Hell. Surely that had to be the word to describe the chaos that had descended on Purple Crown, right? Like a massive wave of horror, the moment Chiyo had made her damned announcement was the moment everything went to shit. Above all else, Michael was glad he didn’t agree to join with sociopath and her little army of hellions; especially if they were going to pull off cheap tactics like this. He had half a mind to slug Kenji in the jaw but as it turned out, the Green King was nowhere to be found. No doubt already finding a port and leading his Guild against the Harlots and Bruisers.

“Yeah. Get online and defend our turf. Help out any Bruisers and Strykers too because as far I’m concerned, they get my vote,” Michael told Aaron, already spinning around in the direction of his name being called. “And keep the lines open. I don’t want people thinking we’re working for the White King,” he said finally before forcing his way through the massive crowd towards Erika’s voice. When he did arrive, a hint of relief was on his face but in this light, it might have been difficult to say.

“You picked a real good time to try and fight me. You don’t mind if we skip that to deal with the current situation, do you?” he asked Erika, hand sweeping over to the activity around them. Thankfully the auditorium had all but cleared out now, each side going to their respective regions and preparing to duel for the future of Deep Ground.

Backstage, Yoshino only groaned as she was carried up and about before being removed from the premises by Retsu. The marks on her neck were deep and slightly indented, showing just how rough and far Bel had been willing to go to silence her. Still, she was in good hands now, albeit unconscious and unaware of the hectic world around her.

The same couldn’t be said for Bel, who knew damn well what she had did and what Alex had done to ruin her goal. She glared with hate strong enough to freeze most people in their tracks, flinching at the words he gave. The Blue King would have given him a slapping retort had a striking pain not hit her head, forcing her to clench it with a trembling hand.

“Shit,” she muttered, realizing how vulnerable she was. Alex was against her and she knew the other Sweepers were in the next room over; she needed to escape now. Standing on trembling legs, she gave Alex a manic grin, hand still clenched over her skull in pain. “Well Jukey, I’ll catch you later real soon, eheh. Need to get the hell out of here and all that,” she said.

And then with the reaction of an animal in flight, she bolted in the opposite direction, completely ignoring Finn and Thomas. Heavy footfalls slapped against the flooring as the pain in her head only got worse with each step. Soon enough she was stumbling her way along, not sure where she was going or what she was doing here, feet moving her in random directions. Little did she know that she was walking close to Masae and Aderyn’s location, as if she was in a drunken stupor.

The images her eyes were seeing were but a constant blur of motion and she was wondering what was real and what wasn’t. Was that boy really passed out on the ground? Did that woman just call someone on the phone? Why did she feel like retching at any moment? In the end, Bel had walked in one big circle, ending up right back in the room she had originated from and near keeling over onto Thomas. “D-Damnit. Is it real soon yet?” she said, knees giving out.

Over at the White Guild’s café, Chiyo ignored the actions of her mother. Boss could do whatever the hell she wanted because as it was now, no one could stop Chiyo in her power-hungry state. Even when Dark Wraith, who shouldn’t exist in the real world, appeared before her, Chiyo only snickered with mocking glee. As if a fake player was going to stop her, especially when it was her sister.

“Take it all in Yoshino. Take a good look at the end of the Guilds for Deep Ground. Soon, everything is going to be united under the White Guild’s banner. So why don’t you run along and-oh! There’s my star soldier herself,” Chiyo said, grinning twitchily at Eris and waving her over. “Here, here Eris. Come and let us bask in our victor-”

Chiyo heard the slap before feeling it and when the pain did register, her mouth was still agape in half a sentence. The red mark on her cheek grew to a blossom as she stared bug-eyed at Eris and Eins. The platinum-haired girl’s words registered just a little before an overarching pain made Chiyo snarl and clench her head. Before she knew it, she was being escorted away from the area by the twin sisters, Chiyo kept in a constant state of growling like an animal.

“What? Yeah yeah…just get me out of here,” she said to Eris, offering up no resistance. Kamen-San would be waiting for them outside the school, ready to take Chiyo away and giving the sisters time to log into Deep Ground. As to what happened to Hildr and Gunnr, no one could say for sure. Probably had ditched the place to avoid causing more trouble.

It was probably for the best given the living nightmare happening both in reality and in Deep Ground. Within the game, the combined bulk of Ivory Mask and Fanged Ranger forces were being led by the Green King, Verdant Grin. Surrounding him on all sides was a small army of demons courtesy of his summoning magic in accompaniment to the Guild forces. He himself rode proudly atop the head of a hellish golem, overlooking his minions down below.

“This is the Green King speaking to all under the wing of our proud leader White Sun. Focus your attacks on the Red and Blue Guilds,” he said smoothly, contacting every Green and White Guild player simultaneously. “White Guild you are to advance on the Bruisers. The Harlots will be crushed beneath me by personal choice but feel free to join in the slaughter as per your leisure,” he said with a venomous grin.

---

At least that's how Shiro envisioned how things went in the brief time between Asahi's performance and everything being enveloped in darkness. But in reality that was just a mere daydream the boy indulged in before the muffled panic from the other side of the dressing room door brought him back to his senses. He shared glances of perturbation with his friends, meeting both of their gazes before jerking his head towards a door abruptly kicked open. Akane's prim shoe encroached upon the room's boundary through the door frame and evicted any serenity from the premises. "Seems like somebody wanted to be a total bitch of a human and crashed our concert. Asahi and that one chick with the glasses disappeared, but I don't believe we have the time to hunt for them." Everybody present was more than able to note the pitch of anger to her tone. The rage from all of the time and effort she siphoned into the concert's costume line-up now threatened to boil over, and would surely do more than just singe the three musketeers. Shiro was about to make an endeavor to preserve their lives when Akane slammed the door behind her, turning the lock without moving her glare. "Check your messages. I'll save bitching about a bitch for later, we have more shit on our plate now." The redhead clicked her tongue and took a set by the counter, nudging a mannequin head to make some room. She would be needing it in lieu of the message from Asahi.

The girl monitored the three boys from her peripheral vision as they made the faint eye movements to bring up their mental interface, something hard to visually note given that the only physical element involved were nanochips. "So?" She queried while eyeing Shiro, the haphazard scatterbrain who tends to call the shots.

"Welp, I'm gonna make a wager that there isn't an after party waiting for us in DGO. At least the one we'd find refreshing." He was already reclining in a corner as he spoke, "Let's login and gauge how much the situation has deteriorated. I've already sent messages to a few people, though I'm not getting any responses from Drauni, Sky Knight, Cerulean Knight, or any credible source for that matter. Chances are they sent a smaller fighting force to the Black City, since it's still recovering from the last shitshow. The main fight is probably at the Bruisers' doorstep, and if there's going to be any future for either guild, we need to make sure the Traders Union doesn't go up in flames, yeah? Let's set the city entrance as a meeting point. Linkup with any friendlies you meet on the way and work on pushing the white supremacists out of the walls and back to the sand dunes, then we'll go from there. Let's meme on these scrubs real good, aight?" Probably the worst motivational phrase possible, but hopefully it would suffice. Shiro leaned back and rested his eyelids, making the almost instantaneous journey into DGO.

---

His sharp inhale was shrouded by an explosion a few blocks down, promptly followed up by successive bursts of gunfire. The Black City, originally a refuge for outcasts and newbies alike, was plunged into conflict once again. Oh, and there was also a muzzle shoved into Paper Moon's face. Just something worth noting.

He traced the exterior of the gun, then crawled up the arm connected to it. A player's weapon or tool defined their character, so to speak. The firearm looked like any generic brand dissolution drop, so Moon was able to come to the quick deduction that it very much reflected its user. "Well isn't this our lucky day, boys! We've got a big figure." A voice to his side exclaimed overfilled with shrill joy. Their were two other players besides the one who currently had the rogue at gunpoint. He didn't care to delineate between the three not because of their lack of taste in enunciation, it was due to the fact that there was barely any difference in their appearance. Masks of pure, unpolluted ivory. Though the fact that members of the White Guild were only outfitted with run-of-the-mill weaponry did make him cock an eyebrow, since the faction was heavily PvE based and as a result was able to efficiently distribute and facilitate better than average items among its numbers. Which meant that these jackasses didn't even rate as measly grunts. Given their small party it was safe to assume that they were only scouts. A sigh of relief escaped the player's lips in spite of the muzzle still planted against his forehead. "At least they've only made it this far. The Strykers must still be amassing fighters. Might as well make the first push back."

Paper Moon met the eyes of the grunt with a resolute stare. He felt a pinch of confidence at the faint sound of metal shifting uneasily. "So, fellas, how've your days been?" The words carried an air of nonchalance, much to the Masks' chagrin. The three instantly flinched when the Sweeper just slightly budged, "Hey, woah, woah, just formally surrendering. Yeesh, people need to acknowledge when they have leverage," His actions seemed to coincide with his words as he folded his arms behind his head. At least that was the case, until the demoralizing sound of a blade parting with its sheathe caused the situation to spiral downward, at least in the grunts' respect, "They also need to acknowledge when they don't."

