Morningstar

The old man was strange, but not completely unpleasant company. Morningstar was primarily confused as to why he was there in the first place. What had brought a man in his early to mid seventies to Sword Art Online? He supposed it was not impossible that he was simply an elderly gamer. It made sense that there would be a few hanging around Aincrad, purely statistically. "Do you have kids? Grandkids?" "Yes, lots." "Are they here with you?" "No, just me." "You a big virtual reality fan or something?" "Virtu-what now?" "Never mind." They walked in silence f

Morningstar knew better than to argue with hunches, especially when they came from wise, experienced old hobbits like Waxton Kingsley. A boar charged straight in their direction; however, the old man was not worried. He continued shifting through the bush, ignoring the beast's assault. Morningstar shrugged, ripping through the boar with a single swipe of his blade. It was almost like a simple quest for a local NPC, although (in spite of how the man looked) he was working for a real person. It was a win-win, really, considering that Morningstar was receiving loot in the process. He only hoped t

"It has a lovely emblem of a Morningstar on the back, I'm a...fraid." Down the carpeted steps and around the bend of the private workstation came Morningstar, who was either walking straight into a trap or had deciphered a painfully obvious code sent by his transfiguring friend. He peeked around the corner and saw the grey-haired old man putting down a trinket of some sort. Henry denied seeing a jacket with anything on the back, kindly but defensively, fully aware that by doing so, he had become an accomplice in whatever this was. Before the stranger could leave, Morningstar showed h

3.16.2024

some uniques from today's appraisals, all paid for: Name: Vampire's Gown Your Profession: Appraiser Your Rank: Rank 5 Roll ID: 220108, 220109, 220110 Roll Result: 17, 14, 2 (Unique found! BD: 10 CD: 9) Item Type: Cloth Armor Tier: T4 Quality: Perfect Enhancements: Loot Die, Vampiric (Defensive), Evasion Description: A black cape with a velvety red underside. Link: URL Acquisition ID: 219722b Name: Might of the Sky Your Profession: Appraiser Your Rank: Rank 5 Roll ID: 220115, 220116 Roll Result: 20, 8 (Unique found! BD: 10 CD: 8) Item Type: Polearm

3.15.2024

The old man was fast despite his age, height, and walking stick. Morningstar trotted along behind him, perplexed by how he had been looped into the quest. A dragon terrorized the northwest and there he was, stuck running errands with someone else's grandfather. "No offense, but aren't you a little old to be playing a game like this?" "You're damn right I am. But, what can you do. Even at seventy-seven years old, I can't take a break. Or was it seventy-two...?" "I'm Star, by the way," Morningstar's introduction was immediately cut off. "Yeah, yeah, I know who you are," the o

Must be their leader, Morningstar thought, reading the name "Ulric Drell" in his head. The pirate's health bar was significantly larger than the rest of the crew's individually and despite Nari's meditation, their energy pool was running dry. "Mm. Does anything ever hit you too hard? I'd think that would be scary, when you don't expect it anyway. Basically every hit is scary for me though, so maybe I'm just naturally uneasy at the thought," Morningstar said, stepping away from the edge and back into the ring with Drell. The blonde attacked before Ulric Drell could make a move, eager

Morningstar smiled. "Alright then, if you insist." He evaded the snapping jaw of the shallows prowler, stuck his sword into its back and watched as the loot rolled in. "You're kind of a natural. You'll be a beast with some levels on you," he told the red-coated swordsman. "Listen, I've got a project that I'm working on but it's still a few weeks away from being a real proposition. I called you out here today out of personal interest, admittedly; I think you'd be suited to what I have in mind, but I needed to make sure. I can't really be any less vague at the moment," he chuckled. "In

"Fair concerns," Morningstar replied. "While I'm confident that I wouldn't lose aggro, my plan's not foolproof. If I did get dragged under and you weren't in a position to stun, or if it were in the middle of stun immunity, it's not impossible that it would go after you while I was out of commission. Maybe it's a 1% chance, but when you need it most that 99% is sure to fail you, in my experience. So, you're probably right. Besides, it's not like there aren't lots of these little guys around," he said, tapping a sleeping alligator with his blade. It awoke, trashing at him until his stun disable

