KH-Vids Royale III

for the record tale I'm glad you made it ^.^

 

I LOL'd

 

016​

It was dark and cold, quite different from the last things Cia sensed before she’d passed out. As the dormitory came into focus around her, she remembered how she’d gotten here. She’d reached the end of the first challenge before gas had knocked her out cold. Just like in the limo, she recalled. Damn; they must have a lot of that ****.
There was sobbing from her right, and Cia turned to look. Aelin lay on her side in her bed, head buried in her arms. Her jumpsuit was stained a deep, dark red. She probably won’t be the only one decorated with someone’s insides when the lights turn on. Cia touched her jacket and brown hair reflexively, making sure no unwanted bodily fluids had covered her as well. Thankfully, she'd been safe from the carnage on her way to completing the challenge.
She glanced about and realized most players still slept. A few had stirred - she saw Cin sitting on the edge of his bed, looking at the floor, and across the room, Hissora was outlining something on her bed sheets. The sound of crackling jumpsuit plastic got louder as more people came to. There was less confusion and panic than before - most people were probably going through the same stages Cia had earlier, remembering why they were here in the first place.
Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness and she noticed that unlike before, where people stood scared and lost, the other players and members of KH-Vids were starting to form teams. Just one bed over, Lauriam and Amaury had joined Aelin and were consoling her. Cia saw Mish and Misty whispering together by some bunks in the back corner. Clearly, people had been forging alliances on the battlefield while she’d tripped over herself with no one around to help her back up.
But she wasn’t too worried - at least not yet. When she’d found an uzi inside her duffel bag, she knew that even if she was alone, she had as good a chance to survive as any group that came upon her. I wonder whose weapon is better than mine? Cia thought, looking around. Unless there were any rocket launchers or grenade launchers out there in the crowd, then surely…
Wait. Her hands rushed to her pockets, then to the sides of her chest. Where is it?
Her gun was gone. Whatever had happened at the top of the volcano, she’d been stripped of her weapon before being taken here. She quickly glanced at the walls and through the dim light saw the creepy paintings of her and the others murdering each other. That meant this was probably the same place they’d started originally - she couldn’t imagine there’d be two different rooms Roxas was keeping them. So was the game restarting? Was her weapon gone for good? The questions whirled through her mind as the opening riff of The KH-Vids Song began to play.
“He’ll be here soon,” she heard Risk say. He and Trigger were hanging by a bunk together a few beds back. I need a team, Cia thought. She looked around the room again. I need them.
Cia walked up to Mish and Misty and stood silently at first. The two stopped talking and glanced her way.
“Yes?” asked Misty.
“Are you two… a team?”
Mish and Misty stared at her for a moment before Mish replied: “I suppose we are.”
“I thought you two might have some other plan - and, well, I was hoping to survive and see Roxas myself. I figured you’d be trying to do the same thing.”
“If you want to join us, that’s fine,” Mish told her. “And yes, we’re looking for him. We’re looking for more team members, too. But only ones we trust.”
“Like me?”
They all turned when they heard the comforting voice. It was Inasuma.
“Inasuma,” Cia smiled. “I feel safe now.”
“I was looking for you while we were out there, Mish,” he said. “Was hoping to find you. Now here we are. Kind of fortunate, isn’t it?”
