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Fight Night

The morning after Boreal's Adventures In Darktide I could resist the
temptation no longer and subscribed to The Source's DT mailing list. I sent
a little introduction and the link to my article and sat back to await my
digests.

That evening I checked my email at about 9pm and found the following
message:

Tonight is Dhali's Fight Night at the Yanshi Festival grounds!! Source
members will square off against one another to see who has skills and to
better learn how to fight against tactics that our character may have a
vulnerability to. Can Dhali take out The Silent Spearman? Can The Silent
Spearman face the combined forces of the mid level meleers? Can Chinook kill
anyone? Can anyone catch Chinook to actually kill him? I hear Sister C has
been pumping run, so maybe...

Oh my.
Just reading it I was excited. I have to go. I'm not missing this for the
world. I've rarely had the chance to watch PKs fighting each other and this
would be a totally danger-free opportunity to watch all the people from the
DT Source duelling each other. It's too good to be true!

The only problem is that it starts at 2am GMT. There's only one thing I can
do...

I immediately ring Richard, my vassal and colleague, and tell him all about
it and explain that I'm going to need the morning off work. He laughs and
agrees and says he'll tell my boss for me.

Then I go into the lounge and dig out some fighting music (I chose The Looks
or The Lifestyle by Pop Will Eat Itself if anybody has ever heard of them)
and run around my house completely hyperactively. I make a pot of coffee
just to make sure that tiredness doesn't ruin my fun and race around doing
chores and making phone calls and generally getting into the spirit of
things.

I decide to go onto HG and play Boreal for a bit. He's ever so close to
levelling so I take him out round Mayoi and he makes level 18. I then run
the ten clicks back to the town, forgetting that he has learned Lifestone
Recall and doesn't have to do that anymore!

Lifestone Recall is absolutely, completely, ridiculously good.

In case you didn't know :-)

I'm in the mage shop when I get /telled by Chinook. He asks if I could
quickly pop to DT to pick up the care package he's put together for me.

A couple of weeks ago, when I first created Boreal on DT, I started
corresponding with Chinook by email. I asked him to put together a few bits
and pieces for me so that I could get started on DT a little more easily and
he did so, ages ago in fact. Our online times are dramatically different so
I've never bumped into him to collect it. I agree to pop over to DT
straight away to pick it up.

I meet Chinook's mule in Yanshi and he gives me two packs full of stuff.
It's strangely thrilling to have all this stuff even though it's all pretty
low level and I thank him profusely. He has to go so I spend the next ten
minutes sorting through all the things he's given me and putting them in
quick slots and learning the level I item spells I now have comps for!!!
YAY!

For the sake of completeness, this is what the packs contained:

AL 59 leggings
AL 50 helmet
1 axe
1 hammer
1 lightning axe
10 x Plain/Good Healing Kits
5 x Health Drafts
Sets of comps for BD1, SK1, HS1, Defender 1
2 x plain lockpick
2 x uncharged medium mana stones (Death items)
1000p Trade Note
1 x Quickness I shoes

DT Boreal is halfway to level 6 and I decide that he should level before the
adventures tonight. I want him to look respectable in front of the other
Source people - I want him to be a little bit less throwaway I guess. First
of all though, I decide to get Shoptastic to attempt another visit to town
to sell Boreal's crappy loot.

I run until I'm a radar screen away from Yanshi and then edge closer bit by
bit. A red dot appears on my radar and I assess it. I can't see his level
but I notice that he's in a fellowship called "Town Raiders". I debate
whether to risk it anyway and decide it's not worth it. Shoptastic returns
to the Advocates tower empty-handed (again!) and I log on as Boreal.

Boreal is looking fabulous with all his new stuff. He now has FOUR axes so
nothing bad can happen to him. I may even get the courage together to sell
my practice axe one of these days :-)

As I'm running across the fields behind Yanshi I see a red dot called
Millicent Bulstrode. I stop and assess - level 3. I hesitantly say,
"peace". Millicent says, "Hi Boreal, I am Source on HG". I am ridiculously
glad that I kept my HG name all of a sudden and run over to say hello.
Millicent turns out to be Nez, and she's a swordswinger on DT. We chat for
a bit and fight together briefly before I decide I really need to get on
with levelling and agree to see her later at the Fight Night.

