Chapter Four: The First Day
Mithos - North Cornucopia
The scorched earth around the Cornucopia was full of nothing but fragments. Shreds of weaponry, blackened chunks of what used to be food, and charred fabric made up the majority of the debris around them. Small fires continued to burn around the ground, and one particularly large inferno near the mouth of the Cornucopia prevented either him or Genis from entering the actual structure. While they searched, he kept his eyes up, and his ears open. He knew others were around, hiding just beyond the reach of the trees, and waiting for them to make a mistake.
"This is all I can find," said Genis, holding out a couple of soot-covered wands. "You have any luck?"
"No. The explosion ruined everything. Until that fire by the mouth opens, we can't even get in to see what danger there is—"
He trailed off when he heard a twig snap. He and Genis both turned to the edge of the forest, where several leaves were shifting out of time with the rest of the leaves swaying in the breeze. He and Genis shifted into combat stances, as a blur shot out of the taller branches. The blue-and-white figure tumbled through the air and landed on the edge of the Cornucopia. Mithos and Genius spun around, training a wand on the figure. He didn't remember her name, but he knew she was from District 8.
"I have no intention of attacking you," said the girl. "This is reconnaissance for me. Truce?"
"If that is the case, you'll agree not to take anything from the Cornucopia," said Mithos. "Genis and I are in control of it."
The District 8 girl smiled, raising her voice. "Funny, I must make this agreement, but you'll allow District 2 unrestricted access? Doesn't seem fair."
"What?" gasped Genis.
Mithos followed his gaze to where the black-haired District 2 girl was digging through a clump of embers, searching for something. She picked her head up at Judith's words and, upon realizing she was spotted, hurried backwards into the tree lines. Genis took his wand and shot a bolt of some sort of magic at her, but it missed by a wide margin. He started after her, but Mithos stuck his hand out and stopped him.
"Don't let them separate us; they may be working together," said Mithos.
"I know, but what if she gets one of the good weapons?" asked Genis.
"I'm not really seeing anything worthwhile here," said Judith, sighing. "Well, I guess I'll go back to my Cornucopia instead."
"Your Cornucopia?" exclaimed Mithos. "You made it all the way to this one already?"
"Of course," said Judith, smirking. "I've no intention of staying in one place."
"I don't trust her," said Genis. "Mithos, what should we do?"
"You have one final warning: leave, or we will destroy you!" snarled Mithos.
"Oh, good. I was hoping for some excitement," she said, grinning.
She leapt from the top of the Cornucopia, spiraling gracefully through the air. She hit the ground at a dead sprint. Genis and Mithos both shot magic spells at her, but she was much faster than even Mithos had expected. She'd definitely been holding back in training. She stopped briefly to give them a sarcastic smile and wave, before she jumped onto a low-hanging branch and disappeared into the canopy of trees.
"I'll be watching!" she called after them.
Mithos followed the shifting leaves until he couldn't see them anymore. She was gone, but she'd be back. She was toying with them. It was another person who didn't take District 9 seriously because of how young they all were. She'd just keep playing with them, wearing them down until they were too tired to fight back. Then, she'd take the Cornucopia for herself. That had to be it. Mithos fumed; he wasn't about to let that happen!
"Let's go after her. We're not finding anything useful, and I doubt she'll leave us alone," said Mithos.
"Yeah… I'll show her how strong we are," said Genis. "Let's go!"
The two boys ran towards the forest, following the gentle slope to the outermost ring of trees. The shafts of light peeking through the gaps in the leaves made it much easier for him to see, but there was no sign of the girl. He and Genis gazed in every direction, trying to hear the sound of jumping, or anything else that might betray her presence. He heard nothing… until the sound of quiet voices rose behind them.
"I don't think we'll find anything here, Puck," said a female.
"C'mon, Quinn, it's the Cornucopia! It's not like the Game Gods would just let it all get destroyed," replied a male.
Genis and Mithos dropped down in the tall grass at the edge of the forest. They watched the District 11 duo pick their way through a side of the debris that Mithos and Genis hadn't gotten to yet. They took turns digging while the other kept watch. If anyone else was in the trees, nobody made any effort to attack. They appeared unarmed, at least from that distance. Mithos and Genis looked at each other.
"This could be our first break," said Mithos. "We could get easy kills on them."
"Y-yeah… I guess," said Genis, biting his lip.
"Don't let your courage fail now, Genis," whispered Mithos. "This is our chance. Remember: we can show all of District 9 that half-elves are capable of great things! They're our enemy; we must destroy them for all of us to make it home alive."
"Yeah… yeah, you're right," said Genis. "It's… it's not like fighting Desians, or monsters… but it really is just another fight, right? I'll do it. Let's get 'em."
"That's the spirit. Now, follow my lead, and stay low," said Mithos, leading them out of the brush.
Quinn – North Cornucopia
"What even is this?" asked Puck, holding out some black-coated parchment.
"Let me see that," said Quinn, examining the rune drawn on it. "It's a scroll. This is a spell of some variety. I… think it's some sort of enhancement spell?"
"What, like in those commercials with the old white dudes? Gross, man, there's children here!" said Puck, wrinkling his nose.
Quinn hit him with the parchment. "Seriously, Puck? Now is not the time!"
"I know, I know, just trying to break the tension. They really did a number on this place," he said, kneeling and running his hand through the layer of ashes.
"Those two boys from 9 went after the girl from 8," said Quinn. "I lost sight of them after that. Do you think they can take her?"
"The way she moves? They won't get a hit in on her-hey, look at this!" he said.
From the ashes, he pulled out a handsome set of throwing knives. Twelve in all, they were strapped to two belts that Puck immediately strapped on. He modeled them for Quinn, who smirked and rolled her eyes.
"Very nice," she said, kneeling down to examine a small backpack. "Hey, this has a little bit of food in. We should be set for the rest of the day, at least. Let's get out of here?"
"C'mon, why rush off now? We've got this place to ourselves! That never happens this early," said Puck. "We'll just let the fire burn down, see what other crap we can grab, and then we can get out of here—"
"We won't let you do that! This Cornucopia is ours!"
Quinn screamed and Puck jumped, whirling around and whipping one of the small knives out of its belt holster. The two boys from District 9 were back, standing on the far side of the Cornucopia. The silver-haired boy had one of those magic wands pointed at them, and the blonde boy clutched a lethal-looking scythe. Their faces were set in rage. Quinn stepped behind Puck, as he held out his arms to shield her from view.
"What do we do?" she whispered to him.
"These little brats don't stand a chance. He can't even swing that scythe, probably," Puck whispered back.
"Maybe, but they're from District 9. That's one of the tougher places, isn't it?" continued Quinn.
"They're still half our age. We can outsmart them. Trust me, and follow my lead. Okay?" he hissed back.
"I… all right, I will," replied Quinn.
Her body shook, her muscles wouldn't stop tensing, and nausea coursed through her. She looked around the ash-strewn area for some sort of weapon, but she couldn't find anything. All she had was the bag of food in one hand, and the scroll in the other. As panic clouded her mind, she tried to think back to the training they'd done over the previous few weeks. How did they explain how to use scrolls? Was it the same as using the wands, or was it more akin to the crystals and boxes? Did she even have the magical stamina to do it?
"Final warning! Leave, or we will end you!" cried the boy from District 9.
"You talk a big game for such a little man," said Puck, striding forward. "You gonna back that up, or just stand there all day?"
The blonde rushed Puck, swingin the scythe wildly in front of him. Puck threw his first knife at the boy, but he deflected it with the huge, bladed weapon. Puck swore and jumped backwards, narrowly missing a swipe from the boy. He dug another knife out of the belt and threw it again, this time missing wide. Quinn screamed at him, splitting her vision between the fighters, the other boy, and the ground. How could there be no weapons anywhere, and at a time like this?