“Fortunate and strange.” Cia turned again. This time Kitty and Calxiyn waited behind the circle.
“There you are,” smiled Mish. “I hope you can forgive me for not waiting for you.”
“I knew it wasn’t an option,” Kitty said. “So I went to the volcano to look for you. Thought you might be up there.”
“M-6?” asked Mish. Kitty laughed.
“What a team,” Cia smiled. “I’m sure a lot of people will want to join us.”
“Not him, apparently,” Misty frowned. Cia looked at where she was glancing. On the other side of the dormitory Cin still sat alone, staring at the floor.
“We need him,” Mish said. “I'll ask him to join us. Will anyone join me?”
“I will,” Cia nodded.
She followed Mish through the dark to where Cin sat.
“Hey, Cin,” Mish said. “I’m guessing you know why we’re here.”
“Why are any of us here?” he said grimly. “Except to die.”
“Jesus, man!” Cia shouted. “Sorry, but our team’s all smiles.”
“I don’t want to join your team,” he countered. “You think this is all fun and games? Ridiculous.”
“No, but… we’ll be stronger, won’t we? And we can find Roxas, together,” Mish reasoned.
Cin laughed. “Until he makes us all kill each other. Don’t you realize how hard that’ll be - either of you? You know how this’ll end; in blood.”
“You’re really not joining?” Cia moaned. “Wow. That’s ****ed.”
“I can’t,” Cin said. “But know this: I won’t kill anyone on your team. Just do me one favor and leave me alone.”
Cia snorted, over it. “Fine,” she said. “Be like that. But I’ll remember this conversation when they announce your death over those loudspeakers. And I’ll remember how you gave us up and chose this dumb path, instead.”
“Don’t waste your time on me,” Cin sighed. “I have my own plans for Roxas, anyway.”
The KH-Vids Song reached its final chorus and the lights came on. People covered their eyes this time, and soon the metal door at the far end of the room began to open and fog spilled everywhere. It’s so ominous, especially with all the mist, Cia thought, but what came through the door was the opposite of anything spooky. Three Organization members wheeled in trays full of meals. The room fell silent as everyone smelled the warm food that waited for them. Cia sniffed and swore she smelled gravy, but couldn’t believe the food they’d be given would possibly be so rich.
“Good evening,” said the lead Organization member, machine gun in hand. “You will be called forward to collect your dinner. Consider it a present from the Composer for making it through challenge number one. The game will begin shortly after dinner.” The mysterious, masked man gave the players a moment to register what he’d said. “Player number one, Lauriam.”
Lauriam went forward to get her dinner, and people returned to talking and forming teams. Cin stood up and left Cia and Mish with some parting words.
“Look,” he began. “Thanks for the offer, but like I said - I’ve got my own plans. We’d only be slowing each other down. Let's call a truce and move on from here.”
“But Cin,” Mish said quickly. “If you change your mind then find me somehow. You know we need you. And you need us, too.”
Cin stopped to process her words, but whatever he thought, he only told them: “I need the toilet.” He turned and walked toward the Organization members serving food. Cia watched him ask a question, and soon, the member led him into the hallway behind the room.
“He’s not joining us, is he?”
“Dammit,” Mish sighed. “He’s not. At least not yet.”
“Player two, Mish.” Mish turned toward the dinners.
“Get your food,” Cia said. “I’ll meet you back at the team.”
Mish left, and Cia turned to leave, too - but something caught her eye. The floor was covered in scratches she hadn't seen in the dark. There was something etched into the floor's cement next to Cin’s bed where he sat. Cia glanced about, but no one was looking. She got down on one knee and took a mental snapshot of what she saw carved into the ground:

