[IC] Deep Ground Online (Hiatus)

[Ryonara]

Smitten Kitten stood silent as Moon Rider spoke to her. She knew it was part of the plan to kill her, but not now! Not this soon! And certainly not alone. Moon Rider seemed to remember Smitten Kitten, which did surprise her. She was certain that she didn't get spotted last time she followed Moon Rider, but then again the black king did eventually figure out someone was. Gulping, SMitten Kitten stood her ground. She knew she couldn't defeat Moon Rider in a straight up fight, and even if she did Smitten Kitten didn't declare an Outlaw Declaration yet, so even if she wanted to Smitten Kitten couldn't hurt Moon Rider. But that also meant Moon Rider couldn't hurt her... Yet.

"It's true... I'm weak. I can't hope to defeat you right now. I... I haven't ever fought anyone before. I haven't even killed a Dissolution yet. But once upon a time, you were the same. You were new once, weak, and powerless. And... We both have our own dreams and ambition. That's why we will get stronger."

Looking at the ground, Smitten Kitten couldn't bare to look at Moon Rider in the eyes. She didn't want to show her fear, because Smitten Kitten was freaking out. Moon Rider was just a gamer, just like Kitten, and yet somehow being in front of Moon Rider in person... There was a lot more pressure. She clenched her fists and brought them close to her body as if she needed to hold onto herself.

"But this is where we're different! Because unlike you, I don't intend to crush anyone's dreams to get to the top! You... A black guild should be a guild for outsiders. For people who have no where else to go. Not everyone can fit in with the Scarlet Harley, or Ivory Masks, Cobalt Bruisers, or Fanged Rangers. For players who can't work under those rules, there should be a group that would accept them with open arms, no matter what their past or lot in life is. A chance. But that's not what the Ebony Strykers are!"

Looking defiantly at Moon Rider Smitten Kitten nearly had nears in her eyes as she pointed an accusing finger at the Black King. "I thought you were going to make the Ebony Strykers great again! But then you let those Sweepers join you, and now you're nothing but a bunch of hypocrites! Don't you know those thugs have hurt real people, just because of this game? I thought the Ebony Strykers would accept anyone, give everyone a chance to make something of their life, but now they're just another elitist power-hungry maniacs! You'd crush anyone just to make sure you stayed on top with no regard to the lives lost or even personal honor. You... You're everything that makes Deep Ground despicable."

Wiping the tears from her eyes Smitten Kitten started to become angry. She was now facing Moon Rider and was going to hold nothing back. "Do you even remember the name Onyx Fox? She used to be in the Ebony Strykers. She... She wasn't good at first, but then she joined the Ebony Strykers and they helped her. You helped her." Smitten Kitten's voice soften for just a moment as she thought of Onyx Fox. Her old friend. She was going to be part of Deep Ground for her, but now... Anger continued to flare in Smitten Kitten's eyes, but also sorrow. She wanted answers.

"But then the guild closed and left everyone to fend for themselves. One by one Onyx saw her former guildmates get slaughtered by Outlaws and other guilds, because you abandoned them. Most tried to stay together, tried to keep that old glory, but because you isolated yourself they ended up slaughtered and becoming EXP fodder. Onyx... She fought for you for so long. Even after you disbanded the guild she stayed and tried to make the black city a better place. But now she's gone because of you. Because you abandoned everyone! Why... Why would you throw away all those people? Did you even care about what would happen to them after you turned you back on them?"

@TheWindel

[Kitsune]

Crimson Outlaw Kisa

The order that was given to her sent her eyebrow raising as she took pause, did she really want her to go and do something like that?! To go up to the black king and ask ever so nicely to come along to meet her employer. "You are asking the impossible all the time you know that don't you?" With that last message she peered down towards the battlefield once more, her crimson eyes tracing it for a few moments to be able to seek out the black King.

However she knew she would have to be very careful in her approach towards her, if she went about it the wrong way and got caught from the wrong direction she could be meeting some random player looking to make a name for themselves in this outlaw war.

Her face visibly winced when she finally locked onto her target, the very one that was currently gutting and casting aside other outlaws like they were nothing! This was not the real world, no in this game that would end up deciding her entire like she could not risk being careless. Though soon her opportunity knocked as she saw the player Smitten Kitten- "What kind of name is..." -move up towards Moon Rider, taking her attention which is just what she needed to get in close enough that she could talk. Now she just had to avoid everyone else on her way there, blinding speed sometimes had its disadvantages.

Lowering herself down she gripped the side of the building before kicking off of it, a small 'crack' sounded off as she vanished from view, zooming through the edges of the battlefield. Ducking under a swung blade everything seemed to slow down, her sheer speed allowing her to touch the sword and pull herself up with the swing of the hulking avatar, flinging her over the rest until she was able to come to a stop. Appearing once more she stepped up towards the Black King slowly, weapon at the ready as she was not stupid. She could only catch the small amount of history between the pair, though it did not matter to her she made sure to at least wait until the cute one responded before raising her voice as to catch their attention. She knew this was ill advised, sure there was one of the kings there but there was also a level one, may not be much of a threat but there were ones with hidden tricks.. Worse yet only she was marked as a outlaw, putting her at great risk. "Moon Rider? My employer wishes to see you. I will need you to come with me... Please?" The please sounded so forced that it may have decreased her HP somewhat...

@Ryonara@Lucius Cypher@TheWindel

[TheWendil]

Moon Rider

The Black King lowered her weapon, seeing that this Smitten Kitten wanted to talk. Well, she would have wished that these were under better circumstances but perhaps having a full-scale battle in the backdrop was the perfect time to do so. So she disignited her lightsaber and held it by her hip, waiting patiently for Kitten to announce what she wanted.

As she did so, a range of emotions flitted across Moon Rider’s face: anger, outrage, and perhaps a little bit of understanding. When Kitten finished, Moon Rider took the time to channel her words and gather her breath. It would be easier…so much easier to just cut this fool down.

This fool, who knew nothing of her, nothing of her history with the Black Guild, nothing in general…but she would not lash out. Unlike a certain White King, she would choose to listen to this soul who dared to face her. After all, Kitten was only a Level 1. That fact alone was enough to draw in Moon Rider’s attention.

“No…No I’m sorry. But I don’t remember Onyx Fox,” she began evenly. “In the past, your description of the Strykers was accurate. We were a Guild who chose to accept all Players, especially those who felt like they belonged nowhere else. That is why we were mainly composed of former Outlaws and Players with no affiliation.”

Moon Rider crossed her arms and sighed. By the gleam in her eyes, it was obvious to see that her mind was carried back to a time long past, seeing faces that only she could remember. Time in the gaming world and the real one felt so diverged that often, one’s Avatar really became their IRL self.

“I was like you in that time. A low level Player with nothing much to accomplish. I remember your friend’s name but not her face. My ways didn’t change; I was a loner back then as I am now. Despite that, our Guild was strong. Stronger than most in part of our leader. The one who guided us…and destroyed us. When he disbanded the Strykers, chaos and mutiny threatened to overwhelm everyone…and I was left to pick up the pieces.”

The Black King raised an eye, wondering why she was even revealing this much to the Player who wanted to end her. But in some way, it felt good to put some ease to these lingering thoughts of hers.

