(Another day, another episode of Fates Party. To all of you who have read and gave your feedback, I wanna say thanks for that. Now I've got a bit of a thing to say: Azura WILL be playing a role in this story. What will her role be? We'll find out when we get there.
Additionally, there'll be a new mechanic that'll shake up this game! If anyone has read Bowser Party 1, you might have an idea for what it is.
Shout out to Cheerfulpichu/pichufan101 for helping me out on that last thing I talked about in the intro. Let's hit the road, Jack.)
Episode 2: What Happens In Vegas...
Previously, on Fates Party…
The eighteen contestants participated in their very first challenge at King Boo's Haunted Hideaway. The challenge? Find King Boo.
Along the way, some people felt like openly messing with the others, and alliances were already forming. The Nohrian royal family decided to band together in a final four pact, and Rinkah and Keaton opted to work together.
Beruka and Effie were the first two to discover a staircase that led to a warp pipe on the second floor, leading them straight to King Boo. Finding King Boo would determine who was on what team.
Once the teams were determined, Team Garu was informed that they would receive an advantage in the next challenge. What is this advantage? And now with the game officially beginning, who will be the first person kicked out of the party? Find out by watching!
Team Garu: Effie, Beruka, Hinoka, Kagero, Sakura, Subaki
Team Bufu: Camilla, Leo, Azama, Rinkah, Takumi, Keaton
Team Agi: Xander, Peri, Elise, Ryoma, Oboro, Niles
Everyone returned to the fort as Flash began showing everyone around. "The rooms with the green walls belong to Team Garu, the rooms with blue walls belong to Team Bufu, and the rooms with red walls belong to Team Agi. Alright? Good, now get moved in. Rest up for tomorrow, since we'll have a busy day ahead of us." Flash instructed.
With that being said, everyone got to moving into their new digs.
As Team Garu was getting moved in, Effie approached Subaki inside his room.
"You pride yourself on being perfect, right?" She asked.
"Of course I do. I have to be for my liege," Subaki answered.
"Then how come you didn't finish first?" Effie countered.
"I...must admit to you, Effie, I…" Subaki started, but Effie cut him off.
"Eh, don't worry about it. You sound like Hana - she tried to be as strong as I am but failed to see where her strong suits were. Follow my advice: Just try to be good at what you're skilled at, not perfect at everything." Effie was munching on a piece of cooked meat as she said this.
"I never thought Effie could say such meaningful things...I'm absolutely glad to have her on my team. Keeping Lady Sakura safe is something I'm good at, so I might as well focus on perfecting that!" -Subaki
In Team Bufu's rooms, Rinkah and Keaton were lounging around.
"So...who do you think we should work with?" Keaton asked.
"I'm no strategist." Rinkah shrugged. "You can figure it out."
"Hmm...maybe Leo and Camilla?" Keaton suggested. "They're the other pair in this team. We could buy us some time if we don't win."
"Whatever works for me," Rinkah replied.
"Yeah, I'm not the best strategist in the world. Never really wanted to dabble in tactics behind the scenes - I'm more of a fighter! Bring on the challenges; I'm ready." -Rinkah
Meanwhile, in Team Agi's rooms, Elise got in bed and tried drifting off to sleep. However, that was hard to do when two voices could be loudly heard from the hallway.
"You!" Oboro exclaimed.
"Huh? What do you want?" Peri asked.
Elise tried the 'cover my ears with a pillow' trick to try and block out their conversation, but to no avail. It only got worse from there as Oboro brought up Peri's crazy behavior, and then Niles decided to join in on the conversation, only stoking the fires between them.
"Ugh...I'm never going to get any sleep during this…" Elise sighed.
"Peri and Oboro get along together just as well as a cat gets along with a mouse. In fact, the team that I'm on is likely not going to get along. Ryoma and my older brother are going to be trying to show the other up, I already mentioned Peri and Oboro, and Niles is...don't get me started on Niles." -Elise
The next morning, Flash gathered everyone up at the Dragon's Gate.
"So, everyone settled in good and proper?" Flash asked, to which mostly everyone responded positively, and those who didn't had mixed responses. "Awesome, well, the game officially begins now."
The group was curious at what this meant.
