So I was bored and wrote this over a period of 2 days. It's pretty sucky, but give it a read. It starts pretty much at the games and skips the dumb stuff.
“Hello, and welcome to the Caesar Flickerman show! The 100th Hunger Games are just beginning, and the Reaping has been done. In case you didn’t know, this is a Quarter Quell! How thrilling! The theme this year is that each district sends 2 tributes, but there are no gender limits! 2 male, 2 female, on of each, whatever happens! And this time, the age cap was 25!"
---The Games---
--Day 1--
Spoiler: show
It was the day. The hovercrafts were being boarded. They were soon to be in an arena. This year’s Quarter Quell was pretty odd so far, but not very different. This arena must be the most out of the box idea ever. As it turns out, it was. The platforms rose out of the ground, and the countdown began as Claudius Templesmith talked.
This arena was sure to be the most entertaining one out of all the Hunger Games. Around 200 yards from the cornucopia area were 4 evenly spaced pillars of rock. Steps wrapped around each one, and perched atop each was a different colored temple. They were red, green, blue, and yellow. They each had insignias on the topmost pendant. The 4 elements. After the pillars, there was sparse forest in every direction.
“Let the 100th Annual Hunger Games begin!” Claudius boomed, and then a gong sounded. 24 tributes scattered. Sots and Battery instantly met up at the mouth of the Cornucopia. Inside was a wall of assorted weapons. A bladed boomerang was there, as well as a sword that felt like it was fitted for Sots. The slaughter began. The tribute from districts 1, 2, and 4 were automatically teamed together. Pleh struck Destiny in the neck with a battleaxe, severing his head completely. Iroh wasn’t holding a weapon, but it was apparent that he was a weapon. He kicked Zutara clean across the face, shattering he skull. As this happened, his arm shot out, hitting Count directly in the heart. Count collapsed in a heap.
Zero and Tavatar were fighting over a bag of supplies when Kat bashed their heads together, killing them on contact. He picked up the pack and dashed for the Earth pillar. Kip noticed this and followed, wanting a strong ally. Conzu began chasing Kip for a target with his guard down. He thought that if he were to go down, he wanted a kill first. This wish did not come to fruition. He felt a burning that made him stop in his tracks. He fell the ground and turned. Half was there with a bottle of acid. The last thing Conzu saw before life slipped away was an arrow appearing through Half’s throat.
Met had managed to find 3 sheaths of arrows and 2 bows. He picked them up, and it was obvious that 2 bows and 1 sheath were missing. Met swung around, aiming a shot. Ollie watched him as he spotted Drake scaling one of the pillars. Met took the shot, and missed horribly. Ollie became suddenly enraged, picked up a hammer that was in the quick toolkit, and bashed Met in the back of the head. The angered man picked up the bow, took aim, and shot Drake straight through the heart. Sots turned around and saw Met’s dead corpse and Ollie’s bloodied hand. Without a thought, he skewered Ollie through the back.
The remaining tributes besides the careers had vanished up the pillars.
“Sots, Pleh, and Battery, go up the green pillar. I will stay behind to guard our stuff. It’s amazing how little they took,” Iroh instructed.
The other 3 nodded, knowing Iroh was their elder. He was supposed to be in the game 5 years ago, but someone volunteered before he got to. It was a tiny 12 year old boy who was killed in the bloodbath. Iroh thought he lost his chance of glory, but luckily his chance arose again this year, while he was 23. He knew he would be able to take out each and every tribute if he could isolate them.
In the forest behind the Air pillar, an alliance had formed. Alex, Red, Air, and Tights had a mutual interest, which was to wait out the slaughter of the rest. Air had nearly gotten himself killed fetching a first aid kit that was very close to the mouth. He only got away because of the exchange between Met and Ollie.
At the base of the Earth Pillar, a fist fight had broken out. Kip wanted Kat as an ally, but Kat didn’t accept. They were about to start trying to give death blows when the careers started towards their pillar. Eyes met and an understanding occurred. They ran up the pillar, careful to avoid the view of the careers.
Tiny and Wat had snagged the 2 bows and sheath of arrows. It contained 14 arrows, 7 for each of them. Luckily, Wat had both spent all of her training time with the weapon while Tiny mainly focused on survival techniques. Both of them were atop the Water Pillar.
Tera went missing right at the gong. He had pretty much flown into the trees between the Air and Water pillar. Tev had followed suit, just in the opposite direction.
The cannons for the bloodbath began to sound off. There were 10 deaths in total so far. The real games were just beginning…
-Kip & Kat-
Together the two traversed the huge pillar. They could only guess that this pillar is in excess of 1,000 feet tall. It feels like hours before Kip and Kat finally reach the top of the rock. The stairs end in front of a large building, but there is no time to observe it. The tributes duck into the opening, and see something beautiful. Food and water is stacked upon itself on a golden shrine at the other end of the room. My pack that Kat had been carrying falls to the ground as his legs begin to carry him. That is, until he feels a tug on his back and falls backwards.
“What are you, crazy?” Kip whispered. “You should know that almost everything is a trap. Look on the ground.”
They both traced the ground until they spotted a line crossing the floor. At either side on the wall were a series of tiny holes, which they guessed are motion detectors. Whatever that line did would hopefully stay a mystery.
“Wow, you saved my life,” Kat said, astonished.
“Yeah, and we’re gonna need to make a plan. Those careers are coming, and they’ll probably be here very soon. I suspect this trap could benefit us.” Kip smirked.
It wasn’t very long until Pleh entered the door. The non-career tributes were hiding in opposite doorways. These doorways were the ones closest to the trap. Hopefully the plan would work.
“Guys, I don’t see anyone, I think there is something fishy,” Pleh announced. He turned his back to the temple corridor. Now was their chance. The two of them ran out, no weapons in tow. They were two fairly large men, and Pleh was on the smaller side. Pleh spun around with his spear and slashed Kip’s leg. Kip lost his balance and slammed into Pleh, knocking them both to the ground.
“Get him, Sots!” Battery yelled as they both entered the room. Now was the time for the real plan to unfold. Kat grabbed Kip by the shoulders and propelled the both of them over the line towards the shrine. The room was illuminated and heated suddenly. The trap was a wall of fire.
“Batt, hit them with your boomerang!” Sots commanded.
“I can’t, the room is too small!” she replied, scared of what Sots would say.
“Very well. Pleh and Battery, you’re useless. If I could, I’d end you right now,” Sots muttered. The careers left, but their presence was still known by Kip’s leg. It was bleeding profusely.
“He hit me pretty good. Check the bag for any first aid supplies,” Kip said. Kat began looking for the bag, but it was nowhere to be found. His eyes opened wide in realization.
“Kip… It’s on the other side. The careers probably took it,” he whimpered.
“I was afraid it would come to this.” Kip used all of his remaining energy to hoist himself up and walk over to the wall of fire. Without a second thought, he stuck his wound into it. He passed out, but Kat was there to catch him.
“God I hope we have sponsors,” Kat cried.
-Tiny & Wat-
“How should we do this?” Tiny asked. Wat honestly had no idea.
“We need that food, and I don’t know what that line will do,” Wat sighed. There was a shrine at the end of the room that had supplies for survival. However, there was also a booby trap.
“There’s only one way to find out. We can sit here and die or get a chance for survival. I pick the latter.” Tiny quickly grabbed Wat’s arm and hurled both of the both of them over the line. Before they even landed, the trap activated. A giant stone wall rose quickly and smashed into the ceiling. The only light source now was the candle at the center of the shrine.
“Great. Not only do we have low light, now we probably have a limited air supply,” Wat huffed.
“Shut up and get eating. Who knows what will happen next.”
-Alex, Red, Air, and Tights-
“So we have some painkillers, gauze, some kind of ointment, and a stitch kit. I am so glad I grabbed this,” Air proclaimed.
“Yeah, and I’m glad I got the hell out of there. You heard before, 10 cannon fires. I coulda been the 11th,” Alex replied.
“So, what’s the plan now?” Red asked.
“Well, we need food and weapons. The food is natural, but the weapons… We’d need to go back to the Cornucopia or something,” Alex answered.
“What about those temples?” Tights said. She pointed up to the yellow temple that was near to them.
“You raise an interesting point, but I don’t think the risk is worth it. It would be wise to stay out of there,” Red said.
