Chapter 48: A Grand Game (5)

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"Racing isn't just about winning; it's about pushing your limits, conquering your fears, and finding out what you're truly made of."

- Jake Nitro, (Speed Symphony)

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<(Omniscient POV)> 

"Greetings, my dear Sakaarians! This is your beloved and handsome Grandmaster, the overlord of Sakaar, and creator of the Contests of Champions of Sakaar. I have some exciting news for you all. As you all might know, I have been feeling quite generous and bored for some time lately, so I have decided to host a special cart race across the planet today, where the winner will get the ultimate prize: the ownership of SAKAAR! Yes, you heard me right. Whoever crosses the finish line first will become the new ruler of this trash... wonderful planet, while I myself will retire from the stressful position. Sounds fun, right?

But of course, there is a catch. The race will not be easy. It will be filled with treacherous dangers and obstacles along the way, like the ride by the Devil's Anus, facing my champion head-on, and many many other surprises. The cart drivers will not only have to compete with others, some of whom may not play fair but also will have to use whatever carts they can find on Sakaar or build from the scraps that the Great Portal has brought us. No flying, no teleporting, no cheating. Just pure SKILL AND LUCK.

The race will start in just a few moments, so hurry up and buy your ticket now. Remember, one lucky viewer among you will even have the chance to get my autograph. The race will begin at the Grand Arena and end at the Palace of the Grandmaster. Holographic signs and checkpoints will mark the perilous course. You will have to pass through all the checkpoints to qualify. The first racer to reach the Palace and touch my statue will be declared the winner and the new owner of Sakaar. The rest will get nothing but glory and bruises and might even end up as nasty bloodstains on the road.

So, what are you waiting for? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the most entertaining and adrenaline-fueling race in the galaxy. Get your tickets now... Or you can watch the race on the big screen nearest you and cheer for your favorite racer. You can also download the Grandmaster Rocks app and get a premium subscription to view the entire race from the comfort of your home as well. Either way, it will be a grand spectacle like no other, the race of the century. The race for SAAAAKAAAAAAAAR. Don't miss it!"

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<(Atem POV) >

"He is a fucking lunatic." I could not help but comment as the giant hologram of the Grandmaster disappeared from the sky above the city after finishing advertising the race.

"You think? There is a reason why everybody in Sakaar hates him. People are starving here every day, and all the great lord of the Games could think about is the next big spectacle. Also, who would be idiot enough to get a subscription to that app of his? It has nothing except death games filled with blood and shit." Brunhilde responded in an angry tone as she made a few last-minute changes to the vehicle in front of her.

"Hey guys, guess what? I paid for a premium-plus subscription to the Grandmaster Rocks app. I even got a 10% discount as well. We will be able to watch the race highlights and best moments of the contest here. The experts are even predicting that the Grandmaster would be the one to win this race..." Korg at that very moment came running inside the room with a big and happy smile on his face, looking like he was immensely proud of himself. "What happened? Why are you guys looking at me like that?" Korg asked with some confusion as he looked at the both of us staring at him with sympathetic faces. 

"No reason Korg. No reason at all... By the way, are those three gone?" I asked after releasing a small chuckle.

"Yeah, they went to fetch the other guy that you mentioned, the grimful Ben. They said that they would meet up with us at the racing arena. The four even drove their respective carts there." Korg answered us while sitting beside the pod that Brunhilde was working on. "Wow, this is the coolest cart I have ever seen on Sakaar. I think I will like one after we free the planet. Miss Scary Warrior Lady, can you make one for me as well after Atem wins?"

"Fuck off"

"... Curious. My mother said that exact same thing to my father before he left home to buy some milk for me, although for some reason he never did return. I think he might have been looking for some really extra rare type of milk. Only if he knew that I am lactose intolerant... Ah, I miss him." The huge stone guy said with a deep sigh.

"..."

"..."

"Please hurry up Brunhilde. I think I am going to be severely depressed if I continue listening to his stories." I nudged the Valkyrie to hurry up after feeling the heavy sad atmosphere. She didn't protest and instead just nodded with a serious expression. 

All of our racing pods were built according to the basic rules of the tournament by Reed and Brunhilde using the numerous vehicles that Valkyrie had in her garage along with Johnny's 'expert' advice. They strictly adhered to the code about how the vehicles should be, which meant that they did not have any flying capabilities except minor hovering. They could not teleport as well but they did have numerous weapons installed in them because for some reason, using weapons in the race wasn't banned. 

However, despite all our pods being fitted with extreme levels of tech designed by Reed himself to prove his competence, mine was the most unique, not only because the two had worked on it tirelessly the entire night to make it into our trump card but also because I had been silently weaving my own magic into the car in the form of runes and active spells. From the levitation charm to the acceleration charm, my pod had it all to minimize friction and maximize speed. 

