EN: Let's all remember something very important and essential to the plot of the story. Both Angelo and Axel are shirtless. Never forget.
Chris Recap
"Last time on Total Drama Crios Cath…
"Michael decided his best play was to begin messing with Carol's head, and boy, did he make a good case.
"Axel and Arianna continued to get under each other's skin.
"Rose and Angelo towed the line between a private rendezvous and worldwide PDA.
"And Kalyssa complained about the trees. Meanwhile, Setsuna willingly became one of Kalyssa's pawns. We'll see how far that gets her.
"Afterwards, Kalyssa sought out Tiberius who demanded to eliminate Jarri. Shockingly, Kalyssa was somewhat confident she could do it. And against all odds, she was right.
"Frag and Jeremy found the Mealltach medal, and worked together to get it down from its tree. Reeaaal manly, my guys.
"Setsuna wandered off from main camp to feed Rose and Angelo and to ask for help. However, in trying to ally with them, Setsuna learned that she may or may not have to ditch her box entirely. We'll see how far that gets her as well.
"The challenge forced the contestants to keep their designated hand on a statue for as long as they possibly could… and let me say… this cast is one chatty cast! Seriously I did *not* expect them to spend so much of that time talking to each other! The winner, in the end, was Kalyssa.
"Michael, after the challenge, decided to hit Arianna up and get her to throw a vote towards Frag with him, mainly because, at this point, it seems like she's flying off the seat of her pants.
"Angelo, Rose, and Setsuna had a threesome *ahem* I mean, an alliance meeting, which almost made them late. Setsuna decided she would use her box to help them achieve their goal.
"During the elimination ceremony, a five way tie occurred. Yes, you heard me right. And THEN, another three way tie, leading us to, for the first time in Total Drama history: rocks. In the end, it was Jarri who ended up pulling the colored rock. Thus, it's the land of the Shameterranean for her, but not before her badass elimination confessional. Chef?"
Chef Recap
"Tiberius tried to search for the True Resting Place but failed. He did *almost* find the Druidic Artifact though. The fool should have looked more thoroughly.
"King spent his time revealing the tunnel openings Mateo spent so long covering up.
"That's it."
Chris stepped into Chef's light. "The chaos of the Crios Cath merge is at its boiling point! Where will our contestants go from here? Who will stir up the spiciest drama, and who will not be able to take the heat of the kitchen any longer? Find out right here! On Total! Drama! Crios Cath!"
Survivor's: Ancient Voices starts playing
As the music begins, 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.
Mergeville
The camera shows four figures of red, blue, green, yellow, and gray, all warring at each other, carrying symbols of flags. It then pans over the location of the acres Mergeville controls, showing the border of the Glas Woods and Cloc Mountain Range.
Angelo is hauling sandstone in one shot, and harmoniously playing a violin in a second shot.
Arianna is seen placing the DA on its True Resting Place in one shot, and slamming her fists down on the sand in the 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.
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.
Jeremy is seen placing the DA on its True Resting Place in one shot, and staring intently at the Tine Naofa Bonfire, aware of what elimination means in this game, 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.
Maggie is busy dusting off her stone slab bed in one shot, and organizing various makeshift tools in a second shot.
Michael is seen placing the DA on its True Resting Place in one shot, and is leaping through treetops 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.
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.
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.
Jarri is getting her torch snuffed by Chris in one shot, and rushing through a tunnel in a second shot.
King is being scolded by Tiberius in one shot, and calling up to Setsuna in another.
Tiberius is getting his torch snuffed by Chris in one shot, and pacing around the first True Resting Place in another shot.
The camera zooms out to reveal that all the figures and underworld were part of the same picture, the season logo connecting them like a belt.
Total Drama Crios Cath
Location: Glas Woods (Mergeville)
Contestants: Angelo, Arianna, Axel, Carol, Frag, Jeremy, Kalyssa, Maggie, Michael, Rose, Setsuna
Carol kept her balance as river water sloshed out of the makeshift bucket.
Arianna, fixing her shelter from the inside, kept a keen eye on the fire. Everyone else had left to do other chores. Arianna assumed the responsibility of maintaining the camp. Upon seeing Carol struggle to the fire, she crept out. Time to put a plan into motion.
Confessional: Arianna
"I'm not doing this because I want to." Arianna paused and then proceeded to snicker. "Okay. Maybe a little. But this wasn't my idea, so if it backfires, the blood won't be on my hands!"
End Confessional
Carol rested the bucket by the fire and grabbed another bucket, ready to take on another load.
"Maggie's been talking about you."
Carol jolted, unaware that someone else had been at camp. Arianna sat by the fire, stirring the pot. The bucket Carol just set down was now empty.
Carol rolled her eyes. "Why would she talk to you of all people?"
"Well, it didn't start that way…" Arianna tapped a finger on her cheek. "Rumors fly."
"... And you believe them?"
"Not at first. After all, I saw the way Alltud and Mealltach worked together from Cyfrwys, and I saw it up close when I was actually on Alltud. But then, I went up to Maggie. I had to. I kept hearing the gossip, and it just seemed so idiotic."
Confessional: Carol
"Here, we have Arianna. She's not in the best position in this game, which probably means she's feeding me a bunch of bullshit. But why… why does she have to get into my business?" Carol shook her head. "I can't let her play me."
End Confessional
Carol joined Arianna at the fire, sitting on the same log as her. Arianna drew spirals into the air. "She just kept going off on tangents to me about how you didn't vote with her and Jarri at the last ceremony, how you could've saved Jarri from being eliminated. And now, it seems like it's starting to get a little more personal, like… she told me how she didn't really like how you styled your hair, and she also gets annoyed anytime you involve yourself in everyone else's problems."
Carol sat there poker-faced, save for a small, forced blink. "Are you done?"
Arianna shrugged. "There's more, but I'll spare you the details."
Carol raised a brow.
Arianna smiled. "Fortunately for you, I know what it's like to feel betrayed by your closest allies."
Carol ignored her. "Nothing about this situation adds up."
Arianna twirled her hair, annoyed at the perception, but smiled at Carol, waiting for her to give Arianna information to work with.
"Maggie told you that she was upset I didn't vote with her and Jarri?" Carol asked.
There it was. A question. Doubt. It wasn't that annoying certainty Arianna had to deal with when it came to Axel. "Verbatim."
"Why would she tell you that though? They voted for you."
Arianna gasped. "Carol… that must mean that you spared me!" She exclaimed, having experienced a sudden epiphany.
Confessional: Arianna
"And this is good news for me too. One of the people who voted for me last night isn't here anymore. And if I'm not on Carol's list of people to go home, I've got some wiggle room here. All I need to do is unite this divided campsite. Not only will it save me from elimination in the near future, it will also remove a legitimately problematic player! I'll need to get started right away. Shouldn't be too hard if I start while I finish up the shelter work!"
End Confessional
Arianna stood up from her stump. "Well, while you come back with your next haul of water. I'm gonna keep working on the shelters."
Carol watched Arianna walk to the shelters. She picked up her bucket and headed back towards the stream.
Shift Camera Focus
Confessional: Kalyssa
"The others have no trust in me, hence why they spared me from going alone to gather wood. I brought Setsuna along to calm their worries, but also because she and I have been getting close lately. Only for the context of the game and nothing else. I need her for moments like these where I have to stray to find the 'underking' and seek what he wishes for. I have to admit, the mistrust the others put on me certainly wasn't misplaced; however, I have ways to do what I want whenever I want to do it."
End Confessional
Kalyssa found a hole and sat down next to it. She placed her sticks that she had collected on the grass next to her.
After a while of waiting, she stuck a stick into a hole.
"...'m here!" A voice echoed within the caverns.
"Well, it's about time!" Kalyssa huffed. "I sent Jarri down. Who shall I escort next?"
"Tell me about what's happening up there first! Is Angelo still away from camp with my wife?"
"Yes, unfortunately for you, it seems as though the two of them eloped."
Tiberius growled. "And what else?"
"Still nobody knows what had happened with the berries. Jarri was about to figure it out, but we sent her down… Thanks to you."
"I see. If people say it was Angelo, then send him down next. If he actually is innocent, then I don't want him to experience any of it! And if he's somehow immune, go for the beauty queen! I want them apart!"
Kalyssa hovered over the hole so Tiberius could see her nod. "Consider it done."
Confessional: Kalyssa
"Talk about simple! I could easily get Axel in on this. Jeremy might be a bit hard, but I'm sure I can get through to him again. Plus, Arianna also hates him. Perhaps I can put the Cyfrwys banner to use. Setsuna, I can also use to my advantage. Maybe with all those connections, someone else can get roped into this vote, and majority will finally be mine!"
End Confessional
Kalyssa rallied Setsuna and their firewood up and both of them walked back towards camp…
Which, for some reason, looked peculiar.
On each conifer hut, stick figure drawings with a crowned man and an uncrowned woman with curly hair had been drawn on with charcoal. An 'x' had been drawn through them. On many of the trees surrounding the campsite, "A-A-R-M" had been written vertically down.
In the center of camp, by the campfire, Arianna stood admiring the work that had been done.
"By the bloods of the fallen…" Kalyssa stood forward. "What misfortune occurred here?"
"It's my campaign to deliver justice to those who have wronged the camp!" Arianna turned dramatically to face Kalyssa and Setsuna. "I call it AARM!"
"So that's what's written on the trees!" Setsuna realized. "Also, aren't arms body parts?"
"What does it stand for?" Kalyssa asked.
"Anti-Angelo-Rose-Movement."
"Oh." Kalyssa and Setsuna said simultaneously.
Confessional: Kalyssa
"Oh yes! This game had just became too easy to play. I practically don't play the game anymore. The game plays Kalyssa!"
End Confessional
Confessional: Setsuna
"Oh no! These guys are my number one allies too! This game is just too much. The game is practically playing me now, more than me actually playing the game."
End Confessional
More people returned to the campsite in awe of what was going around. Arianna continued to parade around camp with a banner made from a large leaf, donning ash on her cheek spelling AARM. She continuously tied grass wrist bands to people's arms and exclaimed, "AARM yourselves! Why would any innocent person flee from the camp? Will we really let them plan another attack on us from their secret hideout? No! We aren't going to sit here idly while those saboteurs and schemers get off scott-free! They cannot both win immunity! They cannot both stay safe from the vote! If we pool our efforts, we can stamp out the traitors to the game! We can AARM ourselves! Go on! Take the wristbands! Take the charcoal! Wear it proudly during the challenge! Show your loyalty to a peaceful campsite!"
Jeremy took a few steps forward. "You know what? I agree with part of what you're saying. Maybe getting rid of those two will calm everyone down and make this game much more peaceful!"
Maggie slowly took a wristband into her hands. Carol watched her, and she continued to stay where she was standing in awe of what was happening around her. Frag stood with his arms crossed, observing his surroundings, trying to read what the others were thinking. As Frag gazed around, his eyes caught onto Carol's.
Confessional: Frag
"'What was Carol thinking?' I wondered. But, I'm not gonna lie. Part of me thinks she may be attached to Angelo in a similar way Rose is attached to him. Not romantically of course, though," Frag rubbed the back of his head, "but I guess that option is never ruled out, huh? They've been on the same team since Day One. Plus, I've visited Mealltach more than enough times to know that, although Rose definitely has messed up as leader, that only proves her as inexperienced more than anything else. Based on what I've seen, I personally feel that Rose has been improving as a leader, and, I've got to say, sticking up for someone who is possibly innocent is the move a good leader would make. I know Tiberius would never stick up for someone innocent if it at all made him outnumbered, even if he knew they truly were innocent. And I'm sure Carol has a similar kind of read on Angelo, as he gives off his own sort of leader vibes. I think this is why the other part of me thinks that…
"… Carol and I are thinking the same thing. There's more to this than what we know."
End Confessional
Confessional: Michael
Michael sat on the toilet in his loincloth. He nodded his head. "Yeah, I'm pretty proud of Arianna for doing this. Not only is my game moving forward, but, as allies, I didn't even ask her to do this! It makes me wonder if she did the other thing I asked her to do, but honestly, that doesn't even matter compared to this!" Michael clapped his hands. "Enjoy the show, because Michael came here to give." As he spoke, Michael stood from the toilet with his backside facing the camera as he flexed his well-muscled arms. Across his shoulder blades was written the letters AARM. The post-production crew censored Michael's butt.
End Confessional
Confessional: Axel
"I don't know what's going through her head. I mean, I never know what's going through her head, but does she… does she understand that she's behaving the way I normally do? The way I behave towards her? Is she projecting?"
Axel shook his head. "And what confuses me even more is… why is she doing this now? I was enforcing this kind of behavior last week, and she fought me on it! I enforced this kind of behavior as it happened and she sat on the sidelines not caring what kind of outcome played! She only cared about where the targets were at, and as long as they weren't on her, she was indifferent.
"Does she believe what she's saying? Is she scrambling? Now wouldn't be the time for her to scramble… but this is exactly what her scrambling looks like."
