Discovery and Wonder - Elegant Medium's Belladona

[Eclipse]

The young man felt his heart race as the blue light circles surrounded him and before he knew it the world around him went black. A second later he was standing in a grassy field, sun high in the sky. The newcomer looked all around, marveling at the sights and how real the game felt. The wind blowing in the heat, the sun rays pouring down gently, the feel of grass beneath his linen wrapped feet. All of it felt so real, this was something he could get addicted to.

Eclipse checked out his avatar, looking at what he'd created not 2 minutes ago in the Character Creation Menu. From there he'd warped almost immediately to Δ Elegant Medium's Belladonna. His long wavy brown hair entirely covered his right eye. He could see the dark purple wave tattoos on his shoulder arms and belly button. His black and white sleeveless shirt seemed to stand in stark contrast with the rest of the field. His loose, black pants, that resembled hakama, were tied neatly around his ankles. His slightly pale skin seemed to radiate in the beautiful sun.

He'd never felt a game so real. At this moment, he felt as if he was truly Eclipse. A sudden thought popped into his head. Remembering how to, he unsealed his weapons in a flash of light to look at them. They were beautifully crafted one of a kind gauntlets that he'd been opted to create as a special promotion in [The World.] Black and Silver Gauntlet/Knuckles that had (disconnected) wave-like blades protruding from the outer edges. Eclipse brought his palms to closer to his face to look at the inner rod of the gauntlets. It was a midnight purple, mimicking the color of his wave tattoos.

"What a wonderful world..." Eclipse sealed his weapons and checked the map. His mission was to find 3 symbol fragments, and familiarize himself with [The World]. He could hardly stifle his anticipation.

[Eclipse]

Eclipse looked behind him to see what he assumed was the warp portal. So I need to come back here, or find another one on the map to leave. Now that he was somewhat acclimated he began walking forward. This field was separated on a series of interconnected islands. Looking at the map again, he took note of where the symbol fragments were and starting heading towards the westernmost island from his starting point, the southernmost island.

At the bridges start were 3 monsters, they seemed to be waiting for an adventurer like him to happen along. Alright, guess I'll just charge right in. Readying his gauntlets he rushed forward. The HUD identified the strange monsters as Goblins. They stood at about 4 to 5 ft tall. Their green skin and souless red eyes immediately grabbed his attention. All of them had white mohawks and were wearing small amounts of armor. Shortswords hung from their backs. One of the goblins let out an incoherent grunt and all of them readied their weapons.

It was when Eclipse was in striking distance of the first that he realized he had no formal training in martial arts. .....Well I can bluff my way through this fight for now. They are only Level 1 after all. Eclipse aimed his right gauntlet for the goblins face. Eclipse knew at least his speed was above average and the knuckle blades connected. Creating a small gash on its face, the goblin shrieked. The other two moved in quickly to stop him and retaliate. The young man felt his adrenaline rush when he felt the danger of fighting 3 opponents on his own. Perhaps if I'd made an effort to party up with someone it'd be a little easier...

[Eclipse]

Before he knew it, his body had turned around and guarded himself with his gauntlets. The goblin's sword was deflected but it didn't stop there and tried from a different angle. Exhaling quickly he moved his gauntlets again to avoid full damage. Gah, I have to get back on the offensive somehow. [/i] Suddenly his character glowed an evanescent yellow all around.

He lunged forward punching with his right gauntlet then quickly ducking down and kicking the goblin in the face. His body came up in a left uppercut to the goblins stomach. The goblin doubled over involuntarily. Eclipse brought another right jab to the face, gashes with blood pouring appeared wherever he seemed to hit. He spun quickly kicking it in the face again and then finished the Level 1 Art - Rapid Attack with a strong headbutt to its forehead.

