NuLoabi

Day 10

Blu, Chun-Li, Cyrax, Diana Prince, Gordon Ramsay, Li Mei, Little Mac, and Sackboy

The new pack of eight arrives, with three newcomers: Mac, Mei, and Blu. After escaping Hathuru, what are they in for now?

"Welcome to our steaming pile of sh*t." Gordon says.

"Haha, what an opener." Mac responds, slowing down for the chef. "Got any rice?"

"No but I have this shit on my boot."

That gets a snicker from Mac.

Mac: I've bragged enough about the swap, now we want the nitty gritty :) . Mei and I love riding the middle, it's like an addiction, and man we could do it again!

Given their Fiji connection, Mac and Mei are more than willing to walk along a trail with Gordon. They are completely blind to Loabi developments,

"Hope the rock draw didn't sour you." Gordon opens.

"We're cool man. I'm not holding a grudge cause of a draw two years ago..especially with you. You'd kill me in an argument." Mac laughs. "

"All I have to worry about is a tiebreaker." Mei chimes in. "

"Hedgehog's not here." Gordon shakes his head. "We'll both be fine." Man, that chef can't resist poking Sonic. While it seems real in Fiji, there's a touch of lightheartedness now. Luckily the two were able to make up..

But their personalities can still clash.

Speaking of clashes, what does Li Mei make of this?

Li Mei: It's a fresh start. We went from peril, to prestige.

Gordon cuts to that sweet chase. "Season four's a thing."

"Wait, deadass?" Mac asks. "We're doing season alliances?"

"WE are." Fair from Gordon. "I'll only get pissed at you guys if we talk dining."

The boxer picks up his pace. "Roku is over, Loabi is IN."

Mac: Gordon's a chill guy when you aren't pissing him off. Love you Sonic, but if you ever play together, be the wise one.

Elsewhere, the ocean is beautiful..occupied by Blu and Sackboy, who may be the purest ones on the tribe.

"Are you happy with the swap?" Blu asks.

"You don't know how happy I am!" Sack says, with a smile. He chucks a rock into the ocean. Doesn't skip though.

"It's good to be around a positive prescence. Nobody's really been…happy this time. It was a Warzone at our place." Blu reveals. "Metal was one of the nicest people there, which says a lot since…"

"He wasn't mean? I mean..he could be different around others."

"No..Nefarious and Shane made it toxic, even Sektor..but he's trying to be kind. I can appreciate it." Blu admits, chucking a rock.

"Good for him! He's turning it around."

"Maybe Cyrax will be friends with him again." That gets a snort from Sack. "Is that too hopeful?"

"I wouldn't count on it."

Sackboy: When I watched Red leave, I was heartbroken. Watching that will be even worse now because I've LIVED through the Black Dragon. Kabal was chill though.

"Are you still friends with your tribe?" Blu asks.

"Yeah! We have this group chat. Even Brandon's in it! He and Drax don't really get along, but we're working on it."

"How does Drax type?"

"ALL CAPS."

Sackboy: Growing up, I know that sometimes you have people you like. Blu's up there! She's easy to talk to, and we both want to keep some hope alive here. Won't cross her though, hehe…I don't want any of her anger.

That's not all for Blu. She checks in with her old Hathuru pals. "Have a minute?"

Blu: I haven't done much strategy until now. I know, I know, Mac set up Monty to fail and screwed me, but..he's cool now! He won't set up anyone else again.

Is it wishful thinking?

Blu let's them know about her chat with Sackboy. It doesn't shock either.

"Funny you say that.." Mac starts. "Gordon basically confirmed it. Season Four is a big thing."

Mei grabs her canteen. "We've walked into another Warzone…with calm personalities. I'd be surprised if a fight broke out."

"Well now it's going to." Mac quips.

Blu doesn't really care about who fights or why right now.

Blu: I can finally say today was a good day.

?: Hey!

Blu: I'm in my confession—

She lets out a gasp when Sackboy just walks in. He's got a coconut.

Sackboy: You said you didn't eat all day..

Her stomach literally rumbles.

