They are the virtuality's oldest and most powerful organization of player killers or Enforcers. If the three Ultra Guilds were every groups' hopeful dream then Queen's Charybdis are the nightmare no one wishes to believe was true.
"As long as you pay the proper price in cash, Coin, or Resources we can erase the very memory of Ruby Blade." Madeleine Hickbomb is the youngest Leader of Charybdis at 32. The tales about her called her the most dastardly and sadistic of all.
His executives all look in Darren's direction, but despite the discomfort everyone can feel rolling off of him, his expression hardens and he nods. A contract is signed. Ruby Blade's time is over now, he can feel it on the wind.
***
Tara's school is thriving with energy. Some students display the Equipment they got from on the final day of the first Event while others lament that they should have done more. Tara's class in particular is mobbed with curiosity. Though it is a secret that they are members of Lapis Tome, Tara's popularity from the White Mountain fight drew many people.
Tara admits to a few things like she took part in the Crossover category with a few of her classmates. This draws several of the older classes to even attempt to recruit Tara and her friends to their Workshops or Guild. Many had made them a year or two prior in the previous virtuality game Dragon's Cross. To them whatever rewards Tara's team got could be elevating!
The crowd is split by the arrival of a tall and muscular man in a large suit.
"Is that-?" "No way!" "Move, I need to see if he'll sign something!"
Tara looks up at the commotion, her brows rising as a smile greets her face. "Uncle? What are you doing here?!"
Her uncle Gutoin, more commonly known as Iron Wall, stands in the doorway for some unknown reason. He jerks a thumb over his shoulder with a serious expression on his face. "A bit of a family emergency. I already cleared it with the school and got your moms' approval."
A hush falls among the crowd as worry blooms in Tara's heart. She quickly gathers her things causing Qisma, Renee, and Kristen to do the same. However, Guotin shakes his head at the other three girls. Tara gives them a helpless smile before following her Uncle's back. The trio go to see her off along with the gathered crowd as Tara climbs into a dark blue maglev car.
Silence fills the vehicle as Guotin pulls off. Tara squirms as she casts a glance at her uncle, arms wrapped around her backpack in her lap.
"Uncle, what's the e-emergency?" Tara finally asks. His frown deepens for a moment before it flips and Guotin beams.
"The emergency, kiddo, is you haven't visited Blueriver once since starting your virtuality journey. We have to introduce you to the family business at some point. Might as well be now." He laughs heartily reaching over to flick her nose. Concern melts away but instead twists to confusion.
"I don't understand. I've been to the main headquarters before?" She asserts. Tara had many childhood memories of running the halls, raiding the kitchen, and visiting the pool.
He waves his hand dismissively. "What we showed you as a brat is for initiates and tourists. You're finally old enough to see the inner workings. Besides I owe you and your friends for the sword. It must have been a hard decision to give away such a high quality weapon."
Tata blinks at him in silence instantly inferring that he believed they gave him their only valuable weapon. She smiles to herself but makes no move to correct her uncle about her craft but--
"How did you know Lapis Tome and Dawn Blossom are my friends?" She hadn't made a mention and their identities were protected besides their obvious age.
"Why else would the first player owned shop give such beneficial terms to Blueriver when they're making waves? More importantly we have the yearly Labyrinth and Coliseum coming up. I want to gauge your strength to see if you can make it to the Eastern Cup with your friends." Guotin brings up something Tara had forgotten.
The world of virtuality has two main sporting events: the Labyrinth Race and Coliseum Matches. The former has different teams of five race through a maze to the final checkpoint after fighting generated monsters, finding Labyrinth locked Blessings or Curses among treasures, or even facing another team at an intersection. The latter is the more practical arena style matches with first five person team round robin, doubles matches, and then finally one on one semis and finale!
About a decade ago they finally came to local academia where students could apply with a team name. They would first fight among their schoolmates, then other schools in the area, so on and so forth until they reached the Eastern Cup.
This is where the strongest students before young adulthood can be found with many Guilds and Workshops finding their new star players among them. The Ultra and Super Guilds in America are no different though they focused on those teams who qualified for the Unity Battle held in the capitol. These are the six top ranking teams on the East Coast, West Coast, and Midwest Region.
Tara honestly believes her friends can make it to the Unity Battle on both Coasts. It would certainly make for some good advertisement and show off how skilled they are to the world. While Blueriver is looking towards their prospective newbies, the other powers would be evaluating future experts in the making.
The Blueriver Main HQ is in the heart of Annapolis. A stunning seven story octagonal building with crowds of people coming and going. Only the first floor is for the public, having essentially become a rec center for the area. The main lobby includes an indoor pool, gymnasium, library, and dining hall. There is also a merch store run by Starshine as well as the testing hall. Open all year for those wishing to try and join Blueriver could come to this or any other branch.
