Last TIme on Total Drama Crios Cath...
Confessional: King: Clan Cumhachtach
"No one here asked for Michael to be the ruler, and he's been pretty uh… approval seeking recently. I think he thinks that if he doesn't get some serious goodwill in, someone is going to vote him off. …
End Confessional
Interns: "BE A CLAN!"
Chris: "YOU MUST IMPRESS ME, CHEF, AND INTERN!"
Interns: "BE A CLAN"
Chris: "ALLTUD WILL NOT SING A SONG"
Interns: "BE A CLAN"
Chris: "INSTEAD THEY MUST KEEP THE STAGE SAFE ENOUGH"
"MAKE IT SO THAT NOT A SINGLE THING GOES WRONG!"
"It's just stage management." Arianna shrugged. "I was always involved in school plays and stuff, so I think I know how to handle it."
"That's great, but one person won't be able to manage the stage on her own, and we don't have your experience." Axel mentioned. "I say bet the minimum."
"Whoa, now." Angelo held his hands up. "Now we've got the other extreme here. I just mean betting huge was to be avoided, I didn't mean bet super low. Bet like, I don't know, 1000 or something."
"But that's still too low!" Carol exclaimed. "We have enough land right now that going that low isn't enough to keep us invested in the challenge. We shouldn't resign ourselves to having to vote someone out."
"And finally…" Chris announced as Angelo pulled Carol back into the group so everyone could be present. "Alltud, what's your bet? Altogether now!"
"10,000 acres!" Arianna put her hand over Axel's mouth. Carol and Angelo both stared at her.
"2… 1… that's not a unanimous decision!" Chris smiled as he counted down the time. "However… since a bet was made, and Alltud technically might be able to complete the challenge by doing nothing… we're still gonna put the acres into the pot!"
"To clarify, Chris?" Axel rose a hand. "We're going to elimination regardless, and will have to spend time in the desert again?"
"Yep!" Chris announced. "And since last week was a special elimination ceremony, no more may be called this week! Nothing can save your rumps now!"
"Half-right." Axel shook his head as he finally faced Carol. "But we can't ignore this opportunity. Tiberius, Laura, Mateo, Anemone, all of them, all of them, I pegged as villains. Send me down, so I can see to it that they don't ever come back up."
"You know what?" Arianna had enough. "Fuck it! Fuck this whole clan! Fuck you! Fuck your cow! Send me down instead!"
Axel clicked his tongue. "I can see I'm a little outvoted here. Fine. But I want to be clear, you're going down there with the expressed purpose of figuring out how to rise back above ground and doing so before any of the villains down there can do it.
"Bravo, bravo…" Chris called everyone back onto the stage. "In all my years of Total Drama hosting, I've never seen absolutely everyone perform so atrociously in a challenge! It is my pleasure to say that today, you're all going to the Tine Naofa Bonfire Elimination Ceremony!"
"I'm a trendsetter." Michael beat his chest. "And a trend reviver too. The loincloth be coming back now. Truth."
"Alright then." Kalyssa shrugged. "I hope you guys have your arguments ready for Tine Naofa. I still haven't decided which one of you to cull."
"Is she gone?" Ryuji asked Jeremy as the later watched Kalyssa prance off into the distance.
"She's gone." Jeremy nodded.
"Good." Ryuji snickered. "Because I have… one weapon."
"Chef!" Ryuji pulled out his force merge medal. "Before we head in. Can I play this?"
Chef grinned.
"That you can, man!" He snickered. "You played it just in fuckin' time too."
"Aria, my puppet. Long time no see." Mateo glared at her.
"Perhaps we should put her to work." Laura glanced at Mateo. "... Cook the food and boil the water. If we see you eating our precious food, you will be sent down in a Pit of Peril."
"Tiberius!" Stan called as Tiberius knelt down and took his gauntlets off so that he could better grab onto Stan. "Brother…" Stan managed to lift his hand just a bit. "Help me…"
"Long live the king." Tiberius stood up. He put his gauntlets back on. Stan would not join him. Tiberius willed it.
Laura didn't hesitate. "Then show me…" She demanded with a snicker as she wrapped an arm around Alice's posterior and their lips met, smacking against each other.
Alice pushed Laura up against the cavern wall.
Laura rested her foot against it as she introduced her tongue to the equation.
It equaled another useful minion to help her find her way back up.
Survivor's: Ancient Voices starts playing
As the music begins, various shots of Crios Cath from above are time-lapsed and shown through the screen, notably the highlands, the forest, the bog, the lower fields, the desert, and underground.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Alice is getting her torch snuffed by Chris in one shot, and is seen placing something on the cavern floor in a second shot.
Arianna is getting her torch snuffed by Chris in one shot, and is running through Mathilda's tunnels in a second shot.
Laura is getting her torch snuffed by Chris one shot, and is seen staring down off-camera arrivals to the Shameterranean in a second shot.
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.
Michael is getting his torch snuffed by Chris in one shot, and drumming on his chest like a caveman in another shot.
Ryuji is handing the Force Merge Medal to Chef in one shot, and is leaping towards something off-camera in another shot.
Tiberius is getting his torch snuffed by Chris in one shot, and pacing around the first True Resting Place in another shot.
The camera zooms out to reveal that all the figures and underworld were part of the same picture, the season logo connecting them like a belt.
Total Drama Crios Cath
Location: Shameterranean
Contestant(s): Alice, Arianna, Mateo, Michael, Laura, Ryuji, Tiberius
"Heehee~" Alice happily headed through the Shameterranean, skipping, listening to the sound of her jingling fake medal.
She stopped.
Sound.
She looked at the medal. As far as she was concerned, this thing was useless now. Laura certainly knew it was fake, but still allied with her, and that was all she needed for now. After all, Laura probably had other people under her control as well, and when the time was right, Alice would bolt.
She took her medal off, and gave it one last look.
It would be a shame if she were to throw it down a Pit of Peril.
No.
If she could plant a trap, that would be better.
"Let me just…" She muttered to herself as she sprinkled dirt and dust over the medal to make it look relatively untouched, and moved it towards the cavern wall, sitting near a conspicuous mushroom.
Confessional: Alice: Shameterranean
"There we go, some idiot will probably find it later, and if that medal can cause chaos, I'll be happy."
End Confessional
She kept heading in her chosen direction.
Further.
And further.
How big was this cavern anyway?
She stopped to rest.
She could hear water dripping, maybe she'd walked far enough that she was no longer under the island and instead under the ocean.
She then felt the hand on her shoulder and shuddered.
"Hello." Mateo smiled.
"Hey~" She coyly grinned back at him. "Mateo, riiight~? Heehee, I've heard you're quite the clever guy, wanna team up?"
"No, I don't quite think so."
"Aww, but Laura said…" Alice grinned.
"Laura?" Mateo quirked a brow. "What did she say to you?"
"She said she'd let me be an extra pair of eyes and ears for her, y'know…" Alice put a finger to her lips as she leaned in towards Mateo. "After we made out."
Mateo's face flushed.
His confident grin turned into a furious frown.
His grip on Alice's shoulder tightened.
She tried to squirm free but couldn't as his other arm moved to restain her.
She struggled.
She fought.
She resisted as he inched her towards a Pit of Peril.
"W-what the hell?" Alice shrieked. "I was trying to help you by-"
"Let me tell you one thing, you little waste of existence…" Mateo growled as he kept his grip on Alice who was flailing around ever more frantically by the second. "This season of Total Drama is a show of which I am in charge! You don't get to call the shots, I do, and if you touch my underqueen, then you will pay!"
