The next chapter nearly loaded, yet still the tension in the Planeptune Basilicom 's quarters living room felt palpable. None of the girls wanted this version of Arfoire to get away with what she did.
Their thoughts ranged from a mix between worry/anger, yet none of them needed to voice these thoughts into words. No, all they did was wait for the chapter to load up and for the projection to play.
Eventually it did.
Chapter 11 - Vengeance, baby!
Ever been in a moment where your like 'oh shit' and you feel like you've made one of the worst mistakes you've ever made? A literal 'It was at this moment that Gavin knew, he fucked up' moment. Well that was what the mystery woman was feeling as she was getting the shit knocked out of her by a furious Neptune. She constantly swung her sword in wide arcs, not giving her any time to recover from the last one. she couldn't even breathe without flinching at each attack which only increased in speed and in ferocity. Plus, with the energy imbued in them she was finding it difficult to keep her guard up.
"Good, she's getting pressured." IF stated, nodding in relief. She didn't have he same attachment to Nico as the other girls did, neither did her other, but seeing such a death did NOT sit well with her. She could only imagine the reaction she would have if Compa would have gotten that hit.
She'd go ballistic.
Eventually she managed to kick Neptune away and get some distance. Her mind raced with thoughts on how this came to be, most of them cantering around the uncommonly rise in their power. 'How is this possible? Did losing that boy trigger something in Neptune's power? It's the only explanation for this increased strength. No matter, with the way she's acting right now she should wear herself down eventually, I'll endure for now then I'll-'
"Take this!"
"Nani?!"
Before she could finish her thoughts, a cream coloured blur appeared in front of her, revealing itself to be one very angry Compa. Her expression, which was now exposed thanks to her helmet having dispersed, was a mirror image of Neptune's angry blaze in her eye, tears running down her cheeks, the works. She was wielding her Syringe in one hand, using it as a form of club. "You're a meanie! How dare you take Ni-Ni from me!" she cried, pouring energy into her free fist and throwing it into the mystery woman's face with the force of a 1000 Megaton jackhammer. "Taste my sorrow, you Ni-Ni taker!"
"Ni-Ni taker..." Neptune snorted into her hand, though her mirth got short lived as her feelings of anger returned to her. Killing the MC like that was SO not cool in her books. She might just have to call in the N force just to go full meta and teach that arfy a lesson!
For some reason, Histoire felt chills go down her spine.
'Please, let it not be the N force Neptune is thinking of...'
The fist went flying in and hit its target dead centre, causing the mystery woman to cry out as she was sent flying by the force of her punch. Compa didn't finish there however, as she quickly donned her Armour and aimed both her Armcannons with her Syringe disappearing into her Inventory. She soon went and peppered the 'Ni-Ni taker' with rounds from them without limit, completely focusing on something that contrasted heavily with her usual nature as a Nurse-In-Training:
Rip, that bitch, apart.
As the woman tried to get up from the barrage, forming a Panel in front of her to block it, a shadow loomed overhead. The woman expected it to be Neptune considering the circumstances, however when she looked up she was proven wrong when she saw it was the Guild Agent IF, and she too looked pissed enough to kill. "You're paying for that one, bitch. An eye for an eye, as they say." She said with a fierce glare as she raised her foot to stomp through her face.
Quickly, the woman rolled out the way, and when IF's foot hit the ground it caused a large crater from the force alone. The woman was gobsmacked as she quickly got back into position and readied her Glaive. 'This is getting ridiculous! How can one mere human boy get such a reaction out of them with his demise?!' she shrieked in anger and confusion in her mind. 'Whatever the case may be, this battle won't be as easy as I'd hoed., with them in this state it'll be a long, painful endurance lesson, but if I hold out I'm sure I'll win in the end.'
The woman soon snapped out of her thoughts when she noticed that they were attacking once more, and readied herself accordingly. in her eyes, they looked like they were the hounds of hell coming to eat her soul.
In their eyes, she was the demon who had taken their party member from them.
"Ugh… where am I…?"
"Oh? Is this Nico's thoughts...?" IF wondered, blinking in confusion. She didn't expect this, she thought that Nico had been killed by that attack. Was he in the afterlife or something? She didn't know, and apparently neither did the rest of them.
"Oh! Maybe this is like some super secret room his soul has been transported to for some reason!" Neptune suggested , getting looks from the others.
Looks that were ignored, by the way.
Nico never expected to wake up after what just happened, but when he opened his eyes it felt like they were still closed, as all he saw was darkness. He couldn't move anything save for his head, so he looked down to see how his body fared after taking that attack… and couldn't resist the urge to grimace. "Yeesh, that looks nasty…" he muttered, seeing the empty space where his chest and stomach was.
"Still… I must admit, I didn't see that coming. That bitch should die for what she did…"
Something clicked in his mind once he finished that sentence. Could he be… dead? Was this the afterlife? He'd heard varying opinions about what happens after death, even researched it himself during his free time out of either boredom or curiosity. The cases were numerous: out of body experiences, the land of the dead, and even Celestia itself were such examples. He'd never believed them though, finding it pathetic that people thought that the CPUs would let the dead reside in their world when they died. Now that he WAS dead however, Nico would have liked it if he did go SOMEWHERE other than this dark, empty void.
"Heh… so this is how DEATHSTROKE ends, huh…? getting killed by an old lady while protecting his comrades…?"
It seemed almost ironic that someone like him, who respected women, to have been killed by one. True the male knew that there were some evil women out there just as there were evil males, hence why he had gone along with the jokes at that woman's expense. However, the latter was greater in quantity so that was why he didn't like guys as much as he did girls… that was a weird way of phrasing it, but basically, he respected women more than he did men. Therefore, it left a bitter taste in his mouth the way that he died.
