POCKET LESSERS!

Part I: Obstacle Course!

Nemean leaned back. This was the first part of the little diversion she'd set up for the next couple days, and while exciting, it wasn't gonna be the bloodbath the last one would. At least, she hoped the last one would be a bloodbath.

She was perched in her tiny pink throne, gilded in gold, at the highest point in the stands overlooking Orion's Forum. Drink and food refreshments were on offer for those attending (obviously; Nemean didn't throw lame parties) and loud (and horribly grating, metallic) music was currently playing. Whatever it was, it had a deep bass thump that rolled through the stone.

Huge signs formed of pure light gleamed overhead. Those who could read would be able to make out the words "POCKET! LESSERS!!!" as their letters scrolled and vanished in piles of illusory glitter that drifted down. Then: "EVENT ONE: OBSTACLE COURSE!"

A series of obstacles--jumps and tunnels, mostly--were spaced around the arena floor. They were made of brightly colored cardboard, laced in fake fur, and had glittering gold flags sticking up to mark them.

A starting line and a finishing line were marked near the entrance doors to the amphitheatre.

Nemean lifted the megaphone to her mouth, and fervently hoped her randomly strewn-about invitation cards (complete with picture directions) had circulated enough that this shit would be worthwhile. "ALL RIGHT, FOLKS! Who's down for good old fashioned SMALL ANIMAL ABUSE! ...I'm joking! No, really. -I had a goldfish, okay? Ahem. A TEST OF TEAMWORK, BETWEEN BEAST AND... SLIGHTLY SMALLER BEAST! A test of ATHLETICISM and SKILL! Let's DO THIS!" The roar of a huge, nonexistent crowd rose, deafening, then tapered off. "Oh, uhh--LET THE GAMES BEGIN! And by that I mean, please approach the starting line if you want your little buddies to race."

---

Welcome to the OBSTACLE COURSE portion of the Pocket Lessers! event! The following short event will consist of week-long turns in which Lesser Gembound, guided by their Greater Gembound friends, must bypass a series of obstacles in a race. Instructions on how to roll will be provided once the race begins!

How to Participate:
Anyone may join! If your character has a familiar, simply post the familiar heading to the starting line of the obstacle course! If your character does not have Familiar Forge and a Familiar, they may post requesting a temporary one to be assigned by Nemean. GM tag this post; the familiar will be rolled randomly by a GM. If your character has been assigned a Lesser ally by Nemean at random, your character may keep that Lesser as a pet after the event. If treated well it may remain as a pet, and can be Familiar Forged in the future. If treated poorly, it will run away!

Anyone may post as a spectator!

The next post will take place in three days' time, on June 13th! Part two of the event, the Teamwork Challenge, will be posted tomorrow. The Battle portion will begin on June 11th; click here to sign up!

Prizes:

1st Place: 500 Magicka OR Conjure Familiar OR Familiar Forge
2nd Place: 400 Magicka OR Familiar Forge
3rd Place: 250 Magicka OR Familiar Forge

as well as in-character Trophies and Award Ribbons forged from precious stone and metal!

Through the duration of this event, the spell Familiar Forge will also be half-price in the Magicka shop!

Vaati looked absolutely mortified when Wilder suggested he race in the obstacle course. If a lesser rat could look mortified. She'd made it clear, of course, that if he wasn't comfortable, he didn't have to, but their connection, a long-time thing, now, let him feel...a little better about it. She had been trying so many things outside of her comfort zone. She had changed so much, become a more confidant, mature person. So it was only fair that he accept this growth as well.

They had been through many scary situations together. And, even though he was still a timid rat, he felt like an obstacle course was more then reasonable and far less terrifying then many other things they had gone through. And Wilder was encouraging him - be more brave! It would be fun!

He relented, although it wasn't something that Wilder had pushed him to do. Perhaps a nudge, but he was more then willing to let loose a little bit.

So, with Wilder's guidance and her following closely behind, he stepped up towards the starting line, still quivering a little bit out of nervousness, but feeling a little better with his friend behind him.

Unlike his mama’s Vaati, Stella was not hard to convince to play. All Cyg really had to do was convey the idea of a game, and the albino Mystfox was all for it. Stella was fully grown these days, a far cry from the small scrawny kit he had found.

Nowadays, she was sleek and lovely (as well as absolutely spoiled). She bounded up to the line, her two tails (for she had grown another with all the magic Cyg fed her), waving behind her.

She was tall, taller than Cyg for sure who was only about the size of a large house cat, but also taller than the other familiar here so far.

There was a natural grace to her despite her playfulness. Cyg sent her a feeling of patience, and she obediently waited where she had moved to.

