Chris's Above Ground Recap:
"Last time, on Total Drama Crios Cath…
"Rose was annoyed at her subjects for wanting her to swing per their needs, and in the heat of the moment, Alice was able to acquire Rose's power."
"Indigo tried to kiss Franchesca, but was woefully denied when Franchesca revealed that she can't be touched. Meanwhile, King was fed up with his teammates as they were normally off doing their own things while he did all the campwork, except for Setsuna, who tried to collect berries … and spilled them.
"Stan and Michael started an alliance. Bryan decided to be a dad, while Frag told him to stop being a dad, but hey, he got the betterment of Tiberius, didn't he?
"Laura decided to flaunt her title as queen by acting like a legit queen. Aria and Mateo plan to throw the next challenge, but… we'll see what happens.
"Last challenge was to keep fire going while Alltud put the fires out.
"Alltud focused all their energy on Mealltach, as if they would get a lick of the forest, but instead, it was Ffydd's fire who went out first because of… Ffydd things.
"Cumhachtach put the hoe in Cumhoetach as Michael, Stan, and Tiberius put on a little strip show for Gazella, in fear of her smoldering their fire. They fueled Gazella's fire instead of theirs.
"Alltud and Cfwrys prepared for a large battle that was cut off by the buzzer. Making Cfwrys win a third of Crios Cath. Granted, they probably can't access a chunk of it, heheheeh."
Chef's Below Ground Recap:
"Underground,
"No one was yeeted. Harald and Franchesca formed an alliance with Gamata, while Molly and Ani formed an alliance with Gazella.
"Mathilda was whacking the walls like a madwoman and found another advantage
"Avi, Jeremy and Nathan sent up Nathan's vote block advantage to Bryan, who ended with a dad joke."
Chris butted in. "How will our teens0 and Bryan far in ze dark? Find out right here 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.
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.
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.
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.
Cfrwys
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 Cfrwys 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..
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.
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.
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.
Ani is seen getting his torch snuffed by Chris in one shot, and is seen entering an alcove with Molly in a second shot.
Avi is seen getting his torch snuffed by Chris in one shot, and seen hurriedly sprinting through a shameterranean tunnel in a second shot.
Franchesca is seen getting her torch snuffed by Chris in one shot, and covertly handing someone else an object in a second shot.
Gazella is seen losing a footrace in one shot, and is tracking something underground 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.
Jeremy is seen getting his torch snuffed by Chris in one shot, and looking up through a hole in the ground 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.
Molly is seen getting her torch snuffed by Chris in one shot, and is seen entering an alcove with Ani 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: Production Tent
Contestant(s): None
An owl hooted in the distance. Its silent wings soared over the biggest tent.
Chris blew his airhorn. The screech resounded through the acres of Crios Cath.
An intern handed him a radio and gave him a thumbs up.
The host held it up to his stubble. "Meet me at the Tine Naofa Bonfire Pit in one hour! And yes, NOW!"
Location: Tine Naofa Bonfire Pit
Contestant(s): All Above Ground
The contestants collectively groaned.
Chris held his mocking grin. "Good morning contestants! Sleep well?"
Jarri crossed her arms. "No, and there's nothing good about an early morning either!"
"Glad to hear that! Whhhooooo's ready for the challenge?"
Crickets. Actual crickets hopped around and chirped.
"Okay! This challenge is called Death and Detectives! It's simple. Hopefully your sleepy minds can follow along. Kings and Queens will draw from this bucket." Chris held up a bucket. "In it are four pieces of paper labelled M for murderer, D for detective, and P for person, which is in there twice. Alltud, you five are automatically assassins, A. The Murderers kill the Persons. The Detectives seek out the dead Persons to try to find out who murdered them, so that they can track down the Murderers and catch them. The Persons do their best to not get murdered. If they are murdered, they are forced to stay at the site of their murder. The Murderers try to murder all the Persons and avoid being caught by the Detectives. Alltud, as Assassins, you have to murder everyone, besides yourselves. Questions?"
Everyone raised their hands.
Chris facepalmed. "This is why I had the interns write your own specific rules on the card." Chris randomly pulled the murderer card, which had all the murderer rules. "Don't look at me! Devise your bets! Heed counsel! Hurry up! I wanna go back to bed!"
Tiberius turned to his teammates.
"Alright cucks, what're your thoughts on this?"
"Sounds like a challenge we should be able to win pretty easily." Stan shrugged.
"Yeah," Michael yawned, "If anyone were to throw this challenge, they'd be pretty dumb."
"Sounds like...ahhh…" Bryan stretched. "Sounds like an easy 3000 to me."
"Are you out of your mind?" Frag's eyes widened. "If it's an easy win for us, imagine how much easier a win it could be for anyone else. The only clan with any real challenge here is Alltud and that's kind of their whole point."
"We can't just keep losing most of our land though." Bryan countered. "We need to hype up! HYPE UP!"
"I'm too tired to hype…" Michael leaned against Tiberius, still in his white shirt sleepwear.
Tiberius shoved Michael off of him. "Don't worry, I hear you loud and clear, old man." He sniffed before turning to step up to the plate.
Rose stepped up at the plate. She looked back at her team, all eager to scatter acres. She shook her head.
Confessional: Rose: Mealltach Clan
"I would heed counsel, but it would be a mess all over again."
End Confessional
Confessional: Roxanne: Mealltach Clan
"Okay, what the frickity frackity fuck? We're all tired as shit, I get that, but why won't Rose let us at least try to suggest acre bets for her. At least then we won't feel completely forced into something. Wish I knew what was eating at her so much that she'd do something like that."
End Confessional
Indigo looked back at his team and shrugged. "Guys, I have no idea what I'm doing. How much do I bet?"
"Barely anything if we can help it." King suggested. "We lost so much land thanks to Gamata. We need to work on slowly winning it back, a couple hundred acres at a time."
"The spirits tell me to stay below the 1000 mark for as long as we can." Morgana suggested.
"500?" Setsuna shrugged.
"That sounds perfect!" Indigo's eyes lit up at a suggestion from a female teammate.
Confessional: Mateo: Cfrwys Clan
"So, while Laura, predictably ignored us and stepped up to the plate, Aria and myself brought in Kalyssa for a huddle."
End Confessional
"Alright, what's this all about?" Kalyssa huffed as Mateo pulled her and Aria towards him.
"It's about Laura's ridiculous bets." Mateo replied. "She needs to go. Now."
Confessional: Mateo: Cfrwys Clan
"So sorry Laura, but while I find the tight ship you're running attractive, I would prefer not to be a crew member."
End Confessional
"Her bets are huge!" Aria internally did not agree. "She really does need to be dealt with sooner, rather than later."
Confessional: Aria: Cfrwys Clan
"And after the challenge is thrown, I can just tell Laura that I'm willing to vote Mateo out, and finally we can say goodbye to that moron."
End Confessional
"Hm...Very well." Kalyssa nodded. "I'll aid you."
Confessional: Kalyssa: Cfrwys Clan
"If only because I know that I am Laura's heiress."
End Confessional
Alltud was not having an easy time.
"Guys, come on… " Carol desperately tried to rally everyone together.
"No, this is the only way!" Axel was adamant. "We have to match whatever Laura bets if we can!"
"I mean, I agree with you but-"
"But she realizes that we need to bet small right now. It's the only way we stop Cfrwys from getting even more land!" Angelo stood against the two.
"I don't know, I always feel like betting in the low thousands is the way to go." Ryuji shrugged. "Fairly nice to get as a reward, not the worst to lose as a penalty."
"You have to remember though that we have the hardest version of this challenge, and there's no way we can hope to outrun everyone! We need to like surround them or sneak up on them or something!" Maggie piped in. "I say we bet low like 700 or something."
"No, that's way too small!" Axel shouted.
"Guys…" Carol looked around.
"Too small? That's too damn high!" Angelo argued back. "Bet the minimum!"
"The minimum is for cowards!" Ryuji intervened.
"I'd rather be a coward with land than a reckless idiot who lost all of it!"
"The low thousands isn't all our land!"
"GUYS!" Carol shouted.
They stopped to look at her.
She pointed to Chris, who in turn pointed to his watch.
"Time's up. Alltud, hopefully you can silently agree on a number before I get to you because it's time for the leaders and you guys to announce your bets."
"1100 acres." Tiberius announced right away.
"Hey, you said you heard me!" Bryan noticed the much lower number than 3000 acres.
"Heard you, yes. Listened to you? Don't kid yourself, grandcuck."
"1800 acres." Rose announced. Her clan members all looked at each other nervously.
"Rose, betting on her own tonight." Chris noticed. "Interesting development there, hope it doesn't come back to bite you."
"500!" Indigo shot a hand up. "500 acres!"
"Indigo, playing it safe as a new ruler." Chris announced.
He turned to Laura.
"Now, let's see what-"
"5000 acres, Chris." Laura nodded as she cut right to the chase.
A small wave of hope washed over the other Cfrwys members.
Confessional: Kalyssa: Cfrwys Clan
"Sure, that's a lot of land, especially to the other teams, but to us, that's fool's play."
End Confessional
"Alright, Alltud," Chris turned to face a still bickering clan. "Give me a unanimous bet in 5...4...3...2...1…"
As he pointed each member shouted out a different amount of acres.
"That is...unfortunate." Chris shook his head. "Looks like Alltud will be joining the last place clan for elimination, and won't be participating in this challenge. You can head back to your clan acres, and wait for the challenge to finish."
Confessional: Carol: Alltud Clan
"This sucks! Chris cut our team bonding time short because of this early morning challenge, so we still haven't completely gotten over Gazella going!" Carol facepalmed. "And now, we have to suffer another loss just because we all couldn't just say a thousand, an easy bet. Not too much. Not too little. These bets honestly don't really matter too much."
End Confessional
Challenge: Detectives and Death
Roles: Murderers, Detectives, Persons, Assassins (not in play)
(Mealltach) Detectives: Seek out the Persons to figure out who the Murderers are, eliminate the Murderers
(Cfrwys) Murderers: Eliminate the Persons, avoid the Detectives
(Ffydd and Cumhachtach) Persons: Avoid the Murderers, help the Detectives once dead
Alltud is sent directly to elimination since they could not agree on a bet in time.
