“It’s been a long time since I’ve tilted a giant,” he said.
“Wait,” Donut began. “Dong, no. Maybe we can...” But she trailed off. She looked back at me, eyes shining.
We had completed the quest, but we weren’t out of this yet. Grull would leave once Corcunda was gone. And if we waitedtoolong, the Maestro would return.
The elementals were now much closer than Grull, who continued his matter-of-fact walk toward us. They had all left the slow-moving wave of molten metal behind.
“Hail, my love,” Corcunda said. He turned, faced the open exit to the truck, and fell onto his middle arms. His whole body glowed. “It will be an honor to be ridden one last time.”
What the fuck is even happening right now?
“Shut the hell up,” I snapped at the GPS.
Dong, still holding his lance, hopped easily upon the back of Corcunda.
Despite us going at full speed, the elementals would be on us soon. There were thousands of them stampeding in the room by now, with Grull pacing along behind them, patient, determined, inevitable. Nothing like the creature who normally controlled him.
“Wait, Dong, wait,” Donut said. “Let me cast this. It has to be cast on an object! I will cast it on your lance. It will activate right away, but it will increase in intensity for about fifteen seconds after I place it, so make sure you’re far away from us or else thelance will get ripped from your hand! It will help you get through the elementals!”
“What is it?” Dong asked.
“It’s calledBig-Ass Magnet. It’s the spell we were going to use to capture Genesis and Rapture’s car.”
Corcunda snorted. “Posers,” he said.
We would have to slow down in a moment. The bulldozer had pushed a hole, and vehicles and mounts were streaming through.
“Casting now,” Donut said as we approached the exit.
“Goodbye, Carl. Goodbye, Princess Donut,” Dong said. “Please tell the others that I will miss them, but I will see them again on the other side. Tell them it was my pleasure to serve with them.Valeto you all.Vale.”
Warning: Race ends in 2 minutes.
And with a terrifying, in-unison roar, Corcunda and Dong jumped from the back of the truck and galloped directly at Grull just as the magnet spell activated.
Every screw within two hundred meters of the lance jumped into the air and rocketed toward the charging pair.
But first the screws had to travel through the slag elementals.
All it took was a small handful of screws to stagger the creatures. A few more, and they collapsed into puddles of molten steel.
And through it all, Dong and Corcunda charged.
They charged, and they charged. Riding into battle one last time.
Dong Quixote, now with his lance lowered, now getting peppered himself with dozens, then hundreds, then thousands of screws, roared in triumph as the weapon made contact with the god of war.
“A good death,” Grull rumbled before he vanished, going back to the twelfth floor. “A good death indeed.”
We traveled through theHolesomeone had cast, and we skittered through the last room, not saying anything as we struggled to the finish line, passing a few other vehicles desperately moving toward the exit, all of us exhausted, terrified, and filled with rage at this damn place, which was slowly killing us all.
We passed the finish line with only fifteen seconds to spare. I couldn’t stomach looking back to see those who didn’t make it in time.
Despite all that, I finally breathed a sigh of relief. We were alive. We had survived. But most importantly, we had won the quest.
Heat Five. Results.
First Place: Team Sparkles.