Chapter 2: Quest
"Late…" Uni was in WaveRunner Coast, a dungeon that essentially a maze of bridges and platform. The entirety of the bridges and platforms had a religious stained-glass theme with gray as the main color, but the reds, blues, yellows had dulled from years of neglect. Coral-shelled shaped buildings perimetered the area, but were blocked off by police barriers.
Uni was sitting on one of the rails near the front of the dungeon, her foot tapping against the floor. Glancing at her watch, Uni bit the inside of her cheek. Noire had dropped off Uni at the entrance some time ago, but her partner had yet to appear. In fact, she was sure that the meeting time that Neptune and Noire had discussed was almost up.
"Where is this guy?" Uni let her head rest on her hand and pulled out her U-ta, opening her Guild App. "Let's see here…" Opening her Quest Log, Uni scrolled down to the enemy list. "I've fought a bunch of these guys with Noire. They're aren't that though…" Her eyes landed on the last two names, reading them aloud to herself. Biting her lip, Uni couldn't help but worry. "Why were they bolded? It's like they're dangerous or something…"
Suddenly, Uni's Guild App zipped away, replaced by her sister's number and picture. A ringtone of her sister's voice singing an anime opening filled her ears and surrounding area. Luckily for Uni, no monsters were nearby. Answering the phone, Uni raised her U-ta up to her ear.
"Hello, Noire?" Uni heard her sister huff. Oh no. Did she do something wrong? Did she wait at the wrong spot? Wait no, Noire told her this was the place. In fact, Uni and Noire flew here half an hour ago to make sure that she wasn't late. That and because Noire apparently had some meeting in Planeptune at the same time.
"Uni? You alright?" Oh right, Noire. Uni better answer and hope she wasn't in trouble.
"Y-Yeah, I'm here." Noire sighed
"Sorry, Uni." Huh? Why is Noire apologizing?
"What do you mean?" Noire huffed again, this time Uni could hear the frustration under her breath.
"Your partner just left a while ago." Uni blinked her eyes, rubbed them and blinked again.
"Huh?"
"Yeah, so… Neptune told your partner that we were gonna meet up here, at Planeptune's Basilicomm." Uni nodded her head, slowly.
"Okay…" Noire sighed again.
"Sorry, Uni. But don't worry, your partner has a super fast fighter jet and is on the- Wha!?" Uni flinched and yanked her phone away from her ears. "Ne-Neptune let go of me!" Glancing to the left, then to the right, Uni hung up the phone.
"Sorry, Noire…" Uni didn't want to lose her hearing, even if it was because of her sister's voice. Sighing and putting her U-ta away, the CPU Candidate looked up to the cloudy sky. "A plane huh…" Uni reached a hand towards the sky, spreading her fingertips far and wide. "I wonder how it feels to fly in a comfortable space like that…"
Closing her eyes, Uni felt a slight breeze blow by, catching her hair and carrying it for a bit. Once the wind died down, a quiet roar reached Uni's ears.
"That's…" Opening her eyes, Uni stood up and turned towards the direction of the sound. Narrowing her eyes, Uni stared down the horizon to see a small purple glint. Both the glint and the roar got louder and louder with each passing second. "That's…" Uni's eyes widened. "That's too close!" The Candidate dived to the ground as the plane flew over her.
A strong gust of wind caused by the plane blew by, causing Uni to brace herself and nearly miss the sound of something hitting the bridge and rolling around to her side.
"Geez, what was that?" Getting to her feet, Uni glance to the side. "Hey…"
A few feet away from Uni was a person, one knee against the ground. From what she could see of the person, the person was a boy. Another gust of wind blew by, a stronger one, picking Uni's side-updo pigtails and the rest of her hair, and at the same time, picking up the boy's lavender low-tie ponytail, held together by a dark purple and white striped hair tie.
"Phew… I made it." The boy stood up, revealing him to be slightly taller than Uni. The boy wore a white unzipped flight jacket, which had two pockets near the stomach area of the jacket. Above the jacket pocket was a N patch, stitched right above his heart. Underneath his jacket was white shirt and a purple scarf, secured around his neck. Uni caught a glimpse of what looked like a pudding pin on the collar of his jacket. "I messed up the landing, though…"
Sighing, the boy touched the pin, the decoration lighting up. He turned around, Uni following his gaze. The plane that passed by Uni slowly raised up into the air, flipped about and was engulfed in a dispersing cloud of data.
"I didn't want to land and roll…" The boy's soft, amethyst purple eyes made contact with Uni's red rubies. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't see you there." The boy shifted his body, revealing the rest of his outfit.
The boy wore bright white pants, which were tucked under a pair of vanilla boots with a silver soles and a white throat. Uni then noticed the light purple belt that held a rectangular device onto it.
That wasn't what caught Uni's attention.
Rather…
The two holsters strapped to his thighs, one of them brown and one of them white. The brown holster was triangular shaped, and Uni could see the handle of a white pistol sticking out from under the flap that kept it secured. The white holster was rectangular in shape, but Uni could still see the other white pistol handle sticking out of the holster, almost as if it didn't belong there.
"U-Um, excuse me? My eyes are up here…" Flustered red orbs connected with innocent purple stones once more, catching the D-pad hairclip on the purple stones' lavender hair.
"S-Sorry…" The boy smiled, reaching a hand out. Uni noticed the boy's long side-lock, the long strands of hair held up by his arm. The boy shook his head, his mouth never turning upside down.
"Oh it's fine!" The boy scratched his head, slowly leaning forwards. "I'm sorry for being late, I'm Nepgear." Oh, introductions? Alright, so this Nepgear guy has to be her partner. Alright, now to make a nice impression that he'll tell No- "You must be Uni, the CPU Candidate of Lastation. Right?" Nepgear straightened himself out, now scratching his cheek.
…
…
…
Oh.
So he knew of her… Nevermind then.
Crossing her arms, Uni narrowed her eyes. Nepgear, a bead of sweat rolling down his face.
"And how do you know about me?" Nepgear reached for the device on his belt.
"Well…" Pulling out the device, Nepgear put it close to his face. "Your sister told me somethings about you when she arrived…" The boy pressed the touch screen, his fingers gliding across the electronic device. "I took some notes on my N-Gear… Let's see…" Uni swallowed.
What kinds of things did Noire tell this guy about her?
