Morningstar

Every step Stephen took seemed to be getting heavier and heavier. That being said, he trekked forward through the vast plains, which made up a majority of the first floor. It had been some time since he'd left them; other floors had too many memories that he'd chosen to leave behind. He needed time away from the busyness of society. The fields were good for that, since even the native boars would ignore the brunette as he passed by.

Even to him, his destination was unclear. All he knew was he needed to keep himself moving. A fire was growing inside of him and he was keeping it alive.

Once in a while, nostalgia would creep up and surprise him. He remembered his first time killing a mob; his first time leaving Floor 1; his first time meeting her.

Stephen slowed down until he eventually came to a complete stop, his gaze fixed on the growing sunrise. He recalled one of his most treasured moments throughout all of his time in Aincrad.

---

"Did you ever read that one poem? Ozymandias?" asked a blonde woman. She was dressed in a dark outfit under a cloak, sort of like Stephen's. Actually, it was exactly like his. Her golden hair was tied back, and while you wouldn't realize it without knowing her, this was uncommon for the girl.

"I wasn't really a big poetry guy," Stephen replied, a subtle laugh leaving his mouth.

"For some reason, that doesn't surprise me," she joked, although he knew it was harmless. "Anyways," the blonde continued, "It was about a king who wanted to immortalize himself by leaving a legacy that would last forever."

She jolted up from her spot,  leaving Stephen a bit shocked. "My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings; Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!" she shouted, acting out some lines from the poem. He chuckled and stood from his seat under the shade.

"C'mon, let's go back into town."

---

At the time, Stephen hadn't thought much about the poem. Now, however, he understood. Nothing can last forever.

This story takes place at different points in the past; all of which are before the boss fight on the 18th floor.

Music

"You ever wonder what it would be like if we never left this place?"

Stephen looked upwards. He felt a few snowflakes touch his face. "Cold, probably," he told the blonde girl next to him, pushing his hands deeper into his pockets. His hood slipped right off of his head, revealing a golden brown undercut. Even in the freezing cold, he didn't look half bad; lucky genes, he guessed. The green cloak, while also keeping him cozy, danced elegantly in the icy wind.

"No, stupid. I mean inside of SAO," Lexa explained, pulling her cloak tightly around herself in an attempt to block out the elements. She continued, her gaze shifting from the bright moon to the snowy path before them. "Maybe this is weird, but I honestly think I want to stay here. A big part of me wants this world to be reality."

For a moment, Stephen said nothing. "We're almost there," he told her, redirecting the conversation. Suddenly, the road ended. The two were left at an open glade surrounded by massive pine trees. "It's been a second since we've had the chance to do nothing, right?" He pulled his hood back over his head as the snow began to fall harder.

They found shelter underneath a large canopy. There wasn't another player in sight, which Stephen found odd. Normally, the Starglades would have plenty of other people around, enjoying the breathtaking view of the night sky. Tonight, it was only them, a small fire, and an oddly comfy bench.

"You know we can't stay here forever," Stephen told the girl, who looked up at him with a bit of a frown.

"Yeah," Lexa sighed, "I know. Eventually, the floors will be cleared."

Stephen wrapped an arm around the woman. "We'll enjoy it while it lasts," he said reassuringly.

still r0lling

Eventually, Morningstar discovered a shop that matched the description of Zackariah's. He took a deep breath, relieved to know that he hadn't gotten completely lost. The building looked exactly as you might expect and old alchemist to work in; it was quaint, small, and made him feel quite comfortable. It was made with combinations of some sort of stone as well as wood. He noticed a sign that confirmed the shop was owned by Zackariah.

Morningstar sped up his pace, excited to finally get the quest started. Suddenly, he was met with what he believed was a brick wall. The brunette stumbled backwards, making a weird "oof" sound and falling to the ground. Then, he glanced up.

It wasn't a brick wall—it was a man. He would not describe the stranger as "massive" or anything, but he was well built. He out-sized Morningstar; that, he was certain of. When they met each other's eyes, Morningstar noticed that the man looked a lot more angry than he should have. Standing up, he began to speak.

