He arrived within the Cathedral feeling calm and alert. Somewhere in this gothic monstrosity skulked his enemy. The air was stale and warm, his heart felt little excitement as he studied the gargoyle strewn ramparts. Each edifice and shadow he knew without recourse to deep-memory. The whole scene was ingrained in his being. It was akin to being born with absolute knowledge.

Darkness reigned, as it often did this hour of the morning. A faint glimmer of sunlight was stealing over the distant horizon with infinite slowness. Its rays cast warm colours upon the cold stone. Walls became portraits of themselves, showing in all splendour the glory of rotting architecture. Textures shimmered as the light crept upwards. The minutiae of an artists eye emerged within the stone carvings, ancient battles enacted in stone leapt to life as light brought shadow to the host of timeless warriors.

His muscles tensed as he prepared for battle. His head, shielded by a black visor, swept the surroundings constantly. The building was constructed on three levels. Former glory had been replaced with shattered integrity as the Cathedral, decimated by some unknown device, held itself aloft.
Daniel crept behind a granite podium, burying himself in darkness. He listened and waited as the quill in his mind sought its ink, taking a sweet, slow inhalation, he paused, focussing his senses.

A moment later, the miniscule sound of gravel falling onto stone snapped his head to full attention. Thoughts of beauty and architectural splendour were thrust aside. Daniel located his foe. Somewhere on the second level, above the altar, it lay hidden from view.

He had two options. It was always one or the other. He used stealth or aggression. One cannot use both at the same time. In this form of combat, the choice must be clear and unequivocal. Trying to combine the two most effective aspects of combat simultaneously resulted in defeat. He must act decisively.

Daniel chose stealth. He knew the probable route his enemy would take, predicted from its position above the Altar in relation to the items on offer in the Cathedral. It had many choices, but 90% of them would be pointless.

The probable move he would go for in that position would be to gain the armour sitting upon the Altar. He knew the Bot had weapon accuracy equal to the best in the world, so its likely course of action would be direct.

Daniel crouched in the darkness and aimed his Railgun into empty space above the altar. Three seconds passed and then it leapt. Without even seeing its full body in his sights Daniel was sent recoiling into the wall behind him. The noise of the Slug passing through his shoulder was like a blacksmith pounding a corpse with a hammer. Daniel gasped aloud in awe at the accuracy this Bot possessed. It was the first time he had uploaded the “$p|dey” Deity-Bot, and although aware of $p|dey’s ability, was shocked at how immediate it felt without his friend being present.

He scrambled for cover as the Deity-Bot landed on the altar. In his peripheral view, he could see the red armour now adorning its body. He leapt for an arched entrance and scrambled down into the Catacombs.

Damage restricted his speed, and although Daniel was quite literally the fastest gamer on the Planet, he felt as though the air was treacle. Behind him came the sounds of pursuit. To his mind, the sounds behind him were like watching a movie. He could see the Bot pouncing off the altar and leaping towards his shadowy enclave. He knew he had less than 2 seconds to reach his goal.

In the torch-lit isles of the Catacombs, before the far exit, lay a stone coffin, cracked open in the middle. Dripping from this coffin, like water from a cup, was Mana. It only needed the slightest touch for it to endow Daniel with brief invulnerability. This trick had been done to death.

He knew the Bot would see it as soon as it changed aisles and saw him. He stood under the dripping Mana and felt the charge of invulnerability course through him. It was a once-only gift, and it lasted five seconds. The Bot knew this, and was expecting the charge. Daniel stood his ground, time measured in milliseconds.

The Deity-Bot ventured a glimpse down his aisle of the catacombs, trying to ascertain if Daniel had stayed or retreated. A meaty slap filled the air. Spiralling trails of interconnecting blue lines illuminated the gothic designs between both combatants. It received a pinpoint head-shot for its curiosity. The Bot’s head flipped back like a tin Duck in a fairground, Daniel’s rail ripped through the top of its skull. It was not a fatal blow and the Bot had anticipated this, knowing the armour it had picked up would still leave it with the advantage.

The Bot waited behind a torch-lit pillar, counting within its program as the seconds of invulnerability wore down.
Barely had the Slug impacted his enemy’s skull, Daniel was on the move again. His options were bound to a diminishing countdown. All he relied on was the knowledge of his friend’s only weakness; close rail combat.

He switched weapons and charged the recoiling Bot. There was thirty metres to cover, and with invulnerability, his strength was charged. He covered the ground in two seconds. He felt his power-up run out. Daniel stood before the Deity-Bot with his default weapon in hand. The Bot still carried the Rail Gun. It brought the gun to bear, as Daniel activated his Glove. The Bot fired just as Daniel jumped.
It knew he would try and evade the shot. It knew that 87% of the time its enemy ducked to avoid projectile-fire. It performed the most logical routine within its parameters.
Daniel cleared the after-trail and landed before the strands had cleared. He advanced with his Glove, pummelling the Bot’s torso with a rotating blade. He didn’t stop until it was separated into several bloody chunks.

As with all combat, Daniels mind constantly monitored the elements within the map. The Bot would have already respawned silently. His brief dalliance with its former corpse had cost him precious seconds. He started to concentrate again, and retraced his steps. Using speed, he trotted down the darkest side of the Catacombs. As he passed each torch-lit pillar, he punched his spinning gauntlet-blade through the torches. Light faded down the east side until all torches were gone. Quickly he ran to the other side of the Catacombs, swathed in light. He passed the small stone archway with a quick strafe-jump, minimising the chances of a lucky snap shot if he was spotted.

The Deity-Bot had spawned outside the Cathedral entrance. It knew that the human could have left the Catacombs by now, using either exit. One would take him outside the Cathedral, but on the other side to where it stood. It processed this information and came to a conclusion instantaneously. Travelling with caution, it flitted through the entrance, briefly casting a long shadow down the west side of the Nave. Using the east wall, it headed for the Pulpitum Screen. It passed through a finely chiselled stone archway into the Quire area. Ranks of wooden chairs either side of it presented a myriad of potential targets. The Bot raised its weapon and slung it over its shoulder. The Railgun was thrust into its backpack, and in the same instant, a large multi-barrelled device emerged.

The Chaingun glistened like wet metal as it flicked left and right like an enchanted Cobra. The Bot stopped moving for a second. It listened to the sounds of the map. Nothing registered as motion. Ahead was the Altar, and on the east wall lay the arched entrance to the Catacombs. In thirteen seconds the Armour would reappear above the Altar. It could not stand around waiting for this to happen. Creeping closer to the Catacombs, it detected a change in the lighting that glowed within. Its enemy had created darkness along the east side. The Bot turned to the side whilst moving forward, it’s whole body stretching like elastic as it built up potential energy. Suddenly, it leapt forward at full speed, strafing into the Catacombs with incredible pace. The Chaingun started whirring into life.

It sounded like an avalanche to Daniel. He stood within the Catacombs, his back pressing into the west corner. He could hear the charge begin and switched his Railgun on, it emitted a low hum, drowned out by the crashing eruption of gunfire and shattering stone.

A line of coffins rippled under the bombardment of bullets. The Bot landed inside the Catacombs and emitted a blood curdling taunt,

“Now you’re mine!” Came the shrill scream. Daniel hadn’t heard the taunt before and had to respect the sheer intensity of the claim, as it shrieked manically above the sound of thunderous gunfire. Before the Bot had time to realize its error, Daniel slotted it with a Rail to the back of its head. He strode forwards, as the wild arc of bullets hailed its way around the Catacombs, quickly rounding on him. The Bot turned fast, Daniel waited for his weapon to reload.
Bullets started hitting him whilst the Chaingun was running at full rotation. In less than a two-tenths of a second, half his health was gone, but it wasn’t enough. The Railgun reloaded with a solemn thunk as the next slug entered the chamber. He hadn’t let go of the fire button. The Rail disintegrated the Bot into a cloud of misty blood. Daniel leapt through the blood-red haze and ran for the armour which was solidifying above the Altar.

The next minute was a game of cat and mouse. Daniel needed health and the Bot needed armour. Brief skirmishes were followed by retreat and consolidation. Daniel was adaptable, but preferred this style of duel over any other. He could rebuild himself very quickly due to his speed around the map. The Bot was equally skilled, and both duellists elected to use the Cathedral ruins to cover themselves as they sought health and armour.

Daniel had worked his way up into the spire, and was now in a situation for sniping. He flew up the wooden stairs towards the top. The spire was mainly intact but ragged holes in the wall exposed his passage fleetingly. A purple rail-trail appeared before him and a second later, the distant sound of weapon discharge floated through the ether. He was spotted, but fairly safe for the time being.

Judging the location of the Bot from the angle of the rail trail, Daniel knew it was outside the Cathedral, around the west wing. He stopped running as a small jagged hole burst open in the wall on the next flight of steps. He stole a brief glance through the hole, jerking his head back as if hit. Almost as soon as he jerked back, another rail trail appeared through the hole, and the wall behind him fell apart under the impact. Another distant sound of the Railgun followed. Daniel triangulated the position mentally and poked his gun through the crack without looking. He squeezed off the shot and was rewarded by an electric crackling sound. The hundred metre snap shot had been successful, it had taken the Bot in the chest.

He switched weapons to grenade launcher and dropped a grenade at his feet. It bounced to a stop whilst Daniel switched weapons again. Out of his backpack squeezed the largest weapon in his arsenal. The Rocket Launcher was in his hands as the grenade ticked down to detonation. Another Slug tore through the wall beside him, demolishing his cover as the wall disintegrated. Daniel pointed the Rocket Launcher at the grenade and pressed the trigger.

From below, the Bot waited for the next Slug to load. It had created a perfect shot, his enemy clearly visible. Instead, it witnessed a blossoming explosion from beneath the human. It lifted the Rail and fired as Daniel flew out of the damaged spire-top. The Slug went through Daniel’s foot.

The sound of rushing air and a jolt of damage from his foot did nothing to detract from Daniel’s concentration. He switched weapons again and pulled out the Lightning Gun as he soared into the orange sky. A stream of jagged electricity fizzed and crackled towards the ground as his body started to respond to gravity. The Bot came into range quickly as his descent increased. It moved around in circles, as the lightning licked around its claws.

The second Rail shot was even more accurate. Daniel exploded mid-air. The lightning stopped abruptly, and a rain of blood fell gently onto the black, armour-clad victor.
For an instant, Daniel could view his falling entrails as he froze at the point of death, then his vision failed. In the blink of an eye, the map came back to life.

Daniel’s re-spawn was silent, but unfortunate. He appeared fifty metres away in direct line of fire. The Slug sent his body flying backwards, and the burst of speed he attempted was redirected violently. Daniel tried to run for cover, but the Deity-Bot finished off his retreating form with its Machinegun.
The score stood at 2-2. He respawned into a dark place this time and knew he was standing in the Prayer room. Streams of light from the only way out illuminated a blue orb. The Mega Health floated above the ground, rising and falling gently. Normally he steered clear of the Mega Health on this map. The location of the room was too easily covered. He had often let duellists go into the Prayer Room and then exploded the place with rockets. But he was here, and he couldn’t guarantee his exit would be trouble-free. He switched to Rockets and walked around the back of the mega-health. Using the flick technique, known as strafe-jumping, Daniel hit the Mega at speed. It emitted an annoyingly cute alert as he did this, but Daniel was through the doorway before it had finished.

As soon as he was in the open, he performed a rocket jump at speed. The mushrooming explosion propelled him upwards and across the Nave at phenomenal speed. In an instant he had landed on the second level and was crouching behind a statue depicting a Knight.

The tactic wasn’t new, and wouldn’t have tricked even an average player, but the spawn from within the Prayer Room had given him the element of surprise. The Deity-Bot whipped round to see Daniel landing like a cat. Then he disappeared behind the human statue.

Three minutes of intense hide and seek yielded little for either duellist. Their caution was typically pro. Neither was prepared to submit to the enemy, and both had the ability in them to win. The Bot, programmed to emulate $p|dey, was first to become more aggressive. It punted grenades into where it understood Daniel to be, then switched to Rocket Launcher and charged.

Daniel was very fortunate about his weapon selection. The Rocket Launcher was in his hands when grenades started dropping onto the floor around him. He heard the charge and flicked round the pillar he was hiding behind. The Bot was almost upon him as they fired their rockets. Both hit the floor, as was intended. The duellists jumped in perfect synchronisation. Both of them caught the rocket blasts perfectly. As they slipped away from each other through the air, two more rockets were launched.

The Bot’s rocket roared past Daniels head, missing him by millimetres. His own rocket caught the Bot perfectly in mid-air. It continued to fly backwards, passing through the Nave, transformed into a smoking fireball. The duel ended as the flames licked the broken Bot. He had won.

Daniel reached up to his face and pulled off his visor. The world of violence was replaced with his large basement room. The device he held in his hands was similar to a keyboard, crafted into the shape of a Shotgun. Buttons were positioned around both grip points, on the stock and the barrel. He slotted it into a holster within the Pod. Stepping out of the Pod he reached for a towel poking out of his sports bag.

“Messages?” He requested. The small subcutaneous device behind his left ear reeled off 2 messages into his head.
“You have a message from Gwyn and one from Neil.” The sensual female voice purred at him. Daniel’s left ear received this information and relayed it to his brain.
“Call Gwyn” He instructed. He pulled a pair of tech-specs out of a pocket on his Combats. Putting them on, he gazed at an image the size of a cinema screen.

“Daniel! You’re late. The interview is in fifty minutes!” Gwyn looked nervous rather than annoyed. He couldn’t help notice she was looking gorgeous, and wore the necklace he’d bought her for Christmas.

“Hi Sweet. Nice to see you too!” He winked at the image in his specs. The camera on his Laptop (in the corner of the room) tracked his movements around the gadget strewn basement but the wink was obscured by his specs..
“Get your arse over here Daniel” She wasn’t amused. Daniel knew when to mess about with her and when to kick his arse into gear.

“Be there in fifteen minutes Sweet. Don’t get stressed, I’ll be there!”

“You’d better be Daniel Matthews” She blew him a kiss and shut her connection off.

“Shit! Oh shit oh shit oh shit!” Daniel tore up the wooden stairs and into his living room. Five minutes later, suited and booted, smelling of sprays and aftershave, he sprinted for his Ducati on the sunlit drive. Kentish countryside soon turned into a blur as the Ducati picked up speed. His interview with the BBC began in 45 minutes.


copyright richard elliott 2002