Chương 6: Login 6: Arcane Poet
<<Legend Internet Cafe>>
Time: 3:30 PM
NIco had lunch at Joseph's house which was located at the second floor of the Internet Cafe. After having lunch, Nico sat behind the old piano that Joseph had in their house and started playing. Joseph saw how immersed Nico was so he quietly went down stairs and proceeded to his office to continue work. Joseph had no problem letting Nico stay alone in his house. There were even times that they would let Nico watch the house for them when they go on a long trip. That's how much Joseph and his wife trusts Nico, they basically thought of him as there younger brother.
Nico really enjoyed playing that when he check the time on his watch it was already 15:30 PM (3:30 PM). Remembering Pada's respawn time, he got up and headed down stairs. He still had just enough time for him to prepare for the upcoming Hunt. Arriving at the internet cafe, he walked heading to the back of the internet cafe, where Joseph's office is. As he was walking, he passed a group of teens who were chatting excitedly.
"Can't wait what rewards I'll be getting today!" One of them said
"Me too!" The others echoed
"I hope I get the Jewel of the Golden Deity, then I'll be rich!" One of them stated
"In your dreams" One said making the rest laugh.
When Nico noticed what game they were playing, he wasn't really surprised that the group of friends were playing Rampage. Rampage was truly a game for everyone. Young or old, male or female, casual player or professional player; it really doesn't matter, everyone is welcome to play.
Nico knocked on Joseph's office door twice before entering.
"The cafe is more packed than usual" Nico informed, as he sat on the couch in front of his laptop.
Hearing what Nico said was like music to Joseph's ears, but he tried playing it cool "Must be due to Pada respawning soon"
"The update said that there will be some additional gifts to the player who will be participating" Nico said lifting his head to Joseph, as he waits for his account to be logged in.
"Well, that just goes to show that Rampage really loves their players" Joseph ginned. He has no complaints at all. Rampage is gaining more from this kinds of events, but it wasn't just Rampage who was gaining but him as well. "Let the customers keep flowing!" He rejoiced internally.
After Nico had logged in his eyes widen "Whoa! There sure is a lot of people waiting for Pada to respawn" he said, surprised by the amount of players that were logged in.
"Wait?!.... Didn't you hear?" Joseph asked, giving Nico a strange look.
"Hear what?" Nico frowned at the way Joseph was looking at him. It was like there's a secret that everyone already knows except for him.
"Wow! you really don't know?" Joseph was shocked
"Yes, I don't know, so can you please tell me, Kuya?" Nico deadpanned, giving an emphasis on "Kuya".
"Okay, okay" Joseph lifted his hands in surrender, when he saw Nico's scary emotionless face. "It actually started with a theory that Pada might be dropping more that one Jewel of the Golden Deity".
"And where did that information came from?" Nico's eyes furrowed. He made sure that he kept his emotions in check, because if he started believing in baseless rumors then it will just hurt him in the end, especially in this kind of situation. He really wanted to do his best today, in order for him to get a higher chance of getting the Jewel of the Golden Deity and he will absolutely won't let this kinds of news ruin his calm. He was afraid of hoping to much and then be disappointed in the end, he would rather believe and follow what he knows best, based on experience.
"It was posted on the Rampage forums a few days ago, and the poster stated that he knew one of the developers form Rampage" Joseph said before sipping from his mug "The thread was so eye catching that it went viral in less than an hour." Then he let out a sigh "Anyway, now we'll finally know if what the thread stated was true or if it's just a hoax"
Joseph checked the time and asked Nico "Have you logged in yet? It's almost time"
"Wow! You logged in before I did" Nico said, really surprising him
"Of course!" Joseph said proudly "I'm actually quite excited. Can't wait to get my hands on that JGD!"
"Ahhhh..... you must be psychic now" Nico teased
"I might as well be, because I know I'm gonna get one by the end of this. I just feel it!" Joseph said confidently
"Whatever helps you sleep at night" Nico teased again
"Whatever you're just jealous" Joseph said, acting like an annoyed kid "Have you logged in yet, why are you so slow!" he then complained, which made Nico chuckle. He really enjoyed it whenever he could pick on Joseph.
