AN: I need a 12 Step program for fanfic authors. This one is for @UbeOne
Why isn't there a tag...
Why isn't there a tag...
Candidate for Goddess (FI)
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A Strange Awakening
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AN: I need a 12 Step program for fanfic authors. This one is for @UbeOne
Why isn't there a tag for Fairy Fencer F? Phweee...
Candidate for Goddess
A Strange Awakening
I lay on my side, eyes closed, a leg stretched out and the other leg curled inward, and with an arm wrapped around a pillow and the other arm stretched out. It was my usual sleeping position, and it was sooo comfy… Until I felt myself waking up. The light of day dragged me from the darkness, but what greeted my sight was not my room. Even my pillows weren't there.
What I saw instead was a lovely pastoral setting, of green grass and pleasantly sloping hills with swaying brush under a sunny blue sky, a kind of picturesque landscape that wouldn't look out of place in a painting. Oddly enough, the details of it were clear to me, even though I wasn't wearing my glasses. 'Huh? Where am I? This is not my room at all, but a field outside! How'd I get here in my sleep?' Using my arms as support, I got up to a sitting position and shook off the dirt, but in the process, I found myself looking at… myself… and…
'Why does my chest look like this? These aren't my clothes, either! Being in the middle of nowhere is one thing, but this is a totally different body, that of the opposite gender, even!' The outfit was familiar in that it looked like a Japanese schoolgirl uniform, a sailor dress actually, in white and purple. Striped stockings in those same colors covered most of my legs, and white, purple-trimmed boots with a stylized "N" enclosed my feet. I could feel long hair flowing down my back, and when I examined a strand, it was actually purple in color. There was also a small weight on the left side of my head, and when I felt for it, and took it off, it was a white hair clip, shaped like a D-pad. This… this…!
I'd recognize this getup anywhere! I once planned out a Nepgear SI before I altered it into a Green Sister SI, so I remembered very well what she looks like, and… it was not supposed to be real. I was not supposed to be her! "What the goodness?!" I exclaimed, and I sounded just like she would! Why am I her?
Yet when I looked at my surroundings, there was more. In the distance, a strange formation of metal and forgotten machines could be seen, something I'd like to take a look at when I wasn't hopelessly lost. There was also a narrow path leading to a bridge over a small river. Cliffs could be seen from all sides enclosing the field. I could see a barely hidden passage leading through the cliffs. Living creatures could be seen, resembling animals and insects I was familiar with, but bigger. The wasp-like insect was easily the size of a child. Same with the black ravens. Trying to figure out where I am was rapidly coming in second to escaping before they saw me. Those looked like monstrous versions of animals, and I didn't want to be killed or eaten!
I stood up as quickly as I could, but found myself wobbling a bit before I gained my balance. I needed to avoid being seen… but where to go? I had no idea where I was, but I needed to be away from those monsters. Could one really blame me for feeling like B-Sha right now? Deciding on where to go, I opted to walk as lightly and briskly as I could to the bridge, my steps somehow feeling like second nature to me, as if I was always like this. If I followed the river, I could find civilization… right? Where in the world was I, anyway? Gamindustri?
The wasps were far enough away that I didn't attract their attention. They were more concerned with staying away from the ravens. Nature in action, I figured, and I did not need an upfront view. Across the bridge was a wide path deeper in the cliffs. Packed dirt told me that this was a decently traveled area. A chittering sound could be heard behind me as the path lead to a blind turn.
'That doesn't sound good. Did something see me?' I glanced back before quickly checking my pockets and continuing onward. Did I have her beam saber, stylized N on its circular guard and all? It turned out that yes, yes I did, and as such, I brought it out. I didn't know if I inherited her skill with it, but I would need it just in case. Fortunately, it was a regular beam saber, white and light purple in color, not a certain dark purple sword with a tapering blade. The latter would be horrifying!
The quick glance showed me a wasp was back there, but it was just blindly flying around. It hadn't seen me which took some of the pressure off. The pocket I found the saber in was surprisingly deeper than expected. Did I somehow get Nepgear's inventory? Something else to look into when I wasn't in danger.
ROAR!
I immediately tensed up. That sound came from right around the corner! I was too slow to stop as something charged around the blind turn. It was bigger than me, a bulky one with a draconic head and body. The stocky creature stood on its hind legs with a powerful tail swishing in the dirt.
Eeep! I backed away, and tried my best to sidestep it, to avoid the onrushing dragon-thing. I held my beam saber tightly on my right hand, the weapon being my only means of defense. This one looked even more dangerous than the giant animals a while ago! The dragon-thing looked disgruntled and surprised as my sidestep carried me completely away from it. There was, I estimated, more than ten feet between us now.
The monster roared as its powerful legs bunched up before shooting forward, using its wings for an extra burst of speed. Acting on reflexes I didn't know I had, I attempted to dodge to the side, and lash out with my blade. By some stroke of luck I managed to cut a gash along its back. The beast let out a pained roar. It eyed me balefully for a moment before bringing its tail around with brutal swiftness. Eyes widened, and with little time to move, I held my sword with both hands, bracing myself to block the swipe of the creature's tail. The tail struck my beam saber with enough force that I was lifted off my feet and struck the cliff wall. I gasped at the sudden impact and pain, though it wasn't as bad as I thought. "Ow…"
However, I had little in terms of good options. I had to continue fighting for my life. As such, I moved away from the wall, this time intending to circle around to the creature's side and slash at its legs. The creature was more careful now after the single injury it received. As I circled to attack it circled to evade. The dragon-thing roared threateningly before launching itself into the air. Uh oh, I wasn't Uni. I had no ranged attacks, unless I transformed. If I was Nepgear, I could be Purple Sister, right? I could feel a switch at the back of my mind, energy dwelling within… but I also had a feeling that I was low in power, in Shares, at the moment, and as such, I should conserve it unless I really needed it. Therefore, instead of accessing my Hard Drive Divinity, I carefully eyed the dragon's movements, ready to move should it try to dive at me or breathe energy at me or something.
My caution was warranted as the dragon-thing brought its head back and unleashed a strafing blast of fire, like napalm. The crimson blaze was intense, and I could already feel the heat. I ducked back to avoid getting trapped, but the fire kept coming. It wouldn't let up at all! I quickly glanced to and fro, but I was backed up against the cliff wall with no way out, eyes widened, body shaking and with my blade held tightly in front of me. It was so scary! I had to transform, lest I get roasted-
"Haaa…!" A male voice suddenly cried as a man descended from on high, poised to strike. His large, single-edged sword had a sawtooth pattern on its other side and had a high-tech look to it, colorful markings running down the blade. It slashed through the dragon-thing's wing, grounding the beast. I noticed that he had spiky brown hair and blue eyes, and that he was wearing a red and black jacket with a black shirt and jeans. The dragon-thing hissed furiously at the interloper, but he merely gave it an unimpressed look.
"Fang! Stop showboating! Just take it out already!" A light girlish voice called from the blade.
"Fine fine… Stop nagging, Eryn," Fang complained. The dragon-thing charged forward only for the new guy to strike it three times in rapid succession. It grunted in pain before exploding in a burst of blue light.
'That was a close one…!' I took a few deep breaths, relieved at the fortunate turn of events, yet still terrified that if not for that trope, I would had been a goner...
I lightly shook my head, trying to keep such thoughts from overwhelming me. Seeing those quick strikes reminded me of... I then remembered that I did have a ranged attack of sorts. I could have swung my blade really fast, like at mach speeds, and the resulting Slash Wave would have done something to the dragon while it was flying.
I cautiously approached the stranger, planning to thank him for the save, and to ask some basic questions. I was still lost in the middle of nowhere, after all, but at the same time, talking to those I didn't know wasn't my forte, either.
"Are you okay?" The sword vanished in a flash of light to be replaced by a girl with light orange fairy wings. Her red and white, black-trimmed dress had a style reminiscent of Ultradimension Vert's, and on her head was a pair of red ribbons resembling plus signs or D-pads in shape, reminding me of Neptune. She looked me over in concern as I was still shivering from nearly being burnt alive. Her companion kept an eye out for trouble, or maybe he was just bored. He kinda had a sleepy look to him, like Plutia would.
"I-I will be," I shakily answered, waving a hand in a so-so gesture. My voice was really that of Nepgear's now, higher pitch and all. "Thanks for the save."
"Oh, no problem! Fang does this kind of thing all the time. Right, Fang?" Eryn turned to her partner. He turned back to look at us. There was a peculiar desperation in his eyes but carefully hidden.
"Whatever. Come on, Eryn. We have to find Tiara," he said. Eryn gawked at him in surprise.
"We can't just leave her out here! She was almost made extra crispy!" The fairy girl exclaimed.
"She can come with us. Geez you're complicating things," Fang waved his hand dismissively.
With the other option being wandering around on my lonesome, I nodded to their offer. I certainly wasn't used to being referred to in the feminine pronoun, but they could only be referring to me right now. That, and I was currently in the form of a girl, so... "Okay."
"I guess I'm handling introductions," Eryn shot an irritated look at Fang before turning back to me. "I'm Eryn and this guy is Fang. He's a Fencer and I'm his Fairy." I could hear the capitalization and the expectation I would know what they meant, though for now, from context clues, I could only guess that a Fencer was a job class of sorts, sounding like something Noire would be suited to, while a Fairy was… a fairy companion that turns into a weapon? Fang didn't walk too far ahead even though he was impatient to be somewhere else.
"I'm Nepgear," I introduced myself, going by the name of this form I found myself in. "Nice to meet you." Wait a minute. Fencer? Fairy? ...Fairy Fencer? Unfortunately, other than it being a game made by Compile Heart and/or Idea Factory, I didn't know much else. Neptune did make a reference to it once though, saying Fairize, but I had no idea what it was about.
Meanwhile, it looked like we were headed back the way I came. At least I wasn't alone this time. Anything was better than dealing with that dragon-thing again. "Nepgear? Huh...How did you get to the Sol Plains?" Eryn asked.
I shrugged. So that was the name of this place. "I don't know. I just woke up here a while ago," I said. At least I didn't fall from the sky.
That caught Fang's attention as he turned to stare at me incredulously. "I've never been that lost. That must be some kind of record," he said. Eryn huffed and slapped him on the back.
"Be nice! We popped up out of nowhere too so it's possible she did as well," Eryn scolded. Fang grunted an affirmative.
"You're right… Hey! Who's that up ahead?" Fang recoiled in surprise. Seated at a white table with two chairs was an elegant white-haired girl, her outfit a blue version of Eryn's. Seated beside her on the table was a fluffy white creature, with large ears and blue markings that reminded me of a certain Incubator.
Where did all that come from? I stayed silent, not knowing who those were, either. My expression was slightly nervous and guarded, being in unfamiliar territory with unfamiliar people. 'There better not be an actual Kyubey…'
"Fang...That's Tiara…" Eryn gripped his sleeve urgently. He swallowed heavily with an almost lost look in his eyes. With a force of will he pushed it back.
"Let's go tell her off for making us worry like that," Fang straightened his jacket with unnecessary vehemence.
I could only look on. From what they said a while ago, they were searching for her, but really, I had nothing to say. I'd rather not interrupt. That would be rude, and I didn't know them, anyway.
"I sense a Fury," Eryn looked surprised.
"Didn't we already get the Fury?" Fang arched an eyebrow.
"We did...In fact we still have the Sol Plains Fury…" The fairy looked even more confused.
"Is something the matter? You look a little lost," a pleasant voice asked. Tiara smiled kindly with a glint of something darker in her eyes. Fang was distracted from his introspection.
"What's the big idea, Tiara? Where have you been?" Fang demanded as he stormed over. Eryn hung back with a growing look of unease. Tiara looked at him as if she had never met him before.
It was similar to the kind of confused look I'd have when someone knows me, while I don't. I wondered what was going on here. Something just seemed off. Was it just a case of not remembering? Or was it, in the worst case, amnesia?
"My, how rude! You somehow know me sir, but I have never met you before," Tiara looked at him like he was crazy.
"Knock it off, Tiara! I know all about you already," Fang insisted.
"How could that be? Are you perhaps a stalker?" She narrowed her eyes warily.
"You really don't remember us? I'm Eryn and he's Fang," Eryn implored her to remember. Tiara looked to her companion.
"Do you know them, Cui?" She asked. The white creature shook its head.
I continued listening to the conversation, and idly wondered if the white and blue Kyubey lookalike had something to do with it. I could be mistaken, though.
"Fang…" Eryn said worriedly.
"Am I supposed to know her too?" Tiara gestured at me with her tea cup.
"We just met her on the way," Eryn said.
"Oh so you didn't try to gaslight her. How novel. What makes me so special?" Tiara's lips quirked in a smile. It wasn't a nice gesture.
"Damn it you idiot! No one is trying to gaslight you!" Fang raged suddenly. Tiara looked shocked at the surge of aggression and even turned red in the face. Judging by the glazed look in her eye she wasn't upset with his outburst. Probably shouldn't think too much into that.
From what I was seeing, I couldn't really blame him for not taking it well. It'd be as if my older brother didn't remember me. I could only look on with sympathy.
"Are you thirsty? Maybe you are suffering some obscure heat stroke," Tiara said solicitously. She even poured some tea into another cup for him. He eyed the cup for a long moment.
"Did you poison it?" He asked bluntly. She recoiled as if struck.
"How did you know...I mean...how could accuse me of something like that?" She demanded indignantly.
"Maybe because you did the same thing when we first met," he said snidely.
"Deja vu…" Eryn murmured. Tiara narrowed her eyes again at Fang.
"I do not know you and I have never met you before. If you are quite finished I will be leaving now," Tiara declared as she stood up. Her furry companion leaped up onto her shoulder. She turned to walk away only for Fang to start to follow. Eryn grabbed his sleeve.
"Something is seriously wrong here…" Eryn bit her lip.
"I agree," I said. "Was she seen with that creature before?" Fang and Eryn looked at me in bemusement.
"Cui is her Fairy," Eryn explained.
So Fairies can be non-humanoid, I guessed, and maybe it was not the cause of her apparent amnesia.
"That's what she doesn't have! A Fairy! I thought she was another Fencer," Fang slapped a fist in his palm in realization.
Maybe a Fencer didn't refer to fencing, but referred to the wielder/companion of a Fairy? Like a partnership between Tamer and Digimon?
"Maybe she should take the Fairy. It's dangerous out here without one," Eryn indicated a technological sword stuck in the ground a short distance away.
"Yeah none of us touched it...and I'm kind of surprised Tiara just walked away without it…" Fang rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Wait, they wanted me to have one? "Are you sure?" I asked, confused. "But I have a sword already." What distinguished a Fairy from a conventional weapon? Special powers?
"Yeah she does have a sword but it wasn't really doing much," Fang said to Eryn. His Fairy partner rubbed her forehead.
"It would work fine against people but monsters are a different story," Eryn explained.
"If you ended up fighting a Fencer your sword just wouldn't cut it," he said. It seemed he wasn't one of those people who laughed at their own puns. He didn't even seem to notice.
Nice pun, though… "Okay," I nodded. 'I might as well take their advice. They're the more knowledgeable ones about this place.' With that in mind, I walked over to the sword they indicated and pulled it out. As soon as my hand touched the hilt, I felt like something was trying to speak to me. A voice that was somehow familiar but new, like an old friend I was meeting for the first time. I felt the Shares inside of me rise up in response, as a barely discernible pulse of power rippled in the air.
{Now this is interesting… A mortal turned goddess…? Oh, you are a long way from home, sweetheart…} Goodness, that voice, she sounded just like Neptune while in HDD! It was growing in strength as the connection solidified, and she sounded warm and kind. I could see the image of a girl who appeared similar to Purple Heart, with lighter hair in a black dress like her anime incarnation's. Her wings looked like an organic version of her Processor Unit's. The sword in my hand flashed once before changing shape into Purple Sister's gunblade, the MPBL. Nice…!
"You know my situation already?" I asked her, surprised.
{We'll talk more later when you're alone. I can fill you in on the information you're missing.} Amethyst said. Did she put her name in my mind?
"Okay, and thanks," I said. I proceeded to return to the others.
"Let's get back to the Sunflower Inn. I'm bushed after all this," Fang stretched.
"I could do with something to eat myself," Eryn hummed happily. A scream interrupted their discussion.
"That sounded like… Tiara/Tiara!" Fang and Eryn exclaimed together. The Fairy turned into his sword as he charged off towards the sound of the cry. I followed suit, worried that something bad had happened. Maybe it was a monster?
I caught up to them as they were squaring off against a punk with a cutlass. He was blonde with a bandanna covering his head and wore a vest without a shirt. Tiara was taken aback by his thuggish appearance.
"Heh… Get out of the way, hero. I'm just gonna take her Furies. Maybe I'll take more than that…" He leered at Tiara hungrily. She didn't feign the full body shudder his expression evoked.
I narrowed my eyes into a glare. How dare he…! I was right; it was indeed a monster. 'If I were Plutia or Iris Heart, I would make him scream in pain…!'
"Hey, Nepgear? Watch Tiara. I'm gonna teach this punk some manners," Fang brandished his sword threateningly.
"Oh yes! Please save me, Mr. Stalker!" Tiara mock swooned. Wow, the sarcasm...
"I'll do my best," I said as I cautiously approached the woman. The point was to protect her, after all. I kept Amethyst aimed at the goon, ready to fire should he make aggressive movements towards us. Like my beam saber, the gunblade felt natural to wield, as if I used it before.
"Don't take me lightly!" The goon growled as he charged forward with his sword held high. Fang looked almost bored as the sword in his hand flashed and became a pair of heavy metal gauntlets. I took care not to shoot just yet, so as not to hurt Fang by accident.
"Down! You! Go!" He punched the attacking thug in the gut, then the torso, then finished him off with an uppercut. The goon let out a cry of pain as he flew up in the air and crashed down in a motionless heap. If he hadn't moaned in pain I wouldn't know he was still alive. Fang was clearly strong to toss him in the air like that.
I kept my weapon aimed at the bandit. It was tempting to squeeze the trigger, but while he should be punished, I didn't kill people, either...
"My, you are formidable," Tiara said, this time with honest appreciation. She looked the downed man over with interest.
"Yeah I'm pretty strong," Fang agreed.
"I must admit your strength IS impressive… but also very worrying in a stalker… I think I had better be going now," Tiara didn't even turn around before sprinting away at full speed. Fang blinked in stupefaction at the size of the dust cloud. It looked like something out of a cartoon or an anime. I could imagine the sound effects being made by that.
"That could have gone better," Eryn remarked.
"That's an understatement…" Neptune, I mean Amethyst, commented out loud.
"It could have gone worse, too," I said. "Do we leave the bandit be, or…?"
"We shouldn't leave a criminal run free," Amethyst agreed.
Fang hung his head since that was exactly what he was going to do. He bound the man's arms with his own belt and hooked the sheathed cutlass to his own waist. Eryn offered him encouragement but made no effort to help. Her partner grumbled resentfully as he half dragged the captured bandit away from the Sol Plains.
The city of Zelwinds was a short distance from the Sol Plains. Since I didn't know my way around the only thing I could do was follow. It looked like a nice place if a bit JRPG cliche. The setting appeared medieval fantasy but the large white tower near the edge of town was modern, futuristic even, like a Basilicom. The Fury I held was a futuristic weapon, too. Apparently, the Fairy inhabited the Fury. Thank goodness for Amethyst whispering that piece of important information.
"How… much… further…?" Fang grunted as he continued to heft the bandit. Our captive was awake, but did his best to make things difficult. His strategy was simple; he just hung limp like dead weight.
"There's somebody! Maybe we can hand him off this to this guy?" Eryn indicated a man in white wearing a hood, who kinda stood out from the others. The hooded man bore a gold-hilted broadsword.
"Ah! Not those Justice Society guys! Damn it! Lemme go! I'll never rob another person again! Lemme go!" The bandit started jerking and straining with surprising strength. Fang yelped as the goon's wild flailing caused him to take a shoulder to the jaw. Before he could recover, the captive was running like crazy out of here.
I frowned. He really shouldn't be able to get away like that. Once more, what came to mind was Plutia and her voodoo plushie. While an option was to shoot him, I'd rather not do that here, where I can get in trouble.
"Doesn't it seem strange that he would react with such fear? I suppose he must be a terrible criminal with a large bounty on his head," Amethyst commented.
"Maybe," I said.
"I can't believe you let him go, Fang," Eryn huffed. Fang rubbed his jaw balefully.
"Next time you try lugging a grown man around. Sheesh… Let's just go to the inn. I wonder what Mrs. Four-star is making," Fang turned his attention to his stomach. A feminine cry of alarm was heard from the direction the bandit ran. A sweatdrop rolled down Fang and Eryn's faces as I sighed. Troublesome thug.
"Can we make sure he doesn't get away...?" I softly asked.
It didn't take much to get Fang to chase the bandit down again. This time, he was harassing a slender girl who had pale blonde hair, blue/green eyes, and was wearing a blue and white uniform with a miniskirt. She looked about as threatening as a kitten. He didn't have his cutlass, since it was still at Fang's waist, but he had plenty of meanness.
"Shut up! Just gimme your money already!" He yanked at her satchel but she refused to let go.
"N-no! This is the Septarian Club's profits!" She protested.
"What was that about never stealing again?" Fang demanded angrily. The bandit turned slowly towards Fang with a look of unease.
"Ah ha ha ha… Uh oh…" He shrank back as Fang strode towards him, cracking his knuckles. The goon's victim and Eryn winced dramatically at the sounds of violence. It ended with a final 'crunch' and the goon slumping to the ground.
"There. A concussion should keep him down," Fang dusted off his hands. The thief certainly deserved it.
"Did you break his legs? He might try running again," I suggested, a certain Huntress-in-training coming to mind. 'Are incidents like this usually ignored, or do the police, if any, intervene right away?'
Fang eyed the man contemplatively. Just as it appeared he was seriously going to do it, the girl spoke up.
"Excuse me… but we can leave him with the Justice Society. They will put him to work and he won't harm anyone again," she insisted fervently.
Maybe this Justice Society was their version of the police? I had questions to ask Nep- Amethyst later.
"How do you know that?" Eryn asked her.
"I'm Chiaki. Lord Sherman is my boss and he is in charge of the Justice Society," Chiaki laid a hand over her heart with a smile.
"Sherman? That pretty boy? He's here too?" Fang asked.
"Ah… you know Lord Sherman?" She asked hesitantly.
"We were traveling with him before all this. Well, not Nepgear, she just joined us," Eryn indicated me.
"I'm Fang, and this is Eryn," Fang introduced them.
"Perhaps you would like to wait for him at the Sunflower Inn? Please come with me," Chiaki beamed.
"Oh we know the way. We practically live there," Fang said.
"Is that so…" Chiaki looked hesitant at his claim.
I accompanied them along the way, as I continued to listen.
The Sunflower Inn was appropriately named. It was a homey looking place nestled among a garden of sunflowers. Fang and Eryn were clearly familiar with the inn. Our guide looked even more confused as it was apparent she didn't recognize them. The matron of the inn was a pleasant faced woman with a stout build.
"Hey Mrs. Four-star! What's for dinner? We're starving," Fang greeted her informally.
"Do I know you?" She asked. Uh oh, was this like with Tiara a while ago?
"I didn't think they had been here before but they were so certain," Chiaki said to her. Eryn's delighted smile dropped from her face as she listened. She sidled up beside Fang with an uneasy look.
"What's going on, Fang?" Eryn asked.
"I don't know… First Tiara, now Mrs. Four-star?" Fang was starting to look unnerved as well, and I understood why. There was a pattern that wasn't good.
"Maybe someone messed with their memories?" I guessed, for it reminded me of what Kurome did once.
"I hadn't thought about that! Someone could totally be messing with their memories!" Fang punched his palm decisively.
"It would have to be something very powerful," Eryn sounded doubtful, but she wanted to believe. I recalled Kurome being that powerful enough, but she was in Gamindustri, not here, wherever this was.
"We should try to investigate and stop drawing attention to ourselves," Amethyst counseled, something that I agreed with.
"Ahem… Perhaps we could table this discussion until after dinner. I would be willing to help you with… whatever this is. You did save me," Chiaki smiled kindly.
"Oh dear! Dinner is going to have to wait! We have an execution to attend!" Mrs. Four-star dithered. All activity ceased as Fang, Eryn, Amethyst and I tried to process the last statement, which didn't sound good at all. Goodness, why was she excited about such a thing?
"Execution?" I asked, confused. What came to mind was either a guillotine or a garrote.
"A wanted criminal was captured recently. He refused the mercy of Lord Sherman and is going to get exactly what he deserves," Chiaki said without losing her pleasant expression, which was far from reassuring.
"Should we go?" Eryn asked uneasily.
"What do you think?" Fang turned to me.
"That doesn't sound pleasant to see," I answered. Something felt off here. Maybe it was just me, but a wild guess of mine was, what if something was wrong with their system? 'That sometimes happens in cases like this.'
"Oh, that won't do at all. Executions are mandatory attendance!" Chiaki gasped. Amethyst's Fury shivered.
"This does not sit well with me at all," the purple Fairy echoed my thoughts.
Whether we wanted to or not, we had to go to the square. I asked Eryn if this was normal, but the look of confusion answered my question. This was not normal to them. What came to my mind was Gamindustri while it was ruled by the Gold Third.
The square was filled with people with a gallows erected in the center, the kind of device that hangs people with rope. An officious man in white stood with a scroll, and with him was another man, presumably the one on death row. The latter had light blonde hair and was wearing what appeared to be a black crop top and a purple kilt. After several minutes, the excited chattering of the crowd died down.
"Welcome, friends! Today, we are here to dispense with another agent of the villainous Dorfa organization! He lead us on a merry chase, but justice will be done today!" The officious man declared. Cheers greeted his statement, which only made me feel uneasy.
"That's Galdo…!" Eryn gripped Fang's arm so hard he winced. Was the prisoner a friend of theirs?
"Hey! Wait a minute! He's turned over a new leaf! He's not with Dorfa anymore!" Fang called over the din. The cheers stopped as dead silence reigned. 'Uh oh, we might be in trouble now…'
"You would side with this criminal!? Then you can be executed alongside him!" The man pointed his finger directly at Fang and everyone standing with him, myself included. I mentally braced myself in case we ended up in a fight-
"Fang! Close your eyes!" A woman's voice pierced the sudden commotion. A fierce windstorm swept through the square driving up dust and debris. Someone grabbed my hand and started pulling me along.
"Go with them!" Amethyst cried over the sound of the wind. I immediately followed what she said. This kind of situation really felt like something out of a role-playing game.
We didn't stop running for a long time, and fortunately, I felt that I could run for longer as Nepgear compared to as my previous self. The Fairy who saved us, who looked kinda like an orange, pink and red palette swap of Vert, was named Marissa. She was Galdo's partner and apparently remembered Fang and Eryn. Our pursuers were persistent and chased us past the Sol Plains and north to what Amethyst called the Zazawa Plains. It looked much like the place I landed in, except the sky was dark as if it was night. Did the day go by so fast? Or was it under the influence of magic or something?
"How do we lose them?" I asked. They were still doggedly chasing us.
"We have to fight!" Fang turned to face our pursuers. There were only four now, the rest having given up long ago.
"Can you fight, Galdy-kins?" Marissa asked her partner.
"Heh… Yeah. I got some life in me yet!" Galdo took Marissa's hand. In a flash the Vert clone pulled a Soul Eater and turned into a scythe. He laid the shaft across his shoulder.
"Ready to go, Nepgear?" Amethyst asked.
"I am," I answered her. I couldn't help but shake a bit, but I had to do this. I was scared, but I knew I had to fight… I held my gunblade at the ready as I faced them.
Fang and Galdo charged forward bracing three of the Justice Society soldiers, leaving one to face me. I aimed at him and pressed the trigger several times, intending to take him down from afar. The soldier flinched as the bullets connected. He tried to bring his sword around to block, but it was too late. The sword slid from nerveless fingers as he fell to the ground. All told, the battle took less than a minute, though it felt longer than that.
"Nepgear? Are you okay?" Amethyst asked softly.
"It's my first time doing that…" I said. The danger of getting hurt… the act of actually fighting another person… I knew it was out of self-defense, but still…
Marissa checked the soldiers over to ensure the injuries weren't life threatening, which was fortunate. 'I guess they're tougher here than in my world.' She straightened up from where she knelt.
"We better keep going. They'll live, but we don't want to be here when they wake up," she said.
"What's going on, guys? Tiara didn't know us. Mrs. Four-star didn't know us. Executions in the square…" Fang ran his fingers through his hair distractedly.
"Nepgear thinks someone altered their memories," Eryn said.
"Hate to tell ya but no one's memories were altered," Galdo had a certain accent about him as his statement drew incredulous stares.
"We saw a newspaper before Galdy-kins was captured. We're in the past," Marissa broke the news.
"Time travel?" I asked. That could explain why Fang and Eryn mentioned popping out of nowhere, which now reminded me of when Neptune first met Plutia. What an odd circumstance to be in.
"Time travel…? Well this makes things more complicated…" Amethyst muttered.
"Who else do you think remembers?" Fang asked. He looked to be in a deep state of shock. Either that, or his blood sugar was dipping low. We never did get to eat.
"I know Sherman does but he's gone completely nuts," Galdo said. The name of that guy brought to mind a certain tank from World War Two.
"Tiara and Cui forgot us…" Eryn confided to Marissa.
"You also met someone else… Sorry, Nepgear. We're not trying to exclude you. My, you're such a quiet lil' thing!" Marissa fussed kindly.
"It's okay," I said.
The Zazawa Plains would have been more dangerous if Fang and Galdo weren't overleveled battle junkies. The dragon back at Sol Plains was actually weaker than the ones here. In my case, I focused on shooting the monsters and supporting my allies, Nepgear's knowledge of magic coming to mind. Being able to heal and to strengthen others and myself were of big help. Some of the monsters were familiar like the giant wasps and the snail enemies, but much like in Neptunia, the monsters were recolored versions and more powerful as a result. There were different creatures as well, like a bipedal green dragon twice the height of Fang.
"Just keep going! If we can reach the northern corner, we can escape into the hills," Marissa urged.
"Glad someone knows where we're going!" Eryn complained.
"So my sense of direction is a little bad. Big deal!" Fang grumped.
"Don't be like that, Fang! I still have trouble finding my way around at night," Galdo patted Fang companionably on the shoulder.
"That's right. Real men don't need directions," Fang nodded. The two exchanged a bro fist. Marissa tittered while Eryn moaned in despair. I merely facepalmed in response. 'Talk about pride… I don't get disoriented as much in my case.'
"Is this really the time?" Amethyst asked.
"Hey, is her Fairy shy? I've been hearing her voice but she hasn't been out at all…" Galdo rubbed the back of his neck.
"It's easier when there are fewer people to keep track of," Amethyst said. {Logic is such a foreign thing to these people!}
I could only shrug regarding that. "Are you sure you're comfy in there, Amethyst?" I asked, out of concern for her well-being.
"A little cramped, but fine. I'll have plenty of time to stretch out when we're not running for our lives. If the Fencer dies the Fairy does as well after all," she explained.
Her life was linked to mine? Oh. "I'll make sure to take care of myself…" I said.
"We will take care of each other," she said warmly, which made me smile. Nice to know I wasn't alone in this place.
The Zawaza Plains continued to stretch on, seemingly without end. For the most part, we fled from encounters, only fighting if we couldn't get away. It was as we were entering the northern part when Amethyst stilled in my hand. Something was putting her on high alert. The other Fairies were similarly on edge.
"Do you feel that?" Fang asked quietly.
"Yeah… There's another Fencer here…" Galdo didn't hesitate to turn Marissa into scythe form, while Eryn was already in sword mode. In response, I readied myself as well.
"A hostile one?" I asked. 'Hopefully not…'
"Depends on if you turn over that Dorfa dog without a fight," a refined man said as he stepped out from concealment. He was a handsome blond with blue eyes, who wore a white business outfit reminiscent of that of Lastation's Oracle.
'On second thought, we have a problem,' I thought as I shook my head.
"Sherman! What's gotten into you? Galdo isn't with those guys anymore! He's our friend," Fang tried to get him to see reason. So that was the guy in charge of the so-called Justice Society?
"I have had my eyes opened to the truth. This world is full of corruption. It requires a noble fire to purge the wickedness! I will do whatever it takes to bring peace to this world," Sherman lowered his head with a hand over his heart. Didn't Chiaki do that gesture, too? Also, it sounded more like he was under a delusion. The so-called 'truth'? Yeah right, as if.
"Oh, great… You've gone completely nuts," Galdo groaned. Sherman's head snapped up with an angry snarl.
"You do not get to judge me, worm. I stand in judgment over you! Fang, if you will not aid me, I will be forced to kill all of you. Make your peace!" Sherman brandished a huge, blue and white mechanical sword as big as Black Heart's. Knight Templars were such a troublesome lot. His color scheme was certainly fitting.
"We'll just have to beat the stupid out of you!" Fang charged forward with Eryn over his shoulder. He held the grip with both hands and brought the sword down in a power strike. Sherman effortlessly parried the cleave, then sidestepped Galdo's charge as the scythe wielder tried striking from his blind spot. While that was occuring, I casted Offensive and Defensive Cheers on the two of them, to improve their strength and toughness against the misguided judge.
"You're a lot better!" Galdo complimented him.
"Better? I am the best but you two aren't so bad either," Sherman faintly praised. Arrogance, much?
"Great… The Mutual Appreciation Society…" Fang growled.
"If it bothers you so much…" Sherman seemingly vanished from where he stood. With preternatural reflexes, Fang deflected his sword upward, only to take a kick to the stomach. The brunette swordsman flew back to land in a heap. Without Defensive Cheer, he could have been hurt worse, but instead got right back to his feet.
While they clashed blades, I circled the field from a distance, as I took potshots at the zealot whenever there was a clear opening. That ought to aid my allies.
"Fang! Okay that does it… Take this!" Galdo brought back his scythe and gave it a big swing, forming a fierce gale of green wind blades which spiraled towards the blond swordsman. He was kept pinned down by my bullets, allowing the attack to get through. Sherman grunted as the blades lashed at his clothing and cut his cheek. The wide blade of his sword shielded him from my gun but left him wide open for the others.
"Yah!" Fang returned to the battle with a leaping downward cleave. Sherman swept his sword up to deflect the stroke but it left his sides exposed. Galdo turned the scythe into a bow and released a trio of arrows just as I shot at Sherman's hip.
"Damn you!" Sherman growled as the attacks struck home. He looked terrible with his clothes torn up and bristling with arrows. A pulse of white light, however, erased the injuries as if they never existed. Did he have a healing spell like mine?
"Do you give up?" Galdo asked.
"Just stop already! We don't have to do this!" Fang tried to reach him.
"Can't we just talk it out?" I inquired, still keeping my guard and gunblade up just in case. There had to be a chance, though he seemed to be a stubborn one.
"You even brought someone else into your heresy… I have no quarrel with you. Even if you did shoot at me. This is your last chance to escape their fate," Sherman said directly to me.
I... couldn't do that. I couldn't... I couldn't abandon my allies, even if I was scared. I was no longer powerless, and... I wouldn't want to support the kind of behavior and delusion he seemed to have, and I trusted the guy much less than the ones who saved me. As such, I shook my head, throwing my lot in with Fang and the others. So much for diplomacy...
He shook his head sadly. "A pity… Ah well. This has gone on long enough… Ryushin! Fairize!" He threw his sword up in the air as he said that particular command. The massive blade turned end over end as an impenetrable barrier formed around him. He spread his arms wide and allowed it to pierce him through the chest. The change was over in a flash of light, revealing his new form. He looked to be protected in pieces of armor along with what looked like a large flight pack. In his hand was that same sword of his. In a way, it was like a bulky version of a CPU's Processor Unit, and I could somehow feel that he was stronger in that form.
"That won't help you! C'mon Galdo! Fairize!/Fairize!" Fang and Galdo cried, their weapons flying into the air like Sherman's. As the light settled down, it was clear that Fairize really was like HDD, or more accurately, like the Gold Form. 'Now I know what Neptune meant by it…' Fang's looked like the typical shounen protagonist transformation, his new armor being red and black with gold highlights, while Galdo's was the closest to an actual Processor Unit, for it looked like floating samurai-like accessories in black and purple.
"Time to Fairize, Nepgear," Amethyst whispered.
"How?" I quickly whispered back. I didn't know if it was the same as accessing my HDD.
"Feel for our connection and call out with all your might!" Amethyst declared.
"Okay." I tried doing just that, and… I felt a switch once more at the back of my mind- actually, there was not one this time, but two. One was more familiar, for it connected to my inner well of power, my shares, which was still rather low. In fact, that particular switch would not budge when I tried it, like I needed more energy before I could use it. Did that mean I couldn't transform versus that dragon? Thank goodness Fang and Eryn were there!
The other was new to me, but I could feel its power, an invisible link between Amethyst and me. It was the one I needed, and it felt ready to use. As such, I flipped it to 'on', and in the process, words came out of my lips. "Amethyst, Fairize!"
I felt guided by her as a translucent barrier like Sherman's formed around me. I threw my gunblade upward, making it spin around its center. Then, it suddenly stopped in mid-air and descended towards me, blade-first. My eyes widened in fear of being impaled by it. {Don't worry, Nepgear. Trust me, it won't hurt at all.} Amethyst said, but I couldn't help but close my eyes and brace myself.
A few moments later, I didn't feel any pain, but only comforting warmth instead. I opened my eyes and looked down, and saw the Fury's hilt sticking out of my stomach. There was no wound at all, but rather, it felt like Amethyst's power was flowing into me. "You're right," I said, as a flash of white and purple engulfed my body and my world.
The light faded from my body to reveal a familiar costume, form-fitting yet comfortable, the same white and purple attire as my HDD's, which was composed of a leotard, opera gloves, a circular hair clip, and thigh-high boots, my large MPBL now on my right hand. Interestingly, my hair didn't change color nor increase in length, and from looking at my faint reflection on the gunblade, my eyes didn't change color either, let alone manifest power symbols. It reminded me of that half-transformation Uzume once did in that Essveedimension RP.
Then, my Lilac Processor Unit manifested itself around me, starting with three blade-like extensions protruding back from my hair clip. Four curved fairy wings grew behind my back, circuit-like markings imprinted upon them, while a pair of curved, shell-like pauldrons floated above my shoulders. Six diamond-shaped pieces, arranged like a skirt, were at the sides of my waist, while a pair of small, wing-like attachments formed just beside my ankles.
The world reverted to the battlefield around me, the three others in Fairized form being present once more. I had never felt this strong before! So this was the power of a Fairy…
"Three on one? I would hate for this to end too soon!" Sherman rushed at me first, thinking I was the weak link. His sword cleaved down for my head. However, I couldn't fly like this, so I parried the blade as best I could, before jumping back and shooting at him. It suddenly became a priority to avoid engaging him directly. His strength was unreal! My shots were deflected off his armor.
"Flame Assault!" Fang came in from behind with his sword blazing with fire. Sherman casually deflected the strokes with his sword shimmering with white light. He attempted to press the advantage but broke off as Galdo came in on his blind side. The white clad figure leaped into the air to evade.
"Now I've got ya! Soul Hunter!" Galdo slashed his scythe in a wide arc that kicked up a powerful gale. Sherman twisted in mid air while aiming his hand downward.
"Prismatic Burst!" He cried. A huge magic circle appeared underneath Fang, Galdo, and myself, as I unsuccessfully tried to move away from it. The magic that streamed forth was blinding white, and I could hear Fang and Galdo cry out in pain as the mystic force battered them. They weren't the only ones, however, for I heard my own voice, too. The attack was strong!
"This… is bad… when did he get so strong…?" Galdo grunted while clutching his chest in pain.
"I dunno…" Fang shook his head.
"I've been awake three months longer than you and trained relentlessly," Sherman smirked.
"Make or break time… Galdo! Make an opening!" Fang drew his sword back while gathering a truly impressive amount of fire. His entire body was ringed in a blaze larger than he was tall.
It turned out that I was tougher than I thought. I could feel my shares protecting me from the worst of it. I could still fight… I could still help… to that end, I charged energy into my weapon, and fired as rapidly as I could, beam-like bursts emerging from it. Each shot kept Sherman pinned down while Galdo and Fang did whatever they were going to do.
"Right! Ya with me, Marissa? Come on!" Galdo sprinted forward trailing jetstreams of wind. The sudden pressure was enough to steal a breath from me. His form was wreathed in tornado-force winds. He brought the scythe around with speed far surpassing his previous. Sherman was a hair too slow to block the attack, instead he caught the curved blade on his sword with the tip pointing right at him. "Heaven and Earth!" Galdo roared as the entire area was engulfed in a howling tornado. He leaped back easily as Fang made to complete the combo attack.
"Let's do this, Eryn! Burning...STRIKE!" Fang rode the funneling wind right to Sherman with his sword trailing flames. The windstorm swept up the fire turning it into a fire funnel whirl. His attack was obscured from my sight as the searing heat and light concealed everything, making me step back. The hot blooded man leaped out of the top of the whirl and landed smoothly.
"Better stop it before he dies," Galdo said.
"It wasn't enough," Fang replied. The wind user gawked openly at his friend. Sherman's sword slashed through the fire whirl revealing the Fencer was completely unharmed. He merely smirked at having taken their best without even a scratch.
The beams weren't enough. Even their terrifying firestorm, their synergy of wind and flame, wasn't enough. We needed more! I had to bring out my strongest attack, my EXE Drive, and I instinctively knew just what to do. Already, I could imagine Nepgear's theme, one of my favorites, being played at that moment.
"Ready, Amethyst?" I quietly asked.
{Yup.}
"I'm giving it my all!" Feeling a surge of energy welling up in me, I dashed forward, my blade and I poised for a rising slash. Sparks flew as the edge of my sword grinded against the knight templar's armor, but using both hands to add my full strength to my blow, I eventually broke through, sending him flying into the air. One-handedly, I shot at him six times, each burst of explosive energy making him flinch. Then, I leapt towards him and stabbed him in the chest, charging yellow energy through the tip of my blade. Sparks coruscated about him as I jumped back to the ground. Gripping my MPBL with both hands, I charged it with as much energy as I could, before unleashing it all in one, large beam of purple and yellow. "CELESTIAL SEVERANCE!" I declared. A spherical explosion of black and blue engulfed him, a ring of purple prisms surrounding it.
{He's not so stoic now!} Amethyst crowed in triumph.
Sherman panted as the strain of resisting Fang's Burning Strike, Galdo's Heaven and Earth, and my Celestial Severance took their toll. He clutched at his chest for a moment to center himself.
"You're… quite formidable…" He complimented them.
"Surrender, Sherman! We don't need to go any further!" Fang tried to reason with him again.
"Just stay down, man!" Galdo implored.
Their attempts were met with scornful laughter.
"Unfortunately for you, I have no intention of quitting… For Justice!" Sherman vanished from sight. I caught him flickering at the edge of my vision. He was moving so quickly I couldn't see him clearly. Fang and Galdo drew closer with their weapons on guard. Both were trying to shield me if the worst should happen. I reinforced Defensive Cheer while trying to remain ready. All at once a magic circle appeared beneath us. Much larger and brighter than Prismatic Burst.
"Guard!" I wasn't sure who yelled. I hunkered down with MPBL held defensively outward. Suddenly the whole sky burned with light as if night turned to day.
"Skyfall!" Sherman's voice came from high above us. He used our confusion to leap into the air. The eye-searing ball of white light descended swiftly engulfing us in a pillar of holy energy. Fang and Galdo cried out in pain as the beam continued to pour down the punishment. Sherman landed with a sneer to watch the carnage.
I was also groaning in pain, but with Amethyst's aid and my shares, I felt that I could hold on. I made my stand; I chose my side, and as terrified as I was, I didn't intend to give up. I couldn't, not with my life and theirs on the line… I tried my best to remain standing, my teeth grit and my eyes in a steely gaze. Words flew from my lips in defiance. "That's… not… enough…!" The Shares grew hot and I felt the HDD switch rise fractionally. It wasn't much, but it was enough to send a flood of power flowing through my body. My wings flared brilliantly as I stood tall. A hazy image came to me of a woman swinging a sword through the air horizontally, and I reflexively went with the flow…
"Horizon CUT!" I slashed the MPBL through the air. At first nothing seemed to happen save for the Skyfall to suddenly end. Sherman stared in surprise as his strongest attack was completely nullified. A sharp 'shing' was heard as a cut appeared on his chest. Nothing happened at first before a spray of blood burst from the wound. A trickle of blood appeared at the corner of his lips as Fairize abruptly cut out.
"Wha...what...this cannot be…" Sherman used healing magic to stabilize himself but the damage was done. He was visibly trembling with the effort of remaining conscious. I found my vision swimming as both switches slammed into the 'off' position.
"Nepgear/Nepgear!" My companions rushed to my side. Well, more like hobbled to my side, for they looked really exhausted. My strength was completely drained. Horizon Cut was locked as apparently it was too powerful for me at this level.
"We have to retreat!" Eryn warned.
"More Fencers are coming!" Amethyst cried.
"Let's go…!" Marissa appeared beside Galdo and helped him to stand. Watching the tiny Eryn try to lift Fang would have been funny if the situation wasn't so dire.
"Up you come…" Amethyst appeared fully. She took my arm and helped me stand. I tiredly walked with her, leaning on her shoulder for support. I had never been this fatigued before…
There was nothing left for us to do except run. Sherman passed out but he had reinforcements coming. Fang grumbled something profane but his exhaustion rendered it unintelligible. We fled into the night...hobbled into the night…
Exhausted, sore, and battered. What a way to start my first day in this strange world.
Why isn't there a tag for Fairy Fencer F? Phweee...
Candidate for Goddess
A Strange Awakening
I lay on my side, eyes closed, a leg stretched out and the other leg curled inward, and with an arm wrapped around a pillow and the other arm stretched out. It was my usual sleeping position, and it was sooo comfy… Until I felt myself waking up. The light of day dragged me from the darkness, but what greeted my sight was not my room. Even my pillows weren't there.
What I saw instead was a lovely pastoral setting, of green grass and pleasantly sloping hills with swaying brush under a sunny blue sky, a kind of picturesque landscape that wouldn't look out of place in a painting. Oddly enough, the details of it were clear to me, even though I wasn't wearing my glasses. 'Huh? Where am I? This is not my room at all, but a field outside! How'd I get here in my sleep?' Using my arms as support, I got up to a sitting position and shook off the dirt, but in the process, I found myself looking at… myself… and…
'Why does my chest look like this? These aren't my clothes, either! Being in the middle of nowhere is one thing, but this is a totally different body, that of the opposite gender, even!' The outfit was familiar in that it looked like a Japanese schoolgirl uniform, a sailor dress actually, in white and purple. Striped stockings in those same colors covered most of my legs, and white, purple-trimmed boots with a stylized "N" enclosed my feet. I could feel long hair flowing down my back, and when I examined a strand, it was actually purple in color. There was also a small weight on the left side of my head, and when I felt for it, and took it off, it was a white hair clip, shaped like a D-pad. This… this…!
I'd recognize this getup anywhere! I once planned out a Nepgear SI before I altered it into a Green Sister SI, so I remembered very well what she looks like, and… it was not supposed to be real. I was not supposed to be her! "What the goodness?!" I exclaimed, and I sounded just like she would! Why am I her?
Yet when I looked at my surroundings, there was more. In the distance, a strange formation of metal and forgotten machines could be seen, something I'd like to take a look at when I wasn't hopelessly lost. There was also a narrow path leading to a bridge over a small river. Cliffs could be seen from all sides enclosing the field. I could see a barely hidden passage leading through the cliffs. Living creatures could be seen, resembling animals and insects I was familiar with, but bigger. The wasp-like insect was easily the size of a child. Same with the black ravens. Trying to figure out where I am was rapidly coming in second to escaping before they saw me. Those looked like monstrous versions of animals, and I didn't want to be killed or eaten!
I stood up as quickly as I could, but found myself wobbling a bit before I gained my balance. I needed to avoid being seen… but where to go? I had no idea where I was, but I needed to be away from those monsters. Could one really blame me for feeling like B-Sha right now? Deciding on where to go, I opted to walk as lightly and briskly as I could to the bridge, my steps somehow feeling like second nature to me, as if I was always like this. If I followed the river, I could find civilization… right? Where in the world was I, anyway? Gamindustri?
The wasps were far enough away that I didn't attract their attention. They were more concerned with staying away from the ravens. Nature in action, I figured, and I did not need an upfront view. Across the bridge was a wide path deeper in the cliffs. Packed dirt told me that this was a decently traveled area. A chittering sound could be heard behind me as the path lead to a blind turn.
'That doesn't sound good. Did something see me?' I glanced back before quickly checking my pockets and continuing onward. Did I have her beam saber, stylized N on its circular guard and all? It turned out that yes, yes I did, and as such, I brought it out. I didn't know if I inherited her skill with it, but I would need it just in case. Fortunately, it was a regular beam saber, white and light purple in color, not a certain dark purple sword with a tapering blade. The latter would be horrifying!
The quick glance showed me a wasp was back there, but it was just blindly flying around. It hadn't seen me which took some of the pressure off. The pocket I found the saber in was surprisingly deeper than expected. Did I somehow get Nepgear's inventory? Something else to look into when I wasn't in danger.
ROAR!
I immediately tensed up. That sound came from right around the corner! I was too slow to stop as something charged around the blind turn. It was bigger than me, a bulky one with a draconic head and body. The stocky creature stood on its hind legs with a powerful tail swishing in the dirt.
Eeep! I backed away, and tried my best to sidestep it, to avoid the onrushing dragon-thing. I held my beam saber tightly on my right hand, the weapon being my only means of defense. This one looked even more dangerous than the giant animals a while ago! The dragon-thing looked disgruntled and surprised as my sidestep carried me completely away from it. There was, I estimated, more than ten feet between us now.
The monster roared as its powerful legs bunched up before shooting forward, using its wings for an extra burst of speed. Acting on reflexes I didn't know I had, I attempted to dodge to the side, and lash out with my blade. By some stroke of luck I managed to cut a gash along its back. The beast let out a pained roar. It eyed me balefully for a moment before bringing its tail around with brutal swiftness. Eyes widened, and with little time to move, I held my sword with both hands, bracing myself to block the swipe of the creature's tail. The tail struck my beam saber with enough force that I was lifted off my feet and struck the cliff wall. I gasped at the sudden impact and pain, though it wasn't as bad as I thought. "Ow…"
However, I had little in terms of good options. I had to continue fighting for my life. As such, I moved away from the wall, this time intending to circle around to the creature's side and slash at its legs. The creature was more careful now after the single injury it received. As I circled to attack it circled to evade. The dragon-thing roared threateningly before launching itself into the air. Uh oh, I wasn't Uni. I had no ranged attacks, unless I transformed. If I was Nepgear, I could be Purple Sister, right? I could feel a switch at the back of my mind, energy dwelling within… but I also had a feeling that I was low in power, in Shares, at the moment, and as such, I should conserve it unless I really needed it. Therefore, instead of accessing my Hard Drive Divinity, I carefully eyed the dragon's movements, ready to move should it try to dive at me or breathe energy at me or something.
