Chris Recap

Host with the Most: Chris

Co-Host with the Co-Most: Chef

"Last time on Total Drama: Crios Cath . . .

"Tiberius flexed his role as King by taking Frag with him to the Mealltach campsite, but Rose used her power as Queen to trap Tiberius in her camp, and Frag along with him. Good going, bro! Meanwhile, while half of the remaining men in Cumhactach, or should I say, Cumhoetach, were searching for immunity medals that weren't there, the other half, Avi and Bryan, found an advantage in the form of an extra vote, courtesy of Nathan.

"The entirety of the Alltud team searched for just what was actually in their territory, which was pretty much nothing. It's the desert, guys! There's a reason it's exile territory! Angelo did catch his eyes on Rose though . . . ooooh la la!

"During the challenge, teams were assigned to push stone slabs to the center of the island, with Alltud hindering them in the process, for one hour. Ryuji flipped the sign on Cfrwys, which actually tricked them . . . well, most of them. Maggie watched Mealltach struggle until the ladies got Maggie to close her eyes for a second too long. Angelo and Carol watched over Ffydd, until Ffydd started moving, but the two really didn't have that much to do at that point. Over on Cumhachtach, Tiberius got punched in the face by Axel. Niiiiice dude! In the end, Alltud completed their portion of the challenge. The women on Mealltach came in second. Ffydd in third, surprisingly enough. And Cumhachtach in fourth, completed with force!

"Cfrwys, or should I say, Shiver-wuss, participated in the first Tine Naofa Bonfire Elimination Ceremony of the season, but before that, Mateo went around the team, in hopes of collecting votes for the King, Jeremy. Harsh! Despite a counter-attempt to vote off Kalyssia, it was Jeremy, who was sent down first by his team, sending a fairly ominous message to all the other Kings and Queens out there, including his own inheritor, Laura! And our ol' buddy Chef will take care of what happens underground this season!"

" 'Preciate it, man! Down in the Shameterranean. Nathan found a hidden advantage alcove and scurred Danny. Harald started spreading lies ta Mathilda 'bout mah gurl Lorelei! Mathilda chased Lorelei! Lorelei panicked to Danny! Danny calmed her down! Harald pretended to be in danger! Danny helped him! Harald yeeted Danny! Lorelei found a fake medal, and sent it up! She kept the real one! And now, she's living in an alcove!"

"Chef, you're supposed to add commentary!" Chris complained..

Chef crossed his arms. "Your way took too long! This is faster!"

Chris glared before turning away. "Stay tuned for the longest Tine Naofa Bonfire Elimination Ceremony yet! It's time! Right here! Right now! On Total! Drama! Criiios Caaath!"


*The Survivor Theme Ancient Voices Begins Playing As the Crios Cath Theme Song Starts*

As the beginning horns start blaring, various shots of Crios Cath from above are time-lapsed and shown through the screen, notably the highlands, the forest, the bog, the lower fields, the desert, and underground.

Cumhachtach

A red figure holding a red stag skull flag is shown, before the camera zooms in so only the image of the flag is on the left side of the screen. Meanwhile, the right side of the screen pans over the lands that Cumhachtach owns, before showing its remaining members in alphabetical order, doing various tasks.

Avi is tending to the fire pit in one shot, and seen struggling as he hangs from a tree branch in a second shot.

Bryan is busy fixing up a shelter roof in one shot, and leading a charge, pulling a large package by a rope in a second shot.

Frag is putting in effort to freehand climb up a cliff in one shot, and drumming on a large rock while smiling in a second shot.

Michael is throwing an object as if it were a baseball in one shot, and crouching and peering through some bushes in a second shot.

Stan is side-stepping through water and rallying the rest of the team in one shot, and harvesting some wheat in a second shot.

Tiberius is swinging his greatsword in one shot, and is seen soaking wet and shouting angrily in a second shot.

Mealltach

A green figure holding a green dryad flag is shown, before the camera zooms in so only the image of the flag is on the left side of the screen. Meanwhile, the right side of the screen pans over the lands that Mealltach owns, before showing its remaining members, in alphabetical order, doing various tasks.

Alice is seen twirling her hair suggestively as she looks at someone off-screen in one shot, and breaking out into a sprint through sand in a second shot.

Anemone is tying her curly black hair into a ponytail in one shot, and shouting from atop a tree in a second shot.

Jarri is seen picking fruit off of a tree and examining it in one shot, and tossing a spear in slow motion in a second shot.

Molly is hard at work carrying buckets over her shoulders in one shot, and gasping for air as she emerges from the ocean water in a second shot.

Rose is seen playing with a large conifer branch as though it is a fan in one shot, and is running along, clapping and shouting in a second shot.

Roxanne is cracking open a large nut in one shot, and holding her fists before her head in a fighting stance in a second shot.

Ffydd

A blue figure holding a blue shaman flag is shown, before the camera zooms in so only the image of the flag is on the left side of the screen. Meanwhile, the right side of the screen pans over the lands that Ffydd owns, before showing its remaining members, in alphabetical order, doing various tasks.

Ani is rubbing two sticks together fervently to make fire in one shot, and is mercilessly cutting his way through hanging swamp vines in a second shot.

Franchesca is pulling swamp kelp out of her golden hair in one shot, and candidly posing confidently in her remarkably clean pure white dress and shoes in a second shot.

Indigo is laughing as he sits cross-legged around a fire pit in one shot, and is using a mortar and pestle while looking at someone off-screen in a second shot.

King pulls an incredibly healthy looking carrot from the ground in one shot, and is raising both his arms up in a cheer in a second shot.

Morgana is gulping down water from a bucket in one shot, and solemnly holding what seems to be a spiritual communication ritual in a second shot.

Setsuna is shown curiously looking at a trap in the ground in one shot, and calmly firing an arrow from a bow in a second shot.

Cyfrwys

A yellow figure holding a yellow king and queen flag is shown, before the camera zooms in so only the image of the flag is on the left side of the screen. Meanwhile, the right side of the screen pans over the lands that Cyfrwys owns, before showing its remaining members, in alphabetical order, doing various tasks.

Aria is quickly turning her head to look behind her, her twintails whipping around as she does so in one shot, and is cupping her hands while shouting so loud her face is going red in a second shot..

Kalyssa is waving semi-flirtatiously at the camera in one shot, and is swinging a club at something hidden in the grass in a second shot.

Laura is tasting a porridge she's cooking in one shot, and is seen measuring something in the distance using her thumb in a second shot.

Mateo is washing the clan's clothes in a makeshift washbin in one shot, and is beckoning someone off-screen to charge up a hill towards him in a second shot.

Prof is seen stretching as he emerges from the tall grass in one shot, and is silently looking at the camera while slyly putting a finger to his lips in a second shot.

Alltud

A dull grey figure holding a dull grey broken chain flag is shown, before the camera zooms in so only the image of the flag is on the left side of the screen. Meanwhile, the right side of the screen pans over the lands Alltud owns, before showing its remaining members, in alphabetical order, doing various tasks.

Angelo is hauling sandstone in one shot, and harmoniously playing a violin in a second shot.

Axel is crouched over and brooding by himself in one shot, and confusedly looking over a map in a second shot.

Carol is facing off against a giant scorpion while holding a makeshift spear in one shot, and is energetically cheering her team on as she sidesteps with them in a second shot.

Gazella is looking up at the stars in the night sky and pointing at one excitedly in one shot, and log tossing a full tree quite a distance in a second shot.

Maggie is busy dusting off her stone slab bed in one shot, and organizing various makeshift tools in a second shot.

Ryuji is seen cracking open a cactus with a large rock in one shot, and covering his eyes as he laughs and points at something off-screen in a second shot.

Shameterranean

A white figure, holding a druidic artifact, is seen falling down into what appears to be some kind of underworld, before the camera zooms in so only the underworld image is on the top half of the screen. Meanwhile, the bottom half of the screen pans over the Shameterranean caverns, before showing the remaining players trapped there, in alphabetical order, at the moment of their elimination and doing various tasks.

Harald is seen diving from a pull up bar and landing in water in one shot, and pushing Shelby-Lynn down a Pit of Peril in a second shot.

Jeremy is seen getting his torch snuffed by Chris in one shot, and looking up through a hole in the ground in a second shot.

Lorelei is seen falling from a pull up bar and landing in water in one shot, and hiding behind a rock, peering intently at some off-screen threat in a second shot.

Mathilda is seen falling from a pull up bar and landing in water in one shot, and raising her bat threateningly in a second shot.

Nathan is seen falling from a pull up bar and landing in water in one shot, and pounding his fist against the cavern wall, activating a stone door in a second shot.

The camera zooms out to reveal that all the figures and underworld were part of the same picture, the season logo connecting them like a belt.

Total Drama Crios Cath


Shameterranean

Contestant(s): Harad, Jeremy, Lorelei, Nathan

Harald used the muddy mixture of water and dirt as a bit of a paste as he brought his creation to its completion. "Yes...perfect…" He smiled.


Confessional: Harald: Shameterranean

"This key shall be cloaked by a blanket of shadow, and will attract the beetles straight to my trap."

End Confessional


"Oh….and just in time too…" Harald noticed the Tomb of Shame doors opening.

"Get in there! Find the artifact! Don't fall down!" Chef relayed the most important details of the Shameterranean to Jeremy without any context. The dethroned Cfrwys King headed into the entrance cavern of the underground.

"In the distant skies…" Harald spoke as Jeremy entered, the stars and moon shining in the night sky above his head. "A black ominous sun frames thee… And so thou kneel before me!"

"... Excuse me?" Jeremy cocked his head, confused.

"Kneel before me. I am your new sovereign, fallen king."


Confessional: Jeremy: Shameterranean

"Alright… this guy is a loony."

End Confessional


"I uh...think I have to go…" Jeremy tried to skidaddle.

"Before you do, my subject, I have news for you. You should avoid Lorelei and Nathan if you can. They've built themselves up as a powerful duo, pushing smaller players into pits, and depriving me of subjects."

"I'll… be careful…" Jeremy didn't trust a word this weirdo was saying to him, and quickly ran off, so determined to get away, he didn't notice the switch to open the alcove door where Lorelei had been hiding, listening to that entire conversation.


Confessional: Lorelei: Shameterranean

"That little shit!" Lorelei crossed her legs. "He's probably spread a similar lie about me to Mathilda! Thankfully…" Lorelei looked at the scrap of paper that came with her immunity medal. Just as she thought, the other side of the instructions was blank. "Perfect." She took a stalk of an underground reed and dipped it in nearby mud to use as ink. "Time to set the record straight."

End Confessional


Lorelei waited until she was sure Harald had left the entrance of the tomb. She slowly walked back out into the proper cavern, a finished note held in her hands. And very carefully, very quietly, she made her way towards the central cavern just past the entrance. There were no Pits of Peril that would be easy to fall into there, especially if she left the note just in the middle of everything. Hopefully someone would find it. They would learn the truth, and perhaps talk Mathilda out of chasing her if Danny somehow couldn't. Lorelei wasn't quite sure where he was, but assumed he had gotten lost. The Shameterranean was quite large after all.


Confessional: Lorelei: Shameterranean

"That should clear up any misunderstandings, and if I'm being chased again, all I have to do is lead them towards this note. If Harald is doing what I think he's doing, he won't bother to even head to this area."

End Confessional


As Lorelei finished placing her note in a suitable location, she quickly retreated back to her alcove just in time to avoid Jeremy returning.

"Well, that's the Tomb of Shame entrance…" Jeremy panted as he noticed the entrance he came in. "Alright, time to go this way!" He changed direction and ran through the cavern system.

Eventually, he noticed some light up ahead, this piqued his interest.

"Light?" He wondered aloud. "It's not some sort of bioluminescent like the glow worms and mushrooms around here… so it must be… fire… and if there's a fire… there might be a person!"

