[h3][center][i][u][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iRW6w55K3k]~BGM~[/url][/u][/i][/center][/h3]
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[center][h1]WELCOME, ARMS SLAVE![/h1]

[img]http://i.imgur.com/HYYybxe.png[/img]
[color=#008b45][H2]ARMS SLAVE[/H2][/color]
VS
[H2][color=8493ca]MOON RIDER[/COLOR][/H2]
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Arms Slave logged in, and the first thing he did was fall to his knees and grip his stomach. There were no wounds, but he felt the pain. He was breathing heavily despite being at full health due to what just happened to him, so Arms Slave needed to be fast. He knew that the Black City was in chaos; Sweepers were fighting Strykers, and if he heard right, the Cobalt Bruisers just arrived with their tanks. Arms Slave has no idea what was happening except that he needed to stop the fighting. He needed to get the Sweepers and Strykers to make peace and somehow prevent the Cobalt Bruisers from attacking them. He has no idea why any of this happened now, and how all of it seems to be working against him. He's heard that many have targeted the Ebony Stryker's vehicles, so he knows that they're looking to sabotage his War Machine. He could only hope that he reaches it first.

And the only place his War Machine was at was the Guild Hall, in the king's personal garage. Arms Slave was overseeing it's construction on behalf Moon Rider, and had hoped to include her in it's maiden voyage. But now there was no time for such things. He needed to get to it before his enemies does, and use it to fight the madness in the city. Fortunately Arms Slave wasn't too far from the Guild Hall, and as long as he didn't go outlaw he wouldn't be attacked by the guild's defenders. The others however... Arms Slave knew he had made himself a big target with all the words he spoke before. But that was a small price to pay. With no more time to waste Arms Slave ran through the city, armed with only his tower shields to defend himself against attackers.

Making use of his chains and the fighting around, Arms Slave managed to avoid fights, though he did take a stray bullet to the chest. Somehow, it hurt more than usual. Regardless Arms Slave managed to talk his way past the defenders, most knowing who he was. Though he wouldn't be going in alone; a few knew that some Avatars had illusion based abilities, so they would be following him if he intended to speak with Moon Rider. This surprised Arms Slave, since he didn't know she was on. Because if she was, why did she let this chaos happen? Why would she let the Sweepers and Strykers fight each other while the Blue Guild was riding their forces to them? Just so many questions. But now was a time for action. Being escorted by two other level 3 avatars, Arms Slave arrived to the throne room. It wasn't his final destination, but he knew he'd have to get here first. And when he arrived he saw Moon Rider lounging on her throne. An anger welled up inside of him.

[color=#008b45]"My King."[/color] Arms Slave called out to Moon Rider. He had put his weapons away, not wanting her to think he came to fight. But he still had some words for her. [color=#008b45]"The Ebony Strykers just recovered from the Corpse Collector fiasco barely a day ago! We haven't even been active for more than a week, if even that! Why do you want us to fight the Cobalt Bruisers so soon, especially when there's still fighting between the Sweepers and Strykers in the guild?"[/color] Arms Slave really wanted to know. He wanted to make not just the Sweepers, but the Ebony Strykers great as well. He could have gone to anyone, perhaps even the Cobalt Bruisers, but he stayed with the Strykers. But now how could he stand by and watch it's king do this?

[color=8493ca]"Hmm? You're asking me of all people Arms Slave?"[/color] Rider said with indifference, as if she was jusr now noticing his presence before her. [color=8493ca]"That's quite a question so I have to gibe you probs in thinking that far. Indeed, why did I issue the order to lash out at our Bruiser comrades. I suppose it's because...well, I thought it would just be fun. A nice round of war to get people's blood boiling, am I right? Oh don't give me that face. You've seen your share of battles all the time Slave, can I call you Slave? You know what it's like to have adrenaline pumping through your veins Slave. Isn't that, I dunno, fun to you?"[/color]