'IV-VI'

Your own plans, Cin? Let's figure out what those might be.

25 players remaining

 

'IV-VI'

Intrigue!

Of course e'rryone wants to be on my team. Cin will come around ;)

 

017​

Outside the dormitory room was the metal hallway that led up and out to the desolate island. Cin knew that Roxas and the Organization had entered the room from the same direction that he and all the other players had left it. So where, then, did you come from? Cin wondered. He sensed he was about to find out as the Organization member blindfolded him outside of the dormitory. He’d asked to use the toilet and they’d obliged, but only if he was okay with being blindfolded and led there. Cin obliged too, and now he stood with a black bandana wrapped around his face, his hands behind his back. Even though he couldn’t see the machine gun, he felt its tip pointed at his back and knew that any false move could mean one less player left in the game. “Go,” the voice said, metallic and unnervingly deep. Cin stepped forward cautiously, pointing his toes out to feel for obstacles. “Your way is free. Go ahead.” After walking for a moment, the guard asked him to stop. Cin heard the sound of something sliding open, then rhythmic beeping. A password, perhaps. Whatever slid open then slid closed, and there was another louder beep followed by the sound of a door opening over hissing gas. The guard put his hands on Cin’s shoulders and turned him to the left. “Carry on.”
I’m going left, then, he surmised, and wondered if that meant the long hallway to the island actually had a fork in its path. Maybe they’re all here, running the game within these walls underground. There wasn’t anything on the map that seemed like it would be their headquarters otherwise.
Cin felt the guard pull back on his shoulder, so he stopped walking. The man fumbled around with the back of his blindfold and soon, it came off. Cin blinked twice in shock, but his eyes quickly adjusted to the dim room. He saw two Organization members on computers nearby, typing furiously in what looked like a terminal window. A couple of greasy pizza boxes and flat 2-liters of soda covered a recreational table, and a Nintendo Switch was charging on the closest desk.
“Stop looking,” the guard said. “I’ll only give you 5 minutes.” Cin looked up and saw the door in front of him had a restroom sign. He nodded at the guard and went inside.
The bathroom’s interior was sterile and creepy, with one stall and one sink. There was no color and Cin began to see the shapes and tones he could fill the walls with if he had his paintbrush. This is your chance to find it, he reminded himself. They have to be keeping our personal belongings somewhere.
There was a small window in the bathroom and Cin climbed up to see what was outside. He saw the ocean waves and realized the bathroom was built on the side of a cliff looking out over the sea. I should come back to this cliff once the game starts and look for this window. I can pinpoint their exact location. Maybe there was another way in - a way to launch a surprise attack. But I’d need a rope to rappel down the cliff… and a lot of luck, too.
Cin looked about for other options. On the ceiling was a grate. He stood on the toilet and fumbled with the screws, his fingers trembling. One fell to the ground and tinkled around, and Cin held his breath, hoping the guard outside didn’t hear.
This would be a ****** way to die.
The grate came undone and Cin climbed inside. The air duct he was in now was massive and he could easily stand. He tiptoed forward and saw a vent that led into an unknown room downstairs.
Several Organization members were placing weapons into bags and putting them onto carts. The game... and those must be our bags. But he didn’t know if this meant they’d have new bags and new weapons, or whether they’d get their old bags back. There was more to discover, so he pressed on and soon reached another vent. Cin looked down to see almost a dozen masked men working at computers. Wait - who’s that? A man in red, wearing bandages like DiZ, stood and watched the Organization members at their workstations. Cin squinted at the computer screens and swore he saw the streaming software OBS. But he heard knocking from back in the toilet and the guard called. “You better finish up in there!”
Cin hurried back to the toilet and jumped back into the stall. He picked up the missing screw off the floor and began screwing the grate back in.
“I’m opening the door-”
“One second!”
“One? Well, now I’m coming in-”
“I’m still wiping!”
Cin heard the door open and the Organization member tore open the stall and pointed his gun at the toilet. There, Cin sat with his pants around his ankles. “I said I was still wiping.”
“I’m sorry,” the guard said, turning away. “I’ll be right here.”
Cin finished and came out of the stall. He glanced back at the air duct’s grate, which wasn’t screwed in all the way. He’d left a couple screws loose in case he needed to return here later in the game.
“Put this on,” the guard said, handing him the blindfold. Cin put it on himself this time, and he tried to leave an innocuous slit to look through on the way back to the dormitory. As he followed the guard, he saw the metal floor of the hallway through the hole, but nothing of interest caught his eye. Instead of left, they turned right, and this confirmed to Cin the location of the hidden hallway where the Organization worked. But as they entered the hallway, a sudden commotion threw them off guard.
“Prepare for the next game!” shouted an Organization member’s voice. “You - what are you doing here?”
“This one needed the toilet,” the guard said. It sounded to Cin like the guard was speaking to some kind of superior. He turned his head so the slit pointed in the pairs’ direction and he saw the Organization member in red’s cloak fluttering over the metal floor.
“Well, hurry up,” the man in red said. “Roxas is ready.”
“Yes, sire. I will return immediately.”
The guard waited as the man in red walked off.
“Now get going.” The gun was thrust into Cin’s back and he nearly winced from the pain. “We will return, you will eat your dinner, and you will play the game.”

