"We've got a letter." Kay said, when we arrived downstairs.
"Gone AWOL again?" I asked.
"Yeah. But, this is important."
"What is it about?" Ava asked.
"Probably junk mail."
"No. It says that our last defence is an offence."
"What?" We all said.
"We're going to lay siege on a building. We're going to go against a bunch of modern soldiers. An overwhelming amount. We're going to have some others with us. Not real ones. If we're able to plant a flag on top of the mall then it's over. That's it. All of this has gone. We can return."
"Really?" I grabbed the sheet in her hands and skim read it. "Wow. That's... Interesting?" I then read the bottom. "We're going to teleport soon. Where we can have a meeting before the siege."
"How soon?" Martin asked.
"like... Now." We then turned blue and appeared in a garden. We looked around and saw the other students teleporting in. We looked behind to see a gate labelled 'Students' with a massive glass building behind it. We then noticed a bright yellow light next to the gate labelled 'Leaders' with an arrow pointing to it. I looked at Kay. "Should we..."
"Yeah." We walked to it and stopped in front of it. I put my hand in it. My entire body slowly turned gold and I was then put next to a table. I looked around and saw a bunch of people surrounding this table. The table had a 3D model of the glass building.
"Good. We're all here. Now, you all have recieved the letter about the siege. Well, this is building that we're laying siege on. This model shows us that this building has 10 levels. Each filled with enemies at every corner. Now, the objective is to chop off this flag." He then pointed at a flag on top of a balcony. "And then place our flag on it. This test will not be forgiving. These will be like the attacks on us. Brutal and harsh. We've all lost many friends. We've all suffered heavy losses. But, those were necessary to reach this stage. We can not give up mid way."
"That's great and all. But, who's going to be our flag holder?"
"One of the students."
"We're going to have the young newbies have control of our fate?"
"Yeah. They're the best equipped and I heard a team of them saved over half a thousand of people. I also heard the leader of their team had gone in to one of the towns dead zone and gotten a fair amount of people out. Are they in the meeting?"
"Yeah!" Kay shouted.
"Is it you?" They asked. Kay then patted me on the back.
"Nope. This guy." I glared at Kay and looked back at the others.
"Ah... You're the fate decider."
"Woah. No. I'm not."
"Alright. We've decided the flag holder. Now, we must discuss tactics. As you can see, the building is surrounded by every single factions. I think that the elves should join up with the Students and protect them no matter what."
"Alright."
"The orcs will be the ones who go through the front entrance since that's where there's going to be a lot of enemies."
"Why us!" The orc leader shouted angrily.
"You're the brutes. You can easily take them out. The rest will support the others by distracting them and take out their sides. I'm not sure what other tactics we can perform. We've all got different techs, so we can't work effectively with equipment. We're just going to do a little bit of improv then. We're also going to strike in the afternoon. Is that alright?" Everyone agreed. "Then this meeting is concluded. May god be with us." We all turned gold and got teleported back to our groups. Now, the elves are here... As if they heard us. I turned around and saw the back of the building instead.
"Chris..." Ava said.
"Yeah?"
"You've got a flag on your back." I looked up and saw a white fox flag.
"I am the flag carrier..."
"What? Really?" Dale asked.
"He is. Get everything ready. We're going to attack this afternoon." Kay ordered. She then walked away and left us. We looked at each other for a bit.
"Anything new?" Cutter asked.
"I'll tell you once we sit down."
"Where are we going to sit down?"
"On the grass." I then walked on to the grass and sat down, looking at the others. Only my squad didn't follow. Dale sighed and sat down with us. I then explained what happened. "...So, the elves are now going to help us attack."
"So... We're fucked." Clay said.
"No. We're not the ones that are in front."
"But, we're still fighting trained guys."
"So? Haven't we all?"
"Chris?" I looked behind and saw Spears. "You need to start a speech soon. Explain everything. Also, be inspirational."
"That's something I don't do. Can't you do it yourself?"
"I'm not a speech maker."
"Of course you're not. Time is it?"
"It's almost time for the attack."
"What? It's only been..."
"Yeah, I know. The leaders decided to make it sooner, so everyone isn't tired." I sighed and got up.
"Fine. Is there a platform to elevate me?"
"At the back. Good luck." I then walked to the back and saw the wooden stage. I walked faster and looked at the people I'm going to talk to. Most of them seemed to be worried about today. Others seemed to look used to these type of stuff. I'm surprised it's not the opposite that's true. I also wish the opposite was true... I walked up the stairs and looked at everyone again. Now I saw more of a divide. It seemed like the majority of the elves and students seemed to be a bit frightened. I cursed under my breath. After a while, everyone took notice of me and gathered around the stage. I rehearsed what I was meant to say. Take it back to that class presentation... I closed my eyes. Use that powerful voice you had back then. Don't stumble over your words. I opened my eyes and took a deep breath.
"Alright! You might be wondering what's going on! Well, I'm going to tell you. Today we will have our last fight against this evil! Our final escape! We've been given an opportunity of escape and we will not push it away! We've all lost someone to this hell! Their sacrifices were for nothing! If it wasn't for them, then we might not be standing here! Will we make their sacrifices for nothing? Will we just push this opportunity away?" Everyone stayed silent. "Well! Are we!?"
"We won't!" I got the response I wanted.
