Alliance Test: Vali, Hal, Marceline vs Lucky, Gunner, Xylla

[☢️]

Tributes are ushered into the newly built simulation suite that is the size of a soccer pitch. Rubber training weapons are laid out on a table outside of the suite, tributes have a pick of: An axe, a sword or six throwing knives. So not to reveal any spoilers to the audience watching the alliance strength tests, the setting of the simulation suite is like one of the earliest Hunger Games, a ruined colosseum.

All tributes will have 20hp and have the use of accuracy and stealth. There will be no other offensive and defensive stations due to the low damage HP. Tributes are welcome to write blitz length posts. The 24-hr rule will apply from the 2nd round.

For the first round, there will be no posting order. You must stick with the posting order thereafter, however.

Vali Forrester vs Lucky Nachtnebel
Hal Rolaxis vs Gunner Azarova
Marceline Jeon vs Xylia Fray

This fight will have a 2 knock out requirement (if a tribute reaches 20hp), or will end midnight PST Wednesday 14th February, whichever comes first. If you knock out your opponent, you must continue posting without attacking until the 2nd knockout has been met.

Tom sucy ( ˘ ³˘) 💕 knuckles MATTIO d1b. xylia fray ♕ kaяi gunner, d9 ₊⊹ 👹 ɢʀɪғғɪɴ.

[MATTIO]

l u c k y
nachtnebel

"Nice," his tongue clicked the roof of his mouth. The simulation suite, in all its glory, was the first time in his tenure at the Training Center that Lucky felt challenged. Here, things were as real as they could be without compromising the tributes' actual health. In the normal stations, prosthetic mannequins and reinforced cardboard displays of human silhouettes broke apart like the fallen twigs beneath the cherry trees at home.

Lucky begged Gunner and Xylia to join him. Outside of a few other tributes, he felt were in his pocket, he liked them the best. They had the potential to be allies: Xylia because he saw the way she looked at him and the way he looked back (she's totally into him) and Gunner because of his daringness despite being dirt poor at home. He had them like the gold coins he had in his pockets since the chariot ride had ended. It was in his possession, but completely disposable if they proved unreliable today. Lucky wondered if the skills taught in District One compared to what he learned in Four, and if a mean streak across Gunner's face would lead to a mean shot with a knife or an axe.

As the simulation began, the sensory cues around him shifted. The visual change from a monotonous room to a full colosseum was only speck in comparison to everything else. The silence of the stage was interrupted by the screaming and shouting of outside crowds. The flooring was no longer smooth against his boot; it was filled with sand that grazed the soles as Lucky slid them back and forth. The once rubber and soft axe he held felt weighted in this virtual reality before his eyes, and the smell of iron and rust led his ajar mouth to tighten.

Lucky raised the axe. It looked real. Multiple assurances from Gamemakers and trainers alike that the weaponry couldn't kill the tributes in the test did not keep him from second-guessing it. He turned to Váli, a Forrester from District Seven. "One on one? I've only done a couple since, you know…" Lucky gestured to the patch strapped across his right eye. "Hope I'm not too rusty!" He moved toward her first and swung unflinching. Oh, how he missed this! He hoped Xylia and Gunner would follow suit with the others.

lucky attacks váli ; axe
sDzv6voHrRaxe
[11116 -- Shallow Cut on Stomach -- 4.0 damage]

axe

[gunner, d9 ₊⊹ 👹 ɢʀɪғғɪɴ.]

It was strange how the Capitol dreamt up scenes of bloodshed, if only to know what they would seem like.

If someone from the Capitol had to spend a night in the backalleys he was born in, they would not last for daylight. It would not take long for them to be shanked by the sharper end of a beer bottle or mauled and beaten to a bloody pulp. They’d turn up in the morning, sure, but  they’d find their body with a few missing fingers and no eyes. Gunner had seen it happen before.

And yet the breath still escaped his lungs as the world weaved itself anew around them, twisting spires and rows of seats materializing seemingly out of nowhere. This was the power they had been kept away from.

