EN: You aren't ready. Fact.


Chris Recap

"Last time on Total Drama Crios Cath…

"At 7:00pm sharp, I announced the returning contestants from the Shameterranean: Arianna and Michael. Few were excited for Arianna's arrival. Michael… not so much.

"After the merge song, Axel decided for the above ground contestants to camp out in the former Mealltach camp, making the Mealltach campsite the very first Mergeville! Just a few hours into the birth of Mergeville and things were already looking tough! Someone had hid the entirety of the 'camp supplies' out in the woods, which Axel blew a hilarious fit over. Turns out the supplies were hidden under a thorny bush.

"Most of the cast assumed it was Angelo, mainly due to the fact that they don't have any other clues besides circumstantial evidence, the fact that he has made some devious plays in the past, and considering it looked like he deliberately spilt every berry he deemed good in front of the eyes of everyone. But that comes a bit later.

"Once everyone left for the confrontation, Arianna pulled Axel aside, mainly for him to take all his anger out on her, but shockingly Axel isn't mad at Arianna, he's mad at me! Hey, he's got a good excuse!

"Kalyssa forged a deal with her long time rival, Jeremy.

"Maggie and Carol spoke about the possibilities of it really being Angelo.

"Jarri couldn't stop asking the interns if she could see the camera footage. I mean, yeah, it would've helped her, but leaving everyone to guess makes it… so… much… funnier.

"After the challenge was over, here is when Angelo accidentally spilt the berries! Everyone thought he did it on purpose, which, by the way, is a totally valid thought! Okay? Not like these contestants are detectives, sheesh!" Chef shook his head in the background. "Due to everyone, at this point, bringing on an extremely volatile environment towards Angelo, Angelo decided to exile himself, and Rose followed along with him. Let's see how long it lasts them, yeah? Cheeeff!"


Chef Recap

"The challenge happened. Tiberius kept King down there because of spite. Carol found the DA, but she kept it a secret! Tiberius made two separate alliances with Kalyssa and Arianna! Setsuna cleaned Tiberius's armor! Now King's runnin' to avoid the zealous templar! That's 'bout it!"

"Carol is about to receive the first clue to her clan's medal!" Chris came back to announce. "And the merge is about to kick into high gear! Who will be able to keep a steady hand, and who is about to have their above-ground game slip from their grasp? Find out right here… on Total! Drama! Crios Cath!"


Survivor's: Ancient Voices starts playing

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

Mergeville

The camera shows four figures of red, blue, green, yellow, and gray, all warring at each other, carrying symbols of flags. It then pans over the location of the acres Mergeville controls, showing the border of the Glas Woods and Cloc Mountain Range.

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

Arianna is seen placing the DA on its True Resting Place in one shot, and slamming her fists down on the sand in the second shot.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

Michael is seen placing the DA on its True Resting Place in one shot, and is leaping through treetops in a second shot.

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

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

Shameterranean

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

King is being scolded by Tiberius in one shot, and calling up to Setsuna in another.

Tiberius is getting his torch snuffed by Chris in one shot, and pacing around the first True Resting Place in another shot.

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

Total Drama Crios Cath


Location: Glas Woods (Mergeville)

Contestants: Angelo, Arianna, Axel, Carol, Frag, Jarri, Jeremy, Kalyssa, Maggie, Michael, Rose, Setsuna


Confessional: Michael

"My plot against Angelo has been going pretty well if I do say so myself. It's great, it's wonderful, we can all party about it, but my main objective still isn't complete. What I wanted to do was tear holes into that major alliance that was forming that was totally going to kick me out sometime soon. This is all hard work for ol' Michey, but ol' Michey's got this one in the bag." Michael nodded in his loincloth. "This will be a piece of bread!"

End Confessional


Carol placed the pot of river water right over the fire. Kalyssa threw another log into it as Michael returned with more wood.
"Hey, Carol." Michael said.

"Hi, Michael." Carol responded.

Kalyssa huffed. "Hello, Michael~."

Michael sniffed. "Cyfry-cuck!"

Kalyssa feigned offense. "That is no way to speak to someone that could poison your food!"

The three of them giggled.

"Well," Carol spoke up. "I'm going to head off to grab the next bucket from Frag."

"Oh wait, Carol." Michael walked along with her as they exited the campsite.

"S'up?" Carol asked as they kept pace.

"It's weird. I can't find my clothes anywhere. Considering the only other place I went to before my Shameterranean visit was Tine Naofa, surrounded by Alltud territory, I was wondering if you came across them on any of your adventures?"

"I, uh, can't say that I have. Chances are they might've gotten covered up by a dust storm."

"Oh, ah… rip. Well, that's too bad I guess, but hey, I get to show my bulging muscles." Michael posed, but didn't flex as much as he normally did.

Carol took notice. "Well, maybe we could ask the producers. They can't let you stay like this forever."

Michael shrugged. "Eh, reality TV. I don't think they will give them back. I guess being naked boosts the ratings or something."

Carol paused. "Michael, it's cool if you don't wanna tell, but is everything okay?"

Michael sighed. "It's," he cleared his throat, "It's something heavy that actually pertains to you. I kinda want to talk to you about it, but only if you want to hear."

"Oh. Uh, okay. Whatcha got?"

Michael put a hand on her arm. "You and Maggie… I-I think you two might be going through a bit of a falling out."

Carol stopped in her tracks. "What do you mean?"

"As somebody who's been underground for longer than a challenge, you learn to be a lot more observant than before. I haven't really seen either Maggie or Jarri approaching you all that much. If anything, it's only really you. I see Jarri and Maggie together all the time!"

"I guess that makes sense though. Jarri and Maggie were on Mealltach together for a while."

Michael shook his head. "I don't buy that. Mealltach and Alltud got along well from what I can see. Rose followed after Angelo. What's stopping Jarri from wanting to hang with you? What's stopping Maggie from wanting to hang with you?"

Carol hurriedly shook her head. "Well, there's clearly some reason! There's no way that can be true!"

"Look, Carol. I'm only trying to look out for you. I don't want this falling out to trick you into making a bad decision. I hate to break it to you, but the conifer huts don't have the thickest walls. I heard your entire conversation with Maggie about Angelo." Michael shook his head. "Man, it's like she wasn't even listening to you!" He balled his hands. "I really wanted to say something, but, ugh!, I just didn't want to be rude! I mean, I barely know the guy, but at least I would listen to you when you said it couldn't be him! I just- I couldn't let this go on any longer. That's why I've told you all this now. I'm sorry, Carol."

Carol nodded, and Michael let her walk towards Frag who was ready to give her the next bucket of river water for her to take back to camp.


Confessional: Carol

"Could Maggie and I be going through a falling out? It's not like she was necessarily rude to me last night. Maybe… she does keep mentioning that she doesn't want me to keep treating her like a child. Could that be it? I don't know! I wish sh-she would just tell me… Maybe… Maybe I should let her approach me this time. See how long that takes. I-It can't take that long, can it? If she was my friend, it wouldn't. There's no way it would."

End Confessional


Confessional: Frag

"I have no idea what the hell Michael was doing around Carol, but if he's over here trying to mess with her head, he'll have to find another target. I'll make it clear to him that this one is off limits!"

End Confessional


Another missing items incident would not occur. It could not. It simply wasn't possible. Not with Axel patrolling camp, eyeing everyone and everything suspiciously. Two potential villains had exited camp the other night, but another hidden villain could appear at any corner. There was no such thing as being too careful. Especially not in a game like this.

Arianna stepped up to Axel with a bucket in each hand.

"What?" He spoke bluntly through his mask.

Arianna crossed her arms. "You can't keep skulking around like an idiot. Three people left the camp yesterday, and one of them was the person keeping up with the shelters! I'm sorry your cool winner powers are gone, but you have work to do, so get off your ass!" She held a bucket to him.

"Not having those powers is a blessing given recent events." Axel grunted. "It makes it easier to keep eyes on the camp. Two of the three people that left camp are highly suspect, and the last one was, unfortunately, inevitable. If it's shelter maintenance you are worried about, then seek out one of the other Mealltach, they know how to do it too. My 'skulking around' is my patrol of the camp to make sure things go smoothly. If work is such a problem, identify the problem, and only distract me if you need my specific help."

"Look, Axel, someone else will obviously fix up the shelters, but that person will leave some other job to do that. It's camp-life. There is always something that needs to be done, especially when there aren't any amenities. I'm annoyed at all the shenanigans that happened too, but at least I'm not letting it control my life! If anything, things aren't going any more smoothly than they were last night. It's like I'm walking on eggshells around you!"

"Then walk carefully!" Axel warned. "What I'm doing right now is far more important in the long run! I am working tirelessly to purge this competition of all its villains, which we seem to have far more of than I would have liked after our Shameterranean plan! Let the others put up with a camp guard for a while if they have to. They'll be thankful once that final villain is down the Pits of Peril!"

"Let me give you a bit of advice for a game like this, advice which you seem to forget: not everyone is working their damndest to get rid of the villains! It's a competition for a million dollars. There may be some people who play more ruthlessly than others, which leads me to my point. People might actually try to get rid of you before they try to get rid of Angelo. This game is social, Axel! If you're being a nuisance at camp, and you aren't helping us survive, people will eliminate you from the tribe, so they can better it. What you're doing isn't just worse for me, it's also worse for yourself. Get to work, asshole!"

"You know, for all the advice you just claimed to give, you can't seem to see the hypocrisy in it." Axel countered. "The game is a social game, you're right, and that's exactly why getting rid of the villains is so important! They don't play the game socially as much as they play it psychologically. It always happens, and it's the part of this game that I loathe because it empowers those villains to hurt people. I need to do this to make sure another attempt at sabotage like that doesn't happen again. Angelo might be the prime suspect, but he's not the only suspect, nor is it beneath someone who would hide our supplies once to hide them a second time. And if you can't get off your own power trip that you seem to be on after coming back above ground, it's going to bite you in the ass far harder than anything that could bite mine!"

