Chapter 8: Might Ducks. A section in a book called The Blood Games Story - Written by Patrick Roseforge.
The 8th Hunger Games
I was in pretty hot water after last year. The year was full of rebels coming out of hiding, and my brother had to take care of all them. Lot's of public executions. I had no sympathy then. I still don't. I try at my current old age, but I can't. The rebels brought this on themselves.
District Four, having now two volunteers that made it out alive from the Hunger Games, setting the course for the younger generation to be interested and join a training academy for Hunger Games purposes. Seeing that District Four show excellent behavior that the other eleven haven't, President Roseforge was more abiding and allowed them to have their 'careers' as it's being coined. Makes thing's interesting for me. Gives me tributes to work with.
The Capitol was out for blood (and thankfully not mine), and so I'll give them it. These tributes didn't know what's going to hit them. It should be of no surprise that the stars of the show where District 4, that came out with two volunteering careers who outshines the others. They were Donald Westwood and Vera Dominicus. Donald being a former thief turned skilled archer and Vera being a charismatic surfer who is frighteningly good with sharp weapons. Being the first of their kind, I couldn't help score them high and expect one of them coming out on top. Wisely, these two joined up.
No other volunteers this year.
That said, there were some other tributes that made themselves noticeably. Xavier from 3 told his heartbreaking backstory about when he ran away from his abusive parents, and thanked his friends that gave him a home during his interview. The kid's tough and he seems to have a handle on weapons. Another tribute includes the impressively named Saber from 5 who in fact does have impressive skills with blades, but states that he's a pacifist. We'll see how this turns out, won't we?
The careers aren't the only one who teamed up. There's a trio that includes Rosana from 1, Bo from 8, and Nina from 3. Rosana was a rather attractive redhead, it's possible that both allies were enticed by her. Bo is a crass individual with a weakness for woman. Nina is just a computer nerd, with a similar weakness.
There's another trio as well. Howard and Erden from 9 have allied. Both simple farm hands with too much time on their hands with talent on scythes and archery. Then there's Eva from 8. She's...there.
Amusingly (for me), I found that Candance from 12 has aquaphobia. Her district partner Snowy has a laughable name. Bakti from 11 joined up with the Twelves, and he can't contribute much since he's only got one hand (lost the other in a riot last year).
District 1: Roy Frighill, 19, (6) and Rosana Rubino, 19, (6)
District 2: George Johnson, 15, (2), and Hermoine Dowling, 12, (3)
District 3: Xavier Belansky, 19, (9) and Nina DeCampo, 17, (3)
District 4: Donald Westwood, 20, (11) and Vera Dominicus, 19, (11)
District 5: Saber Nemazi, 20, (10) and Margot Pipe, 16, (4)
District 6: Gareth Boyton, 18, (6) and Erin Cooke, 13, (3)
District 7: Breeze Blueshore, 13, (1) and Amora Ramos, 16, (2)
District 8: Bo Fang, 15, (8), and Eva Mangosian, 16, (3)
District 9: Howard Spencer, 17, (7), and Erden Becker, 13, (7)
District 10: Cameron Turnbull, 16, (7) and Emilia Noble, 19, (9)
District 11: Bakti Tarigan, 20, (1) and Anita Owens, 14, (8)
District 12: Snowy White, 12, (3) and Candice Coleman, 17, (5)
Patrick's Bet: Xavier Belansky. The boy's story made me sympathetic. That said, I was skeptical of his chances.
Alex's Bet: Vera Dominicus. A popular and obvious choice for Victor, can't blame my brother. Her skills and eagerness to kill the competition would make anyone bet for her.
-THE GAMES-
There were rows of streaming water around this year's cornucopia. The center itself is free from water, but the rest of the arena is filled with some trees and lots of rivers. These rivers consist of many wooden bridges over them, and if a tribute somehow manages to get into a river, they'll be easily swept away by the quick currents of the water.
There are also some warning signs I added. All of them say: BEWARE OF DUCK.
The tributes were there, all lined up and ready to go once the countdown begins. I remembered that the President himself did the countdown this time. To strike fear into the hearts of the tributes.
Eight tributes fled, crossing the brides rather than face the open fields of the cornucopia. Rosana from 1, Nina from 3, Gareth from 6, Bo from 8, Erden from 9, Cameron from 10, and Anita from 11.
It should come to no surprise that Donald and Vera made it to the cornucopia first. A plethora of weapons and supplies laid around, and it would appear the Four's have decided to take it all for themselves.