"'The game officially begins now?' What's that even mean? I know we have an advantage today, but Flash hasn't mentioned all of the rules yet. It makes me worry for both myself and Lord Ryoma." -Kagero
"Well, you see, I did mention that we would be competing in challenges so you could see who would be the last one standing…" Flash explained. "So...when it comes to these challenges, the team that does the worst will be tasked with voting out one of their own members."
To varying degrees, everyone was shocked while some had already accepted the fact they'd have to eliminate each other as a reality. Elise non-verbally exclaimed 'Thank you Dusk Dragon!' as Flash cleared his throat.
"Oh yeah, one more thing. Royals, make sure you keep good watch over your retainers, and vice versa for the retainers. If a royal/retainer pair makes it to the merge, they'll get a little advantage in the challenges." Flash added. "Anyway...we've got a challenge today, so follow me everyone!"
With that, the players followed Flash through the Dragon's Gate, wondering what fresh hell awaited them today.
When they arrived at their destination, they would find that they had arrived in a swanky looking casino, divided up into four quadrants. A Goomba in a pink bowtie, cape, and top hat was standing next to Flash.
"Welcome to Goomba's Greedy Gala!" The Goomba greeted. "This place is the tops!"
"Woah, this is like those casinos as Macarath that I've heard about!" Keaton mused.
"So, hey, I had all this space, and I made it into a casino! Pretty high-class, no?" The Goomba grinned. "Feel your heart pound and your nerves jitter as you lay it all on the line!"
"Our location today was a casino...not what I was expecting, but I'm sure there'll be plenty of ways to mess with the others. Maybe I'll leave it all to chance." -Niles
"Alright, now for today's challenge. Here's how this is going to work," Flash began. "In the four sections, there are six Stars waiting to be collected, guarded by a casino game of chance or something similar. It's your guys' job to round up the Stars; once all four stars are collected, everyone is to return to the roulette wheel in the center where we will compete for a fifth and final Star. Whichever team has the most is totally safe, and no one will be voted off."
"What about second and third place?" Xander asked.
"Second and third place will be determined by Bonus Stars," Flash explained. A pair of Goombas rolled in a chalkboard showing all the Bonus Stars. "As long as you guys are in teams, more often than not the second and third place teams will be determined by these things here. Each time I will randomly select three of these, and whoever did the best in the criteria gets them." He then showed what each Star was for.
Running Star - Team that traveled the farthest
Happening Star - Team that had the most events happen to them
Red Star - Team that suffered the most, whether it be physical injuries or mental/emotional distress
Plus Star - Team that gained the most overall
Minus Star - Team that lost the most overall
Shopping Star - Team that spent the most money on stuff
"Thanks guys," Goomba said to his two coworkers, who wheeled the chalkboard away.
"Team Garu, I mentioned yesterday you six have an advantage in this challenge, here it is." Flash held a Star. "You guys start off with a Star...and, a ten minute head start on the other two teams."
All of Team Garu was amazed by this. Beruka of course, kept her stoic demeanor.
"We start off with a Star AND get a headstart on the other teams? I could tell right then and there we had this in the bag!" -Hinoka
After giving Team Garu their star, the six had headed off, leaving the other two teams in the dust.
Team Garu raced towards the roulette wheel in hopes of getting another Star. When they got their, a Goomba would greet them.
"Welcome to the roulette!" It greeted. "Where you'll go, nobody knows!" It nudged Sakura and Hinoka. "If nobody's looking, slip me some coins and I just might get you closer to where you need to be."
"I-I think we should just spin...like normal…" Sakura suggested. Everyone agreed with her.
"Me, I like guarantees, but hey! It's your choice. I figured you wanted to play to win…" The Goomba muttered as it got ready to spin.
"T-The Goomba...thought Hinoka and I would g-give him some money to...win. Personally, I want to play f-fair and square and…we already have an advantage, so why bother?" -Sakura
The roulette began spinning as the Goomba kicked a marble onto it. The marble landed on…
A blue arrow, taking Team Garu to the blue section via a large metal hand. Effie spied a slot machine, pointing directly at it.
"That's gotta have a Star behind it!" She exclaimed, the group following her towards it.
Team Bufu and Team Agi soon took off after the ten minutes were up. There was much pushing and shoving among them, with Niles leading the pack. However, he was more than willing to ditch the others, and carried a coin purse that he no doubt purloined.