“And now we’re here. I can’t speak for the actions of my Guild’s past. What is done was done. But understand that I never would have aligned myself with the likes of the Sweepers if I didn’t have some control. I know I won’t be able to convince you in this conversation alone, but know that I intend to change the future of Deep Ground for the better. The Sweepers are merely a tool for my goals…and like all tools, I will break them if they disobey.”

Smitten could choose to believe her or not, but the sudden fire in Moon Rider’s eyes was indication that she believed every word she said. It would seem that the sins of her past and of her Guild weighed heavily on the Black King and she was dead set in righting those wrongs…
Moon Rider suddenly ignited her blade and swung it to the side, clutching the hilt at the last moment to keep the purple energy beam at Crimson Outlaw Kisa’s throat. By the fading fire in Moon Rider’s eyes, it was evident that only quick thinking stopped her from killing the other Player on instinct.

“Well considering the fact that you’re asking me, I can assume that you’re not an enemy, right?” she said with a calm voice. “Tell me the name of who sent you.”

Further inside the Black Castle, a certain battle was raging on. This Dovev guy was really starting to get on the Corpse Collector’s nerves, the gunslinger bucking and weaving to avoid his strikes. As he reared up to strike at her throat, she activated another trick up her sleeve. Unaware of Dark Wraith’s tampering, the Hacker grinned as Dovev’s blade went right through her. Snickering, she twirled her guns and leapt away, spinning back to rain bullets down upon him.

“Did I care? Care about what? Dude, I don’t give a fucking care about fucking anything, especially whatever shit fest you’re trying to rant to me about. Now why don’t you shut up and man up you piece of….the fuck?!?”

Landing a few feet away, Corpse Collector frowned as she fired Death Penalty…but nothing happened. What would ordinarily be Dissolutions, only regular bullets came in place…wait a minute…she tried teleporting, but even that was blocked…that only meant…

“That shitty bitch sack,” she hissed to herself, figuring that only a Sweeper was behind this. And if her employer was right, she had a feeling of which one it was. Thankfully she couldn’t go on a hell raid against Wraith as a car suddenly found itself launched at her face. Hearing the roar of the engine, Corpse Collector ducked and rolled out of the way as someone from the…Green Guild had arrived. Green…Guild…

“You…You’re fucking serious right? First some cheap croak going on about something I did and now a wannabe record player? Oh…ohohoho…I think I’m going to fucking kill you all free of charge, the Moon Bitch included,” Corpse Collector said with trembling rage in her voice, aiming both guns at Dovev and Jukebox.

“And your blood is all the pay I’ll ever need.”

---

@Lucius Cypher, @McFazzer, @ReaptheMusic, @Kitsune, @Ryonara

[KoL]

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Deep Ground Online

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Eclipse Princess

BGM

“Hmm?” Eclipse Princess hummed as she noticed Nies observing her from afar with apprehension. “Is she afraid of me?” The Berserker questioned herself, even if the answer was given; clenching her left hand in a fist, and staring at it for a couple seconds. “It’s better that way. If Cassandra fears me, it means I don’t have to do much to keep her safe.” With that thought, Eclipse Princess turned on her back, listening to the sounds of the intensifying battle. “Tsc!” Eclipse Princess clicked her tongue and turned to look at the castle and then at the battlefield, she was almost certain that the Corpse Collector had slipped under their nose but the skirmish was starting to grow out of control with players from other guilds joining in as well.

“Great, now I have to choose whether to go and rejoin Moon Rider, to possibly fight Corpse Collector, or stay and help these fools before the gate falls because of their incompetence.”

Eclipse Princess sighed, drew a breath and calmed the rage that was all but making her chip her own teeth after grinding them hard against each other and then, she turned on her back. “I’m not here to kill that hacker, power won through underhanded ways means nothing.” She mumbled to herself while calmly walking out of the gates of the Black City and turning to face the chaos of the battle field. “If it was on my choice alone, I would let those Sweepers be gutted like the useless swine they are”, Eclipse Princess planted her sword on the ground, right before the gate, holding the wave of Outlaws at bay first because of their confusion and then when they noticed who was the one before them, “but Our King seems to have some use to this trash and I swore my loyalty to her, thereby… If any of you wants to cross this gate, you’ll have to go through me first.”

Eclipse Princess lifted her sword and pointed it at the Outlaw army, “Now, who’s it who wants to meet their fate first.”

As Eclipse Princess waited the enemy to advance, she sent a message to the fools fighting that Giant Dissolution up to now:

To: Arms Slave, Paper Moon, etc.

From: Eclipse Princess

Subject: Stop fooling around

Sweeper Scum.

What are all of you doing, worthless group of idiots? Get done with that Dissolution and join the main battle again, this isn’t a game, so stop fooling around. You believe yourselves to be righteous enough to judge someone on the real world for their actions on Deep Ground, like gods from a far above heaven, using cheaters and hackers to cover up for the power you lack… the true power you’ll never be able to get, yet you can’t even kill a Dissolution that’s weaker than the one that took me one hit to defeat?

Don’t. Make. Me. Laugh.

“Gott ist tot.”

---

@TheWindel@Lucius Cypher@Alina13@Jedly@Caits

[MarshiestMallow]

Nies Hellum

Interacting with: @KoL, Eclipse Princess

Nies saw that Eclipse had seen her, and raised a hand in greeting. She wondered what Eclipse was thinking, as she clenched her fist. Could it be that eclipse was worried? Fearful? It dawned on Nies that perhaps eclipse thought she was staying back out of fear, rather then trying to figure out what she could do.

my dear Eris, have I not proven yet that I am unafraid of you? Why must you continue to doubt me? Cassandra thought, before gathering her staff, and decided that she must prove it once and for all. If eclipse didn't want her there, tough luck. It was time to show her, and everyone else, that Nies hellum could and would stand and fight.

She started to walk, deciding she couldnt wait for Nyx anymore. It was with shock that she heard music, quite faint, but unmistakable as Jukebox. well, well, Alex. You surprise me, but then, I probably surprise a lot of people too. Just don't die, you were my first friend in here Cassandrs thought to herself, faltering just a moment, before ber eyes landed on Eclipse princess again, as she spoke.

It occurred to Nies that she might be a mere hinderance to Eclipse, yet Nies had to prove to Eclipse her words were true. "I told you, when you had me pinned to the wall, I'm not afraid of you, and it's still true now. Im not afraid of what's to come, either. I realize I'll be more of a hinderance to you then anything else right now. You don't need to be worrying about me, when you're fighting. So I'll go attack this at another angle then. Keep jukebox alive. That boy manages to get into all sorts of trouble, like a puppy" she gave a smile, "just don't die, okay?"

Sometimes Cassie wondered if their avatars reflected who they truly were. Or who they wanted to be. Other times, She wondered if she could merely just be herself on the game. Switching between two personsonas, while unconscious, was tiring. She didn't know whether it was Cassie or Nies who darted in, embracing Eclipse in a swift embrace.

[Ryonara]

Kitten could feel Moon Rider’s emotions through her eyes and her words, even if she kept a steady tone. She knew she was just making the Black King angry with her. Truth be told Smitten Kitten didn’t know a lot about the Ebony Strykers or the Black King. She only knew that her friend was gone, and it was somehow related to them. But that still didn’t change some of the choices Moon Rider made and Smitten Kitten intended to call her out on them.

