Morningstar

"Only one of these buildings still has a roof. Not to mention sturdy walls," Katar said. "If you call these sturdy," Simon returned, a brick crumbling as he tapped his knuckles on a wall. Morningstar peeked inside the safest building, the one that Katar had mentioned. It was quiet inside as if the sandstorm didn't exist there. It seemed safe enough, he thought. At the very least, he felt confident that they could rest without being eaten by a giant toothed worm. He swung around, widening the door to let the motley crew inside. The walls were brown and dull. There were cracks on every

The gasp of a stranger took Morningstar by surprise. He jumped, startled. By the look on the bartender's face, he was as shocked as the blonde. He exhaled his lagging breath; a sigh of relief as the gears in his brain began to turn and he figured out what was happening. He hadn't even noticed the man standing behind him, peering over his shoulder. He scrambled for words at the realization that he was being asked a question. The stranger was dressed inconspicuously. He wore a cloak that, for the most part, covered his identity. It was similar to Morningstar's own, albeit longer and duller

Morningstar's gaze was stuck to the gem. It was similar in shade to the gems he had found on the Paradise Islands; however, unlike them, this one stayed intact even after being ripped from the earth. Ideas for a blade filled the man's mind. The crystal and the blackwood he'd found before could be used for a hilt of a sword or the shaft of a spear. Perhaps an ornate dagger. Thoughts like this had been appearing more and more often. It seemed as if it were the time for him to begin his blacksmithing quest and open a shop of his own. He stashed the gem in his inventory for save keeping, stic

Reyna's level took him by surprise. He raised a brow as if he were thinking about how to approach the situation. He was confident that he could handle the quest alone but holding the life of a level one player in his hands almost made him uncomfortable. If something were to happen to her, it would be his fault. Morningstar caught the woman gazing at his necklace. Smiling faintly, he wondered what Lexa would have done in his position. The staring of passersby finally came to an end, relieving some of his tension. He cleared his throat, committing to an answer. "If we go together, you'

"Yeah, you're right," Morningstar began, "the path itself isn't dangerous." Morningstar recalled the route to the mountain. While it was a ragged path, he hadn't run into any mobs on the way. That being said, he dreaded the length of it. The walk would take about an hour if they weren't rushing, which they had no reason to do. "The first sections of the cavern are just lizardmen, from what I've seen. Nothing too difficult. After a bit of walking, we'll come to a fork and one of the three paths will lead towards the boss. The others are dead ends. Assuming it doesn't change every time

Much to Morningstar's surprise, Snowball swooped past him. He soared towards the center of the lake but the fish stopped their leaps. After a few failed dives, the snowy owl flew back to Rebekah. He commended him for the effort, finding humor in the fact that the familiar took an order from someone other than Rebekah. He turned his attention back to the water. Small ripples flowed over his fingertips as he played with small pebbles, smoothed by the lake. Tiny fish swam nearby, curious of what Morningstar was. When they were satisfied with what they had seen, they disappeared deep into the

Bahr's message to Morningstar was received instantly. "Quick for someone with no memories," he chuckled, closing his menu and looking up at the clouds. Then, he pushed himself up off of the soft grass and headed towards town. Once again, the part of town Bahr's shop was located in came off as unpleasant. Nonetheless, he trekked through, periodically checking behind him to make sure nobody weird was following him. He arrived at the location and entered, meeting Bahr's eyes at the desk to the side. The armor was sitting there next to the man, ready to be worn. "That looks incredible,"

Nari stopped him at the door, giving him what he took as a warning. He didn't think it needed to be said; of course, protecting Monarch would be their priority. Morningstar knew the risk he was taking and Nari, judging by her confidence, seemed capable of protecting herself. Monarch, however, had said himself that he wasn't a fighter. The boy's interjection was surprising. Morningstar had originally pegged him as apathetic but now, it seemed unfair. He caught the boy's last remark and smiled. "I appreciate the sentiment but I agree with Nari," he said, meeting her gaze. Then, he turn

