I hate this chapter, and I hate Kei.

Seriously her personality trait is 'Doesn't have a personality'. It's nearly impossible to write her.

Thus, I did not have writers block. I had writer's KEI.

REVIEWS BECAUSE BLAGH

Admiral Crow: Crowbar's primary purpose will be opening boxes. Secondary purpose will be bashing headcrabs. And everything else.

To Broach or To Put Up: How about no. I... Eugh.

I don't feel fear, walking back into the Basilcom.

What I do feel, however, is annoyance.

Pure, unbridled annoyance.

Whatever. Regardless of whatever inane scheme I'm caught up in now, I'm certain it'll blow over.

It always does.

Still, I can't help but stomp my back through the halls of the Lastation Basilicom, my destination obvious.

Kei's meeting room.

"Come in." speaks the Oracle's voice, as I reach the door.

Of goddamn course.

With a bit more force than probably necessary, I open the door, before stepping back inside the room.

I close the door quietly of course, I'm not a complete barbarian.

"Please, take a seat." gestures the Oracle face stony, and tone even.

As I take my seat, across from the grey-haired woman, she begins to retrieve a stack of paperwork from somewhere nearby.

"So… It has come to my attention…" begins the Oracle, but I'm not having this shit.

"Okay, so I'm just going to say this now." I state, as I lean forwards, head cocked slightly. "This conversation can go one of two ways. One, you can hide behind fancy terms that, yes, I can understand, but I'll respond with nothing but sarcastic nonsense and/or half-truths. Or, you can be blunt, and I will respond just as bluntly, answering the questions as best as I can, save for the few that are extremely personal and/or classified, to which I will politely respond 'I decline to answer'. Pick now, while you still can, because I default to sarcastic bullshit."

There's a blink back from the Oracle, as she attempts to parse what exactly I've said.

"That is… acceptable."

With a nod of my head, I allow the Oracle to ask her questions.

"What is your current affiliation with the Candidate of Planeptune?"

"Hired muscle." I reply. I could have also said 'Moral Support', but honestly, that'd sound weird.

"Duration of employment?"

"Hired three days ago. Unspecified contract length, but I assume until whenever this mess is over and done with."

"Method of payment?"

"Free room and board, plus I keep credit for whatever I personally kill. In addition, I do quests while journeying."

The oracle raises an eyebrow at my last statement.

"What? I make money where I can." I respond defensively.

"Any affiliation with ASIC?"

"None."

"Home nation?"

"I'd rather not say."

The oracle pauses, and scribbles something down on the sheet of paper before her.

"Is there a reason for that?"

"Yes." Hehe. Just because I agreed to be blunt, doesn't mean I can't be difficult.

"Can you tell me that reason?"

"Yes."

The Oracle clenches her fist, but takes a breath.

"Please tell me the reason."

"I am sorry, but I really couldn't resist. My reason is that my home nation does not follow the same entity as I do."

"And that entity is?"

"For which, myself, or my home nation?"

"Your home nation." Kei responds with a flat tone.

"I'd rather not say."

The oracle's face is no longer emotionless, instead beginning to warp towards something that'd resemble cold fury, if it were on a human, and not on a robotic mockery of a living person. I'm making progress! She was entirely emotionless earlier.

"Do you follow Lady Black Heart." Ahh, there we go. Starting to hit the big money questions.

"No."

Once more, the Oracle blinks back at me.

"Which goddess do you follow?"

"I do not follow a goddess."

Again, the scribbling on the page below makes me realize that she's probably taking notes on me, but again, I don't care.

"Why are you associating with a CPU Candidate, then?"

"I am associating with Nepgear." I emphasize, "due to the fact that one, she is responsible for hiring me, and two, I do not particularly fancy dying while screaming into the abyss due to whatever inane scheme ASIC is going to come up with."

An eyebrow is raised in response.

"Do you truly believe ASIC will attempt to accomplish something like that?"

"I do not know. All I can do is expect the worst, and hope for the best."

There's a nod back.