"Well, then we must succeed in this attack! The building across is the place we will have to attack! We must get the flag on my back to the top! If we do not then we are all doomed! We would've made those sacrifices pointless! We would have wasted lives! So, are we going to give up? Are we going to stop mid way? Are we going to make those people die in vain?"
"We won't!" Everyone shouted again. Wasn't my best speech... But, I haven't made one in ages so cut me some slack.
"Alright!" I then turned to Spears and toned my voice down. "When will the attack begin?"
"Let me check with Kay." He then walked off the stage and asked Kay. I looked back at the crowd who seemed to be filled with a bit more hope. They talked to each other for a while. "10 Minutes." I turned to Spears in shock.
"10! Seriously?"
"Yeah. Go on." I turned to everyone.
"Alright! I know most of you can't wait to get this hell finished! So, we're going to attack in 10 minutes!" Everyone then seemed to be more shocked than me.
"That's not enough time!"
"I'm not ready!"
"That's too soon!" Everyone shouted. I looked at Spears and bit my botton lip.
"I'll take over." Spears then stepped in and tried to calm everyone down. I jumped off the stage and walked to Kay.
"10 Minutes?"
"Yeah. Arrowheads decision."
"Fucks sake. That's not enough time."
"That's what we all said. But, they didn't listen."
"How did you even get another meeting in a short amount of time?"
"Radio. We've all found out that we had radios on our hips."
"Oh... So, what's the frequency for..." Kay then handed me a sheet of paper.
"It's on this. So are some things that the 'god' had added."
"Just tell me."
"Fine. He's being nice and is going to add clones to our army. So, we have an expendable force."
"That's good..."
"What is it?"
"Nothing. Where's Arisa and Naomi?"
"Where's who now?" Naomi asked behind her.
"Not very observant. Are you?" Arisa said.
"Nor smart." Shizu said.
"You guys are so stubborn. You going to carry on holding a grudge?" I said.
"No. But, we are for now."
"We're on a verge of a massive attack. Let's not have any 'accidents.'"
"Let's not guys. I was just explaining the new things to Chris." Kay stopped. I then noticed a bunch of red people behind them.
"Who are they?" I asked. They turned around and noticed them. "One minutes." I walked to them and saw a bunch more appearing. They seemed to take no notice of me. "Excuse me?" One of them turned to me and saluted.
"Staff Sergeant Chris Walker! Ready for orders!"
"Are you the clones?"
"Sir Yes Sir!"
"Uh... Alright. Do you have any idea about how many troops there are in that building."
"Sir! We are clones! We only know what you know!"
"Ok. So what am I thinking?"
"Why are we red?"
"I don't know. Why are you red?"
"So, are these the clones?" Kay asked.
"We are!"
"What's his name?" Arisa asked.
"Walker, Chris." He stated.
"Another one?"
"Yeah. It's going to get confusing after a while. We'll just call you clone leader."
"Yes sir!" I looked at the others and raised an eyebrow.
"Well, get your troops to the front." I said. "The attack is going to start soon." They then ran to the end and formed a large column. "Now, can you get the others to join in?" I asked Kay. She nodded her head and joined the other commanders. After a bit, Maho ordered everyone to get behind the column. We followed and waited in anticipation. The guy in front of me looked behind and spotted the flag. He looked down at me.
"So, you're the suicide runner?"
"Sadly." He grinned.
"Good luck." I frowned as he looked in front again. Why was he grinning? Probably because he's not the one that's going to carry the flag.
"10 Floors." Clay muttered. "Seems easy."
"Of course YOU think it would be easy." Dale said.
"Oh come on. What's the worst that would appear in those 10 floors?"
"You." Blair said.
"Probably you actually. You won't see anything from the smoke."
"Fuck... You..."
"I'll pass." I said. "Clem? You have your grenade launcher right?"
"I do."
