A/N: Well, this has been a long time coming, almost a year in the making in fact. A passion project of mine involving one of my favorite subjects, ancient Egyptian culture. This is going to be my main focus for the next month or so, so sit back and enjoy this little treat I have for you guys. Trust me, it's gonna get good real soon. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Without further ado, here's Egyptdimension.
~Sex in the Egyptian City~
"... An SS-Rank Quest. Really now?"
"Wh-What is this?!"
There were few things in Gamindustri that had the potential to shake a CPU to their core. Ancient Dragons? Possibly. Fenrir attacks? Sometimes. Sinful deities? Definitely. A crazy middle-aged woman who turned out to be some CPU of a long lost Nation? Oh, the bedtime stories that one made!
However, nothing could have prepared them for the outright ridiculous thing they received on what was once a beautiful, downright peaceful day in the Leanbox Basilicom. Sitting in front of Vert's desk were Noire and Blanc, the CPUs of Lastation and Lowee respectively. Vert sat in front of them, her face morphed with concern and worry as her comrades looked down at her tablet. Displayed on the screen was a very particular quest that was asking for a lot.
Perhaps a little too much.
"Blanc, please listen to me for a-"
"Seriously, what is this bullshit?!"
To say they were baffled would be an understatement. The aforementioned boss monsters would be child's play compared to the behemoth before them. Beside its terrifying image laid a reward offer, a whopping ten million credits to anyone brave and strong enough to defeat the beast. Of course, no one had been able to do it yet, at least no one that wasn't a CPU. Or three of them, to be precise.
"Please, calm down..." She did her best to calm the petite brunette, sighing as a headache started to form. "To be frank, I felt the same way not too long ago, but now is not the time to be throwing a fuss over the situation at hand. We have a very powerful enemy on our hands."
"How can this be... " asked Noire, worry seeping into her tone as she too examined the details of the Quest that laid before them. "Where did this monster even come from? I've never seen something like this in all of Gamindustri!"
"I'm afraid I don't know," Vert answered honestly. "The Guild put up the quest just this morning and the mere reward was enough to draw in adventurers and hunters swarming like kittens to warm milk, but..."
"But what?"
"Dearest, your tea is ready." Their conversation would be briefly interrupted by a certain Chika Hakozaki, entering the office with a downtrodden expression and a tray with several cups of tea. "I've also brought Cave with me, just like you asked."
"Oh, thank you, Chika." Vert accepted the tray from her Oracle and placed it on the table. "You two are welcome to some as well, if you wish."
"Thank you," Noire accepted, as did Blanc. They all sat in silence as they drank the warm drink to soothe their nerves.
"Please don't tell me you plan to take on this quest now, dearest?" Chika asked the CPU, to which she responded with a silent nod. "Ugh... please, be careful. I don't want you to end up like Cave..."
"Cave?" Raising an eyebrow, Noire set her tea down and questioned Chika. "She went after that thing? What happened to... Oh... Hello, Cave."
"Lady Noire, Lady Blanc," Cave greeted, making her grand entrance by wheeling herself into the office on a wheelchair. Her right arm was worn into a cast, which rested on her blanket-covered lap, and she had a bandage over her forehead. She wore a simple pink nightgown, lacking her usual twintails in favor of a messy hair bun. She stopped just in front of their chair, offering a rare smile. "It's good to see you both again."
"E-Er, you too, Cave." Noire was doing her best not to stare. "We were, uh, just talking about you..."
"That monster did this too you?" asked a stunned Blanc.
"Yes, I was able to escape with my life, as you can see." Chika walked next to her and offered her free hand a cup of tea. "It was a very powerful adversary."
"Though it put her at great risk, Cave has tangled with the beast and come back with valuable information," informed Vert. Both Noire and Vert looked at the redhead curiously.
"It is as Lady Vert says. Though I may have suffered a heavy loss, I believe I've gotten a good handle of the beast's full power. I almost wish I could try my hand against it one more time to see if I'd fare any better, but alas, I am in no condition for that now." Everyone in the room sweatdropped. Cave, always the terrific soldier she was. "At any rate, back to the beast at hand, it seems to have the ability to breathe fire. I can't say exactly how hot it is, but I can say it is enough to pose a grave threat."
"..."
"..."
Cave calmly sipped her tea while the CPUs waited for her to continue. "One more thing to be weary of is it's tremendous strength. Just a swing of its tail was enough to knock over the surrounding trees as if they were match sticks. It may even be physically stronger than an Ancient Dragon."
"I see..." mumbled Noire.
