Day Thirteen: Consequences
"You know what this is?" Blight's looking down at the girl on the floor. "You know what I'm bringing? Actions have them?" There's a bolt in One's back, she's scrabbling on the floor like a trapped animal. In the great hall, there's little she can do but whimper, whimper and plead. Much like Marcella, Blight's most reliable ally in this castle warren, had done with Two's arrow through her leg and One leaning over her with silver knives twisting in each hand. "Consequences." Blight is standing over her, big axe in his hand as he drives it into her back. She gives a whimper, goes still, and Blight brings up the axe in time for Two's girl to be checked before she can strike him down, his axe sinking into her throat.
He hadn't wanted to stage this ambush. But he'd done it because it was his duty. Because it was what he owed to Marcella, Raleigh, the others these bastards had hunted down and tormented for sport. And now One had had the audacity to plead for her life, plead and die on the floor like a dog. This was no place for a woman or girl, especially not a pretty one, but he was sure as hell not going to allow her to get any more chances to kill. Two had rushed him and died.
Two and Kik are fighting, Two's knives against Kik's big spear. The spear was easy, Blight was glad to have Kik on his side and it was so much easier to know his back was covered when the big man with his spear had his back. Besides, two is a good number of allies, and counting Posy because she'd come down with her knife, but was hidden under a table. A weapon of last resort, she could do an ambush if it came to that. Three was even better, after all, Three provided a redundancy.
Blight, meanwhile, is on patrol. Eyeing One on the floor, the boy lying near dead. Two moves before One, and Blight sinks an axe into his arm. Two doesn't move again, there's blood seeping into the flagstones and so Blight can turn his attention to One, driving the axe into his skull. Letting One spasm, no cannon's fired but it's only a matter of time.
Now Kik's collapsing to the ground. Two's sunk knives into him, and before Blight can react Four's boy is rushing him with a scream of hate. Four's got his trident sweeping, and Blight doesn't know why Four is charging him with such absolute hate until he sees the brown haired, broken body lain on the floor. There's a crossbow bolt run through tanned throat, and Four's girl had clearly thrown up her blood onto the floor before she'd died. That makes sense. It's dangerous, angry Four, but now Blight is sweeping his axe forward with a grim set to his jaw. "Come on, Four. Lets end this."
It takes grunts of pain. It takes a hole through Blight's arm, nearly three more through his neck. But his axe drives into Four's shoulder, and then slams down again to end the battle and let Blight turn to face the scream that rung out behind him.
"Leave this." Posy's sobbing, Two paying her no heed. The boy has a knife to Posy's throat, two bolts in his back and that axe wound, but Posy has a knife at her throat. A threat, and Posy gives Blight a pleading glance like he can do something. Two's looking at One, bleeding out on the floor. "Four of us. Three soon. I'll be going. Try anything, I'll slit your girls neck. I will."
"Go on then." Blight gives the dare. He shouldn't have. He encourages Two to make a move, and he does. Slashes Posy's throat like it's melted butter, and Posy can only give a single useless hiccup before collapsing to the floor like a puppet with her strings cut. Two stands, swaying a moment before falling into the floor like he's a dying man. He is, there's a crossbow bolt buried through his calf and he stabs out at Blight but an axe strikes down and takes off the hand. Then, finally, it's time to end it. To drive an axe down into the floor, and consequences come through.
"I wanted that little One thing to win." Gamemaker Melrose is sighing, like he hasn't been the one pulling the strings the entire time. Like he wasn't the one who got Blight injured, turned Blight into a man who couldn't even see the things in front. Who couldn't even walk without a trip over his feet.
"She was spirited, she was fun. Capitol would have loved another One. So, Mr. Tarry. Why should I be satisfied with you?" Too many words. Blight's still got a swimming head, sighing as he speaks. He tries to keep it simple, anything more a problem he doesn't have the words for. "Because I... I won." There's a smile on the Gamemaker's lips, and he nods. Taps Blight on the shoulder, laughs a while and winks. "Of course you did, Mr. Tarry. Shouldn't have called that feast, should I? Caused more consequences than I should have hoped for." "No, you... shouldn't." Another short release of words, and the Gamemaker nods. "Good kid. Well, Mr. Tarry."
Melrose takes his hand, shakes it and smiles as Blight does the same with a more pained smile. "Well, Mr. Tarry. I won't keep you longer. Many congratulations on your Victory. I hope we have no... unfortunateness. After all, you're our Victor now. Capitol-loyal, our ally. Find a nice girl, heard Seven is good enough with their wedding ceremonies. Do what you want at home. But if you want my advice?"
Genuine fondness is in the smile Blight gets. "Stay out of politics. Victors who try that always have the saddest stories."