POCKET LESSERS!

Part II: Team Challenge!

Nemean lifted the megaphone to her tiny mouth. The megaphone was bigger than her body, but that didn't seem to matter. And it was funnier that way. She stood up on her tiny pink throne, gilded in gold, at the highest point in the stands overlooking Orion's Forum. The drinks and food were still coming strong, and alcohol had started to join them. ...Possibly also drugs. Nemean didn't know. She'd told someone--she'd already forgotten who--to bring "the good stuff." Anyway.

"NEEEEEEEXT UP! We have... the TEAM CHALLENGE! A test--you guessed it!--of teamwork! Is your bond with your familiar great!? Think you can work together to pass even the most challenging of tests? Step right up and prove it! Or maybe you think all that is absolute BULL! Then get up there and we'll hand you a mouse or something and you can prove you don't need any of it!"

She sat back down. She'd had some pretty cool and funny puzzles planned out, if she did say so herself. And just stuff that would, quite honestly, be hilarious.

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 TWO: TEAM CHALLENGE!"

Several 'rooms' had been wheeled in, each covered with a huge black cloth to hide what was inside. The starting line was drawn in the sand, but it was less a race than a wait for the first challenge to be uncovered.

---

Welcome to the TEAM CHALLENGE 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 puzzles, challenges and tests! Instructions on how to roll will be provided when the event begins.

How to Participate:
Anyone may join! If your character has a familiar, simply post the familiar heading to the waiting line of the challenge room! 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. Your character may keep this 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! Team Challenge takes place a couple hours after Obstacle Course, so characters can take part in both. If they had a random familiar, they will use the same one!

The next post will take place in three days' time, on June 14th! Part three of the event, the BATTLE! portion, will be posted tomorrow; click here to sign up!

Anyone may also post as a spectator!

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 matched piece decor/apparel for the Greater & Lesser teaml!

Teamwork. That was interesting. He'd watched the obstacle course with raptured curiousity, and now wanted to throw his own hat into the ring. Sure, he didn't have a forged familiar, but maybe he could make friends with whatever little critter Nemean has to offer.

"Uh, um. Master Nemean? Can I have a lesser? I would like to participate in this event," it asks, bright white eyes looking down with an earnest interest.

The fox-imps trotted over, flourishing the magic black tophat. One dipped a whole arm in, struggling for a moment before flinging out a Skycaller for Kaizer.

The bird flopped and flapped, folding its wings and shrieking in seagull fury as it regained its feet; Kaizer would feel a mental link snap into place for the time being. An onyx gemstone gleamed at the back of its head like yet another eye.



Read more about Skycallers here.

@Kaizer

After a long respite from disturbance to Orion's ruins, the future of this graveyard of a city had started to appeared almost rosy to East's less than perfumed view of the world. If fate had possessed an inkling of mercy, the rubble might have remained unshaken and the cave silent as it almost always had been since the moment he'd shrugged off shards of chrysalis and stepped into cruel, uncaring reality. As it turned out, the lady in question had a sick sense of humor, and very familiar thumping bass combined with metallic screeches roused him out of slumber upon a crumbling stone spire.

It appeared the arrival of trouble was going to be a fairly common occurrence in this new chapter of his life, whether through invisible narrator or devious hosts causing a racket. At least when he finally deigned to wing over to the arena and obtain a read on the situation there, no obvious signs of blood sport had made a grisly return yet. Against better judgment and a well-remembered hangover, though, a few shots of alcohol were thrown back in preparation for the worst to come, and naturally the growing fuzziness at the edges of perception convinced a usually more rational mind into ill-advised action.

"Hey, fashion show," East called out as he alighted in the stands near a fox-imp attendant. Tipsy, he swaggered toward them, somewhat unsteady steps scuffing talons over stone. "Mind lending me a Lesser out of that bottomless pit you call a hat?"

If these games slipped sideways into murder trials, at least he might be able to smuggle one of the creatures casually distributed out to safety. Otherwise, if the innocent veneer present stayed unblemished and truthful, there wasn't any problem in playing along with the crowd for now.

Well, that had been dreadfully and disappointingly straightforward.

Draped in her usual lazy way across a whole row of seats overlooking the arena, Miriam raised a paw to daintily smother the yawn prying apart her jaws. Not much could be expected of an event that clearly prioritized navigation skills over showmanship. However, watching the obstacle course as it was tackled had cemented in her a maddening frustration at the neglectful construction of the entire affair. Certainly, there had been a few impressive moments from the participants, but overall she yearned for a particular pizazz that was missing. Explosions, death struggles, surprise traps to risk life and limb escaping—anything of the sort could have provided significant more thrill than the lackluster display she'd just witnessed.

Alas, even with those familiar carnival imps running about, they must have been instructed to tone their antics down. A pity since she always delighted in the untamed carnage they liked to show under their big tent. Much as she was loathe to leave her comfortable resting position, it might fall upon her to provide a proper performance. This new challenge might be the perfect chance to do so.

"Oh, over here!" Miriam waved a paw to catch one of the fox-imps' attention. "I'd fancy a familiar too. The most darling one you have, if you please."

She flashed her most winning smile, oh-so-delicate to ensure only the tips of her canines showed and not every flesh-rending fang.