”I… I had hoped you were better than that. I hoped that maybe you would have said you were going to try to change the Sweepers for the better, prove me wrong, but… Is that all anyone is to you? Just tools to get your way? Do… Do you even care about anyone else but yourself? You’re evil! In the end it’s all about what you want, not about what is good for everyone else. That change you want for Deep Ground, I bet you haven’t even told anyone what that is. No one shares your dream, Moon Rider!”

Smitten Kitten started to back away. There wasn’t much else she could say; anything more and she would just be rambling. As long as Smitten Kitten or Moon Rider didn’t try to attack each other, she was almost certain she could get away. At the same time another player named Red Outlaw Kisa arrived talking about bringing Moon Rider to someone, but Kitten didn’t stay to listen. By the time Moon Rider would look back, Smitten Kitten was already gone.

She needed to find Corpse Collector, and fast. Smitten Kitten knew that she was probably fighting the Ebony Strykers now and it would only be a matter of time before Moon Rider finds her and brings back up. Kitten was also certain that the Sweepers already found Corpse Collector and might also be fighting her. They would really be the only ones who could hurt CC since they’re hackers like CC is. The irony wasn’t lost on Smitten Kitten that she was working with CC, an obvious hacker and toxic player, against Moon Rider and her cronies, who Smitten Kitten thinks are hackers and a toxic guild. Smitten Kitten hated it, but she knew how to deal with Corpse Collector and all of the Ebony Strykers. Now Smitten Kitten just needed to find her.

[Kitsune]

Crimson Outlaw Kisa

She had been expecting a 'warm welcome' and sure enough she was right on the money as the flaming sword came dageruly close to slicing off her neck! Her hand was still holding her sword behind her and at the ready, and in a sense she was very thankful that she was not attacked, for both their sake. With a soft sigh she peered down towards the sword for a moment as the Black King talked, wondering if she greeted all people in this manner? Though given the friend that she was just with was leaving she suspected that was very much the reason, maybe she was jealous she was not on the end of the Black Kings sword?... Oh she had to stop herself from laughing because of her childish humor.

Finally being allow to speak she raised her own blade to gently tap at the back of the Black Kings, signaling that she didn't want it there, though if it was removed or not didn't matter. "I cannot tell you that. However what does it matter in the end? If it is just a trap with the outlaws you will kill them. If it is the corpse collector you will kill them, if I am wasting your time then I will likely get sorted out. So on and so forth. Really you have nothing to lose in coming along with me to see my employer." If she accepted she would waste little time in leading her to Dark Wraith, making sure to message ahead that they would be coming to the location of her choosing.

@TheWindel

[ReaptheMusic]

Dovev the Unseen

---

@TheWindel@McFazzer

That last line the Corpse Collector had spoken was, really, really cheesy. The car that had crashed through the wall, and around all the bullets, Dovev had managed to dodge them and he now stood beside Jukebox, staring down Corpse collector as she had her little tirade. He had yet to acknowledge the man from the green guild, but assumed from how he spoke that he was one of the kids from the hospital room.

As rounds started going off, he made an attempt to grab the noisy avatar beside him by the back of his collar and drag him along as he skittered back into the shadows down a corridor, avoiding the shots. He pressed his back against the wall as he dropped the kid, turning his face towards the manic blonde. Dovev would need to think quickly; her systems were being hacked--or rather, unhacked, and this kid by him was killing his main venue of offense. He took one more glance at the kid, and then ran further ahead down the hall without another word. He decided, it would be best to place distance between himself and the Corpse Collector before coming back for a counter strike. The kid was on his own.

[Mega Birb]

Nyx

His message to the others was never answered. "Odd... wait, what's going on?" The screens in his mask started lighting up, every single one of them showing various angles of two individuals fighting, as if it meant more than a handful of EXP. "Is that..? No, it can't be..." He paused, finally being granted a clear view of the face of one of the combatants. None other than Corpse Collector herself. In less than an instant, he took off down the street, jumping into the nearest vehicle and tearing off towards the Black City, making sure to paint the car's hood with a few stray Outlaws that were wandering the streets.

He arrived within minutes, and saw a grand display before him. Eclipse Princess herself, staring down a horde of Outlaws assaulting the Black City's gates. He was no Stryker, but something like this demanded action. With a deft few movements, Nyx was making his way through the bloodied battlefield, invisible as ever. Like the ghost he was, he approached Princess just as Vendetta ended, giving a knowing nod and pulling a handgun from inside his coat. "It seems we fight together again." The Assassin stopped just behind the Berserker, performing a heel turn and holding the firearm across his chest and against his heart.

"Can you savages kill what doesn't bleed!? Find out for yourselves!" He was ready for whatever came, stealth out the window.

Behind the scenes, Aaron's mind was overclocking. For the first time, he was fighting for a real cause, and doing it in the open. It wasn't the Harleys, nor the Strykers, nor Deep Ground itself. Today, he initiated respawns to help a friend. He wasn't sure what it was, but he felt as if himself and Nyx were truly connected for the first time. When this persona was created, the Assassin was everything the boy wanted to be. Powerful, collected, and feared... not a weak, paranoid, gremlin.

Now, the American transplanted into a foreign country felt like he had the reigns on life for the first time. It was time to make it known.

@Caits@KoL

[Jedly]

Paper Moon

Battle Theme: ”Tonight’s target is your cowardly self!”

Moon shouted to motivate the gents and gentleladies fighting alongside him. Even the newbie, Syshia, was influenced by the charismatic rogue into battle. Well, she wasn’t exactly all that new. Had some EXP in the bar and some meat on her bones. But she was still ultimately green, as seen by the fairly high exhilaration she was showing. He traced the redhead out of the corner of his eye, then refocused his vision on the battle ahead. The five players instantly slammed their sides into the parallel concrete walls as soon as they reached them, with Syshia and Paper Moon on the left and Strawberry plus the two others on the right.

Bullets relentlessly permeated the surface of the concrete, and judging from the horses’ clopping, the enemy was gradually advancing. Just then, another War Machine flew well over the hill to their rear and sped past the squad. Moon clearly picked up Jet Rhino’s war cry as his APC broke through the enemy’s defenses and began to pick off the Outlaws one by one. ”Guess they don’t call him Jet Rhino for nothing.” He commented before looking over to the other three, ”Make your way up and support Jet Rhino. Strawberry, try to get off additional hits on that dissolution while Arms Slave draws the agro.” The rogue quickly glanced over his shoulder to confirm that his fellow Sweeper was still alive. On the contrary, the guy was single-handedly taking the damage like a total fucking boss. ”Yeesh, would not want to get into a bar fight with him.” He murmured and then motioned for the other three to follow his order. The three peaked out from behind their cover and gunned their way forward, while Moon eased his back onto the concrete and slid to the ground with a sigh, ”Mind covering me for a sec? Gotta look at some super top secret intel.”

In the time that his squad had disembarked and moved up, he had received two messages, one of which from an unexpected sender. He replied to Arms’ first, notifying him that he would send Syshia over with a capable player. Without taking his eyes off the keyboard he waved for one of the two marksmen to come down. Drauni and Sky Knight relieved their rifles, unsure of what to do as they glanced at each other. The duo ended up utilizing the most unbiased and absolute decision making process known to mankind: Rock-Paper-Scissors. Guess the former ended up losing, as he was the one who was currently running down the hill screaming obscenities while bullets dug into the earth at his feet.

