Daystone Snippets...

[Blue burrowing critter]

Chapter 1 Reminiscing about Worse Days


She could barely keep her eyes open, the reasons were probably many, but she wasn't going to bother listing them all to herself.


So, she blamed the particularly boring page she was on, and not the nearly three and a half days she had been awake, marching in a nearly straight line towards the next Daystone's location.


In a desert, with barely any water since there hadn't been any nearby when she started heading this way, or food now that she was actually thinking about it, those were probably things she should worry about.


Ehh, she ultimately shrugged, I've been through worse and done more with less, and it was entirely honest, and basically summed up a lot of her life.


She pulled her eyes away from the page and looked up at the stars, in countless beautiful patterns that flew right over her head, she kinda half smiled at her own joke, the moon hung high in the sky so it would be a while longer before the sun rose.


Her fire would probably dwindle before then, she leaned back from her hunched reading position to more comfortably lay against Crime, her Crimson Golem possessed Lock Sword, that she affectionately named Crime, cause she was nothing if not honest about what she did!


…That was a complete lie, but another joke that kinda raised her mood, she thought back too when she obtained them.


She'd recently graduated from a mere student Red Hunter to a full member of the order, it had both been a surprise and entirely expected for different reasons, she had been a year younger than some of the other graduates, four years younger than most.


The youngest to ever become a full Red Hunter, she'd been proud of herself and her accomplishment, and very surprised and suspicious at the time.


"At the time?" She was still suspicious about it, and then came her first assignment, "The Eternal Prison", very spooky stuff, Ghost's, weird noises, stuff like that galore, but nothing actually dangerous happened until after she found the Daystone.


Maybe she shouldn't have mocked that suit of armor and stolen its sword, but she would definitely do it again if given the chance to get her Lock Sword, the fight has been quick and hard, with her winning through a lucky throw that broke it's head, helmet head?


Whatever, she won but the sword she had taken was trashed, but he'd been so kind as to provide a much better replacement, her Lock Sword!


She'd breathed a sigh of relief picked up her sword and headed on her way, thinking that was it.


But that had only been the beginning of it, she'd had to fight her way out through dozens of those possessed suits of armor, the place had turned into a maze of horrors and shambling nightmares and dead things, of rusted steel and rotting wood and cracked stone and cold corridors.


It was weird but she thought about the clothes she'd worn, the full tan tunic-robe, black pants the too big belt that didn't even hold up her pants, the white arm protectors and bracelets past the mid point of her biceps, the pair of emerald tail ornaments.


Those gauntlets had not been white when she was done, nor had they been in one piece, when she finally got out of that place she…


Was still smiling, couldn't stop smiling, she had never felt so alive as when she was stuck in there with only one way out, through everything that wanted her dead.


When it was finally over and she had won, succeeded, accomplished her mission excellently.


She had wanted to turn around and go right back in there, to feel it again, the sheer joy of winning and beating monsters trying to kill her, of being on that edge and dancing on the tight rope of life and death.


But, instead she went back to the temple, gave them the Daystone, and received her next mission, still injured, still covered in blood and she was sent to obtain the next Daystone, and she'd headed out, hoping it would be a similar one.


She'd been disappointed on her second mission, it wasn't because it was difficult, it was too easy, no threats, no monster or anything, just nothing.


She'd been so bored!


Just like right now!


The next couple dozen missions had been extremely varied and interesting in their own ways, but it wasn't until getting the God's Descent mission that she had something truly interesting.


Like last time the fun hadn't started until after she got the Stone, when the surrounding rocks surrounded a Crimson Gem to form Crime!


She'd been pretty much blinded by the dust and bright red light, then she got full body blindsided by his giant rock and stone fist.


He rocked her, so she had to rock him back!


When he went for another smash, she jumped up so far that it was honestly kinda comical.


Then, with maximum effort she jumped down and pierced right through his face!


…and it was over, nice fun fight and then the fun was over, she sighed remembering, then she looked back a little further, back before she was even a student.


The orphanage, the Red Hunter recruiter, the Grandmaster…


She didn't have much to remember really, no friends to reminisce about the good old days with, no friends at all, just her, her Lock Sword, and Crime, they were the only friends…


No, the only family I needed, that I wanted.


Who would want to be friends with a girl named "Kocia Pierdocia" anyway?