Chris's Above Ground Recap (To the tune of The Lion Sleeps Tonight)

"Oh laaast, laaast time, last time on Crios Cath~

"The clans, the clans were re-assessed and changed.

"In the Highlands, The Neart Highlands, Cumhachtach sleeps tonight.

"Tiberius rules, Frag, Stan, and Michael, and King has joined them too.

"And Ffydd is gone, and Ffydd is gone, and Ffydd is gone, and Ffydd is gone.

"And Ffydd is gone, and Ffydd is gone, and Ffydd is gone, and Ffydd is gone.

"In the forest, the Glas Woods forest, Mealltach sleeps tonight.

"Anemone, Alice, Rose, Jarri, Maggie chosen too.

"There waaaas, a challenge, and Alltud won that day.

"There waaaas, a challenge, that Cyfrwys lost that day.

"In Ceol Fields, Lower Ceol Fields, clan Cyfrwys sleeps tonight,

Laura, Ryuji, Kalyssa, Jeremy, they lost their fifth last night."

"They lost acres, they lost acres, they lost acres, they lost acres"

"Lots of acres, lots of acres, lots of acres, lots of acres"

"In the center, of the island, Alltud reigns supreme,

"Angelo, Aria, Axel, and Carol, Setsuna makes the team."

"And theeeey, oh, they own, they own half the land."

"And theeey, oh they owe, it all to Aria's plan."

"But Axel knows that, that she's a villain, and has his eyes on her."

"Ryuji's worried about his new clan, Maggie's also unsure."

"Kiiiing, Setsunaaa, two Ffydds on different clans…"

"The laaaast of their kind remaining up on land.

"And that's the score and that's the score and that's the score and that's the score.

"To Chef for more, to Chef for more, to Chef for more, to Chef for more."


Chef's Underground Recap (Continuing the tune of The Lion Sleeps Tonight)

"Down below ground, down far below ground, Mateo schemes tonight.

"He's all alone down, down far below ground, and safely out of sight.

"He fooound, found a note, left by Mathilda.

"He reeaaad, read that note, left by Mathilda."

Chris reappeared to take over.

"Who will go next? Whose torch will be snuffed? Whose fire just won't last?"

Chef took back over.

"You'll find the answer if you watch Total Drama Crios Cath!"

They then both began to sing along with a chorus of interns as their recap visuals faded out but the audio remained strong while the visuals of the theme song began to play.

"Onto the show, onto the show, onto the show, onto the show

"Onto the show, onto the show, onto the show, onto the show… "


As Chris, Chef, and the interns lower their voices into the background, 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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Jeremy is seen placing the DA on its True Resting Place in one shot, and staring intently at the Tine Naofa Bonfire, aware of what elimination means in this game, in a second shot.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Shameterranean

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

Mateo is getting his torch snuffed by Chris in one shot, and skulking through the tunnels of the Shameterranean with a sinister grin in another shot.

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

Total Drama Crios Cath


Location: Neart Highlands (Cumhachtach Territory)

Contestants: Frag, King, Michael, Stan, Tiberius

"Oh, ja, wonderful fire in the öppen spis, Stan!" King happily gave Stan a pat on the back.

"Thanks, dude." Stan smiled back. "You feel in the mood for rolls or breadsticks?"

"Either will be fine." Frag announced as he carried in a bunch of flour.

"So much mjöl, Frag!" King hurried to help Frag carry in the flour.

"We need more than this." Frag sighed. "Tiberius eats enough for a whole second Cumhachtach clan."

"Tiberius is a skurk." King shrugged. "And I have nothing to say about skurkar other than that I'll never let one control me."

Frag and Stan gave each other grins.

"King, rolls or sticks?" Stan asked again.

"Oh, ja, uhm, fralla, please!"

"Is that, like, a Swedish roll?" Frag asked.

"That's right." King nodded. "Here, Stan, if you don't mind, may I show you how to make them?"

"I don't mind one bit." Stan shrugged.


Confessional: Stan: Clan Cumhachtach

"King is an island gods' send on this clan. Before, we all sort of existed in this harsh highland climate and followed Tiberius because he was the only one who could go and leave to get materials we needed. Now though, we have someone to actively keep the mood light, rather than choose random times to do it like Michael. And because we have this much positivity, now would probably be a perfect time to take out Tiberius. With Bryan, who was one of the stronger physically of us, gone, I'm assured to be the next king of the clan, after all."

End Confessional


Confessional: King: Clan Cumhachtach

"This clan is stark, but all of the guys here are very kind to me, except Tiberius. But again, I don't concern myself with the opinions of skurkar."

End Confessional


Confessional: Frag: Clan Cumhachtach

"King's doing a great job of adjusting to the new clan, or at least, adjusting to working with its members. He's an easy guy to get along with. Tiberius clearly hates him too, which is good for me. Now I'm no longer on the bottom. And if I can get him in on my side, and maybe Stan, since Stan also really likes King, I think now's the time. Now's the time to finally get rid of the armored ass-hat."

End Confessional


Confessional: Michael: Clan Cumhachtach

"I'm sure Tiberius will make me the king. After all, I'm the one that listens to him and interacts with him the most. Stan's just a drone, Frag is Frag, and King will clearly be the new Bryan. It's so obvious too that all of them are planning to go ahead and vote him off if we lose, but here's where I come in, playing the loyalist, and scoring that sweet crown from the idiot!"

End Confessional


"This should be enough flour." Michael hopped up onto his feet.

"Good." Tiberius sniffed. "Any extra flour we'll dump onto that outsider, Sketchy King. The European asshole deserves all he gets. He's next to go for sure."


Confessional: Tiberius: Clan Cumhachtach

"My clan has no place for outsiders, and clan Ffydd are losers, pure and simple. Obviously I'm going to win, but if you want to lose, you watch Ffydd."

End Confessional


"I'm starving!" Tiberius bellowed as he and Michael entered the Cumhachtach cabin. "Let's get some bread in my belly, cucks, and outsider cuck."

King wasn't phased.

"Vote-fodder cuck." Tiberius tried again.

King was unresponsive.


Confessional: King: Clan Cumhachtach

"What a sad, sad man."

End Confessional


"Whatever." Tiberius grunted as he scarfed down some freshly-baked bread and immediately fell asleep, leaving the rest of the clan to bake all the flour Michael had just brought in.

Again.

"I'm not truly vote fodder, am I?" King asked the other four.

"Nah, nah." Michael waved his hand. "You'll be fine. I think we all agree at this point that the human garbage disposal has to go, right Stan? Right, Frag?"


Confessional: Michael: Clan Cumhachtach

"Hehehehehehehehe, I'm pressuring them into making a move against the big guy! Then, when I vote alongside him, it'll look like I'm the only one he can rely on, and BAM! King Michael, baby!"

End Confessional


"Yeah, King, if anything, I'd prefer you to be the king just so things aren't as confusing as they are right now." Stan chuckled. "Then, once you rule Gunhoctach, we can be all like 'King King', or just, 'King'."

"But with, like, a capital-er K." Michael added on.

"What?" Stan rose a brow.

"It's no more ridiculous than King King." Michael shrugged.

"How can a freaking capital letter be capital-er?!"

"It'll be KING instead of King."

"Well, then the K is still a capital K, you're changing the other letters!"

Michael smirked. "|ing."

"| |0|\|T believe you sometimes, Michael."

"60061E5!"

"You haven't shut up about them ever since Frag came back from Mealltach's camp!"

"Give me one good reason why I should!"

"How about the fact that you can't extra-capitalize a freaking capital K?"

"I just did!"

"King…" Frag took King's shoulder as Michael and Stan kept up their distraction-riddled argument. "I want you to know that Tiberius, as the ruler of the clan with five people left, has a lot of power unless at least three of us agree to vote him off. You've got my vote, but we need to make sure that one, and ideally both of them vote with us, otherwise, we need a new target."

King walked over to Stan and tapped his shoulder. "Vote Tiberius with us, ja?"

Stan gave King a quizzical look. "Uh, yeah man. That's… what we all said we were doing."

"So why is Frag panicking?"

"Because…" Frag eyed Michael directly. "Sometimes people flip their votes. All it takes is a thought. I just don't want to be unpleasantly surprised again."

"No worries, Frag." Michael stepped up and tried to pat his shoulder. "1 got you! I got all of us in our best interest!"


Confessional: Michael: Clan Cumhachtach

"And by that, I mean, I'm going to become the fuc|ing |ing!"

End Confessional


Location: Glas Woods (Mealltach & Alltud Territory)

Contestants: Alice, Anemone, Angelo, Arianna, Axel, Carol, Jarri, Laura, Maggie, Rose, Setsuna

The humid air stuck to the skins of the Mealltach women. The special elimination stuck to the forefront of Jarri's consciousness.

Rose swung on the hammock. Her reed blanket was complete. Her eyes scanned the campsite, looking for someone to show off her creation to, in an effort to boost the morale she felt responsible for draining. Jarri was the only one in sight. Rose fidgeted as she stepped up to Jarri. "Hey, Jarri. Look at this blanket I made! It'll keep us warm on the cooler nights."

