The fifth track was daring. There were huge turns around the top of the complex that gradually morphed into a type of spiral. The setup created two paths: one to ascend and an opposing one to speed down. Solise's mind was running wild from the sight of it. At least I won't fall out of the sky this time. She thought. She wouldn't dare verbalize this and remind Bix. Though her mic was currently off, she wasn't going to risk making him worry again. Gurd's massive hologram appeared in the middle of the track while Solise was staring at it.
"We have a big one today! We're looking at the top fifteen contenders right now but by the end of these next two races, that'll be down to our final ten." The Gurdish announced. "The odds are all over the place, who knows what could happen next? I know all you wonderful Xerians are ready to find out!"
With that, the crowd roared. Gurd's hologram disappeared as the countdown arrived. Solise locked eyes with Bix right before the countdown ended. She winked to him, clearly forgetting she was wearing a mask. Somehow, he still knew. Then, she was off. She immediately lost her lead to racers that were eager to boost their rank and survive the cut. Once she got the feel of the track, she managed to climb back up the ranks. She was in 13th, then 10th, then 5th, before peaking at 3rd. She was behind Galene, who was behind Huzmul. The Inquirer attempted to tail her but was blocked by the Poggle from Vawe. Meg was trailing behind the Inquirer.
Everything changed in the wind down portion of the track. Those with back-heavy crafts gained a boost from the incline. Solise narrowly avoided being crushed by the Poggle's vehicle as he stopped mere inches from Galene. She used this outside positing to blast past Galene. She was now battling it out with Huzmul. Every attempt to maneuver around him was swiftly responded to. He was quick. Solise was impressed. Her attempts to pass him were paused by the Inquirer attempting to ram her bike.
She ducked and whipped around to avoid the attacks. The rage was building within the Inquirer, she could sense it. His charges became more frequent. Solise took advantage and faked him out. He slammed into Huzmul, slowing both of them down. Solise sped onto one wheel and hopped over the Inquirer and Huzmul's crafts. This was a risky move on the curved track. If she didn't land right, she'd fall off the track. Galene used this to his advantage and sped into first, nearly knocking her off in the process. They rode side by side for some time. As they began lap two, they were still tied.
Galene managed to pull ahead when the Inquirer resumed his attacks on Solise. These continued until Meg managed to catch back up and put some space between the two. Her protection ended when Huzmul wedged himself between them, in an attempt to climb ahead. The Inquirer sped ahead and got in front of Solise. Something was off. She could notice that he was doing everything in his power not to pass Galene. Let's force him. See what his deal is. She thought, before whipping around the Inquirer's ship. She gave the bike everything and moved into 1st. As lap three started, she had her lead. The Inquirer would only briefly pass Galene and then fall back once he started getting too far. Okay, so he doesn't want to win...he wants Galene to win. Why?
She didn't have much longer to wonder what was going on. The trap triggers launched. Solise chose defense, once again. She was gifted with a cloaking ability. Great. So useful. She sarcastically groaned, in her head. Nevertheless, she deployed it, as soon as the purple energy steadied around her vehicle. A silvery shimmer overtook her and the bike. Suddenly, they were both gone from sight. Attacks meant for her missed as the racers fumbled over where to aim. Solise easily avoided everything that blindly flew in her direction. Okay, that's not bad. She sped toward the archway, still in the lead and invisible to everyone else.
Then, a sudden thump boomed behind her. She looked back for just a moment before the bike was struck with an electric charge. It had come from the Inquirer's craft. Solise could feel a powerful pain in her chest. Her skin felt as though it had gone ablaze. Blue energy swirled around her as her bike's engine shook and sputtered out. Her chest continued to tighten as the bike began to coast on its momentum. She was visible to the others now, and they were gaining. In the crowd, Bix could see that something was wrong. Solise wasn't paying attention to the road. She was grasping at her heart. He panicked and reached for his bag. He fumbled with the radio, almost dropping it into the bleachers below. He managed to catch it before this happened and quickly hoisted it to his mouth.
"Solise? Are you alright? What's going on?" He frantically shouted.
