SDragon

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I'd like to point out that the Devs DID say that not doing the pack wouldn't have made us get more costume options.

Because it's ONLY because they're pay-for that we get them. The only way they can justify adding such high quality expansive options(and thus allocate resources from something else) is to charge for them.

Throw that on top of the wad of cash they get for doing this. Which appears to give them a larger budget to mess with and thus step up production of things. And...

Well. I'm all for it.

THE ONLY THING I AM WORRIED ABOUT. Is the lack of free costume options.

I mean, honestly? Where has the modeling guy's time gone? And not just Jay. I see needing a 2d artist to make up the UI. And an environment artist to do the building. AND effects/animation artists to do the effects.

But that ONE building couldn't have seriously drained all the art talent they had. Right? It was just one building. Copy/pasted around. It's a more than little suspicious.

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Again, this wasn't done because they were over preforming. It was done because they were broken.

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Please explain to me how casting Speed Boost on Animate Stone was "broken," and how making Speed Boost do nothing for Animate Stone but raise run speed is "fixed." Because I'm not getting it.

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It wasn't. No one said it was. It was caught in the crossfire. Castle's already said this wasn't really what they wanted. But the only other alternative to fixing what they wanted to would have resulted in a much worse situation.


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Also, insert standard rant about using "broken" as a rationale for game changes, since it's purely subjective and unverifiable, logically equivalent to "because the game bible says so."

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Er, what is and isn't broken isn't really subjective OR unverifiable.

Does it work X way: Y/N?

Is it suppose to work Y way: Y/N?

If Y to both. Is broken.

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For example, if Castle says the PvE damage levels on Flares and Blaze are going to be switched because the game bible says Flares is intended to do more damage than Blaze, would you just accept the fact that they're "broken?"

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The argument is illogical. The "Game Bible" as you describe it doesn't exist. If you mean the one I outlined above. Well, that one wouldn't encounter a situation like this. For the most part, the Devs have provided adequate explanation and reasoning behind all of the changes I've questioned. The change you've suggest above doesn't follow any logic.

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Perhaps some time away from math, spreadsheets and tables would do Castle some good, pick up a character and play it on live.

[/ QUOTE ] This is why sometimes player experience will trump the numbers they get from so called datamine. I cant believe for one minute that anyone is using VS, Gun Drone or LS in an overpowered way. I am still waiting for what the real reason is behind this nerf because the stated reasons dont make sense at all when everyone knows those powers are subpar in what they do.

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Again, this wasn't done because they were over preforming. It was done because they were broken.

No Dev said these powers were overpowered in the way you're implying they did. They said they were getting more recharge in a way they didn't like that bent/broke the rules.

If the powers are broken, then they're broken. If they get fixed and that makes them weaker then they should be. Then they should get rebalanced to make them good powers.

Unless you're saying the opposite?

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I think people are getting hung up on the comparison to AOE "rain" powers. Let me put the OP's thought as I understand it in different terms. Right now on live, Lightning Storm's attack has a cast time of 1.17 seconds and a recharge time of 4 seconds. What would happen if you changed that to a cast time of 5.17 seconds and recharge time of 0 seconds, leaving all other power parameters unchanged?

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Hmm.

Well, I'm not sure the game can accept 0 as a recharge for attack powers. But 0.001 or something.

I do see your point. I wouldn't know the answer to that, only the Devs.

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As I recall from the discussions with the devs, the code basically just cloned all of the current buffs (types, magnitudes and durations) of the player onto the summoned entity. That was to allow powers like Burn and Blizzard to buffable like other non-summoned entity attacks like Nova.

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Actually, that makes a lot of sense. They can't just turn to the bufffs and say, "Hey, are you a damage buff? A recharge buff, maybe?"

This would seem to suggest that yes, Lightning Storm and Burn and Blizzard and all the rest of them, if targetted, would have whatever defense buffs the player had on them.

Ooo, Extracted Essense can be buffed? It's targettable, isn't it? So it would be interesting to see if it inherits the defense buffs. (They wouldn't last long, though, the WS shields tick every 0.75 seconds. Do an Eclipse, though, and then Extract... )


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Actually the solution at the time was so blatantly obvious that i'm surprised they never thought of it (or am I? )

Very few of the pseudo-pets that were receiving the i7 caster buff transfer actually have "attacks" as we think of them. The vast majority opperate like blizzard with "activate periods".

*If recharge was never meant to boost a power like LS all they had to do was change it from using lightning bolt with cast+rech, to lightning bolt with activate period = 5 seconds akin to something like bonfire with an activate period of 2 sec.

The question is "why" it wasn't done?

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Because that can't be done without changing how the power works?

You could make it function like the damage auras. And deal damage to everyone around them. But for it to shoot a bolt of lightning, it has to be a power called "bolt of lightning" that has a cast time/recharge time.

Unless you're talking a power aura that when it hits, summons a second pet on the person, which uses a lightning attack. But that's STILL the same problem

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Again why does it even matter, its not like storm defenders are soloing the STF or something. I could see if that was the case but I seriously doubt a single storm defender is doing that right now. What so significant about these powers? Maybe I am just using them wrong or something I cant see how they can be leveraged to the point of soloing lvl 54 AVs. Just what exactly are the devs afraid that LS, VS, Gun Drone are going to do?

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So...if something can't solo the STF, it's perfectly fine and needs no adjustments? That's the only benchmark for power you think there should be?

*blinkblink*

...you've left me speechless.

[/ QUOTE ]Thats was just an extreme example and you know that. What I am trying to do is get an honest response from them. I want to know exactly what did they intend for those powers. What are those powers doing that so damaging to the game that they have to be gutted in this way.

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Yeah, You all discovered the nemesis plot. Seriously though I would sooner be able to accept what you just said for an answer before I will believe LS, VS and GD are overpowered pets.

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See, I don't think they said they were "overpowered" And I don't think they believe that. It's that they were operating erratically. And the way it was operating made it more powerful then it normally would be. In that sense it's "overpowered." Yes.

If they left them this way though, under the assumption that removing the bug would leave them underpowered. Wouldn't that be balancing them around a bug?

Wouldn't it be better to remove the bug and then balance proper later?

I believe that's the Dev's position.

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Actually in i7 pseudo-pets like LS were actually changed to inherent the casters' state. Now rech (ie hasten, speedboost) "may" not have been intended, but I find that very hard to believe that it wasn't known to be happening like claimed.

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Known? Yes. Statistically significant (as in, a noticeable blip in datamining), no. That came later.

[/ QUOTE ]What do you mean statistically significant? Its either you know its going to effect recharge or it isnt. You dont need datamining to know that. Just what exactly were you guys shooting for on this? Is it that you all didnt expect or want it be effected by IOs and +recharge powers but having it just effected by +recharge powers was ok? Are you saying the only way to fix it was to just to disallow all recharge instead of just saying it can just gain only the buffs on the caster? All the datamining did was just prove the powers were subpar and the main way people got past that was with all the extra slotting. To me it would make sense to fix the powers in addition to this fix to all pets you are doing. But I got the feeling the datamining is saying the power is overpowered.

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It means they knew that it was happening. But didn't know how much of an impact it would have on the game as a whole.

"Pets recharge is affected? Eh, it'll be fine"

*one datamine later*

"HOLY CRAP, look at these numbers!"

