Replies, kidnapped and stolen:

lordgemini- There hasn't been a single elimination that didn't hurt for me. Even Persephone's, knowing that she was going to return, just felt so sad in the moment to see her go. I think last episode did a really nice job comparing Chris and Chef and their motivations, where one is concerned about the show, and one actually seems to care about Crevice.

Space Zodiac- If you thought last episode was a Shion or Zev chapter, I got big news about today too. As for Sasha and Setsuna, since they've kinda done their big bad villain arc, I thought the most fitting thing for the two friends who love history would be to start involving them both way more with the villagers, and we're gonna see some more of that too!

Sephiria Arks- That's a really cool theory that there's another Crevice-like place somewhere else. The teams are definitely lopsided in terms of strategists and morally sound people, where Team Gorgeous has the bulk of the cunning, but that also has spelled trouble for them in the past.

We're down to 10...for now, it'll be 9 soon!


Episode 10: Part Two, Minus Two

The camera opened up to Chris in Crevice, sitting inside one of the empty Team Persephone shacks. "Welcome to the second half of Ancient Abodes!" he announced excitedly. "We've seen sixteen contestants show up and do their best to help out a dying civilization, and also try to win a million bucks! We've lost seven, and gained one back, but things are heating up now!" He laughed. "Last time, our brand new thawed-out shaman Gregor introduced us to the world of spirits and magic, and as we learned, it sucks!" Clips played of the different contestants trying to summon spirits, and all the ones who were successful being disheartened in some way. "Some looked unfazed though, because they just couldn't do it, or weren't trying!" Clips played of Monty and Nicolette somewhat succeeding, Sasha failing, and Setsuna giving up on purpose. "Because of that, we got a quick win from Team Persephone, which is lacking...that's right, Persephone herself! Though back in the game, Persephone was put on Team Gorgeous to stir some things up, and stir she did!" Clips played of Persephone revealing herself to Alessia in the morning and her talk with Zev after the challenge.

"Despite all their efforts to stay alive, Shion and Monty saw the losing battle against the Team Gorgeous girls. Zev saw it too, but decided to not be the one who goes down. Teaming up with Alessia and Persephone, he created his own alliance that worked with Sasha and Setsuna to get rid of Monty, this time for good...at least, maybe. I might drag another person back into the game!" He laughed as clips of Monty's elimination and Shion's shock at the reveal played before switching back to Chris. "We have ten left, but that'll change today! Who's going to get to nine? Are we running out of things to do here? Probably. Find out what unfolds today, on Total! Drama! Ancient Abodes!"

As Chris's cheers of excitement grew louder, someone else was alerted instead. Croshia stood from behind the shack with a confused look on her face. "This is a unique development. Perhaps there is more to their training than I thought..."


Opening Sequence

[Various cameras and other director equipment came popping out of various points of Crevice. The first camera appeared as it popped out of the window to the blacksmith's workshop. The next one popped out of the ground in the training arena, where the spear promptly severed it from its wires. Finally, a camera emerged from the dock that was connected to a small hut, this camera falling right into the water.]

Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doing fine,

[The camera zoomed from the top of the cliff all the way down into Crevice, where Chef was seen lifting a heavy piece of stone into place on a house, putting it into place, only for it to be knocked out by a rogue explosion from one of Chander's pranks. Chef sighed heavily as Chander laughed nervously at the result. Nearby, Klase watched this all unfold apprehensively.]

You guys are on my mind,

[The camera turned to the blacksmith, where Harvey could be seen wielding a giant sword he had crafted. He performed a pretty terrible swing at a target, and turned to look at a confused-looking Alessia, who merely sighed in frustration.]

You asked me what I wanted to be, and I think the answer is plain to see,

[The camera switched to the middle firepit, which Nicolette was assisting with the cleanup of. Nearby, Setsuna was pitching in on a rock move with Monty, the archeologist clearly saying some things that made Nicolette nervous and Monty angry. The bassist lost his temper, punching a hole into the rock which startled all three of them.]

I wanna be famous!

[The camera moved from the firepit to the meeting hall behind it, where Syd was tampering with a machine she had created. Meanwhile, Persephone watched her to the side, grinning excitedly as the machine began whirring and lighting up some of the lights that had been placed in there.]

I wanna live close to the sun,

[At the bridge connecting the village to the forest, Shion stood proudly, and acknowledging the camera, gave a wink. He then stared out into the forest, where a pair of eyes could be seen in the shadows.]

Go pack your bags cause I've already won,

[The eyes startled Shion, causing him to quickly turn around, and he ran into Winter, who had followed Shion out to the bridge. Shion sighed and helped Winter back to the village, the bandwagoner confused as to why they needed help.]

Everything to prove, nothing in my way, I'll get there one day,

[The camera flipped to the abandoned shaman temple, where Winslow was digging around in search of something. They encountered an odd staff that was still glowing, which only intrigued them further on what was going on with it.]

Cause I wanna be famous!

[Back in the meeting hall, Chris was having a discussion with Zenthus inside the leader's quarters. Zenthus was accompanied by the other three villagers. The room itself had a dark shadow inside it.]

Na na, na na na na, na na na na, na na na na na na!

[Out by the dock near the hut, Zev was fishing with a very old rod as Sasha poked her head out of the hut, looking around for something, and then sitting down to relax. As soon as she did, Kaif appeared out of the water with a makeshift heart, which Sasha took. As soon as she did, Kaif went from flirty to confused.]

I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous! I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous!

[The camera transitioned to night, where Faye was gazing up at the stars. At one point, the camera zoomed in on one of the stars, which turned into a ball of fire. As the camera zoomed out, it revealed the firepit at night.]

I wanna be famous *whistling*

[The camera panned out further to show everyone circled around the campfire, which the villagers were present for as well, all very confused at the whole situation. Everyone whistled the theme song as Chris stood on the side, holding up a sign that the villagers could not see, which was entitled: Total Drama Ancient Abodes.]


RODIN'S HUT, CREVICE

Croshia wandered into Rodin's hut. The fisherman himself was sitting in a chair reading a book that was definitely not his. "Rodin, I was hoping we could-" the blacksmith started, before realizing what was in his hand. "What...is that?"

"A text from the kids," Rodin said back. "I was hoping reading it might get me more in touch with whatever they are up to. Is that not a sound idea?" Despite Croshia's disapproving look, the fisherman seemed quite content with his answer. "What? This text is rather useless. Apparently it is a legend that is later than us. So, it is not really a legend at all. Sasha called it...science-fiction."

Croshia shook her head. "Whatever. Look, I might have just uncovered something really interesting." Rodin placed the book down. "I was walking from a meeting with Zenthus, and all of the sudden, I heard Chris McLean speaking inside a northern shack. He appeared to have some sort of magic box with him." Rodin was now definitely paying attention.

"The magic box," Rodin mused for a second. "I recall seeing that a bit ago as well. Chris speaks to it, but it appears to have no other function. I disregarded it, but obviously, it does something. I just do not know what it does. Perhaps we could as if Thea knows, or maybe Zenthus."

The blacksmith gritted her teeth, not liking that response. "Thea...is not ready to learn about alternate motives. She is still young and reckless. The last thing we need is unnecessary blood. Zenthus would have no clue about that type of thing." She realized in that moment why Rodin mentioned only those two. Croshia sighed. "Rodin, I know you do not want to hear it, but Gregor-"

"Cannot do a thing," Rodin shot back aggressively. "That prodigy shaman is a giant charlatan who claims to have connections to spirits that tell incorrect fortunes. Do you recall that he told me I would find true happiness? Do you remember what we found? We found us two, and two others, and everyone else dead. We got stuck trying to rebuild and survive while he was off in a cave. He did not live because he got lucky like us. He survived the avalanche because he was not in Crevice the day it struck. Either his spirits were wrong, or they were right, and he ran! Either way, he is useless to us. We do not need spirits right now. We need hard work and leadership, which everyone else is providing."