"Ah, here we are." Nepgear peered closer at his N-Gear while Uni's heart began to beat a little faster, not because of what Nepgear was going to say nor his impression of her, mind you. "Lady Uni, CPU Candidate of Lastation and Noire's little sister. A hardworking girl who strives to be the best… and she loves guns." Nepgear put away his N-Gear and smiled at Uni. "Right?"
Uni blinked her eyes.
"Well, you're not wrong…" Sighing, Uni slumped her shoulders. That was all that Noire thought of her… Nothing detailed? Nothing special? Nothing at all…? Uni's day couldn't get worse than that… No, her life couldn't get any worse that.
"Um… Lady Uni?" Uni held up a hand, standing up straight.
"Just… call me Uni." Nepgear nodded tentatively.
"Alright, I hope we can get along." Uni looked to her side to see a gentle hand extended her way. Slapping it out of the way, Uni reached for her rifle, which was sitting on the ground nearby. She had placed on the railing next to her, but Nepgear's plane knocked over to the ground thanks to the wind it picked up.
"Yeah, let's just get this over with…" Uni walked on while Nepgear reached out for her, crouching down to dislodge the flaps of his holsters and ran after her.
Once he caught to Uni, Nepgear slowed down to a leisurely pace. The sea was blown around by the occasional winds, causing some small waves for roll around and harmlessly attack the maze-like pier they were on.
"So… um…" Before Nepgear could speak further, Uni held up a hand.
"We're here to do a Quest, not to hang out and be friends." Nepgear blinked.
"I'd like to be friends with Uni." Uni rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, whatever." Uni stopped a stray Dogoo, bouncing it's way around. "Hmph. Found one." Quickly dropping to one knee, Uni stared down the scope of her rifle, eyes locked on her prey.
"Hey, it's a Dogoo!" Nepgear pointed at the jelly-dog monster. "Aw… it's so cute." Narrowing her eyes, Uni silenced Nepgear's adoration and fired. The Dogoo visibly flinched before spinning around in a daze, disappearing in a cloud of data. "Ah."
"One down, ninety-nine more to go." Standing up, Uni turned to Nepgear. "And you, keep your eyes on the objective, alright." Nepgear held his hands up in a surrender-like manner.
"R-Roger." With a huff, Uni walked on. "She's really mad today…"
"What was that?"
"N-Nothing!"
0 o 0
Uni and Nepgear skirted around WaveRunner Coast, sniping any monster that they could find. Well, Uni did. Nepgear didn't get a chance to even pull out one of his pistols.
After half an hour of searching, Uni and Nepgear, completely Uni though, were able dispatch twenty monsters.
"Argh! This is taking too long!" Uni put a hand on her forehead, squeezing her eyes shut.
"C-Calm down…" Nepgear held up his hands, but backed off when Uni glared at him.
"And why aren't you doing anything?! You're just standing there doing nothing!"
"Well, y-you keep killing them before I could do anything…" Uni raised an eyebrow.
"Really…" The CPU Candidate crossed her arms. "Then why don't you go ahead and defeat as many monsters as I did then." Uni pulled up her Guild App. "Exactly twenty." Nepgear squeezed his lips shut, turning his eyes to the ground.
"Thirty, huh…" Uni grinned. There was no way a deadbeat like this guy could match up to a CPU Candidate like her. "Alright, I'll do it!"
"Wha-What?" Nepgear turned away from Uni, peering down the horizon.
"I'll try my best." The boy leaned forward, smiling when he saw a group of Dogoos, M-3s and Pixel Vaders on a parallel platform from where Uni and Nepgear were standing. "Alright, I'll go ahead and clear the area over there."
Uni couldn't help but smirk. This kid thinks that he can beat those monsters without her? This should be interesting.
"Well, we better find a way over there." Nepgear shook his head.
"No. You don't have to." Uni stared at him like he grew another head.
"There is no way someone can jump that far." The platform that the monsters were on, although parallel, was at least half a city block away. Sure, Uni could just transform and float over there, but Nepgear's just a kid. Like she said, there's no wa-
"Luckily, this is a dungeon without walls."
...Oh right, this a dungeon withou- Wait, what?
Walking to the center of the circular platform, Nepgear faced his destination and dropped to his hands and one knee. Nepgear smiled at Uni before sprinting with all his migh- Wow, he's actually pretty fast. But even with that speed, the momentum wouldn't be enough for Nepgear to clear the gap and he'll fall in the water.
Front flipping, Nepgear landed on his hands. Pushing against the momentum, Nepgear continued flipping towards the edge of the platform.
"Okay, now he has no momentum…" Uni shook her head, completely confused.
What was the point of doing that?
Nepgear, once he was close edge of the platform, quickly turned around. Bending his knees forward, Nepgear's pressed against the corner of the platform's railing.
"Alright, here… we…" Uni didn't want to look away, but she kinda wanted to see this guy fall into the water. At least something funny would happen… "..GO!"
Nepgear kicked off of the railing, legs and arms straight. As Uni expected, Nepgear only flew a few feet.
Wait, what was he doing?
Nepgear crossed his arms over chest and bending his knees forward, positioning his feet so that they were perpendicular to the water.
Thanks to her sharpshooter skills, Uni was able to see two deep red gems embedded into the soles of his boots. The gems began to glint a bright white, shrouding Nepgear in the same light.
"What is…" Suddenly, Nepgear zipped forward, creating two transparent white Nepgears that stayed in place while the actual one moved on. Before, Nepgear was near the platform that Uni was on and now he had zoomed to the edge of the opposite platform. The boy spread his arms out as the Nepgear copies vanished. "What the-!?" However as soon as Nepgear spread his arms out, his momentum almost completely vanished. With the remaining momentum that Nepgear carried, he would fall straight into the water.
Nepgear let out a loud grunt as two circular discs spread out from under his feet. The boy's body slammed against the railing, but his hand snapped onto the edge of the railing.
Uni sighed, not because she was relieved that he was safe. She kinda wanted to see Nepgear flop into the water. Speaking of whom, Nepgear turned toward Uni, giving her a thumbs up.
"A double-jump huh… not bad. Too flashy if you ask me." Uni crossed her arms and sat down, laying her gun across her lap, watching Nepgear hang over the water. "Go on, surprise me." Pulling out her U-ta, Uni opened up her Guild App and stared at the mission objective.
