The Fight[Mantel vs Darren Dublin]

I'm waking up, I feel it in my bones
Enough to make my systems blow
Welcome to the new age, to the new age
Welcome to the new age, to the new age
Whoa, whoa, I'm radioactive, radioactive!

I survived the first day, I actually survived. People thought I was weak but I survived the bloodbath, people thought I was helpless but I killed a career. I actually struck him down with a single stroke of my blade. I still feel horrible, I killed him because he failed to do what I lacked the guts to even try. But that's the last time I won't try, that's the last time I'll just sit around doing nothing while people close to me get slaughtered. But then I freeze, I actually freeze at that thought. Do I even have anyone close to me left in the arena? My question is then answered when the anthem booms across the arena and I instantly look up to the sky to see who's dead.

Kyle Jones, District Two
Sophia Landros, District Four
Ivana Vox, District Six
Siana Felies, District Seven
Vespasian Minix, District Seven
Linus Cohen, District Eight
Eden Angelis, District Nine

Kyle Jones; the one I murdered in cold blood and rage. The one who was never even given a chance before he was struck down, by me.

Siana Felies; my ally. My ally who I trusted, we swore we would protect each other through and through. We made a promise. But I broke that promise.

Linus Cohen; my only other ally, dead, he must have died in the bloodbath but I didn't see him die. That's all my allies gone, my final protection destroyed before it had a chance.

And then I realize...

I'm all alone.

Shadow is alive, one of the only people who was kind to me, we were nice to each other but I don't know where he is. Is he allied with other people? Is he still in one piece? I hope so. With that thought in mind I try to get some sleep because I know I have a long day tomorrow. The Game Makers will make sure of that.

That night I had nightmares, about all of them, all the people I watched die, I dreamed about every single one of them. They all haunted me in my sleep, I thought the last time I'd see them would be their faces in the sky but I was wrong, they will make sure I remember them in my sleep.

I found myself in the hedge maze again, except this time the atmosphere is different, there's mist across the floor, there's no sound, I have no weapon in my hand, no purse either, the only thing I have is the clothes on my body. But that's when they appear, first it's Linus, sitting there with his scrawny figure, cross legged, saying nothing, facing away from me in his arena clothes as well. I continue walking forwards as he gets up, and what I see horrifies me. His entire front is covered in blood, crimson fluids stain his clothes, stain his face. His eyes look dead, there's no light of life in them, but then he stares at me with a blank expression and limps towards me, as if his leg is broken.

"No, no!" I scream.

However as I turn to run away Siana is standing there as well, but she's in much worse, with the injuries she died with. A hole in her stomach where Beatrice stabbed her, her jaw is dropping, constantly open, signifying her broken jaw, she's not even speaking, letting out some weird raspy sound, her bones creak and crack every time she makes a wobbly movement towards me, it's clear she's supposed to be dead. Her skin is pale as if all the blood has tried out, her hair is matted with her own blood. "N-no stay away! Get away!" I scream, I push her to the ground and she groans and I try to run away.

And I am stopped again, this time it's by Kyle. He's missing an ear, leaving a gaping hole where his ear should be but there's something falling out of it, something pink, some red, but then I realize something, from all the animals I've seen in district ten. That's his brain. He spins around and I see the wound I made on the back of his head but this time it's... much more exaggerated, it's much much deeper than I made it, he looks back at me, his eyes blank and grey, devoid of any life at all. He raises a knife, ready end me.

"N-no! I didn't cut it that deep, I just- I just-

But then the knife comes down.

I woke up with a loud scream, sweat glistening my feature and dampening my hair. I look up at the sky and see it's overcast, almost grey, but it's early, too early but I don't want to get back to sleep. I then hear a beeping, the unmistakable sound of a care package sponsor. I open it up and find a jar of tar, it will help with my fighting. "Thank you Mace. Thank you so much." I can't believe people actually wanted to sponsor me, people actually believe in me despite my condition. I can still do this. So I sling my purse over my shoulder, grab my longsword which I had slept with at me side and set off, wanting to get out of here.

And I eventually do leave the hedge maze and end up going to some sort of forest, but this forest... the trees are massive, and that's ann understatement! The Game Makers are trying to mess with me. They have put a small, frail boy like me in a giants environment. They are trying to get to me. And it is getting to me. It's is easily getting to me, the giant trees, the death, the blood, it's all going to become too much, I know it, everyone else knows it.

Can the twig warrior handle this?

I continue walking through the freakishly large forest and then I encounter him, that district one kid, I slayed Kyle right in front of the kid. Where they friends? The kid looks so tired, he looks so hurt, while I am almost injury free, I guess life just isn't fair like that. How am I almost unhurt while he looks like he took the brunt of most attacks, he's so tired but he still walks towards me, he wants to pick a fight with me. No, run away idiot. I don't want to fight you, what if I kill you? What if you kill me?

But I know that the Game Makers want us to fight, after all as their pawns we need to put on a good show, I swallow and bite back by anxiousness. He looks me squarely in the eyes, as if he wants to see my soul and pull it out, and split it with his axe. "Attack me. Go ahead attack.

I feel kind of insulted. He actually wants to give me the first move as if I'm some sort of helpless kid who needs extra help. I frown at him, the kid is so cocky, he believes he can take me on (who knows maybe he probably can?). All he needs to do is punch me in the sternum a few times and I'll probably be ready to fold, maybe he just needs to kick me in the knee and it breaks? My bones can't take the abuse he can take. But I still need to try.

The twig warrior has to fight on, no matter what the odds are the twig warrior has to fight on.

After all did the other victors fold and die when things looked bad? Did they not valiantly fight those who stood in their way and came out victorious?