Solise said nothing. The words could not form. The pain in her chest had grown so intense that it was all she could focus on. Her breathing became harder to accomplish. Sweat started to cover her body as her vision blurred. She could hear every thump of her own heart. They were becoming less frequent as the pain grew. Solise's thoughts left her as the bike began to slow and other racers started to pass her. Meg flew to the side and provided a barrier for a bit...but the bike was starting to go far too slow. She eventually had no choice but to continue onward.
"Do I have to hit the button?" Bix asked, in a panic.
Solise mustered all her remaining strength to say "yes."
With that, Bix reached into his bag and grabbed a small black box that he and Solise had crafted. Within it was a red button hooked up to some basic wiring. Bix extended a short antenna from the back of the tiny box and pointed it at Solise's bike. He waited for the perfect alignment and pressed the button. A sudden shock punched Solise in the chest. Her heartrate boosted back to normal as the pain left her and her senses returned. This was a failsafe that she and Bix had installed. It consisted of a radio emitter and wiring from a salvaged battle drone. This jolt got her back up to speed mentally, but the bike was another story.
The engine was (at least temporarily) useless. The first seven racers had already flown under the arch and the remaining seven were rushing up behind her. She reached under the bike seat and removed two poles. At the end of one was a hook made of scrap metal. One the other, a leather-grip handle. She connected the two pieces with a bolt that was protruding from one end. The new polearm was placed on her handlebars and secured with a lace Solise ripped from her boot. She drifted the bike closer to the incoming traffic and managed to hook one of the passing crafts. She was now attached to the 10th place racer. With no engine, she was back on the board.
A hitch was hit when the racer weaved side to side, to shake Solise from his craft. This worked as her hook unlatched and she dropped back a few places. She managed to hook onto the 13th place racer and finished in 14th. Her name stayed the same on the overall leaderboard. Still in eleventh! If I'm still there after the next race, I'm done! Solise yelled, internally. She could spot Bix in the crowd. He seemed deeply worried. She knew it wasn't about how she placed. His concern was what had happened prior.
"Are you alright?" He finally asked, as Solise lowered into the garage.
"I'm alive." She snapped back.
Her head was already rushing with doubts and self-loathing. It was a common reaction to her failing at something. She wasn't used to having Bix in her ear in these moments. The irritation in her voice was clear enough for Bix to stop pressing. She shut off the radio and took off the mask before pushing the bike into a repair stall. Meg approached her but could see that her focus was squarely on getting the bike back to working order. She sprang into action, fiddling with the engine and testing things out with a voltage meter.
A few tightened bolts and a jump from a battery got everything back on track. Solise breathed a sigh of relief as the bike roared back to life. She slumped down next to it, finally able to catch her breath from the earlier near-death experience. Once enough of a calm had formed, Meg got closer to Solise. The concern was all over her face but she managed to keep her voice free of it.
"Scary stuff out there. How you feeling?" She said, softly.
"I'm..." Was all Solise got out, before the tears started flowing.
Meg froze as Solise began to cry. It took a moment before she managed to get on Solise's level. She embraced her, still unsure of how to react in the situation. After a moment, Solise wrapped her arms around Meg and began to cry into her shoulder. She could feel Meg's hand move in circles on her back. The two loners had fully adjusted to the sudden jolt of social activity.
"It's okay. Everything's okay now. You're here. You're alive." Meg said, in a sweet tone.
"Everything went dark. I couldn't feel...anything. It was like I was floating in nothing." Solise tearfully whimpered. "I don't want to go back to that place...that nothingness." She eventually concluded.
Her brief dance with death had made all her bravado fade away. The confident racer had been peeled away to reveal the scared girl underneath. She instantly flashed back to all the times she was informed of the danger. Every chance she had to withdraw that she didn't take. Even once the tears had stopped flowing, she still wanted to run. This feeling was worsened by locking eyes with Galene. Even though the normal glare was gone, Solise tensed up at the sight of him. Meg took noticed of her tightening fists and pointed gaze. Before Meg even turned around, she knew who was there. She turned to Galene with a deadly expression on her face. Then, she rocketed to her feet and rushed toward him. Before he could even register what was happening, Meg was in his face.
"What? You think this is funny or something?" She roared. "Like seeing people cry, you nutjob?" She added, softly enough that the other racers would not hear.
"I didn't do that! I wouldn't have. I'm not trying to kill this kid but this is exactly what I'm talking about!" Galene said, his lips trembling.
