"Wow," my new friend Ogrim says in a low, gravelly tone very much unlike the other two Gnomes I've come in contact with. He keeps his one eye trained on the cart ahead of him, his right ear which is closest to me flicks in my direction as I continue speaking to him. At first, he merely made throaty noises, but as I continue to recall some of the more memorable events that happened so far in the game, he begins to show a little more interest in having an actual conversation.

"Yeah, they were crazy alright. You ever seen a Seamount Crab before?" I ask, remembering the way Gorm prepared it a few days ago. "Huge. Delicious by the way."

I see him stick his tongue out of his half open mouth, "Blegh. Maybe fill with Mermadin bugs." His shoulders shudder a little and I laugh.

"Enough about me and my problems. What's your story, Ogrim?" I'm genuine with my question, curious to know how he lost his eye. Curious to know how he became a vegetable vendor in a caravan on its way to Kes Solomas. Curious to know what Ogrim might mean in Gnomish, if that's even the language that he speaks.

"Hmph. If Ogrim had problems, they nothing next to yours, Traveler," he snorts and I laugh some more. "You very happy, even if very unlucky?"

"Unlucky? Is that the way you see it? That's just life, my fuzzy little friend. It's not all paved roads and cold ales, and isn't life more fun because its not the same thing over and over again?"

My mind dredges up a cornicopia of the clearest of memories. The terrible accident that took Dad. The survival of Mom, but her slowly deteriorating health. Learning to be around people and learning real world skills in the kitchen and the bar, only to have chunks of the money I earned thrown into the pit that is the American health care system. My last slideshow of visions is of finding friendship and, although virtual, intamacy in a world of fantasy and adventure.

Smiling, I look over a list, wanting to test out Cerulean Touch's Ability to keep a Monster Spell or Skill waiting in the shadows of an attack. So far, Touch's first Ability has been pretty lackluster since I have way more MP than SP. Blue Mages in this world must normally have it the other way around if their main martial art is any indication.

I access the Skill and it brings up another menu.

[Choose which Spell/Skill to imbue:

[>Shadow Toxin

[Healing Breeze

[Bubble Blast

[Lethargic Miasma

[Hellbent Roar]

It'd be funny to slash a creature only to release a Healing Breeze, however pointless it may be. Unless, of course, I kill it in one shot and heal everyone else in the area. Trinity Stream isn't on the list, probably due to its unique requirement. Maybe not Bubble Blast, I don't want to be too close if the bubbles are gonna blow up right off the bat. Hellbent Roar seems like a great choice since I don't technically have to cast it, but if it goes off and it's just me and one monster it'd be a big waste. In the end I select my first option.

Matte blue whisps escape through my teeth and open cheek area and surround my involuntarily extracted claws, wrapping around them like tape on a boxer's hands. They tighten then sink below the skin.

[Next successful attack will cast "Shadow Toxin" at will on your target.]

"Must be nice, have many life to toss around. Ogrim has one. Must keep safe." His shoulders slump and he lets out a long sigh. I offer him half of a Better Ration and he hesitates to take it. "Is… crab?"

I chuckle as he finally accepts the jerky-like food, "No, no. Just a Ration. I noticed you didn't eat since we left or during the lunch stop. Aren't you hungry?"

"Ogrim…" he reflects on his answer in his head before saying it out loud, "Ogrim not have enough food for selling and eating. Make choice." He takes a bite, notices the taste and the HP and SP regen Buff, and tears through the rest of it. I give him the other half, "Thank you, Traveler."

"Ardacen."

"Thank you, Ardacen." He continues to eat the rest with more reserve. I smile.

[Reputation +225 with Ogrim Bellyreacher]

[Reputation increased to Liked!]

From the moment we left Ifrix, we had taken the same exact route that I had traveled in the vardo. But, instead of taking the left at a fork to head toward the ravine and a dead end, we take the right and find ourselves going down a beaten path through a forest of dark trees. And by dark, I mean the leaves and bark of all the trees are literally deep, dark shades of greens and browns that were close to black, as if infected by suffocating shadows.

I stand up in my seat and scan the area. "What is it, Ardacen?" Ogrim asks as I pull my mask over my face.

I can see red, hostile dots around us, but none approach any closer than the treeline. Only one dot seems to be getting bigger and it's only because we're actually moving toward it. I jump to the top of the covered wagon ahead of us. The merchant and his escort shout at me from below.