Morningstar always thought the best of situations, even when things looked grim. It was a virtue of his, one might say. Once, his optimism had been compared to a bright light, guiding the way for the hopeless. He hoped that in this moment, for Wulfrin's sake, he could be that light. The moment they stepped into the second mob chamber, it lit up. Two golems erupted from their slumber, a wall barricading them from proceeding to the final boss of the Cave of Wonders. Freyd could see over it, however. His body was a blur as his instincts kicked in. He pummeled one of the bronze golems, crushi

Morningstar shrugged. "I'm indifferent. I can always come back for him another day. Best to keep you in your comfort zone, I think." Spotting another group of gators, Morningstar dashed forwards. He abused the same trick as before, stunning the entirety of the platoon, before backing up a distance from the waterside. Wulfrin could have the kills, he decided. The blonde understood well enough how valuable loot was at an early level. Besides, picking up kills would boost his confidence, even if they were on weakened opponents. It had done the trick for him, and it would do the same for many

"Yeah, that'll happen a lot with Freyd around. No complaints from me," Morningstar admitted. He had seen the Whisper take down dungeon bosses with little effort. The man had earned his respect even before deciding to play tank against Wushen. He laughed. "I meant the two-shotting but now that I think about it, the disrespect is pretty consistent too." Energized and ready to jump back into the fight, Morningstar stood from his seat upon the log. "Ok, might as well fight a little bit more while we're out here. It's not every day you find yourself in a swamp like this. I'd hope not, anyway."

"Potion Seller! I'm in need of your strongest potions!" Morningstar burst through the door to Evangeline's shop, the flier in one hand and a bag full of col in the other. The alchemist gawked at his sudden entrance, and then smiled politely. "I'm sorry, but you couldn't handle my strongest potions." Morningstar raised a brow. "I'm not sure you understand. I'm going into battle and I want only your strongest potions." "My potions would kill a dragon, traveler. You cannot handle my potions." Evangeline said frankly. Morningstar, intent on arguing, thought for a moment. "Actua

"This is exactly what I'm looking for," Morningstar grinned, eying a flier posted on a bulletin board. A dragon had been sighted near Horunka, terrorizing anyone who entered its territory. Players and villagers alike were too afraid to leave the settlement and were worried that it might grow discontent with the size of its home and look to expand further into Horunka's borders. Someone had put out a call for help, requesting a player of suitable strength and experience to take down the dragon and save their hometown. A sum of col was listed at the bottom of the page as a reward, which Mor

"That's a heavy burden," Morningstar commented. "DPS is easy work. It's the tanks and healers that are the real carries." Morningstar locked his blade with one of the remaining two pirates' weapons, placing enough pressure on his enemy to disarm him. Using that opportunity, he sliced the pirate in half. With a quick turn, he dueled the last man standing to the edge of the skyport, where he tipped him over with a hearty kick. "That's that," he said proudly. Their victory was short-lived, however, as a voice called to them from the other end of the platform. "Where's Ryland?"

Morningstar, like just about everyone else, had thought about his physical body outside of the game. It had held out this long, so he had hope that it could survive a few more years. "Wildest quest... That's a good question, and difficult to answer, I'll add," he pondered his many adventures over the years. "Well, the last boss fight was also my first. It was a huge dragon with like, five heads or something. Set us on fire at one point. And then there was "The Traveler," a brutal quest on the fifth floor that has you walking through the desert... The Forgotten Time King almost killed me o

Morningstar nodded, listening to his answer. It was clear to him that Wulfrin had thought about the subject at least a little bit. He recalled the man mentioning his dream of owning a shop some time before, specifically on the twenty-second floor. He had not yet found the time to stop by and visit. When the question was directed back at him, Morningstar looked up, as if in thought. What did he want? It was difficult to put it into words. "During the early days, I was living day to day, just trying to get by and cope with it all. And then, for one reason or another, I left the Town of Begi

