Round Ten

They moved on. Seeds were planted, a future of healing and purification promised before them in great stretches of shimmering green. The stakes now marked safe passage, the deep footfalls and marks of struggle denoting where Gembounds had almost fallen.

Almost. But for one. Ahh-... but we will return to that one momentarily.

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Ahead lay the Salt Flats: that broad, seemingly endless expanse of caked and broken salt pan, broken and scorched by blasting heat and bone-dry air. The long march across this Flat could still be deadly, for those wounded and exhausted by their journey through Hydra. But at this hour, the temperature so high that shimmering illusions filled the horizons with tempting promises--lies--of water, even the scorpions and spiders had gone to ground. The few Eyehooks that still spiralled overhead had drawn farther and farther away, leaving the Gembound only their blistering heat, searing thirst and blinding light to press through to the end.

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And now... back to the silence they had left behind them. There was the quiet splash of a heavy tread, one long-trained in Hydra's dangers. And a moment later, a hulking figure approached the small, limp, wet black form lying motionless in the Dead Marsh, as though Anselm had become the very avatar of its doomed and damning nature.

A six-thumbed, violet limb reached out, lifting this form almost gently, cradling it upward toward flared nostrils that towered high overhead. The gases. Beside him, then, a shuffling: the black-cloaked, hunched form appearing as if from nowhere. Vargas turned, studying him. And the form stared back, waiting.

After a long moment, Vargas turned it over. "A shame," he said aloud, as if reluctant. "For one so small, it made it very far." A surprise; always a surprise, when the small, dark (and thus doubly suffering in Hydra's heat), tenacious ones made it. It reminded him of Garnet. It could have-

"Not... far... enough." Vargas's eyes shot to the Masked Merchant, but he knew that the Merchant--whose fingers closed tightly upon the body, and the black Tourmaline that pierced past unseeing eyes--was right. It did not matter if one perished two steps into Hydra, or two steps from the end. Dead was dead.

Claws pinched over the Tourmaline, and a soft grating sound began; the gemstone fell into black dust, a sand that scattered in a sinister glitter to join the mud of the Marsh, and all the half-hidden, multicolored grains mixed within.

Then Vargas--the Masked Merchant lingering close--set out after those Gembounds who still lived... and who had by now pulled quite far ahead.

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Captain has taken another serious injury and lost a placement. Anselm has died. If desired, Anselm is allowed one further post to describe their death before the previous scene occurred. If Reverend wishes to defend against Aran's sabotage, he may attempt to do so before his sprint roll.

Sprint Round!

• Characters should all be posted to describe the gruelling crossing of the Salt Flats. If the character wishes to attempt to move forward by one position, they may roll to do so. They may alternatively roll to try and sabotage any other character in their placement, or take any other action they see fit.

• Winners will be determined by those in First Place who roll highest to sprint ahead in the sprint round. First place characters may still opt to sabotage, instead, but if others manage to get ahead, they may lose the race for first place! Should there be a need, sabotage rolls may also be taken into account (ex. if there are two in First, and two in Second who have both rolled to sabotage, then whomever rolled higher in Second will take Third Place!).

• Failures are not punished this round. Critical Fails will still cause the character to take a serious injury, thus losing one position in the race. If a character is sabotaged and doesn't roll successfully against it, they will lose one position.

• A character may post once to roll to defend against each sabotage attempt made against them in addition to posting their own action.

• PLEASE NOTE that this is the final round. If you wanted a character to die, they are allowed to be posted collapsing on the Salt Flats, although other characters are still allowed to try and rescue them if it is IC to do so. If no one does, they may die to exhaustion or be mercy-killed by Vargas.

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First, second and third place rewards will be:

1st place: All survivor/participant rewards, plus... Familiar Forge + a choice of a Hydra lesser to forge that can actually leave Hydra (very powerful choices will be somewhat weakened by GM design) + free Mutation to be used during the chrysalis post-thread!

2nd place: All survivor/participant rewards, plus... The gemstone of a previous Champion of Hydra (designed by GMs, guaranteed revive) + Give Life spell (granted to the 2nd place character), + free Mutation to be used during the chrysalis post-thread!

3rd place: All survivor/participant rewards, plus... Desert Heat spell + 200 bonus Magicka + free Mutation to be used during the chrysalis post-thread!

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Placement:

First: Corsair, Wisperia, Duck Duck, Fleas

Second: Huntsman, Hymn

Third: Spinnaker, One, Whistle

Fourth: Galleon, K'cil, Star, Conleth

Fifth: Kaizer, Ivory, Glory, Ruby-Beta, Reverend, Aran, Captain

Sixth: Warrior, Jim, Zhusha, Fiver

The next post will take place on October 1st. The Trial will then end, winners will be announced, and rewards given out!