"With the others squabbling over their position in this race, I thought I'd slip out and try to strike it out on my own. Don't get me wrong, I'd like my team to win but...come on. This is much easier." -Niles
When Niles approached the Goomba, he tossed him the coin purse. "I'll take the red section," The outlaw requested. The Goomba greedily took the gold and let the metal hand take Niles there. Quickly, he began searching for anyone that could be hiding a star.
Back with the others, Team Agi reached the roulette first. Elise reached in her pocket to find that her coin purse was missing.
"Hey, where's my money?" Elise exclaimed in shock.
"And where's Niles?" Peri blinked, looking around. Leo facepalmed.
"I think I know where your coin purse went, sister," He flatly answered them both.
"Rather predictable of Niles to do something like this. Of course, this is a competition, so I don't expect him to pull any punches. I know I won't, and I'm certain everyone else won't." -Leo
"Normal spin for us," Ryoma said. The roulette took them to…
The green zone, essentially back to where they started. When Team Bufu took their turn, Camilla talked to the Goomba.
"Just spin like normal," Camilla told the Goomba.
"Alright la…" The Goomba started, but was taken by Camilla's looks. "Don't nosebleed, don't nosebleed, don't nosebleed…"
"Just spin the roulette already!" Keaton barked. The Goomba meeped as he did so, the roulette taking them…
To the pink zone. When Team Bufu arrived, they instantly headed towards the Goomba near a stack of cards.
"Hey hey! Want to play my game?" He asked.
"I'll play," Leo said. The Goomba laid out three cards face up - one had a green mushroom icon, a second had a star icon, and the third had some sort of lightning bolt icon on it.
"Watch the cards, and pick the item you want," The Goomba instructed, flipping the cards facedown. The cards began shuffling themselves, Leo keeping his eye on the one that had the Star.
"If my hunch is right, the card with the star icon will give us a Star, and we'll be one step closer to victory today. It's good that I was able to realize this that fast." -Leo
Once the cards stopped shuffling, Leo picked the third card. When it was flipped over…
It revealed the card had the star icon!
"Sharp eye, friend!" The Goomba congratulated. "Here's your Star!" The Goomba handed over a Star.
Scoreboard
Garu: 1
Bufu: 1
Agi: 0
Niles on the other hand, separated from his team found a Goomba appear before him from under a tile that looked like a pink and yellow die.
"Hey, let's play a dice game!" He said. "If you win, I'll give you a Star! If you lose, I'll send you back to start!"
"Fine then," Niles shrugged.
The Goomba went first, rolling a 2. Niles took his turn and rolled a 9.
"Wow, nice work!" The Goomba complimented. "Here you go!" He handed Niles a Star.
"Not sure if a casino was the best place to choose my lone wolf strategy, but hey. I'm helping the team this way, so there's no way they can vote me off for this, right? Stupid killer doll..." -Niles
Scoreboard
Garu: 1
Bufu: 1
Agi: 1
Back with Team Garu, Effie was currently trying to make the slot machine in the blue zone give them something. It wasn't through using it properly, it was trying to shake the Star out of the big thing.
"Effie, that's not how you use a slot machine," Beruka deadpanned. A Goomba raced over to see what the commotion was about, effortlessly trying to stop Effie from doing anything more to it.
"I-I think I'll try my luck at um...this," Sakura meekly spoke up.
Once Effie was removed from the slot machine, the Goomba instructed Sakura on what to do. "Alright, so if you can line up three icons here, I'll give you a Star. Sound easy enough?" Sakura only gave a nod.
"E-Everyone was um...staring at me, like they de-depended on me to get this Star...I'm so nervous…" -Sakura
The slot machine started up, and Sakura got a mushroom for her first icon. Waiting a little bit before making her second hit, she managed to get another mushroom. The pressure was on as she closed her eyes, letting out a little shriek as she hit a third time…
To get a third mushroom. Lights started flashing as a little celebratory tune played. Sakura opened her eyes to see that she got the Star, sighing with relief. Subaki patted her on the back.
"Well done, Lady Sakura." He smiled.
