"Whew... I think my heart just stopped~"
A nude figure, clearly *ahem* a woman, rolled off of another *ahem* woman... as if that's any surprise by now. One had long, brown hair, while the other had purple hair... Wait a second!
"Heh... I thought you said you did this for a living?" The familiar brown-haired girl gleamed. Wait...?
"Well, I never met a woman with your level of... experience... It's almost like you're from another world!" The beauty on the bottom said. Yeah... And that's Nepgeo! But, what's she doing with this stranger?
The brown-haired girl simply giggled, and hugged the purple-haired imposter. "...To be perfectly honest, you were a lot better than I imagined you'd be... You almost had me defeated back there."
"Hehe... Well, I aim to please." The two joined for a kiss, then separated and turned their heads towards the ceiling. "...So, I never caught your name, babe; Would you care to enlighten me?"
The strange woman smiled and closed her eyes. "Cerise. Odd name, I know, but it certainly gets the ladies' attention." Cerise? Wait a second... Isn't this the same strange girl who talked with Noire, and helped plot that scheme with Chika and Vert? Yeah, and then she was a hotel attendant, and a bartender... and an apparent enemy of Arfoire! She gave several different names then... Were all of those lies? Is Cerise just an alias, too?
"Hm, it most certainly does. Sounds very exotic~" The imposter Nepgear cooed. "...Well, Cerise... My name's Nepgeo; It's a pleasure to have, er, spent time with you this fine evening."
"Likewise, Nepgeo. You are quite the gentlewoman."
A silent moment came to pass, with the girls recovering from their *ahem* frivolous activities. It was... Cerise... that broke the silence. "Hey, Nepgeo... Pardon me asking, but have you ever... been in love? Like, for more than just a heated loving session; Actual, emotional love?"
The purple-haired imposter thought for a moment, then shook her head. "Love...? Hmm... I may have had a small crush or two back when I was little, but nothing more than that... Why? Have you fallen hopelessly head-over-heels for me?"
The brown-haired young woman chuckled. "Not quite... I was just curious, is all. Wouldn't you prefer to have a full-time girlfriend instead of a bunch of one-night stands? Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course, but still..." She ran a hand through the imposter's hair. "You seem like the type of gal who yearns for a steady relationship. Y'know, one where you and your lover would protect each other with yer lives. Unwavering devotion."
Nepgeo thought again, then shrugged. "Eh... Maybe one day, but I'm happy where I am right now. You'd be hard-pressed to find a girl who could swoop in and take my heart so easily."
Cerise smiled softly. "Well, you never know; Love works in mysterious ways. At any moment, Cupid could decide to pair you up with the most unexpected person, one you never could have anticipated..."
"Heh... Well, if Mister Cupid is so powerful, then give me yer best shot, buddy! I dare you to make me fall in love!"
And, while Nepgeo could never have known, some force in the universe heard her call, and responded swiftly with: "Challenge accepted..."
"Yo, I'm back!... Er, anyone home?"
Adrian entered the cabin, a full bag of groceries firmly in hand. No response.
"Alex...? Almaz...?... What, did Jade pick em up to do some more recruiting? We didn't have anything planned for today...?"
A familiar feeling of dread washed over the brown-haired young man, and he quickly dashed throughout the entire lodgings, hoping to find some source of life.
"D-Dammit... Where the hell'd they go?" The boy took note of the shoes in the corner; Why would his brothers leave without their shoes? He began shivering, his spine ice-cold.
Before his mind could wander to any further dark place, a knock came to the door.
The leader of the brothers jerked his head towards the cabin's entrance, and immediately sprang for the knob. "Oh, thank Pale Heart! I was worrie-" *Thwack!* In a flash, Adrian collapsed to the floor, and everything went black...
...
"Wake up, dog!"
Adrian's eyes snapped open, and they strained ruthlessly to adjust to the light. He could make out a silhouette standing before him, clearly a well-developed woman, but he couldn't determine the details.
He tried to speak, but found that his mouth was gagged. If you even had to ask, the boy was nearly frightened to death.
"It would be unsportsmanlike to finish you off without you being fully conscious... Perhaps seeing your allies fall first will inspire you to wake up..."
The woman took a few steps to the right, stopping in front of another prisoner. Adrian slowly turned his head, his head still muddled, and lightly gasped. "A-Almavfshz?"
Indeed... Although he could only see his fellow captive's hair, he knew from its spiky style that it had to be his brother Almaz. Oh my... What the hell's going on?
The woman took her hand and tenderly cupped Almaz's chin. "This is what happens to those who defy my rule." A sudden jerk of her other hand, and she raised a spear, preparing to strike. Before she did, however, she carefully turned the meek brother's head, allowing Adrian to glimpse his face.
"!" ...Er, or lack there of. The brown-haired young man had no face to speak of! The leader's eyes opened wide, and he cried out into the mouth gag.
The woman chuckled darkly, and thrust the spear through Almaz's chest. The weapon remained there for a moment, and then was forcibly ripped out. The boy collapsed, looking more like a ripped doll than a human.
"Next up..." She hummed cheerfully. Sure enough, Alex was also here, and had as much a face as the meek A brother. Another vicious stabbing sound, and the irritable one lay still.
Adrian's eyes welled up with tears, and he fought savagely against the bindings around his wrists. But it was no use...
The woman smirked at the sobbing boy, and gestured with her fingers. At once, bulky arms picked him up, and turned him completely around. Kneeling behind him the whole time had been Jade, also lacking a face. What... the hell...!?
"How does it feel-" *Schlish!* Jade was no more. "-to see everyone you care about... die? To see them perish because of your selfish desires? If only you hadn't foolishly acted against us CPUs, think of how many people would still be alive..." The woman pressed her nose directly against Adrian's, and then leapt back up and kicked him in the stomach. That woman... Is that... Lady Green Heart?... Yeah, her HDD form! But... I ask again: What the hell's going on!?
Adrian wouldn't have been able to speak even if he wasn't gagged. Green Heart(?) raised her spear, lined it up with his chest, and...!
...She was gone. In fact, that whole dark room was gone, and so were the restraints. The brown-haired young man now found himself surrounded by vivid red trees, and standing upon what looked to be gray water. Now what the-!?
"W-Where am I...!?" He asked to the thick air around him. Almost immediately, someone coughed in response "!" The leader quickly turned around, and saw a familiar face...
Watwintails, the Lowee guard that had been murdered because of the magic tome.
The boy's eyes were as wide as ever. "Y-You! W-What's going on!?"
The guard shook his head, and stared into his soul with uncaring eyes. "How many people have to die, Adrian? Will you still not be content when you're the only one left still pursuing a hopeless dream? When you stand in a pool of your brothers' blood, all because you think you have a purpose? Let me tell you kid: You have no destiny. You are, and always shall be, somebody else's pawn. Trying to take matters into your own hands will just get everybody killed... or worse. You've already claimed a few lives already; Do you want to claim even more?"
The leader's upper lip twitched in anger, and he made a mad dash for the dead guard, his fist prepared to smash his jaw in... Well, guess what happened when he finally came within reach.
...Yep, Watwintails vanished completely, and a new figure appeared in the otherworldly room. Adrian froze in the blink of an eye.
"Help me, Mistah... I'm scared..." Quite the familiar young girl...
"I-I-Isara...!? I-It's alright! I-I'm here... T-T-T-There's nothing to be scared about, darling."
The young girl looked up at Adrian's face, her eyes empty and gray. "I'm scared... Where's Mommy?"
"M-Mommy's not here right now... b-but I am! C-Come here! I-I'll protect you!" The leader cautiously stuck his hand out, wanting to take the girl's hand and put her mind at ease. However, upon contact, he felt a hellish heat in his palms. "A-Ah, shit!"
Isara's entire temperament had changed in a flash. "You're a bad perwson, Mistah." The little girl droned, her finger now pointing straight at his chest. "You're nuffin' but sewlfish twash! I hate you!"
"N-No! I-I only want to help everyone!... I wanted to help you!"
"You bwought me here, Mistah... You took me fwom Mommy..." A devilish sniffle.
"I-It wasn't my fault!... I-I never meant for you to..."
Before he could finish his thought, poor little Isara cried out, and burst into flames. Her hand extended for his, and he reached out in a complete stupor. A light graze of her fingers, and she was reduced to ash.
Adrian clutched his forehead in pain, his breaths coming out in weak stammers. "N-N-No! Nooooo!"
