User blog:Click here for cookies/The Dream Team Wiki Battle to the Death - Chapter 1 (dang this one's longer than I thought)

It's finally here!! The majority of you said that I should release chapters one by one, so that's what I'm doing. It was a close vote, though!

(spoilers for The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins in the references section)

Chapter 1

The platform rises me and my fellow tributes up through the earth to the blazing arena above. The first thing I notice is that there’s a slightly stifling heat plaguing the air that will undoubtedly get worse as time goes on. I glance around as my eyes adjust to the brilliant light pouring in all around us, and I see a distant canyon on one side, a dense, beautiful forest to the other. We’re also surrounded by mountains on all sides. The Cornucopia is backed against the mountain I’m facing, loaded with loot. I spy a crossbow called Schism stacked amongst the supplies, and I think, that one’s mine.

The gong rings out and the first thing I see as I sprint to the great golden horn is one of my best friends, Yeetmoi, running away and hiding in a hole. Coward. Then I immediately reprimand myself as I grab Schism for thinking that way about one of my best friends. I also snatch a bright orange pack and stuff it onto my back as another tribute, Blursedimages, runs away to the forest, presumably to get resources. Love, ParkerXOXO swipes an axe named Da Bee as ThEtBe grabs a knife and runs for the trees. JustHereForNothing takes a weapon named Broken Heart, a potion, and a shield and takes off to escape the bloodbath. I see StarShadow2 pick up an axe named Choppy Boi and turn, snarling, to face Yacmef, who’s pulled out a knife she’s grabbed. As I trip over a random twig and get a bad scrape, internally trying not to curse, I go back one last time for a sheath of 15 perfect, normal arrows to sling across my shoulder.

I bolt towards the canyon that I can barely see; the dusty earth is getting in my eyes, but I don’t care. As I’m nearing the face, I pass over Yeetmoi’s hole, but I pay her no heed. Maybe we can even be allies. I don’t really want to kill her, anyway. I turn back and observe the state of the arena; some people are running, some spreading out to attack. But then I realize that I’m wasting time and lower myself into the canyon, which is loaded with caves, crevasses, deep ravines, and rocky cliff faces.

The climb takes a lot out of me, since the rock isn’t very easy to find handholds in, and I’m winded and in need of water when I finally rest. I can go a long time without water, though; I’ll be okay.

I hike along the natural ledges of the ravine for a few hours or so until I find a miraculously lucky stream, which has a perfect-sized cave embedded in the rock accessible through a crack in the cliff from which the stream flows. I decide to set up camp here when I see the chat warning: Three hours until chat updates. This means that soon the chat will come into play by displaying important achievements, alliances, private messaging, et cetera.

I squeeze through the crack and sit down in the cave. In the darkness, the bright orange of my backpack is clearly visible: this is a disadvantage that I foresee will not aid me well. But grabbing it turns out to be a good idea, because there’s a sleeping bag, a half-gallon plastic bottle with a cap for carrying water that's bone dry, a mini first-aid kit, and a pair of extra socks.

No water. But that’s okay, since I have my stream.

I sleep through around three hours when the chat beeps wake me up: All of the messages so far since the chat was activated are being displayed.

Blursedimages found a healthy apple tree!

 ALL’S FAIR IN DEATH AND LORE

 that was random but okay

 pog actually i agree

 UvU

I see nothing else, so I get up and walk around, hoping for stray game. I kill a snake and see that it’s a deadly, venomous one, so I hit the jackpot and dip all fifteen of my arrows in its fresh venom. Just then I notice that a different snake must have bitten me before I killed the first one, and as soon as I register the pain I start limping. I’m about to tend to my wounds when Blursedimages dies.

Blursedimages was stabbed by DONTFEEDMYBEESCOCAINE

 not even close

 Lizzard no cross teaming

 what was that for?! gueiuseseungiuosn don’t stab me!

DONTFEEDMYBEESCOCAINE fell from a high place while trying to escape from Winged Lizzarrd

Amused, I wrap up my leg when I hear something behind me. In one fluid motion, I stand up, load and draw my newly poison-tipped crossbow, and call out, “Who’s there? I know there’s someone.”

Then a truly fatal message appears.

Yacmef found a gun!

 you guys are dead.

Who put guns into these Games?! Idiots! That’s too OP, it could end the whole thing in seconds! And Yacmef is powerful; I know that from our training. This isn’t good. But then I remember the rustling I heard and return my attention to focusing on my surroundings. Suddenly a tufted head pokes out, and I tighten Schism’s string.

“Wait! It’s me, Yeet! Please don’t kill me!” pleads one of my best friends.

I lower my bow in relief. “Y-Yeetmoi? It is you!” I cry disbelievingly. We reunite joyfully, but then of course a dreaded sound ruins it. “Um, Yeet?” I mutter.

“What? Do you know what that horrible noise was?”

“You’re not going to like this.” I grab her and shove our stuff in the hidden cave, squeezing through a crevice to get to it. “Yacmef has a fluffing gun,” I whisper to Yeet, trying not to breathe too loudly.