"Shut up for a minute," I implore them and use Zoom. The remains of a tree trunk comes into full view. Judging by its thickness, it must've been a very tall tree at some point, though perhaps it was struck by lightning and set ablaze, most of its top half falling off. The act had left behind a jagged, burnt twenty five foot tree barren of leaves. The first branch, a little more than halfway up the trunk, is struggling to hold the weight of a noose and a corpse. The second branch, nearest the top, has a bulbous blob surrounding the area where the branch meets the trunk. Its like a wrinkly bubble of tar got stuck to it.

A lot of the meat from the torso of the corpse seems to have been picked or rotted off some time ago, along with most of the face. I try to gather some information off the body to maybe see why it had to be punished in such a public way. I grimace at the level of detail I get from Zoom, noticing how juicy the body still looks. Ooze seems to run down what's left of the arms, down the fingers, and over the… rings?

>Scan[This strange and abhorrent creature has learned how to tempt greedy passers by with the allure of magic accessories on an unguarded corpse. There are accounts that tell of some cases where after failing the initial trap, the Mimic will summon Shadow minions to help chase down and drag back prey.]

[Shapeshifting III, Grab, Power Strike I, Critical Stab I, Bite, +Summon Shadow Stalker]

I can already see heads turning and daggers being drawn in a couple wagons down the line. If they intend to kill this clever thing then rusty knives aren't going to do much. However, the blades would be efficient on, oh let's say… an old rope?

A portly, human merchant is the first to leave his seat, followed by his leather clad escort, ditching their driver and wagon for a couple of trinkets. A Fizzet trader also jumps at the chance for some free loot, his pink tail and brown fur blur as he runs on all fours past the other men. I can hear Light and his men shout out for them to return, but their words are useless.

The bolt I've been charging channels through my ring, doubling the Spell's distance and speed in exchange for a decrease in power. I'm also able to freely change the shape and color of the bolts so I do so. The two bolts shoot like rifle bullets toward their respective targets, but a subtle shift in the target's position causes them to miss. A mysterious breeze pushes the corpse enough to sway out of the path of my bolts.

The red X shaped bolts startle the greedy runners and they skid to a stop several yards from the tree. About that time, the caravan is stopped about mid way past the tree so the charred thing is in plain view of everyone. The corpse continues to swing violently as the branch it hangs from rises into the air. The hollow trunk splits, revealing sharp, black teeth and the false roots act as tentacles, providing motion to the creature. Two red eyes form on either side of the split. They glance at the corpse and then at the bodies closest to it.

The guard pulls his client behind him, drawing his hand axe. The Fizzet who ran past them throws his hands up in a pitiful defensive posture. Like some morbid crane game, the Mimic swings the corpse at him. The rope extends to close the distance too quickly for the rat man to do anything else but be wrapped in an oozing embrace. Arms dripping with black ichor grab onto him. The rope and branch snap back, tossing the screaming, cartwheeling Fizzit into the air just to land in the waiting jaws of the beast.

I'm already running toward the creature, but I could see that everyone is watching in horror from the wagons as the sharp, obsidian-like, misaligned teeth punch holes into the Fizzet again and again until the screaming stops and blood floods the ground.

No other guard is brave enough to join me, though I am suprised to see three grinning skulls and their respective skeleton bodies running with me. The trio are oddly colored; patterns of vibrant pink, blue, and purple with splashes of inky black can be found over most of the bones. They remind me of the sugar skulls during the Day of the Dead celebrations. Needless to say, I do not initially assume Dez is around and helping me, though I am wondering who is. A cursory glance at the title above one them says "Rosetta Sanchez's Skeleton #2" and I'm curious as to where Miss Rosetta is.

Spears of ice fly overhead, stabbing into the trunk, causing a horrible screeching sound to erupt from the Mimic. With it slightly distracted, I chance a look back at the origin of the bolts.

Wearing a body hugging black dress under a black leather vest, black leather boots, a pointy witch's hat encircled by colorful flowers, a tiny painted skull in the center, and wielding an ashen staff tipped with a large avian skull with short horns that curve up and back is Rosetta Sanchez herself. Her face is painted just like her skeletons and she's sporting a wicked and excited smile. On the backs of her black fingerless gloves, magic circles begin to glow as do the eyes of her staff's skull. "Weaponize Dead. Slashing. Slice up the Mimic, skellies," she chants and a wave of purple energy pulses out from her.

It washes over her minions and from their elbows to their finger bones they glow a dim purple light. Once the light show is over, the parts that were glowing have become single edged, bony sabers. I shoot her a party invite and, after getting over a moment of confusion, she accepts as she jogs toward us as quickly as her dress allows, "What… Swarm Tactics?"

