Arc Two: Wargames

---

One Month Later
One month.

One month had passed since that ever fateful night. Was it really a whole month? To most, it was probably little more than a short fixture of passing time, eventually receding back into the flow of their average little lives. But not for the residents of Deep Ground, the youth who awoke to the horror of what was to come next.

The following day, Deep Ground Online was officially declared back online for the mass servers, followed by a rally of much rejoicing. The player known only in-game as Corpse Collector was subsequently arrested for abusing the system’s programming, her fate having been determined for her not by the game, but by the World Interface itself. To this day, researchers are still wondering how exactly a girl such as herself was able to tamper with the very fundamentals of the programming their ancestors encoded.

Her identity was not revealed to the massed public, and little knew of her existence to begin with. She has since been placed in a mental institution.

It was supposed to be a time of rejoice and triumph. And it was. For a while.

Dead. All of them. Well, not all of them. But a good majority of them.

Players who held the position and ranking of King within Deep Ground were suddenly found dead the very next night. There were no signs of immediate struggle; they all perished in their sleep without so much as a whimper.

Orange King, Green King, Red King, and…White King. Each found dead. Each having their bodies carted off and carried away from the world. Since then, Deep Ground has come under intense investigation by the global leaders of the World Interface. In the span of one short month, heated political debates have spread like wildfire across the world.

Two sides now stand: those who question the moral action of enforcing the Deep Ground program and its fatalistic nature, and those still stuck in their traditions of keeping the game alive. The latter seems to be the majority in this wasted world.

And so Deep Ground Online stands today.

---

School President Yoshino Tsugumi
School President Yoshino Tsugumi really, really, really didn’t want to be here today. Her position within Royal Crown Academy was not something that accounted for her health, let alone her sanity. Still, the deed had to be done.

How she dreaded it all.

Some claimed that she wasn’t the same ever since that cold morning in which she found the White King dead within her very living quarters. Since then, she had only spoken when needed to, a blank look remaining dormant on her face at all times.

And the Black King?

Moon Rider had gone on the offensive, declaring all out war over the other Kingdoms. Those that stood with her grew in rank and number with each day. Those that did not soon found themselves regretting their hasty decision.

Reports of a masked man had recently influxed throughout the school, his identity and strange powers now becoming the current gossip regarding Deep Ground. But for that, Moon Rider cared naught.

No, all she wanted to do now was to get through this day. After all, no one wants to stand in front of their entire student body and give what was supposed to be an inspiring speech of the valor in the death’s of their peers.

Tsugumi swallowed.

No deaths. Only murders.

Adjusting her glasses slightly, she stood behind the auditorium curtains and waited for the last of the student body to arrive.

Michelle - Shooting Star-Yellow King

---

Daniel - Free Runner

Keith sat quietly.

The school was to be assembled for an assembly and a speech from the School President. He had arrived there somewhat early, owing to the fact that he didn’t need to be anywhere in particular. No one would miss him, so he had gone.

The speech as far as he had heard was concerning the deaths of several students in the Royal Academy, but to the players of Deep Ground, they were renowned as the Kings. The death of four Kings was a monumental loss to the balance of Deep Ground. Each kind had vast amounts of power, and now the most active four were dead, the remaining Kings were free to claim everything they could set their eyes upon.

In the midst of the chaos, the Black King had taken advantage of the situation, cutting a bloody swathe through Deep Ground. Of course, the remains of the guilds of the four Kings were directly affected, but they weren’t the only ones. Many solo players such as himself were affected, with the Black King on the warpath, many missions and duels would be halted as the Ebony Strykers rampaged along their warpath.

The School President was to deliver a speech regarding the deaths of the Kings, hard as that would be for her. The White King had apparently died in her living quarters and according to rumour, she seemed to be having some amount of trouble coping with the stress. He had seen her on her way to the auditorium and he had seen some truth to the gossip.

She had changed practically overnight people had said. She stopped talking to the others as much, and she always had a blank look in her eyes. Some had even said that if you looked at her without knowing about the Kings, you would’ve thought a relative of hers had died.

Same as me really. Keith thought. He looked in a nearby glass window, his reflection almost the spitting image of hers. The same dead eyes, and unfocused gaze. She’s almost like me now. He thought grimly.

Even with though she was evidently not in the best condition for this, she was still going to deliver a speech in front of the whole population of the Royal Academy. For most it would take a lot of strength just to deliver a speech, but delivering the same speech under the same amount of pressure the School President was would be a nightmare for many students.

She must have had a lot of strength just to be able to come here today.

Strength befitting of a leader. He thought.

A girl sat in the stands, seemingly alone, not even bothering to hide her tears for her dead King. It was probably strange that she should be so sad given that the position was hers, but even so, Lucy was mourning. However, it was not only his death that was causing her this pain. Since the Green King's death, the Fanged Rangers had been forced to fight because of the Black King's declaration. Lucy was a caring leader, but she knew nothing of war. Her healing protected her guild members, but she was so new to leadership that she was not sure how to keep the Ebony Strykers away from their territory.

And then there was her fear for her own life. No one really knew what had happened to the dead Kings, why or how they were killed, just that they were no longer living. What if that happened to her because of her new position? Lucy had been careful, but still she was frightened. Unlike previous Kings, she had not revealed her real life identity to any who did not already know it. All Fanged Rangers meetings took place in DGO or in the forums, never in person. She wasn't even wearing green to classes anymore. Lucy trusted her guild members, but the more people who knew her real identity, the more likely it was to leak out to other guilds.

Lucy wiped the tears from her eyes and just stared at the stage. What would Michael have done if he were still around? Would he have built up an army, just as the Black King had, to fight against the Ebony Strykers? Or would he just have given up? She did not believe he would have chosen the latter option, but Lucy couldn't be sure what was best for her guild. The Fanged Rangers were few in numbers and thought of each other as a family. If she fought back with what little she had, it could cost her guild members their future, something she would never want.

As if on cue, one such member sat next to her, though she suspected it wouldn't be for long. A hand was placed on her shoulder, a reassuring voice in her ear. "There's nothing you could have done Lucy, and he would be proud of the way you're leading us now. Despite what the Black King has forced of us, you are still trying your best to keep us a peaceful. I imagine it must be hard to do."

