Chapter 10:

"And, now, I know all of you have been waiting for this, our last tribute for today - Draco Ashvale from District 12." Caeser Flickerman shouted excitedly at the microphone, spreading his right hand towards the podium.

Draco, dressed in his classy black suit, approached the scene with a beaming smile on his face. Turning to the audience, Draco waved his hand and then sat down on the chair next to Caeser. 

"You look refined today, Draco Ashvale. How has the last week at the Capitol been for you?" Caeser shook Draco's hand, immediately going in with a question, trying to stir the audience.

"My look today is an inspiration from you, Caeser." Draco feigned a little smile, forcing out a loud laugh from Caeser, which was later followed by the audience. "As for my week, I would say that it has been slow. Tedious. Mainly, I have been relaxing due to an injury I received during training."

"An injury during training?" Caeser raised his eyebrows a bit too high, almost forcing a laugh from Draco. Caeser then looked expectantly at the audience. "Is that perhaps somehow associated with your low evaluation score?"

That's right. Draco smirked internally. Caeser was doing his part very well so far. Nodding slightly, Draco hesitated. "That's a part of the reason, however, that's not exactly it."

"What was the reason then, Draco?" Caeser asked, slightly leaning forward as if asking Draco to whisper it into his ear. "I feel like everyone has been kind of disappointed when the brave man from District 12, who proclaimed himself a future winner, got such a low score. Of course, however, they were more curious than disappointed."

"Being curious is a natural human emotion, so I can't blame any of you." Draco flashed a smile to the audience, yet, suddenly, it vanished from his face like a mask thrown away. "The reason why I got such a low score was because I left right after the beginning of my evaluation."

"You left?" Caeser asked, genuinely confused.

"That's right. I knew that if I put my mind to it, I would get a high score, even with an injury. However, I decided against it. I wanted to win the Hunger Games on my own, without any outside help from sponsors." Draco stated, his eyes cold. "I wanted to be the best winner."

"Fascinating!" Caeser exclaimed, drawing a surprised echo from the audience. "That's the first time I am hearing of a tribute that was purposefully trying not to draw any sponsors to him. However, considering that you are saying this right now, does that mean that you had a change of heart?"

"I did, but not for the reason you might believe. I didn't suddenly feel scared, or frightened." Draco continued, trying to create as much suspense as possible. "As I have said earlier, due to my injury, I wasn't able to attend the training this week."

Draco's eyes then turned sharp. "However, just after my evaluation, I heard devastating news. My companion, Katniss Everdeen, has been experiencing severe bullying during the entire week, for all other Districts teamed up against her."

"Something like that happened?" Caeser opened his mouth wildly.

Draco nodded. "Seeing her desperate eyes that day, I realized that I had made a mistake. I put on useless chains around me that would restrict me from bringing as much destruction as possible to all the other tributes."

Caeser stared into Draco's eyes as if contemplating. "That's all very interesting, Draco Ashvale. We understand your dilemma. However, you don't expect people to invest in you when they can't even confirm whether your combat abilities are sufficient."

"I understand." Draco smiled, slowly standing up as he grabbed his black tie. He slid it off from his neck, turning to the audience. "I understand that you might feel doubts in my words. However, I believe that all of you can consider it like a deal."

"In exchange for the best Hunger Games in history, all I ask for is your support. Isn't that little compared to the entertainment you will get from this?" Draco removed his dark jacket, throwing it on the chair. Then he started buttoning his shirt. "Only with your support will I be able to crush all of them."

"What are you-" Caeser was about to say something when the words stopped in his throat.

"This is my proof of combat, Capitol," Draco stated, standing shirtless, exposed. His masculine body made him look even bigger than he was, but most of the people were most surely staring at the scars running down his top. "I was born in the darkness and I survived there. Hunger Games is just a mere 'game' in my mind."

Draco glanced down at his body, remembering how he got each and every scar. Never in his life had he thought that having scars on his body may turn useful down the line. 

'Anyway, I am not really even lying.' Draco thought internally, letting the audience scan through his body. He did spend most of his life in a really dark place, hoping to achieve something impossible, until it was no longer impossible.

Glancing down at his shoulder, Draco saw the teeth mark from Katniss. Snickering, Draco raised his hands. "So, people of Capitol, ignore my score and support me! For, only I will be able to bring you more entertainment than anything you have experienced so far."

At first, there was silence, but then the audience exploded into ecstasy. Draco's ears began to hurt from the overwhelming sound and Caeser grabbed Draco by the hand, lifting it up again. "This was Draco Ashvale!"

Caeser then slightly lowered his voice, smiling. "By the way, sorry for all the underage kids watching this."

With that, Draco was off the stage, stepping into the gloomy corridor, where he saw Haymitch, Effie, and Katniss all staring at him. Draco promptly put on his shirt, seeing Katniss basically running towards him. He prepared his face, knowing that she might punch him for making her look so vulnerable. Like, come on, bullied?

However, what happened was the opposite. Katniss took him into a strong hug, circling her hands around his neck. "Draco...you...are you alright? All these scars..."

