crown of madness | CH v WR day 3
Jul 10, 2022 21:00:51 GMT -5
Post by mat on Jul 10, 2022 21:00:51 GMT -5
kaius
One after another, the hounds fall or scatter. As usual, the mutations in the early days of the Games aren't challenging to defeat. Only once in a while are there deaths within encounters with the creatures of the arena. Iridescent green pokes through the saturated red blood absorbing the hounds' skin and patches of fur. Kaius lays his axe down for a moment to just breathe. Quinn thanks both him and Derecho for their help defeating the creatures. "You're very welcome," Kaius nods in agreement with Derecho.
Kaius keeps his distance from them, even though they momentarily help one another. He's still unsure whether they trust him to stay with the group, but as they situate themselves in the dewy grass of the meadows, he grows more comfortable. They are still capable of protecting themselves, after all. With Derecho's skill on the hammer, they likely would not have needed his help anyways.
Day falls to night quickly in the arena and Kaius remains with the pair of them for the time being. His clothes, barely tattered from the initial encounter, are swept up carefully to keep them in pristine condition. Any time he adjusts the way he lays, Kaius inspects the garments to make sure that the shining white is not dirtied by blades of grass or specks of soil.
He stays up later than the others, mindful that someone has to keep watch in case any late-night travelers decide to make their move in the arena. It's peaceful, at first. He thinks about the fast-approaching Winter Solstice festival in District Five, along with all of the plans and activities he has outlined back in his bedroom for them. Hopefully, if he doesn't make it, someone will fulfill his hopes and dreams of making the shortest day of the year feel like it lasts a lifetime.
It's as soon as his eyelids sink into rest and his hand relaxes upon his new sword that someone lets out a groan. Then rustling in the meadow. His eyes raise up, alert. Then a scream. Kaius points his sword in the direction of the noise, but nobody's there except for a sleeping Derecho, clutching his crown and seemingly in an immense amount of pain.
"Hey."
No response, just the everlasting frightening sounds.
"Hey, Derecho." Kaius rustles his shoulder for a moment and the boy from Four wakes up. Quinn seems to have been awoken by the noise, too, and while she keeps her distance, looks concerned. There's tense breathing for a moment, unsure about what comes next. But as Derecho settles down, then Quinn again, so does Kaius. He sends himself away into a light sleep, woken periodically by Derecho's mutterings about death and the weight on his back.
Morning comes without any further incidents.
As they travel through the arena on a search for expanded resources, Derecho asks if anyone else has been having visions. That must have been what was happening last night. Kaius shakes his head. "No. I mean, nothing out of the ordinary for a deadly place such as this."
Concern, though, washes over as he realizes that Derecho is experiencing something much more serious than that. "Why? What's going on?"
The weight of Derecho's words speaks volumes more than the actual phrases themselves. Each one hits like a panicked sucker punch on the back of his neck. He talks about not being able to save everyone. Kaius stops his tracks and turns back to Derecho and Quinn, calmly smiling at the absurdity of the comment. "You saved us today. We both saw that, Derecho." Kaius knows the feeling that Derecho is talking about. There's a duty within him that wants the same things but knows that it is unachievable. Therefore, Kaius just does his best.
"I had to, I couldn't just let you all die. Maybe I just had a bad dream."
Quinn interjects, now, comfortingly. "Bad dream or not, I think you're stronger than you realize."
Kaius nods along, continuing to walk again. "And it's not a bad thing to want to protect everyone. I want to save everyone, too. That's called bravery." Derecho Sinclair is brave, even if he doesn't believe it for himself.
"I have much to prove to myself and to everyone. I want to prove I'm not weak." Derecho begins to grab and pull at the black crown upon his head. He's frustrated, though, when it refuses to detach. If Kaius had to make a guess, there's something technological about that headpiece and it's making Derecho act that way. Nobody has a turn like that overnight without help. Nodding along, Kaius pushes onward, sword at the ready for any sort of battle ahead.
Slowly but surely, they make their way into a forest. The sunshine overhead fades, with the floor lights taking place of the skylights. This type of place would be unimaginable had Kaius not seen it himself. In history books, maybe, but who knows what parts of those things are real and which parts are made up by the Capitol's curriculum experts. But in the artificially made arenas? Imagination is the only limitation to beauty.
The peace and beauty don't stand for long. It's traded in for the disappearing and reappearing lights ahead. Nature is steady, it doesn't blink. There's something else in the forest with them. Kaius silently motions for Quinn and Derecho to pay attention and be on guard. There's a fight ahead. Standing beside one of the trees, Kaius waits for them to pass. Once they're within reach, Kaius first swings one of the low-hanging branches down toward the other tributes as a momentary barrier. He swings his sword next to the first person he can see– Alice, from District One. With a battle on the horizon, Kaius realizes that the methodical and logical approaches to winning go out the window as soon as the heat of the moment climaxes.
[kaius judge attacks alice ballinger (D1) ; sword]
2o66CZJFHKsword
[1075 -- Stabbed in Bicep -- 8.5 damage + 1.0 Blades]
sword