Merged Tribe
Loabi
Day 19
Desperate times usually call for desperate measures, and there's no time more desperate than the start of the merge. Players tend to look for an "easy boot", or a target everyone can go for so they get their ducks in a row. Sometimes the opposite happens.
Since Gordon and Cyrax, the "heads" of their alliances, are approaching the raft on an early morning, somethings afoot. Gordon opens by referring to the merge feast. "Is Sektor the problem?"
"He's A problem. We have bigger fish to fry." Cyrax confesses, and Gordon bites a lip, knowing the machine he's referring to. "I do not know what we had planned, but I'd feel safer knowing we switch it."
Gordon's eyes almost widen in surprise. They just came for each other, and now he wants a truce? Instead of pestering him, Ramsay holds that in. "So we're weakening Sektor.."
"Metal's top associate has it out for the both of us." Cyrax explains. "Not to mention that Metal is unpredictable."
The chef gets a hand on that bamboo raft. "I'll work with any Hathuru but them. Ones crafty and ones being a royal pain in my ass."
Cyrax nods in agreement. Even though they just came for each other during that rock draw tiebreaker, they have found common ground for at least ONE vote. Gordon says so in his confessional.
Gordon: If we can pluck Metal out, Sektor's crawling over to us. Who else will he go to? It's quite shitty of me to joke about his situation, but i don't have the energy to be nice these days.
Cut to a bonus Cyrax confessional.
Cyrax: An all-star would keep my enemy around as a weapon. Gordon is the closest on this cast. If Li is right about this truce, I have to accept whether I'm interested or not. Gordon is more dependable for a vote than the cyborgs.
Reward Challenge
"Come on in!"
Our mergers enter the challenge area once again, and see two sets of challenges. Jeff's right there, stoic with hands on his hips. "And the cycle begins a new." True words from the host, who has sat through so many merges. When it comes to this collection though, it's the second time everyones made it to the next phase of the game.
There's already plans cooking..but for now it's time for a reward challenge. Physicality takes center-state, as Jeff is about to explain. "Day nineteen, and we're returning to our reward challenges. For today's challenge, you'll draw rocks to get into two teams. Two members of each will start by racing down the beach, and crawling under a muddy net. You'll retrieve two heavy puzzle pieces, and then bring them back. THEN the next pair goes. After you have all six pieces, three tribe members will use those pieces to build a podium. Another tribe member will climb to the top of the podium, and use a pole to retrieve a pass bundled in rope."
"Tiers of Heaven" from Survivor: 46 is in play, and depending on who draw what team, this could either be a breeze..or a disaster.
"First team to finish wins reward. Wanna know what you're playin for?" Jeff didn't even need to ask, because these returnees will take any reward they can get. Jeff just breaks the news right there. "A boat ride, with all the cuisine you can ask for. The losers will go back to camp, and miss out on the reward."
Yikes.
Besides all that, Jeff pulls a little bag from his pockets. It's time to draw for teams, and…
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(Repetition)
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Gordon, Peach, Sackboy, Li Mei, Little Mac, and Slade draw their red rocks.
Cyrax, Chun-Li, Diana, Metal Sonic, T'Challa, and Sektor draw the blue rocks.
A perfect split. Well, for one team. Sackboy has a look at his team and theirs and um…it seems pretty lopsided. "I..don't know if we have this one."
"Don't sweat it." Mac interjects. "We got it."
Little Mac: Sack seemed pretty scared, but odds don't phase us. We'll keep going even if we get our teeth kicked in.
Teams:
Red Team: Gordon, Li Mei, Little Mac, Peach, Sackboy and Slade
Blue Team: Cyrax, Chun-Li, Diana, Metal Sonic, T'Challa, and Sektor
Both teams ready up. Red's starting with Li Mei and Slade, while Blue's starting with Diana and T'Challa. How will this go?"
"For reward, survivors ready?"
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"GO!"
Their starting runners take off, with the speed of Blue favoring them. D and T are able to get through the muddy net without much distraction, BUT Mei and Slade are no slouches either. They are only behind a little in the strength department.
Some mud almost flies into Slade's mask, but Mei swats it down! Slade almost double takes at her reflexes. "Maybe you aren't so bad."
"Focus."
"Bossy."
Mei holds her irritation in.
Li Mei: Deathstroke is no comedian. His banter feels so wrong…
D and T have their heavy pieces first, and jog back briskly. As Mei and Slade fetch theirs, Cyrax and Metal run out next. The cyborg's already running through a plan. "Here is what we can do, hedgehog: Find two pieces, and force them together. It will save us time."
"I like the way you think."
As Cyrax grabs the second-heaviest piece, Metal scurries through to find a fit. After failing a couple times, he finds it and they connect their two pieces! Cyrax holds one end, Metal forces the other up, and they get right back to it!