Croshia listened to Rodin's rant, trying to accept his anger. "Fine, if you will not do it, I will. Just know that one day you will have to face him again. You can do it in rage or civility, but if you refuse to help me now that he is back, and you wish to sulk in here all day. I will find other help, and that might end up causing more trouble than it is worth." She sighed. "I will speak with one of the weaker minds today. Winter of the northern group will likely be willing to tell me answers if I ask."

As the blacksmith left, Rodin let out a disgruntled huff, returning to the book without a second thought for anything Croshia said. He squinted his eyes in confusion at the spot he was at on the page. "These...what is the word...contractions...they still do not make sense to me."


TEAM GORGEOUS

Zev woke up in his bed to an empty shack. Like usual, Setsuna had run off early in the morning. Whether it was to explore, scheme with Sasha, or flirt with Gregor, he did not know, or really care. All that was on his mind at the moment was the move he had made last night. "Well, I finally did something," he said to himself. "I hope that it doesn't come back to bite me. If Alessia and Persephone are really with me, it won't be an issue."

He got out of bed himself and began to walk out of his shack, only to see a very unhappy face as soon as he opened the door. "Turn around and sit, we need to talk," Shion said aggressively. Zev said nothing, since he had no clue how much Shion knew. "We're in big trouble," he told the intimidating boy. "Persephone sided with the girls in the end, and now we're going to get picked off if we don't win."

Zev sat quietly as Shion paced back and forth in the taller boy's shack. "I mean, we shouldn't have been so stupid!" Shion continued, clearly upset by the situation. "Persephone said she'd be on our side, and now she isn't!" He groaned. "I really hope that it's you next and not me, no offense."

Once Shion was done ranting, Zev cleared his throat. "Shion, I need to be totally honest with you. Persephone said that she was on our side, and that's the truth, but in reality, yesterday, she was more on...just my side."

Shion was instantly alarmed by the reveal. "Wait, does that mean that you helped vote off Monty?" the tall boy sat quietly, like he was ashamed of the answer. "Why would you do that? Did you really sell Monty out so you can get yourself to the merge? Is that your big plan? I guess you'll win all the challenges once we get there, so why not? How about you-"

"Shion," Zev said again, snapping the musician out of his tirade. "This Team Gorgeous civil war we've been having will do nothing. We're going to lose all of us if we go into the merge divided. I was originally hoping we could work out our differences, but the spirits told me to stop sitting on my hands and waiting. So, I made a deal with Persephone, and the two of us got Sasha and Setsuna to vote out Monty too."

Shion looked devastated by that reveal too. "So, let's cut to the chase then," he finally decided to ask. "That leaves two of us on the team alone. Do you really plan on saving Alessia over me, or do I at least get that amount of peace knowing I can afford to lose one more time."

"I had to trick you," Zev insisted. "The person going next is my choice. Persephone said so." Just then, a knock was heard at the door. "That's probably her. Look, we had to give our target a sense of security. Unlike Monty, this person's a bit craftier. We needed that to happen." He turned to the closed door. "Come in!"

Just as predicted, Persephone wandered into Zev's shack as well. "Oh, good," she said with a scoff as she saw Shion's distraught face. "You told him. Is he done blubbering like a baby about it, or do we have to wait until we can get down to business?" Shion's silence on the matter was enough to answer that. "Shion, you should be grateful. This strategy Zev arranged is designed to keep four people on this team around as long as possible. We decided that we want you, instead of Monty. Rejoice."

Shion shook his head. "Sorry, I can't trust you on this until I see it. How can you be so sure that Persephone won't betray this group? She had no problem doing it yesterday, and it feels like she had already forgotten about her old team. She can't be trusted."

"Calm down," the arrogant princess snapped back. "Like I said, this was Zev's idea, not mine. I made him show that I can trust him by having him let me pick who goes first out of the people we need to get out. Now it's his turn. If you're going to keep complaining like this, maybe you'll get a turn." She scoffed again. "And let's be clear. My team voted me out. I am back, and I'm making sure they regret every second."

"One more thing, then," Shion asked. "You keep talking about this magic four. I see three of us here. Who is the fourth?"

Zev looked interested in that question too. "I'd like to know that too. This is all about transparency right now."

Persephone laughed. "Yeah, right. Like you two aren't going to team up and take me down once this works. I have a fourth vote. Everyone but Shion voted for Monty last night, so it's going to stay a secret. If the plan works, you'll know who it is." She smirked. "That's all I have. Shion, at least consider this offer I've generously extended to you. I am off."

Once Persephone left, Shion stood up. "I need some time to think it over. I know it's my best move, but you two aren't trustworthy." Shion disappeared and went north, right in the direction of Team Persephone.


Shion: "It's never good being in a minority," the musician pointed out. "If everyone but me voted for Monty, then I'm so next. Maybe getting in with Team Persephone needs to be the right play, and I mean Team Persephone, not Persephone's little alliance."

Zev: "I knew that would not be a pleasant conversation," Zev admitted. "But, I need to win, and that means I have to stop sitting around and waiting for the team to fix itself. If they need someone to complain to, I'll be there, just like I was for Shion just now. But this game is definitely approaching a merge. I have to be ready."


SHAMAN TEMPLE, CREVICE

Setsuna was just outside of the temple, skipping along excitedly with Sasha in tow. "Gregor knows I'm here to spy on him for Rodin," the temptress remarked to the archaeologist. "I don't know why he's just letting that happen." She pulled out a notepad. "Whatever. My job isn't super hard, at least. Rodin wants concrete proof that Gregor is a sham, and he thinks by being there, he'll ruin that data."

"I mean, I know we didn't, but a lot of people managed to do something yesterday," Setsuna pointed out. "The odds Chris laced a staff with some sort of shock device or something isn't zero, but I kinda think maybe everyone saw something. I want to ask someone who got spirits out on the first try. Maybe Persephone is willing to share what she saw."

Sasha shrugged. "I doubt it. But it does sound like you're really interested in trying to actually summon these spirits. I thought you were just here to flirt with Gregor."

The archeologist laughed. "Oh, for sure, but come on! This is ancient ruins and stuff! Don't tell me you're not at least a little interested!" Sasha couldn't deny it. Something about Crevice was definitely interesting enough for everyone to be involved with it. The two entered the shaman temple with a big wave. "Hello, Gregor!" Setsuna called out excitedly. "I hope I didn't keep you waiting too- what are you doing here?"

While Gregor was indeed present, there was already someone else there who had beaten Setsuna to the punch. Winslow had already made their presence clear, holding a shaman staff with one hand and focusing in on it. The rock on the end was glowing for a second, but upon Setsuna's noisy entrance, it stopped. "Apologies," the wanderer told the shaman. "I shouldn't have lost my focus for something so insignificant."

Gregor gave the owl-masked person a thumbs-up. "You are still doing quite well. In your activity, I requested that the spirits respond better prior to your arrival. In reality, there is no chance that many children could summon a Reckoning on their first try." He finally noticed the other two girls making their way in. "Ah, wonderful! Are you two interested in trying again as well?"

"Just here to watch again," Sasha commented. She sat herself against the wall and took her notepad out. "But, if I'm here, I am interested. What did you mean by 'summoning a Reckoning'? What is that?"

"A Reckoning is a type of spirit reaction," Gregor instructed. "We have many types. Prophecy, Advisory, and Reckoning are the most common summons. A Reckoning is the most common. It is where the spirits question you, and force you to look inward. They will ask poignant questions that force someone to at least consider what they have to say."

Setsuna gasped. "That sounds interesting! Do you mind if I give it a shot?" Seeing no reason to refuse, Gregor handed Setsuna the other shaman staff that was in the temple. "Okay, so just hold it up...focus on the rock...and..." Setsuna shut her eyes for a second to try and get something, but upon opening them, there was a lack of anything to show for her efforts. "What am I doing wrong?"

Winslow chuckled. "Hoohoo, do you expect one to simply succeed without having a totally clear mind? In order to succeed, perhaps you should discard your ulterior motives for this visit."

