Ryonara

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

"Hmm.... Sometimes cynicism is the last refuge of the idealist. There are certainly evils in this world Alaira, and they need to be stopped. And many would believe that evil only needs to win once for everyone to lose... However."

Meirin rested her head on her knees and looked at the night sky. There were a lot of stars out tonight. "We may be few, and our enemies many, yet so long as there remains one of us still fighting, one who still rages in the name of justice and truth, then the world shall yet know hope. That's another saying one of my master's taught me. It wouldn't be the first time people were forced under the brutal oppression of evil Alaira, and it won't be the last time someone rises up and stops them. And you're that kind of person Alaira. You would do what's right and keep on fighting, taking on that pain, and creating hope."

"I... I may keep a cool head, but it's like you said before. I'm hesitant, I put too much thought into my actions, start to question myself. I have so much ability, but I have no idea what I'm using it for. And that scares me, because I feel like I'm wasted potential. At least you know what you want and are willing to go all out to get it. You stop bad guys the only way you know how, and for better or worse, you get things done. I could never do that. I'd spend too much time thinking about what I need to do rather than doing it."

---

Alaira looked to the sky as well, taking in her words. The stars were, in a sense, her closest friend. Her mother always told her they were a gift from Leehna, a record of the deeds of men and women long dead. She wondered if her mother was up there somewhere. She looked down again, her voice low. "...And then, when my enemies lie broken at my feet, and when nobody remains to challenge us, what then? What do we do with the wild beast when it's survived its purpose?" She asked, idly clenching her fist.

---

Meirin laughed. It started as a giggle, than a stiffed chuckle, before turning to laughter. "That would imply that our work is ever done Alaira. It's never done. For people like us... It's only over in death. But, to answer your question: You take what peace you get and learn to master that beast within you. Maybe you go find new challenges to face. Find something worth fighting for, something worth living for, and something that you'd be happy to die for." Meirin looked down from the stars and was a bit sullen, despite the smile that was still on her face.

"There's more to life than fighting. But it's one of the greatest thrills you can have in life. So, you go out and find reasons to fight. Ones that, hopefully, makes the world a bit of a better place. Otherwise... You'd never have a shortage of enemies."

---

Alaira trembled, her face in hands. It wasn't that simple. "F-fighting's all I've got... and it's different for me... The feeling of ending them, tearing them to pieces, the crunch of bones, the feeling of warm blood... that's my strength. This bloodlust is all that keeps me going, and is the only reason I've survived this long. My master told me he'd never seen anyone as vicious as me... What happens if I just... snap? What do I do then? How do I protect Ly- everyone from... Me?" She was going to say something else, but she caught herself...

---

"You strengthen and hone your ability Alaira. Right now, you're like raw iron. Strong, enduring but blunt and unrefined. So much can be done with you, but all you need is someone to help shape you. Rage... And fury, these aren't evil things. It's what empowers the best of us. Right now, it seems that your worst opponent isn't a person, but yourself. You're not evil Alaira, at worse you're stupid. And even than, you're clever enough to survive. And you're certainly strong enough to defeat whatever darkness is eating away at you from the inside. And if you don't think so... Than you think about Lyn, and wonder if you want to let your dark side hurt her. Or you come to me, and let me remind you about all the good that you've done, despite your faults. You don't need to fight alone Alaira. There are plenty of people who'd be more than willing to fight alongside you. I certainly would."

---

She nodded, stretching a bit as she stood up, loosening her arm. "...You talk too much. We should have had you bore those bandits to death." She said, smirking as she looked over her shoulder. "C'mon, we should head back..."

---

Pouting playfully Meirin stood up with Alaira. "And you need to talk to us more. But yeah, let's head on in. Oh! One more thing." Meirin reached around her neck and took off the amulet that she had brought a while back. "Lyn had an eye for this. I brought it myself and hoped that maybe I could use it to convince her to stay safe. However... I think the safest place for her to be is with you. So hold onto this, and when we make it back to the college, I may even let you keep it. The merchants I brought it from says it protects from demonic influence, but I have my doubts." Meirin handed the amulet to the half-elf. Alaira didn't seem the type to wear jewelry, but if nothing else she could at least hold onto it as a gift.

---

Alaira caught the amulet, looking it over... She scoffed. "There ain't no better protection from demons then a good blade... or not fighting demons." She said. She slid it into a belt pouch, shrugging. "Eh, looks pretty though." She hopped down, a bit of Aeromancy cushioning the fall. She stood there, waiting for the monkling to get down.

---

Meirin followed after Alaira, simply hopping off the roof. She slowed her fall by pressing her weight against the wall, sliding down. Wordlessly Meirin motioned towards the inn and walked away.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

Meirin turned her head to see Darius leave them. Fine with her. Let them have a little girl talk. Meirin wondered if she should lower her guard, and than wondered why she was being so defensive. Perhaps it was, just as Alaira said, because she thought Alaira was just a brute. Empirical evidence from before certainly would validate Meirin's thinking. But letting out a sigh, she decided that Alaira didn't need someone pointing out her flaws right now. Meirin did mention she wanted to know more about her, so she was going to have to put her words into action. She walked closer to Alaira with her guard somewhat lowered; Meirin was still expecting to get hit, but for Alaira's sake, Meirin would be willing to take a bit of a beating. "I'll admit you're far from perfect. But Lyn like you. Her parents like you. I'm almost certain that most of the teachers like you. And while I am angry, I like you too Alaira. You're heroic, and no matter what other people say, that's a good thing. You have a good heart, which worth something in these dark times. Sure you're hardheaded, but it's like you said, if it was up to me or Ssarak we could over think things, lose precious time trying to figure out what to do rather than do what we need to do. You get things done." Meirin soon approached Alaira within arms reach. Despite her previous words, Meirin put on a friendly smile. She also handed Alaira a handkerchief; as red as Meirin's hair.

"You're better that you think you are Alaira. When you put your mind to something you go all out and don't half-ass things. There's nothing that scares you off, and you don't hesitate or let what-if's or should-have's bother you. I like that about you Alaira, and the only reason I never really talked to you before was because sometimes I don't know if I can keep up with you! But that's my fault for letting my insecurities get the better of me." Meirin took a moment to think about what to say next. She wanted to say something that would help cheer Alaira up, maybe get her to calm down and get them off this roof. She thought about something that her masters back the monastery might say.

"In the grim darkness of the far future there is more than war. There are real people there too. One of my masters told me that. Never really understood it at first, and even now I have to think about it. But given the context, I suppose it could be taken tragically. At least when things are completely dark, things getting worse don't really matter. But when there are real people on the line, well. it just gets that much harder, doesn't it? But than I also got to thinking.... People aren't so bad. They're strong. They're people who do the right thing, perhaps not at first, but they do the right thing in the end. Now I think of that message a bit more encouraging. If people were as bad as they think they were, we wouldn't be around for long, you know?"

