The countdown finished, the blaring sound of the horn echoed through the air, and the Iron Resolve team surged forward—or at least, they tried to.

Jake’s cart jerked forward awkwardly, veering sharply to the left. “Whoa! This thing’s as stubborn as a mule!” he shouted, yanking at the wheel as if it were reins.

Bell, right behind him, slammed on his pedal and rammed into Jake’s cart with a loud clang. “Move it, Jake! I’m not here to play bump carts with you!”

“Not my fault!” Jake yelled back, still wrestling with the controls. “This thing’s got a mind of its own!”

Phil’s cart wobbled as he oversteered, clipping a barrier and bouncing off it. “Great. This is exactly how I wanted to die—crushed by a runaway contraption!”

“Relax, Phil,” Mitch said, his own cart spinning in circles as he tried to correct his path. “If you’re going to crash, at least make it look heroic. Maybe aim for a trap or something!”

“Like you’re one to talk!” Phil snapped as Mitch’s cart bumped into his.

Carah, struggling to control her own cart, shouted, “Why did they make these things so hard to steer? Is this part of the challenge?!”

“Probably,” Sarah grunted, her cart fishtailing wildly. “I mean, it is a dungeon—what did you expect? A smooth ride and complimentary drinks?”

“Would it have killed them to give us reins instead of this stupid wheel?” Bell growled as his cart slammed into a low barrier, sending him jolting forward.

The track was chaos. Carts bumped into each other, crashed into obstacles, and skidded dangerously close to the edges of the track. Jake managed to get his cart under control for a moment before plowing into a stack of barrels. “Seriously?! Why is this thing so jumpy?”

“Maybe it doesn’t like you!” Bell called out, swerving to avoid the same barrels. “Though I can’t blame it—your driving’s terrible!”

Jake glared over his shoulder. “You’ve hit three walls already, Bell! Don’t talk to me about bad driving!”

“Testing their durability,” Bell shot back with a smirk. “You’re welcome.”

Phil groaned as his cart bounced off another obstacle, rattling him in his seat. “Does this thing come with instructions? Because I think mine’s broken!”

“It’s not broken,” Mitch teased, struggling to keep his cart straight. “It’s just trying to escape your terrible steering.”

Carah, trying desperately to catch up to the others, muttered under her breath, “Next time someone asks us to try something new, remind me to say no.”

Sarah, finally managing to get her cart moving in a straight line, called out, “Come on, Carah! If we don’t figure this out soon, Jake’s going to beat us all—and nobody wants that!”

“Hey!” Jake shouted indignantly. “I heard that!”

The team’s early struggles were a comical disaster. Every bump, crash, and near miss was met with yells, groans, and occasional laughter.

As they moved further along the track, though, they started to get the hang of it. Jake, now driving with some confidence, glanced back at the others. “Alright, I think I’ve got it!”

“Good for you,” Bell muttered, narrowly avoiding another wall. “The rest of us are still trying not to die.”

“Speak for yourself,” Mitch called out, finally managing to straighten his cart out. “I think I’m getting pretty good at this!”

His cart promptly hit a pole, and he jolted forward in his seat.

Phil burst out laughing. “Yeah, you’ve got it alright! Maybe next time aim for the open track instead of the scenery!”

As the chaos began to settle, the team found themselves laughing at their earlier struggles.

Bell, now driving more confidently, glanced over at Jake. “Alright, so when we’re done, do you think we should give lessons? ‘How Not to Drive a Cart: A Practical Guide by the Iron Resolve.’”

Jake snorted. “Step one: Don’t be us.”

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

The team burst out laughing as they navigated another stretch of the course, their initial frustration giving way to determination and camaraderie. Slowly but surely, they began to feel like they could conquer the challenge ahead.

As they reached an open stretch of track, Jake grinned. “Alright, now we’re getting somewhere. Let’s see who’s got the best driving skills!”

“Easy,” Bell called out, his cart pulling up alongside Jake’s. “It’s me.”

“Not if I have anything to say about it!” Sarah shouted, speeding ahead.

“Race you to the next turn!” Carah added, finally gaining control of her cart.

With laughter and teasing filling the air, the Iron Resolve pushed forward, ready to tackle the dungeon’s challenges.

The Iron Resolve burst into the first room at full speed, the whirring of gears and clanking of mechanisms echoing off the high, torchlit walls. Ahead of them, the path split into three distinct routes, each a gauntlet of deadly hazards. Swinging pendulums of gleaming steel sliced through the air with ruthless precision, while spinning blades jutted from the walls, creating a nightmarish obstacle course. Above, rails crisscrossed the room, carrying clockwork minions armed with crossbows that tracked the team with mechanical precision.

Jake slammed his foot on the pedal, his cart lurching forward as he called out to his team. "Three paths! Pick one and don’t stop driving! If you stop, you’re done for!"

