Morningstar

"Why, are you interested?" Morningstar teased back. "Honestly though, I just think sunsets are pretty." Dating was scary; he was absolutely not trying to get a head start on it. Baldur greeted the trio as they approached. The host's food looked delectable. Introducing himself, he plated their food. "Thanks for the meal. It's nice to officially meet you," he smiled at Baldur. Star took the lead, bringing the girls to the garden. The sunset was just beginning. He gazed up at the blend of pink and blue. The glowing sun dipped below orange clouds, bringing warmth to the scene. The c

Morningstar tried to imagine the small girl with a massive pet bear. It was a funny yet terrifying thought. Maybe it suited her. "What're you looking for in a familiar? Maybe figuring that out could help you pick an animal," he said. Personally, Star wanted a companion more than a useful pet. He didn't care about abilities and skills as much as he cared about having a friend to join him on his journeys. He loved birds. Millions of memories involving a variety of bird species cluttered his mind. There was also the rabbit who had found him during his time away from the world on the twe

"I do actually," he said to her snowshoe offer. Star accepted her gift, snapping on the shoes. He'd gone snowshoeing once in the past, on this floor specifically. It'd be on his bucket list to try it again if he had one. He took a sip of his hot chocolate. It was delicious—one of the best hot chocolates he'd ever had. Rebekah wasn't lying when she said the café was good. "I'm the worst skater," he replied to her next question, "but that's never stopped me from trying." When he was a kid, Star's parents put him in skating lessons with the other rich kids in their neighborhood. T

Morningstar returned a chuckle at Astralin's comment about his name. It wasn't what he meant, but he wasn't going to embarrass the girl. Besides, he didn't feel like explaining it. "My fight was interesting. I had a good time," he said. He'd spoken more with Astreya during their fight than he had with anyone else throughout the tournament. He found it funny. She'd been a formidable opponent, even if it was a clean win for Morningstar. He hoped there were no hard feelings despite the fact that he stole the remainder of the tournament from her. Their interactions had been short, but sh

Morningstar was hesitant to order the ice cream, as much as he did love it. Rebekah's description of it didn't help the internal war he was experiencing either. Ice cream in the snow seemed like a bad combination, but quality vanilla ice cream was something that Star treasured. "I'll get the same as her," he told the cashier. In one hand he held his hot chocolate and in the other his ice cream. Coming from a wealthy background, he hated it when people paid for him. That being said, he was by no means the richest in Aincrad and it was a nice gesture from Rebekah. "Thanks for cove

Morningstar tried to remember what Takumi's opponent's name was. Bismuth, he thought, but he wasn't sure. Either way, he was putting up quite the fight against the paddle boy. Takumi was in the lead, but it was close. Morningstar, who'd been fighting moments before, didn't have the opportunity to catch the other matches before they'd ended. He had no idea how they'd ended but he recalled Astreya mentioning how serious each person had been fighting. That would explain the slight tension in the atmosphere around the dojo. His thoughts came to a halt as a voice perked up beside him. He recog

Morningstar chuckled. "I recently spent some time on twenty-four and I almost didn't come back down. I see what you mean." Rebekah seemed to have their day planned out extensively, which Star respected. He usually went into things with half the knowledge he should; he was prone to winging it. This was a nice change. He listened to her proposal, thoughts of animals roaming his mind. He wondered what hid in the Winter Woods for them to find and what she would end up taming. The thought of familiars had crossed his mind a million times, but Morningstar had still not tried to find one. H

The Town of Beginnings was quiet today. A rare occurrence, Morningstar thought. As usual, he was dressed in his shabby light armor (consisting of a brown jacket and black bottoms) with a green cloak draped overtop. The cloak's hood covered the swordsman's bored expression as he wandered through the city. Everyone was busy. Elwood had a guild meeting, Joaquin was up on the twenty-sixth floor doing some tough quest, and Julius was off doing who knows what. Morningstar was rarely this bored. Aincrad had a million possibilities but today none of them seemed exciting to him. He wanted someone

Morningstar's fight was over. He left the mat, turning away from the remaining fights. He was the third of the participants to win and, honestly, he never thought he’d make it that far. He took a seat in the stands, distant from other observants. The number of people watching had been reduced slightly. It wasn’t any of his business, but he was still curious as to why so many had disappeared. He looked back to the matches. As fun as the tournament had been so far, he couldn’t help but feel anxious about the coming fights. Not because he thought he’d lose, but because there was a chance he

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,"