Donald took a crossbow first, and he managed to shoot George from 2 who was going for some supplies. The arrow was a perfect shot, getting unlucky George right between the eyes.
George Johnson, District 2 Male: 24th Place, Killed by Donald. Bloodbath.
Eventually, came Vera's turn. Once finds a trident, she spots Bakti aiming to kill her with a sword. To note, Bakti is a poor fighter with one hand. Despite that, he decided to charge possibly the most dangerous tribute of this year's Hunger Games.
Bakti from 11 swung his sword poorly, and Vera easily managed to block it. She managed to push back the sword, making it hit Bakti's face instead. If Bakti had survived this, he would have been disfigured for life. That said, he only had a grain of a chance concerning survival. Vera punctured Bakti soon enough after his face bleed.
Bakti Tarigan, District 11 Male: 23rd Place, Killed by Vera. Bloodbath.
The Twelves, Snowy and Candence, were more shocked and disappointed than saddened by their ally's idiotic death. Not wanting to stay any longer, they left soon enough with backpacks.
In less than a half a minute, Donald reloaded his crossbow, and aimed at Hermione from 2. The bolt would have been the death of her...
But she was saved by Saber from 5. Whether luck or impressive skill, he blocked the arrow with a swipe of his sword. Donald was impressed, and Saber told Hermoine to run away. The girl didn't need to be told twice.
Saber got some supplies of his own, and went his own with a sword in his hand.
The career's weren't the only ones playing. Emilia from 10 showed herself a pretty good shot with a bow during her private scoring, but she wasn't using a bow, but a throwing ax. Emilia used it on a Margot from 5, who was about to leave. The ax managed to get the back of her shoulder. The girl fell down, and proceeded to cry from the pain. Emilia wasn't interested in it, and wanted to end it as soon as possible. She soon fell above her victim, and used a knife on Margot's head to end the little girls suffering.
Margot Pipe, District 5 Female: 22nd Place, Killed by Emilia. Bloodbath.
Donald once more reloaded the crossbow and aimed it at Emilia. The female tribute dodged it by a centimeter and decided to cut her losses afterwards. She took the throwing ax out of Margot's back and supplies before leaving. Always good start for tribute - a kill and supplies.
Vera was struggling with Roy from 1. The boy from One showed some backbone when Vera was gunning to kill him, but he's been lucky enough to avoid being hit by her trident. Unfortunately for him, Donald sees his teammate struggling and shoots Roy. The arrow got Roy in the leg, and Vera used this to her advantage. The Four girl cut the One boy's finger, making him let go of his weapon. Vera went to stab Roy in the other leg with a vicious grin. She went on, unnecessary, stab the boy in his limbs. Roy's pain continued until he died of blood loss.
Roy Frighill, District 1 Male: 21st Place, Killed by Vera. Bloodbath.
Breeze and Amora from 7 were fighting over a backpack. Breeze punched his district partner, knocking her to the ground. He also kicked her in the face angrily, leaving her to her fate afterwards.
Soon after, the rest of the tributes got there needed essentials and left. Xavier from 3 got a spear, Erin from 6 has a backpack with a frying pan. Howard, Erden, and Eva went together to the north. Lot of tributes went out quicker than expected.
The only one's left in the cornucopia is the Fours and Amora.
Amora stood up, placing her hands on her bloody nose. She turned a second later to see Donald pointing his crossbow at her.
Amora Ramos, District 7 Female: 20th Place, Killed by Donald. Bloodbath.
Donald and Vera got all the remaining supplies left. Once the Bloodbath ended, they went on to hunt immediately since this cornucopia is nothing but a flat defenseless land much like the rest of the arena. Disturbingly, Vera went to cut one of the deceased Bakti and Roy's fingers before they left.
Seeing that this is a flatland area, it could be easy for tributes for them to see each other from some miles away. The river could be used a defensive maneuver if used wisely.
The first day wasn't over yet. Breeze saw and laughed when the 'DON'T FEED THE DUCKS' sigh. He probably thinks it's a joke.
Snowy and Candence got lucky, however. They ran as far away as they could, sweaty and breathing heavily by the end of the day. But they eventually found a underground cave, with two small beddings. Makes one wonder how long this cave will be safe?
Next up, Emilia was soon hunted by the Fours. Seeing them immediately, she ran as fast as she could. That didn't stop Donald from shooting his crossbow. It managed to graze her shoulder. Vera also threw some knives at her, but they couldn't reach. Emilia managed to get a decent escape from them as they were following her for half an hour before Vera and Donald called quits on the whole chase.