Drauni flung himself forward at their feet, and finally collected himself after taking a few seconds to stop his whimpering. ”How did I not get hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit?!”

”Don’t know. Game must be rigged. Want me to test it out?” Moon queried coldly, to which Drauni replied by frivolously shaking his head, ”Alright, sounds like a plan. Anyways, I need you to escort Ms. Syshia here to the city wall, unharmed might I add.” The newbie must have believed he wasn’t up to the task, which he may have truly not been, but Moon was out of options here. Angst seemed to have taken a hold of the player, but the rogue was quick to put that to an end. ”Look, if I didn’t have faith in your capacity to be a knight in shining armor, I would’ve asked Sky Knight up there. It’s in his name for orange smoothie’s sake! You bear the name of the valiant warrior who was the master of warfare, the son of Dronacharya, who fought in the Mahabharata war, who supposedly still roams the earth and has seen the manifestation of the selfie! I didn't type up that four page history paper for nothing! Now you better live up to that name!” Yet again, this was the guy who still held unrequited feelings for his childhood friend. Eh, he’ll suffice. He’ll have to. Drauni picked up his marksman rifle and bowed to Syshia, ”This way, please.” The kid managed to croak out.

As soon as the two were on their way, Paper Moon proceeded to scan over the second message.

To: Arms Slave, Eclipse Princess

From: Paper Moon

Subject: Re: Stop fooling around

”Woah, tsundere-ometer is going off. Sorry, sorry, just a bit of playful humor XP. Glad to meet the maiden who saved us a lot of ammo there, and I offer you the warmest of greetings because of it. Don’t worry, I’m not much of a stickler for the usage of derogatory language! Unfortunately, most of our ranks consist of level one to two players who willingly put their lives and EXP on the line to defend your highness, so we don't have a lot of firepower. In fact, they aren’t really “sweeper scum”, so I’d prefer it if you would stop referring to them as such. I didn’t have any game breaking power-ups or weapons lying around for them to use, but who knows, maybe the experience they’ll gain from this battle will be worth just as much, if not even more?

Anyways, I digress. We currently have multiple squads dealing with both the dissolution and the outlaws, I being a member of the latter. If you want, you could give us some breathing room and pick a few of them off? Heck, you could even meet up with me and we can produce our own action film. Just look for the guy sporting a badass jacket and orange locks of pure epicness! Well, gotta go. Got places to see, people to blast.”

Moon waited for Sky Knight to convene on his position. The two then moved out into the open and rushed to their comrades, who were already in the thick of it. The two managed to drop an adversary on the way, and soon joined in on the firefight just a bit away from the city wall.

Without dread and never fearing

@Lucius Cypher@Alina13@KoL

[Lucius Cypher]

Arms Slave would have had a response for Eclipse Princess, but he was preoccupied trying and often failing to dodge lightning. He quickly noticed that certain parts of the storm giant’s thunder cloud did less damage to Arms Slave, so long as he tried to avoid the lightning arcs. Which he typically couldn’t because they were moving as fast as lightning and his giant shields made great lightning rods, but he at least had a good idea of how to mitigate the damage long enough to continue doing what he has to do. His Chain Catches were still on cooldown so he couldn’t get out of the thunder cloud, but at least the giant was giving it’s all solely to kill Arms Slave, allowing his troops vital time to set up an attack.

Receiving another message from Paper Moon, Arms Slave shouted out to the wizard he took with him. ”Do it now!” The wizard proceeded to use his only ability he had as a level one mage: He released a blinding light right into the face of the storm giant. It did no damage, but did something better: stunned the monster. Any other enemy that had seen the light would also be stunned for a few seconds. A precious few seconds in which they were completely defenseless, which Arms Slave’s troops capitalized on.

Junkyard Dog and Ash Roller’s unit unleashed a barrage of magical attacks on the storm giant. While conventional attacks would be ineffective thanks to his incorporeal form, the magic attacks would hit the giant full on. And thanks to his vaguely humanoid form, it wasn’t hard for the players to figure out his critical weak point: the giant’s head. With one massive headshot the combined blast from all the players was enough to literally blow the giant’s head off, yet despite the amount of damage they did the giant was still alive, albeit decapitated. During this moment Arms Slave quickly replied all to the message he sent out to everyone.

To: Paper Moon, Jet Rhino, Junkyard Dog, Ash Roller, Strawberry Baby, Cerulean Knight,
From: Arms Slave
Subject: Sweep them up

Giant is stunned but not downed, press the attack. Don’t give him a moment to recover. I’ll continue to agro.

Also ignore Princess. Bunch of bluster and bullshit if ya ask me. I’m going to send her a dick pic.

Arms Slave proceeded to do so, but to avoid a ban for vulgarity, he instead sent her a heavily edited image of his penis that was no less lewd then what he would have normally done.

To: Eclipse Princess
From: Arms Slave
Subject: Shut up or nut up

Large Image

If you have time to run your mouth, go back to the guild and eat cock. We don’t need or want you.

One of the sweeper’s stopped by Arms Slave and gave him a heal. It wasn’t enough to top him off, but it did undo much of the damage the giant did. Arms Slave was grateful and gave the healer a thumbs up, but told him he should get going. The giant’s head was already starting to recover, albeit slowly thanks to the other players bombarding it with magic attacks. In the meantime Arms Slave had another problem to deal with: those wheel cannons. Defeating the giant, while important, would amount to nothing if the gates are down. So once Arms Slave’s Chain Catch cooldown was down he used it to help repel down to the gate, using his Aura of Agony against the cannons so that they would have to shoot him. He then charged the cannons so that the splash doesn’t end up damaging the gates anyways.

Syshia and her bodyguards should be able to notice Arms Slave jumping off the walls and into the thick of cannon fire. They would also noticed about four outlaws heading in their direction, one of them mounting on a flying dragon while the rest were on horses. Each had lances with the intentions of skewering them like a kebab, and at the speeds they were going they likely would if Syshia and her players don’t dodge.

---

Dark Wraith continued to watch the spectacle below. Unrelenting Jukebox made an appearance, which piqued Dark Wraith’s interest. She knew that he was part of the Fanged Rangers and that he was actually Alex, the boy who seemed to have gained the interest in one of the Blue Guild master. But what he said was much more interesting. ”Coma bug? Hmm. That would certainly explain a few things. But how…?”

As she pondered this Dark Wraith noticed that Corpse Collector had finally realized her presence. Perhaps not directly where Dark Wraith was at, but by now CC knows her hacks have been interfered with. No doubt she plans to run away and try to reactivate her cheats, but Dark Wraith wasn’t going to let her go far. In the midst of the chaos Dark Wraith spawned in 10 dissolutions, fairly basic level 3 ones, but with immunity to piercing weapons. Like bullets. She didn’t know the full extent of CC actual avatar abilities, so Darkwraith made these monsters attack CC. Dark Wraith had no doubt that CC was likely a level 9 outlaw, something she may have actually legitimately earned. So preparation was needed.

