My thanks goes out to Poddy who wrote the very first review and well... inspired me to push on.
Jyaunti crouched, her pale skin glistening with sweat. We were waiting right outside the red base, for the attackers to vacate the area. My arms grew tired, the rocket launcher hugged to my chest.
"How long more?" I whispered into Jyaunti's ear.
"Be quiet!" She hissed "They must be waiting to see if the coast is clear."
"Well then," I said, standing up, "Let's make the way clear."
"You fool!" Jyaunti exclaimed as she grabbed my armor "If we kill them, they'll just respawn and we'll have an even bigger problem!"
I crouched slowly as I ran her reasoning through my head. She was right. Damn.
As Jyaunti finally released me from her piercing glare, three red team members walked cautiously past. Jyaunti waited for them to pass, then got up and sprinted for the red flag. She grabbed the red flag off its stand and slung it across her back. She glared at me quickly and headed back for the blue base.
I made faces at her receding figure, Letting my imagination loose. After having my fun I began to follow her. As I then rounded the corner that opened out into the large oval room in the center of the map, I saw the Necris blademaiden take a pounding from one of the defenders.
The well-built male soldier had employed a minigun, drilling many holes into Jyaunti's abdomen. Knowing she would not last long with her bio-rifle, I loosed a tight spiral of three missiles, aimed directly at the male's lower back. Two of the missiles hit home, while the other crashed into the wall. The splash damage from the last missile sent the red team member flying forward. Landing on his stomach, the male rolled so that he was on his back and let loose half of his clip. The bullets drilled into my armor, tearing my flesh. I screamed in agony as the bullets, like little flies, wedged themselves in my lungs, causing blood to pour like a fountain out of my gaping mouth. I crashed to the floor, not quite dead. Felling faint, I fired my last remaining missile at the soldier. The soldier ducked, sending the rocket right into the wall. I cursed, more blood pouring out of my facial orifice.
The soldier stood towering above my mangled body, grinning. He was quite badly hurt himself, but still healthier than me. Right at that moment, when my death was easily foretold, another person rounded the corner - he was blue, one of mine. He snarled and sent gobules of green slime into my opponent's back. It was horrific – he screamed as the green slime started to dissolve his flesh, eating away at his raw muscles, until his head was a mere skull, and he collapsed to the floor, a heap of bones.
"Than-." I managed, blood taking over the rest of my word.
He smiled grimly and pulled out his assault rifle. He sent a single bullet into my cranium, ending my suffering.
I respawned, flashes of the red team member's death flashing through my mind. I shook my head quickly, dispersing the images.
"Wake up!" Jyaunti's voice rang in my ears "I need backup!"
Grabbing a nearby plasma rifle, I headed in the general direction of the red base. Jyaunti appeared, chased by a trio of angry reds. They carried a minigun, a flak cannon, and a shock rifle. I wondered how Jyaunti had made it this far.
She gestured at me with the finger, indicating she needed help. I fired the plasma rifle at the three reds, the long, green blowtorch instantly disintegrating their armor. They turned to face me. One of them, seeming to be the leader, shouted to the one with the flak cannon to follow Jyaunti. I was up against two enemies, each with formidable firepower. I gulped. They wasted no time. One of them fired his minigun, literally turning my chest into a leaky piece of meat. I choked out blood. Firing my plasma rifle, I sent the one with minigun sprawling. Meanwhile, the one with the shock rifle had fired a slow, large ball of energy toward me.
I jump forward, under the big ball of energy, instantly realizing my mistake. The red team member fired a shock bean right into the core of the energy ball, releasing a wave of unstoppable energy. I felt my body fry as I hit the ground, energy coursing though my vital organs.
I respawned, cursing. Meanwhile, Jyaunti had already made two flag captures.
"One more and we're outta here!" A cheerful voice came over my headset.
I sighed and reached for the same plasma rifle. Then, a thought finally ignited itself in the depths of my stagnant mind. The rocket launcher! It had to be around here somewhere.
I began searching, knowing it was in the blue base. Jyaunti came up, he face contorted in anger. She must just have respawned too.
"You look like you're looking for something" Her voice was higher-pitched, indicating sarcasm.
"As a matter of fact, yes. Do you happen to know where the rocket launcher is?"
The Necris slapped me on the back of my head. Hard. "It's right behind this wall, in front of the blue flag!" She hissed "Damn you're dense!"
I scowled at her and turned the corner, to find that one of my teammates had just swiped the rocket launcher.
My left eye began to twitch.
"Did I mention it had already been taken?" She laughed evilly and walked away, shaking her head.
My teammate who had gotten to the rocket launcher looked at me questioningly, but I just shook my head and made little circles in the air next to my temple and pointed at Jyaunti's back. He laughed and turned to resume his defense of the flag.
I hurried up to catch up with Jyaunti. She was walking with her back straight, shoulders pulled back, head high. To my surprise, we met no resistance on the way to the red flag. Jyaunti leisurely took the flag and slung it on her back, before turning around and heading back the way we came. Right then two reds stepped out from the corners, blocking our progress. Jyaunti calmly fired a round of her flak cannon, hitting both of them. It was then I learned the blademaiden's secret to survival – bunnyhopping.
Right then and there, she started jumping forward, springing up into the air again as soon as her feet hit the ground. I gaped as all the projectiles the two reds fired missed. Then, right as Jyaunti was above the two red team members, a single bullet from one of the miniguns hit her leg, ending her hopping spree.
She connected with the ground, wincing in pain. My eyes narrowed and I fired balls of plasma energy at the two red team members. They took the plasma and fell forward, dead.
"Double kill!"
I whooped. This was the first time in a long while I had actually managed to score a kill. Jyaunti got up and smacked me on the head, hard, again.
"Shut up and let's go!" She said. I rubbed my throbbing head. She could hit hard.
"Last one." Jyaunti muttered as she reached behind her back for the flag. Right then, at the most oddest of times, a hail of bullets hit Jyaunti in the back. She hit the floor, body riddled with bullets.
Two red team members came into view, their armor glistening with fresh blood from one of my base's defenders. They both ran for the red flag, at the same time shooting at me.
Not all the bullets hit me: I jumped forward.
Grabbing the flag with my arm that had not yet been riddled with holes, I shoved it into the blue flag. It instantly dissolved.
You have won the match!" A voice came over my headset. Wanting to avoid coming out of the match injured, I raised my plasma rifle to my head.
Too late.
I respawned back in the central arena, my left arm wholly and wobbly.
"Shit." I muttered. I could hear crowds cheering in the distance as my vision darkened.
I stumbled a few feet before collapsing, unconscious.