Through the Chaos

Single Judgement

The next morning came and Randy and Astrid dressed in the same training outfits as they had for the past two weeks. Unfortunately, it wasn't going to be the last time they wore the suits. They both met up at breakfast, silently eating. Nuyun and Layla had already gotten up and left to do their respective tasks. They were both required to step into their respective circle of friends and acquaintances to gain sponsors for their tributes, for that was the only thing they could do outside of the Games to support their team.

After breakfast, Astrid and Randy went down to the Tribute Training center where they would be soon escorted by Peacekeepers to the waiting room where the previous five districts sat waiting for everyone else to arrive. The air in the room was tense, the tributes for Districts 1 and 2 wore confident grins as they waited for the judging to begin. Soon after the tributes for District 6, came the tributes for District 7, and so on until all 24 tributes were sitting there in the room.

Once everyone was inside, a voice over the intercom rang throughout the room.

"You will be asked to perform your desired skill. When you hear your name, enter in through the doors in front of you." Everyone's eyes diverted to the double doors that sat at the front of the room. There were two rows of six seats, districts with an even number were on the right side of the room, and even numbered districts were to be on the left.

"Tritium Reeves." The male tribute from District 1 rose to his feet, walking through the doors ahead of everyone. This process continued, tributes seeming to go in at random intervals. Some tributes didn't take long with their chosen skills, while others took much longer. It seemed to Randy that the entire process would take all day long.

"Jaxson Bones." Jaxson stood up, looking back at his partner Maggie before leaving the room. After a while, it would be her turn.

"Maggie King." She nervously entered the room before her. Unlike the previous tributes, her time to show off her skills was shorter than expected. That made Astrid nervous, looking ahead at the empty seats before her.

"Randy Krydda." Just like at the reaping ceremony, Randy's heart seemed to skip a beat as he heard his name get called. He got to his feet and walked through the doors ahead of him, which led to an open room. Ahead of him was a rack of weapons. To his left were several different targets and training dummies. To his right was the observation room where sponsors, judges, and the Gamemaker sat watching. The Gamemaker got to his feet, motion towards the training room below.

"Feel free to show off your chosen skill. You have 10 minutes." As soon as the Gamemaker finished speaking, he sat back down, beginning to observe Randy. Time was ticking away, and Randy had to choose, spear or axe. He had plenty of time to show off, he thought. He quickly approached the rack of weapons, selecting a single spear. He took a form that was most comfortable, making sure to show off for the judges.

He'd let out a loud yell before throwing the spear straight into the target, hitting it directly into the chest. The judges who sat in the observation room mumbled and murmured to one another, continuing to watch Randy. Randy then pulled up a training dummy, grasping an axe. Upon him grabbing the axe, a few of the judges would chuckle. From their perspective, Randy looked like an incapable drug addict from District 6.

However, the laughter he heard from the judges only fueled him to do his best when it came to training with the dummy. He would grasp the axe handle tightly with both hands, swinging the axe upwards, cutting the training dummy's arm off. He swung back down at an angle, slicing at the dummy's neck, causing it's head to fly off and roll away. He would release a breath of relief, placing the axe back onto the rack. He would bow a silent goodbye, smiling sweetly.

"Thank you for your time!" He would leave with four minutes to spare, which was a good time. Following him was Astrid, and hopefully she could give them a show as well. He left the room, heading to his respective apartment to wait for Astrid and the others to get back.