"Sectumsempra!" shouted the silver-haired boy.
A flash of white light flew from the end of his wand, missing Puck by inches. He rolled out of the way as the blonde boy buried the tip of the scythe in the ground. As he stood up, he threw another knife at the other boy. It missed, but caused him to retreat around the edge of the Cornucopia.
"Stay back, Genis! I've got him!" yelled the blonde boy, trying to wedge the scythe back out of the ground.
"Like hell you do," said Puck, reloading with another knife.
He rushed the blonde boy, but the boy used the scythe's handle as a vault to gain distance from Puck. As the two locked hands, struggling for control over the weapon, Quinn opened the scroll. She traced her finger around the runes inscribed on it, steadying her breath as best she could. She felt power rising inside of her, and the runes on the paper began to glow. She held onto the feeling, forcing herself to hold it in her chest, until she felt like she was about to burst. She raised her hand to Puck. The words formed in her brain without her even thinking about it.
"Sharpness!" she shouted.
She felt the power leave her, and a brief, reddish hue engulfed Puck for a split second. The appearance surprised the blonde boy assaulting him, and he leapt back to gain ground again. Quinn began to cast the spell again, even though she wasn't sure what it had done, but when she saw the silver boy jump around the edge of the Cornucopia again, she broke off her focus and yelled at Puck.
"On your left!" she cried.
"Gotcha!" he roared.
This blade spun through the air, almost as if in slow motion. Quinn watched in a mix of horror and amazement as it buried itself squarely in the throat of the silver-haired boy. A spurt of blood shot out from the wound on his neck. The boy's eyes widened, he dropped the wand, and clawed at the embedded knife. He fell to the ground, gurgling and choking on his own blood.
"GENIS!" wailed the blonde boy.
All combat was broken off as the boy ran to his friend, dropping down next to him. Puck stumbled back towards Quinn, his own shock registering on his face. Somewhere above them, a cannon sounded. The blonde boy screeched even louder, punching the side of the Cornucopia as his grief overwhelmed him.
"Let's get out of here, Puck," Quinn urged again. "We've done enough."
"No. That boy might have something important on him. They're going to come and take his body later; we need to make sure they don't take any good gear on it," said Puck.
The words horrified Quinn. "P-Puck, what's gotten into you? We've got to go, now!"
"No. I'm going to draw his attention away from him. While I do that, you go to the dead boy, and you take whatever you can that matters. Understand?" replied Puck.
His voice was set hard, and cold as ice. The initial shock had been replaced with some form of rage. Quinn looked at the parchment shaking in her hand. What was that spell? Did it turn him into a cold-blooded killer? She shoved it into one of the food bags; she had no intention of using it.
"You… you killed him."
The blonde boy stood up again, picking the scythe back up and turning to meet them head on. Tears flowed down his blood-covered cheeks. They could see his body twitching. Quinn felt her heart begin to race. She could feel the rage pounding from him. She opened her mouth to say something else to Puck, but the blonde boy let out a beast-like snarl and rushed them, the scythe held behind his back.
"Get out of here, Quinn!" shouted Puck.
He shoved her backwards and ran forward to meet the boy. He deflected the first two strikes, and even managed to shove the boy off his feet once. Quinn thought about trying to cast the scroll spell again, hoping it might end the fight quickly. As she slid her hand into the bag, the boy turned his gaze on her.
"Die!" he roared, tearing after her.
Quinn was spun around and sprinting for the forest before she even knew what was happening. She was unbalanced; it felt like her feet were about to slide out from under her, and she was going to fall on her face. She could hear the screams and snarls of the fighting boys behind them, but survival had her in its clutches. She crossed the vegetation line, and almost immediately tripped over a rock, rolling down a gentle embankment and ending against a wide tree. As she pulled herself to her knees and crawled around to the far side, she heard the sound of another cannon. The forest was then silent, except for the leaves dancing in the breeze.
She waited several minutes, catching her breath before she dared peek around the tree. She still couldn't hear anything. Had Puck seen where she'd gone? He was probably still back at the Cornucopia, trying to dig out some weapons from the inside section. She crawled back towards the lip of the hill, peering out from under a fern.
She scanned the wide field that held the Cornucopia. Next to the golden building, she could see the blonde boy kneeling next to his silver-haired friend again. Confused, she scanned the ground, and her hands flew to her mouth to stifle a scream. Puck was lying face down a few hundred feet from the Cornucopia. The curved, metal blade of the blonde boy's scythe was buried deep in his back.
Hatsuharu – Somewhere in the Northeast Arena
"Two cannons… eight dead total. Better odds for us, then," muttered Hatsuharu, sighing.
He dropped to the ground under a tree, setting the three bulging bags of food on the ground next to him. He didn't have a weapon, but at least he had enough food to feed himself comfortably for a couple of days. Ever since he left the Cornucopia (briefly catching a glimpse of the Hanajima girl running in the other direction), he had only been focused on putting distance between himself and the other competitors.
A branch snapped behind him, and he froze. Calmly, silently, he stood and flattened himself against a tree. He slowly chewed the last of the bread, mostly to keep himself focused, and give his body something to do so that it wouldn't make more sounds. Another crack came from his right. He turned and held his fist back, ready to strike at whatever came around the corner.
When he saw Rin, he felt his heart stop. He let out a gasp of excitement, leapt at her, and immediately got thrown to the ground hard enough to have the wind knocked out of him. Wheezing, he climbed to his feet as Rin knelt down next to him, swatting him in the back of the head.
"Idiot. I could find your tracks with no trouble. Do you want to die?" she hissed.
"Sorry, sorry," he grumbled. "My bad."
Sweat glistened on her face, and her shirt was stained. She wiped her face on the edge of her jacket, and was happy to accept a bite of fruit from Hatsuharu's growing stack. She put a finger to her lips, and led him further into the forest, covering their tracks with brush and branches as they went. Fifteen minutes or so later, they found a rocky outcropping besides a bubbling stream.
"Any sign of Yuki?" asked Rin.
"No. He was at your Cornucopia; mine just had that Hanajima girl," said Hatsuharu.
"What?!" she gasped. "Damn it. He must've been on the far side. I… I didn't see him. I'm sorry; I messed up."
"No, you didn't. You stuck with our plan," argued Hatsuharu. "How many other districts have likely regrouped with someone they know?"
"You're right," said Rin, though her furious gaze still burned a hole in the water in front of them. "You heard the cannons, right?"
"Eight in all. I'm not thinking about it. We'll know for sure who they were tonight," he said.
"Yeah. No point in worrying right now. But, we need to find Yuki as soon as possible," said Rin. "… And that other girl, too. For Tohru Honda."
"Absolutely," said Hatsuharu, standing. "Let's go."
"What? Right now?" asked Rin. "I just got back!"
"I'm worried about him," said Hatsuharu, simply. "So, let's go find him before something bad happens to him."
He looked at Rin. Her expression softened. She knelt down to the water, tested to make sure it was safe, and then washed her face. He held out his hand to help her back up the rocky path, and the two started slowly back through the forest.
"By the way, I don't have a weapon or anything," he whispered to her. "But I have more food than I know what to do with."
"I was too busy running to stop and get anything. But, there's gear and supplies everywhere out here. It's like the whole arena is a Cornucopia, if you know where to look," she replied, quietly. "We'll search as we go. Let's go find Yuki."
Yuki – Somewhere else in the Southwest Areana
Watching from a copse of dense trees, Yuki surveyed the group of girls picking their way out of the shallow valley where a rockslide had occurred. He counted five total, none from District 3, but none from any of the particularly dangerous districts, either. Was it possible they were setting up some variety of Amazon-like Career pack?