"That... would be an ironic way to die..." Noire admitted to herself. She wondered how ironic it would be if Avenir or the organisation which K Sha was once connected to killed her or her sister. How ironic would that be, a Lastation group killing her, their Leader?
She soon stopped that train of thought before she could go further down the line.
"No… not like this, I can't die like this… there's still much I have to do!"
His eyes narrowed however as a sensation of anger and determination rose within his non-existent chest. He couldn't die yet, there were so many things he wanted to accomplish! Too many for him to die like a dog here! He had to help Neptune find out who she was, he had to aid her in her quest to gather the Key Fragments! He had to help Compa achieve her dream of becoming a full-on Nurse! He had to help the girls find people they could call their significant other, if they wanted, be there at their weddings and possibly help raise their families! All that, and he still had the goal of finding the truth about his own past!
He couldn't die like this! No, he wouldn't, even if there was no way back, he'd MAKE one! Nico codename DEATHSROKE would not die in this pathetic manner! He'll make that woman pay for this, he'd kill her for trying to take away his everything! And if the god of death himself tried to stop him, then he'd simply go rip his head off! Nothing would stop him from returning to his companions!
Gotta kill... illKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKill!
'Hehehehehe hahahahahaha! Good, you still have the fire in you!'
"Zoinks!" Neptune shrieked, nearly squealing in surprise when she heard that new voice. The loudness of the voice nearly deafened her, and she wasn't the only one who thought this either.
"Ouchies, my ears!" Compa squirmed, holding her hands over her ears.
Noire and IF had the same response, grimacing while trying to protect their sense of hearing.
"I do not like the sounds of that voice..." Histoire remarked, shuddering within herself as she held her arms. It was hard to elicit such a response from her since she usually kept her cool, but the onslaught of horrific scenes was slowly getting to her. "It sounds so... evil, sinister and twisted... What could it want with Nico, I wonder...?"
Nico's eyes nearly flew open when suddenly, his surroundings, the darkness, the void… it all caught fire, becoming a blazing inferno that was so intense that he tried to shield his eyes. However, with his lack of ability to move, and with his body the way it was, covering his eyes was practically impossible. "Whoa, what the hell?! What's going on, I thought I was dead! Is this… hell?!" he exclaimed, before he heard a booming laughter that sent chills up his spine.
'Hehehehehehe hahahahahaha! Fool, you never made it to the God of Death's domain in the first place, you are too powerful for that! You are merely in limbo, the space between!'
In an instant, the flames in front of him started to morph, forming sockets and slanted edges, and in no time at all there was what looked like a deformed face staring him down, its mouth, a void-like interior with sharpened spikes made from the flames to act as teeth, grinned at him. There was something about that grin that sent his nerves into overdrive, something unnatural, something… demonic.
If the girls got scared before, then they were terrified now, as the look on that formless face just sent then into a panicked overdrive... at least, if one looked at their eyes ass they so desperately tried to keep their cool.
"Nepu!" Neptune shouted, her face paling considerably. "Whoa, this is dark, yo! Is this MC power-up a good thing or what, cause ma Nepness can't tel anymore!"
None of the others had an answer, either.
'Do you seek to return to the world? Even if you must pay the price of losing your remaining humanity? To become the world's sole truest monster?!'
The face asked him this question, its voice echoing across the burning Void. Nico first felt scared of the face, but the moment it had asked him that al his fears and doubts were cast aside, and his eyes gained a gleam of determination and resolve. "Hell yes! I already walk the path of the monster, so fuck the thought of stopping now! I'll gladly return, even if I become so twisted that they would hate me forever, I will always, ALWAYS return to my comrades!"
His shout echoed just as much as the face's voice did, and was it just him or did the flames suddenly intensify? The answer came in the form of several trails of fiery embers that went to where his chest and stomach once was. They gathered in that space, growing into a shape that mimicked his destroyed anatomy, until they connected with his neck, shoulders and hips. A searing pain assaulted his senses as this process worked, but Nico didn't scream, he kept it in and endured it. if this pain was what kept him from returning to the others, then he'd laugh like a madman.
When he saw the flames connect to the rest of his body, he thought that would be the end of it, but no, the flames spread onto his remaining anatomy including his head. Before he could shout what the hell his entire body was ensnared into a cocoon, more Trails emerging from the inferno around him and latching onto the cocoon. While it watched this, the face's grin threatened to tear it in half, twisted glee in its sockets.
'Yes… yes, yes, yes! Hahahahaha! I knew you'd be better than the others! Few who gain this power ever have such will to live as you! They were nothing but beltway pansies who couldn't even hold themselves before me! Use this power well boy, for what's left of your humanity is gone! Ascend, boy, ascend into what you are truly meant to be! Take that side with you into the great beyond, and you will have power that none of your brethren had before you! Hehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe hahahahahahahahaha ahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahaha AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!'
"Well... IF began, as she tried her best not to scream till her voice was hoarse. There were few things that freaked her out, and this would be considered one of them. She could only imagine what it would be like if they encountered such a being in their Gamindustri.
Poor villains wouldn't even stand a chance if they did on any of their adventures.
They were still fighting when they noticed it.
"Um… guys' is it getting hotter in here?" IF asked them as a strong heat seemed to fill the air. It seemed to take away most of the oxygen in the room, making breathing difficult for the rest of them. A heavy pressure could be felt, a pressure that threatened to pin them to the ground and never let them go for the rest of their lives. The sensations were enough to snap Compa and Neptune out of their anger-driven states as they too felt the effects of this new change in the atmosphere, sweat rolling down their foreheads as their breathing became laboured. Though for some reason Neptune wasn't affected as much as the two human fighters.
That part caught their attention, but nobody dared say anything as they continued watching the chapter.
