Venturing Graces

Chapter Seventeen: Speed Demon

Ren was busy chugging more of their soda. "This one is cherry!"

"Somehow I feel like that was bad advertising," Rose commented. She drove Grace down the barren desolate roads towards Raolai City. All there was were tall dry grasses. "I booked an air bnb there."

"Nice," Ren said. Hex floated in the back near Grim. 

"We agreed to no sealing," He uttered. Hex looked down at the black dog. "They promised me," A cold tear traveled down his cheek. Ratto started barking at him, prompting an eye roll from the specter. "Ugh."

"Ratto!" Rose yelled. Schrod curled up on the blanket on Ren's lap. A motorcycle sped out of nowhere in front of the ambulance. Rose slammed the brakes; Grace screeched to a halt. A guy got off the motorcycle. He wore a heavy gray helmet with red horns. Accompanying that was a leather jacket over a gray top and jeans. On his helmet was a symbol of a curled silver snake with two heads. "What's this guy's fucking problem?" Rose rolled down the window. 

"I am the Sin of Speeding! One of the Seven Sins of The Road! And I demand that you race me!" He pointed right at Rose. 

"Sin of Speeding? Ha! He's clearly never met my Aunt," Ren thought. 

"No thank you, I have places to go," Rose said. The man started to drive around Grace in circles. The demon on the roof snarled like a rabid wolf. She tried to drive forwards but he cut her off. 

"Everyone who comes here has to race me!" Speeding yelled. 

"Okay fine," Rose grumbled. "Go fuck off," She thought, her hands squeezed the wheel. 

"Maybe I can curse him," Ren thought. Rose and Speeding started. Dust spread through the air. "I hate motorcycles." Rose slumped forward in her seat. "Auntie?" Ren poked her face. Ratto started barking and Ren threw their soda in her face. "OH My Arc! She's asleep!" Ren screamed. They resembled the famous painting aptly titled "The Scream."

"What?" Hex floated over. "Wake up!" He screamed. Ren looked out the window and noticed a woman. They could only see her messy blue hair. "Ren!" Hex cried. Ren grabbed the steering wheel. Hex possessed Rose's body and helped Ren park by the side of the road. Ren put the ambulance on park. 

"What happened?" Baguette whimpered. 

"AUNTIE WAKE THE FUCK UPITH!" Ren screeched. Speeding stopped next to the ambulance. Ren got out with their hands up. "I probably should have brought Schrod."

"This guy has a lot of magic," Orochi hissed. 

"Maybe we can use your wind magic," Ren suggested. 

"Dammit Sleep...." Speeding muttered, "Face me!"

"Wait! There are rules right? Like only people in a vehicle may race. Other wise it's not fun, right?" Ren asked. "What did I just say?"

"Yeah, makes sense," Speeding said. 

"That woman by the road can't help you then unless she gets in a vehicle," Ren said. "I'm sure it was her who made Auntie fall asleep," Ren reasoned. 

"Yeah, I'd say so too," Orochi said. 

"What's taking so long?" Hex asked. 

"So will you race me or not?" Speeding asked. "And you talk way too fast!"

"Yeah, but let me get my own car first. This big clunky thing isn't for racing," Ren answered. They went to the back to get out a capsule. They relocated everyone into Cinnabar before shrinking down the ambulance. "It's not like Cinnabar is for racing either, but she's still fast." They thought of a kid from their school whose father drove a race car. 

"Now let's race!" Speeding yelled. Ren was in the driver's seat with Schrod on their lap. "Go!" Ren slammed on the gas. 

"This is the one thing my parents told me not to do," Ren thought. 

"They told you more than one thing," Orochi hissed. 

"One thing I listened to," Ren said. Rose snored in the backseat. "Would she get mad if I tied her to the roof rack?" Ren asked. Speeding was way ahead of them. "This guy pisses me off."

"Tell me about it," Hex said. A rock flew at their windshield. "He's throwing rocks!" Hex yelled. Speeding slowed down and flipped them off. 

"What the fuck? Hey that's cheating!" Ren screamed out the window. 

"No it's not!" Speeding yelled. "Catch me if you can!" He sped up and so did Ren. 

"Ratto, Grim, Baguette, top," Ren ordered. They opened the moon roof. Grim used his prehensile fur to lift Ratto and Baguette onto the car roof. Baguette fired bombs out of her mouth and Ratto breathed fire. Speeding dodged each attack before speeding on ahead. He slowed down again. "He's taunting us," Ren thought. 

"I bet I can take him out. Let me try," Orochi hissed. 

"Not yet, I have a plan," Ren said. "Hex, please take over." Hex used telekinesis to control the wheel. Grim pulled Baguette and Ratto back inside. Ren took out their black book and began to chant. 

"What are you doing?" Orochi asked. Ren finished chanting the spell and they closed the moon roof. A droplet fell onto the windshield and then another. Rain poured down from above and Ren slowed down. 

"He's going so fast he'll hydroplane for sure," Ren said. 

"Nice," Hex smirked, "That'll get him."

"I am the god of the roads! I am faster than the rain itself! I am the Sin of Speed!" Speeding went even faster. 

"What the hell? Are motorcycles just more rain proof?" Ren asked. They kicked on the windshield wipers. 

"He's using magic," Orochi hissed. 

"I don't have a spell for this," Ren said. They turned on the car heater. "I'm going after him." Ren drove after him. "How is he not slipping?"

"I am the fastest! I even out-sped the rain itself!" Speeding yelled. He pointed at Cinnabar. "Now you'll understand speed too!" The car began to speed up. 

"Slow down!" Hex yelled. Baguette jumped onto the floor and Ratto began to bark and howl. Grim covered his eyes with his paws. 

"I can't! The car's moving on its own!" Ren yelled. The brakes did nothing. Hex tried to use his telekinesis. "We're going to hydroplane!" Ren touched Schrod's ears. "Schrod, what are the chances that we won't hyrdoplane?" The cat's head began to spin. Xs. "Fuck!" Ren screamed. 

Hex possessed the car and worked to try to steer away from the grass. "Jump out!" Ren hugged Schrod closely. They chanted the words to a protection spell. The car skidded into the tall grasses before stopping. Ren stumbled out of the car still holding Schrod. "I just need to catch my breath."

"Rose! Wake up!" Hex screamed. "We're stranded!" Ratto started barking. The rain pelted down. 

"It's fine, I can use magic to stop the rain," Ren said. They got back into the car. Rose started to stir. 

"Huh? Wha....." She sat up. 

"Auntie! You fell asleep! That crazy guy raced us," Ren explained. They took the capsule with the ambulance in it out of their satchel. "Someone used magic to make you fall asleep."

"Where are we?" Rose asked. She got out of the car. "Oh......"

"It's a long story, but it should be fine," Ren answered. Ren swapped out the car for the ambulance. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright, you did just fine," Rose said. Everyone got back into Grace. "It's fine, we're still on route," Rose said. The group pressed on into the rain. 

AN: Sin of Speeding. I took a defensive driving course as a teen and in the booklet they gave us there was a section literally called "The Seven Sins of Driving." I had to do something with that it was too good!

Facts about Speeding

Speed/Speeding is not his real name

The helmet is not his head he has a face under it. 

He is afraid of dust storms and tornadoes. 

Speeding will return later.