Hello guys, and welcome to a rather...unique episode of this story. But the game continues!
Also, I recently uploaded Journal Entry 4 of the Mole a little bit back. Please be sure to read that before continuing down to the new chapter before! Otherwise, its beginning...will not make sense to you.
So yes, I'll give you this time to look back at Journal 4 before continuing below. See you soon!
You read Journal Entry 4? Nice! Enjoy the beginning of Episode 5!
EPISODE 5
"Hey...umm...about this journal entry..." The Mole looked up at McHallyboo. The host was looking strangely, a bit curiously, at the piece of paper given to him minutes before.
"Yes?"
"It's rather different than I...well...expected it to be," the host admitted. The Mole looked out at the white horizon of where the two of them stood.
"You even wrote nicely about Dry Bones," McHallyboo added on, surprised. "Who was the...you know..."
"The executed player," the Mole finished, as if pretending not to understand the host's confusion. McHallyboo blinked.
"I know you like them written a certain way," the Mole said, in a calm, but strangely authoritative voice. "But your way is...not how I truly write in life. I do not write in such...sardonic manner. I am sorry, but it is difficult to write the journals the way you want them to be." McHallyboo, for a second, did not know what to say to the Mole.
"Well," he began, scratching his head. "I suppose you're right. We can't have Moles be so...stereotypically evil. Neither Toadette nor Yoshi were truly evil anyway, so I suppose your letters don't have to be either." He nodded his head, and was turning to leave the room but then stopped.
"Good work in the cave," McHallyboo said, before turning to leave. The Mole smiled softly at the compliment.
Who is...the Mole?
PLAYER: Dashell
Surname: Knot
Birthday: September 23
Occupation: Sports Agent
PLAYER: Eclair
Surname: Choux
Birthday: June 30
Occupation: Patron/Pastry Maker
PLAYER: Il
Surname: Piantissimo
Birthday: January 5
Occupation: Competitive Athlete
PLAYER: Snifit
Surname: Incognoto
Birthday: December 2
Occupation: Police Officer
PLAYER: Tiny
Surname: Kong
Birthday: October 20
Occupationm: Retail Manager
PLAYER: Zess
Surname: Toad
Birthday: February 26
Occupation: Chef
"Where...are we?" They looked out their cabin windows, and it was all white. But it wasn't the snow that caused the blankness that was all around them. It was a blinding sort of white, the kind which hurt each of the players' eyes just a little bit. As they looked out farther into their distances, they saw that the whiteness stretched out for miles. Their world, once full of life, was now in an endless planet of emptiness. It was a mysterious sight for all of the players, as they could only stare in silence and awe at what their environment had become.
"It is all white." Eclair's foot touched the white ground, as if the ground were a solid, white block. It stretched for miles into the distance, a distance which could not be identified in depth from looking out into the land's horizon. The others stepped out of the cabin one by one.
"Well, I'll be," Zess said, looking around excitedly. "We're in for a challenge, whatever it is." Piantissimo looked bored.
Piantissimo: Oh great. We were in a zone of infinite white.
"Umm, does anyone know where anything went?" Tiny Kong wondered, looking around her surroundings. "The snow? The sky? The mountains?" They all continued to look at every corner of their current existence, to see any other forms of life that could give them answers to the location they were in, but to no avail.
The players were dumbfounded, minds as blank and clueless as the world around them. Dashell, out of all current players, seemed the least bothered and most balanced in the group.
"We're in a building," Dashell stated flatly. "This doesn't surprise me at all. This is actually the most realistic fictional representation of what I would expect in a virtual setting."
"But we've been used to such extravagant worlds...and now..." Tiny began, who seemed to be the most flabbergasted by her surroundings, "and then now this?" Snifit just looked around, then began to move forwards.
"...hop...hop..." Snifit seemed to be taking little hopping steps of his own off into the distance, almost as if trying to experiment himself the new boundaries of their discovered region.
"Hey, come back, little guy!" Zess called out after him, but Snifit kept on travelling, his movements in a carefree manner. Piantissimo snickered.
"There'll be nowhere for him to go in this world," he told the rest of the group, watching Snifit trying to go off into the distance of the empty land. They watched him silently, his red existence seemed to slightly melt into the white background.