Jeremy rushed around the corner, to find Nathan standing over him.

He stopped short.

"Don't run like that." Nathan warned. He pointed to a nearby Pit of Peril. "Those things aren't always at the edge of a given area you know. You fall in one, you're out for good."

"Oh… that's what Chef meant." Jeremy realized, calming down from his initial shock. "I'm Jeremy, I was recently voted off."

"Nathan." Nathan smiled. "It's a pleasure to have some company for once."

"You don't feel like, just, picking me up and yeeting me?" Jeremy asked a little skeptically.

"Whoa, not at all!" Nathan gasped. "I may be intimidating, but I plan to play friendly, and remain optimistic no matter the circumstances!"

Jeremy smiled.


Confessional: Jeremy: Shameterranean

"This Nathan guy is alright. I'm glad I didn't let any of what that weirdo at the entrance was saying get to my head."

End Confessional


"In that case," Jeremy relaxed by the fire. "Want me to fill you in on what happened on the surface?"

"Sure thing." Nathan nodded. "And feel free to camp here whenever you're tired. I tend to not stray too far from this area since it's up in the north, where Cumhachtach is supposed to be… Oh, uh, no offence."

"Nah, it's fine." Jeremy waved Nathan's worry away. "Most of my old clan voted me off so there isn't much loyalty left there. Even if there was though, feel free to support whomever you want. I just hope that while we're both down here, we'll support each other."

"Sounds good." Nathan nodded. "Now get some rest dude. You look freaking exhausted."


Confessional: Nathan: Shameterranean

"Jeremy seems like a good dude. Shame to see he was voted off first. I wonder how Cfrwys even lost a challenge. I thought they were supposed to be the cunning clan."

End Confessional


Glas Woods (Mealltach Territory Border)

Contestant(s): Anemone, Angelo, Alice, Rose

Desert rays of the morning sun were interrupted by the shade of the Mealltach trees. The Alltud-Mealltach border line was sprayed right where the dull umber met the illuminated gold.

Angelo found his ways around the heat, taking refuge under the shadow of a large boulder. He panted. His crown laid next to him. The sand crumbled over his bare feet. All the while, he maintained a splendid view of Rose at her usual stream.


Confessional: Angelo: Clan Alltud

"It is simply a spot to rest on my trek for firewood. But it certainly has a few advantages over other resting spots."

End Confessional


The water from the stream gushed through the woods. Rose cupped her hands in a bowl and lifted the stream water to her face, careful not to let the water touch any of her violet locks. She gave herself a gentle, satisfying splash.

Angelo's eyes traced the contour of Rose's face, following the drips stumbling down her neck.

A warm breeze flew into the highlands, softly touching Rose's curls.

Angelo leaned in, wishing it were his hand moving her hair.

The water on Rose's face cooled. She closed her eyes, facing the direction of the wind. Her lungs filled with fresh air. She opened her eyes, exhaling through her mouth. A head retreated back behind the boulder. Rose smiled. She stepped closer towards the boulder, cautious not to step out of Mealltach borders. The head popped out again. Their eyes locked into each other, in peaceful silence, hypnotized.

Angelo patted his hand on the sand, searching for his crown, daring not to look away. Once it was in his grasps, he shook the sand off the crown and walked his way over.

"Good morning, Queen." Angelo knelt down.

"Good . . . morning." Said Rose, after a few seconds. Staring at Angelo's pose encouraged her cheeks to redden.


Confessional: Rose: Clan Mealltach

"Nobody treats me like that back at camp. It wasn't weird or anything, don't get me wrong. It was just different. A good kind of different. It felt . . . special."

End Confessional


Angelo held up a few small twigs in his hands; all he was able to muster up on the trek for firewood in the desert. "Have you any wood to spare?"

Rose's eyes traced his silver hair, delicately braided into a pony-tail. It complemented his silver crown. The deepest sapphire in the center of the crown harmonized with his eyes.

"If you would rather not, it is alright. I better get-"

"No, no," Rose stopped him from leaving, "I was just thinking."

Angelo stepped back and bowed his head. "Take your time."


Confessional: Rose: Clan Mealltach

"Picture this:" Rose blushed, "one of the most attractive men on the planet walks up to you and asks you for wood. Meanwhile, you are standing there with a wet face, and no makeup." Rose's blush deepened. "It was embarrassing."

End Confessional


Confessional: Angelo: Clan Alltud

"I could stare at her like that all day. The way her face still shined with water. Her violet hair flying in the wind. The raw beauty of her face without a trace of product. And then there was me: sweaty, possibly smelly, not well rested, and coated with sand."

End Confessional


"If I summoned you into my territory, you'd be allowed in until the challenge and offered all the wood you need." Rose looked him over. "I'm sure your strong arms could handle the weight on the way back~"

Angelo sighed. "I would love to spend the morning with you. Unfortunately, I am of Alltud, Queen." Angelo grabbed a large piece of wood that was poking out of the Mealltach territory. "Our rules immunize us from any King or Queen's power."

"Oh," Rose looked down. "Perhaps this is where we will meet up. I will give you all the wood you need, Prince." She looked back up and gave him a wink.

Angelo knelt down. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Rose copied his actions. "You're welcome, Your Majesty."

The both of them giggled.


Confessional: Angelo: Clan Alltud

Angelo blushed and shook his head. "She's so adorable. Princes are actually referred to as 'Your Highness'."

End Confessional


Further down the stream, Anemone had been tasked with collecting water, but she had also been filling her notebook to the brim with information on Rose and Angelo.

"Interesting . . . "

Unknown to Anemone, she had been sitting near a small sinkhole. As she capped her pen, the medal tapped her side. "Had this thing been next to me the entire time?" She muttered. The medal glistened in the light. Anemone picked it up.

"This is a fake medal." She read. "Have fun!"


Confessional: Anemone: Clan Mealltach

She swung the medal around her finger. "I know just what to do with this!" Anemone smirks. "Time to out con the con-artist!"

End Confessional


Alice sat back at the deserted camp, comfortably tending to the fire. Molly had been at the camp as well until recently, but Alice had managed to coerce her into leaving her alone.

Anemone brought the water to a boil over the fire as Alice threw in another log. "You shouldn't have to worry about Molly, Alice. She's just a girl who would never return the same feelings you have."

Alice paused.

She looked up at Anemone.

"And just how did you figure this out?"

Anemone stretched out onto the log Alice had been using as seating. "As a journalist, I print what everyone else is too scared to say."


Confessional: Anemone: Clan Mealltach

" . . . and with my words, I can set the world on fire!"

End Confessional


Alice smiled. "Well then, what do you have to say about that?"

"I have something that might interest you." Anemone pulled out the fake medal.

Alice's eyes glistened. "Oh, you'd like an alliance?"

"I'll let you keep the medal."

"Oh, will you?"

Anemone leaned in. "I will, but only if you give me a kiss."

Alice immediately scooched forwards, ready for the smooch. Anemone laced her hand in Alice's hair as their soft lips bounced off of each other a couple of times. Alice slid herself onto the journalist's lap, and Anemone happily accepted her.


Confessional: Anemone: Clan Mealltach

"Oh, she was desperate for a distraction from Molly; Molly being straight and all. Of course, she would jump at the first opportunity she gets. Especially, if the game is involved."

End Confessional


They broke apart. Anemone stood up, Alice giddy with the medal in her hands. "Give me a secret, and I'll pay you with a kiss." The journalist winked.

"Oh, I know tons about Cumhach-"

"Give me something . . . new. I was listening to your conversation with Tiberius, after all."


Confessional: Alice: Clan Mealltach

"Ooo, she'll be interesting to play with~. Of course, if I ever want a kiss for fun, I'll feed her a lie to mess with her mind a little. That way, I'll have the medal, the girl, and the million! Of course, I'll get rid of her. It's not enough that I should succeed, others should fail."

End Confessional


Location: Neart Highlands (Cumhachtach Territory)
Contestant(s): Avi, Bryan, Frag, Michael, Stan, Tiberius

"Lift, lift, LIFT Avi, for fuck's sake!" Tiberius barked as the men of Cumhachtach finally started to craft their makeshift team cabin.

"I am lifting!" Avi shouted back.

"Don't talk back to the king!" Michael piped up in Tiberius place.

"And don't speak for him either!" Stan shaded Michael.

"Everyone, enough!" Bryan snapped. "Work together or we aren't going to get this shelter done. Do you want to sleep out in the open again?"

"I'd really rather not…" Frag shuddered.


Confessional: Frag: Clan Cumhachtach

"There are animals and bugs that come out at night that I'd love to not have to deal with, but we need our shelter to be complete in order to fix that problem."

End Confessional


Confessional: Avi: Clan Cumhachtach

"I didn't think we'd be building a full on fucking house or anything like that, but apparently our king as a very go big or go home kind of idiot."

End Confessional


Confessional: Tiberius: Clan Cumhachtach

"I didn't realize I was on a team full of weak-willed wimpycucks. I guess I'll have to ensure our victory on my own so that this loser show can be bought out by my benefactor, Do-, I mean God. Deus Vult!"

End Confessional


Confessional: Bryan: Clan Cumhachtach

"Seriously, I get that they're still all teenagers but all they ever do is squabble with each other. How would we even get anything done without me to put them back in line?"

End Confessional


After a time lapse of Cumhachtach going to work on their shelter, the first cumhachtach cabin is finally completed.

"Woo!" Michael cheered. "We did it! High five, dude!" He turned to Stan and tried to give him a high five.

"We aren't done yet." Stan shook his head. He pointed to Bryan. "Bryan, what are you doing?"

Bryan poked his head out of the cabin entrance, some large rocks in his hands. "If we can build a chimney, we can move the fire inside, and it'll help insulate the cabin."

"And we can cook weaker animals that we slay." Tiberius pointed his sword towards the wilds. "Good thinking, old-cuck. You get to work on that chimney. Meanwhile, Michael, you are an athlete! You will go stock up on meat for us!"

"I will?!" Michael asked, startled by the suggestion.

"Don't talk back to your king." Stan snickered.

"Stan, you go patrolling the border." Tiberius ordered. "We lost land and you need to see what Alltud is doing with it. Frag, you make sure everyone is doing what they're supposed to be doing. Avi!"

"What now?" Avi rolled his eyes.

Tiberius took off his armor and stripped into a white t-shirt and shorts, resting himself against the wall of the completed cabin.

"Polish the armor." He yawned as he pointed. "It better be spick and span when I wake up."

And with that, Tiberius knocked out and snored loudly, almost drowning out any hope of conversation inside the cabin.

Avi grumbled as he took the armor outside to where Frag was making sure that Stan was patrolling the border.

"He's such a fucking asshat." Avi groaned to Frag.

"Can't say I disagree there…" Frag laughed. "But still, he's really powerful, and that sword of his has been pretty useful."

"Yeah, but he's the absolute worst!" Avi widened his eyes up at Frag. "Can't we just get rid of him right away? Avoid the hassle?"

"I'd prefer we just make our way to a merge and let the others target him then." Frag pat Avi on the shoulder. "He takes the heat off of the rest of us in terms of being a physical threat."


Confessional: Frag: Clan Cumhachtach

"Get rid of Tiberius this soon? I don't know. He's super powerful right now. Even if half the clan got together to vote for him, we might tie, and then he'd win that automatically because of his title. No, I'm not about to get involved in any plots against the king just yet. Better to just keep the king happy and avoid causing trouble right now."

End Confessional


"Yo Frag, over here!" Stan called Frag over to the border.

Frag sprinted to where Stan was.

"What is it?"

"Check it." Stan pointed to where a couple Alltud were looking over the new land. "This is what Tiberius did to that one masked exile that attacked him."

