Chapter 3: Midnight Melee and Morning Mounts
The frenzy zone dissolved at 11:47 PM in-game time.
Kael unlocked it manually after the last combatant hit the ground, and the invisible cylinder boundary that had contained the entire multi-directional brawl for the past forty-three minutes simply ceased to exist. The crowd at the perimeter—easily fifty players at that point—immediately surged forward, half of them locking onto Kael via locked-on method to ask questions or offer commentary, the other half dispersing into the lower ward streets to find their own entertainment now that the main event had concluded.
Kael, for his part, looked completely unbothered by the attention. His crown was still glowing faint gold above his head. Both swords were sheathed across his back. He was standing in the center of where the frenzy zone had been, surrounded by the visual aftermath of forty-plus minutes of sustained combat—scorch marks on the stone ground, scattered debris from broken environmental objects, and the faint shimmer effects that lingered briefly wherever magic bursts had landed.
Someone locked onto me from the left. **Vex** again, still wearing her reinforced jacket and looking like someone who had just watched a live performance and wanted to discuss the highlights.
"So," Vex said via locked-on method. "That happened."
"That definitely happened," I confirmed.
"You staying for the post-show, or are you calling it a night?"
"I've been in-game for sixteen hours," I said. "I'm calling it productive and logging out before I start making poor decisions."
"Smart." Vex gestured toward the crowd still clustered around Kael. "If you're back tomorrow, the lower ward's always active after sunset. Not always frenzy zones, but always something happening."
"I'll keep that in mind," I said.
Vex released the lock-on.
I turned north toward the upper district and started walking. The neon light was still saturated and layered across every building surface, the wet-sheen streets reflecting all of it in doubled fragmented patterns that made the city look twice its actual size. The sky was full black now, no ambient light remaining from the sun that had set some time ago. Overhead, a flying mount passed through the airspace between two towers, its rider banking into a sharp turn that took them west toward the cliffside plateau.
I logged out from the upper district plaza. The game's exit sequence was clean—fade to black, menu confirmation, disconnect. The console went into sleep mode. The custom API framework maintained the connection in standby.
I processed the entire first session and arrived at what would reasonably be described as a highly positive initial assessment: *Continuum Shard Online* was exactly the kind of absurd, high-energy, zero-restriction sandbox MMORPG that justified consecutive hours of playtime on day one.
Tomorrow's agenda: mounts, chain-jump ability unlock, and whatever chaos the lower ward had scheduled for evening hours.
---
**Day Two: Morning Cycle**
I logged back in at 6:14 AM in-game time.
I materialized in the upper district plaza where I'd logged out the previous night. The city at dawn was an entirely different aesthetic category from the city at night. The neon was off—completely off, not even a faint residual glow—and the stone architecture that had been saturated in electric color was now neutral grey and pale gold under the early morning sunlight. The sky was a gradient: deep blue at the western horizon where night was still retreating, shifting through violet and rose toward amber-gold in the east where the sun was climbing. The wet-sheen effect on the streets was gone. The stone was dry and clean, the morning light casting long angled shadows across every surface.
The city at dawn read as calm, functional, and approximately seventy percent less visually overwhelming than the city at midnight.
I opened the menu and reviewed the current loadout. Two non-magic ability slots occupied. Two magic ability slots occupied. One skill slot occupied. Summon slot still locked. My G-bar empty due to my freshly having logged in from the title screen, ready to fill through combat. Level twelve. EXP progress toward level thirteen sitting at forty-two percent.
The immediate priority was clear: acquire a mount. The game's map was large enough that walking everywhere was functionally inefficient, and flying mounts opened access to floating dungeons, elevated temples, and whatever else was positioned at heights that ground movement couldn't reach. I'd seen enough flying mounts in the city's airspace last night to know they were common enough that acquisition was a solved problem for most players. I just needed to confirm the method.
I exited the plaza and headed south toward the lower ward. The morning streets were quieter than they'd been at midnight—fewer players visible, less combat activity in the non-safe-zone districts, fewer mounts moving through the upper airspace. The players who were active at this hour were moving with purpose: running dungeon entrances, heading toward quest markers, or traveling between cities via the open roads that connected settlements across the map.