The goblins was sent back a few feet and fell to the ground. Its body began to disappear into a black mist. The other two goblins began rushing forward swords about to strike again. With no time to spare Eclipse jumped back giving himself more space. Grr... I need a way to keep one at bay while I take down another. [/i]

[Eclipse]

Remembering one of the weapon abilities he'd been able to create he aimed his left gauntlet at the left most goblin. He silently thanked CC Corp for that promotion they had been doing when he joined. Charging the attack, he let loose the blades from the gauntlet. They shot forward and embedded themselves in the goblin's skin, cutting through the cheap armor. Quickly moving forward, Eclipse rushed at the other, he jumped in the air and kicked it in the face. Crouching low now he punched with his right gauntlet then left, continuing the assault by altering between right and left 3 more times. Finally the goblin fell to the ground, beaten, and disappeared. Eclipse was about to turn to face the final when he felt a large burning sensation cut his back like a hot knife.

Eclipse fell forward, taken by surprise and grunted loudly. Whirling around quickly while crouched he saw that the other goblin had recovered quicker than he'd expected. "Dammit!" He went through his items and used a potion, instantly feeling relief from the slash. Standing up and breathing heavily he decided to end the battle.

Now that he was angry his body moved quicker than ever. His acrobatics flowed marvelously into his combat as he handspringed behind the goblin. Deciding to give it its own medicine he punched with his gauntlets into its back. Feeling the blades sink into its skin as it yelped in pain. Eclipse refused to let up and ended the assault with a double fist combo into each of its shoulder blades. The goblins back now covered in gashes, blood pouring out of each. It fell to the ground in a whimper and finally disappeared.

Breathing a sigh of relief and calming down a bit he sealed his weapons in a flash of light. Feeling where the goblin had slashed his back he noticed there was now no cut whatsoever. The potion had done its job. That was intense.... but so much fun. I think I've found my new vice.He continued across the bridge, looking for the group of monsters with the symbol fragment.

[Eclipse]

The bridge was small and the Tribal Grappler did his best to cross quickly. The wooden planks looked a bit unsteady and they felt it too. Even the wood groaned against his weight as he crossed. After reaching solid footing he scanned the island he was on. In the far distance he could see a group of... tigers in the distance. Only two, that meant they were probably stronger than the goblins from before.

The HUD called them Zan Fangs'. Upon entering the battle area Eclipse started heading towards the closest one. It roared fiercely and a large red circle appeared on the ground and seemed to be trailing towards him. Wary of what could happen, Eclipse quickly handspringed out the way when it touched him. Suddenly a fierce tornado ensnared the area within the circle. Red circles = magic.... alright then. While it was still busy with its spell he rushed forward and attacked. Its defenses up close weren't as formidable when it was further away. He managed to get a few solid hits on it before it retaliated by sweeping its body and launching Eclipse back with its wide tail.

Eclipse hit the battle area wall behind him and had the wind knocked out of him momentarily. While he was still trying to stand up the other Zan Fang launched its magic and before he knew it he was caught within its magic circle.

[Eclipse]

The tornado ensnared him, the heavy winds pelted his defenses. For a few seconds there was nothing he could do. Finally when the spell was over, he was breathing heavily and some of his HP had diminished. Eclipse dove forward as soon as he could, somersaulting into the Zan Fangs'. He concentrated on attacking them both at once in order to keep them focused on close range attacks. He would do 3 or so attacks on one, dodge, and then move to the other. This worked until both Zan Fangs decided to use their magic at the same time.

The last tornado still fresh in his mind, the Tribal Grappler sprinted away from the circles. Once he'd gotten some distance he activated them by running through both of them. The spells activated but he didn't stop moving. Now the dual tornados spawned behind where he had been. Feeling his instincts guide him he activated his Level 1 Art.

His body lunged towards a Vak Fang and he went into a series of punches and kicks like last time. He finished the attack again with a strong headbutt and the Vak Fang seemed finished. Its legs gave way beneath and it faded into black mist like the goblins had.

[Eclipse]

The final Zan Fang roared loudly at the loss of its comrade. It charged up another magic tornado, which Eclipse managed to avoid again. This one's HP was halfway gone from before when Eclipse had gotten a few hits before. Using his superior acrobatics he flipped forward landing behind the Demon Beast.

He swept its hind legs out from under with a strong kick and pushed it aside. Forcing it to roll on its back, Eclipse grabbed on to a tuft of fur on its chest. He punched its stomach and head with his right gauntlet. Blood spattered a few times and eventually it died. The creatures body slowly dissipated. Eclipse watched carefully as the head disappeared into nothing before his eyes. His left hand no longer grasping a tuft of fur he had been moments ago.