Well, Arms Slave couldn't deny that he liked a big fight. He was excited that the Ebony Strykers were being attacked by an army of Outlaws simply because a big brawl like that was more fun than a duel. Factions opposing each other not only on a personal level, but in a way that was bigger than all of them, was something special. Arms Slave didn't just like to fight, he liked war. But this... This isn't what he wanted. He didn't want to fight the Cobalt Bruisers; he wanted to fight alongside them. He didn't want the Strykers to only be Sweepers, he wanted them to be a part of it. This war that Moon Rider wanted wasn't anything Arms Slave wanted. This wasn't even a real fight for real reasons. This was just madness and the violence that follows it. Arms Slave shook his head. [color=#008b45]"No, this... This isn't. Moon Rider I know what sort of a reputation the Sweepers have with the world. Those who think of us as merely hackers and assassins who bring harm in game and out of it. And... And I can't deny that I enjoy my time with them. But this isn't right! We shouldn't be fighting each other, and the Cobalt Bruisers, there's no reason we had to fight them! My god, they were our allies! The other guilds sure, fighting them would make sense, but the Cobalt Bruisers are our friends!"[/color]

[color=8493ca]"Careful Slave. With talk like that, it's easy to think you're directly defying your King,"[/color] Moon Rider said with a deadly gleam in her eye. Though the slight twinge of a smirk on her features suggested that perhaps she wanted him to keep going, to put the pieces together. No, she outright [i]dared[/i] him to do just that and tell her what he thought of all this.

But as Arms Slave looked at his king, he slowly realized something. Something that Arms Slave feared: she didn't care. Arms Slave recognized it all too well; that heartless apathy to slate one's appetite for destruction, regardless of who dies for it. Arms Slave himself had those eyes once, until they were opened by the hands of Eris and Eclipse Princess. Moon Rider was much like Arms Slave once; he had power, minions, wealth, and a bright future. It didn't matter to him who died or suffered; as long as he was happy he wouldn't care about their plights. And for the longest time Arms Slave left that this was right, and that nothing could have been better. But seeing Eris challenge him and the Sweepers put cracks in that world view; the idea that someone opposes this sort of life style, his fortune, made him realize that something was wrong. Right now Arms Slave couldn't say he knew the true problem, but he knew something had to change.

And he knew that Moon Rider needed to change too. Arms Slave clenched his fists together. He knew he didn't have Eclipse Princess's power to defeat Moon Rider. Not alone. There was a lot that Arms Slave aimed to change, but by himself he was powerless. He'd need help. So he'll need to find his friends and make some new ones.

[color=#008b45]"My King, I cannot agree with this. The city is falling apart from infighting, and we won't be able to fend off the Cobalt Bruisers in this state. I... I cannot say anymore. I don't know what else I can tell you but I know what I must do. And... And know that I'm doing this for everyone in the Ebony Strykers, and the Sweepers, and... And for my King."[/color] Arms Slave said that last part with some hesitance. He wasn't certain if he could put his faith in Moon Rider right now. But he had faith in himself and the Ebony Strykers. Paper Moon, Strawberry Baby, and even Eclipse Princess (Unbeknownst to Arms Slave she had left to join the Ivory Masks). Arms Slave started walking towards the Guild's garage, but before he left he said one final farewell. [color=#008b45]"Goodbye, Moon Rider. I... I'll save the Ebony Strykers!"[/color] 

Moon Rider's answer to all of that was a loud cracking noise that echoed around the Throne Room. But the players of DGO were quite used to the sound and could easily be identified as a gunshot. The Black King had fetched for her gun in the middle of Slave's silent thinking, even going as far as to load bullets before firing away. She shot him where he stood, turned towards the direction of the Stryker's garage.