"This is my past, Katniss." Draco smiled pitifully, seeing this as an opportunity to evade the conversation that Katniss so much wanted to have. "And it pains me to talk about my past. I have memories that I don't want to remember."

Leaning closer to her, Draco whispered into her ears. "However, Katniss, I know how this game works better than anyone and I know how we can survive. For that, I need, your trust, alright?"

Draco felt Katniss nodding slightly against her shoulder and Draco smiled, putting his hands around her waist. "Thank you, Katniss. I will explain everything once you are ready, once we are finished with the game."

Then, Draco removed his hands and Katniss took a step away, both of them staring into each other eyes. Draco then felt a hand on his shoulder. Haymitch was looking at him with both pity and respect. "That was a beautiful interview, Draco. You will..." Draco heard the sound of applause still present in the other room. "...definitely get more sponsors than you might even need."

Draco beamed a smile, releasing Katniss from his grip. A complicated expression formed on his face, and Draco mumbled. "Haymitch, can we talk?" Draco then looked at Katniss and Effie. "In private."

Haymitch raised an eyebrow, but, nevertheless, nodded. Putting his hand on Draco's back, Haymitch shrugged toward Katniss and Effie. Then, Haymitch led Draco away from all the onlookers, opening a seemingly random door and walking inside. 

"What is it?" Haymitch asked.

"I have a request for you. A really important one, which may higher the chances of our survival in the game." Draco answered, making eye contact with Haymitch.

"But?"

"How do you know there is a but?"

"There is always a but." 

"Hmm... well, it might be a bit dangerous to you, but I just honestly don't know who to ask." Draco shrugged, seeing Haymitch nod, urging him to continue. Draco pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket. "I need this note delivered to Cato right before the game. It has to be exactly before the game, not earlier or later."

Haymitch frowned, grabbing the paper from Draco's hands. "It's quite a difficult request, not going to lie." Haymitch then started unwrapping the paper, but Draco's hand stopped him. "So, I can't even read whatever is written here?"

"That would be the best for you." 

Haymitch scratched the back of his head. "This is a tough one, Draco. Are you sure this little scrap of paper is going to help you and Katniss survive in any way?"

"It will help us, no doubt it. However, it is essential that it is delivered right before the games." So that Cato wouldn't have any time to discuss anything with Rue. "You are the only one who I...believe can actually accomplish this task."

Haymitch hesitated visibly but eventually folded and put the paper into his pocket. He lifted his gaze, staring deeply into Draco's eyes. "I will do it, Draco." He then proceeded to walk away, turning around one last time. "It was a great interview."

Once Haymitch left, Draco pressed his back against the wall, sliding down onto the ground. He looked at the white ceiling, taking a deep breath in. Tomorrow. Tomorrow would be the day of death. He was prepared. He had done everything he could.

Ever since Katniss's poisoning, Draco has been regularly spying on Cato through that worm, gathering more precious intel. The most important thing was that Draco started to get an understanding of Cato's personality, or he hoped he did. 

Cato was the type of person who would do something first, and only then think about the consequences of his actions. A hard-headed, impulsive by nature. 

Draco also noticed that Cato's and Rue's relationship was a bit shaky. They acted like friends, but Rue was constantly trying to act as a superior, and that was not to Cato's liking. 

Draco had been gathering such little bits of information over the last week and he applied all of that information by writing a note. That may seem pitful, but, hopefully, it was going to work.

'Now, onto the next issue.' Draco stood up, closing the door with a lock. He then returned to his previous spot, opening a system panel. He had been evading this issue ever since leveling. He had 2 stat points, which he still hadn't used.

At first, Draco wanted to preserve the stat points, but there was the fear of the unknown. He didn't know how would his body react if he suddenly increased certain statistics, and he didn't want his first time experiencing that to be during combat. 

Draco focused on the stats, creating another huge system window.

-

Strength: This stat measures physical power, raw force, and muscle strength. It affects how much weight you can carry, how hard you can hit, and your effectiveness in physical combat.

Agility: Agility refers to your speed, reflexes, and dexterity. It influences how quickly you can move, dodge attacks, perform acrobatic maneuvers, or handle finesse-based tasks.

Perception: Perception gauges your awareness, observation, and ability to notice details. 

Stamina: Stamina represents your endurance, resilience, and overall physical energy. It influences how long you can sustain physical activities, endure hardships, or resist fatigue.

Intelligence: Intelligence denotes mental capacity, problem-solving abilities, and knowledge. Similarly, your intelligence level determines the size of your mana pool. Skills or spells you can use depend on how much mana each ability requires. More complex or powerful abilities usually demand a larger portion of your mana pool.

Willpower: Willpower measures mental strength, determination, and resistance to mental influence or control. A high willpower stat could protect against mental attacks, magical manipulation, or psychological effects.

Luck: Luck represents the chance or probability of fortunate or favorable outcomes in uncertain situations. It might influence critical hits, finding rare items, or random events that are based on chance.