"Are you-" Arianna dropped a bucket. "Are you kidding me? You think I'm the one who's on a power trip? If anything, you are the one on the power trip! Ever since Angelo and Rose left, you've had this camp on freaking lockdown like a tyrant!"

"I'm not ordering anyone to do anything, Arianna. The one acting like a tyrant right now is you. You're expecting people to just do whatever you tell them to. I don't expect that, and that's precisely why I've been keeping such a close eye on the campsite. If you don't like it, that's your problem, not mine. If you really, truly want me to stop this vigil, then you should be trying to get rid of the villains still left in this game, because as long as they're here, we still haven't completed our objective."

"Don't put that on me! Don't fucking put that one on me! I only agreed to do your Shameterranean plan! That's it! Not only that, but there is a less annoying, more immediate solution for getting rid of your vigil that, I promise you, EVERYONE IS TIRED OF! It's simple, why don't we just ELIMINATE YOU! I swear to the island gods, you are being so irrational! I can't believe I might have thought, for even a second, that you had lightened up! What are you gonna do next? Annoy everyone so much that they literally move camp away from your hoe ass?"

"I think I should remind you that you didn't agree to any Shameterranean plan of mine, you pettily, pettily volunteered yourself for the Shameterranean to spite me. And I was lightening up because I thought the plan worked. Turns out it didn't; Michael and Tiberius are both still here. The solution isn't to give up on the goal, the solution is to come up with a new plan! If you genuinely believe that voting for me is the play, then do it. I'm calling that bluff. This is how I've been operating the whole fucking game, and so far the only people to speak against it are Angelo, the prime suspect of the incident, Rose, who is sympathetic towards him, and you! And let's face it, Arianna, you aren't exactly qualified to speak on acceptable camp behavior. You do realize that, right?"

Arianna gasped. Without thinking, she slapped Axel across the face.

"Exhibit A." He growled deeply, putting a hand to his reddened cheek.

"You don't get it!" Arianna reacted. "If you don't change your behavior, and I mean really change, your fate won't be any different than… than… than Laura's!" Arianna stormed off.

The bucket she dropped sank into the mud.

A few of the contestants surrounding the campsite didn't bother to watch where Arianna was headed. All eyes centered on Axel.

He didn't care. His sights were centered on the woman who stepped away from camp not wanting to look at his masked face.

Eventually the eyes left him as everyone continued their tasks. Properly. Efficiently. Silently.

There was no way a villainous brat like her could be right, right?

Axel picked up the bucket, his mouth went agape within his surgical mask.

That's what she wanted.

He exited the campsite in the direction Arianna had taken. It didn't appear she was anywhere near the berry bushes.

"Arianna?" He called out as he stopped beside a tree. "Are you around?"

"I'm literally on the other side."

He turned around. There she was in a stream of light between the branches. Her back was turned towards him, a single bucket in her hand. Whatever part of her face Axel could see, he could tell it was still red from their fight.

"What do you want?" She spat.

Axel placed himself next to her. Arianna gave him a side-eyed glance, but continued her search.

Axel put a berry in his bucket. "You mean, you aren't going to apologize for slapping me in the face?"

Arianna groaned. "Maybe I would've, but now I'm not going to. I stormed away from you. Take a hint."

She was about to walk away again, but Axel propped his arm up on a tree, blocking her from the exit she was about to take. The other side, however, had been free.

Arianna refused to make eye contact. She let out a loud exhale through her nose.

Axel leaned in. "I want to resolve this, but that's impossible to do when you don't cooperate!"

"You think I'M the one not cooperating?"

What little time both of them had to calm down from each other had now been brought back to the surface. Axel refused to answer the question. He gave her a glare.

Arianna responded with an evil-eye, and their eyes locked onto each other.

Both of their breaths were heavy. Fuming out their anger. It only got heavier as more emotion overcame the two.

They leaned in closer and closer.

Their breathing got heavier and heavier.

Arianna lowered Axel's surgical mask.

Her breaths cooled his top lip.

Her eyes drooped.

Axel's lips parted and spoke. "If you wanted to go berry picking with me, why didn't you just say so?"

Arianna opened her eyes. Axel was right in front of her. A bit of sweat accumulated below his nose, possibly from the sweat of the mask. She stared right into his eyes. "If I wanted to go berry picking with you, I wouldn't have stormed off, now would I?"

"Clearly you didn't want to go with me when you stormed off."

Arianna slipped out of the sandwich between the tree and Axel. "Well, if you want to go berry picking with me, maybe I will."

"I don't," said Axel as he picked up a berry bucket, and they walked. "But we need enough food for everyone at camp, and look at how much time you just wasted!"

And the two of them bickered until they finally found more berries.


Shift Camera Focus

Angelo moved past the trees with his bucket full of ripe berries. He was careful not to trip over any loose branches. The fire he moved towards barely glowed. Faint smoke trailed off the few embers.

Rose interweaved the hastily made conifer hut.

"Rose," Angelo spoke up. "The fire."

Rose rushed to the fire in an attempt to supply oxygen, but only blew it out. She slumped down with a sigh.

"Flower, it's okay-"

"Don't call me that!"

He took a breath. "Rose, it's okay-"

"No, it's not! I had one job and I-"

"Rose, it's okay-"

"How, Angelo? How is it okay?"

"We have enough water to last us until the challenge. And I picked enough berries to feed five people. We can rekindle the fire another time."

A tear streaked down Rose's cheek. "And what about rekindling our relationships with the other contestants?"

Angelo sighed. "The only lost cause is trying to reason with Axel." He sat down next to her.

Rose rubbed her eyes and squeezed Angelo's hand. "It's going to be one of us next."

"That might not be the case." Angelo fed Rose a berry. "Whoever framed me, I believe they will only continue to stir turmoil at camp, considering how successful they were with us. If they do continue to stir turmoil, and we aren't in the mix, chances are, we may be lost in the mist."

She scrunched her face at the tart taste. "But that only works if whoever is pulling this not funny business actually does more!"

"Michael or Kalyssa. It has to be either one of them. If Kalyssa was guarding the fire the whole time, that would mean it has to be Michael. He was the one who brought up the missing supplies, was he not?"

"No." Rose shook her head. "It was Axel. But what you just said also makes sense. Heck, it clearly makes more sense if you just take the extra minute to think it through! Michael has far more to gain by doing that than you, and if Axel wasn't so impulsive… Ugh" She rubbed two sticks together. "I can't believe he just turned on you like that! I can't believe no one else tried to stick up for you!"

"I can understand where everyone else is coming from. Either they don't want to put their games down the drain with me, or they are on Axel's side. Considering he was the loudest voice in the room, and he was making a sliver of sense, people tend to react that way."

"Axel's pride blinds him to the point where he can't figure out whether he's being deceived or not, but Jarri? I thought… I thought she was with us."

Angelo took a sip of water. The smoke tainted the air. "She investigated and found only my footprints. I remember her waking up at night trying to figure out what was happening. It would make sense for someone athletic like Michael to use trees or other to avoid leaving a trail, and it would also make me look fairly damned. At least to someone tired and nervous, anxiety might've resolved the conflict for her."

"I wish I could just talk to her and figure out where her mind is at." Rose slouched back. "I shouldn't have left so quickly. We could've avoided this whole situ-"

"Blossom," Angelo smiled at her. "Thank you for coming with me."

The newest endearment caused her to blush. "I-It's me who should be thanking you."

"I could not be any more grateful for your compassion."

"It was you who stuck through with me when I was going through rough times."

"And it is you who is sticking with me during this rough time."

It had been since the start of the game, they were never allowed to be on the same soil. They thought they couldn't touch each other. They had gone so many days without seeing each other. But now.

Now.

Angelo held Rose.

She was still. A statue of worry.

He laid his head on her warm hair. Her heartbeat pulsated through her body and into Angelo's. He rocked back and forth.

She tightened her grasp on him. Her deep and rash breaths traveled down Angelo's exposed torso. "Don't… Don't be… afraid." Rose stammered. "We'll make it… out… of this mess."

Angelo moved his hand down her back. He didn't stop rocking her. Her words echoed in his mind. It was as though she were trying to comfort him during his point of distress. But he had nothing to fear. She was afraid. With a hand passing down her back, he repeated Rose's words to her. "Don't be afraid. We'll make it out of this mess."

"You can… you can stand up… after you… fall."

Angelo turned Rose's head towards his and leaned in. "I'm glad you exist. People like you give me hope the world can get better. Just trust me. Okay?"

Another tear fell down Rose's cheek.

The both of them mindlessly leaned towards each other, unaware of how close they've gotten. With their eyes half-closed and lips half-open, it became obvious what their bodies urged them to do.

Their lips met. It was a gentle, yet inescapable force. Every fiber of Angelo's body urged him to hold on.

Hold onto her.

Hold onto this moment.

Hold on.

Take a breath.

Hold on.

Slide your hand into her hair.

Hold on.

Hold on to this miracle.


Shift Camera Focus

"Ugh, ick, why are these so gross and sappy?" Kalyssa complained as she worked her best on tending to the conifer huts while also keeping an eye on Setsuna tending to the fire.

"Who is?" Setsuna asked.

Kalyssa stifled a laugh.

"The pine branches, love." She grinned at Setsuna. "You let me know if the fire gets bigger or smaller, alright?"

"I think… I can do that." Setsuna nodded.


Confessional: Kalyssa

"Setsuna is simple. Incredibly simple. That doesn't make her the greatest ally, but it does make her a great fall girl. I can get her to take actions that I wouldn't feel safe taking, and I can probably get her to deny I told her to do those actions. So for now, the plan is to put on my pretty face for Setsuna, show off my patterns, and when she has served her purpose… She'll feel the venomous sting of elimination."

End Confessional


Confessional: Setsuna

"Kalyssa seems nice. It's a little strange that she likes bad romance flicks about trees, but different strokes I guess."

End Confessional


"Say Setsuna…" Kalyssa asked as she finished one of the shelters.