Lucy shook her head, showing her disagreement and responded, "But maybe I'm wrong to continue our neutral position? Look where it has gotten us. We have no enemies, that's true, but we also have no allies. Perhaps if we took the war path... made some allies, fought back... It is not something I wish to do, but maybe it would be better for all of you." She sighed, keeping the rest of her doubts to herself. For years Lucy had been working to gain this position, but now that she was a King she realized she hadn't been prepared. Not one bit.

The boy next to her smile and spoke again. "We believe in you Lucy. That's why we're still here and why we won't leave. You'll make the right decision." And then he was gone, just as quickly as he'd come leaving Lucy to wonder if he was wrong.

Richie felt obligated to come.

He didn't really know why, as he wasn't familiar with most of the deceased aside from the former White King, and even then it was only in a follower-leader relationship. Still, it was a tragedy to see so many futures lost to the unknown. However, on the other hand it was that very catalyst that made him step up his game and take the Ivory Masks as his own; So no one else would be snuffed out before reaching their true potential. There was also the little known hedonistic way things were being handled, but to dwell on that would be an insult to the dead.

The part of him that still held on to the hate said that she deserved it, that her end was justified, she was just using others for her own goals after all.

The newer part, the one who wanted to protect, just felt guilty that he couldn't save her.

Maybe that was why he was sitting near the back of the auditorium, a sullen look on his face as he stared at the School President prepare her speech. Or maybe he just needed an hour or so to himself, with the Black King declaring war so soon after the Masks lost all order. He had been fighting for three weeks straight until he established his own version of the guild from the still burning embers of the last.

He clenched his fists, cracking his knuckles mindlessly as he tried to stay focused on the here and now. Whatever reason that lead to him waiting for the speech didn't matter, he was there to offer his condolences to a dead King that would never know the road her death built for her former guild.

A pair of girls walked quickly towards the auditorium, gossiping as they went.
'I heard that 4 of the coloured kings died in deep ground.' One said.
'It's true. All of the stuff with the ebony strykers waging war is a result of that.' The other said, fixing her glasses.
'Really?' The other asked in surprise.
'Yes. And the school president apparently had someone die in her room that day.' The other replied.
'That's terrible!'

Engrossed in gossiping as they were, they didn't see the 3 black-suited people walking towards the Auditorium, 2 men in sunglasses and a black haired boy in between. To the casual observer, the two men were body guards and the boy in the middle was a guest of honour. However, the boy in the middle was a student there, albeit a student who had taken an extended leave over 'family matters' 2 months ago, one that had just made his return.

Unknowingly, one of the black suited men bumped past the girl with the glasses.
'Ah!' She said as she fell, her glasses sliding off her face.
Before they could hit the ground, the boy in the middle bowed and caught them smoothly. Kneeling towards the girl, he offered his hand for assistance.
'Are you alright?' He said, an expression of concern on his face.
'Ah, yes.' She said, taking his hand.
She stood and the boy offered her her glasses. The girl put her glasses on and gave a small gasp. The boy was handsome and his expensive looking suit suggested a background of excessive wealth. It seemed that she had kept an important person waiting and she was suddenly embarrassed.
'T-thanks.' She stammered.
'Please, do not thank me.' The boy said, smiling pleasantly, the smile accenting his looks. 'I apologise for the crass behaviour of my bodyguards.' He said, bowing gracefully.
'Um, no-no worries.' She said, flustered.
'Please hurry to the Auditorium, then.' He said, rising from his bow. 'The president's speech will begin shortly. Please be careful.'
He proceeded to continue with his bodyguards in the direction of the Auditorium.

The girl stood stunned for a few seconds, her friend the same.
'Who-who was that?' The glasses girl said, still flustered.
'I know who that is!' Her friend said with recognition. 'That's Albus Phantom, the only son of the English Company Phantom Corporation which help fund Deep Ground Online!'
'What?!' She said in disbelief. 'I didn't know he went to our school!'
'Me neither! I heard that he was a genius businessman and that he'll inherit his father's company when he's older.'
'But... Isn't phantom corporation under scrutiny for the 4 kings incident?'
'I don't know, but I heard he was really good at Deep ground as well. I hope we get to meet him again!'

The boy could hear their conversation as he stalked towards the auditorium and he was once again reminded of the dullness of reality. He'd pulled that trick off more than a few times and every time, he was met with the same response. Certainly, it was good to have that kind of first impression and acting like he cared about people had its advantages but, more than anything, it was annoying for him. The auditorium loomed ahead as he approached. The school was no different, unfeeling architecture unfazed by the recent events. The president's speech... It wasn't something he cared for. It was allegedly about the deaths of the 4 kings who were students of the school which didn't perturb the boy in the slightest. The only good thing he'd gotten out of going back to the school was that it got him out of the myriad business dealings and events he'd gotten tired of 3 years ago which his father forced upon him for his short return. Then the incident happened. The 'corpse collector' incident and the subsequent death of 4 out of the 7 coloured kings caused quite a stir and investors began leaving Phantom Corporation. And so, Albus Phantom was sent back to Purple Crown academy to 'investigate' the cause of those incidents. He cared about neither his father's company nor the deaths of his fellow students but it was a welcome respite from the business world he loathed.

He approached the door of the Auditorium and turned to his guards.
'You may go back now.' He told them.
They complied, leaving his side back towards the way they came. Honestly, Albus had no idea why his father gave him guards. He neither wanted them nor needed him and while the deaths of the 4 kings caused concerns for student safety, he himself wasn't affiliated with any guild and the over-caution irked Albus greatly. Glad to be rid of the brainless hunks of meat, he stepped into the Auditorium. Keeping his façade of a perfect student almost all day annoyed Albus to no end, but if there was one useful thing that his father taught him, it was that one has to keep up appearances. Albus looked for an isolated seat in an inconspicuous location and sat down. Keeping up appearances was the reason Albus was here today and nothing else.

Student President Yoshino Tsugumi
Yoshino let her bespectacled gaze sweep over the rising crowd, her hands rising up to part away some loose strings of hair over her face. Since the passing of the Kings, new players had subsequently taken their place and position within Deep Ground. The Student President had at first thought it was perhaps too soon to be worried over pitiful matters such as territory and the like.

She then had to remind herself who it was to make these new Kings paranoid in the first place. Besides, the Deep Ground Program still determined one’s fate. No amount of death would alter that reality.

Not yet anyway.

