And then there were the new abilities.
Kaiden pulled up the screenshot he’d snapped of his newest ability then sent it to each of them.
“Study up as we walk,” he said, taking his first steps into the dark of the tunnel. “We’re going to need every advantage we can get.”
Ability Unlocked!
Dual Wielding: For a duration of 1 minute your shield reforms itself into an energy hammer, which you may use alongside your normal weapon. While Dual Wielding you cannot block, your charge capacity is increased by 50%, and the effect of your Slayer passive is doubled, meaning each critical hit restores 10 charge.
Cost: 0
Cooldown: 10 minutes
Admittedly, it was one hell of an ability. Sounded like fun, if he was being frank. He paused for a moment, salivating over the thought of burying Moran under a stream of critical hits from two hammers at once. The pleasant daydream was interrupted as Titus’ screenshot arrived.
Ability Unlocked!
Center of Attention: For the next 30 seconds, a target of your choosing must target you or take 2x base damage for every second they don’t. You must be standing still to use this ability.
Cost: 80 charge
Cooldown: 15 minutes
“Finally, the recognition I deserve,” Titus said with a nervous laugh. “In all seriousness, though, this is a nasty ability. It’ll either force an opponent to focus on me instead of y’all, or it’ll just pump damage into them. And two times my base damage, so those would actually be respectable attacks.”
Kaiden nodded along.
“Most people want to go around the tank. This’ll stop that plan dead in its tracks.”
“Yeah, keep all the attention on you,” Thorne said as sent her screenshot. “That’ll tie in nicely when I come back from the dead with a vengeance, eh?”
Ability Unlocked!
Improved Last Rites (passive): When you reach 0% health this ability triggers. You have 30 seconds to kill all opponents in a 50-foot radius of your point of death. Every kill made during this time extends the kill timer by 3 seconds. Should you succeed, you will be given 1 HP back. If not, you will die. Kills made during this time earn no EXP. Abilities can be used during Improved Last Rites.
Cooldown: 6 hours
“Anything that increases our survivability is going to be a huge asset,” Zelda said, stepping carefully through the dark of the tunnel. “Even if it only keeps you up for an extra thirty seconds, every one of those counts.”
“And what about you, Zelda?” Kaiden asked. “What new trick are you packing after that level-up?”
Her screenshot arrived with a ding.
Ability Unlocked!
Pain for Gain: You may sacrifice 25% of your max health to make your next attack deal 2x damage. If you sacrifice 50% of your max health that attack will deal 4x damage instead.
Cost: 70 charge
Cooldown: 5 minutes
“Holy crap,” Kaiden said, his mouth falling open. Blast wardens really did get all the insane DPS abilities. Though this one came at quite a price.
“I’m pretty sure that ability officially gives me glass cannon status. If I use it, that is. Can’t imagine I’d have much health left.”
“So, uh, don’t miss, I suppose?” Kaiden smirked.
“Real funny,” Zelda shot back, but there was slight smirk on her face as well.
Kaiden made to respond but the tunnel pulled a tight turn, and as they rounded it, he stopped in his tracks. The path ahead opened into a large cavern and at the center of it, Commander Slaen Moran stood waiting for them.
Slaen Moran
Class: Warden Hierarch
Faction: Warden Corps
Level: 60
Quick facts: The Warden Hierarch is a unique class only available to the leader of the Warden Corps. The progenitor of all warden classes, the Hierarch is a dangerous adversary and a very valuable ally.
Something tells me Moran is going to lean more on the adversary side of things, Kaiden thought.
Moran greeted them each with a gentle nod, eyes sliding from one to the next. Finally, they came to rest on the last member of their party.
“Thorne.” There was a clear note of distaste in his tone.
So, this is the fearsome Commander Moran?
To be honest, Kaiden was surprised by the man in front of him. Like all warden accounts, his avatar was locked into a realistic representation of what he looked like in the real world. He had light brown hair, kept close in a military cut and parted too neatly down the side. His eyes were equally brown and rested high above a nose that was crooked, as if it’d once been broken. But that wasn’t what caught Kaiden’s attention most. Instead, it was the expression on his face. The slight frown at the corners of his mouth. The sadness in his eyes. The disappointment evident in every wrinkle and fissure of his clearly stress-strained face. He looked nothing like the fearsome tyrant Kaiden had always imagined. Instead, he just looked... sad. Tired. Like he’d expected better of all of them and had been sorely disappointed.
Whatever unexpected emotions Kaiden found in Moran’s face were immediately overshadowed, however, as he took in the commander’s armor. It was clearly warden armor – with mechanical veins and tendons running across it to carry charge throughout – but it seemed older somehow. Heavier and thicker than the sleek suits most wore today. At the same time, it didn’t look old in a dusty, relic sort of way. No, it looked old like a mountain looked old. A monolith of days long gone by but standing tall and proud still. Resilient, defiant until the end. As Kaiden stared, his visor brought up details on the armor.
Warden Hierarch Power Suit,
Rarity: Singularly Unique
Durability: 100%
+10% charge gained from Atmospheric Charge
+10% charge gained from critical hits
+10% AOE damage resistance
+10% melee damage resistance
+10% ranged damage resistance
+10% charge regeneration
+80% charge capacity
Stimulant Cooling Slots: 0
No stimulant cooling slots, Kaiden noted. That was a boon. Everything else he saw was not. It left him swallowing
