> This is absolutely incredible. Every single attack has slipped past the Celestial's defences and hit.
>
> Viewers, I would like to remind you that the advertising segments on the Abidden Raid broadcasts are not my decision. Please don't shoot the messenger.
#Penta-Price's voice snapped through the broadcast at high speed. He barely took a breath before diving straight back in to the show. Anyone listening to him could tell that he was excited.
> This is my first time seeing all these attacks and abilities, so I can't give you an in-depth analysis just yet. We can track all of that in my evening show... where we're going to have a LOT to talk about. Right now, you're going to just have to settle for the play-by-play! When I have more information on this new Dread Pirate class, you'll be the first to know. I think I've sent Quentin Bell about five hundred pings and messages for the Dread Pirate data! So viewers, are we ready to jump back in? I think it's time to jump back in.
>
> Wolfsbane has turned into a Werewolf, and I can't be the only one kicking themselves for not seeing it coming with that name? Then again, we only had like two minutes of an intro to literally all of this. Have I mentioned how last-minute this is? I'm still in my goddamn nightgown. Speaking of the night, we have a vampire! A completely new race in the game, and there's an absolute boat load of lore relating to them that looks exciting! A Vampire God, called Dervius, who has chosen our new favourite Villain, James, as his follower. What does this mean for the new Vampire lady and the Dread Pirate? Will there be an alliance or will they cross swords? I can see some people shipping them already in the comments. Just going by the clips myself, I'm afraid I'm #TeamShari... or can I even say #TeamOtto?
A series of comments washed through the chat at a speed #Penta-Price had never witnessed. He had to keep the feed slowed so that he could read them.
> A Legendary Quest to kill a Void Kraken, take over the Tempest, defeat a Werewolf Captain and his Storm Mage Vampire aide... All of this, as a new player in Abidden! Topping all of that off, he even gets ambushed by a rival! The Legendary Hero, Jageranimus!
>
> Viewers, I can't be the only one wondering what's going through the Dread Pirate's mind right now!
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James gritted his teeth as he tightened his grip on the Charlatan's Cutlass. A Werewolf and a Vampire were now his opponents, and Jageranimus was still alive.
The ear-piercing shrieks that echoed out across the Dread Lake showed that the Void Kraken had yet to be killed, too.
He glanced at the notification at the corner of his vision to check the status of the Void Kraken.
The Void Kraken has lost 95% of its health.
Whatever momentum the Guardians of the Dread Lake had built up in their attacks had since disappeared.
Added to that, the crew of the Tempest were watching him warily, with their swords and nets raised at the ready.
James took a breath as he looked at his team. None of his predictions with Jackal were of any use to him, and the clutches of anxiety were fast approaching him.
There was no way that the game would throw him into a situation that was unwinnable.
He just needed to find out what the best strategy would be to get them back on the path to victory.
Pedro's voice interrupted the Dread Pirate's thoughts, his excited tone a welcome change from the growing uncertainty that was building up in James.
"Why are we just standing here? Has nobody fought a Werewolf before?"
The question snapped James out of his own thoughts.
"You've fought a Werewolf?!"
James could only ask in a dumbfounded voice which resulted in the Butcher revealing a wild grin.
"I'd have been a pretty terrible Slaver if I couldn't even capture a Werewolf. There was an outrageous demand for exotics like him. I've never caught a Vampire though..."
Pedro stretched his arms and made a few wild gestures, as though he were testing his own flexibility.
James was still staring at the Butcher with a genuine smile on his face. He couldn't believe what he was hearing, and asked the first obvious question that came to mind.
"Do you think you can capture him?"
Instead of answering, the Butcher unclasped the wrist guards of his gauntlets. James watched as he seamlessly configured them into a pair of makeshift shackles bound by the chain he wore at his side.
Pedro finally turned to the Dread Pirate with his trademark grin.
"I can."
The certainty in Pedro's voice was reassuring, which added to James' resolve.
Shari's voice sounded out from behind them, her ethereal form solidifying as she walked out of the shadows, her knife gesturing at Jorgen.
