"Hey you!" Claire said, quickly waving to the girl.

"Hello, do you need something?" The girl asked, the quiet tone hinting her uncomfortable-ness.

"No, but you look like you need some company." Claire responded, rolling her sleeves up and resting her arms on the seat of the bench.

"Oh, thank you. But I prefer to sit alone." The girl responded, avoiding eye contact to further suggest her feelings.

This wasn't getting anywhere, so further measures would need to be taken. Rather than responding to the girl once again, Claire gave her a quick inspection, looking for any on-person items or something else that would hint to her interests. Luckily, she had a White Rabbit keychain which was something a lot of younger females of Ivory Masks wore outside of Deep Ground.

"I like your keychain!" Claire offered, smiling brightly at the girl as she swiped it from her bag and waved it in front of the girl's face.

"Give it back!" The girl plead, eyes visibly beginning to emit some moisture and lips tightening in anger.

"Relax, after all, sharing is important." As Claire said this, she covered her mouth to gesture a mask, squinting her eyes at the girl.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't know." The girl exhaled, still not really comfortable with the whole thing, but accepting that this person meant no harm.

"So what's your name?" Claire asked, offering the keychain back and dipping her head slightly to the left, copper strands falling past her cheeks and eyebrows.

"My name is Laina.. And you?" Laina asked, politely though a bit put off by the sudden asking of her name.

"Me, I'm Claire Valkova. Nice to meet you, Laina. You have a pretty name." Claire continued her barrage of compliments before she went on the offensive.

"Oh! So you're in Ivory right? How'd things go with those dissolutions?"

"Also, did you hear or see anything strange before Deep Ground was shut down?"

"Well, I logged out right after the news about the Black King was relayed by our King.. But I don't think.. Wait, I did hear just recently that some kid had a dog's head in their lunchbox. The poor thing, I doubt it deser-"

"What the! What kind of sicko would do that? Where did you hear this?" The rage ensues.

"In-in the cafeteria." Laina said meekly, more afraid of Claire than anything at this point.

Retsu Goroshi - Dark Wraith

Retsu moved quickly. Barely at the DGO HQ for an hour and she was already gone. She was analyzing what little of the information she had on Corpse Collector. Still no name, only a personality and an observation. Corpse Collector was "known" for her tendency to break things she's made to handle and for having quite a temper in the face of defeat, but that told Retsu next to nothing. She still couldn't find a name behind Corpse Collector, and even the DGO database had no records of the character. Retsu began to wonder if this Corpse Collector was nothing more than a much more advance version of the Dissolution copies she made herself. She's heard stories of people who lost themselves to Deep Ground, to have their very souls sucked into the games or for the AI to develop sentience. Of course those where just stories. While the idea that an AI can because so self-sufficient that it can develop the means to "Judge" based on it's own programming, much like how people judge based on their experience, is something that could be true, what are the chances that the same idea would make someone like Corpse Collector? Slim to none, but since it's not impossible Retsu didn't immediately dismiss the idea. Nothing was false until proven otherwise.

She was sitting in the back of her car, driven by a personal chauffeur, when Retsu received a message. She opened up a holographic interface she could access in her car and saw that the school president had sent her a message. "Ah, the spokesperson of the Black King. How... Traditional." The Black Kings were always so reclusive, but even they had to communicate to the world somehow. And for that end, the school president has taken the role to be the representative of the current Black King. Whether or not the school president was the Black King was another matter entirely.

It was strange how Yoshino Tsgumi, top of her class, didn't have much of a presence in Deep Ground, which would shape her future. Not much of a known presence anyways, and not one that Retsu was aware of. It was suspicious how Tsgumi never bothered to make herself more renowned through Deep Ground, especially since she was the only one who would have any public relation to the Black King. But maybe it is that very relationship that prevents her from being more open in the game. Regardless, Retsu read the message and noted that the school president wanted to meet her about the Corpse Collector job. No doubt that she also knew of Retsu's existence as an Eraser and all that it implies. It almost excited her to think that the Black King was about to use the service of someone like Retsu. Perhaps it was simply due to the immense responsibility of being a guild king, but one would think that they should play by the rules.

Unless this was actually a sting operation in order to catch Retsu for her crimes as a hacker.

That thought made Retsu uncertain if she really wanted to meet with the class president. She wanted... Insurance. Something that would allow her to cut her loses should Moon Rider's player or the class president have ulterior motives. To that end, Retsu did not respond to the school president's message immedaitely and instead called a few others.

Retsu arrived back at Purple Crown academy, and standing there was two other girls. They were daughters of some enforcers from her father's yakuza. They pretty much served as her lackies, though Retsu had the courtesy to merely treat them as simply her fellow students. "Ringo, here is the information I have on the player Moon Rider. Find her, gather whatever information you can, and report back to me later tonight. I expect results. Noel, follow me. I have to meet the school president and I would need your skills if things become unpleasant."

The two girls nodded and did as they were told. Ringo was a meek and plain looking girl, and easidly ignorable, which Retsu put to good use as a spy. Ringo was also part of the gymnastic's club and quite the contortionist and could fit herself into her own bookback. Retsu had faith that she would be able to find the player of Moon Rider and get something for her troubles. Noel was a big girl and rather manly. This made her somewhat intimidating to others, not helped by the fact that she has thick muscles that could snap lead pipes. She was also very good at making knots. A gentle soul, but also one that knew what sort of strength she had and how to use it. Retsu would rely on her if things get physical. She doesn't expect it, but it wouldn't hurt to be prepared for the unexpected.

The girls went their seperate ways. Retsu and Noel headed towards the school president's office and kept an eye out for trouble. Retsu's paranoia has saved her from the clutches of danger in the past, and she wasn't about to ease up for a second. If she had more time she would have planted bugs and more guards around the president's office and she didn't like the idea that she hasn't already. Eventually Retsu arrived to the office and knew that Noel would need to stay outside. "Come with me anyways."

Retsu knocked on Tsgumi's door.

School President Yoshino Tsugumi

"It's open".