Though perhaps not QUITE like that. You get the idea

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I hate to say this and sound like a complete jerk, then why change it..... The player base appreantly has never seem to notice it and like it the way it is currently running. Why change it now. This seems almost as bad as the first pet nerf saying "oh we never meant for people to have multiple pets out at once" dispite the very last patch update before the nerf they made earths pets recharge more inline with the rest of the pets out there.

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Lacking a Dev, I'll attempt to answer for the Devs. I obviously can't know what they're thinking, but in an effort to play Devil's Advocate. Or at least keep a conversation going here, so that we might get something cool out of all this.

I would say the reason they're doing it "Now" is because they're just getting around to it. It doesn't really matter what the players think is going on. That sounds mean, but the players are selfish. They will tear into any open wound on this game and rip it apart, given the chance. Any game, really. It's just the nature of people.

The first nerf is just as valid. They really didn't expect people to do that with Pets. They expected people to slot more then just 6 Rech ENH. But this is old ground, been covered a lot.

It seems it goes like this...

- Make thing

- Give thing to players

- Watch players find holes in thing

- Try to fill holes

Right?

The thing is, every time they make something, they're also making 12 other things. And preparing to make even more "other things." So they end up juggling all of these steps at one time. If they stop making new things, then players will leave. If they stop giving things to players, they will leave. If they-- well players will always find the holes. But if they stop filling the holes, that is to say stop fixing bugs. Players will leave.

But they only have so many team members. SO. What do you do first? Which step takes priority? What about which thing? They might have known about this thing for a while now, but not had the time/man power to pull off a fix. Or not had any idea what to fix, how to fix it. It's easy to spot a cough. It's harder to know WHY they're coughing and what's causing that.

If we assume they're not lying. Then they have known about this for a long time, many months. And seemed like they were just gonna leave it alone. Because they had no solution. UNTIL one appeared that fixed it and several other things. It's still not what they want.

But, and again speaking only as a player. This change is awfully painful. And they don't like it. But even the Devs know that this change wasn't really "needed." Much like the first big pet nerf. It wasn't causing server instability or anything.

So why did they make the first nerf?

To set a baseline. The same reason for ED.

Multiple pets, 6-slotting, etc. They were like... chaos in a complex machine. The drunk loud guy at the party or the one kid who likes to knock down blocks and sandcastles. They make it difficult to establish order and rules. Now, I know we're all for being free and putting down "The Man" with his rules. AND the point of the game is to have fun, right? So, doesn't letting people do what they want to have fun... you know, fall in line with exactly the Dev's goal?

Well, fun is all good. And that's fine in a simple system that won't change. But MMOs have to change and move forward. The Devs are trying to build a massive sandcastle. But that's not possible if parts keep falling down or supports keep collapsing. And it's not possible if they just let kids keep kicking it over, even if they are having fun doing so.

Of course, we're all for it when the problem is something we all hate. A game crashing bug or a memory leak. But if the problem is something we like, that helps us. Well...

The problem is, it's STILL a flaw in the castle. And you can't very well build on faulty ground. Much less one that keeps collapsing. That's what ED and the Pet change shared in common. They were trying to address faults in the castle. How does this link to the current patch?

Well based on what I've seen. If we're comparing the two Pet Nerfs. Then this nerf is for the same reason, or a close one. To help establish a baseline.

To fix a crack in the foundation. Why? So they can build something else on it.

In game terms, they need the systems to work right before they can add another system that links to it.

I could just be rambling of course and totally off. But I like to talk, so, you know. At least it's something to think about

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In fact I would like for someone to prove its game breaking for LS to be the way it is.

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You say that like it matters. It doesn't. "Game-breaking" means its definitely not allowed. "Not game-breaking" means nothing.

Proving something in the game is not game breaking is comparable to proving it doesn't cause acne.


On the subject of what is and is not intuitive, I generally stay away from the subject in general, but one of the things I find most non-intuitive is that pets often use a higher damage scale than their casters, which means a low damage archetype is effectively allowed to summon the use of powers that operate beyond their damage scale.

The "intuitive" bomb does not discriminate targets. It should be considered the nuclear option and left in its silos.

[/ QUOTE ]Post Deleted by Moderator_08

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Please don't comments like this either.

So far you've declared what the Devs have and have not thought. Arcanaville can prove most of what she says. Because most of what she says has been fairly well researched.

I get the feeling you're angry, so take some time to consider what you say before you post. Cursing, demeaning, yelling at people. Most especially the Devs and people trying to be constructive here.

This is just kind of general advice. But, avoid making posts that describe people's thoughts or intentions unless they have been outright told to you. It's very difficult to guess what's going on in someone's mind. And when you're angry, it's easy to assume malicious intent or incompetence. But the odds really are against that.

If you try to think of what could be their reasons for doing X, assume they're telling the truth. And only listen to the exact wording, rather then try to assume anything extra about it.

Remember to look at things from a Developer point of view. Long term, very slow. Most of them are pretty smart people. They understand acceptable loss. And have shown that they are willing to do painful things now, for pay off later. And they ARE human beings. They don't like being insulted anymore then you or me.

So... maybe I wondered off topic. But, I see a lot of people using faulty logic on forums. Try not to frame the Dev's side into something. It would be better to confront the Devs on what they've already said, rather then what we assume they're thinking. If you actually assume the best, outside of the concrete, you'll be in a better position to tackle things.

And you'll have a better chance to have a meaningful two-way conversation

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If this change was instead to correct LS, VS, and the turret becoming too powerful, it would have been much better if you had just come out and said so. It would also have been nice if we had been notified that this was a bug and that a fix would be implemented when it could. Instead we were lead to believe that this was intended behaviour and slotted accordingly.

I am extremely unhappy with the change. But appreciate your forthrightness. LS, VS, and the Turret became too powerful and now been nerfed. This happens to fix some other pet's AIs as well.

I feel as if we were intentionally mislead by the patch notes inorder to stealth in a nerf.

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that would have been so much better, could have saved myself literally hours of going off the deep end trying to protect LS from the pet nerf. Only to find out LS "IS THE PET NERF" lol.

I never would have thought LS, VS and gun drone were too strong, especially given how many people lol@VS and I rarely hear people talking up GD. LS has always been considered pretty good, but there is another reason for that.

Personally I think it smells of backpedaling to cover his butt, but it makes no difference to the outcome, just helps to ensure continued developer mistrust .

[/ QUOTE ]Thats the problem I have with this change and why it doesnt make sense. VS, LS, Gun drone are all powers that were for the most part were not the best and sometimes even skipped. So how would having the extra recharge make them overpowered? You are looking at just a few more blasts per summon. Its not like defenders or blasters are going to be soloing the STF. I cant see any harm in letting these powers keep their recharge. I think this happen more so because of the principle of it all (sneaking the recharge in) than more so having the recharge actually making noticable performance.

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Because the method people were using to make them "worth it" was basically broken.

You can't very well say that it was working well when the only way you could make it work well enough to take required you to game the system and use loopholes to cheat the system. This patch removed some of those loopholes. And how we can look at the power without all these extra *'s.

Oh, it's a good power*
I based my whole toon around this power*
It works fine*

*because it works in X fashion as a result of a loophole in the code.

Without that we can see how the power is suppose to work. Is it doing too much damage? Is it recharging too fast? Is it too strong? Too weak?

NOW you make those arguments. If after removing those loopholes the power doesn't work well enough on it's own. Then the power is too weak. And should be buffed.

