by Rick Scott
I groan and then flip onto my feet, but Maxis is already back in the center of the ring, talking in teacher mode again.
“Nice timing on the Crowd Control removal, Gilly,” Maxis says. “But as you can see, I was able to lock him back down again before your cooldown timer wore off. Reece, good job too, bud.”
Bud? I rub my jaw and give him the stink eye. “Yeah, thanks.”
“So what’s the solution?” Gilly asks. “How do we keep from getting chain CC’d like that?”
“CC breakers,” Rembrandt says, stepping into the ring. “You need at least two to be competent. Three to be proficient and even more to be godly, like Max here. With Cure Ailment, that’s a free CC breaker for everyone in the party. A huge advantage, even more than your heals will provide.”
“How do you get more CC breakers?” I ask. “I think I only have one.”
“Cross-class slotting,” Rembrandt says. “It’s why you really need to be over level 85 and deep into your veteran ranks to be truly good at PvP. It’s what keeps it a never-ending game of leveling as well for most PvPers. You need those slots, mate.”
Rembrandt then goes on to explain the Veteran ranking system more. What I thought was the end-game content was just the beginning.
“Pull up your veteran sheet,” he says. “You’ll see what I mean.”
I do so and the information scrolls onto my HUD.
You have earned 7/20 Veteran Points.
You have 7 Veteran Points to allocate.
You are 201,827/250,000 XP from your next Veteran Point.
Veteran Awards:
Attribute Point 2 VP
Ability Upgrade 3 VP
Cross-Class Ability Slot [0/4]5 VP
Non-Class Ability Slot [0/2]10 VP
“You should start with four cross-class slots at Rank 1,” Rembrandt says. “But as you gain in Veteran rank those will increase. One per rank. You get a Non-class slot every two ranks.”
“How do we Rank up?” Gilly asks, her eyes aglow with her HUD the same as mine.
“Earn 20 out of 20 Vet points initially,” Aiko says. “Then there’s a quest you have to fulfill. Like kill an LM or something like that. Once you do, you’ll unlock your next Vet Rank, which will increase your max VP points cap by 5. Gain those five and then you’ll unlock the next Rank quest and so on.”
“Wow,” I say. “That’s going to be a lot of XP. What rank are all you guys?”
“Three,” Maxis says.
Rembrandt raises three fingers as well.
“We’re all rank 9,” Val Helena says, gesturing to her sisters. “The XP costs for each point starts to get brutal after rank 3 though.”
“Tell me about it,” Maxis says. “500k a point for me now.”
Becky sighs. “Well…I was rank 9.”
We all grow quiet then and it hits me just how much XP she lost inside the labyrinth. She’s been on the surface for years. To lose all that progress. “Man...I’m really sorry, Becky.”
The Halfling shrugs with a smile. “Just more fun to gain it all back, I suppose.”
I smile at her attitude. “Well hopefully you’ll gain them back just as fast as your levels.”
She nods. “I hope so too.”
I scan my options again. I still have 7 points to spend and have 4 cross-class slots to fill. I do some quick math and look back to Val Helena. “So you and Aiko have like…13 cross-class abilities?”
The giantess chuckles while sheathing her sword. “Slots yes, Abilities no. Each cross-class Ability has a level. The more powerful the Ability, the more slots it takes up. Non-class Abilities are even worse and some are class-specific and can’t be cross traded, like Raise. That’s Celestial Mage and Paladin only, I believe.”
I nod. “I guess it makes sense with Raise being kind of powerful and all. But what about the revive ability here? Is it the same?”
“It’s sort of different,” Rembrandt says. “It’s a chance to revive based on how long you’ve been dead. Raise will bring you back from the brink no matter how long you’ve been under, like with you and Gilly. Revive on the other hand loses 10% revival chance every 5 minutes.”
My eyes bulge. “Yikes, that sucks.”
Maxis chuckles. “Now you see why these guys have those Auto-docs on speed dial. Anything more than 30 minutes and you’re pretty much toast.”
