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Raine's axe severed the skeleton's neck, the crude sword it held clattering to the ground as it collapsed into a pile of bones. Grinning to herself, she folded up her axe, stowing it onto her belt. A dark-skinned woman, her face framed with dreadlocks, she was dressed in red armour with a golden shoulder plate that bore a stylised shield emblem. Bones crunched under her boots as she made her way towards the heavy stone door at the end of the room, pushing it open to reveal a battered chest. Kneeling down, she opened the lid, a golden glow illuminating her face...
###############
'Hey, Tau,' Raine said, as she approached the tall man with long black hair, dressed in flowing blue robes. Like her, he wore the same gold shoulder plate that she did. 'Tau...?'
'...oh. Hey, Raine. Sorry. I...didn't see you there...'
'Obviously,' Raine said, with a grin. 'What were you doing...?'
'Just...checking my messages...'
'Well, I just cleared out a dungeon in the Skull Crypt for another 2000 credits...Hey, where are you going...?'
'I've...got something to take care of,' Tau said, standing up and Raine frowned.
'...alright. I'll see you tomorrow...'
###############
Shield's HQ.
Raine stepped out of the gate into a domed room with a pentagon-shaped table in the middle, five chairs arranged around it's facets. Next to it stood a bald, heavily-muscled man with dark skin. He was dressed in leather trousers with a red sash tied around his waist. Tattoos adorned his body, including a shield on his right shoulder.
'Hey, Aganju,' she said. 'You okay...?'
'I am,' Aganju said, his voice soft and composed. 'I received the 2000 credits that you added to the Clan account. Sabre and Hailong came third in the PVP contest on Planet Doom, earning another 6000 credits, which puts us fourth in the overall rankings behind the Hawks, the Black Mantles, the Forgebanners and the Shattered Oaths.'
'We can deal with that,' Raine said. 'We've still got two days left before the competition closes. Have...you seen Tau today...?'
'No. Why do you ask...?'
'I'm not sure. He just seemed a little distracted. Anyway, it's late and I need to log off. I'll see you tomorrow...'
###############
Kei shut down her terminal, massaging her neck as she took off her headset. With a groan, she stood up, undressing as she headed for the bathroom. Showering quickly, she wrapped a towel around herself, padding back into the lounge just as her phone beeped. She picked it up and flipped it open, her eyes widening at what she saw.
Social media sensation Takahashi Tayama, a prominent player of the MMORPG The Oasis, has been hospitalised following a suspected drugs overdose. Doctors at Tokyo Medical University Hospital say that his condition is stable, but serious.
Numbly, she dropped onto the couch, staring blankly at the screen.
Tau...
Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. Any reviews, comments or constructive criticisms are very welcome.