Reunited With More Chaos

The room's interior was shaped like a huge dome. It seemed about as wide as a gladiator's arena, and its dark walls climbed into the air and curled high above everyone's heads. Murky water spewed out from holes in the ceiling, sprinkling an acidic debuff onto every player in the domain.

In the centre of the dimly lit dungeon, the air was thick with the stench of acidic fumes, and Kikt_Zero1 stood at the forefront, his silver hair gleaming faintly in the clouded light. His gaze was fixed on a monstrous water hydra that had already claimed the lives of three of his guild members. He knew he couldn't afford to lose any more.

Right after all the players had entered the room and got into formation, the doors behind them sealed shut, locking them in with the hydra until they won or died trying.

The players watched in horror as the Hydra titan slowly crawled towards them along the ceiling of the room. It had a snake-like tongue, and its body was coated in transparent scales that looked to be made of water. All of a sudden, it poised itself to attack and spread its leathery wings wide before diving straight into the ground, instantly slamming its large body against three players, dropping their life points to zero as they were flung back from the attack. Their lifeless bodies landed on the cold, hard stone floor and shattered like shards of glass seconds later. Their death sounds rang out and overlapped one another.

The hydra monster, titled the <First Son Of The Sea: Xyrath>, had taken the lives of three people in an instant. 

Suddenly, it raised one of its many heads and charged at another group of players. The players stumbled over themselves in an attempt to flee as Xyrath let out a thunderous roar.

"Eeeeek!!" One of the players cried.

"Shit!" yelled another. "Everyone! Fall back!" 

One of the monster's black tails began to harden, transforming the once fluid appendage into a spiked iron pillar before raising it high into the air once again. 

Just before the tail came down on the group, a figure jumped right above the steel-like limb. It was Kikt_Zero1 who dashed straight above the beast's incoming attack. He quickly rotated his body three times in the span of half a second to generate maximum momentum before delivering a midair axe kick. His foot slammed against the steel limb, sending out an ear-rending sound of impact and a shower of toxic goo. 

"Holy shit! He countered it without using his Leere! That's insane!" One of the guild members was amazed by his raw display of power.

However, after the successful counter of the beast's attack, two other tails emerged from behind its enormous, watery frame and lunged both towards Kikt_Zero1. While he managed to knock back the first strike, the Hydra Boss' right limb swung down at Kikt_Zero1, who was still regaining his balance in the air. 

"Dammit, Kitan! Another one is coming!" Yelled a voice from below.

"Tsk," he mumbled, obviously irritated at the commentary from below. "Trick," he mumbled as his body began to split in two, an exact copy of himself emerging from his original body. 

"The ability Trick is part of a skill tree that can be utilised without the activation of a Leere; only those who have fully mastered stealth combat can unlock this skill. The ability allows the user to make an identical copy of themselves with limited movement, as they aren't capable of moving."

Kikt_Zero1 grabbed onto his clone, using it as a foothold, before leaping off of its stomach with full force. He quickly propelled himself straight up behind the beast's many tails, changing his trajectory to avoid the attack, before grabbing onto the stone ceiling of the domain. 

With swift and decisive action, he dashed right above the beast without it noticing; not even his guildmates knew exactly what happened. All they could do was stand there with their mouths agape in awe. 

Kikt_Zero1's fingers flew across his face as he began to trace an invisible circle. The circle glowed for a split second before releasing a blinding light that stunned the hydra. He shoved his whole arm straight into the glowing magic circle in front of him and began to pull back. He struggled as if he were grabbing onto a heavy object in thin air. Eventually, he had to rotate his whole body to pull out what seemed to be a gigantic white object. 

"Behold, this is <Viper Dum Ferum>; good luck surviving this, insect." He called out, raising a huge chain sword decorated with the skull of a serpent. "Now go, Viper, devour." He whispered, slashing the weapon horizontally towards the boss' midsection and severing two of its heads. The weapon moved as if it had a mind of its own, with the edge of the blade twisting and coiling organically. It was a demon forged in the depths of virtual reality, as if the Leere itself were a monster.