I ignore her confusion, getting in an Assassination hit and an Echo Strike on, I assume, the Mimic's back. My first hit is a success so I activate the Shadow Toxin saved and it releases in the form of a quick flash of deep ocean blue light. Too many notifications go off all at once so I switch it to silent mode for now. I'm glad to see that Cerulean Touch works and that at least the poison activated, even though none of the other effects did. The skeletons are hacking at the roots since they can't get any closer.

Even with all of our initial attacks, we still only drain a little more than a quarter of its HP with a negligible amount of MP damage. Shadow Toxin is finishing up soon. I roll out of the way of several whipping root tentacles, only to have the hanging corpse swing and knock me back toward Rosetta.

I manage to land on my feet in front of her, nodding my head with quick manners, "Ardacen Winters."

"Rosetta Sanch-- Wait. THE Ardacen Winters? From Pangaea?" she asks while charging a Spell. I roll my invisible eyes as I nod my flaming head. "I can't believe it's really you! I used to buy level eighty Consecrated Bones from you in Pangaea! Do you remember me?"

I do recall selling those items for ten bucks a pop to an Elvish girl, but for some reason I have the character's name sitting just out of reach. Not too many people bought it since it was mainly used to summon Pure Dead, a type of skeleton that was Holy in element, instead of Necrotic. The biggest draw for doing that would be that healing magic would actually work on them instead of hurting them. Wait…

"Was your name TopLichBitch4Eva?" I ask while slashing apart tentacles rudely trying to interrupt our conversation. A goofy grin spreads across her face and her eyes dart away. Whether it was from the name or the fact that I remember her I don't get a chance to find out because our enemy isn't pleased to be put into the background.

Another spitting screech erupts from it as a huge, purple magic circle forms beneath us. The lines glow bright as a dozen level fourteen Shadow Stalkers appear around the Mimic. If that's not enough for us to deal with, the sticky blob on the second branch explodes in a shower of black ichor and vicious looking red hornets with devilish faces. Great, the damn bugs are as big as shoes.

I ready my Trinity Stream in both hands, but before I cast it I release as loud a yell as I can muster. Hellbent Roar effects the whole battlefield and I'm glad I have notifications turned off for this. All of the hostiles, including the Mimic, are glowing a dim grey. Those of us in the party, including Rosetta's undead minions, get a feint red aura. Consequently, the Skill ignores the merchant and guard since neither were invited to our War Party.

SP spent, I spray a steady stream of elemental pain at the cloud of winged hatred, clearing out most of them like a professional pest exterminator before the swarm moves to safety. I don't have time to Analyze them in the chaos of battle, as I try to include a few Stalkers in the Spell as well. Unfortunately, they're as dodgy as ever and I only manage to kill one before Trinity Stream ends.

"I only have one Ice spell," Rosetta informs me as she hurls two spears of ice at a time at the giant mantis creatures, "I know my other Spells might not do so well against their elements." They pierce the dark carapaces of two targets.

After being informed that her minions aren't true undead or of the Necrotic element I cast Healing Breezes on the skeletons as I also try to keep the aggro off of the Necromancer. One by one, we put down each Stalker and when the last one dies from excessive ice intake or critical head and neck detatchment, we switch focus to the Mimic.

The monster reels back, stretching its maw wide in preparation for another Spell and another magic circle threatens to appear on the ground.

"Oh no you don't," I grumble as I Blink Step onto the trunk, stabbing with my claws for grip and quickly casting Zone of Silence. Being up in the air, the dome becomes a sphere of static noise and disrupts the Spell in time. I use my claws to slide down the trunk, dealing damage all the way to the ground. The Mimic shakes with pain and the remains of the hornets, aptly named Hel Jackets, appear around me.

Using my ring's Shotgun option to drastically shorten the maximum distance of the Arcane Bolt Spell, but create a cone shaped area of effect, I blast two consecutive cones with each cast. Using Trident Caster and the ring, I fire off blasts of confetti colored magic from both hands, clearing out the swarm and getting a few laughs from Rosetta in the process.

"Que chistoso! What kind of Spell was that?" She tries to say while stifling her laughter. Her spears of ice tear through the Mimic's faux wood body, but Zone of Silence keeps it muted and unable to make a sound, before my Spell finally disperses.