In a different side of the arena, Xavier was just minding his own business before coming across a tree. Once reaching it for some shade, there came a surprise attack from Erin, who was hiding behind the tree. The girl from Six wanted to stab him with a kitchen knife. Xavier managed to dodge it, but it was a close call.
The boy took out his sword in this fight, and he looked ready to return the favor. He swiped at her torso, and the blood was in her shirt and his sword. Sometimes, all it takes is one hit to kill a person.
Erin Cooke, District 9 Female: 19th Place, Killed by Xavier. Day 1.
Xavier looked sick, and he went to the nearest river to go puke on. He eventually decided to go climb the tree to get a better view (not that there's much in this Hunger Games to look at) sleep close to it, and avoid Erin's body the whole day.
Hermione is the definition of unfortunate. Looks like the Four's managed to spot her, and unlike Emelia, they managed to catch up to her.
Vera's knives managed to get her foot, and once they got her, Vera decided on having her twisted definition of fun with the little girl. She kept stabbing the crying Two girl in less vital places for two minutes before finally dying of blood loss. Vera cut Hermoine's fingers, and placed them in her pockets. Donald looked away, but it's clear he's finding Vera's methods to be too much.
Hermione Dowling, District 2 Female: 18th Place, Killed by Vera. Day 1.
The trio alliance of Rosana, Bo, and Nina were just chilling and staying on guard. Nina was also trying to flirt with Rosana, to Bo's annoyance. Once the sun set, they were ready to see on the ground. They talked about life, taking turns on watch. Saber watched the sky, and frowned when he saw Margot and Hermoine as one of the fallen. Gareth ate berries, and complained he had to sleep without a bed. Cameron didn't even bother trying to find sleep on the ground and walked with drowsiness. Anita did sleep, she cried herself to sleep on the uncomfortable ground.
Day 1 ended. Day 2 started.
Howard, Erden, and Eva watched each other backs the whole time. An hour after being women up, they spotted a pack of ducks. They were traveling the river in a strangely normal speed, stopping next to the small group of tributes.
The ducks all waddled out of the river, with one duck larger the rest leading. That duck was also wearing a blue cap.
"Quack! Surrender humans!" The blue-capped duck mutt quacked imperiously.
This is my beautiful mutts of the year. I know, I know, they are adorable. With their little feet that waddle and sharp beaks. About 25 of them, with Cappy (the duck with the cap) leading them. I couldn't help but install basic speech for at least one of them.
As adorable as they are, they're still dangerous. I made them so the tributes could suffer through an embarrassing and agonizing death.
"What the hell?" Howard stared.
"I think they're kinda cute," Eva commented. Least I'm not the only one who thought so.
Of course, the ducks spread their wings and charged the trio. Howard being the closest one, they all proceeded to peak him to death. The boy screamed for help, but Eva and Erden decided to leave Howard to his fate.
Howard Spencer, District 9 Male: 17th Place, Killed by duck mutts. Day 2.
With that early morning cannon fired, the other tributes started moving.
Anita looked tired, and seeing that she skipped out on the cornucopia, she doesn't have any supplies or anything to defend herself. The fourteen-year-old found some berries to stave off her hunger, only to find them poisonous. Anita ended up puking a lot.
Breeze was going to cross one of the multiple bridges in the arena. Just for my amusement, I made the bridge wiggle. He was startled, but he didn't fall down. Breeze moved a lot quicker from that.
Eva and Erden actually asked for duck repellent from the sponsors. They did surprisingly get sponsored a can of 'Back Away Ducks' and it was uncertain (even from myself) that the repellent might be of any use.
Eventually, throughout the day, the tributes just walked around. The Fours were planning to go for another kill, and they did find another tribute.
On one side of the bridge, the Fours. On the other, Saber.
The Five kid with the kickass name eventually decided he's going to fight Donald and Vera. Seeing that Saber had the pacifistic ninja monk, whatever thing going with him, I doubted he was going to avoid looking for a fight.
"Hey, listen here!" Saber shouted. "I'm going to fight you, but I want it one on one. A clean fight, you guys hear me!?"
Donald was up for it. "I heard you. I'll be the one fighting you."
Before that happened, Vera told Donald she'll join in the fight and stab Saber. Donald heavily told her to not interfere in the fight. Vera grumbled and glared at her district partner and he walked up to meet his opponent.
Donald and Saber came face to face between the bridge, and they decided to have a small chat. These two apparently enjoyed each others company during the training days.
