AnomalousDyna's entry -
Before we start, a little about the story itself. This story is written in the perspective of a new player playing his first game.
The Survival Games. The pinnacle of player on player, adrenaline-rushing combat. Truly a winner takes all game.
If you're fortunate enough to win, fame is guaranteed- on the other hand, if it all goes wrong, the consequences are dire. Risk it to get the biscuit, right? At least that's my way of thinking.
I've decided today's where I get to see what all the hype's about. I'm entering a Survival Games match.
Some call me crazy. They're probably right. You're thrust in an arena with 23 other people, all seeking the same thing. Glory. Fame. Victory. Survival. Friends have warned me against this, saying things like "Some of the people who do these games can't even be human". There's cause for concern, but I try to put this behind me. I'm fairly confident in myself and always have been.
Once I feel I'm properly ready for what might happen, I join the lobby. It's starting.
Everybody's currently being assigned a district to represent. Myself and a seemingly timid guy represent District seven. Seven's a lucky number, right? I try to talk to my timid partner, but it's no use. He refuses to talk, and goes back to standing in a corner, in silence. What a weird guy, I thought. I notice areas to practise some combat skills in. Thought I'd go and take a look over there, so I did.
Time, as usual, escapes me, but I'm brought back to my senses when the 1 minute remaining broadcast is left. I begin counting down the seconds. 45... 30... 15... 10... 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. The surroundings change rapidly, and it takes some time for me to realise that the game is starting. For real. Panic sets in. All confidence I had before seemingly left the system like a rush. Thankfully, a 1 minute grace period lets me gain my composure and calm down- a little bit.
"Showing weakness will only make me more of a target," I think to myself.
30 seconds.
15.
10.
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
A siren sounds, signifying the start. Of the few things I learnt while I was at the practise area was that the cornucopia was home to some amazing loot, but is fraught with danger. Looking back over my shoulders, I see a person being slain by another person, wielding a sword which appeared to be made of sharp stone. This engaged my 'fight or flight' mentality, making me instinctively run as far away as possible. Cannons sound in quick succession, signifying the end of the brutal onslaught at cornucopia. I find a chest, open it and find a leather chestplate and a stone axe. It was possible to go all the way up to diamond swords and full iron armour, but my first priority was to find at least some basic way of defending myself. I run for what seems like an hour, in that time 5 cannons sounding in the distance. I finally come across a derelict structure, and take shelter in it and get prepared. I'm shaking but I don't know why; am I cold or am I afraid?
Another 3 tributes fall, and it is announced that 13 tributes remain. 11 had died. It's about this time that the sun begins to fall, and that I find my first chest with quality items in them. A chain helmet, iron boots and a golden apple. As I'm taking inventory, I hear a sound. Footsteps. Someone, or something, is nearby. My heart starts racing. I dare to step outside of the shambles of a house, and spot a group of people. A 3 team. All with almost full sets of iron armour. They all look like they're spoiling for a fight. I don't intend to fight them. I hear their laughs as they recount the victims they had slain. One laughed menacingly as he told the story of a helpless kid with nothing taking a direct shot to the stomach. I quickly flee the area, and gain a glimpse of cornucopia. Two people are fighting. I decide it's better to try and stay out of danger rather than get in harm's way even more. A cannon sounds around the area of cornucopia, meaning that the fight was over, and one had fallen.
It almost hit full night time when I found my second quality chest. I had the necessary materials to craft myself an iron sword, but the only crafting table was at corn (a word I had eventually created as a slang for cornucopia) which just so happened to be guarding the party of players I had saw near where I was at mid day. All of them had full iron armour now, and one wielded a sword of diamond. Just thinking about that made me gulp, and so I journeyed farther into the night.
The chests are apparently refilled by sponsors at midnight. That's something else I had learned of during my preparation time in the game lobby. As midnight was about to pass, I hear the screaming sound of a person not that far away from me. I take a look, and find that someone had taken a shot to the leg and had been slashed severely with a sword across the chest. Laying on the dirt, crying and bleeding, he muttered words that I seem to have made out as
"Please... please don't kill me...". He looks familiar, and I soon realise that this person is my partner from District seven. I leave him one of the golden apples I had amounted from finding loot on the ground from deceased tributes, and leave him be. I hear an arrow being shot back where my dying partner was, and a cannon soon follows. Oh well. Live and let die. When midnight comes around, a list of fallen tributes is broadcasted. Only 6 tributes remain out of the 24 who started. I get tired, and eventually decide to take some rest in a high up tree until dawn.
I'm woken up twice from cannons signifying two more deaths, and immediately when I'm back to my senses I realise that this is bad. I head over to cornucopia, to find that the 3 team I had seen so much of this game was still alive. I was the only other remaining tribute. This was bad. Very bad. Another one of the things I learnt in preparation was that the Deathmatch began when 3 players remained. When this happened, all players were teleported to corn and forced to fight to the death until one remains. As I get distracted in thought, I'm once again brought back to my senses when I hear them shout
"There's someone over there.". I freeze. I can't take out 3 people. Not possible. Negative thoughts flood my head as I run, being tailed by the 3 team.
I get stuck in some vines, and I begin thinking that it's all over. Someone towers over me, diamond sword in one hand, flint and steel in other. He lifts his sword up, and brings it down over my body. Time freezes, as my death is almost guaranteed. I shut my eyes, anticipating the worst. The person about to strike me wavers. It takes my panic-riddled state to realise that one of his teammates had stabbed him in the chest. He falls to the ground, dying. When his life finally comes to a close, Deathmatch is initiated, and the remaining 3 are teleported to the corn for one last time. I'm shuddering. Not ready for this. No. Not yet. More time, damnit. More time!
Any pleas I make were ignored, as the counter began. 30 seconds. 15. 10. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. A siren sounds again. Gaining the courage, I pull out my measly stone axe and adopt a fighting position. Do or die. Now is the moment. Go out fighting. I lunge for one of the others, striking him heavily with an axe strike to the head. His helmet is strong, so the effect isn't as great as I would hope. It was still something. He gets a revenge hit, cutting my boots off with his sword, grazing me slightly. I fall back in recoil, and go in again. He catches me off guard, taking swing at my headpiece, but an arrow takes my opponent's life, as he curses one last time, falling to the ground. I pick a better sword up from the ground, and continue my fight with the last remaining tribute. He stares me down, but intimidation won't work on me. I go forward to him, blocking all of the arrows he shoots at me. I cut him twice, but I sustain serious damage. I'm slashed across the chest with his diamond sword, making a big gash in my chestplate and my chest. Is this the end? He walks forward for the killing blow, grinning. No... No... NO. NOT THE END. I take a final shot at him while he's open. It pays off. Both of us, seriously damaged and injured, run forward in the final clash- time slows down as I take a cut at the torn part of his armour- he takes aim at my open wound. I'm impaled with his blade, but my cut was successful, and we both fall to the ground. Anyone could win now. It was a matter of who would die first.
Time goes even slower, as my opponent's body finally gives up and he dies. I am the only remaining tribute. I'm half dead, but I knew one thing. Had achieved one thing. I had won. Won the Survival Games.