Boltuk led the team through what would have been the third arena. The place looked more ornate than the previous one. “Man, I would have enjoyed this!” moaned Bashoon.
“It’s one of our favorite arenas,” replied Boltuk. He then led them to a new arena where a whiteboard stood in the center of the ring. The crowd filed in and Boltuk began his announcement. “These outsiders,” he called, “have passed the Trials of Strength! But brawn is nothing without a brain to back it up! Outsiders, you had best be able to prove your intelligence, for we do not love idiots! The first trial shall determine whether or not you have the ability to abuse proofs! If you can stump one of our smartest with something ridiculous and prove that it is possible with no loopholes, you win! If your opponent finds a loophole, you lose! Who shall go?!”
“Arsha, let me in on this!” giggled Malnar. “I’ll give you a year’s supply of chocolate if you do!”
“What? Why?” asked Arsha. Malnar then whispered her plan into Arsha’s ear. “…There is no way that will work!”
“Come on, Foxy! For me?” Malnar then gave her lover puppy-dog eyes.
“No! Stop that! You know I hate it when any of you do that! …Fine! Go ahead!” Malnar kissed Arsha on the cheek then practically skipped into the ring.
“It looks like you have set your challenger on us,” remarked Boltuk. “Very well! Lord Tanatar! You are needed!” An elderly Manticore man then came forward. He had a limp, but he was cheered to the echo as if he were a great gladiator. He raised his hurt paw as the crowd cheered, then he pointed to a section and lowered his paw. The section then quietly cheered. He then raised his paw, and the cheering grew louder. Then he put his paw to the floor and the cheering stopped.
“…Dang,” remarked Malnar to her opponent as he approached the whiteboard. “Sounds like men of intellect are REALLY prized here.”
“We DO uncover secrets that prove useful to fighters,” answered Lord Tanatar. “Now, what do you wish to prove?”
“Well, first off, I need to set the scene. Tell me, do you have grandchildren?”
“Seven of them, and I spoil them all rotten. Why?”
“That makes it a lot easier. So, do you see yourself as someone who spoils them equally?”
“Of course. But, I must be fair. Let’s say, for example, that there’s candy, about…give me a number.”
“Twenty-eight.”
“Then I would give each one of them four pieces of candy.”
“I thought you said you spoil them rotten.” Lord Tanatar was confused.
“I do.”
“Only four?” Malnar clicked her lips in disappointment. “My Lord, you’re cheating them. Twenty-eight pieces of candy for seven grandkids? They deserve thirteen apiece.” Lord Tanatar goggled at Malnar.
“What in the name of the King are you talking about?!” he protested. “Seven by thirteen does NOT make twenty-eight!”
“Yes, it does!”
“Seven by FOUR makes twenty-eight!” Malnar sighed.
“Lord Tanatar, seven by THIRTEEN makes twenty-eight!”
“Seven by FOUR is twenty-eight! Aren’t you a soldier?!”
“Yes, but I’m also a Princess.”
“…What are they teaching royalty these days?” muttered Lord Tanatar.
“I can show you my work, if you wish.”
“Please, show us.” Malnar took up one of the markers and set up a long-division problem. She set it up like so:
7⟌28
“Now, seven into two?” asked Malnar. Lord Tanatar shook his head. “Seven will NOT go into two. No matter how much you push that big seven into that little two, it won’t fit! That’s gonna hurt the poor little two! So, I’m gonna put the two down here!” She drew a little two at the bottom of the white board. “Now, seven into eight?”
“It goes in once,” replied Lord Tanatar.
“Exactly!” Malnar drew a one at the eight’s right.
7⟌28 1
“Now, I’m gonna carry the seven. It’s a big seven, so we need to distribute it right.” She wrote a seven under the eight. “Now, eight minus seven?”
“One.” Malnar then wrote out the next step and answer.
7⟌28 1
-7
1
“Now, this is where the magic happens!” called Malnar. “A minute ago, we had a little discussion about a little two.” She then pointed to the little two at the board’s bottom. “This little two! You mind if I use it?”
“Go ahead,” sighed Lord Tanatar.
“Much appreciated! So, I’m gonna put the two by the one below the carried seven.” She then wrote her new two.
7⟌28 1
-7
21
“Now, seven into twenty-one?”
“Three.” Malnar wrote the resulting three at the left of the one at the top!
7⟌28 13
-7
21
“There we go! Seven goes into twenty-eight THIRTEEN times!”
“NO! NO! NO! Nothing of the kind!” Lord Tanatar then erased the board. “There’s something you’re missing! Tell you what, we’ll multiply all this!”
“All right.” Malnar then wrote out a long multiplication problem.
13
x7
“All right, seven times three?”
“Twenty-one.”
13
x7
21
“Seven times one?”
“Seven.”
13
x7
21
7
“Seven plus one?”
“…Eight…” Lord Tanatar then saw where she placed the seven.
13
x7
21
+7
8
“And we carry the two!”
13
x7
21
+7
28
“There we go! Twenty-eight!”
“NO! NO! That’s not it!” Lord Tanatar erased the board again. “All right, that’s it! There’s only one surefire way to find a loophole here! Put down thirteen seven times!”
“Oh, I get it, you want me to add it.”
“Bingo! Go on!” So, Malnar wrote down 13 seven times.
13
13
13
13
13
13
+13
“All right, now we start…!”
“Hold it!” Lord Tanatar leveled his stinger at her. “I’LL start it!” His stinger then went up the threes. “Three! Six! Nine! Twelve! Fifteen! Eighteen! Twenty-one!” Malnar then ran her marker down the ones.
“Twenty-two! Twenty-three! Twenty-four! Twenty-five! Twenty-six! Twenty-seven! Twenty-eight!”
13
13
13
13
13
13
+13
28
Lord Tanatar goggled at the whole thing. “…I…I-I…I can’t…I don’t see any loopholes! She’s abused proofs!” He collapsed to the floor in shame.
“By Lord Tanatar’s declaration,” called Boltuk, “the outsider has won the first Trial of Intellect! Now, outsider, since you’re the winner, you may point out any loopholes he missed with no penalty.”
“Thank you.” Malnar then turned to Lord Tanatar. “My Lord, there WAS a loophole that I didn’t have a counter for.”
“What’s that?” he mumbled.
“The tens place.”
“…The tens place! Of course! …I will have to learn more, even if my King forbids it.”
“Come with me, and we shall proceed to the next trial!” called Boltuk. The crowd roared as Arsha and her team were led to the next challenge.