The Innkeeper



Lex recognized the distinct sound of cloth flapping in the wind and knew exactly what power up was coming for him. It was troubling because this particular power up had a homing function, so it wasn't easy to avoid.

This was not a matter of defense, and he dared say that even if he used Talk to the Hand and put up a barrier, it would not be enough to escape from the effects of this particular power up. If he still had the speed boost power up, he could have used it at the right moment to escape, but since he did not he would have to get creative.

Without even needing to think about it, he entered the state of flow and drove his cart to the edge of the track. Relying on his keen intuition, his incredible sense of hearing and his spirit sense that he had surrounded his cart with, he waited for the power-up to come just close enough.

One second, two… Before the third second could arrive, Lex struck his hand out of the cart and grabbed onto a street light just off the track. Latching onto the cart as tightly as he could, he used his grip on the street light as a pivot and had the cart spin a full circle around the pole, abruptly moving out of its original trajectory.

Just as he was about to get back onto the track, he saw a massive white blanket throw itself where his cart should have been! This was a power-up called the Mummy wrap, and basically consisted of a white, indestructible blanket that would completely wrap itself around the moving golf carts, obstructing not only the view but also the spirit senses! It lasted an enormous 10 seconds, which was long enough for a speed cart to crash somewhere or go off course directly! More importantly, it provided the driver right behind to overtake the competition.

From the corner of his eye, Lex noticed a driver catching up to him. He immediately recognized the infamous Noel sister, Greta! Although she was too far for Lex to hear what she was screaming, his phenomenal eyesight allowed him to read her lips and pick up on some of the curse words she was using. It seemed she was upset over Lex dodging her power up.

The crowds watching, however, were all ecstatic and could not get enough of Leo's driving. To be honest, Leo was nowhere near the level of Gerard, who had yet to enter a single precarious situation at all. But it was the constant close calls that got the viewers adrenaline pumping, and his ever stoic expression that elevated his image.

But Lex could not be bothered by any of that now. An intersection in the track was coming up! On the left, Lex could clearly see a power-up floating within reach, but the right path was descending - a way back to the track below!

Lex had neither the time to debate his options nor the will to gamble. In such a moment, he relied completely on his intuition, and turned towards the left path. The button for the power-ups turned red, making Lex grin.

The Kamikaze bomber was perceived as one of the more useless power ups, considering it caused a powerful explosion right on the users cart. But for Lex and his incredible defense that was not a problem at all. Moreover, it provided him with an excellent way to remove competitors as long as he got close enough! It could also help him avoid certain other power ups targeting him as well. A very versatile tool.

But though he got the power up, he had to pay the corresponding price! The track led him right off the edge of the floating city, driving on a path made of clouds. But his intuition was blaring, letting him know that not all clouds were solid and he could easily plummet to the ground.

He was not afraid of falling from heights, but rather losing his position in the race. He could no longer tell what position he was at, but he was sure it was probably near the front.

With no safety guard rails to keep him on track, and his intuition only warning him where there was danger, Lex's driving seemed to become haphazard. Many viewers became confused for a moment, before their screens suddenly highlighted the actual track in green, and all the clouds that would allow Lex to fall as red.

Sucking in a quick, cold breath, they finally realized just how precarious Lex's situation was. To be fair, anyone with a keen observation would also be able to detect the correct path due to how the clouds behaved differently, where they were solid and where they weren't, but no one had the time for that!

A few, tense minutes later, Lex finally got off the clouds. But that did not mean his track had become any easier to navigate. He had gotten off at the tip of Midnight Mountain and now had to drive down a snowy track spiraling across the mountainside.

Just as he was trying to get an understanding of how the cart drove on a snowy track, a cart literally fell out of the sky in front of him! The cart, which was covered in a golden bubble, did not slow down even for a second and continued to hurtle directly down the Mountain side with no regard for the track!

"Brandon, you juvenile geezer!" roared someone from another cart, which also crashed down from the sky. But this one did not have the smooth landing of the previous one, and became completely buried in the heavy snow!

Lex didn't pay them much mind and continued to navigate the track, but more and more carts started falling from the sky! Instead of competitors, they became more like obstacles for Lex to avoid.

But other than falling from the heavens, the carts also had another thing in common: they were all cursing Brandon!

Lex didn't know if he should be curious as to what the old man had done, or impressed by the sheer damage he had caused. But Lex put him out of his thoughts real quick as his keen senses picked up another power-up hidden underneath a pile of snow. Taking a small risk of slowing down, Lex drove headfirst into the pile to gain his second stacked power-up.

The second button turned green. This made Lex grin. This power up had been suggested by one of his workers who had been watching popsicle the sailor man and his penchant for gaining great strength when eating spinach. This power-up would not really increase the speed of his cart, but if he rammed into anyone and hit the button, their cart would literally be thrown away as if hit by a powerful ram!

Of course, there were ways of negating this ability just like any other, but it was easier said than done.

Lex continued down the mountain, still managing to avoid all obstacles, but soon a general cacophony began to trail him as all the drivers who fell out of the sky reentered the race. That in itself wasn't an issue since Lex's driving, which allowed him to avoid slowing down at all, would continue to increase the distance between them. It was the threat of being targeted by power-ups that put pressure on Lex.

Not to mention, he really didn't like this pattern of people overtaking him by breaking through or going off course. Since going off the course, to a small degree, was technically allowed, many restrictions had been put in place to discourage anyone from attempting such things or make it hard for them to gain any leads using these methods. But two people had already managed to do it.

It seemed like they really had profited from going through multiple races. Lex had to admit that he had overestimated himself and underestimated others. But, if others could do it, so could he!

Lex entered his overdrive state and began analyzing the track ahead of him, or as much of it as he could see. He had already determined where the track would proceed once he exited the mountain, so…

A few, patient minutes went by as Lex searched for the perfect spot, but the moment he found it he did not hesitate. Without any forewarning whatsoever, Lex veered to the right and, driving over a tree that had been growing at an angle, Lex launched himself off the mountain.

As the sunlight shone down on the cart flying through the air like a pegasus, lighting up the faint, confident smile worn by Leo, a hush fell over a certain part of the stadium full of guests who had been watching him. A hundred thousand guests held their breath as they watched him fly.

In a particular corner, a devil wearing a brown trench coat pulled out a small booklet from his pocket, and with a tiny yellow pencil, wrote down 'Leo'. A few familiar names above him were Gerard, Marlo and Luthor. Z's name was also mentioned, but it had a question mark right in front of it.