And I have returned, ladies and germs!
Once again, I have nothing interest to say. Oh, wait! Yes, I do. I am officially announcing a sequel to this story, a second season. I won't release all the details, but I will say it is being done in a collaboration with fellow author Jeptwin and it will contain more meta-humans. Should you so choose, you will be able to submit an OC, but please chose a different one than the one you submitted for this story; want to keep things interesting.
Shout out to cartoonfanficwriter for giving me the idea for this chapter!
On an unrelated note, if you guys could please do me a solid? For the next challenge, I need several dozen or so dares/truths (big guess at what's coming next). If you could include those in your reviews, it would be very much appreciated. We good? Okay. Thanks!
Now that that's out of the way, comment, review, suggest, and request below your thoughts on this chapter; please do not submit applications for the upcoming sequel should you so chose.
Onward!
"Last time on Total Drama: Pahkitew's Vengeance!" Chris announced from the docks of the infamous island. "In a virtual world where society has crumbled and the undead are nice and plentiful, our seven remaining contestants battled it out against the hordes for the immunity and the chance to win a night in the Hangout of Awesomeness. Some highlights of the challenge included when Serphonus back stabbed Paul and then fooled Toni into thinking he was Paul with the help of some ever handy dark magic; confused yet?" he chuckled darkly. "Serphonus then proceeded to destroy Toni's good name by shooting Maurananei and Anuok dead disguised as Toni before he derailed Paul and Toni's train of love and sent the later packing. In the end though, it was Caroline the Animal Whisperer that stuck it out and won the challenge and prize. Or was it Serphonus, whose devious plot to send Toni packing succeeded?" Chris rubbed his hands together maliciously.
"Will Serphonus's evil plot succeed? Will Paul ever discover how his girl got voted off? Will my breakfast get here before lunch!?" he yelled loudly as an intern came jogging down the dock with a tray of fancy breakfast foods in hand. "Find out right here, right now! On Total! Drama! Pahkitew's Vengeance!" Chris declared as he sampled his pancakes. "Hey! You forgot the syrup!"
(theme song plays)
Paul sat back happily in his beach chair, inhaling the sweet scent of ocean spray and tropical flowers as the warm sun tickled against his skin; the sun was setting low in the distance, painting the sky a wonderful pallet of bright yellows, fiery oranges, and gorgeous pinks as seagulls screamed and squawked in the distance.
He watched as Micheal, Caroline, and Maurananei splashed about happily in the surf until Micheal turned on the Animatrix and swallowed himself in a burst of red light, emerging as a large killer whale that disappeared beneath the waves for a few seconds before surfacing with the two girls on his back; Trey and Mortisha were sitting the shade of the beach's palm trees, the former playing a nice song on his guitar while the later cuddled and cooed a hermit crab, laughing when the irritated crustacean latched onto her nose with its claws.
Alan, Zelda, and Reese were playing a game of Frisbee on the sand behind Paul, Zelda effortlessly ctaching the flying disk every time while Alan was more likely to trip and fall on his face and spit out a mouthful of sand before continuing; Monique and Tajira were playing off against Alex and Anuok in a game of volleyball, with Tajira's incredible strength and temper paying off as much as Anuok's ability to predict where she when she was going to spike the ball or not; Eduardo dangled from the end of a heavy duty fishing pole over a deeper part of the shore, hanging just of reach of a pair of voracious sharks as they snapped their jaws and imagined him slathered in butter and lemon juice while Kiko and Wilson struggled to keep the pole from quivering.
Paul ignored the other contestants and rolled his head to his right to gaze upon something that attracted his attention far more than his friends and enemy did. He smiled as he looked upon Toni, taking in her smooth, mocha skin like that of flawless, melted chocolate and her wide, hazel eyes that seemed better suited for an owl or cat; Paul didn't care though as he thought she looked absolutely gorgeous in her white bikini, showing off her well defined curves and sizable bust, almost teasing him it seemed.
"What're you looking at, handsome?" Toni taunted him with a pouty smile.
"Just the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life," Paul grinned before turning to face the ocean. "That sweet sunset out there."
"Really?" Toni seemed both saddened and angered by the answer.
Paul chuckled. "I'm kidding!" he laughed before Toni most likely used him as a scratching post. "The most beautiful thing I've seen in my life is, babe. Nothing could make me say otherwise."
Toni blushed and got up from her beach chair to stretch her arms, smirking when she found Paul starring at her. "You like what you see?" she teased.
"Would it be wrong if I said yes?"
"Nope."
"The yes, I like what I see." Paul grinned. "In fact, I love what I see. To put it simply, I just love you." he smiled, getting up from his own chair to hug Toni close to him, inhaling her exotic scent as she combed her fingers through his hair.
"I love you, too, Paul." Toni barely whispered as she kissed Paul gently on the lips, snuggling deeper into his warm embrace as the sun set off in the distance. Paul didn't want this moment to end, he just wanted to spend the rest of his life on this beach, surrounded by his friends, and with the love of his life, and all without the threat of being eaten, or maimed, or humiliated for the world to see and laugh at him.
"ATTENTION, CAMPERS!"
Paul yelped and jolted up in his bed as he was shaken from his dream, hitting his head on the bottom of the bunk above him; he cursed and held his throbbing skull as he blinked blearily and found himself in the tree house the majority of the contestants shared for living quarters and not a beautiful beach with the girl of his dreams. Instead, he found himself surrounded by bugs, mildew, and one very loud and annoying host who was currently babbling nonsense that Paul chose to ignore as best as possible as he swung his legs over the side of his bed and stood up to stretch.
The other three campers he was currently sharing the tree house with didn't seem to be early risers either as Zelda tore her pillow in half with one movement of her arms, pretending that it was Chris's skulls she was tearing in two as Wilson grumbled obscenities from above Paul. Only Anuok didn't seem that bothered by such a rude awakening, though the way she dug her fingers into her palms as she meditated said otherwise.
"Report to the docks in five minutes! Get your rears in gear and get over here!" Chris exclaimed. "McLean, out!"
"I just wish he'd be out of my life." Zelda groaned as she carefully set a stuffed dog at the foot of her bed and got up to stretch like Paul. "How someone can be so cruel and heartless is beyond all human understanding."
"That's Chris for ya," Paul sighed. "Able to defy the impossible while remaining his ever cruel and wicked self; I swear, he and the devil know each other."
"I wouldn't be surprised if he did." Wilson agreed.
Confessional
"The first thing I'm gonna do once that million dollars is mine is buy Pahkitew Island so I can burn it down to the ground." Serphonus grinned darkly as he summoned forth a bright, purple flame into his hand before extinguishing it with a flick of his wrist. "Then I use whatever is left to make my fellow 'competitors' miserable before I drain Chris of his miserable worthless soul and trap it in a bottle for all of eternity!" the witch doctor cackled. "That is, if Chris even has a soul."
End Confessional
Maurananei stiffened and inhaled a sharp breath as she stirred, slowly blinking her eyes to gaze up at the slightly dull ceiling of the Hangout of Awesomeness; her limbs felt cramped and sore and she was eager to stretch them out when she felt a slight weight on top of her; she rolled her eyes downward to see a pile of wavy, dark brown hair sitting in front of her face, occasionally rise up and down every few seconds. Maurananei rolled her to the side to see Caroline sleeping on top of her like a mattress, her head lying on her breasts like a pillow and using the rest of her body like a bed as her arm draped over the side.
