Chapter 165: The carriage ride 8

Everyone is enjoying the somewhat bumpy ride towards the Blockade when a streak of golden lightning strikes the ground before them. It is Solkor SUN Striker out of breathing he signs, "Come brother the First Minister is already making his move." Solkor SUN Striker has been keeping his combat teleportation skill hidden but now since he is outside of combat he risks it being discovered for now. His arrival shocks everyone especially SKY Ocean Hunter long-range teleportation skills is very rare and useful.

Solkor SUN Striker signs, "We need to go right now the First Minister is making his move having all four of us here at the same time has spooked him. "It's clear to SKY Ocean hunter that Solkor SUN Striker is referring to the Crowned Ones of SUNken Ocean House. The three children of Slith and their cousin each of them on their own is a threat to the First Minister on their own especially his sister she could probably kill him and get away with it somehow.

SKY Ocean Hunter signs, "He is probably doing this to keep me away from the blockade. Every moment the Isekal have brings them closer." 

Solkor SUN Striker signs, "let them go ahead I have been there before and have a mark placed there I will bring you back there immediately once we are done." The others all show colours of concern which while displeasing Solkor SUN Striker he can understand. It probably looks like a trap to them, by creating this emergency he can separate SKY Ocean Hunter from his pod. He looks at SKY Ocean Hunter colour begging him to trust him. 

SKY Ocean Hunter climbs out of the carriage and goes to Solkor SUN Striker vanishing a few moments later...

MagmaHeart signs, "how could we just let him go like that it's probably a trap?" She looks at Calypso who is now a de facto leader without SKY Ocean Hunter around. Calypso is reading a message she had messaged him privately as soon as Solkor SUN Striker appeared. She already knew of the golden crown as he was hanging around a lot during the feast but never actually approached by him and SKY Ocean Hunter has said all he is going to her about the matter which is exactly diddly squat. 

BABYMAKERXCREAM signs, "Girl that is SKY Ocean hunter of Sunken Ocean, Leader of Sunken Reef do you realise how much he believes in this house to name his guild after it. It links the guild to the fortune of his house if it falls we fall. I doubt he will let that happen." She had to say something even if she herself doesn't believe it may be one of the others will and somehow pull through for them. 

McQueen flashes agreement but her mind is somewhere else already she plans to go through with the Kings passage with or without SKY Ocean Hunter one less person is not a team breaker especially in Sunken Reef. She even makes the Hydras' continue their journey, her colour is off even if she is showing courage there is an intense fear in her heart. 

Calypso finally signs, "Don't worry I'm sure he will meet us there." She sends them all the last bit of message she got from him. 

"If I'm not there in next two hours drop me from the party and finish the Kings passage without me. I believe in you girls no matter what you won't let me down." While the others might think it is pretty glad-handing from SKY Ocean hunter. They aren't the ones who through interviews after from Tatiana, Ninth Immortal and Lux discussing the merits of her team going with SKY Ocean Hunter. She has found out how tight of control the distant captains still have over the guild. 

Hakagure signs, "this doesn't exactly inspire confidence. " She holds Smittenkitten69 close to her even though she is the toughest she is still a baby to Hakagure. 

Calypso signs, "It not meant, he trusts us to finish what he started. You guys he knows if anything happens to him we will have his back. To me, that is more important than a confidence boost." She knows what she is doing by highlighting an important mission and how he trusts them it should also act as a confidence boost for the group. 

Magmaheart signs, "Your right he could have told us to wait or call for back up but rather he said we finish without him. This is an important mission otherwise so many important people wouldn't be here all at once." 

X2Cu signs, "Then we better not let him done." The colours of all the girls have improved a lot and they are now focused on making their way to the Kings passage. Suddenly four Corrupted sharks are trailing them.  The road transforms a special event has been triggered reports the system. A glowing banner declaring the commencement of Getaway-alive mission. The rules are simple the girls have to navigate there to the passage without being derailed by the sharks. 

McQueen signs, "I have got this I didn't choose this name for nothing." Her favourite kind of game has always been racing games. However, she quickly found out that more than pure talent is needed to hit the top ranks. She turned to Odyessy as it has over fifty different races types from sailboat racing to the mythical Dragon swoop. She hopes to one day start a race team and participate in the games. Her application for a racing team has even been provisionally accepted though slated for exactly two years from now. In the mean, she has to find which race she wants to do and prepare a race team. That is what she was doing when Calypso advice her that given her score in the rank 0 dungeons joining her team could accelerate her goals.

McQueen is given a small boost bar and reigns the path ahead has become a pseudo race track she also has specific limits she has to stay within. The track also has traps both visible and invisible she knows from experience that there must be invisible traps. She uses all the boost she has first. The carriage Dorcel fin kicks up sand as it is dragged along. The sharks travel at a constant speed but they are hindered by track limits and they may even be speeding up.

X2CU starts glowing as the other magic user she has ranged attacks that could at least slow down the sharks. The sharks easily dodge all the attacks from the weaver. X2CU as a Weaver is more used to controlling spells rather than direct combat but she has done the training like everyone else and knows how to fight even solo. 

The game is not total unfair it has given her natural speed boosts and her special shielding that she can acquire also driving bonus allows her to earn an extra boost. The starts driving like a race driver the track limits require one to think not like a formula one driving with the perfect racing line but rather like Nascar losing as little speed at each turn as possible.

The sharks are quickly edging closer to them they dart through like it is not even there. Chomping right behind at the first corner of the defence shell. The track up ahead dips which gives her a crazy idea at this speed she won't make it down. This is a problem because the shark will tear them apart they need to slow but then they will get bitten now and die anyways. 

McQueen twists the right-wing creating a lot of drag, turning the carriage into a sort of slide across the track. The shells are arranged by the three racing lines she could take but by twisting like this she can score two of the defensive shells in one go.

The carriage is thrown to one side as the massive maw of the shark bites down cracking the newly acquired shell. Then almost as soon as the first shark is done. Another carriage rattling shark arrives causing the carriage to be kicked up off the track. A third shark bites into the water as the carriage slowed down the manoeuvre and the share bites suddenly dip going down faster than before. 

The way down is littered with spikey rock that sticks out three meters into the water. McQueen knows given the carriage is back heavy she can't weave around too much rather she keeps dodging in one direction until she runs out of track before making her way. The girls are terrified they have never travelled at such speeds before. Even the thrill-seeking BABYMAKERXCREAM flashes a sickly green. 

McQueen can't do anything about that sharks are not all the same. The at the back is a great shark and it simply smashes its way through the pikes not like the others who have to weave in between. The straight drop end. The Dorcel causes the carriage to violent dance about as the spike digs into the ground. McQueen immediately adds what little boost she has to overcome the effect stop at the bottom of the drop. 

The final stretch is a nightmare for McQueen it is a tunnel. Still, she races into the dark tunnel she doesn't know what to do she can't see anything there is no right at all in the tunnel. She bumps into several somethings their speed slowing down...