Chapter 21: The Ultimate Hunger Games Battle

Author's Note: I suppose Chapter 20 was a little short, and therefore, unsatisfying. So I have posted Chapter 21 a little early to make up for it. This chapter is badly written, but I didn't know how else to write it. Sorry. I worked very hard on it though, so, tell me you like it. Enjoy.

A hologram of Claudius Templesmith then appeared in the middle of the clearing. Just like the other message at the fire pit in the Arctic forest, this was a recording.

"Congratulations Tribute! This cache of weapons is all yours, compliments of the Gamemakers! You are presently locked inside this clearing, you may walk free if you can pass the Gamemakers test of physical strength and fighting skill! Good luck! Happy Hunger Games! May the odds be ever in your favor!"

Then the from other paths leading into the clearing came 50 of the half mantis half gorilla-like creatures, only they seemed to be able to step through the force field from the outside.

The tributes dropped their backpacks so they would have maximum mobility.
The Mutts let out of their mouths the loud sinister sounds that were half belch and half growl, and then attacked the tributes, 12 to 13 to every tribute. The creatures appeared slightly weaker and slower than the average human, and they fought like children, no strategy, no skill. Just straightforward, aggressive, predictable attacks, their only real advantage being superior numbers.

Blaze swung his long handled spiked hammer at the head of one of the creatures and bashed its face in with a spurt of blood. He did it again and again and again at all of the creatures that surrounded him.

Irene threw her trident like a javelin and speared one of the creatures through the heart. She then grabbed an axe that was on the rack beside her and threw it at another one of the creatures, the blade burying itself in the creature's chest. She quickly slung a quiver of arrows over her shoulder and picked up a bow. She was not a master archer like Katniss Everdeen, who had a perfect aim from a long distance target. Irene's aim was pretty good, but with only short distance targets. She quickly shot down creature after creature as they came towards her. Eventually they got too close and she dropped the bow and grabbed up another trident so she could fight in close combat. She swung the trident back and forth, slashing open deep gashes in the creatures, stabbing them, and whacking them.

Susanna did not wait for the creatures to get to her, she ran to them. She tripped them out from under their legs, high jump kicked them, swung her battle staff over her head back and forth, whacking them again and again.

Amanda threw a volley of knives, taking down a whole bunch. She drew her sword and jabbed, stabbing the creatures through the heart, and slashing her sword, cutting deep gashes in them, or chopping off their heads and other limbs.

The fight was over quickly. The four, strong, fast, fully armed tributes had taken down the 50, slow, weak Muttation-warriors with ease. 'It had actually been kind of fun.' they all had thought. 'Though a bit of a joke.'
Then there were about 25 more of the creatures that came into the clearing.
Then a voice came out of a speaker from somewhere.

"ROUND TWO! ... FIGHT!"

The creatures attacked, this time only 6 to each tribute. This time however, their fewer numbers did not make them easier to fight, for it seemed that as a group they were only as strong as their weakest link, and they all seemed stronger, and faster, and their attack was less aggressive and more wary.

Irene threw her trident, picked up her bow and began firing arrows. The trident missed as the creatures dodged out of the way. Two of the arrows hit their marks until she pulled a trident out of a dead creature laying beside her and fought them up close.

Susanna grabbed a spear and threw it through the heart one of the creatures. She swung her staff sideways, hitting three of the creatures in the head at once.

Amanda gritted her teeth, and got angry, and threw knife, after knife, after knife, hard, killing most of her opponents before they even reached her. She then quickly dismembered the rest.

Blaze swung the spiked hammer this way and that, burying the head of the spiked hammer in the heads of the creatures, breaking their bones in their limbs, and other parts of their bodies.

The four tributes finished with the second wave of the Muttations without injury just as they had with the first wave, though it had taken a little effort, and they were panting from the exertion.

In the Mentors control room:


Katniss Everdeen watched on the screen as her tribute fought Mutt after Mutt that seemed to get stronger with every wave.

She had never really though about it before, but knew on a subconscious level, ever since she first saw Amanda, (other than the pink hair) she looked exactly like her sister Prim, almost an identical twin by facial appearance. Now she understood. She always felt that there had been more to her wanting to help save Amanda than her original pretense of feeling sorry for voting President Snow's granddaughter into the Games, maybe this was it, on a subconscious level.

Katniss watched the third wave. The creatures were 12 this time, but again were even stronger, faster, and smarter than before.