With its remaining head, the beast roared at Kikt_Zero1 before attempting a direct blast at him. As it charged up its <Hydrobeam >, the surrounding water from the environment began to float upwards, condensing at a single point above the mouth of the hydra. However, Kikt_Zero1's Leere struck first; it compressed itself into the hilt as if it were a spring before extending straight out, intercepting the attack with inhuman precision that defied its inanimate nature. The serpent's head coiled rapidly around the hydra's lower jaw, shutting off the charging sequence and negating the incoming attack. 

With a swift movement, Kikt_Zero1 dove downward, his Leere sinking its fangs into the boss's flank as it sundered everything apart. He dragged the monstrous creature across the domain, gashing out its remaining head before flinging its liquid form into the dungeon's ceiling.

The once-three-headed beast was now reduced to a few lifeless limbs as its headless body slid down the worn-out walls.

The water hydra's remaining health finally disappeared, and its mutilated corpse exploded into tiny, glimmering shards. 

A collective cheer erupted throughout the room; however, it was immediately shot down by the sound of Kikt_Zero1 crashing down through the floor, creating a small crater where his body lay. 

"Shut up! All of you." He said, letting out a tired growl from the dust and debris. "That was just the first Delve boss, and we've already lost six people."

"Sorry, Kitan," one of the members apologised.

"Don't call me by that name. I'm no longer that person. My name is Zero; remember that the next time you address me; otherwise, I can't guarantee your safety from Viper's fangs." The silver-haired boy grumbled as he paced towards the labyrinth's door before slamming it open. Another player sprinted behind the silver-haired boy, eventually reaching a walking pace besides him.

"Hey, Kit—I mean Zero. What about that girl?" They asked innocently.

Zero halted in his tracks for a few moments before speaking, "We need to focus on clearing the game; the longer we stay here, the longer she will suffer. If she's here on the first floor, then it would be far safer than being on the second floor." He said it robotically, not showing the slightest hint of emotion.

"Hurry up; we need to head down there and clear the game, and if by chance she's there, then we find her." He continued. 

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SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT: THE FIRST DELVE BOSS HAS BEEN CONQUERED BY THE JAPANESE TEAM. 

SYSTEM REMINDER: ONLY THE GULID THAT DEFEATS THE FINAL BOSS CAN LEAVE THE GAME. ALL OTHER PATICIPATIONS WILL NOT BE AUTOMATICALLY LOGGED OUT WHEN THE GAME IS CLEAR. 

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Tang-Ji shivered, half regretting how she forgot to purchase a warm jacket and half debating asking Kazami for his. The walk through the snowfield was completely silent, with a lingering sense of tension hanging in the air after she and Kazami found out about Ukiyo's true identity. 'She had been deceiving us the whole time,' Tang-Ji thought silently. "She must have had a good reason to do so. Right?"

"Hey… Ukiyo. Thank you for saving us." Tang-Ji said as the fumes escaped her mouth.

Ukiyo did not reply, choosing to remain silent. She has not said a single word for the past five hours, and neither has Kazami, who was trailing behind. The situation has now become awkward and dire for everyone. In their minds, they knew that they were running out of time. 

'If what the system reminder said was true, then we need to form a guild right away. I hope Kang and Azuki-san are alright. Our best bet is that they are heading towards the first Devle teleporter. Fuck! This has to be a joke or a sick, twisted dream.' Kazami thought to himself, clenching his fist in silence.

The journey through the snowy area continued. Despite their discomfort, the cold weather was somewhat refreshing and delightful to Tang-Ji. 'I must have gotten used to it since we've been in the cold for so long,' she thought. Tang-Ji held out her hand, palm up, and watched curiously as a snowflake drifted down and melted on her hand. It had been a while since she had stopped to watch the snow.

Around her, everything was covered in all shades of white, with a perfect field of snow extending as far as her eye could see. 

Ukiyo took the lead, leaving a delicate path in the fine drifts behind her. Her once-pure white garment now showed signs of their tough trek. It showed evidence of wear and tear at the base, and it was fortunate that no lethal poison got on it since otherwise it would have been entirely destroyed. However, despite the rough condition that it was in, Tang-Ji couldn't help but admire Ukiyo's beauty in her dress.

She continued to stroll along the icy path, trailing behind Ukiyo, who was further ahead. Tang-Ji was beginning to have an aching feeling in her chest that made her want to cry. This feeling was strange to her; she didn't know why she felt the sudden, intense urge to cry when she thought about Ukiyo. It was as if she had known her for many lifetimes.

