I've stolen all the stars

The ground shifted beneath him and Kaspar stumbled, swearing under his breath. He was almost at the top of the cliffs after leaving the lake, but he'd chosen a stupid path for the last few meters and now he was in danger of falling. And it was a damn long way down. Both of his axes were stabbed into cliff, keeping him in place as he trudged upward. Everything was smeared with clinging dirt and stone dust, except where sweat had wiped it off. The clifftop better be worth it.

He took another step, grunting slightly as he landed on a pebble. Even through his shoes it was uncomfortable. Just a few more steps. Ignore it. His arms were beginning to wobble with the strain. He steadied himself, planting his feet firmly, then made a quick dash, axes thudding into the cliff just before the end. He'd made it. He just had to pull himself onto the top and that would be childplay compared to the climb he'd just suffered through. Keeping one axe shoved in the cliff, he sunk the other into the ground above him. With a quick jerk and a last monumental push from his legs, Kas managed to swing himself over, landing on his back beside some bushes. From below they looked like clouds of green, trapped on the teeth of the world. He lay there, watching the leaves shift as his chest rose and fell and his heart thundered. The axes lay clenched in each fist, his hands unwilling to relinquish them after the climb.

His heart was beginning to slow, it's gallop turning into a canter before finally coming down to a regular trot. Then there was shriek behind him and his heart was all the way back up at full throttle. He scrambled to his feet, axes gripped even tighter as he turned to the noise.

It was her.

Rhea.

She was standing behind the bushes, hands over mouth as she stared at him. "Kaspar?" His throat dry, Kas nodded slowly. Part of him was thinking she knew his name, but the rest was frantically trying to think of what to do, what to say. He knew what he should do, if he was a psycho like Chaos. Kill her. But he wasn't Chaos. If it had been anyone, anyone but Rhea, then maybe. With her though, he couldn't do it.

"Hey Rhea." He tried a small smile, before realizing he still held the axes as though he meant to kill her. He dropped them hurriedly to his sides. At the same time there was a splintering crack and the sound of pebbles and earth tumbling down from where he'd just climbed could be heard.

"Perhaps we'd better move away from the edge. Somehow I don't think that's a good sound to be hearing when you're standing next to a long drop."

Kas was beginning to get some of his usual demeanor back, but he was still a bit flustered. Rhea was here.

Kaspar moved away from the ominous noise that had come from the cliff, following Rhea deeper inland.

"Chaos? We split back at the clay pit fight. The same time everyone split."

He stepped easily over one of the lower bushes, halting some distance from the edge. The whole cliff would have to collapse to get them from here. Surely the Gamemakers didn't hate them that much. This was drama. He stowed one of his axes in his belt. He didn't think he'd need it, Rhea would've killed him when she'd found him if she'd wanted to. But Rhea wasn't the only danger in is arena so he kept the second one ready.

"Why'd you leave Chaos anyway?"

They'd seemed pretty close in the lunch room, but obviously most of that had been a facade. A sham. Misdirection. Kas looked up from the ground, which he'd been studying intently since they'd moved here. Rhea was clutching her stomach and her eyes looked slightly vacant.

"Rhea? Are you okay?"

It was stupid, Kas knew it was stupid, but he moved anyway. In a moment he was crouched beside her.

"You're glowing...why are you glowing?"

This is not good. He was no expert, but when someone thought you were glowing that probably wasn't a good sign.

"I don't know why I'm glowing Rhea." he said. Humor her. This clearly wasn't natural. "Have you eaten anything different?" A berry could be more deadly than a sword in the arena. Kas knew his way around the basic plants, but the Gamemaker's could throw anything at you. He grabbed her hand, feeling its temperature. It was cold. Cold as the grave his mind offered. No. He wouldn't think about that.

Rhea struggled to get up then staggered. Kas leapt forward, supporting her as she sank back to the ground. "I...only ate an...apple." Well, the apples were fine. He'd already eaten three and nothing like this had happened. Rhea moved and he leaned closer, barely catching her words as she flung an arm out to point into the night. "I drank some...water. At a stream..." Water from a stream. The Gamemakers must've drugged it.