[color=8493ca]"Is that mutiny you're displaying Slave? Now I know you have something more to say to me than just deluded words. Save the Strkyers? My dear boy, this Guild was destined to burn just like it did years before,"[/color] Rider said with her calm smirk. She ignored the shocked expressions of the other Avatars because frankly if they were too stupid to figure it out then they deserved to be shot too. [color=8493ca]"Really, and here I thought you were just like that muscle head Princess. Seems you're both developing in....human ways. That's interesting. Don't you think that's interesting?"[/color]

The bullets fired at Arms Slave were left embedded in the ground in front of him where he once stood. He noticed her gun drawn, and feared that this would happen. He knew he couldn't defeat Moon Rider. He would die, and she would destroy his War Machine. But it wasn't just that at risk. The guild itself was relying on Arms Slave now. Moon Rider had said it herself; the Ebony Strykers were going to be destroyed, and she was going to let it happen. Without leadership the feud between the Ebony Strykers and Sweepers were just going to continue, tearing itself apart. The future of all those within it would be ruined; hundreds of players would be forced into becoming Outlaws, or trying to join with the other guilds. The Ebony Strykers were suppose to be their sanctuary where they could turn that around.

Arms Slave couldn't let them end so soon. [color=#008b45]"No..."[/color] Armored, spiked gauntlets appeared on Arms Slave's hands. He looked at his four hands, how odd it was that he was going to do this without weapons. [color=#008b45]"I will not betray the Ebony Strykers. And Princess.... Eclipse Princess was right. I was so blind to it before. But things have changed."[/color] Arms Slave looked at Moon Rider, who still had a gun pointed towards him. Suddenly his body was covered with a red aura, signifying that he had activated his Aura of Agony. The other avatars in this room that were not his enemies would not be harmed by Moon Rider. [color=#008b45]"But you're right about one thing. It is interesting that a monster like me could realize that there's more to him than just fighting and winning. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't realize that the path I was going down is an empty one. I didn't want it to be this way Moon Rider. But I won't let you destroy the Ebony Strykers, and everyone's hope in it!"[/color] Arms Slave took on his fighting stance, steeling his resolve.

[color=8493ca]"But you don't realize it now do you Slave?"[/color] the Black King said with her smirk that...was starting to become rather unnerving at this point. [color=8493ca]"But fine. Since you want to act like a hero, I can at least give you the courtesy of dying like one,"[/color] Rider continued, actually standing up from her throne this time. The gun was holstered back into its sleeve while her primary weapon was seen clasped in her left hand; a flick of her thumb released the contained stream of purple energy that was her lightsaber. Lunatic Marauder.

[color=8493ca]"You're quite familiar with this weapon, right Slave? It's known for slaying impudent fools who abuse the game, so much so that whispers call it the Hacker Bane. Funny it should find itself at your throat, though I suppose you need your King to reeducate you. You are not stopping that battle outside,"[/color] Moon Rider said before flickering in a flash before appearing right in front of Arms Slave. And true to her word, her blade was deft to strike horizontally along his neck.

[color=8493ca]"Now be a good boy and yield for me."[/color]

[color=#008b45][i]"So fast!"[/i][/color] Arms Slave barely had time to react when Moon Rider was right up to his face. Fortunately his Readied Mind at least knew when she left, and after that it was just instincts that Arms Slave was able to avoid getting decapitated. She was faster than Eclipse Princess, and Arms Slave knew Moon Rider's weapon well enough to know that blocking it was only going to result in a broken weapon, or in this instance, sliced off hands. But there was a reason he chose armored gauntlets to fight Moon Rider instead of an actual weapon.

Arms Slave dodged the attack by ducking low to the side, and the first thing he did was to throw two punches at Moon Rider's weapon arm. If he could weaken it, it would allow him to last just a bit longer against her, at least until he can escape or helps arrive.

[color=8493ca]"Trying to flatter your King by complimenting her speed won't save you Slave,"[/color] Rider said with her grinning features and backing off. Her fingers moved with the grace and speed of a seasoned warrior, flipping the lightsaber into a reversed grip in her hand and slashing away at Slave's attempt to disable her striking hand. Let him try and punch a blade coming right for him.