But breaking the system again because it sort of makes these powers worth it, because they suck otherwise. That's... not going to happen.

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I never would have thought LS, VS and gun drone were too strong, especially given how many people lol@VS and I rarely hear people talking up GD. LS has always been considered pretty good, but there is another reason for that.

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I don't think it's that they're too good. Just that they were operating out side of what they were suppose to be doing. If they had tried to buff Lightning Storm, they might have way unbalanced it for the people who know how to game the IOs to get all their worth. But STILL just made it "kinda ok" for everyone else.

If you want to buff things up or nerf them down. You first must establish a baseline.

Hm, is there a way to rename/rewrite the description for the currently existing NPCs?

Could I make a few unique monsters for my "Killer Tomato" group, and then drag/drop some DE into it. THEN give them all the same background info and theme names?

Requiem of a Warrior: Part Two



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-+-World One-+-
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The Valkyrie spirit sulked from where she rested, inside the body of a human woman. Clearly, she'd managed to fall in with a fine group of warriors, despite their strange "hero" rules and morals. Malstrom's powers continued to grow with use, as the fragile human body grew stronger and better able to withstand the forces of nature she commanded. Gale could use her powers as well as she could, if she had to. Right now, she had to. Mal's mind was on other matters.

She was fairly certain the warriors around her did not understand her true purpose for traveling with them. This was a fairly secular age, after all. No matter how many times she'd flat-out told them of her duty to bring the spirits of fallen warriors to Valhalla, they still hadn't reacted. She'd even tried to assure them that she would only take them if they fell in battle, but she wouldn't do anything to speed the process. Not even that had gotten a reaction from them. Interesting. She hadn't met a people so unafraid of death since the first Vikings had taken up their weapons. Perhaps the world was finally nearing readiness for Ragnarok after all.

Her attention returned, invariably, to Silver Dragon. Throughout time, it had been necessary for her kind to join with a mortal woman. Invariably, it was because there was some great battle to be fought for some worthy kingdom, and warriors to collect in preparation for Ragnarok. This, however, was the first time she'd been selected. She hadn't been prepared, not for the pleasures of the flesh, nor for the way the human body restricted her powers. She was slowly regaining her spirit sight, but it was frustratingly limited. Still, she'd known exactly what she'd seen standing at the door of this latest mission, mocking, waiting. She'd known who it was who called Silver "brother."

"That's no one," Silver had said, avoiding the gaze of the odd man in the top hat.

"Your lover is calling you," the man had told her.

Malstrom, furious, had retreated inside of her human host. But she continued to watch Silver. Beings like him frequently knew what their fates were. And Malstrom, more than any, knew the signs of a pre-ordained doom approaching.

"Silver, who was that man?" Gale asked. "Mal took a rather instant dislike to him."

Silver, his face set, refused to meet her worried gaze. "Just a ghost that refuses to stay buried."

Lysatia Dark was puzzled by Mal's absence in the heat of battle. "Did someone break your Norse demigoddess, guys?"

"Starting to wonder," Blastblaze said.

Gale, naturally, was puzzled as well. Although she knew instinctively how to use the Valkyrie's powers, she'd never before gone into battle in full control. "Call me Gale," she told them. "Mal's… kind of sulking now."

Of course, she'd had to return when Aaron Sharpe fell. She had a duty to perform, after all. But his wounds were not mortal, and Mal lapsed back again. Her attention remained on Silver Dragon.

She didn't have her true sight into the hearts of mortals, not in this body. But she knew this warrior, perhaps better than anyone. And she also knew that she'd met the other before. He waited. It was time.

Malstrom moved forward, taking control of the body as the group exited. "Careful, Great Warrior. Your other awaits."

Silver looked back at her, and then led the way out. At the sight of Silver, the dark one began slowly chuckling.

Blastblaze stared. "What's so funny?"

"Who is this goof?" Tex asked.

"They still remember... brother..." the dark one said.

Aaron Sharpe looked from the dark one to Silver and back. "Who are you?"

"Ignore him," Silver snarled from behind clenched teeth.

This time Mal wasn't having it. She stepped back, glaring defiantly at Silver. "No. It is time you faced what you fear."

Lysatia Dark frowned anxiously. Blast looked curiously at Mal. "Fear?"

"What's goin on?" Aaron asked. He drew his bow. One by one, the others raised their weapons, as well.

The dark one seemed unperturbed. "They're coming," he said. "You... All of you... Heehee!"

"What's so funny?" Blast wanted to know.

"Don't be so damn cryptic," Tex grumbled.

"They're waiting for you," the dark one said. He shifted, somehow changing his appearance. "You should run. While you have the chance."

"OK, this is getting old," Blast said, glaring angrily. "Either get to it or get out of here."

Malstrom tossed her hair back behind her shoulders, coldly watching the scene. Light and darkness. Good and evil. It always came down to battle between opposites. This one, though, was long overdue. She watched Silver's face intently, seeing it change from anger to fear as the ground started shaking. The knuckles of his hand tightened on the hilt of his katana, yet he didn't attack. He didn't dare. Besides, there was another battle to be fought now. The struggle between them would take place after.

The Kronos Class Titan came stomping over the hill, crushing everything in its path. Immediately, the group moved to attack it. But Malstrom already knew the outcome of this battle. Her kind always did.

Vítt er orpit fyrir valfalli rifs reiðiský, rignir blóði; nú er fyrir geirum grár upp kominn vefr verþjóðar, er þær vinur fylla rauðum vepti Randvés bana.

See! warp is stretched for warriors' fall. Lo! weft in loom 'tis wet with blood; Now fight foreboding, 'neath friends' swift fingers, our grey woof waxeth with war's alarms, our warp blood red, our weft corpse blue.


The monster machine was built to level cities. The team threw all of their strength against it in vain. "Not even scratching it!" Tex called

Silver's face was grim. "It's not going to stop, until it kills me."

Blastblaze snarled defiantly. "That won't happen if I can help it!"

Sjá er orpinn vefr ýta þörmum ok harðkléaðr höfðum manna; eru dreyrrekin dörr at sköptum, járnvarðr yllir, en örum hrælaðr; skulum slá sverðum sigrvef þenna.

This woof is y-woven with entrails of men, this warp is hardweighted with heads of the slain, spears blood-besprinkled for spindles we use, our loom ironbound, and arrows our reels; With swords for our shuttles this war-woof we work

Tex grunted as the machine sent him flying with a stomp of its massive foot. "Might want to open some emergency channels!"

"Everyone, just run!" Silver yelled. "We can't stop it."

"NO, dammit!" Blast said, defiantly firing bolts of energy at the monster.

"We can't stop it," Silver said. "I can hold it off, long enough for you to get out. But you have to leave, NOW!"

"I cannot," Mal told him. "If you die today, I take you to Valhalla."

"If you go, I do too, Silver!" Blast said.

Silver Dragon growled. "This isn't your fight."

"It is now!"

Malstrom just smiled.

Gengr Hildr vefa ok Hjörþrimul, Sanngríðr, Svipul sverðum tognum; skapt mun gnesta, skjöldr mun bresta, mun hjálmgagarr í hlíf koma.

So weave we, weird sisters, our warwinning woof. Now Warwinner walketh to weave in her turn. Now Swordswinger steppeth, now Swiftstroke, now Storm; When they speed the shuttle how spearheads shall flash! Shields crash, and helmgnawer on harness bite hard!

