She took a deep breath and pushed herself forward, but she wasn't expecting the wind to be such a hindrance. She had expected to just push through with no issues, but it seemed she was a bit too small to do so like she wanted.

The first blast of wind caught her off guard and she yelped as she went flying backwards, making her roll against the ground as she struggled to regain her footing.

Incredibly lucky for Buckley and the lot that the Bauxite was barred from any unsportsmanly behaviour, because good lord did it want to finish what he'd started. He was hoping the chimera would disappear along with his strange, shiny half-sibling and the massive log of meat in the winding path before.

But no, because the Bauxite never gets what he deserves, the Triage appeared in his peripheral. He let the bitterness of this discovery fuel each struggling step against the roaring maelstrom, hoping the force of his spiteful will would make up for his less than ideal muscle mass.

And oh boy, did it. What seemed like a monumental - and monumentally dangerous - challenge was easy for someone with Bauxite-T-One's bulk. Even if he wasn't quite as significant as his life-giver.

Coilean's stout puppy figure was dwarfed horrifically by the sheer size of the swirling twister beside him. It was hard to not feel a little worried for on his behalf - or on behalf of the parent who may or may not know how much danger he was in right now.

His sibling was in the same room as Draconua in the magicka show though, so the alternatives weren't... Great. Overall.

Predictably, this was where Coilean's luck took a downturn. Panicking, he tried to stab his claws into the dirt - but he didn't have the upper body strength to do much more than scratch a few centimeters deep as he was dragged backward. Slowly, at first... And then all at once, tumbling helplessly to the back of the crowd.

Oh well.

The path through the gorge was taxing on the Triage, physically sure, but mentally they were reeling from the coordination it had taken to successfully and athletically make it through. They were panting already by the time they got out to the heart of the room. The twister was already buffeting their sides as they hung onto the floor for dear life.

Buckley gasped as they tried to move forward, but found the wind too intense for them to push forward properly, especially with the growing headache in the back of his own head. "Maybe we should turn back," he cried out to the others, but he was only met with a hiss and a shriek. "COWARD! WE CONTINUE FORWARD!" "We finish what we started."

Buckley wined and tried to press forward, struggling hard against the winds.

"Buckley is speaking!" "GORE IS SPEAKING!!!" "Ishani is speaking..."

Hopping about and weaving through the Gorge might've been a relative breeze for Richter, early distraction by his attempts at friendliness excepted, but the next length of the course would not be nearly so well suited to his body. Clambering out into the open instantly made clear the safety which he'd left, the wind's roar no longer muffled by the trench he'd been within. Its assault upon large ears was deafening, and pain radiated no matter how tightly they pressed against his skull. Being fleet of foot had helped him in the previous section, but the opposite was what was required here. Stubbornness of body and will would carry the competitors to the other side.

A shame neither he possessed in strong enough quantities. Although the kangaroo managed to bound forward a little upon the path, soon as the edge of the Twister's threatening column was breached, spiraling winds punched him in the chest and stole away his breath. Airborne, he somersaulted backward and landed face-first, hindquarters dangling overhead before collapsing too upon the ground in a dusty heap.

The path opened, and they were faced with an absolutely GIGANTIC twister. He'd hesitate for just a moment, but everyone else was already rushing past him and he wasn't just going to give up NOW. He had to swap his usual bouncing gait for a more grounded scamper to avoid getting blown away by the whirlwind, tucking his wings in tight and ducking his head.

But it wasn't enough. As soon as he got within a few feet of the swirling winds he was picked up like a fallen leaf and drawn into the storm. "WAAAAAUH!! HELP!" He squealed in terror, flapping his wings in a desperate attempt to escape the vortex and arrive on solid ground.

Given the vast majority of the participants had easily kept pace so far, this whole thing really did seem like something of a joke. Or that was what he thought until he was face-to-face with an entire goddamn TORNADO. The sheer juxtaposition of going from quaint little hurdles to combating an entire force of nature brought up a genuine chuckle, the sound quickly drowned by the deafening winds.

Maybe that should've been a sign to take things more seriously, because he quickly found himself humbled as a strong gust of wind nearly sent him tumbling backwards. He managed to stay on his feet, but it was a battle to keep the wind from toppling him over, much less to actually move against it.

[Origin Cave]

Obstacle Course

Round 3!

The Twister proved to be a formidable obstacle for many of the competing gembound. Ferociously strong winds pushed many right off their feet and hindered those that at least managed to stay their footing. The competition was beginning to spread as many fell behind while a few pushed forward, powering through the winds and moving onto the next part of the course.

For those that managed to defeat the twister, the path ahead was treacherous - a series of jumps across the Platforms would test their balance and acrobatics. The large shape of Scion flew into view, hovering just below the trail to break any falls that would probably happen.

Current Placements:

1. Parkour! - Nidhogg, Bauxite T-One, Surgis
   
   
2. Face the Twister! - Nebula, Coilean, Triage, Eira, Conleth, Huntsman, Richter, Audland
   
   
3. The Gorge! - Chromite T-One, Titivilus

Audland and Titivilus will need to post twice this round to avoid forfeiting the race.

@Nebula (Eira) @Triage @Richter @Titivilus (Audland) @Bauxite-T-One (Coilean) @Surgis @Nidhogg (Chromite T-One) @Conleth (Huntsman)

Next up: jumping. Surgis was good at jumping. It was easier than the twister, , especially with her grappling and leaping with her twiggy legs, surging onward through the terrain.

Scion's appearance gave her pause and she nearly stumbled, sending debris into the depths below. Oh, shit. Breathing in sharply, she gathered herself and pressed onward, scrabbling for purchase to keep any foothold in the race.

The chimera had disappeared behind him in the howling wind, and the Bauxite had one less thing to complain about. Possibly to the detriment of the effort he'd put in previously. We will see in a paragraph or two.

The key to The Platforms, and to the Bauxite's ability to traverse them, was a mix of limb placement and dispersal of weight. Sure, your claws could be in the best spot - but put too much strain on the ground below them, and that spot would disappear in a scattering of dust and stones. He'd have to work around his mass, rather than with it. Could he?

Yes. Yes he could. He was unused to such a sheer climb - there were slips and stumbles along the way. But not a fall. No. He remained above them all.