Blu: You're too kind…

Luckily for those two, they are hitting it off. Mac and Mei don't really have time to relax because they are getting pulled left and right.

First: Cyrax.

"I see our best challengers taking Gordon's offer." Cyrax says.

"We got a lot of 'em." (Mac)

"Diana Prince, also known as Wonder Woman. T'Challa, also known as—"

"We understand." Mei says.

"My system was bugging. Should be under control now."

"..you poor soul."

"Please do not pity me. I will find my way out soon enough."

Li Mei: Cyrax carries enough of a burden, but now he's being hunted by another leader. As bad as his situation is, I cannot show mercy..for that's where he thrives.

Next, Diana gets to her.

"We've been wary of Cyrax since the start, and now would be a good time to get him." The Amazon pushes. "Is Blu with us?"

"She'll need time. It takes her longer for the strategy."

"There is no rush."

Various shots of them with Gordon, and Li, and Sackboy, and literally everything to walk the planet aids. This could be one of, if not the busiest day they've ever had playing the game. They started on the bottom of Roku and didn't have to deal with all this.

Bigger tribes can cause a ruckus. A tame one compared to whatever happens at Hathuru, but still a ruckus nonetheless.

After alllll those conversations, Mei and Mac catch up one last time. Mac is flabbergasted at everything. "I've heard a million things today."

"Me too."

"I don't know what civil war we ran into, but this is a mess." Mac admits. "I'm glad we can relax, but if we go to Tribal, nobody's back down."

"Absolutely."

Luckily they can still live in peace. Cyrax, Li, and Gordon are around that campfire. No shouting, no breaking, no tantrums. Nice change of pace.

"How do we feel about our new guests?" Li asks.

"SO much f*cking better." Gordon rips the bandaid off. "Blu has her temper, but she'll get pissed for a good reason."

"She does have a lower tolerance than most. If we can keep a good vibe, as you say, then she will be collected." Cyrax, with the big analysis.

While Li goes for the machete. Gordon looks Cyrax in the eyes. "How are YOU feeling about this switch?"

"Are you going to execute me?"

"..what?" he asks. When Li returns with the machete, it makes sense. "No. You'll be fine…" he focuses on her. "Don't know about me."

"Neither of you deserve to feel that pain."

Gordon nods. "Appreciate that."

"Don't let her phase you, Chef Ramsay. She is a pacifist at heart."

All friendly to eachother's faces..but how they actually feel is a different story.

Cyrax: Ramsay won't miss the chance to oust me. I won't miss the chance to terminate his contract.

Cut to Gordon's confessional.

Gordon: I won't miss the chance to oust him! All I need are Diana, T'Challa, Mac, Mei, I got my five. If he wants to follow my trail, do it, but i'm pulling his plug when I get the chance.

NuHathuru

Day 10

Ellen Ripley, Kano, Metal Sonic, Princess Peach, , Sektor, Slade Wilson, T'Challa, and Princess Zelda

This new batch of eight arrives. For Slade and T'Challa, it's the first time in a while. Zelda takes the role of "tour guide." Throughout the tour, Slade picks up on something.

They've got a shiny shelter..and not much else.

"We haven't focused on camp since the war." Zelda jokes.

"Was Shane the driving force for camp life?" Slade asks.

"He drove everything."

Metal gives Zelda a look. His face is literally frozen in place, so she can't read him. So she opts to keep the focus away from the comment. "T'Challa, do you think this place can get any fixes?"

"We could add a swing." The Panther responds, looking at a nearby tree. "Let's save it for later."

Zelda: This swap has put a massive wrench in my way. I would have stuck the dagger in Metal now, but with these new players..

B-Roll of Sektor.

Then Kano.

Then Slade.

Zelda: He has the chance to get me first.

She's come ready for this, getting alone with Wakanda's top guy immediately.

"I have no more ill will against you." She admits. "There's no room for it here."

"The past is the least of my worries." T'Challa glances at her. "Kano is a terror who needs to be stopped."

"You aren't the only one with a terror." She drops it on him. "Metal will recruit him when the time comes..and I'm afraid that time is now."

The Wakandan's exasperated sigh tells her all. "We don't need them getting together…"

"Slade will definitely jump at the chance."