My caution was warranted as the dragon-thing brought its head back and unleashed a strafing blast of fire, like napalm. The crimson blaze was intense, and I could already feel the heat. I ducked back to avoid getting trapped, but the fire kept coming. It wouldn't let up at all! I quickly glanced to and fro, but I was backed up against the cliff wall with no way out, eyes widened, body shaking and with my blade held tightly in front of me. It was so scary! I had to transform, lest I get roasted-
"Haaa…!" A male voice suddenly cried as a man descended from on high, poised to strike. His large, single-edged sword had a sawtooth pattern on its other side and had a high-tech look to it, colorful markings running down the blade. It slashed through the dragon-thing's wing, grounding the beast. I noticed that he had spiky brown hair and blue eyes, and that he was wearing a red and black jacket with a black shirt and jeans. The dragon-thing hissed furiously at the interloper, but he merely gave it an unimpressed look.
"Fang! Stop showboating! Just take it out already!" A light girlish voice called from the blade.
"Fine fine… Stop nagging, Eryn," Fang complained. The dragon-thing charged forward only for the new guy to strike it three times in rapid succession. It grunted in pain before exploding in a burst of blue light.
'That was a close one…!' I took a few deep breaths, relieved at the fortunate turn of events, yet still terrified that if not for that trope, I would had been a goner...
I lightly shook my head, trying to keep such thoughts from overwhelming me. Seeing those quick strikes reminded me of... I then remembered that I did have a ranged attack of sorts. I could have swung my blade really fast, like at mach speeds, and the resulting Slash Wave would have done something to the dragon while it was flying.
I cautiously approached the stranger, planning to thank him for the save, and to ask some basic questions. I was still lost in the middle of nowhere, after all, but at the same time, talking to those I didn't know wasn't my forte, either.
"Are you okay?" The sword vanished in a flash of light to be replaced by a girl with light orange fairy wings. Her red and white, black-trimmed dress had a style reminiscent of Ultradimension Vert's, and on her head was a pair of red ribbons resembling plus signs or D-pads in shape, reminding me of Neptune. She looked me over in concern as I was still shivering from nearly being burnt alive. Her companion kept an eye out for trouble, or maybe he was just bored. He kinda had a sleepy look to him, like Plutia would.
"I-I will be," I shakily answered, waving a hand in a so-so gesture. My voice was really that of Nepgear's now, higher pitch and all. "Thanks for the save."
"Oh, no problem! Fang does this kind of thing all the time. Right, Fang?" Eryn turned to her partner. He turned back to look at us. There was a peculiar desperation in his eyes but carefully hidden.
"Whatever. Come on, Eryn. We have to find Tiara," he said. Eryn gawked at him in surprise.
"We can't just leave her out here! She was almost made extra crispy!" The fairy girl exclaimed.
"She can come with us. Geez you're complicating things," Fang waved his hand dismissively.
With the other option being wandering around on my lonesome, I nodded to their offer. I certainly wasn't used to being referred to in the feminine pronoun, but they could only be referring to me right now. That, and I was currently in the form of a girl, so... "Okay."
"I guess I'm handling introductions," Eryn shot an irritated look at Fang before turning back to me. "I'm Eryn and this guy is Fang. He's a Fencer and I'm his Fairy." I could hear the capitalization and the expectation I would know what they meant, though for now, from context clues, I could only guess that a Fencer was a job class of sorts, sounding like something Noire would be suited to, while a Fairy was… a fairy companion that turns into a weapon? Fang didn't walk too far ahead even though he was impatient to be somewhere else.
"I'm Nepgear," I introduced myself, going by the name of this form I found myself in. "Nice to meet you." Wait a minute. Fencer? Fairy? ...Fairy Fencer? Unfortunately, other than it being a game made by Compile Heart and/or Idea Factory, I didn't know much else. Neptune did make a reference to it once though, saying Fairize, but I had no idea what it was about.
Meanwhile, it looked like we were headed back the way I came. At least I wasn't alone this time. Anything was better than dealing with that dragon-thing again. "Nepgear? Huh...How did you get to the Sol Plains?" Eryn asked.
I shrugged. So that was the name of this place. "I don't know. I just woke up here a while ago," I said. At least I didn't fall from the sky.
That caught Fang's attention as he turned to stare at me incredulously. "I've never been that lost. That must be some kind of record," he said. Eryn huffed and slapped him on the back.
"Be nice! We popped up out of nowhere too so it's possible she did as well," Eryn scolded. Fang grunted an affirmative.
"You're right… Hey! Who's that up ahead?" Fang recoiled in surprise. Seated at a white table with two chairs was an elegant white-haired girl, her outfit a blue version of Eryn's. Seated beside her on the table was a fluffy white creature, with large ears and blue markings that reminded me of a certain Incubator.
Where did all that come from? I stayed silent, not knowing who those were, either. My expression was slightly nervous and guarded, being in unfamiliar territory with unfamiliar people. 'There better not be an actual Kyubey…'
"Fang...That's Tiara…" Eryn gripped his sleeve urgently. He swallowed heavily with an almost lost look in his eyes. With a force of will he pushed it back.
"Let's go tell her off for making us worry like that," Fang straightened his jacket with unnecessary vehemence.
I could only look on. From what they said a while ago, they were searching for her, but really, I had nothing to say. I'd rather not interrupt. That would be rude, and I didn't know them, anyway.
"I sense a Fury," Eryn looked surprised.
"Didn't we already get the Fury?" Fang arched an eyebrow.
"We did...In fact we still have the Sol Plains Fury…" The fairy looked even more confused.
"Is something the matter? You look a little lost," a pleasant voice asked. Tiara smiled kindly with a glint of something darker in her eyes. Fang was distracted from his introspection.
"What's the big idea, Tiara? Where have you been?" Fang demanded as he stormed over. Eryn hung back with a growing look of unease. Tiara looked at him as if she had never met him before.
It was similar to the kind of confused look I'd have when someone knows me, while I don't. I wondered what was going on here. Something just seemed off. Was it just a case of not remembering? Or was it, in the worst case, amnesia?
"My, how rude! You somehow know me sir, but I have never met you before," Tiara looked at him like he was crazy.
"Knock it off, Tiara! I know all about you already," Fang insisted.
"How could that be? Are you perhaps a stalker?" She narrowed her eyes warily.
"You really don't remember us? I'm Eryn and he's Fang," Eryn implored her to remember. Tiara looked to her companion.
"Do you know them, Cui?" She asked. The white creature shook its head.
I continued listening to the conversation, and idly wondered if the white and blue Kyubey lookalike had something to do with it. I could be mistaken, though.
"Fang…" Eryn said worriedly.
"Am I supposed to know her too?" Tiara gestured at me with her tea cup.
"We just met her on the way," Eryn said.
"Oh so you didn't try to gaslight her. How novel. What makes me so special?" Tiara's lips quirked in a smile. It wasn't a nice gesture.
"Damn it you idiot! No one is trying to gaslight you!" Fang raged suddenly. Tiara looked shocked at the surge of aggression and even turned red in the face. Judging by the glazed look in her eye she wasn't upset with his outburst. Probably shouldn't think too much into that.
From what I was seeing, I couldn't really blame him for not taking it well. It'd be as if my older brother didn't remember me. I could only look on with sympathy.
"Are you thirsty? Maybe you are suffering some obscure heat stroke," Tiara said solicitously. She even poured some tea into another cup for him. He eyed the cup for a long moment.
"Did you poison it?" He asked bluntly. She recoiled as if struck.
"How did you know...I mean...how could accuse me of something like that?" She demanded indignantly.
"Maybe because you did the same thing when we first met," he said snidely.
"Deja vu…" Eryn murmured. Tiara narrowed her eyes again at Fang.
"I do not know you and I have never met you before. If you are quite finished I will be leaving now," Tiara declared as she stood up. Her furry companion leaped up onto her shoulder. She turned to walk away only for Fang to start to follow. Eryn grabbed his sleeve.
"Something is seriously wrong here…" Eryn bit her lip.
"I agree," I said. "Was she seen with that creature before?" Fang and Eryn looked at me in bemusement.
"Cui is her Fairy," Eryn explained.
So Fairies can be non-humanoid, I guessed, and maybe it was not the cause of her apparent amnesia.
"That's what she doesn't have! A Fairy! I thought she was another Fencer," Fang slapped a fist in his palm in realization.
Maybe a Fencer didn't refer to fencing, but referred to the wielder/companion of a Fairy? Like a partnership between Tamer and Digimon?
"Maybe she should take the Fairy. It's dangerous out here without one," Eryn indicated a technological sword stuck in the ground a short distance away.
"Yeah none of us touched it...and I'm kind of surprised Tiara just walked away without it…" Fang rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Wait, they wanted me to have one? "Are you sure?" I asked, confused. "But I have a sword already." What distinguished a Fairy from a conventional weapon? Special powers?
"Yeah she does have a sword but it wasn't really doing much," Fang said to Eryn. His Fairy partner rubbed her forehead.
"It would work fine against people but monsters are a different story," Eryn explained.
"If you ended up fighting a Fencer your sword just wouldn't cut it," he said. It seemed he wasn't one of those people who laughed at their own puns. He didn't even seem to notice.
Nice pun, though… "Okay," I nodded. 'I might as well take their advice. They're the more knowledgeable ones about this place.' With that in mind, I walked over to the sword they indicated and pulled it out. As soon as my hand touched the hilt, I felt like something was trying to speak to me. A voice that was somehow familiar but new, like an old friend I was meeting for the first time. I felt the Shares inside of me rise up in response, as a barely discernible pulse of power rippled in the air.
{Now this is interesting… A mortal turned goddess…? Oh, you are a long way from home, sweetheart…} Goodness, that voice, she sounded just like Neptune while in HDD! It was growing in strength as the connection solidified, and she sounded warm and kind. I could see the image of a girl who appeared similar to Purple Heart, with lighter hair in a black dress like her anime incarnation's. Her wings looked like an organic version of her Processor Unit's. The sword in my hand flashed once before changing shape into Purple Sister's gunblade, the MPBL. Nice…!
"You know my situation already?" I asked her, surprised.
{We'll talk more later when you're alone. I can fill you in on the information you're missing.} Amethyst said. Did she put her name in my mind?
"Okay, and thanks," I said. I proceeded to return to the others.
"Let's get back to the Sunflower Inn. I'm bushed after all this," Fang stretched.
"I could do with something to eat myself," Eryn hummed happily. A scream interrupted their discussion.
"That sounded like… Tiara/Tiara!" Fang and Eryn exclaimed together. The Fairy turned into his sword as he charged off towards the sound of the cry. I followed suit, worried that something bad had happened. Maybe it was a monster?
I caught up to them as they were squaring off against a punk with a cutlass. He was blonde with a bandanna covering his head and wore a vest without a shirt. Tiara was taken aback by his thuggish appearance.
"Heh… Get out of the way, hero. I'm just gonna take her Furies. Maybe I'll take more than that…" He leered at Tiara hungrily. She didn't feign the full body shudder his expression evoked.
I narrowed my eyes into a glare. How dare he…! I was right; it was indeed a monster. 'If I were Plutia or Iris Heart, I would make him scream in pain…!'
"Hey, Nepgear? Watch Tiara. I'm gonna teach this punk some manners," Fang brandished his sword threateningly.
"Oh yes! Please save me, Mr. Stalker!" Tiara mock swooned. Wow, the sarcasm...
"I'll do my best," I said as I cautiously approached the woman. The point was to protect her, after all. I kept Amethyst aimed at the goon, ready to fire should he make aggressive movements towards us. Like my beam saber, the gunblade felt natural to wield, as if I used it before.
"Don't take me lightly!" The goon growled as he charged forward with his sword held high. Fang looked almost bored as the sword in his hand flashed and became a pair of heavy metal gauntlets. I took care not to shoot just yet, so as not to hurt Fang by accident.
"Down! You! Go!" He punched the attacking thug in the gut, then the torso, then finished him off with an uppercut. The goon let out a cry of pain as he flew up in the air and crashed down in a motionless heap. If he hadn't moaned in pain I wouldn't know he was still alive. Fang was clearly strong to toss him in the air like that.
I kept my weapon aimed at the bandit. It was tempting to squeeze the trigger, but while he should be punished, I didn't kill people, either...
"My, you are formidable," Tiara said, this time with honest appreciation. She looked the downed man over with interest.
"Yeah I'm pretty strong," Fang agreed.
"I must admit your strength IS impressive… but also very worrying in a stalker… I think I had better be going now," Tiara didn't even turn around before sprinting away at full speed. Fang blinked in stupefaction at the size of the dust cloud. It looked like something out of a cartoon or an anime. I could imagine the sound effects being made by that.
"That could have gone better," Eryn remarked.
"That's an understatement…" Neptune, I mean Amethyst, commented out loud.
"It could have gone worse, too," I said. "Do we leave the bandit be, or…?"
"We shouldn't leave a criminal run free," Amethyst agreed.
Fang hung his head since that was exactly what he was going to do. He bound the man's arms with his own belt and hooked the sheathed cutlass to his own waist. Eryn offered him encouragement but made no effort to help. Her partner grumbled resentfully as he half dragged the captured bandit away from the Sol Plains.
The city of Zelwinds was a short distance from the Sol Plains. Since I didn't know my way around the only thing I could do was follow. It looked like a nice place if a bit JRPG cliche. The setting appeared medieval fantasy but the large white tower near the edge of town was modern, futuristic even, like a Basilicom. The Fury I held was a futuristic weapon, too. Apparently, the Fairy inhabited the Fury. Thank goodness for Amethyst whispering that piece of important information.
"How… much… further…?" Fang grunted as he continued to heft the bandit. Our captive was awake, but did his best to make things difficult. His strategy was simple; he just hung limp like dead weight.
"There's somebody! Maybe we can hand him off this to this guy?" Eryn indicated a man in white wearing a hood, who kinda stood out from the others. The hooded man bore a gold-hilted broadsword.
"Ah! Not those Justice Society guys! Damn it! Lemme go! I'll never rob another person again! Lemme go!" The bandit started jerking and straining with surprising strength. Fang yelped as the goon's wild flailing caused him to take a shoulder to the jaw. Before he could recover, the captive was running like crazy out of here.
I frowned. He really shouldn't be able to get away like that. Once more, what came to mind was Plutia and her voodoo plushie. While an option was to shoot him, I'd rather not do that here, where I can get in trouble.
"Doesn't it seem strange that he would react with such fear? I suppose he must be a terrible criminal with a large bounty on his head," Amethyst commented.
"Maybe," I said.
"I can't believe you let him go, Fang," Eryn huffed. Fang rubbed his jaw balefully.
"Next time you try lugging a grown man around. Sheesh… Let's just go to the inn. I wonder what Mrs. Four-star is making," Fang turned his attention to his stomach. A feminine cry of alarm was heard from the direction the bandit ran. A sweatdrop rolled down Fang and Eryn's faces as I sighed. Troublesome thug.
"Can we make sure he doesn't get away...?" I softly asked.
It didn't take much to get Fang to chase the bandit down again. This time, he was harassing a slender girl who had pale blonde hair, blue/green eyes, and was wearing a blue and white uniform with a miniskirt. She looked about as threatening as a kitten. He didn't have his cutlass, since it was still at Fang's waist, but he had plenty of meanness.
"Shut up! Just gimme your money already!" He yanked at her satchel but she refused to let go.
"N-no! This is the Septarian Club's profits!" She protested.
"What was that about never stealing again?" Fang demanded angrily. The bandit turned slowly towards Fang with a look of unease.
"Ah ha ha ha… Uh oh…" He shrank back as Fang strode towards him, cracking his knuckles. The goon's victim and Eryn winced dramatically at the sounds of violence. It ended with a final 'crunch' and the goon slumping to the ground.
"There. A concussion should keep him down," Fang dusted off his hands. The thief certainly deserved it.
"Did you break his legs? He might try running again," I suggested, a certain Huntress-in-training coming to mind. 'Are incidents like this usually ignored, or do the police, if any, intervene right away?'
Fang eyed the man contemplatively. Just as it appeared he was seriously going to do it, the girl spoke up.
"Excuse me… but we can leave him with the Justice Society. They will put him to work and he won't harm anyone again," she insisted fervently.
Maybe this Justice Society was their version of the police? I had questions to ask Nep- Amethyst later.
"How do you know that?" Eryn asked her.
"I'm Chiaki. Lord Sherman is my boss and he is in charge of the Justice Society," Chiaki laid a hand over her heart with a smile.
"Sherman? That pretty boy? He's here too?" Fang asked.
"Ah… you know Lord Sherman?" She asked hesitantly.
"We were traveling with him before all this. Well, not Nepgear, she just joined us," Eryn indicated me.
"I'm Fang, and this is Eryn," Fang introduced them.
"Perhaps you would like to wait for him at the Sunflower Inn? Please come with me," Chiaki beamed.
"Oh we know the way. We practically live there," Fang said.
"Is that so…" Chiaki looked hesitant at his claim.
I accompanied them along the way, as I continued to listen.
The Sunflower Inn was appropriately named. It was a homey looking place nestled among a garden of sunflowers. Fang and Eryn were clearly familiar with the inn. Our guide looked even more confused as it was apparent she didn't recognize them. The matron of the inn was a pleasant faced woman with a stout build.
"Hey Mrs. Four-star! What's for dinner? We're starving," Fang greeted her informally.
"Do I know you?" She asked. Uh oh, was this like with Tiara a while ago?
"I didn't think they had been here before but they were so certain," Chiaki said to her. Eryn's delighted smile dropped from her face as she listened. She sidled up beside Fang with an uneasy look.
"What's going on, Fang?" Eryn asked.
"I don't know… First Tiara, now Mrs. Four-star?" Fang was starting to look unnerved as well, and I understood why. There was a pattern that wasn't good.
"Maybe someone messed with their memories?" I guessed, for it reminded me of what Kurome did once.
"I hadn't thought about that! Someone could totally be messing with their memories!" Fang punched his palm decisively.
"It would have to be something very powerful," Eryn sounded doubtful, but she wanted to believe. I recalled Kurome being that powerful enough, but she was in Gamindustri, not here, wherever this was.
"We should try to investigate and stop drawing attention to ourselves," Amethyst counseled, something that I agreed with.
"Ahem… Perhaps we could table this discussion until after dinner. I would be willing to help you with… whatever this is. You did save me," Chiaki smiled kindly.
"Oh dear! Dinner is going to have to wait! We have an execution to attend!" Mrs. Four-star dithered. All activity ceased as Fang, Eryn, Amethyst and I tried to process the last statement, which didn't sound good at all. Goodness, why was she excited about such a thing?
"Execution?" I asked, confused. What came to mind was either a guillotine or a garrote.
"A wanted criminal was captured recently. He refused the mercy of Lord Sherman and is going to get exactly what he deserves," Chiaki said without losing her pleasant expression, which was far from reassuring.
"Should we go?" Eryn asked uneasily.
"What do you think?" Fang turned to me.
"That doesn't sound pleasant to see," I answered. Something felt off here. Maybe it was just me, but a wild guess of mine was, what if something was wrong with their system? 'That sometimes happens in cases like this.'
"Oh, that won't do at all. Executions are mandatory attendance!" Chiaki gasped. Amethyst's Fury shivered.
"This does not sit well with me at all," the purple Fairy echoed my thoughts.
Whether we wanted to or not, we had to go to the square. I asked Eryn if this was normal, but the look of confusion answered my question. This was not normal to them. What came to my mind was Gamindustri while it was ruled by the Gold Third.
The square was filled with people with a gallows erected in the center, the kind of device that hangs people with rope. An officious man in white stood with a scroll, and with him was another man, presumably the one on death row. The latter had light blonde hair and was wearing what appeared to be a black crop top and a purple kilt. After several minutes, the excited chattering of the crowd died down.
"Welcome, friends! Today, we are here to dispense with another agent of the villainous Dorfa organization! He lead us on a merry chase, but justice will be done today!" The officious man declared. Cheers greeted his statement, which only made me feel uneasy.
"That's Galdo…!" Eryn gripped Fang's arm so hard he winced. Was the prisoner a friend of theirs?
"Hey! Wait a minute! He's turned over a new leaf! He's not with Dorfa anymore!" Fang called over the din. The cheers stopped as dead silence reigned. 'Uh oh, we might be in trouble now…'
"You would side with this criminal!? Then you can be executed alongside him!" The man pointed his finger directly at Fang and everyone standing with him, myself included. I mentally braced myself in case we ended up in a fight-
"Fang! Close your eyes!" A woman's voice pierced the sudden commotion. A fierce windstorm swept through the square driving up dust and debris. Someone grabbed my hand and started pulling me along.
"Go with them!" Amethyst cried over the sound of the wind. I immediately followed what she said. This kind of situation really felt like something out of a role-playing game.
We didn't stop running for a long time, and fortunately, I felt that I could run for longer as Nepgear compared to as my previous self. The Fairy who saved us, who looked kinda like an orange, pink and red palette swap of Vert, was named Marissa. She was Galdo's partner and apparently remembered Fang and Eryn. Our pursuers were persistent and chased us past the Sol Plains and north to what Amethyst called the Zazawa Plains. It looked much like the place I landed in, except the sky was dark as if it was night. Did the day go by so fast? Or was it under the influence of magic or something?
"How do we lose them?" I asked. They were still doggedly chasing us.
"We have to fight!" Fang turned to face our pursuers. There were only four now, the rest having given up long ago.
"Can you fight, Galdy-kins?" Marissa asked her partner.
"Heh… Yeah. I got some life in me yet!" Galdo took Marissa's hand. In a flash the Vert clone pulled a Soul Eater and turned into a scythe. He laid the shaft across his shoulder.
"Ready to go, Nepgear?" Amethyst asked.
"I am," I answered her. I couldn't help but shake a bit, but I had to do this. I was scared, but I knew I had to fight… I held my gunblade at the ready as I faced them.
Fang and Galdo charged forward bracing three of the Justice Society soldiers, leaving one to face me. I aimed at him and pressed the trigger several times, intending to take him down from afar. The soldier flinched as the bullets connected. He tried to bring his sword around to block, but it was too late. The sword slid from nerveless fingers as he fell to the ground. All told, the battle took less than a minute, though it felt longer than that.
"Nepgear? Are you okay?" Amethyst asked softly.
"It's my first time doing that…" I said. The danger of getting hurt… the act of actually fighting another person… I knew it was out of self-defense, but still…
Marissa checked the soldiers over to ensure the injuries weren't life threatening, which was fortunate. 'I guess they're tougher here than in my world.' She straightened up from where she knelt.
"We better keep going. They'll live, but we don't want to be here when they wake up," she said.
"What's going on, guys? Tiara didn't know us. Mrs. Four-star didn't know us. Executions in the square…" Fang ran his fingers through his hair distractedly.
"Nepgear thinks someone altered their memories," Eryn said.
"Hate to tell ya but no one's memories were altered," Galdo had a certain accent about him as his statement drew incredulous stares.
"We saw a newspaper before Galdy-kins was captured. We're in the past," Marissa broke the news.
"Time travel?" I asked. That could explain why Fang and Eryn mentioned popping out of nowhere, which now reminded me of when Neptune first met Plutia. What an odd circumstance to be in.
"Time travel…? Well this makes things more complicated…" Amethyst muttered.
"Who else do you think remembers?" Fang asked. He looked to be in a deep state of shock. Either that, or his blood sugar was dipping low. We never did get to eat.
"I know Sherman does but he's gone completely nuts," Galdo said. The name of that guy brought to mind a certain tank from World War Two.
"Tiara and Cui forgot us…" Eryn confided to Marissa.
"You also met someone else… Sorry, Nepgear. We're not trying to exclude you. My, you're such a quiet lil' thing!" Marissa fussed kindly.
"It's okay," I said.
The Zazawa Plains would have been more dangerous if Fang and Galdo weren't overleveled battle junkies. The dragon back at Sol Plains was actually weaker than the ones here. In my case, I focused on shooting the monsters and supporting my allies, Nepgear's knowledge of magic coming to mind. Being able to heal and to strengthen others and myself were of big help. Some of the monsters were familiar like the giant wasps and the snail enemies, but much like in Neptunia, the monsters were recolored versions and more powerful as a result. There were different creatures as well, like a bipedal green dragon twice the height of Fang.
"Just keep going! If we can reach the northern corner, we can escape into the hills," Marissa urged.
"Glad someone knows where we're going!" Eryn complained.
"So my sense of direction is a little bad. Big deal!" Fang grumped.
"Don't be like that, Fang! I still have trouble finding my way around at night," Galdo patted Fang companionably on the shoulder.
"That's right. Real men don't need directions," Fang nodded. The two exchanged a bro fist. Marissa tittered while Eryn moaned in despair. I merely facepalmed in response. 'Talk about pride… I don't get disoriented as much in my case.'
"Is this really the time?" Amethyst asked.
"Hey, is her Fairy shy? I've been hearing her voice but she hasn't been out at all…" Galdo rubbed the back of his neck.
"It's easier when there are fewer people to keep track of," Amethyst said. {Logic is such a foreign thing to these people!}
I could only shrug regarding that. "Are you sure you're comfy in there, Amethyst?" I asked, out of concern for her well-being.
"A little cramped, but fine. I'll have plenty of time to stretch out when we're not running for our lives. If the Fencer dies the Fairy does as well after all," she explained.
Her life was linked to mine? Oh. "I'll make sure to take care of myself…" I said.
"We will take care of each other," she said warmly, which made me smile. Nice to know I wasn't alone in this place.
The Zawaza Plains continued to stretch on, seemingly without end. For the most part, we fled from encounters, only fighting if we couldn't get away. It was as we were entering the northern part when Amethyst stilled in my hand. Something was putting her on high alert. The other Fairies were similarly on edge.
"Do you feel that?" Fang asked quietly.
"Yeah… There's another Fencer here…" Galdo didn't hesitate to turn Marissa into scythe form, while Eryn was already in sword mode. In response, I readied myself as well.
"A hostile one?" I asked. 'Hopefully not…'
"Depends on if you turn over that Dorfa dog without a fight," a refined man said as he stepped out from concealment. He was a handsome blond with blue eyes, who wore a white business outfit reminiscent of that of Lastation's Oracle.
'On second thought, we have a problem,' I thought as I shook my head.
"Sherman! What's gotten into you? Galdo isn't with those guys anymore! He's our friend," Fang tried to get him to see reason. So that was the guy in charge of the so-called Justice Society?
"I have had my eyes opened to the truth. This world is full of corruption. It requires a noble fire to purge the wickedness! I will do whatever it takes to bring peace to this world," Sherman lowered his head with a hand over his heart. Didn't Chiaki do that gesture, too? Also, it sounded more like he was under a delusion. The so-called 'truth'? Yeah right, as if.
"Oh, great… You've gone completely nuts," Galdo groaned. Sherman's head snapped up with an angry snarl.
"You do not get to judge me, worm. I stand in judgment over you! Fang, if you will not aid me, I will be forced to kill all of you. Make your peace!" Sherman brandished a huge, blue and white mechanical sword as big as Black Heart's. Knight Templars were such a troublesome lot. His color scheme was certainly fitting.
"We'll just have to beat the stupid out of you!" Fang charged forward with Eryn over his shoulder. He held the grip with both hands and brought the sword down in a power strike. Sherman effortlessly parried the cleave, then sidestepped Galdo's charge as the scythe wielder tried striking from his blind spot. While that was occuring, I casted Offensive and Defensive Cheers on the two of them, to improve their strength and toughness against the misguided judge.
"You're a lot better!" Galdo complimented him.
"Better? I am the best but you two aren't so bad either," Sherman faintly praised. Arrogance, much?
"Great… The Mutual Appreciation Society…" Fang growled.
"If it bothers you so much…" Sherman seemingly vanished from where he stood. With preternatural reflexes, Fang deflected his sword upward, only to take a kick to the stomach. The brunette swordsman flew back to land in a heap. Without Defensive Cheer, he could have been hurt worse, but instead got right back to his feet.
While they clashed blades, I circled the field from a distance, as I took potshots at the zealot whenever there was a clear opening. That ought to aid my allies.
"Fang! Okay that does it… Take this!" Galdo brought back his scythe and gave it a big swing, forming a fierce gale of green wind blades which spiraled towards the blond swordsman. He was kept pinned down by my bullets, allowing the attack to get through. Sherman grunted as the blades lashed at his clothing and cut his cheek. The wide blade of his sword shielded him from my gun but left him wide open for the others.
"Yah!" Fang returned to the battle with a leaping downward cleave. Sherman swept his sword up to deflect the stroke but it left his sides exposed. Galdo turned the scythe into a bow and released a trio of arrows just as I shot at Sherman's hip.
"Damn you!" Sherman growled as the attacks struck home. He looked terrible with his clothes torn up and bristling with arrows. A pulse of white light, however, erased the injuries as if they never existed. Did he have a healing spell like mine?
"Do you give up?" Galdo asked.
"Just stop already! We don't have to do this!" Fang tried to reach him.
"Can't we just talk it out?" I inquired, still keeping my guard and gunblade up just in case. There had to be a chance, though he seemed to be a stubborn one.
"You even brought someone else into your heresy… I have no quarrel with you. Even if you did shoot at me. This is your last chance to escape their fate," Sherman said directly to me.
I... couldn't do that. I couldn't... I couldn't abandon my allies, even if I was scared. I was no longer powerless, and... I wouldn't want to support the kind of behavior and delusion he seemed to have, and I trusted the guy much less than the ones who saved me. As such, I shook my head, throwing my lot in with Fang and the others. So much for diplomacy...
He shook his head sadly. "A pity… Ah well. This has gone on long enough… Ryushin! Fairize!" He threw his sword up in the air as he said that particular command. The massive blade turned end over end as an impenetrable barrier formed around him. He spread his arms wide and allowed it to pierce him through the chest. The change was over in a flash of light, revealing his new form. He looked to be protected in pieces of armor along with what looked like a large flight pack. In his hand was that same sword of his. In a way, it was like a bulky version of a CPU's Processor Unit, and I could somehow feel that he was stronger in that form.
"That won't help you! C'mon Galdo! Fairize!/Fairize!" Fang and Galdo cried, their weapons flying into the air like Sherman's. As the light settled down, it was clear that Fairize really was like HDD, or more accurately, like the Gold Form. 'Now I know what Neptune meant by it…' Fang's looked like the typical shounen protagonist transformation, his new armor being red and black with gold highlights, while Galdo's was the closest to an actual Processor Unit, for it looked like floating samurai-like accessories in black and purple.
"Time to Fairize, Nepgear," Amethyst whispered.
"How?" I quickly whispered back. I didn't know if it was the same as accessing my HDD.
"Feel for our connection and call out with all your might!" Amethyst declared.
"Okay." I tried doing just that, and… I felt a switch once more at the back of my mind- actually, there was not one this time, but two. One was more familiar, for it connected to my inner well of power, my shares, which was still rather low. In fact, that particular switch would not budge when I tried it, like I needed more energy before I could use it. Did that mean I couldn't transform versus that dragon? Thank goodness Fang and Eryn were there!
The other was new to me, but I could feel its power, an invisible link between Amethyst and me. It was the one I needed, and it felt ready to use. As such, I flipped it to 'on', and in the process, words came out of my lips. "Amethyst, Fairize!"
I felt guided by her as a translucent barrier like Sherman's formed around me. I threw my gunblade upward, making it spin around its center. Then, it suddenly stopped in mid-air and descended towards me, blade-first. My eyes widened in fear of being impaled by it. {Don't worry, Nepgear. Trust me, it won't hurt at all.} Amethyst said, but I couldn't help but close my eyes and brace myself.
A few moments later, I didn't feel any pain, but only comforting warmth instead. I opened my eyes and looked down, and saw the Fury's hilt sticking out of my stomach. There was no wound at all, but rather, it felt like Amethyst's power was flowing into me. "You're right," I said, as a flash of white and purple engulfed my body and my world.
The light faded from my body to reveal a familiar costume, form-fitting yet comfortable, the same white and purple attire as my HDD's, which was composed of a leotard, opera gloves, a circular hair clip, and thigh-high boots, my large MPBL now on my right hand. Interestingly, my hair didn't change color nor increase in length, and from looking at my faint reflection on the gunblade, my eyes didn't change color either, let alone manifest power symbols. It reminded me of that half-transformation Uzume once did in that Essveedimension RP.
Then, my Lilac Processor Unit manifested itself around me, starting with three blade-like extensions protruding back from my hair clip. Four curved fairy wings grew behind my back, circuit-like markings imprinted upon them, while a pair of curved, shell-like pauldrons floated above my shoulders. Six diamond-shaped pieces, arranged like a skirt, were at the sides of my waist, while a pair of small, wing-like attachments formed just beside my ankles.
The world reverted to the battlefield around me, the three others in Fairized form being present once more. I had never felt this strong before! So this was the power of a Fairy…
"Three on one? I would hate for this to end too soon!" Sherman rushed at me first, thinking I was the weak link. His sword cleaved down for my head. However, I couldn't fly like this, so I parried the blade as best I could, before jumping back and shooting at him. It suddenly became a priority to avoid engaging him directly. His strength was unreal! My shots were deflected off his armor.
"Flame Assault!" Fang came in from behind with his sword blazing with fire. Sherman casually deflected the strokes with his sword shimmering with white light. He attempted to press the advantage but broke off as Galdo came in on his blind side. The white clad figure leaped into the air to evade.
"Now I've got ya! Soul Hunter!" Galdo slashed his scythe in a wide arc that kicked up a powerful gale. Sherman twisted in mid air while aiming his hand downward.
"Prismatic Burst!" He cried. A huge magic circle appeared underneath Fang, Galdo, and myself, as I unsuccessfully tried to move away from it. The magic that streamed forth was blinding white, and I could hear Fang and Galdo cry out in pain as the mystic force battered them. They weren't the only ones, however, for I heard my own voice, too. The attack was strong!
"This… is bad… when did he get so strong…?" Galdo grunted while clutching his chest in pain.
"I dunno…" Fang shook his head.
"I've been awake three months longer than you and trained relentlessly," Sherman smirked.
"Make or break time… Galdo! Make an opening!" Fang drew his sword back while gathering a truly impressive amount of fire. His entire body was ringed in a blaze larger than he was tall.
It turned out that I was tougher than I thought. I could feel my shares protecting me from the worst of it. I could still fight… I could still help… to that end, I charged energy into my weapon, and fired as rapidly as I could, beam-like bursts emerging from it. Each shot kept Sherman pinned down while Galdo and Fang did whatever they were going to do.
"Right! Ya with me, Marissa? Come on!" Galdo sprinted forward trailing jetstreams of wind. The sudden pressure was enough to steal a breath from me. His form was wreathed in tornado-force winds. He brought the scythe around with speed far surpassing his previous. Sherman was a hair too slow to block the attack, instead he caught the curved blade on his sword with the tip pointing right at him. "Heaven and Earth!" Galdo roared as the entire area was engulfed in a howling tornado. He leaped back easily as Fang made to complete the combo attack.
"Let's do this, Eryn! Burning...STRIKE!" Fang rode the funneling wind right to Sherman with his sword trailing flames. The windstorm swept up the fire turning it into a fire funnel whirl. His attack was obscured from my sight as the searing heat and light concealed everything, making me step back. The hot blooded man leaped out of the top of the whirl and landed smoothly.
"Better stop it before he dies," Galdo said.
"It wasn't enough," Fang replied. The wind user gawked openly at his friend. Sherman's sword slashed through the fire whirl revealing the Fencer was completely unharmed. He merely smirked at having taken their best without even a scratch.
The beams weren't enough. Even their terrifying firestorm, their synergy of wind and flame, wasn't enough. We needed more! I had to bring out my strongest attack, my EXE Drive, and I instinctively knew just what to do. Already, I could imagine Nepgear's theme, one of my favorites, being played at that moment.
"Ready, Amethyst?" I quietly asked.
{Yup.}
"I'm giving it my all!" Feeling a surge of energy welling up in me, I dashed forward, my blade and I poised for a rising slash. Sparks flew as the edge of my sword grinded against the knight templar's armor, but using both hands to add my full strength to my blow, I eventually broke through, sending him flying into the air. One-handedly, I shot at him six times, each burst of explosive energy making him flinch. Then, I leapt towards him and stabbed him in the chest, charging yellow energy through the tip of my blade. Sparks coruscated about him as I jumped back to the ground. Gripping my MPBL with both hands, I charged it with as much energy as I could, before unleashing it all in one, large beam of purple and yellow. "CELESTIAL SEVERANCE!" I declared. A spherical explosion of black and blue engulfed him, a ring of purple prisms surrounding it.
{He's not so stoic now!} Amethyst crowed in triumph.
Sherman panted as the strain of resisting Fang's Burning Strike, Galdo's Heaven and Earth, and my Celestial Severance took their toll. He clutched at his chest for a moment to center himself.
"You're… quite formidable…" He complimented them.
"Surrender, Sherman! We don't need to go any further!" Fang tried to reason with him again.
"Just stay down, man!" Galdo implored.
Their attempts were met with scornful laughter.
"Unfortunately for you, I have no intention of quitting… For Justice!" Sherman vanished from sight. I caught him flickering at the edge of my vision. He was moving so quickly I couldn't see him clearly. Fang and Galdo drew closer with their weapons on guard. Both were trying to shield me if the worst should happen. I reinforced Defensive Cheer while trying to remain ready. All at once a magic circle appeared beneath us. Much larger and brighter than Prismatic Burst.
"Guard!" I wasn't sure who yelled. I hunkered down with MPBL held defensively outward. Suddenly the whole sky burned with light as if night turned to day.
"Skyfall!" Sherman's voice came from high above us. He used our confusion to leap into the air. The eye-searing ball of white light descended swiftly engulfing us in a pillar of holy energy. Fang and Galdo cried out in pain as the beam continued to pour down the punishment. Sherman landed with a sneer to watch the carnage.
I was also groaning in pain, but with Amethyst's aid and my shares, I felt that I could hold on. I made my stand; I chose my side, and as terrified as I was, I didn't intend to give up. I couldn't, not with my life and theirs on the line… I tried my best to remain standing, my teeth grit and my eyes in a steely gaze. Words flew from my lips in defiance. "That's… not… enough…!" The Shares grew hot and I felt the HDD switch rise fractionally. It wasn't much, but it was enough to send a flood of power flowing through my body. My wings flared brilliantly as I stood tall. A hazy image came to me of a woman swinging a sword through the air horizontally, and I reflexively went with the flow…
"Horizon CUT!" I slashed the MPBL through the air. At first nothing seemed to happen save for the Skyfall to suddenly end. Sherman stared in surprise as his strongest attack was completely nullified. A sharp 'shing' was heard as a cut appeared on his chest. Nothing happened at first before a spray of blood burst from the wound. A trickle of blood appeared at the corner of his lips as Fairize abruptly cut out.
"Wha...what...this cannot be…" Sherman used healing magic to stabilize himself but the damage was done. He was visibly trembling with the effort of remaining conscious. I found my vision swimming as both switches slammed into the 'off' position.
"Nepgear/Nepgear!" My companions rushed to my side. Well, more like hobbled to my side, for they looked really exhausted. My strength was completely drained. Horizon Cut was locked as apparently it was too powerful for me at this level.
"We have to retreat!" Eryn warned.
"More Fencers are coming!" Amethyst cried.
"Let's go…!" Marissa appeared beside Galdo and helped him to stand. Watching the tiny Eryn try to lift Fang would have been funny if the situation wasn't so dire.
"Up you come…" Amethyst appeared fully. She took my arm and helped me stand. I tiredly walked with her, leaning on her shoulder for support. I had never been this fatigued before…
There was nothing left for us to do except run. Sherman passed out but he had reinforcements coming. Fang grumbled something profane but his exhaustion rendered it unintelligible. We fled into the night...hobbled into the night…
Exhausted, sore, and battered. What a way to start my first day in this strange world.
Jhin Lemon
Lawful Cute
- Location
- Trapped in the interwebs, please send help
The adventures of Ubegear begin!
(Ding, please stop starting new writing projects, you're going to overwork yourself)
(Ding, please stop starting new writing projects, you're going to overwork yourself)
KuletXCore
Reviver of Good Shit/Creator of Underrated Ideas.
- Location
- Flipland
You can never have enough Sideprojects. I know that by experience.
UbeOne
Daydreaming CPU
- Location
- Philippines
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I don't think so. I believe it's a reference to Nepgear being a CPU Candidate.
KuletXCore
Reviver of Good Shit/Creator of Underrated Ideas.
- Location
- Flipland
I also don't know jack shit about FFF, so there's no problem about that...
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FailLord
2050 lb bombs?
- Location
- very high up
Could @dingbat779 indicate that in the title, I was somewhat confused when reading this.
Awakenings
- Location
- PA
AN: @UbeOne is in the house! We have a new chapter hot off the presses!
Awakenings
I awakened with a start to a darkened room, my only source of light being the sun shining through a crack in the curtains. My body still felt… unfamiliar, yet not, a reminder that I was still in the form of Nepgear. Feeling my long hair about me didn't help, either. Idle curiosity was one thing, but really, actually being a girl was different altogether… On another note, I should have been like one big bruise after the battle, but instead, I felt fine, not pained at all. In fact, I felt stronger than before. There was a pool of energy inside me, resting alongside my Shares. Did I level up? The idea was ludicrous, but for all I knew, this world could operate on RPG logic.
"Oh, good… you're awake," Amethyst whispered. She sat at my bedside with my hand in hers, and it felt warm and comfy. The elegantly dressed Fairy smiled with relief.
"Good morning. Are you okay...?" I asked her, my eyelids still a bit droopy as I shook off my sleep. I had to rely on her support as we fled, so I had to know if she was fine...
"Am I okay? Oh, my darling sister… You were the one who bore the brunt of the punishment. If not for your resolve, I would have been harmed, but you shielded me," Amethyst stroked my cheek fondly.
I tensed for a moment, unused to something like that from someone who wasn't my mom nor my dad, but then, I tried to relax, remembering that she was my partner in this place. "I did?" I asked. "It was so scary. I've never been in battle before…" I was running off newfound skills, and I felt Amethyst aiding me during my Fairize. We could have all died there, from the monsters, from Sherman...
"Courage comes in many forms. You fought even with the odds stacked against you. That is a kind of bravery uncommon. Anyone who claims to know no fear on the battlefield is a fool," Amethyst smiled approvingly.
"Yeah," I nodded. "It's not the absence of fear…" But, rather being able to act in spite of it. It was a saying that I wholeheartedly agreed with, and I didn't know I had that in me... I couldn't give up; we couldn't give up.
"There were questions I promised answers to, and this is the best time. I convinced them you needed a separate room. I used a version of the truth. You really aren't used to sleeping in the same room with women, right?" Amethyst's smile turned into a smirk so like Neptune after a prank.
I found myself blushing in embarrassment. "How did you know?" I sputtered out. I really wasn't used to that, the only exception that of being with my mom.
"When we merged for Fairize, I could feel the difference in your spirit. I had a suspicion from our initial joining, but then it was proven. You have a man's essence. Luckily for you, I can keep your essence intact. If we weren't so compatible, I couldn't shield you. It's up to you just how much of a change you allow. Some of your powers are unusable as long as you are fully male in spirit. Our bond is strong so you have nothing to worry about there. We can Fairize," Amethyst hastened to assure me.
My eyes widened. Goodness, she even knew that part of my situation! It wasn't something I would say out loud. "You're… okay with that?" I nervously asked. Hopefully, she would be accepting of me...
"My life is yours as your life is mine. We are one until death, and even then, we will not part. I will never forsake you. Under no circumstance will I abandon you," Amethyst spoke firmly as a fierce light shone from her eyes, like Purple Heart's symbol. I could really feel the sincerity of her words.
I smiled, relieved at that, yet at the same time, amused by her wording. "That sounds as if we're married." Such a bond and commitment to one another… I never thought I'd find myself in one. 'Since she intends to stand by me, then it's only right that I do the same for her.'
"Nepgear… In a very real sense, we are. Not in a romantic sense, but on a level most couples never reach. I feel blessed to be able to see into you so deeply. Strange… This was never one of my powers… but I felt it come to me when we connected. Like a gentle voice whispered that you needed someone to confide in…" Amethyst cupped a hand to her chin in thought.
Truly, it was fortunate that we found her Fury yesterday. "Interesting… so that's how you knew my situation so quickly?" I asked.
"That's right. I want to know who spoke to me, but she was quiet afterward. Strange, but I feel like her strength was fading… I hope she's okay," the Fairy's wings drooped in concern.
"She?" I was confused as to who she was referring to.
"Yes, she. A voice I never heard before, but somehow my heart knew. I can't recall her name or face, but she was as important to me as you. How could I forget her already?" Amethyst's wings twitched in agitation.
I couldn't help but hug her for a while, for I could only imagine how aggravating that must be. "At least she's in your heart, right? Maybe we could find her someday?"
"I hope so… I have a suspicion of who spoke to me actually… If you will listen to a story, perhaps you will understand," Amethyst said.
"I'm all ears," I replied. 'It'd be nice to know more about my Fairy.'
Amethyst sat straighter as she prepared to speak. Her voice was hushed in the fashion of a storyteller.
"Long ago, a dreadful war was fought between the Goddess and the Vile God. Because they were equally matched, they both created a vast number of special weapons imbued with their godly energy, each containing the life force of a fairy. Armed with these weapons, the deities continued their conflict until they finally sealed each other away into the great unknown. A long time has passed since this ancient conflict, and the weapons created by the Goddess and the Vile God have since been scattered across the world. These weapons—now known as 'Furies'—are highly sought after by warriors who call themselves 'Fencers'. It is said that whoever collects a Fury will be granted one wish." The Fairy's tale concluded.
So that was where the Fairies and Furies came from. Interesting… was it the cosmology of this world? "Maybe the voice was the Goddess?" I guessed. It would make sense if she could talk in spirit, much like the imprisoned Histoire in Re;Birth1.
Amethyst nodded in agreement. "That's what I think. Trying to explain this to anyone would make me sound like a loon, though. We have enough loonies to deal with."
"Agreed," I said, remembering a certain knight templar, though I was also curious about something. "Was the wish thing real, or just hearsay?" I wasn't sure what I would wish for if that was actually possible. Maybe to go home, and/or to ensure my loved ones are all right? It wasn't something to use lightly, after all. But while I was indeed far away from home, and would like to return, I wouldn't want to leave Amethyst behind either, and I wouldn't be recognizable like this...
"Honestly? I don't know. Perhaps it grants the wish to never be alone. Maybe it means that with two people your wishes can be realized. My wish would be to have a more definite answer to give you," she concluded wryly.
Hehe-
"Hey! Is Nepgear awake yet!?" A boisterous voice called through the door.
"Galdy-kins, try not to be so loud…" Marissa's voice filtered through. Amethyst looked irked to have our private time interrupted.
In my case, I blinked at the sudden voices, not pleased either by the interruption. I'd like more time with Amethyst, too... "Yeah, I'm awake," I called out to them. Up to now, my feminine voice remained something to be used to, though I would admit that it sounded pleasant to my ears.
"Come on! Fang has something to show us!" Galdo called.
"This better not be another ad for half off beef bowl…" Amethyst grumbled mutinously. 'Gyūdon would be nice to eat, though…' She stood up gracefully and went to the door. "What does he want to show us?" The irritated fairy asked.
"This really has to be seen to be believed," Marissa said apologetically. Her irritation evaporated as the motherly Fairy was hard to be mad at.
Fang was pacing in front of the door to another room when we arrived.
"About time you got here. This is a big deal!" He seemed equal parts excited and aggravated, like it was our fault I just woke up after extreme exhaustion. Ugh...
"Dial it back, buddy. Nepgear is new to this," Galdo patted him on the shoulder. He grimaced at the reminder.
"Sorry, Nepgear. This is really important," he apologized. The door opened to a strange, glowing portal.
Amethyst eyed it in astonishment. "What is this?" She asked.
"Just hurry through. The fewer people who know about this, the better," Fang leaped in first, while Galdo and Marissa followed after without hesitation. I couldn't help but hesitate… yet Amethyst took my hand comfortingly.
"If it was dangerous, I doubt they would drag us along," she smiled faintly, before leading me through the portal, The transition was surprisingly fast, for barely a second had passed and we had already arrived. The other side was what looked like a cavern made of silvery white and blue rocks. There didn't seem to be anything here except for one important thing.
In the center of the cavern, impaled with blades, was a woman the size of a giant. Her hair was long and curled. Stone covered her body strategically, but what I could see showed bare flesh beneath. Next to her was a demonic figure with outstretched wings and upraised arm. Unlike the woman, there were no blades piercing him. Amethyst stared at the towering figures in astonishment.
"This is the Godly Revival. We bring Furies here to release the Goddess," Fang gestured to the figures of legend. Wait, those are the Goddess and Vile God that was mentioned by Amethyst a while ago? How did he find a way in here so quickly? I thought they were far away, like a place to visit after a long quest or something.
Amethyst's voice rose to a shriek. "Why did you remove the Vile God's Furies and not all of the Goddess's!?" Her demand echoed in the still chamber. Fang cleared his throat nervously while Eryn fidgeted.
"W-well… The Vile God's Furies had more useful effects…" Fang coughed sheepishly. Amethyst buried her face in her hands with a moan of utter despair.
I could only facepalm at that. How shortsighted of him! He was a player choosing something only for its immediate, mechanical benefits, neglecting the consequences. "What the goodness?!" I exclaimed, the turn of phrase feeling natural to me. "But he's called a 'Vile' God! It's not worth it!" It wasn't much different from using Gehaburn. If anything bad happened because of that...
"I'm not proud of it, okay? I messed up massively! We ended up having to fight him at the point we were supposed to revive the Goddess. Because of that, Tiara… Tiara she…" Fang's throat visibly constricted, as if what he was about to say was too terrible. He made a sound of distress.
"Tiara died before we came back," Galdo said quietly.
"Oh." Oh dear… but didn't I see Tiara yesterday? Was this the future, then, since they traveled to the past? "So, what do we do?"
"It was the future… but nothing is the same… I don't remember any of this!" Eryn threw her hands up.
"The divergence point seems to be Sherman came back before the rest of us," Fang said. Troublesome timey-wimey balls...
"We have to release the Goddess's blades completely. No halfway measures. Then find the Faith Drop and call to her at the Altar," Eryn explained.
"To release the Goddess requires us to use Furies to synchronize with the ancient blades. Then, we fight the manifestations released," Marissa added.
"Did we end up in an endgame dungeon or something? I feel like we came in halfway through the story," Amethyst complained.
That comment made me chuckle, for it was just like something Neptune would say. Still, the situation was serious, so I responded accordingly. "I know, right? Uh, are we really prepared to fight something like that so soon?" It was only my second day here, and I just got back from what amounted to a boss battle, one we barely survived. How was I supposed to manage against the spirits of ancient blades?
"We're not in a position to wait. If we wait too long, then Sherman will come and get us. Whatever is going on, we need the Goddess to fix the problem," Eryn said.