If Cfrwys wins, the clan they wiped out and Mealltach gets sent to elimination.
If Mealltach wins, Cfrwys is sent to elimination.
Ffydd and Cumhachtach only avoid elimination by avoiding complete capture.
Wagers:
[3600] Cumhachtach: Tiberius bet 1100
[4000] Mealltach: Rose bet 1800
[3500] Ffydd: Indigo bet 500
[11,600] Cfrwys: Laura bet 5000
[7300] Alltud: An agreement could not be met
Location: Glas Woods (Mealltach Territory)
Contestant(s): Kalyssa, Mateo, Rose, Stan, Tiberius
Rose crept through her own lands far more on edge than she'd been in the past. Leaves crunched beneath her feet with each of her steps, regardless of how lightly she tried to tread.
Just then, a shadow.
Whose?
She froze.
"Oh." Mateo emerged from the darkness. "Good early morning to you, Queen Mealltach."
"Good early morning to you too…" Her eyes narrowed.
Confessional: Rose: Mealltach Clan
"Okay Rose...he's either a person or a murderer. But he doesn't know you're a detective. Just play it cool. If he tries to murder you, just grab him by his shoulder and hit him with the old UNO reverse card!"
End Confessional
Mateo made no movement to get any closer. "Sorry for the lack of trust here, it's simply…"
"Yeah." Rose nodded. "Same here."
"To be honest though…" Mateo grinned. "I'm pretty happy that this challenge happened. It gives me some alone time from the rest of my team. No one is really getting along with anyone else."
Confessional: Mateo: Cfrwys Clan
"And this, dear viewers, is how you plant seeds of doubt in the mind of the weak-willed."
End Confessional
"I know the feeling…" Rose sighed. "All my subjects want to do is plot against each other.."
"That sounds awful." Mateo shook his head. "If only there was a way you could just force them to stop." He lingered for a while before shrugging. "Meh, I'll head out now. You haven't moved to attack me yet so I assume you're another person like I am. See you later, Queen Mealltach, if your clan of plotters doesn't dethrone you, anyways."
"Hmm…" Rose pondered as Mateo walked off into the forest he had come from, before deciding to head in a different direction, leaving the area open for the next pair of contestants to meet.
Kalyssa and Stan took the previous pair's place in the small forest clearing.
"Person?" She asked, worriedly as she pointed at him.
"P-person!" He responded immediately.
"Woo~!" Kalyssa sang. "High five!"
The two ran up and slapped their palms against each other.
"And you've just been murdered~!" Kalyssa continued to sing. "Toodles~!"
Confessional: Stan: Cumhachtach Clan
"Well…
… Shit."
End Confessional
Confessional: Kalyssa: Cfrwys Clan
"I know, I know we agreed to throw the challenge and everything, but I want to really make sure Laura hands off her powers to me, and that means making it seem like I tried. No doubt Aria and Mateo are dumb enough to not think of that."
End Confessional
Kalyssa continued on her quest through the forest, scanning high and low for one more mark before she'd turn herself in. Cumhachtach were Persons, Stan had helped her learn that. She'd search for the big oaf. He wasn't wearing armor this time, so he was likely to be an easy mark.
She moved a hand up to her ear, listening to the wind.
Very faintly, she heard the word.
She moved towards the sounds.
Finally, words materialized. "Fucking cuck of a tree!" Tiberius' curse reached her ears.
"There he is!" Kalyssa squealed in delight as she grabbed a branch of the ground and began to wield it like a club as she quickly rushed through the underbrush of the forest.
"I can hear and see you, Cfrwycuck!" Tiberius yelled as he noticed Kalyssa running up behind him.
"But can you outrun me?" She asked with a grin.
"Don't need to." Tiberius shrugged as he pulled a large branch of a coniferous tree back and let it fly, slamming Kalyssa in the face with its pined branches.
"Oww! Okay, fuck you for doing that!" She growled as she got up, only to realize that Tiberius had already disappeared into the thick of things.
"Ah...damn…"
She noticed Rose heading through the woods. "Either she's my number 2 or only one kill will have to be enough."
With a gulp, Kalyssa ran over.
"Yoohoo~ Mealltach Queen~!"
"Oh hi! Come over!" Rose beckoned.
As soon as Kalyssa was within reach, Rose grabbed her shoulder.
"Under arrest for killing Stan, miss murderer!" She grinned.
"Oh phooey." Kalyssa kicked up dirt and pouted.
Confessional: Rose: Mealltach Clan
"Woo! I caught myself a murderer! Only three more to go! Wait...WAIT A MINUTE! MATEO WAS A MURDERER TOO!"
End Confessional
Confessional: Kalyssa: Cfrwys Clan
"Dumb bitch doesn't even realize our team wants to lose."
End Confessional
Shift Camera Focus
Contestant(s): Aria, Carol, Frag, King, Mateo, Setsuna
King sighed in Swedish as he walked through the woods. Four members left on his team, two of them nearly useless, and one of those two was the current ruler. He needed someone to talk to in order to get it all off his chest. Anyone would do at this point.
He heard some rustling and turned to face the noise.
Frag froze like a deer in headlights.
"Hallå." King rose a hand.
"Nope!" Frag yelled as he turned and began to sprint away. "Nope, nope, nope! Sorry, avoiding whoever I can!"
King once again sighed in Swedish as Frag left faster than he could reasonably follow.
Confessional: King: Ffydd Clan
"Perhaps now isn't the greatest time to go looking for someone to vent to, but I need it to be a human. Not a motionless camera. I could use some affirmation or consolation, I can't remember which of those words is correct, förlåt."
End Confessional
Meanwhile, Setsuna was following the sound of sobbing.
Confessional: Setsuna: Ffydd Clan
"So...I'm a Person, but I figured if someone is crying, they were probably murdered or are a detective or person who is lost, so I might as well go bring them back to a place they recognize or something I guess."
End Confessional
As she moved through the branches of the woods, she noticed Aria on her knees in a clearing.
"Are you alright?" Setsuna asked, hesitantly reaching out a hand towards Aria.
"It's just…" Aria sniffed. "It's...It's just…"
She grabbed Setsuna's arm and pulled herself up before patting Setsuna on the back.
"Just that you've just been murdered, sorry."
Confessional: Setsuna: Ffydd Clan
"Dang, I guess I'm dead now. Wonder if I'll see Ani."
End Confessional
As Setsuna got down to lie on the ground, Aria noticed that King had managed to stumble upon the scene.
"I can explain-" She began.
"NEEEEEEEEEJ!" King shouted as he turned around and bolted.
He ran, and kept running.
As far as his legs would carry him.
He ran so far he overtook Frag, who stopped in place as he noticed King heading off into the distant woods.
He turned around.
There was no one chasing him.
Confessional: Frag: Cumhachtach Clan
"Well, good news is whatever King was running from isn't chasing him. Bad news is that based on his actions, I still have no idea who the Detectives or who the Murderers are, only that Cumhachtach and Ffydd are both Persons."
End Confessional
Frag continued on his trek through the woods for all of a few seconds before Mateo jumped down from a tree branch.
He stood and looked at Frag.
"Run stag, run like the deer you are!"
Frag decided that yes, he would indeed run away again, the only safe clans for him were his own and Ffydd after all, and Mateo certainly was giving off Murderer vibes.
Indeed, as Frag weaved past the trees, Mateo kept pace with him.
Every corner Frag turned, Mateo would cut to move closer to his mark.
"Ughh… ohhh… man… why can't you just give up and chase someone else?"
"Because I know, you're a Person, you worthless member of a worthless clan." Mateo spat back.
"Cumhachtach may be losing land, but we still have more members than you do! Our team is the color of blood or fire, your team is the color of piss!"
"You insolent-!" Mateo growled as he took a swipe that Frag just barely managed to dodge.
Frag needed to get away.
He needed an escape route that would disappear before Mateo could follow.
"Welp, time to use my size to my advantage." Frag shrugged as he quickly hoisted himself up a tree branch then snapped it beneath him as he moved to a higher one.
"Hngh…" Mateo tried to climb up the base of the tree, but soon realized that he couldn't.
"You win this time, stag skull." He pointed up at Frag. "But not next time!"
Confessional: Mateo: Cfrwys Clan
"Of course, I did let him get away. After all, we can't have a clan of Persons be eliminated before we Murderers are caught. I was hoping he would lead me to a detective, but it appears he did not. What a useless pawn he was."
End Confessional
Frag sighed as Mateo left, and when he was sure his pursuer truly had left, he touched back down on the forest floor, and noticed the dim grey of the early morning in the desert just past the forest.
A figure was there.
That was odd.
Was an Alltud member watching?
He ran towards the border. This was his chance to interact with someone from that clan of exiles.
As he got closer he could see that the figure was like Carol. She seemed amiable enough.
He raised a hand to greet her, and immediately fell from the shift of dirt to sand.
Carol giggled and waved at Frag. "Careful there, don't want to be eliminated for crossing the border into Alltud territory."
"Yeah, hahaha…" Frag chuckled a bit as he helped himself up.
"Must be a Person if you're running that fast, huh?"
"Y-yeah." Frag nodded.
The two smiled at each other for a while in silence.
"Well…" Carol finally broke it. "I guess I really shouldn't make you stay out here in the open like this. Good luck on the challenge, Frag!"
"T-thanks, Carol!" Frag smiled back. "And hey, good luck at Tine Naofa, I saw you trying to get everyone to come to a consensus during wagers. If it's any consolation, you're exactly the kind of person I'd prefer to have on my team if it were up to me."
"T-thank you!" Carol giggled some more as she and Frag waved goodbye while Frag ran off. "Good luck again, Frag!"
Confessional: Carol: Alltud Clan
"Geez, why can't any of the men in my clan be easygoing like that? Their stubbornness is the reason we can't even participate in the first place!"
End Confessional
Shift Camera Focus
Contestant(s): Indigo, Jarri, Michael
"Michael!" Indigo called over to Michael
"NEVER!" Michael shouted back to Indigo before fleeing into the woods.
Confessional: Indigo: Ffydd Clan
"I'm not sure what his deal was, I just wanted to talk to him for a bit."
End Confessional
Confessional: Michael: Cumhachtach Clan
"Look, I'm not about to just trust anything someone who isn't a cute girl says okay? Indigo has some work to do to convince me he's worth anyone's time, let alone mine."
