All posts by ShinJae

Champions of Battle: AD7 – Awakening #15

Bosstown Rejuvenation Center:

Team GarDNAnge1 waited with AD7 for Cyd to finish his shift.  It was very true that he hated his job but he had enough respect to at least finish his final shift.  However, the Blue Stone Reanimation Corporation could do without their three week notice.  It was only fair.  He had worked there for six years without any notice of a promotion or pay raise.

The five of them sat on a few large and very soft black couches in a side lobby.  As they talked, AD7 occasionally glanced at the counter.  It was busy.  Customers came and left with their revived allies.  The revived often limped or looked uncomfortable as they moved.

Occasionally, someone would enter with an unfortunate person; or a box.  So many hurt, dying, and dead people; was this new world so violent.  Was it just as violent in the old world too?  Maybe?  Possibly?  AD7 was still drawing blanks.

The bunch of them looked awkward staying in the lobby, a bit like loiterers.  They got a few strange looks but no one dared to say anything to the fearsome cloaked warriors and their slim orange and yellow companion.

AD7 had long since changed into more reasonable attire.  A plain t-shirt and a pair of pants complements of the Rejuvenation Center.  Light brown seemed to match her skin the best, slightly lighter pants and white shoes completed her outfit.

She guzzled water as fast as her body would absorb it while the members of GarDNAnge1 told her about the world.  They had removed their hoods and introduced themselves some time ago.  They seemed nice, granted she had only known them for a short while.

A great amount of the world had changed.  The city she loved had fallen on “hard times.”  Rubin’s Trail had gained a “presence” in the area.  New and mysterious combat schools were discovered including the Holy Talent Set that Hachiro used.  Of course, with all the things they were telling her, she couldn’t help but wonder what they were leaving out.

Most of the technical information they gave her it was over her head.  All she understood was that they needed her to build things.  She kept thinking the question.  If they were so powerful, why did they need help?

“What do you need built,” she asked the next time she had a chance to enter the conversation.  They looked at her confused which surprised her a bit.  It was like she gave a very wrong answer in a classroom.  “Did I say something wrong?”

Tirzah looked at her companions a bit longer then turned to AD7.  How much of the last two hours did AD7 comprehend?  Tirzah cleared her throat, “Let’s start again.  We are the lead portion of team Guardian Angel,” Tirzah said with pride.  They had earned that pride.  GarDNAnge1 was the lead team of what could be argued as one of the greatest clans in the entire world.  As such, everyone in the world knew their team name.  However, AD7’s eyes showed nothing resembling recognition.

“From Pure Order,” Tirzah continued with a little bit of hope.  If anything she knew their faction name.  The rivalry between Pure Order and Pure Wealth was legendary.  Again, AD7 responded with a blank gaze.  “We come from the city of Sanity,” Tirzah said almost frustrated.  Everyone in the world wanted to find the secret city of Sanity.  Not only did it hold a world famous clan, it held secret Hanja and enchantments that no other place could duplicate or disenchant.

It seemed that AD7 recognized that the three statements were supposed to mean something.  What they meant was beyond her.  Hachiro came up with the answer, “She’s too old to know about us Tirzah.”

AD7 flinched at his words.  She did not like being referred to as “too old.”  No matter how long she had been in storage, she looked just as old as they did.

It made sense to Tirzah though.  She began a new explanation, “We mostly battle on trails.  We don’t need you to build one thing.  The structures we need are buildings that build, train, and upgrade machines.  We use these machines and our skills to attack opponents while they attack us trying to force a surrender or retreat.”

AD7 had no idea how to respond.  She agreed to help these people as thanks for reviving her but it was all overwhelming.  “I’ve never done that before,” she said.  At least she had no memory of doing anything like that.  She remembered a wall that was about it.

“Don’t worry,” Tirzah said comforting.  She seemed very sure of AD7’s abilities.  She took a sip of water “compared to what you’ve already done, it should be easy.”

#1 – Awakening #14 – Awakening #16

Gankers

A gamer in the Sons of Sword Universe is playing through a great game of Champions of Battle.  Not willing to pay the outrageous price for an upgrade, she has gathered the ore to make the next piece of armor herself.  Now it’s time to return to the forge.  She’s about to get back into her ship when suddenly a lightning bolt comes out of nowhere killing her instantly.

By the time her body is retrieved, she has lost the ore and her shirt, literally.  All the stat increasing Hanja it contained now makes her mysterious assailant stronger or richer.  So, she has another difficult task to complete before she can continue her adventure.

Another gamer has just finished the final leg of an extensive quest chain with a secretive and hard to impress faction.  The prize for months of frustrating quests and searches is a rare treasure that only this faction can give.  He has burned many bridges with former allies in order to get this prize, steeling or ruining things they hold dear.

All of the trouble is well worth it.  This prize is as useful as it is rare.  It is not however all powerful.  This fact is easily proven.  Not five minutes after getting it, he is swarmed by an overwhelming horde of attackers.  They rip the prize from his Champion’s cold dead hands and roll dice to see who keeps it.  By the time his body is retrieved the attackers are nowhere to be found.  To get a similar prize, he has to start the whole process again with no access to his former allies.

These attacks are just a small portion of what is capable of those who have been named “gankers” in the game Champions of Battle.  A common occurrence in free roam games, they are a problem and a peril that is difficult to sort out.  They have been called bandits, cheaters, cowards, thieves, raiders, and many other colorful phrases.  To the enemies of the attacked, they could be called fortunate.  They have been hunted, hired, and are usually not trusted.  They are the reason that most low level players stay in cities with high level guards.