Tsugumi watched in patience as the door to her office slowly swung open; at the sight of two girls, she couldn't help but tilt her head slightly in confusion. At first glance, she had expected that the burly girl, Noel, was Dark Wraith. However, once taking a closer look at the second guest, there was no doubt in Tsugumi's mind that out of all the students in Purple Crown, it just had to be Retsu Goroshi. Being School President of....well the entire

school, it was this required of her to learn each and every one of the attending student's names; that or at least a good majority of the ones that mattered.
And Retsu Goroshi was a student that factored a great deal of importance to her.

"Hellp Retsu," she said plainly.

She gave Noel a small nod before waving the two of them to sit in the two chairs facing her side of the desk.

"Really, there's no need to bring such security," she said with a little exasperation. How long had she been doing this again? Far too long for it to really matter at this point.
"I assure you Retsu, or maybe I should say Dark Wraith, that neither I or my client have any intention of harming you."

The School President leaned forward with a gleam in her glasses. Suddenly tensing, she took the notion of adjusting the things on her face and recovering; the entite action took only a few moments.

"Quit's frankly, the Black King really doesn't care for any one player'a background. As long as you give you services willingly, then we have no bad blood. However..."
As Tsugumi's voice trailed off, she gave the two girls a glare hat could crack ice, specifically aimed at Noel. After all, this was the School President they were speaking to; if anything were to happen now, she could always inform the higher authorities who governed the school.

"I will advise you only one Goroshi-san. Do not go around digging for my client's identity. That will remain our one and only policy, understand? Don't bother with your Yakuza friends either, as it's doubtful they'd find any links to my client....and please don't be surprised by my vast knowledge. It's my job to know this kind of stuff about the people I'm indefinelty responsible for....if, for some reason, you do discover the Black King's identity and desire to use that against us....well, let's just say I really don't feel like bringing White Terror into this...."

So Moon Rider did have a connection with the White King? A connection that was patched up? Or maybe something that was never severed to begin with? Done with her little speech, Tsugumi visibly relaxed and she smiled.

"Now then....let's get right to the point. The Black King wants Corpse Collector gone forever. And why is this so? I'm sure you've learned some things about her yourself, yes? She's a brat who hates losing, and has an uncanny habit of hiding both her status in game and to the World Interface. When we think of it that way, it's really quite amazing for one little hacker like herself. But that's not why we're concerned about the issue Wraith-san."

Retsu Goroshi - Dark Wraith

Retsu kept her stoney face expression, and while Noel tried to keep stoic you could tell that she didn't quite have Retsu's ability to hide her emotions. She said nothing as Tsugumi tried to assure Retsu's safety while also threatening her if she tried to look into Moon Rider's identity. She made no promise to stop because she doesn't plan to. It would be difficult perhaps, but Retsu didn't have any intention to serving a puppet king. She knew that Tsugumi was much better connected and had more affluence than Retsu did, and Retsu would make sure not to anger her, but that didn't mean that she was just going to bow down to her. Retsu would just have to play her cards right. She only had one thing to really say about Tsugumi's promises.

"It is my job to know. I am paid to speak. Silence is free. But actions speak louder than words."

It did pique her interest when Tsugumi mentioned involving the White Terror. She figured there was going to be some relationship between the White and Black Kings, but for why and to what extend that was still a mystery. Hopefully, not for long. From the last time she saw the two together, the White Terror was quite confrontational and Moon Rider looked like she was about to decapitate the White King. Retsu didn't make any mention to it and simply listened to the next part where Tsugumi explained why Moon Rider wanted Corpse Collector eliminated. And it was very petty. So Corpse Collector was a sore loser, who wasn't? Even Retsu vented her anger and frustration when she is defeated, typically involving vandalizing someone's belongings or digging up their dead to be displayed in their rooms. But Retsu knew there was more to it than just that, and it likely had to do with Corpse Collector's ability to be undetected even by Deep Ground's and the Eraser's systems.

"There has been lesser reasons for someone to be hated. So what is the Black King's reason?"

School President Yoshino Tsgumi

Tsugumi instinctively began to fiddle around with her glasses and her sight kept jumping the room quickly. It appeared as if she was looking anywhere but at the two girls in front of her. However, there was no aura of guilt, no sensation of hidden intent. It almost felt like...fear. Fear of the Corpse Collector? Impossible, because Tsugumi's next words did not waver or fllinch.

So what was it then?

"You seem to misunderstand Retsu. The Black King does hate Corpse Collector; rather, she views the player as an immediate threat to the gaming community and Deep Ground Online as a whole."

Resting her roaming hand on the wooden desk, the School President narrowed her eyes.

"Listen very carfully you two. If you insist to disclose this information I am about to tell you with anyone else, then make sure it is with your closest allies."

A moment of pause.

"My client has been studying Corpse Collector for a while now, but she only recently became a problem prior to a few months ago. I assume the both of you remember that it was at that time the irregular ammounts of Dissolution NPCs began to show up? At first, there's no connection when observed, but consider how Deep Ground works. The program wires your brain to those of countless others and gives you a relative amount of free reign. Things you couldn't normally do in reality, like leaping across tall buildings or shooting through walls and hitting the enemy. Now what do hackers do?"

Tsugumi clasped her hands together.

"Hackers are hackers of course. Hackers find ways to exploit the system, to go beyond that boundary of free reign. However, that puts risk on the user; it works both ways. Psychological stress can add up and result into ugly results, and seeing as how the human mind is fragile enough, then you can probably see where I'm leading to here."

The School president blinked just one before focusing her complete attention on Retsu now. She hoped the other girl realized that she was putting a substantial amount of trust in her to get this far.

"Corpse Collector is a case in which the player has tampered with the system so many times, that her own consciousness has temporarily rooted within the Deep Ground Program. That's very deadly in the hands of a raving child. Imagine what it could do....no doubt it'd poison and eventually fry your brain slowly, but between that time you're a God. If you're happy, you can will the program's sky to be covered with rainbows. If you're sad, you can force it to rain for days in Faded City. And if you're angered, well....."

She said nothing more, giving Retsu time enough to figure out the rest of these unfortunate implications.

Retsu Goroshi - Dark Wraith

Retsu began to piece together the threat that Corpse Collector posed. It was as she thought a while ago; that Corpse Collector had somehow
uploaded her mind into the game. But this went much deeper than Retsu thought was possible. It was one thing to be able to upload your conscience into the game and be kept there, but to have the entire game shaped around your thoughts was something the Retsu understood as a dangerous thing. Also something she would want in her hands.