Sitting down next to Alaira Meirin patted the spot next to her. She wanted Alaira to sit with her. "So, what do you think about it?"

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

A light sigh escaped Meirin's mouth as Alaira stormed off. Perhaps she said too much, but regardless this wasn't over. Steeling her will, Meirin stretched her neck and went after Alaira. By the time she was outside Alaira was no where to be seen, but she did ask one of the patrons who were taking a breathing outside if they saw her, and they did mention seeing a woman storm off near one of the buildings. After getting directions Meirin found the building, but no signs of a forced entry. Meirin was about to continue her search elsewhere when she heard a quite noise. She didn't pick it up at first, but as she was trying to find Alaira, she heard a very faint breathing noise. Crying, perhaps. Meirin didn't think that it would have come from Alaira of all people, but as foolish as she may be, Alaira still had feelings. Meirin was starting to feel a bit of guilt now, but that just means that she still has a responsibility to uphold. And like it or not, Meirin still had some things to tell Alaira.

As Meirin tried to focus in on the very faint sobbing, she was able to figure out that Alaira somehow managed to get herself onto the roof of one of the buildings. Meirin was quite aware that if she went up there, Alaira may very well attempt to attack her. And in her state, Alaira would only do more harm to herself than to Meirin. She'd hope this wouldn't have to come to blows, but given Alaira's actions before, Meirin was more than ready for a fight. Using a simple maneuver Meirin blasted herself onto the roof with a gust of wind, landing on the opposite side behind Alaira. Meirin kept herself ready for the insatiably bullrush or lightning bolt, but appeared to be standing calming with her arms crossed behind her back.

"We could use your help Alaira. You have so much ability, so much strength, but you don't talk to us nor do you listen to us. We're suppose to work together, but you keep trying to handle everything yourself. I'm not just angry that you nearly killed us all with that wild fire. I'm angry that you didn't at least tell us ahead of time, so we could be better prepared and make that insane scheme work. I want to trust you with my life Alaira, but before I do that I have to know what you're thinking. I want to know more about you."

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

Using her magic, Meirin manipulated the mead out of Alaria's mug and onto the floor. Some of it also splashed on Alaira's face, entirely accidentally, but hopefully it would also get her attention. "You didn't just "fucked up", you nearly killed us all! If it wasn't for Lyn, I would have my arms torn off and the entire caravan would either be engulfed in flames or at the bottom of the river. We didn't get by because of our skills, we got by because we got lucky. Nothing you did helped us at all. You're actually more than useless, seeing that we could have taken those bandits if you hadn't decided to be a fool and try to burn us all alive." Meirin said harshly and bluntly. She would hope that her words would get through to Alaira, but in the event that they don't, Meirin wasn't afraid to dig deeper. "I heard what you did when the demons attacked. Fought your way to the infirmary and even managed to take out a demon that no one seemed to be able to touch. But you also used up all your energy taking that one demon out, and guess what? The battle wasn't over. For all your strength, you don't even know how to use it. You throw your weight around without any discipline or skill. What if another demon had shown up? You fought so hard to kill just one, and another one shows up in it's place after you wasted all your energy. You tried so hard, but fell short because you didn't act smart. And the only reason you survived back than was because of luck too. Well no more."

Meirin never raised her voice or even moved from her spot, but somehow she seemed to increase her presence. There was still chatter in the room, but quite a few of the patrons were looking at her now. "This is an order Alaira. Next time you listen to me, Darius, or Ssarak before you do anything, even draw your weapon. If you can't do that, go back to the college. You're not fit to protect anyone. Not this caravan, not yourself, and least of all Lyn. She isn't even suppose to be here, but has done more to save the caravan than you have."

Deep Ground Online: War of Strangers

Retsu Goroshi / Dark Wraith & Hibiki Toho / Smitten Kitten

Shortly after Hibiki arrived, Yoshino left her dormitory. Retsu wanted to give chase, but Hibiki stopped her. "Look, now is not a good time to talk to Yoshino, and I-"

"Actually, I'm here to talk to you. You're Dark Wraith, correct?"

Retsu paused and looked at Hibiki. How this little girl figured that out wasn't something that Retsu wanted to waste time with. "So what if I am? That doesn't matter right now, I need to catch up with Tsugumi-san." Retsu stepped around Hibiki and tried to follow after the school president, but she had failed to catch up to Yoshino due to Hibiki.

Hibiki followed Retsu and talked to her as they were walking. "I know you're Dark Wraith and I know that you're part of the Sweepers. I'm actually pretty sure that you're the one who controls them, right? But look, that doesn't matter to me. I honestly don't care about this Guild Wars thing going on, but I'm more worried about this Silver Jester person and how he killed the other four kings. And from the screaming a little while ago, I'm guessing that he tried to kill you too? I know a way to stop that."

Stopping, Retsu turned towards Hibiki. She had a glare in her eye, like a mix of burning fury and cold determination. "You have five minutes to explain yourself. After that I'm going to go find Tsugumi-San and make sure she doesn't do something we'll all regret." Crossing her arms Retsu stood and recorded Hibiki.

"Well, my parents makes computer stuff for Deep Ground, you know? So they're pretty well connected. And it just so happens that they had a look at the autopsy report on the four other players who were killed last month. They still don't know the cause of death, but one thing that stood out was that their chips were completely fried. But there was no external signs of their chips being tempered, so I'm guessing that the chips were the cause of their deaths. I don't know much else about how it could have killed them aside from overloading their senses, but even so my parents have made a new prototype chip to ensure that this sort of thing doesn't happen again. It's a prototype right now because it can only link into Deep Ground, and that's because I get to test it out. I... I think that the Silver Jester killed the other kings by overloading their chips, which killed the other kings through the shock feedback. My parent's new chips are designed to make sure that won't happen; only the chip get's fried, but leaves the user like you and me perfectly fine. I only have a few, but replacing the old chips with these new ones is simple. I've already done it myself. Now I want to know everything you know about the Silver Jester, why he killed the kings, and what you and Yoshino just did."

Hibiki was smart, perhaps too smart for her own good. It was bad enough that she was able to somehow deduce her identity as Dark Wraith despite Retsu's own efforts, but also seemed to have made a countermeasure against the Silver Jester's attacks. This was almost too good to be true. Retsu debated if she should silence Hibiki right now, take her chips, and put the blame of her "Disappearance" on the Silver Jester. But instead Retsu would work with Hibiki. She's proven to be a rather cunning investigator, and Retsu could use her talents. Besides that, Hibiki wasn't allied with any guilds, least of all the Ebony Strykers. She would make for a good spy. Still, Retsu loathed to tell Hibiki the truth, and wasn't even sure why a little girl like her wanted anything to do with this conspiracy. But letting out a deep sigh, Retsu spoke.

