Countries of the World - Squid Game | Season 2, Chapter 4

PROFILES FOR EACH CHARACTER

Remaining Players: 24

Before we continue with the story, we will announce the results of the fan vote.

"Hello, players. Welcome to the results of the viewer vote. As you know, this is televised. The viewers at home got to vote on who should stay and who should go. They can choose up to (3) contestants who should be eliminated."

"I will read the votes aloud, one by one."

"I'm sooo glad that jerk Missouri is gone." 003|ItzIngenious said.

"Me too. He am so irritate." 104|Kingsfisher sighed.

"Don't worry, you're going to join him soon." 120|Nevada laughed.

"Hi!" 139|Florida waved frequently.

"Hi..." 003|ItzIngenious returned a half-hearted wave. "Moron."

"The first vote is for... 139|Florida." 

"Here!" 139|Florida exclaimed.

"They're not calling attendance." 133|Australia replied.

"Oh." 139|Florida scratched his head in embarrassment.

"005|Egypt." 

"al-Why?" 005|Egypt asked.

"183|Russia."

"Make of redact vote or am make of redact yuo." 183|Russia mumbled.

"120|Nevada."

"Haters."

"120|Nevada." 

"120|Nevada." 

"120|Nevada." 

"120|Nevada." 

"124|Kuwait."

"133|Australia." 

"133|Australia." 

"What?"

"015|FreeStater."

"I think we need to do the Murderer challenge again." 015|FreeStater smirked.

"139|Florida."

"Here!" 139|Florida yelled as loud as he could.

"Shut up." 120|Nevada groaned.

"154|Qatar." 

"183|Russia."

"183|Russia."

"183|Russia."

"183|Russia."

"Okay, am get it." 183|Russia scoffed.

"139|Florida."

"139|Florida."

"139|Florida."

"139|Florida."

"Hi!" 139|Florida chirped.

"133|Australia."

"I literally haven't even done anything." 133|Australia sighed.

"120|Nevada."

"120|Nevada."

"139|Florida."

"120|Nevada."

"183|Russia."

"133|Australia."

"139|Florida."

"Here!"

"120|Nevada."

"This is some bull!" 120|Nevada yelled.

"That is 1 vote for 154|Qatar, 1 vote for 005|Egypt, 1 vote for 124|Kuwait, 1 vote for 015|FreeStater, 4 votes for 133|Australia, 6 votes for 183|Russia, 8 votes for 139|Florida, and 9 votes for 120|Nevada."

"Present! Wait, where are you taking me?"

139|Florida, along with 183|Russia and 120|Nevada, were aggressively apprehended by the guards and were dragged off past an ajar metal door.

"LET ME GO!" 120|Nevada thrashed about fruitlessly.

"AM HAVE NUCLEAR WEAPON." 183|Russia aimlessly threatened as he tried to bite the guards.

"Are we going on a field trip?" 139|Florida chirped as the door slammed behind them.

"Despite everything I said, I'm kind of sad to see him go." 003|ItzIngenious frowned. He winced when he heard the gunshots.

"Player: 139|Florida, eliminated." 

"Player: 183|Russia, eliminated." 

"Player: 120|Nevada, eliminated. 21 players remain."

"Attention, players. A series of three mini-challenges will ensue momentarily. The first challenge is: Five Buttons."

"Sounds ominous." 018|toowise sighed exhaustedly.

"Can we just get a break?" 133|Australia groaned.

"Five buttons will spawn. A player will be randomized to choose a button at random, one of them leading to a fatal electric shock. A new player will be randomized until somebody picks the fatal button, or all four safe buttons are picked- the latter leading to no one dying and the next challenge commencing. One button contains a special reward."

"Sounds simple enough." 015|FreeStater shrugged.

From the ground, five buttons emerged: a red, a yellow, a green, a blue, and a purple.

"Attention, players. We will now select the first player to choose a button."

The monitor had flickered to life, its surface reflecting the dim light. Numbers began to spin rapidly, flipping through a series of digits: 2, 5, 9, each one flashing briefly before disappearing. The anticipation had built as the digits raced by.

Then, a 0 appeared on the screen, holding for a moment before vanishing. The numbers continued to whirl, but that 0 lingered in memory.

Next, a 1 flashed onto the display, steady and clear. The digits continued their chaotic dance until an 8 finally locked into place.

The screen displayed 0, 1, 8, completing the sequence with a sense of quiet resolution. 018 was now set.

"018|toowise, you have been selected."

"Oh, s---." 018|toowise swore loudly.

"Good luck, bro." 129|Deathslayer offered.

018|toowise stepped forward tepidly.

"You must now choose a button." 

"Hm..." 018|toowise pored over the arrangement of the buttons, suppressing an amalgamation of apprehension.

He stepped closer to one of the glowing buttons.

"I'll choose... this one." He mashed his palm onto the blue button.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...nothing has occured. You are safe."

"PHEW." 018|toowise dramatically wiped his forehead.

"Great job!" 129|Deathslayer clapped 018|toowise on the bank, silently dying inside from the tension.