"That's nice." Jarri gave a polite smile.

She wasn't sure what else to say.

She wasn't sure if she even had anything else to say.

Rose gasped. "Really? You like it?"

Jarri nodded. "I guess so. Hopefully, I'll get the chance to use it."

"That means a lot to me, considering what I've done to you and all."

Jarri's smile faded. "I know. I haven't forgotten that. It hurt me more than breaking any of my bones ever did."

Rose stared at the ground, ashamed. She placed the blanket on the hammock and walked off.

Maggie brought dry kindling over to the fire.

"Hey, Maggie." Jarri's smile returned slowly. "What's shakin'?"

"My hands." Maggie muttered. "Just found a bunch of these laying around because, you know, were in the forest and stuff."

"Well, thanks for helping out with the fire. Happy to have you around camp. I really wish I could do more for you. I know what it's like to be ripped away from your friend."

"Yeah, I wish I could see Carol. She was always there for me, you know?"

Jarri thought of Roxanne.

"I know. There's this one part of the forest that I wish I could take you to, since it's where Roxanne and I would hang out, but now it's part of… Alltud's… land… "

"Hey, maybe we could see Carol there! I know Alltud really wanted some shade, so no doubt they'd hang in the forest!"

"Time to head for the border, then!" Jarri gave Maggie a thumbs up. "We're just about done here at camp anyways!"

Maggie giggled.

Jarri giggled back.


Confessional: Jarri: Clan Mealltach

"Okay, so it's not an ally on my clan, but if Maggie likes this Carol person, I'm fairly sure that I will like her too, and that's at least someone else in this game to help me out over here. I know Rose is clearly remorseful for her actions, but I'm not stupid. She committed them once, and it could happen again. Until I can be sure of her sincerity, I'm not about to trust her with any sort of inner thoughts."

End Confessional


"Oh!" Carol's eyes widened as she noticed Jarri and Maggie calling her over to the border. "Hey guys! How are you two doing?"

"Jarri, this is Carol." said Maggie. "Carol, this is Jarri."

"You've been a real beast in some of these challenges, Carol, nice to finally meet you!" Jarri smiled cheerily.

"Yeah, right back at you, Jarri!" Carol laughed. "You've been working hard, I can tell! Thanks for looking after Maggie while she's over there. It means the world to both of us!" Carol turned to Maggie. "Anyhow, Maggie, you holding up alright? No one is giving you any trouble are they?"

"No, everyone seems pretty nice as of now. Well, it's kind of weird. Rose doesn't really give us any say in the amount of land the clan bets and stuff. The forest is really nice, though."

"And if anyone did give her trouble, then I'd give them trouble." Jarri flexed a bicep.

"That's what I like to hear!" Carol grinned. "

Maggie meekly smiled. "Come on, guys, you're not my mom." As if on cue, a bush rustled behind her and Maggie jumped, letting out a startled squeal. A doe emerged from the shrubbery.

Jarri turned to the deer. "See Maggie, it's nothing to be afraid of." The deer stared at the trio before hopping off into the forest.

"It could've bumped you if you weren't paying attention. Deer are feisty." Maggie murmured.

The three girls tittered as they began to walk along the border.


Confessional: Maggie: Clan Mealltach

"Okay, I was so worried introducing my friends on different teams to each other, but we're all getting along great right now! We've just been walking along the border and talking and passing the time away, it's so nice!"

End Confessional


Back at the Mealltach campsite, Laura rose a hand to greet Alice as she was escorted off of Chef's jeep.

"Hello, good day." She smiled. "Are you the one that's summoned me over here?"

"I am m'lady." Alice giggled with a pantomimed curtsey. "Come into this conifer hut here!"

Laura followed Alice inside one of the Mealltach conifer huts, gave a greeting to Anemone, who was already inside, and made herself comfortable.

"So." She grinned at Alice and Anemone. "What are you hoping me to tell you?"

"Well, since you are the Cyfrwys queen, you probably have some sort of power, right?" Alice asked.

"Oh, a very useful one." Laura smirked. "For instance, I know the two of you are aligned. I know that Setsuna and King are two separate actors right now-"

"You said they were allies romantically!" Anemone gasped at Alice in shock. "You lied to me!"

"Oh, she's lying to you?" Laura smirked.

"Because it's not only alliances that I get to see. I know that the immunity medal around Alice's neck is a fake."

"It's what?!" Alice's eyes widened as she turned to face Anemone. "Well guess what, bitch, you were the liar first!"

Laura smirked as Anemone and Alice began to bicker with each other.


Confessional: Laura: Clan Cyfrwys

"It's charming how far behind my clan Mealltach is in regards to information. I feel like I'm watching two weak animals fight each other while I decide whether I, the predator, should bother trying to eat one or both of them, or if I should conserve my energy for a stronger meal."

End Confessional


Confessional: Anemone: Clan Mealltach

"So, Alice has been feeding me lies to keep me happy? Well, I am not happy. Information doesn't do me any good if it's freaking false! While Rose is a pushover, maybe I should head over to Jarri and see if we can just get rid of this little con artist who thought messing with a journalist was a good idea!"

End Confessional


Confessional: Alice: Clan Mealltach

"It's fake? I've been worrying myself over a fake medal? Well, as long as Laura and Anemone both know that it's a fake medal, those are the people who I need to get rid of most immediately. Anemone is the only one I can vote for right now though, which means as much as it's been fun playing around with her, it's time to cut her loose before she takes me down with her."

End Confessional


Setsuna sat in between some trees all around her, hoping no one could see her. She opened her box. She clutched the last remaining paper in her box.

King.

She put his vote in her pocket. More papers aligned in front of her. The pen touched the paper.

Aksel.

Wow. All that time spent around King has rubbed onto her.

Oxle.

No, that can't be right. Um, maybe she could just ask Axel.

Setsuna peered from behind her tree.

There, Axel stood in front of Arianna, both with their arms crossed.

"I will not let you rule this clan!" said the former.

"I wasn't even thinking about it!"

"Well, your big bet sure helped us in the end!"

"It was mainly your idea. I never wanted to bet all the land, and I went with it because I was fine with youe little deal."

Axel glared. "I'm going to keep a close eye on your behavior. If everything checks out, I won't convince the rest of the clan to vote you off."

Arianna rolled her eyes. "Yeah, whatever." She walked off towards Angelo.

Okay, here it is. Setsuna walked up to Axel. "Um, Axel?"

Axel's arms remained crossed. "Setsuna?"

"Does your name end with an 'el' or an 'le'?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I need to put my box together."

He rose a brow. "'Le'."

Setsuna wrote it down. "Okay, thanks."


Confessional: Axel: Clan Alltud

"I'm a little concerned. Boxes can be stuffed by bad actors, and now this team has one in Arianna."

End Confessional


Arianna hopped over a log. "Need any help, Angelo?"

His arms were full of twigs and sticks and the like. "I'm okay, Arianna. If you want to help, you can take the stuff I've already piled up and start tending to the fire."

"Gee, way to let me try to integrate myself into this team."

"The fire is the best way to do that, Miss Sarcastic Cyfrwys Snake. Everyone has-"

"That's Alltud snake to you!"

"As I was saying, Miss Sarcastic Alltud Snake, everyone has to pass by the fire during their daily routines, so you'll have plenty of time to talk with the rest of the team."


Confessional: Arianna: Clan Alltud

"How is this clan more aggravating than Cyfrwys?"

End Confessional


Arianna took and sticks and went to tend the fire as Angelo finished putting his final batch down in the pile.


Confessional: Angelo: Clan Alltud.

"While what I told Arianna was true, it wasn't the full truth. I also wanted to get her out of my hair for a while so I could go see Rose and check up on her. I can tell she's been having a hard time, and I haven't spoken to her in quite a while."

End Confessional


Carol, Jarri, and Maggie continued to walk along the border between the acres of their two clans. As they were in the middle of sharing stories, Jarri shushed them and pointed ahead, where they saw Rose and Angelo sitting close to each other. On the very line connecting their two lands.

They decided to turn away, as they could hear Rose's sobs.


Confessional: Maggie: Clan Mealltach

"Rose and Angelo, right! That's another connection to Alltud I still have on this team. We decided we'd be nice and leave them alone, since, well, no one likes to see someone else cry."

End Confessional


Rose wiped some tears from her eyes as she continued to explain her situation to Angelo. "No matter how hard I try, nobody seems to accept my invitations to help them! And when I ask for their help, they just shy away from me now! That's why I don't heed counsel anymore."

Angelo shook his head, clearly a little disappointed. "Flower, the least you have to do is try to heed counsel. Get some communication from your clan members. Even if they don't say anything, it is the best way to begin to build yourself back up to the queen that I know you are."

"But they're going to deny me all over again!"