Maurananei blushed a light red and turned her attention to the condition of the Hangout, noting that it was cleaner than all the other times she had been in it, most likely because there were only two contestants inside and that Caroline was a relatively clean person; the flat screen TV was paused on a video game of Mario Kart, a game Caroline enjoyed for all the soft and squishy looking characters and a game Maurananei enjoyed for all the destruction that was allowed on the track. The floor was littered with a few empty bags of chips and soda cans and a bowl of popcorn sitting on the coffee table in front of them had been spilled over when Maurananei had finally beaten Caroline on Rainbow Road after the longest time of falling from space to the virtual earth below.
Caroline suddenly shifted on top of Maurananei and yawned herself awake as blinked and rubbed her eyes.
"Sleep well, kid?" Maurananei smiled.
Caroline for a split second before launching herself off of Maurananei and to the floor, apologizing profusely as she trembled and shivered; Maurananei rolled her eyes and hauled herself up off the couch, stretching out her aching limbs for a second as the satisfying cracks and pops riddled her body and her muscles loosened before she crouched down to Caroline's level and gave her a small hug.
"C'mon, kid. You know me better than that." Maurananei smiled. "Nothing you do could make me mad. Not even using me as a bed."
"R-Really?" Caroline sniffed.
Maurananei nodded. "I saw what you did last challenge; very gung ho." she smiled. "You're finally standing up for yourself, kid. Nothing to be ashamed of."
Caroline nodded and hugged Maurananei back, holding onto her like a lifeline as she inhaled the sweet scent she had gotten use to over her time on the island, a mixture of sweat, metal, and just a hint of the sugary soda they had down the last night; other than Micheal, Maurananei was the only true friend Caroline had made on the island, and the animal whisper didn't want to let any of that go. In fact, she wasn't sure she even wanted to return to her normal life once the competition was over. Sure, it would mean having to put up with Chris's antics, Chef's horrible cooking, and life threatening challenges, but if it meant being with the ones she loved, it would all be worth it.
"Caroline? Could you maybe loosen your grip a little?" Maurananei asked. "Your nails are kinda digging into my arm; it feels like I'm being attacked by needles."
"Sorry." Caroline murmured as she released her hold on Maurananei but remained close to her regardless; with Maurananei, she felt safe and secure when Micheal wasn't around to keep Chris in line. She was like a solid brick wall compared to Chris, who was most likely something akin to rotten pudding, and twice as strong when she was angry. Naturally, sticking to Maurananei when threatened by one of their host's cruel tricks was the best option wasn't around to sucker punch it.
"ATTENTION, CAMPERS!"
Apparently sticking close to Maurananei was going to pay off real soon.
"What the-" Paul startled when he and the rest of the remaining contestants arrived at the dock to find there was nothing there but a lowly intern standing next to a TV mounted on a cart. The sun was bright and hot in the sky, sizzling down on the boiling contestants; an unfortunate seagull that stood too long in one stop suddenly burst into flame, frying into a crispy, cooked bird before it was devoured by a hungry shark. "Where the BEEP! is Chris!?" Paul yelled angrily.
"Hey! This is a family friendly show!" Chris scolded as the TV suddenly blinked to life in front of the sweating contestants. "Keep the swearing down to a minimum!"
"Give me one reason why I shouldn't hunt you down and boil you alive in this heat." Maurananei threatened, cracking her knuckles; Anuok quickly scribbled something down on her notepad and handed it to Maurananei to read. "Yes, I do realize getting arrested and never getting the million bucks is a downside, but it's Chris; it'll be worth it." Maurananei replied, handing Anuok her notepad back to her when the paper suddenly burst into flames, forcing the mute girl to through her notepad into the lake.
"Hot out there, ain't it?" Chris chuckled as he sipped a cool soda.
"You're just rubbing it in our faces, aren't you?" Zelda narrowed her eyes at the TV screen.
"Maybe." Chris shrugged with a teasing smile. "Either way, I'm somewhere nice and cool while you are being cooked alive."
"Yep. He's rubbing it in." Wilson sighed. "What's the challenge, Chris?"
"I'm glad you asked, Wilson," Chris grinned, winking at him; the others shared confused looks while Wilson just gave the barest of nods, barely noticeable if you weren't looking for it.
Confessional
"So Chris knows who is pulling the strings of this puppet, eh?" Serphonus grinned maliciously as he tapped his fingers together in thought. "Little does he know there hasn't been a Wilson in this body for years; granted, my innocent allusion managed to get the better of me for a while, but as I always say to myself, nothing will stand in the way of what I want. Nothing." he hissed venomously.
End Confessional
"Your challenge," Chris began. "Follow a series of clues I have laid out for you to find my current location; first one to find me will be given an arrow they will have to fire all the way back at the archery field I had Chef set up; don't worry, legal says we are required to use suction arrows instead of real arrows thanks to our little Animatrix issues." Chris said with a pouting tone. "First one to shoot a bulls-eye wins a night in the Hangout of Awesomeness; the last two contestants to arrive will have to walk down the Dock of Shame and get shot out of the Torpedo of Shame and never come back. Ever." the host emphasized.
"Wait, two contestants? You mean two of us will be going home?" Zelda realized, drawing worried looks among the contestants.
Chris grinned maliciously. "That's right, campers! This is gonna be the most intense challenge yet!"
"You're just doing this so you can your paycheck and vacation quicker!" Zelda protested.
"So what if I am?" Chris shrugged. "First off, this has become the most costly season I have ever hosted, thanks to you freaks of nature. Second, you constantly threaten my life to the point where I have to lock myself away in a safe house for a challenge-"
"He should do that every challenge." Paul grumbled to Anuok.
"And thirdly you freaks are really, really annoying me! I mean, when the network said they wanted to pitch a season where the contestants all had super powers, I was all against it but did they listen? NO! They just had to dump you bunch of losers on my island and waste my time and-" was all Chris managed to say before Maurananei lunged forward, grabbed the TV, snapped it half over her knee and chucked the remaining pieces into the lake in the time span of a few seconds, leaving the intern thoroughly terrified as she ran away for her life.
"M-Maurananei?" Caroline flinched. "Can you . . . please . . . calm down.
The former criminal snarled and turned on Caroline with a feral look on her face that quickly softened when she saw the small girl trembling under her stern glare. "Sorry." she apologized. "Chris just . . . really pushes my buttons."
Confessional
"What is wrong with me?" Maurananei sighed as she face palmed herself. "I feel like a best friend, a girlfriend, and a mother all rolled into one!" she exclaimed with exasperation. "It's just . . . I've never seen anyone so . . . innocent in my entire life. For the first time since I can remember, someone trusts me completely and actually ooks up to me. There's just something about Caroline that makes me want to shield and protect her from the world." she sighed. "And Chris. Definitely Chris." she added with disdain.
End Confessional
"Why should we bust our backs over Chris anyway?" Paul scoffed. "I mean, he's not going anywhere, and I could use a day off."
