.hack/PRESENT

Disclaimer: Yawn… I don't own .hack. I wonder how much longer I can go saying this over and over :xp:

CHAPTER 8: VIRUS CORE

Kite sat down at his desk and put on the head mounted display set. He hasn't logged onto "The World" for at least a week since the incident in the dungeon. The blue-haired twinblade appeared in Mac Anu just as the e-mail tone went off. He logged out and read the message.

To Kite,

It seems there's a data bug at DELTA Deserted Forsaken Tri-pansy. I want you to go there and eliminate it. This specific bug seems to have tampered with "The World's" main data and is causing the graphic problems you may have seen in root towns. Not to mention it has done something to the programming connected with the prize for the Spring of Myst event. Now, gather anyone you can get and form a party and take out this data bug. I put in a program that will allow you to have more than two party members for this time. We're detecting the data mass on this one to be very massive.

-Lios

Data bugs? High data volume? Kite slipped the neuro goggles while hoping that it wasn't a phase of some sort. He sent flash mails to everyone on his contact list. After waiting a few minutes by the chaos gate on a response from Tsukasa, Subaru, Mistral, A-20, Gardenia, Marlo, and Sanjuro was all he received before they all logged on.

"Hey, what's going on Kite?" Sanjuro asked.

"I've called all of you here because it seems there is still a data bug loose in 'The World'."

"WHAT! I thought we already took care of those #$ monsters!" Marlo shouted.

"I thought so too, but I got a mail from Lios. He told me there was still one remaining."

"So why bring all of us? It's not like you're fighting one for the first time." Gardenia said.

"Lios mentioned the data volume in the area was at a very high level."

"HUH? But the only time anyone mentioned that was because there was a phase!"

"This could be very dangerous." Subaru informed.

"So… you want us to help?" Tsukasa asked.

"Well, yes." Kite said.

"Fine, I'll join in." Tsukasa replied.

"Um, but aren't you only allowed to have two others follow you?" A-20 asked.

"Lios said he programmed the team to have more than three total. He said that I will need all the help I could get for this specific case. So we…"

"WE NEED TO GO ALREADY! I'M LOOSING MY &#)# Patience!" Marlo yelled.

"Oh… right!" Kite faced the chaos gate "DELTA Deserted Forsaken Tri-pansy!" with that, all eight players were surrounded by golden rings.

Theyreappeared in what seemed like a ghost town you would see in western movies.

"Hm…. It's empty…" Sanjuro said while unsheathing his katana.

"Fairy's orb!" Kite viewed the map as the fairy's orb scanned the area. "Huh? This field… it is the dungeon."

"Huh?" Mistral asked.

"It shows no dungeon entry. So I'm guessing this is field is suppose to be the …" Kite was interrupted by the rumbling of the ground. "Huh?" Ahead of him was a large cloud of smoke left behind by the marching of something. Kite equipped his twin short swords ready to fight if it was a monster. As the creature got closer, Kite could more easily distinguish what was coming.

"What is it?" Subaru asked.

"They're… they're…presents…" Kite responded.

"Presents?" Sanjuro asked. In front of the group was a stampede of what seemed like gift-wrapped boxes just making their way over to the players.

"There are so many of them! Can we take them?" Mistral asked, raising her staff.

"We don't' have a choice now…" Kite said, getting into twinblade stance. As he was about to attack, a large object fell down in between him and the cubicle enemies. "Wha…?"

"He of fair eyes! I have arrived!"

"Oh… it's you Piros…"

"Indeed. I received your request for me to join you, and now let us annihilate thy cubic beasts! Huh? AAAH!" By the time Piros turned around, 5 boxes had piled on top the heavyaxeman, causing him to fall over. Pieces of shredded armor were sent flying left and right as Piros cried for help. Within seconds, all the was left of the him was his large axe.

"Holy $#! They ate the faggot!" Marlo yelled. The presents began to encircle the group, surrounding them. As seconds passed, the space between the circling stampede and the players got smaller and smaller.

"RRR… we're outnumbered." Sanjuro said, getting into heavyblade stance.

"Hmph…" Tsukasa held up his wand "Guardian Pha." With that, the dumb-bell shaped monster floated above his head as any monster would in a summon spell. Tendrils and tentacles from the guardian shot out in all directions, killing off all boxed enemies. "They're finished." Tsukasa lowered his wand as the Guardian disappeared. That statement was soon proven false when four more came rushing up to Kite.

"Kite! Behind you!" Gardenia yelled.

"Wha? AH!" Kite stepped back and turned around. As soon as the boxed beasts were within an inch from Kite, a swift clashing sound was heard as a tanned figure dropped in front of him with the box dead next to his foot. "Blackrose?"

"What do you think you're doing going off to fight something like a phase without me!" she shouted at Kite.

"Well, sorry, but you didn't respond to the mail, so…"

"Hold that thought." Blackrose turned and swung her broad sword at the three remaining beasts, killing them, then turned back to Kite. "you were saying?"

"Well, you didn't respond, and Lios did say it was urgent, so…"

"What? And you just left without waiting for me?"