"So she has become the Fisher King."

Referencing the Arthurian legend where a king's land reflects the king himself, Corpse Collectors childish and chaotic mood would affect the world of Deep Ground. Definitely a job that Retsu would have to take up if only because she likes Deep Ground as it is and doesn't want some immature hacker breaking it. So Retsu decided that, as a matter of trust, she would go ahead and accept this job. It seemed that Tsugumi knew more about Corpse Collector and her player than whatever Retsu could dig up, and Retsu was going to need to know if she planned to be able to do anything against Corpse Collector. She could always try to make her own patch to counter Corpse Collector's hacks, but she'd imagine that if it were so easy, Tsugumi and Moon Rider wouldn't have hired Retsu.

"Let us get to the point than. What is it that you want me to do?"

School President Yoshino Tsugumi

"It's as I said before. We want the Ebony Strykers to bring in Corpse Collector to Black Kingdom. Once there, we then leave it to you to make sure she is never able to log in again. That's it. She won't be much of a threat outside of Deep Ground, as we suspect she's only about thirteen to fourteen years of age."

Tsugumi shifted her glasses, which were always sliding down the bridge of her nose if left unchecked.

"There's also one more thing Retsu. We want you to be a sort of deputy for us. I suppose you could say that my client has put so much faith in your abilities, that she's willing to make Dark Wraith a second-in-command within the Ebony Strykers. Now only that, but you will also be working closely with myself as well."

Smiling, the School President extended out her arm, poised to shake hands in alliance.

"Before I give you your final orders, I need to know how much you're willing to fight for the Black King. I can't say I agree with her choices in mind, but I suppose I should have a little faith as well, if anything to avoid being overly pessimistic. For your sake, I sincerely hope you do not forsake Moon Rider's trust."

Retsu Goroshi - Dark Wraith

Retsu looked at Tsugumi after she offered her hand. Retsu still didn't like the terms; all this mystery and vague nonsense. Retsu worked with information; it was her business to know and understand everything. Money flowed whether she spoke or shut up, but this she wasn't certain if ti would be of any use to her. Being the second-in-command of Ebon Stykers may prove to be no use to her given their lack of notoriety, and if anything would just saddle Retsu with the burden of additional responsibility. Still... Retsu could figure out how to make this work. It was a lot to take in, but the rewards for doing so was unimaginable. The power, the influence, both in and out of Deep Ground. Retsu still didn't trust the Black King or Tsugumi, but for now it would be better to be allies.

"I will work with Moon Rider as Dark Wraith as well as Retsu Goroshi. I cannot say that I agree with the inscrutability between us, but I will put my faith that you and Moon Rider will hold true to your word. I will gladly take the responsibility as Ebon Styker's second-in-command and all that it implies. If you believe me, than tell me everything I need to know in order to defeat Corpse Collector, so I can prove to you just what I am willing and capable of doing."

Retsu stood up and shook Tsugumi's hand, to seal the deal.

School President Yoshino Tsugumi
Nodding, Tsugumi took Retsu's hand within her own grip and shook in turn. Things were progressing very smoothly, and soon, very soon, the world would know Moon Rider's will. Of course, Corpse Collector had to be taken care of first. How was one supposed to rule a land dictated by a spoiled child?

"Excellent; however, I've already told you all that we know about a Corpse Collector. You're going to have to work anything else out for yourself. What I want you to do next is this: send a discreet message to all the players you can rally up who have an interest in joining the Ebony Strykers. My initial broadcast was only a distraction meant to derail the other Kings and their Guilds."

Tsugumi flashed Retsu a knowing smirk.

"Deep Ground is currently online as we speak, with the only player still in the mainframe being Corpse Collector herself. I want every of your chosen players to hunt her down right here and now. As eveyone else is still in the belief that Deep Ground won't be accessed until tomorrow, that gives our forces the edge, at least for the time being. You need to complete this mission tonight, otherwise, we'll have major setbacks on our end."

"Furthermore, I want you to insure that none of the Kings catch on to our plans and to also keep as many people from discovering Deep Ground's link status as possible until we're done. That should be all for now...we only have one shot for this to work. If I'm to guess correctly, I'd say Corpse Collector is happily enjoying her twisted paradise right about now. You best get going then....."

Tsugumi stood up from her seat and adjusted her glasses, the confident smile growing wider on her face.

"....Commander Dark Wraith."

The School President motioned towards the door, signifying that their discussion was now over. However before the two girls could leave her room, she held out a hand to stop them. Fixing her glasses, she closed her eyes and sighed, as if making a last minute decision.

"I suppose you deserve some sort of reward for your troubles after essentially pledging your loyalty to the Ebony Strykers. Assuming that you'll choose not to heed my warnings concerning Moon Rider's identity, I feel it's only right to give you at least some sort of starting point."

Tsugumi blinked once...and then smirked.

"You know, Retsu Goroshi, out of all the players of Deep Ground that I summoned....I never expected you to be the first to swear to my cause."

With that being said, Tsugumi sat back down in her seat, gambling on the hope that Retsu wouldn't use this new information to cause more angst between her and the other Guilds. And even if she did, so what? The Black King was here to stay; anyone who stood in her path would be cut down.

That was a promise.

Retsu Goroshi - Dark Wraith

With the deal sealed Retsu began to formulate a plan to eliminate Corpse Collector. Tsugumi told Retsu nothing that could help her find out the location of Corpse Collector's physical body, so Retsu was going to have to improvise. She already had a few ideas of how to stop Corpse Collector, but to ensure that she was permanent gone and left no lasting effect on Deep Ground, she'd need to make up a team. No doubt she could pull this off herself, but the mess micro managing she would have to do, the better. now who she assigns these task to was the biggest question. Obviously she wants to employ any Sweeper she can contact, but also thought about other resources. Players not affiliated with any guilds. It would be risky to contact them since this was suppose to be a secret operation, so Retsu was going to need some time to prepare. but one thing was for certain: by tomorrow morning, Corpse Collector would be nothing more than a footnote of the past.

