Okay...I wonder how this one will go...
Should be fine. We mean, you're just doing this one to see what readers think of it.
Right...
Well, hello, and welcome to the first chapter of this story. Sorry if the summary isn't the best right now; I needed to think of something, and right now it's the best I could do given the time I uploaded this chapter.
In case you don't really know who I am, my name's Dilnos521.
Username. And...you know they can see your name up on the screen, right?
Look, I'm already expecting Neptune to come crashing through the fourth wall riding something she shouldn't be. At least let me cover some bases before the carnage starts...
...Right. This is in that series, isn't it? Alright, but don't complain about us breaking the fourth wall.
Yeah, yeah.
Anyways, beforehand I started on a crossover between this series and one I had started in, and, well...I figured I'd try a story that's Hyperdimension Neptunia only. New protagonist, some old ideas from back in my fanfic-writing career-
Same writer who's working on multiple stories...and needs to update his main one...
...You're not named yet in this set of notes, you know...
Touché. We are Lionelis.
Anyways, I am going to have to cut it short here, but let's get going with the story. I'll let you guys know some things after the chapter.
Disclaimer: The author does not own anything he writes in here. The only thing he owns is the main male character of this story as well as any new characters he makes for this or weapons. HDN belongs to Idea Factory and Compile Heart, with other characters being based on companies. Or something...been a while since I had to work up a disclaimer. Also, warning: this is a new dimension being made specifically for this story. As such, this will be a mixture of a lot of sources, and of course being HDN there will be cameos and references, so when they appear the disclaimer will extend to include them being owned by their respective creators and companies. Also, cameos (if they ever happen) will be covered by this as well, and this disclaimer may be adjusted accordingly at any time.
XXXXXXXXXX
Chapter 1: The Goddess, Her Sister, and The Oracle (A Boy's First Battle)
"Aww, why do I have to go check on the new guy?" Neptune complained as she, Histoire, and Nepgear were walking through the Basilicom, looking for a particular room.
"Because you're the one who let him stay here!" Histoire reminded her before sighing. "Besides, aren't you the least bit concerned about him? He's been training pretty much non-stop for the last five days."
Neptune waved off the matter. "Oh, it's not that bad. I mean, it's not like Noire doesn't do that anyways."
"Noire also doesn't slack off like you do! (; ̄Д ̄)"
"Um, I've been bringing him meals since he's been in there…" Nepgear piped up.
Histoire calmed down a bit. "And that's good and all, Nepgear. However, neither of you bothered to stop him?"
"He was looking like he was enjoying it a bit."
Histoire sighed again. "I still don't know why Vert gave us her new device. It's a bit weird, to be honest. (・_・ヾ"
"Duh!" Neptune told her. "We're at a time of peace, so it's natural. Besides, it does help keep us trained…"
"...When Neptune uses it…" Nepgear added.
Neptune then glanced at the door they just stopped in front of. "Anyways, how do you think he's doing?"
XXXXXXXXXX
Standing inside an open field, a Guard Vermin was busy staring down its opponent, a young man.
"You know," the man said as he was busy checking one of his weapons, a small gunblade, "I've been handling you guys almost non-stop for the last hour. And somehow I'm not as tired as I think I should be...though I wonder what time it is." He then watched as a menu popped up over his eyes, showing the time as "2:00 PM". "Uh, thanks for the heads-up?" Making sure his gunblade looked fine, he slid the weapon into his right hand and reached behind him for his other gunblade, pulling it out of its sheath. "Alright, just gotta let the old twins flex their muscles more, huh?"
The Guard Vermin roared and readied its blade before the man charged at it, the gunblades shifting so that a blade formed under each barrel. He then jumped over a swing made by it and slashed at it before he felt the area start fizzing on and off. Landing on the ground, he raised an eyebrow and said to no one in particular, "Pause simulation."
The Guard Vermin, which had been swinging its weapon towards him, froze.
"Terminate program," the man added as the area fizzed out, leaving him in a rather empty room save for a black rectangular-looking camera of sorts, a black controller laying next to it. "Now...is that thing acting up? Because if it is…"
"Hey there!" a familiar-sounding voice said from behind him.
"Aah!" Swinging his right gunblade and pulling the trigger a bit to withdraw the blade, he brought it to bear on the noisemaker.
"Eep!" a young-looking lilac-haired girl squeaked as she stepped back a bit. She seemed to wear a sort of hoodie for a dress, with cyan-and-white tube socks. She also seemed to have a set of two D-Pads in her hair, which was in a sort of short style. "Don't shoot! It's just me!"