"What chances do you believe… Nepgear… has for succeeding in her task?"

"The retrieval of the CPUs from the Gamindustri Graveyard?"

"Correct."

"At current forces strength, negligible." I state, looking Kei dead in the eye. "Currently, our forces consist merely of three frontline fighters, in which I am counting myself, a battle-mage, and a medic. We have no ranged support, very little magical capabilities, and I do not believe that we can accomplish this task without recruiting more."

There's a nod of approval from the Oracle. "So you believe that the situation is… in a difficult place?"

I lean back, taking a moment to catch my breath. "I believe that the situation has become much more difficult than it should have been."

There's a pause, so I jut in.

"May I ask a question of my own?"

"You may, as long as the question is relevant."

"What purpose did you have, setting Nepgear and Uni to encounter one another at Septent Resort?"

The Oracle blinks at me. "What?"

"The Hematite is too pure to have been merely carried around by a monster, and the sharp edges on the stone resembled the faults created by manual mining. Thus, I have reason to believe that the ore was planted there, for a specific reason."

The Oracle remains silent.

"I do not care that we were set up. What I do care about, is the aftereffects of said puppetry. Had I not intervened when I did, it'd have likely put a large amount of emotional strain on not only my employer, but also your resident CPU Candidate."

More silence. I'm starting to lose it. Why isn't she reacting?

"Now, I'm not certain whether or not it's due to a divorce between logic and what is actually happening, or whether it is due to some sort of mental defect on your part, but I am now being lead to believe you are suffering from a completely reality break. Are you actively trying to make things harder, or do you just suck at your job?"

The Oracle's mouth opens slightly, but I don't stop my tirade.

"I thus have reason to believe that not only was this entire set of tasks a farce, but a potentially dangerous farce, at that. I'm a fan of logic as well, but even I know that sometimes, logic doesn't work, and you need to be human instead. So, what is it, Kei, are you an inhuman machine, or are you just an idiot?"

There's silence from both of us, before Kei states, voice dripping with cold fury. "Get. Out."

Shaking my wrists out dramatically, I lift myself to my feet, before heading towards the door. I pause before the door, just long enough to do a mocking bow to the now-motionless Oracle. When that garners no response, I leave without a moment's more delay.

I don't even spare a sideways glance to the guards as I exit the Basilicom, and continue onward, headed of course towards one of the restaurants nearby.

I'm hungry, and it'd be good to get my mind off of this mess.

Belly full, and ordeal with Kei nearly forgotten, as it should be, I take the time to stroll through Lastation's streets.

The city itself, from what I can tell from one of the convenient nearby map kiosks, is pretty much divided into nine major sections, with roads running through the sections, like the spokes on a wheel. The sectors seem to mostly be for keeping the main population away from the industrial sector, which seems to be mostly smog-spewing factories. Of course, it's not purely industrial, with a spattering of apartment complexes near the factories - probably cheap housing for workers.

It's located in the southeast, extending partially towards the south and east sectors, which mostly form a buffer by being mostly warehouses.

Didn't Uni say she was in the east sector? Then that'd mean that someone is working out of a warehouse, or something. Either that, or they were in an back alley somewhere.

The north, northwest, west, and central sectors seem to be mostly dedicated to housing, and the northeast and southwest sectors are commerce.

Basically, this city is far too over-engineered. Right now, I'm in the northern sector.

There's rows upon rows of houses to each side of me, each just slightly different from the next. Still, each and every one fits a general mold.

Would I ever want to live here? I don't actually know. I can't even imagine settling down, but… that has to happen at the end, right?

I pass people on the streets: each walking with purpose as they stride towards either their jobs, or some other, urgent errand. But I'm here. I'm just here…

I shake my head, as I pick up the pace. There's more of the city to see.

The northeast sector is different. Rather than the spattering of individual houses, the structure is instead that of various stores of many different types, from fabric to machinery, to food.

I glance from window to window as I continue my walk. Magazines, sausages, furniture. It all gazes back at me, through thin panes of glass. I can see people haggling with one another from one shop to another, and even a street vendor selling hotdogs for insane prices.