Air rose an eyebrow at that. “Why would that be wise? You’d rather storm the Cornucopia and be killed?”
“Well,” Red began, “We would be trapped if we decided to go up there. If the careers decided to ascend, we’d either have to fight or die. I’d rather avoid both of those options.”
The camp fell quiet. After a couple minutes of silent deliberation, Alex spoke. “I think it would be best if we rested. I’ll take watch.”
“Alex, you need to rest-“ Red spoke.
“Just sleep.”
And so they slept. No other cannons fired, so there were still 14 tributes alive. The anthem blared into the arena, and showed the faces of the fallen. The other 3 besides Alex didn’t budge at the sound.
-The Careers-
Sots, Battery, and Pleh returned to the Cornucopia as night fell. Iroh didn’t say a word when he found out that they were outsmarted. He just told them to begin gathering all the items around the cornucopia and stacking them inside. They would take turns guarding the mouth while the others slept.
At around midnight, Pleh sat atop the Cornucopia as the other 3 slept. He knew that he wasn’t going to exit this arena. Iroh was too powerful and needed to be stopped. At the moment, though, Iroh was his best chance of survival.
Then Pleh felt a warmness seeping down his throat and soaking into his shirt. The pitter patter of feet moved away, nearly unnoticeable. Pleh fell unconscious as a cannon rang out against the night. The killer slipped back into the woods with his new knife and food before anyone could spot him.
-In the Capitol-
“Yes, Claudius! That was a spectacular tactic. Tera just snuck under the radar, snagged some of the supplies and killed the watchman!” Caesar bellowed.
“The first day was quite an eventful one. That trick that was pulled in the Earth temple was spectacular. Pleh would never live that one down!”
“And the District 11 and 12 tributes were wise enough to get out of dodge! But I’m sure the gamemakers will make sure they’re mobile soon. The question is; How?”
-Back in the arena-
A massive trembling began under the Air pillar. Cracks rose from its base as the trembling continued and increased in size. The base capsized and the temple came crashing down. It fell away from the Cornucopia, and therefore in the direction of Alex’s group.
“Guys! Wake up!” Alex screamed. The temple was beginning to fall towards them. They didn’t need to be told twice.
“Oh booty!” Red yelled before sprinting far away from the danger zone. The group ran as fast as they could, but then the explosions started. A tree launched in front of Air, who was far behind the rest of the group. He was instantly deafened as another explosion occurred. The tree hit his foot and he faceplanted into the ground. The temple continued to fall, and the other 3 knew he was done.
And after the rocks settled there was a cannon shot, and then an absence of all noise. The group stopped outside the rubble, thinking through their options.
“Look guys, we can decide what to do later. For now, we should get as far away as possible,” Alex said. They still have the first aid kit, but something was sticking out of the rocks. In that moment he remembered what Tights said. There were weapons in the temple!
He unwedged the 5 throwing knives from the rocks. It was just what they needed. He gave one to Tights, two to Red, and kept two. And with that they were on their way.
Hours later, Jon and Iroh showed up at the rubble. There was no sign of life or any disturbed ground. Whoever was here was under the rocks or across the arena.
“Dammit! Why can’t we get them?” Jon cursed.
“It’s because we’re looking. They have their guard up because they’re expecting us. If we stay at the center, they will seek us out or relax,” Iroh stated.
“Then let’s head back,” Jon replied, not even taking time to notice the District 3 tribute hiding in the shadows. He never attacked, though, so the careers were lucky.
-Kip & Kat-
“Oh god what was that?” Kat whispered. Kip was still out cold, and their protective and warm wall had vanished.
Kat stood up and inched his way towards the door. He couldn’t tell the distance or severity of whatever just happened, but the view from the doorway was enough to solidify his worried thoughts. The Gamemakers had caused an earthquake that had taken down the Air pillar directly across from the Earth pillar. The after effects were evident on the other pillars, though. The Fire pillar had large chunks missing and the Water Pillar lost most of its steps. The one Kat was on had major cracks in its structure, and was sure to be unstable. They needed to get out as soon as possible.
Just as Kat was turning around, he saw movement on the left side of the sky. He turned to see something floating down towards him. It was a sponsor gift! He prepared to catch it, and that he did.
He took the gift over to Kip, then promptly opened it. Inside was a jar the size of a grape. It was the medicine Kip needed! The jar was instantly open and the crème was being applied to Kip’s charred leg. The jar had just enough for one thin use. Hopefully it would be enough.
This arena was sure to be the most entertaining one out of all the Hunger Games. Around 200 yards from the cornucopia area were 4 evenly spaced pillars of rock. Steps wrapped around each one, and perched atop each was a different colored temple. They were red, green, blue, and yellow. They each had insignias on the topmost pendant. The 4 elements. After the pillars, there was sparse forest in every direction.
“Let the 100th Annual Hunger Games begin!” Claudius boomed, and then a gong sounded. 24 tributes scattered. Sots and Battery instantly met up at the mouth of the Cornucopia. Inside was a wall of assorted weapons. A bladed boomerang was there, as well as a sword that felt like it was fitted for Sots. The slaughter began. The tribute from districts 1, 2, and 4 were automatically teamed together. Pleh struck Destiny in the neck with a battleaxe, severing his head completely. Iroh wasn’t holding a weapon, but it was apparent that he was a weapon. He kicked Zutara clean across the face, shattering he skull. As this happened, his arm shot out, hitting Count directly in the heart. Count collapsed in a heap.
Zero and Tavatar were fighting over a bag of supplies when Kat bashed their heads together, killing them on contact. He picked up the pack and dashed for the Earth pillar. Kip noticed this and followed, wanting a strong ally. Conzu began chasing Kip for a target with his guard down. He thought that if he were to go down, he wanted a kill first. This wish did not come to fruition. He felt a burning that made him stop in his tracks. He fell the ground and turned. Half was there with a bottle of acid. The last thing Conzu saw before life slipped away was an arrow appearing through Half’s throat.
Met had managed to find 3 sheaths of arrows and 2 bows. He picked them up, and it was obvious that 2 bows and 1 sheath were missing. Met swung around, aiming a shot. Ollie watched him as he spotted Drake scaling one of the pillars. Met took the shot, and missed horribly. Ollie became suddenly enraged, picked up a hammer that was in the quick toolkit, and bashed Met in the back of the head. The angered man picked up the bow, took aim, and shot Drake straight through the heart. Sots turned around and saw Met’s dead corpse and Ollie’s bloodied hand. Without a thought, he skewered Ollie through the back.
The remaining tributes besides the careers had vanished up the pillars.
“Sots, Pleh, and Battery, go up the green pillar. I will stay behind to guard our stuff. It’s amazing how little they took,” Iroh instructed.
The other 3 nodded, knowing Iroh was their elder. He was supposed to be in the game 5 years ago, but someone volunteered before he got to. It was a tiny 12 year old boy who was killed in the bloodbath. Iroh thought he lost his chance of glory, but luckily his chance arose again this year, while he was 23. He knew he would be able to take out each and every tribute if he could isolate them.
In the forest behind the Air pillar, an alliance had formed. Alex, Red, Air, and Tights had a mutual interest, which was to wait out the slaughter of the rest. Air had nearly gotten himself killed fetching a first aid kit that was very close to the mouth. He only got away because of the exchange between Met and Ollie.
At the base of the Earth Pillar, a fist fight had broken out. Kip wanted Kat as an ally, but Kat didn’t accept. They were about to start trying to give death blows when the careers started towards their pillar. Eyes met and an understanding occurred. They ran up the pillar, careful to avoid the view of the careers.
Tiny and Wat had snagged the 2 bows and sheath of arrows. It contained 14 arrows, 7 for each of them. Luckily, Wat had both spent all of her training time with the weapon while Tiny mainly focused on survival techniques. Both of them were atop the Water Pillar.
Tera went missing right at the gong. He had pretty much flown into the trees between the Air and Water pillar. Tev had followed suit, just in the opposite direction.
The cannons for the bloodbath began to sound off. There were 10 deaths in total so far. The real games were just beginning…
-Kip & Kat-
Together the two traversed the huge pillar. They could only guess that this pillar is in excess of 1,000 feet tall. It feels like hours before Kip and Kat finally reach the top of the rock. The stairs end in front of a large building, but there is no time to observe it. The tributes duck into the opening, and see something beautiful. Food and water is stacked upon itself on a golden shrine at the other end of the room. My pack that Kat had been carrying falls to the ground as his legs begin to carry him. That is, until he feels a tug on his back and falls backwards.