Bell veered left, his axe strapped to the side of his cart rattling as he barreled toward the widest route. "I’ll lead the charge!" he shouted, his deep voice booming over the chaos. The pendulums on this path were larger but spaced farther apart, giving Bell just enough room to swerve between them—until he clipped the edge of one. His cart spun out briefly, tires screeching as he fought to regain control. "I meant to do that!" he bellowed, glancing back at the dent in his cart with a grimace.

Sarah, opting for the middle path, tightened her grip on the steering wheel as she approached a series of spinning blades jutting out from the walls. "Stay calm, stay focused," she muttered under her breath. She weaved through the first set successfully, her cart listing precariously as she maneuvered too close to one of the blades. A loud clang echoed as one of the pendulums scraped across the rear bumper, sending sparks flying through the air. "Well, that’s one way to cut weight," she quipped, though her knuckles remained white on the wheel.

On the rightmost path, Phil gritted his teeth as a volley of crossbow bolts rained down from above. "We’ve got incoming!" he yelled, drawing a hand crossbow while steering one-handed. His aim was true, and his bolt pierced the mechanisms of a clockwork sentry, sending it sparking and tumbling off the rail. He swerved sharply to avoid the debris, barely missing a pressure plate on the floor. "Watch your step—or wheels, in this case!"

Mitch, the halfling, zipped through the middle path after Sarah, his smaller frame allowing him to duck instinctively as a blade swooped down from the ceiling. "This is madness!" he cried, slamming on the brake just in time to avoid a swinging spike trap. His cart fishtailed violently, but he managed to keep from spinning out. "I should’ve stayed home and baked pies!" he grumbled, though his grin betrayed a flicker of excitement.

"Careful, Mitch! There’s a pressure plate ahead!" Carah shouted from just behind him. She was keeping pace on the middle path, her rogue eyes sharp as she used Detect Trap. Mitch rolled his eyes but avoided the trap, only to sideswipe Sarah’s cart.

"Hey! Watch it!" Sarah snapped, barely maintaining her trajectory.

"That’s rich coming from you!" Mitch shot back, swerving wildly to avoid another blade. His cart scraped against the wall, sparks flying as he muttered curses under his breath.

Carah took advantage of the chaos to blast a clockwork sentry perched above the middle path. Her crossbow bolt struck its chest, causing it to freeze up as the gears became jammed. "Two for me!" she called out, a smirk on her face.

"Not a competition!" Parker shouted from the rear, though he couldn’t resist a smirk of his own. Steering his cart with one hand, he conjured an illusionary decoy cart on the left path. The clockwork minions above took the bait, firing bolts at the fake cart while Parker zoomed ahead unscathed. "Okay, maybe it is a little bit of a competition," he admitted.

Meanwhile, Jake’s cart barreled forward on the leftmost path, a group of clockwork foot soldiers spilling out from a hidden alcove ahead. Their claws gleamed menacingly as they closed in. "Not today!" Jake growled, slamming into the group with his cart. The impact sent gears and limbs flying, but one managed to latch onto his cart. Without missing a beat, Jake reached out and yanked it off, tossing it into a nearby spinning blade trap. The creature was shredded instantly. "Keep moving!" he barked, glancing over his shoulder to ensure Bell was still with him.

Bell, who had regained control of his cart, chuckled as he swung his axe mid-drive, cleaving a clockwork soldier in two. "This is more like it!" he shouted, his cart bouncing over the remains.

Ahead, Sarah faced a new challenge: a narrow gap with swinging pendulums on either side. She hesitated for a split second, then gunned the engine, her cart darting through just as the pendulums swung past. "Made it!" she yelled, glancing back to see Mitch following her, albeit less gracefully. His cart clipped one pendulum, spinning him sideways before he managed to straighten out.

"Let’s never do that again," Mitch muttered, his face pale.

As the group neared the exit, the traps seemed to intensify. More clockwork soldiers dropped from above, their claws scratching at the carts as the team fought to push through. Carah fired off another bolt, sending a soldier flying, while Phil picked off sentries with precise shots as well.

Jake reached the exit first, his cart screeching to a halt as he turned to see the rest of his team spilling into the safe zone behind him. One by one, they regrouped, their carts battered but functional.

Bell pounded the side of his cart, a wide grin on his face. "Well, that was fun. What’s next?"

Sarah wiped sweat from her brow, her face a mixture of exhaustion and exhilaration. "Define fun, Bell."

Phil chuckled, nudging Parker. "Not bad for a first try. Let’s hope the next room is easier."

Parker shook his head, a wry smile on his lips. "If this was the warm-up, we’re in trouble."

Jake looked at his team, pride evident in his expression. "We made it through. Let’s keep that momentum going. Ready?"

With nods of agreement—and a few groans—the Iron Resolve pressed onward, their carts rumbling into the unknown as the room reset itself behind them.