"Attention, players. We will now select the second player to choose a button."

The monitor illuminated the dim room, coming to life once again. Numbers whirled in a quivering dance, flashing 9, 6, and 3 before disappearing.

A 1 emerged on the screen, lingering before fading away. The numbers continued their rapid motion. Next, a 0 appeared, bright and unmistakable, followed by a 4 that locked into place.

At last, the display settled, revealing the complete sequence: 104.

"104|Kingsfisher, you have been selected."

"Oh no, this is many scary. What if am get into die..." 104|Kingsfisher whimpered inaudibly as he timidly approached the buttons.

"You must now choose a button." 

"Hmm... I like green... green is be my color favorite... so am choose green." 104|Kingsfisher stated firmly, pressing on the green button.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...nothing has occured. You are safe."

"Am so relief." 104|Kingsfisher quickly returned to where he was standing before.

After the monitor went through another cycle, an additional set of three numbers was chosen.

"049|Ukraine, you have been selected."

"This Яidiculous is. Am many scare."

He slowly and very reluctantly pined over the buttons.

"You must now choose a button." 

"Am of pick..." 049|Ukraine seemed to teeter between red and purple.

"What should I am of choosing?" 049|Ukraine turned to ask the other players.

"Am think yuo should choosing al-red." 154|Qatar replied swiftly.

"Am of pick red." 049|Ukraine mashed both hands on the button.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Please check the compartment underneath the button."

"What?" 049|Ukraine appeared visibly confused by this. He crouched down, peering below the button, until he saw a small door.

"What is?" He pulled open the little door, and reached inside. He did not recognize the material.

"Please extract your... prize."

"Prize?" 136|Indiana tried to look over 049|Ukraine's shoulder.

049|Ukraine quickly removed his "prize" and shoved it into his deep pocket, though it protruded noticeably in his pants.

"Is that a ball, or are you just happy to see me?" 003|ItzIngenious asked.

"Is too much adult joke, even for JetPunk forum." 049|Ukraine sighed.

.

Ǐ̵͎̲̥̈́͗̄͑̊̌̅̄̈́̑̈͘͘F̴̢͖̙͉̬̠͔͚̮̯̲͉̜̜̬̋̀͋̃̾͋ ̸̨̹͈̺̰̥̯̘͓̺͍̮͕̞͇͋̽͗̎̐Y̵̢̡̨͍̮̣̪̦̪̼̤̅̆̊͗̕ͅͅÒ̶̧̩̹̤͎̦͌̐̇̇̊̋͠Ų̷̠̜̲̜̹̣̤̦͉̠̭̈̈̍͌̍͝ ̵͖̣͇̫̭̣̭̜̼͎̹̌̂̿̓̉̋̅̍̒̐̔̃ͅͅB̸̛̜̐̊̉͋͌̓̏̌́͑̈́͝͠R̸̩̖̹̼̂͠Ę̶̫͎̼̞̜̗̠̞̏̈̽͐́͂̍͂͒͝Ą̶̪̲̰̳̙̑K̶̯̼̥͂̄͊̾͆̾̚͠ ̵̧̡̡̮̬͈̘̤̘͎̪͙̬̪̓̍̔͌͑̋͊̐̓̾͠͝T̴͕̺̼̤̱̞͖̝͙̄͑͊͐͛̊͒̔̈̚H̴̼̮̠̜̩̜̖̆͂̈͆̽͆̉̀̎͋͜͠͠͝ͅÉ̶̫̓̍͒̋̇̅̚͝ ̴̧̨̛̛͎̪̣͓̥̣̪̬͚̪͚͎̌̀̀̎͑̍̈́͗̃̒͝͝F̸̯͙͉̩̃͑͒͑̔̾͗̚͠Ơ̷͓͊́̾̋̌̍̇̊̔͘͝Ṷ̶̡͕̩̻͓̬́̄͒̈Ṛ̶̢̛̣̱̞̺̦͔̞̪͊̄̂̀̾́̈́̇͛̈́̚͝͝T̶͈͚̻̱̦̥͖̪̹̳̘͎̙̻̑͜͠Ḧ̷̡̛͈̩̯͈̝͈̹̼̙̺͎̟̹́̊̋̃͗̂̌̋̈͛̓̕͠͝ ̷̛̗͈͂͛̔̔͛̈́͠͝W̸̗̲̦͔̺̹̹͕̗͚͝ͅA̷̧͔̻̞͚̘̜͖̪̪̳̳͋̈́̓̎̓̆͗̈́L̸̪̄͆̀̏̄̕͠L̵̨͓͎̜̟͒̈̐̃̂́͛̿͑̚ ̶͍̺͚͂̍̓͌͂̏̌̎̓̐̌A̴̧̧̛̯̜͍̙͙͑́̀̌̾̑̇͌̔̉̎͘͠͠ͅG̵̢̡͎͙͕̳̥̹̳̩̹͆͋̿́̽̿́̇͐̒̅͜͜͜͠ͅÄ̴̛̲̟̹́̂́̃̐͂̚͘͠Ì̸̧̤͇̜̤̳Ǹ̵̨̲͈̝̖͉͓̤̽̈́̉͂̅̌͌̒̕̕̚ ̷̧̨̣̩̺͎̜̪͍̖̜̂̂́̔̌Ỵ̴̨̧̙̗̈́̉̀̽̉͌̋̂̇̈́̐͂͘̕͝O̶̢̨̦̭͍͚̬̗̦̬̬͒̈́̄̌̈́̚Û̵̧̞͈͆̾̉̓̀̕ ̶̧̣͋̍̽̈́Ẅ̴̨̛͕͈̝͈̅̐̌̔͛́͛͐̃͊͠͝Į̴̠̦̯̗͖̼͈̮̫͇̪̽̈́̑͂̓̑̀̌̚͠Ĺ̶̡̬̻̦͈̥̟̻̪͚̫̻̻͚͆̌͂͜͝L̵̢̻͚̹̝̑̾ ̴͚̰̥̦͓̗͙͉̭̙͆͆̓̎̐́̉̚͠B̶̡͇̞̙͙̜̺͇͚̣͎̩̣̄͐̏̽̆͗̊͜ͅE̷̼̮̝̋̀̈́͐͛̄͛̌̃̌ ̸̢̛̛͚̗̗̝͓̮̱͋́̽̿̏̚Ê̷̢͎͉͓̝͉̗̪͌̀̚L̶̰̬̪̲̫̪̫̳͋͋̓̆̀̊̂̈́̓̕͝I̸̡̱̣͖̖͈͓͈̦̩̠͌̆̂́M̴͉͓̻͈̀͋̌̄̎͒̾̔͆̋͂̕͠Î̴͔̎̌͛̓͌́̀̆̄́̑̋͝N̷̡̛͙̰̟̜̖̭͕͔̫̯̙͚͍͔̈́̅̂̅͌̿̔͐̈͑̒́͘͠Ą̸͕̘͉̀͋̃̊͊̈̇̈̐͘T̷̡̰͎̩̰̼͇̩͎̫͓̼̖̭̒̔́E̷͓̞͔̩̗̠̠̤͇̔ͅD̵͉́̉̒̄̂̊͂͌̅̚̚.̷̡̧̨̨̱̫̳̟̭̺̜̪͔͚̽̂̕͜ 