Who knows why they do what they do?  Perhaps in a gaming world a player can act out their craziest dreams without being punished.  The player can become an outlaw then sleep soundly at home.  Perhaps the player’s idea of fun is making sure that others don’t have fun.  Maybe the player is powerless in the real world and lash out in the world of fiction.  For any of these reasons, the result is the same.  Whenever a Champion steps out of the protected cities, they must be wary.

It is not an easy existence.  Gankers too live in fear in the Champions of Battle world.  They too must be careful.  With increasing reports of dishonorable activities, they have to be careful where they go.  They have few safe places to rest.  There is usually a bounty for their capture.  This bounty increases with every dishonorable thing they do.  This, “fun,” is encouraged to become less fun for the players.

With an increasing bounty, gankers have to take greater strides to stay hidden while carrying out their daily lives.  They have to look for more and more secure hideouts.  They have to search for special cities equally full of lawlessness to be relatively safe from bounty hunters.

When gankers are caught, painful strength reducing torture in a prison cell may await.  All of their acquired equipment and a great amount of their funds could be taken.  To be completely free from their captors, they must hope for rescue from their allies or the enemies of their captors.  Such help may or may not come depending on how securely the prison is hidden away.  Anyone that attempts to free a ganker and fails is placed in a similar condition.

Gankers are difficult to deal with because they have uses in Champions of Battle.  The Crisho race is a very small.  The average height is around five centimeters.  Even in a video game world, ill-equipped explorers should be wary.  Low level players are not supposed to wander far.  They are encouraged to play carefully and strategically or fail a task they may not be trusted with again.  Gankers create the necessary fear for other players to stay relatively safe until they are ready to venture out with all the proper equipment and tactics.

Gankers are used politically in game as well.  There are always warring and conniving factions.  Catching or hiring a known outlaw creates a winning situation.  They are used as free agents to attack or spy on foe or ally without revealing the true source of aggression.

The temptation to break, steal, or vandalize stuff is sometimes too powerful to resist, especially in video games.  However, Champions of Battle is a game where things are continually moving.  A Champion is still active even when their player is not playing.  It is possible for a Champion to commit a crime, only to be caught while its player is off-line.  Even if a player does a few dishonorable actions they must be careful.

Champions of Battle: The Very Best – Opportunity #14

Brisa took a deep breath and turned on the hologram window.  Even though the walls were solid, passengers could view the outside with the press of a button.  A hologram of the world on the other side of the hull appeared to Brisa.  One look was all it took to take away all her worries.  The sky was beautiful.  It looked real enough that she could forget she was in the shuttle.

Even with all its troubles, life was going well.  She was on a glorious adventure.  This was the life that she imagined having; the life she always wanted.  It was scary but that made it all the more exciting.

She was really going to a remote part of the world.  A place riddled with danger.  Her stay would be short, but at least she could say she’s been to West Drop.  If anything, she would have pictures to send to her friends.  And a story they would never believe.

Now that she had calmed down a bit, she could take in her surroundings.  She had flown in shuttles like these before but Duard had always insisted on flying the first class cabins.  The scene in economy class was clean, but economic.

Her compartment was cozy.  There was just enough room for an opposing couch and a small walkway in between.  The couch and cushions were cheap.  One of them was discolored; the other was obviously brand new.

There was not a great deal to entertain the passengers besides the advertisements that displayed overhead if the passengers allowed them.  Between advertisements, brief bits of the news would show.  The Mech War still raged on but the new clans were making headway.  Hopefully, they would defeat the machines and bring peace to that area.  It all was too far away for her to give relevant concern.  The holograms changed back to commercials.  Some of them were quite funny but they were still commercials.

The set up in economy class seemed designed to push a passenger out to mingle with the other passengers.  They were to walk out and buy stuff in the shuttle shop and eat in the food court.  It was exactly the opposite of first class where the servers brought everything to the passengers.

There was the lingering urge to obey the commercials and go out to buy things.  Her will and her mission kept her in her seat.  The burning freezing discomfort in her chest reminded her of what would happen if she was caught.  It was too expensive.

She instead decided to keep her mind occupied by researching on her handheld.  She had this one chance to learn what she could about West Drop.

In her readings, West Drop was much more dangerous than she thought.  Reports of violence and lawlessness abounded.  If she was going to be there even for a short time, she would need to be very careful and stay away from the taverns.

There was a knock on her cabin door.

Opening the door Brisa sees a familiar looking lady.  She was only a small amount taller than Brisa which still made her really short. Her perfect skin was green with small tan spots that grew more defined down her neck.  She wore an ordinary red t-shirt, blue jeans, and red sneakers with white highlights.  Brisa couldn’t shake the feeling that she really should recognize this lady, but the memory eluded her.  She could have been someone in economy class that Brisa passed while boarding the shuttle?

“Excuse me,” she starts with a soft voice, “are you Brisa Gan?”

How did she know that?  “Um, yes,” Brisa said as calmly as she could muster.

“My name is Catlin, may I please come in,” she says with a very polite bow.

Brisa paused for a bit, but how could such a polite young lady cause any harm.  “Why sure,” Brisa said happily.  She bowed and opened the way for Catlin to enter the cabin.  This trip was getting even better.  Conversation and meeting a new person would really help the time go by.

#1 – Opportunity #13 – Opportunity #15