Playle
Talking In Your Sleep
Posts: 441
Deadly Sin: Sloth
Hogwarts House: Ravenclaw
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Post by Playle on Mar 22, 2014 17:01:06 GMT
Onyx took another bite of the glucose bar which halted his hunger pangs. He has half a bar left now. He’d been using it sparingly, eating food he found on his way whilst searching for tributes. A couple of berries and even a pair of apples had made a great lunch, but he didn’t want to stop to cook food. The fruit could even be poisonous, but Onyx thought the game makers wouldn’t do that at such a late stage in the game. Someone dying from stomach cramps or diarrhoea did not make for Hunger Games material, especially now there were so few tributes left.
He stalked the arena, axe in one hand and knife in the other. All day he had found hints of life or signs of people – broken twigs, fresh blood, even heavily scorched grass in one area. Whatever had happened couldn’t of been pretty, but the gamemakers would display it later. He’d have to see who was left, because right now it could be anybody. He had tried to keep a mental track, but each tribute was just another potential victim. Maybe the career pack was all gone, or maybe the remnants of them stalked him right now. He did not have the foggiest idea.
The woods were becoming dark. It could be the game makers trying to deter more kills today; turning the forest near enough pitch-black hindered anyone attempting to hunt. It could have actually just been really late in the day, for Onyx had not been time-keeping. When he peered into the sky, the orangey tints in the cloud signalled sunset. He was a fair distance from where his plateau was, and would not be able to return until well into the night. He convinced himself there was no point returning; he had come out to kill, and he would do that even if he did not sleep.
He continued his march for murder. He paused briefly to sharpen his weapons a little more, but he continued to be on the move to find a kill.
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Post by PenguinNinja on Mar 26, 2014 16:55:12 GMT
Tara had managed to find her small hole and had spent the night there, curled up with the image of Finley's burning body tattooed on the inside of her eye lids. Every time she closed her eyes he was there, screaming and writhing in pain.
At one point it was still dark outside and she found herself staring up into the sky with hope that tomorrow, tomorrow would be the last day. She hoped that if she were to die, that at least it would be quick, painless. She hoped.
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Post by Light on Apr 21, 2014 1:05:19 GMT
Making a small camp, concealed against some trees, Persephone settled herself down for the night; no sense pressing on and stumbling around in the night that was fast coming on. She could set out again in the morning and go from there.
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Playle
Talking In Your Sleep
Posts: 441
Deadly Sin: Sloth
Hogwarts House: Ravenclaw
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Post by Playle on Apr 23, 2014 18:31:23 GMT
The tribute continued to stalk through the night. A sharp blade in one hand, a hefty axe in the other, he knew he was prepared for whatever the arena or the tributes could throw at him. A wiser lad would have turned tail back to his safe plateau, rested for the night and made the most of sleeping hours. Onyx had been out for too long though, and he’d fall into unpopularity if he didn’t keep killing. The bloodiest tributes held legacies. Even the most cowardly of victors could soon be forgotten about. The only reason his own father was remembered was because he was a district One winner, but he was not famous. Onyx could carve himself a path to glory, paved by the bones of his victims and strewn with the murder he would inflict upon anyone remaining.
There was a passion inside him. At first he wanted to make his father proud, as well as impress his mentor. He guessed it was sometime after killing Chum, but now he wanted to make himself proud. Live or die, he wanted to be remembered. In the Hunger Games, you needed to be smart, strong or swift. The second of those most applied to Onyx, and so he would use his brute force against the remaining tributes. On the victory tour around the districts, he wanted to lock eyes with mourning parents. He could claim “I saw the life fade from Alan Salmon’s eyes,” or “I witnessed Terrence Chum get devoured,” or… well, he couldn’t remember who his first kill was now, but he sure as hell murdered them. Onyx Quentin-Dewitt, it would be a household name when parents talked to their kids about the hunger games. He knew it, but he had to forge that legacy through his own actions. And that meant not giving in just because it was getting late.
He was probably about thirty feet away from Persephone’s camp and didn’t know it. He could not hear or see the girl, night had truly fallen now and it was difficult to make out anything. The last shimmers of sunlight were long gone. Onyx was sure he would fall upon someone soon, hopefully before they fell upon him.
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Post by Tonks on Apr 23, 2014 21:37:05 GMT
"Sir, two of them are getting pretty close to each other, shall I separate them?" One of the gamemakers asked Howard Rinter. He stood from his chair and looked at her screen to see Onyx walking near Persephone's camp.