"So, what happened to pacifism?"
"I thought about it. You know that I don't want to hurt the weak. Those that can't defend themselves. But you don't fit that criteria."
"No. I certainly don't," Donald replied, and moved on to attack with a sword in hand.
Saber blocked it. The boy sidestepped with grace. Donald was then attacked by the quick Saber, and blocked it. The blades were closer to Donald's face than he was comfortable with. The fight went on for a few minutes, and neither tributes have yet to get a cut.
It took too long for Vera's taste, as she got bored seeing this duel. She decided to take matters into her own hands. She threw a throwing knife at Saber.
Saber managed to block it with his sword. It's clear now that his talent with a blade is epic and has nothing to do with luck (or maybe it does). He still fights on with Donald, glaring at his shame-faced opponent in the meanwhile.
Saber decided to flee, not wanting to fight a possible 2 vs 1. Donald didn't go after him.
Vera did want to chase after Saber, but the Four boy instead told his district partner to leave him alone. Just one of the few arguments the two get into in Day 2.
The drama between Vera, Saber and Donald caused major interest within the Capitol, and they were promised a fight between the two by me. Can't let them be disappointed by me, can't I?
Saber eventually got a message from me saying I promise he'll be kept safe until Day 4. When its Day 4 afternoon, he'll eventually get to fight someone from District Four. He accepted this kind offer - not that he had a choice, mind you.
Eventually the worst came to the last trio alliance of Nina, Bo, and Rosana. The three were hitting their breaking point when Nina kissed Rosana. Bo yelled loudly at the girl, but Nina yelled back and defended herself from the jealous boy. The two argued, and Rosana acted as a mediator. The girl did manage to calm the two down, and told Nina she wasn't interested in girls. Nina was disappointed and Bo looked triumphant.
This wasn't the worst thing to happen to them however. Donald and Vera were close by and they hear the shouting.
Donald saw the three tributes, and took aim with his crossbow. His arrowed aimed true and managed to get an excellent landing at the back of Bo's head. Surprising his two teammates, and ending that childish love triangle.
Bo Fang, District 8 Male: 16th Place, Killed by Donald. Day 2.
Rosana and Nina ran away immediately. Nina looked sick, turned to see Bo's corpse and Rosana told her to keep running. The two ran until they couldn't, and were exhausted by the end of it. Their chances of survival are slowly dwindling.
The Fours didn't bother chasing them in the end. They at least got to kill someone today.
Eva and Erden were chilling mostly, but they were looking at the rivers in fear now. Xavier got some sponsored some apples and pocket knives, and with it, got to eat peeled sliced apples for dinner. Snowy and Candice were still living in a cave, eating some lunchables they had on them. Let's hope they'll move before something happens to them. The Ten girl, Emilia, got some arrows for her bow. She looked ready to kill soon. Breeze ate his cookie in silence, and mumbled about his mommy in his sleep.
Forgotten Gareth and Cameron camped on opposite pieces of land connected by a bridge. They noticed each other and civilly offered truce for tonight. They honored it, and looked interested in talking to each other. Anita survived her poison berry suffering, but she's still starving.
Vera and Donald were having a more than a just little unfriendly chat with each other under the moonlight. Unfortunately, we don't have voice coverage of their conversation, but it's most likely about their conflicting ideals and Vera's cruel behavior. Their partnership is soured, and one would wonder how long it will last?
Day 3 went underway. The pride of duck mutts swam the rivers, and they found no one to eat on this day. Lucky for the tributes at least.
Breeze noticed the Fours afar, and managed to not get in their sights when he crawled under the bridge. His body was dangerously close to the fast currents, but the Fours crossed the bridge, he was under, and sighed in relief when they passed. Lucky him.
Rosana and Nina were still down after Bo's death. Nina asked her ally if they could cuddle, and Rosana accepted. At least the two allies still had each other for comfort.
Anita was still starving, and decided to drink some of the river water. It was salt water, so it only made her more thirsty. It's only a matter of time before Anita bites it. Eventually, Anita decided not to move at all, her hurting stomach only helped her in this decision.
Whether fortunate or not, Emilia saw the laying figure of Anita, and gunned for her. Anita did see the other girl, and decided to book it with all her strength.
Deciding not to chase her, Emilia went on to pull the string of her bow and aim. Her arrow got Anita. The arrow just happened to have gotten Anita's stomach. The girl from Eleven was lying there in pain, slowly losing her breath.
Emilia thought it would be cruel to leave her like that. When walked next to Anita, she put her leg down and stabbed the girl with a sword.
