*Chris's Recap
"Last Time...On Total Drama Crios Cath…
"Our whopping cast of 36 contestants arrived on the island for what will be one of our most unique seasons yet! Or well, 35 of them did. Thanks to an error in the documentation, Ahmed was sent off to Survivor, while we got Bryan Huey, a nearly fifty years old adult, so we thought 'hey, let's force *ahem* I mean encourage him to play the game in Ahmed's place! Haha, can't wait to see how that turns out!
"Nui Kaua winner and professional bitch in a business suit, Katrina Sears kicked off the start of the game by delivering the news about Crios Cath's first big twist! Six lucky losers would start their game off in the Shameterannean! Those six ended up being:
Danny, a plucky country musician,
Nathan, an optimistic young man who has the face of Sin itself,
Mathilda, a mute chick who does all the talking she needs to do with her baseball bat,
Lorelei, an analytical woman who is capable of determining a good plan of action for just about any situation, but crumbles when situations change drastically,
Harald, a confident and venomous young lion tamer with a flair for waxing poetic,
And Shelby-Lynn...a girl who was so adamant about being the first one voted off, that Harald fulfilled her prophecy for her when he shoved her down a Pit of Peril, causing the first elimination of the season, before even a single Tine Naofa Bonfire Ceremony!
"The rest of the campers were divided into five clans
Cumhachtach (/kuum-hok-tok/), the Clan of Strength, led by Tiberius Vult, as their first King
Mealltach (/mii-yal-tok/), the Clan of Beauty, led by Rose Rare, as their first Queen
Ffydd (/feed/), the Clan of Spirituality, led by Franchesca Polermos, as their first Queen
Cfrwys (/sif-wris/), the Clan of Cunning, led by Jeremy Ramsay, as their first King
Alltud (/al-tuud/), the Clan of Exiles, with no King or Queen to call their own.
Now, all 30 contestants above ground, and the five below, are left with nothing but their resourcefulness to survive the harsh conditions of Crios Cath. They'll have to work together to survive, but only one lucky contestant can conquer this primitive island and claim the million dollars and the Crios Cath Crown! Their journey truly starts right here, right now…
On Total!
Drama!
Crios Cath!"
*The Survivor Theme Ancient Voices Begins Playing As the Crios Cath Theme Song Starts*
As the beginning horns start blaring, various shots of Crios Cath from above are time-lapsed and shown through the screen, notably the highlands, the forest, the bog, the lower fields, the desert, and underground.
Cumhachtach
A red figure holding a red stag skull flag is shown, before the camera zooms in so only the image of the flag is on the left side of the screen. Meanwhile, the right side of the screen pans over the lands that Cumhachtach owns, before showing its remaining members in alphabetical order, doing various tasks.
Avi is tending to the fire pit in one shot, and seen struggling as he hangs from a tree branch in a second shot.
Bryan is busy fixing up a shelter roof in one shot, and leading a charge, pulling a large package by a rope in a second shot.
Frag is putting in effort to freehand climb up a cliff in one shot, and drumming on a large rock while smiling in a second shot.
Michael is throwing an object as if it were a baseball in one shot, and crouching and peering through some bushes in a second shot.
Stan is side-stepping through water and rallying the rest of the team in one shot, and harvesting some wheat in a second shot.
Tiberius is swinging his greatsword in one shot, and is seen soaking wet and shouting angrily in a second shot.
Mealltach
A green figure holding a green dryad flag is shown, before the camera zooms in so only the image of the flag is on the left side of the screen. Meanwhile, the right side of the screen pans over the lands that Mealltach owns, before showing its remaining members, in alphabetical order, doing various tasks.
Alice is seen twirling her hair suggestively as she looks at someone off-screen in one shot, and breaking out into a sprint through sand in a second shot.
Anemone is tying her curly black hair into a ponytail in one shot, and shouting from atop a tree in a second shot.
Jarri is seen picking fruit off of a tree and examining it in one shot, and tossing a spear in slow motion in a second shot.
Molly is hard at work carrying buckets over her shoulders in one shot, and gasping for air as she emerges from the ocean water in a second shot.
Rose is seen playing with a large conifer branch as though it is a fan in one shot, and is running along, clapping and shouting in a second shot.
Roxanne is cracking open a large nut in one shot, and holding her fists before her head in a fighting stance in a second shot.
Ffydd
A blue figure holding a blue shaman flag is shown, before the camera zooms in so only the image of the flag is on the left side of the screen. Meanwhile, the right side of the screen pans over the lands that Ffydd owns, before showing its remaining members, in alphabetical order, doing various tasks.
Ani is rubbing two sticks together fervently to make fire in one shot, and is mercilessly cutting his way through hanging swamp vines in a second shot.
Franchesca is pulling swamp kelp out of her golden hair in one shot, and candidly posing confidently in her remarkably clean pure white dress and shoes in a second shot.
Indigo is laughing as he sits cross-legged around a fire pit in one shot, and is using a mortar and pestle while looking at someone off-screen in a second shot.
King pulls an incredibly healthy looking carrot from the ground in one shot, and is raising both his arms up in a cheer in a second shot.
Morgana is gulping down water from a bucket in one shot, and solemnly holding what seems to be a spiritual communication ritual in a second shot.
Setsuna is shown curiously looking at a trap in the ground in one shot, and calmly firing an arrow from a bow in a second shot.
Cyfrwys
A yellow figure holding a yellow king and queen flag is shown, before the camera zooms in so only the image of the flag is on the left side of the screen. Meanwhile, the right side of the screen pans over the lands that Cyfrwys owns, before showing its remaining members, in alphabetical order, doing various tasks.
Aria is quickly turning her head to look behind her, her twintails whipping around as she does so in one shot, and is cupping her hands while shouting so loud her face is going red in a second shot.
Jeremy is drawing what appear to be strategy doodles in the dirt in one shot, and is seen standing tall and calling out as he raises a hand straight into the air in a second shot.
Kalyssa is waving semi-flirtatiously at the camera in one shot, and is swinging a club at something hidden in the grass in a second shot.
Laura is tasting a porridge she's cooking in one shot, and is seen measuring something in the distance using her thumb in a second shot.
Mateo is washing the clan's clothes in a makeshift washbin in one shot, and is beckoning someone off-screen to charge up a hill towards him in a second shot.
Prof is seen stretching as he emerges from the tall grass in one shot, and is silently looking at the camera while slyly putting a finger to his lips in a second shot.
Alltud
A dull grey figure holding a dull grey broken chain flag is shown, before the camera zooms in so only the image of the flag is on the left side of the screen. Meanwhile, the right side of the screen pans over the lands Alltud owns, before showing its remaining members, in alphabetical order, doing various tasks.
Angelo is hauling sandstone in one shot, and harmoniously playing a violin in a second shot.
Axel is crouched over and brooding by himself in one shot, and confusedly looking over a map in a second shot.
Carol is facing off against a giant scorpion while holding a makeshift spear in one shot, and is energetically cheering her team on as she sidesteps with them in a second shot.
Gazella is looking up at the stars in the night sky and pointing at one excitedly in one shot, and log tossing a full tree quite a distance in a second shot.
Maggie is busy dusting off her stone slab bed in one shot, and organizing various makeshift tools in a second shot.
Ryuji is seen cracking open a cactus with a large rock in one shot, and covering his eyes as he laughs and points at something off-screen in a second shot.
Shameterranean
A white figure, holding a druidic artifact, is seen falling down into what appears to be some kind of underworld, before the camera zooms in so only the underworld image is on the top half of the screen. Meanwhile, the bottom half of the screen pans over the Shameterranean caverns, before showing the remaining players trapped there, in alphabetical order, at the moment of their elimination and doing various tasks.
Danny is seen falling from a pull up bar and landing in water in one shot, and strumming his guitar while his surroundings are lit by glow worms in a second shot.
Harald is seen diving from a pull up bar and landing in water in one shot, and pushing Shelby-Lynn down a Pit of Peril in a second shot.
Lorelei is seen falling from a pull up bar and landing in water in one shot, and hiding behind a rock, peering intently at some off-screen threat in a second shot.
Mathilda is seen falling from a pull up bar and landing in water in one shot, and raising her bat threateningly in a second shot.
Nathan is seen falling from a pull up bar and landing in water in one shot, and pounding his fist against the cavern wall, activating a stone door in a second shot.
The camera zooms out to reveal that all the figures and underworld were part of the same picture, the season logo connecting them like a belt.
Total Drama Crios Cath
Location: Glas Woods (Clan Mealltach Territory)
Contestant(s): Alice, Frag, Jarri, Molly, Rose, Tiberius
"Hey, ladies!" Tiberius called, forcing Rose and Jarri to exchange similar glances of shocked worry. "Don't mind us, we're just here to take some wood for our hut, and of course, enjoy the view."
"What the actual fuck is this?" Molly whispered to her clanmates. "Aren't we not allowed to tread on other clan territory?"
"Molly, calm down." Alice sneered at Molly to rile her up. "That's another clan's King right there. We play our cards right, and he can dish all sorts of information!"
"Oooh, ooh!" Jarri raised her hand at Rose expectantly.
"Yes?" Rose raised an eyebrow.
"Let's trap him here!"
"Let's not do that." Molly disagreed. "Let's trap the other one if you want to trap someone."
"Well, as Queen," Rose flexed her title, "only I have the authority to do anything right now. I haven't decided who else to grant that privilege to."