End Confessional
As Michael kept running into the forest, he and Jarri collided.
"Ooof. Hey! Wat- oh, uh, never mind, sorry, my bad." Michael helped Jarri up to her feet.
"No big, no big." Jarri shrugged it off. "Are you a Murderer or can I let go of your hand?"
"I'm a Person," Michael responded, "but there's no need to let go, per say."
Jarri and Michael both laughed as she let go anyway.
"Okay, cool, that's one less clan to worry about for me." Jarri nodded.
Confessional: Jarri: Mealltach Clan
"Okay, Cumhachtach are Persons, good to know, good to know. That means that either Ffydd or Cfrwys are Murderers, and well… I kind of have a feeling that it isn't Ffydd. They'd probably find a way to mess it up."
End Confessional
Michael and Jarri both exchanged nods and smiles to each other before running off into the woods in different directions.
Shift Camera Focus
Contestant(s): Bryan, Morgana, Roxanne, Jarri
"Morgana?" Roxanne came across Morgana in a clearing, who had already set up a small séance circle. "I get that this is, like, your thing, but Mealltach are the Detectives that talk to the dead in this challenge, not Ffydd."
"Indeed, I am but a Person." Morgana nodded without turning. "Sometimes, in fact, I feel like the only Person on my clan."
"How so?" Roxanne sat down near Morgana, who stopped attempting to commune and finally turned to face her conversation partner.
"Franchesca was obsessed with Gamata, Indigo was obsessed with Franchesca, Ani was obsessed with getting rid of Franchesca, and King was, and is, obsessed with Setsuna's clumsiness. Setsuna meanwhile is clumsy. To an extraordinary extent. All I want is for the spirits to guide me, not for my clan to fight over what they say. But I have managed to communicate with them, and I got rid of Franchesca like they asked. Now, though, they're silent. Perhaps my voice can't quite carry through the forest into their afterlife."
"Right, right." Roxanne nodded. "Well, I can sort of get where you're coming from. Jarri and I are doing our best to get Rose to see that Alice and Anemone are trouble and can't just be left to their own devices, but so far she's having none of it. What's worse is that they both know that and are using her impatience to get powers given to them without any sort of vetting."
Confessional: Roxanne: Mealltach Clan
"Like, really, this whole situation is asinine."
End Confessional
"That's unfortunate. I hope you and your friend can find a way to convince her of the gravity of the situation." Morgana nodded at Roxanne.
Roxanne smiled.
Morgana smiled back. "I think I will stay here for some time yet, you have other players to worry about. Perhaps you should seek out one of your own and see if you can't determine who is what in this challenge. Detectives need to solve these mysteries after all."
"You have a point." Roxanne got up. "I'll see you around, Morgana."
Morgana waved to Roxanne as the latter walked off, only to be replaced by Bryan, making his own way through the growth.
He stopped when he noticed Morgana.
Morgana waved with a smile.
Bryan smiled back with a nod.
"What, exactly, is this rune you've got set up here?" Bryan set cross legged on the ground. This girl was clearly no threat.
"It's to get guidance and protection from the spirits." Morgana replied.
Confessional: Bryan: Cumhachtach Clan
"But… spirits don't exist? Am I missing something here? Well, She clearly means no harm by any of this nonsense, so better to not open up any cans of worms that don't need to be opened."
End Confessional
"Ah, I see. You're a Person too then?"
"Indeed, we are both Persons." Morgana nodded. "Though I can see from your stare you see me more as a child."
"Well, I am forty-eight years old." Bryan gave a small chuckle. "Every other contestant, even those who might already be eighteen, are still very much children in my eyes. You won't see any adults making these rune circles for instance."
"You'd best be wary of that kind of thinking." Morgana warned. "To underestimate the power of youth is one of the greatest follies of the current age."
Bryan thought back to Cumhachtach's shenanigans during the previous challenge.
"I'm fairly certain that I've got a pretty good grasp on their mental capacity."
"Well, far be it from me to interfere with whatever is going on over there. The spirits favor you in any case."
Confessional: Bryan: Cumhachtach Clan
"Oh, is she talking about Jeremy and Avi and Nathan? They did send me up an advantage after all, and I don't know, maybe somehow she learned about it? Wouldn't be heard for her to talk to any of them if she knows where one of those little bucket holes is."
End Confessional
"Yeah, I guess they do, thanks." Bryan nodded at Morgana.
"You're, uhm, welcome, I guess." Morgana shrugged.
Confessional: Morgana: Ffydd Clan
"I don't know what Bryan thinks I was saying, but I meant that the dead always, in general, want to be alive. Not sure why he takes comfort in that, but, eh, who am I to judge?"
End Confessional
Meanwhile, Jarri and Roxanne finally met up with each other.
"Eyyy!" They both gave each other finger guns and a behind the back high five.
"So, what's the state of things?" Jarri asked.
"Not much going on, ran into Morgana."
"I ran into Michael."
"Was he a Murderer?"
"No. Was she?"
"Negatory."
"Then we have the team we need to look for."
"It's Cfrwys. Of course it's Cfrwys."
"Alright, break!" Jarri cheered. "Let's catch those Murderers and win ourselves some land!"
"You fucking know it!" Roxanne laughed.
The two high-fived again before dispersing.
Shift Camera Focus
Contestant(s): Mateo, Michael
"Yo." Michael waved to Mateo. "You okay dude, you look out of it?"
"I was… ugh… running from a murderer." Mateo sighed. "At least I think they were."
"Damn, that's some scary shit right there. Well, you're safe now at least."
"Yeah, I know… I was with Frag earlier so I know Cumhachtach is full of Persons too. Really kind of hoping I'd run into a detective to be honest though."
Confessional: Mateo: Cfrwys Clan
"After all, how am I supposed to throw the challenge if I can't even find the right person to help me throw it? In any case though, Michael and I spent a fair amount of time walking in the woods together and one thing has become perfectly clear. Most of the Cumhachtach clan, aside from Bryan, shares a glaring weakness at the moment."
End Confessional
Confessional: Michael: Cumhachtach Clan
"So Mateo and I were just chilling there for a while, and one thing became perfectly clear. His team got some babe. There's Kalyssa, who is hecking royalty, there's Laura who is all smart and badass and bets those giant swaths of land, and then there's Aria who is apparently all bubbly and sweet according to Mateo. Damn, if only we could switch positions. But honestly, I'd take freaking Ffydd over another moment with Stan. Stan is not a man that I stan!… I'll show myself out of the confessional."
End Confessional
As they walked, Mateo found himself getting more annoyed by Michael's constant fiddling with their environment by the minute. At one moment, when he was sure Michael's attention would be on a funny tree branch, it was Mateo, the Murderer, who ran away and escaped from the Person he simply couldn't kill.
Shift Camera Focus
Contestant(s): Frag, Laura
Laura, as the only member of Cfrwys not trying to throw the challenge, had no compunctions about just outright murdering whoever she came across that fit the bill, and fit the bill Frag did.
"Whhhhyyyyy?!" He groaned as he sprinted away from her even as she gained ground on him.
"Why is it always me?"
"I don't even know you, dude! I just know I saw a dead Stan earlier so I know I can kill you! Now stop making this hard on yourself and let me tag you already!"
"N-no!" Frag took a bend in a forest trail. "I...I can't...oh. Shit."
He noticed the dead end he had run into.
Laura cornered him.
"Now…" She cracked her neck. "We're going to do this peacefully, right?"
"Never surrender!" Frag shouted as he rushed straight towards her in a last-ditch intimidation attempt.
It did not work.
"Props for trying, man." Laura patted a murdered Frag as he began to lay on the ground.
"I'd love it if the rest of my team showed that much loyalty."
"Thanks, I guess…" Frag sighed.
"Oh, don't beat yourself up over it." Laura giggled as she played with Frag's hair a little. "You just can't compete with royalty is all."
Confessional: Laura: Cfrwys Clan
"The more players I can convince to not question the authority of the Clan rulers, the easier it'll be for me going forwards in this game. Simple as that."
End Confessional
Shift Camera Focus
Contestant(s): Alice, Mateo
"Oh, don't run from me, little guy~" Alice sang as she noticed Mateo and beckoned him over. "I'll keep you nice and safe."
Confessional: Mateo: Cfrwys Clan
"Finally… I've finally found one."
End Confessional
"Oh really?" Mateo smirked as he walked towards Alice. "But then… who will keep you safe from me?"
Alice smirked back. "My status as Detective, obviously. If you're a Murderer you ought to run away."
"Oh, don't be ridiculous," Mateo shook his head. "Clearly, I'm-"
"Throwing the challenge, obviously." Alice giggled as she tagged Mateo. "You gave a natural jump to run away from me when I came by. That can only mean you aren't sure of my status, but only a Murderer who wants to lose would still come this way~."
"Heh. I guess I've been found out." Mateo snickered. "But unfortunately, I'm going to need your help. Laura won't throw the challenge. Think you can force that to happen?"
"Oh… absolutely~" Alice giggled.
"Then this was a good meeting." Mateo lay down on the ground. "Not sure where she is, but you'll be in good with our clan when the next Cfrwys ruler comes to power."
"Sounds like a deal!" Alice winked before jogging off.
Confessional: Alice: Mealltach Clan
"A sweet deal I can make with Laura when I feed her all this information right before they head to elimination, then, bam! Bye bye Mateo, hello alliance with the Cunning Queen. Gotta move up in this world one way or another, and stepping on Mateo's skull feels like a promising one!"
End Confessional
Shift Camera Focus
Contestant(s): Aria, Laura, Morgana, Tiberius
"Morgana, what are you doing?" Aria asked in a hushed town as Morgana seemed to ignore her and sway back and forth as though the winds were playing tug of war with her body.
"I see…" Morgana moaned. "I hear… I feel…"
Confessional: Aria: Cfrwys Clan
"Too bad she doesn't think."
End Confessional
"I see… a hero as she is stoned to death… I hear… the celebrations of the departed… I feel… the sorrow of a short-lived monarch as they see their kingdom fall to a new age."
"And I think this isn't worth my time." Aria rolled her eyes as she kept going on. Morgana was just a Person anyways, no help to her at this point in time, and definitely way too creepy for her liking.