"Hmm?" The man noticed that she looked scared, so he flicked the trigger for switching the mode of the other gunblade and set them in their sheaths, located behind the small of his back. "Oh, sorry...wasn't expecting you of all people to come in here while I was training…"
"Yeah, yeah," the girl said quickly, ignoring his comment. "So anyways, how have you been holding up?"
"Rather fine, I guess." The man scratched his head in slight confusion. "I've trained against a lot of different monsters, at least." He then started off on the types. "Let's see...started with Dogoos for a warm-up, moved on to Pixelvaders, Clydes, Terits...I managed to handle about three Guard Vermins and was working on the fourth when you barged in."
"I see," a small fairy sitting on a book told him. "However, I do advise against doing any more training. Have you even slept since you started?"
"Hmm...yeah. I did have to leave the simulation on so I could simulate being outside."
The fairy sighed. "So that explains the increased power usage at night… (¬_¬)"
"Told ya I wasn't playing games at night!" the lilac-haired girl told her.
"That's good to hear…" the third girl, who seemed to look like an older version of the first girl in a sense, said. She wore a sailor uniform as a dress and used lilac-and-white stockings with sneakers of sorts. She also seemed to have a wallet or something strapped to one of her thighs. "I was a bit worried that you would have pushed yourself a bit too much."
"It's nothing, Nepgear," the man said, waving off the remark. "I know my limits."
"Hey, why do you sound like you're getting chummy with my little sis?" the first girl asked him in an accusatory tone, even going as far to point at him with her left hand.
The man adopted a sort of saddened state for a bit. "She just reminds me of someone I used to know...back where I came from…"
"Anyways, Neptune?" the fairy continued. "Now that we've gotten his attention, isn't there something we should add? (o˘д˘)o"
"Oh, right!" the girl, Neptune, replied as she looked at the man. "Histy here wanted me and Nep Junior to handle a Quest, and she suggested that we ask you to tag along. You know, since you've been training non-stop."
"Oh," the man said. "That's it? You just...came in here to interrupt me to ask that?" He then sighed. "Well, no use going back to training when you put it like that. I'm pretty sure I needed to see the outside world sooner or later, anyways. Fighting Guard Vermins for another day like some of the others doesn't have the same ring to it."
"Alright!" Neptune sounded happy.
"Don't forget, Neptune: this is no time to slack off (¬、¬)," the fairy, "Histy" admonished her.
"Don't worry your little wings off, Histy! With...well, this guy, we can't lose this one!"
"Speaking of...what is your name?" Nepgear asked him. "You kinda just got found, asked us some questions, requested an area to train, and left…"
"Um...it's nothing important, really…" the man admitted.
"Ooh! Maybe it's something embarrassing like 'Fluffy'," Neptune told her sister.
"Neptune, that's not a nice thing to assume…" Nepgear replied before she remembered something. "Oh! Do you mind joining our party for this, mister?"
"Right," the man said as he watched something pop up in front of him. Looking at it and seeing it as a request to join a party, he accepted and watched as his HUD popped up to reflect the new change: he was able to see Neptune's and Nepgear's status, at the bottom of his vision and on the left or middle respectively. To their right was his, which…
"Roquefort Dalton?"
"Yeah, that's my name. Why, is something wrong with it?"
"No, but...it does seem a bit...long…Is there something shorter?"
"Well, you could use 'Rocky'. I personally prefer it due to having some issues when introducing myself."
"Ooh!" Neptune said quickly. "Can I call you 'Rock'?"
Rocky looked at the girl with a raised eyebrow. "What's wrong with 'Rocky'?"
"What's wrong with 'Rock'?"
"I'm not a blue robotic boy going on a mission to defeat the Robot Masters and get their crap, Neptune." Rocky then slapped his forehead. "Okay, I don't know where the hell that one came from...but please try to refrain from calling me that. I'm guessing that you won't do it, though…"
XXXXXXXXXX
"Alright, Rock. All we have to do is go check out the area Histy gave us and clear out any monsters we find. There should be a cave around here, and she wants us to look in there as well."
Such were Neptune's words as she was reading off a piece of paper "Histy" had given her. Well, "reading off" was not the best set of words.
"So...search and destroy?" Rocky asked as he scratched his head.
"Yeah," Nepgear told him. "But...I don't really see any monsters here…"
Rocky lowered his hand. "Alright, we should split up. Nepgear, you go that way." Rocky pointed to his left using his left hand. "Neptune, you go that way," he then pointed to his right. "And I'll take-"
"I'll catch you later!" Neptune called out as she ran off.