"Cyrax and Metal Sonic could save their team some time!"
As they run back, Mei and Slade make it back with two out of six. Mac and Peach have some work to do, because the robots have four now. After Chun-Li and Sektor run out, Jeff really gets onto Red.
"The Red Team needs to HUSTLE!"
Mac and Peach silence themselves as they try to make that ground back. Li, and Sektor surprisingly stay professional as they lift the last pieces they need. Sektor takes a look back at his team. "You're strategy is useful after all, Cyrax."
He and Li decide to find the match to her piece. While they do that, Mac and Peach don't care to do that, they need to cover as much ground as possible. Peach takes a couple breaths lifting hers. Her agility from the Olympics seems to be stunted.
"Go on ahead.." she pleads.
The boxer doesn't just run ahead. "Stay in it."
Little Mac: When David fought Goliath, he pumped himself up. He didn't let the big differences matter that much. We'll get through this, win be damned.
Blue Team has four pieces interconnected, so now they scramble to connect the last ones, or else they could blow their lead. Eventually they get those stubborn pieces to click!
"Blue Team has finished their podium!"
Cyrax grabs the pole, looking to finish for their team…but Sektor snatches the pole from Cyrax, and steps up the man-made podium himself! He pushes the Biat Pass off the pole, getting closer to the end. The team can hear a huff from Cyrax, not happy about Sektor's arrogance getting in the way again.
"Can Sektor do it for the Blue Team?"
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He does!
"THE BLUE TEAM WINS REWARD!"
Sektor picks that pass up and raises it to his team. He gets…almost no applause at all. Metal does out of obligation, Diana and T'Challa pretend, and then there's Li and Cyrax. They don't look impressed at all.
"Revel in our victory!" Sektor shouts, getting a scoff from Mac.
Little Mac: We saw him snatch the pole from Cyrax. Not cool man.
All twelve gather together, still split. Red doesn't seem happy, but half of Blue doesn't either. They better have fun on the reward. "Congratulations Blue Team, you've earned your spot on the boat. You'll be picked up shortly."
Red gets the short end.
"Red Team…I've got nothin' for ya. Head back to camp, I'll see you tomorrow."
As both teams split off again, a confessional airs from a winners perspective. Plural. Because Li and Cyrax share another one.
Cyrax: Should I show mercy towards Metal? His ally makes it incredibly difficult. I want to hear him out once. I'll give him information, he will give me some in return.
Chun-Li: Trusting him is difficult itself, but how could we not hear him out? Maybe we won't regret it.
Cyrax: I will hope so.
Blue Team's Reward
Cyrax, Chun-Li, Diana, Metal Sonic, T'Challa, and Sektor
The waters surround the former Blue Team, about to be on their own after this trip. After getting seated, Sektor's in an awfully festive mood. He raises an empty glass that he can't even drink!
"To our domination!"
Everyone sheepishly goes along with it. Cyrax just sits there, cross-armed. He keeps his composure even when Sektor's eyes look smugly toward him. In a twisted way, Cyrax is sticking to HIS mission.
Cyrax: The urge to flip this table on Sektor rises every minute, but that would doom me. I'll fight him after we leave the island..or on it when he tempts me.
There's just basic talk going on. Diana goes on about Mac's encouragement. "He would actually be a good coach. I may not know him well, but he's not the type to talk down to a student. He'd prop them up even when they lose. That's a good leader."
"I see the qualities." T'Challa admits. "He may not be a king, but good coaches are royalty."
As Diana smirks in agreement, she gets more airtime.
Diana: He (T'Challa) already knows about our agreement. He seems committed.
As it goes with these rewards, they start doing their own things. Li excuses herself for the restroom, Metal leaves just to do it, and Cyrax says he'll go see the view. That only leaves the other three by themselves, and Sektor doesn't wait to pounce.
"Cyrax found an idol at the merge feast."
Diana and T'Challa look at each other, then back at Sektor. "Where did he find it?" Diana asks.
"Underneath the table. He never went for an oil change. Our cybernetic bodies don't work like that. He waited for us to leave so he could strike.." Sektor explains, calling out a lie.
Diana doesn't look surprised. "That sounds like him. Always smarter than he lets on."
"It's obvious how smart he is. Keep your eyes on him. He's not as nice as he seems either…"
T'Challa stops himself from shaking his head. "Are you suggesting we vote for Cyrax?"
"Just an idea." Sektor confirms.
T'Challa: His reality is cruel. Cyrax will not leave, because we have called a truce to split Sektor from Metal. Peach may have let it slip what Slade did, but if she did, I have his back.
After Sektor flies off somewhere, that leaves Diana and T'Challa all alone. The Amazon keeps her voice lower just incase someone walks in. "So we are still splitting Metal and Sektor?"
"Yes."
