.hack//EVA: Catharsis

Disclaimer: In this universe in the quantum foam, I do not own or in any way shape or form hold a claim to the .hack series or Neon Genesis Evangelion.

" " denotes speech

'italics' denotes thought

'bold' denotes location names

'bold italics' denotes skill use

Δ Hidden Forbidden Bulwark

A vengeful Eris stood triumphant over the grayed out corpse of a once boisterous Lord Partizan, who had dared to call himself the "Heavy Swift-Footed Doberman" who "springs into action faster than all." Well, she had showed him, hadn't she? A simple damsel-in-distress act had been enough to mislead the "great hero" for long enough for the Bringer of Strife to strike.

It wasn't that she liked being seen as week, hated it, really, since that would mean that others thought of her as nothing but an ineffectual doll that they wanted to use and throw away, but if it would get her what she wanted…there was nothing that she would not resort to in order to achieve her aims. At least in the online World, where she was rapidly gaining power…soon enough, she would be respected and feared as a Chaotic PK, one of the most notorious and skilled in all The World.

So it was that after…well, not too much of a struggle, Piros the 3rd had fallen. No surprise, really, since Eris had attacked him from behind while he was busy spouting some nonsense about dreams being as important as the entire universe. Her strike had gone critical, with her chainsaw blade quickly carving through the gleaming armor of the lumbering Lord Partizan.

The golden giant's bumbling subsequent efforts to defend himself, which largely consisted of flailing about with his Golden Spear and looking ridiculous in the process, had proved worthless. Indeed, Eris had barely had time to enjoy the startled expression on Piros' face (what little of it could be seen behind the red sunglasses) and the shocked gasp of: "She of fair eyes…" before she dispatched him with a last blow.

It was satisfying to be able to kill so easily and overpower an opponent. Perhaps by the end of her training session she would try to hunt down one of those who had so angered her in the recent past. Putting away her sword, the Edge Punisher smirked and looked toward the far off wall, basking in the afterglow of her latest kill.

I managed to kill off a Lord Partizan, who supposedly has great defense and attack. Granted, he wasn't expecting my fierce flurry of blows, but I still think I did rather well…soon I'll be strong enough to take on any who would dare to offer challenge to me.

She had a hunch that there might be more victims-to-be near the Morrigu Barrow Wall, the great gate blocking passage to heaven in The World's myth. It was the abode of the God of Judgment, Folset, who kept humans from gaining entrance to the home of the gods…but she would show them. In real life, she was one who trained to slay the messengers of the divine, and she was not going to obey rules that didn't suit her—

A ping sounded, indicating that she had received a new item.

"Smoke Screen," she read, her lips curving downwards in a frown as she saw its description. "An item that renders the party invisible to escape battle. Bah! What need has the great Eris of an item to help her run away?

The Edge Punisher scoffed at what the Lord Partizan had dropped and was about to simply cast it aside when she thought better of it. Even if she had no need for it, she could always sell it for GP. Items were not cheap, with the NPCs seemingly conspiring to fix prices at exorbitant levels. At the thought of that, a few more muttered curses slipped past her tenuous restraints…for along with the memory of the over-priced shopping trip came the unbidden image of the face of one of her bluenette taunters…both the Ice Queen and the one who had had the gall to call her a doll.

She growled…she would have her revenge, no matter what it took, even if it meant—

There. In the distance was a flash of blue, a moving patch, as if someone was wandering aimlessly near the wall. 'Could it be a bluenette?' Wondered Eris, her lips drawing back in a feral smile. 'If so…perhaps my revenge is now at hand. I'll show that Scheißekopf what it means to earn the wrath of Eris, Bringer of Strife!'

