[IC] Deep Ground Online

[demonspade64]

Mukuro Matsumoto | the Undertaker

After complete the last assignment of the day Mukuro went to sleep right in the middle of class before the bell ring since he lack the interest in whatever conservation was around at that time. He couldn't wait to go home and be free from all this class stuff. He was glad when the belt finally rung and he was allow to go home after turning in his algebra assign not caring enough to check his answers.

He then walked home caring enough to say hi and waving to his fellow classmates that attain class with him. On the way home he decided to use his mobile device look at his score from last time he play DGO. It was 14 kills, with 6 targets escaping, and three time when he was forced to abandon the fight before he was finally kill in action. That scored was his personally best record since he became a level 4 sniper. He smiled out pride knowing he was getting even better at this game, and he wasn't going to stop now. He was going to get better and aim to kill 15 player today using a newly though of strategies.

---

Welcome, The Undetaker

In one of the park districts of the city a Hitman class player soon found himself staring at a pile of variable loot that was mystery lying around. "This got to be a trap." he told himself before picking up a nearby rock and tossing it at a nearby brush while he listen for a possible clank, "one more to make sure." he told himself before tossing another rock at the brush just to make sure, Nothing happen. The Hitman hided himself behind a tree wondering if he could try to take the level 6 pistol that could benefit his power. "All right, this is as simple as it is going to get. All I have to do is use my Grim Stride perk to get in, take what I need and get out, easy" He told himself before gathering the courage to go in.

He then made a mad dash to loot he had activating his ability half way there in hope that he would thwart his possible ambushes, once he grabbed the gun. He could hear a bunch projectiles coming his way as he turn to see 12 blood red laser homing at him. He then smile cocky-like at the sight before trying to dash backwards only for his character to be stun mysterious after only getting halfway back to the tree he was hiding behind before. Thanks to that full second stun the 12 projectile was able to swivel back in his direction before they all hit in 12 different places in his body, knocking his avatar right on his back as he helpless watch his life bar fall to at least 3% of his max health.

The Hitman then turn to see a to his left see notice that there was a sewer opening with four of it seven bars cutt open. With 4 more seconds to his Level 5 perk he decide to make one more dash to get build in gap that may provide him cover, however midway through his dash he look to his left see to a bullet flying in slow motion right where he was going to end up. ALl he could do was helplessly watch at the bullet was about to end his avatar head. "Shit!" he thought to himself before his avatar head explode and his body falling to the ground only to roll over into the gap, his body landing in a sitting position next to the headless shinobi that tried the same thing. That shinobi then disappear after the motherboard removed it after it stay is programmed time.

The Undertaker then reloaded his sniper rifle before standing from his position in the shadows between two billboards. 'That four." He told himself calmly before before climbing up one of the billboards to activating his avatar 's Hunter Vision ability to scout the area for likely threats, he saw nothing that could be a threat to him so he decide to quickly make his way to the loot he left out to bait other player. He then added the pistol the Hitman tried to steal back into his inventory before dropping it back out of inventory in the pile of loot he set up, he then did the same to the rest of the lot he set out,making sure he added and drop everything he left out so the motherboard behind would not erase them for staying out to long, as he did he used his Hunter Vision to make sure no one was trying to sneak up on him, through his Avater unique ability was helpful it was anything put perfect seeing it only point out threat was was moving beyond normal walking speed.

Five seconds before the active time was up he dashed back to the area near the billboard before using his grappling hook to climb back into his hiding spot. "Three player down...12 more to go." He told himself before laying down on his stomach with his rifle pointing outwards in the direction of the loot.

[Ryonara]

Smitten Kitten turned when she heard a gunshot behind her. While she should have kept running, she saw no one there. The only thing left behind was many little blue gem-like orbs. Experience points. Her mysterious savior didn't even bother to stick around to collect. Smitten Kitten took what she could from the death of the Dissolution and continued on her path towards the black king's castle.

Now that she thought about it, perhaps she should make a better plan for fighting the Black King. If a Dissolution could put her on the ropes, what hopes could she have if the Black King took her by surprise? Not to mention that she didn't really have much skills in dueling. All her kills were gained by setting up traps and killzones or through her befriended ally. Speaking of allies, how was Smitten Kitten suppose to fight at her full efficiency if she didn't have any alley with her? Her Befriend ability only works on existing monsters, and the black city was oddly clear of hostiles. If she was lucky she could try to take over someone's demons like before, or maybe someone's undead minion. Be better if she had actual people to protect her while she set up the field with her traps though.

As Smitten Kitten walked towards the black king's tower she heard the truck from before approaching. It drove up to her and eventually stopped. She could hear someone inside asking her if she wanted a ride while Smitten Kitten looked at the person standing on the truck. For some reason, Smitten Kitten couldn't tell what class or level the player was, only that she was called Corpse Collector. "How morbid." Also also though the person was rather keeper, including the driver. Even though this was a game, even Smitten Kitten knew not to get inside unknown vehicles. "I'm not suppose to ride with strangers." Smitten Kitten said plainly as she continued to walk towards the black king's tower.

[ERode]

Wincing at the heavy impact of another body falling onto the rump of the horse, Haruka turned around to see Claire in quite some pain. She cast her gaze upwards, at the window that the Commando must have jumped from, before wagging her finger.

“You should know better,” the masked girl chastised jokingly, “didn’t real life tell you that there was only pain to be found when you fall from a building?”

Well, at least this was only virtual reality. It’d have been pretty awkward if the realistic reaction of shattering her crotch-bones had happened to someone as lovely as Claire. It’d also have been problematic if Distant Sage had decided to follow in the footsteps of Aimless Amnesty, but luckily, the Chinese girl had a more grounded head on her shoulders. After she had mounted, the White King was about to kick off and gallop into the sky (they were FLYING mecha rainbow horses, after all), when suddenly, a random Orange King appeared.

Luckily, she hadn’t spurred her horse on yet, so Bowed Woods wouldn’t be trampled over…for now. While Meilin did express her annoyance at the Orange-trio that was getting in the way, three of White Terror’s green-ring eyes shot her a glance that told her to play nice.

“Well, Woody, haven’t seen Rider for quite some time, and hey, considering she’s opening her doors to everyone, thought it’d be a good idea to catch up. You know what they say, time heals all wounds~ Hopefully she got over her little grudge against me as well, but, well, we’ll see. There’s also that saying of ‘keep your friends close, and your enemies closer’ too.”

