Chapter 15:
Draco gritted his teeth, looking around. The options were few, very few. Going back into the metallic building wouldn't be too smart of an idea, as they would simply be overwhelmed, and no longer have any options of retreat.
Draco glanced upwards. The roof of the building wasn't exactly flat, but it should be fine. As he approached the building, Draco took a deep breath, taking Katniss by her hands and throwing her upwards. She flew, hitting the surface of the roof with a hard bang.
And, then, slowly, she began to slip away. Yet, she was caught by Draco, who had already climbed up on his own. Pushing Katniss further into the center, Draco stared at the approaching horde of monsters, seeing them surround them.
The wolves bit the building and jumped aggressively on top of each other, trying to climb up, but it was simply impossible for them to climb on. They were too small. Draco sighed in relief, taking a seat on the cold metal below. He took a moment's break.
His injuries were burning with vigor, especially the wound on his chest. Fortunately, they weren't too deep. Draco turned his head, seeing the still unconscious Katniss. Immediately, Draco took out bandages and that cream from his back, glancing at her bloody stomach.
Before throwing her, Draco plunged the dagger out of her belly, so that it doesn't get stuck even deeper. In return, it was now pumping even more blood. As he was about to begin working on it, Katniss's hand suddenly moved, grabbing him by the wrist.
Slowly, her mouth opened and her eyes shone with worry. "Above."
Immediately, Draco looked above, seeing something happening high in the sky. Draco stared at the sky, seeing a bright orange light form there. Realization gnawed on him, but it was too late.
A huge fireball was falling onto them, closing in rapidly. Draco didn't even think, putting Katniss on his shoulders and jumping. And, then, the collision happened and Draco was sent off flying through the air. A ringing sound penetrated his ears and he felt himself hitting the ground.
His vision blurry, Draco tried to stand up, regaining the feeling of his body. 'This fucking bullshit. Where is Katniss?' Draco was looking around, seeing fire whenever he looked. It looked like a scene straight from hell. The wolves were just as confused as he was, some of them having died from the fireball.
This was their chance to get away. Draco finally located Katniss, limping his way towards her. However, once he came there, he gritted his teeth. Roots that emerged from the ground were twisting around Katniss's body, holding her in place. This had to be some kind of joke.
"Katniss, wake up," Draco mumbled, realizing how weak his voice sounded. Seeing no movement from her, Draco grabbed one root with his own two hands, applying all of his strenght to rip it away. Yet, it was impossible. Either he simply had no more strength left in his body, or this root was made of some kind of metal.
Cursing, Draco looked around, seeing that the remaining wolves were slowly regaining composure, growling in their direction. Cursing, Draco stood up, taking hold of his spear. The situation was fucked up. The chance of them managing to survive through this retribution was extremely low.
Honestly, Draco felt the wisest decision right now would be leaving Katniss alone. However, even if he ran away, he would be the next one on Seneca's list. No, running away was never even an option. He couldn't just give up.
Katniss's survival was the ticket to his dream. She was his key to unlocking more strength, perhaps even finally getting a chance to acquire a skill, even the most simple one. He couldn't leave, otherwise, he would be betraying himself.
Draco hissed at the approaching wolves, holding the spear. His vision was blurry. His hands were numb from the cold. He was bleeding from the chest and legs. Yet, Draco stood, unmoving, ready to rip the enemies apart.
The wolves were no different, driven by their eternal hunger. One of them jumped, approaching Draco from above. Straining his hands, Draco pierced the wolf in the chest. Yet, at the same time, two more wolves were already attacking.
Draco kicked the wolf from his spear, sending it flying towards another one. Suddenly, he felt deep pain coming from his leg. Looking back, Draco saw another wolf biting into his leg, whom Draco kicked away immediately.
There were too many of them. He needed to be faster. Stronger.
Biting his teeth, Draco invested two points into agility and stamina, feeling a blinding pain overwhelm him. In the midst of experiencing that, Draco felt two wolves flying at him from behind.
He turned, swiping his spear along their necks. Then, he turned again, pushing his knee into another one. He felt himself becoming faster, more explosive. Draco killed one after another, sometimes getting little injuries, but, nevertheless, holding off.
The spear was a perfect weapon for this situation.
One wolf was approaching from the front, whilst two were jumping at him from behind. Draco penetrated the one at the front with the spear and then rolled forward, evading two attacks. Yet, one wolf slipped through, biting him on the same thigh. Draco cursed, grabbing the wolf and throwing it at the two others.
"Fuck." Draco cursed, seeing two of the wolves going towards Katniss instead. Draco plunged the spear out of a wolf's body, throwing it towards one of them and hitting it straight in the head. Then, Draco was running forth, grabbing the other one by the maw.
Draco stared deeply into its dark eyes as he ripped its face into two different parts. Blood smeared the ground where he was and Draco took a deep breath, understanding that he was on the verge of passing out.
