Morningstar

Morningstar spun around, surprised that anyone was around. He hadn't noticed the old man when he'd jumped and he hadn't swum a far distance. "I am," he called back. "This is my last day on the islands so I wanted to make the best of it." "Truly, truly. We're in the same boat," the old man laughed. Due to his age, one could have mistaken him for an NPC. It was rare to see older players. The man was dressed comfortably in shades of brown with a straw hat to block out the sunlight. He wore glasses, strangely enough. Morningstar was of the belief that eyesight problems were fixed wi

Everything is different underwater. It's as if your senses are restrained; tethered by the ocean itself. You can't see or hear anything clearly. You relinquish your control to Neptune and in return are offered uncertainty—a mystifying coin flip between tranquility and dread. Luck was on Morningstar's side. Holding his breath, he floated for a bit less than a minute before rising to the surface. His head breached the glass-like plane that separated the two worlds of sea and land. His blonde hair looked brown when it was wet. He trod the water, admiring the serenity of his surroundings. The

Within a twenty-minute time frame, Morningstar had climbed back up the cliffside and said goodbye to Peaches. "I'm sure we'll meet again. Here," he said, handing the rabbit the last of the wildflowers he had collected. The animal took them willingly and hopped away, back through the bushes and into the quiet forest. Morningstar watched for a moment until he was sure that Peaches was gone. Then, he turned back to the sea. Previous tests had concluded that the currents below were safe for swimming. Taking a few steps back, he took a deep breath in. He stretched his back and legs and th

Alkor... Morningstar tried putting a face to the name but found that he was drawing a blank. Had he been the one fighting the blonde girl? He couldn't remember. "Fine, if you want me to put on my big girl pants, my answer is Jomei," he smirked, using the only name he could remember from previous conversations. "But you can't ask why." "I get it though," he looked back towards the dojo. "There are a lot of interesting people here. It'd be a lie if I said I wasn't curious about a few of them." That being said, he felt no urge to confront or talk to them. He was content where

Rebekah's call to train her owl was one that Morningstar had expected. He knew from the day she had tamed it that she would need to teach it how to assist her in combat. Since he was the one who joined her that day, it made sense that he'd tag along once more. Star had never been to the twenty-second floor. It never interested him, for some reason. Maybe it was because it felt like a place you went to retire; the most peaceful place in existence. Monsters were few and far between unless you included the deer. It just seemed... boring. He could not deny the beauty of it, however. Even

The Town of Beginnings—a place Morningstar had mixed feelings about. The busy streets, the loud districts. The whole town brought back memories, both good and bad. Images of the house he'd once intended on purchasing flooded his mind. He wondered if anyone had purchased it in the last year. He hadn't checked. "Yeah, it's a safezone. Nobody can die or be injured within the walls. It's called the Town of Beginnings. It's where we all started. I've got to be honest, though, it feels weird explaining this," Morningstar said. The tall walls loomed over the two players as they stepped thro

Morningstar smiled at the furry creature next to Oji. He'd never seen a sable before but thought it was cute. "Morningstar," he said. "Nice to meet you." His attention switched to the newcomer. He was thankful to see a face that he recognized. Brown hair, an uninterested question, and a question that Morningstar didn't understand all came about unexpectedly. The seventh floor had felt like weeks ago but in reality, it had only been a few days. "And you're... Monarch, right? Good to see you again," Morningstar said, brushing back his blonde locks. Morningstar's knowledge of

The blade slid across the man's hand, leaving a crimson trail of pixels behind it. It was obvious that he had expected himself to bleed. Morningstar's face shifted from confusion to worry. Bahr really knew nothing. Nine years of whatever life he had lived before were gone like smoke. He cleared his throat, pondering the best place to start. The beginning, he supposed. "This is a video game. Everyone playing is stuck here until we can beat it. You don't bleed or feel much pain but if you die within the game, it's over; you die outside too." That was the gist of it. He left his explana