Tilting her head to the side, all six of the eyes on her mask focusing on the unassuming Orange King, she asked, “Of course, if all you’re here for is a free ride to the Nation of Darkness and Blackness and Despair, you're in luck!”

With a quick flick of the Guild Bank interface, another flying mecha rainbow horse materialized in front of them, and White Terror spoke cheerily, “It’s a tight squeeze since it’s three of you, but it’ll be fine!”

Of course, there was still a spare horse in the bank, but she thought it’d be funnier to see all three of them clumped up on one of those horses.

[Zombehs]

From atop a nearby building, Jun had watched the Dissolution give chase through the city streets below. He took in other details of importance as well, such as the Avatars in the area. Only a few were in the immediate vicinity to assist the cat-like Avatar being chased, the Dissolution apparently out of her league. While he debated about the risks of aiming for the enemy, another Avatar jumped at the opportunity. Watching the black blob of sludge disintegrate as it received two shotgun blasts to the face, Jun shrugged before turning away. The fact that he would have to go and physically retrieve the piles of EXP the enemies left with their death had been the main reason for him not to bother. He was a Wizard, and as those of his class tended to be, squishy as fuck. Going down there into the open with no escape route was akin to placing a, “Please. Do ambush me,” sign on himself.

With nothing else to see here, Jun turned away from the scene below to continue on his way. The surrounding buildings were quite a ways down though from the skyscraper he perched upon, but it wasn’t exactly a problem for him. Gauging the distance, he quickly determined that a running start would be needed if he wanted to reach the next rooftop over rather than hoof it on the ground. Running forward and kicking off the ledge, Jun ended up flipping head over heels several time in a bid to maintain his forward momentum. Once he was far enough from the initial building, he shot his limbs out to stabilize and orient himself. It had only taken a few seconds, but the opposing roof was drawing close rapidly as the air whipped past him, whistling fiercely in his ears. With a thought, the world vanished in a flash of white for him while Jun disappeared, leaving only a cloud of floating ice crystals to linger in the air.

Materializing on the rooftop, all momentum bled away, Jun jogged across it at a light pace. There was no point in going too fast after all, given the cooldown on his skill, but since he didn’t need to follow roads or what not he was still making good time. It wouldn’t take much longer for him to reach the Faded City if he continued to simply bypass the buildings and obstacles in his path.

[Anderiel]

"But, it was fun~ I think I broke my butt though."

Amnesty caressed her backside through the material of her skirt, pouting as she looked at the unexpected guests whom had just arrived. An Orange King and two unfamiliar strangers, which, didn't bother her at all since her ideal outcome of visiting the Black District was a battle royale ending with the Ivory Masks' victory. But that wouldn't be until much-much later, and there was no harm in allowing some rugrats to hitch a ride with them.

"One of them can ride with me! But just so you know, I do bite."

Pulling her bandanna down for a moment to reveal a wide grin and wink at the members of Silent Marauders in an almost comical way. Though there was a little bit of serious thinking going through the girl's head, the fact that they could so easily slip into their district undetected, and this close to their guild hall nonetheless. Making a mental note of this capability, she returned to her former thinking-

"But if not, and all three of you do fit on the pony. You have to name it first, to unlock the Mecha-Steed's true potential, and if you scream it's name while you're riding they get a speed boost. True story, would I lie to you?"

Holding back a few laughs, she returned to her bored self and leaned back on Batallion Stallion, making sure to cross her legs to prevent any peepsneakers from catching a glimpse as she pulled her legs up across the horse's back. Shutting her eyes and breathing deep, it'd seem like she was going to sleep, but Amnesty was simply trying to lure an unwilling victim into thinking that sharing a horse with her would be safe. Not that sleeping would effect that, it was just plan A) after all, plan B) would begin if none fell for the "She's sleeping, it must be safe.".

"Zzzzz.." Fake snoring sounds.

[TheWendil]

Moon Rider-Black King

---

Moon Rider nodded her approval to Dark Wraith’s actions. Soon, very soon…Corpse Collector would become the catalyst to her goals, whatever lofty machinations they be. The hacker was a dangerous one, a case that Moon Rider had been keeping tabs on for quite some time. The best way to describe the player with the hidden status was simply “childish”.

Childish and mad.

The sound of a second pair of footsteps then entered her ear, slightly echoing off of the massive black walls around them. Soon, another player walked in and dared to stand before her presence. To see the Black King herself in the flesh up close like this….certainly an honor for any player. Especially one who stuttered so nervously.

”E-Excuse me, my King...I, uh, I'm here about your... well, your invitation. I'm Curved Solitaire, at your disposal however you see fit."

The dark-haired Avatar gave the player, aptly named Curved Solitaire, a warm smile. She did say that all were welcome in her Kingdom, and she had meant every word of that bold declaration.

“There’s no need for such a formality when addressing me, Curved Solitaire,” she said encouragingly. “Welcome to the Ebony Strykers. To fill you in, our first mission as a Guild will be to hunt down and terminate a hacker in Deep Ground. A player by the name of Corpse Collector.”

Her gaze darkened slightly at the mention of the name. That girl just didn’t know when to quit….Moon Rider glanced at Dark Wraith.

“I will leave it to you to train our newest member for now; I suspect we’ll be meeting the others soon enough.”

Corpse Collector

---

“Oh?”

The girl in the white coat with the white top hat laced with red resting on her blond hair sat casually at the edge of the armored truck. Dangling her legs to the side without a care in the world, she smirked coyly at Arm’s Slave attempt of tact.

“Oh silly, you don’t have to play dumb with me! You know…heh, I used to be a part of that crowd myself. Yeah, it was real fun…”

When Arm’s Slave decided to change the subject, so to did the Corpse Collector, not really caring if he was really interested in the beginning of her statement or not. Hey, he was the one who diverted the conversation. It wasn’t her fault.

“You’re a war fanatic then, huh? You know, lugs like you don’t usually have a lot of brains to compensate with. But I can tell that you’re smarter than the average Berserker. And yet…hehe, I don’t think you’re as cunning as an Assassin either.”

Giggling lightly to herself, she held on to the roof as the truck eventually slowed to a crawl next to the cat-like player from before. Seeing as the Dissolution attacking her was thus no more, it was safe to assume that she was relatively fine.

When the player, now labeled as Smitten Kitten, promptly denied Arm’s Slave’s offer, Corpse Collector tilted her head in a knowing manner.