Rhea thrust a quiver at him, which she was obviously using as a pack. A first aid kit. That was going to be more useful than an apple, which was about the only thing he had with him that might be any use. He pulled out the kit hurriedly, discarding the quiver to one side as he inspected the contents. Surely there would be something, anything that he could use.

"Just lie still Rhea. I'm trying to help."

ooc: Roe's color is blue, so yea....he talks.

Rhea was mumbling behind him and snatches of words drifted over to him as he worked. "...strangest dream...I killed her...Do you see her?" It sounded like the hallucinations were getting worse. Kas began to get more frantic, shuffling through the first aid kit feverishly. Bandages, antibiotics, pills, creams... it was impossible to tell if something would be useful or not and he didn't want to kill her by giving her 'Essence of Nightshade' by mistake.

It was crazy, to have feelings for another person in the arena. Stupid. Ridiculous. His Grandpa would be screaming at the television right now. He wasn't exactly living up to expectations. But how was he supposed to know that Rhea would be in the games? It wasn't like he'd been looking for feelings, they'd just happened.

Rhea made a movement and Kas moved back to her side. He just gazed at her face for a moment, before reaching out and brushing a strand of hair off her forehead. As luck would have it, that was the moment she opened her eyes. Face flushing, Kas whipped his hand back and moved quickly over to the first aid kit. Hopefully she just thought it was another hallucination when she finally came fully to her senses. He picked up a tube of pills, squinting at the label that was barely visible in the light from the moon. Would this finally be something that could help?

Kas could only make out the letters '...cillin' on the jar and he tossed it back into the kit. He wasn't going to play scientist while Rhea was in her condition. He was just picking up a promising packet when there was a scuffle and Rhea was sprinting past him, right toward the unstable edge.

"Rhea!" The cry was torn from his lips and then he was running after her. Fear gripped his heart in a tight embrace, because he wasn't fast enough and she was almost over. Right at the end, just before she fell down that long drop, Rhea fell to the ground with her arms dangling over the edge. Kas skidded to a halt beside her, almost toppling over himself. "Rhea, what the hell are you doing? We need to get away from the edge, remember the rubble?" She didn't look to be in any kind of state to remember the rubble, her face was streaked with tears and she was talking to herself. "Roe I won't let you die, I promise I won't let go." Despite everything a stab of jealousy went through his heart. Who was this Roe, that she cared so much about.

"There's no-one there Rhea. It's a hallucination. You've got to move back."

Kas tugged Rhea's shoulder in a futile attempt to drag her away. And then the thing appeared. It rose above the edge to tower over them, vicious thorns studding every inch of the root. His mouth tightened. "Crap." From behind them came a slithering sound and he whipped his head around. More of them. "Double crap." He was still scared, but now he wasn't just worrying about Rhea. He was worrying about himself.

Despite her hallucinations Rhea could obviously see them too. She snatched up her spear and waved it drunkenly, shouting at them. She even managed to stab one before dropping the spear. Kas could see one of his axes lying right where he'd left it, beside the first aid kit. He swore. He hadn't needed them for combat at all these Games, and now that he did he couldn't reach one of them. How ironic. At least Rhea's spear was here, even if she wasn't using it properly. And he still had one axe tucked into his belt. His eyes were fixed on the spear, trying to work out if he could get to it before the plants got them. Consequently he didn't notice Rhea until she was rushing at him and burying her head in his chest. "I thought they took you. I thought I was alone." Any other time Kas would've been delighted to be in this position. Unfortunately they happened to be in imminent danger of dying.

"It's okay Rhea, it's okay." He patted her head awkwardly. "I'm not going anywhere. But maybe we should get rid of these plants." He unhooked his axe, reaching out and swinging it hard at the nearest plant. It was no spear, but it would do.

The member 'Demeses' has done the following action : ROLL

'Attack(1)' :

The roots began to attack the two, swinging wildly at them. Rhea managed to damage one of them enough with her spear to make it retreat, and Kaspar managed to cut another off.

Each root has 15 Hp, 8 Roots left.
First attack for Rhea, second for Kaspar.

Loki carried out 2 launched of one MUTT :

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