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Combat Evaluation How it all happened: A Dark World
It happened right at the start of the year 2001.Right on dot with the clock striking midnight and heralding not just a new year but a new century and a new millennium.Huge crowds gathered across the world to celebrate modern human history graduating to this new age.It was a time of new beginnings.and a time of new disasters.Even now, nobody really knows how it happened or what it was that came from space.Not aliens; nothing as dramatic as that. Something far, far less personal At least if it were aliens, humanity could have rallied together. Maybe they could have brought their scattered pieces, all their different ideals, borders, and peoples, together to make something whole if only there had been some definite target they could see and hate together properly.But whatever happened in this new year, well, there was no rhyme or reason for it.It was just pure chance. Pure chaos.The incident is known as the "Altering."A solar flare, maybe. still a topic of debate even now, a hu
Combat Evaluation To Be A Hero
When Aldrich was a child, he always dreamed of being a hero. It was a thoroughly uninspired dream considering basically every single kid has ever thought about being a hero at some point. This is largely unsurprising considering that it is practically impossible to escape hearing about heroes in this day and age of hero worship.Aldrich heard about a thousand different bedtime tales about how the great hero Vanguard vanquished villainy with his invincible fists, saving countless lives as he ended the Age of Villainy.When he grew older, he constantly saw heroes on television with their colorful costumes and capes and their big muscles and big smiles. He saw as the heroes carried people out of burning buildings and, when scary Variants showed up, how they swooped in to beat the monsters down and save the day.Heroes popped up in holographic advertisements, talk shows, social media, or streaming sites—wherever they could get exposure, they got it.But most importantly, Aldrich wanted to
Combat Evaluation To Blackwater
Today was the big day.The day that Aldrich would leave for Blackwater Academy was the very first step of a long and, no doubt, hard journey to avenge his parents.Aldrich woke up at 5:30 in the morning, thirty minutes before an officer was scheduled to pick him up.Precisely as the clock struck six, an academy officer showed up at his apartment door, making his presence obviously known by slamming his fist into the door several times in what was the most violent knock Aldrich had ever heard before.Aldrich was ready and packed. His apartment, the house he had lived in for his whole life, was cleaned out to complete emptiness, ready for another renter to move in. Blackwater would provide food and board for the four years it took to graduate, so what he packed was mostly personal stuff that had some kind of emotional weight to it.Memorabilia from his late parents included a family picture with Aldrich and some trinkets from their hero costumes. His birthday letter was what had gotten
Combat Evaluation Blackwater and Bullies
Blackwater Academy was located on the east coast of the United States, its compound located right beside a massive crater gouged out by an A-Class Variant twenty years ago. The academy got its name from the blackened waters in the crater. remnants of the monster’s blood and corpse that had sunk deep down to the ocean floor below.The crater itself formed a natural harbor leading out to the Atlantic Ocean, and a small port city called Haven stood there, presumably being the main source of supplies and people coming in and out of Blackwater.All in all, Blackwater was quite isolated. almost eerily so.Getting to Blackwater consisted of a two-hour drive followed by a one-hour helicopter flight over vast swathes of overgrown forests infested with Variants.Forests like these were commonplace after the monstering, as Variants spawned consistently throughout the world, with certain areas spawning them at such high rates that clearing them out and settling cities there was too difficult to m
Combat Evaluation Combat Evaluation
The training grounds were quite impressive, to say the least. They were largely located outdoors and consisted of several five-hundred-meter-radius rings lined with towering metal walls that served as arenas.The walls were made of thickly reinforced metal, but their design was sleek and futuristic, with blinking lights of various colors dotted around their surface, indicating the status of various moving pieces of technology within the walls.Aldrich stared at the arenas while standing in a single-file line with the rest of the Frame students. They were, as expected, separated from the rest of the main student body, but a cursory glance gave Aldrich an estimate that there were approximately two hundred or so "normal" students.In terms of numbers, Blackwater was small, as most decently ranked hero academies operated with student bodies numbering well over a thousand, with only the highest tier academies like Shield and Invictus having small student bodies due to the difficulty of get
Combat Evaluation Frame Perfect
As it just so happened, Aldrich and the rest of the Frame students ended up in the same arena: arena number 1, making the total number of students in that arena from 50 to 54.However, the algorithm that calculated power fairness literally determined all the Frame students to be zero threats, hence why adding them to an already full arena changed nothing.“How do I even move in this thing?” groaned Adam, only his face visible from the upturned helmet of his Frame powersuit. He was in a fixed T-pose state like an unloaded video game character, and already, other students were laughing at him.Aldrich looked at his frame towering in front of him.It was a two-meter-tall humanoid suit of segmented black metal plates. Thick coils of wiry dark grey cable were visible under the plates, functioning as a shock-absorbing layer and a flexible mesh that acted like the "muscles" that supported the suit’s four hundred pound (180 kg) weight.A nondescript, round black helmet with a rectangular, glo