"I'm sorry! But you…" Kite was interrupted again by sound of static. A bright flash was all that was seen in the neuro goggles. As the light settled, Kite, Blackrose, and Mistral were the only one's standing there. "Huh? Where did…?"

"Damn it!" Lios' voice said from nowhere "that stupid bug is overwriting my program. I'm afraid you have to do this the old fashioned way by having only 2 party members with you."

"Darn. This is going to be more difficult." Mistral said.

"Don't worry. We've taken care of data bugs in the past with only a group of three. We can still do it." Kite reassured.

"H3Y! 4r3n'7 y0u f0r9377in9 50m30n3?"

"Huh?…. Sora?" Kite looked up to the top of an abandoned salon where the ninja-like twinblade stood.

"8in90! I r3ci3v3d y0ur m4i1 4nd I w4n7 70 533 7hi5 711 p0w3rfu1 m0n573r y0u m3n7i0n3d."

"AH HA! Thou has spotted the culprit of the PKing again!" said another voice from a building across the one Sora was standing on.

"Piros? How did you…" Kite began.

"I merely reset my computer terminal. Now, I must take care of the twinblade for his crimes!"

"Y0u 494in? 0h 41ri9h7. 137'5 p14y. C0m3 4nd 937 m3 F47 80Y!"

"How dare you insult Piros! Now! Fell thy wrath! RAAAH!" Piros leapt from the edge of the building waving his axe above his head. Sora picked up a nearby brick and tossed it at the axe-wielder. "AAH! That's a cheap…" Piros landed face first into the ground

"W311. 7h47 w45 4n 345y vic70ry."

"Hey! Don't think you'll get away with it."

"Huh? 0h… i7'5 Mr. 01d 5ch001." Sora said, looking to the side to find Crim pointing his spear at the twinblade.

"I see you're still causing trouble. Well I'm going to settle all this right here."

"P4h! 8rin9 i7 0n!" twinblade and longarm leapt from their respective buildings, slashing at each other in mid-air. Both moving swiftly and dodging the other's attacks. As Crim jumped up to deliver an uppercut, Sora flew to the side, having the longarm miss, and right in front of his attack was Balmung. The blade of Crim's spear cut the Descendant of Fianna's wing, causing him to crash into the ground from flying.

"What? Balmung?" Crim landed next to the one-winged knight. "Uh, sorry about that."

"…. My wing…"

"Hm?"

"This wing…. It's been cut…"

"Um yes. Again, I'm sorry for that. You see… I was trying to…" Before Crim could finish, Balmung unsheathed his blade and pointed it at Crim. "What the…? Hey, wait a moment…"

"You! You shall pay for what you have done to my precious wing!"

"Hey, wait a moment, I…AH!" Crim barely blocked a strike from above as Balmung began attacking Crim with eyes filled with rage. "Stop! Can't we just talk about this?"

"H4H4H4! 100ks 1ik3 y0u'11 83 8u5y f0r 4 whi13." Sora said from atop the building he was originally standing on.

"Get down here! You have some part in this as well. If you hadn't moved out of the way, I wouldn't be in this predicament!"

"W311, 700 84d! 60774 90 n0w. 8uh 8ye!" Sora took off skipping from building to building.

"rrrr… someday…Hm?" 'Where did the other three go off to anyway?' Crim thought.

Kite, Blackrose, and Mistral were running down the long pathways, trying to escape from the oncoming wave of present shaped enemies pursuing them.

"What kind of enemies are these anyway? VAK DON!" Mistral turned around quickly to shoot a bolt of fire at one present and turned to run again.

"I don't know. I've seen chests that attack, but these presents are just one lame idea!" Blackrose turned to slash at a boxed enemy and turned to run again.

"I have a feeling they weren't meant to be put into this game." Kite said, puling out three speed charms and applying it to all party members including him.

"How much further until we get to that data bug? My finger's getting tired of pushing forward on the analog stick!" Blackrose complained.

"It should be past this ally." Kite said looking at the map as he turned to the left. The group found themselves in front of a large door with binary digits floating around it. "This door… I haven't seen anything like it in this game…" Kite looked at it in wonder. Blackrose started slashing it.

"It won't open. And those boxes are gaining…"

"Don't worry! I'll open it! ALOHOMORA!" Mistral yelled, pointing her staff at the door. Nothing happened.

"Wrong series Mistral!" Blackrose said.

"Oops. I forgot…"

Kite noticed that the door was a selectable item on the screen. He pressed the X button on his controller. The screen started to static and he was taken to the gate hacking menu.

'!… I remember… those virus cores…. This door….' Kite thought, remembering the virus cores he found while searching for the spring. He quickly filled in the cross with the required virus cores and the door opened upon completion. "C'mon! Lets hurry!" Kite said as he ran through to the other side.

NEXT CHAPTER: PHASE 1.5

Preview: Kite and co. come face to face with a peculiar monster with a strange resemblance to Skeith. But this is no ordinary phase. This Skeith look-a-like can control the elements around it and warp players into the area at will. Can Kite defeat this new phase, or will it leave the World crashing around him?