Scoreboard
Garu: 2
Bufu: 1
Agi: 1
Back with Team Agi, they managed to wind up in the pink zone on their second roll. Immediately they started looking for Niles. Xander, Ryoma, Oboro, and Peri began searching for where the heck he could've gone, and Elise skipped off on her own to try and find him that way. As she searched, Elise found something rather interesting. It was a yellow flip phone with black highlights, colored in the same way a Pichu would.
"This is so weird…" The younger princess mused. It started vibrating, so Elise quickly checked to see what was going on, pushing the green button to accept the call. Making sure no one was around when she did this, she asked, "Who is this?"
"Oh hello there!" A young voice responded. "I am the Hint Giver. Do you want a little help?"
"So as we're looking for Niles, I find this weird thing and a voice on the other end is calling herself the Hint Giver. I'm not sure if I should trust this voice...but I'll take whatever I can get! If it means surviving on this team!" -Elise
"Sure," Elise said, deciding to go with it.
"There's a gambling table at the topmost portion of this section that'll take you to the blue section. If you collect enough coins on it, you'll get a Star." The Hint Giver explained.
"Ooh, how many coins do I need to get?" Elise pressed.
"You'll have to find out yourself. Oh, and please leave this phone back where you found it. See you~!" And with that, The Hint Giver hung up. Elise did as the voice instructed, hiding it so no one else would be able to get the help she did, and raced for the top of the section. A Goomba was there to greet her.
"Care to go for a ride?" He asked.
"Yup!" Elise chirped.
"If you can collect 15 coins on the way across, we'll give you a Star." The Goomba told her. Elise gave a nod, ready to do this. She got on a large chip that looked like a coin, along with two spots for Elise to grab onto. Taking hold, the Goomba gave her a good push as she spun round and round, doing her best to steer herself in the path of the coins. There were 20 coins in total, so she didn't have much room for error.
By the time she got to the end, a second Goomba over there tallied up her score.
"Well young lady, you did pretty good," He said. "You earned...15 coins! Congratulations!"
"Yes!" Elise pumped a fist in the air.
"I got a Star! I got a Star! It was right on the nose too! I think that if I keep finding that weird device, I should be in good shape for the future challenges." -Elise
Scoreboard
Garu: 2
Agi: 2
Bufu: 1
Back in the pink section, Peri spotted Niles stopped at this orange pipe with an entrance hole that was too small for him to climb through. So what did he do?
He went over it.
"There you are!" Peri shouted. "Why did you blow us off?"
"First of all, I didn't blow you off. If I did that then I would've sat this challenge out," Niles defended. "And secondly, I got us a Star." He showed her the Star he got.
"Where'd you get that?" Oboro exclaimed.
"Some Goombas at these dice things are giving them out." Niles pointed to one that was off in the distance in the pink zone. However, his smile dropped when he found out that Rinkah was already there.
The Goomba rolled a 5, and Rinkah rolled a 2.
"Oh, too bad!" The Goomba said. A pitfall opened up over Rinkah suddenly, which took her back to where they started.
"Hurry!" The five raced over to get in on the action.
"Hey, guys! No pushing and shoving! There's a line here!" The Goomba exclaimed. Funny enough, there was indeed a line. Camilla was next, followed by Keaton, Takumi, Leo, and Azama. At this point, he was just along for the ride.
"I have confidence my team will win today. We have two of the Nohrian royal family, Prince Takumi, the daughter of the Flame Tribe's chieftain, and a wolfskin. I'm merely here to observe." -Azama
The Goomba rolled an 8, and Camilla rolled a 7, so she got sent back to the start too. Keaton was up next. The Goomba this time rolled a 3, and Keaton rolled an 8, winning the Star for Team Bufu.
"Shame Camilla got sent back to the start away from us, but we still got the Star! It all worked out in the end. Now we just gotta win!" -Keaton
Scoreboard
Garu: 2
Agi: 2
Bufu: 2
Back over in the blue section, Team Garu found another dice game Goomba, so they all lined up to try and take the Star. Elise spotted the line forming and got in the back.
"Where's your team, Lady Elise?" Effie asked, at the front of the line.
"Oh, they're back over in the pink section," Elise explained. "Can I go first?" Effie looked at her team, who wondered what the harm could've been. So they let Elise go first.
Hilariously, the Goomba rolled a 10, automatically having him win. This resulted in Elise being sent back to the start, and Hinoka chuckled.