Setsuna pouted at the wanderer's comment, but Gregor stepped in to interfere. "No worries," he said amicably. "Like I said, the spirits were way more cooperative because I asked them to be. It will be harder today." He gritted his teeth for a second, like he didn't want to say the next part. "But...they are right. If you're here for any other reason than to summon that Reckoning, you won't succeed." He smiled at the archeologist. "If you want, I could ask them to give you one anyway."

"No, that's okay!" Setsuna said confidently. "If I can't do it now, it just means I'll have to keep coming back until I get it!" She gave a wink to Gregor. He stood stoically at that. Maybe the spirits haven't told him what a wink was. "Maybe we can spend some extra time now! I mean, Winslow already seems to be doing fine, so maybe they'll just leave." The sentence was said loud enough and with the right inflection to insinuate that she wanted Winslow gone.


Setsuna: "I'm sure Winslow's nice and all," she clarified, "but they're getting in my way here. I mean, Shion's obsessed with Chander, Zev is taken as he so clearly says every time I speak to him, and Monty, who was the only single and available person, we just voted off. It was a good play, but I miss flirting with anyone. So, thank goodness Winslow found the frozen hunk, but I still need them out of the way."


The wanderer shrugged. "I do not care to submit to your horrific ways, but I suppose nothing can be done. I would rather not take more verbal barrage from you this morning, so I will in fact be off." They handed the staff they were using back to Gregor. "Thank you again for this enlightening experience. Hopefully more can be done soon." Winslow left the temple, as Sasha continued to jot down everything she had been observing.

As soon as Winslow made it out of the temple's area, a rope trap seemed to have captured their feet. "Ah, I suppose that is not ideal," they mused. The rope trap tightened, and Winslow fell to the ground, disappearing into the eastern side of Crevice.


TEAM PERSEPHONE

A knock was heard on the shack that Winter and Winslow were normally in. Winter woke up, realizing that she was the only one there. "Did Winslow actually go to that temple thing this morning?" they asked with drowsy eyes still. "I hope no one else is there, or I'd miss out on-" she paused for a second reflectively. "Or...maybe I'm okay missing it. I'll have to see." They hopped out of bed and opened the door to see Nicolette there. "Oh, it's you!"

Nicolette grinned happily to see Winter chipper in the morning. "Good morning, Winter," she said politely. "I wanted to know what you were up to this morning. I wanted to see if I could learn also, who got eliminated last night."

"Oh, I know that," Winter told her confidently. "If Team Gorgeous loses, I normally follow them so I'm not out of the loop of who leaves and stuff." She shrugged. "Big shocker though. They eliminated Monty out of nowhere. Shion looked pissed about it this morning." That comment seemed to hit Nicolette like a spike, even the bandwagoner noticed. "Are...you good?"

The saint quickly focused back in on the conversation at hand. "Oh, yeah, I'm okay. Don't worry about me. I was just surprised to hear that. What about you? You don't exactly look like you have been yourself this morning. Can I do anything for you?"

"It's probably nothing," Winter lied. "Out of curiosity though, why didn't you summon those spirits? You and Monty were the only ones who couldn't. Everyone else was in on the trend- on the...earning points in the challenge." Nicolette struggled to comprehend what exactly Winter was trying to say. "Anyway, I was wondering if you could help me find a hobby. I think I want to be able to do something I'm good at."

Nicolette put a hand to her chin. "That's a good idea. What inspired you to do something like that?"

"Um..." Winter tried to find an extra excuse for this, but it fell flat. "To be honest, the spirits seemed to mess with a lot of people, and I think I got right in on that trend too. I was just wondering if you thought there was any reason you couldn't do it. Maybe it'd help me figure out what I'm doing."

The saint smiled. "Winter, I think you need to take an interest in yourself," she suggested. "That was something Klase told me to do. You shouldn't worry about what others are doing. Try and be you." She looked in the bandwagoner's eyes and asked her a very poignant question. "What does Winter Washille want to do? What do they like to do?"

Winter seemed stumped by that. "Um...I don't know. Can I get back to you on that? Why don't we talk tonight?" They grinned. "I think you're going to be a big help on figuring out what I like to do."

"That sounds wonderful," Nicolette told the bandwagoner. "You've made a really good step in the right direction. It does sound like everyone who summoned a spirit had some sort of emotional turmoil. I do hope I can help them resolve that as well."


Nicolette: "I'm super proud of Winter," she said excitedly. "She spent so long clinging to Alessia at the beginning of the game. Maybe once we merge, she won't instantly go running back to her. I'm a bit concerned that she might suffer a similar fate to Faye if she does."

Winter: "Technically there's like, a bunch of spirits, so I guess I'm technically following the trend of what the spirits want, but this still is something I want to do. I've been the middle child of nine all my life, so I've never had a chance like this do or get something I want. I just have to figure out what I do want."


In Chander's shack, the acrobat sat around quietly. Shion hadn't been there yet, and he had left so abruptly yesterday. "Things just keep getting tougher and tougher," he said to himself. "No Klase, Shion's being more secretive, and we're still down to four people on this team...I need this merge to happen soon. I could feel a little safer if it did."

He walked around the shack for a bit, pacing back and forth to try and think of anything that would work. "The spirits were right, I was so wrong. I have to figure out how exactly I can get this team under control." He shook his head. "Maybe it really isn't something I can do. I need to talk to someone with a backbone, and I guess my team really isn't the place for it. No one except Winslow could, even then, it's a maybe."

In that moment, Shion barged into the room. "Chander, I-" as he saw the distressed acrobat pacing around, he changes his aggressive approach. "Chander...I'm sorry I ran off. I'm not good with talking about my past, because it's not fun. Not fun to remember, not fun to talk about, none of it is good. I like where I am now, and if I talk about what was before, I feel like I would go right back." He sighed. "The spirits suggested I share more."

Chander laughed. "I guess that's as good of an apology as I can expect from you," he decided. "How about this- one day, you will tell me something. maybe something small, but I want to know that you trust me." He shook his head. "Right now, I need someone like you who is willing to fight for what they believe in. I need to win for my team before we get any smaller."

"Just be confident in your choices," Shion advised. "I mean, you lose a lot of time when you make calls. When you three found Gregor in the cave, I think you ended up making that choice quickly, and you didn't win the challenge, but I think that was the right call. When Alessia was on your team, you spent ages making decisions because you were basically checking with her the whole time."

"Woah, I did," Chander noticed. "You really probably have the biggest amount of intel on everyone here. He glanced out the window. "Has anyone actually seen Alessia this morning?" Shion shook his head. "Huh. Normally I can hear her doing something, but this morning, it's like she got taken somewhere else." He laughed. "Oh well, I guess that's the end of that. I missed her for a while, but our team is kind of peaceful without her. How has she stayed in the game?"

Shion shook his head. "Beats me. I think everyone just has bigger fish to fry. You know they got rid of Monty last night?" Chander looked shocked by that. "Yeah, Zev and Persephone did it. I was the only one besides Monty who voted different." He shuddered. "Zev told me I'd be fine, but it's hard to trust that when I got left out of that vote." Shion held up a confident smile. "Okay, your job today is to try and beat my team. If you can do it, I'll tell you three things about me that are true. If you don't...you can still have one."

Chander laughed. "I appreciate that. Okay, I hope you're ready then, because you're going down!" He shot a playful smirk in Shion's direction. Shion seemed to really enjoy the prankster's confidence.

Just then, the dreaded announcement came. "What's up, everyone?" Chris asked through speakers. "I put the speakers back up! Anyway, it's time for the ch- activity. We have a real tough one for you today, so come down to the entrance to the woods and we'll get starte-" A giant burst of static could be heard. Thea had found the speakers again.


Shion: "Talking with Chander is awesome," he said. "I mean, he's really empathetic, which is why I trust him so much. Plus he's really funny once you get past his introverted side! Also, he's an acrobat, it's no secret he works out..." he paused. "Oh, and um, I get intel for my team. Almost forgot that. I wonder when the last time I shared anything with them was..."