25 players remaining

 

man this is all making me want to play Mafia Royale again lol.

Also, as somebody who doesn't know Cin, this character is fascinating lol and I can't wait to see what he does next. I feel like he and Misty are the people to know here, and their dynamics with character-Roxas are super compelling.

 

I agreeeeee!!! Seeing character-Roxas react to them is really interesting.

And it looks like I'm on to whatever Cin might be planning... IV-VI?! 4-6?? Plus this DiZ character strikes me as a mole or double agent perhaps... HMMM...

 

Sorry for making such a fuss on twitter, it's just hard when your favourite twitch stream goes on hiatus.

 

I nearly tweaked a finger typing up the last chapter in my frenzy to release new content. As a result of a long meeting with my lawyer and agent, I will be writing the next 7 chapters via voice-to-text. I apologize in advance for any typos or grammatical errors.

 

018​

Deathspank finished his dinner and returned the plate to the tray. There were buckets of warm water to put his utensils in. An Organization member watched him from behind its mask like an alien doing a study on human beings, his machine gun a threat the whole time. Deathspank tried to stare through the mask but couldn’t make out a thing. They were anonymous, like the Organization themselves. It was a sickening connection, and Deathspank didn’t appreciate his favorite childhood game being used like this.
The music hadn’t stopped and he was fed up of listening to The KH-Vids Song on a loop. He wished Roxas had factored in the idea of people listening to it hundreds of times on repeat, like himself, Misty, and dozens of other KH-Vids members self-reportedly had. But who could ever have known the song would be so huge? It likely ranked among Simple & Clean and Sanctuary in the list of most important songs to the Kingdom Hearts fanbase. If he was going through the trouble of putting this whole game together, he could have at least taken the time to do a 2022 update, Deathspank shook his head.
He was analyzing the paintings that covered the walls when the blaring alarm went off. The KH-Vids Song ended with a scratch. Everyone turned to the giant door at the far end of the room and watched mist pour out. Roxas appeared through the fog, three more Organization members behind him.
The cute trumpet melody piped once more and Deathspank glanced fervently for the speakers that played all the noise, but when he looked in the very corners of the room, he only saw the walls and ceiling. They’ve built one hell of an underground bunker. Some kind of repurposed military base, maybe?
That could be right, he thought, going back and forth on where the island might be. It was all he’d focused on before the first challenge interrupted him. His findings told him it could be an island near Hawaii, but something was off. There was a manufactured smell to every building he’d seen. Maybe this place got wrecked by some atomic bomb testing off the coast? Somewhere in the Pacific Islands, perhaps?
It would explain the installation they were in and the militaristic finish to everything. As the fog faded, Roxas began to speak, and he knew he'd need to pay attention if he wanted to win the game.
“Congratulations, players!” he laughed. No one laughed with him. “You are the winners of the first challenge. You made it through! Can we get a round of applause?”
Roxas looked up toward the ceiling. Something’s different, Deathspank realized. It’s like he’s addressing an audience beside us this time.
“And let’s not forget to take a moment for our five fallen players; Catch the Rain, cstar, GhettoXemnas, EvilMan_89 and Arch!” Roxas looked up again and paused.
“Poor… little… things…” he continued. He walked closer to the front, looking down. “And it could be any of you, you know that? The game is cruel. It’s tragic. Your fans, watching at home, well… they know that.”
Deathspank heard gasps around the room. What did Roxas mean by that?
“Fans at home?” asked NRA. “Like... out there?”
Roxas ignored him. “And they have decided to raise the stakes of the game! All of you watching around the world, who donated and subbed and turned off AdBlock - this is the result of you!”
The pipe came out of the ceiling and the 1Up sound from Super Mario played. Deathspank’s eyes filled with horror and glee as he watched wads of cash fill the piggy bank.
“An additional ten million dollars!” Roxas exclaimed. “All thanks to our viewers - so put on a show, kiddos.”
“Wait!” cried Risk. It was silent while all heads turned. “Do you mean people are watching us? Right now?”
Roxas’s hand was in the air and he waited a moment before he replied. “Yes, Risk. They are indeed. And they have been since the game began.”
There were more gasps and whispers followed.
“Can you hear me!?” Risk called. “Dad!? Find me! Save me!”
Oh, no, Deathspank realized. A panic was about to set in.
“Help us!”
“Someone!”
“If you can see us, call the police! Please!”
“HELP!”
“AHHHH!!!”
Soon, the cries turned into a bleating scream. Those in a panic spun frantically, trying to look at the invisible cameras for sympathy. “Someone rescue us! We’re scared!”
Hissora fell to her knees, crying, and Explode raised his fist like a pastor on a sinking ship and begged the viewers at home for forgiveness. The screams got louder and suddenly, the lights cut off. There were a few more terrified shouts before everything went quiet.
“Oh, my poor players,” Roxas said in the darkness. “Those viewers you’re praying too, begging for help… they just donated ten million dollars to the winners of this game. Do any of you realize how rude it is now to ask to leave the game, when the whole world is watching, waiting, and wondering which one of you is going to emerge our victor? Ugh. I can’t imagine how they feel. Donating money to you pigs, only to see you turn right round and grovel for help.” Roxas chuckled. “No one is going to help you. Didn’t you realize that when they donated the money in the first place?” He paused. “They want to watch you die. Get it?”
In the dark, Deathspank heard sobs.
There's no one coming to save us, he realized. Not that he'd been caught up on that idea, anyway.
"As if anyone could find us," Roxas said. "The show must go on, so bring on the lights."
It's here, Deathspank nodded. The next phase of the game.
"There's something I forgot to mention. These are the same bags you began the game with, and they have everything in them you had on you when you completed the first challenge.
Deathspank sighed. His random weapon had been a set of darts.
"The game will begin again, and you'll have the same bread, water, and map you had before. We've added some more bread and water for you, too."
How kind, Deathspank snickered.
"And there's one more thing, players." The air was tense as they waited for Roxas to finish.
It can't be this easy, can it? A soft reset for the game with the same weapons as before?
"The game..." Roxas grinned, looking about dramatically, "has a new twist. So check those bags, or else you might miss it."
They hardly had time to process what he was saying before he called up the first player once again.
"Player number one - Lauriam!"