Frag looked over and saw Axel's horrifically bruised face, to the point where it was almost hard to recognize him if it weren't for his signature black surgical mask over his mouth.

"That's one hell of a limp." Frag gulped.

"Yeah, that's what happens when we defy Tiberius right now." Stan agreed. "Better stay on his good side while we can, right? Get him when his guard is down later."

"I…" Frag began to walk away nervously.

"Personally, I think Bryan is a tad more annoying right now. He's getting way too comfortable into becoming like a dad for us, and I don't know about you but I didn't sign up to play with someone's dad."

"Before I do any sort of thought for a vote, Stan, I'd want to make sure I know where the king stands. Love him or hate him, Tiberius is the most powerful member of our team right now, and to try and make plans without his knowledge? Well, I don't think that'd sit too well with him."

"Fair enough." Stan sighed.


Confessional: Stan: Clan Cumhachtach

"I was hoping to send Frag on a wild goose chase while Tiberius and I got rid of Avi so that I'd have an easy next person to vote off, but he's playing his cards too close to his chest. Maybe I can use it against him later, but for now it looks like there's nothing to be done."

End Confessional


Location: Ionad Desert (Alltud Territory)

Contestant(s): Axel, Angelo, Carol, Gazella, Maggie, Ryuji

Ryuji pulled down on it to see if it was tight enough.

It was.

Everything was set.

He snickered.

Everyone else in the clan was doing their own thing.

Angelo still had yet to return.

Gazella was tending the fire with what little wood they had.

Axel was finishing off the shelter with Carol.

Maggie was collecting prickly pears.

No one would suspect a thing.

. . . Or really had suspected. They'd know it was Ryuji the second they fell for it, but who cared? Not Ryuji. That's who.

"Hello everyone!"

A chorus of 'hello, Angelo' followed.

"Where should I put thi- WHAA!" ploof. Angelo face planted right into the sand.

The logs flew everywhere.


Confessional: Gazella: Clan Alltud

"Not gonna lie, that fall looked really overdramatic to the point where it looked fake. Like he purposefully did that to be rude, giving us all more work to do than necessary, but then I saw the rope, and we all know what that means . . ."

End Confessional


"Ry-u-ji!" Maggie, Gazella, and Carol chorus.

Ryuji snickered. "What an Angelo-fall . . ."

"Our STICKS!" Axel cried. He turned to Ryuji. "Ryuji, if you must prank people, prank the villains!"

Ryuji was very confused. "What, you think I could easily just go to Cumhachtach and-"

"Yes! Just plant it along the border and call one of those idiots over-"

Carol stepped between the two of them. "Guys, calm down! Axel, Ryuji is just really bored." She walked towards Ryuji. "Ryuji, everyone is just- oof!" she tripped over the rope, "everyone is just working on camp stuff, which is really important. We'll have plenty of time for adventure later."

Gazella helped Carol up. "Good call, Carol. We really should have some fun. How about… Hmm... I think all of us should build up our strength! One of the most important things if we never want to head to Tine Naofa! Who's in?"


Confessional: Carol: Clan Alltud

"I really like Gazella! Always hyping us up and bringing the clan together!"

End Confessional


Confessional: Maggie: Clan Alltud

"I'm not quite sure I like this idea . . . My legs are still suuuuper sore from chasing after Mealltach last challenge.

End Confessional


Carol raised her hand. "I'm in!"

Maggie rubbed her arm. "I don't know if I'm really cut out to work out with you guys . . ."

Carol giggled. "It's working out, Mags! We're all building muscle together. Come on, it'll be fun! Imagine all the adventure we can go on when we're all strong and fit! We could climb mountains . . ."


Confessional: Maggie: Clan Alltud

"Carol makes a better case."

End Confessional


Maggie giggled. "Okay sure!"

"Okay, that's three people . . ." Gazella counted.

Ryuji raised his hand. "I'll join!"

"No more pranks and you're in!" Gazella then proceeded to trip over the rope, herself, pulling an Angelo-fall.

Angelo laid down. "I believe I already had my work-out of the day, walking all the way to Mealltach territory, hauling these branches, and coming back. I'm winded. I'd rather gather remaining energy for the challenge." Angelo sat back up. "Speaking of which, does anyone have any spare water?"

Gazella nodded. "I do!"

The entire clan proceeded to watch as Gazella tripped over the rope, water in hand. The coconut almost flew in slow motion.

Gazella stared intensely.

It would all be Ryuji's fault if the damn water spilt.

Angelo caught it.

Gazella let out a sigh of relief and calmed herself down a little bit.

"Axel! Axel!" Carol piped. "Can you lead the workout session?

Axel thought about it. "I suppose so . . ."


Confessional: Axel: Clan Alltud

Axel strokes the bottom of the surgical mask. "Train up my clan to become my army of villain crushers? I like the sound of that."

End Confessional


"Anyways," Axel took a few steps backwards."I'm gonna be a little away from you guys so you can all see the moves in doing. Let's all be in a horizontal line."

Everyone did as told.

Axel took a few more steps back… and tripped over the rope. He sighed.

Ryuji looked down. "Sorry dude."


Location: Cailleach Bog (Ffydd Territory)

Contestant(s): Ani, Franchesca, Indigo, King, Morgana, Setsuna

"And that was when Gamata granted her prayers and blessed her with the charisma to lead her village." Franchesca finished reciting a verse of her religion's scripture to an enticed Indigo.

"Wow, Gamata sounds so amazing!" Indigo smiled.

"He truly is." Franchesca smiled back. "And he sees great things in you as well."

"In me?!" Indigo got excited.

"Of course." Franchesca beamed. "Why wouldn't he want a smart, young, handsome man as a follower?"

"I can see why you're placed so highly in the faith." Indigo complimented her. "You're so intelligent and beautiful."

"Awww." Franchesca put a hand to her heart. "Why thank you, Indigo, you sweetie~."


Confessional: Indigo: Clan Ffydd

"I really like Franchesca. She's gorgeous and determined and kind. Hopefully we can get together as boyfriend and girlfriend soon! I bet it'll happen even faster if I become a member of Gamata's faith!"

End Confessional


Confessional: Franchesca: Clan Ffydd

"Indigo is a sweet lad, perfect to become a disciple of Gamata, leaving behind one's friends, family, material possessions, and all wants to devote your life to the Lord of Light."

End Confessional


Further down the bog, Morgana had completed her seance circle, and Ani, who was gathering berries, happened across her.

"Uh….hey Morgana….what're you doing?" Ani asked, more intrigued than anything else.

"Attempting to attune to the spirits of this island." Morgana sighed. "They will contact me from the afterlife and give me guidance."

"I always thought that the afterlife was a separation from the mortal world and material plane, not-"

"Connected to it?" Morgana finished with a smile. "You believe what you want, but they won't talk to you if you don't believe."

"That's fine, I suppose." Ani sighed as he returned the smile. "I hope they give you some good guidance."

"They never fail to." Morgana turned back to the seance and Ani headed along on his path. He still had more berries to collect.


Confessional: Morgana: Clan Ffydd

"The spirits are always here, but they are also both above and within you at the same time. When Ani prays, it is not his god, but his ancestors that answer his calls for guidance or aid. And those among us like myself who are trained from a young age can connect to spirits further and further apart genetically."

End Confessional


Confessional: Ani: Clan Ffydd

"What Morgana believes is a seance is simply her listening to her conscience. God is helping her find her own path."

End Confessional


Ffydd's main campsite consisted of small tree houses with plank ladders leading up to them from the bog. King was stewing while he tended to the campfire, a job which had been given to Setsuna.

"Where the hell even is she?" He groaned aloud as he stood up and looked for where she might have gone to.

She wasn't in the guys' treehouse.

She wasn't in the girls' treehouse.

She wasn't anywhere in the vicinity of the camp.

King decided he'd make one more check around the camp's outer border.

That's when he found her.

Hanging upside down, by her ankle, from a snare made of vines.

"Oh." She looked at King. "Hi King."

"Setsuna, what are you doing?"

"I was wandering around the border and I got caught in this trap. It was really well hidden."

"That was the point of the trap!" King exclaimed. "It's meant to trap wolves and bears and other animals that want to eat our food!"

"Sorry." Setsuna shrugged. "Help me down?"

"Setsuna, you need to learn a thing or two about something called kraft, or uh...power, I believe is the english word. You can't just sit around on your röv and do nothing, and you especially can't just do whatever pops into your sinne at any given moment, you need kraft over yourself."

"But King…" Setsuna yawned as King helped her down. "Where will we find any mac and cheese out here?"

"Setsuna, I just told you that I was talking about power."

"Oh, okay." Setsuna turned and walked back towards the campsite.

"Are you finally going to tend to the fire like you're supposed to be doing?"

"I'll try." Setsuna waved without looking back.


Confessional: Setsuna: Clan Ffydd

"It was nice of King to help me down, but I didn't quite understand what he was trying to say to me."

End Confessional


Confessional: King: Clan Ffydd

"Setsuna can really be infuriating sometimes. Makes me miss my girl back home, Tina. She's nothing like Setsuna."

End Confessional


Location: Lower Ceol Fields (Cfrwys Territory)

Contestant(s): Aria, Kalyssa, Laura, Mateo, Prof

Laura, the new Queen Cfrwys, gazed over her lands atop the highest hill towards the edge of the waters. Her hand had swept over her tall grasses. The waves provided a small amount of relaxation. The energy the ocean gave off clenched at her chest.

They were behind in acres, but not terribly behind. 5900 out of the 6000 they had to start with. Still not in last. Jeremy had protected their fields well, but still, they were only fields. And unlike Jeremy, she did not have allies to speak of. She was alone. After all, she never voted for Jeremy, and he did not vote for himself. That meant Prof had betrayed their alliance, and her trust.

She looked over the message she had received, the wax seal already broken.

Avi and Bryan formed a small alliance.

Anemone found a fake immunity medal.

Alice and Anemone formed an alliance.

No news from Ffydd.

And of course, no information at all from the Outcast clan.

She hoped Jeremy was doing well underground.

This hill was to be his symbolic burial mound, where she mourned his loss, alone, while the rest of the clan celebrated the first of their rulers to fall.

Would she be next?

The thought sent chills down her neck.

"Fear not, Queen." The princess knelt before her cloaked by the grass.

Laura turned. She had not expected to see Kalyssa.

"Fear not?" Laura questioned. "While I have no physical crown, I still have the giant red target of royalty upon me, and my one true ally has left this realm for the realm below."

"If it pleases you, Queen," Kalyssa looked up, "I would be your next true ally. I have felt the sting of seeing my name upon the parchment, and I look to you in order to redeem myself in your eyes. You are the Queen, and I shall be your princess. I come by it naturally, after all."


Confessional: Kalyssa: Clan Cfrwys

"I have been dreadfully mistaken. The path to becoming Queen myself is not by being against the leader! It's by being in the liked category of said leader. When Laura is eliminated, she will get to choose the Queen. And when she does choose the Queen. It will be me!

End Confessional


Laura's eyes widened.

Could she trust her?

This very woman had likely put her predecessor's name to the parchment.

Still…

Even an untrustworthy ally could be of use.

A hope?

A vote?

A betrayal?

An opportunity.

"If I may…" Kalyssa sensed Laura's hesitance. The Queen needed one last push. "You are the Queen. You have certain powers none of us do, and you can use them. Show the commoners that they are simply that. Commoners."


Confessional: Laura: Clan Cfrwys

"I'm not sure. . . Maybe I should enforce what I want to do with this team. Last challenge, we did go a little too conservative… and it's not like I have all that much to lose anymore anyways… "

End Confessional


Confessional: Kalyssa: Clan Cfrwys

"Oh, how much I want that power! It strains!"