Just like home.

I pause just before an antique weapon shop. Several weapons of many types gleam behind the door.

Y'know what? Let's take a look.

Smiling, I open the door and step inside.

Rack after rack of weapons greet me on the inside, as does the enthusiastic cashier, a red-haired woman wearing a green bonnet. "Welcome! What can I get'cha?"

I smile back. "Just checking out the setup, will tell you if I see anything that suits my fancy."

I don't expect to be able to buy anything with my current budget, which is still sitting around at a little bit over a thousand credits. Still, it's a good idea to take a look, right?

Okay, so what's my current setup: My knives work pretty well as a holdout weapon, I've definitely got short range covered with my knives and Seamus, so that just leaves long range as my weak point.

What'd be the best way to cover that…

"Do you have any cheap handguns?" I ask the cashier, leading the woman to walk over to where I am.

"We do, but they're a bit… defective." admits the cashier, as she leads me over to a cabinet full of handguns. "These particular guns date back to when the manufacturers were still working out the perfect balance between rate of fire and power. They were really popular a long time ago, but fell out of favor the minute better guns came along."

I raise an eyebrow in response. "What do you mean?"

"These guns aren't very good against monsters. You're an adventurer, right?" I nod back in response. "So, monsters tend to attack in groups, right? With a gun like this, you need to reload it too often to really use it effectively."

Considering how I'm thinking of only using this to plink distant targets, that's not an issue.

"I… see." I answer. "How exactly would one reload it, anyway? I mean, does the ammunition replenish, or do you have a infinite ammunition pouch to go with it?"

"This your first gun?"

"Bingo."

The cashier sighs. "I'd recommend a better gun, like a rifle or a shotgun. One of these things will only get you killed."

I shake my head at her. "I'm not planning on using this thing as my main weapon: only as a sidearm."

That gets a blink back in confusion. "Sidearm?"

Sidearms… aren't a thing here?

"Y'know, as a secondary weapon? Or… tertiary weapon, in my case."

The cashier gives me a strange look. "... Are you sure you can even use the gun? We have a range out back, if you need to test it out.."

I shrug. "I'm feeling lucky. Can I try out the revolver-looking one?"

I'm lead to the back, where an impromptu shooting range awaits. A target sits, a good three or four metres away.

The cashier hands me the gun, along with a small, light pouch. "The pouch contains the ammunition. It refills itself as you spend the ammunition within the gun."

Opening the pouch and looking inside reveals only a six bullets. So this is how it works here, huh?

Carefully, I dismount the ammunition housing, and load it full of bullets. With a satisfying click, I mount the housing back in its original position, and aim the tip of the gun downrange. I can definitely understand the reluctance to sell me the gun, though: it took me a good thirty seconds to reload this thing. Finally, I cock the hammer of the gun, and fire towards the target.

Ow.

Okay, recoil is definitely a thing here. It's a bit like someone punching me in the bicep, firing this thing. On the plus side, it's definitely a lot quieter to fire these sorts of guns than one in real life: I don't think I'll even need hearing protection for this one.

No debris either, so I'm mostly home free.

The bullet impacts a good couple of centimetres away from the center of the target, but considering this is the first time I've fired a gun, ever, that's not bad.

I turn towards the vendor, who nods back. I guess I'll keep shooting.

The next five bullets are about as accurate, striking the target around the bullseye, but only one hitting within a centimetre of the dead centre. Still, not bad.

The gun emptied, I nod back to the vendor. "I'll take it."

"You sure? Wouldn't it be incompatible with your other weapons?"

I answer that, of course, but whirling around and throwing a knife into the target. Sadly, I'd say my aim is better with the knife than with the gun, striking far closer to the center than any of my shots earlier. I guess I've got another thing to practice.

"I'm sure."

The gun, by itself is only six hundred credits. The holster for it sets me back another hundred, and the pouch another hundred fifty. Considering how the pouch is supposed to be compatible with 'any' gun, and be able to mimic any 'preset' ammunition, I'm amazed it went for that cheap.