25 players remaining

 

019​

Like the first time round, Lauriam was the inaugural player to enter the game. But unlike last time, Lauriam had nothing to say or directions to give. She knew that drawing any more attention to where she, or anyone else may go, would lead to their deaths. And even though she wasn’t directly responsible, the deaths of cstar and Ghetto weighed on her consciousness.
I shouldn’t have said a thing, she told herself, walking through the metal tunnel. People came flocking, hoping to team with me, kill me, I don’t know… but look how all that ended, Lauri. Really well.
She wasn’t sure what would happen when she asked people to meet her on the northern point of the island. She'd had no idea what the game would really be like, at that point. It seemed a good idea at the time - people could join together, team up, end this!
What a naive thought. Not everyone thinks like you. Some actually want to play this game.
And the new incentives from the “viewers at home” had set Lauriam on edge, too. The dream of being rescued was over. If the whole world was entertained, this wasn’t going to end. In fact, with twenty-five players still left in the game, it was only just beginning.
And what of Arch? If I’d found him sooner, then perhaps…
Not that it mattered. It might have been Arch, and it might not. But someone had to die in that first challenge, and Lauri’s actions could have been the catalyst regardless.
Stop dwelling on it all. Focus, girl. It’s time to play.
Lauriam emerged from the hallway and back onto the island. She was in the same abandoned town as before, but now, the sun was setting, and the twilit glow turned the island orange. The volcano loomed to the east and Lauriam checked west, where she knew from her map that the dunes were.
“A twist,” Roxas had said. “Check your bag.”
Lauriam put her bag down and unzipped it. She didn’t have long until the next player joined the game, but she had to see what it was.
In her bag was the food and water every player received, and the GPS map she’d played with before. Her old weapon was at the bottom of the bag, and she grabbed the switchblade and stuffed it in her tracksuit pocket. Then, at the bottom of the bag, Lauriam found a small, blue card.
“What are you?” she said aloud, lifting it. On the front was a whale, and on the back, was a code of some kind: ‘B-3.’
She had no clue what it was for, nor did she have any idea how it provided a twist. But the B-3 looked familiar, and reminded her of the map of the island. Out came her GPS. Her avatar appeared on the screen and she saw Amaury’s back toward the tunnel. It seemed as if the data location transfer was as permanent as Roxas had said, even between rounds and challenges.
There you are… B-3.
On the eastern side of the map, the tile B-3 seemed to cover the dunes.
Lauriam had no clue what it meant, yet it was the only thing she could think of that connected the strange card with the game itself.
Click.
Lauriam knew that sound.
“Hands up, Lauriam.”
She turned to see Mish with a Glock 42 in hand, pointed her way.
“Are you dangerous, Lauriam?”
“I have a switchblade,” Lauriam replied earnestly. “But I wouldn’t say that I’m particularly dangerous.”
“So you aren’t waiting to take me out? Just checking."
“Ha, no,” Lauriam chuckled. “I just had to check my bag for the new twist before I carried on. Though, doing that here probably wasn’t the safest choice. So let me ask you - are you dangerous yourself?”
Mish twitched. “No,” she said. “I won’t hurt you.”
“And I won’t hurt you, either,” Lauriam said, hands in the air. “My knife’s in my pocket, Mish. Truce?”
“Truce.”
“Then check your bag. Maybe we can figure out what this twist is about.”
“Do you mean the card?” Mish asked. “I saw it when I grabbed my gun."
“Does yours look like this?” Lauriam held her card up. The cute whale smiled in the sunset, blowing water from its hole. She flipped it around to reveal the ‘B-3’ engraved on the back.