Arms Slave couldn't believe Moon Rider's speed. Not only fast enough to see his attack, but also move her blade with a flick of a wrist. Arms Slave managed to redirect his strike, missing her arm entirely but saving his hand. However as his gauntlets grazed Moon Rider's blade, he could see the armor plates get sheered off like a hot knife through soft serve ice cream. Using a Chain Catch Arms Slave pulled himself far away from Moon Rider, looking at his gauntlet. An centimeter deeper and that would have cut into his knuckles. But Arms Slave wouldn't give up just yet. He was fast too, or at least, he thinks he was fast enough that he could overwhelm Moon Rider. He just needed to see her tactics and moves a bit more, try to get a read on her, and from there he can launch a counter attack. [i][color=#008b45]"Keep cool Asahi. You at least know how her weapon works. Avoid it and stay mobile, she isn't an enemy you can tank. Not yet..."[/color][/i] Taking on a defensive stance Arms Slave readied his mind against Moon Rider's next attack.

[color=8493ca]"You're right....Asahi? Yeah, that sounds about right. Taking me on head front isn't exactly the best move,"[/color] Rider said, taking her sweet time in walking towards him. She had spoken his name as if it were some foreign object upon her lips and rather liked the sound of it. As she came closer and closer, she dragged her lightsaber's tip along the ground, kicking up sparks and smoke whereever it went. There was no rush in taking down this Asahi. Toying with him, making him see what he was doing was wrong....now that was more her style.

[color=8493ca]"You think you have an advantage just because you think my weapon is a one trick wonder? For someone who glorifies in battle, you're deduction skills are quite poor Asashi. Tell me, can you read this?"[/color] she said before zipping forward with no warning. Blade held in hand, she dashed until he was right in front of him. Then at the last moment, she forced all of her momentum into a jump, sailing high over the brutish Avatar's head. Her right hand snatched out her pistol as she fired down a rain of shots targeted right at the back of Asashi's neck.

[color=#008b45]"What? Are you reading my mind?!"[/color] Of course she was. But Arms Slave had no idea [i]how[/i]. Warping perception was a staple illusion, and having your own mind process information fast enough to see bullets were nothing that Arms Slave hasn't heard of before. But to actually read other people's mind seemed more like witchcraft than science. The fact that Moon Rider responded to his thoughts and even called him out by his real name distracted him long enough that he didn't see her rush him. Or at least when he did see her, he threw a double-fist punch at her, only to strike an afterimage. This got him bullets shot into his back, at least until he used another Chain to pull himself behind the cover of a pillar.

A quick check of his health and he saw he only lost ten percent. But he didn't know how many of those bullets hit him; if she hit him with quite a few than he was certain he could tank more shots. But if that was the work of just one or two, then that was another weapon Arms Slave would have to be serious against. It was obvious that Moon Rider was toying with him now, and it was equally obvious that sitting around trying to counter her wasn't going to work. He needed to keep moving. So quickly moving out from the pillar Arms Slave charged. He kept his guard up which should help him block the bullets, and he'd rely on his agility to avoid her blade. But most likely Moon Rider was going to dance around him, so Arms Slave's charge also served a secondary purpose to dodge her and keep moving.

[color=#008b45]"Since you can read my mind then you know that I'll defeat you!"[/color]

[color=8493ca]"Correction. I know that you hold the belief that you can defeat me,"[/color] Moon Rider said, once more taking her time. With the gun holstered, she walked slowly, slowly towards Asashi...before rushing in to strike with her blade. She ducked and weaved, moved from right to left and back with dancing waves of her weapon. Because she wasn't intending to end the battle in one blow nor was she trying to deliver powerful strikes. A little nip here, a little slice there, all of the small wounds culminating into enduring and lasting damage that would weigh on Asashi. And she was fast enough to avoid his own blows, often using his own momentum and weight against him to dodge and strike forth.

