Chapter 11: Cutting Losses
The Victors disappeared into the depths of the building to make their way to the helm of the committee. Out in the pit, a group of referees guided the competitors into a large heated dugout nestled within the walls surrounding the dirt field.
Relieved to be out of the cold, if only briefly, Venatrix made her way to the rack of weapons conveniently placed within accessibility of the trainees. Near it, a large jug of water had been laid out on a table with some cups and a handful of first aid materials, along with some medical personnel; a more encompassing first-aid station had been constructed deeper into the building in case of more dire emergencies.
Even though it wouldn't be her turn for a while, Venatrix grabbed herself a training sword from the rack, stepping out of range of any potential victims to give it a few practice swings, testing its weight. Satisfied, she claimed a seat near one of the heaters, settling with the blade across her lap as Oberon's voice called Agate and Alystra to the dueling floor over the loudspeaker. Agate strode past Venatrix on her way to the mat, spear gripped tightly in hand. She paused long enough for Venatrix to squeeze her shoulder, whispering, "Good luck, Aggie."
Agate nodded curtly, stepping into the pit where Alystra already waited. Looks like she's taking a leaf out of Iago's book, Venatrix observed, noting the shortsword in her hand and the belt of throwing knives strapped to her hip. Just outside the bounds, a cautious referee stood with raised hands while Agate and Alystra prepped their attacks. At his shrill whistle, the girls charged, the large, digital stadium clock counting down from two and a half minutes.
Most of the duels didn't last that long, and this was no different; while she was able to dodge the flurry of knives Alystra sent her way, Agate barely managed to block the strike from her opponent's shortsword. Agate's first strike swept through air, though her second connected with Alystra's shoulder. The girl retaliated quickly, ducking under the next swipe of Agate's spear to press the suddenly-visible knife in her offhand to the skin of Agate's throat.
Agate froze, and Venatrix let out a sigh as the referee's whistle blew again, signaling her friend's defeat. The clock had barely ticked down ten seconds.
Alystra was announced as the winner, and the girls were dismissed, Oberon's voice calling the next pair out onto the floor. To her credit, Agate kept her shoulders straight as she slid behind the gate of the dugout, Alystra at her heels. Thankfully, the latter made the choice to brag about her victory rather than rub in Agate's defeat; it was clear where her priorities lay.
Grabbing herself a plastic cup of water, Agate unstrapped her helmet, plopping down next to Venatrix on the bench. "Could've been worse," Venatrix said, gently nudging her friend. Agate only shrugged, running a hand through her already-mussed hair. Percy appeared a minute later, prepped with words of encouragement, though Venatrix only half-listened while the next duel commenced before them. She watched through narrowed eyes as Olympia's dual katanas cut straight through the defense of Marleen's longsword, landing hit after hit until a lapse in Marleen's footwork allowed her opponent the opening. Venatrix vowed not to make the same mistake, as she very well may end up facing Olympia herself.
Attentively, Venatrix followed the progression of the duels, pausing only to remove her helmet and retie her hair, tucking her mid-length braid under her skull so her opponents wouldn't feel tempted to grab it. After the fifth duel, she stood, bouncing on her toes to get the blood flowing back into her muscles.
Skirting out of range of Agate and Percy, Venatrix ran through the warmup drills again with her sword, keeping an eye on her performing competitors. Trailing the motions of the duelists with her eyes, Venatrix responded with her sword as if she were out on the dirt, the blade cutting swift arcs through her imaginary opponent.
Simultaneously too soon and not soon enough, Oberon called her name through the loudspeaker, beckoning her and Poppy Styx to the pit. With a curt wave to her friends, she marched out, head high and shoulders back. The fervor of the crowd sent a rush of adrenaline running through her bloodstream; she took her place in the square counter to Poppy, her grip on the hilt of her sword loose but firm, controlled.
All eyes were on her, she knew, but their weight felt like nothing compared to her father's stare, boring holes through the back of her head even though she couldn't see it.