"And you're going to have to ask them again, and maybe be denied all over again." Angelo warned. "It's much harder to repair a bridge of broken trust than it is to build one in the first place, but it's what you're going to need to do if you want to avoid the fate of all tyrants."


Confessional: Angelo

"That fate being assassination, of course."

End Confessional


"I'm… a tyrant?" Water flowed past the edges of her eyelids.

"Only if you give up on your people." Angelo reached over to wipe away some tears. "It's easy to look at them and feel like they don't and will never understand your position. It's harder, and much more rewarding in the long run, to do your best to understand theirs. Make it clear to them that by being a ruler, you are their public servant, not their oppressor."


Location: Lower Ceol Fields (Cyfrwys Territory)

Contestants: Jeremy, Kalyssa, Ryuji

The clouds loomed over the sky. The whipping campfire illuminated more of the surrounding area than the hidden sun. Ryuji tended this light, feeling the warmth crawl around his skin.

Jeremy lowered himself onto another log. He placed a pot of water to boil.

A question gripped Ryuji's mind. One that could help him get to know his clanmate better, but also get a grasp of the clan itself. "Dude, I gotta ask…" Ryuji bit his chapped lips. "When you were king of this clan, was everyone this, uh, what's the word I'm looking for… reptilian?"

Jeremy stirred the water and sighed. "Yes. They were. Laura and Prof both seemed different though. Mellowed out. Smart, and definitely ambitious, but reasonable. Then Prof betrayed us, and Laura was left alone with that team. I gave her my crown because she needed help and I wanted to give her any power I could."

"And now she's betting huge swathes of land without taking anything into consideration." Ryuji said. "And can I just say that I've only been part of Cyfrwys for three days now, but this day, the one where Laura's been summoned to Mealltach, is the most peaceful one so far."

"Are you two done fueling the fire yet?" Kalyssa asked from a shelter. "If it's not nice and roaring by the time Laura returns, I'll throw you both under the bus without a second thought!"

"Even with her still here." Ryuji snickered.

Jeremy gave Ryuji a small smile.

He was a good kid. No doubt about it, he was clever, but he wasn't a malicious actor.

Kalyssa on the other hand.

Jeremy remembered.

Someone had to have been the third person to write his name down.

It might have been Aria, and it might have been her.

Either way, both votes contributed to his elimination so it didn't quite matter.

"Do you think she'd be on our side?" Ryuji asked.

"Excuse me?" Jeremy seemed confused.

"Against, Laura, I mean." Ryuji explained himself.

"I don't think she's that far gone, man." Jeremy laughed a little. "If we just explain to her that she has the power now."

"She's had the power since you were eliminated, Jer." Kalyssa giggled. "I gave it to her~. I've been helping her stay afloat all this time in your absence~. She's not going to stop just because you ask her to. She might be fond of you, but she's not beholden to you."

"I wasn't talking about giving her any sort of order, just-"

"You don't get it." Kalyssa sighed. "Fine, I'll spell it out for you so your puny, 'first person voted off' brain will understand. LAURA. WON'T. CARE. WHAT. YOU. THINK."

"Of course she will!" Jeremy stood up.

Kalyssa laughed as she left Jeremy and Ryuji to their own devices.

"I really hate to be the bearer of bad news, dude," Ryuji shrugged at Jeremy, "but that cackling witch has a point. She didn't even consider any of our input for acre bets during the challenge, and she doesn't do any chores around the camp either."

"Yeah, that is a little worrying." Jeremy admitted. "But I refuse to believe that she's as far gone as Kalyssa wants me to believe."

"You see…" Ryuji leaned forward. "This right here...this is called denial. At what point can we call a spade a spade, Jeremy?"

"Well, I can confirm this all for myself when she comes back." Jeremy determined. "And you know nothing about her, so I don't see why you can come to me from any sort of high ground."

"Maybe not." Ryuji shrugged. "But I know that leading a clan isn't the same as ruling it. One is helpful, the other is awful. I think we should discuss a strategy for if we lose more land rather than try to convince her not to bet the land to begin with. Besides, the land doesn't really matter, right?"

Jeremy shrugged. "A double elimination. Clan reassessment. Living conditions. I do not want to be on the raw end of any of that."

"I can speak from experience, Jeremy, that even if we lost all but 100 acres, we'd still be better off in terms of living conditions than we would be in any acre of desert. And yes, I'd also like to avoid any of those raw deals, but do you know what else I want to avoid? Losing freaking morale. I mean, under Laura's rule, she had players so upset with her that they tried to throw a challenge just to get rid of her. Thinking about things like that, it's no wonder this clan has been performing so poorly as a unit. Hope is a nonfactor here."

"Not entirely a nonfactor." Jeremy disagreed. "You beat Gazella in a tiebreaker footrace I've heard, and I managed to return to the surface against all odds after being voted off right away."

"But, like it or not man, we're both outsiders now. I was an enemy. You were gone. Kalyssa and Laura? They've been here this whole time, and they're the ones that need it more than you or I."

"Hope?"

"Yeah, Hope."

The pair stared into the flames of their fire.


Location: Tine Naofa Bonfire Arm-Pit (Production Acres)

Contestants: All Above Ground

"Come on in, everybody!" Chris announced as the four clans assembled near the Tine Naofa Bonfire Arm-Pit.

Beside him was a large pile of coins, causing the contestants to whisper among each other.


Confessional: Tiberius: Clan Cumhachtach

"All that money just on the ground next to Chris, the weak host, wasting it. When I win this competition, I'll make sure he either shapes up or I'll have God smite him and replace him with a better host, like myself."

End Confessional


"Yo, Chris." Ryuji pointed at the pile. "Please tell me we're doing a super early final challenge, and that's the million."

"I could tell you that," Chris grinned at Ryuji. "But we're going to milk this season for all it's worth, so you're going to have to put up with the fact that this is just like any other challenge you've competed in so far."

"Obviously." Kalyssa rolled her eyes.

"For this challenge, each of the three clans of Cumhachtach, Mealltach, and Cyfrwys will be collecting these coins scattered throughout the Ionad Desert over a one hour time period. After the hour is up, Alltud, your challenge begins. You are to steal the coins back from the other clans. You also only have one hour. Cumhachtach, Mealltach, Cyfrwys, you three clans are aiming to have 50 coins or more to avoid elimination, while Alltud needs to make sure that they have a bigger coin pile than the rest of you, otherwise they'll head to elimination as well. And of course, the biggest pile wins the acres bet from the clan with the smallest pile and so on. Any questions?"

"Can we still steal coins from a clan that didn't get enough of them?" Arianna asked.

"Yep!" Chris responded gleefully. "Even if one of the clans doesn't get enough coins to be safe, you can still steal from their pile! After all, yours needs to be the biggest or you're sent straight to elimination!"

"Good to know." Axel smiled at Chris from behind Arianna.

He gave her a knowing grin.

She glared in response.

"Alright!" Chris clapped his hands together. "It's time to discuss bets, clan leaders! Heed counsel or don't, but when you're ready, step forward!"

Tiberius stepped to his clan. "What are we thinking, men-cucks?"

Michael nodded. "Big money booiis!"

Stan rolled his eyes. "Only if you stop saying 'boys' and '|ing' like that."

"Come on, man, I wasn't entirely serious!"


Confessional: Michael: Clan Cumhachtach

"But I was a little $3r!0|_|$!"

3|\|D Confessional


King scratched his chin. "Not much as last time. This challenge isn't about strength."

"Well cuck, what's your take?" Tiberius asked Frag. "Are you going to side with the outsider or are you going to bet big with those cucks?" He cracked his head towards Stan and Michael.

"The outsider." Frag responded. "Tiberius, we've had trouble even with strength based challenges. This one doesn't even really play on how strong we are. We need to be prepared to bet small. Not too small, but if you're trying to decide whether to round the bets up or down, round them down."

Tiberius nodded. "I like the sound of that."


Confessional: Tiberius: Clan Cumhachtach

"I really do like my idea of betting smaller. Really makes me the alpha-leader here on this clan."

End Confessional


Rose took a deep breath. She turned towards her clan.

"Guys, what… what do you think?" She asked meekly.

Alice and Anemone both avoided making a suggestion, looking in opposite directions of each other, instead keeping quiet so that their anger towards each other wouldn't boil to the surface.

Jarri kept her arms crossed, unamused.

Maggie tried to make eye contact with everyone else, but failed.


Confessional: Maggie: Clan Mealltach

"I don't really understand these girls that much. Last challenge, they wanted their voices to be heard, and now that they have an opportunity, they back down?"

End Confessional


"Well then…" Rose was about to give up.

"How about 800?" Maggie finally asked.

Rose smiled. "Yes! What a fashionable bet, Maggie!"

"O-oh, really? Uhm, thanks!" Maggie made a quick smile.

"Yes! Absolutely!" Rose replied.


Confessional: Rose: Clan Mealltach

"Finally, there might only be Maggie giving suggestions, but it's a definite start! It's way better than before!"

End Confessional


Laura perched a hand onto her hip and she stepped up to the plate.

