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Segment from Souls of Anatemia

Ok, been a little self conscious about it, but I enjoyed writing this, it has only been written recently and I haven't quite checked it through properly (grammatical errors) but here it is in it's rawest form.

Please be aware there is swearing.

This is a game of capture the flag from my currently working series, Souls of Anatemia, about a group of online gamers who get sucked into the game they are playing becoming their characters.

Suddenly they were no longer walking down the street and were instead inside a stone room with a wooden double door at the end, a stone bench lined the room and a flag was on a pole at one end.
“What the hell?” Sargain said looking around “Where are we?”
Irran faded into view in front of them “Sweet!” he said “We’re in!”
“We’re in where?” asked Ren
“Yes” Barraton insisted “What have you done?”
Irran looked pleased with himself “I signed us all up for a battleground, capture the flag just like the old Anatemia Battlefields, I thought we could have a go right?”
“This isn’t like that Irran” said Ren “We aren’t exactly top of the tree of levellers right?”
“Yeah but we’re an old team, we all know what we’re doing”
“You explode buildings at the drop of a hat” said Sargain “You’re going to kill everyone here”
“No, no it’s cool, if you die here you just respawn after a bit, it’s fine, practically foolproof”
“Practically? Because you are definitely a fool” Ren said
“What the **** am I doing here Irran?” asked Kaylia behind the guys “I know he’s behind this”
“Why always assume that it is my fault when something weird happens or goes wrong?”
She folded her arms “Ok so who did this?”
“The battlemaster” said Irran “Because he obviously set off the battle I set us up for”
She threw her hands up “See, I bloody knew it!”
Orsha had now appeared and was standing peering around, she actually felt slightly happy that weird stuff had happened involving people from another world and she had been included.
Elena appeared sitting on the bench with her legs crossed, she was delicately holding a nail varnish that she had been applying before she had been transported.
“Ok” she said “What’s happened?”
Ren nodded at Irran “This prick signed us up for a capture the flag”
Elena was still sat holding the nail varnish brush “He did what? Irran we’re not ready for that, we’re going to die”
“Ah, ah it’s ok we’re not going to die really we just respawn, that’s what the battlemaster said” Irran insisted
A small Dwarf appeared in the room, he was mainly beard and wearing chainmail and carrying an axe “**** yeah!” he shouted “Battleground Woo! I’m gonna kill me some bastards!”
“Oh great” said Orsha “A typical Dwarf warrior”
“I ain’t no warrior, I’m a rogue”
Ren squinted at him “A rogue in chainmail? How can you sneak up on people in chainmail?”
“Was my dads chainmail, and he gave it me with his own hands, so I’m bloody wearing it”
Elena shook her head “Wow he really fills me with a whole heap of confidence”
On the wall in front of them a board opened up and it showed their names, one of whom was Norm they presumed that was the Dwarf, below those was another set of names presumably the names of those who they were fighting against, there was a name above them reading ‘Darkness comes’
“Darkness comes?” Kaylia read “What does that mean?”
“Oh shit” said Irran “That means we’re up against professional battleground players”
A voice said “30 seconds to battle, time for last minute tactical decisions”
“Sod tactical decisions” said Norm “Rush the bastards they won’t know what hit them”
“Rush the bastards?” said Barraton “We don’t even know the layout of the place or where the flag is”
“Why don’t me and Sargain go run and find out, you like we always did” said Irran
“Well we can’t do our old tactic of letting Chris go stealth and find out what is going on can we?” said Ren
“No” said Kaylia “Because Chris the rogue is Kaylia the ranger, our rogue is ironbeard here, stealthy chainmail yeah great”
Barraton hefted his axe down “Right then, we’re here we can’t get out, lets do this. I’m on defence, who wants to heal me? Elena or Sargain?”
Elena looked pained “I can’t stay on defence” she pointed at herself “Clothie, they come in a zerg rush I last about seven seconds”
“Guys” said Irran
“Ok I’ll stay on it” said Sargain “Plate defence?”
“Barraton” said Ren “Why don’t you go forward, I’m a defence warrior”
“Guys” said Irran
“No you go capture the flag you can take the hits” said Barraton “Kaylia and Orsha one defence one attack choose who”
Kaylia looked around the room “I’ll see what I can find to hide”
“Ok, Orsha, Elena…uh Norm…Ren, Irran attack and get the flag back” Barraton said satisfied clapping his hands together “Sorted how long before the battle starts”
Irran pointed “About 20 seconds ago. The Darkness comes” he said
Seven guys were charging up towards the door, they heard a shout of healers down and then arrows fired in, Elena was hit straight in the chest, she gasped and died still holding the nail varnish pot.
“Elena!” Ren yelled and charged
Barraton roared with bullish might and charged forward hefting his mighty axe to meet out death and destruction. As they charged the teams mages knelt and together shot out a wall of heat that more or less melted Ren and then Barraton was hit with heat and finished off with an arrow to the throat.
Norm vanished next and began to creep around behind them clanking and chinking as he went, a mighty blow from a warrior sent him spiralling away against a wall. Irran was shot with an arrow in the leg “Ow, ****ing ow!” he said “Why does it hurt?”
One of the darkness yelled at him “Of course it hurts noob why wouldn’t it?”
Three more arrows were shot and Irran fell, Orsha shot and shot but soon she was shot herself, then burnt and then she had an axe thrown at her. Kaylia hid.