Rocky had little time to react. "Hey, wait!" By that time, Neptune was gone. "...And she ran off...great…" He then sighed.
[Neptune has left your party...]
"Do you mind if I stick with you, Rocky?" Nepgear asked him.
Rocky blinked as he faced her. "Hmm? How come?"
"I...I just wanna." Nepgear looked a bit uneasy.
Hmm...can she transform like Neptune and the other CPUs? Rocky asked himself. For that matter...are there others aside from them...wait, why don't I ask her about it?
"You alright, Rocky?" Nepgear asked him.
"Yeah, just thinking a bit," Rocky told her.
"Oh. well, since we're here, I should teach you the combat basics just in case." Nepgear then spotted a small group of three Dogoos nearby. "Oh! I found some enemies you can practice on. Ready to start?"
"Yeah," Rocky nodded as he readied his gunblades. "Gemini ready!"
[BATTLE START!]
Rocky then watched as he received his HUD across his vision. In the lower left corner was his current health and SP bars (the former being green at the moment and the latter being blue), with numbers sitting just below each bar. These were accompanied by a small portrait of his face. Above his things were Nepgear's, hers having a portrait as well but lacking the numbers. In the lower right corner was a small circle with some commands for him to see, with a small square above that showing him the name of his current weapon set. His commands at the moment were "Attack", "Defend", "Shoot", and "Sidestep", Above that was a purple bar that seemed to keep track of his set's current...something. He knew that this was showing how much "AP" was left before he had to do something.
[Rocky: 1100/1100 HP, 250/1000 SP, 100/100 AP, Current Weapon Set: Gemini; Nepgear: 100% HP, 25% SP, Current Weapon Set: Beam Saber]
"Alright, Rocky," Nepgear started, "I know that you have experience fighting things, but I want to show you how to fight in this dimension, alright?"
"Alright…?" Rocky asked more than replied.
"Good. To start with, I should begin with explaining some of your heads-up display. Or do you want me to skip that part?"
"I guess...fill me in. I want to make sure I understand this in the heat of battle."
"Right! Your health is indicative of your status. This will change colors based on your condition, with green being alright. You'll see the other colors when you lose more health, but for now this is the starting color. Your Es-Pee meter shows how much energy you have for Es-Pee skills. On the right should be your commands, fueled by Action Points, or Eh-Pee. If you run low on Eh-Pee, you need to switch your weapon to allow it to recharge."
"What about your status?"
"Just above yours is any teammates you have in your party. You can have up to three others fighting alongside you, but for now it's just us." They then looked at a Dogoo. "Better try some attacks. Just use your Attack command."
Rocky ran up to it and swung the blade of his right gunblade against the Dogoo, seeming like time stopped as something popped up in his vision.
[Congratulations! You've hit the enemy. If you notice, you expended some points from your AP meter. Each command has a cost that is required to take those actions.]
Coming back to, Rocky swung his left gunblade and struck the Dogoo once more. He repeated this twice more (once more with each weapon) before he jumped into the air a bit and brought them down for a downward diagonal slash from the right to the left.
[Each command can be used in a row up to a particular amount of times before having to reset the chain. This knowledge can also be used to chain into different commands at the drop of a hat. For instance, try using an "Attack" command followed by a "Shoot" command.]
Rocky swung his right gunblade into his target before he flicked the left gunblade's trigger to withdraw the blade so he could fire a shot at point-blank range.
[There you go! Now, you should notice by now that your available AP is low. This will recharge over time, but the recharge rate is quicker when the weapon set is not in use.]
"How's your weapon's energy right now, Rocky?" Nepgear asked as she sliced a Dogoo into oblivion.
"About…" Rocky started as he stared at his HUD for a bit. "...thirty-five points left?"
"Let me handle this for a bit."
[You can also call out for allies to execute commands. For instance, Nepgear is currently on the offensive. If you need her to defend or help someone, just give the word. On the other hand, allies will ask for help as well. Try to help them out when you can. You might be rewarded after the battle is over.]
"Nepgear, don't push yourself, but keep on them," Rocky said as he watched Nepgear slice his Dogoo in half, making it disappear in a stream of data. He then noticed that the third Dogoo had slammed itself against Nepgear, making her stumble back while it bounced towards him.
"Dogoo!" it called out as it jumped at him.
[If you find yourself needing to avoid taking a hit, you can use a command under the Defensive family. For instance, you have "Guard" and "Sidestep". Guarding commands can be held for long periods of time, but they require a base cost to execute and drain your AP meter by a set amount each second, which can be increased via more attacks to the defenses. Perform a "Guard" command now!]