The Edge Punished threw back her head and laughed, a dark, dangerous cackle that would have put her on par with many an egotistical villain…if anyone had heard her. As it was, she was far enough away from anyone that she went unheard, stalking quietly towards her prey, getting closer and closer…

Meanwhile, a young Twin Blade continued to walk along the Morrigu Barrow Wall, searching for something from her past. A player of the original game, she had cherished memories from the time of Twilight, though she seemed as dark as ever, missing those times now. Above her somewhat revealing one piece outfit in blue waved her olive-green hair, with one long strand in particular that stuck up, seeming to form a sort of question mark above her head.

She was of mid-rank herself, and carried two daggers that seemed to be crafted of golden whorls, though she sought something else, something from the past.

"Where could that Spiral Edge be?" she murmured to herself. Of course, the fact that her eyes seemed to be perpetually closed might have proved a hindrance…if this were not The World. As it was, what held her back was the vagueness of certain instances in the past…she knew that she could recapture the happiness she had if only she could find an item: the Spiral Edge daggers that Kite had given her in The World.

I must find it…that is my purpose in The World. Even if I am not the best or the strongest…I'll give it my all, since I don't want to be a burden to anyone ever again…

Of course, a darker shadow lurked in the recesses of her mind, but for now it was suppressed, as Natsume didn't want to give in to violence. She was shy and rather innocent, continuing her journey and woefully unaware of the fearsome Edge Punisher sneaking up behind her (not that she would have suspected anything if she knew, as PKing had not been an option when she first played, many years ago).

But as fate would have it, even the clumsiest and most absent-minded of individuals can sometimes get lucky, and the enthusiastic Twin Blade happened to turn around, convinced that maybe there was a monster or clue on how to get past the gate behind her. What she found instead was a charging Eris, who she simply sidestepped, convinced that the Edge Punisher simply hadn't been watching where she was going.

Eris had just leapt up into the air when she saw her target move out of the way, causing her to suppress a bitter string of curses. It simply wasn't possible that someone might have seen her…maybe the other girl got lucky. Still, the would-be PK landed on her feet gracefully enough, whirling to face a person…who definitely wasn't a bluenette.

Scheiße! This isn't one of those that I have a burning desire to kill…but she looks naïve enough to be killed easily. I guess I can pretend to be helpful again…after all, I do it enough in real life, toying with my victims before strike.

"Hi, I'm Eris," she said cheerily, not a trace of guile to be found on her face. "What brings you here?"

"My name is Natsume," replied the green-haired girl. "I'm looking for the item called Spiral Edge. Do you know where I can find one?"

"I think its in a chest not too far from here. I'll even walk you there, if you want," Eris ad-libbed, hoping that the girl would accept her offer, as it would make her job so much simpler.

"Oh, ok!" said Natsume brightly, "Thank you! There are so many nice people in The World."

Eris was rather amused by this comment, but didn't let it show.

This Twin Blade must be a newbie to be this naïve. So by PKing her, I'll be doing her a favor, introducing her to the way The World works. Maybe I'll even boost her confidence by sending her against some monsters first…

"This way then," she said neutrally, gesturing for Natsume to continue to walk along the wall. "Don't worry, its not far."

They walked in companionable silence for a bit, and the Edge Punisher began to fall ever so slightly behind, reaching quietly for her blade to get ready for what she assumed would be a quick battle. This one was slightly different from what she had used against Piros, as this one was of the Hold and Release variety, a weapon where she could unleash a bonus strike after a successful hit, producing a large shockwave and flinging the opponent into the air.

Where I can cleave her in two easily, especially if she is the newbie that she seems to be. Why would a higher level act so foolish anyway?

Backing up to give herself some room to accelerate, Eris charged forward, intending to run Natsume through from behind, and it was only by a stroke of seeming luck that the Twin Blade turned to block in time.

"I thought you were going to help me!" Natsume whispered hoarsely.

"Heh. You newbies are all alike…useless and naïve, compliant to everyone's wishes. Well, time to see you die, doll. Bone Crusher!"

