by Charles Dean
“I see. How exactly do the skills work?”
“Well, if a melee class thinks about doing a combat skill while completing the activation movement, it’ll activate the skill and create the effect. For example, it isn’t a class specific skill, but White-Wing dagger-wielders naturally get a skill called ‘Dive.’ All we have to do to activate the skill is think about diving and tightening the wings and just dive at the enemy of our choice. Then, instead of normal damage when we hit, it will give us a damage bonus based on our speed of impact. It works out well with the Lightfoot class because it’s the only skill we have that we can stack our speed with the impact of the skill and deal out practically four times our standard damage per blade. It’s almost always a one-shot kill on NPCs under our level.”
“Wow, and here I thought I was rigged.”
“Well, you still have to reach the enemy and manage to land the attack before he dodges or parries. So, as you saw during the battle, it's a lot more effective on low-level NPCs who don’t have built-in combat reactions than it is on players who are fighting for their lives. I think part of the reason the White-Wings didn’t crush the opposition before you even showed up was because they were cocky, arrogant and unprepared for any real defense. Their confidence was too high from clearing easy prey, and they didn’t know how to handle enemies that would actually fight back properly.”
“Yeah, I kind of got that feeling. A lot of them barely even moved, like they were in shock when I dodged one of their dives. I think I saw one guy’s mouth open in horror when I moved to the side and sliced him in half with his own momentum.”
“Ouch. Easy, boss. That might be me one day if I go against someone who is faster than I am,” Daniel said as he cringed. “I’ve only died once so far in this game, but it wasn’t an experience I want to repeat again, much less from being cleaved in half by a guy in his bathrobe.”
“Hey, this bathrobe is fashionable!” Darwin did his best to defend his choice of attire as he looked down at his now-treasured wardrobe.
“I have no doubt you believe that,” Daniel smirked. “Though, if I was going to go around in a real world outfit, I’d pick a tuxedo or something. Call me agent Moon, Moon Moon.”
“Dangit, Moon Moon,” Darwin played along with the meme.
“Of course, I’d make sure my tuxedo was nice. You wouldn’t want to go all Jackie Chan and end up with a bad tuxedo right before a fight.”
“Jackie Chan wore a tux?” Darwin had watched and loved almost every one of the action star’s movies, but he didn’t remember him ever dressing up before his fights.
“Oh, don’t you remember that one movie, The Tuxedo? Anyways, back to the earlier topic. Since you probably haven’t selected a skill tree yet, given you didn’t even know where the menu was, you should only see three descriptions of available specializations, right?”
“Ah, yeah. I don’t think I’m going to find much on the forums to help me there,” Darwin said as he brought back up the skill menu.
“Well, if you want, you can always come to me for help, but otherwise I’m going to leave you to it for a moment. Don’t want to cramp your style and have you accidently Forrest Gump the decision because your annoying new subordinate was talking your ear off during the selection process.”
“Thanks, and thanks for the gamer-friendly tutorial. I’m just glad no-one else got as detailed an explanation as I did about class combat and mix-and-match party boosting skills, or I might not have lived this long.”
“No problem. Even if they had been given those type of explanations, it’s likely that everyone still would have gone damage-only classes and skills. People are selfish, and while they understand the significant impact of cooperation and team-oriented combat, they still want to be that one damage-dealing guy who takes all the glory. It’s just like basketball or soccer: everyone wants to be the guy shooting the ball, and no one really remembers or watches the people who support him. Blame society, not the tutorial.”
“What about Valerie and Mclean?”
“They’re like me. Teamwork-oriented, but, then again, there is a reason the three of us got to Level 40 before almost every other White-Wing, and there is a reason we do so well together. Birds of a feather, you know.” Daniel gave a wry smile to go with the terrible pun.
“Yeah, I know. Anyways, thanks again for the help.”