Enemies Defeated: 20/100
Nepgear reached for his left pistol, tossing it into the air. Pulling himself over the edge of the railing, Nepgear pulled out the other pistol, pointing it at a Dogoo and M-3. Nepgear pulled the trigger and held it down. A small purple light began shining from the muzzle of the weapon. The pistol in the air began to fall down, but Nepgear kicked out his foot behind him, sending the airborne pistol towards the center of the platform. At the same time, the pistol in Nepgear's hand began to tremble, emitting an ear-annoying sound.
Eye twitching, Uni glanced up.
"What is that… sound?" Uni watched Nepgear run towards the center of the platform. Nepgear pointed the shaking pistol, releasing the trigger. A fireball sized and shaped plasma bullet blasted towards the Dogoo and M-3, engulfing them and obliterating them, leaving them nothing but data.
The moment the two monsters were destroyed. Their companions and other loved ones turned to Nepgear, surprised, angered or shocked. The small mob of monsters rushed towards Nepgear. The boy jumped into the sky, catching the airborne pistol in his left hand. Twisting his body so that he was upside down in the air, Nepgear aimed at both pistols towards the platform's floor.
"Hmm…" Uni raised an eyebrow. "A plasma-type pistol…"
Nepgear fired a spread of bullets, some of the bullets purple and the others teal, towards the monsters, having bunched up at the center of the platform. Monster after monster shook, shuddered and fell under Nepgear's volley of bullets. The boy landed on the edge of the railing, holding both triggers down. The pistol in his right hand began to emit the purple light again, but the one is his left emitted a teal light.
Uni's eyes widened.
"Two plasma-types!? Are you kidding me?!" Uni glanced at the Guild App, not wanting to see him show off his weapons.
Enemies Defeated: 30/100
"Hmph…" Uni shook her head and looked back up, not sure what to look at anymore.
Nepgear pressed his two pistols together, his arms shaking under the pressure built up in between both weapons.
"TAKE THIS!" Nepgear released the triggers and the two fireball blasts, shot out of the pistols. The projectiles blended together to create a giant purple and teal plasma bullet that careened towards the group of monsters. The pressure of the blasts sent Nepgear off of the edge of the platform. As the blast engulfed the monsters, Nepgear spun around and zoomed back to the platform where Uni was. When the monsters blew up and spread around the area, Nepgear double-jumped back onto the platform, landing in front of Uni.
Out of the corner of her eyes, Uni saw the Dogoos, the Pixel Vaders and the M-3s fly away and vanish into data. Nepgear pushed his pistols back into his holsters and smiled at his partner, who was still sitting down.
"Well, how'd I do?" Uni glanced at her U-ta.
Enemies Defeated: 40/100
"Twenty exactly." Uni cocked an eyebrow and stood up, dusting her skirt and picking up her rifle. "I was wrong." Nepgear's smile grew slightly. Uni stepped backwards, narrowing her eyes. "D-Don't get me wrong, I wasn't complimenting you at all!" Uni turned around and walked on. "Come on, we've gotta find some more enemies to beat up."
"Roger!" Nepgear skipped up to Uni and walked alongside her.
0 o 0
Nepgear and Uni walked along WaveRunner Coast, searching the area thoroughly for isolated monsters. However, after half an hour of walking, both Uni and Nepgear were tired, drenched in sweat.
"Uni…" Nepgear placed his hands on his knees, panting heavily.
"Wh...What?" Uni slouched over, using her rifle to support her standing.
"I think… we should… take a break…" Uni sighed, this time in relief.
"Yeah… we should." Nepgear immediately dropped onto his rear while Uni slowly lowered herself to the floor.
Nepgear pulled himself against the railing, next to Uni. However, Uni turned away, pulling out her U-ta and opening the Guild App.
Enemies Defeated: 60/100
"Hmm…" Uni put her U-ta away at the sound of liquid in a bottle slushing near her face. She looked up to see a Nep Bull U in front of her. "Huh? Where did…" Uni's gaze followed the arm that the hand was connected to, which was Nepgear, whose smile was just as inviting as before.
"Here, drink up! It'll restore your stamina and give you some confidence! …Although, I'm not sure about the confidence part." Uni took the beverage, confused.
"Where did you get this?" Nepgear reached under his jacket. Uni heard sound of something materializing and watched Nepgear pull out another Nep Bull U.
"I kept some cold drinks in my storage." Nepgear's smile turned bashful, scratching the back of his head. Uni raised an eyebrow, breaking the cap's seal and twisting the cap off.
"You're prepared." Nepgear nodded and opened his own drink, downing the health- and mana-restoring drink. Uni began to consume her drink, revitalizing her and feeling her strength return.
"Hehe, I made sure that there's at least one for you." Uni's face turned red for a second, but the Candidate coughed it away. Nepgear stared into his bottle. "Hey, Uni…"
"What?" Nepgear capped the bottle.
"Why did you wanna do this Quest?" Uni stared at Nepgear, whose smile was gone now.
"What are you talking about?" Nepgear zipped his eyes to Uni and then to the empty bottle, squeezing it tightly.
"U-Uh…" The boy slumped closer to the railing, pushing himself deeper into the corners over the railing. Uni raised an eyebrow as she watched his face and ears slowly turn a peachy color. "Well… y-you're taking the Quest with me… why?" Huffing, Uni capped her bottle and crossed her arms.
"Why? Because my sister put me up to this!" Nepgear put his wavering eyes on her.
"Your sister?" Uni nodded.
"Yeah, she thought that I wasn't good enough to handle this Quest on my own so she gave me you as a partner." Nepgear turned away for a second, eyes darting across the platform.
"W-Well, I think you're really great, Uni." Uni scoffed.
"Thanks, but that won't mean much to Noire." Nepgear let out a weak chuckle.
"At least your sister trusts you…" Uni's head snapped to Nepgear, who looked so small and fragile at the moment that she wanted to hug him. Shaking the thought out of her head, Uni raised and eyebrow.
"What?" Nepgear's smile returned, smaller and lonelier than what Uni remembered.
"I've always…" A deep inhale and exhale. "...wanted to make a friend." Nepgear gripped. the bottle harder, flattening the bottle's once round shape. "My sister doesn't want me to go outside of our home, saying it's too dangerous for me." Uni leaned back, surprised.
"Really?" Nepgear nodded, his head drooping low more.