Eris' lips pulled back into a fierce snarl, as she leapt into the air, somersaulting forward to bring her massive blade upon her opponent and cleave her in two—only to find that her opponent was not there.

Coward! Did she run away like ev—ugh!

"Chaotic Strike!"

She was struck in the back by one blade, then another, and another again in successive strikes that shaved off half of her HP before she could recover forward, whirling to confront her mystery attacker. At the sight of the twin blade Natsume standing confidently with two Spin Ban Mus held in her hands, a strange fire burning in her eyes, Eris involuntarily took a step back.

How had a newbie taken off half of my HP? she wondered. Then again, perhaps she had been mistaken in her initial assessment of the other's experience and level, since the knowledge of that skill meant that her opponent was not as low leveled as she had thought. The percieved deception caused her to growl in anger, directed towards herself as much as the other for putting on an act.

"Where is the Spiral Edge?" the other demanded, her eyes glinting as she spun about in a beautiful spiral of death that Eris was only barely able to block, before catching the Edge Punisher off guard with a vicious kick to the stomach, following up with her blades.

"Triple Strike!"

Eris let out an 'oof!' of surprise as the attack knocked her character to the ground, and she was fortunate that she rolled to the side, or the next strike would have slammed her blade out of her hand. As it was, she had nearly dropped her weapon, and to be left defenseless against this, this…

There was really no time to think and yet she did so anyway, all the while charging forward with the technique "Tiger Blitz!"to lend her speed.

How could this character be so powerful? Even without her weapons, she is overpowering mine with ease…and I'm an Edge Punisher. She's just a weak—

Clang! Weapons locked together once again, but this time it was the green-haired Natsume who gave ground, albeit by bounding backwards and causing Eris to overextend herself. Oof! Another kick, and then the other had entangled her arms and forced her to drop her weapon before throwing her to the dirt.

"I don't know where your stupid Spiral Edge is! It probably doesn't even exist in this version of The World anyway, baka! Fire Storm" Eris shouted defiantly, summoning a fireball to hopefully wound her foe for the first time in this battle, for as much as she hated to admit it…she was outmatched.

Now caring only about retrieving her weapon, she dived for her sword, seizing upon the hilt and pulling it towards her, only to find that her opponent had reached it first and was standing on it.

Sand was kicked into her face, and Eris blinked involuntarily, just long enough for the blade to be knocked away by the one who had seemed so innocent at first.

"And now…die," hissed Natsume, her blades a maelstrom of destruction as they scythed towards Eris, who was doing all that she could to keep out of the way…unsuccessfully. In a mirroring of her earlier encounter with Piros, her HP dropped precipitously, almost to '0 HP' when she accidentally activated her last item, the Smoke Screen that she had picked up earlier.

The Edge Punisher and would be PK vanished from sight, as Natsume narrowed her eyes and picked up Eris' fallen weapon. There was the sound of a hurried gate out, and then silence for a few moments, before Natsume blinked, looking around in confusion as a fireball struck a distance behind her.

"That was strange. Where did Eris go? And how did I get this sword? I guess she didn't want to play with someone who would only be a burden," she said mournfully, before continuing her search for the Spiral Edge.

Its here somewhere…I know it. I just have to find someone who will help me find it…

Δ Server Eternal City Mac Anu

Golden coils of light coalesced near the Chaos Gate of Mac Anu, vanishing to reveal the shaken form of Eris. She looked around wild-eyed for a minute, then took a deep breath and wandered into the restless throngs of people scattered throughout the city.

Mien Gott! What was that girl? One moment she seemed so naïve, and the next…I didn't even land a hit on her…She must be a cheater. There's no way I could be weaker than some newbie chasing after something in the old version of a game. I need to get stronger…

As she headed into the market area, she heard broken snatches of conversation that began to give her a better picture of who she had just fought against, and how lucky she was to be alive.

