Round One: Bryony vs Delta (D6)

[Deleted]

"We need to take a few out at once." 

"Good idea," he reaffirms, eyes steadily trained on the spiders before him. He tries not to think of how overwhelmed they are - a daunting task, for sure. It's impossible to ignore, but he focuses on the task at hand: breaking, destroying, eliminating. Much different than killing, a task he himself is still so unsure of. If it weren't Bryony... could he? If this moment is any telltale sign, he would be in trouble. Maybe he would take the spiders every time, succumbing to- no, shake that thought. 

He had already decided they weren't dying, there's no going back now. 

Think, think, think. Bryony is on the table, the clattering of the swords almost enough to drown out the audience's appraisal of the scene. Jaunts and cheers, they amplify as time progresses; the sign of death, for sure. He wonders how many of them, the tributes, are already downed. How many traitors have been born - how many spiders have been released around the arena. Surely they can't be the only pair, right? Loyalty cannot be a dying breed in a space like this, despite how severe it seems, he's almost grateful to be here with Bryony. 

How else can he dispatch them? Delta surveys the courtyard once more, the smell of oil burning at his nostrils - "there's nothing left," there was hardly anything to begin with! His attention is split hard enough to make him miss the pair of spiders gearing up to take him down, a mechanical hissing being the last sound he hears before the thump of being brought to the ground at the knees. "Shit!" 

There's one to start, causing a limp the second capitalizes off of. His left knee buckles until he's kneeling, landing on one spider and in front of many, many more. Delta panics in his attempt to return to his feet, now face-to-face with the beasts design to steal his life from him. He stumbles and falls under the weight of the spiders beginning to capsize over him, pulling him down by the shins. 

It's a last ditch effort as he begins punching the machines off of him, his sword landing by his side and far too heavy for him to lift at this moment. Seemingly, for every one he pushes off, another two find their way onto his body. His legs first, but he feels a pair crawling on his back as he pushes further and further back until he hits the wall. "I'm so fucked here!" 

In the flood, he digs out a shortsword to defend himself with. Better get to swinging-

[ attacks spidurr ]
0XletEKXFO200+1000
[ -- ]

200+1000

[hesper hart 🐺 d9f]

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."

[Robospiders attack Bryony]
WRCetzbCbUknife
[0]

[Robospiders attack Delta]
knife
[4]

knife·knife

[d7m fraser birk ♚ frankel]

”You are not, fucked. We have got this, you have got this.” Bryony calls out, all she can do is stand on the table with her clattering plan that is falling from her grip and watch on as her partner drowns amongst the spiders that pile up on top of him. There are too many robots piled up between her and Delta, there is no free path to try and help him. All she has is words of encouragement to chant, hoping there are enough to power up the will inside of Delta to continue on in this battle. The will that is pushing Bryony forward, the one that is blocking out all of the agony is all the faces that are waiting for her. She already told Harlan this in the interview. Too many waiting. Relying on her return.

The wound on her cheek stings when sweat makes its destination there. Her entire face is saturated, including the palms that are recklessly dropping the swords onto the robots below. Some of the blades are heavier than others, it takes both hands to drop some while others are feather weight. Like they are designed for a small child to carry. Those ones barely make a noise when they hit the ground, not as loud as the second round of screeching.

Both hands press tight against her ears this time, the only advantage she has now that she isn’t proactively swinging the scimitar. She closes her eyes and grits her teeth, the vibrations through her skull are torture. It is only seconds, but they tick by in slow motion. The sound stops and her eyes open. Her vision met by the same horror she wished would have disappeared.

There is a fairly long and thick sword left on the table, she can barely pick it up without having to bend her knees. If someone stronger than her, like Delta, were to wield it, they could knock a few spiders out in one neat swoop. ”Delta, take this one. It is the biggest sword here!” It is the shiniest too, decorated in mismatched colored jewels on the golden hilt. Someone spent a lot of time crafting this one. Bryony does her best to swing the sword over the robots towards Delta, hoping her aim is off course enough not to hit him. It is, it bounces off one of the larger robots that is near the puddle of hydraulic fluid. Sparks fly as metal meets for just a second and small embers ignite in the puddle. The grass catching the flames around it, there is a mass scurry of the spiders as they retreat away from the small blaze and then towards the pair.

”Oh god!” Bryony panics as she grabs the resting scimitar, remaining on the table and batting away the spiders that try and climb it. There is an advantage to the small fire though, a new plan is brewing, and she needs to grab it before the blaze is extinguished. ”Try and draw them to the fire Delta, if you can. Remember we have got this!”

