Page 29 of Looking for Group

For most of phase two they were playing catch-up, and Drew was beginning to feel the pressure.

Because of the attendants, they’d been slow on the portals, and because they were slow on the portals, there were lots of adds to control, and Bloodrose was looking healthier than she should have at this stage in the fight.

The RNG Gods had also decided to screw them, and she kept drifting towards the Pillar of Blood, which was the least dealable-with of the debuffs.

When she hit about thirty-two percent, Mordant succumbed to Heartsblood on his way to the theurgist, turned zombie-mind-puppet, and started carving up the raid.

[Lady Bloodrose] says: Mine, mine forever.

[Raid][Mordant]: shit soz

“Put him down,” cried Bjorn. “Put him down like a dog.”

It was slightly demoralising to have to take out one of your own party members, but Mordant disappeared in a hail of arrows and shadow.

That put them further behind on portals, which meant they had to halt DPS on Bloodrose until they could get the last one closed.

Drew quickly scanned his raid frames, and it wasn’t good.

Only one casualty but everyone was hovering at about fifty percent health, and the healers were looking uncomfortably low on mana.

[Lady Bloodrose] says: Must I do everything myself?

They pushed into phase three, and Lady Bloodrose descended into the pit, thorns and roses spiralling out of her body and filling the chamber.

From the tank’s perspective, this was kind of the most straightforward part of the fight.

He rushed forward to get her attention, and started smacking her with his axes.

Morag was going to be running around dealing with the briars, which would be coming thick and fast now that the Pillar of Thorns was permanently active.

“Full burn, full burn, but don’t forget the barbs.”

It was basically carnage. As Bloodrose’s health ticked lower, the debuffs from the pillars stacked higher, and the screen exploded with briars and special effects.

Drew’s Heartsblood was getting into the high eighties, so he called to Morag for a tank swap, and she got to him just in time for Ella to reach the theurgist before she went psycho on the raid.

Drew’s fingers were a little slippery on the mouse as he grabbed the boss back.

It was a tricky manoeuvre to coordinate at the best of times, and even Anni occasionally screwed it up.

The raid was looking increasingly unhealthy, particularly with the healing debuff from the Pillar of Life, and Bloodrose had only just dipped below ten percent.

Bjorn: “Entangled.”

“On it…shit, barbs.”

[Lady Bloodrose] says: Mine, mine forever.

Bjorn sighed. “Get me untangled, and then kill Dave.”

“It wasn’t my fault, I was trying to rescue you.”

“Less QQ more pewpew.”

While they were butchering Dave, Prospero died from raid damage.

“Shit.”

[Lady Bloodrose] says: Violets are blue, roses are red, and as for you, you’re utterly dead.

[Raid][Prospero]: I fucking hate that taunt

[Raid][Ignatius]: Covering raid

[Raid][Solace]: kk

There was just too much damage and too many adds. Morag went down, then Ialdir, then Ignatius.

Lady Bloodrose was on two percent.

“We can still do this,” said Morag. “Keep Ella up as long as you can.”

Solace had hardly any mana left, Heurodis and Jargogle were clinging to life by a thread. Drew blew all his cooldowns and hoped. A rampaging minion flattened Heurodis.

[Lady Bloodrose] says: Violets are blue, roses are red, and as for you, you’re utterly dead.

“Oh shut up, you stupid elf. My DoTs are still ticking.”

They were so doomed. They were all out of resources, but Drew was kind of proud to be fighting on to the bitter end. Anni would have called it the moment Mordant had been HBed because it was an inefficient use of raid time.

But it was scary and fun and exciting in a futile Helm’s Deep sort of way.

They probably weren’t going to the opera on Friday, but they were damn well going to make this count.

Drew wondered what Kit was thinking, and if he was happy or stressed or what. He found himself wishing he was there, so he could look at him and see.

Then Ella died.

“Sorry, oom,” said Kit quietly over Mumble.

Now that Ella was no longer holding her attention, Lady Bloodrose whirled round in a rush of blood and petals to face the kobold who’d been busy stabbing her in the back of the knee.

The kobold who immediately vanished.

So that just left a small, winged elf, who she took down with a single strike.

[Lady Bloodrose] says: Violets are blue, roses are red, and as for you, you’re utterly dead.

Jargogle reappeared in a cloud of smoke, leaped across the pit, and chained a sequence of flashing finishers into Lady Bloodrose’s spine.

[Lady Bloodrose] says: Raziel…my lord…I have failed you.