"While you make a valid point, you forget that Chris will not hesitate to send any one of us home if we don't complete the challenge." Zelda sighed unhappily. "Take the day off if you want, but I'm going to find Chris before he does something . . . Chris-like." she said before spinning on her heel, about to march off when she realized that she didn't even know where to search.
"Even if we want to find Chris," Wilson sighed with annoyance. "We can't. He didn't leave us any clues."
"What I wouldn't give to have Toni or Micheal with us." Maurananei cursed. "They'd be able to sniff the BEEP! out in no time."
A shrill whistle caught everyone's attention, and they all turned their heads to see Anuok holding up a slip of paper that had been taped to the cart the TV had previously been attached to before Maurananei had sent it sinking to the bottom of the lake; the rest of the teens shared a look before scrambling over one another to peer over Anuok's shoulder to read the clue.
"Go to the cave North of where you sleep and be careful you don't make a peep; he really hates to be woken up." Caroline gulped upon reading the last part; the six contestants remained silent and still for approximately seven seconds before they exploded into a flurry of movement, trying to sabotage one another in order to get a head start. Zelda gave a round house kick and caught Paul in the gut, sending him flying to the dock as Anuok leaped over his fallen form and kicked the pink genius in the chest, sending her stumbling back into Maurananei as Caroline mounted the laters back and hung on for dear life as the former quickly flipped Zelda over and slapped her onto the dock, taking off with Caroline hitching a ride.
"Ouch." Zelda hissed as she climbed to her feet and rushed after Maurananei and Caroline, accidentally jamming a foot right down on Paul's kiwis before he instinctively curled up into a ball and whimpered.
Confessional
"Owen? If you can somehow hear this, I have a totally new respect for you." Paul said in a high, squeaky voice. "Why is it always the kiwis!?"
Change Confessional
"And the best part?" Serphonus grinned wickedly. "They didn't even notice me leaving in all that chaos; the prize will be all mine. The only problem is Maurananei," he tapped his chin in thought. "If I can just separate her and Caroline, I can help the pathetic little insect along and ensure that she wins first and that I am but a close second while the others fail."
End Confessional
Caroline grunted and hissed painfully as leaves slapped at her face and branches clawed at her skin from her high vantage point on Maurananei's shoulders, practically being shoved into the understory of the forest while her friend carried her along before coming to a stop and letting her off onto the ground where she began to remove twigs and leaves from her tangled mess of hair.
"This isn't the cave." Caroline noted.
"I know," Maurananei panted as she stooped down to steal a drink from the small stream trickling by her feet. "But we're not going on foot."
"What do you mean?" Caroline wondered.
"I've got a trick up my sleeve." the ex-criminal grinned as she wiped her lips; she jammed her fingers into her lips and gave a shrill whistle that echoed loud and far over the island, sending clouds of startled birds out of the surrounding trees. At first nothing happened, but then a slow, steady rhythm pounded its way into the earth of the island, nearly throwing Caroline off her feet as she hugged close to Maurananei for support. The ex-criminal didn't seem fazed in the slightest and her smirk only deepened when Larry came stomping out of the forest, giving a loud, wet roar before bending down and nuzzling lovingly against his owner's head.
"We're hitching a ride." Maurananei grinned.
"Y-you managed t-to t-train him, right?" Caroline gulped nervously when she caught sight of the mutant plant's wicked teeth.
"I managed to get him to stop trying to eat other people," Maurananei reassured her as she scratched Larry under the chin. "He still needs to be house trained, though. I wonder if they make litterboxes big enough for monster, mutant plants?" she wondered to herself.
"Maurananei? We're in the middle of a challenge?" Caroline prompted.
"Oh, right." Maurananei grinned sheepishly before turning to Larry. "You wanna help mommy and Caroline win against mean, old Chris, boy?" she asked in a tone that was usually reserved for little dogs and babies; Larry didn't care though and eagerly nodded his head, cuddling up to Maurananei and licking her entire body with his gigantic tongue, leaving her sopping wet and with a slight blush to her cheeks. "Alright, then! Larry, sit!" she commanded as the mutant knelt down and let Maurananei climb up onto his head.
Caroline gulped and followed afterwards, being careful of where she set her hands and feet as Maurananei smiled and patted the seat next to her before cracking her knuckle with a single flex of her hand and thumped a fist on top of Larry's head, driving the massive mutant forward.
"We'll be there in no time." Maurananei reassured Caroline. "We'll win the challenge and make it to the finale together."
"A-And what then?" Caroline gulped; she knew Maurananei was fond of her and liked her as something of a friend, maybe even a sister of sorts, but she had no doubt that Maurananei would crush her like a grape if she absolutely had to. And being rewarded a million bucks just be enough incentive . . .
"May the best girl win." Maurananei shrugged.
Unbeknownst to either of the girls or the massive, mutant plant, Serphonus was watching from the trees, twirling a small animal skull between his fingers as he observed and listened in on the girl's conversation; he grimaced and crushed the squirrel skull in his fist. The witch doctor needed to keep his secret from Caroline for as long as possible, leave her in the dark until the last second where he would then crush her insignificant life and all that she cared for. Plus, he wasn't in the mood to deal with an over-sized ficus or an ex-criminal that had gotten banned from Germany for unknown reasons.
Instead, he jumped to the tree branch behind him, moving with the skill of a monkey as he leaped from tree branch to tree branch, soaring over the forest floor until he came to the edge of the forest where Zelda was making her way towards the cave mentioned in the clue, his face splitting into a wide grin; now here was someone he could mess with. He then reached into the small satchel clipped to his belt and rummaged around inside before pulling out a fistful of small seeds, a malicious sneer crossing his face as he back tracked through the woods and to one of the main trails that winded through the forest. Without care, he tossed them along the path before pulling out a fistful of dark, purple powder from his satchel again and blowing it out in a massive, colorful cloud over the area. The effect was immediate as the seeds instantaneously sprouted into monstrous, thorny abominations taller than a man and with huge, fanged maws at the centers of their bright, colorful petals.
"This should be fun." he grinned.
Paul sucked in a deep breath before he gave his leg an almighty pull and attempted to pull it out of the thick, soupy quicksand he had stumbled upon; he had been running along a trail that led towards the cave towards the North end of the island, racing to make sure that he got there ahead of anyone else to get a bigger lead when he had suddenly found himself shrinking. And then found himself in quicksand.
"I swear, Chris, if this is one of your tricks . . ." he grumbled under his breath.
"I get blamed for everything around here!" Chris whined over the loudspeaker.
"So, you did do it?" Paul grunted as he struggled to reach the edge of the quicksand bog.
"Maybe . . ." Chris went silent.
Confessional
"I totally did." Chris smirked.
Change Confessional
"Knew it." Paul glared at the camera.
End Confessional
Paul swam closer to the edge, the quicksand pulling him down farther and farther as he slowly inched towards a tree root that was just out of reach; he heard a rustling through the bushes and looked up just in time to see Zelda walk through the underbrush and move off down the trail without noticing him.
"Hey!" he yelled.
Zelda turned around and gasped when she caught sight of Paul sinking. "What happened?" she wondered aloud as she rushed over to him.
"What do you think? I fell in one of Chris's traps." Paul grumbled sarcastically. "Can you give me a hand?"
