This trip into the Hollows was ant to help the team familiarize themselves with the route ahead of tomorrow's Tour de Inferno.
No one expected an ambush.
Lucy, Lighter, and Piper were caught in the explosion and couldn't get clear in ti.
Uncertain of how many enemies there were, Caesar chose not to pursue them. Instead, she imdiately evacuated Lucy, Piper, and Lighter from the Hollow.
Lucy climbed out of the truck, limping heavily. "Damn it... they planted those explosives ahead of ti. It had to be for the race. If that had gone off during the actual event, they would've pulled it off..."
There was no doubt who "they" were—mbers of the The Vanquisher gang.
Who else would plant bombs on a racecourse?
Lucy gritted her teeth. "The Vanquisher... we're not done."
Caesar frowned. "We don't have confirmation yet. If we want payback, we'll need to investigate properly."
She turned to Nicole and Belle. "Can I count on you to help with that?"
Belle nodded without hesitation. "Of course."
Nicole added firmly, "The Sons of Calydon are one of Hare's House's most important partners. Their enemies are our enemies too."
As the group discussed their next steps...
Piper poked her head out of the truck and waved. "Can soone give a lift down? I can't move on my own…"
Anby imdiately stepped forward. "I've got you."
At the sa ti, Furina volunteered to assess the others' injuries.
Caesar's wounds were superficial—nothing serious.
Lucy, however, had a severely injured leg. The bone was likely fractured. She'd need rest and ti to recover...
Piper's arm was broken—there was no way she could race tomorrow...
Lighter had been closest to the explosion and was in the worst shape.
Furina sighed. "If Sigewinne were here, she could treat these injuries in no ti."
But unfortunately, they were far from Fontaine. Only with the power of a Statue of The Seven could they get there quickly.
The thought gave Furina an idea.
"Clorinde, why don't we take them to Fontaine for treatnt?"
Before Clorinde could respond, Sam Li stepped in with an objection.
"Given their current condition, a long journey would be dangerous."
He knew Furina ant using a Statue of The Seven to teleport, but with the connection between the worlds still unstable and the patients injured, it wasn't safe.
Furina sighed. "Alright…"
Clorinde stepped forward. "Let handle the treatnt."
She wasn't Sigewinne, of course, but as the successor to the Shadow Hunters, injury treatnt was part of her training.
By the ti night fell, and with help from the others, Clorinde had finished tending to everyone.
Nicole sighed. "Caesar, what now? The race is tomorrow. Do you need our help?"
Most of the Sons of Calydon's main riders were down. Only Caesar remained.
Without outside support, tomorrow's race was almost guaranteed to be a loss.
Caesar knew it too, but she hesitated.
The Tour de Inferno was a race exclusive to the Outer Ring. If people from Hare's House—especially those tied to New Eridu—joined in, other gangs would use it as ammunition to discredit the Sons of Calydon.
Seeing Caesar's inner conflict, Billy spoke up.
"Don't forget—I used to be one of you. If any gang has a problem with racing, I'll deal with them myself."
Piper lit up. "Exactly! Caesar, Billy can race. He's just as good as any of us."
To be precise, Billy's riding skills were second only to Caesar's among the entire group.
He had once been a legendary biker in the Outer Ring.
But ever since joining Hare's House in the city, he hadn't touched a bike in years.
Billy grinned. "Just give one night—I'll get back into form."
Caesar looked him in the eye. "Thank you, Billy."
He chuckled. "No need for that, boss. We're teammates, right?"
Nicole: "…"
Then Lucy sighed. "We're still one rider short. Don't tell we're putting Burnice in?"
Everyone knew Burnice's riding skills—or rather, her lack thereof.
She had spent years trying to learn how to ride and never succeeded. People jokingly called her a biker who couldn't bike.
Burnice fud. "Lucy! Nicole! Don't underestimate —I'm a biker too!"
Lucy rolled her eyes. "Sure you are. A biker who can't ride."
Burnice: "…"
Then Nicole said, "What about ? I've ridden before. It's not that hard."
Anby chid in. "I know how to ride too."
Soldier 11 added with a calm smile. "It's one of my specialties."
But Caesar imdiately shook her head.
"No. You're not mbers of the Sons of Calydon. If you race, we'll beco the laughingstock of the Outer Ring."
Even if they won...
People would accuse them of colluding with New Eridu or even betraying the Outer Ring.
That was sothing Caesar wouldn't allow.
Especially since Soldier 11 was a mber of the New Eridu Defense Forces.
If word got out that a Defense Force elite raced on behalf of the Sons of Calydon, it would destroy their credibility in the Outer Ring.
The sa applied to Sam Li, Nekomata, Belle, and Wise—they were all tied to the city.
Piper sighed. "Looks like we'll have to find soone local—just a regular person from Carrydon…"
But if that was their only option, winning tomorrow's race seed nearly impossible.
Then, Sam Li spoke.
"I might have soone in mind."
Caesar looked at him warily. "Mr. Sam Li, with all due respect, you're also tied to the city. We need soone without city ties—ideally, soone who could represent the Sons of Calydon."
Sam Li smiled.
"Of course I didn't an . I was referring to Miss Clorinde."
Clorinde had only just arrived in this world.
But as a successor of the Shadow Hunters, her learning ability was exceptional. She had already picked up how to drive a car within days of arriving.
...
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