Right now, however, the only thing that mattered was her opponent. Like herself, Poppy stood at the ready, muscled coiled to strike, near-aching in the three seconds of unfiltered tension just before the whistle sounded.
Venatrix struck like one of Percy's arrows, blindingly quick and with pinpoint accuracy; Poppy reacted slowly, as if the weight of her sword dragged her down, barely blocking what would've been a match-ending blow and earning herself a hit to the arm for her shortcoming. Venatrix didn't bother waiting for Poppy to retreat, pressing her attack with precise strikes. Forced on the defensive, Poppy fell into a pattern of blocks and parries.
It didn't last. Venatrix's blade locked on hers; with a flick of her wrist and a flourish of her sword, twisting Poppy's weapon from her hands. The girl's expression of shock held only long enough for Venatrix's finishing strike to crack against the padding of her helmet, and she dropped like a sack of rocks, red hair splayed out on the dirt.
A flicked of worry sprouted in Venatrix's stomach as the referee blew his whistle. But Poppy shifted — albeit slowly — into a kneeling position, retrieving her sword and gradually standing to her feet.
Venatrix didn't offer a hand; that would only insult the girl.
Instead, as her father announced her victory over the microphone to the cheering crowd (the satisfaction only subtly evident in his voice), Venatrix waited for Poppy to steady herself before walking off together.
Back in the dugout, a measure of excitement had come over the boys in anticipation for their first round of duels. Poppy slunk away towards her friends before Venatrix could say anything (not that she'd been planning to), and Venatrix found herself swarmed by Percy and Agate, their expressions of congratulations bringing an automatic grin to her lips. Even Iago gave her a slap on the shoulder, which she returned with an elbow to his ribs. "Your turn, kiddo," she prodded.
"Sucks that we can't go against each other; I'd kick your ass."
Venatrix chuckled, exchanging a look with her friends. "Aw, isn't that cute."
"I'm serious."
"Pay attention to the duels, dumb-ass." She jerked her chin towards the pit where Lancelot had disarmed Sanji with a well-placed flick of his sword.
Percy, who had been watching as well, scoffed appreciatively. "Sanji didn't stand a chance."
"Aw," Agate cooed, ruffling his hair.
"It's true," Percy huffed from his seat on the bench, batting her away. "I don't even know why they let those seventeens up, let alone him." He jerked his chin towards Iago, not even giving the boy a glance, his eyes remaining fixed on the next duel commencing in the pit.
Iago nudged him in the back, a little too sharply. "No prisoners today, huh, Perce?"
"Knock it off," Venatrix snapped.
Ignoring Percy's glare, Iago shrugged off, presumably to tease Sanji about his defeat. The three of them watched the rest of the duels in relative silence, making passing comments about the winners' techniques, the losers' mistakes.
They neared the end of the first round, Oberon's voice calling for, "Maragos, Tyberius and Pyke, Iago."
Venatrix watched as Iago's gaze zeroed in on Tyberius's obvious knee brace as he retrieved a set of throwing knives and a shortsword from the weapons rack, pausing by Venatrix on his way out. "This'll be fun," he muttered, a predatory glint in his eyes.
"Purposely injuring someone will get you disqualified," Venatrix reminded him pointedly.
He smirked. "I'm not even qualified in the first place."
As Tyberius headed out after him, Venatrix gave the older boy a nudge. "Hey Ty, kick his ass for me, will you?"
"Yes, ma'am," he said with a mock salute, rushing out to meet his fate.
The promise, however, was not meant to be kept. Granted, Iago didn't immediately go for the older boy's injury, which likely lured Tyberius into a false sense of security that he wouldn't. But Iago's attacks and feints grew more biased, forcing Tyberius to put more pressure on his injured leg, as evidenced by the pained expression on his face. Unbalanced, he fell to Iago's quick combination of dual blades.
Percy swore. "I'd ask if your dad rigged it, but—"
"The names were alphabetical," she interrupted.
"I know."