"Get that ready. It might help." Multiple Blue flares came out from multiple places. The gate then opened and the clones rushed out. We followed on. It seemed to be clear for a bit before a mine detonated in front. We saw a bunch of red streaks and heard a few screams. We instantly spread out and then a sniper shot rang out. I couldn't see who went down, but I assumed that someone did. Carried on running. A few more explosions came out. I think the mines completely muffled out the Sniper shots. That or the Sniper had put on a suppressor. When we got within 20 metres of the entrence, all the clones had gone. The elves fired a few shots at the entrence. I couldn't see why because everyone had blocked my view. When the guy in front got out of the way, I saw why. There was a table with a machine gun on top. I guess the eleves got the guy. I jumped over the table and saw all hell break loose. Everyone was firing. Some of the elves collapsed as bullets went straight through them. I slid to the fountain in front of me and stayed in cover. I looked to my left and saw a explosion. Someone flew backwards and hit a counter. I looked to my right and saw people taking cover behind a table. Someone then fell in front of me. He was motionless. I looked down and saw that they had 3 bullet wounds. I checked his pulse and felt no beat. I got my gun ready and got out of cover. I saw 4 blue guys opposite of the fountain. They wielded LMG's. I guess they're the ones who are killing a lot of us. I took the opportunity and fired at them. Blue smokes came out of their back as they disappeared. I looked around and ran to the shop on the right. I climbed over the window and took cover behind a turned over desk. I reloaded and looked around. An armoured person then appeared and fired flamas at something. That's definitley not a friendly trooper. A few guys were behind them and they took no notice of me. This flamethrower better have a backpack like Thurston's. I searched and noticed the fuel pack on his legs. How has he been able to shoot for so long? I aimed at it and tried to get 100% accuracy. If I miss then his mates will shoot me. If I hit, it would most likely explode and engulf them in flames. These iron sights aren't the best. I fired one shot and hoped for the best. The tank exploded and they disappeared. The armour collapsed. Glad that was finished. I looked around and saw a large shrapnel near my shoulder. I pulled it out of the table and inspected it. That almost hit my shoulder... Damn. An extra hole then appeared through the table. Right, they weren't the only enemy. I quickly ran to the other side and stayed in cover. I peaked over the side and saw 2 soldiers. A few gunshots then came and caused them to go away. I looked back and saw someone aiming at them. They then ran down the aisle. I looked at the dead flametrooper and noticed an extra small tank and grabbed it. Could be useful later. I then followed the person before. As soon as we exited the shop, an explosion caused him to fly to the left. I looked to my right and saw nothing. I looked up and saw a bridge with multiple soldiers on it. I switched my fire mode back to Full-Auto and fired in their direction. I got one but the others dispersed away. I looked around and took in the scene. It's just a red vs blue scene. I couldn't see that many real students. Only elves and colours. Tells you a lot about us. I ran to the next shop before a few reds emerged out of cover. I dolphin dived and hit the wall that they were using as cover. Ouch. Black Ops makes it look so easy. But then again, it is a game. I sprayed and prayed against the wall before I rose again. I looked over the cover and saw them with no legs. They fired at me and missed. I still ducked down and sprayed again. I hit the mag release and reloaded. I looked through the hole and saw a clothes shop. I could easily take out anyone in there with a Willie Pete. A Willie Pete... I think Thurston had one... But, he's probably at the back. Someone then took a bullet to the face and fell backwards in front of me. They then disappeared in a puff of smoke and left behind their equipment. Maybe this guy had a Willie Pete. I searched through his equipment and just found a match. This'll do. But no matchbox. I looked around. I think Blair told us that glass windows can actually light matches. Just need a good amount of pressure. I looked around. Every single window is broken! I then spotted a pane of glass at the other end. I groaned and got ready to run. If I remembered this fact wrong then I am so screwed. I ran to it and struck the match against the window multiple times. Did I remember this wrong? I then spotted someone through the glass. Last attempt! I struck down quickly and ducked down. I looked at the match as they fired. It was on fire! Barely, but still! I kept the match down as I shuffled along. They broke the last window. But I don't need it! Yes! I put the match under a rack of fur coats and waited. They then caught fire and spread. I threw the match away and got out of the store as quick as possible. I looked around and saw a few knights trying to push through. Finally! Some other forces. I ran to the middle and stayed behind a pillar. A few Elves joined me.
"What do we do now?" One of them asked.
"I'm the commander now?"
"We thought you were from the stage."
"Oh. Well, we've gotta rescue those knights. We'll have more reinforcements."
"OK. Take point then." I then ran across and fired to my right to suppress the enemy. Something then knocked me to the side and made me crash through the shop windows. I then knocked my head on the counter. My head kills... I looked around and felt weaker. I then heard less. The gunshots seemed so distant. Everything seems so distant. I then closed my eyes.
Dale
"And what the hell are we meant to do?" Blair asked. "We're surrounded! Again! What the fuck is with us being surrounded!" We parted from Chris ages ago. Instead of going through the centre, we went to the side. We've been trapped in the first shop for a while.
"Stay calm." Thurston said.
"This is the calmest I can be, Thurston!"
"He was talking to the elf, jackass." Clay said.
"Well, I was too busy shooting the others off! Whilst you're there lying down!"
"Because I've been shot!" Clay shouted this time. Blair ducked down again and reloaded once again. "Clem is the only one that is actually doing some damage!"
"Least I'm trying!" He then rose again and fired.
"Keep pressure on that." Ava said, putting a rag on my leg. I held on to it. "Try not to..."
"Ava. Just talk to me. Put my mind off my injury." She paused for a moment.
"About what?" I shrugged.
"Anything. Chris?"
"I'll join in." Kay said, holding on to her hip.
"Alright. Did you know that me and Chris won..."
"Gamers chance. I was part of the tournament remember?"
"And we were the ones that you fought in the finals."
"Chris is such a wild card."
"That's true." Ava turned around. "What's Thurston like? I barely see him talk."
"He's like Clem. Jack of All Trades. But, quiet and shy."
"According to files, because of tragic events."
"Like what?"
"He lost his parents and his friends." Kay whispered. "You guys and his Brother is all he's got."
"Really? Damn."
"Need any help, Kay?" Thurston asked. Kay shook her head and smiled.
"Alright. Let's play a game instead. I'm going to say something and you have to say the person that you think fits that description perfectly."
"Sounds great."
"Untrustworthy."
"Clay."
"Chono."
"Interesting. Intel Gatherer."
"Chris and Blair."
"Arisa."
"I heard my name!" Arisa said, putting the radio down.
"Nothing!" Ava said. She turned back to us. "Crazy."