Alice felt herself finally break free from his grasp, but it was too late, she realized, as her descent below began.
She scratched at the rocks and did her best to scramble back up, but just as she was starting to get a good handle, her toes touched the ground.
She was done.
Mateo sneered at his handiwork, and was about to head back into his tunnels, when he heard what sounded like a sound system turning on. He stopped, and listened.
A screech seared through the Shameterranean. "Testing?" The voice said. "Testing? One, two, three." The voice chucked. "Okay, it works. So here's the dealio. Someone last night played the force merge idol. Therefore, if nobody brings the Druidic Artifact by 7:00pm sharp, everyone will be forced go to down the Pits of Peril!"
Confessional: Mateo: Shameterranean
"Ah, so that's the game now is it? Very well. It's time my queen and puppet got to work."
End Confessional
Shift Camera Focus
Tiberius trekked through the caverns. One goal in mind.
Rising, so he wouldn't have to turn to desperate measures.
Light. Ahead.
He stepped towards it, and soon found himself walking down a cavernous hallway lit by glowing crystals.
Seemed like a pretty important hallway to him, and sure enough, there was a hollowed area of the cave.
He pressed the button on the wall.
The alcove opened. Brilliant lavender gems sparkled throughout the area. A dais stood in the center of the room, with carvings of constellations in the night sky etched into it. And in its very center, a small, empty pedestal.
A note was left upon the dais.
This is the True Resting Place.
Tiberius grinned.
Confessional: Tiberius: Shameterranean
"Okay, here's my plan. I found the True Resting Place, and it has been proven, twice, that I am the strongest person on the island." Tiberius flexed his arm. "So, whenever someone, eventually, bring the Druidic Artifact over, I can just take it from the cuck, and throw them down."
End Confessional
Shift Camera Focus
"Axel!" Arianna called up from a hole she was sure led into Alltud territory. "Axel, where the hell are you?"
"Chill, chill, I'm here!" Axel appeared up above. "You only have to call once, you know!"
"Forgive me if I didn't trust you to show the fuck up, since I'm just another villain down here according to you."
"Well, you pull this off, I'll consider you off the hook for now." Axel responded. "Now, what is it like down there?"
"The only light that doesn't come from these holes either comes from campfires made by people trying to keep warm while we sleep or from bioluminescent bugs and fungi. There are a bunch of pathways in the cavern connecting various larger chambers, and hidden alcoves like these are opened by stone buttons."
"So it's a labyrinth of sorts, that's useful information for the people up here to be aware of." Axel admitted. "I'd be lost as heck if it was me down there."
"Oh, so you're not some sort of invincible superman?"
"Never said I was."
"Well, you act like it."
"Focus. What else is down there?"
"Let's see, a lot of contestants, a druidic artifact, some water, these speakers that just announced a merge, your ex-boyfriend Tiberius-"
"Wait a minute, what did you say?"
"Your ex-"
"No, not that wrong thing, the thing before! There was a merge announced?"
"Yeah, so if you could, y'know, help out, I'd appreciate it. We only have until 7:00 tonight!"
"Alright, quickly, and seriously what can you tell me?"
"Mateo and Laura have these secret tunnels going all over the place, and Laura even has a freaking map that allows her to traverse this place with ease!"
"Then those two are the highest priority to take out. Arianna, if you can get that map, things can go a lot smoother."
"How in the hell am I going to get the map off of Laura?!"
"Who was eliminated alongside you? One of them could probably help."
"Well, Ryuji's already appeared before me, but he ran off not long after we agreed not to yeet each other. And I know Michael is probably down here too somewhere, and he and I did make plans to be allies in the merge, which means I could probably get his help for a while too."
"Okay, try to look for one of them if you feel like you can't take Laura on your own, but focus on getting that map. If the Shameterranean is as maze-like as you make it sound, that piece of paper is the most powerful thing down there next to the DA. Oh… I have to go, the challenge is apparently starting! I'll try and find you again soon!"
And with that, Axel left, and Arianna was alone again.
Though, now she had a short-term goal. Grab an ally and grab the map.
She turned to leave, but stopped. She could have sworn she heard a splash.
She shook her head.
It was probably nothing.
Still though, she decided she would rather not wait around to find out, and bolted back into the Shameterranean's labyrinth of cavernways.
Shift in Camera Focus
Michael kicked a loose stone with his bare foot. Mainly out of frustration.
A glint of light hit his eye.
He stopped, took a step back.
He drifted his head around, hoping to find it.
A medal, under a mushroom.
This could come in handy.
Michael, having lost his pockets to the loincloth, he wore it around his neck, walking carefully to make sure no sound emitted.
He stumbled upon a tunnel entrance. Green fungi illuminated the path. His feet dampened by the water below.
"Stop!" Someone called.
Michael scoffed and turned to face the voice. "You can't stop me."
The figure's eyes widened. He has the fake medal. Laura stepped out of the shadows. "I see you sport the fake medal."
"Uh," Michael looked at his medal. "Yes! This medal is one-hundred-thousand percent fake."
"Who are you going to send it to?"
"What do you mean?"
"You can send these things up through the alcoves." Laura pressed a button and an empty alcove opened.
"Why would I ever do that?"
"It's a fake medal, you know it's fake. What are you going to do with it down here?"
"I'll use it very effectively once I'm up there."
"It's fake. It's not gonna save you."
"I can bluff!"
"You don't think anyone will consider that?"
Fuck, that was a good point.
"Instead of bluffing with it," Laura stepped forwards. "You can give it to someone who thinks it's real. Get them out of the way."
Michael nodded. "I like that better."
"Perfect! I know just the person you can give it to, too!"
"Bruh," Michael stepped back. "You can't just tell me what to do! I'll give it to whoever I want."
"Well, whomever you give it to, I recommend giving it to Jarri. That girl's quite powerful. All those friends. No real enemies. It might help you out." Laura patted Michael's shoulder as she walked away from him.
Confessional: Laura: Shameterranean
"Alright, now that I've got that loin clothed imbecile sending up a fake medal and off my back, I can finally get back to Mateo and tell him what I overheard."
End Confessional
"Laura, my queen!" Mateo held his hands out as Laura returned from her conversation with Michael. "I have some news about a silver fox that fell down a hole."
"Whatever." Laura rolled her eyes. "I have more important news. Aria's feeding information to Alltud. They told her to target us first. All because of this map of yours. I told you we couldn't fucking trust her."
"She's confused." Mateo shrugged nonchalantly. "She believes appeasing Alltud to be her best course of action. All we have to do is remind her of whose puppet she truly is and she'll stay loyal to her true masters."
"Or…" Laura floated her preferred possibility. "We could just toss her down a Pit of Peril and be free of the nuisance."
"You're free to try if you wish." Mateo shrugged. "But don't do anything reckless. If we can use her, we should use her."
Confessional: Mateo: Shameterranean
"She, at the very least, won't lay her lips on my queen."
End Confessional
Location: Ionad Desert
Contestant(s): All Above Ground
Cumhachtach Dune Buggy: Frag, King, Setsuna
"A dune buggy ride..." King looked out over the sands of the Ionad. "I did not think I would ever have one."
"Same." Setsuna yawned as she curled up to stay warm in the overcast weather.
"It's a shame the challenge had to happen so early too." Frag sighed.
Confessional: Frag: Clan Cumhachtach
"I've been the king of this clan for a morning. I haven't had the opportunity to use the power the way it should have been used in the first place, diplomatically, hanging around people of the other clans. Perhaps I can blame my own inaction from the very start of this game, but perhaps that same inaction is what led to me being the king at all. I'm not sure, I can't say. What I do know is that as what may be the very last of Clan Cumhachtach left, I need allies, and this challenge gets in the way of securing more."
