Morningstar

His guest shifted comfortably, still cuddling his leg. Morningstar leaned back, holding himself upright with his dominant arm. The view from the cliff was breathtaking. Throughout his life, he'd never seen anything like it before. The problem with cities was the lack of mountain ranges and untouched bodies of water. Not to mention the fact that trees and bushes always seemed too intentional. Nature in Aincrad was wild and chaotic, yet peaceful all the same. Morningstar had grown up in the heart of California. He'd seen the ocean, of course, but never taken the time to appreciate it. Hikes

"Perfect" being the movie she'd recognized him from seemed fitting. It was your stereotypical girl-meets-boy story. Not that it was a bad thing—he'd enjoyed filming it and loved his co-stars. There just wasn't a lot of depth to it. He noticed Astreya wipe her forhead. She seemed tired but maybe he was projecting. "Maybe some people have someone they really want to ask out," he returned with a chuckle. With two short steps, Morningstar found himself back in the midst of the fight. He thrust his sword downwards but failed to breach the girl's block. Astreya's counter caught him by surp

Morningstar considered his options carefully. Did he want the trinkets or the vanity pendant? He met Rebekah's gaze. "I think I'll take the pendant," he replied, turning to Larbrook. Larbrook took the Hoyas of the East and West and, in return, gave Star the Hoya of Minos. He and Rebekah followed Larbrook back through the winding labyrinth until they reached the Forest of Wavering Mist. Their trip through the forest was filled with Larbrook's promises to sing songs of their battles with the minotaurs and they're adventure through the labyrinth. Eventually, they arrived back in Aruyt.

Paradise Islands - Floor 24 A rabbit hopped silently through bushes, stopping to nibble on patches of grass along the way. It weaved around trees and across paths until it reached a clearing. Sunlight poured in between the leaves and needles of greenery, bathing the critter in light. Its bounces turned to small steps as it poked its head out from behind the shrubs, unsure of its surroundings. A cool sea breeze wafted over the rabbit, the scent of salt relaxing it. It hopped forwards, coming to a stop at the edge of the cliff. The water below was a clear turquoise. Fish leaped from it, cre

Govarron was bigger than Kantaras, but wore less armor. He also wielded a battle axe even larger than Larbrook's. Star stayed silent, nodding to Rebekah as she gestured for him to go first. His hand took to the hilt of his blade and as he pressed forward, he released it from its scabbard. The minotaur turned, hearing the call of metal behind him. It let out a roar, lifting it's weapon in defense. A yellow shimmer embraced Morningstar's blade. He sped up, avoiding a heavy swing from Govarron's axe. With a few quick steps, he found himself behind the beast once again. His sword arced towards his

Morningstar was surprised but Rebekah's answer made sense. He thought about her question, unsure of how to respond. He was an explorer, not a fighter. He wasn't the hero that Aincrad needed to clear the floors and save everyone from the game. That being said, he had been putting himself through intense training. Maybe the frontlines were calling him after all. He looked to Rebekah. "Honestly, I'm not sure what I want. I spent a long time behind the walls of the Town of Beginnings. Eventually, I found the courage to leave but I didn't start leveling until recently. I used to spend a lot of

Astreya's reaction was common when he explained to people who he was. You don't expect to meet someone from the type of lifestyle Star came from in a random video game tournament. It seemed to sink in for her quickly, though. He thought about movies she might have seen, disregarding his failed attempt at an attack. "I was the lead in a sci-fi movie called 'Patchwork Humanity' a few years back. Or maybe you saw 'Perfect'? It was a romance film. A little cheesy." Her next remark seemed in character. Morningstar replied with a smirk but gave nothing else in return, stopping the strike t

Morningstar cocked his head to listen to Rebekah. He appreciated her offer to let him get an attack in, even if it wouldn't compare to her own damage. He'd been spending a lot of his time training recently and wouldn't mind the chance to test a new sword art. "Sure," he gave her a thumbs up, "I'd love to. If you're sure, of course." His eyes returned ahead, Larbrook's frame covering his view of what was in front of them. He wondered how far they were to the next minotaur and what the beast would be like. Kantaras, with his abnormally large blade and shield, appeared menacing. Would h