"No worries, we can rest a while. We've been traveling all day anyways, so I wouldn't mind a break myself," Morningstar said, taking a seat upon a large fallen log. It was surprisingly dry, considering where they were. He thought it might have been the only dry thing in the swamp. A mosquito buzzed around his ear, attempting to land on his neck for a nonconsensual blood-stealing session. He tried to smack it midair but missed completely, losing sight of it amidst their dark surroundings. The swamp was quiet but for the low croaking of frogs and the chirping of cicadas. If it were less hum

Morningstar shrugged. "They started it, to be fair. How do they know we're not pirates?" The blonde was also unversed in pirate code and refrained from lecturing his partner on the legalities of one pirate spilling another's blood. It seemed in character to him, though. A dagger flew through the air, narrowly missing Morningstar's skull once again. He picked it up from the ground and tossed it right back at the pirate who had thrown it. It embedded itself in his chest, dealing little in terms of damage but obviously creating severe discomfort in the skyrat. Nari voiced an idea that Mornin

Nari was back, her energy restored. Immediately, she returned to a fighting stance and took to battle. Morningstar chuckled. He nodded in agreement, pushing the thought of the crime field trip to the back of his mind and hoping he would remember it for later. A heavy slam fell down upon the fourth sky pirate, his eyes growing wide as Bleeding Giant forced him to the ground. A yelp escaped his mouth before he blew up before Morningstar's eyes. "Four to go," he muttered to himself. "You know, I'm now realizing that of the quests we have done together, two of them involved pirates. Coin

"You know, now that you mention it, I've never met anyone who's gone to prison here. I just assume they exist. But, I don't know, they might be equally as bad. If the game's your prison already and you get locked away inside of another one, it's prisonception. I'd go mad." he mumbled, stopping to take a break from all of the mindless combat. He pulled a flask from his inventory. Inside contained a reddish liquid that smelled of cough syrup. He chugged it, wincing slightly at the taste. His health bar immediately rose, and his energy did as well from the lack of movement. "That's it! Our n

"Scents of the wild, hey? Never done that one. Heard the totems are useful though." Interrupting the pair, Gyrard climbed out of the caravan with a jolly grin resting on his face. "You have done it! Those pesky wolves won't be bothering me or any other merchants anymore! I figured you could just scare 'em off! This is excellent! Here, let's head into the city and I can hand ya your reward there. Give you a little somethin' extra for your hard work." Upon arriving at the town, Gyrard stopped in front of a small cottage. At the sight of the caravan, two kids burst through the front do

Thread Closing: Morningstar receives: 2,455 EXP (Word Count [4910/10*5*1]) 88679 col (1 page [400] + Loot [87,911] + 15% P5 Reward [368]) 80 Materials (Loot [80]) T4 Perfect Consumable 219427a T4 Perfect Consumable 219427b T4 Perfect Armor/Shield 219427c T4 Perfect Armor/Shield 219427c T4 Perfect Weapon 219434a T4 Perfect Trinket 219434b T4 Rare Trinket 219441 T4 Rare Trinket 219442 T4 Rare Trinket 219443 T4 Rare Armor/Shield 219458 T4 Rare Trinket 219459 T4 Perfect Consumable 219460a T4 Perfect Consumable 219460b T4 Perfect Armor/Shield 219460c T4 P

Stunned, Nemo dropped to the ground. They had taken their victory without a scratch on them. Their synergy was good, a testament to their long-lasting friendship and span of experience together. When the stun wore off, Nemo admitted to his defeat. Nemo collapsed to the grassy meadow, the dragon crumbling away to reveal his human form once more. Managing to sit up, he stared at Morningstar and Joaquin with tired eyes. "You're strong, aren't you..?" he mumbled, rubbing his neck sheepishly. The swordsman were shocked to hear the words leave the gardener's mouth. "I'm not used to being beaten