"Whoa!" Rocky called out as he raised his gunblades in a defensive position. He felt the Dogoo slam into his defenses as he felt some damage from it.
[Be careful! While guarding helps reduce the damage, this is still damage that gets through. In order to defend without this effect, you must be able to perform a "Perfect Guard". However, for the sake of tutorials, we must push on, but bear this in mind.]
The Dogoo flew off his defenses as Rocky relaxed [Rocky: 923/1000 HP, 327/1000 SP, 23/100 AP, Current Weapon Set: Gemini; Nepgear: 82% HP, 32% SP, Current Weapon Set: Beam Saber]. It then lunged at him once more.
[Dodging commands are more practical than Guarding commands in that they have only a base cost to perform. However, these commands require timing in order to be effective. Try to time it so that enemy attacks are almost going to hit you.]
Rocky sidestepped the Dogoo's lunge, making it hit a tree. It then slid to the ground, confused.
[Perfect! Also note that most dodging commands cannot avoid area of effect skills or attacks. Also, the effectiveness and timing is different between types; sidestepping works best for tackles while roll-dodging helps reposition yourself away from any enemies who have a long reach.]
Rocky then fired at the Dogoo with his left gunblade before he flicked the trigger on his right one and fired a shot with that as well. He then watched as the Dogoo dissipated into data before his HUD disappeared. He then flicked the gunblades so the blades retracted before he twirled them around and slid them into the holsters he had behind his back.
[VICTORY! +15 XP, +12 Credits; 8 XP required to level up.]
"Does this always happen around here?" Rocky asked Nepgear as he looked at his partner, who was busy trying to clean some blue slime off her.
"Yeah," Nepgear told him. "You get used to it after a while. Did you have a tutorial pop up?"
"Uh...so that was why time felt it stopped…"
"Yeah. The first time I entered a fight, I had the same thing happen to me. Course, you get used to it all after a while, like I said."
"I see." He then looked puzzled. "Hey, do you need some time to clean up?" He then remembered something. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. Just...got tackled by a Dogoo, that's all. Nothing some Healing Grass can't fix."
"Healing Grass? Sounds familiar…"
"It's a basic healing item around here." Nepgear then reached behind her back and produced a handful of some blue-colored grass. "Here. Take some; it'll help you regain lost health."
"Uh, thanks." Rocky took some and then realized something. "Um...where do I apply it?"
"Hmm?" Nepgear blinked. "Oh, right! You can either ingest it or you can apply it to a specific area. Like, if you get a cut or something, you just lay it there and the rest is taken care of." She then pointed at his forearms. "You have one on your right forearm there. Try there."
"Alright," Rocky took some of the grass and applied it to where Nepgear told him, feeling a slight sting before he felt better. "Thanks."
"Make sure you have some healing supplies on you if you lack healing spells. You never know what might happen."
"Sure. So what about you?" He then noticed Nepgear...blushing? "Nepgear?"
"S-sorry, but...mine is...well...you know…"
Rocky raised an eyebrow before he realized what she was referring to. "Oh, um...sorry." He then turned around. "Why don't you ingest it, though?"
"I...don't like the taste, so I try not to eat it…anyways, this will only take a few seconds." Nepgear made some motions, of which the narrator won't describe (mainly because you can kinda imagine it yourselves…) before she added, "Alright, you can turn around now, Rocky."
"Okay." Rocky then looked back at Nepgear. "So..how do you think Neptune is doing?"
"Neptune's fine...I hope…"
"Right. Somehow, I do feel like she can handle herself." Rocky then nodded his head. "Alright, we better keep going. Maybe we can find her in the cave...if we even find it."
XXXXXXXXXX
A few minutes later (along with the battles they had to deal with), the two managed to find a rather large cave that seemed to be...well, something.
"Hey," Nepgear said quietly. "Do you think this is the cave Histoire wants us to look into?"
"I'm not sure," Rocky said as the two hid behind a rock near the entrance. Looking deeper into the cave, he added in a loud voice, "Hey! Anyone home?"
"What the goodness?!" Nepgear took a step back in shock. "What are you doing?!"
"Relax, Nepgear." Rocky then looked at her. "I'm sure you can handle this. After all, you're Neptune's little sister, right?"
"...Yeah, but still…"
"Anyways, there's no one home." Rocky then got out from behind the cover. "Now, come on, Nepgear. Better look in and see what's here."
"Uh, right!" Nepgear followed his lead, her Beam Saber at the ready.
"I'd like to find a torch or something around here to see in here."