As Retsu and Noel stood up to leave Tsugumi had one more thing to say. And what she did say, Retsu did not find it entirely surprising. Actually, somewhat disappointing, and in the back of her mind, hoped that Tsugumi was just joking. As much as Retsu disliked having to deal with mysteries, she did feel a certain rush upon discovering secrets. The notion that Tsugumi was Moon Rider was rather boring. Though she has no reason to believe otherwise, Retsu imagined that Tsugumi was lying. But right now that wasn't a big thing to concern herself with, so Retsu only had one thing to say about it.

"We are both full of surprises, are we not?"

Retsu and Noel left the school president's office. noel let out a breath of relief now that she was freed from the tension, but Retsu was still on edge. "Noel, I will still be using your service for today. I need you to look into some things for me while I prepare for today's hunt. And of course, you will keep what has been said today to yourself. Otherwise..." Noel softly said that she understood the punishment and left Retsu. The red haired girl stood there alone for a moment before leaving. With a mission like this, she could only put her trust into a small few. She had four people in mind and now she was going to go see one of them; Allen Docson.

Target sighted, Hungry Jaws gleefully thought to herself. He doesn't look so tough. Just a Healer. Grabbing a ledge on her descent from her cozy spot two stories above, Jaws dropped from the ledge to fall the rest of the way, taking minimal damage. As a Sweeper, she'd been deployed to deal with this guy. That was it. And now this Outlaw would get a taste of--

Attention! Attention! All players will be forcefully logged out of Deep Ground Online due to internal errors and damages! Attention! Attention! All players will be forcefully logged out immediately!

Son of a bitch. So close. No helping it; Shou logged out herself to save the system the extra unbelievably minute trouble. She was in the physical world again. And wouldn't you know it, before she even had time to get from the school library to the cafeteria, an announcement across the entire school rang out.

"Attention all students of Purple Crown Academy and of the World Interface. Please, do not be alarmed by the sudden technical difficulties we are enduring right now. Our team is investigating the matter thoroughly and it appears that it was only a massive lag caused by an influx of enemy NPCs. Deep Ground Online will be functional again in the following day.”

This wasn't adding up to be her best day. She got turned down on her target, and now this. All before she could even get something to eat. But she did make her way to the cafeteria, not really concerned with what else the class prez was saying. She needed meat. Grabbing a simple-enough steak from the cafeteria line, she checked the tables. All packed. All but one. With a single person sitting there. That would be where she sat. Sitting across from the sole boy at the table, Shou jabbed a fork into the meat, lifted it, and took a bite.

Donny was organizing his character's equipment when he noticed someone take a seat at his table. She felt oddly familiar, but he figured that he might have just seen her around school or some such. She didn't even say a word as she took a seat at his table and began to eat her meat. Donny was uncertain if he should mention anything. The girl was cute and it made Donny rather nervous, and the way she bit into her meat made him a bit uneasy. That was, until he realized why. "... Jaws?"

The girl reminded him of a fellow Sweeper. He'd worked with lots of Sweepers in the past and only kept in contact with a few. But one that sort of stood out in his mind was one particular Sweeper who didn't fight with weapons. There was plenty of hand-to-hand fighters in Deep Ground, but only one he knew fought with the ferocity of a wild animal, tearing apart enemies with just her teeth and claws. You'd think there'd be more, but no, it was just her. Donny never got a chance to add her to his friends list and he wished he did before. Not many people would fight like her, with her particular skills and mentality. There was something elegant in her instinctual fighting that didn't work off logic, but with feeling. Something that Donny, Arms Slave, wanted to master.

"You're Hungry Jaws, aren't you?" Donny was taking a big risk in asking this question. How awkward it would be to call a girl like her "Hungry Jaws". If he was wrong, he wasn't even going to bother to apologize. Maybe he'd just head home for the day and crawl underneath his blankets in embarassment. He'd punch something, but his hands were still healing form his previous outburst.

"Hm?" For a moment, Shou just looked at the boy, not releasing her mouth's grip on the juicy meat between her jaws. Then, swallowing her current bite, she set the slab down and nodded. "M-hm. I'm Hungry Jaws. Actually, I was on assignment, but then DGP had to go and crash right before I could get to the killing. What's with that? But the more important question might be how you know me? You aren't one of my hits out for revenge, are you?"

Donny laughed lightly. So he was right and now he wouldn't have to go home to cry to himself. For a Sweeper she was awfully open about her work, but perhaps she wasn't a Sweeper like him? He decided to not mention that. "Ha, yeah, that pissed me off too. I just got to the Black King's tower right when the game crashed on me. There was like, four other Kings there too! I wanted to try to attack them but... Ah, listen to me talk. Actually, I think we worked together once. You reminded me of Hungry Jaws. I'm not an Outlaw or anything. Quite the opposite actually. Do you remember the four-armed player? I don't think there are many like them, so hopefully I left an impression." Donny was beating around the bush about his character, knowing that he himself had racked up a bit of infamy as a Sweeper. He missed the days where he could claim to be a Sweeper and feel good about it. To be fighting for a righteous cause. Instead he learned the truth, and somehow lived with it.

"But yeah, I guess you and I are both... Well, you know. So who were you going after?"

"Some Witch Doctor guy that was griefing the newbies. I had to keep scaling buildings to not lose him, and I don't even have a high enough level to pick up Assassin's Stride yet. It was a pain in the ass." Lifting up the meat before her again by the fork, Shou took out another healthy bite, chewing it down. After a swallow, she nodded and said "But I do remember a four-armed avatar. You don't exactly see guys with extra arms every day, even in our business."

"Yeah, I hate dealing with ranged fighters. Luckily I have skills for closing the gap, but they're still a pain in the ass if they have good evasion skills. That's why I'm speccing my character for agility and defense, to get him to the bad guys before they kill me." Donny ate a bit of his food but was more interested in talking to the girl. He figured that since she was a Sweeper, he might as well make a proper introduction. "I'm Donny by the way. Donny Lee Yang, also known as Arms Slave." He paused when he realized just how silly his name was. Arms Slave; what sort of an impression does that leave on people? He gulped down that thought and continued.

"I'm surprised that you went hunting today though. I was actually on my way to see the Black King and met with a few potential outlaws. Hey, you heard the announcement, right? About how the Black King wants the Ebon Strykers to kill Corpse Collector? I actually met her! She jumped on my car as I was riding there. With a name like Corpse Collector, I should have known she was bad news." Donny pulled out his laptop and looked up the stats for Hungry Jaws on the Deep Ground database. He wanted to ask her if she was interested in helping him chase down Corpse Collector, but he wanted to see if their skills were compatible. "Say, you want to help me hunt Corpse Collector once Deep Ground is back online?"