"Yeah… I wanted to take this Quest because Quests are only one of two ways for me to get out, the other one being with my sister, which was always..." Nepgear turned up to stare at the sky, a cloud floating over them. "But this was the first Quest that my sister didn't go with me, and when I was told that I was going to be someone that was close to my age..." Nepgear's smile turned grim, his head bobbing back down to hang. "I was excited that I'd make a new friend...but I guess it's not that easy…"
Uni blinked her eyes.
Uni opened her mouth.
She blinked her eyes again.
She raised a finger and closed her mouth.
The CPU Candidate lowered her hand.
What was she supposed to say to this?
All Uni wanted to do was come here, beat up all the monsters that got in her way (which they weren't trying to, it was more like Uni was jumping them on the street) and go home.
But Nepgear…
He's different.
He's desperate.
He just wanted a friend…
Uni bit her lip.
Nepgear was always smiling, but… to think that he was so lonely on the inside. It's like he was wearing some sort of mask and he had hoped for something for so simple to happen… and Uni just stomped on it with her boot. Hard. Cold. And repeatedly.
She was the worst.
"I…" Uni stared at her lap, gripping her skirt, her knuckles slowly turning white. "...I could be your friend." Nepgear looked up, eyes wider than a curious child's.
"Huh?" Uni was sure that her ears were burning. She hoped that her hair was covering them.
"I said…!" Uni stood up, shouldering her rifle. "I could be your friend." The CPU Candidate glanced over her shoulders, startled when Nepgear was suddenly beside her. The boy's hands were clasped over each other, his eyes shining.
"Really?!" Uni stepped back, wondering how he got there so fast. Shaking her head and coughed into her fist, Uni turned away, crossing her arms.
"D-Don't get me wrong! It's not like I'm guilty of hurting you or anything!" Wow, she is Noire's sister, but Uni's pretty sure that Noire was rubbing off of her.
"What's there not to get?" Uni glances at Nepgear, his smile mesmerizing her. "You wanna be my friend!" Uni lowered her head. She hoped that the heat was coming from the sun.
"A-Anyways, we should finish this Quest."
"Mm!" Nepgear skipped ahead, causing Uni to blink his eyes.
"Skipping. Huh, that's a thing." Scratching the back of her head, Uni was glad Nepgear she saw Nepgear skip. "At least he's honest with himself…" Uni walked forward, catching up to Nepgear as the boy paused to wait for her and was currently waving.
0 o 0
"Uni, look over there!" Nepgear pointed to a platform that was about two platforms away from them. Uni quickly looked into the scope of her rifle and kneeled down, steadying her arm with her leg.
From where Nepgear pointed, Uni could see an array of Dogoos, M-3s and Pixel Vaders swarming and jumping around the platform.
"That's a lot of monsters." Uni put down her rifle and turned to Nepgear. "There's no way we could take care all them without getting surrounded." Uni bit on her fingernail. "...If there only we had someone who could do close quarter combat…" Sure Uni had some training, but it wasn't really that useful if her rifle held her down…
"Ah, CQC?" Uni nodded, turning to Nepgear.
"Yeah, why?" Nepgear suddenly threw a fist, twisting his body to do a sweeping kick. Placing his hands on the floor, Nepgear kicked his legs outwards and rolled forwards. Quickly spinning back forwards, Nepgear ran forwards a bit for jumping forwards, using the momentum to carry him forward while bending knees. Thrusting his legs out, Nepgear performed a dropkick before dropping onto the floor.
"How was that?" Picking himself off of the floor, Nepgear turned to surprised Uni. Blinking her eyes, Uni pursed her lips.
"I mean it's great that you know CQC, but I don't think hand to hand combat will be enough with just the two of us." Nepgear smiled and suddenly Uni felt that some of the pressure on her was gone.
"Do you want more range?" Uni watched Nepgear pull out the pistol from his right holster, raising an eyebrow.
"...Yeah?" Nepgear grabbed the muzzle of the gun, causing Uni to stand up and reach out to him. "W-What are you doing?! You'll damage the barrel!" Much to Uni's surprise, the gun obeyed Nepgear and followed his pull, turning into a tiny rod. "Wait… what?" Nepgear giggled, holding the rod up to his head, tapping one of the corners on his forehead.
"Cool, right?" Nepgear stepped back. "Wait, watch this." The boy held the rod up to his heart, purple energy beginning to build up at the tip. With all the force his arm could muster, Nepgear swung his arm out and the rod released a purple triangular energy blade. The blade was shrouded in a light lavender aura and let out a gentle hum.
"Wha-!" Uni closed her eyes, opened them, rubbing them and repeating the cycle twice. "That's a Buster-Saber?!" Nepgear grinned, spinning the weapon around in his hand.
"Neat, huh? I built it myself." Uni's mouth dared to dangle open, but she willed it shut.
"No way!" Nepgear nodded.
"Uh-huh, I call it the 'Gear-Saber'!" Nepgear winked. "In gun form, it's the 'Gear-Buster'." Uni's eyes were dull now, sighing.
"For how cool that was, that's a really lame name." Nepgear's face reflected that of a Pupgoo getting kicked in the goo.
"B-But… my sister named it…" Uni rolled her eyes.
"Still lame." Nepgear quickly clutched his collar, staring at the pudding pin.
"Th-Then, my Gear-Wing?" Uni furrowed her eyebrows.
"What-Wing?"
"M-my Ultra Universal Damage Diffuser Loweean Redesigned Light Roll Barrell Advanced Starfighter, my sister named it too..." Uni's eye twitched.
"Why does your sister have such lame names!?" Nepgear whimpered, turning off the Gear-Saber.
"Aw… I thought they were good names…" Uni huffed.
"Well, you built them, so you choose the names, I guess." The boy pulled out the other pistol, holding it up so that Uni could get a good look at it.
"My sister gave me this one…" Uni's pupils shrank. "She called it the-"
"THE N-BUSTER MK I?!" Uni swiped out of Nepgear's hand, causing his eyes to turn cat-like and his mouth to shape itself into a box without its bottom. "No way!" Uni dropped her rifle and began to fondle the pistol. "They're extremely rare!" Nepgear blinked, his face returning to normal.
"R-Really?" Uni whipped her head to Nepgear, her eyes wide and her pupils sparkling.
"Of course! There's like only three in the world!" Uni melted, nearly dropping to her knees. "Oh man… I can't believe that I get to hold a real one..." Nepgear scratched his cheek, a bead of sweat rolling down his face.