Iago returned grinning, Tyberius M. limping. "Hey, Perce, if you win, it's gonna be us next."
"Oh, I know," Percy said dangerously, slinging a quiver of arrows on his back as his name sounded over the speakers. He strode purposely out onto the field, Tyberius W. joining him a few steps behind. They set themselves up a good distance from each other, Percy with his arrows and Tyberius with a hefty quantity of javelins.
At the whistle, Tyberius immediately loosed one of his projectiles, which Percy, who'd already begun moving from his starting position, easily dodged. Despite the greater quantity of arrows in Percy's quiver, he was more hesitant to release them, instead keeping a smart distance between himself and his opponent, ignoring the shortsword on his belt.
Out of the corner of her eye, Venatrix saw Agate watching the procession of thrown javelins with a thoughtful look on her face; in the pit, Percy hurriedly dove underneath his opponent's next throw. He tucked into a roll, rising to one knee and drawing an arrow from his quiver in a smooth motion.
Before Tyberius could react, the arrow found itself buried in his chest, blocked from real injury by his armor, but a defeat nonetheless.
Percy returned with a pleased expression on his face as they announced the end of the first round over the speakers, a roar rising from the crowd as the tournament progressed. Having received their break while the boys went, the second round for the girls commenced immediately, with Alystra and Olympia facing off to begin. Gathering her sword, Venatrix ran through her warmups again, keeping the duels in sight as usual. Olympia's katanas proved no match for Alystra's quick knife-work, hardly a surprise in Venatrix's eye. As much as she detested the girl, her skills were nothing to scoff at.
Of course, Venatrix had no intentions of losing to her when the time came, and she was sure it would. If Alystra proved to be as careless as she'd been during the summer mocks, their eventual match wouldn't be an issue at all.
A more pressing problem came in the form of a rather mousy archer.
"Peckard, Coquina and Pyke, Venatrix!"
Coquina had won her first duel just before Venatrix; now, she gave Venatrix a hesitant smile as they walked to the square together, her only weapon a bow and quiver slung over her shoulder. Venatrix nodded curtly in response, and the smile faded.
Slipping into a fighting stance, Venatrix ran through various potential methods of defeating her, most involving getting as close in as possible, as Coquina had already set herself up a decent distance away.
All, really, considering Venatrix only had a close-range weapon.
When the whistle blew, she did exactly that, sprinting head-on towards the smaller girl. Quickly, Coquina loaded an arrow, and Venatrix changed direction just as she drew her arm back, the arrow landing well off-mark. Zigzagging closer towards her opponent, Venatrix dodged three more arrows, batting one away with her sword as it came too close for comfort.
A look of panic flashed across Coquina's features, but Venatrix ignored it, slashing her sword at the girl's chest. Her opponent dove out of the way, rolling across the dirt in a similar manner that Percy had done, but less fluid, the time she took to adjust her arrow enough for Venatrix to get within range again. With her empty hand, Venatrix shoved away the bow as Coquina fired — the arrow again missing the mark by a mile — and leveled her sword at her opponent's chin.
Again, the shrill whistle marked another victory for Venatrix.
Without a word, Coquina stood, turning her back on Venatrix as she walked stiffly back to the waiting area. Someone's a little testy, Venatrix thought with amusement, following at a more relaxed pace. Coquina had long since disappeared into the throng of competitors by the time Venatrix got back, and she snagged herself a cup of water, tossing it back in one swallow.
Near the entrance, Agate rolled out her shoulders as she prepared to go next, starting the first round of the loser's bracket. If Venatrix kept up her winning streak, Agate would have to crawl her way up the bracket for them to fight. Giving her friend a hearty slap on the back for good luck, Venatrix took a seat next to Percy, watching as Agate ran out to the square to face her next opponent.
Apparently, Agate had taken some inspiration from Tyberius W. — as soon as the referee blew the whistle, she chucked her blunted spear square into Marleen's chest, the blow forceful enough to knock the girl flat on her ass.
