(no subject)

[burnedbrighter]

Who: Azula, her victims, and eventually the one who kills her.
What: Azula's last round.
Where: The forest
When: Week five
Notes: Violence, death, Please report to have your character maimed or killed. If you'd like to discuss how, or volunteer to be the one to kill Azula come to this post here.

The waters were rising.

Every day they loomed closer to the Labs. The long stretch of deadly water that was creeping up on Azula and Diana's chosen campsite.

The Gamemakers were driving them together. They wanted everyone closer and closer together so that they would be forced to kill. Much more entertaining that way.

And Azula was more then happy to entertain.

With her wounds wrapped she felt an ache that wouldn't stop. She knew her skills had degraded due to her injuries. Knew that the others were better equipped.

But she wanted it more. Needed it more. Even if she lost this arena she needed the world to see that she was still worthy of respect. She should still be feared.

Her reputation was tarnished, but she would not see it destroyed. Even with the moments of intimacy and tolerance between her and Diana would not be enough to lose her the hard earned respect that she had fought tooth and claw to gain.

...would it?

Silent as a shadow she crept through the forest. Her weapons were few but effective in her hands.

A rope.

Poisoned wooden stakes.

A folding knife.

And her bear trap.

These would be the tools of their destruction. These would be the tools that ensured when she returned to the capitol there would be no mistaking her for being weak.

Who would be the next victim in her quest for glory?

Comments

Pre-death Thread

[acroodawakening]

Guy had just watched people die. At this point, he'd also almost died himself - thanks to Azula and her poison. He was hungry. His head ached and he was pretty sure he was losing weight.

He was not in a very good mood when he stumbled on Azula again.

That meant he was exhausted.

It also meant that he was desperate, his temper frayed to the finest threads, pushed to the very edge. She'd poisoned him. She'd as good as killed Mindy. She'd hurt and killed other people, might hurt and kill people he'd become fond of like Hawkeye, Joan...

As his heart started to thud faster in his chest, he felt the ache of gnawing hunger subside, and the exhaustion fade from his limbs. He had an advantage on many of the people here when it came to violent confrontations when he was exhausted or hurt. He had a much, much bigger surge of adrenaline when there was danger.

The fight or flight response was strong in this one.

He chose fight.

Just like before, he was wordless as he lunged towards her, trying to stab her with his spear.

Re: Pre-death Thread

[burnedbrighter]

Oh...this one again.

She had to smile. She had been hoping she would get another chance to kill him. Now it was all a matter of waiting as he rushed her again. Such simple tactics.

She liked to think that now that she had been off her medication for weeks, she was in better shape then the last time he came at her.

A twitch of her hand drew out one of the poisoned wooden stakes Diana had made for her. Now all that was left was she had to wait for just...the right...moment!

Rolling her body around the spear she thrust the poisoned stake for his gut. With any luck she'd puncture his stomach and he'd die a slow and excruciating death.

[acroodawakening]

It was a good thing he had such excellent reflexes, because he jumped back, just narrowly avoiding the stake. Rather than moving forward again, he kept with his backward momentum and tucked backward into a roll, rising up again in a more solid stance with the spear at the ready.

[burnedbrighter]

"You're adapting well." She noted rolling her sore shoulders, they were already aching.

"Have you actually managed to kill anyone yet? Or has blindly rushing people with spears not proved effective yet?"

Her stance was relaxed...almost casual. Did she even want to fight?

[acroodawakening]

"I don't kill people unless I have to." He added, "Or unless they're the types to kill other people for fun. Like you."

It didn't matter if she wanted to fight. He did.

This wasn't even entirely about Mindy anymore. It was just as much about making sure someone like her wasn't walking around so they might catch Hawkeye unaware, or Joan.

Guy had found his role in these "games," beyond surviving and killing the people that actively tried to stop him from surviving. He wasn't a warrior - he didn't even have a concept of one. At most, he was a hunter. And he'd hunt the predators that preyed on others, that left them maimed and bleeding and dying when all they wanted to do was live. He'd kill the ones that liked to lord it over others, that enjoyed this just a little too much.

[burnedbrighter]

"Oh? Then what would you have me do?" She demanded of him in a strict sharp tone.

"Perhaps I should refuse to fight? Then they'll just go after the people I care about and torture and kill them. Or perhaps I should only kill those who attack me? Then they'll punish the district I came from and make sure they starve."

Her eyes blazed with a frustrated fire that wanted to burn through her.

"What would you have me do?"

[acroodawakening]

"Oh, don't even try that on me. There are people here killing anyone they see to survive and I pity them, trust me I do. I might even get killed by one of them and if I do, I hope I can bring myself to forgive them. But there was fire in your eyes."

