Wendy sighed as she swirled her spoon around her bowl of cereal, staring at the table silently. Harper, who sat nearby, cleared his throat, drumming his fingertips on the table awkwardly. He and Wendy were friendly, sure, but when it came down to it Javier was the glue that had held the group together. Now that he was gone, well, Harper wasn't quite sure how to proceed. Eventually, he settled on asking, "you alright?"
Wendy jumped a bit, startled, her eyes darting to Harper's. She smiled, embarrassed, before nodding.
"I'm alright, thanks. Just a little stressed out is all..."
"Yeah, I know what you mean. We're almost at the halfway point, aren't we?" Harper tapped his own plate with his fork. "I didn't think I would make it THIS far."
"Me either," Wendy admitted, "I just hope I do okay... now that Javier is gone... uh, why are you staring?"
Harper was staring fearfully into the distance, slowly leaning away.
"She's coming," he whispered, slightly panicked, "quick, act cheerful, act cheerful!"
"Coming? Who's-"
Wendy's question was answered in the form of a vice grip around her stomach, squeezing the air out of her.
"Wendyyy," Glimmer whined, "what's wrongggg?"
It was at this point Harper tried to slip away, but Glimmer was having none of it, quickly pulling him into the hug using her free arm without looking.
"Nothing's... wrong," Wendy grunted, managing to pry Glimmer's arm off, though Harper failed to escape his fate, "I'm just thinking about the competition, is all."
"Hm... you know what would make you feel better?" Glimmer asked.
"A shirt covered in glitter?" Harper grunted.
Glimmer began laughing. "Have you seen her outfit? Needs a LITTLE more than just some glitter to fix that, am I right? Hoo boy... ahem. Nope! I brought you something even better!"
With that, Glimmer reached behind her and pulled out a familiar looking one-eyed doll.
"Is that... is that the doll from the horror challenge?" Harper asked, stunned.
"Yyyyyyup!" she grinned, "I named her Mrs. Flumpty!"
The doll had been completely washed off, it's missing eye replaced with a smiley face sticker, which didn't make it any more pleasant to look at. Glimmer had even sewn a crude little outfit for it, which consisted of a white shirt, bowtie, red pants and a blue cape. Glimmer gave it a squeeze, and its head turned, fixing it's one shiny eye on her. "I'm gonna-" here, it's voice cut out, and where it would normally finish with "watch you burn", Glimmer's voice kicked in instead and concluded, "give you a hug!"
Harper and Wendy just stared silently before the former at last asked, "...how and why?"
Surprisingly, it wasn't Glimmer who answered, but Dane.
"Don't listen to these two," he told her, placing a hand on her shoulder, "I think it's a great gift.'
"Murder!" the doll cried out.
"Mrs. Flumpty!" Glimmer snapped, "I told you no more of that!"
Dane stared at the doll, before turning back to Glimmer.
"Hey, why don't you leave that here, and come into the other room with me for a chat?" he suggested.
"A chat? Well... I don't see why not," she shrugged, placing the doll down in Wendy's lap, who quickly passed it off to Harper. Dane began leading Glimmer away,, who turned and called out, "Now play nice you three!" Before disappearing into the loser carriage with him.
Harper and Wendy looked each other, then the doll.
"I love you guys!" it told them in a garbled, cheerful voice.
Harper pulled away. "...we should probably burn this thing."
~o.0.o~
In the loser carriage, Glimmer pulled away from Dane, crossing her arms.
"Okay, okay, you brought me here. What's the big idea? You're being a liiiitle creepy."
"Alright, just hear me out a minute," Dane told her, "the word around the train is that you happen to like friendship."
Glimmer's eyes lit up. "I LOVE friendship!"
"Wow, really?" Dane exclaimed, seemingly shocked, "I love friendship, too! And you know what people who love friendship do?"
"Make secret handshakes?!" she guessed, getting excited.
"Ahh, close!" Dane kept the same tone of excitement, "The correct answer is to form a clandestine alliance and conspire to eliminate mutual enemies!"
"YEA- wait, what?"
CONFESSIONAL: Dane
Okay, now, you're probably thinking "Dane, you handsome son of a gun, what are you doing with Glimmer? There are so many better candidates for an alliance." Well, I'll tell you what. I've been watching Glimmer, and I know what I'm doing. Remember towards the beginning of the show when Cass took a shot at Harper, and Glimmer went after her? Eh? See where I'm going with this? You see where I'm going with this.
END CONFESSIONAL
"I'm sorry- did I say alliance?" Dane looked genuinely surprised at himself, "What I meant was a sort of... friendship club, yeah!"
"Hm... friendship club... hm, well, the last time I made a friendship club, it did lead to the downfall of Queen Eclipse," Glimmer reasoned, thinking carefully.
