The current wave ended without incident. I marked the staging area on my map, and a waypoint arrow appeared in my vision.
We followed the trenches back, the way cleared after the dead bodies had dissolved into the mud. We ran past more than a few groups of players, but I tried to steer around them when we spotted them.
Thankfully, we didn’t run into Git or his crew - that was not a meeting I wanted to rehash.
When we arrived back at the front of the city, General Aldara was deep in conversation with his commanders. As we approached, he noticed us, and stepped away from the discussion.
“Sir Ray! I’ve just received word from the watchers. Your contribution to the defense of Hope’s End has saved the city! It’s not much, but please accept this humble gift from our city.”
A floating window appeared in my vision.
Objective Reward for Man Versus Beast 1. 50,000 gold 2. [Friendship] status with Hope’s End.
Bonus Objective Reward Choices for Man Versus Beast:
Option 1:
[Trinket] Talisman of the Scarlet Moon (Rare)
Base:
+5 all stats
Special Effect:
Moon’s Gaze
+5% movement speed under the moon.
Special Effect:
Moon’s Spite
5% chance on hit to hamper the target’s movement speed by 25% for 5 seconds. Only applies when the moon is visible. (Internal Cooldown: 15 seconds)
A rare talisman worn by the beast mages of the Scarlet Horde…you didn’t see those guys because you skipped the fourth wave, you overachiever you. But trust me - they were tough…anyways, this is their prized possession. Makes you faster, makes enemies slower.
Option 2:
[Glaive] Hope’s Edge (Rare)
Attack: 198 - 278
Attack Speed: 0.8/s (modified by strength)
Durability: 160/160
Req. Level: 48
Req. Str: 75
Req. Dex: 55
Range: 2 meters
Special Effect:
Scarlet Bleed
5% chance on hit to cause bleed to target (bleed scales with dex) for 10 seconds. Current bleed damage: 25 hp/s when moving. Only applies when the moon is visible. (Internal Cooldown: 45 seconds)
This badass murder-assist device shits on your current weapon…I mean, like really shits on it. Plus, it has a cool red aura that makes it look fuckin’ evil.
Pick this one! Pretty please!
Option 3:
[Shield] Aldara’s Defense (Rare)
Base:
+15 Endurance
+15 Vitality
Special Effect:
Aldara’s Resilience
+5% All Resistances under the moon.
+145 Physical Defense
+180 Bleed Resistance
+45 All Magical Resistance
Movement speed cannot be reduced below 85% under the moon.
Special Effect:
Homefield Advantage
+10% all damage while within the Hope’s End region.
+10% health while within the Hope’s End region.
It’s aight…It’s a shield. It’ll boost your defensive stats nicely, but it’s main benefit is region-locked. You ain’t gonna be here much longer, so I wouldn’t recommend this one.
I discounted the shield right away. Al’s description was right, I wasn’t going to be here long. Plus, it wasn’t conducive to how I had been fighting, and I didn’t have a good one-handed weapon to pair with it. The trinket was great - probably the best item if I were just going off the stats. But the glaive caught my eye immediately.
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“God damn, that’s sexy,” I said out loud.
Icalia chuckled next to me. “Get something good?”
I didn’t even think twice. In hindsight, I probably should have considered my options a little more carefully - but fuck it.
I immediately clicked on the glaive reward. I couldn’t equip it fast enough as I raced through my inventory to switch it with my poleaxe.
The long bladed-staff appeared in my hands. It was similar in size to my [Common] rarity poleaxe, but that was where the similarities ended.
A soft red light surrounded the 2 meter shaft like an aura, giving it a sinister cast. The staff itself was a deep black and a closer inspection showed wood-grain patterning that was almost invisible in the rich wood. The blade itself was nearly two feet, with a Damascus pattern through it that reflected the light from the red moon above.
“Ohhh,” Icalia said as I brandished my new weapon. “Pretty!”
I stepped away from Icalia and Aldara, and activated my weapon skill for the [Polearm] class of weapons. A ghostly haze emanated from me, and I followed the pattern with my blade, beginning a slow dance with the weapon. The ethereal form began to speed up, and I rushed to copy the movements. My weapon spun around me, cutting invisible foes in front, behind, and above. After a minute of getting used to the glaive, I turned off the weapon skill, gave a little flourish with the weapon, and sheathed it. Icalia politely applauded, while Aldara nodded in approval.
“Stop,” I said sheepishly. “You’re both just buttering me up for a good review.”
Icalia lightly punched me in the shoulder. “I’m already getting a good review,” she scolded, her eyes boring into me. Aldara, who hadn’t just spent over an hour with me, looked embarrassed at the break in character.
I turned to Icalia, keeping my face empty of emotion. “You’re not getting a good review,” I said casually. Her good-natured expression immediately dropped, her eyes tight. “You’re getting a great review!” I shouted, punching her back in the shoulder.
