Morningstar

Nari-Larenth. Morningstar gazed in her direction for a moment, listening to Jomei's advice. Yet another opponent he was excited to face. His thoughts were interrupted by another new voice. The stranger's dark hair matched his traditional outfit elegantly. He had a piercing gaze that gave his words even more meaning. "Well said," he nodded to the man, "in all honesty, I don't know many people. I've spent a good portion of my time here alone. This has been a nice change, I'd say. Hell, even the rush I get from competing feels great. Even if I don't come out with the win, I have a feel

Morningstar agreed with the decision to bring the guide along. Getting lost in the forest, let alone the maze, sounded like a nightmare. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Rebekah peering into the woods. It seemed they'd both seen the wolves hiding behind the trees. Despite this, he felt safe in the group. Rebekah's stats were intimidatingly high and Larbrook... well, he was just scary looking. She questioned his weapon choice. His brow raised and he look down at his blade. He hadn't thought about it before, but maybe it was an uncommon pick. He didn't know anyone else who used a tw

The question didn't surprise him—players always seemed like they were willing to work together in this world. He adjusted his cloak, which blended in quite well with their surroundings. A partner didn't sound bad at all. "I am here for the Hoyas and if it's not too big of an ask, I'd love to join you. Honestly, I was a little worried this quest would be too much for me to handle on my own," he ran a hand through his messy undercut, blonde locks enveloping his fingers. A popup appeared before him, indicating a party invite. Star pressed the accept button and it disappeared, leaving hi

Aruyt. Morningstar was by no means a master explorer, but he'd been around the third floor quite a few times. Aruyt was at the bottom of his list of settlements. The rabbit people, as he thought of them, were friendly but the town itself was... sketchy, for lack of a better term. After all, it was built in the trees and if you weren't careful, you could fall out of trees. The last time he'd visited Aruyt, he and a friend had been chasing a tip they'd received from some broker about a rare item—he didn't remember what anymore. The lead turned out to be false and after nearly killing t

"Yeah," Morningstar said proudly, "although I'll admit there was some luck involved." He used his training sword as an anchor, leaning on it while he fiddled with the angel wing pendant around his neck. He liked Jomei's cloak. It almost reminded him of his own, although his was a lighter shade of green. He looked back to the duels. Truthfully, it seemed like the strongest players were the ones losing. It surprised him. "Sorry to hear that you're out so early. Who'd you fight? Anyone I should be worried about?" Star half joked. He hadn't watched all of the matches but from what h

Morningstar dried his wet hand on his kimono. The bird, finding nothing but stone, flew away into the trees. He stretched his arms, extending them above his head. He was beginning to feel comfortable; however, instead of staying and relaxing he forced himself off the ground. Star gazed up at the tree line. "Thanks for the company." He was sure someone had mentioned beverages when he arrived, but couldn't remember where. The dojo made the most sense. He walked back up the stone path until he reached the entrance to the dojo. The fights were almost done, although that was the case when

While they walked, Stephen periodically shifted his attention to the ground and nearby bushes to see if he could pick out any materials. "If you see something, let me know," he told his friend. Joaquin agreed. "What kind of profession are you thinking of learning? Hopefully these quests have come in handy." "As much as I dislike Lyle, I actually think smithing could be fun. "Fitting. I had a feeling you'd stay away from performer." Stephen chuckled. "Years of acting will be going to waste. Artisan is my second choice." "Artisan, huh?" A voice called. The duo

Joaquin's eyes grew wide as he watched his protégé attack. "That's better." Stephen swung hard, his blade penetrating the boar's skin and slicing cleanly through. A perfect hit. He came to a stop, kneeling behind the explosion of particles where the boar once sat. He hadn't even given it a chance to attack. He stood up, sliding his blade into it's leather sheath. "One more to go," Stephen's attention turned to the sky, "let's take our time and enjoy the weather though." Joaquin smiled. "Let's." The pair wandered through the fields, laughing and chatting together. The next s

