Hacker gets first post...everything goes, all items, all equip, and Tempest has all the freedom to use her hacks.

EDIT:

Empty field! Barren like heck, nothing but hard dirt, and plenty of room to fight!

The second phase…

One was done, the second has yet begun; Cypher was out for blood. Don’t me mistaken; it wasn’t out of pure spite. Recent events had made the sudden attack spree necessary, and those who were attacked weren’t normal anyways. They were ‘special.’ Their data reeked with hacked information. But the group which he retaliated against wasn’t a band of malicious players looking to hinder “The World” from operating peacefully. Their reasons for operating were unknown, but he knew enough that they offered no harm to your everyday player. They searched for a higher power, they searched for answers, and they searched for a way out…much like Cypher did. Still, he needed information, and no one was willing to start off the conversation. His patience was unlike theirs- which he had just recently discovered they had been active in their struggle for a year now- running out as soon as he was infected. Yes, infected. Upon activating a bad link, an unknown program –later to be determined by Vera and himself to be a virus- passed on to his core data, infecting him completely. While the virus did not hurt him, or hinder his performance and duties, it did begin to infect others. The first and mostnotable victim-so far- was none other than Vera.

Vera…

The name escaped his mouth slowly, each vowel pronounced softly with deep attention to the correctness of how it was spoken. She was a mysterious player whose mystery alluded Cypher greatly. The fact she had changed so much, and had endured so much, made Cypher not stop thinking about her. And then there was the guilt trip…the fact his own mistake changed her even more. Poor girl had gone through so much…and now she wanted revenge. To return what he had unintentionally done to her. Sometimes, even innocence can’t escape destiny and fate. He could not back down, because she would not stop.

So much blood…

A scene appears in his conscious. Crimson liquid found itself dispersed in the form of dots. Circular, red, vibrant, alive…they were a combination of Vera’s and his. Both stood injured, their respective weapons targeted over each other. Another liquid mixed in was sweat, sweat produced from their over working bodies. The stress of battle had been imposed upon them, but still they stood strong. It now came to the last round, the last sword slash and the last clip used. Its brothers stood empty, lying in random directions, each spaced out unevenly between each other.

Why…

His eyes reopened. The thought of their conflict brought some discomfort over his now calmed soul. He would forget, wipe the slate clean, and prepare for the next battle. An unknown hacker-friends of Vera, from what the flash mail said0 was soon to join him, and their meeting would determine his future operations. While it was a crucial encounter, he would need to show no emotions towards the process, and outcome, of it. Get it done quick and easy was the best strategy.

Quick and easy…

SP : 150

(OOC: Fixed tags)

Tempest sat in a field of lush greenery, massive trees towering over her with thick leaves allowing only cracks of light to shine through the tree tops. In a meditative position, Tempest continued to ponder the recent events, recalling each one in her mind, reliving each experience. With bruises and scars lacing her body, her meditation was beginning to take it toll on her body physically and mentally. Raicho perched on a branch no less than 15feet above her watched over their surroundings guarding her from any approaching danger. Tempest had been in this forest the past 7days on end and Raicho had never left her side since they arrived in the forest.
A ping echoed through out the hollow interior of her ear, opening her eyes she was greeted with a flash mail.
“From Vera?” Looking over the carefully encrypted message, Tempest felt a wave of satisfaction and purpose wash over her as it cleansed her body the impurities that hinder her from moving on with her life. Standing to attention, Tempest outstretched her arm and from that secret gesture Raicho flapped his wings once and took to the air as he glided onto her shoulder.
“What is now”
“We have a mission.”
“And that is....”
“To beat Cypher,” and as the words escaped her lips she could her the rapid fire of bullets in the air and the crash of a tattered body. Her body began to quake as the thoughts frantically raced in her mind, she was letting her imagination get the best of her and she was losing control. Sensing such pain Raicho spoke “Don’t forget why you were here,” Raicho told Tempest. “Those memories, those events they are all in the past and you must look forward. Use them and learn from them but don’t let them control you.” His words seem to have a calming effect on the crazed woman, replacing her thoughts with tranquility.
“Yes. . . Thank you,” Tempest said a small smile on her face “I needed that, I won’t let it take control of me anymore. And now,” the devilish smirk taking the place of the innocent smile “Cypher I hope your prepared for what I am about to bring.” And with that Tempest was entrapped between the golden rings and transferred to the duel site.

And finally, she came. Enveloped in an aura of beauty and mystery, the whip mistress known as Tempest finally made her appearance. This was not the first time the two laid eyes on each other. It was a few months ago- closer to year- and an event called Battle Royale took place. Cypher had made it with the entrapment of certain shady players in “The World” in mind. It was an all out melee, where every fighter fought for himself. Of course alliances were made- and quickly broken- but in the end, he failed to capture people. However, he got some valuable information, such as mug shots, information on how they fight, their equipment, and even greater, their names. He was compelled to release their information to his superiors, but encounters with certain players, one of which was Tempest, held him back.

Nall…

A very enigmatic player. Nall and Cypher had shared a few adventures together, the most recent being Battle Royale. His special “attributes” were unknown, but he was not normal. The mere fact he felt such pain after every direct hit endured by enemies they faced was a dead giveaway. “The World” was not designed for sensorial experience, only sensorial stimulation. A real experience would be a load too heavy for some to carry, ending in tragic situations he preferred not to think about. That result would leave CC Corp bankrupt, swimming in a never ending ocean of law suits.

How many of you are out there…

Vera, Nall, and now Tempest. Cypher had seen more at Battle Royale, but their identities were unknown to him. And when they fought, most called each other by a first name basis, showing friendship and familiarity. Those were a lot of people to fight and, in his current position, Cypher was unsure if he could defeat them all. But he had to think in the now, and he had to think of only one thing: success. He was driven, driven to win, driven to never fail, driven to be on top. A quick glance at her stats showed Tempest to be very weak compare to himself, and this was merely by level. Class difference and weapon/armor difference had not been taken into play, which would tip the odd further towards Cypher. His best strategy would be to be quick. While he only encountered Tempest once- ending with one slash and her life lost- Cypher was sure about one thing: she had ‘powers,’ and she would not think twice to use it.

“…Miu Lei.”

She had just barely arrived, and already the first attack was executed. A charm spell, the miu lei had you under the control of the caster. Any orders could be barked out, ranging from offensive attacks to self inflicting damage. But as soon as the charmed person received damage, or time elapsed, he or she would return to normal. Since no enemies lie present in the field to be attack, then she’d remain still, awaiting orders from Cypher. This is when his sword would enter her, deeply, and hurt her. A lot…enough to cause extreme damage, since she was weaker than him. Cypher saw the spell launch off and arrive at her position. He would not wait, and instead charge at her with full force.

This should really hurt you…

The Jinsanran had finally come out. Its dangerous tip aimed straight at where the heart lied, on the left breast. The sword has wielded by his right arm, the dominant one. The arm was squeezed back, while the free hand jolted forward. He had leaned on it, gaining as much momentum as possible through the run. If for some odd reason the charm missed, he’d still be able to go left or right for striking purposes. A quick death was imminent.

SP: 111