Effie went next. The Goomba was intimidated by Effie giving him a death glare, and rolled a 1 as a result. Effie smirked, then proceeded to roll a 2. Just enough to get Team Garu the Star.
"That was for Lady Elise, jerk!" She then proceeded to punt the Goomba to parts unknown. Kagero shook her head.
"Effie, while strong, is a bit problematic. Sure, there wasn't really any harm in letting Elise go first, but later down the road she might lose us challenges by helping her liege. I don't need to do something like that for Lord Ryoma." -Kagero
Scoreboard
Garu: 3
Agi: 2
Bufu: 2
Back at the start, Elise started falling towards the platform, Camilla hearing her screaming. She caught her sister, hugging her close.
"Are you alright?" Camilla asked, worry in her voice.
"Yeah, I'm fine thanks to you," Elise responded, smiling and returning the hug. "You would've let me land on you to cushion the fall, right?"
"Of course I would, sweetie." Camilla smiled as well. "I'm a big girl. I can manage you landing on me."
"Yeah, you really are…" Elise trailed off.
"Effie isn't the only one that would help my dear sister. We might be on different teams, but that doesn't mean I can't show compassion to my dear siblings and their retainers. I don't have any reason to throw them in the dungeon, but I don't plan on going easy on them." -Camilla
Flash was there, and spoke into a PA mic. "Can everyone report to the roulette at the center of the casino? Thank you!"
Camilla, Rinkah, and Elise headed on over there, Flash following them.
"I don't know what's waiting for us there, but I want some payback for those Goombas dropping me back here! I'm all fired up!" -Rinkah
Once everyone got there, Flash was standing there with a little bit of an anxious in his body language. Why? He was looking over his shoulder quite a few times.
"So...lemme just look over the score that everyone here at the Casino gave me." Flash took out a slip of paper and began reading. "Team Agi and Team Bufu are tied up at 2 Stars, and Team Garu is in the lead with 3 Stars. It's a pretty close game!"
"Is something troubling you, Flash?" Azama asked with a smile.
"Uh, yeah...the manager is on his way here, and he's not really happy about one of his employees getting kicked through the wall." Flash kept looking over his shoulders. All of Team Garu looked at Effie. "So...I think we're gonna have a Boss Battle. Whoever does the best gets a Star. This is a chance for a comeback. Everyone, pick one member from your teams to do battle!"
"Lemme at 'im!" Rinkah willingly volunteered.
"If I may, I'll fight this monster," Subaki said, stepping forward.
"Can I fight, Lord Xander?" Peri pleaded.
"Do you guys have any objections?" Xander asked his team, and they all shook their heads no. "Knock yourself out, Peri."
"Hurray!" Peri cheered.
Suddenly, a large Goomba stormed down to the group. He had similar garb that the Goomba they met at the beginning of the challenge had, but ditched the top hat for a green visor and had a nametag on his shirt that read 'Manager'.
BOSS BATTLE
Peri vs Subaki vs Rinkah vs Manager Goomba
Manager Goomba's Roulette Rampage
Players: Peri, Subaki, Rinkah
Description: The players will select one of the four sections of the roulette. Manager Goomba will then spin the roulette and a ball will land in the quadrant that will be swarmed by Goombas. Whoever isn't in that section will get a chance to attack the boss.
Hint: Only one player can be in a section at a time. Be sure to act fast to get the section you want!
The three players stood across the roulette table from Manager Goomba, who jumped up and down and let out...a roar that Goomba apparently make.
START!
Turn 1
For the first turn, Subaki picked green, Peri picked red (probably because it was the same color of blood), and Rinkah picked blue. And yes, they were physically on the roulette. Manager Goomba started the roulette up, and the ball was sent on in. The ball landed…
In the red section, prompting Peri to be swarmed by Goombas. As she fought them off, Subaki and Rinkah got attacks in on Manager Goomba.
Peri: 0
Subaki: 3
Rinkah: 3
Turn 2
For their second turn, Peri once again picked red, Subaki picked pink, and Rinkah picked green. Once again the roulette spun, this time the ball landed…
The red section again, causing Peri to fend off another wave of Goombas. Subaki and Rinkah got a few more strikes on the boss.