"One last attack will kill him."
Without hesitation, James whipped up his arm and fired the Moonlight Pistol at the Hero.
"Crackshot!"
The glowing beam of light arced through the night air and struck Jageranimus in the neck before Wolfsbane's clawed hand could land the final blow.
An eruption of red and gold light washed over the deck, accompanied by an aggravated roar from Jorgen.
You have defeated the Legendary Hero, Jageranimus.
The Prime Evil has taken notice of you.
The Infamy of the Dread Pirate has spread across Abidden.
Notifications flashed in front of James' eye, which gave him a small sense of relief.
"That's one off the list."
He muttered as he dismissed the notifications that streamed through. Some were telling him how he had lost reputation with Celestial factions, while another gave him a battle report from the fight with Jageranimus.
Two particular pop-ups caught his attention before he dismissed them. They had a different border that James had never seen before.
The Moonlight Pistol is eligible for an Upgrade.
The Aimpatch is eligible for an Upgrade.
James had been curious about the rewards for beating a Legendary Hero. He didn't really know what to expect.
A part of him thought a gigantic pile of gold would just fall out of thin air, or maybe a weapon or piece of armour would land on the deck.
Reputation gains with the Gods and the many factions across Abidden were cool, but he had been hoping for something a little more useful for the fights to come.
Heirloom Upgrades was a very welcome reward, and James wasted no time in activating them.
Upgrade Heirlooms
You cannot upgrade your Heirloom items right now.
He wanted to sigh in defeat, but he knew in the back of his head that there was no way the system was going to make this easier on him. It was a Legendary Quest after all.
Pedro's voice sounded out once again, this time in confusion.
"I don't mean to distract you from looking off into the distance, but there's a furious Werewolf rushing us..."
James dismissed all the remaining notifications as he turned to regard the terrifying Captain of the Tempest. The transformation had shredded and tattered Wolfsbane's once elegant greatcloak. It now hung over his hunched shoulders, fluttering as he advanced.
Before James could react, Pedro burst forward to intercept the Captain with his arms raised protectively. That action proved wise as Wolfsbane slashed his left arm forward at Pedro's face.
The speed of his movements was dramatically faster than before, and the added range of his longer limbs made him a more terrifying opponent than any James had faced so far.
Pedro's grunt of annoyance showed that Wolfsbane was also packing power behind his attacks.
James' grip tightened on his sword and pistol as he glanced across the deck to where the assembled crew were looking at each other uneasily.
"Dread Faction!"
James roared into the night.
"I have killed the Legendary Hero, Jageranimus!"
Both crews looked at James as he spoke, their attention being drawn away from the fearsome battle between Pedro and Wolfsbane.
"Captain Wolfsbane has lost his sanity. We need to work together to defeat the Void Kraken!"
Roguish Charm (Failed)
- The crew of the Tempest are loyal to Captain Wolfsbane, and won't sway with your words or theatrics.
"Fuck it. Kill them all!"
James moaned as he abandoned that bright idea. It had definitely been worth a try.
Command (Success)
- Your recent battle inspired The Dread Faction!
- Crew morale is at maximum.
The Dread Faction redoubled their efforts and launched into battle with the crew of the Tempest. They displayed a chilling ferocity and efficiency as they dealt out death and carnage.
In the seconds that James had turned to try his brief speech, the Werewolf had pushed back Pedro, who could only defend against the flurry of attacks.
"Sylvian?"
Shari's voice was eager as she asked for permission to fight. The morale boost was clearly influencing her, too.
James gave the order as he took a steadying breath.
"Target openings created by myself, Pedro and Aos Si."
At the mention of his name, Aos Si gave James a sideward glance as if he too wanted permission to get started.
James gave him a curt nod as he gestured at the Storm Mage, who was curiously standing by and watching the fight.
When Shari disappeared and Aos Si glided upward into the air, James steeled himself for the fight that he wasn't sure he could win, but knew he had to.
