Chapter 4:
"Your idealistic fantasies are the prime reason your country suffers! The power of shares is much more valuable than your petty 'expression'"
Black Heart's words rang throughout Neptune's head as she slept on the roof of the gas station. Compa, IF, and Falcom were sleeping in the basement, meanwhile, Neptune's leg started to ease up a bit.
"Tch… I've got a score to settle with that sonuva nep!"
"Sonuva Nep? Really?"
Neptune, shocked, jolted upward, IF approached her from behind, her green eyes almost shining under the moonlight.
"IF! What are you doing up here?"
"I could ask you the same thing Nepper-"
"Ay! Nepper Is our word, you can call us Neppa"
"What the fu- anyway, I just went up here to clear my head. I couldn't get a call back from the guild, which can only mean one thing"
"Really huh? Shoot."
"Chances are, someone's jamming the signal, a human most definitely. But why the hell would they be doing that?"
Neptune pushed herself off the ground and stared up at the moon with her hands on her hips. "Lastation… it's gotta be them."
IF almost dropped the cigarette she was about to light. "Lastation? What the hell do they have to do with this?"
"IF, you aren't going to believe me, but-"
"Kid, I've worked in the guild for almost my entire life, and I've seen some of the most ridiculous shit that would make you-"
"I'm the goddess of Planeptune…"
IF then completely dropped her cigarette, then she let out a small chuckle and waved her hand back at me.
"Yeah, whatever you say Neppa"
"Its true! I mean, I can't transform, but I really am the goddess of Planeptune!"
"Is that so? You're the goddess of Planeptune, yet conveniently you can't transform. All-right, sure."
"You gotta believe me! Black Heart from Lastation took my CPU form and-"
"Took your CPU form? What the hell are you talking about?"
"You know what negative share energy is right? The same energy that was produced from the animosity trigger left by the Chaos CPU of Tari?"
"I've heard of it, you're not trying to say that Lastation has access to that? That stuff isn't even confirmed to exist. Wait… actually, you might be onto something. That monster that's after us, that's not something that simply just spawns from nature, that has to be something man-made. Natural monsters, at least of that caliber, tend to hide in caves or shadowy places during the day… yet he went out of its way to attack us"
"So you believe me, right?"
"Tch, I might be suspicious of Lastation, but I sure as hell don't believe that you're a CPU. When we hopefully get back to inner Planeptune, I'll need to check with my comrades as the guild, see what they can muster up."
Neptune slumped against the air-conditioning unit and started to doze off, IF sat on top of it and lit her cigarette, staring at the bright moon.
"I'll get us out of here Compa, don't worry."
~The Next Day~
Falcom started up the car, IF stood atop the roof of the gas station with a makeshift flare gun. Neptune stood as decoy for the gas station, who had a rope tied around her, at the other end of the rope was Compa who was supposed to pull Neptune away before the beast could attack.
"All, everyone ready"
"Yeah!"
"Yeah!"
"Um, no" cried Neptune as she clung onto a gas dispenser out of fear.
"All right! Then let's get started!"
Phrreeeeeeem*
The red flare shot into the sky, as if a race were about to begin. A race for their lives. It wouldn't be long before they heard the same familiar stampeding they had once heard before. Neptune noticed a slight trembling on the rope around her, Compa, on the other end was shivering intensely. Could you blame her?
The volume and intensity of the beast arrival increased rapidly by the second. IF readied her handgun with her sole bullet.
"Falcom! Start the car!"
"Got it!"
The nearby trees started to rustle, birds flew away from their nest by the hundreds. Then, a blur of black rose from the bushes and jumped at Neptune.
"COMPA!"
The nurse pulled intensely at the trope the impact almost rupturing Neptune's stomach through sheer force. The beast fell onto the gas dispenser leaking gasoline everywhere, the monster stood back up and limped its way toward the CPU and the nurse. But before he could continue his menacing meandering, Falcom drove up behind the beast with a bottle of whiskey, and slammed the glass bottle against its forehead, leaking the highly flammable whiskey all over the beasts face. The towering monstrosity flailing its arms out of confusion and rage.
"Nep! Take this!"
IF dropped a lighter down from the roof to Neptune.
"C'mon Nep! I got faith in you, you can do this!"