“Mine’s a bit different,” Mish replied. She got hers out. It was red, with a bird. When she flipped it over, it said ‘F-2.’
“Ah, let me check where that is,” Lauriam said, glancing at her phone. “Looks like the abandoned ruins where I went when the game first began.”
“Oh, good idea,” Mish said. “I didn’t think these would correspond to the map. But what does it mean?”
“A place to meet, perhaps,” said Lauriam. “Or a goal location of some sort.”
“Should we be heading there now?”
“I don’t know,” Lauriam said. “I mean, Roxas didn’t announce a challenge. We’re just sort of beginning the game again.”
A shadow moved from the corner of Lauriam’s eye and she saw Misty emerge from the tunnel, crossbow in hand.
“Oh, hello, ladies,” she said when she saw Lauriam. She lowered the crossbow. “Thanks for waiting, Mish.”
“Check your bag,” Mish told her, wasting no time. “You get one of these?”
Misty looked confused, but she quickly put her bag down and opened it up. “I saw something colorful in here,” she mentioned. “But I was too busy grabbing my crossbow to care to look.”
“Is it red!?” Mish asked, excited. “Please be red.”
“It’s not,” Misty said. “It’s blue.”
“A whale?” Lauriam asked.
“Indeed.”
“And on the back?”
Misty pulled it out, studying the whale. “Cute,” she said, before flipping it over. Her card also said ‘B-3.’
“Then it must be our next location!” Lauriam deduced. “Interesting, no? Why would Roxas send us to a specific place?”
“Well, he hasn’t sent us anywhere,” Misty said. “Are we assuming we know what these are for?”
“We know it’s part of a twist,” Mish said. “But in a game this ****ed up, who knows what that really means.”
“Ours match,” Lauriam mentioned. “So, I don’t know if that means we should stick together, but…”
“It wasn’t the plan,” Misty said. “We have a team, y’know. And surely you’re waiting for Aelin and Amaury? I saw you all together back in the dorm.”
“I traded location data with Amaury early in the game. So, I told them to stick together and that I’d find them. Standing around here waiting for them, at the entrance to the game - nah, it’s a death trap.”
“I agree,” Mish nodded. “Which is why I’d like to get moving sooner rather than later.”
“Then what do we do, Mish?” asked Misty. “Our cards don’t match. You have the red bird, and I have the blue whale. That means we might have different objectives.”
The two girls stopped, looking distant as the thought of fighting one another crossed their minds.
“Then maybe you should leave with Lauriam,” Mish said. “We can share our location data and find each other when this is all over.”
“Really?” asked Misty. “I don’t want to split up.”
“Neither do I,” Mish said. “But don’t worry. It’ll only be temporary.”
“So we’re a team, then, huh?” Lauriam asked Misty. “I wouldn’t mind having you on my side.”
“I don’t know you, but you seem alright,” Misty nodded. “Now let’s do this location sharing thingy.”
Mish and Misty played with their phones until the transfer was complete and they saw each others’ avatars pop up on the map. Misty slung her crossbow over her back and joined Lauriam.
“Well,” she told Mish. “Soon, my friend.”
“This is only temporary,” Mish smiled. “You two head for B-3, and I’ll go to the ruins up at F-2. Once we know what the next challenge is, we’ll go from there.”
“Wait,” Misty called as Mish began to walk away. “Mish. If it’s been 24 hours and we haven’t seen each other yet, meet back here in front of the tunnel at this time tomorrow. It’ll be our way of making sure we don't lose each other.”
Mish nodded in agreement, but that was the last she said before she walked away.
“So,” Lauriam casually dropped. “We’re a team now?”
Misty cracked a bottle of water and checked her GPS, looking west toward the dunes.
“A team,” Misty nodded, looking sullen as Mish disappeared into the distance. “Yes, Lauriam. We’re a team.”

