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The Gala Mid-Winter Adventure and Ball; in The Serene Catdom of Claw the Cat
Topic Started: Nov 6 2007, 03:14 PM (1,801 Views)
Green-ville
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Texan
Arthur was intrigued by what he saw on his way to the kingdom. Besides the incessant rain, he passed by group after group of what appeared to be bands of already dead outlaws on the side of the road. Perhaps the army of the kingdom had taken care to clear the roads in anticipation of her visitor's arrival?

He arrived at the castle. Not wanting to cause any commotion and not knowing the rules about weapons inside the castle or ballroom, Arthur left his weapons with Brimstone, with instructions to the stableboy to keep the horse ready to mount on a moment's notice, and instructions that his lance and sword were not to move from their sheaths.

Arthur asked the Kingdom's servants for permission to use the bath prior to the ball, so as not to bring any more rain smell to the dance than he has to. This was granted. Thanks to the brilliant technology of Green-ville's blacksmiths, the Captain's armor can be quickly removed and re-adorned in case enemies appear at the castle. Two of Claw the Cat's catservants cleaned and polished the Captain's armor for him, and after admiring themselves in the mirrorlike shine of Arthur's helmet, they set his armor up just inside the ballroom doors, on display for all to see.

Fully refreshed, and wearing a nice outfit that Mary crafted for him, Arthur made for the ballroom. Although he was puzzled by two bears sleeping under a table that seemed to disappear and then reappear again. The Black Lion surmised that this was due to a lack of sleep on his journey; he resigned to get a good night's sleep tonight.
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F799
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[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
Seeing that the princess did not reply to him, Ali bowed apologetically and strolled over to greet the newcomer, a strong knight, from the looks of it, but he would not hold it against him.
"good day my good man, I trust your journey was uneventful?" Ali asked the Black Lion. "My name is Ali, I hail from the farthest reaching deserts of F799, Cap'n Ben himself sought me out to come to this extravaganza. Where do you hail from? I noticed your lovely steed as you rode in, quite impressive, it may serve better use than my camel in all this rain. I am thinking of leaving her here, actually. She has had a long hard journey, and I do not wish to tire her even more. Perhaps the quenn will be willing to provide me with a mount, I suppose I could always try and borrow one somewhere. Ah but enough about my Sheeba, Come, Come, have a drink *gestures over towards the tables* let us sit and talk, for who knows when adventurers such as ourselves will get a chance like this again! WE must take full advantage of it while we have the oppertunity."
giving the knight a look over one last time Ali notices, Ahh, my good man I see that you too are blessed with a sly left hand. I know that I wear my scimitar on the wrong side for one of our kind, but I prefer to catch my opponents offguard if at all possible. So please, tell me about yourself. Do you have a family? How were you chosen to attend this fine ball in the midst of this gastly weather? What is your country like? Is there desert there? Come let us go and sit and discuss this over a drink. Wine, I would presume is your beverage of choice? Whatever your fancy, I shall be having ice water. Ice, now there's a rarity for me, back home it wouldn't last thirty seconds!"
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Richard
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The mysterious jackal-like rider appeared in the distance from the castle gates. He had been following the knight for quite a while when he noticed there were some huge bumps in the road. He narrowly missed one and swerved to avoid the next one, but his horses would not turn quickly and so his chariot hit a plot hole.

As he slowed to a stop, a couple of guards approached his chariot and asked to see his invitation. They were suspicious at first, but noticed a few differences between him and a regular dog. The guards tentatively allowed the rider in, and he positioned his chariot across the occupied stalls in the stable. After releasing his two horses from the chariot, the rider made his way to the ballroom.

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NewTexas
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The Lord High Chamberlins[/align]


A most curious sight entered Common Room, well curious to those who were not familar with The Lord High Chamberlins. In The Serene Catdom of Claw the Cat the Queen's most trusted advisor was in fact a set of cojoined triplets. The Lord High Chamberlins were quite intelligent and their combined brainpower was unfathomable. Anyway, as they entered one carried what appeared to be a scroll, one was looking around the room expecting to see, well, more adventurers and the third was whispering something to the second.

"Ahem", the middle Lord High Chamberlin exclaimed. The room was grand with many tables of food and beverages and dancing cats and other various forms of entertainments, but the middle Chamberlin was finding it difficult to discern many non-locals in the room. "Ahem, by the Queen's reckoning, the following applicants have arrived for the, ahem, The Gala Mid-Winter Adventure and Ball. We will now call roll." In a most distubing way, the three cats alternately announced the names on the ornate parchment.

