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HC: Handyman | Ch. 69 - Amari’s Assessment
🕑 Added 2024-07-23 09:15:29 +0000 UTCAll eyes were on Amari, waiting for him to voice his opinion. Horace and Marie remained quiet. The streamer collected his thoughts and began giving his assessment.
“Jack, your class is interesting.”
“Right, I know it's interesting. I want to know if you think it's a good class,” Jack pressed.
Amari tilted his head and paused. “Have you ever heard of a player called MyrrhMaker?”
“No, not really.”
“He also unlocked a hidden class. In his case, the samurai class.”
"Samurai? That sounds dope.”
Amari chuckled. “You can look up his channel online. He shared everything that he went through, as well as the details of the samurai class. It relies on sword draws. Myrhh invested a lot of resources trying to level it up. Unfortunately, he faced several bumps along the way."
"What kind of bumps?" Jack asked.
"He had a tough time getting equipment. For example, he was forced to carry the same horrible katana from level 10 to level 36. The class also relied on working along a questline, and he got stuck on one of the stages for weeks. Long story short, after trying to make the class work for a couple of months, he reset his account and restarted with a mainstream class."
"That sounds terrible. Are you saying that I should reset my account?"
"No. Not that. I’m just giving you some examples of players with hidden classes. Here is a more optimistic one. Have you heard of Kraken?"
"Kraken?" Jack raised an eyebrow. The name sounded familiar.
"He's considered to be the best player in New Earth. He also has a hidden class. He hasn't divulged its details, but is related to the sea. He's a pirate, a captain, an admiral, or whatever. Either way, he unlocked it and started exploring the ocean. He’s unmatched in naval warfare. Thanks to him, his guild is unbeatable."
"So what you're trying to tell me," Jack reasoned, trying to discern the hidden meaning in Amari's words, "is that hidden classes can go either way."
Amari nodded seriously. "That's right. I don't mean to scare you or rain on your parade. But with hidden classes, you either make it work and become very powerful or make mistakes, reach a dead-end, and have to reset your account.”
“High risk, high reward,” Marie chimed in.
Amari continued. “If you get the right synergies, this handyman class has great potential. Either way, I think you should experiment with it. Who knows? Maybe you'll luck out and become powerful like Kraken did."
After hearing prophecies of doom and cautionary tales, Jack was relieved to listen to some hopeful words. He hung on to those. "What do you think of my choices of minors so far?"
"I'm guessing that pottery and bushcrafting weren’t really your choices."
"No. It was part of the quest that got me this hidden class,” Jack admitted.
"So, the bard minor was your first move. Brilliant.”
“R-really?”
“Bards are very rare in the game,” Horace explained, excited. “Marie here has tried to become one, but she has zero talent for music. I'd rather listen to nails on a chalkboard than hear her sing.”
Marie stepped violently on Horace’s shoes.
“Good try, but the tips of these boots are covered in metal.”
Amari chuckled but kept going. “I've only met a handful of bards in the game. Big guilds seek them out. They can bring the DPS of a party to a whole new level. How did you learn it? If you don’t mind me asking.”
Jack furrowed his brow. Should he remind Amari that this was all off the record? Remembering times when Jack had been too mistrustful or obnoxious, he reined his doubts and gave the information. “I saw an NPC playing flute. He invited me to sing something as he played. I improvised a little melody, and I became a bard.”
“It confirms your theory, Marie,” Amari said, turning toward the group’s grenadier.
“What theory?” Jack asked.
Marie explained. “That’s how you become a bard in a game. Sometimes, players with free minor slots are thrown into a situation where their musical aptitude is tested. If you pass the test, you get the profession. In my previous account, I turned in a quest at an inn, and a performer asked me to join her. I tried to sing as she played the lute, but nothing happened.”
“I was there,” Horace said, laughing. “The world should be thankful that she didn’t become a bard. After her performance, the bartender had to throw all his glasses into the bin. She managed to make every single one of them crack.”
“You little…”
Marie chased after Horace, and he laughed and ran away. He created a wide enough gap and put a tree between the two. Marie tried to chase him around the tree, but Horace kept a step ahead. "Your singing sounds like a cat arguing with a vacuum cleaner!" he teased.
“Get back here, you human bulldozer!”
“Are those two always like this?” Jack asked, chuckling.
“Oh yes. But don’t mind them. Going back to your choice of professions, I think you were fortunate in unlocking the bard minor. Even if nothing else about your class works, you can guarantee your future in the game just with the bard profession.”
Hearing how much value Amari placed on his profession, even over the hidden class, Jack felt elated. Joining Master Kevin when he played a tune for the pigs in the cave had been worth it. That was sheer luck, though. His very first planned choice was the next minor on his list.
“What about becoming a beekeeper.”
“It's a fascinating choice. I can see why you made it. It’s one of the few minors that offers a way of dealing damage. Smart.”
Jack sighed in relief. “That’s good to hear.”
Amari's serious face turned into a grin. "Even if this handyman class turns out to be subpar, it sure is super fun. I can't wait to see what happens when you become a beekeeper.”
Horace was currently dodging crackers and grenades thrown by Marie. Amari raised his voice to interrupt their bickering. “What do you say, guys? Shall we see what happens with Jack's class?"
"Absolutely," Horace said.
“Fine,” Marie said.
"Thanks, guys!”
“Let's go find that bee queen then. Follow us. We'll show you a good spot to catch one."
The group headed in single file in the direction Jack had just come from. The first light rays shone on the horizon, hidden by the trees. The sky had changed from a pitch black to a lighter blue. It would be morning soon.