Chander: "Talking with Shion is really helpful," Chander admitted. "He has a lot of that performer blood in him too, so I think we relate really well. Shame we're stuck on different teams. I really hope that when we win today, he won't be eliminated for it."


The speaker crashed onto the ground, sparking all over the place. Thea had a smug smirk on her face as she saw the spear, pierced straight through the speaker and plunged into the ground behind it now. "That's enough of that," the huntress griped. "No magic boxes on Crevice grounds so long as I am around."

Chris huffed. "No need to be so violent," he said with a pouty face. "Those 'magic' boxes are really expensive."

As the cast began to assemble, Croshia came across the ever smaller Team Persephone, and pulled one of them to the side. "Winter, was it?" the blacksmith asked with a kind smile on her face.

Despite the welcoming expression, Winter looked very concerned, and nervously began spewing things out. "Oh, Croshia! Hi! Hi is English for Hello, or you might know that already..."

"Take it easy," Croshia offered, calming the bandwagoner down. "I just had a few questions to ask you. If you want, could you meet me after the activity to discuss a few things? Rodin might come too. It could be a good chance to learn about some activities the people of Crevice do."

Winter grinned for only a second. "That sounds really-" they paused. "Oh, actually, I have plans already. Nicolette is going to help me carry out what the spirits suggested for me..." she frowned. "Sorry."

Croshia seemed really happy to hear that Winter was taking the spirits' advice. "That is a rather good alternative," the blacksmith complimented. "I hope that you will continue to partake in our traditions." As Croshia went back from the area, she sighed. "Maybe the weak minds are the wrong approach," she analyzed. "I should try speaking with someone who likely cares very little, and who also failed the spirit activity...Alessia."


Winter: "That was spooky," they said with a nervous look. "But it's not like I told any lies, I really am hanging out with Nicolette afterwards." Her eyes widened. "Maybe Gregor said something. I think he knows what we're about."


WOODS ENTRANCE, CREVICE

Once everyone was finally there, Chris gathered everyone up. "Good morning, final ten," Chris told them. "We'll have to see how long that number stays like that. Anyway, today we've been granted some freedom! As you can see, now that Thea's off destroying my last speaker that she knows of, there are no villagers around! So, we took that chance to give you all a fun challenge!"

Nicolette quickly counted up the members of her small team. "Um, Chris, we appear to be missing Winslow."

The host nodded. "More on that...right now! That's right, Team Persephone, Winslow is currently missing and in the woods somewhere! Team Gorgeous, if you've noticed, you're also missing Alessia! She's been taken and put somewhere in the woods as well!"

"I knew it was quieter this morning," Zev stated dryly. Everyone else looked around. It seemed some people hadn't noticed she was even gone.

"Anyway, those two are really easy to find, because you're getting a map right to them! But, this challenge isn't just a race! On your way there, each team will have three puzzles to solve! Some of them are easy, like, just actual puzzles, some of them are not so fun! Each puzzle will give you a key. Once you get through all three puzzles, you will have to untie all the knots and undo all the locks keeping Alessia or Winslow before the other team does. First team to free their teammate wins something very special. This is not a challenge you want to lose."

Chris tossed the maps to Chander and to Sasha. "Alright, just to be clear, you have to follow the paths, and if any puzzles aren't done, you won't be able to win the challenge." Everyone nodded. "Okay, get ready...and go!" Instantly, Chander and Sasha rushed into the woods, each one having their team follow right behind them.


Persephone: "I'd consider myself really safe," she said, "so I really want what that special prize is. If I can get even more, I'll do anything for it. I'd even be a helpful member of my team to get it."


TEAM PERSEPHONE

With Winslow missing, Team Persephone was down to three people only: Chander, Nicolette, and Winter. All three of them were making okay time moving through the woods. "That caught me off guard," Winter admitted. "I wasn't ready for a regular Total Drama-styled challenge, but I guess here we are." The three kept running until they reached a giant area with a bunch of squirrels inside a fence. "What the-"

The static of a speaker got their attention. "Welcome, Trio Persephone, to the first puzzle!" Chris told them. "Hidden on one of these squirrels is a key! You need to catch the squirrel and get the key off of it, but each squirrel has a slightly different key. There's a lock on the side of the fence that is the same as your first lock to free Winslow, so whatever key you find that opens that lock, will be what you need later."

Nicolette looked at the near one hundred squirrels that were scampering around the fenced area. "It's literally luck, we have a one percent chance to get the right one!" She sighed. "Is there a way to make this go faster?"

Chander shook his head. "I sure can't think of one. Let's just hope we get luckier than Team Gorgeous!" The acrobat lunged ahead and hopped the fence, beginning to scramble around to try and grab a squirrel. Winter and Nicolette followed soon after. Chander's speed was solid enough to grab a squirrel quickly and try the lock with the key he got. As expected, the first key didn't work. "No good," he muttered.

Right before he was about to release the squirrel back into the fence, Nicolette stopped him. "Hold on!" the blonde girl shouted. "If we can release them into the woods, we can eliminate the ones with the wrong keys!"

"That makes sense," Winter acknowledged. The bandwagoner grabbed their first squirrel shortly after. After grabbing the key, she released the squirrel into the woods as well. They tried their key on the fence lock, but it still didn't open. "How did Chris even manage to capture this many squirrels without the villagers noticing? And he had to have done it without their help."

Chander gasped. "You're right! I have an idea!" As soon as he said that, he captured another squirrel. Another bad key, but this time Chander didn't let the squirrel go. "Let's see..." Chander poked at the ears of the squirrel excessively, but it had no extra effect. "They're not regular squirrels!" He looked at the ground, which had a sharp rock sitting there. "I hope I'm right..."

Chander hurled the squirrel with all of his might at the sharp rock, and luckily, Chander's theory was right.

The squirrel began to spark for a bit, and then stopped moving completely. "They're all robotic," Winter said with a nod. "We can totally flood this place with water and try all the keys without having to chase them down!"

Nicolette glanced around the woods. "There's a pond nearby!" All three Team Persephone members rushed to the pond and grabbed enough water to coat the entire bottom of the fenced area. Sure enough, the squirrels slowed down, and then began sparking, before all of them were motionless. "Good thing your theory was right, Chander," Nicolette mentioned. "I just don't know what we would have done if we hurt a creature that badly."

"I'm with you there," the acrobat admitted. Winter went back and forth, handing Chander a bunch of keys to try. After about thirty keys, the lock opened. "Okay, this one's it!" he said. "We have to hold on to this until the end of the challenge. Let's go!" Happy with their success, Team Persephone rushed along the path to the next part of the challenge.


TEAM GORGEOUS

The five-person Team Gorgeous arrived at the exact same puzzle Team Persephone had. Shion quietly kept his distance behind the other four, concerned about their vote still from the night before. "Okay, so finding a singular key could be instantaneous, or take forever," Zev analyzed. "We have the numbers advantage, so if both teams just looked we might be able to get one that unlocks the lock quicker than them."

"But," Sasha countered, "this challenge is probably even for both teams. I think there is some sort of alternate solution to this." She studied the squirrel movements carefully. "They appear normal right now. Let's catch one or two each and leave them in a separate spot. I may want to try to investigate them a bit."

At Sasha's request, the other four began chasing squirrels and getting their keys. Persephone managed to grab two in no time at all. "These are way easier to catch than the squirrels on Loser Island," she commented. She tried the two keys she got from them, but both were duds. "Eh, whatever." She handed the key-less squirrels over to Sasha. "Here you go."

Sasha began investigating the squirrels everyone caught in a similar way to Chander. Zev was the next one to catch something, followed by Setsuna, then Shion finally grabbed one. Within a few minutes, a pile of five squirrels were in a small crate near Sasha. "They seem to behave at slower speeds than regular squirrels." She glanced up at Persephone. "You're right, they are definitely off. My suspicions are that they may be robotic."

"So can we like, stomp one into the dirt and see what happens?" Setsuna asked. Sasha shot her a disapproving look. "Okay, yeah, sorry, uncalled for. Maybe we just try and zap one with something and see what happens."

