FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The Portal Games

The Space Between

The First Vote

Black Chaos

Ailsa's team had lost the first challenge, and that stung. For all that the stingray had been doing her best to keep them focused and moving forward, there were too many wild-cards and too many challenges to the team's integrity. If she'd been working with a team of fellow Marines, or even professionals that knew how to blend - for that matter, even civilians - she was sure that this would have turned out different.

Black Chaos glanced about itself, the six team members already debating between who they would have to vote off. There were a few obvious choices, but regardless of who they picked, they'd be going into the next arena with one fewer competitor than the other side.

Unless...

"Um, excusing me, but..."

Ailsa and the others turned to the other team. Isabella had stepped forward, even as the others waved their hands to stop her. The pangolin waved them off.

"Excuse me, but with the idols...can you use them to save the other team?" Isabella asked.

Lykus's jaw just about fell off his face, and so did Mchumba's. Ailsa managed to keep her face smooth, the same with Tarin and Sanmer, and Jaden? Well, Jaden just stared.

So, they had the other idol. That...made things a little more complicated.

The black dragon chuckled, but slowly shook his head.

"I guess that reveals that little surprise. The answer, I'm afraid, is no. You can only use the defense idol to save your own team; you can't use it on the opposing team or for their sake. You could give it away, but that's it."

"Then -"

"Ah. Hold on a moment." The dragon shook his head. "Remember what I said at the start. If someone has both idols, they can force the opposing team to vote off two people at once."

"...Oh...oh."

Ailsa slapped a hand across her forehead. So much for that little benefit, that little surprise. Then again, the dragon had more or less ruined it by asking them if they had anything that they wanted to say; that had been about as blatant as all get-out.

Sanmer had found the idol when they were still making their way through the ravine, and they'd picked it up on the way out. The stingray had been planning on using it when they got through to the other side, either doubling the damage to Isabella's team or at least making sure that they both lost someone. But if they had the defense idol...

"Can you take the idols into the next arena?" Tarin asked.

"I'm glad you asked." Draconicon nodded. "You can hold onto the idols for one additional arena. As in, any idols that you picked up in Arena 1, you can hold onto until the vote at the end of Arena 2. If you do not use them by that point, then they are used up and taken away. Likewise, if you pick something up in the next arena, you can only hold onto it until the end of Arena 3, and so on. Also, you can't double-up on an idol. Considering you have the offensive idol, you can't pick up another one, just hope that you find the defensive one in the next arena. Just like the Whoopsie Daisies can't pick up another defense idol, but will have to find the offensive one."

That made a good bit of sense. Ailsa tapped her chin. It would almost be worth using the idol now, if only to make the other team use up theirs, but at the same time, it might be better to hang onto it. They would have more motivation to do well in the next arena, just because they'd failed this time, and that would make the use of the offense idol that much more crucial.

A glance around the rest of the team confirmed that they were feeling pretty similar about that. Draconicon, however, looked past the stingray to the white fox.

"The person that found the idol is the one that gets to choose whether it gets used. So, Sanmer...what do you say?"

"...I'll keep it, I think." Sanmer nodded. "Just in case."

"Your choice."

"Hey, by the way."

"Hmm?"

"Is there any chance I can keep the plants?"

"...One of them."

The fox nodded and immediately moved over to the other side of the small stone chamber, taking the potted plant that had been in the process of throat-fucking the pangolin team lead. She whined, but didn't fight the taking of her new 'friend'.

"Now, since team Black Chaos is the loser, I'm going to ask the Whoopsie Daisies to head down that tunnel over there," the dragon said, gesturing to what had been a wall until that moment, opening it with nothing more than a gesture of his hand. "This is a private affair, and seems a little cruel for the other side to be allowed to watch."

Isabella gathered up her team without a word, and while some of them were still obviously celebrating the fact that they had gotten through safely, others looked over sympathetically. Notably, Glyn, Isabella, and Sergino, but none of them were cruel about it.

Once they were alone, Draconicon shook his head.

"I'm sorry about this, everyone. This is the part of the competition that I really don't enjoy, but at the same time, it is a competition, and there has to be a winner of some sort at the end."

Nobody in Black Chaos argued that.

The master of the games snapped his fingers, and a piece of paper and a marker popped into everyone's hands. Another snap, and a little ceramic jar appeared in his hands.

"I guess the classics are the best. Write down the name of the person that you want to eliminate from the team, and the one that has the most votes will say goodbye and join the jury."

"Jury?" Jaden asked.

"They decide the winner if more than one person reaches the end of the final Arena," Tarin said, shaking his head. "We aren't just choosing a loser. We're choosing the people that will pick the final winner if too many people reach the finish line."

"That's right," Draconicon said. "So choose wisely."

Draconicon

He hadn't been lying. He didn't like this part of any competition, particularly when there were no clear people to hate. It always felt like nobody had really had the chance to show what they were really good at, what they could give the team, or whether they were just having a bad day or if this was the sort of person that they really were.

Yet, there had to be a loser, and that meant eliminations had to happen.

He glanced around the room. Mchumba had already written her vote, but was waiting for someone else to step forward first. He had little doubt of who she'd picked, and less doubt that it would make little difference at the end of things. The rat woman stood like someone waiting for an execution, but ready to spit in the headsman's eye at the same time.