Confessional: Morgana: Ffydd Clan
"The spirits have given me great insights, since finally, finally my ritual was able to get underway without being interrupted. I certainly wasn't expecting what was revealed to me."
End Confessional
After a while passed, Tiberius came across the very same ritual. "Don-, I mean, God damn it, creepy-ass Ffydd chick, what the fuck are you doing? You have to hide or your cuck-filled tribe will head to elimination before the Cfrwys cucks!"
Morgana stopped.
She turned and looked at Tiberius.
Her eyes widened.
"Yeah, I bet you're embarrassed as shit for that blasphemy!" Tiberius huffed. "Now-"
"Tiberius." Morgana spoke calmly. "Run."
Tiberius noticed Laura out of the corner of his eye coming up behind him.
"I am the fucking King, I will not be tagged before some peasant cuck!" He quickly shoved Morgana into Laura's arms as he rushed off into the forest.
Confessional: Tiberius: Cumhachtach Clan
"Creepy chick had it coming. Don't worship false idols. You'd think a Ffydd member would know that only one man matters right now. Don-, I mean God! DEUS VULT!"
End Confessional
"Uh, tag?" Laura seemed shocked that Tiberius just pushed Morgana into her after telling her to avoid Cfrwys.
"Cool." Morgana shrugged.
Shift Camera Focus
Contestant(s): Anemone, Frag
"Frag right?" Anemone came across Frag, lying on the ground in his dead-end thicket.
"Yeah. Anemone?" Frag asked.
Anemone nodded. "I'm a detective. I hope you don't mind helping us out."
"Not at all." Frag shook his head. "Laura got me. Cfrwys are the killers. Mateo chased me for a while earlier as well."
"Hm." Anemone thought to herself. "That's not good, Frag. Not good at all. I don't know how my clan is supposed to capture any of their clan while we aren't unified."
"Maybe… get unified?" Frag suggested. "Go look for other members of your clan and try to come up with a plan of attack."
"I suppose it really is that simple when you think about it." Anemone laughed. "I'm sure at the very least we're all connected by a desire to not join Alltud at that next Tine Naofa Bonfire Elimination Ceremony."
"Then what are you still doing here?" Frag laughed. "Go win the challenge so I can leave this forest. Kind of creepy when it's still this dark out."
Anemone nodded and left.
Frag looked up at the stars, alone with his thoughts.
Shift Camera Focus
Contestant(s): Bryan, Indigo, Laura
"Bryan!" Indigo called. "Over here!"
Bryan shrugged and approached Indigo in a small hiding spot he had made.
"Indigo, what's going on with you, young man? How is being the Ffydd King treating you?"
"Not going to lie…" Indigo shook his head. "It's tough. I have no idea what I'm doing at all. I get the feeling that none of the other three members of my clan are happy about my position either, but I never really wanted it to begin with. I just want to keep them happy, make some friends, and maybe date one of them."
"Oh, which one?" Bryan asked.
"I mean, either Morgana or Setsuna is fine it's just-"
"Oh." Bryan rolled his eyes. "Never mind, forget I asked."
Confessional: Bryan: Cumhachtach Clan
"This poor sheltered kid has no idea what he's doing out here. He also has no idea how to start a real relationship with any of these girls."
End Confessional
"Well…" Bryan suggested. "Before you start asking for a girlfriend, you might want to spend some quality time with the girls in your clan first. You shouldn't just try to solicit relationships. Those are things that need to be built, not bought."
"I suppose so…" Indigo sighed. "But how can I build up relationships when the rest of the clan tries to avoid me?"
"That's a tough one." Bryan shrugged. "But no one has all the answers, Indigo. What's your power as King?"
"I can take people with me to see normal elimination ceremonies."
"You could take turns taking your clan members there and use the time to talk to them one on one." Bryan shrugged. "Or you could always, and I cannot believe I am saying this, ask another ruler for advice like Laura, Rose, or Tiberius. They've all been in their positions far longer than you have."
"Yeah." Indigo nodded. "You know what Bryan? You're totally right! I'm going to go find one and ask for their advice right now!"
Confessional: Indigo: Ffydd Clan
"And if it's Laura or Rose, maybe we can become boyfriend and girlfriend! Even if it's Tiberius, he seems to at the very least have a commanding presence!"
End Confessional
Confessional: Bryan: Cumhachtach Clan
"If that kid wants to throw his legitimately great hiding spot away for some advice in the middle of a challenge, he can be my guest. I'll keep this area warm until I know the challenge is over. That way I can at least keep Cumhachtach from going to elimination while I still know I'm towards the bottom."
End Confessional
"Laura!" Indigo found the worst possible ruler to run into in his current position.
"Indigo, what is it?" Laura asked as the pair began to circle each other slowly.
"I've been looking for you since I have something I need to ask you." Indigo mentioned.
"If it's physically or academically inclined, look elsewhere," Laura sighed, before her lips curved into a smile, "but… if you're seeking social skills or communication, look no further."
"Oh, perfect!" Indigo smiled as both contestants began to speed up. "I need advice from a ruler and since you have all this land, you must be a really really good one!"
"Indigo, perhaps this will sound familiar to you." Laura stopped circling him and motioned for him to sit on the grass as she did the same. "I am surrounded on all sides by commoners who oppose my rule for no other reason than that they are not the ones ruling over me. I was placed in my position by someone who never truly consulted me about what that position might entail. I feel that there is no way to please my subjects short of my own elimination, and that is something I will not let them see."
"Wow…" Indigo admired Laura, his eyes wide. "I had no idea that was going on! But you're so awesome! You've been betting huge land this whole time and you even just won some!"
"Indeed." Laura nodded. "And you'd benefit from betting big as well. After all Indigo, at the very least, one of those Ffydd members is at the bottom of the three of them. All you need to do is get that bottom person on your side, and you don't need to worry about acres anymore. You can bet as many as you'd like. You may even be able to overtake me in terms of land amassed."
"Yeah...Yeah! You're right, Laura!" Indigo nodded excitedly. "Thank you so much!"
"There is just one last matter we need to settle here…" Laura shrugged. "How do you repay me for the advice I've just given you?"
"I'll do anything, don't worry, if I can do it, I'll do it!" Indigo stood proud.
"Well then." Laura placed a hand on his shoulder. "Let me murder you for the challenge."
"Done." Indigo fell onto the ground.
Laura knelt down and ran her hand through his hair. "It was a great conversation we had, my king.~" She giggled softly before heading off into the forest once more.
Shift Camera Focus
Contestant(s): Alice, Anemone, Laura
"Hey!" Anemone noticed Laura go by, picking up pace as she passed the Detective. "Get back here, Cfrwys Murderer! I have questions!"
Confessional: Anemone: Mealltach Clan
"She's the Queen of the Cunning Clan, she must have sooo many juicy morsels for me in terms of pure information!"
End Confessional
Confessional: Laura: Cfrwys Clan
"So I'm barely a few steps from Indigo and I just happen to run into some detectives, great. And I know that my useless clan mates are probably doing their best to hinder me somehow. I simply can't let myself be caught. To that end, I'll need to play a little dirty. I have been forced into the position after all."
End Confessional
"Gah!" Anemone was too late to duck as Laura pulled back a tree branch to smack her before running off.
"Anemone!" Alice noticed as the branch hit her clanmate and rushed to her aid.
"Why is she so freaking slippery?" Anemone complained. "Alice, we aren't going to be able to catch her on our own."
"Oh yeah? Watch this!" Alice grinned as she rushed after Laura.
Anemone sighed as she began to walk in the same direction.
Within a few minutes, she came across Alice, who had also been smacked by a pine tree's branch.
"Okay…" Alice sighed. "I understand now."
"Yeah, I think you do." Anemone giggled as she helped Alice up. "You know what this means, don't you?"
"Yeah…" Alice nodded. "We're going to need to work with Roxanne and Jarri."
Shift Camera Focus
Contestant(s): Aria, King, Michael, Tiberius
Aria pushed through the bushes, finding a lone Michael peeping behind a tree.
Prey. To hunt or to lure?
How sad it would be for it to pass.
For their stories to never be shared.
Aria hunted for her Queen. Surely, her Queen will starve.
Michael hid behind a tree. Possibly taking a break, she supposed, from running.
Michael had to be a Person.
He could run. He could not hide from the snakes of Cfrwys.
Aria jogged up to him and fake panted. "Sweet hiding spot you got there." She pitched her arm up against the tree and leaned forwards.
"You shouldn't lean over like that after you run." Michael pulled her arm off the tree. She fell into his arm. "It kills your shoulders."
"Wow, thanks for the advice." She smiled.
"Believe me, right after our runs, we have to sit back on the bench again. It's not fun in the morning."
"It is the morning?" Aria smiled.
Michael chuckled. "I suppose."
Aria brushed her red ribbon out of her face. "So what's it like being on Cumhachtach?"
He shrugged. "Same ol', same ol'. Wake up, Tiberius calls you a cuck and demands you to do a thing, you do the thing, and eat breakfast. Stan typically bakes some p-good bread, and he lets me have the first piece 'cuz we in an alliance."
Aria's eyes flickered. "Ooh."
"Yeah, after that, it's usually challenge time."
"So what about the others. Braden and Freg."
"Well, Bryan cannot stop with the dad jokes, pisses the fuck out of Tiberius, which is the best thing on the planet when it isn't you. Frag is pretty chill. He doesn't seem to really hate Tiberius that much, which is weird. He always encourages us to follow him and stuff."
Aria grabbed a branch and held it up against the bush in front of them.
"So how's Cfr-" Michael's head jerked at the bushes rustling. No predators out there. Safe.
When he turned back, Aria was gone. He picked up the branch Aria used against the other branches.
Confessional: Michael: Cumhachtach Clan
Michael nodded. "Cunning. I get why she's in that clan. She's good. Don't think I've ever been duped to that extreme before. She, just, wow! She seemed so dumb! That's why I told her all that! I'll be more careful talking to her later."
End Confessional
Aria travelled forwards. Jogging, as usual.
More Persons than Detectives. Sure enough one of them would come out to say hi. She can't look like she's throwing this challenge.
Or could she?
Hiding in a tree, that was a great spot to not participate in, or at the very least, hide out until a Detective stalked on by.
"Åh," cried King.
"Oh," said Aria. "What are you doing here?" She asked.