"Go. Now," Silver said. "Go, or I'll make you go!"

Malstrom laughed, ignoring him as he moved behind her. "Ha! You dare try to command the wind?" No, of course he didn't. He had another plan in mind.

Vindum, vindum vef darraðar, þann er ungr konungr átti fyrri! Fram skulum ganga ok í fólk vaða, þar er vinir várir vápnum skipta.

Wind we, wind swiftly our warwinning woof. Woof erst for king youthful foredoomed as his own, forth now we will ride, then through the ranks rushing be busy where friends blows blithe give and take.

"You'd have to fight me," Blaze yelled at Silver, "and he'd kill us both then, anyway."

Silver, of course, had no intention of fighting Blaze. Malstrom glared at him, but her lips curled upward in a smile.

"I'm sorry," he told her. Raising his katana, he slashed at Mal. She did nothing to defend herself. The body of Gale Winters collapsed in a heap, and a cold north wind went racing across the battlefield.

Vindum, vindum vef darraðar ok siklingi síðan fylgjum! Þar sjá bragna blóðgar randir Guðr ok Göndul, er grami hlífðu.

Wind we, wind swiftly our warwinning woof. After that let us steadfastly stand by the brave king; Then men shall mark mournful their shields red with gore, how Swordstroke and Spearthrust stood stout by the prince.

The team was in shambles. Some lay bleeding on the battlefield, others had fought to exhaustion. Nothing they'd sustained could prepare them for what had just happened.

Silver Dragon returned to his place before the titan. His blade ran red with blood. "Take care of Mal, or she will die," he told his stunned comrades. "You have no choice now."

Blastblaze was gape-mouthed. "Silver!"

"GO!" Silver roared, charging at the titan.

Blast nodded. "Fine! I'll take her. If you don't make it, I'm sorry for my actions today." He picked up Gale's limp form and took off.

Vindum, vindum vef darraðar, þars er vé vaða vígra manna! Látum eigi líf hans farask; eigu valkyrjur vals of kosti.

Wind we, wind swiftly our warwinning woof. When sword-bearing rovers to banners rush on, mind, maidens, we spare not one life in the fray! We corpse-choosing sisters have charge of the slain.

Blastblaze traveled to the relative safety of a tall building and let Gale down. "Wake up, dammit!" He tore off a piece of his cape and tied it around her wound. "Don't die, he'll never forgive himself."

Gale moaned softly. Blast looked up as the wind howled. He'd stopped the bleeding, now to get back to his friend. But as he looked at his PDA and checked for the location of Silver and the others, one of the blinking indicator lights went out. "Silver!"


How good it felt, spread across the sky, wrapped around a deserving spirit. "Come to me, warrior. Let me take you to Valhalla."

"I'm sorry..."

The winds echoed with her laughter. "Why? You have freed me from this mortal shell. Now ride the winds with me!"

"I cannot join you. That is my fate."

What was he saying? Was he refusing her gift? Surely he wasn't! But as she reached for his spirit, she discovered, to her surprise, that he was. Once, she and her sisters had roamed the field of battle, choosing at will those deserving of Valhalla. But their time had passed. Now, the choice was his.

And he was refusing.

The wind grew bitter with her irritation, and ice formed in the air. But he'd made his choice. She had to accept it. "Very well. Then I will return to the human I joined with." Gale's time had not yet come. His blow had badly wounded her, but she would live. And Malstrom's work was not yet finished. She released the warrior's spirit, watching as it fell. "She will wait for you, if you give her reason to."


Malstrom rose gingerly to her feet. Pain was a curious sensation. Like all the gifts of the flesh, Mal relished it. She threw back her head and laughed. "So, the great warrior does not yet wish to travel to Valhalla? Very well."

"Mal?" Blast said. "This is not funny."

The team had gathered near her on the rooftop, except for Tex and Lysatia. The two of them were searching for the monster robot, but they wouldn't find it. It had done its duty.

Aaron was sitting on a vent on the roof, holding his head in his hands. "I failed."

"No," she told him. "It was his destiny."

Blast clenched his fists, staring at her. "Where is he?"

She shrugged. "I cannot see him in this mortal form."

"Mal!" he yelled accusingly. "You know more than you're saying."

Mal looked back out over the battlefield, her mind reaching for the warrior's spirit. Even now, she could sense his muffled thoughts. But she couldn't trace him. "Hmm... The affairs of the immortals are not for mortals to know, unless they wish it."

Blaze sternly held himself in check to keep from shaking her. "Well?!"

"What's wrong with you!?" Aaron asked.

Mal glanced towards Blast, and then back to the battlefield. "He did not travel with me to Valhalla. Beyond that, I do not know."

"Don't know, or won't say?"

"I would tell you if your friend had left this mortal plane. But he did not leave with me when I offered. So, I do not know. Perhaps another offered, and this he accepted." Except she would have known. She would have fought for his spirit if another angel of death like herself had come for him. The one who had taken him was no such creature.

Blastblaze shook his head. "Useless."

Mal tossed her head defiantly at Blaze. "I am no god." She looked back out over the battlefield. "I only serve them."

"Sorry all," Tex called over the comm. "Where the hell is Dragon? That was weird."

"He fell," Mal told him.

"I fell," Aaron corrected, "and when I woke up, he was gone."

Tex's voice over the comm was filled with disbelief. "Mind filling me in? Dragon just vanished?"

Blastblaze glared at Malstrom, contemplating hitting her. She paid him no mind. "I could sense his regret, and then.. calm. But beyond this, I do not know."

"[censored]!" Tex exclaimed. "Valor has never lost a comrade in battle!"

"If not for you....!" Blaze snarled at Mal. She finally looked up at him. "If I hadn't saved you, I might've saved him."

She coolly looked down at her inexpertly bandaged wound, then back up at him. "Do you wish me to apologize for falling in battle? Had I been in my immortal form, it would not be so. But he knew where to strike."

"We just need to find him is all," Tex was saying. "Let's not start laying blame now."

"And who was that man?" Aaron wanted to know. "Gale?"

"Gale would not know. She did not follow him," Mal said. "She couldn't."

Blast was clearly beyond furious, but not at Malstrom. "Well, you're no help, that's for sure, Mal."

Mal turned and stared directly into Blast's eyes. "I have told you all that I know. Forgive me if it does not answer your true question. I do not know if it was your fault, warrior."

Blast flinched as if he'd just been slapped, and then stared blankly.

Tex's voice was sounding frantic over the comm. "Where was Dragon last seen? Damnit, where was he last?!"

"On the ground right next to me!" Aaron exclaimed.

"I'll find him."

"I'm going, too!"

"Damn him!" Blast whispered, still staring at Mal. "For wanting to be a hero, for attacking you. Damn him! They won't find him there, will they?"

But the Valkyrie's fire had faded from her eyes. Gale Winters sank to the ground, put her head in her hands, and gently rocked back and forth, sobbing.

Lysatia put her hand on his shoulder. "Do you truly begrudge your friend for choosing his own destiny?"

"No, I hate him for cutting me out of it!" Blast snapped. "I might've saved him -- done something!"

She shook her head. "I hope then, if you have such doubt in your actions, you are never in his place." She took to the skies and left.

Meanwhile, over the comm, Tex's voice was becoming more and more strained. "I'll find him if I have to send every single one of these Circle of thorns to the hospital. WHERE IS HE!!!!"