"Tsugumi-san and I entered Deep Ground to find the Silver Jester. We knew that he would be on and I had hoped to find his location and put an end to his madness. However he... Has proven to be a much more skilled opponent than I had anticipated. He was able to counter the programs I used to find out more information on him, and in the end Tsugumi-san had to resort to battling the Silver Jester in hopes to at least get him off Deep Ground. Silver Jester modded his character to become overpowered, but I made sure that Tsugumi-san fought against him on equal ground. Ultimately, we defeated him, however... As I've said, he was a much more skilled opponent than either me or Tsugumi-san. Not only did he managed to survive Tsugumi-san attacks, but his ability to manipulate Deep Ground proved to be much, much more advance than mines, including his... Attack, on both me and Tsugumi-san. That screaming you heard, that was because of him. And if you're right, it was because he had somehow managed to affect the chips in our heads. The pain was unimaginable... And if he has that sort of power, there's very little that even I can do..."

Though more than five minutes had passed, Retsu was starting to falter. She did not know what had overcome Yoshino, but Retsu knew that the Silver Jester must have told her something while Retsu was out. What other reason would he allow the either of them to live, if the Silver Jester didn't want Yoshino to do something for him while she was still alive? Clenching her hand into a fist, Retsu turned back around and started walking. "Your five minutes are up. If you still want to help, you'll follow me to Yoshino. Let me do all the talking, do everything I tell you, and you might just have some use to me."

Narrowing her eyes at Retsu, Hibiki wasn't sure if she could believe everything Retsu was saying. She was certain that Retsu was lying to her, or at least holding back the truth. Still, it at least confirmed some things; the chips were the cause for the deaths of the kings, and Silver Jester was responsible. She wanted to know more about the Silver Jester, but Hibiki figured that if Retsu couldn't figure him out there wasn't much of a point in asking. Hibiki didn't like the idea of following Retsu however. Not only did Hibiki have classes that she wanted to go to, but the less time she gets seen with "Dark Wraith", the easier it'll be for Hibiki to search for clues. She imagined that the Silver Jester was keeping watch on Yoshino and her Black Guild now, so if Hibiki wanted to get anything done she'll need to work in the shadows while the spotlight was on the Ebony Strykers.

"Sorry, but this is where we go our separate ways. I don't know what you and Tsugumi-san are planning, but whatever it is, I don't want any more people hurt or killed. If I have to work with you to make sure that doesn't happen, than I'll find you again. But if I have to stop you... Than I will. Good bye Goroshi-san. Oh! And here." Digging through her pockets Hibiki handed Retsu two chips. They looked newer than the recent models, slimmer and smooth. "This is for you and Tsugumi-san. I want to defeat the Black King, fair and square, and without all this... Insanity." Than Hibiki ran off to class.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

Hiya.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

Ssarak & Meirin Collab

Meirin looked over to Ssarak as he came back to help her with the runes. Though she could move her arms a bit more now, she was thankful that someone else could help her use the strange rocks. She certainly didn't know how to use them beyond what seemed immediately obvious. "I'm feeling better, though some soup and a bed would be nice. Come, let's see what sort of magic this rune can do." Meirin handed Ssarak the rune-etched rock and allowed Ssarak to lead her to the rooms. She was certain that no one would want to get in his way, allowing them to move through the partially packed tavern more easidly.

Ssarak took the lead to one of the rooms they had purchased for the night. Despite the crowd, he proceeded virtually unobstructed, something which was common for him whenever he was in a city in Human lands. As far as he knew, the rooms were essentially identical, so it did not matter which he chose. The room itself was fairly mundane, with simple furniture too small for himself, but at least the price matched what they recieved.

As he waited for Meirin to take a seat, he looked over the etchings on the rune. While he was by no means an expert on runes, he did at least know how to use one. Given that his magic could never actually change anything about the physical world, knowing his way around such tools was useful, in particular with vitamancy runes. "I have not used a rune to heal a serious injury before, but it is the rune that will be doing most of the work, so it should be no different from normal. Where exactly is it that you are hurt most severely?"

Meirin shruged her shoulds experimentally. While it did not "Hurt" per say, they certainly were stiff and sore now. It was a good place to start. "Around my shoulders and collarbone." Meirin touched one side of her shoulder and than dragged her finger across her chest to the other shoulder. Around that general area was where the most pain was at. "I used the rune a little bit while I was taking care of Lyn. I'm not sure if I used it correctly, but when I did my arms began to hurt less." Meirin figured she should let Ssarak know this. No harm in not telling him.

Ssarak gave a nod. "I see. Runes are not too complicated to use. All I need to do is press the inscription to your skin, and the magic within will do the work." He explained, pausing a moment as he looked around the room for somewhere to sit. There were a few chairs, and against his better judgement, he decided to attempt to use one. He pulled it up in front of Meirin, then immediately knocked it over with his tail when he tried to sit down. Letting out a sigh, he picked it back up, then much more carefully attempted to sit. It creaked under his weight, but at least seemed to be holding up, even if it was almost comically small for him.

"I am almost expecting that I will wake up tomorrow with my bed cracked in half." Ssarak commented with a chuckle, making sure to shift the rune around so that the inscription faced away from him.

Meirin smiled at Ssarak's comment about his bed. It would be quite a sight to see him sleeping on the ruined remains of the small wooden-framed beds. Aside from that thought she didn't have anything else to say as Ssarak applied to rune onto her hurting areas. She blushed just a little as she could feel Ssarak's hands graxe across her chest. She knew that it was for medical reasons, but he was still very close to her.

At first Meirin did not feel any different, but when the Rune started to glow she could feel the soreness in her shoulders fade away. It was almost as if time was reversing to a point were her body was not so broken, but even if the rune only restored her to her normal function, it was better than dislocated joints. After a few minutes Meirin could feel no more pain in her arms. "I think it worked!" Meirin began to move her arms and threw out a couple of hand technquies in the air in front of her. No pain or soreness, no feeling that her arms were getting ripped out of socket. Stepping out of the chair Meirin preformed a weaving motion, one that would restore her body's health just a little. It's not that she did not beleive that the rune worked, but it was better to be safe than sorry. After she finished her movement, she could feel her body back at full strength.