Anita Owens, District 11 Female: 15th Place, Killed by Emilia. Day 3.
Not long after Anita's death, another cannon was fired.
The Twelves, Snowy and Candice have been safer than most tributes, finding a safe cave to stay in. If they stayed there a few more days, I would have killed them for their inaction.
Candice, thinking over it, perhaps knew the choices were either leaving the cave with Snowy or to kill her district partner. In the end, she chose the decision that would benefit her most. Snowy woke up, and Candice took out a knife. The girl from Twelve looked hesitant, but willed herself to do this.
Snowy was appreciative when Candice kneeled down, and spoke of their concerns. Snowy and she talked a lot about their families the past few days. Snowy thanked Candice for her kindness. This probably didn't make her deed any easier.
Eventually Candice suddenly got a knife in her pocket and stabbed the shocked Snowy a few times. The boy's face dying face was wide-eyed and his bedding is filled with his blood. Candice cried a lot and moved his body outside the cave so the faculty could pick up Snowy's corpse.
Snowy White, District 12 Male: 14th Place, Killed by Candice. Day 3.
Eventually the rest of the day passed by quickly. Concerning the other tributes, Gareth and Cameron agreed towards allying with each other, with food and weapons still being a concern despite that. Saber met Xavier on that day, but didn't fight. They talked instead - about average stuff. It was an awkward conversation, but the two left each other in good terms.
Then there were the Fours. Vera and Donald seemed to argue more, and they were close to murdering each other. But instead, the two of them decided to end the alliance and go their own separate ways.
That's that. Day 4 started, and there's nothing interesting in the morning. Candice cried to herself when she woke up, feeling guilty over her actions.
But eventually, she heard footsteps close by and takes out her knife. Two figures found the cave and went in - they were Gareth and Cameron.
"Stay where you are!" Candice shouted with a knife at hand.
The boys from Six and Ten stopped in place, and said they have no weapons. Candice was suspicious, but recalled that they ran away from the cornucopia. The three talked it out, and Candice decided to let them stay in the cave. They are all weary of each other, and time will tell how this true will go.
Xavier, meanwhile, has the unfortunate luck of getting tangled up with the duck mutts. He was perplexed at first, but then Cappy opened his beak, "Perish human!"
In a second, Xavier got Cappy. The duck leader was the first to strike, and Xavier slashed Cappy with a sword. Killing the duck mutt. I was saddened by it.
Leaderless, the other duck mutts were going scattering around, most of them went to the river and swam away. Three of them attacked Xavier, but the Three guy still managed to kill them without much effort.
Xavier looked at the dead ducks around him. "Can I eat these?" He asked no one in particular.
I cried a little when he ate Cappy (my precious little killer duckling). At least Xavier seems to find him delectable.
But the moment of truth has appeared. Donald and Saber were both given sheets of paper on where to meet. The sun was up, and the boys that come from Four and Five were to meet up under a tree. They saw each other once more, looking forward to a rematch. Saber was happy to see Vera wasn't nearby, and Donald agreed with the sentiment.
The two didn't talk. They just nodded to one another in respect and put their swords out in front of them. Saber made the first move, getting his sword to cut Donald's shoulder, and in return, Donald cuts Saber left arm. Both boys went all out this time around, both swinging and dodging under the tree.
In the end, it was Saber that managed to slash Donald's torso. Stepping back a few steps, Donald tried and failed to block Saber's next attack when he pierced Donald right in the stomach.
Donald Westwood, District 4 Male: 13th Place, Killed by Saber. Day 4.
Saber moved Donald's body to lean on the tree. After a moment of silence, he left his fallen foe. That fight was worth the wait.
Erden and Eva were walking once more, uncertain in their future plan other than their survival. Eva and Erden went on top of a bridge, and they noticed a flock of familiar ducks. Eventually, they didn't want to bother them, finding their smell repugnant.
However, they were still flying over the bridge mindlessly, and they managed to push Erden from the bridge and into the dangerous water. Eva was close to falling over herself, but managed to stay on the bridge. Unlike her ally.
Erden Becker, District 8 Female: 12th Place, Killed by duck mutts and river. Day 4.
Eva was left alone, and she looked as if she was considering jumping off the bridge herself before deciding otherwise.
Eventually, Saber himself had to deal with some mindless duck mutts. It would come to no surprise he killed five of them.