Meanwhile, the woman, whose body was repairing itself from numerous slashes and lacerations, lost what little skin colour she had as she recognised this pressure. Worse still, she felt it in even greater effect than the girls did, and she knew why. 'Im-impossbile! Can it be?! Has one of THEM returned to this world?!' she thought in horror, and for the first time in a long while, the woman felt the chills of fear crawling up her spine, gripping it with a temperature as cold as ice intensified by 1000. 'No… if one of THEM has returned then it'll be a threat to my plans!'
Both sides felt it, and in a bid to know what it was, swiftly searched the Chamber for the source. From the outside POV, it looked like they were frightened rabbits desperately looking for signs of the predator that was hunting them. Their eyes landed on it soon enough, and the source… was Nico's remains. His remains were radiating a strange crimson aura, the pressure erupting from it and saturating the air. From the ground around the remains, dozens of fiery trails of orangish red flames burst out, slithering through the air like Tendrils before they curved back down and began wrapping around the male, forming a human sized cocoon. All the while, waves of dust shot across the ground, being blown away from the pressure that was being excluded from the corpse.
When this was complete the pressure skyrocketed, swift and sound as the cocoon slowly rose to an upright position, the flames that made it spiral around like they were caught in a vortex. Power radiated from the cocoon, power that felt like the opposite of Neptune's. While her power felt almost godly in nature, this power felt dark, sinister… demonic. It was like she was seeing her darker counterpart, and it sent chills up Neptune's spine.
This lasted several intense moments, the cocoon eventually growing more and more volatile, until finally… BOOM! It exploded into a mass of embers and flames, causing a massive shockwave to spread across the Chamber, knocking down those on foot (IF and Compa) and forcing those that were floating (Neptune and the Mystery Woman) to cover their eyes or shield themselves with panels. The explosion also generated a large dust cloud, shielding what was inside from view.
On their side, Neptune, Compa, IF and the Mystery Woman all got up to their feet, dazed and disoriented. "Ugh, my head hurts… how many times will my head hurt today?" Compa while, nursing her throbbing head as she recalled how she'd taken several hits there in a short amount of time today. She feared she might lose brain cells at this rate, which wouldn't be good for her dream.
"You and me both Compa, you and me both. Man, what's up with these things today, first Nep transforms, then Nico's... body, goes 'flame on!'." IF moaned, grimacing as she planted her feet firmly on the ground and pushed herself onto a sitting position, then stood up straight. She was a bit wobbly at first thanks to the disorientation, but shook her head as it began to fade away. She then looked to Compa and saw how she was still getting up, so she offered a hand and helped her to her feet.
That done, they group of females then looked to where the cocoon was, and when the dust settled, they could honestly admit they were NOT prepared for what they saw.
"Oh..." IF began.
"My..." Compa added on,
"Goddess..." Noire finally finished.
Neptune and Histoire just stared with slack jaws at what they saw, their eyes nearly flying out of their sockets.
A grown man replaced the spot where the teenage Nico once stood. The man's hair was a charcoal black colour, with his eyes a crimson red with the same power button symbols Neptune possessed, only these were abyssal black. The man was standing at roughly 8 feet, covered in orangish red armour. The head of his armour covered much, save for his eyes, which were seen through empty holes in the helmet, and his mouth. The helmet had a large crest-like shape, with the muzzle AKA the mouth bare to expose his mouth. The chest, shoulders, arms, legs and waist were all completely armoured, everywhere else being covered by a fleshy skin-tight suit. The armour had an orangish red sheen to it, with the hands being shaped into clawed Gauntlets with spikes coming out the elbows. More spikes protruded from the shoulder guards and the knees. On the chestplate there was a glowing yellow core of energy, as well as matching veins that spread across the man's body. Out the back of the man's tailbone, was a long, segmented crimson red tail, the same length as his height. Out his upper back was a pair of flaming wings like a Phoenix's, shaped like the namesake, and reached down to its feet which had several long talons protruding out of the front, 1 extra from the heel.
From his body, the man radiated an aura of pure power, like a fiery inferno constantly blazing through the Monster Cave. The aura repelled anything that got close, even the air itself was not safe from its defence. it was literally sizzling when in close proximity to the man's form, making breathing near him nigh- impossible. In the man's right hand was one of the most intimidating weapons they'd ever seen, it looked like a giant sword with demonic crimson flesh filling the blade's blunt side. At the base of the hilt, there was a yellow slitted eye with one side of the sword featured an enlarged, metallic blade edge.
"Whoooooooaaaaaaaaaaaa...! Duuuuuuuuuudde!" One energetic preteen exclaimed, stunned and amazed. She didn't have anything else top say other than that when she saw the design of the MC's new form. Not only that, but it looked like it was strong as heck, similar to the Goddesses HDD forms. "That looks... AWESOME! A dark power-up that looks super cool! Not often you see that in a Neptunia fic!"
"You don't read fics like these Nep, so how do you know? IF sharply stated, but then continued on ass he saw the look Nico now sported. "But, I will admit, this looks... pretty cool. I wonder what this power is though, feels very sinister and evil-looking," she remarked further, frowning, That face thing said this power would lead Nico down the 'path of the monster', so maybe it was something to do with that?
Noire hummed, oddly enough she was one of the few who looked like she didn't mind this transformation. "At least its not like he's become a male CPU. It looks like it somewhat, but it had its own unique style and theme to it that it makes me think he's not." she mused, looking the design over critically. She had dabbled in... some fanfictions (not that she'll say that out loud) but most of them in this genre involved the OC gaining a HDD form of their own. There were some which were acceptable, but others...
Still, even though this thing looked intimidating as all hell, especially that sword with the eyeball that strangely looked like it was staring right at them (talk about creepy), she liked this. She wanted to know more about this transformation. Her instincts told her there was a lot to it, more so than HDD.
She would soon learn how right she was.
