Morningstar

2.17.2024

IDENTIFICATIONS

EXP: ((3*3)+2)*8=88
COST: 3040*8=24320 col

The game was evolving, he remembered himself saying. It wasn't the same as it used to be. In the past, it was "kill mobs and collect experience" on repeat. It was straightforward and things made sense. Ever since the twenty-eighth floor had opened and he'd been trapped in the manor, things felt off. A mob he had fought a million times before would adjust its attack pattern ever so slightly. An NPC with little to no sense of awareness would say something unexpectedly unique. And now... whatever this was. Morningstar was perplexed. The scene played out rather normally at first: a woman pulls the pair out of the bar and tells them to knock it off, warning that the big boss of Glyndebourne would be rather cross with their actions. It was not unlike quest dialogue he had heard before. Sure, the situation was odd but not entirely unexplainable.

Then, she began to change. Morningstar dropped the thug's jacket as the colour faded to grey. It disappeared succinctly, leaving dust particles where it once lay. In pained transfiguration, the woman became someone new—someone far more dangerous. She spoke strangely in the voices of many and flicked her spiky whip at Freyd, who evaded effortlessly.

Morningstar followed his lead, stepping back a handful of feet. His calculation of the distance was more of an estimate than anything. He stomped his foot, beaming back towards the fight at lightspeed. His blade clipped Turncoat Sally's arm but not deep enough to impair her any further than Freyd already had.

He realized his miscalculation as soon as he crashed through the wooden doors of the bar.  "Ah, rats," he muttered, knelt to the floor, using his blade to prop himself up. "Sorry about the mess," he looked apologetically at the NPC behind the counter. "Toss the damage on my tab?"

***

He strained his forearms and back pulling himself up the mountain. The rope burned his hands the further he scaled. The alternative to the pain, unfortunately, was death. He had survived one fall and he was lucky for that. He wouldn't have made the second. At the top, a mountain goat stared at him with wild eyes. It  began to chew on the rope. In a panic, Morningstar equipped the knife he used to cut his food and, holding it by the blade, tossed it at the animal. It stuck into the goat's head and he toppled over the mountainside, right past the blonde. It took his favorite knife with him.

He made it to the top safely, although the rope was severely damaged and the goat had nearly cost him his life. Thankfully, the rest of the herd didn't seem the slightest bit appalled at his actions. They meandered around the flattop mountain, munching on grass and flowers.

The only route left for him to take was the path back down the mountain. "The long way 'round," he said from beneath his hood, happy to at least be alive.

Morningstar looked into the Redcoat's eyes as Freyd pummeled him. He didn't last a minute. His sword free from the man's shoulder, he refocused his attention to the last foe. On the opposite side of the fight, Freyd continued to evolve into an even more terrifying yet somehow beautiful form. The mob struggled to stand, let alone fight back. It was over. In one clean swing, Morningstar severed its head from its defeated body and watched as it disappeared from sight.

He clutched his waist. "All in a day's work," he smirked, unwilling to admit to the obvious injuries. He could already feel the effects of the passive regeneration. "These are nothing," he chuckled, pointing to his wounds. "Time King stabbed me through the chest and cut out my eye once. Gruesome stuff."

"Anyways," he continued, leaning up against the railing of the bar's entrance, "what the hell was that about? Are we using the word safe zone loosely now? I swear, that was more dangerous than my average day outside!"

***

The next morning, he awoke to mountain goats and light rain. Bleating startled him up and he saw the head of a goat peeking into his tent. He went through multiple phases of awakening: confusion, annoyance, and then pure laughter. "Good morning to you too," he rubbed his eyes, tossing off the bandit's blanket and crawling past the goat. Immediately, he regretted his decision to leave cover. Water soaked his hair as he stuck his head outside, causing him to hide away again. It was a good thing he hiked a lot because he had come prepared for this. Through the grogginess, he scrambled into his inventory, equipping his favorite red raincoat and some waterproof boots.

"Alright," he squeezed back out of the tent, "time to get moving."

He patted the goat on the head and stuffed his hands into his pockets. He could see it clearly now, deep within the rough mountains, a kingdom behind walls of earth and at the gate, its protector. Bridges seemed to line much of the mountains in that area. Not all of them were in working condition; however, those that were made it easier for him to cross over the rocky valleys. That being said, they weren't exactly safe. This bridge in particular was rickety and every few boards, one or two were missing.

