Adam Drake - Blackout

What am I waiting for? I thought. Shoot him!

I fired.

The moment I did, my Shadow form dropped.

In the next moment, the magma arrow struck the back of Ogden’s head – and bounced harmlessly away. It ricochet into the ice wall, melting through and was gone.

And a moment after that, I felt a horrific paralysis seize my entire body. My avatar gasped in surprise and I keeled over to land on my side, unable to move.

Ogden turned and looked down on me. “Oh,” he said with disdain. “It’s you. How annoying.”

Behind him, framed within the Portal, the Kraken silently flailed. It had spun around to reveal a mouth at the center of its tentacles. Dozens of circular rows of teeth opened and closed in rage.

My frozen body was picked up by two clockwork guards, who propped me between them. What just happened?

Ogden came close to leer at me. “Stupid shadow. You really need to do your homework before trying to assassinate someone. Especially when that someone knows you will be coming.” He laughed. “Idiot. I knew that if a hunter didn’t claim the bounty on your head, you would feel compelled to kill me. Well, you tried and failed.”

Control over my body returned to me a little at a time, but I was still helpless. “How?” I managed to sputter.

“How you ask? How did I not die just now from your pathetic attempt at assassination?” Ogden peered down his beak at me, as if I were beneath an explanation. Then he shrugged.

“I will show you,” he said and stretched out a wing. At the end of the wing was an anthropomorphic hand, just like a human’s. All animal-form avatars had them. Made using items and weapons easier. Around its wrist was an unassuming silver band.

“Go on,” said Ogden. “Check it out.”

So I did, calling up the silver band’s stats.

Name: Immortal Me, Type: Wrist Band.

Rarity: Legendary, Weight: 0.6 units, Value: Unknown

Properties: Grants wearer invulnerability from all forms of magical and physical attack by other players. If the wearer engages in combat, effects are negated. Attackers suffer a 30 second full-body paralysis.

Whoa, I thought. Now that’s cool.

“Cool, huh?” said Ogden with a smile. “No way anyone can hurt me, so why even bother?”

“Where’d you get it?” I asked, buying for time. I glanced over at the ground next to the Siren’s Call statue.

Set Recall Point.

“That is a story for the ages,” Ogden said. “But not now. I’m busy fishing for Titans.” He looked to the Portal where the Kraken fought against its capture. The power of the Siren’s Call was incredible to be able to hold such an immense creature.

Recall Point Set.

Ogden continued. “Once this thing is brought to heel, the plan is to set it loose on a few cities which have fallen behind on their payments.”

“You better be careful, Oggie,” I said with a grin. My paralysis was gone, but the guards held me tight.

“Why?” Ogden asked with a sneer.

“Because not everything goes according to plan.”

Somewhere behind me there was a shout. Ogden, the mage, and all the guards turned to look.

Mounted on his yellow unicorn, Kragg emerged from the storage room and raced across the chamber toward us.

“What the FILTERED?” Ogden said.

Kragg moved too quick for the guards to react, and with the massive mallet in his hand, crushed two of them like they were empty beer cans.

“How did he escape?” the owl blustered, flapping his wings in alarm.

The assembled clockwork guards bumbled about, arms outstretched to grab the stampeding ogre. Several used their wands and fired arcs of lightning across the chamber, scorching the ground.

But Kragg was already barreling away, laughing at the top of his lungs.

“After him, you idiots!” Ogden screamed.

The entire group of guards ran off after Kragg, who vanished through an entrance to gallop down a hall.

In seconds the vast chamber was empty of guards, save for the two who held me.

Perfect.

“How stupid can you things be?” Ogden screamed at one of my guards. It did not react.

Ogden said, “Every time I arrange an upgrade I’m told by the manufacturer that their intelligence has improved by ‘leaps and bounds’. Ha! What a joke. Maybe I should send a Titan to the clockwork manufacturer’s head office? Maybe then I’d get a proper upgrade for these walking garbage cans!”

With his attention on the hapless guard I decided now was a good time to kick things up a notch.

Use Teleport Ability.

I appeared beside the Siren’s Call statue.

The guards who held me appeared unable to understand how I disappeared. They looked to their empty clawed hands in confusion.

Ogden’s head whipped around when I reappeared.

“What the-,” he said.

I raised my sword above my head.

The dark mage who stood a short distance from me, turned, hiked up his robes, and fled. He was smart enough to know what was about to happen.

Ogden did, too. “No!” he shouted, “Don’t!”

With all my strength I sliced downward. I cut the arm of the Siren’s Call at its thinnest point, the wrist. Its hand spun away and clattered to the ground.

The moment it was severed the black beam of light which emanated from it, vanished.

The Kraken was free.

Ogden turned to look at the beast in horror.

The Kraken pushed closer and smashed up against the Void Portal. Huge tentacles shot through the portal and lashed about. They crashed against the ground, shattering the ice.

Unlike the fear stricken owl, I ran in the opposite direction.

A tentacle the size and length of a steam-train suddenly engulfed Ogden. It picked him up and pulled him toward the portal. Another tentacle smashed the guards.

Ogden screamed in terror.

The circular rows of teeth gnashed hungrily.

Struck with a sudden realization, I stopped and looked toward Ogden.

If he was eaten by that thing, I would lose my chance to kill him. But with the Legendary silver band on his wrist, I couldn’t do that.

As if summoned by my thoughts, a cluster of ropey tentacles slithered out from the Kraken. They wrapped around each of Ogden’s flailing wings.

This won’t be pretty, I thought, watching the horror show.

The Void Titan was not a player, so the band’s magic did not apply to it. The ropey tentacles pulled at Ogden’s wings and wrenched them out of their sockets. Ogden’s avatar screamed in pain. No more wings meant no more wrist band.

I summoned a normal arrow and aimed.

The tentacles pulled Ogden toward the Portal and to the Kraken’s mouth.

At just the right moment, I fired.

As Ogden passed through the portal and past the first row of wicked teeth, my arrow struck him right between the eyes.

Then he was gone.

With my heart in my throat I looked at my combat log.

Vivian Valesh has insta-killed Ogden Trite. Vivian Valesh has earned additional PvP battlepoints.

Another message followed.

Vivian Valesh (Bounty Target) has killed Ogden Trite (Bounty Issuer). Bounty has been canceled.

“Yes!” I yelled. It felt like a tremendous weight had been lifted from my shoulders. And in many ways, it was.

Kragg suddenly appeared through a secondary entrance.

“Yaaa-hoooooooo!” the ogre cheered. Far behind, dozens of clockwork guards chased after him.

Kragg rode up to me, grinning. His unicorn gave me the stink-eye. “This is fun, little Shadow. And Ogden is dead. I saw the message on my Bounty Hunter message ticker. Congratulations.”

“Thanks for the assist,” I said.

The chamber shook and we both looked toward the Kraken.

The massive creature was now forcing its way through the Portal which was too small for its size. But with the elasticity of an octopus, it was wiggling itself in. Tentacles gripped the floor and walls as it pulled.