He bared his teeth briefly, flashing them at her.

"Fighting to survive is one thing, even if it means killing first. I understand that. But you're enjoying this. We don't even have a word for what you are where I'm from."

[burnedbrighter]

"That's funny. Because we have a few words." She shot back still looking utterly nonplussed by his fury.

"The first word is "Monster". But my personal favorite is "Victor." Because no matter what you may think of my intentions? The results are the same. All those things I said are true. If I don't do what the Capitol put me here to do? People suffer."

"So when you boil it down? What does it matter what the motivation is if the result is happy, well fed, safe families?"

[acroodawakening]

"It makes all the difference in the world," Guy said without hesitation, and then he lunged forward again, this time aiming a thrust of his spear at her legs to throw her off balance.

[burnedbrighter]

She was prepared this time. The relaxed stance she had held allowed for a more fluid motion as she bent at the legs and sprang over the spear. In the same motion her hand brought the knife up at his face smoothly. No hesitation, no tension in her muscles.

What there lacked in the power of her strike, the sharpness of the blade and the speed of the swing would balance out.

[acroodawakening]

He cried out as the knife sliced a nasty line up his face. It only barely missed his eye, even cutting slightly into the eyelid.

But he didn't stop moving or let the pain stop him, twirling around in a smooth movement himself, tucking into a roll.

As he did it, he pulled his knife out of his belt and slashed at her leg, hoping against hope he wouldn't miss. The knife was in a sheath he'd carved out of wood now - and there was a reason for it.

Then he rolled backwards again and stood at the ready, blood now streaming down his face, repositioning the spear in case he needed to lunge again.

"Did you think to poison all your weapons?" he asked her.

He didn't feel dizzy yet. In pain, but not dizzy. His face didn't have the same stinging pain the dart had caused his shoulder.

[burnedbrighter]

A hiss and she stumbled. Her perfect landing spoiled and her hand clasped over the wound in her leg.

A deadly sharp glare was focused on his face and the frown curled into a smile. At least he had paid for what little victory he had in this battle.

His words gripped at her instincts though. She hadn't poisoned her blade because she'd also been using it to carve up the meat they'd hunted. Worse still there was a stinging in her leg worse then what she knew a cut to feel like.

Apparently he had learned from her first attack.

"Feeling better yet?" she spat and forced herself to her feet. The pain in her leg could be tolerated for now.

But the poison would begin it's work soon.

"Will my death finally make up for this horrible situation you find yourself in? Will it make up for the others who I've hurt?"

[acroodawakening]

"No," he said, because he didn't hold any illusions to the contrary, "But you won't get to hurt anyone else. It's not about revenge, it's about making sure a predator's dead."

He shrugged vaguely, his expression sad.

"It's all I can do. And provided you don't run into anyone else after this, it's a cleaner death than some others would give you. I made sure it was strong, stronger than the one you used."

He'd used a multitude of plants in making it, making sure it would be potent stuff.

"I hope it's fast." He meant it.

Even now with his face maimed, he wished that. Even for her, even after she'd nearly killed him, even after he'd spent a night wracked with pain and seizures, he wished that. If he dared to stay long enough to see her die, he'd give her the same ritual he'd given Mindy.

Because in a place that made people eat one another, tear each other apart, who really was to blame for the creation of monsters?

But he did not dare to do that. Before she could attack again, he simply turned and darted off into the underbrush, making sure this time to put trees and bushes between them quickly so she couldn't hit him with a poison dart again. He didn't wait to see her die because he knew he'd get no enjoyment from it.

[burnedbrighter]

To be honest? She was disappointed.

She didn't know what she was expecting but it felt cheap that he would just poison her and run. And yet as she ran threw her options she couldn't think of many that she particularly cared for.

Calmly lowering herself to the ground she examined the wound. Too high on her leg for her to suck the poison out herself. If she could find Diana in time perhaps she would...

Her heart was still beating too fast. A few deep calming breaths to slow the burn that was already creeping up her leg. Using her fingers to rip the fabric around her wound she saw her veins were turning black just beneath the skin.

"Pathetic." She sighed and not for the first time, her heart felt heavy.

She had lost. Just as she'd feared. Years of training, preparing for an arena and she was only capable of winning one.

Well...at least she had given the city at home a good show.

Rising to her feet she began limping her way back to camp. She wanted to be sure Diana was aware of her oncoming death.

And when she returned home? She would take great pleasure in watching that scruffy little newcomers eventual death. Perhaps she would greet him when he finally returned to the Capitol.

Imagining the look on his face the next time he saw her gave her the smallest of pleasures to sooth her heavy heart.