Shion looked around. "We're in an ancient Alaskan village. Not even, we're actually in the woods outside it, where are we going to find a source of electricity out here? Monty's bass was the only thing with wires and now that's not here anymore."

"Oh, the speakers!" Setsuna figured out. The archeologist rushed to the tree that Chris announced the challenge from, scaling it with ease. After grabbing the speaker, she simply leapt out of the three, and the speaker got ripped out of the spot it was in. "I got it!" she shouted excitedly.

Zev split the speaker open a little further, and handed some wires over to Sasha. "Keep hunting for squirrels," Sasha advised, "and use the wires to catch them easier." She placed the wires against the tail of the squirrel, and it instantly shut down the robotic animal. That managed to get the process for the squirrels going much faster for Team Gorgeous.

Luckily the team had more people than Team Persephone to cycle through the keys, as Team Gorgeous took seventy four keys before eventually finding the right one. "Oh, look, I won!" Persephone said with an arrogant smirk. She tossed the key over to Sasha. "Hold onto that. We have a challenge to win." Everyone began to rush out to the next part.

Shion continued to carefully study everyone around them, walking right near Zev. "Persephone's secret fourth ally is probably here," he whispered to Zev. "Maybe we should try and narrow down who it is. It also could be the person you want gone next, and then I'm back to being screwed."

Zev sighed. "Shion, I can assure you, I want you in this game. Even if Persephone decides to turn on me, I'm staying with you. I know my word isn't great right now because of the vote I orchestrated on Monty, but you need to know I want both of us to be in the final four. And I want Persephone there too. It's not like she'll win. Returnees never win."

"I'm worried she'll be the first," Shion told him cautiously. "She's been an absolute beast at challenges since she's come back. There's no rule that says she can't win." He shrugged. "But, I really have no choice but to trust you. Best move I can do now is guilt you into not betraying me."


Zev: "I get where Shion's coming from," he said with a frown. "It hurts that we were good friends right before last night, and if I didn't tell him about voting for Monty, then maybe that'd still be the case. But, I was honest then. I need to be honest now. I really do plan on keeping Shion around."


TEAM PERSEPHONE

The three members of Team Persephone arrived at their second challenge, which was much simpler in concept. "Welcome to your second puzzle!" Chris told the team through the speakers. "As you can clearly see, your second key is sitting in a glass case. All you need to do is find the combination for the lock that the key is in. Below it, you'll see three questions. All you need to do is answer those correctly, and it should give you the three numbers for the lock. To add a bit of luck to it, the three numbers you get might not be in order, so there's a few different combinations to try." He laughed. "Anyway, have fun!"

"All of the answers have to be numbers that means," Nicolette deduced. "What's the first question?" She glanced down at the first slip of paper, that asked:

How many people are currently residing on Loser Island?

Winter looked at the name. "Loser Island? I think I heard Persephone mention something like that. That's probably the place the losers are being held. Do you think it's a big resort or actually just some island?"

"I'd rather not find out today," Chander told them nervously. "I'm concerned that the special prize for winning could mean a double elimination for the losers. That'd cut us in half." He put his fingers to his head. "Okay, so from our team, we lost Harvey, Persephone, Syd, and Klase. Persephone's back, so that makes it three. Team Gorgeous lost Kaif and...Monty? Is that really it? Five?"

"Six," Nicolette corrected. Faye is there too, so that makes it six total. That's the first number. Or, it's the second or third number." She sighed. "I really hope that we don't lose. We're working so well together. Let's get this second question:"

How many people were able to create two full Reckoning summons in the shaman challenge?

Winter shrugged. "I don't know what a Reckoning is. Is that what the spirit thing was? Two full summons were only available to us, since we were the smaller team and needed to send people up twice. Did anyone but Winslow get it?"

"I think they were the only one," Chander agreed. "That means we have six, and one." He grinned. "We're moving fast. Hopefully we can get this last one quickly." He read the last question. "Oh...oh this is not good."

Whose comment in the Cultural Exchange made the villagers the most concerned about modern threats? 2- Setsuna, 4- Winter, 0- Faye.

Nicolette studied the names. "That was the presentations. I forget what the comment even was, so how would we know who said it? We could always just try and guess the numbers in the combination lock."

"We don't have that time," Chander said firmly, standing his ground. "If we guess between the numbers, our different lock combinations go from six to eighteen. And that's assuming we got the first two right. We won that challenge, so it was definitely Team Gorgeous's comment. That means it wasn't Winter."

"Of course it wasn't me," the bandwagoner said calmly. "I probably would have remembered that. Anyway...oh! It was the comment about the wildlife, because then we went and did that other challenge the next day and found Gregor!"

Nicolette nodded. "Oh, I do remember that now...I was a bit distracted that day, sorry. But the day before...that was Setsuna's comment. That would make our numbers six, one, and two. Now we just need the right pattern."

Chander tried a large variety of combinations on the lock, on the fourth try, he inputted one, six, two, and the lock finally opened, dropping the second key down into his hands. "Two down, one to go," he said confidently. "Let's crush Team Gorgeous and send them back!"


Chander: "Am I doing it?" he said with a nervous look. "I'm making team decisions and all that. Maybe I can do this leader thing. I know Winter and Nicolette aren't the types of people to be power-hungry, but it does feel good when my decisions get us further in the challenge."


TEAM GORGEOUS

The fearsome five arrived at their second puzzle, where they got a slightly less pleasant announcement. "Hey, stop breaking my speakers," Chris chastised the team. "I'm running out of them with the rate Thea's been finding them. I don't want to see anymore broken challenge parts. Luckily, this part's easy. Answer the three questions and unscramble the passcode for the lock, and key number two will be yours! Just so you know, your questions are different from Team Persephone's, so even if you could cheat, you can't."

"Seems simple enough," Sasha decided. "A little bit of luck and we can get this key combination fast. I think we're ahead of Team Persephone right now, so let's try and extend our lead." She glanced at the first question. "Okay, not so hard..."

Who's Timepiece was the best one according to Chef? 9- Monty, 7- Alessia, 5- Nicolette.

"Was it any of those?" Setsuna asked. "I sort of thought Syd won that thing. No...they lost though. It had to be one of us, but Alessia's the only one on our team. Did she really make the best Timepiece?"

Things were quiet as people tried to figure out the answer. "Got it," Zev recalled. "Nicolette was on our team up through that challenge, then she got switched. I think it was her."

"That checks out," Sasha agreed. "Okay, so one of our numbers is five then. We don't know if it's first, second, or third, but one of them is covered. Let's check out the next question." She read over the next question and froze. "Oh, this one is a bit tougher."

How many people made partial Reckoning summons in the shaman challenge? People who did two partial summons count as two people.

Zev looked interested in that question. "What's a Reckoning?" Zev asked as he looked over the question. "Is that what the summons were?" Setsuna nodded, happy to know she actually knew that term. "Okay, who were the people who got those? I don't even remember who was able to get them."

Shion scoffed. "Monty got one," he said to everyone. The area was silent for a second, like they finally could see how upset Shion was about that. "I also bet Monty would have known who got the others. I can help you with one. Chander got one for Team Persephone."

"Now's not the time," Persephone countered. "If you want to talk about it, Shion, that's up to you, but right now, we're in a challenge. If you have information to help us get ahead, you should provide it." She sighed. "Sorry you're upset about last night's vote, but that's the game."

"Fine, you're right," Shion agreed. "To the best of my knowledge, the three who did it were Chander, Monty, and Nicolette. I don't think any others did. So, that would mean a total of three people. Chander got a full one on his second try, and Nicolette only went once. No one on our team went twice."

Setsuna grinned. "Okay, that's three. So, we have five and three. Our last question should give us the combo for the key. Let's get that last question!" She went ahead and read the final question:

Who threw the best spear throw in the spear challenge's training section? 1- Monty, 2- Persephone, 3- Zev

"They really want it in our faces that we booted Monty," Sasha complained. "All of these questions involved him in some way. Anyway, the other two are here. Did either of you think your throws were really good? I recall Monty's being quite well done."