He tested his foot on the first wooden plank. It seemed like it would hold his weight. Then, he tried the next two. By the time he made it to the board that would be number 9, he tensed up. The rope to his left, which had already frayed plenty, looked like it was about to snap. Carefully, he stepped on the next board. His foot went straight through the rotten wood and he fell over, his weight breaking each rope, one at a time, until he was hanging sideways from the mountain once again.

At least he had an old rope to climb.

***

"Ah, well. Sorry about this. I'm sure you didn't have a choice. I suppose I take self-control for granted," Morningstar said, kneeling beside the disarmed bandit, who stared up at him with eyes full of fire. The bandit threw a punch, prompting the swordsman to kick his fist aside and end the fight with a second sword art. He spun, hitting all four of the bandits in one giant sweep. They all disappeared, leaving him alone with a fire and a bundle of ox legs.

"I've been told," he sat down at the bandit camp, "that if I put out the fire, they'll stop spawning."

He eyed the food but upon closer inspection, it looked disgusting. "Jesus. Maybe I'll eat from my own stash tonight." He stomped out the fire and crawled into one of the one-person tents setup around the circle. It was cozy inside, albeit a tight fit. Still, it wasn't nearly as bad as the cave had been and it had bedding.

***

"Listen, fellas, I fell from a really high place and I don't have the energy for this. Why don't we just sit down and talk this out over a few of those ox legs you've got roasting there," Morningstar pointed his sword at the meat hanging above the fire pit. Obviously, they had not taken a liking to his diplomatic approach, as each of them raised their weapon of choice upon hearing his idea. "Fine, fine. What do they call this again? Aggressive negotiations?"

They came faster than he had expected. One jabbed at him with a dagger, managing to slice above his hip bone. He kneed the bandit in the gut, disarming him. In a wide arc, he slashed, and the output of his sword art expelled all of them backwards.

"I gave you one chance for us to be pals and you tossed it away," he appeared suddenly next to the weaponless bandit. A pained gasp stole Morningstar's attention. He had not noticed static take effect on one of the bandits. He almost felt sorry for the mob. It looked younger than the rest, although he knew that it meant nothing in reality. They were numbers built to die and respawn, die and respawn, over and over again.

***

"I'll try to steer clear; I'm not into piercings."

He switched his outfit into something more suitable for the water. Committing to going knee-deep, he chose shorts and a simple blank t-shirt. With two sandwiches in hand, he strolled up to the lake. "There ya go," he said, delivering one to Freyd. The water was warm, as was mentioned. They'd picked a good day to come.

"The game's a bit of a paradise for messed up people. Since there's no real judicial system, you can basically do whatever you want. Killing's never been easier," he voiced, taking a bite from his sandwich. "Especially with Redemption. Turn orange, run the quest, and bam—you're green again. Feel free to terrorize some more players. At least it's non-repeatable, I guess."

"Ever hear about that serial killer down on eleven? Still hasn't been caught. Nobody knows who they are or how they do it but, apparently, their victims go missing inside of Taft. There's a lot of theories—duels, like Vig mentioned, being one of them—but they're like a sickeningly creative ghost, always escaping like a puff of smoke."

He gazed out at the water. Aincrad was a dangerous world, even for the strong. It made places like the Lake of Reflection all the better. He sifted through sand and pebbles with his feet, looking for any cool rocks or lost and forgotten knick-knacks. There was nothing to be found.

"I don't know," he looked at Kyo, "I think plenty of people try for the quiet life. It doesn't always work out but it's not impossible. I know a guy who bought some property in the Town of Beginnings early on and opened up a bar. Rarely leaves the safe zone. He's probably the happiest person I know."

Vigilon's mate leaped from the water, bypassing Freyd's rod and aiming straight for the arm of the former. Morningstar couldn't help but laugh. He knew that he should have helped but found it to funny to try. "He's all yours, pal."

***

Hiking had become tiresome and Morningstar had endured both a long fall and a long day. "Just about time for a break," he mumbled through a yawn. His position was unideal, though, so he kept walking towards the top. It was quiet in the mountains. He supposed that there weren't many creatures (loud ones, anyway) that were up at night. He had passed some goats on his way up but they were the extent of the lifeforms he had seen.