-

Staring at this, Draco fell into his thoughts. If he hadn't been in this situation, Draco would have probably invested in intelligence, knowing that it had some association with skills. However, right now, Draco needed something that would enable him to defeat Cato.

Having experienced Cato's strength, Draco decided to invest one of his points into Strength. The other one would go to Agility to have an upper hand in at least one aspect.

Gritting his teeth, Draco promptly allocated both points, excepting to experience some sort of pain. Unfortunately, his prediction came true, as Draco felt his muscles twitching and growing. It felt like thousands of bees were stinging him all around his body. 

Draco tried to stay as still as possible and don't shout, thinking that further down the line he might need to experience this during combat. Biting his lip, a bit of blood dripped down on his white shirt. Eventually, the pain subsided and Draco stood up.

Creating a fist out of his palm, Draco felt that something was indeed different. It was like he was a different person, like the strength within his body was something more than just normal. A little smile painted his exhausted face and Draco leaned back against the wall, imagining his future prospects.

-

After spending his precious last moments in his bed, Draco rose to the morning sun. They had breakfast together with Katniss, Effie, and Haymitch. When they were there in private, Haymitch stated that everything was arranged and Draco's note would be delivered.

Afterward, they met up with all the other tributes. Just from seeing how they walked in groups, Draco realized that whatever alliance they had wouldn't turn out that well in the end. 

Draco saw Cato and Rue glancing his way, though they were walking separately. Even they probably understood that it would be strange if District 2 and District 11 acted close.

However, what Draco noticed the most was the gloomy mood. It was understandable, considering that the days before were simply a preparation. And, now, the realization that they were actually going to be killing each other started kicking in. 

"We are going to be separated now." Draco put a hand on Katniss's shoulder. She nodded at him, some kind of defiance within her eyes. Perhaps she was preparing for the games in her own way.

"Good luck." Katniss leaned closer to Draco, whispering. "I will do everything according to the plan. I might have a lot of questions, but I trust you, Draco."

"Thank you, Katniss." Draco smiled, genuinely happy.

A few Peacekeepers appeared out of nowhere, grabbing them apart and splitting all the tributes. Then, the tributes were put on ships, or helicopters, whatever it was. Draco sighed, sitting down on one of the free seats.

They lifted into the air barely a minute later, everything happening too quickly for Draco to comprehend. At some point, a Peacekeeper came up to him with a strange tube in his hands. "A tracker. Give me your hand."

Draco naturally didn't want something like that in his body, but it seemed like there wasn't really an option to refuse. Stretching his hand out, Draco felt the needle going into his skin. After that, it was quiet once again. Nobody talked and most of the tributes were staring at the ground.

Cato was the only different one as he sometimes glanced at Draco's direction with clearly not very good intentions. Draco winked at him and then continued ignoring him. 

Eventually, they landed on the ground.

-

'Finally.' Cato thought, walking through the underground passages along with two Peacekeepers by his side. After landing, Cato was directly transported to the underground facility, and all of the tributes were separated. 

He felt humiliated acting submissive to these Peacekeepers. If he wanted, they would be dead in mere minutes. Yet, he had to act like a fucking dog. Honestly, Cato still didn't understand why he had to listen to that commanding woman - she was no better than him. 

He could have snapped Katniss's neck more than a hundred times at this point, yet she always wanted to go with the safer plan. Why could she never just go with the flow? 

Cursing once again internally, Cato remembered Draco's annoying expression. Even if the guy wasn't a Mysthral Hunter, Cato would kill him, and he would make sure to have as much fun as possible while doing so.

"Go in." The Peacekeeper on his left opened the door, urging him inside. Cato frowned but went inside anyway. The other Peacekeeper stayed outside of the door. Inside, Cato saw a huge tube leading upwards, knowing that the moment he had been waiting for so long had finally come about.

Cato unhesitantly stepped inside, not even asking any questions. The Peacekeeper, whose face was hidden behind a mask, suddenly took something out of his pocket and stretched his hand out towards Cato.

Frowning, Cato saw that it was a piece of folded paper. "What is this?"

The Peacekeeper stayed quiet, his hand in place.

A few awkward seconds passed, until eventually, Cato took the paper, unfolding it immediately. His eyes started moving, and a huge frown formed on his face. Yet, at that moment, the entrance to the cube closed, as Cato's figure began rising upwards.

Veins popped out from his forehead and his face became a scowl. Anger and fury beamed within his eyes, as he threw the piece of paper to the floor. Then, as Cato continued to rise upwards, Cato took a deep breath in, radiating death and killing intent. 

White light radiated from above, illuminating the little piece of paper lying by his feet. "I will fucking murder you."

-

"Cato, or should I say Baitar,

Your presence has grated on my nerves since stepping foot in the Capitol. When I signed up for this job, I never imagined wasting my time hunting fools like you. Frankly, I'm fed up.

Let's end this for once and for all, come at me, you wretched bastard.

Sincerely,

Draco, Mysthral Hunter."