“You’re not quite good with the ladies, are you? Ah don’t worry Mr. Arm’s Slave! I’m sure you’ll find a girl just right for you…one of these days~”

Sighing dreamily, she then proceeded to give a small wave to Smitten Kitten, followed by a wink.

[Lucius Cypher]

Donny Lee Yang - Arms Slave

Arms Slave rolled his eyes. Being a Sweeper wasn't as simply as hunting down Outlaws. A shame too, because on paper the Sweepers were a goddamn dream come true. Alas, reality proved to be a cruel mistress. And seeing that Smitten Kitten didn't want his help, Arms Slave drove off. He still had a meeting with the Black King and he figured that by now he won't be the first to arrive. He hoped he could mow down some mobs or players in the truck.

As he continued to drive Arms Slave decided to talk a bit about Corpse Collector's comment about being a war fanatic. "Well, I'm no berserker, but you're right that I'm not an assassin. Whether I'm cunning or smart, well that isn't for me to decide. Even a fighter like me needs to have a tactical sense. Gotta keep it simple but got to be smart. Sure my bread-and-butter is just hitting the bad guy a lot, but how do I get close enough to hit him? What do I hit him with? Is there a way I should hit him to make it hurt more? These are the sort of things I think about. Practical problems."

Eventually Arms Slave and his truck grind to a halt. He clicked a few buttons and flipped some switches before he stepped out of his Truck. His body was adorned with various weapons and armor, and his four arms were glistening with metal and muscle. "I'll leave the politics and strategy to the higher ups. Don't come to me if you want to know how to lead a guild. But if you want someone to kill the King, than I'm your guy." Arms Slave turned to look at the Black Tower before him. Before he entered he turned and looked at Corpse Collector.

"You know, I never did ask you want you wanted help with. I'm guess you aren't here to look for the Black King."

Restu Goroshi - Dark Wraith

Dark Wraith looked at Curved Solitaire. He was a healer, she was a Necromancer. Their classes couldn't be more opposite if you put a mirror between them. Not only that but she wasn't that much stronger than her was, though she probably had more experience than him. She would have to figure out, and it looked like their chance to prove his mettle just arrived. "Moon Rider, the guest of honor has arrived." Dark Wraith turned around and looked through the entrance to the Black King's tower. Outside she saw a truck and two figures near it. Even from her position she could scan and see who the players were.

[Scarifar]

Daniel - Free Runner

Daniel reached the rooftops in a matter of seconds and continued on his way. As he traveled, he took out his shotgun and reloaded it, then placed it back. It wasn't too long before he reached the Black Guild Hall and entered. He had only heard the words "Corpse Collector" when he landed behind someone named Curved Solitaire and attempted to kick him in the back, but instead, an angel-like creature appeared to take the blow, disappearing as soon as Daniel placed his foot back onto the ground. "What the-" Daniel said before a yellow blur moved right past him and stopped before the throne.

---

Michelle - Shooting Star-Yellow King
Michelle zoomed across multiple cities, stopping only to make turns along the streets. When she was running, not even galloping horses could match her pace. Distance was no obstacle for her as she ran through the White city, Red city, and Blue city. There were a few players who made the mistake of trying to stop her, and a few slashes with her swords got them out of the way.

She reached the Faded City in very little time and just kept running, loving the wind blowing across her face. As she turned a corner, she ran past an armored vehicle with a person on top and another person walking, but paid them little attention. She turned another corner and there it was, the place where the Black King resided. She ran inside, interrupting someone who was taking, stopping to a screeching halt right in front of the Black King's throne. Michelle bowed, smiling, and said, "Greetings, Black King. I am the Yellow King of the Tinged Berserkers," raising her hand for a handshake.

[Voltin]

Garth Wright | Bowed Woods - Orange King

Crazies, the King thought to himself, the whole lot of them. Of course, this had been his whole intention for intruding so deep into enemy territory; to confront the Black King together instead of alone. There was likely some reason for such a extreme change in how the Black Guild operates, and two Kings with an established animosity coming to talk were better than just one.

"Fine," he said, not betraying his own thoughts through tone or facial expression. "We'll ride your horse, but we will also be sticking to just the one." He shot an appraising glance at Aimless Amnesty.

"Are you sure, my liege? I would gladly-" Before Zealous could continue, his King simply shot him look which said, 'Not now.' "Right, got it," he said with a gulp.

"Let's try to keep our affairs cordial for the time we're together, hm?" He said, simply glancing at the White Terror as he got on his borrowed mount. "Wouldn't want your subordinates to see the bad side of their King." Rather like the Bubble, they fit, but with an uncomfortable Zealous sandwiched in between. "I'll name you Sunshine Stallion~" whispered Bellowed Mist in the back, giving the machine a pat.

"Well then," the Orange King gestured in front of them, "Ruler of this Domain, shall we proceed?"

---

Allen Docson | Curved Solitaire

The entire episode in the Throne Room was leaving Solitaire disoriented. The dissecting glare of this Dark Wraith had sent an uncomfortable shiver through his being. The proposition of being paired with such a girl to be trained despite their obvious differences, and the arrival of the Yellow King within the Black King's court. This had all been topped by his own relatively bold decision to come and affiliate himself with the Black Strykers in the first place. But, at the same time, he wouldn't back off and leave; this girl fascinated him, and he truly wanted to learn who she was.

"I'll try," he said in relation to her request on formality, assuming it would go unnoticed in the rush of events that were happening around them. The Corpse Collector... A hacker. A hacker in a game so deeply rooted within every living person's entire being, messing with the code that determined a person's very future... Such a person could kill, really kill, so finding them would obviously be a great task, and burden, for any group of people. Yet, it was likely no one with figure this, and view it as another simple part of Deep Ground. Typical.

[ERode]

Smiling at his words, even though the ‘friendly’ effect of such an action was wasted due to White Terror’s mask, her six eyes slitted in the most disturbingly foreign manner as she nodded. The Orange King was still as much of a douche as always, even though she was pretty sure that most of the Ivory Masks knew of her ‘bad girl gone wild’ side when it came to fighting. Her slitted ‘smiling’ glance was cast over towards the Wizard of the Silent Marauders, Bellowed Mist, as she commented airily, “That’s a fine name for the steed. Remind me to name it that after all this is settled, darling~”

With that, she did a little finger circling thing in the air to show that she was going, before striking the flanks of the mecha-horse.