That was, until he saw the flame flickering from the center of the tabletop. He stood at the mountain's edge, still on the path he had taken. A group of four sat around the firepit, talking amongst themselves. He was tired enough that he wanted to assume that they were friendly and would be perfectly happy with him camping next to them. It was impossible to make out what they were saying and he couldn't see their cursors from where he was.

So, he moved closer. "Hey!" He announced himself, hoping not to startle them too badly, "Sorry, I don't mean to intrude. Just passing through and didn't want to be weird and sneaky about it."

He absolutely had startled them. One even jumped and the others laughed at him for it. Morningstar quickly realized his mistake upon seeing the red icons that hovered above their heads. "Ah, here we go again," he muttered as combat initiated once more.

He awoke at midnight, in a crater of his own making. Or of the dragon's making before it disintegrated. A sliver of health remained in the corner of his visual display. He was sore but alive. His first instinct was to move to safer ground; however, nothing appeared to have noticed him lying there. Or, if something had, it had been scared off by the falling dragon. His inbox had been blown up by messages from Willow. He sat up and typed out a few words.

morningstar: all good. hbu?
willow: what the hell do you mean all good?
willow: it's been 12 hours!

He stood up with a grunt and gathered his blade. His clothes were dirty and ripped up. His face was slashed up by marks of red pixels, as was the rest of his beaten body. He sent another message.

morningstar: did you go back to town?
willow: no.
willow: we're still at the same place. we set up camp here. where are you?
morningstar: let me check.

He was a bit late doing so but he opened up his map. Willow had asked a great question. Where the hell was he? He could see the markers of his friends; however, they were miles away from him. Not only that but the terrain them would take him days to cross, at best. His health bar slowly hiked up from red to yellow. He cracked open a potion and drank but the effects were minimal. He wrote back to Willow, explaining his situation. They agreed that it was unlikely that they'd be able to meet up in the short term and that they'd continue alone until things became dire. Each of them had at least one teleport crystal. They would be okay.

morningstar: see you soon.
willow: you'd better.

The height limit had stopped them from flying any further. Morningstar had not considered that crashing was inevitable. Without the barrier, they might have eventually found the third floor. Cardinal could not have them discovering any loopholes to avoid clearing floors, so it threw them back to where they belonged instead. They tumbled through the air, the rock dragon dazed and Morningstar holding on for dear life.

He could see the mountain again, yet it was so much further than before. The dragon had taken him on a joyride and he had no way of getting back to his party. They approached the ground, falling rather than flying. Morningstar made the executive decision to finish off the dragon before the landing did. They leveled out and, with his sword still in hand, climbed up the scales to the creature's head. With one last strike, he finished off the Elder Rock Dragon, claiming his rewards, which he only saw briefly before the mountain took him.

It sped up. The static had worn off. Morningstar was finding it increasingly difficult to breathe. He almost wanted to stun the dragon but worried that it might end up dropping out of the sky. Instead, he settled for another stab in the same soft spot between its scales. The party's previous attacked had weakened it greatly. He felt he could finish the job, even alone. The only issue now was getting back down safely.

He had his teleport crystal. He was confident that he could pull it from his inventory and crush it before hitting the ground. Considering the height they were at, he would have plenty of time. He stabbed the dragon twice more and it cried out again. They passed through clouds and Morningstar realized that he could no longer see anything beneath him except for a white, fluffy sea. Then, as if stopped by the heavens, they crashed into nothing at all.

Static continued to affect the injured rock dragon. Still, it moved quick and decisively. Morningstar briefly activated Charge and with a bounce, pushed himself into the sky. After it dispersed and he began to fall, he flipped his sword around and prayed.

He felt himself make contact with the dragon's back. He scrambled to find something to hold onto, settling for the sharp end of a scale. With one hand, he hung and with the other, he stabbed at the creature as it flew around the mountain. Aware that it had been mounted, the rock dragon spiraled, attempting to throw Morningstar off. He dug his blade into a softer spot where a scale had come off. The dragon roared, shaking Morningstar to his core, but still, he remained attached.

He glanced down for only a second and regretted it instantly. The dragon flew so high that his friends below turned to tiny dots at the edge of the cliff.

Morningstar met the rock dragon head on, dashing beneath its belly and striking hard. The static effect of his sword procced in between two scales and seemed to actually stagger the powerful beast. It stepped back swatting at Morningstar, forcing him out of the way. Then, as the swordsman tried to keep up his momentum, the rock dragon hugged his body tightly with his wings, hiding away in a giant stone ball. Even with static, he found it impossible to crack through the perfect defense of the rock dragon.