Someone locked onto me near the market district. Display name: **Rook**, the same player who'd given me the heads-up about the frenzy zone last night. Still wearing light leather armor with visible equipment pouches. Still looking like someone who knew where everything useful was located and didn't mind sharing that information.
"You're back early," Rook said via locked-on method.
"Had quite a first session, then a break, back for round two," I said. "Standard operating procedure."
"That's cool." Rook glanced at my current level indicator. "Level twelve. You spent yesterday doing dungeon runs and plains grinding?"
"Cliffside dungeon, plains combat, and spectating a locked frenzy zone featuring a King who was clearly having the time of his life."
"Yeah, that was Kael. He does that." Rook paused. "So what's today's agenda? More dungeon grinding, or are you branching out?"
"Mount acquisition," I said. "I've confirmed that flying mounts are common enough that half the players in the city's airspace last night were using them. I need one."
"Smart priority. Flying mounts are game-changers." Rook gestured west toward the plains. "There's a beast-taming area southwest of here—open plains, plenty of mount-viable creatures, standard taming mechanics. You'll need taming items, which you can buy from the market district or acquire as drops from specific enemies. Once you've got the items, it's just a matter of finding a creature you want and using the item on it."
"And flying mounts specifically?"
"Same area, but you're looking for avian species or anything with visible wing structure. Not all mounts can fly. Most ground mounts are faster than walking, but they don't open vertical access. Flying mounts do. You want vertical access."
"Confirmed," I said. "Southwest plains, taming items, avian species."
"One more thing," Rook added. "Some mount species can move on or in any terrain—water, walls, mountains, even trees. If you find one of those, prioritize it. Terrain-flexible mounts are rarer than standard flying mounts, but they're worth the effort."
"Noted," I said.
Rook released the lock-on.
I headed southwest.
---
The southwest plains were expansive and visibly populated with a wide variety of creatures that ranged from "clearly designed to be mounts" to "probably hostile but worth testing." The morning sunlight spread across the open terrain in clean horizontal light, the tall grass catching gold highlights where the sun hit it directly. The sky was a clear gradient now—deep blue overhead, lighter toward the horizon, no clouds.
I scanned the visible creature population and started categorizing.
Ground mounts: four-legged, fast-looking, no wing structure. Standard mobility option. Not the priority.
Avian mounts: visible wing structure, perched on elevated rock formations or circling in the lower airspace above the plains. Flying capability confirmed via observation. Priority target.
Terrain-flexible mounts: less immediately obvious, but Rook's description suggested something amphibious or with unconventional movement capability. I'd confirm that through direct testing once I had a taming item.
I opened the menu and checked inventory. No taming items. The market district in Velthorn sold them, according to Rook, which meant backtracking to the city or finding an enemy that dropped them as loot. I scanned the plains again and spotted a cluster of enemies northeast—Level 10-12 range, clearly aggressive based on their pathing behavior toward nearby players.
I locked onto the nearest enemy and closed the distance fast.
The combat was efficient. Three enemies down in short sequence. EXP registered. The third enemy dropped loot: one taming item, flagged in the inventory as **Beast Taming Crystal - Standard**. The item description confirmed it could be used on any non-hostile creature within a specific level range to attempt taming. Success rate varied based on creature level and species rarity.
*Good enough,* I processed, and turned back toward the avian mounts.
The nearest one was perched on a rock formation twenty meters west—large bird-like creature with dark feathers, visible wing structure, and a sharp beak that suggested it could probably function as a combat asset if needed. Level 9. Within taming range.
I approached slowly. The creature's aggression indicator remained neutral—no hostility, no immediate flight response. I activated the taming item.
The taming sequence initiated immediately. A visual effect appeared around the creature—faint shimmer, similar to the battle zone boundary effect but smaller and centered on the mount target. The shimmer lasted three seconds. Then it resolved.
**Taming successful. Mount acquired: Stormwing Raptor (Level 9).**
The creature's status shifted from neutral wild creature to player-owned mount. A new menu option appeared: **Mount Summon/Dismiss**. I selected summon.
The Stormwing Raptor materialized next to me, fully responsive to control inputs. I mounted it. The movement controls were immediately intuitive—directional input for ground movement, jump input for takeoff, ascend input for gaining altitude. I tested all three.