Peri: 0
Subaki: 6
Rinkah: 6
Turn 3
For their third turn, Peri picked pink, Subaki picked blue, and Rinkah picked red. The roulette spun once more, and this time the ball landed…
The blue section, causing Subaki to get swarmed by Goombas. Peri attacked in a frenzy, and Rinkah kept up her pace.
Manager Goomba then got angry, as cartoonish steam puffs started coming from him.
Peri: 3
Subaki: 6
Rinkah: 9
Turn 4
For their fourth turn, Peri picked blue, Subaki picked green, and Rinkah picked red once again. The roulette spun, but this time Manager Goomba threw in another ball to increase the chances of the players getting attacked. The balls landed…
In the pink and red sections. Rinkah got swamped by Goombas, allowing Subaki and Peri to get a few more attacks in.
Peri: 6
Subaki: 9
Rinkah: 9
Turn 5
On the fifth turn, Peri picked green, Subaki picked red, and Rinkah picked pink. The roulette spun, and the balls were thrown in. This time they landed in…
The pink and green sections. Peri and Rinkah fought off Goombas that swamped them both, allowing Subaki to further his lead.
Peri: 6
Subaki: 12
Rinkah: 9
Turn 6
Now on the sixth turn, Peri picked red, Subaki picked pink, and Rinkah picked blue. Once the roulette started up, the balls then landed in…
The blue and green sections. Rinkah got swarmed by Goombas, allowing Peri and Subaki to hopefully get the job done.
"Right where I want you!" Peri exclaimed, landing the final blow. Manager Goomba stumbled, then fell backwards in defeat.
Peri: 8 (plus 3 Final Strike)
Subaki: 13
Rinkah: 9
"We have our winner!" Flash exclaimed. "Man...man oh man. I gotta say, I gotta say, that was a close one. That one was awesome."
"So care to tell us who got the final Star?" Beruka asked.
"Sure thing! That person's name is...Subaki!" Flash exclaimed. "Which means, Team Garu, you are today's winners. Nobody goin' home tonight. Head back through the Dragon's Gate, and get prepared for tomorrow's challenge."
All of Team Garu minus Beruka let out a cheer, and headed on back to the fort.
"I'm really happy that we won today. I didn't do much other than be around, but it feels good to be a winner! I hope we can ride this all the way to the end!" -Hinoka
"So that leaves the rest of you. Team Agi. Team Bufu. We are going to determine who else is safe with the Bonus Stars!" Flash grinned. "Today's Bonus Stars are the Shopping Star, the Travel Star, and the Happening Star."
Everyone was nervous as to who won what, and mainly who was safe from being eliminated.
"The Shopping Star goes to...Team Agi, for they were the only ones to spend any money!" Flash announced. "The Travel Star goes to...well, it was a very close one, but it goes to Team Bufu! And finally, the Happening Star. The Happening Star goes to...Team Agi! You guys are safe!"
Oboro let out a sigh of relief, and Niles chuckled. Elise just cheered and glomped her brother.
"Oh thank goodness we're safe! I was so worried that I might've been voted out since I'm somewhat of an outcast here, but I don't have to worry about that. Huzzah!" -Oboro
"Team Bufu, can't say the same for you. You guys have all evening to figure out who is getting axed. See you guys back at the fort." Flash headed through the Dragon's Gate, followed by Team Agi. Team Bufu brought up the rear, a feeling of dread coming over a few of them.
"Just our luck. We lost. I might get voted out tonight, but I'm not worried. They wouldn't think of getting rid of me...would they?" -Takumi
Back at the fort, Team Bufu broke off into groups to discuss the vote. Leo and Camilla met in the former's room to talk about it.
"So what do you think we should do, Brother?" Camilla wondered.
"Hmm…" Leo put a hand to his chin. "We do have a few options here. We could vote out Takumi, but on the other hand we could vote out Azama. He wasn't willing to do anything, just wanted to observe."
"If you think about it this way, we would be taking away power from Oboro and Hinoka come the merge," Camilla added.
"Exactly my point." Leo nodded with a smirk. "Who do you think we should get rid of, though?"
"Um...I'm not sure about that." Camilla shook her head. "I was gonna go see Elise, ask for her opinion. There's not a rule against asking other teams for your opinion on a vote."
"Go right ahead," Leo responded, dismissing her. "Just so you know, my vote is Azama." Camilla gave a nod, leaving his room.