Watwintails reappeared, and he placed his lanky arm on the broken boy's shoulder. "You killed her, Adrian... Your selfish desires claimed her life, as they also claimed mine. And they can only claim more. Give up."
"N-NO! I... I can't give up! You're wrong! I-I'm going to save Gamindustri! I-I'm going to protect people from the CPUs' abuse and neglect! I'll make sure what happened to Isara... never happens again."
"Oh, you sad, strange little man... When will you learn to just live and let live?" The man's voice grew more and more muddled, and Adrian felt like he was falling. "When will you see that YOU are the one causing problems? That you are going to cause much more needless death than any magical goddess?"
Everything became white, and the brown-haired young man fell deeper and deeper into presumed nothingness... Was he dying? Is this how it was all going to end?
Fading... Fading...
...
"!" With a startled gasp, Adrian's eyes snapped open, and he found himself lying on his back on his solid-as-all-hell mattress. His sight slowly adjusting to the dark, he caught a glimpse of his brothers' slumbering silhouettes, their chests rising and falling in the most tranquil manner. "W-Wha? A... A dream? But... what does it mean...?"
And there you have it, folks: This fanfic saga's first actual cheap dream sequence! It's confirmed: This new scriptwriter is more powerful (and a bigger opponent of brevity) than Arfoire. Brilliant...
THE LOVE-STRUCK ADVENTURESS
"OOOf! ...Ouch... My head..."
A young woman with short, red hair pushed herself off the ground and rubbed her aching head. Taking a slow look around, she found herself sitting on a sandy shore, the tide calmly ebbing to-and-fro. Scattered about the sand were large splinters of wood.
The girl thought for a moment, trying to gather her bearings. "Hmm... I was sailing from Hero City and heading south... when a storm hit! Ah, ok! This is another shipwreck!" Apparently relieved(!?), she leapt to her feet and nodded resolutely. "Well, might as well go adventuring!"
The red-haired woman brushed herself off, and immediately journeyed into the deep thicket before her. I must say, she's taking this whole situation rather well. She claims her ship was destroyed, and now she's on some unknown remote island. Shouldn't she be at least somewhat alarmed? Oh, what do I know?...
The girl's Falcom, by the way... I'm tired of this script screwing with us, so I'll tell you that flat-out.
Apparently, this mysterious, isolated island has a tremendous jungle, or whatever you would call all these trees and stuff. All the while, the stock adventuress became immersed in the thrill of exploration... all in an attempt to distract herself from the thoughts that had followed her for months now...
For you see, ever since that fateful game expo, in which Falcom had no idea anything evil had been afoot, one person had dominated her mind...
...The purple-haired imposter she knew only as Nepgeav.
Never before had the stock adventuress felt such a thrill. There she was, serving as security for the Avenir-sponsored event, when a beautiful imposter of Lady Nepgear walked over and blew her mind with a single heated kiss. Since that day, her mind had become muddled by the memories... and with the hope that she might one day see her again.
However, she had met no such luck thus far. Everywhere she roamed, she was sure to ask around about a woman named Nepgeav... but all she received were confused glances and the shaking of heads. You see, she doesn't realize like us that Nepgeav's actual name is Nepgeo; Sure, it's a very miniscule difference, but for the citizens of Gamindustri, they need every little detail spelled out for them. Hm... I guess that's why those three brothers we keep following have had such luck garnering supporters; The people are freakin' gullible! Why, they'd be tricked by a simple false mustache!
...But I digress...
After a long trek through the wilderness, Falcom sighed and sat against the bark of a tree. "Oh, it's no use... It doesn't feel the same anymore. Why aren't I having fun?" The girl wore a despairing expression, and looked at the grass. "Adventuring's my thing; It's been my way of life since forever! ...So, why is it so hard to do it now? Why can't I focus?" Man, I've never seen her this down... Granted, she's maybe had, like, seven actual lines in total throughout the last few stories, so I'm not an expert on her mannerisms or anything...
But still... Her very passion for life no longer gets her blood pumping? Heavy. She's not symbolic of anyone or anything, is she? Hmm... Has her mind really been affected by that purple-haired imposter so severely?
...Or is she yet another character that's acting completely... well, out-of-character?
...Well, in any case, Falcom wasn't destined to sit and sulk all day. Oh no... She was about to get a visit from quite the unexpected visitor...
"Heya! You ok there? Your eyes look real sad." Came a voice from behind... Wait, how'd this voice see her eyes from behind? Uhm, er... T-The saddened young woman immediately sprang up, reaching for her weapon.
"W-Who goes there!? I'm a stock adventuress, I'll have you know! Don't try any funny business with me!" Didn't seem too energetic there. That's certainly gonna scare someone off...
The mysterious voice giggled. "Teehee... I come in peace! Do you really think someone as adorable as me could mean any harm?" Just then, the stranger leapt out from behind a tree, and flashed an innocent grin. "Howdy there, Falcom; The name's Red! It's a pleasure to finally meet you face-to-face!"
Red!? What the hell's she doing here!? ...Should I even be surprised by now?
...Uh oh... I know what this means...
Whenever Red appears, we're about to hear a lot of... clunky exposition!
Falcom is as stunned as I am, understandably. "R-Red...? Uhm, n-nice to meetcha! ...Er, how do you know who I am? And why are you on this island? ...For that matter, where are we?"
The short, eccentric red-haired girl grinned even wider, and raised her fist in the air. "Well, don't take this the wrong way, but I've kinda sorta been following you around for a while now... Not just you, of course, but... I sense a major importance in you."
"I-Importance in me?" The adventuress tilted her head in confusion and slight interest.
"Yep! I would've brought this all up sooner, but I needed to wait for the right moment... I needed to wait until SHE wouldn't be able hear us." Ugh... Even this little girl can be totally cryptic...
Once again, Falcom served as a great proxy for us confused individuals. "...Um, who's this 'she' you're talking about?"
Red thought for a moment, then nodded. "...Ah, I don't have anything to lose... Whelp, I might as well tell you everything!" ...Oh dear... On second thought, I don't want to know! Please, PLEASE, don't deliver a massive exposition dump! No!
...*sigh*... I know it's futile to resist... Here, she's already beginning...
"The 'she' I'm talking about is Arfoire... You know her, right?"
"Y-Yeah, of course. I helped fight her with Nepgear and the others in the Graveyard long ago!" Thinking back to the days when she was friends with Planeptune's CPU Candidate filled the young woman with tender feelings... and a sense of longing.
"Well, she's not defeated; Not by a long-shot. She resurfaced again back during the game expo on Lastation, but she was dealt with rather quickly... But you don't know anything about that, do you?" Red asked, and Falcom could only shake her head. She had been oblivious to everything that had transpired... Hm, where was she during the whole 'school' debacle, anyways?
The energetic girl continued. "Anyways, since then, the two of us have kinda been locked in some kinda... chess game, I guess? I'd prefer checkers, because I actually know the rules to that game, but whatever... The catch is, Arfoire has no idea who I am; All she knows is that there's somebody interfering with her plans. Back then, she wrote a script that would lead to the end of the world as we know it, but it only covered up until the world transformed. Once everything became a school, the script took a life of its own... So, I took it upon myself to adopt the role of author. It wasn't easy, as the script was filled with so much evil and hate, and I couldn't just pull off a deus ex machina at every turn, but eventually, I found a winning combination of actions that allowed my dear Iffy and the others to kick Arfy's patootie!" That was a long run-on sentence.
By now, Falcom's head was tilted dramatically, and visible question marks were popping out from her head. Poor girl... I narrated all this, and even I'm confused. There's no hope for her to understand this at all coming in this late.
...Same probably goes for any of you late-comers.
Red noticed the girl's confusion and cheerfully pat her head. "I know it's confusin', but hear me out, 'kay? Anyways, after all that, I could feel Arfoire planning something... but I still can't even figure out what. As a precaution, I semi-wrote a script for the Christmas season... I use the word 'semi' because it kinda sorta... finished itself. You see, being an author isn't all it's cracked up to be. You can't just write whatever you want and make it happen; You have to be grounded at least somewhat in reality the whole time. Everything that happens must be logical, to a particular degree. At a certain point, no matter who's writing, the script just takes a life of its own. It can't be controlled anymore; The characters take charge, and go on with their lives. When Arfoire wrote her script, she tried too hard to control every single variable... which set her up to fail tremendously. She never expected any outside interference, such as me waking up all those dragons... It were subplots like those that sank her entire plan."
The long paragraph certainly didn't help ease the adventuress' confusion... Hell, why IS Red telling her all this? ...Unless... she's trying to tell US this stuff...!
Now, I wasn't really in control back then, so correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't she employ a similar tactic while Linda was in this booth? She delivered confusing exposition to IF, I believe, all as a front to get Linda to grasp that the world was not right. Maybe... it's happening again...! ...Crap, let's listen!
Red smiled at Falcom again, then looked down at her feet. "...But, something weird's goin' on. I... I tried to create another script, to prevent her from writing one of her own, but I've been experiencing some disturbances. Like, I made it so I would meet you here in this jungle-place, but there are other scenes that... I have absolutely no control over. It's like somebody else has already taken up the role of author, and they're merely allowing me to set up a few scenes here and there while keeping the rest under their control... But it's not Arfoire! No... Whoever this author is, they are much, much more powerful than she could ever be... I fear that they can do whatever they want, and no rules can contain them. Worse yet... the sensation feels awfully familiar, but I don't know why..."
Falcom looked down as well, stunned beyond all belief at the massive amount of text that had just assaulted her.
But the dragon girl wasn't done just yet! She nervously fidgeted her fingers. "Arfoire is still a major threat, but I can't help but feel that she's just sitting back and watching things play out... She's not tryin' to write her own script again, it seems. But this new author... I just know that they're bad news. This author keeps focusing on random evil side characters, showing flashbacks that only serve to confuse, and can't even keep tone consistent. But, perhaps most alarmin' of all... are the major sections that focus on my... friends. I fear that anyone who had a staring role in a vignette is in major danger! From what, though, I can't be sure..." Red smiled innocently, though it came off as rather strained. "...I'm still a cute little girl; I don't have all the answers."
Falcom was frowning, her head practically emitting white noise. Finally, she gathered the courage and initiative to speak. "Um... I don't mean to be rude at all, but w-why are you telling me all this?"
The boisterous red-haired girl continued smiling and brought her hands to the back of her head. "Hmmm... I dunno! Just felt like blabbin' to a cute hopeful wifey, I guess!" Lies... Well, it's at least partially a lie. "...Ooh! But I'm done rambling on about things you have no experience with... No, I have something that I really, REALLY need to tell you!"
"A-Ah, ok... If you really think it's that important, then I'll keep listening..." Won't we all?
"...You're looking for someone, right? If I may be so bold... Her name's Nepgeav, correct?"
The stock adventuress' eyes widened at hearing the young girl speak that fabled name. "N-N-N-N-Nepgeav!? Do... Do you know her!?"
"Teehee... In a way. In fact, she helped fight Arfoire during the expo... May I ask you something: What do you find so special about her?"
"Special about her...? I-I don't really know... I just can't get her out of my head... For some reason, I-I need to find her; I can't concentrate on adventuring, and it's all because I can't find her..."
"Hee... What if I told you that who you're looking for isn't a woman named Nepgeav? Hmm... And what if whatever she did to you actually secretly made you think of someone else? ...Maybe some hidden true feelings that you've been suppressing transferred over to her? Hm? Interested yet?" ...I've been wondering... Something seems odd about Red, right?... It's like she's more assertive, along with being cryptic... Has this fight with Arfoire hardened the young girl's innocent heart? Kinda... makes me feel sad, actually...
...And angry... Pretty damn angry...
"H-How do you know w-...? W-What are you saying?"
"Love works in odd ways, Falcy!... I can call ya Falcy, right? Hmm, or maybe Falcey~..." Aaaaaand... there's her childish demeanor again... Is she trying to throw me off on purpose? "...Didn't that Nepgeav girl... remind you of someone? Anybody at all?"
Falcom, still perplexed, contemplated Red's words. "Remind me of someone? Well, I actually thought she was Nepgear for a moment, if that counts..."
"Aha, there we go! Tell me, were you happy when you thought you saw Nepgear?"
"Happy... Yeah, of course! Lady Nepgear was a close ally!" The adventuress looked down and closed her eyes, a strange sensation overcoming her. "...She's my comrade, but more than that, she's my friend..." But, now that she thought about it, was the Purple Sister really just her friend? And, how clear exactly were her memories of that game expo?...
...Ooh! Corrupted flashback/dream-sequence mutant hybrid time! This will get odd fast...
The purple-haired imposter(?) waved to [redacted], and went on the prowl. Like an expert sleuth, she snuck up behind the security girl and lightly brushed against her back.
"Oh, whoops, clumsy me; I really need to watch where I am going... Hey, what's your name, little lady?" Nepge(ar) remarked, (glorify)ing clumsiness. The girl turned around, revealing... Falcom?
"Ah, that's alright, young miss. Although I am a stock adventuress, I can be rather clumsy myself. The name's Falcom!" The short-haired girl declared vibrantly, holding out her hand. "Hey... aren't you... Ah, Nepgear! How's my fellow adventuress doing on this fine day?"
Nepge(ar) (nodded) her head slightly. "Hello there, Falcom! Goodness, what a pleasant surprise running into you here..." The candidate lightly stroked Falcom's hand. "My, my... what beautiful hands you have... I've never noticed them before~"
Falcom smiled in confusion. "O-Oh, l-likewise, Miss... Nepgear... Ah... what are you doing...?" Nepge(ar) lowered her head, and lightly kissed the Adventuress' hand.
"Wow, has anyone ever told you how lovely you are? Goodness..." Now she lightly stoked the confused girl's stomach. "... your skin's flawless. I wouldn't mind rubbing against you all day long..."
Falcom, not sure what to do, became even more flustered. "Uhm... wha...?"
Nepge(ar) now rubbed her hand against the short-haired girl's soft cheek. "Falcom... I've wanted to say this for so long, but I was worried that you wouldn't accept me... I-I think I love you, Falcom!" The candidate's eyes grew exceptionally wide and adorable as she poured her heart out. "Please, be mine! I want to show you pleasure most people can't even dream about! I-I will bring you places you never knew you wanted to go!..."
"Um, uh... T-This is so sudden...!..." She grew more flustered by the second, her face now completely red.
"Don't be afraid... Just surrender yourself to this moment... my beautiful Falcom..." With that, Nepge(ar) brought her lips to that of the innocent Falcom's.
[Sentence Redacted]
The kiss lasted a good minute, Falcom completely given in. Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if her head was mush right now.
At the two minute mark, Nepge(ar) separated herself from the dazed girl, and lovingly touched the tip of her nose. "...G-Goodness, I'm so sorry! H-How embarrassing! I-I should go!" The Purple Sister embarrassedly turned to flee, but stopped in her tracks. "...I-I-If you don't hate me, Falcom... then know that... I'll be waiting for you... Tehe, t-there's more where that came from... We'll have to meet in secret, though! Um... I'll be using the name Nepgeav; Find me, and... we can... well, you know..." One more soft peck on the lips, and the candidate was gone. Falcom just stood there, trying to collect her thoughts. That's gonna take a while, I presume...
...Er, that wasn't correct at all... Poor Falcom must've really been affected that day.
...Hm, but she actually remembered things in a whole different light... Something in her mind wanted to believe that Nepgeo, as Nepgeav, was actually Nepgear... There's probably some Freudian logic in that somewhere...
As Falcom reveled in her false memories, Red grinned knowingly. "Heh heh... Do you see now? I bet you aren't just lookin' for Nepgeav because of what she did; You're lookin' for Nepgeav because you wish she was someone else!" If that's not insane troll logic, I don't know what is.
The stock adventuress wanted to reply, but couldn't; Everything made sense when she thought about it. The experience with the mysterious Nepgeav immediately brought thoughts of Nepgear to her mind. All those days she had spent fighting by Planeptune's CPU Candidate's side had caused her to develop feelings for her. However, Falcom, being who she was, could never admit her feelings for her comrade, so she suppressed them in the back of her mind. Once an extraordinary event took place, however, the latent emotions were unleashed, and the feelings for Nepgear transferred to somebody else.
The adventuress, to cope with her overbearing crush on the Purple Sister, made herself fall in love with the stranger who had kissed her out of nowhere. Why? Who can really say... Maybe she felt guilty at loving Nepgear, and needed to escape. Pursuing a well-hidden dream is a perfect way to dodge the truth, is it not?
...Confused yet? If you've been here from the very beginning, you should be no stranger to mind-bending events like this. We just have to lie down and take it, I guess...
...And dammit! Is everybody in this fanfic in love with somebody!? Can't there be such things as platonic relationships!?
The red-haired dragon girl wrapped an arm around Falcom's shoulder. "...I'm on your side, Falcy! I want all of my prospective wifeys to be happy! Hm, but Neptune's sister may be a challenge indeed... unless you know what I know!"