Nina and Rosana were starving, and they begged for sponsors to give them food. It never came. Lucky for them, they saw Saber nearby and saw that he left some dead ducks on the ground. They pretty much ate well tonight. Along with that, Rosana decided to humor Nina's crush and kissed her. Nina 'squeed' so something of that nature. So that alliance might last. Some people in the Capitol appreciate the romance, at least.
Vera was getting pretty bored of not finding anyone, but she was sponsored some food and medicine. After a while, she decided upon playing with those fingers she collected. Acting as if they were action figures and not severed digit organs.
Breeze was doing alright, just ate some berries. Many are surprised the rude boy still didn't find anyone today, despite her efforts, but she'll try again next time. Cameron, Gerath, and Candice are still safe in their cave for the time being. Xavier met a crying Eva. The boy from Three looked confused, but went to her and comforted her. Eva was appreciated Xavier's kindness (and the fact he didn't kill her). She offered him an alliance. He was very hesitant, but agreed to it.
So with another surprising late-game alliance, despite Day 5 just starting.
The loner Saber was a Capitol favorite and many wonder why he was so good with a sword.
I discovered it was because he was a medieval larper. Yup, he liked to dress up as a knight, and found he had an incredible talent with a sword. Apparently, larping could very well be accidental 'training' until the rules. Best enforce it next year.
In this arena, I wanted there to be two caves. One a safe zone, the other a trap rigged to explode.
Sadly for Saber, he found the trapped cave. And once he got inside for half a minute, it exploded. It should be a painless experience. Saber's body was pretty much charred when the employees found him.
Saber Nemazi, District 5 Male: 11th Place, Killed by exploding cavern. Day 5.
Many (me included) wish he didn't die in such an anti-climatic way. But nothing can chance the past from happening.
Vera and Emilia were the only ones still hunting tributes. And it's getting pretty boring, so I decided to spice things up a bit.
The bridges were now set to shake. Some bridges were just shaking a little while others were acting wild. Practically going sideways. It'll be tougher for them now.
Rosana and Nina were on one when the event started, and the bridge tilted left and right. Rosana was about to fall off, but was saved last-second by Nina.
Back to the trio of Candice, Gareth, and Cameron. Well, Candice has nightmares. This leads to a rather sudden death. Cameron woke her up and the girl stabbed the boy in torso with her nearby dagger. Both of them were shocked, and Cameron was bleeding out.
Gareth woke up then, and looked at them. He called Candice a monster and wanted to strike her. He did manage to punch Candice, but not kill her. The girl from Twelve eventually left with nothing more than a dagger. Gareth was holding Cameron's body, listening to his allies last words.
Cameron Turnbull, District 10 Male: 10th Place, Killed by Candice. Day 5.
With that alliance (or truce?) over quickly, lets move on to the last two alliances.
Rosana and Nina met up with Xavier and Eva. The last two alliances talked to each other cordially, talking about general stuff and about awkward Hunger Games topics. Eva proposed an alliance, but no one else was interested in something so risky. Wishing each other good luck, the two duo alliances separated.
It wasn't too long that Xavier and Eva had another random tribute encounter. Gareth had some rocks on him, and a backpack. He was also more wary of strangers now.
He threw some rocks at the two, managing to get Eva's face. The girl screamed, and it seems that her nose got a scar from this.
Gareth was getting tired from running away all the time and now he wants to fight someone. He kept throwing rocks at the two. Between him and those two were a rather shaky bridge. Gareth perhaps thought he could make the two fall down when they cross the shaky bridge.
Xavier took the chance and went to kill him. Crossing the bridge and dodging the rocks, he ran right to Gareth. The boy didn't get too long to regret his hostilities before Xavier cut his throat with his sword.
Gareth Boyton, District 6 Male: 9th Place, Killed by Xavier. Day 5.
That was the last death of Day 5. With Gareth's death, only eight tributes remain.
The Final Eight: Rosana Rubino from District 1, Xavier Belansky and Nina DeCampo from District 3, Vera Dominicus from District 4, Breeze Blueshore from District 7, Eva Mangosian from District 8, Emilia Noble from District 10, and Candice Coleman from District 12.
Day 6 started, and what a day this will turn out. Not a whole lot happened. Everyone was just walking and talking. Candice looked relieved last night when she saw Gareth's face in the sky, but she's back to looking miserable when she seems her cave has been closed down (by me). Vera was pissed she didn't find any tribute for so long.
But someone has got to kill another that day. Breeze woke up, looking like he had a good dream this time around. But eventually, across another river, he saw Emilia with a bow and arrow aiming at him. His expression pretty much says 'oh shit' before Emilia's arrow managed get him in the torso.