"First I have to out that Witch Doctor. Afterwards, I'm always glad to hunt somebody down. If I remember correctly, you had some sort of vehicle, right? I'll be in the Green King's turf, so you'll have to pick me up. And then, we hunt."

"Yeah, sure. Can't let any outlaw escape justice, regardless of who they are." Not exactly what Donny planned for, but he was okay with this. It'd be nice to get back into fighting again, and going after a Outlaw would be a good warm up for facing down Corpse Collector. With any luck, she'd find him first. He had a good feeling that they would meet again. "So uh... What's your name? And when would it be a good time for us to get on? Like, in the morning, during lunch, after school... And do you want to meet up somewhere? Like, maybe, I don't know... I have a booth here at school that we could use. Private booth, no one should be bothering us inside."

Just then, another girl arrived. She was a large muscular girl that Donny recognized as a lacky of one of the school's Erasers. He'd never met the woman himself, but she apparently has some meaningful sway within the organization. Curious, Donny spoke to her. "Uh... Hey? What's up?" The girl, who introduced herself as Noel, said that she has a job for Arms Slave. Noel also acknowledged Hungry Jaws and said that this also pertained to her as well. She told the both of them that various Erasers have put out a hit on Corpse Collector. While they each offered their own reward, Noel represented an Eraser who called for the both of them specifcally. Whether or not they wanted to accept the deal she left up to them as she placed a sealed envelope in front of the both of them, each one meant for their own eyes.

Donny didn't hestiate to open his. This was just business as usual for him. But what he read did make him concerned. The reward was great, but it was strange that he was being asked to log into Deep Ground today. He thought the system was down, but apparently there were a few exceptions, such as himself and Hungry Jaws. Looking up from his paper he looked at his fellow Sweeper. "Well, looks like we have a job to do. I doubt that the Witch Doctor you're looking for can log in right now, so do you want to hunt Corpse Collector with me now?"

"Absolutely," Shou said, forcing down another large bite of meat fractions of a second afterwards. Once the grub was down the hatch, she continued "If I can't get him today, I'll just get him tomorrow like I planned to once DGP went down anyway." Getting up to her feet, Shou extended her hand to Donny, saying "I should also answer your other questions now, I guess. My name is Shou, now would be a good time to get online, and I'd like to see this booth you're talking about."

Accepting Shou's hand Donny got to his feet and took her to his booth. Along the way he then realized that he still had the blood-stained dents on the side of the wall and he began to try to think of some way to hide it. The best he could think of was wiping the blood stains off, but he didn't have any extra clothes except...

Eventually they reached the booth. Before entering, Donny stopped Shou outside. "I ah... Let me set up the space for you." Donny said quickly as he entered the booth. By now the blood on the wall had dried out and was now caked in the dents. It wasn't too severe, but definitely something noticable. The only thing that would cover it up would be one of the chairs, and that's only if he angled it in such a way that Shou would only not see it if the chair was directly in the way. After moving some of the chairs around did Donny eventually open the door again. "Ready."

"Let's get started," Shou said, stepping into the booth and taking a seat. She didn't really have much concern for her surroundings at the moment; an interesting case - "interesting" being the least of the words Shou could think of - like this was a rare opportunity. One that had to be pounced upon! Seating herself, Shou linked up to Deep Ground Online. The hunt was on!

Once the two were settled down, Donny made sure that the room was secure so they wouldn't get disturbed. Taking their seats Donny tried to log into Deep Ground again. He was initially worried that he'd be blocked out again, but after a long wait, he could feel himself move from his world into Deep Ground. "Here we go, here we go, here we go..."

Welcome, Arms Slave/
Welcome, Hungry Jaws

Hey guild members! I'm sure a lot of you (if not all of you) are saddened by the unexpected crashing of Deep Ground, but enough about that. Starting today, we have a new guild member by the name of The Undertaker. Also, I will be discussing with some trusted members of mine about the guild's name change. Yes, on my authority as the Yellow King, I will be changing the guild's name from the Tinged Berserkers to something else. I believe that since the guild has more than just "berserkers", we should accommodate to let everyone know that we are more than just "berserkers". After all, we have Shinobi, Wizards, Tanks, and much more. No guild meeting tomorrow, just play as you usually do, although keep an eye out for that Corpse Collector fellow. It wouldn't have been mentioned if it wasn't for a very strong reason.

School President
Taking the time to finally relax in her chair, Tsugumi leaned back and sighed. Telling Retsu that she was Moon Rider had been risky indeed, but from the expression on her face, it seemed that the other girl hadn't completely bought it. Good. The more time spent to delay the truth and avoid giving a straight answer. And it wasn't because of some secret factor of anything as mundane like that; it was just Moon Rider's personality at play.

It was some time before Haruka, bearing two bottles of strawberry-flavored ramune and two convenience store bentos, one with pickled vegetables and another with fried eel, reached her dinner room for that day. Passing a smile towards a red-headed girl who was leaving that room, Haruka slipped inside without a sound, before casting her light brown eyes at the sole occupant of the office room.

“Thought you’d be hungry,” she gestured at the warm, plastic boxes in her hands, “But if you’re on a diet, I’ll eat both."

At the sound of a very familiar voice, Yoshino Tsugumi sighed for....well it was a lot in one day. And who could blame her? Especially with White Terror herself in the flesh having come to visit her. Catching her eye on the assortment of foods she had gone out of her way to bring, the School President adjusted her glasses.

"Haruka Fujiyama....it's been a while since we've talked like this. I assume you have business with the Black King?"

She eyed Haruka carefully, waiting for a response....only to stiffen when the growling of her stomach cut away any sense of mystery or tact.

"So you are hungry?" A light smile appeared on her features as she look that as her cue to sit down as well. Dragging over a much more conservative seat, one that was of well-worn wood, she placed the two bottles of carbonated soda on the table, before balancing the bento boxes on there as well.

"Pick one," she said, before a twinkle entered her eyes, "But if that one is the one that I want, it's rock-paper-scissors for it."

As an afterthought, she added, "The Black King has business with me, actually, so that's pretty much it."