"Tiiiiiiiiiimberrrrrrrrr!" Frag yelled as Tiberius chopped down a nearby tree.
Rose frowned as she weighed at her options.
Confessional: Rose: Clan Mealltach
"Neither one of them is particularly attractive, so I'm not sure about forcing myself to spend time with either, but Alice makes a pretty good point. Tiberius is Cumhachtach's King. He also won that heat yesterday, and he seems...simple. We can probably get him to spill whatever his advantage in the game is."
End Confessional
"Hey, Tiberius…" Rose called. "You feel like staying around? Chopping trees must be hard work, so you should rest up here until the next challenge."
"That doesn't sound too bad." Tiberius snorted.
"Tiberius, dude, we kind of have to get this tree back to our place first." Frag responded. "We need a roof over our heads."
"Oh, ne-" Rose, about to say nevermind, was cut off by Molly cupping her mouth.
"No, do it anyways. They came all the way over here to ogle us. Make them pay the price for it!"
"But they won't have a roof, Molly!" Alice feigned offense at the suggestion.
"And you stop doing that!" Molly groaned. "Fine, whatever, I'm going to go see how Anemone and Roxie are doing on the conifer huts. I'll probably pitch in if things are going too slowly."
"I kind of think you should do it, too…" Jarri muttered as Molly left the area.
"As ruthless as Molly might be…" Alice snickered. "She's got a point. We can't let them get away with stuff like this!"
"Alright ladies, sorry for your time!" Frag announced as he and Tiberius hefted up the tree they had felled.
"No!" Rose stood up. "By the order of the Queen of Mealltach, I command that Tiberius remain in our camp until the challenge!"
"Pfft." Tiberius laughed. "That's a riot. Again, I'd love to stay, but I gotta keep my subjects out of trouble first-"
"We have one!" Chris announced from a helicopter as he flew by overhead.
"Tiberius...you may not be aware of this, but just like your special ability to head nearly anywhere on the island, Rose's ability is to trap other contestants at her campsite until either a challenge, or a bonfire ceremony occurs, whichever is closer."
"Then why can't I just leave? I can go anywhere, can't I?" Tiberius asked.
"Normally," Chris informed them. "But your power is static and unchanging. You don't have to activate it, so Rose's power takes priority."
"Okay, McLean, I follow so far, but what's that mean for me?" Frag asked up at the chopper.
"Like I said before" Chris repeated. "Tiberius's power is static and unchanging. You have to stay with him if you want to continue enjoying the freedom to go to other territories. Of course, if you don't want to be trapped in a separate team, you can always choose to eliminate yourself and head to the Shameterannean!"
"I...I think I'm good being stuck here." Frag decided.
Confessional: Frag: Clan Cumhachtach
"So, of course Tiberius made us head to where the women were to get wood that we could have gotten literally anywhere else in the forest, and now we're both freaking trapped in their campsite until the challenge finally happens. I'd bet my bottom dollar that the guys back at Cumhachtach Camp are using this opportunity to look for some sort of immunity medal."
End Confessional
Location: Shameterranean
Contestant(s): Danny, Harald, Mathilda, Nathan
"Ooh, oh merciful fresh water…" Nathan found a small underground pond in the dark caverns under the island. Nearby was a small fire pit. "Must be one that the ancients used when they were down here." He reasoned as he began to work on lighting a small fire of his own. "We're gonna stay hydrated guys…" He looked into the camera and gave a thumbs up. "Hydration is important. Especially as I go look for the resting place and the Druidic Artifact. Might as well just call it a DA for short though."
Confessional: Nathan: Shameterranean
"This whole situation is kind of terrifying now that I think about it. I'm underground, I can sort of hear action going on above me, but I have no sense of direction right now because this whole cavern system is completely new to me. Maybe running off on my own right away wasn't the best idea, I'm lost as all heck right now."
End Confessional
After a brief time lapse of Nathan lighting a fire, and using an old hollowed out rock as a bowl to keep water in to bring it to a boil. A soft strumming echoed in the caverns.
Nathan perked his head up.
"I'm hallucinating, aren't I?"
"No, I hear it too." the intern behind his personal camera said.
"I'm going to check it out." Nathan decided. "Island gods know I could use the company of another contestant."
Meanwhile, in another section of the cavern, Harald had managed to find Mathilda, dragging her bat behind her so that she'd be able to find her way back to the entrance of the cavern if she got lost. "Oh, my poor silent lamb doesn't even realize the trail of blood she's leaving for sharks to follow." He warned her.
Mathilda stopped and leaned over her bat at Harald expectantly.
"Oh, you don't know?" Harald grinned. "Lorelei, she pushed Shelby-Lynn down a Pit of Peril, and she's going to go for you next, since you're the other small girl."
Confessional: Harald: Shameterranean
"Oh how the puppets dance on their strings for the hand that moves them. This method of elimination suits my style quite perfectly, deceive the gullible and reap the rewards of their work by appearing a savior!"
End Confessional
Mathilda's eyes widened at Harald's warning. She bid him to continue with her hand.
"Oh, she's a ruthless one, that ice queen" Harald smiled. "Why, she nearly got Danny too, but he was able to get away in time, lucky for him. I'll try and also see if I can't find and warn him about her nefarious plots!"
Mathilda gave Harald a thumbs up and bid him off.
She walked away, smacking her bat in her palm.
Finally, she decided to head back the way she came, with a confident, determined smile.
Nathan soon appeared in the area that Harald and Mathilda had just left, listening for the music.
He crept through the caverns, peering into the dark, dank caves of the Shameterranean until he found the source.
Danny was softly strumming a guitar, sitting on a rock. Only a few glowworms illuminated the area.
"D-Danny?" Nathan asked. "Is that really you?"
"Gahhh!" Danny shot up against a cavern wall. "D-don't, don't hurt me!"
"I'm not here to hurt you!" Nathan walked up towards him. "I just want some-"
"Away, giant!" Danny shouted as he picked up his guitar and sprinted down a path.
"Danny!" Nathan tried to run after him, but Danny bolted. The cavern walls halted him from going forwards. The redundancy and unfamiliarity conquered his vision. Lost and alone in a half-lit area.
"I just wanted someone to hang out with." Nathan sighed to himself, before getting angry. "Why is it that my size and intimidation always scare people off before they have a chance to know me?! GAH!" He slammed his fist into the cavern wall, and felt the rock his hand landed on push inwards. Slowly, a secret stone door began to descend, revealing a small passageway into an alcove of the Shameterranean.
"Whoa…" Nathan's eyes widened as he entered. At the far end of the alcove, there was a small hole to the surface, letting the sunlight in from above. Nathan shielded his eyes. "Is this the true resting place?" He asked, only to find the bittersweet answer right away as he noticed a small stone altar with a wooden bucket, sign, and two slips of paper.
"Congratulations!" He read off the sign. "You found one of the many secret areas of the Shameterranean! One of these will be the true resting place of the druidic artifact, but this one is not it! However, that doesn't make it any less important! These holes and buckets can be found in each secret alcove, and they provide you with contact to the players above ground. This hole connects up to the western portion of the Neart Highlands! On this altar lie two advantages in the game. One grants a player an extra vote at an elimination ceremony. The other lets a player block a vote at an elimination ceremony. You may choose to take one or the other, but if you do, you must send the one you do not take up in the bucket. You could send both up if you're feeling generous as well."
"Well, Cumhachtach was the clan up north near Neart…" Nathan reasoned. "And I feel like I probably would have been there if I hadn't fallen, so let's help one of their player's out a bit."
Nathan assessed the advantages.
Vote block, or extra vote?
"Well… I think...this one should go to me for if and when I get back up to the surface….and this one can be sent up to someone who might need it right now."
He placed one scroll of paper into the wooden bucket and pulled the rope, causing the rusted pulley screech. As it reached its destination, the bucket tipped and the clue fell out and onto the ground.
Nathan smiled as he brought the bucket back down and pocketed the other scroll of paper for himself. "I really hope that helps someone." He sighed as he left the alcove. "Now to see if I can't find my way back to my fire." He sniffed around, trying to see if he could smell the smoke.
Location: Ionad Desert Border Sands (Clan Alltud Territory)
Contestant(s): Angelo, Axel, Carol, Gazella, Maggie, Rose, Ryuji
"Is everyone ready?" Gazella asked as all of Alltud grouped up together. "We're about to explore the perimeters of our territory, do we all have our buddies?"
"Yes!" Axel and Ryuji called out.
"Yes!" Carol and Maggie called out.
"Yeah, we have our buddies." Angelo nodded from beside Gazella.
"Alright. We remember our plan? Angelo and I will take the east. Axel and Ryuji take the west, and Carol and Maggie find out exactly how close to the bonfire we can get. Remember to hydrate constantly. Hydration is important!"
Confessional: Gazella: Clan Alltud
"We're in the middle of the desert, so that tip applies to us even more than it applies to the other clans, but right now, the only clan that matters is our own! A clan without Kings or Queens! A clan without tyranny!"
End Confessional
"Right!" Alltud all cheered. "3...2...1...Goooooo Alltud!"
Carol and Maggie waved as the other pairs went off in opposite directions.
"Alright!" Carol smiled at Maggie. "Time for us to head towards the center of the island. Are you ready for a desert adventure!"
"Well, I sure hope I am!" Maggie tried to give the same positive energy to her response as Carol gave to the question, but her shaking voice betrayed her words.