Bryony swings the scimitar at the robospiders.
g4EPB5TRtGsword
Whack a spider.

sword

[Deleted]

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
[ -- ]

200+1000

[hesper hart 🐺 d9f]

Harlan has... opinions about fire in show. It certainly adds an element of danger: the crowd seems to be eating this one up so far. But too many performers have had mishaps- he knew a singer who blew up the front of her own stage during a concert once, and in one of Harlan's own earliest roles a rigged explosion went haywire and the studio had to pay for his co-star's plastic surgery to fix the debris scarring. It's become something of a superstition of his- no fire. The moment the sparks ignite, he's calling out orders: "Let's put that out just as soon as the area is clear."

Bryony stands on top of the table, slashing the spiders just as quickly as they can climb onto its surface, which, since Delta draws most of their attention on the ground, isn't as many. Their plan is to take advantage of the fire, and Harlan closes his hands into fists, cutting eyes toward Link for a brief moment.

"How many did you deploy?"

"65."

"How many are left?"

"27 are fully functional."

"Send in more."

A second wave of them pours in from every direction, refilling all of the spaces Delta and Bryony have worked to create. Harlan doesn't bother with any new commands- they know their purpose already. He can tell by the color of the light in the Type 2's lens an the way all of them close in around the pair of them, even as Delta works his way closer and closer to the fire.

"What are they planning?" he asks, teeth on edge. He refused to let this play out in any way where Harlan was the one who ends up getting burned.

[Robospiders attack Bryony]
JnUyFvoj0vknife
[9.5]

[Robospiders attack Delta]
knife
[3.5]

knife·knife

[d7m fraser birk ♚ frankel]

”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.
FvNoNiiMAZsword
Shallow spider

sword

[Deleted]

There's a moment that tastes as close to triumph as he might ever see again. A small victory in the form of fire, he sweats profusely and still the heat invites him, warming his back as he takes the defense against the swarm against them. He'll do it; he'll take them on and tell the tale, he'll get himself and Bryony out of this. What began as a flood has slowly trickled, at least half of the mechanical bodies being functionless carcasses at this point. The movement dies and dies, and yet he lives, and so does Bryony. 

The two of them share a second's rejoice, lapping it up as the crowd reacts to their flame of a fight. "Yeah, you bastards love the show, huh!" And for the first time, a smirk grows across the face of Delta Jackson. They were doing it, against all odds he and Bryony were breaking the rules and getting away with it. Hope is a fickle beast and he the matador, even as he bleeds he feels his home behind him. Demetria and his brothers, his mother and father, they were watching somewhere somehow, and he knew they were doing them proud.

Because he was doing himself proud. 

He stuck to his beliefs and seeing the light at the other end of the tunnel lifted something inside of him momentarily. This would all come crashing down with Bryony's next call out- "there are more!" Three words that wipe the grin straight off his face, jaw dropping in horror as the sight confirms his worst nightmare. There were more, double that of what they began with along with the left overs of the first wave. Spiders of all sizes with one thing in common: a drive to kill. 

To kill them. Both of them, he wasn't sure if they would stop at just one at this point. Expendable, dispensable teenagers that they were, Harlan the Gamemaker's only use of them was to make a show, and to make a point. In a matter of seconds, their work thus far was undone with a single command, and Delta has to watch as Bryony is brought to the ground. "No! Nonono-" not her, if she dies, what was all of this for? The spiders tear into her chest and as she lands, he loses sight of her altogether in the waves. 

Devoured, he fears, and he acts out of recklessness. Wading through the spiders and withstanding their petty cuts, Delta forces himself halfway from the fire to Bryony before it's too much to continue. They gnaw at his ankles and he stumbles short of his district partner, coming to his own downfall just as Bryony picks herself back up. Good, she isn't dead - thank god. 

"I think it's over for me, Delta," she says over the whirring of the robots, "I am sorry." 

"It isn't- it can't be, I-" fuck! It's impossible to save himself and Bryony at the same time, but he'll die trying if he has to. Pain stings him, his entire body trembling over the setting fatigue, but he doesn't give up. "I'm coming, I've got you, I promise!" Delta swears, picking himself up with each step and tanking the bites as they come, adrenaline his last defense. 

On cue, one of the largest spiders in the midst jumps at him, Delta blocking it from reaching his face with his arms. "Get off of me!" He bites, throwing the bot to the ground as it slashes his arm. In his building rage, he slams his sword into the ground before taking a running sprint to his district partner. 

[ attacks spidurr ]
tFpacaJDa_200+1000
[ -- ]

200+1000

[hesper hart 🐺 d9f]

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.

