Boltuk led the team through what would have been the third arena. The place looked more ornate than the previous one. \u201cMan, I would have enjoyed this!\u201d moaned Bashoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s one of our favorite arenas,\u201d 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. \u201cThese outsiders,\u201d he called, \u201chave 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?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cArsha, let me in on this!\u201d giggled Malnar. \u201cI\u2019ll give you a year\u2019s supply of chocolate if you do!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat? Why?\u201d asked Arsha. Malnar then whispered her plan into Arsha\u2019s ear. \u201c\u2026There is no way that will work!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCome on, Foxy! For me?\u201d Malnar then gave her lover puppy-dog eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo! Stop that! You know I hate it when any of you do that! \u2026Fine! Go ahead!\u201d Malnar kissed Arsha on the cheek then practically skipped into the ring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt looks like you have set your challenger on us,\u201d remarked Boltuk. \u201cVery well! Lord Tanatar! You are needed!\u201d 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026Dang,\u201d remarked Malnar to her opponent as he approached the whiteboard. \u201cSounds like men of intellect are REALLY prized here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe DO uncover secrets that prove useful to fighters,\u201d answered Lord Tanatar. \u201cNow, what do you wish to prove?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWell, first off, I need to set the scene. Tell me, do you have grandchildren?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSeven of them, and I spoil them all rotten. Why?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat makes it a lot easier. So, do you see yourself as someone who spoils them equally?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOf course. But, I must be fair. Let\u2019s say, for example, that there\u2019s candy, about\u2026give me a number.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTwenty-eight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThen I would give each one of them four pieces of candy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI thought you said you spoil them rotten.\u201d Lord Tanatar was confused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOnly four?\u201d Malnar clicked her lips in disappointment. \u201cMy Lord, you\u2019re cheating them. Twenty-eight pieces of candy for seven grandkids? They deserve thirteen apiece.\u201d Lord Tanatar goggled at Malnar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat in the name of the King are you talking about?!\u201d he protested. \u201cSeven by thirteen does NOT make twenty-eight!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes, it does!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSeven by FOUR makes twenty-eight!\u201d Malnar sighed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLord Tanatar, seven by THIRTEEN makes twenty-eight!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSeven by FOUR is twenty-eight! Aren\u2019t you a soldier?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes, but I\u2019m also a Princess.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026What are they teaching royalty these days?\u201d muttered Lord Tanatar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI can show you my work, if you wish.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPlease, show us.\u201d Malnar took up one of the markers and set up a long-division problem. She set it up like so:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
7\u27cc28<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNow, seven into two?\u201d asked Malnar. Lord Tanatar shook his head. \u201cSeven will NOT go into two. No matter how much you push that big seven into that little two, it won\u2019t fit! That\u2019s gonna hurt the poor little two! So, I\u2019m gonna put the two down here!\u201d She drew a little two at the bottom of the white board. \u201cNow, seven into eight?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt goes in once,\u201d replied Lord Tanatar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cExactly!\u201d Malnar drew a one at the eight\u2019s right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
7\u27cc28 1<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNow, I\u2019m gonna carry the seven. It\u2019s a big seven, so we need to distribute it right.\u201d She wrote a seven under the eight. \u201cNow, eight minus seven?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOne.\u201d Malnar then wrote out the next step and answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
7\u27cc28 1<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0-7<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n 1<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNow, this is where the magic happens!\u201d called Malnar. \u201cA minute ago, we had a little discussion about a little two.\u201d She then pointed to the little two at the board\u2019s bottom. \u201cThis little two! You mind if I use it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGo ahead,\u201d sighed Lord Tanatar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMuch appreciated! So, I\u2019m gonna put the two by the one below the carried seven.\u201d She then wrote her new two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 7\u27cc28 1<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0-7<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n 21<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNow, seven into twenty-one?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThree.\u201d Malnar wrote the resulting three at the left of the one at the top!<\/p>\n\n\n\n 7\u27cc28 13<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 -7<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n 21<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere we go! Seven goes into twenty-eight THIRTEEN times!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNO! NO! NO! Nothing of the kind!\u201d Lord Tanatar then erased the board. \u201cThere\u2019s something you\u2019re missing! Tell you what, we\u2019ll multiply all this!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAll right.\u201d Malnar then wrote out a long multiplication problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 13<\/p>\n\n\n\n x7<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAll right, seven times three?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTwenty-one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n 13<\/p>\n\n\n\n x7<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n 21<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSeven times one?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSeven.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n 13<\/p>\n\n\n\n x7<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n 21<\/p>\n\n\n\n 7<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSeven plus one?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2026Eight\u2026\u201d Lord Tanatar then saw where she placed the seven.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 13<\/p>\n\n\n\n x7<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n 21<\/p>\n\n\n\n +7<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n 8<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd we carry the two!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n 13<\/p>\n\n\n\n x7<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n 21<\/p>\n\n\n\n +7<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n 28<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere we go! Twenty-eight!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNO! NO! That\u2019s not it!\u201d Lord Tanatar erased the board again. \u201cAll right, that\u2019s it! There\u2019s only one surefire way to find a loophole here! Put down thirteen seven times!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, I get it, you want me to add it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBingo! Go on!\u201d So, Malnar wrote down 13 seven times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 13<\/p>\n\n\n\n 13<\/p>\n\n\n\n 13<\/p>\n\n\n\n 13<\/p>\n\n\n\n 13<\/p>\n\n\n\n 13<\/p>\n\n\n\n +13<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAll right, now we start\u2026!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHold it!\u201d Lord Tanatar leveled his stinger at her. \u201cI\u2019LL start it!\u201d His stinger then went up the threes. \u201cThree! Six! Nine! Twelve! Fifteen! Eighteen! Twenty-one!\u201d Malnar then ran her marker down the ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTwenty-two! Twenty-three! Twenty-four! Twenty-five! Twenty-six! Twenty-seven! Twenty-eight!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n 13<\/p>\n\n\n\n 13<\/p>\n\n\n\n 13<\/p>\n\n\n\n 13<\/p>\n\n\n\n 13<\/p>\n\n\n\n 13<\/p>\n\n\n\n +13<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n 28<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lord Tanatar goggled at the whole thing. \u201c\u2026I\u2026I-I\u2026I can\u2019t\u2026I don\u2019t see any loopholes! She\u2019s abused proofs!\u201d He collapsed to the floor in shame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBy Lord Tanatar\u2019s declaration,\u201d called Boltuk, \u201cthe outsider has won the first Trial of Intellect! Now, outsider, since you\u2019re the winner, you may point out any loopholes he missed with no penalty.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThank you.\u201d Malnar then turned to Lord Tanatar. \u201cMy Lord, there WAS a loophole that I didn\u2019t have a counter for.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d he mumbled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe tens place.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2026The tens place! Of course! \u2026I will have to learn more, even if my King forbids it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCome with me, and we shall proceed to the next trial!\u201d called Boltuk. The crowd roared as Arsha and her team were led to the next challenge.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Boltuk led the team through what would have been the third arena. The place looked more ornate than the previous one. \u201cMan, I would have enjoyed this!\u201d moaned Bashoon. \u201cIt\u2019s one of our favorite arenas,\u201d replied Boltuk. He then led them to a new arena where a whiteboard stood in the center of the ring. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1462,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[97,237],"tags":[482],"class_list":["post-4080","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-three-realms","category-the-three-realms-book-4-trials-of-light-and-dark","tag-fantasy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4080","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4080"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4080\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4081,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4080\/revisions\/4081"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1462"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4080"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4080"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4080"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}