“What are you, crazy?” Kip whispered. “You should know that almost everything is a trap. Look on the ground.”
They both traced the ground until they spotted a line crossing the floor. At either side on the wall were a series of tiny holes, which they guessed are motion detectors. Whatever that line did would hopefully stay a mystery.
“Wow, you saved my life,” Kat said, astonished.
“Yeah, and we’re gonna need to make a plan. Those careers are coming, and they’ll probably be here very soon. I suspect this trap could benefit us.” Kip smirked.
It wasn’t very long until Pleh entered the door. The non-career tributes were hiding in opposite doorways. These doorways were the ones closest to the trap. Hopefully the plan would work.
“Guys, I don’t see anyone, I think there is something fishy,” Pleh announced. He turned his back to the temple corridor. Now was their chance. The two of them ran out, no weapons in tow. They were two fairly large men, and Pleh was on the smaller side. Pleh spun around with his spear and slashed Kip’s leg. Kip lost his balance and slammed into Pleh, knocking them both to the ground.
“Get him, Sots!” Battery yelled as they both entered the room. Now was the time for the real plan to unfold. Kat grabbed Kip by the shoulders and propelled the both of them over the line towards the shrine. The room was illuminated and heated suddenly. The trap was a wall of fire.
“Batt, hit them with your boomerang!” Sots commanded.
“I can’t, the room is too small!” she replied, scared of what Sots would say.
“Very well. Pleh and Battery, you’re useless. If I could, I’d end you right now,” Sots muttered. The careers left, but their presence was still known by Kip’s leg. It was bleeding profusely.
“He hit me pretty good. Check the bag for any first aid supplies,” Kip said. Kat began looking for the bag, but it was nowhere to be found. His eyes opened wide in realization.
“Kip… It’s on the other side. The careers probably took it,” he whimpered.
“I was afraid it would come to this.” Kip used all of his remaining energy to hoist himself up and walk over to the wall of fire. Without a second thought, he stuck his wound into it. He passed out, but Kat was there to catch him.
“God I hope we have sponsors,” Kat cried.
-Tiny & Wat-
“How should we do this?” Tiny asked. Wat honestly had no idea.
“We need that food, and I don’t know what that line will do,” Wat sighed. There was a shrine at the end of the room that had supplies for survival. However, there was also a booby trap.
“There’s only one way to find out. We can sit here and die or get a chance for survival. I pick the latter.” Tiny quickly grabbed Wat’s arm and hurled both of the both of them over the line. Before they even landed, the trap activated. A giant stone wall rose quickly and smashed into the ceiling. The only light source now was the candle at the center of the shrine.
“Great. Not only do we have low light, now we probably have a limited air supply,” Wat huffed.
“Shut up and get eating. Who knows what will happen next.”
-Alex, Red, Air, and Tights-
“So we have some painkillers, gauze, some kind of ointment, and a stitch kit. I am so glad I grabbed this,” Air proclaimed.
“Yeah, and I’m glad I got the hell out of there. You heard before, 10 cannon fires. I coulda been the 11th,” Alex replied.
“So, what’s the plan now?” Red asked.
“Well, we need food and weapons. The food is natural, but the weapons… We’d need to go back to the Cornucopia or something,” Alex answered.
“What about those temples?” Tights said. She pointed up to the yellow temple that was near to them.
“You raise an interesting point, but I don’t think the risk is worth it. It would be wise to stay out of there,” Red said.
Air rose an eyebrow at that. “Why would that be wise? You’d rather storm the Cornucopia and be killed?”
“Well,” Red began, “We would be trapped if we decided to go up there. If the careers decided to ascend, we’d either have to fight or die. I’d rather avoid both of those options.”
The camp fell quiet. After a couple minutes of silent deliberation, Alex spoke. “I think it would be best if we rested. I’ll take watch.”
“Alex, you need to rest-“ Red spoke.
“Just sleep.”
And so they slept. No other cannons fired, so there were still 14 tributes alive. The anthem blared into the arena, and showed the faces of the fallen. The other 3 besides Alex didn’t budge at the sound.
-The Careers-
Sots, Battery, and Pleh returned to the Cornucopia as night fell. Iroh didn’t say a word when he found out that they were outsmarted. He just told them to begin gathering all the items around the cornucopia and stacking them inside. They would take turns guarding the mouth while the others slept.
At around midnight, Pleh sat atop the Cornucopia as the other 3 slept. He knew that he wasn’t going to exit this arena. Iroh was too powerful and needed to be stopped. At the moment, though, Iroh was his best chance of survival.
Then Pleh felt a warmness seeping down his throat and soaking into his shirt. The pitter patter of feet moved away, nearly unnoticeable. Pleh fell unconscious as a cannon rang out against the night. The killer slipped back into the woods with his new knife and food before anyone could spot him.
-In the Capitol-
“Yes, Claudius! That was a spectacular tactic. Tera just snuck under the radar, snagged some of the supplies and killed the watchman!” Caesar bellowed.
“The first day was quite an eventful one. That trick that was pulled in the Earth temple was spectacular. Pleh would never live that one down!”
“And the District 11 and 12 tributes were wise enough to get out of dodge! But I’m sure the gamemakers will make sure they’re mobile soon. The question is; How?”
-Back in the arena-
A massive trembling began under the Air pillar. Cracks rose from its base as the trembling continued and increased in size. The base capsized and the temple came crashing down. It fell away from the Cornucopia, and therefore in the direction of Alex’s group.
“Guys! Wake up!” Alex screamed. The temple was beginning to fall towards them. They didn’t need to be told twice.
“Oh booty!” Red yelled before sprinting far away from the danger zone. The group ran as fast as they could, but then the explosions started. A tree launched in front of Air, who was far behind the rest of the group. He was instantly deafened as another explosion occurred. The tree hit his foot and he faceplanted into the ground. The temple continued to fall, and the other 3 knew he was done.
And after the rocks settled there was a cannon shot, and then an absence of all noise. The group stopped outside the rubble, thinking through their options.
“Look guys, we can decide what to do later. For now, we should get as far away as possible,” Alex said. They still have the first aid kit, but something was sticking out of the rocks. In that moment he remembered what Tights said. There were weapons in the temple!
He unwedged the 5 throwing knives from the rocks. It was just what they needed. He gave one to Tights, two to Red, and kept two. And with that they were on their way.
Hours later, Jon and Iroh showed up at the rubble. There was no sign of life or any disturbed ground. Whoever was here was under the rocks or across the arena.
“Dammit! Why can’t we get them?” Jon cursed.
“It’s because we’re looking. They have their guard up because they’re expecting us. If we stay at the center, they will seek us out or relax,” Iroh stated.
“Then let’s head back,” Jon replied, not even taking time to notice the District 3 tribute hiding in the shadows. He never attacked, though, so the careers were lucky.
-Kip & Kat-
“Oh god what was that?” Kat whispered. Kip was still out cold, and their protective and warm wall had vanished.
Kat stood up and inched his way towards the door. He couldn’t tell the distance or severity of whatever just happened, but the view from the doorway was enough to solidify his worried thoughts. The Gamemakers had caused an earthquake that had taken down the Air pillar directly across from the Earth pillar. The after effects were evident on the other pillars, though. The Fire pillar had large chunks missing and the Water Pillar lost most of its steps. The one Kat was on had major cracks in its structure, and was sure to be unstable. They needed to get out as soon as possible.
Just as Kat was turning around, he saw movement on the left side of the sky. He turned to see something floating down towards him. It was a sponsor gift! He prepared to catch it, and that he did.
He took the gift over to Kip, then promptly opened it. Inside was a jar the size of a grape. It was the medicine Kip needed! The jar was instantly open and the crème was being applied to Kip’s charred leg. The jar had just enough for one thin use. Hopefully it would be enough.
--Day 2--
Spoiler: show
Half of the tributes were dead. 12 still remained, and the Sun was rising. Before the first day had ended, the arena was heavily damaged. Around a quarter of the Fire temple had fully collapsed. The Water temple wasn’t doing much better.
