Race. {2}

Fitz threw his head back and laughed; the sound was deep and hearty. "Hahah! I thought I was a goner too! Thankfully, I installed some parachutes on my bike. The desert wasn't exactly a soft landing, but hey, me and my girl made it out alive!"

He slapped Alexius on the back, nearly knocking him over. "So, what about you? Got a girl to ride with you this time? You know the rules, no girl, no race."

Alexius scratched the back of his neck while a sheepish grin spread across his face. "Well, the last girl who rode with me said I was too crazy. She didn't want to die young, so… she quit. I've been flying solo since."

Fitz raised an eyebrow while clearly unimpressed. "Man, you gotta stop scaring them off. You're gonna end up racing alone forever."

Before Alexius could respond, a voice cut through the noise; it was a smooth and confident female voice that made both men turn around.

"Well, if that's the case, do you mind if I become your partner today?"

Standing there with hands on her hips and a smirk on her lips was a woman who looked like she'd just stepped out of a desert mirage. Her leather jacket hugged her frame, and her boots were dusted with sand. Her eyes, sharp and daring, locked onto Alexius's, and for a moment, he was speechless.

Fitz let out a low whistle. "Looks like your luck just turned around, Alexius."

Alexius recovered quickly while his trademark smirk returned. "Well, well... looks like I've got a partner after all. You sure you can handle it? This isn't exactly a joyride."

The woman stepped closer with a smirk that matched his. "Oh, I can handle it. The question is, can you keep up with me?"

The crowd around them erupted into cheers and whistles, the energy of the night reaching a fever pitch. Alexius extended a hand, his grin widening. "Alright then, partner. Let's see what you've got."

[Well then, ladies! The time has come to put the collars on the dogs! This is the first call!]

The race announcer's voice boomed through a massive copper horn, echoing across the desert and drawing cheers from the crowd. The atmosphere was electric, the air thick with anticipation and the roar of engines.

Alexius turned to the woman who had volunteered to be his partner while holding out a dog collar with a short chain attached.

"Well then," he said while his smirk widened, "is this your first time?"

The woman took the collar while her bluish eyes narrowed slightly as she examined it. "Mmm, if I'm being honest, yes. This is my first time doing something like this. What exactly am I supposed to do?"

Alexius leaned in with his voice dripping with mischief. "It's exactly what you're thinking. You put this collar on me, and then once I'm on the bike, you sit behind me. Nothing too hard." His devilish grin suggested he was hiding something, but Iza didn't press further.

"Well, if it's only that, then I guess it's not as bad as I thought," she said while fastening the collar around his neck with a click. "There, done. Now what?"

Alexius revved the engine of La Bastarda, the steam hissing like a restless beast. "First, tell me your name. I can't just keep calling you 'hey you.'"

She smirked while crossing her arms. "You can call me Iza. And you are?"

"Alexius," he replied, his tone being casual but his eyes glinting with amusement. "Now, hop on. The race is about to start."

By the time the third call echoed through the desert, all 20 participants were lined up at the starting point, their bikes growling like caged animals.

The air was thick with steam and the scent of oil; the tension was palpable while Iza's heart pounded in her chest as she noticed something odd since the other girls weren't sitting on the bikes like she was. They were standing, their postures confident and their expressions fierce.

"Hey, Alexius!" Fitz's booming voice cut through the noise as he pulled up beside them on his massive bike. He had two women perched on the back, a feat only someone as strong and reckless as Fitz could pull off. "Is this girl a virgin?" he asked with his teasing tone.

Alexius choked back a laugh. "Pfft… ehem, yeah, it's her first time… Pfft." He struggled to keep a straight face but his shoulders shaken with suppressed laughter.

Iza's eyes widened as the realization hit her.

{So this was the trap all along! I knew something was off… you little—!}

She yanked on the chain attached to Alexius's collar, cutting off his laughter mid-chuckle.

Before she could say anything, one of the other women called out to her. "Sweetheart, you might want to find another man for your first time. Alexius is… well, let's just say he's a bit too wild for beginners. I'm guessing he didn't explain what you're supposed to do, did he?" The woman giggled while her tone was equal parts amusing and sympathetic.

