Round One: Bryony vs Delta (D6)

They're making quite the little team, annoyingly enough, somehow still finding the compassion to value each other's lives as much as their own, even when it so clearly is potentially going to be lost in the struggle of balance. Bryony is clearly the faster of the two, but there's little she can do to shield herself from the onslaught of them. Delta is slower, sure, but he's done a better job of fending them off. So then, who will win? The offense, or the defense?

The truth? A person has to be both in order to survive. Maybe not for now, but for the rest of what is planned? But they'll see it eventually. Their steadfastness, their moral rigidity upstanding so well up to this point- it'll only make the eventual betrayal that much more thrilling for the audience to see. They want something to cheer for, after all. A storyline to reference. Either of these two would be fine characters to see move on, but that's all either of them is at the moment, as far as Harlan and the audience are concerned: characters. Plotlines.

"What is she-"

The crowd watches a plan formulate into Bryony's head and moments later, she's shoving the swords off the edge of the table and onto the ground below. They clatter into a heap like oversized silverware, crushing a robospider or two in the mix. Better in theory than execution, though- the swords on the ground are useless. More spiders crawl over the heap, and in fact use the added height to leap up onto the table for better purchase to gouge Bryony's eyes out, if they can help it.

Delta's plan- whatever it might have been- doesn't seem to be going well, either. The spiders succeeded in knocking him back down, and he's in such close quarters with the unforgiving little creatures that he has resorted to punching them- metallic constructs- with his bare fists to create some distance.

"I believe they're panicking. Stun."

The spiders ceased all activity and, again, emitted the same shrieking noise. If the tributes are clever enough to cover their ears in time, they may still have enough constitution to notice that the spiders seem to need to stand in place when making that noise. Otherwise, after about four or five seconds more of it, Harlan speaks into the controller again with great amusement, "Carry on."

Sure enough, with him on the ground, the spiders turn their focus to him and leave Bryony be. A small price to pay, a heroic sense comes to him as he faces the swarm. It's like looking your grave in the face, the mass of spiders crawling towards him a tidal wave and him the eroding beach, waiting for impact. His knuckles burn as Bryony makes her call out - "we have g0t this, you have got this" - and he tries to believe so. Despite the odds, he withstands the flood of machines, crying out only as he feels a bite at the nape of his neck. 

One of the beasts manage to latch on, recoiling in the pain as he looks out to the threats in front of him. Things look grim as his feet are covered, pinned under the weight of a larger mechanism he can't shake off. To his dismay they shriek once more, a five second count that burns at his eardrums. A tear forms in his eye through the pain, but he stares down the robots regardless; it's an opening. Realization dawns on him quick and he acts upon it without hesitation. They halt their approach on him in their screams, and when the stun wears off he's able to find his way to his feet, kicking the large spider off him in its refractory period. 

"Ha!" He lets out, a small triumph that he'll more than gladly take in this moment of peril. Even the spider latching onto his neck collapses in the post-shriek recovery. It's impossible to catch his breath, his lungs burning as the fight continues, but he moves his ass regardless. Pushing through the pain and rotating closer to the bird cage Bryony arrived in. She calls out to him, the sword flying through the waves and landing with a spark. A fire catches, almost reassuring, another element to protect themselves with. 

Delta wades through the scurrying spiders to the open field now creating itself in the courtyard. "That's good- great, even! How'd you do that?!" He calls outs as he sprints to the zoned out area, taking the heavy sword in hand. It's not much, a bonfire more or less, but it buys them time to breathe - a luxury they were running out of, for sure. The spiders aren't going anywhere, but Delta stands regardless, sword in hand with an ocean of killer robots between himself and Bryony. 

I have got this, "you stay on the table, I can handle it down here." His eyes are trained on the spiders, but he looks briefly to his district partner before the war wages once more, "no sweat!" 

[ attacks spidurr ]
YbYt2xiM7c200+1000
[ -- ]

”I don’t know how I did that!” There is was no intention to light a small blaze, simple science says the sparks triggered it and the hydraulic fluid that is pouring from the fallen spiders helped it grow. ”It was the sparks and the oil. Sounds like everyone up there is enjoying it though.” Bryony says as she points the scimitar up to the bursting crowd while still standing on the table. All this time, she has felt like she has just barked orders at Delta, while she is been stood away in safety. The natural delegator, it is why one of her sisters, Beverley, holds such a grudge against her. She needs to shake this ruler trait away. They need to do this together, not just Bryony pointing the way.

The flying sword reaches its target and Delta is blessed with a great blow, the numbers of spiders are dwindling. The Plan is really coming into play and Bryony is a little too comfortable stood up here, batting away legs that try and nip at her ankles. For once Delta takes the lead, telling Bryony to remain on the table while he sweeps up the turf.

”There are more!” Bryony panics, and her voice cracks, now her internal stresses are really coming to light. It is all becoming so exhausting and repetitive. How long have they been at this now? They are stuck in a never ending loop and it seems the colosseum is not short of robotic spiders it has to dispatch the pair of them.

