Morningstar

Morningstar had been in enough sewers and seen enough slime monsters for one lifetime. Yet, here he was again, and this time with a larger group of sewage explorers. The swordsman was familiar with the quest that Wulfrin was referring to, although he had never done it himself. The Slime King was a notable foe with great rewards, or so he had heard. He could have used an interior decorator, though. Star avoided spots of goo, dripping from the ceiling, and stepped over piles of old bones far too frequently. It was all kind of... gross. But that was to be expected, and he was reminded of thi

Creativity struck him, and he thought of an idea to use the red dragon to his advantage. He took a few slow steps back, leading the flock of demons onto the bridge with him. Once everyone was near the center, he charged forwards, dodging and parrying blades while pushing through their defenses. They were on opposite sides now, with Morningstar closest to the castle's entrance and the demons trapped on the bridge. The dragon tore throw the air, level to the bridge when it came to a halt. It snorted, eyeing the five of them. Morningstar kicked the nearest demon back, before charging away. The dr

The demon’s body crumpled, but its head rolled to the edge of the bridge and over the side, disappearing into the chasm below. Morningstar didn’t watch it fall—his focus was on the next wave of enemies. But then, a low, rumbling growl echoed up from the depths. He froze, his heart skipping a beat. The sound grew louder, reverberating through the stone under his feet. He turned just in time to see a massive shadow moving beneath the bridge, scales glinting in the dim light. The dragon’s head slowly rose from the river of lava, its eyes glowing like molten lava as they locked onto Morningst

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Morningstar was taken aback by the knife that zipped past him. Throwing daggers; another peculiarity. With the Monkey King out of the way, they were left as three once more. Sewallus stepped forward to intercept Pinball, but Star placed his hand on the guard's shoulder, prepared to thwart him by force. Something stopped him from chasing after Pinball, from hunting him down like he would any other player killer. Maybe it was the hint of regret he thought he caught behind the man's eyes. Maybe he was simply wrong. He had made his choice, though, and against his will, he would make Sewallus'

Before he could even take a step forward, another demon lunged at him from the side, catching him off guard. Its massive form collided with him, sending him sprawling onto the cold metal. The impact rattled him, his sword skidding out of reach. The demon, a hulking brute with a gnarled face and spiked armor, pinned him down, its rancid breath hot against his face. With a snarl, Morningstar thrust his knee into the demon’s gut, his booted foot scraping against the bridge as he tried to gain leverage. The demon barely flinched, its clawed hand tightening around Morningstar’s throat. Spots d

Another wave of demon guards flew out of the castle gates before he could even take a step off the bridge, their twisted forms silhouetted against the blood-red sky. The air grew thick with the scent of sulfur as their shrieks pierced the night, echoing off the dark stone walls. He tightened his grip on his sword, swinging at the first of the batch to come close. He clipped it on the arm, but his blade was deflected by its steel plating. It thrust its spear at Morningstar, the tip glinting with an eerie crimson glow. He sidestepped just in time, feeling the rush of air as the spear narrow

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Morningstar couldn't tell if any of Pinball's words were getting through to Sewallus. He was a city guard, designed to put a stop to that which had the potential to harm his home. Was it even possible for him to reconsider? To look the thing he hated most in the eyes and show mercy? The guard's hands shook with indecision. His eyes were locked on Morningstar's, waiting for the swordsman to take his side. But Star's blade remained sheathed. He chose neutrality, unwilling to draw on either of the two. There was no right answer, no happy ending. No matter the side he took, he would create an

"Oh, a million," he said, racking through questions in his head. "But, where to start?" He wanted to know about the difficulties of living as an orange player, his motivations for killing, why he had chosen the name Pinball, how many names he had under his belt, et cetera, et cetera. "Does 'going soft' mean you've stopped?" It seemed as good a place to begin as any. Sewallus didn't think so. "Morningstar, enough," The guard drew a longsword, and pointed it at the player killer's back. "I cannot stand by and allow this man to walk around freely. He has confessed to his crimes. We must

Sewallus grumbled something inaudible, while Morningstar simply listened. Revelations of the mystery behind Pinball's cursor made him all the more interesting. He raised his hands in surrender. "Hey, I'm an unbiased spectator. I won't try anything." Actually, he was surprised that Pinball hadn't tried anything. Maybe it was because they outnumbered him, or maybe it was because he was more complicated than he appeared on paper. Driving his hands into his pockets, Morningstar prodded some more. "So what are you?" He asked. "A serial killer? Accidental murderer? Vigilante gone wrong?" H

"Left it is then," Morningstar agreed. Left happened to be the direction the footsteps were coming from. They turned the corridor, running face first into a trio of Skyrat Raiders. Each one held an old, rusty dagger, and grinned menacingly at the sight of the rushing players. "Lookie here laddies," the middle pirate said to the others, "we've got ourselves a couple of-" He was interrupted by a swift punch to the jaw and crumbled to the ground. The pirates stared down at their comrade, sprawled out and holding his face. Each one was stunned by shock, looking back and forth betwee

He twisted around, slashing in a wide arc and chopping the flying demons in two. The spearless fellow remained, panic rising up slowly as he began to realize how imminent his death was. Morningstar spared him the chance to cry out, slipping his blade through the winged monstrosity's abdomen. It shattered, and blue pixels spread out through the air before disappearing entirely. Another day, another dead mob. He waltzed across the bridge, double-taking as he glanced down at what lay below. Magma spat up, but came no where near the metal plates of the bridge. The body of a dragon poked