"Chris!" We both said. Ava laughed. Blair then cheered. We looked at what he was cheering at. Ava stood up and looked. "What is it?"
"Knights in shining armour." Ava said. "Need help getting up?"
"I'll be fine." I said, trying to get up. She grabbed my arm and helped me. "Like I said, 'I'll be fine.'" I looked over the cover and saw some knights slicing apart a few enemies. When they cleared the enemy out, three of them looked at us. They then walked to us.
"Are you guys part of the students?"
"Yeah. Thanks for the help."
"I'm hirohi..."
"Hiro, Jenk and Natsuki. I remember." Ava said.
"Hm... It's been over a year and you remembered our names?"
"Yeah. Why wouldn't I?"
"Because after con..." A explosion then rang out. Not abnormal, but this one was closer. We rushed out and looked at the enemy. Arrows then came through their chest with blue smokes coming out of them. They disappeared and we saw some elves. We rushed ourselves towards them.
"Are you the students?" One of them asked.
"We are. Why?" A shot then hit the wall next to us. We instantly got down and looked at where the shot came from. It was a dozen troops coming this way. We fired. We took down half of them before they ran away. "What did you want again?"
"Your commander is knocked out in that shop."
"Commander? Maho?" Kay said, taking point. She then looked in to the shop. "Oh god! Chris!?" She then stepped in to the shop. Ava pushed past me and ran in to the shop. I looked at the others. They raised their eyebrows and walked past me. I entered the shop and saw Chris lying, side on, next to a counter. I then noticed a piece of glass on his calf and pointed it out. Ava gasped and checked her medical supplies.
"I've got nothing for that!"
"Don't worry. I have healing magic. Nothing powerful enough to wake him up though. Just pull the shard out and let me do it." Kay pulled it out swiftly. The elf then held out his hands and said a bunch of gibberish. It's way too quiet. I looked back and saw a juggernaught. They threw some of the knights in front of him and shot them with an M249 SAW. They then put it down and grabbed a grenade launcher.
"Shit! Guys!" I shouted. They then shot multiple rounds and hit the knights and elves. I dropped down and turned away. I then looked up and looked around. I then saw one of the knights with a bar penetrating their helment on my right. I looked at the others. "We should go before he reloads!"
"How are we going to move Chris!?"
"I'll carry him! Go!" I then performed a firemans lift on him and ran like hell.
Chris
Oh god... My head... It hurts... I slowly opened my eyes and saw the floor. What the hell? Am I being hung by my foot. I looked around and saw that it was someone carrying me. How lovely. We then turned and entered a shop, before tripping over. I rolled off and stopped at someones foot.
"What size feet are you? They're massive!" I exclaimed.
"Stop being an ass for once." Someone said, pulling me up. I then saw Kay, Ava and my squad. "We went through a lot to get you out."
"What did you go through?"
"He's exaggerating. We just went against a juggernaught." A JUGGERNAUGHT! I got up and looked over the cover. This is the same shop as the one I entered first. I looked to my left and saw clones rushing through the door before being mauled down by a machine gun. I ducked down.
"I'd say we're fucked." Blair said.
"Is it just a juggernaught?" I asked. I then felt an instant pain in my jaw. Now I know not to hit my head against a hard surface.
"It is. Why?" Clem asked. I grabbed my rifle.
"I need you lot to form a distraction."
"Chris, you've just had a concussion." Ava said.
"The elf probably healed it." Kay said.
"We still can't risk it." Ava pushed.
"Don't worry. Just distract it and I'll solve that problem. The juggernaught, not the con..."
"We got it. Just do whatever you were planning to do." Arisa said. I nodded my head and crouch walked down the aisle. I looked left every now and then. The juggernaught seems to have his entire body covered. Only that the back seemed to be a less thicker. Okey dokey. My plan should work. If they do a good job at distracting them. I reached the end of the store and looked back. I put my thumbs up. Dale nodded and walked away. I then heard some gunshots. I walked to the edge of the store and looked over. The guy was only a metre away! He didn't move at all! This plan is going to have a lot of improvising. I ran to the other store and fired at the guys back on my way. He turned around, but not fast enough to get me. The others then shot at his back. He turned away and seemed to ignore me. I reloaded in the store. I then looked back at the guy and saw that he moved a bit. Good. I walked down and started a runup. I then took off from a seat and smashed through the window. I thought the window was gone! I slipped and slid on the floor. I had a close up of the juggernaught. I should do a bit more damage. I fired, blindly, and hoped for the best. I didn't know if I hit or miss. I just stood up at the end and ran through the window sill. I tripped on it and fell flat. I looked back and saw that the juggernaught was gone. I cheered as the others ran to me.
"That was your plan?" Dale asked.
"No. It was to plant a nuclear warhead on them."
"Knowing you, you probably thought of that idea first."
"Oh, thanks." I got up and looked to my right. "So, should we see if the others cleared the floor?"
"Alright. I'll race you." Kay said. She then took off. I followed on and went past her. I proceeded to taunt her and kept going. I arrived, just when they finished off the last person.
"First floor. 9 More to go." The person panted. "Casualties?" A massive board then lit up, showing who died. "Percentage of deaths within every guild." The board changed and showed the percentages. The murder guild are non-existant, Arrowheads lost 20% of their troops, Blood Guardians lost 50%! Lord all mighty. Elves are in the critical. 90% of them are down. When everyone had a look at the board, we burst in to arguements.
