I moaned and shifted. A figure that had been sitting nearby hurriedly moved to my side, reaching down to help me sit up. I moaned again as I managed to turn and kneel forward.
"Wolf! Oh, Wolf, I was so worried!" Katz exclaimed, "You stopped moving and I didn't know what to do! I could only drag you as far as I could into the trees before you fell off of me."
"How… ugh… how long have I been out?" I asked weakly.
"It's been a whole day! We're into the night of day 3!" Katz replied, "How do you feel?"
"I-I feel better." I groaned, attempting to stand. Suddenly my stomach churned and I fell back to my knees, "Maybe not…"
"What's wrong now?" Katz asked a little panicked.
"I-I feel like-" I stopped when my stomach heaved and a poisonous potato fell to the ground under my face.
"Ew! Did you just-"
I sighed as I immediately felt better and was able to stand. Seeing the potato and analyzing how my stomach felt, I couldn't stop myself from gagging. "I… Y-yes. I can't believe that's possible, but… looks like it is…"
"Gross." Katz muttered.
"Yeah… We can leave that here. We have to get moving. The Hunger Games waits for no tribute." I stated, still a little shaky but much stronger than I had been moments before now that the potions were no longer in affect. "We can't go back to spawn with TheSlayer and his pals holding their place there, and Sky knows by now that we're in the forest section. I think we need to abandon the base idea and try something else."
"What are you suggesting?"
"We need to get to high ground and pick off our enemies." I answered looking around the inside of the small box-like shelter Katz had built while I was out. Finding that she had built it around us with no way out and no windows, I shook my head worriedly. Anyone could be waiting to ambush us and we wouldn't know it. "We have horses. Since spawn is dangerous we have to go around through either the desert or the taiga sections; the horses will make the open traveling fast so we won't be easily tracked… Our goal is the extreme hills section. If anyone would be following us, we'd have the higher ground and, thus, the upper hand."
"The goal, then, would be to be obvious enough to catch attention, but fast enough to reach the mountains and take out the trailing enemies." Katz summarized, making me blink when I realized she was right.
"Y-yeah. It's dangerous, but it's the best strategy we have." I answered, now pressing my ear against the wooden walls to hear any intruding sounds.
"Couldn't we just stay here, or hide until deathmatch? We could let everyone kill each other off before jumping in to fight."
"No. No, we can't do that. I've played enough of hunger games to know that that tactic only works every so often, and that's with no one really knowing me or wanting me specifically dead." I looked at Katz, my tone dropping darkly, "Deadlox has declared this round as war. There may be people like TheSlayer who won't choose a side, but there are still eight more players out there that we have no idea where they stand. Sky's team is down to six, TheSlayer and his thugs are three, we're two, then the eight unknowns; we don't have the choice to blend into the background for everyone to kill themselves."
Katz nodded silently, stunned by my reply.
"Sorry, but I have to be harsh; I have a feeling that we're going to be walking into a trap if we exit this hut at ground level. I sense players extremely near. Instead of leaving through a door, I'm going to dig under. You follow when I call you, but you'll have to be fast. If whoever is around has their sound turned up, they'll hear me digging. Knowing how smart Sky is, they'll be looking for your name tag to show them the way to us."
"Yeah, ok. Be careful."
"I will." With a final, lingering look at Katz, I leaned over and started to dig down. Once a hole three blocks deep was dug, I jumped in and started the tunnel. Five blocks… Ten blocks… Fifteen… "This'll have to be enough. We can't spend much more time doing this. Katz said it was almost night-time. The dark will be an ally, but only if we use as much as possible." I reached my mind to Katz and spoke, "Sneak down here. It's time." A crunch of shoes against dirt told me she had dropped in, and I went on to dig up to open air. The last block was the only thing keeping us from freedom, and, with a nod to Katz once she was at my side, I dug upwards and jumped out. I immediately heard the sounds of surprised players as we bolted from the ground, and I cringed when the sounds of approaching feet came up close behind us.
"They're out! Don't let them escape!" Jerome shouted.
Arrows pelted the ground around us and I realized that Sky had set archers in the trees to snipe us into their hands.
"Keep running Katz!" I shouted, "The trees should open up any moment. When that happens, spawn the horse and get on!"
The arrows stopped as soon as they had started, but the sounds of players landing heavily from the trees and extra feet adding themselves to the chasing group told me they were all taking pursuit. I leapt over a leafy bush and stumbled when the edge of a pitfall caught my feet, the orange glow of lava at its bottom reminding me to watch for the traps while I ran. The stumble slowed me down, putting me behind Katz and dangerously close to our enemies.