Turning to Ssarak Meirin had a smile on her face. "It worked! The rune worked! I... I don't feel any more pain. Wow, it's a good thing Alaira had those." At the mention of her name, Meirin's mood became dour. There was still the matter of Alaira, and Lyn. Contempltating their next actions, Meirin turned to Ssarak. "Ssarak, you know we can't take Lyn. The Caravan master won't allow it. And even with Lyn along, I'm sure even you know how much of a liability Alaira will be."

"If need be, I do not doubt that we could convince the caravan master to allow Lyn to come." Ssarak commented. "Even if he did not agree, we are the ones protecting him, and if most of his guards are gone, there is no way he can complete the journey. Of course, I would much prefer to return Lyn to the college for her own safety. Unfortunately, the bridge was destroyed behind us..." He said, pausing a moment to lean one shoulder towards her and wrap one wing around in front of him, revealing several tears in the membane. "...and I am not in a condition to fly her back."

As Meirin spoke of Alaira, she noticed Ssarak's own injuries. She had completely forgotten about it, but Ssarak did have to use his own body to cushion Meirin's decent down the river. She could see painful looking tears in his wing's webbing. Forgetting about Alaira for a moment, Meirin extended her hand out to Ssarak. "Let me use that Rune for you now. It won't be good for you to keep those injuries for too long."

Ssarak shook his head lightly. "I would rather not overuse the rune. They can burn out and break if you try to use them too much at once. Given the nature of our mission, it would be best to make sure the rune is available for emergencies. Do not worry, the membranes of my wings scarcely feel pain, and they have been hurt more severely before. Do you remember when I described the sport I liked to play back in my homeland? Funny enough, it was actually that which prepared me to take that fall earlier. It is a sport which teaches one to crash with...grace." He said with a reassuring smile.

Meirin didn't quite share Ssarak's smile. While she knew he was simply trying to releive Meirin of her worry, she didn't buy it. So instead she began to repeat her previous Weaving motions but with slight alterations. Once she finished her motions she laid her hands on the tears on Ssarak's wings. It wasn't quite as effective as the runes, but Meirin started to heal Ssarak's injuries. As she healed Ssarak Meirin spoke about Lyn and Alaira again.

"It isn't just because of what the caravan master said. I'm worried for Lyn's safety, and to be frank, I don't quite trust Alaira. You saw how quick she was to endanger our lives back at the bridge. Even if we brought Lyn along, I'm sure it'll only make Alaira even more hasty than usual. I think... It'll be best if Alaira took Lyn back to the college. Even if the caravan master is at our mercy, we can't delay him for too long simply to return Lyn back at the college. I know it sounds cruel, but if we send Alaira and Lyn back to the college, you, Darius, and I can still protect the caravan and reach Hysteria before too long. And remember, Lucilia doesn't just want the caravan to arrive to Hysteria safely. We need to get any information we can from the attacks. Inevtiably, we'll have to confront some demons and figure out where they're coming from, and I don't want Lyn to be around when we have to do that."

Even though the pain of his injuries had subsided long ago, there was still something soothing about them being healed. He could feel the membranes slowly being mended together, which caused him to let out a deep, relaxed breath. Still, the matter Meirin was speaking about was concerning, and for the most part, he agreed with her. "I do not believe you are wrong. I want Lyn to be as safe as possible, and ideally, that would be back at the college. I do not know how she managed to sneak onboard the wagon; I will need to remember to ask her when next I see her. Regardless, I would like to be able to get her back to safety, and Alaira is the weakest among us at the moment, but...can we be sure she would be able to get her back safely at all? Even if we could get her to agree, Alaira is not at her strongest at the moment. With the bridge down, I do not know how far the nearest crossing is, and there may yet be dangers on the return trip. At least one of those bandits escaped, and there may yet be more from different groups. If Alaira tried to return alone with Lyn, both of them might be killed by those opportunists. It is...difficult to say what the safest option for Lyn would actually be."

Meirin continued to try to heal Ssarak, refreshing her weaving magic when needed. She was quiet even after Ssarak had finished speaking. Part of her demanded that they do the logical, efficient thing and have Alaira send Lyn back, even at the risks of bandits. Alaira may be in a weakened state, but surely she would consider fighting more inteligently when she has to protect someone, especially someone like Lyn. But that need to protect the girl was also what nagged Meirin. Though they would face dangers, Lyn would be better protected with the combined efforts of Meirin, Ssarak, Darius, and Alaira, than just Alaira alone. Meirin knew how dangerous the roads could get, and even back when she lived at the monestary the martial artists would never escort caravans alone. There was as much power in numbers as there were in induvidual skills. Meirin wanted Lyn to be safe. She just wasn't sure if it would be safer at the college, or with the group.

Beginning to tire out, Meirin stopped the healing. Most of Ssarak's injuries were healed, though there were still notable cuts that hopefully could get restored later. Even though Meirin wasn't in pain, now she was simply winded. As she rested on her bed Meirin thought about what they should do with Lyn. Djarkel was too dangerous right now for travelers, and like it or not, Lyn wouldn't head back to the college without running into some sort of trouble. Unless someone at the college could come pick her up shortly, there wasn't much else they could do. "Then.... Then Lyn will stay with us. While I have no doubts we will run into danger, with our combined efforts I'm certain that we can handle them. It will be too much of a risk to allow Alaira to handle the possibility of being attacked by bandits alone, even for all her bravado."

Standing up Meirin headed out the door, but before she left she looked at Ssarak. "This is my choice. I'll take the responsabilities with it. We can take Lyn along with us to Hysteria, and once the mission is complete we can all return home. If you can, could you go speak to the caravan master? I... I want to have a word with the others about this decision." In truth, Meirin was going to go speak to Alaira. In Meirin's mind, she had already made up her thoughts about bringing Lyn along. But Meirin wanted to set Alaira strait. She knew how skilled Alaira was in a fight, but Meirin hated her uncaring attitude towards danger. Even with Lyn as their protectorate, Meirin was going to make it clear to Alaira how she felt.

Ssarak stood up immediately and walked out after Meirin. Overall, the situation was stressful, He wanted nothing more than to take Lyn back to the safety of the college, but they had no real way to do that safely. He appreciated that she was willing to take on all of the responsibility herself, but he was anot about to let her shift all of the blame on herself should something go wrong. Before she could find Alaira, he caught up to her and stopped her with a gentle hand on her shoulder.

Since they were now out of the privacy of the room, Ssarak spoke with a telepathic message, instead of aloud. "Meirin, you are not alone in this. I can help to make the decisions, and take the blame. No matter what happens, you do not have to tackle it alone. Before you...converse with Alaira, allow me to take Lyn out of earshot. I can take her with me to talk to the caravan master. For a young girl such as her, we need not expose her to such a heated argument, especially one that could potentially involve her."