25 players remaining

 

Ooooooooh things are getting really interesting! :D Honestly, sharing locations and splitting up was the best decision imo. Glad to see we're all using our brains lol.

agh I have theories about what might be coming but I don't want to say them because I want to be totally surprised XD

 

Can personally confirm Cin is just a weird ******

 

well look who came out of hibernation

 

020​

It was all a blur. From the plane ride to LAX, to the first round of the game and the challenge on the volcano, Tamale had scraped to survive and barely made it into round two. He’d seen what happened to those who were overwhelmed by the game, like Catch the Rain, who’d lost her head in fear. And others had died, either unlucky or foolish enough to get involved in clashes with hungry players. Tamale emerged from the tunnel on the beach again, wondering if it would be his last time. I survived once, and I can do it again.
He unzipped his bag and sighed with relief when he saw his old weapon, as promised. He’d been lucky enough to get a shotgun, and though he’d yet to use it, he knew it could kill if push came to shove. But what piqued his interest was the twist Roxas mentioned. Tamale searched about until he found a green card with a monkey on it. The back said “F-9.”
A map code, he realized, but he knew this wasn’t the best place to pull out his GPS and start looking. Tamale stayed low and moved across the street toward the old sweet shop. Underneath a windowsill filled with the dead reeds of tulips, he glanced at his GPS and used the map’s x-y grid to find F-9. It’s close! he realized.
The part of the map Tamale was in now was on the southern beach of the island - or, by the map’s standards, in F-10. All he had to do was head north into the square above and he’d be wherever this card was sending him. So who else got this card?
No, he couldn’t just charge in. He’d have to be cautious. But it was his only choice, even if the whole thing did throw him off.
Tamale checked his shotgun again to make sure it was loaded. It was. He also checked his bag once more to see if they had potentially restocked his ammo. Damn. There ain’t **** in here. Whatever shells he’d started the game with were what he was stuck with - at least for now.
Remaining low to the ground, he crawled behind the shops and up a sandy ridge. At the top, the sand turned to grass and gently rolled down into the palm tree forest. F-9 was just ahead. Once he passed the first trunks he got to his knees and began to move at a quicker pace, glancing over his shoulder. Inasuma must be out of the hall by now. It's definitely been five minutes.
Tamale wondered if everyone else had gotten a strange card and was making their way to some part of the island. Even though he didn’t need it to help him get anywhere, he held it in his hand like a key, to signal to those who also had the green monkey that he was a part of them too.
A whistle came from the tree to his right. Tamale stopped and looked up. A silhouette was perched in the branches, waiting. He reached for his shotgun, but stopped. The person in the tree wasn't moving.
“He has the green monkey card.”
“Then he must be the last member of our team.”
Tamale turned around. The second voice had come from a tree behind him.
“How did you all get up there?” he asked. There was silence, then one of them laughed.
“It was my random weapon,” said the voice. Tamale thought he recognized it from the dormitory. If his instinct was correct, the person in the tree was Rosey. “Some frickin’ rope. Come on, climb on up.”