One more point and he'd proceed to round three. He noticed the girl's puzzled expression when he asked his question. It was fair, he thought. In this scenario, it came out as an odd question. He lifted his sword above his head, hanging it left to block Astreya's next attack. He was unfocused during her last, but not this time. They touched blades again. "I'm an actor—or at least, I used to be. Sometimes people recognize me from films I've been in, although it hasn't happened in a while," he chuckled, backing off. Morningstar took a moment to breathe. The mid-duel conversation ha

Morningstar nodded, readying his sword. He waited, watching Rebekah run towards their opponent. Kantaras didn't even notice the girl; he had no opportunity to even look in her direction. The tip of her rapier stabbed through the beast and it exploded into a flurry of blue pixels. He looked at Rebekah, his mouth wide. Larbook lowered his axe, disheartened. It seemed like the NPC was hoping for a fight, but Rebekah had taken care of Kantaras in a single strike. Morningstar's sword returned to its scabbard. "New plan," he chuckled, "do that again." The crew turned back to the maze

The question came as a surprise. He'd landed his first strike, but the girl's counter came quick. Where would she know him from? He nearly stumbled backwards, eyes shifting from Astreya to her blade. His left was completely unguarded; he'd made a mistake. Morningstar pivoted, his right foot planted steadily on the ground. As he repositioned his arms, her sword clashed with his. Maybe she'd seen him around previously that day and didn't realize it. Their blades bounced, giving him a chance to step back. Morningstar didn't go to raids and normally quested alone. The chances that they'd met

The deeper into the maze they moved, the colder it seemed to get. The air was stale and breezeless. Larbrook seemed tense. Star's grip tightened around his blade as their guide abruptly stopped. They had arrived. Their path changed from a dreary corridor to an open room, dimly light by flaming braziers. A terrifying beast faced them from ahead. In one hand was a sword the size of Star's two-handed blade. In the other was a shield. It's eyes were dark and rageful. The minotaur was even bigger in stature than Larbrook and was covered from head to toe in silver armor. Larbrook raised his axe

Morningstar's fingers wrapped his ankles as he gave his hamstrings a stretch. He didn't know his next opponent or what they were like. He stood up straight. The gradual buildup of stress and excitement before a fight was something he was unaccustomed to. He observed the remaining players. Nine had become ten with the addition of the boy who had taken the swordsman to Baldur's estate: Takumi. "Interesting," he mumbled to himself. He stepped towards his adversary, sword in hand. She seemed familiar. He'd seen her once or twice in the stands prior to the second round. Straight dark hair

Morningstar shook his head. "I didn't have anyone to play with. I've met a few people here that have been with me since basically the start, though." His friends stuck with him, those that survived until this point. They were all a lot stronger than he was, but he never felt like a burden to them. He hoped the girl's brother was okay back home. Periodically, the swordsman peaked behind him. He wasn't too worried, but wanted to make sure they weren't being stalked. "Thanks for letting me join you, by the way. I don't know many people within the game so I'm normally soloing these quest

Stephen left the shop feeling calm. Lyle wasn't that bad of a guy after all. He unequipped his old sword and took out the Tealeaf Blade. It was a bit fancier than his starter blade, for sure, but it wasn't some sort of powerful weapon. It was a useful tool, that was all. The boar tusk handle was obvious, but maybe that was because Lyle had admitted it to him earlier. He walked back towards the front gate. "Just in time for the sunset. I'm lucky." Shades of pink, orange, and indigo painted the horizon. From behind him, the moon smiled back. Another quest had been completed and he cou

The unlikely crew wandered back to The Town of Beginnings together, parting ways at the front gate. "It was nice to meet you both," Julius bowed respectfully. "I'm sure we'll meet again," Stephen replied. "If you need anything, I'll be around. Just let me know," the magician smiled, before turning away from the pair. Stephen's eyes moved from the distant magician to the present warrior. "You should probably get going. You did mention a guild meeting that you've got tonight." Joaquin placed a hand on Stephen's shoulder. "You sure you'll be alright?" "I'll manage,"

The fight was over with one last swipe of Morningstar's yellow blade. The boar shattered into shades of blue, leaving nothing but a consumable. "Boar Jerky, huh? Not bad," he muttered, turning to meet his friends while pocketing the jerky. The Boarlet's Blood he'd found earlier was gone. He assumed it'd been dropped during the fight, but he didn't see it in the grass anywhere. It'd been replaced with a better item anyway, he thought. He slid his sword back into it's scabbard. "Nice work, man," Joaquin called. Julius followed alongside the warrior. They met face to face with

