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My curse is to love you Until we see the last of us Our chance of surrender Nothing but eternity (x)

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The cowboy was forced

to admit it was indeed

his first rodeo.

—haiku by John Clark Helzer

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When Weaponry Attacks || Arena Day 5

We woke a few hours later and I know it’s time to get moving. Rifling through Jasper’s pack, I fished out a canteen and some iodine, and started filling it with some cold water from the tap, dropping in the iodine once it was full. Taking a swig of the liquid before putting the canteen in my pack and standing. The peace keeper looked ready to move on and I nodded, double checking my weapons as we prepared to leave.

And then the impossible happened.

Well, I really shouldn’t have been surprised given what I had gone through and witnessed so far, but I still was. The peacekeeper’s halberd suddenly started shaking, freeing itself from the mans grasp and floating up, before swinging down on us. I jumped to the side, the blade of the halberd crashing into the sink and leaving it in pieces as it fell to the floor.

“Fucking hell!” The peacekeeper yelled from his place by the bathtub. “This is fucking craz-”

Another attack from the halberd shut him up and I pulled out my new titanium chain whip, snapping it loudly to attract the demon weapon, before repeating the action, the chain wrapping around the hilt of the halberd. Unbelievably, the halberd began pulling, trying to free itself from the grasp of the whip. With my one good arm occupied, I gestured for the peacekeeper to approach.

“The meteor hammer.”

He nodded his understanding, ducking over to me as fast as he could while I tried to hold the halberd. It had started hacking at the metal holding it, loosening the wrap and I pulled tighter, trying to increase the tension. There was no way the steel of the halberd could cut through titanium, but as I knew the tension would only hold so long.

A moment later, the chain slipped from the halberd, and the halberd came charging forward. Thankfully, the diversion had given the peacekeeper enough time to pull the hammer from my bag and he swung it down on the halberd just as the point of the blade was about to skewer me. 

Backing up, I tightened my grip on the handle of my whip before lashing the halberd. As my weapon pulled back, his fell and we repeated the process over and over until the halberd stopped moving, the blade dented and the handle chipped and broken into three large, pieces.

I had no idea why the halberd went awol, but I didn’t want to give it the chance to come back to life. Gesturing to the peacekeeper, we lifted the heavy porcelain, dropping it with a thud on the blade, just in case. I grit my teeth as the action pulled on my arm, but did my best to ignore it as I retrieved a jagged piece of the handle. 

After taking a moment to catch our breaths, we decided to get a move on. The mansion seems empty, but we waste no time slipping out the front door. Veering west, follow the the edge of the river and start making our way north before stopping for a while, keeping an eye out for anyone else near by.

[atticus-caldwell-blog]

A parachute falls near Atticus.  Inside is morphling and bandages.

“Hey.” -Anonymous

[atticus-caldwell-blog]

Darwinism || Arena Day Four

I feel empty as I limp with my peacekeeper down the stairs and into the mansion. I had taken Jasper’s pack, and my weapons, helping the peacekeeper up as we moved down the stairs. His legs were pretty messed up, but with the halberd he was able to move quicker than I expected.

I’m in pretty poor condition, but the pain seems peripheral, barely there as I make my way to the bathroom. Vaguely I worry about someone being there, but four cannons had gone off, so I doubted they would be in any shape to attack me. At least, we’d be on pretty level ground about it.

Immediately he sat down on the edge of the tub, wiping off his wounds and muttering angrily, though I paid him little mind, easily tuning him out as he went on and on, instead focusing on fixing myself up.

The water was clear, but the blood it washed off of my hands tinted the clear liquid a deep, vibrant red as it swirled around the pure white porcelain, before sliding down the drain. Blood had never bothered me- I delivered calves and sacrificed bulls all of the time- but in a way, this blood was different. There was so much blood this time than there had been with Klaus. 

I knew I should have felt guilty for what I had gone, beating that boy past his death, but it didn’t really matter anymore. I took no joy in his murder, but I no longer cared to trouble over the suffering of others. I could barely bother with the suffering of myself.