A rope fell from the shadows above. Tamale shrugged and grabbed it.
“Heave!”
The rope was whisked up into the trees and Tamale nearly fell back down below as Rosey grabbed and steadied him on a huge branch. He caught his breath and finally looked around. There were four others who stood in the branches, weapons drawn. Beside Rosey stood Aelin, and behind her was C. Then, on a higher branch one tree away was Sara, an AK-47 slung over her shoulder.
“Welcome to the green monkeys,” Sara said. “Looks like this might be our whole team.”
“The green monkeys,” Tamale nodded. “Think this is the whole team, huh?"”
“Well, there’s five of us now, and twenty-five players left in total. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were five teams of five.”
“Makes sense,” C agreed, grimacing. Tamale noticed his upper arm was moved stiffly.
“You okay, C?” he asked. C decided to outright show him the wound. He unzipped his tracksuit. Underneath, his bicep was bandaged.
“Remember when Evil died?” he asked Tamale. “That was me. And this -” He pointed at the bandage. “ - was Evil.”
“Does it hurt?” Tamale asked. There was a small dark blotch where blood matted the bandage.
“Seems like they fixed it up real well while we were asleep, but it still aches a bit, truthfully.”
“Well, I’ll help protect you with this,” Tamale said, brandishing his shotgun. "Whatever the next part of this crazy game is."
“He’s got us playing a team game, that’s for sure,” Aelin said. “And I’m scared of what it might be.”
On cue, the cute trumpet melody came blaring in and suddenly Roxas’s loud, obnoxious voice was broadcast across the entire island. Here we go, Tamale thought.
“Are we good? No, turn up the volume. I don’t care! Turn it up! Ahem. Players of this great game, it’s the Composer speaking. At this point you are all either at the destination given to you on the card in your bag or are hopefully on your way there. And if you haven’t even looked at the card yet, then, well - ha, I hope you get real with the game, because things are about to heat up. It’s time for challenge number two - and this time, you’ll be playing on a team.”
“Knew it,” Aelin said.
“I’m sure you’re all standing on pins and needles waiting to know, so I’ll get it over with - but I will say this… if you have not yet met up with your team, you better hurry up, because once this game begins, it won’t be over until I say it’s over!”
“Please be easy,” Aelin whispered.
“You all must have seen the map code on the back of your card by now. This square of the map is important - it is home base, after all!”
“Home base? So that’s here,” C pointed down.
“You better to be ready to both attack and defend this location, haha… yeah, you can start freaking out now.”
“Defend?” Aelin screamed.
“The next game,” Roxas continued, “and the second challenge, will be one of my favorite childhood games. A game you would play all night in the garden if your pesky parents didn’t call you home for dinner.”
“Oh please,” Aelin said. “Just get it over with.”
“A game I remember so fondly I still wouldn’t mind playing an adult version of it now. That game, my friends, is-”
Aelin nearly passed out.
“The third challenge is… capture the flag!”
The green team gasped. But before they had time to talk between each other, they had the fluttering of propellers from somewhere over the ocean. Sara climbed a couple branches and looked through the leaves. When she came down, she was perplexed.
“What is it?” asked Aelin. “What’d you see?”
Sara was stunned, but finally answered.
“Helicopters,” she said. “Five helicopters.”

25 players remaining

 

oh shid, i wonder who's on my team