He'll bide his time.
.oOo.
Dimitri Muller, 16
District Two Male
3 Kills
To everyone's surprise, Thetis throws away her weapon.
"I'm not going to turn on you like a dog," she says firmly. "We're going to sort this out, one way or another, and we'll do it right. No betrayal, no funny business. We'll settle it so that only the victor truly wins."
Triton drops his weapon, and Dimitri sets down his sword on a crate. They agree.
"So… how will we choose?" Triton asks, looking around at the group. Dimitri doesn't have an answer - he had never quite thought of what to do if his final battle wasn't a battle of pure combat and skill, and Thetis frowns.
"We can draw straws - knives or something can work too. Shortest straws battle it out, winner faces the longest straw." A beeping noise surprises them all, and they glance up to see a sponsor gift drifting from the ceiling towards them. Thetis opens it up, setting down the top of the metal container.
Inside are three straws, all different lengths.
"Well, I guess that this is it." Thetis puts the straws into her hand, and beckons to Triton to choose. "You choose first, then Dimitri. I'll take the last one - I don't mind."
Triton pauses, looking at every straw before quickly taking one and hiding it behind his back. Dimitri chooses one at random, and then Thetis opens her hand. "Let's compare, shall we?"
Triton is lucky enough to have the long straw - Dimitri's and Thetis' own are measly in comparison. The Twos look at one another, swallowing down their nerves before walking towards their weapons. "If I die, put up a fight worthy of a Two," Thetis tosses towards Dimitri.
He nods. "I will."
They take a second to breathe and gather their emotions, then they charge at one another. Thetis fends off Dimitri's first strike with her naginata, the long pole blocking his chance at getting a strike in. Dimitri retreats, knowing that he won't be able to get close to the girl from Two until she lets her guard down. Her pole, affixed with a blade at the end to ensure that she can still fight as easily as the others, is too long for him to get close to her and try to strike.
He'll bide his time.
The sunlight dances through the glass and onto their faces as they keep fighting, illuminating the golden metal of the cornucopia. Thetis is starting to get winded from blocking Dimitri's attacks, and Dimitri can see that Triton is starting to look nervous from where he rests near the cornucopia. He'll have to keep an eye on the boy - he doesn't know if Triton's loyalty lies closer to Four or Thetis, but he doesn't care to find out.
He'll have to be careful.
Thetis lashes out when Dimitri starts to get lost in thought, and he cries out in pain. She's hit his bad arm again, and the arm is starting to bleed once more. He shoves a hand down his arm to wipe away the blood and smears the stains on his pants, then swings at Thetis once more. Her naginata holds, but Dimitri can see the dent that he left in the weapon this time.
He's getting closer to finishing the battle.
.oOo.
But instead of a cannon blast, he hears Dimitri scream as well.
.oOo.
Triton Clifford, 17
District Four Male
4 Kills
Dimitri's starting to win the battle, and Triton is nervous.
Yes, the boy from Two is getting closer to defeating Thetis as he lashes out once more with his large sword. Thetis is holding her own, but Triton can see her tremble under every blow that's dealt to her naginata - if she doesn't find a way to trick the boy, she'll lose this.
He knows that he's supposed to be the golden boy from Four. He can't win dishonourably - he has to let this play its course. He has to wait, then fight whoever's left when the battle is over. He hopes it's Thetis, he hopes that one of them gets a chance to go home and meet each other's family and get a chance to live their life, to put something of their families back together.
But no, they're not going to get that chance - unless he manages to beat Dimitri in this fight. But Dimitri is strong, and Triton doesn't know if he can take him if he's able to keep it up like this. All he has is his trident. If he could use something he's good with, like throwing knives, he'd be able to put up much more of a fight - but he can't. He's made the promise not to ages ago, when he decided that his victory would be one fitting of District Four.
He doesn't know how he'd be accepted otherwise.
But Dimitri is starting to turn the tide in the battle even more quickly than Triton imagined he would - he's able to get past Thetis and land his first proper strike, a glancing hit that bashes Thetis' arm. It doesn't cut the skin, but it knocks her down as she scrambles to grab her weapon back.
Dimitri doesn't let her.
Kicking the weapon away, the boy swings at Thetis' arm. Triton closes his eyes at the scream, not wanting to hear what happens next.
But instead of a cannon blast, he hears Dimitri scream as well.
Although her arm's a mess, Thetis has grabbed the hilt of the sword to shove back at Dimitri. It cuts through his shirt and leaves a streak of red, Dimitri pushing back at Thetis before leaping back. For a second, they both inspect their wounds to make sure that they aren't too serious. When they're satisfied, they grab their weapons and continue to fight.
But Dimitri is taking large, confident swings at Thetis, while she's starting to get sloppy. She almost loses her grip on the naginata while trying to land a hit on Dimitri, who aptly dodges before sending his sword straight towards her head. It doesn't hit her, but gets tangled in her long hair before Dimitri rips it free. Dirty-blonde locks of hair are sent flying to the floor, and Thetis hisses at Dimitri before throwing her naginata at his side.