The Capitol’s grand vision of violence was idealized and imagined, whereas his bled raw and visceral.

He looked sidelong at Lucky with a quick smirk as he matched his steps, both walking up to where the weapons had been placed. The other went for an axe, which he cocked an eyebrow at. “Hm.” Pictured him more as a sword wielder, knight with shiny armor and an excalibur.

The way he hefted the axe, however, showed practice.

Gunner’s fingers spidered along the spines of the knives laid out on the table. Their lengths were transparent, pixelated almost, but as he picked up, the weight was still there. Not a firearm, but it would do the job. He spun one to hold it by the hilt as their opponents marched up, three versus three.

He eyed the trio. Two from seven, one from eight. Not much of a threat. But he made himself imagine it as a real fight, some skirmish they were having in an abandoned backalley. His first target would be the Forrester, a legacy name. Right as he’d thought of that, Lucky charged towards the girl. He suppressed a grin, then cut his eye across to the next threat within his descending order. The boy from Seven was not that intimidating, all lean and sinewy muscles, but he’d never trust a lumberjack, especially with an axe. 

He swung the knife in his left hand, as if to toss, and yet he feigned at the last moment for his left hand to pick up another knife – which was the real one he flung.

gunner attacks hal ; throwing knives 1/6
Xv80XrDBQAthrowing knife

9179 -- Miss -- 0.0 damage (Thrown Knife)

accuracy
throwing knife

9067 -- Knife in Cheek -- 7.0 damage (Thrown Knife)

HP: 20/20

throwing knife·throwing knife

[sucy ( ˘ ³˘) 💕]

marceline jeon .

"thought i was the only one,
turned out i was everyone"

Over the last few days, Marceline has felt herself step in and out of the unreal, again and again. Just as the reality of her situation sinks in, the Gamemakers, or her escort, or her mind throws something indigestible at her. The simulation suite is one of those things. There are people back home dreaming of one extra room, of repairing one window. This big, malleable, impossible space she occupies could be anything; they could use this tech for any event, any occasion, any function, but they use it for this. Around her, under her, and above her; it all transforms into a crumbling colosseum, and outside an audience cheers.

She doesn't have time to sort her feelings into this box or that box. Marceline knows that, makes relative peace with that. Being watched feels wrong, and fighting feels wrong, and the fake dust beneath her feet feels wrong, but none of that matters. The most unreal thing of all is how quickly she's come around to all of that, to all of the violence inherent in a single breath in her situation. The exception to that, for the time being, is her alliance. She looks for them, her new friends from District Seven, while adjusting her grip on the sword she took on her way in.

-- But looking takes precious seconds, which the other team use to spring into action. The boy from Four, one of the girls from One, another boy from Nine. Marceline curls her lip to hold back a laugh. What the hell is a seamstress from District Eight meant to do here? 

Her best. 

The boys jump for Váli and Hal instead of her. It's a little insulting, despite everything, but it makes sense. District Seven and axes is a famously dangerous combination. Marceline isn't about to pull out a sewing machine to bash them over the head with, is she? Nope. But what she does have is her sword, her knobbly knees, and a week of training at the blades station. The laugh she's been biting back escapes. How is she here?

Marceline takes a deep breath in, shoots it out in a short exhale and, for the first time in her life, raises her weapon against a real person: Xylia Fray, from One.

Marceline attacks Xylia / sword.

3USnPBoRXW1-200+ 1000 = 1145

1145 -- Block -- 0.0 damage (Sword)

Accuracy Station - Marceline attacks Xylia / sword.

