Morningstar

"Supposedly, this appeared as soon as the final mob was killed. No quest prompt, no explanation. Just a game. He played, of course, and his reward was the totem." "He played who?" Mello asked. "The system, I think," Caesar paused to gauge their reactions. Nobody spoke. They did not know what to say. Nothing like it had been seen before, as far as they knew. Their vision was clouded, only the tiniest piece of the painting filled in. "So, he won," Morningstar spoke slowly, as if he was still in thought, "and was given the item?" "That's correct." "And what if he ha

He grasped at his own sanity, struggling to keep control of his own mind. The blade was so heavy in his hands; even his previous greatswords were unfit to compare. It called to him, poking and prodding at him, urging him to hand over the reins. His vision grew red and blurry as he began to slip out of consciousness. Freyd's voice rang in his ears, pulling him from the edge. Delaying? What did he mean? What was not close to being over? His eyes grew wide and he swung at Wushen once more. A strange combination of electricity and frost collided at the tip of his sword, amplifying his da

"No sweat," Morningstar called back to Nari, "do your thing." He weaved in another attack, this time activating Shatter and crippling Azriel's mitigation. The Fiend of Tanos was left with a sliver of hit points; another attack and he would be defeated. Morningstar blocked a reactive attack from their opponent. Their blades clashed, the sound of metal ringing through the cold mountain air. He had grown physically stronger but the blonde expected it was out of desperation rather than a stat boost. He looked at Katoka. The dungeon boss was fully open and, so long as he could hold it off

"So, if I'm getting this right, you think that the ritual depicted on the mural is meant for us rather than for the cultists?" Morningstar asked. "Exactly. Gather the artifacts, escape the game. That's the running theory, anyway." "And where can we find the artifacts?" Caesar sighed. "This is our biggest problem, at the moment. Finding the first item was a complete accident. The knight who found it was leveling in the mountains and simply stumbled upon it." Greymore added onto the conversation with the following question: "Was there anything else of significance inside the

"It is possible," Caesar said, "that these items are nothing but fodder or items to a quest that we are not yet aware of. Our brokers have tossed other, more 'conspiracy' type ideas our way. Rumor has it that there are items that, when gathered together, can return players to the real world without clearing the hundred floors. We believe that this is one of those items." A scoff came from Mello's direction. "Who started that rumor? Sounds like rubbish to me." "It may very well be. Either way, my people and I have decided that it's worth investigating and I'm being gracious enough to

Morningstar nodded, trusting Oji to cover him. He climbed into he tunnel, taking a directional gamble. All of the Fae had flown into different tunnels; he could only assume they all ended at the same place. It was wide enough to not make him feel claustrophobic. They could have fit three or four people side to side without any issue. Not only did they air become thinner the higher they went, it seemed to become warmer the deeper they traveled through the branch. "They put in work to make us feel as uncomfortable as possible," Morningstar wiped the sweat from his forehead. How the Fae

The battle transitioned quickly, a new opponent appearing from the black of the temple. Suddenly, Mina's health bar was chunked and although the damage was ameliorated slightly by Nari's healing crystal, it worried him. He raced forward, passing the two and striking the so-called Fiend of Tanos. Azriel stumbled back, dazed from Morningstar's stunning sword art. He fell to a knee, struggling to lift himself. He was wide open and the team was free to strike as they pleased until the short-lasting status effect wore off. He made eye contact with Katoka, wordlessly requesting her aid aga

The good, the bad, his hopes and dreams, every decision he had made; they all lead here, to this moment. It was a turning point, a cog in the wheel that would either push him to greater heights or end his journey altogether. He stared up at the towering dragon and a memory flashed before him: Elwood, in his chair near the window, fitting in one last sentence before the end. "You're what the world needs, Stephen." For the first time, he unsheathed his blade. Along its path, shadows trailed behind. Blood-red electricity sparked across its body. It pulsated in

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It was like a small statue made of stone and resembled the physical manifestation of a demon. Two purple crystals sat in the space of its eye sockets. Inquisitive looks had locked onto the item, Morningstar's included. Caesar continued. "The item is called the 'Artifact of Mind' and holds no description; however, it is not all that he discovered," he said, switching off the map and item and pulling up a new image. "This is a photo of the shrine where the artifact was found. Behind it, you can see a mural on the wall that could be depicted as the ascension of these worshippers." The m

He and Katoka synergized well. He was impressed by her ability to follow him in and finish off the group of cultists. Unfortunately, they had been a little bit loud. Two guards, much stronger than the previous four, stepped out before them. Mina and Nari held them off, giving the other two the opportunity to catch their bearings. He took a quick glance at Katoka, making sure she was prepared before he reentered the fight. "I'll take left," he said. Without another word, he dashed at the Tanos Guard. He diverted the direction of his opponent's weapon, creating an open space to strike.

