[SP-F22] Lightbringer, Part II: The Cage That Contains Us

[Morningstar 0]

                                                                                                                                Elwood's House - Floor 22

A clock ticked impatiently in Elwood’s living room. A few words crossed Morningstar’s mind. Discomfort. Uncertainty. Acrimony. The call for a meeting had been sudden; they had not spoken in what felt like weeks. His idle thoughts wandered restlessly in the quiet of the room.

Rain tapped rhythmically on the window. The moon was high but a ceiling light kept it from going dark. He had always hated lights like it. The yellow glow was tiring on the eyes and it always looked unnatural. It only worsened his already uncomfortable state. Periodically, lightning would strike. He could see it far off in the distance through the glass panes of the window. Thunder followed shortly after. He counted the seconds in between.

One. Two. Three.

The clap reverberated through him. It was not far from him—less than a mile away. Then, more lightning. Morningstar turned his gaze away from the storm, looking towards the door to the hallway. Elwood was taking his time. A single light source blended with the darkness of the hall. It came from an open door on the right-hand side. From inside, he could hear the occasional clang of dishes and the pouring of water.

Morningstar’s stomach churned. Some people bite their nails when anxious. Others shake their legs. For him, anxiety was a silent dread. The longer he waited, the further into the cushioned chair he sank. His eyes shut slowly. All he could do was give time the chance to pass. The three words revolved around his brain.

Discomfort. Uncertainty. Acrimony.

Spoiler

Morningstar | Lv. 25 | HP: 500/500 | EN: 83/83 | DMG: 20 | ACC: 4 | MIT: 66 | EVA: 1 | 2 BLD | 1 PAR

Gear:

• Meteor | Perfect Two-Handed Straight Sword
  +2 BLD
  +1 PAR
• In Noctem | Perfect Light Armor
  +36 MIT
  +1 EVA
• Lexa's Light | Perfect Trinket
  +3 ACC

Skills:

• Straight Sword | Rank 5 | Precision | Stamina | Ferocity
  +9 DMG
  +1 ACC
  -2 ENG per attack
• Light Armor | Rank 5 | Meticulous
  +30 MIT
  -2 Stealth
  +1 DMG
• Searching | Rank 5
  +5 LD
  +5 Stealth Detection
• Survival | Rank 1
  +10% to healing effects
  +Immunity to environmental effects
• Charge | Rank 1
  +5 DMG (when activated)
  -1 ACC (when activated)
  +2*tier ENG cost to activate
• Energist | Rank 1
  +15 ENG

Combat Mastery:

• Damage
  +9 DMG

Combat Shift:

• TECH Specialist
  +4 to multipliers
  +3 to ENG cost

 

Edited February 7, 2023 by Morningstar

[Morningstar 0]

Morningstar was unsure how long it had been by the time Elwood funneled back into the living room. It was rare to see the man dressed in anything that did not look kingly. Morningstar wondered if he was one of the few who had seen it. In Elwood's hands was a small tray. On top sat an ornate teapot and two cups.

"I hope you don't take honey or anything. I'm afraid I'm all out."

"I'm sure it's fine how it is," Morningstar smiled.

Elwood poured tea for them both. He was slow and precise in the same way he was with everything else in his life. He hated to rush. Earl Grey wafted from the pot and into the room. While not his favorite type of tea, it might have broken Morningstar's top three. It reminded him of life before. For a moment, he lost himself in memories of his mother. Elwood poured his tea in the same way she did, gripping the handle with three fingers and a thumb while leaving the pinky out to hang. He had always found it peculiar.

"New sword?" Elwood broke the silence.

Morningstar, frazzled, looked to his left. Meteor leaned against the arm of the chair, faintly glowing at his side.

"Yeah, a blacksmith up in Ronbaru crafted it for me."

Elwood set the teapot down on the tray. He traced the floral pattern on his cup before lifting it to his lips and taking a sip. Steam floated from the top of their cups. Morningstar picked up his cup, following his friend's lead. Before he could take a sip, he stopped himself. He stared into the cup for a moment, watching the dark water swirl gently. Then, he looked at Elwood.

"What am I doing here, Elwood?" He asked.

The guild master looked weary. "I thought we could talk. Just us for a change."

Morningstar looked puzzled. "What about?"

Elwood sighed, turning to look out the window. "Straight to the point, as usual, Stephen. You know, people used to make small talk. How're the kids? How's work? Things like that. These days, I find that it's all about survival. I don't get many pointless conversations anymore."

"I guess things aren't the same as they were when we met," Morningstar replied.

"No. No, they aren't."

Morningstar finally sipped his tea. The bitterness of the Earl Grey was pleasant on his tastebuds. His green sweater replaced the cloak he commonly wore. He preferred visiting friends casually. There was something about it that brought back a piece of the old world and, he thought, that was important. Elwood dressed similarly, although he had chosen a brown cardigan layered over a white t-shirt. It matched his auburn hair nicely. Lightning struck again, nearly making the blonde jump. He should have been used to it by now but both the conversation and the length of time between strikes had caused him to forget.