“What?!”

“I know! It’s crazy! But we need to get that gun away from her eventually. Otherwise we’re all screwed,” I say. “Hey, are you okay?” Yeet’s shaking like a leaf, but she doesn’t have time to respond before I put a hand over her mouth and freeze. I swear I just heard Yacmef pad along far above us, at the edge of the canyon opening. I have impeccable hearing.

“Click, I don’t want to die!” Yeetmoi is panicking, and now it’s my job to comfort the poor thing.

“I know,” I whisper back. “But Yac won’t find us if we keep quiet. So let’s shut up now.”

She falls mostly silent accordingly.

After all is quiet for a while, I say, “Hey, we’re allies, right?”

She giggles, which is something she almost never does. I think the heat’s getting to her. “Did it just occur to you that we aren’t officially allied?”

“Maybe.”

“Well, of course we’re allies, dummy. Now let’s get supplies.” She starts to move toward the slim cave opening.

 hey, anyone wanna team up?

No one answers him.

 T^T i'm lonely

It’s midday by the time Yeet and I are reasonably well stacked, and I suggest that we move camp when I see Yeet’s eyelids flutter closed. I try to rouse her, and when I elicit no response, I’m trying to decide what to do when I see JustHereForNothing clambering down into an abandoned mineshaft that I didn’t notice the day before. I cry for help in her direction, and the canyon carries my voice along the path to her ears. The silent rocky walls around me siphon the sound of my voice away into the wind, but Just hears me and climbs over to us, a panicked expression on her face when she sees Yeetmoi on the ledge, unconscious.

She makes it over and says that all she has to offer is water. “I’m sorry, I can’t really help Yee-”

She’s struck silent by a series of messages in the chat:

DreamsWorstKnightMare has made the advancement [DIAMONDS!]

DreamsWorstKnightMare has made the advancement [Cover Me With Diamonds]

DreamsWorstKnightMare has made the advancement [We Need to Go Deeper]

DreamsWorstKnightMare has made the advancement [Enchanter]

DreamsWorstKnightMare has made the advancement [Hidden In the Depths]

DreamsWorstKnightMare has made the advancement [Cover Me With Debris]

I can’t help but audibly gasp, and Just does, too. “There’s no way!” she exclaims.

I agree. “He’s gotta be hacking.”

A silver parachute descends from the sky.

A silver parachute.

From sponsors.

“YES!”

We douse Yeetmoi with the cream inside and she sits up, rubbing her eyes in confusion. “What’s going on?” Then she grows scared. “Click, is she another ally or an enemy?”

As Just updates her, I smile off into the distance. Two of my best friends are now my allies.

 I don’t want to die!

DreamsWorstKnightMare has made the advancement [Local Brewery]

A snake slithers around the corner, and Just screams. I pounce on the snake and kill it, but not before the passing Yacmef turns and shoots her gun in the direction of Just’s cries. I shove my friends out of the way and clap a hand over Just’s mouth.

“Shut up! This is no time to be screaming!” I hiss at her. I’m in no mood to be sympathetic, despite Just’s fear of snakes.

Yeetmoi shakily stands up again. “Click,” she mumbles, “may I have a bow? It’s the only PvP I’m good at.”

“That’s not true,” I whisper back, “but sure.” I hand her a simple yet strong bow that I made while stocking up on supplies with Yeet and ten of my handmade backup arrows, to start.

Yacmef also has great hearing, so the sheer cliffs in the canyon don’t quite melt away my friend’s screech in Yac’s ears, nearly costing Just her life. The bullet misses, though, and she stands up. “We need to leave, fast, before Yacmef finds us. She shot that bullet, right, Click?”

“Yes, she did. No one else has a gun in this arena, sadly. So, Just, is there anything you need before we go on?”

“Yeah, I’m a bit low on food and health right now. I fell a lot and ran into a few too many skeletons last night, who broke my helmet.” I hand her a half-stack of cooked porkchops and craft her a new helmet, as well as a bunch of wood and iron. I hear Yeet’s stomach growl, but I can’t afford to give any more food away.

“Thanks, Click.” She munches on the food. “Switching topics - we need to stick together. We need protection. I’m going to build a shelter somewhere, sometime.”

“Where, though?” I inquire neturally.

“I’m not sure yet,” admits Just. “But it’s sure not going to be here, so let’s get Yeetmoi something to eat and get moving.”

“Why would you assume I need something to eat?” says Yeet.

“We all heard your stomach growl.”

“Fine. If you must.”

So I kill a desert rat and shoot down a plump pigeon - what is that doing here? - and I roast both on a fire, made under a niche in the rock near our spot. When the meat is cooked, I give it to Yeet. Then we all stand up and venture on.

DreamsWorstKnightMare has made the advancement [Those Were the Days]

“Everyone’s getting more and more stacked,” I murmur dejectedly to Just and Yeet, who are hiking the long way up the canyon with me, since Yeet dug her way down and can’t climb. “We’ll need a plan soon.” The sun, a dusty, bright orb, is sinking lower and lower as it becomes dusk once more. Rosy streaks of sky are rapidly disappearing and swirling into deep blue, so dark it’s almost black.