----------------------------------------
> You'll be happy to know that we've just gotten the stats over from Abidden CEO, Quentin Bell! We can finally reveal all the abilities and equipment of the newly revealed Wildcard, James Sylvester! We're getting an exclusive look under the hood and will finally make sense of the Dread Pirate's skills, bonuses, and quests!
>
> Now, I know what you're thinking! #Penta-Price, how could you possibly narrate everything that's happening throughout the battle while giving us all of that incredible information? Well, there's a simple answer to that.
>
> I'm pretty fantastic.
>
> Back to the fight now, and we can see that the Void Kraken has entered its final phases. I can see on the screen that it has already lost ninety-five percent of its health, which can only mean that this legendary creature is in its dying throes. It would amaze you at how many requests are appearing on my screen to ignore the fight on the Tempest and to just focus on little Otto for the rest of the broadcast. Let's see how the little guy is doing!
>
> If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
#Penta-Price tapped his interface to zoom in on the tiny yellow octopus that was valiantly holding onto the eye of the Void Kraken. Each time the legendary creature would try to shake him off, he would teleport and reappear in the same location.
An explosion of wood at the edge of the maelstrom caused the shoutcaster to pull the view back from Otto to focus on the Guardians of the Dread Lake.
> We saw a clip earlier of the Dread Pirate in the Labyrinth of Souls, which was a graveyard of ships protected by the Void Kraken and the other Guardians of the Dread Lake. From what we've pieced together and from the information sent in by our viewers, we can tell that the Dread Pirate could pick one of twelve ships to complete his class quest. The Bonecrusher was one of those options and it looks like it's just received the last hit by the Void Kraken. I know I'm not alone when I say that we want to find out more about those captains and crews. Captain Rea and the Amazons of the Bonecrusher are likely at the bottom of the Dread Lake now to join the already destroyed Domina ship and the Dardanelle. The Guardians are pulling back from the Void Kraken, which seems to be sensible. Its attacks are heavier and faster now.
>
> Otto isn't retreating! And boy, do I have an exclusive for all of you! As you all know, the Nemesis system that was introduced by Quentin, which was later renamed to the Vendetta system... Well, whatever it's called. It allows the NPCs and monsters in Abidden to level up too! They can complete quests and have their own motivations, which leads me back to our boy, Otto. He's currently on his class quest, and get this... The Void Kraken is Otto's mother!
The chat exploded at the revelation, with an outpouring of support from the viewers for the tiny yellow octopus.
> Just a quick piece, Quentin, if you're watching the stream. We want some Otto merch!
>
> The Windshear is next to be destroyed! Its Guardian was Maris the Siren, who is back in the water. Looks like she's making her way towards the Tempest! We'll need to monitor that one. She already tried to kill James at their first and second meeting. Can we trust her? What do we think? Let me know in the comments.
#Penta-Price activated several quick-timer events for the viewers to interact with. He had already asked them for their favourite ships, their favourite Dread Pirate companion and now he wanted to see check their opinion on the Siren. What he couldn't get his head around was the number of viewers and engagement on the channel. A Wildcard was indeed a big draw, and having the anticipated fight between the Celestial Crusader and the Dread Pirate had been great publicity, but the numbers still made little sense.
> Well, I've no idea if I should trust any of you. Looks like you're all on #TeamMaris. Not the first time I'm wrong. I thought you'd all pick Pedro earlier... but Shari was the favourite! All of you believe that Captain Lacosta of the Viscera Retorta ship will survive. Would the fact that there is an acid-spewing Hydra latched to the ship have anything to do with that? I'm not going to lie, I'd have loved to see the Dread Pirate fight the Hydra... but I guess we'll just have to settle for a fight with a Werewolf and a Vampire!
>
> Ah, looks like we're down to the last percentage point of health for the Void Kraken! What's going to happen? Will it be Lacosta with her alchemical cannons? Móguǐ Chuán? I definitely didn't pronounce that one right, but you know the one I'm talking about... the black ship with the flame throwers! Maybe it will be-
With a jump to his feet in the studio, the shoutcaster roared with delight and surprise on the stream.
