Morningstar

8.15.2024 Fusions IDS

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Quest For two days, Morningstar prowled Fortaleza. Beads of sweat hugged his sun-kissed skin as he spied on the well-endowed building. Word of raiders in the south had caught his attention, and he suspected the source to be Abdullah. Not that he had any proof. No trails led back to him, and rumors did Star little good. He was clean, on paper. Any crime that he was involved with was unattached to him directly; a million middle men stood in the way of incriminating him. Pinning him to anything required a touch of creativity. Wiping his forehead, Star entered the sandstone building

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URGENT!!! Going dragon hunting. Need some help. Meet me @ F25 Labyrinth. 10:30 AM tmr. - MS Quest Morningstar's message was posted sporadically on a few of the upper floors. A party of five or six would do. He'd have settled for two, though. He showed up early, and waited outside the entrance to the Labyrinth. He prepared his equipment, triple checking his inventory to make sure he had brought with him everything he needed. He planned for a long trip, aware that timing an expedition into the maze was futile. It changed so frequently that even plotting out a map

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He pushed open the great doors, greeted by a gigantic demon in a crystal throne. Oryx, King of the Demons, grinned evilly from his seat. He was triple the size of the foot soldiers Star had fought, and the only armor he donned were a pair of spiked plates that he strapped to his forearms. It was a testament to his strength, or at the least, to his confidence. His skin was blood red and his blue horns were like halberds. He did not challenge Morningstar. He did not leave his throne. "At last, a human," Oryx spoke in a low growl. "I wondered what kind of person would make their way to me. Y

Morningstar gritted his teeth and shoved the nearest demon back with a powerful kick, creating a small opening. He needed to end the fight quickly before he was overwhelmed. His eyes flicked to the leader, who was already pulling its axe free from the floor. That was the key—the others would fall without their commander. With a burst of speed, Morningstar surged forward, weaving through the onslaught of attacks. He feinted left, drawing the leader’s attention, then twisted his body and lunged right, driving his sword deep into the gap between the leader’s armor plates. The demon let out a

Morningstar's boots echoed off the obsidian walls as he moved through the castle's dim corridors. As he rounded a corner, the sound of clanking armor and guttural growls met his ears. He slowed his pace, his sword held at the ready. The hallway ahead widened into a large antechamber, the ceiling disappearing into darkness. The walls were adorned with tattered banners and ancient symbols written in a language unrecognized by the system's translator. In the center of the chamber stood a squad of demons, more heavily armored and disciplined than the ones on the bridge. Their leader, a toweri

Nari successfully stunned the trio of pirates, allowing Morningstar to get in some free hits. He slashed at them relentlessly, his blade a blur of silver as it cut through the dim, smoke-filled air. Each pirate recoiled under the force of his strikes, their grins of bravado fading into grimaces of pain. But the respite was brief—too brief. As the stun began to wear off, the pirates shook themselves free, their eyes narrowing with renewed focus as they readied their knives, gleaming wickedly in the flickering light. "Yeah, I'm with you. No more airships. No more pirates. I'm retiring," Mor

With Pinball gone, Morningstar followed after Sewallus, keeping his distance. They didn't speak until they were back in Florenthia. The guard was much calmer than he had been in the forest. He spoke surely, and without rage. He was put-together. "That was a mistake," Sewallus assured. "Maybe," Morningstar responded, a shadow of doubt in his voice. Sewallus stopped walking, turning to face Morningstar fully. His eyes were clear and focused, and his words were matter-of-fact. "If he kills again, the responsibility will fall on you. What will you do then?" Star met his gaze. H

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