The arrogant princess chuckled. "Of course you have forgotten. My spear throw was nearly perfect. It was just as much power, with all of the accuracy Monty's throw lacked." She smirked. "Zev, do you think you threw better than perfect power and accuracy?"

"Guess not," Zev said while rolling his eyes. "Okay, so that means we get two for that one. That makes our numbers two, three, and five. Let's try this lock out." Zev began putting in the numbers, and surprisingly, on the very first try, the lock opened. "Woah, lucky break," the tallest boy noted. "Okay, two down, one more puzzle to go! Let's move so we can rescue Alessia."

Shion groaned. "Ugh, I almost forgot that she was the prize at the end of all of this." The five Team Gorgeous members rushed ahead to their next and final puzzle.


Sasha: "Perhaps Shion has a point. Alessia has snuck by quite a lot at this point, and even if we were to turn on her, it would still be Persephone, Setsuna, and I versus Shion and Zev. Why Zev joined us yesterday is beyond me, but it will get him nowhere."


TEAM PERSEPHONE

Team Persephone arrived at the final puzzle. There was a giant pit inside the area, and the key was very visibly just sitting at the bottom of the pit. "Welcome, Team Persephone, to your final puzzle!" Chris announced over them. "As you can see, your final key is right there. But, getting out is going to be a bit tougher. Before dropping into the pit, think about how you want to get out. It might be smart to use the things around you to build your way out! Or, if you think you're up to it, try and lift each other out, but that probably won't go well. Anyway, whatever you do, do it fast, because I will share a secret with you right now, you're losing! Catch up!"

Once Chris stopped talking, Chander shook his head. "We're losing? They must have gotten luckier with the squirrels or the lock combos. It doesn't matter though, we can still win this. How do we get to the bottom of the pit and back up the quickest?"

"I'm thinking not all of us have to go," Nicolette suggested. "Winter is the smallest of the three of us, we could simply send them down and have them retrieve the key. Then, using vines or something we find nearby, we can pull her up." She pointed to the woods on the left side of them. "I think I see some vines there. That could be the easiest way."

Chander nodded. "Yeah, that does make sense." He turned to Winter. "Winter, are you gonna be okay going down there and grabbing it by yourself? We can pull you up once you get it."

Winter hesitated for a second, but eventually nodded. "Yeah, I think I'm supposed to be doing things by myself anyway today." She gave him a thumbs-up. "Okay, I'm gonna head in." Winter cautiously approached the pit, and it was clearly way deeper than they had originally thought. "Easy does it..." she said to herself. The bandwagoner grabbed the side of the pit, and instantly, the side of the pit collapsed on itself. "Woah!"

Chander and Nicolette rushed out of the woods at the sound of the dirt falling in. "Winter!" Chander called out, "Are you okay? Say something so we know you're good!"

After a few seconds, Winter finally responded. "Woah...yeah, I'm okay! Bright side, I'm okay." They lifted up their head from the dirt to show that she was now covered in dirt. "Um, bad side...I might have eaten some dirt." She sighed. "Even worse side, the dirt fell on the key first, and it's buried under all of this somewhere."

Nicolette grinned. "We're happy to see you're okay, still. Let us know if you need any help finding the key! When we get back, we can grab you some water to get the taste out of your mouth. I'm sure that's unpleasant."

"Please hurry with that," Chander pleaded. "We're losing already, I really wouldn't want us to lose with so few people left on the team."

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Winter insisted. "I did this dare once where I ate dirt...not a dare really, but everyone said they were going to, so I did too..." She sighed. "Not my greatest moment, but I'm sort of used to dirt now." The bandwagoner began to scramble around the dirt to try and grab the key, and after a few more minutes of digging, she finally emerged with it in their hand. "Got it!"

Chander returned with two long vines. "These should be enough to get you out of here," Chander offered. He handed one vine to Nicolette, and the two above the pit lowered their ends down to the bandwagoner. Winter grabbed on and climbed up the pit all the way to the top. "That was a close one," the acrobat admitted. "A little more dirt and that key would have been gone for good." He smiled. "Okay, now to get Winslow unlocked and to win this challenge!" Team Persephone rushed off, all three keys in their possession and ready for the final section.


Winter: The bandwagoner had a sheepish grin on their face. "That was bad," she said nervously. "I think if we lose today, it's going to be my fault. If I was more careful going down the pit I wouldn't have lost the key." She shook her head. "I really hope we can keep going."


TEAM GORGEOUS

Team Gorgeous made it to their final puzzle, where they were greeted with the exact same setup as what Team Persephone had- the pit, the woods, and a speaker that looked a bit more reinforced out of concern. "Welcome, Team Gorgeous," Chris said excitedly through the speakers. "As you can see, your last key is right down that pit! Question is, how will you get back up? You're currently in the lead, so I'm not giving you any more hints besides that. Have fun!"

Persephone scoffed. "Of course we're winning. There's literally more of us." She grumbled as she walked over to the pit and observed the key. "So who's going to take the dive and try and get killed in the pit? It's probably trapped or something, right?"

Setsuna examined the area around the pit. "Yeah...the dirt is very thin around it," she analyzed. "Stepping anywhere on the edge of it will cause a cave-in and cover up the key with the dirt that collapses in there. We could try and reach something down there and just, you know, fish it out."

"It's not super deep," Zev pointed out. "If we want, I can just jump into the hole and grab the key. If stuff falls after, it'll make getting up easier."

Sasha shook her head. "I don't like that idea. If you miss the key, it'll be buried, and any lead we have, assuming Chris was telling the truth, will be gone. Is there a hook anywhere, or maybe something to make a small net?"

Shion glanced up. "Um...the speakers have some sort of netting on them. If we break it again, we could probably get it, but I bet we'll be risking losing for breaking too much of Chris's stuff. Again, not a risk I want to take."

"You all are taking too long!" Persephone complained. "I'm doing Zev's plan." Before anyone had a chance to do anything, the arrogant princess got a running start and jumped from a solid distance away into the pit. Without stepping on the edge, nothing collapsed in on her. She landed at the bottom with a thud, but she still seemed to be okay. "Got it, easy peasy."

Sasha sat in stunned silence. "...Okay. I guess we did that anyway." She walked over to the edge of the pit. "Persephone, think of it as a punishment for not talking with the team first." She stomped the dirt all around the pit's edge, making the hold collapse completely on itself.

As the dirt began pouring in, Persephone struggled to make it out before being swallowed up. "Stop that!" she complained as she kept going up the pit as much as possible. By the time she caught her breath, she shot Sasha a dirty look. "Hey! I'm at the bottom of this pit and you have the nerve to start kicking dirt up on me? I'll have you know that-"

"Persephone, the pit's filled in," Zev said, interrupting her. "You're out." Persephone paused and looked around, seeing that she was on eye-level with everyone else again. "Okay, that's three keys. Let's go win this thing." The rest of the team followed behind him to the end of the challenge.


DEEP WOODS, CREVICE

Team Gorgeous rushed through the woods and emerged in a large clearing, where Chris, Chef, and the two captives were waiting. As expected from the last puzzle, they were in fact in the lead. "There you are!" Alessia complained with a very annoyed tone. "I've been waiting all day for you! I was a little worried that the measly three were going to show up first!" Beside her, Winslow's mask was unable to hide their completely annoyed expression with the streamer.

"Let's move!" Zev called out, holding the three keys in his hands. He handed one key to Shion and one to Persephone. "Setsuna and Sasha, start untying, we can start unlocking!" As he called that out, the temptress and the archeologist did as they were told, and continued to work on untying the ropes, which were not easy knots to manage at all.

Just as Team Gorgeous began their process of freeing Alessia, Team Persephone burst through the clearing as well. "Alas, it seems hope is not staring as far into the abyss as I had originally anticipated," Winslow poetically commented.