Pulling off my clothes I began wiping down my wounds, with warm soapy water, assessing the damage I had sustained in the last brawl. Other than the four puncture wounds I had sustained before the fight- only to be exacerbated by the throwing knives, my face and neck was covered in rashes and my nose was broken out of place. My hand still had a large cut in it and my collarbone had been broken as well from the force of one well thrown knife.  

With the adrenaline wearing off, pain was starting to seep back in and I knew I needed to get a move on before the mansion decided to attack again or a lion popped out of the walls. 

As if someone was reading my mind, a parachute suddenly floated in and inside was some bandages and a morphling injection, both of which I could really use. Using the bandages to try and secure my hand and collarbone, before injecting the morphing. Gritting my teeth, I reached up and snapped my nose back into place, glad that the morphing had taken affect. 

I fished out the remaining bandages I had in my pack, as well as some from Jasper’s and began wrapping myself up as best I could. With the damage to my hand worse than I thought, it was more of a challenge, but it was the third time I’d been on this rodeo, so it was sufficient.

Picking up a towel, I began wiping away the blood that stained Maybelle’s name and I feel a low thud of pleasure, the numbness dispersing for a moment as I recalled my wife’s face, how she was waiting for me. I was close to getting out of this hellhole and keeping my promise to her.

In the wild, predators did not expose their prey to excessive suffering and nor had I, really. Though it was most certainly a grisly a death, it was relatively quick and, much like any animal defending its kin, I resorted to what needed to be done to protect my ally and myself so that I could return to my wife. 

Besides, this was hardly the wild, as much as it may have seemed to be. We were all being controlled, confined, trapped, and purposefully goaded into murdering each other. They wanted us to behave like animals, so we were in order to survive. Darwinism at it’s finest, Sawyer used to say, and only the fittest would make it out alive, so at the end of the day did it matter how everyone else met their demise?

Fixed up for the most part, I feel the exhaustion setting in from the trying day and sit in front of the door, needing a rest. The peacekeeper follows suit, laying in the now empty tub and we’re both out in a few moments, our bodies demanding time to heal.

[atticus-caldwell-blog]

Arena Day 5

Location: Mansion bathroom

Allies: Peacekeeper

Inventory:

Weapons: Chain whip, meteor hammer, hunting knife, switchblade, whip, titanium whip, halberd

Food: half a cheese cake and ragrets

Other: Handcuffs, leather gloves, badass hat, candelabra, vial of paralytic, walkie talkies, contents of pack E (box of twelve matches, spile, remote control car, silver parachute [fishing kit, and first aid kit (antiseptic cream)], magnifying glass with purple glass, Jasper’s pack (what ever is left in Pack A, canteen, and iodine)

Injuries: Jellyfish stings (cleaned & healed), scratch marks on shoulders (cleaned & healed), lowkey goo burns (cleaned & healed), gash in thigh (cleaned, bandaged, & healed mostly), lion bite on shin reopened & further injured (cleaned, bandaged & healing), gash on forearm (cleaned, bandaged, & healed), slight puncture wounds and bruised back (cleaned & healed), limited vision in one eye and most vision regained in the other (cleaned & healing), peck wounds and cuts from penguins (cleaned & healed mostly) he basically took a bath in the rainshower so..., throwing knife wounds (cleaned and healing), four puncture wounds on torso (cleaned and healing), broken nose (reset and healing), herbal burns on face and neck (cleaned and healing), cut on hand (cleaned and healing), bruising around throat (healing), stab wound/broken collarbone (cleaned and healing)

Notable Events

Killed Jasper. I’m alive, but I feel...empty? There’s not time to dwell, with home so close. Only four more.

Bandaged myself up and took a much needed nap.

[atticus-caldwell-blog]

thebloodypageant:

Keep reading

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Read More Now!