In the respawn room everyone steadily appeared.
“Irran come the **** here” said Elena storming over to him “Stand the **** still while I paint a dick on your face with my nail varnish”
He held up his hands to protect his face “No, no it isn’t my fault, we got a big squad of dudes”
“I think we need to be more organic, battleplans don’t work so well as they used to” Barraton said thoughtfully
“Nar really?” Elena said “I lasted seconds…****ing seconds! Thanks to this ignorant, cross-eyed, bucktoothed, bad breathed, inbred, buckethead!”
“Wow!” said Orsha “She’s really pissed”
“I had just said hadn’t I? Just ****ing said, oh I’ll die if I get anywhere near anyone, I’m the healer, they’ll always target the ****ing healer and I’m a priest so I have no health, no armour, one hit and I’ll die!”
“Elena” said Sargain “We’ve respawned”
“What?” she turned and saw a fireball heading directly for her “Oh fu..”she got out before dying.

Kaylia took aim as the victorious flag capturing gang took their flag and were laughing as they went through what appeared to be a small forest which made up the playing area “ok then you bastard” she said “Time to die” her finest fiery shot took down their own priest, then she vanished and reappeared in the middle of them flipped back shot again and again bouncing around and around flipping back and shooting until the flag carrier went down, Kaylia vanished reappeared in the middle of them picked up the flag grinned in a happy girly way and buggered off at high speed. The Darkness comes group stood in disbelief “What the **** was that?”
“Was it one girl or three?”
“Get her guys, she has made us look like idiots. Find her!”

