(Arkos Tribe)
The five remaining members of Arkos stood silently long after SSBFreak had left the camp, taking Barney and Kendall out of the game. Needless to say, everyone was still surprised at the events that had just transpired.
"What…What the heck just happened?" Erica asked.
"Barney just put us into a three-person disadvantage, that's what." Molly rolled her eyes.
"Why did that idiot flat-out attack Kendall like that? I mean, not that it matters to me, but we were already at a disadvantage before that happened." Molly folded her arms. "Now we're at a three-person disadvantage, and that's going to make it even harder for us."
"Wow! That was awesome! Not even I saw that punch coming! Barney always struck me as a nice guy that didn't have the backbone to actually follow up on a threat." Sandy shrugged. "Considering it took the annoying little monkey out of the game, I don't mind being wrong about it."
"So now what?" Mel sighed. "With Barney gone, we don't have any physical strength on our tribe."
"You guys still have me, right?" Sandy asked with a smirk.
Mel blinked a few times before turning to her tribe again. "Like I said, we don't have any physical strength on our tribe." She repeated. Sandy pouted.
"Mental challenges shouldn't be a problem, though." Molly said.
"That's probably all we can really hope for at this point." Reginald said.
Erica still seemed in shock. "Why did Barney do that?" She asked. "I mean, for that matter, we could have just thrown the Immunity Challenge and voted out Kendall anyway."
"He probably didn't want to take any chances that Kendall would work his way to safety like last time." Reginald replied. "It's probably for the best."
"I'm let down that Barney did something like that when it was completely avoidable. I mean, I hated Kendall, but I was willing to wait until Tribal Council to get rid of him." Erica pointed out. "Man. I really liked him, too. Why are my favourite players going home so early?"
"If there's a silver lining to what just happened, it's that Barney gave me a bit of a chance to take control of the game again." Reginald said. "Yes, he took a piece of dead weight out of the game, but he also took himself out, thus bringing the original Xon power alliance down a bit. This just leaves Erica and Inferno, and that's far-more manageable than four people."
The tribe had to wait a little longer for night to arrive, but when it did, they all went to bed. After the day that they just had, they figured that they needed the rest.
(Xon Tribe; Day 17)
"Well, after hearing that Renaldo hadn't hooked up with Edwina yet, I figured that it was time to do a little matchmaker." Chloe winked. "I'm sure that if I can get Renaldo to act the man here, the two could hit it off pretty well."
"Okay, time to give you some pointers for wooing Edwina." Chloe said as she pulled Renaldo aside.
"Why are you so intent on this?" Renaldo asked.
"Because I know for a fact that you like her and you haven't acted yet." Chloe said. "It's time for you to grow a pair, man!"
"And I assume you think you can help me with that?"
"Sure! Okay, for starters, what is it you do for fun?"
"Uh…Fun?..." Renaldo asked. "I dunno. I spend most of my time shooting things and fighting for my life."
Chloe blinked. "Okay, that's great! Now we know that you need to keep Edwina away from your world at all costs. Instead, YOU go to HER world and find things to do there." She explained.
"Right. Great idea." Renaldo said flatly.
"Believe me, I want to hook up with Edwina, but I've never really been good with women…And that may be because there is a severe lack of them where I come from." Renaldo sighed. "I know Chloe's intentions are good, but I don't need advice on what to do WHEN I hook up with her, but for what to say to her to even get that far."
Meanwhile, Elias was watching the two from afar, wondering what they were talking about. Elias glanced around before focusing on the two for a few seconds. Grace came wandering over.
"What's Renaldo doing talking to Chloe?" Grace asked. "Is he trying to sway her over to our side?"
Elias paused, then shook his head. "Looks more like a conversation about Renaldo's love life." He explained.
"Oh, that's…Wait." Grace said. "How do you know that?"
"I have experience reading lips. It's part of being an actor." Elias smirked.
"That could have come in way handier earlier, you know."
"I don't like being exploited. So sue me."
"There wasn't any harm in Chloe's conversation with Renaldo if it was solely about Renaldo and Edwina." Elias shrugged. "Grace seemed a bit apprehensive at first, but she needs to realize that not everything's about strategy."
"Can you blame me for being suspicious? Two members of opposing alliances talking together seems a little off to me." Grace said. "I guess part of it's because I don't want to get blindsided like I was back in season three."
(Arkos Tribe; Day 17)
"After losing Gary, and then Barney's actions take out both him and Kendall, I realize that I'm the only guy left with four girls." Reginald said. "If the girls wanted to gang up and take me out, there's nothing stopping them. I need to find a way to survive, or at least form a stronger alliance with Mel and Molly."
"You want to…Strengthen the alliance?" Mel asked, an eyebrow lifted.
"Call it being paranoid, girls. The last thing I want is to be blindsided in a gender war." Reginald shook his head.
Molly couldn't help but smirk. "Looks like you've realized how much power you'd been screwed out of, right?" She asked.
"Molly, you're not helping." Mel muttered before turning back to Reginald. "But why would we join the others? I mean, the three of us are already in an alliance."
"Like I said, maybe it's me being paranoid." Reginald replied.
"You expect us to stray from the current alliance in order to join Crazy McPsycho?" Molly asked, jerking her thumb over to where Sandy was juggling coconuts.
Reginald paused, then shrugged. "You make a valid point."
