Astra

When the makeshift cross had fallen apart, Astra had seemingly snapped out of his trance, and was brought back to reality. It was a simple mistake, but even he should've known better than to interact with the resting places of the dead - especially those that seem cursed. Astra looked towards the looming ghost that had appeared with a sheepish demeanor, his embarrassment for waking the ghost ever apparent on his face. What else has he fixed? He just got here! Before Astra could even offer to try and help with his mistake, his mentor was already on it - using his inclination for cra

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"W-what? Stalkers is a bit harsh I think..." As much as the two of them followed with the best of intentions, Astra had to admit that she did have a point. He'd probably feel similarly if he noticed two people tailing him, you could never be too cautious in the floating castle. Her body language was closed off to the two of them, and it seemed that even though him and Wulfrin were telling the truth, they weren't making much progress. She did seem somewhat skittish, looking over her shoulders as they spoke, dark eyes darting back and forth. Was there something she was running from, or was

Nursing his drink on the outskirts of the dance floor, Astra watched as masked dancers moved in unison. They were trading exchanges with one another, moving in unison to a symphony of strings. Some even seemed to be in their own world with their partner, possibly emboldened by the masks they wore. This was more than a pre-teen dance in a high school gymnasium. Though this environment was unfamiliar to Astra, it was somewhat comforting. Why couldn’t he feel the same as those around him, taking off their 9-5 masks and immersing themselves in the moment? The closer his glass was to being empty, t

It had been quite some time since Astra was in a cemetery, not since he was a child. He made it a point to try and avoid them ever since, not due to the fear of ghosts or disturbing the dead - but because the memories were too harrowing. His master was right, they must've taken a wrong turn somewhere on Floor 28, and found themselves here of all places. Unease and discomfort sat heavy in Astra's stomach, and his heart rate seemed to pick up a few beats. An air of mysterious history hung over the graveyard, and that was evident from the stark warped gravestones, neatly aligned and seeming

Which mask will you don today? Is it his again? Perhaps it’s time to tell us what you’re hiding behind that smile, young Pierrot. Show us who you really are. That is…If there is a “you.” Where do they end, and where do you begin? Where do I begin? It started with a curious invitation. Elegant, adorned with gold - yet filled with intrigue. A masquerade ball, hosted by one of the most charismatic yet enigmatic people in Aincrad. At first thought, an event like this seemed as if it was out of Astra’s league. Something for debutants, people with decorum. That wasn’t him i

The nod from Wulfrin was all Astra needed to start the assault against Kumatetsu. Astra leapt into the boss arena with poise, quickly transitioning into a dash towards the large ursine. Kumatetsu was roused from its slumber the moment the swordsman clad in white entered the battlefield, quickly pulling itself up, and letting out a deep guttural roar. The roar that came from Kumatetsu seemed the rumble the earth beneath their feet, but Astra continued his advance undeterred. As he neared Kumatetsu, Astra began to initiate a sword art. The steel of his blade began to glow a bright blue, wi

This would mark the first time since being bound to Aincrad that Astra would take on a "trailing mission". Though, this was in no way an official quest. Following Wulfrin through the alleyways and streets of the Town of Beginnings, Astra couldn't help but wonder why that player had run. Did him and Wulfrin look intimidating or frightening? Wulfrin maybe. He looked like he had a tough demeanor at times, but Astra? Maybe it should be considered a compliment. Huh, maybe I do look kinda tough. Nice. The duo of master and pupil waited outside of Zachariah's shop for the raven haired player to

Astra watched as Dorian gave his usual spiel, feeling kind of bad for the young woman ahead of them. He knew from first hand experience that Dorian could be a bit much, and it would be hard to turn down his request. There was a moment where Astra wondered if he should step in, but decided to keep a bit of distance with Wulfrin to see how she interacted with the NPC herself. "Good ol' Dorian, always catching people off guard for the debts..." The mannerisms of the girl speaking with Dorian seemed almost skittish, as if she was incredibly weary of her surroundings. Hoping that she didn't t

Wulfrin had confirmed what Astra had seen, the flames were emanating from him and not just his blade. Likening it to the way the shadows clung to him made sense, and Astra was able to pick up on it once it was pointed out. For all the time they spent with one another, Astra still couldn't help but feel that there was an air of mystery that hung about Wulfrin. Though, it could be supposed that it would be that way for a lot of the players trapped in Aincrad. The floating castle was changing people daily, and even if it could be surmounted to Cardinal's actions, there was a lot that remained une

Recently Astra's life had been a bit hectic, considering that he'd been undergoing intense training to level up and acquire skills, participated in raid-wide events on Floor 29, and continuously found new ways to acquire scrapes and bruises. All that to say, a day of rest never hurt. The real problem Astra faced was how he would occupy his day of rest, which was something he often struggled with when he wasn't in motion. Perhaps it was ADHD, perhaps he felt as though he couldn't ever really rest, but besides eating a metric ton of food and doing some reading, he had nothing. That was, until, a

It didn't take much time after defeating the Monkey King for Wulfrin and Astra to continue on with their travels. The pair (formerly accompanied by the druidic warrior Sewallus) took down the beast with ease, and now it was time to continue through the thick forests of Floor 8, to find what they really came here for...A battle with another large animal. This time, they were on the hunt for the legendary Kumatetsu, a being who seemed to be another piece of the puzzle laid out by the tablet they found. "Hmph. Can't believe Sewallus really left without even saying bye. That's kinda rude..."