End Confessional
Shift Camera Focus
Setsuna trekked through the woods with one plate carrying far too much food for one person. Leaves and branches descended behind her. A strange occurrence. It wasn't windy. Breezy, sure. But enough to make this amount of noise?
She stopped in her tracks. Maybe there was something up there? Setsuna looked up at the trees.
Birds and squirrels flew and scurried. Perhaps that much activity would cause such disturbance in the trees.
Meanwhile, in the canopy, Michael wiped sweat from his forehead from behind the trunk of the tree. "You know," he said to the camera, "for an archer, she makes a lot of noise just by walking.."
Setsuna continued her trek in the woods until it came to an end. Her destination: Angelo and Rose. Michael hid a gasp.
Confessional: Michael
"I let her get away with it these past few days, but not today, what with AARM and all. Wow. Setsuna. Girl. I didn't know you had it in you! Unfortunately, you've been caught. But I won't tell the others right away. No, no, no. I'm only going to tell them when I'm in a position of power, or when this tree hopping business gets out to people. I don't want to blow my innocence with the whole Angelo case, after all."
End Confessional
"Oh, Setsuna." Rose came out of her hut. "Are you sure the others haven't noticed anything off about this behavior?"
"They seem to let me do it. I just say that I get really hungry due to trekking all the time. We tend to over make our food at camp anyways."
"Well then," Angelo sat on a wood log by the small fire, "I suppose we shall continue to take advantage of this food for as long as we can. Though, it must be said, you really are outdoing yourself, Setsuna."
"Even with a failed Jeremy vote?"
"It was casted to fail. That was the purpose of the votes for Jeremy in the first place."
Rose nodded her head. "And our warning might've failed if you weren't there to read what everyone else was thinking at the other camp."
"Indeed." Angelo swallowed some bread. "After all, we didn't want to eliminate our target. Speaking of our target, Setsuna, this is a bit of a risk move I'm asking of you."
"Well, I'm not the most careful when it come to risk moves…"
Angelo tapped his finger on his chin. "It's nothing too dangerous. I just ask that you find some way to lure Jeremy here. I have a few words I'd like to exchange with him."
Rose crossed her arms. "I'd also like to send a more direct message this time."
Setsuna nodded. "Okay, but before I go, there is something I should tell you guys. Lots of people have been joining this thing that Arianna started up called-"
"Wait!" Rose furrowed a brow. "Arianna started something?"
"Yeah, she calls it AARM. And she's telling people to AARM themselves, which I don't know if that's legal. First of all, most of us are Canadian, so most of us shouldn't even own guns! Second of all, I think Crios Cath is a gun free zone. Third of all, she says that by telling people to AARM themselves that it's another way of telling people to vote Angelo, and if he's immune, then vote Rose."
The two sat in stunned silence.
Confessional: Rose
"Angelo has told me a lot of things about his duration of the game, and Arianna is absolutely one of them. Despite the fact that I've barely spoken to her, she already strikes me as the kind of person that I never want to have the displeasure of communicating with. From Angelo's almost unbelievable stories, she's toxic, only regards herself, and is someone that should be sent down soon. And if this behavior is anything to go off of, we should eliminate her next."
End Confessional
Confessional: Angelo
"So Arianna, you have officially decided to mess with me and my love. I will say one thing. We have sent you down before, and we will send you down again."
End Confessional
Confessional: Michael
"Huh? Maybe I should do this more often?"
End Confessional
Shift Camera Focus
Carol leaned against a tree with an empty bucket to her side. She closed her eyes and tried to catch her breath, hoping that the sound of the river flowing would bring ease to her mind.
Confessional: Carol
"Ever since Jarri's elimination, things have been getting worse. Maggie and I have been disagreeing more, with AARM and all, and then AARM itself! It was already bad enough that Axel had labeled Angelo a villain just like that, but now Arianna? However, while Axel only kept camp strict, Arianna is straight up villainizing Angelo and weaponizing the paranoia at camp! Not only that, but I see Maggie falling for it. It makes me wonder if the things Arianna told me this morning was true. She seems to trust someone she had never been on a team with as compared to Rose and Angelo, two people she has been on a team with! And with Jarri eliminated, I've lost a friend and an ally. I'm kicking myself now. I should've voted for Arianna with them! What was I thinking?"
End Confessional
As she stared at her empty bucket, a cough broke her contemplative silence. She looked up to see Frag, carrying a bucket of his own, filled with river water. "Do you want me to take that?"
"I… I got it."
"Are you sure?"
Carol toyed with the handle of her bucket.
Frag sat next to her. "This is my second round of water since you've been here. Is there something on your mind?"
"A lot of things." Carol sighed.
"Like?"
"The whole AARM thing for one."
Frag nodded, allowing Carol a few moments to continue.
"Angelo was a good friend of mine since Alltud. I'd often go to him during times like these, and he always knew just what to say." Carol took a break from talking to draw in another breath. "Seeing Arianna do this to him… definitely isn't ideal. But seeing so many people support it… I just don't want another one of my friends to be eliminated."
Frag let the sound of the river fill their silence. "Seeing Jarri go was a huge bummer. She was a friend and ally of mine too."
"You two were allies even though you weren't ever on the same team?"
"We weren't," Frag chuckled, "but I've been called over by the ladies many times."
"Well, maybe you can talk to Maggie since she seems to be avoiding me."
"Is she?" Frag asked. "I haven't seen either one of you making an effort to talk to the other recently."
"Well, that's because we voted differently at that last ceremony! She's partly upset that I didn't vote for Arianna."
"Last ceremony was really hectic, and of course everyone will be upset when their target doesn't go home. Aren't you a little upset that she didn't vote alongside us?"
"That's not all. Even way back when Angelo self-exiled himself… Maggie and I seemed to have different takes on it."
"Could I ask you yours?"
"... Well, I don't know if I should say this because… well…"
Frag put a hand on his heart. "I swear I won't tell anyone. Besides, you and Angelo were on Alltud together. I trust an Alltud on this more than a Mealltach."
Carol nodded. "For me, it was something so out of the blue for him. I can think of a few situations where Angelo would actually, purposefully, soil a food source, and that situation didn't really seem like a proper time to do that. He's smarter than that, especially if any of his advice throughout the game gives any sort of evidence. I'm with Rose, but not enough to sacrifice my whole game for it. It really, really sucks, but I stayed here so that maybe we could figure it out firsthand… and now that Jarri's gone… I feel as though I inherited the responsibility to do it." Carol put a hand on her mouth. "Maybe you didn't need to know that much. I've gotten a bit used to the confession cam."
"I didn't know Angelo… but I was well acquainted with Rose. If she thinks there's something up, then I'm inclined to think there's something up. Man, as a Cumhachtach, it really does feel like none of this is my business, but it's such a hot topic that I feel like forming an opinion. I don't really want to, but with such little evidence, it seems like the best thing you can do is to remain neutral until more evidence is out. My way to obtain evidence: other peoples' accounts. The people that were close to him… Carol, Axel, Maggie, hell, even Arianna. What those guys have to say about him is enough to base my opinion on him. So I guess now, all I have to do is find more accounts. End Confessional."
Carol smiled at Frag.
"I haven't seen one of those in a while." Frag said.
"Of what?"
"Your smile."
"I'm just… glad we can be each other's confession cam."
Carol and Frag stared off into the flowing river.
"I have a question for you." Frag turned back to her as a breeze blew past. "A difference in opinions… you think that's the reason why Maggie is avoiding you, assuming she even is?" Frag brought his hands behind his head. "It doesn't sound like you've heard much from her lately."
Carol went quiet.
She thought long and hard about how to answer the question. About what words to say…
But actions speak louder than words.
"I just wish there was something I could do." Carol sighed.
"Talk to Maggie?" Frag suggested earnestly.
"But if she really doesn't want to talk to me, I don't want to make anything worse! What if the reason she's avoiding me is all my fault?"
"Carol," Frag took a breath. "In a game like this, without fail, people will come to odds with each other. And while it is nice to know how two people come to odds, I've found it's much more rewarding to focus on what you can do right now to make the current situation better. Would you believe I was trying to be a right-hand man of Tiberius when this game started?"
Carol let out a small giggle. "O-okay, point taken there." She gave Frag a soft smile. "I think I'll take those words to heart, and when I find something that I can do, I'll go all in and make sure I'm the one to do it."
"Like help gather water." Frag joked.
"Oh, you're awful!" Carol gave him a playful shove. "But seriously…thank you."
"Anytime." Frag smiled. "And remember, don't beat yourself up over these things. Mistakes, misunderstandings, even disagreements. These things happen no matter who we are or what we do." Frag helped Carol up from the tree.
"Like the mistake of sitting by a girl with your fly down."
"Wha-?" Frag looked down in shock to see no such thing.
"Heeheehee, made you look."
"Remind me who's awful again?" Frag chuckled.
"Just a little payback."
Frag rolled his eyes and slung his arm around her for a quick hug. "I mean it though. If you ever need someone to talk to again, I'm always here… until I'm underground, I guess."
Carol sighed. "You might not have much to worry about when you're underground. I'm sure you'll rise."
Carol filled her bucket up with water and the two of them walked back to camp.
Confessional: Frag
"Oh man…" Frag put a hand to his cheek to feel how hot it's gotten. "I… am really falling for her."
End Confessional
Location: Cailleach Bog
Contestant(s): Kalyssa
Kalyssa had managed to sneak away from the others as everyone became enraptured with all the AARM drama. She proudly smiled as she strolled through the mangroves of the bog on her way towards the Lower Ceol Fields.
"This clue to my own clan's medal is nice enough…" She smirked. "But if memory serves, the old Ffydd camp should be located around here. Perhaps I will look into what relics they might have left behind. Leave no stone unturned as they say."
Kalyssa came upon the treehouses of the once extant Ffydd clan. "A shame such a promising, if primitive, clan fell to ruin at the hands of a lustful king." She shook her head. "But what a life it must have been here, trees keeping the skies shrouded, the rancid bog odor keeping their air stale and humid…a truly disgusting locale, but charming in its own way. Such crude treehouses, for instance. Clearly some form of intelligence existed in the members of that tribe. They were wary enough to avoid building directly on the unstable bog soil. Some of them even had crude idols of whatever spirit, or group thereof, that they worshiped. Seems like a cruel fate that such a faithful group were the only ones to suffer annihilation. Seems like a cruel fate. In the end though, the truly cunning, truly adaptable, are those that are left to inherit the earth. Ohoho~, and as if to prove my very point!" Kalyssa noticed a medal dangling from a mangrove branch. She snatched it and, realizing she'd spent a little too much time away from camp, opted to return with the prize she had grasped, rather than continue searching for the Cyfrwys Medal.
Confessional: Kalyssa
"And so this here is the Ffydd Medal, the last remains of a primitive civilization who couldn't survive more than a couple days on this island. It appears to be a vote negation medal. I can negate votes against me equal to the amount of Ffydd Clan members left in play. That is unfortunate as Setsuna would be the only one, but one is more than zero. I can work with this, and I think we all know that I will work with this. I expect I could escape a hairy situation with this medal should I play it at the right time, and keeping Setsuna around does benefit me already, as the aloof are easy to manipulate."
End Confessional
Location: Glas Woods (Mergeville Outskirts)
Contestant(s): Angelo, Jeremy, Michael, Rose, Setsuna
"I can't believe you need someone to supervise you while you collect sticks." Jeremy sighed as he accompanied Setsuna down a forest trail.
"Yeah…" Setsuna said as she gathered stray sticks while leading Jeremy further down the trail. "I'm pretty sure there were plenty of sticks at the end of this trail but I don't have the best memory…"
"You dropped one." Jeremy picked up a stick Setsuna let fall.
"Thanks." She dropped the rest of her bundle to take the single stick.
"How about you find the sticks, and I'll carry them for you?" Jeremy suggested as he picked up the dropped bundle of sticks.
"Okay, that sounds good." Setsuna peered around a tree corner as the trail curved. "Over there!" She took off running.
"Setsuna, wait!" Jeremy ran after her and quickly turned around the tree corner to see Setsuna patiently walking up to a small campsite.
"I brought him." She spoke beside the shelter.
"Were you followed?" Angelo asked as he and Rose emerged from the shelter.
"Well, he followed me." Setsuna pointed at Jeremy. "We're gathering sticks for our fire. Speaking of which I'm going to take some sticks."
"But…why from us?" Rose pondered.
"Finders fee?" Setsuna shrugged. "Also I don't want to get caught in any traps, manmade or otherwise."
"Regardless of…whatever is going on…" Jeremy shook all his distracting thoughts from his head. "If you wanted to talk to me so badly you could have come to camp."
"I don't think so." Angelo shook his head. "As long as I'm perceived as public enemy number one, I don't have the social capital to simply ask to talk to people. I know we talked to you before the most recent vote, but after seeing how it played out, I knew we needed to talk again. You see, Jeremy, the one and only reason that vote ended up being a tie, and not just barely sending you underground again, is because of Setsuna's random vote. We could have sent you down. The numbers were divisive enough for it, but we chose not to."