The stock adventuress, face entirely red(heh) by this point, shot a questioning look at the small girl. "What do you know?" Ah, I like Falcom; Always willing to ask the questions you and I aren't able to vocalize.
"I can't tell you too much, as nothing's confirmed yet... Just know that there's a possibility for you to get close to... Nepgear... coming up soon. If my intuition is correct, the opportunity will appear before you when you least expect it!"
"G-Get close to Nepgear!? O-Oh my... But, I'm just a simple stock adventuress! I could never... be with such an important figure! She's a CPU Candidate, after all!"
"Oh, don't worry about that! Trust me, you got this!" Red smiled innocently, and tapped the girl on the nose. "...Buuuuuuuut... If you really don't think you can go through with it, then I'll help you with the other alternative... I'll tell you about the girl you've been lookin' for."
Falcom was silent, and simply nodded. Words wouldn't reach her.
Red continued. "...The chick you know as Nepgeav... Her actual name is Nepgeo, and she used to hang around Planeptune a lot. Nowadays, she roams the world... but I hear that she'll be stayin' in Leanbox in a few months. If your path doesn't lead you to Nepgear, maybe it'll lead you to her..."
"Nepgeo... Nepgeo..." The adventuress repeated the name to herself. Such a subtle difference from the one she knew, but perhaps one letter would be just the thing she needed to find her... if she actually decided to find her.
The dragon girl sprang away suddenly, and nodded to herself. "Whelp, I'd better be off now; I have some other wifeys to attend to! Catch ya laters, Falcy... Oh, and good luck! I know you'll make the right choice!"
"W-Wait! I'm still so confused! Wai-" But it was too late; Red had left the deserted island. Falcom sighed, and took some time to survey her surroundings again. Huh, but hold on... Her eyes are much brighter than before. As confusing as that conversation had been, something inside of her must have awakened! "...Well, I'm in an unknown deserted jungle; Might as well have some fun with it!"
INTERMISSION
...Here we go again...
'Twas a cold and dark night in Lastation, and Jade found himself tossing and turning in his sleep. No matter how many times he assured himself that his plans were going to succeed, his mind refused to remain silent. So many thoughts all at once, simply circling his head instead of being released...
This particularly dreadful night, most likely the same as when Adrian had that horrible nightmare, was nothing unique... at first. However, that all changed when the aristocrat heard the door to his chambers creak open.
"...? H-Hello...? Singe, is that you?" No response... Haven't we done this already? "...This isn't funny... I demand you answer me, or leave and let me sleep!" Still nothing. How contrived.
The tapping of dainty feet moving across the hard wood floor. Still, not a word was said.
"W-W-Who are you...? L-Let me live! I-I-I-I can give you money! O-Or anything else! P-Please don't kill me!"
More steps, and the aristocrat could faintly make out a (you guessed it) silhouette... of what appeared to be a long-haired female. The mysterious intruder extended her hand, and gently brushed Jade's hair.
"Heya JJ... Everything'll turn out fine. Have faith; It's the most important thing in the world." The voice carried a major sense of caring and affection, and the hand continued to caress his head. The aristocrat's eyes grew heavy and his sight grew dim, and he felt himself slowly slipping closer to a long-awaited rest.
The woman, her face entirely shrouded by shadows, chuckled warmly and turned to leave. With a light slam, the door was closed, almost as if none of that had happened at all.
Jade, his mind hazy with exhaustion, cocked his head in wonder. Before another thought, however, a booming voice called out from outside the room.
"Jade, is everything alright? I heard the door slam shut. Bathroom rush?" The voice belonged to Singe, head honcho of Avenir. While you probably aren't too familiar with this particular Singe (er, what does that mean...?), just know that he has a rather major beef with the human race... Hell, anything that isn't a robot.
That being said, however... the man still took Jade in and raised him as a son... Odd, huh? Never woulda figured...
The aristocrat sighed. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine old man... I'm gonna go back to sleep now..."
"...Ok... Good night."
"Yeah, good night." The boy called back, clutching his head. Heavy footsteps, and Singe returned to his bedchamber.
Jade sighed yet again, and sank deep into his pillow. He thought about what had just transpired in this room. A mysterious stranger had just infiltrated his quarters and lovingly caressed his hair! What the hell was that about!?
...But, deep inside, the young man felt a sense of familiarity... and a sense of somber love.
Jade knew who that woman was, although it made no sense for her to be here. No sense at all.
"...Sis?"
INTERMISSION OVER!
...
IT DOESN'T MATTER
...? Um, did this vignette just change titles at the three-fourths mark? What the hell...?
And so, the stock adventuress of Gamindustri further explored the dense wilderness, noting any interesting detail that she could use in one of her future novels. However, all she really found were odd-shaped rocks, trees that looked like they had faces, and a few random encounters that were semi-rare. All-in-all, quite an unspectacular island to crash-land on...
...At least, that's what she thought at first... Eventually, the girl stumbled upon a clearing, and found herself in front of a grand pyramid, run-down with the years. "Holy smokes! An actual pyramid in this jungle? How fascinating..." Without missing a beat, Falcom went sniffing around the old monument, unaware of the figure approaching her from behind.
"Hmm... This doohickey seems to be a door! ...Hnngggrrr! ...Darn it's heavy... Man, I'm workin' up a sweat here!"
As the red-haired girl struggled with the large stone door, the figure snuck up behind her, smirked, and karate-chopped her in the neck. Instantly, she fell unconscious.
"Hmrmph! Too easy!" The attacker gloated. Um... I guess you can't see this, but... that thing isn't a human! What the hell...? It's some type of red creature, with a lot of spines protruding from its head. Creepy... Crap! Falcom's in trouble!
The red thing carried the knocked-out girl deep into the pyramid, which was quite dilapidated; Understandable, considering it's an ancient relic of the past. After a few minutes of navigating the dark, dank passageways, they made it to a large throne room. Sitting atop the ruined seat of power was... a blue thing, also with spines, though they seemed to be a bit shorter in length. What hell have we found ourselves in?
"Oh no... Tuckles, what the hell did you do now? Ya didn't kidnap anuttah' broad, did you?" The blue figure asked disapprovingly, his finger rubbing the bottom of his nose.
"Nah, not this time! I found her snoopin' around the ruins... She may be a spy, or somethin', yo." The red figure named Tuckles boasted, beating his chest with his fists.
The blue animal (a humanoid porcupine/hedgehog thing?) looked at Falcom for a moment, then nodded. "Hmm... Well, wake her up, ya dunce! If she's workin' for one of the goddesses, I'd like to hear it from her own lips... And maybe she won't sue us for head trauma..."
Tuckles nodded dramatically, grabbed a bucket that was nearby, and poured cold water onto the adventuress' face. She immediately lurched awake.
"W-Whwa!? What happened!?" She looked around and noticed the rugged-looking blue hedgehog. "Huh? Um... Hi there! Um, uh... I-I'm Falcom, just your run-of-the-mill stock adventuress. Are you... er, a native of this island, by any chance...?"
The humanoid in the throne scrutinized the girl for a moment, then went back to rubbing beneath his nose. "Falcom, huh...? Tell me Falcom: Which of those CPUs sent you here? What gifts have they sent me this time?"
"Huh? Gifts? ...I wasn't sent by anybody. I was ship-wrecked here, and began searching for civilization... I'm also an author, you see."
"An author? That's certainly a new one... They're getting crafty, indeed..." The hedgehog smirked, and shrugged his lanky arms. "...So, yer stickin' with that tale? You swear on yer life that none of those women sent you here?"
Falcom, still confused, could only nod. "Y-Yep, I'm here by complete accident... But, what about the goddesses? Why would they send someone to meet you?"
The humanoid closed his eyes for a second, then sprang up from his seat. "...Well, if you say yer not on their side, then I'll believe ya; I'm not one to antagonize people!" He quickly bolted over and shook her hand. "The name's Snoic, and I'm apparently the most desired creature in all of Gamindustri... Or at least, I used to be..." Huh... He doesn't seem that rude, surprisingly. Beneath that whole cryptic introduction to him, he seems like a generally wholesome critter... However, he does seem tired, or used past his prime, if that makes any sense.
"Used to be...? ...Well, either way, nice to meetcha, Snoic! But, um, why do you live in such a dark and gloomy place as this? Surely you'd be happier in the wilderness?"