Instead of trying to dodge, Dimitri swings back and sends the naginata flying away. It hits a window and bounces onto the floor, where Thetis dives to get it back. Dimitri swings at her ankle and must hit something, because she screams as she rolls over and holds the naginata above her head. "I'm not… I'm not..."
"I'm sorry." Dimitri swings down once more, but Thetis pushes off of his legs to avoid the sword before she hits the wall. She tries to get up, but whatever's been sliced to bits in her foot causes her to stumble and fall back down again. Dimitri steps on top of her and raises his sword, whispering something that only she can hear before letting the sword fall into her side.
Thetis screams, and suddenly Triton can only see red. It's like something inside of him has caught fire, and he can almost feel the smoke rising out of his ears as he watches Dimitri finish his twin - his sister off.
Before the cannon has a chance to send its cry through the chalet, Triton's trident leaves his hands and heads towards Dimitri's head.
.oOo.
It's too late for that, though. Now, he has to fight the boy whose sister Dimitri just killed - the one that Dimitri considered his friend.
.oOo.
Dimitri Muller, 16
District Two Male
4 Kills
He hears the trident flying towards him before he hears the cannon. His instincts, honed from years of working at the academy - years that he had thought he had wasted, he thinks with a wry smile - lets Dimitri duck before the trident lodges into the wall, vibrating from the force that Triton used to throw it.
But then Dimitri runs - because Triton's found more tridents, and he'll use them all until he hits Dimitri.
But he's actually in the final two, he realizes as he darts through the mess of fallen crates and weapons before sending a trident flying with a swing of his sword. He had never expected to make it this far - he didn't think that the gods would decide that one of their worshippers deserved the chance to win.
He always thought that it would be someone like the girl from Five to make it to here against Triton, hopefully beating out the volunteer to fulfil the wishes of the gods. He rooted for one of the reaped, one of the people who were supposed to be here instead of the volunteers.
But does he really think that? He doesn't know. Triton's been a good guy through the arena - a good aim, too, Dimitri realizes as a trident nearly takes his head off - and he worked well with Dimitri. He considered him his friend, and if they weren't in the arena they might have bonded more. Dimitri should have treated him kinder at the beginning, let him know that he only wasn't going to work with them because of his morals and not because he thought that he was better than the career pack.
Along the way, somehow, he bonded with the career pack. He doesn't want to hurt them now, doesn't want to kill again - it hurts to know that he killed Thetis. But he did it, he has to own up to it. And he has to do it again.
But if…
It's too late for that, though. Now, he has to fight the boy whose sister Dimitri just killed - the one that Dimitri considered his friend.
Kind gods wouldn't do that to a - no, he can't think like that. He can't blaspheme the gods. He shouldn't do that.
Well, that's what he's supposed to not do. But everything in his rational brain is screaming at him that this is wrong, that he shouldn't do it like this, that no one should have to do this to someone else.
Maybe… maybe the gods are…
Triton's taken advantage of Dimitri's momentary pause, sending his trident flying towards Dimitri's chest. Dimitri dodges, but it hits his left arm - one sharp prong digging into the fleshy bit of his upper arm and staying there. He yanks it out with his right hand, tossing the weapon aside and acting as if it doesn't hurt.
It does.
Triton's down to his last trident, though, and he stalks towards Dimitri with a wild, raging glare that pierces through Dimitri's calm. "You'll pay, you know. Last battle - it's time to forget everything. Only one of goes home, and it'll be me."
When Triton jabs the trident at Dimitri's chest, he dodges and returns the blow with a swing of his own. They've given up trying to dodge and run - it's time to fight.
It's time to let the gods decide.
He only can hope they'll be merciful, but he doesn't know if that means he or Triton wins.
He doesn't want to find out.
.oOo.
Triton lunges forward and hopes that it'll be enough to trick Dimitri into getting himself killed.
.oOo.
Triton Clifford, 17
District Four Male
4 Kills
He's angry now, but he can't stop his temper from boiling over until he lunges at Dimitri and tries to spear him with the trident. He can only hope that it'll be his path to victory, that it will help him slaughter the boy from Two instead of the other way around.
The boy's sword comes flying towards Triton, but he blocks it with his trident. The golden weapon quivers from the force of the blow, but holds firm - it needs to hold firm, or he'll have nothing left to work with. Triton knows that he isn't faster than Dimitri, and without his trident he won't be able to get to another before Dimitri's sword tears him to pieces. He has to make a move, do something right before it's his turn to die.
He doesn't want to die.
He channels that anger and fear into a vicious push, knocking the sturdy boy from Two off-balance before Triton spears him with the trident. It's too shallow to do serious damage, but the boy lets out a broken gasp between his teeth before wrenching backwards. He's hurt - maybe hurt enough for Triton to get in another swing.