Venatrix almost choked on her second cup of water. The match hadn't even lasted a second; poor girl would probably have bruised ribs for months.
Agate jogged back into the dugout, grinning like the devil.
Marleen's defeat marked the first elimination from the tournament, and she was quickly followed by three others before the boys took their turn again.
Fitfully, Percy's head flicked between Lancelot, about to start his next match out in the pit, and the other trainees still waiting, his knee bouncing rapidly. "He'll be fine, Perce," Agate said, resting her elbow on his shoulder from where she stood.
"Huh? Oh, I'm not worried about him," Percy said dismissively. As they watched, Lancelot stood fast while his opponent charged; in a swift array of parries, Lancelot disarmed the other boy, winning his match. "More worried about me," he said, almost under his breath.
"It's just Iago," Venatrix said passively. "Feel free to kick him around a bit."
Agate snorted, but Percy didn't respond, only shrugging indifferently. Soon enough, Percy and Iago were called to the pit, the latter looking far too excited. He gave a hearty wave to the crowd as they cheered for him, and Venatrix rolled her eyes at her brother's arrogance.
The whistle sounded, and it was immediately clear that Percy couldn't use the same strategy as he had for Tyberius W. Iago expertly danced around him, chucking a knife or two every other second for good measure; even Percy had trouble following his erratic zigzagging, his arrows just missing Iago by a hair. To Percy, she knew, it felt like a mile. She winced as Iago's knife caught him in the shoulder, just enough to throw off Percy's shooting while her brother came in close with his dangerous dual sword-knife combination.
Drawing his own shortsword, Percy managed to block Iago in time; they weaved around each other, drawing out the duel. Venatrix could see how Percy itched to string his bow again, but Iago refused to give him the leeway — can't shoot with only one hand.
For a second, Venatrix wondered if they'd run out of time. The fact that it had gone on for this long was impressive in itself — on Iago's part. She could practically feel Percy's frustration in the way he swung his sword, so far from his weapon of choice.
The time constraint was clearly on Iago's mind too; in a change of tactics, he landed a sharp kick to Percy's wrist, knocking the sword from his grasp and bringing his own an inch from Percy's nose. At the whistle, Iago's face split into an even-wider grin; his mouth moved as he exchanged words with Percy, seemingly ignorant of the stiff expression on Percy's face. Venatrix and Agate shared an uneasy glance. Iago shouldn't be making it this far.
Percy didn't say a word when he returned, shrugging off his friends' instances that he fought well. It was the truth, even if it had ended in his defeat.
The tournament seemed to drag after that, Percy's mood bringing down the room; for Venatrix and Agate, at least. Venatrix did her best to make note of the boys' techniques for the first round of their losers bracket, but she doubted any of them would end up joining her in the real arena when the time came. The most interesting thing that happened was when poor Tyberius M. had to be carried out on a stretcher for his injury. They shouldn't've let him compete, Venatrix thought with a wince as she prepared for her next fight. Her quick victory came as a relief, boosting her spirits when she caught sight of her father's approving nod from the stands, her mother's smile of encouragement. However, having won her third match as well, Alystra was slated to be her next opponent; Venatrix doubted she'd have such an easy win there.
In the second round of the loser's bracket, Coquina squarely defeated Agate, surprising just about everyone in attendance. It had been a close match, though even someone of Agate's stature couldn't handle two arrows to the chest.
"That's one down for Trixie and the Blondies," Alystra sneered when Agate and Coquina returned to the dugout.
Agate merely rolled her eyes at the snickers of Alystra and her friends. "Hey, I get to sit back and watch you three now," she said, nodding towards Venatrix, Percy, and Coquina. Even though she'd been eliminated from the tournament, Agate seemed more impressed than upset by Coquina's win, offering the girl a genuine congratulations.
Ignoring the conversation striking up between them, Venatrix turned her attention back to the tournament. Lancelot again swept the field for the boys while Iago won his third duel against seventeen year-old Arthur and his throwing stars; he hadn't been lying when he'd said his aim was better. Percy thankfully won his next match as well, knocking the younger Sanji from the tournament.