"Hmm. No, delay the air display. Let's see how this plays out, tomorrow will work just fine with three tributes. A career fight will make good footage for tonight. Let's get some more angles on the pair of them. How are the other two?"
"Nowhere near, Sir."
"Good, keep it that way. District 1 versus district 2, love it!"
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Post by Light on May 14, 2014 21:36:14 GMT
Something was coming, stomping through the trees; tribute or arena beast however, remained to be seen. Peering out from behind the trees that concealed her camp, weapons in hand, Persephone saw the shape stamping through the area. Probably a tribute, the creatures would probably be engineered to creep up on people in the night.
Readying the spear, as soon as the shape got close enough to confirm it as humanoid enough to practically guarantee it being a tribute, she took aim for what she was confident was the body and cast the spear through the night, then readied her swords.
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Playle
Talking In Your Sleep
Posts: 441
Deadly Sin: Sloth
Hogwarts House: Ravenclaw
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Post by Playle on May 14, 2014 22:31:12 GMT
The night was at a point of almost complete darkness, and the vague shapes of trees and bushes blurred into one penumbra of nature. Onyx did not necessarily have to feel his way around as this part of the forest was clearer than others. He had been stalking all day, on the verge of giving up at this incredibly late hour. The only thing he’d be granted if he continued hunting would be collapsing into a state of sleep. He fought against any slight feelings of drowsiness, perhaps due to one of the many ingredients in the glucose bars he had been eating most of the day. He thought of turning back, or at least diverting to somewhere safe like up a tree, when the spear came towards him.
It was a fast whoosh which alerted him. This part of the woods was exempt of light apart from the faintest glow of moonlight. The metal tip of the fairly large projectile shimmered for only the briefest of moments as it sailed through the air towards Onyx. The shot, by man or machine, was a good one. Onyx was a large and stumbling target, with a torso too big to simply shift out of the way of the oncoming attack. Only cat-like reflexes or some other adrenaline fuelled hypersensitive reaction would have averted the imminent danger heading towards the District One tribute. All he could do was brace.
The metal head ripped through flesh, muscle and even organ. Fortunately not much of the shaft followed with it. Piercing under his rib cage to one side but fairly central, the metal spearhead made short work of Onyx’s gallbladder which blew open on impact. It threatened to tear Onyx’s liver also, but diverted and severed some blood vessels instead. The strike was disabling, knocking Onyx back almost flat on his backside. The spear didn’t remain in him, falling forth to the ground with a thud. He could feel the blood weeping out of his fresh wound, and he clutched to cover it with his malformed right hand. He managed to stand once more, in a less threatening pose than he desired as he tried to remain straight and standing. An axe in one hand, a small knife in the other, teeth gritted to endure the agony. It felt like his lower abdomen was on fire, but he had to brace it for just a very short period of time.
He made a semi-charge in the direction the spear had come from. He couldn’t muster the strength or speed for a bull rush, but he had his weapons poised to swing devastating strikes against this enemy tribute. He could only attribute it to being one of the careers. When he was closing the distance and could make out some shaded shape, he let out a roar as he made a great horizontal swing with the handaxe.
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Post by Light on Jun 8, 2014 22:12:08 GMT
The distinctive sound of the spear striking something could be heard nearby, and the accompanying wet slick confirmed that it had struck her intended target. But for the near total darkness, she'd have been able to see who and how injured they were, though by the vague outline's movement, she got the impression that she'd scored a solid hit on the other Tribute. The fact that the other kept on moving towards her suggested that it was one of the other two remaining Careers; they were the only one's who'd charge at her after taking a hit. Someone else would flee in the darkness.
It was fortunate that she'd readied her weapons in time for the charge, for the other was on her soon after, heavy swings and battle cries ringing through the night; she could make out the shape but no details; it had to be either Neil or Onyx based on the size of the outline.
Metal soon rang on metal as the swords and axe clashed in the darkened arena; a few swings down the line and a particularly heavy blow sent one of her swords spinning away into the impenetrable dark.
Damn; she sidestepped and stabbed forwards with her remaining sword, grabbing a dagger from her belt with her now empty hand.
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Post by Tonks on Jun 9, 2014 10:14:38 GMT
Howard Rinter was on the edge of his seat. It looked like Onyx was losing. The cameras were on night vision view but the arena was nearly pitch black. He watched as they fumbled around and he shouted for different camera angles and shots. He was so excited to see how this played out, and he didn't want to miss a moment of it.