Combat Evaluation Ghost
“Holy shit, it’s Seth Solar in the flesh,” came the awed voices of Alter students as they looked up at the cocky, slick-backed creep like he was the second coming of Jesus.Aldrich observed carefully.Of the dozen Alter students that had circled around him, six were preoccupied, staring in awe at Seth and gawking at him. The other six immediately turned tail and started to run, not caring to break Aldrich apart and take his points.This meant one thing: Seth Solar was dangerous.as predatory and dangerous to his fellow Alter students as he was to the Duds, like Aldrich.Aldrich carefully assessed what he could do against Seth, and in all likelihood, he realized he could do nothing.The "Solar" surname was one that almost everyone knew. Alter organs and their powers had some hereditary component to them, and the descendants of strong heroes would likely get similarly strong powers from their parents.As a result, powerful top heroes formed dynasties where their descendants took up thei
Combat Evaluation Friends
The combat evaluation ended about as expected. Aldrich and the rest of the Frame students were placed right into the F-class, with nobody else joining them.which made it obvious in hindsight that the "F-class" was made especially for the Frame students to segregate them even further.Aldrich and Adam spent their time in the infirmary after their combat evaluation. Drones opened up their Frame suits and evacuated them from the arenas, with many an Alter student observing what few were left conscious, laughing at their misfortune.The infirmary was a fairly large two-story building at the edge of the Blackwater compound, marked by its bright white metal walls and the gleam of a glowing green cross sign.Like most things in Blackwater, the infirmary was decked out with state-of-the-art equipment, and like most things in Blackwater, Aldrich and the Frame students were not allowed to access it fully.Instead, they were corralled into a repurposed basement, where they only had access to ba
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- Combat Evaluation
The Odinsons
Aldrich and Valera made their way to the Odinsons shop. It was a good walk away from the main ‘streets’ of the Settlement, taking up its own isolated territory. As he walked, he had the Evileye scout everything it could.Their shop was a large, mobile trailer home that looked somewhat like a subway car or railcar. It was long and rectangular in shape, though sizable enough that it could reliably fit in twenty people to live rather comfortably.Among mobile homes in the Settlements, this was one of the larger ones for sure, indicating that the Odinsons ranked quite highly among nomads in terms of wealth and power.The home was decked out with modifications to survive traveling through the harsh environment of the Wastelands where sand storms, torrential storms, magnetic storms, and basically any storm one could think of blasted the land.There were blinking green generators at the top of the home that likely projected force fields while auto-turrets rotated around, pointing directly at
- Combat Evaluation
The Settlements
Aldrich took in a breath as a green aura swirled around him, the experience from the Geist boosting his power by two entire levels.[+10 stat points available to distribute]“Mmmm, yes!” Valera positively moaned in ecstasy as power flowed into her, but where Aldrich’s aura was green, hers was a deep, bloody red.As a Chosen Undead, Valera leveled at the exact same rate as Aldrich, so she too had gained two levels, raising her from level 10 to level 12.“How do you want me to spend my power?” said Valera, talking about how to distribute her own 10 new stat points.“In strength, vitality, and agility where your affinities are. A three-five-two spread in those stats should work well,” said Aldrich. He wanted Valera to be as physically powerful as possible to make up for his lack of melee combat prowess.“Understood, master.” Valera closed her eyes and clenched her fists, taking in a deep breath as she used her stats.Aldrich saw her stats go up. Her class was as a Death Knight, and that
- Combat Evaluation
Geist Hunt
The Geist made its way into the clearing, walking Dynamite Girl in front of it to minimize risk to itself.Dynamite Girl stumbled forwards, her head still limp and down, moving with stilted, awkward movements like she was a puppet being jerked along by strings.The Geist cocked its head as it sat by the flowing stream where the Strikers had slept. In front of it, it stared down at a Striker corpse. It picked up the corpse in its large hand, raising the decently heavy wolf creature with ease to its face.With a gurgle, the Geist tossed the Striker away once it identified that it was not a human.“Gehgeh,” said the Geist in a strange, garbled, almost alien voice, though the pitch was high and curious, almost questioning.It looked ahead at a trail of Striker corpses leading into the forest.The Geist stared at the line of corpses for a second and then made Dynamite Girl walk ahead to investigate, obviously realizing something was suspicious. It sat there and stretched out its thick, mus
- Combat Evaluation
The Geist