“No problem. See you round, Boss. Also, you may want to remember and consider all this helpful advice I’ve given you when it comes time to talk about a raise, or at the least when it comes time to divvy up a dungeon’s spoils.” Daniel tipped an imaginary hat and turned to strut off down the deck, but he made it only a few paces before Valerie and Mclean showed up and stopped him where he could still be seen by Darwin. Darwin chuckled in amusement as Daniel's attempt at a suave exit came up short.
Alright, time to check out these skill trees, Darwin thought excitedly, getting back to business. He had done very well for himself--or at least he thought he had--without a skill tree, so he felt confident that an extra level of abilities and powers would only make his job that much easier. He was also excited because, as Daniel pointed out, it seemed like Level 30 or 40 was the big milestone for actually accessing anything besides the original Base Class skills.
When Darwin finally pulled up the ‘Skill Tree’ menu, he was greeted with two prompts right away filling him in on the different options.
Congratulations! You have become the Leader of a Faction with more than fifty members! Faction and Guild leaders that surpass the minimum population requirements are given a bonus skill tree on top of their chosen specialization skill tree based on their Class. As a Soul Knight, your bonus skill tree is: Dread Commander. Unlike normal specialization skill trees that will offer skill choices as you level up, this tree will only offer skill choices as your Faction or Guild grows more powerful. How powerful your Faction or Guild is will be based on its population, average Level, total resources, and amount of territory controlled.
Well, this is going to get a whole lot more complex than I imagined, Darwin thought as he read it to himself. He was good with numbers, but without a calculator on hand he was really hoping the game did all those calculations for him. Some games did, which left him hopeful that this one wouldn’t be any different, but others considered even DPS calculations something each person should figure out on their own--even though half the numbers were hidden and the player would have to bust out fraps and other tools just to find out simple things like attack speed. Wait, how would you even do that with a virtual reality game? Darwin suddenly became curious as to how third party applications would run on the type of console needed to operate this type of device. He had never downloaded a game or played an MMO without immediately looking at CURSE and other third party add-ons. Darwin then looked at the second prompt.
You have reached Level 40! You may now take on a specialization for your Job Class. There are three different specializations the Soul Knight can choose from:
Soul Fiend: A Soul Fiend feeds off the essence of souls harvested during battle. They are granted special skills and passive abilities that buff and enhance them during combat. The more enemies that are killed by a Soul Fiend during battle, the stronger the Soul Fiend will become. A Soul Fiend also receives a boost to the skills Soul Eater and Soul Collector.
Spirit Siphoner: A Spirit Siphoner specializes in stealing and manipulating the enemy’s spirit. This can take the form of draining an enemy’s life or even converting an enemy before a fatal blow has been dealt. A Spirit Siphoner also receives a boost to the skills Soul Sever and Soul Collector.
Blood Blade: A Blood Blade specializes in harnessing their life force and channeling it into offensive combat skills. A Blood Blade is given skills that sacrifice the user’s Health in order to deal single target or AoE Damage. The Blood Blade is also given the ability to harness and use blood as a weapon during combat.
This feels like a decision I shouldn’t rush into. It’s not like some sort of shot
gun wedding from the 1900s, Darwin thought as he looked over each one of the titles. Ugh, no real particulars or stats mentioned on any of the skills, he grumbled. He had come to expect it from the game. He had even been glad when the damage per hit notification system stopped working. It wasn’t that it wouldn’t have been helpful for others, but for him it was absolutely useless given he had no way of knowing how many hit points the enemies had.
As he looked through one skill after the other, Darwin could only become more and more confused as to what to do. There wasn’t really an augmentation skill to help him out like Daniel had taken, and he wasn’t sure he could always rely on there being a full party with him like Alex might be able to. Then again, there would likely be plenty of scenarios where just he and Kass would get stuck, and Kass already had spells that augmented his damage and speed.