Blast opened his comm. "Tex? What are you doing?"

"They saw him last, I know it," Tex said. "Never did trust these guys. Where is he??!!! Where!??"

Gale, Blast, and Aaron exchanged alarmed looks. The three of them immediately took flight, heading for him.

They discovered the big bull charging into another group of Thorns, sending robe-wearing mages flying. Gale tried to grab his arm, but he was so engaged in busting heads that he very nearly sent her flying, as well. "Tex!" she called. "Stop him!"

"Gale!" Aaron pulled her to relative safety.

Blast started to glow ominously. "Tex, stop. Now."

Gale swallowed hard. "I hate to do this, but…" She fired a bolt of lightning, zapping the big bull in the rear.

Tex whirled around, his eyes wild. For a moment, he didn't seem to recognize his friends. Then his face crumpled in despair. "Never lost anyone…"

"Calm down, big guy," Aaron soothed, keeping between the big bull and Gale.

"It's my fault!" Gale said. "I didn't see what she saw until it was too late."

"Tex," Blast said, powering down, "it wasn't your fault. I'm the coward that ran."

"Should have never taken the reins," Tex moaned. "Knew I would get someone killed!"

"No, it's NOT your fault!" Gale insisted.

"I fell too easily," Aaron said.

"I'm the leader. Happened on MY watch."

Gale shook the bull's shoulders. "No. Something happened between Mal and Silver. I don't know what. But it had something to do with this." She took one hand off of Tex's shoulder and pointed back behind her, to where Blast knelt, his face full of despair. "Look. Your friends need you."

Tex's shoulders sagged. "Damnit."

"I failed him..." Blaze was moaning. "I failed...."

"Dammit, it wasn't your fault either!" Gale exclaimed. Why wouldn't they listen to her? "Tex. Please. We need you."

"Hmmm…" Tex managed to pull himself together. "I'm at a loss here. Where do we start?"

"There's no sign of him," Aaron said.

"And cracking skulls didn't help either," Tex noted, looking down at the crumpled, groaning forms of the Thorns at their feet.

Gale sank to her knees and put her arms around Blastblaze, getting fresh blood on his uniform. "Not your fault.... Thank you for saving me." He acknowledged her with a simple nod, a tear falling onto her arm.

"Well, we can't assume he's dead," Tex was saying, "since we didn't find his body. Have to assume he's still alive." He sighed. "Gonna' have to seek out some help, because apparently Valor doesn't have a super sleuth in our fold."

Blastblaze rose slowly. "He isn't dead until I see a body."

"Tell me what to do," Gale begged.

Tex shook his head. Everyone always seemed to expect him to have all the answers. "Any suggestions where we should start?"

"What was that robot thing?" Gale asked.

"A Kronos," Tex said.

"Really big for starters," Aaron commented. She smiled at him, and he smiled back.

"What about the guy with the top hat?" Blaze asked.

Tex growled. "Knew I should have given him a good smack."

"Who was he?" Gale asked. "Mal seemed to recognize him, but... The image I got was Silver. He called him 'brother.'"

"Well, Mal is clearly useless..." Blast grumbled. He glanced at Gale. "Sorry."

Gale sighed. "Try dealing with her every day."

"We dealing with a spiritual foe of some kind here?" Tex asked.

Gale thought about that, looking at her friends in turn. "I think so. Maybe. I just don't know."

Blast hesitated a moment, looking at Gale. "I got the feeling you knew him better than the rest of us, Mal. To me, he was just a colleague -- and a friend, but he never trusted me with his past."

Gale cringed as all eyes turned to her. "Mal wanted him. Not so much physically, although..." She blushed. "But she knew what he would do. And she allowed it. She believed it was his destiny."

Blast sighed. "If he hadn't been so cryptic about his origins..."

Tex threw up his hands. "Think I'll get plastered. This night calls for it. Chili and beer. Then I'll figure what to do."

Gale smiled weakly at him. "Just don't go on anymore, um, stampedes?"

"You ok, Gale?" Aaron asked.

Gale looked down at her side. The makeshift dressing appeared to be on the verge of falling off. She touched it, winced, and pulled away a hand covered with blood. "Hmm... I should go to the hospital, I guess."

Blast nodded. "Well, I'd recommend it. You're bleeding more than I wa... well, a lot."

"Want an escort?" Aaron offered.

Gale smiled shyly. "I wouldn't mind one..."

Blast looked at Gale. "I think I owe you, or Malstrom, an apology..."

"Oh please don't apologize, she's insufferable enough at times!" Gale laughed.

"Well, I kinda... blamed her."

"Kinda?" Aaron asked. Blast glared at him.

"Aaaah. She doesn't seem upset about any of this, except..." she hesitated. "Well, I think she misses him."

Aaron accompanied her to the hospital, where she thanked him. She made her way to triage, and then closed her eyes. "Oh Mal," she sighed. "You knew what would happen, and you let him do it. Why?"

As usual, the Valkyrie gave her no answer. Her wound was throbbing now. She gingerly touched it again. "Silver," she said, "where are you?"


The Valkyrie reached into the spirit world. "Call me," she said. "I always answer the call of a true warrior."

She could sense him, but now there was something else with him as well. It was something new, dark, a strange darkness that crept out from the nothing. Like a rabid wolf, it snapped at her. Then, it retreated into the darkness. Her powers weren't strong enough to pierce it.

"No machine made by mortal hands can slay your kind," she mused into the darkness. "And no harbinger of the dead came for you. So where are you, great warrior?"

The darkness gave her no reply.

((Well, this is the preface here. This is my first time posting anything on these boards of an RP nature, though I've been doing my share in game. This is a fair number of posts and many months of work and RP... maybe it just felt like that. Either way, most of it was done by a friend of mine who thought the story deserved telling.

She's the one who really got me into RP. I'd only done a few token things before this. Nothing anywhere near this scale(Yes it still seems like a lot to me, nyah.) So, she gets a lot of credit for this. If not for the manual labor then for provoking me into actually RPing out everything. Until this point, all my RP had been in my head. Now I've got two severs full of clones and time travel and... well... I'll get to that later.

This part takes place on the Victory server(You'll note I have two Silver Dragons in my Sig... I'll get to that later.) and was all done in game Yes even the parts outside of reality. I got skilz *cough*

Anyway.

Like I said, this part takes place on Victory. But the entire story spans both Victory and Virtue(and a little beyond). I'll be happy to elaborate on any confusing parts, but most questions get answered by the end. Now rather then post it all in one big lump, I'll hold off. Post one every few days or so to give people a chance to read it and decide if it's worth the investment. I, of course, will be posting it regardless, heh.

Ah, and just so it's clear. There's nothing worse then PG-13 in here. Violence and LOTS of innuendo and careful camera pans. But nothing bad. I hope.

So, without further dallying. Here's my first ever RP, and the start of The Legend of Silver Dragon.))

Part One: Requiem of a Warrior

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-+-World One-+-
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The team had just finished a difficult battle and was celebrating the defeat of Frostfire. Everyone was joyful. Well, almost everyone. Silver Dragon's mind was far from the festivities. One of his teammates had been rather aggressive in letting him know that she was attracted to him. That bothered him for many reasons. The somber warrior walked along after his teammates as they said their goodbyes, trying to decide the best way to handle the awkward situation he'd suddenly found himself in.