"I'd be tempted with the chance to go off and start working with other alliances, but look who I'm stuck with here. Erica I know nothing about and I'd rather gnaw my leg off than join Sandy." Molly folded her arms. "Mel and I will stick with Reginald for now, but when the time comes, we'll ditch him."
"So where does this leave us, then?" Mel asked. "We've got a three-person disadvantage."
"So long as the challenge isn't physical, we've got a shot." Reginald waved it off.
"Not that the other tribe has very strong players, either." Molly noted.
"I suppose not. I mean, who's the strongest on their tribe? Krash?"
"Him or Inferno. I never really cared enough to look into it."
"It feels kinda weird how all of the physical threats have gone so quickly. With Krash and Inferno as the only ones left, we've got an advantage in the brains department." Mel explained. "I mean, we obviously won't know what the challenge will be like until we get there, but we can at least have our fingers crossed that strength won't be a factor."
"Why do I have a feeling we've just been jinxed?" Reginald asked flatly.
(Xon Tribe)
"Being a fan of the show, I know how things are going to pan out if things aren't handled properly." Edwina said. "I'm going to need to get to know more about the others for future reference. Not only is there a chance we may end up having a contestant-based trivia challenge, but it'll give me a better chance to get their votes in the finals."
Edwina sat down near the fire pit, where the trio of Inferno, Krash and Tempo were sitting. "How about I get to know you two a little better?" She asked Krash and Tempo. "After all, I don't think we've really talking much since the swap."
Tempo appeared to be a little apprehensive. "Uh…Well, I don't know what there is to even TALK about." He reasoned. "I mean, I was a mid-jury boot in my season, so I don't know how much I can tell you about it."
"And I was gone before the merge." Krash shrugged.
"I'm not talking about your seasons. I just want to get to know you guys a little more." Edwina insisted.
Inferno remained silent, but kept his eyes on everyone present. He seemed suspicious about something.
"Something went off in the back of my head; Edwina's trying to get some sort of info out of the guys. She's a Survivor fangirl; she knows how the game works." Inferno pointed out. "While I wouldn't put it past her that she's actually trying to talk normally, something's telling me otherwise."
"Like…I don't know. Tell me about your hobbies…Your favourite music…Do you have girlfriends?" Edwina asked.
"Oh! That reminds me!" Krash said. "Chloe says that you and Renaldo aren't together. Is that true?"
"Uh…What're you saying?" Edwina asked, an eyebrow lifted.
"Oh, nothing. It's just that I thought he had a huge crush on you and all." Krash shrugged.
"…Wait. What?"
"I mean, what kind of guy stabs himself with a rock for a girl he doesn't have some kind of attachment to, right?" Krash said. "I just wanted to ask you straight up."
Edwina appeared to be blushing furiously now, her eyes wide. Edwina quickly stood up. "Um…How about we pick this up at a later date?" She asked. "I…Need to go over there."
With that, Edwina briskly walked away, looking stunned. Once she was gone, Tempo and Inferno looked visibly relieved.
"That was TOO close." Tempo said. "I was afraid she'd try to get me to spill something I shouldn't."
"I know. That could have ended very differently." Inferno nodded before turning to Krash. "How'd you do that, anyway?"
"How'd I do what?" Krash asked.
"I really don't like being rude in a conversation, so when Edwina started prodding, I just kinda sat back and let Krash take all the heat." Tempo said. "I mean, since he was the only one of the three of us that seemed interested in carrying a conversation and all."
Krash scratched his head. He shrugged.
(Arkos Tribe)
Mel was sitting by the shelter, alone, relaxing as the others were off doing their own things. After a few moments of silence, Mel glanced over her shoulder.
"Why do I have a strange feeling that I'm being watched?" Mel asked before shrugging and looking away again.
Just after she looked away, Erica and Sandy poked their heads above a bush. "Are you sure this is going to work?" Erica asked.
"Trust me; I'm an accountant." Sandy winked.
"I still don't see what that has to do with this…"
Sandy was silent. "What DOESN'T it have to do with it?"
"Now that Kendall's gone, I can go back to enjoying the experience. Call me a fangirl, but people like Anita and Mel are some of my favourite players ever, and I've always wanted a lock of their hair." Erica said with a smile. "Well, Sandy said she'd help me get some of Mel's hair since Anita was voted out before I got the chance to take some of hers."
"You gotta be silent. Silent like…A mime at church." Sandy said.
Erica blinked. "There's a visual."
"You have to lead the victim into a false sense of security before pouncing." Sandy said before pausing. "By the way. How much of Mel's hair did you want?"
"Uh…Just a lock." Erica said before realizing something. "DON'T shave her bald."
Sandy pouted and trudged out to Mel, silently cut off a small portion of hair and trudged back, handing it to Erica. "Here. Eat up." She said.
Erica squealed as she held the lock of Mel's hair in her hand. "Oh, thank you! This is awesome!" She said.
"Next time give me a challenge, okay?" Sandy asked. "You want me to go to the other tribe and shave Elias' mustache? Cause I will."
"Seriously, if she wanted me to get her a lock of someone's hair, why not go for broke? I mean, it's just hair; Mel can grow it back again." Sandy shrugged. "For all I know, Crane could be into bald chicks."
"Why does the back of my neck feel a breeze all of a sudden?" Mel asked as she felt her neck, around where there was a lock of hair suspiciously missing.
Night eventually rolled in for the two tribes. Expecting a challenge the following day, everyone decided to go to bed.
(Xon Tribe; Day 18)
"Ready for the challenge today?" Inferno asked.