Zap! All of a sudden, they saw his body spark off. To the horror of the others, Snifit letting out a shout in the process and fell to the ground backwards.
"SNIFIT!" yelled most of the horrified players simultaneously. Snifit, getting up quickly with an alarmed face, immediately started running back to the players. He didn't stop until he was safe within their formed group of panic. As everyone looked at him with fear, Zess examined his body.
"Are you hurt, little guy?" she exclaimed with strong concern. "Speak to me!" Snifit, face still petrified, shook his head.
"What the heck was that?" Dashell said, startled face, looking back at the place which Snifit had collided with.
"I hit like...a wall," Snifit coughed, panting. Eclair looked at the walls surrounding them.
"If that is so," she whispered, looking around with fear and amazement. "It must be that-"
"Then no one is safe to walk until we figure out what to do next," Dashell said, folding his arms and looking curious at the situation they were in. They all seemed lost in their next action to take, and they were in silence.
Dashell: No directions. No rules. In instructions. We were in a place of both freedom, at the same time, solitude within walls.
"I'm not walking anywhere," Snifit said meekly, shaking his head heavily. "I promise." Zess chuckled at his line a little bit.
"Whoa...guys, watch out!" In an instant of movement, large white sheets seemed to billow and rise from behind them, touching some of them softly as they backed away with surprise. One by one they all turned around, wide-eyed and in curiosity of the mysterious enigma of movements that were forming out of the ground. With apprehension of what was forming before all of them, they backed away, seeing the large structure of little pieces of cloth form and wave in the apparent wind that also formed in the white world.
"What...is that!." And then in the end, they saw the immense formation of red and white stripes, with a little entrance that seemed to welcome them in the most daunting of ways. The large structure stood before them, and now, it was on the ground, waiting for them to enter within it.
"McHallyboo's tent," Dashell said after looking at it for a second. And one by one, they walked inside of its fate-changing indoors.
The sides within the tent seemed to flap, as if their walls were caving in then billowing strongly out with every step they took. Standing in the center of red and white assortments and arrangements of tent sheets from every corner of their existence was the host himself, smiling a little bit as the players slowly approached him one by one in the center of the tent.
"Hello players, and welcome to...Episode 5...well, or I'd like to call it..." He paused for a second, thinking. The players looked at him, all confused.
"I'd like to call this the Relaxation episode," the host introduced to them, as their faces showed surprise and confusion.. "It's not really a full episode. It's...a miniature episode.
"A miniature...episode?" Tiny asked, face obviously perplexed.
"You see, because there are only seven floors in this building, we must re-use Floor 4 for this episode," McHallyboo elaborated to them all. "Since...well...there were only supposed to be five players at this stage, but then Snifit came back."
"Oh." As everyone turned to him, the single player in red seemed to look down a bit with guilt.
"Anyhow, the time on this floor is almost exhausted. The electricity power in this building...was only able to provide so much for last episode. All the snow, the cold, and the illusion of another world. It's almost as if it was on a limited power of life and electricity. Now...most of that power is gone."
"That is why...this world is so blank now," Eclair spoke, looking around with realization.
"So now we have to spend this episode in a blank atmosphere?" Piantissimo questioned with a little bit of disappointment. "Because all the power is exhausted from last episode?"
"Not quite," McHallyboo said to him. "There are still some currents going on here and there. I was able to make this tent balloon. You guys can create anything you want." The players blinked at his sentence.
"Anything?" Dashell asked, his eyes shining a little bit. "Like a location...or maybe a large piece of land we can put something on?"
"Well, as long as it's do-able to the electric engineer company who is sponsoring our game's ability, then yes." McHallyboo said, without elaborating any more. "I'll take requests later this day." He grinned.
"So, let me explain a bit more," the host continued. "In this shortened episode, you will be able to earn money to the pot or lose money to the pot, through small challenges. These coin winnings will not be from your total pot value. Speaking which...you are able to gain money in this episode which you had lost previously in the past...or, well, lose." The players faces lit up with excitement. For the Mole, the possibility to lose more money than ever before only made them even more eager as well.
"And lastly, each episode we've had so far usually lasted five sections," the host said, his mouth forming a little bit of a smile. "But this special episode will only last...three." The players didn't fully understand his final statement.