Dane had no idea what she was talking about, but continued anyway. "See? So imagine what could happen if you started another! Maybe one of us could, you know, win a million dollars or something!"
"You're right- alright, I'm in, friend!" She grinned, pulling him into a tight hug.
"Aw-awesome," he wheezed, "feel free to let me go, you know, whenever."
~o.0.o~
Ryuzaki sat in almost complete darkness in the bronze carriage, eyes glued to the chessboard in front of him, and the nine pieces that stood on it. Harper and Burton, pawns. Not expected to last much longer. Dane was a rook- moved in a straight path. Predictable, but could be trouble if left unchecked. Glimmer, a knight- a little less easy to predict. Flash and Cass, both queens, the most dangerous pieces in the game. Winston and Ryuzaki, of course, the kings. Wendy was the only one yet undecided. If she managed to grow out of her fears, there was no telling what she could do. If not, she'd fall soon enough.
All the pieces were in place. A few outcomes surprised Ryuzaki. Harper, he'd imagined would be gone by now. Javier, he did not. Javier's elimination hurt Ryuzaki more than he would ever admit. He had been one of the only competitors willing to listen to Ryuzaki, and being forced to eliminate him personally earned him no favor with his friends that still remained in the game. Winston had seemingly won- but Ryuzaki was not ready to accept that possibility. Across the carriage lay the person who might yet help; Burton. Ryuzaki knew what he had managed to get Jessica eliminated. Burton was clever, at least to some degree, but not nearly clever enough to attempt a betrayal down the line. Yes... he might just work out, after all.
"Burton," Ryuzaki said, loudly and clearly. He did not, as usual, turn to look.
Burton's face wrinkled- he had been half asleep, and did not take kindly to be awoken.
"Are we about to crash?" Burton asked, yawning.
"No."
"Is the train on fire?"
"No."
"Is there a topless party going on in the other room?"
"That's rather vulgar imagery. But no."
"Then please, PLEASE don't wake me up again," Burton grunted, rolling on to his side.
"I'm afraid I can't let you go back to bed," Ryuzaki said simply, "we've business to discuss."
"Oh? I've been wondering when you'd ask me for a fashion consultation. I'll be happy to give you one when I'm awake."
"I don't need a 'consultation'. But you need an opportunity."
Burton was silent for a moment, before slowly sitting up and looking at him.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Look, you want to win this, don't you?" Ryuzaki asked, "it's obvious I'm in a bad way. But you haven't made any moves yourself. With each passing round it gets more and more likely you'll end up against Cass or Flash in the bottom two, and do you really think you could out-compete them? I don't think you should take a chance."
Ryuzaki turned, locking eyes with him.
"I'm offering an alliance. You work with me to eliminate Winston, and I'll have your back going into the merge. Understand?"
Burton frowned, thinking it over. "...alright. You've got yourself a deal."
Ryuzaki watched him carefully, before nodding.
"Alright then. I appreciate your cooperation."
"Yeah, I'm sure you do," Burton yawned, stretching, "anyway, now that you woke me up, I might as well go get breakfast. I'll see you around."
"Of course," Ryuzaki agreed, "do what you must."
"Oh, I will," Burton said as he headed out of the carriage, "believe me."
~o.0.o~
Winston had just finished his breakfast when Burton took a seat next to him with is, smiling.
"Hey there. Mind if I take a seat?"
"Not at all," Winston frowned, "I was just leaving."
"I was hoping to talk to you, actually."
That caught Winston's attention. "What about?"
"Ryuzaki. He really as bad as you say?" Burton asked.
"All that and more, probably," Winston nodded, "you know what he's done, and you know he's done it without remorse. I want him out before he can do anything else. Why?'
"I mean.. I've been thinking about it, and I want to help you. Javier and Samantha? I was tight with those guys," Burton lied.
"Were you now?" Winston asked, "In that case, I shan't deny you the opportunity."
"See? Knew you were smart," Burton smiled, "just tell me what I can do to help."
Winston studied him carefully, before chuckling a bit and nodding.
"Just vote for him when the time comes," Winston told him, getting to his feet, "anything else pops up, and I'll let you know."
CONFESSIONAL: Burton
You know, Ryuzaki was right about a lot of things this morning. I haven't made a play yet. I don't want to lose. I needed an opportunity. So, I made one. I could have just sided with Ryuzaki, sure, but I want to be on the winning side, and there's no guarantee that's him. So, why not play both sides? Get friendly to both parties, then when the time comes, jump ship to whoever gets the upper hand. See? I'm good. Maybe I should try something like this with Cass and Glimmer.
END CONFESSIONAL
At last, the time came when Geoff and Blaineley entered the dining carriage, ready to address all of the passengers about the day's challenge.