"Then maybe you should tell your friend with the robot face to watch himself. Stop acting like you care. I've seen your type all over the galaxy. You can't see past your own reflection. Cut the theatrics." She huffed.
Galene seemed genuinely confused. "I don't know who that guy is...but he's far from the only one trying to win. These people are going to do whatever it takes. That includes killing the kid." He said, quietly.
Meg scanned Galene's face and saw something she had not yet witnessed: sincerity. She could see through the macho veneer, for the first time. The concern in his eyes betrayed the scowl on his face. The persona of the self-obsessed racer had begun to fracture. The glimmer of concern for Solise's life shone in the corner of Galene's eyes. They kept wandering to check on the young Raiyfian. Meg couldn't help but ease her tension, ever so slightly.
"If you want to express concern, you can do a better job. Stop talking down to her." She said, perfectly calm.
"How can I act like this isn't about her age? That's the whole thing. She's too young to die up there." Galene began. "You were that young once: were you at the peak of your decision-making then?"
His attention shifted to a diagnostic computer that was connected to his ship. "You know I'm right." Then, he was off to tinker with his ship. Meg was not nearly ass upset with those closing words as she normally would be. The hint of genuine worry within him was not something she had expected to see. Though she knew it had not originated from a place of care and respect for Solise, it gave her pause. She looked back to the Raiyfian as she stood back up and composed herself. For a moment, it looked as though Meg would tell her to give it all up and go home. That no amount of money or fame was worth her life. This look faded away when Meg noticed the Inquirer, watching from afar. She wandered back over to Solise and closed the curtain on the repair stall.
"Why'd you enter?" She promptly asked.
Solise didn't know what to say, at first. "I need the money to survive the cold season." She sheepishly offered.
"What did you do in the cycles before the XGP arrived?" Meg was pressing.
"I would scavenge and trade. All this extra stuff has affected that." She said, more confidently. "If I win this, I can live a little longer."
"Provided you don't explode on the track?" She said, with just enough jest to not anger Solise.
"Don't start with that."
"You almost died out there...maybe you did die, for a bit. Is all this worth it?" Her inquiry was backed by genuine concern.
Solise thought for a moment. "Worth it or not, it's all I have." She eventually said. "Bix keeps talking about sending a message to the galaxy and I want that too...but more than anything, I need to survive." She added.
Meg peeked behind the curtain; the Inquirer was still nearby. "Tell me this: when the race was announced, were you hounded with announcements about it?"
The confusion on Solise's face spoke before she had to. "No. Only the main one they put out. Must've been heard all over the planet."
With this, Meg locked eyes with the Inquirer. Even through the mask, she could tell exactly where he was looking. Her fist tightened as she watched the mysterious figure slowly wander around a corner. Solise could read the suspicion all over her face. She was able to catch a glimpse of the Inquirer as he walked by. Everything clicked for the Raiyfian.
"Something's wrong about him...right?" She cautiously asked.
"He's up to something, whoever he is. Won't get ahead of Galene, doesn't care about winning. What's more important is he has his sights set on you...for some reason." Meg said, not thinking about how this could be interpreted. "I mean...not that you're not doing great work out there...but why target one person so specifically?" She quickly added.
Solise didn't say anything. Her eyeline shifted upward. The sound of the track moving above was now all she could focus on. The next race would be starting soon. The fear she had managed to temporarily push down returned to their expression. She had a tinge of fear before each race but this was something new. The normal anxiety over placement combined with the dread of being slain to create a wholly new type of horror. Meg noticed as sweat began to form. She searched for the words that could provide comfort but this search was interrupted by the sudden quiet above. The track was complete. The alarm was blaring; it was time to get back on the platform.
"You going to be alright?" Meg asked, knowing the answer.
"Let's find out." She replied, as she tucked her apprehension away.
There wasn't any time to question this. Within minutes, they were back on the platform. Meg could notice Solise's hands slightly tremble as she put her mask back on. She steadied herself as they rose to the surface. This was another two-path track. One was a wide track that featured a large gap, with rocket boosters to help the racers clear the large distance. The second track was far narrower and laden with winding turns. In addition to these, there were dips and hills that added to the challenge. This path ran under the gap in the other one.