"Three sections, you say? What does that mean?" Zess asked him. But McHallyboo just smiled and shrugged.
Tiny: I didn't know what to think of this..strange, minuscule episode.
"Anyways, I would like to introduce you all to the one of many surprises in store this episode...this first game is called...the Tentways of Fate." He then spread out both his arms, and tent flaps from behind him started to rise one by one, revealing the concealed hallways of exactly six unknown paths to the players. They looked at the five tent openings behind the host, each leading to its own dimly-light results so the players couldn't see what existed within each opening.
"One by one, you get to each go through these tent paths, which will lead you outside. Only one player can go down each path. What you encounter among the way, however, is what is crucial." The players all looked intrigued, but understandably cautious of their next movements.
"I'll give you hints on what each path entails," McHallyboo added, as the players seemed to nod in relief. And then, with small unfolds of white themselves, the tops of each entrance slowly gave way and opened up, as strips of text were now visible above each tent opening.
"You have a minute to decide on each entrance. Go now!" The players immediately began to make their way to the first entrance that existed behind McHallyboo with anticipation. Once at it, they read the text slowly with careful reading.
Go through here if it is treasures you seek,
Benefit self, or benefit team.
All of the players looked at it with a bit of confusion.
"Hmm, I like the benefit self part," Piantissimo said with a small grin.
"But it will probably also benefit the team as well, if one of us goes down it," Tiny Kong added. The players began walking down to the next tent path, only to be blocked by McHallyboo.
"What?" Piantissimo asked, annoyed.
"You cannot see the next one until someone chooses this one first," McHallyboo said sternly. The players looked at him, confused.
"All right, then how do we know what the rest of the others are?" Zess asked. "Didn't that occur in your mind, Mr. Hallyboo?"
"It probably did," Snifit spoke up, looking at the host. "One of us has to choose this one before we go on." Everyone looked at Snifit, then at the host who nodded, and knew that he was right.
"There are perhaps more treasures..." Eclair said silently, looking at Dashell. At her words, Dashell lit up.
"I want to see what the other paths entail," Dashell said strongly. "So not me."
"Me too," Tiny said, thinking. Everyone looked at Piantissimo.
"What?" he said, annoyed again.
"You were the one who expressed interest in this path in the first place," Snifit pointed out, speaking up. Piantissimo snickered.
"All right, fine, I shall take it," Piantissimo said with a laugh, stepping towards the tent pathway to everyone's surprise. "Because who knows what other misfortunes the other tent caves have in store. I'd rather be safe...than quite sorry." He then stepped into the darkness of the tent path.
"I'll see you all on the other side...probably richer than you." Within seconds, he was gone.
"Well, I wonder what the next one is," Dashell said, as everyone followed him to the next tent opening in store. They saw the text, glimmering up to them in little pieces of text.
Go this way for the plus one
Once inside, the duel's begun.
"Oh, I would like this!" Zess said, jumping up for the opportunity. "And plus, Piantissimo was right. I'd like to take this one then any of the others, which we don't know might hurt us! And I like the sound of this path anyway."
Dashell: I really had to wonder: Did she look forward to the "plus one" part or the "duel" part of the message more?
"A plus one?" Dashell said with consideration. "I'd like to...have something along those words." Snifit was still looking at the sign.
"Duel?" Snifit read with curiosity. "I actually might want it."
"Or me," Dashell said, still interested. Snifit looked troubled.
"Well, it's either you or me," Zess said, looking excited herself to step into the dark tent hallway. "So if you don't step up, I'm going to take this opportunity right here and right now!" Everyone looked at her.
"I think you should take it, Zess," Eclair said. "I believe most of us would like to see what else lies past here. Dashell, wouldn't you think so?" With a nod, Zess took her way to walk down the second pathway of the structure.
"Hmm, well." The four remaining players continued on, the third entrance being significantly closer to its previous one in comparison to the others. They looked at the text above it.
Come on in, look inside
Duel Person #2, and get your prize!
"Oh..." Snifit said, understanding its message. The rest of the players chuckled a bit.
"Uh-oh," Tiny said with a big breath. "Zess is not the one to be underestimated with. Remember in the Mario Party mission? She took that victory in Lava Tile Isle without batting a eye." The rest of the players agreed with a small nod.
