The Guilds:
The Sahra Guild: Eleanor, Hansel, James, Jianne, Kairo, Laurie, Luna, Selena
The Majraa Guild: Amethyst, Braden, Declan, Katniss, Larissa, Vivielle, Sister Vivian
The Kaniun Guild: Drake, Evelyn, JT, Tony, Wendy, Winter
The Aljibal Guild: Christopher, Cole, Harry, Jeremy, Mason, Rosa
Desert Exiles: Allen, Lizzy
Recap of the Game Mechanics:
The Desert- Where contestants who are bankrupt collect more coins; the amount of coins to collect raises with each episode.
Da Shoppe- Where in-game contestants buy items in categories listed as food, survival items, luxury items, game advantages, and miscellaneous; every now and then, there is a sale.
The Duels- Where in-game contestants gamble to win or lose more coins; the duels do not end until one is bankrupt.
Loser Tax- The first placing guild nominates a member of the third placing guild to pay a tax; the tax amount is equal to the amount needed to get back into the game from The Desert.
Looting- The first placing guild sends a member to loot the last placing guild; they may only take one item.
Elimination Ceremony Coins- The guild going to elimination receives one coin representing immunity, and additional coins based on how many votes that they receive; the eliminated contestant does not receive any of these coins and wills their fortune to a non-eliminated contestant.
Chris Recap
"Last time on Total Drama Qatilat…
"The Aljibal Guild had an interesting time getting settled, where the guild tried to work together to form a group ethic, but struggled to get their campsite underway. Meanwhile, Kairo had woken his guild up early to trek across their general campsite area to collect future tools to make life at their campsite more comfortable without purchasing any luxuries. Dude built a whole sundial! That's skill, my man, that is skill. But none of this comes without a price! Due to the guild being so large, a class system has been formed, and those at the bottom are having none of it! Intense!
"Majraa was having a decent time as far as survival went. Katniss led the guild through survival, but when requested to be their guild leader, she shied away due to her lack of natural charisma. More alliances were formed, and some fake friendships as well! Meanwhile, in Kaniun, they got their campsite settled, and Evelyn immediately threw a party for the guild! How fun!
"I introduced the Duels the day after because I have to spoil fun when I see it. It was a game of wager war where the contestants wagered if they could win the war, and the deck was not reshuffled. There were barely any plays, but eh, someone went bankrupt, so my job here is done! Lizzy was sent to the Sarim Desert before the first guild challenge! Yikes!
"The challenge was a complicated one: collecting rods from knots, connecting them to reveal a sentence, and running to figure out the clue and where the emerald is to return to me! Sahra placed first, courtesy of Selena. Kaniun placed second despite their setback, Majraa placed third, and our last placing guild was Aljibal. Aljibal would be the one losing a member of their guild, but Majraa, the third placing guild, had a tax to pay! Sahra chose none other than Katniss to pay up the tax! Katniss had enough coins to do so, so the guild was fine, except for a small coin deficit.
"Hansel enforced what was revealed as the next game mechanic: Looting! You see, the contestants aren't just merchants, they are pirates as well! Hansel had a small chat with Aljibal, showing more of his empathetic side, and then he immediately took Aljibal's beans.
"Aljibal, forced to deal with their shortcomings, came into the elimination ceremony and ended up with a tied vote between Harry and Trevore. Even though the votes were everywhere, Harry suspected a tie regardless. In typical Renaissance tradition, the first tie-breaker was a staring contest. Harry won, and Trevore left the competition only to will his fortune to Christopher, someone who announced that he had not voted for him.
"How will Aljibal deal with this life threatening loss of their leader? Will Lizzy and Allen ever get out of the desert? Found out here, on Total! Drama! Qatilat!"
Aljibal Campsite
Contestants: Christopher, Cole, Harry, Jeremy, Mason, Rosa
Confessional: Rosa: The Aljibal Guild
"I had voted for Harry last night not because I had anything against him, but because he is generally weak and didn't do much in this challenge. I didn't expect Mason to also vote with him. I don't want to admit that our morals align because everytime that weasel opens his mouth, we get into it. I do not want this alliance. I don't even know why he freaking suggested it! I swear this has got to be a joke." Rosa shook her head. "But at least he helped the guild with the riddle, so that's why I didn't vote for him."
End Confessional
Confessional: Mason: The Aljibal Guild
He leaned back in the booth with his hands behind his head. "I just voted for whoever I thought Rosa was voting for. I want this alliance to work, after all."
End Confessional
The sun leaked over the horizon. Sitting over the edge of a cliff was Cole and Harry. The both had decided to scout out in the morning to cook their guild members a breakfast of sorts.
Harry scratched his chin, remembering the events of the last episode. "So what exactly was 'The Duels'?"
"A spectacle was what it was!" Cole gestured with grandiose flair. "Chris had gathered two people from each guild for a fight to the death. In the end, those who came out alive succeeded with their foresight and insight, intimidation and determination."
"And what was the prize?"
"Downing a member of another guild!"
Harry nodded. "So what exactly did Chris make you do?"
Cole placed his wrist on his forehead. "It was a penultimate showdown: Gambling!"
"Gambling!" Harry stood from excitement. "Why didn't you say so?"
"And miss out on all the drama?"
"This changes things…"
"How so?" Cole coyly smiled. "You want in?"
"Do I?" Harry chuckled.
Confessional: Harry: The Aljibal Guild
"Last night went exactly as I thought. Not sure how much of it you saw at home, but we had a sub-guild meeting with myself, Cole, Christopher, and Jeremy. The general consensus was to vote off Mason after Mason came in and threw a mean joke about Trevore and voting him off. Christopher was set on Trevore, but once he left, Cole pulled me to the side and asked me if Trevore would be a better person to vote off. I didn't necessarily disagree with him, and the odds of the guild being better off without Trevore were high. He did do very well during the challenge, but unfortunately, he doesn't seem to be made out for survival or tense situations, and that's what this game is all about." Harry nodded, thinking he explained his decision well.
"Though, because we didn't tell Christopher, I knew that someone would throw their vote, hence the tie. As far as the other side of the vote goes, I figured the other three would stick together. Rosa gives off the highest leader vibes, probably because she's the only girl here, but also because she might be our challenge leader. As an athlete, challenges are likely to be important to her. During the challenge, I had already known the answer immediately as the three others brought the poles down, but it was Mason who enthusiastically solved the sentence scramble, leaving us to solve the riddle. Now, riddles are interesting as there are lots of variables to consider, and I tried to help narrow them down as options have been presented, but it was Jeremy who solved the riddle with help from Christopher. I did not do much during this challenge, and that is why I thought my name was being written down. Something tells me that Mason might've set the vote up. It was a possibility, but it became more and more likely as the safe contestants were being read out.
"Now that that is out of the way, The Duels…" Harry held his hands together in excitement. "This does change things for me. My first impression from the challenge amounted to relatively useless. There are greater minds here, and there are definitely greater muscles. I may have the most survival knowledge here, but going off of the votes last night, I don't think that mattered much to the guild once the campsite was ready. I intended on sharing my gambling past with my guild, and even thinking that I would be hosting my own gambling sessions, but now, since this is a game mechanic, I can use this to our advantage. With my new chance," Harry leaned back, "I can stay in my guild for at least a little longer."
End Confessional
As the camp awoke, they enjoyed their surprise breakfast from Cole and Harry and proceeded to their camp duties. Mason was tasked with fixing up the shelters. Not wanting to hit any more fingers than he already had the other day, he opted to use the duct tape as a temporary fix. The next day, they could hammer over the duct tape and create a strong double battery. Mason nodded as he thought that would be best.
Everyone else proceeded to their tasks, but Mason could not help but notice the camp was oh so quiet.
Time for chaos… but not too much. Too much would not be good for competition sake.
Mason duct taped his mouth shut. He continued on with his tasks until he completed them. Jeremy ran by him. "Hey Mason. Did you finish up the shelters?"
Mason gave Jeremy a thumbs up and wildly tried to gesture to ask about what he should do next.
"Um… you want to go for a jog?"
Mason stood still before gesturing no, and tried again.
"You want… to collect blue pebbles."
