The competitors take their positions for the second round — the Survival Relay, a circuit?race event consisting of five laps spiraling around the tower from bottom to top. Drones and floating rigs drift along the course, each carrying gadgets designed to slow or knock out riders.
Daemon’s gaze locks onto the Stargaze lineup, his eyes unnervingly fixated on Stella.
Casey notices and shoots him a glare meant to scare him off — but it only seems to irritate him further.
Casey: “What’s his problem? He keeps staring at us. It’s creeping me out.”
Stella: “Hokori said to watch out for him.”
Aiden: “He’s just mad he came second in the last match.”
The announcer’s voice booms across the arena.
“Competitors, start your wave fluctuations.”
Boards hum to life as their sails glow with iridescent light. A tense pause settles over the starting line.
The floating signal boards flicker on:
Three slow beats of red. Then two. A single pulse of yellow— Then a rapid pulsing of green and a horn blast signaling the start.
They launch forward.
The announcer cuts in:
“In the early lead is last year’s runner?up captain, Moonrise Riders’ Holland Newvash — followed by Tempest Crest’s Jeremiah Cross and Storm Anvil’s Daemon Celleti!”
The camera pans to Stargaze: Stella and Aiden in fourth and fifth, Casey pushing up from seventh.
They round the corner toward the first batch of gearboxes.
Aiden snags a boost?type gear and rockets past Stella, closing in on Daemon. Stella fires a trap?type gear behind her, releasing a mist of tiny red crab?like bots that chew at light?tech sails, slowing anyone caught in the cloud. Casey activates a shield?type gear, plowing through the swarm and catching up to Stella.
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At the Raven, Rodrick steps out of the room he proudly calls his captain’s quarters, stretching with a self?satisfied yawn.
Imala: “’Bout time you got up. I could use another hand. Thought we were gonna have to find another captain.”
Rodrick: “I ain’t dead yet… just tired. How’s the crew doing?”
Imala: “Not bad. We might actually make some money.”
Rodrick grins.
Jaden: “Captain — you knew about this!?”
Imala: “Who do you think put me up to it?”
Jaden: “Degenerates… you’re all degenerates!”
He throws his hands up and storms off.
Imala turns up the radio. The announcer’s voice crackles into focus.
“Now in the final stretch, we see Stella battling two of Storm Anvil’s riders while Daemon takes the lead!”
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Back on the track, Stella struggles against Daemon’s teammates, locked in a tight clash. Casey rises from the lower levels and tosses her boost?type gear to Aiden.
Aiden slams it on and rockets toward Stella.
One of Storm Anvil’s riders activates a hidden illegal attack?type gear — a flash of light, a sharp crack — and Stella’s board is struck clean out from under her.
She plummets.
The entire arena gasps.
Aiden dives after her like a meteor. One second. Two. He snatches a boost mid?fall, accelerates, and catches up to the unconscious Stella — saving her life.
The crowd erupts. The announcer stumbles over his words.
“WELL… LADIES AND GENTLEMEN — WE VERY NEARLY SAW THE END OF STARGAZE! AND THAT’S WHAT MAKES THIS COMPETITION SO GOOD! THE DANGER, THE DRAMA, THE HIGH?STAKES ACTION! THIS IS FALLENTOP, BABY!”
The match ends with Stargaze in last place for the round.
Daemon struts over to Stargaze’s competitor wing, gloating over a win he had to cheat to earn.
Hokori steps forward, fury radiating off him.
“YOU GO TOO FAR, DAEMON!”
Daemon: “What are you talking about?” His grin is unmistakably smug.
Hokori: “Remember this, Daemon. You’ll never be me. You’ll never be as good as me. You’ll never be in the same orbit as me — and that burns you. It eats at your pride because you know, deep down in your boorish, dull soul, that every word I’m saying is true. But that doesn’t give you the right to hurt my friends over your broken scrap of pride.”
Hokori steps closer.
“Leave.”
Daemon’s expression falters — just for a moment — before he turns and walks back toward his team’s wing.
The announcer’s voice echoes across the arena:
“We will now take a brief twenty?minute intermission before the start of the final round.”
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