Team Utopia paced nervously in the fog shrouded ready room. The large team matches required more set up time as the arena was configured. Max shook his head as the Ducati keys weighed heavily in his armored jacket's pocket.

"Not sure how I feel about these "extra opportunities" I'm bringing into the game. Do you guys feel like it's cheating?" Max asked.

"Jesus, Max. From what you said earlier, you earned it fair and square with Lachesis monitoring. In the context of the bigger game, I'd say it's fair." Charlie said.

Xavier agreed, high-fiving Charlie. Leah sighed, frowning. Finally, she spoke, with measured words.

"Just be careful, Max. You're on a slippery slope. These NPCs are playing the parts of criminals. Play the game, but don't sacrifice your honor. You need to be ready to draw a line when they ask for more. We got lucky they only entertained Xavier and didn't hurt him." Xavier squawked.

"I said I was sorry, guys. They said they had a top-secret resistance training. They weren't wrong either. They hit me with that security smart-poison. I got two resistance points!"

The whole group booed him. He had fallen for the strangers with candy danger, and still wouldn't admit he had judged the NPCs wrong. Max nodded tightly as daemon Musashi whispered in his head to listen to her well.

"We got lucky." He cracked his neck and asked the others how they had bet. It was annoying to everyone that as participants in the team match, they couldn't bet on themselves. Fortunately, there were still Boast Bets and Personal Challenge bets.

Xavier grinned. "I met some of those New Boston players in the slots. I've got a grudge bet against their leader Barry. I said, I'd personally KO him in at least one match and he returned the bet. Other than that, I've got a boast bet that I won't be the last finisher in any round."

"I went with a tidy bet. At least 15 tags on opponents and completion of every round." Leah said.

"Hah! You're never going to make a big score with small boasts Leah. I did 30 Tags, 5 K.O.s, and at least one first-place finish." Charlie grinned.

"Hmm, damn. I should have researched better. I did 10 tags, 3 K.O.s, and no last finishes. Oh, the fog is lifting…" Max said.

The team braced themselves as the stage was revealed. It was another enormous level, so large that they couldn't see the end. Holoprojectors above hid the top of the cavern with a faux blue sky with clouds. They were at the edge of an enormous plateau.

As the fog rolled back they saw more and more details. They were surrounded by vehicles. Six multicolored Ducati Air Bikes, a camo-painted Gen Dyn Hovercraft, a grey colored Ironhorse Stealth Wing, and a three-story tall RUSA Kaiju Mech. Announcements pinged their systems.

[Multiteam Challenge Match. Format: Death Race Location: Mixed Biome]

[Objective 1: Speed Round - Ducati. All team participation. Course map loaded into vehicles. First individual to complete 10 laps around level: 500 pts. The first team to complete 10 laps around level: 500 pts. Knock out opponent racer: 100 pts. Loss of vehicle due to crash or knock out: -200 points (vehicle replacement airdrop, 1-minute delay, limit 5 bikes)]

[Objective 2: Heavy Vehicle Round - Hovercraft. Find the path to the target. Avoid or overcome environmental challenges. The first Team to deliver heavy vehicles to the target zone: 500 pts. Disable opponents' heavy vehicles: 100 pts. Loss of Vehicle: -200 pts (vehicle self-repairs dependent upon damage 10-60 min, unlimited).]

[Objective 3: Convoy Round- Stealth Wing. Utilize aerial support to protect precious cargo or disrupt opponent convoys. The first team to deliver cargo to the target site: 500 pts. Disable enemy convoy: 100 pts Loss of Vehicle: -200 pts (vehicle self-repairs dependent upon damage 10-60 min, unlimited)]

[Objective 4: Mech Duel - Kaiju Mech. Activate and advance mech across demolition plain. The first team to cross the victory arc: 5,000 pts All other teams to cross the victory arc after the first: 1,000 pts. Disable enemy mech: 500 pts Loss of vehicle: -1000 pts (warning - no repair or replacement functions enabled).]

[Round 1 start time 5:00…4:59…4:58…4:57…]

Max waved the notices away. Off in the distance, along the edge of the plateau, he saw another team and another lot full of the same vehicles. Looking behind him, he saw a similar scene. He engaged his ExaVision in telescopic mode.

"Look. We got all the teams lined up along the ridge line. I see Shanghai west of us and ACME east." Max announced. Leah yelled, causing him to turn. The plateau stretched out, flat as a table. Off in the distance, a huge stone archway could be seen. Unfortunately, several mechs the same size as their own guarded it.

"Right! Square up, guys" Charlie barked. "Times ticking. Max, check out the Ducati Air bikes and fire them up. Those are for the first round. Xavier, check the hovercraft. Leah, you already loaded the SkillZ for piloting the Stealth Wing, so you go check it out. I'll see to the mech. Go."

The team scrambled. Max jumped into the saddle of the nearest Ducati, pulling his illicit key set. The thing was a beauty. Its sleek lines and powerful thrusters made Bo's bike look like a junkyard toy. His DigiSense skill measured it and he smiled. Once the race was done, he'd stuff the thing into his Tesseract space.