"Lovely. The fate of the world hinges on us and we're still recovering," Amethyst sighed, a sentiment I shared.
"If Nepgear needs another day, we can wait. We don't need to push that hard," Marissa looked to Fang imploringly.
"Take it easy. We're going to release a couple C-Ranks. They're pretty much trash fights. You can sit out if you need to," Fang offered me a way out.
They still wanted to go through with it. As much as I felt I needed more time to rest, I also felt that if they got badly injured or anything because of my refusal… "I'll support you. If anyone got hurt because I wasn't there…"
Fang nodded before drawing a new Fury, which looked like Amethyst did before she bonded to me. He held the blade up to the Goddess and focused on one of the swords in her hip. The resonance increased in intensity, drawing us into another realm. 'So many places in succession…' It looked just like the cave, but it was changed. Various monsters leered at us from across the chamber.
{These...are complete trash. Fang was right.} Amethyst sounded offended.
I could sense their power, too. As it turned out, the ones in the Zazawa Plains last night were much stronger. These ones, I felt even I could manage, with my Fairy by my side. "Yeah. Are you ready?"
{Let's go!} Amethyst agreed readily.
It would never go down in history as one of the great battles of the century. In fact, I didn't even need to use a special attack, as I simply moved about and shot down all within range. I did, however, feel the pool of energy within me grow. It was somehow connected to Amethyst, but I didn't know what it was for. She must have forgotten to mention it, or was planning on doing so. Something to ask her later.
"And… we got the Fury!" Eryn cheered as the sword pulled loose from the Goddess' leg. The armor/stone on her leg shattered, revealing unblemished skin.
{Is there some stripping mechanic no one told me about?} Amethyst sounded aggrieved.
My cheeks became slightly warm at that. "Don't tell me it's like that game…" I softly said to my Fairy, remembering that particular part of Neptunia U. That would be so embarrassing… heh, what a switch of priorities I had.
"Okay. Don't forget to divide up your Weapon Points. Do you know what those are?" Galdo asked.
{I was waiting for these yahoos to explain!} Amethyst complained. Judging by her tone, she didn't know any more than I did. Was it just me, or was her demeanor different now? She seemed to be kinda irritable compared to when I woke up a while ago.
I shook my head. "No, I don't." Whatever it was, it sounded like game mechanics.
"Weapon Points are a pool of energy you use to increase the bond with your Fury. You can choose to increase your strength, magic power, defenses, and strength of Fairize. You can also unlock new spells and abilities. Might want to pick up Goddess' Blessing as it increases the amount of WP you get," Galdo explained.
I nodded in understanding. So they were basically stat and skill points like in MMOs, truly a manifestation of RPG logic. "So, any ideas, Amethyst?" I asked her. I tried to feel for that formerly mysterious pool of energy, to gain a better understanding of it.
{Hmmm...I'm a Light attribute like Sherman's Fury. Light types share the same spells. You already have abilities though, without my help. So, maybe increase your defenses.} She suggested.
"How about a balanced setup for my stats...?" I wondered aloud. I wasn't sure which aspect to specialize in yet. As such, I tried to look deeper into my well of power, full of potential, yet amorphous in form. What stats did I have right now? What options were available to me? What spells and abilities could I get?
The answers came to my mind, a menu detailing several possible choices, much like in a game, and I had 1500 points to spend. This was surreal, like I was a video game character myself… I also noticed that Prismatic Burst was available, that same spell as Sherman's. Amethyst was right. First, I used 1000 of my points on Goddess's Blessing, as was recommended by Galdo. Increased experience, gold, and item drops? That would reap plenty in the long run! Next, I spent 50 on Learning, which, like the passive ability of Uzume and S-Sha, allowed for gaining experience outside of combat. That was definitely a must, lest I get left behind. After that was Ur-Heal, for 50 points, which cures status ailments akin to Final Fantasy's Esuna. That was invaluable in case of enemies who specialized in disabling skills, like poison, or paralysis, or petrification. My next purchase was three ranks of each of my six stats: Physical Attack (P-Atk), Magic Attack (M-Atk), Physical Defense (P-Def), Magic Defense (M-Def), Range, and Fury Form (that is, my Fairized state), for a total of 270 points. Since the stat costs increased with rank, I figured that a balanced spread would do me the most good. Then, I got the fourth rank of M-Atk for 50, after which I obtained Backtrack, the priceless ability to escape dungeons, for 10, which required four ranks in M-Atk. Finally, I bought the fourth rank of M-Def, for 50, leaving me with 20 at the end of it all. I chose to save that for next time.
As it turned out, being Amethyst's Fencer granted me a few skills to start with, which were Magic Convergence, the ability to fire streams of light at an enemy, and Cure, a basic healing spell much like what I already had as Nepgear. Interesting…
"Is there a reason we're doing all of our planning in here?" Galdo asked.
"Eh...too much hassle to go back to the Inn first," Fang shrugged.
"I thought it was a brilliant method for avoiding spies," Amethyst appeared to add her two cents.
"Certainly looks spyproof," I concurred. Hidden place, accessible only by a time portal? That appeared hard to infiltrate. In the meantime, I took a look to see what was in my inventory. Never had a chance to do so yesterday.
The inventory had a surprising amount of things; mostly cosmetic ones as I saw the Lastation, Leanbox, and Lowee versions of my outfit. There was also, oddly enough, a bikini and a tropical flower. I found a macaroni ring, too. However there was one thing there that I was afraid of seeing…
Gehaburn. That dark purple sword itself. It was 'grayed out', but it was somehow in my inventory. No way! Why is it there?! I would never…! Oh god why! Whyyyyy?!
"What's wrong, Nepgear?" Amethyst rubbed my shoulder comfortingly.
"M-My inventory… There's a c-cursed sword… we need to d-destroy it…" I stutter out. I could not bring myself to watch the cutscenes on Youtube, let alone play through it in the game. I made sure to get the True and Holy Sword Endings. I couldn't… I couldn't… And the fanfics… I read one where Nepgear had a nightmare about it, and I read some post-Conquest ones, and the picture they painted… I didn't want to end up like that! I trembled, my expression that of pure fear. 'I don't want it… I don't want it…'
"How cursed…?" Eryn asked worriedly. Amethyst drew me closer for a hug. Even Marissa stood closer to me in support.
Its properties were all too familiar to me. "I-It can kill divine beings, and take their souls to strengthen it. It can i-influence the wielder, maybe even those around her…!" It was what encouraged the CPUs to use it…
"This is the best place for it… We can handle it here. Draw the sword," Fang said. The rest of the party took up battle positions as if expecting a difficult fight.
{For all we know, Gehaburn might actually fight back to avoid destruction.} Amethyst remarked as she appeared in Fury form in my hand.
I nodded and took deep breaths. Then, I mentally readied myself as I brought it out of my inventory. Already, I could sense just how dark and evil it was.
The glowing sword responded to its location with intrigue, but also some concern. Strange that I could feel what it was thinking. Gehaburn glimmered, causing the Furies to react. The sword's concern only increased as dozens of Furies appeared, manifesting from around Fang, and fencing in the wicked blade.
{The Furies are resonating!} Amethyst exclaimed in awe.
{...No...I will not...lose here...Not like...this...I fight...and live...I hunger…} The voice of Gehaburn forced its way into my mind. Fang and Galdo winced as the insidious voice spoke to them as well.
I narrowed my eyes into a glare. I knew it would try to get at us, so I prepared to defy it with all I have. "Begone, foul blade!" I declared, aiming Amethyst's Fury towards it.
{In this place… Heh heh heh…} Gehaburn floated into the air. It twirled twice before flying straight through the ring of Furies and burying itself in the chest of the frozen Vile God.
"Oh shit…!" The sentiment was shared by everyone as a terrible black glow exploded outward from the Vile God's form.
"Now THIS is more like it!" Gehaburn cried out in ecstasy. The voice had changed… I hoped it wasn't what I was thinking… The voice sounded familiar…
As the light washed away, the transformed Vile God was revealed. Gehaburn had chosen a form I was familiar with. It looked just like me, but in the Deity of Sin's Processor Unit, bearing the tainted sword.
"I sense the power of Divinity…" Gehaburn grinned unsettlingly.
"Time to feast."
The hardest battle we ever faced was upon us…
Awakenings
I awakened with a start to a darkened room, my only source of light being the sun shining through a crack in the curtains. My body still felt… unfamiliar, yet not, a reminder that I was still in the form of Nepgear. Feeling my long hair about me didn't help, either. Idle curiosity was one thing, but really, actually being a girl was different altogether… On another note, I should have been like one big bruise after the battle, but instead, I felt fine, not pained at all. In fact, I felt stronger than before. There was a pool of energy inside me, resting alongside my Shares. Did I level up? The idea was ludicrous, but for all I knew, this world could operate on RPG logic.
"Oh, good… you're awake," Amethyst whispered. She sat at my bedside with my hand in hers, and it felt warm and comfy. The elegantly dressed Fairy smiled with relief.
"Good morning. Are you okay...?" I asked her, my eyelids still a bit droopy as I shook off my sleep. I had to rely on her support as we fled, so I had to know if she was fine...
"Am I okay? Oh, my darling sister… You were the one who bore the brunt of the punishment. If not for your resolve, I would have been harmed, but you shielded me," Amethyst stroked my cheek fondly.
I tensed for a moment, unused to something like that from someone who wasn't my mom nor my dad, but then, I tried to relax, remembering that she was my partner in this place. "I did?" I asked. "It was so scary. I've never been in battle before…" I was running off newfound skills, and I felt Amethyst aiding me during my Fairize. We could have all died there, from the monsters, from Sherman...
"Courage comes in many forms. You fought even with the odds stacked against you. That is a kind of bravery uncommon. Anyone who claims to know no fear on the battlefield is a fool," Amethyst smiled approvingly.
"Yeah," I nodded. "It's not the absence of fear…" But, rather being able to act in spite of it. It was a saying that I wholeheartedly agreed with, and I didn't know I had that in me... I couldn't give up; we couldn't give up.
"There were questions I promised answers to, and this is the best time. I convinced them you needed a separate room. I used a version of the truth. You really aren't used to sleeping in the same room with women, right?" Amethyst's smile turned into a smirk so like Neptune after a prank.
I found myself blushing in embarrassment. "How did you know?" I sputtered out. I really wasn't used to that, the only exception that of being with my mom.
"When we merged for Fairize, I could feel the difference in your spirit. I had a suspicion from our initial joining, but then it was proven. You have a man's essence. Luckily for you, I can keep your essence intact. If we weren't so compatible, I couldn't shield you. It's up to you just how much of a change you allow. Some of your powers are unusable as long as you are fully male in spirit. Our bond is strong so you have nothing to worry about there. We can Fairize," Amethyst hastened to assure me.
My eyes widened. Goodness, she even knew that part of my situation! It wasn't something I would say out loud. "You're… okay with that?" I nervously asked. Hopefully, she would be accepting of me...
"My life is yours as your life is mine. We are one until death, and even then, we will not part. I will never forsake you. Under no circumstance will I abandon you," Amethyst spoke firmly as a fierce light shone from her eyes, like Purple Heart's symbol. I could really feel the sincerity of her words.
I smiled, relieved at that, yet at the same time, amused by her wording. "That sounds as if we're married." Such a bond and commitment to one another… I never thought I'd find myself in one. 'Since she intends to stand by me, then it's only right that I do the same for her.'
"Nepgear… In a very real sense, we are. Not in a romantic sense, but on a level most couples never reach. I feel blessed to be able to see into you so deeply. Strange… This was never one of my powers… but I felt it come to me when we connected. Like a gentle voice whispered that you needed someone to confide in…" Amethyst cupped a hand to her chin in thought.
Truly, it was fortunate that we found her Fury yesterday. "Interesting… so that's how you knew my situation so quickly?" I asked.
"That's right. I want to know who spoke to me, but she was quiet afterward. Strange, but I feel like her strength was fading… I hope she's okay," the Fairy's wings drooped in concern.
"She?" I was confused as to who she was referring to.
"Yes, she. A voice I never heard before, but somehow my heart knew. I can't recall her name or face, but she was as important to me as you. How could I forget her already?" Amethyst's wings twitched in agitation.
I couldn't help but hug her for a while, for I could only imagine how aggravating that must be. "At least she's in your heart, right? Maybe we could find her someday?"
"I hope so… I have a suspicion of who spoke to me actually… If you will listen to a story, perhaps you will understand," Amethyst said.
"I'm all ears," I replied. 'It'd be nice to know more about my Fairy.'
Amethyst sat straighter as she prepared to speak. Her voice was hushed in the fashion of a storyteller.
"Long ago, a dreadful war was fought between the Goddess and the Vile God. Because they were equally matched, they both created a vast number of special weapons imbued with their godly energy, each containing the life force of a fairy. Armed with these weapons, the deities continued their conflict until they finally sealed each other away into the great unknown. A long time has passed since this ancient conflict, and the weapons created by the Goddess and the Vile God have since been scattered across the world. These weapons—now known as 'Furies'—are highly sought after by warriors who call themselves 'Fencers'. It is said that whoever collects a Fury will be granted one wish." The Fairy's tale concluded.
So that was where the Fairies and Furies came from. Interesting… was it the cosmology of this world? "Maybe the voice was the Goddess?" I guessed. It would make sense if she could talk in spirit, much like the imprisoned Histoire in Re;Birth1.
Amethyst nodded in agreement. "That's what I think. Trying to explain this to anyone would make me sound like a loon, though. We have enough loonies to deal with."
"Agreed," I said, remembering a certain knight templar, though I was also curious about something. "Was the wish thing real, or just hearsay?" I wasn't sure what I would wish for if that was actually possible. Maybe to go home, and/or to ensure my loved ones are all right? It wasn't something to use lightly, after all. But while I was indeed far away from home, and would like to return, I wouldn't want to leave Amethyst behind either, and I wouldn't be recognizable like this...
"Honestly? I don't know. Perhaps it grants the wish to never be alone. Maybe it means that with two people your wishes can be realized. My wish would be to have a more definite answer to give you," she concluded wryly.
Hehe-
"Hey! Is Nepgear awake yet!?" A boisterous voice called through the door.
"Galdy-kins, try not to be so loud…" Marissa's voice filtered through. Amethyst looked irked to have our private time interrupted.
In my case, I blinked at the sudden voices, not pleased either by the interruption. I'd like more time with Amethyst, too... "Yeah, I'm awake," I called out to them. Up to now, my feminine voice remained something to be used to, though I would admit that it sounded pleasant to my ears.
"Come on! Fang has something to show us!" Galdo called.
"This better not be another ad for half off beef bowl…" Amethyst grumbled mutinously. 'Gyūdon would be nice to eat, though…' She stood up gracefully and went to the door. "What does he want to show us?" The irritated fairy asked.
"This really has to be seen to be believed," Marissa said apologetically. Her irritation evaporated as the motherly Fairy was hard to be mad at.
Fang was pacing in front of the door to another room when we arrived.
"About time you got here. This is a big deal!" He seemed equal parts excited and aggravated, like it was our fault I just woke up after extreme exhaustion. Ugh...
"Dial it back, buddy. Nepgear is new to this," Galdo patted him on the shoulder. He grimaced at the reminder.
"Sorry, Nepgear. This is really important," he apologized. The door opened to a strange, glowing portal.
Amethyst eyed it in astonishment. "What is this?" She asked.
"Just hurry through. The fewer people who know about this, the better," Fang leaped in first, while Galdo and Marissa followed after without hesitation. I couldn't help but hesitate… yet Amethyst took my hand comfortingly.
"If it was dangerous, I doubt they would drag us along," she smiled faintly, before leading me through the portal, The transition was surprisingly fast, for barely a second had passed and we had already arrived. The other side was what looked like a cavern made of silvery white and blue rocks. There didn't seem to be anything here except for one important thing.
In the center of the cavern, impaled with blades, was a woman the size of a giant. Her hair was long and curled. Stone covered her body strategically, but what I could see showed bare flesh beneath. Next to her was a demonic figure with outstretched wings and upraised arm. Unlike the woman, there were no blades piercing him. Amethyst stared at the towering figures in astonishment.
"This is the Godly Revival. We bring Furies here to release the Goddess," Fang gestured to the figures of legend. Wait, those are the Goddess and Vile God that was mentioned by Amethyst a while ago? How did he find a way in here so quickly? I thought they were far away, like a place to visit after a long quest or something.
Amethyst's voice rose to a shriek. "Why did you remove the Vile God's Furies and not all of the Goddess's!?" Her demand echoed in the still chamber. Fang cleared his throat nervously while Eryn fidgeted.
"W-well… The Vile God's Furies had more useful effects…" Fang coughed sheepishly. Amethyst buried her face in her hands with a moan of utter despair.
I could only facepalm at that. How shortsighted of him! He was a player choosing something only for its immediate, mechanical benefits, neglecting the consequences. "What the goodness?!" I exclaimed, the turn of phrase feeling natural to me. "But he's called a 'Vile' God! It's not worth it!" It wasn't much different from using Gehaburn. If anything bad happened because of that...
"I'm not proud of it, okay? I messed up massively! We ended up having to fight him at the point we were supposed to revive the Goddess. Because of that, Tiara… Tiara she…" Fang's throat visibly constricted, as if what he was about to say was too terrible. He made a sound of distress.
"Tiara died before we came back," Galdo said quietly.
"Oh." Oh dear… but didn't I see Tiara yesterday? Was this the future, then, since they traveled to the past? "So, what do we do?"
"It was the future… but nothing is the same… I don't remember any of this!" Eryn threw her hands up.
"The divergence point seems to be Sherman came back before the rest of us," Fang said. Troublesome timey-wimey balls...
"We have to release the Goddess's blades completely. No halfway measures. Then find the Faith Drop and call to her at the Altar," Eryn explained.
"To release the Goddess requires us to use Furies to synchronize with the ancient blades. Then, we fight the manifestations released," Marissa added.
"Did we end up in an endgame dungeon or something? I feel like we came in halfway through the story," Amethyst complained.
That comment made me chuckle, for it was just like something Neptune would say. Still, the situation was serious, so I responded accordingly. "I know, right? Uh, are we really prepared to fight something like that so soon?" It was only my second day here, and I just got back from what amounted to a boss battle, one we barely survived. How was I supposed to manage against the spirits of ancient blades?
"We're not in a position to wait. If we wait too long, then Sherman will come and get us. Whatever is going on, we need the Goddess to fix the problem," Eryn said.
"Lovely. The fate of the world hinges on us and we're still recovering," Amethyst sighed, a sentiment I shared.
"If Nepgear needs another day, we can wait. We don't need to push that hard," Marissa looked to Fang imploringly.
"Take it easy. We're going to release a couple C-Ranks. They're pretty much trash fights. You can sit out if you need to," Fang offered me a way out.
They still wanted to go through with it. As much as I felt I needed more time to rest, I also felt that if they got badly injured or anything because of my refusal… "I'll support you. If anyone got hurt because I wasn't there…"
Fang nodded before drawing a new Fury, which looked like Amethyst did before she bonded to me. He held the blade up to the Goddess and focused on one of the swords in her hip. The resonance increased in intensity, drawing us into another realm. 'So many places in succession…' It looked just like the cave, but it was changed. Various monsters leered at us from across the chamber.
{These...are complete trash. Fang was right.} Amethyst sounded offended.
I could sense their power, too. As it turned out, the ones in the Zazawa Plains last night were much stronger. These ones, I felt even I could manage, with my Fairy by my side. "Yeah. Are you ready?"
{Let's go!} Amethyst agreed readily.
It would never go down in history as one of the great battles of the century. In fact, I didn't even need to use a special attack, as I simply moved about and shot down all within range. I did, however, feel the pool of energy within me grow. It was somehow connected to Amethyst, but I didn't know what it was for. She must have forgotten to mention it, or was planning on doing so. Something to ask her later.
"And… we got the Fury!" Eryn cheered as the sword pulled loose from the Goddess' leg. The armor/stone on her leg shattered, revealing unblemished skin.
{Is there some stripping mechanic no one told me about?} Amethyst sounded aggrieved.
My cheeks became slightly warm at that. "Don't tell me it's like that game…" I softly said to my Fairy, remembering that particular part of Neptunia U. That would be so embarrassing… heh, what a switch of priorities I had.
"Okay. Don't forget to divide up your Weapon Points. Do you know what those are?" Galdo asked.
{I was waiting for these yahoos to explain!} Amethyst complained. Judging by her tone, she didn't know any more than I did. Was it just me, or was her demeanor different now? She seemed to be kinda irritable compared to when I woke up a while ago.
I shook my head. "No, I don't." Whatever it was, it sounded like game mechanics.
"Weapon Points are a pool of energy you use to increase the bond with your Fury. You can choose to increase your strength, magic power, defenses, and strength of Fairize. You can also unlock new spells and abilities. Might want to pick up Goddess' Blessing as it increases the amount of WP you get," Galdo explained.
I nodded in understanding. So they were basically stat and skill points like in MMOs, truly a manifestation of RPG logic. "So, any ideas, Amethyst?" I asked her. I tried to feel for that formerly mysterious pool of energy, to gain a better understanding of it.
{Hmmm...I'm a Light attribute like Sherman's Fury. Light types share the same spells. You already have abilities though, without my help. So, maybe increase your defenses.} She suggested.
"How about a balanced setup for my stats...?" I wondered aloud. I wasn't sure which aspect to specialize in yet. As such, I tried to look deeper into my well of power, full of potential, yet amorphous in form. What stats did I have right now? What options were available to me? What spells and abilities could I get?
The answers came to my mind, a menu detailing several possible choices, much like in a game, and I had 1500 points to spend. This was surreal, like I was a video game character myself… I also noticed that Prismatic Burst was available, that same spell as Sherman's. Amethyst was right. First, I used 1000 of my points on Goddess's Blessing, as was recommended by Galdo. Increased experience, gold, and item drops? That would reap plenty in the long run! Next, I spent 50 on Learning, which, like the passive ability of Uzume and S-Sha, allowed for gaining experience outside of combat. That was definitely a must, lest I get left behind. After that was Ur-Heal, for 50 points, which cures status ailments akin to Final Fantasy's Esuna. That was invaluable in case of enemies who specialized in disabling skills, like poison, or paralysis, or petrification. My next purchase was three ranks of each of my six stats: Physical Attack (P-Atk), Magic Attack (M-Atk), Physical Defense (P-Def), Magic Defense (M-Def), Range, and Fury Form (that is, my Fairized state), for a total of 270 points. Since the stat costs increased with rank, I figured that a balanced spread would do me the most good. Then, I got the fourth rank of M-Atk for 50, after which I obtained Backtrack, the priceless ability to escape dungeons, for 10, which required four ranks in M-Atk. Finally, I bought the fourth rank of M-Def, for 50, leaving me with 20 at the end of it all. I chose to save that for next time.
As it turned out, being Amethyst's Fencer granted me a few skills to start with, which were Magic Convergence, the ability to fire streams of light at an enemy, and Cure, a basic healing spell much like what I already had as Nepgear. Interesting…
"Is there a reason we're doing all of our planning in here?" Galdo asked.
"Eh...too much hassle to go back to the Inn first," Fang shrugged.
"I thought it was a brilliant method for avoiding spies," Amethyst appeared to add her two cents.
"Certainly looks spyproof," I concurred. Hidden place, accessible only by a time portal? That appeared hard to infiltrate. In the meantime, I took a look to see what was in my inventory. Never had a chance to do so yesterday.
The inventory had a surprising amount of things; mostly cosmetic ones as I saw the Lastation, Leanbox, and Lowee versions of my outfit. There was also, oddly enough, a bikini and a tropical flower. I found a macaroni ring, too. However there was one thing there that I was afraid of seeing…
Gehaburn. That dark purple sword itself. It was 'grayed out', but it was somehow in my inventory. No way! Why is it there?! I would never…! Oh god why! Whyyyyy?!
"What's wrong, Nepgear?" Amethyst rubbed my shoulder comfortingly.
"M-My inventory… There's a c-cursed sword… we need to d-destroy it…" I stutter out. I could not bring myself to watch the cutscenes on Youtube, let alone play through it in the game. I made sure to get the True and Holy Sword Endings. I couldn't… I couldn't… And the fanfics… I read one where Nepgear had a nightmare about it, and I read some post-Conquest ones, and the picture they painted… I didn't want to end up like that! I trembled, my expression that of pure fear. 'I don't want it… I don't want it…'
"How cursed…?" Eryn asked worriedly. Amethyst drew me closer for a hug. Even Marissa stood closer to me in support.
Its properties were all too familiar to me. "I-It can kill divine beings, and take their souls to strengthen it. It can i-influence the wielder, maybe even those around her…!" It was what encouraged the CPUs to use it…
"This is the best place for it… We can handle it here. Draw the sword," Fang said. The rest of the party took up battle positions as if expecting a difficult fight.
{For all we know, Gehaburn might actually fight back to avoid destruction.} Amethyst remarked as she appeared in Fury form in my hand.
I nodded and took deep breaths. Then, I mentally readied myself as I brought it out of my inventory. Already, I could sense just how dark and evil it was.
The glowing sword responded to its location with intrigue, but also some concern. Strange that I could feel what it was thinking. Gehaburn glimmered, causing the Furies to react. The sword's concern only increased as dozens of Furies appeared, manifesting from around Fang, and fencing in the wicked blade.
{The Furies are resonating!} Amethyst exclaimed in awe.
{...No...I will not...lose here...Not like...this...I fight...and live...I hunger…} The voice of Gehaburn forced its way into my mind. Fang and Galdo winced as the insidious voice spoke to them as well.
I narrowed my eyes into a glare. I knew it would try to get at us, so I prepared to defy it with all I have. "Begone, foul blade!" I declared, aiming Amethyst's Fury towards it.
{In this place… Heh heh heh…} Gehaburn floated into the air. It twirled twice before flying straight through the ring of Furies and burying itself in the chest of the frozen Vile God.
"Oh shit…!" The sentiment was shared by everyone as a terrible black glow exploded outward from the Vile God's form.
"Now THIS is more like it!" Gehaburn cried out in ecstasy. The voice had changed… I hoped it wasn't what I was thinking… The voice sounded familiar…
As the light washed away, the transformed Vile God was revealed. Gehaburn had chosen a form I was familiar with. It looked just like me, but in the Deity of Sin's Processor Unit, bearing the tainted sword.
"I sense the power of Divinity…" Gehaburn grinned unsettlingly.
"Time to feast."
The hardest battle we ever faced was upon us…
ForgottonFuture
Sleepy Queen of Destruction
- Location
- The Future.
- Pronouns
- She/her
KILL IT! KILL IT BEFORE IT DEVOURS EVERYTHING!
- Location
- Ekaterinburg, Russia
Gamer in a game-like Isekai situation. NOT Checking the Inventory (and logs, don't forget the logs!) is an utter implausibility.
The Destroyer and a Once Conqueror
- Location
- PA
AN: Come forth @UbeOne and do battle!
The Destroyer and a Once Conqueror
For a moment, I wondered if drawing the cursed sword here was a good idea. There were divinities present, after all. But then, the Furies came to help, so it probably evened out. Still, I couldn't let my guard down.
{Let's go, boys, girls, and whatevers! This invader isn't gonna beat all of us!} One of the Furies declared.
{Right!} The Furies roared as one, their awesome power exploding outward and covering the battlefield. Vile Gehaburn briefly looked stunned at the lack of fear, the courage the group displayed overwhelming its supreme confidence.
"You are all fragments of Divinity! I devour your kind!" It called back defiantly.
"Oh yeah? Then try to eat this!" Fang held his sword up bravely.
"We won't let you win!" Galdo twirled his scythe around and over his shoulder.
"You bit off more than you can chew!" While I was saying that, I aimed directly at Gehaburn, and fired at it, for the blade, not its puppeted wielder, was its true body, like a Soul Gem.
The sword moved with startling swiftness and deflected the shot. Vile Gehaburn made to speak only for arrows and bullets to start flying from Galdo and Fang. The Deity Slayer darted away to avoid being hemmed in by suppression fire. However, when she tried to break through the barrier of Furies a second time, the field held.
{You won't get away!} The first Fury who spoke up shouted.
"Damn it… I guess I have to deal with these morsels first…" Vile Gehaburn growled low in her throat, an inhuman sound that made the hairs on the back of our necks stand on end. It was unsettling, hearing that from someone who looked like a corrupted version of me.
{We will lend you our power! Time to Fairize!} A different Fury called.
No one needed to be told twice.
I could feel their power flowing into me. Like Fang and Galdo, I moved to Fairize, flipping that switch at the back of my mind. This time, I opened my arms, embracing Amethyst's Fury as she descended into my heart. I could very much sense her warm presence engulfing me, combining our strength together.
Now equipped with my Processor Unit, I readied myself. I would give no quarter.
"Are you finished? Good. It will make it easier to drain your energy like this," Vile Gehaburn licked her lips, as if savoring the thought of a future meal. She pointed her sword like a gun at our group. In a flash, it turned into an automatic weapon, spraying bullets like a minigun.
In response, I dashed to the side, my instincts and Amethyst's guiding me as I somehow deflected what bullets I couldn't dodge, clanking sounds accompanying them. While such a thing shouldn't be possible in real life, I was fortunate that it was a thing here. Those that got through still hurt, though. There were that many of them.
"She's fast… Eryn! Time to lay down some fire!" Fang spun his sword. The blade transformed in a flash of light into a rocket launcher that he held like a minigun. Missiles whistled as they flew in arcs at Vile Gehaburn. The Deity Eater darted to the side to avoid the high yield explosives, and she seemed to almost enjoy how close each shot was. The booming of explosions could be heard around her, rattling my ears with their loudness.
"Hoowah!" Galdo yelled, as he appeared in her flight path and delivered a punishing haymaker. Vile Gehaburn let out a mingled cry of pain and fury as she was knocked back into the missiles. Her screams grew in intensity from being struck repeatedly with explosions. Good...
In my case, I hung back, casting Offensive and Defensive Cheers on everyone, from myself, to my teammates, to the Furies. We had to be at our best if we were to cut down that sword.
"Graviton Laser!" Vile Gehaburn pointed directly at me as she invoked her spell. It was ravenous and black as the jet of energy sped towards me without slowing down. Amethyst flared her aura to maximum to try and blunt the dark magic, which felt like one of Sherman's strongest Light attacks, except of the element opposed to mine.
My eyes widened, I once more dashed to the side as I tried to dodge the magical projectile, firing back at the sword. Vile Gehaburn was forced to prioritize dodging or blocking as my allies came in on either side, Fang descending from above with his sword as Galdo came in from below. She blocked their strokes with the sword, only to take a direct hit to the hilt from my MPBL.
"Ah!" She cried in pained alarm.
Hearing that was encouraging, for it meant we were making progress. "Break that sword!" I called out to the others as I continued my barrage. Since my other two allies were already handling the melee portion of things, I supported them by covering them from afar. Flynning, or aiming for the weapon, normally wasn't the correct procedure during a fight, but when the enemy was a sentient sword...
{Breaking a Fury… even an evil one like this… still doesn't sit well… But we have to! For our sake and the sake of those who cannot protect themselves!} Amethyst declared.
"Yeah!" I concurred.
The vile being realized immediately how much danger she was in as we now had a weak point. She tried to blur away, but Fang and Galdo stayed on her relentlessly. The evil sword grit her teeth with helpless anger. Each time she would pull away a little further as her pursuers refused to give up. I'm
I attempted to corral her with bursts of fire, to limit her movements and pin her down for the other two to get at her. She dodged my bullets even as her sword deflected the attacks of her pursuers. Vile Gehaburn twisted and turned to stay out of my line of fire.
I moved to regain my line of fire, and swept my shots, this time augmenting it with my newfound skill. Needles of light from my Magic Convergence curved towards the sword, not exactly trying to hit it, but to force it to take blows from Fang and Galdo. Controlling the field was as important as dealing damage.
Again, Vile Gehaburn swept her blade out of my line of fire, but didn't hesitate to strike at Galdo's scythe or sweep Fang's sword to the side. That was odd. Why was she avoiding me, yet actively attacking the others?
"What the heck!? Is she running from us or leading us in circles?" Fang demanded in frustration.
"She's trying to keep Nepgear from getting a clear shot!" Galdo realized. The evil blade stilled briefly as the two meatheats, who she discounted earlier, figured out her ruse.
"Oh!" I said, also in realization. It meant the blade was afraid of getting hit by me. It meant I could somehow deal more meaningful damage to it than the others. As such, I switched up my tactics. This time, I moved to shoot it directly, sending bullets and spears of light at it. "Please pin it down for me!" I said to the others. It wasn't me who had to control the field; It was them. I had to be the one on the attack, as scary as that was.
"Oh shit!" Vile Gehaburn let out a heartfelt curse as I closed in on her. She tried to evade again, but the Furies responded this time.
{Lock Down!} The Furies combined their power to slow down the terrible sword.
"Ugh… Damn fairies!" Vile Gehaburn was now forced to prioritize. Which did she prefer? Getting sliced up by Galdo's wind, burned by Fang's fire, or hit with my weapon? Even if I was the one dealing the most damage, her puppeted form was still vulnerable.
I did not cease my assault. This time, I shot at the blade as I dashed towards it. "Mirage Dance!" I called out, as I went for a series of five quick yet powerful slashes, the way they flowed into each other resembling that of a dance. It was one of Nepgear's skills, the steps of which I inherited from her. Gehaburn cried out as each strike hit the sword with a resounding clang. It left her paralyzed long enough for the guys to come in with their strongest attacks. Fire and Wind met in a clash even more powerful than the one used on Sherman. I leaped back to avoid getting swept into the firestorm.
"Retribution!" Vile Gehaburn cried from within. Galdo and Fang yelled in pain as Earth and Water collided with them. A powerful burst of Darkness rushed towards me as well.
"Amethyst!" I called to her, hoping that she could help me weather the incoming attack like last time. I once more tried to sidestep it, but even a partial blow from it proved to hurt, knocking me back. I heard myself cry out in pain, as I moved to heal Galdo, Fang and myself. Amethyst panted as she blunted the attack again, the MPBL pulsing faintly as if weakened. Both Eryn and Marissa were pulsing as well.
"Mmm… I managed to eat well…" Vile Gehaburn smiled faintly.
"How…?" Fang asked tiredly. The battle was proving to be exhausting for me, too. The sword was just as resistant as in the fanfics.
"I was taking little bits with each clash. Unfortunately, I couldn't get much from that Faker. Too much masculine spirit," Vile Gehaburn waved in my general direction. Wait, what? It noticed my situation, too? I really didn't see that coming.
"What would that matter…? Wait… masculine spirit…?" Galdo looked confused.
How nice of the sword to explain itself. "Not enough actual Divinity to really hurt me, but just enough to be painful. The closer to Divinity you dance, the more harm we can cause to one another. As it stands, the only one that can truly hurt me is sweet Eryn. However, that Fury is keeping me from reaching her. That really needs to go!" The vile manifestation appeared inside of Fang's guard with her sword already moving. He brought his sword up to block on reflex, only for the weapons to clash. Cracks formed from the impact point.
"That's what she wants! Galdy-kins, stop her!" Marissa called aloud. The scythe, despite being weakened, proceeded to radiate with a fierce light. Her power soared as she was literally putting everything she had into the next attack.
"Heaven and Earth… No… Great Divide!" Galdo vanished and appeared right behind the tainted figure. His powerful swing descended so quickly there was only a flash of light. He disappeared back to his starting point and promptly fell on his backside. Marissa appeared at his side, unconscious. The attack had a definite effect, however. Vile Gehaburn looked on in confusion as her arm slid off completely and hit the ground.
"Well, this is awkward…" She mused. With her attention diverted, Fang took the opportunity to withdraw. Eryn was crying in pain as the cracks sparked ominously.
While I could have chosen to fire upon the vile Gehaburn, I had a higher priority, which was the welfare of my allies. "Heal!" I intoned, casting said spell at Eryn to try and restore the damage. I couldn't let her die! Fortunately, the spell actually worked as my desire made it so.
"Recover," our enemy shone briefly before the lost arm was replaced. She rotated her shoulder absently while surveying the battlefield. "Having fun yet, children?" She asked.
My response was not with words, but rather, with actions. Curving beams of light emerged from magical circles around me as they homed in towards the sword. I had to keep hitting it to wear it down, to make it break. It wasn't invincible by any means. There had to be a limit to it.
The Furies watched and waited. All they needed was an opening. As the Goddess-eating sword continued to pay more attention to us than to them, I wondered just what they were waiting for. Wasn't this the perfect opportunity to strike? Vile Gehaburn slowed to lay down suppressing fire, her shots straying close to where Galdo panted with exhaustion. He saw the muzzle swing in his direction.
"Gunlight!" Galdo held up a hand, and… there was another Fury on it! The high-tech gun, from Nepgear's knowledge, resembled a P-90. He gave the trigger a squeeze, letting loose a burst of plasma. Solid bolts of light struck the bullets in midair, much to the evil sword's shock.
"That's bullshit! You can't use two Furies at once!" Vile Gehaburn raged. Wait, one could only have one Fury at a time?
"He's my synchro partner!" Galdo corrected.
{That shouldn't be possible even with synchronization… Unless…} Amethyst trailed off. The floating Furies shed their light even more brilliantly, revealing their stratagem. Marissa started to glow as the divine blades restored her energy. They weren't attacking. They were supporting us!
"Can we do that too…?" Fang questioned softly. When a second blade appeared in his off-hand, he grinned wolfishly. Eryn let out a cry as the new Fairy synchronized more strongly. Resonance built as he charged in to keep the vile being from realizing Marissa was recovering.
"You're breaking the rules…!" Vile Gehaburn almost whined as she was forced to dodge not one, but two swords, and a plasma gun. Its misery was my pleasure.
The Furies shed their light on me, and I felt the second switch again, the one connected to my HDD. A choice needed to be made. They were offering to give me their full support, their belief, but I needed to choose. I was masculine in spirit, and only partial in Divinity, and that switch would not budge for me, except for that one time. I had a feeling that accepting their offer may come with side effects.
I looked again at the fight, my allies clashing blades with Gehaburn. I… I had to help them, with all I had. I couldn't let them die. I couldn't let myself nor Amethyst die. Part of my power was locked from me, and… I felt I needed everything I had to help vanquish the sword. We had to erase it from the world, to ensure that it never threatened anyone ever again. The Furies were willing to help, to lend me their faith. I could take it, or leave it, but… I felt that refusing would be selfish of me. There was a possibility of giving up my masculine self, but… would I value it above our lives, if that was the case?
I valued it highly, but from seeing the fight… I felt that it would be more right of me to accept the aid of the Furies, whatever may become of me. Whatever happened afterwards, I would still be me, at the end of it all, and would my pride matter if we ended up dead, the Gehaburn left free to rampage? It wouldn't. As such, I nodded, and let their Shares flow into me.
The switch slammed in the up position alongside the first, making a jolt of power shoot through me like a lightning bolt. I felt a deeper connection to Amethyst as her arms slid around me in a gentle embrace. My bodysuit and Processor Unit turned black with purple, patterned like Purple Heart's. My wings morphed into three sets of blade-like fairy wings, shimmering with blue light. My MPBL turned black and gained a more solid frame, the blade becoming pure purple energy. I could feel my hair lengthening, turning into a more pinkish shade, and being pulled back into a single, long braid, held in place by a pair of black clips. I blinked as my eyes shifted in color, turning blue with white-colored power symbols within them, the mark of a CPU. I could faintly see my reflection on the gunblade, and honestly, I looked good like this.
The greatest change, however, was the solid core of myself strengthening. {No one can force you to change. By remaining true to yourself, there is nothing you cannot accomplish.} A kind voice resonated in my heart. I wasn't a masculine nor feminine spirit. I was Me, and no one else.
I had a smile on my face, as my new power coursed through me. Even Fairizing for the first time didn't compare to this. By reaffirming my sense of self, I grew so much stronger. I felt full of energy, like I could do just about anything, with Amethyst and the Furies at my side. "Let's go!" I said, brandishing my new and improved Fury. This wasn't merely an improved Fairize, nor was it purely an HDD. It was both, hand in hand, and… only this place could contain what I was now capable of.
I took to the air, feeling freer now that I could actually fly. With a sweeping gesture from my left hand, countless streams of brilliant white all rained downward, converging directly upon the fel blade. "Burn in the light!"
"Ahhhhh…!" The scream this time was real as Vile Gehaburn was visibly scorched by the columns of light. She tried to flail around and keep them from hitting the sword, but it was struck regardless.
"Take this…!" Fang brought both swords down on her from behind, effortlessly shearing through the arms. Vile Gehaburn choked in pain as her vessel hit the ground.
"Here we go…!" Galdo backflipped in with Marissa once more in scythe form, trailing a hooked chain that wedged itself in the puppet's body. He twisted in midair, while bringing the blade through the neck of my corrupted doppelganger. The severed head hit the ground a moment before the body sagged to its knees, its Processor Unit falling to the ground.
"The sword is exposed!" Amethyst cried aloud. We had an opening!
"This is my special!" I took the opportunity to unleash my second EXE Drive, its steps embedded in my mind. This one, however, was amplified by both my Fairize and my HDD, making it more powerful than normal. "Bits Combination!" With a slashing gesture from my gunblade, two spherical drones appeared on either side of me, armed with laser cannons. They moved to both sides of the Gehaburn, and fired, their beams of purple energy meeting at the exact point where the sword was located. More drones formed, joined by magical circles, surrounding the blade from all directions. They fired as one, their beams aimed at the sword. While that was going on, I readied myself, my MPBL poised to strike, and with a surge of energy, I shot forward like a lightning bolt. The beams stopped just as I slashed upward, knocking the Deity Devourer into the air. A pillar of purple energy shot skyward, adding to what I had already inflicted. Then, I flew even higher than the Divinity Killer, and descended upon it with all my fury, blade-first. "DISAPPEAR!" I stabbed it right at the diamond-shaped gem on its guard, channeling a burst of white, explosive magic through my weapon, and onto my target. As it fell, I leapt back, and upon its impact with the ground, one more purple pillar shot upward, engulfing it in energy. Finally, my circles fired once more, their streams of light adding to the destruction.
{Oh come on….!} Gehaburn yelled from within the sword. {Recover! Recover! RECOVER…!}
A brilliant light engulfed the sword as it desperately tried to heal the puppet. It was, however, far too late as cracks formed along the length of the blade. Red light burst from the cracks as it vibrated wildly, the power it stole from the husk of the Vile God adding its own dark purple/black light. With a despairing cry, it exploded so brightly that all were forced to cover their eyes.
When the light finally cleared, a sword was left stabbed into the ground. It looked like Gehaburn, except the blade was a peaceful blue color. Of the puppet, there was no trace, except for her Processor part which formed the handguard. The Furies danced in victory as the fel sword was vanquished, but appeared confused at what remained.
In my case, I breathed a sigh of relief as I returned to my normal form. I felt lighter, knowing that the evil blade was no more, that it could no longer obtain a foothold on my mind. 'Who knows what could have happened if I didn't check my inventory?' Actually, how did it get in there? Were there logs or a journal that I could check?
On another note, I wasn't sure either what to make of that blue sword over there.
"What happened?" Fang asked after a while. Eryn appeared at his side as the second Fury disappeared.
"We beat the Fury… but what is this?" Galdo gestured.
"It seems to be a new Fury…" Marissa eyed the sword curiously.
"The other Fairies are confused too," Eryn noted.
"Can someone scan it or something, just to be sure? It might be dangerous," I requested out of caution. If any trace of Gehaburn remained in that blade…
"Let me… I am a piece of the Goddess after all," Eryn smiled impishly before laying a hand on the pommel. Her eyes closed as she extended her awareness throughout the formerly cursed sword. After a few minutes, a light giggling could be heard from the blade, something I wasn't expecting.
{H-hey! That tickles!} The voice sounded almost like my own, but younger. Her tone was different from Gehaburn's.
"Come on out and introduce yourself," Eryn invited the spirit. A hazy swirl of energy drifted from the blade and twirled in midair. The energy coalesced with some effort, as apparently this was new to the being, before it burst like a soap bubble.
"Heya! You can call me Konton. At least I wasn't born from your mouth here," Konton winked at me. She looked just like me, only much smaller, as in closer to Histoire's size. Her hair was streaked with red, and wilder than mine. She wore a silk red top that flared near the waist and very short shorts. Black boots with chunky heels adorned her feet.
"Born from her mouth?" The comment seemed to have thrown everyone for a loop, myself included. What did she mean by that? She waited for me to get what she meant, before sagging slightly.
"Right, right… Not mom. Technically, she is mom though… At least here…" The little Fairy tapped her chin thoughtfully.
My eyes widened at that. 'Mom? She thinks I'm her mom? Is she my Lucifel, then?' I never thought I'd find myself in that situation. One surprise after another...
"She's so tiny!" Marissa gasped in delight.
"What can a shrimp like her do?" Fang asked.
"Aside from bein' cute that is," Galdo chuckled indulgently. Eryn continued to read the little Fairy, and gaped in shock at what she found.
"Divinity Slayer!?" She yelped. That sounded just like what Gehaburn was capable of.
"Kinda my thing, yeah. Don't worry. I won't hurt my friends," Konton nodded firmly. If she was trying to look cool and serious, it failed, as she was too tiny and cute. I couldn't help but want to give her a headpat.
In fact, I went over and did just that, a tired smile on my face. "Clearly one shouldn't judge you by your looks."
"Pats~!" Konton chirped happily as she nuzzled my hand. Definitely an affectionate little thing. Amethyst emerged, now that the crisis was fully past.
"Goodness she's cute…" Amethyst giggled.
"Nepgear? You should perform Resonance with her. I think if anyone can handle her power, it would be you," Eryn said to me.
"Resonance is when a Fairy adds their power to another Fury," Amethyst explained.
I nodded in understanding. It would be fitting, but... "Are you okay with that, Amethyst, Konton?" I asked them. I would only do so upon their consent.
Both Fairies, however, looked back at me in confusion. "Fairies like to be closer to one another," Amethyst assured me.
"I wouldn't mind at all. I get to help and not 'halp,'" Konton beamed.
"All right." I said. "Uh, how do I perform a Resonance?"
Amethyst hugged Konton who returned the gesture. "Pretty much… This is it," my Fairy explained.
An imaginary question mark appeared above me for a moment. Was that it, just like that?
"I didn't know Resonance was just the two Fairies hugging," Fang scratched his head in bewilderment. Galdo spread his hands in a 'what can you do' gesture.
"Mhm," I remarked. Oh well, at least it wasn't some complicated ritual.
After a moment, something came to mind. "So, what do we do with that?" I pointed at the Deity of Sin-style handguard. It might be dangerous if neglected.
"Do about what? That's my Fury. My vessel," Konton tilted her head in confusion.
I looked again, and realized that the handguard was a part of her blue sword. I could only blush in embarrassment at that. "Oh, right…"
"We better return. Lola has some information for us on where we can find other Dorfa employees," Fang said. That felt like a sudden change of objective.
"Why would you be looking for those guys?" Konton asked.
"We need help, and I figure they're likely to help us with the Justice Society," Fang said. Amethyst sighed softly in response. Clearly Fang's "brilliant" plan wasn't universally accepted. Like her, I had my reservations. Weren't Dorfa the bad guys? He did vouch for Galdo's non-membership yesterday.
"Lola?" I asked, not knowing who that was. How did he meet them while we were here? "And I'm not so sure about Dorfa…"
"Lola is an information broker. We met up with her again while you were still sleeping. She's loyal to money, but her information is usually good," Galdo said.
"She even remembered us! I was so surprised!" Eryn exclaimed.
"Dorfa had some strong Fencers. They might have been the bad guys, but the Justice Society is a bigger headache than them. Dorfa wanted to rule the world. These guys are just punishing everyone and getting them hooked on addicting wine," Fang clenched his fist.
"Apparently, this Septerion Club wine is highly addictive and they charge exorbitant amounts, presumably to pay for Justice Society expenses," Amethyst said to me.
What a modus operandi they had. "Goodness," I said. "Talk about extortion. What about the Goddess's Furies, though?" I gestured towards the swords still piercing the sealed woman. Before I discovered Gehaburn, Eryn mentioned removing those.
"We'll finish drawing the Furies that we have enough Fairies for… But we really need to find more Furies…" Eryn slapped her forehead.
"The S-Rank Fury we had went to the Vile God. We haven't found another one," Galdo shot his friend a pointed glare. S Rank Furies were apparently exceedingly rare, befitting their high rank.
"It would be a wonderful coincidence if Konton was an S-Rank," Marissa smiled expectantly.
The little Fairy giggled with glee. "Maybe I am~!" She beamed, before squawking in surprise as everyone huddled around her.
"What a lucky break!"
"That's some coincidence!"
"We should do this immediately…!"
Their words blended together as they babbled with excitement. It was truly a convenience, but then...
"Ready for another round with monsters?" I asked. If we did go through with it, hopefully it wouldn't be as tiring as fighting Gehaburn. That one took a lot out of us, out of me.
Suddenly, their enthusiasm died off sharply. "Better sleep first… or at least a nap…" Fang hedged.
"The only S-Rank we did was like fighting Gehaburn," Galdo explained.
"Maybe come back when we have more allies?" Marissa giggled nervously.
"We can't rely on the Furies to dogpile the next one," Eryn nodded quickly in agreement.
"I am feeling worn out…" Amethyst apologized.
"Me too…" I concurred. "Maybe returning is a better idea."
Another ride through the portal later, and we were back at the Inn in Fang and Galdo's room. The guys didn't even wait for permission before crashing on the beds exhaustedly. Marissa and Eryn were left to their own devices. Apparently they decided that walking the steps to their own room was too long and curled up with their partners.
"Let's go. I'm not thrilled about trying to sleep on the floor…" Amethyst yawned.
"The chair looks comfy," Konton pointed at a big squashy armchair. Amethyst was apparently considering the chair seriously. She eyed me up before looking back at Konton. There was enough room to fit comfortably.
"Let's go back to our room. More privacy that way," I suggested to the two Fairies. I didn't recall bringing Konton's Fury with me, though, so how was she able to accompany us? Uh, did I leave her Fury behind? 'I should ask when I wake up.'
Amethyst needed my support to make it to our room, so just as she supported me last night, I did the same for her. She didn't even think anything of taking off her dress, and tossing it over the chair before crashing down on the bed. Konton tutted and picked up the elegant dress before hanging it up in the closet. The little Fairy was surprisingly strong for someone her size. She found a throw pillow and laid it on the nightstand to use for her own bed. Probably for the best as she was tiny and we weren't.
I averted my gaze with a slight blush, not expecting to see the older Fairy in just her undergarments… but with the two already going to sleep, I might as well do the same. As such, I took off my boots and stockings, and lay down on my bed, a separate one from Amethyst's. Unlike her, I preferred to keep my dress on, not willing to see… myself. Hugging a pillow close to me, I closed my eyes.
What a day I had, and what surprises it held for me. Who knew what awaited us tomorrow…?