“You magnificent kobold,” roared Bjorn. “I would kiss you if you weren’t such a peculiar small furry animal.”

And then Mumble went wild with joy.

To [Solace]: nice healing ?

[Solace] whispers: nice tanking ?

“By the way, Kit,” said Madga, once everybody had calmed down a little. “I’m sorry I aggro-dumped on you. I was just so close to everything being off cooldown, and I thought it was our only chance to salvage the encounter.”

“Oh it’s fine,” he answered. “You made the right call.”

High Theurgist Venric was still monologuing and bleeding out in the background, but basically nobody cared.

They were too busy rummaging in Lady Bloodrose’s chest—“Hurr,” said Dave, “Lady Bloodrose’s chest”—to see what goodies they could plunder.

There was a selection of the usual items, all of which went to good homes.

“And finally,” announced Bjorn, “we have…that tiny, little baby plant-monster thing, which is a vanity pet and therefore of no interest to me.”

[Raid][Heurodis]: [Briar Seedling]

“But I understand they are popular with some people for some reason.”

The raid immediately erupted into a menagerie as everybody pulled out their favourite noncombat companion.

Drew wasn’t a big collector either, but it was impossible to play the game without getting a pet or two, just for buying expansions, doing some questlines, or getting them as random drops.

He summoned a squirrel that he had no memory of acquiring.

Solace had an incredibly cute baby hippo.

Drew didn’t even think there were hippos in the game.

“I see what you are doing,” Bjorn went on, “and I am ignoring it. As our loot master, I have two suggestions for how to dispose of this nauseatingly cute little artefact. Either we do a raid roll like normal, or alternatively we give it to Magda as a reward for kicking the crap out of its original owner. I will now initiate a readycheck vote. If you wish to give this seedling to our kobold, please click Ready, if not, click Not.”

Drew voted to give it to Jargogle. It seemed fairest to him.

“All right, we have a nine-to-one majority. Jargogle gets the seedling, Friday we go to the opera. Good job, everyone.”

After a bit of dancing and gratsing, and admiring Jargogle’s new pet, they gradually logged out or teleported away.

To [Solace]: Alarion?

[Solace] whispers: Yes

Drew left the raid, grouped up with Solace, and they made their way together to their usual rock, where he got his usual hit of being slightly nervous.

[Group][Orcarella]: good run

[Group][Solace]: Yeah, that was kind of crazy at the end there.

[Group][Orcarella]: you must be totally sick of me

[Group][Orcarella]: you were stuck with me this afternoon and then all evening

[Group][Orcarella]: and half the time i was whinging about wiping

[Group][Solace]: I’m really not

[Group][Solace]: I kind of miss you actually

[Group][Solace]: Sorry, is that weird?

[Group][Orcarella]: no i miss you too

[Group][Solace]: ?

[Group][Orcarella]: i totally lost track of time this afternoon

[Group][Orcarella]: you didn’t think I was too creepy or intense or something

[Group][Orcarella]: i was worried you’d think i was holding you hostage in starbucks

[Group][Solace]: Me too

[Group][Orcarella]: lol we suck

[Group][Solace]: Maybe we could have a pact or something. To say if we’re getting bored or want some space.

[Group][Orcarella]: that sounds way too sensible

[Group][Orcarella]: okay

[Group][Solace]: we can shake on it next time we meet up

Drew took a deep breath.

[Group][Orcarella]: so like when do you want to do that?

[Group][Solace]: Whenever you like

[Group][Solace]: But soon, please

[Group][Orcarella]: friday? we could have dinner.

That had just sort of…happened. And it was a proper proper date. Not just coffee. Which meant he needed to take Kit somewhere. Somewhere classy.

[Group][Orcarella]: we could go to Pizza Express?

[Group][Solace]: I’d love to, but I’ve already signed up for the raid.

[Group][Orcarella]: but its just a fun run

[Group][Solace]: Fun’s important too. Can we go on Saturday?

[Group][Orcarella]: sure. I’ll meet you there at 7?

[Group][Solace]:

[Group][Solace]: Are you going to come to the opera?

[Group][Orcarella]: i’m kind of meant to be meeting my mates in the pub

[Group][Solace]: but you just asked me to dinner

[Group][Orcarella]: yeah, but that was a date

[Group][Orcarella]: this is a game

Kit didn’t type anything for a while.

[Group][Solace]: okay, I’ll see you on Saturday

[Group][Orcarella]: ?

[Group][Solace]: