The Finale

[gamemakers]

Who| Anyone still left alive at the last day of the arena
What| The finale
Where| The whole arena
When| The last day of the arena
Warnings/Notes| I'm so sorry this is late. If this doesn't work into your threads, just handwave you died before this event.

When the weapons had been left at the cornucopia, before anyone had time to circle back, the ice has crept over them, sealing them beneath the ice, deep enough that their presence wasn't even detectable from the surface. At dawn that day, the ice had melted away, leaving only the weapons bases still stuck into the ice, the blades and staffs protruding from the icy lake surrounding them into the bright sunlight.

In addition to the scattered weapons that had remained at the cornucopia, there was an arsenal of new weapons, swords, blades, spears...more than enough to go around.

But the invitation to this feast wasn't a passive one. As the sun rose, the groaning and creaking of the iceberg gave way to action, putting the earlier collapse to shame. Huge chunks began to break apart, some sliding into the sea, some opening up gaping crevasses that went much farther than the ones woven through the arena, ones that went straight down to hard rock underneath.

The sea rushed into these to meet the land in unpredictable surges, as the chunks of ice slipping into the sea create a series of small tidal waves.

But this collapse isn't random, not at all. It's pushing all the remaining tributes together, right into the middle.

Right to the weapons.

Happy Hunger Games.

Comments

[polyturtle]

The first thing he heard was the snapping. It was just like before, but worse. Louder. Closer.

He was up with a start. He quickly looked around to find Momoko.

"MOMOKO!"

Another snap. It was even closer. Shell, shell-

[cowardfacinghappiness]

There was no point in worrying, whatever happened would happen, she had no control over it. No matter how many times she told herself this since the announcement, it didn't help, and she'd been restless and standoffish--more than normal, anyway--for the last several hours.

The snapping sounds made her flinch and spin around, trying to pinpoint where they were coming from. "Don?" she said, hating how wavery and thin her voice sounded. Is this what an earthquake on a glacier sounded like?

[polyturtle]

"The glacier's calving!" Quickly, Don went to offer his hand to Momoko. "We've got to get out of here!"

[cowardfacinghappiness]

Momoko took his hand, grateful to follow his lead for the moment. "And go where?" she asked helplessly.

[polyturtle]

"Away from here!"

If Momoko permits it, Donatello will be hoisting Momoko onto his shell for one shell of a piggyback ride.

aaahh i thought i'd tagged this days ago @...@

[cowardfacinghappiness]

Momoko will permit, too dazed and scared to fight it even instinctively. She only bent forward as much as their bulky clothes would allow, trying to resist wind resistance.

Its ok!

[polyturtle]

With practiced agility, Donatello hopped up on the crevasses, finally making it to the top. And when he saw what was there, he nearly froze in horror.

The entire glacier was collapsing. And the cracks in the ice were charging gast towards them.

"Shell-"

He forced himself to move. Now was not the time to be afraid. Momoko was still alive, and she was going to stay that way. He pushed forward, ran hard.

Right towards the Cornucopia. Of course. Now it made sense. Under his hood, Don couldn't suppress a small smile.

"Looks like we're in the finals...!"

[cowardfacinghappiness]

"What?" Momoko risked shouting, peering over Don's head at the sound of his voice, though she couldn't hear the words clearly. But it didn't much matter, because she took in the scene and came to the same conclusion. "It's ending."

[polyturtle]

"Pretty much!" Don kept running. "And we're being rounded up to end it!"

[cowardfacinghappiness]

"They want a grand finale," said Momoko, her voice steady but her eyes darting around at the other...finalists. She had a knife she could barely use and a turtle on her side. A very talented turtle, of course, who'd kept her alive so far, but it was a less reassuring thought in the face of the other survivors, who presumably hadn't had someone holding their hand the entire time.

[polyturtle]

He's really not that talented. He's just lucky and nerdy.

"They sure do." At this, Don spotted some weaponry. "Momoko! You think you can handle wielding one of those over there?!"

[cowardfacinghappiness]

"No," said Momoko definitively. "But I'll take one anyway." One less for someone else, at the very least, so long as she doesn't accidentally kill herself with it.

[polyturtle]

And thus, Momoko was handed a sword. After she was set down.

"Stay behind me for now." Don didn't wield a weapon. Not yet. "Do you still have the knife?"

[cowardfacinghappiness]

"Yes," said Momoko, in response to Don's command and question. She held the sword nervously, though she was careful not to let it show too much. She'd died multiple times now, but this was the first time she'd tried to fight it, at least so literally. Mostly she fell down and died, which was embarrassing now that she thought of it.

[the_marshal]

He'd been dreading this. And expecting it. Ever since the last collapse. Ever since that message from the sky.

He grabbed only his knife, small and close at hand, and started running, the ground roaring and shifting beneath his feet. He didn't look, didn't stop to think, just let instinct guide him. He expects to die. Is ready for the freezing water, the crushing ice, the bitter end, and when the shelf beneath him buckled, he was ready....

But not to be tossed on his backside, to bounce and roll across the ice as the great chunk heaved. To be tossed, unbelievably, within sight of the glittering Cornucopia.

[hartless_cowboy]

When the ice was insistent like that, Lindsey saw no choice but to go where the floes herded them. The crevices were deathtraps now and staying in them, powers or not, guaranteed a nice and frozen tomb.