"Stop slacking or we'll be here all night. Go fight that one." Joaquin gestured towards a boarlet in the distance. Stephen saluted, rolling his eyes. The banter was a nice change from the silence that he was used to. He'd been by himself for a while now and the isolation was getting to him. He heard a crunch behind him followed by some chewing. Joaquin had helped himself to an apple while he watched Stephen prepare. He approached the boar nonchalantly, not worried about the outcome of the fight. He anticipated another quick fight, although this time it'd be a bit cleaner. At least, h

Morningstar returned a smile. "Thanks for the tip. Maybe we'll get the chance to fight later." He waved lazily, heading towards the exit she'd gestured to. Honestly, he almost felt disappointed that NIGHT wasn't joining him. But he understood. The first round would be ending soon—why risk missing the next? Besides, some time alone to clear his head seemed like an opportunity to prepare for his own match. At this point, it was hard to tell who he'd fight. He wasn't worried. The sun was high, although it felt like he'd been there for an eternity. Star wandered away from the dojo, stayi

Recovering quickly, he kicked off the ground. This time, he aimed down at the boarlet, looking to end the first fight as fast as possible. Joaquin watched, pleased at Stephen's speedy improvement. It wasn't long ago that he watched the blonde struggle fighting boars. Now, he could even tank a hit from one. "Still," he muttered, "I'm not sure he's ready for the big ones." Stephen touched the ground again and brought his blade down with enough force to eliminate the boar in a single strike. It shattered into pixels as he sliced into it. Stephen wiped a bit of sweat from his forehead. T

Stephen stretched his arms as he prepared for battle. The boar took instant notice of the swordsman and snorted. Even boarlets were aggressive and mean, but compared to the bigger boars they were a cake walk. The blonde swung his longsword, getting used to it's weight, before dashing forwards. He sliced up from the ground, aiming at the beast's throat, but felt that his footing was off. His sword missed it's mark, but just barely. "Damn it," he muttered, trying to catch himself. The boar didn't allow it, though. Stephen felt it's dense head ram into his back with enough force to knoc

The boars weren't as close to the town as Stephen had remembered. He wondered if they ever moved locations. They spent their time walking catching up and talking about life in Aincrad. "How's the guild?" Stephen asked. "Same old. Actually, Katar's been promoted. He's leading his own exploration team now. I think he wants me to convince you to join," Joaquin chuckled, scrolling through his inventory. Stephen played with his pendant. "My answer's the same as last time. No guilds for me. Solo exploration only." "I won't try to change your mind, but expect Katar to come find yo

Star laughed. "I don't know if I'm that good, but if I can help then I'd love to." He'd always been more of an explorer. Aincrad was a big place and he intended to see as much of it as he could before he left. Morningstar considered the idea of joining a raid boss fight. NIGHT obviously had experience with them; maybe he could ask her to show him the ropes some day. Morningstar viewed idly as another match came to an end. NIGHT seemed to avoid—at least partially—his question. He didn't press, but he did appreciate her offer to watch out for his friends. "It's okay," he crossed h

"Both, I suppose—my match with Hirru just finished and now I'm waiting for the next round to start," Morningstar tried sliding his hands into his pockets, but realized that his kimono had none. How long had it been since the quest on the first floor? It felt like months but truthfully, he couldn't remember. Star hadn't kept in touch either, although he'd originally intended to. Morningstar returned a smile. "Nice to see you again, NIGHT. Just watching today? I don't think I saw you in the bracket." Speaking of which, he had no idea who his next opponent was. An uneven amount of

Stephen found his way back to the observer's area and sighed. After his match with Hirru, he couldn't help but feel tired. The mental power it took to fight another player instead of a mob made it taxing. He wondered how many more he'd have to take part in. That being said, he didn't regret signing up. Stephen watched from a distance as the ongoing matches continued. He pouted. A blue-haired player that looked interesting to him seemed to be losing. "Maybe he's still got a chance," he mumbled to himself. Stephen felt like he'd been pumped with adrenaline. He'd never played any s