And with that I take the jar of tar that Mace sent to me, smear it on my sword like Beatrice taught me to and I set it on fire, it's a light. I wield death in two forms; one form is in the form of steel, the form of this long sword, the other form is in the form of fire, the heat that could so easily steal his life away. And this that thought in mind I swing at him.

[Mantel recives a jar of tar from sponsorship.
Mantel sets sword on fire.
Mantel attacks Darren with longsword]

[dice=200+1000]

[1131 -- Shallow Cut on Right Calf -- 3.5 damage (Sword)]

[dice=50]

[Fire damage +2]

I'm disappointed with the results as I just slightly nicked his calf but I burned him, I can tell by the know reddened flesh on his calf. Maybe this fire will be very useful after all.

The twig warrior must fight through the odds because he made a promise A promise to try.

____________________

I'm waking up, I feel it in my bones
Enough to make my systems blow
Welcome to the new age, to the new age
Welcome to the new age, to the new age
Whoa, whoa, I'm radioactive, radioactive!

He's as mesmerized as I am, I can see it in his eyes, the flames dance across my blade as I stare him in the eye, I know that one of us is dying here today. The Game Makers want it to happen so it will happen, I grit my teeth as he gets his axe ready for a swing. it looks a lot like Kyle's axe I immediately get ready and he comes at me, he swings his axe, I step backwards as the blade nicks my forearm, just barely drawing out the scarlet fluid from my flesh, my blade has drawn his blood just as his has drawn mine, almost to say we're equal. But in these games no one can be even, no one can be equal.

I look at him in the eye. Does he hate me for killing Kyle? Where they even friends or allies? He looked relieved before I stole that boy's life right in front of his eyes, starting the chain of attacks that nearly took his life. What are you feeling District one? The sad thing is that I can't remember his name, nor his training score, just his district, isn't that sad? To only be remembered by where you live. He's like a nameless boy to me, and yet we're fighting to take each others lives. I then get ready to attack, holding my flaming long sword in both hands.

I then shakily swing my blade towards the district one career boy.

[Mantel attacks Darren with longsword]

[dice=200+1000]

[1183 -- Severed Right Calf at Knee -- 9.0 damage + 1 blades negated by Darren's self defense = 9.0 (Sword)]

[dice=50]

[Fire: Extinguished]

And just like that his leg, oh gosh his leg it's... it's not attached to his body anymore. My fire which had once so proudly been dancing across my blade snuffed itself out and he was just on the floor, down a leg. My expression changes from emotionless to downright terrified. "O-oh ripred. I-I'm so sorry. O-oh. Y-you're leg! I scream out in surprise. And the twig warrior causes more pain.

____________________

I'm waking up, I feel it in my bones
Enough to make my systems blow
Welcome to the new age, to the new age
Welcome to the new age, to the new age
Whoa, whoa, I'm radioactive, radioactive!

I sliced his leg right off, the blood spurting out of the wound and my hands are shaking as blood drips off my blade, the blade I wield as he hops around. He'll never be back flipping again even if he survives this, either way I've taken something away from him, I don't care who or what he is but... he doesn't deserve this. My arms are still shaking and my legs wobble liked jelly. I look at him, my face clearly horrified by what I've done, I don't want to see him, I want to turn and run away, just leave him there. I don't want to be here anymore, I don't. But I'm the twig warrior, warrior's don't run away from battles, no matter who they are fighting.

“You know if you kill me I don’t blame you. No I only blame myself for getting myself in this mess. I only blame myself for everything mantel. I just hope if I die that you won’t be how I am. Who I have become that is. A friendly person who thought I had a backbone, but in actuality does not never did, never has. A fake. some would say. Don’t be a fake. Perhaps I am arrogant by saying this perhaps I am more than a fake a coward. No matter what you call it I regret it till the minute I die.

No, no, no! He's giving up hope, he's actually forgiving me! How could he forgive me?! I've taken away something important to him! He swings at me but there's no motivation or power in the swing, it just nicks me again. My hands are shaking so much when I half-heatedly swing.

[Mantel attacks Darren with longsword]

[dice=200+1000]

[1188 -- Miss -- 0.0 damage (Sword)]

And I miss, and secretly I'm glad, secretly I'm happy I'm not causing him no pain. Career or not, he doesn't deserve this. He has someone to go home to. What do I have? Who do I have? Nothing.

____________________

I'm waking up, I feel it in my bones
Enough to make my systems blow
Welcome to the new age, to the new age
Welcome to the new age, to the new age
Whoa, whoa, I'm radioactive, radioactive!

He's losing blood, he's dying, I can see his odds slowly dropping, no, not slowly dropping, dropping rapidly. Unless he gets a burst of energy and somehow manages to tear me up I don't see how he'll get out of this, my head is bleeding quite a big now, oh ripred it hurts. I don't want to be doing this, I don't want to kill him, all life is precious, I killed his friend, or his or whatever Kyle was to him. I take the axe out of my bag and drop it on the ground. "This, it was Kyle, I-I took it from him after he died, I-I'm sorry, i-it still haunts me, the way the light faded from his eyes y'know. I killed him all because he failed to do what I lacked the guts to do." I look at the boy, oh how this is so unfair. "I dunno what Kyle was to you but-but he didn't deserve to die. I didn't even know what I was doing, I was angry, I know I don't deserve your forgiveness but I just need someone to understand because I'm all alone..." I say with a croaked voice.

I grip my longsword with both hands and swing again.

[Mantel attacks Darren with longsword]

[dice=200+1000]

[1029-- deep gash on forearm- 8.0 blades negated

My sword tears against his forearm and opens up his flesh as more blood goes oozing down the wound. This time I'm ignoring it, for my own sake.

____________________