Snoic sighed and shrugged some more, his body swaying from side to side while doing so. "'Cuz I'm safer down here! If I continued to roam Gamindustri in the open, then the goddesses would never stop harrassin' me." He wiped his huge gloved hand across his face. "I used to fight for justice and stuff, but... they kept gettin' in the way! While I was chasin' villains, all that those chicks were interested in was whether I'd represent their nation again or not! I used to work solely for Purple and White Heart, but I was eventually convinced to support those Green and Black Heart chicks a few times... That didn't go over so well. So, after a while, I just said 'Screw 'em all!' and ran to this here island... Tuckles may be an idiot, but he was polite enough to take me in, at least until they forget about me. It sucks that I can't stretch my legs, but it's worth it if it will stop any more humiliation for me..."
Falcom raised one eyebrow, unsure what to make of this scene... Heh, just another normal passage of text, then. "Wow, I had... no idea... W-Well, isn't it a good thing that you're so highly sought after? I'd be honored if the goddesses fought after me." Especially if it was Nepgear who wanted me... A voice deep in her mind sang.
The hedgehog once again rubbed under his nose. "Ya don't understand! They've abused me for far too long, and now my reputation's in the toilet! Those girls have turned me into a laughing-stock, and this remote island is the only sanctuary I have!"
The red-haired girl listened to the critter's woes, and immediately felt sympathetic. Surely one of the duties of a professional adventuress was to raise the spirits of someone down on their luck? Hell, regardless of profession, shouldn't we all at least try to help others in need?
Regardless of whatever the hell I'm rambling about, Falcom said one innocent sentence that would spell her fate for the next couple of months: "...W-Well, maybe I can help... reclaim your glory?... I can probably help you out with the CPUs. I am an acquaintance of the goddesses, so maybe I can get them off your back? I can't guarantee anything, but it wouldn't hurt to try, right?"
Snoic looked at the girl intently, studying her face. It made him look like a deep and insightful creature; One who could gaze into your soul...
...Between you and me, though, Snoic is not a smart hedgehog. He is (or was) a hero, mind you, but he certainly would never win any contest requiring brain power. "...Falcom... You really think you can set those girls straight? Can I get your word that you'll help me?"
She nodded. "Yessiree! An adventuress can never ignore someone in need!" Actually, isn't that really more of a heroine's job? Huh... Maybe if this were an Adventurer's Guild quest, I'd accept it more...
A smirk spread across the humanoid's face. "Heh... If you say so... Come on, Tuckles; This chick's gonna tell us how to get back into the game..."
The red humanoid nodded, a dumb expression on his face. Falcom shyly scratched the back of her head, now second-guessing her rash decision on helping these two animals. Was this such the right thing to do...?
...Oh well... For the time being, she was stuck on this island, and had no clue how to return to the mainland. Perhaps helping these critters would bide her time until she figured out an escape plan.
And, in all that time, perhaps Falcom could put her thoughts in order. Did she want to pursue Nepgeo, who may soon be in Leanbox, or did she want to wait for this promised "special moment" with Nepgear? Let's hope she makes up her mind soon...
I have a feeling there's not much time left...
THAT'S THE WAY I LIKE IT: END
...*sigh*...
...Is... Is that it? What the hell?
...This vignette... was just a freakin' exposition dump! Falcom was allegedly the focal character, but she just stood around looking confused. Red's mysterious appearance and the introduction of those crappy animals we've never seen before took the forefront. This... This wasn't a tale! This was... This was... clunky information delivery!
...What was it Red said? That she wrote this vignette, but not the others? So... was this meant to be overly useless? Did this tale exist only to provide you readers with some clarification, or intrigue?
...A chapter created entirely as a means to an end... Apart from the exposition and possible foreshadowing, nothing else mattered... Maybe Red's trying to help us, and this is all she could think of, but...
The rest of this story has been like this, too... Practically every vignette has been some bare-boned sitcom-esque plot, where all the characters either acted completely out-of-character, or were trapped within a dull and lifeless script...
W-W-W-W-What's going on!? I'm... I'm getting real... REAL sick of this shit...
...Is... Is this all my life is destined to be? To repent for my sins, not only do I have to deal with being alone and never having one single friend, but I'm gonna be forced to read shitty stories for the rest of eternity? I... I CAN'T TAKE IT!
...S-Shit... My head frikkin' hurts...! C-Calm down... Don't let this script get to ya, soldier... You're stronger than *yawn* this...
...Man... Whoo, I'm *huuuuuuuuuuuuoooouuuaaaaaaaahaaaaa* tired...
...Screw it... Thish vignette's done... A li-little shut-eye can't... huuuuuurrrtt...
zzzzz... Snrk!... P-fuuuuuuuuueeeeeooooouuuuuu... zzzzz
...
...
... ( ^_^) /
...(Greetings! ...Let me just put this thing on... Ahuuummm... Ahhhuuuummm... Aha!)
M.S.G.Y.E.C
...There we go... Whew, it feels great to finally be in control! Heh, get ta finally stretch my metaphorical legs!
Well, anyways, howdy ya'll! How're things? Been sleepin' all right? Eating healthy? Have a special someone you devote yourself to yet? Heh, and if you do, then why are you reading this?
Oh well, whatever the case, I would like to take this time to... briefly introduce myself, and to personally thank all of you who have followed this script this far... and allowed it to grow as strong as it has become...
...Hehehe... but oh man, look at the narrator sleeping like such a wimpy baby! How pa-the-tic. Oh, but as useless as he is, I won't speak his name; I'll give him that respect, at least XD
Anyways, I guess there's no reason to hide it anymore, as everything is already in place: I am the intrepid soul that took charge of the script once dear wittle Red-ey-pie finished up her Christmas special. Geez, heh, how many authors can this one fanfic saga go through, right?
Any questions you have go through me. Whether I answer them or not, though... Well, heh, that's a different matter entirely.
But all that's not important, at least for today... So, how are you enjoying this tale so far? Is it everything you'd hoped it would be? Everything you could ever wish for?
...No, it's not; let's not play around here. I'm an adult, you're an adult (emotionally, in the very least)... we're all adults here. No use deceiving ourselves.
But, the question then stands: What do you really want? Do you want lighthearted fluff pieces, where Neptune and her companions have fun and deal with bare-bone conflicts? No development necessary; As long as the girls resemble the ones you know at least somewhat, then you'll be happy, won't you?
This chapter featured Falcom, as I pray you remember. Whether she was in-character the whole time or not doesn't matter; The readers will enjoy it simply for that fact that her name was included in the script...
...Of course, I don't hold anything against you all; Without the readers, I'd be nothing. I greatly appreciate each and every one of you!
And you see... with each reader this script gets... my own strength increases! At first, I could barely form coherent scenes that took place in the present for our heroines. But now... with all this energy, I can do practically anything. Unlike the Deity of Sin and that dragon girl, I can now show any type of scene I want! Flash-forwards, flashbacks, dream sequences, mind-screws, the inner machinations of a despairing/dying mind... Anything is possible now, thanks to you!
...However, there ARE technically limitations to what I can accomplish... But that'll be a conversation for later...
Anyways, I'd like to formally acknowledge those of you that have provided... heh, the most energy... but I shall wait until next time to do so. So, you all have another chance to let your voice be heard before the next installment. By letting your feelings be known, you will become a part of my "List of Legends!" Definitely don't want to miss out on that ^_~
But anyways, I am truly honored to have held your attention thus far! Now, the things I say or the things I do may come across as needlessly harsh... but that is not my intention! Please don't think I'm being cruel for the sake of cruelty; I live by this motto: "Ya got to be cruel to be kiiind~"... Hm, wonder how much of you got that...
No... I simply wish for you to see... the sleaziness prevalent in each and every word of this script. Why?... We'll get to that later...
For now, though, I must test your limits. I will show you a nice little... "family friendly" vignette, starring one character that up until now has remained somewhat of a mystery...
...But not only that... This following tale is an important one for me, as well...
...Heh, the content that follows may disturb some, if not all, of you. Viewer discretion is advised... ;)
Though... this is an M-rated story, so I guess that should honestly go without saying... right?
...Oh, and since this chapter is approaching door-stopper levels, this would be the best moment to take a break if need be. I won't hold it against you ^^
THE NIGHT WILL ALWAYS WIN
Hm... To test my footing, and so as to not jar you completely, I'll narrate this section as you would expect the normal guy to... AKA, I'll try to act completely clueless, even though I know precisely... Heh, well, everything. Here goes nuthin!
