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!

The light and sound and open stretch got the better of the moth, this time. It shot forward, then immediately came to a halt midair. It fluttered upward, got lost in the glitter, then turned back and flew the wrong way.

The passage of other, larger Lessers below startled it higher, until it had fluttered off toward the stands.

It took Oliver quite a bit of doing to convince it to come back down, by which time the race already appeared to have ended--there were other finishers, at least, for sure. It's okay, he assured it hastily, along that tentative link; you did really good! We'll find you someplace to rest, after this, he promised.

Score: 3

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)

Mocha

'Cause I'm having a good time

Mocha, blessed or cursed as he was, ran to congratulate his companion. "We placed! We got ribbons! And look!" He tipped the trophy above his lizard, laughing away as it poured an endless stream of confetti. It didn't matter that they had won third. They had won! "And good job to you too!" He announced to the moth, blowing a stray piece of confetti towards it.

Nori emerged from the growing pile of confetti with a blank stare, and Mocha promptly flipped the trophy chalice back over with an apology. "I know, it's only the first event. But you did great! Let's go get you something to eat before the next one starts!" He scooped up his familiar gently, letting him get comfortable on his back before shuffling off towards the concession stand, ribbons proudly on display.

/exit

Sair

The first event of the day, and they had won. They had actually done it. Trill had scrambled across the finish line just ahead of her competition, and Sair darted right after her, directly into the fray of cheering imps and gembound. Was he cheering? His throat was so hoarse by now that he did not know if he was capable of making sounds. The crowd was drowning everything out, and Sair was quick to find Trill on the tall platform, sparkling. Maybe it was the glitter, but Trill was more than pleased with herself.

"That's my girl!" Ah, so his voice did still work. Good news, considering the upcoming events. It was scratchy, though. "Everyone's cheering for you! Let's go get you something to celebrate!" He offered his familiar a gentle nudge of the nose, which she took, just this once. Maybe she was starting to like him? He hoped so; he was starting to like her too. It was still a little strange, enjoying the company of a creature that would eat him if given the chance, but he certainly could have gotten something worse.

Like the Hydra creatures. Not that they weren't deserved.

Ah, but he was getting off track. Trill was eager to see what kind of feast awaited a first-place winner, and Sair was not going to keep her from it any longer. "It's just over here, come on."

"Speaking." Thinking. Doing.
OOC: /exit

We don't know how to accept we're just a product of a chance /
And less like gods but more like plants

ANALA
From a spark to a flame

Anala really did not have much to say. Her rat had just... left. She promised it a safe return after the events, and... it left.

She couldn't really blame the thing. It was a rat. Sure, it had some kind of magic bond with her, but that did not make it much more than a rat. She would be homesick, too, she was sure. And yet... She could not tell if her own emotions were that of anger or disappointment as it just sat there on the sidelines, cleaning its fur while the winners were placed upon the podiums and showered with glitter and confetti.

"You have some time to relax before the next event." She stated, tone flat and eyes distant. She did not truly know how to cope with a true and honest loss, not knowing if it was her direction or the rat's lack of interest that caused her failure. The rat seemed to respond with disinterest, if not disgust.

It was just a rat. It just wanted to go home. She reassured herself, sitting nearby as it tried to clean the damp and dirt from its fur. If nothing else, she would not make it fight. She would do it that favor, if it would do her one in turn. It just needed to try. Was that so much to ask?

For now, she would leave it be and try to prepare herself for the next event.

OOC Notes: /exit

Oliver, as was his polite habit, offered a soft "Congratulations," and a smile, to the other winners. Richter and Sair each got a nod, as did Mocha, with whom Oliver was awkwardly sharing the platform.

The moth took off after Nemean's spotlights, again, and Oliver dropped down to hurriedly pursue. "Hold on-... your trophy," he tried, chasing it off and squinting into the light.

Again he paused to call up to Nemean. "THANKS!!" he shouted, and then smiled at the imps. "Thank you," he said again, bowing and moving on, overly polite as always.

The battles, he'd sit out. He wasn't about to make a little friend fight, especially not something so small and fragile as a moth!

exit Oliver