The Evil Eye stared down at a Variant heading right towards Aldrich, likely drawn by the scent of blood and death.It was a three-meter-tall humanoid figure with smooth, plain white skin. Its body was highly muscular, and it shambled forwards with a heavily hunched back, dragging its knuckles across the dirt. It was nearly completely featureless, its skin having no blemishes and its fingers and toes holding no nails.Overall, it almost looked like an eerie, overly muscled mannequin.Something out of a horror movie.Its spherical head lacked any real facial features as well. Just a massive, large-lipped mouth curled up into a constant half-open smile, showcasing a set of oversized human teeth that chattered constantly.This was a Geist.Among Variants, Aldrich recalled from what limited research he was able to do in Blackwater, there were three classifications.Natural Variants – these were Variants that had seemingly adapted to nature. They became parts of ecosystems and adopted the
- Combat Evaluation
Raising the Alpha
You did well. Very well,” said Aldrich to Valera. He paused and gave her a nod, hoping that this was enough to make her happy. He was unused to giving out praise because of how alone he had been.The only praise he had received was from his parents, and that praise had come from a place of warmth in their hearts.It had been many years since that same warmth had been snuffed out in Aldrich’s own heart.“Thank you, master!” said Valera with a proper bow. “Mhm. Mhm.” She nodded to herself, smiling and taking in Aldrich’s praise no matter how awkward or little it was.As Valera took in Aldrich’s praise, Aldrich was occupied by the experience flowing into him.[Alpha Striker slain!][+70 EXP][Striker x10 slain!][+100 EXP][EXP Bar: 75/250 > 245/250]Aldrich sighed. Just five points off from level 7. He hated the feeling of going through a fight and being just short of leveling up. But he could not let his mind dwell on that.“Now to raise this Alpha,” said Aldrich. He stepped over to th
- Combat Evaluation
A Pack Problem
Aldrich and his ever-growing entourage of undead traveled through the Variant forest. He knew generally how to get to Haven, but since he had no Eye-Phone, he had no access to a reliable map.To compensate for this, he had the Evil Eye float in the air, above the tree line, to track their way through.Every so often, Valera would detect danger with her [Defender’s Vigil] passive, and whenever this happened, Aldrich would stand behind her shield and let the Evileye scout ahead with its permanent invisibility.It did not phase through solid objects, but it could squeeze through most tight gaps, and it’s omni-directional vision meant that it scoped out any threat quite easily.For the most part, Aldrich just found more Strikers for they were the most common Variant in the forest. These were easily dispatched – Aldrich himself could handily beat one with just his physical stats alone.In total, Aldrich had netted himself 5 kills and 50 EXP.[EXP Bar: 25/250 > 75/250]Eventually, after abo
- Combat Evaluation
Phantasmal Mask
Aldrich stepped onto the Sign and the white teleporting light enveloped him and everyone else. In the next instant, they were transported to the gloomy innards of the Nexus temple with its dull grey stone and towering, gothic style pillars.The only thing remotely colorful inside of it was the Wellspring of Life which, made of shining white alabaster and marble, positively sparkled with the blue and gold light projected from the glowing crystals hanging from the domed ceiling above.“The Nexus. To think I would return here once more with you, my master,” said Valera. She seemed happy at first, but then she narrowed her eyes. “But this place does not seem right.”“What do you mean?” said Aldrich.“The Nexus is a safe space forged by the twin gods Amara, goddess of light and life, and Sindri, god of flame and forge. There is a warmth to the Nexus that is reflected in their powers. The warmth of positive energy that is uncomfortable to Undead like us, but I sense no such thing now,” said
- Combat Evaluation
[BONUS] Getting Ready
"We have to leave this place soon,” said Aldrich. He gave a lingering look at the Sign he had inscribed. He could not stay here even if it meant abandoning the Sign and the safety of the Nexus.There would be investigations about Ghost’s death soon enough, and this part of the Variant forest was shallow enough that search parties would roam here.For the next several days at least, Aldrich needed to vacate this place.That meant no easy access to the Nexus.No quick refills on his [Restoration Flask] and access to crafting.Not until he got another Sign which he would get upon completing the first Trial Quest.“You three,” Aldrich clapped his hands and commanded the Strikers. “Scatter some of Ghost’s remains here and there. Litter this place with your tracks and claw marks.”Like this, Aldrich could ensure that anybody that found this place and Ghost’s remains would just think he had died to Variants. There would be no additional line of investigation past that.Beyond that, Aldrich h
- Combat Evaluation
valera
After what felt like an eternity, Valera finally put Aldrich down. She took off her bucket-like black great helm, finally exposing her face, and knelt into the grass before Aldrich. Her face was deathly pale just like Aldrich’s, showcasing that she was an Undead just like him.More specifically, a hybrid between Dullahan and Vampire. Her features reflected this. Her sharp, ferocious eyes possessed black sclera and the pupils centered within them were a bloody, glowing crimson red.Her hair was dark black and styled in a rough, messy bob cut that went down ever so slightly to her neck. Her bangs concentrated on one side of her face, forming a sort of veil of hair that obscured her left eye.Her lips were notably black, as would her claws be if Aldrich remembered her correctly.“You look as good as ever,” said Aldrich. In proper fantasy game manner, Valera was modeled to be stunningly beautiful, and real life did even more justice to her looks than what rendered graphics, no matter how
