Chapter 40: Race Time

The shimmering portal to the first room, "Arcane Ascent," loomed ahead as Jay and his team rumbled forward in their new mechanized carts. The glowing runes on the walls pulsed in rhythmic patterns, casting flickering light across the chamber.

The carts responded to their uncertain touch with jerky movements, swerving unpredictably as the adventurers tried to figure out how to control them. Each member’s face was a mix of determination and confusion as they rolled into the first obstacle course.

"Alright, team," Jay called out from his cart, gripping the steering wheel with white-knuckled intensity. His psionic energy flared slightly as he tried to stabilize his cart’s erratic movements. "This can’t be worse than learning to drive a horse-drawn wagon."

Lirien, the lithe half-elf rogue, twisted her wheel sharply, her cart lurching forward before spinning in place. "I hate this thing already! It’s like wrestling with a drunk goat!"

Tomas, the human cleric, looked equally frazzled, his cart bumping along as he alternated between pressing the accelerator and brake. "It would help if someone explained what all these pedals do!" he shouted, his voice strained.

"Left is stop, right is go!" Tink the gnome artificer called out from her cart, which was veering dangerously close to the edge of the track. She yanked her wheel frantically, the cart wobbling but miraculously staying on course. "I think. Or maybe it’s the other way around!"

Baldric, the dwarven fighter, leaned forward in his cart, his heavy hands gripping the controls with more force than finesse. "This contraption's trying to kill me! I’ll smash it before it does!"

"No smashing the carts!" Jay snapped, narrowly avoiding a collision with Baldric as their carts nearly tangled. "We need these to get through the dungeon!"

Ahead of them, the track twisted and climbed in an intricate spiral, dotted with floating platforms that shimmered with arcane energy. The platforms shifted erratically, tilting back and forth as if daring the adventurers to try crossing.

"Alright, let’s do this," Jay said, his voice filled with a mix of resolve and resignation. He pressed the accelerator tentatively, his cart inching forward. "Stay together, and for the love of the gods, don’t hit each other."

The first platform loomed ahead, its surface flickering with magical light. Jay’s cart hit the incline, and the platform tilted sharply to one side. He overcorrected, the cart fishtailing dangerously before he managed to steady it.

"Not so bad," Jay muttered, just as Baldric’s cart roared past him at full speed.

"Outta my way!" Baldric bellowed, his cart slamming onto the platform and causing it to tilt violently. The sudden movement sent Jay’s cart skidding to the edge.

"BALDRIC!" Jay yelled, throwing his weight to the side to keep from tipping over.

"Sorry, boss!" Baldric called back, though his booming laughter suggested he wasn’t all that sorry.

Behind them, Tink let out a startled squeak as her cart spun in circles, the wheels screeching against the track. "Why does this thing hate me?!"

"You have to steer, Tink!" Lirien shouted, though her own cart was wobbling dangerously close to Tomas’s.

"I AM steering!" Tink retorted, yanking the wheel hard. Her cart lurched forward, narrowly avoiding a collision with a floating gear that hung ominously in mid-air.

The team pushed onward, the carts jerking and swerving as they tried to navigate the increasingly chaotic track. The second platform tilted upward as they approached, glowing runes flashing along its edges. A sudden burst of magical energy shot out, sending the platform spinning like a top.

Jay’s eyes widened as his cart barreled toward the spinning platform. "Brace yourselves!" he shouted, gripping the wheel tightly. He timed his approach, pressing the accelerator just as the platform aligned with the next section of track. His cart shot forward, landing with a jarring thud.

"Made it!" he called back, though his voice was shaky.

"Speak for yourself!" Tomas yelled, his cart hitting the platform at the wrong angle. It spun wildly, nearly throwing him out before he managed to regain control. "Why did I agree to this?"

Lirien was next, her rogue reflexes kicking in as she expertly maneuvered her cart across the spinning platform. "Piece of cake," she said with a smirk, though the sweat on her brow suggested otherwise.

