[Terri]

Blink.  Blink blink.

/Slime!?/  They weren't serious.  This was...ridiculous.  He wasn't normally the prissy type, but he couldn't resist scrunching his nose at the idea.  The whole thing was just so ridiculous, unnecessary.  Superfluous.

Oh well, at least he'd be good at it?  War training taught him quite a bit, you know.  Trying his best to ignore the cheers, he made his way over to the line and tentatively dipped a paw in.

Ah, hell.  How hard could it be?  He took off down the line, doing his best not trip stumble, scowling at the squelching sound his paws made against the muck.

[Redd]

Rankir just stopped short in roaring with outrage. No creature of his status should be forced to do this. Oh boy... when he got back home, Alana was gonna be toast.
Rankir stepped into the slime, feeling it ooze between his claws. He took another step, spreading his wings out slightly and keeping his tail erect to stabilize himself.

He was showing just about as much enthusiasm as Gare. He hated having to lower himself to just an animal, competing with others, just because a human said so.

[Ander]

"GO!"

The light trill of gleeful laughter split the scene, joined by a thunderous hissing. Truce's shifting coils churned in the slimy muck, leaving a wide trail in his wake. Discord could just barely be seen on his back, her shock of purple hair nestled into the thick fur behind his head-scales. Truce hissed again, his slithering gait taking the trail in stride - although he slipped quite a bit, one length of him collasping or rolling over here and there, but recovering quickly due to the fur that gave his species their name.

[Freezair]

((Alrighty, folks, so... Robo dropped out, being gone-ish. So although we'll kinda sorta still "count" Robo as being here--I'll still list Agrippa's points and stuff--she won't have to reply or anything. So, uh. forward we go?))

The buzzer did its things, and the end-of-round stinger played. Tobias stepped into the green, stringy, goopy mess, shooing the contestants off to the side.

Somebody get these kids a towel, he thought.

"WELL!" he said grandly. "Let's see how you all did, hmm?"

"For reference, all of our contestants needed 20 Toughness to win," Bob said.

"Ooooh! Looks like Truce didn't make it!" he said sadly to the Carpetfang.

"Sorry to you too, Agrippa."

"Gaaaaare!" Tobias gave the Fellox a hearty slap on the shoulder. He pulled back a gooey green trail of slime and shook it off distatefully. "Nice going, bub! That's 400 big'uns for you! Rack 'em up, Bob!"

Tobias approached Rankir and clapped. The remnants of the slime clung to both his paws, dampening the applause somewhat. "Good racin', champ! You were all over that. Points for him too!

Gare: 950
Truce: 850
Rankir: 850
Agrippa: 500

Now to herd everyone back to their spots. Tobias dropped a few smoke bombs in his wake, making him look like a skywriter.

He waited for everyone to return to their spots and resumed his own position.

An extra-jazzy burst of music sprang from behind him. He spun as if shocked.

"Well, folks! Looks like we're at our final round! Yes, folks, this is it! The part you've all been waiting for! What's our topic, Bob?"

"GEOGRAPHY!" Bob said enthusiastically.

"Wonderful! And our question today is... Oooh! Brings in a little bit of biology!" He tapped his stack of cards.

"Name one of the places besides the Slums where the Snicky can be found."

[25]

[Terri]

Gare grinned, panting as he reached the end of the line.  Hahaha, he'd done pretty well, he thought.  That opinion was soon enforced by the slap on the back and raucous applause--he grinned witlessly, enjoying the fact that, HA! he was now in the lead.  Okay, if he was being honest with himself, maybe this was a little bit fun...

And he knew the next one, too!  Well, kind of.  He knew the continent; the exact location was a guess.  "Lambastia's Grand Cathedral?" he said uncertainly.  "Lambastia, at least."

[Freezair]

Bzzzt! "Oooh! I'm sorry! While this is true, we need specific placenames! But they're places where you can find other species of wild creature! Any other guesses?"

Pressing a button, Tobias showered Gare in feathers.


Gare: 900
Truce: 850
Rankir: 850
Agrippa: 500

[26]

[Ander]

Discord made a face of utter confusion at her companion; Truce looked back at her blankly. It seemed like they had been waiting on this question for simply ages, but it couldn't have been that long. Could it? The girl shifted, weighing the same decision in her hands that she had for some time now. On one hand, she could guess - Truce was implying that he had heard something-or-other that might be helpful. On the other, she could be sure to keep her points, instead of risking them, especially when the game was so close. ...A definite dilemma.

Trainer and Carpetfang hels their heads together, whispering with the shady uncertainty of conspirators in crime. To guess or not to guess? That was the fifty-point question.

Truce's tail landed hard on the buzzer. "Besides the Slums, you can find Snickies in the Tengel Rainforest, can't you?" It was worth a try. Besides, what was Truce hissing about? Some rumour he'd heard about a Snicky being eaten? Discord turned to him, skepticism and disbelief obvious on her face.

[Freezair]

"Hey ho! THANK YOU! The silence was gettin' unbearable," Tobias said. "Give the snake his points, and maybe some mad props for breakin' the silence! Seriously, like, thirty seconds without an answer there--creepy, man, creepy."

Bob rolled up Truce's points while Tobias shuffled up his next question.

"Where should you go if you want to see the World's Largest Bucket of Salt?"

Truce: 950
Gare: 900
Rankir: 850
Agrippa: 500

[27]

[Ander]

Another tap on the buzzer, this time with barely a thought; a bit of a dangerous strategy, but implemented nonetheless. "The Dead Cost has a bunch of salt, doesn't it?" Discord had never been there, but she had heard a bit about it. Namely, about the place being the enemy of all Snickies...

[Freezair]

"Indeed indeed! You're on a roll today, partner! Here's your points, and I hope you're ready for the next question! Just let me clear my throat here... Ah, here we go.

"What is the name of the mountain range where Basantha Shrine is located?"

Truce: 1050
Gare: 900
Rankir: 850
Agrippa: 500

[28]

[Ander]

Another hasty reply. Truce didn't even wait for Discord this time, knowing that she knew this answer in her sleep. "Basantha Shrine lies within the Fe'gan Mountains," she answered, trading a look with the Carpetfang. If they had heard Miyu mumbling that once, they'd heard him a thousand thousand times...

[Freezair]

The crowd "ooohed" appreciatively and began to clap. Bob chimed in, with his usual perkiness, "I see someone's been doing their geography homework!"

"Right you are, Bob!" Tobias replied, pumping his fist. He pulled out his next question.

"What region of Barakka does the town of Nabias lie in?"

Truce: 1150
Gare: 900
Rankir: 850
Agrippa: 500

[Ander]

That took a second. A blank hiss squeezed it's way from Truce's maw, the Carpetfang lowering his head until his fangs were inches from Discord's face. He certainly didn't know the answer. Discord, on the other hand...

A scaly coil hit the buzzer. "The Town of Nabias is in... Iiy'lagon?" Butchered pronounciation, she was sure. But hopefully it was recognizable.

[Freezair]

"Your pronunciation hurts, but your answer is sound!" Tobias cheered. The lights flashed behind Truce.

He pulled out his next card.

Which area grants +3 Toughness to all pets who level up there?

Truce: 1250
Gare: 900
Rankir: 850
Agrippa: 500

[30]

[Redd]

Rankir puffed in annoyance, his natural competiveness and the desire not to seem dumb, kicking in, overriding his other desire to flee this place. He aggressively hit his buzzer with his claw.
"It's the Wilt'no Desert." He growled out.
Honestly, he hated that place. It made the mountains seem like a cosy getaway.