Tang-Ji looked down to see Ukiyo's trail of footprints in front of her. She attempted to walk inside Ukiyo's footprints, but the print was too small, perhaps half of Tang-Ji's own shoe. 

As she followed the string of footprints that slowly led to the barren polar desert, the trail began to curve, veering into a grove of trees that grew along the perimeter of the forest. The trees were a dark, leafy green but had been caught in the snowfall as well, leaving their edges sprinkled with bits of shimmering white. They soon discovered the stunning beauty ahead to be covered in a veil of mist as it slowly began to accumulate around them.

Tang-Ji finally reached the end of the footprint trail and looked up from the ground disappointedly. Her eyes widened as she was greeted with a large wooden sign that hung over the entrance to the forest. The sign read, "The Forest of Wavering Green Giants." 

"Follow me and avoid getting lost in the mist." Ukiyo called, "I know a shorter route out of this place. After that, we should arrive at the first Delve."

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Deep within the Forest of Wavering Green Titans, the path was dark and eerie, with little to no sunlight breaking through the thick, dense treeline. Their encounter with a giant NPC aided them in travelling. Sitting on the top of the giant's back, Emiko, Ji-Soon, and Kompto could be seen trekking through the mist. 

"Are we there yet?" Emiko said it for the fifteenth time. Kompto, who was sitting right next to her on the giant's back, was becoming visibly frustrated as his brow furrowed.

"Right… because I know exactly when we'll get there," he said sarcastically. 

"Could you shut up? Gosh, men are so annoying and dumb," she huffed, now crossing her arms.

"Ah yes, because yelling in the middle of the forest is considered a smart thing to do," he jeered as a smirk crept onto his face.

"WHY YOU!" 

"Wow, it seems like you two are getting along." Ji-Soon sighed, now tired of the constant, childish bickering.

"Not funny, Ji-Soon." Emiko groaned. "You're starting to sound dry with these boooring comments you've been making. In fact, you're starting to sound like Tang-Ji. No girls would be into you."

Ji-Soon chuckled. "Yeah, I won't be attracting girls like you." 

From the sidelines, Kompto chimed in with a smirk, "Talking behind someone's back? It sounds like you're all just a bunch of close-knit friends. After all, they say, if you're not getting the gossip, you're not in the loop!"

"Shut up!" Ji-Soon and Emiko both responded simultaneously. 

The group continued making snide remarks at each other for a while before noticing the sunlight slowly begin to trickle in from gaps in the trees. 

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The group emerged from the fog-ridden maze of trees and caught a glimpse of the forest's edge. The morning sun rose over the horizon, stretching long, dark shadows over the grassy plateau. The smooth "swish" of grass gradually replaced the rustle of fallen leaves as the party continued walking out of the forest. 

As they stepped out of the reach of the forest, a distant murmur of voices could be heard in the breeze. A girl's voice, with a hint of irritation, was discernible from across the plains: "You said the place was here, but it doesn't look like it. Just admit that you got us all lost." 

A retort came from a male voice, which sounded exasperated: "No, I'm pretty sure this is the place. And can you get off my ass for one second? Your constant backseating is driving me insane."

"Backseating? Are you kidding me? I was carrying your ass! I swear to God, I would have left your sorry excuse of a man by now if it weren't for my low stat points in navigation skills."

"Yeah, that's right—admit you need a man to bail you out." Ji-Soon quipped.

"Who the hell needs a coward like you?!" The girl snapped back.

A calm, steady, but deep voice intervened, appearing to want to diffuse the tension. "Can you calm down, please. You know, getting mad is the quickest way for a woman to lose her charm. After all, you can't catch flies with vinegar." 

"Shut up! And stay out of this asshole!" The girl yelled.

Tang-Ji exchanged glances with Kazami, and a silent understanding passed between them. They turned their attention towards the source of the voices, only to find their schoolmates Emiko and Ji-Soon.

"What the hell?! Kang? Is that you? What are you doing here?" Kazami said, astounded by this chance encounter. 

Ji-Soon squinted towards the source of Kazami's voice before staring into the horizon. His eyes went wide in shock as he was greeted by a familiar figure.

