a rez, please?”
“Well done, guys, that was awesome.”
Slowly, people began to calm down and wander round the torture chamber, bringing their friends back to life.
“And now,” announced Bjorn, “the loots.”
Drew had pretty much forgotten about loot this run. He had nearly everything he needed from CoT anyway, and the guild seemed to have quite a relaxed attitude to the whole thing, which took the pressure off gearing.
“So, let’s see what Uncle Bjorn has in his magic bag. We have a lovely ranger wep, with a beautiful thorns and blood motif. The Tormenter’s Bow.”
[Raid][Heurodis]: [The Tormenter’s Bow]
“Does anybody not already have The Tormenter’s Bow?”
[Raid][Dave]: Ill have it for my os
[Raid][Ialdir]: I’ll have it for my mantelpiece
[Raid][Heurodis]: disenchanting. if you need any purple mats apply to the bank
“And, finally, our last prize this evening, boasting an attractive hardwood handle and a blade which I feel I should point out is extremely historically implausible: The Inexorable Axe.”
[Raid][Heurodis]: [The Inexorable Axe]
Drew jerked suddenly alert.
Holy shit.
Holy, holy shit.
His axe.
Bjorn’s voice seemed to be coming from far away. “Roll MS if you need it.”
Drew scrabbled urgently at his keyboard.
Heurodis rolls a 52
Ialdir rolls a 34
Orcarella rolls a 2
Dave rolls a 98
Ignatius rolls a 41
Solace rolls a 57
Jargogle rolls a 84
Prospero rolls a 65
Morag rolls a 14
Caius rolls a 71
[Raid][Orcarella]: . . .
“Looks like it’s going to Dave. Well done, Dave. Round of applause for Dave.”
[Raid][Orcarella]: . . .
Mumble exploded again. Drew had never heard so many adults giggling at once.
Honestly, it was kind of a mixed feeling. On the one hand, nine relative strangers were laughing at something he was not only upset about, but still felt quite embarrassed at being upset about. On the other hand . . . it was also weirdly nice. You had to know something about someone to be able to take the piss out of them. And, in a funny way, you had to care.
He was glad he was safely on the other side of a screen, because he was probably grinning like a dork.
You have received [The Inexorable Axe]
[Raid][Orcarella]: thx guys
He opened his inventory and stared lovingly at his new weapon for a moment before equipping it.
Bjorn kind of had a point. The blade was completely implausible.
It looked like a scythe stuck on a cartwheel stuck on a stick. But it was best in slot for Vengeance.
Orcarella ran around in circles excitedly and a few guildies cheered as she passed.
[Raid][Solace]: Hey, you know what this means?
[Raid][Orcarella]: ?
[Raid][Solace]: You’re officially the best geared tank on the server
[Raid][Orcarella]: lol
[Raid][Jargogle]: Haha
[Raid][Dave]: lol
[Raid][Ialdir]: Grats dude
“Okay,” said Morag. “We’re calling it here. We’ll finish off on Wednesday, so sign up on the forums if you haven’t already. That was a really good run, guys.”
People said their goodnights and began leaving the raid group.
[Guild][Ialdir]: Awesome night
[Guild][Ialdir]: But I need to go to bed before my husband divorces me
[Guild][Solace]: Night night
[Guild][Sindarella]: nn
[Guild][Heurodis]: anyone for a hc?
Drew checked the clock on his minimap. It was just eleven, so there’d be time, but he wasn’t completely sure he wanted to.
[Guild][Dave]: mums turning the internet off
[Guild][Dave]: :(
[Guild][Dave]: :(
[Guild][Sindarella]: me and Helen can come
[Guild][Sindarella]: I can storm tank it lol
[Guild][Ignatius]: I’m not healing you in storm
[Guild][Heurodis]: lol
Drew realised he was alone in an empty torture chamber. He wondered if Solace would come with them if he went on the heroic, but maybe she’d gone fishing, and by the time he was done, she might have logged off.
He stared for a while at the guild roster, and the little line that read, Solace: Online.
Would it be weird to just ask her if she wanted to hang out?
What if it was weird? What if she said no?
To [Solace]: you fishing?
[Solace] whispers: Yes
[Solace] whispers: It helps me wind down after a raid
There was the text-based equivalent of an awkward silence.
[Solace] whispers: You can come join me if you like
[Solace] whispers: you don’t have to
[Solace] whispers: if you dont want to
To [Solace]: omw
[Solace] whispers: :)
Solace has invited you to join a group: y/n
Solace is now group leader.
Drew activated his bindstone, then hopped a skyship across continents and flew south to Alarion. He flapped over the ruins looking for Solace, and found her on the same bit of fallen temple. She was sitting on the edge in her battered fishing hat, her line arcing into the purple-blue water.
Ella took off her helmet and plopped down next to her.
[Group][Orcarella]: good run tonight
[Group][Solace]: Yeah, it was fun
[Group][Solace]: Nice work on Vilicus
[Group][Orcarella]: you too
[Group][Solace]: I died
[Group][Orcarella]: yeah but heroically
[Group][Solace]: Heroically hit by a ghost while trying to get