"I'll oblige," Morningstar said, adjusting himself in his chair.

"What?"

"Let's talk. Like we used to."

Elwood stared back, his mouth barely open and his eyes wide. "Where do we begin?"

[Morningstar 0]

"For starters," Morningstar cleared his throat, "I hear you've taken a leave of absence from your guild."

Elwood's glossy eyes were fixed on the rain that pitter-pattered against the glass. It was hard to tell what he was thinking. Morningstar refrained from breaking the silence by adding to his statement, hoping to get some sort of reaction from his friend and mentor. It was unlike the man to leave his guildmembers for any prolonged amount of time and from what he had heard, Elwood had been away for a month. Where was he all that time? What was he doing and why did he message Morningstar so suddenly?

"I suppose," Elwood paused dramatically, "fate is finally catching up to me."

Ominous was Morningstar's initial thought. It felt more like a prologue to a long tale rather than an answer to his question. Elwood's gaze lingered on the window for another moment before meeting Morningstar's. It was not immediate but the blonde saw something in the man's face that he had never seen before: fear. He pieced together words in his mind, struggling to formulate a proper response.

What came out was, "What are you so afraid of?"

It made Elwood laugh and, momentarily, the tension lifted. When he was done, he lifted his teacup to his lips and sipped gently.

"I've come to enjoy this world. I hated it for years for what it took from me and now, I thank it for what I've been given. For you, my friend. For my guild. I've found family, in a way—and that's something I haven't had in a very long time. And I know that I will come to lose it."

There was a poem that Elwood had once shown to him. He tried to remember the words to it but they were a mess inside his cluttered mind. 'I met a traveler from an antique land,' it started, but how did it end? He racked his brain and found nothing but a name and a theme of cessation.

"Do you think yourself Ozymandias?" Morningstar asked.

His eyebrows rose as if he were amazed by the question. "I'm glad you still remember. Well referenced."

"You're not the same," Morningstar said, his face straight.

"I am. Really, we all are, but in the context of me, yes, I am. Nothing can last forever, Stephen. Not even a fraudulent king like myself."

Fraudulent seemed like a harsh way to describe himself. He was as close to a king as a player could become, in Morningstar's eyes. His guildhall was even a castle and the members who lived within it were as loyal to him as they would be to a true ruler. He was no fraud.

"Even so," Morningstar said, "it's out of our control. Why run from it?"

Elwood smiled but his eyes told a different story. "I suppose I am running."

[Morningstar 0]

"I have a brain tumor, Star."

It was hard to tell the emotions Morningstar felt just by looking at his face. His eyes widened slightly but he remained stoic before his friend. He said nothing to fill the dead air, silently begging Elwood to continue so that he did not have to speak. Morningstar was beginning to understand why he was there, in the living room.

"Doctor said I had two years to live but it's been nine and I'm still kicking."

This was a goodbye from Elwood to the one he deemed his closest friend. He was the leader of dozens and was by no means unpopular; still, the man he invited was Morningstar. He felt like running far from there and for a moment that even sounded logical to him. If he could run—no, fly—a great enough distance from his problems, maybe they would not exist.

"Do you see why I'm scared?"

At any moment, Elwood could simply disappear. There was nothing Morningstar could do to stop it, no item in the game that could keep him safe from the dark destiny that gripped his friend so tightly. Morningstar had always imagined himself by Elwood's side at the peak of Aincrad, the one-hundredth floor. That dream was suddenly crushed, obliterated, as the weight of life and death fell upon it. He understood why Elwood was so afraid—he had found a home in Aincrad and did not want to leave it for the petty problems of a world in which he only existed in body. 

"I'm sorry," Morningstar finally said.

"Don't be. If there was something you could do, I would have asked—believe me."

Stillness overtook the room again. Not even thunder dared crackle, nor did lightning rip the sky. Morningstar was the first to break it this time.

"What about your guild?"

Elwood had expected the question. "I had almost asked if you would take over in my place," he admitted, "but I know you well enough to guess your answer. I don't want to force you into accepting out of guilt. You're a solo player at heart, I think."

Morningstar nodded. He didn't know what to say so he said nothing.

"I'm glad I helped you out that day in the Town of Beginnings. You know, in that tavern. We've been through a lot together, you and I. Who could have anticipated any of it?" Elwood stared up at the ceiling, crossing one leg over the other.

A deadlock between anger, grief, and love waged on inside Morningstar's mind. Part of him wanted to throw himself into a pit of monsters and another wanted to die there. The stronger part wanted to be there for his friend, so he stayed. He stood from the chair and stepped up to the window. The glass, covered in raindrops, was difficult to see through. However, beneath street lamps, he could see the figure of a man strumming away gently on a guitar, hiding from the weather underneath the porch of a building.

"How long have I known you? Seven? Eight years?" Morningstar asked, leaning against the window sill.

Elwood glanced back down at him. "Somewhere in between, I think."

"I doubt I'd even have lived that long had it not been for you."