Besides those, I had also used runes to inscribe the shield charm into our vehicles to protect us but I didn't know how effective they would be in large explosions.

Frankly, I knew the Grandmaster was going to cheat, even though I had no idea just how much. But, his efforts wouldn't mean anything because no matter what he would throw at me, I could counter. Defeating me in a race where I wasn't being bound by an absolute force to keep me from cheating wasn't something he could manage that easily. 

***

<(Susan Storm, aka, Invisible Woman POV)> 

"Johnny, you guard the pods, make sure that they are safe, and nobody tampers with them. Reed and I will go and fetch Ben from his room." I instructed my brother before walking straight to the room we left Ben in without uttering a single word. 

I was extremely nervous, my stomach itself seemed to be churning with panic as I made my way to Ben's room. The race was going to start in a few more hours and we barely had any time to practice.

I was the one with the second least amount of experience in driving here. Reed was even worse than me in driving but at least he understood everything about the technology of the pods since he made them which would give him an edge. I on the other hand had no such edge except for the fact that I had recently discovered that I could cast some sort of forcefield to protect myself as well as slightly bend light to some degree which I doubted would be enough to help Atem in any way. 

Yes, Atem. He was the one we were betting on to triumph in this tournament and get us home by winning us some fuel. At first, I was confused about why Atem even agreed to race instead of just trading that crystal of his with the Grandmaster for a ship but I finally realized something later. He didn't do it for the ship at all. He did it because he wanted to free the citizens. 

He was a selfless leader, a savior, and a protector and he could not change himself just because he had traveled to another planet. No, he remained the same hero, only this time, he was fighting for an entire planet instead of just a single race which was the most commendable thing I had ever seen someone do. He proved that he was a caring god unlike us who only selfishly thought about just getting back home. The others realized this too and that was why they never questioned his actions. 

Instead, we did everything we could to help and win this race. We had already made up a plan, a very impressive plan. The four of us would be there to grab the Grandmaster's attention while Atem would focus on winning the race. And, Ben was key in this because he was the most talented in driving stuff, be it cars or spaceships. He was even better than Johnny. 

"What the hell happened here?" Reed's voice suddenly broke me out of my thoughts as I focused my attention on the huge dents on our room's door. They looked like something had been trying to break out of the room using massive pillars or something. "Maybe Ben left the room to go somewhere else and this was used to house some sort of beast... I think we should come back with some backup." Reed guessed as he tried to back away.

Ignoring him, I pressed the button beside the entrance, instantly opening the door. The room inside was completely destroyed with even the bed torn to shreds like a piece of cloth. Smashed pieces of stones and rocks littered everywhere as dust floated in the air. 

And among it all, stood a bulky orange-colored stone man. He looked like he was completely made of stones with dry orange stones covering every single portion of his body.

"Are you by any chance related to Korgggggghhh..." Reed could not complete his sentence as the creature attacked the scientist faster than I could cast my forcefield. It looked like... the thing was angry at Reed for some reason since it ignored everything around it including me to pound Reed to his heart's content, raining punch after punch on Reed's weak body.

"Stop," I yelled as I cast a forcefield between the two to separate them which quickly did the trick and stopped Reed from being punched into a bloody mess.

I then used my utmost focus to encircle the orange man thing inside my barrier, trying to contain him even though I knew that my barrier wouldn't last long against his concrete-shattering blows. However, contrasting to my expectations, he didn't try to break away from my forcefield. Instead, he instantly calmed down as he took a look at me and steadied his rapid breathing. 

"Reed, are you alright?" I asked hoping that the man hadn't already been reduced to a stain of blood on the floor.

As the dust settled and the scientist's body finally became visible, I was horrified at the scene before me. Reed's entire body was twisted as he lay on the floor, his arms bent in a weird shape with half of his face caved in. A portion of his chest where his ribs were supposed to be was completely flattened and his legs stomped like a piece of bubblegum squashed under someone's shoe. However, despite all that, he still seemed to be breathing and conscious.

"I don't think so. I think I have broken every bone in my body and twisted every muscle known to humankind. I don't even how I am alive... or talking. Hell, I can't even feel any pain." Reed somehow uttered desperately as his limbs began to shake and slowly return to their original shape.

Soon, he returned to his exact normal form, his body looking completely human and undamaged like nothing had ever damaged it. 

"You are lucky that you have powers too Reed. Because I really want to kill you. After all, YOU are the one who made me like this." The stone thing yelled in anger as he pointed at the smartest man alive. However, something in his voice was really familiar like... I knew him very well... Wait a minute...

"BEN?" Both Reed and I yelled together in shock.

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