.

"Oh!" 003|ItzIngenious jumped and backed away from 049|Ukraine.

(Confessional: 133|Australia)

"Wonderful. Now 049|Ukraine has a random item. And can use it at any time. And who knows how many uses it has?"

(End Confessional: 133|Australia)

After the monitor went through another cycle, an additional set of three numbers was chosen.

"156|Lithuania, you have been selected."

"Is many scary... am fright many." 156|Lithuania faintly shivered as she stood up from her bed and sauntered toward the buttons. There were only two left.

"You must now choose a button." 

"Um..." 156|Lithuania looked at the yellow, then at the purple, then back at the yellow, then back at the purple. She seemed to linger on the yellow button.

"Just pick a button!" 003|ItzIngenious demanded. "Hurry up!"

His exclamation only made her more nervous. Indecisive as she was, she crushed the purple button with her palm and waited for some sort of stimulus.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"ERROR."

A blinding flash erupted from the button,The current coursed through her arm, seizing her muscles with an unrelenting grip. Her body convulsed, rigid and tense. The effect was immediate and paralyzing. 156|Lithuania's vision blurred, and she gasped, her breath hitching.

She crumpled to the cold, hard floor.

Every player's eyes were opened wide in shock.

"Player: 156|Lithuania, eliminated. 20 players remain." 

"We made top 20!" 155|Astana high-fived 018|toowise and 129|Deathslayer.

"I knew this would happen." 015|FreeStater stood proudly.

"Attention, players. The next challenge will begin momentarily."

"Quite averse to giving us breaks, eh?" 133|Australia asked.

"The next challenge... Split or Steal."

"Ooh, stealing. Sounds fun." 003|ItzIngenious rubbed his hands together expectantly.

"If both participants choose to split, they both live. However, if one person chooses to steal while to other splits, the person who splits will die and the stealer will receive an item. If both participants choose to steal, both will die."

(Confessional: 049|Ukraine)

"So am have been tell by the producer that the thing is orb that can into reviving player of mine choice. Am very excite, because am know who am want to bring back. However, am also tell that someone can into stealing mine prize."

(End Confessional: 049|Ukraine)

"We will now randomly select the two players that will participate in this challenge."

After the monitor went through another cycle, a set of three numbers was chosen.

"133|Australia, you have been selected."

"Damn. It's time." 133|Australia stuck her hands into her pockets as she walked up to the stage.

"The other player will be selected now."

After the monitor went through another cycle, an additional set of three numbers was chosen.

"154|Qatar, you have been selected."

"Oh no..." 154|Qatar stood up from his place on the concrete stairs, and he tepidly hobbled up the stairs to join 133|Australia.

"Each of you, stand behind one of the podiums."