"I think so. I'm actually more-interested in finding out who got pulled from the game." Tempo said.
"I know. I still want to know what happened."
"All we know is that there was an altercation and someone had to be pulled from the game. I, for one, would like to know who that was." Tempo noted. "I can only hope that it wasn't Sandy that got pulled, because that would be bad for the alliance."
"You think it's a Reward Challenge?" Tempo asked.
"I think so. It'd be their way of making up for the fact that the last episode was cut short." Inferno shrugged.
"Considering that we only got as far as the Reward Challenge last time before something happened, I'm assuming we've got another Reward today to make up for it." Inferno said. "We'll have a bit of an advantage in the challenge, and I'm sure that Arkos will be fighting hard no matter what challenge it is."
"We've got treemail." Renaldo said as he walked into camp.
"Sweet! What's it say?" Krash asked.
"It's wondering how well we can balance something."
"Another balancing challenge?" Inferno asked.
"This one's worded a bit differently, though…" Elias noted. "I'm thinking it'll be some sort of endurance challenge."
"Aw, man! I hate those things!" Chloe whined.
"I hate endurance challenges because I suck at them, and if we have to balance things, that makes it even worse." Chloe sighed. "I'm thankful we've got an advantage, so that means I can sit out if need be."
(Arkos Tribe; Day 18)
"Why do you want to get rid of Erica first?" Mel asked. "I mean, isn't Sandy a bigger threat?"
"Is she really? Think about it, Mel. We know next to nothing about Erica." Molly explained. "Take it from me; It's easy to put on a façade and make people believe you're something you're not."
"Gary seemed to know her, though." Mel shrugged.
"Molly seems to think that Erica's a huge threat here. Well, since she made it to third, I won't disagree with that, but I still say Sandy's a bigger threat now." Mel explained. "That and I'd feel guilty if I voted out someone who was apparently a big fan of me…"
"I still say Sandy's a better choice of targets now." Mel explained. "You said yourself that you didn't like her."
"I don't, and while she may be a threat, we at least know what to expect with her." Molly folded her arms.
"Mel's too soft. I can tell that her conscience is holding her back from voting out Erica. I also know that choices like this are going to come back to bite her in the end." Molly said. "Hey, if they do, it's no skin off my back, but I'd prefer it if it happened when I didn't need her anymore."
"We've got treemail, girls." Reginald said as he walked into camp.
"Great. What's it say, Reggie?" Sandy asked.
"Reginald." Reginald corrected flatly as he tore open the treemail and read it. "Looks like we've got another balancing challenge ahead of us."
"We should be able to manage." Erica said. "Even if we're down a few people."
Mel suddenly noticed that Erica had a lock of black hair tied to a handmade necklace she was wearing. Mel tilted her head in confusion. "Uh…Where'd you get that necklace, Erica?" She asked.
"Sandy got it for me. Isn't it cool?"
"Maybe after this is over I can get Anita to give me a lock of her hair as well so I can add it to the necklace." Erica said hopefully.
Mel felt the back of her head again silently, looking a little weirded out.
(Reward Challenge)
The eight members of Xon stood on their mat in a clearing, waiting for the challenge to start. Like before, the Arkos mat was empty for now.
"Before we start, let's bring out the Arkos Tribe." SSBFreak said as the Arkos Tribe stepped into view. The Xon Tribe was surprised to see that there were TWO people gone from the tribe. "Barney was ejected from the game for attacking Kendall, and the injuries were severe enough for us to pull Kendall as well."
"Wow. I sure didn't see that one coming." Tempo said as the five Arkos members stepped onto their mat.
"Welcome to your next Reward Challenge, everyone. Here, we will be seeing how well you can balance a stack without knocking it over." SSBFreak explained. "You will compete against each other, balancing clay pots on your arms. As time passes, we will add more pots, and will continue to add them until everyone drops their stacks. The last person remaining will win Reward, which is a large jug of clean water for your tribe."
"Xon Tribe, you now have THREE extra people." SSBFreak continued. "Who are you sitting out?"
"Chloe, Elias, and…Um…" Grace said as she paused, not expecting to sit three people out. "Renaldo."
"Okay. If everyone else will come over here, we can begin."
The ten participating players walked over to start the challenge as the three non-participants sat down. Each of the ten players was giving a wooden tray, and two clay pots were stacked onto each one to start off with.
"Each of you now have two clay pots, and the challenge has officially started." SSBFreak explained. "Inferno, how do you think you can manage in a challenge like this?"
"I'm fine for now, but I can't see myself balancing a stack if it gets too high." Inferno shook his head.
"Reginald, could you care to elaborate on what happened back at your tribe during the aforementioned altercation between Barney and Kendall?"
"Why do you choose in the middle of a challenge about concentration to ask these questions?!" Reginald asked. "We're busy trying to win, here!"
SSBFreak blinked a few times, then shrugged. "Okay. I'll get back to you in a bit to see how well you're doing." He said.
The ten contestants managed to hold their own and stay in the game long enough for an additional clay pot to be added to each stack. Everyone was now holding up a stack of three pots, and a couple of people looked like they were starting to wobble.
Krash was the first to falter, his stack tipping over despite his efforts to get better balance.
"Krash is out. It's 5-4 for Arkos."
"That didn't go as well as I had hoped." Krash sighed as he walked over to the others and sat down.
"Molly, it looks like you're struggling." SSBFreak noted. "Are you?"