Pushing the firearm with his left and guiding the knife with his right, Paper Moon exchanged roles with the player in a heartbeat. The unfortunate soul had made the mistake of stepping into an assassin's domain: CQC. Bullets flew frivolously while a serrated edge burrowed through digital skin with the most acumen precision. "Shit, he got Reginald! Quickly, send a SOS!"

Reginald was apparently the guy with a knife now hilt-deep in his neck. Moon lifted his gaze to the other two players, who had fallen into disorder after their comrade's demise. Both players suddenly started crying out in disarray.

Well these poor saps were in for a treat.

A rifle crackled as if to put an end to the Masks' pitiful display, followed by many others. Three bodies were left sprawled on the cold asphalt as a result. "Moon." The boy holstered the blade and proceeded to turn towards a very distinct kssh. Standing in the middle of the road was a player whose color scheme screamed Ivory, yet in all actuality she was an adamant solo player, up until somebody decided to cash in a favor. "Yo. White Noise. I can see things are popping off here." As if on cue a cannon bellowed a few blocks over, followed by, you guessed it, more gunfire. "I thought you'd be rather used to it by now." The girl crossed her arms with a disinterested huff while her four of herescorts rushed forward and took defense positions around the two, scanning for any potential threats. Shadowing her was a monolithic tank player who easily enshrouded both of them, a living body shield in a sense. It seemed as though the training was paying off.

"Oh, right." White Noise snapped her fingers to deactivate her ability. Moon's vision suddenly refocused. "We're almost done mobilizing our forces. Luckily a few of us officers were logged in otherwise it would've been a mess. Anyways, I'm sure you're aware it won't be too challenging to repel this force." While the lower half of her face was obscured by her filters, Moon had the hunch that a wide grin hid behind the accessory. He emulated the expression without delay.

"Well, naturally."

@Mega Birb@RoflsMazoy

"This is going to be a problem."
What did you do with a seemingly barely conscious friend who has potentially been in a compromising situation? Never in his wildest dreams had Thomas imagined such a scenario. Well, he had, but he didn't think it would actually happen. He'd need facts. He needed to know what happened in that room, why Maribel had acted in such a way over the past few days, and most of all, he needed to know how they connected. But he didn't have those facts, what he had was an out of commission club member and a lot of questions for them. And a roll of duct tape. Thomas frowned and got to work.

"Maribel, if you can hear me," Thomas said, setting her body on the floor. "You can yell at me later but this has to be done."
He first wrapped the blue king's arms together with her torso, spinning the tape around and around until her upper arms were firmly bound to her side. He added another ring on her lower arms for a more secure bind before moving on to her legs. He wound duct tape around her ankles first and then worked on wrapping her thighs. With some difficulty he managed to pick up the blue king off of the ground. He unceremoniously deposited her onto his shoulder and took a moment to adjust the weight before setting off.
"One target down." He thought.
He wondered where Finn was. He'd need his help for the next step.

---

@TheWindel@McFazzer I guess, you probably want to know at least.

"Nevermind that right now," Erika stepped up to Michael as soon as he came up towards her, her hands raising and gripping either sides of his arms with a tightness that seemed to convey the sense of urgency of the situation. Her eyes, too, were tight as they searched his face and reading his reaction to the chaos going on around them.

"I saw what happened, we can fight later. I'm more worried about your guild." She pressed her lips together, her eyes quickly glancing behind her almost as though in fear of something or someone sneaking up behind her. What or who she was primarily concerned about though wasn't entirely obvious. She let go of his arms, looking up at him with her blue orbs alight with determination. "What can I do to help the Scarlet Harleys?"

Angus grinned at Cassandra as she defended the next thrower. “Damn, Cass. And here I thought we we’re becoming good pals?” Their exchange ended when Aaron showed up and excused Angus of his duties. Seems this was the person Itsuko had mentioned earlier for their replacement. More than happy to give up his seat Angus exited the tank and quickly got dressed again. ”Well, looks like I’m off, lasses. If ye need me I’ll…” A buzz from his phone cut him off. It was the text he’d been dreading for sometime. It had begun. ”I’ll be online.” he said his voice suddenly becoming grim.

Chugging his coffee and tossing the cup on the ground Angus quickly found a safe place to log into DGO and joined the Fanged Ranger’s assault on the Red City.

@Caits@Mega Birb@KoL

---

Of all the things Angus would come to question during the war to come, the decision to send the mostly novice members of the Green guild to fight the combat masters that were the Red guild would be the one he questioned most. While they did have the advantages of surprise and numbers on their side, those would soon matter little once the Harley’s veteran players learned what was going on. If the Ranger’s wanted this attack to succeed, they would have to hit hard and fast. Which is why Reothadh was placed in the front lines.

Freezing any projectiles that came their way and keeping the ground slick, Reothadh provided protection from both the Harley’s ranged and ground defenses practically cutting a path right to the front door. It wasn’t long before the Ranger’s had reached the gates and broken through. While the other’s started swarming the red city, the ice warrior sent a message to their green leader.

”We have broken through the Harley’s defenses. Are there any specific targets you’d like destroyed or shall we simply lay waste to everything in our sights?”

@TheWindel

“Do you think I have overdone, Eins?” Eris stared at hand she had just slapped Chiyo not very long ago, she could still feel the lingering sensation of having slapped someone’s face, clenching and unclenching her fist. She, Chiyo Kuroke, there was something weird with the way she got more and more unstable with each day, but… what happened today was beyond anything Eris could ever have thought of. Even so, the way Chiyo reacted when they were taking her away was so… Eris couldn’t put it in words, but at this moment a feeling of guilty couldn’t help but crush her chest. Was that really the right thing to do, at the right time?

“Stop overthinking it, Sis.” Eins didn’t even needed to look at her sister to know what Eris was ruminating over. “Chiyo wasn’t in her right mind, that’s obvious. If what you did helped calm her, that’s as good as you can hope to get. You don’t need to humiliate yourself like this, you kno-”

“You are wrong!”

“Si-Sis… no, Eris?”

“I-I am not humiliating myself. I’m doing this because I want to, I like to. More than anything else I want to help her, Chiyo. I want to help her get out of the same pit I was when you were away, Eins.”

“You-You really grew a lot while I was away, huh, Sis?” Eins rested a hand over Eris’ shoulder, taking the chance to look at her younger sister’s figure. Even though it may be practically the same one Eins sees on the mirror every morning, that dress really made a great service to Eris’ figure. “You have always been the stubborn one. But I’m here again and together we are going to find a way. I want Chiyo to go back being a good leader if possible as well.”

“Eins…”

“By the way, this maid dress is really made for you, y’know?”

“Correction: It’s not made for me, it was made by myself, dear sister.” Eris let a bit of her pride escape as she corrected her sister’s statement. The platinum-haired German girl was already feeling a distinct sense of exasperation that only Eins could impart on her, from noticing how her bunnysuit clad sister was ‘checking’ her out, just to tease Eris.

“You know what, Eins? Your old man habits really ruin these emotional moments. Is it too much to ask you to read the atmosphere at least once?” Eris huffed indignantly as she stomped out of the elevator and taking her way back to her apartment and pressed the button to close her sister inside of it, if for nothing else, to avoid showing her reddened face to Eins and admit defeat.

“Sorry, sorry, Sis, hehe. I just can’t avoid it when you are so unguarded like this.” Eins apologized chucking, after getting out of the elevator and following her sister with hastened steps.

To: Cassandra O’Shera
From: Eclipse Princess (Eris Reinhardt)
Subject: Apologies
Cassandra, I apologize for leaving the academy without telling you first. I had an unexpected encounter with my family and went out to show them how I’m living these days. Don’t worry about me. In fact, I’m the one who must beg your forgiveness for such an inconsiderate act.

Again, I’m sorry for not telling you. Despite the circumstances, I’m still the one at fault.

If you want to talk, or just rendezvous with Eins and I, we will be at the Blue City. However, if you do come, be prepare to fight. We are going for War, at long last.

Farewell,

Eris Reinhardt.

“And, done.” After finishing and sending her message to Cassandra, Eclipse Princess turned her gaze back to the battlefield before her, now free of real life burdens.



"The reports say that the enemy hasn't left their base yet. It seems that the distraction force is still keeping the Ebony Strykers at bay. The situation is under control on the Red City as well, though we expect fierce resistance once the main forces of the Red Guild log in. The raid at the Blue City is going as expected, the surprise assault gave us the upper hand and their disorganization is making it easy to pick off scattered targets. However, reports from our scouts say that the Cobalt Bruisers' morale is raising after their second in command logged in." Argent Maiden, none other than Eins' avatar, as well as one of the many field operators for the Ivory Masks campaign read the last batch of battlefield reports to Eclipse Princess who was currently behind a desk, looking at strategic maps of several key locations.

"Very well, then," Replied the current leader of the Ivory Masks, in White Sun's absence. "Leave the Scarlet Harleys to the Fanged Rangers. If they aren't good enough at least to stall one guild, they won't be of any use to us. Last case scenario we take advantage of them being weakened to destroy them as well. We need to focus is on crushing the Cobalt Bruisers with all our power."

"What are you, Sis, the Devil? You plan to shoot our ally's back the moment they lose their strategic usefulness?"