A glance at the sky made him simply want to give up.
They were preparing another fireball.
Draco cursed himself, spinning and killing another wolf. Then, he plunged the spear into a root, yet it bounced off. Cursing himself, Draco looked up again, seeing the fireball already descending upon them. There was no time left to think. Draco grabbed two wolves and threw them on top of Katniss's body.
Then, he jumped away, feeling the ground shake again. He was sent off flying again as he hit the ground with a thud. He coughed, hot blood escaping his mouth. Draco stared at the white snow beneath him and felt how soft it was to the touch.
He would have paid half of his current coins just to take a nap here, yet it was not the end. Slowly rising to his feet, Draco admired the destruction. Bloody wolves everywhere, craters and fire smearing the ground. Limping, no longer feeling his leg, Draco approached the place that was burning the most.
It felt hot, but Draco cared little, as he stared at two wolves. They used to be white. Now, they looked like burnt chicks. Draco kicked them away, revealing Katniss. She was reminiscent of her old self. Her body was burnt, her hair basically gone.
Still, Draco ducked, checking her pulse. It was faint, but it was there. She was still alive. Now, if he could just get-- Draco couldn't see anything anymore. A blinding light shook him for an instant, followed by complete darkness.
It felt eerie. He didn't see anything, couldn't even feel his own body. His head and ears were ringing, but after some time, Draco began to hear his breathing. Then, one by one, his senses began to return. Eventually, Draco could see again, though everything was red.
He couldn't move his body, but Draco realized that he was lying on the ground. His head was slightly turned, letting him get a proper view of what happened. There was an even bigger crater in front of him now. Even more fire. Judging by the clouds in the sky, Draco guessed that Katniss was hit by a lightning strike.
'Well, I guess this is my loss then.' Draco sighed, admitting defeat. There was no chance Katniss survived that. In fact, it was long ago that Katniss was doomed to be dead. It was just that Draco couldn't let himself come to terms with this fact.
Besides, even if she did survive, Draco couldn't even feel his body any longer. Literally. There was a limit to his body, for he was still just a simple strong human. He wasn't supernatural. He wasn't different.
As Draco was staring into the burning flame, a figure suddenly appeared above him, causing a shadow to cover Draco's eyes. His pupils moved, making eye contact with a bloody, limping wolf. Its eyes were still ferocious, but it was injured and exhausted.
Draco guessed it was the last one to survive this hell.
"What? Have you come to finish me off?" Draco's weak voice escaped from his mouth. He smiled slightly, hearing the wolf growl in response as if agreeing. However, just as it was about to bite his head off, it suddenly fell to the ground.
Draco stared, seeing the life disappear from its eyes. "Is this my luck stat?" Draco mumbled, his eyes unintentionally closing for an instant. And, then, there was nothing but darkness, for he passed out immediately.
-
The mission had gone perfectly. Well, there were three Mysthral casualties, but they didn't matter. A success was a success anyway. Katniss was murdered. Now, the only thing left was finishing off that brat Draco Ashvale.
'Or should I say Myshtral Hunter?' Seneca thought, staring at the passed-out man. There was no way someone who killed an Umbralis could be a normal human being. Had they been in a different world, that would have been probable, but definitely not here.
It had to be one of his first missions as well, which was even greater. These bastards grow strong extremely quickly, it's better to rid of them once they are still young. That would be his second Mysthral Hunter, letting him get even closer to becoming the Leader.
"Kill--"
Suddenly, the door behind him opened, forcing Seneca to turn around. President Snow stood at the entrance in his full glory, staring down at him with repulsion in his eyes. Behind him stood hundreds of soldiers, aiming their weapons at Seneca.
"Stop this foolishness at once, Seneca. Restrain all of them." Snow's cold voice echoed throughout the place, as soldiers began swarming in, restraining each and every person responsible for operating the game.
Seneca glanced at the screen, seeing that Draco was still alive and well. He clicked his tongue, looking around. With such numbers, there wasn't anything he could do. His skill wouldn't work in such a short duration either.
"What has gotten into you, Seneca?" Snow walked down the stairs, stopping some distance away from Seneca. "Your responsibility was to make a more entertaining game, not kill all of the participants. Now, it looks like the Capitol wants to kill all of them without giving them a chance of survival."
"I have no excuses for myself." Seneca raised his hands in defeat.
"You almost killed the last survivor Draco as well." Snow sighed, staring deeply into Seneca's eyes. "I don't know the reasons for your misconduct, but this is a punishable offense. Do you understand?"
Seneca, in response, simply smiled. Slowly, Seneca took out a knife from his pocket and put it against his neck. He took one more deliberate glance back, taking a closer look at the last survivor of the games. Then, he opened his mouth. "I will remember you, Mysthral Hunter Draco Ashvale."
Then, with no hesitation, Seneca stuck the knife into his throat, gagging at the blood. It was never pleasant to kill himself, but he had gotten used to it by this point.