1-200 + 1000 = 1177

1177 -- Miss -- 0.0 damage

(Sword)

ELEGANT

1-200·1-200·1-200

[knuckles]

Hal

Sometimes learning new things is very important even if they feel difficult. Hal hasn't felt like doing anything since arriving at the Capitol, yet he knows the importance of everything. Training will give him skills to keep himself alive. Finding allies will help him to focus on everything and give him kinship so he won't be alone when he's inside the arena. But right now, knowing where to turn is incredibly difficult. His entire world came crashing down a few days ago when his name was called and saying goodbye to his family for what may be the last time rests heavily on his mind which is why he has to do this. Learning to fight will give him strength, but at this moment, Hal isn't sure where he stands. Finding allies so far has been helpful, but in this moment, nothing makes sense.

And now, they're fighting. They're preparing for war, but why? Why give the gamemakers what they want? Why show his best skills? Why do anything? Everything that's here is horrific, yet he grabs a sword from the weapon rack. It's better than nothing and maybe it'll help him succeed. But they come for him and Vali. Maybe that's what makes him stronger.

A smile spreads across his face as he takes his place, but deep inside, his heart is racing, galloping, begging for a chance to escape. Why would anyone want to do something like this?

Why show everyone I'm a failure?

His heart is heavy, and even as he stands there trying to figure out his best move, nothing makes sense. But his eyes focus on his friends and turn to the enemies.

Everyone here is the enemy.

It's terrifying, but the sword is in his hands and it feels so awkward. How does this even work?

Hal has a lot to learn and this will give him the chance to improve.

Someone is standing in his way, and right now, Hal wants to try to prove himself if it's possible. Of course it could all backfire, but nothing can go wrong. Dying here is impossible, but it helps him to know exactly what his enemies are made of.

Hal attacks Gunner | Sword

zClkqiINdRsword

{ 1195 -- Shallow Cut on Right Forearm -- 3.5 damage }

sword

[Tom]

In her entire time, Vali Forrester had decided to explore a different avenue of training. Given her perception of those around her, she'd always stand a bit more comfortably in the eyes of others. She was a goddess among these mortals; she knew where she stood in comparison to the others, but she didn't have that same power. These mortal hands weakened her beyond her divine self. A hum on her lips as she had spent the last couple of minutes explaining why her fated companions needed to come with her. Everything happens for a reason; even if she'd have to go just herself, but she didn't. Instead, they stood in the giant suite known as the simulation suite. A smile on her lips as her eyes seem to search the entirety of the area.

Together, she had decided they would be blessed by the gods around. Old and new, these two were her devoted plans. A simple enough gesture of her own; she'd wanted to be surrounded by people who could be trusted through it all. She smiles as her words seem to drip in awe. "Isn't it beautiful. A place created by the hands of mortals; a truly unbelievable creation." The room shifts in a moment; almost as if dancing with the realization that the room could turn into something beautiful. The walls and floor shape; a mixture of something divine and undivine at the same time. A colosseum aged by the natural turn of the world; she can see the environment as if it were real. Words caught in her throat, she speaks to Hal and Marceline.

"It's incredib-"

Except, her eyes take to the weapons around them. The knives and sword were her specialty. A good blade could mean life or death, but she knew who they were up against. Keep your skills close to your chest; the shadows were watching. Reaching for the axe, she looks up to Lucky from four. A smile spreading across her lips as the boy from Four who's got the blessing of the Allfather on him, she listens to him as he gestures to his eye. An interesting development as she follows along. Rusty. She highly doubted he would be rusty in any means; Vali could smell a wolf in sheep's clothing from afar. He reeks of intelligence; she only grins as axe strikes, leaning into the attack.

"Oh, aren't you sweet." It's vile on her tongue as the words drip out with a sickly sweetness. "Let's get you back into shape then. I don't like being toyed with." The giggle is tense, but she still shows that friendliness even though she drops it beneath the word toyed. Looking to her group, she watches Hal take a strike. She'll have to bless him later. For now, she had her own boy to deal with. Holding the axe up, she strikes down with only a bit of vile on her tongue.

"One on one, with the boy who's been blessed by the allfather. This'll be fun!"