"Don't be hasty on your assumptions, that was just a hypothesis and will keep on being so for the time being. Focus on the matters at hand. Remember, we are Reinhardt, the Black Foxes of the Alps, our family has earned this reputation as peerless commanders, strategists and advisors for centuries. We cannot tarnish this name now." The look of flaming passion on Princess' eyes was one that Maiden knew too well, her sister was really into her zone now. Whether this was going to b ultimately good or not, was yet to be seen.

Then again, why not indulge in roleplaying when this was all but a game? More or less that, right?



"The plan should perform as follows: The Vanguard will keep on pressing the siege, aim to cause as much damage as possible as well as keep the Bruisers distracted from our main plan. The rearguard will be led personally by myself, we have demolished the section of the Faded City that leads into the Bruisers' territory, leaving as few routes as possible for enemy reinforcements. Any enemy that tries to navigate through that maze of warped concrete will have to go through us first. Hit and Run tactics, no direct combat, just get in, cause damage and get out, I'll handle any heavy hitters or priority targets on my own. Also, send a retreat call for the distraction forces, tell them to make it seem like they are taking too heavy losses and retreat from the Black City. After that, redirect them to the Red City, I have a feeling that we can't trust the Fanged Rangers to handle that issue alone, showing them The Ivory Masks' 'goodwill' will reinforce our bonds." Eclipse Princess explained her battle plans to the few officers that could be made privy of this privileged information, including sending copies to White Sun and Stark Zealot.

"Meanwhile, the commando unit under Argent Maiden's command will navigate through the sewers and find their way inside the Blue City. Once there, they'll sabotage their main weaponry and open the gates from inside. Once this is done," Princess made a long pause, to be sure that the information sunk on everyone's heads as well as to add the needed weight to her speech, like many famous military minds of old. "Victory on this engagement will be ours!" She punctuated her speech, slamming her open palm on the desktop, causing a loud rattle that was enough to make the less dedicated souls flinch.



"Sis, you are liking this way to much, aren't you?" Argent Maiden inquired rhetorically once the two of them were alone again, finishing their preparations.

"Of course I'm, Eins. This is war, true war! Had you ever thought we could do something like this one day?" Eris' sincerity was such that her smile could burn one's eyes if they stared for too long at it.

"Well, as long as you are having fun," Maiden said as she took her way out. "Take care, Sis. If you need me, I'm just a message way." She said before throwing a ring to Eclipse Princess. "Band of the Starcrossed Lovers, a rare drop. Any who have it can teleport to the side of the owner of the other part. The only problem is its 24 hours cooldown, unless..."

"Unless?" Eris had a distinct feeling that this was one of those moments were Eins' dumb humor would ruin the mood. And should wasn't proven wrong, once more.

"Unless the users are really in love with each other, in other words, married in game, in which case it has an 1 hour cooldown. If you want, I can propose here and now, Sis~ Ow!" Just as Maiden winked jokingly, she would find herself literally kicked out of Princess' command tent, by a blushing and raging twin sister.

"Go do your job, instead of trying to sexually harass people!" Princess yelled, not really caring if anyone overheard their sisterly squabble. "And take care there, you hear me? I-I don't want you to get hurt again, Eins. See ya." Eris added with a whisper, stepping forward to hug her sister, before taking her leave to the rearguard. Not even once the Berserker thought of turning around, the creepy smile on Argent Maiden's face was reason enough to not do so.

---

Machidai wheeled the trolley into his room and shut the door, making sure to lock the six deadbolts he had affixed. There were not many people who had the privilege of knowing what his room looked like, and there were many who were eager to find out.

There were certainly many rumors, at any rate. One of the more popular ones was that he kept it completely dark, with his most prized photographs pinned on the walls; and that he had several telescopes poking out of the windows in order to scope out prime positions to ply his trade. His room was well situated for such an endeavor, after all.

Another popular rumor was that his room was a slovenly sort of affair, since he seemed to live only for his hobby. But he never was one to entertain rumors, he stayed quiet whenever the question was asked. In fact, 'Kosuke' didn't know what the inside of his apartment looked like either, despite the fact that he had 'been' in it several times.

The lid of one of the trash cans came flying off, as the occupant inside struggled out.

"Order from Asahi;" Machidai reported. "Black and Blue Guilds under attack, defend them."

The... thing stared at him briefly, before slumping forward as he dove into Deep Ground. The boiling water clicked to indicate that it was done, and Machidai poured some into his cup noodles. He needed to move Kosuke before he woke up, and it looked like he was going to be in for a long day in Deep Ground as well. By the time he got in game, the chances of getting a ride to the Blue Guild front were unlikely, but there would need to be a witness in the Black Guild as well when the time came, anyway. Machidai had his job to do, and that's all that was really supposed to matter.

---

Gunfire and shouting, his favorite to wake up to. Combat was his environment. To his body's credit though, he knew how to run away from fights. Kosuke was more of a rogue than a fighter in the end, he was always looking for ways to gain the advantage and he always kept a way out in the back of his head. He knew how to turn that focus to moment by moment combat, to probe for weaknesses and to duel someone. Of course, it meant he was more liable to get in over his head, but that also happened to be the kind of situation he loved the most.

"There's that orange loser," He said, spotting Paper Moon down below.

He had nothing against the guy, except that he was lame and annoying, being a Sniper and all. Snipers were probably his biggest counter, because he couldn't get them faster than they could get him. At least, not yet anyway. However, he was aware that right now Paper Moon might just technically be the highest ranking member of the Ebony Strykers around right now, which probably made it worth it to drop in on him; which was word for word exactly what he was going to do.

He arced in from above, on his lance and jumped off right above Shiro; turning the booster downward.

"Slaughter time, everybody! Anyone who can keep up come with me!" He shouted from above, before increasing power and lifting off again.

He didn't care whether anybody came with him or not. He didn't have a strategy except for kill everyone he came across. It was a bad strategy for sure, but he was hungry for EXP, and it was hunting time.

@Lucius Cypher@Jedly

Bel was running. Getting away. Scrambling to his feet Alex tried to chase after her before falling flat on his face again, the adrenaline of what he had just done making his legs shake. He had just tackled her. He'd just tackled Bel... Alex personally thought it was a mix of fear and nerves that were making him shake, he'd never been in anything resembling a fight and he'd assaulted Bel! And then there were the other two coming in, one with a roll of duct tape, he wanted to tell them to grab Bel, to stop her, but he couldn’t get the words out and next thing he knew… she was back. She had to be out of it, running in a circle, but the big difference now is her lack of consciousness. Watching the other boy take Bel away, taping and binding her up of all things, Alex got to his feet and yelled.

“Y-you don’t get to just run away from what you did! Hey! Don’t run off with Bel! She’s all messed up! What if she has a concussion or something?!” chasing after Thomas, Alex doesn’t try to actually stop him carrying her, not wanting her to accidentally fall.

“Why’d you tape her up?! She’s already unconscious and where’re you taking her anyway?” his flustered voice attempting to stay on topic and suppress his utter confusion at why Bel had tried to choke the Prez and get him to choke the other girl. If he thought about it he was worried he would simply fall into a stupor or run off with wild thoughts working himself down into a spiral of pessimistic thoughts.

“You’re not one of them perverts that steal girls are you?” Alex wouldn't let this guy out of his sight. He needed to hear from Bel herself what was happening and he was honestly afraid that if this guy escaped with her, he might not see Bel again.

@TheWindel@Lord of Evil

Thomas noticed the boy coming up to him, barking questions at him, but more than that he noticed Finn coming up behind him.
"Thomas, what gives? What'd you do with Bel?" Finn yelled, alarmed.
"Ah, you're both here. That's perfect." Thomas said. "Finn, grab him."
Finn looked at him in confusion and Thomas gestured towards Alex.
"But... Why?" Finn sputtered.
Thomas rolled his eyes and sighed in exasperation. Fortunately Alex was between him and Finn so he wasn't going anywhere fast.
"Just do it, Finn. We don't know what he was doing in there."
Finn reluctantly complied, hooking his arms under Alex's and grabbing his shoulders. Now that he had both targets under wraps, Thomas could get down to business.

He began gently setting down the president in a sitting position by the wall, before turning to face the other captive he had up for the chopping block.
"You." Thomas said, folding his arms. "Tell me exactly what happened in that room."

@McFazzer

Asahi turned towards someone grabbing his shoulder. He had clenched fist and was about to strike when he realized it was none other than Cassandra, Eris’s girl. The same girl who latched onto Eris and is suppose to be her morality chain, or something along those lines. The girl that Asahi had threaten to harm because of Eclipse Princess’s insolence. This girl, Cassandra, who apparently had no idea of the things going on around her. It was war here, and this girl was about as aware of it all as a princess locked in a tower.

”The Ivory Masks crashed our performance! And of course right after our show flops, Chiyo launches an all out attack on the guild, when we’re all trying to take part of the festival! Fucking…. Hell! I spent so much time getting everyone together, to try to work on something that isn’t the fucking Sweepers or fighting, and this is my reward. Just wanted to have fun, and now that bitch has to ruin all of it.”

The boy was bitter and angry, not a good combination for the same boy who willingly got into a fight with a gang who outnumbered and could outgun him. But just like his fight with Eris, Asahi wasn’t going to let the odds stop him. He fought for his friends, for his guild, and maybe a bit for himself.

