The Astral Tooth

"Bookworms Unite!
"Alright, gang, here's the scoop--somewhere in this library, there's got to be a book or something we can use to help decode this thing. We don't want to put all our eggs in one basket, especially if that basket's being carried by a Mary Sue. So if you get the time, see what you can pick up around this dusty ol' library. There's information even Riza herself doesn't know, so maybe there's something about the past we can gleam? Hell, we might even find out something new about this world!"

Max's eyes lit up at the mission and darted into the library. He had always loved reading, almost as much, if not more than, he loved his art. Browsing the shelves, he was fascinated by the subjects. After some minutes of searching, Max stopped and pulled down his ski mask.

"On star-art... by Merida Diaz..." he read aloud, pulling the tome from the shelf and flipping it open. "She seems to have been another digital artist like me! And it looks like she loved the stars as well!" Max began reading how Merida was a fairly skilled Sketchist who had a Digital Art Core. Using her tablet, she could draw a constellation like Orion or Pegasus, and whatever it was would manifest and assist her.

"Oh, this is incredible! Says here that her favorite was Aries, and the Ram sign became her personal symbol! She must've written this book so that others could learn these techniques!" The book didn't say what happened to her, but it did hold a map to her personal pen-sword named Astral Tooth, which was crafted just for her and lay in a vault hidden near the beach. "Bet I could find this..." he muttered, before running off.

Having gotten permission to leave, Max and Sir Knighthood left to follow the map. After almost an hour of searching, the pair soon found a stone monument bearing the constellation Aries. "This is it..." he muttered. "But where's the way in?" He felt along the edges, and found a brick that looked sunken in compared to the rest of the wall. Pressing it, a hidden door slid open, revealing a staircase. "Hmm. Cliché, but it works! C'mon, Knighthood." The pair walked down into the darkness, with Max igniting his weapon as an impromptu torch.

At the bottom was a statue of Merida holding her drawing tablet and pen as she sat cross-legged, staring at the entrance with a kind smile She had her hair tied into a ponytail, wore a breastplate. Scattered around the room were other tomes and treasure. In the center of the chamber was a gleaming blue hilt embedded into a stone block. "An oldie but a goodie! Can't go wrong with a sword in a rock." Max chuckled and approached reverentially. and knelt before the trapped blade to read an inscription. "Only those with a love of the stars in their heart may pull this weapon. Use it well." Standing up he handed his stylus sword to Knighthood and wrapped his hand around the hilt.

Max took a deep breath. "In Homestuck, I am the Rogue of Space. My favorite constellation is Orion. Space is beautiful in its own way, and I swear to use this sword properly." The hilt shifted as though testing for the hand holding it before seeming to fit Max's hand right. In one smooth motion, he drew the sword out of the stone.

The weapon was just as beautiful as it had been described. The tip resembled a fountain pen. The shimmering blue blade looked like someone had painted a star chart onto it, and the map shown changed as the blade moved. "Oh my gods..." Max looked about to tear up from its beauty. He looked up at the statue and smiled. "Thank you, Lady Merida. Where-ever you are now, I wish you the best of luck. If you are no longer among the living, may you enjoy Elysium." He picked up a nearby sheath and slung it across his back, placing the sword inside it as he left.