"That’s the spirit. We're going to win." Nora was ready. "I’ll find the best path in the race."

"Ah, you two are perfect for this event, but I’m useless for the race. It's obvious that I’m only filler because I can’t do anything—"

"Rebecca, you’re doing it again." Emily interrupted her.

"Sorry, old habits die hard." Rebecca had been working on the way she talked about herself for the past year.

"It’s fine I will always be here to make you remember your promise. Don't think you’re filler, but instead our hidden ace."

"Hidden ace?"

"Yes, you really think that paranoid guy is going to send you as filler. Silas doesn’t want you to reveal your power in case we need to fight. But that doesn’t mean you can’t do anything. If we’re in a pinch and neither Nora’s nor my power can find a way out, we’re counting on you."

"Ok, I’ll try!" After boosting Rebecca's confidence, they turn to look at their opponents.

"Representing the Crimson Caravan, we have another master taking center stage! The one who knows the value of any treasure. The Lord of Relics, the Snake of Trickery, Sertis Agun!"

On top of an elegant cart adorned with jewels was a giant snake. His body was covered in green scales, and he wore a purple cape on his back. He was about five meters tall, and his yellow eyes were entrancing.

"Ah, is it time to race? It has been a long time; who are the fools who challenge me?" Sertis' hissing was pleasant to the ears, not too loud or too quiet. He looked over at Emily and the others. The big yellow eyes scanned the women with total focus. After a few seconds, he finished.

"Interesting, the system's new pets. I wonder what you can do." He announced it with arrogance, and the other members cheered for him.

He’s underestimating us, but with those beasts, I can see why. Emily, look at the two animals pulling the luxurious cart. One looked like a rhino, but his skin was as hard as rocks and his horn as sharp as a blade. The other animal was similar to a dinosaur; she didn’t know much about dinosaurs but could tell the legs of the beast were full of muscles.

Those two plus Sertis were going to be the team for the second game.

"With both teams present, please take your positions at the starting line." There was a clear difference between the teams. On one side, strong animals pulled the wealthy cart, with their master resting on top. On the other, a wood cart mixed with metal was pulled by two girls, one of whom looked like a half-breed, and a little woman on top was covered in armor.

The subordinates couldn’t help but laugh at the difference. They were confident in their victory. Emily ignored the laughs and mocking; she was only paying attention to the race and Sertis.

"Damn, this is not going to be easy. That snake is looking down on us, but I don’t see any trace of mercy in his eyes. He wants to crush us and be done with it."

"So, you’re saying we can’t hope for a victory by pretending to be weak? In that case, we better don’t hold back." Nora connected their minds in a moment, and her power dispelled the doubts and anxiety. The three hearts had a single objective.

"You’re awesome, Nora."

"You can praise us after we win."

"The obstacle race is marked by the red and white lines in the sand. You can’t leave the track, or you’ll be disqualified. If your cart is out of bounds, the whole team is disqualified. The cart that completes one lap first is the winner. As before, direct violence is forbidden, but you can push each other’s carts if you’re close. Those are the rules. Any questions?"

"No."

"All fine."

Emily and Sertis gave the go-ahead, and David raised a flag. "Then I declare to start in three, two, one, go!"

Once the flag waved, Sertis and his team ran straight ahead. The two beasts ran without delay and left a curtain of dust behind. Right behind them, Emily and Nora were running with their cart.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

"I knew it; he’s not going to give us the slimmest chance." She was pulling the cart with all her strength, but she was never going to catch up.

"We have no choice; better do it now before they get too far ahead."

She put one hand on the ground, and the other grasped her orb. The magic traveled below the sand, and suddenly a road of vines and roots sprouted. The green path moved them on its own. They didn’t have to pull anymore; Emily’s magic was moving the cart at top speed.

"That’s cheating!" Some of the subordinates complained, but David shut them up by explaining.

"No, this is allowed. It was never required that the cart be pulled, only that it complete the lap without going out of bounds. Dawn is caught up with Sertis!"

The green path was faster than the beasts. Sertis looked at them with delight. "Magic, interesting. I didn’t think a species like yours could wield the same magic as the Bors. But don’t get too tired; we’re just beginning."

Sertis only had to shake the reins of the beasts for them to increase the pace. He took the lead, but not for much. "I’m interested in seeing how you deal with the first obstacle."

The field of fire was a maze of metal rods and walls filled with fire. The plants were going to burn; Emily could sustain them for a little longer, but it was going to drain her power. The maze was big, with several dead ends; if they took too long, Emily was going to get exhausted.

"Just like we always do."

Sertis took a road to the left; it was a longer path, but he took it to confuse them in case they tried to follow him. He looked back, but the woman wasn’t even looking in his direction.

"Mmm, interesting. Looks like we both have our own way of finding the exit." He took out a golden eye from his bag. With this relic, he could see the correct path toward the exit. It didn’t take him more than a minute to reach the exit.

"Sertis is the first one to pass the fire field. Wait, there is another cart coming out!"

Just as David announced, Dawn’s team came with some burns on the side of their cart. "Good work, team!" Emily yelled to the others as she made her way back to the sand, following the snake.

Nora’s power showed her the way to the exit; she only had to follow the yellow light, and they avoided spending too much time in the maze. They were right in the back of Sertis’s cart.

"Interesting, interesting! a power similar to my eye of Ruk. Oh, to be blessed by the System, I wonder what power it would give me. You’re lucky."

"Lucky? You think being taken from our home and having to transform into half a plant is lucky? I guess you have low expectations."

A wall of roots came in front of Sertis, and the animals were trapped in wild vines. It only slowed them down for a moment, but it was enough for her to take the lead. "If you stay still, I’ll ask the System to give you a power the next time I talk with him."

"My apologies; I can’t lose no matter what." The beasts resumed the race after breaking and biting the vines from their bodies.

Emily was in the lead, and she saw the next obstacle. The wall of crushing was a series of walls that opened and closed every five seconds. The walls were built with solid brick stones that could crush a cart in a single blow. To cross safely, they needed to calculate the time intervals between the walls opening.

"I see it. Nine walls, we can pass without stopping if we follow the rhythm." Nora made it more apparent with her power, but Emily was the one who needed it to do it perfectly.

She stopped in front of the wall for ten seconds to watch the rhythm and then advanced. The walls crashed with force in front and behind, but they made it to the other side in one piece.

"Excellent Emily, only one more and then straight to the finish line."

She looked back at the walls, but Sertis was still behind her. The snake smiled and activated another of his relics. The purple mantle on his back turned into a dome of crystal, but it was stronger than any defense.

"I have to congratulate them. Make me use the Mantle of Defense in a race. Maybe I haven’t been careful enough. Perhaps I became too arrogant and abandoned you to grow weak and lazy," he said to his pets.

Unlike most animals or elementals in the caravan, these two were tamed by Sertis himself. If they weren’t good enough, he had to take responsibility. The beasts felt fear for their lives without having to look back. A yellow eye looked at them with murderous intent.

"If we lose, I’m killing one of you. Do your best to prove your worth to me." With that threat, the animals roared and charged at the walls.

Thanks to the Mantle of Defense, the powerful walls were broken. They advanced without fear, and the stone crumbled at their feet. The cart was like a cannon ball with only one purpose: victory.

"He just ran through the walls like they were paper. He must have some relic for defense." Rebecca yelled while looking behind.

"We’re getting close to the last obstacle. I'm going to use all my stamina!" Emily's magic flowed down, and the speed increased. She was entering the Lake of Poison.

It was a small pond they dug in a couple of hours and filled with a deadly poison. The only way to not touch it was to cross over the water. The roots made a bridge, and they ran on top. At the same time, Sertis and his beasts managed to catch up.

"How are they running over water?"

Sertis was holding a ring on his tongue. "Ring of Levitation. It was a good try."

The rhino pushed the cart with all his weight to try to throw them out of bounds. The poisonous water splashed on their bodies.

"Ahg, it hurts!" Emily’s face and right eye were burning with pain.

"I’ll heal you!" Rebecca tried to help, but the rhino kept hitting the cart. Sertis took the lead and left them behind. There was no time to heal, and the finish line was right in front.

She couldn’t think of anything to help, but an idea came to her mind like lightning. It was a risky move, but the only way to win.