"Uh… Uni?" Uni paused, glancing at the boy.
"Yeah?"
"Can I…" Nepgear held out a hand. "...have my gun back? I kinda need it to fight." Uni turned to the pistol, shaking her head wildly.
"Ri-Right, sorry." Nepgear smiled as Uni handed the weapon back, allowing him to holster it.
"It's no problem." Nepgear turned to the horde of monsters, a small smile on his face. "So, should we finish this up and go home?" Uni picked up her gun, cocking it.
"Of course," Uni gestured to the boy with her head. "You take point," Uni then stared at the monsters. "I'll provide cover fire." Nepgear nodded, running ahead of her.
"Teyaaaaah!" Nepgear stomped his foot into the floor, launching himself into the air and somersaulting towards the monsters. Once Nepgear was a couple of feet in the air, Uni slid on the ground, firing rounds into the heart of the monsters.
"Take this!" One by one, monsters sank into data and the monsters' attention diverted to the girl.
Nepgear unfolded himself, raising his arms over his head. The boy thrusted his legs into a Dogoo and trampoline himself into the air, swinging downwards on an airborne M-3, cutting it in half. Kicking off of the remains of the robot, Nepgear tossed his Gear-Saber into the air and pulled out his N-Buster Mk I, holding down the trigger. The boy whipped around, kicking an attacking Dogoo with the heel of his boot before ducking to the ground as sniper shots pierced through some Pixel Vaders.
The boy turned to Uni, giving him a thumbs up. The CPU Candidate grinned through her scope as she watched Nepgear punch an M-3 into the ground and climbed on top of it, using the machine's instinct to rise up instantly to propel himself upwards.
A few more M-3s attempted to strike Nepgear down, but Uni's cover fire kept them at bay, allowing the boy to ascend to his saber. Uni continued to lock the monsters in as Nepgear caught his sword. Aiming the N-Buster downwards, Nepgear released the trigger, firing a large teal bullet that exploded into the heart of the monster horde, sending them far away. The monsters that flew close to Nepgear were cut down, allowing him a safe pathway to the ground.
Nepgear pulled out his N-Gear as Uni blasted any monsters that tried to ambush him, along with other monsters that were still in the air. Quickly opening his Guild App, Nepgear glanced to the side to catch a Dogoo throwing itself at him. Ducking and rolling away from the Dogoo, Nepgear thrusted his Gear-Saber into the jelly monster, not even giving the satisfaction of seeing its death as he was too engrossed in his N-Gear.
Enemies Defeated: 80/100
Smiling, Nepgear cupped a hand over his mouth.
"Uni, just twenty more t0 go-" Uni blasted a Pixel Vader next to Nepgear. "I mean, nineteen more to g-" Now a Dogoo was blasted out of the sky from above the boy. "U-Uh, seventeen more t-" A M-3, passive, hovered next to Nepgear. "Oh hell-" It turned into data. "Wha- Uni!?"
Uni lowered her rifle.
"What? It was about to hurt you!" Nepgear glanced to where the monster used to be.
"It was just standing there an-" Nepgear's pupils shrank. "Uni behind you!" Nepgear put away his N-Gear and cut down a Pixel Vader.
"Huh?" Uni turned around to see a large black mechaniloid monster behind her. The obsidian black wings kept the robot afloat. Uni immediately aimed her weapon at the monster and fired at its head.
"Contact!" The monster raised its claws, swiping the bullet out of the sky.
"Huh…" The monster reached for one of its wings. "That doesn't look good…" Uni got to her feet as the monster swung its wing towards her.
"UNI!" The girl closed her eyes, bracing for impact. She did feel an impact, but the one she expected. The sound of blades clashing and a struggling grunt. Uni opened her eyes.
"Nepgear!" The boy turned around to grin.
"You… okay?" Uni nodded, eyes wide.
"Y-Yeah…" Uni pointed to the side. "Nepgear, look out!" A sudden claw-arm grabbed Nepgear by the shoulder.
"Wha-!" The robotic monster lifted Nepgear effortlessly and swung him around, the boy tried to free himself by stabbing the monster's arm, but the metallic armor caused his energy blade to bounce off. Uni got to her feet as the monster thrusted it's arm out, releasing Nepgear and tossing him to a separate platform.
"Nepgear!" Uni held an arm as the boy's body got smaller and smaller. Before she could race over to check on her partner's safety, Uni had to duck out of the way of the monster's claw swipe and jump away from the oncoming monsters that survived Uni and Nepgear's assault.
Nepgear landed on the center of the platform, his Gear-Saber flying out of his hand as he bounced along the floor.
"Oof!" The boy rolled around for a bit, and slid to a stop. "Ah, you'd think…" Nepgear shakily rose to a sitting position. "That flying a plane…" Wrapping his arms around his stomach, Nepgear closed his eyes. "...would get rid of motion sickness…" Nepgear rolled to his side. "Auu…." The boy weakly glanced to his saber and then to the sound of bullets ricocheting off of metal.
"Why." Uni pulled the empty clip off of her rifle and ran to the side, dodging the monster's swipe. "Won't." The CPU Candidate tossed the empty clip at a Dogoo and grabbed her one of her extra clips. "You." Reloading the clip into her rifle, Uni picked off the Dogoo and jumped out of the way of the an incoming wing, which embedded itself into the floor. "Get." Turning to face the monster, Uni readied her gun and unloaded on the mechanical man-beast-whatever it was supposed to be called, Uni didn't care. "Hurt!?" The monster covered its face, blocking the bullets and thrusted its other arm at Uni. "Gah-!" The monster's clawed fist collided with Uni's body and sent her flying into the small mob of monsters that remained.
"Contact!" The monster pulled it's wing out and approached the small pile of monsters that covered the CPU Candidate.
0 o 0
The boy rose to his feet, only collapsing as soon as he applied pressure to his right knee. "Argh!" Dropping to his sides again, the boy wrapped his arms around the source of pain: the indentation where his knee was. "I think my knee's busted open…" Pulling himself to a sitting position and replacing the N-Buster, Nepgear pantingly dragged himself over to his Gear-Saber. "If only… Nep Bull U could… heal broken bones…" Grabbing onto the weapon, Nepgear pulled out his N-Gear and opened the Guild App.
Monster List
Dogoo
Pixel Vader
M-3
Epsilon
King Pac
Nepgear quickly glanced to the top of the screen.