"Hey, sorry friend. I guess I was distracted," he told the man, scanning his appearance once more. Somehow, he hadn't noticed the odd looking mohawk sitting on the angry man's head. Rather than trying to communicate back, Mohawk decided to throw a punch. It hit Morningstar square in the chest, knocking him to the ground. The other players around them moved to the sides of the cramped street, but didn't step in to help (likely because he was in no real danger while they were in the safezone).

For a moment, he was stunned. Morningstar had not expected the attack and Mohawk was a tough dude.

"Come on man," he said, picking himself back up from the ground, "it was an accident!"

The crowd around the two was growing in numbers and he was a tiny bit uncomfortable. The only fist fights he'd ever been in had been fake and done for entertainment. This wasn't entertaining, for him at least. Without a word, Mohawk lifted his fists again, as if he was readying himself to strike again. Morningstar, letting out a sigh, followed in his lead.

The man really wanted to fight in the middle of the city.

@Arabelle @someoneelsewhoithinkwasalsosupposedtodothisthreadwithus

"Maybe I should buy some better gear before I do this quest."

Morningstar pondered for a moment, looking at the amount of col he had. It wasn't much, but he could definitely upgrade his gear with it. "It would take way too long though. Do I really want to wait?"

"Oh, come on man! Just do the quest!" came a voice from the left of him. It was then that the brunette realized he had been talking aloud to himself. The stranger stood up and stepped towards him. "You look like you're a level one. Find yourself somebody who can help you fight that Queen," he told Morningstar, pointing at the quest information, "and then you'll be golden.

"Do you want to hel-"

"Nope!" the stranger laughed, "Good luck though!"

Star sighed, watching the man stride away smugly into the sunrise. He eyed his surroundings, but wasn't sure who to ask. Most of the players looked as low-leveled as he was and, to say the least, he wasn't sure if they would help much. At best, he'd be dying with someone else rather than alone. He ran a hand through his golden brown undercut and swiped his hand, opening his inventory. He equipped his long-sword, as well as his forest green cloak, and decided to roam the town in search of someone who could assist him in his goal for the day.

@Alec

Her description of Nepents didn't really please him much. That being said, he liked the girl's energy. Morningstar thought for a moment. He couldn't think of the right words to describe Kirbs, but he knew whatever they were would be positive. "That's probably good, to be honest. Easier to kill gross and ugly things compared to something cute. I'd rather not have to spend my night killing giant rabbits." He laughed

There conversation shifted to something that interested Star quite a bit. "Frontlines, huh? Doesn't sound easy, but I wish you luck," he told her. Unlike most players, the brunette wasn't sure if the frontlines were his end goal. Sure, helping get the players out of the game was important; however, was it what he wanted to do? Aincrad was his chance at making a new life for himself, away from the spotlight. A large part of him wanted to live quietly in the mountains somewhere, or build a tree house in this forest that they were now beginning to enter.

The only way he'd truly figure out what he wanted, however, was by trying things out. "Why did you choose to aim for the frontlines?" Morningstar asked. Although he thought he could probably guess her answer with relative ease, he was still curious.

Star smiled. Cute was one way of describing his name, he supposed. Not once had anyone said it to him before, though. "Thank you," he told her. She asked him why he wanted to take the quest. His reason was simple really: he needed the experience and quests were a good way to get it. "I heard some other players discussing it earlier and it interested me. How gross could a Nepent really be?" He asked, sliding his hands into the pockets of his grey pants. If he was reading her expression correctly, then Nepents were extremely disgusting creatures.

Another thing nobody had said to Morningstar was "virtual womb". Thankfully, he wasn't drinking anything, because he would have spat it out. His eyes moved onto her and he began to chuckle at her embarrassment. When he was able to stop himself from laughing, he decided it was best for him to pretend he never heard her say it. Then, they entered the moonlit world beyond the safezone.