"Yes?" Setsuna turned from prodding the fire with a stick.

"How are you holding up? King was the only other original Ffydd wasn't he?"

"Oh." Setsuna looked back towards the fire. "I don't know. I'm not sure how to feel or what to do about it."

"Then let's make a pact together alright?" Kalyssa smiled. "I'll let you know if your name is ever being thrown out, and you can let me know about mine."

"I guess that's alright." Setsuna yawned. "The fire is getting bigger."

"Because you're constantly prodding it, dear."

"Where?"

"The… fire? With the stick?"

"There's no deer in the fire. I checked."

Kalyssa clicked her tongue.

"You know what, Setsuna? Since we're friends now, I'll take over fire duty. You just go inside the shelters until lunch and make sure they don't fall down."

"Oh, thank you, sounds good!" Setsuna handed Kalyssa a burning stick before heading into a shelter.

Kalyssa quickly tossed the stick in the fire and got a better stick to use as a poker.


Confessional: Kalyssa

"Like I said, simple."

End Confessional


When she was sure Setsuna had instinctively fallen asleep in the shelter, she kept the fire low and quickly headed towards a hole to the Shameterranean.

"You're late." Tiberius sniffed below the ground.

"We never decided on a time." Kalyssa rolled her eyes.

"It's been almost 24 hours. That's too long." Tiberius grunted. "And now I have dirt in my nose."

"Well, I'm here, so how is this going to work?"

"We start with that stupid Jarri bitch." Tiberius grunted. "I don't forget things easily. I remember how happy she was to insult me on my generous visit to her clan of whores."

"And I just want to confirm that you want me to vote her out, so you can push her down the Pit of Peril, correct?"

"That's right." Tiberius nodded. "I want the satisfaction of forcing her out of the game. Not like she has many people up there who will miss her anyways."

Kalyssa thought about her own options. "It'll be a tough order, but with the right finagling, I'll get her down to you."

"Be sure you do. I don't want to see any failures, Cyfry-cuck."


Confessional: Kalyssa

"If anyone's being a cuck right now, it's him. Down there in the Shameterranean while the rest of us play the real game."

End Confessional


"Yes, my king." Kalyssa rolled her eyes. "Anything else."

"Nah. Leave."

Kalyssa shrugged and headed back to the fire just in time to prod it and keep it from smoldering out.


Shift Camera Focus

"Hey Frag, how much of a haul do you have?" Jeremy asked as the pair of men walked through the Glas Woods, collecting as many berries as they could. They had decided that Axel and Arianna wouldn't be able to gather enough for everyone on their own given their argument, so each took one of their own.

"Looking pretty good so far, dude!" Frag replied happily. "We've got a good berry trail here."

"I'll say!" Jeremy agreed. "Bucket's nearly full and-… oh… whoa…"

The pair stopped short as their trail led them into a bit of a clearing, though it wasn't much brighter than the rest of the woods. If anything, it was darker, because there, in the center of the clearing, was a gargantuan tree of the sturdiest oak.

"This thing is massive!" Jeremy observed.

"Massively ancient too." Frag looked around. "You think this place might've been sacred to the tribes or something?"

"Possible." Jeremy nodded as they walked closer to the ancient oak tree, over its roots, inspecting every corner of it. "Do you think we should tell everyone else about it?"

"I mean, I think it's pretty cool, but I'm not sure how useful the information will-..."

"Frag?" Jeremy asked as Frag just stopped responding. "Frag, are you there?" Jeremy circled back around the tree to see Frag staring up at a small object glinting inside a hollow branch.

"Y'know…" Jeremy muttered. "I think maybe you were onto something with this tree being sacred."

"Y-yeah." Frag nodded. "Given the area we happen to be in… I think that might be one of the clan medals that Chris mentioned during the merge."

"The Mealltach one probably." Jeremy extrapolated. "But could either of us even play it?"

"Let's find out." Frag said. "Give me a boost."

"Putting a lot of trust in you to be honest with me here." Jeremy laughed even as he helped Frag up the tree.

Only just barely was the combined height of the two enough to reach the branch where the medal rested.

Frag slowly made his way towards the medal, hanging from the tree the whole time.

"Careful, dude…" Jeremy followed him with arms outstretched to catch him if he fell.

"Good Lord, this is the scariest thing I've ever done…" Frag muttered as he let go with one of his hands to reach into the small hollow.

He managed to grasp the medal by its chain, wrapping it around his fingers and clutching the medal itself in his palm.

"I've got it!" He called. "It's got a note attached!"

"Can you get down, or do you need to-"

Jeremy was cut off as Frag fell from the tree, and landed in Jeremy's outstretched arms as the two both then fell to the ground.

"Thanks for breaking the fall." Frag wiped his brow as he got to his feet and helped Jeremy up.

"Ah, don't mention it." Jeremy stretched. "So, let's see what this Mealltach Medal can do."

Frag nodded and detached the instructions note from the medal.

"Congratulations." He read. "You have discovered the Mealltach Medal. You must play this medal after the votes have been cast but before they are read. Anyone may play this medal. You must play this medal on a player other than yourself. That player will receive immunity, but you will steal that player's vote and replace it with your own."

"Oh dang, that's… a strange one, but it's really good if you're in an alliance with someone who has a target on their back." Jeremy mused.

"Yeah." Frag nodded. "So I think our best bet is to save this for a good opportunity. For instance, if you're ever in trouble, I can play it on you and just keep your vote the same."

"Alright, let's shake on it." Jeremy held out a hand. "You hold onto the medal, and when I'm in trouble, you play it on me."

"Pretty good deal." Frag grinned as she shook Jeremy's hand. "Just try not to get too big a target too quickly."


Shift Camera Focus

Kalyssa smacked a club against their makeshift pot. "LUNCH TIME!"

The universal stomach growls across the campsite gathered at the one point. Setsuna hung back. One by one, everyone filled their plates.

"Setsuna," Maggie approached her. "Grab a plate!"

Setsuna shook her head. "I'm fine with whatever's left."

"I've seen the haul of food Kalyssa has been cooking. There's more than enough for everyone!"

"Everyone?"

Maggie nodded.

Setsuna stared down the pot of food. "I'll wait for everyone else to get their food first."

"I-I just don't want you to be left out is all. People might take seconds before you have even had a plate, you know?"

Setsuna approached the pot. She devoured her plate.

She grabbed another. Now that she had eaten, nobody paid any sort of attention to her. Everyone was either seated by the fire, eating, digesting, or had already finished to resume camp chores.

She put more food on the plate and left the general campsite.


Confessional: Setsuna

"Maggie said there was more than enough for everyone. That means there's enough for everyone. I think."

End Confessional


After some time wandering around, Setsuna finally found the spot. She sat by the smoked out fire.

Rose crawled out of the shelter. "Setsuna?"

Setsuna nodded very slowly as Rose warily came closer. "I brought you food."

"From… from the main camp?"

"No, it's from the pot over the fire."

"The fire… in the main camp?"

"Yeah, that one."

Rose froze. "You need to go back. You could get into some serious trouble if they found out you did this."

"There's more than enough for everyone. That includes you and Angelo, too."

Rose's mouth watered.


Confessional: Rose

"Up until this point in the competition, I had never talked to Setsuna. And it didn't really help that she never tried to push the conversation forward in her responses. It was so awkward. And that plate of food she brought… Angelo and I have been on berries for days now. A decent meal right in front of my eyes; it was the only thing I could think of!"

End Confessional


"Speaking of which, where is Angelo?"

"He's sleeping before the challenge. With only two of us, there's a lot less to do."

"Oh, that's too bad. You can't eat while sleeping. I tried."

Rose held the plate. "I'll give him his share when he wakes up. Or maybe I'll wake him up now so people don't obsess over missing supplies again."

"No need." Angelo emerged from the shelter. "I woke up from the smell of the meal. You said we can eat it?"

"Yeah." Setsuna nodded. "Just not while you're asleep."

"You are a godsend!" Angelo exclaimed to the one Ffydd member still above ground as the pair dug into their food.

"No, not really. With King gone, I feel more like any sort of god is against me."

Rose looked down. "I know what it's like to be ripped away from all your allies, or at least a good position tarnishing into a terrible one."

Angelo nodded. "I do too."

"That's why I'm here." Setsuna sighed. "I need allies. King would tell me to get some anyways. I brought you food. Help?"

"Well, it certainly is a delicious meal compared to the berries." Angelo nodded. "What do you think, Rose? Want us to take on the island gods with Setsuna?"

"I… don't know you very well, but as long as we can agree to vote for the same person every time. Even if we're only three people, it's still a voting block of sorts."

"But…" Setsuna brought out her box. "I don't know if I can do that."

"Setsuna," Angelo smiled and spoke softly. "We're powerless. We have to do something if we want to stay in this game. You don't have to decide right this very second, or even this round of the game, but if we're going to go up against a god you think is against you, we're going to need leverage. We need the power of your vote to survive. So let me officially ask you for help now. We'll work with you to keep you safe, but we need your vote. Help?"

"I…" Setsuna caressed her box, looking Angelo and Rose in their eyes. "I need time to think about it, but I will think about it. I need to get back to camp now. Even I can't be gone for too long, they might come looking for me."


Location: Nialasach Ruins

Contestants: All Above Ground

"Gather round, campers!" Chris announced as the above-ground players all congregated in the middle of the Nialasach Ruins, at the base of a somewhat familiar looking statue.

"Does anyone care to explain what a statue of that guy is doing in the middle of some ancient ruins?" Maggie asked as she pointed to the monument of Total Drama Nui Kaua's Pierre Khansi.

"It's just a prop." Chef grumbled under his breath. "Took me weeks to make."

"That…" Chris pointed at the Pierre statue, "is in fact your newest challenge!"

"But…" Arianna pointed out. "It's a fucking statue. What, are we copying it or something?"