Wait, no… now that he looked closer, he could see a guy with them. It was the brother and sister combo of District 10, plus his apparent girlfriend. The tall woman from District 2, the young, nervous girl from District 11, the brunette from District 7, and someone else who was still apparently climbing up the valley.
"… which means there are traps everywhere. We'll have to be extra careful, wherever we step," District 10's girl, Shayla, was saying.
"At least nobody got hurt. That was far too close," grumbled the District 7 girl.
They were moving closer to Yuki, and he realized he had to make a decision quickly. Would they accept him into their group? Would they just kill him on the spot? He slid further back into the copse of trees. His foot found a heavy-feeling stick, and he felt resistance as he stepped down. A rush of dread ran through his body as it snapped below his foot.
A thunderous crash rose up behind him, and little pieces of tree bark and stones blew around him. Smoke burned his eyes, choking and blinding him. He stumbled blindly through the trees, tripping at the edge of the shallow valley and tumbling onto the trail below. He rubbed his eyes, sputtering and gasping for air. As his vision cleared, he saw the girls standing over him. The brunette from District 7 and the raven-haired girl from 10 both gave him a wary look, standing as if ready to strike. Shayla knelt down next to him, and he quickly rolled to his feet, landing in a protective kneeling stance.
"Wait. We aren't here to hurt you," said Shayla. "What were you doing up there?"
"I don't… I just ran into you," said Yuki. "I swear this to you. I'm alone."
"Are you sure we can trust him?" asked the District 7 girl.
"It depends on if he's planning to join us or not," said the other District 10 girl. "Either way, we have to move quickly; this smoke is going to attract a lot of unwanted attention."
"You're right. I'll make this as quick as I can. We're trying to gather as many people together as we can," said Shayla. "You can join us, or you can clear out of here. We do not intend to fight until our lives are in total danger. What will it be?"
"Yuki Sohma? Is that you?"
Yuki's heart leapt when he heard the voice of Tohru's friend. "Miss Hanajima! It is an absolute pleasure to see you!"
"I thought I sensed your waves," said Hana, smiling. "It appears my powers have begun to return, stunted though they may be."
"Oh, good. So we have any ally of his," said Yukari, sighing in relief. She smiled at him. "Sorry; can't be too careful out here, unfortunately."
"Completely understandable," said Yuki. "I'll be happy to assist in any way I can."
"We'll need your help," said the District 10 man, gruffly. "Let's keep moving."
Yuki didn't have a chance to question them as the group began their trek further into the forest. He fell into step with Hanajima, as she brushed off the dirt on his coat.
"Please, forgive Jack… he's already witnessed one of his friends dying," whispered Hanajima.
Yuki felt his insides twist. "That must be horrible for him… I can't imagine what it'd be like to witness a close friend dying."
"Hopefully, we won't have to," replied Hanajima.
"Is… is there any way you can sense Rin, or Haru?" asked Yuki.
She shook her head. "My apologies. I have had very little contact with them, so my abilities to sense them would be stunted, even were I at full capacity. I'm familiar with your wavelength, and you were at close range. That's the only reason I could sense you."
"I… understand," said Yuki. "Thank you for trying, regardless. It's still not the best of situations, but I'm happy to have you with me now."
"And I'm sure Tohru is very happy that we're together as well," said Hanajima, bowing her head and smiling calmly as they left the path and began to trek through the underbrush.
Anise – South Cornucopia
Anise was only slightly surprised to see Asch back at the Cornucopia when she got back there. He had set aside several weapons, although there wasn't nearly as much a selection as there often was in the Cornucopia. She whistled lightly to get his attention, so that he didn't get crazy and stab her before he even realized who she was. Rage still clouded his face when he turned to face her.
"What do you want?" he asked.
"I ran into Luke. I know what's going on," she said. "Who are we going after?"
"Two redhead guys, and the pig-tailed, pink-haired girl from District 9," spat Asch, testing the weight and balance of several blades. "One of them was chasing me a few minutes ago. I got rid of him pretty easily, though. Last I saw, he was heading back towards… Natalia's body."
"He must've known you were coming to get better weapons," said Anise. "I can't say I blame him for running scared. But… I have Luke sitting watch back in that direction."
"The replica? You put him in charge?" said Asch, his head snapping to face her. After a moment, he sighed and shook it. "It can't be helped, can it? I want you back there as soon as you can. If that orange-haired bastard is thinking of taking Natalia's weapons or armor, I want someone competent there to kill him."
"You got it, boss," said Anise. "I can get back to him in less than twenty minutes."
"Go. I'll be fine. It's as if everyone else has cleared out of here… this Cornucopia, at least for now, belongs to District 6," said Asch.
"Understood. See you soon," she said.
She ran back through the forest, retracing her steps and stopping just long enough to catch her breath and check her surroundings. Thankfully, the shaded forest wasn't too hot, so she didn't need a lot of water. A sprinkling of small ponds dotted her paths back to where she'd told Luke to wait, providing her with plenty of drinking water along the way. Since she was hydrated, she knew she had a better chance of survival if anyone was stupid enough to try and fight her.
She snaked her way through the overgrowth at the edge of the stream until she spied the clump of red hair sticking out of the greenery. Luke stuck out like a sore thumb in the forest, but at least he was covered and hidden from most directions except up. For good measure, Anise paused and scanned the trees, in case someone was trying to sneak an attack from on high. Finding them deserted, she gave her short, high whistle to alert him of his presence, before she joined him in the reeds.
"Anything?" she whispered.
"Yes," he said, glancing back at her. "You're not gonna believe this. They're both back."
"Who?" she asked, picking her head up and staring at everyone.
"The pink-haired girl, and the orange-haired boy. They're both basically right in front of me. I don't think they know about each other," said Luke. "Where's Asch?"
"He'll be along later. There's no one else at the Cornucopia," replied Anise. "We should strike now, while they're not paying attention."
"I agree; Natalia's body is just over there," he whispered, his arm trembling as he pointed to a copse of trees a few hundred yards to their left. "If they go anywhere near her, I'll kill them."
"Agreed," said Anise. "Go."
She took a step onto the rocky coast, holding a mace she'd taken from the Cornucopia close to her body. She could barely see them moving in the weeds. It was just like Luke; the pink and orange hair stuck out, making them easy targets. Luke followed her every step as she hugged the rocky creek. She wrestled with the idea of who to go after first. The District 9 champions were always tougher, and District 12's tended to be pretty easy. But, she was closer to the girl, and maybe she—
The rock beneath her slid, and she fell on her side. The instant she did so, she heard a brief click, and the ground around her exploded. She was thrown into the air, landing hard on her hip and arm. She cried out in shock and pain as a jolt of pain ran up her entire left side. Small bits of rock and debris rained down on her as she slide into the water. The ringing in her ears subsided as Luke knelt down next to her. He seemed uninjured, but looked terrified.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
Behind him, she watched as the orange-haired boy from District 12 stood up, and bolted through the underbrush. Anise tried to stand, but her legs gave out. She could feel the muscles shaking and contracting on their own. She'd had the wind knocked out of her completely. There was no helping it; she couldn't give chase.
"What… are… you waiting for?!" she gasped at Luke, grabbing him by the collar. "Go after him!"
"But you're hurt!" protested Luke.
"I… just… need to catch… my breath…" she said, grimacing as she pulled herself to a sitting position. "We can't… lose the bastard… get him…!"
"I… if you're sure…" said Luke, taking a tentative step towards the retreating figure.
"Go!" snarled Anise, again.
Luke jumped across the narrow stream, and gave chase to the District 12 boy. Soon, they were out of sight and out of earshot. Anise waited until she could breathe right again before she tried to move. The pain on her left was rough, but bearable. She could walk. All she had to do was find a healing scroll of some sort. Asch could probably find her one back at the Cornucopia, if she could just make her way towards there.