Glancing at the clock to the left side of the stage, Yoshino breathed a voiceless sigh. She would have to begin the ceremony now, even if there were still students loitering about. With a dignified posture, she hardened her gaze to replicate her old self before exiting the stage curtains and walking out to meet the student body.

The roar and chatters of adolescence were soon hushed out of respect and awe. Many a fool had gambled, betting that she wouldn’t have the nerve to speak such words after the incident with the White King. Some even accused her of murdering the former King, though there was never any physical evidence.

How wrong they all were of her. As expected. Halting at the podium, Yoshino mentally rehearsed her lines one more time before tapping the microphone directed towards her face.

Silence was now complete in the auditorium.

“Greetings my fellow peers. It is with sorrow that I speak before you today. I won’t try to hide the truth from either you or myself. The deaths of your fellow students must not go unheard nor unheeded, so now we take the time to honor and respect the young men and women that once walked these very hallways. To you though, they were known as more than just mortal lives. They were also Kings.”

A pause.

“Red. Orange. Green. And…White. Those who were cruelly taken from us before their natural time…let us remember their wills and determination for as long as we can. However, we shall not let their times as Kings go in vain. We will continue to fight for our own futures using the Deep Ground Program. And so, we carry on.”

A massive roar of applause followed after her final words as Yoshino took a step back from the podium. The clapping went on for half a minute or so before Yoshino brought herself to the microphone once more, puzzling a few of the students. Or rather, puzzling those not experienced in how the world really worked.

“Now that we have payed our deeds unto the dead, I have a message for you all. A message from my employer to all the players of Deep Ground Online. You know them better as the Black King.”

Power radiated from Yoshino’s voice, and it took all of her will to keep her eyes from losing their shine and dulling back into despair. Everyone looked up to the Student President for two reasons: she was the Student President, and thus influential in many tings and she was also the direct voice for the Black King themselves, who no one knew the real life identity of. And so, it was no surprise at all when several of the students leaned forward to hear the next couple of words.

“The Black King hereby declares war on you all. I’m sure most of you have noticed the recent attacks on your Guild’s territories; this is our time to make our intentions known to the public. We plan conquer all of the Guilds and achieve supreme victory. Join us, and we promise you a future of greatness and prosperity. Join us…or stand against us. The choice is yours. However, I must warn you…”

As Yoshino paused to breathe, she couldn’t help but smirk upon the revelation and commotion her next line of words would cause.

“The Ebony Strykers and the Sweepers have aligned themselves together. It would be foolhardy to challenge us now.”

Sten sat in the back of the auditorium, the president's initial few statements were fantastic even he applauded her mention of the memory of the former kings. He didn't particularly care for the politics that happened between the Kings, but he understood that they still had an impact on him and all other players of the game. He even heard a couple shouts of encouragement from the crowd. Then came the next announcement: the message from the Black King. This truly captured his interest.

He looked to see the reactions of nearby students. Most of them were just staring at her. "War?" He heard from someone sitting in front of him. He then let out a low whistle just before the commotion of her announcing the unity of the Sweepers and the Ebony Strykers. That was huge! The Sweepers were supposed to be a neutral force. How on earth did the Black King pull off an alliance with them? He wasn't overly surprised at a power grab by the Black King considering how the new Kings lacked the power their predecessors had. Simply put, it was a great tactic.

He smirked, at least he didn't have too much to worry about. As a solo player he was quite good at being under the radar. Then again, he had resolved to change that mentality of his to improve himself. He certainly wasn't one to go back on promises he made to himself. The greatest trouble he had would be figuring out which guild to join. The Ebony Strykers would probably be the smartest option, but he wanted to join a guild that fit his wants. He knew surprisingly little about them, perhaps this could be an opportunity to learn more. His smirk quickly changed to a puzzled frown.

He had built up a bit of a reputation as Solitary Watcher, although no one knew that Sten was the Watcher. He kind of wanted to maintain that bit of secrecy, but he understood that he was likely to have to inform his guild mates of who he was in real life if he actually joined a guild. He scratched the back of his head as he puzzled over his next steps. He had plenty of options of that there was no doubt. He leaned back in his seat and mumbled to himself. "Seems like I've got some big choices ahead of me."

Donny Yang / Arms Slave

This just felt pointless. The Kings died a month ago. So why throw this school meeting now? He wanted to get his Mayhem Riders back together and start crushing the enemy again. After the defeat of Corpse Collector, Arms Slave had joined the Ebon Stkyer's properly and began to cause mayhem in their name. As more members joined, their forces grew in power, as did Arms Slave. He managed to gain two levels within a single month, a plethora of new weapons, and even upgraded his truck into a war machine. He made use of the game's vehicle system to blitz whatever his target was, and rain destruction through superior firepower or just transporting hundreds of players into an area before a proper defense could be mounted. It was great fun.

Of course, outside of Deep Ground, not much of Donny's life had changed. He hasn't even been called for Sweeper duties, and in fact when he did try to find out any word on Sweeper events, he was met with silence. Like the entire organization was just... Not active. He wondered if the leader, if the Sweepers even had one, might have also been killed that day the kings were. He wondered if the leader of the Sweepers was a king. But this thought was proven wrong by the president's message. "Waaaah? When that this happen!?" Donny said outloud. He was never told that the Sweepers were allying with the Ebon Stykers. Granted, it likely didn't make a difference for him considering that he's part of both factions. But how many others could say the same? The Sweepers hunted down anyone if they were given the orders by Erasers. It made Donny think. "Is Moon Rider going to have the Sweepers take hits on actual players now? Maybe... Maybe the black king did have something to do with the death of the other kings...." Donny wasn't sure what to think. But he knew that this was going to be very interesting. Clenching his hand into a tight fist, Donny smiled. "Oh yeah... All that mayhem..."

Retsu Goroshi / Dark Wraith

Retsu sat amongst the students as though she was one of them. The truth was rather different. Much like the Black King, Dark Wraith's identity was mired in secrecy. And for good reason. Ever since Dark Wraith had been chosen as the second in command of the Ebon Stykers, she's been hard at work ensuring their smooth progression to power. The Ebon Stykers would have been at a massive disadvantage initially if Retsu didn't pull any strings. They lacked man power to put a decent fight against the other guilds, even if most were in anarchy due to the deaths of their kings. So she had brought the Sweepers and a few Erasers to fill the void of membership until they were steadily amassing the guild's numbers to a respectable force. Even after they gained a foothold, Retsu continued to make use of her Erasers and Sweepers, mostly in the effort to expand Ebon Styker's power. She had the Erasers call off any hits and jobs; they needed to lay low for now, for a few reasons. The reasons she told them was because they needed to focus their efforts working with the Black Guild. But there was a different, much more horrific truth.