"ROUND THREE! ... FIGHT!" said the voice on the TV.

The Mutts were quite formidable this time. As Katniss watched the screen, she saw all four of the tributes throw weapons of different kinds, taking down a whole bunch. But the ones that fell to the ground got back up, and appeared merely weakened, but still strong and fighting.

It was an extraordinary and exciting fight (for the audiences benefit), just as Caesar Flickerman had promised, as the Mutts were now strong and fast enough to deal cuts and bruises to the tributes. As the tributes made use of the vast store of weapons on the racks to slowly kill the Mutts one at a time, as they didn't seem to die easily.

"Susanna, watch your back!" shouted Blaze.

One of the Mutts slashed at Susanna with it's sword-like arm. Susanna caught the sight of it in her peripheral vision while also aided by Blaze's warning, but was distracted by the Mutt in front of her and didn't dodge in time and a deep gash was opened in her arm. She slid to the side fast and whacked the Mutt in the head so hard she shattered it's skull.

Amanda stabbed the Mutt in front of her through he heart but it continued to fight. She chopped off it's sword arm, and it continued to fight. She chopped off the other arm, and it continued to fight, though feebly. She then stabbed it through the gut, and it was still on it's feet.

"Why won't you die!" shouted Amanda angrily, frustrated it was still alive.

She then chopped the Mutt's head off, finally killing it.

Katniss watched as her tribute was now alone and turned to help her allies. Blaze was fending off two of the Mutts with his spiked hammer, but was essentially on the defensive, though two more were on the ground with bleeding heads and broken skulls. Amanda quickly decapitated them from behind, and then they went to help Susanna who was fending off three. They ran up behind the Mutts and Blaze buried the head of his spiked hammer in one of it's skills, and Amanda cut off another of it's heads. Susanna then dispensed with the last one.

They all ran over to Irene who had several new bruises and cuts. She was bleeding and sweating profusely as two of the Mutts lay on the ground and had the handles of tridents sticking out of their hearts, and she was fighting two others with a look on her face of pure rage.

Irene stabbed and slashed with her sinister looking, razor-sharp, five bladed trident at the two Gamekeeper's laboratory grown monsters that would not die. Her knuckles were white as she gripped the handle of the weapon, the muscles in her bleeding arms were flexed, and her bloodstream was coursing with adrenaline.

Irene's fellow tributes arrived behind the backs of the two Mutts a moment later and Amanda chopped off the heads of the two Mutts.

They all looked around as they clutch at their knees, gasping for breath.

87 of the warrior-like Muttations lay it on the ground all around them with weapons of different kinds sticking out of them and severed limbs. Amanda lay on the ground her arms and legs splayed out, her sword still in her hand, her hair and face covered in blood and dirt.

Katniss listened to their conversation on the screen as Blaze crouched down beside Amanda.

"You all right Amanda?" asked Blaze.

Amanda let out a sigh of exhaustion.

"I just wish we were back at that tropical pool right now." said Amanda in response to Blaze's question. "To feel all the filth and grime wash off of my body. To dry off in the tropical heat while laying naked on the sand." She then reached up and stroked Blaze's chin and then ran her finger down to his collarbone. "Make love under the sun." she said in a seductive voice, and then kissed him on the lips.

"Well, as soon as we get out of here, lover." said Blaze eagerly. "As soon as we get out of here."

Irene reached into her backpack that was lying on the ground and pulled out a large bottle of water.

Amanda replenished her throwing knives.

Irene walked over to Amanda and offered her bottle of water to her.

"Thank you Amanda." said Irene gratefully in her strange Capitol accent. "The Mutts would have had me if you hadn't taken their heads off."

Amanda held her sword close to her as she faced Irene, reserved, but trying to be non-threatening. She then politely accepted the bottle of water.

"When I first saw you, before the first 50 creatures came, my first instinct was to kill you." Amanda gestured at her two other allies. "Since there's only seven of us left the competition is getting a little tight. I didn't want our alliance to be any bigger than three."

Amanda takes a swig of water, gargled, and then spit out a mouthful of pink water, and then wiped a trickle of blood off of her mouth with her sleeve. She then took another swig of water and swallowed and then handed it back to Irene.

"You guys have no idea what I have been through." said Irene.

"It hasn't exactly been a picnic for us." said Amanda, in a tone of indignity. "At this point Irene, I think we all have been through the same thing."