"Well, here we are," Blaineley began, "nine competitors. After today, there will be eight- one half of what we started with. Only the best can make it to that point, so Harper, Wendy, Flash, you guys can go ahead and give up now. First time we'll have done a triple elimination."
The three just glared at her.
"Oh, fine, fine," she scoffed, "I was trying to spare you the embarrassment of getting creamed later on, you know, whatever. Look a gift horse in the mouth all you want."
"Just tell us what the challenge is," Flash scowled.
"The challenge..." Geoff, who had stepped out of the room moments before, now reappeared with a large chest in his arms, straining a bit. It hit the ground with a loud thud as he released it, panting, stopping to catch his breath as opposed to continuing.
"Take your time, tubby," Blaineley mocked.
"I'm not... that thing is heavy!" He protested, slowly standing upright once more and dusting himself off. "Woo... the challenge, right! The challenge is to open that chest!"
There was a collective silence, prompting Blaineley to pick up where her co-host had left off.
"Yes, the challenge is basically to open this chest, but it's a bit more complicated than that. Remember our gold scavenger hunt a while back? Well, this is similar," Blaineley explained, "see, the chest will only open with a specific key, which you'll have the chance to find once we stop. Hidden around the area will be dozens if not hundreds of keys- like this one," she paused to hold up a key, "but only one of which unlock this chest, granting someone both immunity, as well as the reward- deciding tonight's big loser!"
The hostess looked around, expecting a gasp, but she had no such luck.
"...ugh. Did you hear me? I said, you'll decide who the Big Loser is! Meaning you determine one half of who's in the elimination tonight?
"Yeah, we heard you," Flash frowned, "it's just that it was pretty obvious."
Cass smirked, taking the moment to get a word in edgewise before Blaineley.
"What's the matter? Cranky you'll be losing the prize to me?" the cowgirl taunted.
Flash was not amused. "Huh, that's funny. Last time I heard that you ended up doing maid service for a week," she shot back, glaring.
Cass got to her feet. "How about another bet?"
Flash got to hers. "Why? Feel like losing again?"
"Okay, dudes, let's break it up," Geoff advised, stepping between, "everything's cool, you're cool."
CONFESSIONAL: Cass
Ugh, she thinks she's so tough! I'm gettin' payback with this challenge. After I win, I'm throwing her on the chopping block and making sure she don't get out.
END CONFESSIONAL
The train rolled to a halt, doors sliding open.
"Okay guys, remember, immunity is on the line here," Geoff began, "but like last time, there's a few traps-"
To his dismay, Flash and Cass charged out before he could finish, and the other contestants, not wanting to fall behind, soon followed.
"They never want to hear about the traps," the host sighed.
The train had stopped in a fairly wooded area, meaning it would be a difficult task to find any keys- let alone the correct one. The hiding spaces were innumerable; and the heat of competition likely would not allow for the most thorough of looking-over. While they were allowed to search peacefully for a short time, it didn't last.
Dane stood below a massive tree, his eyes fixed on the keys that dangled from various branches.
"Just keep at it!" he called to Glimmer, who hung upside down, reaching out for a key, "You're doing great! Just grab it and toss it to me!"
"Got... mph... got one!" she called, pushing the key off of the branch and to the ground below. Dane smirked, quickly scooping it up as Glimmer asked, "Can I come down now?"
"Oh gee," he looked genuinely upset as he pocketed the key, "I mean, I'd love o say yes. because that is some CRAZY dangerous stuff right there, but there's still some keys up there, so I think it'd be best if you grabbed a couple more just to be safe. That's what the friendship club is about, right? Helping each other out?"
"I guess you're right," she nodded, "Do you want to come up and help?"
"Uh, no thanks! Gotta keep watch for howler monkeys. Indigenous to this area, really dangerous," he assured her.
He yawned, scratching his nose, and gave a quick glance around the area. No one else seemed to be around- surprising. He expected to bump into at least one or two other people- but perhaps it was for the better.
He paused when his survey revealed another key laying out in the open, plain for any to see. Probably not the proper one, Dane figured, but hey, couldn't hurt to snag it just in case.
It could hurt, it turned out. It could hurt quite a bit.
As Dane approached the key, he felt something suddenly wrap around his foot, yanking him into the air. He let out a frightened yell, and next thing he knew, he was dangling upside down, swaying side to side in the breeze. He felt his key slowly slide out of his pocket, frantically grabbing as it began falling to the ground.
"No no no no- GAH!" he let out a groan as it landed next to the key he had tried to grab just moments before.
"Woah! You alright?" Glimmer giggled.
'I'm upside down, Glimmer."
"I know- don't worry, I'll have you out of there in a sec! I've handled traps like this before," she said proudly, leaping to another branch and slowly making her way over.