I run out towards the festival grounds killing stuff. I'm doing okay until
I spot a Small Shadow Child. I can't resist the temptation and buff up and
go ploughing into it. It kills me with horrible spells. Thankfully I have
only lost the mana stone I asked for as a death item from Chinook.

I run back in the general direction of my body, killing stuff along the way.
When everything starts looking totally unfamiliar I turn to my faithful AC
Tracker and discover that I am nowhere near my body. I start running
towards where my body really is and obviously the Small Shadow Child has
healed up to full.

I decide that this time I will do the full buff sequence, which requires
allowing my 20 mana to completely come back after the first set and not
fizzling at all. Luckily for me this works out okay and I don't fizzle.
Spine Axe has BD, HS, SK and Defender on it now and I put on my Quickness
shoes to be on the safe side. Then I lay into the Child and manage to kill
it!

It drops a Ceramic Cup and I pick it up and keep it. I later inscribe it to
remind myself of my first Shadow kill on DT. I love my little mementoes :-)

I soon manage to level and work off my vitae. I decide to log and go back
to HG for a bit. The other Boreal spends the next hour buying comps and
learning Level III spells and chatting to Neroli's vassal Cade. After that
there's only fifteen minutes until Fight Night starts and I log onto DT full
of anticipation.

Boreal is very close to the Festival Grounds and I run there quickly.
There's a HUGE group of red dots which is a relief - I'd be quite nervous if
I was the first one here! I run over to them and say hello and start
clicking on everybody. Loads of people are here. There's TSS and Druss and
Sister C. There's Movarl and Deao and Atlea and Gobei and Petunia and Dhali
and Millicent Bulstrode and at least half a dozen more (my apologies - I
have far too many names to learn to remember everyone... I will get there
eventually).

The atmosphere is great. Everyone is chatting excitedly and it feels like I
imagine The Source on HG felt like when it first began. I /tell Druss this
and he replies that it's a lot like that.

I feel like I could actually catch up with these people and go out
adventuring with them. I would *love* to do that. Wouldn't it be great to
fight side by side with Druss and Chinook and Sister C? Smashing the nasty
people and helping the good guys? On Harvestgain, there is no way Boreal is
ever going to catch up with these people. On Darktide, it could be done
relatively easily. And what amazingly good fun it would be...

I listen to all the chatter and click on people some more. Chinook arrives
shortly and later so does Khali. The excitement is incredible. There's no
sign of any raiders coming to spoil the party so far and we all listen to
TSS's announcements and explanations. All the spectators fellow so that we
can talk in fellowship chat during the fights. We line up and the fighting
begins!

The fights are completely amazing. I watch in absolute awe. I can't write
too much about what happened because I don't know everyones names and I
didn't completely understand all the tactical stuff that was happening.
Trust me, it was spectacular. There was one fight somewhere in the middle,
I think it was Druss versus Chinook, which ended in a draw. It was
completely amazing - they ran all around the arena and I had to keep
spinning around to watch the action. Just when you thought one of them was
bound to lose they would get away and heal up to full again. It was really
exciting, and the running commentary in the fellowship chat added a lot to
the experience.

There was also a fight - I think it was Dhali versus Chinook in which Dhali
used Streak spells to try and hit Chinook despite his insane Run speed. I
thought this was really strategic and clever - he must've really thought
about his attack plan beforehand. This was confirmed when he cast Slowness
Other and Leaden Feet on Chinook and Quickness and Swiftness on himself so
that he could catch up and nail Chinook down. The plan worked and Khali
emerged as victor - it was a spectacular battle and both duelists did
incredibly well.

In one of the vitae-burning breaks, it was suggested that some of the little
guys should fight each other. I looked at my fellowship screen and it
seemed there were quite a few people my level... but I had not come here
planning to fight. In fact, I've never fought against a real PK properly -
I've been ambushed a couple of times but that's not the same. I /tell
Chinook that I'd love to but I'm really really nervous so I don't think I
can.

Chinook immediately announces out loud,
"BorealWantsToFight!WhoWillChallengeBoreal?" At the time I was absolutely
horrified, I mean I'd only said that I might want to, I was totally not
expecting Chinook to drag me into it unprepared like that! I stutter out
that I've never fought a real PK before and I'm quickly told that it's
better to get practice this way than it is to have to face a real PK in a
combat situation. I have to admit that that's true but nevertheless I'm
completely terrified.

