Morningstar

Death loomed over the victorious swordsman. His eyes watered but whether it was from fatigue or sadness, he did not know. For a moment, he truly thought he was done. Nature had different plans for him, it seemed. Their short duel had drawn the attention of the goliath known as Avalanche. The monster stomped through the tundra, intent on challenging Morningstar. "Damn, seriously?" Morningstar exclaimed, lifting his sword once more. Glitch had succeeded at one aspect of his plan. Morningstar had been lured out into the wilderness and now stood face to face with the one thing he had pre

"I see why you go for them and not people closer to your level," Morningstar taunted. "You're just not that good with your sword." His words worked as intended, angering Glitch and causing him to expend all of his energy with offensive jabs. One came close to Morningstar's head and the next to his abdomen. Meteor swooped down in a golden rush, crashing into the rapier and breaking it in two. "Any last words?" Morningstar asked, glancing up at the orange cursor above the man's head. "No, p-p-plea-" The plead for mercy was cut off by a final blow. Meteor sliced th

Morningstar spun around and met with Glitch's quick attack. He must have used Charge because faint energy lingered around him. Even so, the blonde was quick to react and blocked his sword gracefully. Their blades clashed a dozen times before finally, one of them spoke. "You're Glitch, I presume?" Morningstar smirked. "Who's askin'?" "Just a guy looking for a bit of col. Heard you like killing off newbies?" Morningstar kicked, catching the player killer off guard and stumbling back. Then, he took a swift jab at his chest, hoping to finish the fight in a single blow. The rapi

The trek through the snowstorm was even more difficult than the sandstorms on the Fifth Floor. At least he had the Survival skill for those. Here, he was certain that he would freeze to death. His hood was lifted over his cold ears and his sword returned to its hiding spot beneath his cloak. There had been no sign of Glitch so far but his gloved hand remained at Meteor's hilt. At any second, he was sure he could be pounced on by the player-killing predator. He wondered how long he would have to walk before he finally found him and could go home. It was possible that the orange player had

He cursed, pain coursing through his back. Morningstar had lowered his guard; he treated the ice golems as if they were nothing but fodder monsters in a land intended for players with poor stats and items. They still packed a punch. He rose, spinning and crushing the cold golem's body with his blade. Finally, he could rest. He took a moment, falling to the ground. He didn't even care that he was covered in snow, the amount of running around he had been doing warmed him up. It was time for a quick break before he headed on out into the snowstorm. Glitch could have been anywhere, reall

He was forced to let go of the weapon. He dropped to the ground from his position on the tall golem and retreated. The lack of his weapon made him capable of moving a tiny bit quicker in return for having nothing sharp to strike with. He sighed, raising his fists. If he had to, he would box the cold terrors. Anything to get him away and back on his path. One golem approached, dropping his fists on Morningstar. He rolled out of the way and, with a firm grip, punched him in the side of the head. The whole thing shattered, not immediately into pixels but into ice. Two more followed suit, agg

About a kilometer from the wolves' resting place, Morningstar was stopped by rumbling beneath the snow. The forest had ended, leaving him in an arctic plain. The snowstorm gathered quickly, obscuring his vision. It was cold, much colder than it had been before. From the ground, four frozen bodies emerged. They were large, rectangular, and aggressive in nature. The first of the four immediately tossed a boulder made of ice at the blonde. He leaped to the side, shocked but not dulled by the environment. He dashed at them one at a time, cutting through them with ease until he reached the fourth.

The wolf let loose a howl before sprinting toward him, the pads of his feet soft in the white snow. It lunged at his legs, aiming to disable him. He countered with a kick followed by the long sway of his blade. It slammed into its side, both cutting and throwing it to the side. Its body hit a nearby tree, crumpling to the ground and shattering. More items and col funneled into his inventory, mostly useless to him. The money was always appreciated but the weak items would be trashed for additional col anyway. He hummed a tune, hands within the pockets of his cloak as he continued down the

Freyd's guard disguise looked a bit silly. It appeared to do the trick, though, as he had not gained the attention of any curious eyes. He listened closely as Freyd spoke and, in his head, repeated the list of enemies that they expected to encounter. Four footmen, two sergeants, and an officer. Seven loyalists in total. It did not sound like a lot; however, he doubted that Freyd would be so cautious if the mission was easy. The plan provided was sound: get in and out as quickly as possible. Together, he thought they could manage. Time ticked away and the date of the boss raid approached s

Morningstar wasted no time in parting ways with Asphodel. When the last of his tea had been emptied from his cup, he stood up and headed for the exit. The broker called after him. "Same time next month, Lightbringer. I'll make sure to bring something a little more juicy," he chuckled. Stepping out into the sunlight, Morningstar glanced around. The Grand Library stuck out like a sore thumb, towering above the rest of the buildings, which were meager in comparison. He moved in strides and when he eventually arrived at his destination, he gazed up at it in awe. The architecture was magn