There was something within the game that was much, much more powerful than even the Sweepers. She not simply in terms of gameplay statistics. The power of the Sweepers was their ability to manipulate the game to their advantage, and being able to hit their enemies where it'll hurt the most, in real life. But this required a bit of effort and careful planning. But there was someone, something, inside the game that made what the Sweepers do child's play. And she knew that whoever that person is, they were the cause of the kings death. Retsu herself could has not yet learned the cause of their deaths, but she knew that it came from Deep Ground. But that only opened so many more questions, things that Retsu wouldn't dare let anyone else look into but herself. Not even Moon Rider. Retsu wanted that power for herself. She wasn't going to let anyone else know about it.

And than came Yoshino speech. Retsu had already heard it before and didn't show much reaction to it. Truth of the matter was that the Sweepers and Ebon Stykers were allied the day that Ebon Styker's opened up their guild. Still, the announcement would certainly intimidate the other guilds. The Sweepers were already infamous for their constant vigilante activities, and for those who believed in rumors, their abilities to harm players in real life. And those rumors were true, but largely unproven. And Retsu aimed to keep it that way. But this was more of an announcement to her fellow Sweepers than to the other players of Deep Ground; namely that this means that targets in the Ebon Styker's were, for the most part, off limits. At least depending on a case-by-case basis. And players seeking shelter from the Sweepers, such as Outlaws, would run to the Ebon Stykers for safe haven, thus increasing their man power. The only real resistance that Retsu would expect would come form other Sweepers themselves, who may have personal reasons to not ally with the Ebon Stykers. But those people Retsu could handle. Sweepers or not, there were very few who could truly escape her influence.

As Yoshino's speech came near an end, Retsu readied herself to leave.

Reiko, Princess Rainbow

Ahhhh… Reiko thought as she processed the speech. This is going to be bad.

War was declared, and it was going to be bad. Mind you, war already started but now there was an official declaration; that probably meant that the black king was really going to start gunning for war and stuff. That was going to be a bummer, she’d have to try to steer clear of the big fights.
She could hold her own in a fight, but the problem wasn’t her. It was Taro.

He was… Terrible at the game. If you looked at his stats, you would think he was some kind of noob with a record of zero deaths and zero kills. He'd actually only been playing for two weeks so he kind of was, but he also just sucked at Deep Ground. Even though he was only level 1, if you looked at his abilities you would’ve thought he would have at least 1 kill or something.

The only thing he ever did was run away, and Reiko always had to clean up after him. He ran from literally every fight he’d ever been in with his ability. It allowed him to boost his speed and dodge every enemy attack, but he only ever ran away from his fights. He was somewhat famous despite his low-level, for being the hardest level 1 to kill in probably the entire game.

He was a constant source of worry for her, and he would probably die a lot if he were caught up in the war. Reiko wasn’t going to be there forever, and he could only run so far before he got caught and killed. She knew that dying didn’t really do anything but still, she was worried. Taro didn't actually know that Reiko was Princess Rainbow. It would've been embarrassing for her to tell him in-game so she had just introduced herself as another player that was helping him. Now that the war was happening, she was probably going to need some help in helping him.

Fortunately, there was an easy solution. Well, it might not work but it was easy, and she couldn’t be bothered doing anything else.
She had had the good fortune of sitting behind one Lucy Hall who had turned out to be the Green King. There were a lot of cute girls in Purple Crown, and she was glad for it. She wanted to hug them all, but she didn’t really know them so that probably wasn’t a good idea because she would look like a creep.

Anyway, she had overheard her conversation with one of her guild members and it turned out she was the Green King. She also knew where her locker was because she always kept tabs on all of the cute girls. With that information in mind, she formulated a plan to gain some measure of protection.

As far as she could reason, high-level guilds wouldn’t accept a total noob like Taro but the Green King’s guild was in serious need of extra defence power and perhaps one or two extra members would serve them well in the coming war.

She headed out of the auditorium and to a quiet spot to start her plan.

From out of her pockets, she took out a love heart envelope, some paper and her stash of pens. The envelope would ensure that she would read it, and there was no way she could miss the envelope if she put it in her locker.

Dear Green King,

Please let us join your guild.

We will meet you in the green section of the Faded City some time tonight

Look out for a unicorn and a pirate

Love From, Princess Rainbow.

She sealed the letter, and went to find Lucy's locker. Finding it, she slipped her letter into the locker.

Now, all she had to do was go find Taro later and drag him over to the Fanged Rangers.

Michael Faye / Red King Stuffed Rabbit

Michael arrived just before the speech had begun and sat himself down beside Sten. He had seen him before, but never really talked to him, they were in the same class, but then again when every seventeen-year-old in the world is in your class it's easy to never speak to most of them. Michael offered him a shy smile as they made eye-contact while he was sitting down before focusing on the president. His heart skipped a beat and he gulped instinctively as he looked down at her. She looked quiet, reserved, bookish almost. But it was during these student-body addresses that he was reminded just what he liked about her- the power she commanded.

A bile of disgust built in his throat as he considered the pretenses of this meeting:

Four people had died - murdered in cold blood. One of them, the White King, was in the very same room as she was. She's on that stage because her friend was murdered and all he was thinking was how attractive she was on that stage. He refocused his attention back towards the president as the auditorium erupted in applause. When it had quieted down, the ultimatum of the Black King was given. A declaration of open war on all guilds with the aid of Deep Ground's own bounty hunters. Michael gulped as the effects of that sunk in, of course he had known the the Black King was taking Red Guild land left-and-right, but an official statement. It didn't set well with him.

Sten's whistling broke his meditation on the Black King's words, "Seems like I've got some big choices ahead of me."

Michael looked over to him and back to the stage; he looked directly at the president before speaking out to Sten, "You and me both."

The smirk across the President's face unsettled him, she seemed almost pleased by the announcement. Pleased by the breakdown of the natural order of the game. She must be one of the Strykers he thought to himself. A fleeting notion passed him by, what if she was the Black King? He shook his head mentally. No, the School President as the Black King? It's almost too cliche. Besides, a wave of students had joined the Ebony Strykers since it was opened up to the rest of the students. Odds are she's one of those, the ones trying to choose the winning side.