“Right,” says JustHereForNothing. “So what’s the plan, Cookie? Defense or offense?” I start to respond, but I'm distracted by the sound of footsteps above us. We’re still a good long way from the top, but I put a finger up to quiet my allies and identify the soft, deliberate noises as Yacmef’s tread. Yac is slowly becoming my Cato.

 im gonna run out of battery

ThEtBe left the game

 wow what a way to go

I nearly laugh out loud, startled. The girl’s saucy.

I wait for Yacmef to pass, and then I whisper to Just and Yeet, “Change of plans. Originally I was going to lead us to a distant jungle I noticed when we got here, but Yacmef’s too close to us for comfort. I don’t quite trust them right now. We need to sleep and find better shelter underground. I’m hoping for more iron, in case we find any enchanted books and need an anvil, or maybe even diamonds.”

Just responds with enthusiasm. “Okay, then let’s go digging! Bring your torches and weapons, Cookie and Yeet.”

But then I notice Yacmef crossing to peer down into the canyon, hear her decision to trod deeper into the canyon, eye her sharp, wickedly gleaming dagger at her belt. I motion for Just and Yeet to back up and hide as I load Schism with deadly poisoned arrows. Then I hide the crossbow behind my back and creep up to the corner, where Yacmef is surely making her way down the path towards us. With luck, Yac didn’t see us coming up the trail out of the canyon, and I think I can bet on that luck.

Just as I think Yac will come around the corner, I spring out with my crossbow already pointed straight at her heart. Yacmef nearly fires a shot of her gun in surprise. I feign confusion: “Hey, who- oh. Hey, Yacmef! Where have you been?”

Yac is immediately suspicious and narrows her eyes. I admit that my acting skills there were… less than desirable. “What are you doing here, Cookie?” She loads her gun.

A message pops up in the chat.

NONAMEMANBRO found a M16!

NONAMEMANBRO found a Desert Eagle!

I groan internally - what is it with people putting guns in the arena? - but then remember to ignore it and focus on the other loaded gun aimed at my head. Then it actually registers that there’s a flipping gun pointed at my head. I start chattering out of anxiety.

“Yacmef, jeez, I was here first. Chill. Hey, you have a gun! Who puts guns in the arena?! That's OP! Now I definitely want you on my side. Have you heard how OP DreamsWorstKnightMare has gotten?! Check his achievements in the chat. We have to take him down,” I babble.

JustHereForNothing has made the advancement [DIAMONDS!]

I suppose Just went strip mining while I’m being held at gunpoint? Fabulous. I need to work a way out of this, but my normally quick-thinking intellect is simply lacking in this crucial moment.

I’m about to die.

So I try to compromise. While faced with death. Sometimes I’m astounded at my own brashness.

“Yacmef, are we allies or not?” I challenge shakily. “You don't want me as an enemy, and I'm extremely useful as an ally.”

JustHereForNothing whispers to you: Hey Cookie, I found a vein!

 Yeet, help me mine these diamonds!

Doesn’t Just know that Yeetmoi is still behind me, staying put and quiet like a good friend?

Yacmef smiles at me, probably unaware of my growing frustration. It’s not a comforting, warm smile, though; it’s icy and terrifying, the kind that doesn’t reach your eyes. “Well, then….”

Suddenly she pushes me! That son of a muffin pushes me, in a canyon, off a fridging cliff! And then she has the audacity to continue, “I never trust anyone, and neither should you. Next time I’m going to kill you, Click here for cookies.”

Author’s notes -

1) The story is told from my point of view. If your character was seen as a villain from my character’s perspective, then your character will be portrayed as the villain in my story.

2) I changed the order of things very slightly in order for the plot to make sense.

3) Fun fact: I told the story in present tense because I felt like it, not because that’s how Suzanne Collins did it in the original Hunger Games.

4) Yes, I know, I probably made a few dumb errors, but the stupid indentations at each paragraph didn't save and I don't feel like proofreading again. Woo hoo.

5) I deeply, deeply apologize if I used any of your pronouns incorrectly.

References:

- I get a bright orange pack, like Katniss’s. It even has “a half-gallon plastic bottle with a cap for carrying water that's bone dry.”

- "Yac is slowly becoming my Cato." Cato is the main antagonist in the original Hunger Games series.

Members:

Click here for cookies (Click, Cookie)

Maki is magic (Maki)

JustHereForNothing (Just)

Yeetmoi (Yeet)

Blursedimages (Blursed)

StarShadow2 (Star)

Yacmef (Yac)

ThEtBe (ThEtBe)

LemonStickersXOXO (Parker)

Winged Lizzarrd (Lizard)

DONTFEEDMYBEESCOCAINE (Tele)

NONAMEMANBRO (NONAME)

Orchifly (Orch, Orchid)

DreamsWorstKnightMare (Knight)

SimpWasFoundUwU, I didn’t include you because you joined when we were extremely deep into the roleplay.

Graynotfound, I didn’t include you for the same reason.