"So far…" Jeremy crossed his arms. "You're doing a really good job of threatening me. Not very helpful when it comes to your social standing though."
"I don't have social standing to risk if I'm to believe what I've heard is going on back at camp." Angelo countered. "AARM. That wristband you're sporting. You realize you're aligning yourself with Arianna, with Michael, with Kalyssa, when you do that, right?"
"It's for what I believe is a greater good, to make the game more peaceful." Jeremy furrowed his brow.
"A fool's errand with the path you're on. When Kalyssa became Queen of Cyfrwys did the tribe get more peaceful? Arianna and Michael fought each other for the ability to rise out of the Shameterranean. Do you think either views peace as an option when they've already been sent down once? I shudder to think of how paranoid Axel's been lately."
"And what? Tear down what threads I have to help you, who almost voted me off last round?" Jeremy crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.
"It was a message to send. You aren't being protected by whoever you think your allies are." Rose jumped in. "You were protected by Setsuna's random vote."
"A random vote made strategically." Setsuna nodded.
"Well, if that random vote had been for me, wouldn't this whole operation of yours come to a halt anyways?" Jeremy wondered. "I'm failing to see why you think I'm going to trust you. I think it says something… that out of the three of you, I trust Setsuna the most right now, and she votes randomly!"
Confessional: Jeremy
"She votes randomly, she gets caught in traps when not supervised, and she gets lost by going even slightly off the beaten path, but with all of that…I have never noticed her lie a single time. Even now, she is still collecting sticks. She brought me over here not under a false pre-tense but as a way to multitask. She is someone that I don't mind keeping around to be honest. But I'm still quite skeptical of Angelo and Rose. Not for any of their perceived actions, but for the position they are putting me in right now."
End Confessional
"I concede the point about a random vote to you." Angelo nodded. "Truth be told, we expected a more unified front against us, and figured three votes wouldn't actually be enough."
"But Setsuna knew better." Rose explained. "She persuaded us to let her vote randomly as a strategic choice. It was still dangerous, but much less dangerous than a third vote for you would have been."
Setsuna continued. "We only put votes on you because we felt you were playing it too safe, and we wanted you to be open to working with all of us. They didn't think the votes would get as close as they did, but they weren't around camp. So I voted randomly as a strategic move, and thankfully that was enough to save you."
Jeremy scratched his head. "But Angelo and Rose kept their votes on me after the first tie, didn't they?"
"At that point, you likely weren't going home anymore." Setsuna shrugged. "No one would change their vote to you then, considering how stubborn everyone was in who they voted for. So we used the same strategy again…and then rocks happened."
"So let me get this straight…" Jeremy massaged his temples. "You voted randomly as a strategic choice to protect me, and the fact that you did that, twice, is the only reason I'm here and not down in the Shameterranean."
"Yyyyyes." Setsuna yawned. "How many times are we going to repeat this?"
"If…IF… that is true, then I guess I am in your debt, Setsuna. Normally, I'd agree to vote alongside you for a round, but I don't know how to do that when you vote randomly."
"Well, what if we could guarantee that her next vote wouldn't be random?" Angelo grinned.
Jeremy, Rose, Setsuna, and Michael, who had been watching all of this unfold from behind a tree's thick branches, stared at Angelo in disbelief.
"And next you'll turn the sky red!" Jeremy remarked as Setsuna clutched her box.
"But-" She didn't really know how to argue her case. "It's not like I'm refusing to cast a vote at all, you know!"
"Setsuna," Rose pleaded, "we're really going to need your full cooperation moving forward, and that's honestly impossible for as long as you use that box to vote!"
"And we do want to work with you Jeremy." Angelo continued his campaign. "We did ask to work with you before and you said no, regardless of how trustworthy you think we are, we were not aligned by your own admission, so seeing our votes for you shouldn't be too surprising."
"Like I said before." Jeremy sighed. "I trust Setsuna. If she is vouching for you guys…then maybe, maybe I'll vote alongside you if you survive this round. But I will only adhere to that agreement if I see Setsuna toss that box down that sinkhole." He pointed to a nearby sinkhole in the ground.
"Toss the-?!" Setsuna showed the first hint of genuine anger she had expressed all season, before calming herself down.
"Setsuna…" Rose patted her on the back. "You aren't alone. Angelo and I will still be here even after that box is gone."
"But this box is all I have." Setsuna cradled her box. "It's all I have to keep my promise! Votes only get more powerful as this game keeps going, and I've seen over and over again how power is corrupting people in this game! I saw it with Indigo, with Laura, with Stan and Michael, and even with the clans gone, I still see it! I see it with Arianna, and I even started to see it with Angelo and you when you decided to vote for Jeremy as a message! What if I'm only a couple votes away from becoming like Indigo, or Stan? I'm not quick-witted like Angelo either so I couldn't maneuver being framed as a saboteur! I can't throw this box away. I can't. I promised King I wouldn't go the way of everyone else in our clan!"
"Promised King what?" King's voice came up from the sinkhole.
"King?!" Setsuna looked down. "You're still down there! Tiberius hasn't chopped you in half?"
"Thankfully that ass hasn't had much luck in finding me since I got trapped down here. Jarri is safe too. We're working on a plan to deal with the skurkar. I was just passing by when I heard my name. What's going on?"
"Can I not repeat the same thing I just told Jeremy?" Setsuna asked.
"Give me the shortest version." King suggested.
"They're telling me to throw my box down but…I don't know if I can…You remember that talk we had, right?"
"It's the most lucid talk I can recall having with you. How could I forget?" King smiled up into the light shining down on him. "Setsuna, you're afraid of losing that box because you view votes as powerful weapons, and you're worried that you'll start casting them lightly. I have two thoughts to share with you, one about you, and one about your box. Which one would you like to hear first?"
"The box." Setsuna replied.
"No matter what name you pull out of that box, Setsuna, it still counts as a vote. The power you are scared of wielding is something you've already used quite a lot, but a vote cast at random is still a vote being cast, and if you've been voting for people without thinking about them, wouldn't the box, then, be voting as lightly as one could? Without regard for effectiveness or necessity?"
"But-" Setsuna began to reply.
"Second thought now. The one about you." King held up a finger, guessing, almost knowing, what she was about to argue. "Consider how terrified you are that you'll become like the people you listed earlier, ja? You might be clumsy, but you are so very careful and cautious when it comes to exerting any amount of influence over other people."
"He's right." Jeremy nodded. "Even now you made sure you weren't lying to get me to follow you."
"Your vote, although random, also helped save Jeremy from our own votes." Rose nodded.
"Which, knowing how you view voting now, it seems foolish of us to have asked you to just vote to send a message." Angelo rubbed the back of his neck.
"The point is, Setsuna…" King continued. "That you are already incredibly careful. Even when you get caught in those traps, you never struggle in them. Other people would have flailed and gotten hurt. You are so averse to using power unjustly, Setsuna, that I have complete faith that if you went without that box, you wouldn't ever cast a single vote lightly. That worry, that care, is what will keep you from becoming like those other rulers. And the game is moving forwards. The votes are going to be more powerful, so now more than ever, you will need to weigh how to use that power."
Jeremy, Rose, and Angelo all placed their hands on Setsuna's back and shoulders and gave her warm smiles and nods.
Setsuna very slowly held the box out.
"If I'm going to do this…" She said. "Then I'm not going to just 'go along' with some consensus. I want you, Jeremy, to spread word around main camp considering eliminating Kalyssa. Angelo, Rose, I want you to vote for her with me."
Confessional: Setsuna
"I can be a bit absentminded sometimes, but I'm not completely stupid. Kalyssa is less of a friend and more of a person who thinks they can use me. And maybe she can if I vote randomly, but if I have to vote for anyone right now, it would be her. She's the kind of misuse of power I want to avoid at all costs."
End Confessional
"Very well, then." Angelo nodded. "I swear."
"I swear as well." Rose smiled. "We're with you all the way, Setsuna."
All three of them looked to Jeremy.
"I will spread word." Jeremy clarified. "That was the deal you asked of me."
"Yeah, I know." Setsuna smiled. "I'd spread word myself, but I'm not sure how good at it I'd be."
"Then I swear." Jeremy nodded.
Setsuna took a deep breath. "Okay then…"
She took one step.
Then another.
First one foot.
Then the other.
Soon, she was standing over the sinkhole, King still looking up at her from the altar cavern below.
Dramatic music swelled up as Setsuna moved her arms back and brought them forward in slow motion, releasing the box from her palms. It flew through the air, falling down towards King who had arms open to catch it. Angelo, Jeremy, and Rose looked on in awe.
And as a shot from behind King, showing the Swede reaching towards the box, in the process of catching it, faded out, the camera panned over to Michael, in his tree, using his hands as oprea-glasses. "And the name Michael remains off of everyone's tongues for another day."
Location: Shameterranean
Contestants: Jarri, King, Tiberius
Jarri rushed through the tunnels and caverns of the Shameterranean, looking behind any corner or crevice she came across.
"He's gotta be somewhere down here…"
Confessional: Jarri: Shameterranean
"I meant what I said in my elimination confessional. I plan to get Tiberius out of this game. Then I'll find whatever it was that I needed to find to get back up."
End Confessional
She came across a somewhat important looking cavern, one that showed plenty of signs of foot traffic, but there wasn't anyone there.
But that was wrong.
Jarri only just barely managed to sense Tiberius's presence behind her and dodged out of the way of a slam that would have pinned her down.
"You're out of your league." Tiberius warned her. "This is my resting place. I know every corner. You have nowhere to go."
"What about through that tunnel behind you?" Jarri asked, panting as she dodged another slam.
"You'd have to get past me first." Tiberius sneered, "but without the armor, I'm too fast for you."
He managed to grab Jarri's wrist this time.
As Jarri struggled to get out of his grip, he hoisted her off the ground with one hand and brought her closer to his face.
"Hm…less cute while you're struggling like this. Maybe I shouldn't have put you on the team with the hot babes."
"Well, I'm about to be even lesscute to you." Jarri snarled as she brought her foot to her assailant's crotch with all her might. Without his armor there, Tiberius took the full force of the kick.
His hands lost their grip on her as he knelt down in pain.
Quickly, Jarri scurried through the narrow tunnel in the wall she had pointed out earlier.
Still protecting himself, Tiberius tried to rush after her, but even without his armor, he couldn't quite fit through the narrow tunnel.
"Damn it. Frame's too deusin' wide." He sighed. "Whatever, she's not a threat. Next time we meet, she's deusin' toast."
Confessional: Jarri
"Now, I'm not normally one to go for that area, but it wasn't like I was given much of a choice in that scenario, and I definitelywasn't going to just let him throw me down a pit. That's what Ineed to do to him!"
End Confessional
Jarri kept rushing through the narrow tunnels, until finally…
"King!" She gasped.
"Jarri?" King could hardly believe his eyes. "So it was you. Thank goodness it wasn't someone bad like Kalyssa…though I guess that would be better for everyone above-ground. Why were you running just now? You didn't try to take on that skurkar in his own lair did you?"
"Hahaha, maaayyybeee…" Jarri started giggling. "But I got him good! Right in his delicates while he wasn't wearing armor."
"He took his armor off?" King frowned and bit his lip. "That's not great. It means that the gears in his head are turning. He wants to be able to go through these tunnels. We should probably combine our efforts into finding that DA before he does."
"I dunno…" Jarri crossed her arms as the two headed further into the tunnel. "As much as I would like to find the DA, I'm honestly more concerned with making sure hegets eliminated. And it would make looking for the DA a lot easier knowing there wasn't someone around who could basically eliminate us if he got just one good shove in, you know?"
"That's fair." King nodded. "Then let's try and formulate a game plan together. I didn't spend too much time with him on Cumhachtach, but I've spent enough to have a general idea of who he is and how he reacts to things. Meanwhile, you're the more athletic of the two of us, ja?"
"I'll be able to tell if something we think up is feasible for one or both of us to do." Jarri nodded. "And if the worst happens, I'll be the one trying to take the DA away from the armored oaf."
"Then we have a pact?" King put out a hand.
"Of course we do!" Jarri shook King's hand enthusiastically. "Any enemy of that sleaze is a friend of mine!"
Confessional: King: Shameterranean
"Tiberius took his armor off, ja? That either means he's looking to get into the tunnels, or he's sweltering or freezing in that chainmail. Regardless, avoiding him until a plan is made would be preferable. The big thing is getting the skurkar to leave that lair of his."
End Confessional
Location: Cailleach Bog
Contestants: All Above Ground
"Oh…that's not ominous at all." Angelo sarcastically quipped as he noticed all the AARM bracelets as the contestants all gathered at the location of their next challenge.
"Well, you brought it on yourself with that berry incident." Arianna shrugged.
"Oh, of course." Angelo nodded. "I maintain that I did not engage in any willing act of sabotage, but you do you."