"My best option would be to just leave you here and bring me all the more closer to winning the challenge." Zelda replied as she turned around and rooted around in a grove of bushes before pulling out a long branch a little longer than she was tall. "But the instinctual side of the human brain dictates that I help you for my own survival."
"What?" Paul blinked.
Zelda rolled her eyes. "It means that I should help you; how else do you humans have become such a successful species on this planet?"
"You make a valid point." Paul nodded as Zelda reached for him with the end of the long stick and let him grab hold before pulling.
"Of course, I highly doubt we will ever be successful as the Dinosauria. They have been around on Earth for about 160 million years more before humans even started to evolve." Zelda recited.
"Yeah, thanks for the interesting fact." Paul rolled his eyes. "Now how about helping me out of this quicksand!?"
"Technically speaking, quicksand is not sand, more of wet med. In short, quicksand is more like quickmud." Zelda replied, grunting as she pulled with all her strength, only succeeding in pulling Paul a few more inches towards the shore, still not far enough for him to reach.
"Try harder!" Paul suggested.
"I need to conserve my energy for the challenge." Zelda panted.
"What if I promised to give you a piggyback ride to the cave?" Paul tried. Zelda narrowed her eyes and tapped her chin in thought; pulling Paul out of the quicksand would sap her of her strength, but at the promise of a chance to restore her energy and potentially get a lead, she agreed. As an added bonus, Paul would tire if she rode on his back, allowing her to gain an edge over him.
With a loud noise of strain, she dug her heels into the earth and pulled with all her might, her arms burning as Paul slowly but surely was pulled towards the shore; he let go of the stick with one hand and now started to try and reach for the shore. He eventually grabbed onto a root and began to pull himself, sending Zelda falling back when he let go of the stick and finally pulled himself out of the wet trap, panting and covered with quicksand from the waist down.
"Thanks." Paul sighed.
"Now . . . now you . . . hold up your . . . end of the . . . deal." Zelda panted as she lay flat on her back.
"Yeah . . . sorry about this." Paul apologized as he finished catching his breath and focused on the chromatophores in his skin as he flawlessly blended into his surroundings and essentially disappeared before Zelda's eyes.
"Paul?" she called out.
"Hasta la vista!" Paul's voice rang out from somewhere in the forest.
Confessional
"Look, I don't like double-crossing someone anymore than you guys like watching it happen to your favorite contestant, but I gotta stay in this competition long enough to win the prize," Paul said to the camera, pounding his fist into his open palm. "I made a promise to Toni that I would win for us and find out how she got the boot; if that means I have to back stab and trick a few of my friends to get to the final four . . . so be it." He sighed, the guilty feeling in his gut not sitting well with him.
Change Confessional
Zelda sat against the side of the outhouse, sniffling as tears streamed down her face; she slowly and carefully sharpened a large throwing knife against a whet stone. "And here we are again . . ." she sniffed. "Betrayed and tricked again." she sighed. "I can't believe I've been back stabbed again. I guess Courtney was right; if you want something done right, you do it yourself."
End Confessional
"Here we are!" Maurananei announced as Larry came to a stop in front of a large, cavernous cave in the side of a towering cliff; the monster plant lowered its head down to the ground and let Maurananei and Caroline slide off before he happily licked Maurananei.
"You go in and see if you can't get the clue," Maurananei said to Caroline. "I'll be along as soon as I make sure Larry's had enough positive reinforcement." she said with a smile as she scratched Larry under his chin and then reached into her pocket to pull out the carcass of muskrat before tossing the smelly thing to her pet. Caroline nodded and headed into the cave as Larry lovingly licked Maurananei and cuddled up to her.
"Who's a good boy? Who's a good boy?" Maurananei grinned as she scratched Larry's head and gave him a small kiss.
Serphonus watched from the bushes surrounding the cave, trying not to gag as he watched the great show of affection before him; while Caroline was in the cave, there was a slight possibility that she would hear any sort of ruckus made if he attacked her friend and her mutant plant. That, and he was not looking forward to tussling with the girl who had nearly broken Reese in two and her dinosaur-sized fern. "Looks like I'm gonna need some help from my friends on the other side." he murmured to himself as he backed away from the bushes and traveled back and through the woods towards a dark, shadowy glade in the middle of the island's swamp; he had grabbed the clue in the cave a long time ago, and he could have easily gotten a lead too, but he needed to ensure there weren't any nasty surprises along the way.
He stopped when he reached a large, flat stone slab in the middle of the swamp surrounded by ancient cyprus and mangrove trees thick with vines and creepers. Dragonflies and mosquitoes zipped and zoomed around him in massive swarms as a chorus of frogs swallowed him in a constant din. Without saying a word, Serphonus reached into his satchel and pulled out a jar of mysterious, purple liquid that he dipped his fingers in before painting a large circle on the stone slab around him; he then divided the circle into thirds before sketching different symbols of strange origin in each section. Once the circle was complete, he slammed the butt of his staff into the center of the circle and watched as the purple paint instantly caught fire, purple and green flames licking at Serphonus's feet and pants as then pulled a voodoo out of his satchel and removed one of the needles to prick his finger and let a single drop of blood fall into the roaring fire.
There came a loud exploson and eruption of green fire before the witch doctor as a massive bull's skull with razor-sharp teeth lining its human jaw appeared before him, its black sockets glowing an ominous orange in color as more animal and human skulls came into existence around him, surrounding him like a counsel of sorts.
"Friends!" he yelled loudly, silencing the clattering of the entity's jaws and bones. "I have need of your assistance."
The main skull before him let out a loud roar that would have sounded incomprehensible to most, but the witch doctor understood it just fine. "Yes, I realize that I'm racking up quite a bill and debt to pay off, but this plan . . . this idea . . . it will help me repay you and more." he said with a grin; the council of heads shared eager looks with each other as they listened.
"As you may or may not know, I am in a competition. The humans basically watch other human spawn compete for a chance to win a rather large sum of money; useless if you ask me." Serphonus explained, earning nods from the skulls. "But if I were to acquire this money, I could literally do whatever I wanted, including paying off my debt. Unfortunately, the human spawn I must compete against have powers of their own, a few actually quite more powerful than your own." he added.
The council hissed and clattered loudly at hearing this until Serphonus held up a hand. "I have, fortunately, managed to eliminate the majority of the problem. Unfortunately, five others remain between me and the money; I require the Dagger of Cuervo in order to reach my goal and some of your own warriors to ensure my victory."
The head skull growled lowly, actually sending a shiver up Serphonus's spine. "Yes, I know this is a lot to ask. But let me tell you what you will regain in return." he held a patient finger as he waved his other hand in front of him before it exploded into purple flame and created small images of every contestant that had competed on the season so far. "Upon my victory, you will gain the soul of these eighteen suckers; a few of their souls, I reckon, are actually worth more. And those are only the first; once they are out of the they, you will receive every last soul in all of Canada as payment for my debt." he explained; the skulls seemed particularly happy upon hearing this.
"All I need is the dagger and the shadows," Serphonus grinned. "I have but one simple request."
The skulls cocked their sockets like eyebrows and leaned in to hear their prophet's demand.
"This one, Caroline. You leave her to me." Serphonus smirked maliciously as he wiped out all the small constructs of the competitors except for one of a familiar, small, frail girl. "You will still receive her soul; but I want the pleasure of ending her. She . . . amuses me." he chuckled darkly. "So . . . do we have a deal?"