The man looked around, his eyes like blades as they pierced through everyone, before they landed on the Mystery Woman who quickly raised her Glaive to defend herself. Her instincts told her what was coming. "You…" the man mumbled, his voice deep and sounding like two people speaking at the same time. His eyes narrowed with a dark, sinister gaze, causing the woman to tremble as she held his gaze. She was right, one of THEM had returned to this world, one of them HAD come back and now he would likely try to hinder her plans. She had to make sure that this doesn't happen otherwise everything she'd worked for would be in vain.
In an instant she was attacked, the man's wings having spread to their full wingspan of an impressive 10 feet before the man took off towards her. He raised his Sword and slammed it down on her, the force and impact of the weapon making the woman's legs buckle under the weight as a large crater formed on the ground below her. The weapons were locked together, sparks of black/purple lighting and demonic reddish orange embers flying off them while the two pushed against each other. It also created a large shockwave, one that blew away everything that wasn't nailed down from their general vicinity.
"Um...is it just me, or is that sword a little creepy...?" Compa questioned, shuddering. She felt that the transformation looked pretty cool, and if it weren't for this sword then she'd be like the others. Still, the amount of power that blade just now felt quite impressive, not even the CPUs blades could do THAT to their surroundings.
He then raised the massive blade again and brought it down on her ass. The woman barely dodged it though, knowing that from that last strike, this one would have cleaved her in two if she hadn't dodged. She tried to fire another lighting blast, but the man appeared before her and rammed the bottom of his sword's hilt into her stomach, making her bend over with a loud gasp. He then did a backward, reverse uppercut sending the woman crashing to the ground with a loud THUD before raising his sword and prepping to stab her through the gut. "Revenge hurts, doesn't it?"
The woman barely rolled out the way in time, quickly getting to her feet to try ad get some distance, only for once again to be attacked by the man's monstrous blade. 'I've read many myths about these beings, but seeing them for myself makes them look like children story books! Their power is greater than I imagined! Their power... the literal opposite of Share Energy... I should have killed him when I had the chance, before the boy could transform!' the woman thought, sweat dripping down her forehead like waterfalls as she struggled to parry and block his blows, each one coming in with the force of a bullet train going at maximum speed. it was a surprise that her bones hadn't shattered from the strain they were being put under, although she suspected they would be aching for weeks if she survived this.
Finally, with a large exertion of force, the man pushed her back before pointing the tip of his Sword at her. "Burn to ashes. Do it… Soul Edge." He spoke under his breath. From the eye of his Sword, a series of fiery trails spiralled out to the tip, forming a large fireball there. It grew, and grew, and grew as well as its intensity, the flames becoming more and more unstable. When it was big enough to rival the size of a human torso, the man thrusted his Sword slightly, a motion that launched the Fireball into the air and towards the direction of the Mystery woman.
Said woman quickly rolled out of the way of the attack, feeling the intense heat from the following explosion when it hit the wall behind her. Getting up, she turned her head and her eyes, along with Neptune and Co, were wide with shock and disbelief. A huge burn mark had stained the wall as well as the ground, a trail of scorched dirt and small flaming embers left in its wake. "Holy… that could have been me." The woman muttered under her breath, awe and fear at the display.
"Geez...!" IF gasped, eyes wide at the damage. "That could have killed her if she hadn't dodged." And she thought Plutia was bad, she bet that if this guy had the chance he would have killed Arfoire outright.
Not to say she didn't deserve it, nobody deserved to die even if the villains in their world were quote and unquote 'evil'.
Histoire's eyes gleamed when she heard the sword's name. The fact that it had a name too gave her pause and made her wonder why the CPUs' weapons didn't have names of their own. "Soul Edge... a dark weapon, for a dark transformation. I can only hope the future isn't as dark as I fear it might be."
Her head snapped back to look at the man who was readying his Sword, Soul Edge as he called it, for an overhead swing, fiery trails having coated the blade's edge which could only mean trouble. She gritted her teeth, before quickly generating a blast of Lightning shaped like the end of her Glaive, launching it at him.
While it didn't do a thing to him directly, it did cause him to waste his charged attack to slash it in half. "Tch, you may win today, brats! But mark my words, I will be back! Hahahahahaha!" she exclaimed before kneeling on one leg as a pool of darkness gathered below her feet. The man's eyes widened when he saw this, and he quickly made to attack by flying towards her. He jumped into the air and came down in a wide sweep, trying to decapitate her. However, the woman sunk into the pool that vanished into thin air before he could, leaving his attack to only hit air when he landed.
"Tch, she got away…"
The man grumbled deeply at the fact that his enemy had gotten away, embers rolling off him in waves to respond to his irritation. He then stood straight before turning to the girls, who could only watch what happened without saying a word. When they saw he was looking at them, they tensed, fearing that they were next. The man simply regarded them for a short while, and it was one of the tensest moments the girls ever experienced.
Heck, this man had just formed from the remains of their dead party member, Neptune and Compa still couldn't accept that he was gone by the way, and had literally curb stomped that woman when she was able to hold her own against them for a while. And he just forced her to retreat after a few attacks, sure they had weakened her but with the way that she recognised this man, it seemed that she would have fled regardless of if she fought them or not.
Just when the man was going to make a move, his body was encased in a fiery cocoon, reminiscent of the last one, but this one lasted only a second before it dissipated, revealing a familiar sight. "NI-NI/NICKY/NICO?!" the girls cried, seeing their comrade standing without his armour but alive and well. Aside from some minor injuries, the boy looked relatively alright, no signs of being impaled as bad as he was before. Soon however, he began to fall forwards, only for Neptune to race to him and catch him in her arms.
He was already out like a light.
"Looks like the action is calming down..." IF noted as she paused the chapter to get everyone's thoughts. Also, it was a means of giving them some room to breathe, especially with what they just saw. She didn't know about the others, but the level of engagement that she felt in this story, the way it was written to utterly grasp er attention and never let go, it made IF's heart beat irregularly. To invoke something like that in someone like her... "So, what do you guys think so far?"
