Lab Ray Rewards

Oh sure, it can get confusing when you have a sudden species change. I was born as a blue Pteri, and have been many things – I’m a Hissi now. Colour changes never bothered me that much, though my siblings Bracada and Tear have informed me on numerous occasions that my clothing didn’t match my new colouration (as if I cared. Which I don’t.)

No, species changes were the worst. I’m a gamer, so I spend much of my time in the game room. What would happen when I would come home from the ray as something new, my game performance would be terrible for several days as I had to adjust to my new form, especially when I would gain or lose limbs. I’m quite proficient now at not having hands – I’ve been a Hissi for over a year.

I’m sure you’re wondering how I’ve managed to go that long as a Hissi. That’s because my owner didn’t like how uneven my stats were getting, and refused to let me go to the Lab Ray for awhile. Instead she took the new kid (some random pet from the Pound) and zapped him or her for awhile, and before you knew it, the pet was sent off to live with someone else. Apparently, she’s bought into this whole “fostering” scheme.

Of course, several months ago, I received a zap that turned me ice. I could go into the woes of that, but I’ll save it for another time. That zap has permanently changed my life. My Darigan-obsessed owner has changed her plans. Originally I would be painted Darigan once she felt it was time. Now it seems I’m going to be stuck as an ice cube for the rest of my life. She’s even adopted another Hissi and a Pteri with the intent to paint them my colour!

Oh, sorry, where was I? Ah yes, the Lab Ray. Why is it better than the Training School? For one, the Ray is a one-time cost. I don’t know how much it is now, but we didn’t pay very much for ours – of course, we’ve had access for around five years now. Where as the Training School is definitely a drain on our resources, especially as the prices of those stupid codestones rise. And speaking of those rocks, have you ever had to lug them from the Citadel all the way to the Mystery Island Training School?! I mean, it’s not so bad when you’re just beginning there and your course costs a codestone or two. But I have to drag seven with me. Seven! Okay, yes, I’m strong enough to carry seven pounds. But seven pounds of moderately sized rocks?! That’s the hard part. Those rocks get cumbersome, usually somewhere near Maraqua.

We don’t make very much each day, so it is a strain for me to go, as virtually all of our earnings each day go to pay for those stupid stones. Oh my owner has her wishlist, but I don’t think she’s ever going to be able to afford anything on it because she’s so focused on my training. (I’d like to take a moment to point out that this training is all her idea, not mine. Were it mine, I wouldn’t go, and would be able to spend much more time over in the game room.)

This brings us to the issue of time. With the Lab Ray, it only takes a short bit to go down, get zapped, and return. After all, there’s an entrance CENSORED. LOCATION OF THE LAB RAY IS NOT ALLOWED TO BE REVEALED. THANK YOU AND HAVE A NICE DAY and there is the laboratory with the crazy Scorchio. On the other hand, I have to take a half-hour ferry to Mystery Island, drag the designer rocks to the school, spend eighteen hours in training, and take the half-hour ferry back. It takes much longer, and for less benefit! I mean, for all that time, I get *one* stat point. One! The Ray would usually give more, in less time! Okay, yes, the Ray could take points from time to time (usually my defense or my level, neither of which mattered in my opinion), but I thought it was merely the price to pay for the convenience.

Yes, there are Super Bonuses at the School. I rarely get them, but Truleigh, with whom I ride the ferry from time to time, seems to get them virtually every session. Okay, that might be an exaggeration, but he does get them more often than I do. Perhaps it’s because he’s actually excited to be going to the school and puts all he has into his training, whereas I’m only there because Ro has this crazy idea that I want to be a great Battledome warrior (personally, I’d rather spend all my days playing the various games in the Games room, but owners have such a way of insisting upon things that “would be good for us”. Rather silly notion in my mind – I think I know what would be “good for me” better than some crazy human).

Convinced yet that the Ray is better than the School? No? Let us compare the ones in charge:

The Mad Scientist: Working on too many experiments has made this Scorchio a little mad. But he doesn’t insist upon proper etiquette (though I do recommend greeting him upon your arrival in his lair – it’s only polite. And he can get cranky if you don’t. Despite his claims that the Ray is completely random, I’m convinced that he does have some control over it). He also doesn’t charge anything for his services; if you’ve found his place, you’ve paid enough. All he asks is to write down the result of your zap so that he can use the data for his scientific research. I’ll admit that I’m not entirely sure what that means, but it keeps him happy and it doesn’t bother me, so I’m not about to complain.

The Techo Master: Believing that the only way to gain benefits is through proper poise and technique, this lizard runs a school on Mystery Island. He is upset by just about every little thing, especially if someone is not doing one of their katas exactly right. (He has started letting Ryshu teach some of the classes – for which I am appreciative. The Nimmo is far less demanding than the Techo. Unfortunately, I have advanced beyond the classes Ryshu teaches). So now I have to put up with being told, for eighteen hours, almost every day, that I am not holding my wings at exactly the right angle or I am not breathing correctly. Then there’s the payment. You’ve heard my complaints about dragging the rocks to the School – there’s also getting the codestones in the first place. My family isn’t very rich, and we earn virtually all our NP through games. Some of my siblings have dreams of being something other than what they are, but because of my stupid training at the stupid school, we can’t afford that. I think Ro’s come close to crying or strangling that annoying Techo because he’s asked for multiples of the Mains and/or Eos. I’ll admit that the probability of him asking for one or both in the same session is good – there are ten codestones, and I “need” seven for one course – but I do admit that I am amused by her fits. And that usually gives me the day off.

From these examples, it is quite clear that the Ray is the way to go – so the Scorchio’s a little crazy, but that’s no big deal. And you do get used to the species changes. Besides, think of all the money that can be saved on training as well as paint/species changes (for those interested in having a certain look). My only advice to you: Don’t be too attached to your current form.