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Playle
Talking In Your Sleep
Posts: 441
Deadly Sin: Sloth
Hogwarts House: Ravenclaw
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Post by Playle on Jun 12, 2014 15:45:27 GMT
“C’mon Onyx, c’mon. Don’t be a fool… ”
Merlot spoke this to himself more than anybody, sipping on a bright fizzy liquid whilst his eyes were glued to the screen. There were others in the bar, other high-up individuals of the Capital. Merlot might as well have been on his own as he ignored all quips and comments from the other patrons. This was the tensest moment, this was make or break. Taking a spear like that wasn’t going to fare well for Onyx either way, but hopefully he could take down that other career.
He sipped his drink once more, anxious for the outcome of the combat.
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Onyx could make out it was a female, and had to presume it was a career tribute. Despite his swings, his blows, his strikes, there was no result. The defender was tough. He weezed and heaved as the searing pain from his abdomen wound throbbed through his body. Only pure adrenaline fuelled his onslaught against this tribute. He couldn’t tell if his eyes were closing, his vision was going, or it was just the sheer darkness of the night. The silhouette was somewhat visible, and the sounds she emitted confirmed it was a female. He couldn’t come all this way to be bested by one of the careers. And what if it was the pack? What if there were only careers left? He could slay this person only to be killed seconds later.
He had to concentrate his thoughts and attacks, focusing on the duel at hand. He’d already let them get a free strike on him, anything more could mean the end. He gritted his teeth, hammering down with his axe and slicing forth with his small knife.
Something flew away – had he disarmed her? Not entirely, as one sword rushed forth and clipped him in his hip. It was a sting and then a consistent trickle of blood, but it was dwarfed by his earlier wound. Onyx felt himself becoming woozier and woozier, but still had some fight in him. He couldn’t make out what his opponent was doing, but he could see her general position and location. Putting all his weight behind the strike, he swung his axe overhead into a downwards arc in their general vicinity.
“Die. Die! DIE!”
He roared it so loud that his lungs were in pain and his throat felt dry.
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Post by Light on Jul 2, 2014 21:38:15 GMT
This was undoubtedly a tough fight, but with that opening wound, Persephone felt she had the advantage; it was a matter of drawing out this duel in the dark, parrying blows, making sure not to receive any larger injuries than the slices the smaller knife of her opponent were making. Once his first wound sapped his strength it would be a simple matter of finishing him off.
A series of further exchanged blows rang out in the darkness; they each had only silhouettes to go on to determine the position of their enemy, which complicated things immensely; the all pervading dark made regular maneuvers tricky and the whole thing much more dangerous for both of them.
In the end it was that darkness that proved to be her undoing; because of it, in the confusion of the fight, the axe swinging downwards was not in view in time to effectively parry it. One last forwards thrust with her sword was all she had time to do before the axe smashed into her left collarbone and carved down to her breastbone.
Her vision swimming, she fell backwards against a tree, strength ebbing and the sword falling from her grip along with her dagger. A single, gurgling laugh trickled from her lips accompanied by a fountain of blood: what a waste of time that training had been; it was hilarious in the end. Years and years of preparation come to nothing, just because it had been dark. That was something they never taught you, something they never could teach you: sometimes it was the arena that would do for you, sometimes it was just the Gamemakers' whims which dictated if you lived or died, and what good was training against that?
How funny it was that had been how it had ended.
As she died, her last thought was of her mother, the only person she'd ever cared about in her life.
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Playle
Talking In Your Sleep
Posts: 441
Deadly Sin: Sloth
Hogwarts House: Ravenclaw
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Post by Playle on Jul 4, 2014 7:08:10 GMT
At first, his rage-fuelled downwards strike seemed to have just torn through the air. The speed in which it cleaved through Persephone gave the illusion there was no resistance, when actually bones and sinew stood as a petty attempt of armour. He was more concerned about her thrust of the sword which caught him in the left shoulder and tore through to the bone. His body was on fire in pain.
He could not make out what followed next. Losing consciousness mixed with the dark made for a damned hard attempt to account for the event. He stumbled forward, clutching his abdomen wound and lazily holding the axe with the last of his energy. The young woman's corpse was athletic, lithe, muscular and even in some way beautiful. Yet she was nothing more than a stepping stone towards victory for Onyx. The District One tribute looked at the carcass with pity. She had certainly been a good fighter at least, one that really damaged Onyx's chances of success.