The pink haired girl was gone, too, and Anise had no clue where she'd run off to. The noise had scared their prey. And it served as horrifying reminder to her that every blade of grass, every loose stone, and every swinging leaf could be a deadly trap just waiting to blow. The Game Gods clearly wanted everyone on the edges of their seats this year. If the pain on her left side was any indication, it was working.
Chloe – North Cornucopia
Watching the duel between 11 and 9 had given Chloe pause, and her desire to loot the Cornucopia grappled with her self-preservation. She knew she was being greedy; it was still only Day One, and there was plenty of time for her to gather supplies. She couldn't be hasty; that would only lead to her death. It had been a relatively quiet first day; less than a dozen cannons. For the amount of tributes still remaining, caution had to be the name of the game.
For an hour, she listened to the sobs of the blonde boy, as he kept vigil over his fallen comrade. She looked past him, to where the District 11 boy lay, with the large scythe sticking out of his back. She couldn't be sure, but she didn't think that the District 9 boy had removed the throwing knives from him yet. Those knives, from what she'd been able to ascertain, were one of the best weapons available in the arena. She had to have them.
She worked her way carefully back to the edge of the forest, taking care to take every step gingerly, thinking of the distant sounds of explosions and rockslides. The entire arena could be one big trap, and that could be a way to get rid of surplus tributes even more quickly. Aside from the obvious targets in the clearing, she knew there could be others on the edge of the forest, waiting for their turn at the smoldering Cornucopia.
Finally, when she was just a few dozen yards from his body, she jumped up and ran to him. She kept one eye on the blonde boy the entire time, but his grief took all of his focus, and he didn't notice her. This would be his downfall, and she briefly considered how easy it would be to sneak up behind him and end his suffering as well. She shook her head. She definitely shouldn't underestimate the boy, given his emotional state. The dead man in front of him had done the same, and paid the price.
She knelt down next to the body of the young man, and started to unfasten the belt. The way he'd fallen, he pinned the main part to the ground, so it was hard for her to get a good grip. She had to wrestle with it, and the movement jostled the scythe. It slowly rotated, until the weight of it made it fall to the ground. The scent of blood grew stronger, and Chloe took a couple of steps back, wrinkling her nose.
"Get away from there!"
She swore to herself, and jumped back by reflex. Seconds later, a flash of white light blew past her, hitting the ground and gouging a chunk out of the earth. The blonde haired boy was advancing, and rage shone through his tears. Chloe dodged another spell blast, and grabbed the belted knives, yanking with all her might. The fabric tore, and the sling of knives fell away from the deceased teen's body.
She couldn't pause to marvel at her luck; the blonde started running even faster upon seeing her armed. Chloe didn't want to waste any of the knives until she'd had a chance to test them, so she opted for retreat, diving back towards the tree line. She felt another spell shoot past her shoulder, this one close enough to rip the fabric of her windbreaker. Then, she was tumbling through the underbrush, taking up another defensive position under some tall ferns.
All was silent again. The boy had not pursued her into the forest. Wherever he was, whatever he was doing: he was no longer her problem. She glanced down and admired the sharpened, handsome blades. They were light, balanced, and perfect for aiming. Jay and Moses were better with the ranged weaponry than Chloe was, but she was well versed in swordplay. A blade was a blade. She'd figure it out, once she made camp for the night.
Vyse – Northeast Arena
Vyse tightened the focus on his eyepatch, still unable to believe his luck at being able to sneak it into the arena with him. Through the dwindling smoke, he could barely make out the blonde-haired boy down by the one Cornucopia, as he dug around his dead District mate's body, taking whatever weaponry or armor he had and slinging it on his back. Vyse scanned the edges of the wooded area, but there was no sign of the District 2 girl, nor anyone else for that matter. Things had quieted down; soon they might be able to work their way back and try and salvage something from it. He carefully slid down from the tree he was in, to where Fina kept watch from a protected position between a boulder and a wide oak.
"I can see one from 11 and one from 9 are gone," he whispered to her. "I… watched the fight. The other 11 girl got away, and one of the girls from 2 stole something from dead 11 and ran off. Otherwise, it's deserted, and the trees are too thick to see anything."
"I see," said Fina, breathing a sigh of relief. "That's two less cannons that could have been Kirala… or Ramirez, even."
"Agreed," said Vyse. "Have you seen anything?"
"No… I did see Hermione about an hour ago, but I didn't dare say anything to her because we were all still running, and I hadn't seen you yet," she replied. "But she's alone, and she's probably really scared. We should go help her."
Vyse smiled. "Always ready to help, aren't you?"
"Well, I know how she feels. Lost, confused, no one to trust, and probably thinks everyone around her is out to kill her… it's like when I first came to Arcadia. If… if it's her last days alive, I want to help her as best as I can, even if it's just to give her a pass," said Fina, quietly.
"I respect that," said Vyse. "Let's see if we can find her before someone else does."
"Of course. She went this way," said Fina. "It was… strange, I saw her making little notches in the edges of trees."
"She's probably just trying to make sure she doesn't get lost," said Vyse. "But, hey, that means she'll be easy to follow. Let's go."
They crept carefully down the embankment and across a game trail into the weeds where Fina had watched Hermione disappear earlier. The footing was poor, so it was slow going, but they were able to find Hermione's trail very quickly. It was ingenious, really; the notches were just barely visible, and if you hadn't known to look for them, you would have missed them. Some were even half-covered by leaves or vines, and others looked like normal animal markings. That thought made Vyse shiver. Animals in the arena were never "normal." They were always Muttations. Always.
After half an hour of following her trail, they could hear movement in a clearing ahead. Someone was walking back up the path towards them. The two Arcadians took defensive positions behind wide, notched trees, and peered carefully around the edges. Hermione was coming back up her path, muttering to herself and looking around frantically. She was even more on edge than Vyse had expected to see her. As she drew closer, Vyse stepped out behind the tree and raised his hand in what he hoped was a friendly wave. She screamed and nearly fell over in her attempt to jump backwards.
"NO! Get away from me!" wailed Hermione, and holding up her arms. She was pointing a wand at them.
"Wait, don't fire! It's just Vyse and Fina!" exclaimed Vyse. "We want to help you!"
"Don't worry, Vyse, it's not a real wand," said Fina. "That's a very good trick though, Hermione!"
Vyse looked more closely at the weapon in Hermione's trembling hand. Sure enough, it was just a stick. However, at the distance, and at the time, it could have easily passed for a wand. He shook his head. Was he really that easy to fool?
"I… I… please, don't hurt me," she begged. "I haven't been able to find a weapon, nor Harry, nor Luna, nor Fred."
Vyse grimaced. He hadn't seen how he died, but he'd climbed the tree just in time to watch Fred's body being taken away by a hovercraft. Even Fina didn't know. There was no point in saying anything. The truth would come out that night. Until then, it was best to salvage whatever morale from her they could, especially if she was to trust and travel with them.
"I don't want to hurt you," said Fina. "We want to help you. Please, stay with us. We'll find you something to fight with, and hopefully we can get some food, too."
"You're serious?" Hermione whispered, her eyes widening. "This… it's not a trick, is it?"
"Not at all. We're not resting until we find the rest of District 4, too," said Vyse. "So, please, let us help each other. Districts 4 and 5 can ally just as well as any of the Career districts."
"V-very well," said Hermione, biting her lip. "I appreciate the offer. But, I think we shouldn't go this way anymore. I heard a large blast south of here. I don't know what happened, but I have a really bad feeling about it."
"That's perfectly fine," said Vyse. "We were hoping to go further north. It seems there is higher terrain up there, and I might be able to get a better vantage point from there."
"That does sound like a good idea. That eyepatch… did you find it in the Cornucopia?" asked Hermione.
"I snuck it in," said Vyse, proudly. "It was incorporated as part of my costume for the Interviews. The Gods had no idea, nor did even the designer."
