Morningstar

Morningstar peeked into The Crusty Bahrnacle, checking to see if anyone was around. At first glance, it seemed like the owner was out. He stepped in anyway. "There's no way you weren't a villain in the past," he called out, shutting the door behind him. The shop was in a rough part of town. Morningstar had actually never been to the sketchy areas of the Town of Beginnings and to be honest, his time there so far hadn't made him want to return. He stepped up to the counter, eyeing up the store's decor. Clothing hung behind the counter next to a set of light armor. Upon finding the orde

The arrival of the indigo-haired woman was comforting, for lack of a better word. Instead of a town of people staring at him, a town people were staring at them. The NPC's tears finally came to a stop when the player agreed to join in on the quest. "Morningstar," he introduced himself, shrugging. "I'd shake your hand but..." His were, of course, occupied. A quest notification appeared and like clockwork, the NPC loosened her grip. Now free to move as he pleased, he tapped the accept button with his finger. "I think fearing for my life is an exaggeration but if you're not too busy, I

Baldur's voice rang through the gardens, signaling the beginning of the promised slumber party. He was quite the host, Morningstar thought. He had put in a fair bit of thought into the event, even going as far as offering teleport crystals for those in need. It was admirable. After the speech, the blonde returned his attention to Astreya and Astralin—the girls he had been chatting with. "While I enjoyed this dinner date," he joked, "I'm afraid I have to ditch you for the Onsen now." He stood up, adjusting his robe. "Talk to you later," he said, smirking. The trail back to the do

Morningstar nodded, scratching the back of his neck uncomfortably while he wiped a bit of spilled coffee from his shoe. "Yeah. Probably time to get going." He shot an apologetic smile to the NPC woman while Bahr paid for their damages. They stepped back out into the fresh afternoon air and after a bit, he could hear the café return to its usual lively atmosphere. Bahr's words sounded truthful but Morningstar couldn't help but notice a hint of frustration—or maybe it was exhaustion—in his voice. Truthfully, Morningstar felt the same. It had been a long day full of disorientation and

"I'm not sure what it is," Morningstar showed the bartender a piece of wrinkled parchment. "A scroll, maybe?" "Interesting," the NPC returned, adjusting his glasses to get a better look, "where did you say you found this?" Morningstar leaned against the counter, taking a sip from his glass. "It was a random drop. Never seen anything like it." The tavern was lively despite it being three o'clock in the afternoon on a Thursday. The jukebox kicked off with an unfamiliar tune and groups of people laughed and conversed merrily at different tables. Morningstar wondered if he'd forgott

"Judging by the fact that you held me at sword's point earlier, I'd agree; you were probably not one to shy away from physical confrontation," Morningstar joked, a bit of a smirk forming on his face. He watched as Bahr scanned through his skills and items, waiting hopefully to see what he'd find. At the very least, it was good knowledge for the amnesiac to know what exactly he was carrying on him. Knowing that you have health potions could be the difference between life and death. "Demonic is the quality of the item. Just means its good," he remarked, taking another sip from his drin

Morningstar knelt down, searching for more of the wood in the bush. It didn't seem like there was any more of it. Odd, he thought. What was the random log doing there? He stood back up, dusting off the front of his pants. "Doesn't look like there's any more." Snowball once again missed the raccoon. Or rather, the raccoon dodged Snowball's attack. The owl was close enough for Morningstar to give it some credit. "I'm jealous. I still haven't gotten around to getting my own familiar yet. Soon, though," he chuckled. He reopened his inventory, swiping through for a while before reaching t

Grace and Simon chatted quietly from the back of the party. Morningstar wasn't really listening but he caught the words "hungry" and "tired" at some point. "If you guys are hungry, I did bring some dinner for us," he told the group, "I brought extra, actually, so Zamek can have some as well." "Thank you, adventurer. You and your group have been kind to me. You have my gratitude," Zamek said, wheezing in between sentences. The sandstorm was beginning to pickup. "Damn," Katar winced, shielding his face with his arms, "as if this storm wasn't bad enough." "It'll only get worse

"You guys okay back there?" Morningstar called. He'd lost track of time. How long had they been walking for? It felt like hours but he couldn't be sure. He couldn't even recall when they'd started the quest. A swish of his wrist opened his menu. The clock in the corner told him it was 7:37 PM. Night would fall soon enough and they'd be left in the desert in the dark. "Grace and I are okay but Zamek..." Simon hestitated, looking at the old man. "He could use a break." Morningstar sighed. The time had finally come for them to stop and rest, it seemed. But where? There was no obvio

He stifled a chuckle. "Yeah. A little weird, I know. But then again, this whole thing is pretty weird. I just thought it might help me clear my head, you know? Remember everything better." Remember everything better. His eyes widened when he realized what he'd said. Morningstar looked up at Bahr. "I'm assuming you were normal and didn't randomly take notes on your life," he started, "but maybe take a look at your inventory and skills. Something in there might bring back something." It was a long shot but it was something. He was fresh out of answers. "If that doesn't work then I don'