Suddenly, I started to feel winded, the strength in my legs leaking away with every jump I made, every leap forward. The potions were not finished with me. I could almost feel the weapons behind me begin to ring with my death as I slowed even more. I didn't dare look back in fear of the threat of tripping, but nothing could stop an arrow from finding its way into the ground just before my foot lifted. My eyes widened fearfully as I saw what was happening but it was too late. My foot caught on the fletching and, with strength gone, I fell.
Without a moment to lose, I flipped over onto my back, barely avoiding another arrow and three different weapons which all plunged into the ground. I whipped out my leg, solidly throwing three players blocks away, but that wasn't enough. I stood up just in time to move away from another attack and dive behind a tree to protect myself from a volley of arrows. I pressed myself against its thick trunk, grateful for its protection, but was forced to duck away when a golden weapon was slashed at me. It struck out again and again until I was, once again, in the middle of the small clearing I had run from, surrounded by Sky's small army with no help in sight.
A furry looking form came first, angrily swinging an axe my direction which I shied away from, earning a hard punch from the person I backed into, their weapon popping into their hand to hit me. Now, I pulled out my dual iron swords and deflected the attack.
"Can't you all wait 'till d-match to finish me off?" I spoke, my voice strained from the energy I was putting into defending myself. The breath was knocked rom my lungs by a sideways swing from Deadlox's and Jerome's axes, throwing me hard against a jungle tree where I lay limply, dizzy from the impact and weak form the potions.
Sky walked up to me, a butter sword in his hand, and held its tip at my chest. "Game over." He swung the blade upwards for a final stroke. I closed my eyes and waited for my death, but a deep "huff" made me open them again. Standing a pixel away from me was a shadowed person with the sword impaling his chest. He looked at me with blue eyes filled with wonder before looking back to Sky and falling over dead.
NyghtCraft has been killed by SkythekidRS using a Budder sword.
I took my chance and launched myself at the bewildered Sky, knocking him out of my way. Without hesitation, I pulled out my swords and stabbed the first thing I ran into, which happened to be Jerome. The blades went clean through his chest, killing him almost instantly.
ASFJerome has been killed by Unknown using an iron sword.
The path clear, and with new energy brought by adrenaline, I sprinted away, sighing once I came out into the open land of the desert. Katz was waiting worriedly a distance off, her horse pacing back and forth underneath her. Hurriedly, I spawned my own horse, mounted it, and rode it to her side, only having to slow a little for her to catch up.
"That was close!" I told her when she gave me a questioning look, "Sky was waiting and nearly did me in. They're down to four now." My words drifted slightly when I thought of the player who had save me, "The only reason I didn't die was because someone took Sky's attack for me. They gave up their place in this round to save me." I slowed my horse to a stop, the memory lingering in my mind. The death of NyghtCraft seemed so real. To them, he probably just fell over and disappeared, but he actually looked like he had died.
"He saved you?" Katz asked with wonder, bringing her horse up alongside mine.
"Yes, and you have no idea what it was like to watch it happen…"
"At least we know now that there are people who have chosen our side."
"I guess… but there are still six others out there. If I was any normal player, I'd be extremely torn between sides. I'm a huge fan of Sky, but the idea of a living person surviving in a round of Hunger Games… I just don't feel enthusiastic about trusting more people are on our side." I urged my horse onward and we rode across the desert, painfully aware of Sky and his posse that were, at this point, undoubtedly following us. We didn't dare take time to look behind us until we dismounted our horses, the sun now rising, and were able to see the approaching forms of the five on their own horses.
"Climb! Just climb up!" I urged Katz, hoisting her up a two-block wall, "I want to check my inventory to see what Jerome had dropped and what I got from the night I was out." I stopped talking to focus on climbing up the hard, stone surface of the mountainous terrain ahead, as well as helping Katz get up the higher climbs that I could make easily. I only glanced back once, but I could only see a group of horses left behind; their owners hidden amongst the rocks as they climbed in pursuit.
"You won't get away from us!" Sky chatted, his voice echoing angrily from somewhere below us, "I'll finish you and keep my server safe from hackers like yourself!"
"I'm not a hacker!" I shouted back and proceeded to ignore the replies as to keep my head clear to focus on the task ahead, "Katz, jump at me." I eventually ordered after scrambling to the top of a four-block rise. She did so and I caught hold of her hands, pulling her up.
"This is thrilling," I hear her say after she was standing next to me; "I've never experienced this sort of climbing before. Being able to get over two-block-or-higher barricades… It's so cool!"