> OTTO GOT THE LAST HIT!
>
> THE VOID KRAKEN IS DEAD!
The little Void Demon had stolen the last hit away from the Guardians of the Dread Lake. The effects were instantaneous and dramatic.
> Looks like the maelstrom is slowing down! The remaining Guardians and their Ships are moving towards the break in the wall that Jorgen made earlier. Wonder what that will spell for the future? Are they going to be allies of the Dread Pirate or future foes? I guess time will tell! Let me know what you think in the comment section below.
>
> I mentioned to you earlier that we now have access to the list of abilities, skills, equipment and quests that the Dread Pirate has. We're going to look at that stuff now, and go through what we know so far.
>
> This is a Legendary Class Quest. We have seen no one attempt this before, not even the Paragons.
>
> The Dread Pirate Sylvian is a Standard Rank at maximum level, twenty-five. He aligned with the Vampire God, Dervius, and received the Moonlight Pistol and the Aimpatch. His main abilities are movement-based, with no physical attack skills. He appears to be a ranged character, with a special attribute called 'Aim', but he carries a sword gifted to him by the Demon Goddess, Locke.
>
> He has a higher than average number of passive skills, which I'll just throw up on the screen below for those that want to see them.
Captain's Charm (Active)
- The Dread Pirate understands the feelings and emotions of the inhabitants of the Dread Lake, and can communicate with them.
Sailor's Legs (Active)
- The Dread Pirate keeps the same level of mobility as they would have on land.
Dread Sense (Active)
- The Dread Pirate is immune to the psychological effects of the Dread Lake.
Rogue Survival (Active)
- The Dread Pirate can breathe underwater and can sense when something in the Dread Lake wants to kill him.
Villainous Flair (Active)
- High Dexterity has caused their movements to flow in incredible and nightmarish ways. Will their Villainous Flair inspire or terrify their audience?
Roguish Charm (Active)
- The Dread Pirate's natural Charisma allows them to charm, sway and seduce their targets. Success results in targets having a higher opinion of them.
> Some of those are domain specific and are only relevant when the Dread Pirate is on the Dread Lake, but there are some interesting conclusions we can draw from it. There's a lot of charismatic influences in there, so the Dread Pirate might grow into a leadership or command style character? Would it be like the General of Light, where we have a player character commanding an army? What do we think... would you like to see a Dread Armada? It's not that much of a stretch when you consider that the Man O'War is a floating fortress style of ship. He could definitely have a modest army on a ship like that.
>
> Anyway, that's a thought for another time and we can go into the heavy analysis later in the show. Right now, we have the Dread Pirate squaring off against Captain Wolfsbane and the Storm Mage, Vetra. I will address the elephant in the room for everyone. We were told that Vampires were extinct, and yet... there is one standing on the ship right now? Does Dervius know? Is he going to join the battle to stop the Dread Pirate from killing her?
#Penta-Price glanced at the comments to see if anything of interest had come in and saw one of the most upvoted comments deliver an interesting theory.
> Oh! We have a theory on why Vetra has been standing off to one side and watching the fight. She's a Vampire and has an Honoured reputation with the Dread Pirate! She's probably unable to attack him because of the reputation bonuses he has! I don't know, maybe she's just watching to see what happens?
>
> You know, that nod that Wolfsbane gave her just before he transformed is pretty mysterious too.
>
> Back to the Dread Pirate, and since we're talking about Vampires... I should mention the Blessing of the Vampire God. I can't find it just now, but I'll share it later. The key information that you need to know is that Sylvian has unlimited ammo with his Moonlight Pistol, and that his movement speed gets a 25% improvement. There's also a bonus to his pistol damage, which brings it up to 50-72 damage per shot, with some percentage buffs based on the target's race. I don't think I need to explain how weak that is in the greater scheme of things. Jorgen Baw's character, Jageranimus, had nearly one hundred thousand health. I saw some comments saying that unlimited ammo is unfair...