  • Bearistotle & Hebert from The Supremely Fuzzy Realm of Bearistotle and Hebert
  • Ali, Prince of the Desert from The Flying Texan Privateer of F799
  • An un-named Valkyrie from parts unknown
  • Darth Chocolate from The Dominion of Darth Chocolate
  • Sir Hannah from The Tourist Friendly Empire of Lord Hannah accompanied by manservant Sancho Panza
  • An unknown female cat dressed in black from parts unknown
  • An unknown jackal-like creature from The Holy Empire of Richard II
  • The Black Lion, Arthur Tiberius from The Simply Unkillable Nation of Green-ville

"If these members are present and accounted for, then the preliminary tests can begin. Each member will volunteer for one test and will have one attempt at completing it before being welcomed to the party. The tests are all different and all have varying degrees of difficulty. The first test will be held outdoors by the river. It is called The Trial of The Viper, The Kitten and The Bowl of Milk. The first potential party member who would like to attempt this trial should appoach now."[/color]

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F799
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Pharaoh Nimajne
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
"Seems our converation will have to wait friend," Ali said to the knight. After listening to the strange creatures explanation, and stopping to wonder at these tests, and why tests would be part of a ball, Ali quickly lep from his chair and volunteered for the first test. After all what's the good of a test if it's not challenging?
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Sweet Furry Kittens
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Well now is as good a time as ever to show myself, *Not knowing just how the The Lord High Chamberlins would react when they saw that she had returned and if they would in fact have her escorted stright to the Queens chambers. They were as far as she knew the only ones besides the Queen and her beloved departed Father that she was brought here to the castle as a very small kitten by the King and adopted and called princess Kittens. Try as she might to be a proper princess trouble seemed to find her and finally the Queen sent her to live in the country.* Well here goes nothing..........*Stepping out of the shadows Princess Kittens steps up pulls back her dark cloak, smiles up at the Chamberlins and speaks* I am ready.
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Bearistotle and Hebert
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Still under the table, the bear cubs looked at each other.

Who ever heard of calling a roll?

I dunno! They never come when called. These people are nuts! Let's grab some food while they're still trying to call it.
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NewTexas
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The Lord High Chamberlins[/align]


"Princess Kittens!", the Lord High Chamberlins exclaimed in unison. It was the one and only time Princess Kittens had actually seen the Chamberlins surprised. "The Queen must be informed." One of the Chamberlins sent a young page kitten scurrying off with a hastily scribbled note. Another Chamberlin was busy annotating his ornate script

  • An unknown female cat dressed in black from parts unknown
  • HRH The Princess S.F. Kittens

The other Chamberlin could be heard muttering something about Princess Trish, but he seemed to gather himself quickly and clapped his paws together, rather loudly considering how furry his paws were. "Attention, will all those interested in continuing, please accompany us to The River. Attendants, collect the participants not present from around the Castle please. Umbrellas, Umbrellas, Umbrellas for one and all.". With that The Lord High Chamberlins proceeded to the Courtyard toward the Castle Gates. One of the Chamberlins was seen gesturing to a very wet entourage on the side of the courtyard carrying several covered boxes. They dropped in line with the growing throng of would-be adventurers, curious citizens and assorted hangers-on. "To The River!", exhuberently exclaimed the Chamberlin seemingly in charge at the moment. And with a flourish and the tinkling of several small bells, they were off.[/color]

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F799
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[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
Ali politely declined the umbrella offered to him, "Give it to someone else who may truely need it. I am not afraid of a little rain. I actually welcome it. Back home I maybe get a rainstorm once or twice a year. No no, I shall be fine."
With that, Ali followe dthe rest of the group, huddling under thier umbrellas out the castle gates. There he offered his assistance to the wet group of what appeared to be servants, and offered to help them carry some of their boxes?
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Sweet Furry Kittens
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smiling to herself Princess Kittens re dons her cloak and hood and goes out with the others into the rain, declining the umbrella also she stands somewhat away from the rest of the contestants waiting either further instructions or a summons from the Queen.
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NewTexas
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The Trial of The Viper, The Kitten and The Bowl of Milk[/align]