Jeremy waved his arms in the air, "Laura, can we have a second? I'd like to talk to you since I didn't have the chance to earlier."

"Unfortunately, this is quite a bad time, Jeremy. The challenge-"

"It's a fine time, there's still time before the bets have to be placed, and this information is important."

"Well, then. I suppose." Laura hesitantly stepped off the plate.


Confessional: Laura: Clan Cyfrwys

"Perhaps something went down at camp while I was gone. This might be a chance for him to speak up. And if there is talk of mutiny, then I suppose I deserve to know the spearhead."

End Confessional


"Laura, if you don't let these people suggest bets, they're going to go after you, and quite frankly there won't be much point in me staying with you as an ally if you won't take anyone's opinions into consideration."

"Oh, please. My wagers are just fine. The only time we have ever lost land was last challenge, and even then, I have a way to gain it all back."

"Laura, we were all prepared to bet way less land because we knew we would be targeted, but you bet all that land on your own to keep everyone afraid of you. That puts the loss of all that land squarely on your shoulders, and if we can lose acres once, we can lose them again. Please, just this once, let us collectively decide."

"Sorry, I can't do that. You all lack the mind of a businesswoman. Meanwhile, I actually know how to get through times like these."

"Ah. What a pity." Jeremy sighed.

"Told you." Kalyssa whispered to him.

"Yeah… I guess you did."


Confessional: Kalyssa: Clan Cyfrwys

"Finally. It's time. This snake has waited in her burrow for so long. Now she's about to strike."

End Confessional


"Okay," Arianna spoke up first, enjoying the ability to discuss the bets. "At this point, bigger is better!"

"Well, not too big." Angelo tried to keep everyone calm. "We don't want to end up like Cyfrwys did last challenge.

"How about 4000?" Carol suggested. "It's a nice reach, I think."

"Yeah, I like the sound of that." Axel nodded.

"Nah, not big enough." Arianna shook her head. "We need to keep punishing Cyfrwys, and they're going to bet big again.

Axel gave her a glare. "No Arianna, we don't need to keep punishing Cyfrwys, and it is enough."

"And who let you decide what is and isn't enough of a bet?" Arianna crossed her arms. "I thought I had a say in this."

"You do have a say in this." Angelo pointed out. "But so do the rest of us, and most of us here think 4000 acres is perfectly fine."

"Just trust us." Carol placed a hand on Arianna's shoulder.

"Well, we haven't heard everyone's opinion yet." Arianna huffed. "What do you say, Setsuna?"

"Oh… me? Um…"


Confessional: Setsuna: Clan Alltud

"I dunno man, I just got here."

End Confessional


"I… uh… I don't really care." Setsuna shrugged. "Bet what you guys want to bet."

Angelo sighed. "Well, we tried."

"Well if she doesn't care, then technically she's also okay with betting more acres." Arianna

"She's okay with anything." Axel folded his arms. "And even if she wasn't, it's still 3 against 2, and if we're forced to go to elimination because of this, that's enough to send you to the Shameterranean right away. Is this really the hill you want to die on?"

"I guess not." Arianna replied through gritted teeth. "Fine. 4000."


Confessional: Arianna: Clan Alltud

Arianna put a finger to her lips. "Okay, so first there's Angelo who is probably like the all-rounder handyman of the group, and Carol is such a mediator so that'll be annoying for me, Setsuna is just Setsuna, and finally there's Axel, who clearly is styling himself as the 'leader' of this unruled clan, and is such a challenge to work with. A challenge I'll rather enjoy, I think… except the aggravation, that has got to go!"

End Confessional


"Alright, clan leaders, Alltud, time is up! Step up to plate!" Chris called.

Tiberius stretched his arm over his head. "900 acres. Don't like dealing with nines, y'know? I'd prefer it if we had 4000 or 5800, personally."

"Tiberius dropping the nine on this one." Chris winked.

"800 acres, Chris!" Rose piped.

The three original members of Mealltach's jaws dropped.

Angelo smiled in the distance.

Chris smiled, excited for Laura's chaos. "Cyfrwys?"

Laura held her chin up. "5000 acres, Chris."

"Not backing down, I see. Let's see how far that gets you."


Confessional: Laura: Clan Cyfrwys

"This will succeed. After all, I am the most powerful, most impactful person this season so far."

End Confessional


Confessional: Ryuji: Clan Cyfrwys

"Oh, she's powerful alright. And power is something a lot of people find threatening. And threatening is something people don't take kindly to. The hardest aspect of this game, by far, has got to be balance. You have to be powerful, but not too powerful, or else people will find that threatening and will want to vote her off. That's why Laura is in a stickier situation than she thinks. Especially since Alltud could actually kick out every team except themselves this challenge." Ryuji looks to the left. "We'll see where this lands our oh so powerful queen."

End Confessional


"Alltud." Chris gave them the double guns.

"4000 acres." They all cheered, save for Arianna, who spoke it half-heartedly.

Chris nodded as he wrote onto a clipboard. "Okay, we have our wagers. I'll give you another minute to strategize, and then we'll take off."


Challenge: Cops and Robbers

Rules: Players must collect coins within the desert over the period of one hour. The goal is to make it past 50 coins for each clan. If they do, they are safe from elimination.

Basically, 50 coins or more = safe

less than 50 coins or the lowest amount of coins = elimination

After that hour is when Alltud's challenge begins.

Alltud Rules: After the first hour passes, Alltud will have to steal those coins back. Alltud wins when they have the most coins of all the clans at the end of the hour. If not, they will have to suffer an elimination loss along with any other clans, if any, at the Tine Naofa Bonfire Elimination Ceremony.

Clans are welcome to collect more than they need.

Wagers:

[4900] Cumhachtach: Tiberius bet 900 acres

[3400] Mealltach: Rose bet 800 acres

[6700] Cyfrwys: Laura bet 5000 acres

[15,000] Alltud: Everyone bet 4000 acres


CHALLENGE PHASE ONE COMMENCE!

"Go!" Chris announced as he blew his airhorn.

The three clans all rushed out into the desert while Alltud waited by Chris.


Confessional: Axel: Clan Alltud

"Argh, this waiting game is ridiculous. We should be out there taking the fight to those clans now! Nothing for it but to make sure they all lose a member if we're being forced to wait for a whole hour."

End Confessional


"It appears all five Cumhachtach players are returning with their first coin each!" Chris announced as Tiberius, Stan, Michael, King, and Frag all converged on their space and dumped five coins in a pile.

"Alright cucks, remember, cardinal directions!" Tiberius barked. "Stan, you're south! Michael, you're east! Frag, you're north! I'll take the west! King, you sit back and don't get in our way!"

"But I can collect coins too, ja?" King asked, confused.

"No. You stay there and try not to sabotage us."


Confessional: Tiberius: Clan Cumhachtach

"I still don't trust the outsider, and I want him to know that he's not welcome here. If he has any problems, he should move to another clan."

End Confessional


"I've got two!" Maggie announced as she went to go put some coins on Mealltach's pile.

"And here's one, and here's one, and here's one." Laura smirked as she kept picking up coin after coin.


Confessional: Laura: Clan Cyfrwys

"This is a business woman's eyes at work here, people."

End Confessional


Kalyssa, however, returned with only one coin.

"Kalyssa, what are you doing? Why haven't you returned with more?"

"This was the only one I stumbled upon."

Ryuji dumped two coins. "Man, it felt like I had more…" He turned around.

Behind him, Alice had been reconquering the coins that Ryuji had dropped.


Confessional: Ryuji: Clan Cyfrwys

"Man, stupid pockets, failing on me when it matters!" he sighed. "Maybe the whole dumbness aspect of Cyfrwys is rubbing off on me."

End Confessional


Jarri had dug up a significant hole. "I can't find any here."

Anemone panted. "Yeah, I guess they're over there."

"Ladies~" Alice returned with the coins she had captured.

"That's only two more." Anemone rolled her eyes.

"Two more than the two of you combined." Alice retorted. "You should probably look somewhere else, Jarri, I bet she's just trying to mislead you into doing dirty work for her."


Confessional: Alice: Clan Mealltach

"I wouldn't have felt bad about lying to Anemone anyways, obviously, but now I'm so glad that I did. Of course, now that she won't trust me, she's useless, so I'll give Jarri a target."

End Confessional


Confessional: Jarri: Clan Mealltach

"I don't know what's going on between Alice and Anemone but this might finally be the opportunity I need to get a solid foothold in this clan!"

End Confessional


"And now we're at nine." Jeremy wiped sweat from his forehead as he put three coins of his own in the Cyfrwys pile.

Chris' helicopter whirred overhead. "This just in! Cumhachtach at five! Mealltach at four! Cyfrwys at nine!"

"And now we're at nine too, boys!" Tiberius announced as he, Frag, Michael, and Stan each returned with a single coin again.

"Ja, and I found a couple too!" King put two more coins into the pile.

"I told you to stay put, Swedish-cuck!" Tiberius snapped.

"But they were right there!" King protested.