Feeling Ssarak's presence in her mind Meirin stopped to give him clearer thoughts. She had, initially, began to formulate her arguement against Alaira, but she had failed to consider Lyn. Frankly, Meirin wasn't sure if Lyn knew anything they were saying, and simply read their emotions and bady language like her mother does. Ssarak also mentioned that he would help alivate the burden of Lyn's safety from Meirin's shoulders, but somehow this only made her more tense. "I know... I know, but... Lyn needs to know the dangers we're about to head into. This isn't like getting rid of rats in the basement. People will die out there. We will have to kill them. That's something that Lyn needs to know, and Alaira needs to be aware that she, Lyn, and any of us could be one of those people who die out there. I'm not really one for lying Ssarak, and I certainly can't go easy on either of them. This isn't a game."

The words in Meirin's mind would never leave her mouth, but they were her conscience thoughts on the matter. She was about to say something else when she absentmindedly continued thinking, despite Ssarak reading into her thoughts. "More importantly, Alaira needs to know just how stupid she is. Her bravado will get her killed, if I don't kill her first. Endangering our lives like that, what was she hoping to get out of it? Cheap thrills at our expanse? We're not friends. I'm not going to tolerate her selfishness, not even if Lyn is there." Meirin's eyes widen when she remembered that Ssarak was still listening into her thoughts. Anger was swelling up in Meirin, and she knew that she needed to control it, but now that she was at full strength she had the need to release her tension.

To the outside, their "conversation" might have appeared rather strange, as they were simply standing in the middle of the inn, staring at one another. Nevertheless, Ssarak could feel the anger in her thoughts, and indeed, he understood it fully. Alaira's recklessness had nearly killed several, if not all of them, and he agreed that it could not be ignored. "I agree completely that she needs to be spoken to, but please, let me handle Lyn. Explaining mortal danger to a young child...it is something I have had to do before, with my own children. They had to know that their father might never return. Lyn's mind is more mature than her age would suggest, and I can read her thoughts and communicate more effectively with her. Let me come with you to Alaira, then take Lyn away before you confront her." He offered with a sympathetic expression.

She couldn't look Ssarak in the eyes. She tried to seal her mind away, but without wards it wouldn't work on someone like Ssarak. Meirin didn't really have much coherant thoughts, but the feeling of anger and guilt swirled in her mind. She wants to punish Alaira and save Lyn. She needed to calm herself down, so Meirin took a deep breath. For a short moment, her mind truly was cleared of any thoughts. When she started thinking again, she looked up to Ssarak with a small smile on her lips. "Okay... Okay. I'll... I'll speak to Alaira, while you take care of Lyn. I'll do my best not to start a fight."

Ssarak returned Meirin's smile and patted her shoulder. "Thank you. I will take her to speak with the caravan guard, as well as explain to her what we are stepping into. After Lyn is out of earshot of Alaira though...say anything you like. I just wish I could join you."

With their plan set, the pair found Alaira once more among the crowd. It had been a while since they left to heal Meirin's wounds, so there had been plenty of time for them all to finish their meals. Ssarak made sure to give no hint to Alaira that he was cross with her. Instead, he simply gave her a nod. "Alaira." He said, before shifting his sight to Lyn. "I believe I am going to go speak to the caravan master regarding Lyn joining us. I would like your help, Lyn." He began, giving a warm smile and kneeling down closer to her. "I believe he was angry and stressed earlier, but if he can see you for himself, I think he will start to warm up to you. What do you think, can you help me?"

As Ssarak went to deal with Lyn, Meirin stepped before Alaira. "Alaira, we need to talk about what you did at the bridge today."

Deep Ground Online: War of Strangers

Tempting, but no. I'd like it if Amy could meet someone in at the school to figure out which guild she ought to join however.

Deep Ground Online: War of Strangers

The Day Before

A Few Hours Ago

Smitten Kitten eyes widen as Corpse Collector drew her gun. She knew that she wouldn't be able to face Corpse Collector down alone, and without a friend at that, so Smitten Kitten ran for it. She threw a Fire Rune at Corpse Collector's feet, hoping that it would damage her and give Smitten Kitten some room to run. She didn't want to drag out a fight in the Black City, since the last thing she needed was for the Ebony Strykers to start fighting her too.

Corpse Collector grimaced as the sudden explosion caught her off guard. Thinking fast, she brought down the ends of her umbrella as the fiery display became absorbed, giving off a faint orange glow to it. The Hacker took one look at it before smirking.

"Hey this thing's pretty nifty, right? Wonder what happens if I do this!"

With a thrust of her hand, Corpse Collector reeled back and released the Fire Rune right back at Smitten Kitten. As the runes landed right in front of Smitten Kitten's path, Corpse Collector leap forward in pursuit of her prey.

Smitten Kitten though that she'd been able to escape, but somehow Corpse Collector shot a fire ball right in front of Smitten Kitten. It hit her pretty hard, but she still had more than half her health left. She didn't want to know how much damage she could take however. Looking back Smitten Kitten saw Corpse Collector come at her. "Dang it! I can't let her kill me, but I need answers!"

Thinking fast, Smitten Kitten readied her Warp Runes. One on the roof of a building below her, and another right behind her. When Corpse Collector was just about to land on her, Smitten Kitten stepped back onto the Warp Rune and appeared on the other rune below. Smitten Kitten needed to first get out of the Black City, and if Corpse Collector keeps following, figure out a way to trap her and get her to start telling her what she wants to know about the king's deaths.

"The hell?"

Corpse Collector halted as Smitten Kitten warped right out of her line of sight and landed who knows where. Sighing in annoyance, she twirled her umbrella once before brandishing her gun once more.

"Yeah, I remember your little trick too. Well, kinda. You're too bust just watching me get grilled back then so I can't say for sure."

Looking around, she grinned menacingly when she discovered the other Player from a lower level from her. Twirling her gun, she fired off a few warning rounds that completely missed Smitten Kitten. Frowning at the horrible seemingly inaccuracy of the weapon, she chose to jump down and continue the chase.

"No taunts or anything like that? Man, I thought you were more of a pain than the others. Still not a jerk like that Arms Slave though for stealing my freaking gun."

Smitten Kitten continued to Warp from roof to roof. She lacked the health or acrobatics to safely land a far distance, despite being a cat-like avatar. But she knew that she needed to save her Warp Runes, or else they'd enter a very lengthy cool down state right when she needed it the most.

As the little girl kept running, she did notice that Corpse Collector wasn't teleporting to her, nor was her accuracy insane like before. Smitten Kitten guessed that Corpse Collector wasn't hacking, but that only made her want to know what exactly happened with Corpse Collector and why she was back. Soon Smitten Kitten saw a promising area; a ruined looking warehouse of some sort. There didn't seem to be any players near by, so Smitten Kitten leap down to the street, close enough that she didn't have to deal with fall damage, and ran for the warehouse. Once inside her mind quickly formulated a plan to ensnare Corpse Collector.