The now thronging masses, mostly cats with umbrellas and others of various races and genus, were all following the amazingly adroit six-legged Lord High Chamberlins to The River. It was a short trip since The River ran right beside Castle Claw. As they topped a small rise, the party could see the river, not anything to write home to mother about, but still a good half kilometer wide and flowing fairly slowly despite 68 days of rain and counting. It was the kind of river a cat could enjoy without having too much of a panic attack. There was a thriving fishing industry in The Serene Catdom of Claw the Cat mostly controlled by The Hairless Clan and The Manx, but nobody knew why. As the party drew nearer, an elaborate tent was seen set up at the river bank. There was also an enclosed-on-four-sides pen-like, well pen in front of the tent. Tethered to the bank in front of the pen was what the locals called a "gondola" a rather flat boat that others referred to as as bunting boat or a skiff. It had a large rudder as well as two long oars and a pole.

As The Lord High Chamberlins approached the tent, the bowed to The Queen, who was seated on a large, very comfy-looking throne, in the tent. As everyone in the entourage gathered a polite distance back from "the party", the now-very-wet cats with the three unknown boxes set them down next to the pen. The Queen rose and announced, "Let The Trial of The Viper, The Kitten and The Bowl of Milk begin!". The Lord High Chamberlins exclaimed, "Ali, Prince of the Desert from The Flying Texan Privateer of F799, please step forward for your Trial. (Which, presumably, Ali did.) This trial involves several elements. [With a flourish of one of his six paws, The Lord High Chamberlin signals to one of the wet cats to reveal box #1, which contains a large bowl of a milky substance which is placed in the pen by the attendant.] The first element is this large bowl of milk. [With the flourish of a second different paw, The Lord High Chamberlin signals to one of the wet cats to reveal box #2, which contains a nearly newborn kitten who's eyes are just have just recently opened and is meowing profusely. The kitten is placed in the pen and is gingerly held on a light leash. The kitten struggles mightily to get at the milk.] The second element is this very hungry newborn kitten. [With the flourish of a yet another paw, The Lord High Chamberlin signals to the last of the wet cats to reveal box #3. This cat is thoroughly scared-to-the-bone-looking as he removes the box to reveal a cage within the box containing the largest snake practically anyone had ever seen. It was at least 3 meters in length, had red eyes and fangs plus teeth. The cage was placed in the pen and the viper immediately began hissing and sticking its tongue out at the newborn kitten as if it tasted the air around it. At that moment a strange hairless cat with a Mohawk and a flute appeared behind the petrified attendant and waved him off while beginning to play a menacing tune on the reed. Without missing a note, he removed the cage from the viper that immediately rose 2 meters in the air swaying to the tune the mysterious cat was playing.] The third element is this very hungry viper. The fourth element is that gondola and the fifth element is you, Ali, Prince of the Desert. Your task is to take these three elements in this pen across the river to a similarly-arranged pen [at which point everybody in the crowd stared across the river and said "Ahhhh" in unison] The key is that you may only have one element in your boat at any given time. To successfully complete your mission, all three elements must appear in the pen on the opposite side as they do here. As soon as you select which element you will take with you first, the leash will be removed from the kitten and the snake-charmer will stop playing. The elements must, repeat, MUST, be the same elements, must make the journey across the river with you in the gondola and there must not be any slight-of-hand trickery. Once again, you may only have one element in the gondola with you at any given time. You may make as many trips as you wish. You may have no helpers. And, by the way, that is a vicious Feline-Devourer Viper who feeds on nothing but felines, so you should remain relatively "safe". You have 24 hours to complete this Trial." With that, a giant Gong is sounded causing most cats to scrunch up their eyes wondering why The Queen always does that whenever anything "big" is about to happen.


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F799
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[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
Ali chuckled quietly to himself, this challenge would be a rather entertaining one, he had dealt with sand vipers back home, and they did attack people. As for the kitten and the milk, well we will just have to see about that. "Thank your majesty, *bowing ever so slightly* it will be an honor to demonstrate the capabilities that have not brought me to your fair region. I shall now show you why Ali, Prince of the Desert, is more than just your average desert hermit!"
And with that Ali slowly reached into the cage and withdrew the hissing snake. . . . .
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NewTexas
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The End of Trial Number One[/align]

Immediately after Prince Ali seized the viper, the newborn, now-unleashed, went straight to the bowl of milk, and with an amazing feat of inhalation, drank the entire bowl at once.

The Queen signalled to the Gong-meister, who proceeded to smash the gong, to the distaste of most cats present . "This event is over. Ali, The Prince of The Desert has lost one of his elements. The task cannot be completed.