Confessional: Stan: Clan Cumhachtach

"It's unfortunate that King is taking the brunt of Tiberius's hostility today, but as long as he can keep the plan under wraps, which he can, then I'll emerge as leader once we lose and usher Cohotach into a golden age."

End Confessional


Confessional: King: Clan Cumhachtach

King looked into the camera, his voice completely monotone. "I just love that Tiberius is the leader. Ya know? It is amazing! I love him so much."

End Confessional


"Rose with a giant haul for Mealltach!" Chris announced as Rose poured 7 coins onto the Mealltach pile. "It's almost like Rose is actually trying to win again." He sneered.

"Can it, McLean!" Jarri defended as she poured four more.

All the other ladies poured a singular coin into the pile.

"Wow," Chris' voice cracked into the microphone.

Jeremy came into view of the Cyfrwys pile holding not one, not ten, but four coins.

"Great job, Jeremy!" Laura cheered. "Unlike some other people."

"How was I supposed to know my pocket tore without me dropping important things into it in the first place?" Ryuji threw his arms up.

"I'm sure he won't make the mistake again, Laura." Jeremy defended Ryuji. "Let's just focus on the challenge."

"We're 20 minuites in," Chris exclaimed from his chopper. "Cumhachtach is at eleven coins, Mealltach in the lead with eighteen in their pile, and Cyfrwys in between them with a total of fifteen!"

"Twenty minutes in?" Frag's eyes widened as he dumped two coins onto the Cumhachtach pile. "Better start picking up the pace then, we're barely below a quarter of the way there, and time's almost half-up!"

Michael walked up empty-handed and tapped King on the side. "Psst! King!"

"Ja?"

"Wanna come with me to collect coins? We'll probably get in the lead if everyone is helping."

"Oh, ja, please, lead the way!" King happily followed Michael out into the desert.

"Okay, I'm back with…" Stan placed two of his own coins down on the pile.

"Huh. Wonder where King is."

"He went with Michael." Frag replied.

They both shrugged at each other before heading off.

Tiberius was the last to arrive with a single coin.

He noticed no one was there.

"Well, guess that cuck's really dug his own grave." He mumbled before storming back off into the desert.

"Here's a coin!" Anemone tossed a coin into the pile. "There's a coin!" She tossed another. "Everywhere there's a coin!" She tossed two more at the same toss.

"Four coins?" Alice sneered. "Please, get on my level." She dumped a total of five coins into the pile. "Stop joking around!"

"At least I don't joke about secrets!"

"You don't get to say that after you tried to buy me by keeping facts about this fake idol hidden!"

Rose returned to dig in the opposite direction. "You two, stop fighting! Get back to work!"

Meanwhile, the members of Cyfrwys were busy adding coins to their own pile.

Laura with 4.

Jeremy with 5.

Kalyssa with 4.

Ryuji with 1.

"We are halfway through the hour, people!' Chris announced. "Cyfrwys leads with a sizable 29 coins! Mealltach right behind them with 27, and Cumhachtach in dead last with only 16 coins to count in their pile!"

"Shut the fuck up, Chris McCuck!" Tiberius snapped up at the helicopter.

"Tiberius, ignoring the coins and insulting me!" Chris continued to commentate undeterred.

Minute by minute passed for the contestants. Tedious picking up and putting down had become quite tiring for them.

Laura scanned the dunes of the desert for more coins.

Jeremy found a promising pit to dig in.

Rose kept up her strategy of collecting many coins and heading back out after dropping them all off at once.

Jarri kept delivering single coins to Mealltach's pile.

King would grab the coins he and Michael found.

Mealltach started to slow down as the number of coins left in the desert began to dwindle.

Kalyssa managed to luck out and found a small deposit of coins to bring back.

Stan worked at a steady pace.

And just as Ryuji returned to dump some coins of his own...

"Aand TIME!" Chris exclaimed from the helicopter. "Our final totals are, in first place and safe for now...Clan Cyfrwys with 75 coins in their pile….in second place...with 60 coins...is Mealltach! Finally, in last place, not even at 50 coins so already doomed to a Tine Naofa meeting, with a total of 46 coins is Clan Cumhoetach!"

"I think you mean Clan Cumhachtach, Chris." Stan called back up.

Michael swerved his head to look at him in disbelief.

"You can pronounce it correctly?"

"Pronounce what?"

"Cumhachtach!"

"Cumhoetach."

"Both of you cucks need to shut the fuck up." Tiberius glared. "And focus our energy on getting rid of King. That outsider has no business here."

"Alright, Alltud!" Chris turned to Alltud. "You have an hour to stockpile coins from the other clans' piles! Remember that yours has to be the biggest by the end of the challenge or you'll lose too! Have at it!"

"Finally." Axel cracked his neck and knuckles. "Some action."


CHALLENGE PHASE TWO COMMENCE!

"Chaaaarge!" Angelo announced as all five Alltud players began to charge into the fray. They were split rather evenly among the piles of Mealltach and Cyfrwys.

"Not today, twin-tails." Laura gripped Arianna tightly by her twin tails.

"Hey, s-stop! Let go of me! Angelo, help!"

"I would, but…" Angelo did his best to get past Kalyssa and Jeremy. "These two are making it hard for me to return with this coin!"

The women of Mealltach were having much less luck in defending against Axel, Carol, and Setsuna.

"You're going to be okay if you guys end up going, right Maggie?" Carol asked when she and Maggie had a quiet moment.

"I… I'll be fine. I don't need to be babied. Besides, I don't think any of these girls want to vote me out as much as they want me to vote with them."

"Whew, that's a relief." Carol sighed. "Then, can I just take some of-."

Maggie gripped Carol's arm.

"Sorry, but I still don't want to lose the challenge."

"That's the spirit!" Carol smiled as the two wrestled each other for the coins Carol had snatched.

"Axel!" Axel heard a hushed voice whisper as he placed some of Mealltach's coins in Alltud's pile.

He turned.

Michael.

"You are not worth my time."

"But you're worth mine." Michael urged. "I need you to make sure Cumhachtach has the least by the time the hour is up. You can't do that if you only take from Cyfrwys and Mealltach."

"Why should I?" Axel crossed his arms. "Your clan is ruled by a tyrant whose IQ is low enough to think that IQ numbers are important."

"And we want to get rid of him, like, today please. That's why we want to lose so badly. He can go wherever he wants. We don't want to give him any time to find an advantage or anything. Make us lose so badly that he has no time to gather his thoughts."


Confessional: Axel: Clan Alltud

"The promise of Tiberius being sent down to the Shameterranean is too tantalizing to pass up. Michael has a deal. I'll take some coins from Cumhachtach."

End Confessional


"The fuck are you doing?" Tiberius asked as Axel began to take some coins from Cumhachtach.

"Does it matter?" Axel asked. "You're already heading to elimination, you can just sit still and wait."

"Why aren't the rest of you cucks making a move against him?" Tiberius snapped at the rest of the group.

"He's nearly as strong as you are!" Michael quickly defended the inaction.

"Raahhh!" Frag charged at Axel only to quickly be flipped over on his back.

"Yeah, I don't think we can… ugh… go toe to toe with this guy."

"Oh, fucking fine, you useless cucks, I'll do it, like everything, myself."

"Not today, armor ass!" Axel shouted as he made off with a handful of coins.

Meanwhile, Setsuna had managed to scoop up some coins of her own from Mealltach and both ran their hauls back to the Alltud pile.

Ryuji noticed how the piles were changing.

Cumhachtach was being drained slowly by Axel, Mealltach was being drained by Carol and Setsuna, and while Arianna was no longer a threat thanks to Laura's stranglehold, Angelo was doing his best to chip away at Jeremy and Kalyssa.

Ryuji thought.


Confessional: Ryuji: Clan Cyfrwys

"Hm, this is a calculated risk but..."

End Confessional


"Carol!" Ryuji mouthed as he swung his arms to get Carol's attention. He beckoned that she and Setsuna focus more on the larger Cyfrwys pile.

Carol gave Ryuji a quizzical look but wasn't about to disregard his advice.

Soon, she and Setsuna had started to leave a confused Mealltach alone.

"How many do we have?" Rose asked.

"Uhhh…" Anemone looked over the coins.

"I can't tell…"

"No one has been keeping count of their coins!" Chris announced. "But Alltud's pile is very clearly getting larger."

Ryuji put up a bit of a fight for Carol and Setsuna.

"What are you letting us do this for?" Carol asked, clearly worried about Ryuji's position in his own clan.

"Don't worry." Ryuji smiled back at her. "I might be under a clan banner, but I'm Alltud at heart."


Confessional: Carol: Clan Alltud

"Well, I'm not going to stop him if he thinks he can pull this off, and it saves a few more Alltud, especially if he thinks he can stay safe."

End Confessional


"And TIME!" Chris announced as Angelo finally managed to get his single coin into the Alltud pile. "Time to take a look at the piles…"

He walked over to each clan's haul in succession.