Mason shook his head, and this time, he decided to actually act like a mime and was doing a very good job at it.
"Okay, Mason, now it looks like you're wasting my time. Why don't you go collect some water for lunchtime?"
Mason nodded and went to get some water.
When he came back, he put the water over the boil while Cole was finishing up with lunch.
Cole looked at the duct tape. He pointed to his mouth and gave a 'why?' gesture.
Mason replied, gesturing. "Because."
Cole shrugged and continued to stir.
Everyone else gathered around the fire for lunchtime.
Rosa sighed. "Just rice…"
Harry nodded. "At least it's something. Maybe when we are able to raise enough money, we can purchase more food without the fear of being taxed straight into the desert."
"It's okay, guys." Christopher put a spoonful of rice in his mouth. "Maybe we can find a cow up here, and put milk with our rice."
The guild stared at Christopher.
"It'll be just like cereal!"
"It might not be so bad." Cole entertained the idea. "Sly Ruse can down a bowl 'a porridge."
Christopher did a double take at Mason. "Hey! You can't eat with duct tape on your mouth."
The rest of the guild looked at Mason like he was crazy for pretending to eat.
"Okay, okay," Mason peeled the duct tape off of his mouth. "I only did that because I thought it was funny."
"You thought it was funny." Rosa snarked.
"I thought it was funny because the camp is so much quieter with Trevore gone."
"Huh." Harry nodded. "It really is quieter."
"Anyways, quieter won't do us much good in these challenges." Mason shook his head. "And my jokes don't seem to bring morale up. Why don't we start a share circle?"
"Seriously?" Rosa questioned.
"Yes, seriously!" Jeremy seemed excited. "This will help us not lose the next challenge. I think, last challenge we were slowed down due to a lack of communication. We can't have that next time."
"I'm not opposed to this." Harry nodded.
Christopher clapped his hands. "Yay! This will be so fun!"
Cole nodded. "Let's do this."
Confessional: Rosa: The Aljibal Guild
"So we actually learned a lot from each other right there. Christopher isn't as popular as you would think he would be with his friendly attitude. Mason still seems to be pretty annoying most of the time, but he claims he's good at trivia and math. Harry is a gambler, which he did mention he wasn't going to keep from us, and he's glad that he has the chance to help us out. Cole is who we think he is, which I've never had a problem with Cole anyway. Even I ended up sharing and explained that off season, I don't really have too much work to do and a break is great every once and a while. And then there's Jeremy…" Rosa nodded. "I've never had a reason to dislike him this far, but… I don't know… he's a detective. It makes sense that he was the one to solve that riddle, and it's nice to have someone here who is more observant and open-minded than me. I can get tunnel-vision from time to time."
End Confessional
Sahra Campsite
Contestants: Eleanor, Hansel, James, Jianne, Kairo, Laurie, Luna, Selena
Selena stretched from her sleeping spot in the 'guild cabin.' She went outside to check the sundial. 11am. Not bad. She walked over, now as strategy/challenge leader, to James. "Good morning, James!"
He sighed. "Morning." He sat on a rock, enjoying the ocean from afar.
Selena sat next to him. "I wanted to talk with you for a sec."
"What about?"
"How did the duels yesterday go? I heard that was something that happened."
"It was… a bit simple for what it was." James shook his head. "Chris said we'd be gambling-"
"Gambling!?" Selena stood off from the boulder.
"Yeah, but we didn't play Poker or Texas Hold 'Em or Blackjack or anything like that. We ended up playing War."
"None of that matters if we get to bet our coins! We could get so much more! Fuck yeah! I want to go to the next duel!"
James shrugged. "Well, there are two seats per guild, so if you can wake up early enough, you can come along with me next time. Or whoever else wants to go, that is."
Confessional: Selena: The Sahra Guild
"Okay, this game is so dramatic this season. Man! I'm glad I took on that bet to audition! I'm having a fucking blast, and I will continue to have a fucking blast!"
End Confessional
Jianne brought the water to camp at a boil. Luna tended to the fire while the girls had a talk at the fire.
"So what are your thoughts on everyone here now that it's been a few days?" Luna asked.
Jianne shrugged. "I'm not really one to gossip on others too much. But I will say that I do really like what Kairo has done with the place. It makes life on the island that much easier. Selena also led us to victory in that challenge, so everything is going good."
"Yeah, it sure sucks for the other guilds that they don't have someone as equipped for this season as Kairo. Sure, there's that Katniss girl, but she isn't as poised as Kairo is."
"Uh-huh."
Confessional: Jianne: The Sahra Guild
"So, Luna doesn't really want to leave me alone still, and I really don't know why. She's trying to get me to gossip, and like, I may not be that big of a social player, but I'm not stupid. Besides, if I have beef with anyone here, I might as well try to play it to their faces. Luna has an opposite strategy of mine, and she's playing social. Not sure if I really like that because it feels UTR. I do not enjoy others playing UTR. I'll still give her a chance though. She hasn't been actively mean to or about anyone yet."
End Confessional
Confessional: Luna: The Sahra Guild
Luna patted some Kairo-made face power on her face. "The beautiful contestants should stick together. And I like the way Jianne is. She always looks gorgeous, and that's good. I could hang with Eleanor too, but she hangs around the nerdier guys more than I'd like. But, it doesn't sound like a bad idea. Four is half the guild."
End Confessional
Kairo approached Selena and James with Hansel joining Selena and James earlier.
"Enjoying the ocean, are we?" Kairo sat on the rock next to the others.
"I was." James sighed.
"I was talking to James." Selena mentioned.
"I… wanted to join in on watching the ocean." Hansel said.
"I see." Kairo nodded. "I join the three of you all for Hansel, actually."
"Oh, is there something you needed?"
"Well, I was wondering what the Aljibal visit was like." Kairo explained.
"Ooh," Selena pitched. "I also want to know how that went."
"It went smoothly. The members themselves were nice. I left them with only their rice, and… you'll never believe this… they never purchased a pot."
"What?" Selena almost choked. "No way! No wonder they lost."
"They are resourceful though. They were able to carve out a rock and use that as a pot." Hansel shook his head. "But anyways, they invited me to sit by their fire, and we had a small chat."
Kairo nodded his head. "So we're able to talk to the other guilds, eh?"
Selena lightly punched Hansel's shoulder. "Interacting with other Guilds is good. Good for you."
Hansel shrugged. "A guild swap could always happen. Not that socializing with other guilds is particularly on my radar."
James looked over to Hansel. "So you think they're going to lose the next challenge too?"
"Maybe. I don't want to jinx it."
Kairo jumped off of his rock. "Speaking of challenges, why not host our own challenge?"
"Why not?" Selena also jumped off. "I like a challenge!"
Hansel and James looked at each other as if neither of them had a choice to participate in this impromptu challenge.
"Don't worry." Kairo tried to shut down their fears. "This challenge won't be physical… for us. Each of us shall catch a pseudoscorpion! Follow me." Kairo led everyone to a pseudoscorpion nest. "Let us catch one from here."
Everyone caught one pseudoscorpion.
"Now," Kairo drew a line in the sand with his boot. "We start here." And he drew another line about five feet away. "And this will be the finish line for our bugs."
Selena's eyes lit up. "My bug will be the fastest."
"My bug will be the wisest." Kairo jeered back.
"My bug will probably hang back once it realizes it's safe from us." James rolled his eyes.
Hansel looked at his bug. "I mean, they are bugs. It's not like they know they're in a race with each other."
Everyone set their bugs down. On the count of three, they set their bugs free. Each bug scrambled away from the competitors. Kairo's bug took the path of least resistance, going around rocks and trying to maintain a flat surface for easy scurrying. Selena's bug went straight in one line, not caring what rocks or bumps there were in the road. James' bug would strike at the other bugs if they ever came too close. Hansel's bug wearily looked out for the others, wondering if the others would strike at it. In the end, Kairo's bug won followed by Hansel's and James', putting Selena's bug last.
"What a great race that was!" Kairo smiled.
"Yep, pretty good that my bug did exactly what I wanted it to!"
"But it still lost."
Hansel and James looked at each other as if the other two had lost it.
