Morningstar

"This place'll do that—bring out old skills. New ones too, really. I wasn't a fighter in real life but now I kill dragons and bandits and such, "Morningstar chuckled, "I'm learning all sorts of things that won't be applicable after the game's done. Although, I have gotten quite good at appraising items, so maybe I can open a pawn shop back home." He stepped up quickly, gaining momentum, and launched his fist at the rock. Punch after punch, they slowly depleted its hit points. The crack grew more, rocks crumbling off from the spot they'd been hitting. "If you're okay with some more un

Morningstar nodded, impressed with the crack that Wulfrin had left in the boulder. He took a deep breath in preparation and then struck the boulder. The crack grew larger, albeit only slightly. It would take a while for them to break through the whole thing, but it would break eventually. He shook out his hand. It wasn't exactly pain that he felt as much as it was discomfort. "We'll be done by nightfall," Morningstar said, hopeful, and then moved out of the way for Wulfrin to take his turn. "You're don't happen to be aiming for the Martial Arts skill, do you? You'd be good at it, I t

Morningstar paused before taking another bite of his sandwich. He stared at Vigilon, surprised by his sudden outburst. He cleared his throat. "I mean, probably. To be honest, I'm a little bit uneducated; but, I've been meaning to look into it. If Krysta doesn't already know, then maybe let her know. She's strong, though, so I doubt she'd be picked on." The sound of urgency in Vigilon's voice made Star want to investigate even more. He'd save it for another day. He snacked again, this time managing to bite, chew and swallow before he felt the need to speak again. "Non-gamers are always int

It was difficult, like Wulfrin had said; however, Morningstar had some experience with meditation. For him, the issue was not prolonged stillness of the mind, but withstanding the crashing wake of the waterfall. It pounded against his body nonstop and unrelenting. With closed eyes, he tried his best to breathe through the discomfort. The severity of it increased until, towards the end, it plateaued and he had become accustomed to it. In an odd way, it even felt relaxing. He'd surely need to stretch afterwards, though. Thirty minutes had flown by. He followed his acquaintance out of the wa

Morningstar quickly realized that he was not, in fact, an American Ninja Warrior. He followed Wulfrin through the obstacle course, their roles suddenly reversing as he struggled his way around the course. He was much less graceful then his colleague, and struggled to leap over many of the long jumps. His balance was also considerably worse. It must be the altitude, he thought, banging his knee against the platform he had intended to land on. Sore and out of breath, they completed the obstacle course, and Morningstar was thankful they were not being graded. Next, they were guided to t

"Mmm," Morningstar thought carefully, picking out a piece of advice that might actually come in handy. "Don't be too nervous picking out your skills. You can always spend some col and get your points back if you make a mistake with them. I think I've done it about three times now," he laughed. "That being said, Battle Healing is a lifesaver." They arrived at the peak, and the dojo came into sight. A short, wooden bridge completed their journey. On the other side was a structure inspired by old Japanese architecture. It was a small space, hidden from plain sight between the tall mountain w

The Greater Fire Elemental gave the party a far easier time than Morningstar had expected. Between his stun and their consecutive attacks, the winged creature had no opportunity to attack. Constantly left open, a giant hovering target, they struck its fiery shape again and again, gradually witling down its health bar. Morningstar moved in after Krysta, dodging the flames that spit into the air. His sword phased through flames, obviously hurting the elemental despite the lack of physical contact. A sliver of red remained. He stepped out of Freyd's path, granting him the glory of the last hit. F

today is 2.22.2024

Morningstar smiled. "The early levels are difficult since, like you said, its a range with few people to party up with. Most people who've committed to leveling are in their 30s, 40s, 50s. I imagine that it's difficult to find someone who falls in between them and the countless level one players in the Town of Beginnings. Going solo's even harder, so a handful of frontliners try to help where they can. I'm sure you'll meet a lot of them if you keep this up." "I don't have much to offer that you would benefit from now, but come by my shop when you hit tier four and I'll introduce you to th

The wind pushed his messy hair all over, picking up as they ascending the tall mountain. Morningstar ripped open the glossy wrapper of his chocolate bar, cracking a piece off and popping into his mouth. Almonds crunched under his teeth, combining saltiness with the rich sweetness of the chocolate. In between pieces, he glanced up the mountain. It began relaxed. An easy pace that he could hold a conversation at was all that it took. About a quarter of the way up, it steepened greatly, and he knew that the pair was in for a rough climb. "Not sure why I started," Morningstar swallowed, "but

Morningstar rushed forwards, chasing down its buzzing opponent and putting it down for good. The last of the orchid nymphs was killed. Unfortunately, when he turned around, Joaquin had completed his squad of nymphs first. "Seriously?" Joaquin laughed. "I knew you would try to be faster than me!" "Whatever," Morningstar rolled his eyes, walking on without his friend, who was still cycling through his loot menu. When Joaquin finally caught up with Morningstar, he bragged about the three demonic shards he had been rewarded for all of his "hard work and effort." The blonde only

The next time the orchid nymph tried to attack him, Morningstar really did take it's arm off. It buzzed around for a while before crashing into the ground and shattering into a million tiny pieces. He moved on to the next nymph, which came right to him, allowing him to take it down without moving much at all. The third swooped in from behind, probably thinking that it had caught him off guard. It hadn't, of course. He sliced through its head, leaving all but one nymph dead and defeated. The final bug made its move, exactly as Morningstar had anticipated. It had waited for the right moment