Morningstar knelt on the cold ground, clutching the dust left by the red crystal. Tears ran down his face and he opened his fist, letting what remained of it flow to the ground. It fell slowly, like sand in an hourglass. The crystals were the exact kind that Lexa would have liked, shimmering and beautiful. However, it didn't last. Nothing ever seemed to. The rabbit nudged the arm that held Morningstar up. He opened his eyes, surprised. He had forgotten Peaches was there. He wiped his face on his bare arm and, with a lot of effort, lifted himself up. "I knew I'd be dealing with some h

Morningstar relaxed at the sight of the lowered sword. What was going on? The distressed expression on his face, the fumble for words—he was telling the truth, it just didn't make sense. His name dangled from nothing above his head. Could he really not know his own name? It sounded absurd; he never would have believed it if he hadn't witnessed how the player acted. Morningstar lifted his hand from his blade handle. "I guess, for starters, your name is Bahr." Bahr's questions bothered Morningstar. Not knowing his own identity was one thing but why ask what Morningstar was? He was

The girl's expression was expected; he'd never found anyone else who enjoyed the drink like he did. He was an anomaly. The brunette's choice of coffee didn't hurt Morningstar's feelings either. He glanced back and forth between the two of them. "Monarch and... what was your name?" Morningstar asked the girl. "If you're capable of tanking, I feel comfortable being our DPS." He swished the ice around in his glass, considering what else he should say. His full story regarding the dungeon felt unnecessary. He decided to hold off unless it came up naturally. "I guess all I have left to te

There was something that dwelled in the darkest parts of the cavern. Something that terrified Stephen. He knew because moments after stepping onto the ice, the beast's bellowing call echoed through the air, vibrating the walls and paralyzing him and Lexa. They stared at each other, eyes wide. Thumps and scurries grew louder and louder as seconds passed. What happened? Had he activated something by accident? He looked in the direction of the sound saw something large and ice-blue swiftly stomping through the cave. "Run!" Stephen cried. He moved first, pulling Lexa from her fearful tra

Stephen lost track of how much time they'd spent in the dungeon. He estimated an hour but it could have been longer. "Has it gotten colder in here?" Lexa asked. "I mean, we're pretty far in. Sun's not really touching this part," Stephen shrugged. "I guess." Groups of frost lizard-men had attacked multiple times while they explored but there were never enough to worry Stephen. The cave was lacking the challenge that they had expected. Where were the strong monsters? The rare loot? He glanced at Lexa. "Does this seem weird to you?" "What?" "We've seen nothing b

Stephen looked down from the cave entrance, waiting for his partner to join him. When she was close enough, he held out his arm to help her. He pulled her up and they looked out together at the world. The view was spectacular. From their position, they could see across the mountain range, even as far as Deepedge. He tapped her shoulder, motioning her to follow him. They moved onward, ducking under jagged rocks and swerving around sharp corners. The cave became darker the deeper they traveled. "Any chance you brought a torch?" Morningstar asked. "Of course. One of us needs to come pre

The suddenness of the situation frightened Morningstar. His hand dipped low to the hilt of his blade but he did not draw it. He stared down the length of the stranger's sword, holding his hand out as if to say 'hold on a minute'. He listened to the man's request—actually, it was more of an order—and stopped in his tracks. Was this a mistake? Had he been fooled by a lone Player Killer? His eyes darted up to the man's cursor to confirm its colour. It was green. Could it have been a misunderstanding? Internally, he told himself to calm down. Adrenaline had taken control by this point and it

"That makes four in a row. Want to go again?" Morningstar shuffled his deck of cards elegantly, smirking at the hooded figure across from him. The man snickered, flipping a dagger between his fingers. "Fine. One more time but only because I like you, Mr. Morningstar," he said. Cards flew to the other side of the table, landing in front of the man. He peaked at them nonchalantly, hiding them from Morningstar's view. The blonde didn't look away from his own cards. He placed the shuffled deck in the center of the table and traded one of his cards for a new one. The hooded man

Morningstar’s fixation with insignificant things was not something he ever considered to be unhealthy. By no means did he view himself as a philosopher; however, he relished the act of thought. The seed that was an individual idea or belief could, with time, develop into a theory. Theories lead to innovations and innovations to more ideas. An endless cycle of thinking and learning. That’s not to say all of Morningstar’s thoughts were rational. He basked in the sun’s angelic glow as he so often did on his days off. The existence of it puzzled him. If there was a sun, as well as other stars