"Maybe you can challenge her again for it," Snifit said silently with encouragement. Tiny looked at him.
Tiny: Perhaps I could. Or maybe talk to her about things. Maybe this won't be too big of a duel. I want to try and get closer to Zess in this game.
"Okay, I guess I'll go," Tiny decided, beginning to make her way into the small tent opening. "Just...wish me luck." She stepped inside, hesitantly, but then was gone.
Tiny: I had no idea what my path entailed, so I was hoping it would give me somethin good...which is kind of rare in this game.
"Three left." Dashell, Eclair, and Snifit started to make their way to the next opening in the tent, a considerable distance away to the tent's large expanse. Finally, they reached opening #4.
"Oh..." Eclair said with dismay, as the three of them looked at the tent message above them in disbelief.
You should have chosen earlier, you see
Because the person who enters gets a minus three
"REALLY?" Dashell exclaimed, looking up with non-believing eyes. He bowed his head in defeat.
"How can this be?" Eclair voiced, her eyes in worry. " A minus three...that is almost death in this game." But the messaged shined true above them.
"We must decide." Dashell looked up, facing Eclair with dismay.
"I can take it," said the sudden voice of Snifit, and Dashell and Eclair both looked at him with a mystified faces.
"You...you what?" Dashell stuttered.
"Snifit! We cannot allow you to sacrifice like that," Eclair protested with concern. "That is not the right way to determine such a fate. Please, let us decide together." Dashell coughed.
"Well umm, on second thought, if he wants to..." Dashell began. But Snifit only shrugged in reply.
"I have had two exemptions getting to my very spot right here...well, three if you sort of count the bribe," Snifit told them, shrugging again. "If anyone's to take it, then it should be me. One of you getting a minus three...that would kill one of you, wouldn't it?" Dashell and Eclair still looked troubled by his words.
"Don't worry: the quiz comes down to who knows the Mole or not. And I know who the Mole is." He took his first step towards the tent's fateful opening.
"Are you sure?" Dashell repeated, looking at the player with a sad smile. Snifit nodded.
"Yep, and no second thoughts. Choose the other paths wisely." Dashell and Eclair both looked at each other with a small smile, appreciative of their faithful teammate's sacrifice. Snifit went into the hole of the tent, and he disappeared. The minus three was upon him.
"He...did not have to do that for us," Eclair could not help saying. Dashell grabbed her hand, and the two of them walked to the penultimate exit within the tent. They looked up, holding their breaths at the message above it.
To heed everything: minus one lies entailed,
Even no treasure, even rich sparkles,
Hear enrichment, real enrichment
And vital clues are here for you
"Vital clues..." Eclair repeated, her eyes lighting up. "Do you believe...this path is useful?" Dashell nodded slowly.
"Yeah, this path definitely sounds useful," Dashell said, though his voice showed reluctance. "But...I'm not so sure about that minus one part."
Dashell: A minus one. Yikes. That's just going to kill me on the quiz.
"I do not like..the sound either," Eclair realized herself. "But... we must remember that is all comes down to knowing who the Mole is on the quiz. And if we know, then we can survive." She gave Dashell a hopeful smile. Even after a few seconds though, Dashell still looked reluctant
"Well...stiiiiiill..." Dashell groaned. "A minus one." They both looked to the ground.
Eclair: He seems nonchalant about the game, but he is not. He would never risk his spot in the game.
"I will go," Eclair decided firmly, stepping forwards. "It must be one of us. And I see..I see great reward in this." Dashell looked uncerain.
"But a minus one...Eclair, that might hurt you you," he countered.
"Perhaps it will..." she considered in a voice of defeat. "But...maybe there are clues in this pathway that are more valuable than any exemption in this game. And if there are...then perhaps I will get a clue that will counter this minus one forever." With a deep breath, she stepped forwards.
"Good luck, Dashell." She stepped towards the opening path of the tent with another smile and wave, she disappeared into the walking darkness. Dashell was left standing alone.
"Well...with safety, to my path," he said out loud, to himself. He walked to the final entrance that awaited him, and next to it, McHallyboo stood. Dashell groaned as he walked his way over.
"An exemption offer?" he assumed.