"You little...get back here and fight!"

Well, her irrational behavior and brash manner of speaking hadn't changed at all. Indeed, the looks may have been different but this was still the same childish Corpse Collector. Focusing her mind, she concentrated a certain ability of hers...and promptly teleported inside the warehouse.

Landing with a hard thud, she skidded to a halt with her boots before looking on towards the approaching Smitten Kitten. A look of annoyance flashed across her face though, and she did not use her flicker-type move again. Perhaps she couldn't and it had a cool-down period like any other Avatar Ability?

Acting fast, Smitten Kitten actually continued to run towards Corpse Collector, but took out a small object; a Buckler. Or more accurately, a pot lid. It was considered a joke item even for low level players, but it was also the only shield that Smitten Kitten could use since she lacked a Brawler's regular strength. Still, on it's own the pot lid couldn't even be used to deflect a thrown rock. At least not without enchantments.

The first thing after Smitten kitten took out her pot lid was put a Warp Rune on it's surface. Now anything that touched the surface of the shield would be Warped away. The second thing she did was create a Sticky Rune on what looked to be a hole in the ground. Wasn't even a bit hole, but it was just large enough to hide Smitten Kitten. Or stuff Corpse Collector into. And lastly, one more Warp Rune, on the ceiling above the hole.

Smitten Kitten didn't know how many bullets Corpse Collector could shoot before she needed to reload or the full abilities of her umbrella, but even so the little girl charged at Corpse Collector without fear. All she needed to do was touch Corpse Collector with her Warp Rune, and she was certain it would be her victory.

"Oh, so you wanna die after all?"

Corpse Collector raised her gun and fired off the Death Penalty II for a total of three shots, confident that each of her bullets would make direct contact due to the rapidly decreasing distance. Therefor, it was to her great outrage when the gun's bullets all seemed to miss the approaching form of Smitten Kitten.

"Oh come the fuck on!"

Not being bothered by a long-ranged assault, the Hacker Player extend a short blade out of the end of her umbrella and charged forward with every intent to slice her enemy into ribbons.

As Corpse Collector charged with her weaponized umbrella, Smitten Kitten pounced. It took ever bit of focus she had, but Smitten Kitten was able to parry Corpse Collector's blow with her umbrella. Once she was past the umbrella's threat range, Smitten Kitten reared the pot lid back and punched Corpse Collector with it. For a measly 1% health damage, if even that.

Virtually unaffected y the pitiful scratch damage, Corpse Collector gave off a perplexed look.

"Um...the fuc-"

But than the Warp Rune went off. Just as soon as the Rune touched Corpse Collector, her body was Warped from her current location to the Wrap Rune on the ceiling. But given that there was no footholds or any other object for her to grab onto, Corpse Collector was sent on a free fall strait down into the hole. And once she landed in it, she triggered the Sticky Rune, which would keep her trapped. Normally it would just stick people's feet to the ground, but unless Corpse Collector had insane agility, she'd fall right on her back or face, and onto the Sticky Rune.

"Shit!"

Twirling her body around, Corpse Collect was able to maneuver nimble enough to turn herself over and land perfectly on her feet. Doing so, she rose up to dust off her dress. Giggling at Smitten Kitten's obvious failure, she twirled her bladed umbrella before leaping to bring about the killing blow.

"Bye, bye Kitty! I-wait..."

She moved forward a little, than a lot, and then struggled. She could move one leg but why...turning back at the Sticky Rune, the Hacker couldn't believe her luck. She had misjudged the distance needed to avoid the trap entirely, and so had managed to miss it for the most part. "Most part" didn't quite cut it though, as her left leg was still very much caught.

She wasn't going anywhere, not unless she'd willingly cut off that leg.

"Goddamnit!"

Such a foul mouth for a pretty face.

Smitten Kitten let out a sign of relief as her trap worked. Smitten Kitten than moved the location of the Warp Rune on the ceiling to another location, and as Corpse Collector continued to struggle fruitlessly out of the trap, Smitten Kitten disarmed her of her weapons and the umbrella. Once she was certain that Corpse Collector had no more weapons on her person, Smitten Kitten gave the hacker a stern look. "Now I want you to answer my questions. How are you back in Deep Ground? How did you get your hacking abilities? And who killed the other four of the colored kings?"

"Yeah. Sure. Maybe I could answer those questions, which by the way I already told you I don't know, or I can tell you to screw off. So screw off already," the Corpse Collector said with a frown.

"As for my hacking...well that's my little secret!"

Frowning at Corpse Collector, Smitten Kitten picked up a rock and put a sticky rune around it. Than she chucked it at Corpse Collector's head. Even if the hacker caught it, the rock would stick onto her hand or where else it'll land. It did pitiful damage, but it still hurt as much as getting a rock thrown at you normally would. "There are plenty of rocks around here and I can use my Sticky Runes as much as I need do. Now tell me how you got your hacking abilities, and how you came back to Deep Ground!" Smitten Kitten threw another rock right at Corpse Collector's bladder.

"Ow! Hey, watch it!"

Corpse Collector tried to shake over that rock that had found itself plastered right to her head. The large lump of hardened mineral, dirt, and...er, rock, were a definite stand out from his mismatched colored hair. She was in the prospect of rolling her eyes to the worded threats when she felt a sharp sting from...a lower region.

"Ahh! You fucking hag! Why the hell should I tell you anything...."

Her voice lowered down as she realized something. The familiar smirk rose onto her lips again and a light twinkled in her eye. The cool-down for her flickering ability had finally worn off, and she chuckled darkly, not caring in the slightest if there was a rock stuck to her...best no to finish that sentence. At once her body began to flicker out as she began to transport herself.

"Later loser!"

The sound of flesh being pierced rang out in the abandoned warehouse. Corpse Collector's eyes widened as she trailed downwards to see...a bladed stream of platinum energy run right through her chest. At once, the blade was viciously ripped out as Corpse Collector fell forward.

"S-Son of a bit-"

She landed on the ground. Dead. Her body began to dissipate, signalling the tell-tale sign of a recently defeated Player. However, something was off. Instead of the normal bundle of EXP crystals, Corpse Collector instead faded away into a blank static. EXP still remained behind, but this Player death seemed...unnatural.

"You should be thanking me little one. As she was now, there was no natural way for that EXP to appear as it does now. That should be enough to level you up, yes Smitten Kitten?

Standing before Smitten Kitten, the presumed owner of that energy blade, was a masked man with piercing golden eyes. His Player status read Enemy NPC, yet his Avatar name read Silver Jester.