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Arena Day 4

Location: Mansion Roof

Allies: Peace keeper guy (lowkey)

Inventory:

Weapons: Chain whip, 2 knives (1 rusted), meteor hammer, hunting knife, switchblade, whip, TITANIUM CHAIN WHIP YO, and halberd which i forgt bc i am a noob

Food: half a cheese cake and ragrets

Other: Handcuffs, syringe, blanket (kind of), leather gloves, badass hat, candelabra, vial of paralytic, walkie talkies, contents of pack E (box of twelve matches, spile, remote control car, silver parachute [fishing kit, and first aid kit (antiseptic cream)], four spikes from mantids, magnifying glass with purple glass

Injuries: Jellyfish stings (cleaned & healed), scratch marks on shoulders (cleaned & healed), lowkey goo burns (cleaned & healed), gash in thigh (cleaned, bandaged, & healed mostly), lion bite on shin reopened & further injured (cleaned, bandaged & healing), gash on forearm (cleaned, bandaged, & healed), slight puncture wounds and bruised back (cleaned & healed), limited vision in one eye and most vision regained in the other (cleaned & healing), peck wounds and cuts from penguins (cleaned & healed mostly) he basically took a bath in the rainshower so...

Notable Events

got a present then got dr-ed

[atticus-caldwell-blog]

thebloodypageant:

It tastes like cheesecake.  But to the mecha pelican it tastes like betrayal.  It screeches a metallic sound and swoops down, shooting metallic feathers that embed into you and your peacekeeper.  There are four each in your abdomens.

ragrets

The sweet, cheesy flavor has turned to nothing but ragrets as four sharp, metallic feather’s suddenly pierce my abdomen. I shout for PK as I stumble away from the birb hot wet tears threatening to escape as I realize how significant my mistake was, how betrayed the pelican must have been.

Ripping the feathers from my abdomen, I take PK’s feathers as well as he runs with his halberd and I hope he’s happy that we made this choice. My one consolation is that the puncture wounds don’t seem to be too critical.

Lord Birb the Mighty seems to be content with our punishment for encroaching on his collection and we catch out breaths just outside of the dovecote.

and then i was dr-ed ;-;

Ragrets || Arena Day Four

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thebloodypageant:

Mecha Pelican keeps its eyes trained on you as you climb up and start to wretch the pack from the wall.  

I’m thankful for my height as I reach up, yanking the pack off of the wall with a hard pull, the nail popping out and landing on the ground with a soundless thud beneath all of the fighting. 

There is a bag or two unclaimed and tacked to the wall and I consider taking them for all of .5 seconds before turning away. I had what I came for and taking someone else’s pack would just be asking for trouble. 

Glancing back at the pelican, I begin to retreat, searching for PK who has all but swallowed the chicken he started on and had picked up a discarded halberd on the ground.

The pile of treasure is clearly the birb’s hoard and my instinct is to leave well enough alone. That is, until I spot a beautiful cheese cake, alone and untouched. Despite my better instinct, I pick up the cake, taking a giagantic, longing bite of the rich and delicious cake.

Ragrets || Arena Day Four

[atticus-caldwell-blog]

thebloodypageant:

You find three pairs of tributes that seem to be inititating a fight, as well as one loner.  There are still an abundance of items and packs left over, but mecha pelican is the one that notices you first.

It is fifty shades of crazy on the roof and I grip my whip tighter in preparation, tightening the straps of my pack as I start to move, doing my best to avoid any conflict at the moment. There’s a lot of stuff still on the ground and completely unclaimed, but no one seems to care as the shit hits the fan all around me.

The fuq is dis shit??

A gigantic metal pelican looks up from its roost and I feel like the cow that’s been spotted by the wolf. I knew this was a bad idea. The peace keeper didn’t seem to care, though and lunges for a rotisserie chicken laying a few feet away from the gigantic bird thing.

Following, albeit a bit reluctantly, I prepare for the mess that is coming, moving to the dovecote where apparently there is a helpful pack waiting for me.

Ragrets || Arena Day Four

[atticus-caldwell-blog]

Ragrets || Arena Day Four

I had no interest in the feast. I told the peace keeper over and over that going to the feast would be a trap, that nothing good would come of it. But he insisted. He was hungry, he said, and he was strong. Between the two of us, we could get out with a fair share of loot, he claimed.

