AN:

Also, if you don't read Origin ARS, some of this chapter won't make sense, or it will seem like a lot of new information. It's fine if you have not read that story, or don't intend to do so. I do wish to remind everyone that Blackthorne is a spin-off from Origin ARS, however :)

Chapter 45.3: Proper Equipment

While a certain black dragon worked tirelessly to increase the fighting capacity of his people, a certain evil minded asshat railed hatefully at the monitor screen that sat before him. Sax glared at it for a moment then rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Now those bastards taunt me with this?"

On the screen was the glorious naked backside of a blue haired man. "Is this what you think of me, you bitches?"

The image on screen was of Scott, rather a different one. It was not the Scott that Sax enjoyed having tormented in his current game development program. No, it was the original one who had become a major roadblock for his plans. It was the blue haired bastard who kept popping up all over D-Net because of his association with the detestable Origin Ardent.

Sax had grown to despise the blue-haired completely despite having never met him. "Who is the mystery man? Is it the legendary blue-haired boyfriend?" He snorted at the tagline in the article. It went on to describe a new ad campaign started by the Origin gaming empire.

Sax bit his lower lip and gripped his fists tightly as the article writer gushed openly about the company responsible for the creation and maintenance of one of the oldest and still most dominating game world systems on the market.

The new campaign was designed to offer fan service to potential female players. It even went so far as to show a few of the pictorial advertisements. "ARS for your fantasies?" Sax snorted. How crude and blatant. Did those bastards think themselves clever? Put a picture of a naked man on screen with that caption, and somehow it was going to bring in female players?

The blue haired fool on the screen looked back at Sax, his ass shining gloriously and a stupid duck face smile on his lips. "You take me so lightly, you bastard?" snarled Sax.

The angry divinity stared at the masculine backside of the one who had unknowingly become the greatest thorn in his side. "You humiliate that idiot Karsha by claiming her head in that cave. You call in high-level ninja reinforcements to kill my ambush team..."

Sax took in a deep breath. "You even kill off one of my unofficial bandit groups in Eizen..."

"I had thought the worst thing was when you and that bitch Origin paid that slut Shara to use her assassin guild to murder my guild repeatedly, and then left for the classic server."

"But you bastards even went so far as to ban my family and guild from transferring over to that server to pursue you..." said Sax in a low growl.

"Now I have to look at your naked ass while you taunt me with the world's stupidest duck face selfie?" snarled Sax, as a means of ending his villainous monologue.

Sax rose to his feet then cried out, "Hell no! I won't stand for it." The hypocrisy of his statement did not penetrate his enraged mind. He had literally just stood for it.

The enraged programmer removed the gloriously offensive buttocks from his monitor and pulled up the character information screen for his current project. The soul information local version of his hated foe, the one who was known as Scott and Blackthorne, rose up on the screen.

Sax made a few button clicks and a bright red warning light appeared:

Warning: You are about to attempt to delete soul information from this server. This violates Divine City Ethical Ordinance 117-A9, a crime punishable by permanent banishment to the fifth circle of the abyss. Do you wish to proceed?

[ Yes | No ]

Sax seethed internally as he stared at the screen. For a moment he was tempted to tap the delete button. He managed to get ahold of himself. "No... Not deletion. He needs to suffer, and the attempt might be blocked anyway."

An annoyed shuddering breath escaped Sax's lungs. "The blue haired bastard, and that bitch Origin are practically untouchable, but I can do almost anything I want to this pathetic version. My plan is working anyway."

"The more I make him suffer... The more she will suffer." said Sax to himself. A soft chuckle escaped his lips as he thought of all the things he had set in motion through his stupid whore of a little sister.

The demented divinity pulled up a recent recording of Shara and Scott having a heart to heart on a rooftop. The sight of her tears, and heartfelt anguish, made a slight smile come to his lips. The more she cried, the brighter his smile became. "I needed that... Seeing that damned bitch suffer... It was worth it."

He performed a search to locate the foolish little mortal that dared to mock him by existing, only to discover something bizarre. "Where's his location data?"

The confused divinity searched through the data banks and discovered that there was no method of locating Scott's exact presence through the system. "What?"

Sax's eyes flared open and he cried out, "Someone hacked my system!"

The anger that radiated from him in that moment, might have inadvertently killed everything within a city block had he been on a mortal world. After the moment of rage subsided, he composed himself once more then dismissed the search screen. "As much as I detest that blue haired bastard and everyone who has his face... The real prize is already mine."

Sax looked at Shara's tear stained face and red-rimmed eyes on screen once more. "Suffer bitch...." he said. "Suffer like you made my guild suffer."

"Cry, slut..." laughed Sax softly, as he watched Shara hug herself gently and start to cry once more. "Tell him how you're a sad lonely girl, and how much you love him. That shit's always amusing."

The more she cried, the more excited he became. His breathing became slightly labored. Huskily he said, "So fucking hard right now..."

He brought up his favorite playlist, a series of short videos showing Shara crying or miserable. "Wish I had more time. I'd put on some death metal, and whip out the scented lotion..."

Sax sighed after a moment. "The tears of a broken-hearted ninja girl are the sweetest."

Throughout his room, various artifacts of his current obsession could be found. There were a few pictures of Scott, both the blue haired version and the one he currently toyed with. In all but one of them a dick had been drawn on his forehead. The other was a special photo that included his then girlfriend Rhea.

Origin appeared as well, mostly images of her with a knife to her throat. They had been taken during a time on the casual server when his minions had captured both her and the blue haired turd.

One specific image was put in a place of honor. It showed Scott being hung by his neck, while Origin in her guise as the elf Rhea slowly bled to death from a bleeding status effect. Paralyzed and forced to watch each other, they should have had to see each other die hopelessly. Unfortunately for Sax, his ambitions had been brought low by the timely intervention of the girl on screen. If not for Shara, this whole mess would have ended with a proper lesson. No one fucks with Sax.

That intervention had begun a series of events that led to the deranged divinity's newest obsession. On the wall was a poster of Shara sitting on the ground while leaning against a castle wall. She was half-naked, and utterly vulnerable. She looked up at the night-sky, tears pouring from her eyes, one hand reaching up toward something unseen in the distance.

On various tables and nightstands there were similar images, each one with Shara in some half-clothed state of emotional distress. The most damning visible artifact of all was a red haired doll that was strung up in the corner, a doll that had black marks under its eyes that simulated tears. It was a doll hung by its neck.

Sax bit his lower lip and moaned softly as he saw Shara break down onscreen once more. "Fuck yeah... I gotta get me some more of that."

He groaned loudly a moment later when his fun was interrupted by an incoming message. It was from his stupid little sister. Sax glanced at the subject header. "Have you seen this?"

"Impudent little slut... Address me properly next time." muttered Sax. He opened it to see what it was that she had sent him, only to see blue haired Scott's naked ass pop up on screen. He screamed in inarticulate rage then closed the screen down.

"I've had enough of his tired ass getting in the way of my fun." Sax growled like an animal. He flexed and unflexed his fingers for a few seconds then grew calm once more.

Sax replied to Karsha in simple terms. "Yes. I have seen it. Begin preparations, and gather the proper equipment. It's time we got this show on the road."

The demented divinity sent the message then looked back at Shara's miserable face. "You think you're crying now... wait a little longer."