A godly dance [Rex vs Arianna Day 3]

Arianna woke up with a fright with her hands at her throat, sweat dripping down her face. It had felt real not real as she took a minute to approach reality again, something that was difficult to do as her vision had worsened overnight. What had once been blurs became shadows and suddenly, it felt like her dreams were more real than reality. I can’t…see… Fear gripped her tighter as she realized that she had lost her vision. No longer able to speak, no longer able to see, she was a sitting duck in this arena.

She had heard stories of the blind being able to navigate their way through the world, but Arianna didn’t have years to understand how—she had hours. Frightened, her hands patted around her surroundings as she tried to feel for something familiar. Her hands grabbed the top of Sam’s head, the straw material of the hat standing out from the soft plush of the rest of him, and she drew him toward her as she tried to squeeze away the dream, the shadows, the fear.

I can’t stay here. In a building, she was a target for the next tribute or a meal for the next mutt. I have to get out. Her hands adjusted her bag over her shoulder, and she kept her left hand in the bag, gripping her throwing knives, ready to feed them to her right hand. With her right hand, she felt her way out of the building, her hands brushing past the parchments on the wall and the building’s wooden beams. It wasn’t until she was outside that the heat fully overwhelmed her. Tempting as it was to go back into the building, Arianna gritted her teeth and started moving forward.

It might have taken half a day or maybe just barely an hour, but the scent of the arena changed to something sweeter than the harsh dust that had enveloped her earlier in her walk. Her right hand started feeling something instead of nothing, and she tried to remember if she had ever felt this sensation before. The shadows told her that she was surrounded, and her face came into contact with something fuzzy. But it was quiet and most of the other shadows weren’t moving, so she made her way to deeper among the shadows.

Only 10 more steps in, she heard a sound that made her feet still. Her head swiveled as far as it could, but her eyes told her nothing. Just as she was about to take another step, she heard another sound. Her arms waited for no instruction as her right hand grabbed a blade from her left and flung it toward the source of the sound.


[Arianna attacks Rex ; Sickle Cutter Blade]
eF0wfvXVZZthrowing knife
[attack ; dmg]

Chaos had now erupted in her mind and body as her surroundings rustled and she had to grab a flower I can feel their petals now for support. It would be another day, another fight, and this time, she was the one who started it. She was still unable to discern whether she was fighting another tribute or a mutt, but whatever it was was moving fast and all over the place, based on where its sounds were coming from. With her veiled eyes, she kept trying to see something anything to clue her in on what was happening. It was only just before it made contact, that she saw an object flying toward her.

Maybe if her legs worked. Maybe if she could see. Maybe if she knew what to do, she would have jumped back at the low-flying axe. But fear had crippled her legs as illness had removed her vision as trauma had taken her voice. The blade of the axe felt cold as it cut through her thigh, the axe falling to the ground as it was unable to bite. Tears still welled in Arianna’s eyes as it was a fresh wound, a new wound, and one that made her angry.

She knew that it would be harder to hit a moving target especially when she had trouble discerning which shadows were the sunflowers and which were her target. Still, she had to take a leap of faith because this fight can only end one way as she took a blade from her left hand again. Three were still in her left, the fourth cocked and ready to throw. Only 4 more chances. Only 4 more chances to try to live another day.



[Arianna attacks Rex ; Sickle Cutter Blade]
914GyyyBOIthrowing knife
[Miss (knife lost) ; 0.0 dmg]


ACCURACY

throwing knife
[Shallow Cut on Bicep ; 3.5 dmg]

Chest heaving, head spinning, palms sweating.

Did she really have it in her to kill? Did she have what it took to make a final blow. Her past two throws she had no idea if she had made contact with her target for the rustling of the sunflowers drowned out all sound. All she could do was swivel in place, afraid that her next step would expose her to her enemy. Her enemy was smarter and had much better aim as the next axe bit her neck, forcing her to stumble backward as she clutched her neck and her bag. She was still alive somehow, but the desperation and venom made its way deep into her neck and brought her closer to Annora.

Who are you? she wanted to yell out. What are you? Was this a career hunting her down? Was this a desperate mutt? All she had were more questions as she cried from the pain as her unoccupied hand kept putting pressure on her neck. There was no way she could fight, no way she could defend herself, but she had to because she couldn’t let her mentors down. Not this early.

But the temptation was strong, the temptation to drop her knives and let whoever or whatever keep hitting her until she was battered, bruised, and dead. I know I would be letting you down, Sam, but Annora is waiting for me. I want to see her too. Her partner was still safely nestled in her bag, protected from the fight, but Arianna wished for nothing more than for him to be a physical presence for her and to have her back. Okay, Sam. Just one more fight. With a shaky arm, she threw another blade, aiming for the middle of the rustling patch.



[Arianna attacks Rex ; Sickle Cutter Blade]
R4Aqu_F071throwing knife
[Shallow Cut on Bicep ; 3.5 dmg]

Her head was spinning as the shadows began to merge with each other. It was getting harder for her to maintain the pressure to her neck, ignoring her other wounds, blood still leaking between her fingers. When she survived this if I survive this, she wasn’t going to live much longer. Infection, blood loss, shock. All of these could afflict her if she could make her way out. Maybe it will be easier to just stop.