"Hiding. And you?"
Aria nodded. "Hiding."
"From what?"
"The Murderers."
Confessional: King: Ffydd Clan
"She's lying. I know she is. Frag was very clearly a Person. And a Detective would most certainly be out scouting around. Aria is clearly a Murderer, but if she wanted to kill me, she probably would've done it already. She's here for something else.
End Confessional
"What are you doing up here, Murderer?"
Aria chuckled. "Man, there's no one on my team like you, figuring out I'm lying so quickly. I'm just taking a small break. I've been running around too much."
"Oh, I wish there were more sane people on my team."
Aria exhaled. "Oh yeah?"
"Indigo is a high-key simp. He does whatever Morgana and Setsuna tell him to do because he wants them to like him or something. Morgana always wants to commune with the ghosts. Setsuna is alright, but she's so clumsy, she can't get anything done."
"Well," Aria shrugged. "Look at the silver lining! It sounds like everyone gets along. You haven't really told me any strategy aspects to the team."
King gave a sideways glance at Aria.
Aria simply blinked.
"Well, we don't really strategize as much as struggle to survive. I suppose it's different on Cfrwys."
"Yeah, a bit." Aria's eyes traced down on the ground.
Michael stepped into view. He discovered Aria in the tree.
Aria turned to King. "King, we'll keep each other safe?"
"Jah, we will." King also looked down into view. "Oh titta. Michael is coming. We will be safe."
Aria breathed heavily.
"Mår du bra?" King asked, but he shook his head. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I am."
Confessional: Aria: Cfrwys Clan
"All I need to do is find some kind of wormhole around my lies. Fortunately, it won't be that hard to do. All these contestants are idiots … which makes manipulating them all the more satisfying!"
End Confessional
Michael made it to the top of the tree. "Hey, Aria." He eyed King. "... King." A potential predator. Most likely a detective if Aria was around him. But Aria could be a detective as well.
Wait a minute. What if? What if those pants were fake? What if that was the real dupe?
Michael smirked. He plopped right next to Aria. "Say Aria, we haven't quite finished our conversation before I left. Speaking of which," Michael glared at King, "what is he doing here?"
Aria turned her head. "I'm the murderer here, Michael. I'm not here to eliminate you." Aria held her hands and looked down. She let out a sniffle. "Laura, as you know, is pulling out all these you- you know, big bets and all, which is working out, but-" she sniffled, "but-" fake sob. Her hands lifted into her face. "Laura has been acting all high and mighty with her role as Queen and whatnot. But it's even worse! Mateo is forcing me into this game that I don't want to play anymore!" Her voice shook along with the trees. "So that's why, we've all decided to throw this challenge. We've been planning to for a while now, which is dumb. It's really really dumb. But I almost have no control over my strategic decisions anymore! *sniff* Almost." She looks over at the two boys she's sandwiched between. Crocodile tears fell past her chin. "I wanna form an alliance between the three of us. It's bad enough that these borders are between each other, but our own team experiences are much worse. I'm sure we could all use some honest information between the three of us."
"Aria," Michael held her arm, "I would love to join an alliance with you and King."
Confessional: Michael: Cumhachtach Clan
"I know. I already have an alliance with Stan, but this one is more permanent. Especially once I become King of Cumhachtach. I could just go to see what they are all doing. This game is about to begin, and once the game begins … the true strategy begins to come into play! That being, this alliance." Michael grinned into the camera.
End Confessional
King nodded enthusiastically. "Jes, please! I appreciate more support than my non-supportive team."
Aria nodded. "Thank you both."
Down below, Tiberius had been trekking his trail. Eyes wandering up and down. Attacks can come from anywhere, after all.
He whistled a tune to keep the Persons at bay and to lure the Murderers to him so they wouldn't go after his teammates.
Cfrwys were the Murderers. He knew. He's not dumb. How dare you believe that!
He looked up a moment too soon. "That dumb pig-tailed girl from Cfrwys!" Tiberius gasped. "With my Michael! How dare she!"
Tiberius unsheathed his sword and took a hit at the tree.
Michael, Aria, and King urgently grabbed onto the branches.
"MICHAEL! GET DOWN!" Tiberius called. "THE PIG-TAILS GIRL WILL MURDER YOU!"
"ExCUSE ME!" Aria shrieked. "THEY'RE TWIN-TAILS NOT PIG-TAILS!"
"BAH! THAT'S A TERM FOR ANIME GIRLS!"
"Uhm, I DEFINITELY DO NOT WATCH ANIME!"
Confessional: Aria: Cfrwys Clan
Aria scoffs as she crosses her legs, folds her arms, and rolls her eyes as though everything is glaringly obvious. "I don't watch anime, I watch Japanese-styled cartoons!"
End Confessional
The trio fell out of the tree, groaning.
Tiberius towered over Michael. "Come, Michael. Let's leave these cucks!"
Aria gasped. "EXCUSE ME! What did you just call me?"
King put a hand on Aria's shoulder. "Let it be. He probably doesn't understand human decency. The kind that can't be taught."
"Hope I'm never on a team with him."
"Me too." King nodded. "There's a word for people like him where I come from … Skurkar."
"Villain?"
"Villain."
Shift in Camera Focus
Contestant(s): Angelo, Jarri, Laura, Rose, Roxanne
Laura trekked through a narrow passage of dank trees. Very little to run. Perfect place for Persons to hide. Perfect place for Murderers to find.
If a Detective comes around, she'll slip through the trees. If a Person can do that, so will she.
Footsteps.
Coming.
Towards her.
Laura flung herself through the trees and entered a small field area.
"Ha!" Jarri was able to wedge through as well. "Gotcha Cfrwys!"
"I suppose, not for long."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Alice and Anemone have made quite the frustrating feat, haven't they?"
Jarri charged towards Laura.
Laura threw a rock at her, though this one appeared to shine blue in the light.
Confessional: Jarri: Mealltach Clan
"I know she was just trying to distract me. How she knows that information is beyond me, but that really doesn't matter right now, does it?"
End Confessional
Laura ran right back into the trees, twisting and turning in every direction.
with all the trees, Jarri soon lost her.
Roxanne popped out of a bush. "You got her?"
Jarri grabbed her hair. "Nooo… Ugh! I was so close, too!"
Roxanne shook her head. "Someone's gotta put a trap on her!"
"You know what that means …"
Roxanne sighed. "We gotta work with Alice and Anemone."
Confessional: Laura: Cfrwys Clan
"It's not about athleticism. It's about how one works with their environment and deceiving those planning to capture your plans."
End Confessional
Another rustle in the bushes. Laura stepped towards it. It didn't matter who it was. Everyone was prey to her. Some of them just bit back.
Rose was searching in another area of bushes.
The Cfrwys Queen stepped a few meters behind the Mealltach Queen. "It appears you have sought me out."
Rose turned around. "It's about time. Any last words?"
Laura cocked her head up. "Prepare for elimination, my fellow Queen."
Rose froze.
Laura laughed and skipped away.
Confessional: Rose: Mealltach Clan
Rose was sitting with her hand on her head. "Hmm." She grabbed at her hair. "Ugh. It's bad enough that it's morning. With all these Cfrwys members around that keep pushing me to make a decision I might regret. Uuugggghh." She looked into the camera. "I don't want to make a decision I will regret. Is that too bad?"
End Confessional
Rose's vision directed towards the ground. A third force had entered the tug of war in her head. She sat down and looked up at the twinkling stars. Small specks of light shined in the darkness. They only shined in the darkness.
"ROSE!" A cry reached her ears. Angelo, with his hands on his bare arms, in desperation to keep himself warm amidst the frigid desert winds. Rose's head turned towards the scream.
A shrill breeze brushed past her arms. They reflexed into a crossed position as she stepped near the border.
"ANGELO!" She called back.
There he was. Retreating from his campfire. The sands curled in the air between them. "Greetings, my Queen."
"Good morning." Rose nodded her head down at him.
"No kindling for me today?"
"Oh," Rose turned around. "I'll get-"
Angelo grabbed her arm. "It's o… kay."
The two of them slowly broke contact with each other.
They paused.
Had Angelo merely touching her arm possibly eliminate him?
No helicopters.
No Chris.
Angelo smiled. He gently pushed one of Rose's curls behind her ear, taking the time to stroke her cheek. "You appear to be stressed. What unpleasantry passed by?"
Rose bit her lip. "You're cold. I wish I had the time to sew you a new shirt or something."
A smile tugged one side of the shirtless prince's lips. "Surely, it'll flaunt my natural complexion."
Rose smiled herself. "Absolutely. Your allure will grab hold of everyone's attention the second they see you."
He winked. "It already does."
The Queen giggled.
Confessional: Rose: Mealltach Clan
"Angelo is so great." Rose looked down and frowned again.
End Confessional
Angelo held one of Rose's hands. "How's everyone on your team?"
She shook her head. "Don't give me a headache."
He gave her a sympathetic smile.
Confessional: Angelo: Alltud Clan
"And there, she told me everything. Oh, my was she so stressed! No wonder she hadn't been speaking to me. There had been camp work to do and less people to do it. She gave away her ability to Alice of all people. On top of that, Anemone and Alice sort of scheming with each other. Roxanne and Jarri trying to appeal to her good side. But worse yet, her clan members are treating her as a vote instead of a human." Angelo crossed his arms. "They had better not treat Queen Rose like this!"
End Confessional
The two of them were now seated on their respective sides of the border, Angelo rubbing Rose's shoulder.
Rose continued. "It's bad enough that it's morning, too. I'm all disheveled, and I'm not wearing any makeup while talking to you. And it doesn't help that the Cfrwys members keep taunting me."
"Cfrwys?"
"Yeah, they're the Murderers, so it's not like Detective me can avoid them. They keep pushing me to make this move I'm not sure I want to make. I don't even know how they know."
Angelo looked out into the distance. "Well, I know the ruler of Cfrwys knows about all the alliances of the game. Perhaps Laura shared that information."
"Perhaps."
"That move they wanted you to make. Was it-"
Rose nodded.
Angelo sighed. He looked over at Rose. "Flower, I hate to admit it, but I agree with them. It forces you out of your position, and you're already considering it. Why not just do it?"
"You know winning looks good on me." She huffed. "Losing is so last year."
