into the woods ☘️ (unnamed duo vs. mutts, day 2)

[napoleon, d2m ₊⊹ 🐁 ɢʀɪғғɪɴ.]

These two tributes are – well, they look lost!

Wandering through the forest, Lily watches them with her chin propped up on a hand, counting the seconds until one of them would do something interesting. It doesn’t happen.

“Oh, come on,” she whines. “I suppose this is why they call it a gamemaker. Tedious little playthings.”

Her fingers wave through the air. She’s been more than excited to test this particular one out. The stag body of her little monstrosity limps out from behind a thicket, and it is riddled with wounds – arrow punctures and blade cuts – all bleeding slowly. It looks majestically pathetic.

She grins. Leaning closer towards a microphone, Lily tucks a strand of her white hair behind an ear before she lets out a soft, pained sob. What the two tributes would hear is a doe’s, a young and innocent thing left out to rot in the dark of the forest, asking for help.

She – it – keens.

Broken, it limps out towards the two tributes, half-shadow, half-body, and god, it needs help. It knows that the only way to end its torment is by gutting the two in front of it.

Animals, she loves them for a reason. They always find a way to survive and this little deer is no different, hoofing the dirt and leaning its mass of sharp, bladed antlers towards the tributes before it charges into a deadly, frenzied gallop.

ATTACKS MAGI,
Antlers (Spear)

3017 -- Shallow Cut on Right Bicep -- 3.5 damage (Spear)

qKX0Qy_F_Mspear

ATTACKS LARA,
Antlers (Spear)

3010 -- Block -- 0.0 damage (Spear)

spear

spear·spear

[marguerite harvard d2a (zori)]

m a g i

A voice called out to you
Strange how you can't turn away
You've got someone who is true when the darkness becomes too great

It wasn’t so much what had been said between Magi and Lara as what remained unsaid.

As the world around them flickered with glimmers of magic and light, they had not taken to trying to destroy one another, but determined the best way forward was together.

For Magi, he had taken time to look over Lara – as much as he could judge someone by appearance – to cast a judgement that he could trust her.

Trust had been easy for him, after all.

Charitable assumptions had always propelled him forward. Even now, when there were boys and girls that would much rather slit his throat than offer a way forward, he would hope that this one was different. They could face whatever terrors awaited them and perhaps see another sunrise.

They wandered to the canopy forest first.

Magi had liked how many trees there had been. A rarity in his part of district three, where the world was often gray and dark, he longed for the lush green. It felt so foreign and peculiar that when they’d sat to make camp, he’d had to pace back and forth to get his bearings.

“It’s so different here.” He’d offered the smallest morsel of conversation as they started to drift off to sleep.

No faces in the sky, no cannons.

They’d have a long way to go for a boy and girl who’d done nothing in the bloodbath.

Magi and Lara were but shadows amongst the others. Not fighting for a chest of goodies or making names for themselves, they’d faded into the thicket.

He’d drifted off to sleep imagining that the next day would be written in blood. He wasn’t ready for that. But then he wouldn’t ever be, really. At least he could keep his dagger close to his heart.

No such misery comes for them in the night. All is quiet and bright. They are the innocent – untouched by blight.

“Morning’s come.” He says at first light. To himself – that he is alive. To her – so that she can rise and they can walk this forest together.

When the doe cried out he stopped. Hand tight on his dagger, he looked to Lara with wide eyes. Weren’t mutts usually beasts? Maybe this one had a run in with other tributes?

“It’s hurt…” Magi stepped forward to watch it limp.

No one had ever taught Magi to be wicked in a way that he would’ve thought first to kill it before it killed him.

Call him lucky that his father had chosen love over a fist, or that his mother preferred tea to drink, but his home had not brought burden to carry on his shoulders. And so he’d, leaned forward to watch the hurting deer as though perhaps he’d be able to nurse the poor thing.

Such was his mistake – the animal rearing back and charging, Magi had but a moment to throw himself to the side as it grazed along his arm.

He cursed under his breath.

He should’ve known better that this thing would want anything in its condition that to take out any sort of threat.

“Go for the neck,” Magi called to Lara, “See if we can’t end this quick.”

ELEGANT

[attacks deer with knife]
VGg07ixZ40knife
[result:miss]

accuracy day 2:
knife
[result: 3.5]knife·knife

[Red]

 

 

 

L a r a

 

A voice called out to you

Strange how you can't turn away

You've got someone who is true when the darkness becomes too great

 

Lara felt she could trust the other tribute, to an extent. One of them obviously had to die, but fighting each other now would just be doing someone else's work for them what with there being so many more stronger tributes out there. No, chances were that if they did fight, they would both end up dead. Well, chances were that they would end up dead whatever they did, and teaming up with Magi was in her opinion the wisest move.