In the air, hung ashy smoke. A bridge lay in his path to the castle's gate, guarded by two demonic figures. They were clad in chainmail, and wielded black halberds. "Halt!" One demon commanded, pointing his spear straight at Morningstar. "State your business. Why have you come to Castle Oryx." Star wasn't sure what to say. "Fuck if I know," he shrugged. He wasn't sure if it was the fowl language or the lack of sense, but neither of the demons seemed to appreciate his response. One charged, while the other blew into a curved horn. Star deflected a few weak strikes before chopping the

II Hellscape The image of Typhoonflame and Tolbana faded away, replaced by a fiery hellscape. He swore he had sent himself home. What should have been a blue sky was a layer of red, smokey clouds. Smog polluted his senses, slowly suffocating him. Around him were crags of black stone and the cries of monsters. Rivers of magma flowed and fell over the edges of the cliffs, and he could feel the heat emanating from them. A castle, shrouded by shadows, vile and demonic, stood before him. He was expected. But by whom? The large castle gate opened as he neared. Not om

Star jogged back over to Pinball, their exit secured. "You're good. Sewallus has agreed not to attack you. Can't say the same for anyone else though," he glanced about at the onlookers and passersby. "We should be quick." --- In the forest, away from prying eyes, they hunted the Monkey King. Their escort stood far behind them, keeping a close eye on the criminal. Morningstar felt none of the tenseness that Sewallus was experiencing, going so far as to confront Pinball directly. "So, what'd you do?" He asked, assuming that the context was obvious. He didn't mean to pry—exce

"Come with me," Renault gestured for Star to follow him, and explained that he had a gift to share. He took him to an artisan's shop, and introduced him to the NPC at the front counter. She smiled at them both. Much like the rest of the town, she was welcoming and excited for visitors. "How may I help you today?" She asked. Renault placed the bag of scales on the counter. "What can ya do with these? A necklace, maybe?" She took a peek inside. "Ah! Lurker scales! A necklace will do just fine." She got to work, taking the scales into the back and returning some time later wit

Before they could celebrate, the Fossil Fish that Morningstar had stunned reappeared. It jumped on Renault's back, strangling him, threatening to pull him under the swampy water. "He-help," he managed. Morningstar sprung forwards, slicing off the creatures hands. It screeched and then fell backwards, disappearing forever. "Whew," Renault dropped to his seat. "Close one." "Glad I could help," Morningstar rolled his eyes. They rowed back to Dayurga, mostly unscathed and with a fair sized haul. Five of the six Fossil Fish remained on hand, and an enormous Lurker was pulled up into

It circled their boat from the depths, biding its time until another opportunity to pounce approached. The remaining Fossil Fish drew near as well, squealing at them. It spat up saliva-thickened water, disgusting as it climbed onto the rowboat. Morningstar blasted it with a stun, and it flew backwards, back into the water. It sunk out of sight. For now, all that the pair had to worry about was the Lurker. Renault had quieted down, sensing that they had reached the climax of their fishing journey. The Lurker's next move would seal the deal. If Morningstar could catch it on its jump, they w

One at a time, the Fossil Fish regained authority over their limbs. Three of them dove under the water, swam beneath the boat, and jumped on top from the opposite side. They attacked in unison, and Morningstar hit back in one smooth swipe. Dying Sun finished them of cleanly, and Renault began dragging the limp bodies to his side of the tiny vessel. He was more interested in preserving his food than staying alive. "You don't have like, a weapon or something?" "Nope. Just this knife and my cane," Renault said. "Those do count as weapons," Morningstar said, swatting away a leaping

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The troll lumbered, trying its best to catch the six of them to no avail. It was slow, both mentally and physically. Between the party members, it stood no chance. Freyd slammed it with enough force to kill off the dinosaurs a second time. Wulfrin followed up with a well timed slash, and they all watched as its health bar crumbled. They were making him look lazy. Morningstar dashed in for the final hit, weaving by Wulfrin and Freyd on the way in. With a three-step approach, he leaped, smacking it on the head with the pommel of his sword. Ugzeke floundered, wobbling until he toppled t

The stranger was quiet, and so was their walk to Florenthia's gate. Star didn't push for conversation, although he was rather interested in it. Instead, he spent the time coming up with a way to get his new acquaintance out of the city. Sewallus was on guard duty, and unfortunately he was their next checkpoint. "Might be best if you wait here," Morningstar said, gesturing to the armed guard standing at their exit. "Orange cursor and all." Alone, he approached his old friend. "Sewallus." "Morningstar," the elf looked surprised. "Back again so soon? You're not hunting the Monkey King,

The horde approached, and as they neared, Morningstar blasted them with an arc of golden energy. The sword art faded, leaving four of the fish, the Lurker included, bobbing up and down in the water. The fifth Fossil Fish evaded, however. It lunged, clamping on to his shoulder with its gnarled jaw, clawing at him with slimy hands. He struggled, trying to push it off, and ended up flipping over the edge of the boat, into the opaque water. He smashed against the fish's head with the pommel of his sword until it loosened its bite and swam off into the depths. Bubbles floated up from his mouth

Morningstar threw his line out once more, this time a bit further into the distance. All the while, Renault was providing unsolicited advice. "Bring your shoulder back more," he said, "and put your back into the toss." His interest in fishing was so small that he wanted to throw the rod away and go home. He didn't, though, because he had a Lurker to catch. Morningstar leaned back while Renault told him the end of his alligator story. "BAM! Just like that, I was out. No lizards have come by these parts since." "Alligators aren't lizards," Morningstar muttered. "What was that