Getting Hard (Journey of a Tank)

“RailGunLord…” I read the name above the body of the Blade Stalker.

The mini-boss deflated like a collapsed circus tent as it oozed silvery liquid. Did it not have any solid innards? Its crystal scales lost their shimmer and reflectiveness, turning dull like fogged-up glass. The timer below the asshole Pathfinder’s name counted down to the Blade Stalker’s revival, confirming it wasn’t part of the Great Hunt.

Nitana snorted. “This guy’s serious with that name?”

“Perhaps so,” said Paritor. “Quite descriptive of his modus operandi—sniping targets from afar with lasers.”

“Is a railgun some sort of laser weapon thingy?” asked Megan.

“A railgun shoots a projectile at extreme speeds,” I skimmed the description I searched on the internet. Then I quickly dismissed the screen, pretending I was tinkering with my settings “The projectile doesn’t explode. It flies so fast that the power of the impact blows everything up.”

I didn’t directly say Megan was wrong because I’d also be knocking down Paritor. I wasn’t sure about his ego. Herald Stone, the Considerate Walking Encyclopedia—I think I did a good job of coming off as knowledgeable without offending anyone.

Paritor scratched his tusk. “It appears I was mistaken about the specifics of the railgun.”

“Kezo, do you know this RailGunLord player?” I changed the topic because I was done showing off how good I was at searching the internet.

“I have heard of him but haven’t met him before,” Kezo replied. “Or I might have and just didn’t know it.”

“What do you mean?” I pointed to my name above my head. “It’s not like you can miss it if you have seen him before. Unless you’re saying he changed his name recently?” It was possible to change names using premium currency, which was also how it worked in the real world, funnily enough.

“RailGunLord is a strong Pathfinder main who takes being a loner to the next level. I’m not saying being a loner is bad, Paritor,” Kezo hastily added.

Paritor waved to indicate he wasn’t bothered.

Kezo grinned. “I get that you used to not join parties. Used to. You were just waiting for the right people to come along, and I’m glad you’re with us now. RailGunLord is different in that he actively avoids people. Not only does he shun parties, but he’s always in stealth mode… even if he’s in the village.”

“That’s some weird kink,” muttered Nitana.

“Roleplaying hardcore, probably?” I offered.

“I usually don’t have any detection Shards slotted in,” Kezo continued, “so I couldn’t see RailGunLord even if he was in front of me. Even if I did, the sight skills I have are all active, not passive. I have no reason to cast them inside the village.”

“Won’t staying invisible affect interacting with NPCs?” I asked.

“It does, yes. You can’t buy, sell, or talk to them at all. Although, there may be some NPCs that can see an invisible player… I’m not sure. If I have to guess, then maybe the veteran Pathfinders could. If RailGunLord sticks to only dealing with them, he’d have no problem.”

“Won’t that be a problem though if he could only talk to a limited number of NPCs?”

Kezo tilted his head left and right. “I suppose you’re right. But he seems to be making it work with his self-imposed rule. I sometimes see RailGunLord’s name in the Great Hunt rankings. Not a small feat, mind you—everyone could check he has a one-man party.”

“That is impressive,” I said, though not meaning it. I wasn’t doubting RailGunLord’s strength or experience, just that I bet most of his points were from kill-stealing.

“Are you sure he’s just not popping out of invisibility when no one’s around?” Nitana said. “Then he talks to NPCs and does his business. Such a weirdo for being so committed to a bit like a—”

Megan elbowed Nitana. “Don’t badmouth him. He might be listening.”

“If he is, that confirms he’s a weirdo,” Nitana huffed, folding her arms across her chest. “I’m also going to say that it was bad manners to kill-steal the Blade Stalker given that this isn’t part of the Great Hunt. I bet he just wanted to show off.” She pointed at RailGunLord’s floating name.

“Let’s continue resurrecting them, Herald,” Melonomi said in a loud voice, ever the conflict-avoidant type, pointing at the corpses of Mardukryon players scattered in the forest.

As I trotted behind Melonomi, I scanned the snow for footsteps with unaccounted owners. Unlike the Blade Stalker, Mardukryons couldn’t climb trees. Though there could be flying skills available on this mountain I was yet to encounter.

RailGunLord was probably long gone. He shot from a distance—I saw the laser coming from far away. Getting the last hit on a moving target through all these trees took major skills. But that didn’t change the fact that he was an asshole.

Should I get an invisibility skill? There was no need to hide when tanking, nor would I resort to such to run away… maybe. But stealth would sure come in handy in stealing the monsters of others. And in running away… maybe. Tanks weren’t legally disallowed from escaping the last I checked.

“Thank you so much for your time,” said the highest-level player of the group we helped. He recounted what I suspected—they pulled their newbie friends through locked areas with Sigil Totems. They were touring this area and didn’t expect the Blade Stalker to appear.

“We wouldn’t have spent so much time if my [Embers of Rebirth] was at a higher level,” I replied. And I could’ve resurrected more people, I mentally grumbled. I was a mere assistant to Melonomi. Thankfully, Melonomi didn’t want to take credit

After good deeds were completed and more people were made aware of the greatness of yours truly, our party went on the search for more Ichors.