As for Kisa and Moon Rider, Dark Wraith was at the same place she met Kisa: at the Ebon Stryker Sanctuary. She was using one of the guild’s new resources at her disposal: Scrying Orb. though it only worked for within the city, it was a boon for information gathering. Normally however the Scrying Orb can only see what other scrying orbs can see, and those orbs are stationary. However Dark Wraith created herself a mobile orb which can traverse the city and allow Darkwraith to see whatever she wants. She did make some illegal edits to her orb however, such as making it invisible, untargetable, and invulnerable. She’d get rid of it once she has no more need of it of course.

@Jedly@KoL@Alina13@TheWindel

[TheWendil]

Moon Rider

Moon Rider gave the shadow of a smile because it seemed that Kitten was beginning to understand her motives and decisions. Finally, someone who didn’t immediately crucify her for what she had to do. But that brief moment of clarity was soon shattered as Kitten reared back to shove more accusation in her face. Staring dumbly at the disappearing Player, Moon Rider felt a twinge of anger…before the familiar void of emotion hit hard.

Of course. She shouldn’t have expected someone as ignorant as Kitten to understand where she was coming from. Had she stayed a little longer, Moon Rider could have explained herself more…but no. Kitten may have thought she was some kind of free-thinker but she was dead wrong. Her actions showed she thought the same as everyone else…and that was why she was the enemy.

Keeping a sigh to herself, she turned back to the Outlaw who wanted her to follow. Honestly, she was not in the mood to listen to some Player who claimed to know what was best for her or how she thought. But the Black King was used to dealing with idiots at this point and only nodded at Kisa to lead the way.

“Pray I know your employer because I probably do. And as you can probably tell, I’m not in the mood for games,” she said briskly, ignoring the irony in her statement. As the two of them moved to meet with Dark Wraith, the confrontation with Corpse Collector carried underway.

The Hacker was much too annoyed to give a shit about what Dovev, Jukebox, or any other fucked loser thought. She was mad, she was desperate, and she was going to pop a cap in someone’s ass real soon. And she would have pursued the fleeing Dovev too if a certain trash hacker didn’t interfere by sending in Dissolutions.

“Hey Wraith Bitch! Fuck you! When I’m done fucking your King I’m gonna make you watch as I do it again,” she sneered, falling back and running through the corridors. She could see the buffs Wraith had placed on the Dissolutions so she would have to find some other way in killing them…or she could just head towards Moon Rider’s location and end this mess.

Snickering to herself, her mind was racing a mile a minute as she fired off random shots at the Dissolutions, more out of glee than anything else. Thus, she did not see Kitten’s form until it was too late, the Hacker shoved to the ground as the two girls collided with each other. Muttering, she was about to swear before noticing who had bumped into her.

“Kitten? Watch where you’re fucking going! Anyway, get your ass up so we can find Moon Fucker and finish what we came to do,” she said hurriedly, grabbing Kitten’s arm and hoisting her to her feet.

---

@Lucius Cypher, @McFazzer, @ReaptheMusic, @Kitsune, @Ryonara

[Ryonara]

Leaving the guild hall rather quickly, Smitten Kitten ran through the city to find Corpse Collector. She figured she'd go where there seemed to be the least amount of people; Collector was a bitch, but she wasn't stupid. Even if she only had someone like Smitten Kitten as backup, even Corpse Collector wouldn't take on Moon Rider alone. So Corpse Collector was likely hiding out somewhere in the city where she could spring an attack on Moon Rider. And while Kitten doesn't expect that she'd find her, Corpse Collector could easily find Smitten Kitten once she's alone.

Sure enough Corpse Collector found Smitten Kitten as she ran into her. Corpse Collector helped Kitten up just as some sort of slime dissolution came lunging at her. In instinct Kitten slashed at the dissolution and knocked it away, but she didn't really do a lot of damage. The monster was a higher level than her so Kitten wasn't surprised that she didn't do much harm. "Follow me then. I know where Moon Rider is at, but I think she's going to meet up with some of her other generals. We have to intercept her before she finds them!" Smitten Kitten ran, something she's much better at doing then fighting, and lead Corpse Collector to Moon Rider's last known location. While Smitten Kitten doubts that Moon Rider would still be there when they arrive, at least Kitten has a good idea of where she was and where she could be going.

[Scarifar]

3...

2...

1...

Welcome, Devilish Hellflame

---

Hellflame found himself in the Fanged Ranger's territory, where he had last logged off. Hellflame turned his head left and right as he tried to get his bearings, then he dejectedly said to himself, "Man, I should have logged in earlier." Hellflame sighed, then continued, "Oh well. Guess I'll just make up the time I lost now." Hellflame activated his <Wings of Hellfire> ability, and flames erupted from his back, quickly taking the shape of large devil wings. Hellflame crouched down slightly as he spread his flaming wings, and with a leap, he shot up into the sky. Wasting no time, Hellflame turned toward the direction of the Black City and flew towards it. He had overslept during the day the Black King had announced the opening of the Guild and had missed the chance to join on the first day. It was only now he had managed to overcome his listlessness and logged in. "Black King, here I come!" Hellflame yelled as he sped up.

As he neared the Black City, Hellflame couldn't help but notice the rather chaotic battle between players and Dissolutions. Hellflame toyed with the idea of joining the group, but he quickly decided against it. It would be nice chunk of exp, but he had no intention of wasting time or running the risk of dying. Exp farming would have to wait. Hellflame then shot himself to the side, looking for another path where he wouldn't be noticed by the city's defenses. Fortunately, it was easy enough to find one and he flew over the boundary, entering the city.

Hellflame took in the sights, and boy were they nice. Dark buildings and streets in every direction, with lights that barely illuminated the place. Not bad. Not bad at all. Still, he was here on 'business', and he might as well get to it.

As Hellflame flew, he spotted some commotion. A couple of girls were being attacked by quite a number of Dissolutions. Poor girls, Hellflame thought dismissively as he began to fly past them. He would have completely done so if not for a snippet he heard from one of them, "I know where Moon Rider is at..."

That was enough for him to stop in the air, curious about the two of them now. If they had information he wanted, then why not help them for a bit? Hellflame activated his <Hellfire> Ability, creating his 6 black-and-green fireballs, then he launched 4 of them at the Dissolutions closest to the girls, dealing a decent chunk of damage to them and also setting the monsters alight, dealing additional continuous damage. Dropping closer to the ground to them, Hellflame said, "Hey girls, tell me where Moon Rider is and I'll help ya out a bit."

@Ryonara@TheWindel

[Queue13]

---

Welcome, Stab~Stabberson

---

Ha, that was funny. That horribly thought out name. That level that accompanies that name. That fact that the student, should she continues to fail to raise her level, would probably end up flipping burgers IF she was LUCKY. No telling how many times Stab~Staberson walked in here with her ridiculous name just to end up logging off without any real progress. But today was different. Today, she had to put everything holding her back behind her and set up her future for success. Of course, her only real motivation was that she finally grew old and tired of most of her peers. As far as she was concerned, she had them all figured out and her quest for people to dissect had nowhere to go but online. And what better way to take care of both than to join one of them guilds? She didn't really care so much which one she joined, but oddly she has heard so much about this black king guild leader it piqued her interest. So from here, the starting gate, there was only one place to go; Black City.