154|Qatar walked to the further-away podium on the left, while 133|Australia opted for the closer one on the right.

"Behind each podium you will find a remote with a green button and a red button." 

Both of them reached down, and sure enough, they both extracted the aforementioned remotes.

"Though it may already be obvious, the green button with an equal sign indicates SPLIT. The red button with the skull indicates STEAL. The two of you will silently and confidentially (for now) choose SPLIT or STEAL. If both of you choose SPLIT, you will both survive. If both of you choose STEAL, you will both be eliminated. If one of you chooses SPLIT and the other chooses STEAL, the player that chose SPLIT will be eliminated and the player that chose STEAL will receive an item."

"A lot of rules." 133|Australia groaned.

The timer began ticking down.

"10."

"9."

"8."

"Both of you just pick split!" 155|Astana yelled.

"Yes! Yuo both can into living." 124|Kuwait chimed in.

Both of them seemed to consider this.

"5."

"4."

154|Qatar made his choice.

"3."

"2."

"1."

At the exact same time that the buzzer beeped, 133|Australia made her choice.

"Your choices have been locked in." 

"Am of split." 154|Qatar assured her.

"I split too, of course." 133|Australia smiled.

"Your choices will be revealed... momentarily..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Suddenly, a loud buzzer echoed throughout the dorms, and two words, in all capital letters, appeared on the monitor.

"Damn." 133|Australia groaned, holding her face between her hands.

"You have both chosen STEAL. As a result... you will both be eliminated."

"WAIT-" 133|Australia hit the ground before she could protest. 154|Qatar's blood sprayed the stage as he bounced off his splintery podium.

"Player: 133|Australia, eliminated." 

"Player: 154|Qatar, eliminated. 18 players remain."

"That sucks. Australia was so nice." 155|Astana pouted.

"Yeah. Wish it was someone else." 193|Fianchetto grumbled.

Eliminated: 6

The players shuffled forward, flanked by stern guards, as they approached the ominous forest. Towering trees with gnarled branches loomed overhead. Thick roots snaked across the ground like grasping fingers.

The air was saturated with the scent of damp earth and decaying leaves. As they ventured deeper, the sun seemed to begin setting spontaneously, and distant animal calls echoed ominously. This was no ordinary game; the forest felt like it was going to swallow them hole.

"What do you think they'll make us do?" 155|Astana asked as she stumbled over a rogue free root.

"Whatever it is, it probably isn't legal." 003|ItzIngenious sighed.

"Attention, players."

"There ain't no intercom here, how're they doin' that?" 015|FreeStater asked.

"The next game is: Capture the Flag."

"Wait, this actually sounds fun. I'm intrigued." 129|Deathslayer seemed to perk up.

"The objective is to capture the opposing team's flag and bring it back to your team's base without being tagged, and by tagged, we mean tased."

"OH. Nevermind." 129|Deathslayer laughed.

"Each team will hide their flag. It must be visible to the naked eye and not hidden in a way that makes it impossible to find. The teams will start at their respective bases and are able to go when the signal is called."

"Players can be tased by opponents if they enter their territory. If tased, while incapacitated, they may be brought to a designated "jail" area. Players can free their teammates from jail by tagging them, but they must return to their own territory before they can re-enter the game. Lethal force is strictly prohibited." 

"A team wins by successfully capturing the opposing team's flag and bringing it back to their base without being tagged. DO NOT TRY TO LEAVE THE PLAY AREA."

"Why can't we leave the forest?" 155|Astana asked.

"I would not advise that you find out, the exterior of the forest is laden with remote explosives and electric wires." 

"Wow. Point taken." 155|Astana folded her arms.

"The team that wins will move to the next game. The team that loses will be eliminated. Therefore, the player base will go from 18 to 9 at the end of this game."

"Wow. We will be cut in half." 177|KilwaAfarCheese pointed out.

"We will now select the team captains." 

"We get to pick our own teams!" 003|ItzIngenious seemed irrationally excited.

"The first captain..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"193|Fianchetto."

"It's my time to shine." 193|Fianchetto haughtily strutted forward.

"The second captain..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"015|FreeStater."

"It's my lucky day." 015|FreeStater joined 193|Fianchetto at the front of the group.

"As captains, you possess special responsibilities. The captain of the losing team will be executed along with the rest of his team. The winning captain will receive an item."

"Ooh, item! Can it be a gun?" 155|Astana asked.

"The game will begin in a few minutes. First, your teams must be chosen. 015|FreeStater, you get the first choice." 

"Easy, I pick Indiana."

"Lucky! I was going to pick him!" 193|Fianchetto whined.

"Team 2 has selected 136|Indiana. Team 1 Captain, you now have the choice."

"I suppose I'll choose the next best option. Kingsfisher."

"Am many happy." 104|Kingsfisher stood next to 193|Fianchetto.

"Team 1 has selected 104|Kingsfisher. Team 2 Captain, you now have the choice."

"I need some kinda strategist on my team. Come on, Astana."

"Wonderful." 155|Astana took her place next to 136|Indiana.

