the etiquette was here. Normally, when he was in group it was for a reason and there was some kind of script, usually along the lines of mana up, protect the flag, buff me, you two take blacksmith, anyone know tacs. But he wasn’t sure what to say when the plan was sit on a rock and fish.
[Group][Orcarella]: Hi
Shit. That was not a good opening. Traditional, but not good.
[Group][Orcarella]: how are you?
[Group][Solace]: I’m feeling quite virtuous actually
[Group][Solace]: I went over all my lecture notes on the Lorentz transformation
[Group][Orcarella]: you’re at uni?
[Group][Solace]: Yes, physics
[Group][Orcarella]: Me too. not physics though lol
[Group][Solace]: What are you reading?
[Group][Orcarella]: Latest Scott Lynch. You?
[Group][Solace]: Um . . . I kind of meant what are you studying
Drew felt like a knob.
[Group][Orcarella]: oh right, game art design lol
[Group][Solace]: Cool
Drew still felt like a knob. And he suddenly realised he had no idea how to get to Alarion. He called up the map, something he hadn’t done basically since he’d started raiding, and squinted at it, mousing over the different zones to try and figure where the hell this place actually was. To his embarrassment, it turned out to be due south of Orcarella’s home city, the orcish stronghold of Vala’Threk. His bindstone was set to the City of Stars, that being the closest major hub to Crown of Thorns, where he spent ninety percent of his game time, so he was going to have to travel the old-fashioned way.
He got on his dreadsteed and galloped through the shining streets of the City of Stars and up the spiral ramp that led to the skyship tower that would take him to the eastern continent. As usual, one was just leaving as he arrived, so he parked himself on the platform to wait, another thing he hadn’t done since he started raiding.
[Group][Solace]: I’ve been meaning to pick up Republic of Thieves
[Group][Orcarella]: i only read the other two last year
[Group][Solace]: Any good?
[Group][Orcarella]: not as good as the first one, better than the second
[Group][Solace]: I thought the first one was a bit all hail my awesome main character
[Group][Orcarella]: yeah but he was actually awesome
[Group][Solace]: That’s the problem. He was clearly supposed to be
[Group][Orcarella]: I like Jean best anyway
[Group][Solace]: Me too. He’d be a great friend to have.
[Group][Solace]: I’d rather hang out with him.
[Group][Orcarella]: wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
[Group][Solace]: wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww to you too
[Group][Orcarella]: lol no
[Group][Orcarella]: nearly missed my airship
Drew cantered back and forth impatiently over the deck of the ship as it glided towards the transition that would trigger the loading screen. And then went and stuffed his horse into the prow like Kate Winslet in Titanic.
It was a deep black night for the Heroes of Legend, the skybox lavishly dusted with stars.
Then the familiar loading screen popped up: it showed a scantily clad human with a staff, a dwarf with a huge hammer and even huger beard, a kobold with tiny goggles, and a severe-looking orc warrior. Drew felt a strange rush of nostalgia for his first experiences of the game when he’d looked at those figures and thought, Wow, I want to play one of those, instead of Wow, I wish this zone would hurry up and load, and yes I know a Tempest employee will never ask for my password.
He got off the skyship at Vala’Threk and paused on the dock to give actual serious consideration to which flying mount he’d show up on.
Part of him was embarrassed to even be thinking about it.
Still, in the end, he settled on El’ir Reborn, the black and purple phoenix that you got for doing the top-tier raiding achievements at the end of Rise of the Underworld. A random level five orcish elementalist cheered him as his mount unfurled its shadowy wings.
He soared into the air and flew south for Alarion.
He passed over a range of black, pointy mountains and the landscape changed abruptly from bare tundra to red-brown forests as he crossed over into the new zone.
You have discovered Invader’s Pass.
He pulled up the area map to look for Solace, who was a little purple dot a short way out to sea. Wheeling his mount round, he headed diagonally across the zone. Beneath him, the ghosts of ancient armies battled in the ruins of a once great city, while a fifty-third level kobold scampered in circles, picking flowers for potion crafting.
He found Solace sitting alone on a piece of broken temple jutting up from the sea. He landed his phoenix, which engulfed the whole thing, including Solace, in a whirl of shadows and feathers.
[Group][Solace]: Is that El’ir