Morningstar

"Y'all got horses or something?" "Horses? No. Take these," the captain pointed to a few insect-like brass contraptions. "Oh. Okay." Morningstar hesitantly climbed onto one of the mechanical creatures, looking over the various controls. It reminded him of the time he had to pilot an airship. There were dozens of unnamed buttons and levers; all that he recognized were the steering controls. He poked at the joysticks, but they didn't do anything. "How do I turn it on?" He called out. "The big button on the left," the captain returned. He pressed it and the vehicle came to

Between Freyd hunting down his chalk marks and NIGHT constantly checking her back for spiders, Star figured it was time to head out. "Okay, okay. Thanks for coming everyone. You can invoice me for your time, or something." He spotted the white marks they'd left along the walls. "This way to fresh air," he called, leading the party towards the exit. Chalk really was a lifesaver. Never get caught in the maze without it. You could get stuck in there for weeks, forced to live off the legs of phase spiders without ever knowing what time of day it is. Thankfully, that would never happen to Morn

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He took a moment to orient himself. Choshi lived... "That way," Star pointed. She and her daughter had a small house on the outskirts of the city. They were a humble little family, without much in terms of wealth; but, what they didn't have in money, they paid forth in kindness, and that was worth a whole lot more to Morningstar. He recalled that on his first time, Choshi had approached him immediately after he'd stepped off the teleporter. Afterwards, he had to make the trip by foot. Sometimes, he would turn up and Koko would be safe and sound in her home. Those were his favorite vi

Morningstar eyed the group of laughing villagers. "Whatever. It's their village, not ours. Ignore 'em, if you can." He moved on from wall duty to stake duty on Acanthus' order, but the bits of wood he was left with were basically worthless. They were thin, one step up from twigs, and he was pretty sure they would snap if someone were to step on them. Still, he worked diligently at his task, and contributed what he could to the stake stash. "Hey, we have any shovels? Maybe we can dig trenches around the walls and put the stakes behind them to stop people from jumping over." A vil

Firefly had a way with words. She described things that, presumably, she had never seen with such beauty. He couldn't have done it better himself. "You know, I think we'll get along pretty well," Star smiled. If nothing else, they shared the desire to see what was out there. Like so many others, she was a Town of Beginnings veteran. Choosing to stay behind the safety of the walls was a perfectly valid decision to make, he thought. He didn't blame anyone who took the route of less risk; although, he knew that many had differing views on the matter. Star believed in the freedom to choose, e

"I dunno, like, a medium?" It was bigger than his old friends on Floor Two, but considerably smaller than his not-so-old friend, Wushen. He arbitrarily put it at an XL; a Starbucks Trenta, one might say. He had to remember to thank whoever it was that stunned the big dinosaur, since it narrowly saved him from being squished by a scaly foot. He winced, feeling the wind push him back as the winged beast fell. It made for a good chance to attack, too, since it couldn't really move anymore. He hacked at it with his longsword, chuckling a bit at Freyd's quip. There was something about th

He blinked. "Yeah. Hard for me too. Don't feel too bad about it." He held up his journal. It was bound in brown leather, with symbolic markings covering the front. "I've been keeping journals like this since the beginning. Got tons of them at home. This one was a gift. I had a brief stint in a nomadic group on Floor Fifteen—a story for another day, I suppose." They winded around Taft's side streets, passing by citizens and other players, as well as a lovely little coffee shop that Star had never seen before. He wondered if it was knew, or if he was simply less observant than he thought.

As they left, the elder called to them. Morningstar turned, last in earshot of the man. His message was succinct, and from the heart. "Thank you." Star gave a nod before rejoining his party. They had already gotten to work on fortifying defenses, beginning with building wooden walls. Somehow, Pinball had rallied dozens of workers to help with their efforts. It would have taken them all day had they done it alone. Star was grateful. He got to work. Tools had been supplied by the town, helpful for a player like Morningstar who wasn't prone to carrying around hammers in his inventory. A

He glanced back at the scene, where the body once was. The broker started it. He was just another mob in what was just another quest. An NPC that would probably respawn before the day ended. He didn't matter. But those were only excuses. They would get him through the day, even if he didn't fully believe them. He flicked back to Nym, who was signing to him. "Yeah. Yeah, we're done here." To do a dungeon seemed irresponsible, yet he obliged. Maybe he should have walked her back to Yōgan, far away from the hidden grotto; but, for whatever reason, he nodded. "We could do a dungeon. Ther