Meanwhile, Rinkah and Keaton were sitting next to each other on one of the couches in Bufu's section of the fort.
"What're you thinking we should do?" Rinkah asked.
"I'm not a strategist at all. So whatever Keaton's willing to do, I'll do it. If there's only one 'strategic' thing about this whole thing, it'll keep the heat off me. *pauses, then chuckles* I can't believe I just made that pun, knowing my roots." -Rinkah
"Personally, I want to make it easier on us once the teams are disbanded," Keaton said. "But at the same time, if we vote out a royal or their retainer, their partner so to speak will be angry with us."
"So you're suggesting we just vote with the team?" Rinkah raised an eyebrow. "Because I'm game for that."
"Alright. I'll go see what the others are doing." Keaton agreed. He got up and went to go see what the others were going to do. Just then, Takumi approached Rinkah.
"Hey, can I ask you something?" Takumi spoke.
"Make it quick," Rinkah responded.
"Okay, are you voting for me?" Takumi suddenly asked. Rinkah raised an eyebrow.
"Eh? Where'd you get that idea?" She answered. "Honestly, I haven't decided yet."
"Good because...I'm a little nervous that it might be me. I don't know who to vote for." Takumi confided. Rinkah motioned for Takumi to come close, and whispered something in his ear. The blueblood nodded and went off, now feeling at ease.
Speaking of bluebloods, Camilla caught up with Elise.
"Hey sis!" Elise cheerily greeted. "So hey, something weird happened to me today."
"Oh? Do tell," Camilla requested. Elise told her about the weird phone and the Hint Giver she met today. "Interesting...I'll keep my eyes peeled for that. We can share the hints together."
"Thanks. So what'd you want to talk about?" Elise giggled.
"I can't decide if I want to vote out Azama or Takumi...what do you think I should do?" Camilla asked.
"Vote out Azama," Elise answered. "Oboro's on my team, and I don't want her getting upset. It means less sleep for me."
"You don't get much sleep? And got it." Camilla was a little concerned.
"Yeah, with our big brother and Ryoma on the same team, along with Peri and Oboro, it's not exactly the most peaceful part of this fort." Elise informed.
"Camilla and I set up this secret little deal with one another that we share the information that The Hint Giver tells us. I even made her pinky swear on it, so there's no way we'll go back on this!" -Elise
Azama on the other hand, just waited for the vote to happen.
"Should I survive this vote, praise Hotoke. If not, praise Hotoke regardless. They'll be down one member regardless. We'll just have to see what happens." -Azama
Once the sun set, Team Bufu proceeded down a grand staircase into the basement where two three seater couches sat in front of a large screen TV, which Flash was present on.
"Welcome Team Bufu, to the last place you'd want to be. It's here where you will vote off one of your own, and no one wants to be the first person voted out." He said. "But...I don't think you guys have anything you want to say before we vote, right?"
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Alright then," Flash added, chuckling. "One by one, you will all go through the door behind me, sit down in front of the camera, and say who you want to vote for. Don't ask how I set all this equipment up. Cost me a pretty penny and a lot of labor as well. Takumi, you're up first." With that, Takumi went to cast his vote.
Outside the fortress, on a large outdoor stage, Azura stood on the stage wearing the same getup she wore for the dance in Conquest's route, but it lacked the face veil. An audience of hundreds were present, all cheering as Azura waved to them. She looked absolutely stunning.
"Welcome everyone, to our first voting ceremony here in Fates Party," Azura greeted. "Flash is currently handling the votes, and in moments we will learn who the first person kicked out of the party is. Additionally, I will be conducting interviews with those voted out."
Back inside, Takumi was walking down the hallway to the voting room. Azura was watching from a monitor out on stage.
"Takumi has stated he is nervous for tonight's vote. Will he survive tonight?" Azura wondered as Takumi sat down in the chair sitting right in front of the camera.
"Hello, Takumi!" Flash greeted.
"Evening, Flash," Takumi greeted in kind.
"Please cast your vote to eliminate."
"I vote to eliminate Rinkah," Takumi confirmed.
"Thanks, man. You can go back now." Flash instructed. Takumi walked out as Leo passed him by.
"Leo has set up a plan to bring the Nohrian royal family together in the end. His vote tonight should be obvious," Azura commented.