They were walking in a forest with no particular goal other than to keep moving. She had managed to grab a whip from the cornucopia the day before, and now held it in a tight grip. She had zero skill in using it though, and she was wishing that she had taken some lessons when she had the time. She jumped, startled when an extremely wounded doe appeared out ahead of them. Magi moved toward it and it charged at him, then at her. She dodged and lashed out with her whip at it's neck, as Magi said.
 
 
[attacks deer with whip]
 

 

ELEGANT

 
HRmeUe8a5Qwhip

[Result: 8 damage]

whip

[napoleon, d2m ₊⊹ 🐁 ɢʀɪғғɪɴ.]

Now, puppeteering this one is tricky. Her magic - if one should call it that - works through an expertly crafted network of wires bound to the living creature's nerves, bending to her will, but the deer's nerves are aflame. It rages. It hurts. 

Sadly, she can't let its pain work against her - so she makes it work for her. Giggling something soft yet mischievous, Lily twists her finger to break a bone in the deer's back, sending a wave of pain to catalyze her next move: another charge with its antlers, this one accompanied by a cry of pure, unadulterated agony as it tries to ram both tributes. 

ATTACKS MAGI,
Antlers (Spear)

3113 -- Shallow Cut on Neck -- 4.0 damage (Spear)

Q8aQAgCw2Mspear

ATTACKS LARA,
Antlers (Spear)

3038 -- Block -- 0.0 damage (Spear)

spear

spear·spear

[marguerite harvard d2a (zori)]

m a g i

A voice called out to you
Strange how you can't turn away
You've got someone who is true when the darkness becomes too great

The deer staggers, it lunges, and then swipes at them again.

Lara is faster than he is. She avoids the cut of its antlers and razor sharp hooves as though she dances across the canopy. He is too clumsy, too big, too much of what makes him a target to be picked off rather than soar.

But even if he flops this way or that, did not mean that he would fall down into the dirt so easily. For even as blood trickled down past his shoulders and stained his sleeves he didn’t fear what could come next.

Redouble his effort, keep forward, take better aim – he’d swim through this, too.

The crack of Lara’s whip had surprised him as much as it had drawn his eyes. She cut the creature deep, better than he’d managed with a knife. Maybe it had been luck but, he had underestimated the girl from eight.

“You keep up with that, and this won’t last long,” Magi added, “You got a good shot.”

Back home, he’d cheered on his friends as best he could. A light when there had been darkness, or the extra voice to add to heighten the volume, Magi had always found it easier to float though life on the positive. Too many had lost hope, the little flicker of something that could keep a boy from collapsing under his own weight. Not that he begrudged anyone from sadness they carried.

For him, though, he couldn’t help but carry all of that on his shoulders, to carry it for others, too. Sadness wouldn’t weigh him down if he could just remember that this world only lasted for a little while.

No more was this more evident than facing down a raging beast that wanted to cut out his eyes and bite off his tongue.

He reared back, knife shifting from his left to right hand. He charged forward, this time not offering a sound, only hoping to plunge his dagger into the waiting deer’s heart.

[Magi Karp attacks deer with his knife]

ELEGANT

|7nXXlXs4|knife
[result:+4]knife

[Red]

 

 

 

L a r a

 

A voice called out to you

Strange how you can't turn away

You've got someone who is true when the darkness becomes too great

 

The resulting damage the mutt had taken from her whip looked bad. Slightly taken aback by the loud crack her weapon had created, it took Lara a moment to move again. The doe let out another horrible cry and attacked again, first Magi, then Lara. Again, Lara managed to block the blow, and retaliated with her whip.
 
 
[attacks deer with whip]
 

 

ELEGANT

 
6IkDT7NgpZwhip

[Result: 2 damage]

whip

[napoleon, d2m ₊⊹ 🐁 ɢʀɪғғɪɴ.]

Cheeky work filler!

ATTACKS MAGI,
Antlers (Spear)

3073 -- Deep Gash on Left Thigh -- 8.0 damage (Spear)

3Mv9Am4d4gspear

ATTACKS LARA,
Antlers (Spear)

3147 -- Shallow Cut on Cheek -- 3.5 damage (Spear)

spear

spear·spear

[marguerite harvard d2a (zori)]

m a g i

A voice called out to you
Strange how you can't turn away
You've got someone who is true when the darkness becomes too great

Filler! I'm traveling at the moment!