The words of praise from Compa echoed throughout Neptune's soul. Such words created a sense of familiarity and relief she hadn't felt in a while. She was a goddess, she needed faith from the people, and Compa gave her just that.
Falcom was driving the car back and forth to avoid the beast's attacks. Only for the monster to jump directly onto of the hood and open its chest. Revealing the horribly mutilated faces of Falcom's late party members. All of them had been consumed inside the monster, their arms protruding from the beast chest, with claws in their palms. Falcom could do all but naught. Until a flash of purple darted across her vision and lit up the monsters face.
"Get smoked you shitty Dead SpaceTM reject!"
The monster arched up its body and screamed with such intensity that almost blew out Neptune and Falcom's ear drums, the latter being knocked unconscious.
Neptune's vision grew hazy from the monstrous scream, she felt herself being lifted off the ground. When her vision came to, she was directly eye-to-eye with the monstrosity. It's skull exposed due to the ignition from Neptune.
"C…PU"
"That thing can fucking talk?" IF ran up to the beast and dropkicked its side to no effect. The beast simply picked her up and threw her back.
"Purple… Heart…"
"That's right mother fucker… and I've got whole lot of faith to expel!" Turning to Compa and winking at her. Neptune raised her hand in the air, using what little shares she had, she summoned a crude wooden katana (something her lack of shares would only allow her to do) and struck down at the beast to some effect, causing it to drop Neptune back down to the hood of the car.
"Compa! IF! Get in the car. Falcom!" Neptune then engaged combat with the hulking monstrosity, despite her injured leg. She still managed to dodge the seemingly inexorable endless flurry of swings. Readying herself, she baited the monster for a devastating parry. As the towering beast swung downward at the petite CPU, its arm flung back ward causing its entire bodying to step back and collapse down onto the gas dispenser, leaking dark fluid everywhere.
The red-headed adventurer still lay in the driver seat unconscious of her surroundings. IF pushed her aside to the passenger seat while Compa jumped into the back. "Nep! Get in!" IF yelled.
But before Neptune could step away from the Beast, one of its arms sprouted from it's chest and grabbed Neptune by the chest, pulling her closer into the monstrosity. Neptune's fingers grew bloody from being dragged against the asphalt ground. She then found herself halfway inside the monsters chest-mouth. The beast's claws pierced through Neptune's hands as she tried to push them away from her and simultaneously tried to pull herself up and away from the beast's insides.
"Nep-Nep!" Compa screamed.
"Dammit! IF! Take the shot!"
"What? Neptune you're…"
"Do it!"
IF prepared the handgun with her single bullet. But she started to grow hazy, staying up for multiple nights and having very little food to eat, she could barely muster up the strength to stand, let alone aim her handgun and fire.
"IF… let me help you…"
Before IF could collapse out of exhaustion, Compa supported her from behind and and the handgun in her hand as well. With their combined strength, they aimed the handgun at the gas dispenser and fired. Creating a massive – almost atomic – explosion that covered the visible sky in a cacophony of red and orange.
"Nep-Nep… if only there was a-"
"Wait! Hold on! I can hear something coming closer…"
Small footsteps padded forward, from the raging dust and vermillion cloud emerged a certain purple haired CPU. Most of her clothes got burned and charred, only leaving scarred bandagws to cover Neptune's womanhood.
"You didn't think something petty like that would kill me, did you?"
"Neptune!"
"Nep-Nep!"
The two girls ran down and hugged the girl causing all three of them to get knocked down to the ground. Neptune brushed past the two girls and stood back up.
"C'mon guys… let's head back to the basilicom."
"Wait! Neptune! You really are Planeptune's goddess. Aren't you?" IF ran up and held Neptune's hand from behind.
Neptune turned around and smiled back at IF before entering the backseat of the car with Compa.
"That girl sure is one mystery." IF hopped in the driver seat and drove away.
After a good while, they had escaped the forest and found themselves on a vast plain of grass, and in the very distance, you could see the out wall of Planeptune, and the Planeptune tower itself, almost piercing into the sky. IF turned to her left to see the sun rise in the distance, as if it was signaling a new day and ending the nightmare they had been enduring.
"I guess that's that…"
End of Act 1.