Kaylia ran through the trees carrying the flag and as she ran she came across Sargain and Barraton “You have the flag?” said Sargain
“Yes, take it, hide it!”
Sargain had the flag thrust at his face “You’re supposed to take it back to the house”
“Why should I do that? Make it easy for them? No make em come and take it”
They heard the sound of feet coming, Barraton looked up and took an arrow to the face, Kaylia sprinted away leaving Sargain standing there “Oh **** it” he said before dying.
Ren charged across the zone looking for the opposition building, he was alone he thought until Norm appeared at his side sprinting “How did you manage to disappear and not be noticed in the chainmail?” he said
“Only you didn’t notice me elf” said Norm “I got company on me tail!”
Ren looked round and saw three people coming up “You brought them here!” he shouted. Norm looked at him and vanished “Oh you fat son of a bitch!” Ren yelled then started sprinting away, he charged on as arrows and spells flew past him, he ducked a branch turned sharply and ran on then ran into an invisible object bowling over and landing with a thud “Ow! What the ****?”
Norm reappeared laying sprawled on the floor nearby, angry Ren hauled him up by the chainmail “You ****ing dickhead, you bring them to me then disappear so that you survive as they chase me? I ought to kill you myself!”
Norm looked into Ren’s angry visage and with dwarfish stubbornness said “Then try it elf boy!” he nutted Ren, hard
Ren dropped Norm and staggered but the Dwarf jumped onto him and the two of them started landing blows. Nearby the enemy stopped and watched the two of them fighting in disbelief, no words were said, one pointed and looked puzzled, another stared his face fixed in an expression of stunned silence. Orsha took aim from behind and dropped one with a precision shot, Irran blew one away standing nearby “Yeah mother****ers!” he shouted “Imachargingmalazers!”
Orsha looked at him with a pained expression, then past him, then ran for it, Irran was dancing, he was still dancing when an arrow shot him dead.
Orsha ran to where Norm and Ren were fighting and shouted at them “Oi! Dickheads!” They stopped mid grapple surprised “You want to get to the flag or what?”
Ren glanced back at Norm and then dropped him and ran off with Orsha, Norm reached a decision and ran after them “Where is it?” Ren shouted at Orsha
“I don’t ****ing know!”
“You’re the ranger! Range!” Ren yelled at her
“Do you have any idea how ridiculous that sounds?”
“Zip it Elves!” Norm shouted “Bad guysacomin”
They could see a building ahead and ran towards the doors, Ren led the way charging in and went for the unguarded flag, putting his hand on it when suddenly he felt he was being stabbed “Ow ****” he said realising a rogue was on him, he spun bashing out with his shield happy that his armour had taken some of the blows and grabbed the flag, Orsha ran with him, the rogue chased after them, out of the door and into the woods, the rogue caught up with Ren stabbing him again with his daggers, when Norm appeared behind him and cleaved into his back with his axe. “Yeah, that’s how we do it bitch!” he shouted and then started teabagging the dying rogue thrusting up and down theatrically “**** yeah, how do you like them apples!”
Ren and Orsha despite themselves had frozen, stunned, watching Norm teabag the helpless Rogue “Is he teabagging that dude?” Ren asked
Orsha nodded slowly “He isn’t dead, he’ll be telling his mates”
They shared a glance and ran for it.

Kaylia was sat in a tree with the flag taking pot shots at anyone who came near. Suddenly a man appeared beside her in the tree “Hello miss” he said “I am battle marshal Fredrik”
She nodded “Hello Fredrik”
“Hello, I am here to ask you why you are hiding in a tree instead of returning the flag to base so that your team can score a flag?”
“Well” she began “Firstly I am not hiding, anyone can see me, you know due to the bloody stupid oversized flag here with me, also I am not hiding it is a vantage point that I can shoot from. Secondly last time I saw my team they were all dead, so seeing as I am apparently the only one with any capabilities I took the bloody flag so that the others can’t get it”
“Ah” said the battle marshal “Would you not enjoy yourself more if you were down there in thick of the action?”
Kaylia shook her head “No” she said in a ‘you are stupid’ voice “I’d be dead, and that doesn’t sound very enjoyable does it?”
The battle marshal appeared to be losing the battle “But is it ungentlemanly behaviour to hide the flag from the enemy” he nearly whined
“I don’t see anyone else out there having a fair game, these guys are going around ganking everyone in a group for fun and were keeping hold of the flag just so that they could kill whoever they felt like and make the battle go on longer, not to mention that as everyone is so keen to frequently point out right now, I’m a girl, so gentlemanly behaviour wouldn’t suit me would it?”
He looked at her exasperated “Well bugger me” he said and vanished
Kaylia smiled to herself happily and then took a pot shot at an enemy.

Elena respawned and peered out of the respawning room, it looked clear, she stepped out and died instantly from the hiding rogue who had been waiting for her, he laughed as she died for the fourth time. She returned to the respawning room and screamed as loud as she could.