It worked. The menu really worked. Morningstar wasn't sure what he'd expected, to be fair. But this at least proved that he was a player and not some sort of anomaly in the system. On the other hand, it meant that there was still a problem to be solved. His memories truly were gone. Bahr's question caught him off guard. He hadn't thought of a next step. It was a "choose your own adventure" book and he'd run out of choices. He lifted his mug to his mouth and took a sip. The coffee was hot. Satisfactory, he thought. "I guess you could message somebody," Morningstar said, "although

"I guess that's not very fun," Morningstar chuckled. "I don't come up here much but I admit it's very scenic. One day, when I'm like ninety years old, I'll buy a house on this floor." Judging by the owl's hoot, Snowball appeared to be a quick learner. Even after making a mistake, he was immediately giving it another shot. They made a good team, Rebekah and her familiar. "I agree," he told the woman, "It won't be long before he's battle-ready." He let out a gasp, noticing something from the corner of his eye. "Oh!" Hidden under the green leaves of a bush was a mid-sized log. It w

Nakata. Was it the boy's real name? Morningstar nodded, agreeing to call him Nakata. "Star works for me if Morningstar's too much of a mouthful." The explanation of the rumor was short and to the point. Both of the players seemed to know what they were talking about. He looked in the direction that Oji pointed to and when the man began to move, Morningstar followed. "I guess I've been interested from the beginning," he returned, swiping through his inventory to equip the gear that he needed. His blade appeared at his waist and a green cloak laid over his shoulders. "There's a bit of

The question dug into Morningstar like a hook. He had to give an answer; there was no way to back out of it. He paused for a moment to think. "Alright," he started "that sounds fair." He cleared his throat, picking out words that he thought fit his motivation. "A year ago today, my girlfriend died in that dungeon. I guess this is just my way of finding closure," he said. His amber eyes were set on Nari. "If we die it won't be worth it. Not really. And what I find worthwhile is objectively foolish. I won't blame you if you'd like to back out now." He half expected them to, honest

Bahr's confusion at the acronym "NPC" seemed reasonable. He'd learn soon enough, though. The man's description of his memories were morbid. Crawling, hissing. A void-like darkness. It was perplexing, to say the least. When the server finally joined them to take orders, Morningstar was astonished to hear Bahr order a drink without hesitation. Actually, it seemed like he had shocked himself. Morningstar nodded in reaction to Bahr's expression. "I'll have the same." Bahr's monologue continued. It only prompted more questions, however. He never started playing a game? He began in the cav

Morningstar spun around, surprised. Rebekah had been in his blind spot the entire time. "Oh, hey," he said, accepting the party request. "I'm doing well, thanks. I just had coffee with a friend but aside from that, it's been a slow day for me." He peered up at the owl, who'd flown up into the sky. Evidently, she'd picked a name. Star thought it was fitting, although he was a bit disappointed that she hadn't played into the role of Harry Potter and named it Hedwig. His hand touched his forehead, forming a visor to block out the sun. "Sure," he said in response to the girl's reque

A blue light overtook Morningstar as he teleported from one floor to another. The teleportation process was always mind-boggling. It was almost instantaneous, aside for the short seconds in-between places; a sort of limbo, you might say. His body deconstructed itself into pixels and when it reformed, he was in Urbus. Floor Two. It had been a while. He stepped off of the teleportation pad and into the town. A plan was something that Morningstar lacked. It wasn't unusual for him to wing it, though. He considered where he would start. A tavern, maybe? He had been told that The Rusty Dag

All of his questions were answered in an instant. From the sandstorm came three cloaked figures. Each of them carried a tall spear, similar in height to Grace's weapon. They were wooden, however, with metal tips at the end. A lot less flashy then the blonde girl's. "What brings you through our desert, travelers?" The man in the middle spoke. Zamek coughed. "Our business is our own." The man peered at Zamek through a thin slot in his hood. "Is that so? In that case, be wary of the sands here. They can be dangerous." He couldn't see it but he was sure that the man smirked whe

"Please, let me speak with the one in the front," Zamek said to Grace. Morningstar stopped and turned around, noticing that Katar had done the same. To prevent Zamek from overexerting himself, Morningstar came to him. "Are you okay?" He asked, worried that they'd have to rest so soon. "Yes, it's not about me. Have you noticed?" Immediately, Morningstar went on alert. He scanned their surroundings carefully, catching the glimpse of cloth dropping behind distant sand dunes. "Noticed what?" Simon asked, looking around. Katar must have seen the same thing as Morningst

A notification popped up in front of Morningstar. His rewards. He read them out to himself. A bunch of Col, some materials, and a rare trinket. It was nothing special but still, more than he had before. He turned to his group. "Is everyone okay?" On the surface, the party appeared unscathed. He looked at Katar. The man's brows furrowed and his lips formed a frown. He was frustrated with himself. Morningstar waved him over and then returned his attention to the group. "Let's keep going. Watch for more, though." Katar moved from the middle to the front, next to Star. "Everything o

The saltworm shot up from beneath them, spraying sand particles at the party. He heard Grace shout for Zamek and Simon to get back. Katar hesitated. He must have been surprised by the sight of the beast. Normally, Katar would have been the first to react, swinging his sword and cutting down the enemy. But he didn't. He stood there, eyes wide as he gazed up at the saltworm from below. Morningstar ripped his blade out of its sheath. A blinding golden glow came over the straight sword like a light in the dark. The hood of his green cloak fell down as he leaped towards the giant worm. As

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