"Team 2 has selected 155|Astana. Team 1 Captain, you now have the choice."

"He keeps picking the people I'd pick. Ugh. I suppose 049|Ukraine will work, though partially because I don't want him to use his item on me."

"Team 1 has selected 049|Ukraine. Team 2 Captain, you now have the choice."

015|FreeStater shuffled his feet, unsure of his next pick as he had been with the others.

"Hm... I guess I'll choose 100|Spain. Of the remaining players, he's probably the most athletic."

"Team 2 has selected 100|Spain. Team 1 Captain, you now have the choice."

"This literally sucks. I guess Italy."

"Team 1 has selected 167|Italy. Team 2 Captain, you now have the choice."

"I'll pick South Korea. Maybe you can bore the other team to death with that stupid K-pop," 015|FreeStater laughed.

"Team 2 has selected 034|South Korea. Team 1 Captain, you now have the choice."

"KilwaAfarCheese8."

"Nothing positive to say about me?" 177|KilwaAfarCheese8 frowned.

"You're... cool," 193|Fianchetto offered.

"Team 1 has selected 177|KilwaAfarCheese8. Team 2 Captain, you now have the choice."

"We need some level headed people to balance out the hotheads. I pick Kuwait."

"Team 2 has selected 124|Kuwait. Team 1 Captain, you now have the choice."

"I need your... width... to protect the jail." 193|Fianchetto pointed toward 039|Fiji.

"Thank- HEY!" 039|Fiji realized what 193|Fianchetto had said.

"Team 1 has selected 039|Fiji. Team 2 Captain, you now have the choice."

"I'll just pick Oman. No particular reason this time."

"Team 2 has selected 082|Oman. Team 1 Captain, you now have the choice."

"Despite being insanely cringe, I'm holding out hope that you'll be useful. toowise."

"Thanks?"

"Team 1 has selected 018|toowise. Team 2 Captain, you now have the choice."

"Deathslayer. I think the name's self explanatory." 015|FreeStater chuckled.

"Team 2 has selected 129|Deathslayer. Team 1 Captain, you now have the choice."

"050|UAE, I suppose I'll choose you. Just don't screw it up." 193|Fianchetto sighed.

"Team 1 has selected 050|UAE. Team 2 Captain, you now have the choice."

"Wait, I just realized." 003|ItzIngenious' eyes opened wide, as he saw he was one of the last two to be chosen, alongside Egypt. "Why did nobody choose me?"

"You're not the most athletic." 015|FreeStater muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" 003|ItzIngenious asked insidiously.

"Oh, nothin'." 015|FreeStater sniggered to himself. "You know, what, fine, ItzIngenious, get over here."

"Team 2 has selected 003|ItzIngenious. Team 1, 005|Egypt will be part of your team."

"Thanks for pick me." 005|Egypt groaned angrily as she stormed off into the forest.

"Find your bases. We will alert you when the game has begun."

Both of the teams' bases were fundamentally different. 193|Fianchetto, followed by the rest of his team, approached their base. It was a rudimentary encampment, surrounded by lines of dilapidated wood and winding tree roots.

In the ground was their flag, a blue flag featuring the eternally-handsome, eternally-popular Jeppy.

"Am ready to into winnings!" 049|Ukraine chirped.

"That's the spirit!" 193|Fianchetto high-fived 049|Ukraine.

"We will into killing all member of other team!" 104|Kingsfisher grinned.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves..." 193|Fianchetto looked frightened.

"So al-where is be our jail?" 050|UAE asked.

"Hmm..." 193|Fianchetto looked around for a suitable location for their future captures, until he spotted a partially subterranean bunker that was somewhat shrouded in desiccated leaves.

"That should work." He pointed to the bunker. "One of you, go open the bunker."

039|Fiji was able to pry open the bunker with relatively minimal effort. Inside was a ladder that led down to a virtually empty bunker.

"Perfect." 193|Fianchetto looked around for anything else they would need. Then, he saw a misshapen bag.

"What's this?" He picked up the bag and extracted an item from it. It was a taser, likely borrowed from a police officer.

"Take one." He threw the bag down, and each of his team members picked out a taser.

"There's other stuff in there, like headbands, water, wristbands, and the like. Take whatever you need."

Within moments, the entire team was decked out in blue paraphernalia, such as headbands and wristbands to represent their team.

"Are we ready?" 193|Fianchetto stuck out his hand. The other members put their hands on top of his.

"1... 2... 3... TEAM JET!"

"We're all going to die. We're all going to die. We're all going to die." 129|Deathslayer paced back and forth. 

"We will beings fine, yuo am overreact." 124|Kuwait replied calmly.

"If I knew you were gonna be such a wuss, I wouldn't have picked you." 015|FreeStater frowned.

"You're not helping." 155|Astana pointed out. "And what's that bag, anyway?"

She picked up a black bag, trying to examine the contents. "Oh." She pulled out a taser. She walked around the flagpole that sported their white Jeppy flag, and handed the bag to 015|FreeStater.