"Well, I'll be damned. What are the chances of that? I knew my luck hadn't run out," Ji-Soon chuckled as he jogged towards his friend.

Emiko exhaled sharply. "For the last time, enough with the bullshit luck thing, and-" she said before meeting Tang-Ji's eyes. Her mouth hung open for a moment, and with a sudden burst of emotion, she ran towards Tang-Ji and enveloped her in a warm, tight embrace, letting out a sigh of relief. 

"My god, you two look awful. What happened to your clothes?" Emiko said, pushing herself off of Tang-Ji.

Having recently escaped death, Tang-Ji sported a long coat that was ragged and torn, which sat above her damaged grey combat skirt. Her matching long-sleeved blouse from days of constant fighting was dirtied and worn. Kazami was no different; there were multiple holes and tears in his coat, and his shirt was covered in frequent spots of dirt and what appeared to be sweat. 

In contrast, Emiko, who stood like a figure from another time, was an elegant antithesis to the surrounding wilderness. Tang-Ji was surprised at the fact that her outfit seemed completely new; not even a speck of dust could be seen on the fabric. Her kimono was adorned with intricate patterns that evoked tradition and grace. Her brown hair framed her face, and the vibrant colours of her outfit swirled on the folds of the fabric like a living canvas.

The sense of awe faded when Tang-Ji began tapping Emiko's arm softly. "Too tight…" she choked. "Can't… breathe..." Her face became purple from Emiko's bone-crushing bear hug.

"Oopsie! Sorry about that. Hehe!" She let out a cheeky laugh before releasing her grip. "God. I missed you, girl. It's been lonely being the only girl in this group of barbarians. Men, right? You know what I mean—always so annoying," she added with playful seriousness, her voice holding a hint of teasing camaraderie.

"That's a little sexist, and thank you for blaming your idiocy on us," a husky voice rebuked. "It's not like we were the victims of your nonsense the entire time. You and your constant yapping almost had us killed." The voice came from besides Ji-Soon. The source was a man with a striking dark complexion who wore a business suit. The man was tall and broad, with a stark juxtaposition to the rugged surroundings. His braid swung gently as he stepped forward, a testament to both his composure and his class. 

"And who are you?" Kazami asked.

"Who's asking?" The man replied, obviously on guard.

"The name's Kazami Lynn," he said, frowning.

"Kompto," the man replied.

"Not your player's name, your real name," Kazami said as if it were common courtesy. "And while you're there, tell me why you're here." Kazami shifted his body and prepared to get some answers the hard way. 'A middle-aged-looking man hanging around us a bunch of high schoolers can only mean trouble.' He thought to himself before Ji-Soon jumped between them, stopping the situation from escalating.

"Woah. Hey, calm down," he chimed in. "Kompto saved the both of us. Without him, we wouldn't be able to make it out of that forest alive." Ji-Soon continued to explain, trying his best to clear up the misunderstanding. "These two are my classmates. Tang-Ji and Kazami, and... wait," he hesitated. "Who is that?" Ji-Soon pointed at the individual accompanying them. 

"Oh, this is Ukiyo, our NPC travel guide. We found her before leaving the Shrine of the Beginning." Kazami replied quickly as he directed stern glances back at Ukiyo, who was trying to avoid eye contact with everyone. 

"Ohhh, I see; those are really rare for players to find. You are one lucky bastard, Kaz." Ji-Soon laughed obnoxiously in an attempt to lift the heavy atmosphere. 

"Hey! Kompto, was it? Tell me your real name and how you were able to get into the game. Everyone in this group is acquainted with each other in real life, and if you want to work with us, then we'll need to know more about you," Kazami spat. Although Kazami was less worried about the situation, he was still suspicious of the strange man. 'What benefits does he get from teaming up with non-experienced players? Besides me being a beta tester, the rest of the people here have little to no gaming experience.' He thought to himself.

After a while, the man gave in and exhaled before revealing himself: "My name is Dale, and I've spent the last decade working in various capacities around the world. However, recently, I got a new job working as a tax accountant." His voice shifted into a whisper as he came closer to the group. "Don't tell anyone, but I've been slacking on the job lately, and this new game did not help." He winked awkwardly as he gave a peace sign. 