Cassandra flinched at the...rage Asahi seemed to have. She shifted, a little uneasy, but she stood her ground. She studied him, wondering if she should try to...stop him from whatever it seemed he wanted to do, and with a start, she realised that if Chiyo was involved, the Eris was too. Hands curling slightly into fists, she quickly tried to put everything together.

She narrowed her eyes, “So you think attacking them is the right way?” She demanded, unsure of what was going on even now, but her thoughts went to Eris. Had she gone back to what she was, before they met? Cassandra hoped not, but...there was Chiyo…”Why would they attack?” She demanded, standing tall as she watched Asahi, thinking he might just attack her, and she wanted to be ready for that.

“Why? Because Chiyo is batshit crazy! You know that bitch lords her superiority over us, in DGO and in real life. Don’t think she doesn’t. I’ve heard the rumors, I’ve seen her in action. We’ve worked so hard to make the Ebony Strykers, to make the Sweepers, to make everyone a bit better and… And she just goes and fucks that all up. I don’t even know why! And that’s why I’m going over there and getting answers.”

Asahi turned away from Cassandra and marched onwards towards the Ivory Mask Cafe. However when he thought more about what Cassandra had asked first about attacking the cafe, Asahi did pause. ”I’m fighting for my friends. That bitch Eris and her Eclipse Princess killed so many of my friends that day, and she thinks she can sit on the high horse and call us savages? She doesn’t know how easy she has it, just like Chiyo! DGO doesn’t even matter to them. They get a good life because they were lucky enough to be born with one. But I have to work hard, me and my friends, to make sure we get something out of all of it. And than they just come along and break it all apart. So I’m going over there and… And…”
It was then that Asahi realized, somewhat, that he was going back to his old ways again. That knee-jerk reaction to answer injustice with violence. He had promised to stop doing that, but old habits were hard to break.

Cassandra let Asahi talk himself out, but she did edge closer to the cafe, wanting to put herself between it, and him. “And then you realise that what you want to do is no better then what happened to you” She said, her voice weary and with a tinge of sadness to it. If Chiyo was leading Eris down the wrong path...Cassandra didn’t know what she would do. Eris had seemed happier since they’d been hanging out, and she didn’t want Eris to fall into shadows again in her need to save Chiyo.

“Yes, they were born into a life of privilege. Yes, that’s unfair. But its not their fault. I have had to work hard every day of my life as well, but I don’t even Eris, or even Chiyo. We know what it is to work hard. But so does Eris. She worked hard to be a better person, so much so that she wanted to help Chiyo. I hope that won’t be her downfall” Cassandra sighed, and agitated, she ran a hand through her hair.

“Why do you want to attack them? Not just for the friends that died. Why? What will it give you?”

Asahi glared and Cassandra, even snarling. But the more he thought about he, the more he realized what sort of a monster he is. He has killed people before without a care in the world. Picked on people weaker than he is just for being in his way. He wasn’t any better than the likes of Eris or Chiyo, he was just being a victim of the very same treatment he had given to others. And he had made a promise to be better than that.

But it was a hard promise to keep knowing that it was going to keep happening. The temptation, the anger, and all these fights.

”I don’t know. Satisfaction? I mean… Why did Eris kill all those players? What purpose did it serve? All she did was alienate herself from the guild she was suppose to help, and in the end all it did was spark a civil war that fractured everyone. Was that all she wanted too?” Asahi looked at Cassandra with a stern glare. If she knew Eris so well, then surely she knew what Eris did what she did.

”I can’t let them just keep pushing us around like this. I don’t want her or Chiyo to think they can just be as powerful as they want, and think that no one can stop them or stand up to them. Or that no one can stand up to them equally. But what would you know about that, Cassandra? All this time you’ve been a tool to her, haven’t you? Followed Eris around like some little puppy, don’t even have a bark or a bite. What would you be without her?” Asahi moved closer to Cassandra until they were face-to-face. ”What do you possibly think you can do by yourself?”

Cassandra flinched at his words, and before she knew what she was doing, she slapped Asahi. “You don’t know anything, Asahi. I am not her tool. I am her friend. Everyone deserves a friend, and everyone sees things different. I have not done anything I didn’t want to do. Eris….Eris attacked those players because she believed it was right. Because, maybe, in some semblance, it was. You cannot deny that Deep Ground Online is corrupt. Something needs to change and no one was doing it. Maybe you just can’t see what is going on, because you are biased. I don’t know. But I know one thing.

She wouldn’t hurt me. And I won’t let you hurt her.

Perhaps no one can stand up to someone like Chiyo, and yes, Eris. Maybe that’s the point. Maybe it isn’t meant to be a single person doing everything. What can I do by myself? I don’t know. But if I lived my life thinking I’m limited because I’m not as strong as others, or as powerful, I wouldn’t get anywhere. Because you’re right. I was nothing before. Now….” She shrugged, glaring at Asahi, daring him to do something, anything.

“And maybe think that you wanting to bring them down...is leading you right on the path to becoming them”

Asahi glared at Cassandra and was tempted to slam her face into the pavement. It would be so easy, and it wouldn’t be anything Asahi has never done before. Curbstomp another bitch into the ground because she laid hands on him, business as usual. But barely an hour ago he had told everyone that stuff like that was suppose to stop. No more fighting, no more hits. The Sweepers were to disband and join the Strykers and become a proper outfit, not some roaming band of murderers for tautological justice.

”And what do you suggest? Give into their demands? The Sweepers are already gone. If not, then they’re certainly shattered. Eris made sure of that. Her problems are personal now. As for Chiyo? Who knows what’s going on in her head. Maybe it’s personal for her too. Now the question is, how many people has to suffer? Who is it okay to hurt? I’m not going to stand in a corner with my tails between my legs just because you don’t think Eris doesn’t have the guts to ruin everyone’s life. She already has! And now I have to fix that! Do you even realize the full extent of her actions!? Civil! War! Because of her, the Ebony Strykers are weaker than before! Because of her betrayal, the Ivory Masks are going to take over Deep Ground, which means Chiyo, the most corrupt bitch at Purple Crown, is about to win it all!”

Asahi stepped away from Cassandra and looked back towards the cafe, where he just saw Eris go inside. ”If this is suppose to be a fight between who’s right and who’s wrong, then we will always be enemies. Chiyo and Eris want to hurt my friends, in DGO and in real life. And I can’t let that happen anymore. So unless you are going to take their side and let them keep hurting them, get out of my way!

Cassandra sighed, and she shook her head. She didn’t have the answers. If she did, she doubted she’d be there talking to him. “I didn’t say give in. But doing it in such a way that makes you no better isn’t the cause either. An eye for an eye just makes everyone blind” She said, heartsick. “You ask the questions about how many have to suffer. But if you go in there with a vendetta, more will suffer. I’m not going to let you hurt more in your need for revenge” !Cassandra said, trying to stand up tall and at least look a little bit intimidating.

“You will cause a lot of trouble, if you go in ready to fight”

”You don’t have an answer but you think it’s better for me to run? To just ignore your girlfriend and hope she leaves us alone? It’s people like you that lets this happen. People like you who just stands by and hopes for the best. Someone takes your eye and you just run and hide. You don’t have an answer, you aren’t going to help anyone. Not you, not me, not Eris. You’re useless.”

Asahi pushed pass Cassandra and continued onward towards the cafe, seeing Eris and Chiyo just leave.

Cassandra, furious, spun on her toes, and she snatched at Asahi, seeking to pull him back, and if he fell then so be it. “You don’t know what I’ve been doing, nor what I am capable off. if you’re so high and mighty, so concerned about your friends, then why aren’t you with them, defending them? Are you just all words, all full of hot air? No, you’d rather revenge. You are pathetic” She said, deciding to not hold herself back, and say what she really thought. “I’m not going to run and hide, you pathetic worm, I’m going to find answers and a way of action that suits my morals, but at least I don’t go saying I’m concerned about my friends, doing this for my friends, when I’m just doing it for myself”

The bigger boy just shrugged off Cassandra’s attempt to stop him, though he did stop. It was annoying but she wasn’t wrong. In the end it all just went back to Asahi; his pride, his anger, and his need to get even. He doesn’t even know how exactly the others think about Eris or Chiyo or even the Sweepers. He just told them what he thinks and expected them to do as he said. It wasn’t fair, but it certainly did feed his ego and made him feel bigger than he isn’t. Cassandra even had a point about being with them: While his chances as Arms Slave might have not made much of a difference, surely he could have saved a lot more people if he was actually with his friends when Eclipse Princess went on her rampage than if he wasn’t busy fighting his own battles.

That’s not to say he didn’t give Cassandra a bit of a smack when she tried to stop him, though it instead turned into Asahi grabbed Cassandra by the collar and pulling her close. ”You can have the moral high ground all you want, but in war the only one who’s right is whoever is left. You think I’m pathetic, but in the end you and I fight for the same reasons. The only difference is how far we’re willing to go for our friends.” Asahi turned away from the cafe and Cassandra and headed back to the theater. He needed to get his things, check on the others, and head to DGO asap. The soon the better.