Smitten Kitten simply wasn't sure what to think now. When Corpse Collector died, she was going to throw a Fire Rune to possibly catch her in the fiery blast. Smitten Kitten would survive since she set off her own explosion, though it might have killed Corpse Collector, thus making her lose a suspect on this case. However someone else killed Corpse Collector. A... Avatar? Smitten Kitten couldn't really wrap her mind with this person. His name was Silver Jester, and yet instead of a class it simply read "Enemy NPC". "What... Are you some sort of AI for the Ebony Strykers?" She wasn't sure why she was asking, she doubt the AI could actually understand her question. Advanced as they are, there was only so much an NPC could do.

Still, the fact that it was able to kill Corpse Collector in a single backstab made it clear to Smitten Kitten that he was a strong opponent. He'll likely be able to resist her Befriend ability, so she wasn't going to bother to use it. If he was going to be hostile however, she had her Fire Rune ready, and he was standing right on top of her Sticky Runes too.

"The Ebony Strykers? Please, do not associate me with mere children. Ah, you think I'm an AI, yes? One powerful enough to resist your Befriend ability. Will this put your mind to ease?"

The Jester seemed to have an uncanny ability of deducing just what she was thinking. Or maybe he was actually her mind? Impossible. No ability existed where another Player could do so. Unless of course, he was a Hacker himself. The man's Player status soon changed, going from Enemy NPC to Player Avatar.

"Does that make you more comfortable in my presence? I came only do discuss certain matters with you...Hibiki Toho. A shame though...are you not going to collect the Corpse Collector's EXP? I thought you wanted to level up? I understand though. It makes sense that you'd feel cheated after discovering you fought nothing but a mere copy."[/b]

Once again, none of this made any sense. Silver Jester wasn't part of the Ebony Strykers, apparently knew her Avatar Abilities, and was definitely a hacker. Changing his titles did nothing to ease her mind. If anything, it made her even more tense. However she knew that even if she could fire off ten of her Fire Runes at the Silver Jester, if he's really a hacker, none of the damage would go through and all she would do is collapse the building onto herself. By this point all her skills had cool down, so she canceled her Fire Rune and just looked at the stranger.

She did look at the EXP from Corpse Collector, but figuring that it came from the Silver Jester, Smitten Kitten didn't trust it. For all she knew, it could actually take away her levels. When he mentioned her name, her real name, Smitten Kitten got right back to the defensive, with two Fire Runes in her hand. "Who... What are you? What do you know about that Corpse Collector? No... Actually, I don't need to know about her. But I'm certain that you have a hand in the kings death, didn't you? And I bet you also were the one who gave Corpse Collector, the original one, her hacking powers, am I right?"

It was too convenient for this Silver Jester to show up out of the blue to save Smitten Kitten. She guessed that he was just here to clean up one of his own messes, though at this point Corpse Collector was nothing more than a point of interest. Smitten Kitten wanted to know about the king's murder and how it related to the Black Guild, and she was sure that this Silver Mask knew the answers. And while Smitten Kitten knew her attacks wouldn't work on him, she still prepared to blow him up with her Fire Runes.

"Who are you, how did you give Corpse Collector her hacking powers, and what do you know about the deaths of the White, Red, Orange, and Green King?"

The Jester narrowed his eyes, the only indication of his apparent amusement.

"Oh? You assume that I was the one who gave Corpse Collector the means to hack Deep Ground so profusely? How arrogant of you to assume so...that's why you people are so...interesting....so what if I did?"

The Jester tilted his head in curiosity, genuinely awaiting for her answer to him

"I'm sure you may also know me as the Masked Man of rumor. How appropriate, yes? As for the murders of the Kings...why, isn't that obvious as well? It's clear that the Black King herself committed such terrible crimes against her fellow human. Tragic...even more so when you consider what they did to poor Corpse Collector, my most promising customer."

The Masked Man glanced down at the same spot the Hacker Player's body had faded away from.

"What you saw just now was not the real Corpse Collector. Rather, she is a figment of data, one of several, copied by the Black Guild. A clone or a shadow if you will; the real Corpse Collector remains bound in the real world. These make-shift copies are...representations of herself...before she met me. Do you understand, Smitten Kitten?"

"The only thing I need to understand is that you're avoiding my questions! I already told you I don't care about Corpse Collector anymore! And I don't need to know about rumors! I want to know just who you, Silver Jester, are, how you gave Corpse Collector her hacking powers, and what your involvement with the king's deaths are! And don't bother lying to me!"

Smitten Kitten roared with fire in her eyes as hot as the Fire Runes in her hands. She had no fear against the Silver Jester, just growing irritated at his attempts to change the subject.

"The Black King... I know she's ruthless, but even she wouldn't kill the other kings! And you call Corpse Collector your customer. I don't know what that means, but I can guess that you didn't just sell her the illegally modified weapons."

"How I gave her the powers? Irrelevant. Who am I? I suppose I could tell you that I am God...but that would be horribly cliche. I am no one...and I don't want to be anyone. Will that suffice for your burning curiosity?"

Silver Jester remained calm throughout her little spectacle of defiance, only chuckling at how aggressive she was soon becoming.

"Are you implying that I did something more regarding Corpse Collector? What ignorance. She wanted power, and I simply provided. Is that enough for you? Or do you still doubt my words as truth?"

"What I want to know is how. Deep Ground is a very well developed and protected system. It takes very special people to be able to 'hack' into it, and most of those people probably work for Deep Ground already. So what I want to know is why you would give Corpse Collector such power, and how you did it so I can stop it form happening again!"

Honestly, Smitten Kitten wasn't really sure if she could get anything else from this guy. While it was obvious that he was no mere player, either he was really dumb, or was just getting on her nerves. Maybe it was both.

"And just who you are. I know you're not a player character. Or at least, you're definitely not someone from school. There's no way highschool kids could be this good at hacking. I also know you're lying about not having anything to do with the kings either. Moon Rider is ruthless and should be defeated, but even she wouldn't stoop so low as to kill anyone in real life. But I bet you would, and I want you to tell me why you did it and how!"

"There you go again, assuming as always. You people are so...annoying."

The Jester shook his head in mock disappointment, his body already beginning to fade away from Smitten Kitten's sight.

"I leave you with this Smitten Kitten. All of your answers will be revealed tomorrow morning. If you still feel dissatisfied by the results, then I suggest unto you only option. Find your precious Black King, Moon Rider. I'm sure she has all the answers."

His Avatar body began to phase away, though her left one final note of parting information.

"Farewill Hibiki Toho. It was nice...chatting with you."

And then he was gone, as mysterious as he had came.