Kip woke up with a gasp as life refilled his body. He felt a sharp pain then looked at his leg. It was badly hurt, but the wound was closed and there were no signs of dead flesh. He looked around and saw Kat preparing breakfast over a tiny fire.
“I found a couple pieces of wood in another room. They were very flammable. Here, eat some eggs,” Kat said handing him a pile of scrambled eggs on top of a flat piece of bread. It acted as a plate.
As Kip began to eat, he noticed the cracks in the temple, the slight dust in the air, and Kat’s general edginess. “Kat, what happened here?”
“There was a… minor tremor that passed. Nothing major,” Kat murmured.
“People died, didn’t they? How many are left?”
“12, but I’m sure that number will drop soon.”
-Tiny & Wat-
The trap wall had shattered. The night before, when the earthquake hit, the wall cracked severely, and the weight of the temple destroyed it. The next morning, Tiny and Wat met something they hadn’t seen in 16 hours. Light.
“Wat, we can get out!” Tiny exclaimed. “Quick, gather everything and let’s go!”
“How did this happen?”
“Does it matter right now? We can leave, and we should do it fast!”
They made their way for the exit and noticed something peculiar. The air was somewhat moist, more so than the day before. It was sure to rain sometime today.
Once they were on the outward ledge, they arrived to a horrifying discovery. The stairs were in a complete state of destruction. They would either have to climb down, where they would probably get picked off, or stay up here and wait for some kind of rescue.
-Alex, Red, & Tights-
“We’ve been walking for hours!” Tights yelled out. Red quickly swung around and pressed her against a tree.
“Do you want to be found? Anyways, it’s only been around 30 minutes,” Red snarled.
“Girls, get off eachother. We’ll get to that when we’re in the top 3,” Alex said with a sly smile. They all continued on their way, Tights lagging behind. After another 20 minutes, Red found that Tights was no longer within sight.
“Hey qurl, where are you?” she whispered. There was no response. “Welp, looks like it’s just the two of us now.”
“No way. She probably took a potty break or something-“ Alex was swiftly interrupted by a blood curdling scream. “Oh god!”
Alex began to run towards it when Red grabbed him. “It’s a trap.”
They waited, unmoving, for the dreaded cannon. It never came. Then there was the rustling. Red pulled Alex, and at a surprising pace she climbed the tree with him. Tera came running directly under the tree, with the unconscious girl slung over his shoulder.
After he had passed, Red coldly stated a sentence that chilled Alex to the bone. “And this trap isn’t just for us.”
-The Careers-
“Did you hear that? We have another target!” Jon cheered. He ran off in the direction fo the scream.
“Jon, wait!” Battery hollered. However, he was long gone.
“Just let him go. He will learn to respect authority,” Iroh said flatly.
Just at the edge of the forest, Tights was laid down on the grass. She was almost not visible except for the fragrant pink rose placed upon her chest. Jon formed a cruel smile.
“Well, look what we have here. It appears you were delivered here as… an act of providence,” Jon sneered. He would prove his worth with this girl. He knelt down next to her and pulled out a small knife. It was placed on her throat, ready to end the 14 year old. As soon as Jon began to cut, he fell down next to her. His hand reached for his back, where it located a large dagger nested in his ribs. He craned his neck and caught sight of Tera as he dashed into the woods.
Two cannons fired.
The last two careers perked their ears. It wasn’t even noon on the second day, and they just learned that they were the last careers.
“I am fed up. Now is the time. Let’s scale the green rock and end those retched guys,” Iroh said. The careers were always meant to win, not some peasants from the lowly districts. Without another word, they collected the essential gear and headed off towards the tower.
-Tiny & Wat-
“Can you see what they’re doing?” Wat asked Tiny, who was perched on the platform facing the Cornucopia.
“They are heading for the Earth pillar. We’re safe for now,” Tiny smiled.
“How are we going to get out of here, though? We can’t win up here,” Wat moaned.
Just as the last word left her lips, an odd movement in the sky caught their gaze. At first it looked like a sponsor gift, but it was a bright gold instead. The gifts were never in a gold case. It landed quietly in Tiny’s lap. She glanced up at Wat.
Wat waited for Tiny to open it, but she didn’t. “Well?”
“I’ve seen this once before. The Gamemakers are contacting us without alerting the others,” Tiny mumbled. “This is never good news.”
Tiny snapped open the golden case, and a small slip of paper fell upon her lap. He picked it up, then read it aloud.
“You’re trapped. We will save you. One of you.”
“Oh… oh god… That can’t mean what I think it means?” Wat asked. Tiny just stared into her eyes, and something changed. Wat watched as Tiny’s eyes glazed over and darted towards the bow and arrows. “No! Tiny no!”
Tiny followed her eyes’ example and darted to the bow. She twisted, aimed an arrow, and shot it at Wat. Wat saw it coming, though, and dodged it. It was sent off the cliffside into the meadow below. She rolled to get her bow, narrowly escaping another arrow. This one got lodged into the wall, and she pulled it out. She snagged her bow and ran into another room in the temple.
Wat was at a disadvantage because Tiny held the rest of the arrows. They never actually split up their ammo. Right now, Wat’s plan was to dodge the arrows and collect them until Tiny was out of them. After that, who knows what would happen.
Tiny swung around the corner, shooting an arrow directly into a vase of white roses. Yet instead of shattering, it exploded. It sent glass shrapnel in all directions. The quiver took damage, and at least 5 arrows were destroyed. The glass stuck deep into Wat’s left leg, and Tiny’s whole right side. Wat took this opportunity to end Tiny. She sent the arrow flying, but it missed by a hair and flew out of the window. Now around 6 arrows were left to use, so Wat decided to run.
Tiny regained as much composure as possible, then began the chase again. Wat found stairs on the far side of the temple and traversed them to the second floor. This floor was much more damaged by the earthquake, judging by the huge rocks on the ground. Wat realized that this formed the perfect kind of cover.
Tiny came rushing up the steps, ready to shoot anything that moved. Yet nothing moved, or even made a noise. For the first time in a while, all was quiet in her world. Almost peaceful.
Tiny leaned against a large boulder that fell from the ceiling above. She wanted to savor this peaceful moment before any more violence. The moment didn’t last for long as Wat pounced over the rock. She ripped the quiver from Tiny, about to load her bow. She landed in front of Tiny, but misjudged the flatness of the floor. Her foot caught the edge of a crack. She catapulted backwards, involuntarily releasing the quiver. It flew directly out a window, joining most of the other arrows below.
Tiny’s eyes met Wat’s as their fate was being decided. The flame within them sparked up as they both let out their final burst. They jumped upon each other and began tearing at whatever was available. Tiny shoved Wat against the window sill and gripped her throat. Wat swung an arm around and slammed her fist into Tiny’s jaw. The girl was knocked back from the impact, giving Wat enough time to swing around behind her. She shoved Tiny forward so her upper half was hanging out of the window.
The world below spun as Tiny was dangled high above it. If Wat were to push Tiny, she’d be dead before she hit the ground. Tiny trashed about and slammed her feet into the floor of the temple. The ground shifted a little at each kick, and it was evident that a massive slip was about to happen. Wat released her grip and jumped back just as a chunk of the temple came crashing down.
Giant rocks barely missed Wat legs as Tiny was thrown down the side of the tower followed by tons of stone. A cannon fired, and Wat began to weep. She wept for her life, but wept more for Tiny. Another innocent girl turned into a vicious psychopath.
After around 10 minutes, Wat stopped crying. She opened her eyes and saw… trees? Why were there trees? She grabbed her bow and ran towards them, then into them. She turned around to find that the entire water pillar had sunk into the ground, and now that she was out of the temple, the temple was sinking too. She began to walk away, and on her way she found the quiver with 4 arrows in it. It was time to win these games.
-Kip & Kat-
“Okay, it’s time to go,” Kat announced. “Gather your stuff and let’s go.”
“Dude, I can barely walk,” Kip fought back.
“There are 9 tributes left and it hasn’t even been 2 days. These games are flying by fast, and I don’t think the gamemakers mind.”
“Still, that means 7 tributes are down there duking it out.”
“Or it means there are 7 tributes down there hunting for us,” Kat deadpanned.
“Then we will stay and wait for them. We can fight if they show up.”
Kat just furrowed his brow. “Fine, but keep your guard up, something fishy is going on.”
