As you step back into the arena, yet another curious sight meets your eyes. A vast, snowy forest stretches far into the distance. “How does this even fit in the arena?”, you wonder. Somehow, it seems to be bigger on the inside than on the outside. Lost in thought, a screeching sound interrupts you.
“WELCOME back to the GREATEST, most EXCELLENT, and JAW DROPPING olympic games in HISTORY!” the announcers yell. “Today, we test both your minds and bodies with SKI ORIENTEERING! Navigate wisely, and never return to the same place twice!”
Sliding on your skis and fastening your goggles, you spot dAnkan leaning back in a lawn chair beside the arena, completely uninterested. With a sigh, they pull a book from their bag.
The title reads “Sudoku 2: The sequel (EXTRA HARD EDITION)”. Clumsily, dAnkan struggles to open it, muttering to themselves: “Yes… yes, finally…” when suddenly, a hiss from behind makes them jump. Theresa, the reporter, is here, leaning in with a sly grin.
“Vell, vell, vell… what have oui ‘ere?” she sneers. “Ah, mon ami, it seems zat your ‘manager’ ees slacking off agáin. Hope you can manage to snake arôund ze aréna yourself, young one,” she adds, her eyes focused on you.
dAnkan grumbles with suppressed rage. “Go away! You and your umbrella-shaped dress! I have more important things to do…” they mutter, finally managing to spread the pages wide. dAnkan grips their pencil tightly and traces it against the paper. They lean in, then slowly look back to you, “Watch and learn. Perhaps you could learn something,” he says to you. Sudoku? You don’t understand, what could that possibly have to do with your navigation?