The battle seemed as though it was going to end right as it began, with the raging Monkey King hanging on by a thread. After Astra unleashed his blow on the hulking primate, there was a new opening to finish the boss off. Astra watched as his master's blade ignited with a holy flame, searing into the Monkey King's flesh with each slash of the blade. However, in the midst of Wulfrin's barrage, Astra noticed as the flames seemed to wrap themselves around Wulfrin as well - as if they became part of his form. Was this some sort of ability that Astra was yet to see? Had Wulfrin been hiding somethin

The digital earth below the party began to tremble as they entered the fabled Monkey King's arena. Emerging from the dark of the forests was a gargantuan horned beast, resembling both a primate and a balrog. Astra's eyes were affixed to it. Even though he trusted Wulfrin's abilities to take it down with ease, he did question Sewallus' and his own. The size of the mob was hard to ignore, and perhaps that was what triggered a slight bout of anxiety in the young swordsman. However, that wasn't going to be a deterrence. The Monkey King would barely have a chance to attack. Wulfrin led the ch

"Having more in my arsenal wouldn't hurt," Astra replied as he stepped off of the teleport gate. Now donning his combat gear, he stretched his limbs and twisted his torso to loosen up. The master and student now found themselves in Florenthia Village, a humble village where most of the denizens seem to live in relative peace. Visually it may not have been as striking or well built as Ellesmera, but Astra still found comfort amidst the trees. Finding Sewallus in the village was a fairly easy task. The druid stood out amidst his peers with his armor of elven make, adorned with gnarled root

Even with the amount of people fighting on the frontlines that formed around and in Illridge, more eldritch beasts and creatures continued to spawn, rushing the players and barricades that were erected to protect the settlement. Astra continued to fight off any and all mobs he could, leaping around the battlefield, swinging his sword with everything he had. His sword clashed with a beast, slicing into its chest - as it released a bloodcurdling scream, more enemies began to rush Astra. It was getting increasingly harder to handle the amount of targets around them, and if this kept up, Astra had

Taking up Wulfrin's offer to sit at the table and join the group, Astra pulled up a chair and made himself comfortable. "Thanks! I haven't been up to much the last few days, so it's nice to get out and hang at the beach." It didn't take long for more players to show up to the event, including more familiar faces. Astra greeted them as they joined in, offering a smile and a wave. He would occasionally chime in on conversation, but for the most part he was simply listening to the conversations others were having around him, smiling and offering a nod in acknowledgement. He was still fairly unfam

Astra had only recently joined the Trackers Alliance, based on a recommendation from his beloved mentor Wulfrin. That meant that there were very few people in the guild he actually knew at this point. Really, the only people he knew in the guild were Wulfrin, Morningstar, and all of Ciela's alts. Normally, he wouldn't be too "jazzed" to be in a large social setting, surrounded by unknown people, but Oscar's invitation to a beachfront Crab Boil was too hard to resist. Plus, it would be a good opportunity to become more acquainted with his fellow guild members. If Astra was going to take being i

It wasn't often that the novice Pierrot found himself on Floor 5, hanging out in the settlement of Fortaleza. Hell, he could count the number of times he'd been here on one hand. Yet still, Astra braved the arid environment and strolled through the sandy paths of Fortaleza, perusing stalls and shops and generally just adventuring. There was nothing in particular that he was searching for, besides a cure for boredom. He wasn't much one for remaining dormant, so getting out of Ciela's house and checking out some lesser known areas (to him) seemed like an adequate way to kill time. Astra co

"Any flowers work? That's good to know. I'll be on the lookout for the best flowers, then," Astra said as he continued to forage along the treeline. "I think my favorite flowers are foxgloves. There's something about them that I'm drawn to." At this point it seemed like he was about to start rambling, so he cut himself short. In truth he didn't know too much about flowers, but there were a few that he found himself drawn to. His current search was ingredients for a stew/soup, but if he spotted any lovely flowers, he would be sure to pick them for Bliss. At this point, Astra wasn't having

As she rested her head on his chest, Astra could feel his heartbeat more than he ever could before. Its pace began to slow down with time, but the beats were still rhythmic and intense. Even just looking down and seeing their hands interlocked was enough to make him blush, and fill him with a sort of light that he had been lacking for a long time. For years he had spent so much time masking his pain, his experiences, hiding behind a smile and polite platitudes. Here in Bliss' company, he felt safe. He felt like he could really be his true self around her, and she wouldn't cast him away for jud

Amidst the chaos, Astra found rhythm in his movement and maneuvers as he leapt and slashed around the battlefield. As more combatants took their stand against the charging mobs, Astra was able to find some time to breathe and take a step back, before jumping into the fray once more. "I'm not surprised that you were able to build that thing," Astra said to Bliss, gesturing at the newly finished trebuchet that her and others had built. "If there's anyone who could, it's definitely you." He had already known that she was a mechanic, and great with projects, but building a trebuchet on the b

"The fiercest of beasts with unmatched strength..." Astra murmured under his breath as his eyes continued to scan the slab. If he was able to piece together the bear image for Kumatetsu, surely he could figure something else out. Furrowing his brow while he traced his finger along the images, he tried his hardest to decipher the next part. If he could at least get the gist of it, Wulfrin could recite more of the epitaph, as it seemed as if he had it committed to memory. "This one...Looks kind of like a worm? Or maybe a leech? It looks like it's sucking the life out of something." Astra's

"Ah, sorry to make you stand up again!" Astra apologized as he shook Theo's hand. In his head, Astra was giving a huge sigh of relief that Theo was so friendly. This would be one of the first times where Astra would be accompanying a lower-level player on a quest. Recently when he'd be questing it would be under the tutelage of his friend and mentor, Wulfrin. Now, Astra was going to be in a similar role, offering support to the best of his ability. Having good company, like Theo, would just make it easier. "Thank you for being so willing to jump in and assist me! I haven't really done...