And so they sat, even past the time the Sun sank and the Moon started its ascent. That’s when the air grew entirely too thick with humidity, and it began to rain. The drops were huge and thick, the wind blew fiercely. It was as if the rain had a special property that degraded rock until it was no longer. It rained the hardest around the Fire tower, and the effects were immediate. Just like the previous night, a tower was razed.
-In the Capitol-
“How wonderful! Just 2 days in and already 3 of the 4 pillars are gone, and the last is soon to go! Battery and Iroh are camped out at the base of the last one, ready to attack. Alex and Red are among the trees, but are unaware that both Wat and Tera are within 50 feet of them! Tomorrow is sure to be an intense day that will find our victor!”
Kip woke up with a gasp as life refilled his body. He felt a sharp pain then looked at his leg. It was badly hurt, but the wound was closed and there were no signs of dead flesh. He looked around and saw Kat preparing breakfast over a tiny fire.
“I found a couple pieces of wood in another room. They were very flammable. Here, eat some eggs,” Kat said handing him a pile of scrambled eggs on top of a flat piece of bread. It acted as a plate.
As Kip began to eat, he noticed the cracks in the temple, the slight dust in the air, and Kat’s general edginess. “Kat, what happened here?”
“There was a… minor tremor that passed. Nothing major,” Kat murmured.
“People died, didn’t they? How many are left?”
“12, but I’m sure that number will drop soon.”
-Tiny & Wat-
The trap wall had shattered. The night before, when the earthquake hit, the wall cracked severely, and the weight of the temple destroyed it. The next morning, Tiny and Wat met something they hadn’t seen in 16 hours. Light.
“Wat, we can get out!” Tiny exclaimed. “Quick, gather everything and let’s go!”
“How did this happen?”
“Does it matter right now? We can leave, and we should do it fast!”
They made their way for the exit and noticed something peculiar. The air was somewhat moist, more so than the day before. It was sure to rain sometime today.
Once they were on the outward ledge, they arrived to a horrifying discovery. The stairs were in a complete state of destruction. They would either have to climb down, where they would probably get picked off, or stay up here and wait for some kind of rescue.
-Alex, Red, & Tights-
“We’ve been walking for hours!” Tights yelled out. Red quickly swung around and pressed her against a tree.
“Do you want to be found? Anyways, it’s only been around 30 minutes,” Red snarled.
“Girls, get off eachother. We’ll get to that when we’re in the top 3,” Alex said with a sly smile. They all continued on their way, Tights lagging behind. After another 20 minutes, Red found that Tights was no longer within sight.
“Hey qurl, where are you?” she whispered. There was no response. “Welp, looks like it’s just the two of us now.”
“No way. She probably took a potty break or something-“ Alex was swiftly interrupted by a blood curdling scream. “Oh god!”
Alex began to run towards it when Red grabbed him. “It’s a trap.”
They waited, unmoving, for the dreaded cannon. It never came. Then there was the rustling. Red pulled Alex, and at a surprising pace she climbed the tree with him. Tera came running directly under the tree, with the unconscious girl slung over his shoulder.
After he had passed, Red coldly stated a sentence that chilled Alex to the bone. “And this trap isn’t just for us.”
-The Careers-
“Did you hear that? We have another target!” Jon cheered. He ran off in the direction fo the scream.
“Jon, wait!” Battery hollered. However, he was long gone.
“Just let him go. He will learn to respect authority,” Iroh said flatly.
Just at the edge of the forest, Tights was laid down on the grass. She was almost not visible except for the fragrant pink rose placed upon her chest. Jon formed a cruel smile.
“Well, look what we have here. It appears you were delivered here as… an act of providence,” Jon sneered. He would prove his worth with this girl. He knelt down next to her and pulled out a small knife. It was placed on her throat, ready to end the 14 year old. As soon as Jon began to cut, he fell down next to her. His hand reached for his back, where it located a large dagger nested in his ribs. He craned his neck and caught sight of Tera as he dashed into the woods.
Two cannons fired.
The last two careers perked their ears. It wasn’t even noon on the second day, and they just learned that they were the last careers.
“I am fed up. Now is the time. Let’s scale the green rock and end those retched guys,” Iroh said. The careers were always meant to win, not some peasants from the lowly districts. Without another word, they collected the essential gear and headed off towards the tower.
-Tiny & Wat-
“Can you see what they’re doing?” Wat asked Tiny, who was perched on the platform facing the Cornucopia.
“They are heading for the Earth pillar. We’re safe for now,” Tiny smiled.
“How are we going to get out of here, though? We can’t win up here,” Wat moaned.
Just as the last word left her lips, an odd movement in the sky caught their gaze. At first it looked like a sponsor gift, but it was a bright gold instead. The gifts were never in a gold case. It landed quietly in Tiny’s lap. She glanced up at Wat.
Wat waited for Tiny to open it, but she didn’t. “Well?”
“I’ve seen this once before. The Gamemakers are contacting us without alerting the others,” Tiny mumbled. “This is never good news.”
Tiny snapped open the golden case, and a small slip of paper fell upon her lap. He picked it up, then read it aloud.
“You’re trapped. We will save you. One of you.”
“Oh… oh god… That can’t mean what I think it means?” Wat asked. Tiny just stared into her eyes, and something changed. Wat watched as Tiny’s eyes glazed over and darted towards the bow and arrows. “No! Tiny no!”
Tiny followed her eyes’ example and darted to the bow. She twisted, aimed an arrow, and shot it at Wat. Wat saw it coming, though, and dodged it. It was sent off the cliffside into the meadow below. She rolled to get her bow, narrowly escaping another arrow. This one got lodged into the wall, and she pulled it out. She snagged her bow and ran into another room in the temple.
Wat was at a disadvantage because Tiny held the rest of the arrows. They never actually split up their ammo. Right now, Wat’s plan was to dodge the arrows and collect them until Tiny was out of them. After that, who knows what would happen.
Tiny swung around the corner, shooting an arrow directly into a vase of white roses. Yet instead of shattering, it exploded. It sent glass shrapnel in all directions. The quiver took damage, and at least 5 arrows were destroyed. The glass stuck deep into Wat’s left leg, and Tiny’s whole right side. Wat took this opportunity to end Tiny. She sent the arrow flying, but it missed by a hair and flew out of the window. Now around 6 arrows were left to use, so Wat decided to run.
Tiny regained as much composure as possible, then began the chase again. Wat found stairs on the far side of the temple and traversed them to the second floor. This floor was much more damaged by the earthquake, judging by the huge rocks on the ground. Wat realized that this formed the perfect kind of cover.
Tiny came rushing up the steps, ready to shoot anything that moved. Yet nothing moved, or even made a noise. For the first time in a while, all was quiet in her world. Almost peaceful.
Tiny leaned against a large boulder that fell from the ceiling above. She wanted to savor this peaceful moment before any more violence. The moment didn’t last for long as Wat pounced over the rock. She ripped the quiver from Tiny, about to load her bow. She landed in front of Tiny, but misjudged the flatness of the floor. Her foot caught the edge of a crack. She catapulted backwards, involuntarily releasing the quiver. It flew directly out a window, joining most of the other arrows below.
Tiny’s eyes met Wat’s as their fate was being decided. The flame within them sparked up as they both let out their final burst. They jumped upon each other and began tearing at whatever was available. Tiny shoved Wat against the window sill and gripped her throat. Wat swung an arm around and slammed her fist into Tiny’s jaw. The girl was knocked back from the impact, giving Wat enough time to swing around behind her. She shoved Tiny forward so her upper half was hanging out of the window.
The world below spun as Tiny was dangled high above it. If Wat were to push Tiny, she’d be dead before she hit the ground. Tiny trashed about and slammed her feet into the floor of the temple. The ground shifted a little at each kick, and it was evident that a massive slip was about to happen. Wat released her grip and jumped back just as a chunk of the temple came crashing down.
Giant rocks barely missed Wat legs as Tiny was thrown down the side of the tower followed by tons of stone. A cannon fired, and Wat began to weep. She wept for her life, but wept more for Tiny. Another innocent girl turned into a vicious psychopath.
After around 10 minutes, Wat stopped crying. She opened her eyes and saw… trees? Why were there trees? She grabbed her bow and ran towards them, then into them. She turned around to find that the entire water pillar had sunk into the ground, and now that she was out of the temple, the temple was sinking too. She began to walk away, and on her way she found the quiver with 4 arrows in it. It was time to win these games.
