by Chaz Hamilton
This is definitely a glass half-full/half-empty situation. The Mercenary forces have been defeated in the battle where Starmaster first called out for assistance, but somehow Mental, the Avatar of the Mind, and Arx, the villain tied to the abduction event, have both disappeared.
That's right. With 338 different heroes answering the call to action, the target of the foul venture and the identified agent behind the plot have both slipped by BADGE and are now being sought for all over the world.
Mercenaries have been spotted in attacks around the globe where others of these Avatars have been seen. Heroes all have the opportunity to be part of this ever growing story, doing their part to track down and protect the avatars from these mysterious mercenaries.
After the battle in the isolated field where all this began, the ground has been trampled and is now littered with debris from the fight. While the heroes did defeat them and ended the incursion, gaining some useful intelligence and boons from the engagement, not everything went as well as the heroes would have preferred. Vital pieces of gear many hoped to collect were lost in the end. Some were able to gather useful items. A technological helmet. Jeweled arm bracers that aided the mercenaries in their fight. Ultra-sharp daggers that some mercenaries were able to keep hidden in their sleeves until they were within range to slice and dice their opponent.
The heroes were able to collect a variety of unique items that potentially can be used to aid them if used at the proper time. Strange Blue Crystals that imbue the owner with a powerful magical aura. Trinkets that imbue the invoker with gifts of the fairy folk. Sonic projection devices that can cause additional damage to the cerebral cortex when exposed to the loudened frequencies.
And lots of aspirin. These mercenaries came prepared for the pain the heroes would cause. One has to wonder what doctor these mercs plan on calling in the morning when they get their one phone call from the jail cells they currently reside within.
As always, BADGE scientists have shared data on some of the highest performing heroes in the raid, based on damage output. Here are those numbers.
897,287 Damage: Miðgarðsormr
647,278 Damage: ♦ The Gentleman 5¹ ♦
598,069 Damage: ♦ Magnificent punlork♦
588,893 Damage: ~666~GhOsTfAcEKiLla
502,882 Damage: ][☣][ Hot Wings ][☣][
443,628 Damage: ~666~ B$C ♦♞♦
403,808 Damage: Zanazola Merlio ZM «₩»
374,659 Damage: ♦S♦U♦P♦E♦R♦5¹♦R♦A♦K♦L♦Y♦
355,216 Damage: ♦The Avenger 5¹ ♦
337,305 Damage: ][✡][ The Wizard ][✡][
324,866 Damage: ‡Seraphim ‡
309,084 Damage: ♦ Shinobi 5¹ ♦ ▬▬ι════ﺤ
With the variety of powers and abilities our heroes have, it is amazing to me the sheer volume of destructive capability some of our top performing heroes can deliver. What is it that makes these twelve heroes so much more effective than others? I will be investigating this further in the future and report on the results as I find them. So far, I have discovered some very useful tricks that these top performers are taking advantage of to heighten their ability to deliver maximum damage with maximum effort.
Until then, keep your eyes out for Avatars while out on your missions heroes! It seems like every day I have been hearing a couple new stories that bring new light onto the overall situation you are all dealing with.