Morningstar

"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

From the edge of the path, Morningstar heard rustling. Nemo took no notice. Or, perhaps he simply did not care. They kept walking, but the rustling would appear again and again. Morningstar had to question it. "Nemo," he asked, "what is that in the bushes?" "Wolves, most likely. Why do you ask?" "Uh, they're probably hunting me?" One of the mossy wolves jolted out of the nearest bush, its jaw primed for Morningstar's throat. Swiftly, he stepped out of its path, parrying with his blade. Another came from the other side, clawing his leg. He winced, swiping at it. Two more wol

He cut down the last snapdragon, its body crashing to the ground, a mess of blue crystals. He lifted the sleeve of his jacket, taking a look at the small marks left behind by the creature's fangs. Neither poison nor paralysis took effect, and the wounds were healing up rather quickly. Nemo passed him, finished with his watering. "Shall we continue?" "Let's." They came to a region of the garden that was darker than the rest, and packed with tall trees. Inside, little pink and purple flowers glowed, illuminating the path. The trees were almost like pines, but they had full on leav

"I'd really prefer it if you left the animals alone," Nemo stated. "It's not like they're giving me much choice!" Morningstar replied, in his defense. Nemo neglected to respond, instead kneeling down and pouring water on a pair of weary flowers. Star didn't question where the pail had come from. His focus was too enthralled by the remaining snapdragon. It dove as he swung, gliding beneath his blade and snapping its jaw onto his tricep. He smacked it with his free hand. "Hey!" He shouted at the tiny devil. "Can't you tell these things to leave me be?" "I have no power over t

One snapdragon, clearly awake, peered up at Morningstar. It made a mix between a screech and a hiss and then lunged at him. He flinched as its fangs dug into his wrist, shaking it until it eventually let go. The others awoke from their slumber, pissed off and ready to attack. Morningstar swung at the creatures (that were no longer very cute), trying to keep them at bay. He almost felt bad for killing them. Then again, it was them who started it and one had bit him. "Apologies," he called out to Nemo, who was shaking his head, "I should have listened to your warning." With the flat of

A page full of loot appeared before Morningstar's eyes. After a quick read of the summary, he swiped it away. Little Eden was plentiful when it came to mobs. Not only that, but it appeared he was gaining more col from each kill than usual. It was a prime grinding spot. He and Nemo continued through the garden, the latter giving lectures on many of the things being grown their. While many may have rolled their eyes and ignored Nemo, Morningstar was wholeheartedly interested in the plants. "What's the deal with this guy?" Morningstar asked, his studious side showing. "That's a sna

A sweet wave of lilacs and roses washed over Morningstar and Nemo. They tied their horses to the gate out front and waltzed into Little Eden. There, the sun was comfortable, not scalding like it had been in Taft. Nemo pointed out some of his favorite plant-life, which appeared to be just about all of it. What he called a "snapping tiger lily" devoured a large bird whole, spitting out its bones carnivorously. Morningstar thought it was cool. From out of no where, four disgusting insects buzzed out of the bushes, their small wings flicking at the air. They swarmed Morningstar and he swatted

To him, such events were the status quo. A monster would jump out at him, and he would kill it. There was little thought involved in the matter, for he knew that common monsters had no choice in the matter. To hunt was in their nature; to slay was in his best interest. To Nemo, life was sacred. Not only the lives of humans, but of all creatures. Morningstar would not have understood. "It was going to kill us," he would have said. "I only acted in self-defense." And Nemo would not have had a shred of an argument against him. All he had were values and beliefs. They rode until the

"Good to meet you." They set off, with Morningstar taking the lead, not admitting to his generally poor sense of direction. At least he had been there before. "First time in the mountains? Are you relatively new then?" Wulfrin didn't appear out of the ordinary. His gear looked to be new and of decent quality. He supposed it wasn't impossible that the man had just come from the Town of Beginnings, but he wouldn't have guessed it. If he was, then someone must have set him up with some equipment to start off with. "I was just up here a few days ago. I think I passed by the dojo at