[color=8493ca]"I can see it now Asashi. What you're really thinking I mean. You're scared. Scared for this Guild and scared because you can't do anything about it. Deep down you know you can't defeat me. Everyone in this room knows it. So why don't you stop while you're ahead kid,"[/color] Moon Rider said before lunging forward to stab her sword right into his face. "Because being an obedient puppy won't end up with you sad and dead."

Everything was happening too fast. Arms Slave was able to block the first few hits, but the tables were quickly turned. Even though he could see Moon Rider's strikes, by the time he moved his arms to block them she was already starting up on a next one. She was moving so fast for a while Arms Slave thought he was being attacked by a gang of Moon Riders rather than just one. Worse still were that the attacks she did weren't even that damaging; She could have easily ended it in a single slash, but instead she was giving him a death with a thousand cuts. Eventually Arms Slave fell onto one knee, the sheer pain from it all being too much for him. He only lost 7% of his health but at the same time he must have been struck at least a hundred times. Either Moon Rider was just that weak, or more likely she was holding back. Notable however, she left one spot untouched. It was the same spot where he just got shot. Perhaps with her mind reading powers she also knew that Arms Slave was wounded.

Arms Slave looked up just in time to see her stab at his face, allowing him to roll to the side and put more distance between the two. He got right back onto his feet and charged at her. [color=#008b45]"No one expects much from me! They think a Sweeper won't be much help. I know that better than anyone. I'm not good enough. I'm weak! I know that much..."[/color] Arms Slave threw a punch at Moon Rider despite being too far for his fist to land. Instead, he fired his Chain Shot at her, hoping to perhaps bind her and slow her down. [color=#008b45]"No one has to tell me I have no chance of beating you. I already know that! And yet I must try. It's not about winning or losing! It's about me taking you on right here, right now!" [/color]

[@TheWindel]

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[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/hDiFUyi.png[/img]
[color=#cd2626][H2]DARK WRAITH[/H2][/color][/center]

Rushing towards the Black City gates Dark Wraith tried to get a read on where the fighting was happening around the city. Moon Rider's words seemed to have had some affect on the conflict, as most of the hot zones were starting to cool down, with it's players getting ready to face off against the Cobalt Bruisers. However there was definitely a schism between the two sides. Near the guild itself the Sweepers were rallying their forces, while closer to the gates the Strykers were getting their players together. Most of the tanks have been pull out of the fights to get ready to defend against the Bruisers, but there were still skirmishes throughout the city. Neither Sweeper nor Strykers were taking heavy enough casualties to change the tide, and at this rate they would still be fighting by the time the Bruisers got through the gate. And if they were, Dark Wraith wouldn't hesitate to cut them down herself.

But the feud between the Stryker and Sweepers were almost secondary to another of Dark Wraith's concerns. Someone controlling these turrets, and Moon Rider. Retsu hasn't proven it directly, but she was certain that Yoshino Tsugumi was Moon Rider. But the fact that Moon Rider was on right now either meant that wasn't true, or this wasn't the real Moon Rider. And considering the crazy things Dark Wraith had seen before, the chances that this Moon Rider is an imposter was high. She needed to go investigate. But Dark Wraith couldn't deal with that right now. First she needed to deal with these hacked turrets, talk to Broker of Fortune about quelling the riots in the streets, and then confront Moon Rider. Dark Wraith was already doing her best with the first one, cutting off the connection to the turrets. But now their automatic fire was something hardwired into their programming, firing at anything within range. They wouldn't have any choice but to take out the turrets now.

Reaching the gates Dark Wraith found the Ebony Stryker tanks and then found Paper Moon. Immediately she went straight to him. [color=#cd2626]"Paper Moon, give me an update. What are you and your teammates doing?"[/color]

[@Jedly][@Bombardier]