End Confessional
"After this challenge is over, then." King suggested to Frag. "You should go to the other two clans and try to see what the politics are like. We're all in this together now."
"Wait, we are?" Setsuna asked. "Isn't it probably a bad idea to lump ourselves in with him right now, King? He's the only Cumhachtach left."
"He might be." King corrected. "The Shameterranean has plenty of Cumhachtach in it as far as we know, and one of them could easily come back up."
Confessional: King: Clan Cumhachtach
"Ideally, however, I'd prefer someone not from this clan rise back up to the game. I'd rather not give up what very little power Setsuna and I have."
End Confessional
"It's fine, Setsuna." Frag sighed. "I get it. But don't throw me away like that. I did just do you a huge favor by not writing your name down, you know."
"Yeah… thanks."
"And if we all stick together as a unit, we'll have a better chance of survival if any sort of reassessment happens." Frag iterated. "I'm not sure why else Chris would have us all get into these dune buggies."
"Meh, let's just go with the flow." Setsuna suggested.
Confessional: Setsuna: Clan Cumhachtach
"Rolling with the punches got me this far after all. Hopefully, I can keep rolling."
End Confessional
Mealltach Dune Buggy: Jarri, Maggie, Rose,
The three ladies laughed as they rode along the sand dunes of Crios Cath.
The dune buggy hit a bump that caused all the passengers to jump.
Maggie grabbed onto her seat. "M-Maybe this'll be the last time I ride a dune buggy."
Rose nodded. "Unfortunately, it might be mine, too."
Jarri stared off into the distance.
"Jarri?" Maggie said. "Can you hear?"
Rose looked a little confused as well. "Um, Jarri? You in there?"
"Huh, what, oh." Jarri giggled. "Sorry, I zoned out for a bit."
"No worries." Maggie waved off. "What do you guys think this next challenge would be?"
"Maybe something along the lines of the last challenge since Chris likes seeing everyone fail so hard."
"Yeah," Rose pitched in, "I think Chris will force Alltud to help us more rather than fight against us."
Maggie sighed. "I hope Carol wasn't voted out."
Jarri nodded. "Me too."
Confessional: Rose: Clan Mealltach
"I don't think I've been this calm in the game since coming onto the island. I'm happy with my clan, and our combined teamwork will get us further." Rose pushed her hair back. "If those microphones weren't broken, we totally would have been able to win the challenge."
End Confessional
Confessional: Maggie: Clan Mealltach
"Well, if nothing else, this dune buggy ride is fun."
End Confessional
Confessional: Jarri: Clan Mealltach
"It's great that everyone in this clan is getting along and everything. It is. Don't get me wrong. But when it comes to elimination, island gods I don't know who to vote for. Eliminating everyone is inevitable when it comes to playing a game where one one person can win, but I never like it to be me who is the one who fires the bullet at people I consider my friends." Jarri sighed. "On one hand, we have Rose, who would've been my original choice if we hadn't made up recently. She's a fair queen. If she hands it to Maggie, I have a feeling she's a little too timid for that, but honestly, and I don't like to be saying this, I think I'm the more likely option, which is great and all, but I don't want to have too much power in this game. Y'know? Especially since if we lose after that, because of the tiebreaker rule, Maggie will be sent home. Voting with Rose would be the option I'd take if I were sticking to the banners. On the other hand, we have Maggie, who became my immediate friend the day she arrived. She has been nothing but sweet and trusting towards me, walking with me through the forests, trusting me with the planned vote split back when Anemone was eliminated, introducing me to her friend Carol, and even stuck with me through some hard times. I think Maggie's arrival to camp has honestly united Rose and I together. She was a huge help in speeding up the forgiveness process. I have no clue how I'm gonna vote if we head to Tine Naofa again.
"I'm sorta understanding where Rose was coming from now. I don't want to let either one of them down."
End Confessional
Cyfrwys Dune Buggy: Jeremy, Kalyssa
"Hey. Jeremy." Kalyssa had been staring at Jeremy the entire ride, but he had not been cowering. He had been enjoying the cool desert air. "Why are you so calm right now? Your ally is gone. You're doomed if we lose again, and I'll be a useful extra vote if we ever merge. Where can you find any of that strength of spirit? It should be broken."
"Your small amount of Cyfrwys comfortability saved me from going down into the Shameterranean again." Jeremy made sure what he told Kalyssa was true, even though it wasn't the correct answer to her question. "I have a chance, albeit a slim one, to get out of this situation. Why are you so on edge?"
"Because this isn't standard." Kalyssa crossed her legs. "This carriage ride is-"
"Hold up…" Jeremy grinned. "Did you just call a dune buggy a carriage?"
"I miss my palace, shut up!" Kalyssa huffed. "Anyways, it's not normal."
"Hm." Jeremy kept his true thoughts to himself. "I wonder what the occasion is. Maybe another clan reassessment."
"With 11 people? Yeah, no."
Confessional: Kalyssa: Clan Cyfrwys
"I don't know what that boy seems so happy about but whatever it really is, it's nothing good for me. What I need to do, no matter what happens, is play us both up as allies. Force his hand. Either he's sticking by me, or taking me along where he goes. Otherwise he will look to be untrustworthy to the others. I know what it's like to go up against a member of Cyfrwys, and I'd rather not wait for another assassination opportunity."
End Confessional
Confessional: Jeremy: Clan Cyfrwys
"Kalyssa doesn't know that I know the merge is coming. I'm so happy right now because while it did cost Ryuji his place above ground, we won. We beat her. And now I can leave her high and dry, and she can fade into obscurity as I start to focus on the individual portion of this game."
End Confessional
Alltud Has To Walk: Angelo, Axel, Carol
"So… now she has to grab a map?" Carol asked. "I thought she had to grab the artifact and that was it."
"It's a little more complicated than that." Axel informed. "No one down there knows where the DA is, and Laura and Mateo seem to be using some sort of secret passage system in a cavern that's already built like a labyrinth as it is. She needs the map. She also needs to get the DA by 7:00 tonight or everyone down there will be purged."
"And we can't just risk not acting in case some else finds the DA in that time frame." Angelo realized with a nod.
"Axel, the more I hear about this plan, the less I think you can pull this off, it better work."
"I agree." Angelo sighed. "If the plan doesn't succeed, we're probably going to have one very pissed off villain coming after us, so we're really risking our survivability here."
"It'll work, guys." Axel rolled his eyes. "It's a foolproof step by step plan."
Confessional: Angelo: Clan Alltud
"There is something big going on right now. For no other reason than a big event would Chris hurry things along in the Shameterranean. Also, for the record guys, no plan is foolproof. If you think your plan is...I have some bad news on who the fool is in that scenario."
End Confessional
Confessional: Carol: Clan Alltud
"I'll be honest, I'm a little worried about this plan, but also kind of jealous that it's Arianna down there instead of me, racing against the clock in order to accomplish that kind of monumental feat. Sounds pretty storybook to be honest. I'll say that if she does pull it off, I'll do my best to convince Axel to pardon her for any villainy she might have committed previously. Just out of pure respect you know? Takes luck and skill to pull that kind of stunt off."
End Confessional
Confessional: Axel: Clan Alltud
"The merge is apparently upon us. Good. If all goes according to plan, Arianna will come back up and return to us, and I can safely know that Tiberius won't rise to challenge me ever again. Then I can go on an immunity win streak, and force the villains yet to fall out of the competition. Depending on her behavior when she returns, Arianna might not even be one of them….Might."