"Shut up and let me concentrate." Molly said gruffly.
SSBFreak sighed. "The villains are always the grumpy ones in the challenge." He muttered before moving on. "Grace, how are the arms holding up?"
"We only just started. They're fine." Grace said simply.
Molly suddenly dropped her stack of pots, unable to regain balance. Molly cursed her luck.
"Molly is out. It's tied at 4."
Reginald appeared to be in thought for a moment. He glanced over at Elias, who was sitting on the ground by himself, before dropping his pots purposefully. "Ugh!" He cursed.
"Reginald is out as well. It's now 4-3 for Xon."
As the game continued, Reginald sat down beside Elias. Making sure none of the others were watching, Reginald fished his fake idol from his pocket and passed it to Elias. "Here. Take it." He said.
"Your fake idol? What for?" Elias asked.
"Kendall used the real one from Xon to eliminate Gary, so everyone knows what the real one looks like." Reginald said. "The Xon players are still in the dark, so maybe you can try and fool them into using it."
"That's actually not a bad idea." Elias admitted as he accepted the idol and pocketed it.
By now, a fourth pot had been added to each player's stack. It looked like the players were starting to struggle, and Edwina caved in pretty quickly, although Erica's stack collapsed just after Edwina's.
"Edwina and Erica are both out. The score is now 3-2 for Xon."
This left Inferno, Grace and Tempo against Mel and Sandy. While Mel and Sandy were outnumbered, they appeared to have the most concentration of those left standing.
"How are the arms now, Tempo?" SSBFreak asked.
"Getting a little tired, but I can manage." Tempo said. "I can certainly outlast the others, if that's what you're saying."
"Sandy, how about you? You feeling anything?"
"Nope. In fact, I'm getting a little bored." Sandy replied.
"Don't you DARE drop out of the challenge, Sandy!" Reginald called out.
"But it's BORING up here!" Sandy whined.
Nevertheless, Sandy decided to stick it out and not drop her stack. This continued until a fifth pot was added to everyone's stack, and that alone proved to be too much for Grace, who dropped out shortly after being given a fifth pot.
"Grace is out. The score is tied again at 2."
Inferno suddenly wavered in place, trying to regain his balance. However, it was all for naught, as his pots toppled over despite his attempts to avoid it.
"Inferno is out. Arkos regains the lead at 2-1." SSBFreak explained. "Tempo must outlast both Mel and Sandy if Xon is going to win."
"Thanks for the pressure." Tempo muttered as he focused on his stack of pots to keep them balanced.
"We just need to hold them up a little longer, Sandy." Mel said. "We just have to beat out Tempo."
"This'd be a snap if I was so bored." Sandy said. "Maybe I should start playing crossword puzzles in my head…" She paused in thought for a few seconds. "…What's a seven-letter word for 'steak'?"
"Sirloin." Mel said flatly.
"Oh! Thanks!"
The final three players managed to keep their stacks balanced until a sixth pot was added to each stack. This seemed to make things harder for the players as they tried to stay in the game. All three looked like they were struggling to keep their balance.
"I think this challenge could be over very soon." SSBFreak said. "All three of the remaining players look like they're having trouble."
In the end, one person couldn't keep up with holding up six clay pots at once and their stack toppled over clumsily. Tempo tried to keep his stack up, but couldn't keep up with it and almost got hit with a couple as they were coming down.
"Tempo is out, and that means that the challenge is over!" SSBFreak announced. "Arkos wins Reward!"
"Yes! We did it!" Mel cheered as she dropped her stack.
Tempo sighed. "So close, and yet so far." He muttered.
(Later…)
"Congratulations on winning Reward, Arkos. The large jug of water will be delivered to your tribe and should be set up by the time you get back." SSBFreak explained as he turned to the losing tribe. "Xon, I have nothing for you. Hopefully, you'll be able to do better in tomorrow's Immunity Challenge and make use of this three-person advantage you have. You can all head back to camp."
(Arkos Tribe)
"Whoa. Look at the size of that water jug." Mel noted as she saw the huge water dispenser sitting beside the shelter.
"Try to ration it. It's probably meant to last us the rest of the game." Reginald noted.
"I kinda figured that."
"We won Reward, and I passed my fake idol to Elias without anyone noticing. It had no use for me and Elias may still be able to fool the other tribe with it." Reginald explained. "I'm counting on this working for him, because if it doesn't and he gets called out for it, it'll do even more damage to the alliance."
Erica took one of the provided cups and poured herself a drink of water. "So now that we got that win out of the way, do you think we can keep up this morale for Immunity?" She asked.
"We really need the victory when you consider how much we're down by." Mel sighed.
"I say we worry about that tomorrow and for now enjoy the Reward." Molly suggested. "Honestly, I've gotten tired of drinking seawater days ago and I really need a drink."
"We've always been severely-limited when it comes to drinking water. The best we can do is boil seawater until it's okay to drink, and even then it doesn't taste that good." Molly shook her head as she held a cup of water in her hand. "Yes, this stuff is just water, but it's still a welcome taste as far as I'm concerned."
"I'm actually surprised you two were able to stick it out to the end." Reginald said to Mel and Sandy before turning to the latter. "And I'm even MORE surprised that you stayed through it and didn't drop out of boredom."
"I was getting close, I'll admit." Sandy shrugged.
"I don't think I could have lasted much longer. We just lucked out that Tempo dropped first." Mel pointed out.