The Destroyer and a Once Conqueror
For a moment, I wondered if drawing the cursed sword here was a good idea. There were divinities present, after all. But then, the Furies came to help, so it probably evened out. Still, I couldn't let my guard down.
{Let's go, boys, girls, and whatevers! This invader isn't gonna beat all of us!} One of the Furies declared.
{Right!} The Furies roared as one, their awesome power exploding outward and covering the battlefield. Vile Gehaburn briefly looked stunned at the lack of fear, the courage the group displayed overwhelming its supreme confidence.
"You are all fragments of Divinity! I devour your kind!" It called back defiantly.
"Oh yeah? Then try to eat this!" Fang held his sword up bravely.
"We won't let you win!" Galdo twirled his scythe around and over his shoulder.
"You bit off more than you can chew!" While I was saying that, I aimed directly at Gehaburn, and fired at it, for the blade, not its puppeted wielder, was its true body, like a Soul Gem.
The sword moved with startling swiftness and deflected the shot. Vile Gehaburn made to speak only for arrows and bullets to start flying from Galdo and Fang. The Deity Slayer darted away to avoid being hemmed in by suppression fire. However, when she tried to break through the barrier of Furies a second time, the field held.
{You won't get away!} The first Fury who spoke up shouted.
"Damn it… I guess I have to deal with these morsels first…" Vile Gehaburn growled low in her throat, an inhuman sound that made the hairs on the back of our necks stand on end. It was unsettling, hearing that from someone who looked like a corrupted version of me.
{We will lend you our power! Time to Fairize!} A different Fury called.
No one needed to be told twice.
I could feel their power flowing into me. Like Fang and Galdo, I moved to Fairize, flipping that switch at the back of my mind. This time, I opened my arms, embracing Amethyst's Fury as she descended into my heart. I could very much sense her warm presence engulfing me, combining our strength together.
Now equipped with my Processor Unit, I readied myself. I would give no quarter.
"Are you finished? Good. It will make it easier to drain your energy like this," Vile Gehaburn licked her lips, as if savoring the thought of a future meal. She pointed her sword like a gun at our group. In a flash, it turned into an automatic weapon, spraying bullets like a minigun.
In response, I dashed to the side, my instincts and Amethyst's guiding me as I somehow deflected what bullets I couldn't dodge, clanking sounds accompanying them. While such a thing shouldn't be possible in real life, I was fortunate that it was a thing here. Those that got through still hurt, though. There were that many of them.
"She's fast… Eryn! Time to lay down some fire!" Fang spun his sword. The blade transformed in a flash of light into a rocket launcher that he held like a minigun. Missiles whistled as they flew in arcs at Vile Gehaburn. The Deity Eater darted to the side to avoid the high yield explosives, and she seemed to almost enjoy how close each shot was. The booming of explosions could be heard around her, rattling my ears with their loudness.
"Hoowah!" Galdo yelled, as he appeared in her flight path and delivered a punishing haymaker. Vile Gehaburn let out a mingled cry of pain and fury as she was knocked back into the missiles. Her screams grew in intensity from being struck repeatedly with explosions. Good...
In my case, I hung back, casting Offensive and Defensive Cheers on everyone, from myself, to my teammates, to the Furies. We had to be at our best if we were to cut down that sword.
"Graviton Laser!" Vile Gehaburn pointed directly at me as she invoked her spell. It was ravenous and black as the jet of energy sped towards me without slowing down. Amethyst flared her aura to maximum to try and blunt the dark magic, which felt like one of Sherman's strongest Light attacks, except of the element opposed to mine.
My eyes widened, I once more dashed to the side as I tried to dodge the magical projectile, firing back at the sword. Vile Gehaburn was forced to prioritize dodging or blocking as my allies came in on either side, Fang descending from above with his sword as Galdo came in from below. She blocked their strokes with the sword, only to take a direct hit to the hilt from my MPBL.
"Ah!" She cried in pained alarm.
Hearing that was encouraging, for it meant we were making progress. "Break that sword!" I called out to the others as I continued my barrage. Since my other two allies were already handling the melee portion of things, I supported them by covering them from afar. Flynning, or aiming for the weapon, normally wasn't the correct procedure during a fight, but when the enemy was a sentient sword...
{Breaking a Fury… even an evil one like this… still doesn't sit well… But we have to! For our sake and the sake of those who cannot protect themselves!} Amethyst declared.
"Yeah!" I concurred.
The vile being realized immediately how much danger she was in as we now had a weak point. She tried to blur away, but Fang and Galdo stayed on her relentlessly. The evil sword grit her teeth with helpless anger. Each time she would pull away a little further as her pursuers refused to give up. I'm
I attempted to corral her with bursts of fire, to limit her movements and pin her down for the other two to get at her. She dodged my bullets even as her sword deflected the attacks of her pursuers. Vile Gehaburn twisted and turned to stay out of my line of fire.
I moved to regain my line of fire, and swept my shots, this time augmenting it with my newfound skill. Needles of light from my Magic Convergence curved towards the sword, not exactly trying to hit it, but to force it to take blows from Fang and Galdo. Controlling the field was as important as dealing damage.
Again, Vile Gehaburn swept her blade out of my line of fire, but didn't hesitate to strike at Galdo's scythe or sweep Fang's sword to the side. That was odd. Why was she avoiding me, yet actively attacking the others?
"What the heck!? Is she running from us or leading us in circles?" Fang demanded in frustration.
"She's trying to keep Nepgear from getting a clear shot!" Galdo realized. The evil blade stilled briefly as the two meatheats, who she discounted earlier, figured out her ruse.
"Oh!" I said, also in realization. It meant the blade was afraid of getting hit by me. It meant I could somehow deal more meaningful damage to it than the others. As such, I switched up my tactics. This time, I moved to shoot it directly, sending bullets and spears of light at it. "Please pin it down for me!" I said to the others. It wasn't me who had to control the field; It was them. I had to be the one on the attack, as scary as that was.
"Oh shit!" Vile Gehaburn let out a heartfelt curse as I closed in on her. She tried to evade again, but the Furies responded this time.
{Lock Down!} The Furies combined their power to slow down the terrible sword.
"Ugh… Damn fairies!" Vile Gehaburn was now forced to prioritize. Which did she prefer? Getting sliced up by Galdo's wind, burned by Fang's fire, or hit with my weapon? Even if I was the one dealing the most damage, her puppeted form was still vulnerable.
I did not cease my assault. This time, I shot at the blade as I dashed towards it. "Mirage Dance!" I called out, as I went for a series of five quick yet powerful slashes, the way they flowed into each other resembling that of a dance. It was one of Nepgear's skills, the steps of which I inherited from her. Gehaburn cried out as each strike hit the sword with a resounding clang. It left her paralyzed long enough for the guys to come in with their strongest attacks. Fire and Wind met in a clash even more powerful than the one used on Sherman. I leaped back to avoid getting swept into the firestorm.
"Retribution!" Vile Gehaburn cried from within. Galdo and Fang yelled in pain as Earth and Water collided with them. A powerful burst of Darkness rushed towards me as well.
"Amethyst!" I called to her, hoping that she could help me weather the incoming attack like last time. I once more tried to sidestep it, but even a partial blow from it proved to hurt, knocking me back. I heard myself cry out in pain, as I moved to heal Galdo, Fang and myself. Amethyst panted as she blunted the attack again, the MPBL pulsing faintly as if weakened. Both Eryn and Marissa were pulsing as well.
"Mmm… I managed to eat well…" Vile Gehaburn smiled faintly.
"How…?" Fang asked tiredly. The battle was proving to be exhausting for me, too. The sword was just as resistant as in the fanfics.
"I was taking little bits with each clash. Unfortunately, I couldn't get much from that Faker. Too much masculine spirit," Vile Gehaburn waved in my general direction. Wait, what? It noticed my situation, too? I really didn't see that coming.
"What would that matter…? Wait… masculine spirit…?" Galdo looked confused.
How nice of the sword to explain itself. "Not enough actual Divinity to really hurt me, but just enough to be painful. The closer to Divinity you dance, the more harm we can cause to one another. As it stands, the only one that can truly hurt me is sweet Eryn. However, that Fury is keeping me from reaching her. That really needs to go!" The vile manifestation appeared inside of Fang's guard with her sword already moving. He brought his sword up to block on reflex, only for the weapons to clash. Cracks formed from the impact point.
"That's what she wants! Galdy-kins, stop her!" Marissa called aloud. The scythe, despite being weakened, proceeded to radiate with a fierce light. Her power soared as she was literally putting everything she had into the next attack.
"Heaven and Earth… No… Great Divide!" Galdo vanished and appeared right behind the tainted figure. His powerful swing descended so quickly there was only a flash of light. He disappeared back to his starting point and promptly fell on his backside. Marissa appeared at his side, unconscious. The attack had a definite effect, however. Vile Gehaburn looked on in confusion as her arm slid off completely and hit the ground.
"Well, this is awkward…" She mused. With her attention diverted, Fang took the opportunity to withdraw. Eryn was crying in pain as the cracks sparked ominously.
While I could have chosen to fire upon the vile Gehaburn, I had a higher priority, which was the welfare of my allies. "Heal!" I intoned, casting said spell at Eryn to try and restore the damage. I couldn't let her die! Fortunately, the spell actually worked as my desire made it so.
"Recover," our enemy shone briefly before the lost arm was replaced. She rotated her shoulder absently while surveying the battlefield. "Having fun yet, children?" She asked.
My response was not with words, but rather, with actions. Curving beams of light emerged from magical circles around me as they homed in towards the sword. I had to keep hitting it to wear it down, to make it break. It wasn't invincible by any means. There had to be a limit to it.
The Furies watched and waited. All they needed was an opening. As the Goddess-eating sword continued to pay more attention to us than to them, I wondered just what they were waiting for. Wasn't this the perfect opportunity to strike? Vile Gehaburn slowed to lay down suppressing fire, her shots straying close to where Galdo panted with exhaustion. He saw the muzzle swing in his direction.
"Gunlight!" Galdo held up a hand, and… there was another Fury on it! The high-tech gun, from Nepgear's knowledge, resembled a P-90. He gave the trigger a squeeze, letting loose a burst of plasma. Solid bolts of light struck the bullets in midair, much to the evil sword's shock.
"That's bullshit! You can't use two Furies at once!" Vile Gehaburn raged. Wait, one could only have one Fury at a time?
"He's my synchro partner!" Galdo corrected.
{That shouldn't be possible even with synchronization… Unless…} Amethyst trailed off. The floating Furies shed their light even more brilliantly, revealing their stratagem. Marissa started to glow as the divine blades restored her energy. They weren't attacking. They were supporting us!
"Can we do that too…?" Fang questioned softly. When a second blade appeared in his off-hand, he grinned wolfishly. Eryn let out a cry as the new Fairy synchronized more strongly. Resonance built as he charged in to keep the vile being from realizing Marissa was recovering.
"You're breaking the rules…!" Vile Gehaburn almost whined as she was forced to dodge not one, but two swords, and a plasma gun. Its misery was my pleasure.
The Furies shed their light on me, and I felt the second switch again, the one connected to my HDD. A choice needed to be made. They were offering to give me their full support, their belief, but I needed to choose. I was masculine in spirit, and only partial in Divinity, and that switch would not budge for me, except for that one time. I had a feeling that accepting their offer may come with side effects.
I looked again at the fight, my allies clashing blades with Gehaburn. I… I had to help them, with all I had. I couldn't let them die. I couldn't let myself nor Amethyst die. Part of my power was locked from me, and… I felt I needed everything I had to help vanquish the sword. We had to erase it from the world, to ensure that it never threatened anyone ever again. The Furies were willing to help, to lend me their faith. I could take it, or leave it, but… I felt that refusing would be selfish of me. There was a possibility of giving up my masculine self, but… would I value it above our lives, if that was the case?
I valued it highly, but from seeing the fight… I felt that it would be more right of me to accept the aid of the Furies, whatever may become of me. Whatever happened afterwards, I would still be me, at the end of it all, and would my pride matter if we ended up dead, the Gehaburn left free to rampage? It wouldn't. As such, I nodded, and let their Shares flow into me.
The switch slammed in the up position alongside the first, making a jolt of power shoot through me like a lightning bolt. I felt a deeper connection to Amethyst as her arms slid around me in a gentle embrace. My bodysuit and Processor Unit turned black with purple, patterned like Purple Heart's. My wings morphed into three sets of blade-like fairy wings, shimmering with blue light. My MPBL turned black and gained a more solid frame, the blade becoming pure purple energy. I could feel my hair lengthening, turning into a more pinkish shade, and being pulled back into a single, long braid, held in place by a pair of black clips. I blinked as my eyes shifted in color, turning blue with white-colored power symbols within them, the mark of a CPU. I could faintly see my reflection on the gunblade, and honestly, I looked good like this.
The greatest change, however, was the solid core of myself strengthening. {No one can force you to change. By remaining true to yourself, there is nothing you cannot accomplish.} A kind voice resonated in my heart. I wasn't a masculine nor feminine spirit. I was Me, and no one else.
I had a smile on my face, as my new power coursed through me. Even Fairizing for the first time didn't compare to this. By reaffirming my sense of self, I grew so much stronger. I felt full of energy, like I could do just about anything, with Amethyst and the Furies at my side. "Let's go!" I said, brandishing my new and improved Fury. This wasn't merely an improved Fairize, nor was it purely an HDD. It was both, hand in hand, and… only this place could contain what I was now capable of.
I took to the air, feeling freer now that I could actually fly. With a sweeping gesture from my left hand, countless streams of brilliant white all rained downward, converging directly upon the fel blade. "Burn in the light!"
"Ahhhhh…!" The scream this time was real as Vile Gehaburn was visibly scorched by the columns of light. She tried to flail around and keep them from hitting the sword, but it was struck regardless.
"Take this…!" Fang brought both swords down on her from behind, effortlessly shearing through the arms. Vile Gehaburn choked in pain as her vessel hit the ground.
"Here we go…!" Galdo backflipped in with Marissa once more in scythe form, trailing a hooked chain that wedged itself in the puppet's body. He twisted in midair, while bringing the blade through the neck of my corrupted doppelganger. The severed head hit the ground a moment before the body sagged to its knees, its Processor Unit falling to the ground.
"The sword is exposed!" Amethyst cried aloud. We had an opening!
"This is my special!" I took the opportunity to unleash my second EXE Drive, its steps embedded in my mind. This one, however, was amplified by both my Fairize and my HDD, making it more powerful than normal. "Bits Combination!" With a slashing gesture from my gunblade, two spherical drones appeared on either side of me, armed with laser cannons. They moved to both sides of the Gehaburn, and fired, their beams of purple energy meeting at the exact point where the sword was located. More drones formed, joined by magical circles, surrounding the blade from all directions. They fired as one, their beams aimed at the sword. While that was going on, I readied myself, my MPBL poised to strike, and with a surge of energy, I shot forward like a lightning bolt. The beams stopped just as I slashed upward, knocking the Deity Devourer into the air. A pillar of purple energy shot skyward, adding to what I had already inflicted. Then, I flew even higher than the Divinity Killer, and descended upon it with all my fury, blade-first. "DISAPPEAR!" I stabbed it right at the diamond-shaped gem on its guard, channeling a burst of white, explosive magic through my weapon, and onto my target. As it fell, I leapt back, and upon its impact with the ground, one more purple pillar shot upward, engulfing it in energy. Finally, my circles fired once more, their streams of light adding to the destruction.
{Oh come on….!} Gehaburn yelled from within the sword. {Recover! Recover! RECOVER…!}
A brilliant light engulfed the sword as it desperately tried to heal the puppet. It was, however, far too late as cracks formed along the length of the blade. Red light burst from the cracks as it vibrated wildly, the power it stole from the husk of the Vile God adding its own dark purple/black light. With a despairing cry, it exploded so brightly that all were forced to cover their eyes.
When the light finally cleared, a sword was left stabbed into the ground. It looked like Gehaburn, except the blade was a peaceful blue color. Of the puppet, there was no trace, except for her Processor part which formed the handguard. The Furies danced in victory as the fel sword was vanquished, but appeared confused at what remained.
In my case, I breathed a sigh of relief as I returned to my normal form. I felt lighter, knowing that the evil blade was no more, that it could no longer obtain a foothold on my mind. 'Who knows what could have happened if I didn't check my inventory?' Actually, how did it get in there? Were there logs or a journal that I could check?
On another note, I wasn't sure either what to make of that blue sword over there.
"What happened?" Fang asked after a while. Eryn appeared at his side as the second Fury disappeared.
"We beat the Fury… but what is this?" Galdo gestured.
"It seems to be a new Fury…" Marissa eyed the sword curiously.
"The other Fairies are confused too," Eryn noted.
"Can someone scan it or something, just to be sure? It might be dangerous," I requested out of caution. If any trace of Gehaburn remained in that blade…
"Let me… I am a piece of the Goddess after all," Eryn smiled impishly before laying a hand on the pommel. Her eyes closed as she extended her awareness throughout the formerly cursed sword. After a few minutes, a light giggling could be heard from the blade, something I wasn't expecting.
{H-hey! That tickles!} The voice sounded almost like my own, but younger. Her tone was different from Gehaburn's.
"Come on out and introduce yourself," Eryn invited the spirit. A hazy swirl of energy drifted from the blade and twirled in midair. The energy coalesced with some effort, as apparently this was new to the being, before it burst like a soap bubble.
"Heya! You can call me Konton. At least I wasn't born from your mouth here," Konton winked at me. She looked just like me, only much smaller, as in closer to Histoire's size. Her hair was streaked with red, and wilder than mine. She wore a silk red top that flared near the waist and very short shorts. Black boots with chunky heels adorned her feet.
"Born from her mouth?" The comment seemed to have thrown everyone for a loop, myself included. What did she mean by that? She waited for me to get what she meant, before sagging slightly.
"Right, right… Not mom. Technically, she is mom though… At least here…" The little Fairy tapped her chin thoughtfully.
My eyes widened at that. 'Mom? She thinks I'm her mom? Is she my Lucifel, then?' I never thought I'd find myself in that situation. One surprise after another...
"She's so tiny!" Marissa gasped in delight.
"What can a shrimp like her do?" Fang asked.
"Aside from bein' cute that is," Galdo chuckled indulgently. Eryn continued to read the little Fairy, and gaped in shock at what she found.
"Divinity Slayer!?" She yelped. That sounded just like what Gehaburn was capable of.
"Kinda my thing, yeah. Don't worry. I won't hurt my friends," Konton nodded firmly. If she was trying to look cool and serious, it failed, as she was too tiny and cute. I couldn't help but want to give her a headpat.
In fact, I went over and did just that, a tired smile on my face. "Clearly one shouldn't judge you by your looks."
"Pats~!" Konton chirped happily as she nuzzled my hand. Definitely an affectionate little thing. Amethyst emerged, now that the crisis was fully past.
"Goodness she's cute…" Amethyst giggled.
"Nepgear? You should perform Resonance with her. I think if anyone can handle her power, it would be you," Eryn said to me.
"Resonance is when a Fairy adds their power to another Fury," Amethyst explained.
I nodded in understanding. It would be fitting, but... "Are you okay with that, Amethyst, Konton?" I asked them. I would only do so upon their consent.
Both Fairies, however, looked back at me in confusion. "Fairies like to be closer to one another," Amethyst assured me.
"I wouldn't mind at all. I get to help and not 'halp,'" Konton beamed.
"All right." I said. "Uh, how do I perform a Resonance?"
Amethyst hugged Konton who returned the gesture. "Pretty much… This is it," my Fairy explained.
An imaginary question mark appeared above me for a moment. Was that it, just like that?
"I didn't know Resonance was just the two Fairies hugging," Fang scratched his head in bewilderment. Galdo spread his hands in a 'what can you do' gesture.
"Mhm," I remarked. Oh well, at least it wasn't some complicated ritual.
After a moment, something came to mind. "So, what do we do with that?" I pointed at the Deity of Sin-style handguard. It might be dangerous if neglected.
"Do about what? That's my Fury. My vessel," Konton tilted her head in confusion.
I looked again, and realized that the handguard was a part of her blue sword. I could only blush in embarrassment at that. "Oh, right…"
"We better return. Lola has some information for us on where we can find other Dorfa employees," Fang said. That felt like a sudden change of objective.
"Why would you be looking for those guys?" Konton asked.
"We need help, and I figure they're likely to help us with the Justice Society," Fang said. Amethyst sighed softly in response. Clearly Fang's "brilliant" plan wasn't universally accepted. Like her, I had my reservations. Weren't Dorfa the bad guys? He did vouch for Galdo's non-membership yesterday.
"Lola?" I asked, not knowing who that was. How did he meet them while we were here? "And I'm not so sure about Dorfa…"
"Lola is an information broker. We met up with her again while you were still sleeping. She's loyal to money, but her information is usually good," Galdo said.
"She even remembered us! I was so surprised!" Eryn exclaimed.
"Dorfa had some strong Fencers. They might have been the bad guys, but the Justice Society is a bigger headache than them. Dorfa wanted to rule the world. These guys are just punishing everyone and getting them hooked on addicting wine," Fang clenched his fist.
"Apparently, this Septerion Club wine is highly addictive and they charge exorbitant amounts, presumably to pay for Justice Society expenses," Amethyst said to me.
What a modus operandi they had. "Goodness," I said. "Talk about extortion. What about the Goddess's Furies, though?" I gestured towards the swords still piercing the sealed woman. Before I discovered Gehaburn, Eryn mentioned removing those.
"We'll finish drawing the Furies that we have enough Fairies for… But we really need to find more Furies…" Eryn slapped her forehead.
"The S-Rank Fury we had went to the Vile God. We haven't found another one," Galdo shot his friend a pointed glare. S Rank Furies were apparently exceedingly rare, befitting their high rank.
"It would be a wonderful coincidence if Konton was an S-Rank," Marissa smiled expectantly.
The little Fairy giggled with glee. "Maybe I am~!" She beamed, before squawking in surprise as everyone huddled around her.
"What a lucky break!"
"That's some coincidence!"
"We should do this immediately…!"
Their words blended together as they babbled with excitement. It was truly a convenience, but then...
"Ready for another round with monsters?" I asked. If we did go through with it, hopefully it wouldn't be as tiring as fighting Gehaburn. That one took a lot out of us, out of me.
Suddenly, their enthusiasm died off sharply. "Better sleep first… or at least a nap…" Fang hedged.
"The only S-Rank we did was like fighting Gehaburn," Galdo explained.
"Maybe come back when we have more allies?" Marissa giggled nervously.
"We can't rely on the Furies to dogpile the next one," Eryn nodded quickly in agreement.
"I am feeling worn out…" Amethyst apologized.
"Me too…" I concurred. "Maybe returning is a better idea."
Another ride through the portal later, and we were back at the Inn in Fang and Galdo's room. The guys didn't even wait for permission before crashing on the beds exhaustedly. Marissa and Eryn were left to their own devices. Apparently they decided that walking the steps to their own room was too long and curled up with their partners.
"Let's go. I'm not thrilled about trying to sleep on the floor…" Amethyst yawned.
"The chair looks comfy," Konton pointed at a big squashy armchair. Amethyst was apparently considering the chair seriously. She eyed me up before looking back at Konton. There was enough room to fit comfortably.
"Let's go back to our room. More privacy that way," I suggested to the two Fairies. I didn't recall bringing Konton's Fury with me, though, so how was she able to accompany us? Uh, did I leave her Fury behind? 'I should ask when I wake up.'
Amethyst needed my support to make it to our room, so just as she supported me last night, I did the same for her. She didn't even think anything of taking off her dress, and tossing it over the chair before crashing down on the bed. Konton tutted and picked up the elegant dress before hanging it up in the closet. The little Fairy was surprisingly strong for someone her size. She found a throw pillow and laid it on the nightstand to use for her own bed. Probably for the best as she was tiny and we weren't.
I averted my gaze with a slight blush, not expecting to see the older Fairy in just her undergarments… but with the two already going to sleep, I might as well do the same. As such, I took off my boots and stockings, and lay down on my bed, a separate one from Amethyst's. Unlike her, I preferred to keep my dress on, not willing to see… myself. Hugging a pillow close to me, I closed my eyes.
What a day I had, and what surprises it held for me. Who knew what awaited us tomorrow…?
KuletXCore
Reviver of Good Shit/Creator of Underrated Ideas.
- Location
- Flipland
So Konton is a modified Share Blade with some of the Gehaburn properties still intact?
And UbeGear has ascended to a full CPU! (Just because her sisterisn't there doesn't exist lmfao)
And UbeGear has ascended to a full CPU! (Just because her sister
Forced Labor
- Location
- PA
AN: I summon @UbeOne from the Shadow Realm!
Forced Labor
At breakfast the next morning, the group introduced Lola, the info-broker. She was blonde-haired and blue-eyed, wearing a blue dress and a white apron. On her back was a huge backpack stuffed with goods. Strangely, she looked like Alice if she was a merchant.
"We really need to get her a different outfit. Preferably some sleep wear as well," Amethyst brought up the topic, referring to me.
"Yeah, she is starting to look a little rumpled," Eryn said sympathetically.
"Poor thing… We'll help you," Marissa patted my hand comfortingly.
Konton wisely stayed out of it. She sat in the middle of the table eating a plum almost as big as herself.
They had a point. I couldn't just wear the same sailor dress forever. Being in the form of a girl, however, I knew that shopping for clothes would be a different experience this time. "Okay, thanks," I said, nodding. Still, I couldn't help but be nervous. I may be seeing myself…
Amethyst held my hand, as she knew what was troubling me.
"Have you been shopping before?" Marissa asked solicitously.
"Some people just don't like to go shopping. I know I don't," Galdo said.
"Galdy-kins hates to shop, but loves new socks. It's quite the issue," she confided.
"I know what ya mean. I don't mind shopping for boxers but some things are just a pain," Fang commiserated.
Konton slowly swallowed the bite of plum to avoid choking herself with laughter.
"We really need to buy cloaks this time before heading for the ice cave," Eryn said to Fang.
"Ooh… thermal underwear," he nodded appreciatively.
"I like new underwear," Galdo agreed this was a good thing.
The littlest Fairy was turning red and making squeaking sounds as she laughed. Konton keeled over laughing into the tablecloth.
I had no words, and I could feel warmth in my cheeks. That part about underwear was the one I was most nervous about…
"I can tell you where the best shops are… for a price," Lola smirked.
"That's okay. We've been here before," Eryn said.
"Not in this timeline~!" Lola said in a sing-song voice.
"Can you please stop gouging us? Seriously. This got old the first time around!" Fang threw his hands up. Lola looked alarmed as she realized her comment went too far.
"Ah ha ha ha… Just a joke for my best customers! I know a great place, affordable, and close by. No Justice Society patrols either," Lola said.
"That's a stroke of luck. Those guys are everywhere!" Galdo exclaimed and punched his fist.
"Maybe we should all change our clothes to something less conspicuous," Amethyst suggested.
"You guys totally got the Protagonist Party vibe going on," Konton agreed and confused everyone at the table with meta speech.
I chuckled, getting what she meant. Our attires looked distinctive, after all, like a party of main characters in a video game. Amethyst wasn't the only one who had Neptune-like comments. "Yeah, being discreet would be good," I said, agreeing with my Fairy.
On the way to the store, Konton flew alongside me. She drifted a little closer and sat on my shoulder. "I realize a couple things weren't mentioned in the last chapter, namely how I came with you. Technically, you have two Fairies. My Fury, however, is merged with Amethyst's as per resonance. Does that help?"
I nodded, for that made sense, but one part of that answer threw me off. It was a level of meta I wasn't expecting. "Chapter? As in we're in a real-time story?" I asked, momentarily confused.
Konton patted my cheek tenderly, "We're all protagonists in our own story."
"Yeah," I answered, for that was a saying I agreed with. 'Neptune just takes it to another level.'
The whole last chapter thing reminded me of something, though. After Gehaburn was destroyed, no trace remained of its vessel, but said puppet was the Vile God. "Oh, by the way, is the Vile God dead? I mean, Gehaburn puppeted him, and now he's gone."
"Technically, the 'Vile God' you saw was a hollow spiritual manifestation. Not quite the real thing which is how Gehaburn could possess him. I remember seeing it through the sword's eyes. The power was still there because people still believe in him. Now he's gone completely," Konton said.
"I see." That meant whatever was left of him actually died there. I wondered if that helped make up for Fang and the others removing his Furies…
My pondering was put to a pause as we arrived. The shop was a normal clothing outlet, with no unnecessary epaulets, zippers, or tassels. It wasn't like an overabundance of belts, either. The choices looked nice and functional, like in real life. Some things were stylized, kinda like a protagonist look, but that happened back home, too. Men's and women's apparel were in different parts of the store, just like the usual. The most frightening part, however, was the underwear section. Amethyst held my hand comfortingly.
"Do you need my help?" She asked solicitously.
I meekly nodded. I had little idea of what to do there. I'd still rather be the one to choose which to buy, though, since I would be wearing them. "So, where do we start?"
"The most difficult part first. Then we'll find the outerwear," Amethyst took charge. She guided me right towards the simplest underwear. Nothing too fancy, just plain solid colors.
Aww man, why the intimate apparel first…? But anyway, what was more important to me was which ones would be comfy to wear. I once read that it's difficult to get those of just the right size, and it might take a while to find those in my case. I took a deep breath, mentally bracing myself for what came next.
"Hi! How can I help you?" The saleswoman approached with all the speed and subtlety of a main battle tank.
"Quick question! Do you carry half sizes?" From there Amethyst barraged the saleswoman with questions, so many questions that the woman developed a glazed look in her eyes. Just about the point her hair visibly 'poinged', steam seemed to shoot from her ears.
"I will… have to ask my manager…" She said mechanically before turning on her heel and walking away.
Konton whistled. "That was amazing…" she said admiringly.
"All we have to do is get it within the right ballpark. I can use a little magic to alter the fit better," Amethyst assured me.
Wow, I couldn't keep up with her queries either. She clearly knew her stuff. Again, I was fortunate to have met her. "Thanks," I said. That was better than having to endlessly try all manner of sizes of innerwear, especially around my chest.
Amethyst snagged the measuring tape and gave me a light push into the changing room. She let the tape measure go, and it started winding of its own accord, around my chest, then around my waist, then around my hips. The Fairy seemed to know the results as I could hear a scritching of pencil on paper. She was taking my sizes, wasn't she?
"Just wait right there and I'll be back. Konton? Keep watch," Amethyst ordered before setting off for who knows where.
"Hypercompetent, takes charge, and actually has the answers. She really is like Purple Heart," Konton said through the door.
"Uh-huh," I added, also recognizing the parallels. My cheeks flushed slightly at the prospect of actually trying the stuff on...
"Here you are. Just place what doesn't fit on the door," Amethyst passed the bundle of clothing over the closed door.
Here they were. There was no turning back. It was time to fit them. 'I'll have to get used to this, won't I?'
This reminded me of those times wherein my mom and I shopped for pants for me. She would help me find the right size, and she would wait outside the fitting room. Whenever I tried one on, she would then see if it looked good on me, for she had a better sense of fashion than me. Just like right now, I would also leave out the ones that didn't fit me. The difference now, was that these were lingerie, articles of clothing that I never thought I would find myself wearing. At least we weren't fighting for our lives again...
The ones worn around my waist and hips were easy enough, for they were similar enough to the briefs of before. Some were a tad too tight, and were irritating on my skin. Others were a tad too loose, and had that possibility of falling down when worn. Still others felt just right for me. I kept my sailor dress on, and my gaze away from the mirror, letting my sense of touch guide me as I gingerly fitted them. 'I'd rather not see what's underneath. On another note, I should wear shorts under this dress next time.'
After sorting out that one, next were the brassieres, and that was a more complicated matter. After I put on my stockings and boots, I had to unbutton and remove my dress. I carefully did so, putting it neatly to the side. I still wasn't willing to look myself in the mirror, but I felt the coolness of the air-conditioner on the uncovered portion of my skin.
Sizing was not a single letter nor a single number. There was instead a number followed by a letter on the tag of each piece. From what I once read before, there were two parts to it. The first was the band, which wrapped around the chest, sides and back. The second was the cup, which covered the... bosom itself. Both had to be just right, or one would have issues. I for one would want to be as comfy as possible.
It, um, took a while to try the ones Amethyst picked out for me. My cheeks still warm from embarrassment, I closed my eyes, letting my hands guide me, supposedly new actions, as in wearing them and clasping them to me, feeling as if I had done them before. This was awkward… I couldn't bring myself to look down, nor use the mirror provided. Instead, I relied on how they felt. Some were a bit small on the cup, such that it felt tight, like my… girls would spill out. Others were instead tight on the band, such that it was digging into my skin. How uncomfortable that was. Still others were loose on either or both parts, which wasn't an improvement either. It was like it was just there, but not supporting me at all.
As it turned out, none were a perfect nor exact fit, but there were those that came close enough, which were mostly something-C in size. Like my older Fairy said, she could adjust them later. After sorting those out, I wore my dress as soon as possible. I felt I needed to be decent again. 'This is my body now. I know and acknowledge that, but being this acquainted with it, smooth and soft, wasn't something I was prepared for.'
"I'm done," I said to Amethyst and Konton, as I placed the non-fitting lingerie on the door, and brought the fitting ones with me.
"Okay. Now for the easier part," Amethyst said. The easier part was picking out the outerwear.
There were… a lot to choose from. I then remembered that I still had my three palette swaps of my sailor dress in my inventory, but variety was a good thing, wasn't it? If Vert were here, she would have me try all kinds of ensembles…
But weren't we here to get more discreet attire? 'I shouldn't get carried away and spend too much, and I prefer a more minimalist look anyway.' While accompanied by my Fairies, I roamed around the shelves, taking a look at the ones shown, and canvassing my options. Then, I picked those that looked nice and comfy, and tried them on in the fitting room. This time, I was willing to look myself in the mirror, and… I smiled whenever I found something that worked well for me. It was good to look and feel good, after all. In the end, I chose…
First was a pair of black shorts. That way, aside from using it as is, I could also preserve my modesty even if the wind were to blow my dress or skirt upward, or if someone were to look up my dress or skirt. Next was a pair of jogging pants, a purple one with white stripes. While I could have gone for jeans, I decided to choose something comfier, and easier to move around in, in case of fights. After that, I… felt like giving the feminine look a chance, and as such, I picked out a skirt, a denim one of medium length and indigo hue, which felt less constraining compared to wearing jeans. Then, I chose two short-sleeved blouses, one yellow, and one blue, both ruffled. They also had that unmistakably feminine look to them, but they felt soft, smooth, light, and loose, a different sensation from the t-shirts I was used to. I wanted to experience more of that. Lastly, I got a cloak for cold weather, a red one with a hood, which used two cross-shaped pins to- wait, it was practically Ruby's cloak, wasn't it? 'I like it.'
Now for the sleeping attire… "Um, do you have suggestions in mind for sleepwear?" I asked my Fairies. While I could have gone for just a tank top and shorts, I was curious as to what they had in mind.
"I would say go with what's most comfortable," Amethyst shrugged.
"Nude is most comfortable for you?" Konton asked the older Fairy, which made me slightly flush, though she was actually in underwear that time. 'Oh goodness, please don't remind me of that…'
"I'm going to buy pajamas… Promise," she blushed a little.
"I'll go with a sando, I mean tank top and shorts," I said, referring to what I usually wore for sleeping. A "sando" was what a sleeveless shirt or tank top was called back home. I eventually found one my size, a white top with a black gear pattern on it, and a pair of purple pajama shorts.
The shopping trip was then concluded. Fang found a white hoodie and board shorts, which made him look kinda like a surfer, but it worked. Galdo's new outfit looked like a ronin with the open coat, bare chest, and kung-fu pants. Apparently, trying to go inconspicuous was beyond him. At the very least, it wasn't what he was wearing before. The Fairies didn't bother changing their normal wardrobes and instead stayed in weapon form. No one did seem to look twice at them.
"You're wearing those already?" I questioned the two guys. "Don't they need to be washed first?" It was why I just put my purchases in my inventory.
Marissa giggled along with Eryn.
"That's what we said, but do they listen?" Eryn shook her head.
"You made some very cute choices," Amethyst teased me, but her words were honest. She disappeared into the Fury before we left the store, to be safe.
"They haven't met me yet, but I'll stay above you. Scouting is perfect for someone my size!" Konton's wings vibrated with excitement. The little Fairy spiraled into the sky to keep a lookout. She was still mentally connected to me.
"They don't bother to look up?" I asked.
{Can you actually see me up here?} Konton asked smugly. She was barely a pinprick in the sky. Soon, even that was gone. Either she could fly really high, or somehow could disappear.
{Now that is a useful talent.} Amethyst marveled.
"Yeah," I concurred. She could discreetly keep an eye on the surroundings from above, and that would be of big help, indeed.
"We'll keep our old clothes of course for adventuring. Then just wear the new clothes in town to avoid notice. It's foolproof," Fang clenched his fist with conviction.
"Yeah it's something alright," Galdo marveled at Fang's ability to plan.
"Wash the new clothes first, get some rest, and head out in the morning. Too much of the day was wasted on this," Fang rubbed the back of his neck. He was anxious to raid the Justice Society labor camp. Each day put them further and further behind the enemy.
"Think we'll find Sherman waiting for us?" Galdo asked.
"Maybe. If we do we just smack the stupid out of him," Fang declared, conveniently ignoring how it took a Deus ex Machina to squeak and win, and he survived what, as I instinctively felt, should have been an instant-kill technique. As it turned out, it was actually my version of NEXT Purple's Dimensional Slice. No wonder it was currently locked to me. 'Wait, it's that lethal? Well, he was trying to kill us…'
"We should find a way to do some training of our own," Galdo added. The nominal leader of our group seemed to think about it for a minute.
"Yeah… Let's go back to Zazawa Plains. We didn't really have time to search it and the monsters are pretty tough. Just place a few Furies for increasing Experience, Weapon Points, and Money," Fang decided.
"Now?" Galdo blinked.
"Hey you're the one who pointed out we needed to train! What do you think, Nepgear?" Fang asked.
"I'm fine with it," I answered. We could all use the exercise. Sherman mentioned that he trained a lot, so doing some of that would go a long way.
Going to the Zazawa Plains when we weren't running for our life made it seem shorter. Before entering, Fang started pulling Furies out of seemingly nowhere and threw them into the sky. The blades sped off in all directions. A couple even landed near us. From each Fury, a dome field appeared and overlapped with one another. I could feel that something had changed, but it wasn't exactly clear.
{Quite an interesting set up…} Amethyst noted.
{Level grinding like this isn't something a newb would come up with.} Konton agreed.
"What did they do?" I asked my Fairies. I observed that the Furies were causing a field effect, but I didn't know what it was. Was it increasing the Exp, WP and money gained like what was mentioned a while ago?
{Basically, yes. Furies are able to use powers taken from the Vile God or the Goddess. These powers are capable of distorting reality. The more effects that are layered, the better. However some have negative effects. Fang's set up increases Money by 60%, and Experience and WP by 160%, but it negates Item Use, Magic, and Special Techniques.} Amethyst said. Apparently, she knew the question I had in mind.
{Holy shit… That's a lot of gain… but man does it hose you if you're not careful!} Konton gawked.
"Mhm, it's quite the risk," I remarked. We were restricted to regular attacks. Already, I felt as if my own skills and magic had been suppressed. I couldn't heal, nor buff, nor use a Slash Wave, for instance. If something unexpected were to occur, we would be in trouble.
"We have about 6 hours before sundown. Do you want to be here the whole time?" Fang asked.
"Might as well. We did come all the way out here," Galdo shrugged. He turned to me to get my opinion.
"As long as we retreat if we're low on health," I stated. We had no means of healing while the field effect was active.
"Good idea. Let's just stay in the first two areas and leave if we need healing. We can just go back in when we're healed up again," Galdo liked my idea. Fang smiled faintly.
"Good thinking, Nepgear. You're a smart cookie," he patted me on the shoulder.
[Title Gained: Smart Cookie]
Wha-? My eyes widened, such that my expression resembled that of Nepgya's. "A title? What the goodness?" What was that? Was it like the Affinity system in Re;Birth 3? It felt patronizing to me. At least it wasn't putting me down.
{Please let this be a one-off gag…} Konton prayed fervently.
{With our luck, it will be a running gag and actually mean something later.} Amethyst mentally rubbed her forehead.
The monsters of the Zazawa Plains were, for the most part, easier to deal with. We weren't tired from a long run and our ability to work together was vastly improved. The lack of techniques was annoying, but I could still shoot with my gunblade. Galdo and Fang appeared to be more power types who favored physical attacks over techniques. They served on the front line while I stayed back, aiming for weakpoints and keeping the enemy pinned down.
The obvious difference between videogame grinding and this, was that I could actually die. That added a level of concentration that 'mindless grinding' couldn't match. I was definitely not bored, since our lives were on the line, but it wasn't really mental weariness we had to worry about. It was physical stamina we needed to be mindful of. Unlike in videogames, we could get tired, and become weaker in the process. The monsters kept us on our toes, and we couldn't afford to let down our guard.
"Are you guys okay?" I asked, as I caught my breath from fighting a large avian creature, a thunder-bird of sorts that reminded me of Zapdos. Its lightning attacks were a handful to avoid, and it was equally a handful to hit.
"Whew… tougher than I remembered…" Fang admitted. He took a swig from a bottle of water.
"I can hang in there a while longer. We might want to knock off a little earlier. Don't want to be too exhausted tonight," Galdo said.
"Yeah. Another half hour will give us four hours. That's good enough," Fang decided.
{He wouldn't have thought of that if you hadn't prompted him. Good thinking.} Amethyst said approvingly.
Wait, really? We could have run ourselves ragged? Oh dear, that was a close call. "Okay, half-hour it is," I agreed.
The last half hour went by quickly, with Fang having suggested a full run from start to finish. After hours of training, we were able to handle the Plains. We still had enough left to make it back to the Inn. The most important part of the training wasn't just the Experience, but also the Weapon Points. It was time to divide up the six thousand WP I now had, which was a lot.
I first focused on my six stats, buying five ranks each for physical attack, physical defense, range, and Fury Form, and four ranks each for magic attack and magic defense. That was a total of 4400 points used, with all stats now at rank 8. I felt the jump in power, and a stronger bond with my Fairies, and they felt good.
Next up were my skills. I ended up clearing the list, obtaining Lightfall, a spell to shower multiple foes with light; Prismatic Burst, that powerful explosion of light; Stop, which worked like its Final Fantasy counterpart; Vigilance, which could prevent ambushes while as party leader; and Item Sonar, which gave me the ability to detect hidden treasure while as party leader, much like in Re;Birth 1 and 2, all for 330 points. Combined with the stat boosts, I now had 1270 left.
Interestingly, the Item Sonar required a "Revival Rank" of B or higher, but I surprisingly had a Revival Rank of S. If that was referring to the Godly Revival, was it because Konton was with me? "How did I get a Revival Rank of S?" I asked my Fairies.
Amethyst then explained that it was because the Vile God was defeated. Right, he was gone now, along with Gehaburn.
The list proceeded to update itself, and now there were a lot of gun and sword-related skills, some of which I already had equipped. The ones I had were: Flight Shot, which allowed me to effectively shoot flying enemies like the thunder-bird; Double Shot, which enabled me to fire two-round bursts at enemies; Side Edge, a horizontal slash that can pursue targets launched into the air; and Flight Edge, an upward slash which launches enemies ala FF13.
I started with my gun skills, since I was attacking from range a lot more often than up close. I first bought the ninth rank of physical attack for 400, to unlock the last shown gun skill, Heartbreak Shot. Then, I got all the gun skills for a total of 300, which were the following: Flight Double Shot, which shoots down launched targets; Down Shot, a downward-angled shot that can pursue launched targets; Critical Shot; a powerful but inaccurate attack that aims for the enemy's vitals; Flight Combo Shot, which hastened reload time; Pinhole Shot, a laser-accurate shot that skilled snipers could do; Fast Fire, which allowed for rapid barrages of shots; and Heartbreak Shot, which had a chance of instantly killing the target in one attack.
Then, I purchased several sword skills, which were: Thrust Edge, a stabbing attack; Holy Edge, which imbues my blade with the holy element, good for evil enemies like Gehaburn; Down Edge, a downward slash which can pursue launched targets; S-Flight Edge, a double-slash that can launch targets; Combo Edge, a triple-slash that can pursue launched targets; P-Thrust Edge, which was a Thrust Edge with an extra-piercing effect; and Swords Dance, a flurry of swordplay, all for 370 points.
At the end of it all, I only had 200 WP left, which I saved for next time. The only options remaining were of higher cost than it. Now I felt more knowledgeable with the use of my gunblade, that I could do more with Amethyst and Konton by my side.
{It was a good idea to do some grinding before heading into an enemy stronghold. Let's get some dinner and go to sleep.} Amethyst said.
A good meal and a rest sounded like just what the doctor ordered. Dinner was a lively affair with Fang and Eryn fighting over the dishes. Off to the side, Marissa was trying to get 'Galdy-kins' to eat a little slower, with mixed success. The new addition, Lola, was cheerfully appraising all of the vendor trash we picked up. We also found a lot of healing items for both health and magic, which we carefully kept away from her, just in case.
After dinner, everyone went their separate ways. Amethyst and Konton headed to the room to get ready for bed. Fang was talking quietly to Marissa, something he sometimes did. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but she seemed more relaxed after. He waved goodnight as she hurried off to the room she shared with Eryn.
"Hey, Nepgear," Fang greeted me.
"Yes?" I inquired.
"How is everything?" He asked.
That was a good question. Many things did happen in quick succession. "I'm fine, I guess," I said. I figured I was managing as I was slowly adjusting to my life here. Still, now that things weren't 'exciting', so to speak, I found myself mentally looking back towards home. I didn't know if I could return, and even then, I felt that I had become a bit different recently. I still missed home, though.
"You've done a lot for us since you got here. I'm not sure we could have gotten away from Sherman otherwise…" Fang said gratefully. I suddenly felt a flash as a scene I was familiar with suddenly crossed my mind. The Zazawa Plains. Fang and Galdo doing everything they could to defeat Sherman, but where was I? I wasn't there. The battle suddenly turning against them. Galdo grabbing Sherman in a bearhug, with a bomb in his hand. Fang desperately reaching out to him. A teary-eyed Marissa and Eryn dragging the man away. An explosion and a cry of despair.
I winced at the thought of that. It meant that things could have gone much worse without me, and even then, if I hadn't had temporary access to Horizon Cut... Was I really that helpful? "I had no idea…"
"Hey, you were there and willing to help. Isn't that enough?" Fang lightly gripped my shoulder.
I blinked at that. "Yeah," I said, nodding in agreement. The scene, that alternate future, felt so real… where did it come from?
"Thanks for being here," Fang smiled before bidding me goodnight.
"You're welcome, and good night," I said back to him, a small smile on my face. To know that I helped that much… felt good.
Later on, I decided to go to my room, which was also shared with my Fairies. The vision of an alternate confrontation with Sherman was haunting. Amethyst looked up as she sensed my turmoil. The littlest Fairy had an expression of disquiet at my confusion.
"What's wrong, Nepgear?" Amethyst held her arms open if I needed a hug.
I embraced her in turn, the comfort a welcoming feeling. "I saw what could have happened if we weren't there, as in you and me. The Sherman fight could have gone worse. Galdo could have sacrificed himself… it looked so real, felt so real..." I turned my gaze away, the prospect of that a horrible thing. Amethyst looked just as horrified but more because I witnessed such a terrible image. Her embrace tightened.
"You were inserted into this world as a Divine Saving Throw. Some deity must be fudging the dice. From what I gathered just from talking to Eryn about the other timeline? This world is far worse and even more distorted. The only thing that makes any sense is that you're meant to be a spanner in the works," Konton said.
So, a case of 'things gone off the rails, and they added someone to fix it'? "That's a lot to shoulder on me…" I said. Totally no pressure at all…
"Change too much, and it invites the opposition to alter things. It had to be someone with a manageable drawback. Hi! I'm your drawback!" Konton waved.
"Gehaburn was considered an acceptable drawback?" Amethyst looked bewildered, and so was I.
"Hey, he was beaten, right?" Konton asked rhetorically.
"Yes," I answered. What was she trying to say?
"So your 'drawback' was a manageable one. If the 'ROB' involved added anyone else, the balance would probably spawn something worse than the Vile God," Konton shuddered. Now she was using that forum-specific term, too?
"What could possibly be worse than the Vile God?" Amethyst continued to stroke my hair, as much for her comfort as my own.
"That could be anything. There's always a bigger fish," I said. 'I'd rather not find out for real.'
"Yeah...let's not convince Murphy to show us the 'bigger fish.' Okay?" Konton grinned nervously.
Amethyst looked around, as if checking to see if her words did in fact invite disaster. Thankfully, disaster was finished with us for the night. Maybe even waiting to spring on us at a later date.
Since we had a quiet moment, I decided to check for a journal on my person. Maybe it had some helpful information for explaining my situation? I found it on the first try, and it was neatly divided by tabs like 'Characters', 'Items', 'Furies', 'Bestiary', 'Terms', 'Log', and 'Key Items.' My 'Key Items' were Konton's Fury and Amethyst's Fury. The Log was everything that happened since I woke up. There was a peculiar line at the beginning though…
"Quod liberum arbitrium accepit me fata mea"
I didn't know what to make of it. It looked like Latin, but I didn't know that language. I wouldn't be able to translate it without Google, and even that wasn't always on the mark. What was it trying to say? With my luck, it would be vitally important, and only reveal its importance in the third act.
"We better get some sleep, if we're heading out at first light that is," Amethyst yawned. The older Fairy was looking more drained. Training really took its toll on us.
"Yeah. Good night, Amethyst, Konton," I said. "I'll just change clothes first." My current dress was dirty from all the previous activity, and the new clothes were washed before dinner. Incidentally, Amethyst also adjusted my underwear during that time via simple spells, making the ones around my chest a more comfortable fit on me.
Exiting my room, I went down the hallway to where the bathroom is, and I consciously made sure to go to the correct one. Then, I entered one of the stalls within, and brought out my new sleepwear from my inventory. Carefully changing into it was a bit easier now, though I still averted my gaze and closed my eyes. I… opted not to wear a bra this time. It was admittedly rather uncomfortable going to sleep with it last night…
After rolling the dirty clothes and keeping them in my inventory, I returned to the room, where I placed them in the laundry bag. Then, I lay down on my bed, wrapping an arm around a pillow as I closed my eyes. The next day was going to be a tough one, but we prepared as much as we could today.
I felt as ready as could be. We were stronger now than when we fought Sherman, than when we fought Gehaburn. 'When tomorrow comes, we'll be there to meet it…'
Forced Labor
At breakfast the next morning, the group introduced Lola, the info-broker. She was blonde-haired and blue-eyed, wearing a blue dress and a white apron. On her back was a huge backpack stuffed with goods. Strangely, she looked like Alice if she was a merchant.
"We really need to get her a different outfit. Preferably some sleep wear as well," Amethyst brought up the topic, referring to me.
"Yeah, she is starting to look a little rumpled," Eryn said sympathetically.