She staggered from the difference in strength, but I knew her pain reducers were working at least. A smile rekindled on her face. “You jackass,” she said with a laugh. “Don’t tease me like that!”
I noticed Aldara shifting uncomfortably. “Don’t worry, General. Good reviews for everyone involved!”
He pursed his lips tight, but I noticed a small smile slip through. “Your services in the defense of Hope’s End are greatly appreciated, Sir Ray. You are now considered a friend of the city, and as such, can come and go as you please using our portal system.” He looked back at his commanders who were still crouched over a series of maps on the table. “If it pleases you, I must get back to coordinating the defenses. The next wave of beasts are imminent.”
“Of course,” I said with a wave. “Cya!” Man, I was in a surprisingly good mood. I hadn’t felt this good in…I don’t know - a long damn time.
And I couldn’t really pinpoint what it was that had me feeling light as air. Maybe it was that I was finally starting to feel like I had my bearings. I had completed a major event with almost no proper gear to speak of. I’d accidentally killed those douche bags Git and Damien - a few times. Maybe it was the sick-ass glaive now strapped to my back. I couldn’t say, but I soaked in the feeling for a moment, like a warm bath after a hard day.
After Aldara left us, I turned to Icalia. “How about you? I’m assuming I can’t bring you out of Hope’s End?”
She shook her head. “No, unfortunately I’m tethered here. And my employment will end once the event timer hits zero.”
“Damn.”
She held up a finger. “You can, however, favorite Jailen and myself in your Actors tab. Whenever you employ mercenaries, it will try to use us to fill the roles - if we’re available. It allows players to build a rapport with their hires, and not have to retrain an actor every time they hire an NPC.”
My eyes went wide. “No fuckin’ way! How did I not know about this?”
She shrugged. “I’m guessing you didn’t play this game before…well, you know.” I nodded agreement. “Well, there you have it. And the mechanism doesn’t exist with Damsels - it would serve no purpose.”
“Well, shit, that’s awesome! Where’s the Actor tab, anyway? I haven’t seen that one.” I pulled up my menu and started combing through.
“It’s buried pretty deep,” she admitted. “Pull up your Character sheet.” I did so. “Now see that little icon in the bottom, labeled encounters? Click on that.”
“Okay.” I clicked it, and a running tally of all my interactions with NPC-actors filled my vision, all the way back to my first encounter with the barkeep back in Shadow Vale when I had met with Goldman and Holt. Holy shit, just thinking about that was crazy - it felt like months ago, but had really only been half a day.
I shook my head to clear my thoughts. The list before me read:
Character Role Actor Rating Favorite Icalia Elementalist Mercenary Played by [Denise M.] [Click to Review] [Click to Favorite] Aldara General of Hope’s End Played by [Ryan P.] [Click to Review] [Click to Favorite] Jailen Elementalist Mercenary Played by [Ken M.] [Click to Review] [Click to Favorite] Layla Commander of Hope’s End Played by [Ryan P.] [Click to Review] [Click to Favorite] ... ... ... ... ...
And the list went on. A couple things jumped out at me right away. Obviously, I was a little surprised to see the actors’ real names there. I guess my own customers had seen Rayshawn D., which I hadn’t realized. I also noted that Icalia and Jailen - or rather, Denise and Ken - shared the last name initial, which tracked with them being married. The actor names were clickable, and it showed all the interactions I had with that particular actor. And the final thing I noticed was that General Aldara and Commander Layla were played by the same actor. Layla had been the NPC that broke up Git and I just before the event had started.
I turned to Icalia with a little grin. “Thanks for the tip…Denise.”
She snorted. “Sure thing…Rayshawn.”
“That’s my name, baby. So, do you and your husband mind if I mark you as favorites? It sure would be nice to skip over the initial state of shock every time an actor sees my class.”
She shrugged, a mischievous look in her eye. “I don’t know,” she said. “Depends.”
My eyebrows raised. “Oh? On what?”
“On that great rating you promised,” she said with a laugh.
I laughed with her, but then spotted something over her shoulder that wiped the mirth from my face.
“Shhhiiittt.”
“What is it?” she asked, looking over her shoulder. Then she saw Git, Damien, and the two others in the distance. They had obviously given up on the event, and were walking towards the city with dejected looks on their faces. She turned back to me, shaking her head. “Don’t worry about them. I got this.”
“You got this?” I asked.
The corner of her lips perked up in a smirk. “I got this.”
She turned and started walking towards the four players.
“Hey there, boys!” she said cheerfully. As one, their eyes widened at her approach. I didn’t wait around to see what happened next. I was through the city gates and heading towards the portal to the faction capitol before they spotted me.