“To be continued,” Mason said, devouring Becky and Rosa's sweat covered, amazing bodies one last time with his eyes. Then he stepped out into the grass and trees, and turned his mind to the settlement.
As Mason crossed the settlement towards the chief’s hall, he realized he had no idea what he was going to do if Blake wanted to be patron.
The reality was, very few people living there wanted that, and Mason had no interest in forcing them to accept it. If it came down to a conflict between Blake and Nassau, then Mason decided he would just take his brother, and his women, and leave the settlement to its fate.
Except…he wasn’t sure he could do that, either.
Would he just leave Carl and all the girls from sanctuary to whatever end? Leave Alex and Phuong and the other players who’d trusted him, who’d risked their lives for him?
No, he realized. He wouldn’t. The thought struck him like a slap across the face.
That meant he had to convince Blake to stay without being patron. He had to re-assure everyone he wouldn’t use his mind powers on the players or civilians. Ever. How the hell they proved such a thing Mason had no damn clue.
He stepped out to the final path that led to the chief’s hall lost in thought, and decided now was as a good a time as any to do his level. An enhancement and a tier upgrade were certainly no joke, if not quite as exciting as a new power.
He’d given himself time to think, but the tier upgrade was actually very easy. Duality of Strength was upgraded but still tier one. It wasn’t as ‘vital’ to every fight as some of his other powers, but he knew now it made him more powerful in a way that was hard to describe and define. With enough time, Mason was pretty sure Duality of Strength made him practically unstoppable.
Unless his enemy could either shut it down, kill him quickly, or in some other way avoid triggering his Transformation and Duality, they were in for a whole heap of disappointment.
[Tier 1: Duality of Strength===> Tier 2: Duality of Strength. Increased speed and variables.]
He wasn’t exactly sure what it meant by ‘variables’, but he was guessing it would trigger in even more situations. With a grin he tried to Enhance Wyrdwalking and found out it wasn’t eligible. That was a bit strange but he supposed Apex Predator wasn’t either.
After a little internal debate between offense or defense, he finally settled on Aspect of the Cheetah. He’d left it all this time because he was worried his perception wasn’t keeping up to his speed, but his stats were getting higher and higher and he could likely handle it now.
The power flared as he picked it, promising a boost to both the passive and active speed of the power. He grinned, and pulled up his profile to take a look.
Mason Nimitz
Level: 18
Primary Class: Ranger (tier 2)
Secondary Class: Feral Druid
Prestige Class: Avatar of Cerebus
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Strength: 24
Dexterity: 27
Vitality: 26
Intellect: 14
Will: 20
Presence: 16
Luck: 9
Essences: Essence of the Wolf.
Druid Blessings: Blessing of Gaia. Blessing of Echtra.
Titles: Killer, Early Lead, Soloist, Crazy like a Fox, Burnt the Boats, Patron, Progenitor, Hit the Ground Running, First Blood, Defender, The Prestige, Tiering it up, Phase Jumper, Front Runner, What Is Dead May Never Die, Poison Shmoison, Baron, Post-Secondary, Bold Strategy, Shepherd of the Great Forest
Powers: Power Shot, Crippling Strike+, Transformation++(T2), Predator’s Strike, *Nature Affinity, Ranger’s Claws(T2), Endless Quiver+, Trapmaking, Aspect of the Cheetah+, Ranger’s Mark, Duality of Strength+(T2), Shapeshifting, Fang Brother, Wyrdwalking
As usual he was struck at how things had changed, and how drastically the ‘game’ affected him in the real world. He still felt like ‘him’, but both the mental and physical changes of his powers and experiences had altered him in ways he knew were permanent. And he knew it would be the same for everyone.
He wandered Nassau lost in his thoughts. A lot of people were still out there, the talks apparently going on so long people had set out chairs and started a barbeque.
Haley saw him first, and gave the smile that was just for him. He returned it, and she gestured him forward with a finger gesture he’d rather have seen her use towards their bed.
“There he is!” Blake stood and a good twenty pairs of eyes glued to Mason.
He matched a few and nodded to Blake, trying to appear perfectly calm as he approached.
“How many dead and wounded?” he asked, turning his attention to Carl.
“Two dead, both civilian. A lot of wounded.” Carl winced, his expression heavy. “I asked everyone to man the walls. That was why…they were fighting up there.”
Mason walked to the older man and put a hand on his shoulder. “You did good, Carl. It’s not your fault.” He raised his voice so everyone could hear. “You all did. You fought for our homes, for the people we love, and you won. I’m impressed, and I’m proud.”
He saw a few smiles, even a few glistening eyes.
“Where the hell did those things come from? Why did they attack us?” shouted one of the craftsman Mason didn’t know.
He saw more than a few suspicious glares turn towards Blake, which certainly wasn’t fair, and also not a very good sign.
“They came from the mountains to the North,” he said, his tone getting harsher without effort. “They won’t be the last creatures that threaten us. But I promise you, it will be the very last time for those goblins. For now, though, it’s over. We’re safe. We’ll re-build the walls and put more effort into defense.”
Mason was afraid they’d all start complaining, that they’d say it was his fault for always being gone, for stirring up trouble outside the settlement. Hank the fisherman came forward and stuck out his hand.
“Thanks, son, for keeping us safe.”
Mason was so surprised he paused, but then took it and shook, choking back a little emotion. He nodded rather than speak, and the gathered civilians went around thanking and shaking the hands of the players and the civilians who’d stood on the walls.
Most people looked dirty or tired, but in far higher spirits than Mason expected. They looked relieved, but also proud. Most soon walked back towards their houses or Billy’s pub, but many lingered and talked about the battle as if re-living it.
“Shit,” Mason put a hand to his face. “The civilians in the forest. Did Phuong and Seamus…”
“They’ve already arrived safely,” Haley said, coming closer until Mason pulled her in for a hug. “Welcome home,” she added quietly, putting her forehead to Mason’s cheek. Then she gave him a subtle sniff, and raised a conspiratorial eyebrow before giving him some space.
It was clear the remaining players and civilian leaders were all waiting to see how Mason and Blake would interact. Mason looked in his brother’s eyes, seeing the same impish twinkle he’d known and loved since he was a boy.
“Well, come here, idiot.”
Blake grinned and hugged him, then made a slight groan of pain until Mason eased off.
“You have very good timing,” Mason said, putting a little skepticism in his voice.
“Maybe I was just waiting in the forest. For the opportune moment.” Blake grinned.
“Like you’d spend one hour longer than you had to in a forest.”
Blake laughed like no one was watching. He was a bit pale and dirty, but he looked healthy. There was some kind of amulet around his neck, and he had a floating sphere over one shoulder. Mason looked at it then met his eyes.
“I have a lot of questions.”
“So does everyone else, it seems,” Blake sniffed and shrugged. “I’ve been resisting answering them until you arrived.” He inspected Mason with the same look Haley had, and no doubt the annoying bastard knew what he’d been up to. “These fine folks have been extremely patient.”
Mason cleared his throat, then put an arm around Blake’s shoulders.
“Let’s go get a drink.”