Laurie and Eleanor sat by a part of the ocean and cleaned off some of their dishes that had been eaten on. They had been talking about the camp when Eleanor decided to switch the subject. "So what are your thoughts on our team captains?"
"Oh, I think they're wonderful!"
"Really?"
"Oh yes! I'm glad there is someone to take over for survival because we really need to survive, and the desert is actually pretty hard, but Kairo makes it alright. And it's great that there is someone to take over for the challenges too. Maybe Kairo wouldn't be able to read all of our abilities as well as Selena could, and we even won that challenge. There are no complaints about the leader system at all with me!"
"I see what you mean…"
Confessional: Eleanor: The Sahra Guild
"I see that Laurie does not see the issues that Hansel, James, or I see with this dynamic. Too many people in the guild are searching for power. It just so happens that our strategy will be going under Laurie's nose too, now that she clearly is not on the same side as us. Not only is she not on the same side as us, but she is able to solidify those guys as powerful, and perhaps no one else will want to vote them off with us. If we don't collect enough revenue during our time at the duels, it might be one of us three packing our bags."
End Confessional
Majraa Campsite
Contestants: Amethyst, Braden, Declan, Katniss, Larissa, Vivielle, Sister Vivian
Around the campfire, Sister Vivian explained her time at the duels. "It was really just a game of war, but it was so nerve wracking because I didn't know what I was doing."
"Did everything turn out okay?" Declan asked.
"Yeah, I ended up not losing or winning anything, but we should be more strategic about who goes next time. The Duels doesn't end until someone goes bankrupt."
Confessional: Vivielle: The Majraa Guild
"So the price to pay for failing to capture coins at the duels would be to eat into some desert time to try and collect more? It seems like this advantage could be more useful mid-game even though the advantages are nice to have from the start. Man, I should really take a page out of Cole's book."
End Confessional
Confessional: Amethyst: The Majraa Guild
"The Game Advantages do seem useful and going to the duels would be a good way to get coins to grab some, but at the cost of going to the desert again. It's not quite worth it… yet."
End Confessional
Declan nodded his head. "Well, if someone has to go from each guild, then I suppose we should get ahead of the game and decide who should go next."
Sister Vivian also nodded. "That's a great idea."
"O-Oh uh…" Braden twiddled his fingers.
Larissa put her hand on his arm. "It's okay if you're not ready. If nobody has any interjections, then I suppose that I should go. I think I have a pretty good read on others."
Vivielle nodded. "Maybe I should go with you, so we can support each other."
Confessional: Vivielle: The Majraa Guild
"I know what I just said, but Larissa and I will be spending time together, and that means I can have another connection… or I can pit alliances against each other… hmmm…"
End Confessional
Larissa and Sister Vivian trekked out further into the woods, always following the river. With spears fashioned by Katniss, Sister Vivian attempted to teach Larissa how to hunt fish.
Sister Vivian popped her head. Out of the water with two fish on her spear. "It takes a bit of practice, but once you get the hang of it, we can take turns hunting, and there won't be a burden on anyone."
Larissa stared down at the fish skewered. "Uh… huh…"
Sister Vivian pulled herself out of the river and placed her fish to the side. "Clearly you haven't done much of this before."
Larissa shook her head. "How could I just take an innocent life?"
Sister Vivian shrugged. "It's either their innocent life or it will be yours from starvation. It's not pretty, but neither is this world. We didn't choose our lives and neither did the fish." Sister Vivian rested her caught fish skewer on a grass woven blanket. "At least get in the water so you can watch me do it up close. I'll consider that your lesson for today."
Confessional: Larissa: The Majraa Guild
"As much as hunting might not be the chore for me, I'm actually having a lot of fun here. I've gotten a good read on everyone at camp, and it's pretty safe to say that there doesn't seem to be any viable matches around here. Of course, there is never anything wrong with that, and I wouldn't do anything about it if there was a match here. It is always good to be prepared if anyone asks though, and who knows, maybe my initial assumption was wrong."
End Confessional
Declan and Katniss met up with Larissa and Sister Vivian. Declan carried one of the camp's pots where Katniss led Declan over to the water. Sister Vivian surfaced, telling Larissa to stay under the water in case the wobbly figures were predators.
Katniss pointed at the fish. "Food, good."
Sister Vivian's eyes widened. "You think it's good as food, raw?"
Katniss backed up. "No!"
Declan cleared his throat. "I think she means having food is good."
Katniss nodded. "Have…ing… food is good."
Larissa surfaced, figuring it would be okay not to drown. "Are you here to take the food back to camp?"
Katniss paused, wanting Declan to answer, but Declan silently encouraged Katniss to try. "No… we…need…wa…ter."
Declan spoke up. "We're going to bring another pot of water for our flasks, but hey, we could take the food back too if we're going to cook them for lunch."
"We could use a strong man to carry our fish~" Larissa flirted.
"Or a strong woman." Sister Vivian flexed, her bicep wet and shining.
Larissa blushed. "Oh my…"
Declan shrugged. "I'll leave it up to you two."
"I'll be alright." Sister Vivian reassured.
Larissa shook her head. "Declan, take it back to camp." She turned to Vivian. "You're going to need to save your strength for the challenge~" Larissa winked.
Braden sat by the fire with Amethyst. Amethyst had just placed water over the fire to boil. The two of them sat in silence.
Amethyst decided to break the silence. "While we wait for the water to boil, I have enough time to sketch a portrait of you."
"O-Oh, why would you want to do that?" Braden scratched his head.
"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." Amethyst already pulled out her sketchbook and drew in construction lines for his portrait. "As an artist, it is my job to show others how beautiful the world can be in times of darkness."
"So you think I, you know, look good?"
Amethyst paused. "I can show you the way I see you at the end of this little session. Usually, I like to take longer, but I have been asked to boil some rice."
"Oh, if you want the time, I could boil that for you and watch the fire."
Amethyst looked up from her sketchbook and slightly smiled. "That would be wonderful."
There were a few seconds of silence. Braden spoke up this time. "So Lari- Amethyst, how long does a portrait usually take to draw?"
"That's a difficult question. Of course, it depends on the medium, and if I have all the appropriate tools for them." Amethyst twirled her pencil and her blending stump with her separate sections of her fingers. "With graphite, it can take anywhere from fifteen minutes to half an hour." Amethyst blended some of her drawing out. "Has this guild been treating you well?"
"I suppose so." Braden nodded. "Everyone has been kind so far. It's good."
"Have you made any close friends here? And don't be afraid to exclude me. I know I am the quiet one around here."
Braden nodded. "Well, Declan has been a pretty good role model. He's friendly, and he seems to have been outside more than I have. I get the same vibes from Vivielle too… She's been nothing but nice and helpful, and her guitar practice every night is nice to listen to… even though she's just perfecting riffs and scales…"
While fervently sketching, Amethyst quickly scribbled some of this information to the side. "So you enjoy listening to music?"
"I mean… who doesn't? It's a universal language… well, instrumental anyways."
Amethyst nodded. "Just as art is."
Braden smiled. "Yeah, just like art… I'm glad I get to see some of your talent too."
Amethyst hid a smirk. "You will see much of my art as the game progresses. So you play an instrument?"
"You could tell?"
"I have sketched and spoken to many people." Amethyst twirled her pencil. "I think that you and I could be quite the formidable pair."
"Wait! You want an alliance?"
Amethyst's smile widened. "I'm glad you asked."
Confessional: Braden: The Majraa Guild
He ran his hands down his face. "Oh no, oh no, oh no! Now I'm in alliances- more than one!- which is either really good or really really bad." He took a moment to breathe. "Maybe I can combine these alliances together… oh, but then Declan said he wanted to keep it at three, ugh! This is bad."
Postpone Confessional
Confessional: Amethyst: The Majraa Guild
"I'm glad he accepted. Someone as introverted as him probably wouldn't have too many close friends this soon. It has to mean an alliance. I knew I had to get in somehow. A nervous one is usually the easiest. I'm pretty sure Declan would have included me too, but it's interesting to see Braden freak out over this."