Cassandra was very tempted indeed to slip out of her shirt,not caring that it would have left her half naked anymore, but that didn’t turn into an option. Which, with thought, she was thankful for. “You’re wrong. In war, no one is right. Even the winners aren’t winners,Asahi. The question isn’t how far we are willing to go, the question is how many have to suffer? You may think I am just a puppy, but I’m fighting for those that can’t fight for themselves, can’t protect themselves. Those that might need a hand, but no one sees them. Be honest, You wouldn’t have a clue who I am, if it wasn’t for Eris” She turned and walked towards where she had last seen Eris, intending to speak with her, and ask her what was going on. “And if Eris gets in the way of me being able to protect the innocent, then….” She trailed off, not unsure, but not liking that line of thought. Swallowing, she hurried her footsteps.

---

The mind of a tank operator Bruiser was dominated by this looping chorus, the rest of the lyrics seemingly forgotten while her hands kept a white knuckled grip on the controls to keep the dinged King Tiger moving in a straight line. Its path was the shortest to the ensuing battle, though by no means the easiest as every few minutes the roof of the vehicle would be battered under a rain of debris from Broker running through a dilapidated wall or one story building. There wasn't a doubt in the operators mind that this wouldn't be causing some serious harm to her mount of choice, though knowing she was driving it towards the rear of an overwhelming force without any support of her own, Broker had no intention of getting through this with the King Tiger intact.

"Y'all snug back there?" She asked rhetorically, briefly casting her eyes back to look upon her ace in the hole, or more aptly, her many pocket aces. Nestled into every nook and cranny of the cockpit that Broker herself wasn't occupying or needed in order drive the tank, where a great many improvised explosive devices. Fashioned from the blasting caps of the tank's HE rounds, Broker had actually started converted them into bombs back during the brief civil war in the Black City in order to have a stockpile in her inventory for those times she needed a big finisher and was on foot. Once that mess was wrapped up, there was nothing stopping her from using the spoils of that conflict and the extra munitions laying around the Bruiser's workshops in order to stockpile a few dozen IEDs.

"I know, I know. Really hate to have to send you out to pasture, but it's not like we can expect to drive straight through their forces with any hope of getting the gate open." Broker said in a consolatory tone and gingerly stroking the throttle of the war machine, almost taking the rumble of its engine as a mournful wail towards their imminent parting. "You're going to go out with a bang and shred them with tank sized shrapnel. Doubtful we kill everyone with the blast, but if the Bruisers have two brain cells to rub together, they'll smash the Masks while they are disorganized...'course, considering our chronic lack of leadership in times of crisis, that may be hoping for too much."

Even Broker was starting to find it irksome how disorganized the supposed guild of commerce and crafting could be. Titania and Absinthe left everyone in the lurch last time something happened, and by all accounts Bel had only gotten more unreliable since then, to the point that recruitment numbers were dropping in correlation to her outbursts. Broker was all for cooperating with madmen and despots if it kept the gears of progress greased, but when everyone who should be holding the mantle of responsibility is absent and the onus falls upon he...

Her thoughts drifted to Retsu. A person she admired, yet seemed to have cast her aside wholesale after their infiltration of Chiyo's home. Perhaps she had her reasons, and the festival was certain to eat up most people's time.

"Grr, screw them. I'm done being the second string. Bust my ass and drop everything on the drop of hat when they need something, but no one can do their damned jobs when we need them. Why do I need to be subservient to Kings or they lieutenants when the shit is going to roll down hill once any pressure is on them?!"

Punctuating her frustration, Broker of Fortune squeezed down on the trigger and fired a round straight ahead of her, toppling a wall with a resounding blast of force and sound that would certainly alarm the ambushers in weight. It didn't matter if they heard her early or detected her later by the sound of the treads toppling stone and concrete.

"CC couldn't stop me, and I'll be damned if a bit of debris does either." She growled over the nose of a second report, further tunneling through the mess of the faded city to hasten her travel. While it didn't have as many HE rounds as it did IEDs sitting in the back, Broker wasn't concerned with saving herself any once she took to the battle field. That was what the canister rounds were for.

---

---

Rufus could be said to be a person that prided themselves on fading into the background, assuming a man like him had any pride to begin with, but his DGO avatar one for putting on a grand display at the expense of his adversaries.

"Out of the dumpster and onto the stage." Warped remarked, face split like the Cheshire cat as he raked his gaze upon the army of Fanged Rangers, a sea of green speckled with flecks of white, throw themselves upon the walls painted scarlet and soon to be dyed a different shade of red. "Not a bad venue. Someone could make a killing selling pop corn up here, because the view is amazing!"

And indeed, the view from atop the Scarlet Harley's own battlements was breath taking, though for the defenders themselves the absence of breath was more likely from horror then any appreciation for the vista. This was no concern for the mage who had always possessed a deep love of elevated places, one that he may as well have been branded with given his name. Perhaps it was the sense of scale it offered as one gazes down onto the tiny, tiny world, or the shift in perspective as he contemplates his place and that of others within it.

But regardless of reasoning, Warped could say without a shadow of a doubt he wanted to share this view with someone who would appreciate it. Looking about on either side of the portal he used to walk from the field below to the highest crenellations of the wall, he quickly deduced that none of the Harleys would appreciate knowing an enemy was standing among them, so that only left the Rangers down below. They appeared as though a swarm of ants, indistinct in their grouping and difficult to discern who would be the best to open a portal onto the battlements for. It would only be open a minute at the most, so whoever was nearby could run in as well but that didn't leave a lot of time for people to see it, determine it was friendly, and decide to run through it.

However, before he decided to decided to open up his portal in the most densely packed area of Rangers, he caught sight of a lumbering golem that looked perfect to be dropped amidst the defenders. There may or may not have been a green smudge riding atop it, but Rufus didn't care to consider if they minded this or not. He pointed the tip of his staff down towards the earth beneath the Green King's mount and cast his Gateway ability. It would instantly fall through the oval portal as the ground gave way and would drop it, along with anyone who followed after the Green King within the next minute, to be instantly carried up onto the Harley's wall among the unsuspecting defenders.

"Heh, now this is what I call company!"

@TheWindel@KoL

“That was the last of them. I’ll go scout ahead while you guys clear this passage. Try not to get captured by any more tentacled Dissolutions. Unless you are into that kind of thing, of course.” This quote, delivered into a perfect nonchalant monotone, came from the mouth of a not-so-tall, white-haired avatar, draped from head to toes in a burial shroud that seemed to ebb and blend with the darkness of the underground tunnels that spanned most of the Faded City. Dusk Razor always had a penchant for grim humor and snarky comments. Not that she was wrong this time, with her allies falling so easily for the subterranean threats.

“Oh yeah, it’s really easy to say that when your whole job was to warn us about this kind of thing before it happens." Argent Maiden rolled her eyes, trying to not give much mind to the Assassin's witticisms. "Anyway, take care and meet up with us at the exit. We need to get this done quick. Storm, you’ll hold our escape route while we do the deed. If anyone tries to follow us when we are retreating, bash them into the next week!” Maiden laid out the plan for their mission as the small party walked the cramped halls of what looked to be a crumbling service tunnel.

"Fine then, as long as you keep yourself in check we may even succeed." The stoic, dark-skinned beauty, known as Thunder Knight -- who Maiden referred to as Storm more often than not -- held the back of the line, while Argent Maiden and a couple of others went ahead, sweeping any dangers with precision. Their mission was crucial to the Ivory Masks’ victory there was no way they would fail once they reached the Blue City. No way at all.



“I think I heard something.” The serene voice, almost imperceptible over the hubbub of the not-so-distant raid belonged to none other than the Sorceress known as Icy Mint. The small girl always had a presence to match her size, truly a shrinking violet in every sense. Nevertheless, none could negate the utility of her potent crowd control spells or her attention to details that most would miss normally. “A blast, or something like this.” Mint added as she stared in the distance from her party’s vantage point atop a tall building.

“It may have been thunder, but it doesn’t look like weather is changing. Do you think we should be concerned, Princess?” The deep contralto belonged to the gorgeous cobalt-haired, whip-wielding avatar of Edel Faust, much better known as Faust, despite her gender not matching such a name. The Warlock launched a glance at Eclipse Princess who was sitting at the edge of the roof, staring vaguely at the direction where Purple Crown Academy was located in the Real World.

A moment passed and another blast was heard before Princess turned to her allies.

The Berserker’s dignified beauty was as impeccable as always, the regal armored dress own by Eris’ avatar certainly put her a cut above Deep Ground’s common stock and was, at least on most of the Ivory Masks opinions, a proof that certain people are born to be heroes and rulers.

"One whose star was bound to shine will do great things whether they seek it or not." This was hardly a matter of discussion. The reality each of us, human beings, is pitted against on a daily basis is more than enough to testify the veracity of this maxim.

Originally, that was a notion that Eris was none too fond of. However, after coming down from isolation and taking her own journey wearing Zarathustra's shoes, the fetching young German reached the same conclusion as her compatriot of twenty decades ago.

Not all are born to be the superman.

Only those who excel in all ways, those who are well-versed beyond belief, those who can weather the storm without bending, no matter for who or what, only those met the criteria to be called superman.