Yume trotted into the forum in her awkward half-bound half-slink gait. She had spent a while under the glittery signs, let a kitten-like joy send her pouncing after the illusionary confetti. That joy quickly faded once she realized it was illusionary, though it still caught her eye now and then. She had a feeling she'd see one of her siblings or her mom here, but was pleasantly surprised to find both already here. Her ears pricked, and she let out a joyful little 'mmrp'. She lifted a paw to trot up, eager to greet either her mom or her brother, but left it hanging. They seemed busy getting their familiars ready. It would be rude to interrupt, wouldn't it? She didn't want to do that. What if their familiars got scared? What if they lost the race because she threw them off!

She lowered her paw finally, after it spent that time awkwardly leaving it hanging in the air. Yume's ears pinned. ravening jealousy surged up in her. Both of them had familiars. She wanted one! It may have been a selfish desire--but this was a familiar contest, wasn't it? It only made sense that she wanted one, right? Was that selfish? Rather than continue spiraling in her thoughts, she looked around. But she didn't see any unattended familiars. Nemean on her pink throne was instantly eye catching, though. If anyone was in charge, and knew how to get a familiar, it was that gembound. Yume trotted up to sit beneath the throne coiling upon herself so she could look up easier, and raised a paw, clearing her throat. "Um, excuse me..." she trailed off, trying to figure out the least rude way to address Nemean. "Miss... cat butterfly?"

Her mom was a cat, so that must've been right, right? But Wilder didnt use the name cat, and Yume herself didn't use the name cat-snake, and Cyg didn't use the name cat bird, and Beans didn't use the name...cat-cat, and...ah wait. She was talking to someone, she should probably continue. "I um, I don't have a familiar, but I wanna play. Do you have something I could, like, borrow?"

The light had drawn in a wandering child. A child that actually quite resembled the Mystfox lesser that was here, if it was... winged and standing upright.

Said Mystfox child toddled on somewhat shaky legs over to the announcer. "Can I play too? ...Need friend," they asked, musical voice childish and hopeful.

They glanced around, looking to see if there would be a companion for them.

The fox-imps--recruited by Nemean from the Carnival--step forward, one grinning as he reaches his hand into a magician's black tophat. What he withdraws is... a leg? A long, black, spiderlike leg, dripping wet. He frowns comically as the leg flails, too large to fully emerge; then he turns the hat upside-down and shakes it. A Deep Death falls out, its face surrounded by a magic bubble of water. It is black, its bristles mossy and pocked with barnacles, with overly long legs and sinister fangs: a giant water-spider shaped much like a leggy crab. It looks confused. A small chunk of off-white Hardystonite (which will glow brilliantly under UV light) is stuck to its back like another barnacle.

The hat is once again 'consulted' for Rhapsody. The fox-imp plunges his full hand in, down to the elbow. When he withdraws it, he shows an empty palm, and frowns with an overemphasized clown-like mock-sadness. Oh! But then he turns his hand around: perched atop one knuckle is a tiny inch-long Bone Moth, fuzzy and ivory white. This one has no gemstone; the Imp leans in close as if to whisper secret knowledge as he holds a hand out to Rhapsody. The bone moth flits from him to them, landing on their own hand: "It eats bones. And fungus. And sometimes paper. And nectar. ...And clothes, but you don't need to worry about that," he said, eyeing Rhapsody over with what looked like a mean grin. Maybe he was thinking about what primitive creatures these Gembounds were. Maybe he was just a jerk. Either way, the moth had no gemstone, but seemed gentle and soft, and very fragile.

Both Gembounds will feel a light connection snap into place with their new Lesser companions: enough to guide and direct them. They seem amiable enough, possibly affected by the Imps' magic.

@Rhapsody @Yume

Bug Images Below! Click to view.

ANALA
From a spark to a flame

The commotion was quick to draw Anala back into Orion. She had been here not long ago escorting Waffles into Eridanus, and now look at the place! It seemed their host worked fast!
"I do love a good challenge! Er- game!" She corrected, approaching the others who were being given out assigned lessers. Who knew? Maybe she would like having a familiar! She had heard tales of them, but she had yet to interact with one. "Could I have one too? Can we make requests?! Oh I'd like something...." She thought back through the mental list of lessers she had seen. Nothing specific came to mind. "Nevermind, actually, I'm sure you've got something good in there!" She decided, tag wagging in anticipation while she waited. They had to give her something good, she could just feel it!