“No kidding,” Gilly says, glancing down at her Spellbow. “Wow, being a Celestial Mage is kind of like having a superpower here. No wonder Lexi was jonesing about those mana trees so much.”
I think on that a moment. Maybe there’s a way for us to capitalize on that.
I click on my free Cross-Class slots and bring up my available Abilities.
Cross-Class Abilities Available
Warrior: Power Attack (2 slots)
Thief: None
Non-Class Abilities Available
Elemental Mage: Elemental Magic (5 Slots)
“Wow,” I say. “I don’t have much to pick from.”
“Me neither,” Gilly says glumly. “I guess I could buy some more stats.”
“Never waste them on stats,” Rembrandt says. “Unless it’s for something really specific and temporary you’re trying to do. Stats are easy enough to get just by leveling other classes. Although you do need to stay within the right sphere for them to be effective.”
“Right sphere?” I ask.
“Either Physical or Mental,” Aiko says, dropping into a low squat to rest on her high heels. “Classes usually fall into one or the other. You can max out your stats all you want. Most people end up with 99 in all of them before too long anyway, but your stat effectiveness depends on your current class. So even if you have 99 Strength, if you’re playing on Elemental Mage you’ll still be weak compared to someone playing on Warrior. And the same for the reverse. Plus the stats from your gear count a whole lot more than your base stats. And your gear is class-dependent too.”
“Hmm...” I say, taking it all in. “I thought the whole point of leveling was to get more stats. But listening to you, they don’t sound so important.”
“The main point of leveling are to unlock new abilities, mate, not the stats,” Rembrandt says. “Which is why that block on the level 99 cap is so intriguing. That would mean at least 4 or 5 new high-powered abilities for each class. Perhaps a new 24-hour ability as well.”
Wow, I never looked at it like that. Just the thought makes me eager to find the labyrinth entrance in this zone. “How do we access the labyrinth here, Rem? Is there some big boss like the Shadow King to defeat?”
“Not if it’s where I think it is,” Rembrandt says. “It’s a race.”
“A race?” Gilly says.
Maxis glances at Rembrandt. “You talking about the Thunder Ball Rally?”
“Aye.”
Maxis mutters a curse. “I would have preferred a freaking boss.”
“Why?” I ask. “What is it?”
“A death-match race,” Maxis says. “It’s a free-for-all and has NPC racers to boot. No one survives that thing.”
“One guy did,” Rembrandt says. “I spoke to a chap who won it years ago and he described something that sounds exactly like the labyrinth.”
“Crap,” I say. “So we need to learn how to race?”
Rembrandt chuckles. “Eventually, but first you need to learn how to PvP.”
“Right,” Gilly says. “So back to that. Slotting for non-class stuff sounds like it kinda sucks. You have to spend way more points for everything and you’ll be weaker when using the abilities too.”
“True,” Aiko says. “It doesn’t make sense unless you’re really high rank and have access to non-class specific gear that gives you stats from the opposite sphere. Like the Witch Spider’s Ring that Reece has. But honestly the system is made to enhance and specialize, not to become multifaceted. Class Change makes being multifaceted obsolete.”
“Good point,” I say and study my options some more. Although there is only one really: Pow
er Attack. “Once I choose, is that it? Is it permanent?”
“No, mate,” Rembrandt says. “You can slot them in and out as you like. So long as you’re out of combat. That’s how you specialize for different combat scenarios. Like with you, Gilly. You could spend your points on Ability Upgrades and reduce the cooldown timer on your Celestial Magic Ability.”
“Ah!” Gilly says as she searches through her HUD. “I see. Hmm. Looks like I can only bring it down by one second though.”
“Still counts,” Maxis says. “And don’t worry, you’ll get more. But you might want to save up for more useful Cross-Class Abilities. Like Stun from Elemental Mage or Fast Cast.”
Gilly nods. “Guess I need to go level Elemental Mage then.”
I suppose I need to level some other classes as well, since I don’t have much to choose from save Power Attack. I guess it wouldn’t hurt slotting it for now. Or maybe I could just increase my vitality a bit for survivability. I recall how easily those Bozos took me down in the Junk Yard.