"I'm already logged in, where are you?" Nico asked as he checked his inventory for essentials.
"I'm already at Mactan! Hurry up!" Joseph said impatiently
"Coming your highness" Nico teased once more.
Nico maneuvered CherishedSong to the teleportation pillar, then selected Mactan. Upon arriving at Mactan he was really socked.
<<Mactan>>
3:45 PM, Philippine time | Asia Server
"Whoa! I really didn't expect for this much people to join the Hunt!" Nico was really taken a back by the amount of players logged in that day. Thankfully the system was so high end that the game doesn't even flinch at the staggering amount of players that were logged in.
"Where are you?" Nico asked. A second after he asked he received as private chat from SavageGentleman with the coordinates of where his is. "Thanks" Nico said, as he sets CherishedSong on auto. As CherishedSong heads to the coordinates automatically, Nico took one more check in his inventory to make sure that he got everything. After checking and made sure that he got all he needed, he just watch CherishedSong ran and casually watch the view in the game. Just as he was watching a thought suddenly popped up in his mind "I'm starting to think that everything you said might actually be true" Nico said as he rubs his chin.
Then he saw SavageGentleman "I can see you" Nico informed Joseph.
"I see you too! I'll send you an invite" Joseph said
A system message then appeared on Nico's screen.
<<SavageGentleman would like to form a party with you: Accept | Decline>>
Nico pressed Accept, then SavageGentleman's life bar appeared on the left side of his screen. One thing about Nico, is that he is a very meticulous guy. He took one finally check if everything was already set; he scanned his inventory once more, when he was sure that he had everything he needed, he nodded to himself then closed his inventory window. Just as he closed his inventory window, he noticed a player with an unfamiliar name sent him a private message.
"Hi! *Smiling emoticon* can I join your party? *Begging emoticon*"
After he read the message, his eyebrows furrowed.
"What's up? Something wrong?" Joseph asked, when he noticed Nico's expression.
"None really, it's just that someone wants to join our party?" Nico said, keeping his eyes on the screen.
"Someone you know?" Joseph asked as he took one finally check at his equipment.
"No, but I'm checking the character's information now" Nico clicked on the name of the character then selected view information.
His eyes widen, as he was pleasantly surprised by what greeted him. This day has had a lot of surprises for him lately, and he guessed that this is just one of many more to come.
When Joseph saw Nico's change of expression, he could help but be curious on what got Nico's attention "Found something interesting?"
"It's more that just interesting. It's actually quite amazing!" Nico said with a marveled expression plastered on his face.
"Really?" Joseph's eyebrows shot up. Now he's also intrigued. He got up from his chair then went to sit beside Nico on the couch to see what got his interest. And alas, it did not disappoint.
The Character's name is <<PurpleRain>> Level: 80 and is a female Arcane Poet.
"Wow! A level 80 Arcane Poet, now that's something you don't see everyday" Joseph said in amazement, instantly getting more interested by this player.
Nico just nodded in agreement and continued to view the character's equipments. PurpleRain's equipments didn't give off the initial shock that they had when they saw her the first time. PrupleRain's equipments were just "Normal" and ordinary. Non the less Joseph's mood wasn't dampen at all.
"When was the last time we saw an Arcane Poet?" Joseph suddenly asked
"Hmmm..." Nico was deep in thought then answered "I think it was from the Rampage Worlds"
"Yeah, Kristian Kostov from Bulgaria. If I'm not mistaken he's the only professional player that uses an Arcane Poet. I would have never thought that I would see an Arcane Poet out of the Professional circle!"
Nico could only nod, which only proves that Joseph wasn't exaggerating.
As Joseph and Nico continued marveling over the Arcane Poet, another message popped up.