OOC Notes:

Sair

Were the caves always this busy? From their recent experiences, they guessed so. There had been a mutation "game" that was really just some sick method of crystalizing them for... Well, some reason or another. He was still getting used to the new click-clack sound of hooves and talons as he walked. Oh, and there had been this 'Dreamer'; business they had heard rumours about. They really did need to go take a look at that. And they'd met how many gembounds now? Juggernaut, Fulgur, Azure... Was that all? It felt like they had met someone new every day, and today would be no exception seeing the illusory glitter and the false crowd cheers. It was more entertaining than their mutation, at least.

Well! To learn about the caves both present and past, they did want to interact with all types of gembounds! Why not get some insight into lessers while they were here? Maybe they would even enjoy having a companion, given how mobile they were? "Would you select one for me as well please? I would like to play."

"Speaking." Thinking. Doing.
OOC:

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

Mocha

'Cause I'm having a good time

It was a bit of a mystery as to how the little sharkdog got here. It was mostly water travel, given how much easier it was than walking when your tail was twice the size of you.
"Could I have a friend too?" He chirped, waddling up to the imps handing out familiars that were much bigger than him. There were so many others here! Who should he talk to first?!

The little guy didn't go far, given he was waiting his turn for a familiar, but he still bumbled about in a wide circle around the employed imps to look at everyone and their assigned or forged familiars. He chirped out a few 'hello!'s to those he made eye contact with, leaving a damp trail behind him as his tail dragged along. He didn't seem to mind he was a tenth the size of everyone in attendance.

Finding or being tossed unexpected odds and ends seemed to have become a bit of a fact of life for Richter as far as he could tell. From his first moments outside of the chrysalis, he'd been given curiosities to behold with eyes full of simultaneous wonder and bafflement, left to puzzle out their origin and purpose. Whether festive beads or the cloak presently worn secured about his neck, hood down to avoid unnecessarily cramping ears that preferred the open air, each he cherished as yet another landmark of his time in the caves. They provided a sense of progress, the expansion of his understanding of the world around him. In a place where the surrounding rocks amounted to whatever you made of them, collecting unusual things for his and others' perusal came across as a worthy effort to invest energy into; doubtless some must similarly appreciate such discoveries. Maybe like minds would eventually bring to light the truth behind these interesting souvenirs so often deposited where any passersby could stumble upon them.

For this latest acquisition, though, answers needn't be pondered any longer. Glancing between the flat square held in his paw, one of many suddenly scattered about tunnels as if a whirlwind had swept by, and the raucous stone monument sprawled out before him, he could plainly determine the explanation for the colorful images on its surface linked together by bold arrows. They were directions guiding him to this location, quite a clever way of disseminating information if one didn't wish to spend most of their days spreading it through word of mouth. Frankly, the method was a mite too impersonal in his opinion, ruining the fun of encountering fellow Gembounds and the good conversation that might spring from those rare interactions. However, who was he to judge. Whatever event was going on here might have been important enough to warrant efficiency over a warmer touch.

Ears swiveled back to protectively press against his skull once a particularly deafening screech of music blared from the forum ahead. A little shaken but not deterred in the least, he lolloped onward in search of a better view of the proceedings within.

Ignoring the increasing intensity of the grating sounds emanating out of the arena which tempted him to almost forego comfort in favor of pulling up his cloak's hood to dampen sensitive hearing, the simple setup arranged here appeared innocent enough to the ordinary eye. The scent of various foods located at multiple points overlooking the current course wafting downwind did much to assuage any concerns as well. A stomach grumble reminded him of the last time he'd bothered to sample the local greenery; perhaps a bite could be indulged in later once his more mental hunger was satisfied.

As the latest announcements boomed throughout the venue, hazy memory caused Richter to tilt his head. "Huh," he mumbled after humming a while in deep thought, no closer to understanding why the voice struck him as familiar. Claws twitched, imaginary metallic spheres clacking in their grip. "Sounds fun. Well, ah, other than that harming critters jest. If I'm lucky, there could be a single out there to make me a pair?"

Ascending the stands turned out to be a challenge in itself. Not one too used to heights and physically incapable of making a retreat, navigating each row consisted of careful maneuvers. Every hop needed to be exactly on its mark lest misplaced feet cast him dangerously to the bottom. Upon reaching the absolute top, feeling like he'd conquered a mighty mountain's summit, there wasn't too much fuss over having to wait in the forming line near Nemean. The kangaroo took advantage of that space, softly panting to recover lost stamina.

"Seems I'm not the only one wanting to get in on the action," came a light observation of his surroundings once he'd gained the breath to make it. "I hope it's not too much more of a bother to you and your pals, ma'am. But, um, I was wondering if you could spare one more partner for the games." Part of his stone peeked out from the shelter of his cloak. A claw self-consciously tapped it, motivated purely by force of habit. "I, uh, really thank you if you can. Must be an awful lot of work putting all this together for us to begin with."