Solise couldn't decide which was the safer option. It was at this point that she noticed Bix looking at her. Her was pointing to the radio. She suddenly remembered that she shut off her mic. She quickly switched it back on. Bix raised the radio back to his mouth. It took a moment to connect again. This brief pause felt endless to Solise. Everything felt slow in this moment. It was as if time had become stuck around her. Nothing was progressing. She was snapped out of this trance when she heard Bix's voice.
"How are you feeling?" He asked, with honest worry.
"I'm...scared." She finally admitted. Bix had a way of getting the truth out of her, without even having to try.
"I don't want to agitate you but I'm scared too. I know how much is riding on this but you have to be alive to win." He quickly expressed.
"I love you and I know why you're saying this...but that's not going to help. Not right now." She began. "What will help is telling me which track is gonna keep me alive."
Bix examined the tracks. Gurd's hologram and began his spiel. A mention of the top ten placement (and Solise's positioning just outside of it) broke his concentration. He got up and relocated to the dining area. There was an isolated table in the corner that provided a view of the entire track. Below, Solise's eyes wandered to the leaderboard as she began to do the math. Any lower than fourth and I'm gone. She realized. Above, Bix surveyed the track. The distracting hologram faded away as he began to strategize.
"What's the word?" Solise asked, as the countdown began.
"Punch it up the wide track, at least for the first lap. I'll tell you when you're in danger." Bix replied.
Then, the countdown ended. The racers were off. Solise didn't skip a beat in blasting her way back up to 7th place. Bix warned of one of the Vawe racers who sped up behind Solise, she managed to dodge. She whipped around and rocketed to 4th. Huzmul was leading the pack, Meg was in second. Solise was behind Galene. She could sense the Inquirer was gaining on her. This was confirmed with Bix's input. This advanced heads up allowed her to completely evade him and climb ahead of Galene. He won't pass Galene. Solise suddenly recalled Meg's earlier words. That's right! Not if he can avoid it. If I can stay ahead of him, he'll eventually have to fall back. Bix assisted in her blocking an advance from Galene. She maxed out the bike as she approached the jump. The bike shot forward in a graceful arc as she easily cleared the distance. She didn't skip a beat in landing. Without even thinking, she passed Meg. The purple-clad racer began started to block Galene from advancing further.
"Scary face is gaining." Bix informed.
"He passed Galene?" Solise replied.
"Yep, Meg's running interference."
"He won't stay ahead of him for long. If I'm far enough ahead when the traps activate, I'm safe." She confidently responded.
This gave her the increased drive that was needed to pass Huzmul. She had once more hopped onto one wheel and blasted in front of him. This move gave Bix some noticeable anxiety but he elected not to say anything. The fear of distracting Solise at a moment like this kept his mouth sealed. She sped under the archway, still in first. She kept speed. The gap between her and Huzmul was not yet large enough to give her peace of mind. As she approached the fork in the paths, Bix took notice of which way the other vehicles were going.
"You're leading the pack, looks like everyone is going for the wider track. Now's the time to do the other one." He quickly stated.
Solise banked for the lower track. She sped up on the first hill and managed to hop over the next one. A slight tremble struck as she touched back down to the track. Bix's teeth clenched as she regained her balance. Soon, she was even further ahead of Huzmul. The Inquirer was one of the few who took the same path as Solise. Meg was already on the wide track: no protection this time. Bix warned her as the Inquirer gained speed. The white craft caught up to Solise and attempted to run her off the track. Bix watched, from above. He was waiting for the perfect moment to act.
"Brake!" He shouted, as the opportunity presented itself.
Solise did as he requested. The Inquirer shot past her and attempted to brake. He narrowly avoided flying off the edge of the road. Solise shot back up to speed and bounced the edge of his craft. He almost entirely fell off from the resulting jolt. His craft skirted along the edge of the track as he struggled to get back in place. By the time he was aligned again, Solise was quite far ahead of him. She rejoined the other racers, as she maintained the lead. Galene swooped back behind her and attempted to pass. Meg shot forward and prevented him from stealing Solise's place.
"He's catching back up!" Bix informed her.
"Not for long." Solise said, as she sped under the arch.
