Fight 1: Main Chamber

I'm typically the sort that's quick to bounce back. At least, I thought as much, before I was dumped into the sewers beneath a colosseum that was hosting a Capitol-sanctioned, child-fueled death match.

The start of the Games escalated into a shit show— pun intended— a lot more quickly that I even anticipated. That's saying something, too, as I figured it'd start off pretty quickly with people slicing each other apart. Surprisingly, that wasn't actually the first thing that happened! Shocking, I know. I was caught pretty off-guard myself, not gonna lie.

The first thing that did happen was the floor collapsing underneath us all. I damn near crapped in my pants when that happened, which luckily I didn't— I wouldn't want to add to the mess. Okay fine, I'm done with the poop jokes. At least for now. I can't make any promises for later.

My head was spinning for a minute when I hit the concrete. At least, I assume it was only a minute. The shock and force of the fall definitely knocked the wind out of me, but turning my head to see the snapped neck of one of the District Five kids was alarming and let me tell ya, that knocked the wind right back in, maybe a little too hard.

With a sharp inhale of a gasp, I pulled away from the sight of the corpse as swiftly as I could. Now, there's no way to do that elegantly by any means, but I did get lucky enough to have my sights land on a rusty knife when it happened, which I was now wielding in my battered hand. Of course my left hand was the one that got more damaged when it's the one that I have to use if I'm gonna fight. That's just my luck.

I could work with it, though.

The act of rising to my feet was slow for a moment, until I made eye contact with yet another corpse whose skull wasn't in tact anymore. Let's just say, that got me to shoot up to standing pretty damn quickly.

Other tributes were starting to stand as I began to actually register my surroundings. I'll admit, I didn't entirely think about the fact that the rancid stench might've been sewage until I looked around. I didn't really know what dead bodies or just the aroma of some other tributes might be like since I hadn't gotten too close to find out earlier on in the zoo, so the connection wasn't an instant one in my mind.

"Oh that's just rank, man— who's idea was this?"

Then, my attention was brought to reality again. That wasn't really where I wanted my attention to be, given the circumstances, but I suppose it was at least halfway necessary. One of the other tributes was immediately on the defensive upon registering his surroundings, and I realized that I probably should be too.

Doing my part to keep an eye on things to keep myself alive, I saw the guy slash out with a knife toward one of the other two tributes I could see near us.

"Oh right, that's what we're doing right now!"

I was still catching up. It was quite the fall. My head hurt real bad. Don't judge me too much.

I spun around in what I tried to make a dramatic way and set my eyes on the other tribute within the group of us that hadn't engaged in combat yet. I did stumble a bit with the dramatic twirl, but that's beside the point. I promised myself I'd try to quell my anxiety by implementing theatrics in an attempt to at least have some fun with the situation, so that's exactly what I was doing.

"You! Duel me!" I shouted a bit too loudly at her. I tried to point at her with my right hand, only to notice how exceptionally broken my index finger was on that hand and quickly lowering it back down, instead brandishing my rusty knife in my left (dominant) hand and pointing it toward her in a warning of what was to come.

Maybe warnings in death matches weren't the usual, but it felt more acceptable that way.

"En garde!"

I slashed toward her in a manner closer to how I'd assumed this all was going to start.

-

[djed attacks kasia w/rusty knife]
5R61QQVLXpknife
[2126 -- Shallow Cut on Right Calf -- 3.5 damage]

lyrics: "until we go down" by ruelle

The more I move, the more parts of me I realize are no longer completely put together right. That's to say, I really had my ass kicked by the concrete.

I do mean that literally— I'm pretty sure my butt was bruised to all hell. Really though, that was probably one of my lesser injuries, since I could still move. Broken finger on my right hand? Yeah, saw that earlier. I was also now fairly certain that the wrist on that hand had taken some substantial damage too.

There was almost a concussion in the mix as well, but there was no time for me to worry about that.

All I needed right now was my ability to move, my left hand's halfway decent dexterity, my oh-so-fun personality I was using to get the attention of the audience, and my gorgeous hair. This girl called herself a princess, but if I were a woman— with hair this good?— she'd have some competition.

When I'd slashed at her upon initiating our duel, she made her best attempt to dive out of the way, my rusty blade still slicing her calf.

As she'd claimed it, I was to be executed for this.

She had been the luckiest of the group of us, from what I could tell, as she'd obtained a spear in the midst of this. She'd have more reach with her weapon than the rest of us, and I had to be weary.

Trying to carry out this execution mission she was on, the lunge she made meant the weapon was aiming for my heart. I was too quick for her to kill me that easily, though.

I lifted my arm up with a turn to the side, blocking her attack that was aimed at my chest. Overcompensating with my block, it turned into a lunge to the side as I did so. Her weapon pierced my bicep and I gritted my teeth, pulling away and taking a swift jump back from her for a moment.

"I can respect a princess that fights for herself!" I shout back to her. "And I hope you are ready for when this knight combats against his execution!"

My knife is held confidently in my hand as I dive toward her with the blade aimed for her throat. Perhaps diving isn't the smartest choice when I've already eaten concrete once in the last few minutes, but it adds a bit of flair to the performance I'm creating, and I'm committed to my craft.

-

[djed attacks kasia w/rusty knife]
dn9ZW8plAUknife
[2061 -- Deep Gash on Left Calf -- 8.0 damage]

lyrics: "until we go down" by ruelle

The princess's retort before my strike was accusing me of treason. Treason, of all things? Me, a traitor? Never!

Well, I suppose in circumstances I determined unjust as a knight, such as an execution for initiating a duel in self-defense, I would do such a thing. And it is self-defense. Only one of us can come out of this arena alive, after all.

My dive results in my knife finding itself nestled in the princess's calf for a moment before the momentum continues to carry me further forward and raking it out of her leg, scraping across the skin with all its rusty danger.

I go to stand up, pushing my hair from my face, but she stabs at me in retaliation. I hated moments like this, were folks didn't even give me the chance to try to fix my hair before they hurt me.

As she stabs at me, I do my best to roll out of the way. Not being able to avoid it entirely, the weapon digs into my arm, though, and I scream in pain. Thank the wretched sewers (I don't believe in a deity, so that's the closest thing to a savior in that moment) that she didn't manage to pin me down with such a strike.

Trying to jump to my feet in an agile manner, I stumble a bit (meaning it wasn't all that agile) but do manage to keep my balance, recovering my footing and now having learned better than to dive at an enemy in such a foolish way.

That's what the princess was now: an enemy.

"M'lady, while I do detest it being suggested that I have committed treason, I'll regretfully admit that you're quite correct. I have betrayed you, but for no other reason than you attempt at an unjust execution!"

I still held my blade firmly in my grasp.

"And well, you know what happens to unjust rulers, no?"

I smirk and fix my hair. Before I slash, I allow my voice to boom the best I can make it do so with the next few words.

"They get overthrown!"

-

[djed attacks kasia w/rusty knife]
hahRAReXvOknife
[2082 -- Block -- 0.0 damage]

lyrics: "until we go down" by ruelle