“Mecha-Bucephalus, ACCELERATE!”

The mecha rainbow horse whinnied and stood up on its hind legs majestically, before a vivid, pulsating beam of rainbow energy shot out of its ass, rocketing the horse into the sky at a speed that was quite supersonic. In mere moments, the White King was soaring above the clouds, laughing hysterically at the 85 degrees vertical ascent.

She really needed to thank Frost Witch for getting these horses. She’ll never be able to enjoy flesh-horses again.

In what felt like mere moments, she reached the district of the Black King, a dark void compared to the colorful landscape of every other territory.

Then, the robot horse overshot it, and Haruka almost fell off the mecha-horse while it was doing a u-turn.

Passing overhead the lonely hall of the Black King once more, the robot horse decelerated too slowly, over shooting the mark once more.

This repeated for the better half of a minute, before Haruka got sick of this shit, and, during the sixth pass, jumped off the mecha-horse, who continued to horse around without a rider on it. Waving good-bye to the rainbow-farting Mecha-Bucephalus, the White King tumbled through the air towards the rapidly approaching roof of the Ebony Stryker’s Guild Hall.

With a thunderous crash, she kicked open the roof with the activation of her <<Herculean>> passive, and landed on her feet. The ground beneath her feet rumbled at her presence, spiderweb cracks spreading out from the epicenter of her dynamic entrance. She had landed right between the Yellow King and the Black King, and without a backwards glance, the White Terror straightened herself, the black-sclera eyes of her mask just inches away from Moon Rider’s own.

For a moment, a tense silence suffocated the room.

Then, her eyes narrowed into sharp slits, before the White King said, not caring how much personal space she was invading, “Sorry about the ceiling, but hey, now you have a skylight, Blackie~"

[Psyker Landshark]

Sam Jensen - Gleeful Jackal, Blue King

Well. That was informative. Gleeful Jackal emerged from his hiding place as the White and Orange Kings flew off towards Black's domain. So they wished to present a united front against Moon Rider, then? Well, goodie for them. He hadn't gotten anything useful out of that little spying session, but hell, it hadn't hurt him any.

Drawing his grappling hooks, the Blue King took off running as he leapt off the rooftop, firing a hook at the next building in line and reeling himself in at breakneck speed as he followed after the three flying mecha-horses in the distance.

Some time later, he reached the Black King's Guild Hall, snickering slightly as he noticed Haruka's horse overshooting the building several times. As the White King leapt off her horse, Gleeful Jackal raised a grappling hook and fired at the horse, reeling himself towards the robotic mount in the air. As he hurtled towards it, he whirled himself around and touched down on the horse, using it as a stepping stone to reposition himself before he leapt off, somersaulting off and through the hole that White Terror had made, touching down next to the White and Black Kings in a three-point landing. Pulling himself up, the Blue King made a show of dusting himself off, smirking slightly at the sight of White Terror in Moon Rider's face.

"Thanks for the entrance, Whitey. Sorry about your mecha-pony, though. Might've dented it a little." He said cheerfully while looking around the room, his eyes stopping on the Yellow King. "My, my. We've got four Kings here. Maybe five, if OJ decides to get his ass down here." The Blue King shrugged, leaning casually against a pillar, his hands in his pockets. "Anyways, I don't think we've ever met before. If it's not obvious already, I'm the Blue King. Nice to meet you, Yellow and Blackie."

[demonspade64]

10 minute after he killed his 3th target Mukuro the Undertaker waited for 20 minute wondering why know one was showing up, he then notice a strangle monster moving near the park. "Is that a Dissolution?" He asked himself before zooming in on it. "What is that doing here, it not suppose to be in this area?" he wondered. he wrote it off unofficial it was either a glitch or some kind avatar ability but it didn't matter much to him. He then activated his avatar ability

::Scattershot::

A red sphere then form at the barrel of his rifle before bursting into 12 different laser-like projectiles, hitting the Dissolution. He then fired another bullet at it face before slamming his hand on the clip under his rifle ejecting the used cartridge out of the gun before grabbing another cartridge and jamming where his old cartridge was, taking his focus off the creature for at least 3 seconds. When he look back at it he saw a black blob-like projectile heading for him. "Shit!" He said before getting hit causing him to fall from the platform between while taking acid damage.

---

After almost dying from fall damage mix with acid damage thankful he was able to save him using a gribble to save himself from the fall. After seeking some answer from some other players he decide to go to the Black Castle by way of ground to get some answers on what to do about the Dissolutions problem, after all they were all over his personal favorite hunting grounds and he rather hunt players then monster, to him hunting players felt more rewarding to him then hunting monster that were AI controlled.

Once in the guild hall he then notice a bunch of player standing around. "Is the monster problem that bad or is this just one of those chat circles?" he asked them a bit surprise really wondering if the situation was that bad. He then notice by looking at the names that these three are the leader of the seven guides that basically run this game unofficially. "Oh you must be that Black King I heard about?" He asked her yet oddly he seem a little bit surprise to see them.

[Ryonara]

Although Smitten Kitten didn't accept the ride, she still snuck onto the back of the truck as it drove away. It was, after all, faster than walking and left her less exposed. She just said no in case those players were actually PKer's who wanted to do horrible things to her once she got inside. She clung to the back of the truck as it drove towards the black king's HQ. But on the way she saw a lot of things happening very quickly. People hopping across rooftops, horses flying through the skies, someone even attacked the black king's tower and amde a really big hole. This made Smitten Kitten very nervous. "Looks like a lot of strong people came..."

She started having doubts about trying to defeat the Black King now. She figured that since Deep Ground was more based around skills than just your level or equipment, she at least stood some sort of a chance against the Black King if she fought smart. But against all these people? She just wasn't sure. Smitten Kitten would have to make up some sort of plan.

Eventually the truck stopped at the black king's tower and that's when Smitten Kitten sneaked inside. It wasn't too hard since there was so much going on, surely no one would have noticed the little girl enter. Once inside she recognized a lot of the names, four of whom where Kings of the various guilds, and others being notable members of said guilds. It made Smitten Kitten feel very small now as she lingered in the darker parts of the hall just watching.