"Uhhhh.... hello? *Waving emoticon*"
The message snapped Nico back to reality, replying immediately "Ummm.... Yes, sorry! *Bowing emoticon* I wasn't paying attention, but if you would like to join us then you are free to do so!" Nico typed back
"Really? Thank you!! *Teary emoticon* *Bowing emoticon*. You guys are a real life saver! Almost every party is already full" PurpleRain typed
"Well it's great that you found us? I'll tell my friend to send you and invite shortly" Nico typed back, then turned to Joseph who's still sitting beside him
Joseph was confused as to why Nico was staring at him, then he suddenly remembered he was actually the party leader.
"Oh!" Joseph stood up and quickly made way to his computer. Nico has already sent PurpleRain's ID to Joseph, so what he'll just have to do is send an invitation. Just seconds after he sent the invitation, a system message appeared on Joseph's screen informing him that PurpleRain has accepted his invite.
<<PurpleRain has successfully joined your party!>>
"Thank you guys for letting me join! *Bowing emoticon*" Purple rain sent to the party chat, then another message appeared not too long after "Huh? there's only three of us *Big Question mark emoticon*"
"Yeah, the two of us don't like being in big groups." Joseph explained, then added "We like to keep it low key"
"Ohhh.... That's great! I'm actually not very good with big crowds either. *Sweating emoticon*" PurpleRain typed
"Then I guess it's fate that you were brought to us! *Dramatic emoticon* *Sparkly emoticon* *Welcome Emoticon*" Joseph told PurpleRain.
"It really is! And I couldn't be more happier! *Excited Emoticon*" PurpleRain typed "I really thought that I wouldn't be able to find a party, then when I was about to give up, I saw CherishedSong just arrived here through the teleport pillar, and followed him!"
"Wait you know CherishedSong?! *Shocked emoticon*" Joseph asked as he took a peek at Nico's expression, reading the party chat conversation. And he wasn't disappointed, Nico showed a flash of surprise in his eyes, but it was gone in a blink of an eye.
"Yeah! He's like really famous *Nodding emoticon*. He's like the number one Minstrel in the world, how can he not be famous?!"
At that point Nico couldn't just sit back anymore and started typing "I'm really not that great. Being the number one minstrel was just an exaggeration since there are only a few of us who plays this class. *Embarrassed emoticon* *Shy emoticon*"
"Well I say, if you are the number one at using the most difficult class then, you are just as good as the other professional players if not better! *Muscle Emoticon*" PurpleRain typed
"She has a point" Joseph said out loud, agreeing to what PurpleRain said
"Thank you! *Blushing emoticon*" Nico could just type.
"Anyway, I think it's already time, so I guess we better head to the gate" Joseph typed in the party chat, making Nico looked at his watch "16:00 PM (4:00 PM)".
Pada will not be respawing for another 10 minutes, so they still have a lot of time to travel to the respawn point.
<<South of Mactan, Titan's Gate: Island of the goddess of greed>>
Time: 4:06 PM | Asia Server
The travel took about 6 minutes and when they arrived at the Titan's gate, hundreds of parties were already there, all excited to get their Hunt on.
One minute before the gates opened, Joseph and Nico put on their head phones but kept their voice chat in mute. The thousands of players waiting at the Titan's gate, all stared counting down in excitement. As the count down hit the 10 second mark, everyone's voice started getting louder and louder.
9
8
7
6
5
Joseph and Nico cracked their knuckles, and braced themselves for the epic fight that's about to come.
3
2
1!
As the countdown hits zero, the Titan's Gates opened like a sinister black hole, waiting to consume any foolish mortals who wanders in. It should really be attracting fear to anyone who sees it, but instead every player was burning with excitement.
Players roared as they charge into battle.
PurpleRain was about to also charge in but then she saw that CherishedSong and SavageGentleman wasn't moving at all. She wondered what was up, but then as the place was about to clear a message popped up in the Party chat
"Huh? I guess, more people came in prepared" SavageGentlmen typed
PurpleRain was confused as to what SavageGentlemen mean, but then she slowly noticed that a few parties also had stood their ground. Just as she was about to ask what was happening, as system announcement popped up, draining all the blood in her face.
<<The Goddess of Greed has slain 1,145 players>>
1,145! Already! PurpleRain was terrified that her heart started beating faster. What happened?