End Confessional
Resume Confessional
Braden facepalmed. "And then, I kept getting the two Vivians confused, so I almost dropped the alliance to the wrong one. But it's a good thing I didn't! And, I confuse the other two as well. Larissa and Amethyst. And they look nothing alike. I guess they're just similar in personality and presence, but I see the looks everyone gives me. I hope it isn't too much of a deal breaker."
End Confessional
Kaniun Campsite
Contestants: Drake, Evelyn, JT, Tony, Wendy, Winter
Everyone sat around the fire eating their lunch in silence. No one wanted to address the elephant. In the room, but JT did anyway. "What the hell even happened at those duels?"
Evelyn was quick to answer. "You gamble for more coins. The catch is, the duels aren't over until someone goes bankrupt."
"And you just let that happen to Lizzy?"
"I did not! The entire time, I encouraged Lizzy exactly what to do, and what to bet on. It's her mistake that she played too ballsy, and now she's in the desert."
"Hmm…" Tony thought.
"Whatcha thinkin' businessman?" Wendy asked.
"This game mechanic is quite interesting. I would like to go to one myself for Kaniun at one point if that is alright with everyone. I promise to play conservatively."
Winter kept her eyes on Tony, not wanting to answer.
Drake shrugged. "It's fine by me. I think sending two people is the way to go. At least, we can support each other and not suffer the cruel end of the desert."
Winter changed the subject. "It's a shame that Lizzy had to go though. She was social, strong, flexible…"
"It does suck." Evelyn agreed. "But we can't let this get to us. It will lower our morale, and we might end up losing another member. Let's think about what we have! We have lunch! We have water! We have a fire! Woohoo!"
Confessional: Evelyn: The Kaniun Guild
"It sucks for the guild that Lizzy is gone, but it sucks even more for me because she was my alliance member. And I could hold on hope that she comes after that Allen guy, and he's been there for quite a while now. He'll probably come back first and join Majraa, which makes Lizzy come right back. I wonder if she is going to ask about giving her coins back."
End Confessional
"WOO-WEE!" Wendy cheered. "Now that's what I'm talkin' 'bout! But we do gotta maintain this place. Why don't you get started on the dishes, Ev?"
"Aye-aye!" She stacked the others' plates.
When grabbing Tony's plate to add to her stack, he took the stack from Evelyn. "Allow me to help you."
"Perfect. When you come back, grab a haul a' water!" Wendy nodded. "Winter, JT, we need some more wood."
"Sounds good, cap." Winter saluted.
Wendy nodded. "Drake and I will hang and make sure the fire doesn't go out."
Drake shrugged."I guess we could save hunting for another time then."
"We sure can!" Wendy laughed. "We just ate."
Drake turned back to the guild. "Oh, before we break, there was something I forgot to ask. JT, what happened to your arm?"
JT flexed his normal arm and said, "I work out. A triathlete needs to maintain form."
"No no, the other one." The joke flew over Drake's head.
JT turned red-faced and clutched his prosthetic arm. "Well, it doesn't matter because it's not going to hold us back!"
"So you can't tell me in private either, I'm guessing?"
Wendy looked down. "I was wonderin' the same."
JT stormed away from the camp. "Look, I don't want to explain, and I really shouldn't have to if I don't want to, and it still really doesn't matter!"
Drake put his hands up. "Don't worry, man. I'll back off. I was just curious."
Confessional: Drake: The Kaniun Guild
"And I am into a gory story." He kept his arms crossed. "Not like that though. Just a fan of horror films."
End Confessional
Winter and JT progressed out towards the terracotta dreams of the Qatilat canyon. They picked up any sort of dry weeds and tree branches they could find.
Winter, upon seeing any opportunities, stopped to snap a photo. Sometimes, she would have JT pose for her.
When posing for her, JT noted. "Hey, we probably shouldn't take so many pictures. Wendy is waiting for us back at the fire."
"Sure, sure." Winter said in the middle of snapping pics every few seconds. "One more and we can head back."
"But," JT gestured to their pile of sticks. "We've barely collected anything!"
"Really?" Winter looked at the pile. "That's plenty."
"It's barely going to last until dinnertime!"
Winter shook her head. "We only need firewood until the challenge. Then we make another fire for dinner. Right now, we only need firewood to boil water, so we can perform without feeling like we're dying. I'm sure we're all dry after eating."
"We'll be tired after the challenge and won't want to grab more firewood."
Winter rolled her eyes. "I'll go twice."
JT rolled his eyes. "You only want to go twice to get more pics."
"Maybe I do. That's one of the main reasons why I'm here. To take pics! In fact, the next time I go, I'll go with someone who wants to have more fun!"
Confessional: Winter: The Kaniun Guild
"I'm not just here for fun, but I'm making another enemy, and it's only a little bit my fault this time. I wonder which of the two would be better to get rid of first. Tony, who decided to confront me for not spending any coins at the beginning and might actually be planning my elimination, or JT, who is being a jerk right now because we had managed to piss him off earlier for something anyone with thinking skills might be wondering. Tony only benefits my personal game whereas JT might benefit the whole guild. It is a hard decision even though watching these dilemmas at home always seem so simple."
End Confessional
A river flowed dangerously fast in between the two canyon walls. Down by the river, Evelyn had been scraping dishes clean while Tony dried them off with a spare piece of fabric. The two of them were still not that far from their campsite as Wendy and Drake could see them from where they were sitting and vice versa.
Tony spoke to Evelyn. "I hope you don't feel guilty for losing Lizzy."
Evelyn sighed. "I feel a little guilty, but I also feel like there was nothing more I could do to help her."
"I understand the two of you were in an alliance-"
"Wait, you knew?"
"It was not difficult to spot, and it may be a blessing in disguise that she is gone from our guild."
Evelyn rose an eyebrow. "How so?"
"Because now we know based on the information you provided about how she played. She's impulsive, unwise, and wants power in this game."
"All from a duel performance?"
"I'm not saying she's evil, but someone like that who could easily win plenty of physical challenges is someone to look out for. I'm not saying you shouldn't continue with that alliance, but I want to offer you another one. Likely for the guild portion, but if we wish to continue on further, I will gladly accept."
"Thanks for the offer. I will accept this for now, but I do not know when I want to cut off the deal."
Tony shrugged. "Feel free to cut me off whenever you'd like, though I would prefer a two week's notice."
"Noted." Evelyn nodded.
Confessional: Evelyn: The Kaniun Guild
"I'm not a fan of the way Tony approached this. He makes a good mental threat. The only problem is, I'm also a mental threat, especially now that I have come back from the duels with plenty of coins. The good thing about Lizzy was that she was a physical threat. We complimented each other perfectly. Tony, on the other hand, if he was able to deduct all that about Lizzy's duel performance, he can probably guess that I came back with plenty of coins." Evelyn massaged her temples. "I have to ally with him for at least two weeks, but my autonomy isn't entirely gone. He's giving some sort of power in this alliance. As much as I do need the money, I don't think I would've said yes if he hadn't given me some leeway."
End Confessional
Confessional: Tony: The Kaniun Guild
"I like to think I'm pretty set if we end up going to elimination. It will play my way, which is good. I will end up being the guild leader. Wendy will be an excellent cover up."
End Confessional
The Sarim Desert → 12 Coins to Enter
Contestants: Allen, Lizzy
Lizzy entered back to the shoddy rock hut with more water and a few more coins in her pouch. "This place is an absolute hell." She poured the freshwater into her flask. "At least I'll get a good tan…"
Allen smirked. "What a fantastic idea! We can get tans!"
"That might not be the best idea since you only have two days left."
"Well," Allen nervously laughed, but tried to mask it into a manly chuckle, "really, it's only one and a half. But who is to say that Gladiolus will come back to the desert. I have my handsome, strong body, my wits, and my charm." Allen took his shirt off, laying out in the desert sand. "And I have my alliance." Allen winked.
Lizzy shot Allen some doe eyes as she also stripped to her red bikini, applied sunscreen, and laid down next to Allen. The both of them had laid out for a few minutes and Allen had flipped to his stomach. "I am so glad we're in this alliance."
"Me too." Lizzy kept her eyes closed. "What happened to your torso?"
Allen passed his hands through his scars. "I usually cover them with concealer, but the sand rubs it clear off. It's something I wish not to speak of."