"Hey, hey…" Carol patted Maggie on the shoulder. "We're gonna have a blast alright? We get to sneak towards production and stuff, and if we're lucky, we can overhear info about the challenge they're planning, and hey, if we don't get caught, we might be able to sneak some wood from Tine Naofa for our own fire! Those interns aren't supposed to talk, which means they also can't call for help!"
"That...sounds really risky…" Maggie smiled, albeit a little nervously.
"I know, right?" Carol's grin widened. "It sounds awesome!"
"For now, let's patrol our perimeter." Maggie laughed. "Maybe we'll come across something interesting."
"Yeah, like ruins or something!"
"I mean...maybe!"
The two girls giggled as they commenced their mission.
Confessional: Carol: Clan Alltud
"Maggie is nice, so hopefully I can help her get a little out of her comfort zone and feel more at home here on this island as we play this game for the million dollars. I'd definitely want to take her to the final two if I could, but mainly I just feel like we really get along and want to be her friend."
End Confessional
Confessional: Maggie: Clan Alltud
"Carol is so sweet and caring, and I'm having a blast hanging out with her. I'd say she's a little reckless, to be honest, so hopefully I can set a better example and rein her in a bit, but I'd love to go to like the final two with her if I could. Mainly though, I'm just happy to have made a friend so soon."
End Confessional
Elsewhere, Gazella and Angelo were exploring the eastern edge of the desert.
"It's come to my attention…" Angelo said as they approached the border while he and Gazella walked north along their border. "That we really don't have much shade…"
"I'm less concerned about shade and more concerned about firewood. This is the desert. It gets frigid at night out here. We're going to need to stockpile as much fuel for a fire as we possibly can, and we'll need to keep it going all night. I wonder if-Oh! OH! LOOK! ANGELO, LOOK!" Gazella pointed to where smoke was rising from the forest. "That's gotta be the Mealltach camp, let's go see if we can see them from our place!"
"Alright, time to speed up and see the hubbub." Angelo nodded.
The two jogged along the sands of their border until they finally had a view of the Mealltach campsite in the distance, though it was too far to make out any figures. Except for one.
Rose was further away from the others, washing her face in a stream.
"Well, nothing here for us right now…" Gazella shrugged. "If she was a little closer, we might have been able to call to her, but let's leave them be for now."
"Yeah." Angelo nodded as he stared at Rose.
Confessional: Angelo: Clan Alltud
"If absolutely nothing else can be said about him, Tiberius knows how to pick them. I appreciate the beauty of that Mealltach Queen. I wonder if I'll find her personality as attractive as her appearance."
End Confessional
"Why do we have the west end?" Axel lamented as he Ryuji walked down the western edge of the Ionad Desert. "I can't see a single villain for miles."
"There's one right there!" Ryuji pointed.
Axel turned. "I don't see any- ahhh!" He shuddered as Ryuji splashed him with some cactus water.
Axel glared at Ryuji.
"Do not. Do that. Again."
"Sorry, sorry, but like, you really need to lighten up, dude." Ryuji laughed.
"Can't lighten up when I know that at least one ass-muncher has control of an entire clan. You should try to be more serious about this."
"In that case, I'll lay off for now, but you do need to be in a better mood around camp. More people to help you in your quest to take down villains if they like you, you know."
"I'll keep that in mind, I suppose." Axel sighed.
Confessional: Axel: Clan Alltud
"If being amicable will help me achieve my goal faster, then, by all means, I will be an incredible team player, but make no mistake, my goal is not now, nor will it ever be to make friends. I will eliminate every villain here...no matter what it may take."
End Confessional
Confessional: Ryuji: Clan Alltud
"Yeah, sure, maybe that was out of nowhere, but I'm this guy's buddy by choice for a reason. He needs to learn to lighten up or else people will want to vote him out when we lose, and as much as that makes it easier for me to pull pranks and stuff, it won't help us as a unit to lose a physical person like Axel. I just want him to realize that playing nice with his team is going to help him take down his baddies later. Well, that and an excuse to pull some more pranks. All work and no play makes Ryuji a dull boy, and Ryuji hates dull."
End Confessional
Location: Cloch Mountain Range (Clan Cumhachtach Territory)
Contestant(s): Avi, Bryan, Michael, Stan
While Avi gathered firewood from various fallen branches and trees in the mountains, Michael and Stan searched for some kind of immunity medal, though they were quick to hide if either one of them got close to the other or to Avi.
Eventually, however, the two of them ran into each other.
"You're supposed to be getting wood for the fire." Stan eyed Michael suspiciously.
"Well, you're supposed to be getting wood for the shelter." Michael retaliated.
The two partook in a small staring contest, before Michael finally sighed.
"Listen, keep this one discreet okay, but I was looking for an idol. We can't afford to have Tiberius of all people wielding the power of Cumhachtach King."
"I'll agree with you there." Stan nodded. "Cumhoetach needs a ruler that we can depend on, not one who goes off with Frag and then doesn't come back. It's been hours by now."
"So you were looking for one too, then?" Michael asked.
"Of course." Stan puffed his chest up. "I'm not stupid."
Confessional: Michael: Clan Cumhachtach
"I mean...he pronounced Cumhachtach wrong, but I'll let that one slide for now."
End Confessional
"Then, maybe, we can both agree to not let anyone know that we've been looking for idols." Michael suggested. "This meeting never happened, and we're both still value assets that our armor wearing zealot should keep around for as long as possible."
"Agreed." Stan nodded again. "We're simply making sure we only grab the very best wood for our shelters and fire."
Confessional: Stan: Clan Cumhachtach
"And once our settlement is truly complete, I'll resume my hunt for immunities and advantages because I need them. I need to win this. It's what I have to do."
End Confessional
In the meantime, Avi returned with some firewood and tended to the fire while Bryan worked hard, largely by himself, on a large shelter for Cumhachtach to share.
"Avi, I fear we've been left to ourselves for the time being." Bryan sighed.
"Ah, fine by me." Avi waved his hand. "I tried to find both Michael and Stan, but it seemed like they both were doing their best to avoid me. Small minds rarely differ, I suppose."
Bryan snickered at the remark. "Even so…" He cautioned. "They are our teammates and we should at least try to keep some faith in them."
"Speaking of faith…" Avi smiled as he took out a small scroll. "Take a look at this. I found it near a small sinkhole while I was collecting firewood. I think someone down there might have some faith in us."
Confessional: Avi: Clan Cumhachtach
"I'm sure it was someone down there, I'm sure of it! I looked through the hole and saw this whole little alcove, with, like, this stone altar and stuff, along with a bucket and pulley system for bringing things up or down! I tried calling out to anyone who might have been there, but they must have been long gone or something because no one came. I'll try again later though, because if the people down there really do send little advantages up, then I definitely, definitely want a friend below ground."
End Confessional
"Oh wow!" Bryan's brows rose. "What is it?"
"It's an extra vote advantage." Avi smiled. "I play it at elimination and I can cast an extra vote. So let's say we're tied with Tiberius 3 to 3 or something. With this extra vote, we could avoid being sent home because of that stupid 'Kings and Queens automatically win tiebreakers' rule!"
"I understand the implications behind the advantage, Avi." Bryan laughed a little. "But this definitely warrants some further investigation on our end. Whoever sent us this...they want to help out someone on Cumhachtach, and we need to let them know that we're thankful for it."
"Do...we have anything we can sort of toss down there as a thank you? Like some food that won't be destroyed by the impact?"
"I don't know about food…" Bryan gestured the somewhat barren highlands. "Or even tossing things down the hole for that matter. But we might be able to help our anonymous friend by figuring out that clue about the Shameterranean that Tiberius won and sharing it with them when we have the ability to."
"Oh, yeah!" Avi's eyes lit up. "That's a pretty good idea, we just have to make sure that we aren't caught trying to peek at it, so it would have to be at night when he's asleep."
Confessional: Bryan: Clan Cumhachtach
"It's important to show thanks to the people that help you. It's even more important to not let Tiberius get any more of an edge than he already has."
End Confessional
Location: Glas Woods (Clan Mealltach Territory)
Contestant(s): Alice, Anemone, Frag, Jarri, Molly, Roxanne, Tiberius
The camp was at work pitching their conifer huts against trees. Rustling leaves and branches echoed throughout the forest with each passing breeze. Chirping birds serenaded the ladies, as well as the two Cumhachtach men.
The women worked up a sweat, retrieving logs and fronds.
"Here, lean 'em against this tree." Roxanne called.
Anemone peeled some moss from the trees.
Jarri threw another log into the area.
Molly collected the fronds.
Alice created some rope out of reeds.
Everything was in order. . . Well, almost everything.
"Here ladies! COMING THROUGH!" A few birds flew out of the forest. Tiberius snatched rope out of Anemone's hands. "Lemme give you a helping hand!" He captured a large piece of bark from Roxanne's hands.
Everyone else present stopped what they were doing to watch this obnoxious man and whatever the hell he was about to do, Frag especially so, worried about the scene Tiberius might cause. Whether it be staring while standing with materials, or staring while holding something in place.
By jamming his sword through the piece of bark and into the tree, he was able to weave up a conifer hut entirely on his own.
Frag raised an eyebrow, but eventually walked away from the situation with a facepalm.
Confessional: Frag: Clan Cumhachtach
"It especially confuses me as to why someone like Tiberius wants to help, but I guess helping is better than doing nothing."
End Confessional
Confessional: Tiberius: Clan Cumhachtach
"I'm in a shelter building mood! Plus these fine ladies will dig it. Not sure why Frag isn't building. That flaky beta cuck."