Baldric and Tink followed, their carts bouncing and skidding as they crossed. Tink let out a triumphant cheer as she landed safely on the other side. Baldric, on the other hand, slammed his fist on the dashboard of his cart.

"This thing's got a death wish," he grumbled.

The track narrowed as they ascended, the floating gears growing more erratic. Sparks flew as one gear fired a bolt of energy across the path, narrowly missing Jay’s cart.

"Keep moving!" Jay yelled, urging his team forward.

Lirien dodged another burst of energy, her cart swerving gracefully around a tight corner. "Is it just me, or is this dungeon trying harder to kill us than usual?"

"It’s not just you," Tomas muttered, ducking instinctively as a gear fired another bolt above his head.

The final stretch of the room was a steep incline dotted with tilting platforms. The carts roared up the slope, the adventurers clinging to their controls as the platforms shifted under their weight.

Jay reached the top first, his cart teetering dangerously on the edge before tipping forward and careening down the other side. "Hold on!" he shouted, his voice nearly lost in the rush of wind.

One by one, the team followed, their carts hurtling down the slope at breakneck speed. The track twisted sharply at the bottom, and the adventurers struggled to keep their carts from veering off-course.

"Stop! STOP!" Jay yelled, slamming his own brake pedal just in time to make the turn.

The others followed suit, their carts screeching as they rounded the bend. Tink’s cart wobbled dangerously but managed to stay on the track.

As they finally exited the room, the team let out a collective sigh of relief. The track leveled out, and the glowing runes faded behind them.

"That was… intense," Lirien said, her voice shaky.

Stolen novel; please report.

"That was awesome!" Baldric countered, his grin wide despite the sweat on his brow.

Jay turned to face his team, his expression a mix of exhaustion and exhilaration. "We survived. But something tells me this is just the beginning."

Jay and his team rolled to the entrance of the next chamber, their carts humming softly as they lined up in front of the shimmering barrier that marked the threshold to the second room, “The Shifting Gauntlet.” The tension was palpable as they glanced at each other, the glow of the room ahead casting flickering light on their faces.

“This room better not have spinning platforms,” Lirien muttered, gripping her wheel as her cart idled in place.

“It’s a dungeon,” Tink said with a wry grin, adjusting the strap of her goggles. “You think they’re going to take it easy on us?”

Baldric, already leaning forward in his cart with eager anticipation, snorted. “Let it throw what it’s got at us! I’m ready to crush anything that gets in my way.”

“You were ready to crush the cart in the last room, too,” Jay quipped, his psionic energy swirling faintly around his hands as he adjusted his focus. “Let’s try to stay in one piece, yeah?”

They entered the shimmering barrier with a soft hiss, revealing the room beyond. The Shifting Gauntlet was a sprawling maze of crisscrossing tracks, shifting walls, and mechanical sentries perched on elevated platforms. Traps glimmered faintly, their mechanisms ready to activate as the team approached. Above it all, a faint hum filled the air, signaling the constant movement of the obstacles within.

“Alright, team,” Jay said, gripping the wheel of his cart. “We’re getting the hang of these things. Let’s use what we learned and keep our heads.”

“Except Baldric,” Tomas said with a smirk. “He tends to lose his.”

Baldric grunted, unamused, and hit the accelerator. His cart lurched forward, tires squealing as he raced into the room. “Catch me if you can!”

“Baldric, wait!” Jay shouted, but the dwarf was already barreling ahead, his cart weaving clumsily as he navigated the shifting track.

The others exchanged exasperated glances before following suit, their carts humming to life as they accelerated into the gauntlet.

The first section of the room featured a series of shifting walls that moved in timed patterns, creating narrow passages that opened and closed in unpredictable intervals. Above, mechanical sentries armed with crossbows rotated on turrets, their glowing eyes scanning the room for targets.

Jay followed behind Baldric, his psionic energy flaring as he focused on timing the movements of the walls. “Stay close and watch the patterns. We’ve got this!”

Lirien followed with precision, her smaller frame allowing her to maneuver her cart deftly. She darted through the first gap just as the walls shifted, her sharp reflexes keeping her ahead of the group.

