Morningstar

Kage closed his eyes as Morningstar moved in for the kill. He cut quickly through the assassin's waist, severing him in two. Then, he moved on towards the palace. Lesser assassins lined the edge of the palace, hiding in the shadows of buildings. A few appeared to Morningstar, challenging him. He made short work of them; they were small inconveniences on his path to the end. He broke through the front gate with ease. No guards remained at the entrance, likely already defeated by Uso-Tsuki and his remaining assassins. Star sped through the garden, into the palace, and down the winding

Kage was stunned by Morningstar's tenacity. They reengaged for the final time, both swordsmen at the end of their energy. The assassin ducked a high slash, countering with a stab at Morningstar's midsection. He was fast enough that Kage thought he had teleported to safety. Morningstar attacked from the side, interlocking blades once more. Three metallic chimes rang out before Kage was disarmed, in the literal sense. His dominant arm, up to his elbow, flew through the air, shattering alongside his blade before they could even touch the ground. Kage conceded defeat, offering a few final wor

Using his blade, Morningstar flicked dirt at Kage's eyes. Kage knew better to be caught in such a trap. He sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the blinding tactic. Though it momentarily disrupted his concentration, Kage reacted with remarkable agility, deflecting Morningstar's ensuing barrage of rapid strikes. As fatigue began to set in for both fighters, Kage picked through strategies that would give him the upper hand. Then, a burst of inspiration struck him as he spotted an opening in Morningstar's guard. Seizing the opportunity, Kage launched a daring maneuver. He feinted left before

Kage jabbed with his katana, following it with a horizontal slice that would have touched Morningstar, if not for the little trick he had picked up from the Gemini. In a short burst of speed, he maneuvered below the blade, circling Kage from behind. The assassin's senses heightened by years of training, Kage anticipated Morningstar's next move. With lightning reflexes, he spun on his heel, parrying the oncoming attack with his own blade. The clash of steel echoed through the air as their swords met, each combatant striving to gain the upper hand in the fiery duel. As they fought, Kage's m

Morningstar stepped forwards, bridging the gap between himself and Kage. The assassin, caught by surprise at the audacity of the swordsman, attempted to evade the oncoming stroke of Dying Sun. He felt the blade's sting, his body going numb for what felt like a millennium. The flames sprouted at the sword's tip, burning through Kage's shoulder. He made not a sound, and when the paralysis wore off, he was back to his fighting stance. Kage took off. Every movement was elegant and more powerful than the last. He swayed around Morningstar, their blades resonating through the otherwise sil

The stranger dropped to the street. Now, standing on the same level as Morningstar, he introduced himself. "I am Kage, of Uso-Tsuki's inner council. The twins were as well," Kage admitted, frowning. "They are a great loss to our cause. You will repent for what you have taken from us." "I'll repent? I don't think so, pal." "Very well," Kage bowed before sliding a katana from its long sheath. The difference in power between Kage and the twins was night and day. If they were on the level of Uso-Tsuki's inner circle, then Kage was at Uso-Tsuki's level himself. They clashed blad

One second. The twin's dagger swiped air, contacting nothing. Morningstar's longsword did the same, although it came far closer to his foe's neck than the twin was comfortable with. Two seconds. A parry into a tumble and the twin was out of Morningstar's reach, deep in the shadows of the alley where he attempted to slip into stealth. Morningstar squinted, carefully scanning the area with his night vision. Three seconds. The attack came from behind. Morningstar spun, meeting the twin's dagger with a resonating clang. The small blade snapped in two, sounding the defeat o

A scream caught his attention. Another knife caught his shoulder as Wādā Twin B tackled Morningstar off the rooftop. Fury seethed from the mob, and understandably so. Morningstar had murdered his twin brother. It was in character for the remaining twin to act in such a way. They wrestled in the air until Morningstar felt his back touch stone. He bounced on contact, quickly gathering to his feet. The assassin did the same, less dazed than his opponent. Morningstar had taken the full brunt of the force, while Wādā Twin B had felt little of the impact at all. "You're awfully light on yo

Twin A scaled the wall in seconds, returning to the rooftop battle. They sparred ruthlessly, each side focused only on survival. Star swung at Twin A's midsection, only for A to drop low and pull a second dagger from his boot. The twin swiped up, catching Morningstar's eye along the way. The blonde stumbled back, half blind. Twin B sprinted across the shingles, cracking them with each step. A quick succession of stabs caught Wādā Twin A off guard. It was clear to Morningstar that he thought they had won. A single eye would not be enough for the lone swordsman to battle both of the Twins.

Morningstar remembered the twins. Wādā, he recalled their names were. How their boss could tell the difference between the two was beyond him. Not that it mattered to him which was which. A bloody trail slipped down the cheek of Wādā Twin A as he moved in to attack, a frustrated frown painted across his face. Morningstar ducked low, slamming into him with the full force of his body, knocking him off the rooftop. Wādā Twin B made an attempt at Star's life while he was distracted with Twin A. A succinct kick to the gut kept him at bay. "Uso-Tsuki mentioned you two during the meeting. There

"I think we should." A flick of the left twin's wrist prompted the three Marsonian assassins to attack. Their movements were simultaneous. Their strategy was sound, overpower him with numbers. Morningstar was accustomed to that type of combat, however. A swift arc of his blade and all three of the assassins were dust. Bloody pixels floated off the tip of Dying Sun. It burned hot, even in the dark of night. In unison, the twins clicked their tongues, frustrated. "Fine," one said. "We'll do it ourselves," came the other. They were distinctively quicker than the other fou