Standing up and brushing off his shoulders he sealed his weapons away once more. A treasure chest appeared nearby. Curiosity overtaking him he opened it and inside lie a symbol fragment. Alright that's the first, only two more to go. Starting to feel more confident in his abilities, he set off proudly towards the next little island.

[Eclipse]

He set course for the next symbol fragment. Upon reaching the northernmost island he found the enemy group guarding the symbol fragment in their center. Well, enemy group wasn't entirely accurate. It was more like one large enemy. Eclipse edged closer, reading the HUD for its name. Gun Giant, fitting I guess. Eclipse checked his map again and just noticed where a secondary mission had been written. Defeat the area boss, how did I miss that before? Checking his items, he discerned that he would have enough so long as he was careful.

He crept behind the oblivious titan and rushed forward. The creature was slow, it took a while just for it to completely turn around. Eclipse got 10 hits in with his gauntlets before noticing the giant metal club it was wielding was raised high into the air. His heart jolted as he tried to run out the way. The club smashed into the ground, breaking the ground beneath and creating a small shockwave that he hadn't anticipated. The Tribal Grappler lost his balance and was hit with recoil damage. That alone took off a quarter of his HP. I'm done for if I get hit directly. A cold sweat washed over him, he would have to fight carefully.

[Eclipse]

Eclipse stood up slowly, putting a palm flat on the ground to help regain his balance. He looked at where the club had hit the earth. A large indentation of cracked ground remained where it had collided. What power.... Readying his gauntlets again he activated his Skill Trigger. "Rapid Attack!" The yellow glow accompanied him again as his body jolted forward with superhuman speed and began the assault. He leaped high into the air, meeting the Gun Giants face. He punched and kicked 6 times before landing on the ground again.

The combination of doing the art and hitting it in its head had done extra damage. But it still was nowhere near enough. He'd taken off maybe a quarter of its health, and that was being generous. The giants club moved high into the air again. This time Eclipse gave himself more time to move as the club smashed into the ground once more. The nimble Tribal Grappler leaped at the last possible moment to avoid the brunt of the accompanying shockwave.

Glee and excitement began to show on his face. This was the most fun he'd had in a long time. Having the odds against you and still doing your best. It was exhilarating, he wanted to keep this feeling forever.

[Eclipse]

Instead of rushing and attacking he kept his head despite his excited demeanor. He waited on it to attack with its club and rolled out the way. When it crashed to the ground on its flat side the nimble Tribal Grappler made his move. He ran on the club while it was embedded in the earth and punched its clenched fist wielding the weapon. After creating a small few cuts it dropped its weapon. He'd rendered the hand useless, from here on it would have to punch instead.

Feeling overconfident he began attacking the body, mainly aiming for the stomach and chest. He hadn't been expecting the Gun Giant to attack quicker since it was no longer wielding its heavy iron club. Caught quicker than he'd expected. Eclipse brought his weapons up to guard his body. The force of impact was tremendous and he was sent flying into the battle area wall.

His arms ached, the bones probably damaged. He opened his eyes slowly, willing them to move. Luckily they weren't broken, he used the area wall to stand up. The blue borders washed over his hand, causing it to disappear for a moment. Thoughts of running away from the fight went through his mind. His HP was flashing, dangerously low at this point. Any more hits, shockwave or direct would kill him at this point. No, I don't feel like running.

[Eclipse]

It seemed like hundreds of images were flashing through the desperate Tribal Grappler's head. There had to be some way he hadn't thought of to take this boss down. It suddenly hit him, he'd had the tools to do it all along.

Glancing at his gauntlets a few moments he willed the ability he wanted to activate. He instantly began seeing results. A dark aura spread from his weapons and washed all around his body. It seemed to amplify his raw negative emotions. Feeding his anger and making him stronger. He gave a loud battle cry and rushed forward. Dark Mode had been activated. Attacking with double the strength he'd had moments ago the giant was caught off guard and actually recoiled from his attacks. This made it much easier to go into a series of combos and whittle down its hp quicker. Eclipse knew it would eventually bounce back from the recoil and dodged a large fist by jumping a foot back from where he'd been standing.