Lindsey refused to go out that way.

So picking up both harpoons (one from Sherlock, one from De) and the knife at his belt (thank you, Chris), he moved back to where it all began.

The first person he comes across will get a harpoon thrown at their back, regardless of who.

Time to face the final battle.

[danno_williams]

His food was gone, Tony was dead... going back to the beginning was not the best idea but he didn't see how he had much of a choice. There might be food there...or something else useful perhaps. He was in the process of coming in when the collapsing ice began.

The next few minutes were a flurry of running and panicked flailing. Then, then it became obvious this was what the people in charge had in mind. He was back at the Cornucopia. Fuck.

He hid the backpack in a snow pile. He was going to need as much freedom of movement if he ran into someone. He creeped forward slowly... time to see if there was food.

[hartless_cowboy]

Imagine his reaction (surprise? delight?) when the first one Lindsey spotted happened to be the one who got away. Not a second time though, as without warning, the harpoon went flying through the frosty air straight for a certain unguarded back.

Not everyone had qualms about attacking people from behind, especially when said person had gotten away once already.

Danno's only advantage was Lindsey had thrown from a distance and he was being a moving target. Not much, but at least it had less likelihood of being fatal.

[danno_williams]

Something told him to dodge to the side just moments before the spear would have hit him. As it was, it grazed him along the outside of his left thigh.

"SHIT, what the fuck," he turned around to see that asshole standing a fair distance behind him. "You!"

If it weren't life or death, it'd actually be funny, he sounded like a villain from Scooby Doo. I'd have pulled it off too, it it weren't for you and those damn kids!

As it was, he glanced around and found weapons. Nothing he was completely comfortable with...but there, there was a sword of some kind. Well, at least he's have something sharp and pointy to stab him with. He still had his ax hung on his pants... but he wanted the reach of the sword. The ax would be his last resort.

He lunged over to where the sword lay on the ground and came back with it in a defensive posture. Or at least, what he assumed was a defensive posture. Who really knew. A sword? Really? What was this Highlander?

[hartless_cowboy]

A sword was right up Lindsey's alley. If Danny could recall, that was actually the urban cowboy's preferred weapon of choice. He put Highlander to shame, if he may say so himself.

"Me! If it isn't me. Fancy we'd bump into each other here." Lindsey hefted his second harpoon and eyed the sword with a wary but appreciative glance. Wasn't this what his standoff with the famous consulting detective had been like?

Not intending to follow the man's footsteps though, Lindsey threw his second harpoon, at the same time, diving and rolling towards a second sword on the ground. It didn't matter if the harpoon hit or got batted away, it served its purpose. It was a distraction, a red herring, his real intention was the broadsword that he picked up.

He rolled back to his feet with the sword brought up to point at Danny's awkwardly defensive pose. Lindsey clearly had the advantage here. "Ready when you are?"

[danno_williams]

Lindsey did have the advantage, but sometimes adrenaline and fear can do wonders. What was a sword anyway? But a big stick that was sharp and pointy.

Danny came up from ducking the second spear with the sword wielded far more like a pointy baseball bat than anything seen in any sort of fencing guidebook. "Let's get this over with asshole."

He swung the sword in what his high school baseball coach would recognize as fairly good form. He was aiming at Lindsey's center mass. No need to get fancy here. More target better chances and it's not like he was an expert at sword fighting.

[hartless_cowboy]

There was something to be said about enthusiasm that made up for technique. That wasn't quite the case here, but it did make it hard for Lindsey to anticipate the wild swings as Danny came at him.

He leaped back, not even bothering to try to parry or block when the man swung with all of his weight behind it. Instead, as Danny came by, he tried to slash at the exposed back.

It was weak though. He might have the strength and the technique, but without magic to supplement it, it just wasn't as easy. Not that he wouldn't be able to kill the man with it though.

[danno_williams]

Danny glared, and just kept swinging. Eventually, he was going to catch some part of him and when it did connect, it was going to do a ton of damage.

He overstepped and Lindsey made a move for his back. Which Danny saw out of the corner of his eye. Not seeing any other option, he just went down to the ground avoidingg the slash. He kicked out from his position on all fours. Hoping to catch Lindsey's torso.

[hartless_cowboy]

The kick caught him in the thigh and Lindsey stumbled back, much to his annoyance. It lost him his advantage though and gave his opponent enough time to get back on his feet.

"Lucky shot, but I guess we all have our moments." He began circling the man again.

[danno_williams]

"Sure, you just believe what you want to believe." Danny pulled the same thing as before, only this time, trying a more, uppercut like motion. Or was that a golf motion? Whatever it was, it was coming from below and going high this time.

All he needed to do was catch him, just a bit. Then he could search the place for some food and go hide somewhere.

[hartless_cowboy]

It wasn't really all that effective, swinging a sword like a golf club. All it really did was keep Lindsey out of swinging distance because a crazy man swinging a broadsword blindly wasn't something even a skilled swordsman can walk in on. Too hard to predict.

"You want to tell me that you're using that with any sort of skill?" He reached the tip of his sword out and tried to draw Danny into some parries, or at least moves that when performed by a novice, would create openings for Lindsey to exploit.