Breeze Blueshore, District 7 Male: 8th Place, Killed by Emilia. Day 6.
Emilia was satisfied that she managed to get someone after hunting for so long. She eventually got a sponsor who gifted her food and a explosive arrow. The arrow is extremely flammable and Emilia became more wary as a result.
Xavier and Eva were talking about their respected families while Rosana and Nina were making out. Nina seemed to be more into in that Rosana (many of my advisors told me the girl might simply be manipulating her).
Now, on to day 7. It starts with Vera asking for something specific to the audience and was eventually sponsored the location of a tribute. Her bloodthirsty grin said she was going to make it special. The person in question was Eva.
Eva and Xavier were just minding their own business, but eventually they noticed Vera running to them. The two wanted to run away, but the bridge behind them began to shake wildly that made it look like it was dangerous to go across.
Vera went to cross her own bridge, and the three of them were stuck in their own triangle shaped land bordered by water currents.
The girl from Four went in and threw some knives at them, Xavier and Eva dodged it thankfully. The two of them charged, seeing that they had no choice in the matter.
Eva tried to strike with her spear, but Vera's trident blocked it. The same goes for Xavier's sword. After a few lucky sidesteps from all sides, Eva was the one to get the first strike. The younger girl managed to stab Vera in her side, getting blood on her weapon.
Vera, pissed at this sudden pain, repaid Eva's attack with a trident to her opponent's stomach. Eva's gasped in pain, and Xavier looked grief-stricken. Eva went to the ground, clutching her stomach.
Vera laughed at this, Xavier called her a monster. The girl shrugged at the insult, and told him some insane gibberish about keeping their fingers after she kills them. Many aren't sure why Four trained a girl that's not clearly all there mentally, and reasons for her behavior is unknown. In her files, it's been shown she's from a loving family with this finger obsession being sudden.
In any case, Xavier went to go kill this woman. Vera dodged backwards, but it's noticeable that she's slowly edging to the river. Vera went in for a stab, but Xavier narrowly avoided it and went for the kill.
He got his sword to pierce Vera's torso. Xavier left the sword there and Vera left go of her weapon while moving back. The career girl eventually fell backwards towards the river. Splashing there, her corpse traveled where ever the river went with red liquid following.
Vera Dominicus, District 4 Female: 7th Place, Killed by Xavier. Day 7.
Hearing a cannon fire, Xavier went to downed ally. Eva wasn't doing so well, and the two didn't have any medicine or bandages to use.
Eva was crying and saying that it hurt, Xavier tried to soothe her. Five minutes later, she got delirious, asking for her family and died from blood loss.
Eva Mangosian, District 8 Female: 6th Place, Killed by Vera. Day 7.
A saddened Xavier crossed the bridge. It was shaking anymore when he went through it.
The others, Candice was asking why she was still alive. Emilia hunted down some geese (of the non-mutt variety). Nina and Rosana were cuddling. But everything tribute remained tense with the exception of Nina, who was more at peace than the others.
You'd think it would be quicker with a flatland arena, but the rivers were a constant pain in the tributes butt when it came to actually crossing it. Ranged weapons would be a better companion, and Emilia was the only one who had once.
Day 8 came about, the last day. I set the bridges back to normal setting, and intended to destroy them if the tributes wanted to use them to escape.
Candice woke up first, she walked around and she eventually found Rosana and Nina sleeping on the ground (how can they be so comfortable with that?). The girl from Twelve attempted to sneak on them.
Sadly for Candice, Rosana woke up and once she opened her eyes to see the approaching tribute, she sprang up in surprise and got up. This woke Nina as well, and now the romantic girl couple are ready to fight the other girl.
Candice was the only one with a weapon, having a dagger. She did indeed intend to swipe and stab them, only to fail uselessly as her attacks missed. Rosana followed by punching Candice in the liver, making the Twelve girl fall to the ground.
The two lovebirds then kicked Candice while she was on the ground without mercy, making her bruised and bleeding all over. Rosana saw the dagger her opponent dropped and eventually used it to kill her.
Candice Coleman, District 12 Female: 5th Place, Killed by Rosana. Day 8.
An hour later, it was decided that the Finale will take place. The bridges were set to lead them to each other for this.
"The Finale is here! Everyone, you know what to do!" I screamed out from the air. Alex and I never really found the need to get a announcer. I also found some fun doing stuff like that.
Xavier took Vera's trident, Nina and Rosana had each other and a dagger, and Emilia had a bow with one particular explosive arrow. The latter weapon would now be the perfect time to use.
