Disclaimer: I do not own Hyperdimension Neptunia or any of the references made.
Summary: The consequences of a choice are numerous, random and disappointing. They all make choices; it was just up to them which choice they pick. This was… not what he expected when he picked his.
Reminder: Everything is planned, if you don't like where I'm going then you're free to leave whenever you want.
-This is Fanfiction, anything could happen.
Croire's powerful magic made quick work to the magic-resistant Ghouls, now Scath says magic-resistant but that was only because they could eat it. Not really much to eat when the thing you're eating burns you from the inside out, well there was that one ghoul who survived the first meal but he simply decapitated it. The change in difficulty with magic was absolutely ridiculous, this wasn't exclusive to them, anyone that can learn magic has a unfair advantage to those that don't.
"This is almost too easy!" Croire cackled as she waved her hands around like a lunatic, flames and arcs of lightning followed accordingly. Her eyes had a mad gleam to them, "People used to say you guys were tough! Don't make me laugh, your only worth is being fertilizer! Stop being so fucking weak and fight back!"
"Croire… calm yourself." The girl froze, pouted, and then sighed. She moved her arm in one more arc and made the flames and lighting shape into a ball, Croire jumped up and landed on his head before snapping her fingers. The ball of fire and lighting detonated and took what little survived the magical onslaught. "...Thank you."
Scath pulled out his halberd out of the ghoul's head,
"So, what now?" Croire spun a severed ghoul head on her finger, the same ghoul that could consume flames, "We blowing this place up?"
Scath nodded, "Make a flame, consume this floor and the floors below and above, we're not letting a single ghoul get past us. The consequences if we fail would be disastrous; I don't want to deal with this."
"Spoilsport," The tanned tome blew a raspberry, she swung her legs in front of his face. "Hm… there!"
Croire conjured a blue flame and flicked it to the nearest body pile, it soon began to spread and soon engulfed the whole room. He could see some of the flames move as if they had sentience, keeping true to their origins; they were mischievous in their ways. It formed a hand and waved at him, when he didn't wave back another hand and a torso formed and it then crossed it like Noire would when he forgot her birthday.
Those days were better left in the dark depths of time.
Scath sighed and waved back to the flaming hand.
It seemed pleased, taking the bodies with it as it went further down. Croire tugged on his hair, "Hey, get the hell outta here before it blows the fuck up."
Scath could only nod, "...Where is Neptune…?"
"Neptune? Oh, you mean that bimbo. Yeah, she'll be back home safe and sound, a bit roughed up, but that's what you get for being retarded enough to travelling space and time." The Black Tome fingered her ear and flicked off whatever she got, "Unless Cry-Baby Cristy obediently obeys me, I can't guarantee anyone's safety if they ain't a CPU."
"...Is she safe? Don't try to fool me Croire, you know me better than to fall for your lies." Scath spent enough time with her since her creation to know how she worked and vice versa. Histoire wasn't able to spend enough time with her sister to properly get to know her and Croire didn't want to spend time with Histoire either… now that Scath thought about it, Noire and Plutia never met Croire.
"Ah-ah-aah, you haven't fucking changed since the day you kicked me out." Scath could only cringe, the memories of the day he kicked her out still hurt, "You got rid of me, and when I want to come back you reject me, -why the is it so wrong for me to go back home?- Was I just some tool for you to use and throw away?! Answer me Father!?"
"Croire…"
"Yeah, yeah," She sighed with annoyance. "Scath, you poor little boy, can't handle a single night without hugging dear mommy's sword or me to comfort you. What, did you make Cristy just because you missed me? Oh, you made her while I was there, so she was just my fucking replacement, all because I was getting rusty. What, are you gonna throw her away like me when you have the chance?"
She shook her head, her tiny fists shaking with contained anger. "...You were everything I had. And you threw me away. I'm not your tool Scath, I'm not some fucking toy you throw after you destroy it!"
"Croire… you know I had no choice." She twitched.
"...I hate you." Croire frowned, throwing her hands up and slamming it down, opening a portal which swallowed him and one she followed. They arrived just outside the factory, just as it began to crumble. Croire floated up to him and gave him a good, magic enhanced slap. "I hate Cristy too."