"Hey! Don't spoil the fun!" Alexius protested while tossing a handful of peanuts at the woman. "Let her figure it out during the race. That's the tradition for all the new girls!"

Fitz burst out laughing, his deep voice carrying over the noise. "Bahaha! It's a tradition when it's not you behind the wheel, my friend!"

One of Fitz's passengers, a woman with a mischievous glint in her eye, tossed a leather bag to Iza. "Here, darling. You're gonna need this if you're riding with that lunatic."

Iza caught the bag while her confusion grew. "What's this for?"

The woman winked. "You'll find out soon enough. Good luck! you're gonna need it."

The starting horn blared, and the bikes surged forward in a cloud of steam and dust. Iza barely had time to hold on as La Bastarda shot ahead, the desert landscape blurring around her. Her heart raced, not just from the speed but from the thrill of the unknown.

She had no idea what she'd signed up for, but one thing was certain... this was going to be a ride she'd never forget... and she was damn right.

As the race kicked off, Iza quickly noticed something odd. Fitz's team and theirs weren't speeding ahead like she'd expected.

In fact, they were moving at a surprisingly leisurely pace. She leaned forward while putting her face close to Alexius's shoulder as she shouted over the hum of the engine, "Hey, why are we going so slow? Are you really this bad of a driver?"

Alexius chuckled with the sound vibrating through his chest. "Haha, it's not that I'm slow. I'm going slow because I'm not stupid. I know you've heard I'm crazy, but I'm not suicidal. See Fitz? He's just a few meters ahead of me. He knows, like I do, that only the biggest idiots speed up at this part of the race."

Iza frowned while her curiosity was piqued. "Mmm? And why's that?"

Alexius grinned while his eyes scanned the horizon. "Well, that's because the dunes are just up ahead. By the way, have you checked what's inside the bag that woman threw at you?"

Iza blinked and was momentarily distracted. "No, I haven't. Why?"

Alexius adjusted his metallic gloves, his tone casual but his eyes sharp. "Well, you see, the dunes here are… let's just say, dangerous. There's a 50% chance that inside each dune, there's a scorpion. And those guys? They really don't like us."

Before Iza could process his words, a shadow lunged from the dunes, tackling one of the riders in the lead. The bike flipped, sending up a spray of sand as the rider tumbled to the ground.

More shadows emerged, with their forms becoming clear as massive, armored scorpions charged at the riders. Gunshots rang out, and explosions lit up the desert as the riders fought back.

"W-WHAT IS THAT?!" Iza screamed while her grip tightened on Alexius as she watched the chaos unfold.

Alexius laughed; the sound was wild and unrestrained. "Hahaha, welcome to the safari! Get the bombs ready! If you see a scorpion getting close, throw a bomb at it!" With that, he slammed the throttle, and La Bastarda surged forward, kicking up a plume of sand.

"Hold on a second! What bombs?!" Iza shouted even though her voice was barely audible over the roar of the engine and the cacophony of explosions.

"The bag the other woman threw at you is full of small impact bombs! Here they come! Stand up and throw them!" Alexius's voice was urgent as he spotted a scorpion charging straight at them, its pincers snapping menacingly.

"NOW DO IT!" he shouted.

Despite the chaos, Iza's adventurous spirit kicked in and she stood up on the bike, using the chain around Alexius's neck to steady herself.

With her metallic gauntlet, she grabbed one of the small bombs from the bag and hurled it at the scorpion. The gauntlet gave her enough strength to counteract the wind resistance, and the bomb sailed through the air, hitting the scorpion square in the face.

The explosion was deafening and the scorpion disintegrated into hundreds of pieces as sand and shrapnel flew in every direction.

"Bahaha, nicely done!" Fitz shouted out while pulling up beside them with his two passengers clinging to his back. One of the women leaned out, grinning at Iza.

"She's finally popped her cherry! Congratulations, dear!" She teased Iza with her voice carrying over the chaos.

Iza's heart was racing, but a grin spread across her face. She had no idea what she'd gotten herself into, but one thing was certain... this was the most exhilarating experience of her life.