End Confessional
Frag walked deeper into the woods to help collect more bark.
Jarri returned from her promenade for bark, her arms loaded. "Some teammate you got there."
Frag shook his head. "I really don't understand him." A few pieces of wood fell from Jarri's clutch. She tried to catch them with her knees, but Frag caught them instead. "Here, let me help you with that." Frag held his arms out.
Jarri hesitated, but smiled back at Frag and handed him the bark.
Confessional: Jarri: Clan Mealltach
"At least not all the men on Cumhachtach are testosterone-filled, chauvinist assholes like Armor Man over there."
End Confessional
The two stepped back into the camp as Tiberius helped Roxanne by laying down some wood as she interlocked the branches. Jarri attempted to blow some hair out as the wind blew it in. "As jerk as he is, at least he's got a bit of a heart.
Tiberius sprinted up to Jarri and snatched her bark. "Lemme get this one from you," he winked, "beautiful."
"THAT FREAKING SKEEZE!" Jarri stomped over to where Anemone was at work and threw the moss at the hut-in-progress.
Frag chuckled a little at the outburst. "Unfortunately, I think this all might be eyes instead of heart." He aided Anemone in weaving the twigs together.
Jarri smiled. Frag's little joke cured her anger. "I'm Jarri!" She held out her hand.
Frag shook. "Frag."
Confessional: Anemone: Clan Mealltach
She leaned her back against the stall with her notepad resting along her thigh as she wrote. "Interesting. Interesting."
Postpone Confessional
The two of them made their way out of the clearing for more bark. Frag wiped his sweat. "So how's everyone here?"
"Um," Jarri tilted her to where the canopies of the trees allowed a small amount of light to peek through. "Rose seems to really like her title as queen. Roxanne is a cool chick. Very helpful and strong. Alice doesn't really seem to like Molly. I don't really get it. Yeah, she's a little grumpy, but she's still cool, y'know? Anemone is also kinda, eh? Not that there's anything wrong with her. I just haven't really gotten an impression beside her just writing stuff down."
"Yeah, I wish I could talk more about my guys, but, well, we kinda spent all our time getting over here."
"You must be tired."
"A little, yeah."
"I know a stream near here. Let me take you there."
"But the shelters-"
"I'm sure everyone would understand. Beside Captain Brute over there seems to know what he's doing. You're a guest after all!"
Frag smiled.
Jarri stepped around him and stopped. "And, hydration is important!"
Resume Confessional
Anemone was still fervently writing. "Something seems to be going on over there. Perhaps an alliance or sparks? Maybe both. I'm not gonna stop them or anything. It's just something to keep in mind. For now, my subjects have left. Time to find some new subjects."
End Confessional
Anemone hid behind a tree and peered around. "Interesting . . . We have a weak link over here."
Alice struggled with a log, pulled from Jarri and Frag's pile.
Of course, this behavior caught the sights of the strongest man there. "Hey, dolly," Tiberius lifted the log over his shoulder. "Need a little help?"
Alice brushed her hair past her hairline, and looked up at Tiberius as her lashes clung to her eyebrows. "I need all the help I can get. I'll weave the branches for you while you act all big and strong."
Tiberius placed the log against a tree. "I got it, doll, don't worry."
Confessional: Alice: Clan Mealltach
Shudders.
End Confessional
"It should be you who shouldn't worry." Alice lifted the rope she was braiding earlier. "I'm great at tying knots." With the single rope, she was able to keep the hut up. Alice let out fake, exaggerated pants as she wiped away some similarly fake sweat.
Tiberius pulled a rag from within his armor. "Here you go, doll."
"Thank you," Alice fake wiped, "but most guys would offer their shirts for a woman like me."
"I don't take off my shirt. I have my armor on, after all." Tiberius banged his armor causing a few more birds to depart the Mealltach territory.
Alice laced her arms around his shoulder. "Then, perhaps, we should get going in one of those huts."
"Nah, gotta get a hut for everyone." The so-called 'armor man' snatched another log, this time, from Molly. He winked at her. "I'll take that from you, baby-girl."
"We can make huts, too, y'know." She placed her hands on her hips.
"Molly! There is no reason for you to be so hostile! We wouldn't have half of anything done if it weren't for Tiberius."
Tiberius looked down from his chin. "That's right!
Confessional Molly: Clan Mealltach
"I don't understand her deal."
End Confessional
Confessional: Tiberius: Clan Cumhachtach
"Such feisty women, fighting over a king such as myself. Today is a good day!"
End Confessional
Tiberius pulled another hut together as Alice approached him, trying to make her eyes appear as large as possible. "You're not gonna talk to me?"
Tiberius dislodged his sword from the tree. "'Bout what?"
Alice huffed. "How are the other guys in your clan?"
"There isn't anything to talk about those scum. Avi is chicken weak. No clue how he got onto Cumhachtach. Definitely the first out, if we even lose, that is! Frag is a lazy-ass. Bryan is so old! Stan is boring! And Michael doesn't listen to a single damn thing I say! Or let me say anything for that matter!"
"Well, I'll listen to you~"
Confessional Alice: Clan Mealltach
"What a loose screw he is~"
End Confessional
Confessional Anemone: Clan Mealltach
"I got more here than I bargained for: information about Cumhachtach and Alice. She accumulates all the secrets. I need an alliance with her! Question is: how do I get into an alliance with someone like her?
End Confessional
Anemone scribbled all her thoughts onto her notepad.
"HEY!"
Anemone jumped.
It was Roxanne. "You gonna write all day or are you gonna help with the shelters?"
Before Anemone could answer, Chris's voice overtook the island. "iiiiiiiIIIIITTT'SSSSSSS CHAAAALLENGE TIME~ Meet me on the battlefield- I mean, the Tine Naofa Bonfire Pit in 30!"
Location: Tine Naofa Bonfire Pit
Contestant(s): All Above Ground
"Welcome, clans above ground!" Chris announced as all five clans gathered at the Tine Naofa Bonfire Pit. "We're about to start your very first challenge! Can I get the Kings, Queens, and Alltud front and center right now?"
Tiberius, Rose, Jeremy, Franchesca, and all of Alltud stepped forwards.
"My explanations of challenges, for this season, will always be part of the betting process. You, as the rulers of your clans, will be asked to bet acres from your currently 6000 acre territories. The clan that wins the challenge will be able to take as many acres as they bet from the losing clans, starting with the clan that comes in last place. However, a clan only needs to give up as many acres as it bet, so if the last place clan, say, bet 100 acres, and the first place clan bet 400, those 300 other acres would come from the second last place clan, and so on until all acres have been settled or until all losing clans have given away all their bet acres."
"I have a question." Jeremy called out as he raised his hand. "How many acres are we required to bet, what's the minimum? Also, since I'm King, I could choose to heed my people's counsel, right?"
Confessional: Jeremy: Clan Cfrwys
"The simple truth is, I can't trust my clan to not want to just get rid of me right away. I need to show them, through my actions, that I'm not someone they need to worry about, like say, Tiberius, that armor guy, or that Franchesca girl, she seems too absorbed in her faith to pay attention to what her people might want. I plan to be different. I need to be different."
End Confessional
"Well, Jeremy," Chris began to explain "You are required to bet at least 100 acres, and all bets must be a multiple of 100 in acres. So 100, 200, 3500, whatever floats your boat. You could even bet all your acres entirely! But I wouldn't do that if I were you, because if a clan loses all its acres, it'll be dissolved amongst the other clans, and its ruler will be sent straight to the Shameterranean, and that's not even counting the elimination ceremony that clan would go to if it was also in last place for the challenge! It's even worse for Alltud, if it happened to them, they'd all go to the Shameterranean! To answer your other point, Jeremy, yes. Kings and Queens can heed counsel of their subjects, but make no mistake, the decision of how many acres to bet is yours alone. Alltud however, your decision must be universally agreed upon by all clan members, or you'll be excluded from your portion of the challenge and go to elimination with whichever clan comes in last place."
"Oh, that's right." Maggie nodded. "Our challenges are sort of different than the ones the other clans get, right?"
"Different, and harder!" Chris chuckled. "Take this one for instance! At each cardinal direction of the island is a giant stone slab for the clans to haul back here to Tine Naofa! The last one of them to get their slab here will head to the Tine Naofa Bonfire Elimination Ceremony. Your job, Alltud, is to make sure that no clans reach the finish before an hour passes! If you can accomplish that, congratulations, your clan will be considered first place! However, if you cannot accomplish this task, you and the last placing clan of your competitors will both go to elimination!"
"So basically, things are just harder on us physically for no reason." Ryuji sighed.
Chris shrugged with a smile.
Ryuji shrugged back.
"Anyways." Chris turned towards the kings, queens, and Alltud. "Now that you know the challenge, it's time to bet your acres of land!"
"Alright men, and Avi." Tiberius turned towards his clan. "What do you guys say we should bet?"
"I...I think I'm too shocked by the fact he's actually taking counsel to be mad about the jab…" Avi whispered to Bryan.
"Let's count our blessings, I guess." Bryan whispered back.
"We're a strong bunch...I think we can afford to go a little big at least." Frag suggested.
"Yeah, definitely at least 1000." Michael agreed.
"I'd say we could probably reach up to 5000." Stan argued. "We're the strongest guys aren't we?"
"Well, we can't forget about Alltud over there." Bryan pointed. "Axel lasted nearly as long as Tiberius did on those bars."
