Responding to a request we dived into the seaside city with a interest. Word was that some comets fell curiously slowly to land in the mid of this city. Apparently we were following some Longbow agents and every villain in a short reach who thought they could take some of these space rocks with them.
The battles were short but fought well as we pushed through Freaks and Thorns. What waited for us at the end of the road was beyond my understanding. I’ve heard of Shiva but I was never told they would be this big.
The team gave it’s all and we survived. Though I’m certain more than one of us walked (or flew) away with more than a simple concussion.
It struck me that perhaps I was getting ahead of myself. That you might want the whole story. At least an explanation of who I am.
I was, and to a certain point, still am Kyle Harkins.
I was drifting through life, working odd jobs and filling in where I found opportunity. It paid the bills and in a place like Paragon City there’s never a lack for work.
But it’s a dangerous city and you learn to watch out. They don’t make the front pages but you can almost always find a story in the paper about super heroics gone awry. How some would-be cultists kidnapped another innocent or how the ferry was delayed again because of Lusca. You learn to keep your eyes and ears open because sometimes trouble follows you on foot and at others it’s on wing.
I was finishing a long day, a double or a triple.. I don’t recall. I was running thin on more caffeine than what the FDA thinks is safe. My normal commute takes me along the blue line, through Steel Canyon and to within a block of walking in Skyway. But some of those previously mentioned delays had occurred and I was hoofing it longer than I’d planned. Long story short, I rounded the corner into Skulls territory and very quickly regretted it.
Push came to shove and someone pulled out a knife. I didn’t have much to give or wasn’t quick enough in handing over what I did have. Or maybe out of spite, they stabbed me. Twice. And with a couple of laughs they ran off to spend their gains while I bled out.
It was around this time that Ganymedean found me. In a sense, he felt my pain and was able to home in on it. To save me and itself we had to merge, it explained. That it was hurt and needed shelter and that repairing my body was well within its means.
In hindsight I wish I’d read the fine print. I don’t regret my choice but I do have some doubts. I accepted, naturally. Faced with death and a slow demise at that I feel that most people would choose whatever option B was. But there are details I would like to have known before my life was inextricably bound to a higher purpose.
The merging wasn’t painful. I did recover fully as I was told. But I was quickly briefed on a few key topics. Chiefly, that I would now be hunted. That we were know known as Ganymedean and that we were hunted by the Nictus. That the Nictus had allies specially tasked with hunting us down.
..and now we glow..
Of course, the community at large would recognize us. Ganymedean was very clear about that. That we were Kheldian, merged and whole. That some extraordinary powers were within my grasp and that we would understand them in time.
But it was very weak and quickly fell asleep. I still had some of the power but the voice was gone. So I was left with a dash of responsibility, a measure of opportunity and more than a little wonder and excitement.
I was killing time bopping Trolls in Skyway when the call went out. Some heroes had stumbled on what they believed was the Cavern of Transcendence. Sounded important and I volunteered to join them. I’m no mystic and I haven’t the foggiest idea on what it’s supposed to do.
But word was the Circle of Thorns was looking for it and I make it a personal hobby of thwarting Circle every chance I get. So naturally I had expectations that weren’t met entirely.
It took another member of our team, a mystic, to explain what this pile of rocks meant. And that was after battling through a small horde of “stone men” and “lava golem”. I’m sure they have proper names and something I’ll bring up later when I can track down time to visit MAGI.
I don’t make it a habit of doubting mystics, even when half of what they say sounds like such hogwash. I mean, I can fly and things they talk about make that sound so pedestrian.
We escaped that cave, though I had a lot more questions. I went in with this vision of “El Dorado” levels of dream-fulfillment. All I got was a little heat-blasting from lava pools that were oddly still fluid.
All told it was very strange and I made a note to ask a friend about it later. I’m more accustomed to punching robots than I am digging through rocks and old lore.
We were up to our neck in Crey Security, heavily armed troopers and the occasional scientist. So few scientists that it was starting to seem like a trap.
My team was chaotic, but we cleared rooms like professionals and the chaos helped keep our enemies off their footing.
Not a day passes where I don’t hear someone exclaim “I can’t believe it’s back!” The joy in their voices the energy in their step. Yes folks, it’s back to City of Heroes for me.
Free to Play and hosted in some dark corner I’ve been plugging away at blasting thugs and flying around the city. Having just completed a lap of a time-lost corner of Galaxy City I was feeling a touch too nostalgic and thought I should share with you some words.
Ganymedean, a Kheldian and Peacebringer, is my main and whom I’ll be telling stories about in the coming days.
I can’t tell you how excited I was to find it late one Saturday night and not even 40 minutes later I was in and playing. The next 5 hours passed so quickly and every weekend since have been late nights, too much caffeine and thwarting villainy.
“No! Careful” I screamed. Reaching out, my fingers so short I barely caught his coattail in a desperate reach. The Mi’qote, oblivious to the danger bumped the dusty bottle heedless of the danger that lay within reach.
Time seemed to slow as the vessel tumbled from it’s shelf, over into the empty air and down to the ground. It shattered, as centuries-old ceramic often does.
The magic was quick. Had I not been watching I would never have noticed the change, but the Mi’qote rapidly shrank from what was before quite tall to something much closer to the ground. His scream rose in pitch as the form shifted and the voice followed suit.
Moments later I was eye-to-eye with my new adventuring companion, once a Mi’qote of orange fur and lithe tail, now a Lalafell with distinctively Dunesfolk features.
Between bouts we made new friends. Fellow adventurer’s in search of a little splash of glory. I had barely caught their names when we were called to the arena once more.
The battles were fantastic, the engagements captivating and we gave our all. Victory was ours and wasn’t in all the numerous occasions. I’ll always remember these days as some of my fondest memories. Before it all changed.
I had visions. Some so tremendously nightmarish I would never retell the tale. Others so murky I had to find others to help.
Visions of a strange city, maybe a temple.. I could not tell which
The visions plagued me but I journeyed. Bleary-eyed and slack-jawed I traversed the land looking for a clue as to what this place is. Where it was. Some spoke in hushed whispers as I passed, my gaze passed over them and they turned to hide their faces. And I didn’t know where all this was coming from. Bewildered, I kept moving, from village to township, hillside to vale. And at every stop, every night, every bed another vision found me.
They started with form, patterns I recognized and shapes I knew. Then as time moved the visions became dreams, the dreams turned into nightmares. First the mists, a theme among themes.
Then to a land blasted, torn and rendered inhospitable. Flooded and risen, cursed and poisoned.
As I fell ever downward I knew not where I would stop.
I was having a momentous day. New hairstyle, that is turning heads and amusing the masses. New clothes that is keeping me sharp and qualified.
But that didn’t devalue my skill in healing, weaving incantations to mend wounds or flay enemies. The Silver Lady guided us into realms on the edge of madness but we prevailed. I was certain of this, she smiled and brought cookies to commend our victory.