"Alright, y'all. Take a taser, take anything else y'all need."

The team began putting on white headbands and white wristbands to show their membership on the team.

"Do you really have confidence in us?" 003|ItzIngenious asked.

"No. But I picked you, so if we lose it's kinda my fault." 015|FreeStater laughed.

"How encouraging." 003|ItzIngenious rolled his eyes.

"So where will our jail be?" 136|Indiana asked. "I'm ready to play!"

"I reckon that cave'll work." 015|FreeStater pointed to a small cavern in close proximity.

"Wonderful." 003|ItzIngenious tied his shoes tight so they would not come undone.

"Are we ready?" 015|FreeStater stuck out his hand. The other members put their hands on top of his.

"1... 2... 3... TEAM PUNK!"

"Attention, teams, the game begins in 10."

"9."

"8."

"7."

"6."

"5." 

"4."

"3."

"2."

"1."

"The game has commenced."

Team Punk, directed by 015|FreeStater, crept through the underbrush, their eyes narrowed with determination. They moved in a tight formation, plotting their raid on Team Jet’s base.

"Stop!" 015|FreeStater directed sternly, albeit a whisper.

The other eight members of the team huddled around him.

The team crouched low behind a thicket, peering through the foliage at the clearing where Team Jet’s flag fluttered in the breeze. 136|Indiana and 155|Astana exchanged nods, ready to dash forward and grab the flag.

They sprinted toward the flag in a sudden burst, but their movement hadn’t gone unnoticed.

193|Fianchetto, along with 104|Kingsfisher and 049|Ukraine, sprang into action.

“Stop right there!” 193|Fianchetto shouted, raising a taser. The crackle of electricity filled the air just as 136|Indiana reached the flag.

He turned, wide-eyed, but it was too late.

The taser discharged, and 136|indiana collapsed, convulsing for a brief moment before falling still.

155|Astana hesitated, glancing back at his fallen teammate, but 193|Fianchetto advanced.

155|Astana turned to flee, but 193|Fianchetto was relentless. With a swift move, he tased 155|Astana as well, the jolt sending him sprawling to the ground beside his comrade.

“Get back! We need to regroup!” 015|FreeStater shouted.

The remaining players of Team Punk—100|Spain, 034|South Korea, 124|Kuwait, 082|Oman, 129|Deathslayer, and 003|ItzIngenious—turned to flee, leaving their captured teammates behind. They dashed back through the rotted trees.

Meanwhile, Team Jet took pleasure securing the two captured players in the cave, guarded by 039|Fiji.

As the remaining players of Team Punk—100|Spain, 034|South Korea, 124|Kuwait, 082|Oman, 129|Deathslayer, and 003|ItzIngenious—reached their base. They huddled together, formulating a plan.

"Escuchad!" 100|Spain yelled. "Nosotros am need to dividing nuestro forces. We no podemos leave our base unprotect cuando we trying to rescuing Astana e Indiana."

034|South Korea nodded, glancing at the trees to anticipate attack from Team Jet. "Na am stay and guard base. We am needing someone here."

"Am al-agree," 124|Kuwait chimed in. "Will join yuo. We can into setting trap and keep watch."

"Okay, that leaving us with three person" 082|Oman said. "Deathslayer, ItzIngenious, we am need rush flag and get teammates back."

129|Deathslayer flashed a confident grin. "I’m ready for this. We’ll hit them fast and hard."

003|ItzIngenious adjusted his gear. "Let’s move quickly. We can’t let them regroup."

The trio broke away from their teammates, slipping into the dense underbrush.

Back at the base, 100|Spain and 124|Kuwait prepared defenses, setting up barriers of branches and leaves to camouflage their position.

As the three attackers drew closer to Team Jet's territory, they could see the flag fluttering in the distance.

They moved stealthily through the underbrush. 082|Oman crept around the perimeter of Team Jet’s base, her eyes fixed on the flag. She had to time it just right.

Meanwhile, 129|Deathslayer and 003|ItzIngenious edged closer to the cave that served as Team Jet's jail. 129|Deathslayer spotted 039|Fiji, who stood guard

With a quick motion, he lunged forward, tackling 039|Fiji to the ground in a sudden burst of energy.

"OW!" 039|Fiji cried out in pain as her back hit a thick tree root. 129|Deathslayer held her arms to the ground as she

As the two wrestled fiercely, 003|ItzIngenious darted past them into the cave. Inside, he found 155|Astana and 136|Indiana, their expressions a mix of hope and urgency. "I’m here to get you out!" he exclaimed, tagging them both. "Let’s go!"

Outside, Oman seized her chance; she lunged for the flagpole, grasping it tightly... but just as she turned to run, the flag snagged on a low-hanging branch, and with a sharp jerk, it flew from her hands, crashing against a tree.

She hesitated, glancing back, between retrieving the flag and escaping with her teammates. The sound of chaos behind her urged her to retreat, and she made the decision to flee.