Happy with his previous purchases, Morningstar made his way back to the woodland kitchen to try something different. He eyed up the desserts, his sweet tooth getting the better of him. Unable to choose between the mousse and the gelato, he decided to go with both. He was an adult, after all, and nobody could tell him no. He said hello to Demian, paid in col, and went on his merry way. He would be eating well tonight. If only there were movies to pair it with, he could sit on the beach outside his house and watch a couple around sunset. PURCHASES x3 gelato. | TIERLESS DESSERT | LD I

Floor Twenty-Six. Morningstar had yet to visit the place. The floors he avoided were usually grim and bleak so it was unusual that Twenty-Six made the list. Through the grapevine, he had heard of the floor's lore and history, including the infamous Razwell III. He read over the message he had received from Freyd. The location he had specified was unfamiliar to him. As he stepped off of the city's teleporter, he pulled up his map and poked around at the various places until Silver Crown and Fiori's Firth were visible to him. The walk was not terrible. He slogged his way through the b

7.23.2023 ITEM IDENTIFICATION JUNK SALES

7.23.2023 | IDENTIFICATION JUNK SALE

Morningstar's return to Cintamani was swift. Only a few days after his battle with the Forgotten Time King, he found himself in need of more damage potions. He looked at his message from Freyd, considering if there was anything else worth picking up while he was in the area. Overhealth could come in handy, he thought, and since he was all out of his own stock he decided to buy a few potions from Bistro. "Hey there," he said, picking out the items. He paid with materials this time; saving col was at the forefront of his mind and he had an excess of materials that he had no intention on usi

Faux was quite the character. The way he spoke was almost cartoon-like. He seemed like a good guy. Morningstar graciously accepted one of the apples and took a bite out of it. It was not too soft but not too crunchy either. It was just the way he liked them. "Hmm," he muttered, swallowing, "Lucky find, huh?" His prodigious new comrade was learning quickly and Morningstar was excited to see him attempt the same move that Raidou had used. He had been watching them fight, clearly. He met the brunette's eyes for a moment and thought they had read each other's minds. "A couple of new items and

ITEM IDENTIFICATION 7/22/2023

7.22.2023 | IDENTIFICATION

Faux quickly got the hang of things. His strike was accurate and quick, dealing enough damage to cripple the poor beast. Intent on finishing it off for them, he stepped towards it, both hands gripping the hilt of his sword. Then, from out of nowhere, Raidou reappeared, brandishing his bag of apples. "That works," Morningstar said, putting his greatsword away. The warg was gone in a flash, remembered only by the loot that the tank received for slaying it. He nodded at Raidou's comment. Faux had done surprisingly well for being so new to fighting. There was always room for improvement,

Morningstar shifted in his seat. It was clear to him now that he was not in the same class as the rest of the front liners that surrounded him. They guessed and offered theories of the meaning behind the symbols and diagrams and he found himself at a loss for words. The things that they said made some sense, yet he had nothing of value to add. They spoke of items as well; he did not have many of those to offer either. He did not speak, instead opting to listen to the words of those with experience. What he gathered was that knowing for certain what would unfold within the boss room was im

"Nah, don't worry about it. I'm supposed to be helping you out," he laughed. Morningstar appreciated Faux's offer to help pay for their steeds. He deemed him a respectable guy. Chivalrous, even. However, the blonde could not accept his money; he doubted the man had much to offer and did not intend to rob him. Instead, he gave him a pat on the shoulder and turned to lead the crew to the stables. Raidou surprised him. He gave him a look of obvious confusion, then looked at Faux. It was probably best not to question the tank's words, although he found it unlikely that they would stray f

the end MORNINGSTAR + 6,837 xp | ((4593/10)*4*1)+5,000 + 25,400 col | 15,000+10,000+400 + <<Forgotten King's Authority>> + 2 materials + 1 Perfect Armor + 1 Perfect Weapon + 1 Envious Betrayal | MIT 2 | Thorns | T3 Perfect Heavy Armor ID: 213612 LD: 7+5 = 12

Morningstar opened the letter carefully, half expecting it to explode in his face and destroy the entire city of Tomoika. It did not, thankfully. It read quite formally and offered few details. He had never heard of the three guilds listed. Not that he knew many guilds, to be fair, aside from the old legends. He wondered about their strength and player count. Would this meeting be grandiose or rather small? How many other solo players had been invited? Would there be anyone he knew? Willow would be there.

“Why me?” “I dunno. I’m just the messenger,” Willow smirked, handing him a written letter. It was the second handwritten message he had received in his time in Aincrad, which was strange considering there was a built in messaging system. The two added each other to their friends lists and spoke briefly about a variety of meaningless things. Talking about them together made them feel a bit less meaningless. He held onto the letter for the entire duration of their chat, although he was tempted to open it right then and there. “You took on that quest? Alone? Seriously?” Willow trie

He took a seat on a bench overlooking a large portion of the city. It was oddly calm for a place so busy. He was unsure whether or not he liked it. It was unlike other settlements he frequented. Everything was so… dirty. Smoky, too. Just as he was about to whip open his journal and jot down an entry, he felt the presence of another sit down next to him. Her hair was an unforgettable crimson. He stared at her, confused. She looked over the edge, her hands folded in her lap. "Nice view, huh?” The woman’s voice was warm, like hot cocoa. “Best in the city,” Morningstar replied, with