Needless to say, us, flawed beings, do not and maybe will never have that which is necessary to become supermen. That was the same conclusion that Nietzsche reached and, just like he, Eris also found her own person who she thought was the closest to being the true superman, such a person that was the one she admired at the moment. Of course it could be none other than-

“Princess! Are we going to do it or not? The explosions seem to be getting closer.” Faust interrupted Eclipse Princess’ divagation. A trail of dust and debris began to be distinguishable between the buildings in the distance, away from the path they were guarding.

“...” Princess sighed as she rose back to her feet, stretching her muscles. With a light cough she recomposed herself, donning her mask of impassivity once more.

“I’ll take Mint and verify that personally, you stay here with the others and keep this point safe, Faust. If the enemy try to break through, signal us.” As she said so, Princess offered her hand to Icy Mint. The knight-like girl pulled the mage into a bridal carry, much to the dismay of Mint whose face because flushed on spot.

"Pri-Princess, what are you- Ahhh!" Icy Mint squealed as Eclipse Princess jumped off the building’s side, vaulting and teleporting off of the other derelicts on their way to what would turn to be Broker of Fortune’s tank.

"A Bruisers' vehicle? That was not in our plans." Eclipse Princess thought out loud as she landed upon the roof of wat should be a convenience store that was in the rogue tank's path. "And why are they piloting like that? A tank maybe able to plow through most kinds of obstacles, but these buildings have armored concrete skeletons. If their threads get stuck they are as good as dead. Either way, we won't let them get any further. You stay here, Mint. Get ready to freeze their threads when I signal you, but try to stay out of their sight." The brashness of the unknown pilot brought a challenging smirk to Eclipse Princess' lips, which was all too evident when she teleported to the ground and pointed her lance at the charging machine.

"Halt!" Princess shouted, using the global channel. "In the name of the Ivory Masks' Ruler, the White King, White Sun, your passage is forbidden. Surrender and join us, and you shall be treated as equal from now on. Resist and you shall perish here and now, along with the rest of your Guild! That is the one and only warning I'll give!"


Meanwhile, the war raged wild on the other battle fronts...

On the mighty reinforced walls of the Blue City, Absinthe took a pause from spellsling the Ivory Masks' vanguard to verify a status report on all the damage they had suffered up to now.

While the figures were within the estimated numbers, it wasn’t exactly something that pleased the Blue Fairy. “That’s not good at all, if we don’t have any sort of support we will start losing more than we can recover in a short time. Maybe…” Absinthe was going to mention, that maybe they needed to ask for help of the Strykers, but the few reports she got made it seem like that was an unlikely plan, to say the least.

Without the support of the Strykers in the immediate time, the Cobalt Bruisers needed to do as they could to defend their territory. Melee engagements would be a bad idea at the time, thus Absinthe reunited the best mages and ranged attack focused avatars as well as all the weapons she could find and distributed them on the walls. “We’ve sent a message for help to our allies. But we’ll not sit idly and wait to be saved like damsels in distress." She shouted to all the Bruisers from atop the Bruiser's Guild Hall.

"Ready the cavalry, focus your fire on opening a path for them to storm the enemy frontline then send in our infantry. We gotta do this on our own, even if we are outnumbered and outgunned.” The temporary leader of the Cobalt Bruisers yelled as she raised her fist signaling the attack. The only thing Absinthe could hope now is that this brash assault would yield any results, before they began taking a real loss.



The conflict on the Red City raged even more violently, with the burning passions of two individuals being put against one another…



“What’s up boys, that’s all you've got? You gotta raise the stakes if you wanna tame this tiger!” An avatar with long blond hair, like flames on a summer bonfire, or liquid gold pouring from a searing hot crucible, shouted as she punched one of the Scarlet Harley defenders right through a toppled concrete wall just as three more circled the girl, wielding blades thirsty for Fanged Ranger Blood.

“What are ya afraid of? Come and get some, I promise I won’t bite… too much, heh!” The golden brawler extended her arms in an inviting stance, taunting them.

“Jeez, do you ever shut your mouth, Golden Pussy?” One of the avatars snarled in contempt, rushing at Golden Tiger, followed shortly by his companions who were equally full of the boisterous female’s motor mouth.

“Heh! If you think you have what it takes, why don’t you come and make me?” A challenging smirk rose on Tiger’s face as she noticed that one of her abilities had become available once more. With a mighty heave, she pulled her arm back, motioning to punch the ground. “Howling Tiger... Fist!” Tiger yelled as she released the strike, causing a shockwave that sent her attackers flying as well as hurting them quite badly.

“Was that too fierce for you, boys? Come on, let me help you get some rest- Hey!” Golden Tiger was just about to rush in and finish another of her foes when a lightning bolt glanced her left rib, burning part of her jacket and, unwittingly revealing more of the avatar’s ample assets. “Where the heck did that come fro- What the!?” Tiger let out a startled shout as another lightning almost hit her, with little to no time between both spells. This time however she could track the source of them.

Such source was none other than a second, this time literally, burning-haired female avatar, standing atop a broken column, slinging spells downwards as if there was no tomorrow.

Burning Blossom made a pause and stared right at Golden Tiger. A smirk that couldn’t be described as nothing but feline was stamped on her face as she said. “You'd better remember those words, Goldie, ‘cause when I’m done with ya, I have a very nice idea of how to use that mouth of yours.” Blossom rubbed one of her cheeks with a thumb, flashing a confident grin at her foe.

“Well now, why don’t we see who will be shutting who up, Strawberry Shortcake?” Tiger replied, turning her back to the less interesting targets and lowering her stance. “The fight is on!”

---

Erika didn’t really need to say much; the depth of the look she gave the Red King was more than enough. That, and her hands clenched onto him like a death grip that wouldn’t be letting go any time soon. Well, it was good to see she had other priorities aside from their match against each other and he nodded to show he understood. It was a shame, but he would make good to her later for their battle.

“You can help by logging on with me. I have a feeling I know who’s leading the attack on my Guild and it’s not going to be pretty,” Michael said, only noticing a little on how Erika kept glancing behind her. But there was no time for that now and he grabbed her hand to swiftly lead her to one of the many login ports around the school campus. Soon enough, both would be entering the game and walking into a war zone.

Backstage, things were coming to a calm conclusion. Bel could only grumble and mutter to herself as she was bound up by Thomas to prevent further harm to both herself and the others. Alex’s words would, of course, be ignored because Bel was much too busy stumbling in her own little conscious. As a result, she had no qualms about being carried off though if one were to listen carefully, they could make out some of her mantra.

“…no….shino….Yoshino….”

It was a fitting enough line, the fragmented nature an epitome to what was going. Two Colored Kings and the Student President were incapacitated; Bel was taped up, Yoshino seemed to still be unconscious, and Chiyo was clenching her head in pain, muttering to herself in wherever it was Kamen-san was taking her. The only ones active at the moment were the Red and Green Kings.

Speaking of which, Verdent Grin was having the time of his life. He didn’t think scaling the walls of the Red Guild’s defenses would take so little time but by miracle of luck he and a few other Green soldiers were transported practically onto their territory. “Huh. Neat,” was all he said before watching as his summon went into aggro-mode, attacking anyone who wasn’t a Green or White player in the area.

Observing the battle down below, he frowned to see a particular flaming haired burning eyed fighter pushing back the forces that had managed to get in. Not only that, but she was putting exception force back against one of his own Guild members, Tiger whatever her name was. With nothing better to do, he grinned and watched the cat fight a little closer with obvious interest.

"Yo, Reothadh? Yeah, feel free to burn everything in sight. Though you might want to take out this hot chick I just saw. Burning Blossom? Yeah, she's being a real pain in the ass. Oh, and if you see that Nyx fellow, torch his punk bitch ass too."

---

---

To: Paper Moon
From: Rocket Lancer

You better hurry up loser >:P

I'm chasing down the White Guild until we hit the Blue Guild if I have to

@Jedly

The White Guild was beginning to retreat. To begin with it hadn't seemed like they were mounting a serious attack in the first place. Their purpose had largely seemed to be to keep the Strykers in base while they coordinated attacks elsewhere, like the Blue Guild. Well, in all honesty, he didn't really give a fuck about any of that. Since the White Guild were sort of retreating it was the perfect opportunity to score some 'easy' kills.

A lot of the retreating players were wounded, which made them easy marks for someone like him. For the group he was chasing right now, the plan was to be in and out in one round.

They had four members; two dedicated gunners, one warrior, and one person who hadn't pulled out a weapon yet meaning they were probably an assassin who could be using just about anything. What would make this difficult was being in range to grab the EXP. He could just drop molotovs from orbit but he wasn't having that. He'd either lose time or EXP by having to go a few extra rounds to be safe.

He wasn't a bitch, he was going in.

Despite all the observations he didn't have a plan. He did a nosedive from high above, and the group below noticed him and started returning fire. He dodged and weaved, gaining nothing more than a graze for his audacity. He raced towards the ground and the group cleared out the zone of impact, but he was too good for that. In order to make turning his Lance in the desired direction easier, he launched into a spin as he was approaching and pulled up in such a way that it retained his momentum.

His target was the Warrior who was still relatively out in the open. They had cleared his landing zone, but their running speed was nowhere near his rocket speed. The warrior was skewered before he could react, but there wasn't any time to rest as the Gunners turned around and returned fire.