"Oh, no no no," McHallyboo said, chuckling. "Just here to wish you luck. Luck, before you enter this...final tentway." Dashell looked up to read the sign above it.
When you walk inside, things will be new
For there will be a change in you.
"Hmm..." Dashell read, then let out a little smile of determination and challenge. "I'm not an easily persuaded person. Let's see if they can change the way I think about this game."
"That, exactly, the tunnel will do," McHallyboo stated, grinning. With just a single look back, Dashell stepped into the final pathway of the large tent.
Piantissimo walked down the dark corridor, more pitch black than he imagined it to be and in darkness compared to the bright lights of McHallyboo's tent. He tried to make his way around, only to stumble upon one single bump in the tent's floor. He tripped and fell forwards.
"Argh!" He let out a little shout. Then, still in darkness, he got up with a bit of embarrassment.
"Phew...no one saw that, at least," he reminded himself with a little laugh, and then stood up, only to be suddenly attacked by a large glowing brightness. He shielded his eyes from the sudden light in front of him.
"HELLO PLAYER. PLEASE. CHOOSE." The floating text of words, hovering in the air before Piantissimo, was seemingly between two pathways that the single walkway had split into. One path lead to Piantissimo's left, and one to his right. The screen then started to change, flickering little bits and then slowly letting out more mysterious projections to its sides.
"Huh...? What is this...?" Little holograms of images began to appear at each of the two entrances, and along with the pictures were words as well.
Piantissimo: It seemed to look like there were two choices for me to choose from, and depending on which path I chose, the option would be activated.
"10,000 COINS ADDED BACK TO THE POT", Piantissimo read, looking at the path to his left. And then without turning his head, his eyes caught attention to the words that floated within the path on his right.
"5,000 COINS TO YOUR PERSONAL POCKET". Piantissimo almost gasped.
"Oh golly," he said, his eyes lighting up with a bit of excitement. He sat down for a little bit on the floor of the tent, a hint of confliction on his face.
Piantissimo: Ay. What would the others think? It is always the question of, "What would the others think of what I do?"
"Well, you see, the players would forever be unaware of my actions and choices in this tunnel," Piantissimo spoke to himself out loud. "I could simply always say that there was nothing in this first pathway." He then paused for a little bit.
"But on second thought, the sign at the entrance said that I would either play for the team or myself..." Piantissimo realized. "They'd completely be suspicious if I said that nothing existed within this pathway!" He shrugged.
"But never mind. I will think of an answer to tell them before I reach the end." Piantissimo finally lifted his leg, then with a certain step, went towards the path of dextral proportions. After taking a few steps even further down the path, all of a sudden he felt a large lump of physical matter form in the pockets of his own pants, and after a small second, he realized what it was. He had taken the 5,000 coins.
Piantissimo: True, it was a wrong move and rather Mole-like, but how are you going to survive in this game if you keep on making team-like contriutions? I just didn't want the others to know about my choice, because all they will do is blame me and whine to me...that is what players do when they are stingy!
Zess was making her way through the tent walkway, a bit challenged with the wavy texture of the walls and floor which seemed to bounce up and down.
"It's so dark..." came another voice from the path beside her, and she froze for a second.
"Well, I'll be...is that...?" She looked through the darkness and saw the shape of a figure, walking towards her slowly as well. It was Tiny Kong.
"Zess?" Tiny Kong, within the small amount of light, appeared into view. The two players seemed stunned at each other's appearance, Tiny Kong less so than Zess.
"My pathway say that I'd be challenging you for the Plus One," Tiny Kong said with a voice of certainty, not bothering to keep the information secret to Zess T. "But see, I want you to...have it if you want it." Zess looked at her, surprised.
"Is that so?" she said, a little precariously. In the dark, Tiny Kong thought hard and nodded.
"Yes...it is," she replied, swallowing hard. "I just want to seem a bit more trustworthy, that's all." Again, Zess seemed a little surprised, if not slightly suspicious at her words.
Zess: Tiny Kong: you can never tell if she's telling the truth or not at some points. Her words did seem a little odd. Regardless of her strange demeanor, I let her give me the offer. Hopefully it was a smart one.
"Well, it'd be nice to have a Plus One in this game, no doubt about that," Zess began, "but I would like to earn it. A bit fairly, shall I say." And then she pointed to a sign behind them both, against the wall which she had discovered earlier. In the dim light, Tiny read it.