Millicent Bulstrode steps up and volunteers to fight me. I say that it
wouldn't really be fair - she is only level 3 and I am level 6. She says
it's all for fun and she's happy to fight me. Secretly I'm very relieved
that I don't have to fight anybody too scary for my first PK match ever.
I'm still ridiculously nervous but I run over to the area and start my
buffs. It feels like the first time I ever acted in a play - you walk out
on stage and everything looks completely different. The spectators make it
all a bit nervewracking.

I cast BD1, HS1, SK1 on my Spine Axe. I could've cast Defender 1 and
Impenetrability spell as well but I was so nervous that I didn't want to
wait for my mana to come back and besides, I already have the advantage in
this matchup. I put my Quickness Shoes on as well just in case.

Dhali shouts, "FIGHT!" and I run towards Milli. She meets me halfway and I
swing my axe. I have it on full power so my swing seems to take forever.
Halfway through my swing I see "You evaded Millicent Bulstrode!" The next
thing I see is "You cleave Millicent Bulstrode in twain!"

Milli is lying on the ground in front of me and I'm sort of shocked that I
killed her. The crowd starts saying "Great one-shot!" and Chinook calls me
TysonBoreal, lol! I just stand there for a second in shock and then go over
to the crowd. Out of nowhere, The Silent Spearman motions that he will
fight me next.

I hadn't even realised that the vitae-removal team had got back just before
my fight, eek, they were all watching! I say, "No!" Thankfully he was only
joking, that sparky spear puts the fear of God into me ;-)

There were some more big fights after that - I think Sister C versus Druss
and maybe a couple of others. Some more little people fight and then Gobei
says that he wants to fight. I check him out on the fellowship screen and
he is level 7. Hmm. Well, I'm a little more confident after my fight with
Milli and it doesn't matter anyway if I lose, right?

I volunteer hesitantly. This is met with great enthusiasm from Chinook who
seems determined to get me involved. I click on people until I find Gobei
and inspect him more carefully. He's an unarmed character - at least he's
melee, same as Milli, so I can guess what to expect.

We go out to the floor and I begin my buffs. This time I buff properly. I
cast Defender and Impenetrability first (because I care less about them
expiring). I choose to Imp my leggings rather than my shirt because I
figure that I always hack at monsters legs so it makes sense that he'll aim
for mine. I wait for my mana to come back and then cast HS, SK and BD on my
Spine Axe. I put my Quickness Shoes on and I'm all set. We bow to each
other and the fight begins!

As predicted, Gobei starts off by poking at my legs. I'm seeing "Gobei
nicks you for 1 point of piercing damage!" which is fine with me - I have
almost 60 health. I swing at him indiscriminately and he doesn't evade me.
I get hits for 12, 15 and 18. When he's down below half I check my health
and it's still at about 3/4. I have nothing to worry about healthwise just
yet... He adjusts his attack to medium, sometimes high, and I change mine
to follow suit.

At this point all I know for sure is that I'm not in imminent danger of
dying. I'm watching my health bar and clicking on High/Medium as fast as I
can when suddenly...

Your fellow Gobei has died!

I think I'm more surprised than anybody!! I hadn't really been watching
his health - I was more interested in watching mine. I say,
"WOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" I can't believe I managed to beat a guy who was a level
above me!! I am all in shock and literally shaking at my computer. I can
hardly even type and the adrenaline is really pumping. The last time I felt
like this was when I lost my Olthoi Helm only that was the bad kind of
adrenaline and this is the good kind :)

The spectators are amazing. There are congratulations, "2 for 2!", there
are comments about Spine Axe being a beating, somebody says, "Oh to be a
newbie again!" and then quickly, "No offense" but I'm far from offended.

I *LOVE* feeling like this! It's like the very first time I killed a Blood
Shreth, or the day Neroli learned Heal Self I - it's an incredible feeling
and one that you can never get back. I'm enjoying it while it lasts :-)
That fight was one of the best experiences I've ever had on Asheron's Call,
it really was. I thank Gobei profusely when he returns from the lifestone.

My final duel of the evening is against Deao. I think Deao challenged me to
a fight and I accepted. After all, I'm getting good at this! Deao is level
6 as well so he should be easier than Gobei. I run over to the arena and
start buffing. I'm obviously still nervous though because at one point I
cast Impenetrability I on my Spine Axe but thankfully it fizzles :-) That
would've been a waste of a buff! I buff up to full (thanks very much to the
person who cast the Infuse Mana Other!) and I'm ready to go.