"Yeah...I suppose she does...you don't want the eel, right?"

Regardless, Tsugumi took the one on the right like always along with her ramune as well. Opening the bottle, she took a small sip while looking around for any potential ease droppers that could be spying on the both of them. There were none, but that was to be expected. This was Haruka after all.

Haruka....

"Look....Haruka....I....I wanted to speak with you out here. In the real world. I guess I...."

She hesistated, not exactly sure how to go forward with all this, and the normally calm and collected School President now had raw emotion reflected in her bespectacled eyes.

"I know you probably have better things to do, so I just...what I mean is that I wanted...I suppose...."

A recluse was a recluse, after all, but Haruka could admire the effort Tsugumi was putting into it. Taking the pickled vegetables and allowing the Student Council President to have a small gift in the form of fried eel, she cracked open the plastic box, snapped apart her chopsticks, murmured an 'itadakimasu', before taking a nonchalant bite of the vegetables as she spoke.

A bit rude, in retrospect, but then again...actually, no, Haruka decided that she'd just stop eating there. "Deep Ground's gone," she said with a reassuring smile, "For tonight, let's pretend that one of us achieved our goals. Just tell me what's on your mind, Tsu-chan."

"Right...itadakimasu," she said, the formal etiquette having a deeper meaning. Taking a slow breath, Tsugumi followed the White King's actions of taking only a few bites of her bento before finally stating what was on her mind. Dammit, why was she being so polite and kind? Didn't Haruka know that only made this more difficult for her?

"I can acknowledge that I was a driving factor in our divided friendship," she began. "Therefor, I understand if you choose not to listen to my words, but I still hope you can at least consider them."

An air of slight desperation entered her voice, but Tsugumi ignored it.

"I finally opened the gates to my Guild as Moon Rider for the primary purpose to fufill my goals. However, there was another reason as well, and I'm glad it was enacted. You see, I...I wanted to see you again....Haruka, why did you answer my summon? You know it was only for those players who sought to join the Ebony Strykers."

A driving factor sounded about right. She nodded at that, not bothering to admit that her personal nonchalance in regards to such an important issue also caused the great divide. Nevertheless, she tapped her ear, showing that she was indeed listening.

Chewing thoughtfully on a sour chunk of plant matter, Haruka deliberated, before deciding that there was no point in thinking about an answer, when she had that answer ever since she had first heard of the announcement. "Because I was bored," she started, setting her chopsticks down and popping off the marble-seal of the ramune.

"And hey, it's your first time running a Guild with more than a single person, so I thought I'd lend a hand, teach you the ropes, give you some industry insider knowledge. Blue was probably stalking you and Orange wanted to try out my mecha-horse, so that's how it is."

"Don't know why Yellow came though."

"You were....bored? Heh, that's so like you."

Well, the answer she had received wasn't too suspicious. Still, it really had to be something much more than that. Why would the White King care at all about a completely separate Guild then her own?

"So let me get this straight....you came because you wanted to help me? So you have interest in joining or what? Seriously Haruka, sometimes I just don't get you at all."

As she said this though, a small smile had worked its way up on the School President's face. Soon enough though, that smile became laced with a frown as she remembered the other reasoning of why she called her here.

"Haruka, I want to form our old alliance again. I want to....become friends again. For us to be friends. That is, if you'll allow that....there's something...something wrong with Deep Ground. I'm sure you noticed those Dissolutions, right? And my message earlier...it's the work of a player named Corpse Collector, but that's just the start. I think I've found something that can finally end all of this. The thing we've been working so hard for!"

Tsugumi leaned closer, her glasses flashing in the low light.

"I think...I think I've discovered the final boss of Deep Ground Online."

"When a bigger company expresses interest in joining a smaller company, it's actually considered 'assimilation," she spoke, before taking a long drink. "But hey, it's my business not to be understood so easily."

As the talks progressed though, Haruka's smiles started to fade, dropping into a more serious expression as she considered the magnitude of what exactly her friend was saying. A Dissolution outbreak caused by a player called 'Corpse Collector'. What a lucky name, to be named after a manga character...who gets killed before the plot starts. And then, this talk about a final boss...

"How are you sure that it's the Final Boss?" A simple question, but considering how Deep Ground is a 'competition' for the most wins, not an 'adventure' with a final boss to fight, it was a very fitting one.

"And you know that games don't delete themselves after you clear the Final Boss, right?"

"Yes, yes, I know all that...but this is something I've never see before, and I doubt anyone in Deep Ground has ever reported it before. Tell me Haruka, when was the last time you faced an enemy NPC....that looked just like a player Avatar?"

Unheard of. Everyone knew that all NPCs were programmed to specifically not resemble human Avatars. That was one of the basic principles to Deep Ground's programming. On a practical note, it was meant for low Level players to tell the difference between the two. So to hear of a Dissolution that looked like such a thing...ridiculous.

"But that's not all," Tsugumi continued. "This thing could talk. Interact, move around, and it even had a player menu screen! The only difference was "Player" status read "Dissolution" instead. As to how it's the final boss...actually that's just a hunch. Still, it can't be a glitch in the system. You of all people should how callobrated D.G.P. is."

"Only difference? You have no friends, so I doubt you've tried this...but can an Assassin use Grim Reaper on it? Why does this mean 'Final Boss' anyways? If not a glitch, an Easter Egg? Shouldn't it be possible to just hack the 'Dissolution' title in?"

Tsugumi's initial excitement began to die down as Haruka began to poke holes in her logic.

"Well yeah," she said, defending herself. "I've tried twice; once to see if it works and again to see if a different factor was accounted for."

However, the comment of no friends hit her with sudden force, and she paused on her explanations. To know this fact was one thing, but to hear it from Haruka...on that same tone of indifference....Tsugumi swallowed hard to keep herself in check. Of course Haruka wouldn't take any notion of it; that's just how Haruka was. Still, that didn't mean it didn't hurt. Maybe she was being too emotional, but she knew that she definitely hated this feeling of helplessness.

"Maybe you have too many friends," she muttered lowly to herself.

Clearing her thoat, she said, "You're probably right," she finally conceded, her tone wavering. "I guess it was just a really strong Dissolution. I suppose...I got my hopes too high up. That's all."