"No."

That gets a gasp from her. "Are you believing he's changed?"

"He's not aggressive like he once was." T'Challa admits. "Even if he's laying low.."

"You don't think all those villains will get together?"

T'Challa just shakes his head. "Just because he was a douche last time, does not mean his douche mess is guaranteed. He knows that WE know about him. Can't be a tyrant no longer."

T'Challa: Slade made the effort to reach out to me. The way he talked to Dylan, gods bless him, ended his game. I respect people for trying to be better.

As for Zelda..she's not really buying it. "With similar people grouped up, he's certain to flip. Was he on the bottom of Loabi?"

"The Black Dragon kept us away. When the time comes for a blindside, we must hope he doesn't flinch. If he sees we have no faith in him, he won't have any faith in us." T'Challa responds, staying optimistic about the new swap.

She sees where he's coming from, but it's Slade.

Zelda: He sees the good in everyone, even when everyone's not. Slade won't stay at the bottom, and neither will T'Challa. Lovely guy, but we were at odds for a reason.

What about T'Challa?

T'Challa: We do not see eye to eye, but panicking will only drive Slade further away.

He's got more questions though…"Has Ripley been treating you well?"

"We worked together against Shane. It's hard to know where her head's at nowadays." Zelda admits. "She WAS closer with the machines before we patched things up, so we have to worry about her too.."

"She'll know which side to take. She's smarter than that."

T'Challa: Hathuru is in dissaray. It makes my time at Loabi seem easy..and we had a madman collapse our shelter.

With this new information, the Panther gets Slade on a walk to the waterwell. He spreads Zelda's concern right to him.

"Someone's trigger happy…"

That gets a smile. "You're saying that?"

"I've relaxed, I got the right to." Slade answers, no glares though. "..but she's a smart girl. Too smart."

"Everyone's playing their hardest..so Metal will be plotting her demise too."

"Bold prediction."

"That's a spoiler." T'Challa assumes. "Where will we stand between all this?"

Slade brushes past a bush. "Together."

"…"

"Is that too 'good guy' for you?"

"Laying it on thick."

T'Challa: If I'm working with the original villain, then I *have* to know where we stand. Is he with Metal? Or is he willing to put Maldives behind him?

T'Challa gets brutally honest and asks Slade which side he's on.

"Still deciding."

"Why though?"

"In no universe should Metal make the merge..but if it's long term: Zelda is easily the bigger threat. We'll be worrying the Cyrax's for strategy, the Diana's and the YOU for challenges." Slade explains. "All of you will be robbed, and she'll slide to the end again."

"Metal could do the same."

"Nobody's letting him out alive."

A confessional interrupts the session.

Slade: I'm not with the league of villains forever. Being associated with Metal too long will get heat..but that's my shield. Nobody will even think about my start when he eclipsed it. He's my villian shield, and T'Challa will be my heroic shield. Neither of them will be going anywhere until it's time to cover me.

Slade takes everything he just learned today to Metal, chopping up bamboo. Slade spills it all..well except for certain details about T'Challa. That whole parts cut off.

Slade just puts the focus on Zelda. "She says you have an agreement, then does this. Are you letting her get away with this?"

Metal forces that machete onto the bamboo. "Anything he said, I've already considered. When they think one step ahead, I must outrun them."

"Smaaart.." Slade says, with a side of sarcasm that Metal doesn't care to sense. "Let the guys know."

"Ripley is female."

"She's basically one of us."

Slade: This is a mess..and I've never been so happy.

Metal wants more. "Is The Black Panther willing to vote off his own cast?"

"There's one roadblock."

"…"

"Kano."

The machine drags his iron claw across his cheek. "When isn't he?"

Metal Sonic: The Panther hates Kano, Kano hates him, it doesn't matter. If I want Zelda to go, the numbers are in my favor. Unless Slade is swayed by one man's opinion. Stick to the five and it will all be alright.

Later that day, Zelda and Metal are just sitting on the shore. This is one of Zelda's usual activities, but not so much for the machine.

"Do we want the easy vote?" Zelda asks.