It was a most unusual sight at the time: Two goddesses from two opposing nations, sharing a single room... And I know what you're thinking, but no, there is nothing kinky going on in this particular scene... Well, that's a first.
One of the CPUs, Lady Black Heart, sat in a large swivel chair as she looked in confusion at her unexpected guest. "So, let me get this straight: You want ME to allow YOU to just waltz into my nation and capture some fugitives I've never even heard about? A-Are you stupid or something!?" Yep, that's Noire alright, although... she seems a bit younger. Sure, the goddesses don't age and stuff, but I can't help but feel that she's not the same... well, age...
...Perhaps this scene takes place in the way past, before the CPUs were trapped in the Gamindustri Graveyard?
...Woah, where'd that oddly specific guess come from? I'm not that clever, though I wish I was... Hmm, well, maybe that random suggestion is accurate? I mean, Noire and her guest don't seem to be on any friendly term whatsoever...
But who is this guest? Why, Lady Green Heart, of course!
The elegant goddess chuckled, and brought her hands to her lap as she stood. "Yes, that is what I desire. I had heard reports about ASIC agents terrorizing my land, and when I sent a few of my best scouts to investigate, they were returned to me in body bags. Now, rumor has it that the same agents have fled here, to your country... Allowing me to send my most elite forces in to stop them would be in both of our best interests. Surely you understand?"
Noire thought for a moment, then rolled her eyes. "Jeez, can't even handle a small band of rebels, huh?" She sat back in her chair, and looked at Vert with one eye open. "...Well, I guess this proves without a doubt that Lastation is supreme!"
Vert sighed, not willing to start a fight. She just wanted this matter to be dealt with swiftly. "I would hold your tongue until you've dealt with an actual crisis... So, will you accept my request? If these criminals are not taken care of, ASIC will continue to siphon more of our shares, and we'd have a full-blown crisis on our hands. Your nation will fall just as quickly as everyone else's."
The tsundere stuck her nose in the air, giving off a somewhat-pretentious vibe. "Hmph!... Fine, I'll give you one day to find those criminals and deal with them as you must. It's not like you're strong enough to sabotage Lastation, so I have nothing to fear... Remember, only 24 hours! I don't need my people to see Leanbox soldiers roaming the streets for any longer than that. Bring your men in, have them do their thing, and then leave. I never want to hear about any of this again, you hear me?"
Green Heart nodded. "I understand. Trust me, my élite soldiers won't need more than an hour or two. Once they locate their marks, it'll all be over in a flash..."
And so, a troop of Leanbox's most elite peacekeepers were allowed into Lastation, and they quickly located the perpetrators in question. The plan was to breach the old, abandoned factory they were hiding in, and apprehend the ASIC followers for questioning and the likes.
...Things never go entirely as planned, do they?
Night had fallen... Inside the rusted building, a peculiar group of individuals were standing in the center of a large, empty room, tensions apparently really high.
A powerful-looking demon of a woman seemed to be in charge of the situation.
...Oh no... What is SHE doing here!?... HA! That's what your normal narrator would say, right? Heh, what a fool... No wonder he fell asleep on the job. "So, I presume you've accomplished your mission? I would expect you to know I do not like being disappointed..." Yep, CFW Magic in the flesh... What the hell? What could that mean...(Teehee, how am I doing so far)?
Perhaps I should very briefly describe the rest of the figures in the room. Magic was addressing two women, who were holding each others' hands for dear life. Scattered about were three other brooding men, including one guy with an eyepatch (A must for evil organizations).
One of the girls, a brown-haired young woman, spoke up. "A-A-A-Actually, CFW Magic... W-Well, w-we tried really hard, but w-we accidentally sold some of the pirated chips to some undercover cops, and we had to escape... We couldn't meet our quota for the week, b-but we'll sell double our load from now on! W-We promise!" The face, the hair, the body, the voice... Is that woman the same as...?
Magic scowled her unforgiving scowl... Uh oh, there's gonna be hell to pay. "...So you failed me? Do you not want your brother to live?"
The other girl, who had short pink hair, rapidly shook her head. "N-N-No, don't harm him! I-It was my fault! Please don't hurt her brother for my mistake! P-P-Punish me instead, if you have to... J-Just let Cerise go."
The familiar brown-haired woman squeezed the other woman's hand tighter. "C-Cheryl! N-No! D-D-Don't say things like that! I-I promised to keep all of us unharmed... I'll sacrifice myself before anything can ever come close to you two..." She ran a loving hand over 'Cheryl's' cheek, and tenderly kissed her while she still could.
Magic stared at the two women, clearly lovers, with uncaring eyes. She tossed around potential ideas in her head, when finally, she rested on a decent one. She pointed at the black-haired man with an eyepatch(No other description of him is necessary; He's not important, heh). "You! Fetch me that tome, and the boy!" Tome? My oh my, whatever could she be referring to...? ;)
The man nodded, and swiftly ran to fetch the artifact. A second man, with tanned skin and long blond hair, opened his mouth. "Yo, CFW Magic lady, what're ya goin' ta do ta them? If I were you, I'd be sure ta teach 'em a lesson!"
"Thank Arfoire you're not me..." Magic mumbled, then smirked. "I simply wish to test IT out... The results yesterday were less than satisfactory, but I desire one last trial run before I discard it in the trash."
Cerise leaned her head closer to Cheryl's, a tear running down her cheek. "C-Cheryl... I-If I don't make it out of here, just know that I... I love you so much. You're the best thing that ever happened to me and little JJ... You made us so happy..."
Cheryl began crying as well. "D-Don't speak like it's the end... M-Magic'll give us another chance... S-She blackmailed us in the first place, remember? S-She won't just kill us off..." Another tender kiss. "...I'll always love you, Cerise... W-We'll make it out of here, and we'll grow old together, and... heh, w-we'll take care of Lil J like he's our son, and things'll be great..." Ah, young, naive love...
Hehe... Things never go entirely as planned, do they?
Eyepatch-dude returned, and presented a rather bulky book to the ASIC commander. He then went off for the boy. I'm sure you know exactly what tome that is, so I won't name it. She began flipping through the pages, until she found a section that looked rather intriguing. "...Oh my... A 'Spontaneous Human Combustion' code? Level 43, huh? ...Child's play..." She flipped to the controller page and held 'UP,' and pressed START, SELECT, SELECT, SQUARE. This was met with a... failing sound.
As you may probably remember, this here tome began at Level 1 for those dear OCs in that ongoing subplot... However, here in the past, the tome was actually Level 50. So, why wouldn't this Level 43 code work for dear ol' CFW Magic?
Simple: The, hehe, TOME didn't like her. And why should it? How could it EVER forgive her!?...
...
But, this pretentious commander couldn't possibly ever know that, so she insisted on inputting that cheat over and over and over...
You know what happens when you fail entering your password on the computer enough times? Some sites don't allow you to try again for a certain amount of time, while others require you to enter a security caption. Well, the tome works in a similar manner; Believe me, I should know. For some masters, repeatedly entering an invalid cheat would simply waste your time. For others, however (namely, those that the tome hates with a passion), the unexpected will occur: All of the experience stored within will explode out, filling the surrounding area and the inhabitants within with immense magic energy...
And that's exactly what happened. CFW Magic repeatedly used her sickening fingers to enter that same cheat code, and met failure every time. By the eighth attempt, the book let out a loud booming sound, and a mysterious blue dust filled the air, but only for a moment. In a flash, the dust was gone, the book was now Level 1, and, although they never knew it, everybody in the room was now both blessed and cursed with the side-effects of coming into contact with the tome's magic energy...
Nothing else seemed to have changed, however. Enraged, Magic flung the 'Crucial Codes' out a nearby window. She sure has a mean throwing arm, that's for sure. "How pathetic... That tome is useless. Oh well, ASIC doesn't require such petty means for gaining what we desire."
At that moment, Mr. Eyepatch returned, dragging along a bratty-looking boy behind him. The kid couldn't have been older than 12 or 13, and he had rather long brown hair...
...Just like his sister.
"Lil J!" What type of nickname is that, anyways? "I-It's gonna be okay... Everything'll be a-alright..." Cerise called, trying desperately to hide her fear.
The boy struggled against Eyepatchy. "L-Let me go, ya creep! Get yer scruffy hands offa me!"
Magic scowled again, then shook her head. "I'm sick of this... Someone, please silence the little brat... Hell, wipe them all out; I have no room for failures..." And so, the ASIC commander took her leave, hovering out of the factory.
...The others wouldn't be so lucky.