She ran as fast as she could, but she was sure there was a long way to go. She didn't even know who exactly she would be looking for, but hopefully that would become self evident. It wasn't long before she saw a flaming angel fly across the sky heading in what direction she thought would be the Black City and started following it. It was a bit hard to keep up, but luckily there wasn't much in Stab's way to slow her down. The fiery flying guide seemed to slow down a bit here and there, allowing Stabby to make up some ground, but it wasn't until they actually flew down that butterflies began to knot up inside her. She was sure she was close to where she wanted to be, and maybe that person knew where to find the Black King, but she was closing in now to the general area the player landed and that would mean she would probably have to be the one to start up the conversation and ask for directions.

She stopped around the corner to compose herself after running, no need to guess if people where there; she could hear the cry of the Dissolutions as they exploded as well as the indistinguishable voices of multiple people. With a deep breath she turned the corner to see the party of three people. One Male, hovering in the air and no doubt the one that led her here; and from the looks of things awaiting an answer or something. The other two female, and maybe by the looks of it not actually part of the Male's party. Should things go south there was only one clear answer to which side she would join if able. If nothing else her ability chose that for her. She did at least look great in her suit, should she about to die. She walked up to the group with as good of a smile she could manage, trying to get between, equidistant, from the two groups but leaning closer to the females' side.

"Ah, E-excuese me. Would any of ya'll happen to know where the Black King is?"

@Scarifar@TheWindel@Ryonara

[KoL]

---

Deep Ground Online

---

Eclipse Princess

BGM

For once things were good for Eris, she was having her share of battle, fulfilling the desire deep within her heart of indulging in the thrill of a fight where something of significance was at stake, even though by this time she had realized that probably her theories were wrong… “Still, indulging in this kind of power is good, too good. The fear on their eyes is addictive; I just ca- What!?” Eris was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t even noticed when Nies sneaked upon her and delivered a shy hug right in front of the horde of outlaws, before retreating while asking Eclipse Princess to stay alive.

“Cas-, no, Nies, I…” Eclipse Princess reached for the retreating form of Nies, but barely had time to begin saying whatever words were stuck on her throat before a couple of Outlaws though that they could capitalize on her distraction, if they targeted Nies. They tried to slip by Eclipse Princess defensive line, one of them jumping over her head and the other tumbling bellow Eclipse Princess’ sword, both aiming their attacks at the free EXP that a defenseless healer represented, just… “Where do you think you are going?” Eclipse princess said with in a cold monotone, before swinging her sword’s flat side to hit the tumbling rogue, spinning her body in an upward slash to catch the other miscreant and, “Trash like you…” using the momentum throw the two at the rest of the Outlaw army like living cannonballs “… should remain with the rest of the heap!”

Again, again and again Eclipse Princess hacked and slashed, crushing the Outlaws that tried to break through her, the ever growing grin on her lips showing that once more she let the banquet of violence erase the doubts within her mind. When Nix arrived beside her, Eclipse Princess was already too lost on her thoughts of massacre, her teeth bared like an animal, a true Berserker, indeed. “Arghh!” Princess barely managed to avoid decapitating the golden skulled rogue once he came out of stealth, instead turning the swing to bisect another Outlaw that has creeped behind Nix, ready to stab at him. A suitable payback for Nix shooting down one of the targets that tried to sneak attack Eclipse Princess.

Eclipse Princess acknowledged Nix’s comment with a nod and, “So, you came. Serve yourself, there’s enough scum to both of us” before continuing to hack away Outlaws after Outlaw while destroying one of their canons with her Spatial Collapse. Princess received the replies of both some Sweepers, including Arms Slave and Paper Moon, but didn’t had the time to reply to them, except for a certain piece of trash that thought of himself as funny:

From: Eclipse Princess

To: Arms Slave

Subject: -

Very funny, piece of worthless trash. I hope you have dental insurance, because when I’m done here you’ll be getting a mouth full of my gauntlet, even if I have to get an Outlaw declaration to do so.

And so the battle at the Black Gate continued. It was time to dive into the fireworks…

* * *

Meanwhile, inside the Back City, the Dissolutions that were hunting Corpse Collector finally caught up with the group of players reunited around their mark and became confused with the number of extra targets, even so their goal remained to get to and kill Corpse Collector, except that…

Arrows coming from nowhere hit four of them and caused their agro to shift to Stab~Staberson and Devilish Hellflame. If they just turned to the source of the arrows they would see that it was a high building and a white cyborg-like avatar stood there with an energy bow for a moment before disappearance again, leaving the two newcomers to deal with four rogue Dissolutions on their own while the other three sought to attack Corpse Collector who was even now talking with Smitten Kitten.

The Black King was not there to save any of them, that’s the message Stark Zealot’s arrows seemed to carry.

---

@Caits@Ryonara@Mega Birb@Jedly@Lucius Cypher@TheWindel@Scarifar@Queue13

[Mega Birb]

Nyx

As he and Eclipse Princess fought side by side, Nyx could feel the Outlaws starting to grow fearful of the devastating pair. He even saw a few of them wising up and running from the battle, but that's roughly three people in an entire army of killers, which ends up making no difference. As he kicked one of the many combatants into the way of Eclipse Princess' sword, he could almost make out a fireball flying overhead...

The momentary distraction cost him. He was run through the midsection by a fellow assassin, the shining dagger being reddened by the Harley's blood. Instead of falling however, Euphoria ticked and gave him just enough health to look into the fool's grinning eyes. As that grin faded when the Outlaw realized both of the defenders remained standing, and he realized just how screwed he was. In motion quicker than the eye could follow, Nyx shot the rogue in the knee and ripped the dagger from his stomach, the wound closing as his only combat-oriented ability activated again. The skull seemed to bore it's way into his victims soul as he stabbed him between the ribs and forced him to the ground, and promptly removed the blade, holding it high in the air over the bleeding avatar. Not a single enemy approached him, too frightened to do much except be cut down by the berserker fighting with the assassin.

WARNING: The aforementioned rogue suffers a painful and bloody death. Do not read if you are very squeamish.

"DO NOT."

He plunged the dagger in again, this time working to instill more fear into the army. The blade was pulled from the poor man again.

"FUCK."

The piece of steel pieced flesh again, left just above the rib cage.

"WITH ME."

In a horrid, gut-wrenching display, he ripped the dagger downwards, breaking bones and splitting muscle until the knife bit the sorry sod's pelvis. With a loud crack, Nyx tore the blade downwards one last time, blood and bone exploding from the corpse and coating both himself and the ground. In a final, sickening move, he picked the body up by the neck and shoved the stiletto through its head, from temple to temple. The body, unusable to even Necromancers, was dropped in full view of everyone.

Nyx himself now fit the bill of a demon. Coated in the blood of that poor, nameless rogue, he called out to the crowd, making a point by shooting wildly into it. "Come and die, already! Or run and save your precious levels, it's all up to you!" His voice came out as something close to a growl, the mask's eyes almost seeming to glow in response to the bloodlust filling Nyx's head.

Euphoria ticked again, and the aspect of hell in front of Corpse Collector's army smirked triumphantly. Fear of both himself and Eclipse Princess was in their faces.
@KoL

---

Jiro Katsurou

Jiro Katsurou pushed open the door to his dorm, back from the graveyard shift his manager had made him work once again. The asshole hated him for some reason, it was probably the hair, and had no right to treat him like garbage! Sure, he had done decently well in his Deep Ground career, claiming to have reached level 8 as a berserker before his nineteenth birthday, and it must've been true. He'd seen the idiot's grades, it's almost like he's proud of them! Solid D's throughout high school. "Yeah, very impressive... dick." And why the graveyard shift? Because people need fast food for breakfast at exactly 5am. Every. Single. Fucking. Day.