End Confessional


"I followed your advice, Mateo." Prof proudly announced to Mateo and Aria as he walked up to them at the Cfrwys Campfire outside their grass shelter mounds.

"Then who exactly voted for me? Aria?"

Aria gasped. "Prof? How could you insinuate such a thing?"

"I didn't insinuate anything!" Prof exclaimed. "It must have been Kalyssa!"

"Of course it was." Mateo mused. "Aria is my puppet, and now so are you."

Aria blissfully twirled her blue ribbon.


Confessional Prof: Clan Cfrwys

"How did Aria get onto the cunning clan?"

End Confessional


"Hah." Prof sarcastically laughed. "I'm not anyone's puppet."

"Oh, of course not." Mateo sarcastically laughed back at Prof. "You simply did what I told you to do because it made sense if you thought about it or something silly like that. No, you had corruption in your heart. A thirst for power. Like everyone else on this clan of the wicked."


Confessional: Aria: Clan Cfrwys

"How did Mateo get onto the cunning clan? He can't just call me a goddamn puppet to my goddamn face and expect any normal person to go with it! I'm surprised he hasn't gotten into me yet. I'm surprised no one has!"

End Confessional


"Listen you guys, if we're going to be working together now, we can't have any one person be in charge." Prof chided. "To that end, I'm going to need you two to spend some time apart so that we don't put this alliance at risk of being discovered.

"Why can't we all just get along?" Aria put her arms around the two boys.

Mateo and Prof both clenched their fists before breaking away from the huddle.

"Look, we can do things the right way," Prof mentioned. "Or you can continue to be petulant about this."

"I am not the petulant one here, vote fodder." Mateo growled. He snapped his fingers. "Come, minion." He beckoned for Aria to follow him. Aria followed him, but when they had sufficiently left Prof's line of sight, Aria ran off on her own.


Confessional: Aria: Clan Cfrwys

"I'm not beholden to either of these two dumbasses, so why do they both think they can just boss me around?"

End Confessional


"Laura, there's something you should know…" Prof sought out Laura as the Queen returned alone from her time on the hill. "The Mateo vote…"

"I know who you voted for, Jeffrey." Laura did not look him in the eye, focusing instead on a snake coiled on a nearby patch of dirt.

Prof was taken aback. "Then, you know that this was all a misunderstanding, and that you have a good target!" He exclaimed. "I'm voting for Mateo again, so you can too! All we'd need to do then is convince one of the others to-"

Laura looked up and pointed at Prof. "It was you who voted Jeremy!"

Prof staggered back, startled. "Y-you have no conclusive proof-"

"It matters not whether I have proof of who you voted for, you did not vote for the target you yourself agreed was our clan's- your clan's weakest link, and you knew this would be the outcome."

Prof scoffed. "It's your clan, my Queen!"

"Indeed it is my clan now! And I will fulfill my promise to the King that came before me to keep the clan's best interests at heart! Next Tine Naofa we head to, it will be your name on the parchment! Mark my words!"

"Yeah, good luck finding support," Prof played it cool as he left Laura. "Just know that you will always have mine, so long as you are not against me."

Laura was once again alone with her thoughts, her land, and the snakes surrounding her.


Location: Tine Naofa Bonfire Pit (Production Territory)

Contestant(s): All Above Ground

"Welcome, clans and their rulers!" Chris announced as everyone above ground made their way to the Tine Naofa Bonfire Pit. "You guys ready to learn the rules of your next challenge?"

"Yes!" They all cheered.

"The rules are simple! We'll send you guys up into the Cloch Mountains, around the Cumhachtach-Mealltach border, where each clan will be tasked with catching and storing as many Alltud members as possible! Alltud, your challenge is to still have everyone free by the end of the hour! Alright, place your bets!"

Tiberius turned to his subjects and once again Cumhactach got into a group huddle. "Listen." He said. "We lost some land last time, so we need to make that up. At least 900 needs to be bet here."

"We also should shoot for a bit more than that." Bryan suggested. "Our goal shouldn't be to maintain 6000, our goal should be growth."

"Hrm…" Tiberius thought to himself.

Rose looked over at her clan. "Guys?" She asked.

"I say we just bet 100 acres higher than Cumhachtach." Molly suggested. "It will mess with their heads a little and hurt morale, and we need the advantage in a challenge like this one."

"Molly, that's an awful idea!" Alice gasped.

"Hey, you know, I thought it was a pretty good idea, Alice." Roxanne stepped in between her and Molly.

"Yeah, this constant animosity between you and Molly needs to stop." Jarri concurred. "We need to direct our negative energy towards the other teams during a challenge, and even then, maybe not too much negative energy unless it's specifically towards the armored chauvinist."

Anemone nodded at Alice.

"Fiiiine." Alice rolled her eyes.

Rose nodded at her clan with a smile.


Confessional: Molly: Clan Mealltach

"Hm...guess I'm not in a clan composed entirely of mongoloids after all."

End Confessional


Franchesca prayed once again. Her clan members expected as much.

Laura looked back at her clan's expecting glances. She shook her head at them and waited for the other clans to finish their discussions.

Alltud maintained a tight circle.

Maggie's small voice spoke up first. "Guys, I'm not quite sure how well I can run."

Axel nodded. "Me too. That darn fight with Tiberius gave me a limp."

"Still suffering from desert heat." Angelo panted.

"So, less than a thousand?" Carol suggested.

"I'd say less than five-hundred." Gazella countered. "This challenge is way harder than the last."

"Three-hundred sound good?" Ryuji requested.

The Alltud Clan broke.

"Alright!" Chris looked over. "Tiberius, your bet?"

"1200." Tiberius announced.

"1300." Rose declared with a bit of a giggle as the women of Mealltach watched the Cumhachtach men react with predictable disdain.

"Franchesca?" Chris asked.

"Gamata wills that I wager….5000."

Everyone gasped.

"You uh...you sure?" Chris inquired.

"Gamata is sure. I am but his word." Franchesca smiled.

Chris shrugged. "I hope your clan won't hate you too much for that, ahahaa. Laura, new Cfrwys Queen, how about you?"


Confessional: Tiberius: Clan Cumhachtach

"I'm the only King here, maybe the other Queens and I can all *sniff* get to know each other better."

End Confessional


"Chris," Laura declared. "Know that I am doing what is best for Cfrwys. I wager…

5700 acres."


Confessional: Mateo: Clan Cfrwys

"Holy!"

Switch Confessional


Confessional: Kalyssa: Clan Cfrwys

"Bloody!"

Switch Confessional


Confessional: Aria: Clan Cfrwys

"Fucking!"

Switch Confessional


Confessional: Prof: Clan Cfrwys

"Shit!"

End Confessionals


"Wooo!" Chris cheered. "Laura brings out the really big guns! Alltud, are you guys gonna match it? How many acres are you betting?"

"300." They all called out, out of sync.

Every other above ground player looked over at them.

Chef shook his head. "Cowards."


Challenge: Clans must capture members of Alltud while the Clan Alltud tries to run from the clans. At the end of the hour, the clan with the most number of Alltud members wins.

Rules:

No hand to hand combat

Once an Alltud member is tagged, the clan member must bring the Alltud back to their designated clan cave via piggy-back, where they will be kept.

Teams are not allowed to leave the Cloch Mountains

Don't be dumb

Alltud Rules:

Alltud is not allowed to try to run away after they are tagged, or break free from a piggy back, or else they will be forced into elimination

Don't be dumb


Wagers:

[5100] Cumhachtach: Tiberius bet 1200 acres

[6000] Mealltach: Rose bet 1300 acres

[6000] Ffydd: Franchesca bet 5000 acres

[5900] Cfrwys: Laura bet 5700 acres

[7000] Alltud bet 300 acres


Location: Cloch Mountain Range (Cumhachtach-Mealltach-Hayaji Border Area)

Contestant(s): All Remaining

"Right…" Tiberius looked out to the mountains. "Time to find that masked vigilante cuck and drag him back here as a trophy. Fan out, men! The person who brings me the most Alltud will get to come with me next time I go into other territory! Just remember, the man in the mask is mine!"


Shift In Camera Focus

"Alright ladies!" Rose announced. "These mountains are half Mealltach territory, so we have a bit of an advantage. Let's work to bring in as many Alltud as we can!"


Shift In Camera Focus

"Gamata wills that Ffydd bring him the most Alltud to convert!" Franchesca announced to her mostly scoffing clan members.


Shift In Camera Focus

"Laura, 5700, are you freaking insane?" Prof asked, worried.

"I can see where he's coming from, it seems a little excessive…" Mateo agreed.

"Oh, come on you guys!" Aria came to Laura's defense, sensing an opportunity. "Are we the cunning clan or not? This challenge was made for us to win!"

"Yeah...Yeah!" Prof rallied. "Time to catch us an Alltud!"

"I'm going to catch one first!" Mateo shouted as the two ran off in different directions.


Confessional: Aria: Clan Cfrwys

"Boys are too easy! Especially boys with their egoes overshadowing their cunning."

End Confessional


Shift In Camera Focus

"Everyone HIIIIIIIDE!" Gazella bellowed out as Alltud fanned out and scattered into the mountains and the mines.


Shift In Camera Focus

"I'm coming for you, beta cuck!" Tiberius called as he chased Axel through a mineshaft.

"You aren't catching me, dumbass!" Axel shouted back as he knocked over brittle rock formations to avoid his pursuer, only for Tiberius to body slam his way through the obstacles, protected by his armor.

"You aren't going to get anywhere like that, dumbass!" Tiberius growled as he began to gain a bit of ground.

"Dumbass, I'm distracting you by keeping your attention!" Axel barked in response.

"I'm catching you, dumbass!" Tiberius got closer.

"Dumbass, you're just tiring yourself out!"

Axel rushed to the end of the mine tunnel through the mountain, but stopped short at the edge of a steep cliff.

"Dumbass, you've trapped yourself." Tiberius snickered.

"I can climb down, dumbass." Axel began to hoist himself over the edge of the cliff face.

"Get back here, dumbass, you'll go out of bounds!" Tiberius began to climb down after him.

"There's no line here, dumbass, it's not out of bounds!"

"Hey dumbass!" Tiberius slid down the cliff face and pulled Axel with him. "Tag."

"Have fun carrying me all the way back to your cave, dumbass." Axel smirked as Tiberius sighed and hoisted the vigilante over his back and began the long track of piggy backing him towards the Cumhachtach cave.


Shift In Camera Focus

Cumhachtach:1

As Angelo slipped through a narrow mountain pass, Anemone hid behind a rock and took careful notes.


Confessional: Anemone: Clan Mealltach

"This was the man Rose was with. I'm sure she'd enjoy it if I brought him to the cave, no?"

End Confessional


"Sorry, but you're coming with me." Anemone jumped on Angelo and tagged him.

"Well, I suppose I have to." Angelo sighed. "But are you sure you can carry me all the way back to your base?"

"I can give a piggy-back ride." Anemone scoffed as she hoised Angelo over her back. "You must be excited to be heading to the Mealltach base, huh?"

"It's certainly the base I'd prefer to head to compared to the others." Angelo affirmed. "But I still think my freedom is a better option."


Confessional: Angelo: Clan Alltud

"Still, it gives me time to get to know their Queen better."

End Confessional


Shift In Camera Focus

Cumhactach: 1 | Mealltach: 1

"Sorry about this, but consider it payback for trying to hold us up last challenge!" Roxanne announced as she chased down Maggie through a small valley.

"I-I'm sorry too!" Maggie called back meekly as she tried to squirm her way through a narrow cave entrance.

"No, no no no!" Roxane managed to grab Maggie by her heel and pull her out of the crevice.

"You're coming back to Mealltach with me. Piggy-back. Now."

"Aww…" Maggie sighed as she got on Roxanne's back.