"So, Kirbs," Star began, "were you going to do this quest alone? What do you get out of it?" It could not be more than just experience or perhaps a drop of some sort. It was a quest that he thought seemed too easy for someone of her skill level. "I believe I told you my reasoning, so I think I've earned an answer from you," he grinned.

The woman looked a little... disappointed, to say the least. Morningstar didn't take it to heart, however. He realized that his level was significantly lower than hers and he probably would not put up much of a fight against any larger monsters. He smiled at the woman.

"Thanks, I appreciate it," he told the redhead. That was truthful. While he may have been able to take on the quest solo, it would have been quite the risk—one that he was not too interested in taking. You don't come back after you die, of course, and he still had no idea what a Nepent was. Morningstar's eyes moved from her face, to the snake wrapped around her (somehow, he only just noticed it), and then once again met the girl's eyes. "Nice to meet you Kirbs and Scarfy. I'm Morningstar," he paused for a moment before meeting her hand, as if recalling something, "Call me Star."

The inquiry involving his level was only fair; she knew nothing about him. "Yep. You're talking to a level one, in the flesh. Hope that's alright with you," he gave a small laugh. Star really needed to grind out some levels so he didn't have to tell people that.

“Lexa.”

As he said it, the blonde pulled down her hood. “Hey there,” she started, “I believe you called yourself Morningstar, am I right?”

“Yeah.” He was confused and it must have been noticeable because, for a second, she looked like she was going to burst out laughing.

“I’m going to call you Star. Morningstar’s way too long.”

Nobody had ever shortened his name to “Star” before. It annoyed him a little bit, but he avoided speaking against it. “What’re you following me for? Do you do this to all of the people you beat in that arena?”

“Of course not! I’m not a stalker,” she replied, putting her rapier away, “Unlike the rest of the people I beat, you interested me. Are you in a guild?”

Star laughed. Him? In a guild? "No. I've got nothing to offer a guild. Besides, the 'Solo Player Life' isn't all bad."

"Shut up. I'm also a solo player and I know that it gets tough. Walk with me."

She began to walk in the direction they had come from; the exit of the forest. While he was enjoying the forest, he thought he'd enjoy the company even more (so long as she refrained from killing him, of course). Morningstar followed behind the woman, eventually returning to the start of the forest. She must have had a reason for rushing into a dark, spooky forest to find him.

The sun had reached it's peak. Clouds were nowhere to be seen; instead, the gorgeous blue sky covered everything above them. His gaze dropped down. Nothing but grassy fields and small hills. Occasionally, there would be a tree or two sitting randomly in the grass; however, they were nothing like the ones in the forest behind them. Lexa was a few steps ahead of him. Her pace picked up when she spotted a fair sized tree on top of a hill. It had the perfect amount of shade to cover the two of them. So, they sat.

"Hey Star," the blonde began, "the reason I went looking for you is because I'm starting a guild."

The next day, Morningstar decided it was time to leave the safezone for a while. He was dressed in his usual attire: a brown leather jacket with a green cloak draped over him. The plains that covered the first floor were nearly empty. He saw the odd boar roaming around, but nothing that would be too troublesome. 

He followed a dirt path until he was eventually met with a dark, dense forest. Without hesitation, Morningstar entered.

Inside, it was surprisingly peaceful. He heard nothing but the chirps of birds and leaves rustling in the wind. He took a seat next to a massive tree—he thought it was oak, but he didn’t actually know anything about trees so there was a good chance he was wrong.

Then, he heard footsteps.

Startled, Morningstar reached for his blade. Was he followed? He didn’t recall anyone leaving the walls with him. He stayed silent and waited, hoping that they would pass by without a fight.

As quick as a lightning strike, something sharp pierced the tree, nearly hitting his head. Thankfully, he was able to move before he was fatally wounded. Rather than staying and dying, Morningstar weaved through the forest in an attempt to escape. He leaped over logs and tumbled past trees, however he was failing at losing the stranger. 

He took a look behind him, but could not tell who they were; a hood covered their face and made it hard to see. Morningstar sighed. There was no other option but to fight until the end. “I guess this is it for me,” he mumbled, lifting his blade in self-defense. Then, something happened that confused the brunette. Right before ending the fight once and for all, they stopped.