"…Chaotic PK…"

"…one moment, and the next moment she was hammering at my HP…"

"Twin blade with greenish hair and a blue outfit"

"…eyes closed like she was taunting me…"

"…Killed 30 players today…someone should put a bounty on her head…"

"…Natsume…Spiral Edge…Chaotic PK…"

All those and more she heard, making her eyes bulge in disbelief. Wait…that…wondergirl was a Chaotic PK? Who has slain over 30 people today? Scheiße! She was putting on an act…and she stole my sword. I'll have to add her to the list of those I will exact revenge on as the Bringer of Strife!

She wandered through the town for a bit, calming her nerves and acquiring a new weapon. The price was nearly enough to make her storm out to the fields in a huff, but she couldn't exactly rely on her older weapons, as much as she did like to rend the flesh of her enemies with the chainsaw blades. Combined with the new potions that she needed (and the Smoke Screen that she very reluctantly bought, having needed it before), Eris was now nearly broke.

Maybe I should go for a field run in a low level area, where I can gain GP and wipe out some perverts in one fell swoop. Maybe Δ Submissive Love's Puddle? Yes, that would be perfect, since I'd be almost double the level of whoever was there.

Her lips curled up into a smirk once more. She would become a Chaotic PK, and it would be her name spoken with fear and reverence in the streets of Mac Anu. Eris made a promise to herself then, that she would become stronger at any cost, for to be inferior to anyone was unacceptable, even in the online world.

The Edge Punisher walked towards the Chaos Gate, with the crowd perceptive enough to move out of the way of one possessed with such burning anger and malice. The desire for power was not unknown, but who knew what a never satisfied higher-level might do for it? Especially one with a smile on her face and a penchant for yelling at newbies, as had been observed earlier.

Once at the platform, Eris entered in her needed keywords, fading away in a golden spiral of light.

Δ Submissive Love's Puddle

The first thing that Eris saw upon going to the field was a Tribal Grappler and Shadow Warlock duo fighting with one another in the hazy distance. They seemed familiar, so she squinted to try and make out who they were…and as it turned out, she recognized them only too well.

Well, well, well…if it isn't the meddlers who first kept me from being known now as a great PK. The time for my revenge comes more swiftly than I had thought…

A genuine smile flitted across her lips then, especially when she saw a lucky animal wandering near the gate. She leapt up into the air, and like a cat, pounced upon it, taking hold of it and launching it into the air with a front-snap kick that would have surely had the poor creature clutching itself in pain if it had been male.

This one was a Chimera, which will appear in the beginning of a battle to deal a huge amount of damage to my enemies. See? Misfortune can never hold down the great As—Eris, Bringer of Strife!

Taking pains to appear unarmed and peaceful, she began walking over towards the duo, hoping that her womanly charms would be enough to distract them from her true aims.

While she was doing this, coming closer and closer to the Idiot Duo, Arano was recovering from a one of the noogies that Aruna had given him.

"You really goofed this time, Aruna," said the Shadow Warlock, with just a touch of anger. "This area is way too easy for us, and where was this 'cute young girl' we were supposed to be helping out."

"'ey man, chill. I thought there would be babes here in this place," replied the Tribal Grappler, trying to keep his friend from casting some manner of magic on him by appealing to their mutual interest: women.

That was the wrong thing to say, or perhaps the right thing, for Arano angrily waved his arms around, and hissed at him.

"You always mention babes, and that always gets us in trouble. Today we had to serve cleanup duty because you couldn't keep your mouth shut about the new transfer student and how lucky Ikari was. And now where are we? In a field where…"

The words he was about to say died in his mouth as soon as he caught sight of Eris approaching them, her distinctively feminine form more entrancing than a piece of military hardware.

To them, she was a vision, scantily clad in formfitting leather armor that barely covered the essentials, waves of fiery red hair falling to the small of her black, her stride slow, almost seductive….

