s got you so wound up?” Ori wondered aloud. “I thought your stipend came through yesterday.”
“Your brother has his five year anniversary coming up,” Ciel answered on his best friend’s behalf. “Did you tell her what you’re getting Bea this year?”
“Nope, don’t tell me,” Ori said quickly before Milo could reply. “I don’t want to know. If she even thinks that I know anything, I won’t get any peace at home, and we all know I’ll ruin any surprises.”
Cassian’s laughter sounded on the line. “You should just hide out with us until the whole thing’s over. I swear Bea can sniff out gifts like a bloodhound. She smells the fear on you, Ori.”
“Hey, at least there’s a gift to be sniffed out,” Milo grumbled. “Aren’t you the one who forgot to plan something for Mads on her last birthday?”
“Sorry to interrupt,” Sabino cut into the conversation with mild annoyance, “but the Beta Team’s heading your way.”
“Above and Below!” Milo cursed. “I see them. Ori?”
Rival bikers appeared like white ghosts in Ori’s rearview mirrors, mounted on motorbikes fashioned after the silver wyverns of the Golden Age. She drew the grip of a bow from her belt. Her brother’s emerald dual swords flashed in her mirror, and she swiveled in her seat to lend her support.
“Looks like you’ll have to finish your bets sooner than later. We’ll cover you.”
Ori’s finger brushed the ruby set where an arrow would rest, activating Divine Light contained within the Cosmic Stone. Two curved blades sprouted from the ethereally radiant stone to complete the long bow's upper and lower arms.
Drawing her arm back, Ori guided the formation of ruby arrows from the Stone and took aim. She let a set of the glowing arrows fly, raining red on the Beta Team. Their competitors’ lead rider evaded her onslaught, but their second rider veered off course when one arrow skewered his headlight.
“The curve’s coming up,” Milo warned through the speakers.
She spared a glance ahead to check her distance before the curve. With just enough time before the turn, Ori generated another set of arrows. She released them upon the bikes chasing her brother. The attack decommissioned two more riders, but the last arrow missed its mark and struck the road.
The remaining riders caught up to Milo. Ori switched her attention back to steering and balanced her bike. Her free hand found the handlebar, and she switched tactics. Revving the engine and drawing more power from the bike’s core, she sped up with the intention of clearing the curve before her opponent could pass her.
Behind her, Milo plunged his sword into the track, tearing up a trail of rubble in his wake. Amethyst daggers flashed in her periphery, batting aside whatever pieces would have stopped the rider. He targeted Milo, and the last competitor flew towards her.
Ori cursed under her breath, gauging how long she had until the opponent caught up to her. She didn’t have time to shake him, but she could fight him off. Her hold on the weapon’s grip altered, ready to utilize the curved blades in close combat. The white bike came up beside her. The other rider drew in dangerously close on her left. There wasn’t much road left on her right. He intended to force her off the track - an instant disqualification for her.
Her pride refused to let her yield.
If she gave up here, she would be jeopardizing their two aces and their team’s record for the year.
Ori pulled her leg up and shifted her center of gravity, just barely maintaining her balance.
Her opponent closed the distance between them. He swiped at her with an ochre dagger. She narrowly parried it with her bow’s lower arm. The track curved on a hill, and momentum pulled her bike down. Pushing his blade away, she shifted her weight and locked the back tire. The bike slid. She freed her weapon and cleared the curve.
Her pulse thundered in her throat, adrenaline pumping in her veins and Cosmic power thrumming from her bike. The maneuver worked, but it only seemed to infuriate her opponent.
“Finish line?” she snapped, barely putting enough distance between her and her opponent to avoid another strike from his dagger. She couldn’t see Ciel or Cass anymore, and she didn’t risk searching for them while fending off the attacking rider.
“I see it! We’re almost there!”
“Hold them a little longer, Ori.”
“Hurry up,” she grunted back. The biker relentlessly demanded her attention, and his blows became more insistent as if he could tell that he didn’t have her undivided attention. No matter what she did, he invaded her space. He made it clear that he didn’t care about winning. He wanted to run her off course - to beat her. She knew she could keep him at bay long enough for her team to secure the win, so she made it her goal to outlast him. Ori took the offensive and swung at his shoulder with the lower half-blade of her bow. His dagger successfully blocked her attack, but it didn’t matter. Time was up. They won.
The buzzer sounded. Its cry declared the end of their race. Cheers from her teammates notified her of their certain victory. Her body relaxed for a moment, confident in their success, but the weight from her opponent’s blade pressed on.
The bike next to hers didn’t slow.
Without warning, he engaged the stone core built into the hilt of his blade.
His dagger burst into a sword.
Ori threw her weight away from the attacker. She barely reacted in time to the sudden offensive play. She leaned as far away as possible. Her motorbike toppled onto its side. She let go as it fell, still trying to escape the blade’s sudden length. Then, her body flew into the air.
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