Recovering his usual aloof state from that outburst, Jiro realized just how tired he really was. Deciding to take a shower to remove the smell of egg sandwiches and french fries (And yes, someone had come in that morning demanding a large fry for her first meal of the day), and made his way to the bathroom. Starting the shower and allowing the water a moment to heat up, he stripped down and checked his torso in the mirror. Just fine as always. He entered the shower.

After a solid twenty minutes of cleaning himself and contemplating life, he exited the bathroom to find his phone buzzing wildly in his work pants. Throwing on a pair of pajama pants and retrieving the cell phone, reading through nearly fifteen missed calls, all from the same person. Cyrus McCormick, an Irish exchange student he'd become close friends with at his old school. He called the European back.

"Hey Cyrus... yeah, I've been pretty good, yourself? ...Heh, yeah. Anyway, why'd you call? ...Wait, what? ...You're serious, people are actually hunting Corpse Collector down? ...And the Black City's under seige? By dissolutions and Outlaws? ...Fucking Christ. Where are you now? ...You got killed by a level one Slime... It's not my fault you fight with a spear! Look, I'll call you back, Arms Slave probably needs a hand... Shut up, I know he already has four. See ya." Jiro plugged his phone into its charger and collapsed onto his bed, logging into Deep Ground in the process. Sleep felt amazing.

---

Phantom Regality

3

2

1

Welcome, Phantom Regality. The last location you logged off in has become the site of a battle. Do you wish to spawn here?

Without hesitation, he responded. "Yes."

Very well. Good luck.

Phantom Regality spawned just outside the walls of the Black City and watched the spectacle in front of him unfold for a moment. He saw Eclipse Princess and an assassin guarding the gate, one cutting down the distracted army and the other causing quite a bloody distraction. On another note, he spotted Arms Slave repelling down the wall a little ways away. Within moments he was running in his direction, attempting to catch up with the tall Avatar that vaguely reminded him of Pyramid Head.

As he caught up finally, he noticed his intended target; the cannons assaulting the city gates. Running alongside the Sweeper, Phantom looked up at him. "I'll get behind the cannons and bond them, you just kick shit!" Picking up the pace, he soon slid into some thick brush beside the cannoneers, and proceeded to take a black book from his belt and opened it. A deep breath and in a readied stance, he began the incantation he'd used to cripple so many before. "Qui mortuus est pro vobis, ille accipit vindicatio est..." A black fog enveloped the cannons, nullifying visibility and slowing the cannoneers progressively, likely long enough for Arms Slave to arrive and spill blood. All in all, Necrotic Bond had taken hold.

Phantom Regality, for the first time, was in no immediate danger for the first time while using that ability.
@Lucius Cypher

[McFazzer]

Unrelenting Jukebox

Jukebox wasn’t too shocked with Corpse Collector’s response. She did have a reputation of being a crazy killer after all. Still the fact that this Dovev guy took the effort to pull him out of the way did. Listening to the mad ramblings even as bullets slammed into his cover, Jukebox vented some anger.

“Come on now! That’s super uncalled for Corpsey my friend! I didn’t shoot at you! I didn’t even come to kill you! Is this how you make first impressions? Is crashing a car to some great music really that bad?” hoping to distract enough that she wouldn’t really care, Jukebox decided he probably see what he got for himself at level 5.

As he picked the abilities, Jukebox read his new unique skill... Joke Weapons. First glance made it look like just that, a joke, but it did come with a message "In recognition of your use of our Joke Weapons, this skill is gifted to you, have fun~!" looking at the skill closer, Jukebox realised the magnitude of the skill “To all Joke Weapons adds a powerful ‘Once a Day’ ability with a key activation phrase” Wh-what? Doesn’t that mean my ability is determined by my equipment?! What the hell?! checking his equipped weapon, Jukebox was shocked.

James Bond's Walther PPK:
Once a Day Ability
Activated by saying: "My name is <real surname>, <real first name> <real surname>"

Effect: The next 40 seconds have a times(number of enemies) critical attack and
(number of enemies)/2 critical chance

Isn’t this insane?! How many enemies are there right now?! looking about, Jukebox feared that this ability would somehow be caught out and even as he gulped down the digital saliva, his hands shook slightly. Taking a deep breath, Jukebox was about to round the corner and take a shot when the ground gave out beneath him

“Holy shit!” plummeting to the floor below, Jukebox his the ground and saw a group of standard level 5 dissolutions, deciding to roll the dice, Jukebox scrambled to his feet and shouted out...

“My name is Coleman, Alex Coleman” and just like that the area around him pulsed momentarily and all characters that were not classified as ‘friendly’ briefly flashed red to Jukebox’s eyes while a computerized voice spoke in his ear “5 enemies detected in range. Critical Damage is now x5. Critical Hit Chance in now x2.5” as a familiar theme rang out



Taking shots as he ran backwards three of the five went down thanks to the 5 times critical damage a small timer in the top left was counting down to the time out for the ability. Biting his lip, Jukebox reloaded and ran back at the remaining two, unloading a into one before aiming at the other before the tell tale click of an empty gun echoed as he was hit and flung into a wall. Frantically reloading, Jukebox finally raised the Walther PPK and fired at the oncoming mass before as the satisfying critical hits turned it to a pile of EXP. Slumping to the floor, Jukebox looked up at the hole and hoped Corpse Collector wasn’t too dead. He still wanted to know if the coma glitch thing was real or a ghost story...

[MarshiestMallow]

Cassie couldn't say truly why it pleased her that Eclipse Princess called out to her, but perhaps it was merely because she had feared that nothing would break through the...frenzy of the battle, or indeed the shell Eclipse seemed to have erected around herself. She turned around as the Outlaws attacked, but she need not have worried. Right then, Nies felt torn. She owed Jukebox a debt, but she couldn't make herself walk away from Eclipse. Watching her fight, Nies knew she could take care of herself, yet what if something happened?

Torn, Nies tilted her head, listening, she thought she could still make out Jukebox's music, so the boy was still alive. the only problem presented to Nies now was how to get there, when she was alone. She laid a hand on her dagger, but knew if it came to a massive battle, she would lose. Her safest bet was to stay near Eclipse and Nix, but she didn't want to be a hindrance to either of them.

Yet she had got through the city, to here, so she could get to Jukebox. But where was he? It seemed that many paths would intersect, and for now she was better to stay alive herself. Shifting, she made to stay within site of Eclipse and Nix.

[Lucius Cypher]

Arms Slave charged the cannons, not really having a concrete plan of attack. Each shot he either tanked or managed to avoid narrowly, but each shot has some hefty knockback. He could try to use his Chain Catch to close the distance, but these cannoneers were fairly accurate: he already tried that once and they shot him midway through. It looked like he was going to need to just keep tanking when some stranger called Phantom Reality showed up. Arms Slave wasn’t sure what was up with all these outsiders helping him (Or maybe they were Ebon Strykers who weren’t Sweepers), but he wouldn’t complain too much.