Eight orchid nymphs remained, leaving each of the swordsman with four to take on. These eight were the strongest of the bunch; it made sense that they were the only survivors and yet, they would die just the same. Morningstar moved first, hitting all but one of the orchid nymphs simultaneously with a sword art. Their health bar dropped low, but not quite low enough to end the fight. The mob that had not been hit floated behind the rest, as if waiting for the others to distract Morningstar. When they did, he would swoop in and deliver a paralyzing swipe to his body. Joaquin was almost finished

Morningstar scooped up the loot and the lot of it funneled into his inventory. To be honest, the chest contained very little to add to his collection, but at least it was something. He withdrew his icy blade, a polar opposite to Joaquin's infernal weapon. Together, they stood against the orchid nymphs. Morningstar counted seventeen, which sounded like quite a few; however, many were severely underleveled. They rushed forwards, splitting the battlefield in half and challenging the nymphs on their own terms. It reminded Morningstar of their fight with the hellhounds on the ninth floor, or the da

"Hey, see that?" "Nope. What?" "In the bushes. No, over there, idiot." "Oh, shit—is that a treasure chest?" "No, it's an elephant," Morningstar said sarcastically. They moved towards the locked crate, kneeling down to take a better look. It required a key, which they very much lacked; however, they always came prepared with swords. Unfortunately for them, they were swiftly interrupted by the oncoming horde of mobs that had been watching them from the bushes the entire time. Eight Orchid Nymphs approached from all around them. Morningstar stuck his blade into the chest,

Morningstar knelt down. A feather had fallen from the sky and onto their path, landing right in front of Morningstar's feet. It was pastel green and longer than an eagles. What it could have come from, Morningstar had little idea. He had heard of feathered dragons and large birds, but was unaware of any within that area. That being said, the garden of Little Eden was home to many creatures that he had never encountered before. Snapdragons, moss wolves, hell, knights of Gaia. None of them were anticipated when he had set foot in the garden. Joaquin seemed to think the same thing, even sayi

"How'd he know we were friends?" Joaquin asked. Morningstar shrugged. "Coincidence, maybe? I didn't even know you were on the eleventh floor. He probably just picked two people at random. Maybe he does this a lot." "Still, freaky." They shared their thoughts on the garden, discovering that both had similar opinions. Despite being lost and led astray by their host, the garden was actually quite pretty and aside from the mobs, their time there had been relaxing. Also, there was the fact that their loot seemed to be enhanced while they were within its borders. Each of them was gain

With little more than a scratch, he wiped out all four of the Knights of Gaia, their black and green alien-like bodies fizzling away with the subtle breeze. He continued through the garden, confused as to where Nemo could have gone. He stopped in his tracks upon hearing a familiar voice. "Stephen?" It called. Morningstar spun around, met with the face of his long-time friend, Joaquin. "Uh, is this an illusion?" "No?" "Then how am I seeing you right now?" "I'm real?" "That doesn't make sense?" "Why not?" "I don't know?" Coming to the conclusion that

Morningstar turned to look at Nemo, only to find that the gardener had disappeared. He was alone now. He took another glance at the statue depicting the Wind of Gaia. The words slithered into his mind and sat there a while, unanswerable and confusing. Before he could take much time to think, he felt something long and sharp swipe his back. Then, he felt it again. His health bar ticked down quite a bit, barely hovering above its midway point. He spun, gripping the hilt of his sword. With sparks, it flew from its metal scabbard. Now facing his opponents, he felt even more confused

Morningstar's interest piqued at Nemo's words. He looked at the statue with newfound reverence, noticing intricate details etched into the stone. The Wind of Gaia stood tall and majestic, its wings spread wide as if embracing the entirety of the garden. "Is it real? The dragon, I mean." Nemo took a moment before finally replying to his question. "Yes," he said, "he is." Morningstar nodded, looking at the statue once more. "Will we see him?" "Perhaps. Perhaps not," Nemo said cryptically. They stood the pond for some time, watching fish swim down the river and flow into

Identification ID# 211033

running it back with the 2.21.2024 identifications cost: (3040*5)+(2080*5)=25,600 col

"Understanding comes with time and openness. Perhaps, someday, you'll see the garden not as a threat, but as a place worth protecting." Morningstar blinked. He did see the garden as a place worth protecting. At least, he thought he did. After all, it was beautiful and full of life. Unsure of what to say, he neglected to respond. Instead, he stared down at the flowers that hugged the edge of the path. He was curious about each and every plant he saw but hesitated to pick them, nervous about the backlash he would receive from Nemo. He, instead, appreciated them from afar. They came to

A final upward slash through the beast's jaw killed it before Morningstar's heart could beat twice. More loot flooded his inventory, including numerous unidentified weapons, trinkets, and the sort. He'd have to take them back to his shop to work on them. Jogging for a moment, he caught up to Nemo, who was continuing his brisk walk through the forest without Morningstar. He wanted to jab playfully at the fellow, to sarcastically thank him for waiting, but he wasn't sure that Nemo would understand the humor. Instead, he asked another question about the garden. "Have you lived here your whol

They danced, the two adversaries. The wolf pounced on Morningstar, grazing his shoulder, but the swordsman had anticipated it. He caught it with his sword's edge on the way down, cutting it gravely. The other wolves took to its side, attacking Star in unison. He slew the beasts until he was left with only one opponent. It was severely injured, while he still had plenty of health points to play around with. "Okay, buddy. My guide is walking away right now. I need to rejoin him otherwise I'll probably never get out of here. So I'm going to request that you back up and leave me be." Rat