"Your challenge, if you guys will quit asking premature questions…" Chris glared at the cast. "Is a simple, but brutal one! Pick a hand, and place it on that statue. If, for any reason, you take that hand off, or put your other hand on, or switch hands, you are out of the challenge. The very last person standing with their designated hand against the statue will win individual immunity, as well as a clue to the location of the medal corresponding to their pre-merge clan. Now, are there any questions?"

"Yeah." Maggie raised her hand. "Why a statue of Pierre?"

"Because I just felt like it!" Chef shouted out from behind Chris. "Let a man sculpt, woman!"

"Well, there you have that." Chris smiled. "Any other questions?"

"I have one." Angelo raised his own hand. "We'll all be in this one place together, so may we talk with each other during the challenge?"

Chris shrugged. "I don't see why not. Just don't take your designated hand off the statue."


Confessional: Arianna

"Hand on a Hard Idol? Really? This series is already successful. They have the budget to come up with something less cheap. The heck are they hoarding the money for?"

End Confessional


Challenge: Hand on a Hard Idol

Rules: The players must designate a hand to place onto the statue of Pierre Khansi. The players cannot, for whatever reason:

1. Take their hands off the statue.

2. Switch hands.

3. Touch the statue with the non-designated hand.

If any of the three conditions occur, the contestant is out of the challenge and lose their chance at winning immunity.

The last contestant who's designated hand remains on the statue wins immunity.


CHALLENGE COMMENCE!

The contestants stood, hand on statue. Many had used various techniques, such as leaning on the hand to prevent it from being absently used. To others, this was a possibility. An opportunity.

Rose stood next to her former clanmate, Jarri. The person she stood next to was just as important of a decision as choosing which hand to place upon the statue.

Rose glanced at Jarri and sighed. "Good morning, Jarri."

"Oh, hi, Rose." Jarri cleared her throat. "How've you been?"

"Angelo and I have been doing well. Since there are only two of us, there isn't much that needs to get done. We rested well before this challenge. How have you been?"

"I'm fine." Said Jarri. "I haven't been able to sleep much though. Partially because the conifer huts keep coming apart at night, but also because I have this terrible gut feeling."

Rose half-smiled. "I know the feeling. I hope it has something to do with the investigation?"

Jarri sighed. "I'm telling you, Rose, I did everything I could. The footprints were Angelo's. His past actions in this game don't seem to add up. He has the agility to hide all the equipment from under our noses. If he was sabotaging us from under our noses, we caught onto it. It makes sense that he would blow up his image to get a reaction, similar to what Arianna did. Rose, I'm worried about you. Don't just take everything he says to heart."

Rose looked Jarri in the eyes. "I don't defend him just because I'm his girlfriend. It's a factor, but not the whole reason. I know Angelo more than you do. Even Axel doesn't know him as well as I do. Axel is narrow-visioned as it is. If Angelo was trying to sabotage camp, he would be far smarter about it. Not only that, but he would never come up with that decision unless he felt like he absolutely had to. He was in a good position in this game." Rose shook her head. "I'm not blindly defending him. If I ever thought that Angelo was the one behind this, I would bring it up with him in an instant. If Angelo did figure out that people were getting onto him, spilling the berries and immediately claiming it to be an accident wouldn't be the move of a saboteur. He's being framed, and I think I know the one behind it."

Jarri nodded. "I might just be hoping to believe in falsehoods, but still, I'm willing to hear you out."

"Well, first of all, your investigation's absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. It means the true culprit did not leave a single trace. How to hide the camp supplies without leaving a trail? The woods. We're surrounded by trees, healthy and strong ones at that. How hard would it be for someone to haul the camp supplies little by little through the trees?"

"It would take someone pretty athletic…"

Rose nodded. "Athletic and devious? We've got a Michael on our hands. Angelo has some athletic skill, but the raw upper body strength needed for that feat would strain him too much. A more dedicated athlete, like Michael who is a pitcher, would have a much easier time."

Jarri's slow nodding quickened. "I'll be sure to entertain that theory after the challenge. Maybe there's some hard evidence in the trees."

Rose smiled. "Thank you. There probably is."

Jarri leaned in past Rose, and snapped with her free hand to get Angelo's attention.

"This is… awkward…" Rose whispered as she did her best to afford Jarri room while also not taking her hand off the statue.

"Angelo!" Jarri loudly whispered.

"Hm?" Angelo turned to see her sort of doing her best to lean in through the gap between Rose and the statue.

"A… are you two alright? You aren't stuck are you?"
"What? No!" Jarri shook her head. "I'm here to tell you I'll start looking through the trees! If your theory is correct, he probably left some sort of trail up there!"

"Well, thank you, but please, don't push yourself through Rose any further, I wouldn't want either of you to lose!"

"Oh, right! No problem!" Jarri ducked back through Rose and returned to her original spot, before making her way over to Maggie, on her other side.

"What was that about?" Maggie asked.

"I have some work to do today after the challenge."

"Something else besides shelter maintenance?"

Jarri explained Rose and Angelo's theory to Maggie.

"I see. Just don't exhaust yourself over this."

"I'll try not to, but I can't make any promises. This is important for the camp."

"You need to put yourself first, Jarri. Everyone else around us is super important too. Just don't obsess over this."

Jarri sighed. "Maggie, I have to do this. In the event Angelo is completely innocent, everyone might be targeting the wrong person. Being eliminated for something someone didn't even do isn't just!"

Maggie stayed silent for a while. After she had collected her thoughts, she spoke. "My biggest concern is that you're falling into someone's trap. At this point, I have no clue if it's Angelo's trap or Michael's trap or it could even be someone else entirely. Angelo leaving the camp might've been the reaction Michael was gunning for. You looking in the trees might be the reaction Angelo is looking for. I don't know. I'm having trouble, but if you think looking in the trees is your best course of action, do it. Just… if anything goes wrong, listen to this." Maggie points to Jarri's gut.


Confessional: Maggie

Maggie has her face buried in her hands. "I really, really want to trust Jarri. I really want to trust Rose, and maybe, by extension Angelo, but I don't know. This game has gotten so intense over the past few days that I don't know who to trust anymore. Heck, maybe Jarri was the one to hide the camp supplies! Maybe me freaking out is exactly what whoever hid the camp supplies wanted me to do." Maggie looked into the camera. "Well, not me, specifically, but I guess making peoples' heads run wild. Making people not trust their closest allies that have been built up throughout this game. Making people make a decision that will probably cost them.

"This elimination ceremony… this is not gonna end well… It's just this huge feeling of dread I have going into it. I don't want this challenge to be over. The second it's over, it's gonna be a whole other kind of chaos. More and more people will question allegiances, and I hope I'm not the one on the raw end of this deal. I don't think I will be though, mainly because I've been trying my best to stay out of this, but I'm still not confident. It doesn't help that Jarri, my number one ally at this point, keeps sticking her nose in this situation, and I don't want it to cost her. I know the situation at camp could be compared to putting a band-aid on a broken arm, but the more Jarri keeps ripping it off, the more the others are going to keep putting it back on. At least, I hope they don't do that. I don't want Jarri's decision to cost her, but at the same time, the result of Jarri's decision might cost other people." Maggie sighed.

"And then, there's this whole situation with Carol. I keep catching her looking at me. I don't know, maybe she's looking off at something near my head, but if we did make eye-contact, are we not close enough to at least smile at each other? I-I don't know what's going on with her. Carol has always been the more social one between the two of us, so it's unlike her to not come up to me. I just hope that whatever she's going through, she doesn't make a decision that will cost her. I'd hate for her to go without resolving whatever this is."

End Confessional


Michael came up beside Maggie. "Hey, girls, what's going on?"

Maggie and Jarri exchanged a glance.

"Well, you know," Michael leaned against the statue as he crossed one of his legs over the other. "I've been competing in this challenge for a while now. It's getting kinda hot. Y'know," Michael shrugged in his position, "the usual stuff."

"Sounds wonderful, Michael." Jarri nodded.

Michael's posture shifted. "Oh, Jarri, you got a lil' something…" He gestured around his lips.

Jarri had used her hand to swipe off whatever Michael was gesturing to.

"And Jarri is out of the challenge!" Chris declared.

Jarri gasped.


Confessional: Maggie

"Now, it's time for me to make a decision. Given my options and what I know about everyone else, this will only cost me something that someone else might need more."

End Confessional


With a deep breath, Maggie hurdled herself into Michael. The unexpectedness forced Michael's hand off the statue.

"What the heck?" Michael exclaimed.

"That was low, Michael."

"Not anything lower than what you did!"

Maggie took in a breath. "Well, at least you can sit on the bench peacefully, knowing that I can't win immunity either."


Confessional: Michael

"No, I can't sit on the bench peacefully! I could've sworn my name was thrown a few times out there, which means it was probably thrown out a ton whenever I leave camp! I knew my name would always be written on the votes, but I don't want too many. She isn't paranoid enough yet. She has way more willpower than I gave her credit for." Michael crossed his arms and adopted a smirk. "That's fine. It just gives me license to go even harder on causing chaos. After all, I want the camp to change pronto!"

End Confessional


Maggie and Michael took their tumble, and Setsuna wiped her brow. "Thank goodness, I wasn't involved in that."

"And Setsuna is out!" Chris announced as he pointed to Setsuna's designated hand, which she had absently used to wipe her brow.

"Dang." Setsuna shrugged before heading over to join Jarri, Michael, and Maggie on the bench.


Confessional: Angelo

"It's a shame that Setsuna lost her chance at immunity. Any one of the three of myself, Setsuna, or Rose could really use it at this time."

End Confessional


Angelo looked to his left and right. Jeremy and Rose. One of the main camp and one of his own. He had plenty of time with Rose already. What he needed now was time with someone in the main camp.

Angelo walked to the left. "Salutations, Jeremy."

"Hi, Angelo." Jeremy stayed focused on the statue. "I'd turn to look, but I could use the immunity."