The two lovers huddled together as the three men approached, evil in their eyes. "Heh... How about we blast your little brother right in the head, and then have some fun with ya before we off ya?" Snarled the third man, a bald dude with bulging muscles. He admittedly was the dumbest man in the group.
The tanned guy with blonde hair grinned. "I'm down wit' that... These are some luscious beauties, I'd say. Be a shame to let 'em go to waste..."
"G-Get away!" Cheryl screamed, her face entirely pale.
The little boy watched in horror(he does that a lot XD) as the men inched ever closer to his sister and her girlfriend. Unsure of what to do, he simply stared, mouth agape. They weren't escaping this, were they?
However, as if by some miracle, a voice outside made the scene come to a halt. "This is the Leanbox Glourious Basterd Troupe, under the jurisdiction of Lady Green Heart! We know you're in there, ASIC! Come on out with your hands above your heads, and we'll do this quietly. No one has to get hurt." Quite the gruff voice. He sounded disappointed by that last sentence...
Eyepatch raised an eyebrow at Blondy. "What!? Where the hell'd they come from? Shit, they're gonna lock us up..." His sole eye darkened, and he grimaced. "...Well, I'm not going down without a fight. If they're anything like those runts that attacked us before, then they'll be a breeze." The grizzled man reached behind him and pulled out an impressive semi-automatic rifle... How magical. "I got this! You runts watch and learn..."
Eyepatch-dude opened the large shutter doors to the factory, and was greeted to the sight of three men standing a little ways away. The one on the left was named Meister Chief, and he wore some rather odd green power armor. The figure to the right was some ugly humanoid cat-thing, which held some type of vacuum... That's not a weapon, buddy. His name was Blanx, and he apparently had some special skill, but nobody remembers what it was.
And lastly, the man in the center, the self-proclaimed head of the LGBT, was a muscular ex-military soldier named Markz Phenix... Yeah, he's as subtle as he sounds. With his horrible bouts of temporary insanity and ruthlessness, it's amazing he was still in any position of power at all. "There, there... That's a good scumbag. Now, just drop yer weapons and get down on all fours."
Eye-man grinned, and in a flash, blindfired towards the three. The cat on the right was hit in the chest, and he fell almost immediately. Markz barely bat an eyelash... although inside, something secretly snapped. Perhaps an old war flashback instantly came back to him...
"...Alright, you had your chance to surrender. Now I get to have some much-deserved fun... Ace him, and anyone else inside. Consider everyone hostile and dangerous."
The human cyclops attempted another shot. "Eat this, asshole! ASIC forever!" He was about to pull the trigger, when Markz quickdrew a magnum and fired in a heartbeat.
Eyepatchy was clonked in the chest, sending him straight on his back. Shocked more than in pain, he convulsed for a moment before going limp. With a bright flash, his body vanished.
Meister Chief looked at his commander, and nodded. "Godspeed." With that, he slowly walked into the factory; He had yet to pick up a sprint ability, so all he could do was walk sluggishly. Just... throwing that out there. ^w^
Inside, the two remaining men were in a panic. "S-Shit! H-He's dead! Green Heart has shoot-to-kill orders on us, man!... Shit, I need a drink..." Blondy panicked. The bald guy slapped him silly.
"We can't freak out now, dood! We gotta take revenge on those dirtbags!" Baldy picked up an assault rifle, and took cover by the entrance. The blond one simply ran further into the large building.
Meanwhile, Cerise, Cheryl, and Little J grouped together and hid on the opposite side of the room as the bald man. The older sister hugged her kid brother for dear life. "You're safe now, buddy... I'm so proud of you." She smiled earnestly right in his face. "...Now, let's get out of here, alright? If we talk to the guards, they can help us, and we'll be away from this horrible organization once and for all."
The young boy, still sniffling, nodded. "O-Okay, Cerise... L-L-Let's go home."
The three took shelter behind a box, and decided to wait for the Leanbox forces to make their grand entrance before revealing themselves (It would be stupid to try to go for help while Baldy was still at the door).
The brown-haired young woman tenderly laced her fingers with the pink-haired girl. "Cherry... I've wanted to ask you this for so long, a-and since we're almost free... Well, the timing is sucky, but I need to get it off my chest..."
"Hm? Ask me anything, Ceri."
"...Cheryl... When this is all over... Will you marry me?" The brown-haired woman declared for all to hear! How... pointless and contrived 9_9
The pink-haired girl's cheeks reddened, and her mouth widened in clear happiness. "M-M-Marry you!? O-O-O-Of course! Y-Yes!" And, despite the cruel surroundings, both girls felt happier than ever before. Hell, even Little J felt quite cheerful, though he understandably was extremely uneasy with the bald man still nearby.
That wouldn't be a problem for long. Meister Chief finally made it into the factory, and deflected Baldy's sneak attempt at a CQC hold. Kicking him down, the armored soldier pulled out a plasma pistol and shot the man right between the eyes. Brutal.
Markz Phenix waltzed into the building, chuckled at the fallen supporter of ASIC before the body vanished, and took out a cigarette. "If there's anyone in here, come out with your hands on yer head!" He barked out.
Cheryl smiled at Cerise, realizing that all their hard struggles at making ends meet and dealing with the Arfoire Movement had finally come to an end. With a nod, the innocent pink-haired girl slowly stood up with her hands on her head, and called out to the Leanbox officers.
"P-Prisoners here! We mean no harm; We'd really appreciate so-" BANG!
Before Little J or his sister could think, Cheryl's lifeless body collapsed to the floor, her once-bright eyes gazing up dully at her lover.
Markz laughed. "Ooh, critical hit. Game over, punk! Go back to hell where you belong, ASIC scum." Another puff of the cigarette, and he snorted. Chief simply stood still, no sign of emotion in his body movements at all.
The brown-haired young woman slowly extended her hand towards her girlfriend's face, and felt how cold it was quickly becoming. All she could do was stare, her breath coming out in short, rapid stammers. After a minute, Cheryl's body vanished, and Cerise simply looked at her own slightly-bloodied hands.
Little J, horrified as he was, knew that they had to move; Those soldiers were still here, and they were quickly approaching. Taking his older sister's hand, he helped her up and began running for dear life.
"Runners." Meister Chief called, sounding slightly cautious, and he drew his handgun. Markz grinned slyly, and both men fired several shots at the two.
"Tch!" Cerise moaned as she ran. Lil JJ cast an eye towards his sister, and gasped in horror; A pool of blood was running down her shirt. She had been caught by one of the bullets!
"S-Sis, h-hang on!" The boy cried, but he kept on running, clasping her hand in a desperate struggle to keep them both alive.
Too bad they didn't notice Blondy reappear. "Where do you think yer going, you two?... Damn it... We're the only ones left, huh?" His face had a reddish tint; Guess he's been soaking up on alcohol in his brief absence.
The boy could only nod, terrified at what his captor would do.
"...Guess we're dead then... Better take those soldiers with us." From his pocket, the tanned skin dude pulled out a cliché detonator. "Heh, and Magic thought lining this place up with game-breaking super napalm would be a bad idea." He pressed the button, and the foundations of the whole building shook. Flames instantly sprouted everywhere, and smoke filled the air.
"S-Shit!" The boy screamed, and both he and his sister lost their footing. Blondy wasn't so lucky with the initial fire onslaught; His clothes and hair had caught some embers, and transformed into a full-on blaze. With a roar, he desperately ran headlong towards the approaching Leanbox soldiers, and was shot dead almost immediately.
"Heh, toasty." Markz snarked. Damn, the fire didn't even phase them. They're like slasher movie villains.
Adrenaline pumping, Little J summoned all of his strength to pick up his sister, and attempted to run through the rapidly crumbling factory ruins. "H-Hang on, sis... I'll get you out..."
Running... Running... Running...
It was hopeless, though; Cerise was much too heavy for the young boy to carry a long distance, especially as the smoke filled his lungs.
They made it through a rather narrow hallway and into a wide open room, when a section of the roof crumbled and fell right towards them. Stunned, Little J fell backwards, letting go of his sister in the process. The bleeding girl rolled a fair distance, stopping right at Markz's feet.
"Get up, dog." The man snorted. He forcibly grabbed Cerise's arm and lifted her to her knees. Taking a dramatic pause, he cocked his magnum and aimed it straight at her.
"C-Cerise, no!" Little J cried out, tears forming in his clouded eyes.
"I want you to watch this, kiddo... See your criminal girly-friend get what's coming to her." He inched the gun closer.