Race to the end, but don't end in disaster
A plus one awaits: which one of you is faster?
"A...race?" As Tiny Kong looked at Zess, she had a determined look on her face in the dark. Tiny Kong suddenly realized, and she was ready.
"Get ready, Ms. Kong...get set...GO!" And the two players, almost like two kids in a bouncy house of racing obstacles and actions, had dashed off.
"Oomph." Snifit felt the walls beside him begin to bounce heavily, as if two players were making their way rapidly across a part of the tent. Now balanced again, he continued to walk.
Snifit: I didn't expect much, since I already lost three points on the next quiz. Whether that would actually hurt me or not was questionable.
Then, while walking further, something popped up that made Snifit look at it curiously. It was bright, and it flashed to him like a carnival sign. The words were in his eyes.
Subtract a -1 off your score...and subtract 5,000 coins from the pot even more.
"Oh..." Snifit didn't know what to think. He looked at the sign, then at the end of the tunnel. Then, he noticed the red button which appeared at the bottom of the sign, and engraved into it written in white ink was the label "+1". Snifit understood.
It was the darkest of each of the six pathways which the players could have encountered, the path that Eclair walked into. The walls were not flowing like the others, but more rigid and stable, as if the walls of an underground chamber or pyramid with secrets. As she felt her away along the walls with uneasiness, she came upon something with her hands, and backed away in panic.
Eclair: I had felt something...strange on the wall.
"Is this..." All of a sudden, she shielded her eyes at the bright light that formed before her, being emitted from the wall-placed object. She backed away, then opened her eyes in surprise. It was a frame, and within it, words seemed to glow like magical hieroglyphics to her. She read it in mystified awe, getting the valuable message from the Mole themself into her head.
EVERY MOLE JOURNAL HAS A CLUE
Eclair blinked, and the glowing letters were gone.
Eclair: And then I realized...each clue would only shine out to me for a few seconds.
"I must remember it quickly," she reminded herself Back in the darkness, Eclair kept her hand on the left side of the wall and continued on. Not being able to see, she could only use her hand and her walking feet to bring her forwards in the cave-like pathway. It wasn't long until her hand touched another frame, and she backed away from it with realization.
"Another one," she gasped, and the light and the letters shined out once again to her. She scanned her eyes quickly to read the message.
WHERE A PINK MUSHROOM WAS STARTS A LINE OF MOLES IN IMAGE
"Oh no..." The lights shut off, and Eclair realized that she was too late in reading the entire clue. She paused for a moment, trying to remember what she had read, before continuing on down the path.
"I must read faster," she told herself with even more determination, and she continued on, hand on the wall as it seemed to curve down a small path. Then, after a few moments, her hand encountered another frame. Her mind ready, she stepped back to read its message.
COMBINE A MOLE'S CREATION WITH A MOLE'S PURCHASE, AND A TRIPLE THREAT YOU RECEIVE
"Huh?" Then, the lights went out for a third time. Eclair continued on, her hand keeping on the side of the wall in hopes of finding another clue.
Eclair: These words...probably did not mean anything to me at the moment. But I am sure that when the time comes, they will mean so much to me than I would ever hope.
"A sign..." In a slow, faint growing light, it wasn't a frame this time that shined to her, but a message that she read that floated in the air before her. She read it with eyes of shock and uncertainty.
Rid your minus one, and 10,000 coins is fast spent. Or keep it for the reverse of fortune.
Eclair: And then it is choices like these that test your will.
As Eclair continued out of the tent, with her left hand continuing against the hard wall, she did not realize that the wall on the right had it own framed, unseen clues as well, yet to be discovered and never to be seen. Clues that would have assisted her pinpoint the very agent of the game.
"I won't divulge anything until McHallyboo is here," Piantissimo said, obdurate in decision to Tiny's questioning. Suddenly, the tent behind them shook slightly, as they all turned around. Snifit protruded from the next exit of the tent.
"We thought we lost you in there," Zess said in tease, seeing Snifit walk out of the immense tent with a little look of confusion and relief. Piantissimo and Tiny Kong noticed him as well.