"WE LOST THE MOST BECAUSE WE TRIED TO PROTECT YOU!"
"YOU GUYS BARELY FOUGHT!"
"YOU WERE USELESS!" I pushed out of the arguement before an elf grabbed hold of me. He then dragged me to the front of the board.
"This is our flag holder! Where were you on the battlefield?" He demanded. "Where!?"
"I was with the others! On the front line!"
"Bullshit! You were at the back like the rest of you students!"
"I wasn't!"
"Prove it!" I got him off me and took off my helmet. I disconnected my camera and took out the card. Magically, a SD card reader appeared next to me. I put it in. The board changed and showed the start of the battle.
"Might as well rest as we look at my proof!" I sat down, like the others. The elf stepped back to see the recording. I didn't want to look at what happened again. Too much went on. After a while, the elf brought me back up. "Good enough?"
"So, one of my friends died to heal you?!"
"Well, I was knocked out that time. I couldn't help that now could I? At least I avenged him!"
"Calm down, mate." Someone said. The elf turned his head. "He did his best. Alright?"
"But..!"
"But, let him go." I grabbed my card and put it back in the slot. I placed my helmet on my head and looked at the elf. He snorted and threw me to the ground. "I meant it in a calmer way."
"My kind have..."
"So? The orcs are down to 1% of their original count. Are they putting up a scene? No. You still have 10%." I walked away from the board, towards my group, who were sitting down next to a wall. They continued to argue in the background.
"We've lost so many on the first floor. How can we last 9 more floors?" floors... This seems like a modern store. Some of the items are pretty modern too. This must have a lift. "You look like you have realised something." I looked down.
"Maybe I have..." I walked around and searched for a elevator.
"Where the hell are you going?"
"Search for an elevator shaft." I said, running around. I searched the North part and found nothing. I searched the rest and didn't even find a staircase. How are we meant to move on to the next floor? Wait... The board should reveal the answer. I ran back to the middle and saw that everyone finished arguing. Now, they just look angry. I walked to the board. "Map of floor 1." The board changed and showed a coloured map of the floor. It even showed the damage that we've done. I looked at it, trying to find a exit. "There's no way to the next floor."
"There is." I turned around and came face to face with an elf. "Lifter." The card reader retracted in to the floor and nothing came out. "I'm not sure. But, I think we can skip all the floors. Floor 10." Glass then came out and surrounded everyone. Everyone stood up and got ready for a fight. We slowly rose in the air. We saw through the glass and saw nothing was on the other floors.
"Where'd everyone go?"
"On floor 10. Because we skipped the others, this one will be 9 times harder."
"Oh lord." After we passed all the other floors, we reached the top one. You know what this reminds me of? This reminds me of the last mission of Call Of Duty World At War. With out the magical shit. The glass then disappeared. The room was stone. It wasn't modern and glassy like the others. Dark and cold. There was a stone staircase leading to a darker place. We looked at each other in uncertainty. I tried to turn on my flashlight, but it didn't come on. The elf took lead and walked up the stairs. We stood there for a bit, wondering what to do. We then followed on. After a blind flight, we arrived at the end. The elf stood there. "See anything?" The entire place then lit up. It was colossal! The walls had bits of vines coming out of them. Some pillars had fallen over, providing some form of cover. We walked around them and got ready for anything. A evil-like laughter then came out. The figure rose up, larger than ever.
"You skipped all the floors! Now, you must be punished! I'm sending my entire army to this arena! Good luck!" He disappeared, as the walls started to rise. We heard a bunch of blood thirsty cries and got ready. That guy must be grinning in that safe area of his. What a cunt. A boar then jumped over the pillar and landed in front of me. I kicked its snout before shooting it. Immediatly, a bunch more boars came crashing though, destroying some of the clones. I turned around to try and get some of them. I then saw a giant wielding a sword. He brung his sword up and got ready to strike down. We all dispersed every where, as the giant brung the sword down and destroyed most of the pillars. It landed only a few metres away from me. When it came up again, I saw the blue guys again. I hip fired and ran away. We're not going to last that long if this is what the entire thing is like. I looked around. Which way was north again? I need to plant the flag to stop this! I reached in to my pocket and brought out my phone. My phone has a system app for a compass. It better work here! I unlocked it and swiped to the page. An arrow then landed next to my foot. I looked at where it came from and saw 2 armoured archers. I took off again. I opened the system app folder and selected compass. I've been heading south all this time! I turned around and saw the archers again. I looked around and saw an exit to my right. I quickly dodged to the right and headed north. I forgot about the giant, but got reminded as the sword split the pillar in front of me. It then fell apart and revealed an elf being cornered by 2 knights. I fired at them and kicked them down. I was in a rush and ignored the thanks from him. I then realised something. I ran back to the elf and grabbed him.
"Can you help me?"
"With what?" He asked.
"I've got the flag. I'm going to need protection. You'll be helping everyone out."
"Uh... But... I'm not good at..."
"I thought you elves were meant to be confident."
"Not all of us. You see, when I was..."
"We don't need a backstory or a life story. Let's go." I then took off and avoided all types of debris. Fucking hell. After a lot of dodging and shooting we arrived at the end. We came across a navy blue orb on a stand. "What do we..."
