Author Games: The Last Cannon

TASK TWO: Paradise Lost

Shatterless silence lingers in the air like dead weight.

Every Gamemaker, from assistants and creators that sit at their circular desk, to Malum on higher levels overlooking it all, stays still and silent. Each and every time, their entire years build up to this one moment. Low machinery hums in the background, a sterile blue light ignites the entire room and everyone watches the large screens.

As always, in the centre of the Gamemakers circle is a three dimensional map of the arena. It's features are bold and shimmering in a shine of electric blue. In the dead centre, there's the Cornucopia. This year it is silver and sharp, looking like several giant steel swords are intertwining yet rigid, stuck in a glorious horn like shape. Surrounding it in a complete circle is something history has never before seen. Forty-eight sealed tubes.

Malum looks down at Puzzle, the only person in the room not watching the screens. She was waiting for his signal, and now she has it. He nods.

She looks down at the mechanical tablet in her hands, no thicker than a sheet of paper, and taps it twice.

"We're live in twenty... nineteen..." She begins. She then taps her headpiece and flicks the tablet. "Xavier, you're up"

The anthem plays and every screen in the entire nation switches on. From the partying Capitol residents, to the starving children of District Twelve, all eyes are on this moment.

"Welcome back Ladies and Gentlemen and everyone in between, today the second Quarter Quell begins..." Xavier beams at the camera. Behind him is a slightly blurred odds board, with every number rising by the second. "And we are the lucky few to witness it all happen, right here, right now. Everything comes down to this moment." The eccentric man then continues to talk through the summarised favourite predictions and statistics, but elsewhere, in the catacombs of the end... The Tributes are told to enter their tubes.

"Launching in five... four... three..." Puzzle continues her countdown, and the Gamamkers tuck in their chairs tap their appropriate sections and as the tributes rise into the arena, the nation holds their breath.

The minute starts now.

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THE TASK

Standard bloodbath task. Which means write everything your tribute does from around rising into the arena to leaving the bloodbath. AKA, Get what you need in the centre and get out before you still can use your legs.

BUT you must also make a decision in your entry. Do you head East? or do you head West? State which place you go at the bottom of your entry after your deaths by simply saying "East" or "West"

Heres more information on that:

THE ARENA

The arena is a 'Poisonous Paradise'. It is said to be the most beautifully breathtaking arena the Hunger Games has ever seen. The sky and air is thick and uncomfortably humid, so much so that the distance almost becomes blurred and discoloured as pollen flies around scattered and freely. The Cornucopia sits in the middle of a sweet-smelling green meadow. The meadow stretches for miles, but far in the distance on the east side there is the overbearing edge of a thick Jungle that is dull with rich greens and mossy brown trunks. In the centre of the jungle, there are lakes as crystal clear as glass, and multicoloured fish dive around unawares of the game around them. Each tree possessing a different shaped and different coloured fruit. In the west, there is a large snow capped mountain, its edges filled with caves and groves.

THE DEATHS

There is no minimum of deaths. You don't have to see anyone die or kill anyone. However, if you wish to kill, you can only kill/see be killed, a maximum of five other tributes. You don't have to say their name in the entry, but at least describe them the best you can.

Whether you kill people in the entry or not, everyone gets four ballots that are different to your deaths. You can kill all five people, and still have four ballots. Ranked you have the choice of getting an extra ballot. [Deaths that aren't in the entry, they are just in a list at the end of the entry. Refer to Mark Scheme chapter and How To Play chapter.]

Eighteen people will die this task so be ready. No one is safe.... because Twenty-Four people are going up for votes.

THE DEADLINE

The deadline for this task is the 14th June 2015, 10PM [GMT]

For this task, you have NO word limit. HOWEVER, If I get bored I will stop reading after 1000 words. So be smart.

You must hand in your completed entry to Jackwardsauthorgames@gmail.com