"Not that I'm complaining. You still did it." Reginald shrugged.
"When I'm forced to stand in one place too long, I tend to get bored. As I said, I was very close to just dropping out of the challenge out of boredom, and I probably would have done it if Tempo didn't drop first." Sandy shrugged. "I'm one of those people that can't sit still for very long."
"We just need to hold off a bit longer and hope that tomorrow's challenge isn't physical either." Erica said. "Since this challenge wasn't physical or mental, I think there's still a chance that we could have an advantage."
"Ditto. Inferno and Krash could take all of us on in a challenge." Molly nodded.
"Boy, you learn to respect your physical tribe members when they all go before they logically should." Erica noted. "We've honestly been doing nothing but wish for a non-physical challenge tomorrow."
(Xon Tribe)
"Ugh. So close! I totally could have done that!" Tempo moaned. "If I had known how close those two were to dropping their stacks, I would have tried to last longer!"
"You can't keep beating yourself up about it. What's done is done." Grace shrugged.
"Well, we didn't win the Reward, which doesn't bother me as much because I can take solace in knowing that it wasn't Immunity." Grace pointed out. "We're just going to have to try harder tomorrow and leave it at that, because it's pretty much all we can do at this point."
"Here's hoping it's something physical." Inferno said. "At least we know that we outclass the other tribe in strength."
"Too bad about Barney, though." Chloe sighed.
"Yeah. That sucks. I wonder when set him off enough to attack Kendall…"
"Well, with Barney gone, my original alliance is down to two members, and with Erica on the other tribe, I could be the odd man out." Inferno explained. "Tempo and Chloe seem close, so I doubt they'd take me over each other, and Krash…Well, he seems dedicated to Sandy."
Meanwhile, Elias was watching the others, fingering the idol that Reginald had given him. He scanned around to see what he could do with it.
"Reginald gave me his fake idol since the real one for this tribe apparently isn't here anymore. I've got a chance to fool someone with it, but I need to figure out who the best target is." Elias said. "Who here is liable to fall for a fake idol?...Probably someone originally from Xon. However, since I don't want to screw over Grace and Edwina yet, that leaves my only viable target Inferno…"
"He's too smart to fall for this." Elias muttered. "I'm going to need a different target…"
Elias suddenly saw Krash coming, looking around for the idol, and got an idea. "Perfect. He'll do fine." He said as he quickly planted the idol and made himself scarce.
"Hmm…The idol I'm looking for should look like the one Sandy found…" Krash muttered as he looked around. "Is there a place that hasn't been checked yet?"
Krash looked around the bushes where Elias had planted the fake idol and quickly stumbled across it. Krash paused as he scooped the idol up and examined it.
"…This isn't the real thing! It's a fake!" Krash said.
"Someone's planted a fake idol and wanted me to find and use it, probably making myself look like an idiot in the process." Krash said flatly, not looking amused. "Hey, I'll admit that I'm dumb…But I'm not THAT dumb! I should know what the real thing looks like because Sandy found it!"
"So who planted it?" Krash mused. "Maybe I should take this to the others and see what they think…"
With that, Krash walked off, putting the fake idol into his vest pocket. Elias watched this from afar and didn't look amused.
Elias cursed himself. "I think I just dug myself deeper." He muttered.
Night eventually rolled in. Knowing that there would be an all-important Immunity Challenge the following day, everyone went to sleep to prepare for it.
(Arkos Tribe; Day 19)
"If we're going to get enough votes for Erica, I need to make sure people are on my side with it. Mel's a bit of a question mark here because she's obviously hesitant about voting for someone who obviously adores her." Molly rolled her eyes. "However, Reginald I think will be easier to relay the message to and bring on board."
"Why Erica again?" Reginald asked. "Frankly, I think I'd rather get rid of Sandy now and be done with it."
"Reginald, let me ask you this: What exactly do you know about Erica in the first place?" Molly asked.
Reginald paused. "Nothing." He replied.
"Exactly. Wouldn't that logically make her a bigger threat for people like us?" Molly repeated. "At least with Sandy, we know what to expect."
"You've got a point."
"I may detest how much Sandy seems to single me out to annoy me, but I have to admit that she's otherwise not a real threat." Reginald explained. "The fact that Erica's got the element of surprise here because she's from a season none of us have seen yet could make her a pretty big threat for my game."
"So what do you suggest?" Reginald asked. "We can't afford to lose another challenge. It'll put us even further behind."
"I know, but keep it in the back of your head for if and when we actually DO lose the challenge." Molly explained.
"We've got some treemail, people!" Erica announced as she walked into camp.
"Time for Immunity, then." Mel said. "What's it say?"
"It's wondering if any of us are good with numbers." Erica replied.
Everyone froze, then slowly turned their gaze towards Sandy, who was rocking back and forth on her feet and whistling innocently.
Reginald couldn't help but smirk. "We've got a chance."
"Sometimes, you have to work for an opportunity to get back in the game, and other times it just waltzes right up behind you and screams in your ear." Erica smiled.
"…I like trains." Sandy said brightly. "Do you like trains? I like trains!"
(Xon Tribe; Day 19)
"This is a fake idol you found?" Inferno asked, inspecting the idol Krash had found.
"Yeah. Sandy found the real one on Arkos and showed it to us." Krash nodded.
"We can vouch for him. That looks nothing like Sandy's idol." Tempo pointed out.