He lacked the energy to make a witty remark, a sneer, or even a mocking laugh. His wounds were numb and cold, and he knew he had lost a lot of blood. Maybe too much blood. This fight combined with his brawl with Chum had really taken a toll upon his body. Victory seemed to be slipping away with each added wound.
Onyx dropped the axe as he could not bear the weight of the weapon. He stumbled like a drunkard backwards, falling onto his behind and then his back. With raspy and exaggerated breaths he looked to the skies. They were dark, almost black, due to a mixture of the thick foliage and the night sky. Or was that just him losing his vision? He could not tell now.
He could not roll off his back. He felt like a helpless tortoise. He clutched his abdomen wound with both hands. His brutish face turned into a wince as he felt how deep the injury was. It would not simply scab over. Onyx felt a surge of sleepiness fall upon him, and then he was unconscious. The tribute lay on the precipice between life and death, barely maintaining a breathing cycle whilst he clung to hope.
He'd secured the kill. However, the cost almost did not seem worth it.
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Merlot Thistleton did not know how to react. His tribute had won and was quite severely injured. He pulled out a phone and a small black book filled to the brim with numbers. He made it his mission to call every and any contact to work out a way to utilize Onyx's sponsors to secure his life. Or not even his life, just a few more days to secure his victory. There had to be some medical tech or trinket to just aid the bleeding out Onyx.
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Post by Tonks on Jul 7, 2014 13:02:39 GMT
The cannon boomed an almighty boom. Neil Mason's eyes flicked open. For a millisecond he had forgotten where he was. Then he remembered all of it, and what the cannon meant. Three tributes left. He had no idea who the other two were now. Sure, Persephone might be one of them, and most likely was. But there was no guarantee of that. His competition was unknown. He lay and waited for the Capitol music, but it never came. Were they not even going to show the list of tributes tonight? The arena was still dark, but he was beginning to just about see outlines. This night seemed to be going on forever. After about 10 minutes, Neil got up. No Capitol music. He checked for his weapons and took a swig of water. He spent the next hour wandering, aimlessly and quietly, through the dark woods.
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Howard Rinter had instructed that the Capitol music not be played tonight. No one would know who was left. It was now time to start the mind games. There was only one problem, Onyx. Howard was annoyed that he had gotten so injured in his fight with Persephone, but what could he do? He decided he would make sure his sponsors gave him something, because he wanted a proper show.
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Playle
Talking In Your Sleep
Posts: 441
Deadly Sin: Sloth
Hogwarts House: Ravenclaw
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Post by Playle on Jul 7, 2014 17:42:22 GMT
Merlot spent the hour calling up almost every service and individual within the Capitol who could conjure up something to aid Onyx. His wounds were too serious without being taken to a hospital, treating them would be near on impossible. Each doctor he called would uhm and ahh in consideration, but could not promise anything. The sponsors came in as a huge rise, and then a trickle, and then a halt. Nobody wanted to bet on a dying boy.
After what seemed like forever going through calls and messages, Merlot Thistleton spoke to a man who claimed to be part of an up and coming medical organization. They had little funding for their experiments in rapid military first aid for eventual deployment amongst Peacekeeper squadrons. For the full sum of sponsors, they would send a kit of experimental medication and the like for Onyx. No doctor in the Capitol had sounded like there was anyway to secure Onyx's life until now. Merlot had to ask before making such a wager.
"Will he live though? Will this help Onyx in his current state?"
With an unsettling pause and with bated breath, the man from the medical organization let out a sigh.
"No promises. It should help him short-term and he'll live to be a victor if it goes well. Nothing's certain"
Merlot took a mighty drink before taking the gamble. He ordered all the sponsor money to be sent on this kit by this organization. It sounded seedy and shady, but it was one last hope in securing a District One victory.
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Post by PenguinNinja on Jul 7, 2014 21:37:40 GMT
It was the sound of a cannon that stirred Tara from her sleep. She blinked bleary eyes to see a still dark sky and she shivered. Somebody had been killed. How many did that leave now? Four? Three? Two? She hadn't done a good job of keeping count and she waited for the anthem to begin.
She waited, waited and waited. Nothing.
She frowned and dared to lean forward in her small hidey hole. Where was the anthem? Were the Capitol not going to show them who had been killed? As the seconds ticked by into long minutes she leaned back in and pulled her knees up to her chest. 'Just one more day' she told herself as she closed her eyes and tried to keep her nerves from keeping her awake.
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