Lap three, no way he'll overtake Galene now. She thought. Bix shot this theory down when he announced the Inquirer was once more behind her. However, Solise could sense his apprehension to maintain the lead over Galene. His charges were rapid, blind jabs. He was rushing to take her out and fall back. You wanna do this? Let's see how smart you are. With this thought, she sped up. The Inquirer increased his haste, to match hers. The Raiyfian began to whip around the track with a frantic energy. The Inquirer struggled to match and everyone else struggled to see what Solise was attempting.
"What are you doing?" Bix asked.
"Something." Solise said, hesitantly.
She did another sharp juke, this time very close to the fork in the tracks. At the last minute, she banked for the lower road again. The sudden turn was too much for the Inquirer. The ship attempted to veer but could not recover. It flipped and began to roll up the pathway. Solise couldn't help but smile at the sight of him struggling to right the craft before the other racers got close. He managed to flip back over with a targeted blast of one of his thrusters. Below, Solise sped up as she noticed that Huzmul and Galene were gaining speed, Meg was just behind them.
She caught up with the others, she was down to fourth now. She managed to climb ahead of Meg as Huzmul dipped behind Galene. The Inquirer increased speed to catch back up with the cluster. He attempted to ram Solise again but she pulled ahead. Meg once more put a spacer between the two. As they passed up the arch, Solise was in second. She was behind Galene; Huzmul had dropped below the Inquirer. The trap triggers activated moments after the final lap began.
She picked DEFENSE and the range of options sped across Solise's piloting computer. The wheel finally selected smokescreen. Really? Solise couldn't help but be disappointed. There was no time to mope over this. The attacks had begun to launch. Surprisingly, few went for the offensive option. Most chose defensive measures. This provided some temporary piece of mind to Solise as Bix told her to head for the wide track. She pulled next to Meg as the Inquirer lined up behind them. Bix informed Solise that the Inquirer had not yet fired his power-up. He's going to hit me again. She realized.
The Raiyfian locked eyes with Meg. She removed a hand from one of her handlebars to motion toward the Inquirer. Meg nodded and motioned follow her. The purple racer sped ahead as Solise followed, on the other side of the track. The Inquirer moved toward Solise's new position. Meg motioned to her. She was making an X with her hands. With this, the two of them cut diagonally through the track, switching places. The Inquirer clearly didn't know how to react. Meg took advantage of this and slammed on her brakes. The Inquirer slammed into her as she immediately accelerated back to top speed. The Inquirer was forced to gain speed from nothing. He hit the jump at an angle and nearly collided with another craft on the touchdown.
"Home stretch but watch out. Inquirer is very angry and he's back on your tail." Bix shouted into the radio.
"I have an idea." Solise said, with enthusiasm.
She picked up speed and moved behind Galene, he was in the lead. Meg attempted to once more put space between the Raiyfian and the Inquirer. Solise motioned for her to stop. She did as requested and moved back to the edge of the track. Solise motioned to cut diagonally across the track...but not yet. She'll know what to do. Solise convinced herself, as the Inquirer closed in. Bix warned that the Inquirer was about to fire a shot, she already knew. She had been listening for the whir of the powerup energy. Thump! The shot was fired. Solise evaded, at the last moment. Galene's ship took the attack and began to wind down. It was another ship-disabling charge. Unlike Solise's bike, Galene's ship protections posed no risk of shock to his body.
Perfect! Solise internally yelled. Bix and Meg were impressed...but so was the crowd. Gurd called everyone's attention to the maneuver. The stands began to cheer. Even in the rush of the race, Solise noticed they were chanting her name. She didn't have much time to soak this in. Galene was suddenly gaining again. The Inquirer was once more pushing his ship forward. The two were barreling toward Solise and Meg. The archway was fast approaching as Galene's disabled craft caught up with Solise. She could see that he was confused by what was occurring.
Solise however, had counted on this. She looked to Meg and signaled. Now! Meg shot across the track, clipping Galene's craft. Solise shot behind him and severed the connection between his craft and the Inquirer's. She let the smokescreen loose as Galen's craft began to spin out. The Inquirer was soon blinded by a cloud of smoke that he could not see through. Solise recovered and blasted toward the archway. Meg was already ahead; she took first place. Gurd called attention to Solise as she sped toward the finish line. She briefly got caught up in the crowd cheering again. This distracted her just long enough for Huzmul to moved past her and finish in 2nd. Solise took 3rd. Galene's craft was eventually pushed through at 5th by the 6th place racer, the Inquirer.