"Are we leaving the swamps?" Jack asked.
"The bees prefer the jungle."
"How do we go about capturing one?"
"Two options. One, you kill every worker and drone in a beehive until only the queen is left.”
“That’s what we did in the quest we did together,” Horace added from the front of the formation.
“We might have to do that again, even though it will be much easier now that we have higher levels.”
As a future beekeeper, the thought of slaughtering a whole beehive made Jack feel queasy. “What’s option two?”
“We can capture a queen bee while she’s in the middle of a nuptial flight."
"What is that?" Jack asked.
"Whenever someone terminates a beehive, another one spawns. A queen bee will fly from another nearby hive and start her own. It’s loosely similar to what happens in the real world. Let us know if you see a bee like the one we captured last time flying around. Even though, to be honest, it won't be easy."
"Then we get her in a trap," Horace said, pulling one out of his inventory. "And Marie here will put her to sleep."
"Easy peasy," Amari said.
Hearing how his companions had figured everything out for him, Jack felt a weight come off his shoulders. The quest felt as good as done. The group marched through the jungle. They came upon a glade filled with creatures.
Giant centipedes slithered on the ground between the bushes and up the trees. Their shiny shells were bright blue and purple. Due to a lack of players nearby, they had been spawning unchecked, and the meadow was packed.
“Wehey. Nightmare centipedes. What do you think, Amari?”
"I think it's worth the trouble," Amari said. "Jack, just stay back."
Seeing the three veterans standing between him and the monsters made Jack feel safer than a moss suit ever could. It was like he was inside a fortress; nothing could get to him.
Battle Call!
Horace screamed. It was a war cry, meant to buff himself. He ran ahead of the group, straight toward the centipedes, banging his hammer against his shield. The insects raised their long bodies like snakes poised to strike, their legs skittering in a scary display.
The tank remained unafraid and relaxed, standing in the middle of the creatures. He never panicked. Even if he had to take a hit, he always positioned himself to receive the most minor damage possible. Sometimes, with one single step, he evaded several strikes. It almost looked like Horace had eyes in the back of his head.
Even though Jack had spent much time with Amari, Horace, and Marie, he hadn’t seen them fight much. Other than the occasional casual skirmishes with porkies, all he’d seen them do was run away from animals or arrive at camp with captured ones. Seeing Horace perform this delicate dance as he held his ground against at least 20 centipedes was awe-inspiring.
Off to his side, Marie grabbed two vials from her utility belt without looking. She threw one at Horace, releasing a green cloud of smoke, and then she threw one at their location, releasing a blue cloud.
You’re affected by [Camomile Cloud].
“What did you just do?” Jack asked curiously.
"This is an aggro dispersal cloud. It makes centipedes less likely to attack us."
"And what did you throw at Horace?"
"It makes everyone’s attack speed a little slower."
Now that she mentioned it, everyone’s movements, including Horace’s, had become slightly sluggish. “Does it also affect Horace?"
"Yes.”
“Isn’t that… bad?”
Marie shook her head. “The trickiest thing about being a grenadier is that many of your bombs affect both ally and foe. You have to think things through before using any bomb. In this case, slowing everyone down works for us. I’m buying Horace time."
Jack observed Horace’s movements. With the centipedes’ reduced attack speed, he could easily dodge their strikes. The speed at which his health bar was decreasing also slowed down considerably.
“He’s built up enough aggro,” Amari said, interrupting the explanation. "Ready when you are."
Marie reached into the side pockets of her utility belts. With each hand, she grabbed four little black recipients, one between her fingers. She swung her hands, throwing them in different directions, making crackling sounds and popping pops ringing across the battlefield. Several damage numbers appeared on the centipedes.
-24
-29
-81
-45
-31
Amari approached Horace, swiping his claws left and right. With each strike, one centipede would fall.
-313!
Your party has hunted a midnight centipede.
+200XP
-412!
Your party has hunted a midnight centipede.
+200XP
Whatever centipedes had a sliver of health left received either a hammer blow from Horace, an exploding vial from Marie, or a throwing star from Amari. After two minutes, all the centipedes were dead.
The stamina bar of all three had dropped significantly, so Jack played Sitting Wind while they picked up the loot.
You’ve played [Sitting Wind].
Success rate: B.
+100 bard XP.
Audience bonus:
+300 bard XP.
As soon as he finished, Amari turned to him. "Well done, Jack, but next time, you can play while we are hunting them. There's no need for you to wait until we finish. That's the best thing about bards. You can help us recover during the fight."
"Yes, and you should practice playing while you move," Horace explained. "The cloud of aggro dispersal smoke that Marie used on you won't work for high-level mobs."
The veterans’ advice hit Jack like a hammer. It made perfect sense. Why wait until the battle was over? He had to make himself useful. Horace’s suggestion about learning how to multi-task was also timely. Although he had experience playing the guitar in a quiet room or before a small crowd, he had never practiced playing music while running and dodging a barrage of attacks from prehistoric insects trying to kill him.
"Okay, guys, I'll try," Jack said eagerly.
"Did you get good XP?" Horace asked curiously.
Jack looked for the first time at his XP bar. "Oh my goodness, I'm almost level 11!"
"Great! If we see more good spots like this, we'll clear them too. Let's keep scouring this map until we find the queen bee.”
"Let’s do this!" Jack accepted happily.
Comments
Harley Dalton Jr.
Off to his side, Marie grabbed two vials from his utility belts without looking. --- her utility belt.
Cássio Ferreira
Thank you! It's fixed.
Harley Dalton Jr.
After two minutes minutes, all the centipedes were dead. ---- delete one of the minutes.
