GoTWiC [AoH] S5R8 "Leader?"

Ana had planned to skip this round at the Arena. She was coming off a long string of victories from the previous season, which had been her most successful to date. However, what kept bringing her back was that quiet, almost painful need to feel alive again, that fleeting moment between life and defeat that could only be found in the Arena of Honor. The air inside the Arena was heavy and tense, as if it were bracing itself for what was to come.

The arena was also buzzing that day. All around her, teams were gathering, experienced, synchronized, and ready. She was alone, just like so many times before. She knew that everyone else had already found their allies and their small communities. It was her fault for not finding a permanent team. She had played with Stanko a few times, but that wasn't a long-term solution. She had also played a couple of times with players from alliances, but they had their own teams, and she didn't want to be anyone's backup. But right at that moment, just as she was wondering if she should even sign up, a message arrived. It was from House Targeryan.

"Ana, I heard you're looking for a team. We need someone with your skills and a strong cavalry. “Will you join us on the march to Glory?” asked Mayhem. He was a very good friend of hers, and she had even played Arena with him a few times. She didn't think much about it. She didn't have a choice anyway, so she agreed.

Soon after, she met her teammates. Although they were from a smaller alliance, Ana immediately took command, knowing that without a clear plan, they wouldn't survive the first ten minutes. In the house was also a very strong peasant, JOKER, but as a woman, Ana was given the role of leader. Ana saw the other opponents and wasn't exactly thrilled. House Lannister, led by a strong opponent from the WWW alliance, EyTargeryan, was perhaps the strongest player in the arena.

They were mostly archers, so they were definitely going to be very troublesome. The Stark house was made up of the FVM alliance, but Ana didn't know them, though that certainly didn't mean she underestimated them.

His team decided to move toward the camps, but tactically, waiting for the opponent's first move. The Lannisters immediately charged the trading outposts, while the Starks, like us, waited. That silence was the most dangerous part.

“They're waiting for us to make the first move. I knew it,” JOKER muttered.

Since the towers were occupied by infantry, a crucial decision was made: we would work on the cavalry camps. This was an ideal task for Ana, as she was a cavalryman, but as the strongest player of that type, she couldn't join our Clan. 

However, as a weaker opponent entered, she had to constantly make sure we didn't lose the Clan. Everyone sent their troops to finish the camps as quickly as possible. Although Ana was skeptical at the beginning of this match when she saw the opponents, they got off to a really great start because they managed to capture both neighboring clans. This was a great opportunity to get a large number of points, but we needed the trading posts. “Whoever can, send troops to the neighboring strongholds to make trading posts. We need the points!” Ana pleaded with the team. But it seems no one was listening to her or didn't believe in the plan. Ana was already disappointed, but she didn't have time for an argument now because the battle had just begun.

The first Altars appeared. We had to attack as many Strangers as possible to speed things up. The attack on even three Strangers was fierce. Ana attacked the one closest to us, while Joker said to attack the neighboring one, because there was a greater chance it would be the enemy's target. They would need as many Altars as possible, so she ordered the others to send all available troops to the Stranger to protect them from enemy attacks. Fortunately, only one attacked, and we managed to secure two.

Still, she remained cautious. The first Altars weren't as important as the later ones; perhaps the others had intentionally allowed us to capture them. Ana thought...

Ana again ordered them to focus on the trading posts in neighboring clans, but it was in vain. At that moment, we had the advantage over our opponents, and that was the most important thing at the time. But the battles for the key fortresses are just beginning.

The Dragon Pits were coming, and Ana saw it as a chance to increase our points, using the same strategy as last time. Joker attacked the one closer to the Starks, while Ana attacked ours. However, the opponents started attacking Joker. He immediately asked for backup, but the enemies started launching solo attacks. They weren't very strong opponents, but there were a lot of them, and it was hard to defend against them.

Fortunately, reinforcements arrived in time, and Joker managed to hold the Dragonpit and the bonus points. We held almost all the important buildings, which was the most important thing. But the Glory was just arriving! Ana knew there was no way to defend it anymore and was instead ordering everyone to send their infantry to Joker, who would immediately attempt an attack.

“The Glory has arrived!” someone shouted, but Ana already knew. They were in the enemy's sights, waiting for that millisecond when they could break in and capture it. Joker was the fastest! “Excellent! Just as planned!” Ana said. But this was only the beginning of hell. The enemies were coming from all sides.

These weren't chaotic attacks, but coordinated strikes by the Starks and the Lannisters.

“Now, quickly, everyone send the troops!” Ana shouted to her teammates, even though she knew they were already on their way. They only had to hold out for a few more minutes. Glory had to remain theirs to secure first place. Although they had a huge advantage even if they didn't capture Glory, Ana wanted to go all the way. She didn't want to take any risks and enter an uncertain finale.

“We have to keep getting stronger! Don't let them drain our castle!” Ana's voice echoed. Attacks were coming from both sides at the exact same time. Ana was very nervous; if we could hold the defense, it meant we were winning the Glory. 

Now she wasn't thinking about points or first place anymore. Now she wanted only one thing, to survive this attack. She was constantly asking the players to check their troops and send new ones if they didn't have enough in Glory. The closer the army got to Glory, the more tense the situation became. Ana had completely forgotten that they were the ones with the big advantage and that even without Glory they would probably win. But for her, every castle was a new challenge she wanted to conquer. The attacks would come at the exact same time, and they wouldn't have time to send new troops between them. One after another, they struck. 

The castle shook under the barrage of attacks, and the number of troops inside began to drop sharply. With all the dust that was kicked up, no one could see who was in the castle. 

For a few seconds, no one said anything. Then the voice chat exploded with shouts and laughter.

“We did it!”

“We defended Glory!”

“First place is ours!”

It seemed the Tageryans had the strongest player in the Arena, but Joker defended brilliantly, mainly because he had good support from his teammates.

“I knew it! I knew we could do it!” Ana exclaimed joyfully. Now she could breathe a sigh of relief. 

Adrenaline was coursing through her entire body. It was moments like these that always made her come back to the Arena. That feeling when everything is on the brink of defeat, and then you survive with one final blow. Although there was still plenty of time, they had almost everything. Holding almost all the important buildings, no one could catch them, and they were the new winners in the arena. Ana was overjoyed. She didn't expect they could win, especially after seeing the opponents and leading a team she hadn't played with in a long time. Although there were doubts at first when the players didn't listen to her and sent troops to trading posts, by capturing key buildings, first and foremost thanks to JOKER, they managed to stay in first place. Everyone was chanting her name, but Ana knew it was a team effort. They asked her to continue playing with them in the upcoming matches, to which she smiled and said, “Only if you'll send troops to the trading post.”