"Ah, as we all could." Angelo laughed. "Though given a recent conversation, I should inform you of this before anyone else drops. As far as I am concerned, I know the perpetrator of the camp supplies incident, but feel free to think of it as a second potential culprit."

"Angelo…" Jeremy sighed. "I want to hear you out, I do. But I don't want to stir the pot around camp any more than it's already been stirred. People are on edge enough as it is. I won't be responsible for getting them even more on edge."

"That's a shame." Angelo shook his head. "But as long as you'll hear me out, I'll state the name. I believe it was Michael. Likely using the trees to avoid leaving prints."

"That alone doesn't explain the berries being dumped, but it's a start." Jeremy replied. "Maybe he could have tripped you from the foliage though, so I'll think about it, but like I said, I'm not about to stir the pot. Camp is too volatile."


Confessional: Angelo

"Very well, Jeremy. You needn't stir any pot. However, just know that it is your inaction which will force my hand."

End Confessional


"You know, Angelo…" Kalyssa leaned through Jeremy, who flushed from the sudden proximity as he desperately kept his hand to the statue. "There is a way to gain the traction you and your lover need to return to our main campsite. Simply vote off that girl who was the first to drop, Jarri. That's where at least two votes are going, and any extra votes are paramount for this elimination. People are taking the game all over the place. Might as well double up with my alliance."

"A generous offer, but I refuse." Angelo shook his head. "I certainly have no intention of voting for Jarri, and Rose likely hasn't even considered that possibility."

"Hmph." Kalyssa quickly ducked back out through Jeremy. "Your funeral, Exile Prince."


Confessional: Jeremy

"Did I hear her right? We're voting for Jarri? Why? What purpose does that even serve us?"
End Confessional


"Excuse me, Jeremy, there is someone I want to speak with that is on the other side of you." Angelo.

Jeremy took one step away from the statue, his palm still flat on the surface. "This is the best I can do."

"No worries." Angelo slipped through the gap.

"I suppose you'll require the same services from myself." Kalyssa asked.

"Indeed I will."

Kalyssa kept her palm still flat against the surface of the statue, and took one step back with one leg. The other leg was still close to the statue.

Angelo, just as easily, slipped through the gap.

Angelo approached Arianna. "Excuse me-"

"No!"

"Why not?"

"Who are you trying to talk to?"

"Axel."

"He's literally right next to me." Arianna put her free hand on her hip. "And I'm not about to let you under me, so you could try to force me out."

"I'm not going to force you out. I only desire to speak with Axel."

"Even if you don't intend to get me out, you could."

"I'll try my best not to."

"No! I am one of the shortest people here, okay? I'm not gonna have you accidentally bump my arm or anything. I want to win this challenge!"

"I suppose I should slip over you then…"

As Angelo was immediately over Arianna, she used her free arm to hit Angelo's arm, thrusting him off the statue.

"Angelo is out of the challenge!" Chris leaned back in his lawn chair.


Confessional: Axel

"With Angelo being out of the challenge, my vote has just become a lot easier to determine, but I'm far more concerned with the way in which he was eliminated. Arianna, for all her pre-merge talk of giving people chances, she very quickly denied any to Angelo. While I wasn't going to give her chances, he and Carol clearly did based on their talks, so she can't use the same excuse she would if he were me. No, she's nothing more than an opportunist, and that means she still needs to be monitored."

End Confessional


Confessional: Angelo

"To think that I was willing to consider eliminating Axel before her, when clearly Arianna is still the same person she was on Cyfrwys. That's not a lesson I'll forget anytime soon. I'm counting on you, Rose."

End Confessional


Carol inched her way closer to Frag, careful not to take her hand off of the statue. "Psst…" She used her other hand to grab Frag's attention and beckon him towards her.

Frag slowly inched his own way towards Carol. "What is it?"

"I… I got some strange news today and, well, I could use some advice if you don't mind?"

"Oh, I, of course not." Frag blushed a bit. "What do you need?"

"During my talk with Michael earlier, he mentioned that he thought I was going through a falling out with Maggie, and she really hasn't come to talk to me, like, at all since the merge hit. I just want to get your thoughts on what I should do because I like Maggie and Jarri, and I don't want to lose my friends. I especially don't want it to be because of something I did either, so… thoughts?"

"Michael is the one who brought this to your attention?" Frag asked with a grimace.

"Yeah, but he's not lying. She really hasn't come up to me in a while."

"I can't claim that what he said is untrue." Frag sighed. "But Michael is not someone who you can trust. Even if he appears helpful or concerned about you on the surface, he doesn't have anyone's best interests at heart except his own, and he's the kind of person who will torment an otherwise good and effective player into making illogical choices. Take whatever he tells you with a grain of salt. Maybe less. He's devious."

"I'll remember that. Thank you, Frag." Carol smiled weakly.


Confessional: Carol

"While not as helpful as I would have liked, I certainly trust Frag more than Michael, and I won't do anything that half-naked baseball player suggests to me any time soon. Nice try, but this girl won't become a pawn!"

End Confessional


Confessional: Frag

"So that's the angle Michael's playing now is it? Fine. I voted him out of the game once. I'll just do it again. And now I not only have a vote block, I also have a Mealltach medal at my disposal. I promised I'd play it if Jeremy was on the chopping block, obviously, but having the advantage is good for feeling safe."

End Confessional


Meanwhile, Jeremy was picking Kalyssa's brain in hushed whispers.

"Why Jarri? Almost literally anyone else would be better for us, wouldn't it?"

"Oh, Jeremy, how naive you truly are." Kalyssa wagged a finger from her free hand. "Do you not see the double threat she poses, or have you not been paying attention to her loud whispers during this challenge? She had to be tricked off the statue, making her a physical threat, and she has quite bluntly declared she'll investigate the very trees Angelo just told you about. If you wish to avoid the very situation you cited to deny aiding Angelo, she is our only option."

"But… that just feels so mean."

"The word you are looking for is ruthless, Jeremy." Kalyssa informed him. "We aren't being mean; we're being ruthless. We need to be right now when we don't have other allies. We must appear bigger than we are."


Confessional: Jeremy

"The thing I think I dislike the most about Kalyssa is that sometimes she just has to make sense, and it forces me into a situation like this. Voting Jarri is a good way to keep the status quo at camp, but no one is happy with it. I want to avoid it getting worse, but starting accusations up again, what Jarri will inevitably do, is bound to make things worse before it makes them better. I don't want to have a target on my back this early because if I do, Frag will play that Mealltach medal on me, and ideally we save that shit for when we want to use it offensively! Ugh, this game is a whole trip."

End Confessional


As Carol's hand gave way, and she joined the others on the bench, Frag and Jeremy also both started to struggle.

They could see each other across the statue, and as they locked eyes, they nodded.

They knew.

Neither would last much longer. Maybe a couple seconds at the most.

The others looked far more stoic and still, except for Axel who was starting to sweat.

Using their heads to bob a countdown, they reached their agreement.

3…

2…

1…

Both Frag and Jeremy let go of the statue and headed towards the bench, leaving four people remaining in the challenge. Arianna. Axel. Kalyssa. Rose.


Confessional: Axel

"It's a shame of the position I'm in right now. Remaining in this challenge we have me, exhausted from this stupid sun, we have Kalyssa, someone I had deemed a villain, we have Arianna, someone who I cannot let off her leash, and we have Rose, someone that is a possible co-conspiritor. None of these women can win this challenge. I'll make sure of it."

End Confessional


As time went on, and the sun beat down harder on everyone, Rose slowly inched back towards Axel.

Axel watched her approach out of the corner of his eye, and stared her down. He didn't speak, but he didn't move.

Rose stopped a short distance away from him, allowing her to lean on her hand and face him.

"Are you still obsessed with accusing Angelo?" She asked. "Or should we continue to stay away from camp?"

Axel rolled his eyes and turned his head to face Rose. "I'd say you're obsessed with defending him. I'm just being cautious. Everyone is being watched. He left camp on his own."

"That was him trying to be empathetic to the others, not admitting guilt." Rose informed him. "We even have a potential true culprit that we've zeroed in on. Michael could have used the trees to move and hide those supplies. He benefits from the chaos far more than Angelo ever could."

"That's a possibility, yes." Axel nodded. "However, using Occum's razor, it's far more likely that with the evidence we have, Angelo is the culprit. Thus, he is still the top suspect."

"Too bad people are irrational creatures, Axel." Rose countered. "You're being played. If you think you aren't, answer this question for me. In what world would Angelo spilling berries in front of everyone be a good play for him to make?"

"You just don't GET IT!" Axel snapped at Rose before Chris pointed at him.

"Axel has taken his hand off the statue! That leaves Rose, Kalyssa, and Arianna still in play!"

Axel gave Rose an accusatory glare, as though she had planned for this to happen, and shook his head in disappointment as he went to the bench.


Confessional: Rose

"Really? He's going to blame me for his immaturity? He could've actually explained his flawed reasoning. He could have said, 'oh, it's not a play to win, it's a play to harm people' or he could have said 'he might've planned to accuse them of being poisoned to gain sympathy' or anything else that would explain away that contradiction while keeping him in the right. But he didn't do that, because he knew that I had rebuttals for any statement he'd thrown at me, and rather than argue at a disadvantage, he chose to end the conversation. Still, if it made him that mad, it means, at least subconsciously, he knows I'm right. He'll either come around when the truth catches up to him, or he won't, but he won't be able to say that no one tried to help him."

End Confessional


"Arianna!" Kalyssa called. "It's been too long! How have you been, dear?"

"It's interesting you're bringing this up now when we've lived in the same campsite for about a week!"

Kalyssa's eyes widened. "Ouch! Your words bite."

"I have no business talking to you. Just let me complete the challenge in peace."

"So you don't want to catch up? It's not like you're ever around the campfire for so long that we can actually have a chat."

"What do you want?" Arianna spat.

"My goodness, Arianna, I just want to talk with you! This challenge is dreadfully boring, and I might not get another chance!"