"My backpack didn't have much in it to begin with after I killed Klay Randolph at the bloodbath." said Irene, "Just the water bottle which was empty, some plastic utensils, a bottle of health vitamins, a cigarette lighter, and a container of melted butter. Took me a while to realize that we are on a network of islands, and that the environment is different for each one of them. Call me naive. I made myself a wooden spear out of a tree branch, I managed to catch a few rodents, I had swept the edible plants station in the Training Center, and even found a few freshwater streams to replenish my water bottle with. That went on for the first eight days, until on the eighth day, the island I was on began to sink. I managed to stay on dry land until about a few hours ago when the island east of here began to sink right when I was in view of the West bridge leading to this island. I tried to make my way around the beach to the south bridge, when I was then attacked by a swarm of giant tentacle covered cockroaches." Irene had said the last sentence with a tone of revulsion and discust. "They were all around me except right behind me leading into this freaky mushroom jungle. I've come across a variety of five other bizarre savaged beasts which gave me most of my injuries that I have now. It seemed that as long as I took the path that was leading in this direction, I was safe. Again, call me naive, but it didn't occur to me until just now that that was a little too convenient."

"Well, for now, as far as we can tell, we are stuck inside of this clearing until the Gamemakers choose to set us free." said Amanda.

"I saw the faces in the sky." said the 17-year-old blonde girl. "I know who your allies were. I'm sorry but May, Hector, and Lisa."

"May died quickly in the opening bloodbath." said Amanda solemnly. "Lisa drowned to death in water when the grassland island sank four days ago. Hector died yesterday, slowly and painfully at the sadistic hand of Martha Filmer." Amanda looked over at Susanna who was binding her own wounds with gauze and tension bandages from the first-aid kit. "Hector was avenged...It's in the past now."

They sat there in silence for another minute.

Susanna pulled an axe out of the chest of one of the dead Mutts and threw it at the tree line. With a loud zap, the axe bounced off of the force field.

"It looks like a Gamemakers still aren't going to let us go, at least not just yet." said Susanna.

"You think they'll send another wave against us?" asked Irene.

"Whatever they send against us now will be even harder than before." said Susanna.

"It seems that the Mutts are getting stronger and harder to kill for every wave that is sent against us." Surmised Blaze.

It was then that Katniss saw on the screen four of the warrior-like Mutts enter the clearing. This time each one held a shield in their right hand.

Caesar Flickerman's TV studio:

"Oh my God!" said Caesar Flickerman with a tone of disbelief. "That battle was extraordinary, and has far exceeded the thrilling action of any other battle in the Hunger Games, before!"

The crowd cheered and applauded.

"But it is not over yet, ladies and gentlemen. There is more to come in a few more minutes. The Gamemakers would like you viewers to know that if these four attributes want to win, they will now have to face a whole new challenge they will face four of the warrior-like Muttations that will be virtually unbeatable! Now of course the Gamemakers are not giving our fair tributes here a fight that they cannot win. The Gamemakers would like to reassure you that the creatures will die in the fight, it will just take an awful lot of punishment from the tributes, that's all. These four tributes have come so far, and tried so hard, and we are rooting for them! So what do you say we give them our support and hope that they can leave the island alive?!"

The crowd cheered and applauded their support.

Back in the arena:

"ROUND FOUR! … FIGHT!"

The four warrior-like Muttations each went for a separate tribute.

Susanna attacked. Her's was very fast and agile, dodging her blows. It swung at her with its sword like arm, she parried the blow with her staff, swung the butt end of the staff at the creature's head, but it blocked with its shield. It leapt at her, its superior strength knocking her to the ground. She landed on her back in the slime on the ground of the alien planet. The creature swung its sword down on top of her but she dodged out of the way in time, got back on her feet and began whacking the creature left and right with both ends of her staff, the creature blocking every blow.

Irene jabbed and slashed the creature with her Trident, but it blocked with its sword and its shield. It slashed at her again and again but she countered with her weapon and dodged the side. The creature got under her guard several times giving her a few more cuts, though she kept dodging away during mid-cut, so the cuts were never deep. She lunged forward managing to get past the Mutt's shield and sword and jabbed her Trident through the creature's neck. The creature appeared uneffected and kept on attacking her. She began to give into despair that this creature was somehow unkillable or something.

