I was in the Rift, ready to call forth some new warriors to
take under my wing, when Pawns I'd called upon in the past made their way to
the centre. Among them was frffghji'asd. No, I didn't slam my head on the keyboard,
that's really his name. It's either a foreign dialect or a sign that from the
beginning his master wasn't taking their journey seriously. I took to calling
him Figgy.
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| His large figure stands out even more against the small Arisen I'm playing as this time around |
Figgy was in the very first party I assembled. I was after a
warrior Pawn, and picked him because of his... 'exotic' name. He stumbled into
the Rift with an endearing, almost comical appearance. He was a gigantic
figure, oafish in structure. His face looked scarred and beaten, with a bizarre moustache
attached to his face, and sprouting from his head was a mohawk of sorts. I had
to have this Pawn in my party. And so I enlisted him, and set off into the
wilds of Gransys.
We saw many sights, and accomplished many great feats. I had
to send him back and forth to the Rift every now and then to update his stats
and equipment so he could fare against the increasingly challenging threats on
our journey. Once he came back with a cute little Viking hat on his head that
didn't seem to fit right. One day, however, he didn't level up. I figured his
owner just couldn't play as frequently as I, and so let him wait in the Rift
for a while, awaiting the day he would be able to keep up with us. But it was
not meant to be. At the low level of 21, Figgy was abandoned. I had no choice
but to leave him in the Rift for good.
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| Figgy (left) as he appeared when I first enlisted him |
Now here stood my estranged companion in the Rift, the same level I parted with him
at roughly a year ago. He stood there awkwardly, showing no emotions other than
what his Pawn Inclinations allowed him to. He was like an abandoned puppy
awaiting his master's return. At the level I was now, he wouldn't be a
liability, so I decided to take him on one last adventure, for old time's sake.
Our assignment was to accompany Mercedes, a knight in the
duke's court, to a fortress undergoing a coup. After stocking up on supplies, we
ventured forth from the city of Gran Soren. Pawns can't experience true
emotions, but nonetheless I felt an eagerness in the way Figgy spoke. "To
the north, Arisen. We must hurry after Ser Mercedes!" he cried. Being
naive and inexperienced, and having not been on a journey for a long time, he
called out advice that to me was just general knowledge now. "Stray from
the path and we'll soon find monsters Arisen." "The one in the helm
is their chief!" "Wolves hunt in packs!" Whenever he walked past a chest, he curiously inquired "I wonder what's inside!" His enthusiasm was heart-warming.
As the fort slowly faded into view, Figgy spoke up again- "Don't worry, I
am here."
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| "I wonder what's inside!" |
A bloody battle was underway inside the fort, men who
thought they were on the same side were now engaged in mortal combat. With no
way to diffuse the situation, combat was the only option. Steel clashed against
steel and flesh, as blood was spilled and men cried out in pain. "I'll
finish this!" Figgy cried, as he dealt the final blow on the last
deserter. With his followers downed, we climbed to the top of the tower and
engaged the man behind the rebellion. It was not long before he too fell, and
the situation was resolved. Figgy stood there triumphantly- "I've learned
what to do in this quest!" he proclaimed.
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| "I'll finish this!" |
Unsure of what to do next, I decided to take Figgy to fight
the Drake. The Drake is a difficult creature to beat, and I always take low
level pawns up against it so they can learn how to defeat it, ready for when
their masters have to face it themselves. I figured I'd do the same for Figgy,
as unlikely as it was that he'd get the chance to put his knowledge to use. So I
threw a Ferrystone in the air, and teleported us near Devilfire Grove. This was
a privilege Figgy's master likely never played long enough to earn. We walked
into the forest, and saw the giant, red dragon slowly emerge from the dark of the night.
Unsure of how to act when faced with such a fearsome creature, Figgy merely
stood there and yelled "How do we even fight such a thing!?" I
chuckled, knowing there was nothing to fear, and we charged into battle.
 |
| Probably could have picked a better time of day to start this battle... |
The battle seemed to be going well, but then Figgy's
Inclinations kicked in. He banged his sword and his shield together, and yelled
"I'll act as bait!" I sat there, stunned. This was a low level pawn
who had likely never faced a Drake before, charging in and acting as a target.
Was this a brave act of valour? A selfless sacrifice to repay my kindness? Or
was he just acting on his Inclinations, his dogmatic routines he was forced to
obey? I don't know. What I do know is that this had him suffering critical
damage on a number of occasions, and often needed assistance. The battle was
taking much longer than it normally did. The pawns were needing assistance. I
needed to heal often too. It was due to one pawn who kept getting himself into
dire situations and requiring our help. I guess perhaps Figgy just wasn't cut
out for this line of work.
 |
| "I'll act as bait!" |
While it was long drawn out, the battle was progressing in
our favour, though I was gradually running out of healing items which I wasn't
expecting. Then something horrible happened. The Drake grabbed Figgy. It began
whispering into his ear, corrupting the force that drove him. He placed Figgy
down. Only Figgy was no longer on my side. My comrade was now hunting me down
against his own will. He grappled me and slashed at me, fighting surprisingly well.
But he never had a hope of winning this battle. By my own hand, Figgy was
slain. He could be revived right afterwards, mind you, but regardless- I was
forced to fight and kill this pawn who held a dear place in my heart. And what
if I had been incapacitated by the Drake and unable to help him? He would have
faded away into the Rift. I willingly slayed a friend. His blood on the
battlefield was spilt by me.
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| I couldn't save my friend from the Drake's influence... |
The Drake was slain in the end. Its last few health bars
were depleted much faster than the previous ones. Perhaps Figgy had been given
a wake-up call, or perhaps he was a fast learner. It was hard to feel
triumphant though after what had happened. I decided this world was too
dangerous for Figgy. What he needed was his master to train him, and teach him
the ways of the world. I had to send him back to the Rift after this adventure.
I gave him a Ferrystone as a gift, so his master could teleport him across the
map like I had. I gave him a maximum rating in all categories so that his
master, and other interested adventures, would look past his low level, look
past his oafish appearance, and see his merits. I wasn't sure which preset
message to send on his departure letter, none could capture what I wanted to
say about him. Until I got to the last page. I signed off on his letter with
"I pray we meet again". He took the letter, and bid me farewell. He
did so with a line that I'd heard many times before, but this time it took on a
new meaning, and I won't deny it made me a bit teary- "This pawn stands
proud of what we accomplished. May our paths cross again".
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