The rest of the party cringed collectively. "You're gross, dude. Making my skin crawl with that." Emiko said it with disgust plastered on her face. "Ugh! Fucking hell, this game is stupid. I just want to go home already," she whimpered. "When I get back to the real world, I'll be flooded with text notifications. And my Snapstalk streaks!" 

"My streaks… NOOOO!!!" She continued, screeching loudly in the background as Ji-Soon tugged at Kazami's coat. 

"Hey man," he whispered. "Something's wrong here. Why are there so many foreigners here? V.I.R.M. said that Dusk Protocol is only being released in Japan for the first year. How does no one see how weird this is? Even the die-hard fans probably didn't know; otherwise, you'd have seen tweeks of it for days." 

Ji-Soon paused for a bit, looking like he caught something in his throat, before continuing "And... about that system announcement from earlier. It was definitely done by Kyushu himself. But the question is, why? Why is he trying to keep us from clearing the game together? He never really told his true motive at the beginning. All we got was the classic 'clear the game or death' ultimatum. If he truly wanted to kill us, a single command would have been way more efficient than this." 

These questions were also on Kazami's mind, but one thing was obvious. This was a worldwide threat, and there was no way this occurrence wouldn't be airing all over the globe right now. V.I.R.M. single-handedly trapped players not only from Japan but also from across the world within a game. He was certain that hundreds of armed soldiers would have been sent by Interpol and other law enforcement organisations to apprehend the person responsible. He was skeptical, however, since Kyushu Aiuchi, a well-known scientist who had been considered dead by the media for many years, was the guy behind this. There is little question that he would have foreseen every possibility that might have derailed his plans if he had been able to avoid death itself.

His train of thought continued before a loud thud came from behind everyone. Kazami shifted his attention towards the multiple giant boulders that decorated the ordinary plain field. He could hear angry voices behind the tall rock. 

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"Fuck this. I'll just pull the steel claws off, like... so!" One tall figure with blonde hair shouted before jumping into the air. He fidgeted, throwing his arms around as if there was something crawling under his skin; it was like he was trying to grab onto some invisible force. He spun around multiple times before slamming his body once again into the boulder, creating a loud clattering sound. 

"Hey, dumbass. It doesn't work that way. The SSD disabled all our motor functions, so we don't move around while playing. Plus, even if you were able to escape from the game, I doubt the pod would willingly lay down a red carpet for you," said another figure who was sitting on a small rock not too far away. 

"Heh, I'll just smash that shit open," the tall figure said with confidence. 

"Are you mentally ill or what? That's metallic glass we're talking about."

"And? What's your point?" 

"You moron!" The one on the rock yelled. "That thing is made from the same material as the one people use for spacecraft construction, meaning it is literally indestructible to humans' hands or feet. So good luck with breaking every single bone in your body."

"Lay off, shitbag. At least I'm trying to think of a way to escape, unlike you, who's wasting his time waiting for survivors. Who knows if there are even any left here? They probably all migrated below along with those pigs," he replied, obviously irritated by his friend's smug reply.

"You know as well as I do that we need an alliance. After that crazy system announcement, people are turning against each other. Everyone blamed each other over nothing and went off in their own little factions. This is a total disaster," the figure said, touching his palm to his face. "At the start, our only concerns were the mobs. Now we have to watch out for players who are coming for our heads too."

"Ughhhh!!!" The tall figure groaned, "Hey, what are the chances of this whole thing being a prank? I mean, it's not like we know for sure that people are actually dying in the real world."

"Prank my ass! I don't know what your idea of a prank is, but I'm pretty sure trapping millions of people in a digital prison is a crime. Besides, like you said, we don't really know what happens to those who die, but I sure as hell am not risking it." 

As the conversation continued, Kazami approached quietly, trying not to alert or scare off whoever was talking. However, as he crept closer, the conversation seemed to stop altogether, with only silence remaining. 'Why'd they stop?' Kazami thought. 'Did they hear me?' then it hit him.

Before he could react, Kazami was forced onto his knees with a small, sharp knife against his throat. "So? What've we got here?" said a familiar, angry voice. 