Amanda released a volley of knives, several were deflected by it's shield, one was knocked away by its sword arm, one lodged itself in the creature's shoulder. The creature kept coming. She drew her second sword. The second sword was heavy, and it was hard to swing it fast, but she tried the best she could. The creature was more than twice her strength and slightly faster. She swung her swords hard and fast, hitting its sword arm and shield again and again. The creature stayed strong and seemed to show no fear and feel no pain. But Amanda kept up a strong defense and the creature was not able to get past her guard. Amanda tried to trip the creature, but the creature was fast and much too smart for that. The creature tried to trip Amanda, but Amanda equally countered the move. She managed to get a few cuts onto the creature's arms and legs but the creature still felt no pain nor was it affected by the meager injuries.

Blaze flexed his strong muscles in his arms as he held his heavy spiked hammer and swung it. It banged hard against the creature's sword arm and its shield, the weight of the hammer, and the force of the impact was too much for the grip of the creature's right hand, and the shield was knocked right out of it's hand. Blaze kept swinging back and forth, harder and harder, hitting the creature again and again, though the creature never went down.

The fight went on for several more minutes.

None of the tributes were dead yet but they became more tired and more injured.

Irene Avion was knocked to the ground, and her Trident was knocked out of her hand. The creature stood over her, it's sword raised high and was about to strike her down, when with a last burst of adrenaline, Irene picked up the bow that was within arms reach while she was on her back, and in one last desperate move, pulled out an arrow, and in less than a second, fitted it into the bowstring and pulled back, shut her eyes, and blindly release the arrow without aiming. The arrow entered the creature's open mouth at point-blank-range, went right through the roof of the creature's mouth and up into the brain, and by mere luck, pierced right through the creature's brain implant, triggering the 'Gamemakers'-Muttation-failsafe'. The creature's body then fell to the ground completely limp and did not get back up.

Irene was astonished. She didn't think that it would actually work. But she didn't question her luck. With renewed hope she had renewed energy. She grabbed up her Trident. She ran within close range of Amanda, stuck her Trident into the ground and then began shooting arrows at the back of Amanda's opponent. The creature turned around and faced Irene. Amanda took the opportunity to stab her opponent in its back with both swords, but the creature was still unaffected and still felt no pain.

Blaze still kept on whacking his opponent with his hammer, but then he aimed for his opponent's legs. The creature was smart and fast, but not fast enough. The Mutt got hit in the legs hard, and fell to the ground flat on it's back. Blaze lifted his hammer up high and slammed it down on the creature's forehead, crushing the skull like an egg and damaging the creature's brain implant, triggering it's failsafe. The creature did not get back up.

Suzanna I was drenched in sweat as she continued to keep up a good defense. She felt that her best chance of surviving now was waiting for help from her teammates. She noticed with subtle glances around the clearing that her teammates were winning against their opponents so she then stopped trying to go on the offensive against her opponent and was now deliberately aiming for a stalemate, which was to stall for time until her fellow tributes could help her out.

Amanda chopped at the creature's neck, expecting it to sever, but it didn't, it felt like the bones in the creature's neck were as hard as metal. She stabbed her sword at the Mutt's right arm, disarming it from it's shield. Blaze slammed his hammer on the creature's sword arm and they heard a loud crack within the arm. Irene finished off the rest of her arrows then discarded her empty quiver and bow, retrieved her Trident and stabbed it into the creature's upper back between the shoulder blades. With tremendous strength, she lifted the creature off of the ground, off of it's feet, and then slammed it down on the ground. Amanda stabbed her heavier sword through the creature's heart. Blaze slammed his hammer into different parts of the creature's body again and again hearing loud cracks on the bones. They paused for a brief moment as the creature slowly, with great difficulty, attempted to get back onto its feet.

With uncontrolled anger from extreme frustration towards the creature that wouldn't die, they continued to stab and hit the creature again and again, until finally the laboratory grown monster was at last, dead.

All four of the tributes converged on the final creature. They disarmed the creature from its shield and it's sword arm. They each gave the creature multiple jump-kicks, continued to stab it, and whack it again and again. The Mutt was flat on its back, and simultaneously, Susanna Xavier stabbed the butt end of her staff through the creature's heart, Amanda stabbed her sword through the Mutt's lung, Blaze's hammer buried into it's chin and neck, and Irene's Trident through it's liver. The creature's arms and legs continued to stubbornly twitch for another few moments, but then finally fell limp, and the creature did not get back up.

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