The Trial of The Tub and The Intelligent One shall be next in The Castle. Volunteers now welcome."

The Lord High Chamberlins walked over to a befuddled Ali and one of the Chamberlins whispered to him, "Do not give up hope yet. It is still very early.".

The crowd dispersed and thus ended The First Trial almost as quickly as it had begun.


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Green-ville
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"Well," thought Arthur, "I've already used the bath tub once, so I may as well use it again."

The Black Lion, back in his full armor and helmet to weather the onpouring rain (as helmets keep out water better than umbrellas) stepped forward. "I will accept this challenge, your Majesty."

He then approached Ali. "I must apologize for my silence earlier, truth is I had a lot on my mind. I must admit I am unaccustomed to the ways of this particular kingdom and am still adjusting. Next time, let me buy you that drink...ice water, was it? I prefer iced tea myself, you should try it sometime. I try to avoid the spirits whenever possible, my position in my country requires me to be prepared at a moments notice, and wine and spirits don't allow me to do so, I'm afraid. Well, that, and there's the wife and kids to consider. You had asked me earlier; I do have a lovely bride and two children."

On the walk back to the castle (Arthur had decided to let Brimstone enjoy the dry stables for a while longer), he remarked to Ali, "Actually, my Lord and your Lord are old allies. They had waged countless wars in defense of our homelands. It's actually a wonder we hadn't met before this. Then again, my time in your land has been confined to the coast and the Capital, as I've mainly been the land component to your nation's armada."

"You have a good eye, I am actually left-handed. Not much slyness on my part, I'm afraid. Never been that good at the stealth aspect, I'm more of a straight ahead, battering ram than anything else."

Arthur glanced around to make sure there were no prying ears, and then lowered his voice and confided to Ali, "Does any of this strike you as a bit strange? Trials for a ball? Who has their guests come out in the rain to watch trials with large snakes and starved kittens? Strange business. Mayhap there's something more to all this. I trust you'll keep my suspicions in confidence, my friend." Arthur quickly held his tongue as a hooded figure approached, other than to wish Ali well and bid him good night.
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Sweet Furry Kittens
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Wrapping her cloak tightly around her and keeping her hood well over Princess Kitten walks up to Ali, keeping out of sight of the Queen speaking softly and wondering if this stranger would think her human or feline as she had the blood of both in her, only finding this out from her adopted father the king when he was on his death bed, she has kept this secrete to herself
Twas a hard challange my Lord. Princess Kittens said softly than turned and walked towards the castle
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F799
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[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
"it would seem that I have been misjudged" stated Ali, "I thought that I was to be allowed time to complete my test, and the moment I held the viperwas not near enough to allow the kitten to get to the milk. My daer friends, as it would appear thta I have been wronged I shall explain to you what my true plan was, I was going to take the kitten acroos first, I only wished to inspect the viper beforehand to assure myself of it's safety, then I would retunr and take the viper across, and upon my return to this side bring the kitten with me. After this I would transport the bowl of milk to the side of the viper, returning empty handed, where I again would take the kitten across to the other side.But I see that I have failed, nevertheless I wish to remain for the rest of the ball."

Turning to the knight, "do not worry my friend, I understnad that you had a long journey and this rain would drive anyone into deep thought for a while. *lowering his voice* yes, this does strike me as a bit odd. I had a bit of a to do with the guards before your arriv. . ." and as the hooded figure drew closer switching his topic" . . al with my camel, Sheba, as she did not seem to enjoy this rain at all, it will take weeks to get her completely dried out again, and I am afraid that until then she will be most disagreeable." As the figure continued drawing near ALi wished his new found companion and ally a good evening.


Wishing a good evening to the hooded figure Ali too made his way back to the castle. Unsure of the customs of this land, and whether or not failures of sorts were punishable by death, he stationed six of his own men outside his door, where they had been hiding since thier arrival no one was sure, but they were instructed not to speak to anybody, nor engage in combat unless the direst of needs called for it. They were after all "guests" of this kingdom, odd as it may be.
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Sweet Furry Kittens
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Smiling to herself she thought it best not to let this stranger Ali know that felines have really good hearing and heard his words. Wondering why the Queen was putting all that were interested in this adventure of her sisters thru such tests and if she would pass the one she got stuck with.
Well she muttered I'm sure Mother knows I'm here by now, wonder what she will have to say to me if anything. Never did really want me around. Oh well it'll be good to see my sister again. Hmm wonder if it was the snake I put in her royal bed pot that caused her to send me to the country. Laughting out loud she continued on her way
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The Trial of The Tub and The Intelligent One[/align]