Before he can do that, however, the boy flicks his wrist and the sword goes flying and oh Panem Triton's hand is gone his hand is gone his hand is nowhere to be seen -
It's almost impossible now to handle the trident with only one hand, so Triton lunges forward and hopes that it'll be enough to trick Dimitri into getting himself killed.
And it works - the boy doesn't anticipate Triton coming back so quickly. He doesn't move as the trident pierces his chest, splintering his ribcage as it digs into his chest. But it must have not pierced any vital organs - not badly, anyway - because the boy slashes at Triton's upper thighs before he staggers away and sinks to the floor. He doesn't bother to remove the trident - he must have decided that he'll lose too much blood if he does.
Triton feels woozy as well - those cuts to the thighs must be deeper than he thought. He looks down and, sure enough, it's cut through his pants and has gone deep into both thighs. He knows that's bad - there's a memory in his brain telling him that it's really bad to be cut there, but he just wants to lie down and rest. His breath feels more shallow, rapid, like he's panicking, and suddenly he is. He doesn't want to die. He doesn't want to die.
He sinks to the floor beside Dimitri, and they lie and wait to see who'll die first.
Triton's mind is starting to fog, and he glances over to see if Dimitri is still there. He's lying still, very still, and for a glorious second Triton thinks that he might have finally died. But no, Dimitri manages to let out a weak cough before sinking back into silence. There they both wait, playing one last game - dying games, Triton thinks. They chose the wrong name for the Hunger Games, didn't they?
He's starting to get very cold - oh, so cold as the minutes wear on. Did someone open a window? Did Dimitri try to run out of the door and away from Triton? He tries to lean over and see if Dimitri's still there, but he can't muster up the strength to do so - he's so tired that he just wants to…
He just wants…
He just…
To go to sleep.
Everything's turning dark now, and Triton tries to raise a hand and gesture to Dimitri that he's finished, the game is over, they can go home now. But he can't, and he falls into a darkness that never seems to end.
The trumpets never come, and he keeps falling until he doesn't feel anything at all.
We! Have! A! Victor!
3rd: Thetis Clifford, District Two Female; Killed by Dimitri Muller. Created by AmericanPI.
Pi, I'm so sorry.
Thetis was AWESOME. Like, really awesome - if she was in a full SYOT, she would have done even better than she did here imo. She was part of a really cool pairing that I'm glad I got the chance to explore, and it was fun to have a nice, lighthearted silver girl. She was a great addition to the pack and one of the reasons why they did so well this year, working with the group to create a well-oiled machine that got to the final three on their own. But she wasn't as strong as the guys, and she was as tired as they were - one mistake, and she was a goner. She made that mistake. Thank you SO, so much, Pi, for this awesome girl.
2nd: Triton Clifford, District Four Male; Killed by Dimitri Muller. Created by AmericanPI.
I'd like to have one of those speeches about how Triton and Dimitri kept switching back and forth as potential victors, but that isn't true at all. Dimitri has been my victor since the moment I received his form, and Triton was merely just one of the careers. But as I kept developing him through the Games, I got to know this anxious guy who just wanted to win in the one way he knew how, and really fell in love with his character. He got to the finale because of the fact that the careers were astounding this year, but also because he led them so well - without his guiding hand, they might have fallen earlier in the avalanche or against Tracks, so on and so forth. I feel really bad to do this to you, Pi, but I hope you understand that Triton was a joy to write. Thank you.
Victor: Dimitri Muller, District Two Male; 5 Kills. Created by RoadieMcRoadface
Dimitri was my victor as soon as I read his form - I know that he was originally created as more of a lighthearted tribute, but I LOVE tributes like Dimitri - and I saw a ton of potential in his character that could lead to some cool arcs. He started out as a blunt, stubborn religious guy who wouldn't change his views if you tried, but death changed him - he started to bond with the careers that he had realized could be more than suitable allies, but friends that he could work with. It was hard for him to fight them, but he's nothing if not a fighter. The fact that he slashed large blood veins in Triton's thighs caused the boy from Four to bleed out ever so slightly faster than Dimitri did himself, and the seventeenth Hunger Games found themselves a victor. I really enjoyed this guy, and I hope you all are happy with his victor. Thank you so much to Roadie for Dimitri - it looks like two times is the charm for you!
That's our finale - we have a victor! We'll have an epilogue tomorrow, and then we'll finally be finished with Caveat Lector. Ahh, I'm not ready to let go of this :')
What did you all think? Anyone deserve the victory more than our victor? Let me know in a review! Thanks to everyone who's stuck around - you all were awesome, and I hope you submit to my next story. Yeah, a new SYOT is coming around in May/June, and I'll be sure to notify you all when it happens! It's going to be a wild one...
Enjoy. Until next time, TheAmazingJAJ