That reminds me of something else.
“Hey Aiko,” I say. “How the heck were you able to dodge those bullets? I was trying like crazy and got owned.”
“Oh right,” Aiko says, standing again and then she crosses the ring to stand next to me. “I was going to tell you. The thing you need to get is this.”
She links something to the Party Chat.
Bullet Weave
Level 37 Gun Blade
Passive Ability
Your heightened training allows you to use your Agility to dodge subsonic and hypersonic ranged weapons within line of sight.
My eyes widen. “Dang, that’s what I need for sure.”
“You need to unlock Gun Blade to get it,” Aiko says with a grin. “Makes guys like Rem here actually beatable. In fact, I unlocked this back in Citadel just so I could beat him in the arena.”
Rembrandt chuckles. “Aye. My bane, that one.”
“Why doesn’t everyone have this?” Gilly asks, staring at the scrawl on her HUD.
“Far easier ways to defend against bullets, love,” Rembrandt says, tapping the armored vest beneath his trenchcoat. “Plus you need well over 150 Agility for it to be even remotely effective. And since guns work off Dexterity, having that much Agility is usually a waste of points.”
“And it’s only good for when you’re up close,” Aiko adds. “Which, when you’re using guns, is missing the point entirely. Bullet Weave won’t protect you from a sniper shot, for example.”
“Armor’s an issue also,” Rembrandt says. “Gun Blades can only wear light or no armor. So even getting to Level 37 puts most people off. People either pick it up for Cross-Class Abilities later on or skip it altogether in favor of Classes that allow for decent armor.”
“There is one exception,” Maxis says and glances at Rembrandt with a grimace. “Cyber Ninjas.”
Cyber ninjas?
Gilly makes a face. “Is that a real class?”
Rembrandt laughs. “More like an insult. Like the way Lexi calls those bikers, Bozos. The only other people who play Gun Blade to high level are androids.”
“Why androids?” I ask.
“They have unique characteristics that make them well-suited for it.” Rembrandt removes his mirror shades to give them a quick wipe with his tie. “Eventually anyway. Androids have a lot of disadvantages too. They can’t heal by normal means, can’t use magic, and aren’t affected by healing magic either. They can’t even wear real clothes or armor, so Gun Blade shares similar disadvantages to them. Plus, everything they do costs money for repairs and upgrades. Even when they level, it only gives them the ability to increase a stat, they still need to go and buy it. And if they die, they lose everything.”
“Everything?” I say. “Even if they get revived?”
“When an android takes enough damage to die, mate, all that’s left to revive is their brain. They need to start fresh with a new body and buy all their stats back.”
“Whoa that sucks,” Gilly says.
“Aye, android is not a race for the faint of heart, love,” Rembrandt says. “High-level androids like Angela are well-respected in that regard. The trade-off is: they’re near-indestructible due to their natural armor at high levels, which starts off weak but gets stronger the more you level and the more you can afford. And if an android goes the Gun Blade route, they’re bloody unstoppable in close-quarters combat.”
“Yeah, I can totally see that,” I say and picture in my mind someone like Queen Angela going to town with a set of kunai while dodging bullets. “Holy crap…”
Maxis sucks his teeth. “Cyber Ninjas. Now that’s an OP class combination if you’ve ever seen one. Luckily most androids don’t have the stones or money to struggle to the top on Gun Blade. But a few have.”
“Aye,” Rembrandt says, looking down at the ground. “A few.”
A pause settles as he continues to look at the ground almost in a trance.
I’m about to ask if he’s okay when Aiko nudges me from the side.
“Going for Gun Blade is kind of perfect for the two of us, though,” she says. “You should be able to use your katana skill with it and getting to 37 shouldn’t take you too long. Bullet Weave will cost you 3 slots though, so you’ll need to get 15 Vet Points as well.”
“Whoa,” I say. “Sounds like a lot of leveling. But to be able to melee gun users face-to-face?” I then grin. “Heck yeah! Where do I unlock it?”