"In last place, predictably, we have Cumhachtach! With a total of 30 coins! Less than what they had before! I guess Alltud just doesn't like them!"


Confessional: Axel: Clan Alltud

"We don't."

End Confessional


"In third place, with 41 coins… is Clan Cyfrwys!" Chris announced. "And in second place, with 46 coins is…

… Clan Mealltach! Which means CLAN ALLTUD WITH 66 COINS WINS IMMUNITY!"

Alltud erupted into cheers as all of the other clans cursed their luck.

History seemed to be repeating itself.


Confessional: Maggie: Clan Mealltach

"Well, it looks like we're off to elimination, and uh… I really don't think it will be me, based on the conversation I like just had with a certain someone."

End Confessional


Confessional: Jeremy: Clan Cyfrwys

"Unfortunately, we're heading back to Tine Naofa again, and now I've got a bit of a dilemma on my hands."

End Confessional


Confessional: Michael: Clan Cumhachtach

"And now...Now, I'm the fucking |ing!"

End Confessional


CHALLENGE AND ACRE RESULTS:

1st Place: Alltud (bet 4000 acres) [15,000] - [19,000]

2nd Place: Mealltach (bet 800 acres) [3400] - [3400]

3rd Place: Cyfrwys (bet 5000 acres) [6700] - [3600]

4th Place: Cumhachtach (bet 900 acres) [4900] - [4000]


Tine Naofa Bonfire Elimination Ceremony

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

The sun was nowhere to be seen. The lands of Crios Cath have been getting dimmer and dimmer, and if not for the bonfire, there would be no warmth in the cold desert air.

Cumhachtach carried their bright torches with a dwindling morale.

Chris stood pleased, ready for the events of the night to unfold. His favorite time of the day.

"Welcome, Cumhachtach, once again, to Tine Naofa where one of your flames will foster extinction, and will be sent to the Shameterranean. Tiberius, since you love cutting people off, might as well get you out of the way."

Tiberius' eyebrows rose.

"Are you pleased with the clan you have been assigned?"

"I am pleased with all of my subjects and the roles they take on in camp."

"Really?"

"Yes, Michael and Stan have been with me for a while, as annoying as they can be, aren't weak ass. They are warriors, similar to myself. Despite Frag being a beta-cuck, he goes on many adventures through Crios Cath. He touches a soft spot in my heart-"


Confessional: King: Clan Cumhachtach

"He has a heart?"

End Confessional


"-as for the last one. I appreciate his presence just so he can be the one to be eliminated right now."

"Wow," Chris' eyes widened. "King, sounds like your life is on the line."

"It is," said King. "I am new here. I have not spent the time with everyone else in the clan that they all have, and Tiberius just threw my name out there. My only hope is that my merits keep me around further than my intended target."

"It sounds like King thinks he has allies of his own, Tiberius." Chris decided to see what prodding the bear would get him.

"He thinks. He is wrong. He doesn't know."

"Michael, do you know anything?" Chris asked.

"I only know who I'm voting for tonight, Chris." Michael smiled.

Frag and Stan both looked over at him warily.

"Does everyone know who they're going to vote for?"

"Of course we all know who we're voting for." Tiberius scoffed. "It's going to be a 4 to 1 vote, and King will kiss his sorry ass goodbye."

"Well," Chris looked over the clan. "If everyone knows what their plan is, then it is time to vote. Frag. You're up first."

Frag stood up, and walked toward the voting area.


Confessional: Frag: Clan Cumhachtach

"Please, please, work this time."

End Confessional


After Frag, King was sent up.

He wrote Tiberius's name down.


Confessional: King: Clan Cumhachtach

"There's a word for people like you… skurkar."

End Confessional


After King returned, it was Michael.


Confessional: Michael: Clan Cumhachtach

"I'd like to humbly accept this nomination and will do everything in my power to uphold the law. Starting with this vote."

End Confessional


After Michael returned with a proud smile, Stan was sent up.


Confessional: Stan: Clan Cumhachtach

"Remember to take the opportunity, Stan…" He reminded himself.

End Confessional


Finally, it was Tiberius's turn.


Confessional: Tiberius: Clan Cumhachtach

"You don't mess with the real king, you're nothing but a pretender you beta-euro-cuck."

End Confessional


"Alright, I'll tally the votes." Chris got up.

"Did everyone stick to the plan?" Tiberius asked as they waited for him to return.

"Of course, I stuck to the plan" Michael smirked, "who do you think I am, Frag?"

"Hey!" Frag glared at him.

"The plan has been followed." Stan responded.

"The votes have been tallied." Chris announced as he returned. "If you receive the most votes, you will come before me to have your torch snuffed, and will stay by Chef near the entrance to the Shameterranean, where you will wait to enter with the other visitors. If anyone has a hidden immunity medal and would like to play it, now would be the time to do so."

Silence.

"I'll read the votes…" Chris announced. He pulled out a slip of paper. "First vote…

King. Next vote…

Tiberius. That's one vote King, one vote Tiberius.

King. That's two votes King, one vote Tiberius, two votes left."

Frag, Michael and Stan all looked at each other, each one suspiciously wondering who it was that wrote King's name down, and if someone else had done it as well while Chris continued reading the votes.

"Next vote...

Tiberius. That's two votes King, two votes Tiberius, one vote left."

Tiberius looked back at his clan members, a stern and controlled anger in his eyes.

"You're making a mistake." He warned.

"Our next member of the Shameterranean…" Chris announced as he read the final vote.

… Tiberius." Chris declared.

Frag and King both let out sighs of relief.

"Tiberius," Chris mentioned as a grunting Tiberius slammed his torch down in front of Chris. "Your clan has spoken. Before you go, you have a duty to appoint a new-"

"Stan." Tiberius pointed at Stan.

Frag sighed, unsurprised.

Michael, however, had his jaw agape.

"Him?!" He gestured towards Stan. "He can't even pronounce our clan's name!"

"He's been chosen to lead you sorry cucks." Tiberius shook his head. "Not to pronounce names. I'd wish you all luck, but quite frankly, none of you are going to make it without me around." He turned back to Chris. "Alright McCuck."

"Tiberius…" Chris snuffed the templar's torch, "The clan has spoken."

"And they'll face the consequences." Tiberius turned back at his former clan as he walked away.

"They'll all face the consequences."


*Tiberius's Elimination Confessional:

"I appointed Stan because his last name is Manley. That's the only manly thing about any of them. They're doomed without me around as a physical powerhouse. Nothing is going to stop that Alltud cuck with the surgical mask from wiping them out now. What a bunch of low IQ cucks."

End Confessional*


"Well, from that vote…" Chris turned to the remaining members "It's clear that times are changing for Cumhachtach. Hopefully it'll be for the better. You can all head back to camp. You're all safe...for now."


Confessional: Stan: Clan Cumhachtach

"And, just as I suspected, keeping my head low around that man has earned me the position of the new king. Time to take this game in a more positive direction. Hopefully one filled with less profanity."

End Confessional


Confessional: Michael: Clan Cumhachtach

"[CENSORED]! [CENSORED] [CENSORED] [CENSORED] [CENSORED] [CENSORED] [CENSORED] [CENSORED], [CENSORED] [CENSORED] [CENSORED] [CENSORED] [CENSORED] [CENSORED] [CENSORED]! [CENSORED] [CENSORED] [CENSORED] [CENSORED] [CENSORED] [CENSORED] [CENSORED]! [CENSORED]! [CENSORED] [CENSORED] [CENSORED] [CENSORED] [CENSORED] [CENSORED], [CENSORED] [CENSORED] [CENSORED] [CENSORED] [CENSORED]! [CENSORED] [CENSORED] [CENSORED] [CENSORED] [CENSORED] [CENSORED] [CENSORED]! [CENSORED]!

End Confessional


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

The women of Mealltach hung their heads as they stepped into Tine Naofa with their torches. Each of their lives on the line.

Chris stood at his podium, hands behind his back. "Welcome, Mealltach, to your third elimination ceremony. How has life at camp been for you guys?"

"It's been alright." Rose spoke up. "It has been a little tense since the play I made last time, but we've been building back up."

Jarri turned her head away, in fear of the remembrance of Roxanne.

Chris took note of that. "Jarri, you disagree with that?"

"No, Chris. I just want what happened last time here to be past us. Of course, I miss Roxanne to pieces, but there's still a whole game ahead of us."

"So you're not mad at Rose getting rid of your only ally at that point in the game?"

"Well, of course, I'm still upset that Rose did that, and completely robbed Roxanne's spot in the competition, but-"

"Wait," Rose interrupted. "So you think it would be better if Roxanne were here than if I were here?"

Jarri held her head to her palm. "Yes. The only reason why you're here is because the other clans wanted us to have less muscle."

Silence.

Chris stepped to the side. "Alice, what do you have to say about that?"

"All the more drama for you, isn't it~?"

Chris sighed. "What about you Anemone? You think Roxanne was only eliminated because she was strong?"

"I cannot answer that question. It's the other clans' secret. Not mine."