The boar shook itself off, a squeal coming from it as it pushed forward for a last resort hit. It's single tusk pointed at Stephen, but the man's fear was gone. He'd seen everything that the mother boar could throw at it and was no longer worried. He confidently allowed the boar to come near him and kicked it away. It fell to it's side, slowly picking itself back up. The boar was weak. It didn't have much health left. Stephen was tired too, although not enough to stop him from finishing the fight. He looked over to his friends and gave them a thumbs up. "See, I told you I had it cove

A grin grew on Stephen's face. He'd never seen Joaquin like that before. He took a breath even deeper than the last, calming himself as he prepared to attack once more. He raised his blade and the yellow painted it once more. The boar went in for another attack, but Stephen countered it with his own. It attempted to impale the swordsman's leg with it's sharp tusk, but he parried, slicing the tusk off in the process. "Woah, that's one tusk down," Joaquin bumped Julius' arm. "Star's not so bad, huh?" Julius replied. The boar trotted away, putting enough distance to make it a

The boar picked itself up, shaking the dirt off of it's body. It grunted, kicking up more grass. The beast started to move towards him, gradually picking up speed until it was directly in front of him. "As expected," Julius started, "he was bound to take some damage." Stephen, keeping up his defensive position, stayed planted on the ground. He held his two-handed sword in front of him as the boar's weaponized tusks inched towards him. They clashed with his blade, stopping the mob in it's tracks. He pushed it back, causing it to slide a bit, before retreating to a safer distance.

He'd done it. He'd landed his first stun. He wasn't accustom to the system's Sword Arts yet, but it felt fluid to him. The game helped him move through the motions so well, it surprised him. The boar twitched on the ground, unable to move. This was his chance to get in a free hit. Morningstar dashed towards the paralyzed beast, his sword glowing yellow once more. He swung down, strength filling his body. The boar wheezed. Stephen moved backwards, knowing that the boar would be getting up in a moment. He readied himself, although he was somewhat nervous to take a hit. He told himself

Julius looked at the warrior. "Will he really be okay? I mean, the two of us could handle it easily but he's pretty low level." Joaquin watched carefully, squinting. "We'll intervene if we need to, but he should give it a try. Besides, it's not a field boss or anything. It shouldn't be able to kill him. I think." Morningstar took a breath. He pushed himself off the ground, lunging at his opponent. The Boarlet's Blood fell from his pocket where he'd hidden it. The system quickly took over as he swung his blade. Bathed in a yellow glow, his sword dove towards the boar. It met the beast

Joaquin and Julius didn't speak at first. They stared back at Stephen with wide eyes, seemingly unsure of what to do. "What's wrong? You two okay?" Joaquin pointed behind Stephen. "I think you missed one." The cloaked swordsman turned his head, confused. Behind him was a boar double the sized of the other three he'd fought. If they were boarlets, then she was the mother. Two sharp tusks would make for an even harder hit than the previous adversaries. "Lyle didn't mention this one," Stephen blinked, getting into a defensive stance. It seemed like the right time to bring

He focused once again on the boar, drowning out the sounds of conversation coming from his party. It charged at him, but he was quicker. He slammed the hilt of his blade into it's back as it leaped, causing it to lose momentum and hit the ground. The beast got up without missing a beat and snarled. Part of him wanted to use a Sword Art and deal as much damage as he could in a single strike. It was overkill, but it would have been fun. He rarely got the opportunity to use them, since the mobs he fought were always so weak. He abstained, however. He could be reckless, but he wasn't stupid.

The group was approaching the final boar. "I'll just be a quick second and then we can head back to town." Julius and Joaquin stayed back while Stephen moved on. He withdrew his sword and gave it a swing, instantly becoming used to it's weight. The boar stopped it's chewing as the player got near, noticing and turning around. It snorted angrily. Stephen was starting to get tired of the beasts. They always did the same thing but they were too weak to hurt. "Maybe I'm too harsh on them," he muttered, preparing for the fight. The mob stamped it's hoof, kicking up dirt and grass. He