Tag Archives: Champions of Battle

Champions of Battle: The Very Best – Opportunity #7

After the after party, The BigBad Crew went to a cafe in another corner of the hotel to relax and recover.  Of all of them, Neely was the one that needed to recover the most.  He loved fruit drinks especially the sweet ones.  He had no idea what the clear liquid was they added, but it gave the drink an extra kick.  After more kicks than he remembered, he was quite finished.

He sat in the booth with them.  However, the way that he stared passed Liana on the other side of the booth, they were uncertain he was with them at the moment.  He had a large black coffee in one hand and an empty plastic bag in the other, just in case.

They each had a coffee of their own.  Most of them were infused with chocolate.  Liana and Catlin, wealthier from their casino exploit, happily paid for the drinks.  As they sit Jaquan tells them about the visit from Justice.  Justice had offered him a chance to fight better warriors.  In turn, Jaquan could become better than he ever was.  It was very tempting, but he had time to think since then.

After an hour, the thought of throwing away everything for a chance at a possibility sat very wrong with him.  This was a life changing decision.  Something like this required the honest opinion of the people he trusted the most.  “So, what do you think?”

After a brief period of silence Catlin was the first to speak up.  “The fans won’t like it,” she said seriously, “They’ll think you’re running from Chuan and forget about you,” she said looking at him knowingly.  “They’ll be hard to win back,” she sung pointing at him knowing she was right.  Though he ignored most of the public and treated news crews like garbage, he did enjoy being famous.  “Chuan will use this as a platform to claim you’re scared to fight him too.”

“Orien Chuan,” Jaquan almost spit out his name with venom.  “Gettin’ tired of him.  Oh and five and still claims he’s better.  Need to shut him up for good.”  Jaquan was stared into his coffee, elbow on the table holding his head in his hand.  How could anyone get through to a fighter so full of himself?

Liana decided to use the pause to step in.  “This… Justice, what do we really know about him?” she said deciding to change the subject, “He just pops in out of nowhere and tells you all this stuff.  How’d he get into the party anyway?”

“He’s always been a tricky,” Jaquan chuckled to himself.

“What if he changed while he was gone?  He could be trying to trick you now,” Liana continued.  “Are you sure we can trust him?”

“If you’re going to shut Orien up for good,” Catlin entered, “we’ll have to train harder than ever.  You’ll have to humiliate him repeatedly for the whole match.”

“We tried that once,” Jaquan said pointing at her to accent his point.  “He stuck me with that lucky shot.”

“What about a quick fight,” Liana suggested, “make everyone think he wasted his time talking to himself.”

Jaquan lifted his head looked at Liana and smiled.  Now there was a good idea.  Shut up his hype by sending him home early.  Everyone would laugh at him the next time he opens his mouth.

“BAMP!” There was a sudden slam against the table.  The sound of the silverware and empty cups bouncing off the table got the attention of everyone in the cafe.  They looked and saw that Neely, though still intoxicated, had heard and understood everything.  “I can’t believe what I’m hearing,” everything about him rung of someone insulted by pure witlessness, “Your friend uses the Holy Talents.  The Holy Talents!”  He paused between the words making sure they understood him.  “How could you doubt him?  Do you doubt me?”  It took a little while for him to continue but they all waited.  “If he says this will help, it will help.”

They listened on knowing that arguing with him was useless at this point.  “You can be the greatest!  The very best!  What you trained for!” Neely was reeling but his argument made real sense.  “Those promoters don’t give two Silicon coins ’bout you.  The crowds would just as well see you broken.  They’ll find someone else.  They always have another fight.

“This is about You.  You can be the greatest, the very Best!  Why you care ‘bout what Orien says?”  He said the name with disdain.  Orien Quan had proven to be a nuisance, but that was all he was.  “Let him talk.  He’s a publicity hog.  He wants to be the champ.  Let’s see how long he can keep it.”  Neely leaned forward holding himself as steady as he could.  With no small amount of concentration he lifted his hand.  Pointing at Jaquan staring at him he said, “You want to be the best, in the world?  You have to travel the world and become the best.”  He leaned back into his seat lowering his hand.  “It sure ain’t coming here.  Now if you excuse me,” Neely said turning to his right, still reeling, “I have to go to the toilet.”

Catlin got up from the booth to let Neely out.  He rose slowly and shambled his way to the toilet; bag in hand, just in case.

#1 – Opportunity #6 – Opportunity #8

The Close Quarters Set

The Close Quarters Talent set is designed for champions that don’t mind being up close in hand to hand combat.  This set is particular for the adventurer’s choice of weapon and other talent sets.

