Written By: Epicstu Wyyvernwriter

“Rata tat tat tat tat tat tat tat tat tat tat tat tat tat tat tat tat tat tat tat tat tat tat tat tat tat tat,” the helicopter’s sound was defining as the red lights that lit the interior turned green and the God’s Team dropped in a free fall to the trench on their starting side. Once the Helicopter had flown off Mixcoatl could here Rock, the Wyyvern Knight of Rock n’ Roll, preforming One by Metallica on Roll, the Wyyvern Stage of Rock n’ Roll, from the stands surrounding the vast arena, “over done.” Even over the sound of constant fire and explosions coming from the no man’s land between his Team’s and the Knight’s trench he could still hear the heart beat of every player except, “Where are you, End Fate?” Suddenly the screeching of velociraptors pouncing and then dying one by one to ancient music from the West and flying lead caught his attention. “The Outlaw,” Mixcoatl, an ancient and restless God of the hunt, followed the scent of old and dusty leather over scruffy unkempt hygiene.

“Lost inside 7 acres of long grass taller than a corn field,” Mercedes announced, “Dennis J. Clanton takes on a small army of velociraptors as they pounce in at him from every angle.”

“I guess it’s true, what they say,” Woodsmann commented. “Six-string Jack never misses as every strum of Belle, the Wyyvern guitar of Outlaws, puts down those raptors, one shot one kill, and attracts more of the infinite pack right to him.”

“This is why we decided upon one point per non-player kill,” Mercedes admitted. “Players are worth seven points each.”

“An excellent farming strategy,” Woodsmann agreed, “but how long can the Wyyvern Knight of Outlaws survive against these increasing waves of what are literally living weapons.”

Dropping one velociraptor with an arrow, Mixcoatl pulled his knife stabbing another through the top of its skull before putting the knife between the eyes of a third raptor approaching from a distance. The raptor’s momentum slid its body to him and he pulled his knife from its face. Wiping off the blood he waited, his senses searching for movement. He was as silent as Death and the remaining raptors knew not of his position. They instead moved toward the strum of Belle as Dennis played on. Killing raptor after raptor on his way to the Outlaw, Mixcoatl was catching up to Dennis’s kill count.

“One hundred percenting his stealth mission,” Mercedes announced, “Mixcoatl draws nearer and nearer to the Wyyvern Knight of Outlaws.”

“Old Six-String Jack may have met his match,” Woodsmann commented, “but, what is this?”

“It appears Artemis is making a break for the Sniper’s tower through the long grass,” Mercedes answered, “and more than a few velociraptors have taken notice of her.”

“Wasting no time,” announced Woodsmann, “Mixcoatl abandons his hunt for Dennis and rushes to save Artemis.”

Sprinting as fast as she could, Artemis could see the tower in the distance. From there she would find and remove Aleister from the round. Stopping suddenly as a raptor dropped in front of her with a feathered arrow in its skull, she flinched at a hand on her shoulder, “Go and do not stop. I will cover you,” Mixcoatl whispered in her ear. “Now.”

Artemis put her bow away and unsheathed her daggers as she took off toward the tower again. Three raptors pounced. Two fell to Mixcoatl’s poison darts as she slid underneath the third, cutting it open. She kept moving. A raptor pounced from the side and she jumped, spinning in the air to catch it. Stabbing her eloquently curved daggers through the sides of its skull she rolled off it, stabbing another through the side of its head and slitting a third’s throat. Then, drawing her bow again, knives still in hand, she loosed a spiraling arrow. Three before her raptors fell together as the spiraling arrow went right through them. Before they hit the ground, she leaped off of them one at a time and made the leap to the tower. A raptor pounced at her from the side, ‘this is it,” she thought. There was nothing she could do. Closing her eyes she opened them shortly after grabbing hold of the tower to see the raptor pinned to the tower by an arrow through its heart. She looked down at Mixcoatl who nodded at her before moving towards Dennis’s music again. Artemis sighed before starting the seven story climb.

Surrounded with no way out, Dennis J. Clanton played Belle like he never had before as lead flew from where ever he wished with every strum of each individual string. Then he stopped as Mixcoatl had leaped into the air and throw a volley of arrows in all directions around them before landing back to back with Dennis. They could hear the raptors rustling as they prepared for another assault. Then Dennis heard Mixcoatl put his bow and arrows away, so he swung Belle over his back. Then Mixcoatl pulled out his knife, so Dennis did the same. “May the better man win,” he said to Mixcoatl.

“I plan to,” Mixcoatl replied as he turned to slash his knife’s blade across the blade of Dennis’s knife. Thrown into frenzy by the sound of clashing metal, the raptors leaped in from all angles to maul them both.

“Locked in an epic knife fight,” Woodsmann began, “these two legends rack up raptor kills for their individual teams as they clash blades in this showdown of raw skill.”

“Truly an impressive spectacle to behold,” Mercedes agreed, “with the two matching kill for kill tied at five hundred seventy three points each and counting.”

As the two continued their duel, Dennis saw an opportunity and seized it, swinging Belle for an uppercut on Mixcoatl. “It has been a pleasure,” he stepped forward and found his left leg weakened. Looking down at the dart injecting poison into the artery there, Dennis bowed his head because he knew that he had been beat and held Belle, the Wyyvern six-string of Outlaws, out for Mixcoatl to claim.

Grabbing Dennis by the side of his head as an equal and bringing him close, Mixcoatl whispered, “tinechmaca,” Then he let go as he blew at Dennis causing him to fall to the ground and vanish to the Meadhall with Belle, “keep her.”

“And that settles it,” Woodsmann announced. “After winning his duel against the Wyyvern Knight of Outlaws, Mixcoatl racks up a total of seven hundred points exactly for the God’s Team and Dennis leaves the round having earned six hundred ninety three for the Knight’s Team.”

“Showing the best kind of sportsmanship, Mixcoatl allows Dennis to keep Belle, the Wyyvern six-string of Outlaws,” Mercedes added.

“I guess he just didn’t want her,” said Woodsmann.

*        *

Aleister continued to meditate in the center of no man’s land as he was able to hear everything that went on over the roar of battle and the thunder guns. Having mapped the entire arena and everything happening within it he then spoke, “two,” and continued to meditate.