Neptune was the first to answer as she excitedly raised her hand while jumping up and down. "Oh!Oh!Oh!" she exclaimed, waving her hand in the air. "Pick me, pick me!" in the end, IF did so with a reluctant sigh. It seemed that the preteen still had that energetic nature of hers even if she looked a little flushed from the intensity the chapter showed. "I think it was badass! The MC really came through for us Protags everywhere!" she proclaimed, beaming happily with her hands on her hips. "I salute thee, Nico! You get the protag's badge of honor!"
"Pretty sure something like that isn't real, Nep-Nep..." Compa remarked, lightly sweat dropping. She then got everyone's attention as she leaned back on her seat, waving her hand over her face like it was a fan. "Whew, the intensity made me all sweaty. I'd like to have a bath after this to wash up before going to beddie." she replied, getting a nod from Histoire.
Said Tome also had a few things to say. "I must admit, I did not see this coming. While true, the near-death experience trope has been used before, if it is done rather well then reviewers wouldn't complain as much. Plus given how natural the writing has flown so far makes it very enjoyable to read." she stated. "It makes me want to look into the story' lore just to find out anything to do with what we have just seen. I would much like to meet this 'HunterxKKiller87' and see what he or she is like in person."
Noire huffed as she turned her head aside. "Well, i'm sure that I could do better than this person at writing if I could..." she remarked, though she did look surprisingly into the story, and wanted this convo to end so she could see where it would lead up to. She had so many questions, questions that hopefully this story would answer. "But Ill give this writer props for effort, though."
"Wow, lonely heart compliments someone! That's rarer than getting a legendary set of Armour on the first go in an MMORPG!"
"Shut it, Neptune!"
Eventually, they all sat back down to continue watching the chapter.
"Okay this is the second time I find myself here." Nico remarked with annoyance, crossing his arms under his chest as he stared at the familiar black void. At this rate, he was sure that it would be a reoccurring event or something, the last time he was here was when he'd 'died' after foolishly blocking an energy attack instead of something like ducking under it. He'd been here for a while, he didn't know how long exactly since he couldn't tell time and for some reason he didn't have his Bracers.
That was a big impact on his state of calmness, Nico never left anywhere without them. Without them, he felt almost naked. It was like when someone forgot to take some sunscreen to the beach and got some sunburn on their privates. Yeah, that can happen. His Bracers were just as important to him as his armour was, they had helped him get through more tough scrapes than he'd care to mention.
Another problem was his armour. The last thing he could recall was how the attack obliterated it down to the Armour Module, meaning that he'd likely never ve able to remake his previous armour again. That fact was a major blow to his self-esteem, as he'd spent so long with it, that it was like an extension of his body. And there was the fact that he had made so many mods for it to suit each situation he had found himself in. Without that armour, he might as well have lost his identity as DEATHSTROKE.
'Ugh, I knew that one day this might happen… just wish it didn't.' the male thought in depression she looked downwards, or he thought he did, Nico couldn't tell, the void having no solid laws of space or time.
'Ah, you are here. At last, we may speak.' A familiar voice echoed throughout the void, and Nico's eyes flew open in realisation. He knew who that voice was, and man was he glad to hear someone familiar or what? A sigh of relief escaped his lips, exiting into the air or… something, of the void around him.
"Oh!" Neptune quipped in surprise. "He's talking to Histy like me!"
"I wonder if this Histoire knows anything about that power he used..." Noire mumbled thoughtfully under her breath.
Everyone else had similar thoughts in mind, but didn't voice them.
Looking upwards, Nico decided to extend the courtesy back to the voice he knew all too well. "Is that you, Histoire? Man, it's good to hear about a friendly face. Are you talking to me like you did with Neptune, supposedly in her dreams?" he asked the voice. Nico didn't know if she was up there, but Histoire didn't seem to mind Neptune doing it, so why not him?
A small, quiet giggle came from Histoire's voice before she answered. 'Yes, yes I am young DEATHSTROKE. I came here to discuss important matters concerning your recent battle. To be more specific, the power that you used to come back. I do not have long however, so I will be brief.'
Power? Nico furrowed his brows as he made to figure out what she meant by that like a certain famous detective. Soon enough the light of realisation shot into his eyes when he remembered the battle he'd fought the mystery woman in when he… died… "Wait, you serious? Well, I do have some questions about it, so go ahead."
'Thank you. That power you used belonged to what is known as a Demon Patron Unit (DPU). It is a power that is a contrast to the powers of the Goddesses, and is usually more prominent when male Candidates contact their physical forms. You remember that crystal that you touched? That was what is known as a DPU Memory Core. It implanted itself inside you before slowly integrating its power into you, turning you from a normal person into a godly entity.'
Nico's eyes bulged at that. Demons? Godly entities like the CPUs? Something told him that there was a LOT more to this story than meets the eye, but he remembered that Histoire had little time for this communication, so he held his tongue as he let her continue. 'The process to transform into a DPU is called Demon Drive Demonica, or DDD for short. This power is the dark counterpart to Share Energy, as it uses what is known as Demonic Energy. It is gathered both from the surroundings, as well as produced within the cores themselves, giving you a large supply of power for it. This power was feared by many however, and has been since lost to the annals of history for generations. You, young man, are the first DPU to be recorded in a VERY long time.'
"Huh... so its basically like a dark CPU, and NOT those things we fought against when Kurome was doing her worst." IF mused, thoughtfully, almost in direct parallel to Noire.
Histoire nodded her head in agreement. "I wish my other would explain more, but it seems that she does not have much time. I remember the frustration I felt for not being able to speak for long time frames back then all too well."
"Histy, was it lonely being sealed away for so long?"
"You have no idea, Compa."
