JimBee

Hybros was exhausted when he returned to the hall. It hadn't been that long, but his experience felt like a lifetime of trials. Mephisto's words still echoed around his head, even though both the Pheles Rod and Zoot's Reaper had been silent for a while. He was glad to have found Namrrya and William again, and was thankful to get back to the hall for some rest. He lazily noted a few dwarves as well as some other heroes scattered around, and noted that Guts had already gotten back. Not looking for a conversation, Hybros began to ascend the steps to the saloon, when he noticed something on the quest board. Could it be? He rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things. He wasn't. There were not one but two new quests posted by the Ji Pei. "At long last!" he exclaimed to himself. Without hesitation or even reading the quest descriptions, he signed his name under Quests #50 and #51. His head buzzed with excitement, but his body was still tired, so he continues up the stairs and found his usual corner spot to take a well-needed sleep.

Hybros silently followed the heroes to the temple. His mind was still elsewhere, but the archdemon had stopped bellowing in his head. When he saw Namyrra and William emerge from behind the priestess, he felt a sudden rush of blood. He waited for the other heroes to welcome them, and then came over. "...Good to see you back, eheh... I know it is not much but I hope it will help you recover from such an awful event... eheh..." With that, Hybros handed a sack of 100 gold to each Namyrra and William. Anxious to get back to the Hall, he turned to that direction, choosing to not go to the Ziegfrieds. He departed with a simple nod.

After the underground fortress, Hybros suddenly found himself in front of Skuld's home, where the quest began. The journey upwards was a blur, and his mind was set on both Namyrra and William, as well as the voices withing the Pheles Rod and Zoot's Reaper. That of the latter has ceased, but Mephisto's voice continued to ring out from the Rod, harassing him. "Who is the Pandemonicon?! Where do I find it?! Arrrghhh!" 'Black grimoire?' he wondered. But he didn't ask, there were more pressing matters.. A veteran, an orc leader, the dragon... Hybros didn't even know where he was or who he was with anymore. He was completely contained by Mephisto's presence in his head.

Right, most of my money, as a Rogue and Assassin, has gone towards consumables (not just for myself; Phoenix Essences, Remedies, and Potions are used for allies as well). There does come a price for the class's advantages. It's all how you play it and how you take advantage of those things, although I've never wished to be another class because of game mechanics related reasons.

Exactly what I thought. It did offer an unexpected roleplaying opportunity, so there's that. Originally it was simply an investment (seen that way by Hybros, too), but now I can do a lot more with it than I first figured. Yes, you will, particularly with the Ji Pei quests (if he ever gets to go on one... not that this current quest isn't great!). I've put in little things here and there, but yes I wanted to focus more on how Hybros has developed in the present, since he joined Heroica.

OOC: Indeed, I did volunteer to trade some things for the Rod. Mephisto's voice echoed in his head. Strange, Hybros seemed to have a high affinity for weapons possessed by demons. He took out Zoot's Reaper again, which still had the eerie aura it had when he first formed the Plaything into a scythe. It had whispered to him before, even on this very quest. "Perhaps it has driven me here all along..." he whispered to himself, shuddering. He held the Pheles Rod and Zoot's Reaper close together. The indiscernible whispering that came from the Reaper began again, becoming louder than before. "Yessssssss......" it hissed. Hybros' eyes widened. Suddenly the Pheles Rod began to shake, and steam started to emit from it. Mephisto's voice was yelling, faintly at first, but slowly becoming louder, closer. Hybros' hand started to burn, not from heat, but from sheer cold. The combined whispers and shouts from both weapons filled his ears. The pain became almost unbearable, and he screamed out, but he could not let go. He fell to his knees, and tossed Zoot's Reaper away from him. Only then was he able to drop the Pheles Rod, and the pain suddenly ceased. All was quiet, and the Rod lay innocently on the ground. Picking it up carefully, Hybros listened. The archdemon seemed unaware of what had just happened. He answered, weakly, in his head. "They had fought alongside of us, and deserve the same. I have defeated you once, demon, and I shall do it again if it means saving those that you consumed...." Hybros then walked over to scythe, which was also resting peacefully on the ground. It seemed that whatever happened was over, and any demon spirits inside were dormant. Still, the imp cautiously picked up the weapon with his cloak wrapped around his hands. Nothing seemed to happen, but he carefully sheathed it and strapped it to his back. With a drained look, he returned his attention to his fellow heroes. "We must... move on..."