Axel gave Tiberius an 'I'm watching you' gesture as he looked up from his own clan's huddle.
Tiberius glared back at him with a cocky grin before turning back to his own clan.
"Given what I'm hearing, I think a bigger bet is in order." He snorted. "How's 3000 sound, fellas?"
Cumhachtach all seemed to agree.
A similar conversation was happening over at Mealltach.
"We... we aren't full of very strong players right now…" Rose looked over her clan. "Aside from maybe Roxanne and Molly."
"We have the best biome with the forest here." Alice pointed out. "Let's not bet away too much of it, because we may not be able to get it back so easily."
"We shouldn't bet the minimum either though." Roxanne pointed out. "We can't let the other clans think we're playing too conservatively."
"I say we bet 1000 at the very most." Molly suggested.
"Molly!" Alice fake gasped. "That's way too high for a starting bet!"
"I said at the very most!" Molly tried to defend herself.
"Look, let's just calm down you two, okay?" Jarri tried to mediate. "How about a 300 to 600 range?"
"Seems a little on the shallow end, but it's not like we really need more land or anything." Roxanne conceded.
"300 it is then." Rose nodded.
Ffydd's conversation was going remarkably differently in that it wasn't happening at all.
The rest of her clan watched as Franchesca prayed.
"Oh Lord of Light, Gamata, shower your knowledge upon us and grant us the amount of land that is to be our bet."
"This is ridiculous." Ani crossed his arms. "Literally every other ruler is heeding the counsel of their people, but we get the one who thinks our opinions are worthless."
"Ja…" King looked around nervously at the other members of his clan while Franchesca prayed silently. "I don't like feeling osynlig. Er-...invisible, yes that's the word in English."
"We have reached our bet!" Franchesca announced to her clan.
"Wow, cool!" Indigo's eyes sparkled.
King and Ani looked at each other.
"Gamata wills it! We shall bet 1600 acres."
"1600?" Setsuna asked.
"Isn't that a little...much considering our team's build?" Morgana worried.
"Gamata will help us persevere." Franchesca dismissed their concerns.
"Let's at least have faith in our ruler for a single challenge." Indigo smiled at the other women.
Setsuna and Morgana looked at each other.
Cfrwys's conversation was also much shorter in length.
"Are any of us strong?" Jeremy asked his subjects.
"Kind of." Mateo's hand rose.
"Do any of us have a high endurance?" Jeremy asked.
"What about mental endurance?" Prof asked.
"No, physical endurance." Jeremy corrected.
Nothing.
"I think this is a challenge we might want to bet very few acres on if that's the case." Jeremy looked over his team. "Any suggestions?"
"Well, which clan is most likely to lose to us?" Laura pondered. "It would be best to determine the kind of biome we'd be getting our acres from."
"Probably Mealltach or Ffydd if it's not Alltud. And we can get some shade from both those clans."
"If it's Alltud though" Aria pointed out. "Aren't we just only going to get desert acres? It'd be a pretty big waste to bet anything only to find out the land we won isn't land we'd ever want to use."
"And then there's our own land to worry about." Kalyssa mentioned. "If we come in last, we can't let whoever wins take any super important resource rich acres away from us."
"Then I think we'll probably do 100 acres as the minimum right now. We can bet more acres when a challenge better suited to our clan's strengths appears. Sound fair to everyone?"
"Sounds fair to me." Laura shrugged.
"Guess so." Prof smiled.
"Okay, good job guys, we agreed on a number to bet!" Aria gave a thumbs up.
Alltud meanwhile had long since all agreed on their bet, and the clan of exiles was waiting with smiles for the other clans to be finished discussing their own plans with each other.
"Alright!" Chris announced. "Discussion time is over, what are your bets? Tiberius we'll start with you."
"3000 from Cumhachtach." Tiberius replied as he stood tall.
"300 from Mealltach." Rose announced softly.
"1600 from Ffydd!" Franchesca announced. "So sayeth the will of Gamata."
"100 from Cfrwys!" Jeremy called out as he raised his hand.
"Alltud, how about you guys?" Chris looked over at Alltud.
They all looked back at Chris and a chorus of their voices shouted "1000" back at him.
"Great!" Chris smiled. "Then let's get everyone to their positions and we'll get started!"
Challenge: In It For The Long Haul
Rules: The four clans apart from Alltud will work together to haul stone slabs from assigned cardinal directions of the island towards the Tine Naofa Bonfire Pit. The last clan to reach the pit with their stone slab will be sent to elimination. Alltud will attempt to stop them for only one hour. If they successfully stop all teams from reaching the bonfire pit within that hour, they win the challenge. If not, they head to elimination with the last placing team.
Starting Locations:
Cumhactach is starting from the North
Mealltach is starting from the East
Ffydd is starting from the South
Cfrwys is starting from the West
Alltud is starting in the Center
Hindrances:
Cumhachtach- Axel and Gazella
Mealltach- Maggie
Ffydd- Angelo and Carol
Cfrwys- Ryuji
Wagers:
[6000] Cumhachtach: Tiberius bet 3000 acres
[6000] Mealltach: Rose bet 300 acres
[6000] Ffydd: Franchesca bet 1600 acres
[6000] Cfrwys: Jeremy bet 100 acres
[6000] Alltud: Everyone bet 1000 acres
Location: Everywhere On The Island
Contestant(s): All Above Ground
As the war horns signaled to start the challenge, all four clans at the cardinal directions began to drag their large stone slabs across the island with great effort.
"Heave!" Tiberius shouted as he, Frag, and Bryan led the other three members of the clan. "Heave!"
Meanwhile, Roxanne was doing her best to rally the rest of Mealltach as they struggled to bring their stone slab along their designated path.
"Come on women, we've got this!"
"Easy for you to say!" Alice panted. "I'm too delicate for things like this!"
In the center of the island, Alltud had created a game plan for who to send to which clan. Axel and Gazella, the strongest physically, would go try to hinder Cumhachtach. Maggie would take Mealltach on her own. Angelo and Carol would go to Ffydd to deal with King and Ani. Finally, Ryuji would be sent towards Cfrwys.
As Angelo and Carol arrived at the Ffydd clan's location however, they realized just how little they might need to do.
"It is with your blessings that we will start and end this challenge in the greater competition for the million dollars, oh Gamata." Franchesca was leading a group prayer to her deity even as Ani and King tried to go about the challenge on their own, making minimal progress.
Confessional: Franchesca: Clan Ffydd
"There is no challenge, ceremony, or meal that does not fall under Gamata's sphere of influence, and to forsake prayer in His name is blasphemy of the highest caliber. King and Ani will have to be further shown the ways of His Light."
End Confessional
Confessional: Carol: Clan Alltud
"Do we...do we even need to do anything here? By the time they're done praying, our role in the challenge will probably be half over!"
End Confessional
Meanwhile, Ryuji had managed to get an eye on the Cfrwys clan. They had gotten off to a rough start but were now making fair progress for their relatively weaker frames.
"Well..can't have that screw us over…" Ryuji muttered.
He peered at the designated track that the stone slab was to be hauled across.
The track divided in the desert where a crude sign was pointing the correct way for the clan to haul their slab.
"Never thought the day would come when someone could weaponize Chris's cheapness, but here it is." Ryuji shrugged as he switched the sign to be pointing in the opposite direction.
Confessional: Ryuji: Clan Alltud
"The people on Cfrwys are probably too absorbed in their own cunning status to ever think anyone would try to outsmart them. In fact, if they never see me, I bet they'll just write it off as us not wasting our time on them or something. That'll be what keeps them away long enough for us Alltud to win."
End Confessional
"Well...my work is done here…" Ryuji looked around. "Guess I'll go see how everyone else is doing."
After a couple minutes he'd reached a dune where he could see Axel and Gazella making their charge on Cumhachtach.
"Down, cur!" Axel shouted as he rushed toward Tiberius, who swatted him away.
"Dude, careful!" Bryan cautioned.
"I am the king." Tiberius warned. "I need to defend myself against the rebel cucks."
"I ain't no cuck, cuck." Axel got back up and slammed his fist into Tiberius' face, causing the armored king to stop in his tracks. "Gah, that does it!" He snarled as he charged at Axel and the two began to duke it out in the sands.
"Axel!" Gazella called as she did her best to stop the rest of Cumhachtach from gaining ground with their stone slab. "Focus on the people actually hauling the stone right now!"
Confessional: Gazella: Clan Alltud
"Geez, I hope the others never have to put up with this."
End Confessional
"Oh, so that's what you guys are doing for shelter?" Maggie asked as she worked on her own plan to distract Mealltach by just being friendly and nice and getting them to gossip.
"Yeah, conifer shelters." Jarri nodded. "You should have seen the one that Tiberius did all by himself."
"Tiberius helped you?" Maggie's eyes widened.
"Well, Rose sort of kidnapped him using her power, so it's not like he had much else he could've done over at our place. What about you guys? I haven't heard squat from Alltud yet."
"Well...we've been sort of sleeping in these group huddles near this one oasis, but we're trying to work on a shelter of our own too. It requires a lot of sandstone though and getting the sandstone from one part of the desert to another isn't easy."
"Yeah...hauling stone...not fun…" Alice agreed through pants.
"It might be easier...if you knew to breathe when you exerted force." Molly chided.
"Molly!" Alice gasped through a pant. "Don't be so mean in front of a guest!"