He remembered how it towered over them and how quickly the battle went from an intense showdown to nothing at all. The Elemental Warlord fell just like any other monster. Unlike the rest, however, it would live forever in Morningstar’s memories. "Brilliant. Terrifying. I'm just glad to be here," he admitted. Caesar nodded, leaving his question at that. "Let's begin." He tossed a crystal into the center of the table and a holographic map appeared. "This is a map of the Nineteenth Floor—more specifically, it is a small portion of the Forbidden Lands." "Two weeks ago, one

The doors opened, their creaks echoing through the great room. In stepped Caesar, his messy, white locks curling around each other. Morningstar had heard stories of the Black Knights of Aincrad. Never had he imagined he would come face to face with the Crusader himself. Caesar took a seat opposite to Morningstar. “Sorry I’m late. Lots to do and so little time.” Mello rolled his eyes but Caesar did not appear to notice—if he did, he was unbothered. “Thank you all for coming this evening. I’m aware of how busy you all are these days, particularly now that the twenty-seventh floor

"I know a place—you know, where you can enjoy your weird murder habits," Morningstar joked. "It's in the mountains, not too bad of a hike though." That was sort of a lie; the trek sucked. The loot he thought they could find, however, was nice to think about. He led them away from Ki'Raion's living place and towards the dungeon, which he had discovered while studying the Forbidden Lands. It was more of a temple, to be honest; a place of worship for the old demon, Tanos. It was one of many temples located in those mountains and according to his sources, it was possible a powerful item was l

"Thanks, Hirru." Morningstar felt a bit more comfortable after receiving the healing potions and crystals. With equipment like that, there was little way for him to come near critical health and not come out on top. After accepting the request, he listened intently to the Jade Hunter. He was not what Morningstar expected; he was much more talkative than he recalled from Baldur's party. Maybe it was circumstance. It was good to know he was teaming up with someone who had experience under their belt. Freyd was strong—probably among the strongest he had met—but even he had told the blonde th

Katoka and a stranger followed up right after he found Nari. It seemed he was not the only one invited to the quest; it would make the fight go a bit quicker and smoother, so he was thankful for that. "Nice to see you again," he said to Katoka. To the other girl, he introduced himself. "People call me Star." He followed the group to the location of the supposed beast, Ki'Raion. Nari had clearly switched up her build since they last fought together, considering she was now willing to tank their beast of an opponent. The big cat took her bait; its full attention was on the scythe-wield

The combination of Greymore’s neatly trimmed beard, chiseled jaw, and constant frown gave him an intimidating appearance. It was untrue, though. From the short conversation they had had, Morningstar gathered that behind the gruff exterior was a gentle heart. The question of why he was there puzzled Morningstar. He pondered Greymore’s intentions, curious as to why he of all people was invited when there were so many other qualified choices. Why not Freyd, or NIGHT, or—hell, why not any real frontliner? Did a single boss raid give him the right to sit among them? “He’s late,” mumb

It had been a while since Jomei had wandered off. He wondered if he had found a place suitable for their truth-or-dare adventure. After a soak and some stories, Morningstar decided it was time to follow in his footsteps. "Going to look around for Jomei if anyone wants to join me," he smiled, stepping out of the onsen and drying off. The changing room was empty when he walked inside. He sat for a moment, alone with his thoughts, and relaxed. He was a bit envious of Baldur's estate. He wanted something like it someday, a place where he could bring friends and host events. He wanted it

Maybe NIGHT's skepticism was correct, maybe the words of power had nothing to do with this portion of the raid. Morningstar almost wanted to follow in her footsteps and strike at the rock, although he knew it would do no good. He heard the footsteps and voices of a few others approaching from their flank and almost turned to greet them. Then, it shifted. Hirru, whether by accident or not, had chosen the order of words that the rest of them could not quite grasp. He patted the fellow on the back, glad that they had not been speaking to a rock for no reason. That was that; the puzzle had be

In his hand was Sapphire, a shimmering jewel necklace that had been gifted to him for the raid. He stepped out of Freyd Edges and immediately teleported to the Twenty-Seventh Floor. There was not much time left before the raid and the last of his precautions had been made. Morningstar slung his blade over his shoulder. Despite its smaller size, it was his heaviest weapon by far. He had yet to equip his armor and walked through the safezone dressed in his casual clothes: a brown knit sweater and some light-wash jeans. It was funny, the kinds of clothing that lived between worlds. Even afte

In between messages from a variety of acquaintances and friends, he saw Nari's name appear. Double-taking at the sight, he pulled his menu into a wider view. His fingers danced across the screen, opening the message. He read it over a couple of times. It appeared that she had a quest for them to take on, although the specifics were vague. "Ki'Raion, huh? Never heard of it." The walk to his house from the beach was short and peaceful. Ever since purchasing the property on Raitoborou Bay, he had become more of a homebody. He traveled from time to time around the floors of Aincrad and w

For days, anxiety controlled him. He could not eat, he could not sleep. A cruel combination of restlessness and fatigue claimed him during both waking and resting hours. His peers remained kind towards him, offering buffs and training and items. It did little to ease his fear of that which was to come. Even so, he marched through the labyrinth alone, a false confidence plastered on his nervous face. Two necklaces hung from his neck: one, a gift and the other, a vanity recreation of his previous trinket. They dangled there, two different shades of blue tapping against his silver armor. His

One last item. Morningstar entered Freyd Edges, greeting Katoka in passing as she exited the store. His new friend, Freyd, did not appear to be around. He was met with the face of a person that he had never met and so he introduced himself and explained his reasons for coming to the store. In exchange, a trinket was given to him. It was called Sapphire and shone beautifully in the shop's lighting. "Thank you," Morningstar smiled, "and give my thanks to Freyd as well." Then, he left. His next stop was Floor Twenty-Seven. More specifically, he was headed to the labyrinth. +1

Morningstar was surprised to see the message appear before him, requesting his presence at the Knight Shift. Freyd had never mentioned any item to him. He was equally confused as he was intrigued. He teleported to Floor Seven in a hurry, brushing past players in the streets on his way to the shop. He greeted Ren as he entered, stepping straight up to the counter where the weapon lay. He was a bit hesitant to touch it at first. He glanced up at Ren for a moment. "Freyd left this for me? I'll have to give him my thanks when I see him at the boss fight." He thanked Ren as well, apprecia