"Poor thing… We'll help you," Marissa patted my hand comfortingly.
Konton wisely stayed out of it. She sat in the middle of the table eating a plum almost as big as herself.
They had a point. I couldn't just wear the same sailor dress forever. Being in the form of a girl, however, I knew that shopping for clothes would be a different experience this time. "Okay, thanks," I said, nodding. Still, I couldn't help but be nervous. I may be seeing myself…
Amethyst held my hand, as she knew what was troubling me.
"Have you been shopping before?" Marissa asked solicitously.
"Some people just don't like to go shopping. I know I don't," Galdo said.
"Galdy-kins hates to shop, but loves new socks. It's quite the issue," she confided.
"I know what ya mean. I don't mind shopping for boxers but some things are just a pain," Fang commiserated.
Konton slowly swallowed the bite of plum to avoid choking herself with laughter.
"We really need to buy cloaks this time before heading for the ice cave," Eryn said to Fang.
"Ooh… thermal underwear," he nodded appreciatively.
"I like new underwear," Galdo agreed this was a good thing.
The littlest Fairy was turning red and making squeaking sounds as she laughed. Konton keeled over laughing into the tablecloth.
I had no words, and I could feel warmth in my cheeks. That part about underwear was the one I was most nervous about…
"I can tell you where the best shops are… for a price," Lola smirked.
"That's okay. We've been here before," Eryn said.
"Not in this timeline~!" Lola said in a sing-song voice.
"Can you please stop gouging us? Seriously. This got old the first time around!" Fang threw his hands up. Lola looked alarmed as she realized her comment went too far.
"Ah ha ha ha… Just a joke for my best customers! I know a great place, affordable, and close by. No Justice Society patrols either," Lola said.
"That's a stroke of luck. Those guys are everywhere!" Galdo exclaimed and punched his fist.
"Maybe we should all change our clothes to something less conspicuous," Amethyst suggested.
"You guys totally got the Protagonist Party vibe going on," Konton agreed and confused everyone at the table with meta speech.
I chuckled, getting what she meant. Our attires looked distinctive, after all, like a party of main characters in a video game. Amethyst wasn't the only one who had Neptune-like comments. "Yeah, being discreet would be good," I said, agreeing with my Fairy.
On the way to the store, Konton flew alongside me. She drifted a little closer and sat on my shoulder. "I realize a couple things weren't mentioned in the last chapter, namely how I came with you. Technically, you have two Fairies. My Fury, however, is merged with Amethyst's as per resonance. Does that help?"
I nodded, for that made sense, but one part of that answer threw me off. It was a level of meta I wasn't expecting. "Chapter? As in we're in a real-time story?" I asked, momentarily confused.
Konton patted my cheek tenderly, "We're all protagonists in our own story."
"Yeah," I answered, for that was a saying I agreed with. 'Neptune just takes it to another level.'
The whole last chapter thing reminded me of something, though. After Gehaburn was destroyed, no trace remained of its vessel, but said puppet was the Vile God. "Oh, by the way, is the Vile God dead? I mean, Gehaburn puppeted him, and now he's gone."
"Technically, the 'Vile God' you saw was a hollow spiritual manifestation. Not quite the real thing which is how Gehaburn could possess him. I remember seeing it through the sword's eyes. The power was still there because people still believe in him. Now he's gone completely," Konton said.
"I see." That meant whatever was left of him actually died there. I wondered if that helped make up for Fang and the others removing his Furies…
My pondering was put to a pause as we arrived. The shop was a normal clothing outlet, with no unnecessary epaulets, zippers, or tassels. It wasn't like an overabundance of belts, either. The choices looked nice and functional, like in real life. Some things were stylized, kinda like a protagonist look, but that happened back home, too. Men's and women's apparel were in different parts of the store, just like the usual. The most frightening part, however, was the underwear section. Amethyst held my hand comfortingly.
"Do you need my help?" She asked solicitously.
I meekly nodded. I had little idea of what to do there. I'd still rather be the one to choose which to buy, though, since I would be wearing them. "So, where do we start?"
"The most difficult part first. Then we'll find the outerwear," Amethyst took charge. She guided me right towards the simplest underwear. Nothing too fancy, just plain solid colors.
Aww man, why the intimate apparel first…? But anyway, what was more important to me was which ones would be comfy to wear. I once read that it's difficult to get those of just the right size, and it might take a while to find those in my case. I took a deep breath, mentally bracing myself for what came next.
"Hi! How can I help you?" The saleswoman approached with all the speed and subtlety of a main battle tank.
"Quick question! Do you carry half sizes?" From there Amethyst barraged the saleswoman with questions, so many questions that the woman developed a glazed look in her eyes. Just about the point her hair visibly 'poinged', steam seemed to shoot from her ears.
"I will… have to ask my manager…" She said mechanically before turning on her heel and walking away.
Konton whistled. "That was amazing…" she said admiringly.
"All we have to do is get it within the right ballpark. I can use a little magic to alter the fit better," Amethyst assured me.
Wow, I couldn't keep up with her queries either. She clearly knew her stuff. Again, I was fortunate to have met her. "Thanks," I said. That was better than having to endlessly try all manner of sizes of innerwear, especially around my chest.
Amethyst snagged the measuring tape and gave me a light push into the changing room. She let the tape measure go, and it started winding of its own accord, around my chest, then around my waist, then around my hips. The Fairy seemed to know the results as I could hear a scritching of pencil on paper. She was taking my sizes, wasn't she?
"Just wait right there and I'll be back. Konton? Keep watch," Amethyst ordered before setting off for who knows where.
"Hypercompetent, takes charge, and actually has the answers. She really is like Purple Heart," Konton said through the door.
"Uh-huh," I added, also recognizing the parallels. My cheeks flushed slightly at the prospect of actually trying the stuff on...
"Here you are. Just place what doesn't fit on the door," Amethyst passed the bundle of clothing over the closed door.
Here they were. There was no turning back. It was time to fit them. 'I'll have to get used to this, won't I?'
This reminded me of those times wherein my mom and I shopped for pants for me. She would help me find the right size, and she would wait outside the fitting room. Whenever I tried one on, she would then see if it looked good on me, for she had a better sense of fashion than me. Just like right now, I would also leave out the ones that didn't fit me. The difference now, was that these were lingerie, articles of clothing that I never thought I would find myself wearing. At least we weren't fighting for our lives again...
The ones worn around my waist and hips were easy enough, for they were similar enough to the briefs of before. Some were a tad too tight, and were irritating on my skin. Others were a tad too loose, and had that possibility of falling down when worn. Still others felt just right for me. I kept my sailor dress on, and my gaze away from the mirror, letting my sense of touch guide me as I gingerly fitted them. 'I'd rather not see what's underneath. On another note, I should wear shorts under this dress next time.'
After sorting out that one, next were the brassieres, and that was a more complicated matter. After I put on my stockings and boots, I had to unbutton and remove my dress. I carefully did so, putting it neatly to the side. I still wasn't willing to look myself in the mirror, but I felt the coolness of the air-conditioner on the uncovered portion of my skin.
Sizing was not a single letter nor a single number. There was instead a number followed by a letter on the tag of each piece. From what I once read before, there were two parts to it. The first was the band, which wrapped around the chest, sides and back. The second was the cup, which covered the... bosom itself. Both had to be just right, or one would have issues. I for one would want to be as comfy as possible.
It, um, took a while to try the ones Amethyst picked out for me. My cheeks still warm from embarrassment, I closed my eyes, letting my hands guide me, supposedly new actions, as in wearing them and clasping them to me, feeling as if I had done them before. This was awkward… I couldn't bring myself to look down, nor use the mirror provided. Instead, I relied on how they felt. Some were a bit small on the cup, such that it felt tight, like my… girls would spill out. Others were instead tight on the band, such that it was digging into my skin. How uncomfortable that was. Still others were loose on either or both parts, which wasn't an improvement either. It was like it was just there, but not supporting me at all.
As it turned out, none were a perfect nor exact fit, but there were those that came close enough, which were mostly something-C in size. Like my older Fairy said, she could adjust them later. After sorting those out, I wore my dress as soon as possible. I felt I needed to be decent again. 'This is my body now. I know and acknowledge that, but being this acquainted with it, smooth and soft, wasn't something I was prepared for.'
"I'm done," I said to Amethyst and Konton, as I placed the non-fitting lingerie on the door, and brought the fitting ones with me.
"Okay. Now for the easier part," Amethyst said. The easier part was picking out the outerwear.
There were… a lot to choose from. I then remembered that I still had my three palette swaps of my sailor dress in my inventory, but variety was a good thing, wasn't it? If Vert were here, she would have me try all kinds of ensembles…
But weren't we here to get more discreet attire? 'I shouldn't get carried away and spend too much, and I prefer a more minimalist look anyway.' While accompanied by my Fairies, I roamed around the shelves, taking a look at the ones shown, and canvassing my options. Then, I picked those that looked nice and comfy, and tried them on in the fitting room. This time, I was willing to look myself in the mirror, and… I smiled whenever I found something that worked well for me. It was good to look and feel good, after all. In the end, I chose…
First was a pair of black shorts. That way, aside from using it as is, I could also preserve my modesty even if the wind were to blow my dress or skirt upward, or if someone were to look up my dress or skirt. Next was a pair of jogging pants, a purple one with white stripes. While I could have gone for jeans, I decided to choose something comfier, and easier to move around in, in case of fights. After that, I… felt like giving the feminine look a chance, and as such, I picked out a skirt, a denim one of medium length and indigo hue, which felt less constraining compared to wearing jeans. Then, I chose two short-sleeved blouses, one yellow, and one blue, both ruffled. They also had that unmistakably feminine look to them, but they felt soft, smooth, light, and loose, a different sensation from the t-shirts I was used to. I wanted to experience more of that. Lastly, I got a cloak for cold weather, a red one with a hood, which used two cross-shaped pins to- wait, it was practically Ruby's cloak, wasn't it? 'I like it.'
Now for the sleeping attire… "Um, do you have suggestions in mind for sleepwear?" I asked my Fairies. While I could have gone for just a tank top and shorts, I was curious as to what they had in mind.
"I would say go with what's most comfortable," Amethyst shrugged.
"Nude is most comfortable for you?" Konton asked the older Fairy, which made me slightly flush, though she was actually in underwear that time. 'Oh goodness, please don't remind me of that…'
"I'm going to buy pajamas… Promise," she blushed a little.
"I'll go with a sando, I mean tank top and shorts," I said, referring to what I usually wore for sleeping. A "sando" was what a sleeveless shirt or tank top was called back home. I eventually found one my size, a white top with a black gear pattern on it, and a pair of purple pajama shorts.
The shopping trip was then concluded. Fang found a white hoodie and board shorts, which made him look kinda like a surfer, but it worked. Galdo's new outfit looked like a ronin with the open coat, bare chest, and kung-fu pants. Apparently, trying to go inconspicuous was beyond him. At the very least, it wasn't what he was wearing before. The Fairies didn't bother changing their normal wardrobes and instead stayed in weapon form. No one did seem to look twice at them.
"You're wearing those already?" I questioned the two guys. "Don't they need to be washed first?" It was why I just put my purchases in my inventory.
Marissa giggled along with Eryn.
"That's what we said, but do they listen?" Eryn shook her head.
"You made some very cute choices," Amethyst teased me, but her words were honest. She disappeared into the Fury before we left the store, to be safe.
"They haven't met me yet, but I'll stay above you. Scouting is perfect for someone my size!" Konton's wings vibrated with excitement. The little Fairy spiraled into the sky to keep a lookout. She was still mentally connected to me.
"They don't bother to look up?" I asked.
{Can you actually see me up here?} Konton asked smugly. She was barely a pinprick in the sky. Soon, even that was gone. Either she could fly really high, or somehow could disappear.
{Now that is a useful talent.} Amethyst marveled.
"Yeah," I concurred. She could discreetly keep an eye on the surroundings from above, and that would be of big help, indeed.
"We'll keep our old clothes of course for adventuring. Then just wear the new clothes in town to avoid notice. It's foolproof," Fang clenched his fist with conviction.
"Yeah it's something alright," Galdo marveled at Fang's ability to plan.
"Wash the new clothes first, get some rest, and head out in the morning. Too much of the day was wasted on this," Fang rubbed the back of his neck. He was anxious to raid the Justice Society labor camp. Each day put them further and further behind the enemy.
"Think we'll find Sherman waiting for us?" Galdo asked.
"Maybe. If we do we just smack the stupid out of him," Fang declared, conveniently ignoring how it took a Deus ex Machina to squeak and win, and he survived what, as I instinctively felt, should have been an instant-kill technique. As it turned out, it was actually my version of NEXT Purple's Dimensional Slice. No wonder it was currently locked to me. 'Wait, it's that lethal? Well, he was trying to kill us…'
"We should find a way to do some training of our own," Galdo added. The nominal leader of our group seemed to think about it for a minute.
"Yeah… Let's go back to Zazawa Plains. We didn't really have time to search it and the monsters are pretty tough. Just place a few Furies for increasing Experience, Weapon Points, and Money," Fang decided.
"Now?" Galdo blinked.
"Hey you're the one who pointed out we needed to train! What do you think, Nepgear?" Fang asked.
"I'm fine with it," I answered. We could all use the exercise. Sherman mentioned that he trained a lot, so doing some of that would go a long way.
Going to the Zazawa Plains when we weren't running for our life made it seem shorter. Before entering, Fang started pulling Furies out of seemingly nowhere and threw them into the sky. The blades sped off in all directions. A couple even landed near us. From each Fury, a dome field appeared and overlapped with one another. I could feel that something had changed, but it wasn't exactly clear.
{Quite an interesting set up…} Amethyst noted.
{Level grinding like this isn't something a newb would come up with.} Konton agreed.
"What did they do?" I asked my Fairies. I observed that the Furies were causing a field effect, but I didn't know what it was. Was it increasing the Exp, WP and money gained like what was mentioned a while ago?
{Basically, yes. Furies are able to use powers taken from the Vile God or the Goddess. These powers are capable of distorting reality. The more effects that are layered, the better. However some have negative effects. Fang's set up increases Money by 60%, and Experience and WP by 160%, but it negates Item Use, Magic, and Special Techniques.} Amethyst said. Apparently, she knew the question I had in mind.
{Holy shit… That's a lot of gain… but man does it hose you if you're not careful!} Konton gawked.
"Mhm, it's quite the risk," I remarked. We were restricted to regular attacks. Already, I felt as if my own skills and magic had been suppressed. I couldn't heal, nor buff, nor use a Slash Wave, for instance. If something unexpected were to occur, we would be in trouble.
"We have about 6 hours before sundown. Do you want to be here the whole time?" Fang asked.
"Might as well. We did come all the way out here," Galdo shrugged. He turned to me to get my opinion.
"As long as we retreat if we're low on health," I stated. We had no means of healing while the field effect was active.
"Good idea. Let's just stay in the first two areas and leave if we need healing. We can just go back in when we're healed up again," Galdo liked my idea. Fang smiled faintly.
"Good thinking, Nepgear. You're a smart cookie," he patted me on the shoulder.
[Title Gained: Smart Cookie]
Wha-? My eyes widened, such that my expression resembled that of Nepgya's. "A title? What the goodness?" What was that? Was it like the Affinity system in Re;Birth 3? It felt patronizing to me. At least it wasn't putting me down.
{Please let this be a one-off gag…} Konton prayed fervently.
{With our luck, it will be a running gag and actually mean something later.} Amethyst mentally rubbed her forehead.
The monsters of the Zazawa Plains were, for the most part, easier to deal with. We weren't tired from a long run and our ability to work together was vastly improved. The lack of techniques was annoying, but I could still shoot with my gunblade. Galdo and Fang appeared to be more power types who favored physical attacks over techniques. They served on the front line while I stayed back, aiming for weakpoints and keeping the enemy pinned down.
The obvious difference between videogame grinding and this, was that I could actually die. That added a level of concentration that 'mindless grinding' couldn't match. I was definitely not bored, since our lives were on the line, but it wasn't really mental weariness we had to worry about. It was physical stamina we needed to be mindful of. Unlike in videogames, we could get tired, and become weaker in the process. The monsters kept us on our toes, and we couldn't afford to let down our guard.
"Are you guys okay?" I asked, as I caught my breath from fighting a large avian creature, a thunder-bird of sorts that reminded me of Zapdos. Its lightning attacks were a handful to avoid, and it was equally a handful to hit.
"Whew… tougher than I remembered…" Fang admitted. He took a swig from a bottle of water.
"I can hang in there a while longer. We might want to knock off a little earlier. Don't want to be too exhausted tonight," Galdo said.
"Yeah. Another half hour will give us four hours. That's good enough," Fang decided.
{He wouldn't have thought of that if you hadn't prompted him. Good thinking.} Amethyst said approvingly.
Wait, really? We could have run ourselves ragged? Oh dear, that was a close call. "Okay, half-hour it is," I agreed.
The last half hour went by quickly, with Fang having suggested a full run from start to finish. After hours of training, we were able to handle the Plains. We still had enough left to make it back to the Inn. The most important part of the training wasn't just the Experience, but also the Weapon Points. It was time to divide up the six thousand WP I now had, which was a lot.
I first focused on my six stats, buying five ranks each for physical attack, physical defense, range, and Fury Form, and four ranks each for magic attack and magic defense. That was a total of 4400 points used, with all stats now at rank 8. I felt the jump in power, and a stronger bond with my Fairies, and they felt good.
Next up were my skills. I ended up clearing the list, obtaining Lightfall, a spell to shower multiple foes with light; Prismatic Burst, that powerful explosion of light; Stop, which worked like its Final Fantasy counterpart; Vigilance, which could prevent ambushes while as party leader; and Item Sonar, which gave me the ability to detect hidden treasure while as party leader, much like in Re;Birth 1 and 2, all for 330 points. Combined with the stat boosts, I now had 1270 left.
Interestingly, the Item Sonar required a "Revival Rank" of B or higher, but I surprisingly had a Revival Rank of S. If that was referring to the Godly Revival, was it because Konton was with me? "How did I get a Revival Rank of S?" I asked my Fairies.
Amethyst then explained that it was because the Vile God was defeated. Right, he was gone now, along with Gehaburn.
The list proceeded to update itself, and now there were a lot of gun and sword-related skills, some of which I already had equipped. The ones I had were: Flight Shot, which allowed me to effectively shoot flying enemies like the thunder-bird; Double Shot, which enabled me to fire two-round bursts at enemies; Side Edge, a horizontal slash that can pursue targets launched into the air; and Flight Edge, an upward slash which launches enemies ala FF13.
I started with my gun skills, since I was attacking from range a lot more often than up close. I first bought the ninth rank of physical attack for 400, to unlock the last shown gun skill, Heartbreak Shot. Then, I got all the gun skills for a total of 300, which were the following: Flight Double Shot, which shoots down launched targets; Down Shot, a downward-angled shot that can pursue launched targets; Critical Shot; a powerful but inaccurate attack that aims for the enemy's vitals; Flight Combo Shot, which hastened reload time; Pinhole Shot, a laser-accurate shot that skilled snipers could do; Fast Fire, which allowed for rapid barrages of shots; and Heartbreak Shot, which had a chance of instantly killing the target in one attack.
Then, I purchased several sword skills, which were: Thrust Edge, a stabbing attack; Holy Edge, which imbues my blade with the holy element, good for evil enemies like Gehaburn; Down Edge, a downward slash which can pursue launched targets; S-Flight Edge, a double-slash that can launch targets; Combo Edge, a triple-slash that can pursue launched targets; P-Thrust Edge, which was a Thrust Edge with an extra-piercing effect; and Swords Dance, a flurry of swordplay, all for 370 points.
At the end of it all, I only had 200 WP left, which I saved for next time. The only options remaining were of higher cost than it. Now I felt more knowledgeable with the use of my gunblade, that I could do more with Amethyst and Konton by my side.
{It was a good idea to do some grinding before heading into an enemy stronghold. Let's get some dinner and go to sleep.} Amethyst said.
A good meal and a rest sounded like just what the doctor ordered. Dinner was a lively affair with Fang and Eryn fighting over the dishes. Off to the side, Marissa was trying to get 'Galdy-kins' to eat a little slower, with mixed success. The new addition, Lola, was cheerfully appraising all of the vendor trash we picked up. We also found a lot of healing items for both health and magic, which we carefully kept away from her, just in case.
After dinner, everyone went their separate ways. Amethyst and Konton headed to the room to get ready for bed. Fang was talking quietly to Marissa, something he sometimes did. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but she seemed more relaxed after. He waved goodnight as she hurried off to the room she shared with Eryn.
"Hey, Nepgear," Fang greeted me.
"Yes?" I inquired.
"How is everything?" He asked.
That was a good question. Many things did happen in quick succession. "I'm fine, I guess," I said. I figured I was managing as I was slowly adjusting to my life here. Still, now that things weren't 'exciting', so to speak, I found myself mentally looking back towards home. I didn't know if I could return, and even then, I felt that I had become a bit different recently. I still missed home, though.
"You've done a lot for us since you got here. I'm not sure we could have gotten away from Sherman otherwise…" Fang said gratefully. I suddenly felt a flash as a scene I was familiar with suddenly crossed my mind. The Zazawa Plains. Fang and Galdo doing everything they could to defeat Sherman, but where was I? I wasn't there. The battle suddenly turning against them. Galdo grabbing Sherman in a bearhug, with a bomb in his hand. Fang desperately reaching out to him. A teary-eyed Marissa and Eryn dragging the man away. An explosion and a cry of despair.
I winced at the thought of that. It meant that things could have gone much worse without me, and even then, if I hadn't had temporary access to Horizon Cut... Was I really that helpful? "I had no idea…"
"Hey, you were there and willing to help. Isn't that enough?" Fang lightly gripped my shoulder.
I blinked at that. "Yeah," I said, nodding in agreement. The scene, that alternate future, felt so real… where did it come from?
"Thanks for being here," Fang smiled before bidding me goodnight.
"You're welcome, and good night," I said back to him, a small smile on my face. To know that I helped that much… felt good.
Later on, I decided to go to my room, which was also shared with my Fairies. The vision of an alternate confrontation with Sherman was haunting. Amethyst looked up as she sensed my turmoil. The littlest Fairy had an expression of disquiet at my confusion.
"What's wrong, Nepgear?" Amethyst held her arms open if I needed a hug.
I embraced her in turn, the comfort a welcoming feeling. "I saw what could have happened if we weren't there, as in you and me. The Sherman fight could have gone worse. Galdo could have sacrificed himself… it looked so real, felt so real..." I turned my gaze away, the prospect of that a horrible thing. Amethyst looked just as horrified but more because I witnessed such a terrible image. Her embrace tightened.
"You were inserted into this world as a Divine Saving Throw. Some deity must be fudging the dice. From what I gathered just from talking to Eryn about the other timeline? This world is far worse and even more distorted. The only thing that makes any sense is that you're meant to be a spanner in the works," Konton said.
So, a case of 'things gone off the rails, and they added someone to fix it'? "That's a lot to shoulder on me…" I said. Totally no pressure at all…
"Change too much, and it invites the opposition to alter things. It had to be someone with a manageable drawback. Hi! I'm your drawback!" Konton waved.
"Gehaburn was considered an acceptable drawback?" Amethyst looked bewildered, and so was I.
"Hey, he was beaten, right?" Konton asked rhetorically.
"Yes," I answered. What was she trying to say?
"So your 'drawback' was a manageable one. If the 'ROB' involved added anyone else, the balance would probably spawn something worse than the Vile God," Konton shuddered. Now she was using that forum-specific term, too?
"What could possibly be worse than the Vile God?" Amethyst continued to stroke my hair, as much for her comfort as my own.
"That could be anything. There's always a bigger fish," I said. 'I'd rather not find out for real.'
"Yeah...let's not convince Murphy to show us the 'bigger fish.' Okay?" Konton grinned nervously.
Amethyst looked around, as if checking to see if her words did in fact invite disaster. Thankfully, disaster was finished with us for the night. Maybe even waiting to spring on us at a later date.
Since we had a quiet moment, I decided to check for a journal on my person. Maybe it had some helpful information for explaining my situation? I found it on the first try, and it was neatly divided by tabs like 'Characters', 'Items', 'Furies', 'Bestiary', 'Terms', 'Log', and 'Key Items.' My 'Key Items' were Konton's Fury and Amethyst's Fury. The Log was everything that happened since I woke up. There was a peculiar line at the beginning though…
"Quod liberum arbitrium accepit me fata mea"
I didn't know what to make of it. It looked like Latin, but I didn't know that language. I wouldn't be able to translate it without Google, and even that wasn't always on the mark. What was it trying to say? With my luck, it would be vitally important, and only reveal its importance in the third act.
"We better get some sleep, if we're heading out at first light that is," Amethyst yawned. The older Fairy was looking more drained. Training really took its toll on us.
"Yeah. Good night, Amethyst, Konton," I said. "I'll just change clothes first." My current dress was dirty from all the previous activity, and the new clothes were washed before dinner. Incidentally, Amethyst also adjusted my underwear during that time via simple spells, making the ones around my chest a more comfortable fit on me.
Exiting my room, I went down the hallway to where the bathroom is, and I consciously made sure to go to the correct one. Then, I entered one of the stalls within, and brought out my new sleepwear from my inventory. Carefully changing into it was a bit easier now, though I still averted my gaze and closed my eyes. I… opted not to wear a bra this time. It was admittedly rather uncomfortable going to sleep with it last night…
After rolling the dirty clothes and keeping them in my inventory, I returned to the room, where I placed them in the laundry bag. Then, I lay down on my bed, wrapping an arm around a pillow as I closed my eyes. The next day was going to be a tough one, but we prepared as much as we could today.
I felt as ready as could be. We were stronger now than when we fought Sherman, than when we fought Gehaburn. 'When tomorrow comes, we'll be there to meet it…'
- Location
- Ekaterinburg, Russia
@SilverShadows (presumably, near-same name and same avvie) had speculated on SB that the latin-like phrase is supposed to be along the lines of
"I accept this fate of my own free will"
I find this apt, considering the genre (Friend Insert)
I find this apt, considering the genre (Friend Insert)
SilverShadows
Under autumn skies
- Location
- US
Yeah that was me. I didn't know this had an SV version. Now I'm following it on both!
Redundancy ho!
Redundancy ho!
Yeah, I checked with Google Translate, and the result was fairly weird. As for what the actual translation makes me think...
How long until our protagonist "wakes up" in a blue room and gets greeted by a bald man, wearing blue, with a long nose? Because I know I've seen that line in a game before...
For Great Justice!
- Location
- PA
AN: Merry Christmas from me and @UbeOne
For Great Justice!
The time had come to make our assault on the Justice Society Camp. Before first light, we readied ourselves and headed out of Zelwinds to where they kept the "criminals." It wouldn't be easy to break into their stronghold, but we had to try. Fang's idea to recruit the Dorfa Executives, who were originally his enemies, might be harebrained, but we were only three fighters and our Fairies. We could use the backup. Whether they were reliable or not was a question mark, but some assistance would be better than none.
"So, how will we convince them to help us?" I asked.
"The alternative is we leave them behind," Fang said.
"Not a bad idea, but how do we know they won't stab us in the back later?" Eryn asked.
"You have to give trust to get trust," Fang shrugged.
"Like we trusted Sherman…" The words slipped from Marissa's mouth. She covered her mouth quickly, but the damage was already done. Fang's shoulders hunched as a pensive frown crossed his face. She tried to apologize, but he only gave her a brittle smile.
"Hey, you were only saying what we were thinking. I just can't… I can't stop trying," he said. Galdo patted him on the back comfortingly.
"I understand," I gently said in sympathy. From what I heard, he used to be a friend of theirs, so his change of heart was certainly a sore spot for them. Now I wondered what caused him to turn into such a misguided zealot. Vague stuff like 'seeing the truth' didn't count. "If we can have some sort of contingency…" I suggested. The idea was to extend a measure of trust, but at the same time, to also have a backup plan in case they were to betray us. The latter case would be of concern, since they were unknown variables with likely their own, separate agenda.
{One of us could perform Resonance with their Fury. We couldn't take over their Fairy, but we could paralyze their Fury.} One of the extra Furies hovered in the air in the form of a gauntlet.
"Wait… You would be able to do that?" Amethyst asked.
{Yes. After combining our power to face down Gehaburn, we're a lot stronger now.} The Fury radiated confidence before vanishing again.
"Does that help?" Konton asked the group.
"Yeah," I nodded, for it amounted to temporarily disarming their Fencers. That would certainly give us the upper hand in such a case. Perhaps drawing out Gehaburn in that chamber was a good idea, after all.
"Okay. I can get behind that," Fang nodded. He did want to trust, but at least it hadn't blinded him.
An hour later, and we were nearing the Justice Society Camp, which wasn't a camp so much as a prison. Strangely, there didn't seem to be that many guards. Whether that was accidental or not was unknown to me. My Fairies were on high alert as we crept towards the entrance, making use of bushes and trees to screen our approach. The entrance was a stout door with iron bars, but it was unlocked. 'Suspicious…'
"This looks like a trap," Konton said what everyone was thinking.
"Do we keep going?" Galdo asked.
"Even if it is a trap, we won't be caught off guard. They made it too obvious," Fang asserted.
"One could leave an obvious trap to conceal the real one," I stated, since such layered things could be, well, a thing. "Is there some way to sense what is hidden, or what is beyond that door?"
Eryn appeared with her eyes closed, as she held one hand towards the door with a look of concentration. After a few moments, she shook her head.
"I don't sense anything on the door, but I can feel a lot of Fairies further in," she said, before turning back into Fang's sword.
"Heh. Too bad for them. We know what's coming," Galdo clenched his fist.
"Stay sharp and we'll get out of this," Fang clenched his fist as well.
I nodded. An option was a dynamic entry, but since being discreet was favored here over being fast, and since it was not likely to be a single room… "Is there a way to help our stealth, like turn invisible or really quiet, or erase our tracks?" I suggested. I hoped that I wasn't far off the mark. 'In such a place, we would be outnumbered, so if we could pick our battles and engage only if we want to…'
"We'll just have to be really quiet," Fang shrugged apologetically.
"Follow my lead. I'm used to skulking around," Galdo grinned before turning serious.
He waited at the door for several moments, before opening it just enough for a single person to creep through. The blond Fencer ducked inside, and after several more moments, he made a "come here" gesture with his hand. "Send Nepgear first, then Fang," he whispered. On the other side of the door, it was surprisingly badly lit like a stereotypical dungeon. For a moment, I could imagine some sort of background music being played while we were inside. Galdo pulled me to one side to make room for Fang. The normally brash Fencer was then quiet as he shut the door.
Galdo held a finger up to his lips while listening for trouble, and fortunately, no one came to investigate the door opening, which only seemed to make him more tense. Even if it was a trap, the fact no one was even pretending to do their jobs was nerve-wracking. The silence truly was deafening. It was like those tense, quiet scenes in movies before things broke loose, but this time, it was very, very real.
I kept silent as I accompanied them, and stretched out my senses. A strange feeling came over me as if I could almost "see" circles of light along the floor, each one marking a guard further along the hall of the prison. Amethyst whispered that I was seeing their Fairies' range of detection. Wherever it came from, it was certainly a useful ability, which only added to the video game-like atmosphere of this world.
Galdo gestured for us to follow him. Interestingly, he seemed to be able to see the same thing I could, which, as Amethyst explained, was often a trait shared by Stealth or Rogue-type Fencers. Apparently, it applied to Snipers, too. Because my Fury's primary form was a combined Gun/Sword, I was considered more of a Sniper than a Swords(wo)man, befitting my preference for long range. Fang couldn't see what Galdo and I did, so he just stayed close.
We headed north along the wide passageway and entered a new room. The guards were still further down the path. To the right and left were cell-lined passages, and I could sense life from the west, a stronger feeling of life that came from a Fencer and their Fairy. Konton sent a feeling of approval. Thanks to my sensing ability, we had an idea of where to go. As we crept down the hallway, the sight that greeted us was pitiful. An aristocratic man with silver hair and unkept beard was in one cell, while the other held a nervous looking guy with light brown hair and glasses.
"The President of Dorfa and that bootlicker guy…" Fang breathed.
"Paiga. The bootlicker guy is Paiga," Galdo reminded him.
"What do you know about them?" I whispered. 'Context would be appreciated here.'
"Paiga is spineless, but he was one of the Four Heavenly Czars. He's a surprisingly tough Fencer. The President isn't a Fencer and is a ruthless son of a bitch," Galdo didn't casually swear, but this president was clearly bad enough to warrant it.
"Right. Ask them to come with us or keep going?" Fang asked.
"Try to get Paiga maybe. Let the president rot," Galdo said.
In practical terms, a Fencer would be more useful as an ally, and if the president was as bad as he said, then maybe that guy was better off left here. However… "This world is different, right?" I asked, recalling that this wasn't their timeline. "Are they still the same people you know?" On one hand, it was a risk to take such a chance that they were different. On the other hand, though… Sherman was different, and Tiara didn't know them. Neither did Mrs. Four-star.
"She does have a point. Okay, let's give this a shot," Fang said.
As we approached their cells, both men looked up. The cell across the way held a woman with shoulder-length curly white hair and mouse ears, who was also rather busty with zippers over her bosom. Clearly a Fairy or an exhibitionist.
"Well, isn't this a coincidence. Hello Galdo. Surprised to see that you're still alive," the President smirked faintly. The look of recognition in his and Paiga's eyes was obvious. So much for them being different...
"They do remember," Galdo said to Fang.
"Mr. President. This might be a good opportunity…" Paiga said.
"A good opportunity to what?" Fang asked.
"Let's hear their offer first," the President gestured, as if giving us permission to speak.
"Leave 'em. They're only going to slow us down," Galdo bit out.
"Sheesh… Listen. If you two agree to work with us, we'll get you out of these cells. Don't agree, and we walk away," Fang said boldly.
"I have a counter-offer. You can work for me, and I will take you with us. Otherwise, I will turn you over to the Justice Society," the President smirked.
That didn't sound good at all. How could he do that from there…? The impression I got was that his mind made up for not being a Fencer. His strength was in cunning, in schemes, which suited someone who was a ruthless president. I found myself not trusting him, but I didn't want to decide anything just yet. Instead of speaking verbally to my Fairies, I tried to project my thoughts, since they could do that with me, akin to telepathy. It would be quieter that way. {What do you think?} I queried Amethyst and Konton. Maybe they saw something I missed?
{He's too confident. He knows something we don't and is waiting for an opening.} Amethyst said.
Konton then suddenly made a noise of alarm. {Wait! That mouse Fairy unlocked the cells! They're not locked up!} She exclaimed.
What the goodness?! Then what stopped them from just going out of here? {So they were waiting for us, and stalling for time?} I quickly asked. Was it the trap?
Whatever their plan was, it no longer mattered. Konton sent the alert to the other Fairies, and faster than they could blink, Fang was aiming a gun for the Fencer, while Galdo covered the Fairy. The President reeled back in shocked alarm at just how quickly the tables turned.
"Sneaky, sneaky… But I think we're just going to leave you here… Nepgear? Cover the rat," Fang gestured with his head towards the mouse Fairy. Galdo worked quickly to damage the locks, so that they couldn't be unlocked.
"Silence," Konton appeared, and cast a spell to take away their voice. She then vanished again without a trace. How versatile our Fairies were...
"Well, this was a bust," Fang grumbled.
"Let's go before they start thrashing at the bars," Galdo hurriedly whispered.
We left the hallway quickly, and not a moment too soon, as the men, and Fairy, set up a racket. The guards left their posts to investigate the noise. 'Talk about distracting them for us…'
"We could ambush them. We'll need a set of keys to continue," Fang pointed at the locked door, which hummed faintly with magic.
"I'm not so good at picking magic locks," Galdo admitted.
The guards were gathered around the prisoner cells, completely oblivious to their surroundings. An option was indeed to get the drop on them, but I felt that another path was possibly open to me, considering Nepgear's background.
I mentally checked my pool of knowledge, that is, Nepgear's knowledge, if I had inherited any skill at lockpicking from her, if she learned that in the process of tinkering with all kinds of machines. She was an absolute gearhead, after all, befitting her name. Such a skill would be useful right now, though there was the possible risk of setting off any alarms installed in the lock…
Knowledge streamed into my mind, of theories, methods, mechanisms, and designs. As it turned out, she knew a lot about it, not only about lockpicking, but also locksmithing. She could create a better lock than this one, and now, I knew what she knew. "I'll try to pick it," I replied, approaching the lock. Hopefully, this worked.
The first issue was that the magic within it was 'coded' to specific 'colors.' Simplistic, actually, but it would have been a pain to realize that after getting halfway through. I felt the magic and resonated it with the pool of magic I possessed, and after a minute, my magic felt 'white', neutralizing the spell on the lock. From there, it was a simple matter to pick the lock, working its pins with a pick and turning it with a torsion wrench.
"Okay, that was seriously cool. Good job, Nepgear," Galdo clapped me on the shoulder, which made me smile a bit. It was nice to be able to help.
[Title Gained: Sneaky Beaky!]
"Another title? Really?" I asked, eyes widened, surprised at the appearance of that system again. I wondered if it had some sort of mechanical benefit, or if it was more like a set of achievements. Either way, it felt good this time, rather than patronizing. We were trying our best at a stealth run, after all.
This one, as it turned out, actually did have an effect. I felt that I could lockpick faster now, that it would take sixty percent less time to do so. How convenient.
We didn't need to hunt down keys with me around. The guards were wary and on high alert, but Galdo's skill with sneaking around helped mitigate their alertness. However, another complication developed as we arrived on the second floor. The first row of cells held another prisoner, a young, fair-skinned girl with blonde-ish hair and amber eyes. Her black, white-trimmed dress was in a style reminiscent of Eryn's, Marissa's and Tiara's, and her hair clip was that of a black rose.
"That's Marianna… She's an even stronger Fencer than Paiga," Galdo looked shocked to see her there.
"I remember," Fang rubbed his chest in remembrance of a past battle.
"How is she as a person?" I asked the two guys. Her character was the important part.
"Well… She manages an orphanage and donates some of her pay towards the children…The kids even seem to like her," Galdo rubbed the back of his neck.
"Yeah, that's what I remembered most too. She was a good person, I think," Fang nodded in agreement.
Those sounded good, but… {Is her cell already unlocked?} I asked Konton, in case it was that same trick again. I had to check, just to be sure.
{No. I can't sense her Fairy nearby either. They must be on another floor.} Konton said. Left unsaid was what it meant about Marianna's skill, if they actually separated her from her Fairy.
Fang and Galdo were waiting on my decision, so I said, "Let's make the offer, then."
The elegantly dressed woman was already looking at us as we approached. Her senses were sharp. She straightened regally with an air of poise, as if preparing for battle. Fang took the mood and shattered it completely.
"How about joining us in fighting Sherman and the Justice Society?" Fang asked. Marianna eyes widened fractionally.
"Just like that? I was with your enemies. Who makes an offer like that?" She looked mystified.
"Fang does. Listen, you're really strong. We need all the help we can get. Don't you want to get out of here?" Galdo asked.
"...Find my partner and I will come," she capitulated awfully fast.
"All right," I said to her, then commented to my Fairies, {That was quick.} Was it just her being pragmatic, as in using our help to get her Fairy and go, or was it something else? I couldn't help but be at least a bit paranoid. Things didn't feel cut and dry around here.
On another note, being able to mentally talk to Amethyst and Konton was becoming more and more convenient.
"We'll find him, but we're holding you to that agreement," Fang said.
"Fair enough," Marissa recognized that she wasn't fully trusted.
Moving out once more, we had to be careful as the number of guards increased, more of them appearing the deeper we went. It was getting harder to sneak around. As such, Konton used her small size to slip around the squads and her strength to tip over pots, to make ghost sounds, to do all sorts of distractions.
"Keep going. Maybe they put all these guards between Marianna and her Fairy, so they couldn't team up," Fang suggested.
"Fairies are pretty good at escaping confinement. The only way to keep one from escaping is to threaten their Fencer. Marianna is probably the one in more danger," Galdo said.
"Well, to get her help, we'd have to reach her Fairy anyway," I pointed out.
The second floor was a confusing maze of hallways. If we had to actually search for the keys, it would be a nightmare to navigate. As it was, we just had to follow the path of locked doors. However, a tight knot of guards stood at the head of a long line of cells. Konton's efforts to draw them away failed.
"The prisoners on the first floor finally regained their voices. It seems we have some rats scurrying around. Stand fast," the guard captain said to the others. These ones were apparently more competent.
"What do we do now?" Galdo asked.
"We have no choice. We're going to have to fight," Fang said. He turned to me as if asking for my opinion.
"Then we do it as quietly as possible." Again, stealth was our priority, so we had to minimize the ruckus. 'We may have to cover up the fight afterwards, too.'
Fang and Galdo switched to Knuckles before sprinting out from cover. They were counting on me to provide support again. I asked Konton to Silence the guards, while I casted Offensive Cheer on the two guys. I couldn't shoot the guards, since my gunblade was as noisy as an actual gun. My Fury had no suppressor or silencer to muffle the report. While an option was to use my light magic, it was that, light magic, which all the visibility that came with it.
The guards weren't caught off guard by the assault. What did surprise them, however, was the sheer power behind the rush. Increasing the strength of the attackers shorted the battle considerably. As the last Justice Society guard fell, Fang and Galdo started finding cells to stuff them into. Another casting of Silence, would hopefully keep them out of the action, while they slept off their beating.
More guards were at the far end of the hallway, but facing away from the conflict. Not a sound was made, at least not one loud enough to alert them. One of the cells was occupied by a creature even stranger looking than Cui, one who resembled a PicoDevimon, except white, with a smaller mouth, an triangular orange marking on the top of its head, and a heart-shaped tip on its tail. {Is that Marianna's Fairy?} I asked my Fairies.
"That's Khalara… Good. Now we just have to get him and get back to Marianna…" Galdo breathed as he ghosted towards the cell, Fang a half step behind him. All of a sudden, I saw the alert circle under Khalara turn red.
My eyes widened. Goodness, we had just been discovered! Was it some sort of proximity sensor?! I readied my Fury in case the guards came. "Guys…" I said.
At the worried tone, they readied themselves for an ambush. Unfortunately, I read the alert wrong. The danger wasn't from something else. It was from sheer, blatant foolishness.
"Hey! What are you guys doing here?" The demonic Khalara called out to us. We froze in shock at just how loud he was. Maybe nobody heard us…?
"What the Hell!?"
"How'd they get there?"
"Team two's down! Team two's down! Send backup!"
"Ah ha ha… oops?" Khalara's sharp grin turned down in embarrassment.
I facepalmed. Hard. Thanks to him, we now had to fight our way through. "Let's hurry up…!" I said to Fang and Galdo. Since stealth was no longer an option, we had to go for speed.
"Thanks Khalara! Seriously!" Galdo said sarcastically to the Fairy as he slashed straight through the door with Marissa.
"Yeah my bad… Where's Marianna?" He asked.
"We have to go back for her! Screw this… Fairize!" Fang transformed.
Since we were forced into a speed run to rescue Marianna, and reach the exit, it no longer mattered if we conserved power. After that, the rest of us used Fairize, myself included, since there was not enough room for HDD's flight. Unlike in the Gehaburn fight, I felt that I could only use one mental switch or the other, but not both, the Fury Form offering me more durability to make up for its lack of flight.
The guards tried to get in our way, the operative word being 'tried.' We blew right by them without stopping. Khalara was clinging to Galdo's jacket with his teeth through the whole sprint.
"What happened? The whole base is on alert!" Marianna greeted us at the door to her cell. This time it was Fang's turn to break something as he punched the lock off. Khalara jumped into her arms.
"I did a baaaad thing…" Khalara said.
"Fairize and dash, Marianna. We don't have time to talk!" Fang barked. She bristled at being given an order, but wonder of wonders, she didn't fight him. Her Fairize looked like a dark valkyrie with a horned helmet. She bore a dark reddish spear with a black guard and a dark shield.
"I will follow you then," she declared.
{Nice to know people can be reasonable in a crisis.} Amethyst remarked.
{Enough wasting time! Go go go go!} Konton urged.
What did she think we were doing? Since Marianna used Fairize, we were running even faster to escape. It appeared we were going to get away scot free, but… 'There would always be an interruption, isn't it?'
"Ah… Hold it!" The familiar voice of Chiaki called out. She was standing in front of the exit with a rapier in hand, which didn't feel like a normal Fury. Konton radiated discomfort just from being near the thing.
{There's something seriously unnatural with that thing…} Konton warned.
{Maybe it's influencing her somehow?} I inquired, putting out my guess.
{Could be.} She said.
"Chiaki! What are you doing here?" Fang asked in surprise.
"I am here to stop you on behalf of Lord Sherman. You hurt him terribly… I won't let you hurt anyone else!" Chiaki was shaking like a leaf, but her eyes remained determined.
"Actually, we only bruised some guys… and pretty much ran from everybody else," Galdo said.
"You consort with criminals!" Chiaki's anger was increasing, her words reminiscent of Sherman's. She pointed her ornate rapier at us dramatically, which was a pretty thing with a silver basket hilt studded with clear blue sapphires. The tip, however, wasn't pretty. It was lethally sharp and carried with it her intent.
"Get out of our way. I have no desire to harm children," Marianna brushed her hair back flippantly. She didn't seem fazed in the slightest by being called a 'criminal.'
"If you won't take me seriously… Fairize," her voice dipped low with menace. She threw the rapier up and allowed it to take her through the heart. Then came a brilliant flash of blue/white light, before revealing her transformation. Her clothes were unchanged, but there was a modest breastplate over her chest. On her head was a winged helm with a mask over the eyes. She had a pair of silver wings, like an angel's, emerging from her back, while her arms and legs were encased in smooth silver armor.
"Damn it…" Fang grunted. Already, the extensive use of Fairize was getting to him.
"We'll have to break on through… Just… try to go easy," Galdo grimaced.
"If she won't get out of our way peacefully… Then I will move her by force!" Marianna pointed her lance at the rapier wielder.
From the looks of things, Chiaki couldn't be reasoned with, the unnatural aura from her Fury not helping her case. She forced a fight on us. I sighed as I readied my gunblade, me not being in top condition either. "This is so troublesome…"
"Piercing Light Stitch!" Chiaki shot forward with her rapier drawn back. Somewhat like Weiss from RWBY, she started thrusting her rapier forward so fast, that only flashes of light could be seen. Marianna ducked behind her shield as the rain of swift thrusts beat a staccato rhythm. The elegant woman was driven back from the repeated force even though she guarded.
"This strength...Where did it come from…?" Marianna asked in bewilderment.
'I blame whatever is infecting her Fury!' I thought.
"I was given this power to avenge Lord Sherman! This is the strength of my conviction!" Chiaki declared. She contemptuously knocked Marianna's return thrust to one side before attempting to take advantage of the opening. In the midst of that, I buffed all of us with Offensive and Defensive Cheers, and opened fire on the fencer with my Fury.
"Hoowah!" Galdo descended from on high with his arms covered in gauntlets. He brought both hands down in a double axe-handle on her back, except Chiaki flash-stepped to one side. The blond wasn't so easily fooled as he stopped soon enough to avoid flattening Marianna.
"Too slow…!" Chiaki started another thrust only to have to dodge again. Fang had both fists against the floor moments before a horizontal line of burning magma shot through where she stood. He didn't want to fight her, but he wasn't playing around either.
"Convergence!" I intoned, as magic circles appeared above the battlefield. Spears of light descended from them as they homed in towards Chiaki.
"Cynical Laugh!" Marianna thrust and slashed with her spear, each movement a thing of grace, without wasted motion. She stepped around my spell, taking advantage of Chiaki's inability to dodge. Between the falling spears and thrusting lance, the young blonde grunted in pain.
"This won't…" Chiaki let out a scream as Fang and Galdo caught her in their combo attack. The intense fire whirl hadn't succeeded yet but apparently this time it did. Our opponent screamed as the fire and wind raged. A shattering blast of light and thunder exploded outward in all directions like a bomb. The combo spell was canceled instantly. Marianna, Fang, and Galdo were similarly blown back, while I was relatively safe from my position as ranged support. I could still feel its power, though, and it was a lot.
{Is there a way to dispel that unnatural aura?} I quickly asked my Fairies. I figured that part of her strength, at least, came from that, and to even the odds, we had to remove it.
{You would have to disrupt her Fairize. Directly target the connection she holds with her Fury and that should stop her.} Amethyst said.
{This is where I come in. Nepgear? Use the Greatsword form.} Konton awakened a new Fury Form, Greatsword, which came with a special attack that could only be used while in Fairize, called Divinity Breaker. It was a powerful, single-hit attack with nothing held back. From what I now knew, there was a good chance of bypassing her defense field entirely and actually hurting Chiaki. Good timing there, Konton...
{Got it.} Using my connection to her, I felt for that other form of her, which was different from her current form, and tugged on it, to bring it to the surface. The Greatsword looked like the fuller held mechanical parts with a crystal purple blade. In the center of it was a blue eye, like Gehaburn's crystal. It was still Amethyst, but now channeling more of Konton's power directly. I could see the two Fairies holding one another as the power increased.
"Mega Cure All…" Marianna cast a healing spell over Galdo, Fang, and herself.
"It doesn't matter how many times… you get back up… I will be there to keep you down…" Chiaki panted and trembled with exertion. She used a recovery spell, but it didn't fix her exhaustion. Her rapier started to shine with actinic light so bright, it physically hurt to look at. She was solely focused on charging up for her attack, and there wouldn't be a better opening than that.
"Divinity… BREAKER!" The wild cry tore itself from my lips, energy surging within me as I dashed at her, all of the accumulated power rising to my weapon's leading edge. Chiaki quickly spun to interpose her own glowing weapon between the greatsword and her tired self. There was a titanic roar as all of the stored power was released in a single, punishing hammer stroke downward, the floor cracking and breaking under the mammoth force. Chiaki went from standing to flat on her back in a crater in an instant, her Fury laying at her side, barely glowing.
"She's a power type!?" Marianna lost her composure at the display of power.
"She's Nepgear," Fang said with a nod of satisfaction.
"Yep," Galdo folded his arms proudly.
I breathed in relief, the attack being a success. It took a lot out of me, though. "It was... a team effort..." I said, still catching my breath. We couldn't have done it without each other. I kept an eye on Chiaki, however, just to be sure she won't try anything.
Marianna carefully examined the unconscious girl, and looked briefly alarmed. Her hands glowed with a healing light as she ran it over the girl's body. Chiaki didn't even awaken when all of her wounds were gone.
"Crap. The guards are working up their courage," Galdo grimaced.
"Let's just take her with us. Until we know what's up with that Fury of hers I'm not happy with leaving her," Fang said.
"Who gets to touch it?" Galdo asked.
"Ugh, don't be such babies," Marianna placed the Fury in the sheath at Chiaki's waist. Since it was Fang's idea to bring her, he was left to carry the girl.