That was a lot to take in, Nico realised, as he felt his breath leave his body. He was stunned as evident by his expression as he stumbled back, before kneeling on one leg to try and get to grips of what he was being told. One part of him was shocked that he had become something akin to a demonic god, an entity not seen in many years if what Histoire was saying was correct. Another part of him was angry, angry that his humanity had been completely taken away by this power, his humanity was something he treasured deeply.
However, he remembered his talk with the flaming face, and gave a sigh to let out all his anger, feeling a sense of acceptance fill his being in its place. He had agreed to this, Nico realised. He had agreed to becoming a monster in exchange for his chance at life once more. Well, he'd always been a monster, especially in battle. Now he was a monster in every sense of the word.
No matter. He said he would come back even if he did as a monster, and the power followed through. Now he would follow through on his word. And if Nico valued one thing above anything else, it was his word. Nico always, ALWAYS, made sure to keep his word to the best of his ability. The problem was it was always dangerous making these promises because of the usual risk of death that is involved with his occupation. "I see… so is there anything I should know that you can tell me now?"
'Yes, like the Goddesses, you too will experience personality changes whenever you transform. I would advise you to train on your new powers before you head over to the next landmass. As you are no doubt very aware, power is next to useless if you cannot control it regularly.' On that he could agree. There have been several examples on his travels as a Spec Ops Agent where that lesson needed to be learned. Too bad that many people just ignore it, and they pay the price.
"That is true..." Histoire commented, frowning. She couldn't help but recall the times in the rebirth series when her old friend now enemy Arfoire got corrupted by the powers of the True Goddess. "If only people had more respect for the power they have, horrible events would not have happened..."
Histoire's tone soon turned grave at her next sentence, which told Nico to pay extra attention to her words. 'The Key to using this power is strong will. If you hesitate even for the slightest moment, the power shall attempt to devour you. Believe me, there is little else that can rival the power that a DPU holds, not even Goddesses can hold a candle to them when they fight at full power. It is said that they can literally rip entire continents to shreds with their powers. Demons, entities closely connected to DPUs, were well-known beings that took the place of monsters in current society. There were many, each with their own unique appearance and abilities. Furthermore, they were well known to promote Cannibalism in legends, and unfortunately that legend was true.'
The male frowned at her words, but didn't feel too rattled by her revelations. The price for this power was the risk of being devoured by it, huh? well, he knew one other power that could contend with that. A power he had zealously made sure to keep a secret no matter what. "I see… so that's the downside I was looking for, huh…?" he mused under his breath, keeping quiet so Histoire wouldn't hear him.
'I am sorry.' Histoire apologised, and if she could be seen, he would have seen her lowering her head in sadness. 'This power was originally lost to the annuls of history, never to return to our world. However, with things as they stand, this power would have resurfaced into history eventually. I only hope you have it in your heart to forgive me for not stopping this.'
With the way she said that, Nico felt that she had a lot more connection to this power than meets the eye. Almost after realising that the male bopped himself on the head. 'Well duh, she said she was the tome that records history, right? No idea how she does it, but she does, so there must have been a time where this power ran rampant… I'll not ask her the details just yet, I'll instead focus on training with this power.' He thought to himself, before going to douse her worries. "It's alright, Histoire. I know what I'm doing. I resolved to come back even as a monster, and that's what I plan to do. Even as a monster, I will not change who I am as a person." He told her firmly, his eyes burning with resolve. He already walked the path of the monster before, so to hell he was stopping now.
'… I only hope you are prepared for the trials you will have to face along your journey, Nico. But rest assured, I will be there to make sure your tale does not fade into the annuls of History. Now, I believe it is time for you to awaken. Neptune and the others are worried about you.' Histoire said after a moment's silence, before everything went white.
"You know, I'm actually happy Nico just lets Histoire speak and only ponders in his mind." IF stated, getting everyone's attention.
"Why's that, iffy?" Neptune asked.
"You know how many shows have the protagonists scrambling about to get answers? Too many for my taste, so seeing someone actually keeping their composure at all, extracting information in their minds from what they are told is a refreshing sight to see."
Slowly, Nico's eyes opened as he returned to the land of the living. His eyes immediately deduced that he wasn't in the void anymore with the influx of girly colours. In the next second, Nico deduced he was in Compa's room, and when he looked around the male found that he was right. The male saw his Trench Coat hanging on the back of the door, with his footwear beside it and his holsters were on the table next to it. Looking at his arms made him sigh, relieved when he saw that his Bracers were still on. He'd have to thank Compa later for not taking them off too, he would feel more naked than he would without clothes on otherwise.
His eyes darkened when he thought of his childhood friend, she must have been scarred heavily by such a brutal end to his life. Compa's mind wasn't as exposed to combat as he was, so she would be severely scarred by such an experience. If she hadn't snapped already, but she was a strong girl, plus he was alive now so hopefully that would negate the damage, somewhat. He would have to apologise when he got the chance to her, also to Neptune. Despite her cheerful nature, he knew she was just as innocent as Compa was, so seeing something like that was bound to rattle her.
As he made to sit up, Nico found something didn't let him, a weight pressing down on his chest. 'Huh? what the hell?' the male wondered as he looked down, before sighing softly with his lips twitching ever so slightly. On top of him was a familiar bob of purple hair, arms wrapped tightly around his torso as if afraid to let go for even a second. 'I see… so she's been here for a while…' the male mused in his mind noticing the wrinkles on her clothes and how she looked to have been in that position for an extended time.
A flash of guilt went through his heart at the sight. He didn't want to ruin the image, but he needed to get up and inform the Guild of what happened at the cave, minus a few details. With what he learned about this DPU power, Nico felt it best to keep it to himself for now. It would just cause unnecessary panic amongst the Basilicom staff, whom the Guild is a close associate of. Not to mention all the stuff he'd have to go through to see if he was still 'liable for work' as they say, when really it would be just experiments to replicate the power. He wouldn't lie, there were a lot of corrupt people in the Guild, not just the Agents.