"Well then, you must be certain you'll win immunity because otherwise you're going underground." Kalyssa smiled. "A fitting place for the riff-raff. You exiled yourself, you know. Why run if there was nothing to hide?"
"Maybe to get away from this exact kind of hate mob?" Rose suggested.
Kalyssa's smirk grew wider. "Oh, Rose. How naive of you to still place your trust in such a shady individual."
"Look who is talking!" Rose gestured back towards Kalyssa. "All of you wearing those arm bands should be ashamed!"
"Chris." Angelo turned towards the host. "I understand that this drama is good for ratings, but since I don't intend to go underground anytime soon, could you please explain the upcoming challenge?"
"Yeah…" Michael stretched his arms. "Let's leave the arguing to the women."
Confessional: Carol
"Why are you acting like this is beneath you, Michael? YOU ARE LITERALLY WEARING THEIR PROPAGANDA!"
End Confessional
Confessional: Michael
"It's classic throwing people under the bus. Never fails."
End Confessional
"Well…" Chris looked over at the argument between mainly Rose and Kalyssa, with Arianna occasionally butting in. "Eh." He shrugged. "Sure. Today's challenge… is a cook-off!"
"Cooking?" Axel rose a brow.
"Cooking…" Jeremy thought to himself.
"Cooking!" Chris repeated, excitedly. "Using the resources found across the island, each contestant will make a signature dish to present for a taste-testing competition! Three other contestants chosen at random will taste your dish and will assign it points accordingly! Thanks to the same lie detector we used up in Drumheller during World Tour, points are sure to be honest! The dish with the most points at the end will win immunity for its creator!"
Challenge: Cooking Up a Storm
Rules: Using the resources of the whole island, the contestants must cook a dish. After the cooking is complete, three contestants will try and rate another's meal using some sort of lie detector machine that Chris has (Nurse Chef will be on hand for anything that turns out to be inedible). Chris will add up all the results and the winner will be the contestant with the most points in the end. The winner will be awarded immunity and clues to a medal, if not already obtained.
"Everyone ready?" Chris did something.
Mostly everyone crouched down into lunges as if they were about to run a marathon. The few that were not crouched down were confused.
"Get set…"
Michael stuck his arms out behind his back. "No one can beat the Naruto run."
"Dude, what the fuck?" Said Arianna.
"We're not running a race, it's the only time I can do it."
"GO!" Chris threw his arm down.
All the contestants immediately disappeared save for Arianna, who was still confused. She looked back at Chris and Chef, who continued their celebrity smiles. "You might wanna skedaddle, Arianna. You only got a few hours to cook."
Arianna stormed off.
CHALLENGE PREP
"I think I'm going to roast some nuts, what about you, Angelo?" Rose asked as the two walked into the forest together.
"I admit I was hoping for a challenge more to my specific skillset." Angelo sighed. "I guess I will channel my inner Total Drama contestant and find some things to put in a quiche. Hopefully it works out in the end."
"What's with that crude bow?" Kalyssa looked on at Setsuna's makeshift bow, almost offended by its lack of aesthetic appeal.
"Gonna hunt." Setsuna replied tersely, before immediately tripping over a tree root. "Gotta get low to the ground to hunt."
"Stick to something simple like collecting fruits." Kalyssa suggested. "You won't catch any game like that."
"Oof." Arianna accidentally bumped into Axel as she was storming away from Chris and Chef. "Watch where you're going, or warn people you're coming." Axel lectured. "What are you making that has you so impatient?"
"I don't need to explain what I'm making to you." She huffed indignantly. "What are you making?"
"I could say the same thing back to you, you know." Axel sighed. "But I do know what I'm going to make, so unless you plan on making the same thing as me-"
"As if." Arianna rolled her eyes. "I get the picture. I'm out of here."
"My FRIENDS!" Michael bombastically cheered as he tagged along with the caravan that consisted of Carol, Frag, Jeremy, and Maggie all making their way northward. "Let's work together to create a wonderful feast for everyone to eat!"
"What the ever-loving heck are you talking about?" Frag rose a brow.
"I'm wishing everyone luck in the challenge, obviously, sheesh." Michael feigned offense. "Where are we all heading?"
"Well, I'm heading to the Lower Ceol Fields." Frag replied. "But if I told you what I was doing there, you'd probably ruin it somehow."
"Nonsense!" Michael shook his head. "By my wristband and tattoos, I swear I'm only focused on making sure the obvious traitor to camp goes home, would you not agree, Maggie?"
"Oh, well uh…" Maggie looked around nervously. "I think I'd rather just focus on the challenge for now. I need to uh, go to a northern coastline. So I'm just heading this way too."
"Well, I'm going to the Lower Ceol Fields as well." Carol decided.
"Well, I'll leave you all to that then." Michael smiled. "I'm glad none of you will be interfering with my goal to create the most delicious of foods courtesy of the Cloc Mountain Range!"
And as quickly as Michael had inserted himself into the group, he left.
While ending their conversations, the contestants scattered across the island.
Location: Cailleach Bog
Contestants: Arianna, Carol, Kalyssa, Michael
Kalyssa kept her arms crossed as everyone else scattered before her. Why bother wasting time going from biome to biome? Everything she needed was in the land of the fallen worshippers. She proceeded to search for something. Anything.
A pop of red caught her field. "Perfect." Kalyssa smirked.
Confessional: Kalyssa
"See, I'm not some princess who doesn't know how to cook. I've spent many days bored out of my mind in my tower. Stealing cook books from the chef's? Pestering them until they showed me some of their magic? None of that is beneath me. C'est du gâteau."
End Confessional
"So Chef…" Arianna remained by Chris and Chef.
"What?" Chef rolled his eyes, continuing to chop meat with a cleaver. "I don't do no cheatin' no more, girl. Now scram."
Arianna flinched. "There goes that idea." She muttered sarcastically. She cleared her throat. "Well then, as a top rated chef yourself, you sure do know the most refined and affluent dishes of Crios Cath…"
"Mmmhmm."
"So I was wondering if you could recommend some dish ideas to a chef like me?"
"A chef like you, huh?" Chef put his hand on his chin. "How 'bout some classic scrambled eggs?" Chef made a chef's kiss.
"Fuck no! I need something more elevated!"
Chef slammed his cleaver down into his raw meat. Juice flew everywhere, and Arianna dodged. "You see? As long as you keep flinchin', it mean you don't know. If you don't know, you can't do it. If you can't do it, you can't do it. You ain't gon' be able to cook nothin' more than what you know. If you know nothin', you can't do nothin'. Crios Cath ain't no place for experimentation. This is the wild, soldier!" Chef slammed his cleaver in the meat again. "You! Have! To know! What! You! Get! Your! Self! Into!"
"Okay! Okay! Sheesh!" Arianna backed away. "Don't give me salmonella, now!"
Confessional: Chris
Chris had a napkin as he wiped a tear away. "Chef didn't cheat," he sniffled. "They grow up so fast."
End Confessional
Kalyssa piled her tomatoes into one of the makeshift buckets from the leftover Ffydd camp that she explored earlier that day. Carol lingered behind her, impatient.
"Excuse me, Kalyssa." Carol cleared her throat. "I hope you're aware that you can't hog all the tomatoes for yourself."
"Yeah, Kalyssa." Michael tapped his foot beside Carol. "Leave some space for Carol!"
"Don't worry, I'm sure there will be more than enough for you when I'm done here. Why don't you… go somewhere else for now?"
"I'm already in the bog, I'm not walking all around the island just to come back here later." Carol propped an arm on her hip.
"Yeah, Kalyssa. Let Carol get her tomatoes!" Michael defended.
"I will let you pick tomatoes with me if you give me your votes for the night~"
Michael spat on the ground. "Fuck no! I won't let you claim the tomato vine!"
Carol rolled her eyes. "I don't have the time or patience for this…" She left the two alone in search of another tomato vine.
Confessional: Carol
"Okay, so maybe I have lost some of my patience with the things that have been happening to me lately. In hindsight, I feel kinda bad. It's harder to keep a light attitude with someone you're wary of, and someone you were told to be wary of."
End Confessional
Michael beat his fists into his chest.
Kalyssa stopped picking tomatoes and turned to Michael. "What are you? An actual hooligan?"
"This is Crios Cath! You should already know that answer, ex- Cyfrwys Queen!"
"Yes it is." Kalyssa nodded. "The island that I owned most of!"
"Owned, woman! Not kept! Especially not anymore now that us clans are now one! You don't claim shit! You fight for it now!"
"Jesus, Michael, I didn't offer a fist fight. I offered a deal."
"Deals don't work on Crios Cath! I declare WAR! AHHHHHH!" Michael belted his battle cry as he sprinted towards Kalyssa. Kalyssa, who hadn't had much experience fighting people, ran off.
Confessional: Kalyssa
Kalyssa was panting in the confessional. "By far, the most horrifying experience, almost being trampled by a former Cumhachtach. A naked one at that!"
End Confessional
Confessional: Michael
Michael giggled to himself. "She's not actually in any danger. I can guarantee she and I were going to vote together anyways. But dang, I needed to remind her that I am a wild, untamable champion."
End Confessional
Location: Lower Ceol Fields
Contestants: Axel, Carol, Frag
"Hey look, it's Axel!" Carol pointed out as she and Frag found Axel crouching in the tall grass of the field-lands.
"Oh hey." Axel nodded back at the both of them. "You guys here for the chickens too?"
"Their eggs more specifically." Carol answered
"I need the chickens themselves." Frag clarified for himself.
"Then this is good. We can form a unit, get the eggs we need, and catch a chicken for good measure. It'll make all our challenge ideas much easier."
"I mean…" Frag was a little taken aback. "I'm happy to accept and return the help, just kind of surprised you'd bring it up."
"You shouldn't be." Axel shrugged. "It's a win-win situation. The better any of our food is, the less likely Kalyssa's or Angelo's food is to win the competition."
"You…still believe he did it?" Carol asked, downhearted.
"I believe in evidence, and the current evidence paints him as the most likely suspect. His self-exile has not helped his case either. Furthermore, whether he is innocent or not, the sabotage seems to have stopped thanks in part to my increased vigilance. I'm not entirely on board with the campaign to publicly denounce Angelo though."
"Now that is surprising coming from the Alltud that went out of his way, sometimes to the detriment of his own clan's rules, to fight Tiberius." Frag chuckled. "A welcome surprise, sure, but…why?"
"Carol, why do you think?" Axel asked Carol as he focused more on scanning the area for wildfowl.
"Because someone else started it, I'd say." Carol determined. "Specifically since Arianna and Kalyssa and Michael are the most on board with it too. Very 'villainous' behavior in your book."
"I aim to deal with every villain however I can, without limit, except one." Axel explained. "That limit is allowing a villain to control my vote. That's a powerful weapon that I refuse to promise to anyone I have even a single reason to believe would abuse it. My fear is with Angelo and likely Rose afterwards gone, the coalition will just pick a new target."
"But you aren't entirely sold on the idea of keeping Angelo around while the evidence is against him." Frag nodded along. "You lack all the information."
Confessional: Carol
"Hmm…that's an idea…oh, but I won't have time during the challenge. I'll put that plan into motion once I know who won immunity. Hopefully, they'll keep the capital where it is."
End Confessional
"Enough with the speculations now." Axel shook his head. "The chickens should be our primary concern."
The three of them then moved out to corner some chickens, before the camera faded out and shifted to the next scene.
Location: Upper Ceol Fields
Contestants: Angelo, Carol, Frag, Jeremy
Jeremy was shredding wheat when Angelo walked in. The two of them worked separately.
The sun remained high in the sky, and so did the boys' hopes that their food would turn out, at least half decent.
Carol and Frag approached the area next, both of their faces marred with sweat.
"Hi Angelo." Carol waved at him.
"Carol." He said. "Long time no talk? How's it been?"
"It's been great! I got the things I needed from the Lower Ceol fields." Carol patted the basket on her arm, filled with eggs and tomatoes and other varying vegetables.
Frag put his bucket down, filled with recently harvested chickens. "We decided to come back here because Carol needed the wheat here, and I can show her how to properly shred it into flour when we get to my old campsite."
Confessional: Frag
"I mean, I was the last king of Cumhachtach, so I guess it technically is my campsite now."
End Confessional
"Ah, that's nice." Angelo gave Jeremy a look out of the side of his eyes.
Jeremy took notice and shook his head.
Confessional: Jeremy
"If he wants me to start spreading word about a possible Kalyssa vote off right now, he can forget it. This is a challenge, and if she wins I'm not about to be held liable for anything that happens. No, I'll do it after the challenge and before elimination."
End Confessional
Confessional: Angelo
"It appears Jeremy is not wholeheartedly committed to the deal we've made, and while I don't blame him, I am disappointed that things have turned out this way. Nothing to do for it but to make work on my own standing with Carol and Frag."
End Confessional
"You know, I may not have much of a chance to win this challenge, but I can help the lot of you with texture if you'd like."
"You don't think you'll win?" Frag rose a brow.