An Imp scurried over toward East, already fishing through his black tophat. "'Course!" it agreed, grinning.

An instant later it fell backward, a rubbery-skinned Tunnel Runner deer tumbling out and in the opposite direction. It was a male, with a small set of twisted antlers and a multitude of beady black eyes, but as it stood East would feel a connection slip into place.

The deer looked at him, startled but attentive, as the fox-imp hauled himself back to his feet. "Right, then! Have fun!" the imp said, and laughed, a little more sinister than strictly necessary. The deer straightened and shook itself, the diopside gem at one antler glinting in the light.

---

Miriam was greeted with a knowing wave, and a familiar grin. The tophat tilted her way, and what was whipped forth wasn't exactly 'darling.' It was fairly large, though: a distinctly useful-looking sort of creature, reptilian and winged. It was a Kyte, and it was gemless, but its connection snapped into place with ease.

@East @Miriam

Mocha

'Cause I'm having a good time

"Woah! Another game?!" Mocha chirped, waddling on up with his temporary snake-friend Nori wrapped securely around his belly. "How about it Nori?" He addressed them with a gentle nudge, seeing as the lesser had fallen fast asleep in the short time between events.

"Can we join in this one too? I like surprises!" Mocha was sure they would be a good team! Friends helped each other, didn't they? Nori's answer through their connection was the emotional equivalent of a shrug. Well! Mocha wouldn't let that phase him!

Strolling on up to the starting line, he allowed Nori to return to their nap before the event started. It didn't seem like all that many had arrived, yet, and he hoped that letting his friend recoup their energy would benefit them and their relationship. Would they stay friends after? He hoped so.

Sair

Oh, there was more? Sair had thought the first event was a busy mess of gembound, but it was quickly followed by another and one of the imps had come by to collect names of those interested in a third 'battle' portion of the event. The announcer, who they now knew was Nemean, did not seem to object as they approached the new starting line. It seemed they were all welcome to join each part of the event, and they couldn't help but start to feel a little excited.

"Are you ready for another, ...?" Sair paused, staring in at least some of the eyes of their lesser companion. "I guess you could do with a name, couldn't you?" Sair had named themself easy enough, but to name another, and one who could not talk back? They could only hope their new friend would like what they chose. "Trill?" They offered, smiling as the firetongue, now Trill, hummed in response. Well, that wasn't so hard.

The unlikely pair settled to wait at the starting line, and Sair tried their best to keep Trill at least somewhat focused on the competition. "No, not the competitors. I'll feed you after. The competition!" He murmured to the humming beast, feeding calm through their bond like one might give an unruly toddler candy as a distraction.

"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

ANALA
From a spark to a flame

There was more! Anala bounded up to the new starting line, eager to go, before bounding right back to where the echoing grey still sat. It had gotten a little more comfortable with her now that it knew she was going to let it go home soon. Soon was relative, given the event would take up a large portion of the day, but still! Even so, it was a little less than eager to compete. "Come on little buddy! Not much longer!" She reassured it, walking it, this time much slower, towards the starting line. "You wait right here, okay?" She was beginning to feel bad for the rat, funny enough given how many she had hunted (she hoped that didn't translate over the bond), and she left her familiar at the line to approach Nemean.

"Nemean? Did I hear your name right?" She approached carefully, trying not to get in the way of any of the imps or special effects. How could one creature produce so much glitter?! "Thank you, first! For giving me a familiar to compete!" She started once she got closer, her nervous tail tucked close under herself. "He seems so scared, though, and I couldn't make him fight! I know I left my name with one of your imp to sign up for the battle part, but that was before... Well, I was just hoping..." Since when was she such a coward?! "I was hoping after this event I could get another, if you have extras? Or if I could withdraw, thought I really wouldn't like to." She stood a little taller now, spurred on by the idea of protecting something. Sure, that something was a lesser rat, but still! Maybe she would avoid hunting rats, at least for a while, as thanks for its help.

OOC Notes:

Nemean was already drinking, but she seemed aware enough as she eyed Anala. "I mean, it's MASTER Nemean," she corrected, lifting a free hand to snap fingers in the air. Golden, glittering light rose around her to write the words MASTER NEMEAN around her; this sprinkled down to coat her shoulders, then faded. "But sure." Her eyes narrowed, and it wasn't clear if she was actually insulted or just messing around. Then she shrugged again. "SINCE you asked nicely, sure. Ask the boys to--y'know what--GET THIS ONE ANOTHER ONE. NOT A DRINK. NO. NOT--A FAMILIAR," she yelled down, groaning with exasperation.

The imp hurriedly scampered up, and after a second of fishing about, yanked a Whiteling fish from the hat. It fell and flopped, blind white and gasping. "Ah," said the imp, and hastily put it back. He stared at Anala for a moment. "It probably won't die." He sounded unsure.

Nemean groaned.

The next thing to get yanked out was more suitable: a small but visibly vicious Skrungler, like a little large-eyed dinosaur (with a black-and-green zoisite claw) that immediately lunged for the fox-imp. He yelped, grappling it away, and it landed and hissed at him.

Anala would feel the new link snap into place, and the fox-imp reached for the rat. "You want me to put this one back home now? It's gonna be hard to hold onto two links at once."

@Anala