But the thought never quite left him alone.

The Ebony Strykers, in their alliance with the Sweepers, now held a dangerous trump card. The loose organization of the Sweepers means that not only would the Scarlet Harleys be pitted against the Strykers - but also potentially against any unaffiliated player. It seemed apparent that there would be only one course of action: a meeting with the remaining five Kings to form an alliance against the Strykers. If the Strykers were Persia, the color guilds would be Greece.

And the Harleys would be Sparta.

After the assembly ended, Michael filed back to his dorm room and began laying the foundation for the new Anti Black King Force Six. He sat down at his computer and typed up a group PM via the Deep Ground forums. He sent out the message to all six of the other Kings - Gleeful Jackal, Tender Fern, Shooting Star, Conquest Pantheon, and Stalwart Bruiser - in hope that at least one, if not all, would be willing to join into an alliance with the Scarlet Harleys.

Aaron Carther | Conquest Pantheon - Orange King

The state of the Orange King was quite peculiar on the day of the Student President’s speech. He arrived to the auditorium early, without a book in his hand, and sat in the front row of seats, directly in front of where Yoshino would be speaking. He sat there, hands together, eyes attentively forward, until it was over. To anyone nearby he may have appeared to have been carved of stone.

A few people in the crowd knew their king a little better than that though. These people saw how Aaron’s knuckles became bleached white at the mention of the Kings’ deaths and how he clenched his teeth in a silent rage upon hearing of the alliance between the Ebony Strykers and the Sweepers.

Aaron stood suddenly and walked out of the room without a word. The Black King was right about one thing: this was most certainly war, and on a scale like nothing before witnessed in New Ground Online. He had the game already up and running in overlay mode before he’d even left the auditorium. Aaron’s fingers clenched around the spear that existed only in one world. It wouldn't be long now.

For the most part, the eulogy for the 4 Kings was expected. However, that all changed soon after the President's words about the Black King declaring war and the claim about having the Sweepers on her side. If that was true, things took a turn for the worse. The Sweepers were not players to be taken lightly, even for a King. Michelle's eyes grew wide and her heart started to beat rapidly. To make such a bold claim meant that the Black King would do what it took to win. Michelle needed to make sure that she and her guild would be on the winning side of the war. She couldn't claim neutrality, as Black King declared war on all Kingdoms.

Michelle left the auditorium after being dismissed and went into her room. She immediately entered the forums to consult with her advisers on the matter, but stopped when she saw that she had received a pm, and from the new Red King, no less. She clicked the link, and found that it was a mass invite to all Kings, excluding Black of course, to join an alliance for the war. Michelle was equally surprised to the boldness of this idea. Michelle had been thinking of how to ally with Black, but having all 6 Kingdoms against one proved too interesting to ignore.

Things weren't looking up today, but Taro hadn't yet counted a day where things were looking 'up' for him. Breathing heavily, his eyes scanned the dimly lit building, searching for his pursuer. Gun at the ready, he slowly walked towards the doorway in front of him, leading to the world outside and maybe, his chasers. Who were they? He didn't know. A gunner with an sniper rifle, and a few traps, maybe. An aspiring sniper? As far as taro saw, they were around level 2, but he hadn't gotten a good look because he was far away.

Taro poked his head outside of the building, only to snap back as a bullet hit the wall next to his face. Taro scrambled back inside. The aspiring sniper wasn't the best shot, but Taro wasn't the best guy and he was at least a level below his opponent. Then there was only one thing to do. Taro stuck his head out again, jumped back as the bullet pinged somewhere near his foot, and activated his only skill. Fast escape!

A burst of speed spurred Taro through the door again, darting across the street. There was that sniper! Taro quickly scanned his level and was upset by what he saw. Level 3?!? Don't level 3s have anything better to do than chase me down?!? He thought angrily.

No time for complaints, he had 4 seconds of dodging everything left. He darted around the streets, making it as hard as possible for the sniper to hit him. 1 shot, 2 shots, 3 seconds left. Taro turned a corner and looked back. His attacker's position almost out of the line of sight. A final parting shot from the sniper, heading directly for Taro's head, a probable instant-kill shot.

As the bullet raced to end Taro's life, Taro's head shifted just enough for the bullet to pass harmlessly by. Just in time, his skill had ran out as the bullet passed him. He was safe! Or that was what he thought, until the sniper's well placed mine exploded underneath his feet. Wonderful. Taro thought, tossing through the air as if in slow motion, as almost half of his health bar drained. Taro sighed mentally. He was so weak. he'd learned after the first time he was hit with one that that mine was one of the weaker ones of the average set of mines a sniper could have. It didn't do much damage (apparently) but was easier to set and was relatively easy to come by.

And apparently, 'not doing much damage' was subjective as this apparently didn't apply to Taro. Taro's body flew through the air. He landed on the ground, bounced, landed into a roll, and got to his feet to continue sprinting. He'd have to be careful about those mines. Who knows how many there were. He sprinted across the streets and ran as far as possible away from the sniper who was doubtlessly readjusting his position. That's the 3rd time today. Taro thought. The 3rd time he'd had to run away from someone he'd been fighting. The first time, he was outnumbered 2 to 1, both level ones. The second time, it was a level 2 who had him out gunned and the sniper made the 3rd. It'd been 2 weeks already and standard players would already have 1 or 2 kills right now, albeit also 1 or 2 deaths.

The problem was, Taro was too cowardly to risk himself. His only skill was an escape skill, 5 seconds of massive speed and not being hit, and he'd used it as an escape skill for almost every fight he'd been in. He'd somehow built a legend around himself as the hardest-to-kill level 1 ever, also amassing a grand total of 0 kills. 0 Kills, 0 deaths. The stats didn't show it but he'd had a total of 0 NPC kills as well. Part of the reason for this was because he had no friends. his only friend was a tomboyish girl he'd met when he transferred to royal purple academy 2 weeks ago and he didn't even know her in-game name. He never had time to make friends because in the 2 weeks since he'd transferred, he'd been either studying or playing deep ground, neither of which he was very good at.

Taro sprinted well away from the vicinity of the sniper and stopped to catch his breath. A little bit of his health had regenerated and he sat down with a sigh. He should probably ask Reiko-San for help, or maybe he could join a guild. He looked down at his weapon. One thing he desperately needed was a better weapon. He only had his starting pistol and it was extremely lacking in fire power. Maybe if he wasn't such a coward, he'd have some kills by now. He sighed and looked up to the sky.