"I have a hunch I will not." Angelo admitted. "But there are many who I would desire to lose alongside me, the people sporting those AARM paraphernalia for example. Since neither of the two of you have stooped that low, I will aid you as I am able."
Confessional: Carol
"Yeah… see… this is the Angelo I remember, and the one I'm familiar with. If I wasn't positive before, I definitely am now. Something fishy went on with those berries."
End Confessional
Location: Northwest Coastline
Contestants: Axel, Maggie
With a large, carved tree branch, and a piece of stray wire, Maggie crafted a fishing rod and perched by the rocks. A few catches laid in a makeshift bucket beside her.
"Fishing, impressive." Axel noted as he happened upon her.
"Oh…uh…hi." Maggie replied sheepishly.
"The 'AARM' on your wristband. I'm surprised. I thought you and Angelo got along."
"Well, we did, but, the most likely scenario is that he's responsible, and I don't want to defend someone who would sabotage the camp. I'm surprised you aren't wearing one based on the way you shouted at him when it happened."
"Arianna started that movement and Kalyssa has taken it over." Axel shook his head. "Call it instinct, stubbornness, werewithal, whatever you want. I'm not going to follow either of their leads."
"Have you heard about Carol recently? She hasn't come by to talk to me." Maggie couldn't keep it in anymore. "I'm worried she's going to do something that puts a target on her back. Why can't she stay low with me so we can ride the chaos out together?"
"I talked to Carol just a while ago." Axel nodded. "She thinks Angelo didn't do it. Probably doesn't help that Jarri was eliminated before she could investigate anything."
"Oh no, she's going to try stirring things up some more then." Maggie slouched.
Axel sat beside her.
Maggie looked at him awkwardly.
"O-oh…uh, sorry." She apologized. "I didn't mean to sort of dump all my thoughts on you like that."
"Hm?" Axel asked. "Oh, oh no, it's not that." He shook his head as he realized why Maggie seemed so on edge. "I'm just staying here so that you can lead me to the highlands. I kind of got lost on my way there."
"You…got lost?"
"Yes."
"In…an open field?"
"In my defense…" Axel put a hand to his chest. "Everywhere looks the same in an open field."
They both began to chuckle for a while.
"Just let me finish fishing and we'll head there together." Maggie mentioned.
Confessional: Maggie
"He got lost….in the Upper Ceol Fields. And he thought he would be able to navigate the Shameterranean? It's a perfect maze down there if it's even remotely like it was during the merge challenge!"
End Confessional
Location: Neart Highlands
Contestants: Axel, Carol, Frag, Kalyssa, Maggie, Michael
The camera shifted to a new scene. Six figures caked in sweat were using crude stone pickaxes to mine away at natural salt deposits in the Neart Highlands.
They all needed salt for their dishes and, strangely enough, seemed content to leave each other alone as they mined for their salt rocks.
"I've been minin' in the highlands~" Michael began to sing. "Up in Crios Cath~. I've been minin' in the highlands. No one's in the mood to chat~. Can't you hear the pickaxe striking, 'gainst the- WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!" He immediately stopped singing and rushed back, hiding behind Maggie of all people. The other contestants in the area all gathered around to notice that Michael had accidentally uncovered a nest of giant scorpions. Many of which began advancing on the group.
The contestants scattered for a bit before regrouping a distance away from the scorpions.
"We all need salt." Kalyssa took charge. "Therefore, I propose the strong men drive those horrible creatures away."
"Or we could…find another spot?" Michael suggested. "I don't feel like getting stung by multiple scorpions."
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think Michael's right." Frag sighed. "We should put our health before anything else."
"Well, it's time to get searching then-" Axel began to leave to look for a new spot only to see Carol rushing toward the scorpions, a crudely fashioned spear in her hands.
"Carol, what are you doing?" Maggie called out.
"Clearing the area. It'll save us all a bunch of time and it'll get rid of the scorpions! Anyone who wants to, grab a pickaxe and follow me!"
Confessional: Maggie
"It was like being transported back in time. The boys who had just earlier made a big deal about not fighting all leapt in following that lead of hers, each with a pickaxe in each hand. I wish I had that kind of confidence, and I sometimes wish Carol didn't have that kind of confidence."
End Confessional
"Chaaarrrrge!" Carol called out as Axel, Frag and Michael shouted behind her, each of them approaching a group of scorpions and swinging their weapons.
The storm of crude weapons and sand set in a dry fog of war composed mostly of dust kicked up from the highland wind.
Various slow-motion shots of the four contestants waving their shabby sticks at the large arachnids flowed across the screen as epic music played in the background. A shot of Carol facing off against a particularly large one, a shot of Michael and Frag back to back, sweeping at encroaching groups from either side of them. A shot of Axel's pickaxe lowering towards one.
A shot of Maggie and Kalyssa cheering the others on.
And then, the slow-motion and the music stopped and the scorpions scattered away from the rock salt.
"Victory!" Michael cheered. He picked up his pickaxe and resumed work. "I've been minin' in the highlands~,"
The others groaned that he was going back to the song, but, still in need of salt, began to mine again with him.
Location: Cloc Mountains
Contestants: Arianna, Carol, Jeremy, Kalyssa, Michael
Jeremy sat on the ground, squeezing the whey out of what was going to be his cheese. Kalyssa, a few paces away from him, struggled. "Jeremy, do you believe you could give me a hand?"
"Not really. I barely even know what I'm doing right now."
"But my cheese looks like rubbish, and yours is more developed."
"That's because you have to let it settle for a few hours."
"Jeremy, the challenge only lasts a few hours! Have you been making cheese this whole time?"
"As a matter of fact, I have. I'm making a cheese based dish, so I got started on this as soon as I could."
Kalyssa stood there for a second. "Lend me some of your cheese, then."
Jeremy froze.
Confessional: Jeremy
"I don't know what's worse… Continuing to ally myself with someone I know is awful, or allying myself with someone who has broken the trust of many. I did say to Angelo that I'd spread word about Kalyssa, but that doesn't mean that allying with him is my best bet. I know that. The moves of Angelo's, Rose's, and Setsuna's are so unpredictable. At least with Kalyssa, there's likelihood that whomever she votes for will go home. It's happened twice now. And with the other's, sending messages, storming from camp, spying… this is not the kind of game I want to play/align with."
End Confessional
"Fine." Jeremy decided. "But I will determine how much."
"Have I mentioned how much I value you as both an alliance mate and a friend?" Kalyssa batted her eyes.
"Don't make me decide on less." Jeremy warned.
Kalyssa clicked her tongue and crossed her arms. "It was worth the attempt. I suppose even mediocre aid is better than no aid. Remember, it's in both our interests that we both do well."
"I know, I know. That's why I'm letting you use some of mine, but get out of here before anyone sees." Jeremy urged as he handed some cheese over.
"Merci beaucoup." Kalyssa gave a wink and a grin to Jeremy as she took some cheese and absconded to another area with it.
And just in time too, as Jeremy could hear footsteps.
"Wow," said Carol, stepping into the frame. "Where did you learn to make cheese like that?"
"Underground, not that there is any source of milk down there." Jeremy chuckled. "But I remember seeing these cave drawings of ancients, I presume, illustrating how to make cheese. Maybe it was a bit of a golden era, as far as tastes go and stuff."
"Think you could help me with mine?"
Jeremy sighed. "It's a little too late to start making cheese, I fear."
"Bummer," Carol stood. "At least, cheese isn't essential for my dish anyways. It was more of a garnish idea, that's why I saved it for last."
Jeremy stroked his chin. Kalyssa's boiling milk laid right there, abandoned. "Maybe it's not too late if you made use of Kalyssa's progress…"
"Oh?" questioned Carol.
"Yeah, she was almost done. It's a shame too. Her cheese probably would've been better than mine."
"Why don't you just finish hers then?"
Jeremy waved it off. "I like to make my food all by myself if it's for an eating challenge."
"So," Carol knelt down to the pot of milk. "What's the next step?"
Jeremy's instructions faded as the view moved towards Michael, stirring a pot of his own.
"Oh, hello viewer." Michael said straight into the camera. "It's about time we met again. Currently, I'm making food! I wish you could try some. Hell, I wish you could just be here to smell it. It's amazing." Michael moved closer to the camera. "I found a way to replicate some of my favorite masala in the Neart Highlands. It doesn't taste the same, but it's very close. Heck, something about making it entirely on your own with nothing but nature makes it taste more authentic and real! The flavor is immaculate!" Michael moved away, but did a double at the camera. "Oh? You want me to stay closer to you. Oh, well, I'm flattered! Truly! Here, I'll hold up some of the food and maybe you could taste it. You know, the food tastes about as good as my looks and charms~ Here." Michael held up the food with a piece of cleaned wood to the camera. "Say 'aaaah'!" Michael extended the 'ah' as he moved the food closer to the camera, but he quickly turned the food and put it into his mouth. "Too late! It mine-"
"Ugh!" A grunt cut off Michael's soliloquy.
"Oh please!" Michael begged. "Not while I'm eating…"
Arianna emerged at the top of the mountain. Completely out of breath, panting. "Just one more thing." She caught Michael with the camera. "Flirting with the viewers now? In the middle of a challenge?"
"A cooking challenge. Have you ever seen the food channel?"
"You're disgusting, and the shows on the food channel take place in a well-stocked kitchen set, not the middle of the mountains."
"My food now has the proper amount of love in it!"
Arianna sneered. "And yet I bet it'll be the worst dish on the table." Arianna shook her head and looked around. "Anyways, why can't I find any goats here?"
Michael's eyes widened. "Uh… There are plenty of goats out here. You just can't scare them."
"Yeah, that does so much to help."
"Hey, maybe if you weren't such a two-faced bitch who only ever acts in order to take advantage of people, then maybe I'd actually help you get a goat! I'd even kill it for you if I had to, but I don't want to!"
"Well, we are alliance-mates…"
"Notice how you only bring it up when it benefits you!" Michael stood up, confidently.
"You do the exact same thing, Michael!" Arianna snapped back. "So don't you fucking talk to me about being two-faced, you hypocrite."
"Hypocrite?" Michael rose a brow. "Sure. Maybe. But me being hypocritical or having a double-standard? That doesn't make observations wrong, now does it?"
"It certainly throws your character into question. I wonder what kind of damage it could do to your other relationships at camp. Of course, you could always help me catch a goat."
"Well, there are some things that you do for me, and there are some things that you don't. We're here to benefit each other, not hinder. I'm not making any moves against you. I just want to focus on my wonderful dish and my quality time with our audience. You're the one who just resorted to blackmail against someone in your own alliance.
"What was that again about only bringing it up when it's a benefit?" Arianna crossed her arms.
"Pointing out that I do what I do does not hashtag exonerate you the way you seem to think it does. Just-"
"You don't even know what exonerate means! You can't even use it properly in a sentence!"
"It doesn't matter since I put a hashtag next to it!" Michael shook his head. "You're missing the point! Don't scare the goats. You have to go about this calmly. If you can't, then it doesn't matter even if I do help you, you won't get one. Assuming that outcome, it would be better, I believe, for me to focus on my own dish, that way at least one of us has a chance to win immunity."
"I should have known better than to waste my time here." Arianna sighed with an eye-roll and left the area.
Location: Glas Woods
Contestants: Angelo, Arianna, Kalyssa, Rose, Setsuna
Rose stirred her pan filled with different kinds of nuts. She stirred and didn't even notice the presence behind her until he gently hugged her. "Angelo~"
"Yes, Blossom?"
She leaned into him. "Have you finished your challenge yet?"
Angelo giggled. "Well, it really has been a challenge for me, that's for sure. I just need the star fruit of the dish, and I'll be about done."
"I'm about finished with my challenge. It's no Michelin, but it'll do. I just hope neither of us are last."
Angelo kissed Rose's forehead. "Being in last might not be so bad. I feel so resigned to the fate of not winning immunity, that I've been able to accept that everyone else has put us in a win-lose situation. Even if I win, you'll go, and if you win, I'll go. I was hoping for a spontaneous double immunity like the series likes to do sometimes, but I suppose we are not in luck today."
"Don't you forget about Jeremy and Setsuna either. Something we aren't aware of might happen."
Angelo sighed. "Either way, I don't think our alliance is the first thing on Jeremy's heart. I do like to believe in Setsuna, but seeing all the arm bands. It makes me lose some hope."
"I wish it were me instead of you."
"Really?" Angelo smiled. "Because I'm quite glad it is me and not you. I like to think that I've been handling this mar on my game with grace and strength."
Rose kissed his nose. "Don't forget about ferocity."
Angelo giggled as he tackle-hugged Rose on the ground. "Precisely."
Rose looked towards the sky. "Come on, Crios Cath gods! Give us a little bit more luck, so I can have just a few more days with Angelo." Rose looked back at Angelo. "I wonder what it's like."
"What do you wonder?"
"What is it like to be a lucky player in these sorts of games?"