"That would be T'Challa. Are you still bothered by the Maldives?"

"No. He's just…good at everything." She remarks. "If all the challenge beasts get together, he'll coast because everyone wants a Diana, or a Cyrax..and to tell the truth, you'll be hunted until your torch is snuffed."

Expected." Metal acknowledges. "It would be safer to keep our sides intact."

"I feel the same way."

It should be T'Challa, right? His only alliance is Slade, and even that's questionable..but considering who's talking..

Metal Sonic: I could hold off on this betrayal..but this isn't Qwark. Zelda isn't someone I can mould. She is not a puppet, she will be pulling the strings if I can't eliminate her soon. We could continue our era of peace, but there's no room for that. I am Sonic, if my faker can escape, I will too.

NuLoabi

Day 10

Blu, Chun-Li, Cyrax, Diana Prince, Gordon Ramsay, Li Mei, Little Mac, and Sackboy

The whole island is empty. The crickets and insects have to keep the noise up. Unfortunately dear reader, that was a lie.

Li seems to be the last one standing.

Li: I've taken up the "host" role. Any activities we do, are usually organized by me. Hide and Seek sounded like a fun idea, and when i brought it to reality: i was right.

The icon passes a tree, looks up…and those glowing green eyes give it away. "You can come out now."

"Oh.." That cyborg actually sounds bummed, getting out skilled in Hide and Seek. He climbs down the tree. "I thought my reverse psychology would work."

"You're too smart. I must reverse psychology your psychology."

Cyrax lifts a finger. "When i am the seeker, I will search until the ends of the earth for you."

Two juggernauts bantering over hide and seek…

Li: I will never stop competing with Cyrax. Our lives literally depend on the competition.

She lets out a little chuckle.

Li: It's our three until the end. We'll worry about each other when we get there.

The two allies split off. Cyrax tends to all the massive patches in the forest, while Li scouts every tree. No success yet..

Until a light blue color stands out in the tall grass. Cyrax walks right over. "You have been spotted, Yoshi. Come out with your hands up."

Blu does exactly as instructed, like a criminal who just got caught. "Don't hurt me."

"That was a joke. You may lower your hands."

"Phew…"

Cyrax: I've become a specialist in this game. If you stand out from the environment in any way: you are finished.

The two literally walk right past a brown sack, covered in dirt. Literally blends right in! That sacks holding his breath in, about to explode!

Sackboy: His foot…almost crushed me…

That poor sack will relive this moment over and over. Not the worst thing that's happened to him.

While Cyrax converted Blu to a 'seeker,' Li's got a new approach: crawling. She tears through the land with her strategy..

CLUNK!

She butts heads with Gordon!

"Ow sh—Li?"

"Why are you crouched?"

"Why are YOU crouched?"

"New strategy." Li admits. "I guarantee there are hiders in the fetal position."

Gordon brushes himself off. "Let's catch 'em before they get sore."

Gordon: What I'd do to be Sackboy…smaller than the needle in the haystack.

Li and that new recruit walk along the trail. Four seekers, four hiders. Cyrax and Blu reunite with them

"No signs of the sack." Cyrax blurts. "He and Li Mei will be the hardest to find. Mac may be short, but his green trunks are a giveaway in the right spot."

Gordon just stares. "You're looking into it too much."

"Nonsense."

Blu butts in. "Come on guys, we gotta move!"

The four get a move on. They split into pairs: Li and Blu, Cyrax and Gordon. The first pair enter a cave, and of course: nothing's there.

"It's too open." Li notes.

Diana is literally sticking onto the tight wall above them.

Diana: It was a tough challenge. Every wedge mattered. One slip, and I was done.

Normally, she'd be pretty strong enough to hang on. I mean it's endurance! But the surface she's using isn't sustainable, and she falls. Despite landing on her feet, the women still catch her.

"Where did you come from?" (Blu)

"I won't tell."

Blu: I look up to Diana! She's sweet, and strong, everything I want to be with. When she just dropped out of nowhere, I was like…I have to go against HER?!

Meanwhile, the guys are walking on that sweet shore. Gordon points out big rocks in the distance. "You think he'd go this far?" Cyrax doesn't even answer, bolting for the rock. "OY!"