"Wow… that's risky. I hope that doesn't make you a target," said Hermione.
Vyse chuckled. "Let them try. It'll make it more interesting."
"I think I'd prefer less interesting, to be honest," said Hermione. "Regardless, we should move on, and quickly. My screams probably attracted unwanted attention."
"Fair point. Let's see how high this arena goes," said Vyse.
He looked up the rising path. The incline was fairly tough, but the trees extended as far as he could see. He knew the Game Gods would never let them reach the edge. It was good information, though. It gave him an idea of just how much space they were working with. With still nearly 40 tributes running around, they hadn't heard or seen anyone near them since the start. Unless it was someone from 4 or 5, he secretly hoped it stayed that way for the rest of the day.
Shinjiro – Mid-Eastern Arena
"Aki, where are you going?" grumbled Shinjiro, as his friend turned away from the path her and the wizard boy were walking on.
"I… I think we should go this way," said Akihiko. "I've got this feeling."
"That's not the way towards the other Cornucopia," said Shinjiro. "We're wasting time."
"What are you getting at?" asked Harry, his eyes narrowing.
"I can't explain it. It's a hunch. You can either follow me, or don't," said Akihiko, shortly. "I just… I can't shake whatever this is."
He walked off on his own, leaving Shinjiro with the wizard boy. The black-haired kid kept a very suspicious look on his face as he watched Akihiko's retreating back. He hadn't taken his hand off his wand the entire time he'd been walking with them. Shinjiro couldn't blame him. He'd feel the same way if he'd been stuck with two guys from another District, with only the vague promise of being led to another person his team.
"Let's go after him," said Shinjiro, shortly. "There's no arguing with that idiot when he gets an idea in his head."
"Fine. But if this is a trap, I will kill you," said Harry.
Shinjiro heard the momentary waver on the word "kill," but he didn't let it show. The boy needed to feel like he was fully in control, or else he might snap. Shinjiro had seen it happen dozens of times before. He didn't particularly care for being the subservient one, but without a weapon, and with his ally being a space cadet, he didn't have a lot of choice.
"It's not a trap. This is pissing me off, too. Let's see what happens," said Shinjiro, walking ahead.
They caught up with Akihiko, who followed a slightly random, winding path throughout the overgrown forest they were stuck in. He kept looking around, as if he could barely hear something, and was trying to find the source of the sound. He wasn't being careful at all. He made no effort to cover his tracks, and he didn't stop long enough to scan the spot ahead for any danger. Shinjiro felt himself growing more and more irritated with every step. He had to make sure that Akihiko wasn't about to walk into a trap, while making sure the boy behind them didn't lose his cool and start firing spells at them. He never thought he would ever say this, but he wished Castor would just come out and start rampaging for him, so that he didn't have to worry about it for a little while.
"Where are you taking us? Do you hear something, or are you just insane?" asked Harry, finally breaking the silence.
"It feels like something's calling to me," said Akihiko. "Do you feel it, Shinji? It's almost like… almost like when we're in Tartarus…"
Shinjiro shook his head. "No. This is nothing like Tartarus. It's bright, and Yamagishi's voice isn't grating through my skull."
"It's not that tangible," said Akihiko. "Just... stop for a second, and see if anything happens."
Shinjiro sighed and rolled his eyes. "Fine."
They all stopped, and Shinjiro closed his eyes. He could feel the chill of the breeze through the forest, he heard the light breath coming from his travelling companions. He'd never felt more foolish, even when Hamuko had caught him cooking in the dorm—
Wait. Was he going crazy or… no. There was something there. And it was telling him to go that way. He opened his eyes. It was coming from the same way Aki was looking. He wasn't insane. Or, more specifically, maybe they were both insane. Regardless, there was something beckoning them that way. It could have been a trap set by the Game Gods, or some magic trick. The wizard might have even been doing it to them.
But something about the coercing presence was soothing. It didn't feel like a trap. It felt desperate, like a plea. He looked to Aki, and their eyes met. He could see it in his eyes. He felt the same way about it. It wasn't dangerous. It was something they needed to find. Their look clearly didn't go unnoticed by the Boy Who Lived.
"What is it? You telling me you can sense some weird thing now, too?" he asked.
"Yeah, actually," said Shinjiro. "You're not pulling some magic crap on us, are you?"
"The only weapon I have is this wand," grumbled Harry. "You'd know if I was using it."
"And you can't feel anything? No urging feelings, or anything?" asked Akihiko.
"No. Just a growing regret that I even followed you in the first place," said Harry. "It could be a trap."
"You're wrong. I can't explain it, but I know you're wrong. We have to go a little futher," urged Akihiko, moving forward.
Shinjiro didn't even wait for the wizard's approval this time; he simply followed his longtime friend. They picked up the pace, and the rational part of Shinjiro's mind swore at him the whole time, chastising him for being reckless and leaving an easy path to follow. He ignored himself (what was he even saying? Ignoring his self-preservation in the goddamn Hunger Games arena?!), and continued after Akihiko. Finally, they came to a mini-clearing in the trees, and Akihiko abruptly stopped.
"What's going on now?" asked Harry. "We here?"
"Yes, we are," said Akihiko. "We have to wait."
"Unbelievable," said the wizard, leaning against a tree. "I think I've had about enough of this. If we don't move on in ten minutes, I'm leaving you both behind."
Akihiko ignored him and stood on the edge of the trees, cupping his hands over his eyes, like he was using binoculars or something. Shinjiro's was still torn between the strange feelings telling him to remain where he was and the self-preservation fighting to regain control of his senses. They waited in silence punctured only by the wizard boy's impatient sighs. Footsteps, distant at first, reached his ears. He stood up straight, and the other two did as well. He narrowed his eyes, mimicking Aki's fake binocular movements. For a moment, he thought he was dreaming. But it was no dream. There she was.
Hamuko picked her way carefully through the brush, the same goofy, bewildered expression on her face that Akihiko (and probably Shinjiro himself, he was ruefully aware) had during their walk. Shinjiro opened his mouth to say something, but Akihiko beat him to it. He gave her a short, shrill whistle, and her head instantly snapped to where they were. Even at their distance, he could see her eyes widen, and a grin broke out on her face. Next thing Shinjiro knew, he and Akihiko were racing to her, she was running at them, and they collided hard on the edge of the small clearing, crushing each other in a massive hug.
"I can't believe it… I knew something was calling me this way, but you guys… you guys…" she said, failing to hold tears back. "I've never been happier to see you."
"It's you! It's really you!" moaned Akihiko, planting a kiss on her cheek. "Thank the Gods you're all right!"
"Have you been injured?" asked Shinjiro, looking her up and down.
"No, I've been lucky," said Hamuko. "I did see Yukari back at my Cornucopia. It exploded right after the Games started, and I lost sight of her. I hope she got away…"
"Yukari's strong, fast, and smart. I'm sure she's fine," said Akihiko, bracingly. "With three of us together, we can definitely find her."
"Oh… and we have an alliance with 5 alrady?" asked Hamuko, looking between the two boys.
Shinjiro turned back to see the wizard standing there, watching their reunion with a mixture of suspicion and probably jealousy. He still held on to the wand, but it didn't seem like he was going to attack them with it. Shinjiro walked towards him slowly, and the boy took a few steps backwards.
"You got what you came for. You found her," said Harry. "Whatever you guys thought you were feeling worked. But I'm outnumbered 3-to-1 now, and I need to find my team as well. So I think this might be the place we part ways at."
"Um, if it makes any difference, Harry," said Hamuko, walking towards him. "Herrmione was two away from me at our Cornucopia, and when it blew up, I saw her take off almost directly east. Since you started at the other one, that means she's probably north and east of here."
"How do I know you're telling the truth?" asked Harry. "Why help me?"