"The spikes on its back are also something to be careful of. Though, normally, they may not pose much of a threat, I ended up with a cut across my forehead because of it. Thankfully, they can be broken with blunt and bladed weaponry."
"... Tch." Blanc's made a sour face. "I have a question, why is it just us? Where's Neptune? Or Uzume for that matter?"
"Last I heard, they were off on a quest in some remote island." answered Vert. "Though, they haven't come back yet, so nobody really knows what they're up to right now..."
~Sex in the Egyptian City~
"Uzume? I think it's following us."
"J-Just ignore it, Nepsy. We have a mission to take care of."
"But he's just a little... cat... bird thingie... Or maybe it's more like a kitty and a chick mixed together... A chiky! ... Oh? Do you like that, little guy? Aw, Uzume, he's licking me! I think he likes me!"
"Come on, Nepsy, we can't afford to... Can't afford to... Can not... Can- can- can- Ohmigosh, it's so cute!"
"Hey, looks like he likes you, too. It must think you're its dad."
"Aw, come here, widdle guy. You're so cute and fluffy with your little ducky mouth and... wait, dad?! Why am I the dad?!"
"'Cause I'm obviously the mom."
"Who said you-"
"Uzume! Don't raise your voice in front of our child!"
"Wha... I... Argh, forget it. Don't worry, widdle guy. Uzume will take good care of you from now on...~"
~Sex in the Egyptian City~
"Leave it to them to be gone when we could actually use their help..." Blanc mumbled, breathing a heavy sigh. Irritated, she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Damn it all..."
"It doesn't help that Nepgear and our sisters left just yesterday," Noire reminded them. "It's a long way to Great Britain; Million Arthur better not try anything funny, or I swear to the True Goddess..."
"So it really is just us?" asked Blanc, receiving two reluctant nods in response. "Great. Fucking fantastic..."
"If it helps, Lady Blanc, I have confidence that the three of you can defeat this beast," said Cave. "I am ashamed to admit, I was too over-confident in my abilities, and paid the price for such arrogance. You three should have a fairly easy time compared to my own experience."
"Thank you for the vote of confidence, Cave," said Vert. "I hope your recovery is quick and painless."
"Hmph, even without the help of Neptune or our sisters, I don't think this beast stands a chance against us." Noire stood from her chair, going into full on haughty mode, flipping one of her twin tails as her expression turned into a confident smirk. "You don't need to trouble yourselves, I'm sure I can handle this monster myself. It'd be a great boost to morale in Lastation, don't you think?"
"And thus, these would be her final words, as she marched off to face her ultimate demise against a terrifying monster," mocked Blanc in a deliberately monotone voice. Vert giggled, while the ravenette glared daggers at the CPU of white. Chika had already left by then with the wheel-chair bound Cave in tow. "She shall be remembered for her stupidity, as it is engraved on her headstone for everyone to see for the rest of time."
"H-Hey!" Flustered, Noire shook a fist Blanc's way. "Y-You wouldn't get it done on your own either!"
"Exactly! Now, I'd appreciate if you stopped acting so high and mighty, Miss Tsundere."
"Grrrrrrr!"
"Now now..." Vert got in the way of both of them, her hands raised to stop a potential fight from occurring. "Let us not fight amongst ourselves. Save that energy for this new foe."
"Vert's right." With a sigh, Noire looked back onto the Quest details with wary eyes. "We can't let this thing wander around Gamindustri and do as it pleases any longer. Vert almost lost her best soldier to this thing, imagine if it got into a main city..."
The CPUs White and Green nodded in unison. "We'll have to act quickly, to avoid any serious damage or unnecessary causalities," Vert added. Anxiously, she pressed the 'Accept' button on the tablet, resigning them to the responsibility of taking on the Quest themselves. "On a positive note, we will be rewarded ten million credits."
"Perhaps that should go to Cave instead," suggested Blanc. "We wouldn't want her to dump her entire savings into those medical bills, after all."
"You're right... now we just need to defeat that beast." Vert stood up, along with the other CPUs. "We may have our work cut out for us, but united, we shall defeat any foe!"
"Right!"
"Right."
"Then, let us be off!"
~Sex in the Egyptian City~
"Be on your guard, this was the last reported sight of the monster..."
The CPUs walked together through the forest in a close triangle. Vert, as Green Heart led them through Gapain Field with her spear at the ready. Beneath their feet were large tracks, tracks wider than their bodies, of which they followed in hopes of finding the beast that wounded Cave.
"It should just show itself already, its death is inevitable," growled Black Heart, sounding confident from behind the green CPU. "You know, you should let me take point, Vert. When it comes to pure skill and leading alone, I am clearly the best out of all of us."