Just then, 129|Deathslayer, still locked in a fierce tussle with Fiji, felt a sudden jolt as he was struck by a taser blast from 167|Italy

"Mamma mia!" 167|Italy put his hand on 129|Deathslayer's head.

The shock coursed through him, and he collapsed. 167|Italy seized the opportunity, dragging him toward the cave and tossing him into the jail.

082|Oman, 003|ItzIngenious, 155|Astana, and 136|Indiana sprinted back toward Team Punk's base. Their mission was (kind of) a success.

"LETTING MENE OUT!" 049|Ukraine pounded on the roof of the bunker.

"What loser." 124|Kuwait sighed.

"HELP!" 049|Ukraine's cries seemed to be louder and louder and yet were ignored just the same.

"What am yuo thinkings we should doing?" 124|Kuwait asked.

"Hard to tell. I'm thinkin' we should-" 015|FreeStater was cut off by the sound of crunching leaves.

"Nosotros am ser attacked?" 100|Spain mentally prepared himself to defend the flag, hand on his taser.

"No, stand down." 015|FreeStater demanded, as 082|Oman, 003|ItzIngenious, 155|Astana, and 136|Indiana returned to the base.

"We got them free, but we couldn't get the flag, and Deathslayer is in their jail." 003|ItzIngenious said between heavy panting.

"S--t. What do we do now?" 015|FreeStater paced back and forth, attempting to constitute a plan in his mind

"What's our top priority, freeing Deathslayer or making another attempt at getting the flag?" 003|ItzIngenious asked.

"Hm... I s'pose we c'n do without Deathslayer for now. He was such a wuss, anyway." 015|FreeStater scoffed disdainfully.

"That seems a bit cutthroat. However, I do think we should make another attempt at the flag." 003|ItzIngenious stopped because he heard a very loud sound. "What the hell is that banging?"

"Na am guess is just Ukeulaina knock-knock on jail." 034|South Korea grinned.

"Wait, you captured Ukraine?" 003|ItzIngenious asked incredulously.

"Sí." 100|Spain beamed.

"Take his item! I don't want it." 003|ItzIngenious turned back to their items to get a drink of water.

"Tú am want?" 100|Spain offered.

"Sure, na am take." 034|South Korea shrugged. He walked over to the bunker, though he wasn't the strongest, and pushing it open was a challenge.

"Anyone can into helpings me?" 034|South Korea pushed on the handle more.

"...Is pull door..." 124|Kuwait shook her head in disapproval as she opened up the door.

034|South Korea refrained from thanking her and just began descending the ladder.

"LETTINGS MENE OUT!" 049|Ukraine demanded.

"Na am will lettings yuo out. If yuo can into givings me yuor item from many early." 034|South Korea smirked.

"Is moya! No am will givings to yuo!" 049|Ukraine refused.

"Fine, yuo am will stay in here." 034|South Korea shrugged and turned on his heel to go back up the ladder.

"WAIT! Am will giving yuo." 049|Ukraine hesitated, but he reluctantly extracted the orb from his pocket and placed it in 034|South Korea's hand.

"Go-ma-wo." 034|South Korea smirked slyly and tucked the orb into his jacket pocket.

"Am hatings yuo." 049|Ukraine grumbled.

"Na am okay with this." 034|South Korea shrugged. He then scrambled up the ladder.

"WAIT! LETTINGS MENE OUT!" 049|Ukraine pleaded. He followed 034|South Korea up the stairs and got his fingers through the crack.

034|South Korea responded by slamming the hatch on his fingers.

"OW!" 049|Ukraine fell back down the ladder.

"I hear something." 018|toowise crouched down low, attempting to locate the source of the activity. He sensed leaves rustling.

Suddenly, 100|Spain and 015|FreeStater jumped out from a pile of leaves.

"SORPRESA!" 100|Spain darted toward the cave.

"GET THEM!" 193|Fianchetto demanded. 104|Kingsfisher and 177|KilwaAfarCheese8 ran after 100|Spain. 039|Fiji, alerted of the threat, stood up to guard the cave.

015|FreeStater, meanwhile, ran right for the flag.

As his hand grasped the cold, sleek metal, 005|Egypt pushed him onto the ground, and he fell with a loud thud.

100|Spain was being restrained by 104|Kingsfisher, 039|Fiji, and 177|KilwaAfarCheese8 all at the same time.

"PERSIMMON! PERSIMMON!" 015|FreeStater bellowed at the top of his lungs.

"What?" 193|Fianchetto chuckled, visibly confused, adjusting his headband.

"PERSIMMON!" 015|FreeStater yelled even louder. In a trice, 136|Indiana and 082|Oman emerged from the dark and dreary forest.

082|Oman ran in a completely random direction away from the base, distracting 039|Fiji. 100|Spain took the opportunity to pass his assailants and tag 129|Deathslayer out of jail. 129|Deathslayer sprinted into the dark forest to make his way back to the base.

As the fastest runner on the team, it was up to 136|Indiana. He sped up toward the flagpole, though he was being pursued heavily by 193|Fianchetto, taser in hand.