"It's something to wonder, but nothing to pray on." Angelo swept some hair away from Rose's face. "Luck comes and goes, but it is true skill that keeps you going. What to do with these negative circumstances. And even if we fall, we can still rise back into the game."
Rose laid her head on Angelo's bare chest. "Yeah, we can."
Angelo slid his hand under Rose's jaw and gently kissed her. "Thank you for believing in me. Because of this game, I know where your loyalty stands. I want you forever now."
Confessional: Rose
Rose sat there blushing. "He's so sweet! All I can do is just hope things turn out, even if Angelo said to not pray on it. But I do believe in Angelo. I believe in Setsuna. I partly believe Jeremy will do whatever he thinks is right. Only time will tell."
End Confessional
An arrow pierced through the air and landed right into a tree where a squirrel ran off.
"Wow." Said Rose. "That was close!"
"Yeah…" Setsuna appeared from the bushes. "You can never guess which way they're going to run."
Shift Camera Focus
"Oh, the woman of the hour." Kalyssa grinned as she noticed Arianna. "I really must thank you, dear Arianna. The drive to vote off Angelo and Rose shown among the rest of the campers is making my own job so much easier, and I felt you deserved a word of thanks for starting it."
"I don't like seeing you this happy." Arianna's eyes narrowed. "I don't ever like seeing a Cyfrwys player this happy."
"Yes, yes, I'm keenly aware of your prejudice." Kalyssa dismissed. "And here I was offering my help in finding whatever fruits or vegetables you are no doubt looking for. But I suppose if you'd rather search on your own, I'll look for herbs elsewhere."
"If you want to help me as a way of thanks, you can." Arianna backpedaled a bit. "But it better just be by way of thanks. You can't use this later down the line to say I owe you or something."
"Hardly." Kalyssa smiled. "I said it was a thank you, after all."
Confessional: Arianna
"This is the second challenge in a row this bitch has gone out of her way to annoy me, and I'm not letting my guard down for one fucking second. She can help me all she wants. Honestly, it's probably better that I get to keep an eye on her. I'm certainly not going to let her steal my rightful immunity away from me again."
End Confessional
Confessional: Kalyssa
"Oh dear, it appears our two-tailed fox has been having some trouble with this challenge if she's in this much of a mood. Well, it appears as though I won't have much room to confirm our votes for Angelo, but then again, I doubt it matters with miss spearhead over here. Still, it is fun seeing her get all worked up over the positions she keeps putting herself in."
End Confessional
Location: Cailleach Bog
Contestants: All Remaining
CHALLENGE JUDGEMENTS
"Come on in with your dishes!" Chris announced as the contestants all brought in various covered trays.
"So, how is this going to work?" Maggie asked, rubbing the back of her head. "Who eats what?"
"It'll be alphabetical order by desired name." Chris smiled. "Angelo's dish will be sampled by Arianna, Axel, and Carol. Arianna's dish will be sampled by Axel, Carol, and Frag. Axel's dish will be sampled by Carol, Frag, and Jeremy. It goes on like that, and Setsuna's dish at the very end will be sampled by Angelo, Arianna, and Axel. Remember, you're strapped into the truth-o-meter, so any lies will get you a painful shock! Any questions?"
No one had any questions.
"Then let the tasting…begin!
Angelo's Dish: Island Surprise! Quiche
"What is it?" Arianna poked the quiche with a fork, suspiciously.
"Island surprise! quiche." Angelo nodded.
"And…there is no poison?" Axel eyed the same food equally suspiciously.
"Not intentionally." Angelo laughed nervously.
"Of course the rich don't know how to cook." Arianna rolled her eyes.
She, Axel, and Carol each took a few quick bites of the quiche.
"Honestly…not that bad." Arianna mumbled.
"Yeah…" Axel was almost disappointed. "Seems alright."
"What the heck were you two eating?" Carol asked as she spat out what was in her mouth and brushed her tongue. "Gahh, that was terrible!"
"I dunno. I guess there's some sort of plant in there that doesn't agree with you." Axel shrugged. "This is actually pretty good for being a bunch of random nonsense."
"Honestly, gotta give Axel credit here." Arianna sighed. "As much as it physically pains me."
Angelo's Final Score on the Deliciousness Scale: 31/60
Arianna's Dish: Pancakes and Orange Juice with Maple Syrup
"You actually made breakfast?" Axel eyed Arianna.
"Shut up and eat it."
"Meh, it's alright."
"Yeah, it's not half-bad." Carol agreed.
"Could've used some more milk making the pancakes…" Frag mumbled.
Arianna's Final Score on the Deliciousness Scale: 37/60
Axel's Dish: Scrambled Eggs
"Dude, it's more breakfast." Carol looked over the dish. "Why is it made so fancy-like?"
"Because this is a challenge." Axel replied. "And while I can't cook much, I can cook eggs. Dig in, you'll see."
"Holy shit I do see!" Jeremy's eyes went wide as he dug in.
"Damn, these are some good scrambled eggs. Just the right amount of egg to milk ratio. Perfect fluffiness!"
"I don't get it…" Carol ate some hers. "Just tastes like scrambled eggs to me. I mean, they're good, but… it's pretty average."
Axel's Final Score on the Deliciousness Scale: 45/60
Carol's Dish: Spaghetti
"From breakfast to dinner so quickly…" Frag noticed.
"Well…it looks perfectly normal." Jeremy shrugged.
"If a little common." Kalyssa rolled her eyes. "Whatever, let's get this over with."
"I mean…" Frag rocked his head from side to side. "It's…spaghetti. Tastes fine, not exactly wowing me."
"Something about the cheese used here though…" Kalyssa mentioned. "Absolutely exquisite. We might make a royal woman out of you yet, Carol, send me your recipe when the show is over."
"Ehehehe…" Carol laughed nervously.
Carol's Final Score on the Deliciousness Scale: 36/60
Frag's Dish: Grilled Chicken
"Ah, yes, pheasant from a peasant." Kalyssa snickered. "Let's see what- Actually it's not half-bad. What did you use?"
"Uh… chicken, and salt?" Frag shrugged. "I wanted to keep it simple."
"Well, it worked out great for you." Maggie nodded. "I'm…not as confident about mine."
"I can understand why. This shit is good." Jeremy nodded.
Frag's Final Score on the Deliciousness Scale: 45/60
Jeremy's Dish: Grilled Cheese
"Oh, you two are going to love my dish after eating his." Kalyssa smiled at Maggie and Michael. "As for you, Jeremy, you've done your clan proud today."
"It's pretty good, yeah." Maggie smiled. "Not sure if it's terribly filling but…"
"Grilled cheese! You're so yummy yummy yummy in my tummy tummy tummy!" Michael patted his stomach.
Jeremy's Final Score on the Deliciousness Scale: 38/60
Kalyssa's Dish: Tomato Soup
"Aw yeah! The perfect combo!" Michael cheered as he slurped up his share of tomato soup. "Ah, feels like I'm back at home in the years of my childhood."
"Y-yeah, it's uh…um, pretty good…I'm sorry I don't have the best descriptions for these foods." Maggie apologized.
"It's alright…" Rose admitted under her breath. "It is just soup though."
Kalyssa's final Score on the Deliciousness Scale: 38/60
Maggie's Dish: Seared Cod
Both Setsuna and Rose very quickly spit their mouthfuls of fish out as Michael gulped his portion down. "Woo! Thanks for the food, Crios Cath! Best I've eaten out here for a while!"
"Okay, but what about just the disgu- I mean the fish?" Rose asked.
"Yeah, it was good too. You guys don't like it?"
"It tastes like it smells." Setsuna mumbled.
"I think our palettes are a little lacking." Rose nodded. "Nevertheless… we have to be honest."
Maggie's Final Score on the Deliciousness Meter: 29/60
Michael's Dish: Goat Curry
"I replicated my favorite masala, everyone~." Michael smiled at Rose, Setsuna, and Angelo.
"Can we start suspecting poisoned dishes again?" Angelo wondered.
"Not today, you can't!" Michael smiled. "I made this with love, you know!" He turned toward a camera. "Love for you out in the audience~."
"Let's just focus on this part of the challenge, so he can have his alone time with the B-roll footage." Rose ate some of the curry. "This is actually amazing."
"Mmmmmm~." Setsuna smiled a contented smile.
"Gotta hand it to him, he's done good." Angelo agreed.
Michael's Final Score on the Deliciousness Scale: 50/60
Rose's Dish: Assorted Roasted Nuts
"Just…nuts?" Arianna asked.
"Roasted nuts." Setsuna corrected.
"Salted nuts?" Angelo asked, hopefully.
"Just eat it." Chris urged.
"Mmmmmm~." Setsuna once again lost herself in the food.
"Rose, my dearest, these nuts are…still only nuts." Angelo admitted.
"Yeah, this is like, inferior trail mix to me." Arianna shook her head. "It's not bad, but it's just…not gonna win."
"That's fair." Rose sighed. "At least Setsuna likes them."
"Mhm, mhm!" Setsuna nodded happily.
Rose's Final Score on the Deliciousness Scale: 36/60
Setsuna's Dish: Squirrel Kabob
"It all comes down to this…" Chris announced. "Right now, Michael is in the lead with 50 points. Setsuna needs to score higher than that if she wants immunity, and her dish of choice is…
S-squirrel?"
"Squirrel kabob." Setsuna corrected. "It's on a stick. And I had to hunt them myself you know, it was pretty hard. I got caught in a couple snares. About half of which I set myself."
"Did not need to know that." Arianna shook her head. "And this…uh…squirrel…You're sure it's safe to eat?"
"Yeah?" Setsuna rose a brow. "What kind of chef doesn't taste their own food before serving it?"
Confessional: Angelo
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Confessional Arianna
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Confessiona Axel
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Confessional Carol
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Confessional Frag
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Confessional Jeremy
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Confessional Kalyssa
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Confessional Maggie
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Confessional Michael
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Confessional Rose
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End Confessionals
"Well…" Axel sighed. "Here goes." He put the squirrel kabob in his mouth. His eyes went wide.
"Well?" Arianna urged him to speak.
Axel didn't speak. He handed Arianna her own squirrel kabob and motioned towards her mouth.
Arianna looked over at Angelo, who repeated Axel's movements and expressions.
Arianna gulped. She took her squirrel kabob, brought it up to her lips, and bit down into the gamey meat.
Confessional: Arianna
"What the actual fuck, why did that taste so good? What happened? What secret ingredient was used? Someone tell me now!"
End Confessional
Confessional: Axel
"I'm not sure how good Michael's curry was, but I'm positive this squirrel kabob will give it a run for its money at the very least.
End Confessional
Confessional: Angelo
"So many emotions I feel from this dish, all converging into one. A hunter's desperation, a survivalist's confidence, a pauper's feast that tastes divine!"
End Confessional
Setsuna's Final Score on the Deliciousness Scale: 53/60
"And SETSUNA wins immunity!" Chris called out. "She has the chance to add land to Mergeville or to move it somewhere else, and in addition, she'll receive a clue to the location of her clan's idol! So Setsuna, you gonna move?"
"Nah." Setsuna shook her head. "I think we're in a fine area for now. I'll add a little land."
"The rest of you…" Chris looked at the other contestants. "One of you will be going home at the Tine Naofa Bonfire elimination ceremony tonight. I'll see you there!"
Confessional: Kalyssa
"Setsuna winning immunity is annoying, but thankfully, that doesn't matter. Angelo is vulnerable, and tonight will finally be his night of reckoning."
End Confessional
Confessional: Setsuna
"Alright, time to look at this clue…Oh? Ohhh…Hmmm…That's neat."
End Confessional
Location: Glas Woods (Mergeville)
Contestants: Carol, Frag, Jeremy, Maggie, Setsuna
"I understand that the vote may seem obviously pointed towards Angelo now that Setsuna here has immunity." Jeremy led as he, Carol, Frag, Magge, and Setsuna all met up by a riverbank away from the center of camp. "But to uphold my end of a deal as well as my integrity, I want to offer Kalyssa as an alternative vote. I'm only floating the idea because that is all I promised to do."
"I think it might be fitting to give her a taste of her own medicine." Frag half-joked. "Perhaps an Anti-Kalyssa Alliance."
"I don't really think that's the right way to go about it right now." Carol shook her head. "I mean, I empathize with that stance, but I'm more concerned with the situation regarding Angelo and Rose. We still don't know the truth about anything."
"We do know one thing, though." Maggie shyly spoke. "It's dividing the camp and making everything so hostile and unpredictable. It's probably safer to just get rid of Angelo and Rose right now."
"Pragmatically, I'm inclined to agree." Jeremy nodded. "Even if, emotionally, I'm still fighting that idea."
"As long as one spearhead goes home to put a stop to this polarization, I don't care that much who it is." Frag shrugged. "But to be honest, I'd much prefer to see Kalyssa eliminated. She's basically been allowed to play her game unchecked for the entire season so far. I say it's time to check her."