No answer.

Chef has no choice but to follow him there. Before he can reach them, Mac already steps out, brushing small rocks off. Cyrax reveals himself covered too. "MAC BURIED HIMSELF!"

"WHAT?!"

"Guess what gave me away!" Mac shouts, pointing to his trunks with a grin. Chef shakes his head. Mac wasn't in on their conversation, so Cyrax must have been up to no good.

Gordon: Cyrax has installed a sense of humor. As sad as it was to get trolled, I'm proud of him.

Mac takes off into the forest, leaving them behind. While the guys have another seeker, the women are on the hunt for the last two hiding.

Li Mei.

Sackboy.

Just as predicted.

The long trek causes the Dino to yawn. Her tongue shoots out in the process..and that's when she feels a tickle.

"AH!"

She retracts her tongue..which drags Li Mei back with it! She's damaged some grass,

"Found her." Diana quips, helping Mei to her feet. "Do you want a redo?"

"What's done is done.." Mei says, walking away from the group. "We'll find him somewhere."

"Don't have much time.." Diana adds, splitting up to cover more ground. That leaves Blu and Li alone.

The street fighter turns to her. "You want to do the count!"

"Yay!"

.

.

"Ten!"

"Nine!"

"Eight!"

No Sack.

"Seven!"

"Six!"

"Five!"

Nah.

"Four!"

"Three!"

"Two!"

No luck.

"One!"

.

.

"Sackboy's our lucky winner!"

That sack stays put though. Cyrax walks through one last time. "Wherever could my little friend be?"

The cyborg has to stop himself from stepping on the dirt. "What an abnormal shape…" He snatches that sack off his feet. "You did well."

"Thanks..can you loosen up?"

"My personality is growing."

"No…grip…"

Cyrax unclenches and let's the sack breathe. Li and Blu come up and applauds him.

"You're a genius!" (Blu)

"A genius.." that gets a laugh from the sack. "You really think so?"

"You disguised yourself as dirt. I almost pulverized you with my feet. Well done." Cyrax compliments. That just adds to the warm feeling Sack has.

From torn, to triumphant. At least for a day.

Sackboy: Survivor is fun again :D

NuHathuru

Day 10

Ellen Ripley, Kano, Metal Sonic, Princess Peach, Sektor, Slade Wilson, T'Challa, and Princess Zelda

The suns setting once again.

Peach, and surprisingly Slade and Sektor are getting a nice view.

"Ah…isn't nature beautiful?" Peach asks, letting the sunset take her away.

"I never took the time to appreciate this." Slade comments.

"Glad you've slowed down. You seemed miserable even when you earned safety."

"Eh. Happy Slade, happy days."

Slade: I've played the "softie" to blend in. Part of me is ashamed of this progression, but the other gets why people love life. The positive moments keep them in. I've just had too much chaos in my life to witness them.

Sektor doesn't have an emotion on that face. "It is adequate sunlight. You may be getting terrorized by the lethal rays. Curious as to why humans run into this trap."

"You aren't in harms way. Enjoy it." Peach wants none of that negativity.

Peach: When I saw our lineup: I wasn't expecting a pleasant time. I thought it would be horrible..but these men are nicer than I expected. It's a facade, but you know what? They aren't being nuisances yet. Whatever tutoring they had is paying off.

A beautiful sunset? Check.

No Kano? Check.

Little stress? Check.

Perfect day for the princess.

So these big alliances are already shaky. Gordon/Diana, and Season Four will likely clash, while Zelda versus Metal Sonic is almost a guarantee. They know what the other is capable of. There's also new bonds forming, like Blu and Sackboy. Plus, old bonds are reforming, like T'Challa and Zelda, and the Fiji castaways. Not to mention, people like Slade and Sektor are looking to fit in…and Kano is still here to cause a fuss. This swap saved his ass, huh? Hopefully he doesn't sabotage himself.

With this swap, players have become increasingly desperate. What relationships will people make? What moves will be made? Who will be the first one out of this swap phase? Find out as "Second Chance" rolls on :)