>
> Well, maybe it is... if Jorgen stood still and allowed the Dread Pirate to shoot him over one thousand, three hundred and eighty-eight times. That's how many bullets it would take...
>
> I know, I hear you already... "What about attacking vitals and critical hits?"
>
> Yes, there are exceptions but the main takeaway is that the Blessing doesn't give the Dread Pirate that much of an advantage.
>
> That said, there is an advantage that our new Wildcard has that many other players haven't utilised yet. James Sylvester switched his movement to manual! Anyone that has been in a full-immersion rig can tell you how difficult that mode is!
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The cutlass whistled through the air and sliced under Wolfsbane's arm. If it even left a scratch, it would have been invisible in the depths of the matted fur that covered the Captain's body. Thoughts like that, James knew, would lead to doubts and anxiety. So he simply pushed the thoughts out of his mind and focused on the task at hand. His blade was like a blur as he slashed at every available opening that he could find. His arm whipped back and forth, which was made all the more terrifying because James was activating his movement skills every time they came off cooldown. He wanted to let himself get into a rhythm, but he knew it was too risky. So instead, he continued to vary his attacks by picking random positions to move to around the deck.
James wasn't sure if it was because of the teamwork stat being activated from his Command skill successes, or if it was just an ability of Pedro... but the Butcher matched all the Dread Pirate's erratic movements. Every blade attack was followed with a punch and kick combination from Pedro. His expression alternated between a wild grin and an aggravated grimace, usually when Wolfsbane's counter-attacks would slip through the Butcher's defences. It was hard to tell how long the fight had been going on, but James was steadily getting a better idea of the Werewolf's attack patterns. He knew from the fight with the Void Kraken that Legendary characters in the game had hidden trump cards. Just like Wolfsbane turned into a Werewolf, he could just as easily have a berserk mode if the conditions were met.
Sounds of crackling electricity echoed out from behind their fight, and James desperately wanted to look behind him to see what was happening. The only problem was that he literally had one eye, and it needed to be aimed at Wolfsbane, otherwise he could be killed in a single swipe. James trusted Shari and Aos Sí to deal with Vetra, but he was human, and he was incredibly curious.
He had received a host of notifications relating to the Void Kraken and Otto, but he didn't have the luxury of reading any of them. He just hoped that Otto would be okay, and was sure the little Void Demon would return to him when he could.
Just as Wolfsbane took a step forward, James activated his dash skill while diving forward on the ground. The skill turned his action into a power slide that took him under Wolfsbane. Wasting no time, James twisted his torso and arm to slash viciously behind himself as he travelled through, resulting in a very visible gash on the back of Wolfsbane's right knee. Unlike the previous attacks that seemed to bounce off the Captain's fur, this one caused him to stumble forward onto one knee, a howl of pain escaping his maw.
Pedro didn't even hesitate. His uppercut caught the Werewolf under the chin, made all the worse by Wolfsbane's fall. The released howl was cut as the fist made impact, turning into something more akin to an alarmed yelp. If there was a hidden rage contained in the Werewolf, that attack alone should have caused it to erupt.
James wasted no time in attacking the Captain from behind, hoping for a tactical bonus or some form of damage reward for his efforts. He could also glance across the deck for the briefest of moments, only to catch the gaze of Vetra, who was staring at him intently. What made that all the more terrifying was the fact that she was surrounded by fire, electricity, and assassins from the Dread Faction. Tendrils of lightning skewered up from glowing runes at her feet, each of them negating an incoming attack or paralysing a foe. James genuinely regretted looking, because it filled him with a severe sense of foreboding.
The agonised yelp from earlier had turned into a low growl, and James knew that Wolfsbane was rightfully pissed. The Dread Pirate forcibly turned his head away from the Storm Mage and returned his attention to the fight at hand. It was a good thing too, because it saved his life.