Two larger spiders spring up over a bunch of smaller ones that Bryony is jabbing. One manages to tackle her chest, knocking the very little balance she has while standing on the table. Once again there is a loud thud as her back kisses the ground, this time the agony radiates right down to her toes. It has truly got her winded now and the spiders’ pincers have dug deep into her chest, now the blood on her clothes match that of Delta’s, soon she will need her own sash wrapped tight around her. She manages to push the spider off her chest but there is nothing left in her to get back onto her feet.

We have got this. I have got this.

But the little flag of defeat is begging to be waved, more and more spiders are emerging from the hedgerow just as fast as the blood is pouring from the wounds in her torso. There is going to be a time where she needs to accept that this is over. But it is not now.

Do it for them.

There is no spring coil in her, but there is enough force to lean against the sword and clamber up to her feet. Her legs shake and she can barely stand up straight while her hand grabs her chest as the wound reminds her that it is there. Bent over, she tries her best to sweep away any incoming attacks ”I think it is over for me Delta, I am sorry.”

Bryony swings the scimitar at the robospiders.
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Shallow spider

The spiders tackle Bryony off the table and the crowd lose it. Even Harlan himself is unable to stop a small chuckle from falling out of his mouth- it's not even that it's funny, really. Just... unbelievably sad. They really thought they'd be successful in all of this, whatever it was meant to be. Escape? Joint survival?

This fall looks like it takes more out of her, though, and she takes much longer to come back up to her feet. Ah, yes. She knows now. She understands that the end looms near. "I think it is over for me Delta, I am sorry."

He looks over to Wolfgang, eyes raised in feigned exhaustion: "Only for one!"

Delta seems to be having a harder time grasping the bigger picture. He scolds the crowd, which only prompts them to mock more. To laugh more, and cheer at their failure. Yes, they seem to say, we do love the show. He starts making his way toward her as quickly as he can, which isn't very quick now that the reinforcements have arrived. Harlan wonders if he sent them in a bit too quickly for a brief moment- he certainly wouldn't want more of them present than could be controlled. If he has to get the medic to defibrillate one of these kid, he will, but he'll be very annoyed by it. Plus, it'll be quite the foreboding sign when the officials drag an unconscious body into one of the 12 entrances and leave it there to fend for itself. No, he was right in sending them in now. The sooner one of them dies, the more control he has.

Delta's anger allows him the benefit of recklessness. At the expense of his own safety, he pushes forward. Harlan considers activating preventative measures to keep them apart, but decides against it. It'll be better for the audience if they get to die close to each other.

Through his bull rush, the spiders try desperately to cut him down. Nips and gashes and Delta prevails regardless, the aching in his body met only with the pounding of his heart. Adrenaline sinks into the forefront, a pounding headache that pales in comparison to the wounds on his back and neck, to the missing ear coagulating as I speak. He charges through the flood of machines, even despite the reinforcements, all to get to Bryony Fleming one last time. 

The last time - what happened to their promise only minutes ago? It's no use, Delta sees her tremble and breathes a sigh of relief to start, but the realization sinks in deeply. She's dying, Bryony may be the medical expert, but Delta can recognize a lost cause once he's seen it. But she isn't just some lost cause, she's his district partner, she's the only ally he has in this nightmare and to be alone is more terrifying than to embrace death itself. I don't want to be alone. 

She wants to die. "Help me," she starts, and he drops his weapon immediately, tucking his arms under her back despite the lash he receives from an opportunistic robot. Bryony croaks in pain, and he tries his hardest to reassure her, "hey, hey- hey, it's okay, I've got you now," but the sympathy in his voice is overshadowed by the fear in his eyes. She's dying, and he isn't far behind her. His legs quake as he stomps through the crowd, the spiders seemingly more docile than seconds ago. 

As if their job is complete, Bryony will die to her wounds in seconds if Delta can't do anything about it. He sets her in a bird cage, closing the door behind them both for what feels like the final moment. "Please, you have to," she coughs, and he desperately scans outside for the sashes. I know, I know, apply pressure, stop the bleeding, encase the wound. Just as she said, "to continue."

"Bryony, what do I do?" He asks, the sashes- they're gone. Gone to the swarm and ripped to shreds, and the two of them aren't much different. She spits blood as she speaks, "practice on me," but he needs to succeed. Their lives on the line, he can't fuck this up - c'mon Delta. He doesn't understand her request at first, sizing up the wound and paling as he realizes he can't save her. Even if he stops the bleeding, there isn't much left to her, it shows in her face. He remembers how she looked when he first realized her, on the train, before the world fell apart. 

"Here," she says, trading her key ring for a closed fist. It's then he notices the wedding band, gold in its shape - she's married? How had he never found that out before then? "Do it," she says, and it only registers as she traces the place of her heart.

"No-"

"I will always be to your right." 

"Bryony," the boy says, his heart sinking, she wants him to finish her. Dense as he may be, he sees this final request for what it is: a mercy killing. Yet, he can't find the power in his wrists to finish her with her own sword, light just as she was. "I- I don't know if I can," he says over the whirring of the robots, but it's time. He knows it, if one of them doesn't die now, the other will fall shortly thereafter. 

If he doesn't kill her, he will soon follow. 

Will you do anything it takes to survive?

[ attacks bryony ]
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[ +8.5 ]