Using the warrior's dissolving body to hold him in place, his lance as a pivot; and his momentum to launch himself, he vaulted forward over the cover the warrior had been running towards. He took a couple of assault rifle shots but he touched down relatively unscathed. He slid a bear trap over to the right of him, because the approach to his left was all open cover but the right wasn't.

Ans surely enough, there was a snap and the assassin's invisibility fizzled out.

"Phew... Two down." He said, lobbing a molotov underarm.

The assassin caught fire and died not too long afterwards. Those two had been the most wounded, both being melee characters. The gunners were almost at full health and already necking health pots.

"This'll take a little bit."

Stinging Butterfly much preferred the peace of grinding away at Dissolutions and taking the occasional job for exp rather than facing the chaos of the warzone he was in. There were few mobs left to grind currently, and Butterfly was constantly on the move, more so than usual as well. On rare occasions he would even find a stray White Guild member, and he would reap in the exp crystals after a successful ambush or fight. Still, the pickings were few. Landing on a rooptop, Butterfly raised his hand to his brow to scan the area. Hearing a mechanical rumbling, he turned his head to look and was greeted with the sight of a Bruiser tank. He wondered if he should go help. He was aware that a tank was as much a choice target for heavy duty attacks as much as it was protection against lighter ones, but a tank's firepower was not to be ignored, and someone had to help keep it safe. Heck, he wasn't even sure why he didn't see any other support for the vehicle. Tanks were durable, but certainly not invincible. Either the pilot was aware of it and had a different plan in mind, or she was just crazy. Possibly both.

After a shot was fired from the tank, it wasn't too long before enemies came to offer the chance of surrender. Butterfly quickly found a hiding spot and waited while watching the events unfold. From the way Eclipse Princess carried herself, she certainly didn't seem like a mere grunt of the White Guild. It also sounded like she had the power to make good on her threat. In any case, it seemed like the perfect chance to provide some support. He had seen another person being brought in by that White Mask member, so perhaps he should cut down on their manpower. Using a [Bouncer] square, Butterfly leapt away from his hiding spot to where he believed he saw Icy Mist hide. Upon spotting her, he would ready his rapier for a multitude of piercing strikes and [Rush] in to take her down swiftly.

Out of what seemed to be thin air, the muffled voice of Nyx picked up where Verdant Grin left off. "Everyone I've ever known has said punk ass bitch, but whatever floats your boat." The assassin materialized right beside the Green King with his signature pistol in hand, pointed up at the man's head from his squatted position. The trigger was already half-squeezed, the red aura of Vendetta's damage boost just begging to be let loose from the barrel. Beneath the mask, he chuckled to himself before letting the bullet loose on the king, all factors into that shot dropping a 210% flat damage boost right into his skull. It was times like these where Nyx was glad to have ended up with an ability called Regicide.

Ready for the coming fight, provided Verdant survived that ridiculous burst that screamed a hatred of all things living, the assassin backed down the golem's back, dropping a caltrop bomb right behind him to both bleed the beast to death and give him yet another edge against a Lv9 opponent. At this point, the odds were probably stacked in his favor.

---

Jiro, with honestly nothing else to do following the disappointment in a warm soda and Kosuke getting put in a trash can for some reason, decided now was a good time to report in to Deep Ground to see exactly what was going on. And so, plopping himself down in one of the chairs kept back stage, he allowed himself to meld into the giant server everyone was connected to.

Phantom Regality logged into Deep Ground just in time to see the last of the White Guild retreat. Sure, something seemed off there, but without Arms Slave of someone of similar caliber to support, he was virtually useless. So for now, he decided to sit himself down in the Black City's Sanctuary and wait for his comrades to get on.

---

A light, pained groan would be heard by Masae upon entering the Bat Cave, the source being Aderyn. In the aftermath of the fight, she had been trapped under the rolling chair and her left leg had been dislocated at the knee, an odd lump forming on the outside of her leg thanks to the damage done. "Masae... Masae, down here... Get me to the nurse's office, please..." On the verge of passing out, the Welsh girl made a sad attempt to push the chair off of her, to no avail. "I'm gonna drop into DGO, I can do more good from there." She knew that she would be getting an earful from her crush once she was disconnected from the server, but for now, she was actually needed online from what she had gathered in her phone blowing up with a group chat. Without waiting for a response, she logged in, leaving Masae to either help or leave her in the sound booth.

Moments of planning and figuring out where everyone was later, talking with fellow members of the Cobalt Bruisers in chat, and a quick refresher in the laws of aviation, Warhawk set a meticulous plan to take down some of the White Guild's heavy hitters was put into motion...

From Broker of Fortune's tank, a lone figure could be seen flying high over the horizon towards them, bouncing wildly off buildings and occasionally the ground with a bright orange rocket launcher on her shoulder. With how fast she was moving now, one could argue that she was breaking the very physics of the game, but all questions would be silenced as a familiar green shovel was formed from her belt, the launcher being discarded. She was counting on the sheer unpredictability of a combat tactic from an old game of their parent's generation; Trolldiering.

If all went well, Warhawk would be slapping Edel Faust across the face with a shovel to take off a good chunk of her health. If not, the iconic sound of broken ankles and fall damage, likely followed by her near-death. From there, it would be bloody.

Kitten logged into DGO as soon as she got home, the events of the festival a distant memory now. While she did her best to record what happened at the festival as usual the biggest news was happening in DGO. Smitten Kitten wished she knew what was going on because whatever was happening ought to be huge. Fortunately for her, the last place Smitten Kitten logged out was the Scarlet Harley guild. She was here with Itsuko to remove her outlaw declaration, and now Smitten Kitten was going to head to the battlefield to record the first skirmishes of DGO's guild wars.

As far as Smitten Kitten was aware of, the Scarlet Harleys had not picked a side in the war. But it wasn't hard for Smitten Kitten to learn that the Fanged Rangers were near by, so the Red Guild would be neutral no longer. Kitten hoped to get the high ground and watch the battle from afar, but the moment she stepped out of the sanctuary she was attacked by a hail of bullets! The Fanged Rangers had already breached the walls and seemed to be attacking everyone indiscriminately. Normally Smitten Kitten would stay within the Sanctuary until everything was over but training with Rampaging Tiger, Smitten Kitten was more confident in her abilities. She took some damage from the bullets was quickly ran to cover, using her Feline Grace to reach the rooftop and loose the gunners.

Most of the Fanged Rangers seemed to be on the walls, so Smitten Kitten headed in that direction. With the Scarlet Harleys and Fanged Rangers going full out against each other Smitten Kitten was able to hide underneath all the chaos, though she had to be careful not to get hit by stray attacks. Taking cover behind a chimney Kitten scoped out the players and keyed onto a few who were holding their own. Rampaging Tiger was doing a great job taking out the Scarlet Harley defenders until another player named Burning Blossom attacked her. Not too far away Smitten Kitten spotted Verdant Green too, who was suddenly attacked by an assassin called Nyx. "Oh I got to see this!" Kitten said with a grin as she hopped from roof-to-roof to reach the outer walls.

@Mega Birb@TheWindel@KoL

There were many things that Cassandra was no longer sure off. She was no longer sure of her position with Eris. No longer sure where she stood in the game. No idea where she stood in real life. For a moment, she felt lost. She felt like she was drifting away, that nothing was holding her into place anymore. That maybe she had never truly had a place where she belonged, despite everything she had had in the last few weeks. Cassandra couldn't even find Eris. Perhaps she hadn't ever really found her.

The message did nothing for Cassandra. It told her nothing of what had happened, what Eris was doing, besides being with her family. It told her that Eris was, perhaps, hiding things from her. She closed her eyes, and retreated to her room. Sitting on her bed for a few moments, Cassandra found her resolve. She wouldn't let this set her back, she wouldn't let it turn her back to what she had been before. She would do, always, what was right. She would find Eris, and get answers. And if Eris had lost her way...then Cassandra would bring her back again.

Sorting herself out, Cassandra laid back, and entered the game.



The familiar greating flashed across her screen, and Nies Hellum glanced about her. The young woman held her staff loosely in her hand, her blonde hair flowing in the slight wind. The healer, so much more confident in this mind set, then as Cassandra, she gained her bearings. Something seemed to have changed within the young woman, a flick of a switch, a click seeming to resound through her whole being. Nies Hellum would do, always, what was right for those that couldn't defend, protect, or fight back. Even if it got her killed, Nies would be there, helping whereever and how ever she could.

Even if that meant fighting Eclipse Princess. Even if it meant losing everything she had gained. Even if it meant being alone again. Nies Hellum would do it. Thumping her staff on the ground as she walked to a vehicle, Nies Hellum strode with confidence, determination and grace, something she'd never have in the real world. She took a moment to flick a message to Eclipe Princes.

To Eclipse Princes
From: Nies Hellum
Subject Re:Apologies

I come. And I'm ready to fight

She didn't hum, nor har over the words, instead she wrote the small seven word sentence in seconds, and sent it off without second thoughts. It was not a confirmation of which side she was fighting for, or who she was fighting for. It merely affirmed that she was on her way, and ready to kick butt. She started the vehicle without any trouble and made her way to the blue city, to Eclipse Princess, to what could very well be her destiny, one way or another.