"Yep, it must be interesting for you…" I grunted as I pulled her up over another four-block jump, "I need a break to eat." I muttered to her, feeling my stomach growl.
"Good idea. I need to eat too."
I pulled out a potato and ate it swiftly, finishing its bitter taste with a swig of milk. Suddenly, I felt my full strength return and I came to grip what I had just done. I was drinking milk! Somehow, I went and drank it almost unconsciously. I hurriedly guzzled the remaining contents and grinned when my body felt ready for anything.
"Hey, where'd you get the milk?" Katz wondered, noticing me as I drank it all.
"I must have got it from Jerome," I answered, wiping dribbled milk off of my face with my sleeve, "Oh, how much better I feel! I can't believe-" I stopped, for I heard whispering in the air. I walked to the edge of the cliff we stood on and listened harder. Sure enough, I hear whispering, and it was getting more and more comprehensible.
"I can't believe I died! And so early in the round too!" Doggieluver46 exclaimed.
"I died fighting Sky after killing Sundee. Best way to die ever!" Pokemon98 replied proudly.
"What's going on?" I asked, looking around to try and see the dead tributes, "Why am I hearing—"
"I found Wolf! Oh, she looks so cool!" Flowergirl13 shouted.
I put my hands over my ears to try and block out the sudden chats from the ones who were dead, but they didn't go silent.
"Wolf?! Wolf, are you ok?" Katz asked worriedly.
"I- I'm hearing the dead tributes."
"That's impossible! They're spectating with a separate chat!"
"Hey, wait, what did Wolf just say?" I heard NyghtCraft ask, "Can you really hear us?!"
I looked around, thoroughly startled. "How is this possible?"
"How is what possible? Are you saying you can actually hear the spectating chats?!"
"Sh!" I jumped at Katz, pushing her against the wall of the mountain behind us, "Remember that every tribute can hear your chats. If I'm not actually going insane, like I think I am, then I can hear the spectators. I wasn't able to before because I was weakened by the potions. Now that I've rid myself of their affects, I can hear the dead."
"Wow! This is so cool!" Joedoesminecraft proclaimed.
"It's like you have guardian angels, Wolf," NyghtCraft commented, "I can keep helping you even while I'm out of the game!"
"This is incredible." I admitted, releasing Katz, "I think we might actually stand a chance. With sky scouts, we can avoid enemies easier!"
"Holy moly… TheSlayer's laying it onto his team!" pokemon98 shouted.
Creeperface has been killed by TheSlayer using a stone axe.
NoMobZone3 has been killed by TheSlayer using an iron shovel.
"Whoa, talk about a stab in the back…" I muttered, shaking my head in disgust, "Anyway, Katz, we need to keep moving. Sky can't be too far behind."
"Wolf, there's a castle on the spawn side of the mountain that overlooks practically the whole arena," NyghtCraft spoke up, "If you can get to it, then you could defend yourselves against Sky and his army."
"Uh… wow… I had no idea that- Katz, do you know where a castle is on this side of the arena?"
"What? Yeah."
"We're going there instead of up."
Katz shrugged in agreement and started to lead the way along the side of the mountain. By the time we could see the dark nether-brick tower of the castle, the sun had set, and our inventories filled with, yet, more items, unfortunately nothing of more use then what we already had.
"We're nearly there," Katz called over her shoulder, "The only entrance is down here." She jumped down and I hurriedly rushed to the edge of the twenty-block cliff to see her land easily into a small waterfall and swim onto the dry land below. I've never been one with vertigo so the jump was easy and I actually enjoyed the weightlessness I felt just before I hit the water.
"Wow… that was thrilling." I commented, climbing out of the water.
"Enjoyed that did you?" Katz replied humorously, "It was exciting for me, I can only imagine doing it in real life." She stopped walking at a small nether-brick overhang that marked the doorway.
"Trust me. It was awesome," I spoke, running to her side excitedly, "So, is this the way in?"
"Yes. Just watch out for traps and stuff. The whole place is-"suddenly, an arrow imbedded itself into Katz abdomen and she doubled over; fortunately, she was only slightly wounded. A moment later and she was standing upright again.
"What were you saying about traps?" I giggled.
"That wasn't a trap," she jabbed at me, "There are no dispensers here!"
"You're right," a cold voice spoke from above. My eyes darted upwards to see TheSlayer standing on a brick outcropping that decorated the castle wall, his dark clothes blending in extremely well with the deep shadows of the night, "There are no dispensers, only me." He pulled back his bow and shot, in rapid succession and with startling precision, five arrows, all at my surprised form.