"Beginners *Sighing emoticon*" Joseph has typed
"People should really do their research, before coming to this kinds of battles" Nico typed, agreeing with what Joseph said.
PurpleRain was feeling guilty, because she couldn't do her research before hand because of unforeseen circumstance. She was really thankful that she got to join a party with experience, or else she would've been one of those players who were massacred.
Notes:
JGD -*Short for <<Jewel of the Golden Deity>>
<<Mactan>> -*Is a town in Rampage inspired by The Philippines during its Spanish colonization era.*
Arcane Poet -*Is the second most hardest class (The first being the Minstrel) that existed in the Rampage World. Arcane Poets are as people can call it, Rampage's version of a Summoner. It could be said that the reason why this class is so hard to play is because of it's unique battle style and complex mechanics. It can also be said that this class is like how monarchs fight, not getting their hands dirty. Arcane Poets only possess ten skill, which mostly consists of supportive or self preservation skills. Reason being that they rely heavily on their Spirits to fight for them. Spirits are contracted allies of the Arcane Poet that can be summoned/called through their poets.
Titan Gates -*Are the passage ways (or portal) to where Titans slumber and respawns.*
Titan's Story -*Burigadang Pada Sinaklang Bulawan was once a gentle, trusting and loving goddess that protects those who worships her, but one day that all started to change. An unconscious young man, so handsome, was being carried by the river where she bathe. She noticed the unconscious young man and rushed to save him. She carried the young man to shore and placed a hand on his chest. The young man's heart was beating no more and this deeply sadden the goddess. Wanting to give the young man another chance at life, she breathed unto him and gave him life once more, making him a demi-god. The young man was so thankful that he offered his life to her for the rest of his life. As the day passed the young man made good of his promise and never left the goddess' side. He served her and worshiped her. Unknowingly the goddess' heart begins to soften and eventually fell in love with the young man. Being alone for a very long time, the goddess only asked for only one thing, a family. Now that the time has finally came, she was full of joy. The goddess and the young man lived a long and happy life. The young man loved her with words and most of all his body, giving her the wish that she has always asked for; a baby, that finally completed her family.
One day, she called the young man and decided to finally put all her trust in him. She made love to him showing him her full trust, because it is only after the goddess' full trust was shown that she can only reveal who she really is. After making love, she then transformed into the deity that she is and revealed to him the source of all her powers and what makes her a goddess. A jewel so beautiful that the stars in the sky would be ashamed from its presence. A jewel so beautiful that it could immediately change a man's heart completely just by having a glimpse of it, releasing the greediness from within. The goddess thought that because she has made the young man into a demi-god that he would no longer be affected by the jewel's power. But the thought of the young man stealing the jewel still made her worry. So she made the young man promise that he would never lay a hand on the jewel. The young man's distorted mind agreed imminently, even putting his life at stake. The young man never knew that promises made with the gods are absolute and can never be broken. The young man was still part human after all and the greed in the his heart started clawing its way out, that finally one day that greediness consumed him. He succumbed to his human nature and let his greediness eat him away.
One night the young man seduced the goddess like never before and made love to her, only then will the jewel appear for him to steal. After using the goddess' body to reveal the jewel, the young man couldn't help it anymore and grabbed the jewel. The goddess's eyes widen as the young man started turning into gold, but what really drove her to the edge was the look of greediness on the young man's face, not even noticing that he was about to die.
The goddess was so heartbroken that she wept for a month. Only after releasing and letting go, that she could finally let her anger consume her. Her trust was betrayed, her love was exchanged and her gentleness was portrayed as being weak. No More! The goddess promised. No longer will humans look down on her ever again. It is that human greed that destroyed her, now she will destroy every human in her path along with their greediness within. That she promised, as she turned the golden statue of the young man that she once loved into a double sided spear.*
Titan: Opening Special Attack -*The goddess of greed will swing her spear in a 180 degrees arc that released a powerful wave that anyone hit will take extremely lethal damage. Any player who died from this attack will leave a golden statue on the place of their death. The goddess always opens with this special attack at the beginning of every Hunt, and never uses it again for the remainder of the battle.
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harpdance26
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