[vali attacks lucky; axe]
S_igLlfzqPaxe
(block 0.0)

accuracy
axe
(Deep Gash on Bicep 8.0)

axe·axe

[d1b. xylia fray ♕ kaяi]

x y l i a
fray

She loved any reason to get her hands dirty.

And a sparring match was the perfect time to show off to her new allies.

Not that she really needed to. Xylia had already made it quite clear just how dangerous she was. In fact, she was quite certain that was the reason her allies had flocked to her. But little did they know it was all part of her plan, how she would survive. They were just pieces in her games.

Weapons to be used until they had dulled.

Until they had outlived their use.

It didn’t stop a smile from playing on her lips as she strut towards the table outside the simulation suite, picking one of the rubber swords for herself. Pity it wasn’t steel, but she knew she would still find a way to draw blood regardless. She made sure to wink at Lucky and Gunner before taking her spot next to them, across from the doe-eyed girl from Eight. Lucky lunged, followed by Gunner, and the others followed suit. Xylia baited her time, dodging easily as the girl’s rubber weapon came flying towards her. A wicked grin found itself on her face.

”Hello there,” she swirled the sword in her fingers. ”I hope you like to play,” she purred.

And without a second thought, she swung.

( xylia attacks marceline; sword )

87l6_nrI9psword

( sc - 3.5 )

sword

[MATTIO]

l u c k y
nachtnebel

The way Váli spoke to him would've surprised Lucky if he hadn't talked to her in the days prior. Intriguingly fearless. The tip of his axe scrapes the surface of her stomach. It caressed, rather than rattled her. She giggled, unphased. He expected a toss-up between the terrified tributes and the more unhinged ones. Hal and Marceline, who were against Gunner and Xylia, were certainly the former. The Games hadn't started yet, but Lucky had already begun to play. Outside of Rita, his team in this skirmish consisted of the people he trusted the most. Did they trust him? He thought that if he took on the biggest competition, they might come to appreciate him more.

Good ol' Lucky, a boy so loyal that they could not let go of him.

Lucky's eyebrow raised as Váli Forrester referred to him as having the blessing of 'The Allfather.' She held a fixation on his eye. Who that was, Lucky did not know. Leave it to the woodland District Seven kids to live and breathe the words of folklore and mythology. He held firm while the girl's axe cut deep into his leg, much further than his into her chest.

"Ow."

It did not hurt, but for the purpose of the simulation's realism, Lucky played it up for the crowd. Váli, on the other hand, did not even hesitate or wince. Interesting, given the sensations of the phantom's blade. Lucky nodded to her, conceding that whatever blessing she spoke of, he would take it. "Sounds badass. You'll have to tell me about this 'Allfather' later. If he's a stud, then you're spot on!"

The momentum of the fight shifted once everyone became situated against their opponents. Lucky rolled his shoulder, readying another swing. The crowds cheered, amused by this first glimpse at the tributes engaging in combat.

Lucky embraced the Allfather with his attack. Whoever the hell it was, he liked the nickname.

---

[ lucky attacks váli ; axe ]
TiZpAT1MQ1axe
[ 11192 -- Shallow Cut on Right Calf -- 3.5 damage ]


current damage: 8.0 / 20.0

axe

[gunner, d9 ₊⊹ 👹 ɢʀɪғғɪɴ.]

He arched a brow at the other boy, equal parts intrigued and mocking, as he forwent the axe and chose a sword as his weapon.

Absently spinning a knife in his right hand once more, Gunner’s focus pinpointed on his opponent in a familiar way of scrutiny: he searched for weaknesses, melds within his skin armor, tender spots where it would be easy for a knife (or a bullet) to make a home out of. The lack of firearms here was a disappointment. His fingers itched for a trigger.

The other lunged. Through his brief study, he knew his gait, the balance the other favored, and evaded most of the oncoming swing, only suffering a small nick on his lower hipbone.