A black fog engulfed most of the cannons, and the ones that weren’t engulfed stopped shooting Arms Slave long enough for him to charge to them. He leapt into the air and fired off three more chains, pulling in the pilots of the Wheel Cannons to him. This effectively allowed Arms Slave to not only stop the cannons, but let others commandeer them. After that, killing the three was just a simple matter of landing on them (With both his shields crushing them) and then using his spare arms to stab them to death. It was messy and rather barbaric, but it got the job done.

Around this time the cloud giant was nearing his end as well, with the rest of the team laying down as much magical firepower as they can muster onto him. But he wasn’t going out without a final moment of defiance. Though Arms Slave never fought a beast like him before, even he didn’t need to know it’s secrets to figure out that when the giant started glowing with a bright light, bad things and a lot of pain was going to happen. They needed to kill this thing fast. So he contacted Paper Moon and any other mage type to focus on the giant before he used his wipe attack.

To: Paper Moon, Jet Rhino, Ash Roller, Strawberry Baby, Phantom Reality,
From: Arms Slave
Subject: Moar Dakka

Kill the giant before he can pull off his wipe. Pretty sure he’s doing it right now. Let’s go for clutch.

Oh and watch out for Eclipse Princess. She wants to kill us all, so after this fight scram into the city and deal with whatever outlaws managed to sneak in. I’ll take her on.

Arms Slave commandeered a Wheel Cannon and started shooting at the other Wheel Cannons. Their ammunition were explosives instead of fireballs; good against structures, but useless against the giant.

Of course the truth was that Arms Slave was pretty sure that everyone could gang up and kill her if she did go outlaw to fight him, but a lot of people might die. And Arms Slave didn’t want anyone to lose out on their hard earn EXP just because one hot-headed player couldn’t keep her opinions to herself. Arms Slave said as much in his message to Eclipse Princess.

To: Eclipse Princess
From:Arms Slave
Subject:Re: -

Bring it. I’ll clean filth like you out of the Ebony Strykers.

And with that Arms Slave continued to fire away at the Wheel Cannons, or alternatively crashing into them and then hijacking a different one, rinse, and repeat.

---

Dark Wraith continued to watch CC with the new arrival of Smitten Kitten and others. Their interference was unintended, but inevitable. What was more concerning was the arrival of Stark Zealot. He wasn’t with the Ebony Strykers as far as she remembered, and more curiously his arrows were able to force her dissolutions to fight the other players. Perhaps it was an ability of his, since aside from their abnormal method of arrival, they were just normal dissolutions. Still, why an outsider was here neither helping Corpse Collector but also not actively trying to hunt her like the others made Dark Wraith concerned. It seemed like it was more than just Dark Wraith and Corpse Collector at play here. A lot of outsiders were watching and getting involved.

Dark Wraith was going to have to put her observation on hold for now. Moon Rider and Kisa should be arriving soon and they would need to have her undivided attention. Dismissing the Scrying orbs and causing her hacked orb to delete itself from existence, she went down to the main lobby area of the Sanctuary, standing in the open so that Dark Wraith could find her easily. A group of players lead by Cerulean Knight respawned and charged out of the building, looking for more battles. To those fools, Deep Ground was just a game to them. Perhaps it ought to be.

The necromancer never really fancied Deep Ground. Most see it as nothing more than a game, others know that it’s the only thing that matters in their lives, and some find their definition somewhere in between. Dark Wraith just found the whole thing despicable. It was a game that emphasis exploiting those with unique talents and abilities, destroying the lives and chances of others, all while promoting positions of power for those without the skills to handle their authority. Deep Ground was a sick caricature of today’s politics and lifestyle, and she wants to change that. That’s why she works with Moon Rider. But the real question is, what happens after she gets what she wants?

But these were just rambling thoughts. They weren’t important right now and could be saved for philosophical debates between herself or Yoshino. As much as she despised it, Dark Wraith needed to plan out to kill Corpse Collector. Playing the game was more important then why Dark Wraith plays it.
Once Kisa and Moon Rider Arrived, Dark Wraith wasted no time explaining her plan to her. ”Corpse Collector likely intends to kill Moon Rider with a method that would delete or otherwise suspend her avatar from Deep Ground. Under normal circumstances simply having Moon Rider killed in a PvP match, while demoralizing, is nothing to panic over. But Corpse Collector has shown to be a powerful hacker and it wouldn’t surprise me if she intends to remove Moon Rider from the game. But with that being said fleeing from her or staying somewhere where Corpse Collector can’t get to Moon Rider wouldn’t be better, as she’ll simply redirect her weapons onto other players and wreak havoc in the guild. Thus we need to put a decisive end to her.” Dark Wraith rolled out a topographical map of the Black City. Where she got it from was a good question, but that wasn’t important. She pointed out the last known location of Corpse Collector compared to their current location.

”That character, Smitten Kitten, may intend to lead Corpse Collector back to the guild hall, where you two last met before she fled and rendezvoused with Corpse Collector. That would be the best place for us to confront her since we know the guild’s layout much better than she would, not to mention that it will be a central hub for the rest of our members to surround and trap Corpse Collector. But with that being said, we must minimize the amount of Avatars who fight against her. As I said before, Corpse Collector may have a means to permanently disable Moon Rider, and I’m certain it’s just as capable of being used on other Avatars as well. Thus we must keep her within the Guild Hall, but be wary of fighting her directly.”

Taking note that Kisa was here, Dark Wraith couldn’t be forward about how she intends to stop Corpse Collector. A Hacker must be fought with by an equally skilled Hacker. Corpse Collector’s cheats were obvious enough that any amature programmer would have already been outed and banned, but CC had much more complex systems up to ensure she can cheat with impunity. Thus Dark Wraith would have to put most of her efforts not to fight Corpse Collector, but to subvert whatever walls she has placed to find out who Corpse Collector truly is, and end her. It was going to be a two-pronged battle, but with Moon Rider’s martial prowess and Dark Wraith’s own technical skills, she was certain they could succeed.

Of course, Dark Wraith and Moon Rider weren’t merely fighters of the Ebony Strykers, but leaders as well. And what sort of leader would they be if they couldn’t lead others into battle? ”Kisa, you will be assisting Moon Rider. I hope you understand the risks in doing so, and I won’t be offended if you wish to decline. However you will be rewarded well for your efforts if you do chose to fight alongside our Black King. If you chose not to fight the Corpse Collector, I would like you to find the others around the Black City and bring them to the Guild Hall to entrap Corpse Collector, but only after I send you the message that she is at the Guild Hall. That way once we have nullified her as a threat, we can ensure she has no escape. Rally them under the orders of Moon Rider, though if you happened to find any of these people, use my name instead.” Dark Wraith sent Kisa a list of names. She was very unspecific about it, but these names contained a list of Sweepers. And not just Sweepers, but Cleaners at that. If there were any fighting in the city, they were likely being rallied by one of these Cleaners. Arms Slave was one of the names listed.

”I apologize for making you come this way, but we must hurry back to the Guild Hall as soon as possible. While I can observe Corpse Collector through the scrying orbs here, I need to be present to battle her, and I can’t monitor her while I’m on the move.” Dark Wraith walked past the two and looked like she was going to get ready to go. She was actually relying on Moon Rider’s motorcycle to make for faster time, but that wouldn’t be possible if all three went. Dark Wraith also made a note that she needed to get one of those herself. Motorcycles were cool.

@Mega Birb@KoL@TheWindel@Jedly@Kitsune