"What? When?" Dane frowned.
"During the campaign against evil Empress Eclipse. I'll tell you about it later."
As glimmer worked on the trap, Cass walked by below, snickering.
"Having fun there, Dane?" she taunted.
"No. Actually, I'm not," he huffed, crossing his arms, "and stay away from those keys, you hear me?"
"What? You mean... these keys?" She walked over to the keys on the ground, smirking.
"You know exactly which keys I'm talking about," he snapped, "don't you dare- hey! HEY!"
Cass whistled to herself as she scooped up the keys, sliding them into her pocket and giving it a pat.
"Thanks for the help, Dane," she smirked, beginning to walk off.
"Hey, you can't take those!" Glimmer called down, taking her attention away from untying Dane.
"Just did," Cass smirked, "do something about it."
Glimmer immediately began to climb down from the tree.
"Glimmer? Glimmer wait, what are you-" Dane called, but it was no use- Cass darted away as Glimmer hit the ground, with Glimmer immediately giving pursuit.
"Don't worry Dane, I'll be back!" she called, voice fading into the distance, "I'm gonna get our keys!"
"Wait, no no no no! Don't leave me..." Dane sighed, looking up at the rope attached to his foot. "Damn it."
~o.0.o~
"I don't understand why you wouldn't just let me throw the doll away," Harper commented as he and Wendy wandered south of the train, "or at least, you know, hide it."
Wendy shook her head in disapproval as she moved to step over a branch, dead leaves crunching beneath their feet. "It belongs to Glimmer. She really likes that thing!"
"That THING is a baby doll that threatens to burn people," Harper reminded her, "I've seen a lot of movies about murder dolls- they don't end well."
As Harper stepped forward, the ground gave way beneath his foot. He sank forward, startled, to find his leg trapped in a small pitfall.
"Harper! Are you alright?" Wendy quickly stepped over to him, looking down at his leg.
"I'm fine," he told her, trying to pull himself free, "just... stuck. Can you give me a hand?"
Wendy nodded, grabbing a hold of his arm and trying, unsuccessfully, to pull him free.
"It's no good," she told him, "hold on, maybe I can find something you can-"
"Stuck, are we?"
The two turned, seeing Winston nearby, cane in hand, smile on his face.
"Perhaps I can be of assistance. Here, Wendy. You grab one arm, I the other." He set his cane up against a nearby tree. It was well polished, deep brown wood, but what really caught the eye was the silver wolf head that served as the handle. Winston made sure it was in place, before strolling over and grabbing a hold of Harper. Wendy followed suit, and the two gave a yank- this time, he came free, stumbling out, a relieved expression on his face.
"Phew- thanks for that," he told Winston, shaking the dirt off his foot.
"Think nothing of it," Winston smiled, collecting his cane, "these woods seem to be full of traps- nearly fell afoul of one myself, earlier. I'm just glad no one was seriously injured."
"We're fine, thank you," Wendy nodded, giving a quick smile.
"Are you? Javier's elimination must have been rough. I know you were all friends," Winston said sympathetically.
"It's alright," Wendy sighed, "it's not like you got him eliminated."
"No, but... if you ever need help getting rid of the one who did..." Winston didn't finish, allowing Wendy to fill in the blanks herself.
For her part, the cheerleader looked uncomfortable.
"I'm... not really into scheming or alliances," she told him, rubbing her arm.
"Scheming? Alliances?" Winston looked taken aback. "Heavens, no! I wouldn't propose anything of the sort. I'm just offering to help you vote Ryuzaki off, if you wish."
Wendy and Harper looked at each other. They had voted for Ryuzaki last time, sure, but something about Winston's offer struck them as odd. He had been campaigned rather hard to get Ryuzaki off the show. But perhaps he was right to- after all, Ryuzaki had gotten Samantha and Irving eliminated, right?
"We'll think about it," she said uncertainly.
"Of course- I didn't mean to come across as too aggressive." he bowed his head. "Anyway, as much as I'd love to keep chatting, I must return on my search for the winning key. Feel free to think over my offer- and good luck!"
With that, Winston left, leaving Harper and Wendy to think over his words.
~o.0.o~
Dane reached up fruitlessly, trying to grab a hold of the rope that he hung so perilously from. Seeing his efforts were in vane, he gave up, allowing himself to sway silently.
"Hello?" He called out, "Anybody there? I'm stuck!"
He scowled, annoyed when response came.
"Well, look, can you guys send an intern or something? Joke is old now! Ha ha, he dangled from a tree for a while! Now come get me!"
Still nothing.
"Guys, the blood is starting to rush to my head!" He shouted, "Guys? GUYS!"