His partner emerged from the boulder just to his left, wielding a small, handheld device. "Who are you, and what are you trying to do?" the boy said. His simple, youthful features were now in clear view. The boy was unremarkable, unlike his partner, and was definitely shorter and weaker than Kazami was.

"Hey, hey. I'm not here to hurt you," Kazami explained. "I was just, uh..."

"Eavesdropping?" finished by the boy holding him at knifepoint. "You've really got to learn to mind your own business."

"Name and why you are here," said the other one, who was towering over Kazami. He was now staring coldly down at his restrained victim.

"Wait, wait, wait!" cried a voice from behind Kazami. It was Ji-Soon running towards the trio. "Stop! We don't want any trouble!"

In response, the angry one kicked Kazami down and turned around to face Ji-Soon. "I assume this one is yours?" he said, raising his eyebrows. "Whaddya want with us?"

"Alright, so... me and some of my group heard you and your, uh… 'friend' arguing, so we decided to check it out." Ji-Soon explained.

The unremarkable one stepped forward before the other one could say anything: "Sorry for the disruption. I'm Junyo, or Junya; call me whatever." The boy extended his hand, as if expecting something to happen.

"Hey, what're you doing, Junyo?" The other boy asked. "We should be the ones asking questions, not these bozos." He walked over to Ji-Soon and sized him up before showing visible disappointment at his lack of spine. "Fine, since my friend here has already self-snitched, I guess I have to too. The name's Decker, and no, I don't want to be called anything else."

"Nice to meet you, Junyo, Decker. I'm Ji-Soon," he replied. "That guy you kicked to the floor is a friend of mine, Kazami, and I would appreciate it if you kindly helped him up."

"Sorry about that; we just weren't sure what his goal was in sneaking up on us," Junyo uttered as he moved to help Kazami up. "So, why did you decide to come over here?"

Kazami slapped away Junyo's hand and pushed himself up off the ground. "We came over because we thought someone was going to get hurt because of your argument," he grunted.

"Well, I guess someone got hurt, but it wasn't either of us," Decker sneered, tucking his knife into his backpack. 

"Sorry about that, by the way. Is your face alright?" 

"No, of course not; your friend almost cut me. Anyway whatever." 

Upon closer inspection, the name <Junyo81 > displayed right above the player's name was strangely familiar. 'He's the same boy at The Shrine of Beginning. The one that gave the potions to me and Tang-Ji.' Kazami thought to himself as he stared down at Junyo. 'He must have forgotten, but this is definitely the same guy that saved us.'

"You said you were with a group of friends, right, Ji-Soon?" Questioned Junyo. Ji-Soon nodded softly. "I have something to discuss with Decker; we will be right back," he said, grabbing and pulling Decker behind him.

"Hey, what the hell? You could've just asked me to follow you, idiot."

"Listen. Remember how I said we needed to group up with some people?" Decker nodded but seemed unimpressed with where the conversation was going. "Ji-Soon and Kazami seem like reasonable people. I'm sure if we ask him nicely, we can join him. In exchange for information, of course."

Decker sighed. "I would rather not group up with the guy who I just held at knifepoint. It causes tension in the group, you know," he said sarcastically. Junyo gave him a serious look, and after a moment of thinking, Decker agreed. 

The pair walked back to Kazami and Ji-Soon, who were conversing at the boulder nearby. They stopped and turned as they saw them approaching. "Kazami, Ji-Soon," Junyo began. "We're terribly sorry for ambushing you back there. You see, it was just a matter of self-defense." Decker rolled his eyes and frowned. "Additionally, we were wondering if we could perhaps join your group. Its far better to be in a larger group than just a pair, no? And besides, I know everyone of you got the system message; you will definitely need more people in order to leave this game alive," said Junyo, who was making an awkward smile in an attempt to seem friendly.

"I don't see why not…" Kazami shot him a glare. 'It might be risky, and we might potentially get double-crossed by them. However, this might be our only chance of forming a guild. This is the only way to beat this game, not to mention that it would be far safer and quicker to travel in groups. It would make clearing bosses and hordes of mobs way more efficient. At least I know now that he's a decent person.' Kazami thought deeply about his decision. 

"I'll let my group decide first. As for me, I think it will take some time to get used to you guys, but I'm sure we can come to some sort of consensus."