Star peered at the Crystal of Support dropped by the Iron Guardian. It glowed faintly in his palm, and was clearly more powerful than your average health recovery item. "Guess he was trying to steal these off us. Close-" His thought was interrupted by the swish of Nym's sabre. Star's jaw dropped as the needle-like blade entered the broker's skull, killing him instantly. He juggled words in his brain, unsure how to react. He had never seen her act so coldly towards another, even someone who was their enemy. The broker's remains vanished, and the quest finished. He saw the panic in her

Nym struggled, escaping the broker's grip but being cut by his dagger in the process. Star moved like lightning, darting between them and separating the broker's hand from his wrist. Star rotated, drawing back his sword and plunging it into their adversary's chest. The venom of Dying Sun crept into his body, shutting down his motor functions. His body crumpled to the ground, and his health dropped to a sliver. Odd. He should have done enough damage to kill him with that last blow. With the broker incapable of striking again, Star's priority returned to Nymoria. "You okay? I have potions i

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Possession, reanimation. No concern was invalid when they were working with such little information. Unlike last time, they had no diagrams, nor any secret phrases. They were blind, speaking purely figuratively. Still, it didn't sit right with him. Owij'be was simple. Sure, he had an arsenal of gimmicks and he was immensely difficult to face; however, he was only a beast. There were no undead resurrections or anything of the sort. Maybe it was more straightforward than that. Arabelle, the new girl, put forth the idea to begin team formation. He liked the initiative. If Freyd was suggestin

Star wondered if Pin had walked or teleported. He was quite punctual, if the former. He must have been good at time management. "Hey," he waved lazily to the taciturn orange player. Wulfrin trailed over shortly after. Star liked that they weren't matching anymore. He did look a lot gloomier in black, though. The Freyd Effect, he imagined. "Game plan. Yeah." Out came Daywalker, sleek and silver. "Little bit of holy; little bit of burn. Hit her a lot. Et cetera." Without further adieu, they began the journey to the town's border. Star found himself distracted by a question that lingere

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Wulfrin, a considerate blacksmith, offered his maintenance services to the party. Nian declined in a less than friendly manner. Star couldn't imagine why. Maybe she preferred not to let others touch her equipment. He trusted the smith's skills, but forgot that Wulfrin would have been a stranger to her. He couldn't blame her, if that were the case. He was the same. Unfortunately, Morningstar would also have to decline. "No time," he replied. "Our best friend is back." It began as a collection of blue pixels, slowly growing larger and darker until it eventually sprouted wings. It explo

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He took a quick glance up and down her gear. It was acceptable; she really didn't need much for the quest he was taking her on. Last time he had done the quest... he couldn't have been much higher than tier two, and he was pretty sure he had one hit both bats. Together, they would be fine. "No problem," Star assured her. "I'm excited to see how you do. First time in combat can be nerve racking, but I'll be close by, so don't worry too much." His eyes drifted from her to his journal, which he assumed her comment was referring to. "I... enjoy getting my thoughts down. I don't know if I

x1 bizarre antidote | obtained here This vial, when consumed, will provide the player with the same effects as a regular Antidote of Perfect quality. In addition, the player will feel lighter, granting them an additional point of EVA. This effect can stack with other EVA consumables. Effect lasts one thread, or until all Antidote charges are consumed.

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Seated in the lobby of the Trackers Alliance HQ, next to a freshly potted fig tree, was Morningstar. He sketched in his journal secretively, holding the cover high to block out the page. He didn't share what he wrote or drew. It was one of the few things he kept to himself. Willow probably knew, although he had never told her. She was sneaky, and unsettlingly good at stealing things. Odds were that she had pulled it out from his grip whilst he was asleep or something like that. He peered up at the clock on the wall across from him. Midday. Urbus was nice in the afternoons, he thought. Acc

tank items for 1 jomei irishman: Vicious Mockery | T4 Demonic Rapier | #231346 | ACC 2, TAUNT, BLIGHT Desc: A masterful work of sheer craftsmanship and musical ingenuity. The weapon itself doubles as the bow of a violin; thin, seemingly indestructible hairs run parallel along the length of the blade that allows it to be safely pulled across the strings of its violin with perfect pitch and tone. The instrument serves to also house the blade when not in use, with a built in scabbard serving as the violin's neck. Fencer's Regalia - Trepidation | T4 Demonic Cloth Armor | #231416 | VAMP(

NIGHT was quick with the fusion, and Star had stuck around and looked at her other wares while he waited. "Wow, very nice. Thanks, chief. My client will love them." "Nice to see you," he said on his way out. He looked at the earrings up close. Not his style. Someone out there could use them, though. He was simply the delivery man. After a teleport, a traveling merchant and his dog, lots of turns, a bear's cave, and some bees, he was home. Well, not home home, but he was at his shop. And that was basically the same thing. --- Picks up: Token of Serenity | T4 Demon