Morningstar

Zamek nudged Morningstar's shoulder and pointed in the distance. "There," he said, "that is where my treasure is buried." Morningstar nodded with a sad smile and they continued towards the spot. The rock formations were oddly skeletal. They were almost dragon-like in appearance, he thought. He could make out the head, if he tried hard enough, and a spine that connected to it. The spine was spiked with jagged rocks and curved around in the shape of a tail. "This is it?" Morningstar asked. They stood staring at the face of the beast. It almost looked like it was staring back. Zame

Katar was gone. The party of five had been reduced to two. Morningstar looked to Zamek. "I'll finish your quest," he said wistfully. The old man nodded and they stepped back through the hole in the wall, leading them into the heart of the sandstorm. Another mile into the desert was all it would take, he thought. His steps were slower and weaker now. Zamek's coughs and the powerful winds were the only things filling the blonde's head now. He hadn't felt a pain like this in a long time. He gripped the angel wing pendant in his fist and with the other hand pulled his hood back over his

Morningstar's breathing was heavy. His entire body was. Whatever motivation or spirit he'd had when they'd begun their journey into the desert had left at the sight of Grace's body hitting the soft sand. He couldn't even look at Katar, who was still leaning against a nearby building. Zamek peered out from the safety of the house. He approached Morningstar slowly, placing a hand on the blonde's shoulder. He turned his attention to the old man and they shared a defeated look. Katar slammed his fist into the wall, leaving behind dozens of cracks. Morningstar glared in the man's direction. "W

Seconds turned to minutes and those minutes felt like an eternity. The sandstorm had begun to cover Morningstar's body as he lay there, unmoving. Even his brain had slowed down as the panic had left them. One question still lingered, however: Why was he still alive? If they had killed Grace, then why leave him there? Was Katar still holding them off? The clashing of blades answered his last question. It was hard to hear with the intensity of the sandstorm, but somebody was still fighting. A twitch in his left foot told him that the paralysis was wearing off. He struggled but even as it su

"Same as her. Chocolate milkshake for me, though," Morningstar added, ordering his meal. The Ox Burgers came quicker than he'd expected. Even for a virtual restaurant, he was surprised that there was little preparation time involved with cooking. He took a bite of the burger before trying his milkshake and fries. The taste was far different than the burgers he was accustomed to. Superior, even. The condiments, whatever they were, mixed nicely with the spices of the meat, and the vegetables tasted fresh. "You're a cook, right? I need to stop by your shop sometime and try your food." H

With some effort, the door swung open. A shrouded figure stepped inside and without hesitation, Katar unsheathed his katana. The horizontal arc made by the man's blade shocked the bandit, causing him to duck outside. The NPC called out for backup and two more bandits revealed themselves, weapons in hand. Katar dashed outside, giving no chances for the bandit to escape. His Kraki Gazan met the bandit's silver curved sword, clashing on impact. "Shit!" Morningstar exclaimed furiously, withdrawing his own blade. Simon and Grace did the same, asking Zamek to stay put. They stepped outside

Rebekah agreed to head back to Coral and they trekked back down the beaten forest path that lead to town. He glanced towards trees and bushes in case there were any more materials for him to find. There weren't, however. Morningstar didn't complain; he'd found his haul and he was content with it. "I was thinking about getting dinner," he said in response to Rebekah's question. "What about you?" There was a restaurant on the second floor, in a lesser-visited part of Urbus, that he had been meaning to try. The establishment had supposedly risen to fame due to its popular Ox Burgers. "I

"Not much," Morningstar said, meeting Rebekah's eyes. "Although, I did find a cool gem." He turned back to the lake, giving it one more look before giving up on his search. "Two materials should be fine for now, I guess," he chuckled. It looked like Snowball's training had been completed. The owl's final kill was a boar. Morningstar stood up, dusting bits of sand off of his pants. It was sufficient to say that they'd both been successful that day. He looked back at Rebekah. "Should we start heading back to Coral soon?" He asked, unsure of the girl's schedule for the rest of the

He peered out the small hole. There were three bandits standing in the path leading up to the house. They appeared to be speaking to each other but he couldn't tell what they were saying. Their faces were covered, like the previous men they'd encountered. Morningstar ducked away, avoiding the chance of being spotted. "Yeah, you were right. Bandits." "Well, what do we do?" Katar asked, accidentally raising his voice. Realizing his mistake, he toned down. "Should we wait for them to come to us?" "Honestly, I think we should talk to them," Morningstar returned. "Talk?" Katar s

Katar didn't respond verbally. Instead, he finished off his wrap and picked up the apple, moving towards the door. There was a tiny hole in it that Morningstar had noticed upon entering. It was low, towards the bottom of the door. Katar knelt down to stare through it. He sat there for about thirty seconds before looking back at the blonde. His impatience had turned to worry, for some reason. "I swear I just saw something out there," Katar said. "What? Where?" Simon asked, sitting up to take a look through the hole. Grace pulled him back down, shaking her head. Morningstar looked

"As I said, I've come prepared," Morningstar revealed five wraps filled with chicken and vegetables as well as an apple each. "I'm starving," Simon said, scooching over from his corner to take his portion of the food. Morningstar handed out food to each of the crew members before taking his own. He withdrew the wrap from the parchment that covered it and took a bite. Judging by Simon's face, he was enjoying it the most. The poor kid hadn't eaten since morning. Even Zamek seemed to like the food. The idea of NPCs still perplexed the blonde. They seemed just like regular people to him,

"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