The brown-haired young woman, through half-lidded eyes, looked directly at her beloved younger brother. "...I-I'm sorry... that I couldn't... be a better older sister... I failed both you and C... C-Cher..." Her eyes welled up, and she sobbed out a mournful breath. "...I'm sorry you couldn't live like a normal boy... I'm sorry I couldn't make us rich... or let you live like those aristocrats you idolized on TV..." Another sob. "I'm sorry, Jade... I'm so, so sorry..."
The young boy began crying as well. "N-No, don't say that! Y-Y-You're the greatest big sister ever! P-P-Please don't die, Cerise!"
The bulky soldier chuckled devilishly, loving every second of this. "Kid, no sense in protecting this skank. Your sister is working against Lady Green Heart; This is the only way things coulda ended. Anyone dumb enough to fight our Lady doesn't deserve to walk Gamindustri... In a way, I'm doin' her a favor, just like I did for her little friend."
Another sobbing breath, but Cerise attempted to face her end with dignity. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and calmed her nerves. One last glare up at Markz, and then she slowly turned to smile at the young boy. "J-Jade... My dear brother..."
Jade, by now, was a complete wreck. The smoke hurt his eyes, and made breathing quite uncomfortable. Even worse, the heat of the surrounding flames was beginning to sear into his flesh. Convection schmonvection and such could probably poke a lot of holes in this whole scenario, but eh, it's how Gamindustri works... -_-;
Markz laughed again, finding the siblings' distress simply delicious. "Oh man, this is the best day I've had in a long time!"
Meister Chief simply stood still, his arms crossed. Hard to tell if he feels any sympathy or not.
The cruel ex-military soldier sniggered again, and laced his finger around the trigger. Still, Cerise smiled as bright as she could. "Jade..."
The boy could only look on in absolute horror, the gun aiming right for his sister's heart.
A tense pause, and she uttered one last breath.
"I love you."
A sudden, silent shot, and the world appeared to come to a screeching halt. Cerise's back lurched horrifically, and yet her long brown hair flowed ever so peacefully through the air... A mystifying sight indeed.
Jade's entire life came crashing down before him instantaneously. Everything he had, everything he knew...
...was dead. Everyone that ever mattered to him: Taken away by this awful, awful man.
...And who commanded this awful, awful man?
Why, Lady Green Heart, of course!
Jade's beautiful, caring sister, who would always put everyone else first before even considering her own needs, now lay in a crumpled heap on the floor.
"Ooh, Accolade Unlocked! 50 points... Shoulda been worth more, but fine." Markz laughed, and spun his magnum around his finger. "...How much points are you worth, kid?"
Every limb of his battered body shaking, and his mind completely blank, the young brown-haired boy stumbled over a few times, but finally managed to stand. Once on his feet, he simply ran; Where to, he didn't know. He just ran...
Markz lined up the shot to finish the fleeing boy, when Meister Chief stepped in and grabbed the gun. "Enough... We're done here." He stated decisively.
Oh, but Phenix wasn't satisfied yet. "You think that kid can live after seeing all that? I'll be putting him out of his misery... That's more than I was ever given..."
It was at this time when Cerise's lifeless body also poofed out of existence, just like everyone else who fell today.
Chief saw the vanishing body, and shook his head. "Green Heart wanted survivors... We killed everyone in this building, possible hostages included. She won't be pleased."
Markz eyed the Chief suspiciously, and clenched his fist. "...Green Heart wanted us to deal with ASIC. I think this sent a pretty clear message. And besides, the bodies just vanished for whatever reason, so it's not like there's evidence against us."
"We're not savages. That's not the image our Lady desires."
The ex-military soldier's eyes began twitching, and with a flick of his wrist, he brought his gun up and shot the armored man in the chest. A wave around Chief seemed to break, symbolizing the loss of a shield, but he was otherwise unharmed.
"..." Without a word, Meister Chief karate-chopped Markz Phenix, knocking him out instantly. He picked the hulking man up, and carried him out of the burning factory...
Jade found his way outside, and ran to hide behind some out-of-place brick wall. The coast seemingly clear, he broke down and cried his young heart out. "C-Cerise... Cheryl... It's all my fault..." If he hadn't been so weak, he'd have never been kidnapped by ASIC, and none of them would have been roped into this mess in the first place. He's so pathetic, isn't he?
...But, there was one more event scheduled that night that further shook the young, orphaned boy to the core.
"...Hey Lil JJ... Perk up..." A familiar voice sounded out.
The sobbing child looked up in awe, and jumped back in shock. "W-Wha...!? S-Sis!?"
Indeed; standing before the orphan was the older sister he had just witnessed get brutally murdered amongst the flames. But... hehe, something about her was... off.
"Shh-shh-shh-shh-shh... I can't stick around for long, but know that I'll be watching you, ok... You need to live on, for all of us. Understood, Lil J?"
Jade, too stunned to speak, nodded his head up and down rapidly.
Cerise(?) smiled, and then reached behind her to pick something up. "...Jade, can I trust you to remember something?"
The boy nodded again. His older sister lightly pat his head, and pulled out the book from earlier: "The Crucial Codes."
"Little J... See this book? This is Pale Heart's masterpiece, and it keeps all of us safe... If you ever meet anyone who has this book, I want you to listen to them without delay, okay? You're destined for greatness, dear brother, and your success all centers around this hallowed tome."
Jade was clearly confused, but he made sure to keep a mental note of his dead sister's words. "I-I-I understand, sis! I-I promise to make you proud!"
"Hehe, I know you'll do great... Well, I should be going now. I'm taking the tome with me, so don't go looking for it. When the time is right, whether that be several years from now, "The Crucial Codes" will find you..." Cerise turned around and began walking off. "...Pale Heart will find you..."
She turned a corner, and was out of sight. Still quite awestruck, the boy ran after his sister. "W-Wait, Cerise! D-D-Don't leave me! P-Please!" But when he turned the corner, she was nowhere in sight; Almost as if she had vanished into thin air...
...And so, that dark, fateful night came to an end. Ooh, flashback epilogue time!
The two remaining soldiers of the Leanbox Glourious Basterd Troupe reported back to Lady Green Heart, and were immediately criticized for their inhuman brutality. Meister Chief earned several demotions, whilst Markz Phenix was imprisoned for a long, long time. Only via Vert's orders could he ever be released again...
The incident was quickly forgotten, with Noire having turned a blind eye to everything that went down. Unaware of the scope of the tragedy that occurred, Lady Green Heart just presumed that everyone who was killed were hardcore ASIC agents, and quickly cast aside any guilt she may have felt.
The abandoned factory that was now little more than a smouldering ruin was soon purchased by the Lastation company Avenir, and a new building was constructed in its place. Heh, you may know that building as the game expo from the last main story...
And dear little Jade... Shortly after the incident, a man named Singe took him in off the streets and helped him find his way back in the real world. As the years passed by, the young boy grew older and more mature, his heart hardened by the trauma of his past.
He never forgot Markz's cruel, laughing face as he killed his sister.
...And he never forgot that it was Lady Green Heart who sent him, allowing all of this to happen. Eventually, the hate for Vert spread to all CPUs; Yes, even Blanc, who Jade found to be quite attractive. The goddesses were cruel tyrants who felt no sorrow for human life. Who knows how many other families had been torn apart since that day, or even before? It became his life duty to defeat those terrible women once and for all.
...So, when the day finally came where Arfoire showed up with "The Crucial Codes" in tow, the boy who now lived like an aristocrat knew that his time was close at hand. He and Singe allowed her to build the lab that would create her Operational Companions, and we all now what happened from that point on.
Now, in the present day, Jade was working with three of those very OCs; The new holders of the magic tome. Through them, he began plotting his ultimate revenge...
His dreams of vengeance now had the means to come to fruition. His plans were now... in full bloom...
THE AWFUL NIGHT: END
There... Maybe now you understand what's at stake a little bit more? What this script is capable of? What I am capable of?
...Now that all of that is out-of-the-way, I think it's finally time to shed a bit of light on things. You still have nary a clue about who I am or what I want, or even necessarily what this whole story has been leading up to! I'm sure you want some type of answer, no matter how cryptic or unintelligible it may be, right?
Well, without further ado, I shall give you something to work with... Next Time! Whahahahaha! XD
Hmm... your dear narrator should be asleep for at least a bit longer, so I'll have all of next chapter to chat with you... Hehehe... Can't wait ^^
Well, until next time... Hm, what would he say?...
...Ah, yeah! Well, until next time, I bid you all adieu! ^_~