"Torch, huh? Well, I don't have one, sorry...but I have something that should work!" Nepgear reached behind her back with her left hand and pulled out a flashlight. "I always try to carry a light in case I need it."
"Al...right...do I wanna know why?"
"It's just a habit when I'm working on things."
"...I will just...accept that for now…" Was the girl who Nepgear reminds me of like this as well? the boy added before shaking his head. Better focus on this now… "Anyways, can you shine some light on the matter?"
Nepgear chuckled a small bit. "Please don't try making a pun like that again…"
"...That was a pun?"
Nepgear turned on her flashlight and pointed it down the cave. "Seems to be a bit...dark...weird…"
"What makes you say that?"
"Usually when Neptune takes me to a cave for a Quest or I need to do a Quest that involves one, there's some natural lights with the surroundings. Here...it's just unsettling."
"True…" Rocky drew his right gunblade from behind his back, making sure that it was in its gun mode. "I'll keep Pollux on hand."
"Wait, you have a name for them?"
"Well...yeah...I kinda hate to admit it, but I didn't make both gunblades. Someone I knew had made Pollux, which was unnamed at the time, and I, well…" Rocky then noticed something off. "Hey, we haven't entered a single battle yet. Shouldn't we have by now?"
"Maybe Neptune took care of this place before we got here? Anyways, what were you saying about the names?"
"Oh, it's...some sort of myth somewhere...I think…But there were these two twins, one being immortal and the other being…"
Nepgear brought her weapon at the ready. "Hold on, Rocky. I think I heard something."
Boom...
"...What's that sound?" Rocky asked as he pointed Pollux down the cave.
"I'm not sure," Nepgear told him. "How close are we from the entrance?"
"Um…" Rocky looked behind him and didn't see the entrance behind him. "Hey, did we turn a corner or something?"
"Last I checked, we did."
"Okay, so…"
Boom.
"It sounds like it's getting closer," Nepgear added.
"Yeah, I can hear that," Rocky replied as he tried thinking of something. "Could we try doubling back and seeing if we can find Neptune? Nah, that's a bit too risky. We'd have to know where Neptune is first, and we can't leave this thing unattended...but we also don't know how to fight this enemy...what to do…"
BOOM!
Nepgear and Rocky looked at the path and soon found themselves staring at…
"Oh, why does it have to be this…?" Rocky asked as the two looked at the Guard Vermin standing there.
"Maybe that's the reason why we didn't have anything else fighting against us," Nepgear pondered. "Any ideas?"
"We're level...four now, right?"
"Yeah. Well, last I checked."
"Hold up, though. How come you're level four as well?"
Nepgear blushed in embarrassment a bit. "Well…"
"...Really? You're blushing right now?"
The Guard Vermin gave off a roar, making the two cover their ears however they could. For Nepgear, she was able to cup her hands over her ears a bit. For Rocky, however, he had to use his left hand along with his right shoulder in order to protect them. "What do you suggest?"
"Um...let's...try getting out?" Rocky turned and hightailed it, Nepgear following close behind. The sounds of the Guard Vermin giving chase followed them. "How's your experience fighting a Guard Vermin?"
"Guard Vermin? Um...none at all."
Rocky blinked as they ran. "None at all? How in the world did you guys have data on it for me to train on then?"
"They're rare to find, and the few that were found were taken care of by very experienced adventurers."
"Like?"
"Like, around level three hundred."
"...That's extremely high…"
"Those same adventurers were also rather old." Nepgear then thought about what she said, adding profusely while sounding like she was apologizing, "Not like that! I meant to say that they've had time to get there, not that they're elderly!"
"That's nice to know! Now, less talking, more running!"
Suddenly, the two ran outside the cave as the Guard Vermin caught up to them, slamming its sword into the ground. Rocky, having looked behind him to check for any signs of their pursuer, had pushed Nepgear away from the site just before, and the force behind the attack sent both of them in different directions. Nepgear barely landed on her feet, crouching down as her Beam Saber was still in her right hand. Rocky twisted himself around in order to land against a tree he had reached, hopping off it and landing on the ground softly.
"I guess we've got no choice now, huh?" Rocky asked as his HUD appeared over his vision, his left hand readying the other gunblade.
"Guess not," Nepgear added.
[BATTLE START!]
"I'll take the first strike!" Rocky called out as he ran up to the Guard Vermin, who was busy trying to pull up its weapon. "Let's see how you like this!" He then performed two Attack commands on it, backing off as Nepgear hopped in with her weapon ready. However, the Guard Vermin knocked her away as it got its sword out of the ground, and it stared at the two. "You alright, Nepgear?"