"Well, let's see, we got someone here who eliminated Jeremy, then decided to suck up to Laura for power. Got that power and went to complete shit with it. Here she is now with no medal, acting as if her whole game pre-merge had never even happened."

"I could say the same about your game, Arianna. Here we have a girl who decided to play with a mask. She opted, instead of making her own plans, she would pretend to be a pawn so her clanmates would not know the rook that she is. Once a clan reassessment forced her out of the clan of the cunning, she got out of her blue phase and shed her skin. Underneath was the brightest red. She was so furious towards her old clan that she would try her absolute hardest to force immunity out of their hands. She went to the furthest extremes that she put her own game on the line. She crawled herself out of the Shameterranean with a friend, and here she is now, not giving up." Kalyssa smirked. "Clearly, one of us has been paying more attention, isn't that so?"

"You were the Queen of Cyfrwys. I was stuck on Alltud. Clearly, someone had access to more information."

"The Cyfrwys Queen does not get any information about Alltud."

Arianna glared at her. "What does this have to do with anything?"

Kalyssa shook her head. "My, my, my. Such ferocity. Don't you ever get tired?"

"The second I allow myself to be tired is the second I lose this competition."

"I supposed you're correct. But we're all weak. No one is invincible. If you don't take a break, you will break." Kalyssa smirked as Arianna became more livid.


Confessional: Arianna

"The nerve of this fucking woman! I, at least, worked my way through this competition! What did she do? Suck up to Laura, become Queen, and play her medal when it is most convenient for her! All she does nowadays is sit her ass by the fire and cook. Like, that's important, but she hogs that job. She gets everything she wants no wonder she's so laid back! This game has been a walk in the park for her, and it driveS ME INSANE!"

End Confessional


Arianna panted more and more, which encouraged the smile on Kalyssa's face to widen. Arianna placed her other hand on the statue as a support, but had not realized her mistake until…

"Arianna is out of the challenge! That leaves it down to Kalyssa and Rose!"

Arianna rubbed her forehead as she made her way to the bench.


Confessional: Kalyssa

"Case in point. She could have won, but she decided she'd rather try to be right. She broke."

End Confessional


With only two players left, Kalyssa and Rose made their way towards each other.

Each one was so close to the tantalizing finish.

Immunity from the night's vote. Something they both felt they wanted more than the other deserved.

"An offer, Rose, from one clan queen to another." Kalyssa opened the final conversation. "If you join me in a 'royalty alliance', I can pave the way for you and Angelo to return to camp, no strings attached."

"Isn't the alliance an attached string?"

"It's a transaction, dear. I keep you around, you keep me around."

"Well, while I appreciate the offer, you are probably one of the worst people to make it because I don't trust you even a little bit."

"Oh?" Kalyssa scoffed. "And what, does our queen that knows nothing of ruling think she can make it on her own? Please, don't act like you didn't call a special elimination ceremony as your tribe was about to win."

"Well, at least my clan had plenty of acres." Rose didn't back down from Kalyssa's commentary. "Yours had barely a couple hundred because you threw it all away for no other reason than to be a massive bitch. I improved as my reign went on. You declined."

Kalyssa stared daggers at Rose, who stared daggers right back at Kalyssa. "We'll see how true that arrogant statement of yours is at this next ceremony, former Queen Mealltach. After all, Jeremy and I have made up."

Rose didn't respond. Instead she focused on the statue.

Kalyssa took the hint and did the same.

The two former clan queens kept their hands on the statue of Pierre for quite some time.

The sun was already beginning to set.

Finally, however, a single contestant had taken too much.

She let her hand drop from the statue.

"And with that…" Chris announced. "We have a winner…

… Rose is OUT, so KALYSSA WINS IMMUNITY!"

"Wooo!" Kalyssa clapped for herself as she left the statue. "I just love these kinds of fairytale endings!" She happily waltzed up to Chris and received her clue to the Cyfrwys Medal.

No one else cheered.

Everyone was already focused on what came next.

With so many people playing such personalized games, there was bound to be a lot of scrambling. The pre-elimination ceremony play had begun.


Shameterranean

Contestants: King, Tiberius

Tiberius stared into his fire. It was weak. Pathetic. There wasn't anything he could do about it. He chewed on some insects without wincing.


Confessional: Tiberius: Shameterranean

"I am going to be the next one out of the Shameterranean. I have so many advantages that the Swedish cuck doesn't have. For one, I know how to survive here. I've been doing it for weeks now. I know how to not get lost. I'm sure he's already done that twenty times at this point. I also, as a matter of fact, know two places where the true resting place isn't. And when I do rise, I'll be a force to be reckoned with. I have the alliance with Kalyssa, which, if she doesn't cuck herself out, will make me powerful. No one will dare to ever put the name DEUS VULT on the parchment again!"

End Confessional


Tiberius came across a tunnel opening, but he walked around it.


Confessional: Tiberius

"The opening was too small. Even if I took all my armor off, I wouldn't fit."

End Confessional


Tiberius sighed and put his hands on his hips. He looked around for any unopened alcoves. Given this was the entrance cavern to the Shameterranean, all of them had already been opened.

Tiberius sat on the stairs and wiped off some sweat. "Where the hell did that cuck of a host put the location of the true resting place now?"

The camera panned to show off the Druidic Artefact completely untouched and obscured right next to Tiberius.


Shift Camera Focus

King peered up through one of the holes near a now empty altar. With the merge, the advantage pulley system seemed to have shut down. The air seemed crisp, breezy. The dirt was harder.

He must be under the highlands, he thought, and to test his theory started heading in the direction he was still fairly sure was south.

As he went, he felt his way against the cavern walls for any indents or cracks.

As he had discovered in his limited time down below the surface, the tunnels through which the previous inhabitants of the Shameterranean had walked had been mostly blocked off, likely by whomever was in control of them at the time.


Confessional: King: Shameterranean

"There are two reasons I am revealing the tunnel openings as I try and map out what holes lead to what biomes to get a good sense of direction, but actually they're both sort of the same reason. Tiberius.

"The first part is that Tiberius is more familiar with the blocked off tunnels than any revealed tunnels. This will help give me a sense of direction at least on par with his own, maybe even better.

"The second part is that Tiberius, as long as he continues to wear that suit of armor, cannot hope to fit through these tunnels. That allows me safe passages guaranteed to help me escape if he ever finds me."

End Confessional


As King found his way back to the central cavern, confirming his baseline of which cardinal direction was which, he took a break, and sighed.


Confessional: King: Shameterranean

"I really hope Setsuna is doing alright up there. She was annoying and a pain to look after, but she wasn't a bad person, and she deserves a fair shot like anyone else up there. The box she's carrying around is a concern, but, well, I'm rooting for her, and I'm hoping I can make my way back up so that she can have at least one ally."

End Confessional


Location: Glas Woods (Mergeville)

Contestant(s): Angelo, Arianna, Michael, Rose, Setsuna

In an area of Mergeville, away from the main camp, Michael stopped Arianna as she grabbed some more water for the campsite.

"Hey there, alliance-mate." He saluted.

"Go fuck off! I'm not your ally."

"But, you were the one who formed the alliance with myself and King specifically for the merge."

"That was before you tried to eliminate me."

"Nonono, I tried to get back up. And in my defense, you were also trying to eliminate me. If I had known that we could rise together, obviously I would have wanted all of us to do it together. Me, you, Ryuji, Tiberius-"

"Well, you never asked."

"That's not information most people would think to ask while fighting for their lives underground. If you were privy to that kind of information, the responsibility is on you to share it."

"Ugh. Just say what it is you want. Some of us are working."

"Hey, I grabbed loads of firewood! I'm here because I finished my tasks! Anyways, it's about elimination tonight. I have a target if you're willing to listen."

"Well?" Arianna rolled her hand for Michael to get on with it.

"Considering Frag voted me off before, we probably can't trust him. Better to axe him right now, while he isn't looking."


Confessional: Arianna

"Well, I don't give a shit about Frag, so I guess it's fine for now, but he better believe that one of those remaining former Cyfrwys assholes is my next target! I'd love to squash all those snakes!"

End Confessional


"Okay then, alliance-mate." Arianna clearly wasn't fully on board with trying out the alliance again, but as far as she cared, a vote was a vote, and Tiberius certainly wouldn't complain to see Frag below ground. "We can vote together. Let's get the alliance right this time though. No betraying each other until we're at the end of the competition in the Final 2."

"Of course, of course." Michael smiled.


Confessional: Arianna

"I trust that little shit about as far as I can throw him, and I doubt I can throw him very far, but he's a vote I can piggy-back off of, and Frag's such a passive player that he probably won't even retaliate against the votes if somehow he isn't eliminated."

End Confessional


Confessional: Michael

"Pfffft… Oh man, this is almost too much my guys. Arianna throwing a vote towards Frag with me should be the very last block atop this jenga tower before it gets knocked down. Sit back, crack open a cold one if you feel like it, and enjoy the show."

End Confessional


Shift Camera Focus

Setsuna and Rose returned to the exile's camp where Angelo had been boiling some water for the three of them.

"Relieved to see neither of you got lost." Angelo smiled.

"Believe me, I would have if Rose wasn't here." Setsuna put a hand on Rose's shoulder and smiled at the designer.

"I'm glad. These woods can get confusing." Angelo poured some of the hot water into three makeshift cups. "Are you sure no one saw you on your way out, Setsuna?"

Setsuna leaned against her elimination ceremony torch. "Almost everyone had already left with their torches. The only people left are people that really don't care about me."

Angelo sighed. "You may believe that they don't care about you, but they do. Not in the courteous sense, either. Any information is information, and they can exploit you with it."

"If anyone brings it up, I can just say I got lost." Setsuna waved off Angelo's concern.

Rose sat by the weak fire, stroking it with a stick. "We have to be cautious, Setsuna. And I understand your concern, Angelo. I believe Setsuna's excuse is a believable one. If we walk to the ceremony together, Setsuna can say that she got lost and that we helped her."