End Confessional
Location: Tine Naofa Bonfire Pit
Contestants: All Above Ground
The clans scattered around the seating area. Chris stood at his podium with an extravagant grin on his face. "Good morning, contestants! Are you ready for your next challenge?"
"Already?" Frag scratched the back of his head.
"Yes, Frag, already." Chris held up an idol. "Someone, last night, decided to play this bad boy. Because of that, you all have officially been merged."
Angelo smirked.
Axel bluntly nodded.
Carol brought her hands up to her mouth, excited.
Frag's jaw dropped.
Jarri celebrated by jumping up and down.
Jeremy turned and gave Kalyssa a shit eating grin.
Kalyssa's face flushed completely.
King tilted his head in thought.
Maggie looked around, nervously at the other merging players.
Rose smiled, relieved to finally be merging.
Setsuna shrugged, indifferent.
"So, let's get into today's challenge. Each of you will have one hour to go all around the island in search of the holes that lead into the Shameterranean. It is your task to collect as much information as possible about what is going on in the Shameterranean, or things about the Shameterranean. After the hour has passed, I will bring out a whiteboard where everyone one-by-one will write down what they know. If you can't contribute anymore to it, you're out! If you write false information, you're out! Got it?"
"Neh," Setsuna shrugged. "It'll probably make more sense as we do it."
"It's about time we've got a contestant with that kind of mindset! I'll give you a moment to spread out across the island. If you dare peek into a hole before that hour starts, you will be disqualified from the challenge."
Challenge: Shameterranean Scavenger
Rules: Contestants have an hour to go around the island and figure out precisely what has been happening in the Shameterranean. After that hour has passed, the contestants, one-by-one, must write down a fact about the Shameterranean or write down what has been happening on a master whiteboard. Writing down false information or claiming you have no more information to add means that you are out of the challenge. The last person remaining wins the challenge.
Shameterranean
Contestant(s): Arianna, Mateo, Michael, Ryuji, Tiberius
Ryuji wandered through the tunnels.
Strange fungi, glowing gems, none of that mattered. He was looking for the DA, so that he could bring it to Arianna, wherever she was. That was their deal after all. They would place it down together, and see what would happen. Maybe they'd both go up, maybe they'd both stay down. Maybe only the person originally holding it would go up. It didn't matter. What mattered was finding it before anyone else could.
Especially-
"There you are!" Ryuji heard her yell.
The person he didn't want to have to confront.
But he still ran towards the noise.
"She's not worth it, dear." Mateo kept trying to calm Laura down as Ryuji headed through an opened tunnel towards another cavern opening where Laura was cornering Arianna.
"She's given us next to no food. I bet she's eaten it all herself!"
"I've given you guys food!" Arianna yelped back. "And I haven't given you away to anyone else underground."
"Not the case with above-ground though, is it?" Laura countered. "I saw you. This won't work, this helpless act you're pulling."
"Listen, puppet." Mateo tried to coax Arianna. "You've made your queen awfully angry. Why don't you be a good girl and head back to the tunnels and think about how close you were to your demise this day?"
"No." Laura shook her head. "Her demise comes now." She moved closer to Arianna, only to be stopped. "And what in the world do you think you're going to be able to do."
"Buy some time." Ryuji admitted as he positioned himself between Laura and her mark. "Arianna, run!"
Arianna didn't waste any time in running towards the nearest exit she could find.
"You little!" Laura lunged for Ryuji. "You're going to pay for that! I hope it was worth it!"
Ryuji gulped as time slowed down in his mind.
Laura approached him, arms outstretched, ready to push him into the nearby Pit of Peril.
He looked over and saw Arianna escaping.
At least he was able to go down a man of his word, if nothing else.
Laura's hand connected with his chest. He immediately grabbed onto her wrist as he began to topple backwards.
If he couldn't stay, neither could she.
Laura brought her leg up and pushed Ryuji further away from her, forcing him to let go.
His last ditch effort, a failure.
His hands felt the cavern wall behind him.
His feet found footing against the wall in front of him.
Ryuji was halfway down a Pit of Peril, but was keeping himself from touching the bottom.
"You're going to fall." Laura smirked. "Just a matter of time."
"Weren't you listening?" Ryuji grunted. "To the announcement? We don't… hngh!" he brought all his limbs back to him before grabbing onto the rim of the Pit of Peril and hoisting himself up, between Laura's legs.
"What are you going to do, look up my pants?" She snickered.
"Nope." Ryuji grabbed Laura's ankles and brought her to the ground as he vaulted over her.
The tables had turned.
"You don't have… the strength… to push me though." Laura grinned as she began to get back up.
"No, I don't." Ryuji admitted. "But you don't have the balance to stay up." He quickly kneed Laura in the side.
Mateo, who had been waiting smugly by the tunnel entrance, noticed the tide turn in horror, and rushed up to help.
He got there just in time.
Just in time to see Laura fall.
He reached a hand out for her.
But he had gotten there just in time.
Just in time, for their fingertips to nearly reach. He missed her by the narrowest margin.
Mateo quickly realized his location.
He fled before Ryuji could send him down as well.
He would survive.
Ryuji sat down on the ground and let out a loud sigh.
"Oh… freaking island gods…" He panted. "I can't believe that just happened… okay… come on Ryuji, get up."
He fought his muscles to stand upright.
That was when he noticed it. A piece of paper on the ground.
Who was holding this? Mateo or Laura? It didn't matter to him, really. It was something of theirs.
Now it was his.
He looked over it.
His eyes widened.
He ran.
He ran in her direction.
"Arianna!" He called out.
"Ryuji?!" Arianna looked back, shocked.
Confessional: Arianna: Shameterranean
"Ah, yes, I must be dead now. Dead and seeing ghosts. How the hell did he escape?"
End Confessional
"Arianna…" Ryuji panted. "I… I found… this!" He held up the paper to Arianna.
"How the actual fuck did you get that?"
"Long story, scary moment." Ryuji quickly responded. "But look!"
Ryuji and Arianna looked over the map.
"Those assholes already know where both things are!" Arianna realized. "They've just been trying to push people down pits!"
"That means that Mateo is probably heading in that direction right now!" Ryuji realized. "He wants to make sure he gets it before any more trouble happens!"
"You're faster." Arianna noted. "You go get it and meet me once you do, then we can scope out the True Resting Place."
"Right!" Ryuji nodded before bolting.
Shift Camera Focus
Michael stepped into his chosen alcove. "Hello? Anyone desiring to look at my handsomeness?" Jarri appeared from the hole to the surface. "Michael?"
"Jarri! I am so happy to see you!"
"You are?"
"Yeah, it's been a while since I've seen a pretty face that hasn't wanted to throw me down a rabbit hole."
Jarri blushed at the compliment. "Could you tell me anything that's been going on down there?"
"Uh, yeah. I've been dominating here. I have this cool-ass base that has been surrounded by pits of perils. Yeah, no one can get past me."
"Wow, that's really cool! Anything else? It's kinda our challenge right now."
"Well, actually, I kinda have a lil' som'thin' som'thin' for you to do."
"Okay?"
"You see this?" Michael held up the false medal.
"Yes."
"Could you give it to Frag for me? It's meant as a 'no hard feelings' gift"
Confessional: Michael: Shameterranean
"But I do have many soft feelings of anger."
End Confessional
"Yeah, of course!" Jarri nodded.
Michael sent it up. "Also, um, I kinda want my clothes back. It's cold in here. I think it's still in the Mealltach…"
Michael trailed off as Jarri was just… gone.
Shift in Camera Focus
Tiberius remained on his base, setting up a campfire, snoring. A muffled 'hello' fell through the ground, interrupting his sleep.