Norm had finished his teabagging and had used sprint to catch up with Orsha and Ren who were running back carrying the flag. “I could really use a healer with me” he said “Where is Elena?”
“Dead again” said Orsha “Someone is corpse camping her, just caught sight of it happening”
“Oh for ****s sake” Ren said “Sargain?”
“No idea”
“They’re on us” Norm said just behind them.
Six of the opposition were bearing down on them at speed, Norm took an arrow to the arm and reeled, then came the shout “Got the bastard!” and all six set upon Norm ignoring the flag, revenge was more important, at length he died after all six of them had teabagged him relentlessly laughing wildly.

“Norm’s been ganked!” Orsha shouted
“Good” Ren said still running “Deserves it and we get a chance to get away”
They ran towards the base and were in sight of Barraton and Sargain “Holy shit they have the flag” said Sargain
“Heal Ren!” Barraton shouted
Barraton ran to them while Sargain got straight on healing him back to full health. Some of the enemy were coming through the trees. Barraton’s face set in anger and determination and as a ranger stopped to shoot him he batted the arrow away with his axe and charged forward, the ranger seemed to panic and floundered in his quiver but Barraton was a charging bull, both him and axe met the ranger in one movement, the ranger soared through the air into a tree leaving a smear.
“Right!” Barraton yelled “Who’s next”
Ren was hit by a fireball but healed instantaneously, and he charged into the base, Orsha stopped to shoot the mage who took one in the belly, she took cover in the doorway shooting out. Ren ran into the base and found that their flag wasn’t there “Where the hells our flag?” he gasped
“Kaylia had it” said Sargain
“Well where the bloody hell is she now?!” Ren yelled
“I don’t bloody know!”
“Oh for ****s sake!”

“I know you’re in there missy” the Rogue said from stealth “Why not come out and play”
Elena sat in the respawning room with her arms folded “I’m fine thank you” she snapped angrily
“I promise I won’t kill you this time, I’m done”
Elena’s eyes narrowed “Why should I trust you”
He faded into vision right in front of her, she thought she had been safe in the respawning room but obviously not “I could kill you now, but what is the point, more fun to kill in battle right?”
Elena couldn’t see anything but integrity so cautiously stood, edged past him and went out of the door a few steps later he stabbed her in the back “You…bast” she got out before dying
“LOL! Never trust a rogue!” he said laughing
Back in the respawning room Elena could see nothing but red.

Norm staggered through the trees, this time he had been shot in the leg and his arm set on fire but then they’d just left him in pain for fun, he blundered near to Barraton who was knocking seven hells out of a warrior who was being healed by a priest, the priest wasn’t paying attention behind him so Norm stealthed forward but as he got close the chainmail noise made the priest turn “Oh shaved beard!” Norm said rumbled and the priest fired a missile at him finishing him off, he turned back to the warrior who was dead and instead stared up into the eyes of the minotaur “Oh crap” he squeaked and ran, he got several paces before he was hit in the back of the head by a thrown branch. Barraton came over and finished him off.

Kaylia was still in her tree racking up kills unaware that they had the enemy flag in the base.

Sargain desperately healed Ren again, while Orsha shot the paladin in the head, Ren barrelled into him finishing him off, the floor was covered in blood and still the enemy kept coming in giving no time for rest or mana regen
Ren barged a fellow warrior with his shield while Orsha shot a mage
“Where the bloody hell is Kaylia!” Orsha shouted “We can’t hold them off forever!”
“I’m running out of mana!” Sargain shouted
“Oh for gods sake, where is she?” Ren said through gritted teeth.

Elena respawned in silent red anger, she knew the Rogue would be there and instead sent forth a huge wave of energy a missile maxed out beyond belief, the rogue didn’t believe it either, right up to the point he evaporated. Elena stepped calmly out of the room in a red mist. A few steps later she saw a warrior and a paladin, they evaporated.