"I'm not-, I-, ugh, just shut up and heave!"
Maggie giggled at the bickering, only to find that everyone was gone when she opened her eyes back up again.
"Oh...uh-oh...where did they go?" She looked around.
Confessional: Maggie: Clan Alltud
"Sure do hope I did enough so that the hour will be up soon…"
End Confessional
"Carol!" Angelo called. "Carol, they're moving, Carol, they're moving!"
"What, really?" Carol rushed to Angelo's side to see the entire clan of Ffydd finally moving forwards with their stone slab.
"No, no, moving just yet guys!" Angelo rushed up to King as Carol rushed up to Morgana.
"We need to keep you occupied for at least a few more minutes, do you mind?" Carol asked.
"Gamata runs over those who oppose him!" Franchesca tried her best to keep her clan's momentum going.
"Yeah!" Indigo cheered.
"Let's trash talk later, right now we need to get to the center of that desert!" Ani rallied everyone.
Meanwhile, Ryuji was keeping an eye on Cfrwys from his duney vigil.
Cfrwys reached the altered sign.
Most of the clan pushed in the direction of the sign.
Most of the clan.
"Okay, clan, stop pushing." Jeremy ordered as everyone began to stop to listen to what he had to say. "Clearly we need to stay on the path."
"But don't we need to follow the sign!?" Aria gasped.
Confessional Aria: Clan Cfrwys
"I could see through the little prank too. Seriously, why would there be a sign and a path? But I wanna appear as innocent as possible," Aria twirled her blue ribbon, "and if I have to sacrifice my intelligence, I will!"
End Confessional
"Look, there's a divide and a sign, man." Mateo shrugged, though his grin betrayed his delight at disobeying his king.
"I don't know," Laura mentioned. "I think we should follow the sign. We don't wanna be further behind by going the wrong way."
"We follow the rules of the land." Kalyssa decreed as though she were the ruler. "If the land has a sign, we follow the sign."
"I believe we have already made the majority." Prof put a hand on Jeremy's shoulder. "Time to follow the sign."
"Bwahahahahaha!" Ryuji laughed as he noticed all of Cfrwys heading towards his dune and not the center of the desert.
"That was such a bad idea, you guys…" Jeremy mumbled under his breath before he was drowned out completely by war horns.
"That marks a whole hour!" Chris announced through loudspeakers. "Alltud has successfully kept any clan from reaching the center of the desert! They can enjoy the benefits of placing first and adding up to 1000 acres to their total! So the rest of you better get a move on if you don't want to be in last place!"
All the clans began to haul their slabs faster as they made haste towards the center of the desert.
Clans Mealltach and Ffydd both saw each other as the center of the desert came into view for them.
"Go, go, go!" Rose shouted at her clan as she sidestepped while they continued to pull the giant stone slab.
"Onwards, children of Gamata!" Franchesca called out.
"And…." Chris called from the center. "Mealltach is in second place!"
Cheers erupted from the clan of women as Ffydd also managed to cross the line.
"Ffydd, you guys are third." Chris smiled at them. "At the very least, you won't have to vote anyone off tonight."
"Shit!" a black-eyed Tiberius realized as he and his clan arrived over the dune to see the center of the desert. "The Cfrwys cucks aren't far behind us! Come on men, come on Avi! Don't be betas, be alphas!"
Confessional: Avi: Clan Cumhachtach
"Straight from the alpha douchebag."
End Confessional
"Frick, we gotta go faster!" Jeremy realized that Cumhachtach had a small lead on them. "We can out pace the strength clan if we give it our all, guys!"
"Ugh...it's so hot out though…" Kalyssa groaned.
"We have been giving it our all!" Mateo argued.
"Well, keep doing it and don't stop to argue!" Laura grunted as the clan kept their pace...only to be met with a charge of Cumhachtach members, led by Tiberius.
"Hngh…" Bryan stayed behind to keep pulling their stone slab as the rest of Cumhactach paired up with a Cfrwys member except Aria, who they deemed the weakest, and kept them restrained in grapples so that the stone slab could not be heaved.
"No way is Cumhactach losing right out of the gate in this show." Tiberius said in Jeremy's ear as he restrained him. "Enjoy elimination, nerd."
Tiberius's words carried as Bryan managed to cross the threshold.
"And Cumhachtach does it!" Chris announced. "Meaning that today's big losers are the CFRWYS CLAN!"
"Yeah, take that Shiverwuss!" Stan trash-talked.
Michael hid a smile as he looked into the camera, realizing Stan was having trouble pronouncing a clan's name again.
CHALLENGE RESULTS AND ACRE CHANGES:
1st Place: Alltud (bet 1000) [6000] - [7000]
2nd Place: Mealltach (bet 300) [6000] - [6000]
3rd Place: Ffydd (bet 1600) [6000] - [6000]
4th Place: Cumhachtach (bet 3000) [6000] - [5100]
5th Place: Cfrwys (bet 100) [6000] - [5900]
Location: Shameterranean
Contestant(s): Danny, Harald, Lorelei, Mathilda
The drips from the ceiling accompanied Mathilda's footsteps as she stepped through the dark caverns. Her brow furrowed at the lack of rhythm the water droplets had as they made contact with the damp floor.
The scene replayed in her mind: she would push Lorelei down a Pit of Peril before Lorelei got to her. She would be sure of it.
Her path led her to a split. Both sides were already marked by Mathilda's bat.
Her anger overflowed. She hit her bat against the wall next to her. It collapsed and left a small opening.
Footsteps accelerated from the right. Running... Person… Female!
Lorelei.
Mathilda ran in the same direction. Lorelei had shifted to walking when Mathilda caught up to her mark. Like a predator stalking prey, Mathilda made an effort to match her steps to that of her target, so that Lorelei would be unaware of her arrival. She got closer...and closer...and then her bat hit a rock she had not accounted for. The impact echoed against the walls.
Lorelei turned around.
Mathilda gulped and raised her bat.
"Oh, hey, Mathilda. What brings you . . . " Lorelei took notice of Mathilda's stance.
Mathilda charged forwards.
Lorelei drifted in and out through the paths of the Shameterranean, hoping to lose Mathilda.
Confessional: Lorelei: Shameterranean
"What did I do? Why is this bat wielding maniac chasing me? I didn't do anything!"
End Confessional
As she came to a more open area, Lorelei stopped.
The footsteps of her follower had long since vanished and were instead replaced by the strumming of strings. Lorelei didn't bother checking the abnormal sounds. She tipped back against the wall. The humid air entered her body. Mathilda was out to get her now. She can't just stay in one place. And if one person was dangerous, then the rest might also be dangerous.
Danny walked along his path, strumming along while he did so. "Hey, Lorelei! What's going on?" He asked in the same friendly tone he always had.
A wave of almost instant relief washed over Lorelei as she latched onto Danny's shoulders. "Mathilda just came after me, with her bat. For, like, ten minutes straight. I don't know where she is, but she'll probably try to eliminate me, and . . . and . . . "
Danny moved his guitar behind him, and held onto Lorelei's shoulders. "Hey girl, it's okay. We're all in this competition for a million dollars and-"
"But Mathilda looked mad. Like Oswald-Hubert mad. But that was boiled up over the season. I don't know what I ever did to her."
"Here, um, how about this? Let's find a small cave or something, and call that a home. Maybe then you could familiarize yourself with the area, and if she ever comes at you again, you'll know exactly which way to head. Being here alone and not knowing is pretty scary, huh?"
"Yeah, thanks Danny."
Lorelei stepped ahead of Danny and kept walking forwards at a slower pace than usual. Her legs still drained from the long run. She didn't even notice that she had stepped down a path unmarked by Mathilda's bat. Lorelei held her hand up against the wall, trying to find a good spot for her to potentially take shelter.
Lorelei's hand traced the wall of the cavern until she stopped, and felt a button. Her curiosity got the better of her and she pushed down on the switch. An alcove opened up.
"What the hell?" She read aloud the sign, similar to the sign Nathan read aloud earlier. Two scrolls rested on the altar: attached to one was an immunity medal while a fake immunity medal was attached to the other.
Lorelei immediately decided to keep the real medal. No reason to lug around the fake. Not like she could do anything with it. She placed it in the bucket and sent it up to the surface. She hadn't really paid attention to which area of the island she was sending the fake to, but she didn't really care, what mattered to her was her own immunity medal.
As she turned around, however, another thought occurred to her.
Confessional: Lorelei: Shameterranean
"Wow, finding a somewhat hidden shelter went better than expected! Now, to scan my area . . . "
End Confessional
"Lorelei?" Danny called as he walked around a different area of the shameterranean, the one Mathilda's bat had marked already.
"Danny?" Harald called. "Danny come quick!"
"Harald!" Danny ran up to where he'd heard the voice come from.
"Here!" Harald was hanging from a Pit of Peril. "I need help up, young man!"
"Right!" Danny nodded as he pulled Harald out of a pit.
"Harald, did you fall? Were you pushed?" Danny asked, worried.
"I...I think I was pushed…" Harald gasped. "Unfortunately...the hole absorbs all, even sight, so my assaulter has escaped this night."
"I think I know who it might have been!" Danny exclaimed. "Mathilda apparently came charging after Lorelei with her bat earlier, which means any one of us could just be, like, yeeted down the Pits of Peril if we aren't lucky!"
"That's terrible!" Harald gasped. "Then let's guard each other's backs as we get out of here. Here, you stand like this…" He positioned Danny so that the country boy was facing a Pit of Peril.
