A small bell chimed as I opened the old game store’s door. The store and that bell have been around since before Monopoly, or so my grandpa says his dad told him. I believe the store is that old, but I still think grandpa’s story doesn’t add up this time around. However, the debate on whether the game store should be a tourist attraction by now didn’t matter as Dean and I returned the clerk’s practiced greeting. They didn’t even get to ask if we needed help with anything before we grabbed two copies of what we were looking for and placed them on the counter.
“VoV huh? Good choice. That’ll be $90.56.”
“Thanks, have a good day.”
“See you in Valhalla.”
Dean launched a taunt at the group of coyote like monsters. The taunt took effect immediately as seven heads turned towards the demon disguised as a mobile fortress.
Seeing them aggroed, I rushed in with my quarterstaff. I spun it in front of me before swinging it like it was one of the hammers used for the carnival strength tests. My staff connected with a redtooth’s spine, dealing enough damage to the creature to give it a swift and painless death. I then turned and used the other end to send a few jabs into another redtooth’s chest. Its ribs gave way on the fifth strike, allowing me to stop its heart on the sixth. Well, I say me, but this was all my character doing this while I imagined being him from behind the screen.
As I finished the second redtooth, Dean’s tower shield burst into brilliant blue flames. The redtooths… redteeth? Not even the game devs could decide on the plural for the monster, so saying both options as if it was a question was decided upon as a temporary solution, but the fan base liked it so much that the devs kept it this way in all the game dialogue. But that’s beside the point, the remaining redtooths… redteeth? who were all scratching at the shield in a vain attempt to expose the demon behind it to their namesake quickly tried to back away from the flaming shield only to get tangled on each other’s limbs. Dean quickly took advantage of the situation, activating [Shield Rush]. Dean’s character moved forward at speeds normally impossible for someone with his stats and heavy equipment, but this was game in a world of swords and magic, and so much more. This meant [Skills] were present to make the impossible possible in a way that could change the course of a battle if applied correctly.
Dean’s burning shield slammed into the redtooths… redteeth?, and while a normal [Shield Rush] would simply bull through them causing them heavy damage, as well as launching the redtooths… redteeth? Into the air in every direction, Dean’s [Shield Rush] was altered by the flames covering his shield. Specifically, because of his [Skill], [Dread Fiend’s Flames]. Instead of rushing through the pile, Dean’s [Shield Rush] stopped as the loud, meaty thud of something very, very heavy ramming into a pile of fleshy creatures very, very quickly, was heard for not even a tenth of a second before it was drowned out by the sound of an explosion of blue flame released form Dean’s shield. The tidal wave of dread flame quickly consumed the redtooths… redteeth? They cried out in fear and pain as Dean and I took the chance to reposition ourselves. While the dread flame certainly seemed impressive, it would not be able to end the beasts. Dread flame’s focus wasn’t on inflicting damage, but rather in weakening defenses and ensuring the enemy’s focus would never leave the one who put them through the… uncomfortable experience of being burned by dread flame. The lore’s description of the experience certainly made me glad that the flames would never be able to burn him in real life.
My fingers moved furiously around the keyboard as I casted spells to buff myself. I was about to buff my animal companions when I remembered that we had excluded them from this fight to practice going up against a large number difference. I sighed longingly for my pups as I pressed one last key. My character held his/my staff in a way that allowed him to take the stance a martial artist who focused on punches. Not a moment later did the staff start to morph, splitting in half and wrapping around my characters knuckles to form a pair of finely crafted knuckle dusters.
“Arthur, your my best friend. But a rock knows better than this. We can’t just waltz into a dungeon over double our level and expect to win. We need a support. We need a strategy.”
“Come on, Dean. We’re awesome. We’ll at least make it to the boss, so come on. It’ll be fun. I’ll bring the dogs, so it won’t be just us. Plus, think of what’ll happen when you bash all those skeletons. The bones, flying everywhere with every swing of your arm.”
“You’re not getting me this time Arthur. You’ve got a way with words, but this is too much. I want to at least die with a fighting chance.”
“I’ll buy you a new weapon. Lance, ax, hammer, sword. Whatever you want.”
“I’m in, halberds are expensive.”
What the fuck? What even killed me? We walked for five minutes and saw no monsters, then two dots appeared on the mini map, followed by our immediate demise.
“Okay, Dean. How do we find a support.”
{Support needed for level 65 Undead Dungeon! 3 person party!}
Ah yes, there’s no method quite like standing around in a place with a lot of traffic to shout helplessly over a crowd.
{Is it cool if I’m level 32? I’ve got scouting, buffing, debuffing, and healing magic. Specialized in scouting and healing.} (NotAG.I.R.L.)
A female character approached me after only a half our or so of shouting.