Emilia was at the center of the arena first. Having her arrow ready for any of tributes when they come.
It wasn't long after till Rosana and Nina came along. Emilia spotted them crossing a nearby bridge and fired her explosive arrow. The two noticed and ran for it. The arrow got to the bridge, and blew it up. Luckily, Rosana and Nina made it out in time. Then, they charged Emilia.
Emilia, meanwhile, got a bastard sword on her and swiped away when Rosana came to close with her dagger. Rosana got a cut to shoulder blade, and the two backed away from Emilia.
Xavier came by a minute later, using one of the other bridges in this cornucopia. The boy noticed the girl with the bow fighting Rosana and Nina. He went in to join the fight.
Being surrounded by all sides, Emilia made a desperate attempt to stab her closest enemy. That happened to be Nina. Emilia gave defenseless Nina's arms red marks, something that greatly angered Rosana as she moved managed to swipe at Emilia's torso. Nina and Emilia were both on the ground, but only Nina was still moving a second later.
Emilia Noble, District 10 Female: 4th Place, Killed by Rosana. Day 8/Finale.
Rosana went to her girlfriend, telling her sweet girlfriend meaningless platitude. At least all the doubters (there were a lot of them in the my workplace) in Panem leaned that Rosana cared for her after all. She kissed Nina, placing her hands on the sides of her face. Xavier looked real awkward standing there.
There's a bit of a dilemma now. All three of these tributes are mostly friendly towards one another. Xavier and Rosana hesitated for a bit, clearly not looking forward to what had to come next. Regardless, they had to. I even reminded them by making the ground shake a little.
Rosana looked at Nina, and the girl tossed aside the dagger and got Emilia's bastard sword instead. She faced Xavier, and charged at him.
Xavier killed her with one swipe of his trident.
Rosana Rubino, District 1 Female: 3rd Place, Killed by Xavier. Day 8/Finale.
Nina cried with an ugly face. Xavier looked like he's the one in pain. In the end, both tributes from Three remained. The three boy walked forward to his district partner, hesitating to striking to what amounts to a wounded deer. Nina only said one thing to Xavier...
"Please kill me..."
Xavier obliged her request with a heavy heart.
Nina DeCampo, District 3 Female: 2nd Place, Killed by Xavier. Day 8/Finale.
Xavier Belansky, District 3 Male: 1st Place. Victor of the 8th Hunger Games.
-THE AFTERMATH FILE-
8th HG:
Name: Xavier Belansky(M)
District: 3(#1)
Age: 19
Bio: He belonged to factory-class parents, both who abused him physically and verbally. He ran away from them when he was ten years old and came across friendly orphans. He made friends with them, stole with them (he's got the scars on his back to prove it), and fought off other kids as well. His job was of a criminal variety, but Xavier told others in his interview that he has given half of his money to the orphanage where his friends came from.
Victory Tour: His tour wasn't a nice one, he was moody after his victory and Peacekeepers had to restrain him once when he yelled at his escort. Half of the Districts booed him for one reason or another. District Four were silent, they didn't mind him killing Vera, but they didn't thank him either. In his home District, Nina's family threw rotten food at him.
After the HG: Xavier becomes more solemn after his Hunger Games, rarely cracking a smile. He had a bigger house now, but he rarely left it unless he had to. He wasn't popular in District Three with Nina's family doing a smear campaign - telling people he's a criminal vagrant. Didn't help that Xavier never bothered to defend himself. He never married or dated anyone, and he gave most of his money to charity (well, he gave money to his friends who handled the process). The only places in his District where he was warmly greeted were the orphanages.
-THE VICTOR LIST-
1st HG: Fjord Nightbreeze (1#, District 1)
2nd HG: Arabella Tamon (1#, District 4)
3rd HG: Rosa Weaver (1#, District 8)
4th HG: Gunther Bryan (1#, District 11)
5th HG: Holly Coleman (1#, District 7)
6th HG: Paula Beltramo (1#, District 2)
7th HG: Finn Kevera (#2, District 4)
8th HG: Xavier Belansky (#1, District 3)
A/N:
Alex: Are you telling me that you made a river-based arena with ducks mutts because a duck bite you that one time six years ago?
Patrick: Yes.
Alex: ...Seems legit. One problem I find myself having trouble is the whole District name grammar. Should it just be '5' or written with letters like 'Five'? I think I'll do both at certain times if no one disagrees.
Patrick: What a neeeeerd.