"So apparently someone here planted a fake idol, but wasn't expecting us to already know what the real one looked like." Tempo said. "Now raises the question: Who planted it? I honestly think it's either Elias or Grace just because it seems like something they'd do."
"Who could have planted it?" Chloe asked.
"I think we can rule out Edwina and Renaldo." Tempo replied. "This doesn't seem like them."
"You don't want to rule out Grace, though?" Inferno asked.
"Remember the stunts she pulled back in your season with that fake idol?"
"…Yeah. I do."
"Now that I think about it, Grace is liable to come up with something like this. The problem with it is that she probably knows by now how much that killed her last time." Inferno said. "I'm not sure if she'd be willing to try it again."
"We've got treemail." Edwina announced as she walked into camp.
"So what's it say?" Grace asked.
"Are any of us good with numbers?"
The colour seemed to drain from Tempo's face. "Crap. Sandy's going to walk all over us by herself." He said.
"Then we'll just need to try and keep her from winning it, won't we?" Elias asked.
"This isn't good. I've seen how good with numbers Sandy is. It's one of few things where she has the patience to stick through, and she can count amazingly fast." Grace said. "We're just going to have to hope that there's more to this challenge than it seems."
"How many challenges have there actually BEEN that revolve around numbers, anyway?" Chloe asked. "I mean, there's really not a whole lot of variety to be had, there…"
(Immunity Challenge)
The two tribes emerged from the jungle and onto another clearing again. Seeing their tribe mats on the ground, everyone walked over and stepped on.
"Welcome to your next Immunity Challenge, everyone. Here, we will be testing both your puzzle-solving skills and your abilities with numbers." SSBFreak explained. Everyone saw two boards set up behind the host. "You will be given two sets of five numbers, and will be told to arrange them properly according to the hints provided. Once both five-digit numbers have been arranged properly, you must then add the two to come up with another number. The first team to add the two five-digit numbers together will win Immunity and be safe from elimination at tonight's Tribal Council."
"Xon, you still have three extra players. Who will be sitting out?"
"Krash, Edwina and Chloe." Grace replied.
"Okay. If everyone else would come over here, we can begin."
The ten remaining players walked over to the two boards and stepped up to one. They saw two groups of numbers sitting nearby, clearly marked which set of numbers they belonged to.
"Okay. For Immunity, Survivors ready…Go!"
Mel was quick to look at the numbers in the first batch. "Okay. There's two 3's, a 5, a 7 and an 8." She said.
"Let's see what the hints say about it, then." Reginald said as he looked at a hint that was scribbled on the board. "The first number doesn't end or begin in a 3."
"So both 3's are somewhere in the middle three digits." Erica nodded.
The Xon Tribe had the same numbers and hints as the Arkos Tribe, and were trying their hardest to get an early lead.
"Looks like the two 3's aren't side by side either." Tempo noted. "Well, I guess that makes it obvious where they go, right?"
"Right. In slots 2 and 4." Inferno noted as he put the two 3's into the provided slots.
"What's the next hint?" Renaldo asked.
Grace looked at the hints. "7 comes before 8, and within one number of each other." She replied.
"Looks like both teams are going at a similar pace." SSBFreak announced.
The tribes continued to work on the puzzles, trying to figure out how the numbers would be arranged. At the moment, the two tribes seemed neck-and-neck.
"7 comes before 8?" Molly asked. "That means the first number is either 53,738 or 73,835."
"What's the next clue, Reggie?" Sandy asked.
Reginald decided to ignore Sandy and looked at the next hint. "The last number is not a 5." He said.
"That settles it, then." Molly nodded.
The Arkos Tribe moved their numbers into place for the first numbers, coming up with 53,738. This left the second number for them to focus on.
"Okay, what've we got?" Erica said as she picked up the numbers. "A 1, an 8, two 4's and a 6."
Meanwhile, the Xon Tribe was still on their first number, although they looked like they were catching up to the Arkos Tribe.
"Does the 7 go here or here?" Renaldo asked.
"The hint says that the number doesn't end in a 5, so the 7 would need to go here." Grace said as she put the numbers into place.
"Okay. That's the first number done. Not too hard." Elias said. "Now for the second number."
"There's only two hints for the second one." Grace read.
Meanwhile, Reginald had read the first clue for the second number.
"One of the 4's has a different number on each side of it." Reginald read.
"That's a start, but it's not exactly helpful." Mel noted. "What's the second hint?"
"It just says that the two 4's aren't side by side."
"That's…Actually pretty vague."
"What? Did you guys expect the second puzzle to be as easy as the first?" SSBFreak asked with a smirk.
"We'll have to start guessing the numbers and hope we get it right, then." Erica said.
"They're slowing down. If we can pull ahead here, we may be able to keep the lead." Elias said to his team.
"That doesn't help us with this problem, though." Inferno scratched his head as he scanned the hint.
"Just take some guesses. Hopefully we'll get lucky faster than they do."
The two teams proceeded to rearrange the numbers for their second numbers into any combination they could think of that still followed the advice from the hints. However, they were notified that the second number was wrong each time they made an adjustment.
"What started as an orderly challenge has quickly turned to chaos." SSBFreak announced.
"And whose fault is that?" Edwina asked, an eyebrow lifted.
"What about…46,481?" Mel asked.
Molly rearranged the numbers, only to get a buzzer sound when she did. "Not it." She replied.
"Switch the 8 and 6 around."
Another buzzer. "Still not it." Molly shook her head.
