She droops in defeat. Seems she's not cut out for this familiar business... "I'll ask one more time- please go?"
The red mouse considers for a moment, before dropping its peanut and running down the track. Tourmaline sighs in relief. Maybe they won't be dead last this race.
second of double post for late last turn
points 2
She bounces from her position on the sidelines, fans pulsing with glowing lights. "Come on Fetch! You can do it! Come on Fetch!" she chants encouragingly, watching her pitch rat walk along the track.
Fetch, however, is still very overwhelmed by all of the vibrant lights and sounds, and so stays at a slow pace, behind the rest of the pack.
first of double post for late last turn
points 2
Aw, Fetch, come on! We can somewhere quiet after this! I promise!
She hopes she can promise something to him - to motivate him to keep going. Well. We can go somewhere quiet even if you don't win. But would you try to win, please?
At that simple promise, the pitch rat sniffs the air a moment, before bolting down the course - through the tunnel and over the home stretch at a blinding pace.
second of double post for late last turn
points 5
"Straight ahead now," Richter unnecessarily advised his familiar. Despite being stationary compared to the grey form advancing upon the end of the course, tensed muscles shook from surging adrenaline while observing the race's conclusion. The feverish pace displayed by the leading contestants was infectious, and as if in the thick of the action himself, heat rose through his pelt. Paws wrung together, unable to constrain his heart's rapid beat. "Just a hop and a skip more, and you'll be right there."
Sustained speed had to peter out eventually, even for a natural runner such as Harvey. Fatigue was the inevitable visitor for all athletes once their bodies reached their limit. As the Walleye Rabbit's hops grew more spaced out, it became clear that his had been met, and his top velocity was stuck on a steady decline. The finish line might've been a whisker's breadth away, but no amount of encouragement would be able to push him any faster. Fortunately this occurrence wouldn't cause too much negative impact since he was at the front of the pack, moments from crossing into a comfortable ranking. He leapt into history, chasing the tail belonging to the ultimate winner of the competition.
And with that, our hopeful hopper has reached the end with a whopping score of 7 points, a good showing from a slow starter!
GRAND FINALE!!!
Quite a few of the Lessers had gotten lost or left behind, so much so that the final stretch only had a few real contenders. First to shoot across the finish line was the scrabbling Firetongue, its mottled scales seeming to spark with gold--or maybe that was the falling glitter. Second came the Walleye Rabbit, its eyestalks getting special treatment from Nemean's glowing golden spotlights. Third was--a tie! A confused little brown moth crossed the finish line entirely by accident at the same time as a scrabbling blue Lesser Snake.
The crowd, or at least a fake haze of clapping bystanders and a vaguely incorporeal roar of applause, went wild. Trumpets blared. Half a damn ton of confetti rained down in various shades of pinks and yellows. Nemean's voice practically screamed into what had gone from a megaphone to a tiny pink microphone: "AND THEEEERE WE HAVE IT! Our winners, folks--GIVE THEM THEIR PRIZES! Iiiiin FIRST PLACE..."
Three podiums appeared in a flash of pink smoke: the middle the tallest, with a big number 1 on it. The second was shorter, the third shorter still, and the Lessers were suddenly teleported to the appropriate spots: a Firetongue to First, the Walleye Rabbit to second, the blue Lesser Snake Nori and the Dust Moth to third. As Nemean announced them (far too loudly), the Fox-Imps hurried forward with gifts!
Sair and Trill were given matching ribbons sized appropriately for their necks. These had a big FIRST PLACE that would forever glow and sparkle gold, on a bright pink background that matched Trill's crests, and a "1st" was engraved into the pure gold medallions that dangled from them. Two little trophies were also given to them: bright gold, studded with pink gemstones, "1st" engraved upon them. These trophies were magic, and any time they were turned upside-down, would dump pink and gold confetti in a drifting pile.
Richter and his Walleye Rabbit were presented with Second-Place ribbons and trophies: these were pink with silver, instead, and the trophy and medallion said "2nd." The confetti from this one would be pink, silver and gold! The silver trophy was studded with pink gemstones, too. They looked a little less valuable than those on the First Place trophy.
Mocha, Nori, and Oliver and the Moth would be given appropriately-sized third place trophies and ribbons: bronze and pink, the Moth's in particular very very tiny. The pink gemstones on these looked more like cheap sequins, but they still sparkled; the confetti from these would be a darker bronze and hot pink.
Final Placements:
First: Sair & Trill
Second: Richter & Walleye Rabbit
Third: Mocha & Nori + Oliver & Dust Moth (Tie!)
Post in Update Me to claim your OOC rewards and Achievements for placing!
1st Place (Sair): 500 Magicka OR Conjure Familiar OR Familiar Forge
2nd Place (Richter): 400 Magicka OR Familiar Forge
3rd Place (Mocha & Oliver): 250 Magicka OR Familiar Forge
Final scores of those characters who finished all five rounds:
Anala & Rat: 2 Points
Sair & Trill: 8 Points
Mocha & Nori: 3 Points
Richter & Walleye Rabbit: 7 Points
Oliver & Dust Moth: 3 Points
If your character is not on this list, and rolled for all five rounds, let me know so they can be added! Likewise, if you see any mistakes please GM post or post in Requests.
Note: Ryoto's Eyehook and Yvan's Sandworm were not posted until thread's end, so they will remain dangerous. If either character wishes to attempt a Familiar Forge on their creature they may, but must first roll two Barely+ Successful rolls to wrangle/convince it. A Failure or Critical Failure will result in the Lesser turning on the character, mauling them before departing forever for Hydra.
Congratulations to the winners!
@Anala @Sair @Mocha @Richter @Oliver @Hysteria @Tourmaline (the latter two unfortunately only had four rolls and so did not count toward the final total)
@Ryoto @Yvan (for visibility/ooc notes)
![[Image: ioaINSW.gif]](https://i.imgur.com/ioaINSW.gif)