"Whoah! A babe!" shouted Aruna, who had turned to see what Arano was looking at, ending up too excited to contain himself. At this point, they couldn't see her face quite yet, as she was walking out of the sun, but the lines of her curvaceous form were more than delectable enough to keep the lustful teenage boy occupied.

Eris heard the shout, of course, wincing at the voice of the Tribal Grappler, but she couldn't exactly just charge at them and exact her vengeance that way. Granted, her opponents would be weak, easily manipulated teenage males, but there were two of them, and she wasn't sure if the bluenet Skari was there. If he was…then she couldn't risk a charge, so instead, she sauntered up to them, hoping that they would not decide to attack her on sight.

It was about now that Arano finally picked out the details of Eris' face and whatever vestiges of desire he had held within him vanished, leaving only a cold feeling in his stomach. He hastily grabbed his grimoire Magic Nymph and shouted out a warning.

"Stay back or I'll attack! I'm not in the mood to be Pked!"

"Oh, relax, I'm not here to fight," called Eris sweetly, as she continued to advance.

"Oh yeah? Well how can we be sure of that?" challenged a still suspicious Arano, who did not exactly want to let Eris, as attractive as she was, close to him.

To his surprise, the Edge Punisher drew her sword…and dropped it, letting it clatter to the ground.

"I'm leaving my weapon here as a token of goodwill. Will that do?"

She smiled brightly at the duo, who had to fight to retain their wits against the one foe they could not truly overcome: the fairer sex.

Looking towards the pair, Eris found that the Tribal Grappler, Aruna, was still watching her, lecherously undressing her with his eyes. While she seethed inside at this act of perversion, she knew that she had to play along for now in order to do the most harm. Making sure that she remained in plain sight so the Shadow Warlock wouldn't get suspicious, she strutted over to the tall, dark and not so handsome Grappler, putting an extra swish into her hips.

Aruna licked his lips, for though he couldn't quite understand why this model of feminine beauty was coming towards, him, he wasn't about to complain. She was bold in her approach, putting a finger to the base of his neck and running it downwards, as Aruna shuddered in anticipation of what was to come.

"So where's Skari, handsome?" she asked coyly, almost as if the one she wanted to see was him.

Hearing this, Aruna's eyes narrowed, and he nearly facefaulted, as Arano suppressed a chuckle. Even if the perpetrator of this was Eris, who had PKed them in the past, it was still fun to laugh at his misfortune.

"Wha-What do you need him for when you have me?" answered Aruna suggestively, putting an arm around Eris, and trying to make the most of good fortune that he knew probably would not last for too much longer.

"Nothing at all," said Eris, "you're all I'm looking for. A big strong man to protect me, since you overwhelmed me with your power last time…"

I can't believe I'm doing this, but won't the blockhead be surprised if he tries to go any further with me…that and it will make his little friend jealous, just a little too slow to come to his aid.

She licked her lips seductively, batting her eyelashes at the big bodybuilder of a PC. Aruna wasn't unattractive, after all, and would be considered quite the catch in the real world to a few…but he wasn't exactly Eris' type either.

Aruna's heart beat faster, as his mind worked overtime, trying to override his smaller head, but not entirely succeeding.

But what about the Class Rep? Eh, what about her…this hottie wants to hook up with me…why not? What's so good about the Rep anyway? Heh heh.

Reason being shoved to the side by hormones, he reached for her and pulled her to him, groaning as she resisted, drawing out what he thought to be the inevitable. Eris leaned towards him, upturning her face and looking at Aruna expectantly, while surreptitiously reaching for her chainsaw sword, which she had not dropped (it was the massive bludgeon of a sword that she had agreed to put down, knowing that this one would be best in close quarters). Aruna grinned and leaned down to her, his lips drawing ever closer to hers as Arano could only watch, envious of the treatment that Aruna was getting.