Confessional: Maggie: Clan Alltud

"Ugh, I was soo close too! I guess it really does mean a thing when they say 'You can run, but you can't hide'."

End Confessional


Confessional: Roxanne: Clan Mealltach

"Phew. That was a close one. For a little girl, she really is a bit of a challenge."

End Confessional


As Roxanne put Maggie down safely in the Mealltach cave and started talking to Jarri and Molly.

"Jarri? Molly? What are you two doing here?"

"Patrolling." Molly responded cooly. "We don't want them to escape."

"Not quite cut out for stuff like this." Jarri wiped her forehead. "Not in the summer."


Confessional: Jarri: Clan Mealltach

"Maybe somewhere that's not high up and close to the sun, but right now in this season? In this biome? How am I supposed to fight crime if she can't even fight sweat?'

End Confessional


"Okay, I'm gonna head out now." Roxanne stretched, "Try to capture more Alltud."

"Good," Molly sighed, "I don't want us to lose this challenge."

"Yeah, I don't want any one of us going home." Roxanne gave a fist pump.

"Me too!" Jarri gave the same fist pump.

"Well, you two play happy couple all you want." Molly sighed. "I heard Alice and Anemone talking earlier and with the way Alice has been painting me, I'm sure to be out first from our clan."

"Maybe not!" Jarri tried to rally her teammate.

"No, I've been in situations like this all the time at my school. Someone doesn't like me and they turn everyone against me. Why wouldn't it be the same here?"

"It won't be the same!" Roxanne took a step towards Molly. "Not if we can help it!"

Jarri followed suit with a step of her own. "You know, I don't like Alice's attitude towards you either! It's unbecoming of her! What did you even do to her anyways?"

"I've barely even spoken to her!" Molly groaned. "For all I know she just doesn't like natural blondes!"

"You think the three of us can band together and eliminate Alice?" Jarri brought forth the idea.

Roxanne nodded. "Yeah, we totally could tie at best!"

"Or, even better, we can get Rose in on this too!" Jarri jumped excitedly, as she and Roxanne brainstormed strategies.

"Yeah, after the challenge!" Roxanne nodded with a smile.


Confessional: Molly: Clan Mealltach

"I don't trust a single thing those girls are saying. For all I know, it could be a trap to throw my vote."

End Confessional


"Well, the best way to avoid your elimination is to help the team win." Jarri decided after some thought. "Even if we don't think we can help, I don't know how we could hinder either. Come on, Molly, let's get going."

Molly sighed. "Alright."

"Guess I better get going too." Roxanne turned to Maggie and Angelo. "You two play nice!"

"Hey Maggie." Angelo waved. "Pretty nice information they just willingly give out in front of us right?"

"You're telling me."


Shift In Camera Focus

Cumhactach: 1 | Mealltach: 2

"You aren't going to catch me, you're simply too slow and not strong enough!" Gazella cautioned Laura at the Cfrwys Queen chased after her, panting.

"That may be the case…" Laura exclaimed through her breaths. "But I'm not the only one that's come to grab you."

Kalyssa tapped Gazella on the shoulder. "Hi there~. You've been captured~!"

She motioned for the woodsman competitor to get on her back.

"Underhanded trickery…" Gazella muttered under her breath.


Confessional: Gazella: Clan Alltud

"The only reason that clan even ever came close to catching me was because of that underhanded play. In a fair fight, I'd have escaped every single time."

End Confessional


Confessional: Laura: Clan Cfrwys

"I am perfectly aware that Gazella would have escaped from us in any other scenario. That's why it wasn't any other scenario. We get rid of their top dogs first, deal with the rest of them later."

End Confessional


"So…" Gazella sighed as Kalyssa gave her a piggyback ride back toward the Cfrwys base, Laura following close behind them. "You're the Queen of Cfrwys, yeah? Know anything that's been going on recently."

"You're in no position to demand any information." Kalyssa quickly came to Laura's defense. "Clan royalty does not need to involve themselves with the likes of outcasts."


Shift In Camera Focus

Cumhachtach: 1 | Mealltach: 2 | Cfrwys: 1

Aria came up to a fork in the mineshaft she had been chasing Ryuji down.

Another sign from production, pointing one was as the inbounds path, and the other as out of bounds.

Not this time, you little gremlin.

She ignored the sign and kept running, and sure enough found Ryuji hiding behind a rusted mine cart.

"Tag!" She happily patted Ryuji's head. "Nice try, but that trick didn't even work on me the first time, it wasn't going to work again, you should've known that, silly!"


Confessional: Aria: Clan Cfrwys

"Fucking idiot."

End Confessional


"Oh well." Ryuji sighed. "Wasn't sure who it was chasing me, and I doubt we're winning this one anyways, that's why we didn't give up much land. And at least I get a piggyback ride out of this situation."


Confessional: Ryuji: Clan Alltud

"I could've sworn she was the first one to fall for that sign trick! She was so adamant about it too . . ."

End Confessional


As Aria brought Ryuji back to the Cfrwys cave and plopped him down near Gazella, she looked to the other Alltud. "Who caught you?"

"Laura and that weird princess girl." Gazella replied.

"Hm." Aria looked out at the mountains quizzically.

What were Mateo and Prof doing?


Shift In Camera Focus

Cumhachtach: 1 | Mealltach: 2 | Cfrwys: 2

Mateo crept into the Cumhachtach cave, scoffing as he passed an exhausted and sleeping Tiberius. "How lazy this clan must be if this is what their king has become."

"What are you doing here, Cfrwys scumbag?" Axel growled.

"Stealing a lead." Mateo quieted him as he touched Axel's shoulder and then motioned for him to get on his back.

Axel rose a brow.

Gears turned.

He slowly got onto Mateo's back.

"Wait…" He patted Mateo's shoulder and pointed to where Bryan and Frag were having a hushed conversation.

"I'm saying he's a child and needs to be taught some manners!" Bryan exclaimed through a whisper. "If any of my students were to-"

"None of us are your students dude, and it's not like we have any numbers anyways. He's the King. It would take practically all of us working together to take him out." Frag responded.

"We don't need all of us. Avi has an extra vote. Let's just take him out right now, it's perfect!"

"It's only perfect for you." Frag countered. "Bryan, stop acting like you're our fucking dad!"

"Pffft."

Both Bryan and Frag turned to look at noise, but Mateo had already carted Axel out of the cave.

"Hey, HEY!" Frag noticed. "The hell did he go?"

"Wasn't Tiberius supposed to be guarding the entrance?" Bryan asked.

"What the fuck you two?" Tiberius came from around the corner of the cavern wall. "I sleep for two fucking minutes and you lose my catch? You cucks better go out there and get him back!"


Confessional: Bryan: Clan Cumhachtach

"That child really needs to learn some manners."

End Confessional


Shift In Camera Focus

Mealltach: 2 | Cfrwys: 3

Morgana was carrying Carol along the mountain trail as a hawk flew overhead.

"So let me get this straight… The spirits told you where to find me?"

"They did." Morgana answered. "They let me know of the greatest hiding places, which led me to your chosen mineshaft."

"And here I thought the desert workouts would help us avoid capture." Carol laughed.

"The spirits got you to work out?" Morgana asked with a smile.

"I mean, yeah, kind of." Carol answered. "Perhaps not the ancient ones you're talking about, but it's for our own team's morale."

"That sounds like a fun activity to do together." Morgana wistfully gazed up at the clear blue sky.

"Yeah it's a real riot." Carol agreed. "We have a pretty strict workout instructor, but we mainly just laugh at how serious he is."

Morgana sighed. "Why don't we have fun like that at Ffydd?"

"Don't you all like, get together for some sort of spiritual stuff or something?" Carol inquired. "That's supposed to be your clan's whole thing right?"

"I mean…" Morgana explained as she brought Carol into the Ffydd cave. "It's our clan's thing as much as cunning is Cfrwys's thing. Sure, we all could be called spiritual, besides maybe Indigo, but we all have different belief systems and none of them seem to jive really well together. We just end up all doing different things."


Confessional: Carol: Clan Alltud

"Oh, it sounds so awful over there, I hope they can learn to work together soon!"

End Confessional


Shift In Camera Focus

Mealltach: 2 | Ffydd: 1 | Cfrwys: 3

King and Ani both snuck into the Cfrwys cave where Axel, Gazella, and Ryuji were being kept.

"Skit." King cursed in swedish as the pair realized they didn't have enough manpower to carry all three Alltud back to their base.

"Wow." Ryuji smiled. "Leave it to the cunning clan to not post a single guard."

"They must be out looking for other Alltud players." Gazella reasoned.

"Whatever they're doing doesn't matter as much as who we're taking with us." Ani nudged King. "Obviously that shorter one." He pointed at Ryuji. "But who else do we take?"

"Take her." Axel nodded his head towards Gazella. "They've been here longer than I have."

"You sure?" Gazella asked Axel.

"Sure I'm sure." Axel grunted. "Just don't be dumb."

King and Ani nodded to each other and hoisted Gazella and Ryuji onto their backs respectively before heading out.

"While we're heading back…" Ani mentioned to King. "We might really want to talk about elimination, because if we can steal from them, they can steal from us, so we could easily be sent to Tine Naofa."

"It's no argument there, I'm sure." King nodded at Ani.

"We're on the same page?" Ani raised a brow. "Name on three. One...two...three!"

"Setsuna!"

"Franchesca!"

"You can't still be on her, Ani, can you?" King asked. "She's our Queen, how will you get the numbers?"

"I'll find a way!" Ani stood firm as Gazella and Ryuji exchanged mischievous glances.

"Because that always works." Ryuji snickered quietly to his teammate.


Confessional: Gazella: Clan Alltud

"Alltud has such a fun role in this challenge. Not only do we get to hear everyone's drama, but we get FREE PIGGYBACK RIDES! I almost don't care if we lose. This is the life!"

End Confessional


Shift In Camera Focus

Mealltach: 2 | Ffydd: 3 | Cfrwys: 1

When he was sure both King and Ani were gone...Axel stood up.


Confessional: Axel: Clan Alltud

"Aight, I'm about to pull what's called a pro-gamer move."

End Confessional


Axel just… … left.

He kept walking. No one ever came to tell him he was breaking the rules.

He smiled.

He finally understood the most important rule of the challenge.


Shift In Camera Focus

Mealltach: 2 | Ffydd: 3

"And there's a fourth…" Morgana sighed as she brought Maggie into Ffydd's camp.

"Where was she?" Carol asked.

"Mealltach campsite." Morgana replied. "Angelo was over there too but...I can't carry Angelo."

"Anyone know where Axel is?" Maggie asked.

"He was back in Cfrwys with us." Ryuji raised a hand. "But he told some Ffydd men to take us instead of him."

"Oh?" Maggie questioned.


Confessional: Maggie: Clan Alltud

"Ohhhhhhh!"

End Confessional


Morgana began to stand vigil outside the cave.

"Guys…" Maggie quietly huddled everyone together. "Let's just dip."

"What?" Ryuji asked.

"Leave. Let's just up and sneak out of the cave. They have Morgana here on sentry duty, but that's all they have, and only she knows where Angelo is. Well, except me."

"I like this plan!" Carol's eyes began to sparkle.

"Alright." Gazella stood up. "I'll run out first to get Morgana's attention, you three quickly sneak out and spread out while she's distracted."

"Oh, we're really doing this?" Ryuji began to bounce with excitement. "Oh, heck yeah let's go!"

"Catch me if ya' can Morgana!" Gazella rushed out of the cave and a confused Morgana chased after her.

"Hey! How is that allowed?"

"Now, now, now!" Carol announced as she, Maggie, and Ryuji all quickly bolted from their cavernous prison.

"Alright, spread out guys!" Maggie celebrated. "We need to make sure Angelo is outside and we should look for Axel too, just in case!"