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding," Shion said wearily as he saw how close Team Persephone was to them. "We need to move faster! They're gonna catch us!"

Chander handed one key to Winter and one to Nicolette. The three of them instantly began unlocking the locks, trying out different keys on each one until the three locks were broken for both teams. All three Team Persephone members switched to trying to untie the ropes, and it was very close. Sasha and Setsuna had a head start, but it looked like luck was getting there for Team Persephone finally. "It's gonna be a close one...Chris said excitedly." A single cage broke open and the person jumped out...

...

...

...

"Team Gorgeous wins the challenge!" Just seconds after, Winslow emerged from their cage as well, much to their chagrin.

Chander looked absolutely devastated by the loss. "Even when I tried my hardest...how do we keep losing?"

Nicolette put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, you did the best that you could," she told him. "We all tried our hardest. I won't vote for you just because you were running things. That isn't fair." Chander seemed to appreciate that a lot.

Once Chris could calm down the Team Gorgeous cheers, he laughed. "Team Gorgeous, this was really the one to win!" he told them. "Today, like I said, the winners will get a special reward. Here it is: tonight, at the elimination ceremony for Team Persephone, whoever was in the cage for Team Gorgeous will get to select who is going home from Team Persephone!"

All eyes instantly landed on Alessia, who had been standing there in shock for a few seconds, until the nastiest grin emerged on her face. "Oh...that's good to hear."


Alessia: "I am SO back!" she cheered as she let out a giant cackle. "I'm a little sick of Persephone running the show anyway. I know that she's buddy-buddy with Zev, and I know she'll take him over me once we drop Shion. My best option for now is to take back my minions, which means boot Winslow, but there's other options too. Winter has a lot of useful skills that could cripple that team even further if they go, Nicolette would screw their morale over, and Chander would leave them directionless." She giggled. "So many great choices!"


Team Persephone all looked extremely concerned now that fate was out of their hands. Winslow especially did not look thrilled with the results of that. "I fear my time here will be much shorter than I had initially planned," they stated firmly.

Chris nodded. "Isn't that a fun twist! Anyway, there's still some time before it's night, so Alessia, you'll have some time to discuss with your team if they want to have any input on this, or if any Team Persephone members want to strike a deal with you, that's an option too. So, I will see all of you tonight. Alessia, the choice is totally on you, so have fun!"

"Isn't this fun?" Alessia asked the cast condescendingly. "Well, you know where I am. See you all soon!" The streamer skipped off, leaving a very ominous aura among the others. Team Gorgeous followed slowly behind her.

That left Team Persephone to stare at each other and look around. "Well...at least we're not turning on each other," Winter said optimistically. "I guess we don't have to even talk about the vote. What should we do in the meantime?"

After a few seconds of lamenting silence, Winslow spoke up. "Very well. I would like to invite you to our shack tonight," Winslow told Chander and Nicolette. "Recently I have been regaling Winter with stories I have acquired, but I would like to share one with you tonight as well." They sighed. "If it is Alessia's decision, I fear that my time is just about up."


TEAM GORGEOUS

Much to Alessia's chagrin, all five other team members entered her shack at the same time, probably to discuss her decision. "You're all here?" the streamer complained as the small structure's space filled up rather quickly. "You all know it's my choice, right? Not yours."

"We understand that," Sasha told her calmly. "However, you need to understand that this is a decision that affects all of us, so we would like to provide our own input as well. We have a few suggestions that may be of use."

Zev spoke up next. "The best bet at the moment is probably Chander. He is their leader, and without him, they will be left directionless. Any other challenges that we get before the merge will end with an easy victory for us. Plus, he is physically very agile. I believe in a merge setting, he could be a large threat."

"But he's not the only skilled one on that team," Setsuna reminded him. "Winter's skills got them the win in multiple challenges, and while it was sort of useless stuff, they constantly have something that they are good enough at. She is also by far the largest wildcard in the game."

Alessia laughed. "I have ties to Winter," she argued back. "I'm not getting rid of someone who could be loyal to me. It's still my decision, not yours."

"Winter's not going to stick around," Shion shot back. "They spend all their time hanging out with Winslow now, who has been telling stories upon stories about their travels. I think you lost Winter pretty much as soon as you switched to our team."

Persephone went next. "Speaking of Team Persephone, aka my team," the princess commented, "Someone there was not there when I was. I think Nicolette doesn't deserve the right to be on a team like mine. She wasn't there with me."

Alessia rolled her eyes. "Bad suggestion. What about Winslow? I haven't heard anyone make a case for them. If we drop Winslow, who crushed the shaman challenge, we could probably sway Winter back to our side."

"You mean your side," Zev said dryly. "Winslow is proficient in a lot of things, but not enough to matter. They lack physical strength which is sort of crucial in the merge. With nine left after today, we're bound to merge any day."

Persephone shook her head. "Nope, there's a second challenge to come back. Someone else would come back. I think it will happen soon too, so that means we need to plan like tomorrow is a team challenge."

Setsuna groaned. "So all this planning could just mean in a few days they just pop back up? That's a lot of talking for a lot of hypotheticals." She stood up. "Look, let's be real, I doubt Alessia's going to listen to us too much, but we've all said our piece. See you at elimination."

"Now you're getting it," Alessia said with a smirk. "I'm picking my choice. I just wanted to see who I'd piss off based on who I selected, so I'm a little glad you came to speak to me. Now, shoo, I'm taking a nap before this elimination."

Everyone got up and followed Setsuna out except for Persephone, who lived in there, and Shion. "Alessia..." he said wearily. "I have a request. I don't care who you get rid of, just don't make it Chander." He gulped. "I...I'll owe you big time."

Alessia smirked. "Aren't you cute for asking something like that?" She laughed in his face. "Your plea does nothing for me, I've made my choice already. But, I'll still accept your deal, because you will owe me big time if I listen to your little request."

Shion sighed. "All I wanted. See you soon." Shion left the shack, leaving only Persephone in there with the streamer.

"You really are just the worst, aren't you?" the princess stated arrogantly.


Shion: "That's all I can do at this point," he said hopefully. "It's up to Alessia. That wasn't even the hardest part of all this. I promised Chander I'd tell him something about me today that was real." He sighed. "Here goes nothing."


TEAM PERSEPHONE

All four Team Persephone members were in Winter and Winslow's shack. Things were still super tense, even if it wasn't going to be any of them turning on each other. "I guess it's good that we're all going to be able to be nice about tonight," Winter said, still trying to stay optimistic about the vote.

"Yeah, I agree," Chander thought. "I really hope that at the end of all of this, we can all remain friends. I mean, we've been through so much, it's hard to think that we're getting close to the middle of the game." He sighed. "I believe I'm going to be the one who goes home. If they're trying to do the most damage, the person who's been...well, trying to be the leader makes the most sense."

"Don't think like that," Nicolette assured him. "You are going to be okay. The best thing we can do right now is try to hang out one last time."

Winslow cleared their throat, grabbing the attention of the other three. "Well, while your fears are not unfounded," Winslow told the acrobat, "I believe it will come down to who Alessia has the biggest grudge with, which falls to me. That being said, I have no fear about tonight's decision, I suggest you all do the same." They placed their hands on their lap. "And with that, I have a rather unique story to share with you all tonight."

"For those unaware, this is not my first time in Alaska." Nicolette and Chander seemed surprised by that. "Recently, I made an astounding journey from Montana and went to Alaska on my own. Without many means to travel, this was entirely done on foot. It did take some time. I wanted to share one of the most interesting things that I had seen on my travels there." They turned to Winter. "This is not one you have heard of yet either."

"Hootcifer and I once encountered a herd of migrating elk," Winslow continued. "While not the most flashy or visually appealing attractions, it was like witnessing an unstoppable force. Even with all of our progress, there are times we cannot stand in the way of nature. I implore all of you to think about your experiences so far, as one of us does unfortunately go away. As much as I would not like any of you to leave, I will be blunt in the fact that I hope it is not me."