"Yeah," Nepgear said as she steadied herself. "I'll be fine. We need to get it destroyed."
"Right. Hmm...you goddesses can transform, right?"
Nepgear seemed like she froze up a bit. "Yeah...but…"
"Then I'll distract it while you get transforming." Rocky then dashed at the Guard Vermin, who had decided to try swinging its sword horizontally. He was forced to guard against it and was holding the blade, causing some of his health to start draining from the lock.
"Rocky...I…"
"Nepgear, any time to transform, please do." Rocky felt the Guard Vermin pull its sword back as it decided to try slamming it into the ground, the boy barely avoiding it by using a Sidestep command.
"Rocky, I...I do…"
"...Nepgear?" Rocky stopped and looked at the girl. "Why aren't you transforming?"
"Because I can't transform!" Nepgear said it as if she was trying to get it off her chest.
Rocky blinked as he took in the information. "Wait, you can't...what?"
"I can't transform! I haven't been able to yet!"
Rocky blinked some more before he felt the Guard Vermin's sword slam into him. This knocked him away from the field of battle, slamming into a tree hard. [Rocky: 547/1850 HP, 453/1225 SP, 58/100 AP, Current Weapon Set: Gemini]
"Rocky!" Nepgear shouted before she found the enemy looking at her. She then gulped. "W-well...I guess I'll have to fight this until he gets back up...I hope I can do it." She then shook her head. "No. I can do this. I will protect everyone." She then charged at the Guard Vermin and called out, "Mirage Dance!" She then performed a dance of sorts, slashing at the Guard Vermin four times before she slid past it with a slash. "I hope that worked." She then looked at the enemy's current health and paled a bit. "What the goodness?!" While she did do a considerable amount of damage, she just now realized that boss-tiered enemies usually had a ridiculous amount of health to avoid simply killing them quickly for newbies.
Nepgear had no time to think about how to counter it because she saw that the Guard Vermin was getting ready to spin, and she took the time to perform a command she had equipped to her Beam Saber, "Dodge", getting out of its range. She then readied her weapon and slid it along the ground, shouting, "Slash Wave!" before a small wind slid along the ground and hit the Guard Vermin.
Giving off an impressive roar, the Guard Vermin stomped the ground before swinging its sword downward, crashing into the ground. Nepgear raised her weapon to block some of the debris, but a large chunk of rock brushed by her left side, turning her around just enough for a bigger piece to slam into her. She then found herself on the ground, her right arm pinned by the offending debris.
"Oh goodness…" she moaned as she tried tugging on the arm, finding it to be stuck for the moment. "What do I do?" [Nepgear: 31% HP, 12% SP, Current Weapon Set: Beam Saber]
She then looked at the Guard Vermin as it pulled its sword out of the ground, crawling slowly towards her. She then watched as it raised the blade up high, intent on finishing her off.
If that attack connects without a Guard command to protect me… the CPU Candidate thought to herself, ...that's going to hurt really bad, if not outright kill me. Hang on, CPUs can't simply be killed...but… She then remembered her partner. Where's Rocky?
The Guard Vermin brought its attack on her, and Nepgear could only close her eyes as she blocked out everything but her HUD, ready to tell her the effects of the attack.
"Not so fast!" she heard Rocky's voice call out.
CLANG!
Nepgear flinched a bit as she checked her status. She didn't seem to lose any health from the attack, so unless it missed or she had a lot of defenses it had to have done something. She decided to hazard a peek and opened her eyes…
Only to find Rocky in front of her, holding the Guard Vermin's attack at bay with a purple-tinted blade. To her, it seemed to be a jian sword.
She then realized something that seemed off: to her knowledge, Rocky never showed her, Neptune, or Histoire any other weapons he had apart from Gemini, and that was because he had those on him upon their first meeting. So how did he get a new weapon that quickly? Unless…
"You alright, Nepgear?" Rocky asked her.
Nepgear blinked and shook her head to clear her mind before replying with, "Yeah!"
"Good." Rocky then shoved the Guard Vermin's sword to the side, making it hit the rock and making it easier for Nepgear to get back into battle by freeing her caught limb. "Better heal up while you can, right?"
"Right!" The CPU Candidate stood up and pulled out a clump of Healing Grass, placing them into her mouth. She grimaced a bit before she swallowed, soon feeling the effects. She then pulled another clump out and handed it to Rocky. "Here you go!"
"Thanks." Rocky did as she did and swallowed it with little fuss. "Now, ready?"
"Yeah!"