"Anyone want to see the view from the top of Atlas?" Stay called.

"Heh, I've seen it," Malstrom called up to him. "It's pretty neat! But I need to go shopping."

"I know a nice spot," Silver said, "If'n you're willing to go a bit out of the way."

"A nice spot for what?" Mal asked. "Shopping?"

He shook his head. "Naw, just to admire the view."

Mal's voice took on a sultry purr. "That would be MOST interesting..."

Stay didn't even attempt to hide his smile. "If you can visit the countryside sometime, the views can be much better."

Mal smiled, looking Silver up and down. "That would depend largely on the view."

"Yeah, this is down in Perez, an--" Silver stopped, suddenly seeing where the innuendo was going. He sighed, looking at Stay, who was grinning broadly at him. This sort of thing had been happening the entire battle. One moment, “Malstrom” was Gale Winters, a quiet and fairly mousy woman, and the next she was the wild Valkyrie she'd told them lived within her. Apparently, the Valkyrie was enthusiastic about more than just battle. He looked back at her, his face expressionless. "You know...maybe you should see it, Mal."

Mal's smile grew even wider. "With you?"

"Sure."

"Hmm..." She looked him over again, her eyes smoldering. "Interesting idea."

Stay cleared his throat. "Well, I'd better get home. Long day of classes tomorrow and all that." He turned away with a wave. "Have fun, you two."

Silver looked after him as his laughing friend headed for the tram. He could only imagine what Stay must be thinking. But now he was alone with her.

"So..." she said. "Where is this place?"

Silver made up his mind. "Meet me at the old amphitheater."

Mal pondered this choice of location. "Hmm, benches... Interesting choice."

"I'd like to think so..."


A few minutes later, they were at the amphitheater. Silver sat down on the bench, sighing in relaxation. Mal sat next to him. "Yeah..." he said. "I like this place."

"Mmm..." Mal said, sliding a little closer to him. "Peaceful." She played a bit with the hem of Silver's cape.

Silver looked down at her. It was obvious what she believed they'd come out here for. Very well. It was time to clear up a few misconceptions. She was certainly direct, so perhaps a direct approach would be best. "So," he said, "should we cut through the innuendo?"

She grinned wolfishly. "Sure, I like direct."

The next thing Silver knew, he was flat on his back. Mal was on top of him, hands busy tugging at his uniform, legs clamped to his sides. Her mouth was busy on his face and neck. Silver had a moment to reflect that perhaps his choice of words had been a bit unwise. "Not quite what I meant!" he gasped, trying to keep her hands away from the seams of his uniform. "Hmm, how do I put this..."

Mal nuzzled at his ear. "Usually, you have to take it out of your pants first." Her hands slid dangerously down. "Here, let me help you..."

Silver rapidly squirmed free and jumped up. "AHEM!" His face flamed as he attempted to re-adjust his uniform.

Mal, unperturbed, looked up at him. Then she crawled over and climbed him like a tree, wrapping her arms and legs around him. He stiffened, but that didn't seem to thwart the amorous heroine. This was not going well at all. "Well now, I can't say I don't like you…” He nearly lost his balance as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling his face dangerously close to the top of her bodice. "I mean, respect you…"

"Hmm, respect… How do you get this thing off, anyway?"

"Er... It's just that I'm not sure I'm your type?"

That got her attention. "Type? What is type? You only like boys?" She stared at him, one eyebrow raised.

Silver was momentarily at a loss for words. "Uh... Nooo, it's not that." He managed to gently peel her off.

She allowed herself to be placed back on the ground, but also managed to pull off his mask. "Mmmm..." she mused, looking at his revealed face. "You're handsome, although scarred. Brave, strong warrior..."

Silver blushed deeply, quickly pulling his mask back up. Meanwhile, Mal was rubbing her hands up and down his arms, noting the tension in his muscles. She giggled. "You ARE afraid of me! By Odin!"

This had gone on for long enough. He stared sternly at her. "Ok, first off. I think you're a bit old for me."

To his surprise, she laughed. "And how old are you?" Mal looked him up and down. "You are clearly a man."

Silver sputtered. "...That's not important!"

Mal giggled, running her finger over his lips. "Is age so very important in women, but not men?"

"It's just that...err..." She was getting that wild look in her eyes again. "Well, I don't even know who you are."

"Of course you do. I am Malstrom, and you are the great Silver Dragon. Introductions over."

And once again, Silver found himself sprawled on his back. He felt a small moment of panic. "Er… Er… Uhh…” He looked about, thinking franticly. "Well, who are your parents?"

Mal raised an eyebrow, slightly annoyed by the silly questions. "My parents?!"


"Yes!" He nodded rapidly, eyes wide. The heels of his hands shoved against the ground in a futile attempt to pull himself out from under her. "Or, whatever you have. I'm not even sure!"

"What difference does that make?!" she exclaimed. "Gale's parents are David and Louise Winter. My parents, well, that hardly matters does it?" She sat up, straddling his waist, and ran her hands over his chest. "You're shaking more now than you ever did in battle."

"Well, who am I speaking to?" Silver wanted to know.

Mal rested her head against his chest, listening with amusement to the frantic beating of his heart. "I am Malstrom, a storm rider of Odin. And I am Gale Winters." Her arms slid up and around his neck. "Why do you tremble so? Don't tell me this is your first time!"

"Well... Actually..."

That got Malstrom's complete attention. She pushed herself up on her arms and stared, blinking incredulously at him.

Silver sputtered. "Wait, no! I..."

"Well is it, or isn't it?!"

Silver Dragon thought long and hard on this question. He didn't know what answer to give this creature. Meanwhile, she was straddling his waist, supporting herself with her hands on his shoulders, looking troubled as she stared down at him. "Well..."

"It is."

"No!"

"Oh?" That smile was coming back again. "It either is or it is not, now which is it?"

Silver sighed and stared off into the sky, avoiding her probing gaze. "That was a long time ago..."

Mal laughed. "Then you are safe. Had you been a virgin, you should not have been first with one such as I. How delightful!"

Silver groaned inwardly. A fifty-fifty chance at giving an answer that would have ended this without hurting her, and he'd chosen the wrong answer?!

Meanwhile, the situation was progressing from bad to worse. She'd snuggled down on top of him again and had started undoing her bodice. "Just relax," she murmured in his ear. "I won't hurt you, great warrior."

Silver ground his teeth together. "Ok... I guess I know who you are. But what do you know of me?" He stared intently at Mal's eyes, refusing to look down at what was about to be revealed.

"That you are a warrior worthy of Valhalla," she declared. "Had I been in my spirit form, and you had perished, I would have taken you to the skies with me."

"Hmm... That is a great compliment. But you didn't answer my question." He grabbed her hands, interrupting their present work. "You know only of Silver Dragon, the warrior. Not me."

Mal looked annoyed. She pulled her hands free and pushed herself back up on her arms again. He glared up at her, obviously determined to get an answer out of her. She'd seen his prowess in battle, but he was proving decidedly difficult to seduce. "Very well. Who are you?" She quickly pulled his mask down again. He was very handsome, despite the abundance of scars that nearly overwhelmed his face. But she was used to the scars of warriors.

Silver growled a bit, took his mask off and tucked it into a pocket. She obviously wasn't going to leave it on. "Well," he said, his mouth not moving as he spoke, "that's a difficult question."