The crowd skulls hissed and clattered at one another, discussing the deal set before them among themselves until they all started to nod and agree, urging their leader to seal the deal; the gigantic skull raised its sockets as it peered over its council of bones before nodding and lighting its eyes ablaze with fire. The jawbone of the skull clacked downward loud and heavy like a door, purple smoke and vapor pouring out to surround Serphonus as hideous, skeletal, shadowy figures slithered and oozed out into the world, remaining two dimensional and against the ground and trees like the shadows they were as a small blade slowly drifted out and into the air. Serphonus eagerly took the dagger between his fingers, admiring the feather-like design before he carefully stowed the weapon in his satchel and tipped his hat to the lead skull.
"That will be all, my friends." he said. "You'll have your payment before you know it." he grinned; the skulls hissed and clattered excitedly as they vanished in puffs of green and purple smoke. The lead skull was the last to leave, giving a low, warning growl of its own before it left in a column of purple fire, nearly searing off Serphonus's eyebrows before it vanished and the swamp returned to normal.
"Warriors!" Serphonus announced loudly as he turned around to speak with the half a dozen or so shadows that surrounded him. "It's time . . . for the games to begin."
Maurananei smiled as she reached inside and scratched Larry under his tongue, a particular spot the monster plant liked; the gigantic mutant practically went limp and fell to the ground in pleasure as Maurananei chuckled and continued to make him happy. She was about to stop, tell Larry to wait outside, and head into the cave to see what was taking Caroline so long when a loud hissing noise caught her attention. The ex-criminal froze and looked around wildly, believing there to be a rattlesnake nearby; all she saw were some rather odd looking shadows moving around the base of the clearing. Curious, she peered into the dark woods, searching for anything that may have looked strange or out of the ordinary when she suddenly heard a loud whine and whimper and whipped around just in time to see Larry go sliding backwards across the ground, being dragged along by three of the strange shadows. What frightened her even more was that, while there wasn't any sort of owner attached to the shadows themselves, they were actually pulling her beloved pet away by his own shadow.
"Don't worry, boy! Mommy's coming!" Maurananei yelled as she raced after Larry.
Caroline came walking out of the cave a few minutes later, a cheery smile on her face. "Good-bye, Mr. Sasquatchanakwa! Sorry for waking you up!" she apologized to the gigantic ape as he held a plate of half-eaten cookies and warm milk his hands and waved farewell before turning around to hopefully go back to sleep. It was then that Caroline noticed that there was not a massive plant waiting for her outside of the cave; she gulped nervously and looked down at the small, slip of paper the Sasquatchanakwa had given her in her shaking hands. "H-Head to the cliff top and don't stop until you've hit rock bottom." she read.
Caroline didn't know what she should do; she was without Maurananei's guidance or advice to help her along, leaving her cold and vulnerable to whatever Chris would or could throw at her. And considering Chris's increasing hatred towards them, she knew it was going to be brutal. With little choice left, she began to head towards the nearest cliff on the island, shivering with worry when she glanced up at the thousand foot tall protrusion of earth in front of her. A sudden noise came from behind her, and she turned around to see Paul come running out of the cave with a small slip of paper in his fist and looking as if he had just been run over and mauled by a truck; moments later, Sasquatchanakwa came charging out of the cave, cranky and sleep deprived.
Caroline decided she didn't want to stick around and face an irritable Sasquatchanakwa, even if she did give him some milk and cookies.
Anuok arrived moments later, skidding to a stop outside of the cave and in front of the sleep deprived yeti, a calm and collective look on her face as the hairy beast glare at her; the mute girl pulled out her notepad and scribbled something down with her pen before handing it to Sasquatchanakwa. The giantic ape read over the note and nodded, turning around to head into the gave before coming back out with a slip of paper; Anuok smiled and waved good-bye as she ran towards her next destination.
Confessional
"Sometimes the best approach is to simply say 'please'." Anuok's note read as she smirked.
End Confessional
Before the Sasquatchanakwa could turn around and head back into its cave to sleep, he was suddenly struck from behind and knocked to the ground by Zelda as she stood on his back and head; the martial art expert spun her long bo over her head before cracking the weapon over the ape's skull, knocking him out and finally allowing him to get the sleep he so very much wanted while she hopped off of his unconscious form and headed into the cave to grab her clue.
Confessional
"Sometimes the best approach is to simply hit them over the head." Zelda shrugged.
End Confessional
Serphonus grinned maliciously as he watched from the trees, his smile broadening when he saw Larry being dragged across the island by the shadow warriors he controlled, with Maurananei running after her helpless pet as he struggled and fought to gain some kind of ground.
His plan was taking shape and everything was going in his favor so far. Really, the only thing stood between him and winning the challenge was Anuok; if anyone knew or asked, the reason Serphonus was so uncomfortable about the mute clairvoyant was because she was the most likely of the any of the contestants, eliminated or not, to detect his sinister scheme and try to stop him if she couldn't communicate with her fellow contestants.
The witch doctor had gone ahead once more and easily cleared the trap laid out for anyone who had been brave or insane enough to jump over the edge of the cliff and into the water below, grabbing the he needed to find Chris's location; not that he had to worry. For the moment, all he had to do was make sure that he and Caroline were safe in order for his plan to succeed. As for who the other two lucky contestants to win the challenge would be, Serphonus could care less. He swiftly descended from the trees and slunk quickly through the shadows and towards the base of the cliff, hiding in a grove of thorn bushes; a quick spell that hardened his skin to be as tough as rock helped him ignore the sharp brambles as he gazed upwards and just barely made out the small, insignificant shape that was Caroline.
He watched with anticipation as the small girl stood there for the longest time, most likely crying her eyes out in fear, before she disappeared out of sight for a brief second only to come hurtling off of the edge at a breakneck pace, plummeting like a falling meteorite as a shrill, terrified scream punched through the air like a knife; music to Serphonus's ears. It was then that he noticed that not only was Caroline coming in too hot to slow down, but she was also nowhere close to the water; the tide had gone out when she jumped.
Confessional
"I just want to make you everyone knows that I only did the following to ensure that I could slaughter Caroline in the finale. Nothing else." Serphonus growled.
End Confessional
With a grunt, Serphonus made a quick motion of his hands and muttered some incomprehensible words under his breath before thrusting his hands outwards; the air swirled and roared in a small cyclone at the base of the cliff, creating a sort of cushion for Caroline as her fall slowed slightly and gently dropped her down to the ground before dissipating and leaving Caroline there as if nothing had happened.
With her heart in her throat, Caroline climbed to her feet and looked behind her to see a second, gaping cave in the side of the cliff; gulping nervously, the frail animal whisperer quietly entered the cave, taking note of the jagged stalactites and stalagmites that thrust up from the floor and down from the ceiling, water dripping loudly in the darkness as bats squeaked loudly from somewhere overhead. Caroline found her teeth chattering, though whether it was from nervousness or the cold that the cave brought was up to debate. She suddenly gagged at the stench of smoke and looked up to see a soft glow from coming farther off in the cave; like a moth to the flame, she instinctively headed towards it until she came to a chamber filled with bubbling, hot lava that filled the air with heat and the noxious smell of melted rocks.
