As the chimera sprinted away from that damn twister and towards the platforms, they realized that this...might be where they really failed. They were coordinated enough to get through the gorge, but this was something else entirely and not something they'd really practiced as a unit. Ishani eyes it nervously and kept herself retreated to let the two foot-users figure it out without her distractions.

Buckley stopped at the edge of the first gap. "Okay, so, we just need to...to..." "Oh, shut up and jump already!" Gore hollered before suddenly kicking off with the hind legs. Buckley squeaked and followed suit and it went about as well as expected. They didn't even get close to the platform, immediately falling right into the gap between the two, which might have been really really bad if not for the big purple beast that suddenly swooped in to catch them and save them from a fatal fall.

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

Nidhogg saw Tectus up ahead, but he did not slow down. He knew she'd be part of the course, and as he sped for her, he debated only briefly.

He had no illusory magics to hide him. He could stop and try and reason with her, request passage, or try to trick her. He could make a distraction out of stuff he could find. But... all of that would take time, and this was a race.

So he bolted right for her, scrabbling up handfuls of sand in the last second; he flung it for her face as he faked left, and then--in case she blindly lunged for him--swerved right, instead, in an attempt to just run around her.

Chromite had made it past the first set of obstacles, and now--with single-minded focus--studied the twister. The insectoidal assassin had... stopped, eyeing it, calculating how strong it might be and what the best way might be to avoid its heavy winds.

After a moment of what seemed like incredibly foolish delay, it suddenly darted forward.

Whatever arcane math it'd done in its head paid off: its mad scramble looked more like precise footwork, the winds' surges almost entirely avoided as it wove its way beyond.

Obstacle Course

Round 5!

The four that appeared to Tectus first she dealt with - or didn't deal with. She successfully blocked the way for Surgis, shoving her large body in the way of her to halt her passage, while Bauxite and Nidhogg took advantage of the moment to slip by. The dust in the face slowed her reaction as well, even as she swung a claw out to try and stop them.

Both of the frontrunners would see, in the back of the cave, a number of colored cloths spread out against the far wall, waiting to be picked up. It didn't seem to matter what color they picked - they only needed to take one.

There was a tunnel leading out of the back of the cave, big enough for the largest of competitors to squeeze through. It sloped down, and would return them back to the ground, where they would find a stretch of open cave safely away from the Twister leading back to the finish line. Thanks to Miriam's setup, there are a number of pitfalls to avoid on this final sprint to the finish, but it is otherwise clear of obstacles. The home stretch awaits!

Current Placements:

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

Audland, Titivilus, Conleth, and Huntsman 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)

There! That blinding, Tectus clearing it, that's her chance! Scampering behind Nidhogg, Surgis dug her hands into the rock and shot into the opening, nearly tumbling past Tectus and yet staring back to make sure she didn't somehow catch her tail.

She was good? Sick. Good. Twisting, she reached for one of the prizes- a cloth- and gathered herself before the next leg.

He was so relieved to no longer be caught in the twister that this obstacle seemed easy-peasy in comparison. Jumping across some platforms? Connie was BORN to jump! He did vaguely recognize the flying purple 'lifeguard' from the hydra trials. Looked a bit different though- got the same wings and tail that Conleth did. He considered mentioning something about that, but now seemed far from the ideal time for chit-chat.

Perhaps it was because of his distraction, but the platforms weren't QUITE as easy as he first thought. He nearly missed the edge of a platform once or twice, but he was still able to make it to the end quite handily.

He'd skid to a stop when confronted by Tectus and the realization that he was absolutely microscopic in comparison. Maybe that'd work to his advantage, though! Maybe he'd be able to slip right by without her even noticing his presence.

Or maybe he'd get squashed like a grape without Tectus even realizing.

He was fully considering sabotaging a fellow contestant, if only to make himself feel better about how much of a fool he was making of himself. But no, he had a reputation to preserve- even if it was really non-existent. He certainly didn't want to make a name for himself by getting disqualified on the second obstacle of this caves-forsaken course.

Finally. FINALLY, he was able to muscle himself through the storm, finally emerging on the other side.

Huntsman was determined to make that little hiccup his ONLY roadblock. The rest of this should- and would- be nearly effortless. He'd swiftly cross these platforms, slip past Tectus, and then finish the race easily. Placing in the top three was definitely no longer in the cards- although he'd hate to admit it- but he was not going to finish anywhere near last.

The Bauxite skittered past, an mauve blur in the corner of his one true rival's eye. He allowed himself to be surprised for a second, to embrace the sudden lightness in his rib cage.

Time's up. It was destiny.

It was only now that the Bauxite took notice of the only other Gembound who'd made it to this point. A snivelling worm of a creature. Something easy to crush underfoot - metaphorically, of course, lest he get disqualified so close to the finish.

He was almost there.