"Power corrupts, unfortunately..." Histoire stated, primarily aiming it towards the two CPUs in the room. "It can easily cause people to let it go to their heads and make them do things they normally wouldn't do. To quote from one movie 'with great power, comes great responsibility'."
"Gosh..." Neptune commented dully. "That's... pretty deep of you, Histy. Didn't think you would have it in you."
"Neptune, Neptune girl, time to wake up." He whispered soothingly, softly nudging her with his right hand. Several moans were all he got in response as the girl refused to wake up, moaning about '45 more minutes, I need pudding' or something along those lines. The male paused with a sigh, before wondering how else he could wake her. An idea popped into his head as a side of him was awoken by this display, his playful, prankster side. A side that was infamous when he and Compa were kids. An evil grin slowly, like a slow-moving plague, spread across his features as his eyes gleamed with sinister intent. Slowly, biting his lip to avoid chuckling at the idea he had, Nico pressed a few keys on his Bracer's holographic screen.
In the next second, he had a loud speaker attached to his Bracer, which he placed right before Neptune's face, balancing it on his chest to get the best angle. He then manipulated his Bracer and found the 'music' section, quickly finding the song he wanted. It was harder to hold himself back from laughing at this. 'oh this'll be good… and it's be vengeance for nearly getting herself killed at the beginning of the Dungeon.' He thought evilly. Pressing a button on his Bracer. Nico grinned while biting his lips to watch the show.
Slowly a small tune began to play, getting higher and higher until at the climax Nico amped the volume to max, the Speaker making it louder. The sudden shout of the word 'FALL!' echoed throughout the room, startling Neptune awake. "NEPUUUUU!" she screamed, while jumping into the air, flailing her arms slightly before falling to the ground with a THUD! She landed on the ground chest first with her arms sprawled out in front of her and her legs hanging over her head.
Conveniently, the music stopped at this time.
Cue restrained laughter and snickering from everyone save for a pouting Neptune.
The sound of laughter reached her ears as Neptune's brain began to wake up from the… loud wakeup call. Laughter that came from Nico as he held his gut, laughing so hard he was gasping for breath. Shooting to her feet, Neptune glared at him while puffing smoke out her nose. "Nicky, you're a meanie!" she shouted, the male not ceasing his laughter. "I was having the greatest dream about swimming in a pool of pudding, and you just HAD to ruin it!"
Nico's laughter slowly decreased till it was reduced to mere cackles. Even so he found it difficult to breathe, let alone formulate his response. "S-Sorry Neptune #chuckles# b-but you w-w-were #laughs# not getting up so #cackles# I-I needed to use… more ex-extreme measures." He said between his muffled laughs as he cupped his mouth with his hands. Oh, how good it felt to be able to do that again, it had been too long since he was able to let loose his playful side like that. Usually he would be the calm, level-headed Spec Ops Agent, but deep down he did have some humour in his playful side. It was just heavily repressed.
Nevertheless, his answer didn't quell the girl's anger any less. "Mou! Nicky your still mean… wait a sec, Nicky?" her eyes widened when she realised that the male was awake, sitting on the bed in his polo shirt and camp pants. Her eyes slowly shrunk to the size of a fingertip, her body shaking uncontrollably. At first the male had no idea what was wrong, until his earlier thoughts kicked in and he braced himself for what would happen next.
"NICKY!"
"OMPH!"
In an instant, the girl has blurred forwards and jumped on him, pinning him down to the bed again with her head buried in the crook of his neck. The male had been startled by the force this girl had, and her grip was even stronger than before. not enough to cause him any discomfort, but enough to get the message across. With that, Nico let a soft sigh escape his lips as he wrapped his arms around the girl, one hand on her back and the other on the back of her head.
"Hey-hey-hey, it's alright, it's okay…" he mumbled soothingly in her ear when he heard her start crying. He softly shook her from left to right, holding her close as she cried into his chest. "It's alright, I'm right here, shhh-sh-sh-sh-shhh…" he whispered soothingly as he repeatedly assured her that things were okay. He had an excellent idea of why she was like this after all, and the teen expected to do this a second time, too.
Lifting her head so he could see her teary eyes, Neptune glared at him. "No it nepping isn't! you worried us sick, you heartless bastard!" his eyes widened when he heard Neptune uncharacteristically swear like that. For all the time he'd known her, Nico never once made her swear. She must really be upset with him for what happened, he realised. 'Jesus, this is worse than I thought…' he thought, feeling guilt pierce him like a sword to the heart. 'I really must have scared her when I got myself killed like that…'
"Normally i'd be like 'whoa, enough of the sobbing, other me!'... but honestly, I'm too beat from everything to care at this point." Neptune stated.
Unconsciously, Nico tightened his grip on her back, frowning to himself. 'Damnit, now I feel like a jerk. Seeing these tears… I don't like it, they don't fit the Neptune I know. She shouldn't have to worry about a piece of shit like me.' He growled to himself before burying her into his embrace once more. "You… your right, Neptune. I should have seen that attack coming, so I'll do the man thing and apologise for worrying you like that…" he whispered into her ear, rubbing the back of her head and feeling her hair go between his fingers. "I'm sorry… sorry for worrying you like I did."
"Yeah, you better be!" Neptune proclaimed as she managed to reduce her tears to sniffles after a moment's worth of effort. She then bopped a fist onto his chest, and while it didn't hurt him he could feel the emotion behind it. "First you worry this innocent maiden, then you make her break character like that. You're the worst…" she muttered, but despite her words Nico felt her grip tighten around him, so he in response did the same. "But still… you managed to return, so you kept your word to me… to us." She mumbled, both remembering the vow that Nico had taken to make sure he would return to them whenever he did something reckless or stupid. And what he did back there, taking on that woman alone was in that category.
"Hah, not even death can keep this protag down, mwahahaha, not when he has maidens to please!"