Confessional
"Lava!? Now I know Chris is trying to kill us!" Caroline whimpered.
End Confessional
Caroline was only partially relieved when she noticed that there were rather large stepping stones positioned in the molten rock, forming a precarious pathway for her to attempt to get to the other side and back on; with little choice left, she took a deep breath and launched herself at the first rock, just barely making it across. Taking another breath while she balanced herself, she jumped again and landed on the next rock in front of her, swiftly repeating the same motion over and over again until she had made to the other side and reached to a rusty bucket that sat on top of a stone pedestal. She reached inside and pulled out a slip of paper before slipping it into her pocket and turning around to make her way back across the pool of lava.
On the other side of the lava pool however, was Paul, looking as if he had gotten into fight with a large animal of some kind, with his shirt partially ripped and scratches marking his arms and face; Caroline gulped and quickly scrambled to the first rock just as Paul jumped, the two of them making their way across the single rock path until they landed on the middle rock that just barely held them in place.
"Don't. Move." Paul hissed.
"Wh-Why would I move w-when there's 10,000 gallons of hot, liquid death all around us?" Caroline whimpered.
"Fair point." Paul realized. "Now follow my lead." he instructed he gently grabbed Caroline by the shoulders and waited for her to do the same as they slowly turned around in a ring so that Caroline's back was towards the xit and Paul's back was towards the waiting bucket.
"Why are you helping me?" Caroline wondered.
"Because even if I didn't like you, which I don't, I wouldn't want you to have your face melted off by Chris of all people." Paul replied as he let go of Caroline and jumped to the next rock. "With any luck, I'll see you at the finish line!" he called over his shoulder; the animal whisperer nodded and quickly made her way back across the lava rocks and back towards the entrance of the cave, getting the unnerving ability that she was being watched. It wasn't until she brushed up against something oddly warm that she found it to be true.
"AAAAAHH!" she screamed, flinching and curling up into a tight ball out of fear; when she found that she wasn't under attack, she uncurled herself to see Anuok standing over with a confused look on her face. "S-s-sorry." Caroline apologized as she climbed to her feet. "I'm a l-little . . . jumpy."
Anuok nodded and gave a quick wave before making her way into the cave, leaving Caroline to walk back out into the daylight where she read her clue. "On the ocean blue, swim with your hands and feet of two (each)." she read. "Not very rhyming, if you ask me." she said to herself. With a sigh, she shrugged off the heavy sweatshirt that covered her white tank top, knowing full well that it would simply weigh her down and even drown her; having attempted to commit suicide before, she was not willing nor ready to try it again as she jumped into the lake with a splash! Where she was going, she had no idea.
"Soon, my little songbird," Serphous grinned maliciously from the cover of the bushes. "Soon, I shall have you within my grasp where I will pluck each and every last one of your precious feathers away from you before finally putting you out of your misery."
Paul grinned triumphantly as he walked out of the lava cave at the base of the cliff, his grip tightly in his hands; his bruised and scratched arms and face now suffered from several ash and soot marks, and his face was a bright red from the severe temperatures within the cave. "I can't believe this is even legal." Paul grumbled under his breath.
"HIIIIII-YAAAAH!"
Paul had approximately two seconds to react before Zelda suddenly smashed her foot into the side of his head and sent him falling to the ground, his face becoming buried in the sand as Zelda stood triumphantly on top of him like a hunting trophy with her trusty long bo in hand; with a smirk, the pink genius bent over and plucked the clue out Paul's hand with a smirk before hopping off of him to walk a short distance away.
"I told you that you would pay." Zelda said without looking up.
"I think I can taste my liver . . ." Paul groaned.
"Oh, please. I only hit you in the head; to even be able to taste your liver, you'd have to be blown by some underground mines or something." Zelda scoffed.
"When I'm done with you, you're going to wish you were blown up by some underground mines!" Paul growled, spitting out a mouthful of sand as he climbed to his feet.
"A fight, hmm?" Zelda hummed thoughtfully as he folded the clue up and put into her pocket before slipping into a fighting stance. "I'll have you know that I know how to use over two dozen different weapons and know over fifty types and styles of martial arts."
"Yeah, well, uh . . ." Paul fumbled over his words. "I can . . . I can turn invisible!"
Zelda rolled her eyes. "Please. I once beat my karate, kung fu, jujitsu, and ninjitsu instructors all at the same time with my eyes closed; they were in the hospital for two months."
Confessional
"Will I survive this?" Paul wondered. "Probably. Will I survive this without being severe injured?" he asked the camera. "Most definitely not."
End Confessional
Paul quickly focused on the chromatophores in his skin, squeezing and releasing his hold on them as his skin shifted and changed color to match his surroundings and make him all but invisible to most people; Zelda however, was not one of this people and lashed out with a swift and rather painful roundhouse kick, nailing Paul right in his chest and sending him flying across the beach, slamming into the sand and sending it flying everywhere in a large cloud. Zelda took a running start and launched herself in the air, doing a quick flip to slam her foot down on Paul's jaw with a loud crack! before letting herself drop down on top of the helpless, invisible boy, straddling him there with her legs as she then proceeded to punch him twice before back flipping off of him and away from the large indention in the sand.
"Surrender?" Zelda frowned.
" . . . would it be wrong if I said no?" Paul's voice groaned; several patches of sand rose into the air where Paul had been lying before falling to the ground just before several loud cracks and snaps filled the air; footprints started to appear in the sand as the invisible boy rushed at Zelda, quickly faking left and then right before slugging the pink genius in the left side of her jaw, his trickery having paid off. Zelda stumbled back, holding her aching jaw in surprise before she suddenly fell face first to the sand, her legs having swept out from under her. Before she knew what was happening, she was lifted up into the air and spun around several times before being slammed into the ground again, knocking the wind out of her.
She lay there for a few harrowing seconds, wondering how someone so crude could get the upper hand on her, when she felt a sudden disturbance in the air and suddenly jerked her head to the side to avoid another punch to the face, made clear by the fist-sized crater just inches from her head; this allowed her to draw back her leg and land a swift kick to Paul's nether regions. The invisible boy squeaked in pain as his skin reflectively flashed bright red with neon green spots and fell to the sand, unable to say anything as Zelda climbed to her feet and smirked.
"And that," she said as she tossed her hair over her shoulder. "Is why girls are better than boys."
Paul could nothing else but squeak with agreement as Zelda quickly pulled out her clue, read through it, and then stuffed it back into her pocket before diving into the lake and swimming out from the shore; Paul staggered to his, still hunched over in pain. "Back to the cave I guess . . ." he whimpered as he scooted around just in time to see Larry come to a stop and reach inside the cave with a long and flexible root, rummaging around for a few seconds before pulling it back with a small slip of paper in his grip. The mutant plant then reached up and handed the clue to Maurananei on his head, the ex-criminal looking like she had just wrestled a crocodile and grizzly bear at the same time.
"Swim out on the lake? Pfft, child's play." Maurananei scoffed before patting Larry's head. "Just like we practiced, boy."
Larry growled happily and carefully curled a root around his master's waist before giving a quick snap and sending her flying through the air and across a good part of the lake where she then came crashing down with a tremendous splash!
"BEEP!" Paul cursed.