[Scarifar]

Michelle - Shooting Star-Yellow King

Michelle retracted her hand and jumped back slightly when the White King bursted through the ceiling and landed between her and the Black King. "Jeez, rude much." Michelle muttered, although she wasn't one to talk, considering that she had just rushed in here without any warning. Then the Blue King appeared right after the White King, coming in through the same hole Whitey had just created. It was quickly becoming apparent that MichelleShooting Star was not the only King to have the idea to visit the Black King, although their reasons might differ.

"Hello to you as well, Blue," Shooting Star said in a friendly greeting. She turned to the White King and merely said, "White," in a not-so-friendly greeting. Shooting Star then smiled and said, "Well, I didn't expect this many Kings to come, buuuuuuuuut here we are. So, let's cut to the chase." She then pointed dramatically at Moon Rider and said, "Black King!" She put her hands on her hips and asked, "Why are you suddenly deciding to accept members into your Guild when previous Black Kings never did?"

---

Daniel - Free Runner

DanielFree Runner thought about trying to kick Curved Solitaire again, but decided that it was probably best not to. The angel might decide to do something worse than just appearing to take the hit. Instead, Free Runner placed his right arm around Curved Solitaire's shoulder and said, "Hey buddy. You came here to see the Black King too?"

[TheWendil]

Moon Rider-Black King
"Moon Rider, the guest of honor has arrived."

The Black King glanced in the direction of her Hall’s entrance, seeing a massively armored truck in the distance along with what appeared to be two players standing nearby as well. Narrowing her eyes, she focused on one of them-what appeared to be a female-before blinking once or twice. The female player….had vanished from sight. Just like that…she knew for certain that someone as high a Level as her was not prone to such cheap illusions. No…no it had to be the work of hacking within the Deep Ground Program. The thought of her potential enemy-because who else could it have been-fleeing from her own fortress earned a confident grin to her lips. Soon, all of Faded City would eventually learn to fear the return of her Guild.

Before she knew it however, more invited guests had finally made themselves known to her. A player with Free Runner hovering over their status walked up to jollily greet her, and she leaned in to answer his words.

“Greetings Free Runner. And welcome to the Ebony-“

A yellow flash made her pause, and she soon found herself looking at the newly arrived form of the Yellow King herself.

“….Strykers. Yes, I know of your status Shooting Star. If I remember correctly from memory, you’re fairly new to the business of leading Guilds.”

She looked at the both of them, Shooting Star and Free Runner, with an obviously pleased look.

“I take it you both want to join my Guild? Although in your case Yellow King, I assume you just wanna know what I’m really up to, right?”

A rumbling suddenly began to shake the very foundation of her blackened Kingdom, and Moon Rider looked up at the ceiling, expecting the arrival of more players. However, it was to her great surprise to witness a very familiar form. In the span of a few seconds, the White King herself, White terror, had landed directly in front of her throne and peered into her face.

Any aura of hospitality was dispersed at once, and the air seemed to become just a bit colder around the black-paned glass. Moon Rider stared right back at the mask of her eternal rival, the grip on her sheathed blade gracefully releasing the weapon and resting the weapon’s edge gently onto White Terror’s shoulder. The fluid motion was so fast, that anyone who had chosen that time to blink would have missed the moment all together.

“Sorry about the ceiling, but hey, now you have a skylight, Blackie~"

Moon Rider tensed by a mere fraction, the only indicator of her negative emotional output showing.

“White King,” she began icily. “When I relayed my message to all of Deep Ground, I suppose I really should have accounted for someone as loathing as yourself to grace my presence.”

She stared daggers into White Terror’s concealed face, the grip on her black katana never faltering and her gaze never wavering.

“What do you want? I’m sure you didn’t take the time to visit me of all people for a quick reunion, right?”

An amused grin creased the Black King’s lips.

“What, you’re not thinking of actually joining my Guild are you?”

"My, my. We've got four Kings here. Maybe five, if OJ decides to get his ass down here. Anyways, I don't think we've ever met before. If it's not obvious already, I'm the Blue King. Nice to meet you, Yellow and Blackie."

If the Black King was suspicious at first, then now she was on red alert. Not just one or two, but four other Kings were now circling in her territory: Blue, Yellow, White, and Orange. Orange. The title almost made her vomit in disgust.

“You brought him here too?”

Her voice stung with venom as she directed the question at the White King. Now there was no doubt in her mind that those two had come to destroy her plans even before fruition. Heaven forbid if the Red King showed up next; Moon Rider could very much do without the headache of keeping up with that fruitcake. For a long moment, Moon Rider said nothing, only letting the encompassing silence engulf them all, waiting for the moment to strike….

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

The black glass of Moon Rider’s fortress of solitude suddenly became stained with blaring red lights as large warning text began to flash over all regions of Faded City. Moon Rider lowered her weapon at the White King and looked around in confusion. All players, regardless of Level or location, were now being forced out of the game.

"Is the monster problem that bad or is this just one of those chat circles?" Oh you must be that Black King I heard about?"

Only now noticing the other player to join the Hall, Moon Rider gave him a nod of recognition.

“Welcome Undertaker. I apologize for the abrupt end to our meeting, but I can assure you that this is the work of the rising Dissolutions.”

The fact that she was able to remain calm at a time like this was remarkable. Feeling the familiar tugs pulling her mind back to the waking world, the Black King gave White Terror one more glare. And then, something impossible occurred between the two of them. Something that would no doubt leave even the indifferent White Terror surprised at her boldness.

“Meet me in the real world,” she told her with no expression. “Don’t bring anyone else.”

Soon enough, the entire area of the Black Kingdom had become nothing but numbers and digits, having returned to the World Interface.

---

Corpse Collector
“Uh…no, I guess you could say that I’m not here for that. Hehehe, not at all.”

The Corpse Collector’s usual carefree attitude was suddenly infringed upon at the sight of the massive fortress before them. The sheer resonance coming off from the buildings was enough to make the player with no status chuckle nervously.

“Um , well..…maybe I should…….bye now!”

Without a second thought of priority or ambition, the Corpse Collector phased away in mere seconds. A new type of ability? Or perhaps she was exploiting some specific coding of D.G.P. itself? Whatever the case, it didn’t last long, as the blonde girl soon found herself in the middle of a barren field not too far away from the looming black monolith. Carefully choking to make sure no one present was around, her innocent smile soon dropped completely.