Stone Ward did as its name suggested, warding off all three enemies until the user could recover his stamina and return to the battle. "It won't hide forever," Morningstar promised, "so be ready!"

He was right. It emerged from its shell with a gust of wind strong enough to push the three of them off their feet. And then, it dove.

The dragon tried to roar again, calling for the trio to evacuate the radius of the petrifying smokescreen. They continued to aim for the legs, hoping that with enough trial and error, they would eventually find a weak spot in the scales. The Elder Rock Dragon missed the entirety of its breath attack. Morningstar was glad; there was no telling how long the effects of the attack would last and he was not confident that he would be capable of protecting either of his party mates if they had been stunned. They had already lost two and that was more than he was willing to sacrifice on a mission so unconvincing.

"Star, look out!" Willow called. His head spun right. The rock dragon's tail was coming right for him. He fell flat to the ground, barely evading the craggy mess. Instinctively, he had almost attempted to block it. With its force, he likely would have been thrown off the mountainside.

With it's spiky tail, it whacked the stone statue. The scout crumbled upon impact, dead in an instant. Morningstar grimaced, wondering how it had felt from the scout's perspective. How aware was he during petrification? Could he see or hear or feel his own death? With a roar, he beamed towards the dragon. He leaped and slammed a sword art against the beast's forehead with enough force to stun it, if only for a moment.

His party arrived safely, joining him in combat. Even Renflow, who marketed himself as a healer, stood at Morningstar's side, sword brandished. He aimed a strike at the stunned dragon's leg while Willow tried for its neck. Its rock-hard scales were too tough to puncture, however, and the total of their attacks amounted to very little. What was left of the scout had disintegrated. Morningstar could see the pain in Willow's eyes particularly. He wondered if she had ever lost someone on a quest before.

***

Not two steps across the bridge, Morningstar froze. A cry echoed through the valley, paralyzing the party. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw it: the dragon with rocky scales. It looked even bigger when it was flying towards them. Except, it wasn't flying towards them.

"Shit," Morningstar exclaimed, picking up the pace. 

Behind him, Willow called out for him to be careful. Inevitably, the pair joined him on the bridge race. Ahead of them, the scouts noticed the incoming dragon. Unlike last time, there was no where to hide. The scouts drew their weapons, standing firm and strong. Despite that, their fear was evident. They swore and cried out as the winged lizard slammed into the mountain top, leaving craters beneath his heavy feet. With a deafening roar, it picked up one of the scouts with its sharp maw and tossed him aside. He tumbled to the edge of the cliff and, unable to stop himself, fell.

"Shit, shit, shit," Morningstar's sword ripped through the air. The remaining scout screamed in anguish and fury, racing towards the dragon. He stuck his spear into the leg of the beast to no avail. 

The dragon sucked in the air around it. Morningstar could picture the flames before they even came, engulfing the scout, destroying him in an instant. But they never came. Instead, his breath was a blast of thick dust. In its wake was a statue shaped exactly like the lone scout.

***

The wasp queen dropped to the ground, in two halves but still struggling to live. He flipped his sword around and ended its life mercifully, shoving his weapon into its head. It exploded, alongside the two lesser wasps, into particles. Soulcursed Blade returned to its scabbard.

"Nothing like a few wasps to keep us on our toes, right?" Morningstar bumped fists with his companions and they continued on their way.

By the time they reached the bottom, they could see the rendezvous point. Two scouts sat on a neighboring flattop mountain. In between the two was a long wooden bridge. Morningstar didn't like the look of it but considering his options, he agreed that it was their safest choice. Neither of the Clerics entertained the idea of hours more climbing up and down mountainsides.

"Bridge it is, then," Morningstar said. As per usual, he took the lead. "Maybe we should go one at a time. Or, at least leave a fair sized gap in between us. This thing doesn't look sturdy."

***

+1 “Matriarch’s Stinger" (T1/Consumable/Single Use); Increases Multiplier of SA attacks by 1 for the duration of one thread. ([DMG*(SA Multiplier)] becomes [DMG*(SA Multiplier + 1)]) 

Morningstar let out a low grunt. Dull pain, inhibited by the system's restrictions, erupted in his gut and chest. His gaze dropped. The ends of two halberds had been buried in his torso, leaving an expulsion of blood in their wake. In the corner of his vision, his health bar dropped below seventy percent. What was happening? How could there be another gap in the safe zone? He looked at Freyd, who, in a split second, had taken on a form worthy of his title.