The fourth round offered Venatrix a breather with the winners' brackets sitting out while they waited for the losing bracket to catch up. Thankfully the four duels didn't take up too much time; Venatrix watched closely while Coquina won her match again, wondering if she'd end up fighting her in the finals, though defeating Alystra would have to come first. Percy won his fourth as well, the two victories blessedly putting him in a better mood; Venatrix needed all the encouragement she could get for her upcoming duel.
Finally, Venatrix's name sounded over the loudspeakers again. With well-wishes from her friends and Coquina, she strode out to the field, chin high, the rubbery grip of her sword handle firm between her fingers. Sinking into a starting stance, she gave it a few experimental twirls, slicing through the chilly air, her eyes never leaving her opponent.
Alystra stared back, just as focused. Too focused to even taunt her properly; Venatrix felt a flicker of satisfaction at that.
Bouncing on her toes, she grinned lightly, breath huffing in clouds before her face — at the whistle, she leapt forward, batting away the initial incoming knife that Alystra had been using to rattle her opponents right out of the gate. She followed through with a lunge; Alystra retreated, narrowly avoiding the blade. Recovering into Alystra's personal space, Venatrix swung again, a cross-body strike that Alystra only dodged by a hair.
Unexpectedly, the girl drew her shortsword, attacking with a series of quick strikes. Gritting her teeth, Venatrix blocked one after the other, sensing a pattern.
With a sharp thrust, she interrupted it, her blade catching Alystra in the shoulder; the girl's glare turned menacing as she sent a knife flying right by Venatrix's ear. Subtly, Venatrix tried to count the number of knives left in her belt, earning herself a blow to the side as her focus slipped. Alystra's arm drew back again, no doubt another knife in hand, and Venatrix dove to avoid it, barely rolling out of the way in time. Immediately, she sprang back to her feet, charging at Alystra with a vengeance; the girl took out another knife, but she didn't throw it, gripping it tightly in hand in preparation for the attack.
Too used to fighting Iago, Venatrix avoided the cut from her offhand knife, leveling her sword to feint towards Alystra's left; obediently, Alystra moved her weapon to block and Venatrix changed direction, the point of her sword slamming into her opponent's chest.
Alystra grunted in surprise; at the referee's whistle, she halted, her features twisting into a scowl as she recognized her defeat.
Venatrix allowed the smile to creep back onto her face, the blood still singing in her ears as her father's voice announced her the victor.
She only glanced back at Alystra long enough to see the girl spit on the ground.
Anger curled in Venatrix's stomach, wrinkling her nose. As much as she'd rather throw down her sword and sock Alystra in the jaw, she merely took her exit towards the dugout, not bothering to wait for her opponent.
A/N: And the Tournament's in full swing here ! We've already seen some eliminations (rip Agate), but there's still room for others to make comebacks.. Plenty of pedestals to fall from (: So far, Venatrix and Iago are doing pretty well, as are Lancelot and Alystra (up until that last match, at least...) Percy and Coquina are chilling in the loser's bracket after suffering defeats from their respective Pykes; what are the chances of either of them climbing back to the top?
Since Venatrix won her match here, she'll be fighting whoever wins the loser's bracket in the finals; any guesses who that might end up being? And what about the boys..? I'm curious what your predictions are ! :0
Also as a side note since I kind of feel like rambling here.. I hadn't really expected it to take This Long to get to reaping day when I started writing this, but honestly? I'm not mad about it. There are a couple more things I want to touch on before we get there (lmao you'll see what I mean soon enough), so I hope you guys are enjoying this bit. This.. is going to be a Really long story. The pre-Games and Games themselves will most likely end up being longer than the entirety of Widow based on what I've got in mind and that's not even including any of what I've written here, so. Hehe. Vibing.. Anyways. See y'all when I see y'all !
- Nell