Strange, he thought, why would anyone want to contact someone who's underground?
He stood up. Leaving his base alone for a few seconds wasn't the end of the world. If something were coming, he would be able to hear it.
Tiberius stepped into the alcove.
"It's about time, someone heard me!" Kalyssa blasted.
"What do you want, Cyfrwys-cuck?"
"Oh, I'm not on Cyfrwys anymore. You see, the merge has taken place."
"I know. Doesn't deny the fact that you were on Cyfrwys."
Kalyssa rolled her eyes before putting on her best 'happy' face. "Well, would you like to fill in this beautiful and alluring queen on the goings on of the Shameterranean, I'm ever so interested~."
"I'm not telling you anything."
"Why not?"
"Because it's none of your business!"
"Let's just talk for a minute~! Cyfrwys Queen to Cumhachtach King."
Tiberius sniffed. "Okay."
"I was thinking about forming a royalty alliance."
"I earned my royalty twice over. You had yours handed to you." Tiberius crossed his arms. "What's in it for me for aligning with someone who wasn't born great?"
Confessional: Kalyssa
"Dumbass, I'm a princess! A real motherfucking princess. I actually was born great."
End Confessional
"Well~" Kalyssa chimed. "You'd know everything that's going on up here, so you'd be able to come back to the game in a good position, as if you hadn't been eliminated a first time to begin with."
Tiberius squinted.
He thought.
"Fine." He decided. "We have a deal and an alliance. Here's all I've got.
Shift Camera Focus
Ryuji followed the marked map. He had the advantage.
He wasn't terribly sure where Mateo was, but he had yet to run into him.
Perhaps he was getting lost without the map in tow.
He followed the map to the location that had the giant letters labelling it.
The DA Chamber.
It looked like any other cavern path to Ryuji.
Except there was a stone button ever so gently carved into the rock.
He pressed it.
A stone door slid down, revealing a familiar location. Ryuji looked up through the hole in the alcove to see the Ionad Desert. It was almost directly near the Tine Naofa Bonfire Pit.
He stifled a laugh.
There, sitting in the center of the room, was a singular totem, with the visage of a man wearing robes and a stag skull depicted on it.
If Ryuji was being honest, it kind of gave him the creeps.
He took the DA.
For a moment, he hesitated.
He could just head to the True Resting Place alone if he wanted to.
He quickly shook the thought from his head.
Better to find Arianna first.
No one knew who or what might be waiting at the True Resting Place, and he was a man of his word after all.
Location: Above Ground
Contestant(s): Angelo, Axel, Carol, Frag, Jarri, Jeremy, Kalyssa, King, Maggie, Rose, Setsuna
The projections of the violin vibrated through the desert. Angelo stepped towards the holes he knew where there as he kept playing his loud harmonies.
They traveled through the holes.
"Hello." Bellowed a deep voice.
Angelo could not recognize. "Hello?"
"I hear you playing the song of Gamata's calling!"
He cocked a brow. Gamata… The last time he heard that name was when Franchesca prayed for him. "You mean a cover of What Child Is This is Gamata's song of calling?"
"Yes!"
Angelo stepped closer to the hole. Curious. He might as well have a little fun with whomever is trying to fool around with him. He put his hands together. "Oh, Lord Gamata. I'm praying for help. What is going on in the Shameterranean?"
On the other side of the hole, Mateo smirked. "I dropped a rose on the underqueen's grave."
"Go on, All Mighty Gamata…"
Confessional: Angelo
"I have no clue who or what this Gamata imposter is referring to, but they are giving me a lot of useful information. I have a way I can use this to my advantage."
End Confessional
"Okay, that's good work." Axel begrudgingly complimented Arianna on her progress. "You have Ryuji doing the dangerous work. Know anything about the True Resting Place?"
"I freaking wish." Arianna sighed. "Ryuji needs the map to locate the DA. Still haven't seen your ex-boyfriend by the way."
"Have you seen anyone else? Other than Laura and Mateo?"
"Y'know…" Arianna realized. "Now that you mention it, I haven't."
"Hrm…" Axel thought to himself.
Confessional: Axel
"If that's the case, then perhaps I can make a few… educated guesses, for what's gone down in the Shameterranean if I ever run out of knowledge I am acutely aware of."
End Confessional
Carol poked her head into a hole.
Ryuji jumped. "Oh, hey Carol."
"Hey. Didn't mean to scare you."
"It's no big deal."
"Got anything you can tell me about the Shameterranean to help me out?"
"Funny thing, I just learned a little something. There are these tunnels all around the Shameterranean. I thought it was no big deal, but, apparently, on the back of this map, there is a note that this girl, Mathilda left. She made the tunnels. I don't know how, but it's cool to think that a fellow contestant did that."
Carol nodded. "That is cool."
Confessional: Carol
"I can always count on my boy, Ryuji!"
End Confessional
"Yo, Tiberius." Frag finally found the alcove where the armored man was simply resting. "What's going on down there?"
"I'll tell you what I know, cuck-ruler, but you have to give me my crown back when I get up there. Keep it warm for me and don't you fucking dare let the great clan Cumhachtach fall."
"I… uh… I won't let it fall. We're merged."
Tiberius told Frag all the information he had, and Frag realized his mistake.
Confessional: Frag
"Damn, even underground this man is super lazy. He's probably got shit all. But I don't know if I'll be able to find anyone else, since from what he said, everyone's busy trying to join us up at the merge."
End Confessional
"Jeremy, Jeremy look!" Ryuji's voice caught Jeremy's attention as he held up the DA. "I just told Carol about this too, isn't it great?"
"That's great, Ryuji!" Jeremy smiled. "What specifically is going on down there?"
"Well, the biggest thing I want to talk about is how I freaking defeated Laura dude! Two times in one game I've managed that!"
Confessional: Jeremy
"I'm… I'm not sure how to feel about that news to be honest. I remember when she was my closest ally in this game, and the only one who stuck by me. I think it's a shame that she ultimately ended up this way. But on the other hand, I'm glad Ryuji is doing well down there. Totally rooting for him to get right back up into the thick of things."
End Confessional
"Oh, hello there, Frag." Kalyssa and King both joined up with Frag. "I see you're talking to Tiberius, mind if I ask a couple questions as well?"
"Go ahead." Frag shrugged. "I'd advise against it, though."
"Oh, why?" King asked.
"Doesn't have much." Frag shrugged.
Confessional: King
"Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised that the skurk is too busy being a skurk to have any helpful info."
End Confessional
Confessional: Kalyssa
"Oh, Frag, you sweet naive child. I'm not here for information I already got from Tiberius, no! I'm here for alliance game-planning. So thanks for helping drive King away~!"
End Confessional
"Maggie, there you are!" Jarri and Carol both noticed Maggie in the highlands.
"What are you doing out here, buddy?" Carol asked.
"I'm uh…. I'm a little shy to go around asking anyone down there for information."
"Dawww, that's so cute!" Jarri squealed.
"Maggie, you're adorable." Carol shook her head with a smile. "Want to pool information then? Surely you've been looking down the holes at least."
"Yeah, I have!" Maggie nodded. "Not sure how helpful it'll be exactly but it should count for something."
"That's the spirit!" Carol laughed.
Jarri and Maggie laughed along with her.
Confessional: Maggie
"Finally reunited with Carol again, yay! And now Jarri's here too which makes this whole thing even better! We might be able to be a force to be reckoned with in this merge! I hope we are, at least. And I do intend to give it my all!"
End Confessional
Meanwhile, Rose struggled with the challenge.