Silver put his hands on Mal's waist, gently lifted her off of him, and set her aside. That brought back the fire in her eyes, but he rolled away from her. In fact, he wasn't looking at her at all. He pulled his knees up and rested his arms on them, staring quietly at the ground, face expressionless. "Alright. I want to show you what I brought you here for."

"Yes, indeed!"

"Not that." That took the smile off of her face. Silver got to his feet. "I want you to shut your eyes. Just... be still for a moment."

How strange he was. On one hand, he seemed to be rejecting her. Yet this was the closest he had come to telling her no. He clearly found her attractive, and he was surely physically able. So what was this strange game he was playing? She shrugged. "Alright." Mal sat up, tucked her legs under herself, and closed her eyes.

This was a strange sensation. Her human skin tingled with the familiar touch of magic, but such strange magic. The air seemed to grow heavy, with a salty smell. She could hear a rushing noise, cresting and falling, and… That couldn't be sand under the bare skin of her legs. What was happening? What was he doing? Was he even there?

Then she felt the touch of his hand on her shoulder. "You can open them again."

Mal opened her eyes and blinked in surprise. The familiar woods of Perez Park were gone. Suddenly, she'd been somehow transported to a strange, hazy beach. The rushing noise she'd heard was the ocean's waves. Yet, except for this, there was no sound. No breeze stirred the strange air, no seabirds called. The beach was still, and strangely quiet. She looked at Silver. "This is not where we just were." Something was strange about him, too, even more so than the fact that his physical mouth clearly wasn’t needed for him to speak. But what was it?

"Well... It is, in a way." He smiled apologetically. "This is a sort of dream world. This is my home."

"Aaaah." She nodded. "It is too bad my powers are so weakened. Until I regain my full strength, I can only see this through mortal eyes. Thank you for taking me to your home."

"I thought you should see it before you made any decisions..." He broke off, seeing the way she was smiling at him. "Err... Follow me."

Mal followed him along the beach to a small grassy hill. Once again, she was struck by the lack of sound. "It's a bit barren..."

"The people of the city have turned away from this place. Ah!" He reached the top of the hill, and his goal. Ahead of them, the sun was slowly sinking into the ocean. The water and sky were alive with a riot of color.

Mal sucked in her breath. "Lovely!"

He nodded, smiling. "Yes, isn't it?"

"Romantic." She moved closer and put an arm around his waist. He put his own arm around her shoulders and she leaned into him, sighing at the eerie beauty of this place.

He stood with her, watching the sky darken. After a moment, he finally spoke. "I wanted to show you this so you would understand."

"Mmm?" She looked up at him. "Understand what?"

"I live here. In the realm of dreams."

"It's lovely," Mal said. "I too know of dreams. I stir the dreams of warriors before battle."

Silver sighed. When he spoke again, his voice was quiet. "I'm not human. At least not like you."

"Oh?" She turned and looked up at him. "You are truly a dragon, then?"

"Not in the strictest sense, no." His eyes were still on the last traces of color in the horizon. He glanced down at Mal and saw her with her head cocked to one side, waiting for an explanation. He chuckled. "You could say I'm a dream for a better future made manifest."

"Now that will definitely require explanation." She climbed out from under his arm so that she could look into his eyes. Her hands reached out for his, and he took them.

Silver scanned about for a moon, found none, and sighed. "As I said, I'm much like the world here. Real. But not. A dream."

Mal looked at him, wishing her sight was not confined to mortal eyes. She gently put her hand on his chest and felt his heartbeat. "You have a heart that beats, and flesh that is warm. Your body is hard and strong."

He nodded. "It does look as such." Silver Dragon slid off one of his gloves. Then, he unsheathed his sword a bit and slid his hand along the edge.

Mal gasped. There was no blood, just a glowing rip. She stared. "This place..."

"I'm not real," he said again. "This place isn't real. I can't feel love for you. I can't feel love, hate, anything!"

"Oh?" She looked up at him. "I know little of love. Battle, the thrill of victory. That is what I am composed of. I have never known love. That is a human emotion."

He nodded. "As strange as that sounds, I'm glad."

"Do you not become lonesome?" she asked, her hand still on his chest over his heart. "Do you not seek a companion in your journey?"

"I do not." His voice was flat, but his eyes bored into hers.

She nodded. "In this place, the call of the flesh is not as strong. How unfortunate."

"I don't feel anything," he said again. "No. That's not right. I feel regret."

"Oh?"

The regret was clearly visible in his eyes now. "I once let a woman fall in love with me. She... She's gone now."

"Aaaah." This was something Mal could understand. "She has gone back to her ancestors?"

He shrugged. "I do not know."

"Mmm." She reached up both hands to his face, staring intently into his eyes. "You asked me earlier who I was. I think we are much the same. But tell me. Who dreamed your dream?"

Silver Dragon smiled. "I did."

"You dreamed yourself?"


"Yup." He chuckled.

"Are you a god?"

He shrugged. "Maybe."

He was shocked when Malstrom suddenly dropped to her knees before him in an obvious posture of worship. He quickly knelt down in front of her, took her shoulders, and gave her a small shake. "No, no. I deserve no worship."

"I am comprised of worship," she said. "It is all I am, before I took flesh." She rose to her feet. "I am the wind that rushes over the battlefield and brings the fallen to Valhalla. This... is what I am."

And suddenly, the familiar hurricane that had raged around her any time a member of their group had fallen returned. Here though, in this place of dreams, Silver could see through the gusting winds to what she was really doing. In the center of the storm, untouched, a mortal woman's body hovered as if in silent slumber. Malstrom, the very essence of the Valkyrie spirit, was the storm itself.

"I think you do seek a companion after all," her voice called from the winds. "But you may not know it just yet." And as quickly as they had come, the winds were gone. Malstrom stood as she had before, her fierce eyes staring proudly up at him.

He smiled softly. "There is... something else. I am mercy, and remorse. There is another. A nightmare."

"Aaaah..." She nodded, understanding. "That is why you cannot feel. You are incomplete, only half of what you were."

"Yes, that is right. Only half."

"Do you wish to be complete again?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I have no wishes."

"Mmm..." Malstrom reached into his pocket and gently replaced his mask. "You should cover your face, great warrior. It is not right for mortals to look into the face of a god."

Silver Dragon solemnly accepted the mask. "It was him."

"That took your love?"

He nodded. "As I am made well by the love and kindness of those around me, he feeds on despair and sorrow. That day he killed the part of me that she loved."

"Then we shall fight him, until you can defeat him and be whole again." Mal gently kissed him, a chaste one this time.

He looked down at her. "I am what people see of me. She saw a lover. When he took her, he took it too." He sighed yet again. "This is what I wanted to tell you."

She shrugged. "As I said, I know nothing of love. Perhaps Gale, but... the one who holds her heart hurt her. I seek only what I have always sought - The spirits of warriors to bring to the skies. Now that I am flesh, well... There is more than one way to take someone to the skies, hmm?" She grinned.

Silver Dragon burst out laughing. "I am of dream stuff."

"I am of worship. We make quite a pair."

He spread his hands. "What you see is what you get."

Mal grinned a sultry grin. "I like what I see."

"Sadly, I cannot join you in the skies."

"Mmm..." She moved closer to him, slipping one arm around his chest and the other behind his head. "Perhaps not now. But in time, maybe, that can change. Call on me. I always answer the call of a true warrior."

He nodded. "Someday. Maybe."