~o.0.o~
Cass panted as she barreled through the woods, ducking under branches and jumping over logs. She had initially thought that, since she was a superior athlete, Glimmer would eventually give up the Chase and return to Dane.
She thought wrong.
Behind her, look of determination frozen on her face, Glimmer tirelessly pursued Cass, even if it was at a bit of a distance. What she lacked in speed and athleticism she made up for in sheer force of willpower. Not once did Cass see her falter or slow down. She just... kept running.
"Will you... give up already?" Cass grunted, annoyed. They were only two keys. In the time the two had been running, they could have each found a dozen more.
"Only if you give up the keys, first!" Glimmer shot back. For her, it had become a matter of principle- Cass was rude, cocky, thieving, and overall, just not a very nice person. She wasn't going to let her new friend down and lose the keys!
As they stormed through the woods, they came to a thicket of trees, slowing down to navigate their way through. To Cass' annoyance, she saw Glimmer manage to make up lost ground, slowly inching toward her as they snaked their way through the trees. Cass smiled in relief when she saw an opening in sight. Planning to lose her, Cass readied herself for one final push, and when the time was right, she charged straight out-
-and into Flash.
Both girls tumbled forward, landing on a pile of leaves, releasing the net that lie underneath and hoisting the girls into the air in a confused heap.
Flash coughed, brushing leaves out of her hair. "What the heck Cass?!"
"Don't blame me!" the cowgirl snapped, trying and failing to tear a hole in the net, "You think I WANT to be stuck with you? It's Glimmer's fault!"
"Glimmer?" Flash turned, puzzled, as Glimmer approached the net.
"Ha... I... got ya!" she choked out in between breaths. She stood, hunched over, before managing to collect herself. "Now, hand 'em over!"
"I look like I can move?" Cass demanded, "Get me out of here and then we'll see!"
"No can do! Keys first!" Glimmer insisted.
"You'll just leave me here otherwise?" Cass snorted, "What happened to being all about friendship?"
"Friendship IS the most important thing in the world," Glimmer nodded, "but you've forgotten the second most important. JUSTICE!"
Cass didn't know what to say to this. Flash, however, chimed in with a few words of her own.
"C'mon, just cut the net!" the athlete told her, "I'm stuck in here too, ya know!"
Glimmer sighed, nodding. "alright, Flash. just give me a second. I would have LIKED Cass to return these on her own, but she'll have to learn her lesson another day."
Glimmer approached the net, sliding her hand through a hole and into Cass' pocket.
"Hey, stop that!" the cowgirl protested, but Glimmer fished out the two keys, smiling.
"Gotcha!" She grinned, "Now to set you two free and get these back to... oh no, DANE!"
Glimmer dropped the keys to the ground, running back off the way she came.
"And she dropped the keys anyway? Are you KIDDING me?" Cass fumed.
"Ugh, whatever," Flash grunted, "move, will ya? Your knee is in my back!"
"Good!" Cass huffed, "That'll teach ya to keep your distance!"
"We're in a net, where can I go?!"
"I don't care, away from me!"
"Okay, you know what-" Flash grabbed a hold of the net, pulling herself into a kneeling position, foot wedged into Cass' side.
"Hey, knock it off!" Cass snapped, trying to push her away.
"Look, I'm trying to get us out of here!" Flash insisted, peering up. "We're attatched to that branch there, so let's just work together to get out of this, alright?"
"...alright, fine," Cass sighed, "just this once. May if we shift our weight at the same time, we can swing the net and get it loose!"
"Pfft. You have enough weight for the both of us," Flash snorted.
"What was that?"
"Nothing, nothing! On three- ready? One, two..."
The girls shifted to one side, the net swaying a bit.
"There, again!"
They quickly moved to the other side, building up a bit more speed. They repeated the process several more times, the branch they were attached to creaking and groaning, before finally snapping, dropping them to the ground and releasing them. Cass coughed, wincing a bit as she sat upright. She pulled her hat off, shaking out the dust before placing it back on her head.
"Okay," she began, "now let's never speak of this- HEY!"
Flash, who had scrambled to her feet and grabbed the keys, smirked, dangling them in front of her before taking off.
"Thanks for these, bye!" she called.
All that trouble- for nothing? Cass clenched her fist, slamming it into the ground.
"I am gonna GET you, Glimmer!"
~o.0.o~
"Guys... come on!" Dane called weakly, "There are probably bears in these woods... or emus... or something..."
The gentle caress of nature was the only response he received, and the one he had grown used to.
"I'm gonna die here," he groaned, "the blood is gonna rush to my head and I'm gonna-"
"DANE!"
"Glimmer?" He perked up, turning his head in excitement. Glimmer scrambled over to him, exhausted.
"Don't worry- I'll get you down!" she assured him, before turning and clambering up the tree.