She had screamed 'hello' into many holes across the island. In the Lower Ceol Fields. The Upper Ceol Fields. The Neart Highlands. Along the Cloc Mountain Range.
But she found one hole. "Hello?"
"Hi." Arianna said.
"Have you seen Alice?"
"I haven't."
"Oh, okay." Rose went to go find another hole.
Confessional: Rose
"Ugh, where is she?"
End Confessional
"Hey Angelo." Setsuna ran over, but got caught in a trap.
"Setsuna!" Angelo scanned the area for a rock of sorts to rest his violin on. He lowered Setsuna to the ground.
"What are you doing?" She asked
"Playing music to attract the ears of those who are underground."
Setsuna nodded. "Sounds good."
"Thank you." Angelo picked his violin back up. "What brings you to me? I just figured you might've followed King."
"Well, King went to the Lower Ceol Fields, and I don't really like it there. So I went to a place that I do like."
"You like the desert?"
Setsuna nodded.
"You didn't seem to like it enough to stay on Alltud." Angelo smiled, curious. "I've always wondered about your reasoning."
"Well, to be honest, it mainly had to do with the fact that I was caught in a trap."
"You could have waited, you know."
"I know." Setsuna nodded. "But that wasn't the only trap I was caught in. I was also caught in Alltud's trap. I think it was pretty clear by the way you guys all interacted with each other that I was the vote fodder, and well, I didn't want to be that. So I went to a clan where I wouldn't be. Because I had at least one known ally."
"Ahh, I see." Angelo nodded. "Well, I want you to know that I think it was a very smart decision on your part. So I can forgive you for switching teams as long as you forgive me in turn for perhaps not treating you like a proper player. We can both move forward into this merge together."
"Yeah…" Setsuna smiled. "Yeah, I'd like that."
"In that case…" Angelo sat down beside Setsuna. "It's time for us to pool information. Fair warning, it's kind of cryptic, but I think you can memorize it."
"Of course." Setsuna nodded, and listened intently as Angelo started to recite what she'd been told.
Confessional: Angelo
"Setsuna is smarter than most people give her credit for, I feel. She has a very unique perspective on this game, and sometimes can see through obvious things, or avoid complications that someone else would stumble into. Of course, she has her own challenges that come with her style, but I think, with the right motivation, I've got a good candidate to help further my own game."
End Confessional
Confessional: Setsuna
"Angelo is very nice. He has a good way with words and his outlook on things is usually pretty optimistic. Maybe I can take his name out of the box. Or maybe not. I don't know. I'm just glad that I've managed to make a friend who could be another ally for me and King."
End Confessional
"Hey, Frag!" Jarri noticed Frag in the distance and ran up to him.
"Hey Jarri, been a while since we last talked." Frag smiled.
"It has! Hey, I have this medal for you from Michael!"
"A what?" Frag's eyes widened.
"A medal from Michael." Jarri repeated. "A sort of 'no hard feelings' medal as he put it."
"I…" Frag hesitated.
Confessional: Frag
"This is a trap. This has to be a trap. There's no way this isn't a trap. No way Michael would just forgive someone for voting him off. Hell, he probably really made me the king to make sure I would be voted off next. I should count myself lucky the merge happened when it did."
End Confessional
"I appreciate the offer, but I don't want the medal." Frag shook his head. "I don't trust it."
"Well, what's it going to do?" Jarri crossed her arms. "Poison you? It's just a medal, Frag. You don't even have to use it, just take it!"
"I mean…" Carol had overheard the conversation. "It sounds to me like he doesn't want the medal, Jarri."
"Oh, hey Carol!" Jarri smiled with a greeting.
"Thank you, Carol." Frag smiled with his own greeting.
"No problem." Carol smiled back.
"…"
"…"
"So…" Jarri mentioned breaking the silence, and snapped Carol and Frag back to reality. "Can I keep this medal then?"
"I don't see why not." Carol shrugged with a smile.
"Just be cautious with it." Frag consented.
"Sweet." Jarri looked at the medal. "Looks like I've got myself an immunity medal. That's pretty cool."
Shameterranean
Contestant(s): Arianna, Mateo, Michael, Ryuji, Tiberius
"Ryuji, there you freaking are!" Arianna stormed toward Ryuji. "I hope you haven't been stopped by too many of those people above ground asking questions.
Confessional: Arianna: Shameterranean
"Really, Chris? You tell us we have to hurry and then you make the above ground challenge to literally be stopping us to ask questions? I think we all know who the real villain of this series is, sheesh."
End Confessional
"Arianna, yo, look at what I found!"
"Ohmygosh, Ryuji!" Arianna squealed as she jumped up and down in delight. "You've got the DA! That's amazing! One sec, I'll be right back. Have to uh… you know, do some business."
"Ah." Ryuji nodded. "I'll wait."
Arianna hurried towards a nearby alcove, where she knew who was waiting.
"Axel!" She called up. "Ryuji has the DA! What do I do about that? Do I go with his plan to put it on the resting spot together?"
"I don't care." Axel replied. "Just as long as the villains down there don't have it, you're doing a good job."
"Thanks for the praise from the high and mighty Axel." Arianna rolled her eyes.
"And now I'll think twice before offering a genuine compliment again. You're welcome." Axel grunted before disappearing.
"Alright Ryuji." Arianna returned to where he was waiting patiently. "We're going to try something ridiculous now. We need to put that thing on the pedestal in the true resting place at all costs. We cannot, I repeat, cannot let a villain put it down. You in this with me?"
"Hell yeah. Let's go." Ryuji nodded.
Shift Camera Focus
Michael trekked deeper into the Shameterranean.
Out in the distance, light.
A light purple.
He walked towards it.
"Eyyy, Tiberius!"
"Michael, where did your clothes go?"
"The ladies at Mealltach couldn't get enough of me!" He posed, his hips thrusted forwards.
He snickered. "It makes sense that you'd only need a loincloth that small."
"Hey! At least, I've got abs for days!"
"I carried you out of that forest when Laura was chasing us. Speaking of which, you need to repay me of that favor. Get out of here and find the DA."
Michael nodded. "Yeah, that sounds reasonable."
Confessional: Michael: Shameterranean
"Yeah, Tiberius carried us away, only for us to get caught."
End Confessional
Mateo could hear the footsteps splashing through the dampness of the tunnels. They were foolish to take this route.
He had the ambush ready.
He waited.
Ryuji was leading the charge.
Mateo would avoid him, he had seen what that boy could do.
No, he was more interested in the straggler.
The puppet that the prankster had stolen from him.
As Ryuji passed, Mateo jumped out behind Arianna and grabbed her, pinning her against the wall of the tunnel.
"You have made a mistake, my puppet." He snickered.
Arianna bit down on the hand he had used to cover her mouth.
"Gah!" Mateo recoiled.
"Nah, I haven't made a single mistake when it comes to my interactions with you, dumbass." Arianna shook her head. "I never once was your fucking puppet, and if I didn't have somewhere to be, I'd yeet you down the nearest Pit of Peril.
"You can't escape." Mateo smirked. "You see, I know every inch of these tunnels and can hear-"
He cut himself short when he saw Arianna running away, escaping.
"Maybe don't monologue for so long next time!" Arianna called as she faded from his vision.
Confessional: Mateo: Shameterranean
"Hm… perhaps I should have strung that puppet up tighter when I first created her."
End Confessional
Michael continued his trek in the Shameterranean, his feet paining with every step. Not getting much rest combined with the uneven, rocky grounds, his soles bled.
He glanced up. Ryuji was right on his path, wielding the DA.