And then he was running, out of the cave towards the mansion. And I followed. Why? I have no idea, but I did. Even from a great distance I could see the chaos unfolding, hear the sounds for fighting and screaming. It was like the bloodbath all over again.

sigh.

The mansion was getting closer and I was pretty surprised that I had managed to keep up with the other man. Panting heavily, we came up on the ladder in the south west corner the mansion that led up to the roof and climbed.

[atticus-caldwell-blog]

Arena Day 3

Location: The Mountain Cave

Allies: Peace keeper guy (lowkey)

Inventory:

Weapons: Chain whip, 2 knives (1 rusted), meteor hammer, hunting knife, switchblade, whip,

Food: lolz I hope my mystery sponsor remembers I need nourishment.

Other: Handcuffs, syringe, blanket (kind of), leather gloves, badass hat, candelabra, vial of paralytic, walkie talkies, contents of pack E (box of twelve matches, spile, remote control car, silver parachute [fishing kit, and first aid kit (antiseptic cream)], four spikes from mantids, magnifying glass with purple glass

Injuries: Jellyfish stings (cleaned & healed), scratch marks on shoulders (cleaned & healed), lowkey goo burns (cleaned & healed), gash in thigh (cleaned, bandaged, & healed mostly), lion bite on shin reopened & further injured (cleaned, bandaged & healing), gash on forearm (cleaned, bandaged, & healed), slight puncture wounds and bruised back (cleaned & healed), limited vision in one eye and most vision regained in the other (cleaned & healing), peck wounds and cuts from penguins (cleaned & healed mostly) he basically took a bath in the rainshower so...

Notable Events

After a rough night following my altercation with Klaus, I woke to find myself surrounded by a hoard of strange, flightless black and white birds- which I later recalled as penguins. They were annoying,  but I dispatched them with relative ease.

Figuring it would be best to move before more trouble came to me, I walked down the arena and around a little lake. Inside was another body jammed in a geyser and I managed to free it with accidental cleverness. The corpse had a magnifier with purple glass, so I tucked it in my bag in case I needed it later.

I came upon the mountain and saw an opening that led to a cave beneath it. Inside was a weird metal contraption with a mummified peacekeeper inside of that. Instead of brutally murdering him, I freed him and now he’s my pseudo ally for now.

I needed a break from walking and he told me his schitck until the young girl from Seven came by. She was pleasant and left us some bread before moving on, but we decided to leave the cave before someone less friendly appeared.

There was a magic rain cloud and we chilled in it for a long time. I had initially planned to walk through and move on, but the peacekeeper was just chilling so I was like w/e. Then I realized it was healing water and we chilled some more  so I would heal until the rain started to slow. Shortly after a cannon fired and that reminded us to get moving.

We were going to move but we were surrounded- the gays were north, scylla was in the west and whatever crazy was in the east, so we just backtracked back to the cave bc reasons. Once safely inside, we ate what was left of the food (a mince pie, some grapes, donated bread and a bit of grapefruit juice) and went to sleep.

[atticus-caldwell-blog]

The rain is warm and heavy, but at least it is familiar Unlike the forests and the rivers and the mountains that I’ve come across here, I’m accustomed to rain. The water soaks into my clothes and skin, but as soon as it covers me, I feel my sore muscles and aching bones start to...ache less?

I blink in surprise, before glancing down at my leg, finding the vision in my one eye a little clearer? That couldn’t be right, could it? Turning too my companion, my eyes widened as I saw him standing there, his face to the sky and was reminded that he was ass naked as the rain began to soak his bandages and they fell off from the weight of the water.

He seems to be having a moment, though, and I’m not that adverse to stay the water that is somehow healing me a little bit? Glancing at our surroundings, I squint, trying to make out what was in the distance. On both sides there are people, but to the west, is only one so it might be easier to slide by unseen.