"Ok..what are we going to do with Slade? He chose to join Metal." Diana notes.
"Slade has changed his style. If he needs to be loyal to us for a while, he will." T'Challa explains, lying his ass off. "Unlike them, he can control himself."
Diana runs a finger across her leg. "He could always go back on it. Peach DID mention that. They put you two in a bad spot."
That's confirmation for the king. Peach did rat on Hathuru's "majority" early on. "If he did not snap earlier, he won't snap now. I'm more worried about the machines."
"To be honest..me too."
At least they're in agreeance.
T'Challa: I don't blame Peach for selling Hathuru out. She would have been next. Lucky for us, she made the merge. Now I have four people watching my back.
He holds up four fingers, and moves his pinky around.
T'Challa: Slade, I am trying.
While T'Challa throws Diana off the scent of his secret ally, Cyrax is doing what he said he would do: hear out Metal Sonic. They are on the other end of the boat, able to catch any footsteps if they need.
"We are the two smartest players to ever compete. Everyone knows about my destruction of the Saolo Six. They know about your "Snow Angel" plan, and your impressive social game. Not to mention..we win our fair share of challenges." Metal explains, hammering away on their threat levels.
"Are you suggesting I save you because of our threat levels?"
"Nobody trusts me. What harm can I do?"
Cyrax has no mouth, but his green eyes are full of skepticism. "Sektor trusts you."
"Sektor is making me look bad." There it is. "Every fit isolates us from everyone else. If nobody trusted me then, imagine what will happen now that my number one's self-destructing. What does that say about me?"
That question does resonate with Cyrax. His own association with Sektor back with the Machines tribe had everyone questioning where his loyalties were. Metal is in a similar situation, because Sektor's fits only keep the attention on him, by association. The cyborg looks into those red eyes. "I have a couple solutions to your issue."
Metal still doesn't look enthused. "Whatever may they be?"
"First: We cut Sektor. He may be your number one, but he was mine once and look what happened." Cyrax recalls. "With him gone, more people may be open to working with you."
"What of solution two?"
"This solution requires more, but..we could join together." Cyrax pitches. "As of now, Gordon's alliance consists of four players. Diana, Mac, Li Mei, and himself. There is more we don't know of."
Metal takes a mental note. "Getting rid of Diana is very appealing. My cast has given me ehhhh trouble, but she's a threat to the both of us. The fact she has an alliance already doesn't ease me."
"Do you think she seeks redemption?"
"Starving for it." Metal confirms. "She never forgot Samoa."
Metal Sonic: Diana is next on my list. She will target me, and I need to win as many challenges as possible. Cyrax's master plan is appealing to me. Except for one lone variable..
Cyrax decides to push to the big question. "There is only ONE request. I want you to-"
"Leave Sektor out."
"..you have raced me to it." Cyrax notes. "If he catches wind of a Diana blindside, he will report me, and ruin OUR chances of staying."
Metal nods, slower. "If he's left out, he's left out."
Metal Sonic: Sektor is still useful to me. His presence is so volatile that these people will forget my plays to eliminate him first. I have another play coming, and Cyrax gave me the information I've so desperately needed..
As Cyrax comes back to the table, he's greeted with a ticked off Diana. He braces for impact, but she doesn't strike him at all. She has some bad news. "Sektor told us about your idol. Said he's going to tell everyone."
The cyborg's green eyes almost roll inside that helmet. "Of course.."
Diana looks him in the eyes and says her next sentence with a serious face. "We could save Metal." Cyrax blinks twice, so she repeats it. "If Sektor's splitting your secrets this quickly, he will spill OURS too."
Cyrax scrapes his Metal chin with his thumb. "And you are confident?"
"Let's rip off the bandaid."
Diana explains her change of tone in confessional.
Diana: I would love to outlast Metal after everything he did in Samoa. We were set on voting him out tonight. But Sektor's tunnel vision is ruining him. I'm sick of him, my alliance WILL be sick of him, and Cyrax will have no problem with the truce now. After Sektor is out, we will have the numbers.
What about Cyrax's point of view?
Cyrax: Diana is becoming the second in command. She'll be the leader if this keeps going on. But I'll worry about her next vote. Metal Sonic will get the safety he's been requesting, even if everything in my breakers tell me he shouldn't. But after all the negativity Sektor has brought with him, it's time for him to go. Is this emotional? Yes, but my ethos is running low.
Well, Metal's plan to use Sektor as a "drama shield" seems to be working out! Because at this point, Sektor may have doomed himself as the merge boot. However, with an idol in his arsenal, and almost everyone detaching from him: what's he going to do? How's someone like Gordon going to react to Diana's change of plans? Will he stick to this?
Plus, Cyrax has given away information about the chef's fivesome. How will this information get used?There's still moving pieces, and we'll find out where they go, as we roll into Day 20!