The now less-than-thronging masses, mostly cats with umbrellas and others of various races and genus, were all following the amazingly adroit six-legged Lord High Chamberlins back to Castle Claw. It was once again a short trip but this time everyone was thoroughly wet and most a little dejected that the first Trial was over so quickly. Once inside Castle Claw, The Lord High Chamberlins directed The Party, as they were to become known, and the various stragglers and hangers-on to a large ornate antechamber that contained towels and plates of fruit and bread and various beverages. The Lord High Chmaberlins explained that there would be a slight delay while The Queen and her entourage arrived. The guests were directed to amuse themselves but not to stray far.

In the meantime, several of the soon-to-be-familiar, large muscular grey cats could be seen struggling mightily with what could only be described as a large ornate porcelain bathtub. It was white, looked like it could fit two large humans comfortably, had fine silver filigree all over it, inside and out, and quite elaborate silver feet as well. There was a standard drain in the bottom and two holes near the top that one would correctly assume went to hot and cold water connections. These were not connected to anything. The monstrous tub was placed near one end of the room overlooking The River. The muscular strongmen cats, now done with their task, departed. A new procession of young female cats proceeded to file into the room in single file, each carrying a bucket of what appeared to be water. As they approached the tub and dumped their contents, the casual observer could see that every other bucket appeared to be steaming somewhat. Soon the tub was full enough for a person to get in a take a bath and the procession stopped. A final pair of large cats entered carry a small table the height of the tub. On it was a hinged case approximately the size of a large hat box.

About that time, yet another portable throne was brought into the room. This one was every bit as comfy-looking as the other thrones the guests had seen. Also making its entrance was the same large ornate gong from the previous trial as well as the tattooed gong-meister. "All Rise for Her Royal Imperialness, The Queen, Claw the Cat", bellowed one of The Lord High Chamberlins, once again accompanied by the rather loud clapping of paws. The Queen entered, took her throne, took a small mouse proffered to her by a cat-in waiting.

"Ack, Ahem, is The Black Lion, Arthur Tiberius from The Simply Unkillable Nation of Green-ville present and accounted for? [The large Dark Knight steps forward, presumably]. This is a very simple test. It is an intelligence test that we use sometimes to determine fighters' intelligence.".The Queen walks over to the table, opens the hinged box and removes a bucket, not unlike the buckets used to fill the tub in the first place. She places it on the table. From the bucket, she removes a teacup and places it on the table. From the teacup, she removes a spoon and places it on the table. She then discards the box and returns to her throne. "Your task, oh mighty warrior, is to simply empty the tub without lifting (as if) or damaging it. You have 24 hours to complete this Trial." With that, a giant Gong is sounded causing most cats to scrunch up their eyes wondering why The Queen always does that whenever anything "big" is about to happen.


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Green-ville
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The Black Lion stood at the table and admired the objects. He picked up the spoon. "This is excellent craftsmanship, Your Majesty. I commend the silversmith." He placed the spoon in the teacup. Holding the teacup, he remarked "Exquisite, Your Majesty. I shall have to purchase a set of these for my Lord, as well as one for my wife." He placed spoon and teacup into the bucket. Looking at the bucket, Arthur said, "Sturdy bucket, Your Majesty. Even the simplest items are crafted with such care." He then placed bucket, containing teacup and spoon, on the table.

"Well, this has been most fun, Your Majesty, but I'm afraid the hour grows late, and, having already had two baths today, I must retire. I shall see you tomorrow, by your leave." He bowed to the Queen and to the gathered Party.

Arthur then pulled out the drain plug on the tub and walked away.
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The End of Trial Number Two[/align]

"Meow, Very Good, Meow!", exclaimed the obviously pleased Queen. The Queen signalled to the Gong-meister, who proceeded to smash the gong, to the distaste of most cats present . "This event is over. The Black Lion, Arthur Tiberius from The Simply Unkillable Nation of Green-ville has successfully completed the task.

The Trial of The Mangifying Glass Room Versus The Dragon Room shall be next in The Castle. Volunteers now welcome."

The Lord High Chamberlins all shaked paws with Arthur as he strode out and whispered to him, "Well done.".

The crowd dispersed and thus ended The Second Trial almost as quickly as it had begun.


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