-Kip & Kat-
“Okay, it’s time to go,” Kat announced. “Gather your stuff and let’s go.”
“Dude, I can barely walk,” Kip fought back.
“There are 9 tributes left and it hasn’t even been 2 days. These games are flying by fast, and I don’t think the gamemakers mind.”
“Still, that means 7 tributes are down there duking it out.”
“Or it means there are 7 tributes down there hunting for us,” Kat deadpanned.
“Then we will stay and wait for them. We can fight if they show up.”
Kat just furrowed his brow. “Fine, but keep your guard up, something fishy is going on.”
And so they sat, even past the time the Sun sank and the Moon started its ascent. That’s when the air grew entirely too thick with humidity, and it began to rain. The drops were huge and thick, the wind blew fiercely. It was as if the rain had a special property that degraded rock until it was no longer. It rained the hardest around the Fire tower, and the effects were immediate. Just like the previous night, a tower was razed.
-In the Capitol-
“How wonderful! Just 2 days in and already 3 of the 4 pillars are gone, and the last is soon to go! Battery and Iroh are camped out at the base of the last one, ready to attack. Alex and Red are among the trees, but are unaware that both Wat and Tera are within 50 feet of them! Tomorrow is sure to be an intense day that will find our victor!”
--Day 3--
Spoiler: show
The night contained no activity. All the tributes minded themselves and no one else.
Kip and Kat awakened the next morning. Kat hated how stuffy the temple was, so he was now making a habit of walking outside for a breath of fresh air. Except now, whenever he went out there, something had changed for the worse. Now was one of those times, for he saw that the Fire temple was rubble as well as the Air temple. The Water pillar, which he had seen gone the day before, now left no remnants behind. It was as if it ever existed.
“Kip, we have to go,” Kat said, walking back into the main temple corridor.
“Why do you say that this time? Some tracker-jacker nest? Giant pink and pointy-beaked birds? Just man up,” Kip replied.
“Kip. The pillars are being destroyed. This is the final one left standing, and I’m sure it’s soon to go.”
Kip looked up at Kat, who was standing across from him. Kip was shining a knife, which he had found in a room upstairs. “Fine, I guess my leg will function.”
So they gathered their belongings. It was a couple of fruits, some bread, the knife, and the clothes on their back. Their trek began down the stairs, and they knew that they would have to be prepared for anything.
-Tev-
Finally was his chance. The careers were completely gone, and he could snag the survival materials he needed. He snuck across the meadow, from the Air temple ruins. Once he was in the open, he sprinted to the Cornucopia. There were things there that the Careers barely touched. Wire, powders, food, an assortment of knives, the finest swords, rope. He began taking armfuls of the stuff. By the time he was done, he had 4 giant bags stuffed to the brim. He ran off again, not being spotted by anyone. Or so he thought.
Kip watched all of it unfold from high in the sky. Tev was just a spec, but he knew it was just one. This meant the careers had left the Cornucopia, and were probably after them.
“Kat, I think the Careers are hunting us.”
“You’d be right,” said a voice that Kip didn’t recognize as Kat’s. He turned back around from the Cornucopia to find Iroh holding Kat in a chokehold. “It’s about time we stopped playing games with each other.”
Kip just stood there, not sure what to do. Then he remembered the knife. It was tucked into a pocket in the bag. Kip had to be precise with his movement if he was to grab the knife and slaughter Iroh. Without a second thought, his arm flew back into the bag, wrapped around the knife, and propelled it towards Iroh.
It missed. It whirled past him, but then the strangest thing happened. Iroh fell to the ground as a boomerang made contact with his back. It definitely didn’t kill him, or even knock him unconscious, but he was stunned. Kat quickly ran to Kip to join him and find out what just happened.
Around 5 feet down the stairs was Battery. She had a face of shock on as she stared at her arm. They followed her gaze to the knife, which was snuggled within shoulder. When it got there, she was throwing the boomerang. The knife severed the ligaments, and she lost all control. The boomerang flew out of her hand and hit Iroh instead of Kip.
Kip and Kat just watched what happened next as it unfolded. Iroh shot up and was at Battery’s throat in seconds. “You and the rest were worthless,” He said, tearing the knife from her shoulder. “You disappointed everyone.”
As he said this, he stabbed her in the chest, and the impact of this blow sent her off the edge of the pillar. A cannon fired and Iroh turned to Kip and Kat. “Your turn.”
Red and Alex were venturing towards the center of the arena, for they knew it was winding down to the final tributes. Little did they know, they were in Tera’s territory, completely at his will. Alex found this out all too harshly as a rope wrapped around his foot, flipping him upside down and suspending him.
“Oh god, Alex! Hold on, I’ll cut you down!” Red panicked.
“Calm down, it’s not the end of the world,” Alex reassured her. She reached as far as she could with a knife in hand, but she just couldn’t reach. She needed to get higher. “Red, grab a rock and stand on it.”
She nodded then began her search for a good rock. Not even 10 feet away, a medium sized boulder was sitting on the ground. She pushed on it with all of her might, but it barely moved. This happened around 4 more times, until Red decided one last thing. She got a running start and slammed into the boulder. It finally gave way, but this was far from a good thing. Just below the rock was a nest of Spider Ants. The muttations had super poisonous venom that would kill in a matter of seconds.
Red jumped back and started to sprint away. A cannon went off for another tribute. Red’s eyes grew wide as Alex flashed into her mind. She would never know his fate, though, because the Spider Ants were upon her. In mere seconds, her screams were silenced. Another cannon went off.
Meanwhile, the fight between Iroh, Kip, and Kat had been well underway. The cannon that Red heard was not Alex’s, but it was Battery’s. Iroh kicked Kip in his bad leg, knocking him to ground. He was upon him, punching the daylight out of him. Kat jumped in, pulling Iroh off of Kip just barely. Iroh turned his attention, and began to lay siege to Kat’s chest. Kat was sure to guard as well as he could to avoid any death blows.
Kip was still on the ground, mindblowing pain echoing within his entire body. He watched as Kat took hit after hit, moving slowly towards the edge of the cliff. Kip wouldn’t let his ally fail. Kat would need to win if Kip couldn’t, and it was obvious Kip was out. He lurched upwards, gaining just enough balance to send himself slamming into Iroh.
Both of the men were thrown off the edge of the pillar, hurdling to the ground. Except, to Kat’s dismay, Iroh caught a ledge 200 feet down. It was obvious that the fall did damage to him, though, because an arm hung loosely by his side and he was covered in blood. A cannon fired, signifying Kip’s death.
Alex was still hanging there, even after the cannon went off. He was sobbing, because now he was helpless and friendless. Red was dead and he couldn’t save her. It was his idea for her to get a rock, and now she is gone.
“I… I want to… go home…” He sobbed. “Please… Just take me…”
Then the forsaken movement he has come to hate peeked out of the corner of his eye. From around a tree came a young woman who he recognized as a tribute from District 6.
“What do we have here?” Wat asked. “Tera, come here!”
Alex’s heart sank as he knew his time was up. He saw Tera come around the tree, now.
“Please, don’t kill me. Please!”
“Don’t beg,” Tera snarled. “That’s too overhyped.”
“Tera, I think we should ally him. Remember his knife throwing?”
“Yeah, but he also hasn’t killed anyone. The time I kidnapped Tights, he and the other girl were in a tree. I walked right below, and he didn’t end me to save her.”
“I just didn’t know what you were doing. She wasn’t dead and Red told me-“ Alex cried.
“Stop the excuses. You are of no use to me,” Tera growled, and with that the rope holding Alex up was cut and his head collided with the ground. A loud crack signified a broken neck, and a cannon fired.
It was now late afternoon, and the cycle of fighting and not fighting continued. All the tributes became reserved. Kat had made it down by night fall and got supplies from the Cornucopia. He got a huge broad sword and food. An hour later, Tera and Wat visited it too. Tera found 3 daggers. They were ivory, gold, and steel. Wat restocked on arrows and also took a small knife just in case.
Iroh found a small ledge to rest on. At midnight, a gift floated down from the sky. He opened it to find a gold goo, and a note which read “Take by mouth.” He did so, and then fell asleep.