[Robospiders attack Bryony]
tNYpYPTSgkknife
[8]

knife
[3.5]

-

[Robospiders attack Delta]
knife
[4]

knife
[3.5]

knife·knife·knife·knife

[d7m fraser birk ♚ frankel]

Bryony is writing up her name on the shop’s client list, the bold block capital drug at the top of the prescription being any kind of painkiller. The strongest. The quickest. Anything to soothe trembles in her limbs. This agony is nothing like what she has experienced before, the ache in her neck is a measly comparison. Then there is the added blood, her palms are not big enough to put pressure on the gaping wound in her chest. Her clothes are now a complete shade of maroon, mixed with the oil that has stained the grass.

The scimitar slips from her grip as two spiders pounce on top of her, she cannot fend them off. She just lays limp in the grass, on her back. They must think she is dead; they crawl away towards Delta. Bryony is still here, barely. Tormented by agony, there is no way for her to find focus to defend herself. Not even a way to find peace so that she can end this the way she wants. Both of her hands still press on her chest, it is the hemorrhage that will end her. Not a quick way to go by any means.

”Help me Delta.” She croaks, there are not many words left inside of her. All that is left of her strength is pushed to her lips. ”There is so much pain…end the pain for me…please.” It is a plea that she hopes is not unheard. Not that long ago they were playing the morality game, refusing to even lay a finger on each other. Now Bryony wants Delta to put her out of this misery. It is different right? Just like putting an old dog down that has nothing left for the world. Not even the best healer in District Six could save her now, and there is not one waiting for her at the other side of those gates.

”Please, you will have to. To continue…” An attempt to beg is cut short by a bout of blood that seeps from her lips. . ”Practice on me.” If Delta so desires to return to Six, it will not just be Bryony he has to kill.

The grass feels so soft beneath her, it comforts every part of her that rests in it, down to her heels. Her fingers trace the ring on her left hand, she pulls and pulls at the ring before throwing it across the lawn, far away from her. She will not die simply being Gerard’s. She is not his. She never will be. Instead, she will die as the eldest sister of five. The girl that leads the charge and tried her damn hardest to get back to them. She hopes pride will help soothe her family’s mourning. She hopes she has done enough.

Delta is standing above her, blocking out the view of the crowd up overhead. She can barely hear them now, only the soothing voice of her District partner. With her bloodied right hand, she tugs the keychain from her hip and lifts it up to Delta. ”Here. Do it here.” With her left hand, she dips her fingers on her chest. Where her heart is. Where the off switch is.

There is nobody waiting for her, wherever she is going. So many to leave behind, there will be a way for Bryony Fleming to remain in this world.

”I will always be to your right.”

[Deleted]

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 ]
HpKT77lLUk200+1000
[ +8.5 ]

200+1000

[Deleted]

Delta delivers the sword just as Bryony begged: centered, and a little to the right. 

A paralysis lingers in their eye contact, watching as her eyes widen and narrows before glazing over. It's almost as if he can see when Bryony becomes just another carcass of the game, dead with a bloody halo forming around her. Delta collapses at her feet, first from exhaustion and second from grief. The tears fight and fight for release and he can't fight any longer, cupping his face in his hands as he lets out the calamity he's absorbed. 

It's a disgusting howl as he frees his anguish for a girl he hardly knew. It had only been, what, three days? Yet he felt as if he knew her, from her kindness to her intelligence to her tenacity. Bryony was a sister and a leader, and a healer. A caretaker, someone who deserved to never leave her siblings and live a life full of nerdy medical terms he would never understand. It overwhelms him and heals him at the same time, the pain of breaking his promise to her much, much graver than any wound he had collected so far. 

For what feels like ten minutes he sobs, for Bryony first and himself second. They were supposed to work together, to get to the end together, side by side. He was supposed to die for her, protecting somebody just as he always wanted. Instead, he was forced to live, to continue just as she wanted for him. He wanted to feel angry, to destroy what's left of the courtyard and set the hedges ablaze. To set the entire arena on fire, burning it and the watchers and himself to the ground until only ashes remained.

But instead, he just felt tired.

He draws himself from the cage once he's exhausted all his tears. The drying of a well he thought would never come, but it does, and when he arrives the spiders have retreated back to whatever hell they came from. He closes the eyes of Bryony Fleming before placing both hands over the wound of her heart. Something akin to sleeping, in a way he envies her. For her, it's over, there will be no more pain.

For him, it's only the start. 

Delta Jackson stumbles down the steps before locking the bird cage behind him, damned to let anything intrude on Bryony's final rest. For the moment after, he stands adjacent to the bonfire - a spark that would outlive its creator somehow - and take in the applause from the audience. He had done it, alone, yes, but he had survived, even when it looked hopeless. And worse yet, he had done it just how the bystanders wanted: by killing her. 

She's dead. She's dead and they don't even care. 

Both set of keys jingle on his hip as he rotates, growing dizzy as the world watches along, celebrating the birth of their newest killer.