Behind her, Tink muttered to herself, twisting her wheel as she tried to avoid the sentries’ line of sight. “Just gotta stay out of their way… easy, right?”

A crossbow bolt whizzed past her head, and she yelped. “Okay, not so easy!”

Tomas drove cautiously, his cart hugging the inside of the track. His shield was propped against the side of his cart, ready to deflect any incoming projectiles. “Keep moving! Don’t give them a chance to aim!”

Baldric, meanwhile, took a more aggressive approach. His cart roared ahead, swerving wildly as he smashed through a series of crates scattered along the track. The noise drew the attention of the sentries, which swiveled toward him and fired a volley of bolts.

“Is that all you’ve got?” Baldric bellowed, raising his arm to shield his face as one of the bolts struck his cart’s frame, leaving a shallow dent.

“Baldric, slow down!” Jay called, his voice tinged with frustration.

“No time for slow!” Baldric replied, his cart skidding as he barely avoided one of the closing walls. “This is how you take a dungeon by storm!”

The team regrouped at the next section, where the tracks split into three lanes. Each path was lined with writhing Trapvine Creepers, their thorny tendrils reaching hungrily for anything that passed too close.

“This is new,” Lirien said, her voice wary. “Those things look nasty.”

“Keep your speed steady,” Jay instructed, scanning the paths with his psionic sense. “And don’t let them grab your cart.”

As they began to navigate the lanes, the creepers lashed out, their vines slamming against the carts with alarming force. Tink squealed as one tendril wrapped around her rear wheel, but a quick jolt of speed snapped it loose.

“Ha! Nice try!” she crowed, glancing back at the writhing vines.

Jay used his psionic energy to push a tendril aside as he passed, his focus intense. “Everyone okay?”

“We’re good,” Lirien replied, her cart weaving between the vines with surprising grace. “But Baldric’s—”

The sentence cut off as a loud crunch echoed through the room. Baldric’s cart had plowed straight into a dense cluster of vines, his reckless speed leaving him vulnerable. The creepers latched onto his cart, their thorny tendrils snaking toward him.

“Baldric!” Tomas shouted, slamming his brake to avoid a collision.

“I’m fine!” Baldric grunted, swinging his hammer to fend off the vines. But one tendril managed to wrap around his arm, its thorns digging into his skin.

With a roar of pain, Baldric yanked his arm free, blood dripping from the shallow cuts. “You’ll have to try harder than that!”

Jay growled in frustration, his cart skidding to a halt as he extended his psionic energy toward Baldric’s cart. With a concentrated effort, he pried the vines loose, freeing the dwarf’s vehicle.

“Move, Baldric!” Jay ordered, his tone sharp.

“On it!” Baldric replied, wincing as he pushed the accelerator and sped out of the trap’s range.

The final section of the gauntlet was a winding loop filled with swinging pendulums and rotating platforms. The team approached cautiously, their earlier struggles giving way to a growing sense of confidence.

“This isn’t so bad,” Lirien said as she expertly maneuvered her cart through a narrow gap.

“Speak for yourself,” Tink muttered, her cart wobbling precariously as she avoided a pendulum. “I feel like I’m one bump away from disaster.”

Jay led the charge, his movements smooth and deliberate as he guided his cart through the obstacles. “We’re getting the hang of this. Keep it up!”

Even Baldric, despite his injury, managed to navigate the course with more precision. “See? Told you I’d figure it out.”

“You also figured out how to bleed all over your cart,” Tomas retorted, pointing at the trail of blood droplets on the track.

“Battle scars,” Baldric replied with a grin. “Adds character.”

As the team cleared the final obstacle and exited the room, they exchanged relieved glances. Their confidence had grown, and despite the challenges, they were starting to feel like they had a handle on the dungeon’s new mechanics.

“Two rooms down,” Jay said, his voice firm. “Let’s keep this momentum going.”

The door to the next room loomed ahead, its surface etched with glowing runes. The team rolled forward, ready to face whatever challenges awaited them next.