He grinned at Seven, or rather bared the rows of his teeth. It was a shark’s smile, a wolf’s fangs. Jagged and maniacal. “Brought a sword to a knife fight.” Gunner flipped one throwing dagger into the air, then caught it by the hilt. “Big fuckin’ mistake, dude.” The distance between them ceased as he closed in, spun around Hal with a cat’s grace twist of his lithe body, and once behind him, unleashed a blade point blank into his chest.

gunner attacks hal ; throwing knives 2/6
3NDC7QBJn3throwing knife

9082 -- Miss (knife lost) -- 0.0 damage (Thrown Knife)

HP: 16.5/20

throwing knife

[sucy ( ˘ ³˘) 💕]

marceline jeon .

"thought i was the only one,
turned out i was everyone"

Damn. Is this her doing her best? Two swings, two misses, seconds apart. Marceline is still pondering and processing her own ineptitude when Xylia's voice cuts through the air, too close and too sultry for their context.

"Hello there, I hope you like to play."

So she's one of those kinds of careers then; the ones who genuinely see the games as just that, games. They're probably all like that, thinks Marceline, when it comes down to it. Just look at Lucky, who jumped right in before anyone else. He seemed friendly before today, maybe a little airheaded but decidedly not-bad. Marceline frowns. These career tributes are just kids at the end of the day, the same as her, but they've been raised to willingly cast aside their humanity. Or is this what being human means to them? Blood and glory and winning? Is all of that incidental, devoid of bigger meaning outside of fun? She can't wrap her head around it, and now certainly isn't the time to try.

Marceline makes to jump back, but as she does, Xylia's sword clips her. She doesn't quite stumble, doesn't quite step back. She adjusts her sword again, and steels her gaze, a deep furrow developing between her brows. Now that she's been hit, Marceline thinks she's beginning to understand. Her heart rate is up and her hands have suddenly become sweaty. She's never been in a situation like this before -- the only thing Marceline has ever fought before is her sewing machine when it jammed.

"Sure," says Marceline in response, applying the indifference that's gotten her through countless situations in the past. She's here to do a job. Not a game, a job. Marceline hits back, ignoring the sting in her side as best she can.

Marceline attacks Xylia / sword.

_vtUuU5iyo1-200 + 1000 = 1189.

1189 -- Shallow Cut on Forehead -- 4.5 damage

(Sword)

[HP: 3.5/20]

ELEGANT

1-200

[knuckles]

Hal

"Brought a sword to a knife fight. Big fuckin' mistake dude."

Hal looks at the floor unsure of what to do, but his mind is racing. His heart leaping frantically inside his chest begging for an escape. It's hard, being trapped in the Capitol unsure of what to do. Not that it even matters. Nothing here matters. But he stands his ground watching everyone fighting around him. A sword is long, it can reach far, so why does any of this matter? Sure he can run and gain some distance, but Hal knows to swing around. But I am a coward.

Pretending is exhausting, and putting on a brave face is wearing him down, yet Hal keeps going. This is just getting him started for the actual games. It's giving him a chance to learn, a chance to grow, a chance to figure it out.

But how?

All that's possible is trying to make sense of this mess. It's hard. It's difficult, and maybe while everyone else is talking, it'll make things easier to understand everything that is going on.

He raises the sword and looks everything going on, and his eyes lock on his target.

"If you want to succeed, you'll have to do better than that."

Hal attacks Gunner | Sword
d9diMJielhsword
1047 -- Stabbed in Stomach -- 9.5 damage
(Sword)

7/20 sword

[Tom]

The strike is true; as if Týr himself had struck with the axe. The wounds are superficial, a creation by man in this simulated environment. This falsity could not keep her from the reality she lives in. Vali Forrester had seen the way that man destroys; claims their creations as evolution, but Mother Nature always knows. You can never take away nature; she'll always reclaim the world in the end. It's a simple freezing feeling settling into the pit of her stomach as the axe collides in the superficial way. Lucky from Four, blessed by the allfather, seemed much more capable than herself. There's a comfortability in holding some makeshift rubber that reminds her of the axes so many used back home.