"That sounds... sorta romantic, Nep."
The male nodded his head, his eyes brimming with seriousness as he gazed down at the preteen in his arms. "You know it… like I said, I keep my word. Remember I vowed it on the name of DEATHSTROKE." He stated. His eyes then looked to the side, sadness and nervousness mixing in those light blue orbs. "It's just difficult to know if I can deliver on my word. When one makes a promise… they should keep it otherwise they're the scum of the earth. I don't want to end up like those lying, cheating assholes in the world, I want people to be able to trust me when I give my word." He explained, sighing to himself. There would be people like that in the world, it was just human nature. It was like in that one song 'If everyone cared', this world would be a better place.
Silence soon fell onto the two, silence that was not completely comfortable, but not too discomforting either. Soon enough the two untangled each other, and Nico gave the girl a concerned look as he decided to inquire about her state of being. "You okay now?" he questioned.
Neptune slowly nodded as she wiped the last of her tears away. "Yah, I'm good…" she replied, breathing in and out methodically for a second. Afterwards she aimed a small chuckle towards him, rubbing the back of her head nervously. "Hehehe, man wasn't that a rush? I mean, the Nep of this franchise, breaking character like that? Man, the fans will be swarming this series if it ever gets published." She remarked.
'Ahhh, I've never felt happier to hear her meta jokes than right now… shows she's making progress to recovery.' The male thought with a smile of his own. He knew that it would be a while till she fully recovered though, that kind of damage couldn't be healed in a few hours. Placing a hand on her shoulder, the male aimed a stern stare into her slightly widened eyes. "Neptune, if your ever in pain, just letting you know that I will be there. Remember my views on my word? Well, I'll give you my word that I'll try to help you through it, or just be there for you, got it?" he told her firmly, making sure she heard every word. Nico fully intended to keep that promise, like with any he makes. Its why he doesn't hand his word out willy nilly.
To only promise something he knew he could keep... it was a risky move, but one that was necessary at this time.
At the male's words and actions, Neptune felt a heat rising on her cheeks, and several things that made her question herself. 'Huh? what the heck is this? This feeling its very weird…' she thought to herself, and before things could continue down this road, Nico and Neptune heard the sound of the doorknob to Compa's room turning.
"There, that's the end of the chapter, guys!" Neptune proclaimed as IF made to shut off the chapter for the night. However, both girls noticed something else before IF could do so. "Huh?"
Special Event: Bieber parody - Set while Nico is unconscious:
"Special Event?" Histoire blinked curiously. "Hmm... this is indeed intriguing. Let us see what it is about, then we can go to bed."
Everyone agreed, and the chapter resumed.
Clad in a woolly dressing gown with matching fluffy slippers, Compa walked downstairs to make breakfast for the herself and her only still awake guest. Nico was still out of it from whatever had happened to him, so they couldn't make much progress on their she had to admit, Compa didn't expect to have such excitement happen in her life when she first opened her door to see her childhood friend/crush standing before her, nor when she and him helped bring Neptune back to her house for medical attention.
Her thoughts were broken though, when she glanced off-handedly towards the living room. She stopped mid stride, one foot frozen in the air before it could take another step, at the... weirdness, that was going on before her.
"Huh...? Nep-Nep, what are you-?"
"Shhhhhhhhh! Its there, Compa, it's right there!"
There, huddled in a ball with a massive blanket over her, was Neptune. Her head poked out of the massive cover which shook like it was in fright. The girl's expression matched it as well, her eyes wide and shaking with fright, much to Compa's concern. She hadn't seen the girl this scared of anything in the short time they had together, usually she would be trying to make meta jokes to calm the tension. Not this time, it seemed.
"What are you talking about, Nep-Nep? What-?"
"Look, just look at the TV!"
Neptune thrusted an arm out and pointed at the TV in the room's far corner, which Compa hadn't noticed was switched on until now. The arm receded back into the covers of the blanket, which quivered like a shaken rabbit. Compa looked up at the screen herself... only to freeze at what was on screen.
Ooh whoa, ooh whoa, ooh whoa
You know you love me, I know you care
Just shout whenever and I'll be there
You are my love, you are my heart
And we will never, ever, ever be apart...
Compa screamed as she saw a young boy of 12 on the TV screen singing about love, before she quickly shut the TV off and bolted straight inside the ball-like blanket with Neptune, increasing its shaking tremendously as the two girls tried to get over the recent cancer they just saw.
"It was right there, Compa! It was everywhere!"
"Shhhh, its okay Nep-Nep, the TV''s off now... we don't have to hear it anymore..."
"... Let's stay in here for a while, I need to bleach my brain from those images.
"Y-Yeah..."
At the end, snickers and repressed laughs filled the room. It looked like those Special Event were like those side bits in the games, something to take the edge off an intense story. Hopefully with this, they would have more in the future.
"Now everypne, let us be off to bed." Histoire stated, before turning to the blackette CPU. "Since it is late, I shall inform the Oracle that you are staying over, if you would like"
"You know what...#yawn# yes, that would be lovely, thank you."
With that, everyone went to bed, fully satisfied with the chapter's conclusion. They DEFINITELY would be reading more of one arc was THAT good for sure. Maybe the others could join in, their sisters, the other CPUs, maybe some of the makers as well.
One thing;s for sure, Neptune wouldn't be bored... for a LONG while.
Chapter end!
Whew, this one took a while to get out! Sorry guys, I was focusing on the main story as well as AOTD. Check them out if you'd like. Also, now that we're done with Planeptune's first Arc, it will be time for the transition into the next arc, the Lastation first arc. Hope you'll like to read it, and if anyone wants to try their own version of it, just let me know in the reviews or a PM. I'm both busy and inexperienced with this, so i'd like it if someone else would try as well. Still will update, but i'm sure others out there are better than me.