“That….that bitch! That bitch saw me! She saw me! And what the hell was that, me? Why the fuck was I so scared? It’s just….ahh! No wait….calm down…just, I dunno, take slow breathes….just slow breathes and….and think….think how fun it is to take other people’s stuff and….and….hehe…”

As the deluded girl spoke in mutters to herself along with her tantrum, numerous portals began to spawn all around the map of Deep Ground. Before long, endless waves upon waves of the Dissolution NPCs began to flood and crowd each area. Every Hall, every battlefield, every Kingdom, until….

---

The Real World
It was precisely one hour since every player in the world had been kicked out of Deep Ground Online. The entire school, or at least those who chose to actually stay in class to play the online game, were either annoyed at the inconvenience, depressed at the lack of any real hobby to practice, or just plain confused at the whole thing. But then, that was to be expected.

These thoughts passed through the head of a rushed student half-walking, half-dashing towards the school’s mainframe. With long black hair that appeared just a bit too messy for her, a pair of prim glasses, and an expression that had no time for slackers, the School President of Purple Crown Academy had little time to put the entire population of youth at ease.

How utterly annoying….why the hell did this have to happen now? She sighed while closing her eyes, having memorized her path to the Student Council Office many times over by now. As she passed by the hallways, several students turned to stare at her. Ignoring them, she eventually made it to the closed off space and entered without hesitation.

To be fair, they had good reason to stare at their School President. Aside from the fact that the girl excelled in academics-not to mention that she was actually quite the looker-the famed Yoshino Tsgumi was also reported to be the only student in the entire Academy to have direct contact with Black King herself in the real world.

Rumor soon turned into truth, and since then many have pondered and attempted to guess the relationship between the two. It was no secret that Yoshino served as a public representative in the outside world for Black King, but was it that simple? Some said she’s really Black King's long lost sister. Others claim that she was Black King’s personal servant. And still, there were some well deserved nut jobs out there that swore that Yoshino Tsgumi was actually Black King herself in plain view.

Of course, that was just ridiculous; everyone knew that the School President absolutely hated video games. Regardless, it had been quite some time since she had to represent her client publicly like this.

Sitting in her own personal head chair, Yoshino released another weary sigh as she connected to the World Interface and mentally prepared herself for the message she was to deliver.

Very soon….there. Her voice and image would now connect to everyone who had ever linked to Deep Ground Online still eligible to play. Not bad for someone who could barely play a simple game of Go-Fish.

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

Well that caused some relief.

“And now, a message from the Black King. She deeply apologizes for the missed opportunity for the majority of you in meeting her. However, she states that for all of those who pledge allegiance to the Ebony Strykers, the next Guild meeting shall be tomorrow within the Black Kingdom, the same as today. And….the Black King has made her first orders to her new Guild. She desires for all of her followers to hunt down and bring her the player known as Corpse Collector to Black Kingdom as soon as possible. That is all. Thank you for your time and patience. Oh…and welcome to the Ebony Strykers.”

Without a moment of pause, Tsugmi’s message promptly ended.

[Lucius Cypher]

Donny Lee Yang - Arms Slave

"Ah? Where did you.... Ah, whatever." Arms Slave was surprised when Corpse Collector suddenly vanished. He figured it was some sort of assassin skill to vanish from a fight. He couldn't blame her; the moment he got out of his truck, the Black Tower was besieged by the various kings of the guilds and their lackeys. Arms Slave had it all planned out; he'd burst in, lock onto the kings, and Chain Catch them. He didn't care that they were all much higher level and outnumbered him. Surely the fact that he dared to attack the kings would impress the Black King. Arms Slave just entered when the world around him turned red.

The system shouted over all the noise that everyone was getting forced out. To be pulled off Deep Ground immediately. Arms Slave's mood went dark. "No..." He looked over at the Black King, and those gathered around her. One by one, people were getting forced off. He could see at the bottom of his HUD that he too was about to be forced off. "No! Not now, not before - NO! NO NO NO!" Arms Slave shouted in fury. He wanted to fight, he wanted to attack the kings, to incite the biggest war in Deep Ground. He was not about to let some glitch stop him. He lashed out; four arms meant he could use up to four Chain Catches. One to the White King, one to the Blue King, one to the Yellow King. The last Chain Catch was aimed at the Black King, not out of hostile intent, only because Arms Slave was panicking. He had come too far to just be forced of.

As though time slowed down, he could see in his vision a stream of 1 and 0. He was being taken out of the game. "No..." His vision began to become more obscured. He had a hard time seeing if his Chain Catches connected. He saw portals. Half his vision was dark. "No..." He looked at the Black King. The assassin, the mysterious, enigmatic ruler of the Ebon Strykers. Miss Moon Rider.

"SHIT!"

Donny shot up in his seat in a cold sweat. His words echoed in his booth but were heard by no one. He breathed heavily and tried to reconnect, but nothing happened. Donny grew angry, his teeth and fist clenched tightly. He stood up and punched the wall, leaving a dent and bruising his hand. He began to curse and swear relentlessly as he continued to pummel the wall until he left a notable pattern of fist smeared with blood. His hands were purple and red and his eyes held a hostile intent. Than his phone began to ring. He whipped it out and shouted into the speaker. "WHAT!?"

Restu Goroshi - Dark Wraith

Things escalated quickly. First, the players Arms Slave and Corpse Collector arrived. She knew Arms Slave as one of the higher level Sweepers, higher level being that Arms Slave player, Donny Lee Yang, was one of the Eraser's go to wetworker. If she remembered correctly, he just finished a job today. Than more players began to show up, including one who for some reason or another tried to kick Curved Solitaire. Free Runner, also known as Daniel Day Dalton. Armsman, arrogant, and is part of the Scarlet Harleys. Shooting Star, the Yellow King and Michelle Kine also than arrived. Bursting from the ceiling was the White Terror, king of the Ivory Mask as better known as Haruka Fujiyama. Of course, everyone knew that. The White Terror hardly kept her true identity a secret. Following her was the Gleeful Jackal, Blue King, and Sam Jensen. An Assassin type player, doesn't really make much of himself as far as Dark Wraith was concerned. Someone else to entered was Mukuro Matsumoto The Undertaker. A Sniper Assassin and actually has been classified as an Outlaw by the Sweepers. He hasn't really gone out of his way to be a nuisance, but the complaints about him has piled up high enough for Dark Wraith to know that someone would pay a nice price to erase him. She made a note of this and looked at another late arrival. Smitten Kitten, a level 3 Warlock, real name Hibiki Toho. The youngest daughter of Toho Systems. This actually surprised Dark Wraith; while everyone else had their notoriety in game, Toho Systems had very strong ties to Deep Ground. Dark Wraith made a note to keep track of Smitten Kitten in hopes to using her as an asset for later.