Apparently, fleeing an enemy location was becoming a running theme with us. I stuck closely to the others as we did just that. I considered our mission an apparent success, since we managed to obtain the aid of Marianna, but only time would tell as to whether it would pay off in the end. What was up with Chiaki's Fury, though…?
We would have to investigate eventually.
For Great Justice!
The time had come to make our assault on the Justice Society Camp. Before first light, we readied ourselves and headed out of Zelwinds to where they kept the "criminals." It wouldn't be easy to break into their stronghold, but we had to try. Fang's idea to recruit the Dorfa Executives, who were originally his enemies, might be harebrained, but we were only three fighters and our Fairies. We could use the backup. Whether they were reliable or not was a question mark, but some assistance would be better than none.
"So, how will we convince them to help us?" I asked.
"The alternative is we leave them behind," Fang said.
"Not a bad idea, but how do we know they won't stab us in the back later?" Eryn asked.
"You have to give trust to get trust," Fang shrugged.
"Like we trusted Sherman…" The words slipped from Marissa's mouth. She covered her mouth quickly, but the damage was already done. Fang's shoulders hunched as a pensive frown crossed his face. She tried to apologize, but he only gave her a brittle smile.
"Hey, you were only saying what we were thinking. I just can't… I can't stop trying," he said. Galdo patted him on the back comfortingly.
"I understand," I gently said in sympathy. From what I heard, he used to be a friend of theirs, so his change of heart was certainly a sore spot for them. Now I wondered what caused him to turn into such a misguided zealot. Vague stuff like 'seeing the truth' didn't count. "If we can have some sort of contingency…" I suggested. The idea was to extend a measure of trust, but at the same time, to also have a backup plan in case they were to betray us. The latter case would be of concern, since they were unknown variables with likely their own, separate agenda.
{One of us could perform Resonance with their Fury. We couldn't take over their Fairy, but we could paralyze their Fury.} One of the extra Furies hovered in the air in the form of a gauntlet.
"Wait… You would be able to do that?" Amethyst asked.
{Yes. After combining our power to face down Gehaburn, we're a lot stronger now.} The Fury radiated confidence before vanishing again.
"Does that help?" Konton asked the group.
"Yeah," I nodded, for it amounted to temporarily disarming their Fencers. That would certainly give us the upper hand in such a case. Perhaps drawing out Gehaburn in that chamber was a good idea, after all.
"Okay. I can get behind that," Fang nodded. He did want to trust, but at least it hadn't blinded him.
An hour later, and we were nearing the Justice Society Camp, which wasn't a camp so much as a prison. Strangely, there didn't seem to be that many guards. Whether that was accidental or not was unknown to me. My Fairies were on high alert as we crept towards the entrance, making use of bushes and trees to screen our approach. The entrance was a stout door with iron bars, but it was unlocked. 'Suspicious…'
"This looks like a trap," Konton said what everyone was thinking.
"Do we keep going?" Galdo asked.
"Even if it is a trap, we won't be caught off guard. They made it too obvious," Fang asserted.
"One could leave an obvious trap to conceal the real one," I stated, since such layered things could be, well, a thing. "Is there some way to sense what is hidden, or what is beyond that door?"
Eryn appeared with her eyes closed, as she held one hand towards the door with a look of concentration. After a few moments, she shook her head.
"I don't sense anything on the door, but I can feel a lot of Fairies further in," she said, before turning back into Fang's sword.
"Heh. Too bad for them. We know what's coming," Galdo clenched his fist.
"Stay sharp and we'll get out of this," Fang clenched his fist as well.
I nodded. An option was a dynamic entry, but since being discreet was favored here over being fast, and since it was not likely to be a single room… "Is there a way to help our stealth, like turn invisible or really quiet, or erase our tracks?" I suggested. I hoped that I wasn't far off the mark. 'In such a place, we would be outnumbered, so if we could pick our battles and engage only if we want to…'
"We'll just have to be really quiet," Fang shrugged apologetically.
"Follow my lead. I'm used to skulking around," Galdo grinned before turning serious.
He waited at the door for several moments, before opening it just enough for a single person to creep through. The blond Fencer ducked inside, and after several more moments, he made a "come here" gesture with his hand. "Send Nepgear first, then Fang," he whispered. On the other side of the door, it was surprisingly badly lit like a stereotypical dungeon. For a moment, I could imagine some sort of background music being played while we were inside. Galdo pulled me to one side to make room for Fang. The normally brash Fencer was then quiet as he shut the door.
Galdo held a finger up to his lips while listening for trouble, and fortunately, no one came to investigate the door opening, which only seemed to make him more tense. Even if it was a trap, the fact no one was even pretending to do their jobs was nerve-wracking. The silence truly was deafening. It was like those tense, quiet scenes in movies before things broke loose, but this time, it was very, very real.
I kept silent as I accompanied them, and stretched out my senses. A strange feeling came over me as if I could almost "see" circles of light along the floor, each one marking a guard further along the hall of the prison. Amethyst whispered that I was seeing their Fairies' range of detection. Wherever it came from, it was certainly a useful ability, which only added to the video game-like atmosphere of this world.
Galdo gestured for us to follow him. Interestingly, he seemed to be able to see the same thing I could, which, as Amethyst explained, was often a trait shared by Stealth or Rogue-type Fencers. Apparently, it applied to Snipers, too. Because my Fury's primary form was a combined Gun/Sword, I was considered more of a Sniper than a Swords(wo)man, befitting my preference for long range. Fang couldn't see what Galdo and I did, so he just stayed close.
We headed north along the wide passageway and entered a new room. The guards were still further down the path. To the right and left were cell-lined passages, and I could sense life from the west, a stronger feeling of life that came from a Fencer and their Fairy. Konton sent a feeling of approval. Thanks to my sensing ability, we had an idea of where to go. As we crept down the hallway, the sight that greeted us was pitiful. An aristocratic man with silver hair and unkept beard was in one cell, while the other held a nervous looking guy with light brown hair and glasses.
"The President of Dorfa and that bootlicker guy…" Fang breathed.
"Paiga. The bootlicker guy is Paiga," Galdo reminded him.
"What do you know about them?" I whispered. 'Context would be appreciated here.'
"Paiga is spineless, but he was one of the Four Heavenly Czars. He's a surprisingly tough Fencer. The President isn't a Fencer and is a ruthless son of a bitch," Galdo didn't casually swear, but this president was clearly bad enough to warrant it.
"Right. Ask them to come with us or keep going?" Fang asked.
"Try to get Paiga maybe. Let the president rot," Galdo said.
In practical terms, a Fencer would be more useful as an ally, and if the president was as bad as he said, then maybe that guy was better off left here. However… "This world is different, right?" I asked, recalling that this wasn't their timeline. "Are they still the same people you know?" On one hand, it was a risk to take such a chance that they were different. On the other hand, though… Sherman was different, and Tiara didn't know them. Neither did Mrs. Four-star.
"She does have a point. Okay, let's give this a shot," Fang said.
As we approached their cells, both men looked up. The cell across the way held a woman with shoulder-length curly white hair and mouse ears, who was also rather busty with zippers over her bosom. Clearly a Fairy or an exhibitionist.
"Well, isn't this a coincidence. Hello Galdo. Surprised to see that you're still alive," the President smirked faintly. The look of recognition in his and Paiga's eyes was obvious. So much for them being different...
"They do remember," Galdo said to Fang.
"Mr. President. This might be a good opportunity…" Paiga said.
"A good opportunity to what?" Fang asked.
"Let's hear their offer first," the President gestured, as if giving us permission to speak.
"Leave 'em. They're only going to slow us down," Galdo bit out.
"Sheesh… Listen. If you two agree to work with us, we'll get you out of these cells. Don't agree, and we walk away," Fang said boldly.
"I have a counter-offer. You can work for me, and I will take you with us. Otherwise, I will turn you over to the Justice Society," the President smirked.
That didn't sound good at all. How could he do that from there…? The impression I got was that his mind made up for not being a Fencer. His strength was in cunning, in schemes, which suited someone who was a ruthless president. I found myself not trusting him, but I didn't want to decide anything just yet. Instead of speaking verbally to my Fairies, I tried to project my thoughts, since they could do that with me, akin to telepathy. It would be quieter that way. {What do you think?} I queried Amethyst and Konton. Maybe they saw something I missed?
{He's too confident. He knows something we don't and is waiting for an opening.} Amethyst said.
Konton then suddenly made a noise of alarm. {Wait! That mouse Fairy unlocked the cells! They're not locked up!} She exclaimed.
What the goodness?! Then what stopped them from just going out of here? {So they were waiting for us, and stalling for time?} I quickly asked. Was it the trap?
Whatever their plan was, it no longer mattered. Konton sent the alert to the other Fairies, and faster than they could blink, Fang was aiming a gun for the Fencer, while Galdo covered the Fairy. The President reeled back in shocked alarm at just how quickly the tables turned.
"Sneaky, sneaky… But I think we're just going to leave you here… Nepgear? Cover the rat," Fang gestured with his head towards the mouse Fairy. Galdo worked quickly to damage the locks, so that they couldn't be unlocked.
"Silence," Konton appeared, and cast a spell to take away their voice. She then vanished again without a trace. How versatile our Fairies were...
"Well, this was a bust," Fang grumbled.
"Let's go before they start thrashing at the bars," Galdo hurriedly whispered.
We left the hallway quickly, and not a moment too soon, as the men, and Fairy, set up a racket. The guards left their posts to investigate the noise. 'Talk about distracting them for us…'
"We could ambush them. We'll need a set of keys to continue," Fang pointed at the locked door, which hummed faintly with magic.
"I'm not so good at picking magic locks," Galdo admitted.
The guards were gathered around the prisoner cells, completely oblivious to their surroundings. An option was indeed to get the drop on them, but I felt that another path was possibly open to me, considering Nepgear's background.
I mentally checked my pool of knowledge, that is, Nepgear's knowledge, if I had inherited any skill at lockpicking from her, if she learned that in the process of tinkering with all kinds of machines. She was an absolute gearhead, after all, befitting her name. Such a skill would be useful right now, though there was the possible risk of setting off any alarms installed in the lock…
Knowledge streamed into my mind, of theories, methods, mechanisms, and designs. As it turned out, she knew a lot about it, not only about lockpicking, but also locksmithing. She could create a better lock than this one, and now, I knew what she knew. "I'll try to pick it," I replied, approaching the lock. Hopefully, this worked.
The first issue was that the magic within it was 'coded' to specific 'colors.' Simplistic, actually, but it would have been a pain to realize that after getting halfway through. I felt the magic and resonated it with the pool of magic I possessed, and after a minute, my magic felt 'white', neutralizing the spell on the lock. From there, it was a simple matter to pick the lock, working its pins with a pick and turning it with a torsion wrench.
"Okay, that was seriously cool. Good job, Nepgear," Galdo clapped me on the shoulder, which made me smile a bit. It was nice to be able to help.
[Title Gained: Sneaky Beaky!]
"Another title? Really?" I asked, eyes widened, surprised at the appearance of that system again. I wondered if it had some sort of mechanical benefit, or if it was more like a set of achievements. Either way, it felt good this time, rather than patronizing. We were trying our best at a stealth run, after all.
This one, as it turned out, actually did have an effect. I felt that I could lockpick faster now, that it would take sixty percent less time to do so. How convenient.
We didn't need to hunt down keys with me around. The guards were wary and on high alert, but Galdo's skill with sneaking around helped mitigate their alertness. However, another complication developed as we arrived on the second floor. The first row of cells held another prisoner, a young, fair-skinned girl with blonde-ish hair and amber eyes. Her black, white-trimmed dress was in a style reminiscent of Eryn's, Marissa's and Tiara's, and her hair clip was that of a black rose.
"That's Marianna… She's an even stronger Fencer than Paiga," Galdo looked shocked to see her there.
"I remember," Fang rubbed his chest in remembrance of a past battle.
"How is she as a person?" I asked the two guys. Her character was the important part.
"Well… She manages an orphanage and donates some of her pay towards the children…The kids even seem to like her," Galdo rubbed the back of his neck.
"Yeah, that's what I remembered most too. She was a good person, I think," Fang nodded in agreement.
Those sounded good, but… {Is her cell already unlocked?} I asked Konton, in case it was that same trick again. I had to check, just to be sure.
{No. I can't sense her Fairy nearby either. They must be on another floor.} Konton said. Left unsaid was what it meant about Marianna's skill, if they actually separated her from her Fairy.
Fang and Galdo were waiting on my decision, so I said, "Let's make the offer, then."
The elegantly dressed woman was already looking at us as we approached. Her senses were sharp. She straightened regally with an air of poise, as if preparing for battle. Fang took the mood and shattered it completely.
"How about joining us in fighting Sherman and the Justice Society?" Fang asked. Marianna eyes widened fractionally.
"Just like that? I was with your enemies. Who makes an offer like that?" She looked mystified.
"Fang does. Listen, you're really strong. We need all the help we can get. Don't you want to get out of here?" Galdo asked.
"...Find my partner and I will come," she capitulated awfully fast.
"All right," I said to her, then commented to my Fairies, {That was quick.} Was it just her being pragmatic, as in using our help to get her Fairy and go, or was it something else? I couldn't help but be at least a bit paranoid. Things didn't feel cut and dry around here.
On another note, being able to mentally talk to Amethyst and Konton was becoming more and more convenient.
"We'll find him, but we're holding you to that agreement," Fang said.
"Fair enough," Marissa recognized that she wasn't fully trusted.
Moving out once more, we had to be careful as the number of guards increased, more of them appearing the deeper we went. It was getting harder to sneak around. As such, Konton used her small size to slip around the squads and her strength to tip over pots, to make ghost sounds, to do all sorts of distractions.
"Keep going. Maybe they put all these guards between Marianna and her Fairy, so they couldn't team up," Fang suggested.
"Fairies are pretty good at escaping confinement. The only way to keep one from escaping is to threaten their Fencer. Marianna is probably the one in more danger," Galdo said.
"Well, to get her help, we'd have to reach her Fairy anyway," I pointed out.
The second floor was a confusing maze of hallways. If we had to actually search for the keys, it would be a nightmare to navigate. As it was, we just had to follow the path of locked doors. However, a tight knot of guards stood at the head of a long line of cells. Konton's efforts to draw them away failed.
"The prisoners on the first floor finally regained their voices. It seems we have some rats scurrying around. Stand fast," the guard captain said to the others. These ones were apparently more competent.
"What do we do now?" Galdo asked.
"We have no choice. We're going to have to fight," Fang said. He turned to me as if asking for my opinion.
"Then we do it as quietly as possible." Again, stealth was our priority, so we had to minimize the ruckus. 'We may have to cover up the fight afterwards, too.'
Fang and Galdo switched to Knuckles before sprinting out from cover. They were counting on me to provide support again. I asked Konton to Silence the guards, while I casted Offensive Cheer on the two guys. I couldn't shoot the guards, since my gunblade was as noisy as an actual gun. My Fury had no suppressor or silencer to muffle the report. While an option was to use my light magic, it was that, light magic, which all the visibility that came with it.
The guards weren't caught off guard by the assault. What did surprise them, however, was the sheer power behind the rush. Increasing the strength of the attackers shorted the battle considerably. As the last Justice Society guard fell, Fang and Galdo started finding cells to stuff them into. Another casting of Silence, would hopefully keep them out of the action, while they slept off their beating.
More guards were at the far end of the hallway, but facing away from the conflict. Not a sound was made, at least not one loud enough to alert them. One of the cells was occupied by a creature even stranger looking than Cui, one who resembled a PicoDevimon, except white, with a smaller mouth, an triangular orange marking on the top of its head, and a heart-shaped tip on its tail. {Is that Marianna's Fairy?} I asked my Fairies.
"That's Khalara… Good. Now we just have to get him and get back to Marianna…" Galdo breathed as he ghosted towards the cell, Fang a half step behind him. All of a sudden, I saw the alert circle under Khalara turn red.
My eyes widened. Goodness, we had just been discovered! Was it some sort of proximity sensor?! I readied my Fury in case the guards came. "Guys…" I said.
At the worried tone, they readied themselves for an ambush. Unfortunately, I read the alert wrong. The danger wasn't from something else. It was from sheer, blatant foolishness.
"Hey! What are you guys doing here?" The demonic Khalara called out to us. We froze in shock at just how loud he was. Maybe nobody heard us…?
"What the Hell!?"
"How'd they get there?"
"Team two's down! Team two's down! Send backup!"
"Ah ha ha… oops?" Khalara's sharp grin turned down in embarrassment.
I facepalmed. Hard. Thanks to him, we now had to fight our way through. "Let's hurry up…!" I said to Fang and Galdo. Since stealth was no longer an option, we had to go for speed.
"Thanks Khalara! Seriously!" Galdo said sarcastically to the Fairy as he slashed straight through the door with Marissa.
"Yeah my bad… Where's Marianna?" He asked.
"We have to go back for her! Screw this… Fairize!" Fang transformed.
Since we were forced into a speed run to rescue Marianna, and reach the exit, it no longer mattered if we conserved power. After that, the rest of us used Fairize, myself included, since there was not enough room for HDD's flight. Unlike in the Gehaburn fight, I felt that I could only use one mental switch or the other, but not both, the Fury Form offering me more durability to make up for its lack of flight.
The guards tried to get in our way, the operative word being 'tried.' We blew right by them without stopping. Khalara was clinging to Galdo's jacket with his teeth through the whole sprint.
"What happened? The whole base is on alert!" Marianna greeted us at the door to her cell. This time it was Fang's turn to break something as he punched the lock off. Khalara jumped into her arms.
"I did a baaaad thing…" Khalara said.
"Fairize and dash, Marianna. We don't have time to talk!" Fang barked. She bristled at being given an order, but wonder of wonders, she didn't fight him. Her Fairize looked like a dark valkyrie with a horned helmet. She bore a dark reddish spear with a black guard and a dark shield.
"I will follow you then," she declared.
{Nice to know people can be reasonable in a crisis.} Amethyst remarked.
{Enough wasting time! Go go go go!} Konton urged.
What did she think we were doing? Since Marianna used Fairize, we were running even faster to escape. It appeared we were going to get away scot free, but… 'There would always be an interruption, isn't it?'
"Ah… Hold it!" The familiar voice of Chiaki called out. She was standing in front of the exit with a rapier in hand, which didn't feel like a normal Fury. Konton radiated discomfort just from being near the thing.
{There's something seriously unnatural with that thing…} Konton warned.
{Maybe it's influencing her somehow?} I inquired, putting out my guess.
{Could be.} She said.
"Chiaki! What are you doing here?" Fang asked in surprise.
"I am here to stop you on behalf of Lord Sherman. You hurt him terribly… I won't let you hurt anyone else!" Chiaki was shaking like a leaf, but her eyes remained determined.
"Actually, we only bruised some guys… and pretty much ran from everybody else," Galdo said.
"You consort with criminals!" Chiaki's anger was increasing, her words reminiscent of Sherman's. She pointed her ornate rapier at us dramatically, which was a pretty thing with a silver basket hilt studded with clear blue sapphires. The tip, however, wasn't pretty. It was lethally sharp and carried with it her intent.
"Get out of our way. I have no desire to harm children," Marianna brushed her hair back flippantly. She didn't seem fazed in the slightest by being called a 'criminal.'
"If you won't take me seriously… Fairize," her voice dipped low with menace. She threw the rapier up and allowed it to take her through the heart. Then came a brilliant flash of blue/white light, before revealing her transformation. Her clothes were unchanged, but there was a modest breastplate over her chest. On her head was a winged helm with a mask over the eyes. She had a pair of silver wings, like an angel's, emerging from her back, while her arms and legs were encased in smooth silver armor.
"Damn it…" Fang grunted. Already, the extensive use of Fairize was getting to him.
"We'll have to break on through… Just… try to go easy," Galdo grimaced.
"If she won't get out of our way peacefully… Then I will move her by force!" Marianna pointed her lance at the rapier wielder.
From the looks of things, Chiaki couldn't be reasoned with, the unnatural aura from her Fury not helping her case. She forced a fight on us. I sighed as I readied my gunblade, me not being in top condition either. "This is so troublesome…"
"Piercing Light Stitch!" Chiaki shot forward with her rapier drawn back. Somewhat like Weiss from RWBY, she started thrusting her rapier forward so fast, that only flashes of light could be seen. Marianna ducked behind her shield as the rain of swift thrusts beat a staccato rhythm. The elegant woman was driven back from the repeated force even though she guarded.
"This strength...Where did it come from…?" Marianna asked in bewilderment.
'I blame whatever is infecting her Fury!' I thought.
"I was given this power to avenge Lord Sherman! This is the strength of my conviction!" Chiaki declared. She contemptuously knocked Marianna's return thrust to one side before attempting to take advantage of the opening. In the midst of that, I buffed all of us with Offensive and Defensive Cheers, and opened fire on the fencer with my Fury.
"Hoowah!" Galdo descended from on high with his arms covered in gauntlets. He brought both hands down in a double axe-handle on her back, except Chiaki flash-stepped to one side. The blond wasn't so easily fooled as he stopped soon enough to avoid flattening Marianna.
"Too slow…!" Chiaki started another thrust only to have to dodge again. Fang had both fists against the floor moments before a horizontal line of burning magma shot through where she stood. He didn't want to fight her, but he wasn't playing around either.
"Convergence!" I intoned, as magic circles appeared above the battlefield. Spears of light descended from them as they homed in towards Chiaki.
"Cynical Laugh!" Marianna thrust and slashed with her spear, each movement a thing of grace, without wasted motion. She stepped around my spell, taking advantage of Chiaki's inability to dodge. Between the falling spears and thrusting lance, the young blonde grunted in pain.
"This won't…" Chiaki let out a scream as Fang and Galdo caught her in their combo attack. The intense fire whirl hadn't succeeded yet but apparently this time it did. Our opponent screamed as the fire and wind raged. A shattering blast of light and thunder exploded outward in all directions like a bomb. The combo spell was canceled instantly. Marianna, Fang, and Galdo were similarly blown back, while I was relatively safe from my position as ranged support. I could still feel its power, though, and it was a lot.
{Is there a way to dispel that unnatural aura?} I quickly asked my Fairies. I figured that part of her strength, at least, came from that, and to even the odds, we had to remove it.
{You would have to disrupt her Fairize. Directly target the connection she holds with her Fury and that should stop her.} Amethyst said.
{This is where I come in. Nepgear? Use the Greatsword form.} Konton awakened a new Fury Form, Greatsword, which came with a special attack that could only be used while in Fairize, called Divinity Breaker. It was a powerful, single-hit attack with nothing held back. From what I now knew, there was a good chance of bypassing her defense field entirely and actually hurting Chiaki. Good timing there, Konton...
{Got it.} Using my connection to her, I felt for that other form of her, which was different from her current form, and tugged on it, to bring it to the surface. The Greatsword looked like the fuller held mechanical parts with a crystal purple blade. In the center of it was a blue eye, like Gehaburn's crystal. It was still Amethyst, but now channeling more of Konton's power directly. I could see the two Fairies holding one another as the power increased.
"Mega Cure All…" Marianna cast a healing spell over Galdo, Fang, and herself.
"It doesn't matter how many times… you get back up… I will be there to keep you down…" Chiaki panted and trembled with exertion. She used a recovery spell, but it didn't fix her exhaustion. Her rapier started to shine with actinic light so bright, it physically hurt to look at. She was solely focused on charging up for her attack, and there wouldn't be a better opening than that.
"Divinity… BREAKER!" The wild cry tore itself from my lips, energy surging within me as I dashed at her, all of the accumulated power rising to my weapon's leading edge. Chiaki quickly spun to interpose her own glowing weapon between the greatsword and her tired self. There was a titanic roar as all of the stored power was released in a single, punishing hammer stroke downward, the floor cracking and breaking under the mammoth force. Chiaki went from standing to flat on her back in a crater in an instant, her Fury laying at her side, barely glowing.
"She's a power type!?" Marianna lost her composure at the display of power.
"She's Nepgear," Fang said with a nod of satisfaction.
"Yep," Galdo folded his arms proudly.
I breathed in relief, the attack being a success. It took a lot out of me, though. "It was... a team effort..." I said, still catching my breath. We couldn't have done it without each other. I kept an eye on Chiaki, however, just to be sure she won't try anything.
Marianna carefully examined the unconscious girl, and looked briefly alarmed. Her hands glowed with a healing light as she ran it over the girl's body. Chiaki didn't even awaken when all of her wounds were gone.
"Crap. The guards are working up their courage," Galdo grimaced.
"Let's just take her with us. Until we know what's up with that Fury of hers I'm not happy with leaving her," Fang said.
"Who gets to touch it?" Galdo asked.
"Ugh, don't be such babies," Marianna placed the Fury in the sheath at Chiaki's waist. Since it was Fang's idea to bring her, he was left to carry the girl.
Apparently, fleeing an enemy location was becoming a running theme with us. I stuck closely to the others as we did just that. I considered our mission an apparent success, since we managed to obtain the aid of Marianna, but only time would tell as to whether it would pay off in the end. What was up with Chiaki's Fury, though…?
We would have to investigate eventually.
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Time to Heal
- Location
- PA
AN: Nep Nep Nep @UbeOne
Time to Heal
Another morning, another day, and Lola needed a few of those to search for leads. As miraculous as her information was at times, even she had limits, which was fine as we needed time to rest and recuperate. Days of constant activity were catching up to us. While I would like to have a look around the city of Zelwinds, there was the concerning matter of Chiaki and her Fury. How did she get such overwhelming power? From what Amethyst told me, a Fury fully repaired itself with rest and time. We had to get to the bottom of this before it was strong enough to influence Chiaki again. As a safety precaution, Marianna locked the Fury in a separate room from the tired girl. As it turned out, the reason she hadn't woken up was a combination of factors: Severe exhaustion, energy depletion, and the feedback caused by Divinity Breaker.
{There wasn't anything else you could do.} Amethyst spoke soothingly to Konton and me. The little Fairy felt absolutely miserable that she helped to seriously injure someone.
I hugged both of them in response. I didn't want to hurt Chiaki either, but I had to defend us, as in my allies and myself. {I wish there was.} 'I mean, she was nice when we saved her from the bandit, though come to think of it, why didn't she defend herself, if she had a Fury? Was it only gotten after?'
Chiaki was in and out of consciousness. She seemed listless from what Marissa said, and I wanted to check on her myself. Maybe Konton could spot something in her aura? The slight blonde didn't say anything when I knocked at the door, but she didn't tell me not to enter, either. She was seated in a chair by the window with a blanket across her lap. The girl looked exhausted, but it was the haunted look in her eyes that caught my attention. I was wary, but also concerned. "How are you feeling?" I gently asked her. I had to be careful, so as not to set her off, yet at the same time, I had to know why things happened as they did.
"Are you the one who struck me down?" Chiaki asked in a dead voice.
...I closed my eyes for a moment, and slightly tilted my head downward. "I'm sorry," I said, "But I had to."
She looked eerily at peace with my answer. "Good."
I thought she'd be angry, but her voice sounded like acceptance instead. "May I know why?" I could make a guess, but I'd rather confirm it from her. Was she herself that time, or not? My bet was on the latter.
Konton was keeping a close eye on her aura the entire time. The little Fairy seemed satisfied that whatever was controlling her had lost its hold.
"I wanted to avenge Lord…" She paused before continuing, "...Sherman's… defeat. He introduced me to someone who claimed they could aid my quest. The Fury I was given didn't have a Fairy inside, but somehow could do everything a Fury could do. When I held it, the Fury took my desires and increased them, twisting my wishes into a hideous resolve. I wanted to kill all of you, not because it was Justice, but because you existed," Chiaki continued to speak in that same eerie tone.
That didn't sound good at all, and it proved that the recently acquired hollow(?) Fury was behind it. Could Gehaburn have done the same to me if I hadn't discovered it? While I was wondering why she was aiming for me, something else was more important. She was probably referring to the Horizon Cut, anyway. "Could you tell us about the one who gave you that Fury?" Whoever was behind it would be a problem. 'If more of such Furies are around…'
"Her name is Junown. She is where the Septerian Club gets the wine. I wasn't allowed to know any more. After I received the Fury, it no longer mattered…" Chiaki's lips twisted in self-mocking deprecation.
"I'm sorry." From what I saw, she felt terrible about it. That addictive wine… that meant this Junown was a part of what seemed to be the corruption in the system, so to speak. That would have to be dealt with later on. Clearly Sherman should have looked inward rather than outward, though he was probably under the influence as well. "May I know what you'll do after this?"
Chiaki, for the first time, looked genuinely lost. "I don't know. I can't return to Sherman. Junown warned me about 'loose ends.' The only thing I have is that Fury… and whatever kindness my captors grant me…" She buried her face in her hands, and wept as the whole situation finally hit home.
I looked to Amethyst and Konton, unsure of what to do. I didn't like seeing her broken down like this, but what could I do? I couldn't let my guard down, yet she had to be comforted. She was vulnerable right now. Someone of malicious intent could try to bend her to their own ends, but that wasn't me.
{Do what your heart says.} Amethyst urged.
{Her spirit is weary. It wouldn't take much to break her now.} Konton's voice was subdued.
'To follow my heart…' I put my hand to my heart, as I tried to discern what it was telling me, so to speak, which wasn't something I did all the time. Moments later, I felt I had my answer, and… I gently embraced her, inspired by Amethyst doing the same for me. I had no words, only actions. It was like a floodgate opened as the frightened girl cried into my shoulder, her shoulders shaking with each sob.
Amethyst and Konton quietly left the room. The pair of Fairies were off to investigate a certain Fury with mischief in mind. That sword deserved worse…
I continued supporting Chiaki, letting her vent her sorrow. "I'm sorry," was all I could say, in sympathy for what happened, her faith turned against her.
"I'm such a fool…" Chiaki cried out her pain. "What am I going to do now? I can't go back there!"
What she said felt of regret. "I understand," I said, for I wouldn't take it well if I were led astray, either. "...Can we be friends?" I shyly offered. If she had nowhere to go, then perhaps...
She drew back in surprise, eyes red from crying. There was wariness, but also hope. "Do you mean that?" Chiaki asked meekly.
I nodded with sincerity. I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it. This wasn't something I normally did, but in this case, it felt right to me. "Yes."
She smiled softly before leaning back into the embrace, snuggling closer with a happy sigh. I let her do so as I held her, since she needed it. I never thought I would be doing this… it felt awkward, yet slightly comfortable, too.
-With Amethyst and Konton-
The Fairies were basically 'live streaming' to their Fencer. She had more important things to do then deal with another psychotic Fury. They might have gotten Konton from the first, but there was no guarantee of the same results here.
"According to Chiaki, there is no Fairy inside," Amethyst eyed the beautiful rapier with distaste. The outside was magnificent, but something inside repulsed her.
"I can't sense a Fairy presence… and you can't either…" Konton shook her head.
"What I do sense is malignance," the taller Fairy noted.
"See that crack? It's not healing like a normal Fury. There's some kind of bubbling stuff…" The smaller fairy picked up a pencil and poked the bubbling stuff. A sweat bead trailed down her face as the pencil turned black, smoldered, and promptly tried to eat her. Amethyst quickly smashed the pencil monster in both hands.
"Right. Don't touch the unknown substance," Amethyst concluded rapidly.
"So… I think it needs to be purified… but I'm afraid to try that here…" Konton grimaced.
"We can't take it to the godly realm. The only body left is the Goddess," Amethyst reminded her.
"We'll find a place out in the middle of nowhere. For now let's get the other Fairies to seal it," Konton suggested.
"If the sealing works, we won't have to purify it," Amethyst said hopefully.
"But we will have to destroy it. I don't think Chiaki would want it back," the small Fairy shook her head.
"Good point. I keep forgetting myself and treating the matter like it was a Fencer and their Fairy partner," Amethyst wasn't equipped to handle something so outside of her expertise. Konton patted her cheek comfortingly, eliciting a smile in response.
Sealing the Fury wasn't difficult, for it didn't have a will to resist. Eryn knew of a good place that could be used to either destroy, or at least dispose of, the Fury. Bui Valley, the location she had in mind, was a place of cliffs and steep drops. Anything lost there would take a miracle to find again. They just needed time to go there.
-Back with Nepgear and Chiaki-
"Are you feeling better?" I asked the other girl. I had a feeling that time passed by while we were here. I hadn't hugged someone for this long before...
Chiaki spent most of the hour since the Fairies left dozing. The slender blonde seemed to almost knead at my arms in contentment. As the Fury was fully sealed, it was like the last tension in her body vanished, the half-doze turning into full sleep. However, my voice roused her.
"Much better, Nepgear… Thank you…" Chiaki murmured.
"You're welcome," I said. I wasn't sure what to say next, though, since I was trying to be careful with my words. After a while to think about it, I said, "What would you like to do?" She had options, after all. I didn't want to force one on her.
"I want to help. As someone who was controlled, I want to save others from the same fate," Chiaki nuzzled my shoulder dreamily, which once more felt awkward. I really wasn't used to holding someone for this long…
"Okay, and thanks," I said with a smile, understanding her desire. Assistance from her would be appreciated.
She leaned back with a bit of a sheepish smile. "Hugging you felt so good I couldn't stop." A blush dusted her cheeks.
Goodness, I wasn't expecting such a comment at all! "W-what? Really?" I could only sputter out, not knowing of what to say to that.
"You have such a good heart," Chiaki smiled brightly. "I could really feel your sincerity." The blush turned a little darker.
Seeing her blush wasn't helping my sense of embarrassment. "Uh… okay…?" I wasn't used to that kind of compliment. Was I really as good as she said?
"Was there anything you needed?" Chiaki asked, pressing her fingers together bashfully.
"Not really. I just wanted to find out why things happened, and to see if you're okay," I said.
"Thank you. What were you going to do today if not for me?" Chiaki tilted her head curiously.
My initial idea came to mind. Now that she was relatively fine… "I was thinking of exploring the city. Maybe you could show me around?" It was a new place to me, and traveling was one of my favorites. Having a tour guide of sorts would be nice.
"Of course. Ah… I better get changed first…" She glanced down at the nightshirt someone lent her, probably Eryn given their similar heights.
Chiaki eyed her uniform distastefully. The blue and white outfit didn't change, but her perception did. She still wore it, but clearly wanted to wear anything else.
"Let's make a quick stop at the Sunflower Inn. I have some things that may help us. Including a change of clothes for myself…" Chiaki plucked at her uniform jacket.
"Sounds good." While she was wearing that, I was garbed not in my usual white and purple sailor dress, but rather, in one of my recently bought clothes. A ruffled yellow blouse, still soft, light and smooth, was coupled with a medium-length denim skirt, black shorts worn under that, along with a pair of black, white-trimmed boots, the last of which was from the Lastation version of my sailor dress. Wearing a skirt… felt different from, say, tying a jacket around my waist, yet it felt nice all the same. When I saw myself in the mirror at my room a while ago, I couldn't help but smile, even twirl a little, for I liked what I saw.
I made an offer to my Fairies, in case they felt like joining us. {Want to come with us? Or does the Fury need to be watched or something?} We couldn't neglect the presence of the now-sealed rapier over there, either.
{We'll stay with the sealed Fury.} Amethyst replied.
{If the seal holds, she might be able to use it still. If she even wants to that is.} Konton added.
{I don't think she'd want to.} I remarked. 'I know I wouldn't want to use a sword that twisted me.' As for Konton, she was different. She wasn't Gehaburn.
It was sometime later, after leaving our inn, that we arrived at the Sunflower Inn, which wasn't under surveillance from what I could see. Still, Chiaki was careful about entering the inn, and was hurrying to conclude her business. She didn't check out of the place, but she did stop to change her clothes. The outfit she picked looked like a blue vest over a white sleeveless dress that ended at mid-thigh. Her knee-high boots were also white, like snow. Around her waist was a blue belt with a gold buckle. While her new ensemble was of the same color scheme as before, it wasn't her old uniform. She also had a bag slung over her shoulder, drawing a strange look from Mrs. Four-star, but nothing else.
"Phew…" Once we were outside, she let out a sigh of relief. "That was a bit tense…" Chiaki said, as we were walking away from the Inn, and towards the center of the city.
Her change in attitude now was noticeable compared to before, but I didn't blame her. Being controlled by a hollow Fury didn't engender loyalty. "Yeah," I said in agreement. "So, what's on the itinerary?"
Chiaki stopped for a moment to catch her breath, as she laid a hand over her heart and just breathed. After a minute, she straightened, even if her expression was strained. "Ah… right. What was it you were hoping to find? Perhaps we could visit the tavern or go for lunch," she suggested.
Come to think of it, the clock in the inn was pointing almost at twelve noon, and I was feeling a bit hungry. While I'd like to go sightseeing first, well… "Let's have lunch. Any restaurant in mind?" I asked.
"There is a nice little restaurant just down the lane…" Chiaki pointed down by the river.
As we entered, I saw that the restaurant was a small little hole-in-the-wall, much like an American-style diner in look. We were seated by a waitress who then took our orders. The menus looked almost exactly like what I would expect from a diner, like burgers, fries, milkshakes and such. We placed our orders, then we were left with making small talk, mostly about minor things. The weather might have come up at some point. Lunch was another popular topic.
"Zelwinds doesn't really have much except for being a centralized location. When Dorfa was in power, the company ran everything. There are still a few shops brave enough to carry their goods, but most don't. The Justice Society was overzealous in punishing the wicked…" Chiaki bit her lip. With the scales fallen from her eyes, the truth was hard to bear.
"I'm sorry," I quietly said. "We'll do something about it, right?"
"Yeah, we will. I want to be involved. I… I can still feel some of the power the Fury held… like it invaded me. When Eryn touched me this morning, I stopped hearing the Fury, but I haven't lost this…" Chiaki discreetly made a light appear in her palm.
That meant she retained her ability to fight, since that was a manifestation of the Fury's magic, the same element as mine. That would help for sure. "Nice," I said. "But will you be okay with it?" On the flipside, it might remind her of when she wasn't herself, and it wasn't exactly her power, but the Fury's.
"I want to be useful. They didn't care if I lived or died. I just want to show them that it was a mistake," Chiaki clenched her hand, a brief flash of anger on her face.
"I understand. We'll help you."
Chiaki smiled gratefully at my show of support.
The food was good (there was even pudding for dessert!), the bill was paid, and we were back out in the sun, as Chiaki took command of the tour. The tavern, she said, was a good place for adventurers to pick up side jobs, mostly Fencer work. Fang was there as we walked by, and he waved as he left the place.
"Hey, good to see you're up and around," he said as he approached.
"You too," I replied, smiling. "What have you been up to?"
"I picked up a couple jobs. Easy stuff for when we go out to train. How are you, Chiaki?" Fang's eyes showed concern, but she looked a little overwhelmed.
"I'm okay… I-I want to join you," Chiaki said quickly.
"Sure," he shrugged. That was fast.
The blonde gawked in astonishment. "Just like that?" Her eyes widened in disbelief.
"Hey, we need all the hands we can get. We have a bunch of Furies. I don't see why you can't pick one of them to use," Fang said.
"Was I really overcomplicating things…?" Chiaki looked to me for help.
"Nope." I shook my head. "I'd be nervous too if I were you." I would have a hard time believing their quick acceptance as well.
"I don't think I can use another Fury. Isn't that how it works?" She asked Fang while subtly stepping closer to me.
"You could try. Since the Fury doesn't have a Fairy, I'm not sure it really connected. Maybe it had so much power you thought it was connected?" Fang shrugged.
"Could be. It wasn't natural, and Fairies are what Fencers bond with," I commented. A Fury without a Fairy would merely be a tool, not a person to connect to.
"Exactly! I paid attention… sometimes… to what I was told," Fang nodded proudly.
"Thank you very much," Chiaki bowed politely.
He just waved it off. "Nah, don't worry about it. I'm headed back to the Inn to let the others know," Fang waved before leaving.
Chiaki looked reassured afterwards. "Like I said, we'll help you," I said to her. "And when you have a Fairy, you won't be alone." Like with Amethyst, Konton and me.
"I feel like I'm not alone now," Chiaki smiled.
"Well, we are friends," I said in reply. "So, what's there to see? Any landmarks and such?"
"Oh, well there's the riverbank, a place where young lovers go to have their rendezvous… Ah, I wish I could be so lucky someday…" Chiaki started waxing poetic about her future lover. Noble, kind, good hearted, honorable…
While she talked, I decided to check my Share Links, that is, the bonds of faith between others and me, my source of power as a CPU. I was curious to see how it was, since it had been a while. From what I could sense within me, there were quite a lot of them by now, and it was astonishing, now that I knew how they felt towards me. The Fairies almost universally adored me, my bond with them second only to Eryn. Amethyst and Konton loved me with all their heart. Fang's feelings were that I was a good friend, and even better in a fight, while Galdo valued my contributions and quick wit. I didn't know they thought of me so highly. It was an honor to be strengthened by their belief in me.
When I looked at Chiaki's link, however, the result was even more surprising. All of the love and reverence she had for Sherman had seemingly shifted towards me. What the goodness? Um… was that a rebound or something? It did explain her actions and words, though, from her blushes, to her smiles, to her enjoyment of my hug, to her compliments, to her stepping close to me, to her saying she didn't feel alone…
'Oh goodness, please tell me she didn't think of this as a date…'
I could still hear her talking about what she hoped her future spouse would be like, which was… to be fair, one can have rose-colored glasses about it. I wasn't sure what to do with her feelings, only that I couldn't let her down. However, I also wasn't ready for something like that, and I only thought of her as a friend. We had only just met, I already had a close bond with Amethyst and Konton, and what if I did return home eventually…?
"Hopefully you'll find your better half," I said to Chiaki. I could at least be supportive of her happiness.
She turned to me with a hopeful smile, but thankfully didn't push. "Ahem… right. Let's visit the fountain plaza now. Travelers from all over like to stop and look at the fountain. Supposedly a potent Fury resided there at one time, but is long gone. The statue is said to resemble the Fairy…" Just like that, Chiaki was off again as we walked towards the plaza. At least it wasn't another romantic spot. Still, it was nice to hear her enthusiasm, for it meant she would be all right.
"That sounds interesting…" I said. The story behind the statue would be nice to hear.
"Oh, it is! Tethys is referred to as the guardian of Zelwinds, a unique wind and water natured Fairy. No one knows just where she went though. The last time anyone saw her was almost a hundred years ago. Many people have sought her Fury. The long held belief is that there is a secret concealed within the fountain. Scholars from all over used to flock to Zelwinds to search for the ancient relic. Sadly, no one has found even a trace," Chiaki shook her head sadly.
"Why did she leave?" I asked. It didn't make sense for a guardian Fairy to abandon her charge, and on another note, there was a sculpture up ahead.
"Well, the tale says that the city itself had a hand in her disappearance, that they broke the pact. Unfortunately, the only mention of the pact is in reference to the old plaza. The fountain was moved, so anything it held would be here," Chiaki gestured at the magnificent structure before us. The Fairy appeared to be a generously endowed woman, with a mermaid's tail and a pair of curled wings as if about to lift off. Her hair fell in strategic waves to cover her modesty, like how some mermaids were depicted. It reminded me of those Renaissance statues in Italy, particularly Rome and Florence.
While it would be interesting to find out more about the pact, maybe now wasn't the time for that. Since I was practically a tourist, taking a picture of it would be nice. Now then, did I have some sort of camera with me, like on a phone…? I checked my inventory, in case I missed anything, and found an N-Gear. A purple, rectangular device with buttons and a touchscreen, it was Planeptune's version of a portable console and smartphone, the spiritual successor to the historical Game Gear. Even 'my' name was based on it: N-Gear, Nepgear.
More importantly, it had a camera function, and using the device felt natural to me, much like if I were using my iPhone back home. "Wanna take a selfie?" I asked Chiaki.
"O-okay!" She beamed, as she stood next to me in front of the fountain.
I switched the camera to the front, and held my phone out in front of us. "Smile!" I said, doing just that, as well as a peace sign with my free hand. Chiaki smiled and mimicked the peace sign gesture as I took our photo. Now I was reminded of my older brother. 'Must. Take. Documentation,' he would always say.
"What do you want to do now?" Chiaki was now bouncing on her toes. A photo was enough to excite her, it seemed.
"Can you show me another tourist site? Or is there something you'd like to do?" I asked in return.
"What I would like to do? To be honest… I didn't really have many hobbies. In fact…" She started to look a little sad as realization set in. "I actually can't think of anything. Weird. Um, maybe we could go to the pet shop?" Chiaki suggested.
I had a bit of a deflated look. That… wasn't my cup of tea. "I'm not into pets, sorry…" I answered. "Maybe we could visit another tourist spot, or a museum?"
"Oh. I could ask one of the others later," Chiaki looked briefly disappointed, but shook it off. She was more into pets than I was, it seemed. "There is the Dorfa Gallery. No one ruined that since it holds valued pieces of history…" She once again took command of the tour as we walked towards that place.
The Dorfa Gallery, as it turned out, was a four-storey museum in a large, stately stone edifice. Chiaki bought the tickets and had us join a tour group. The guide led us from room to room, showing off the various exhibits. Paintings and sculptures of all shapes and sizes were on display. An entire floor, in fact, was dedicated to Fencers of the past. Their armor was recovered, but the Furies were just empty shells as the Fairies passed on. Chiaki seemed to find the tales of the archers and other female Fencers to be more interesting.
"Ah, this is Melisande. She once held off an army of six hundred long enough for reinforcements to arrive. The people she defended remembered her staying back to guard the rear. When reinforcements came, they found Melisande with her glaive buried in the chest of a dragon. The dragon was stone dead, but his claws found her heart," Chiaki gazed admiringly at the armor, lovingly restored, which looked like samurai armor in blues and greens. The glaive had a long black shaft with a curved blue blade on one end and a green spike at the other.
The armor and weapon were pleasing on the eyes. If I were Ruby Rose, I'd be all over them in an instant. As it was, I admired them as well. However, they were also sobering, a reminder that I could die in battle, and no amount of power was a guarantee of survival. Even the strongest could fall… Scary, wasn't it? At least I wasn't alone, with Amethyst, Konton, and the others.
"I used to dream of being a Fencer, but I could never find a Fury. There was also the fact I… I'm not the bravest person. I couldn't do this before," Chiaki lowered her head and sighed, then looked straight ahead with a spark of determination. "I can do it now. I can be like my heroes. Preferably alive at the end of the journey though…" She giggled sheepishly.
"I'm not brave, either," I quietly told her, though Amethyst would say otherwise. "And neither could I do this before." How much things had changed for me, ever since I first found myself in this world. Being Nepgear was a blessing in a place like this. Inheriting her strength, her skills, was a lifesaver. Still, battles continued to scare me, and for good reason, even if I stuck mostly to support and range. 'However, I couldn't let that harm my allies nor myself. Really, I remain grateful to my Fairies, for being there for me.'
"Courage isn't the absence of fear, but instead acting despite being afraid," Chiaki said, as much to me as for herself. She seemed to debate with herself before taking my hand. It was actually a gesture of comfort, for it was clear any thoughts of relationships were far from her mind.
"Heh, I said that to my Fairy once…" A small smile crossed my face as I remembered that day. She was right, though, for it remained a saying that I wholeheartedly agreed with. Perhaps I needed those words echoed back to me. Just like before, I couldn't give up.
"We should get back to the inn. It's getting late," Chiaki caught a look at the time, which was almost five o'clock in the afternoon. How quickly time flew...
We parted ways there, as we went into the inn. Chiaki smiled at me before heading back to her room, to which I returned with a bit of my own smile.
I thought of what to do next, and… Fang and Galdo needed to know about what I learned from Chiaki, about Junown. It was a lead that we could follow. Also, I had to ask when we could permanently deal with the hollow Fury. To that end, I searched for either of them.
Galdo was in the lounge stretched out on the sofa, both hands behind his head, and sandals on the floor. He looked completely relaxed. At first I thought he was asleep, but he opened his eyes at my approach.
"Hey, Nepgear. What's up?" He asked.
"I found a lead from Chiaki," I replied. I proceeded to tell him about Junown, the one behind the addictive wine and the malevolent Fury, and that Sherman was the one who led Chiaki to her.
Galdo suddenly sat up with a look of shock. "Wow, you are a miracle worker! She wasn't talking to anyone this morning, then Fang came back and said the two of you were out together. I'm glad she opened up to someone. Let's get everybody together and tell them." He grinned approvingly and gave me a fond pat on the shoulder.
Fortunately, the others weren't hard to find. It didn't take long to meet them. Marissa was with Eryn, Amethyst, and Konton discussing what to do with the rapier. Throwing it off a cliff in the Depthless Gorge of the Bui Valley was a popular idea. Fang was in the kitchen stealing a taste of tonight's dessert. The cook was grateful for someone taking him away. Marianna was in her room with Khalara. The elegant woman wasn't comfortable with our team yet. Lola was out back looking over her wares pensively. She came inside when asked, but seemed troubled. Chiaki was just resting before dinner. The blonde was a little tired but was happy to lay out on the sofa downstairs.
"Guys! Nepgear has something to say," Galdo whistled to get their attention. Marianna winced at the volume, but otherwise held her peace.
I was a bit nervous informing everyone at the same time, but it had to be done. I swallowed, before repeating what I told Galdo.
The reactions were immediate, and loud, as everyone wanted to be heard at the same time. Chiaki was the only one not yelling in dismay. Her reaction was to curl up on the sofa and hug her knees. Amethyst hugged the poor girl comfortingly, acting as a screen in case some of the shouting turned in her direction. Only Marianna seemed intent on questioning her further, but she didn't want to argue with the purple-haired Fairy. In my case, I stayed with Amethyst, finding it more comfortable there in the midst of the noise.
"Quiet down! Yelling isn't going to help!" Fang shouted over the racket.
"We learned something huge. Sherman's an ass right now, but the bigger problem is Junown and the wine. Chiaki's information will keep us from just spinning our wheels, right?" Galdo winked at Chiaki, to which the blonde returned with a cautious smile.
"The issue I have is, why didn't Lola know anything? She is the information broker after all," Marianna, as it turned out, wasn't upset with Chiaki specifically. She turned on the broker with a sharp stare… only to stop. Lola was already gone. 'Talk about perfect timing.'
"We can't expect her to know everything," Fang said, even if he did look irritated.
"Rather than blame Lola, why don't we decide what to do next?" Marissa suggested reasonably.
"We have to get rid of the rapier. It's still sealed, but who knows when that will wear off? I would feel more comfortable if it was as far from us as possible," Konton shivered.
"There was also a Fury in the original timeline. I think it would be a good idea if we started gathering more Furies. We still need to release the Goddess," Fang reminded us, while Amethyst was quietly explaining everything to Chiaki.
"I suggest removing the rapier. It could cause problems if we collect Furies first," I said, sharing my opinion. The latter method felt like letting Gehaburn stay in my inventory, and I didn't want Chiaki, or any of us, to fall under the hollow Fury's sway.
Moments later, Lola made her return, and apparently, Fang's memory of a Fury in Bui Valley matched up with her new information. The information broker, through mysterious means, decided to check with a contact. She was certainly impressed with Fang's powers of deduction, so impressed that she only charged us half for the information.