The Soul Fiend buffs don’t seem to help anyone but me. Stack that fact with the buffs from Kass and others, and I probably shouldn’t go with Soul Fiend, so that leaves two choices, Darwin slowly puzzled the scenario out. Now, between the two remaining, I’ve got either Blood Blade or Spirit Siphoner. Quick Damage in a pinch can definitely be the difference between life and death, especially with how many hits these bosses are taking without an instant ‘I win’ button. But, not knowing how many hit points are needed to activate a skill and how much damage it will do, it’s kind of hard to commit to it. I guess the only real option left is Spirit Siphoner. In the worst case scenario, it will give me a crappy health steal I never have to use, Darwin finally decided as he reached his hand out at the non-tangible display out of habit.
Tiqpa, I pick the Spirit Siphoner, Darwin thought happily, eagerly waiting to see what skills he would get.
Due to your Race, selecting a specialization has been locked. You have been given the specialization: Soul Fiend.
You are now a Soul Knight with the Soul Fiend subclass. You have been granted the passive skill Hunger.
Darwin’s mouth dropped. What the--? Why would you taunt me like that? You offer me a choice and then take it away as soon as I make a decision! Why? Is this what would have happened if Neo had picked the blue pill instead? He wanted to get angry, and was about to, but then he saw the benefit of the Soul Fiend subclass and decided that he was actually rather happy it had been taken.
Your skills have been upgraded!
Soul Eater has turned into Soul Devourer - Temporarily consume all soul charges to fully restore hit points. Grants user +50% all stats for (Number of Souls * 5) seconds. This skill will automatically activate upon receiving a fatal blow. May only be used once per hour.
Soul Collector - This skill now allows the user to carry (Level + 10) souls.
That’s not exactly an ‘I win button!’ but it’s probably the closest thing I’ll get to one these days. Dang, now I’m really curious about what Soul Sever would have turned into.
Please choose between one of these abilities:
With a Cherry on Top! (Passive) - Each kill yields one additional soul charge and a 1% damage bonus (fades after 300 seconds out of combat).
Ever had an ice cream sundae without the cherry on top? Nope? Then why start now?
Broken Hearts Make Smaller Bites! (Passive) - Each kill of the opposite gender heals user for 25% of max health.
It’s not always good looks that leave a heart broken in two. Sometimes it’s just a well placed blade--which is perfect because the heart is much easier to chew in small pieces.
Darwin looked at the ‘opposite gender’ part of the ‘Broken hearts make smaller bites!’ skill, then at one of the turtle wolves and frowned. How would I even tell what the gender of most monsters are? Would I have to awkwardly check? Do most monsters even have a gender? Darwin sighed. If I was a girl, that skill would be pretty overpowered for large group combat, but as a guy I feel like it’s pretty useless.
Tiqpa, I pick ‘With a Cherry on Top!’ Darwin thought, causing the skill to glow for a minute while the other turned gray and then the two went to their respective places on a large tree that wasn’t visible earlier. Unlike the first choice, the one about which specialization he wanted to pick, he was actually rather confident that he made the right choice this time. As the abilities went to their place at the very bottom of the skill tree, he noticed that below them, already glowing like the ‘With a Cherry on Top!’ skill, was the passive ‘Hunger’ that had been mentioned earlier. While he couldn’t see it himself, he could feel from the blood rushing out of his face as he read the skill’s properties. He had somehow managed to grow even paler than before.
Hunger (Passive) - Hunger causes the Soul Fiend to lose 1 soul charge for every five minutes he is out of combat. If the Soul Fiend has no soul charges to be consumed, then the Soul Fiend will begin to lose hit points at a rate of 1% every hour. Magic, items and natural health regeneration can not restore hit points lost as a direct result of Hunger. Consumption of a soul charge will restore all hit points lost from Hunger. Fatal Damage received by Hunger will not trigger the activation of Soul Devourer.