"I agree." Setsuna nodded. "As long as Angelo and Rose are staying somewhere other than the main camp, they really aren't threatening socially. Kalyssa is rallying the camp to vote the way she wants them to. She's a far greater and more immediate threat."
"I'm still unsure." Jeremy shook his head. "I understand why you guys might want her gone, but she's also targeting people who have proven themselves a threat to my game, so ideally I wouldn't have to give her up as an ally yet."
"I'm surprised you consider her an ally at all!" Carol pointed out. "Didn't she make life on the second Cyfrwys like a living hell for you?"
"I do want her gone." Jeremy clarified. "I'm just not sure now is the best time."
"Whatever deal you made sounds really one-sided on your part." Carol shook her arms. "Floating the idea of voting for Kalyssa to us only to try and go on the defensive. Not that it matters as long as Maggie is willing to vote with us. One of us could go tell Rose and Angelo, and we'd be good to go."
"Hang on, hang on." Frag shook his head. "This isn't as cut and dry as we think it is. Remember, there are clan medals out and about now. Piling all our votes on one person might not be advisable."
"Well, what else can we do?" Setsuna asked. "If we split the votes, none of them will be enough to secure an elimination, and if I'm going to make a move, then I'd much rather make a move that works than one that doesn't."
"Well, if all of us agreed to vote the same way, and included Rose and Angelo in the vote, then even if we lost this single round due to some kind of medal play, we'd still have the numbers advantage come the next ceremony." Carol determined. "So come on, let's just stick together this once, maybe twice. We can turn the tides here!"
She gulped as people remained silent.
She looked toward Maggie.
"Right Maggie?"
"I…" Maggie stood up. "I don't think I was ready to join in on this talk. I need to go."
"Oh." Carol slumped as Maggie turned and rushed into the forest.
The talks had come to an awkward end.
Setsuna left next.
Then Frag got up to leave, giving Carol a hesitant but supportive pat on the shoulder.
Shift Camera Focus
Maggie found her way to a sinkhole in the ground.
She wasn't sure, but she had to try.
"Jarri?" She asked softly, into the hole.
No response.
She waited for a couple minutes.
"Jarri?" She spoke again, louder this time.
Still no response.
"Jarri!" She exclaimed.
She heard distant footfalls getting closer.
"Maggie!" Jarri panted from down below. "I'm here! I came running as soon as I heard you calling my name!"
"Jarri, I'm so confused! People are still saying Angelo is innocent, but other people are saying that he's clearly at fault. The fact that you were eliminated before your investigation has been eating away at me, and now it sounds like Carol is going to try to do it too. Why can't she see that she might get voted off because of it? It's so much safer to just keep our heads low right now!"
"Safer, yes." Jarrie nodded. "But neither Carol nor I are thinking about our safety. We're thinking about the truth. We will not suffer the winner of this game to be some lowlife who would pin their crimes on another person, or someone who would exploit that polarization to their advantage! When faced with an unknown enemy, the most effective method to defeating them would be to drag them out from the shadows they operate from."
"But we already tried that! You were eliminated because of it!"
"Maybe." Jarrie shrugged. "Are things still super hectic up there?"
"It's kind of a split between Kalyssa and Angelo right now, but I'm worried. There's still time for plans to change and stuff, you know? And the fact that we have clan medals running amok now makes me even more worried."
"So…" Jarri held the medal she received from Michael up to the light so that Maggie could see it. "If I were to send this up for you, would that put your mind at ease? Some extra safety for you to spend on whoever you choose?"
"Wait, why didn't you play that at the ceremony?" Maggie asked, confused. "Don't tell me you only found it down there…"
"It was a much more hectic ceremony than I think anyone anticipated." Jarri laughed. "And don't worry too much about it! Once I throw the armored asshole down one of the pits, I'll head back up to join the rest of you! Now come on, I'll send the medal up in this bucket, and you can rest easy, alright?"
"Jarri…thank you so much!" Maggie cheerfully appreciated as she received the medal that Michael had given Jarri.
Confessional: Jarri: Shameterranean
"There we go. Now that medal can see some real use! Wouldn't do me much good down here, now would it?"
End Confessional
Confessional: Maggie
"Oh, thank goodness! An immunity medal! Now Carol can go on whatever reckless adventure she has planned, and I don't need to worry about losing her to an elimination too!"
End Confessional
Carol and Jeremy were left alone by the river.
"Why give us hope if you only want to take it away?" She asked.
"I tried my best not to give you any immediate hope." Jeremy defended. "You started to rally a counter-movement. That's a hard thing for people to join, especially if they feel that they'll be betraying a movement they're already a part of. I suggest you make good on your earlier statement in this conversation, and uncover the truth. But it can't be just you doing it either. It has to be with someone whose testimony would have no reason to be called into question. Someone who currently thinks Angelo is guilty, since you clearly believe the contrary."
"No way he did anything like that on purpose." Carol shook her head. "But…as it happens…I think I know the perfect person to bring along on my own investigation."
Shift Camera Focus
"We're heading back here. Why?" Axel asked as he followed Carol back to the scene of the berry incident.
Confessional: Carol
"Because Jarri never got to properly investigate and she was immediately eliminated, and because I need something to take my mind off of Maggie or else I'll go insane."
End Confessional
"Investigations are better with multiple pairs of eyes." Carol reasoned. "We might find things that the other would miss. After all, without Angelo to clear up what happened, the only way we can truly find out anything is by combing the area."
"Agreed." Axel nodded. "We shouldn't drop this case just because the suspect is suspicious. We don't have enough to confirm it was him."
"Wait, what?" Carol asked as the two began to look. "But I thought you wanted to keep him practically chained to your hip!"
"I did! Regardless of whether Angelo was trustworthy or not, as long as he is wandering freely without eyes on him. The saboteur can strike again."
"And you still think he did it, right?"
"I doubt him." Axel admitted. "I doubt words in general. I pay attention to actions. It's why I continue to give Arianna a hard time despite what she claims happened in the Shameterranean.
It's why I only followed you out here after I saw you actually heading this way. "
"And let me guess, you doubt we'll find anything here either. You're just humoring me as we cover our bases."
"Half correct." Axel replied. "I doubt we'll find anything here, but I am not simply humoring you. There is a chance, however, small it might be, that we'll find something incriminating."
"Well, if we come at this from the angle that there may have been someone else involved in all of this, they possibly would have had to use the trees to remain hidden." Carol reasoned.
"So it's possible there might still be some sort of evidence up there." Axel confirmed. "Alright, let's get climbing."
The two brushed through the boughs as they carefully maneuvered their way from tree to tree, Axel's chest and back frequently getting scratched, and Carol's shirt constantly catching on the branches, tearing little holes.
For fifteen minutes, they combed the area of the incident.
Each minute drained some hope from Carol's face.
Until…
"Hey." Axel noticed. "Carol, did we go that way?" He pointed toward a route through the trees that seemed to have already been disturbed. "But it looks like the branches were removed by who, or whatever passed through here."
"Hm…" Carol looked. "I don't think we've gone or come from that direction, and, oh hey, look! On that branch!"
Axel followed Carol's finger and took notice of a small pattern of perforations in the bark.
"Carol…" Axel put a hand up to his surgical mask, his voice softly cracking. "Look down."
Carol did as she was told and noticed it. A straight drop to where the supplies had been hidden.
"Well, at the very least, I think we can say Angelo didn't hide the supplies." Carol smiled.
"More than that…" Axel brought his attention back to the perforations. He moved over to the tree with the holes and very gently placed the sole of his shoe on top of the pattern.
"Yep. It's a shoe-print, and considering the heavy amount of smaller branches missing…I think we can finally conclusively say…that Michael is our saboteur. He was the one who allegedly came back with small sticks for the fire despite that not being his job, and he had no one to back up his alibi either. This is definitely enough to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the baseball player is behind this mess."
"Is it, though?" Carol wondered as she made her way closer towards Axel.
"Well, the baseball bat down below us also helps." Axel nodded toward the bat.
"That's great!" Carol cheered. "It means that we can get Rose and Angelo to come back to camp, since now we know who is really to blame for all- Axel?"
Carol tilted her head, confused, as Axel trembled.
"Go on back without me." Axel requested. "I have somewhere…I need to go."
Confessional: Axel
"Well, we've found conclusive evidence to prove that Michael is our saboteur. I was grievously mistaken about the events that took place that night… And I…" Axel started to tear up a bit. "I'm so, so….relieved." He finally said after fighting to get the word out. "Angelo was a teammate on Alltud from the beginning. We've fought and bled and taken our shirts off together. And I was so, so worried that someone I actually respected had betrayed me when this whole sabotage mess occurred. I, admittedly, did not handle it well, and I took it harder when rather than just accept that he would be watched. He decided to enter a self-imposed exile. It felt like an admission of guilt in the moment…but…Even though I doubted, and doubted, and doubted…I did not for even a second enjoy any moment of it. And I…I cannot express how comforting it is to know that my initial trust was not misplaced…" Axel wiped a few tears from his eyes. "And now my next course of action is crystal clear."
End Confessional
Shift Camera Focus
"What manner of shade is this to approach at such an hour?" Angelo smirked as he and Rose noticed Axel's figure approaching through the woods. "Here to taunt me with an impending elimination?"
"No. I would not seek you out for something as mundane as sharing my voting plans. I came for two, perhaps three, reasons." Axel walked up to Angelo. "The first reason is to inform you that, thanks in part to Carol, I have learned the truth behind the sabotage incident, and can say with certainty that you are not the culprit."
"Took you long enough to get here." Angelo smiled.
"What's with that reaction?" Rose wasn't as satisfied. She angrily walked up to Axel and pointed an accusatory finger. "It was your overly zealous and judgemental rhetoric that forced us out of camp in the first place! You expect us to just let bygones be bygones? We've missed out on so much of what's going on back at camp because of you, and we've turned into constant targets for elimination!"
"I do not deny that a large portion of your misfortune is due to my own actions." Axel nodded. "While it was my intention to keep you confined to camp rather than away from it, I see why you would decide to leave. And for that…" He turned to Angelo. "Angelo, I can only offer my sincerest, most humble apologies. I was wrong, and, through my actions, we've fallen into a hole that will be incredibly difficult to rise out of. I'm sorry. I can understand if there is no forgiveness, but I do want you to know that, personally, I couldn't be happier to know how wrong I was. It means my initial assessment of you on Alltud was not misplaced."
"Oh please, as if something as meaningless as kind words would ever be-" Rose stopped herself short as she noticed Angelo pull Axel into a hug.
Confessional: Rose
"Am I missing something here? Why is he forgiving Axel so readily? That whole camp is full of people who would rather have someone to blame than know the truth of the situation. Why should any of them, especially one of the bigger naysayers towards us, be given this kind of respect?"
End Confessional
Confessional: Angelo
"I've spent enough time with Axel to know how to read him. He's here because he's realized he made a mistake. Of course, there will be plenty of 'I told you so's in the near future directed at the guy, but the reality is he was trying to act in the best interests of the campsite as a whole, and we need allies. Knowing Carol still believes in us is nice, but even with Axel, that's still only 5 votes. We'll need one of them to convince another person to vote with us if we want to avoid an elimination. It would be easier if we secured Axel's loyalty, which it seems we have so long as we don't play a terribly sneaky game from here on out. Besides, I'm actually royalty. I know all about making harsh decisions to protect my subjects from harm, so perhaps I personally find it a little hard to begrudge Axel entirely. And as he points out, I did leave the camp of my own will. We were not exiled by anyone but ourselves."
End Confessional
"Whatever." Rose sighed as she crossed her arms. "Now what?"
"My third reason for coming here." Axel nodded. "I am positive the two of you have your own target in mind for elimination. Hoping it is not me, I would like to offer my vote. It is not part of my apology, it is merely me erring on the side of justice. Knowing the truth, I would ideally see you outlive those that framed you in this competition."
"Then, have you heard the word about our plans to vote for Kalyssa?" Angelo asked. "Adding you to our numbers would be helpful."
"How many numbers would we have if I was included?"
"5. Maybe 6, depending on the actions of a few other players."
"Then, I will gladly add my vote to the cause." Axel nodded. "And I'll be sure to keep it secret from the rest of camp. Were I to talk to those close to me about changing my mind, I would likely either talk to someone in on this plan already, or talk to someone who would not go along with this plan. None of these options I like. Better for us that I keep my mouth shut."
"Again, better late than never." Angelo cracked another joke.
"Well…" Rose sighed to herself as she looked over the boys strategizing. "They're getting along well enough. For now, we should just have faith in the allies we've managed to make and hope for the best."
Tine Naofa Bonfire Arm-Pit Elimination Ceremony
Contestants: Angelo, Arianna, Axel, Carol, Frag, Jeremy, Kalyssa, Maggie, Michael, Rose, Setsuna
"Welcome." Chris grinned as the contestants all arrived at the Tine Naofa Bonfire Pit.
"Setsuna, must feel really nice to be you right now."
"Actually." Setsuna laughed. "I'm feeling nervous."