"Sure, let's try the lake." Morningstar's experience with lakes was short-lived; in the real world, he spent most of his time by the ocean. He'd gone once or twice when he was young but always preferred saltwater to fresh. The beach was like a second home to him. They trekked through the forest trail and Morningstar scanned the ground for materials the entire way. Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be anything. Eventually, they arrived at a clearing. The lake was beautiful in the sunlight. The water shimmered angelically and he could see fish hopping in the distance. He nudged Rebek

Morningstar peeked into The Crusty Bahrnacle, checking to see if anyone was around. At first glance, it seemed like the owner was out. He stepped in anyway. "There's no way you weren't a villain in the past," he called out, shutting the door behind him. The shop was in a rough part of town. Morningstar had actually never been to the sketchy areas of the Town of Beginnings and to be honest, his time there so far hadn't made him want to return. He stepped up to the counter, eyeing up the store's decor. Clothing hung behind the counter next to a set of light armor. Upon finding the orde

The arrival of the indigo-haired woman was comforting, for lack of a better word. Instead of a town of people staring at him, a town people were staring at them. The NPC's tears finally came to a stop when the player agreed to join in on the quest. "Morningstar," he introduced himself, shrugging. "I'd shake your hand but..." His were, of course, occupied. A quest notification appeared and like clockwork, the NPC loosened her grip. Now free to move as he pleased, he tapped the accept button with his finger. "I think fearing for my life is an exaggeration but if you're not too busy, I

Baldur's voice rang through the gardens, signaling the beginning of the promised slumber party. He was quite the host, Morningstar thought. He had put in a fair bit of thought into the event, even going as far as offering teleport crystals for those in need. It was admirable. After the speech, the blonde returned his attention to Astreya and Astralin—the girls he had been chatting with. "While I enjoyed this dinner date," he joked, "I'm afraid I have to ditch you for the Onsen now." He stood up, adjusting his robe. "Talk to you later," he said, smirking. The trail back to the do

Morningstar nodded, scratching the back of his neck uncomfortably while he wiped a bit of spilled coffee from his shoe. "Yeah. Probably time to get going." He shot an apologetic smile to the NPC woman while Bahr paid for their damages. They stepped back out into the fresh afternoon air and after a bit, he could hear the café return to its usual lively atmosphere. Bahr's words sounded truthful but Morningstar couldn't help but notice a hint of frustration—or maybe it was exhaustion—in his voice. Truthfully, Morningstar felt the same. It had been a long day full of disorientation and

"I'm not sure what it is," Morningstar showed the bartender a piece of wrinkled parchment. "A scroll, maybe?" "Interesting," the NPC returned, adjusting his glasses to get a better look, "where did you say you found this?" Morningstar leaned against the counter, taking a sip from his glass. "It was a random drop. Never seen anything like it." The tavern was lively despite it being three o'clock in the afternoon on a Thursday. The jukebox kicked off with an unfamiliar tune and groups of people laughed and conversed merrily at different tables. Morningstar wondered if he'd forgott

"Judging by the fact that you held me at sword's point earlier, I'd agree; you were probably not one to shy away from physical confrontation," Morningstar joked, a bit of a smirk forming on his face. He watched as Bahr scanned through his skills and items, waiting hopefully to see what he'd find. At the very least, it was good knowledge for the amnesiac to know what exactly he was carrying on him. Knowing that you have health potions could be the difference between life and death. "Demonic is the quality of the item. Just means its good," he remarked, taking another sip from his drin

Morningstar knelt down, searching for more of the wood in the bush. It didn't seem like there was any more of it. Odd, he thought. What was the random log doing there? He stood back up, dusting off the front of his pants. "Doesn't look like there's any more." Snowball once again missed the raccoon. Or rather, the raccoon dodged Snowball's attack. The owl was close enough for Morningstar to give it some credit. "I'm jealous. I still haven't gotten around to getting my own familiar yet. Soon, though," he chuckled. He reopened his inventory, swiping through for a while before reaching t

Grace and Simon chatted quietly from the back of the party. Morningstar wasn't really listening but he caught the words "hungry" and "tired" at some point. "If you guys are hungry, I did bring some dinner for us," he told the group, "I brought extra, actually, so Zamek can have some as well." "Thank you, adventurer. You and your group have been kind to me. You have my gratitude," Zamek said, wheezing in between sentences. The sandstorm was beginning to pickup. "Damn," Katar winced, shielding his face with his arms, "as if this storm wasn't bad enough." "It'll only get worse