Lucky is open. Vulnerable in a way that she could see. Perhaps it was some sort of persona or not his real person, but she did not care if he was acting. The enjoyment of learning how another swings a weapon, one she's familiar with, will be beneficial and good for her. A muttered ow makes her smile a bit more amusedly. It's all for the cameras, the people watching. A laugh wants to escape her throat, but instead she just smiles at him. His words are filled with a flourish; a fluttering of that mischievous Loki beneath his breath. She's intrigued by his demeanor, but ignores looking past the surface. They'll be sacrifices in the end.

"He is a god. One you shall know in the future, you share a similar wound. A blessing of the divine. I can show you later." The smile rises a little as he eyes sparkle to the edges of his axe; another strike to the leg as she pivots closer almost daring to put herself bodily up against Lucky. The axe in her grasp almost going forward, but she stops as she pushes herself almost an inch closer to his face before whispering. "You are interesting, Four." Stepping back, she watches his eye for a moment. A simple enough stare before she moves again. This time with more strength behind her attack. She wasn't strong, but she could still use her own momentum to try and swing it back at him.

"When did you get the allfather's blessing?"

The rubber creaks as she moves; unafraid of the pain nor the weapons themselves.

Truly, a goddess unburdened by flesh.

[7.5/20]

[vali attacks lucky; axe]
PirVAFA0wkaxe
(Shallow Cut on Back of Head 4.5)

axe

[d1b. xylia fray ♕ kaяi]

x y l i a
fray

She curses as the girl evades the majority of her strike.

The rubber edge of her blade manages to find a small place in her arm, but not nearly as dramatic as the sever she was originally going for. However, the girl had to take a moment to readjust her own weapon, giving Xylia the time to take up the defensive. It was classic sparring. She had been doing this probably since before she could walk. It was a great time to show off, but she also had to be sure to keep her cards secret. She couldn’t show everything.

Not yet at least.

So, when the girl from Eight swung her sword, she let it graze her forehead. Just barely, but enough to send a trickle of blood down the side of her face. She smiled, gripping her sword a bit tighter, preparing for the offensive.

”A woman of few words then?” she prowled around the girl, like a panther preparing to strike it’s pray. ”Okay, let’s dance.”

She reminded herself to hold back. This was training, this was just practice. If she couldn’t control herself now?

She feared what she may do in the Arena.

( xylia attacks marceline; sword )

_0|ryZevBNsword

( block - 0.0 )

accuracy ;

sword

( sc on thigh - 3.5 )


damage: 4.5/20

sword·sword

[MATTIO]

l u c k y
nachtnebel

The axe chipped Vali's leg this time. Not good enough. Maybe taking a back seat to training only left him getting worse when others were getting better... no, that couldn't be it. It was a simulation, after all, more pretend than it was real. Even if the axe looked real now, it was just rubber and light. Unaccustomed to the weight of a fake weapon, how could he be expected to excel?

A god, Vali said about the Allfather. One with a lasting wound to his eye, judging by her enigmatic observation. Lucky smirked as she pivoted closer to him. Xylia and Gunner seemed to be at odds with their opponents, but he welcomed the closeness of Vali in this moment. It was harder to miss a target up close. Her axe clamored on the back of his head. It was rubber, and felt like it, promising a sensitive bruise later.

"I got it a bit over a year ago. I would call it an accident, but I think it was very intentional on Le Roux's behalf." Lucky spun with his axe raised, trying to build momentum while Vali was still close. An axe was a weapon of strength, not precision.

He released the energy as his eye spotted Vali again, letting the axe rip forth in his hands. Vali's 'Allfather' gave Lucky a gift, and he used it against her.

---

total damage: 12.5 / 20.0

[ lucky attacks vali ; axe ]
mEMQU1YUOwaxe
[ 11181 -- Severed Right Hand at Wrist -- 9.0 damage ]

axe