"Sure, let's head back." The owl was beautiful, Morningstar thought. Its white feathers matched nicely with the snow. "Congrats on the owl. You're like Harry Potter now." He wondered what she'd name the bird. They walked back through the thick snow that covered the ground. Their snowshoes helped speed up the travel time. They followed the trail of their footprints back to town where the traveling gypsy awaited them. Upon returning to the center of Snowfall, Morningstar stopped. "I suppose I should get going now. It was nice seeing you again. Glad I could join you on this quest,

It didn't take long for his help to arrive. Two players appeared simultaneously regarding the request that Morningstar had made. The first to join him was a girl who stood about a foot shorter than him. Her hair was a shade of dark purple and her clothes appeared to be particularly chosen to match with it. Her weapon of choice was an assault spear that came approximately to her shoulder. The next was a brown-haired fellow who seemed to carry a lack of energy with him. They would do, he thought. "I'm Morningstar, yeah. I appreciate the help. It'll be nice to know someone's covering my

Morningstar lagged behind a bit, not wanting to interrupt the taming process. He followed Rebekah, her focus maintained on the snowy owl. He wasn't alone, but it almost felt that way as Rebekah left to look over the animal. The crunching of the snow beneath his feet was more audible and the winter air felt cold against his skin. Star had the habit of losing himself in conversation at times. He was present now. He stopped to watch the scene unfold ahead of him. Rebekah sat in the snow, examining the owl carefully. From where he was, it didn't seem like the owl minded her being so close. Maybe t

Being busy was what Morningstar wanted. Less free time meant less boredom, which recently he'd had an excess of. The focus that would come along with blacksmithing was exactly what the swordsman needed. He smiled, glad that Rebekah supported his idea. He looked down at his gear when the girl spoke of tier four perfects. "Yeah, I guess I do need some upgrades. I see what you mean about growing out of the lower tier items, even what I've got is outdated. I'll have to find a tailor to replace my armor. Maybe I'll hold off on a weapon and make myself a sword, though." And then there was

"Thanks," Morningstar smiled. It felt like there were a million quests for him to do. Actually, he really enjoyed taking them on, especially alongside other players. "I'll let you know next time I plan to do one." Rebekah's advice was solid. He took breaks regularly but still felt burnt out from time to time. Helping Rebekah with her quest was actually a break for him. Aside from walking, he didn't have to do much. It felt like a better way to spend his time off than wandering aimlessly around different towns. "I guess I need to start crafting then. I think I'll take the quest

"A giant scorpion, huh? Sounds like quite the story," he chuckled. Morningstar would have to wait and hear from his friend about his experience with the quest. He intended on challenging the quest soon, although he didn't know much about it. "I think you're right," he said, "Survival's an important skill. I've only picked up a few basic combat skills, so I'd like to get it later this week if I can." "I've still got a long way to go before I'm caught up to you," he swished his hand, a blue screen appearing a foot from his face. He looked over his stats. In the last month, he'd improve

The way Astralin spoke of her past was surprisingly similar to his own. His busy life never truly felt like his own. He never felt like he had a place. The difference, he supposed, was his family's fame he'd been born into. She mentioned her real name, but he didn't ask what she meant. Like Morningstar, Astralin didn't know anyone at the tournament—any of the guys, at least. It was relieving to know that he wasn't the only one without a clue who he would choose if he were to win. "I'm in the same boat. I met a few people today, including you two, but I dunno. It's hard to pick, you k

"I guess fighting a mother bear doesn't sound that fun," Morningstar admitted. They avoided the mother and its babies. Star casually scanned the area for animals as they talked, but nothing stood out to him. She brought up owls again. "Owls are absolutely birds," he laughed. "Actually, now that you mention it, an owl would be a cool pet. Or maybe a hawk." Her idea of a floor full of dinosaurs sounded both exciting and terrifying. He'd read dozens of books on them and although they interested him a lot, he also didn't want to meet one face to face. That being said, he was a bit d