Malstrom pulled him close and kissed him deeply. He didn't resist this time, returning the kiss. After a moment, she pulled away. "Return to the world, great warrior. They need you."

Silver Dragon nodded. "Yes, we should leave this place. The door is over here." He motioned for Mal to follow. "This is where the dream ends."

She shook her head. "No. It is the beginning."

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Does this mean the eventual use of Paypal to pay for in game store items?

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If you mean the market? Like for IOs or salvage? I can honestly say; I do not think that will ever, ever happen.

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I'm guessing he means things like renames, move character, slots, buying respecs.

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That makes more sense.

I could see the option to "Bill to paypal account"

But that might be more work then just altering their store. Have to link their game to it. So, might be some time before we get that.

[ QUOTE ]
Does this mean the eventual use of Paypal to pay for in game store items?

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If you mean the market? Like for IOs or salvage? I can honestly say; I do not think that will ever, ever happen.

Ok, I gotta ask. Who does the voices on these? More so, who's doing them?

Are these a Dev thing? Or is it some awesome player?

I would add some sort of doorway thing that would fit in the hallways, to turn them into realistic doorways, rather then massive cathedral openings.

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I'm honestly surprised Exploding Shuriken didn't get dropped. 19 end, 32 second recharge and all. I wouldn't think many people would take that.

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Try it with Hasten and full Positron Blast slotted for xtra energy damage. My scrapper use the shuriken in melee. Dragon Tail + Explosive Shuriken is nice. No redrawing of weapon. Its good also with Soul Drain+ Explosive Shuriken. Works great.

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Focus + Shockwave + Shuriken + Explosive Shuriken

I'ma Blaster! It's quite fun, actually. Shuriken has a nice and low recharge, can spam it, along with focus.

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I am curious who took the Shuriken over Web Grenade in this case...one seems to be far far far more useful than the other.

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*raises hand*


...What?


Well, if I may add? Toss some -fly onto the Shurikens *shrug* Simple, no? Maybe make that only function in PvP.

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I think it's funny how mad some folks get at changes that aren't all even announced yet. So what if they take a power here or there and swap it... learn to deal with it. I mean, did the concept of flexibility disappear while I wasn't looking? It's not like any character will be "perfect" anyway; there is (and always will be) room for improvement on all characters. Why do you think people argue ad infinitum about slotting and power choices on practically every power combination, hmmmm? Because everyone has a different (and in most cases), just as good and valid way of doing things.

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Glad you aren't as attached to your characters and you don't care when drastic (to some) changes to them are announced. I have several characters with the weapons pool, and I could be perfectly happy knowing that if I never respec, I can keep the powers currently picked... logging in and finding my power lineup changed would be more than an annoyance to me.

Should the announced power that's being swapped out not be web grenade, that will be 3 characters of mine that I'll consider ruined by the change. Yes, ruined. I pick powers because they are fun, not because of the numbers behind them. I get a lot of use of the other three choices in the set. If I'd cared about being uber, I'd have taken body for focused accuracy like everyone else.

If nobody is taking these powers anyway, then add the new power as a 5th choice. At the very least, those that have them should be able to keep them until a respec. If the technology doesn't exist to allow it, then make it. Outright modifying a characters power lineup should never even be an option. When they changed taunt to a level 10 tanker power, existing tankers were allowed to keep it where it was until a respec was used... they can do it again.

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Personally, I have a character (Claws scrap) who's powers are based around metal under her skin. Caltrops/shuriken were/are perfect for her. Seriously good.

But I'm not having an aneurysm about this.

What I would LIKE?

Oh, about a hundred things. Starting with expanding all the epic/normal pool sets by several powers. Could keep Caltrops then. Or place it into another pool, a new one.

Y'know what?

I bet this is all for nothing.

I bet he misspoke. He really meant Mace Mastery.

Scrappers are getting Mace Mastery. And it's going to have FA.

Stalkers/brutes will get fluffy bunnies.

Yeesh

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What logic is going into changing Hero Epics?

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You mean how like a power like Power Boost was so overwhelmingly unbalanced that if you had to chance to take it, you would, and then no other APP was ever taken for that AT?

We knew at least this one was coming.

There's going to be changes and no amount of screaming will stop it. If you playtest it and post results with recommendations, you may have the opportunity to shape those changes. If you preemptively scream NIMBY, they'll just tune you out.

And you can bet big money they'll give at least one freespec with this. They passed out freespec for far lesser changes.

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I don't even KNOW what AT gets power boost in their epic (I think it's contollers?) - because epics were NOT the issue- the issue was that Patrons SUCK compared to the Epics. So they are going to force changes on to heroes who might not want them or just don't want the changes at all instead of just giving the god damn epics to villians??

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A: You're over reacting.

B: The implication is that villains will be getting FA, or something FA like as well.

C: Nothing has changed yet.

D: Villain Epics were too weak, Hero Epics were too powerful, bringing one to the other is not the answer.

E: Some powers weren't taken enough, in both Epics and Patrons, they're fixing both those.

F: All of the above.

Pick one, please. You're not being constructive, and if you want your voice heard. Yelling won't help.

If I were you, I would post a lot. Just post quietly, more politely. You can be polite and still forceful, still get your way. Reason is the argument that they want, and they listen too. There's more then enough president set for it.

As it stands, we know one tiny reference to something that MAY happen in the future. Some day.

Calm down, please

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I'm eager to see how pervasive "Replace powers people don't use with more useful stuff" is. Pool powers would also be a good place for this kind of thinking.

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Agreed 100%

Pool powers could really use some love, and we could REALLY use a couple completely new pools. A second fighting pool of just melee attacks with some fresh animations would be nice. A dual pistols pool would be freakin rad! Throwing daggers would be another great pool. As long as the attacks do only moderate damage...I don't see it breaking anything. I'd just love to see some new "neutral" pools that make sense with any AT or theme.

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FINALLY someone agrees with me!

We could use about a dozen more pool powers. Meditation, Super Senses, Burrowing, Lasso, Tracking, ect. Maybe even elemental pools with generic elemental powers.

The list goes on

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Man where should i start??? What are the devs doing? Stalkers get yet another powerset in i13??? OMG and villians get Pain Domiantion??? Aren't they already dominating with widows in pvp??? When are the Heroes gonna get something thats really good? First thing that I think needs to happen in i13 is improving the PB and Ws,you know to make things fair and balanced remember that??? How about pistols for blasters? How about another good damage set for scrappers,Fire melee is great,and 1 more nice set wouldn't hurt.Tanks could use a new good set as well,since brutes have fury,and more powersets than tanks.Man you guys keep giving the villians stuff every issue and keep the heroes behind on the goods.I hope you guys got some more nice stuff to announce,cause right now it looks like a disappointing issue.

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... Yer kidding, Right? All these years people have been moaning about Vside getting hosed, and now you're complaining when it actually gets the goods?

[Stares. In amazement and disbelief.]

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I have to admit that Shields for stalkers does seem a bit misplaced. What do you need with a shield if your main defense is stealth?

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What do you do with a shield? Throw it at your enemy and knock him down!

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No no no! Don't you get it!

It's a CLOAKING SHIELD

Think people!

*holds shield on head and patrol-walks away*

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Very cool thread. Will definitely be bringing Hero 1's attention to it tomorrow.

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Ah! That's who I meant to PM my massive, massive list of questions too!

Oh, how the questions burn me so...