'I was the one that overpowered her last time, so why is she going after Aruna? He always has more luck than I do,' Arano seethed, his thoughts a blazing mix of anger and resentment, almost ready to cast a spell on the two just because he felt like it. He still owed Aruna for a few noogies…

It would be so easy to have a little fun, after all…

"OrZan Rom!"he called out, grinning as a tornado of wind lanced out from his hands towards the almost-kissing couple. Oh what havoc that would cause, and what sweet—

His amusement turned to horror though, at what he saw next. Just before Eris' lips made contact with Aruna, she leaned in and kneed his character in the groin. The massive Tribal Grappler bent over, and Eris chose that moment to run him through with her chainsaw sword, calling out "Shell Breaker!", as she slammed her weapon through his lightly armored form and revved it up.

Due to the very poor defense of the Tribal Grappler class, Aruna took heavy damage from this, and his HP plummeted down into the red…just enough for powered up twister to rip apart his character.

Now this is more like it…the Idiot Duo turning on one another! Eris crowed in her head, sadistic smile replacing the look of mock-passion she had been wearing before.

"Thank you for killing your friend for me, Warlock. Now its my turn to play!"

She leapt for him, throwing her chainsaw sword in his direction, which he ducked to avoid, barely missing the whirring barbs upon the blade. But if he thought that she was now disarmed…he was wrong. With a stunning display of speed, she dashed over to where she had dropped her other blade, the Broad Maiden, diving into a roll and picking it up as she recovered.

What sweet justice it will be using a 'maiden' to slay this pervert newbie-helper and meddler!

"Tiger Blitz!" she cried, rushing at the Shadow Warlock, her first blow catching him by surprise. As he reeled back, Eris pulled back her sword and struck the ground near him, unleashing a shockwave and flinging Arano into the air.

And to add to the irony, lets kill the magician with magic!

"Fire Storm! Twin Moons!"

Momentarily stunned, Arano could do nothing but scream as his character was engulfed by the quickly descending burst of fire, before being mercifully cleaved in two by the blade of a wrathful PK.

Landing on the ground once again, Eris grinned at her accomplishment. She had gotten her revenge against the meddlers and grown much stronger…surely her reputation as a Chaotic PK would now be spread, and she would drink of their fears and respect as a Queen of Battle.

She took what recovery potions she needed and looked out on the battlefield. There was nothing here for her now, since she had already gotten what she wanted out of this experience, everything except—

Movement in the distance, someone coming this way. The swishing of blue hair. The androgynous form of a Blade Brandier. Murderous rage welled up in Eris' breast, and she gripped her broadsword more tightly. She would be needing it in just a while.

That's…the Blade Brandier Endrance, the one who insulted me. What fortune that I will be able to kill him as well!

Confident in her abilities, she strode towards him aggressively, fully intending to wipe him off the face of The World, a fate that she would in time dole out to all bluenettes! But the Blade Brandier took no notice of her, brushing past as if she were but an insignificant speck of dirt…and if there was anything that this PK hated more than pity, it was being ignored.

"Look at me, you weakling! Look upon the great Eris, Bringer of Strife!" she shouted at him, daring him to turn and look at her.

The Blade Brandier kept on walking, without a moment of hesitation.

"Yeah, that's right, run away. That's all you are, a weakling too afraid to face me. Anyone can see that. I'm sure that's why you're all alone too…no one will have you. No one would ever love a weakling, not even a fake girl online!"

Apparently, that had hit a sore note for the cold warrior, as Endrance paused, turning around and looking with contempt upon one he considered just another ugly doll, one who could not compare to the one that he lost.

"To love someone…it is not to shut one's eyes to the other, nor to block one's ears to the truth, ugly doll."

Eris had had enough, and raised her sword to attack…but before she could strike, she was dead by means of a mysterious instant kill technique. Endrance had simply disappeared for a moment before reappearing, and walking onwards. But Eris' was not left unchanged…her character data was fragmented, breaking up into a thousand pieces, and as she faded from the field, she heard three words carelessly tossed to her in the wind.

"…just a doll…"