"Finally, thank you!" he said, relieved as she began to untie the rope, "I was so worried I would-"
The rope finally came lose, dropping Dane down... and onto his head. He let out a grunt as he hit the ground, before crumpling up and falling silent. Glimmer stared down at him in shock.
"Ohmygosh, DANE!"
CONFESSIONAL: Glimmer
Sooo, I managed to drag Dane back to the train- heh, that rhymes- and the on-site doctor's looked at him! Luckily he didn't suffer any damage from hanging upside down since I was able to get him lose before anything serious happened!... but he did suffer some damage from the concussion he got when he fell on his head. And I think we can all agree that concussions are pretty much a bad thing. But hey! They say he should still be fine to compete on the show still, so it's nothing a little tender love and care can't fix!
CONFESSIONAL: Dane
...and she dropped the keys anyway.
END CONFESSIONAL
Back at the train, various contestants were in the process of trying to unlock the chest with the keys they found. Winston, Harper, Wendy and Flash all came up with duds, as did Burton, who had amassed a collection of about a dozen.
"Are you KIDDING me?" he scoffed, "One of these has to be it! There's like, over twelve here!"
"And they're all wrong," Blaineley smirked, not bothering to hide the amusement in her voice, "looks like you'll have to go back out there."
"Back out to what?" Burton demanded, "We've looked everywhere out there, there's nothing... wait a minute."
Burton remembered the key she had shown them earlier.
"Where's that key you had earlier?" he asked.
"You mean this?" Blaineley pulled the key out of her pocket, holding it up.
Burton snatched it away immediately, jamming it into the keyhole.
"You could have just asked," the hostess remarked as the lock finally clicked open.
Burton laughed, a grin spreading across her face. "That's it! FINALLY Burton gets one!"
"Yes, yes, Burton gets a win, congratulations," Blaineley said, rolling her eyes, "well, you know what your prize is. Immunity, and picking tonight's Big Loser. Make the most of it- don't want it coming back to bite you, kid."
"Don't worry," Burton smiled, puling out the key and turning it over in his hand, "I will."
"Good. I'll call everyone back- feel free to relax in your carriage," Blaineley told him "or whatever. I don't really care."
As Blaineley went to go fetch Eva and Harold, Burton got the distinct feeling he was being watched. He frowned, spinning around to see Ryuzaki watching him from the door.
"...anyone ever tell you-"
"-that I'm creepy, yes, all the time." Ryuzaki stepped inside, stretching. "So, you managed to secure a win for yourself. Very nice."
"It is." Burton nodded slowly, putting a hand on his hip. "So let me guess- this is the part where you tell me how to use my reward?"
"I had a suggestion, yes. We are in an alliance, after all, the least you could do is hear me out."
"I'm listening."
"There's a good chance I'll be voted on to the chopping block tonight," Ryuzaki began, "so I want you to use your reward on Winston and send him there with me."
"...but Winston might beat you," Burton pointed out, "wouldn't you rather have me send someone in like, I dunno, Dane?"
"You could send in Dane. If I overheard correctly earlier he's concussed and resting in the silver carriage. In addition to a lack of skill in... anything, really, he'd be an easy elimination." Ryuzaki crossed his arms. "But I don't want an easy elimination. I want to end this tonight. No more games, no more Winston."
"You're that sure you'll beat him?"
"I'm that sure. And afterward, you and I, as planned, will go into the merge a team. Deal?" Ryuzaki stared at Burton expectantly.
"...yeah. It's a deal," Burton agreed, smiling.
~o.0.o~
Half an hour later, Burton had just sat down to eat when he had the distinct feeling that he was being watched. He sighed, placing his fork down on his plate to see what Ryuzaki wanted, and why it couldn't wait until after dinner- but to his surprise, it was Winston who stood nearby, wide smile on his face.
"Burton!" he said cheerily, clasping him on the back and sitting next to him, "I heard about your win tonight- congratulations! I thought we might speak a moment while the other contestants prepared for tonight."
"Sure, sure. What do you want to talk about?" Burton asked, though he knew full well what it would be.
"It's just... Ryuzaki will likely be voted into the elimination challenge tonight," Winston began, "I wanted to suggest a suitable opponent, someone who can beat him and put an end to this. Flash."
"Flash? Why her?"
"She's arguably the most capable athlete here. She should be able to pull out the win with minimal issue." Winston sighed, leaning back. "Look. it's unsavory business, putting someone up for elimination. Believe me, I know. But Flash has the best chance of scoring a victory here. It's a major threat gone either way. So what do you say?"
Burton took a minute, thinking it over before saying, "alright. It's a deal."
CONFESSIONAL: Burton
Decision time. I have NO idea what to do- Ryuzaki hardly qualifies as the winning side at this point, but the sales pitch Winston made... maybe I can't trust him. But then, Flash IS a threat anyway... sending any three of these guys home would be a win in my book.