"Cro-"
"Stay the fuck away from me you Traitor!"
Neptune did not move from the crater she made on the ground, the words of that woman Uranus were too much to just ignore. She should bring this up to Noire and Plutie, Blanc too. The Histoire here may or may not be trusted since she was made by the topic and thus might be loyal to him, or Planeptune. "Can't be trusted, ha! Called it…"
...It didn't feel as good when someone else called it out.
"Really doesn't feel as good… oh well, can't argue with the results!" It was near impossible to make Plutie or Noire hate him, not that she planned to make them hate him anyways. Blanc won't hate him that was for sure, she wouldn't hate someone who helped take back her nation… Neptune still felt cheated on that. Rom and Ram, those two were a giant surprise, she didn't think they lived at this time and look at them now, older-looking than the ones in her dimension and with bigger tits too.
...At least Rom was: the teen Ram here was still just as flat as the ten-year old in her dimension. No surprise, being Blanc's relative. If there was a surprise then it would be Rom, Neptune saw those peaks in the showers one time and they were massive. Like, those things should make binding them under bandages impossible, and yet she does it anyways!
Was it fear of Blanc being so jealous she'll hurt her? Nah, that was even more impossible than Noire having a… oh crap, then it was possible! Neptune suddenly felt nervous, should she mention this to Plutie and see where things take off from there? There were rumors of Blanc asking for the Shares of her sisters back home back in the old times so maybe it wasn't too impossible… oh who was she kidding the girl loved those twins.
...Doesn't hurt to be safe though.
"Welp! Better start making my way back to the factory. Don't want Plutie to kick me out, and Scath doesn't deserve to die." Neptune nodded, "Yeah, not yet at least."
It didn't take long to find the factory; she saw it when she was falling.
Boy, what a sight she came to.
The entire factory was blown up, collapsed, completely wrecked. There was fire everywhere, some were spreading to the trees, but were put out by a strong wind… along with the tree. That means Scath was alive at least, but how did he manage to get out?
Must be another ass-pull, no other explanation.
Ass-pulls and him go hand in hand.
"Yo!" Neptune jumped down from the tree behind the exhausted man lying on the burnt grass and dirt, "Huh, so you are human. This is the first time I've seen you tired."
Scath glared at her, "Shut up, where the hell were you?"
"Oh, you know. Being a protagonist." The portal was enough to say she was a protag, not that there was a need of one. "Where were you?"
"Oh, you know, trying not to be useless." The man grunted and sat up. "...Mind going back home and tell Histoire to increase security across all nations? I found something that needs my immediate attention… and it isn't pretty."
"Mind telling me what it is?"
"Mind leaving me alone?"
Neptune pursed her lips, is it just her or is Scath really acting Blanc-ish whenever she's been pissed off on her books not selling well, or not selling at all. Poor girl had really high expectations and sacrificed so much of her time on those… too bad they suck so much people use them to ward off beasts. No kidding, she saw someone do that and it worked.
A forest needed to be replanted after that was made public.
Scath clicked his tongue and frowned, this might be the first time Neptune saw him this angry. "Aww, what's wrong big guy, the ghouls too much for you to handle?"
His glare, by herself, his glare was like pinning a Tyrannosaurus Rex against a Baby. Neptune can feel her body freeze up from the mere sight of it, he already looked like he was glaring at everything before but now when he really was glaring. The Goddess took a step back and raised her hand in surrender.
It did not help.
"...Just go home." The man was obviously not in the mood to deal with her, but she didn't care, nobody just 'deals' with Neptune. Neptune, 'deals,' with them. She crossed her arms and stared at the man with courage, she wasn't backing down from this. She had to find out what Uranus meant when she said, 'Scath cannot be trusted.'
And why the hell was she imagining his hair blue when his face was like that?
Weird… moving on.
He took a piece of paper from his jacket and began to write on it, some bird from the forest came down and as he rolled it up the bird snatched it and flew towards Planeptune.
"What's that?"
"Something you should go help with make true, it's to give Histoire an official position in the Basilicom other than a helper." Scath muttered, "Now, go home. I don't have the patience to deal with your tendencies anymore."