"You have to own it, my dear. Be fierce! It is a symbol of pride."
Rose's lips were pursed.
"Try to be more like myself: I have the elegance of a phoenix, the beauty of a prince," Angelo laid his head on top of hers. "And the ferocity of a dragon!"
She exhaled a smile. "You do indeed!" Rose stood. "Thank you."
"It is my honor." Angelo bowed.
Rose kissed his cheek. "I know what needs to be done. I'll see you in the morning."
The prince gently placed his hand against the kiss. "Goodbye."
Shift Camera Focus
Contestant(s): Laura, Michael, Tiberius
Tiberius gestured angrily as he chewed Michael out. "I'm telling you, those Cfrwys-cucks are Murderers. You could've been murdered at any point! What were you doing with her?"
Michael put his hands up in a 'come at me, bro' stance, unafraid. "Well, the so-called Cfrwys-cucks did their Cfrwys-cuck thing and, well, I was duped."
"Oh, for fuck's sake! What a dumb cuck you are!"
"I'm not dumb! It's just Cfrwy-"
Tiberius spat on the ground to interrupt him. "Those guys are so up their heads that they aren't even cunning anymore. Let alone fooling us. They're all busy trying to get to the top placement, only for them to rule over nothing."
"Well, they have all that land-"
"The land with no people on it! They rule the snakes. Take it from a King such as myself, there is no point of being king if there are no cucks to serve you."
A new voice reached their ears. "At least the Cfrwys snakes have venom in their bite."
Michael and Tiberius froze in their spots.
Laura emerged out from the bushes.
Tiberius turned his back to Michael and hunched forwards. "MICHAEL! GET ON MY BACK!"
"WHAAAAT?"
"I SAID. GET! ON! MY! BACK!"
Confessional: Tiberius: Cumhachtach Clan
"It's a simple command. Not sure what Michael doesn't understand."
End Confessional
Confessional: Laura: Cfrwys Clan
"It's funny how two big, strong, men can be intimidated by such a little girl. Ooooh, the power I have!"
End Confessional
Tiberius ended up picking up Michael and running off with him anyways.
"You better not drop me, cuck!" Michael screamed.
Tiberius stopped in his tracks. "I'm sorry, what?"
"DON'T FUCKING DROP ME, DEAFCUCK!"
Confessional: Michael: Cumhachtach Clan
"It's a simple command. I'm not sure what Tiberius doesn't understand."
End Confessional
"Wait. I thought I was the one who called people 'cuck' here." Tiberius thought out into the distance.
"It seems like you boys have been tuckered out for all that running and shouting." Laura grabbed both of their shoulders. "Thank you. Now all I need is to capture Bryan, and Cumhachtach will be sent to elimination with Alltud. Pleasure doing business with you!"
Tiberius turned to Michael as Laura left. "This is what you get for calling me cuck, cuck."
Shift Camera Focus
Contestant(s): Aria, King, Laura
"So, once again ..." King held his forefingers to his head. "You want to align with myself and Michael when we are able to? That is your current suggestion?"
"Specifically the merge." Aria twirled her blue ribbon with her index finger as she smiled at King.
King softly smiled back. "That sounds… doable… if only we can keep Ffydd from losing any more challenges. I have a feeling Indigo will vote me off before either kvinna on our tribe."
Aria heard footsteps in the distance.
She recognized the sound of those feet.
"King." She quickly got in front of him. "You have to run, now. Either the left or the right will do. Try and find a Detective from Mealltach to lead back here! Just go!"
"J-ja." King nodded nervously before bolting to the right.
Once he was sufficiently far, Aria began to pant heavily, and collapsed onto her knees, just in time for Laura to arrive on the scene.
"Aria, what's wrong? Look alive, it's only the two of us left in this challenge! Find Bryan so we can send Cumhachtach to elimination with Alltud!"
"It's… King…" Aria spoke through her fake pants. "He's… he's too fast… for me… ugh…" She faked a collapse onto the ground. "I need… rest… Mateo keeps trying to throw challenges… doing double the work to make up for it is exhausting…"
"Fine." Laura had no time for this. "You stay here. If you see Bryan, call out so I can come tag him if you can't."
Confessional: Aria: Cfrwys Clan
"This can go one of two ways for me. Either Laura will like me so much that she'll get rid of Mateo when we lose and stop making big bets secure in the 'fact' that I'm loyal to her now, OR If we do lose the challenge, the three of us really can vote her off, and as I cast a throwaway for Kalyssa, I can avoid having her blood on my hands and take that title of Cfrwys Queen, which will really help me branch out into figuring who is allied with who and forming a better game plan that my current Mateo meat shield."
End Confessional
Confessional: Laura: Cfrwys Clan
"All that matters right now is that Cfrwys doesn't lose. I'll deal with all three of the snakes in my garden when the time is right. Right now, however, I cannot afford a defeat."
End Confessional
Shift Camera Focus
Contestant(s): Alice, Anemone, Jarri, Laura, Roxanne
"Found you!" Both Anemone and Roxanne shouted at each other as Alice and Jarri followed their allies so that all four of them were gathered together in the same clearing.
"No, we found you!" Roxanne crossed her arms. "We need-"
"-to work together to catch Laura!" Anemone completed. "There we go, it was our idea! Not yours, time to admit it or we'll tell Rose about how difficult you're being!"
"Go ahead, Barbie, make my day…" Roxanne balled her hands into fists. "But I can snap you like a twig in 0.2 seconds."
"Both of you! Jarri gasped. "This is exactly the kind of icky BS that we should be avoiding right now, guys!" She pleaded. "I don't know how much longer Ffydd or Cumhachtach can hold out."
"Jarri is right." Alice nodded. "Anyone know where Rose is? This will go faster if we all just jump on her at once."
"I haven't seen her since the betting." Roxanne shrugged. "I think we have to do this with just the four of us."
"It'll make her happy to know we can come together when it counts, too." Anemone agreed. "After all, I think we all share a desire to stay in this game."
"Alright guys!" Jarri took the lead. "Here's some ideas that I've been pondering."
As Jarri began to rattle off ideas, Alice, Anemone, and Roxanne all chipped in with suggestions and modifications of their own.
Soon, their plan was finalized.
Confessional: Alice: Mealltach Clan
"Ohohohohoooo, Laura isn't going to know what hit her!"
End Confessional
"I see her!" Anemone called from a tree branch. "She's heading this way, get in positions!"
Alice dove into a bush.
Roxanne hid behind a large oak.
Anemone ducked back down beneath the foliage of the tree she was perched in.
Jarri meanwhile, stayed in the open.
As Laura began to approach, Jarri made a frightened gesture. "Oh, shi-..." She made sure Laura could see her before running off, towards the trap.
"What on earth?" Laura quirked a brow.
Confessional: Laura: Cfrwys Clan
"Jarri is a Detective. She should want to tag me, a Murderer. But instead she ran away. There was no sort of large animal following me, I know that much, so why did she run? I can only assume that she was trying to set a trap and ran out of time, but now I know to turn around and avoid this area."
End Confessional
As soon as Laura turned around, it was Anemone's cue.
"Woo!" The journalist dropped down from the tree, blocking Laura's path.
"Gah!" Laura gasped as she began to head towards the tree Anemone had jumped from, reasoning no one would be there anymore.
"Nope." Roxanne smiled as she spun around from the oak, blocking Laura's path once again.
"Damn it!" Laura realized what was going on as she went to move the other way only for Alice to pop out and block her path.
There was only one way left for Laura to run.
She ran.
The other three kept at her pace with all their energy, until finally…
Laura's ankle got caught in a snare trap.
"You didn't think I was just running away did you?" Jarri asked as she walked along the branch the snare was hanging over. "I don't run from crime." She tagged Laura's leg. "Crime runs from me! You're dead, Murderer."
"Woo!" Roxanne, Anemone, and Alice all celebrated their victory with high fives.
"We freaking did it!" Roxanne cheered
"Rose is gonna be so stoked!" Alice agreed
"This challenge is practically over now!" Anemone sighed relieved.
"I wouldn't celebrate, just yet." Laura warned. "Arianna is still at large, and you guys aren't going to find her before she finds Bryan or King."
Confessional: Laura: Cfrwys Clan
"Damn it, damn it, damn it! I underestimated Mealltach. I didn't think they were unified enough to pull something like that off. I thought Jarri was a lone actor in that scenario. Now it all rests on Aria… and whether or not she truly is Mateo's lackey or simply using him."
End Confessional
Shift Camera Focus
Contestant(s): King, Roxanne
"Roxanne, over here!" King motioned Roxanne over as he saw her come his way.
"King!" She quickly embraced him in a bear hug. "Oh thank the island gods you're still alive!"
"Ja." King nodded. "I've been outrunning Aria this entire time. I can lead you to where I last saw her. She might be ex-hee-steed."
"Ex… Ohhhh exhausted."
"Ja, that word."
"Perfect!" Roxanne gave a quick fist bump. "Lead the way, King! We can make sure Cfrwys loses land to give to the rest of us!"
"Ja!" King grinned as he led Roxanne by the wrist. "It was this way!"
Shift Camera Focus
Contestant(s): Bryan, Jarri
"Jarri!" Bryan scared the ever loving shit out of Jarri as she wandered by his hiding place.
"Bryan!" She gasped quietly but excitedly. "Bryan, it's just you and King left." She whispered. "I can keep you safe, if you can lead me to Aria. She's the only Murderer still at large."
"I…" Bryan shook his head. "I would if I could but I've been hiding here since Indigo left."
"Then I'll defend you. If Aria can't tag you, then Cumhachtach can't lose!"
"I… guess that's fine…" Bryan reasoned.
Confessional: Bryan: Cumhachtach Clan
"After all, the only way my clan wins is if time runs out, King is murdered, and Aria is still at large. Kind of a tall order to make an incredible understatement."
End Confessional
"So, I have a question." Jarri asked in a whisper. "What's it like over on Clan Cumhachtach? How much of a pain is Tiberius when he's not busy grandstanding? How all over the place is Michael? How boring is Stan? How's Frag factor into your team in all this?"
"I don't know where to start." Bryan sighed. "Tiberius becomes a different kind of pain when he isn't grandstanding. He becomes a lazy slob who snores and takes up space in our cabin."