"Maggie, what about you? You seemed to be all stirred up in the midst of this drama."

Maggie cleared her throat, hoping her voice wouldn't break too much. "Well, as Jarri said earlier, we are all past this. Rose is starting to connect with us more now that she has made that mistake on her part. She'll try not to make it again, right?"

Rose nodded.

Chris leaned in. "Maggie, what do you think this vote will be based on tonight?"

"I was approached earlier after this challenge with an interesting offer."

Alice snapped her head at Maggie.

"Oh really," Chris smirked.

"I was. I might follow it, I might not. There is a plan in place with my ally."

Anemone scribbled in her notebook.

"Anemone," Chris changed the focus. "Whatcha scribbling?"

"I'm trying to figure out what this plan is based on what everyone has been saying so far."

"Oh really," Chris smiled, completely ignoring his time constraints at this point. "Who do you think the mastermind is?"

Anemone closed her notebook and folded her hands on top of it. "Alice."

"Wha-" Alice jumped up. "Of course, Anemone would blame it on me!"

Rose shook her head. "Not really, was always you two who were on the same side when I was 'the swing vote'. I can't imagine why Anemone would blame it on you so quickly."

Anemone proceeded with her explanation. "It is no secret Maggie's potential ally is Jarri. Those two girls were working together all morning. Even if it wasn't Jarri and it was Rose instead, there is no evidence as to why Maggie would ally with Alice or myself, given our conversations have mainly been small-talk and story-telling. However, I can see Rose imagining herself as another swing vote and planning to go on Jarri's side, but after their little blow-up just now, that is also improbable. Jarri and Rose have been getting along better recently, yes, but not enough to warrant them to rekindle trust, and I certainly cannot see Maggie planning anything huge, considering she had just gotten here. It must be Alice."

"Alice," said Chris. "Would you believe that you are the mastermind?"

"The mastermind is the one who controls the votes and sends whomever they want home, home. I absolutely have no control with how this vote is gonna go."

"And with that, it is time to vote! Maggie, you're up first."

Maggie stepped up to the voting block.


Confessional: Maggie: Clan Mealltach

"I made a plan with my ally. I'm going to go through with it and see where the votes go."

End Confessional


Anemone was next.


Confessional: Anemone: Clan Mealltach

"You did just what I wanted you to do at the last elimination ceremony. Not that I hold any grudges against you. I just believe this is the best thing for me to do now. I'm sorry."

End Confessional


Alice was up next.

Then Jarri.

Then, finally, Rose.


Confessional: Rose: Clan Mealltach

"You played this game really well. You also played me. Bye-bye."

End Confessional


"I'll go tally the votes." Chris left.

Anemone, seated in front of Alice, turned around. "You can claim that I did you dirty, but really, I gave you exactly what you wanted."

Alice wanted to sneer, but she knew the journalist was correct.

Chris returned with the jar in his hands. "I'll read the votes, but first, If anyone has an immunity medal and would like to play it, now would be the time to do so."

Alice rolled her eyes.

Anemone looked at Alice.

Maggie's fingers twiddled in her lap.

Jarri propped her leg up to her seat and leaned her head against it.

Rose crossed her legs.

He opened the jar. "First vote… Rose.

"Second vote… Anemone. That's one vote Rose, one vote Anemone.

"Third vote…

… Anemone. Fourth vote…

… Rose. We're tied. Two votes Rose. Two votes Anemone. One. Vote. Left…

… And it goes…

… to…

… Anemone. Bring me your torch."

Anemone stood up with her torch. Perfectly silent.

"Anemone, your clan has spoken." Chris smothered her flame. "Go follow Chef. He'll be gathering up the others to take to the Shameterranean."

She nodded. "Thank you, Chris."

Anemone left without turning back.

Chris turned to the reformed Mealltach. "Well, ladies. It seems like Anemone was on to something, and now, she's eliminated. It appears there is a mastermind on the loose. Question is, which one of you is it?"

The women remained silent.

The sun disappeared below the horizon.

Chris proceeded. "Grab your torches. Head back to camp. Goodnight."


*Anemone's Elimination Confessional:

"Congratulations, Alice. You have successfully screwed yourself over."

End Confessional*


3rd Wave: Cyfrwys (Jeremy, Kalyssa, Laura, Ryuji)

The final Cyfrwys members sat along the stone benches as the chilling breeze flew through the flames of the fire.

"Hello Cyfrwys." Chris greeted his final group of the night. "Chilly night tonight. I'm sure you all know how this goes down. Let's get started."


Confessional: Ryuji: Clan Cyfrwys

"I mean, the first one of these that I've been to, it was incredibly abnormal, and the second was one where I knew literally no one, so, no, I do not know how these go down."

End Confessional


"Jeremy." Chris grinned as he saw Jeremy wince. "It's like the Shameterranean keeps calling out to you. You haven't gone a single challenge without coming here, are you starting to think it might be some kind of curse?"

"I don't believe in curses, Chris." Jeremy replied. "I believe in patterns though, and I think given the general performance of this clan, I'm not the problem here. It's a simple lack of everyone being able to effectively communicate."

"Hard disagree." Laura shook her head. "I'd argue the problem is a lack of loyalty and no one ever taking orders seriously."

"Orders shouldn't be followed just for the sake of them being given." Ryuji chimed in. "Only if they have merit, and we can only determine merit through communication."

"Or action and analysis." Kalyssa grinned.

"So, there seems to be a bit of a split room on how this clan needs to improve and needs to be run." Chris nodded.

"It's extremely split, Chris." Laura responded. "That's why order and stability are so badly needed. Communication breaks down. Simple instruction does not."

"I have a pretty simple instruction then." Ryuji shrugged. "Let us suggest bets before you place them."

"Only royalty gets to give instructions here in the Cyfrwys clan, Ryuji." Laura crossed her legs.

"Like we care what an Alltud thinks anyways." Kalyssa rolled her eyes.

"Kalyssa, do you know who you're going to vote for?" Chris asked.

"Of course." Kalyssa shrugged. "The outsider. The person who shouldn't be here."

"The same is true of me." Laura added in.

She looked at Jeremy.

"Chris, if we could go back to earlier…" Jeremy turned to the host. "I'm of the opinion that orders can only really be followed when the person giving orders is respected."

He looked back at Laura.

Chris looked between the two of them.

Ryuji looked over at Kalyssa.

She made sure no one else had their eyes on her, and gave him a wink.

"Well…" Chris smiled. "It is time to vote. Jeremy, you're up first."

Jeremy walked up to the voting area.

He thought for a while.

He took a breath.

He wrote down a name.

He shook his head and returned to his seat.

Kalyssa was up next.

She happily wrote a name down on the paper.

She returned to her seat with a skip.

Laura was up next.

She walked up to the voting area.


Confessional: Laura: Clan Cyfrwys

"Alright Ryuji, you've had your taste of a real clan, but unfortunately you're not a good fit for us. I'm afraid we'll have to let you go."

End Confessional


She returned, and finally, Ryuji was sent up.

He made his way to the voting area.

He wrote down a name.


Confessional: Ryuji: Clan Cyfrwys

"I'm not afraid of any 'royalty', I know when a spade is a spade, and I know when an authoritarian bitch is an authoritarian bitch. Bye-bye Laura. Hopefully, this will be a lesson to you about real people."

End Confessional


"Alright…" Chris returned after a moment of tallying the votes. "The votes have been tallied. If you receive the most votes, please bring me your torch to snuff, and join Chef and the others before heading into The Shameterranean. If any of you have a hidden immunity medal and would like to play it… now would be the time to do so."

Jeremy looked around.

Ryuji's leg began to jitter impatiently and nervously.

Laura looked towards the host, her eyes unmoving.

Kalyssa reached down…

And stretched her back as she leaned upwards.

"I'll read the votes." Chris announced. "Our first vote goes to…

Laura…

Our next vote goes to…

Ryuji. That's one vote Laura, one vote Ryuji, two votes left.

Jeremy. That's one vote Laura, one vote Ryuji, one vote Jeremy, one vote left."

Laura's eyebrow rose.

Kalyssa's lips curved upwards.

"The next member of Cyfrwys to be sent to the Shameterranean…" Chris announced as he flipped the final piece of paper over.

"Laura." He read aloud. "That's two, and since the other two votes are for different people, that's enough. You need to bring me your torch, and assign a new clan leader."

"Well…" Laura placed her torch in front of Chris. "Jeremy's reign didn't do him any favors, and Ryuji certainly can't be trusted. That leaves me with only one viable choice. I choose Kalyssa to succeed me."

"I won't let you down, Laura." Kalyssa beamed.


Confessional: Kalyssa: Clan Cyfrwys

"Because I have an immunity medal! I've guaranteed myself safety in this clan. Even if we don't win, I will be totally fine! Oh, and I fooled her so well too! She thought I meant Ryuji, but I meant the one who was literally voted off before. Like I said you guys, play the long con. Works every time~!"