"No." Neptune mimicked his voice as best as she could, "Why do you always go out on your own? It's not like you have a shortage of friends like Noire. And mind you I have been really trying to act normal around you."
And she'd like to think she did well… so when was she going to go back to what she considers normal? Cause this was exhausting and boring.
...Was she surprised to find herself at the mercy of a blade? No, of course not, he already looked pissed before she came, but who made him this pissed and where can she met them? She so wanted to know how to get someone like him this angry. Neptune knew the only reason she wasn't dead was because of her relationship with Plutie.
"...Just go." Scath frowned and seemed to equip a blue shroud and simply vanished, the only signs of him once being there was the grass he left disturbed. Neptune sighed, rubbing the neck she almost lost and winced at the drop of blood.
Plutia and Neptune, the two Goddesses of Planeptune, both completely irresponsible and leaves all the work onto Histoire, a being made help them in their tasks made by Scath through unknown means. Noire, the sole Goddess of Lastation, has a habit of overworking herself to the point Scath knocks her out just so she won't collapse. Blanc, the sole Goddess of Lowee, make terrible books and a pitiful rack.
Fortuna was a mute, someone who couldn't speak, it was only because of her condition that she was able to notice something wrong with the masses as she made her way through the busy crowd of Lastation's markets. From the looks of it there seemed to be a monster approaching that not even a CPU can handle, she almost smiled, they were finally realizing the CPUs were only immortal and not invincible.
Valerie sighed as she accompanied the little girl in her walk, this was her obligation, because if she left Fortuna alone for even a second without adult supervision. She would turn to her other personality and start a killing spree.
"Fortuna, calm down, you're making a scene." She was wearing her mask at the moment so she wouldn't be that quick to be reported for leaking killing intent while around people but still, Valerie was paranoid of Noire's capabilities. There were many ways the girl could find them, through the media or through people's lips; she could also hunt them down herself if she wanted to. "Fortuna!"
The little girl almost didn't listen but a very stern look from the older woman made her look down in shame. Valerie looked around and whispered, "Don't do that! You'll make more attention than Jester!"
She could feel Fortuna's eyes widen behind her mask, then the rapid nodding, if there was one thing this girl hates- it was Jester. All things considered Valerie felt sorry for Legacy for dealing with Jester as her partner, she truly pitied that woman who has to deal with a man as psychotic as Jester… hey, sacrifices had to be made.
Fortuna made a gesture of apology with her arms and body, "It's alright little one, you have done no harm which cannot be undone,"
The little girl's smile could be felt beyond the mask. The sheer radiance and positivity she gave off was a complete 180 from her usual demeanor. Valerie shook her head and took the girl's hand, "Come, we're going to Mina's orphanage in Planeptune."
Fortuna led Valerie into a dark alley and made a mirror; the flat, reflective glass shimmered and changed the mossy brick view into a small unlit room. On the bed laid a snoring, scantily clad, not even on the bed, Aries. Her legs were on the bed, but not the body or the head, "Why her room?"
The little girl took out a pen and paper and began writing, [She's the only one who's asleep at this time, next time, ask me to spy on your complex when its night.]
Valerie coughed to get rid of her blush, so she has a slight complex with her cousin, so what? There was nothing wrong with cousins being affectionate! Also it was not Aries she was related to, that was Juggernaut; she was related to the one and only Noire. Their mothers were once lesbian sisters into incest before Noire's father swayed Noire's mother to the 'straight' path. Well, that was what her mother told her at least.
She was dead now- thank the Goddess- so Valerie placed all her corruptions in the grave with her.
...Valerie kept her mother's, ehem, sex toys with her.
...Fortuna looked at her like she was scum, even she could tell that with the mask.
"Don't read my thoughts without permission!" The woman with two hair color blushed, embarrassed of the situation. She coughed to regain composure and assumed a cold and apathetic look. "Now then, let us depart."
[Don't look so serious Valerie, you might get wrinkles at your age.] Fortuna then jumped into the mirror, thus granting her a headstart from the now angry woman. Said angry woman was attracting attention from the men without homes and men desperate for a good woman, however one withering glare from said angry woman sent them all running away like a horde of little bitches. Valerie then gripped her own locket and shouted into the mirror.