The longer we stand there, the better I feel, but even I know that standing out in the middle of a field isn’t the smartest thing. Turning to the peacekeeper, I tell him we should get moving, but he doesn’t seem to hear me over the sound of the rain.

Walking over, I wave my hand in front of his face, blocking the rain for a moment and that seems to get his attention but he shakes his head, smiling for the first time as he points up to the rain cloud, spreading his arms as if he’s waiting for the water to reach down and carry him away.

The expression looks strange on his normally scowling face, but I decide to leave it alone for the time being. Empathy isn’t normally my style, but in all honesty I’m tired and hurting and the rain is making everything hurt a little less. 

Deciding to take a gamble, I begin unwrapping the soggy bandage on my forearm, noticing immediately that it looks a lot shallower, the skin slowly knitting back together as the rain soaks it. A small smile comes to my face as Maybelle’s name slowly comes back together. 

The ground beneath my feet is becoming soft and wet as we stand under the onslaught of rain and my clothes are sagging under the weight of the water. Pulling off my hat, I’m glad to see the leather is keeping its shape, but I tuck it away in the bag, glad that only a little water gets in before I can zip it up once more.

We’ve been standing under the spray for a while, now and I’m amazed to find that my vision is starting to clear up. Staring up at the sky, I let the rain wash over my face, forcing my eyes to stay open as the water cleans away the damage from the plant goo.

Slicking back my hair, I blink as I stare through the rain, frowning as it begins to subside, the downpour slowing to a trickle as the cloud begins to break up and drift away on the wind. 

And then I hear the sound of a cannon ringing out through the arena. 

I whip my head around, realizing that the zip line tower in the distance has fallen and the fight must have come to its own, bloody close. The sound startled my companion as well and we nod at each other, both acknowledging that we need to get going. Grabbing my bag, I set my hat on my head, before noticing the blanket laying under it. Pulling it out, I threw it at the peacekeeper, giving him something to cover himself.

Slinging the bag onto my back and keeping my weapons on hand, I begin to make my way around the mountain, pleased to find that walking is less of a struggle after our impromptu shower. 

I can see a group of people between us and the manor, though and backtrack, not wanting to run into anyone. With the gays to the north, scylla to the west, and whoever was left in the east, I felt pretty trapped. We could hike the mountain but effort and ooc rose wants to shower and sleep so we head back into the mountain, hoping that it won’t be too long before the other tributes move away.

Inside the cave we eat the sad remains of the meat and the bread kindly donated by Kiya, the sunshine flower, and then rest. The rocks are hard without my blanket pillow, but it’s better that the peace keeper guy be covered, i think. Instead I just rest my head on my lumpy bag, hoping that the darkness of the cave will facilitate sleep.

Post Moo-der || Arena Day Three

[atticus-caldwell-blog]

thebloodypelican:

“The bitch took stabbed me with some cords and strung me up like a puppet.  Then cut off my lower jaw.  That’s why I got this lovely addition.”  he mumbled while knocking on his jaw.  Two metal clanging sounds echoed out.  He fiddled with the bandages covering him as he recounted the horror.

I blinked in surprise, unsure of what to say to that. That was a weird turn of events and clearly this guy’s day wasn’t getting any better. Well, no better than the rest of us mere mortals, at least. Unsure of what to say, I just stayed quiet, letting him scowl and mumble as he continued yanking at his bandages.

A few moments later he was freed, and my eyebrows raised slightly as I realized he was ass naked under the bandages. Well, if people could watch humans brutally murder each other, I figured a bit of nudity wouldn’t hurt them. Maybe he could fashion so loincloth out of the bandages or some crap.

The girl from Seven dropped by and she seemed nice, dropping some bread off before making her way up the mountain. Her motivation reminded me that there were still people wandering around, people who wanted to kill me and I figured it was best to get moving.

Just as I get to the mouth of the mountain cave, I saw a cloud of rain approaching. Of course. Still, it seemed pretty isolated and it was fairly warm, so it shouldn’t be that hard to get through so we could move on. I stepped under the rainfall, my peacekeeper companion following.

Post Moo-der || Arena Day Three