Oh ho. Though Haruka may give off the aura of a nonchalant individual who's full of chutzpah and no fucks, she wasn't so blunt that she was also emotionally insensitive. Then again, it also wasn't exactly her style to apologize for a slight that was as insignificant as that.

"So it worked?"

She thought for a moment, before asking a different question, a smile that wasn't totally friendly gracing her features.

"Did you invite it to your guild?"

Tsugumi fidgeted with her glasses and sighed. Typical Haruka...seriously, this sighing thing was beginning to become a nasty habit of hers. Still, it was a habit that she wore with pride and humility and-wait a second. Only now realizing something incredibly obvious, Tsugumi immediately cast her eyes over to the far left. How long had Haruka been staring at her again?

"Yes it worked. The thing just kept spawning itself. Yes I tried to invite it to my Guild. All it did was deny my requests. Look, are you gonna help me look into this or not?"

She was speaking fast now, trying to calm her heartbeat as the fear once again took over. A fear that Haruka was all too aware of unfortunately.

Mmm, now, should she show mercy or not? Haruka considered that for a moment, before deciding that her comment about Tsugumi having no friends was pretty harsh, and broke off eye contact to each some more of her food. Swallowing half the contents of the bento in a single gulp, the White King massaged her throat to make the lump of rice and vegetables go down easier, before setting the rest of her meal away for later. Washing it down with some more soda, she suppressed a burp and thought for a moment.

"Seems like you've already looked into it yourself. What help do you need from me in regards to this Dissolution? And how does this tie into your hunt for Corpse Collector?"

When Haruka broke eye contact from her, it felt like a dark cloud had been lifted and Tsugumi visibly relaxed. Despite the White King's often difficult personality, she was thankful she had decided not to torture her any further. Tsugumi gave the still eating girl a quick glance of appreciation before adjusting her glasses once more, eventually breathing normally.

Only she knew of Tsugumi's clutching phobia.

"That's true, but I'm asking if I can rely on you if, for some reason, this becomes a threat to everyone else. I know it's just a theory, but I need someone to trust. I need a King's trust; at least until I figure out what's really going on. Haruka, you know I can't just let it go. Do I at least have your word to help me if I ever need it? As for the Corpse Collector...."

Tsugumi looked up at the school clock and sighed. It was getting pretty late, and she had barely touched her bento.

"Do we have to discuss this right now?"

"I'll help you if you need it..." She stopped, before smiling once more. "But only if there aren't any exams the coming three days."

Bringing up her arms to the side and stretching back, Haruka finished, "And please, do you even take school seriously, Tsugumi? The night's still young and you've piqued my interest with your yandere tendencies towards Corpse-chan. Tell me everything you know. I already napped in the library."

Tsugumi returned Haruka's smile with one of her own. Well, it wasn't much, but then again it was Haruka. Typical White King. There was no telling when and even if Tsugumi would call for her assistance, but at least she had a back-up plan now.

"Haruka, you know as well as I do that I do not have yandere tendencies towards the Corpse Collector," she said with a roll of her eyes. "I'm surprised you even know what that is; I thought you didn't watch anime? Honestly, I think the only person I'd even consider doing that to would probably be yo-"

The dark-haired girl clenched her mouth shut at that moment, sighing in irritation at the whole prospect.

"Alright fine, but can we at least talk while moving? As you can imagine White Terror, this entire day has been nothing short of exhausting for the Black King."

Yeah, Haruka wasn't oblivious enough to just pass over Tsugumi's slip of tongue in regards to the targets for her yandere fantasies, but the White King also wasn't going to be tactless enough to just confront her about it. Shrugging, she ambiguously dropped off a comment about how there's a whole ton of phrases that one could pick up just by wandering the internet, before standing up and picking up the remains of her dinner.

Heading out the door, she said, "Mm, there's something to be said about the relationship between moving and exhaustion, but of course, Tsugumi. I can tell that running to the Student Council Office was very tiring. You should join me and a few friends for a run some time."

"Oh?"

Tsugumi grabbed her bag and scooped up the now cold bento in her arms as she followed Haruka out of the Student Council Office. She made sure to lock the place securely and turn off all the lights before picking up her pace to walk side by side with the other girl. At this time, it was roughly about late afternoon or early evening for the two girls. Should there be any wandering students about still remaining on campus, then they would have been surprised to see both Yoshino Tsugumi and Haruka striding as equals.

"I almost forgot that you're kind of an exercise nut. What, you guys just walk around the school's track field all day?"

Her voice was dripping with the lightest of sarcasm.

"50/50 interface for Deep Ground is actually quite lovely," Haruka replied, checking the time on her cellphone. Noticing Claire's message, she felt a little happy that her friend would offer help if she needed it, but then again, that was what true friends were like. She tucked away the phone, before accelerating to her normal walking pace: that of a person speed-walking to a set destination.

"It's really quite nice to be able to run around on the track while my Avatar runs around through the Deep Ground. The scenery change makes it quite fun...but we're straying from the topic. Tell me about Corpse Collector. It's related to all the Dissolutions that have been popping up, right?

Tsugumi gave Haruka a look. "Well of course it is. I'm actually surprised the other Kings haven't put most of the pieces together yet. But yes, we can strongly assume that the player named Corpse Collector has been responsible for the amount of glitches seen over the past couple of months. Long story short, she's a hacker who got too much of a kick in her job and now she's messed up in the head."

The School President checked her own cell phone to note the time as the two girls exited the main building of Purple Crown and made their way to the far left of campus. Unlike most students, Yoshino chose to make her residence at the school-provided dorms. After all, that was what her parents were paying for.

"Corpse Collector's brain has been influenced and adapted by the system. Quite frankly, she can tamper with the game in a number of ways due to the fact that she's practically encoded into the program. It's not hard to imagine that a little tantrum from her would cause a massive influx of enemy NPCs to spawn in one place sporadically."

"Wow, I'm impressed," Haruka replied, "You can read minds now? And Corpse Collector...hm, I'm actually surprised that this is a 'first' case. So that's why you want to 'remove' her from the game? Find her in real life and smack her over the head until the chip breaks?"

Tsugumi narrowed her eyes at the mind reading comment-not exactly sure if Haruka's reaction was genuine or not-but chose to ignore it for now. "Yes, that's generally the plan. What I plan to do is make sure she is never able to log into the D.G.P. Otherwise, she won't just endanger herself, but other players instead. And another thing...how long do you plan on following me?"