The songs of birds resonated throughout the cool forest breeze. The city, basking in sunlight, was hardly bearable; however, the forest was much more temperate. He recalled his early days in the game and the time he had spent in places similar to it. Mind you, without all of the ants. The Forest of the Great Tree was a favorite of his, as were the multitude of smaller woodlands on the first floor. They rode quietly for a while. Morningstar constantly thought up questions in his head, debating with himself whether they were too strange or personal to ask a stranger. It was strange; he wasn

They rode at a slow pace, since Nemo was new to horseback riding and it also gave them the opportunity to talk on the way to the garden. Even still, it was far quicker than walking would have been. Morningstar kept Bleeding Giant at his waist, and an eye out for any nearby antmen patrols or scouts. If there was one thing he disliked about the eleventh floor, it was the insects. Their caves existed all throughout the Reverent Forest, spanning deep beneath the surface and out of sight from passersby. He had accidentally stumbled across one once and found himself utterly disgusted by the existenc

The stableman was less than happy to see Morningstar return so soon. He scowled at the swordsman, puffing smoke from a hand-crafted pipe. Morningstar grinned toothily. "Your rate is double now," the stablekeeper huffed, choosing not to stand from his rocking chair. "Double!? C'mon, mate, it won't happen again," Morningstar pleaded. "Triple." Morningstar made a sound similar to a dying bird. A prompt appeared for his rental agreement. He signed his name under the terms and made the purchase for two horses. He looked around for Nemo, momentarily thinking that the man had run

He sat in the center of town, upon a bench made from wood. His mind had wandered away from the annoyance of handing over an extra sum of col. Now, he thought only of what was next. Bleeding Giant leaned against the side of the bench. From time to time, the swordsman would look down at it, frown, and then switch his gaze back to the townsfolk. His eyes were frequently drawn to a man across the way, who dressed strangely like a pirate and did not fit the atmosphere of Taft in the slightest. But that's the game, he thought, crossing a leg. People watching had stunted his awareness. He almost

Wind cut across Morningstar's face like ice cold daggers. The sound of clomping hooves was muffled by dirt, grass and moss. His cloak blew like a curtain in the breeze as he and his horse wound around trees and over fallen logs. He held his sword out as far as he could, the sharp edge of the blade pointed outward. The scout antman had not the chance to fight back. Its head separated from its body, dropping to the ground with a thud. His horse leaped over a patch of tall bushes, crashing through the tree line and into a large field. On the opposite side from him was Taft, the primary settl

Midday passed and he decided it was time to leave. He closed the request for help and enjoyed the last of the band's tune. Before it could end, however, he was approached by a stranger. Prompted by a question, he smiled. "Yeah, that's me. Didn't think anyone would come, to be honest. I've heard the quest is a little bit tedious, and it's a bit of a trip to get there." He looked the player up and down, as if trying to figure out what he was all about. Then, he held out his hand. "Name's Morningstar. People call me Star, though. I'm actually about to leave town, if you feel like tagging alo

Morningstar was perplexed. He peeked around the strangely empty campsite, wondering how the equipment that was there had been hauled into the floor seven mountains in the first place. Then, he saw Demian, his head poking out of a sleeping bag. "Oh, it's you," he said, recalling the player from some place or another. It was quite late, he realized. "Sorry to wake you. Just going to take some of your stock while I'm here." He coughed up the materials, piling consumables into his inventory as if he had a family of thirty-six waiting at home. "Nobody can say that I don't support small bu

Morningstar, after multiple days of stress, took to Urbus once again. His time in the mountains had left him with more questions than answers and he desperately needed a break. Not a relaxing vacation, mind you, but a day where things made sense. He wanted to take a training day. Atop a mountain on floor two, he had heard of a quest that offered just that. It was an opportunity to not only strengthen ones body, but their mind and spirit as well. He carried no weapon, for he would not need it where he was going. A broker had warned him that while risk of death could be ruled out, the quest