Shift In Camera Focus

Mealltach: 1

Angelo sat around in the cave. No one was out there. Except for one person.

It wasn't anyone from Mealltach

"Angelo!" Carol yelled at the entrance. "Get over here!"

"What's happening?"

"We are winning."

"You mean, we're allowed to just get up and leave?"

"Mmmhmmmmm."

"I would've done that an hour ago!" Angelo said as he left the base.

"That's right, Angelo! An hour has indeed passed!" Chris landed in from a helicopter, alerting all the contestants using a megaphone. "The challenge is over! Alltud has won! And since everyone did, equally as poorly as the rest, you all will head to elimination, save Alltud!"


Confessional: Roxanne: Clan Mealltach

"Whoa whoa whoa whoa! ALL FOUR? ALL FOUR CLANS ARE GOING TO ELIMINATION? YO! YOOO! That's messed up!"

End Confessional


"Since Cumhachtach did the absolute worst during this challenge," Chris turned to the Cumhachtach clan as everyone began to gather around him, "they have to give up all their land! Alltud, you get 300 acres!"


Confessional: Michael: Clan Cumhachtach

"Damn, we lost all this land again. We might want to start betting a little lower just to avoid being wiped off the map entirely."

End Confessional


"Ffydd," Chris continued, "since you had four Alltud at one point, I'll give you the remaining 900. See almost all of you at elimination tonight!"


Confessional: Setsuna: Clan Ffydd

"What an interesting turn of events, we're going to elimination, but we still got 900 whole acres of Cumhachtach land, but how the heck are we going to get there? There's three other clan's territories in the way. I guess if we choose some coastal acres, we could swim the circumference of the island, or maybe step on those rocks near the shore."

End Confessional


CHALLENGE RESULTS AND ACRE CHANGES:

1st Place: Alltud (bet 300 acres) [7000] - [7300]

2nd Place: Ffydd (bet 5000 acres) [6000] - [6900]

3rd Place: Mealltach (bet 1300 acres) [6000] - [6000]

4th Place: Cfrwys (bet 5700 acres) [5900] - [5900]

5th Place: Cumhachtach (bet 1200 acres) [5100] - [3900]


Location: Tine Naofa Bonfire Elimination Ceremony

1st Wave: Cumhachtach (Avi, Bryan, Frag, Michael, Stan, Tiberius)

Watching: Franchesca, Indigo

Chris walked in, smiling at the evening to come. "Unfortunately, we had to start a little earlier, just so we could have enough time for all the ceremonies that need to happen, to happen."

"Sit down, Indigo," Franchesca patted the seat next to her. "Let us watch Gamata's will at work."


Confessional: Indigo: Clan Ffydd

Indigo was rocking back and forth on the toilet seat. "Oooohooo, this is such an exciting date! No girl! No other girl on the planet will be able to top this!"

End Confessional


Chris continued. "Anyways, welcome Clan Cumhactach to your first Tine Naofa Bonfire Elimination Ceremony. Behind each of you is a torch. This is your life in the game. Your fire goes out, your game is out . . . at least above ground. Tiberius, feelin' pretty safe?"

"I know I'm safe! I'm the King! The King is made to be safe!"

Avi and Bryan looked at each other.

Frag still looked straight ahead.

"Stan," Chris asked, "how do you enjoy being on Cumhachtach?"

"I like it here on Cumhoetach. We gotta strong team!" Stan flexed.

Michael snickered.


Confessional: Michael: Clan Cumhachtach

"It took everything I had to hold the laughter in. All I could hear was hoe! There are no hoes here!" Michael bursted out laughing. "I have an immature mind! Shut up!"

End Confessional


"Frag," Chris called. "what will this vote be based on, you think?"

Frag thought for a moment. "It'll be based on loyalty, trust, and timing."

Tiberius shook his head. "What kind of an answer is that? That's so vague!"

Chris clasped his hands amongst his podium. "Tiberius, please sit down." He chided like a father.

"You really should sit down." Bryan's age difference shone through his words.

"No! Let me give you a real answer!"

"Tiberius!"

"This vote off will not be for any stupid vague reasons! Yes, we lost a lot of land, but betting in the thousand range is the way to go if we ever want to at least hope to gain land. Stan said so himself earlier, we are strong! There is no reason we should be losing so many strength based challenges. Stone slab challenge? Embarrassing! We should all be ashamed of ourselves. This challenge?" He scoffed. "Everyone was outsmarted, but even then, we still didn't perform as well as the other team, and I know why. It's because of the weak links! It's not about the bets! It's about the people causing us to lose!" Tiberius sat back on his stump.

Chris clasped his hands. "Well then, with that speech out of the way, it is time to vote. But before that, if anyone has a hidden advantage that they would like to play, now would be the time to do so."

Chris waited.

Tiberius looked around with a scowl.

Frag started right at Avi.

Bryan crossed his arms and rocked back and forth.

Stan was also rather wary, first time hearing of advantages and whatnot.

Michael put his hand on his chin, and his leg bounced rapidly.

Avi reached down . . .

. . . and pulled his scroll out of his sock. "Chris. I would like to play this!"

Tiberius stood up. "Bad beta cuck!"

Avi handed Chris the scroll, looking dead into Frag's eyes.

Chris opened it. "By proclamation of the host, Avi Trinidad has been granted an extra vote! Avi, since you are already standing, you may cast your vote first!"

Avi casted his votes.

Michael went up to the voting booth as well.


Confessional: Michael: Clan Cumhachtach

"I was able to read the clues my King suggested as far as who to vote out. Not quite sure Stan is bright enough to do that."

End Confessional


Stan followed.


Confessional: Stan: Clan Cumhachtach

"Cumhoetach will rule forever-more! Even without weakness. Though Michael probably wasn't paying much attention." Stan shook his head. "He rarely does come to think of it."

End Confessional


Then Tiberius.

Then Bryan.

Finally Frag.


Confessional: Frag: Clan Cumhachtach

"It is simply unwise to vote the other way. Hope you understand, but knowing you, you probably won't."

End Confessional


Chris left for a while and returned. "The votes have been tallied. I will be reading the votes aloud for you to hear. If you receive the most votes, come up here with your torch, and I will snuff it out. You will then be sent to the Tomb of Shame entrance, and once all the elimination ceremonies have concluded, Chef will escort you to the Shameterranean where you may very likely spend the rest of your time in the competition. Let's let the chips fall where they may." Chris opened the jar. "The first vote goes to Tiberius. The second vote goes to… Tiberius. That's two votes, Tiberius."

Tiberius crossed his arms.

"The third vote goes to Tiberius. That's three votes Tiberius."

Avi looked back at Frag.

Frag stared back at him.

"The next vote is…

… Avi. The fifth vote…

… Avi. The sixth vote…

… Avi. That's three votes Tiberius, three votes Avi, one vote left."

Bryan rubbed whatever hair remained on his scalp.

Chris held onto the final vote. The destiny of the team. Avi was no longer paying attention to Frag's intention and more focused on his physical action. Even Tiberius was a little worried.

Chris opened the paper. "The first contestant voted off of Cumhachtach is . . .

… Avi."

Doom poured into the comedian's body. Frag scrunched his eyebrows together and looked over at Tiberius.

Tiberius nodded at his subject.

Avi brought his torch up to Chris. "Avi, your clan has spoken."

Avi's fire, Avi's life, snuffed.


*Avi's Elimination Confessional:

"Really thought, really thought Frag was going to side with Bryan and I. Or maybe he did and Bryan didn't, but that seems like, super super unlikely given the animosity both Bryan and I share towards that king of the douchebags. Hopefully the Shameterranean won't be too rough on me. Because I definitely want to come back up, especially if it will show all those assholes that voted me off exactly how big of a mistake they made."

End Confessional*


2nd Wave: Mealltach (Alice, Anemone, Jarri, Molly, Rose, Roxanne)

Watching: Franchesca, Indigo

"Welcome ladies, to our second wave of the ceremony!" Chris smiled. "Behind each of you is a torch, dip that torch into the flames and receive fire. In this season, fire represents your life. When your fire is gone, so are you." The women did as Chris instructed while the host relaxed in his seat. "You guys had a pretty good grip on two of the Alltud for a while. What happened?"

"Apparently our guards couldn't do their jobs." Alice cocked her head towards Molly and Jarri.

"Hey, it's not like you were any help!" Molly barked.

"Yeah... but I wasn't put on guard duty~." Alice twirled her hair as Anemone laughed to herself.

"Then to be fairer to me, it was Jarri who suggested we stop doing our guard job." Molly mentioned.


Confessional: Molly: Clan Mealltach

"Which seems a little convenient that someone would force me into a situation where Alice can pull shit like this. I've got my eye on her answer here."

End Confessional


"It's ultimately for the good of the team." Jarri defended herself. "We didn't know that was allowed, and don't act like you knew from the beginning either."

Roxanne crossed her legs. "And let's not forget your inherent bias against Molly."

"I'm not the one with a bias, she is!" Alice lied through her teeth, though quite convincingly as Rose seemed genuinely confused as to what was going on.

"What fucking bias could I possibly have you mongoloid?" Molly stood up.

"Molly!" Anemone jumped on the opportunity. "That's either so freaking racist or so freaking ableist of you! You can't just call someone that simply because you don't like them!"

"You two very well know that your forcing it out of her!" Jarri stood up.

"Rose!" Chris grinned wickedly. "What's your stance on all of this? You've been quiet so far."

"I...I…" Rose looked nervously between the two groups. "I don't know!" She exclaimed to Chris. "Can't everyone just get along?"

"I'd say that's not up to me at this point." Chris shrugged. "It's up to you ladies. If anyone has a hidden advantage and would like to play it, go ahead."

No one moved to play anything.

"And with that...it's time to vote. Molly, you're up first."


Confessional: Molly: Clan Mealltach

Molly held up her vote. "I'm voting for you because I don't trust a single thing you say."

End Confessional


After Molly returned, it was Jarri who was sent up to vote.

She came back and Roxanne came up.


Confessional: Roxanne: Clan Mealltach

"Alright Alice, time to shut the hell up and go the hell home...er...to the shameterranean."

End Confessional


Then it was Alice's turn.

Then Rose's.

And Anemone was the last one to go up.


Confessional: Anemone: Clan Mealltach

"Sorry Molly, but I can't have you stealing such a valuable source of information and entertainment away from me, even if you never would try to normally."

End Confessional


"Alright, everyone's votes have been tallied." Chris announced after he returned from counting votes. "In this season, I read the votes off orally. If you receive the most votes, bring your torch up to me. It will be snuffed and you'll be sent straight into the Shameterranean, where Chef will give you an extremely minimal rundown of what goes on down there. Now then...if anyone has a hidden immunity medal and would like to play it...now would be the time to do so."

Alice clutched the fake medal.

She looked at Anemone.

Anemone looked back at Alice.

Alice gulped.

She stayed in place.

"I'll read the votes." Chris took out each vote one at a top.

"One vote for Molly.

One vote for Alice.

Two votes for Alice.

One vote for Jarri. That's 2 votes Alice, 1 vote Molly, 1 vote Jarri, 2 votes left.

Another vote for Molly. That's 2 votes Alice, 2 votes Molly, 1 vote Jarri, 1 vote left."

Chris looked at the final piece of paper.

"The first person voted off of the Mealltach Clan…" Chris announced.

"... Molly."

"Fucking knew it." She sighed as she brought her torch before Chris.

"Molly," Chris looked at her as he snuffed her torch. "The clan has spoken. Go wait by Chef near the Shameterranean entrance. You'll be sharing an entrance with the other vote-offs tonight."


*Molly's Elimination Confessional:

"Well, this freakin blows. Not that I expected anything different once Alice opened her fat whore mouth. It's not as big a deal this time though, because now I can play down in the Shameterranean, and from what I can tell, it's not a popularity contest down there. I'll come back up. Just fucking watch me."