"Some tactician asking to go into the front lines!" White Heart retorted. "You sure you know actually know how to do strategy? Hell, I'd be a better tactician than you are."
"Oh yeah? And what kind of plan would you suggest?" the CPU of black asked snidely. "You'd probably just charge the thing headfirst and start swinging your axe like a maniac. And do I need to remind you of your brilliant "plan" on how to defeat that armored tortoise from a few weeks ago?"
"Ghk!" White Heart sputtered, embarrassed. "How the hell was I supposed to know ice didn't affect it?! And at least I did something! You just hung back half the time and left me to do most of the work!"
"Hmph!"
"Tch!"
"Hm hm." Green only nodded. "Are you quite done?"
"... Yeah..." Black crossed her arms and grumbled.
"Whatever..." White did the same thing, causing Green to sigh wearily.
"Now then, we cannot afford to be distracted any longer. That beast could surely appear at any-"
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!
"-moment... Ow..."
A long, powerful roar greeted the CPUs, its strength enough to feel like it could tear forest itself asunder. The ground shook with each step it took, prompting the Goddesses to ready their weapons and prepare for the worst.
"On your guard, ladies!" shouted Black Heart, taking charge against the massive monster.
"Who said you were the leader?!" shouted White Heart.
Blood red eyes attached to a long, crocodilian face wandered to and fro. The beast was at least a head taller than any Fenrir and twice as bulky. There were bits of fur around its legs, but the rest of its body was scaly; plates ran along its back, all the way to its stocky tail. It had tusks like railroad spikes protruding from its bottom jaw and equally sharp nails on its paws. It was only a matter of time until its beady eyes settled on the forms of the three shell-shocked CPUs. Black Heart gulped.
"D-Don't let down your guard! Don't let it intimidate you!" Black Heart lunged forward and took the offensive which, as it turns out, was not a very bright idea.
"Noire!" Green Heart seemed to agree with that notion and pulled the Goddess back by her collar, just barely evading the giant fireball aimed her way. Both fell on their butts. All the while White Heart just groaned in annoyance.
"You both are useless. HIYAH!" White Heart charged at the beast with a spinning axe move. Her twirling blade of death struck the giant beast multiple times, chipping away at its spiky armor and cutting at the flesh beneath.
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWW! The monster really didn't like that, roaring in pain as it started stomping around and swinging it's paws and tail wildly. With wide eyes, White Heart retreated.
"Crap, that was close..." White Heart breathed a sigh, while Green Heart took advantage of the brief pause to land a strike of her own. Aiming her spear diligently, she threw her weapon directly at the creatures eye socket. It growled even louder than before, but as expected, it had become enraged. With a mighty roar, it went for a charge attack, making Green scramble mid-air and dash away as the creature aimed for her.
"NOW!" Once again, Black Heart stepped in, summoning her blade and dealing multiple blows on the creature through sheer pressure. With a flurry of attacks aimed for the openings in its armor left by White Heart, Black Heart pushed the creature back on its feet. It's enormous claws dug into the grass land beneath it to try and stop her, giving Green and White Heart time to recoup and recollect themselves.
"It seems Noire has the beast on the edge," Green Heart observed. "It's a good thing she has such high fire resistance."
"Yeah, but is she watching out for that thing's tail?" WHACK! "Guess not."
"Oooooh, that looked like it hurt." Green winced.
"Yeah..."
"If you two actually feel like helping instead of just watching, that'd be great!" Black Heart screamed while fending off the now one-eyed beast. Snapped to their senses, Green and White Heart joined their fellow CPU in the battle. Green Heart was quick to grab her spear and take it back from the beast's eye socket. Naturally, the beast winced and growled from the pain.
Grrrrrrrr... GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWW! The monster leaped backwards and fired another fire breath attack. The Goddesses barely managed to dive out of the way, though the trees around them weren't quite as lucky.
"We gotta kill this thing and quick!" shouted Black Heart, charging a Dash Attack aimed right for the beasts heart. However, much to her surprise, the monster evaded the attack just in the nick of time. In return, it raised its paws and clawed at the Lastation CPU, slicing her back and sending her tumbling to the ground. "Guh!"
"Noire!" A worried White Heart dashed towards her friend, leaving Green Heart to deal with the monster for the time being.
"I should have your other eye for that, monster!" the green CPU growled. She received an ear-piercing roar in response, prompting the Goddess to charge at it. "Die, then! Hiyah!"
"Gah, you stupid idiot..." On the sidelines, White Heart tended to the injured Lastation CPU. Her gloved-hand grazed over a painful three-pronged claw mark on her back. Blood seeped through her Processors like water through a broken damn. "Shit..."