Michael ran up to him, with the initial plan of yeeting him, but Ryuji was powerful. Tricking Cyfrwys. Yeeting the Queen himself.
Michael would play it safe.
"Ryuji!" Michael said. "You planning on putting that thing on the Resting Place?"
"Yeah, I'm just waiting for an opportunity."
"I'd be careful if I were you. Tiberius is guarding that place like a hawk. He thinks he can swipe the DA and place it himself." Michael pulled Ryuji in. "We need to be sneaky."
Ryuji nodded. "We'll need to cause a diversion."
"Think it should be you then. I'm more on the strong side that you, and you're probably faster than me. Smaller too. Distracting should work out in your favor. And then, I will push him down when I get the chance."
"Good plan." Ryuji looked at the DA in his hands. "You mind hanging onto this for me? The person who's distracting probably shouldn't hang onto this."
"Of course, of course." Michael gladly took the DA from Ryuji.
Contestant(s): Angelo, Axel, Carol, Frag, Jarri, Jeremy, Kalyssa, King, Maggie, Rose, Setsuna
"And that's time!" Chris announced through his megaphone. "Everyone above ground needs to get back here because round one of our challenge is about to start. One by one you'll come up to the big board and write something about the Shameterranean. If it's true, you move on. If it's false or you don't have anything, you're out! The last player standing wins reward! Round 1!"
Round One: All Remaining
"And that's everyone's first fact on the board!" Chris announced as Setsuna finished writing her fact. "Let's see how they stack up!
"Angelo wrote, 'The ants have made tunnels.' That is a factual statement about the Shameterranean!
"Axel wrote, 'Arianna and Ryuji say 'down with the baddies.' That too is a factual statement! Both Angeo and Axel are advancing!
"Carol wrote, 'Ryuji has DA.' That is true. We're three for three so far!
"Frag wrote, 'Tiberius is at True Resting Place.' Another true fact!
"Jarri wrote, 'Michael sent a medal up.' That is in fact true!
"Jeremy wrote that the DA is modeled after the Celtic deity Arawn. That is correct. Now you guys know the god you're dealing with!
"Kalyssa wrote that... Mateo is down there? Yeah, everyone already knew that one, since it's common knowledge, Kalyssa is out!
"King couldn't contribute a fact that wasn't already written, he is out!
"Maggie wrote, 'Michael wanted to send the medal to Frag.' That is true. Maggie moving on!
"Rose also could not contribute something not already written. She is out!
"Finally, Setsuna wrote, 'The puppet has cut her strings.' That is true. Angelo, Axel, Carol, Frag, Jarri, Jeremy, Maggie, and Setsuna all moving on to Round 2!
Round Two: Angelo, Axel, Carol, Frag, Jarri, Jeremy, Maggie, Setsuna
"Second Round, the answers are on the board!" Chris announced as Setsuna once again walked back after writing. "Let's see who wrote what!
"Angelo wrote, 'The imp has stolen the puppet.' That is true. Angelo moving on to Round 3!
"Axel wrote, 'Laura has been yeeted.' That is a true statement. Axel is also moving on!
"Carol wrote, 'Mathilda made the tunnels.' True!
"Frag cannot contribute anymore which means he is out.
"Jarri wrote, 'Michael created a secret base' and that is false. Jarri is out!
Confessional: Jarri
"What the heck, Michael? You said you had a secret base down there! Why lie about that? I can't believe I blushed when you called me pretty."
End Confessional
"Jeremy," Chris continued, "has written down that a Pit of Peril is located roughly under the Cyfrwys campsite. That is true!
"Maggie cannot contribute anymore, so she is out!
"And Setsuna wrote, 'The assassin lacks a dagger.' That is in fact true! Angelo, Axel, Carol, Jeremy, and Setsuna move on to Round Three!"
Round Three: Angelo, Axel, Carol, Jeremy, Setsuna
"Setsuna is done writing her answer, so let's look over what our intrepid investigators have written down!" Chris exclaimed.
"Angelo has written, 'Scar has taken control of pride rock. Long live the great kings of the past.' pffft….he...he...hahahahahahaaaaah ohhh, man. That is so freaking true! Angelo moving on!
"Axel wrote down that Mateo has more knowledge of the tunnels than Arianna does. That is true! Angelo and Axel both moving on!
"Carol cannot contribute anymore, so she is sadly out of this challenge."
"Jeremy wrote that the old true resting spot was under the Cloc Mountain Range. That is true!
"Setsuna has written down, 'Gamata lives.' While this statement is of course entirely true, it has nothing at all to do with the Shameterranean. Admirable move on Setsuna's part, but she is out! Angelo, Axel, and Jeremy move on to Round Four!"
Round Four: Angelo, Axel, Jeremy
"Round Four, with three players left. Let's see what they wrote!" Chris exclaimed.
"Angelo wrote, 'The underking has no scepter'. True.
"Axel wrote that Michael is leading Ryuji towards Tiberius. Not sure how you figured that one out but you are correct."
Confessional: Axel
"Inductive Reasoning. Based on the behavior I know about the people down there combined with the information I learned from Arianna firsthand."
End Confessional
"Jeremy," Chris continued. "Has written that The Druidic Artifact used to be located in a hidden alcove with a view of the ocean. That is true! All three contestants are moving on to Round Five!"
Round Five: Angelo, Axel, Jeremy
"Angelo has written, 'The beetle has been squashed.' Alright, at this point, I don't know what you're talking about, and if I don't know, then I can't confirm it so you are out!"
"Axel wrote, 'Tiberius yeeted Stan.' I'm surprised you were able to figure that out, but that is. in fact, true. If Jeremy gets his answer flagged, then Axel will be the winner of reward! Let's see what Jeremy wrote!
"Jeremy wrote, 'There's a fake DA down there.' And that…
…
…
…
…
…
…
Is…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
False! Jeremy has written down outdated information, and so...
AXEL WINS REWARD!"
"Heck yeah!" Axel pumped his fist in celebration.
"Congratulations, Axel…" Chris smiled. "For winning reward, you gain a map to the location of the next true resting spot, and a clue to the Alltud medal! And for the rest of you, if you ever manage to win immunity going forwards, you'll get a clue to your original clan's special medal if it is not out already, and you don't already have your medal's clue!"
"Wait...what the fuck are you talking about?" Axel crossed his arms.
"Right!" Chris chuckled. "The medals, you guys don't know about them. Yeah, because we're merging, there aren't any clans anymore. You're all one big clan, but that doesn't mean your clan heritage isn't still important! There are five medals out there around the island, each representing one of the five clans, Cumhachtach, Mealltach, Ffydd, Cyfrwys, and Alltud! Anyone can play any of these medals, but you'll only be given a clue to the medal of the clan you were initially assigned! And don't worry, they aren't standard immunity medals. These guys have some fun abilities, aha-huh… With that though, go ahead and enjoy the merge! I'll be back later to explain how things work, when I bring back whoever rises out from the Shameterranean!"
Shameterranean
Contestant(s): Arianna, Mateo, Michael, Ryuji, Tiberius
Arianna rushed through the tunnels.
Wait.
She stopped.
Light. Ahead
She stepped towards it, and soon found herself walking down a tunnel lit by glowing crystals.
The tunnel walls started to get rougher.
She was approaching an important room, she was sure of it.
The glows took on a lavender hue.
She reached the end of the tunnel, and peered into the room.
Brilliant lavender gems sparkled throughout the area. A dais stood in the center of the room, with carvings of constellations in the night sky etched into it. And in its very center, a small, empty pedestal.
And patrolling around the room, was Tiberius.
Thankfully, he didn't seem to notice her.
Arianna quietly thanked the island gods that she was hidden in the shadows.