"This is one of the first teleports. Hold on to it." So, it wasn't always the Podiums. I looked at the elf, who nodded his head and encouraged me to hold it. I trusted him and touched it with the palm of my hands. My surroundings then seemed to turn a lot darker. It then had a flash of bright light. Like a flashbang detonated in front of me. It only lasted for a few seconds before I was back at the dark place.
"I don't think it worked." I then turned back and saw a wall. I turned back and saw nothing in front. I raised my rifle and tried to turn on the flashlight. It didn't work at all. I pulled out my phone and turned it on. My phone is on low brightness as always. I pulled down the notifications and went to shortcuts. The flashlight and brightness disappeared. This guy can change these codings easily? I'm questioning that and not any magic. Brilliant. A haunting laughter made me jump. "I'm not that good at horror games. Please lower the difficulty for me." I'm not lying either. I hate horror games. I walked forward and my rifle hit a wall. Why can't I... Wait. I swear my phone was out of battery before... I pulled it out again and looked at the battery percentage. 100%! How? Yet again, magic. What a stupid cliché that is used every single time something stupidly ridiculous happens. I sighed and turned my phone around to see the wall. It was a face painted by blood. None that I recognised. Nothing too freaky. I looked around and saw one opening. An opening to hell. I guess? I'm on the highway to hell. I chuckled at this and walked in. Just... Guess everything. Remember the labyrinth. Except no Minotaur and no Griffins. Maybe more things? After multiple twists and turns, I took a corner. I then bumped in to a deformed creature. I panicked and fired multiple shots in to it. It clutched their stomach and fell, lying on to the blood covered wall. It then glitched in to something else. I inspected closer and saw that it was another student. "Holy shit!" I shouted. I dropped my rifle and crouched down. I pulled his mask and goggles off, revealing Blair. "Blair!?" He coughed up some blood and looked at me. I looked down at his wounds, panicked.
"Get the fuck away from me!"
"Blair! I'm sorry! I..."
"Get that fucking grin off your face!"
"Blair! It's me! Chris!" I looked in to my medical pack and pulled out some Plasma and morphine.
"Chris? No, you're lying!" Damn. This guy is changing all our perceptions. We might actually be surrounded by unicorns and rainbow fences. I bit off the morphine lid and stabbed it in Blair. "What the fuck did you stab in me?"
"Morphine Blair! I'm trying to save you for fucks sake!" I then did all the plasma things and then looked for the right place to put it in. I grabbed his arm. This should do. He struggled against it and tried to get out. "Stop moving! You'll lose more blood." He then stopped. I then put it in and injected the plasma. I let go and the arm flopped down. I looked at Blair, laying motionless. I got my 2 fingers and lightly pressed on his neck and felt no pulse coming back. I fell back and came face to face with him. His last sight was me being something else. Nothing comforting. Nothing... I then closed his eyes. For fucks sake! I barely talked to him! We gave him so much shit! We couldn't even apoligise. We never did after our fights. I screamed in anger and buried my head in my knees. I raised my head after some crying. I then saw a person in a suit next to a coffin. I looked around. We're in the clouds. I dug my hand in and tried to fling some out. My hand just seeped right through. I stood up and walked to the person.
"Such a waste." He remarked.
"Pardon?"
"This was a waste of human life. If only someone better came out." I looked at the person in confusion. I stood next to him and looked at the coffin label. It read 'Silvestor Blair.'
"How... How could you!" I quickly turned to the person. He had his back turned and seemed to do his tie.
"Easy. This is your chance to say sorry. Apoligise. Whatever. This will be the last time you will see his body. Unless you count the grave in the Saunder's graveyard." I looked back at the coffin. The lid then slowly slid open. The only thing in the coffin was a dogtag. "I was joking. He's actually in the grave. Don't worry. We're not that dark." I clenched my fist and ran to him. He turned around and gave me a wide grin. I started a punch before he faded away. I then punched a wall instead, which collapsed on impact. It revealed Blair's favourite place near our old school. The abondoned warehouse. God damn it. I looked around and saw that I was surrounded by clones. Not a single real soul. "Welcome! The flag bearer now has to survive this challenge! This is self explanatory! Just get through and plant the flag. But, there isn't a single real person. They will all be watching you! So, don't embarass yourself!" Where are they watching from? I reached for my rifle and grabbed nothing. I turned and saw nothing. I looked for my Kunai and pistol and found nothing yet again. This isn't going to be easy. I grabbed the flag and inspected it. It had a sharp tip at the end of it. Like a spear. I looked in front and saw that there was a countdown. 20 seconds left. This shouldn't be fun. I inspected the guy on the right. He had no armour and had a PPSH-41. I looked to my right and he had a mosin nagant.
"Just WWII weapons?" I exclaimed in shock.