Lizzy rubbed her hands through them. "You shouldn't have to cover them. They're so hot."
Allen smiled and caressed her cheek.
They leaned in and kissed.
Confessional: Lizzy: Deserted
"I knew he's wanted to kiss me to assert dominance for a while now. Actually, since I got here. It's okay. I'm playing into it, so he thinks I'm the prey when really, it's the other way around."
End Confessional
Chris, the guilds, and referee Chef gathered around towards the top of the canyon. Not quite in the desert, but in a flat area. Chris held a ball in his hands. "Good afternoon, merchants. Look to Aljibal and notice Trevore eliminated last night."
Most contestants did not bother to look twice at Aljibal. "This challenge is a classic that we have not bothered to do before. I'm not sure why, we've been doing four teams forever now. Four Square everyone." Chris stepped to the side, and a square divided into four squares was drawn in the dirt. "Rules are classic. Bounce the ball from square to square. If the ball bounces twice in your square, you are out. If you fail to pass the ball after it bounces in your square, you are out. If you catch the ball without passing, you are out. If you step out of your square, you're out!
"Guilds will designate an order for each guild member to play in. Due to this game being somewhat mathematical, Sahra and Majraa will sit people out. Once someone goes out, the next in line will take your place in the toilet square! Speaking of which….
"Squares are titled. The first square is called the ace. The second square is the King or Queen. The third square is the commoner. And the fourth square is the toilet. The challenge ends when a guild has run out of people to replace them in this challenge. Placing first will be the guild in the ace square. The rest will correlate, so be careful with who you kick out of this challenge. Now, take a few minutes to see who will be competing in which order."
Challenge: Four Square
Rules: In typical elementary school fashion, contestants will bounce a ball to each other from square to square. If the ball bounces in your square, and you fail to pass the ball to another square you are out. There is one exception to this rule:
If the ball bounces on the line between two squares, both competitors are responsible for the ball.
No stepping outside of your designated square
When a competitor gets kicked out of the four-square, another contestant in their guild will fill in for them. When the guilds run out of people to replace, the challenge ends, and ranking will be based upon who is in which square, except for the losing guild who is automatically ranked in the bottom square.
The squares titles: (According to Chris)
The Toilet Square
The Commoner Square
The King/Queen Square
The Ace Square
To start, Sahra will be in the Ace Square, Kaniun will be in the King/Queen Square, Majraa will be in the Commoner Square, and Aljibal will be in the Toilet Square. The order the contestants play in will be based upon their own discretion.
Sahra Order: Selena, Laurie, Jianne, Hansel, Eleanor, Kairo
Majraa Order: Larissa, Declan, Amethyst, Braden, Katniss, Sister Vivian
Kaniun Order: JT, Evelyn, Winter, Tony, Drake, Wendy
Aljibal Order: Christopher, Jeremy, Mason, Harry, Cole, Rosa
Real Sitting Out: Luna, James, Vivielle
Challenge Commence
Ace: Selena; King: JT; Commoner: Larissa; Toilet: Christopher
The challenge opened with Selena staring down JT, Larissa, and Christopher. Each of them were ready to receive the serve. With a few pats on the ball to ensure the general bounciness, Selena bounced the ball and served it to Larissa. Larissa passed the ball to JT. JT lowly bounced the ball close to the line in Selena's court. Selena dove towards the ball, not touching the lines. Out of control, she passed it to Larissa. Larissa, not expecting the chaos of JT's pass, missed the ball.
"And Larissa is out of the challenge, freeing up the Queen square for JT! Christopher promotes to a Commoner, and Selena still reigns as the Ace! Declan steps up to the toilet!"
Confessional: Declan: The Majraa Guild
"I hate the fact that Chris calls it the toilet square. Whatever happened to the King, Queen, Jack, and Peasant squares?"
End Confessional
Confessional: Larissa: The Majraa Guild
"Well, that was embarrassing, but someone had to go out first. I just have to try harder in the next challenge."
End Confessional
Ace: Selena; King: JT; Commoner: Christopher; Toilet: Declan
The ball was back in Selena's court. Now knowing how the ball worked, she could easily serve. She served faster this time. Selena forced a reflex reaction on her opponent: Christopher. He deflected the ball perfectly into JT's court. JT had an easy time passing the ball back to Selena. Selena passed the ball to Declan, who also deflected pretty easily. He passed to the easiest target, JT. JT passed the ball right back to Declan, and he hit the ball… but it landed out of bounds.
"And Declan has been kicked out of the toilet square! Will Majraa be able to promote out of it?"
Chef chuckled beside Chris. "The little girl, Amethyst, is up next. Let's see what she can bring to the game."
Confessional: Amethyst: The Majraa Guild
"So, it seems the more stronger guild members have been easily knocked out by the other guilds… a pity. This game is simply hand-eye coordination." Amethyst twirled her pencil. "It's something an artist needs to draw and paint, after all."
End Confessional
Ace: Selena; King: JT; Commoner: Christopher; Toilet: Amethyst
Selena bounced her ball again and hit the ball in the corner farthest from where Amethyst was standing. Amethyst instinctively stepped towards it and served the ball into Christopher's court, in a similar fashion as Selena, but in the corner closest to herself. Christopher passed the ball into Selena's court. Selena tried the same trickery onto JT. It did not work in Selena's favor, and the ball moved into Christopher's court. Christopher passed the ball to Amethyst. Amethyst, having the ball in her court, made a quick decision. She passed the ball to JT, closer to the side of his prosthetic arm. JT passed the ball but barely had any control of that arm. With too much force, the ball was knocked out of bounds.
Chris spoke into his megaphone. "And the first Kaniun is out of the challenge! Will anyone be able to knock Selena off her Ace square? Will Christopher be promoted to an Ace? Will Evelyn be able to avenge JT?"
Confessional: Selena: The Sahra Guild
"If I can help it, the answer will be no to that first one!"
End Confessional
Confessional: Amethyst: The Majraa Guild
"The only thing that was needed was an artist on the reigns. The others are a bit too kind-hearted for a challenge that requires ruthlessness."
End Confessional
Ace: Selena; King: Christopher; Commoner: Amethyst; Toilet: Evelyn
Selena served the ball again, this time weaker than the last. The ball landed center in Christopher's court. Christopher passed it to Amethyst. Amethyst passed the ball to Evelyn, who passed it back to Selena. The ball kept getting gently passed from person to person, unlike the other, more fast-paced, games. Eventually, to dive for the ball, Christopher became more distracted with his newly skimmed knee than the ball, bouncing away from the four squares.
"Christopher is out of the King Square!" Chris threw his arms up. "Amethyst promotes to the Queen! Evelyn takes the Commoner, and Jeremy becomes the newest Toilet!"
Confessional: Jeremy: The Kaniun Guild
"I think I could do pretty well in this challenge. It requires you to be quick on your feet. That's something I can do."
End Confessional
Ace: Selena; Queen: Amethyst; Commoner: Evelyn; Toilet: Jeremy
Selena started off the next game with an even weaker serve than the last. The ball landed square in the center, and Jeremy took upon the responsibility to barely push the ball into Amethyst's court. Amethyst lunged and barely kept the ball from hitting the ground. Evelyn also had to dive for her ball, and the game became a race to see who could keep their ball from bouncing twice in the same square. In the middle of the drama, Jeremy was able to stand up and bounce the ball much harder into Selena's square, causing her to struggle to reach the ball before it bounced twice. It did, and
"Selena is out of the rink through strategic play from Jeremy! Everyone promotes to a higher square, except for you, Sahra. Laurie proceeds to the Toilet Square! Before we start the next round, let's have a look at how much longer this challenge will go on for!"
Waiting Lines:
Sahra: Jianne, Hansel, Eleanor, Kairo
Majraa: Braden, Katniss, Sister Vivian
Kaniun: Winter, Tony, Drake, Wendy
Aljibal: Mason, Harry, Cole, Rosa
Confessional: Laurie: The Sahra Guild
"It's scary to see how quickly you can be in first place to last place just like that. I don't intend on losing my grip on the ball too soon, but it's also scary that the challenge ends when a guild runs out of backups. It won't be our guild, so at least staying on the field prevents instant elimination, but you know you're for sure for sure safe if you are in the Queen or Ace Squares."