He'd felt the wind glance off the giant fist, a blow like that would have ended this fight. Eclipse rushed forward again, the final assault at hand.

[Eclipse]

Activating his art - Rapid Attack for the last time he went into a very strong combo. Amplified by Dark Mode and the Art, he was now unstoppable for this brief moment. He punched the Gun Giant in its large stomach, causing it to kneel forward. Eclipse leaped and continued by grabbing its large head and kneeing it in the face twice. He then hand springed off the head and spin kicked the back of it twice. He finished the Art with a charged punch to the dome, ending the fight right then.

The Gun Giant fell, lying on its stomach and finally dissipating into mist. The HUD flashed at the battles conclusion [2nd Symbol Fragment Acquired!] All that work for one symbol fragment... Another notification popped up. His body glowed yellow and heard a weird noise. [You have now advanced to Level 3!] Looks like I got quite a bit out of that.

Thanks to the level ups, his HP had gone up slightly and was no longer flashing. He would be able to handle one more group of enemies. Which was all he needed. He finally started heading to the easternmost island. Skipping past the northernmost and glancing at the large temple that awaited him. Soon...soon I'll be done here.

[Eclipse]

After crossing the eastern bridge he happened upon the final group of enemies. They walked in circles around a large hill, upon which sat a treasure chest. The enemy was a Zak Fang and two Goblins. After thinking for a moment about his plan he sprung into action.

He entered the battle area, all enemies turned towards him. The goblins readied their weapons and rushed forward. Eclipse sidestepped around them and began heading for the Zak Fang, who was readying its magic. Since there were weapon abilities he had yet to try he figured now was as good a time as any. He crossed the weapons in front of him and activated a new one. Light Mode, an evanescent, pure aura washed over him. The blades on his gauntlets grew to extraordinary size. 12 ft, disconnected blades with no extra weight.

Eclipse could now fight enemies with a range rivaling an Edge Punisher's. He slashed with his gauntlets, interrupting the Zak Fang's magic and causing it to recoil. His past Level Ups brought him on par with the enemies so now they would be much easier to kill. The goblins drew closer behind him. Eclipse turned around and punched with his guantlets, activating yet another weapon ability.

[Eclipse]

His longer range allowed him to hit targets at a much further distance. This, combined with the paralysis in the blades allowed him to control the fights however he needed to. He slashed both goblins quickly, immobilizing their movements while he focused on the Zak Fang. He looked back in time to see it charging up another magic attack. The red circle skirted across the ground towards him. Hmm....I wonder.

He led the circle to the immobilized goblins and rolled out the way as the spell activated. A tornado ensnared both of them in between, causing large damage to both goblins. They both flew to opposing sides of the battle ring as Eclipse moved for the Zak Fang again. He slashed with his right and left guantlets, rolled low below its jaw and came upwards in a powerful uppercut. The Mystical Beast, beaten, disappeared into black mist.

Two goblins remained, both of them with only half their HP left. The immobilization wore off and they both charged together. He sidestepped and dodged their swords, each narrowly missing its mark. Upon bending back to avoid being slashed in the face he grabbed the goblins arm, moved behind and wrenched it behind its back. He then slashed with his other gauntlet, piercing through the back of its skull. It fell to the ground in an instant, dead before tasting the grass below.

[Eclipse]

One goblin remained, Eclipse's HP was still low from the Gun Giant from before. Taking the offensive, he activated his art for the last time. "Rapid Attack!" He rolled forward in a ball and sprung up. Hitting the goblin with dazzling speed and reflexes. This 6 hit combo of right and left punches quickly took down the goblin and ended the fight. Eclipse sighed heavily and sealed his weapons. His HP was low and his SP was now too. He was lucky no other enemies remained on the map. The HUD popped up on the screen. [You have obtained the 3rd symbol fragment.] [The light flashes and the 3 fragments come together, Beast Temple Key obtained.] Another notification popped up. [Congratulations! You have advanced to Level 4!]

He walked lazily to the Beast Temple, content with his first time out. He passed by a spinning blue portal on the way. It was then that he noticed the warping sound. He quickly turned behind him to see something he'd never expected. There in front of him stood his own character, Eclipse, staring back with evil red eyes and a dark aura surrounding him.