He saw it already had a set of keys in the ignition. He compared them using his Analyze skill and found that his key unlocked premium features. Max's brow furrowed. He accessed the Ducati and swapped out the starter key with his premium version.

He pushed himself into the bike's logic and saw the double encryption locks unlocking extra features: enhanced gyro stabilization, limited speed boost, and bump assist power sharing. He didn't even need his augmentations as his mind parsed the encryption and sequencing needed to manually defeat the electronic lockouts.

Max checked the timer. With four minutes left, he jumped to the next bike. He should be able to start all of them and unlock the premium features before race time. He pushed himself into the second bike's virtual logic as his friends began to report back.

"Hovercraft keys are in it and it's idling, but it's user locked. I got Kane's capacitor array installed for when it's time to use it." Xavier said.

"Stealth Wing is similar. All systems are reading "go", but it's locked down by the Labyrinth AI." Leah responded.

"Shit! I know the RUSA Kaiju like the back of my hand, no lockdowns on this baby that I couldn't disable. Those bastards took its primary power core. Goddamn it! Those weigh almost 2 tons and are a bitch and a half to install. Max, where are you at, buddy? T minus 1 minute." Charlie coaxed.

"On the last bike now. Kane's packet was good for that at least. His key unlocked some premium features; speed booster, high-speed stabilization, and a power-sharing feature. I figured out how to bypass the feature lockouts to get them all premium status. We got the full rainbow to pick from. Select your favorite color, I've got the red one!" Max yelled.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"Damn it!" Xavier shouted. "Alright, Blue for me." Leah rolled her eyes and sighed.

"I'll take the black one." She spoke.

"Right. Green for me. Saddle up." Charlie said.

Max had to juggle his access to let his friends take over their bike controls without losing his activation, but he managed it. The teams revved the bikes as the timer counted down to zero.

"Fast time it!" Max shouted as the timer clicked over. His senses melded into the bike's system; he saw its navigation system activate in slow motion showing the racing path.

Even as the map image finished painting on his HUD, Max gunned his turbo fans and took off, kicking up a dust storm with his fans in VTOL mode. In his peripheral vision, he saw he was first. The teams on either side had no indications of blast-off yet.

Max tore into the sky with his tongue hanging out. With Kane's leverage, his team should be able to take the lead and command the track. The only downside was they would be the first to find any obstacles. He kept his fast time maxed as he raced into the first projected power dive into the canyon far below.

Max's pulse raced as he leaned into the fifth lap, the whine of the Ducati's turbo fans echoing through the canyon. The jagged walls on either side blurred past, their crimson stone a stark contrast to the sky above, where pterodactyl-like creatures screeched, diving toward the racers as they passed.

They'd learned their lesson about the dinosaurs on the first lap. The bikes were too fast for the saurian birds to catch them. As long as you paid attention to the dive-bombing, they were actually easy to avoid.

They were moving fast, but the real test was just beginning. Four laps down, six more to go. Max loved the feeling of speed, but the course's environmental challenges were deadly. The course circled the level and crossed over several distinct biomes that the team had named.

Dino Canyon was a treacherous and twisty path with added danger from its inhabitant pterodactyl NPCs. Next was Thunder Bay with its stormy weather, waterspouts, lightning, and now deadly Sea Dragons. The Desert followed with its blinding dust storm and dangerous winds.

The transition from the desert to the Jungle was jarring in the extreme, like a game with a straight line of demarcation. The dense trees and vines combined with iron-age monkeys made that map especially difficult. Following the Jungle were gentle rolling hills, which were a pleasant break.

That break was essential as they approached the looming Starter Plateau, the course drilled through the plateau with the deadly Hex Tunnels. They were a honeycomb of tunnels that zigged and zagged through the mountain, often intersecting each other. Max snapped from his thoughts as Leah spoke.

"Incoming lightning storm over the bay," Leah's voice crackled over their shared OverLayer. "Keep low, unless you want to become a lightning rod."

"But not too low!" Xavier said. "I can see some sea dragons from here." Max could see the kid shudder on his bright blue bike. He'd almost been swallowed whole on the last lap when the dragons had revealed themselves.

The kid was looking more and more human in appearance. His grey-scaled skin was completely gone now. Max suspected his good looks were fake though, as his resemblance to the archetypical Jedi master, Obi-Wan in his young years, was uncanny. He wondered briefly if Leah knew or cared. They seemed to be much closer since he'd dropped his other monstrous cosplay.

Ahead, dark clouds roiled in the distance, the glow of electric arcs already visible. Max grimaced—he remembered how volatile the storms in this arena could be. The last pass through the bay had forced them to dodge waterspouts while getting hammered by winds so fierce it had nearly ripped Xavier off his bike. They had made it, barely, but this time they'd have to be sharper. Faster.