[Rocky: 1547/1850 HP, 453/1225 SP, 70/100 AP, Current Weapon Set: ?; Nepgear: 99% HP, 12% SP, Current Weapon Set: Beam Saber]
"Alright, think you can send out an Es-Pee Skill?" Nepgear asked her partner.
"Es-Pee Skill?" Rocky asked her.
"Try to focus and think about opening your Es-Pee Skill menu. If you have a skill there, you can use it. Make sure you have enough for it, though."
"Alright." Rocky focused and watched as a menu appeared in place of his commands, following the same wheel-like design. In the top slot was one skill: "Aura Slash". Deciding that it was better than the alternative, he decided to call it out. "Aura Slash!" He pointed his weapon to his left before slashing to the right, creating a crescent-shaped projectile of energy that crashed into the Guard Vermin.
"There you go! Congratulations!"
"Better keep the pressure up, then." Rocky then charged ahead and checked his current command list for the jian sword (he had no idea what it was called at the moment, and he wasn't even sure what a jian sword was; it kinda just appeared in his head). On his list at the moment were "Attack" and "Guard" only. "This is kinda boring right now...but whatever. Gives me a reason to try some tricks."
[If you recall, using commands will expend your available AP, which can be refilled slowly. However, shifting into different weapon sets will allow it to recharge at a better rate, making this approach ideal. Try shifting from your new weapon set back to Gemini's]
Rocky then performed his "Attack" command four times in a row, slashing at his opponent before he focused and switched the jian sword out for Gemini. Taking aim, he used a "Shoot" command to hit it some more. "Nepgear!"
"Right!" Nepgear hopped in and slashed at it herself, calling out another Mirage Dance in order to deal as much damage as she could. They then watched as the Guard Vermin fell onto its knees.
{Guard Vermin has entered Guard Break!}
This notification popped up in their HUD as the Guard Vermin stayed where it was.
[When certain conditions are met, an enemy will enter a state known as a Guard Break. It is at this point that the enemy is most vulnerable, so deal as much damage as you can before it recovers.]
"We have to hit it hard, Rocky!" Nepgear told him.
"Any ideas?"
"I'm out of Es-Pee, so…"
Rocky focused and brought up his SP Skills menu, finding a different skill where the last one was. "Huh...do skills shift based on weapons?"
"Not sure?" Nepgear raised an eyebrow. "I mean, my weapons are about the same, so I don't really know. Neptune might know a bit more about it."
"Right...I'll just use it anyways." Rocky raced up to the Guard Vermin and readied Gemini's blades. "Double Cross…" He slashed upwards in an X formation, hopping into the air before he came back down hard, creating another X formation. "...Slash!"
Once he finished the skill, the Guard Vermin fell onto its back and started squirming around a bit before it laid still, disappearing in a burst of data later.
[Victory! +125 XP, +635 Credits, Rocky's Leveled Up! 4 - 6, Nepgear's Leveled Up! 4 - 6, 29 XP required to level up]
"Whew…" Rocky breathed in relief as he put his weapons away. He then watched as a notification popped in his vision. He then read it out loud: "Your connection with Nepgear has forged a new weapon. Long lost since its old wielder's demise, the weapon Neptunia Blade has been granted to you."
[Forging friendships will reward you with new weapons for you to use. You are free to access these at any time, but these weapons you earn become stronger when you strengthen the bonds formed. So try your best to make those strong bonds, and be forewarned: if you ever lose the connection or a bond starts weakening, this may have some unexpected side effects...]
"I'm not the only one who saw the thing about the new weapon, was I?" Rocky asked Nepgear.
"I saw it too in my HUD," Nepgear replied. "I'm not sure what it means, but…" She then smiled. "I'm glad that you have a new weapon, Rocky! It will definitely help in future battles, I just know it!"
Rocky chuckled lightly. "Alright. Well, it's still not too bad. A new weapon, some decent leveling...now, is that all the enemies?"
"Let's see…" Nepgear reached behind her back and pulled out a small portable device, looking through its data for something. "I see! My N-Gear says that there's...one more monster? Where would…" She then looked up and noticed that a Dogoo had jumped down from a tree and was falling for Rocky's head. "Rocky!"
"Huh?" Rocky turned and looked up in time to notice the Dogoo. "Whoa!"
"Dogoo!" the monster cried before it felt a bullet slam into its body. With the force behind the bullet, the poor sap was sent crashing into a nearby tree, making it disappear in a flash of data.
"Did...someone just…?"
"Hey, you two!" Neptune's voice called out as she was busy walking over to them. She had a small toy pistol in her right hand. "What'd I miss?"