"I'm no older than 22! Do not make 'old woman' jokes just because I am a decade more mature!" Valerie walked into the mirror determined to give that girl a spanking, the mirror they used as a portal shattered behind her after she arrived.
Aries was sound asleep, the time was 1600, and Noire should be somewhere in the Basilicom. Valerie quickly located Fortuna and pinned her against the wall with panic in her eyes, her voice was low as she spoke, "Why didn't you make a portal in front of the Basilicom or anywhere that isn't inside it?! We're going to look like criminals this way!"
[Calm down, we're in the clear, I sense only this woman inside the building. Not including the staff,] Fortuna wrote, [Even if we do get caught, I already made an appointment with Histoire.]
Valerie coughed and composed herself again, "I-Is that so? Very well then, good work Fortuna, I thought we would have become criminals there."
[With our true line of work, we might as well be criminals right this moment.] The girl wrote. [Let's go, we don't have much time… we need to set up cameras.]
"I am not letting you peek on my sister or her friends!"
[Get your mind out of the gutter hag, we're doing them for surveillance purposes.] Fortuna opened her robe and obtained several small crystal balls. They moved to the main living room after placing a crystal ball into the curtain rods. There Fortuna almost puked at the bright colors but imbued the balls into the TV and some of the shelves and finally… replacing a teddy bear's plastic eye with one.
"H-Hey, should we put one on the clock?"
[No, because they remind me of Jester and do you I know our target loves watching the clock's hands move, she would immediately spot the crystal.] Fortuna drummed her fingers onto the TV screen and ripples began to form, soon she was able to insert the last crystal ball into it without damaging the wiring inside. [We should be fine now, come on, let's get back before they arrive.]
"Y-You still need to meet with Histoire right? I can talk with my cousin right? I mean, you have an appointment with Histoire and it would do you well to be early."
[Negative, the appointed time is tomorrow… and I sort of made an excuse of being a bit busy with a certain project which may or may not even exist… I heard Scath was going to be gone all day tomorrow so I took the chance, I don't have to see him anytime soon.] Fortuna looked to the side in slight embarrassment. [...At least until we get him in our ranks, but I'm sure I can make something to avoid him!]
Valerie did not know the girl's issues with the man who was the reincarnation of Spear, she may be the leader and could be colder than a glacier, but she wasn't Juggernaut or Jester, she wasn't going to pry into business not her own.
Besides, they were busy with that so even if she wanted to, she wasn't allowed.
"You have to confront him one of these days, Fortuna, you can't keep avoiding him forever." The little girl pulled up the hood of her robe and tightened it up, hiding her face from view, she stood up abruptly and ran towards the window then jumped. Normally, this would have shattered it but because of Fortuna's gift, she just sunk into the window and vanished…
…
"Don't leave me here alone!" Valerie shouted.
The woman huffed and began to pace in the room, they were supposed to do this together, and when she tried to help the girl this is what she gets? Well, showed her for being a nice person. Valerie slumped on the couch and pouted, she had no way of getting out nay busting the window was an option, but that would paint her as a brute in Noire's eyes.
The door opened and a small girl on a book floated in, "Oh my, who might you be?(゜-゜)"
"N-Nowa's… I mean, Lady Noire's cousin. I came for a surprise visit, as we have not seen each other for years." Might as well show her all she's worth, Fortuna wasn't coming back anytime soon. She trusts her instincts, and experience, this was not the first time Fortuna ditched her partner for mentioning him and her getting back together… poor Beo… "My name is Valerie Norn, I am a Valkyrie."
"O-Oh, I was not aware Noire has any living relatives.(ఠ_ఠ)" Histoire ushered the woman to take a seat, "Well, introductions are in order, as you may or may not know I am Histoire, the Oracle of Planeptune.（＾∀＾）"
Valerie was sweating on the inside, why did she just spill out her name and career? No, no, she can do this. She hasn't spilled her organization yet, she can still look at Jester and declare him the most vulnerable when the leak of information is inexcusable. "It is a pleasure to meet someone with such high reputation… er, pardon my confusion, but what is an Oracle?"