"What..." The sight took Snifit by surprise. Green land stretched out for perhaps a mile outwards in radius from the tent of McHallyboo. It was no longer completely a land of blankness, but the sky and their horizons, for all it was, were still white. Tiny Kong laughed, seeing Snifit's confused look.
Snifit: This game gets weirder by the minute.
"I asked for some green land," Tiny Kong told him. "I was creating a bit of this world when you were gone to the producers. This land was so...bleak." Snifit nodded, looking around.
"Hmm, thank you," Snifit told her.
"Eclair!" Zess realized, going up to the player who had just protruded. Taken back by the green grass a little as well, she slowly Eclair joined the others.
"So what was in your tent path?" Zess asked her, going up to her side with an eager face. Eclair faced her, hesitating a little.
Eclair: I had to protect secrets that were in the pathway. I did not want to lie to Zess, but I had to for my own benefit in this game.
"Oh..." Eclair began quickly. "It was...not much. There was just...biography information of all of us. It was not of much use." Zess, making a face of disinterest, backed away with a shrug.
"Well, that's that," Piantissimo laughed, looking at the others. "Perhaps my pathway was the best over all of yours!" Eclair secretly smiled.
"And you're so sure..." Zess said, glistening her plus one in the air and showing it off to the others. Everyone except for Tiny Kong looked at it with surprise.
"Where did you...oh, never mind," Piantissimo finished. The five players waited outside the tent for a few moments, reflecting upon their own individual pathways and the prizes they had achieved. But one person was still unaccounted for.
"Say, where's Dashell?" Zess asked out loud, the obviousness of the absent player still on their minds.
"He should be out by now..." Eclair stated, worried as she looked at the tent exit.
"Do you think he's lost?" Snifit asked everyone. Piantissimo shook his head.
"Hmm," he said. "If he entered last, then it's reasonable if he's-"
"I'm here!" Dashell shouted, coming out of his tent exit and into the presence of the others. "I'm out. It's all good!" He walked over to the others, looking overall content to see them. But instead of greeting him, the rest of the players looked at him with stunned faces and didn't say anything.
"I took a strange turn, and so I got lost...but then...and...McHallyboo gave me an exemption." He smiled, looking at the other five. They were silent.
"I'm totally kidding, guys," he joked, shaking his head with a chuckle. "There wasn't an exemption." He laughed nervously, but everyone's face was still in a mystified look.
"You all can...relax now." His face slowly turned to one of nervous confusion as well.
"Hey...guys?"
"D...Dashell?" Tiny Kong stuttered. She stood her ground, and so did most of the others. Zess peered at him with speechless words. Piantissimo's mouth was dropped. They all looked at him, their faces in pure disbelief. Something had changed that none of them could believe.
"...are you...?" Snifit realized, and he stepped backwards with wide eyes. With confusion, Dashell turned to Eclair, seeing her mouth over her hand in shock. Dashell's face immediately turned to one of fear.
"Wait...what?" Noticing something different, he took a step back, then noticed something much to his unfamiliarity. Unexpectedly, he tripped over his own feet backwards, landing onto the grassy ground in a dazed moment of confusion. He struggled to get up, trying to use his own hands to get him back onto his feet. Then, suddenly, he knew, and his eyes were in disbelief.
He looked down at his own body. Dashell stammered.
"No...it's...no...it's not...it's not possib..."
He was human.
...So. Hehe. Don't think you saw that one coming? Most of you are probably thinking along the words of...WHHAAAATTTT?!
I'll leave most of the thinking to you guys! But yes, what a way to end this chapter!
I actually had more than one alternate variation of how this final scene of this chapter was going to play out. One was McHallyboo changing Dashell right there and then in the beginning of the episode while explaining the rules, and the other being a gradual change throughout the chapter. But I settled with this final version, and I liked this one the best!
Anyways guys, let me reply : )
sixthsense6: You were hoping for Dry Bones' departure?! How could you?! Hah I'm just kidding and have nothing to say, since I was the one who executed him. And you say your final statement and suspicion with such certainty ; ) haha. Of course, you may just be on the right track, but I can't say if you are or not!