Then it occurs to me that I forgot to look at Deao when we were standing in
the crowd. I don't even know what kind of fighter he is... perhaps a mage?
Not sure. I ask him, "What kind of character are you Deao? A mage?" Deao
replies ~:-P

Oh well. I'll soon find out, won't I? The fight begins and I charge
towards Deao. Unlike my other opponents, Deao doesn't move. It's also got
dark since the last fight so I can't see what he's up to. Then I hear that
horrible sound and I get that horrible red flash swell up around me. Fire
Vulnerability. Uh oh.

I kick myself for running in a straight line towards him. If I thought he
was a mage, why didn't I try to dodge him? Grrrrrr! Luckily I see the
Flame Bolt coming and jump out of it's way. I run to one side of him and
swing my axe. He evades. He Flame Bolts me for 10 or so. Ouchies! I
swing my axe again, but before I hit him he gets another Bolt off. Then the
axe hits him for 15. He Bolts, I swing, He Bolts, I hit for 18. I check my
Health and it's looking pretty bad. Can't take many more of these Bolts.
He Bolts and I'm almost dead. I swing my axe and shout "FASTER!" at my
computer but I never see it hit because I'm taking the purple tunnel express
:-)

Damn axes. They are just too goddamn slow. Where's a nice sword when you
need one?! I'm becoming more and more convinced that if I move to DT
permanently, I'm going to be a mage :-)

I take off from the lifestone and press Q. I get /tells in quick
succession.

Druss tells you, "Mages are broken!"
Sister C tells you, "That was really close, good fight Alice!"
Chinook tells you, "YouWereOneHitAway!"

When I get back I check Deao's total health and it's 45. I hit him for 15
and 18. Damn, I really was only one hit away... wow. If he hadn't evaded I
would've got him. I thank him for the fight - it was really useful, I
learned a ton about fighting mages. I think I should've tried to run around
him more, tried to evade his spells rather than letting him smack me with
them. I also realise later that the Vuln was not a direct spells so
zigzagging wouldn't have helped. He also tells me that he made a mistake
and should have tried to Drain me earlier - basically he took an unnecessary
risk. I still don't completely understand the finer points of PvP versus
mages...

It's interesting. My experience of dealing with magic is limited to
avoiding the spells of zefirs and shadows and Sandstone Golems with Z and C
and dodging with the arrow keys. These creatures are predictable. You know
that when a Shadow Lieut opens his arms and starts blowing sparks that it's
time to get out of the way. You don't know that with a mage on Darktide -
they're much less obvious. People aren't as predictable as Shadows. This
is one of the things that makes Darktide so exciting.

After I get back from the lifestone I watch the amazing 'everyone versus
TSS' fight at the end. Chinnook gives me a lovely fire axe and says,
"ALugianGaveItUpWhileIWasVitaeBurning!" I love having a variety of
elemental weapons and so this pleases me immensely. The Source look after
me so well! I'm in my element tonight - I'm having sooooooo much fun and
keep bursting into laughter on my own, in front of my computer, in the
middle of the night :-)

It has been a fantastic evening. I've had the time of my life. In some
ways I don't want to leave DT ... the lure of this place is incredible. I
could retire both my HG characters and play on DT full time. That way I
might even catch up to Druss, Sister C and Chinnock within a month or two.
I would dearly love to do that. My online hours are well suited to DT as
well - there's rarely more than 1000 people online when I play and
frequently only 500. It'd be like having my own private server! Maybe I
could actually go to Rocky Crypt on Darktide without getting infuriated
after five minutes...

It's definitely something to consider. I still don't know if I can tear
myself away from Harvestgain just yet...

After the fighting is over and the party disperses, Chinook buffs up myself
and Millicent Bulstrade and we go running off to fight banderlings together.
We fight for a while and work off our vitae and then stand around chatting.
Milli tells me lots of stuff about the Source's history and we talk about
real life a bit too. It's really nice to have somebody to hang around with,
especially somebody who likes to chat as much as I do. Eventually Milli has
to go and it's fast approaching 7am GMT so after one last Small Shadow
Child, I log off and go to bed.

Many, many thanks to the DT Source for organising this event. Dhali in
particular did a fantastic job of organising everybody and making sure
everything ran smoothly. It was GREAT! I really enjoyed it and can hardly
wait for the next one...

Cheers,

Alice
Boreal on HG - level 18 archer/mage
Boreal on DT - level 6 axewoman