"Apologies," Angelo put a palm to his face. "I'm a bit too paranoid. Setsuna, have you come up with a decision about your box?"

Setsuna sat down. "It depends on who we're voting for."

Rose nodded. "I have a few people on my mind. As long as it's one of those people, I'm fine with whoever you two bring up."

Angelo nodded. "This is the person I narrowed down to, personally. Before I tell you who it is, I want you to keep in mind that my intentions aren't to eliminate this person. What good is three votes out of twelve?"

Angelo whispered the name of the target to the ladies.

"Oh," Rose said, "that wasn't who I was expecting, but if it's not to eliminate him, I see the reason why you'd want us to put his name on the parchment."

Setsuna shook her head. "If we're not trying to eliminate him, I'm using my box."

Rose and Angelo snapped their heads at her from the statement.

"Why?" Rose whispered.

Setsuna brought out her box and opened it. "Because we're not trying to eliminate him." She fished out two pieces of paper reading Angelo and Rose. "We are only three out of twelve, but the other nine people," Setsuna fanned out the remaining names of the box in her other hand, "have their heads running around in circles." She threw the remaining nine names into the box. Rose and Angelo's designated paper slips fell into the flames of the fire. "Three votes are too many. I'm sticking to my box to increase our chances of success. If I pull the name of our target, I will write that name down, but ideally we don't get a majority."

Angelo nodded. "That's very profound of you, Setsuna."

"But Prof didn't find anything."

Angelo giggled. "What I'm saying is, I'm glad you came up with that conclusion. I would hate it for you to sightlessly do as I say just because you don't know what else to do." Angelo put a hand on Setsuna's shoulder and smiled warmly at her. "Make yourself at home here, Setsuna." Angelo handed Setsuna some, now lukewarm, water.

"What should I use to make it? Paint or clay?"

"He just means you can relax here." Rose giggled. "Let's get going before we're too late for the ceremony. Chris won't be happy with us."


Tine Naofa Bonfire Elimination Ceremony Arm-Pit

Contestants: All Above Ground

"Welcome, everyone..." Chris grinned as Angelo, Arianna, Axel, Carol, Frag, Jarri, Jeremy, Kalyssa, Maggie, Michael, Rose, and Setsuna all wandered up to the bonfire pit and took their seats. "Glad you could all join us on time." He gave Angelo, Rose, and Setsuna a side-eye. "Let's get started. Angelo. You've been living away from camp. How's it going over there?"

"It's a cozy hut, Chris." Angelo smiled. "Not as luxurious as I am used to, surely, but we're getting along fine. I would like to feel at ease in the main camp of course, but as long as the case of the supplies remains unsolved, at least officially, I fear we must remain in our hermitage."

"This case hasn't been solved… officially?" Chris raised a curious brow. "Maggie, care to fill me in?"

"W-well…" Maggie looked at Jarri, who gave her a wary nod. "Let's just say that the evidence pointing to Angelo is circumstantial, and that another possible culprit has emerged, one that is still living at the camp."

"Yeah, but they won't name who it is because they're wrong." Arianna sat back. "They're just scrambling because they'll lose one of their allies the way the votes are headed." She points to Rose. "She won't be as powerful if Angelo is eliminated tonight, and they want to avoid that. That's it."

"That's not it." Carol shook her head, briefly looking to see if Maggie was happy that she defended her, but Maggie was already exchanging whispers with Jarri. "There really is another suspect, and hopefully that person will be taken care of tonight."


Confessional: Carol

"Clearly, we're not the ones scrambling tonight because Arianna is doing what she always does when she isn't in control."

End Confessional


"Oh?" Kalyssa turned toward Carol. "And how is that going to happen, Carol? Even if both you and Maggie voted with Angelo and Rose, 4 out of 12 isn't enough to overturn anything."

"I would hope," Axel warned the rest of the cast living at the main camp, "that we're a unified front for tonight at least. Because if we aren't, then Kalyssa is wrong, and 4 out of 12 can be exactly enough to force a three-way tie."

Chris leaned over his podium. "Axel, wouldn't that imply you would hope Kalyssa is right?"

"I hope Arianna is right too, Chris." Axel responded. "Because the alternative is that no one except Kalyssa could consider themselves safe from tonight's elimination. Not me, not Angelo, heck, not even Jeremy."

"And that's terrifying." Jeremy nodded.

"Kalyssa, just because I'm curious, how safe would you feel if you didn't have immunity?"

"I'd feel hm… I'm sure I'd be a popular name to toss out, but focusing on 'what if's won't do us any good right now, I'm afraid. Instead, the facts are what should be focused on. There are 12 votes, I am immune, and the merge is upon us. Your friends will betray you unless you betray them first."

Michael nodded. "Pretty scary shit. Thankfully, I've got faith in my choice of ally. And that's what will carry us to the end. None of this backstabbing nonsense."


Confessional: Frag

"What a freaking troll."

End Confessional


"Rose, you're putting a lot of faith into your ally. According to Axel, that ally should be going home tonight, yet you've had the same expression on your face this whole ceremony. I'd love to hear your thoughts on how this elimination is going to play out."

Rose made sure to keep the same expression on her face as she responded. "I've talked to some other players, and I believe that this vote will not be as unanimous as Axel is hoping. Life isn't as cut and dry as Axel thinks it is. Especially in a social game, but that doesn't mean that villainous games are justified, even if morality is a spectrum."

"On top of that," Setsuna made everyone's head turn as she interjected of her own volition. "Because people have different games, they are going to eliminate different people based on those games. For some people, voting Angelo is not the way to go right now."

Chris capitalized on the attention. "So, what is your best move right now, Setsuna?"

Setsuna shook her box. "All eleven names in here."

"So the box is ready?"

"The box is ready."

"In that case… you're up first. It's time to vote."


Confessional: Setsuna

She pulled a name and looked at it. She smiled widely. "I hope this vote can serve as a warning to you."

End Confessional


Rose walked up next, and wrote down the name that she and Angelo had agreed upon.

When she returned, Michael happily walked up and wrote Frag's name down as neatly as possible before returning to his seat.

Next was Maggie.


Confessional: Maggie

"Okay, so this wasn't originally the plan, but you're just too much of a nuisance and need to be scared straight a bit. Hopefully, these votes will at least get the person we actually want gone away from their allies. "

End Confessional


Kalyssa walked up to the voting podium, wrote down Jarri's name, and walked back to her seat, all with the same smug smile. After she returned, she sent Jeremy up to vote.


Confessional: Jeremy

"I hate this so freaking much… Do I do this? I mean… now I have to do this though. But… ugh."

End Confessional


Jarri stepped up to the podium next, and swiftly wrote down a name before returning.

Frag wrote Michael's name as sloppily as he could while still making it legible.


Confessional: Carol

"I might be a little naive, but I'm not stupid. I can recognize when you're trying to play me, and I've got a newsflash for you, this won't work out in your favor."

End Confessional


Axel was up next. He took a sigh and slowly wrote down Angelo's name.

Arianna rolled her eyes and scribbled a name down, muttering something about how Michael was going to owe her.

Angelo was the final person to vote.


Confessional: Angelo

"I'm sorry. This is only a warning. Hopefully."

End Confessional


"I'll go tally the votes." Chris bowed off the contestants. He shortly returned with the jar of votes. "All right. Moment of truth. Where do your values stand?" Chris smirked. "Let's take a look. First vote… Angelo.

Next vote… Michael.

Next vote… Jeremy.

That's one vote Angelo, one vote Michael, and one vote Jeremy.

… Arianna.

… Michael. That's Two votes Michael, one vote Angelo, one vote Arianna, and one vote Jeremy.

… Frag. That's two votes Michael, one vote Angelo, one vote Arianna, one vote Frag, one vote Jeremy. Six votes left."

"Wait a minute…" Michael muttered… with a smile.

Angelo and Rose exchanged glances with their pokerfaces.

"Our seventh vote goes to… Jarri." Chris smiled. "That's two votes Michael, one vote Angelo, one vote Arianna, one vote Frag, one vote Jarri, one vote Jeremy. Five votes left.

… Frag. That's two votes Frag, two votes Michael, one vote Angelo, one vote Arianna, one vote Jarri, one vote Jeremy. Four votes left.

… Axel. That's two votes Frag, two votes Michael, one vote Angelo, one vote Arianna, one vote Axel, one vote Jarri, one vote Jeremy. Three votes left.

… Jarri. That's two votes Frag, two votes Jarri, two votes Michael, one vote Angelo, one vote Arianna, one vote Axel, one vote Jeremy. Two votes left.

… Arianna. That's two votes Arianna, two votes Frag, two votes Jarri, two votes Michael, one vote Angelo, one vote Axel, one vote Jeremy. One vote left.

… And, the next person to head into the Shameterranean is…" Chris grinned as he paused.

… "Yet to be determined. He flipped over a second vote for Jeremy. We have a five way tie on our hands. Total Drama's first ever! The rules are similar to a three-way tie. Now, Arianna, Frag, Jarri, Jeremy, and Michael will all make their cases on why they should stay in the game, and a second vote will take place. Arianna, Frag, Jarri, Jeremy, and Michael will all not vote, and you may only vote for Arianna, Frag, Jarri, Jeremy, or Michael. Whoever then receives the most votes will head to elimination. If an agreement cannot be reached, everyone, with the exception of Kalyssa, who won immunity, will draw rocks."


Confessional: Axel

"What. The. Fuck."

End Confessional


"Alright Arianna, " Chris smiled. "You're up first!"

Arianna crossed her arms without a fear in her mind. "Okay, look. Listen. Clearly, you all haven't been paying attention to my game enough! I got rid of a lot of villains. Not all of them, mind you, thanks to a twist that I couldn't predict. Multiples of them, actually. I still tried my hardest despite thinking that falling into the Shameterranean would be the end of me. It wasn't, and you better not take that away from me when I just got back!"