"Cheating… robbing… no good so-and-so…" Konton wrung her hands in the air like she was strangling the girl. Amethyst hugged the tiny Fairy to her chest, even if she clearly agreed with the sentiment.
"Is she really that greedy? I thought she's just opportunistic," I remarked. Intel could quickly become obsolete, so she had to sell them while they lasted.
"She's both," Galdo stated blandly.
"If Fang already knew there was a Fury in Bui Valley, why is he paying her?" Marianna looked affronted. It did sound like a waste of money, after all.
"Does that mean if the Justice Society pays more than us…?" I interjected. If Lola was indeed as greedy as was said, then the implications of that would be…
Everyone in the room froze, including Lola. Every head in the room turned towards the info broker in slow motion. Lola started to sweat as suddenly, power started to swell. After the betrayals and fear we were living under, like Sherman turning against us, and what Junown did to Chiaki, no one wanted to suffer like that again. The blonde dressed like Alice took a nervous step back.
"W-whoa… Those guys would kill me too! I've been helping you! They don't care if you're reformed, retired, or what. Just arguing with them is enough to be punished!" Lola flailed her hands in fright.
"Unless they already hired you to spy on us. Quite an interesting coincidence how they knew the exact time Fang's team would infiltrate the work camp," Marianna almost purred like a very large cat with a tasty morsel.
"She does charge us a lot…" Galdo admitted.
"It IS a bit suspicious that Chiaki knew the right time to hit the camp," Eryn glanced apologetically at Chiaki.
"I was told to go right away, that Fang and his group were spotted at the camp. I still ended up waiting nearly twenty minutes before you were spotted," Chiaki said.
"Lola? Is this true?" Marissa, the motherly Fairy, clasped her hands imploringly.
"I don't know where they're getting their information from, but it isn't me," Lola insisted defensively, crossing her arms irritably.
"Lola, please. If you're being threatened, we can protect you. You don't have to go it alone," Marissa tried again. 'Wait, what?'
"Wait!" "Threatened?" "But wait…!" The confused voices all clamored over one another, fighting to be heard. Lola looked visibly shaken at the motherly Fairy's pronouncement. Was she actually under duress?
"Is that it? Are you being threatened?" Fang asked quietly.
The capitalist girl trembled like a leaf in a storm. Her big blue eyes welled up with tears, as she bit her lip in a last ditch effort to contain herself. When Eryn touched her arm, she completely broke down. A broken-hearted wail was heard as Lola's defenses crumbled. She fell to the ground, legs splayed beneath her, as misery poured forth. I gave her a sympathetic look, for in her shoes, caught between a rock and a hard place, I wouldn't have taken it well, either. 'We ought to do something about her situation.'
"E-even if she does overcharge… No one deserves this…" Galdo wiped his own eyes.
{How did Marissa know?} I asked Amethyst. Before Galdo's Fairy raised that possibility, my attitude was leaning towards distrust. Now, it was that of concern. Lola's case reminded me of Chiaki's.
{She practically raised Galdo. I imagine she knows most of the dodges people use.} Amethyst said.
{Let's face it. She's better at reading people than we are.} Konton watched the drama unfold sadly.
To the surprise of many, Marianna laid a gentle hand on Lola's shoulder as Eryn hugged her. No one else approached, for fear of crowding the girl. Chiaki's heart clearly went out to her, and even Fang looked suspiciously teary-eyed.
"So Bui Valley is a trap…" Galdo spoke softly to Fang as the others comforted Lola. The two were standing closer to me so I could listen in on their conversation.
"A trap we know about. This is good," Fang nodded slowly.
"We know the valley, especially where the wind storms are strongest," Galdo smirked. There was a part of him that clearly wanted to hurt someone for all this suffering.
"The one right over the Gorge is perfect. Just draw it down to us and we can catch them in a real twister," Fang grinned menacingly.
"I'll take your word for it," I quietly said. They knew the area, not me. However, we didn't know what form the trap would take, only that it existed. It could be anything. However, we had to go there, regardless, to dispose of the rapier, and to retrieve the local Fury.
"Try not to let your vindictive feelings overwhelm your sense," Marianna said as she approached, which was a good point. Khalara, ignored before now, must have told her what was said.
"We'll try, but…" Fang gestured to the Fairies surrounding Lola, the latter of which seemed to be a little better now. Each Fairy was glowing the color of their respective element, with blazing eyes like in a shounen anime.
"Oooh… git rekt scrub," Khalara cackled.
"W-wow…" Galdo chuckled nervously.
"Yeah…" I concurred. Whoever crossed them would be in for a world of hurt.
"Fang? Can I try one of your Furies now?" Chiaki asked politely, changing the topic. To be fair, she would need a Fairy partner for the battles ahead.
"Yeah, sure. Your element is… light, right?" Fang asked as he reached into his pocket. Pocketspace on a literal scale, much like mine.
"Lightning and Light, actually," Chiaki corrected.
"From what I remember, the Fairy chooses the Fencer. So I'll just bring all of them out and let you pick," Fang summoned the blades from his pocket by reaching in, pulling his hand out, and opening. What he said reminded me of wands, those that choose their wizards.
Furies of all elements were laid out before Chiaki's wandering eyes. The blonde girl stared at them in wonder and amazement. She giggled as a few of them lifted off the ground and started dancing around her. They allowed her to touch, but none of them fit quite right. It wasn't that Chiaki, or the Fairies, weren't willing. There was, instead, something missing from the connection. Then, a darkly glowing Fury floated before the girl's eyes.
{Betrayal runs deep. You still feel hurt, saddened, and vengeful. The others would help you forget the pain. I won't help you to forget. I will help you to finish this and move on, if that is what you desire.} The Fairy sounded wise and kind, but also incredibly young. There was a hardness to her tone that seemed to resonate with Chiaki, and I didn't blame her for that, for wanting vindication, for wanting to pay back what was dealt to her. 'I just hope she won't be ruined by her vengeance.'
"I want to know the truth," Chiaki wrapped her hand around the Fury's hilt. In a flash, it reconfigured into a rapier with a gold basket hilt and a long purple blade. Elegant, yet deadly.
{We will walk this road together. My name is Giselle.} The Fairy said before appearing. She looked like a young girl in a Gothic black dress and headdress. Her hair was a lighter shade of lavender than my own, and her eyes were peach in shade.
"So cute!" Chiaki glomped her Fairy. Giselle briefly tried to look dignified, before submitting to her new Fencer's ministrations.
Suddenly, there came a terrible roar filled with rage from upstairs, before it ended in a whimper. Such a noise made me flinch, for it sounded like a powerful monster. "Yeah… I don't think the Fury liked that…" Eryn just won the award for master of the understatement. Wait, a Fury?
"Is someone jealous?" I commented. Maybe said Fury wanted to be chosen?
"I almost feel sorry for it… There was a faint echo of the original Fairy inside. Unfortunately, the 'stuff' inside of it would be too toxic for a human to use for long," Eryn shook her head. So the roar was from the hollow one? That made more sense now.
"And you didn't tell anyone?" Marissa looked surprised.
"Chiaki didn't need that on her mind too," Eryn said. Giselle tightened her grip possessively, prompting Chiaki to pat her hair until she calmed.
"Tomorrow, we'll do some team training in the Zazawa Plains, before heading to the Bui Valley. Lola?" Fang spoke to the forgotten girl.
"Ah, yes?" Lola asked hesitantly.
"Tell them we'll be going to the Bui Valley the day after tomorrow," he said. 'Wait, why inform them that we're heading to the trap?'
"Are you insane?" Marianna demanded.
"Hey, this way Lola's kept safe, and maybe we can start feeding them bad information. Just don't tell them how many of us there are. Chiaki can bring up the rear," Fang decided.
"I see…" Chiaki nodded slowly.
"Hopefully that works," I said, for the plan sounded well enough.
The next day was scheduled for more training, then we got the fun of deliberately springing a trap. Good thing today was so relaxed, for the next few days were going to be hectic, and dangerous. We ate dinner before going our separate ways, since all of us needed some alone time.
In my case, I took a shower, which felt really awkward while I kept my eyes closed. Nonetheless, I had to clean myself, though my cheeks were warm throughout. My skin was more sensitive than I thought… Eventually, after finishing that, and changing into my sleeping attire, I returned to my room, where a thought came to mind. Eryn's mention of an echo reminded me of something. I inherited many things from Nepgear, like her power, her knowledge, her body… but did I also inherit her memory? Was there at least an echo of her somewhere within me? I felt I needed to know, so I attempted to look inward. I was nervous, though. What if she didn't react well, if she was present?
The journey within was actually one that I made before, since I did so to view my Share Links. My world seemingly shifted as I mentally gazed into myself. There, I could see a crystal, hovering in the center of my soul. A Sharicite symbol was marked on it, indicating that it was the heart of my power. It was completely clear, like the purest diamond ever made, perfect in every way. It was different from Uzume's, that huge, yellow crystal at the center of the Heart Dimension.
By seeking Nepgear's memories, I must have triggered something, as the crystal drew me forward. A nameless impulse compelled me to lay my hand on the crystal. From within, I could see my HDD appear, a ripple and it was my Fairize, and a final ripple showed a distorted image. I could almost make out a figure that looked like me with pieces of both forms. While I watched as the image started to become clearer…
"Goodness! Don't do that!" Nepgear's unmistakable voice suddenly came from behind me, as gentle arms drew me back from the crystal.
"Sorry!" I immediately said, letting myself be pulled away from it. Looking back showed me that Nepgear was indeed there, the original one. I couldn't help but hesitantly face her, my hands clasped in front of me. "Uh… are you okay with me being here...?" I would understand if she wasn't, though I hoped that she would approve of me.
"Have you done anything I wouldn't?" Nepgear asked.
I shook my head. "No..." If anything, among the CPUs, her personality was the closest to mine. I wouldn't want to do bad.
"Will you turn away? Will you allow evil to win?" Nepgear asked, her voice blending with Purple Sister's.
"I won't," I answered with sincerity, speaking both to Nepgear and to myself. 'Not when I could do something about it…'
"Well then lil' Nep, I think you're fine," Nepgear stuck her tongue out impishly.
"Lil' Nep?" While I was relieved by her approval, a concern now lifted from me, my expression was that of confusion, for it sounded more like something Neptune would say, though the Planeptune CPU would go for 'Nep Jr.' instead.
"Well, you are kind of the little sister now. I get to be a big sister!" The Candidate of Planeptune smiled happily.
"Yeah…" I returned her smile with my own. She was already kind of a big sister in demeanor anyway, contrasting with Neptune's. "So, how come I shouldn't touch the crystal?" I asked. Surely there was a good reason for that?
"Oh! I wasn't trying to stop you from touching the crystal. You were looking too deeply though. The Sharicite is regulating both Forms. What you saw… Well, it's spoilers, but in this case I better explain. You're not Purple Sister. You are you. The Sharicite is adapting to your unique signature. What you saw is the final form you will take. I'm just not sure when that will happen or what the catalyst will be," Nepgear smiled faintly.
A preview of what I'd be like in the future? That was interesting… "When it comes, it comes. Maybe when I need it the most…" I remarked. That was usually the case these days. I wasn't in a rush for power, anyway. While I did need to grow over time, that didn't mean being reckless about it.
"Oh, are you okay here? Or does it feel like a prison?" I asked her, concerned for her well-being. What was she doing while I was out and about?
"I'm only here in spirit, sis. The Sharicite called me here when you started to go too fast. I'll wake up tomorrow morning with memories of our conversation, but I'm not really here," Nepgear stroked my cheek fondly.
I hesitated for a moment, before relaxing into it. It felt... nice, being referred to as her sister. From what she said, could that mean… "So Planeptune is real? Gamindustri is real?" I asked. It'd be wonderful if that was so, if the world of Neptunia was real.
"Reality is a vast and wonderful place. Why wouldn't Gamindustri be real if you believe? A sense of wonder is needed," Nepgear hugged me, and what a warm feeling it was.
"Right." I nodded, for she had a point there. Considering my own circumstances, I guessed I had to be more open-minded… "Will we be able to work together, or visit each other someday?"
"Someday. Right now, your new world is still reeling from things I can't even fathom. Not because I don't understand, but I just don't have enough information. What I have is from your experiences. My advice to you is stay true to your heart, and you will never be led astray," Nepgear smiled.
"Mhm," I said in agreement. "So, how are things there, in Planeptune?" I was curious to know.
"Confusing, as you probably know, as our continuity is hardly stable. Aside from that? Life is good. The world you're in is completely outside of our sphere. Nep is going to be so jealous that I got to be the first to see a whole different world," Nepgear giggled.
"Hehe," I chuckled. The look on Neptune's face would be priceless. "Who knows, maybe she'll get here via protag privileges." My tone was lighthearted, though I wouldn't be so surprised if she actually could do that. There was that one continuity where she opened a permanent portal between dimensions purely by invoking her right as the main character...
"Please don't give her ideas. I'm never quite sure what she can hear, and what she can't. It wouldn't surprise me if she somehow knew about this," Nepgear looked around suspiciously.
Seeing her glance around, I did the same, wondering if she actually found anything, except there was just us and the crystal over there, the latter of which reminded me of something, a question unanswered. "Oh, did I actually inherit your memories? I thought the crystal would tell me, but…"
"You did, but you have to intentionally look for them. Just… try not to get lost… My memories are pretty jumbled from how time jumps around. It would help if you just checked for specific skills. I won't tell you not to look for my Uni memories but…" Nepgear blushed.
"Oh," I said, my cheeks feeling just a bit warm from that last part. That meant the two of them shared a relationship, one that I would support. Yeah, the Unigear memories would best be left alone, out of respect for their privacy. "I'll be careful. So, I'll see you around?" We eventually had to part ways, after all.
"Of course we will. The day is coming when we can meet face to face. Get some sleep, lil' Nep. You're going to need it," she gave me another hug.
I returned the embrace, wrapping my arms around her. "I will," I said, knowing that it was going to be a long two days. "You too, sis." It felt right to call her that… and it was less confusing than 'Nepgear', since I inherited her name.
She smiled one last time before fading from space. The Sharicite Crystal pulsed once before sending me out. It was now time for bed, and my journey to the center of the mind was exhausting. At least I wasn't trapping the real Nepgear somehow. My dreams that night were a confusing mess of flying through the sky and Dogoos. The laughter of Purple Sister came to me as she tumbled through the sky happily.
It was a nice dream.
Time to Heal
Another morning, another day, and Lola needed a few of those to search for leads. As miraculous as her information was at times, even she had limits, which was fine as we needed time to rest and recuperate. Days of constant activity were catching up to us. While I would like to have a look around the city of Zelwinds, there was the concerning matter of Chiaki and her Fury. How did she get such overwhelming power? From what Amethyst told me, a Fury fully repaired itself with rest and time. We had to get to the bottom of this before it was strong enough to influence Chiaki again. As a safety precaution, Marianna locked the Fury in a separate room from the tired girl. As it turned out, the reason she hadn't woken up was a combination of factors: Severe exhaustion, energy depletion, and the feedback caused by Divinity Breaker.
{There wasn't anything else you could do.} Amethyst spoke soothingly to Konton and me. The little Fairy felt absolutely miserable that she helped to seriously injure someone.
I hugged both of them in response. I didn't want to hurt Chiaki either, but I had to defend us, as in my allies and myself. {I wish there was.} 'I mean, she was nice when we saved her from the bandit, though come to think of it, why didn't she defend herself, if she had a Fury? Was it only gotten after?'
Chiaki was in and out of consciousness. She seemed listless from what Marissa said, and I wanted to check on her myself. Maybe Konton could spot something in her aura? The slight blonde didn't say anything when I knocked at the door, but she didn't tell me not to enter, either. She was seated in a chair by the window with a blanket across her lap. The girl looked exhausted, but it was the haunted look in her eyes that caught my attention. I was wary, but also concerned. "How are you feeling?" I gently asked her. I had to be careful, so as not to set her off, yet at the same time, I had to know why things happened as they did.
"Are you the one who struck me down?" Chiaki asked in a dead voice.
...I closed my eyes for a moment, and slightly tilted my head downward. "I'm sorry," I said, "But I had to."
She looked eerily at peace with my answer. "Good."
I thought she'd be angry, but her voice sounded like acceptance instead. "May I know why?" I could make a guess, but I'd rather confirm it from her. Was she herself that time, or not? My bet was on the latter.
Konton was keeping a close eye on her aura the entire time. The little Fairy seemed satisfied that whatever was controlling her had lost its hold.
"I wanted to avenge Lord…" She paused before continuing, "...Sherman's… defeat. He introduced me to someone who claimed they could aid my quest. The Fury I was given didn't have a Fairy inside, but somehow could do everything a Fury could do. When I held it, the Fury took my desires and increased them, twisting my wishes into a hideous resolve. I wanted to kill all of you, not because it was Justice, but because you existed," Chiaki continued to speak in that same eerie tone.
That didn't sound good at all, and it proved that the recently acquired hollow(?) Fury was behind it. Could Gehaburn have done the same to me if I hadn't discovered it? While I was wondering why she was aiming for me, something else was more important. She was probably referring to the Horizon Cut, anyway. "Could you tell us about the one who gave you that Fury?" Whoever was behind it would be a problem. 'If more of such Furies are around…'
"Her name is Junown. She is where the Septerian Club gets the wine. I wasn't allowed to know any more. After I received the Fury, it no longer mattered…" Chiaki's lips twisted in self-mocking deprecation.
"I'm sorry." From what I saw, she felt terrible about it. That addictive wine… that meant this Junown was a part of what seemed to be the corruption in the system, so to speak. That would have to be dealt with later on. Clearly Sherman should have looked inward rather than outward, though he was probably under the influence as well. "May I know what you'll do after this?"
Chiaki, for the first time, looked genuinely lost. "I don't know. I can't return to Sherman. Junown warned me about 'loose ends.' The only thing I have is that Fury… and whatever kindness my captors grant me…" She buried her face in her hands, and wept as the whole situation finally hit home.
I looked to Amethyst and Konton, unsure of what to do. I didn't like seeing her broken down like this, but what could I do? I couldn't let my guard down, yet she had to be comforted. She was vulnerable right now. Someone of malicious intent could try to bend her to their own ends, but that wasn't me.
{Do what your heart says.} Amethyst urged.
{Her spirit is weary. It wouldn't take much to break her now.} Konton's voice was subdued.
'To follow my heart…' I put my hand to my heart, as I tried to discern what it was telling me, so to speak, which wasn't something I did all the time. Moments later, I felt I had my answer, and… I gently embraced her, inspired by Amethyst doing the same for me. I had no words, only actions. It was like a floodgate opened as the frightened girl cried into my shoulder, her shoulders shaking with each sob.
Amethyst and Konton quietly left the room. The pair of Fairies were off to investigate a certain Fury with mischief in mind. That sword deserved worse…
I continued supporting Chiaki, letting her vent her sorrow. "I'm sorry," was all I could say, in sympathy for what happened, her faith turned against her.
"I'm such a fool…" Chiaki cried out her pain. "What am I going to do now? I can't go back there!"
What she said felt of regret. "I understand," I said, for I wouldn't take it well if I were led astray, either. "...Can we be friends?" I shyly offered. If she had nowhere to go, then perhaps...
She drew back in surprise, eyes red from crying. There was wariness, but also hope. "Do you mean that?" Chiaki asked meekly.
I nodded with sincerity. I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it. This wasn't something I normally did, but in this case, it felt right to me. "Yes."
She smiled softly before leaning back into the embrace, snuggling closer with a happy sigh. I let her do so as I held her, since she needed it. I never thought I would be doing this… it felt awkward, yet slightly comfortable, too.
-With Amethyst and Konton-
The Fairies were basically 'live streaming' to their Fencer. She had more important things to do then deal with another psychotic Fury. They might have gotten Konton from the first, but there was no guarantee of the same results here.
"According to Chiaki, there is no Fairy inside," Amethyst eyed the beautiful rapier with distaste. The outside was magnificent, but something inside repulsed her.
"I can't sense a Fairy presence… and you can't either…" Konton shook her head.
"What I do sense is malignance," the taller Fairy noted.
"See that crack? It's not healing like a normal Fury. There's some kind of bubbling stuff…" The smaller fairy picked up a pencil and poked the bubbling stuff. A sweat bead trailed down her face as the pencil turned black, smoldered, and promptly tried to eat her. Amethyst quickly smashed the pencil monster in both hands.
"Right. Don't touch the unknown substance," Amethyst concluded rapidly.
"So… I think it needs to be purified… but I'm afraid to try that here…" Konton grimaced.
"We can't take it to the godly realm. The only body left is the Goddess," Amethyst reminded her.
"We'll find a place out in the middle of nowhere. For now let's get the other Fairies to seal it," Konton suggested.
"If the sealing works, we won't have to purify it," Amethyst said hopefully.
"But we will have to destroy it. I don't think Chiaki would want it back," the small Fairy shook her head.
"Good point. I keep forgetting myself and treating the matter like it was a Fencer and their Fairy partner," Amethyst wasn't equipped to handle something so outside of her expertise. Konton patted her cheek comfortingly, eliciting a smile in response.
Sealing the Fury wasn't difficult, for it didn't have a will to resist. Eryn knew of a good place that could be used to either destroy, or at least dispose of, the Fury. Bui Valley, the location she had in mind, was a place of cliffs and steep drops. Anything lost there would take a miracle to find again. They just needed time to go there.
-Back with Nepgear and Chiaki-
"Are you feeling better?" I asked the other girl. I had a feeling that time passed by while we were here. I hadn't hugged someone for this long before...
Chiaki spent most of the hour since the Fairies left dozing. The slender blonde seemed to almost knead at my arms in contentment. As the Fury was fully sealed, it was like the last tension in her body vanished, the half-doze turning into full sleep. However, my voice roused her.
"Much better, Nepgear… Thank you…" Chiaki murmured.
"You're welcome," I said. I wasn't sure what to say next, though, since I was trying to be careful with my words. After a while to think about it, I said, "What would you like to do?" She had options, after all. I didn't want to force one on her.
"I want to help. As someone who was controlled, I want to save others from the same fate," Chiaki nuzzled my shoulder dreamily, which once more felt awkward. I really wasn't used to holding someone for this long…
"Okay, and thanks," I said with a smile, understanding her desire. Assistance from her would be appreciated.
She leaned back with a bit of a sheepish smile. "Hugging you felt so good I couldn't stop." A blush dusted her cheeks.
Goodness, I wasn't expecting such a comment at all! "W-what? Really?" I could only sputter out, not knowing of what to say to that.
"You have such a good heart," Chiaki smiled brightly. "I could really feel your sincerity." The blush turned a little darker.
Seeing her blush wasn't helping my sense of embarrassment. "Uh… okay…?" I wasn't used to that kind of compliment. Was I really as good as she said?
"Was there anything you needed?" Chiaki asked, pressing her fingers together bashfully.
"Not really. I just wanted to find out why things happened, and to see if you're okay," I said.
"Thank you. What were you going to do today if not for me?" Chiaki tilted her head curiously.
My initial idea came to mind. Now that she was relatively fine… "I was thinking of exploring the city. Maybe you could show me around?" It was a new place to me, and traveling was one of my favorites. Having a tour guide of sorts would be nice.
"Of course. Ah… I better get changed first…" She glanced down at the nightshirt someone lent her, probably Eryn given their similar heights.
Chiaki eyed her uniform distastefully. The blue and white outfit didn't change, but her perception did. She still wore it, but clearly wanted to wear anything else.
"Let's make a quick stop at the Sunflower Inn. I have some things that may help us. Including a change of clothes for myself…" Chiaki plucked at her uniform jacket.
"Sounds good." While she was wearing that, I was garbed not in my usual white and purple sailor dress, but rather, in one of my recently bought clothes. A ruffled yellow blouse, still soft, light and smooth, was coupled with a medium-length denim skirt, black shorts worn under that, along with a pair of black, white-trimmed boots, the last of which was from the Lastation version of my sailor dress. Wearing a skirt… felt different from, say, tying a jacket around my waist, yet it felt nice all the same. When I saw myself in the mirror at my room a while ago, I couldn't help but smile, even twirl a little, for I liked what I saw.
I made an offer to my Fairies, in case they felt like joining us. {Want to come with us? Or does the Fury need to be watched or something?} We couldn't neglect the presence of the now-sealed rapier over there, either.
{We'll stay with the sealed Fury.} Amethyst replied.
{If the seal holds, she might be able to use it still. If she even wants to that is.} Konton added.
{I don't think she'd want to.} I remarked. 'I know I wouldn't want to use a sword that twisted me.' As for Konton, she was different. She wasn't Gehaburn.
It was sometime later, after leaving our inn, that we arrived at the Sunflower Inn, which wasn't under surveillance from what I could see. Still, Chiaki was careful about entering the inn, and was hurrying to conclude her business. She didn't check out of the place, but she did stop to change her clothes. The outfit she picked looked like a blue vest over a white sleeveless dress that ended at mid-thigh. Her knee-high boots were also white, like snow. Around her waist was a blue belt with a gold buckle. While her new ensemble was of the same color scheme as before, it wasn't her old uniform. She also had a bag slung over her shoulder, drawing a strange look from Mrs. Four-star, but nothing else.
"Phew…" Once we were outside, she let out a sigh of relief. "That was a bit tense…" Chiaki said, as we were walking away from the Inn, and towards the center of the city.
Her change in attitude now was noticeable compared to before, but I didn't blame her. Being controlled by a hollow Fury didn't engender loyalty. "Yeah," I said in agreement. "So, what's on the itinerary?"
Chiaki stopped for a moment to catch her breath, as she laid a hand over her heart and just breathed. After a minute, she straightened, even if her expression was strained. "Ah… right. What was it you were hoping to find? Perhaps we could visit the tavern or go for lunch," she suggested.
Come to think of it, the clock in the inn was pointing almost at twelve noon, and I was feeling a bit hungry. While I'd like to go sightseeing first, well… "Let's have lunch. Any restaurant in mind?" I asked.
"There is a nice little restaurant just down the lane…" Chiaki pointed down by the river.
As we entered, I saw that the restaurant was a small little hole-in-the-wall, much like an American-style diner in look. We were seated by a waitress who then took our orders. The menus looked almost exactly like what I would expect from a diner, like burgers, fries, milkshakes and such. We placed our orders, then we were left with making small talk, mostly about minor things. The weather might have come up at some point. Lunch was another popular topic.
"Zelwinds doesn't really have much except for being a centralized location. When Dorfa was in power, the company ran everything. There are still a few shops brave enough to carry their goods, but most don't. The Justice Society was overzealous in punishing the wicked…" Chiaki bit her lip. With the scales fallen from her eyes, the truth was hard to bear.
"I'm sorry," I quietly said. "We'll do something about it, right?"
"Yeah, we will. I want to be involved. I… I can still feel some of the power the Fury held… like it invaded me. When Eryn touched me this morning, I stopped hearing the Fury, but I haven't lost this…" Chiaki discreetly made a light appear in her palm.
That meant she retained her ability to fight, since that was a manifestation of the Fury's magic, the same element as mine. That would help for sure. "Nice," I said. "But will you be okay with it?" On the flipside, it might remind her of when she wasn't herself, and it wasn't exactly her power, but the Fury's.
"I want to be useful. They didn't care if I lived or died. I just want to show them that it was a mistake," Chiaki clenched her hand, a brief flash of anger on her face.
"I understand. We'll help you."
Chiaki smiled gratefully at my show of support.
The food was good (there was even pudding for dessert!), the bill was paid, and we were back out in the sun, as Chiaki took command of the tour. The tavern, she said, was a good place for adventurers to pick up side jobs, mostly Fencer work. Fang was there as we walked by, and he waved as he left the place.
"Hey, good to see you're up and around," he said as he approached.
"You too," I replied, smiling. "What have you been up to?"
"I picked up a couple jobs. Easy stuff for when we go out to train. How are you, Chiaki?" Fang's eyes showed concern, but she looked a little overwhelmed.
"I'm okay… I-I want to join you," Chiaki said quickly.
"Sure," he shrugged. That was fast.
The blonde gawked in astonishment. "Just like that?" Her eyes widened in disbelief.
"Hey, we need all the hands we can get. We have a bunch of Furies. I don't see why you can't pick one of them to use," Fang said.
"Was I really overcomplicating things…?" Chiaki looked to me for help.
"Nope." I shook my head. "I'd be nervous too if I were you." I would have a hard time believing their quick acceptance as well.
"I don't think I can use another Fury. Isn't that how it works?" She asked Fang while subtly stepping closer to me.
"You could try. Since the Fury doesn't have a Fairy, I'm not sure it really connected. Maybe it had so much power you thought it was connected?" Fang shrugged.
"Could be. It wasn't natural, and Fairies are what Fencers bond with," I commented. A Fury without a Fairy would merely be a tool, not a person to connect to.
"Exactly! I paid attention… sometimes… to what I was told," Fang nodded proudly.
"Thank you very much," Chiaki bowed politely.
He just waved it off. "Nah, don't worry about it. I'm headed back to the Inn to let the others know," Fang waved before leaving.
Chiaki looked reassured afterwards. "Like I said, we'll help you," I said to her. "And when you have a Fairy, you won't be alone." Like with Amethyst, Konton and me.
"I feel like I'm not alone now," Chiaki smiled.
"Well, we are friends," I said in reply. "So, what's there to see? Any landmarks and such?"
"Oh, well there's the riverbank, a place where young lovers go to have their rendezvous… Ah, I wish I could be so lucky someday…" Chiaki started waxing poetic about her future lover. Noble, kind, good hearted, honorable…
While she talked, I decided to check my Share Links, that is, the bonds of faith between others and me, my source of power as a CPU. I was curious to see how it was, since it had been a while. From what I could sense within me, there were quite a lot of them by now, and it was astonishing, now that I knew how they felt towards me. The Fairies almost universally adored me, my bond with them second only to Eryn. Amethyst and Konton loved me with all their heart. Fang's feelings were that I was a good friend, and even better in a fight, while Galdo valued my contributions and quick wit. I didn't know they thought of me so highly. It was an honor to be strengthened by their belief in me.
When I looked at Chiaki's link, however, the result was even more surprising. All of the love and reverence she had for Sherman had seemingly shifted towards me. What the goodness? Um… was that a rebound or something? It did explain her actions and words, though, from her blushes, to her smiles, to her enjoyment of my hug, to her compliments, to her stepping close to me, to her saying she didn't feel alone…
'Oh goodness, please tell me she didn't think of this as a date…'
I could still hear her talking about what she hoped her future spouse would be like, which was… to be fair, one can have rose-colored glasses about it. I wasn't sure what to do with her feelings, only that I couldn't let her down. However, I also wasn't ready for something like that, and I only thought of her as a friend. We had only just met, I already had a close bond with Amethyst and Konton, and what if I did return home eventually…?
"Hopefully you'll find your better half," I said to Chiaki. I could at least be supportive of her happiness.
She turned to me with a hopeful smile, but thankfully didn't push. "Ahem… right. Let's visit the fountain plaza now. Travelers from all over like to stop and look at the fountain. Supposedly a potent Fury resided there at one time, but is long gone. The statue is said to resemble the Fairy…" Just like that, Chiaki was off again as we walked towards the plaza. At least it wasn't another romantic spot. Still, it was nice to hear her enthusiasm, for it meant she would be all right.
"That sounds interesting…" I said. The story behind the statue would be nice to hear.
"Oh, it is! Tethys is referred to as the guardian of Zelwinds, a unique wind and water natured Fairy. No one knows just where she went though. The last time anyone saw her was almost a hundred years ago. Many people have sought her Fury. The long held belief is that there is a secret concealed within the fountain. Scholars from all over used to flock to Zelwinds to search for the ancient relic. Sadly, no one has found even a trace," Chiaki shook her head sadly.
"Why did she leave?" I asked. It didn't make sense for a guardian Fairy to abandon her charge, and on another note, there was a sculpture up ahead.
"Well, the tale says that the city itself had a hand in her disappearance, that they broke the pact. Unfortunately, the only mention of the pact is in reference to the old plaza. The fountain was moved, so anything it held would be here," Chiaki gestured at the magnificent structure before us. The Fairy appeared to be a generously endowed woman, with a mermaid's tail and a pair of curled wings as if about to lift off. Her hair fell in strategic waves to cover her modesty, like how some mermaids were depicted. It reminded me of those Renaissance statues in Italy, particularly Rome and Florence.
While it would be interesting to find out more about the pact, maybe now wasn't the time for that. Since I was practically a tourist, taking a picture of it would be nice. Now then, did I have some sort of camera with me, like on a phone…? I checked my inventory, in case I missed anything, and found an N-Gear. A purple, rectangular device with buttons and a touchscreen, it was Planeptune's version of a portable console and smartphone, the spiritual successor to the historical Game Gear. Even 'my' name was based on it: N-Gear, Nepgear.
More importantly, it had a camera function, and using the device felt natural to me, much like if I were using my iPhone back home. "Wanna take a selfie?" I asked Chiaki.
"O-okay!" She beamed, as she stood next to me in front of the fountain.
I switched the camera to the front, and held my phone out in front of us. "Smile!" I said, doing just that, as well as a peace sign with my free hand. Chiaki smiled and mimicked the peace sign gesture as I took our photo. Now I was reminded of my older brother. 'Must. Take. Documentation,' he would always say.
"What do you want to do now?" Chiaki was now bouncing on her toes. A photo was enough to excite her, it seemed.
"Can you show me another tourist site? Or is there something you'd like to do?" I asked in return.
"What I would like to do? To be honest… I didn't really have many hobbies. In fact…" She started to look a little sad as realization set in. "I actually can't think of anything. Weird. Um, maybe we could go to the pet shop?" Chiaki suggested.
I had a bit of a deflated look. That… wasn't my cup of tea. "I'm not into pets, sorry…" I answered. "Maybe we could visit another tourist spot, or a museum?"
"Oh. I could ask one of the others later," Chiaki looked briefly disappointed, but shook it off. She was more into pets than I was, it seemed. "There is the Dorfa Gallery. No one ruined that since it holds valued pieces of history…" She once again took command of the tour as we walked towards that place.
The Dorfa Gallery, as it turned out, was a four-storey museum in a large, stately stone edifice. Chiaki bought the tickets and had us join a tour group. The guide led us from room to room, showing off the various exhibits. Paintings and sculptures of all shapes and sizes were on display. An entire floor, in fact, was dedicated to Fencers of the past. Their armor was recovered, but the Furies were just empty shells as the Fairies passed on. Chiaki seemed to find the tales of the archers and other female Fencers to be more interesting.
"Ah, this is Melisande. She once held off an army of six hundred long enough for reinforcements to arrive. The people she defended remembered her staying back to guard the rear. When reinforcements came, they found Melisande with her glaive buried in the chest of a dragon. The dragon was stone dead, but his claws found her heart," Chiaki gazed admiringly at the armor, lovingly restored, which looked like samurai armor in blues and greens. The glaive had a long black shaft with a curved blue blade on one end and a green spike at the other.
The armor and weapon were pleasing on the eyes. If I were Ruby Rose, I'd be all over them in an instant. As it was, I admired them as well. However, they were also sobering, a reminder that I could die in battle, and no amount of power was a guarantee of survival. Even the strongest could fall… Scary, wasn't it? At least I wasn't alone, with Amethyst, Konton, and the others.
"I used to dream of being a Fencer, but I could never find a Fury. There was also the fact I… I'm not the bravest person. I couldn't do this before," Chiaki lowered her head and sighed, then looked straight ahead with a spark of determination. "I can do it now. I can be like my heroes. Preferably alive at the end of the journey though…" She giggled sheepishly.
"I'm not brave, either," I quietly told her, though Amethyst would say otherwise. "And neither could I do this before." How much things had changed for me, ever since I first found myself in this world. Being Nepgear was a blessing in a place like this. Inheriting her strength, her skills, was a lifesaver. Still, battles continued to scare me, and for good reason, even if I stuck mostly to support and range. 'However, I couldn't let that harm my allies nor myself. Really, I remain grateful to my Fairies, for being there for me.'
"Courage isn't the absence of fear, but instead acting despite being afraid," Chiaki said, as much to me as for herself. She seemed to debate with herself before taking my hand. It was actually a gesture of comfort, for it was clear any thoughts of relationships were far from her mind.
"Heh, I said that to my Fairy once…" A small smile crossed my face as I remembered that day. She was right, though, for it remained a saying that I wholeheartedly agreed with. Perhaps I needed those words echoed back to me. Just like before, I couldn't give up.
"We should get back to the inn. It's getting late," Chiaki caught a look at the time, which was almost five o'clock in the afternoon. How quickly time flew...
We parted ways there, as we went into the inn. Chiaki smiled at me before heading back to her room, to which I returned with a bit of my own smile.
I thought of what to do next, and… Fang and Galdo needed to know about what I learned from Chiaki, about Junown. It was a lead that we could follow. Also, I had to ask when we could permanently deal with the hollow Fury. To that end, I searched for either of them.
Galdo was in the lounge stretched out on the sofa, both hands behind his head, and sandals on the floor. He looked completely relaxed. At first I thought he was asleep, but he opened his eyes at my approach.
"Hey, Nepgear. What's up?" He asked.
"I found a lead from Chiaki," I replied. I proceeded to tell him about Junown, the one behind the addictive wine and the malevolent Fury, and that Sherman was the one who led Chiaki to her.
Galdo suddenly sat up with a look of shock. "Wow, you are a miracle worker! She wasn't talking to anyone this morning, then Fang came back and said the two of you were out together. I'm glad she opened up to someone. Let's get everybody together and tell them." He grinned approvingly and gave me a fond pat on the shoulder.
Fortunately, the others weren't hard to find. It didn't take long to meet them. Marissa was with Eryn, Amethyst, and Konton discussing what to do with the rapier. Throwing it off a cliff in the Depthless Gorge of the Bui Valley was a popular idea. Fang was in the kitchen stealing a taste of tonight's dessert. The cook was grateful for someone taking him away. Marianna was in her room with Khalara. The elegant woman wasn't comfortable with our team yet. Lola was out back looking over her wares pensively. She came inside when asked, but seemed troubled. Chiaki was just resting before dinner. The blonde was a little tired but was happy to lay out on the sofa downstairs.
"Guys! Nepgear has something to say," Galdo whistled to get their attention. Marianna winced at the volume, but otherwise held her peace.
I was a bit nervous informing everyone at the same time, but it had to be done. I swallowed, before repeating what I told Galdo.
The reactions were immediate, and loud, as everyone wanted to be heard at the same time. Chiaki was the only one not yelling in dismay. Her reaction was to curl up on the sofa and hug her knees. Amethyst hugged the poor girl comfortingly, acting as a screen in case some of the shouting turned in her direction. Only Marianna seemed intent on questioning her further, but she didn't want to argue with the purple-haired Fairy. In my case, I stayed with Amethyst, finding it more comfortable there in the midst of the noise.
"Quiet down! Yelling isn't going to help!" Fang shouted over the racket.
"We learned something huge. Sherman's an ass right now, but the bigger problem is Junown and the wine. Chiaki's information will keep us from just spinning our wheels, right?" Galdo winked at Chiaki, to which the blonde returned with a cautious smile.
"The issue I have is, why didn't Lola know anything? She is the information broker after all," Marianna, as it turned out, wasn't upset with Chiaki specifically. She turned on the broker with a sharp stare… only to stop. Lola was already gone. 'Talk about perfect timing.'
"We can't expect her to know everything," Fang said, even if he did look irritated.
"Rather than blame Lola, why don't we decide what to do next?" Marissa suggested reasonably.
"We have to get rid of the rapier. It's still sealed, but who knows when that will wear off? I would feel more comfortable if it was as far from us as possible," Konton shivered.
"There was also a Fury in the original timeline. I think it would be a good idea if we started gathering more Furies. We still need to release the Goddess," Fang reminded us, while Amethyst was quietly explaining everything to Chiaki.
"I suggest removing the rapier. It could cause problems if we collect Furies first," I said, sharing my opinion. The latter method felt like letting Gehaburn stay in my inventory, and I didn't want Chiaki, or any of us, to fall under the hollow Fury's sway.
Moments later, Lola made her return, and apparently, Fang's memory of a Fury in Bui Valley matched up with her new information. The information broker, through mysterious means, decided to check with a contact. She was certainly impressed with Fang's powers of deduction, so impressed that she only charged us half for the information.
"Cheating… robbing… no good so-and-so…" Konton wrung her hands in the air like she was strangling the girl. Amethyst hugged the tiny Fairy to her chest, even if she clearly agreed with the sentiment.
"Is she really that greedy? I thought she's just opportunistic," I remarked. Intel could quickly become obsolete, so she had to sell them while they lasted.
"She's both," Galdo stated blandly.
"If Fang already knew there was a Fury in Bui Valley, why is he paying her?" Marianna looked affronted. It did sound like a waste of money, after all.
"Does that mean if the Justice Society pays more than us…?" I interjected. If Lola was indeed as greedy as was said, then the implications of that would be…
Everyone in the room froze, including Lola. Every head in the room turned towards the info broker in slow motion. Lola started to sweat as suddenly, power started to swell. After the betrayals and fear we were living under, like Sherman turning against us, and what Junown did to Chiaki, no one wanted to suffer like that again. The blonde dressed like Alice took a nervous step back.
"W-whoa… Those guys would kill me too! I've been helping you! They don't care if you're reformed, retired, or what. Just arguing with them is enough to be punished!" Lola flailed her hands in fright.
"Unless they already hired you to spy on us. Quite an interesting coincidence how they knew the exact time Fang's team would infiltrate the work camp," Marianna almost purred like a very large cat with a tasty morsel.
"She does charge us a lot…" Galdo admitted.
"It IS a bit suspicious that Chiaki knew the right time to hit the camp," Eryn glanced apologetically at Chiaki.
"I was told to go right away, that Fang and his group were spotted at the camp. I still ended up waiting nearly twenty minutes before you were spotted," Chiaki said.
"Lola? Is this true?" Marissa, the motherly Fairy, clasped her hands imploringly.
"I don't know where they're getting their information from, but it isn't me," Lola insisted defensively, crossing her arms irritably.
"Lola, please. If you're being threatened, we can protect you. You don't have to go it alone," Marissa tried again. 'Wait, what?'
"Wait!" "Threatened?" "But wait…!" The confused voices all clamored over one another, fighting to be heard. Lola looked visibly shaken at the motherly Fairy's pronouncement. Was she actually under duress?
"Is that it? Are you being threatened?" Fang asked quietly.
The capitalist girl trembled like a leaf in a storm. Her big blue eyes welled up with tears, as she bit her lip in a last ditch effort to contain herself. When Eryn touched her arm, she completely broke down. A broken-hearted wail was heard as Lola's defenses crumbled. She fell to the ground, legs splayed beneath her, as misery poured forth. I gave her a sympathetic look, for in her shoes, caught between a rock and a hard place, I wouldn't have taken it well, either. 'We ought to do something about her situation.'
"E-even if she does overcharge… No one deserves this…" Galdo wiped his own eyes.
{How did Marissa know?} I asked Amethyst. Before Galdo's Fairy raised that possibility, my attitude was leaning towards distrust. Now, it was that of concern. Lola's case reminded me of Chiaki's.
{She practically raised Galdo. I imagine she knows most of the dodges people use.} Amethyst said.
{Let's face it. She's better at reading people than we are.} Konton watched the drama unfold sadly.
To the surprise of many, Marianna laid a gentle hand on Lola's shoulder as Eryn hugged her. No one else approached, for fear of crowding the girl. Chiaki's heart clearly went out to her, and even Fang looked suspiciously teary-eyed.
"So Bui Valley is a trap…" Galdo spoke softly to Fang as the others comforted Lola. The two were standing closer to me so I could listen in on their conversation.
"A trap we know about. This is good," Fang nodded slowly.
"We know the valley, especially where the wind storms are strongest," Galdo smirked. There was a part of him that clearly wanted to hurt someone for all this suffering.
"The one right over the Gorge is perfect. Just draw it down to us and we can catch them in a real twister," Fang grinned menacingly.
"I'll take your word for it," I quietly said. They knew the area, not me. However, we didn't know what form the trap would take, only that it existed. It could be anything. However, we had to go there, regardless, to dispose of the rapier, and to retrieve the local Fury.
"Try not to let your vindictive feelings overwhelm your sense," Marianna said as she approached, which was a good point. Khalara, ignored before now, must have told her what was said.
"We'll try, but…" Fang gestured to the Fairies surrounding Lola, the latter of which seemed to be a little better now. Each Fairy was glowing the color of their respective element, with blazing eyes like in a shounen anime.
"Oooh… git rekt scrub," Khalara cackled.
"W-wow…" Galdo chuckled nervously.
"Yeah…" I concurred. Whoever crossed them would be in for a world of hurt.
"Fang? Can I try one of your Furies now?" Chiaki asked politely, changing the topic. To be fair, she would need a Fairy partner for the battles ahead.
"Yeah, sure. Your element is… light, right?" Fang asked as he reached into his pocket. Pocketspace on a literal scale, much like mine.
"Lightning and Light, actually," Chiaki corrected.
"From what I remember, the Fairy chooses the Fencer. So I'll just bring all of them out and let you pick," Fang summoned the blades from his pocket by reaching in, pulling his hand out, and opening. What he said reminded me of wands, those that choose their wizards.
Furies of all elements were laid out before Chiaki's wandering eyes. The blonde girl stared at them in wonder and amazement. She giggled as a few of them lifted off the ground and started dancing around her. They allowed her to touch, but none of them fit quite right. It wasn't that Chiaki, or the Fairies, weren't willing. There was, instead, something missing from the connection. Then, a darkly glowing Fury floated before the girl's eyes.
{Betrayal runs deep. You still feel hurt, saddened, and vengeful. The others would help you forget the pain. I won't help you to forget. I will help you to finish this and move on, if that is what you desire.} The Fairy sounded wise and kind, but also incredibly young. There was a hardness to her tone that seemed to resonate with Chiaki, and I didn't blame her for that, for wanting vindication, for wanting to pay back what was dealt to her. 'I just hope she won't be ruined by her vengeance.'
"I want to know the truth," Chiaki wrapped her hand around the Fury's hilt. In a flash, it reconfigured into a rapier with a gold basket hilt and a long purple blade. Elegant, yet deadly.
{We will walk this road together. My name is Giselle.} The Fairy said before appearing. She looked like a young girl in a Gothic black dress and headdress. Her hair was a lighter shade of lavender than my own, and her eyes were peach in shade.
"So cute!" Chiaki glomped her Fairy. Giselle briefly tried to look dignified, before submitting to her new Fencer's ministrations.
Suddenly, there came a terrible roar filled with rage from upstairs, before it ended in a whimper. Such a noise made me flinch, for it sounded like a powerful monster. "Yeah… I don't think the Fury liked that…" Eryn just won the award for master of the understatement. Wait, a Fury?
"Is someone jealous?" I commented. Maybe said Fury wanted to be chosen?
"I almost feel sorry for it… There was a faint echo of the original Fairy inside. Unfortunately, the 'stuff' inside of it would be too toxic for a human to use for long," Eryn shook her head. So the roar was from the hollow one? That made more sense now.
"And you didn't tell anyone?" Marissa looked surprised.
"Chiaki didn't need that on her mind too," Eryn said. Giselle tightened her grip possessively, prompting Chiaki to pat her hair until she calmed.
"Tomorrow, we'll do some team training in the Zazawa Plains, before heading to the Bui Valley. Lola?" Fang spoke to the forgotten girl.
"Ah, yes?" Lola asked hesitantly.
"Tell them we'll be going to the Bui Valley the day after tomorrow," he said. 'Wait, why inform them that we're heading to the trap?'
"Are you insane?" Marianna demanded.
"Hey, this way Lola's kept safe, and maybe we can start feeding them bad information. Just don't tell them how many of us there are. Chiaki can bring up the rear," Fang decided.
"I see…" Chiaki nodded slowly.
"Hopefully that works," I said, for the plan sounded well enough.
The next day was scheduled for more training, then we got the fun of deliberately springing a trap. Good thing today was so relaxed, for the next few days were going to be hectic, and dangerous. We ate dinner before going our separate ways, since all of us needed some alone time.
In my case, I took a shower, which felt really awkward while I kept my eyes closed. Nonetheless, I had to clean myself, though my cheeks were warm throughout. My skin was more sensitive than I thought… Eventually, after finishing that, and changing into my sleeping attire, I returned to my room, where a thought came to mind. Eryn's mention of an echo reminded me of something. I inherited many things from Nepgear, like her power, her knowledge, her body… but did I also inherit her memory? Was there at least an echo of her somewhere within me? I felt I needed to know, so I attempted to look inward. I was nervous, though. What if she didn't react well, if she was present?
The journey within was actually one that I made before, since I did so to view my Share Links. My world seemingly shifted as I mentally gazed into myself. There, I could see a crystal, hovering in the center of my soul. A Sharicite symbol was marked on it, indicating that it was the heart of my power. It was completely clear, like the purest diamond ever made, perfect in every way. It was different from Uzume's, that huge, yellow crystal at the center of the Heart Dimension.
By seeking Nepgear's memories, I must have triggered something, as the crystal drew me forward. A nameless impulse compelled me to lay my hand on the crystal. From within, I could see my HDD appear, a ripple and it was my Fairize, and a final ripple showed a distorted image. I could almost make out a figure that looked like me with pieces of both forms. While I watched as the image started to become clearer…
"Goodness! Don't do that!" Nepgear's unmistakable voice suddenly came from behind me, as gentle arms drew me back from the crystal.
"Sorry!" I immediately said, letting myself be pulled away from it. Looking back showed me that Nepgear was indeed there, the original one. I couldn't help but hesitantly face her, my hands clasped in front of me. "Uh… are you okay with me being here...?" I would understand if she wasn't, though I hoped that she would approve of me.
"Have you done anything I wouldn't?" Nepgear asked.
I shook my head. "No..." If anything, among the CPUs, her personality was the closest to mine. I wouldn't want to do bad.
"Will you turn away? Will you allow evil to win?" Nepgear asked, her voice blending with Purple Sister's.
"I won't," I answered with sincerity, speaking both to Nepgear and to myself. 'Not when I could do something about it…'
"Well then lil' Nep, I think you're fine," Nepgear stuck her tongue out impishly.
"Lil' Nep?" While I was relieved by her approval, a concern now lifted from me, my expression was that of confusion, for it sounded more like something Neptune would say, though the Planeptune CPU would go for 'Nep Jr.' instead.
"Well, you are kind of the little sister now. I get to be a big sister!" The Candidate of Planeptune smiled happily.
"Yeah…" I returned her smile with my own. She was already kind of a big sister in demeanor anyway, contrasting with Neptune's. "So, how come I shouldn't touch the crystal?" I asked. Surely there was a good reason for that?
"Oh! I wasn't trying to stop you from touching the crystal. You were looking too deeply though. The Sharicite is regulating both Forms. What you saw… Well, it's spoilers, but in this case I better explain. You're not Purple Sister. You are you. The Sharicite is adapting to your unique signature. What you saw is the final form you will take. I'm just not sure when that will happen or what the catalyst will be," Nepgear smiled faintly.