Suddenly, he realized who it was.

The man didn’t respond. Instead, waited for her to rush back into the fight. As he predicted, Lexa did. For a moment, he thought that everything was over. Her rapier was only inches away from him when he made the decision to give a final swing.

“AND THE WINNER IS…”

Nobody in the audience moved a muscle. They were all starry-eyed at the two combatants. Morningstar gave a weak grin.

“LEXA!” Burko shouted.

Finally, the crowd went wild. As always, the champion was the winner. She remained undefeated. Lexa pulled her rapier from Morningstar’s chest. She was fast enough to stab him and duck his sword simultaneously. She was an incredible fighter.

According to Burko, this was the last fight of the day. Morningstar watched as Lexa strode away from the arena, her long, beautiful hair waving in the slight breeze. He’d never admit it, but part of him hoped that this would not be their last encounter.

Unlike the other two swordsman, he received a total of zero cheers from the spectators. They were still too shocked to even speak. The match began and Lexa attacked in the same manner as before. Her rapier was still tucked away. She sprinted towards him with full speed.

Morningstar didn’t move quite yet. He was watching carefully, the same way he had been in the stands. He knew what was coming, so he made sure not to swing his sword. He wasn’t going to make the same mistakes as Rico. Before he knew it, Lexa was but a foot away from him. Her hand went to her blade as she rolled behind him, but her expression looked concerned. The brunette gripped his long-sword tightly with both of his hands, feeling nothing but the weight of it as he began to turn. Lexa pulled out her rapier and went for the exact same sequence of stabs she had used earlier, but Morningstar was prepared for it. He slammed his blade right into Lexa’s, causing her to stumble backwards.

Morningstar had ruined her first attempt at ending the fight, but she was far from finished. She caught herself and lunged at the man, but he was able to successfully block and dodge every stab she threw.

For the entire duration of the fight, Morningstar continued to watch her expression. She looked completely calm now, as if she knew that the fight would be over soon; as if she knew that she would be victorious.

The man sidestepped Lexa’s blade and moved out of range. He was running out of energy. Exhausted, Morningstar smiled at the woman. “Now I see why you’re the champion,” he told her.

“You haven’t attacked once yet. What’s your game?”

Just like that, the fight was over. In under a minute, Lexa had won. Morningstar sat there, eyes wide. The woman hadn’t even used a sword skill and she’d managed to do that much damage in so little time. Rico walked away from the arena, visibly as shocked as he was. 

“LEXA REMAINS OUR CHAMPION. IS THERE ANYONE IN THE STANDS WITH THE COURAGE TO FACE HER?”

Nobody moved. The crowd had gone completely silent, waiting for someone to step up. A minute passed and still, not a single soul was interested in fighting the woman.

“DO NONE OF YOU HAVE THE WILL TO FIGH-"

“I’ll do it,” Morningstar stood up, unsure of what he was doing. The people around him gasped, but he wasn’t listening. This woman interested him and he wanted to find out more about her.

The man made his way down a set of stairs until he reached an elevator that brought him down into the arena. He noticed Lexa gazing at him from the opposite end. It wasn’t an aggressive stare; she seemed curious. Morningstar dropped the hood of his green cloak, revealing his face to the crowd. He ran a hand through his light brown undercut before drawing his sword. Much like the everyone else, he already knew the outcome of this fight.

He had no chance against Lexa.

“Very well. Our next challenger is… MORNINGSTAR!”

“ARE YOU READY TO RUMBLE?”

The voice of an overly muscular NPC continued bellowed over a crowd of excited players. Suddenly, the man stopped shouting. Two large gates on opposite sides of each other opened up. The NPC began to speak once more. “I AM BURKO, THE GREATEST COMMENTATOR IN THE HISTORY OF THE AINCRAD DUELING LEAGUE!”