End Confessional
Ace: Amethyst; Queen: Evelyn; Commoner: Jeremy; Toilet: Laurie
Amethyst bounced the ball. She had already known how the ball reacts to being tossed around but serving was a whole other task of its own. She served the ball towards Laurie. Laurie passed the ball towards a line. Jeremy sped to retract the ball into Evelyn's court. Evelyn passed the ball to Laurie. Laurie used the same technique as last time. She passed the ball towards the line in Jeremy's court. This time, Jeremy was too late, and the ball bounced back into Amethyst's court.
"And Jeremy is out of the rink!" Chris cheered. "Seems like Sahra is looking to climb their way back! Mason goes onto the court!"
Confessional: Jeremy: The Aljibal Guild
"Things aren't looking too good for us. We're already down to our third person, and we put our weaker members in the middle. Christopher went first just because he was so excited to play, we let him go, but now… I just have to hope. And hope is something I hate doing."
End Confessional
Ace: Amethyst; Queen: Evelyn; Commoner: Laurie; Toilet: Mason
Amethyst bounced the ball once more. She had already received information about the last person to join. Now it was time for one more. She passed the ball towards Mason, in a more difficult position for him to catch. Mason dove for the ball, but was about to catch it. Evelyn took the ball next, thrown off guard from a stupidly brilliant pass. She passed the ball back to Amethyst. Amethyst, still not finished with gathering, passed the ball to Laurie. Laurie easily passed the ball back to Evelyn… who fell just short of capturing the ball.
"And Evelyn is out of the challenge. That put Sahra at one more person in line than all the other guilds equal. Winter steps out onto the field! Will anyone be able to overtake Sahra?"
Confessional: Amethyst: The Majraa Guild
"I don't really care about how many people are in what line. What matters is that I keep Majraa at first."
End Confessional
Ace: Amethyst; Queen: Laurie; Commoner: Mason; Toilet: Winter
Amethyst served the ball once again, failing at her target, Winter, and instead the ball landed into Mason's court. Mason passed the ball to Winter who tripped over a small rock and lost the ball.
"And Winter's short performance comes to an end! Can Tony avenge Kaniun?"
Confessional: Winter: The Kaniun Guild
"Well, that was not my greatest performance! Especially something like four-square! Hopefully, it won't be me on the line, but I might be able to sway the favor."
End Confessional
Confessional: Tony: The Kaniun Guild
"Well, that did not go so well for her. However, it may not be her if we lose. I have someone else in mind. I am not quite sure I can avenge my guild as these types of games are not up my alley, but I can certainly try."
End Confessional
Ace: Amethyst; Queen: Laurie; Commoner: Mason; Toilet: Tony
Amethyst served the ball more quickly this time, centering her ball in Tony's court. Tony centered his ball in Mason's court, who had an easy time passing it to Amethyst. Amethyst passed the ball back to Mason, who passed it back to Amethyst. Amethyst passed the ball to Tony who passed it to Laurie. Finally, it was Laurie who passed the ball to Mason that caused him to trip over his untied shoelaces and cost him the ball.
"Mason is out of this challenge! Too bad you couldn't have been bothered to tie those laces! It's between Alibal and Kaniun to see who can nab last place."
Confessional: Harry: The Aljibal Guild
"This is not good. We can't risk going to elimination two times in a row at the very start! Yeah, it's good for ratings and edgics, but what about Aljibal's needs?"
End Confessional
Ace: Amethyst; Queen: Laurie; Commoner: Tony; Toilet: Harry
Amethyst served the ball to the newcomer once more, centering the ball on him, but near the edge of the line. Harry raced to the ball, and just barely managed to tap the ball… but…
Chef blew his whistle. "According to our footage, that ball landed in the Toilet square twice."
Laurie caught the ball after hearing the news.
Chris' interns pulled up their TV monitor.
"No fair," Luna muttered under her breath from the bench.
"Let's see." Chris hit the play button. The footage of the ball played in slow motion. The ball indeed bounced very, very close to the line, but clearly on Harry's side of the square.
Confessional: Cole: The Aljibal Guild
"How dramatic… I suppose I shall put Sly Ruse in my pocket for this challenge. A pirate wouldn't do so well in a Four Square challenge. Perhaps my superior skills can oust the competition!"
End Confessional
Confessional: Rosa: The Aljibal Guild
"Cole better last for at least three rounds. Otherwise, that might make me the only real muscle of this group, and that might not be a good thing. It probably wouldn't have made a difference if Harry or Trevore went home. They would have equally sucked at this challenge. I don't want to lose twice at the beginning."
End Confessional
The Waiting Lines:
Sahra: Jianne, Hansel, Eleanor, Kairo
Majraa: Braden, Katniss, Sister Vivian
Kaniun: Drake, Wendy
Aljibal: Rosa
Ace: Amethyst; Queen: Laurie; Commoner: Tony; Toilet: Cole
Amethyst served the ball, again, towards the Toilet. It may be better to have the challenge over than for it to continue for longer. Cole deflected the ball, understanding Amethyst's strategy. He passed it back to her. Amethyst passed the ball to Laurie, who fumbled a bit, but managed to keep the game going. Tony had the ball next and passed the ball right back to Laurie. Laurie let go and was the next out of the rink.
"And Laurie is out! Jianne will be next to the Toilet Square, and the other two guilds struggling to stay in this challenge get to promote to higher squares! It's still anyone's game!"
Confessional: Jianne: The Sahra Guild
"And you know damn well that I will be able to avenge Laurie! It is my place as third in line, to be able to stick when everyone else wants to slip." She shrugged. "It's not my fault that nobody else can be as skilled as I am."
End Confessional
Ace: Amethyst; King: Tony; Commoner: Cole; Toilet: Jianne
Amethyst served the ball towards Jianne. Jianne deflected the ball well, not caring where it went as long as it did not land back in her court. Cole passed the ball to Tony. Tony only barely managed to touch the ball, but it ended up landing back in his square.
"Tony is out of this challenge! Drake steps up to the toilet square, and Jianne and Cole promote."
Confessional: Amethyst: The Majraa Guild
"That was not a good round for me. It could have been me if it were not Tony. At least it was him, and Majraa stays in first." Amethyst looked back at the camera. "I want to finish drawing sketches of all my guild members before any of us have to go home."
End Confessional
Ace: Amethyst; King: Cole; Commoner: Jianne; Toilet: Drake
Amethyst served the ball to Drake. Drake spiked the ball to Jianne. Despite the ball flying high to Jianne, she was still able to pass the ball to Cole strategically. Cole passed the ball with flying colors as it bounced its way back to Drake. Drake spiked the ball again, this time back to Amethyst. The smol girl kept her eye for the peak, and once she knew where it was going to land, she darted for that position and passed the ball to Cole. Cole passed the ball to Jianne. Jianne spiked the ball back to Drake… and he missed the ball disoriented from the spike.
"And Drake is out of the challenge. Steel your places guilds! The challenge may be over soon enough as the last Kaniun member takes the Toilet Square: Wendy."
Confessional: Wendy: The Kaniun Guild
"Oh no, this challenge ain't over yet! We can't be the first guild to only have five members. I'm going to stay up there even if I die, and hey," She knocked her head, "I've got thick skin for this kind of shit."
End Confessional
Ace: Amethyst; King: Cole; Commoner: Jianne; Toilet: Wendy
Amethyst served the ball, passing it comfortably to Wendy. Wendy smirked and passed the ball, in a difficult position, to Jianne. Jianne quickly side-stepped and passed the ball back to Amethyst. Amethyst countered the ball over to Cole. Cole passed the ball back to Wendy. Wendy passed the ball to Jianne. Jianne passed the ball to Cole. Cole passed the ball to Amethyst. Amethyst then passed the ball to Jianne, who passed the ball to Wendy. Wendy passed the ball to Cole, in another difficult position. Cole just barely missed the ball.