"And I'll stand like this." He put his back to Danny's. "This way, no one can sneak up on us. Our vision will be that of an owl's."
"Y-yeah, there are some good spots I know of just a couple yards that way…" Danny pointed. "If we can just-"
"Gahhh!" Harald shoved his backside into Danny, the force knocking the country boy down the Pit of Peril. "Oh, I'm sorry...I thought I saw Mathilda but it was just…"
He turned around to gloat at the eliminated country boy. "An opportunity too good to pass up."
Location: Lower Ceol Fields (Cfrwys Clan Territory)
Contestant(s): Aria, Jeremy, Kalyssa, Laura, Mateo, Prof
"Awww, why did we have to lose?" Aria pouted. "I don't want to vote anyone off yet!"
"That is the name of the game, my dear." Mateo smirked as the two of them tended to a small fire. "We go to challenges and when we lose, we cut out what we need the least."
Confessional: Mateo: Clan Cfrwys
"By which I mean, what I need the least."
End Confessional
"I know...and I guess I'm glad we didn't bet much land, so we didn't lose too many acres...but still…"
"We might not have lost if we hadn't been stopped by our King." Mateo suggested. "The rest of us all agreed to follow the sign, but he stopped us for a good ten minutes to have a discussion."
"Well...That is true…" Aria twirled her red ribbon.
Confessional: Aria: Clan Cfrwys
"I can see what this is from a mile away. Sometimes, these people aren't even subtle."
End Confessional
"Perhaps he should be taught a lesson the hard way then…" Mateo grinned. "His controlling nature cost us the challenge, after all. Vote him off with me, my dear."
"I...I guess I will." Aria agreed. "Not like I have any reason to vote for anyone else after all."
"So it's an alliance?" Mateo asked.
"Yeah, an alliance!" Aria smiled sweetly.
Confessional: Aria: Clan Cfrwys
"Except no way in hell am I letting that mop head parade me around like I'm some minion or puppet. I'll ditch this idiot as soon as he out-lives his usefulness. Also, he's gonna need better reasons than what he's given me if he wants to force my vote on me like that."
End Confessional
Confessional: Mateo: Clan Cfrwys
"That's one gullible puppet down. Two to go."
End Confessional
"Kalyssa…" Mateo walked up to Kalyssa who was raising a small stick like a club as she looked at a snake slithering through the grass.
"Mateo…" She responded without looking back at him or breaking her concentration on the snake.
"Clearly, Kalyssa, you were robbed of rightful queenship." Mateo stroked the princess's ego.
"I know right!?" Kalyssa groaned, finally breaking her concentration and letting the snake slither away.
"Well, what do you say that the two of us form an alliance to get you that throne you deserve so much?"
"Sounds wonderful, dear. Now run along...I need to make sure there are no more snakes. I refuse to let any of those filthy creatures into our shelter." She pointed to a grass mound that had been dug out earlier by the men of the clan.
"Excellent talking with you…" Mateo smiled. "I'll return shortly before Tine Naofa with voting plans."
Confessional: Kalyssa: Clan Cfrwys
"I do not know who he thinks I need to be told to vote for, but obviously, obviously it's Jeremy. Hello? That's my spot? He needs leave so that I can inherit the throne."
End Confessional
Jeremy, Laura, and Prof all sat around in the shelter as Jeremy drew doodles in the dirt.
"So if we had just actually stayed on the path...we could've been there in time. No guarantees of course, especially if they had still done the grappling thing, but there would have been less time for them to think of that strategy."
"I see…" Prof scanned the doodles. "I suppose sometimes it's not so safe to follow the majority rule."
"We aren't even supposed to be a majority rule clan anyways." Laura reasoned. "Since Jeremy is the King, all decisions technically are his to make. If we were disobedient to his will, then he should be free of blame for our loss."
"I don't know if I like the sound of that per se …" Jeremy conceded. "But I certainly wouldn't mind not being treated like some kind of evil mastermind by the rest of the team just because I was literally randomly made king."
"Well the good news is that there's three of us here." Prof comforted Jeremy. "That means when we all vote together as a block, you'll be safe no matter what. Kings and Queens automatically win tiebreakers, and only an immunity medal or something would save any of the bigger detractors."
"Prof is right." Laura put a hand on Jeremy's shoulder. "We had a rough start as a clan but we can get through this. Which of them should we vote off?"
"Kalyssa." Jeremy determined. "Aria seems the most socially aware out of the three of them so she's probably the easiest to reason with, and Mateo is better physically for challenges like the one we just lost. Nothing personal against her of course, it's just...it's for the good of the clan."
"Yeah, that makes sense." Prof agreed. "She really does seem to be the weakest link right now…"
"Yes. Unfortunate as it is, this moment is critical for us." Laura agreed. "Keeping the clan strong and healthy should be our top priority, and that includes keeping Jeremy in power. Quite frankly, I don't trust the other three with that kind of responsibility on their shoulders."
"Then let's break." Jeremy decided. "We still need to get a meal ready before Tine Naofa."
Confessional: Prof: Clan Cfrwys
"So there I was...about to go empty my bowels before dinner, and I was approached by Mateo. I'll give you three guesses as to who he wanted to vote off and the first two don't count."
End Confessional
"Forget, Mateo. I'm in good with the king, why would I vote him off?" Prof waved Mateo's hand away. "He wins tiebreakers for goodness' sake. Just play nice with him."
"It's precisely because he wins tiebreakers that you can't let him stay on." Mateo countered. "Think about this Prof...Imagine he wins this vote. He doesn't need you anymore. He wins tiebreakers. He'd only need one person at his side and Laura is already right there. Think you'd be able to push her out of the way?"
"Well, maybe with the help of some medals." Prof shrugged. "But on my own? Perhaps not. Still, I'm already part of that alliance. I need to protect my image."
"But your image won't need protection if it becomes a four to one majority, will it?" Mateo pointed out. "Just...think about it, Prof. You're a smart guy. You'll make the right choice."
Location: Cailleach Bog (Ffydd Clan Territory)
Contestant(s): Ani, Franchesca, Indigo, King, Morgana, Setsuna
"Setsuna, did you add more wood to the fire?" Ani asked.
"Oh…" Setsuna looked over to where a small pile of wood lay beside her. "It slipped my mind I guess."
"You guess?!" Ani's voice rose. "I spent what felt like hours rubbing sticks together to make that fire, and King and I have been tending it. Now it's your turn, and literally all you have to do is put in a log or two to keep it fed and make sure it doesn't go out!"
"Hey, calm down, Ani…" King walked up. "She probably forgot because she agreed to collect some berries from the nearby paddy for us."
"Oh…" Setsuna looked down. "I...uhm...forgot to do that one too…"
"You what?!" King's voice rose..
"Hey, hey, it's alright Setsuna!" Indigo came to her rescue. "Those guys are just mad about stuff they didn't want to do themselves."
"I...you…" Ani growled at Indigo. "Aren't you supposed to be busy following Franchesca around?"
"Oh, I've already begun my initiation into Gamata's ranks!" Indigo beamed. "He will show us the way!"
"The way straight to the cuckoo's nest." Ani grumbled.
"Now, now…" King led Ani away. "We don't all need to be here, we can all split up and get some relaxation and come together later. Our lands are fine, and we aren't about to lose any members."
"So…" Indigo leaned over toward Setsuna as King and Ani left the area. "You're really pretty."
"Thanks, I guess." Setsuna yawned.
"Do you, um...wanna go out?" Indigo asked.
Setsuna stood up, and decided she would. Outside the campsite, further into the bog.
Confessional: Setsuna: Clan Ffydd
"This was what he meant, right?"
End Confessional
Indigo hung his head as he got up and paced around camp until he bumped into Morgana, who was busy setting up a circular marking in the ground.
"Wh-whoa!" Indigo fell back on his butt before standing back up. "S-sorry, didn't see you there, haha!"
"It's alright." Morgana smiled. "Just be careful. I want the design to be juuust right."
"Right for what?" Indigo asked.
"Communing with spirits…" Morgana replied with a beam. "Like you just now were ghosted by someone, and that bumped you into me. Once the site is complete, I should be able to commune with the actual ghosts of the ancients who once lived on this island."
"Whoa, sounds amazing, Morgana! That's brilliant!" Indigo beamed and Morgana couldn't help but blush a little at the praise.
"Th-thanks, Indigo." She backed away a bit. "I think for now though, you should head back to camp and tend to the fire while Ani and King are out doing who knows what?"
"Y-yeah! Yeah I will!" Indigo perked up and rushed back towards camp.
Confessional: Morgana: Clan Ffydd
"He...he's a very nice boy, really. It's just...he certainly comes on a little too strong. It's kind of creepy."
End Confessional
"It's just…" Ani explained to King as they finally got away from camp. "It's just that she's shoving her belief down our throats at Every. Freaking. Turn."
"Well…" King backed away. "If you feel that your own faith in your deity is being brought into question, perhaps you need to strengthen it."
"That's not what I'm freaking talking about!" Ani shouted. "My faith in the God of Abraham is as strong as it's always been! But I can't stand that she's manipulating vulnerable people like Indigo into believing her deity without even trying to explain to him what her pagan belief system is even about!"
"Okay, OKAY!" King held up his hands. "English is not my first language, I misunderstood!"
"What is going on over here?" Franchesca appeared from the trees.
King and Ani both bombarded her with their stories at the same time to the point where she couldn't tell what was even being said, let alone who was saying it.