Jaden hovered his marker over his paper, shaking his head. He'd start to write something, and then stop, then try and start again, only to stop again. The decision weighed heavily on the orca, as well it should. He had come from a place where unity and harmony were utmost values, and this part was asking him to challenge the things that he had been raised to hold sacred. Draconicon sympathized with him.

Ailsa had already written hers out, and she stepped forward with an air of resignation. The team captain dropped her ballot into the jar and looked up, meeting his eyes.

"I don't take pleasure in this. I want to say that."

"I know."

"A captain never leaves a man behind."

"I know."

The stingray shook her head, looking down at the jar before giving it a salute and stepping back.

Draconicon knew what she'd written. He knew what all of them were writing, and he wished that he could make this easier for them.

Lykus was next, the striped wolf's tail dragging along the ground as he shuffled forward. He held his paper like someone taking their pet to be put down, and he shook his head as he passed it over to the dragon.

"I haaaate this," Lykus muttered.

"I know." He tucked the jar under his arm and gave the wolf a hug. "But thank you for following the rules."

"I'd fuck 'em if I could."

"I know."

He patted the card sorcerer on the back, and as Lykus stepped back, Mchumba stepped forward. She tossed her paper in and seemed tempted to spit in it, but didn't. She looked up at him, then put on a forced smile.

"Heh...least the loser still gets a voice later, eh?" she said.

"Heh, yes."

The rat's smile remained for a moment, then faded, disappearing completely as she walked away. He shook his head for her.

Sanmer was next, and he was quiet, just putting the paper into the jar. He didn't have the same somber air as the others, but he was less broken-up than Lykus and Mchumba, less silently respectful than Ailsa. He just nodded, then walked away.

Jaden was shaking as he put his vote in, and he didn't react when the dragon offered him a word of sympathy.

Then, finally, Tarin. The paper went in, and he looked up. Draconicon nodded.

"A life of sacrifice makes it easier, sometimes," the mage said.

"Sometimes."

They shared a look, an understanding. He knew what the deer had in mind, and he wondered if it would pay off over the long term. Only time would tell.

With all the votes collected, he shook up the jar. Black Chaos stepped forward, clustering in front of him. With a small spell, he set the jar to hovering in front of him.

"There are seven total votes: two from Ailsa, as captain, and one from each of the rest of you. The first person to reach four votes, or otherwise hit a majority, will leave. That said, I won't be sending you home immediately; you'll be able to rest in a lovely little place while you get to watch everyone else go through some hellish little chunks of the competition. You'll be able to see both teams as they go, so you'll have full information of how to vote when the time comes."

He had planned for that, wanted them to be as happy as possible regardless of whether they won or lost. At least this way, they'd still have somewhere to go.

"I'll tally the votes."

He reached inside, pulling out the first sheet of paper.

"Jaden. One vote Jaden."

The team gasped, while the orca lowered his head. He had his hands clenched in fists, and Draconicon moved on, pulling out the next sheet.

"Mchumba. One vote Jaden, one vote Mchumba."

No reaction from the rat. She'd known that was coming, clearly. He reached in again.

"Mchumba. One vote Jaden, two votes Mchumba."

Another.

"Ailsa. One vote Jaden, one vote Ailsa, two votes Mchumba."

Another.

"Mchumba. One vote Jaden, one vote Ailsa, three votes Mchumba."

And the last one. He'd known where it was going, and so had everyone else.

"Mchumba. One vote Jaden, one vote Ailsa, four votes Mchumba. The captain's second vote is not required in this choice."

There were few commiserations. Most of the team had made their choices very clear, but Jaden reached out and took the rat by the hand. He whispered 'I'm sorry', and hugged her, and the pirate captain ever so clumsily hugged him back.

Everyone else was stiff, awkward. Draconicon cleared his throat, pulling all eyes back to him.

"If anyone has goodbyes to say, please say them now. Otherwise, I'll send her on to where the eliminated competition gets to wait until the end.

(insert any goodbyes here)

The remaining members of Black Chaos walked down the same tunnel that the Whoopsie Daisies had used mere minutes ago. Draconicon turned to the rat, shaking his head in sympathy.

"Sorry. I had hoped that you'd get to go further."

"Heh, I not be surprised. I be an angry bitch. Good captain, bad follower." She sighed. "Least I got to captain a ship again..."

"Don't worry. You'll have the chance to say more later."

"You swear?"

"I swear."

The rat nodded, forcing another smile, and at least this one was a little more real than the last one. Draconicon turned from her, waving his hand at the empty space between them, and a new portal opened. This time, it opened to a resort, one that was far off in a distant time and place, a city on the seaside with dragons and hovercars alike that ran through the air, with gryphons and busses that ran along the ground, and a mix of magic and tech that was utterly impossible and yet still managed to mesh together.

Mchumba stared.

"What is that?"

"That...is my home. Go through; a room is prepared for you."

"...Heh. I be liking this."

"I thought you might."

The dragon gently nudged her through, knowing that she'd be dropped into the lobby of a beachfront hotel, already checked into a penthouse suite that would give her the full Tortuga treatment. She might not be a pirate queen in the competition, but she'd be treated like one for the duration of her stay.

He imagined that she'd be getting some good times back in his city, and made a mental note to put a little extra security on that hotel. He had the feeling that it might be needed with Mchumba's...proclivities.

"One arena down, four to go...let's see how they deal with the next one."