END CONFESSIONAL
The time for elimination soon came- and to the contestant's confusion, the ceremony was held OUTSIDE the train, in the same stretch of woods they had been searching all day.
"What are we doing out here?" Wendy asked curiously.
"Good question, bro- for the first time, we're holding our elimination outdoors," Geoff explained, "once someone is eliminated, then we'll head back inside. Cool?"
The host turned to Burton, who stood silently next to him.
"So, Burton, now's the time to pick who you're sending into the final two with... RYUZAKI!" Once Geoff saw it once again didn't quite have the dramatic effect he had hoped, he cleared his throat awkwardly and looked down. "go ahead and pick, Burton."
The model stepped forward, striking a thoughtful pose as he looked over each contestant.
"Well, I gotta say, this was a tough choice," he began, "but in the end, I decided to go with... CASS!"
Cass' eyes shot open wide, surprised. "Excuse-"
"Cass, it's NOT you, is what I meant to say," he finished with a smirk, "Harper and Wendy, you're safe, too."
"Oh for the love of- will you just tell us who it is already?" Blaineley demanded.
"Shh. I've always wanted to host something, just let me have this," Burton said, dismissing her. "Obviously I'm not sending myself in, and Dane, rest up, honey."
Dane gave a weak, unenthusiastic thumbs up from the rock he was sitting on.
"Glimmer, you're safe, too!"
"YAY!" the girl cheered, immediately grabbing Dane and pulling him into a tight hug, causing him to wince and try to wriggle away.
"So, Flash and Winston, down to you two." His eyes wandered between them, Flash looking a bit anxious, while Winston looked cross, his eyes clearly reading something along the lines of, 'get on with it already'.
"And this WAS a tough call," Burton continued, "but, in the end, I'm gonna have to go with... FLASH!"
He turned dramatically to face the athlete.
"You... are safe!"
"Awesome!" she cheered, smirking.
"What. WHAT?" Winston demanded, "You're sending ME in?"
For what might have been the first time, Ryuzaki allowed himself a smile.
"You're the only one left, hon," Burton nodded, "so I'd say that's what it means."
Winston was bursting to tell Burton the terrible mistake he had made, but refrained from doing so. Better to play the victim than the aggressor.
"I don't understand what I've done to earn your ire," Winston spat, "but fine." He turned, glaring down Ryuzaki.
"Not how you imagined the evening ending for you, was it?" Ryuzaki mused, stepping forward.
"There's only one thing ending here," Winston hissed, stepping toe to toe with him, "and that's your stay on this show. What's the challenge, Geoff."
"I'LL explain the challenge, thank you very much," Blaineley interrupted, "remember the elimination challenge in which Javier and Ryuzaki dueled on top of a train?"
"Kind of hard not too- it JUST happened," Flash pointed out.
"Shut up. It's the challenge so nice we used it twice; only this time, instead of dueling on a train, you'll be dueling on a platform, suspended in mid-air!" The hostess pointed to a pair of nearby trees, where a platform was indeed set up between the two trees in the upper branches. "...there'll be a trampoline, of course," she hastily continued, "but the point is, this is it. The end of the Ryuzaki and Winston rivalry one way or another- and it's going out in grand fashion. Interns, the staves, please!"
Harold walked over, offering a staff to each competitor, but only Ryuzaki took his. Winston refused, instead brandishing his cane.
"No thanks. I have my own."
Harold looked to Blaineley, but the hostess waved her hand.
"I'll allow it," she said, "if he wants to use that instead, whatever. It's shorter, anyway. You two start climbing, and we'll set up the trampoline!"
Winston and Ryuzaki began heading toward opposite trees.
"This is for Irving and Samantha," Winston said, grasping a branch.
"Awfully righteous, aren't you?" Ryuzaki yawned, "It was means to an end- your end. Before you could cause any serious harm. See, the fact is, you haven't done much, have you? Except go after me." Ryuzaki began his own climb. "You haven't done anything else because you aren't good enough."
"Shut up."
"You aren't. You're no mastermind and you're definitely not good enough to beat me here."
"I said shut UP!"
Ryuzaki smiled again as they climbed. Their conversation was loud enough for everyone to hear, and he wanted it that way. He wanted to worm a confession out of Winston.
"You've been a waste of time," Ryuzaki continued, "they might vote me off again after tonight, sure, and I might lose, sure... but you'll have lost to me in ninth place our of sixteen. Now that's not very befitting of someone of your status, is it?"
"Your words aren't getting to me." By now, they were nearing the top. "Talk all you might, Ryuzaki, it's not going to save you from elimination. I'm not Samantha. A few insults won't throw me off my game so badly. Or do you plan to just cheap shot me and be done with it?"
