Spoiler: The Competitor - Part 2/2The third day started. There started the initial ceremony and the "we filtered out most losers" and yadda yadda. Today I would have to know what that competitor is on. In the first stage we were each put in groups of 9 and to my horror that same competitor was there. "From now on you're all a team. The next challenge you will play against other teams and a few teams will remain", said the voice. Something was clearly wrong with this. We weren't meant to work together. We were all competitors. The best ones could easily get screwed if they take a bad team. "The catch is: first you will have to vote one of your members to be eliminated. You have 5 minutes to discuss among yourselves", continued the voice before going silent. It started shyly, but soon began a heated fight between choosing who's the weakest. I could hear my name being pointed multiple times enough to frighten me. We were mostly the same level, but I was the only one who got somebody's help, I was the one stepping down. Maybe this is what that competitor reserved me? "I have a solution", stepped up a considerably taller competitor, with a smurk on his face, "we should probably all do fine and it won't really matter who is out. Instead we should consider voting out someone who is threatening". "Or better", a girl stepped up, "we vote out someone who is in an alliance". I moved away slightly from the group. Multiple thoughts began to cross my mind. It was obvious she was referring to me and the other competitor, who else would her? Before there was a proper discussion, the voice returned to say the time was up. We each were given a monitor with the picture of each member to vote. After it was done, a bigger monitor showed all our pictures and started revealing our votes. I noticed mostly votes were aimed towards that same competitor and another guy. I saw my picture and my vote revealing to be that same competitor. I saw him moving his eyes to match mine and he seemed just speechless. I had to do this, I knew what would be the implications of trusting an alliance. The voting ended with the other guy getting voted instead. I saw him being escorted out of the room as he threw all kinds of insult to the rest of us. At least that explains why he passed the spelling bee. The team challenge consisted of multiple challenges where each member of the group was given a task. There was some kind of a course and we could only start a task once someone finished theirs. When I finished my task, I stared my 'ally's eyes and just told him: "We're not allies at all". He shrugged and rushed to do his task. Fortunately we were able to score among the 40% top scoring teams. The next test, as opposed to the team challenged, paired each of us against each other. I stared wide-eyed when my opponent showed up: it was my ex-ally. We were each put in a five feet tall platform and given a wooden thin sword. We were each meant to topple the other off the platform. "Good luck", I heard my competitor say. We fought each other, our bodies dancing to the rhythm of the clashes. "Why?", I asked in the moment we trimmed each other, "why did you help me? Weren't you taught that we're all rivals? To not trust anyone?". "That we're the winners? They're the losers?", continued my adversary. "That I gotta win the test? That means my future?", I finished. "And so does it means my future?", added my rival, "don't you realize it? How can you possibly live solely on reputation? On fame? On material goods? How can you possibly live when your interaction with the others is just predatory competition? Who will be your friends? Who will be there to help you when you need it?" "I can live my own social life if I pass this test", I responded, "there's no thing as friendship if I don't pass this test". "And you don't realize we're better together?", asked my adversary. I clashed my sword against his right above his head as he approached the edge. It should have become obvious his last speech didn't make sense. "Ironic", said I. "Yeah...Ironic", said the competitor. He swung his body to the side and with his sword hit the back of my head enough to unbalance me off the platform. As I fell on the mattress beneath, I felt an immense anger as I realized why he helped me all the time. At the end it was all a ploy for me to be an extra stair step for his own success. I wanted to have friends in the upper world, but now I have nothing. I'd rather just lay in the mattress and never open my eyes again to this cruel predatory world. (This story was inspired by the brazilian Netflix series 3% I'd somewhat recommend. Has some interesting parts at least) |
Votecount 1.5 | |||||||||
| Players | L-7 | L-6 | L-5 | L-4 | L-3 | L-2 | L-1 | Hammer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amrun | ||||||||
| 2 | Dolly Parton | Rabid Schnauzer | |||||||
| 3 | Dunnstral | ||||||||
| 4 | Elsa Jay | Amrun | Espressojet | ||||||
| 5 | Espressojet | ||||||||
| 6 | Flavor Leaf | Wake88 | LucianRoy | ||||||
| 7 | Frank | ||||||||
| 8 | Gamma Emerald | ||||||||
| 9 | JacksonVirgo | MariaR | Gamma Emerald | Frank | Nero Cain | ||||
| 10 | Lil Uzi Vert | Flavor Leaf | JacksonVirgo | Dolly Parton | Elsa Jay | ||||
| 11 | LucianRoy | ||||||||
| 12 | MariaR | ||||||||
| 13 | Nero Cain | ||||||||
| 14 | Rabid Schnauzer rb | Dunnstral | |||||||
| 15 | Wake88 | ||||||||
Deadline: (expired on 2019-12-28 11:00:00) Currently the top wagon is JacksonVirgo | |||||||||