Star was almost surprised when he felt his blade touch Hirru's side. "Good match out there!" The hunter called out. He'd blown away his own expectations and come out with his first, and hopefully not last, win of the tournament. He met his opponent's eyes and felt something he'd never experienced before: the joy of competition. He smiled. "I'm glad I had the opportunity to face you. Let's do it again someday—maybe with our own gear." He didn't bow, nor did he offer a hand shake. Were there unspoken rules involving the ending of a duel? If there were, Stephen wasn't aware of

Hirru's attack was unexpected and Star couldn't block it quite in time. In attempt to dodge, he leaned to the right. He thought he was in the clear, for a moment, but the midway stop caused the sword to touch Star's chest. Hirru claimed a point and while it was well deserved, Star didn't like it. "Damn," he muttered. He'd made a mistake and it'd cost him his lead. He pushed down his sword, colliding with his opponent's. Star took the chance to back away while Hirru's blade bounced back. A close match was better, he told himself. While not daring to turn his back on Hirru, he wondered

Stephen, irritated, stormed out of the smith. Lyle was, without a doubt, the most unpleasant NPC that he'd met. Still, he accepted the terms presented to him. Lyle requested—or perhaps it was more of a demand—that Stephen brought back a few boar tusks from the fields. It wasn't a hard job, thankfully, so he was willing to do it. He walked through the Town of Beginnings, smiling at strangers in passing. It wasn't quite as busy today, for some reason. Maybe it was a holiday. When he reached the gate at the edge of town, he stopped and pulled open his friends list. It was time to call a

The door to the blacksmith creaked as Stephen pushed it open. "Excuse me?" Inside, you could hear the clanging of metal against metal. Even from the entrance it was warm, almost uncomfortably. Stephen scanned the room, looking for Lyle, the NPC he'd been sent to speak with. Weapons lined the walls; straight swords almost like his own, katanas sharper than the horizon, and spears that made the man question his weapon choice. Lyle was obviously skilled in his craft. Even the armor looked high quality. Stephen moved his way through the store, admiring the craftsmanship while he followed the

Hirru's attitude suddenly changed and Morningstar took notice. It seemed like his verdant-haired opponent needed to find his bearings and now that he'd found them, he was ready to attack. Star was up a point but wasn't quite in the clear yet. He stepped backwards, his anxiety disappearing. There was power in Hirru's step as he lunged at Star. The tip of Hirru's blade nearly touched his shoulder but Star swiped his own sword left, blocking the attack. They clashed their blades for a moment before disengaging. "Too close," Morningstar caught his breath, quickly imagining his next play.

Other duels had already begun around Morningstar. He gave his training sword a swung, getting used to it's weight. It was lighter than his straight sword. His first opponent, and hopefully not his last, was a green-haired gentleman who went by the name "Hirru". "It's nice to meet you," he leaned on his sword, it's point touching the floor, "you can call me Star." Star's nerves were building up. He wasn't unconfident in himself, but Hirru looked like he'd been in a fight or two before. Star tried focusing on having a good time rather than the outcome, but truthfully he wanted to win;

Morningstar had never been to the 24th floor; it was above his skill level. He'd heard stories of the sandy beaches and coral reefs, but his low stats and fear of sea serpents caused him to stay far away. What better chance to take a look, he thought, than a Valentines Day tournament. The sea breeze pushed back his hood, revealing dirty blonde hair and a pair of golden eyes. "Will you be taking part in the tournament today?" A voice asked. The boat rocked slowly. Star met the gaze of Takumi, the one paddling it. "You know," Morningstar smiled, "I think I will be." He was ex

Current Level: 4 Current SP: 13 Link to SP Tracking: Morningstar's Character Sheet Item Upgrades: N/A

Stephen's joy did not last. The name shook him to his core. Thoughts of the past flooded back to him and he remembered the sight of a well-kempt blonde stabbing a blade through Lexa's back. Atlas said nothing, only watching for a reaction from the swordsman. It was almost as if the Titan pitied him. Stephen wasn't that naïve. ----------------------------------------------------------- "Don't trust Atlas. He's good with words when he needs to be," Helios opened a map showing a vast mountain range. "He's known as a Titan for a reason," Stephen chuckled. Helios smirked in agre