I am NOT switching to a Tribute POV. At least I don't think I am. We'll see.
This is going to be sort of an omniscient overview, I guess? I do need to be inside the tribute's heads, and Aurora just won't suffice.
The gong sounds, and the tributes spring to life.
Marian springs off her plate and rockets towards Harrison before anyone gets to the mouth of the Cornucopia.
Candle has reached the mouth and grabbed a bow. Next to her is the boy from 8, and he's reaching for a crossbow. Axl arrives quickly after that and slams into the boy – Tanner's – arm, sending a crossbow bolt flying haphazardly and Tanner whirling. He's recovered before Axl does, and, snatching a bolt from the quiver he was smart enough to grab, stabs wildly in Axl's direction. He's lucky. Axl staggers back, clutching his eye, blood streaming from between his fingertips, and Tanner sprints away.
Candle is clambering for the top of the Cornucopia – she knows this will be her prime position. She's left her back vulnerable, though, and Coren Joss latches onto her collar and just heaves her down. She lands flat on her back, choking for air, terror in her eyes. He's somehow managed to avoid the conflict between Axl and Tanner, and he's sliding a thin blade between her ribs and into her heart and another not across her throat, but through it, from one side to the other, and leveraging the blade through the front of her neck. He's opened her up completely.
She gurgles, and he grimaces.
"ELEVEN!" someone bellows, and Coren's head snaps up just in time to see Blake charging at him. He rises, meaning to meet Blake head on, but Blake's momentum is not to be stopped and he slams Coren into the side of the Cornucopia. Coren, stunned, drops one of his knives and only manages to deliver a weak blow to Blake's ribs before Blake manages to get a grip around Coren's throat and slams Coren's head against the Cornucopia again. Coren gasps, and Blake continues to slam his head into the wall of the Cornucopia.
Mistle glances over her shoulder. She seemed glad to find a true naginata in the Cornucopia. This weapon gives her immense reach, thus awarding her a significant advantage. She spins it experimentally, allowing herself time to adjust to its weight and heft. The weapon is perfectly balanced, and she knows it. After exchanging hurried words with Taffeta, Mistle runs to protect Blake's back while Taffeta straps another bandolier of knives to her chest and grabs a wicked-looking doubled-bladed halberd.
Blake's work on Coren is complete, and the District 11 tribute's body is slumped at the base of the Cornucopia, a bloody smear trailing down above him and eyes open and staring. Blake turns, hands up, fury in his eyes, ready to fight, and Mistle silently extends a scimitar, hilt first.
"This isn't my blade," Blake growls, and Mistle shrugs.
"It's a blade, isn't it?"
Taffeta is stalking towards Johny Harper, who made the mistake of trying to get into the Cornucopia. He'd stumbled and fallen, leaving him scuttling backwards on his hands and knees. He's begging, and Taffeta is grimacing at the sniveling.
"Please, please don't…. I've still got to help Roxy… she's my soulmate, don't you see? You can't get in the way of true love; please, please you have to let me go!"
Taffeta takes another step forward and swipes her halberd across his gut. Blood blooms beneath her blade, and Johny gasps, clutching his stomach and curling in on himself.
Taffeta looks up and glares around the area at the Cornucopia's mouth. Marian is trying to drag Harrison away from the Bloodbath. She's headed towards a shop with an awning over the door that reads "Home of the World Famous Hot Fudge" and "The Original Chocolate Shop." Harrison isn't cooperating; he's flailing and trying to get away from Marian.
She turns just in time to see Mars stab Viola Ro through the back as Viola tried to rush into the Cornucopia. Viole was already there, a handful of knives in his hand. He looked like he had been getting ready to leave the Cornucopia, and Taffeta had no idea how Viole had managed to sneak in behind her, but she knew Viole had managed to convince Blake and Mistle that he'd be a wonderful addition to the Career Pack, so he was fine.
But Mars had just murdered Viole's sister in front of him, so Taffeta was now on edge. Killing a member of the Careers before the big split was tantamount to declaring yourself an independent party, and if either Mars or Viole raised a weapon against the other, Taffeta knew the pack wouldn't last as long as it needed to.
"Thank god," Viole muttered. "I don't know how I would've been able to think with her in this arena."
Mars glances up at him, anger flashing across his face. Two quick steps and he's driven his sword through Viole's chest, too.
Taffeta rolls her eyes. "Really, Mars?" she grumbles, and he turns to her, sword raised defensively.
"I don't trust anyone who doesn't care about his sister," he mumbles, and Taffeta shakes her head.
"You know we aren't supposed to kill members of the pack!"
Mars shrugs. "I didn't trust him," he repeated, and Taffeta glares at him.
"Clean your blade," she hisses, and storms out.
Allela's sprinting away from the Bloodbath and Cornucopia when the cannons start to go off. She'd decided to run downhill, hoping that not having to fight hills would help her run further and faster, but a little more than one hundred yards of running straight down had lead her to a beach and a large body of water. Allela had crouched and tasted the water, then spat it out. Salty. An ocean.
She'd decided to take a left, heading back up to pavement before jogging along the coastline, and had just reached a trail leading into what looked like a forest when the cannons went off.
Allela came to an abrupt stop, and counted the cannons.
Six dead? Only six?
She started jogging again. So far everything had been a cityscape, and now trees and grass surrounded her.
A park, maybe?
Okay. So. Welcome to a reconstruction of San Francisco. The abnormalities of layouts and locations will be further explained later, but as we can assume the original city was lost underwater, this arena is a reconstruction based on San Fran and includes several key points of interest from the classified history files.
Death Toll:
Candle Saunteir, D2 – Stabbed by Coren Joss
Viola Ro, D3 – Stabbed through the back by Mars Everett
Viole Ro, D3 – Stabbed by Mars Everett due to lack of loyalty to his sister
Sundance Ticia, D9 – Killed by Tanner Craven's stray crossbow bolt
Johny Harper, D10 – Eviscerated by Taffeta Roydan
Coren Joss, D11 – Skull crushed by Blake Stonem