[Magi attacks deer with knife]

ELEGANT

sYtsAxen5eknife
[result:+3.5]knife

[Red]

 

 

 

L a r a

 

A voice called out to you

Strange how you can't turn away

You've got someone who is true when the darkness becomes too great

 

Filler, because everyone else is doing it, so why not?lol
 
 
[attacks deer with whip]
 

 

ELEGANT

 
R|7LJfUN1dwhip

[Result: 0 damage]

Day 2 accuracy roll:
whip

[Result: 2 damage]

And that, children, is karmaXD

whip·whip

[napoleon, d2m ₊⊹ 🐁 ɢʀɪғғɪɴ.]

Another giggle leaves her. What a fun little game this whole thing is. Lily used to see gamemakers as nothing but icons of hollow gold, empty underneath their shell. It seems she had been mistaken. To control someone's fate using the mere dance of fingers, to hold death in your palm and dance with it ...

She grins. "Come on, little dear. Let's give Astrid her peace of mind."

Then her fingers twist, sensors flaring as the deer skits across a dirt forest floor, turns back around to hoof the grass - once, twice - and charge again, this time with an unnatural cry of anger. It demands an end, whether that be its own or these two's. 

ATTACKS MAGI,
Antlers (Spear)

3140 -- Miss -- 0.0 damage (Spear)

9ZC|zeVOnSspear

ATTACKS LARA,
Antlers (Spear)

3013 -- Stabbed in Eye -- 40 damage 10 damage (Spear)

spear

spear·spear

[marguerite harvard d2a (zori)]

m a g i

A voice called out to you
Strange how you can't turn away
You've got someone who is true when the darkness becomes too great

When the deer cut across his thigh, Magi threw himself back to not let the thing trample over him.

He should’ve been faster or nimble. He shouldn’t have let this creature get the better of him. If he couldn’t handle this beast, how was he going to face off against the tributes with better aim and a craven desire to gut him where he stood.

Doubt coursed through him as he lay on his back. The mutt reared back, this time turning toward Lara to offer another rebuke.

“Look out!” Magi cried, but he was too late – the thing launched at his ally and Magi turned his head so as not to see all the blood that poured out. He would have to get over his fear, all his fears, if he were to survive this.

It didn’t mean he had to throw caution to the wind, or that he’d become fearless. But he needed to dare, to try, and not scramble away.

“Hey! Come here, come on, you stupid deer,” Magi called out, hoping to draw its attention away from Lara, “You stupid, dumb, ugly beast!”

He shifted up on his knees and then to his feet, sweaty hand clasping his dagger. Teeth bared, ready to strike again.

[Magi attacks the deer with his knife]

ELEGANT

26_FMOsNrAknife
[result: +8 + 1 blades]knife

[Red]

 

 

 

L a r a

 

A voice called out to you

Strange how you can't turn away

You've got someone who is true when the darkness becomes too great

 

The deer grazes Lara's cheek, drawing blood. She had been lucky so far. Ow. "Sonofabiscuit!" She yelped, then swung her whip at the beast again. It wasn't as good as her first hit, but at least it connected. The doe came back at them again, Magi dodged it and it came at her. She tried to doge it, Magi shouted, and the mutts antler connected with her eye. Lara screamed out of shock and pain and fear. What if it went all the way through her skull and into her brain? She jerked away, blood spilling down her face, and slashed again with her whip in desperation.
 
 
[attacks deer with whip]
 

 

ELEGANT

 
OpI2mWZ6W3whip

[Result: 3.5 damage]

whip

[marguerite harvard d2a (zori)]

m a g i

A voice called out to you
Strange how you can't turn away
You've got someone who is true when the darkness becomes too great

Whatever anger he’d managed to muster came out in a furious swipe across the creature’s flank. Blood scattered across the grass, and Magi was surprised by himself. He’d never gotten into scrapes back home, much less had a reason to kill another living creature.

He mused that this creature had been born and bred to kill them, anyway. But did that make it any less cruel to have to put it down with his knife and Lara’s whip? Then again, the hunger games wasn’t exactly a space to get deep into the philosophical when their own lives were on the line.

“Lara!” He had seen the creature gouge her eye and heard the scream. He worried it might’ve been too much, but, strong as she was, she managed to finally down the creature with a last blow.

Magi’s feet padded the ground as he rushed over. He pulled bandages from his pack and struggled to pull them out.

“We’ve got to get you patched up. Here, let me help you, please.” He hadn’t known her long enough, but he wasn’t about to let her bleed out in this forest. They’d live to fight another day, and with it, hopefully heal from their wounds.

[Magi Flees]

ELEGANT