Eodem: A Rifle and Sword Adventure (Complete)

Chapter 32: Playhards (Part 2)

"What the hell is going on?" Bobby interrogated Kayin and Diaz.

"Nothing." Diaz said.

"Nothing? Are you deaf Diaz? I am hearing boos and cusses from the crowd. Look!" Bobby pointed out.

They were indeed jeering at Diaz for his inaction. It was already 3 hours into the Ras Ceffylau Traws-Duchy and the racers except the Mustang were long off the start already hitting their first checkpoints. They were exhausting an aura of absolute disappointment after all of Vinny's boasting of his steed having 'the power of Seven-hundred Horses'.

"Liar!"

"Is this the Otherworlder's best? Pathetic!"

"Charlatan!"

"All talk no might!" the crowds jeered.

For the Earthlings, on the other hand, it was perhaps the laziest brunch in all of the time. Diaz had down as Bobby can observe 3 cups of 3-in-1 instant coffee, 4 eggs worth of sunny side up eggs, 12 strips of cured ham and 2 bundles of grapes. Kayin wasn't at his usual studious self and was also sharing along with the excessive ration they had.

"Diaz, I don't care if doing this doesn't feel 'rewarding' and all but you are making me look bad right now." Bobby argued.

"Look, the Race is about 12 hours long at the minimum according to what we heard. I can afford a head start. Let them have their fun." Diaz dismissed.

The crowd became more restless and they began to start tossing whatever refuse they could grab towards the Otherworlders such as pre-masticated scraps, dirt, rocks and even a large splinter of wood.

"Get out of here you poltroon!" one of them said.

"What's a poltroon?" Diaz asked.

"It's another way of saying 'chicken' Vinny." Kayin bluntly said.

"Chicken!?!" Diaz grinded his teeth at that insult.

Just then one of the scraps of food, a pre masticated piece of fruit with a fragile exterior landed on the Bonnet of Diaz's Mustang. It's emerald and pulpy contents desecrated the waxy luster Diaz had worked so hard to remove the dirt stains from the time he played bait for some Land Sharks.

"My Mustang!" Diaz cried. He rose from his chair and rushed towards his car towel at hand.

Bobby and Kayin followed behind him as Diaz frantically sterilized the fruity stains on its wake. His pride and joy that he helped build from the frame up thanks to Aparo's 'Classical Revival' campaign of fitting in old but timeless Car Models with new technologies to adapt to the modern roads and needs of the roadster today. He got one of these models for free after spending 5 years of excellent services to Don Aparo and his organization. He designed everything himself from the motor specifications, the red paint with the running horse Decals and even the ornamental pearly white Manual Clutch Stick.

"Are you going to let them just do that to you and your car Vinny?" Bobby challenged.

Vinny was now seething with rage and internal belittlement. His sense of feeling victorious was overridden by his fear of the perception of weakness. It was a fit of encompassing anger, that, after he finished removing the stains from his hood, he turned to Kayin.

"Get your Drone." He said. It wasn't his usual Devil-may-care accent he was known to have, but instead devoid of humor.

He was being serious right now.

"Boss, you got a Hanky? Get ready to set me off." Diaz turned to Bobby.

They both nodded. Kayin ran back to his computer set up behind the stables and readied his drone's engines. Meanwhile, Robert Bianchin walked towards the raucous causing crowd and put on his most poised stance. He was honestly scared that he might get his clothes violated by whatever the onlookers could throw at him but he needed to salvage this for his paycheck's sake.