Everyone's sudden appearance was cut short by the announcement that Deep Ground was forcing everyone to log out. Dark Wraith smirked at this. "Oh please. Dissolutions are just the pawns. There's something much bigger than just a glitch going on." The game didn't log Dark Wraith out; Restu did that herself. She had some things she needed to prepare now. She was going to collect more information on this Corpse Collector, as well as investigate the true cause of this influx of Dissolutions. Once logged out Restu picked up her phone and made some calls.

"I have something I want you to do for me..."

[Jedly]

Revelations

“Attention all players. I, the Black King, ruler of the Ebony Strykers, am allowing any and all to join my Guild. This will be the first time I have done so in the entirety of Deep Ground’s launch. Please, choose your allies wisely.”

“What a crazed witch.” Michael muttered to himself as he walked with a brisk pace through the halls, hunched over like an igor. He fiddled with his green scarf nervously, lacking the mentality to put together words to describe the emotions he was currently feeling. It was a mixture of astonishment and despair, the feeling of complete and utter blindness. The unexpected had occurred, and it was biting every kingdom in the ass. Chances are, as the king sulked through the hallways towards his meeting room, multiple players were leaping at the chance to join the Ebony Strykers. It would probably become as famous of a trend as short jeans, or something along the lines of irritable. As he proceeded to the guild room, students were energetic, running through the halls to reach their own destinations. Though, each individual took the time to greet the king with their vibrant eyes, bombarding him with questions about his opinions on the matter. All Michael could do was put on a kind smile and reserve his comment for a later time, as he was in quite the hurry. A student caught up with him from his behind and matched his pace, as they were heading to the same meeting room. Though it wasn’t a rule to have a set dress code for followers of kingdoms, all of the members gladly obliged to following Michael’s example and draped scarves of the kingdom’s color around their necks. It didn’t matter what time of year it was, the rangers were loyal throughout, and openly expressed their positions in real life.

The elder to his side was a seventeen year old student named ”Yamato”, who operated as the boy’s right hand man. ”Good afternoon, si-” Michael was quick to raise his hand to silence the senior, then collapsed all his fingers except for his pointer, “Hey, Yamato, what did I tell you about calling me by that formal stuff? I may be a king, but I’m a new one. I have yet to truly earn the title. Anyways, what is the status on the members who have entered the interface?” It took a few moments for the guy to respond, since he was simultaneously running GDP whilst walking with the king. ”All 36 members are accounted for. They are currently waiting in the base meeting room for your arrival.” Michael nodded and let out a sigh of relief, “They were probably so excited that they left their bodies in their desks. I’m sure only a few went through the hassle of walking down to the sanctity of our assigned room. The school went through the hassle of furnishing it with beds, chairs, fancy tables, even a coffee machine. Eh, what’s done is done.” He trailed off as they rounded a corner, then stopped at a wooden door.

Yamato quickly stood in front of Michael and held the door open for the king. The boy was half-tempted to make another comment, but since time was of the essence, he brushed off the lingering feeling. “Alright, you notify everybody that I will be there in a minute.” His comrade gave a short nod, happily taking on the order as he sat down in a furnished chair. Within a matter of seconds, his comrade had already dove into the game. Michael breathed in deeply, fully taking in the room and its calming appearance. As per the usual, the spacious room and all of its furnitured was completely covered in the color green. It could have been mistaken as a grassy plain if it wasn’t for the flat walls. “...The Black King’s room must be pretty depressing. I’d feel my morale drop within a second if I stepped foot in such a place.” He spoke to himself as he sat on his personal sofa. The boy closed his eyes and cleared his mind of any thoughts, allowing himself to enter the interface.

Welcome, Silent Death

The screen displayed the welcoming before him, which he instinctively proceeded past, finally taking form in the game. He came to in his private room, built at the bottom of the base. Michael stood up from the bed and looked at himself from the mirror sitting firmly on a dresser. His face was exactly the same as his features in real life. Though, instead of a uniform and a scarf, he was protected by an almost full suit of stealth armor. ”An armor to protect myself with, and to disappear from everybodys’ sights.” The attire portrayed his inner personality perfectly. Michael grabbed the helmet off of the dresser and fastened it tightly on his head, he then walked to the other side of the room and slung the ASVK over his shoulder. Normally, the rifle would way a little more than 12 kg, a fourth of his actual weight. Though, with the buffed stats and high level, the sniper was as light as a feather. He sprinted out of the room and made his way to the meeting hall, where all of his followers stood at the ready.

The Fanged Rangers, being a relatively small faction consisting of only a few dozen members, only controlled a small portion of the city. Though, compared to the rest of the regions, the kingdom is considered a haven without any bloodshed. Michael has managed to remain neutral with the rest of the kings by not taking any drastic actions, he decided to let them fight amongst eachother. The rangers were more of a family than a kingdom, each member knowing the others on a personal level, they operated as a cohesive unit which patrolled and kept peace in their area. If an individual, usually of guildless origin, attempts to break said peace, they are either disposed of by non-violent or forceful means. Compared to the other glamorous kingdoms, Michael’s consisted of a more urban setting, the complete opposite of the stunning skyscrapers and strongholds of the others. Through these means, Michael has followed through with the previous king’s wishes and kept the faction out of harm’s way. The boy stretched out as he enter the hall, standing on a stage. Before him were the 36 members, who were gossiping and conversing about the recent events. But as soon as the king cleared his throat, they were all instantly brought to a hush. He glanced at them, reading each of their expressions. They were all waiting expectantly for the words to roll off his silk tongue.