"Nervous? Why?" Michael grinned. "The elimination tonight should be obvious for everyone. We were explicitly told to AARM ourselves after all, right Arianna?"
"Can't you ever just be fucking quiet?"
"Not if I have stuff to say!"
"He is right though." Kalyssa nodded. "This elimination isn't a hard decision, at least not for me and my alliance."
"Come on, let's not beat around the bush, guys." Angelo shook his head. "You think I'm going, right?"
"Oh?" Chris's eyes widened.
"Well, it's only natural to think that given the stunt you pulled." Arianna crossed her arms. "Spilling those berries, separating yourself from the rest of camp. Even if you were innocent as you claim to be, you still ran off at the first sign of trouble. Haven't even attempted to fight it, coward!"
"I don't intend to fight a charge trumped up on falsities. I intend to ignore it." Angelo shook his head.
"Though I suppose it's convenient for you, isn't it?" Rose took a jab. "You've got it in for your old teammates on both your old clans, so getting rid of any of them is something you'd totally jump on. Even so, I think enough people know the truth of what happened that this elimination might not be as clear as you think it is."
"Pfft." Arianna held in a laugh. "You're so bluffing. AARM is the vast majority here. Besides, who do you think is going to go home instead? Me?"
"Let's not get ahead of yourself too much." Axel scoffed. "As the person most vocal in confronting him, he's far more likely to vote for me."
"I don't buy him voting off an Alltud if he doesn't have to."
"Then you shouldn't think it's you either." Chris interjected. "When we merged, you were part of the Alltud clan."
"Heck if anyone should think it's them, it should be me! He freaking told me that he voted for me last time!" Jeremy revealed.
"You told your target that you voted for them?" Maggie asked, shocked.
"What kind of asinine stunt are you pulling?" Arianna narrowed her eyes.
"I'm not pulling any kind of stunt." Angelo shook his head. "At least, not tonight. Unless you count getting along with other people a stunt, in which case, I'm trying to use that to my advantage pretty much every day, game or not. You have to be affable when you're born into my position."
"More like laughable." Kalyssa grinned. "You're clinging desperately to a hope that, frankly, you do not have."
"We'll see." Angelo smiled. "Even if I do get voted out tonight, I have friends down in the Shameterranean, and I know I can outsmart the armored one thanks to an earlier challenge. Somehow, though, I think you guys are in for a surprise tonight. I believe trust will win over doubt."
"Bold statement coming from a saboteur." Michael snickered.
"I maintain that I am not a saboteur." Angelo shrugged. "Furthermore, after this vote, no matter who gets sent down into the Shameterranean, everyone will know the identity of the real one."
"Hmm…" Chris grinned. "Angelo, how confident would you say you are that the vote is going to go the way you want it to? On a scale of 1 to 10?"
"Ten." Angelo replied without hesitation. "I'm putting my entire faith into my bonds, and if I go home a fool, I go home a fool."
"Arinna, how about you?" Chris asked.
"Nine." Arianna said. "Because I'm not some overconfident jackass. I understand that things can go wrong. He might have some kind of medal up his sleeve after all. But I still think he's talking out his ass. We have the numbers. He doesn't."
"I'd say we have the numbers." Rose nodded. "All we need is to put our trust in those we've honor."
"Honor only gets one so far." Kalyssa shrugged. "It's awareness that is far more necessary. Something I doubt you have much of if you haven't been around camp."
"Actually, Kalyssa, I agree wholeheartedly." Angelo smiled. "Awareness is the true name of the game here. But just because I'm not physically at camp…that doesn't mean that I'm not aware of the inner workings of everyone's alliances. Yours included."
"Hmph." Kalyssa smirked. "Big talk from a poor prince. We'll see just how aware you've been when the votes are tallied."
"And that's our cue!" Chris smiled. "It is time to vote! Michael, you're up first!"
One by one, everyone got up to vote.
Confessional: Carol
"Kalyssa. This vote is against you. I believe this plan will work, and even if it doesn't, I've made up my mind to not stop fighting!"
End Confessional
Confessional: Arianna
"Seeya, Mister Saboteur. You and I both know you can't pull off shit, Angelo."
End Confessional
Confessional: Jeremy
"I hope… I hope I'm making the right choice here…"
End Confessional
Confessional: Kalyssa
"So sad, but only one royal needs stay above ground, and I'd rather it be me. Don't worry, Angelo, your girlfriend is next, so you won't be alone down there for long."
End Confessional
Confessional: Angelo
"It's by far the biggest risk I've taken in this game, but it's all I can do."
End Confessional
And eventually everyone had cast their vote.
The last one, Frag, sat down.
"I'll go tally the votes." Chris smiled.
"You know…" Michael leaned back on his seat. "Angelo, in the interest of a fair fight, maybe you should tell us who you voted for. After all, you know votes are coming your way, so if you have something, you can play it. How's the other person supposed to-."
"I thought awareness was the name of the game." Axel interrupted. "Surely the person he's targeting will know it's them, and will do what they can to stay safe."
"You sound awfully calm." Arianna crossed her arms. "In fact you've been pretty quiet all night. Normally, you're far more argumentative."
"Well, it's not me." Axel shrugged. "I've been paying attention. Either way, a villain is losing power tonight. It's just the form that loss takes will be different depending on the outcome."
"If it turns out you fucking blindsided me-."
"I didn't vote for you. I might one day, but right now you're nothing more than a nuisance."
"A nuisance?! Look who the fuck is talking, mister high and mighty!"
"I'm neither high nor particularly mighty."
"Just another two-faced person."
"Two-faced? Hmm…yes, I suppose I am. Tonight, especially so."
Arianna gasped. "Wait a minute…you didn't…"
Axel grunted in response and turned his back toward Arianna. He was clearly done talking.
"I'm back!" Chris announced. "Once the votes are read, the decision is final, and the person with the most votes will be asked to enter the Shameterranean immediately. If anyone has a medal, and they want to play it, now would be the time to do so."
Arianna looked around.
Frag and Jeremy exchanged glances as Frag kept a hand on his bag.
Kalyssa bent over to reach a hand into her own bag.
Rose grasped Angelo's hand.
He squeezed it back
Maggie and Carol eyed each other nervously.
Michael played with his shoelaces.
Axel took a deep breath.
"Awareness is the name of the game, Chris." Kalyssa smiled as she stood up. "And I have a medal I'd like to play."
Rose's grip on Angelo tightened.
He brought one of his hands up to hers.
"This…is the Ffydd medal, and it will eliminate a single vote against me for every Ffydd tribe member left in play. If my math is correct, that should be two, Setsuna, and King down in the Shameterranean. Though, I'll settle for only Setsuna." Kalyssa smirked towards Chris.
"This is indeed the Ffydd medal." Chris smiled. "And it does indeed do what you say it does… However…"
"However?" Kalyssa's brow rose.
"Ummm…" Setsuna rose her hand. "Ffydd doesn't exist anymore. King and I were both Cumhachtach members when the merge hit."
"It's true." Chris grinned. "Ffydd was dissolved entirely. That Ffydd medal, thanks in large part to Indigo, is entirely useless."
"WHAT?!" Kalyssa shrieked. "You went through all that trouble of hiding an entirely useless medal? Knowing it was useless?"
"Hey, didn't you say awareness was the name of the game? Look at the fine print? Does it say original Ffydd anywhere on there? No! I don't think so! That was something you assumed! Ffydd hasn't existed since Indigo ruled it, so you just played a medal on yourself that does absolutely nothing!"
"How dare you-"
"Now then…" Chris smiled. "I'll read the votes… First vote…
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Kalyssa.
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Angelo.
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Angelo.
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Angelo. That's three votes Angelo, one vote Kalyssa.
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Angelo. That's four votes Angelo, one vote Kalyssa.
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Kalyssa. That's four votes Angelo, Three votes Kalyssa, four votes left.
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Kalyssa. We're tied. Four votes Angelo, Four votes Kalyssa, Three votes left.
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Kalyssa. That's five votes Kalyssa, four votes Angelo.
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Angelo. That's five votes Angelo, five votes Kalyssa, one vote left.
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The next person to have their torch snuffed and enter the Shameterranean is…
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Kalyssa. That's six. That's enough, you'll need to bring me your torch."
"This is pure chicanery. I call shenanigans." Kalyssa muttered bitterly to herself as she grabbed her torch and approached Chris.
"Kalyssa, Mergeville has spoken."
The light of her torch went out.
"Well…from my point of view…" Chris smiled as Kalyssa stormed off towards the Tomb of Shame's Shameterranean entrance. "This vote has made one thing perfectly clear. There is a struggle for power between two distinct sides, and one side has just pulled off a major upset. But for now, congratulations, the rest of you are all safe. Head back to Mergeville and get some rest. The ten of you are going to need it moving forwards."
Chris turned to the camera as the contestants left. "10 left above ground, 4 down below! Will Kalyssa rise back up? Has Angelo regained footing after his fall? Will Setsuna go on a challenge run? Find out maybe all or maybe none of these next time on Total!
Drama!
Crios Cath!"
*Kalyssa's Elimination Confessional:
"They may have cast me below the ground, but they have not seen the last of me! I practically have royal blood in my veins, and it is only natural that I will rise again to reclaim the lands that are rightfully mine. The fools don't even realize that the armored oaf is a pawn for me to use as I see fit down there! If they think they've earned a victory today, they are sorely mistaken."
End Confessional*
14/36 Remain. 10 Above Ground.
The Votes:
Angelo voted for… Kalyssa
Arianna voted for… Angelo
Axel voted for… Kalyssa
Carol voted for… Kalyssa
Frag voted for… Kalyssa
Jeremy voted for… Angelo
Kalyssa voted for… Angelo
Maggie voted for… Angelo
Michael voted for… Angelo
Rose voted for… Kalyssa
Setsuna voted for… Kalyssa
AN1:
Kalyssa: Oh my is writing Kalyssa a journey. I admit, I was hesitant to write much of her in the beginning because I wasn't quite sure where to take her, but then…THEN…there was that scene with Kalyssa and a newly crowned Laura and quite literally in that one scene Crios Cath evolved from just another season to a truly epic saga of the rise and fall of powerful leaders and players. If I had to choose a mascot for Crios Cath at this point in time, I'm not sure who it would be, but Kalyssa is definitely up there, and she would obviously get a nice and very visible side profile on a movie poster made about this season. She really left an impression with just about everything she's done so far, and I doubt her being down underground is going to change that. If anyone has the cunning to rise back up, it's certainly her.
EN1: First and foremost, I would like to thank everyone for the kind reviews (heck even the not so kind reviews, it lets us know what we need to work on). I don't think I've thanked you yet, and that is a sin. The story has actually changed so much from the outline at this point. Because of all those accumulated minor changes, the story is pretty different now, but hey, I like this version of the story way more.
Kalyssa, Kalyssa, Kalyssa… I know we aren't through with her yet, but a little foresight. While drafting her up in the outline, we sure as heck did not know what to do with her, especially after she ran Cyfrwys dry. I think this sort of demise for her actually suits her storyline quite well. During the time, we kind of only had her eliminated just because we just ran out of things for her to do, but imagine the things she'll do in the Shameterranean… oh boy. It really was that scene with her and Laura on the hill that made Doobop and I fall in absolute love with her. She really has changed the way we decided to go about this story, so kudos for whoever sent her in!
AN2: We have a discord! Check our link on my profile!
EN2: Okay, so here's the deal. It's hard to give outline quotes when we are in a position where we really have to stray from the outline. I'll try to fish out a few based off of what we had structured outside of the outline:
"Kalyssa comes back to see Arianna drumming up support for AARM. Arianna's got freaking everything. She made wrist bands out of those long skinny leaves. She has a slogan. Idk face paint? It's a mess. Axel is confused in the background."
"Kalyssa goes out of her way to support it and give Arianna the 'break' that she needs, because Arianna clearly put way too much effort into this."
"Kalyssa finds the… Ffydd Medal, and is all like 'hell yeah, a vote negation. Sucks only Setsuna is still around but one less vote is better than nothing!'" -Actually from the original outline.
"[Jarri] convinces King that it would be way easier to look for the DA without Tiberius around than with Tiberius around. King agrees almost instantly. King is over here like, look, I know a lot about this guy bc complex tribe where we at? Yeah. This."
"Axel to go to Angelo and bro hug. Axel and Rose regular hug. Or idk, Rose might be upset. We'll see what she does."
Fun Quotes:
"Look, Doobop, this is Arianna's villain moment. We have to make it super extra." -Eireen 2021.
"So… Eireen, Tiberius wears full body armor, right? And Jarri is supposed to kick him in the nuts to get away? So my question is, would that really stun him? He's wearing armor!" -Doobop 2022
AN3: So I know she's talking about straying from the outline, but I want to assure everyone that while it is vastly different than what it was, the elimination order has remained entirely the same. We just moved or tweaked character arcs. The same people are still being eliminated at the same times, the same people are still winning immunity at the same times, and the same person is still winning the season.
AN4: And as always, thank you for reading!