Wolfsbane's clawed hand swiped viciously at the Dread Pirate, but barely missed. James had instinctively activated his dodge skill the moment he saw the movement. Whilst it was scary enough to have a Werewolf stare you down, it was a completely unfamiliar sensation to be hunted by one. All the aggro that was aimed at Pedro had evaporated, and the Captain was now making James his sole target. Movement skills and parries were all James could do as Wolfsbane came at him like a force of nature. One terrifying thing that James didn't even consider was that Wolfsbane's jaws were weapons, too. He discovered that when the Captain leaned over a successful parry and tried to bite at the Dread Pirate.
Pedro released a salvo of opportunistic attacks, all aimed at the vital points on Wolfsbane's body... and James had to admit that the creature reacted to every one of them. It revealed to James that it wasn't following the usual protocols of attacking the highest damage dealer... it was targeting him for another reason.
Claw strike, another attempted bite, another set of swipes... all were unleashed on James relentlessly, and it took all of his concentration to evade and parry each of them. It was almost like a dance, made even more dramatic by including the skill, Villainous Flair. James dreaded watching the fight back because he just knew it would look ridiculous.
Suddenly, a sharp pain erupted at his waist. It wasn't an electrical attack, nor was it from Wolfsbane. Before James could even react, another pain erupted in his shoulder... this time, much worse.
Not wanting to be on the receiving end of another attack, James dodged backwards, but Wolfsbane kept distance by lunging forward and launching into another abrupt attack. A snarling, guttural growl accompanied the attack, as if he was trying to psychologically torment his prey before killing it.
"Sylvian! Your health is really low!"
Pedro's voice was uncharacteristically filled with concern, before his tone leapt back to mirth in a single breath.
"... Or maybe you're also a man that loves to live on the edge?!"
Without waiting for a reply, Pedro burst into a fit of laughter as he launched a vicious haymaker at the back of Wolfsbane's head.
"FORTUNA IS WITH US, YOU FLUFFLY BASTARD!"
Whatever Wolfsbane's next attack was going to be, James would never know. The Werewolf blasted forward from the impact of the punch, landing on all fours for the first time during the fight. With the Captain finally off the offensive, James could search for his hidden attacker. It took a fraction of a second for him to spy a group of the Tempest's Crew, with their pistols trained on him. Both of his movement skills were still on cooldown, and he was down to only a fraction of his health. Another two or three of the same attacks would likely kill him. Hell, a sliver of Vetra's lightning would kill him in one hit, or even a scratch from Wolfsbane. This was a Legendary fight, and James was ridiculously under levelled for it. It wasn't unwinnable, though. He just needed to be smarter and faster than his opponents.
James drew his Moonlight Pistol and extended his arm fully, while twisting his torso to the side. It extended his range slightly and reduced their target area.
He started to fire the Pistol, making sure to aim for each of their vitals, but to his surprise... the crewmen only staggered back from his attacks. Even when his bullets hit their necks and their eyes, it wasn't enough to defeat them. The fight in Rayth had lulled him into a false sense of security. The Moonlight Pistol was not as overpowered as he had once thought. Throughout his attacks, he watched each of them make their attacks. Thankfully, he could sidestep one or two of the attacks, and used his dash ability to get away from the third. Unfortunately, the fourth managed to hit him in the shoulder, which caused yet another eruption of pain in the Dread Pirate.
James didn't know why, but all of their attacks were aiming at his shoulder. Was it because he was carrying the Moonlight Pistol with that hand? Were they aiming for his heart, but his stance was covering it? He couldn't tell, but he knew their attacks were decimating his health. He wouldn't survive if he took another hit, and five of them were still on their feet, with their guns raised at him.
Whilst he was rapidly thinking of some form of solution or plan, one gunman took another shot at him. James panicked and activated his dodge backwards, which speed him up drastically and gave him another split second to think.
The Charlatan's Cutlass whipped up to cover the area that the gunmen kept attacking. It wasn't the smartest idea, but it was all James could think of.
A burst of sparks exploded in the air in front of James as his sword successfully blocked the bullet.
The Dread Pirate slid backward as the dodge ended.
A single notification hung in the air in front of him.
Charlatan's Cutlass: Skill Steal Complete