The group stared in disbelief as Glodesind, the formerly missing French Changed Daily, stood before them in the Lemurian cave.
To say that she looked different from when they last saw her would've been an understatement. She was covered in soft, thick red and black fur with a cream colored spot at the nape. There was also a mysterious glow about her. She looked at Victor with recognition in her eyes. She let out a low rumbling sound that seemed to be a mix of curiosity and affection. Slowly, she extended her paw towards him as if inviting him to touch it.
"You really recognize me, Glodesind?" Victor asked her while he took her paw. "After everything you've been through?"
Glodesind just nodded, indicating that she understood what he'd said.
"Alright, great," Milou said. "Can you show us where our bosses may be? We're worried that they're going to end up like you soon."
Glodesind eagerly nodded, let out a soft growl, and then led the way for Victor and his companions deeper into the cave, hoping that she could help bring this search to an end sooner than later. Victor, for his part, couldn't help but feel a mix of excitement and trepidation. He had always known that Lemurians were intelligent creatures, but he never imagined that one of them could hold the key to finding their missing bosses.
As if in the blink of an eye, the fifth round was over. Just as Pineapple Chunks had predicted, the four remaining participants ended up making it to the final round. It almost came as a relief when it had happened, as neither of the four believed they would actually end the round in a tie. Even so, Pineapple Chunks and Scheherazade were just thrilled that they were going to make it to the final round together.
As if on cue, the speakers began crackling to life.
"Good morning, participants," the voice from the speakers began to speak. "I hope you've mentally prepared yourselves for the day ahead of you. Our final round of the competition is coming up shortly."
"We're doing two challenges in one day again?" Scheherazade signed to Pineapple Chunks. "Already? But why?"
"I don't know," Pineapple Chunks signed back. "And I'm scared to find out."
Everyone else just stood there and listened as the voice resumed speaking.
"This final round will be the most challenging yet," the voice continued. "But first, it's time for dinner. You'll understand soon enough why we had to forgo lunch just like we did after the third round. This next round requires that you use your critical thinking skills and strategizing in order to make it through. I won't tell you what the fourth round is, though, until after dinner. Chairman out!"
The speakers soon went silent, leaving the remaining four contestants to talk amongst themselves.
"Well, I'm glad we'll at least have something to eat after what we just went through," Scheherazade signed. "I'm starving!"
"Me too, actually," Pineapple Chunks signed back. "I just hope whatever dinner we got is as good as that breakfast was."
"Of the four of us, who do you think will be the first to go in the final round?"
"I don't know. It could be any one of us."
"I'm worried it could be me. What if this last round has to do with sounds or something? I'm toast!"
"Remember that first round we went through? That one used auditory cues, but those weren't the only things you had to rely on."
Scheherazade slowly nodded. "Ah, yes, that's true. Maybe this last round won't be so bad. After all, we certainly went through worse."
"Exactly! You get the picture."
As the contestants speculated about what the final round might entail, they couldn't help but feel a mix of excitement and nervousness. They had come so far in the competition, facing various challenges and proving their skills along the way. But now, with only four remaining, it was clear that this last round would truly test their abilities. To what extent, though, remained to be seen. Even so, they need to prepare themselves on all fronts if any one of them were going to make it through the final round.
After dinner, the four remaining participants were called into the center of the arena. Scheherazade and Pineapple Chunks were already there, seated next to each other on the bench as they waited for the other two to arrive. Soon, the speakers began crackling to life.
"Alright, everyone, take a seat," the voice from the speakers began to speak. "It's time to hear your final challenge." Pause. "Oh, I almost forgot to tell you all. For the first time since the first round, the finalists will be competing with auditory cues."
Pineapple Chunks translated to Scheherazade what the voice from the speakers had said, which subsequently left Scheherazade's face drooping down from disappointment. Just when she'd hoped that things had a slight chance of going her way...
"No worries, though," Pineapple Chunks was quick to assure his friend. "We can get through this. I'm sure there's way more to this challenge than just auditory cues."
"I hope you're right," Scheherazade signed. "I don't know what I'll do otherwise."
As if on cue, the other two participants arrived and sat down on either side of Scheherazade and Pineapple Chunks. They sat in silence, anticipation filling the air as they waited for the voice from the speakers to reveal what their final round would be.
The voice from the speakers finally broke the silence after what surely must've felt like an eternity. "For your final challenge, you will be participating in a game of Escargot. It's a personal favorite of mine. It's hopscotch, but instead of hopping on a traditional grid of numbered triangles or a pattern of rectangles, you hop on a spiral course that's shaped like a snail. You must hop on one foot to the center of the spiral and then reverse your path to back out again." Pause. "Oh, you've already figured out that there's a catch to this, huh? And in that case, you'd be right. The course you will be hopping on is made of glass, but only certain panels are safe because they're made of tempered glass. The rest are normal glass panels that will break if even one player lands on them."
It took a while for all four to pick their jaws up off the floor. The last thing they'd expected, indeed, was a twist quite like what the voice had just described. Still, they couldn't complain. Better yet, they had to consider how far they'd gotten to get to this point. They'd already progressed further than they'd thought, and now the competition was going to be as tough as it got.