Chris waited impatiently on the small, luxury yacht he had set up out on the lake; with air conditioning and heating systems, personal wifi, a fifty inch plasma screen TV, a hot tub, and its own private bar with tender, it certainly was a small sliver of paradise in the harsh wilderness the host was forced to endure through every day of the season: the foamy-thing in the coffee machine never working right.
The host was currently tanning himself on the main deck when something bumped the boat slightly; he cracked open an eye to see a pod of dolphins leap out of the water in near perfect unison next to him, dousing him with water as they sprayed streams of water from his mouths; clinging tightly to one of the marine mammal's backs was Caroline, her grip white knuckled and tight as the dolphin gave a swift motion of its tail and threw her off of its back to land on the deck of the yacht before falling back into the water with a series of whistles and clicks.
"Nice entrance." Chrs frowned as he wiped the water of his eyes. "Sadly, you weren't the first one here; Wilson managed to get here before you, but that still means you have a chance of staying in the game."
"That's a relief." Caroline breathed.
Confessional
"I'm not a very strong or fast swimmer." Caroline admitted. "So when a friendly group of dolphins offered to give me a ride out to Chris's boat and back to the shore, I couldn't pass up the chance. Plus, they're so cute and friendly!" Caroline smiled.
Change Confessional
"Caroline's connection with the inhabitants of the animal kingdom is both intriguing and quite frightening." Zelda tapped her chin. "Should she make it through this challenge . . . I'd better keep an eye on her."
Change Confessional
"You know what the great thing about having unlimited amounts of dark magic and friends on the other side?" Serphonus grinned wickedly. "You have eyes and ears everywhere." he smirked; a quick snap of his fingers, and half a dozen shadowy figures slithered up the walls of the confessional, screeching and hissing loudly.
End Confessional
"Now, take your arrow and head back to shore to shoot a bulls-eye." Chris instructed. "Or try and fail miserably. Either way works for me." the host added with a shrug; Caroline grabbed one of the suction arrows from a quiver lying on the deck at Chris's feet before hopping over the side and plunging into the water where she was swiftly carried back to shore by the dolphins.
A few seconds later, Zelda climbed over the railing of the yacht, gasping for breath as she hung over the railing for a few seconds before slumping down onto the deck of the yacht, her muscles on fire; apparently, it was not wise to swim a good half a mile or so out onto a lake after one had recently been in a fight. Chris cracked open an eye to see Zelda grab an arrow before diving over the side again, hoping to catch up to Caroline. The host closed his eye again, enjoying the silence that swept out over the lake.
CRASH!
Chris jolted awake to see Maurananei embedded about waist deep in the deck of his yacht, a surprisingly calm and placid look on her face for one who had just been sent flying the deck of a ship from their gigantic, mutant plant.
"My yacht!" Chris cried. "Also, doesn't that hurt?" he wondered.
"Like you wouldn't believe." Maurananei grunted as she hauled herself out of the hole and grabbed an arrow before stumbling over to the railing of the ship. "I've got splinters in places splinters should never be." she added before hopping over the side of the railing with a splash before paddling back towards shore with the arrow in her teeth.
"The freaks these days . . ." Chris shook his head. A suddenly motion caught his eye as two sets of hands grabbed hold of the ship's railing and hauled up both Anuok and Paul, both of them looking worse for wear and soaked from head to toe. "Speaking of freaks . . ." Chris smirked.
"You are so lucky that I'm too tired to hurt you right now." Paul panted as he rested for a brief moment before Anuok quickly grabbed an arrow and jumped over the side of the ship, quickly heading back towards shore. "Darn it!" Paul cursed as he coped Anuok and dove the side of the ship to follow her, paddling like mad to try and gain a lead.
Confessional
"I'm starting to think there's some kind of omnipotent force or something that's preventing me from winning anything this round." Paul huffed. "It can't be karma though; I haven't done anything that'd get the universe to upchuck right back at me. At least, I hope I haven't." he added nervously.
End Confessional
Serphonus grunted as he pulled the string back on the bow in his grip, his wiry arms not use to such manual labor; if anything had to be done, it usually took little more than a spell or small amount of magic for the witch doctor to get it done. That, or he had his little voodoo doll servants do it for him while he took care of more pressing matters. But those rags with stuffing for brains not only couldn't take orders, but they weren't with him in the first place. And even then, they were tiny compared to him and wouldn't be able to hold the bow anyway.
The target was a good ten yards or so away from where he stood, taunting and teasing him as it stood there in front of him, waiting for him to shoot his bow. True, he was able to fire off long range attacks, but when it came to shooting something other than spells, power, or magic, he was absolutely hopeless; he told himself though, that it didn't matter if he made the first shot or not. As long as he was one of the first four to do so, he would still be in the game.
A sudden galloping noise caught his attention, and he diverted his attention long enough to watch Caroline come riding out of the trees full speed on the back of a friendly elk; the animal skidded to a stop a few feet away from Serphonus and knelt down to let Caroline off before affectionately nuzzling her and then bounding back into the woods; Serphonus just stared, not quite believing what he just saw as Caroline fumbled to draw her bow and suction arrow.
Confessional
"Not that I'm complaining, but why are the animals so set on helping me all of a sudden?" Caroline wondered. "They normally only help if I ask them. N-Nicely though, of course." she added with a slight blush.
Change Confessional
"The sudden change in the local wildlife's behavior concerns me." Serphonus hummed, rubbing his chin in thought. "Something's off."
End Confessional
The witch doctor shook his head and returned his attention to the task at hand, his staff lying on the ground at his feet as he drew back the string on his bow and released it watching as his bow sailed through the air and smacked loudly against the target with a loud thunk! in the first outer ring. Serphonus cursed under his breath as he watched Caroline fire off her bow and completely miss the target, instead hitting a tree behind it.
"Damn it. Of course she would have to be the worst shot in the competition." Serphonus cursed under his breath; in order to keep Caroline in the competition, he needed to make sure she won the challenge. And fast. With a incoherent grumblings under his breath, he held his hands together and waited patiently as Caroline retrieved her arrow and notched it once more to fire it off; the witch doctor then made a quick, fluid motion of his hands and finished his incantation. The air wavered and shifted ever so slightly around the arrow, guiding it slightly and right towards the middle of the target, nailing a bulls-eye.
"And with that amazing show of marksmanship, Caroline is the winner of the challenge!" Chris announced, walking from seemingly out of nowhere like he normally did and clapping Caroline on the shoulder proudly. "She gets immunity and a night in the Hangout of Awesomeness! Better hurry, or you just might find your way on the first ticket outta here to Loserville!"
"Take a hint from your own cruel laughter and go away." Serphonus snarled as he drew his bow and fired off his arrow, whispering incoherent words under his breath and firing it off before moving his fingers in slight motions that he hoped no one could see; the air around the arrow wobbled and moved the arrow ever so slightly, just barely managing to direct the arrow into the center of the target.
"Serphonus, while not receiving the special treat Caroline did, is also safe for this round! Two more spots left, folks!" Chris chuckled. "Who'll be unlucky enough to not make to the next episode?"
"Hopefully, you!
