CMP

That's why I said its spirit would live on. I already gave up on getting the official Battlefront 3. A Battlefield-esque large-scale shooter game is what I'm hoping for.

Last year I found the Space Police Central on sale at Toys 'R' Us, two years after it'd been released, and a year after I last saw SPIII in stores. Couldn't help myself and picked one up.

I'm amazed. It took me a while to notice the walls are covered in SNOT. It's a really cool technique, and just looks fantastic on this scale.

I got them both immediately.

"Quests are just gettin' weirder and weirder, I tell ya'." Atramor glanced at the crystal clear gem. "Sure, give me a minute to head over to the marketplace. Got some stuff to sell off anyway." He nodded at the imp, and exited the hall.

Atramor nodded. "Aye. They're odd creatures, plain and simple." He glanced at the Quest board at Hybros' mention of it, and chuckled. "Slayin' rats ain't what I envisioned when I joined Heroica either, yet, well, look where I am now." He waved a hand at the Rat's Hide he was wearing, and Ratsbane, bearing at least a dozen notches. It didn't take a genius to figure out what they symbolized. "Seems like everyone we Quest for has an infestation of some kinda vermin...I'll think about it. Killin' rats is second nature to me now, but I dunno a damn thing about theatre."

Atramor eyed Zoot's Reaper. "I see....probably for the best ya' weren't there. Cronk had a weapon made of, well, chaos as well, and when we finally fought her, it kept jumpin' around from hero to hero...caused a whole big mess. In any case...." He listened intently to Hybros retell the history of the Pheles Rod, with a gradually deepening frown. "Mephisto? I've met him. Hell, I've defeated him too," remarked Atramor, surprised, holding the Amulet of the Court up to the light. "How many times do ya' have to kill a demon before it actually dies? Hah...so, increased vitality? Interestin'. Drank the strangest brew that did the same thing durin' the fight against Wren. If it's anythin' like that...," he trailed off, accepting the Pheles Rod. Immediately, a violently cold sensation shot up his arm, followed by one of strength - of power. He lifted it up a few inches from the table, examining the length of the weapon with interest. It was no material he knew of, and as he observed it, he could've sworn he heard a distant whisper of a mutter. He glances back up at Hybros, and slid the Sword of Ancestral Hatred across the table to the imp. "You've got yourself a deal, mate."

Atramor chuckled. "Always been like this, just lost the hat....should get another one at some point. Well, just got off my second Quest helpin' out the Guild of Invision, they're always gettin' themselves mixed up in some mess or another. Also paid a visit to Strivvi and Dastan, and was part of a group that took down Wren, a....crazed heretic, to put it bluntly. What about you, and what's this about a rod? I dunno what ya' could want outta me, I always thought assassins were the bow 'n' arrow types, but...here, let's see..-" finished Atramor, pulling Conspirator from its sheath and setting it on the table. "-I'd rather keep this...-" he tugged Ratsbane out of his boot, setting it beside the cutlass. "-kinda need the gems outta this one...-" he dug around in his cloak some more, pulling out the Heavy Flail. "-doubt ya' can even use this....oh, hang on, what's this?" The witch finally completed his inventory of weapons by sliding the Sword of Ancestral Hatred out of his cloak, holding it up to the light. Among all his other arms, he'd almost forgotten about it. "This looks about your size. Seems to get sharper every kill I make....somethin' I suppose assassins are well-versed in. I haven't gotten much use out of it, but perhaps you could?"

Atramor looked up at the short, dark-looking figure. His first thought was of De'kra, the odd little spectre looking....thing, from Dastan. But upon mentioning the Shadeaux warehouse raid, he was finally able to place the name. "Hybros, aye? It's been quite a while, ain't it? One day we're fightin' over who gets a flimsy rapier, next we're poppin' bastards' heads off left and right. Let me guess-" the witch paused only briefly, taking in Hybros' bandana, giant scythe, and black cloak. "-assassin?"

As long as the Creepers are around level 50.

Not anymore now that you have the Mail of Renegade Commander...going to have to get creative.