“Is it just me or does it feel icky knowing there could be invisible people watching us.” Megan hugged herself while rubbing her arms. “Voyeur players or something.”

“Ugh, that’s a disturbing thought,” said Nitana. “Makes me want to buy [True Sight Aura] when I return to the village.”

“But its radius is too small to catch ranged-build Pathfinders,” I said, without knowing how big the AoE of [True Sight Aura] was. Based on its name, it seemed to be a passive detection skill. Thankfully, my guess didn’t seem incorrect.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Nitana replied. “I wonder what’s a good skill… I don’t want to get a Pathfinder Ocadule even if their spirit hawk whatchacallit is super useful.”

As my teammates chatted, I nonchalantly gazed up at the golden canopy of woven branches, pretending their conversation didn’t interest me. For PvE, a detection skill wasn’t necessary unless we were hunting invisible monsters or the mechanics of a quest called for it. However, I had to do PvP at some point. For how else would players know how hard I was? Just seeing me tank this or that strong monster wasn’t enough. It was only through personally feeling for themselves that … okay that sounded wrong.

Recalling my gaming years, invisible players were the most annoying to deal with in PvP. I wasn’t delusional to think I could stand and tank whatever came my way. Even if I wore the best armor, used the strongest tanking skills, and maxed out everything in the late game, I’d encounter DPSers who were also at the same level. I couldn’t just do nothing. On top of just being tanky in general, I had to use debuffs and crowd-control skills.

Disabling enemies was part of tanking. And I couldn’t target those I couldn’t see.

Pathfinder Skill Shards was the next best choice for me since getting their Ocadule was out of the question. Pathfinders had wide-ranging detection skills, including invisible familiars that could scout other invisible creatures. The latter was the best option for catching other Pathfinders built for long-ranged attacks, Kezo explained.

Unfortunately, the best Pathfinder Skill Shards on auction were expensive and in short supply. The other way to get them was by doing the Pathfinder quest line. I didn’t have time to spare for that. Looks like I can’t see invisible bastards for this Great Hunt.

“How far away is the cave of the Oyi Oso?” I asked Paritor. He was leading us to a supposedly giant bear-like creature with an Ichor. “Do we need some preparations beforehand? It can’t be as simple as killing it.”

“Its body contains a Kruos Ichor Sliver,” said Paritor. “Yes, our goal is to vanquish it. However, reaching the Oyi Oso is the challenge, for it hibernates years at a time, or so the Hunter-Warrior NPCs say. To keep safe during its lengthy slumber, it seals itself in a cave. Our goal is two-fold: find its cave and open it.”

“But you know where to find the cave, right?”

“Indeed, I do. I obtained the information from Hunter-Warriors and got the Ichor myself.”

“That’s good. So, how do we open its cave? Bring along some Miners?”

“Not so. It’s a complicated set of steps that involves inducing an avalanche.”

“A landslide!” Megan excitedly raised her hand. “Don’t forget that an avalanche is when snow comes crashing down. Do we need to collapse some rocks or stuff to get Mr. Bear out?”

Paritor chuckled. “My gratitude for correcting me. Correct, we have to cause a landslide, not only to make an opening on the mountainside but also to disturb the Oyi Oso enough for it to arise from deep within. Caving is an insurmountable chore with our Mardukryon bodies. But before proceeding, it’s prudent to first check the area, for the Oyi Oso might’ve been affected by the Great Hunt, similar to the Ironback Badgers.”

Unfortunately, Paritor was right and the Oyi Oso was gone from its spot. Our party stared at a huge opening, a tunnel wide enough for a train to pass.

“Mr. Bear!” Megan shouted. “Are you still in there?” Her voice echoing back to us was the only reply.

“Should we go in?” I gestured at the gaping maw of darkness. “Check if it’s still there… which it probably isn’t.”

“It should be hibernating,” said Paritor. “The stirring energies of the mountain must have awoken it prematurely.”

“Come over here, guys.” Melonimi, wandering a few meters from us, tapped her hoof on the ground. Heavy footprints as wide as my shield were embedded in the snow. “Looks like the Oyi Oso is really gone… and going that way.”

I examined our location on the [Tattered Map]. “Mr. Bear seems to be cooperating with us because the Hoarfrost Yews in that direction too, aren’t they?”

Further ahead from the Hoarfrost Yews, continuing in the direction of Rabisu Peak, was the location of Elder Pabilsag’s workshop where Healer Gula hid her research recreating Bawu’s cure-all potion. I suspected there were wardcrafter Ocadules and items there. As our party continued onward, I thought of how to ditch them.

Call me selfish, but I wanted first dibs on any valuable items. I’d eventually share them with my party, and the rest of the Mardukryon players, because I needed to show off. Just that I needed to skim off the top first.

We arrived at a forking path. The tracks of the Oyi Oso continued to our left. The grove of the Hoarfrost Yews was to the other side.