The raptor launched into the air with enough acceleration that the ground dropped away fast. The ascend input worked exactly as described—free vertical movement in any direction, no altitude cap visible within reasonable testing range. I angled north and the raptor responded immediately, banking into the turn with enough speed that the plains blurred slightly in peripheral vision.
*This is exactly what I needed,* I confirmed, and spent the next fifteen minutes testing the raptor's full movement range across the southwest plains.
The flight controls were responsive. The speed was significantly faster than ground movement. The vertical access was unlimited as far as I could confirm through testing. I could reach any floating structure, any elevated temple, any hidden area positioned at heights that ground movement couldn't access.
I dismissed the raptor and it vanished back into the mount summon system, ready to be re-summoned at any time.
*Mount acquisition: complete,* I processed. *Next priority: chain-jump ability unlock.*
---
The chain-jump ability—**Unlimited Chain-Jumping**, per the game's terminology—was flagged in the ability menu as an unlockable. The unlock requirements were listed: complete a specific optional quest chain that started in the eastern woodland zone, defeat a mid-tier boss at the end of that chain, and acquire the ability as a reward.
I opened the map and confirmed the location. Eastern woodland, accessible from Velthorn via the main road that ran northeast out of the city. Travel time via flying mount: negligible.
I summoned the Stormwing Raptor and headed east.
---
The eastern woodland at mid-morning was dense, green, and significantly quieter than the plains. The sunlight filtered through the canopy in scattered beams, creating high-contrast light-and-shadow patterns across the forest floor. The enemy population here was different from the plains—more ambush-oriented, less open-field aggression. I noted this immediately and adjusted movement patterns accordingly.
The quest chain started at a small NPC camp near the woodland's edge. The NPC who initiated the quest was straightforward about the objective: retrieve three specific items from enemies deeper in the forest, return them to the camp, then proceed to the boss location marked on the updated map.
I accepted the quest and moved into the forest.
The item retrieval was standard MMORPG fare—defeat specific enemies, collect quest items from loot drops, repeat until objective complete. The enemies were Level 10-14 range, which meant they provided decent EXP while still being manageable at my current level. I locked every battle zone from initiation. The EXP stayed clean.
By the time I'd collected all three quest items, I'd leveled up twice. Level fourteen now, EXP progress toward fifteen sitting at eighteen percent. Two additional ability slots had unlocked during the leveling process. The loadout was filling out.
I returned to the NPC camp, turned in the quest items, and received the next objective: proceed to the marked boss location and defeat the guardian creature.
The boss location was deeper in the forest, marked on the map with a distinct icon. I flew there via raptor, landed at the entrance, and dismissed the mount.
The boss arena was a circular clearing surrounded by dense trees. The guardian creature materialized as I entered—large quadrupedal beast with armored plating and visible elemental effects sparking across its body. Level 16. Above my current level, but within manageable range if I played it correctly.
I locked the battle zone immediately.
The fight lasted six minutes. The boss had three distinct phases, each with different attack patterns that required specific dodge timing. I tested aerial dash to clear the wide horizontal sweeps. I used chain-dodging to avoid the elemental burst attacks. I applied every combat lesson learned from my previous span of playtime and executed them cleanly.
The boss dropped at the end of phase three. Full EXP registered. Level fifteen achieved.
The ability unlocked automatically: **Unlimited Chain-Jumping**.
I equipped it immediately and tested it outside the arena. Jump. Mid-air jump. Another mid-air jump. Another. The chain continued indefinitely, each jump launching from the previous jump's apex without any ground contact required. Combined with aerial dash, the movement capability was absurd in the best possible way. I could reach any height, any floating structure, any location that required vertical access without relying solely on the flying mount.
*Chain-jump ability: acquired,* I confirmed. *Current objectives: complete.*
I summoned the raptor and flew back toward Velthorn. The in-game clock read 11:23 AM. The sun was high, the sky a clean neutral blue, the morning aesthetic transitioning into midday.
---
**Midday and Afternoon: Velthorn City**
The city at noon was busy. The market district was packed with players—buying, selling, trading, standing in clusters engaged in locked-on method conversations or open-mic zone parties. The non-safe-zone districts had active combat in progress on multiple streets. Mounts moved through the upper airspace in every direction. The city was fully awake and operating at peak activity.