Another tunnel nearby opened up.
Arianna noticed both Ryuji and Michael appearing.
Michael put a finger to his mouth as Ryuji snuck forwards, towards Tiberius.
Arianna's eyes widened. What was he thinking?
Ryuji leapt towards the armored man, taking Tiberius completely by surprise.
"Gah, aren't you supposed to yell 'surprise', first, you cucking fuck?!"
"Well, it wouldn't surprise you as much then!" Ryuji retaliated as he kept distracting Tiberius, drawing his attention and dodging his blows, as he waited for Michael to finish the job.
He waited.
And dodged.
And waited.
And weaved.
And waited.
And ducked.
And wait- what the hell was taking Michael so long?
Ryuji looked over out of the corner of his eye and had his answer.
Michael was creeping towards the dais, holding the DA in his possession.
"Arianna!" Ryuji called out. "Michael!"
Arianna rushed forward. She was not going to let all her effort go to waste here, for him to return to the game instead.
Michael's mouth watered. It was so close. Almost tangible.
Arianna jumped onto his back, tackling Michael to the floor.
"Ah, what the fuc-"
"Gimme that!" Arianna had it in her hands, but his hands were on it too. She slid her thin fingers under Michael sausage-like fingers.
Michael yanked it out of her possession. "You think you have a chance against me?"
"You're in a loincloth!"
"That's the only strength you got against me!"
Arianna tripped him.
Michael fell flat on his face. The Druidic Artifact rolled away from him. He grabbed it.
He scanned the area.
Where did she go?
Michael shrugged and slammed the Druidic Artifact down on the true resting place. "HA!" He bellowed.
"HA!" Arianna echoed.
"What?" Michael noticed as she rose from the other side of the artifact.
"Pay attention to my hands next time, dummy." She directed Michael's attention to her fingers, still wrapped around the Druidic Artifact.
"No, no way… that's…" Michael shook his head. "Chris! What the hell does this mean?!"
"Hehehe…" Chris appeared in the cavern chamber. "The rules state that whoever places the Druidic Artifact down on its True Resting place will return to the competition. I never said that it had to be only one person."
"I was right!" Ryuji quipped.
"Well, now you're out!" Chris smiled back at Ryuji. "And Michael and Arianna will be returning to the surface! Just in time for the merge! But that's an event..." Chris turned to face the camera.
"For next time!
On Total!
Drama!
Crios Cath!"
14/36 Remaining. 13 Above Ground.
The Votes: (for those who are curious)
Chris voted for… Chef
Chef voted for… Intern
Doobop voted for… Chris
Eireen voted for… Doobop
Intern voted for… Intern 2
Intern 2 voted for… Eireen
Just kidding. There are no votes. Dummies. There was no elimination. Anyways, here's a bonus scene!
Bonus Scene
Shameterranean
Contestant(s): ?
The wind blew through the caverns, howling, as Arianna and Michael were led out of the area and ushered toward the Production Camp.
His true resting place was no longer the true resting place, and the DA had been taken away by interns so they could hide it again.
There was no one else down there. They had all jumped down Pits of Peril, directed by production.
He was the only one left.
He clutched his advantage in a prayer.
"My lord, I had a close call." His voice rumbled. "But I will still prevail."
He stood up.
He looked up towards the moon in the night sky.
"I'll defeat this game for you."
His armor reflected the moonlight as Tiberius walked closer to the view of above-ground.
"I will smite them all down in your name, my god, Donny. DEUS VULT!"
AN: Brilliant. Merge chapter complete! Let's get into our yeeted contestants as well as our uh… sword-swinging maniac.
Alice: Alice got dealt a pretty bad hand to be placed on Mealltach during the clan reassessment. If only Axel had defeated Tiberius, she might have been able to make friends with different people and stay in the game longer. Like, her luck just ran out. That was it.
I will say though, that maybe bragging about making out with Laura to Mateo wasn't the smartest move for her in hindsight.
Having studied her actions throughout the season, Alice earns the status of: Villain.
Look, all she ever really did was manipulate people for malicious purposes so like, yeah.
Alice's best moment: I'd say it was when she cut ties and got rid of Anemone. She was willing to essentially play herself into a corner just so that she could be sure Anemone got eliminated first. Nice and vindictive.
Laura: We stan. What a freaking character. I fully expect Laura to be back for some all star season in the future. When we were outlining her story oh my freaking goodness we were pretty proud ngl. Laura was an absolute blast to write from start to finish, and while it's very sad to see her go, it makes me appreciate the moments she gave us so much more.
Having studied her actions throughout the season, Laura earns the status of: Villain.
She began a heroic underdog, but I think by the end, she had pretty easily cemented herself as a villain. Her ruthlessness will be the talk of legend for centuries.
Laura's best moment: Oh fuck… uh… uhm… hrm… You know… there is one moment of Laura's that I really like, and that's the moment that she and Kalyssa share way way back in like Episode 3, where they are on the hill, and they talk about the pressures and privileges of being royalty. It really helped set the tone for the big moral downfall.
Mateo: Mateo performed… about the way I expected Mateo to perform honestly. I feel like his biggest problem was that he treated Cyfrwys like any other clan. If Mateo had been placed in a clan where he could act the way he did effectively, he'd probably make it pretty far, but when you have the sort of 'i am always in control' mindset… chances are you aren't really ever in control.
Having studied his actions throughout the season, Mateo earns the status of: Villain.
I mean… I don't think I need to explain this one. Find a scene with Mateo in it. Okay, now look at what Mateo says. If he has a confessional look at that. Now look at what he does. Alright. Point proven.
Mateo's best moment: I'm going to say… the first time he expressed attraction for Laura. Because let's be honest, you all also thought that.
Ryuji: Ryuji actually made it much farther than I initially thought he would to be honest. He was a great sort of prankster, strategy character, and he was of a more good aligned disposition that you just don't see that often with his type. They're usually more neutral and stuff.
Having studied his actions throughout the season, Ryuji earns the status of: Hero
Only barely mind you, but I think his actions in the Shameterranean, and his refusal of betraying his ally Jeremy all lend itself towards the title. He might not be the biggest one, but he certainly is one.
Ryuji's best moment: I'd say charging fucking Tiberius and actively going toe to toe against him is Ryuji's best moment (and yes, I do know that he also just barely survived an attack from and then yeeted Laura), but that was something that happend to him. In this Tiberius scenario, he's on the aggressive the whole time, and this happens after his close call with Laura. The mad lad loves dancing with death.
Tiberius: I mean, I guess I'll talk about him since he technically was moved from the Shameterranean to the new version of the Shameterranean. He's Tiberius. He's a funny dude to write and I hope a funny dude to read as well. It seems he's shoring up his resolve, so maybe we can see him rise back up at the end. It's definitely possible, and I'm sure he wouldn't show any mercy to Michael or Arianna if he saw them head back down again.
EN: Wow, I am brain dead. We wrote this, not only in one day, but on a day where we both had classes. (Doobop has one class and I have three :p) This chapter was one of the ones that we were excited to write oh mah good island gods. But yes, I'm tired and exhausted and oof. Doobop and I have had our fights when writing this; it's probably when we fight the most is when we write together, just because our writing styles are not only very different, but our writing processes are different. Though our fights have only ever gotten bad like twice.
You guys probably didn't need to know that, but I'm rambling at this point. My goodness, I'm tired, but I'll probably be up still on the discord server, just because I'm so excited. Probably be there for an hour or so.
AN2: Discord. Fun. Link on Profile.
EN2: And, as always, thanks for reading!
AN3: And as always-oh. What she said!