"G-Guh... agh..." Black wasn't looking too well, judging by her paling face, short breaths and pained expressions. Carefully, White Heart laid her on her stomach, the latter hissing in pain. The White CPU reached into her inventory and pulled out Healing Grass. "Hope this helps!" The White CPU hastily placed the grass against her friend's back. It stuck to her back like bandages, though if the CPU's expression was anything to go by, it really stung.
"Argh... thanks," Black Heart mumbled through grit teeth. White Heart only nodded and helped her up.
"Don't pull that shit again, ya hear? We're a damn team, so act like it!"
"I don't think you're in any room to talk, team mate!" the CPU of Black replied with an exceptionally annoyed smile.
"W-Whatever!" the CPU of White quickly sputtered. "Let's just kill the thing already and get this over with!"
"Fine by me," Black Heart nodded, her tone condescending, making White grit her teeth.
"Why you..."
CLASH! "Noire, I think I understand how you felt earlier, so could you please offer some assistance?!" Back to the Green CPU, she'd been holding off the wounded beast, though it was clear she was running out of steam. The beast had also messed up the terrain, probably more than it had to the 3 Goddesses. "Come, the end of this battle is near!"
"Right!"
"Right!"
Banding together, the CPUs joined their comrade on the offensive, pushing the creature back even further against their combined force. The creature straggled, looking near defeat at any moment, pushing the CPUs to usher a final attack. The 3 flew back and channeled their Share energy, putting forth an epic finishing move for the beast before them.
"""HARD! BREAK!"""
"GWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA...!"
The monster before them dissipated into a ray of blinding white light, resembling something like an energy beam from an anime show. With a final death cry, the monster was completely, utterly annihilated by the Goddesses, leaving only scorched grass in its place.
"... Well... that takes care of that," the CPU of Green declared victoriously. "That wasn't so hard, was it?"
"Hrm, that beast gave me one hell of a scar. I'll remember that..." Black Heart was only bitter. "Ugh, it'll take forever to replace this Processor, too." Behind them, White Heart was casually putting out the massive forest fire with her ice powers. "At least it was over quickly, now I can go back to focusing on more important- Wait, what is that?"
"Hm?" Green Heart leaned closer, curious. Black Heart's eyes widening slightly at the sight of something. Following her line of sight, Green Heart spotted something quite peculiar. "Oh? What is this, a rare item?" She flew to the spot and bent down to pick up a mysterious golden trinket. It was shaped like a feline, perhaps a lion, but it had a face that was oddly-human, wearing an even stranger headdress. The eyes were closed, for some reason. "I've never seen this item before. Have you?"
Black Heart shook her head. "No, never. Blanc!" She called White, who had just finished putting out all the fire, essentially turning a portion of the forest into a snowfield, before joining her fellow CPUs. "Have you seen this item before? We found it from the remains of the beast."
"Hmmmm... nope, doesn't look familiar. What's it even supposed to be?" White poked its face. "Looks like some weird animal hybrid thing."
"I wonder about that myself," The Leanbox CPU took a closer look at the trinket. "Perhaps we can trade this for a sum of credits, it must be worth something..." Like Blanc, Vert poked its face, as if she was expecting to gauge a reaction out an inanimate object. "Ah, well, let us find out when we-"
The trinket opened its eyes.
"...?"
They flashed bright green.
"!"
Then everything went blank.
~Sex in the Egyptian City~
Sand.
As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but sand. Not only that, but unlike Leanbox's normal humid weather, it was unbearably hot. Enough for a certain Tsundere CPU to start sweating buckets as she opened her eyes.
"Eurgh..." Her senses slowly coming back to her, scarlet eyes blinking slowly as she gained a feel of where she was. "W-Wha..." She stared at a blue, crystal clear sky where the sun tauntingly floated above her. Beneath her was sand that felt far too hot for her liking, but it didn't look like there was anything else to step, or lay, on. Her breathing became heavy and scattered due to the heat, and with no cover in sight, it was going to spell a bad time for the ravenette. Silently, she sat up and surveyed her surroundings.
"..."
A... desert?
"W-Where... where am I..." It had all happened so quickly. One second she and the other CPUs were examining a strange object of sorts, the next she wakes up in a foreign area. Her friends were nowhere to be seen, which worried her greatly. She hoped they weren't injured. "V-Vert? Blanc? Where are you two... Huh?"
Looking down for only one moment, a single moment being all it took, and Noire realized something very important then.
"... AND WHY AM I NAKED?!"