One thing he knew, he had to change somehow. He had to get kills and become successful. It was necessary for his promise. He was bad at studying and bad at Deep Ground Online, but that just meant he had to change. He had to become a space pirate, no matter what.

Sten hadn't really thought that he'd get a response from him talking to himself, but he heard. "You and me both." and then chuckled a bit as he looked to the student sitting next to him with a small smile. He recognized the student from his class and remembered his name pretty quickly as Michael. Sten didn't really feel the need to respond to the statement. He really couldn't think of anything valuable to add to it.

After the assembly ended, Sten left the auditorium and made his way to his room. Something huge was going to happen today in New Grounds, and he wanted to see everything. He also needed to join a guild. The changes to everything would make for possibly more desirable Kings, especially considering how some of them were previously. Then again, the colors tended to have a pattern, he just hoped it wasn't the same nasty cycle. He logged on quickly and entered the game to get on his favorite character ever: Solitary Watcher.

He quickly made his way from where he last logged out to his usual hunting grounds, but stopped partway when he saw an easily recognizable player. Even an introverted solo player like himself knew who it was: Grim Buccaneer. A joke of a player honestly, but still had some respect for being a player that had managed to not die. He calmly approached, he'd had the rare interaction with solo players like this one, and shouldn't really have much trouble talking. "Hey." He could tell already that the kid had been having a rough day. Watcher leaned against the wall of a nearby building. If any surprises happened he could easily escape by scaling the building and then using his camouflage. "Rough day, huh?"

He felt a bit odd initiating conversation, but things you're unused to tend to have a rough start.

Subject: Colored Alliance
Participants: Stuffed Rabbit, Gleeful Jackal, Tender Fern, Shooting Star, Conquest Pantheon, Stalwart Bruiser
Host: Stuffed Rabbit

Stuffed Rabbit: Alright you guys, we need to have a serious talk.

Stuffed Rabbit: As you all know, the Ebony Strykers are a super-dangerous threat right now.

Stuffed Rabbit: Soooo, what I was thinking is that all of the color guilds unite to fight back against the Strykers' push.

Stuffed Rabbit: Any concerns?

Shooting Star: That has to be the most insane thing I've ever heard.

Shooting Star: I love it.

Stuffed Rabbit: Yeah, well…

Stuffed Rabbit: Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Stuffed Rabbit: God, this is so cliche.

Gleeful Jackal: Holy crap, a Red King that isn't batshit insane. I never thought I'd see the day. (rip ariel)

Gleeful Jackal: I mean, I don't really have a reason to, man. Bruisers have been holding back the Strykers for the past month. Hell, I went 1v1 with Moon Rider last week. You guys saw the recording I put up on Youtube.

Gleeful Jackal: But hey, if Miss President's going to team up with the Sweepers, screw it.

Gleeful Jackal: Dibs on 1v1ing Moon Rider.

Shooting Star: @Jackel She's all yours.

Shooting Star: Hey, being cliche isn't bad. Right?

Stuffed Rabbit: So... you two have been Kings for a while.

Stuffed Rabbit: Are assemblies always that awkward?

Stuffed Rabbit: Or was it just the murder bits?

Gleeful Jackal: I mean, I dunno. Usually skipped assemblies to gank kids.

Gleeful Jackal: Better question: how much do you think Blackie's been paying off the prez to shill for her?

Stuffed Rabbit: What if prez IS the Black King?

Shooting Star: @Rabbit Impossible. The Pres hates video games.

Gleeful Jackal: Dude, what if she's just rusing us? Perfect cover.

Gleeful Jackal: Shit, now I think this is plausible. She hates vidya so much she's killing everyone.

Stalwart Bruiser: @Gleeful Jackal I want a piece of her too.

Stalwart Bruiser: Seriously, who the hell does she think she is?

Stalwart Bruiser: The last White King was too lenient with this problem, Moon Rider's going to answer to my fists!

Gleeful Jackal: Tryhard pls.

Shooting Star: Calm yourself, Bruiser. We may be Kings, but don't take her lightly.

Gleeful Jackal: Also implying that the last Whitey didn't have a stupid amount of sexual tension with Blackie.

Tender Fern: Late Late o the party I guess.

Tender Fern: I'm up for anything that will help end this so called war.

Stalwart Bruiser: Fine, fine. I'm calm. You just don't spring something like that after an eulogy for the dead. It's messed up

Stalwart Bruiser: Also, Jackal. From what I hear, it's more Moon Rider X The School President these days.

Gleeful Jackal: Yeah, I know. Been telling my guys to spread that around to piss both of them off.

Shooting Star: I don't even know what to say to that, Jackal.

Tender Fern: I do.

Tender Fern: Do you really think it's necessary to provoke her more?

Gleeful Jackal: Yes.

Gleeful Jackal: It's funny.

Shooting Star: Ok, as interesting as this topic is, let's get back on track. All in favor of creating this alliance against the Black King and the Sweepers, say aye.

Shooting Star: My vote is aye.

Gleeful Jackal: Aye.

Tender Fern: Yes.

Conquest Pantheon: The solution is simple:

Conquest Pantheon: Yoshino Tsugumi

Conquest Pantheon: Get to her out-of-game and force her to reveal the identity of the Black King she loves so much.

Conquest Pantheon: I guarantee you she knows what caused the deaths of the Kings as well.

Stuffed Rabbit: Sorry, back.

Stuffed Rabbit: @Pantheon: I don't like that idea…

Stuffed Rabbit: It's kinda mean isn't it? I don't wanna like put her on the spot about it

Stuffed Rabbit: It's just rude is all.

Conquest Pantheon: @Rabbit: Are you kidding me right now?

Conquest Pantheon: It's like you want to end up like the last Red King.

Tender Fern: No.

Tender Fern: Red is right.

Tender Fern: Taking it out of the game makes us like Black and whoever killed the others.

Shooting Star: Yeah, not a big fan of that idea either.

Stuffed Rabbit: So uh... back on topic.

Stuffed Rabbit: Yellow, Blue, Green, White and Red are all saying yes…

Stuffed Rabbit: @Pantheon: What about you?

Conquest Pantheon: I'm not apposed to the alliance.

Conquest Pantheon: But I plan on continuing to pursue out-of-game solutions to this problem.