Champions that use this set value outcome regardless form.  They are more concerned with how an item can be used than how it should be used.  If they are in a desperate situation, they can pick up rocks, bricks, broken table legs, or whatever else is lying around and use it with relative effectiveness in combat.  The selected item would be much more effective if it resembles a weapon the champion is familiar with.

Keep in mind, the item has to be around.  It would be extremely difficult to grab a rock if the champion is on a tree or in a well kept house.  Also the items durability is taken into account.  Since it is not a forged weapon item could break over time.

The special moves of a champion using this set is highly affected by both the weapon choice and the other two talent sets chosen by the player.  A caster can gain shorter channeling time and extend punches.  An archer can use arrows as single use daggers.  Gunners can use a gun more effectively as a melee weapon and are more effective with shot guns.  Duelists can aim for pressure points to stun opponents or make it painful for them to move.

These champions can master weapons that other Talent Sets don’t usually teach.  Even unarmed techniques are utilized.  Chain weapons, flail weapons, reverse gripped daggers, and other types of weapons are taught in this Talent set.  This can take most champions by surprise as weapon defense is also a stat that must be leveled.

There is an honorable and dishonorable side to this set.  As the names suggest, one is much less concerned about appearance than the other.  They have very different styles of training but both sides can be mastered by a champion who has spent enough time training.

 

Champions that use this set:

Orien Quan, AD7

Champions of Battle: AD7 – Awakening #8

At the base of Rubin’s Mountain, a high quality stereo system echoes in the breeze.  A shout caster yells updates trying to keep up with all the action as best he can.  Doctor Adrianne Yu uses what she hears to get a general image of the race.

The racers’ vehicles had both flight and climbing abilities.  These powerful machines have to use both abilities to fly and jump though check points in the thick forest course.  The racers stop and change directions repeatedly to stay on the course, all at break neck speeds.  The machines use powerful steel claws to grab a branch after hitting one check point, immediately heading for another.  It would be impossible to keep up unless the caster knew where they were going.

The gravity forces and random  uncut branches make the race very dangerous.  Without gravity reducing suits and fast reflexes, it would be impossible to even start such a profession.  The racers themselves were particularly unkind to each other which made the race even more difficult.  It even seemed dangerous for the caster.  He could suffocate from lack of air or have a heart attack any time now.

It was the broadcast of the final race of the E-Ville racing tournament.  Racers and their teams modified their machines to navigate the forest course as quickly as possible.  Doctor Yu loved machines and what people could do to improve them.  While she was genuinely interested in who won, she needed the sound to be in the background.  She had her own tasks to complete.

Her own specially modified vehicle was parked a small ways away from her near the rock face.  The system stereo was set really high so that she could hear it while she set up the system.  Her defense robots made sure that she was not disturbed by any wildlife or any harmful wanderers.  It was time to test the weapon again.

Checking the devices over again, she made sure that everything was in place.  A heated rock selected from the sloping rock face sat on a launching device.  It was flanked by a few recording robots reminiscent of the small flying robots in the museum.  Instead of guns, the three of them held cameras.  They all sat ready and in position for her to give the signal.

Nervously she presses the button.  Imediately, the rock is launched into the air and the recording bots follow a split second after.  They sailed over her ship as her speakers played the shout casters updates.  As they pass, a missile is launched from her ship.  Seeking the heated rock, it quickly changes directions heading upwards.

“Come on, come on,” she says encouragingly.

The missile catches the rock quickly.  However, instead of exploding on the rock, the rock is engulfed in flames.  It lands, a rolling heap of fire while the recording bots fly back to Doctor Yu with the valuable data.

Checking the multiple angles of the recording, Doctor Yu looks at the high-definition holographic image in slow motion.  She fast forwards the recording to a point just before the impact.

As expected, the warhead splits into eight parts right before it reached the target.  As expected, the hyper-napalm is spread like a net while the eight tips continue to seek and catch the rock.  Unlike her last test, the tips actually catch the rock and dig in, securing a hold on the target.  The burning hyper-napalm follows the hooks and engulfs the rock in flames.

“Yes!  Perfect!”

In a moment of curiosity she walked over to the still burning target.  During the short trek, the flame died and she saw what has became of the rock.  Its once strong features were smoothed out.  It collected dirt and debris as it rolled, it now resembled a dirty glass tube more than a rock.  She knew better than to touch it.  She could still feel the heat from quite a few centimeters away.

Just then, her handheld rang.

“Doctor Yu.  You’re needed at the lab.  We have brain activity from Aa Dee Seven.”

“I’ll be right there.”

#1 – Awakening #7 – Awakening #9