"[Good thing we're gaining on them,]" Xavier chimed in. "[We'll have to pass them soon.]"

Max shifted his focus to the map on his HUD, showing the New Boston team just ahead. The trailing team was slowing, likely struggling through the storm. Perfect. Fight or flight, Team Utopia needed to pass them.

The other bikes were only pinpoints on the horizon. If Xavier hadn't tagged the team with trackers, the team wouldn't have known that they would overtake their opponents this quickly.

"[Looks like they're going to escape Thunder Bay and hit the Desert before we catch up!]" Max yelled over the comms.

But the desert in the distance was getting closer as they speed forward—dust clouds as thick as smoke had blinded them during the last lap, and it was where the fighting would start if they were going to catch up. The other team was almost close enough to engage as they cleared the water.

"[Time to make a move.]" Charlie's voice cut in, tense but ready. "[Max, can you punch their ticket just before we hit the dust?]"

"[Count on it,]" Max growled. "[Leah, cover us from the rear. Xavier, stay sharp in the chaos.]"

As they surged into the desert, the howling winds picked up, kicking up massive clouds of sand. The visibility dropped to near zero, but Max's enhanced systems cut through the dust, keeping him locked on their targets. He grinned—this was where the race turned from speed to survival.

As they'd planned in discussions from the previous laps, Max ramped up his speed as he vectored across the flight path. New Boston had five Players. They were flying in a wedge formation. Max's angle would line up three. He opened his Tesseract portal just enough to get his Maser aimed and unleashed the powerful beam. The bright yellow maser burned across the desert and two explosions bloomed. Max's system pinged.

[Olivia Barnes (New Boston) knocked out: +100xp]

[James Foster (New Boston0 knocked out: +100xp]

Max goggled at the unexpected XP. This whole section of the dungeon had been stingier with XP. It made a kind of sense, as his stats had completely leveled already. He assumed the XP rewards were lower on purpose. He was more looking to advance all his skills to max them out at this point.

[Olivia Barnes (New Boston) knocked out by Max Mitchell (Utopia): +100pts]

[James Foster (New Boston) knocked out by Max Mitchell (Utopia): +100pts]

[Death Race Leaderboard update: Utopia 200, ACME 100, LUNA AI 100, DAIE -100, Shanghai Surprise -200, New Boston -400]

"[OoRah Max! You tagged two of them! One crashed and the other managed a controlled dive. They're scattering. Gun it, people! We can slip past them while they're disorganized.]" Charlie sent.

"[Hey guys, I got XP for those knockouts. If there are any people still needing to advance their stats, they are going to get bloodthirsty for knockouts when they figure this out. Its likely to get a lot more…predatory soon.]

The team swooped and flew wide around the disorganized team, headed toward the billowing clouds of dust. Max heard gunshots and saw some errant laser fire. Fortunately, the bullets missed, and the laser was attenuated by the growing density of dust.

"Ssi-bal! I got hit with a focused EMP. My bike's controls are offline! I've still got manual control of the steering vanes, but I'm dropping fast!" Leah screamed.

Max was the closest. As the dust storm rolled in, he knew he didn't have much time. His thoughts bloomed with ideas, detailing everything he knew about the map, the bikes, and his augmentations. With a speed rivaling quantum computation, he had a plan and swooped in.

"Hold tight!" Max hollered as he spun into an inverted barrel roll down toward Leah, coming up from behind her bike. Upside down, he launched both his grapples, punching through the cowling on Leah's left and right stabilizing jets.

Max had a moment of fear as the full weight of her Ducati nearly pulled him free of his seat. He activated his Stiction skill just in time before he lost contact. Max spun his bike in a complicated two-plane pivot and flipped his bike around. The maneuver slid the bike between the two grapple lines spreading the cables across his own bike's jet extensions. His system pinged with notifications.

Stiction +2, Stiction reaches level 6

Ambidextrous +1, Ambidextrous reaches level 9

Ricochet +2, Ricochet reaches level 3

Max pushed the useless notification windows away. He held on tight and increased his thrust as his bike slowed under the added weight. Leah below was pummeled with backwash from the turbines, but her descent had stopped.

"[Holy crap! That was awesome!]" Xavier cheered. "[That's some VR Hero stuff right there.]"

"[Oh my god, Max. That was incredibly dangerous. Are you stable?]" Leah asked.

"[I'm good,]" Max grunted. "[Just reboot as fast as you can. The dust storm winds are hard enough with full control. I'm not sure how well this mash-up is going to work.]"

"[Rebooting now!]" Leah yelled up as the dust storm broke over the team.

"[Nice! No system notification for a knockout. We are still in the lead.]" Max sent.

Fortunately, Leah's bike was fully reset in less than a minute and Max was able to release his grappler's grip on her bike as its thrusters started back up. The team fought slowly through the gale-force winds with only their directional trackers to provide direction and proximity in the blinding sand.

NanoTracker +1, NanoTracker reaches level 10, Skill cap award +100xp

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