“The belly is an ungrateful wretch, it never remembers past favors, it always wants more tomorrow.” - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
One percent per hour . . . that means, I have to kill something roughly once every four days or I’ll die, and the longer I stay out of combat, the harder my next fight will be. Darwin suddenly felt panicked. He had capped out his Soul Charges during the battle at the beach, but all fifty of those charges would only buy him four hours at most before his health started draining away from Hunger. Why did it make me take this specific specialization? What was the point of forcing this curse on me?
Kass:
As Kass stood in front of G.O.R.N studios, she couldn’t help but feel both underwhelmed and confused. The parking lot was huge. In fact, it seemed like the entire building was only a parking lot. Flanking the building on all sides were parking decks ten and twelve stories high, yet there in the middle of them was a simple, old-fashioned, two-story house with a double-car garage that looked like it had been transplanted straight out of a late 20th-century subdivision. It even had a nice wreath on a giant wooden door and a cute pathway leading up to it. That said, as she stood there dazed and staring at it, several dozen people had already gone in and out of the big door with the wreath on it. In fact, there were so many people going into the building that she started to wonder how they all were able to even fit.
Is this even the right building? She started to wonder as she walked closer to it, double checking her address to make sure she was in the right place. Yep. Looks like the right address, but how come there isn’t a giant skyscraper with G.O.R.N written all over it? Where is the big tag stating it’s the Gamer’s Official Review Network? She nervously walked towards the big door with the wreath hanging on it at the front of the suburban house. I’m going to look like an idiot and be in the wrong place, aren’t I? she was starting to complain to herself when someone else saw her lost expression and offered some help.
“Hey there! Are you lost? Can I help you?” the full-suited man with a ridiculous Looney Toons tie said as he turned to face her.
“Um, yeah. It’s just my first time and . . .” she began, but wasn’t able to even complete the sentence before he interrupted her.
“But you weren’t sure if you were at the right building? No, you’re in the right place. You can follow me in. I’ll take you to the front desk so they can get you sorted and help you out. By the way, name’s Rainer,” the dorky-looking, clean-shaven man said as he stuck out his hand.
“Kass. Um, yeah, nice to meet you,” Kass took his hand and shook it as best she could. He wasn’t handsome or any of the qualities that would normally make her nervous enough to be self-conscious when shaking hands, but there were two key details she quickly noticed that were making her wonder if her palms were going sweaty. One, it was an overly formal setting she just wasn’t used to since she had never gotten to the interview stage for jobs that required suits anywhere near the Armani level. And
two, after quickly glancing around, she was becoming painfully aware of the fact she was drastically underdressed compared to every other woman who was walking in or out of the building.
“Likewise. Now, I’m guessing you don’t work here, so I can probably skip the front desk and just take you straight to the intern office. They are the ones in charge of showing around guests and big wigs, so it should be the right place anyways,” he said in a jolly, chipper manner. Kass was kind of surprised to see someone going to work with such a big grin.
“It’s where they take the big wigs to be shown around? Maybe I need to go to the area where they take people who can’t afford wigs, or just to the front desk and see where I need to be.” Kass tried to make light of the difference in formality between herself and the rest of the people. She definitely didn’t want to call unnecessary attention to herself when she was just trying to get in, set up an interview and walk away with enough cash to keep her dad happy for a year so she could keep playing video games.
“Nonsense. My girlfriend Kerrigan is one of the few paid interns, so they always stack her with stupid work. She’d love a break to show someone around. Not to mention, she was really mad earlier when I told her I was coming into work late. So, yeah, she could definitely use the break.”
Kerrigan? He’s dating Kerrigan? His name is Rainer? Crap, I’m the cause of her being angry, aren’t I? “Why was she so upset?”
“I don’t know,” he shrugged. “She said someone had called in and spent a bit of time on the phone making fun of her name. I have no idea why she gets so sensitive about things like that though.”
“Someone called in and made fun of her name? That sounds odd. Kerrigan doesn’t seem like a bad name,” Kass wanted very much to just leave it at that and feign complete ignorance about the subject, but she couldn’t help herself. “I mean, it’s not a super silly name like Tassadar or anything.”