"And Cole is out of the challenge! That means it might be Kaniun or Aljibal headed on a date with me and the bonfire tonight!" Chris flashed a smile. "And I hate being stood up! Majraa, Sahra, thinking about filling in?"
"Absolutely not!" Jianne cheered.
"I have to decline." Amethyst shook her head.
"Rosa proceeds to the toilet!"
Confessional: Rosa: The Aljibal Guild
"Well, this is great. All he had to do was stay for just a little bit longer. Ugh. I'm not looking forward to anyone in our guild paying loser tax. We are barely making it as is."
End Confessional
Ace: Amethyst; Queen: Jianne; Commoner: Wendy; Toilet: Rosa
Amethyst eyed down Rosa. Rosa eyed the ball, not allowing the ball to fall out of her eyesight. Jianne stared down her opponents stances. Wendy smirked and looked over at the ball again. Amethyst still hesitated to serve the ball. She nodded once and served the ball to Wendy. Wendy passed the ball to Jianne. Jianne passed the ball to Amethyst. Amethyst passed the ball to Rosa again, who easily deflected the ball to Jianne. Jianne passed the ball to Wendy. Wendy approached towards the ball… and just barely missed the hit.
"And Kaniun loses the challenge! Aljibal comes in at third thanks to Rosa promoting. Sahra comes in second for Jianne's determination. But it's Majraa who takes first place with Amethyst's persistence! Contestants, return to your guilds, and Majraa, decide who from the Aljibal Guild you want to nominate for loser tax!"
Majraa gathered their heads about.
Sister Vivian started the conversation. "So, who should we nominate?"
Declan shook his head. "This isn't a conversation I prefer to take part in. I'll just go with whoever you all choose."
Vivielle smirked. "I think we should go for their detective. He might cause us some trouble in the future."
"I second that." Amethyst wiped some sweat off of her forehead. "He played well while on the squares. He got out due to a technicality."
Katniss nodded. "Decision good! Team break!"
"Break!" They all chanted.
Sister Vivian turned towards Chris. "The Majraa Guild has nominated Jeremy to pay the loser tax."
Chris turned to Aljibal. "Jeremy, the fee today is 12 coins. Do you have enough to muster up?"
Jeremy turned in his pouch of 10 coins. "I don't have enough." He looked sorrowfully towards his guild.
"You are now the newest member of the desert! Your time starts tomorrow at dawn! Aljibal, that's all I have for you. Maybe try not to suck so hard at the next challenge. Sahra, I have nothing else for you either. You all are safe for another night, but you don't get the added luxuries of the first. Take with that what you will. Kaniun, what can I say? You fought hard, but came short in the end. I will be seeing you later tonight at the elimination ceremony. Majraa, enjoy your victory. It may be your last." Chris winked.
Confessional: Larissa: The Majraa Guild
"I wonder what that means?"
End Confessional
Kaniun Camp
Contestants: Amethyst, Drake, Evelyn, JT, Tony, Wendy, Winter
Drake swam out of the water upon realizing another figure approaching. He poked his head out. It was Amethyst. Drake pulled himself out of the water. "What brings you so far from your camp? There aren't any good fish out here…"
Amethyst nodded. "Yes, that is true. I headed towards your camp to loot it. It's a winner privilege."
"Damn," Drake shook his head. "Losing is rough, ain't it?"
Amethyst shrugged as the two of them walked to the Kaniun camp. "We have not lost yet, and I hope it will not happen soon, especially with all of the traps this season has."
"Traps there are. We haven't been caught in one yet… well, unless you count Lizzy, but maybe it's the start of this guild's duel trap. And we keep failing behind and behind."
"Would you count that as a loss?"
"I would," Drake nodded. "Just because Lizzy would have done well in this challenge as opposed to Tony or even myself."
Drake and Amethyst set foot into the Kaniun Kove.
Amethyst scanned the area, seeing all the contestants on the guild following Amethyst around wondering what she was up to.
Confessional: Tony: The Kaniun Guild
"I see that Amethyst has stepped foot in our territory. Seeing that she is a winner of today's challenge, it is no surprise that there must be some twisted game mechanic that the winner can benefit off of. I don't like this. Not one bit. Perhaps I can arrange a deal with her."
End Confessional
Tony bowed his head and waved at Amethyst. "Greetings winner."
JT winked at her. "Majraa's MVP."
Amethyst blushed at the compliments. "Thank you." She could only squeak.
Evelyn stood up. "Everyone, let's let Amethyst have a little bit of space. Besides, this is ample socializing time with a member of the winning guild. Maybe we can make an alliance?"
Amethyst drew a picture of the river, including details of the trees surrounding it.
Winter perked up upon viewing the picture. "Hey, that looks just like this photo I took earlier."
"Oh yeah, when we were supposed to be collecting firewood?" JT frowned.
The photograph looked akin to Amethyst's drawing of the river pass, however, JT had been centered in Winter's photograph, holding up a branch much larger than him as if he had won the championship ring. "Is that the direction your campsite is in?" Winter asked.
Amethyst drew a map next. Some contestants watched in amazement as her lines formed wells of information without her needing to open her mouth. Her lines formed a map of the island. Two 'x's were marked, both relatively close to each other. One of them was close to a river. Another was towards the heart of the canyon.
"Our campsites aren't far either." Drake nodded.
Tony smirked. "This alliance could work."
Amethyst picked up her drawing supplies and stood up. She walked over to the 'kitchen' area of the campsite. She picked up their pot and left.
Wendy was in utter shock. "Well, how the darn hell are we supposed to cook our beans?" She sighed. "We'll have to ration our beef jerky tonight."
Harq Muzayaf Bonfire Elimination Ceremony
Contestants: Drake, Evelyn, JT, Tony, Wendy, Winter
"Kaniun." Chris stepped up to the podium. "I gotta say. You've been losing a lot of guild members recently. But you're not the only guild to do so! How does that make you feel?"
Evelyn went first. "For me, it gives me hope that we aren't the only guild to go down to five. Jeremy was just taken from Aljibal. We still have a fighting chance depending on the circumstance."
Wendy nodded. "And I fully agree with Evelyn. Even though we're losing a member, we're still as strong as Kanuin can be so long as we can push. No pansies on this guild."
JT crossed his arms. "Yeah, if everyone here chooses to vote off the weakest link we think our guild has, in theory, we should shape up a stronger guild. We all can contribute to this vote for the better than for the worse."
Tony spoke up. "I believe the term 'weakest link' can be interpreted in multiple ways. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. It's up to the rest of the guild to be able to understand what are assets and what are not, especially towards the beginning stages of the game. We lost one huge asset and losing another one is not what we want to do here tonight."
Chris turned to Winter. "So Winter, you've been pretty quiet. Who do you think are this guild's weakest links?"
Winter nervously laughed. "Well, I think… it's best not to speak when there is so much uncertainty. Like, it would be easy to just answer the question, but I'm with some of the others where I think it's more important to bring each other up than to put each other down."
"Drake," Chris shifted his gears, "how prepared do you think your guild is for this elimination ceremony."
"I'll be honest, I don't think I will be ready until I'm able to pronounce the name of these elimination ceremonies. As for the rest of the guild, I wouldn't really know. I know who I'm voting for, and that is all I can say, and that is all I need to know, personally. Our votes are our personal business."
Chris scanned the group. "At this point in the elimination ceremony, I have listened to each and every one of you speak once. You have all revealed how you see these games, and what going to elimination means to you, whether you are telling the truth, or you are simply saying what you want your guild members to know. I don't think I've seen a group as confident in themselves as this. Let it be known that it will be absolutely epic once one of you goes home. Which one of your least valuable assets are you getting rid of tonight? We're about to find out. Contestants, now is time to cast your votes."
Evelyn headed up to the voting booth first.
Confessional: Evelyn: The Kaniun Guild
Evelyn sighed before writing her name down. "We agreed on you. I'm upset because you're super cool to be around too. I don't know if I want to stick around in this alliance that much longer, but… man, this sucks."
End Confessional
Then JT.
Confessional: JT: The Kaniun Guild
He stood there, thinking about his options, until he finally picked someone. He held the name up to the camera. "It would either be you or the other guy. Both of you are pretty pathetic when it comes to physical feats."