End Confessional*


3rd Wave: Ffydd (Ani, Franchesca, Indigo, King, Morgana, Setsuna)

Watching: No one

Ffydd stepped into the ring, and almost instinctively had their torches lit.

Chris held his hands behind his back. "Welcome, Ffydd, to your first Tine Naofa Bonfire Elimination Ceremony of the season." He gave his speech about the torches despite them already being lit. "You all maintained a good effort, but it wasn't good enough to avoid this. Man, if only there was someone patrolling… Anyone to blame?"


Confessional: Chris

"Can I just say that I'm loving the rule I created? Sometimes I have to wait half the season to vote some people off, and I'm getting all teams knocked out in one. I mean, except for Alltud, but they're gonna lose eventually."

End Confessional


Morgana spoke up first. "I believe we all were fooled."

King shook his head. "It was supposed to be Setsuna guarding them."

Setsuna spoke up next. "I thought someone else was doing it…"

"Even then, you still didn't do anything in the challenge. I expect more effort from you if you don't want to see your name written on the parchment."

Chris rested his hand against his chin. "Setsuna, looks like you're on the outs of your clan."

Setsuna shook her head. "Franchesca and Indigo were doing even less than I was…"


Confessional: Setsuna: Clan Ffydd

"And it's not like I wasn't trying… I'm just clumsy…"

End Confessional


"Oh please," Franchesca crossed her legs. "Indigo's initiation into Gamata's ranks are far more important than winning some challenge."

Ani facepalmed. "Excuse me, Indigo, do you know anything about Gamata?"

Indigo blinked. "He lives."

"Do you know the history of the religion? The rules? Do you know what the religion is called? The customs? The afterlife?"

Indigo shook his head.

Ani turned to Franchesca. "This is very important information you should never skip out on before converting someone. Indigo doesn't know what he's signing himself up for."

Morgana shook her head. "It's too late, Ani. I fear he's too caught up in the fantasy to go back."

"A-hem!" Chris coughed. "If your friendly chatter is over, I would like to keep the ceremony moving." The flames casted a warm glow against Chris's face. "It is time to vote. Morgana, you're up first."


Confessional: Morgana: Clan Ffydd

"The spirits do not welcome your negativity."

End Confessional


Then Franchesca.

Indigo followed.

And then . . . Setsuna.

Confessional: Setsuna: Clan Ffydd

Setuna put a small wooden box from her bag up to the podium and opened it. She closed her eyes and grabbed one piece of paper out of the box. She looked at the vote. "Welp, I guess I'm voting you." Setsuna folded the piece of paper and put it in the jar.

End Confessional


King was right after her.

Finally, Ani.


Confessional: Ani: Clan Ffydd

"God welcomes all good souls into heaven. He will not welcome your's."

End Confessional


"The votes have been cast." Chris smiled. "I will be reading the votes out orally this season. If you receive the most votes, bring your torch here for a good ol' snuffing, and wait by the Tomb of Shame to follow Chef to the Shameterranean. Let's see the votes." Chris opened the jar and took out the first piece of paper. "The first vote goes to . . . Setsuna."

Setsuna crossed her fingers.

"The next vote goes to . . . Ani. That's one vote for Setsuna, one vote for Ani."

Ani crossed his arms. Franchesca kept her eyes on Ani, determined for more to come.

"The third vote goes to . . . Franchesca. One vote for Setsuna, one vote for Ani, one vote for Franchesca. Three votes left."

Franchesca nodded.

"The next vote goes to . . . King. One vote for Setsuna, one vote for Ani, one vote for Franchesca, one vote King. Two votes left."

"The fifth vote goes to . . . Indigo. One vote for Setsuna, one vote for Ani, one vote for Franchesca, one vote for King, one vote for Indigo. One vote left!"

Chris opened the last piece of paper. "The first person voted off of Clan Ffydd," he flipped the piece of parchment over, "Ani, bring me your torch."

Ani presented his torch.

"Ani, the clan has spoken." Chris snuffed the flame.


*Ani's Elimination Confessional:

"The clan has spoken about as much as that deity Franchesca keeps trying to pressure everyone into joining the cult of. Those votes were all over the place! But I think I know exactly who is to blame for my elimination, and I can rest assured that God will see them pay their debts. Maybe not even this season, but one day, things will go wrong for them. For now though, I guess I just need to keep my head held high and fight to work my way back to the top!"

End Confessional*


4th Wave: Cfrwys (Aria, Kalyssa, Laura, Mateo, Prof)

Watching: Franchesca, Indigo

"I… feel bad about that…" Indigo whispered to Franchesca as they took their seats back in the watching area. "I always liked Ani…"

"He was a blasphemer to Gamata, Indigo." Franchesca smiled at Indigo. "He went against Gamata's will and paid the price for it."

While the smoke from the bonfire had managed to sully Indigo's clothes with a bit of soot, Franchesca's white dress remained perfectly spotless.

"If you say so…" Indigo hesitantly let it slide.

"Cfrwys!" Chris announced as Aria, Kalyssa, Laura, Mateo, and Prof all arrived and grabbed their torches, getting fire before putting their torches behind their seats. "Welcome back guys, nice to see the Cunning Clan back here again."

"We simply weren't privy to the rules of escape." Prof professed. "On top of that, these challenges are far more physical in nature, and we only have one person who comes close to being capable of that."

"Myself." Mateo nodded.

"And yet we still failed." Kalyssa pointed out.

"Hey! Don't blame this loss on him!" Aria came to his defense. "If we want to judge things based on captures, then it's Laura and Prof we should be pointing fingers at!"


Confessional: Aria: Clan Cfrwys

"Look, my vote for Mateo seems to have caught some bait. Prof is saying he did it, and if he at all wants to avoid being literally the very next one out, he'll vote for Mateo this time. But Laura wants Prof gone, and now Kalyssa is clearly working that pathetic 'suck up to the leader' angle. My vote can only go towards Laura tonight if I don't want that moptop idiot to catch on to what I'm plotting."

End Confessional


"Me?!" Prof gasped. "I'm not the one who went and assassinated our king!"

"Perhaps not." Laura sighed, looking down at the sand. "But you looked the other way while he was."

"Laura, I'm on your freaking side!" Prof put a hand to his heart. "I promise you as long as you vote-"

"Oh, she'll vote alright." Kalyssa smiled up at Laura. "Won't you, my Queen?"


Confessional: Laura: Clan Cfrwys

"You see? This. This is why I bet big land. They're all so conniving that I want to try and make sure they never think to throw a challenge to get rid of me. Now, I just need to survive this one vote, and I should have control of these freaking monsters."

End Confessional


"Wow, you guys are even more of a mess than you were the last time you were here!" Chris observed. "Sweet! I suppose there isn't much else to do but to vote then! Mateo, you're up first!"


Confessional: Mateo: Clan Cfrwys

"So sorry, Laura, but it's simply a matter of not wanting my ruler to bet such a large amount of acres. You'll be handing your power to Kalyssa soon I imagine."

End Confessional


After Mateo returned, Prof went up to cast his vote.


Confessional: Prof: Clan Cfrwys

"This vote is for Mateo, Laura, literally all you need to do is vote him with me, and we're on the top of this team."

End Confessional


"Just trust me…" He sighed under his breath as he returned and sat near Laura.

Kalyssa was up next.

Then Aria.

Finally, Laura cast her vote.


Confessional: Laura: Clan Cfrwys

"… … … … … … … … …" Laura silently thinks to herself before writing a name down and looking into the camera.

End Confessional


"Alright, I've tallied the votes" Chris came back with the vote jar. "If you receive the most votes, you will be sent directly to the Tomb of Shame with the other eliminated contestants. I'll read the votes."

He took out each slip of paper and read it off one by one.

"One vote Laura.

"A second vote for Laura.

"One vote Prof. That's two votes Laura, and one vote Prof.

"One vote Mateo. That's two votes Laura, one vote Mateo, one vote Prof, one vote left."

Chris paused.

"A second vote for Prof." Chris announced. "Because Laura is Queen, she automatically wins the tiebreaker. Prof, come up and hand me your torch."


Confessional: Laura: Clan Cfrwys

"How can you expect my trust when you so easily betrayed Jeremy's?"

End Confessional


"Prof." Chris announced as Prof brought his torch before the host for its snuffing. "The clan has spoken."

"The Queen has spoken." Prof corrected him. He turned back to his clan. "Give them hell guys!"

Everyone except Laura waved him off as he joined the other recent vote-offs to head down into the Shameterranean.


*Prof's Elimination Confessional:

"Laura's paranoia seems to have gotten the better of her, which is unfortunate. Thankfully, Jeremy has no idea what's been going on up here, so I bet I can convince him to team up with me down in the underground. Shouldn't be too hard to fool him. I'll only need 10 minutes. Hmph, I hope my clan realizes they can't get rid of me that easily!"

End Confessional*


Location: Shameterranean

Contestant(s): Ani, Avi, Harald, Jeremy, Lorelei, Mathilda, Molly, Nathan, Prof

Chef led the contestant down the stairs and once again barked minimal instructions. "This is the central cavern! Find the Druidic Artifact! Put it on the Resting Place and you're back in the game! Fall down the Pit of Peril and," Chef snickers, "You're out for good." Chef closed the doors.

Everyone began to disperse.

Prof quickly ran further into the cavern. Fire. Light. He saw it. He remembered Chris's words that fire represents life in the game.

He came face to face with a startled Jeremy and Nathan.

"Prof?" Jeremy asked, astonished.

"Jeremy." Prof held his hands out. "Let, let me explain."

"Oh, you don't need to explain anything." Jeremy shook his head. "Quick, come here…" He led Prof past Nathan, towards the bonfire. "You know, Prof. I kept thinking over the votes in my head. Three of them were for me, and one of them was for Mateo. So no matter what, either you or Laura betrayed me, but I have a hard time believing it was Laura."

"I was the one who betrayed the alliance." Prof remained honest. "But I only did it because-"

He didn't get to finish before Jeremy shoved him into the Pit of Peril near the cavern wall.

Prof hung on by his hands for a little bit. He grinned up at Jeremy. "So the man behind the curtain is finally revealed." He smirked before grabbing Jeremy's leg and attempting to fling Jeremy down the Pit of Peril instead, thankfully Nathan was there to separate Prof's hand from Jeremy's ankle, sending Prof down the Pit of Peril, for good.

"I'm sorry you had to get involved in that." Jeremy sighed as he looked up at Nathan. "But this means good news. Laura's still up there, and she's safe."

"Yeah, I guess that's good." Nathan smiled. "But if he's down here, some other players might also be down here. I'm going to go see."


Confessional: Jeremy: Shameterranean

"So Nathan left to go see who else had come down, and I decided to stay back at our base to make sure it wasn't overrun by the time he came back."

End Confessional


"Hello?" Nathan called out confidently. He was a big guy, he knew anyone hoping to push him down a Pit of Peril wouldn't approach, only people looking for safety would.

Avi was looking for safety.

"Hello?" He asked.

"Oh, you!" Nathan realized. "Weren't you sorted onto Cumhachtach?"

"I was," Avi nodded. "And you know, it was the strangest thing, I found this vote advantage right, so I-"

"Oh, I sent that up!" Nathan exclaimed excitedly, though he soon lost the excitement. "I guess it didn't go too well though, did it?"

"No, it didn't." Avi shook his head. "I used that sucker right away, tried to send Tiberius down here, that armored asshat, but Frag couldn't be bothered to make the big move. Ugh, I just wish I could be back up there and show those idiots that there's more to someone than just their physical appearance."

Nathan stopped short.

He knelt down to get at face level with Avi.