Enemies Defeated: 90/100
"Only ten more…" Closing the app, Nepgear watched as the monster slowly approached Uni. "What kind of monster is that?" Shaking his head, Nepgear used his saber to stand up. "There's no way that thing is a Dogoo, Pixel Vader or an M-3… So, it has to be an Epsilon or King Pac…"
Now that Nepgear was far away from the monstrosity that caved his knee in, the boy was able to get a good look at it. The monster was robotic, but had a humanoid base. Two long blades were acted as the arms that Nepgear thought were claws.
"Wait, if those were blades…" Nepgear turned to his shoulder, where there was a hole just over his flesh, cutting through his jacket. "Wow… that was close." Turning back to the monster, the robot had sharp pointy legs and detached wings that were split in half, allowing said appendages to flap around and float through the air elegantly. The monster's armor was jet black, however the head was a light gray, which it protected from Uni's bullets before punching the girl into the pile of monsters behind her. Nepgear swore that he saw some black fabric fly off of Uni.
"No…!" Nepgear slowly shuffled to the center of the platform. "Gotta help Un-"
Suddenly, the area around Nepgear began to shaking, causing the boy to fall to stumble and fall onto his good knee. In between the two platforms, a large figure burst from the water.
"PAAAAAAC!" The monster landed on the floor, shaking the area. Nepgear looked up to see a giant purple shell with blue spikes standing before him. A pair of blue fins wearing silver shakes flapped on both sides of the shell. The shell leaned forward to reveal a head with large blue lips, a purple head, a large blue horn pointing downwards on the forehead and a head of fiery blue hair. A pair of black eyes glared at the injured boy. "PAAAC…"
Nepgear swallowed.
"Um…" Nepgear pointed at the monster attacking Uni. "I think that's Epsilon…" The boy then turned to the monster in front of him. "And that's…"
"PAAAAAC!"
"Oh… goodness."
0 o 0
The robotic monster, Epsilon, raised it's blade arm over the pile monsters.
"Contact!" A large pillar of light engulfed the pile of monsters and knocked Epsilon back a few feet. The remaining monsters that were flung into the air were suddenly shot out of the sky, vanishing into data.
The light died down to reveal a young girl around Uni's height. The girl wore a black sleeveless bodysuit with detached sleeves with gauntlets at her wrists. On her bodysuit was a large ring that adorned her chest, which was oddly smaller and a pair of small green lights. The girl wore boots that rose all the way to her thighs, the boots also had a smaller ring and one light on the toes of her shoes. Brushing her silver bangs to the side, the girl's side locks bounced along with her twin drills. Raising her other hand, carrying a large rifle the size of her body, the girl used her wings to carry her to Epsilon's eye level.
"EX Multi Blaster!" Epsilon raised its blades to block the spiraling green laser, blasting it to the edge of the platform. Lowering her weapon, Uni's emerald eyes glinted with the symbol of the Sharicite. "I have no hesitation." Uni, known as Black Sister in this form, furrowed her eyebrows and aimed at Epsilon. "I have only determination!"
"Uni, you look so cool!" Black Sister glanced to the side to see Nepgear leaning on the railing, waving over to her. The CPU Candidate was about to wave back when the King Pac behind Nepgear spun around as it dropped onto its shell
"Nepgear, behind you!" The boy looked behind him and used his shoes to dash out of the way, but Black Sister noticed Nepgear struggling to stand on his own feet. "Nep-"
"Contact!" Black Sister dove under Epsilon's arms and began to fly under it, firing as she flew by. However, none of her bullets scratched Epsilon's armor.
"Tch! There's no way I can hurt this thing." Epsilon crossed its arms and charged at Black Sister, but the girl used another EX Multi Blaster to knock it out of its attack. "I can at least knock it around…" Black Sister backed out of the way of another jab. "But that won't help at all!" Black Sister began aiming at the protected joints. "If only I could break it somehow…"
Meanwhile, Nepgear was limping away from King Pac's assault, rolling and dashing aside whenever the monster tried to dive or crush him. Turning his Gear-Saber back into the Gear-Buster, the boy began to shoot at the King Pac, but the bullets bounced off of the monster's shell.
"That's not good…" King Pac roared and spun onto its shell, hurtling towards the boy. "And that's worse!" Nepgear reactivated his Gear-Saber. "Slash Wa-" The boy swung his weapon in an upside down arc, striking the monster's shell. The momentum from King Pac's shell swiped up the blade, and Nepgear, and sent them across the platform. As he got to his good knee, Nepgear held his head. "Why did I think that was a good idea?"
"EX Multi Blaster!" Nepgear turned to see Epsilon just barely fall into the water below, his eyes widening as he watched where Epsilon was placing most of its arms.
"The head!" The boy watched Black Sister steady her weapon, energy building within. "With that amount of power, that Epsilon should go down!" Nepgear then glanced at the monster in question. Its armor was still shiny and unscathed. "But I bet that it could still take that hit…"
"PAAAAAC!" Nepgear turned around to see King Pac spinning at him. The boy's eyes sparkled as he looked from Black Sister and Epsilon to King Pac, who was getting dangerously close.
"This is a gambit… but…" Standing on his good leg, Nepgear readied his saber, trying his hardest to steady himself. As soon as King Pac was close to Nepgear, the boy kicked himself out of the way, ignoring the shocking pain sent through his body, and used his boots to dash behind the monster.
Bouncing off the railing, King Pac spurred towards Nepgear, his roar deafening. Nepgear took a deep breath and lunged at King Pac, slightly curving towards King Pac's side. The young boy struck the monster's shell, blasting him towards Black Sister's platform. Turning his Gear-Saber into it's Blaster form, Nepgear activated his boots to double jump and use his momentum to carry him closer to the platform. Holding down the trigger, Nepgear felt the energy building up within his pistol. Gritting his teeth, Nepgear activated his boots one more time to dash at Epsilon, who had raised his arm in retaliation to Black Sister's weapon charge.
"Teyaaaaaah!" Nepgear glanced at his Gear-Buster, now completely engulfed in a purple hue.
0 o 0
Black Sister flew over Epsilon's blades and fired at the monster's shoulder joints, but the armor that padded its arms dutifully rolled over the joints and blocked off the attack.
"Argh, this isn't getting anywhere!" Had Noire been here, she would have- No, Uni! Noire isn't here! You have to deal with this yourself, she trusts you!