The final 5 tributes rested as the last day began.
Kip and Kat awakened the next morning. Kat hated how stuffy the temple was, so he was now making a habit of walking outside for a breath of fresh air. Except now, whenever he went out there, something had changed for the worse. Now was one of those times, for he saw that the Fire temple was rubble as well as the Air temple. The Water pillar, which he had seen gone the day before, now left no remnants behind. It was as if it ever existed.
“Kip, we have to go,” Kat said, walking back into the main temple corridor.
“Why do you say that this time? Some tracker-jacker nest? Giant pink and pointy-beaked birds? Just man up,” Kip replied.
“Kip. The pillars are being destroyed. This is the final one left standing, and I’m sure it’s soon to go.”
Kip looked up at Kat, who was standing across from him. Kip was shining a knife, which he had found in a room upstairs. “Fine, I guess my leg will function.”
So they gathered their belongings. It was a couple of fruits, some bread, the knife, and the clothes on their back. Their trek began down the stairs, and they knew that they would have to be prepared for anything.
-Tev-
Finally was his chance. The careers were completely gone, and he could snag the survival materials he needed. He snuck across the meadow, from the Air temple ruins. Once he was in the open, he sprinted to the Cornucopia. There were things there that the Careers barely touched. Wire, powders, food, an assortment of knives, the finest swords, rope. He began taking armfuls of the stuff. By the time he was done, he had 4 giant bags stuffed to the brim. He ran off again, not being spotted by anyone. Or so he thought.
Kip watched all of it unfold from high in the sky. Tev was just a spec, but he knew it was just one. This meant the careers had left the Cornucopia, and were probably after them.
“Kat, I think the Careers are hunting us.”
“You’d be right,” said a voice that Kip didn’t recognize as Kat’s. He turned back around from the Cornucopia to find Iroh holding Kat in a chokehold. “It’s about time we stopped playing games with each other.”
Kip just stood there, not sure what to do. Then he remembered the knife. It was tucked into a pocket in the bag. Kip had to be precise with his movement if he was to grab the knife and slaughter Iroh. Without a second thought, his arm flew back into the bag, wrapped around the knife, and propelled it towards Iroh.
It missed. It whirled past him, but then the strangest thing happened. Iroh fell to the ground as a boomerang made contact with his back. It definitely didn’t kill him, or even knock him unconscious, but he was stunned. Kat quickly ran to Kip to join him and find out what just happened.
Around 5 feet down the stairs was Battery. She had a face of shock on as she stared at her arm. They followed her gaze to the knife, which was snuggled within shoulder. When it got there, she was throwing the boomerang. The knife severed the ligaments, and she lost all control. The boomerang flew out of her hand and hit Iroh instead of Kip.
Kip and Kat just watched what happened next as it unfolded. Iroh shot up and was at Battery’s throat in seconds. “You and the rest were worthless,” He said, tearing the knife from her shoulder. “You disappointed everyone.”
As he said this, he stabbed her in the chest, and the impact of this blow sent her off the edge of the pillar. A cannon fired and Iroh turned to Kip and Kat. “Your turn.”
Red and Alex were venturing towards the center of the arena, for they knew it was winding down to the final tributes. Little did they know, they were in Tera’s territory, completely at his will. Alex found this out all too harshly as a rope wrapped around his foot, flipping him upside down and suspending him.
“Oh god, Alex! Hold on, I’ll cut you down!” Red panicked.
“Calm down, it’s not the end of the world,” Alex reassured her. She reached as far as she could with a knife in hand, but she just couldn’t reach. She needed to get higher. “Red, grab a rock and stand on it.”
She nodded then began her search for a good rock. Not even 10 feet away, a medium sized boulder was sitting on the ground. She pushed on it with all of her might, but it barely moved. This happened around 4 more times, until Red decided one last thing. She got a running start and slammed into the boulder. It finally gave way, but this was far from a good thing. Just below the rock was a nest of Spider Ants. The muttations had super poisonous venom that would kill in a matter of seconds.
Red jumped back and started to sprint away. A cannon went off for another tribute. Red’s eyes grew wide as Alex flashed into her mind. She would never know his fate, though, because the Spider Ants were upon her. In mere seconds, her screams were silenced. Another cannon went off.
Meanwhile, the fight between Iroh, Kip, and Kat had been well underway. The cannon that Red heard was not Alex’s, but it was Battery’s. Iroh kicked Kip in his bad leg, knocking him to ground. He was upon him, punching the daylight out of him. Kat jumped in, pulling Iroh off of Kip just barely. Iroh turned his attention, and began to lay siege to Kat’s chest. Kat was sure to guard as well as he could to avoid any death blows.
Kip was still on the ground, mindblowing pain echoing within his entire body. He watched as Kat took hit after hit, moving slowly towards the edge of the cliff. Kip wouldn’t let his ally fail. Kat would need to win if Kip couldn’t, and it was obvious Kip was out. He lurched upwards, gaining just enough balance to send himself slamming into Iroh.
Both of the men were thrown off the edge of the pillar, hurdling to the ground. Except, to Kat’s dismay, Iroh caught a ledge 200 feet down. It was obvious that the fall did damage to him, though, because an arm hung loosely by his side and he was covered in blood. A cannon fired, signifying Kip’s death.
Alex was still hanging there, even after the cannon went off. He was sobbing, because now he was helpless and friendless. Red was dead and he couldn’t save her. It was his idea for her to get a rock, and now she is gone.
“I… I want to… go home…” He sobbed. “Please… Just take me…”
Then the forsaken movement he has come to hate peeked out of the corner of his eye. From around a tree came a young woman who he recognized as a tribute from District 6.
“What do we have here?” Wat asked. “Tera, come here!”
Alex’s heart sank as he knew his time was up. He saw Tera come around the tree, now.
“Please, don’t kill me. Please!”
“Don’t beg,” Tera snarled. “That’s too overhyped.”
“Tera, I think we should ally him. Remember his knife throwing?”
“Yeah, but he also hasn’t killed anyone. The time I kidnapped Tights, he and the other girl were in a tree. I walked right below, and he didn’t end me to save her.”
“I just didn’t know what you were doing. She wasn’t dead and Red told me-“ Alex cried.
“Stop the excuses. You are of no use to me,” Tera growled, and with that the rope holding Alex up was cut and his head collided with the ground. A loud crack signified a broken neck, and a cannon fired.
It was now late afternoon, and the cycle of fighting and not fighting continued. All the tributes became reserved. Kat had made it down by night fall and got supplies from the Cornucopia. He got a huge broad sword and food. An hour later, Tera and Wat visited it too. Tera found 3 daggers. They were ivory, gold, and steel. Wat restocked on arrows and also took a small knife just in case.
Iroh found a small ledge to rest on. At midnight, a gift floated down from the sky. He opened it to find a gold goo, and a note which read “Take by mouth.” He did so, and then fell asleep.
The final 5 tributes rested as the last day began.
--Day 4--
Spoiler: show
“Okay, today my plan is to take out Tev. He got an 11, and I never had the chance to hunt him down,” Tera told Wat.
“And how do you plan to do this?”
“Simple. We will sit on the edge of the forest and watch the Cornucopia. Someone has to show up some time, and I’m sure Tev will show up as well.”
“Okay, then let’s go.”
They didn’t have to go far since they didn’t go deep into the forest in the first place. When they reached the final tree, Tera hoisted Wat up then followed behind her. They were around 20 feet above the ground when they noticed a spec running across the field back to the Cornucopia. Actually, it wasn’t as much of running as it was limping for their life. It was blatantly obvious what they were running from. A giant tornado was working its way towards the Earth pillar, sure to take it out.
The spec reached the center and ran inside the Cornucopia. Tera then saw another figure dash from the trees, and he recognized this one as Kat. The other figure must have been Iroh. All that left was Tev, who never seemed to show up.
The tornado slammed into the pillar at last, and both of them blew apart. Trees, rock, and gusts of wind flew in every direction. A giant boulder slammed directly into the Cornucopia. That’s when Tera saw Tev. Tev was knocked back from atop the Cornucopia, where he had been hiding for who-knows-how-long.
“Wat, let’s go!” Tera shouted. He slid down the tree, and she followed.
-In the Capitol-
“This ought to be exciting folks! The final 5 are all going to battle each other! And now, you get to see what Tev has been doing come into action!”