I heal her skellies one last time and she commands them to take care of the tentacles while we whittle down the main body. Since the guard didn't benefit from Hellbent Roar, the merchant dragged him back to the caravan during the Stalker event, leaving the two players to deal with this boss on our own. It wasn't a particularly tough fight, but it might have been over quicker had I been wearing my rightful equipment or had Rosetta not been a less than optimal elemental pairing.

[You defeated Hangman Mimic!]

[2250XP +30% War Party Leader III bonus

[2925XP will be shared among the party.

[2925XP/2 members.

[You received 1262XP, 30 Gold]

[You received 30*Mimicoins, 2*Journeyman Ritual Candle of Magic, 20*Shadow Stalker Scythe, 38*Shadow Carapace, 6*Shadow Stalker Wing, 88*Hel Jacket Stinger, 4*Hel Jacket Royal Jelly]

[Boss Slayer! As the last to attack the boss when it died you received a bonus!]

[350XP, Eldritch Soldier's Bracers]

[Eldritch Soldier's Bracers. Advanced Expert. Forearm. 1/3

[Durability: 150/150

[Armor: 1

[Bonus: Spell: Minor Arcane Shield II, ???]

My eyes bore into the sight of my second item of the Eldritch Soldier's set. The soft, thin, black leather with ancient silver runes stitched in a similar fashion to the tunic will match it handsomely as soon as I can get it back from the others. The Spell it allows me to use doesn't escape my notice and I bring up the description for it.

[Minor Arcane Shield II (10MP) 5feet/ Create a 5foot diameter shield of Arcane energy. Absorbs 1 damage per 1MP drained. Armor and Willpower are taken into account regarding damage calculations. Lasts until 0MP/dismissed.]

"I can't believe this haul," Rosetta says after I split the bounty with her right down the middle. Except for the Mimicoins which she graciously declines. For a moment, I wonder why there isn't a ring in the loot, but then I remember that it was just part of the Mimic's disguise. As for the mysterious dark blue candles covered in silver heiroglyphics similar to the ones on the bracers, neither of us have ever seen anything like it before.

[Journeyman Ritual Candle of Magic. Journeyman Item.

[This candle has a four hour burn time. If, while unbound, the lighter of this candle can withstand the effects without snuffing out the flame for the duration, they shall be rewarded with the power of magic.

[Warning, if this candle is willingly put out before it reaches its end, it will lose all Abilities and become a regular candle.]

"Friends come! Caravan leave now!" Ogrim calls out to us, his wagon lagging far from the one I leapt on earlier.

I slip on my new Bracers and everything else gets tossed into my Rucksack.

Rosetta gives me a wink and whistle, "Que rico."

She and I go after Ogrim's wagon already in motion. With her dress torn during the battle, it actually looks like an intentional slit up the leg, she's able to run faster. Her skeletons follow close behind.

Once in Ogrim's wagon, I'm looking over my bracers again. Sitting next to and looking at me curiously, Rosetta asks, "Don't you think it's weird?" Her lack of a preface catches my attention. "When we're rewarded by the system we seem to get items that relate to us."

She holds up her staff and looks up at her hat.

Initially, I was going to argue that I just made do with everything I pulled, but the thought of almost completing my second set of rare equipment keeps my mouth shut.

"Yeah, you think so too, huh?" She asks again and I nod. "These two are a set. A Journeyman set. Not only that, but they didn't take long for me to complete. I got them doing Quests that involved helping lots of NPCs. If the reward system were truly random, don't you think we would have, at some point, gotten something like a giant, enchanted axe? Or, like, a Slaver's Collar, like in Pangaea?"

Thinking back on that game, even in boss raids we rarely got anything we truly wanted. It often forced us to sell or trade to each other or, at the very least, farm the bosses. I know we don't have time at the moment to sit around and wait for bosses to respawn in Arc, but I have yet to encounter the same boss twice. Then again, the route Sonny planned was meant to increase in difficulty and variety until we could get to our destination.

"Not that I'm complaining. I'm actually glad. It means I can focus on the adventure and less on trying to chase treasure." Her staff disappears into her bracelet. "So, Mister Skelly Head, for someone who's supposed to be the Level leader, you seem… underwhelming?"

We laugh, "Yeah, I died in a Boss raid and had to respawn back in Ifrix. Dropped all of my gear, too. All I had was this backup armor and some Gold when the others finally killed the Boss."

"Boss raid? You in a party? THE Ardacen Winters is in a party? Is that how you're doing it?" Rosetta asks.

I let out a small laugh, "You could say that. Speaking of which, are you, perhaps, interested in joining a team?"