Everyone turned their attention to see Larry come storming out of the trees, bellowing loudly and swinging his vine-like tendrils in the air, forcing Chris and Caroline to duck underneath one as Maurananei jumped off of Larry's head and hurled her arrow like a javelin at the target, nailing it right in the center as she landed roughly on her shoulder with a sickening crack! The ex-criminal didn't move for a few seconds before she climbed to her feet, her left arm dangling uselessly at her side.
"And Maurananei wins the third slot!" Chris announced, wincing slightly. "And a trip to the medical tent, too. If you want."
"I'm fine." Maurananei hissed as she held her shoulder.
"D-Doesn't th-that hurt?" Caroline cringed.
"You can't imagine how much pain I'm going through right now." Maurananei grunted through gritted teeth. "Oh, God, I think it's dislocated."
"I . . . I c-can fix that . . . if you want." Caroline offered.
"If saves me from having to see Chef in a nurse's outfit, go right ahead." Maurananei begged slightly; Larry lowered his head down to the ground and whimpered slightly, concerned for his own as she affectionately patted his head to let him know she was alright. While she was distracted, she felt Caroline grab her arm and pull on it slightly, a minor shifting motion that didn't bother her; that is, until Caroline suddenly gave a swift yank on her arm, a loud snap! echoing through the air.
"AAAAAAAAAGGGGGH! Sweet mother of BEEP! BEEP! God! What did you just do!?" Maurananei roared at the top of her lungs.
Caroline whimpered and curled up in a ball on the ground. "I-I-I . . . f-fixed y-your shoulder . . ." the animal whisperer gulped nervously, completely terrified of her friend. Maurananei blinked and rolled her shoulder slightly, noting that it no longer felt like she was slowly being lowered into a vat of broiling acid. She glanced down at the quivering ball that was Caroline at her feet and immediately regretted her actions as she stooped down to pull Caroline into a hug and effortlessly lift her off of the ground.
"I'm sorry I yelled at you." Maurananei whispered in Caroline's ear. "I just . . . forget my temper sometimes." she admitted sheepishly as she hugged Caroline close to her.
"I'm s-sorry f-for not telling y-you what I w-was doing." Caroline sniffed.
"You have nothing to be sorry for." the ex-criminal scolded her lightly. "Forgive me?"
"Yes." Caroline smiled, nuzzling her head affectionately against Maurananei's neck as they hugged each other.
"If we're done with the whole 'touchy-feely' moments, I'd like to get back to good ol' pain and humiliation." Chris interrupted; Caroline could have sworn she saw fire leap right out of Maurananei's eyes and fly right at Chris, she was so irked.
"Give me one good reason why-" Maurananei started to threaten before a flurry of movement caught all of their attentions; Paul, Anuok, and Zelda came charging out of the trees, each one of them running about even with the other as they all charged onto the archery field and grabbed a bow, drawing them all back before firing them off; a series of heavy thumps! resounded against the targets as the three contestants panted heavily.
"Who won?" Paul wondered.
"Dunno." Chris shrugged. "We'll have to check the footage . . . after my massage." he added with a smirk. "See you at the campfire!"
The air was cool as the stars twinkled and danced overhead, forming themselves into constellations as the full moon smiled down on the earth; unfortunately, everyone was too stressed to even think about watching the night sky overhead, with their attentions more so drawn to the warm, crackling flames below the charming night sky.
"Well, well, well. Lookie what I have here," Chris smirked from his position at the old tar barrel that served as a podium of sorts. "A plate of exactly four marshmallows, but only six campers."
"Great. You can do math." Maurananei scoffed. "Now get on with it."
"Don't rush me! The viewing audience eats this kind of stuff up like Owen at an all you can eat buffet!" Chris snapped. "When I call your name, come up and get your marshmallow. And if you don't hear your name called-"
"You are out of the contest and can't come back ever." Zelda recited with impatience. "We've all seen the show and been through this ordeal at least a dozen times. Get on with it."
Chris glared at the contestants before him before grabbing the plate of marshmallows and tossing all but one of them at the impatient teenagers before him. "Wilson, Maurananei, and Caroline, you're safe. And the final camper to receive a marshmallow is . . ."
"I swear, if you pause one more time, I will break every bone in your body." Maurananei growled.
"Can I help?" Paul asked.
"Alright, already!" Chris yelled loudly. "Zelda! Your safe!" Chris huffed, tossing the marshmallow carelessly at the pink genius before throwing the empty tray of marshmallows over his shoulder without care; Anuok and Paul were stunned, sharing looks with each other. "Yes, yes, it's always a shock. Now get going; torpedoes don't launch themselves."
"One second." Paul snarled; Chris watched with confusion and then fear as Paul triggered the chromatophores in his skin, slowly vanishing from view. The host's eyes glanced around fearfully, searching for any sign of the invisible teenager before his head suddenly snapped upwards with a loud cracking noise; Chris then suddenly doubled over in pain, holding his arms to his stomach as he gasped for breath just as he was suddenly shoved forward by some unseen force in the butt. The host thought the worst was over until he was suddenly yanked to the heavens by his undergarments, a loud squeak of pain coming from him as he crumbled to the ground in defeat.
"Alright. All set to go." Paul reappeared into existence as he dusted off his hands; Maurananei, Wilson, Zelda, and Anuok clapped politely as Caroline flinched upon seeing Chris. Well, she only flinched slightly. She didn;t like him all that much. "Shall we?" Paul asked, holding out his elbow' Anuok blushed slightly but nodded, holding up a single finger to pull out her notepad and quickly scribble something down before tearing the page off and running over to Chris to quickly tape it to his back before rushing back over to Paul and linking her arm through his.
"We'll see you at the finale." Anuok waved good-bye. Everyone did a double take and starred at Anuok as she smiled mischievously and an equally surprised Paul along with her towards the Dock of Shame.
"Seeing as how Chris is down for the count . . ." Zelda cleared her throat before turning to the camera. "We're down to the final four. How soon will it be before there are no more? Find out next time on Total! Drama! Pahkitew's Vengenace!"
"Hmmm. 'Kick Me'." Maurananei read the note taped to Chris's back before a sinister smile crossed her face while she cracked her knuckles. "If you insist, Chrisy!"
Confessional
"Two, possible one more episode before the finale." Serphonus chuckled to himself. "I'm surprised no one's figured it out yetl then again, if that clairvoyant didn't see it coming, none of them will. I'll I have to do is lie low until it's just me and Caroline . . . and then, the fun begins!" he cackled. "If you're watching Micheal . . . hope you got a nice casket picked out. You ain't see your pathetic brat of a girlfriend anytime soon."
Change Confessional
"You wanna know one of the perks of having one of, if not the most powerful weapon in the universe strapped to your wrist is?" Micheal asked as he leaned against the side of the outhouse confessional. "You can get anywhere you need to be faster than any plane, boat, or car could get you there." he smirked slightly before his expression became stern. "Watch out, Serphonus. The end is nigh, for you." he hissed darkly.
End Confessional
And there we go!
Finally, after a month of putting this off, a couple of sick days, and countless hours wasted on dealing with life and school work, it is here! The finale is coming, ladies and gentlemen! Place your bets on who will win!
On an unrelated note, if you guys could please do me a solid? For the next challenge, I need several dozen or so dares/truths (big guess at what's coming next). If you could include those in your reviews, it would be very much appreciated. We good? Okay. Thanks!
As always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below!
Hasta Luego!