"How many possible combinations do we have?" Mel asked.
"Probably too many."
Meanwhile, the Xon Tribe was having similar problems and frustrations trying to find the right number. They had been getting nothing but buzzes for their guesses on the second number so far.
"Man. This is frustrating after how easy the first number was to piece together." Tempo sighed.
"That's the point of the challenge." Grace noted.
"Try putting the 1 up front and work our way from there." Elias said. "Let's see…14,846?"
Tempo put the numbers into position, but was quickly greeted by a buzzing sound. "No dice."
"14,648?"
"…Nope."
The Arkos Tribe continued to try and piece their numbers together, still with little success.
"Let's try and think logically. If we're adding the two numbers together, what would you guess is the first number?" Reginald asked.
"Probably the biggest number." Molly said as she put the 8 into the first slot.
"Okay. Let's work from there." Reginald said. "84,641?"
"…That wasn't it, Reginald." Mel shook her head.
"Switch the 6 and 1 around and try that."
Mel put the two numbers into their slots, coming up with 84,146. The tribe waited impatiently for a few seconds. This time, the buzzer didn't sound.
"That's it! That was the number!" Mel exclaimed.
"Sandy, that's your cue! Start adding!" Erica said.
Sandy quickly approached the board and grabbed the nearby pen. She scanned over the two numbers and quickly started working numbers together.
"Crap! They got the number right!" Tempo cursed.
"Pick up the pace!" Grace ordered.
"Let's see…53,738 plus 84,146…" Sandy said as she quickly wrote numbers down. "Yadda, yadda, yadda. Carry the one…Yadda, yadda…" Sandy finished filling out the number and slammed the pen back down. "Finished!"
SSBFreak looked at Sandy's answer, seeing that she had come up with 137,884 as her answer. "That's indeed correct! The challenge is over!" He announced. "Arkos wins Immunity!"
"Woohoo! Way to rebound from defeat!" Erica cheered.
(Later…)
"Congratulations on winning Immunity, Arkos. You are all safe for another few days out here." SSBFreak explained before turning to the losing tribe. "Xon, I'll be seeing you all tonight where you will be voting one of your own out of the game. This will be your first Tribal Council in a bit, so I'm sure there will be a lot to talk about when you get there. You can all head back to camp."
(Xon Tribe)
"Well, we lost our first Immunity challenge since the swap, and it feels a little weird since I haven't been to council since day 3. Not a bad streak." Tempo shrugged. "Still, we have to vote for someone and it looks like it's going to be a 4 on 4."
"So who's the target?" Tempo asked. "Have we determined who planted the fake idol?"
"I'm thinking it was Elias." Inferno said. "I mean, we searched that area several times before the swap, and then Krash suddenly finds the idol in the same spot after the swap?"
"Yeah. If it was Grace, she likely would have planted it before the swap and you guys would have found it." Chloe nodded. "So where does that leave us?"
"Why not just vote off Elias?" Krash shrugged. "I mean, if he WAS the one that planted the idol…"
"You're determined, aren't you?" Tempo asked.
"Getting played for a fool reminds me that I'm not smart." Krash folded his arms. "I don't like being reminded of that."
"This whole fake idol thing is going to make things interesting. But we still don't know for sure who planted it." Chloe said. "I said that we could try calling Elias out at council, but Tempo said that he would deny it regardless, so we won't know if he's telling the truth or not."
Meanwhile, Elias was looking a little anxious as he sat by the fire pit. Edwina saw this and came over.
"You feeling nervous about the vote?" Edwina asked.
"I'm more worried because…Well, I'm an outsider, here." Elias said hesitantly.
"Just practice making fire because it looks like there's going to be a tiebreaker anyway."
"Elias has been looking a little nervous since the challenge, and he says it's because the others will probably vote for him." Edwina explained. "Frankly, as long as all of us practice our fire-making abilities, we should be ready for however the vote goes. And frankly, I would say that I'm probably a bigger target than he is at the moment."
"I know you're trying to be an optimist, Edwina." Elias sighed. "I know I'm going to have to fight to survive, so that's what I'm going to do."
"Glad to hear it. Now you'd best start preparing for the tiebreaker." Edwina nodded.
"I said that I'd have to fight to survive, and I meant it. However, I meant that if I were to get called out for that idol, I'd have to shift the blame." Elias said. "I know it's underhanded, but if I'm going to survive, the attention and suspicion needs to be off of me."
(Tribal Council)
The eight members of Xon entered Tribal Council, carrying their torches. Finding a spot, everyone sat down.
"Welcome to Tribal Council, Xon Tribe. This is familiar territory for some of you, but not for others. In a moment, one of you will be voted out of the game." SSBFreak said as he started asking questions. "Tempo, it's been a while since we've seen you here. The last time you were here, Yori was voted out." He explained. "How does it feel to avoid council for so long?"
"It feels weird, especially since I lost so much in the tribe phase of my season." Tempo nodded.
"So did I, you know." Chloe reminded.
"I know, but even after the swap in our season I still went to council a fair bit." Tempo pointed out.
Chloe lifted an eyebrow. "So did I, you know." She repeated.
"Renaldo, since this is the first time you've been here since the swap, how are the tribe dynamics?" SSBFreak asked.
"Pretty good. A lot better after Kendall left, anyway." Renaldo shrugged. "At the moment, it appears to be 4-on-4, so we're pretty much split down the middle when it comes to votes."