"Hermione was very nice to me. We trained together a lot in those two weeks we were here," said Hamuko. "She showed me a lot about magic, and I taught her some weaponry stuff. Besides, you obviously kept these two safe long enough for me to find them. I want to return the favor."
"I… right, then, thanks," said Harry. "What are you all going to do now?"
"Find Yukari," said Akihiko. "Hamuko, which way did she go?"
"When I saw her leave, she was going directly southwest. I think we should start there," she said.
"This really is where we part ways, then," said Harry. "Well… thanks. And good luck to you all. I hope you find her before it's too late."
He turned and began to make his way back through the wooded area. Hamuko and Akihiko looked at Shinjiro. He could see the guilt clouding their faces. It had always been one of their greatest weaknesses. They were too nice. They couldn't afford that in the arena. Being too nice got you killed. But, he knew they'd worry about it too much if they didn't do anything.
"I'll go with him," said Shinjiro.
"What?" asked Hamuko. "But… we just found each other. We can't split up now!"
"We promised the Boy Who Lived that we'd help him find his district mates. You two have each other. Go find Takeba. As soon as I reunited Harry with his friend, I'll return to you. Let's meet due south of the lake, yeah?" said Shinjiro.
"We should all go together, then," said Akihiko.
"Don't be stupid," argued Shinjiro. "Takeba's out there alone, and she's in the entirely opposite direction the wizard's trying to go. You two can stick together and keep each other safe. I think I've proven that I can make it on my own, right?"
"I… I guess you're right," said Hamuko, sighing. "Fine. But, promise me this: you won't do anything rash or risky. And as soon as Harry and Hermione are together, you bring them right back to help us!"
"Deal," said Shinjiro. "Go."
Akihiko clapped him on the shoulder and looked him squarely in the eyes. "I'm counting on you, Shinji. Be safe."
Hamuko gave him a hug, squeezing him tightly. "Promise us you'll be okay. Don't get any crazy ideas."
"I'm going to be fine. Now, go!" said Shinji.
He turned to walk away from them, following the sound of Harry's retreating footsteps. He never looked back to his District mates. No point in that; he'd just see them a few days later. He picked up the pace once he was sure the other two couldn't see them, and he found the wizard boy in less than 10 minutes.
"What do you want now?" asked Harry, again pointing the wand right at Shinjiro's heart.
"Can we stop doing this shit, please," said Shinjiro, rolling his eyes and raising his hands above his head. "I'm here to help you."
"You already found your District mates. Where'd they go, anyway?" asked Harry.
"To find our fourth person. We've got a meeting place set-up when they do," said Shinjiro. "But, we made a promise to you. So, I'm here to fulfill it."
"How do I know this isn't a trap?" asked Harry.
"You don't. But if you don't want my help, I can leave," said Shinjiro. "Trust me. Having someone in here is better than having no one at all."
Harry narrowed his eyes and looked past Shinjiro, obviously looking to make sure the other two District 7 tributes weren't waiting to ambush him. When he was satisfied that they were indeed alone, Harry finally sighed, nodded, and relented.
"Let's get on with it, then. I want to find Hermione before it gets dark," said Harry.
Haruhi – Southeastern Arena
Haruhi and Naoto lay low against a log as the footsteps approached them. Haruhi's heart pounded in her chest; had they actually wandered into the path of a Career pack already? Naoto picked her head up and peered through a strategically-placed fern leave.
"I can't see them yet," she whispered. "But the footsteps… I count at least 5, possibly more."
"Do you think we'll get lucky, and some of them will be District 1 or 12?" whispered Haruhi, picking her head up to try and get a view.
"I think luck would be more along the lines of them not seeing us at all," muttered Naoto. "If they come in our direction, we need an escape route. Let me think of something; you keep watch for now."
Naoto leaned back down and sat with her back against the log, assessing the area around them for alternate routes of escape. Haruhi left her to that, and instead continued to scan the woods for the people heading their way. Her heart sank when she realized that Naoto had guessed correctly: they were heading right for them. The first thing she saw was the whitish-bluish hair of the tall girl from District 2. And then, at the front of the small crowd of mostly-girls, she saw Shayla, the District 10 girl who had been so kind to her in training.
"Naoto, I think we can trust them," said Haruhi, quietly. "There's a bunch of them travelling together, but the leader appears to be that Shayla Harper girl."
"Is that so?" asked Naoto, though she sounded quiet unsure. "What about the ones with her?"
"I… see someone from 2, two from 3, the other girl from 10, and I think the brunette from 7…" said Haruhi, squinting. "I can't tell anyone else."
"So no one from our Districts," summed up Naoto. "Although, I suppose I can trust the girl from 7; it's rare for 12 and 7 to turn on each other unless it's the last moments of the match."
Haruhi kept watch on them as they moved closer to their spot on the trail. She couldn't see very many weapons among them, and while they appeared guarded to their surroundings, they didn't appear to be actively searching for anyone to kill. It could have been an act on their part, and Haruhi might have been doing the stupidest thing she could possibly do when separated from the rest of her District's tributes, but she stood up from the log and called out to Shayla, waving her hand.
"What are you doing?" gasped Naoto.
"It's okay. I'm sure of it," said Haruhi. "They're friends."
"Whose there? Is that you, Fujioka?" Shayla called back. "Are you hurt? And is anyone with you?"
"Don't mention me yet," hissed Naoto. "Please."
"I… no, I'm alone," said Haruhi, though she was sure the awkward pause in her voice made her suspect. "Glad to see you're all okay!"
"Us as well. Come down here; I don't want to keep shouting and giving our position away," said Shayla.
Haruhi glanced briefly at the pale-faced Naoto, and she made her way carefully down the path towards Shayla and the rest of the group. Every step she took towards them made her heart beat faster. Shayla's smile seemed genuine, but the smiles of the others were definitely fake and strained. A nagging feeling in the back of her head told her that maybe Naoto was right, and she was being too rash. She might even be walking directly into a trap. She slowed her walk as she closed the remaining distance to them, trying to appear as non-threatening as possible.
"I don't suppose you've seen Kaoru, Kyoya, or Benio?" asked Haruhi, hopefully.
"Not since the start, and when our Cornucopia blew up, I lost sight of the Ootori boy," said the pretty District 10 girl.
"Benio Amakusa ran past me right at the beginning of the Games," said Shayla. "She was two people to my right at the start, and I watched her run towards the Cornucopia before she was forced to break off to the north. I know Kaoru Hitachiin was three to my left, but I was unable to track his location."
"I understand," said Haruhi. "Um… so, are you all forming a pack for safety, then?"
"Yes. It does seem to be the safest way forward, at least until the field evens out a little bit," said the one District 3 girl.
"I don't… really have much to contribute, honestly," said Haruhi, sheepishly. "But, would you mind if I tagged along, at least until I can locate the others?"
"I insist, actually," said Shayla. "My goal is to recruit as many people as I can."
"Oh, for like a massive Career pack?" asked Haruhi, tilting her head.
"No. To save us. All of us," said Shayla. "Or, at least, as many of us as we can. We should move on; we've made too much noise here already, and I worry we might be being watched."
They began to move up the path, heading directly for the log Naoto was hiding behind. Haruhi began to panic. She didn't know if Naoto had managed to move, or if she was still hiding, or what would happen if they came across her and it proved Haruhi a liar. They might eject her from the group, or worse… they certainly wouldn't be able to trust her, and that wouldn't be good in the long run.
"So, um, what do you mean by 'save' all of us, if I may ask?" asked Haruhi, stumbling over tree roots in an effort to walk next to Shayla.
"I'm breaking us out of this arena. We're taking the fight directly to the Game Gods. I'm not letting them toy with our worlds anymore," said Shayla.
"I… I'm sorry?" said Haruhi, flabbergasted.
