Lucas recognized the girl as soon as he saw her because he had encountered her on the ice boat earlier. However, he couldn't understand how she had come to his boat or what her purpose was there.
— Now that the old man is gone, turn this boat, and I won't hurt you — she said calmly.
It was at this moment that Lucas realized the reason she had come. Among all the racers in the race, only Domingos seemed to be an enigma because no one expected a simple fisherman to have so much power.
Therefore, it was crucial to get rid of Domingos as quickly as possible, and the best way to do that was to wait for him to leave the boat and manipulate his weak helper.
— C-Calm down. If I turn the boat now, none of us will know the direction of the other boats — the young man said, trying to think of a strategy to escape this situation.
— In fact, I know where my boat is. It's right over there — the girl replied, pointing in the direction of the storm that Lucas couldn't see.
— W-Wow, your vision is really good.
— That's nothin- Ei, stop wasting time and turn the boat already — she said, increasing the cold around her.
Lucas felt his skin shivering from the cold, while sweat ran down his back.
— I-I-I will, but I can't!
— Why!?
— I-I don't have the strength! — replied the young man, as he seemed to struggle to turn the helm with all his might.
The girl looked at him as if she didn't understand why he was still in the race.
— Do you want to know, just let me- What's this? — she asked, feeling something blocking her approach. — A barrier?
Observing Lucas closely, the girl delivered several punches with all her strength to the barrier, but nothing seemed to happen.
— Am I safe? — the young man thought, feeling a little relieved.
However, moments later, the girl began to repeatedly punch the barrier, and her fists seemed to be protected by a layer of ice. The attacks were so intense that the barrier began to crack.
— This isn't good! — Lucas thought, trying to stop her. — Wait! I can remove it!
— Why didn't you do that before? — the girl commented, momentarily interrupting her attacks.
— Because I would have been killed by the sandstorm...
— Ah... — the girl understood, finally remembering that the person in front of her could die even in a sandstorm. — Remove the shield, I'll protect you.
— O-Okay — the young man replied, too weak to resist the girl. — "exit". — He thought.
Lucas deactivated his transparent shield and soon felt the force of the wind hitting his body, along with a bit of sand. As the girl had said, she was protecting him, although her protection was only a cloack she used to block some of the sand.
The young man could hardly see, as he kept his eyes almost closed to avoid the sand getting into them. The only thing he knew was where the girl and the boat's helm were. In his hand was the rune Domingos had given him.
— Well, now... What are you doing? — the girl asked when she realized her hand had been touched.
— I can't see anything! — Lucas replied before thinking — "enter".
After thinking that, the young man felt like his body was being repelled by something circular, which also prevented the sand and wind from coming his way.
— What is this? Are you passing me your shield? — the girl said.
— With it, you can protect me better from the storm — the young man replied, managing to open his eyes a little more.
Lucas took the opportunity to lean on the shield, seeking more protection against the storm.
— Ah, you're right... Wait, why are you pushing me!?
— I don't know where I'm going, so I was leaning on you.
— But if you do that, you'll just push me! — the girl said, trying to reach Lucas, but the shield stopped her.
— Really? Okay, I'll take the shield back.
— Do it quickly!
Saying that, the young man thought the word "exit" while imagining the rune leaving the girl. To his surprise, it actually worked, and the rune went back to him. Without hesitation, the young man used the rune on himself again.
Immediately, the shield began to expand, pushing everyone around.
— Hey, who said you could put it ba- Huh? AAAAHHHHHHH! — the girl screamed as she fell out of the boat, surprised by the sudden expansion of the shield.
In an instant, she disappeared into the vastness of the sandstorm, swallowed by the violent winds.
— ...I can't believe that worked — Lucas muttered, incredulous, feeling his foot touch the edge of the boat. — Ha...Hahahaha... Ah... — he laughed before taking a deep breath, trying to calm himself in the chaotic situation.
Lucas turned to the helm, worried about the girl he had just deceived but aware that he had no other choice but to move forward.
— Ahh... !?
However, before he could fully concentrate, an explosion occurred next to the boat, almost throwing Lucas away, if not for his firm grip on the helm.
Noticing what had happened, Lucas realized the presence of two girls at the bow of the boat. Both radiated intense fire, which pushed away the approaching sand. With their hands enveloped in flames, they stared at each other fiercely.
— Oh, seriously!? Can't this boat catch a break! — Lucas exclaimed, venting his frustration in the ongoing commotion.
Lucas's cry echoed in the air, immediately drawing the attention of the two girls in front of him. Their fixed gazes conveyed a mixture of curiosity and irritation.
— What's wrong!? Get out of here, weakling! — the girl with flaming hair exclaimed, making her impatience clear.
— So rude — commented the dragon-like girl.
— I'm telling the truth! He'll die if he stays here! — the girl replied, defending her statement.
— You do know I have nowhere else to go, right? — the young man retorted, exasperated.
Both girls looked at Lucas, realizing that a fierce battle there wouldn't leave the young man unscathed.
— See? It's all her fault! She came here first! — accused the fire family girl, pointing to the other.
— I was about to confront the Cubo de Gelo family, but you showed up in front of me — the dragon girl retorted, casting an accusatory look.
— What!? Were you going to ignore me!?
While the argument between the two girls unfolded, Lucas watched the situation from afar, feeling almost like a mere spectator. In different circumstances, he might have found the situation amusing, but here, with the furious sandstorm all around and imminent threats, he knew that every decision was crucial for his survival.
— By the way, aren't you two afraid of losing your boats in this storm? — Lucas asked, aware that they probably could locate their own boats, just like the ice girl.
— How could I not know!? It's right there! — replied the fire girl, pointing to the left with some indignation in her expression.
While Lucas tried to identify the mentioned boat, the dragon-like girl made a discreet confirming gesture, indicating that she could also see her own boat.
— I see... By the way, why did you hit the boat so hard? I was almost thrown out!
— Hitting the boat? — said the girl with flaming hair, sounding doubtful.
The uncertainty that hung between them made Lucas uncomfortable. He realized that something was wrong.
— This can't be good...
Shortly after his murmur, the ground exploded along with a piercing cold, sending pieces of wood and sharp frozen spikes in all directions. Both girls reacted quickly, dodging the attack, while Lucas had part of his shield broken, and an ice lance passed close to his neck.
As the sandstorm again blocked a good part of Lucas's vision, he found the silver-haired girl standing in front of him. It was the same girl he had just deceived moments ago.
— Y-Yo, how long has it been-
An explosion of flames struck them, melting even the ice stakes on the ground.
[To be continued...]
??? — You know, everything is happening so fast but, where's Domingos?
??? — He's facing the other competitors, like the elder from the Cubo de Gelo family, the boy from the Incêndio family, and the girl from the Autômato family, who currently has the biggest advantage.
??? — If they can see so well, why did the steel boat try to confuse them!?
??? — It's not about vision but rather the sand making the boats slower.
??? — Ah, now that you mention it, aren't the boats being covered in sand right now?
??? — Yes, except for the Autômato family's boat, which is unaffected. That's why Domingos went after it.
??? — That explains a lot... AAHHH! I want to see! I have to do the commentary!
??? — Anyway, Domingos's boat is probably heavily damaged.
??? — Does his boat make it to the end?
??? — We can only wait to find out...