Evidently, the two were standing right outside of Tsugumi's assigned dorm room

Oh, it has been a long time since she's been this close to Tsugumi's home away from home. Arching an eyebrow at the president, as if Tsugumi had just asked a very dumb question, Haruka said, "Straying from the topic, are we? Figured that the least you could do is let me sleep over, if you intend on talking so much and eating all the stuff that I bought."

"But why are you intent on protecting Deep Ground the first place? If you're lucky, Corpse Collector might just render the whole system inoperable, and you essentially win."

The Student Council President paused as she reached out to unlock her dorm. Trying to process what Haruka was implying...actually no, the message couldn't had been more clear to her. Really, how long had it been since the two of them stood just like so at this particular door...?

"A...sleepover?" After a moment to gather her thoughts together, Tsugumi could only, surprise, sigh in defeat. "Alright fine, but only if you make something to eat. I expect that your company will only serve to keep me from resting my mind..."

Despite her words, her tone was light and friendly. "As for my goals, I'm well aware that this is counter-productive. However, if I allow Corpse Collector to do as she pleases, then there goes my new army."

With that said, she opened the door and guided Haruka to the familiar interior.

"Don't make too much of a mess. I just cleaned the place....I assume you're sharing my pajamas as well?" She frowned at that thought.

"I'd cook," Haruka said, as she entered the dorm room, "But it's not like you finished eating dinner the first place, so just have that if you're still hungry."

Slipping off her shoes and taking a look around, the White King realized that there really wasn't much to see at all. Too clean to be interesting, really. No super-embarrassing fangirl pics of boy bands, or any disturbingly erotic hug pillows. It was, like Tsugumi, a room that didn't show much of itself. Ah well, if she wanted an entertaining room, she could have just gone to a different place to sleep in.

She turned to face the president as the issue of pajamas was brought up. "You have more than one set of pajamas? Is one of them your birthday suit or something?"

Probably a bit of an offbeat joke, but whatever. Haruka sat herself in one of those black-leather executive chairs that Tsugumi appeared to indulge in, before asking, more seriously, "So...you'll be keeping your intentions secret to your guildmates as well? Have you ever considered recruiting Corpse Collector, actually?"

Tsugumi huffed at the small joke. "No; I have the appropriate amount of sleep wear required of Purple Crown." She smirked. "But they're all the same color, so I'll understand if sleeping in the nude is your thing Haruka. On a more serious note, you can take my bed for the night. I'll sleep on the futa."

Taking her place in the chair opposite of Haruka, the Student President nodded to answer her question. "I've considered the notion....and have decided that's it's just too risky." She lifted her eyebrow in suspicion. "And no, she's not for grabs to the other Kings either. Corpse Collector is a ticking suicidal time bomb. By the end of all this, she'll be lucky to have only minor neurological scars. That's if we're successful mind you. As for my own Guild...."

Tsugumi adjusted her glasses. "By intentions, do you mean my goal of destroying D.G.O.?"

"Sleep on the futa?" Haruka arced an eyebrow at another one of Tsugmi's slip-of-tongues. "Glad to know where your fetishes lie then. Guess even Black Kings get lonely at night."

"And of course I mean that, Tsugumi. The Ivory Masks are well-aware that, at the very minimum, I'm planning to exploit how the win-system in Deep Ground functions, and support me in such an endeavour. On the other hand, from what I've gathered, those who have wished to join the Ebony Strykers see this as a way of quickly attaining a powerful position within Deep Ground. Unlike you, I doubt that they'd be too pleased if Deep Ground was replaced by another system. It would invalidate all of their past efforts, after all."

"Futa? What are you talking about? I said futon...." Tsugumi's eyes widened at her slip of the tongue and she clenched her hands into tight fists. With a look of pure anger combined with a healthy dosage of teenage embarrassment, Tsugumi glared at the other girl, her glasses reflecting off the light.

"Look. It was a simple word twist. Nothing more. Got it?" The slip-up having upset her considerably, Tsugumi narrowed her eyes. "It's my Guild Haruka. I do what I want. I will lead them to victory and crush anyone who gets in my way. If you're with me, fine. If not, then just stay out of my way," she said darkly.

Well someone was riled up.

"Right, right, seems like someone needs her sleep now. Interesting talk today, Tsugumi. Keep this up, and maybe you'll be able to get a boyfriend before Deep Ground ends."

Standing up and deciding that this was the maximum length of a conversation they could have before they started trying to kill each other again, Haruka waved, slipped into Tsugumi's bedroom, and called out, "Try to resist stabbing me to death during my sleep, Blackie."

Realizing just how worked up she was getting, Tsugumi could only watch Haruka go in silence towards her bedroom. Suddenly feeling regretful with her tone, she took the time to pull out the futa....no wait, it was a futon. Right. Laying it out, she proceeded to turn out the lights, all but the one in the small kitchen area. Haruka was in her room, so she would no doubt have to be careful when gathering her pajamas for the night.

Sighing, she strolled into her previous sleeping area without a thought, took some clothes, and changed into her sleepwear inside the small bathroom. Exiting, she was dressed in simple black pajama pants and a white t-shirt. As she moved to leave the room, she paused at the doorway with her back facing Haruka.

"Hey Haruka....thanks. I know I can be unbearable sometimes...so I appreciate you putting up with me."

And without another word, the Black King sat at her dining table, opened up the cold bento, and finally took a small bite.

Corpse Collector
“I hate her…no, I loathe her…no, I really, really, really fucking hate her! Yeah, that’s the one!”

A certain blonde haired girl with a long white coat skipped aimlessly in the seemingly deserted Faded City. Thanks to her little distraction, Deep Ground Online was now her personal playground. And, oh, how fun it all was! No more nasty players to deal with, no more Kings to ruin her fun….especially those Kings….

“Fuck her,” she spat, still remembering her panic attack in the Black King’s presence. Seriously, what the hell was that shit about anyway? She needed something to amuse herself with…maybe the Orange Kingdom?

Giggling, the Corpse Collector renewed her skipping step toward Bowed Wood’s domain. Her laughter echoed across the servers, falling only on the mindless ears of countless, wandering Dissolutions…