"Looks like the little racer from Raiyfe just made her way into the top ten!" Gurd roared.
Solise couldn't help but smile as she watched her name move up the leaderboard. She was in the tenth spot, overall. The other spots contained the Joxlor and Germo from Iyet, the Poggle and Gozmolono from Vawe, a blue biped from Baxtam, Huzmul, Galene, Meg, Solise, and the Inquirer. Overall Galene had the lead, though Meg was neck and neck with him. I'm here! I'm in the top ten! Solise was overjoyed. She noticed Bix was as well. He was smiling and waving from his perch. She wasn't the only one to see him. The Inquirer could as well. Solise watched as the stranger placed his finger to his ear. She saw his faceplate move up and down. He was talking to someone.
Above, Bix suddenly noticed he was being watched. Several race employees were staring him down, from afar. One was tucking a small radio away from his ear and into his pocket. This employee whispered to all the others. Bix could feel their glare intensify. One began to approach. Instinct took hold as Bix quickly packed up his things and ran away. The employee gave chase, yelling "Stop!" as he did so. Bix kept running. The other employees clumsily followed after the first. Bix jumped from a ramp to a crowd of exiting Xerians below. He blended in with the crowd and managed to evade the eyes of the employees long enough for them to wander away. He slipped away just before the complex exit and made his way back to the stands.
Solise noticed how quickly Bix had left. She looked back to the Inquirer with a deadly gaze. Not that he could see it, through her mask. Yet, she felt one being thrown right back at her; from under his mask. She kept her distance as they victory lap wound down. An overjoyed Meg hugged her, once they were stationary. The two jumped for joy, already forgetting the concerns they had in their earlier one-on-one. They noticed Galene staring at them but things were different this time. His look was not one of malevolence but an odd mix of concern and admiration. Solise had no idea how to react to this. Thankfully, she did not have to focus on this for long. Gurd's gigantic hologram returned to the track. He was accompanied by new graphics. These depicted the top ten finalists with zeroes under each of their names. Solise could see that all the other racers were as confused as she was.
"Woo boy! It's been an exhilarating event so far. So many surprises and thrills. Sure, we all knew Vawe's star racer would be up at number one but looks like he's got some strong competition. This can go in some interesting directions. And to think, I was prepared to check out and just guess the highlights. Maybe that's a joke...maybe. Now we don't have to find out because we've got variety baby!" Gurd rattled off. "I've just received word that...due to these interesting developments...we're going to be taking a look at the projections. Keep in mind, these are just who has the most riding on them in the world of bets. I guess the kingdom is taking gambling into account...is that even legal here? Anyway, let's see who's most favored to win, according to the sacred word of cash!"
The numbers under the racer profiles began to climb. Unsurprisingly, Galene, Meg, and Huzmul instantly shot to the top of the list. Yet, Solise's number was climbing more than she expected. As lower-tier racers eventually stopped and displayed their total bets, Solise kept going. She was already in seventh, on this new list. One by one, racers totals displayed and their places locked. When Meg's stopped, she was in second. Galene's total began to slow to its final position at number one. However, Solise's was still climbing. She overtook Huzmul and then Meg. Galene watched as her name pulled ahead of his and finally stopped counting. She was in the top spot, with over a million credits being placed on her name. Her lead over Galene was sizeable. He had a little over 915,000 credits placed on him.
"Take a look at that, Xera! The nobody from nowhere is at the number one spot!" Gurd bellowed. "Solise of Raiyfe is our most favored to win...I really didn't expect this...I see why they're doing this betting stuff, it's juicy." He said, in a manner that made Solise wonder if he knew he was still being recorded.
She could already feel the eyes on her. These weren't welcome glances. Though Meg's expression remained the same, Solise could see that Galene's had shifted back to a kind of jealous pout. Several of the other racers' glances turned sour. It was the first time many of them were really looking at Solise. Only Huzmul offered anything in the way of respect. His approving gaze and subtle head nod gave Solise a little bit of comfort. Though, she knew this was the end of the line in that regard. She was now in a position where the others would either professionally respect or utterly despise her. I'm lucky enough to have one person in this who isn't trying to kill me. She thought, as she looked at Meg.