So, now standing outside, with a brand new gun in my hand, I do the first thing I can think of.

I wander off towards an electronics shop, buy a roll of duct tape, a laser pointer, and make an impromptu laser sight. Because why not. This is my weapon now: I'm going to do what I want to it. And what I want, is the ability to actually know what I'm aiming at.

I'm whistling to myself as I head towards our meet-up point. Like clockwork, Nepgear is there with the girls, clutching some kind of disc in her hand. "Hey, Derek!"

I wave back at her. "Sup, Gear? Did you manage to get the Mascot?"

"We definitely did!" chirps the Planeptune Candidate. "What'd Kei want to talk to you about?"

"No idea. I told her she sucked at her job and that she was a terrible person." I answer, face unmoving.

"Hahaha…" begins IF, smirk across her face, before it drops. "Holy crap, you actually did. Are you completely insane?"

I shrug. "No idea. I got myself a new handgun too." I reveal my new toy, although the effect is sort of ruined by the random inclusion of a laser pointer duct taped to the bottom.

"Uhh... What's wrong with it?" asks Nepgear, head tilted to the side. "It looks like it's not supposed to look like that."

"Quick-n-dirty laser sight." I answer, as I flip on the laser pointer and point it at a nearby wall. "It's not the most accurate thing, but it'd be better for on-the-run firing. Thought it'd be nice to be able to take down flying targets."

"So who do you plan on giving that gun to, then?" asks Compa.

"I don't understand. I plan on using it." I answer.

Compa stares at me strangely. "I didn't know it was possible to use two different types of weapons…"

I'm staring back at her now. "You're joking, right? You saw me using Seamus earlier, right? That's a different weapon type, right there."

"I thought that was only for jokes." adds IF. "Yeah. I can't think of anyone who uses two different types of weapon at the same time. Isn't that a lot harder to do?"

I shrug. "I mean, yeah, the gun's pretty much going to be used against specific things."

There's shrugs all around. "I mean, if you want to not specialize, then you can be you, I guess." answers the agent. "Still, we should tell Kei that we're headed up to Lowee now. Nepgear, you've got your winter clothes, right?"

"Yep!" answers Nepgear, before she explains what I missed. "We actually arrived back at one, so we went shopping instead. If you had run into us, we'd have been able to help you buy your stuff too!"

RED adds her own opinion: "It'd be nice to have someone to carry around our bags for us, too!~"

"Yeah, thanks RED. Glad to know I'm appreciated."

The guards give me another strange look as I strut back towards the Basilicom, but again, they do nothing.

Kei, on the other hand, does a little bit more than nothing. Just barely, though.

"Understood." answers Kei.

And that's the only thing she says, before she leaves the room.

"What the hell did you do?" asks IF, as she turns towards me.

"I told her she sucks." I admit. "I'm amazed I wasn't arrested."

There's an eye roll from IF, but with all of our tasks completed, we turn to leave.

Just in time to nearly collide with a familiar face.

"Oh, hey Nepgear! How are you doing?" asks Uni, having just stepped in through the front door.

Wasn't she hiding behind a desk in the games?

"Oh, hey Uni! Are you feeling better? I'm really sorry about last time." smiles Nepgear.

"Oh, no problem. I was just having a bad day." answers Uni, although she's scratching the back of her neck nervously as she does so. Yeah, bad day.

"We're headed up to Lowee next, do you want to come with us?"

Uni seems to mentally run something through her head. "No, sorry. I can't. I've got things I need to do here first. I might be able to meet you in Leanbox, but even that's not a sure thing. Sorry about that, but the nation comes first, right?"

Nepgear nods, and exits the door, followed closely by RED, IF, and Compa. I, being the last the last one in the Basilicom, fall upon the sword.

"Oh, and Uni? Sorry bout Kei. She might be in a bit of a bad mood" I state, as I dash through the door.

"What, what about Kei? Derek? WHAT DID YOU DO?" come the panicked shouts from behind me, but I don't stop running.