Stuffed Rabbit: So uh, now that everyone's on-board I guess we should figure out how we're gonna tell everyone.

Stuffed Rabbit: Should we like make an announcement on the forums or what..?

Shooting Star: That seems like the best option. It's not like we have a better way of announcing it to the public.

Stuffed Rabbit: I guess we could like tell everyone when we dive in too…

Stuffed Rabbit: Alright.

Stuffed Rabbit: So uh... anyone else have anything else to say?

Stalwart Bruiser: Stay safe and may we all walk on the Ivory Road to a better future.

Stalwart Bruiser: Except Moon Rider of course, 'cause just to hell with her, honestly.

Stalwart Bruiser: Yeah, I'm not that great with last words.

Conquest Pantheon: To those of you who have wisely kept your identity a secret:

Conquest Pantheon: Continue to do so.

Conquest Pantheon: You may want to keep this war limited to only in the game world, but that doesn't mean our enemy will.

Gleeful Jackal: I mean, considering the only people who knew who I was are kinda dead now...yeah. Don't think that'll be a problem.

Gleeful Jackal: Later bitches.

Stuffed Rabbit: Alright.

Stuffed Rabbit: Stay safe guys.

Student President Yoshino Tsugumi
Yoshino was able to maintain her smirk long enough for people to react to her demands, eventually filing out to leave the auditorium. To the common outsider, and to anyone who really didn’t know her, it seemed that she walked with an extra bounce of self-sustained victory in her step. Indeed, she was the spitting image of glory as she made her way back behind the stage curtains.

How wrong they all were.

Finally safe from prying eyes, those goddamn searching eyes, the Student President clenched a hand to her chest and took slow, calming breathes to steady her heart-rate. Were they all deaf or something? Couldn’t they hear how her ribcage pounded with fear against her chest? They were all looking at her so intently; another reason why she had dreaded the speech for today.

Their eyes kept roaming over her...she had been lucky and content with staring at the very back wall, intentionally ignoring eye-contact with any of the other students. Damn this irrational fear…damn it all. Luckily, her phobia was a much kept and secure secret from anyone else. In fact, the only one who had ever known was….

“Haruka,” she said flatly to herself, the name of the previous White King sounding alien on her tongue. A wave of emotion immediately hit her like a freight train, and she reached forward to grip onto something for fear of falling back.

How ironic it really was. They had shared the same goals, no? They were going to complete those goals together too. And then…

“You idiot,” she muttered sadly, her fear now dissolved and enveloped in anguish. “You said you would help me. We finally made up and…you promised too. And then you…I’ll find your murderer. I’ll avenge you…I’ll carry out both of our goals, Haruka. There’s nothing else I can really do anyway.”

Recovering from her short panic attack, the Student President took the time to readjust her glasses and exit the stage from the left. By the time she walked out of the auditorium, the number of students had decreased to the point of there being almost no one present.

Good. The less people looked at her, the better.

---

Deep Ground Online
The world of Deep Ground. Amazing that it was still being funded after the events of one month prior. Since that time, Player reports of a masked man observing PvP battles and Dissolution hunts had flourished from across the world, the most prominent of which coming from Purple Crown Academy.

Rumors were even noted that one of Deep Ground’s very own Kings encountered the enigmatic being face to face, though it’s hazy to the public which King that was. According to witnesses, the masked man was, aptly so, a masked Avatar who possessed the ability to change his status from Player to Enemy NPC with presumably little to no effort.

Just who is he anyway? Some kind of meta-troll lurking around the game? An Easter Egg maybe? Or perhaps he was actually the Player Avatar for the original developer for the Deep Ground Program? No one really knew….but no doubt, many Players wanted to find out.

As for Faded City, life went on as normal. Except of course, the constant warfare and strife that now became a daily life-style. Not exactly new given the game’s nature, but certainly exaggerated due to the Ebony Stryker’s efforts.

Dissolution rates had returned to normal since the Corpse Collector incident, though there were still mild glitches with the servers here and there. Work of the masked man?

Who could say for sure?

At first, the speech had been just like Lucy had been expecting: In memory of the four kings who had lost their lives. But then it took a surprising and devastating turn. It was her worst nightmare come to life, the entire reason she was considering allying with any other guild even if it meant making enemies in the process. Now, it would be impossible to keep their neutral position and still be able to fight the Ebony Strykers and the sweepers.

Each day, she was losing territory to the Black King. Worse, her guild members were losing their stats, the only thing that would help them in the future. It was the realization that the Fanged Rangers were about to be completely destroyed that had Lucy standing, tripping over people in an attempt to get out of that auditorium. There was no way she could stand by and let this happen. None. But how did she stop it?

Thankfully, her thoughts were pushed to the side when she found an unusual note in her locker. Apparently there were people wanting to join her guild, though she wasn't sure why this so called Princess Rainbow hadn't sent her a message on the forums. And why on Earth was the note in some kind of heart envelope? It was all strange enough to distract her. That was until she reached her room and checked the forums, preparing to enter DGO.

A message. From the Red King, to all of the others except for Black. It was as if he (or she) had answered her prayers. If Lucy could align herself with all the Colored Guilds, then she would not have to worry about the backlash. After all, the only one not included were the Strykers, and well... they had already declared war on the Rangers and all others. So, without even hesitating, she put in her own thoughts and an alliance was agreed to.

It was because of this, that when she did enter DGO, a weight was lifted from her shoulders. Finally, she could reassure her members that something was being done about all of this. Finally, she felt as if she was doing something that would benefit them. But just as Lucy prepared to tell her members about the alliance that had been made, a boy walked up to her, panicked.

As he told her about the rumors of a player who could change his status at will, Lucy had decide what was more important: Going after this masked man, or defeating the Black King before she could destroy the Rangers.

Donny Kain / Arms Slave

"Who are we!?"

"THE NECESSARY EVIL!"

"Why are we necessary?"

"TO PURGE THE WORLD OF EVIL WORSE THAN MAN!"

"And why are we God's chosen few, ordained to undertake this unholy task?"

"BECAUSE NO ONE ELSE WILL!"