Frag took the podium next. "Alright, I won't lie guys, I really wasn't expecting to get as far as I already have, and if I am eliminated, it's been a great run. That said, I believe I have it in me to make it much further, and I'm willing to work with you guys. I know there's been a lot of talk about individual games, but I'm still a team player, and I can be on your team. I'm not even sure why I'm up here right now either."

Jarri confidently took the stand. "Ladies and gentlemen of the Crios Cath cast, I implore you not to vote me off, as I serve the camp to the best interest of all of us here. Our other suspect for the incident that has us so incensed at each other is already up here! Just get rid of them, and we can return to those halcyon days of cooperation between us. Then it's just a matter of fair competition between us all until the finale!"

Jeremy had no idea what was happening as his turn to speak came. "Uh, guys, why exactly am I up here? I feel like I've built myself up to be an honest and trustworthy person, haven't I? I'd hate to be taken out so early for thinking I might betray anyone down the line. I too only want us all to get along and enjoy this competition to the fullest. Would you at least do me the favor of letting me survive in this game a while longer? Thank you."

Michael was the last one to take the stand, and he made sure that everyone was paying attention before he started his speech. "We all heard Arianna's case. But what she refuses to understand is that I was also trying to get rid of the villains. Yeah, I got rid of Stan, I tried to get rid of Tiberius, and I also tried to get rid of her, who, at the time, seemed pretty villainous. I had no clue of knowing that Axel sent her down for this heroic deed. But what I have over her is that I didn't have to be coerced into doing it. If Arianna gets to stay, so should I! In fact, 3 out of the 5 of us up here right now are Shameterranean sends. Let us just keep our eyes open. That's all I'm trying to do here."


Confessional: Michael

"My game is working. It's working so fucking well. What a game. What. A. Game. The votes wouldn't have been this everywhere without ol' Michey."

End Confessional


"You've heard their cases…" Chris turned to the rest of the cast. "Once again, it is time to vote. Setsuna, once again, you're up first."


Confessional: Setsuna

Setsuna pulled a name from her box. "Can't vote you." She pulled another name. "Can't vote you." She pulled yet another name. "Can't vote you." She pulled another another name. "Okay, there we go!"

End Confessional


Rose was the next player up. She gave a sigh and wrote down the same name she had written down the first time.

With the information of the speeches in her mind, Maggie wrote down a name she hadn't yet that night. Her true target would be much easier to take out now.

Kalyssa's target had still remained. Might as well write it again…

Carol had her eyes locked on her target. It was now or never. She wrote the same name down.

Axel got up to the voting confessional and let out a hefty sigh. This was not the position he wanted to be in. He didn't feel comfortable voting off the target people seemed to be gunning for because no solid evidence had solidified that person's guilt. Neither had anything solidified Angelo's. He had wanted Angelo to remain, and under surveillance, but it was Angelo who had left camp on his own, with circumstantial evidence pointing towards him. This whole farce of a voting ceremony was nonsense to Axel. If his vote didn't count for anything the first time, he'd make sure it counted for nothing again. He wrote down the name of the person he felt wouldn't receive another vote, and came back to the bonfire pit.

Angelo was the final player to cast a vote that night.

He walked up to the stand, and wrote down the name.


Confessional: Angelo

"I know we stand a higher risk to eliminate you now, but we're keeping our votes the same. We'll risk rocks if we have to. We actually have the advantage in that scenario. But what I need to get through to your head is that no, you aren't safe by just playing your honest and trustworthy game. You need to get a little devious sometimes."

End Confessional


After Angelo came back, Chris took the votes away to be tallied.

The cast waited for far longer than they'd ever had to wait before.

Finally, Chris returned.

"The votes have been tallied." He announced. "Allow me to read them. The first vote goes to… Jarri.

The next vote goes to… Michael.

Our third vote… is Frag. That's one vote Frag, one vote Jarri, one vote Michael. Four votes left.

… Jarri. That's two votes Jarri, one vote Frag, one vote Michael. Three votes left.

… Jeremy. That's two votes Jarri, one vote Frag, one vote Jeremy, one vote Michael. Two votes left.

… Jeremy. That's two votes Jarri, two votes Jeremy, one vote Frag, one vote Michael, and one vote left. If this vote is for anyone other than Jarri or Jeremy, everyone who is not immune will be forced to draw rocks. And our final vote goes to…

… … … … Michael. We are still tied between Jarri, Jeremy, and Michael. Because a clear loser has not been determined…" Chris brought out a bag full of small pebbles. "Everyone except Kalyssa will draw a rock from this bag. Take only one rock, without looking, and hold it in your fist so that no one can see it." He explained as one by one the cast passed a very interested and relieved Kalyssa to grab a rock from the bag.

Once everyone had grabbed their rock, Chris instructed them to hold out their hand so that when they opened their first, their palm would face up.

Everyone did as Chris instructed.

"Soon, you will reveal the color of your rocks to each other." Chris announced. "If your rock is white, you are safe, still in the game to fight another day. If your rock is purple however, you have been eliminated, and you must immediately make your way down into the Shameterranean. No goodbye speeches tonight either. We're super short on time as it is because you guys couldn't decide on a popular vote."

"Just let us open our hands already!" Arianna snapped.

"And, everyone…" Chris announced. "Reveal your rocks!"

Everyone opened their hands and created a line of nearly identical small white pebbles, except for a single purple stone amongst them.

The camera slowly moved from the hand holding the purple stone, up to the face of the unfortunate player who had drawn it.

… Jarri.

"What? Wait! No! I still haven't inves-"

"Upupupup-!" Chris cut her off. "I said no farewell speeches! You've got the purple stone, you go underground! Chef!"

"I'm right here!" Chef shouted right behind Chris, causing the host to jump.

"Jarri here has been eliminated, please show her to the Shameterranean."

"Don't worry." Chef ushered Jarri away from the bonfire. "Those caverns always seem to have some sort of evil for kids like you to fight."

The desperation in Jarri's eyes faded, and were replaced with determination.


*Jarri's Elimination Confessional:

"In death, I aim to take on The Devil."

End Confessional*


14/36 Remaining. 11 Above Ground.


The Votes:

Angelo voted for… Jeremy

Arianna voted for… Frag

Axel voted for… Angelo

Carol voted for… Michael

Frag voted for… Michael

Jarri voted for… Arianna

Jeremy voted for… Jarri

Kalyssa voted for… Jarri

Maggie voted for… Arianna

Michael voted for… Frag

Rose voted for… Jeremy

Setsuna voted for… Axle


The Re-vote:

Angelo voted for… Jeremy

Axel voted for… Frag

Carol voted for… Michael

Kalyssa voted for… Jarri

Maggie voted for… Michael

Rose voted for… Jeremy

Setsuna voted for… Jarri


AN: Woo! We're back! Hope you guys all liked this chapter! We had a heck of a lot of fun writing it! Once again, we have no one yeeted down any sort of pit of peril this time, but now we're passed the very first elimination ceremony of the merge, and uh… yeah. PRETTY INTENSE. (Think Morgana might've been onto something)

Anyways. With that elimination comes an eliminated player and a Shameterranean arrival. Jarri!

Jarri: I have a bit of a soft spot for Jarri, and I generally really like characters of her archetype so that's not surprising. Most people, if I hear they plan to go up against an armored, greatsword wielding, king of a strength clan, I don't hold out high hopes for them. Jarri however, I think she stands a chance. She's smart, agile, and most importantly, not completely alone down there. King would feel a lot safer with Tiberius gone, and if or when Jarri finds him, they can be a powerful duo of allies. That said, Tiberius is also known for his tenacity. Getting rid of him will be no easy feat without a surefire way to push him into a Pit of Peril. That's about all I have to say on Jarri for now. What do you guys think?


EN: This was way too much fun to write. Hopefully, you are all okay. I've decided to give you all frozen yogurt to eat away the stress. There are all sorts of flavors. Even if you don't like ice cream, there's bound to be a flavor you will enjoy. Also, toppings! Yes. Pick your topping. Weight it to see how much diabetes are in there and eat it!

In all seriousness, as excited as we are to post this chapter, I'm also terrified. Like, what if you guys end up not reacting the way we wanted you to. Then I promoted my frozen yogurt for no reason! I don't know, I'm just scared. This stretch of the game is, what Doobop and I believe to be, *chef's kiss*, but idk. Maybe you might not feel that way. I don't know. I'm not as confident in this story as I once was.

Anyways, we had the first two scenes written out for a while. We stopped because Doobop wanted to finish up with Nialasach. We'll probably take a break again. I was just itching to write something for months on end.


AN2: For the record, I'm still exactly as confident in the story as I once was, and I think FF taking away all the formatting for no reason really hindered the last chapter. I also think this chapter retroactively improves the last one as well, because obviously this is a dramatic story that isn't over yet.


AN3: discord is lyfe. You should join us cuz we chillin'. Link is on my profile.


EN2: Outline Quotes:

"[Arianna] slaps [Axel's] hoe ass face and storms off."

"Setsuna is all like 'friend, yey.'"

"Setsuna secretly (cuz no one pays attention to her anyways) goes to Angelo and Rose, and brings food and stuff and is like, 'Guys, I'm pooped. I have no allies anymore. Could you guys help me?'"

(for the five way tie) "Jeremy's Case: Guys, can you, like, not do this?"

Funny Quotes:

"Kalyssa about to manipulate Axel, aww yeah" -Omakin when we were talking about Kalyssa manipulating Arianna being scary af.


EN3: *flashes back to that one Arianna meme I posted onto the server one day while Doobop and I were still outlining and it confused the fuck out of everyone* That was a good day.

The meme (for anyone curious)

Arianna: Hi. I'm Arianna!

Frag: I am the real Arianna!

Jarri: Fuck you, I'M ARIANNA

Jeremy: You're Arianna. He's Arianna. She's Arianna. I'M Arianna. Are there anymore Arianna's I should know about?

Michael: Hi. I'm Arianna!

Chris: we are the Ariannas.


AN4: And as always, thanks for reading!