End Confessional


"Laura…" Chris announced as he snuffed her torch. "Your clan has spoken."

"Told you it was a bad idea to let them speak." She smiled at Chris.

She looked back to her clan and waved politely before heading off towards the Shameterranean.


*Laura's Elimination Confessional:

"This was an unfortunate occurrence that I did not anticipate. Kalyssa certainly succeeded if this miscommunication between us was something she planned from the beginning. I am ultimately not surprised that Jeremy wrote my name down, but I do wish he could have joined me. We could have blazed through the entirety of Crios Cath and made the finale together. Unfortunately, our paths just appeared to be too different. The next time we meet, if there is a next time, it will be as enemies."

End Confessional*


Shameterranean

Contestants: Anemone, Laura, Mateo, Tiberius

Mateo hid in the shadows as the three fallen contestants trickled down the entrance stairs into the vast cavern system.


Confessional: Mateo: Shameterranean

"It appears as though my plan to push anyone who comes down into the Shameterranean will fail. The Cumhachtach King will be a number to get out of here, but he won't be a feat for the Under King. It appears that my Cyfrwys Queen has come along to join my party. I cannot push her down. As far as the beetle…"

End Confessional


Tiberius followed through the caverns, reading his map.


Confessional: Tiberius: Shameterranean

"At the beginning of this season, I got this map." He held up a map. "But now that the first cuck came out of this place, the resting spot probably changed places. I'm gonna go there anyways because why would anyone else go there? The spot is useless, and therefore a perfect base for me."

End Confessional


"Ah," Tiberius held up his arms. A piece of paper stuck to the wall.

True Resting Place.

Tiberius spat. Not anymore it isn't.

The cavern was lit with green crystals along the walls.

This was the true resting place.

The True Resting Place of Tiberius Vult.


Confessional: Tiberius: Shameterranean

Tiberius was relaxing in his alcove. "I like it here. I got a way of survival. Now, I just have to get back into the competition."

End Confessional


Shift Camera Focus

Anemone stood before an altar.

Two stone idols fell upon her hands.

Clan Swap or Force Exile.

She sent one up. This altar must've been where she received her fake medal. Except. She was in the Lower Ceol Fields.

Well, the other idol was now useless for her. She stepped along the dark walls, holding her arms to her shoulder, her eyes darting around.

Dark. Wet. Quiet. Lonely. Spiky. Critters.

She tripped over a rock and landed into a puddle, soiling her clothes. Her stone idol rolled away from her fingertips. She lunged forward, yet still face-planted into the puddle as she retrieved her idol. She kept walking forwards.

As her foot was about to hit the ground, she froze.

She jumped. She stepped back a few paces.

She almost walked straight down into a Pit of Peril. Her foot tingled with relief.

One wrong step and-

Splish.

Anemone turned around. No one behind her.

The next thing she knew, her visions were filled with the Pits of Peril.


Confessional: Mateo: Shameterranean

He snickered. "Too easy."

End Confessional


Mateo scrounged the hidden caverns made by a familiar mute. He needed to find her.

Her.

Well, the Druidic Artifact would be cool too, but Laura was who he was looking for here.

He found her.

Wandering along the main walkways, marred by the past, he found her.

He pulled her in.

"Ah!" She screamed, but Mateo covered her mouth quickly.

He paused, waiting to hear if anyone heard her.

"Ma-Mateo!"

"Shh." He whispered. "No worries, my Queen. It's just me."

"You can't just… just… kidnap me like that!"

He put a finger to her lips. "Silly Laura. I rule this place."

"You've been here for three days."

"You think I've been sitting on my ass in those three days?"

Laura crossed her arms.

"I know this place better than the two of you."

"There's three of… us."

Mateo smirked.

Laura stopped to listen.

"Within those three days, I have been analyzing this place. Scanning down every area and finding these wonderful tunnels." He gestured all around him. "I have even taken the liberty to hide them, so no one else would be able to stumble upon them. Ever much so than taking the bright jewels from the old true resting place and moving them here to brighten these corridors. I even found a small water source. It appears the tunnels have a little leak into the ocean, which does make the area a little wet, but if you are ever out of the tunnels and need to get back in, look for the puddles of salt water."

Laura stood for a minute. "I think I might've underestimated you. But why are you telling me this?"

"Because." Mateo leaned in. "I have fallen desperately in love with you. I love a woman who knows how to take control."

Laura blushed. "I-I, um."

Mateo stared down her face, mouth agape, eyes softer than usual.

She knew exactly what he wanted.

She softly grabbed a hold of his cheeks, and drew him into her lips.

Mateo held her in a firm embrace. Around the drips sang with the synchronicity their heartbeats.

The adrenaline.

Laura stumbled, dizzy.

The passion beat through their hearts. Oxygenized.

A tingle ran down Mateo's spine.

The game.

The million.

The world.

Was theirs.

Mateo broke away. They stared at each other, out of breath, their touch electric.

His arms fell to his side. Laura dropped her arms off his shoulders.

Mateo stood on one knee. From behind him, he revealed one of the glow stones, small, and wrapped with some bendy sticks to create a ring. "I am the Underking. Will you, Miss Laura Sadako Matsuko Yoshitomi, be my Underqueen?"

Laura paused. Slightly creeped, but she could not deny what she felt.

She smirked…

… and took the ring.


19/36 Remaining. 16 Above Ground.


The Votes for those who are curious

Cumhachtach:

Frag voted for… Tiberius

King voted for… Tiberius

Michael voted for … King

Stan voted for… Tiberius

Tiberius voted for… King

Mealltach:

Alice voted for… Anemone

Anemone voted for… Rose

Jarri voted for… Rose

Maggie voted for… Anemone

Rose voted for… Anemone

Cyfrwys:

Jeremy voted for… Laura

Kalyssa voted for… Jeremy

Laura voted for… Ryuji

Ryuji voted for… Laura


AN: Alright, so we have a yeet and two eliminations! Let's start with our yeeted and move into those deposed royals afterwards!

Anemone: She uh, really should've chosen a better ally, but hey, what can you do? She knew that Alice had ways to get information. She just didn't count on Alice doctoring information or being able to find out that her medal was fake. Ultimately, I think her undoing was overplaying the hand she'd been dealt, and putting all her eggs in the same basket, rather than keeping options open.

Having studied her actions throughout the season, Anemone receives the status of: Villain

For the longest time I was wondering whether to give her neutral or villain, but ultimately, considering the general tactics she used to ally with Alice in the first place (taking advantage of her liking another contestant, giving her a fake medal under false pretenses), I feel pretty safe in saying that yeah, she's a villain. A small one to be sure, but a villain nonetheless.

Anemone's Best Moment: I'd honestly probably have to give it to her performance in the elimination ceremony she just participated in. She really hit the nail on the head of what was going on, and made a nice appeal, even if it didn't net her the desired result.

But that's all just my opinion, what do you guys think?

Laura: And the queen's reign comes to an end. But not really. Now she's a different kind of queen. She's a queen in a place where being as cold and calculating and ruthless as she became above ground will likely be very beneficial, especially with access to Mateo's hidden tunnels. We'll have to see just how well she can adapt.

Tiberius: Yeah. He's down HERE now. I think we ALL know that he'll probably be a lot more physically threatening now that he has license to do basically anything he wants as long as it's legal, and well, he's got one nice suit of armor on right now. Makes him mighty hard to throw into a Pit of Peril. It'll be interesting to see how he acts when not being forced to lead a team of people.


EN: RIP Anemone. She was one of my faves to write. Idk why, I just love her. But yes. Doobop and I were super excited to write this, just because we have the fall of three more villainous people. Also, it may soon be the end of some good villains, but hey, they had their fun. Now, more silly stuff can happen. At the beginning, yes, the recap. We know. It's dumb, but it must exist. I woke up one morning, video chatting with Doobop (because we live across the country from each other *weep*) and I just starting singing The Lion Sleeps tonight, I think with Cyfrwys at first, idk, then Doobop joined in cuz that's what he does with my stupid jokes that shouldn't exist. And then I open my laptop to the Crios Cath document, and there I see the entire freaking recap is to The Lion Sleeps Tonight. What a classic. oof my parents are hardcore fighting.

Also the whole debacle of Michael and Stan. Hope that was funny bunny ."

We thought it was suuuper funny when we were doing it. We had to stop and laugh for a lil bit.


AN2: Hey, do you like Total Drama, memes, fun, and streaming? Well, we like those things too! We like them so much that we have a discord that you can join! It's absolutely free of charge! The link is on my profile! Come hang out with our growing community of friends and fans and friends of fans!


EN2: Outline Quotes:

"Alice summons Laura to Mealltach judging that the Cfrwys queen would have some interesting information to give out to her and Anemone, who is sitting alongside her (chapstick ready)"

"they notice Rose bawling herself out to the shirtless Angelo"

"Tiberius knows where the true resting place isn't, but he checks anyways cuz who would go there. It becomes sort of his base, ig"


AN3: And as always, thanks for reading!