"You guys built a cabin?!" Jarri's eyes widened.
"Even built a chimney." Bryan nodded. "Anyways. Stan and Michael seem to share a brain cell at times, but also seem to constantly fight over who gets to use it. And Frag...Frag is on the bottom with me. We have fundamentally different ideas on how to escape the bottom though."
"Ahhh, that's nothing like my team." Jarri relaxed. "Alice and Anemone just won't stop pestering Roxanne and I and we're both trying to get Rose to at least give us her word that she won't just vote us off because the little villains on our team simply said so, but she's been really hesitant."
"Oh…." Bryan seemed to already pick up on the situation. "I'm sorry. That's not a fun situation to be in. Tell you what though, just keep me safe until the challenge ends, and I'll help you however I can."
"That sounds like a deal." Jarri nodded.
Confessional: Jarri: Mealltach Clan
"Bryan seems like the responsible and generally honest sort, so I don't mind making a deal with him. But someone like Tiberius or Mateo? Yeah no way. Even someone like Stan or Michael I'd be a little suss about."
End Confessional
Shift Camera Focus
Contestant(s): Aria, King, Rose, Roxanne
"Hmmngh..." Aria groaned as she waited for a Detective to come find her. She wanted to put on a good act. Just good enough that Cfrwys would finally, finally lose this challenge. She had options. She didn't really care about victory. But she didn't want her time to just be wasted doing nothing like this either.
"Ja, this way!" She heard King's voice call from the east.
Finally, finally this unbearable waiting was over.
She would lose the challenge that was so freaking hard to lose in the first place.
And she would choose between Laura and Mateo.
Who would make a more valuable ally in the near future?
As she weighed the cons and pons of each player in her mind, she heard another person approaching.
Her brows perked up when she saw Rose.
Aria quickly made it seem like she was running away, when she was in fact running in place.
Rose got closer and closer.
Aria began to move forwards, and pretended to trip.
Rose loomed over her.
This was it.
This was her team's defeat.
But it was her personal victory.
This challenge had been a bitch and a half to throw effectively.
Rose reached out her hand.
She hesitated.
Aria gave her a bit of a glare.
What was she waiting for? Aria was almost certainly the last one left by now. She had to be.
But there Rose's hand was.
Outstretched, but unmoving.
"I… " Rose bit her lip.
"Oh!" Roxanne and King finally arrived on the scene.
They smiled at each other.
Rose had this in the bag.
So why hadn't the challenge been called?
Rose withdrew her hand.
Aria quirked a brow.
Roxanne and King, who were too far away, decided to come a little closer.
"Why isn't the challenge being called?" Roxanne wondered to King.
King shrugged.
"Chris." Rose rose her hand into the air.
"Seriously." Roxanne nudged King. "Hostman must be sleeping on us today or something."
"That's what he gets for doing this challenge in the early morning." King shrugged.
"Chris!" Rose called a bit more forcefully.
Chris yawned as he appeared in pajamas bearing his face all over them.
"Geez, what is it? You haven't even tagged her yet, so I'm not gonna call anything!"
"No, I want to call something." Rose announced. "I want a special elimination!"
"You WHAT?!" Roxanne gasped. "Rose, we were so close to-"
"Against whom?" Chris grinned.
"Rose, don't do this!" Roxanne warned.
"Against…" Rose thought.
"Rose, just take it back and tag her! Win it so we can decide our team dynamics in-"
"Agh, enough with pestering me about team dynamics! I call it against Roxanne!"
"Done!" Chris beamed with devilish delight.
He took out a megaphone and pointed it at the sky.
"ATTENTION ALL CAMPERS! A SPECIAL ELIMINATION CEREMONY HAS BEEN CALLED! MEALLTACH WILL BE THE ONLY CLAN TO HEAD TO ELIMINATION TONIGHT. COUNT YOUR BUTTS SAVED ALLTUD. BECAUSE THE DETECTIVES HAVE BEEN TAKEN OUT OF THE CHALLENGE, THE MURDERERS AKA CFRWYS WINS BY DEFAULT, WHILE CUMHACHTACH AND FFYDD TIE FOR SECOND, AND MEALLTACH PLACES FOURTH. UNFORTUNATELY, SINCE LAURA BET SO MUCH LAND, SHE'LL TAKE ANY EXTRA ACRES FROM ALLTUD AS A PUNISHMENT FOR THEM NOT PARTICIPATING IN THE CHALLENGE! SOME INTERNS WILL SELECT RANDOM JURORS FROM CFRWYS, FFYDD, AND CUMHACHTACH, TO DETERMINE WHICH CONTESTANT...BETWEEN ROSE AND ROXANNE...IS WORTHY OF CONTINUING THEIR GAME ABOVE GROUND!"
Confessional: Aria: Cfrwys Clan
"Are. You. Fucking. Kidding Me?" Aria is not happy. "We spent so much effort, so much fucking effort to throw that challenge, which was nearly impossible to throw, by the way, thanks to Laura. And now Rose just fucking undid all of it! Forget the Cfrwys Queen, the Mealltach Queen is the one with issues! She better fucking hope I'm not on that jury!"
End Confessional
Confessional: Roxanne: Mealltach Clan
"No, Rose, why? Well, if that's the way you want to play it, I hope you're ready to lose in court! The people have my back, I'm sure they do!"
End Confessional
CHALLENGE RESULTS AND ACRE CHANGES:
1st Place: Cfrwys (bet 5000 acres) [11,600] - [16,600]
2nd Place: Cumhachtach (bet 1100 acres) [3600] - [2500]
2nd Place: Ffydd (bet 500 acres) [3500] - [3000]
4th Place: Mealltach (bet 1800 acres) [4000] - [2200]
5th Place: Alltud (did not bet) [7300] - [5700]
Location: Tine Naofa Bonfire Arm-Pit (Special Elimination Ceremony)
Watching: Alice, Anemone, Jarri
Participating: Rose, Roxanne
Jurors: Bryan (Cumhachtach), Morgana (Ffydd), Mateo (Cfrwys)
"Welcome, Bryan, Morgana, and Mateo, our jurors!" Chris announced as they filed onto the rocks and logs. "To our very first ever special elimination ceremony! Here's how this is going to work. Alice, Anemone, and Jarri are all part of the peanut gallery. Their games are not on the line. Rose has used her power as the Mealltach Queen to call a case against Roxanne." Their two torches flickered beside each other. "You will first hear the Queen's case. Then you will hear the defender's case. But the majority of your time will be used in deliberation with each other in private. Finally, once your deliberation time is up, I will call upon you to cast your votes. These are not elimination votes. They are votes of favor. Both Rose and Roxanne want to see their names on your votes. Whoever receives the most votes will either continue to be or become the Queen of Mealltach. Whoever receives the least votes will have their torch snuffed and be sent straight to the Shameterranean. While we do not have to worry in this case, in the event of a tied jury vote, the King or Queen automatic tiebreaker ability does not apply, and the winner will be decided via a tiebreaker challenge. Now that all of that is out of the way… Rose… your case."
Confessional: Bryan: Cumhachtach Clan
"Okay, this whole thing is very interesting. If perhaps I can goad Tiberius into calling a special elimination ceremony like this one, I find it all too probable that he'd be signing his own death warrant."
End Confessional
Confessional: Mateo: Cfrwys Clan
"So this is the special elimination ceremony is it? Perhaps I need not fear it too much after all. And finally I have some information that Laura will not be privy to. Ahh, it's nice when a new plan comes together after an old one fails."
End Confessional
Confessional: Morgana: Ffydd Clan
"So… I get to choose… who I want to stay… in the other clan? No offense Chris but this...this is an easy choice. Just whoever the spirits tell me to keep around."
End Confessional
Rose cleared her throat as she took the stand.
"Jury...ever since our clan voted off Molly, I have only ever heard one thing from every single one of my clan members. And that thing has been voting strategies. It's always asking if I can vote out this person next or that person or who I'm leaning towards voting out when we lose. I understand that we can't win all the time, I really do. But we aren't going to lose all the time either, and quite frankly I don't want my entire conversations every day to be nothing but a whirlpool of lies and half-truths being fed to me. That's why I called this special elimination ceremony tonight. To get one of the bigger offenders to finally leave me out of their defeatist attitudes."
She bowed her head.
"Thank you, Rose." Chris announced. "Roxanne, you can make your defense now."
Roxanne walked up to the stand and looked at the jury members.
"Look," She sighed. "I don't know what this is about but I only go up to Rose here to communicate with her, and this is the first I'm hearing of her being annoyed by any lobbying me or Jarri or Alice or Anemone has done, and I bet it's the first they're hearing of it too!" She gestured towards the bench, where Jarri, who was on Roxanne's side, was nodding vehemently, while Alice and Anemone, who wanted to see Roxanne eliminated, kept perfectly still.
"An' I sure don't want to leave for something I never even knew was a problem to begin with and wasn't ever given the chance to correct." Roxanne continued. "And what sucks the most about all of this is that the four of us she's complainin' about were still able to work together. We took down Laura, and she gave us all trouble! We could have been celebrating a win right now thanks to the teamwork we literally just managed to cultivate! Look, you can see from her surprised face that I'm telling the truth."
Rose was indeed surprised.
Confessional: Rose: Mealltach Clan
"I had… I had no idea… If I had known that they'd started finally working as a unit, of course I wouldn't have called this ceremony...but it's too late now...what's done is done. Now I can only hope for the best."
End Confessional
"I don't think I need to say any more." Roxanne crossed her arms and back away.
"Very well." Chris nodded. "Jurors, you will deliberate in private. I will call you out when enough time has passed."
He led Bryan, Mateo, and Morgana to a small tent.
After some time passed, he led the three of them back out.
None of them looked happy.
"How was it?" He grinned.
"Awful." Bryan responded.
Confessional: Bryan: Cumhachtach Clan
"Mateo makes me sick to my stomach. The stuff he was saying."
End Confessional
Confessional: Mateo: Cfrwys Clan
"The choice is rather obvious if you think about it." Mateo grinned into the camera. "It's too bad for all his years that Bryan is as dim as he is."
End Confessional
Confessional: Morgana: Ffydd Clan
"Bryan and Mateo were arguing so much, it made it hard for me to hear what the spirits were saying. I just hope I make the right choice."
End Confessional
One by one, each juror went up to cast their vote.