"Contact!" Epsilon lunged at Black Sister with both its arms behind it.
"Oh no you don't! EX Multi Blaster!" Instinctively, Epsilon protected itself with its arms, causing to slide against the floor and nearly topple it over the railing.
Black Sister blinked.
"That's right!" Why hadn't she thought of this before? It was genius! "If I can't kill you…" Black Sister hefted her weapon up to her waist, holding down the trigger. "I'll burn you up with my XMB and send you into the ocean!" Reaching to the side of her weapon, Black Sister flipped a switch, causing the energy building inside to increase exponentially. "Limiter removed!"
"Contact!" Epsilon raised its arm and charged at Black Sister, but the girl held her ground, glaring straight into monster's head.
"It's you or me!" A bead of sweat rolled down Black Sister's cheek as she steadied her weapon. "It's still not enough! If I only had more time…" No, Uni had to prove herself. If she couldn't take this monster down with this attack, then she let Noire, Lastation and all of Gamindustri down. Black Sister pointed the muzzle of the gun at the monster, which covered its head with its free arm again. Black Sister clicked her tongue. "Now or never! XMB-"
"Teyaaaah!" Startled, Black Sister looked to the side to see Nepgear darting towards Epsilon, his right hand engulfed in a purple light.
"Nepgear!" Black Sister had to refocus on steadying her weapon as Nepgear caught the attention of Epsilon, flying past its arms.
"TAKE THIS!" Nepgear swung his arm forward and punched the robotic menace with the purple ball of energy in his hand. "CHARGE SHOT: POINT BL-" An explosion cut off the boy as Epsilon staggered backwards, its arms dangling in the air while it's legs collapsed onto the ground. Nepgear, with the momentum he carried, flew through the explosion and towards the center of the platform, smoke emitting from his arm.
"Oh my god! Nepgear!" Wait! He just gave her a chance. Following Nepgear just for a bit to see where his body landed, Black Sister aimed her giant rifle at Epsilon's head. Taking a deep breath, Black Sister released the trigger and braced herself. "XMB: EMPRESS!" A large white laser blasted straight out of the her gun, blasting Epsilon and slowly eradicating the monster. Shifting the her gun up to her waist, Black Sister winked as the remains of Epsilon turned into data.
"Yaay… Great job… Uni…" Oh crap.
"Nepgear!" Black Sister dropped her weapon and flew over to Nepgear, who lay on the ground. "Are you o- Uh…" Black Sister got onto her knees and lifted Nepgear to a sitting position.
The boy was drenched with sweat, breathing heavily. Nepgear's right knee was caved in and the CPU Candidate winced for him. Head dangling, Nepgear attempted to smile, but his face contorted with pain, especially the right side of his face. Black Sister followed the smell of burnt clothing to find that Nepgear's Gear-Buster was broken, shattered from the point blank explosion while Nepgear's arm and jacket sleeve was slightly charred, his hand, slightly twitching, clutched onto the remains of the weapon.
"Yeah, you're definitely NOT okay…" With his healthier hand, Nepgear grabbed onto Black Sister's shoulder and pulled himself up slowly close to her ear. "He-Hey, save your strength! I'll get you out of here!"
"U-Uni…" Nepgear pressed his head against Black Sister's shoulder. "There's one…" The boy slipped off of the CPU Candidate's shoulder, but Black Sister caught him right before he nearly hit the ground.
"One what?" Nepgear painfully pointed across to the other platform.
"More…" Black Sister turned to the side as she saw a purple colored giant cannonball hurtling towards them. Wrapping her arms around Nepgear, Black Sister spread her wings and pulled her partner to safety as the purple ball crashed into the railing, shattering it.
"Whoa-!" Black Sister watched as the chips of the platform and blobs of water splashed over the floor. "What is wrong with that thing?" Nepgear grunted in the CPU Candidate's grasp.
"The shell is tough…" Nepgear winced as Black Sister pulled him up against the railing. "But his back is exposed…" Black Sister nodded.
"Don't worry, Nepgear. I'll find a way to knock it over." Nepgear shook his head.
"Let me do it." Black Sister furrowed her eyebrows.
"What are you nuts?!" Nepgear smiled.
"With this, maybe…" The boy weakly raised his N-Buster MK I. "I can do something with this…" Black Sister shook her head.
"Last time I checked, which wasn't long ago, your knee is broken and your arm is burnt! What are you going to do with just the N-Buster!?" Nepgear leaned forward, already holding down the trigger.
"Get you an opening." Black Sister grabbed her head, whipping her head from Nepgear to the broken piece of railing and back.
"N-No! Just gimme some time an- and I'll think of something…" The platform rumbled and Black Sister frantically summoned her weapon and turned around.
"Time's up." Black Sister bit her lip, hearing the hum of the buster charging behind her.
The waves began to rise up and down from where the monster had fallen in. Bubbles frothed with reach wave that splashed onto the platform.
Black Sister felt beads of sweat roll down her face with each passing second. A growl of frustration erupted from her throat as she turned to Nepgear.
"Fine! Do what you want!" Nepgear forced a smile.
"Okay, let's do this Uni!" Black Sister gazed at the broken Gear-Buster in his hand, and swallowed.
"Yeah…"
O o O
King Pac burst out of the water, landing on the platform and shaking the entire foundation. Exhaling tons of water, the monster used its beady eyes to scan the area, finding a purple haired figure leaning on the railing, with a teal glow to his side.
"PAAAAAC!" King Pac twirled onto its shell and darted towards Nepgear. The boy, shaking his head, raising his good arm. The N-Buster vibrating with energy.
"...See ya later…" Tilting his wrist slightly down, Nepgear released the trigger and fired the blast of energy, creating a large hole in between him and the monster. "...Spiky-haired… turtle… monster… thing." King Pac dropped into the hole, but its spiky shell prevented it from dropping into the hole completely.
"Pac?" The monster wriggled its body, causing it to sink deeper and deeper into the hole. Nepgear looked up to the sky, laying his arm on the floor.
"UNI NOW!" Black Sister dropped from the sky, pressing the muzzle of her gun against King Pac's unprotected and fleshy back.
"Take this! EX Multi Blaster!" Black Sister released the beam of energy, peircing through King Pac's fleshy skin and breaking through its shell.
"PAAAAAAAAAAAAAAC…." Black Sister jumped away as the monster slipped through the hole in the floor, data fragments vanishing as it fell.