The pain doubled as the spears were withdrawn from his wounded body. He toppled over, the combination of shock and damage briefly overwhelming him. Twice in one day, they had been attacked in places advertised as safe havens. Twice.

If his level were much lower, he'd have died from the surprise barrage. He raised his head to get a better look at the enemies. He couldn't believe that the game would let the fight happen. His mind raced with confusion, working to understand how the system could risk not his own life, but the lives of the players who simply wanted to spend their days within the walls of towns and cities. Habitually, his hand went for his sword.

He exploded up, flipping his sword upside down. Furiously, while their attention was locked on Freyd, he drove it into the shoulder of one of the Surcoat's. "Hey," he gave the blade a twist, "don't go taking your eyes off of me. We're not done yet."

With some difficulty, Morningstar and his crew stopped themselves from tumbling down the hill. From around the bend, a trio of wasps appeared. One, he recognized, was a wasp queen. He had encountered one in the past and found them to be nasty critters. She was far bigger than her windwasp counterparts and likely far more lethal. He waved his hand to equip his blade and quickly drew it.

"I'll take point on the queen; you two support me?"

In agreement, they made their first moves. Morningstar dashed ahead, aiming for the queen and trusting in his allies to guard his sides. The two lesser wasps moved to defend their queen but were warded off by the blades of Willow and Renflow. Morningstar connected with the the wasp queen, feeling the sharp point of her stinger scrape against his side as he lunged for the kill. He chopped low, removing her thorax entirely with the stroke of his sword.

***

(note: stats have been reduced to tier 1 for this field boss fight)

"What's your role in Cleric, Renflow?" Morningstar asked, curious about his new acquaintance.

He turned his head to look at Morningstar. His eyes were wide, as if he were surprised to hear the question. "I'm the guild's treasurer. I'm also a healer, though."

"Oh, yeah? I haven't met many healers. Difficult to come by, these days. Everyone wants to be the main character, I s'pose," Morningstar chuckled.

Willow cut in. "Ren's one of the original guildmembers. He and Greymore met on opening day and, with a few others, started Cleric."

"No kidding? And where did you come in?"

"Greymore took me in a little over two years ago. I'm still considered low-rank within the guild."

"But you're his apprentice, right?"

"Right. I was level two or three when he found me and he taught me just about everything I know. If it weren't for him, I'd probably still be in the Town of Beginnings."

Morningstar had seen that often enough. There was nothing wrong with avoiding the wilds, of course. Dante did well for himself, despite never having left a safe zone. Star looked at Willow and saw similar motivation. He hadn't experienced the fear of the world like she had but they both shared the need to leave the confinement of safe zones; they wanted to experience the game for what it was, even if it was dark at its core. 

"And what about you, Morningstar?" Came Willow, jabbing his arm playfully. "So many questions for us. Do we get a turn?"

"I'm an open book," he rubbed the likely-bruising spot.

"Favorite animal?"

"Mm. Tigers. Or belugas."

"Color?"

"Red."

"Really? Good choice."

Renflow followed up with a proper question. "You're not in a guild; do you always play solo?"

Morningstar shook his head. "No, not always. I have a few friends. I think."

"You think?" Renflow laughed for the first time that day.

Morningstar's jaw hung. He didn't realize that the treasurer was capable of finding things funny. "We don't exactly hang out, aside from fighting monsters together. But I don't know if that's weird or if killing things is the most social thing to do in Aincrad," he crossed his arms.

"It's definitely weird. We play Saturday night board games and the whole guild goes skiing on the fourth floor once a month," Renflow explained.

"That sounds like more fun, I'll admit."

They stopped at the end of the incline. According to the map that they had been provided, they had an easy slope to work their way down. Near the bottom, they were supposed to be able to see the scouts. They speed they picked up traveling down the mountain was invigorating and also a little bit dangerous. Still, they were crunched for time. It was already midday and at the pace they had been walking, it was unlikely they would have made it back to the caravan in time for their ride back to town.

