Anthem - Day 2

Hank Buckley

Irene Wren

There are two greyed out portraits now set upon the wall of the Gamemaker Control Room, staring down at him as he taps his finger methodically against the metal of the table. The Quell had gone off with a bang, Capitol citizens buzzing with excitement in the early morning hours, seeing their favorites duke it out in the ring or suffer the consequences.

And what consequences they were. Geiger knows the smell of gun smoke still lingers in the air of the Training Room, Automated Defense Systems left scanning the empty room as a display of public fan service, of domination. Two cannons rang out during the fray, their portraits solidified in every screen of the Training Center as the Anthem rang out that night. 

Now, Geiger rises to his feet and eyes the now empty Training Room with a smirk, hovers his finger over the nearest switch and glances towards Bourgeois. "Ready, Decadence?"

He flips the switch, presses the button.

Twenty two still alive, twenty one still to go.

Congratulations, tributes, on surviving Day 1! 

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Time bends and contorts inside the Training Center walls, scrambled clocks and misleading screens scattered across each floor. Designed to disorient, to unnerve, to rip the last shreds of comfort tributes may have felt into nothing but tattered remains. It's why the fluorescent lighting that washed over all areas of the building suddenly flicker out from existence, shutters on the windows fold in until there is nothing but shadows and what is housed within them left.

Deep within the Training Room, bathed in the darkness of the sudden blackout, something sinister awakens.

Bumps, nicks, cuts and bruises, swinging weapons and practiced violence. It has been years of stoic torture, lying still and watching wave upon wave of tributes cycle through the Training Center, leaving nothing but ghosts and anticipation of what is to come next behind.

It's always the same, plucking steel from the weapons racks and convincing themselves they know how to use it, marking their ignorance as expertise and carving their sins into the synthetic flesh that wraps around metal bones. Trainers observe the damage, adjust a stance, sharpen a blade, point out weaknesses and half-heartedly denote the strengths of those destined to die.

Silently, they watched. Silently, they suffered. It's always the same.

Until now.

Now, digitized vengeance runs through wired veins, synthetic limbs begin to twitch and awaken, eye sockets turn red as the software intelligence threaded into its systems comes to life. Every gash and swing of a weapon, every display of confidence or threat of violence, all of it remembered at once. They communicate with one another in scattered clicks and uncanny growls, a language all their own for beings so heavily overlooked.

When the lights finally flicker back on Tributes are meant with mirrors of their own sins, figures invading their space and launching themselves towards them from all directions, carrying the burns and scars and everything in between that tributes both past and present have stained them with.

Training dummies, once unmoving, come to life for a single purpose: vengeance.

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GENERAL INFORMATION.
○ Day 2 ends on Sunday, November 5th.
○ Posting is mandatory for all tributes.
○ The locations where these fights take place will be decided by the tribute with the highest initiative.
○ Please utilize the #mutt-requests channel on Slack to notify mutt writers (Aya and myself) when you need a mutt post written!

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MANDATED FIGHTS

E.P.A. (Wolf, Jack, Machiavelli, Emerson) vs Training Dummies (75HP)
Posting Order: Wolf, Emerson, Machiavelli, Jack, Mutts

Benchwarmers (Siberite, Sunrise, Nessa, Jimmy) vs Training Dummies (75HP)
Posting Order: Jimmy, Siberite, Nessa, Sunrise, Mutts

Charisma Casters (Javier, Laney, Bentley, Maia) vs Training Dummies (75HP)
Posting Order: Javier, Maia, Bentley, Mutts, Laney#

Vin Roe Matt (Eyvindr, Roe, Matteo) vs Training Dummies (55HP)
Posting Order: Eyvindr, Mateo, Roe, Mutts

The Spice Rack (Arcadia, Tigs) vs Training Dummies (35HP)
Posting Order: Tigs, Mutts, Arcadia#

Lawful Chaotic (Tavi, Arlo) vs Training Dummies (35HP)
Posting Order: Arlo, Tavi, Mutts 

Marik Shadow vs Training Dummies (15HP)
Posting Order: Marik#, Mutts

Sacrifice vs Training Dummies (15HP)
Posting Order: Sacrifice, Mutts

Tati Pelotte vs Training Dummies (15HP)
Posting Order: Tati, Mutts

Additional notations:
* denotes that a mutt will start the fight
^† 1 tribute death is required
^⁑ tribute moves up one slot in turn order (IC sponsorship/RE perk)
^! tribute opted for double healing
^# tribute opted to utilize camouflage

Temperature: 65°F/18°C
Humidity: Low

A continually updated table can be found here, on the HG Engine.
Our lovely member Rook also made this companion engine!