Arms Slave stood on top of his war machine, formerly a humble armored truck, now a weaponized engine of destruction. Weighing a little over 3 tons, with enough guns to demolish an entire city and splitting at the gills with blades and other point defenses for anyone foolish enough to try to engage the vehicle in melee. And than there was Arms Slave himself. Though he was only level five, he had reaped the rewards of his station and had a fully stocked armory for his personal use. His biggest accomplishment was also the one that brought him the most infamy; looting the vault of the White King shortly after news of her death, and stealing everything that he could fit onto his truck and the various trips he made. Sufficient to say, he was something of a public enemy when any of the Ivory Masks saw him. Suited him just fine though; they wanted a fight and he was looking for one.

Behind Arms Slave was his posses, the Mayhem Riders. A group made up of Sweepers, Outlaws, Newbs, Trolls, and just about anyone else who wants nothing more than to curb stomp anyone dumb enough to get in their way. Normally the people that Arms Slave would have been hunting down as a Sweeper, but he's been off that job for a month, and wants to indulge in the rampant slaughter. They too had their own, somewhat less impressive vehicles to storm the battlefields of Deep Ground. Their mission wasn't really to conquer; sure they could stomp any opposition they faced, but they were too interested in finding the next battle to hold any territory they took over. They'd simply move in, destroy everything, and than find the next target while they still had ammo. Their path of destruction took them anywhere, and the only time they actually fought to hold a position is when ordered by Moon Rider herself. Or Dark Wraith.

Arms Slave disliked Dark Wraith, but mostly because of the grudge he had against her when she stole his kill on Corpse Collector. She's been more or less the brains of the their operation ever since the Ebon Stykers opened up to membership, and the fact that they are in power right now proved that she was somewhat competent. Still, Arms Slave didn't trust her very much. Granted, he didn't trust anyone very much. But with Dark Wraith, Arms Slave always had this sneaking feeling that she was actively planning on killing him, rather than others like Moon Rider, who Arms Slave just figured didn't care about any of them.

As his Mayhem Riders started up their engines, Arms Slave stood at the very top of his war machine and laughed out loud. "AHAHAHAHA! AND CAUSE IT'S FUCKIN FUN! WHEN WE RIDE ON OUR ENEMIES!" The army of armored fighting vehicles charged out from the Black City, a storm of metal and fire that desired toe death cries of others. Arms Slave was in the lead, behind the wheel of his massive war machine, crushing other lesser beings underneath his metallic treads. They set their sights on a weak guild: The Fanged Rangers.

Retsu Goroshi / Dark Wraith

Retsu wasn't in Deep Ground. She wasn't needed, not yet, and she had people who could handle the day-to-day activities such as war parties or training newbies. No, Retsu had some deals to handle in real life. Sweeper business. Sufficient to say, not all of them, or at least notable Sweepers and some Erasers, liked the idea of working with the Black Guild, despite Retsu informing them before today's announcement. They didn't meet in person of course, and certainly not directly. Retsu spoke through them through a private e-mail channel all in her complicated code, cypher, and translators. It was hard to do that in Deep Ground since she needs her full attention to making sure she writes her message clearly for others to understand. But not only that, but Retsu had to meet with the Black King's representative. Or as Retsu thinks of her, the Black King's physical avatar.

Yoshino didn't get far from the auditorium before Retsu intercepted her. The red haired girl made sure that no one was around but the two of them. "Tsugumi-san, may I have a word with you about today's speech about the Black King?" Of course, that's not Retsu real intention. Yoshino would know that Retsu simply wishes to know what she would want Dark Wraith to do when she logs in later today, since so far Dark Wraith hasn't done much in terms of overall goals for the Ebon Stykers, and spent most of her time doling out orders, overseeing battles, and maybe grinding some levels. Things that others might consider "Fun", but to Retsu it was just filler for bigger, more important things. "Let's head to your office."

Michael Faye
Michael had finally finished: a simple, yet striking post detailing the new alliance between the Crimson Harleys and the other color guilds. The terms were simple: don't attack players of any other guild (save the Strykers) and work together with the other guilds to push back against the Strykers. Michael leaned back in his chair and sighed. He looked around his room, uniform pieces and personal wear were scattered over the floor.

"Laundry day's tomorrow..."

He sighed and leaned back in his chair to look at the ceiling, "Maybe I should do some recruiting." He closed his eyes for a minute or so and lurched forward, pulling himself to his feet with a groan. He walked over to his bed and laid down on it and closed his eyes to begin the full-dive process.

Stuffed Rabbit - Red King
When she woke up she was in a familiar building - the Harley's HQ. It seemed much quieter than usual today. Ranks had dwindled since the President's address, she figured, they certainly seem like the winning side. She crossed the room and pulled back a curtain to look down at the street below. A curious sight caught her eye - in the distance she saw a faint outline trailing through the sky. It wasn't uncommon to see players 'blasting off,' particularly newbies.

Rabbit shrugged and opened the window, jumping out of it onto the rooftop below. She had built herself up as an agility type and roof-running was one of her strong suits. Most of her skills are passive buffs and she preferred it that way - they may be weaker in the long run, but in her mind it would be better to always have a weak boon than to have a powerful boon and not be able to use it when she needed to.

She had reached the top of the building just above where the mine had been set off. The noob came down fast and hit the ground hard. He bounced and Rabbit visibly grimaced, it reminded her of her first days in Deep Ground. She giggled and decided to follow him along the rooftop as he ran away from the sniper's nest.

When he had finally stopped she got a good read on him - Grim Buccaneer. The name had been relayed to her a few times, an extremely resilient guy. No deaths, no kills either. Level 1, with no guild affiliation.

A second player approached him, pretty calmly - Solitary Watcher. He didn't have much of a reputation. Seemed like a fairly average player. No guild, either. Level 5, the Harleys could use more mid-levels to flesh out their ranks.

If there was ever such a thing as divine intervention, it would have to be these two. The perfect chance to do some early-war conscription. Rabbit dropped down from the rooftop, landing with a very subtle tap. She closed her eyes and beamed brightly at the two, "Hello there!"

She opened one eye and pointed to Grim Buccaneer, "Nice bounce back there, rookie."

"I couldn't help but notice that you don't have a guild... that's a shame. But! Lucky for you, there's one recruiting right now! The Crimson Harleys! There's no better place for you in the days ahead, it's going to be full-blown war soon, so you might as well join now and we can get you up and swinging in no time! Hehe!"

She clapped her hands together and pointed to Solitary Watcher, "What about you, hm? We're always looking for mid-levels. The backbone of the army to fight against the Strykers and their legion of crazy nonsense."

She held her arm out straight towards the both of them and winked, "So! How about it?"