Adam Drake - Blackout

I blinked at the red banner in my hand. What was I just standing here for?

Quickly, I whirled about and jammed the banner’s handle into the waiting skeletal hand.

Blue Banner has been captured! Five minute countdown begins!

A counter appeared on my view-screen, but I didn’t have time to even notice.

Amara practically fell from the sky and slammed into me. We tumbled across the crowded platform, bouncing against the legs of horses and men.

As I skidded to a halt, I saw Yuinnick fly straight into Grax who dropped his club at the last moment to grab the giant bird with both arms.

With a loud thump both champions shot across the platform and vanished over the edge. A huge splash of water geysered upwards when they hit the river.

Amara had recovered and stood with sword in one hand, and my red banner in the other.

“Time to fail, you miserable FILTERED!” she yelled.

Before I could retort a footman stepped out of the front line crush and stabbed her right through her abdomen, its point sticking out her back.

Screaming in pain Amara dropped my banner where it landed in an upright position right at the edge of the platform above the river.

Your Banner Has Been Dropped!

Amara’s health bar dropped to less than 20% and she grabbed her injured side with her free hand. With her sword she decapitated the footman.

Stunned, I moved toward my banner. If I could just nudge it off the platform, it would be returned. Or maybe since it hadn’t been placed in the altar it would be instantly returned at my touch. One way to find out.

But as I moved, Amara staggered forward and swung her sword at me.

Losing blood fast, I only just managed to parry it away.

“This isn’t over, FILTERED,” she yelled over the fighting around us and coughed up blood. “I still have time.”

“You’re getting your butt spanked by a noob,” I said with a bloody grin. “I’ll post it on all the forums. I promise you.”

This got her really angry, and she lunged forward.

But as we swung at each other with weakening blows, a shadow fell over us.

Looking up I saw two sets of massive arrow clouds falling toward us. Dozens from her side, dozens from mine.

Then they found their mark. Arrows hit me over several places across my body.

I heard Amara scream in pain.

As I fell over and my vision dimmed to nothing, two messages appeared before me.

You have been slain in battle!

Amara Frostwalker has been slain in battle!

Then my screen went black.

It was all I could do but stare at the two death messages in amazement.

We both died? What now? What about the banners?

Amara’s banner was still in the grip of the skeletal altar, while mine sat perched on the platform’s edge. And now no one was there to return either.

Thankfully, neither could any of our units. Only players could carry or return a banner.

I thought of what filtered obscenities Amara must be screaming at her screen right now and laughed. If it was any consolation, we were both on the same respawn timer and the same distance from the middle.

Whoever got there first would have the advantage.

Four Minute Warning!

I grinned at the timer message. Amara would have received it, too. I’m sure many more filtered words were being spit out by her at that moment. And there was nothing she could do about it, being dead and all.

Still, it underscored the need for me to get to the middle and fast.

After thirty seconds had counted down, I appeared in the crypt – again. This was becoming a bad habit. I jumped off the slab and raced up the narrow stone steps.

Once in the Keep, I ran out the door only offering the Lookout above an over-the-shoulder wave.

I summoned Smoke, and we took off to the western curve. Units of various types were lined up even down here, so long was the back up to fight at the middle. Many waved and cheered me on perhaps sensing something major was about to happen.

I sensed it, too. But considering how Amara had surprised me so much, I feared for an ignominious loss.

As we raced past the western curve and drove northward another message appeared.

Three Minute Warning!

My eyes locked on the map. Unit icons were on unit icons and through all that mess it looked as if possession of the platform was evenly split, for now.

Based on past runs north, I figured I’d get to the platform in a little over two minutes. But as for Amara?

Realizing something, I quickly scrolled through my combat log while Smoke charged northward.

The combat log was long. Like, really long. It detailed every attack by nearby units and then listed deaths and victories when I wasn’t in the vicinity.

I quickly scrolled back to just after I died. There I saw two messages.

Yuinnick, the Champion, has died in battle.

That meant Amara could no longer fly. Thank the Gaming Gods. Now she’d have to muck about on the ground with the rest of us mortals.

But there was another message directly below it.

Grax, the Champion, has died in battle.

That genuinely saddened me, but I was not surprised. His health was nearly gone, and he wanted to die while fighting. He got his wish and in doing so removed a vital threat from Amara’s arsenal.

As I approached the final bend toward the middle, I spotted Amara’s icon on the map heading southward from the eastern curve.

Dang, she was fast. Too fast.

I kicked at Smoke’s sides, but it didn’t increase the poor mount’s speed.

Two Minute Warning!

We rounded the bend to the middle clearing. The platform was so jammed with units, both on it and around, I couldn’t see the altar anymore. Just the twin golden beams of light projecting upwards from the banners.

Then I spotted Amara. She was trying to negotiate her white mare through the throng of trolls. Even from this distance I could tell she was yelling and screaming at everyone in her way.

I had a similar problem and kept to the furthest edge of the approach along the northern tree line, the same one I’d crossed into before heading to Amara’s base. Still, units were crowding up against the trees.

“Make way! Commander coming through!” I yelled over the din. The message was relayed along and units did their best to let me pass, but the crush of bodies and horses was incredible.

A glance told me that Amara and I were roughly the same distance from the platform.

I kicked and swore and pushed my way through the crowd. But just a dozen paces away from the platform’s southern edge Smoke could not move any further.

I contemplated dismounting but that would make my progress even worse, even impossible.

Then a gray figure caught my eye.

From the opposite side of the platform, Amara had jumped. She sailed over the crushing throng and vanished into the crowd on the platform itself.

One Minute Warning!

Fine, I thought. If it’s good for her, it’s good for me, too.

From Smoke’s back I stood and angled myself at where I wanted to land.

The Blue Banner Has Been Taken!

No!

I jumped and with my Leap ability, sailed over the crush of men and horses beneath me.

Up above, I clearly saw the altar and Amara was standing on it holding the blue banner. She needed to get it off the platform but her attention was at her feet.

Amazingly a footman had grabbed onto her leg with both hands, preventing her from moving.

Cool! I thought as I fell upon her, sword swinging.

With bizarre luck she sensed me near her and she spun about to block my attack. I collided with her and we both fell over the altar and into the mad crush around it.