The second floor is the living quarters including personal apartments and bathing hall. Many members live here even with their families. Several of her classmates like Tori (Kingdom Lock) and Arthur (Crafty Goliath) call the HQ home. Tara has only been to these floors in the past so she is curious about the upper floors.
Parking the maglev car in the underground parking lot, Guotin would usually have taken her to the first floor via the stairs. Instead they go not the third floor, where the virtuality booths for all the present members log on, but the sixth! Guotin flashes a keycard and even does an eye scan to enter. Tara finds a space not dissimilar to a stadium. Reminiscent of the Martial Academy's sparring grounds, numerous black tiled arena squares.
"The fourth and fifth floors are our meeting rooms and the seventh floor is being remodeled. This space, though, is where the magic happens. Come on, let me show you." Guotin steps onto the platform and Tara follows.
On closer inspection as she stands on a tile marked with a circle, the material is made of a magnetic stone. Her uncle on the other side of the arena square stops and once he's in place, a hatch opens up in the center.
A chrome sphere floats bouncily through and into the air. It goes all the way to the high ceiling before it projects two lasers from its bottom. Two rods eject and stand from edges of the square before the light strikes them. From there a barrier is formed out of interlocking octagonal shapes.
"This is one of Blueriver's biggest secrets. Only longtime members have access to this floor." He snaps his fingers as the floor beneath him changes from black magnetic stone to digital blue.
In a flash, Guotin is wearing the familiar visage that Gladiolus and previously Crafty Goliath wore: the famous Frostwolf set. On his back rests the Osmium Bear Greatsword.
"That's--this--how?" Tara struggles to form a thought. This shouldn't be possible and yet!
"It's a fusion of holographic projection and magnetic field manipulation. Auntie Ahana thought it up around the time of Father's third conquest. We call it the hololive arena. It was actually completed around the time I played my first game." Guotin pauses, the shocked face of his niece making him remember his own surprise back then.
"Auntie Ahana'' is Ahana Prakash, none other than the creator of Starshine Industries who revolutionized not just the gaming industry but human life as well. What many, even Tara, did not know is that her Grandma Ahana is actually bosom buddies with her Gong Gong Boying.
They were childhood friends from when they were in diapers, so Gong Gong Boying was always willing and eager to try out her new devices and experiments.
"You've been training with this for that long?" Tara marvels. She knows that Renovel is her uncle's fourth virtuality game. No wonder her family's Guild is considered number 1. If people can nurture and grow accustomed to their equipment and abilities within the natural world, then wouldn't their power multiple in virtuality?!
"We were merely the guinea pigs but yes. As you can see it works wonders. It's only recently that Starshine has sent similar systems to Blade and Safou. I think they want to start using them for competitions? Now enough chatter, we came here to practice!" Guotin ends, unclipping his weapon and taking a stance.
Tara snaps her fingers like Guotin did before and a translucent screen appears. Following the instructions, she links to her game. Awash in light, Tara appears in her Dark Saber uniform along with her arm. She summons Sun Claw and Moon Fang into her hand without a second thought. Thanks to the magnetic field manipulator, her gear does have that familiar weight to them. Tara can't help but wonder if...
Guotin observes his niece use Blueriver's secret with practiced ease. He chuckles to himself taking in her weapons of choice, daggers. Interesting.
"Tara, did you kn--" He stops himself as watches as the floor underneath Tara shifts between the rest mode black and the active digital blue. With years of experience in honing both his physical senses and his energy reading capability, he can feel she's attempting to use an impressive ability. After a moment, a white film of energy eventually coats her body and the pressure she gives off increases greatly.
"Okay! Now I'm ready!" Tara announces with a grin. It took some doing and lots of focus but she actually summoned her aura! Now she could fight her uncle at full strength without holding back.
The moment is short lived however, as suddenly and rapidly, the octagonal barrier disintegrates and the projector orb quickly returns to its hatch. The power in the rest of the building flickers for one minute before turning back on.
As Guotin's Equipment falls away into particles with a confused Tara before him, a memory from long ago unearths itself. His father had reached the highest level in Guotin's first game and wanted to see what would happen if he used his strongest skill within the hololive arena. The move had not only drained the power from the building but several blocks away!
At the memory, Guotin bursts out in laughter. He doubles over onto his side just as Tara's Aunt Tanisha, as well as others who had access to this floor, arrives looking concerned. They are surprised to find a lost looking Tara and a hysterical Guotin.