FredtheMontyMole: Finding themes in my story? What is this?! Hehehe. No, thanks for finding the optimism symbolism : D I smile cause I feel warm now. And your Snifit theorizing statements...now, I must say that your review gave me major goosebumps for some reason. Like some creepypasta going on. LOL. Don't ask how, but I wanted to cry. But I did laugh heavily at your line of " I mean, they DO all look the same..." True, and it doesn't help that some Shy Guys look like Snifits too. Anyways, wow, yeah. Serious creepypasta feelings for some reason, and even though I know the truth about it all already!
Dark Punxysaur: I'm impressed that Zess is in the game too, Mole or not! Yes, sometimes players just surprise you, don't they? Oh, and you didn't call Piantissimo Jerkface! Ah, that's a first! And weren't you the one to nicknake Dashell Dashie? I swear, I subconsciously accidentally saw Dashell's name as Dashie in your review.
Guest: Oh goodness! Thank you for those spelling fix-ups! I'll be sure to get to those as soon as possible x.x hehe, I tend to rush when I want to deadline a chapter, thanks! Also, about Dry Bones saying, "Three...two...go!" Nope, that's just his quirky character! Nice point out! : ) Oh goodness, you are giving me some major spine-chilling Zess images lol, and NO YOUR REVIEW IS NOT CRAPPY AT ALL! I absolutely loved reading it! : ) Genuinely do. And no, I'm afraid I have not read the Maze Runner D: but I will google it, hehe.
Elemental Queen: You welcome! And your logo, ah, Queen Elsa, of ice and elegance! Quite appropriate of last episode's events, heh.
Luigenius: Your first line made me go, "Ohhhh dang... (flies away on glider to escape Luigenius' grasp)" but haha no it was awesome! What a tremendous review, both in suspicion of a certain player and then blaming me in the end. So for that readon, I deviously smiled reading your entire thing, not going to lie. Your line, "pull the rug from under my feet and dash my dreams when I realize I've been living a fantasy" also made me smile, but in an awesome-imagery way! I like your thinking! And no, please! Top 3 suspecting always makes sense in my opinion in any stage of the game...except for the final episode of course xD But yes, I love your suspectings, for all the good and wrong reasons.
PaloozaChu : Birthday whoo! And yes, ahah! The shipper! Aww, that makes Dry Bones even more special in my eyes now. We need people like him in our real world too, to put people together (it's funny cause I'm a bit of a real-life cupid in my own personal life, and I compare myself to Dry Bones a lot).
Fanfict1315125: Of great and late Merry Christmases to you! : ) and yes, some people even began to rise Dry Bones on their list of suspicions even more. So I think it was quite a surprise for a bunch too! And ah yes, more clues are more good, no?
NintendoMLP: Hi there! Thanks so much for your reviews! : ) I'm quite happy you were able to catch the other seasons as well before this one, that's awesome! It's also such a flattering and happy feeling to me! And your comment about being better than the real Mole...well...PFFT...I can't take that flattery. I will die if I do. Ah, anyways, I'm so glad to hear that you've enjoyed my past seasons and I hope this current season gives you as much of a thrill as well! Ah, Yoshi, that sneaky saboteur...to have gotten him from the start deserves you a cookie, so I'll give you one as a first prize! ; )
FireKai: Stop apologizing, you're already awesome! Hehe : ) And aww yay! The funniest thing in the world is that I've never really written a true romance fanfic. So I tend to always sneak in these subtle romances into other-genre stories that I have. It's rare, but when I do, I guess I've practiced enough and succeeded in making them so xD Nothing like real life though, haha! (my reali-life romance life is rather...cough...non-existent but currently proud, which surprises me on how I'm able to form such fictional relationship dynamics)
Vivalahomestar: Ah, I am so sorry about that! I usually give good gifts T_T I promise, hehe. But it's okay, I cursed myself too by executing Dry Bones and putting myself in a moment of sadness as well. I will...miss him. And theorize no more! Well, at least for this first part of the episode. I guess the "change" in the players was quite apparent in one of them, hehe ; )
Anyways, yes, this episode takes it twists and turns. I would like to say that in this special episode, there will only be THREE PARTS to it instead of the usual five. Which means, the next execution is due in two parts
But, do not underestimate the power of this episode. Because there are fewer parts, a LOT will be in store for the final six players in this special time of the game before one of them has to go.. Just what final thoughts can they get? And what sudden insights on the Mole?
Stay tuned for next part!