"Um...not much?" Rocky asked before he blinked. "Hey, wait a second! Where the hell were you the whole time?!"
"Oh, I was...looking around for some monsters of my own...Histy never said we had to stick together. Plus, it was more of a chance for the author to get a bit of action for you two going."
"...What?"
"Anyways, I managed to clear out some of the other monsters. There were some tough ones, but…" She then noticed Rocky glaring at her. "What is it?"
"Were you even in the neighborhood when we had to take on the Guard Vermin?"
Neptune blinked in shock. "Wait, you two took on a Guard Vermin?!" She then looked at Nepgear, who nodded her head in agreement. "Hot diggety dog! Nep Junior managed to take down a Guard Vermin without her transformation!" The older sister then hugged her sibling.
"Really, it was nothing…" Nepgear told her. "I mean, if Rocky hadn't blocked the attack and freed me, then…"
"Ah. Still, I would have had an issue with solo-fighting a Guard Vermin outside of my Goddess form, so props to you, my little sis! And of course, you too, Rock."
"I'm not a super fighting robot!" Rocky snapped before blinking yet again. "And what the hell am I talking about?!" The Nep Sisters then chuckled together. "Hey! Don't chuckle like that, dammit!"
{Nepgear and Rocky are currently at Partner Rank 1; Neptune and Rocky are currently at Partner Rank 0}
And so...this was how the adventures of a boy who has been brought into this new world began. There are still some questions that need to be answered.
Who was this "old wielder" of the Neptunia Blade? How come Nepgear feels familiar to Rocky? And more importantly…
What sort of crazy adventures can one boy get into during his times in the world of Gamindustri?
Time to find out...together...in the new dimension...the Turbodimension!
XXXXXXXXXXX
Alright! The first chapter of this story is done!
Yay...
...You could stand to be more excited, Lio...
*clears throat* Yay...
...You're not even trying anymore...
Anyways, let me get some notes placed down here:
1) Partner Rank: I use the same term for two other characters in the crossover series (at least, when they come in), but basically I'm calling it that in order to at least make a distinction between Lily Rank (between the girls; not required for weapons) and the term (between Rocky and the character; affects weapons as well as skills, perks, and what-not).
2) Roquefort's/Rocky's weapons: His default weapons, Gemini, are modeled after a fusion of the one from the Kamen Rider series and Lightning's gunblade from the Final Fantasy series. These particular ones he uses are only as long as short swords when the blades are active, and for their Gun Mode they resemble pistols. Their names are also based on the myth of the twins, Castor and Pollux. The names do correspond with their chosen half, with some more detail being given in a later chapter. As for the Neptunia Blade, I based it off a jian sword, which was a weapon a friend of mine told me a bit about for one of my other stories.
3) Flow of Battle: I wanted to simulate a game as much as I could without making it feel too bogged down, so I had to work a bit on it. For the readings, I had to look at an old fanfic I made off this site (if you're interested in which fanfic it was, let me know via PM or review, and I will let you know where to find it). As for the way combat worked, I wanted to simulate the system used in LR:FF13 while trying to make it tailored to the series. As a result, the main way for Rocky to fight is to shift between weapons, which will help him learn strategies to fight tougher enemies. However, with some new commands to use, these are being balanced to provide a different feeling for him (dodging will negate all damage but must be timed properly, while guarding will reduce damage but will be able to negate damage with a perfectly-timed block). How this will work out, as well as adjustments, will be seen later.
4) Misc. Details: Welp...I think I might be cursing myself for saying this, but...this is going to be as big as a collection of everything in the series as I can possibly get. Yeah, even Nisa and Gust will be coming into the picture. However, their roles may not be what you might be. Or maybe they will be. This will also provide a chance to see many different weapons be formed and used by Rocky. Also, I do understand that there is another series that has a similar relationship system to this story's, but there will be major differences (for starters, the Partner Ranks are not limited to a specific group). Still, if you have heard of that series then I'd recommend you going to check it out when you get a chance.
Alright, with that said, let's close it out like usual. Lio?
Right...
Thanks for reading this chapter. If you liked it, please read and respond and let us know what you think.
...We really need to fix the outros...
Hey, who's doing the typing?
Does it matter?
I dunno...
Anyways, also, if you have enjoyed this chapter, let me know. I am only putting this first chapter out to see if people want me to work on this for a while despite referencing more; I do have a few more chapters drafted, but I want to see if it's a god idea. I also need to get to my other series and get that finished for its current entry, so...
Anyways, thanks so much, and I hope to see you guys in the next chapter.