"Yeah. Same with the enemies. You're at the front, so your with us Pravda students." This really shouldn't be fun. Going head first against MG-42s and a 30. Cal is nothing but suicide. But then again, just imagine being part of the paratroopers. 5 more seconds. 4...3...2...1... The orange screen then disappeared and all the clones rushed out. I waited until all the Pravda students ran out and followed on. It was all silent as we all reached the first pillar. Then a rocket came and hit the top of the steel pillar, causing it to fall and make a gap. We all dispersed with half of us on the right and the other on the left. I was part of the group that went to the left. The scene then changed in to the mall. I looked back and saw the steel beam changed to a marble one. I looked forward again and saw a bunch of defense structures. One of them was a tower with 2 soldiers manning a MG-42. They fired and took out a bunch of us. Making a red smoke screen. I ran to the left and met a hole in the wall. I went through it and entered a rusting corridor with pipes everywhere. Probably for maitenence. I stayed behind a small collumn of pipes and looked at the clones. Non left. I looked at the spawn point again and found the clones behind the same shield. With a countdown of 120 seconds. I need to get rid of the tower or else they'll get slaughtered again. I walked out of cover and encountered a soldier with a rifle. I used the tip of my flag to hit it and disarm them. I them pushed them down before stabbing down in to them. They then left behind smoke. I stood there for a bit before the smoke cleared, revealing 2 enemy soldiers on the other side. I ran back to cover as they yelled. I got the spear ready for throwing and looked through a gap. They didn't move, but they were alligned slightly. If I aimed the spear good, then I can get one of them and trap the others arm. I better do this correctly. I got out of cover and threw instantly. I hit them both! I did it! The guy at the back then reached for his pistol. I looked down and saw the rifle. I ducked and grabbed it. I fell backwards and aimed. He struggled to get the pistol out of the holster. Perfect. I shot at his head and he disappeared in a puff of smoke. I got up and ran for the flag. I then pulled it out and noticed that it changed. From a white fox to a brown bull. Why does everything have to change. I looked through the hole they came through and saw a museum. With a boat in place of the tower. This is going to be tough. I put the flag on my back and walked out, before being shot at by a soldier. I walked back, recieving a hit on my arm. God damn. This is going to be difficult. I then heard a series of screams and looked back. The clones are rushing through again. This is a good distraction. I walked out of cover and looked at the soldier. They were occupied with the other soldiers. I shot them and grabbed their gun. I think a machine gun is better at close quarters. I looked for a way in the ship and found nothing. A fire would burn this ship. I then saw a squad coming torwards me and spotted me. I jumped over the cover behind me and stayed behind it. What about that small tank I grabbed from that flametrooper? I looked up and saw a few holes on the side of the ship. Presumably for cannons. Not going to help me since I need to manually detonate this. Or maybe not. One of the soldiers then jumped over the cover and missed me. They searched ahead, with the others. Not the smartest guys. I then emptied my mag on them and reloaded. I put the gun away and grabbed the tank. Then a frag grenade with some tape. This better be some sturdy stuff. I then put the 2 together and thought. How would the lever be able to come off? The thing that sets the fuse off? I could try to put the tape below the lever. But there's a risk of me setting it off or make it useless. My only option. I carefully put the tape under the lever by having the middle go through first. Now, I should go round twice to be safe. I successfully did it and got ready to throw it. I pulled the pin and threw it through one of the holes. I then counted to 4 and heard an explosion, seeing a bit of fire coming out. Now, let's hope it doesn't burn out. I mean I could do something else... I stood up and walked backwards a bit, so I could see the machine gun. I then aimed at the wood it was resting on and fired. I saw a bit of blue smokes and thought that it was enough. Alright, time to reload and carry on. I walked back to where the clones were and found, only, empty guns. Huh. Now, he expects me to run through everything with a fucking spear again. I looked back and saw that the clones had melee weapons again. Oh for gods sake. The enemy better have the same equipment. I looked in front and saw nothing. I waited until a few clones had passed. I then followed on the charge and noticed how the amount of clones had decreased. Now, these better be skilled or else I'll kill them myself. I then heard a few chinks (Not the racist way, the onomatopoeia way.) We all then got in to fights with multiple knights. I sneaked past everyone and got to the other end. You'd think that the guy with a massive flag would be the most noticable person. Not to these guys. I then exited the place and was met by a massive heatwave. I then walked past a glass dome in middle of the roof and saw Kay tied up with Ava. They had 2 clones with axes above their head behind them. I widened my eyes and stepped forward.
"Stop! Step closer and we'll kill both of them!" One of them announced. "The leader has decided to make your day worse!"
"Why me?"
"Because, you're the easiest to break emotionally!"
"I've already seen others on the brink of insanity! I've acted pretty sane!"
"Which is the problem! You're the sanest one here!"
"Then how am I the easiest to break!"
"Because we're making you choose. Her or her?"
"Are you..."
"I'm very serious."
"What if I don't choose."
"Then you starve or die of thirst with the girls. Make a move and we'll execute them both!"
"Are they aloud..."
"To talk? Of course they can!"
"Chris, don't save me! Save Kay!"
"What? Save her!"
"I'm less important! I've got no one else. Kay has a lot more than me!"
"No, I..."
"Shut it, Kay! Don't you want to live!"
"But..."
"You'll make everyone feel alone! You'll make everyone sad! You'll make everyone hate me and Chris! Do you want that!" Ava shouted. Kay looked down. Ava then looked back at me. "Just remember my last birthday wish! Find someone else! Just think about that! Do you want to dissapoint me? Do you want to... To... To make my wish unfulfilled!" I then gained another tear from my eye. This is her tactic. Every single fucking time. Make the other person guilty or hate her, to make them sacrifice her instead of them. Why...
"Ava! Sto..."