But the other shadow wouldn’t stop. The other shadow hurled another axe at her, aiming for what must have been her neck as its blade was lodged deep into her left forearm, right on top of where her heart lie. This shadow is deadly. This shadow…knows what it’s doing. Arianna let out a mental war cry, mixed with pain and fear and anger. She was not surviving this fight. She was not surviving this arena.

Drop the blades.

Her right hand shook as she reached for the blade. Two more. Only two more. And then…I’ll go. I’ll leave. I’ll run as far away as possible.


[Arianna attacks Rex ; Sickle Cutter Blade]
DYQRrlDwUmthrowing knife
[Deep Gash on Forearm ; 7.5 dmg]

Rustling, the only other sound mixed with the sound of her heartbeat and the ringing in her ears. She was feeling faint fast and yet she was still standing. The body’s resilience amazed her, but Arianna did not have time to appreciate what her body could withstand. It was still weak and the fight was still happening. For all her assurances that it would be okay to die, there was still a fighting spirit in her—or maybe just a will to see it conclude. An irony as she could not see if her knives had made their target. An irony because now she no longer had sight. The only way she would know if this fight was over was once the axes stopped.

And yet the fight continued even though it had become a game of knives. Someone something had moved towards her, the sound of sunflowers rustling getting closer, and she became aware that this fight was no longer going to be a hidden fight: she would have to face her opponent. Did she use the blades that she had been throwing? Or was it time to use something else?

Before she could make a decision, a blade made contact with an exposed part of her chest. So now it knows who I am. Her fingers reached for the last blade but changed its trajectory and grabbed a handle instead. With all of her strength, she swung the frying pan at the shadow, hoping that its closeness to her would guarantee a hit.


[Arianna attacks Rex ; Frying Pan]
LLjFyMOJjVblunt
[Miss ; 0.0 dmg]

Arianna felt no resistance as she swung her pan, meaning the only contact she had made was with air. Even in close quarters, she was a failure when it came to fighting. She wasted no time to bring her left hand up to the handle, ready to counter the attack that she could not see. Only there was nothing to prepare for what happened next. All was still as Arianna had the frying pan in a ready to swing position and her enemy stood across from her. This is my chance, she thought to herself.

“Ari…” No…

No. Why do I know that voice? The voice brought memories of a train, of broken glass, of waving hands. It was a familiar voice, a comforting voice, a voice Arianna had feared to hear while in the arena. No no no. “I…I didn’t know…” Me neither. Arianna lowered the pan as tears flooded her eyes and made their way down her face. The first tribute she had encountered was the brave boy who had stepped up in the District 11 reaping. Horror filled her body as she connected the dots and realized that her enemy had been Rex the entire time. This isn’t the way it was supposed to happen.

So what were they supposed to do? There was no way the Gamemakers would let them end this fight; they must have done this on purpose. But no one had told her to fight. No one had told her it was necessary to attack. Hadn’t she been the one to cast the first stone? Rex had just been protecting himself.

How she wished she could see his face, to embrace him and pretend she hadn’t just been trying to kill him. How she wished she could have went back in time and just kept walking, leaving her blades in her bag. How she wished… All she could do now was rectify her mistake, the only way she knew how. With her right hand, she made a circle around her face and placed her hand over her heart. I am so sorry. Then she tapped her heart three times and brought her hand to her neck. End it. Her hand trembled as she kept repeating the sign as if it mirrored the shaking in her muted voice.

Right here.

Because I can’t…

…can’t live with myself now. Let…

…me die right here.

Forgive me.

Arianna grabbed the handle of her pan with both hands and swung to provoke her district partner.



[Arianna attacks sunflower ; Frying Pan]
W65ZKQNJmtblunt
[Gash/Bruised Right Hand petal ; 3.0 dmg]

Shadows were starting to blend with each other, no longer defined shapes, as Arianna kept her grip on the frying pan. She had felt it pass through the air, possibly making contact with one of the many petals around her, but what mattered was that she did not hit him. It was her turn to die, all of her injuries showed it, and she was relying on Rex’s instinct to survive to make it happen. Her ploy had done the trick, because Rex did not hesitate to respond back, whether by reflex or intent. She had not been able to discern the object flying at her face, her unseeing eyes still focused on trying to isolate Rex from the surroundings.

Tears of pain mixed with tears of horror and sadness as the crunching sound of her jaw triggered painful memories of the past, the present, and the future. Even if she were to survive this fight it won’t happen, she would not be able to feed herself, to drink water. She could either die by Rex’s blade or by starvation. Even if she hadn’t been ready to die when she provoked her district partner, she was ready for the killing blow now.

But they won’t let me die like this. It’s too easy.

What was it that the people of District 11 said? That the Games was purely for the entertainment of bloodthirsty, cold-hearted people. Her laying down would have been considered poor entertainment…and possibly would have left Rex vulnerable. No, to protect Rex, to give him a chance to go home, she would have to go through their motions. I’m sorry, she kept signing, tears never ending. They were useless, worthless, all of the negative adjectives that existed under the sun, because she wasn’t couldn’t going to stop fighting. She couldn’t keep tricking them; she had to do something.

I’m doing this for him.

But what if he dies?

Impossible.

I’m already dead.

And they know it.



[Arianna attacks Rex ; Frying Pan]
U3YCQj|f4Kblunt
[Miss ; 0.0 dmg]