'No. I simply keep myself well-informed of the going-ons in the world. The library here is quite underused, in my opinion. In any case, the rod is not for me. I need its influence...but again, for another. I do not double-cross. I see gain for both of us, and I wish to act on it. You want to speak to the dreadlocked rogue that should be arriving shortly.' The chicken ruffled its feathers, then returned to its perch in the rafters above the saloon. 'It would be ill-advised to mention me, else your chance at such a weapon may be wasted.' _____ As she suggested, it was mere minutes before Atramor entered the Hall once more. The Witch's Talisman that had been around his neck since he'd stepped out of the Training Room was gone, replaced by a more sinister, yet also far more potent artifact. He wasn't sure what his thoughts amounted to. The allure of poisoning his enemies had faded...they just got stronger and stronger, to the point where it wasn't even worth it. When it only took a spirit to overcome his senses...well, suffice to say, he placed a much higher value on his own protection that dealing venomous cuts. The battle against Wren, and the fights preceding it, had made him far more aware of how easy it was for their enemies to strike back, especially in full force. He grumbled, taking the nearest seat he saw after picking up a bottle of rum from the counter, popped it open, and took a deep sip. Between midnight attacks by the ethereal and the look-out for deranged mages, he hadn't gotten any sleep the past two days.

Yeah, but chances are good rats are going to show up no matter what Quest I go on. You can never wrong throwing in a rat battle. In any case, Ratsbane is going to be obsolete fairly soon.

They supposedly put DICE and Visceral in charge of the Star Wars game(s), which, well....DICE has Battlefield while Visceral's got Dead Space, so at least they put good developers at the helm of the franchise. Is it too much to hope Battlefront 3's spirit will live on in whatever they end up making?

That was a fun Quest, Masked. I haven't been on a short 'n' sweet Quest since 11, so it was nice to get away from the giant ones like 30, 40, and 53 for a while. They're awesome too, but 63 is a great example of how a small one can still be enjoyable. We had an awesome party - it's always fun to quest with Ellaria, and I've been meaning to try and get Heroica's most badass Rogues together for a while. It was an interesting dynamic. We all got along fairly well, and we decimated our enemies, but I get the feeling that without a Quest to focus on, things would've slipped a bit, which just goes to show that even reasonable heroes don't all get along perfectly. Like Flare said, the only thing that was missing was a little dialog from Marc - Atramor might've wanted to deal with the situation without question - but I was kind of looking forward to seeing what kind of reasoning there was behind his madness...though if he's just insane as Altair thinks, I understand, but maniacal laughter might've shed some light on that. The alchemists could've been fleshed out some more too. The setting was fun until we stripped it all down...you made us all paranoid us hell with those statues, though. The chest puzzle was pretty neat - I kind of like puzzles with a bit of risk, like Zepher's '10 coins for every wrong answer' riddle in Quest 30 - and I just loved the basement battle. Giant rats are a dime a dozen in a fantasy setting, but I liked their build, and I never thought I'd get to kill a Mynock. As for battle balance, you did really well considering you had a Druid and Guts. The Ethereal enemies threw us all off. Maybe some AoE specials would've hindered Guts just a little more, and some more variation would've been cool...say, an Undead leader to each team of spirits, or something. Overall, I enjoyed it. I like these little Quests that kind of flesh out the world some more.

I know, McCafferey is insinuating he could use a better primary weapon because Wren got defeated. Well, actually, it's because almost everyone's primary weapon has some sort of cool effect now, but still...

'Is not slaying a horde of bandits a step down from overcoming an archdemon?' interrupted a somewhat amused voice, accompanying the fluttering of wings and the landing of an rather thin, starved-looking chicken on the Assassin's table. McCafferey tilted her head, examining Hybros with beady eyes and an odd interest. 'Hm. You don't look like any being I'm aware of, save for maybe those of old legend. You get the most interesting sort of beings in this Hall...but I digress. You possess a staff, but cannot utilize it to its full potential. Likewise, I know of a sword that would do far more in your own hands than its current owner; the more who fall to its blade, the stronger it becomes. I propose a trade. Your scythe seems....diminished, with the defeat of its creator. And I do not mean you.'

And you'll use it a boss in your ultimate finale Quest...

I meant one for each faction.

I think Sandy mentioned his next Quest would be for the Ji Pei and the Guild of Invision, but they wouldn't start until July.

"Thanks, John. Aye, well, the mage won't be botherin' ya' anymore. The alchemists should be a bit safer now, though I'd suggest gettin' them all these scythes," recommended Atramor, nodding towards John's weapon. "Now, is that all?"

Whoops. In that case, yeah, that's fair enough.

Pretty cool, although Rocklings are an actual sentient species, not summoned creatures. It's also really powerful that the Geomancer petrifies the target on a failed stoneskin...I'd rather fail than succeed if that were the case.

"Found the mage, kicked his crazy megablocks," explained Atramor quite bluntly.