The dragon's heavy breaths boomed from outside the trio's hiding spot. Morningstar's sword was unequipped, as was his armor, in order for easier climbing. He hadn't anticipated a fight with anything more than a goat or something of similar caliber. The dragon was more than any of them had bargained for.

It stood at the edge of the cliffside for a while, its back turned to them. When it was ready to fly once more, it left. Simultaneously, the three players let out relieved sighs and tried their best to crawl out of the hole without getting scratched up. They watched the dragon as it flew off and around the corner of a taller mountain. Morningstar noticed that its scales looked almost like rocks.

"It could circle back. Hard to say whether that was random or if it knows that we're here," Morningstar said, prompting them to continue on their trek.

"I don't fancy fighting that lizard," Renflow said, taking the first step up.

"Biggest I've seen," Morningstar agreed, nudging Willow. "Probably best we stayed hidden, as uncomfortable as that was."

She laughed, her anxiety dampened.

***

ID: 219060 LD: 15-5=10 (safe)

Freyd finished of what Morningstar could not with a solid kick. Sliding his sword away, Star watched his opponent's jacket fall to the ground. He turned around and there were more where Freyd had taken down the others. Drops normally appeared as a prompt rather than on the ground. "You didn't pick up a quest before you came, did you?"

The woman was gone as well. He didn't see her escape the scene and assumed they had been too late. "It's a shame," he looked at the ground where she once lay, "but if she's an NPC then maybe she'll respawn." He caught the jacket, giving it a thorough look. It was dirty but in good shape. He noticed nothing of interest; no symbols or insignias to give them any understanding. He checked the pockets as well with no luck. "Not a clue. What about the rest of them?"

He unequipped his armor, curiously trying on the jacket for fit. It wasn't perfect but he liked the look. Whether he could actually keep it, however, he was unsure. He took it off, throwing it over his shoulder. "Strange for a fight like this to happen inside of a safe zone, don't you think? I've never seen anything like this on the other floors." He knelt down, taking a look at another jacket. "Crime in Glyndebourne. Wonder if it's a regular occurrence or a weird glitch."

The three opted for a break after their stress-inducing climb. They hadn't anticipated sitting so still, squeezed together in the crevice in the mountain's wall. Willow hushed the other two, who were attempting to find the slightest bit of comfort in their hiding place.

A rhythmic beating sound came from above them. It did not come from a drum, however, but a dragon. 

***

Morningstar had spotted it first. An object grew closer and closer in the sky until he could make out wings. It clicked instantly. He cursed, grabbing hold of his confused team's arms and urging them to stand. Dragons, in his experience, varied from region to region. It was hard to tell whether you had encountered a harmless one or a ruthless behemoth before the fight began. Sometimes, even Morningstar chose the path furthest from death. Willow hurried them toward a cave that was not intended for humans to enter.

They held their breaths. No one dared move. Mere feet from them, the dragon landed with a crash. Its hands and feet were the size of the three of them combined. From the hole, they could not see the rest of its gigantic body; no one dared peek out to get a better look. Morningstar knew that if worst came to worst, they all carried Teleport Crystals. They would be safe, no matter what. He worried for their rendezvous up ahead, though. There was little chance they could have taken on the winged beast alone. They had not received any messages. If it had found them first, they were likely dead.

Morningstar laughed at the pair's confusion. Differing senses of humor, he thought.

He stopped, as Vigilon wished, and glanced around. For them to break so abruptly implied that something was wrong. Were they in danger? He saw no mobs around but there were two players up ahead. Suddenly, like something straight out of a video game (which he supposed it was), Vigilon ran off, somersaulting behind a boulder in earshot of the strangers. For a moment, Morningstar was impressed with how stealthy he was without even using a skill. And then, he slipped on a rock."

"Oh, brother," he shook his head as Krysta followed her partner. He shrugged at Freyd and jogged towards the others.

The commotion had understandably surprised the two gentlemen. Morningstar had only heard bits and pieces of what had been said; but, he got the gist of it. "Knights of Cinnabar? Don't think I've heard the name. Not heading to the labyrinth? I'm sure the raiding party would love the extra swords."

Even Morningstar could admit that the shaking of the box combined with the vagueness of the knight's explanation and their "Pokémon antagonist" way of speaking was suspicious. It almost seemed like poaching, which he had a hard time understanding in a video game, where animals could be created with limitless supply. Hoping to get more information without being too aggressive, he offered an easy question: "What do you mean by our future resting on your shoulders?"