"That is enough!" She stomped her foot down, sending mud everywhere, and while some of it got onto King and Ani, her own pure white dress remained unstained entirely.
"The two of you need to be shown Gamata's light more than anyone else in this camp, which is why you will both join me as we watch the Clan Cfrwys go to elimination! I was told by Chris to find whoever I wanted to take, so follow me. The ceremony is about to start."
Location: Tine Naofa Bonfire Elimination Ceremony
Contestant(s): Aria, Jeremy, Kalyssa, Laura, Mateo, Prof
Watching: Ani, Franchesca, King
"Welcome, Cfrwys Clan...and Ffydd representatives…" Chris began. "To Crios Cath's very first Tine Naofa Bonfire Elimination Ceremony! I'll humbly ask that the Ffydd representatives present here at the courtesy of their queen only watch, and do not participate."
Ani, Franchesca, and King all nodded politely.
"Clan Cfrwys…" Chris motioned to torches behind the seats at the bonfire pit. "Go ahead and each of you grab a torch, dip it in the pit and get fire. In this game, fire is your life. When your fire is gone, so are you."
As the contestants did as Chris bid them, he began to explain the ceremonies. "In every elimination ceremony, there will be a vote. I will tally the votes and read them aloud to you. The player on your team that receives the most votes will have their torch snuffed and will be sent down into the Shameterranean, where they will have to contend with the other eliminated contestants in searching for a way back up to the world above ground. Everyone understand?"
Cfrwys nodded to show they understood.
"Then let's spend some time talking." Chris smiled. "What was that in the challenge today, guys? You fell for one of the oldest tricks in the book!"
"Not everyone fell for it, to be fair." Laura crossed her legs. "Jeremy saw through it pretty easily. It was the rest of us who just wouldn't listen to him."
"Still, he could have been more forceful." Kalyssa brought up. "And not have just let us spend ten minutes squabbling with each other."
"You know that's a double-edged sword, Kalyssa." Jeremy glared at her. "The second I appear forceful with any of you, you'd use it as an excuse to call me a tyrant and vote me off. That's the atmosphere that's been around you at camp all day."
"Kalyssa!" Aria gasped. "Why are you trying to take down our king?"
Confessional: King: Clan Ffydd
"I got confused for a second there. He's their king, but my nickname is King, so I was like, whoa, why is she so upset about me? I'm fine! Jaaaa...perhaps I need to study up on my engelsk."
End Confessional
"As you can see, Chris." Prof gestured to the rest of the team as Mateo stayed completely silent in a back seat. "Everyone here is fairly worried about the state of the clan right now. It's never fun, never fun to lose the first challenge of the season. Our only real blessing in all of this is that we'll be able to find out where we stand after the vote."
"And on that note…" Chris smiled. "It is time to vote. Laura, you're up first."
Laura went up, wrote a name down, and returned.
Jeremy was up next.
Confessional: Jeremy: Clan Cfrwys
"This vote is for you, Kalyssa. For no other reason, than that you're this team's weakest link. Don't worry, there's still a whole Shameterranean."
End Confessional
After Jeremy came back down, it was Kalyssa's turn.
Confessional: Kalyssa: Clan Cfrwys
"You are going down, Jeremy, and I am going to take your spot."
End Confessional
Kalyssa returned, and Mateo went up.
He wrote a name down, and returned to his seat.
Prof was up next.
He rocked his head side to side in thought, before deciding and writing down a name.
Aria was the last one to go up.
Confessional: Aria: Clan Cfrwys
"You aren't about to drag me into your petty little turf war, Mateo. I'm throwing my vote as I throw you under the bus with it. Bitch."
End Confessional
Aria came back and sat down, crossing her legs as she glanced at her fellow clan members.
"Alright." Chris announced. "I'll go tally the votes. Please remember that in the event of a tie between the ruler of a clan and another player, the ruler automatically wins."
Chris disappeared for a few seconds, but came back shortly.
"Alright, The votes have been tallied. If any of you have a hidden immunity medal and would like to play it...now would be the time to do so."
The players all looked over each other. Every one of them waiting for someone else to make a move.
No moves were made.
"I'll read the votes." Chris announced.
He took a slip of paper out of the jar.
"One vote for Jeremy."
He took out a second slip of paper.
"Jeremy. That's two votes Jeremy."
Jeremy, Laura, and Prof all looked at each other nervously.
"Kalyssa." Chris announced as he took out another slip of paper. "That's two votes Jeremy, one vote Kalyssa."
Chris took out another slip. "Mateo. That's two votes Jeremy, one vote Kalyssa, one vote Mateo."
Chris reached in and took out one of the last two slips of paper.
"Kalyssa." He announced. "That's two votes Kalyssa, two votes Jeremy, one vote Mateo, one vote left."
Chris looked at the final slip of paper.
"...The first person voted off of the Cfrwys Clan of Crios Cath and the newest member of the Shameterranean…" He began.
He paused for dramatic effect.
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
… "Jeremy." He revealed the slip to show Jeremy's name on it. "Jeremy, because you were the ruler of the clan, you can now will that title to one of the remaining contest-"
"Laura." Jeremy didn't need Chris to finish the sentence.
"Very well." Chris smiled. "Laura, you are now the new Queen of Cfrwys, congratulations. As for you, Jeremy, bring me your torch...the Shameterranean awaits."
"That right there…" Franchesca whispered to Ani and King as Chris snuffed out Jeremy's torch and sent him into the Shameterranean entrance. "That is Gamata's will at work."
Chris turned to look into the camera. "And with that, Cfrwys loses one ruler, and gains another. How will Laura fare now that she is in the coveted Cfrwys throne? Will Cumhachtach get their acres back? Will Ffydd learn to coexist? And how will Jeremy fare down in the Shameterranean? Find out next time! On Total! Drama! Crios Cath!"
*Jeremy's Elimination Confessional:
"I can't say I didn't see this BS coming. I knew being on the cunning clan meant being on a clan full of snakes. Thankfully, I know I can trust Laura with the crown. She'll keep Cfrwys from completely imploding on itself thanks to the mindsets of those self-centered people. Now all I have to do is figure out how people return from the Shameterranean and then do it before anyone else can beat me to it! I'm not about to take my crown back, but I'm not about to lie down and die, and the people that voted me off are going to have some serious atonement to go through when I get back up there!"
End Confessional*
The Votes for those who are curious
Aria voted for...Mateo
Jeremy voted for...Kalyssa
Kalyssa voted for...Jeremy
Laura voted for...Kalyssa
Mateo voted for...Jeremy
Prof voted for...Jeremy
34/36 Remain, 29 Above Ground
AN1:
NOW I'll talk about DANNY (since he was yeeted and was an actual character rather than a plot device).
Danny was a sweet and nice guy, but the very second he dropped into the water, I knew what his fate would end up being. He doesn't even suffer from wrong team wrong time status since he was never on a team to begin with. He was just shit of luck here. Still, I feel as though he can fondly be remembered as a kind soul who wanted to help others, even if he did get a little afraid when he was taken by surprise.
Having studied his actions throughout the season, Danny receives the role of: Hero
He didn't do anything too extraordinary, but he did help comfort a breaking down Lorellei, and while it was a trap, he was also nice enough to help Harald out of a Pit of Peril. He even was the person who tried to convince Shelby-Lynn not to jump down the pit herself. Perhaps even to the point where he might've succeeded, once again if not for Harald. For those reasons, actions he clearly was under no obligation to take, Danny is deserving of his Hero title, even if it is only a minor one.
Danny's best moment, I'd say, would be his helping Harald out of the Pit of Peril. Sure, it was a trap Harald concocted, but it also really showcased his utter willingness to help out anyone in need, even people he probably wouldn't like very much.
That's just my opinion though, what do you guys think?
AN2:
NOW I'll talk about JEREMY (since he was voted off and I want to give my thoughts as to how he might fare in the Shameterranean)
I said in the previous Author Note that Danny wasn't a wrong team at the wrong time player, but Jeremy also isn't, as far as I'm concerned. He was on the right team, what screwed Jeremy over was that he was in the wrong POSITION. If Jeremy wasn't the Cfrwys King, no way would he have had to put up with half of the shit he put up with in just two episodes. Thankfully, down in the Shameterranean, right now, while Jeremy doesn't know anyone else, they also do not know him, which gives him a fresh start almost. As fresh a start as someone can get in the Shameterranean anyways. And as long as he can keep true to his philosophy, he might have a good chance of getting that second lease on life in this competition.
That's all I'll say on Jeremy for now though, since he technically isn't out of the game just yet!
Of course this is all just my opinion, what do you guys think?
And as always, Thanks for reading!
AN3:
I have a discord server where we talk about total drama (especially these fics) all the time and we have fun live readings and a whole meme page and everything. It's great, so join us if it sounds like fun to you. The discord link is on my profile.
AN4:
And in case you aren't reading Nialasach and therefore don't know, please welcome my wonderful girlfriend as a new editor. She's also helped with the outline of this story and we gotta say, we think you guys are gonna like this one a lot!
Editor's Note (EN):
. . . it's not like I didn't write two scenes for you at all. nope. no big deal.
This story will be wonderful, filled with unexpected twists and turns and inside jokes. Wanna get in on them? Join the server! Link on Doobop's profile.
EN2:
And if it weren't for me, this fic would've probably waited another year . . . I was the one who forced him to re-outline the whole thing. He had barely anything done.