Morningstar

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the sand shift to his right. It was distant but he knew it wasn't his imagination. He stopped in his tracks and raised his arm, telling his party to do the same. His grip tightened around the hilt of his sheathed straight sword. Something was moving beneath the sand. "What is it?" Katar called from the center of the group. "Shh," Morningstar hushed. He waited to withdraw his blade. Perhaps whatever it was would keep moving and leave them be. Suddenly, more sand moved in front of them. The creature that swam through the sand was serpent-l

At his waist sat his two-handed straight sword. After years, he still hadn't upgraded it. He told himself he wouldn't until he could craft one himself. Morningstar gazed out into the sandstorm. Katar stood next to him. In the back, Grace and Simon made sure Zamek was okay. The old man pulled his cloak over his head. "If you have cloaks, you all may want to do the same." They obliged, each of them pulling up the hoods of their cloaks and robes. Morningstar was the first to step out of the safezone. Katar and the others followed shortly after. The quest had begun. The wind whipped up a

Five miles into an unforgiving sandstorm. Joaquin had done this quest weeks before. Morningstar remembered his friend mentioning it but he had not asked about the contents. Through his almost constant coughing and wheezing, Zamek explained the situation. The dunes of the fifth floor were more dangerous than they could possibly know, Zamek told them. He believed they should give the desert more credit, for there were more than simple creatures living there. There were true monsters. Morningstar shifted his weight between his feet as they stood in front of Fortaleza's main gate. The wa

Morningstar counted the heads of the people in his group. One. Two. Three. Four, including himself. "Do you think this is enough?" he asked the one on the far left. Katar pulled his fiery hair back into a ponytail. He was dressed in a red robe that looked uncomfortable in the fifth floor's dry weather. If it was, the man made no indication of it. At his waist was a silver and gold, dragon-hilted katana. Kraki Gazan, he recalled. Beast of Flames. He looked over the group as well as if judging their capabilities. "Yeah, I don't see why not," Katar said. "The four of us should be a

Morningstar thanked the man before they teleported back to Scalabis. The city was quiet in the dead of night, as it should be. "I've got an inn booked. It was nice to meet you, Watson," Morningstar said. Watson smiled back. "And you, Morningstar. I'm sure we'll meet again sometime soon." With a wave, Watson walked away, leaving Morningstar alone with his thoughts. The Ghost of the Tablelands. He wondered if he'd really seen such a thing or if it was just his mind playing tricks on him. It'd been almost nine years but he still believed in it now as much as he had back then.

"I remember whipping out my sword and slicing at it but after I blinked, it was gone. I think I ran the entire way back to town," Morningstar chuckled. "So, the ghost is real?" Watson asked. "I mean, I think so. Not a single person I've told has ever believed me, though. What about you?" Morningstar handed his plate back to Watson, who was beginning to clean up. Watson hesitated. "I'm not sure. I've never really believed in the supernatural, myself." "Care to join me on a trip to the Tablelands?" "What, are you trying to give an old man a heart attack?" Watson laughed

"I told you that I went to the Tablelands, yeah? I went because I wanted to see the cliffs for myself. People in Urbus like to tell stories of the spirit that haunts the Tablelands; the ghost of the first player to die there. I wanted to confirm whether the stories were true or not. I guess it's kind of what got me into exploring in the first place." Morningstar took a bite of his fish before continuing, afraid of letting it go cold. "I went in the late afternoon and arrived at nightfall. I walked all the way across the Tablelands until I found the cliffs where the ghost was supposed

"Your turn," Watson began, "I'm sure you've got plenty of stories to share." Morningstar laughed. He wasn't sure it was possible to top the tale of the giant slayers; however, he was happy to give it a try. "Sure," he said, humoring the old man. "This was back when the game first started—within the first few months, anyway. I didn't know anyone yet, since I came into the game alone, and I spent most of my time doing quests. Well, one day, I decided to take a day off," he recalled the story vividly as if it had only just happened. "I can't remember what floor we were on but back

Time went on and the pair continued to chat until nightfall. The fire that Watson had started crackled in the moonlight. The fish was finally ready. Watson pulled it off of the flame and gently placed it on a cutting board. He tapped it with his glowing kitchen knife and the meat split into two portions. Morningstar withdrew the artisanal bread from his inventory and handed half to Watson. "So, what happened next?" Morningstar asked. Watson took the bread and put it on a plate. Then he began dishing up Morningstar's food. "Well, the giants found us, of course. Sam was so pissed that

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