---

White Death was crusting through the Scarlet Harley territory when something came up. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. "Oh what!? Why did this happen!?" White Death knew she wouldn't get an answer, but by impulse she still shouted. For some reason or another Stalwart Bruiser, the White King, had disbanded the Ivory Masks. So many questions went through White Death's mind, mostly variations of why. She tried to think of an answer on her own, but all she could figure out was that maybe, whatever happened at the Green City was so massively bad for Stalwart Bruiser that he forced his guild to disband. "Oh hell. Are those Ebony Strykers really that bad?"

White Death wasn't sure what to do now. Since she wasn't part of the Ivory Masks, she had no reason to really help out against the Ebony Strykers. Still... She didn't exactly like them. Too powerful for her taste; it'll be too easy to just join up with them and let everyone else do the heavy lifting. At least when she was in the Ivory Masks, that sense of looming destruction kept them on their toes, made life interesting. But this... This was really anti-climactic. If they had been forced to disband after a great battle, maybe White Death could accept the defeat with honor. But this was disappointing. She had half a mind to find Stalwart Bruiser and demand answers from him. But instead, White Death simply parked her motocycle somewhere safe and logged off for the night. She was too tired right now to really get worked up about this. She'll figure out what to do in the morning.

The New Day

Hibiki weakly slammed the button on her alarm off. It was seven AM, just an hour or so before school started, which would give her ample time to wash up and make breakfast. After Silver Jester left her last night, Hibiki had also left Deep Ground to try to find some answers. She searched the form and found out many shocking things, such as the White Guild falling apart, the possibility that the Ebony Strykers were employing hackers, and the total destruction of the Green Guild city. Hibiki thought about what had happened and pondered what she could do. She knew that the Ebony Strykers were very powerful, powerful enough to wipe out an entire city in just a few hours. And from what she gleamed from other Ebony Strykers on the forums, the attack wasn't even Moon Rider's plan. The majority of them claim that the attack was simply a spontaneous decision made by one of the Ebony Strykers. This wasn't good news; they had the sheer power to wipe out a city on what amounts to a whim. Many of the forum goers claimed credit for the attack, but a few names stood out.

Arms Slave. He was there when Corpse Collector was defeated. Hibiki also remembered that Corpse Collector wanted to kill him, though after what the Silver Jester said, she figured that nothing was really going to come from Corpse Collector's threat. Still, Hibiki knew what Arms Slave was capable of. She guessed that he'll be an important character later in her investigation, one way or another. The other name that caught Hibiki's attention was Dark Wraith. She knew that Dark Wraith was the second in command of the Ebony Strykers, even though she was only level 6. Thinking long and hard about it, Hibiki was certain that Dark Wraith might be a hacker. What other reasons would Moon Rider allow someone so low level to be her second in command? Of course, Hibiki had no proof that Dark Wraith was a hacker. Not yet.

After freshening up Hibiki noticed that she had a message in her inbox. Looking at it she was shocked at the sender's name. "Silver Jester..." She looked at the message and held her breath as she read the message.

"After a whole month of living in constant fear and under the scrutiny of lowly threats, I stand before you as a brave brother at arms. I was there when it happened. I saw it all. How the Black King struck down the players in game...only for their real life bodies to subsequently perish soon after. There is no doubt; Moon Rider is the King murderer."

Hibiki still couldn't believe this. There was just no way this could happen. The Black King killing players in game only for them to die in real life? That was some silly .hack stuff. That would happen in an anime. Surely it couldn't happen here... And seeing how Silver Jester never really gave her a strait answer yesterday, Hibiki didn't exactly believe everything he'd say.

"I would have revealed this information sooner had it not been for the efforts of the Ebony Strkyers to repeatedly silence my knowledge forever. As you all may know, the Ebony Strykers have now utilized the illegal method of Hacking themselves, the most blatant example being the taming of Dissolutions witnessed by yesterday's battle."

This Hibiki might actually believe. She was sure that the Ebony Strykers have hackers in their midst, and taming Dissolutions were certainly hacks. This made Hibiki wonder if Silver Jester was aligned with the Ebony Strykers. Nothing he would say would convince Hibiki that he wasn't some sort of super hacker. If there was anyone in the Ebony Strykers who could do something like tame Dissoutions, it would be him. But why would he be doing something like this, admitting that the Black Guild was hacking if he worked for them? It was either a very convoluted plan, or maybe the Silver Jester just didn't work with the Black Guild. There was so much she didn't know, she couldn't really cross out the possibilities

"The real life identity of Moon Rider, the Black King...is none other than Michael Faye. Do what you must to maintain justice in our ever changing world.".

Now Hibiki certainly wasn't going to believe this. She doesn't know who Michael is, but Moon Rider is definitely female, and Michael sounds like a male name. There was no way a guy could have a female avatar. The only, slimmest evidence that might convince Hibiki that Michael was the Black King is if he was also a hacker. When you could manipulate the system however you wanted, playing as the opposite gender wasn't really too long of a shot.

And that's when Hibiki realized something. "Whoever if hacking Deep Ground... Must work there!" It was the only answer that made sense to Hibiki. Who better to mess with Deep Ground than someone who's job was to work on it? Sure knew that there were a few students at school who's families were involved with Deep Ground, or at least had family who worked there. Hibiki herself was one of those people. She could ask her parents what they knew about other families who supported and worked for Deep Ground. After that, Hibiki could narrow down the suspects to individual players. There was a lot to do today, but she was certain that she could begin as soon as lunch time.

As Hibiki made breakfast, she called her parents. She was going to crack this case.

---

Amy woke up around seven o'clock. It was a curse and blessing; she'd always wakes up at this time, but that's regardless if she had eight hours of sleep or just one. And she had fallen asleep late that night as she pulled an all nighter on the Deep Ground Forums. With Stalwart Bruiser no longer the White King, there was yet another power vacuum. Amy tried to do something to hold the guild together by throwing her lot in with some 9th Level Wizard, but by the time she woke up it seemed like some 9th Level Armsman had taken the lead. Amy decided that the Ivory Masks were pretty much over for her; she'd need to find a new guild to fight for.

And than there was a message. She already got a jist of what the contents where with a quick glance through the forum, and knew it was not good. Michael Faye is suppose to be the Black King, and the Black King could kill people in real life through the game, and she was employing hackers. But Amy didn't really care. This war ought to just say in Deep Ground, and if it really leaks over into the real world... It wouldn't be the first time Amy has gotten into a fight.

She'd talk to some people at school about what guild she should join seeing that the Ivory Masks were heading to hell in a hand basket. After washing up and eating breakfast, Amy packed her school things and headed to Purple Crown Academy.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

After a sudden trip to visit family, I am back! I am going to work up a short post ASAP.