Using the drive over, Nies Hellum brought her thoughts into order. And then she let her mind go blank, accessing any thoughts that came through in a calm, and collected mannor.Cassandra, and consequently Nies Hellum had never really known what her role in both life and the game was. She had never really sought todo anything like what she was going to do. She had never really thought to be anything but mediocore. And now...Nies hellum was going to what would possibly change everyones life. It was what, ideally, she had wanted, in her own little life before all this, in her own little dream. She wanted change. Wanted things to be different, so that people like her wouldn't have to fight so hard to carve out a good living. Was this what shewanted?

Nies Hellum did not know.

She drove. She had come a long way from that very first vehicle ride. She wondered where Juke box was, right about now. I'm sorry, Jukebox. I'm sorry I couldn't be the friend either of us needed. I'm sorry I didn't try and stay in contact with you. i'm sorry I didn't learn who you were, truly, She stared ahead, keeping her expression calm. Her thoughts inevitably shifted to Eris. Eclipse Princes. The woman who had effectively changed her life, for better or worse, in both the game, and real life. The woman she loved, respected, and wanted the best for in both realms. The woman who seemed so strong, and yet...so brittle. oh, Eris. I don't know how we got to where we are, or where we are going.I don't even know what we are anymore. I just know...that I can't lose you. I'm sorry for whatever happens...I'm sorry if...I fight against you. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry I didn't try harder. I'm sorry...that I'm not there now. I'm sorry I wasn't stronger, that I didn't try harder to be in your life... This time, Nies Hellum-Cassandra-couldn't keep her calm expression. Tears stung her eyes. For a moment, she was just the young girl that she was. A sob escaped her. I'm coming.

By the time she reached the city, Nies Hellum had regained her composure. She stopped a fair distance away from the city, and got out the vehicle, studyign everything ahead of her. Asahi...I'm going to do what is right. My own way. But if you try and hurt Eris, in any form...I will hurt you. No matter what...she is mine. It didn't matter to Nies Hellum that Eclipse Princess could anialiate her here. Nies Hellum would never forgive herself if she didn't try anything and everything.

chiyo...I don't like you. But Eris believed in you. i don't know anymore if this is right or wrong...but...if you have misled Eris...you won't know what hit you It didn't matter to her that she was talking in her head, and none of the people she had addressed would hear the words she so desperately wanted to say, as she went towards something that would change everything. She let out a soft breath, and she drew herself up. She continued towards the Blue City, staff tapping with her strides, once more the confident, determined and graceful young woman, rather then the somewhat timid young girl. She needed to find a way in, and without getting herself killed.

She had no idea what to do. And that...was okay.

---

It was to no surprise on the part of Broker that she found her progress carving through the Faded City abruptly hindered the Ivory Masks' rear guard. For a moment the strong urge to spit welled up within the Bruiser when she was confronted with the last person the tanker wanted to be met with so far from the proper battlefield.

"I guess leading from the front got old hat, or I wouldn't have found Princess among the reserves." She grumbled in a disheartened fashion, but without the animosity which tinged the words and actions of those carrying the black standard into battle. There was no bad blood existed between the Bruisers and Eclipse Princess, let alone Broker of Fortune or Kanbaru. In fact, if anything, they should congratulate her for being the focus of such profound strife and ire that the Ebony Strykers came to rely upon their allies in blue for every man of construction supply or service in rebuilding their...disaster prone city.

The King Tiger screeched to halt before the obstacle it desired neither to shoot or trample beneath its treads. It would have been easy to assume the armored nature of her vehicle would provide a clear and overwhelming advantage in a confrontation, but there were few who could not attest to the overwhelming force Eclipse Princess could bring to bear on even the largest of Dissolutions. If Broker were to detonate her explosive surprise, the odds were good she'd defeat Princess here and now, but a single officer in the rear guard was not the impact that would affect the overall battle. "And if I try to fight, I'd be lucky to get away with the tank's barrel folded into a pretzel, let alone getting away at all. Hmm, well, if she's offering to talk terms, may as well put my tongue to work before resorting to the trigger finger."

Slowly the Tank began to shut down, its engine dimming from a roar to purr, and finally disappearing into silence while the lights flickered off to signal it had shut off. The action was deliberately slow, as though one would reach for their ID while being apprehended, but really it served to give Broker time to stuff all her bombs back into the inventory where they had come from. Satisfied the incriminating contraband was tucked away beyond any reasonable inspection, she popped open the entry hatch and pulled herself out to stand atop the silent tiger, one boot resting on the steaming barrel as she came to favor Eclipse Princess with an amicable smile.

"Now that is a very respectable offer. Glad to see reality surpasses the legend, or I'd have been skewered with an Icarus Strike before getting a word in edge wise. Really, this is more courtesy then I get from the Bruisers. They don't even have a King most of the time. Anywho, that's not really important anymore."

"I offer my surrender to you, Eclipse Princess. Allow me to join the Ivory Masks and reap the fruits of open war as all other Masks are entitled to. A King Tiger has no place but the vanguard from which to fight, an iron fist wrapped in a glove of white velvet, if you will, so if you would continue to be so honorable, I could do with an escort to the battle beyond your checkpoint."


_{@Scarifar @KoL}

---

---

"Huh, and here I thought a King would be a more active terror of the battlefield. I suppose the ants are beneath his notice." Warped thought, his tone heavy with disappointment even as the infernal golem smacked Harleys from the battlements and sent them to a demise via Newton's famed 'discovery'. Perhaps it was just a factor of the Green King's class, but there are certain expectations that come from hearing of the exploits of kings that have so far not been validated to the fullest.

His brow rose in surprise as, from the clear view of his perch atop a tower's roof, he witnessed an enemy appear from thin air beside the jocular Fanged Ranger and put a nasty looking gun to the side of Verdant Grin's head. This was something of genuine interest, so much so that Warped settled his whole attention on the Would-be-Kingslayer who thought to make his escape through a haze of caltrops.

"Oh ho, like I'd let you run after a performance like that. This isn't the Ford Theater, Mr. Booth!" Raising his staff, Warped Reality cast his Roiling Singularity over the walls edge beside the fleeing Nyx. A man so fleet of foot would doubtlessly have issues gripping the ground when the sudden singularity would pull him off the ground and over the edge, along with any other unprepared players and objects. Even the scattered caltrops that failed to stick into the golem would be sucked in, returning them to their master's flesh in a direct manner.

---

_{@TheWindel @Mega Birb}

Masae Kanegawa

It was impossible for Masae to suppress a wince as she moved around the corner of the counter to see Aderyn pinned beneath a chain, with a protruding bump in her leg that was most definitely not supposed to be there. She could only imagine just how much pain her friend was in right now, yet she was so strong in not letting it show. That was just like her, she supposed.

Without hesitation Masae sped over, removing the chair so it could no longer pin her friend to the ground, doing her best to keep a rational mindset. Culpability could be addressed later, right now she needed to focus on what needed to be done now that she wasn't pinned down. "There we go," she muttered as she examined Aderyn's leg.

She hardly needed to be told that she should get her friend to the nurse's office, if not the hospital after that. What came after that took her off guard though, and her eyes widened as she lurched forward to try and stop the other girl from doing something that was completely stupid in her view. "Aderyn wai-" Before she could do anything she watched as Aderyn relaxed in that manner characteristic of those who had dove into the game.

"Gah!" Recoiling back, she couldn't help but yell at the ceiling as she vented her frustrations. "You stupid....idiot!" sh cared about Aderyn, sh really did, but her roommate was making it awfully hard when she did stuff like this. She should be worried about her own health right now, not some stupid game. There was the overpowering urge to unleash a string of curses in German, where she was fairly confident that she could vent without anyone understanding what she was actually saying, but she managed to restrain herself as she tried to calm down. Right, had to take care of Aderyn. She could chew her out later.

First, first she had to deal with the leg, that was it. Looking around the booth she scrambled to come up with some sort of cast or splint for er leg before trying to move her. She wasn't a total idiot after all. "Ah, there we go." It wasn't the prettiest, with part of a microphone stand and some cables that had been liberated from the nearby equipment closet, but it would do as she wound the tough material around the metal rods. See, even she knew a few things.

That just left the big problem, and with a sigh she looked down at Aderyn before reaching down to try and grab her in a fireman's carry. "How am I supposed to do this by myself," she lamented in annoyance. She didn't exactly spend all her time doing manual labor.

"Alright, here we go." With a deep breath she grunted and hauled Aderyn over her shoulder, almost losing hold in the process and barely managing to keep her from falling to the ground. It was better than dragging her all the way to the nurse's office though. "If you get a concussion or something from this, you only have yourself to blame," she muttered as she took a faltering step and began to move. Fingers crossed, now she just had to hope that her energy held out.

At the same time, she reached for her phone. "What's that number again?" After a few moments she dialed the paramedics, holding her phone to her ear as she carefully descended the stairs. "Hello, this is Masae Kanegawa, I'm a friend at student at Purple Crown Academy. My friend was assaulted by someone and I need an ambulance at the school please.....Yes, she's conscious, but her leg is injured. I've made a temporary splint for her, but I'm not sure if she has any other injuries.....Thank you."

With that done she slipped her phone and focused once again on walking. At least she could console herself with the thought of the stern talk they would have later. Right now though she let her anger fuel her steps forward onwards the nurses office

@Mega Birb@KoL