"I won't! You know the truth! I haven't been that good! I'm not that important."
"You're impor..."
"No I'm not! I can't do jackshit!"
"But..."
"Oh for fucks sake! If you can't grow the balls to sacrifice me then I'll do it myself!" She then rose and turned around, attacking the clone.
"No!" I shouted, running towards her. She then got an axe go straight through her. She then disappeared and left behind a bag. The clones then disappeared and left behind their axes. Kay's ropes then untied magically, but she stayed in place. I stopped in front of her bag. Kneeling down, crying. I then felt the flag leave my hands. After everything I've done... All for nothing. First, Blair. Now Ava. What is with this figure. I raised my head and saw that it wasn't Kay that grabbed the flag. Instead, another clone. I looked at Kay, saying something. I couldn't hear anything. I looked around. Nothing... Nothing changed after the flag was planted. After a while, the clones started to fade away. "Why?" Me and Kay then turned blue. I then arrived in a empty space. All white. Like a depiction of heaven.
"Good question." Someone said, behind me. I turned around and saw the same man in the suit. "Why did I do this?" I got up and slowly walked to him. "It's been quite a while. I've almost forgot why. But, then I remembered with that last moment. To find someone that seemed to have a few good connections. Someone that had suffered. But, also recovered from it and got with more people. Better people. I then would test on them. See if they would repeat the cycle. See if they would break after seeing more people die. First it was Holmes. Then Griffin."
"Wait, what?"
"Oh yeah. Griffin died on the first floor from a shotgun shot. Jumped over a counter, but a clone waited on the other side with a shotgun. Eliminating his squad." A screen then showed what he said behind him. "Then Blair. Now, Ava. Time for a series of questions."
"Do you really want to know how it feels to be punched in the face?"
"I already know." A table then appeared between us with chairs behind us. He then sat down and pointed at my seat. "Please, sit."
"I'd rather stand." My legs then felt numb and made me sit down.
"Question 1: How do you feel?"
"Numb from the waist down."
"Please answer seriously."
"I feel awful."
"Understandable. Question 2: What will be the first thing you'll do when you get back?"
"I'm not sure. I'll either call Cutter and the others or mourn Ava's death. Which remi..."
"Questions later."
"How did you know tha..."
"Questions later. Question 3: Would you consider yourself to be emotionally stable."
"No."
"Your eyes do not lie. Question 4: Are you proud of your decision?"
"Definitley not."
"Interesting. Question 5: If you could do something differently, then what would you do differently?"
"I would've done programming instead. If I did that then I wouldn't be here."
"Alright. We're done here. I wish you good luck."
"What about my questions?"
"Go on then."
"Will Ava's grave be in my world?"
"Yes. Next to Blair's and Griffin's."
"What are you going to do now?"
"Do what I've done for the past centuries. That's all the questions you have. Don't forget this." He then tossed me Ava's bag and smiled. "It's been a pleasure." I then turned blue and returned back.
"It's been an hour! Where the hell were..."
"Calm down Arisa. Remember what happened." Naomi said. Kay walked to me and hugged me.
"Are you alright?"
"I've been through hell. I wish I was." She then pulled back and looked at me in guilt. I sighed loudly and put the bag on my back. "Shall we get back?" They all nodded and escorted me to the bus. It was late at night. I then noticed that the bus was mostly empty. "Where's everyone?"
"The others failed the test." Kay said.
"Test?"
"We had to go through a small test. See if we're still sane and if we need to be re-educated."
"Why am I..."
"I convinced them that you were sane."
"What about..."
"How do you work out the Hypotonuse?" Arisa asked.
"You do base squared add height squared then square root the answer."
"No need for another education year." We then rode in silence before arriving at the wooden huts. I walked in one of the classrooms and sat down on a chair. I looked through the windows and saw a lot more buses coming through. That's either good or bad. I opened the bag and grabbed a book out. Photo album? I opened the first page and saw Ava posing in front of a house. I instantly closed it and dropped it as if it was hot coal. I then leaned against my hand and looked through the bag again. I then pulled out a box. The same one with the note and ear rings. I put them back and searched again. Nothing. Really? I put everything back and zipped it back up, before Kay walked in. She then sat next to me.
"Find someone else." I muttered.
"Pardon?" I sighed again.
"Would you like us to go out again?" I looked at Kay, who gave me a confused look.
"Are you serious?"
"I believe so." We then exchanged a weak smile.
"Why not." She then laid her head on my back. This is going to be complicated...
'Ight then. Little informal, but hell who cares? Probably some posh person sitting in the corner, but all well. This marks the end of this... FanFiction. Would you classify it as that? I don't know. But, thank you for joining me in this journey! It's been nice to work on this. Also, quite enjoyable. Thinking up of these random scenarios and fitting them in to the story. My original ending was going to be a sort of World At War ending, but Ava being reznov... And reznov dying. I think this was waaaaaaay darker. but, I like dark. I also thought of having an extra battle or Chris just spending time with Mieko, Kutsuki, Awashima and Takegama. (Cutter, Striker and Tracer if you forgot.) Who knows? I might return and do what I just said. But, I'll be back with another FanFiction. One that actually has Kay as a main main character instead of a side one. (And because I can't be arsed to think of new names, I'll be keeping the characters from this series.)