"No need. Like I said. "Ryuzaki paused, smirking. "You're just not good."
Winston gritted his teeth, as he pulled himself up onto the final branch. They were both in position, and the trampoline had been moved below them.
"You guys gonna fight, or are you just gonna talk all day?" Blaineley shouted up.
"Oh, we'll fight," Winston murmured, "to arms, Ryuzaki."
The two gripped their weapons, slowly inching their way toward each other. The platform creaked and groaned ever so slightly under their weight, but that was the least of their concern. They moved toward each other, step by step, before meeting in the center. Surprisingly, Ryuzaki was the first to strike, aiming for the legs. Winston staggered back, nearly losing balance and falling off the platform.
"What's the matter?" Ryuzaki asked, "Nervous?"
He was taken aback when Winston suddenly lunged forward, driving the base of his walking stick straight towards Ryuzaki's chest.
"No. That was called a feign," Winston growled, "now it's time to finally shut that mouth of yours."
Winston swung again for Ryuzaki's head, but he was able to duck and counter with another strike to the legs. Winston once again dodged this, and the two stared each other down before moving in once more. Winston practically dove for Ryuzaki's legs, looking to shove him off, but his opponent leapt back, swinging and catching Winston in the shoulder. Winston grunted, staggering back in time to dodge a follow up swing. He stretched his shoulder, smiling slightly.
"You'll have to do better than that, Ryuzaki."
"Plan on it."
Winston moved forward again and again, but each time Ryuzaki was seemingly able to predict the move and counter. Winston was no easy opponent either- a practiced fencer, Ryuzaki was not able to get another shot in. Everyone watched, captivated as the two exchanged blows, the other able to barely dodge, or barely be grazed. Burton found himself clenching and unclenching his fists as he watched. He had taken a huge risk supporting Ryuzaki. If he lost... Winston would NOT forget his betrayal easily.
Minutes passed, and two fought still, clothes dampened with sweat, skin covered in bruises. It was around then that Winston decided he would finish things.
Ryuzaki jabbed his staff forward, and Winston managed to move to the side. Then, seizing his opportunity, moved forward, raising his cane over his head. Ryuzaki calmly moved forward, jabbing him in the stomach. Winston staggered back, one hand clutching his chest, as Ryuzaki moved in for the kill- and into Winston's feign. Winston grinned suddenly rushing forward to catch Ryuzaki off guard. He moved in to swipe at his opponent's legs...
...but Ryuzaki saw it coming. Winston was fond of feigning. Too fond- so much so that Ryuzaki called the bluff before it happened. When Winston moved in, Ryuzaki countered with his own swing right to Winston's gut. Winston saw it coming, but apparently too late. He tried to move back, but only ended doubled over in pain. He coughed as he knelt down, wincing as he tried to back away.
"Not like this, not like-"
Ryuzaki wasn't going to let him finished. He brought his staff back, ready for the finishing blow- but instead let out a grunt of pain as Winston twirled his cane around, slamming the metal handle into Ryuzaki's knee. Winston stood upright. his plan having worked. Ryuzaki countered his move, alright, but what he didn't realize was that the swing didn't hit him full force. Winston moved back just enough so that he didn't take the brunt of the attack, and while Ryuzaki moved in to finish him, he spun his cane around and his him with a counter of his own.
Ryuzaki staggered forward, the blow to the knee causing serious pain. Winston didn't relent. He slammed the handle into Ryuzaki's stomach, causing him to double over.
Winston raised the cane over his head.
"Checkmate."
He brought it down, full force on Ryuzaki's back. Ryuzaki let out a scream, falling off of the platform. Winston watched, silent as he fell, landing on the trampoline. He took a breath, gripping the handle of his cane, and leaning forward on it with one hand, the other straightening his messy hair. He stood, basking in the moment, the contestants below unsure of how to respond.
Down below, Ryuzaki winced as he pulled himself out of the trampoline, getting on his feet. It was over. Winston beat him. He was able to counter all of his strategies until... this. He sighed, shaking his head as he slowly lurched toward the competitors, limping slightly. He passed by them without a word.
"Just... uh... there's a car," Geoff began, pointing vacantly into the distance, but Ryuzaki wanted none of it. The young man turned, facing the contestants.
"You all saw what he did," he told them, "look at him now. Is that how someone trustworthy wins a game?"
He turned back around, shaking his head.
"Don't be fools. Don't believe his lies," he muttered, before turning and walking off.
CONFESSIONAL: Burton
... I messed up.
END CONFESSIONAL
Winston watched him go from the platform. A slew of emotions ran through his head- triumph, relief, hate. For a time, he wasn't quite sure how to handle his victory. But then it came naturally.
He laughed.