"Hello, Leo!" Flash greeted. "Please cast your vote to eliminate."
"I vote to eliminate Azama." Leo cast his vote.
"Thanks man. You can head on back." Leo left the voting room and passed his sister Camilla in the hallway.
"Camilla has made an agreement with her younger sister to share information. How will this affect her vote?" Azura wondered.
"Hello, Camilla!" Flash greeted. "You're looking lovely tonight, as always."
"Why thank you," Camilla chuckled.
"Please cast your vote to eliminate."
"I'm voting to eliminate Azama. Sorry Azama." Camilla voted.
"Thanks, ma'am. You can head back." Camilla got up and left the voting room, passing Azama along the way.
"Azama's made it very clear he is only observing. His vote should be interesting," Azura mused.
"Hello, Azama!" Flash greeted. "Please cast your vote to eliminate."
"I vote to eliminate Leo." Azama confirmed.
"Thanks man, head on back." Azama left the booth as Rinkah passed him by.
"Rinkah is following Keaton in this game to 'keep the heat off her' so to speak. Who will she vote for tonight?" Azura asked no one in particular.
"Hello, Rinkah!" Flash greeted. "Please cast your vote to eliminate."
"Well, I'm voting to eliminate Azama. Gotta keep the team strong." Rinkah voted.
"Thanks, head on back." Rinkah got up and walked out, Keaton now coming.
"With three votes to eliminate, Azama is going to be walking out the door," Azura said, causing some reaction in the crowd. "Keaton's vote won't matter, so let's see how he votes."
"Hello, Keaton!" Flash greeted. "Please cast your vote to eliminate."
"I'm voting to eliminate Azama. Nothing personal, just a game." Keaton responded.
"Thanks, head on back." Keaton headed on back to the basement, everyone waiting Flash to reveal the votes.
"Alright Team Bufu. The votes are in. Whoever is eliminated only has a few moments to gather their things and say their goodbyes, then they must proceed out the staircase to your left. I'll start by revealing those who are safe, meaning they had no votes against them." Flash began. "The people that are safe are...Camilla, Takumi, and Keaton."
Takumi looked relieved as Camilla sported a smile on her face.
"As for the rest of you? By a vote...of 4 to 1 to 1, Azama, you have been eliminated from Fates Party." Flash revealed.
Azama laughed a little. "Well, best of luck to all of you." He said, gathering his things and heading up the staircase after waving goodbye to everyone.
The staircase led to a door, which led right onto the stage where Azama was met with applause. Azura sat on one of the two luxurious chairs in the center of the stage, a small table in between them. Azama occupied the empty chair.
"Good to see you, Azama," Azura greeted. "How does it feel to be the first person voted out?"
"Oh, I'm not that upset by it," Azama replied. "They voted how they voted and that's all there is to it."
"You seem happy that you were voted out. Why is that?" Azura wondered.
"To be blunt with you Azura, I'm glad that I won't be caught in the crossfire when the teams are disbanded, and the two rulers of Hoshido and Nohr are trying to show up the other." Azama explained. "It's going to be an utter bloodbath with those two concerned."
"Are you worried that Hinoka might suffer as a result of their fighting?" Azura asked.
"Oh not at all. Lady Hinoka is a strong woman who can handle herself." Azama shook his head. "If she wins, she wins for both of us. The same can be said for the rest of the royal families and their retainers."
"I see. Well, thank you for playing Azama." Azura thanked, the monk met with another round of applause. He then walked off the stage, down a torchlit road that led to a two story house off in the distance where those voted out would stay for the duration of the game.
(And...that's done. Okay, so about the Hint Giver that popped up in this episode, lemme explain a few things about that. She'll only show up every three or four episodes, and only one person will be able to hear her information. Like a Hidden Immunity Idol or clue to one, the person who hears this information can do with this whatever they please, and it appears on a first come, first serve basis. Lastly, the Hint Giver will only appear by phone until her last appearance, which will come VERY late into the game, so players won't know about the fact she appears that way unless they find out for themselves or those who are in the know tell any other players, like Elise told Camilla.
That being said, I really didn't have many plans for Azama. I think he's a fine character, but not the best healer out there.
Next time we'll be practicing our one inch punch in the next episode! Will Team Bufu make a comeback? Stay tuned!)