Prefic: Haseo Who?

Ryou Misaki sighed, taking off his headset. Another day gone, and still there were no leads on Tri-Edge. He cursed to himself; how the hell could this guy keep himself hidden so well? It was almost like he disappeared from the World entirely! Grumbling to himself, he started to get out of his chair when he was stopped by a sudden beeping from his PC; someone was sending him a message! Turning to the monitor, he paused before opening it; could it be from Ovan? Did his former guildmaster find out more information about the player who PK'd Shino into a coma?

Opening the mail merely generated disappointment for Ryou; it was from some player he had never heard of. Probably some noob asking for PK protection or revenge or something stupid like that. Like he could care less! They could level up and get their own revenge, as far as he was concerned. He was about to close the message when his eyes spotted something that immediately caught his interest.

"Attention, Mr. Terror of Death. You are searching for a certain someone, yes? I have some information you might find useful. Meet me at Delta: Hidden Forbidden Bulwark.

-Lucretia"

Information he might find useful...did this person know about Tri-Edge? He grabbed his headset without a second thought and jammed it on his face as The World started up again; if there was even the slightest chance that she knew anything at all about Tri-Edge...

---

Lucretia took in her surroundings; there were very few things in this world that impressed her, but that these people had been able to create such a beautiful landscape that one could interact with...she hated to admit it, but she was impressed. The landscape of the Morrigu Barrow Wall put some of the incredible views from her own world to shame; on one side, a massive ancient wall that stretched on to infinity, with moss and vines growing in patches, and on the other, separated by a river of clouds, a sea of trees that seemed to extend to the horizon. Truly, this World was a piece of art. Her thoughts were cut short when her quarry finally arrived through the Chaos Gate. Clad in his almost demonic-looking armor stood Haseo, the legendary Player Killer Killer known as the "Terror of Death." Smiling, she said, "Hello there, Mr. Terror of Death. It is a lovely day, wouldn't you-"

Haseo cut her off, growing impatient, "Cut the friendly act. I could hardly care about what you say that doesn't have to do with Tri-Edge." Offhand, Haseo wondered why she looked as if she didn't belong in the game; by all accounts, she appeared to be a Dance Macabre from the massive fan she carried. But there were a few things that were off about her; she was dressed in unfamiliar flowing robes, and she didn't have a Wave Tattoo anywhere on her body. Most likely, she was a hacker of some sort, which would make sense; hackers tended to know more things about both the game and the players in it than normal players did.

Lucretia merely smiled, hardly caring that the boy silenced her. "Very well, Mr. Terror of Death. Let's get down to business then, shall we? You are after a Player Killer known as Tri-Edge, one who put your dear friend Shino into a coma. His trademarks are his patchwork appearance and his azure flames." Ignoring Haseo's surprised look, she continued, "I have a proposition for you, Mr. Terror of Death. I work for a group of people who seek your cooperation in a little tournament they're putting together. A series of friendly matches with a wonderful prize for the winner."

Haseo growled; he should've known. Though she appeared to know plenty about Tri-Edge, either it was an act or she was tryng to bribe him. "So, basically, you want me to join this little tournament of yours as a publicity stunt, right? The great Terror of Death, taking part in a friendly fighting tournament in The World. Well, lady, I'm not interested in being a poster boy for your tournament and I'm not interested in your cheap items. Now tell me what you know about Tri-Edge!"

Lucretia chuckled, which merely provoked Haseo more; he was normally relatively patient with players, but this girl was making it tempting to be a PK instead of a PKK. Lucretia stopped her chuckling and said, "I think you misunderstand me, Mr. Terror of Death. Yes, it's a tournament. But it's not taking place in The World. And the reward isn't some item in the game; it's whatever you desire. Why, you could get Shino back, destroy Tri-Edge, and reform the Twilight Brigade. Are you interested?"

Haseo blinked; this lady HAD to be crazy! "If it's not taking place in The World, why contact me? I'm not much of a fighter in the real world."

Lucretia kept her Chesire smile plastered on her face, "Oh, I'm well aware of that, Ryou Misaki. That's the reason I contacted you in The World; as Haseo, you stand a much better chance of surviving. Now, if you're interested..."

Haseo hated to admit it, but he was interested. If he could win...he could have Shino back and make everything the way it was before Tri-Edge came. It's just like the Forest of Pain, he thought to himself, Go through a really difficult challenge and get an incredible prize. And hell, I beat the Forest when people said it was impossible. What's to stop me from winning this tournament? His mind was made up. But there was still one thing that bothered him..."Hey, lady. You said you contacted me here because my character could win. But how's that going to help me if I can't be Haseo when I'm not logged into The World?"

Lucretia merely pulled out a small pouch from her robes. "Trust me, Mr. Terror of Death," she said, removing some strange-looking dust, "That won't be a problem." Before Haseo could question what she was doing, the dust covered the two. And then they were gone.

By Twilight the Fox (Guest, nobody on our team knew who Haseo was.)