“As you all know, with the recent announcement, the Ebony Strykers has opened recruiting policies. I am sure she will gain a mass of followers, mostly those of mutinous or guildless descent. Now, before I continue, does anybody here wish to follow such a path? I will not hold it against you, I’m sure the chance comes with many benefits.” He stood there at the podium, his eyes darting down each row. But, nobody spoke up; instead, they stood there with their right arms over their chest, fully pledging their allegiance. A smile formed under the helmet, “Good. Now, how shall we go about this, I’m sure most of you are wondering. Well, we’ll follow through with the same procedure we’ve been abiding by these past months. Since the Fanged Rangers are a generally neutral faction, the option to open communications with the Black King is possible. I will head out soon enough.” He sighed deeply into the microphone, staring at his guild mates, “But, may I warn you. There will be changes. Though they won’t be made by us, we will most likely find ourselves in the middle of the fray. I request that all of you stay strong, remember who is on your side, and protect each other. Revelations are happening, my dear friends.” The members gave shouts of agreement, “Alright, now, let’s get re-”

Michael was cut off when an error message popped up before him, notifying him that the GDP server would instantly be shutting down. He awoke with a start in his room, along with the members who were present. Instantly he bolted onto his feet, “Everybody, get to your classrooms and wait for the public announcement. I will check in with a few other kings if I run into them.” The few members gave a quick Yes Sir! before darting out of the room. Michael was about to stop them, but he let it go with a wave of his hand. He grabbed a cup of coffee with haste and ventured back to his own classroom. Students were following the same suit, sharing their experiences about the recent occurrences. On his way back to his room, he passed the School President, walking through the halls with the look of determination in her eyes. He took a sip of his beverage as he entered his classroom and took a seat, listening in on the announcement which was soon broadcasted.

[Anderiel]

Minutes of plotting had been foiled, unfortunately the Silent Marauders were more boring than Amnesty had anticipated, one seemed to almost come around but was eventually warded off by peer pressure. Such a shame, but dwelling on the past wasn't something she was keen on, so, after being denied some company upon her mecha-pony, the journey set forth. Which was quick, but nonetheless extremely fun.

Ponies pooping rainbows.

Going at warp speed.

And having the figurehead of Ivory Masks' entering the Ebony Strykers' guild hall in the coolest way.

"+1 for White, -1 for everyone else." Amnesty said quietly as she leaped from her own mount a few moments later.

Landing briefly before the action started, she did happen to catch White Terror and Moon Rider's confrontation, it was such a fun and interesting thing to watch that if anyone were to peer at the girl in the dark corner she was sitting in, they'd likely be creeped out as she giggled and gripped her sides watching. Though things did take a very serious turn, as the Black King began to draw their weapon in the presence of her leader Amnesty quickly drew the knife sheathed at her back, and began to approach from the western wall. This endeavor however, was cut short.

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

"Shit!" She said to herself, returning the knife to her back and calming down as she watched the Black King do the same.

Keeping a careful eye on the other kings, she watched, and waited. There was absolutely no way she was leaving with two friends here and so many threats around them. Crossing her legs, and hands buried in the two pockets in her skirt, Amnesty quietly watched with a much different aura than that she had before. Moon Rider whispered something, though she couldn't hear it, the girl's lips visibly moved near her leader's ear. It was a very weird situation, something that would usually excite her in more than one way, however this just left a bad taste in her mouth. Too many things to occur in one day, too strange to be a coincidence. But she couldn't betray that lovely image that she had of herself so Amnesty broke the uncomfortable feeling by speaking quickly before they were forcefully logged out.

"So if anyone's looking to have some fun! My room number is~"

And before she could finish, the forced logout had been executed. Sitting in the lecture room where she had been before logging in-

Sitting at a lone table Claire scratched her forehead in thought, reviewing the whole situation in her head.

"Dissolutions, Black King, and then this... Well, there's always a chance it 'could' be a coincidence. But who knows.."

[Zombehs]

A hand pressed up against the black glass as Jun strode up to it and looked out. Across from this building was the hall that currently housed several, four if his eyes didn’t fail him, Kings. Quite the gathering for what was supposed to be a recruiting event for the Ebony Strykers, but it was quite the event so it wasn’t strange. His eyes flew over the other Avatars that had come and recognized some from earlier, but not really caring all too much about them. Lips, on the Avatars that had such, were moving and although he obviously couldn’t hear from where he stood, his “eyes” focused in an attempt to glean what was being said. Nothing too important from what he could make out, it seemed that the Black King wasn’t exactly pleased with the White Terror’s entrance. It was hard enough to catch even that though thanks to the distance and the number of Avatars gathering. Reluctant to do so, but seeing it necessary if he wanted to know more, Jun prepared to Flash Frost out.

Before he could do so though, the sound klaxon roared through what seemed like the entirety of Deep Grounds Online. Stumbling a bit at the sudden and unexpected event, Jun found himself at a loss for a moment before he recovered. “Huh…” was about all the reaction he had, expressing both acceptance and disappointment for such a thing to occur at such an inopportune time. He could feel the connection slowly slipping away as the virtual world collapsed around him and his Avatar began to fade away. Rather than let the connection break in such a manner though, he closed his eyes and let go. Opening them, he found himself staring at the white ceiling of his room.

He had been busying himself with a new book he’d gotten a few days ago, but hadn’t gotten a chance to crack open just yet when an announcement rang out inside his head. Frowning at the initial message, Jun couldn’t help but click his tongue in annoyance and disappointment. What a waste. He could just imagine how much EXP he would have been able to farm with Dissolutions running rampant. The second tidbit revealed what the mysterious Black King’s immediate purpose was. He filed that under ‘interesting information to know’ before pushing DGO off to the side of his mind. It sucked that access would be down for the day, but without anything to do about it, he focused his attention elsewhere.

[Ryonara]

Smitten Kitten didn't even get a chance to see the black king up close and personal when the entire building began to flash and everyone was forced off. Smitten Kitten didn't even get a chance to listen when she was booted off. She found herself sitting in her house dumbfounded. Hibiki tried to log into Deep Ground a few more times, but she just kept getting an error message. This actually made her a bit sad since she had already left school and now there was no one around. She bit her lip and left the game room to do some homework.

About an hour later as Hibiki was doing her homework the school president made an announcement. First was that Deep Ground was going to be down due to technical difficulties, and that the black king wanted her members of the guild to hunt down Corpse Collector. "Wait... I saw that name before!" The memory was vague, but Hibiki was certain that she saw the name Corpse Collector riding on that truck when she was in the black city. Hibiki wondered why the black king wanted Corpse Collector, but Hibiki knew what she was going to do. She wanted to find Corpse Collector as ask her if she wants to help Hibiki defeat the black king; surely an enemy of an enemy is a friend?

Hibiki finished up the rest of her work and packed some of her things. She was going to head back to the school and try to contact Corpse Collector somehow. While Corpse Collector did seem rather eerie, Hibiki was certain that she could convince Corpse Collector to work with her, more so if Hibiki could convince that she could protect Corpse Collector now that everyone in the Ebon Styker guild wanted to go after her.