In the enemy respawning room the dead were piling up.
“What the **** is going on?” said one
“Did you see that priestess? She’s practically possessed, what made her so angry?” asked another.
A rogue raised a hand “That may have been me”
The first man glared “What did you do Pol?”
“I may have corpse camped her…..a bit”
“You’re ****ing retarded you know that”
Another man appeared “****ing ranger in that tree, every time I get near that side to get our flag she kills me stone dead, is she shooting ballista bolts or something? This was supposed to be a simple in, get the flag, kill a few newbies out and get rewards, that was why we bribed the battlemaster to give us some guys who had never been in before”
“These aren’t normal noobs” said the first man
“No” replied Kaylia’s kill “Who are these guys?”

Sargain had almost run out of mana as an enemy ran into the room trying to dodge the rangers shots, he twisted aiming for Ren and the flag but slipped in the blood on the floor, slithered, fell and slid past Ren on his front to crash into the wall. Sargain stared mouth open before an Orsha arrow thudded into the guy making him a corpse. “Ok something else you don’t get in computer games, slippery floors” Sargain said looking down
Ren too looked down “There’s a lot of blood” he said then realised “They’ve stopped coming”
Sargain sighed in relief “Good, don’t know what’s stopped them but a chance to get mana back”

Outside an enemy ran through some undergrowth in panic, but a searing ball of light crashed into him leaving a dead heap in the grass, Elena strode past him and stabbed his corpse with her staff for good measure.
“Elena?” said a voice and she looked up but saw no-one “Up again”
Elena looked up further and saw Kaylia sat in the tree holding a flag “Is that our flag?” she asked
Kaylia nodded “Been shooting anyone who came close”
“Where’s their flag?”
“I don’t know, you’re the first one I’ve seen for ages”
Irran came running through the forest and stopped when he saw them, relieved butr exhausted, he put his hands on knees panting “Found you” he said
“Yes well done” said Kaylia “But this isn’t hide and seek”
“We have their flag, we get this back to base we win” he said panting
“Ah” said Kaylia “Maybe I should have taken the flag back after all” she vaulted down.
Elena nodded “Right then let’s get it back”
They ran taking the flag back, two enemies came running towards them saw it was Elena and ran for it.
“They seem terrified of you” said Irran
“Yes” Elena replied “I may have liquidised them once already”
Even Kaylia was taken aback “You did what?”
Elena wrinkled her nose “Yeah I got a bit angry with a corpse camper”
“Someone was camping your corpse?” Kaylia asked “and they told me I was being ungentlemanly”
“But you’re a girl” Irran protested
Kaylia sighed, Elena whacked Irran with her staff in the face “Aowh ****” he said holding his nose
“Thank you Elena” said Kaylia
“Anytime” Elena replied “You have your hands full”
They came across Norm who had stealthed into the middle “Aaaey!” he said seeing them “You got a mage on your tail, base is straight ahead, I’ll draw them away from you” and he ran axe drawn towards the mage, Irran turned to see Norm take a fireball but he carried on running and jumped airborne he died from a second fireball, his corpse hit the mage in the chest pinning him to the floor.
“He’s insane” said Elena looking back
“He killed himself and took the mage out for us” said Irran “Guys madder than a badgers ankle but he did leave the path clear”
“True” she conceded
They ran into the base and an arrow swooshed into Kaylia “Ueh?” she said and fell forward dead.
“Oh shit!” Orsha said horrified
Elena looked equally horrified “Orsha what have you done?” she asked
“I just saw someone running in and shot, I didn’t expect it to be you guys”
Irran snatched up the flag and handed it to Ren, so that he had both “We win!” Irran shouted happily “Yeeaaah!”
“Shouldn’t we be out of here if we’d won?” Sargain asked
More enemies began piling in, trying to kill Ren they piled towards him “Don’t let him get the flags into place” one shouted firing an arrow that Ren batted off with his shield and turned around. Their flag had been set in a hole in the ground at the end of the room, beside it there was another hole, he realised what was needed and ran over to it while Irran, Sargain, Orsha and Elena held them off, a Rogue slipped through and stabbed Ren as he placed the first flag, Elena healed him to full and Ren stabbed the flag into place, barged the rogue away and rammed the second flag home, winning the battle.

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