Burko stopped for a moment to clear his throat. All of the yelling he was doing could not be easy. He stood there for a moment, on a platform floating above the big, hexagonal arena. Beneath him was a plot of smooth stone that looked like a pretty perfect spot for combat. Finally, it was time to introduce the contestants.

“I WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE TODAY’S FIRST CHALLENGER: RICO! THIS PLAYER IS NEW TO THE ARENA. LET’S SHOW HIM A GOOD TIME.”

The crowd cheered as Rico made his way into the arena. The gate shut behind him, but the crashing sound was deafened by the roar coming from the stands. Burko continued, announcing the next fighter.

“NEXT, THE WOMAN WHO NEEDS NO INTRODUCTION: OUR UNDEFEATED CHAMPION, LEXA!"

It seemed as though the stands had doubled in spectators. Lexa entered the arena as well, the gate behind her also dropping. Her long, blonde hair glowed in the sunlight. It was no wonder she was getting so much attention; Lexa appeared to be a goddess.

Morningstar was one of the few people who stayed completely silent, watching the fighters intently. Who would win? Compared to Rico, Lexa seemed like just another player. Rico was a giant of a man with a colossal longsword. Lexa was a petite girl with a rapier. She didn’t look like she could hurt a fly. The fact that she was ADL’s reigning champion puzzled Morningstar.

Burko took a deep breath before announcing that the duel would commence immediately. Almost instantly, Morningstar realized the woman’s strength: her speed. Lexa went on the offense as soon as they began, zooming towards Rico with no intention of slowing down. The burly man swung his blade, but Lexa was able to dodge it with ease. Now behind Rico, the blonde drew her rapier and stabbed it straight into the man’s back a total of 6 times. Then, she stepped back.

Morningstar eyed the fields beyond the small village that he was in. He'd overheard some low level players discussing a quest nearby and was interested to know more.

They two players explained to him that the goal of the quest was to kill a bunch of "Nepents" (whatever the hell those are) and bring back the medicine that they drop. It didn't seem too challenging. That being said, anything can happen when you're outside of a safezone. He thought back to the most recent time he'd come face to face with death.

That was the last time he saw her. Lexa. His half-smile faded as he thought of her long blonde hair. She'd always wear it down; in fact, he wasn't sure he'd ever seen her style it a different way. Morningstar sighed, returning to reality. She was gone now. It was time to move forward. He looked to his left and noticed another player also staring out at the forest in the distance. Could she also be looking to take on this quest? She seems like she's too high of a level to be here alone.

Morningstar pulled down the hood of his green cloak and ran his hand through his light brown hair. Underneath the cloak, he wore a brown leather jacket—actually, it was his favorite leather jacket. It was rare to see him without it. The man moved towards the woman curiously. "Hey there," he started, "I'm looking for some help with a quest and I was wondering if you'd be interested."

@Kirbs

"Sorry!" 

The Town of Beginnings was as busy as ever. Morningstar had bumped into approximately six strangers and there was no telling when he'd finally stop. In a hurry, he weaved through the crowd, trying to direct himself towards Zackariah's shop.

To put it short, he was lost. The man did not spend too much time there (the second and third floors were quieter and appealed more to him) and he found it near impossible to navigate. Thousands of both low and high level players grouped up in one place; he was starting to wonder what he had done to be put in this situation. As he moved further down the street, he noticed a small alleyway that look as if it were completely empty. Swiftly, he ducked into it.

Morningstar took a deep breath. The alley, despite seeming a little sketchy, was nicer than the heavily occupied streets. He decided to sit for a moment or two and settle down. Closing his eyes, he listened to the noises of the city. Through the loud voices, he could hear the pounding on an anvil; most likely a nearby blacksmith's shop. He noticed the screech of a cat. "Somebody's familiar," the man guessed, running his hand through his light, brown hair.

Lifting himself back to his feet, he sighed. He eyed is surroundings for a better way to get to the shop, but saw nothing. It was the swarm of players or nothing. With that, he rushed back into the "storm" and headed towards his destination. 

@Arabelle

HOUSING (needs updating)

THE STORY OF MORNINGSTAR

"You're what the world needs, Stephen."