"I really wish you'd stop broadcasting that," grumbled the District 7 girl. "You know the Gods can hear us, right?"
"Yes. I believe that's why that rockslide happened at the beginning," said Shayla. "But, they can't openly kill us. They have to do it subtly, and slowly. There was a rule of non-interference, and the Game Gods would never defy the rest of them. They don't honestly believe we can do it, either."
"I don't think I even believe it. How are you going to get us out of here?" asked Haruhi.
"My cousin is the key. She's a high-ranking Priestess. She believes she has the power to infiltrate the Gods themselves. It's the best chance we've got," said Shayla.
"And the rest of you are… um… okay with this?" asked Haruhi, looking to the others.
"I admit, it does seem unrealistic," said the purple-haired District 3 boy. "But, Miss Harper is very convincing. Plus, it gives us something to work towards, rather than just wantonly killing our fellow tributes. I'm willing to give it a try."
"I believe Shayla is powerful enough for it," said the District 3 girl. "I can sense her resolve."
"When my sister says she's going to do something, she'll figure out a way to do it," said the redheaded District 10 boy. "And our cousin Siyon is very powerful. I have no doubt in my mind she'll be able to help us."
"I think breaking the rules and taking back our worlds sounds like a fun time," said the tall District 2 woman. "Don't you think so?"
"If… if it works, certainly," said Haruhi. They were close to the log now. "Um, there is something I should say, though—"
"She's not alone," came Naoto's voice. She stood up, hands raised, from behind the log.
"Woah! Whose that now?!" asked Jack, turning and stringing an arrow into his bow.
"Wait, please, don't shoot!" cried Haruhi, jumping between the two. "Sorry! She was with me, and she's fine!"
"Naoto Shirogane, from 12, right?" asked the District 7 girl. "Why were you hiding there?"
"I… I wanted to ascertain your intentions before I made my presence known," said Naoto. "I apologize for startling you."
"Quite all right. So, you heard what Shayla was saying about fighting the Gods, right?" asked the District 3 girl.
"Yes, and while I think this hubris might have the potential to get us all killed, I am willing to lend my skills to you for as long as I am useful," said Naoto. "If you'll have me, that is."
Shayla laughed. "Admittedly, I'd probably have that response if I didn't know what I already know. But, yes, we're happy to have you with us. Please don't pull any more surprises, though. It's been… a pretty rough morning for my District, so we're a bit on edge."
"I'm very sorry to hear this. Teruhiko Yakako was a strongly ally, and his loss will undoubtedly be felt across your District," said Naoto, bowing her head.
"Thank you for your sentiments," said the other District 10 girl. "Let's move on again, shall we?"
Haruhi breathed a massive sigh of relief as Jack dropped his aim and sheathed the arrow he'd pulled. Naoto shook hands with Shayla, and introduced herself to the rest of the party. Haruhi felt something by her feet, and stooped down to pick it up. She unrolled the scroll, and was surprised to see some sort of rune or glyph written on it.
"What's this?" she asked.
"Oh, my, that appears to be a Healing Circle spell," said Grune. "A very nice find indeed!"
"That'll definitely come in handy," said Shayla. "Hold tight to that."
"I will, for sure!" exclaimed Haruhi, grinning widely at the piece of paper in her hands. "I'm glad I can do something useful now!"
Sam – Near Central Lake
A knife. That's all Sam had to defend himself. A small knife. He couldn't believe that was everything he'd managed to take from the Cornucopia. But, there he was. A little, insignificant knife. Everyone else probably had swords and magic crystals and tough armor. And he had a damn knife! Why'd he been such a coward at the start? Why hadn't he gone for something worthwhile?!
He was doubling back now, anyway. He could fix that. The Cornucopia was probably picked clean by now, but after nearly running into that massive by the creek… and after he saw the dead bodies of the girl from 6 and the guy from 10… he just knew a knife wasn't going to cut it. Literally. And this was definitely no time for puns or bad impressions.
He was trying to stay on the tiny, natural trails that the plants had cut through him in the forest. It worked very well for him, until he came around a particularly nasty tree and smashed headfirst into a tiny figure with pink hair. Her small height, coupled with the speed he was running, meant that he bowled her over, went flying headfirst over her, and landed hard on his chest and shoulder before rolling down the slight incline into another tree. He climbed to his feet and shook his head.
"Are you all righ—"
He couldn't even finish the sentence before he had to duck out of the way of a furious punch from the tiny figure. Her first, protected by heavy-looking boxing mitts, impacted the tree trunk next to his head and shattered part of it. Dodging the bits of flying bark and a follow-up upper cut from the girl, Sam spun around with the knife held tight in his hand. The girl wasn't giving up, though. With a furious roar, she charged him, and tried to throw another wide punch at his head.
"Stop!" he cried, trying to grab her. She punched him hard in the arm, and Sam cried out in pain. Whatever was in the gloves made her punches hit like a freight train.
He barely dodged another strike from her. His only advantage was her short arms, meaning her powerful strikes had limited range. He was able to outstep and outmaneuver her strikes, hoping she'd eventually tire herself out. That plan didn't seem to be working; it only made her angrier and angrier every time she missed. She began to scream and snarl with every strike, unwilling to listen to Sam's pleas for her calmness.
Then, he came to a heart-stopping realization: she really was trying to kill him. The tiny, pink-haired girl from whatever District had no intention of letting him live. That meant… he had to fight her. He side-stepped another strike, and slashed out with the sword. He met resistance as the knife slid through her skin, and she cried out in pain, momentarily dropping the attack. He felt sick to his stomach. Had he seriously just stabbed a girl as young as his sister?
"Please, we don't have to do this!" he exclaimed, as the girl touched the wound on her shoulder. "I don't want to fight you!"
She responded with another furious screech, and a renewed assault. Like her missed strikes, the pain only seemed to serve to fuel her rage, and now Sam was really in trouble. He barely was able to dodge her strikes, and he couldn't find an opening to fight back. She was backing him in to another wide tree, and his escape routes were getting cut off. His mind began to blur, and he barely could feel what he was doing anymore. Before he could even process what he was doing, he charged the girl, struck her in the face with his shoulder, and stabbed her hard in the side with the knife.
The girl's howl brought him back to his senses, and he withdrew the blood-covered knife as she lay in pain on the ground, one arm raised in defense. The anger was still in her eyes, but a look of pure terror mixed with frustration covered her face. Sam stood still, breathing heavily, and finally shook his head.
"No. I'm not doing this. Not you. And not like this. This is bullshit," he said to the girl. "Get out of here before someone finds you."
He turned and he ran, but he'd only made it a few yards before he was knelt over a tree stump, puking his guts out. The cries of the little girl and the scent of her blood echoed in his sense, overpowering him and reducing him to a convulsing mass of man on the ground. How could anyone find entertainment in this? What was so great about watching people kill each other? He glared at the blood-stained knife, and for a moment he thought about throwing it off into the woods.
He couldn't do that, though. He had to hold on to it, to defend himself. Until he could get a better weapon. At the Cornucopia. He looked behind him, but the pink-haired girl wasn't there. If she was following him, she wasn't doing a very good job. He hadn't heard a cannon, either, which meant he hadn't killed her. The knife blade wasn't very long; maybe he'd missed her organs. Sam felt another wave of bile shooting up his throat at that thought, so he did what he could to put it out of his mind and continued on his way to where he hoped his Cornucopia still stood. Preferably unguarded.
NON-STOP HUNGER GAMES COVERAGE – GAME GOD HQ
"Hello, ladies and gentlemen! And welcome to the Game God HQ, where non-stop coverage of the Hunger Games has only just begun!" exclaimed Caesar. "Joining me again is my esteemed colleague Game God Epsilon, and we are proud to be joined by a relative newcomer to the Hunger Games, Game God Theta! It's a pleasure to have you both with us today!"