"That brings up another question. Grace, how did you guys take seeing that both Barney and Kendall were removed from the game?"
"Kendall I could really care less about, but Barney was a bit of a surprise. I honestly didn't think he would take things too far." Grace said. "That being said, Barney was a huge threat, so him going was probably for the best for the rest of us."
Tempo stared flatly. "Don't sugarcoat it, Grace."
"Inferno, how do you think the vote's going to go tonight?"
"Well, I don't know who the others are going to vote for, but we've narrowed our choices to either Elias or Grace." Inferno replied.
This seemed to take Grace by surprise. "Wait, what? When did I come into this?" She asked.
"Krash found and idol that we've found out is a fake. One of you four planted it for us to find, and we've ruled out Edwina and Renaldo." Inferno replied.
"It wasn't me, though!"
"It certainly wasn't me, either." Elias folded his arms, eyebrow raised.
"Chloe, where do you stand on this revelation?" SSBFreak asked.
"I dunno. I mean, I could see either of them doing it. We know Elias is a sneak, but Grace was just as much a villain as he was back in her season." Chloe reminded. "There WAS that whole thing with Mugg and the fake idol…"
"Elias, what do you have to say in your defense?"
"I've long since retired from acts like that. I had nothing to do with this fake idol." Elias insisted, telling a half-truth, since it was Reginald who made the idol in the first place. "If the suspects are either Grace or myself, then I would obviously suspect Grace."
"Elias, we're supposed to be allies here!" Grace said.
"If you're trying to deny your involvement, I have no choice but to retaliate, Grace."
"Grace, how about you?" SSBFreak asked.
"Why would I try another fake idol scheme when that was what killed my game last time?" Grace asked. "I had nothing to do with it!"
Tempo whispered something to Krash, who nodded.
"Krash, it seems that you've come up with a solution." SSBFreak noted.
"We think we know who it was, and we're voting for them." Krash said.
"Okay. I think that's enough questions. It's time to vote." SSBFreak said. "Edwina, you're up."
Edwina stood up and walked out of the hut to go vote. She approached the voting table, wrote a name down and voted before walking away.
Inferno approached the table and gave a smirk. "I think we may have avoided the tiebreaker…" He mused as he voted and left the table.
Chloe walked up to the table and stepped up onto a platform so she could write. She scribbled a name down and walked back to the hut.
Elias wrote a name down and showed it to the camera. "I'm hoping that my acting skills paid off here." He said, having voted for Grace.
Grace also wrote a name down and showed it to the camera. "If you're trying to throw me under the bus like this, then I guess I was wrong about you." She said, having voted for Elias.
Tempo was smirking as he walked up to the table. He quickly wrote a name down without even blinked and voted before returning to council.
Renaldo scratched his head and wrote a name down. "I don't know what's going on, but I don't want any part of it." He said, having voted for Chloe.
Krash was the last to vote and wrote a name down. He had to concentrate to remember how to spell the name, but he finished voting and shoved his ballot into the urn.
Once all eight players had voted, SSBFreak left to fetch the urn and returned with it moments later. "When I read the names, the person with the most votes will be asked to bring forward their torch and leave Tribal Council immediately." He explained. Everyone remained silent, not making a move to play an idol. "It's time to read the votes…"
"…First vote; Elias." Elias frowned.
"Grace." Grace remained silent.
"…Chloe." Chloe eyes widened.
"Chloe. She leads with 2." Chloe bit her lip.
"…Elias. It's 2-2-1." Elias took a deep breath.
"…Elias." Elias cursed. "Next vote and eighth person voted out of Survivor: Central Hub…"
"…Elias. You need to bring me your torch." SSBFreak explained.
Elias stood up and grabbed his torch. "You made a mistake." He warned as he walked towards the host. "You'll pay for it in the end."
"Elias, the tribe has spoken." SSBFreak explained as he extinguished Elias' torch. "It's time for you to go."
"It had to happen sometime…" Elias said as he walked out of council and vanished from sight.
Once Elias was gone, SSBFreak turned to the remaining players. "Elias is gone, but it seems that this whole fake idol ordeal isn't quite over yet." He explained. "Only time will tell if you were right about Elias, but that'll be for another day. There are twelve remaining, and we're approaching the halfway point in the competition. Soon, we will be finding out which among you has the will and ability to make it to the end. You can all head back to camp."
The seven remaining players stood up, gathered their torches and left Tribal Council. Grace brought up the rear, looking a little frustrated. She knew she was innocent, but Elias still tried to call her out on it as he left. Now there was the added problem of proving to the others that she wasn't the one to plant the fake idol.
"I couldn't resist trying to cast a bit of doubt into their heads, but I regret that I won't be able to see if it works or not." Elias lamented. "Still, I made it pretty far when you consider my reputation. I suppose I don't have anything to be ashamed of except that I would have liked to make the merge again…"
Voting History:
Elias – Chloe, Grace, Inferno, Krash and Tempo
Chloe – Edwina and Renaldo
Grace – Elias
Author's Notes: And there goes Elias. Back in the planning stages, Elias and Jack swapped boots. Jack originally went here and Elias was the fourth one out. When I realized I'd be having Jack last too long that way, I swapped them around and Elias lasted three episodes longer than he originally did.
However, he really doesn't have anyone to blame but himself for getting ousted like that. The instant he tried making a move when he was backed into a corner, it blew up in his face in typical Elias fashion. I feel that this would have been a lose-lose situation for Elias either way.
