Nero's gaze fell darkly to the gate as it stretched out of the safe zone... She was out there now and he still hadn't received anything signaling a ransom or anything of the sort. The malice of his scowl gradually grew with each passing question of Alice. She was irrational, childish, and absolutely infuriating to him; especially at a time like this, he found his fist trembling at his side as he heard her blade being drawn. As soon as Jacob stopped speaking, he turned to her with a hateful snarl, even though she'd just been struck by his friend, he couldn't contain himself.

"That's why nobody told you about the guild. That's why you don't stand a snowball's chance in Hell against Rose. That's why your tiny following is falling apart with every passing day in favour of her. Stop thinking you can brandish a weapon which you don't even understand outside of a fucking video game just to get your way you spoiled little brat." His breaths were sharp as he seethed, "You don't know shit... You think you do - you think you know everything and you think you know everyone, Alice."

As he finished, he looked to Jacob, "You'll be the first one I contact if I get anything. I've work to do," He stated, turning on his heel and walking away briskly. He opened his menu and navigated straight to his friends, selecting the name [i]Sasayuka[/I] from the list and sending her a message. The reply was prompt and he found the information broker in the plaza, right where they agreed to meet. Their voices were low as they began to walk side-by-side. Nero was one of very few to have figured out Sasayuka's identity as a young girl; she did such an amazing job making her voice ambiguous and covering herself to a point of unisexuality. He had discovered it when they met on the sixth floor and she had been blackmailed for information in the woods. Her hood had fallen off during the commotion, but he had promised not to tell anybody to help retain her anonymity. She was the best information broker in Aincrad and had earned the title when she attended the beta testing. Very few knew anything about her or where she got her details, but she was the most expensive and knowledgeable player in existence.

"Tell me everyth-" He started sharply, but she cut him off by raising a hand.

"They took her and you want information on that new red guild that's been causing problems recently, yes?" She asked, her gaze remaining steadfast ahead of them. Nero sighed in return, giving her the affirmative; there was nothing that this girl didn't find out within minutes. "I'm sorry, Nero, I don't really know a whole lot about them... They're very good at hiding and they're very dangerous - I'm strong, but if I'd rather survive this death trap... I'd recommend you just wait for the ransom, Nero, they don't tend to blindly kill players. I'm sure you understand how important money and resource is to surviving this ga-" As they had turned down an alley to remain out of earshot of others, the conversation had turned dark. The girl was thrown against the wall with a pair of piercing eyes staring straight through her.

"Don't you ever. I'll kill you where you stand if I ever hear you compare me to them - I'd never take away everything from others for profit. I've done a lot of things to get ahead, but I've not killed, I've not stolen, and I've not cheated. This was hard work - not ransom," He snarled. A small window appeared in front of Sasayuka and she coldly declined it - it had been an offer to send Nero straight to jail for harassment, but she understood. In fact, she was absolutely emotionless toward it as he released her and she simply brushed herself off.

"Fine. Is there anything else I can do? You know as much as I do about them right now," She said blankly.

There was a pause; the answer was yes, but he wasn't sure if she could help him with it. Not to mention that he was hesitant to take this route, though it seemed the only one left. "Where is he?" He asked, staring at her.

"Who?"

"You know exactly who, Sasayuka."

"Oh... You know how expensive information on [I]them[/I] is."

"And you know how much I have to spend. Spill it."

"Are you sure about this, Nero?"

"Stop it and just fucking tell me," He snapped, opening his menu and materializing a hefty sum of Col and handing it over. As it disappeared into her inventory, the girl shrugged and divulged the location of Nikolai - The Masked Man - as it was last known. She knew precisely where they had gone after the party, having made it a priority to always keep a tab on the pair of mysterious figures who had amassed an impressive following.

Nero turned on his heel and left, his hand on the hilt of his blade as he walked away, a soft voice disappearing in the wind. "Be careful, Nero..." He had ignored her, finally making the decision to ask [I]them[/I] for help - he had to get her back... Even if it meant asking Rose and Nikolai for aid.