"You guys okay back there?" Morningstar called. He'd lost track of time. How long had they been walking for? It felt like hours but he couldn't be sure. He couldn't even recall when they'd started the quest. A swish of his wrist opened his menu. The clock in the corner told him it was 7:37 PM. Night would fall soon enough and they'd be left in the desert in the dark. "Grace and I are okay but Zamek..." Simon hestitated, looking at the old man. "He could use a break." Morningstar sighed. The time had finally come for them to stop and rest, it seemed. But where? There was no obvio

He stifled a chuckle. "Yeah. A little weird, I know. But then again, this whole thing is pretty weird. I just thought it might help me clear my head, you know? Remember everything better." Remember everything better. His eyes widened when he realized what he'd said. Morningstar looked up at Bahr. "I'm assuming you were normal and didn't randomly take notes on your life," he started, "but maybe take a look at your inventory and skills. Something in there might bring back something." It was a long shot but it was something. He was fresh out of answers. "If that doesn't work then I don'

It worked. The menu really worked. Morningstar wasn't sure what he'd expected, to be fair. But this at least proved that he was a player and not some sort of anomaly in the system. On the other hand, it meant that there was still a problem to be solved. His memories truly were gone. Bahr's question caught him off guard. He hadn't thought of a next step. It was a "choose your own adventure" book and he'd run out of choices. He lifted his mug to his mouth and took a sip. The coffee was hot. Satisfactory, he thought. "I guess you could message somebody," Morningstar said, "although

"I guess that's not very fun," Morningstar chuckled. "I don't come up here much but I admit it's very scenic. One day, when I'm like ninety years old, I'll buy a house on this floor." Judging by the owl's hoot, Snowball appeared to be a quick learner. Even after making a mistake, he was immediately giving it another shot. They made a good team, Rebekah and her familiar. "I agree," he told the woman, "It won't be long before he's battle-ready." He let out a gasp, noticing something from the corner of his eye. "Oh!" Hidden under the green leaves of a bush was a mid-sized log. It w

Nakata. Was it the boy's real name? Morningstar nodded, agreeing to call him Nakata. "Star works for me if Morningstar's too much of a mouthful." The explanation of the rumor was short and to the point. Both of the players seemed to know what they were talking about. He looked in the direction that Oji pointed to and when the man began to move, Morningstar followed. "I guess I've been interested from the beginning," he returned, swiping through his inventory to equip the gear that he needed. His blade appeared at his waist and a green cloak laid over his shoulders. "There's a bit of

The question dug into Morningstar like a hook. He had to give an answer; there was no way to back out of it. He paused for a moment to think. "Alright," he started "that sounds fair." He cleared his throat, picking out words that he thought fit his motivation. "A year ago today, my girlfriend died in that dungeon. I guess this is just my way of finding closure," he said. His amber eyes were set on Nari. "If we die it won't be worth it. Not really. And what I find worthwhile is objectively foolish. I won't blame you if you'd like to back out now." He half expected them to, honest

Bahr's confusion at the acronym "NPC" seemed reasonable. He'd learn soon enough, though. The man's description of his memories were morbid. Crawling, hissing. A void-like darkness. It was perplexing, to say the least. When the server finally joined them to take orders, Morningstar was astonished to hear Bahr order a drink without hesitation. Actually, it seemed like he had shocked himself. Morningstar nodded in reaction to Bahr's expression. "I'll have the same." Bahr's monologue continued. It only prompted more questions, however. He never started playing a game? He began in the cav

Morningstar spun around, surprised. Rebekah had been in his blind spot the entire time. "Oh, hey," he said, accepting the party request. "I'm doing well, thanks. I just had coffee with a friend but aside from that, it's been a slow day for me." He peered up at the owl, who'd flown up into the sky. Evidently, she'd picked a name. Star thought it was fitting, although he was a bit disappointed that she hadn't played into the role of Harry Potter and named it Hedwig. His hand touched his forehead, forming a visor to block out the sun. "Sure," he said in response to the girl's reque