"Well, tell you what man. I'll do everything I can to get you back up into that game."

"I…" Avi backed away. "I appreciate the offer, but I just met you man."

"Nathan." Nathan held out his hand.

"Avi…" Avi quickly shook it. "Look, I'll think about this and get back to you alright?"

"Sounds fair." Nathan smiled. "Take your time."

As Nathan left Avi alone, the comedian began to explore the Shameterranean.


Confessional: Avi: Shameterranean

"Avi Trinidad, Night One In Shameterranean. This place is a dank, dark, cavern system. Light consists of bioluminescent plants and animals, although it appears as though fire can be made given that that Nathan fellow still seems fairly healthy and well fed."

End Confessional


Avi continued to walk through the Shameterranean, until his curiosity was piqued.

thwump

thwump

thwump

thwump

A strange noise. Something bashing against the cavern walls.

thwump

thwump

thwump

thwump

The sounds got louder as Avi moved along the path.

Thwump

Thwump

Thwump

Thwump

He peered around the corner of a fork in the cavern and finally saw what was happening.

Mathilda was slamming her bat into the wall of the cavern, over and over.

THWUMP

THWUMP

THWUMP

THWUMP

The cavern receded with each swing, forming a noticeable dent in the cave wall.

Avi's brow rose.

The actual fuck was she doing?

Mathilda stopped suddenly and looked over.

Avi hid behind the wall. Decided maybe he'd better just leave the woman with the bat alone, and decided to go down the other fork of the path.

He walked carefully, avoiding holes in the ground as they became more abundant.

"Those must be Pits of Peril…" He reasoned to himself. "I should try not to fall into them."

"Indeed you shouldn't." A voice responded.

Avi looked up just in time to see Harald leap out of the shadows, and roll out of the way of the poet's surprise attack.

"Tsk. The mouse thinks itself smart for scurrying, but it doesn't realize the trap it's in." Harald moved in towards Avi. "No one escapes death!" He faked Avi out with a punch before sweeping his legs and knocking him down to the ground. "Time to fall further!" He announced. He gave one final lunge.

Nathan blocked it with his body.

"Try that again." He dared Harald, who backed away, startled, before sprinting off on his own, deeper into the Shameterranean.

"You good?" He asked as he helped Avi to his feet.

"I...I'm good…" Avi caught his breath, trying to process what was happening. "I think...I think I'd like to take you up on your offer now…"


Shift Camera Focus

Ani heard footsteps behind him so he turned around.

Molly was at his heels.

"Are you following me?" He asked, confused.

"Yes." Molly stopped and responded bluntly.

"Why?"

"Running off on your own is dangerous when people want to push you down a pit. I would like to propose an alliance with you."

Ani folded his arms. "Okay. How about this? We look for the Druidic Artifact together. We push people down only in self defense. I also wouldn't put it past us to push someone who had the Druidic Artifact in their possession."

"But, obviously, we'd take it first before pushing them down." Molly amended.

"Exactly." Ani agreed. "I don't know what the punishment is for accidentally throwing the Druidic Artifact down the Pits of Peril, but I assume it's nothing good."

Molly nodded. "Then with all of that established, how do we determine who gets the Druidic Artifact in the game?"

Ani shrugged. "Let's flip a coin to decide?"

"You got a coin?" Molly rolled her eyes.

"Well, no," Ani admitted "but I'm sure we could find one around here somewhere."

Molly shook her head. "This show isn't going to give us any more money than whatever cash prize is at the end of this mess."

"Well, let's just rock-paper-scissors for it when we find it or the person who has it." Ani suggested. "The important thing is that we have each other's backs. If someone tries to push one of us, the other tries not to let that happen."

"Right." Molly nodded. "Sounds fair."

Ani gently hyperventilated. "Okay, we should probably find somewhere safe, and a reliable source of water and food."

"Shelter first. I need to sleep this stress."


Shift Camera Focus

Lorelei rested on the ground of her alcove. Fast asleep. For a little while.

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. and a constant, low sccrrrraaaaappe.

The bat!

It's Mathilda.

And if she's over here, she must've walked past the note! Lorelei opened the alcove door.

Mathilda froze.

Lorelei.

Mathilda glared.

Lorelei, it's time to run! Run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run!

It wasn't as scary this time, though. Only one unfamiliar face. Must be the new arrival. The familiar walls guided Lorelei to her note.

Mathilda ran right past it.

Lorelei took a different path that would have her circled back to the note. Another unfamiliar face. And another. And another. The stress gripped at her shoulders. They ran right past the note again. Mathilda was clearly more focused on something else. Tired of this pattern, Mathilda cut it off by hitting her bat against the wall, blocking Lorelei's path.

Lorelei turned around. "Mathilda, please, believe me!"

The mute held out her bat as if it were a sword. The tip of the bat near the center of Lorelei's chest. She led her towards a Pit of Peril.

Lorelei looked at the Pit. She looked at Mathilda. The new arrivals. The stress. Harald. The stress. Danny. The game. The stress. The stress. The stress!

Her thoughts spiraled in her brain, downwards.

Lorelei stepped to the edge, and with a deep breath, she leaped, never to be seen again.

Mathilda dropped her bat and stood there for a few seconds. She picked her bat back up and held it to the ground as if it were a sword on the grave of a dead person. Mathilda stood.

This was for the best. Lorelei was out to get everybody, including herself.

Mathilda walked back in the direction she came from, though the path was a little more complicated due to the little switch her bat had struck before, but she could switch it back. No big deal.

As the wall swapped back, a little note clung to the side.

Perhaps the wall didn't appreciate the little hit? Mathilda mused. As she read the text, her features sagged. Sorrow and guilt. Resentment and withdrawal.

Mathilda read the note once more.

To Mathilda, Jeremy, and whomever else Harald has decepted,

Harald is spreading lies! About me and Nathan, too. Just keep cautious of what he says, and try not to go near him! He will not hesitate to push you down a Pit of Peril.

-Lorelei

Mathilda held her hand to her heart. With sagged shoulders, she walked off. She kept the note on the wall, for it was the note of Lorelei's suicide.


Votes (for those who are curious):

Cumhachtach:

Avi voted for Tiberius

Extra vote: Tiberius

Bryan voted for Tiberius

Frag voted for Avi

Michael voted for Avi

Stan voted for Avi

Tiberius voted for Avi


Mealltach:

Anemone voted for Molly

Alice voted for Molly

Jarri voted for Alice

Molly voted for Jarri

Rose voted for Molly

Roxanne voted for Alice


Ffydd:

Ani voted for Franchesca

Franchesca voted for Ani

Indigo voted for Ani

King voted for Setsuna

Morgana voted for King

Setsuna voted for Indigo


Cfrwys:

Aria voted for Laura

Kalyssa voted for Prof

Laura voted for Prof

Mateo voted for Laura

Prof voted for Mateo


32/36 Remain, 25 Above Ground


AN:

Okay...Vote offs first...Yeets second, I don't want to spend too much time here so I'll try to keep everything short.

Avi: So close to taking out Tiberius right away, unfortunate that Frag was playing too conservatively, but hey, if he can find Nathan before someone like Harald finds him, he'll have a good setup down in the underground.

Molly: It's kind of like she's the Frag of Mealltach! She was too conservative with her trust and it ended up being her own undoing. Hopefully she can fight her way back up to the top.

Ani: He was never going to make it far with Franchesca at the helm of that team, and it certainly didn't help that Indigo decided to go hard simp for her this episode either. Hopefully he can fight his way back up to the top.

Prof: He treated his team like a normal one and not like a team full of strategic players, and that's where his biggest flaw comes in. He assumed he was the most cunning. And then he was yeeted right away by the player he voted off the previous episode. I suppose sometimes payback really is a bitch.

Having studied his actions throughout the season, Prof receives the status of: Villain

Dude literally betrayed his alliance for personal gain despite them posing no threat to him whatsoever. He would have been in a better position if he hadn't decided he wanted to be Kingslayer. Not to mention he was actively lying to Laura while trying to get her trust back. Is he the biggest villain? No. But he's still definitely a villain.

Prof's best moment: I have no idea to be honest, but I think his best moment is probably that vote he made for Jeremy last episode. It really cemented the kind of character he was and the game he intended to play.

Lorelei: I wish Lorelei could've gone further, she was so interesting and fun to write, but because of her inability to adapt to change, a whole barrage of new people in the Shameterranean sent her right back into a panic, and when Mathilda caught up with her, with nowhere else to go, the was only one option left for the analytical ice queen, and that was down a Pit of Peril.

Having studied her actions throughout the season, Lorelei receives the status of: Hero

I'd say Lorelei is only barely a hero, because her one major action other than the jump down the Pit of Peril is her penning that note about Harald's true nature for anyone to read. She tried to warn others about a contestant's villainy.

Lorelei's best moment: I think Lorelei's best moment is probably her decision to write that note. It didn't save her in the end, but it might have saved most of the new arrivals, and I think she can be safely remembered as a martyr because of it (Hey that helps lend credence to that Hero status too).

Of course this is all just my opinion about each of these guys, what do you guys think?


AN2:

I have a discord where we talk about Total Drama and pokemon and other stuff and whatnot. It's fun and you guys should join! Link is on my profile page!


EN:

So, I never really knew what to put here, but co-writing this was so much freaking fun! I love writing with Doobop (not because it's one of both of our favorite things to do). So, I guess here, I'll talk about my favorite part of the chapter, and I guess some BTS scoop on the writing process and stuff, because that's cool, right?

First things first, during the Chris recap, or should I say, Chef's recap of the shameterranean, there was a part where Chef said, specifically, "Harald spreading lies 'bout mah gurl Lorelei." Yep, that line made it in.

The cute little Rose and Angelo scene wasn't originally actually supposed to be there. We just wanted to let Rose know that if she wanted to summon Angelo, she can't.

Cumhoetach actually became a thing when I was writing the Mealltach scene last chapter. Tiberius and Alice were talking, that was all that was written in the outline. I asked Doobop what they should talk about and he was like "oh you know, Tiberius will just complain about his team." And he called everyone a hoe. ex) Michael is a hoe, Avi is a weak-ass hoe, Frag is a lazy-ass hoe, Bryan is an old-ass hoe, Stan is a boring-ass hoe, etc. I pitched the joke, "Cumhoetach, huh?" And we laughed and stuff. This is the funniest joke to us. Let us know if it really is that funny to you guys.

The Cfrwys scene . . . neither of us wanted to take it. So obviously, I did the mature thing and made Doobop do it so I didn't have to. He started writing as if Laura was a legit queen in a fantasy setting and I was like, "yoooo!" Now I wanna write this scene. But yeah, our writing styles are beginning to converge. It's very interesting for the both of us.

Oh man, the challenge. Doobop originally wanted this challenge to be the first challenge, BUT I said that this very specific chapter should have all the teams except Alltud go to elimination, and he was like, okay so this one second. It creates a bit of an inciting incident, you know?

The eliminations . . . I wrote on a hammock? Dude idk what to write here. People got eliminated. The speculation is fun. Doobop sort of over-hypes writing the elimination ceremony's. I found it boring. Did not like. Don't make me write another. (I'll probably still do it though, I pretty much do whatever I want, with a few limitations . . . a lot of limitations. Is no fair. I riot).

Shameterranean oooh, the only scene I wrote was between Lorelei and Mathilda, and boy, was that fun. Um, I wish I could say more about Doobop's scenes, but I can't because I am simply not him.

You guys will loooove the next chapter, but it's kinda hard not to not like these chapters.


EN2: This is peculiar, we don't want to fool ya.


EN3: Fuck you, [REDACTED]!

^^ the redacted knows who they are and asked me to put this up here. You're welcome.


EN4: liek if you cri everytiem


AN3:

As always, thanks for reading!