"This should make things very interesting. Stay tuned for tomorrow's circuit! We'll be shooting up to three races a day! That's three daily chances for these top ten titans to tussle for the title of XGP champion! You're going to be kicking yourself if you miss this, trust me. Gurd Indgrum, singing off!" And with that, the hologram was gone.
Solise stared at her name and the astronomical total bets that were displayed next to it. That many people placed their bets on me? Or maybe just one person with deep pockets. She thought. These thoughts were interrupted by the feeling that a sinister presence was approaching. This sensation was validated when she turned around to see the Inquirer approaching her. Meg took notice as well. She moved next to Solise and straightened her posture. Solise had often seen Bix perform the same maneuver, in the many times that Solise had readied for a fight with someone. She couldn't help but grin at the realization that someone she barely knew was willing to fight for her.
This turned out not being the Inquirer's intention. He stopped, far enough away that the two women knew he could not attack. Yet, Solise couldn't help but feel like he could shoot them dead from where he stood...somehow. He carried a sinister confidence that made his every move feel off. His immediate dismissal of the two of them made Solise incredibly worried.
"I'd like to congratulate you on your victory," The Inquirer said, in a completely unwelcoming manner.
"Oh? You're cordial now? You tried to kill me earlier." Solise was having none of it.
"It's a competition. You know what you signed up for. You've done well...especially working with a craft like that. Shame some inspectors can be so short-sighted. Yet, here you are. Looks like someone believes in you." The Inquirer said, as he pointed to Solise's number one placement.
Solise didn't know how to react. Meg clearly didn't either. "If this is intimidation, it's not working." The Raiyfian eventually said.
"Oh no, not this. Intimidation would be saying 'a lot of eyes are going to be on you, not entirely benevolent ones.' I wouldn't say something like that. Now is not the time for threats. I'll leave you to drink in your adulation." The Inquirer said, with a bow.
He began to walk away...but Solise was not ready for that to happen. "I'm still not scared!" She shouted. This had no effect on the Inquirer. The lack of reaction pressed Solise to say more. "I've dealt with worse things than you my whole life! I've always lived! You're just another creep hiding behind the royal veil!" She angrily added.
This caught Meg off-guard. She had seen Solise's tenacity, but this rage was something far more novel. The sudden explosion of it prompted Meg to shift her stance. She was no longer sure who she'd have to stop from swinging. The Inquirer was clearly affected as well. His feet had ceased moving and his fists were beginning to ball up. He turned back to Solise with a horrifyingly spiteful expression present in his mask. In an instant, he had marched back over to her. His steps thundered within Solise's ears, though no one else could even hear them. He was now within inches of her.
"You mistake me for someone of the royal affluence? You foolish child! I would never sully my name in their filth! Everything I have, I earned. No divine placement, no royal elders, not so much as a home...I am of my own creation." He said, with terrifying certainty. "It would do you well to learn your place. Lest you be smacked back into it." He added, before storming away.
Solise had nothing to say. This completely toppled her sense of balance in the situation. She looked back to Meg but she was clearly confused herself. The mix of the Inquirer's tactic and Solise's outburst left her struggling to catch back up to the moment. She looked to the Inquirer and watched as he got into his craft. He flew straight off the track, skipping the garage entirely. Solise didn't notice. She was distracted by her radio kicking back on.
"Solise? What's going on? I missed everything." Bix stated, over the radio.
"What? Where are you?" Solise was concerned.
"I'm back in the stands. I had to run away from some XGP employees." Bix said, quietly.
"Why? What happened?" Solise could now see him. The stands were clearing out.
"They saw me and starting running after me; right after you won." He informed.
Solise suddenly remembered the Inquirer speaking into his mask. Who was he talking to? Her thoughts turned entirely to the Inquirer. He's not a royal? Does he have connections? Why was he allowed to join after the XGP started? Why was he at that temple before all this was even announced? What's so important about that temple? Now, all she could think about was the temple. Just a ruin? No. It can't be. This isn't right. None of this is right.
"Get out of here, safely. I'll meet you outside the complex." Solise said, before removing her mask.
"You alright?" Meg managed to find her words.
Solise ignored her question and posed a new one. "The Inquirer is up to something, right?"
"Looks that way." Meg replied.
"You wanna find out what that is?" Solise said, as a grin crept across her face.
Megdidn't say anything, she mirrored Solise's smile.