Snow knitted his eyebrows, certainly perplexed about the current situation. Neither did he understand the intentions of the person before him, but now the man also killed himself. Yet, Snow never saw a little purple worm that disintegrated into nothingness.
"Announce the winner," Snow stated, his voice cold.
-
Draco's eyes sprung open to an unfamiliar white ceiling. His body hurt in every place and his sight was slightly blurry. He felt a hand land upon his forearm, forcing him to spring into action. He promptly lifted himself from the bed, grabbed the hand, and twisted it.
Before even realizing it, he was pinning down a nurse.
"Where am I?" Draco asked, looking around. It didn't take him long to realize that he was in a hospital, his injuries having been tended to.
Before even letting the nurse answer, he let her go, taking a deep breath. Memories of what happened began storming his brain. He remembered Katniss's unmoving body. He remembered the failure and helplessness he felt as he lay there, not being able to move.
'I have failed, haven't I?' Draco gritted his teeth, taking a seat back on the hospital bed. The nurse stormed out somewhere, still fearing that Draco might pull something off.
Draco stared at his hands, realizing that they were slightly trembling. He had done everything he could, but he had still failed. Should he have done something differently? Should he have found a way to murder Seneca before the games began? There was no clear answer.
Still, Draco knew that it was his and only his fault for failing. At the very least, he was lucky enough to have survived, though he wasn't sure how that happened. He needed some answers about Seneca.
"Draco?"
Draco heard a voice resounding through the hospital, and he lifted his eyes to see Haymitch approach, relief washing over the face of his mentor. The man made his way towards Draco, putting his hands on Draco's shoulders. "How are you, Draco? Feeling better?"
"How long was I out?"
Haymitch stared into Draco's dark eyes. "Seven hours."
"What happened? Did I win?" Draco asked, slightly frowning. "What the hell was the Gamemaster doing?"
"Calm down, Draco." Haymitch sighed, taking a seat on a chair opposite Draco. "Honestly, I am just as confused as you are, but you have won, so you don't have to worry anymore."
"As for what happened, I am not sure. We still haven't received a proper report, but it seems like the Gamemaster had gone mad." Haymitch looked down to the ground. "He tried to kill off all the tributes...and he was almost successful. Yet, you managed to somehow survive not only a horde of wolves but also a lightning strike."
A weak smile appeared on Haymitch's face. "You are truly strong."
"So, Katniss did die." Draco sighed, leaning back against the bed.
Haymitch scowled a bit. "Yes...it seemed like the Gamemaster was especially targeting her. Though, I have to thank you for trying to save her. I saw how hard it was... no, rather, everyone saw your bravery."
"Bravery, huh?" Draco smirked. "I was just doing my job."
Haymitch lingered for a few seconds, taking in the information, before letting out another sigh. "You are no longer doing that."
"Doing what?"
"That face when you are lying."
Draco glanced at him. "How do you know I am lying?"
"I guess I don't." Haymitch stood up, putting a hand on Draco's hair and tapping it a few times. "I am not going to disturb you anymore. If you still have some lingering questions, you can just watch the replay of the Game. Other than that, you will still have to attend the winner ceremony."
Draco nodded, his smirk disappearing from his face as soon as Haymitch left. He glanced underneath his shirt, seeing bloody bandages covering his body. Due to sudden movements, his injuries opened up again. It hurt, both his body and his head.
Opening the system, a red screen popped out before him.
-
[Mission Has Come to An End]
[You Will Be Evaluated And Rewarded According To Your Actions]
[Time Left Till Return: 15h 51min]
-
Draco sighed. He guessed his evaluation wouldn't be that good, considering that he had failed the mission, but it was whatever. At least he was alive, there would be many more missions to come.
He opened his stats.
-
Name: Draco Ashvale
Age: 18
Title: Unhinged Lunatic, Cal's Employee Number 903.
Level: 6 (6%)
Strength: 6
Agility: 9
Perception: 7
Stamina: 8
Intelligence: 4
Willpower: 189
Luck: 25(Unchangeable)
Stat Points: 0
*Skills: None
*Summons: None
*Equipment: Poison Extracting Tube
Coins: 179
-
Killing Rue proved quite profitable. Not only had he gained a lot of experience, considering that it was harder to level up with a higher level, but now he also had a lot of coins. Perhaps even enough to buy some sort of skill.
Other than that, his stats were also increasing quite well. His Agility was the highest, excluding Willpower, and he felt himself approaching the limits of what was humanly possible. His Stamina was probably also the reason why he was still alive and healing so well, so it was a good investment.
"Now, what should I do with the rest of my 16 hours?" Draco mumbled to himself, putting his hands behind his back. He frowned again slightly, staring at the white ceiling, remembering Katniss's lifeless body.
"Nachar...just wait a bit." Draco's eyes turned indifferent. "I will make sure you will die in the most gruesome way."