"Ah! It is my new position which Scath assigned to me with help from Plutia and the other higher ups,(*≧∀≦*)" Ah, that's why… she was in a good mood. Valerie wondered why she hasn't been kicked out yet. People in a good mood would tend to forget something important, it looks like even that was true for Histoire… she wondered how Scath programmed a human personality into her… "And my suggestion was accepted! Oh, I must prepare, the children will not like this place messy.｡｡゛(ﾉ)ﾉ"
That wasn't even a secret, the people just never bothered to ask.
"I-I see," Valerie never cared for little things like titles or positions in the hierarchy, she may be leader but that was only because she was coincidentally the strongest. However, if they looked at their personal strength rather than their abilities, she would be the weakest. "...May I ask where is Noire?"
"At the moment, they are at the lookout for Scath Staigin and Purple Heart, a friend with the name of Falcom is also searching for them. I predict a high possibility of them not taking long,(^○^)" Almost as if they were times, the doors opened to reveal a pissed off Noire and Blanc holding a depressed Neptune by her collar. "Speak of the devils, welcome back everyone!o(^▽^)o"
"We're baaaaack~" Plutia greeted, catching the girl as she passed by and cuddled at the couch. "We didn't find Scath… but we did find Neppy!"
"Stupid girl was running around the borders like a headless chicken," Noire huffed, blowing away a strand of hair in front of her face. Crossing her arms and glared at the woman in her hand, "You better have a damn good reason for making me work on my hard earned day off!"
Now not even half of said day off remains.
She had a plan to fully enjoy it too!
Noire leveled a heavy glare on the woman in her arms.
"...I'm taking a bath…" Blanc was covered in mud. It dripped from her petite body and onto the floor, she made a trail as she went to the bathroom.
"Ah~ Blanny! I want to take one with you!" Plutia scrambled off the couch and chased after the muddy girl. Her clothes long discarded before she even left the room, Ram and Rom emerged from Aries' room and plopped themselves on the couch. Neptune (Alter) following them and jumped and landed face first into Rom's chest.
"Ah! Neppy!" Rom was blushing.
Neptune (Alter) giggled, "So soft… Rom's boobies are like Scath's pillows!"
"What the hell Rom?! Since when did your chest get bigger?!" Ram huffed and attacked her twin's chest, "We're supposed to be twins and yet… and yet…!"
Today was one of the days Rom decided to not bind her chest down, keeping it small everyday all day for a week straight was uncomfortable and slightly painful, so she let herself loose on the day after the week. Ram knew this, but she was still slightly annoyed.
"...Valerie…?" Noire narrowed her eyes at the small woman before her, "Is… that you?"
"You remembered!" Valerie all but glomped her older cousin. Despite being much smaller, she took her down and began hugging her for all she's worth. The multi-colored woman squeezed and squeezed until the black haired woman felt her spine pop, with a short gasp, Noire went limp in between Valerie's arms. "...Nowa?"
"This is dumb of you, you know that right?" Orochi was lying on her stomach as she watched the astral screen which showed a first person perspective of what Scath sees. The little girl grew out a tail and plucked out an apple from the nearby tree, as time passed on in the real world Scath's mental state only became more and more comfortable for them. "Minataur, this is too soon. He hasn't even found the Third Trial."
{You shut up! This is for the best, you know it, he knows it and goddamit his ancestor knows it.} Minotaur was slightly pissed, well he has two moods, lazy and pissed. Most of the time he's lazy and just lies around the grassy plains scratching his stomach and sometimes picks his nose. {Now go swim to Leanbox.}
[Are you insane? Leanbox was said to be miles away from the main continent, I can't possibly swim that distance even with magic… and I can't run on water, that's impossible. I'm not a basilisk lizard.] Scath said through their mental link, still running through the forest.
{I don't know what the hell that is nor do I care, but you need to get to Leanbox ASAP! There's some shit going on, and I don't like it!"
[You don't like anything.]
{Don't make me make you brain dead again brat! Now get to it!}
Scath sighed and grumbled, taking out most of his things so they won't get wet and broken and had them sent over back to the Basilicom. No one dared to steal from him because they knew he'd just find them and throw them in jail. It happened before.
{MOVE IT BRAT!}
AN: Thanks for reading and Feedback is much appreciated!
-Please follow, favorite and Review.