"You flatter me! I'm simply thrilled to have the opportunity to speak with you on such a momentous occasion," said Game God Theta. "And a special welcome to all of the deities watching us out there from your realms, homes, and heavens!"
"It's been a very exciting time, and we've been very busy, as you can imagine," said Game God Epsilon. "I'd be remiss if I didn't admit how much fun these little sections are to do, to get away from it all."
"Epsilon, these traps have been phenomenal! It's got everyone on their toes, and few among the tribute aren't watching every single step with trepidation. I'm sure our viewers at home are on the edge of their seats as well," said Caesar. "What would you say has been the best example of success in the areana's trap system today?"
"Well, trying to keep up with extra tributes means that some of our viewers may have missed it, but District 8's Yuri Lowell triggered a spectacular trap fairly early this afternoon. Can we see an instant replay?" asked Epsilon.
"You bet we do! Theta, would you be kind enough to walk us through what's happening here?"
"My pleasure, Caesar," said Theta, bringing up a map of the arena. A tiny blip on the eastern side of the map with Yuri's picture above it appeared, focusing down to the cameras in a copse of trees. "As you can see, Yuri had already distantly witnessed some of the bloodbath that resulted in Natalia and Teruhiko's deaths, and he in a direct path of contact with Hermione Granger, from District 5…"
Yuri picked his way carefully through the vines and ferns on either side of the path, taking care to sweep the landscape around him for any movement. His slow, methodical steps kept him quiet, and, so he apparently thought, safe.
"… but, what he couldn't know, is that there was a vine trap located here, and triggering it brought up an explosion of hidden mines, not to mention a snare…"
Sure enough, he stepped directly on a vine, which grabbed him around the ankles and hoisted him upwards, flinging him around. He slammed hard into a tree branch, a grunt of pain escaping his lips. A ripple of explosions dotted the trees and roots around him, flinging bits of flaming debris and twigs into the sky around him. A smoke screen concealed him even more. Another camera showed Hermione's shocked reaction, as she began to retrace her steps to what would eventually lead her to finding Vyse and Fina.
"… and, hence, he became trapped, and appears to have suffered some damage to his body as he is struggling to escape his new home."
"A beautiful description, Theta, thank you for that," said Caesar. "Meanwhile, we've seen how some of the bloodshed has affected our remaining tributes, which also recently led to a misunderstanding between some of our tributes…"
Having discovered Teruhiko's body with an arrow in its back, Flynn, also of District 8, had taken it to be his mission to make the cowards answer for their back attack. Following the sounds of another retreating tribute, Flynn encountered Harry and Shinjiro, whom he accused of attacking the man and shooting him in the back in cold blood.
"… and the confrontation went about as well as could be expected…"
"I don't know what you're talking about," said Shijiro, turning away from him. "Fuck off, or we'll make you fuck off."
"I will not stand for this! Face me, you cowards!" snarled Flynn, diving in for an attack.
"Not to interrupt, Caesar, but I was astounded at how quickly Shinjiro and Harry ascertained the futility of engaging Flynn in armed combat," said Epsilon.
"Quite correct. Flynn is one of the few who managed to obtain armor this early into the game. Let's show the viewers a replay of what happened during the fight," said Caesar.
Harry and Shinjiro both ran in a semi-circle around Flynn, and the man surprisingly went after Shinjiro before Harry. Shinjiro was able to parry and dodge the first couple of strikes, and Harry blasted Flynn in the back with some sort of magic spell that pierced his armor and knocked him to the ground. Shinjiro walked over and kicked the weapon away from Flynn's hands as he struggled to stand.
"We haven't killed anyone," said Shinjiro.
"Why would you even think that?" asked Harry.
"You were… fleeing the scene… of District 10's murder… he was shot in the back…" said Flynn, still gasping for air.
"Do you even see a damn bow? Unbelievable. I thought you were supposed to be one of the smart ones," said Shinjiro.
"I… admit, I may have been a little hasty in my assumptions," said Flynn.
"What should we do with him?" asked Harry, his wand still trained on the boy.
"Eh. If he promises not to flip out again, why not take him with us?" said Shinjiro. "He owes us one after that colossal fuck-up."
"He's already tried to kill us once, how can we trust him?" asked Harry.
"I give you my word, on my honor as a knight," said Flynn, crawling up to one knee. "Please, allow me to rectify my mistake."
"I'm fine with it. Your armor makes you a good, safe distraction for any enemies we find," said Shinjiro. "It's gonna be getting dark soon. The Muttations are probably going to be released."
"Yes, you're right," said Flynn. "Thank you for allowing me to accompany you. I swear I won't let you down again."
"The ultimate irony, of course," said Caesar, "is that right after this scene happened, they found a bow and arrow set on the pathway to the north. Flynn is now in possession of that bow."
"It's amazing the turns this game takes, isn't it?" laughed Theta. "This wasn't the only terse situation between Districts to occur today, though it was the only one to directly end in confrontation. District 5's Luna and District 4's Kirala were both within a football field's length of each other, right in the south quadrant of the arena, as seen on the map here…"
Cameras focused on Luna and Kirala, as the latter kept a careful, watchful eye on the former. Luna meandered seemingly aimlessly through the path, carefully tracing her fingers along the barks of trees, pausing to smell the leaves, and occasionally stooping to check the roots for something. Since neither girl was armed, Kirala didn't seem too keen to pounce on her apparently oblivious prey. However, when the cameras zoomed in on Luna's face, there was definitely a calculated, well-aware look behind the glaze of innocence on her eyes. Luna definitely knew she was being followed, but she was probably playing the airhead part up until she could either escape or fight back.
"… and with District 12's Rise and Yu just a few clicks to the west of them, we're looking at another possible fight in the southern part of the arena. Will District 12 be able to pull out another victory in combat, or will Yu and Rise's luck run out?" asked Theta, a little too dramatically.
Caesar laughed. "Be careful, Theta, I might be out of a job if you keep that up! But, you are too right about the other areas of tension we're carefully watching. In the Southern Cornucopia, District 9's Seles and District 4's Ramirez have been hiding out, seemingly unbeknownst to each other, taking their pick of the weapons and items left behind during the bloodbath."
"I believe Ramirez knows of Seles' presence, but for whatever reason, he's not attacking her. My guess is he's trying to do the same thing she is: outfit himself for the most useful bits of equipment and weaponry before beginning his fight," said Epsilon.
"Whereas Seles seems to have gone more the route of defensive and healing preparation," said Theta. "She's found two scrolls: one for Healing Circle, and one for Barrier. A very impressive combo, especially in the early round."
"It'll be interesting to see if and when she's able to use it," said Caesar. "Now, Epsilon, the true God of Mechanics, can you care to explain what these other blips on the map are for our viewers?"
"These? Oh, they're the Muttations," said Epsilon. "We've worked with our representatives in the Districts to supply an interesting flora and fauna for our tributes to contend with this year. Defeating one of these dangerous monsters will reward our tributes with extra supplies, but each one is powerful. It will take tactical cunning and more than just brute strength to defeat them. It should be very exciting!"
"And how are these brought into the arena? Is there a timer, or a triggering mechanism?" asked Caesar.
"As you can see, here, zoom in on District 11's Quinn: she stepped on that rock, and that switch launched a Muttation out into the wild down between her and the large group that Shayla has spearheaded," explained Epsilon. "The Muttations have their own free will once released. We do not interfere with them. Whether they encounter our tributes or not depends on the Muttation, and the tributes themselves."
"One spawned, hopefully many more to come!" exclaimed Caesar. "Well, folks, we've definitely got the beginnings of a wild Hunger Games in the making. And I'm sure I speak for all of you when I say: I can't wait to see what comes next! Thanks again to Game Gods Epsilon and Theta for your input. Now… back to the Games!"