"Remember." Chris announced. "You are voting for the person you want to stay. Rose and Roxanne both want to see their names on this slip of paper."
Soon, all three had cast their votes.
Chris left to tally them.
Rose and Roxanne looked at each other nervously, awkwardly, and disdainfully.
Chris returned.
"I've tallied the votes." He announced. "Remember, you want to see your name. The person who does not receive the most votes will be the one to come up and get their torch snuffed, heading down to join the others in the Shameterranean."
"We know." Roxanne spoke bluntly.
"Please." Rose begged. "Read them."
Chris took out one slip of paper.
"One vote for...Roxanne…" He announced.
Roxanne smiled.
Rose frowned.
Chris took out another slip of paper.
"One vote for…
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Rose smiled.
Roxanne frowned.
Chris took out the final piece of paper.
"...Our last vote is for…
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… Rose. Congratulations you are still Queen of Mealltach."
Chris turned to Roxanne.
"Roxanne, time to bring me your torch."
"This is such weapons-grade horse bollocks." Roxanne muttered under her breath as she brought her torch before Chris.
"Roxanne…" Chris announced. "The Jury has spoken." Chris suffocated her fire. "Chef will escort you into the Shameterranean."
He turned to the rest of Mealltach.
"Congratulations. The rest of you are all safe. For now. Next week, no clan can call an elimination ceremony, but you specifically cannot call another one until another clan does first. So I hope you got your money's worth out of this."
"We certainly did." Anemone whispered to Alice.
"I sure as heck didn't." Jarri muttered to herself.
The four remaining Mealltach members grabbed their torches and walked back to their campsite, completely silent the whole way there.
Rose hated it.
*Roxanne's Elimination Confessional:
"Well… this was not at all how I imagined I would go. Really really peeved that Rose didn't just come up to us and say 'Hey, this is making me uncomfortable, please stop.' Like, we're not monsters. Well, Jarri and I aren't in any case. Damn, I'm rooting for you up there, Jar! I'll do my best to find whatever it is I need to find to get myself back up there! Hang in there, because the cavalry is coming!"
End Confessional*
Shameterranean
Contestant(s): Avi, Bryan, Nathan
The sun crept through the hole of the alcove. Nathan and Avi sat on the altar as Bryan talked about the game.
"Damn," said Nathan, "Laura has 16,600 acres?"
"That's an entire half of the island!" Avi chriped
"I know." Bryan nodded.
"How has your front been holding up?"
"Well, I wouldn't have a clue. I just came back from another team's elimination. A special elimination."
"Oh yeah?" Nathan leaned in.
"They got rid of the wrong person, in my opinion. They should've eliminated the Queen for having guaranteed a loss for them. On top of that, Ffydd has the strangest young man for a king. I encountered him today in the challenge."
"What's going on with Alltud?" Nathan asked.
"No idea." Bryan responded. "They couldn't agree on a bet for the challenge so they would have gone to elimination if Mealltach hadn't called a special one."
Avi jumped off of the altar. "Well, thanks for the status update, Bryan. It helps us get rid of the history homework when one of us returns to the game."
"No problem. I'm gonna get more sleep. See you guys!"
"Bye Bryan." They called together.
Shift Camera Focus
Contestant(s): Jeremy
Jeremy's hands slipped over a button.
Was it an elevator?
No, of course it can't be that easy.
An altar. With more hidden advantages. He opened the pouch.
Challenge advantage or Challenge block?
Surely, the challenge advantage would do good for him later down the line. Now for the challenge block.
Alltud could use it. They need it more than anyone else.
Jeremy left the alcove. He was under Mealltach at the moment.
He trekked silently for a while before finding it.
This was the Alltud Alcove he had been looking for.
Right in the heart of the desert. Even if they lost a bunch of land, no one would want this part of the desert.
Jeremy sent it up.
It bounced on the sand.
And he left, looking for something of greater value.
Shift Camera Focus
Contestant(s): Harald, Franchesca, Mathilda
"There she is." Harald turned Franchesca's gaze towards Mathilda, as the latter dragged her bat across the ground, making sure she wouldn't lose her way as she looked for the right places in each wall.
"She was so impure that Gamata took away her voice. She cannot be allowed to ascend."
"You make a good point." Franchesca was falling for it."Gamata can, in fact, strip the air from your throat if you defy his will. But I see her trick with the bat. There are many energies and vibrations in this Shameterranean. Listening to the right ones will let Gamata grant you His blessing."
"I'll admit ignorance of that particular one." Harald announced. "Doesn't sound like a god of light, so how does Gamata have jurisdiction down here?"
"Follow me, I will lead you to a spot where there have been a lot of them." Franchesca grinned as she took Harald's hand and led him down the cavern, towards a hollow wall.
As she pressed Harald's hand against a hidden button, a stone door rose up and Harald's eyes widened at the alcove that revealed itself. The hole that appeared up towards the cavern ceiling seemed to lead out into the bog.
The pair noticed a couple of advantages at the altar.
An immunity idol and a fake one.
After looking them over, and hiding them from even the cameraman, Franchesca sent one up, hoping it would reach Ffydd given the biome, and handed the other to Harald.
"A blessing from Gamata." He grinned. "I see."
"And Gamata sees you." Franchesca nodded.
Shift Camera Focus
Contestant(s): Ani, Avi, Gazella, Molly, Nathan
"Alright, here we are." Nathan announced to Avi. "This is the farthest I've gone."
"Well...Let's go farther." Avi laughed. "Pretty sure we're underwater at this point, so if we find an alcove switch…"
"It's gotta have something other than a choice in it." Nathan agreed.
With a little effort, Nathan found a switch.
"Avi, Avi, Avi!" He called Avi over.
"Oh, damn, I didn't think we'd actually find one!" Avi laughed "I think this might be it!"
"Yeah I think it might be this way." They heard a woman's voice.
Their eyes widened.
Quickly they pressed the button and closed the stone door to the alcove behind them.
"Whoa…." Nathan looked around.
The cavern had become more crystalline and translucent, allowing the pair to see into the ocean water, where schools of fish swam through coral, and seaweed grew on the continental shelf.
The light only just barely reached into the alcove itself, but it lit up a very prominent altar.
Avi walked towards it while Nathan stood guard.
The design of the wooden statue resting at the altar was that of a robed figure wearing a stag skull, wreathed in autumn leaves, and holding some sort of shamanic staff.
"Nathan, I think this is it!" Avi excitedly said through heavy breaths of unbridled joy. "This is the Druidic Artefact! We found the DA!"
"That's great!" A voice that did not belong to Nathan responded.
Avi turned back.
Nathan struggled as Ani and Gazella pushed him towards a Pit of Peril, while Molly began to approach Avi.
"Avi!" Nathan called out. "Whatever you do, don't fall!" And with that, Ani and Gazella successfully pushed Nathan down the Pit of Peril.
"Now." Molly held out her hand. "Hand it over."
Avi gripped the DA tightly and shook his head.
Ani, Gazella, and Molly exchanged a nod.
Target acquired.
Jury Votes for those who are curious
Bryan voted for… Roxanne
Mateo voted for… Rose
Morgana voted for… Rose
22 Above Ground. 9 Underground.
AN: HOLY FUCK THAT WAS LONG (EN: time coming). Anyways, only two people to go over so first, let's talk about Roxanne, and then let's talk about Nathan.
Roxanne be unlucky today for real tho. It was less her problem that got her eliminated and more Rose's problem. It also isn't the best timing since the DA has been found and all.
She got such a bad rap here. But she's not out of the game yet. She's still in play and is capable of getting the DA in her hands if she works hard enough. Can Roxanne power through and earn her spot back up? Keep reading to find out!
Now for Nathan. My boy. Not really mine, obviously, I just liked him a lot.
Nathan was our sort of quintessential guide, a nice focal character for detailing the Shameterranean. Then, when more people came down, he definitely found a wonderful mentor role. It was unfortunate that he was one of the first people down though, because it doesn't give him too much of a story reason to rise back up, but I'm sure he is content in knowing that he fell in order to protect Avi, his friend and ally.
Having studied his actions throughout the season, Nathan receives the status of: Hero
This man is a fucking hero. I can't think of a single Nathan scene where he was ever not the good guy. He tried to talk to Danny but didn't pursue him when Danny got scared. He saved Avi like twice if you count this time. He let Jeremy use his campsite even though Jeremy made it clear he wasn't about getting Avi to the surface over himself, and oh yeah, This freaking bro and a half picked a clan to route for, and when one of their own was sent down, made it his mission to try and put him back up topside again.
Nathan's best scene...that one's a little harder for me to really decide on. I think I'll go with finding the very first alcove though, mainly for the important exposition it helped set up.
But hey, that's all just my opinion except the hero thing. What do you guys think?
What are your thoughts on that special elimination?
Who WILL end up rising?
Let us both know!
EN2: If Nathan isn't your hero, he's Avi's hero!
AN2: We got a discord! Come check us out! The discord link is on my profile. We talk about Total Drama but also play games, make memes, and watch Survivor! If that stuff sounds fun to you, then you sound fun to us!
EN3: This was the chapter Doobop and I have been starving to write, which is why we freaking blazed through the beginning. Yessss. Not that the story wasn't good from the start, but now it really gets good! And this is where we were really afraid of Laura. If we were afraid, it makes us wonder how mindblown everyone gets about Laura. Laura is a legend. But will she remain a legend?
I got really used to writing character evaluation, pardon my syntax. Unfortunately, we had less Alltud because I love those babies. Hopefully they will learn from their mistakes. Will they learn from their mistakes?
Joke of the Outline is this chapter is… "MICHAEL! GET ON MY BACK!" We wrote that sooo long ago. Literally, when we decided Laura would be creeping up on them, someone would freak out. So funny for us. It might not be the funniest joke in this chapter anymore, but that's okay.
I think the funniest joke… in my opinion was Aria claiming that she didn't watch anime and instead claiming to watch Japanese styled cartoons. That was inspired by a little boy I know who claimed he liked to watch hour long movies, instead of Barbie movies. ("I don't like Barbie movies! I like hour-long movies") I was on the phone with Doobop when that line was coined, so he heard it too, and we had a good laugh, cuz kids be cute sometimes.
AN3: And, as always, thanks for reading!