“Back in the Shards there was an NPC in a mid-level part of the city,” Aiko says. “But here I’m not so sure.”
“It’s in Kensington,” someone says.
We look about and see Lexi standing behind us.
The white-haired, mocha-skinned goth girl gives me a smirk. “It’s not on the way to the Archives though, so if you want to go, it’ll cost you extra.”
I laugh and hope she’s joking, but the way she keeps grinning at me has me feeling kind of nervous. We lock eyes and she licks the front row of her teeth in a playful, provocative sort of way. Gilly must catch it too, because the next thing I know, she’s elbowing me in the ribs.
Oof!
“You’re up early, Lex,” Rembrandt says, providing a timely interruption. “Ready to go, then?”
“Not in the slightest.” The goth girl plops down upon a bench at the side of the ring. “No way I’m getting stuck in rush hour traffic.”
“So when do we go?” Gilly asks, arms akimbo while wearing a slight scowl of annoyance.
“Around seven would be good. Until then…” she says with another grin. “Let’s see you lot scrap.”
Chapter 16: A Rude Welcome
We spend the next few hours sparring in the ring and going over drills for what to do if we ever get attacked out in the open. It’s confusing at first, but the more we practice the quicker we become at reacting to the various scenarios that my brother and Rembrandt lay on us.
The concept is entirely different from taking on mobs and bosses. In PvP, the idea of a tank is more to harass and confuse the enemy rather than to soak up or avoid damage, and more emphasis is placed on stunning and knocking down your opponents before going in for the kill. Maxis recommends I unlock his class—Karate Master—so that I can slot in a level 5 Ability called Leg Sweep, which would give me another form of Crowd Control and act as an AOE attack as well.
The sparring matches come in rapid succession and there’s a lot to keep track of, but we eventually get into a groove. Val Helena’s tanking abilities on Paladin comes in especially handy for drawing fire from ranged attacks. We work it out so that Maxis and I take advantage of Val Helena’s War Cry as a distraction and then CC their main attackers while Rembrandt and Aiko take them out with quick damage. Gilly and Becky always remain in the center of the group, rather than at the back row like when we take on mobs. They focus on removing CCs and healing when necessary.
More of the Young Lords join in the spectacle of watching us PvP as time goes on. The dozen or so cyberpunkers filter
into the arena and lounge on the benches next to Lexi. They make no attempt to greet us however, and Lexi makes no effort to introduce us either.
There’s a mixture of guys and girls, ranging in ages and classes. Most seem human, but as I focus on them, I notice some are actually cyborgs. After Rembrandt’s explanation of androids earlier, it makes me wonder what kind of abilities and restrictions they might have as a race. But where the Young Lords differ in classes, which range from Gunslinger, to Brawler and quite a few Runners—which I still don’t understand—they make up for it in uniformity of appearance. They all share Lexi’s goth-chic make up and Dragon face tattoos. And their clothes are a simple ensemble of black jackets and white body suits underneath.
It’s uncomfortable to have them staring at us and saying nothing, but I get the distinct impression they are not too happy we were allowed to join their team. It makes me wonder if we haven’t broken some kind of initiation protocol or something. I certainly wouldn’t be happy if some newcomers were able to jump the line, so to speak. But after a while I realize that they aren’t really interested in us at all.
They’re totally focused on Rembrandt.
I catch them whispering to one another with nods and unseen PMs while they stare at the bald cyberpunker dancing around the ring with blazing dual pistols. The only time they do seem to notice the rest of us, is when we screw up one of the team tactics Maxis is trying to teach us, which usually results in a series of laughs, scoffs, and eye rolls.
Gilly: Geez. What a bunch of jerks, huh? D:<
Me: Tell me about it.
Gilly: And that Lexi is going right along with them. I don’t know about her. :/
Me: Eh… she’s seems okay so far. Plus, her boss did say for her to look after us, right?
Gilly: More like, this is your problem so go clean it up. : P