A preview of what I'd be like in the future? That was interesting… "When it comes, it comes. Maybe when I need it the most…" I remarked. That was usually the case these days. I wasn't in a rush for power, anyway. While I did need to grow over time, that didn't mean being reckless about it.
"Oh, are you okay here? Or does it feel like a prison?" I asked her, concerned for her well-being. What was she doing while I was out and about?
"I'm only here in spirit, sis. The Sharicite called me here when you started to go too fast. I'll wake up tomorrow morning with memories of our conversation, but I'm not really here," Nepgear stroked my cheek fondly.
I hesitated for a moment, before relaxing into it. It felt... nice, being referred to as her sister. From what she said, could that mean… "So Planeptune is real? Gamindustri is real?" I asked. It'd be wonderful if that was so, if the world of Neptunia was real.
"Reality is a vast and wonderful place. Why wouldn't Gamindustri be real if you believe? A sense of wonder is needed," Nepgear hugged me, and what a warm feeling it was.
"Right." I nodded, for she had a point there. Considering my own circumstances, I guessed I had to be more open-minded… "Will we be able to work together, or visit each other someday?"
"Someday. Right now, your new world is still reeling from things I can't even fathom. Not because I don't understand, but I just don't have enough information. What I have is from your experiences. My advice to you is stay true to your heart, and you will never be led astray," Nepgear smiled.
"Mhm," I said in agreement. "So, how are things there, in Planeptune?" I was curious to know.
"Confusing, as you probably know, as our continuity is hardly stable. Aside from that? Life is good. The world you're in is completely outside of our sphere. Nep is going to be so jealous that I got to be the first to see a whole different world," Nepgear giggled.
"Hehe," I chuckled. The look on Neptune's face would be priceless. "Who knows, maybe she'll get here via protag privileges." My tone was lighthearted, though I wouldn't be so surprised if she actually could do that. There was that one continuity where she opened a permanent portal between dimensions purely by invoking her right as the main character...
"Please don't give her ideas. I'm never quite sure what she can hear, and what she can't. It wouldn't surprise me if she somehow knew about this," Nepgear looked around suspiciously.
Seeing her glance around, I did the same, wondering if she actually found anything, except there was just us and the crystal over there, the latter of which reminded me of something, a question unanswered. "Oh, did I actually inherit your memories? I thought the crystal would tell me, but…"
"You did, but you have to intentionally look for them. Just… try not to get lost… My memories are pretty jumbled from how time jumps around. It would help if you just checked for specific skills. I won't tell you not to look for my Uni memories but…" Nepgear blushed.
"Oh," I said, my cheeks feeling just a bit warm from that last part. That meant the two of them shared a relationship, one that I would support. Yeah, the Unigear memories would best be left alone, out of respect for their privacy. "I'll be careful. So, I'll see you around?" We eventually had to part ways, after all.
"Of course we will. The day is coming when we can meet face to face. Get some sleep, lil' Nep. You're going to need it," she gave me another hug.
I returned the embrace, wrapping my arms around her. "I will," I said, knowing that it was going to be a long two days. "You too, sis." It felt right to call her that… and it was less confusing than 'Nepgear', since I inherited her name.
She smiled one last time before fading from space. The Sharicite Crystal pulsed once before sending me out. It was now time for bed, and my journey to the center of the mind was exhausting. At least I wasn't trapping the real Nepgear somehow. My dreams that night were a confusing mess of flying through the sky and Dogoos. The laughter of Purple Sister came to me as she tumbled through the sky happily.
It was a nice dream.
You know, this fic is making me wish there was a NA release date for the Switch port of, um... Advent Dark Force. Actually, let me check...
Okay, supposedly it was going to be October (of last year), but apparently now it's sometime this month? Digital only it looks like, but at least it includes all the DLC and might be half-off for the first two weeks after launch...
One day later edit: Okay, I misread something. The Switch version will be on sale for two weeks after launch, but it's only 20% off, not 50%. So it's $32, not $20. Looks like I'll need to pick up another eShop card or two, depends on if I can find a $20 instead of a pair of $10s.
Okay, supposedly it was going to be October (of last year), but apparently now it's sometime this month? Digital only it looks like, but at least it includes all the DLC and might be half-off for the first two weeks after launch...
One day later edit: Okay, I misread something. The Switch version will be on sale for two weeks after launch, but it's only 20% off, not 50%. So it's $32, not $20. Looks like I'll need to pick up another eShop card or two, depends on if I can find a $20 instead of a pair of $10s.
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Zawaza Plains Revisted Again For the Last Time (We Promise)
- Location
- PA
AN: Backtracking again @UbeOne?
Zawaza Plains Revisited Again For the Last Time (We Promise)
I woke up feeling a bit more comfortable with myself, since I met Nepgear last night. It affirmed that she was perfectly fine, and that I really was me, my own person, my own Nepgear. I may look like her and everything, but truly, those attributes became a part of me, a gift from her, and it was up to me on what path I would take from there. If anything, she was a sister to me, like what she called me. Fitting, really. It was an honor to have her as my sister.
Interestingly, Lola found out that there was a new Fury in the Zawaza Plains, which worked quite well for us. It was to her benefit and ours, after all, to ensure we were as strong as possible, which more Furies could help us with. Meanwhile, Fang found five requests at the tavern, which were three extermination and two retrieval jobs. We needed the money, and the rewards offered were enticing: High and Ultra Potions; Cherub Wings for reviving fallen comrades, akin to the fictional Phoenix Down; lubricating oil, and clothes. Uh, wait, why did we need extra clothes? Didn't we buy some already? The oil, meanwhile, might be of use sometime.
"Why do we need a crown and glasses?" Chiaki asked in bewilderment.
"We don't. What we're really looking for is the money and supplies," Fang said.
Hm… that was a fair point. "We could just sell what we don't need," I figured. If it worked in the video games, maybe it could work here, too? We did sell the vendor trash last time, so at least they wouldn't be wasted.
"Good idea. Besides, this way we can get experience in fighting together," Fang planted his hands on hips in a self-satisfied manner.
We then proceeded to discuss tactics. Fang, Galdo, Marianna, Chiaki, and myself made for a five-person party, and unlike in RPGs, there was, technically, no back row... unless we set one up, that is. We were mostly made up of forwards, or frontliners, but I could fight from the rear as support, which I usually did. This would be a good opportunity to find out where Chiaki could fit in, whether she would be at the back, or in front.
"Since Chiaki is new to the group, we're going to find where she stands. What part of combat she's most comfortable with, that is," Fang nodded to the slight blonde girl.
"I can do whatever is needed," Chiaki promised.
"So make her the switch. We just have to teach her when is a good time to change roles. Nepgear's a natural. Maybe she could follow Nepgear's lead?" Galdo offered.
Goodness… "Me? But I'm mostly the support," I pointed out. Going up close and personal wasn't my cup of tea, partly because I felt safer at a distance, and partly because I didn't want to get in the way of the two guys going at it up close.
"Yeah, and then you're up close and personal when it's needed. Sherman? Chiaki? No offense…" Fang finished lamely.
"None taken," Chiaki waved it off.
"I am more at home in the mid-ranges, but I can do melee," Marianna said. Her skill with spear and shield proved her point nicely.
"Ready to go?" Galdo asked.
"Time to move out. This is mostly a milk run. The only variable is whatever monster is guarding the Fury. We'll clear out the pub requests first and then take on the main threat," Fang said.
"Good idea," I said in agreement. However, I wasn't sure if it would really be a milk run. There was a chance for unexpected things to occur.
{Yeah, at this point I think Fang's just trying to bolster morale.} Konton agreed.
{If we ever are lucky enough for it to be 'just' a milk run…} Amethyst muttered sourly.
{I know…} I concurred. I did hope that things would go well, however.
Later, we were on our way to our chosen training grounds. The route to the Zawaza Plains was familiar by now, this being the third time we were taking a trip out here. At the entrance to the Plains, Fang threw the Furies again. According to Amethyst, he left out the ones that blocked Magic and Skill use. If we wanted to see what Chiaki and Marianna could do, it would be important to let them do so. We wouldn't get as much Exp or WP, but that was okay.
"How do you want to handle this? Do we stick together or split up? Seems we have enough people…" Galdo suggested.
"Later. I don't want to split the party until we know where everyone stands," Fang said.
"If we do split the party I would suggest staying in the same zone," Marianna offered her insight.
"Yeah, good idea," Fang and Galdo agreed.
"Don't split the party…" I said. We would be stronger while together, more able to tackle whatever was ahead of us. I preferred we didn't take chances. Mistakes could be costly.
Chiaki stayed silent during the exchange, taking time to cuddle her Fairy a bit more instead. She finally brought out her rapier and nodded resolutely. Whatever happened, she would be ready. If there was a white-knuckled grip on her Fury, well, nerves were understandable. I felt the same way too, though it helped that I had my Fairies with me, and that I now had some experience at this.
The enemy encounters were even easier now, with the addition of two more party members. Marianna was a split of Wind and Lightning attributes, and her repertoire also included just about every recovery spell there was, much more than what I knew. Basically, she had a versatile, Red Mage-like fighting style of physical and magical abilities, with her preferred weapon forms being the spear, bow, and gun. She wasn't kidding about preferring to stay at mid-range. She would alternate between attacking the monsters and maintaining our health.
Chiaki, meanwhile, was an even mix of Light, Darkness, and Lightning. She had a few recovery spells, mainly status removal, but she also had support abilities. Our newest member spent most of the fights bolstering speed and resistance, the same way I had with attack and defense, covering for what I lacked. She preferred the rapier for melee, but she also had talent with the bow. She didn't try anything else and instead just went with what worked, which was fine by us.
In my case, I employed my usual method, casting support and healing magic and shooting the monsters from afar with bullets, beams and light, though there were occasions that I had to defend myself with my blade. This time, however, I opted to mix it up with what elemental magic I knew, which I also inherited from Nepgear. Those were lightning, ice, wind, and even fire (though I was as careful as possible with that last one, sending it away from me as fast as I could). While they were usually for enhancing my swordplay, I figured they were good for my bullets and beams, too, and indeed, they were. It was but a matter of figuring out which elements the enemies were weak to.
Fang and Galdo were, once again, the heavy hitters, wielding Fire and Wind, respectively. Their spells were mainly attack and some stat buffs, though Fang, like me, did have a spell for instantly escaping from a 'dungeon', like a magical Eject Button. Mainly, they kept the monsters off of us so we could experiment with our tactics.
"Do all Fencers create combo skills?" Chiaki asked, Fang and Galdo's coordination clearly reminding her of the Fire Whirl they did before.
"Not usually. Most Fencers rarely work together long enough to create combos. It takes a level of trust and coordination most can't match," Marianna said.
"Trust, huh? They trust each other that much?" Chiaki smiled.
"Like brothers separated at birth," Marianna commented dryly. The elegant woman, it turned out, had little patience with Fang and Galdo's shenanigans in their off-time. While the pair were quite competent on the battlefield, they mostly ate and slept when there wasn't anything to do. 'Understandable, I guess.'
"Are you guys okay?" I asked them. Just because the battles were more manageable now, and just because we could heal our injuries, didn't mean we didn't work up a sweat from the whole thing. In my case, at least, I had to manage my energy, so as not to quickly tire myself out. Whether it was working well for me or not, well...
Marianna flipped her hair in response, "I am perfectly fine. This is hardly even a warm up." She strode off to check the perimeter while we rested. Talk about confidence, or was it bravado?
"I'm a little tired, but otherwise fine," Chiaki at least wasn't trying to put on a brave face, as she wiped the sweat from her forehead. Giselle appeared to give her a bottle of water. Her Fencer smiled gratefully even though the Fairy didn't look entirely reassured.
{That is just so cute…} Amethyst cooed. Giselle turned a baleful look in my direction, but more towards my Fury.
{Hehe…} I was catching my breath from the fighting, which felt like forever. The last enemies we encountered were a group of what looked like praying mantises, but bigger, faster and stronger. They weren't that tough, but they were annoying to hit, and dangerous. Still, I figured I could go on for longer, and besides, I had to get used to long battles, exhausting as they would be, just in case.
"And that's the last of them. We can go after the Fury now," Fang didn't even have the decency to look winded. Neither did Galdo, actually, most likely because they were Fencers for longer than I had. They would be more used to this.
Marianna, and surprisingly Chiaki, eyed them enviously.
"Stupidity must make them unbeatable…" Marianna snarked.
"The muscles are nice to look at, though," Chiaki said.
"True," Marianna agreed before turning a teasing look to Chiaki. "Though it wasn't only those two you were looking at." Chiaki sputtered ineffectually, before making a sound like a busted tea kettle.
Eh? I raised an eyebrow at that. Who else was she staring at... was it me, because of yesterday? Goodness, please no… "Who else?" I asked. I had to hear it from her, rather than make assumptions. There was the possibility of it being someone else here.
"I was watching you too… and Marianna…" Chiaki admitted bashfully. The elegant woman almost tripped; quite an impressive feat when she was seated on a rock.
"Why us?" I couldn't believe I was correct and wrong at the same time.
"Well, Marianna is so cool and graceful. She also used to take care of children in her spare time. Even when I was against everything Dorfa, I still admired her for that. Then there's you. You have such a wonderful heart and have been so kind. You saved me from myself," Chiaki turned even redder.
"I… I am honestly not sure how to respond to that…" Marianna was completely poleaxed. Clearly no one ever said that about her before, or maybe just not a girl?
This was so embarrassing… My cheeks felt warm, and I wasn't sure what to say, either… uh… it was nice to be complimented though... "T-Thanks. Uh, let's get back to training, yes...?"
"W-wow…" Galdo turned completely red in the face, from what he overheard.
"Training… yeah. Back to training. Let's go! The Fury is right up ahead!" Fang called with unnecessary force.
{You literally asked for that.} Konton said.
{I know…} I had to concede that point, that I did ask for Chiaki's reasons. It was just that… hearing it for myself was a different story, even if she kinda told me that before… I wasn't used to the praise...
{I have never seen a human turn that shade of red, for that long before.} Amethyst giggled as Marianna's new skin tone was luminescent red. The graceful Fencer punched her shield, the pain shocking her out of the blush.
At least Chiaki was just waxing poetic about our best qualities…
A-Anyway, I shook my head to try and clear my mind. Now I had to focus, for whoever was guarding the Fury would likely be stronger than the monsters we fought before. Still, I hoped that I wasn't being put on a pedestal- never mind, never mind!
It was almost a relief when we reached the end of the plains and saw the threat. On the far end of the clearing was a cleft stone with the Fury partially uncovered, and standing between us and our goal were a trio of large griffins. The beasts were eyeing their surroundings carefully. Sneaking up on them was impossible.
"How do you want to handle this?" Fang asked quietly.
"Hit them fast with a lot of wide area spells and skills?" Chiaki suggested.
"I think we should focus on defeating them one at a time," Marianna disagreed.
"One at a time does mean fewer enemies to fight more quickly," Galdo agreed.
"What do you think, Nepgear?" Fang asked.
I pondered on it, since both approaches had their merits. Hm… "How about one at a time, while disabling the others? Like, the others could be paralyzed, frozen, stopped and such…" I did have a Stop spell, after all, but had yet to use it, sometimes because it wasn't needed, and sometimes because it was forgotten. Now that I remembered, though, the crowd control could be useful., for limiting their chances to attack us.
"Good idea," Fang nodded.
The first 'round' of combat was conducted from hiding, where Status spells didn't reveal us casters. Chiaki cast Status Defense Up on us while using Down on the monsters. Fang cast Physical Attack and Defense Down while Galdo handled the magic side. Marianna cast Speed Up on us and Speed Down on the griffins. With the buffs and debuffs already cast, my Stop spells made it through easily.
"Let's go!" Fang charged out into the open.
We turned a Boss Fight into a slaughter, something I wasn't expecting. The griffins were weakened in all parameters, unable to fight back, and completely helpless. I didn't hesitate to exploit it, practically firing on full-auto with ice-infused bullets, aiming at their wings to cut off their ability to fly. Everyone, meanwhile, was using their special techniques and magic, as Fire, Wind, Darkness, Thunder, and Light sent up flares in the night sky.
"Whew…" Galdo laid the war scythe across his shoulder. Marissa glowed with satisfaction at a job well done.
"That was quick," I commented after taking a breath. The plan was meant to secure the initiative. I didn't know we were strong enough to slay them in record time.
"Now to claim the Fury," Marianna started to walk over to the revealed Fury.
"Wait, shouldn't we make sure there are no traps on it?" I asked. Something like that was a possibility, as an extra layer of defense.
Her steps faltered and slowed before touching the Fury. "A trap…? Ugh. I'm surrounded by impulsive people. Of course it's rubbing off on me," Marianna shook her head.
"How do we test for a trap?" Fang switched his Fury to gun mode. Eryn primed her power for a fight.
"We'll have to touch the Fury. That might set off the trap though," Galdo switched Marissa to bow form and took up a wary stance.
{The Fairy is still asleep so we can't just ask them.} Konton complained.
"Then… Someone has to make the first move. Sorry, Giselle!" Chiaki sprinted for the Fury.
Wait, what? "Could we just sense it from a distance-" I suggested, but it didn't seem to be heard.
"Chiaki! Hold on!" Galdo tried to catch her, but the lithe blonde slid under his grab.
Chiaki didn't slow down as she reached the Fury. Leg armor manifested on her shins as she backflipped and kicked the Fury loose. The sword shot into the air and tumbled end over end. It hit the ground point first, perfectly straight. Chiaki didn't wait to see what happened as she continued to backflip away.
Nothing happened. No explosions, no new monsters, nothing.
"What the goodness was that for?!" That was unusually impulsive of her. I wasn't expecting something like that! My question shook something loose as everything suddenly got loud. The rest of the team all wanted to know just why she did that. Eryn then whistled to restore order.
"One at a time! You're all shouting the same question! Chiaki? What was that about?" Eryn let a hint of her own worry and irritation through. Chiaki stared down at her feet.
"W-well… We were all just standing around… I-I thought that maybe someone quick could set it off, right? I am very fast," Chiaki smiled proudly. Okay, she was trying to help, but...
"Yeah, you're fast, but what if it was a rockslide? Explosives? ...A possession-type Fury?" Fang deliberately went for the low blow. Chiaki paled immediately at the implication.
"B-but Fairies don't awaken until touched… How would we check for that?" Chiaki's eyes filled with frightened tears. Marissa appeared, the motherly Fairy took the trembling girl in her arms, as Giselle hugged her waist comfortingly. Oops, uh, my bad…?
"Uh… we could have sensed for traps from afar, right...?" I asked, in a softer tone this time. I didn't mean to scare her! It was just that…
"We could have. Galdo and Nepgear are good with traps. At least Nepgear is good with magical locks, but still, I wouldn't put it past her to know how to check for actual traps. We had time and options," Fang said firmly. A quick check of Nepgear's memories proved that I could do just that.
"Fang, settle down please…" Eryn held his hand. It took our leader a moment to realize that tears were falling down his face.
"He's… crying?" Marianna asked in surprise.
"Buddy…" Galdo shook his head.
Chiaki looked so surprised to see his tears; he didn't seem like the type.
"Just… take better care of yourself, huh?" Fang cleared his throat. There was a haunted look in his eyes that time could not erase. Whatever happened was still affecting him. Eryn hugged him tight as his feelings were communicated to her.
Was it related to Tiara's death? I didn't ask, however, so as not to reopen the wound. Instead, I approached the rapier-wielder among us. I… was it right to blow up at her like that…? Seeing her cry made me feel guilty about it. "I'm sorry, Chiaki," I gently said. "I didn't mean to shout; it was just that…"
{She needed to hear it. Nepgear, she's still confused about where she stands. She took a stupid risk as a way to prove herself. Scolding her shows you care.} Amethyst said gently.
{Are you sure...?} I had not done any scolding before. If anything, I was usually the one being scolded. Was it truly the right thing?
{You're just showing that you care enough to want her to do better.} Konton said.
{Okay…} Maybe they had a point.
"I'm sorry… I acted without thinking… I just didn't want to be 'useless,'" Chiaki mumbled the last under her breath.
"Useless…?" Marissa looked taken aback.
"What do you mean?" That didn't make sense. She was helpful like everyone else here.
"W-well all of you have something you can do outside of fighting. Galdo is a former bandit, he's skilled in sneaking around and stuff. Fang is a leader no matter what Sherman said. Nepgear can pick magic locks. Marianna's ability to sense Fencers is unrivaled. I have nothing that I'm good at except knowing a lot of useless trivia," Chiaki sighed.
"Useless trivia? Chiaki, you know more about local history than anyone else! What do you know about the Zawaza Plains?" Giselle asked. I nodded in agreement with her, remembering what Chiaki told me about the Fairy statue yesterday.
"Oh, well, uh… The peculiar night time appearance over the Zawaza Plains is because of a clash between two powerful Furies. Both collided during the battle between the Goddess and the Vile God causing a distortion in the atmosphere. The sun never touches the land, but somehow the plants thrive. It's believed that the reason is because the sun is still touching the ground. Just that humans aren't on the right wavelength…" Chiaki petered out as all activity ceased. The stares of our friends made her fidget.
I listened with interest, for now we knew why it was always night time here. The implication of that, however... "Does that mean that Fury is one of the two?" I asked, pointing to the sword currently sticking out of the ground.
"It very well could be!" Chiaki broke free from Marissa's hug to rush over to the Fury. I could only sigh at seeing that again.
Giselle hugged onto her Fencer with grim determination. It was actually kind of funny watching Chiaki tow the shorter Fairy, if it wasn't for the risk. She laid her hand on the hilt, but a moment later, she pouted.
"What is it?" Galdo asked. The thought of having a Fury that could change the sky was an interesting one.
"Ah, this is Kyoko. She isn't one of the pair who clashed over Zazawa Plains. One of the pair landed at Shusakoo's Tower. The other crashed and shattered," Chiaki sounded disappointed.
"You mean this one?" Fang held up a more elaborate Fury. It looked like the others except for a crystal blade with gold and white accents on the hilt.
"Is that Rita?" Chiaki asked in amazement.
{He was holding onto an S-Rank Fury this entire time.} Amethyst deadpanned.
Yet another surprise? Really? {Then what stopped him from using it on the Goddess's Fury?} Having it all along didn't explain why they felt so excited when Konton revealed herself as S-Rank.
{It feels like she was already used...Wait a minute. Oh no he didn't…} Amethyst mentally facepalmed.
"Why didn't you reveal her before now?" Marianna demanded.
"I was using her to give us a training bonus on the Plains. She can alter the field in ways the other Furies can't," Fang explained.
"He also used her to remove the last of the Vile God's Furies," Galdo couldn't resist the dig. Oh god, not another example of bad decisions...
"Why would he do that?" Marianna asked in bewilderment.
"You used a Holy Fury on the Vile God?" Chiaki yelped with shock. I agreed with her, so much.
"It wasn't one of my better ideas, alright? She hasn't chewed me out at least," Fang carefully put the peacefully glowing Fury away. Rita pulsed once affectionately before disappearing.
"Why did my status as an S-Rank Fury shock you so much?" Konton appeared to ask my question directly.
"There were only two S-Rank Furies. With you there are three," Eryn said.
"Where did you find her?" Marianna asked. Chiaki looked like she wanted an explanation too.
"Can we go back to the Inn first? I keep feeling like a monster is creeping up on us…" Chiaki glanced around apprehensively.
{Do you sense anything?} I asked Amethyst, in case there actually was a monster around here. It didn't hurt to be aware.
{Nothing to worry about. It's just Chiaki being paranoid,} she said.
{Had to be sure. We shouldn't take chances.}
{Yeah.}
The explanation of Konton's origin made a good story to tell on the road. Chiaki's sense that we were being watched was actually a case of nerves. Either that, or she was reacting to the tainted Fury we had with us. Leaving it at the Inn was a recipe for disaster, after all. Lola knew not to touch it, but other people wouldn't. We couldn't exactly afford to let it out of our sight.
Back at the Inn, the team wandered off to do their own thing until dinner. In my case, I decided to follow Chiaki. After her comment about being useless, I was worried. Fang started to head in her direction, but stopped when he saw me. The brunette just nodded and turned towards Marianna's room. I stopped just outside of Chiaki's, but she was apparently expecting me.
"Come in, Nepgear," Chiaki's voice sounded tired.
"How are you?" I asked as I entered. Since I wasn't sure if she was all right, I had to hear it from her.
Chiaki was sitting by the window with Giselle in her lap. The doll-like Fairy sat with her head resting on the Fencer's chest.
"Tired. More emotionally than physically to be honest. I thought I was over this…" Chiaki laid a light kiss on Giselle's head. The Fairy snuggled closer eliciting a small smile from the despondent young woman.
"I'm sorry," I said. "It's not easy… and I doubt myself too… but really, nobody should call you useless."
"You didn't call me useless. I just felt useless. I'm trying so hard to let go of what happened, but I can't," Chiaki hugged the Fairy tighter.
"Take it slow… You're not perfect and no one is expecting you to be…" Giselle hugged her Fencer back.
"I understand," I gently replied, approaching closer to her. "You can do it, okay? One step at a time…" Nobody was expecting her to solve her issues immediately, either. 'I know my self-esteem still isn't the best…'
"Does my interest bother you?" Chiaki asked softly.
As in her interest in me, like, what I saw in my Share Link? Uh… I had to approach this carefully and honestly. "I… think of you as a friend, Chiaki. Were you hoping for… more?" I really hoped not, for that was too soon, but since she transferred her feelings from Sherman to me… but rebounds weren't the most reliable of things…
"I just mean… does it make you unhappy? Do you think I'm weird? I-I know it isn't healthy to just jump to the next person. It's not fair either to compare you to someone else. So… I'm just asking… for the future," Chiaki shrunk in on herself. Giselle gave me a sympathetic look. This was not an easy thing at all.
I pondered on it, since I had to answer this properly. She was vulnerable to having her feelings hurt right now. After a while, I put my thoughts into words, hoping for the best, yet bracing for the worst. "You're not weird. It's just… something to adjust to. I don't blame you, really. I'll manage. Will you… accept me as a friend?"
"Nepgear… We're already friends. I didn't mean to make you feel pressured or anything. Honestly I was mainly looking for tips on fighting in a group. How does Fang fight? Galdo? Marianna? You? I do think of you as attractive, but I'm not really in the right place for a relationship," Chiaki smiled faintly.
Me, attractive? I had never heard anyone call me that, and it made me blush. Uh, topic change! "Fighting? Right." I lightly slapped myself on the cheek to focus. "Short answer is to observe the others and see how you can help. It's why I'm mostly ranged support, so as not to get in the way of Fang and Galdo, both mostly melee." Well, we did train with one another at Zawaza, so we would have a pretty good idea of each other's styles already…
{Shippers gonna ship.} Konton said sagely in my mind, which wasn't helping my embarrassment at all.
{Not gonna happen,} I countered.
"Thank you for coming to talk to me. I'm just glad we can be friends without it getting awkward," Chiaki giggled.
{Thankfully Fang and Galdo haven't put on their shipping goggles.} Amethyst sighed.
{Galdo hasn't realized Marissa has a crush on him large enough to be seen from orbit. How would he even notice anyone else?} Konton asked in disbelief.
I recall my impression of what I read in stories before. {It seems easier to notice other ships, than one's own,} I answered my Fairy, before replying to the fencer witht a small smile. "You're welcome. Is there anything else you need?"
"Dinner, but that's not something you can help with," Chiaki giggled.
"Another half hour until the food is ready," Giselle moaned, her Fencer stroking the Fairy's hair fondly.
There wasn't much else to do but wait for dinner. We had a full day tomorrow. Tomorrow we were going to Bui Valley where there may, or may not be, a trap set for us by the Justice Society. We needed to be at our best. Besides we deserved to take a night off after all the training we did today.
Tomorrow was going to be very busy indeed.
Zawaza Plains Revisited Again For the Last Time (We Promise)
I woke up feeling a bit more comfortable with myself, since I met Nepgear last night. It affirmed that she was perfectly fine, and that I really was me, my own person, my own Nepgear. I may look like her and everything, but truly, those attributes became a part of me, a gift from her, and it was up to me on what path I would take from there. If anything, she was a sister to me, like what she called me. Fitting, really. It was an honor to have her as my sister.
Interestingly, Lola found out that there was a new Fury in the Zawaza Plains, which worked quite well for us. It was to her benefit and ours, after all, to ensure we were as strong as possible, which more Furies could help us with. Meanwhile, Fang found five requests at the tavern, which were three extermination and two retrieval jobs. We needed the money, and the rewards offered were enticing: High and Ultra Potions; Cherub Wings for reviving fallen comrades, akin to the fictional Phoenix Down; lubricating oil, and clothes. Uh, wait, why did we need extra clothes? Didn't we buy some already? The oil, meanwhile, might be of use sometime.
"Why do we need a crown and glasses?" Chiaki asked in bewilderment.
"We don't. What we're really looking for is the money and supplies," Fang said.
Hm… that was a fair point. "We could just sell what we don't need," I figured. If it worked in the video games, maybe it could work here, too? We did sell the vendor trash last time, so at least they wouldn't be wasted.
"Good idea. Besides, this way we can get experience in fighting together," Fang planted his hands on hips in a self-satisfied manner.
We then proceeded to discuss tactics. Fang, Galdo, Marianna, Chiaki, and myself made for a five-person party, and unlike in RPGs, there was, technically, no back row... unless we set one up, that is. We were mostly made up of forwards, or frontliners, but I could fight from the rear as support, which I usually did. This would be a good opportunity to find out where Chiaki could fit in, whether she would be at the back, or in front.
"Since Chiaki is new to the group, we're going to find where she stands. What part of combat she's most comfortable with, that is," Fang nodded to the slight blonde girl.
"I can do whatever is needed," Chiaki promised.
"So make her the switch. We just have to teach her when is a good time to change roles. Nepgear's a natural. Maybe she could follow Nepgear's lead?" Galdo offered.
Goodness… "Me? But I'm mostly the support," I pointed out. Going up close and personal wasn't my cup of tea, partly because I felt safer at a distance, and partly because I didn't want to get in the way of the two guys going at it up close.
"Yeah, and then you're up close and personal when it's needed. Sherman? Chiaki? No offense…" Fang finished lamely.
"None taken," Chiaki waved it off.
"I am more at home in the mid-ranges, but I can do melee," Marianna said. Her skill with spear and shield proved her point nicely.
"Ready to go?" Galdo asked.
"Time to move out. This is mostly a milk run. The only variable is whatever monster is guarding the Fury. We'll clear out the pub requests first and then take on the main threat," Fang said.
"Good idea," I said in agreement. However, I wasn't sure if it would really be a milk run. There was a chance for unexpected things to occur.
{Yeah, at this point I think Fang's just trying to bolster morale.} Konton agreed.
{If we ever are lucky enough for it to be 'just' a milk run…} Amethyst muttered sourly.
{I know…} I concurred. I did hope that things would go well, however.
Later, we were on our way to our chosen training grounds. The route to the Zawaza Plains was familiar by now, this being the third time we were taking a trip out here. At the entrance to the Plains, Fang threw the Furies again. According to Amethyst, he left out the ones that blocked Magic and Skill use. If we wanted to see what Chiaki and Marianna could do, it would be important to let them do so. We wouldn't get as much Exp or WP, but that was okay.
"How do you want to handle this? Do we stick together or split up? Seems we have enough people…" Galdo suggested.
"Later. I don't want to split the party until we know where everyone stands," Fang said.
"If we do split the party I would suggest staying in the same zone," Marianna offered her insight.
"Yeah, good idea," Fang and Galdo agreed.
"Don't split the party…" I said. We would be stronger while together, more able to tackle whatever was ahead of us. I preferred we didn't take chances. Mistakes could be costly.
Chiaki stayed silent during the exchange, taking time to cuddle her Fairy a bit more instead. She finally brought out her rapier and nodded resolutely. Whatever happened, she would be ready. If there was a white-knuckled grip on her Fury, well, nerves were understandable. I felt the same way too, though it helped that I had my Fairies with me, and that I now had some experience at this.
The enemy encounters were even easier now, with the addition of two more party members. Marianna was a split of Wind and Lightning attributes, and her repertoire also included just about every recovery spell there was, much more than what I knew. Basically, she had a versatile, Red Mage-like fighting style of physical and magical abilities, with her preferred weapon forms being the spear, bow, and gun. She wasn't kidding about preferring to stay at mid-range. She would alternate between attacking the monsters and maintaining our health.
Chiaki, meanwhile, was an even mix of Light, Darkness, and Lightning. She had a few recovery spells, mainly status removal, but she also had support abilities. Our newest member spent most of the fights bolstering speed and resistance, the same way I had with attack and defense, covering for what I lacked. She preferred the rapier for melee, but she also had talent with the bow. She didn't try anything else and instead just went with what worked, which was fine by us.
In my case, I employed my usual method, casting support and healing magic and shooting the monsters from afar with bullets, beams and light, though there were occasions that I had to defend myself with my blade. This time, however, I opted to mix it up with what elemental magic I knew, which I also inherited from Nepgear. Those were lightning, ice, wind, and even fire (though I was as careful as possible with that last one, sending it away from me as fast as I could). While they were usually for enhancing my swordplay, I figured they were good for my bullets and beams, too, and indeed, they were. It was but a matter of figuring out which elements the enemies were weak to.
Fang and Galdo were, once again, the heavy hitters, wielding Fire and Wind, respectively. Their spells were mainly attack and some stat buffs, though Fang, like me, did have a spell for instantly escaping from a 'dungeon', like a magical Eject Button. Mainly, they kept the monsters off of us so we could experiment with our tactics.
"Do all Fencers create combo skills?" Chiaki asked, Fang and Galdo's coordination clearly reminding her of the Fire Whirl they did before.
"Not usually. Most Fencers rarely work together long enough to create combos. It takes a level of trust and coordination most can't match," Marianna said.
"Trust, huh? They trust each other that much?" Chiaki smiled.
"Like brothers separated at birth," Marianna commented dryly. The elegant woman, it turned out, had little patience with Fang and Galdo's shenanigans in their off-time. While the pair were quite competent on the battlefield, they mostly ate and slept when there wasn't anything to do. 'Understandable, I guess.'
"Are you guys okay?" I asked them. Just because the battles were more manageable now, and just because we could heal our injuries, didn't mean we didn't work up a sweat from the whole thing. In my case, at least, I had to manage my energy, so as not to quickly tire myself out. Whether it was working well for me or not, well...
Marianna flipped her hair in response, "I am perfectly fine. This is hardly even a warm up." She strode off to check the perimeter while we rested. Talk about confidence, or was it bravado?
"I'm a little tired, but otherwise fine," Chiaki at least wasn't trying to put on a brave face, as she wiped the sweat from her forehead. Giselle appeared to give her a bottle of water. Her Fencer smiled gratefully even though the Fairy didn't look entirely reassured.
{That is just so cute…} Amethyst cooed. Giselle turned a baleful look in my direction, but more towards my Fury.
{Hehe…} I was catching my breath from the fighting, which felt like forever. The last enemies we encountered were a group of what looked like praying mantises, but bigger, faster and stronger. They weren't that tough, but they were annoying to hit, and dangerous. Still, I figured I could go on for longer, and besides, I had to get used to long battles, exhausting as they would be, just in case.
"And that's the last of them. We can go after the Fury now," Fang didn't even have the decency to look winded. Neither did Galdo, actually, most likely because they were Fencers for longer than I had. They would be more used to this.
Marianna, and surprisingly Chiaki, eyed them enviously.
"Stupidity must make them unbeatable…" Marianna snarked.
"The muscles are nice to look at, though," Chiaki said.
"True," Marianna agreed before turning a teasing look to Chiaki. "Though it wasn't only those two you were looking at." Chiaki sputtered ineffectually, before making a sound like a busted tea kettle.
Eh? I raised an eyebrow at that. Who else was she staring at... was it me, because of yesterday? Goodness, please no… "Who else?" I asked. I had to hear it from her, rather than make assumptions. There was the possibility of it being someone else here.
"I was watching you too… and Marianna…" Chiaki admitted bashfully. The elegant woman almost tripped; quite an impressive feat when she was seated on a rock.
"Why us?" I couldn't believe I was correct and wrong at the same time.
"Well, Marianna is so cool and graceful. She also used to take care of children in her spare time. Even when I was against everything Dorfa, I still admired her for that. Then there's you. You have such a wonderful heart and have been so kind. You saved me from myself," Chiaki turned even redder.
"I… I am honestly not sure how to respond to that…" Marianna was completely poleaxed. Clearly no one ever said that about her before, or maybe just not a girl?
This was so embarrassing… My cheeks felt warm, and I wasn't sure what to say, either… uh… it was nice to be complimented though... "T-Thanks. Uh, let's get back to training, yes...?"
"W-wow…" Galdo turned completely red in the face, from what he overheard.
"Training… yeah. Back to training. Let's go! The Fury is right up ahead!" Fang called with unnecessary force.
{You literally asked for that.} Konton said.
{I know…} I had to concede that point, that I did ask for Chiaki's reasons. It was just that… hearing it for myself was a different story, even if she kinda told me that before… I wasn't used to the praise...
{I have never seen a human turn that shade of red, for that long before.} Amethyst giggled as Marianna's new skin tone was luminescent red. The graceful Fencer punched her shield, the pain shocking her out of the blush.
At least Chiaki was just waxing poetic about our best qualities…
A-Anyway, I shook my head to try and clear my mind. Now I had to focus, for whoever was guarding the Fury would likely be stronger than the monsters we fought before. Still, I hoped that I wasn't being put on a pedestal- never mind, never mind!
It was almost a relief when we reached the end of the plains and saw the threat. On the far end of the clearing was a cleft stone with the Fury partially uncovered, and standing between us and our goal were a trio of large griffins. The beasts were eyeing their surroundings carefully. Sneaking up on them was impossible.
"How do you want to handle this?" Fang asked quietly.
"Hit them fast with a lot of wide area spells and skills?" Chiaki suggested.
"I think we should focus on defeating them one at a time," Marianna disagreed.
"One at a time does mean fewer enemies to fight more quickly," Galdo agreed.
"What do you think, Nepgear?" Fang asked.
I pondered on it, since both approaches had their merits. Hm… "How about one at a time, while disabling the others? Like, the others could be paralyzed, frozen, stopped and such…" I did have a Stop spell, after all, but had yet to use it, sometimes because it wasn't needed, and sometimes because it was forgotten. Now that I remembered, though, the crowd control could be useful., for limiting their chances to attack us.
"Good idea," Fang nodded.
The first 'round' of combat was conducted from hiding, where Status spells didn't reveal us casters. Chiaki cast Status Defense Up on us while using Down on the monsters. Fang cast Physical Attack and Defense Down while Galdo handled the magic side. Marianna cast Speed Up on us and Speed Down on the griffins. With the buffs and debuffs already cast, my Stop spells made it through easily.
"Let's go!" Fang charged out into the open.
We turned a Boss Fight into a slaughter, something I wasn't expecting. The griffins were weakened in all parameters, unable to fight back, and completely helpless. I didn't hesitate to exploit it, practically firing on full-auto with ice-infused bullets, aiming at their wings to cut off their ability to fly. Everyone, meanwhile, was using their special techniques and magic, as Fire, Wind, Darkness, Thunder, and Light sent up flares in the night sky.
"Whew…" Galdo laid the war scythe across his shoulder. Marissa glowed with satisfaction at a job well done.
"That was quick," I commented after taking a breath. The plan was meant to secure the initiative. I didn't know we were strong enough to slay them in record time.
"Now to claim the Fury," Marianna started to walk over to the revealed Fury.
"Wait, shouldn't we make sure there are no traps on it?" I asked. Something like that was a possibility, as an extra layer of defense.
Her steps faltered and slowed before touching the Fury. "A trap…? Ugh. I'm surrounded by impulsive people. Of course it's rubbing off on me," Marianna shook her head.
"How do we test for a trap?" Fang switched his Fury to gun mode. Eryn primed her power for a fight.
"We'll have to touch the Fury. That might set off the trap though," Galdo switched Marissa to bow form and took up a wary stance.
{The Fairy is still asleep so we can't just ask them.} Konton complained.
"Then… Someone has to make the first move. Sorry, Giselle!" Chiaki sprinted for the Fury.
Wait, what? "Could we just sense it from a distance-" I suggested, but it didn't seem to be heard.
"Chiaki! Hold on!" Galdo tried to catch her, but the lithe blonde slid under his grab.
Chiaki didn't slow down as she reached the Fury. Leg armor manifested on her shins as she backflipped and kicked the Fury loose. The sword shot into the air and tumbled end over end. It hit the ground point first, perfectly straight. Chiaki didn't wait to see what happened as she continued to backflip away.
Nothing happened. No explosions, no new monsters, nothing.
"What the goodness was that for?!" That was unusually impulsive of her. I wasn't expecting something like that! My question shook something loose as everything suddenly got loud. The rest of the team all wanted to know just why she did that. Eryn then whistled to restore order.
"One at a time! You're all shouting the same question! Chiaki? What was that about?" Eryn let a hint of her own worry and irritation through. Chiaki stared down at her feet.
"W-well… We were all just standing around… I-I thought that maybe someone quick could set it off, right? I am very fast," Chiaki smiled proudly. Okay, she was trying to help, but...
"Yeah, you're fast, but what if it was a rockslide? Explosives? ...A possession-type Fury?" Fang deliberately went for the low blow. Chiaki paled immediately at the implication.
"B-but Fairies don't awaken until touched… How would we check for that?" Chiaki's eyes filled with frightened tears. Marissa appeared, the motherly Fairy took the trembling girl in her arms, as Giselle hugged her waist comfortingly. Oops, uh, my bad…?
"Uh… we could have sensed for traps from afar, right...?" I asked, in a softer tone this time. I didn't mean to scare her! It was just that…
"We could have. Galdo and Nepgear are good with traps. At least Nepgear is good with magical locks, but still, I wouldn't put it past her to know how to check for actual traps. We had time and options," Fang said firmly. A quick check of Nepgear's memories proved that I could do just that.
"Fang, settle down please…" Eryn held his hand. It took our leader a moment to realize that tears were falling down his face.
"He's… crying?" Marianna asked in surprise.
"Buddy…" Galdo shook his head.
Chiaki looked so surprised to see his tears; he didn't seem like the type.
"Just… take better care of yourself, huh?" Fang cleared his throat. There was a haunted look in his eyes that time could not erase. Whatever happened was still affecting him. Eryn hugged him tight as his feelings were communicated to her.
Was it related to Tiara's death? I didn't ask, however, so as not to reopen the wound. Instead, I approached the rapier-wielder among us. I… was it right to blow up at her like that…? Seeing her cry made me feel guilty about it. "I'm sorry, Chiaki," I gently said. "I didn't mean to shout; it was just that…"
{She needed to hear it. Nepgear, she's still confused about where she stands. She took a stupid risk as a way to prove herself. Scolding her shows you care.} Amethyst said gently.
{Are you sure...?} I had not done any scolding before. If anything, I was usually the one being scolded. Was it truly the right thing?
{You're just showing that you care enough to want her to do better.} Konton said.
{Okay…} Maybe they had a point.
"I'm sorry… I acted without thinking… I just didn't want to be 'useless,'" Chiaki mumbled the last under her breath.
"Useless…?" Marissa looked taken aback.
"What do you mean?" That didn't make sense. She was helpful like everyone else here.
"W-well all of you have something you can do outside of fighting. Galdo is a former bandit, he's skilled in sneaking around and stuff. Fang is a leader no matter what Sherman said. Nepgear can pick magic locks. Marianna's ability to sense Fencers is unrivaled. I have nothing that I'm good at except knowing a lot of useless trivia," Chiaki sighed.
"Useless trivia? Chiaki, you know more about local history than anyone else! What do you know about the Zawaza Plains?" Giselle asked. I nodded in agreement with her, remembering what Chiaki told me about the Fairy statue yesterday.
"Oh, well, uh… The peculiar night time appearance over the Zawaza Plains is because of a clash between two powerful Furies. Both collided during the battle between the Goddess and the Vile God causing a distortion in the atmosphere. The sun never touches the land, but somehow the plants thrive. It's believed that the reason is because the sun is still touching the ground. Just that humans aren't on the right wavelength…" Chiaki petered out as all activity ceased. The stares of our friends made her fidget.
I listened with interest, for now we knew why it was always night time here. The implication of that, however... "Does that mean that Fury is one of the two?" I asked, pointing to the sword currently sticking out of the ground.
"It very well could be!" Chiaki broke free from Marissa's hug to rush over to the Fury. I could only sigh at seeing that again.
Giselle hugged onto her Fencer with grim determination. It was actually kind of funny watching Chiaki tow the shorter Fairy, if it wasn't for the risk. She laid her hand on the hilt, but a moment later, she pouted.
"What is it?" Galdo asked. The thought of having a Fury that could change the sky was an interesting one.
"Ah, this is Kyoko. She isn't one of the pair who clashed over Zazawa Plains. One of the pair landed at Shusakoo's Tower. The other crashed and shattered," Chiaki sounded disappointed.
"You mean this one?" Fang held up a more elaborate Fury. It looked like the others except for a crystal blade with gold and white accents on the hilt.
"Is that Rita?" Chiaki asked in amazement.
{He was holding onto an S-Rank Fury this entire time.} Amethyst deadpanned.
Yet another surprise? Really? {Then what stopped him from using it on the Goddess's Fury?} Having it all along didn't explain why they felt so excited when Konton revealed herself as S-Rank.
{It feels like she was already used...Wait a minute. Oh no he didn't…} Amethyst mentally facepalmed.
"Why didn't you reveal her before now?" Marianna demanded.
"I was using her to give us a training bonus on the Plains. She can alter the field in ways the other Furies can't," Fang explained.
"He also used her to remove the last of the Vile God's Furies," Galdo couldn't resist the dig. Oh god, not another example of bad decisions...
"Why would he do that?" Marianna asked in bewilderment.
"You used a Holy Fury on the Vile God?" Chiaki yelped with shock. I agreed with her, so much.
"It wasn't one of my better ideas, alright? She hasn't chewed me out at least," Fang carefully put the peacefully glowing Fury away. Rita pulsed once affectionately before disappearing.
"Why did my status as an S-Rank Fury shock you so much?" Konton appeared to ask my question directly.
"There were only two S-Rank Furies. With you there are three," Eryn said.
"Where did you find her?" Marianna asked. Chiaki looked like she wanted an explanation too.
"Can we go back to the Inn first? I keep feeling like a monster is creeping up on us…" Chiaki glanced around apprehensively.
{Do you sense anything?} I asked Amethyst, in case there actually was a monster around here. It didn't hurt to be aware.
{Nothing to worry about. It's just Chiaki being paranoid,} she said.
{Had to be sure. We shouldn't take chances.}
{Yeah.}
The explanation of Konton's origin made a good story to tell on the road. Chiaki's sense that we were being watched was actually a case of nerves. Either that, or she was reacting to the tainted Fury we had with us. Leaving it at the Inn was a recipe for disaster, after all. Lola knew not to touch it, but other people wouldn't. We couldn't exactly afford to let it out of our sight.
Back at the Inn, the team wandered off to do their own thing until dinner. In my case, I decided to follow Chiaki. After her comment about being useless, I was worried. Fang started to head in her direction, but stopped when he saw me. The brunette just nodded and turned towards Marianna's room. I stopped just outside of Chiaki's, but she was apparently expecting me.
"Come in, Nepgear," Chiaki's voice sounded tired.
"How are you?" I asked as I entered. Since I wasn't sure if she was all right, I had to hear it from her.
Chiaki was sitting by the window with Giselle in her lap. The doll-like Fairy sat with her head resting on the Fencer's chest.
"Tired. More emotionally than physically to be honest. I thought I was over this…" Chiaki laid a light kiss on Giselle's head. The Fairy snuggled closer eliciting a small smile from the despondent young woman.
"I'm sorry," I said. "It's not easy… and I doubt myself too… but really, nobody should call you useless."
"You didn't call me useless. I just felt useless. I'm trying so hard to let go of what happened, but I can't," Chiaki hugged the Fairy tighter.
"Take it slow… You're not perfect and no one is expecting you to be…" Giselle hugged her Fencer back.
"I understand," I gently replied, approaching closer to her. "You can do it, okay? One step at a time…" Nobody was expecting her to solve her issues immediately, either. 'I know my self-esteem still isn't the best…'
"Does my interest bother you?" Chiaki asked softly.
As in her interest in me, like, what I saw in my Share Link? Uh… I had to approach this carefully and honestly. "I… think of you as a friend, Chiaki. Were you hoping for… more?" I really hoped not, for that was too soon, but since she transferred her feelings from Sherman to me… but rebounds weren't the most reliable of things…
"I just mean… does it make you unhappy? Do you think I'm weird? I-I know it isn't healthy to just jump to the next person. It's not fair either to compare you to someone else. So… I'm just asking… for the future," Chiaki shrunk in on herself. Giselle gave me a sympathetic look. This was not an easy thing at all.
I pondered on it, since I had to answer this properly. She was vulnerable to having her feelings hurt right now. After a while, I put my thoughts into words, hoping for the best, yet bracing for the worst. "You're not weird. It's just… something to adjust to. I don't blame you, really. I'll manage. Will you… accept me as a friend?"
"Nepgear… We're already friends. I didn't mean to make you feel pressured or anything. Honestly I was mainly looking for tips on fighting in a group. How does Fang fight? Galdo? Marianna? You? I do think of you as attractive, but I'm not really in the right place for a relationship," Chiaki smiled faintly.
Me, attractive? I had never heard anyone call me that, and it made me blush. Uh, topic change! "Fighting? Right." I lightly slapped myself on the cheek to focus. "Short answer is to observe the others and see how you can help. It's why I'm mostly ranged support, so as not to get in the way of Fang and Galdo, both mostly melee." Well, we did train with one another at Zawaza, so we would have a pretty good idea of each other's styles already…
{Shippers gonna ship.} Konton said sagely in my mind, which wasn't helping my embarrassment at all.
{Not gonna happen,} I countered.
"Thank you for coming to talk to me. I'm just glad we can be friends without it getting awkward," Chiaki giggled.
{Thankfully Fang and Galdo haven't put on their shipping goggles.} Amethyst sighed.
{Galdo hasn't realized Marissa has a crush on him large enough to be seen from orbit. How would he even notice anyone else?} Konton asked in disbelief.
I recall my impression of what I read in stories before. {It seems easier to notice other ships, than one's own,} I answered my Fairy, before replying to the fencer witht a small smile. "You're welcome. Is there anything else you need?"
"Dinner, but that's not something you can help with," Chiaki giggled.
"Another half hour until the food is ready," Giselle moaned, her Fencer stroking the Fairy's hair fondly.
There wasn't much else to do but wait for dinner. We had a full day tomorrow. Tomorrow we were going to Bui Valley where there may, or may not be, a trap set for us by the Justice Society. We needed to be at our best. Besides we deserved to take a night off after all the training we did today.
Tomorrow was going to be very busy indeed.