Hybros nods thankfully at Nerwen and takes the Pheles Rod. It was indeed heavy, but carrying around his earth-imbued scythe had strengthened the imp, so he was just able to carry it over his back. He then unhooked the Cobweb Cowl from his neck, and held the cloth out for Dreyrugr. "This is for you. May it help you in your future travels, eheh." He patted his pouch on his hip, which was filled to the brim with gold. Certainly if they ever found their allies, he would make sure they didn't re-enter the hall poor.

I love the idea, Etzel. On the hero vs. hero thing, one thing I can tell you from experience is that it's better to give the heroes to choice to fight or not, rather than force them to. It offers better roleplaying and is perhaps less complicated. We had two or three in the Dastan quests, one which the heroes chose not to fight, and another in which they did fight in order to stand by their characters' beliefs.

Well, that's what I meant. Being able to make a profit off of being lucky so I can buy more nostrums is the equivalent of permanently lucky to me. And also increases my effectiveness in battle. I can prevent another Free Hit, or instakill one or more enemies. Plus being lucky all the time outweighs the risk of getting damaged more. On an unrelated note, that ghost in Quest 40 reminds me of the hanar in Mass Effect..

I wouldn't say unfair, just balancing. Where Shamans would have difficulty in a battle with many poisoned enemies or allies, Wardens will have difficulty when they roll Aura against a large number of enemies, as we've seen. I don't really think any class has been more "unfair", there's just advantages and disadvantages to each. Coming from someone who plays as an Assassin, I have no SP. Then again, who needs it when you're permanently lucky?

Hybros tries to follow the source of the sound, after putting his word in for the loot. Eyeing the Pheles Rod, he says to Nerwen, "Although I can not use that Rod, it seems to be a good investment, for later eheheh... I would be willing to give back my Cobweb Cowl for it... and perhaps even some gold... heh"

Agreed, very cool. I love all of your works so far, DarkKnight7. I hope you or someone else can eventually apply these decals to some real minifigures. That face is just perfect.

"I have fought many enemies, but never an archdemon... eheh..." Hybros muttered before looking around for Namyrra and William. He kicked around the bones and dust left behind by Mephisto to look for anything that could help them, then headed over to the entrance with the other heroes. He glanced at the Pheles Rod while Nerwen was picking over the loot, then looked up at Shaun. The boy was slightly taller than himself, and reeked of dead creatures. Hybros wondered briefly about Shaun's origins and how he became undead. "I suppose we have no choice but to enter. I do not suspect Namyrra and William have found their way back up to the surface, eheh..."

That battle is really cool, Sandy! The enemies are so neat and diverse... usually I can't think up of anything besides human enemies. Too bad you couldn't get the picture up, though. And glad to see another Phoenix in the game! Couldn't think of a better place for it, either. EDIT: Barty!

Very impressive MOC! There are so many great details, my favorite being the waterfall. I've seen many waterfalls made out of Lego, but none as good as this. You did a really great job capturing that movement. I also like the rocky outer face of the mountain, and how the door is smoothly integrated into it. The interior (and removable top) are great, and the statues are just awesome. Just spectacular work!

Hybros continued his assault on Mephisto, hopefully for the last time. After this, he would be thankful for not encountering anymore hero-eating archdemons.

Pie, don't you dare close sign ups before Hybros gets back!

I listen to that song almost daily. I love Third Eye Blind, but I've never heard that song. I haven't really liked them for a while (their debut stuff was good), but I do like that song you posted. And here's what I'm listening to. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NuJVc3ViA8

I like the shortest quests the best - 1 month is perfect for me.

But there's still no point in attacking him from the back row, if you're going to attack him... The Marketplace?

That's a lot of white! Awesome MOC, Cecelie. I think the whole thing flows really well and looks natural. The slopes make for a very realistic ski hill, especially when contrasted with the rougher-looking areas dotted with trees. The ice surface on the side is very neat, some great color choices that add vibrancy. The log cabins, lodge, and train surrounding the whole thing top it off for a very cozy yet exciting scene - perfect for the holidays coming up.

Yeah, because of increasing health and power in enemies in heroes, a lot of items become significantly less powerful. I don't think venom is useful at all anymore, but obviously the Deadly Venom can deal some damage. I guess we'll just have to keep making more powerful ones. And I agree about the cannoneer.

As the party took down most of the remaining enemies and Christopher took the Sentinel position, Hybros began to feel uplifted. He wasn't sure if it was a result of the battle going well, or Skuld's spell, or being underground, or a combination, but he took haste and continued to attack Mephisto from the front row. "Not long now! With Daggerfall's shield up, we should all attack Mephisto this round. He can not hurt us!" "No need to protect her, Daggerfall will see to that, eheh."

Hybros returns to attacking Mephisto from the front row.