End Confessional
Then Drake. After a few moments, he sat back down.
Wendy went up next.
Confessional: Wendy: The Kaniun Guild
"Today, I'm itchin' it's you." She held her name up. "You seem to have too much fun around these here parts, and I reckon you may be too distracted from this competition."
End Confessional
Tony went after Wendy. He came back as quickly as he sat up.
Winter went up to the voting booth last.
Confessional: Winter: The Kaniun Guild
She nodded. She picked up the pen and began writing a name down. "I've made up my mind before coming here that I'm voting for you." She held the name up to the camera. "I think that you might be more detrimental to the game than the other."
End Confessional
Chris came back after a few moments. "The votes have been tallied. One of you will not be staying in the competition. I have before me five coin pouches. These pouches symbolize your safety, but also grants you a little gift for spending the evening with yours truly! You get one coin for being here tonight, and you get an extra coin for every vote cast against you. If anyone has any game advantages and would like to play them, now would be the time to do so."
Everyone's eyes scanned everyone else. Who had betrayed the guild's trust to purchase a weapon to use at a ceremony?
Likely… no one as far as the night was going.
No one played any such advantages.
Chris nodded. "The votes will fall where they will… the first vote of the night goes to…
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… Winter, Wendy, and JT. None of you three had any votes cast against you."
Confessional: Winter: The Kaniun Guild
"Don't get me wrong… I've never felt more relieved in my life. I was silent back there because I thought it had been me going home tonight, but… no votes… at all? Something isn't right here… I… feel like I'm being played. It doesn't feel pretty."
End Confessional
"The next coin pouch goes to…
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… Evelyn."
"Yes!" Evelyn caught her coin pouch and joined the other contestants who were deemed safe.
"Drake, Tony, I have only one coin pouch left… and… it… goes… … … to…
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… Tony."
Tony nodded and took his coin pouch.
Drake shook his head. "Well, that definitely sucks, but this experience was pretty cool. Met some cool people here. We can contact each other after this… or not. It's whatever."
Chris folded his hands together. "Drake, who would you like to will your coins to?"
Drake scanned over his guild. "I will my coins to Evelyn. We had some cool conversations and silences together. All of it was pretty dope."
Confessional: Evelyn: The Kaniun Guild
"Great! Another person I was actually becoming close to, and I decided to vote him off this time AND he willed his coins TO ME." Evelyn facepalmed. "What kind of a game am I playing here? It doesn't seem very smart at all, and yet, I have all these coins, which is good, it's great, but soon, I think the others are going to notice my pouch is super full… I gotta spend my coins… and I think I have a good idea on what. But that doesn't change the fact that another good option for an ally is gone."
End Confessional
Chris stepped towards the edge of the bonfire area. "It is time for you to go on the Ride of Shame."
Drake stepped upon Chef's ATV and turned back to his guild. "Just remember… the world is nothing but death," Chef revved the engine, "And you all will end up the same!" With his final words. Drake and Chef drove off into the distance.
"And that's a wrap on Episode 3." Chris held up three fingers like how we would normally hold up four fingers. "Did the Kaniun Guild make the right decision with Drake as their first officially eliminated contestant? Will there ever be a dramatic four team tie like I have always dreamed there will be? Will the ratings for next episode be as high as this one? Find out next time, here! On Total!
Drama!
Qatilat!"
*Final Confessional: Drake
"I can't say I expected to get blindsided so soon, but that's just one of the cruel aspects of this world. There is not much I can say about my game. I kept to myself and tried to play the way I wanted to play. If this is where it puts me then so be it. It just means I'll be back to my normal life, where there is barely anything to do, but at least I'll be back with Jenny."
End Confessional*
Drake wills his coins [11] to Evelyn.
[17] Evelyn → [28]
[2] JT → [3]
[16] Tony → [19]
[12] Wendy → [13]
[10] Winter → [11]
The Sarim Desert → 12 Coins to Enter
Contestants: Allen, Jeremy (on hold), Lizzy
Lizzy and Allen laid next to each other inside of the small hut Allen had made on the first day.
"So handsome~" Lizzy flirted. "Are you going to head back to the competition soon? You must have the coins at this point."
"My fair maiden, I do not."
"Really?"
"Yes, really. I did spend my whole first night finding a way to survive this place. I mean, look at my once perfect body." Allen lifted his thin and stylish shirt up. His ribs were clearly visible. "I had to build this place. Luckily, it wasn't my first time but difficult because there were not many materials." Allen passed Lizzy his coin pouch.
Lizzy fought back the temptation to steal his coins. "Only eleven? Are you sure you would rather relax than try to find your final coin?"
"Oh yes. I know it is quite a disadvantage to wait until the last second, but I shall rely on my little strategy. I planned on playing conservatively during the competition anyway, so I don't think I will come back here."
Lizzy hid a smirk. "Maybe you're right. You can play your way. I am headed to the finish line."
"How about one last thing to remember me by?" Allen leaned in.
Lizzy quickly pecked his cheek and sprinted out the 'door.' She ran and ran towards the finish line. Luckily, Allen had not built his hut too far away from the line.
She stopped at the large checkered mat, viewing the area. An intern approached from the tent where Chef's metal detecting equipment was. "You're back into the competition."
"Yes!" Lizzy pumped her first. "So, I'll head over to the Kaniun Kove-"
"Actually, you're going to be in a different guild." The intern held out a map and compass.
"What!?"
28/30 Remaining. 2 Deserted.
The Votes:
Drake voted for… Tony
Evelyn voted for… Drake
JT voted for… Drake
Tony voted for… Drake
Wendy voted for… Evelyn
Winter voted for… Tony
Camp Items:
The Sahra Guild: Dried Meat, A Bag of Rice, Salt and Pepper, 20 Sticks, 1 Pot, Tarp, 3 Buckets, First Aid Kit, The Sponge, A Bag of Beans
The Majraa Guild: Rice, Bow and Arrows, Flint and Steel, Rope, 2 Pots, Large Knife
The Kaniun Guild: Self-Purifying Water Bottles*, Flint and Steel, A Bag of Beans, Dried Meat, Bear Traps, Pillows and Blankets*
The Aljibal Guild: Flint and Steel, Large Knife, A Bag of Rice, A Compass, Duct Tape, 3 Buckets
*items contestants are not allowed to loot
AN:
And Drake becomes the second contestant eliminated, and honestly, I feel more sorry for him than I do for Trevore. I really did enjoy writing him, even if I may not have done his emo characteristics correctly. He reminds me of someone I know irl, so that might've influenced it. I gotta say though, this is my first time writing an early blindside, and man, this really sucks. Thank you to Artamis9 for submitting this character.
Having studied his actions throughout the game, Drake receives the status of: Neutral.
Why? Because I don't think he has done anything on either side of the pendulum. Sure, he kept the guild upbeat with his background drumming, but he only spoke to others that spoke to him, and he does have a dreary air to him.
Favorite Moment? My personal favorite moment with Drake was him witnessing the introduction to Sly Ruse. I think his reaction was hilarious and really contrasted Cole's character in every way. That is why I picked Drake out of all the characters, he was perfect. Honorable mention goes to Drake and Evelyn speaking to each other after their party.
Drake is not all we have to talk about. Jeremy has just entered the desert! How will he fare? And he left Aljibal behind, how will they fare without Jeremy? Do you think Allen's strategy will work out for him? How will Lizzy do on her guild?
Okay, I'm asking waay too many questions. I'll stop there. Thank you~!
EN: I don't think I have much to say about Drake either. I'm sad to see him go so early though. I agree with both the neutral designation and his best moment of being the straight man to Cole's Sly Ruse persona. I think Jeremy will become king of the desert and get every single coin. Aljibal without Jeremy is going to be…they could be okay. Not as good as they would be WITH Jeremy, but I don't think his absence will hurt them THAT much. I think Allen's strategy will work for like, an episode and then he'll go buy another one from Da Shoppe. I think Lizzy will do great on her new guild as long as it isn't Aljibal. I think Lizzy would sink pretty fast if she was on Aljibal.
AN2: Discord link on profile. It is a fun place for us nerds ;)
AN3: And, as always, thank you for reading!