-At the Cornucopia-
Iroh narrowly dodged the giant boulder, and took minimal injuries. He already used all of the golden goo, and it help a lot, but he was still in pain. The blood was still caked onto his clothes, but sweat had washed away most of the blood from his skin.
Kat came swinging at Iroh with his sword. He was filled with rage and reckless, so his swordsmanship was less than satisfactory. Iroh snuck in a punch, this one pinching a muscle in Kat’s leg. Now it could barely move without the muscle screaming.
Luckily, Tera came rolling around the opposite side of Iroh, with an ivory dagger and a golden one in each hand. Wat was spaced farther back, taking pot shots at the weak point of her enemies.
Tera spun around Iroh and landed on Kat’s left side. He took a jab at the man’s other, uninjured leg. He got a solid hit on the shin. Iroh then locked him arm around Kat’s and twisted until he dropped his sword. The weapons that each tribute held were the only ones left since everything in the Cornucopia was destroyed.
Iroh spun the sword and swung at Kat’s head. He just barely dodged as Tera side rolled again behind Iroh. The career spiraled out of the way of an arrow Wat shot and jabbed towards Tera. He slammed him in the ribs with the blunt side of the sword, surely breaking a few. Kat came from behind and tackled Iroh. However, this plan backfired. Wat positioned an arrow for Iroh’s skull, but since Kat knocked him out of the way, the arrow contacting his right side.
Kat was thrown back by Iroh, who quickly dodged more shots by Tera. Kat was bleeding severely, and was struggling to move. Tev saw this and took pity. He pulled out a weapon he crafted on the second day. It was a small plant tube that he found in a lake. He took out some whittled darts that were dipped in Spider Ant venom. He positioned it and blew the dart, which landed on Kat’s neck.
A cannon fired, but there was no halt in the fight. Now it was Tera versus Iroh, with Tev on the east side and Wat on the west. Wat shot an arrow that contacted Iroh’s foot. Iroh launched a punch that connected with Tera’s shoulder. Tera was wildly dodging and swinging his daggers.
Wat shot another arrow that hit Tera instead of Iroh, and Tera took this as betrayal. He flipped backwards, gripped his golden dagger, then sent it flying towards Wat. It sunk into the center of her chest and she was knocked back. Tera turned back to fight Iroh.
With the last of her life force, she positioned her last arrow. He released it, and it impaled Tera through the back. He crumpled to the ground, and a cannon fired. Wat passed out, and her cannon sounded.
It was down to the final two. Iroh was bloodied and beaten, Tev was pristine.
“Looks like I finally made it. You were all weak and I am the strongest,” Iroh stated.
“When you’re in the forest, you learn many things. Like what is sticky and what isn’t. Even what resists sticky,” Tev announced. He took out an odd looking mitten made out of these bright orange leaves. “Like these leaves. Nothing could stick to them.”
“What are you trying to say? You like sticky things?”
“At the Cornucopia, you guys missed a chance at success. You’re about to find out what it is.”
Iroh grumbled, “Enough is enough.” He ran at Tev as the tribute pulled out another orange leave. Within it was a grey paste. Without hesitation, Tev launched this paste onto Iroh. It clung to Iroh’s face and obscured his vision.
“This is one of the stickiest natural amalgams in the world,” Tev smiled. Iroh tried to wipe it from his face, but his hands just clung to it. Tev pulled out his poison darts and effortlessly shot one into Iroh. Iroh collapsed and the cannon sounded.
“Ladies and gentlemen! Your victor, from district 3, Tev!”
“And how do you plan to do this?”
“Simple. We will sit on the edge of the forest and watch the Cornucopia. Someone has to show up some time, and I’m sure Tev will show up as well.”
“Okay, then let’s go.”
They didn’t have to go far since they didn’t go deep into the forest in the first place. When they reached the final tree, Tera hoisted Wat up then followed behind her. They were around 20 feet above the ground when they noticed a spec running across the field back to the Cornucopia. Actually, it wasn’t as much of running as it was limping for their life. It was blatantly obvious what they were running from. A giant tornado was working its way towards the Earth pillar, sure to take it out.
The spec reached the center and ran inside the Cornucopia. Tera then saw another figure dash from the trees, and he recognized this one as Kat. The other figure must have been Iroh. All that left was Tev, who never seemed to show up.
The tornado slammed into the pillar at last, and both of them blew apart. Trees, rock, and gusts of wind flew in every direction. A giant boulder slammed directly into the Cornucopia. That’s when Tera saw Tev. Tev was knocked back from atop the Cornucopia, where he had been hiding for who-knows-how-long.
“Wat, let’s go!” Tera shouted. He slid down the tree, and she followed.
-In the Capitol-
“This ought to be exciting folks! The final 5 are all going to battle each other! And now, you get to see what Tev has been doing come into action!”
-At the Cornucopia-
Iroh narrowly dodged the giant boulder, and took minimal injuries. He already used all of the golden goo, and it help a lot, but he was still in pain. The blood was still caked onto his clothes, but sweat had washed away most of the blood from his skin.
Kat came swinging at Iroh with his sword. He was filled with rage and reckless, so his swordsmanship was less than satisfactory. Iroh snuck in a punch, this one pinching a muscle in Kat’s leg. Now it could barely move without the muscle screaming.
Luckily, Tera came rolling around the opposite side of Iroh, with an ivory dagger and a golden one in each hand. Wat was spaced farther back, taking pot shots at the weak point of her enemies.
Tera spun around Iroh and landed on Kat’s left side. He took a jab at the man’s other, uninjured leg. He got a solid hit on the shin. Iroh then locked him arm around Kat’s and twisted until he dropped his sword. The weapons that each tribute held were the only ones left since everything in the Cornucopia was destroyed.
Iroh spun the sword and swung at Kat’s head. He just barely dodged as Tera side rolled again behind Iroh. The career spiraled out of the way of an arrow Wat shot and jabbed towards Tera. He slammed him in the ribs with the blunt side of the sword, surely breaking a few. Kat came from behind and tackled Iroh. However, this plan backfired. Wat positioned an arrow for Iroh’s skull, but since Kat knocked him out of the way, the arrow contacting his right side.
Kat was thrown back by Iroh, who quickly dodged more shots by Tera. Kat was bleeding severely, and was struggling to move. Tev saw this and took pity. He pulled out a weapon he crafted on the second day. It was a small plant tube that he found in a lake. He took out some whittled darts that were dipped in Spider Ant venom. He positioned it and blew the dart, which landed on Kat’s neck.
A cannon fired, but there was no halt in the fight. Now it was Tera versus Iroh, with Tev on the east side and Wat on the west. Wat shot an arrow that contacted Iroh’s foot. Iroh launched a punch that connected with Tera’s shoulder. Tera was wildly dodging and swinging his daggers.
Wat shot another arrow that hit Tera instead of Iroh, and Tera took this as betrayal. He flipped backwards, gripped his golden dagger, then sent it flying towards Wat. It sunk into the center of her chest and she was knocked back. Tera turned back to fight Iroh.
With the last of her life force, she positioned her last arrow. He released it, and it impaled Tera through the back. He crumpled to the ground, and a cannon fired. Wat passed out, and her cannon sounded.
It was down to the final two. Iroh was bloodied and beaten, Tev was pristine.
“Looks like I finally made it. You were all weak and I am the strongest,” Iroh stated.
“When you’re in the forest, you learn many things. Like what is sticky and what isn’t. Even what resists sticky,” Tev announced. He took out an odd looking mitten made out of these bright orange leaves. “Like these leaves. Nothing could stick to them.”
“What are you trying to say? You like sticky things?”
“At the Cornucopia, you guys missed a chance at success. You’re about to find out what it is.”
Iroh grumbled, “Enough is enough.” He ran at Tev as the tribute pulled out another orange leave. Within it was a grey paste. Without hesitation, Tev launched this paste onto Iroh. It clung to Iroh’s face and obscured his vision.
“This is one of the stickiest natural amalgams in the world,” Tev smiled. Iroh tried to wipe it from his face, but his hands just clung to it. Tev pulled out his poison darts and effortlessly shot one into Iroh. Iroh collapsed and the cannon sounded.
“Ladies and gentlemen! Your victor, from district 3, Tev!”