I landed the raptor in the upper district plaza and dismissed it. Someone locked onto me immediately.
Display name: **Mara**, the same player from last night who'd been watching the frenzy zone. Still wearing light armor, still had the tail. Still looked like someone who spent more time spectating than participating.
"You got a flying mount," Mara said via locked-on method.
"Southwest plains, taming item, fifteen minutes of testing," I confirmed. "It's functional."
"And you leveled up twice since last night."
"Eastern woodland quest chain. Chain-jump ability unlock was the priority. Got it done by mid-morning."
Mara was quiet for a moment. "You've been in-game for what, like a day, and you've already got a flying mount and the chain-jump ability?"
"Yep," I said.
"That's not normal pacing."
"It's efficient pacing," I said. "There's a difference."
"Clearly." Mara released the lock-on.
I moved into the market district. The afternoon sunlight was direct and looking strong, the shadows short and clean on the stone streets. The city's midday aesthetic was functional and bright—no neon, no excessive color saturation, just clean architecture under clear sunlight.
I spent the next hour exploring the market district, confirming vendor inventories, and identifying which items were available for purchase versus which required specific quest completion or enemy drops. The game's economy was player-driven—most high-tier items were sold by other players rather than NPC vendors, and the prices reflected that. I noted which items were prohibitively expensive and which were achievable within reasonable playtime.
Someone created an open-mic zone near the central market plaza. I stepped into the open-mic zone and the "join open-mic zone party" option appeared in my HUD. I joined.
"—heard Kael's heading back north tonight," someone was saying via the open-mic zone party. "Apparently he got bored of Velthorn after one night."
"One night was enough for him to lock a frenzy zone and dominate it for stupid long," another voice responded via the open-mic zone party. "That's peak Kael energy."
"Anyone know if there's another King in the city right now?" a third voice asked via the open-mic zone party.
"Not that I've seen. Queens either. Just regular players and the usual chaos."
"Usual chaos is still pretty chaotic," the first voice said via the open-mic zone party. "Lower ward had three separate battles going simultaneously this morning."
I processed this while continuing through the market district. The lower ward at night was clearly the primary hub for high-energy combat, but the morning and afternoon hours weren't empty either. Players who wanted consistent action could find it at any hour.
I left the open-mic zone party and continued exploring.
---
**Evening and Night: Lower Ward Round Two**
The city at evening was transitioning. The sunlight shifted from neutral midday white to warm amber-gold as the sun descended toward the western horizon. The shadows lengthened across the stone streets. The sky gradient returned—deep blue overhead, amber-rose near the horizon. The neon hadn't activated yet, but the pre-sunset aesthetic had its own appeal: warm, calm, the visual opposite of midnight's electric saturation.
I headed toward the lower ward.
By the time I arrived, the sun had fully set and the neon had activated. The city transformed instantly—every building surface lit with layered electric color, the wet-sheen effect returning to the stone streets, the reflected light doubling and fragmenting across every horizontal surface. Purple and cyan dominated again, with scattered red and gold accents breaking through at irregular intervals.
The lower ward at night was exactly as active as it had been the previous evening. Multiple battles in progress across the non-safe-zone streets. Flying mounts moving through the upper airspace. Open-mic zone parties clustered near the market edge. The usual chaos, as the player in the earlier open-mic zone party had described it.
Someone locked onto me near the lower market edge. Display name: **Vex**, same as last night. Still wearing the reinforced jacket. Still looking like someone who knew exactly what was happening and where.
"You're back," Vex said via locked-on method.
"Lower ward at night is clearly the place to be," I said.
"It is. No frenzy zones so far tonight, but plenty of regular combat. Someone activated their G-status about three minutes ago and hit three players. All three are now hunting that player before the session runs out."
"That sounds like exactly the kind of low-stakes high-energy chaos that makes this game worth playing," I said.
"It is," Vex confirmed. "You planning to participate, or are you spectating again?"
"I'm level fifteen now with a flying mount and chain-jump unlocked," I said. "I'm absolutely participating."
"Good answer." Vex released the lock-on.
I moved into the lower ward streets. The night was young, the neon was bright, and whatever chaos the lower ward had scheduled for tonight was already in progress.