Winter nodded. "I get it, and your elk story was really cool, even without any trends. I mean, that's kinda like us. We're gonna take a big hit tonight, and that means that the other three have to keep going, no matter what. Fight tooth-and-nail in the merge."

"I agree," Chander admitted. "No matter what, we have to stick together. I don't know what'll happen if we don't. Hopefully we can join in on the Team Gorgeous civil war and get them against each other. I'm just afraid this vote will bring them together." He stood up. "I'm gonna talk to Shion really quickly, if that's okay. I'd be mad at myself if I got eliminated tonight and didn't say anything."

Nicolette smiled at the acrobat. "That's okay, whatever you need to do is okay! We're all just as nervous, so please do whatever you need. I may go take a walk myself." The two ended up leaving the shack.


Winslow: "And now, we will soon face our fate," Winslow mused. "Rather, I will. Alessia has no one else to pick. If I am lucky, she notices that I have strayed Winter from her influence and removes them instead. If I am not, I appreciate all of the time that Crevice has given me. It is the only place where I wished to remain after more than a few days."


Right outside, Chander saw Shion waiting by the shack, which was empty. "Sorry I'm late," Chander apologized, "we were just all talking a bit before one of us goes. We're honestly grateful we're not the one's voting, but at the same time, it's scary."

"I can imagine," Shion said with a shudder. "I was certain I'd be eliminated today, now I have to hope it isn't you." He sighed very deeply. "Okay. I told you that you'd get one thing if you didn't win, and you didn't, so I'm only giving you one, because honestly, I'm too scared to say more than that." He took another deep breath. "One fact about me...I'm adopted. Not in the regular sense, I got adopted when I was twelve. I live with my adoptive father only, as my mother passed away a while ago and..."

Shion froze in that instant, like the next part of what he wanted to say just wouldn't come out. Chander instantly put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, that's one thing. That's all you needed to do," he said with a warm smile. "It looked like that was really tough for you, so it means a lot that you trust me enough to say even that much. Thank you, Shion. I really hope I can stay so I can spend more time with you."

Shion smiled. "I really hope you stay too."


ELIMINATION IX, TEAM PERSEPHONE

By the time that Team Persephone arrived, the six remaining members of Team Gorgeous were already waiting. Chris and Chef were waiting as well. "Welcome, everyone, to our next elimination," Chris announced excitedly. "For winning the challenge, Team Gorgeous's caged member gets the sole choice of who to eliminate from Team Persephone tonight, and that's you, Alessia." The streamer beamed at that knowledge.

"Before we start," Chef interjected. "You have one final chance. If any of the four of you want to try and make your pleas to Alessia, this is your final chance to try and change her mind." No one spoke up. All four of them had relented and accepted their fate.

Chris turned to Team Persephone. "Team Persephone, in order to draw as much tension out of this as possible, we'll be letting Alessia name one person she is sparing, and then will move to the one person she has chosen to eliminate." He gestured to the streamer. "Alessia, the floor is yours."

"Remember what we talked about," Zev whispered to her from behind her.

Sasha nodded. "This is an important decision."

"Hush it!" she snapped back. "Ahem. It hurts so much to see one of you leave, I feel like all of us had some sort of connection in some way!" She yawned. "Except for you, Winslow. You wouldn't give me any breathing room when we were together on Team Persephone." Winslow let out a dejected sigh.

The streamer looked very excited still, so much so that her sad words did not match her disingenuous tone. "So, without further ado, the one person who won't be going home tonight is...

...

...

...

...Winter!" The bandwagoner seemed pretty surprised to hear that. Winslow looked even more nervous because of that. "As if I could ever eliminate my little buddy! They're way too cute for me to do anything to!" For a second, Winter almost folded, but she seemed a bit less entranced compared to earlier in the game. "That means tonight, I'm sending home...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...Nicolette!" Gasps from both teams were heard. Even Nicolette looked a little surprised to see that she was the one being eliminated. "Sorry, but I've chosen you to go home!" Winslow looked shocked to still be in, even through the mask.

"Oh my god, she listened to Persephone's dumb idea," Setsuna said with her hands in her face. Persephone, on the other hand, has a big smirk on her face.

The kind-hearted saint looked totally floored as the reality sank in. "But...why me?"


Alessia: "Persephone's first point about the teams was really stupid, but her second point? Someone else is coming back. Let's think. It could be Monty, it could be Faye, it could be Klase, or even Kaif. She'd go running right to them. I can charm Winter again, I can charm Chander again, and take out Winslow whenever I want. They're nothing." She laughed. "I am so back!"


"I guess that's it," Nicolette relented. She turned to her team. "At least the three of you are still here. Thanks for making me part of it and giving me a chance, that's all I really deserved. You all deserve to keep going."

Nicolette walked out with Chef into the distance, and they could all hear as Chef drove down the river to Loser Island. "Okay, that settles it!" Chris announced. "You all can go back to your shacks, it is time to get ready for tomorrow!" He grumbled. "Zenthus wants a cleaning day, so putting that and a challenge together is a real chore and a half. See you all then."

Everyone began to clear out of the fire circle, and once they did, one person moved in. Croshia examined the area, interested in what she had seen. "This does not track at all," she said to herself. "I believe I need to speak to Alessia and Gregor tomorrow. I am close to getting to the bottom of this." She glanced in the direction of the training ground. "And I can't do that all in one go, which means I need help. If Rodin is out, then Thea has to be in."


Chris laughed as he returned to the cabin. "What a thrill! And none of the villagers have a clue! How long will this amazing ruse keep going? How long will Team Persephone last before they're entirely picked off? Is Shion going to stop being scared about being eliminated? Find out next time, on Total! Drama! Ancient Abodes!"


LOSER ISLAND

As the boat arrived, Nicolette stepped off without any complaining to see where she had been dropped off at. "What an odd location," she mused as she began to look around.

As soon as people heard her voice, two people came running right up to Nicolette. "Nicolette!" Faye screamed excitedly. "It's good to see you again! I'm sorry you got eliminated, I'm sure that doesn't feel too good."

Monty snickered as he saw who made it there. "You know, I thought that you weren't going to instantly eliminate yourself if I got sent out." He laughed. "Kidding. Who got you, was it Chander?"

"Alessia, if you can believe it," she said while shaking her head. "We lost, so they got to pick who went home. I sort of thought I would be okay, but I guess not. Anyway, what's this?"

"Take a look for yourself," Faye offered, gesturing to the sign that had greeted only Monty so far:

Welcome to the new round of Loser Island. This is not your end. There may still be one last chance to redeem yourself.

"Basically, we're gonna compete soon to see who goes back again. Persephone won the first one, apparently," Monty explained. "So...that means the three of us gotta compete against each other, which isn't very fun."

Nicolette laughed. "No, I suppose it isn't, but I do hope I can go back. There is still a lot of good that can be done for Crevice."


Vote Confessionals:

N/A: No vote confessionals used.


Current Teams:

Team Gorgeous: Alessia, Persephone, Sasha, Setsuna, Shion, Zev

Team Persephone: Chander, Winslow, Winter

Eliminated: Harvey, Kaif, Syd, Faye, Klase, Monty, Nicolette


This is another one that hurt big time, and honestly, now that I've been writing this story for about a year, it's going to be that way with everyone who's left. Nicolette was a character that I struggled to initially find a role for in the story, but I think she ended up finding a really solid niche for this portion. As always, there is one more Loser Island, so this may not be the end of her story!

Today was a really nice episode to go back to the Total Drama roots- we ditched the magic at the beginning of the episode to do a really nice standard challenge, and I think that was a really solid shake-up to what we've been seeing. Unfortunately, the show must go on, so we're gonna have to go back to ancient village-styled challenges again soon.

We have officially kicked off the second half of Ancient Abodes! The merge is also approaching quickly, probably. When will it be? Who knows! For those of you who still have a character in, congrats! You've made it super far! I am excited to see how everyone likes the second half! With that, who's your pick to win? What did you think of Nicolette? Let me know in the reviews! I will see you all next time!