"GO!" 015|FreeStater squeaked out before 005|Egypt stomped on his back and he faceplanted into the ground again.

136|Indiana ripped the flag off the pole and ran as fast as his legs could carry him into the forest.

104|Kingsfisher kept trying to restrain 100|Spain.

"LEAVE HIM! AFTER THE FLAG!" 193|Fianchetto demanded, racing after 136|Indiana, followed closely behind by 082|Oman, and 155|Astana that came for extra backup.

104|Kingsfisher and 177|KilwaAfarCheese8 dropped what they were doing and ran into the forest.

039|Fiji picked up 100|Spain and tossed him into the cave-jail.

It was a hot pursuit in the forest.

The forest was rampant with the sound of pounding feet and rustling leaves as 136|Indiana sprinted ahead, the flag clutched tightly in his hands. He kept glancing back to see 082|Oman and 155|Astana hot on his heels.

Behind them, the relentless pursuit of Team Jet was tangible. 193|Fianchetto had his eyes locked on Indiana. He surged forward, flanked by 104|Kingsfisher and 177|KilwaAfarCheese8, who matched his pace. The ground beneath them seemed to tremble with the intensity of their chase.

Indiana could feel the snapping of the twigs under his quickly shuffling feet. The branches whipped against their faces as they navigated the winding paths, the forest closing in around them.

"Oman! Astana! Faster!" 136|Indiana shouted.

He did not look back, but the sound of footsteps growing closer frightened him. 193|Fianchetto was gaining ground, his relentless energy pushing him forward with a fierce intensity.

082|Oman and Astana kept pace, their legs propelling them through the underbrush.

As they rounded a bend, 136|Indiana could hear the heavy footfalls of Team Jet closing in. He pushed himself harder determined to reach their base.

Bursting through the final line of trees, 136|Indiana approached Team Punk's base, his heart pounding. Behind him, 082|Oman and 155|Astana followed closely.

As they neared the base, Indiana could see 003|ItzIngenious and 034|South Korea positioned at the entrance, tasers at the ready, eyes scanning the line of trees for any sign of Team Jet’s counterattack

With a final push, Indiana sprinted forward. He crossed the threshold into the base, and a roar of triumph erupted from his teammates. “I got it! I scored!” he shouted, raising the flag high above his head.

"WE WON!" 003|ItzIngenious jumped for joy.

"WE DID IT!" 129|Deathslayer screamed in excitement.

015|FreeStater (with a broken finger) and 100|Spain (covered in blood) sprinted back as well.

"Did we do it?" 015|FreeStater asked expectantly.

"WE DID!" 003|ItzIngenious tackled him in a comradely embrace.

"I am good." 015|FreeStater smirked to himself.

"Team 2, led by Player: 015|FreeStater, has won the challenge."

"YEAHHHHHHH!" 015|FreeStater jumped up jovially.

"Team 1 has lost. All members will now be terminated."

The festivities stopped immediately when 193|Fianchetto was shot point-blank in the face by a guard, and 104|Kingsfisher and 177|KilwaAfarCheese8 followed.

A guard opened the hatch, and without even going in, tossed a grenade inside the jail-bunker. Within a few seconds, anyone that would have been in there (049|Ukraine) would have been blown to pieces.

Gunshots could be heard on the other side of the forest, presumably finishing off the other members of Team Jet.

"Player: 193|Fianchetto, eliminated." 

"Player: 104|Kingsfisher, eliminated." 

"Player: 177|KilwaAfarCheese8, eliminated." 

"Player: 049|Ukraine, eliminated." 

"Player: 018|toowise, eliminated." 

"Player: 167|Italy, eliminated." 

"Player: 050|UAE, eliminated." 

"Player: 039|Fiji, eliminated." 

"Player: 005|Egypt, eliminated. 9 players remain."

"WOW, we made top 9! This is so exciting!" 003|ItzIngenious struggled to maintain his excitement.

"Actually, Top 10."

"What? But you said 9 players remaining..." 003|ItzIngenious was apparently confused.

"The item that was given to 049|Ukraine was a revival orb. 034|South Korea tricked 049|Ukraine into handing it over. It is now in Player: 034|South Korea's possession. He must use it now."

"Well, the choice is many obvious to na. Am want to bringing back Prayer 086."

"Very well. Player: 086|ColinShadow will be at the dorms when we arrive. Captain 015|FreeStater will receive his reward when we return." 

Survived Capture the Flag: 9 (10*)

^{*Brought back by 034|South Korea's revival orb.}

Eliminated: 9

For those reading, you have the opportunity to vote from the list of players above, and the (1) player with the most votes will be eliminated. 

To vote, please comment with the three digit number of the player(s) you want eliminated. You can cast up to (5) votes. The votes can repeat, you can vote up to (3) times for the same player if you choose.

You can include the player's name if you choose, but only votes that include the number will count towards the total.

VOTING ENDS Saturday, February 15, 2025, at 10:00 PM CST.

Thanks for reading.

^{*Still in the competition.}

Thank you for reading, I'm so grateful for your support.  🇦🇲