Six assassins perched about fifty yards from the palace. The twins at the front whispered to each other. The left brother flashed a signal and the party moved, quickly and stealthily closing on their target. A muffled yelp escaped the throat of the assassin at the very back of the group. The twins took notice first, glancing down mid air. The assassin's body crashed to the ground, landing face first on the sandstone. They pivoted as soon as they set foot on the next rooftop. Morningstar stood directly opposite to them. The remaining three lesser assassins joined them at the side, awa

He hid away in a tavern, somewhere near he center of Marsonia. The Chief's decision to cut him out annoyed him. He knew that Uso-Tsuki was capable of entering the palace undetected. He would not have offered up his plans on a silver platter if he couldn't follow through with them. The Chief would die tonight and but at his own hand, not Uso-Tsuki's. Morningstar was fully capable of protecting him. The palace soldiers would not stand a chance. A long sip off his drink was followed by a low "damn it." He stood from the one-person table he had picked out for himself and turned for the s

The Chief looked grimly at the pair as they explained the contents of the message. He didn't believe them the first time around, but allowing him to read it for himself changed his mind. "Very well. Thank you for your assistance in the decoding of this message, Morningstar, Professor. You may go." A hefty sum of change flowed into Morningstar's virtual col wallet. Professor Chi turned to leave; however, Morningstar did not. "Go? I should stay and defend you, should I not? Uso-Tsuki and his men will be here tonight," he said, a hint of frustration in his words. "My guards will suffice

Purchasing Dimensional Backpack | [5,000col] Adds +1 to Battle Ready inventory. This item does not take up a Battle Ready inventory slot. A player may only have one Dimensional Backpack at any time.

"It's done," the Professor called. Morningstar turned. He had been gazing out at the city, mindlessly for the most part. Professor Chi read the contents of the message to him and his eyes widened. Their plan was exactly as explained during Uso-Tsuko's meeting. The Professor was just as surprised by this when Morningstar told him. "It's strange that if they knew you were there, they would openly discuss their plans. Still, it's not impossible for them to change them at the last minute. Or, perhaps this is a ruse as well," He shook the message. Professor Chi opened the door and as

It didn't take long for the guard to return. By his side was a sophisticated looking man with short hair, round glasses, and a burgundy robe. He introduced himself as Ai Chi, Professor of History and Anthropology at the University of Marsonia. Morningstar didn't realize that the game had universities. Apparently, he learned something new every day. "Good. Now that you are both acquainted, please have this decoded by sunset." The Chief and his guards left Morningstar and the Professor alone with the message. Professor Chi seemed unthreatened by the Chief, despite the fact that decodin

Morningstar didn't hesitate, but his reply was not immediate. He took his time, considering his word choice carefully. The Chief, while a commendable leader, was not exactly a trustworthy ally of his. He was not a Marsonian citizen, he was a freelancer. A spy for hire. A mercenary. And twelve armed soldiers circled him, each one holding a glaive. One order was all it would take for them to put him down. Not that he would let them, of course, but senseless violence was not in his nature. He held up the coded message. "This is the key to Uso-Tsuki's plans. He is intent on assassinating

Pacing around the room for a bit helped entice his brain to get to work. His mental gears turned slowly as he sat back down and took another look at the cipher. It made no sense to him. Except for one bit, that looked the same as another. He thought that, maybe, they went together. A journal materialized before him, alongside a pen. He scribbled down combinations and rearranged unreadable words in different orders, trying to see what stuck. There was no way he could get it, not without a translator of some sort, but if he could put together a theory it would save him some trouble dow

He scanned for patterns in the code, looking specifically for similarities between symbols. He would have killed for a Marsonian to English dictionary, or for Google Translate. The system only seemed to translate Earth languages, though. It was probably because of scenarios like this that they didn't include easy-to-access translation tools. Cardinal wanted players to be resourceful and to work for their solutions. It was a real headache. He thought about checking at a local library, but decided against it, worried that the guards wouldn't let him leave the palace until after his deb

Impatient, he took to the cipher. He analyzed its cryptic components, seeing if he could pick out any pieces that made sense to him. None of it was in English, which did not help his case. He wasn't sure if it was a real language or something that the system developed specifically for this quest or city. Educating himself on foreign languages was difficult when none of the languages were used by relevant people. A quest in a tiny part of the world didn't exactly warrant hours of study. If only he knew more about Uso-Tsuki and his followers, maybe he could have some idea of what they were

yay unique ! \o/ Name: Killjoy's Collar Your Profession: Appraiser Your Rank: Rank 5 Roll ID: 220858, 220859, 220860 Roll Result: 3, 3, 10 (Guaranteed unique on 220860 LD: 10) Item Type: Trinket Tier: T4 Quality: Perfect Enhancements: LD, LD, Bloodclot Description: The green collar of Killjoy, the Anti-Social Dog. A tiny pendant shaped like a witch's head hangs from it. Link: URL Acquisition ID: 220856a

27/3/24 .

Killjoy, the Anti-Social Dog disintegrated, gone in a flash of light. Star took his savior's hand. He took off his drool-covered coat, determined not to wear it for a while. He shrugged at NIGHT's comment. "Who knows. Maybe I have a hateable face." He looked around the room one last time before following NIGHT through the spinning vortex, leaving the Witch's castle behind. On the other side was the forest, exactly where they had started. Morningstar's coffee cup lay empty on the ground, the grass stained by its spilled contents. "I know you're not supposed to cry over spilled coffee,