Black Sister landed in front of Nepgear, placing her rifle on the ground and leaning on it. With a sigh of relief, the CPU Candidate held out her U-ta and glanced at the screen.
Mission Complete.
Black Sister shifted her hand through her bangs, pride bubbling through her body.
"And that's how you do it!" Nepgear grinned, attempting to hold his trembling.
"That was amazing, Uni!" Black Sister was engulfed in a bright light as she turned around. When Uni stood above Nepgear, the boy blinked his eyes.
"Well, what do expect from Lastation's CPU Candidate!" Uni raised an eyebrow at Nepgear's silent gaze. "What?"
"Uni, what happened to your dress?" Confused, the girl looked down. Ruby eyes widened as her face turned to the color of her own eyes.
"Ah… Ah…" Nepgear tilted his head as Uni trembled. "Eeeeek!" The CPU Candidate dropped to her knees and used the remains of her dress to cover herself up. "Don't look!" Startled, Nepgear timidly stared at his broken leg.
"I thought your dress wasn't split down the middle." Uni couched closer, leaning over her lap.
"It wasn't! How did…" The CPU Candidate gasped. "That robot! It must've cut my dress when it punched me!" Uni groaned.
Nepgear scratched his cheek. Glancing at the pudding pin on his collar, the boy tapped it for a bit and looked around.
"Hm… I guess I didn't calibrate it correctly. Oh well." Uni heard the sounds of clothes shuffling and felt something drape over her back. "Here."
Uni slowly lifted her head to find Nepgear's jacket draped around her jacket. Staring hard at the floor, the CPU Candidate zipped up the jacket, slightly conscious of the warmth that permeated it.
"...Thanks." Uni glanced up to see Nepgear as his scarf blew in the wind along with his hair.
"No problem." Nepgear attempted to stand up, but Uni caught him as he fell to the floor. "Ah…"
"What are you doing!?" Nepgear wearily looked up.
"My Gear-Wing isn't responding… I thought it might be at the dungeon entrance." Rolling her eyes, Uni wrapped one of Nepgear's arms around her shoulder. Taking a deep breath, Uni stood up and lifted the boy into a piggyback. "U-Uni!" The girl scoffed.
"Huh, you're lighter than you look." Nepgear leaned against Uni when the girl wouldn't let him down. "Stop moving, I'll take you to the entrance."
"Thank you…" Uni grinned.
"No problem." The CPU Candidate glanced at the burnt hand and shook her head. "Nepgear…"
"Hm?" Uni walked along the piers, glancing down and listening to the tide against the foundation of the dungeon.
"Sorry… about your hand and your knee." Uni heard him chuckle.
"It's fine, it was my choice to have these injuries." The CPU Candidate lowered her head.
"Yeah, but… If I was stronger…"
"I wouldn't have met you." Uni looked behind her to see Nepgear's comforting smile. "And we wouldn't be friends." The girl looked forward, watching the sun shine in the sky.
"...Yeah." Maybe Uni was glad that Noire got Nepgear as a partner. After all, he was reliable for a Maker… "Let's get out of here."
"Sure!"
O o O
When Uni carried Nepgear to the entrance of WaveRunner Coast, Black Heart and Purple Heart stood there.
"N-Noire!" Black Heart smirked.
"Uni. Good job." She did it! Noire complimented her! YES! Her sister said she did a good job!
Purple Heart walked over to Uni and patted Nepgear on the head. Uni bit her cheek as she felt Nepgear nuzzling against Purple Heart's hand.
"You did great Nepgear." The CPU of Planeptune picked up Nepgear and held him like a princess.
"Hehe… thank you, sis." She did it, Uni was good! Uni was- Wait, what?
"Sis?" Uni spun around, eyes widened. "She's your sister?!" Nepgear blinked as Purple Heart looked at him.
"You did introduce yourself completely, right?" Nepgear's mouth opened a little bit.
"Ah, I'm sorry." Nepgear turned to Uni, smiling. "Sorry about that Uni. I'm Nepgear, the CPU Candidate of Planeptune." Uni clenched her fists, and shook her head.
This guy, was a CPU CANDIDATE?! And he had the nerve keep this a secret from her! Was it because he thought that Uni wasn't good enough to know that… It was… He didn't trust her! Just like Noire did yesterday!
"You… You…" Uni took off Nepgear's jacket and threw it at him, transforming into Black Sister. "You!" Nepgear freed his face and looked at her worriedly.
"Me?" Black Sister pointed at him, finger shaking.
"Why didn't you tell me?!" Nepgear's bottom lip quivered.
"Uh… I forgot."
"You forgot!" Nepgear raised his healthy hand.
"Bu-But we're friends right!" Black Sister smacked his hand away.
"No! Not anymore!" Black Heart and Purple Heart silently watched as Nepgear whimpered.
"Uni, you shouldn't act so harshly for not knowing that Nepgear was a CPU Candidate." Black Sister glared at the upset CPU Candidate. How dare he! Now Noire was scolding her! After she worked so hard to get that compliment! If only she could get back at him for embarrassing her like that! Like beating him in a duel… Well, she could probably challenge him and- That's it!
Suddenly, the girl blinked, lowering her arms and turned around.
"Hmph, we're aren't friends." Nepgear began to tear up. "We're rivals!" Nepgear blinked back the tears.
"R-*sniff*-Rivals?" Black Sister nodded.
"Just like our sisters, you and I are rivals!" Black Sister crossed her arms. "And I will show you that Lastation is better!"
"Uni…" Black Heart turned to Purple Heart, giving her an apologetic look. The CPU just shrugged.
"In three weeks, you come to Lastation and we'll have a duel!" This was the perfect plan! Not only would she be able to show Noire that she was good enough to do things on her own, but she'd shove that embarrassment that Nepgear gave her down his throat. Two birds with one stone. It's brilliant.
Before Nepgear could say anything, Black Sister flew away for Lastation.
"I'm sorry about that, Neptune. Nepgear. She really isn't like this…"
"It's fine, Noire. I should take Nepgear home before-"
Alright, now all Uni had to do was prepare the challenges and beat Nepgear with her own hands. After this, Noire had to trust her. She had to.
But what could she prepare…?
Who cares, once she was done with Nepgear. She won't ever have to see his dumb face ever again. Yeah… right?
Nepgear and Uni's Lily Rank: 0 (Hate)