("Phew... just finished writing a long chapter, which this one isn't! Act II is slowly making its way to the finish line! Enjoy this little filler! There'll be a little more in the coming days as I wrap things up. Any feedback is, of course, greatly appreciated!" - That idiot who thought a DK knockoff robot would be a great idea last chapter! Okay, he lied.)

Randome City was returning to pre-flood conditions, as the roads cleared up and the puddles were dwindling down. Citizens were finally able to go outside again, free to return to their lives in the city. There were a few remaining puddles, however, but at least the kids were happy to be outside to splash in them without much worry. Likewise, the sewers below were calming down, back to pre-flood levels, and the monsters below were content to let things be. This did not mean that the place was always going to be safe from now on, but at least it was a reprieve for citizen and monster alike.

At the nearest hotel, Thomas was resting in his own room, tired after the earlier battles, and fresh after a long shower to rid himself of the grime and smell from down below. He had been trying to taking a nap for a while, but was unable to get some shuteye.

Giving up on sleeping, Thomas reached over to the nearby counter and grabbed a manga to read. It was something he picked up at the nearby shop, hoping to pass some time reading before being called back to this adventure. He was reading into a part, before quickly getting bored, placing the book over his face.

Part of him really wanted to sleep, but his body, despite its relaxed state, wasn't cooperating. He grumbled, muttering some words to himself, before he heard a knock on the door. He lifted the manga from his face and moved it to the other side of the bed he wasn't sleeping on, "Door's unlocked. You can come in."

As Thomas put his hands together on his lap, the hotel door opened a tad, and the young brunette known as IF slowly peeked into the room. "Hey Thomas," IF said, before opening the door and letting herself in, "Managed to get some rest?"

"Sort of," Thomas grumbled, "Sleep's a little harder to come by of late. I'm still good to go for now, though."

"That's fine," IF nodded as she relaxed, her hands going into her coat pockets, "I just finished talking to Nepgear and the others over the phone. Looks like they just finished their side of things, taking out the big baddie there."

Thomas closed his eyes, still trying to relax, "That's very good to hear. I guess that means we're heading out."

IF slowly nodded, "Once we're all ready, we'll meet back with the others at Iris Field. Nepgear's been checking with Histoire, trying to establish communications with Lowee. Hopefully we can get in contact with the Basilicom."

"I can only hope things haven't deteriorated over there," Thomas re-opened his eyes and slowly sat up from the bed, "I'll meet you all outside shortly."

"Sure thing," IF said, before noticing the book across the bed, "Hmm? I didn't take you to be a reader of manga as well."

Thomas struggled to hold back a yawn, covering his mouth. After that bit, he shook his head, "I'm generally not. I just wanted something else to read besides that tome or the information Histoire offered."

IF blinked, "Any luck on that front?"

Thomas shook his head, "Not really." He threw up his hands as he slowly moved to his feet, making the bed while moving the manga closer to him, planning to put it away, "The stuff I could read was some basic coding for older computers. Nothing that really stood out. Maybe if we learned more about this firewall, it might make more sense. Now though? Not a thing."

IF sighed, "That's unfortunate. Has Histoire checked with others about this sort of information?"

Thomas thought a moment, "I know she's checked this information with the Guild. If they uncovered anything, I'm sure we'd know by know, either from Histoire, or from one of your Guild contacts. I'm thinking about talking with Blanc, once we get past Lowee, about looking into it. Being the oldest of the CPU nations, and Blanc being an avid reader, she might have some insight."

"She does has an extensive library at the Basilicom," IF murmured, as her curiosity was more on the manga book that Thomas was reading.

Thomas noticed her curious look, and said, "You're free to take the book, if you like."

"I-I was just wondering what you were reading, that's all!" IF stammered, before glancing at the cover, "From Doki Doki Press, A Garden Variety Of Stories Volume 8..."

"Just some light stories in there," Thomas said as he finished making the bed, making sure the rest of the room was clean and organized before taking the book and handing it over to IF, "Sorry, nothing racy in there. Although I am sure there's some nice art in there I haven't seen yet."

"Oh, very funny," IF took the book and just as quickly slapped it right back at his torso, letting him take it back, "If I recall from memory, you read nearly anything, so I wasn't sure what to expect."

"I guess you may have a point," Thomas thought about it, as he tried not to sell that hit to the chest, "I just took what was a recent seller at the store nearby."

"Don't tell me you just follow the latest trends," IF said.

"Fine, I won't tell you that I check to see what Gamindustri had been interested in lately," Thomas joked, "I could tell you that pre-firewall it was high fantasy and cookbooks getting higher sales of late, but I won't. Because I respect you that much, IF."

"Oh, bite me," IF scolded Thomas while he got his key and was heading out the door, laughing. IF soon followed, closing the door behind them.

"So, things should be fine over there?" IF could be heard from Nepgear's N-Gear, as Neptune's party was heading back from Sim City.

"The city should be fine, pending anything that happens in city hall. But that's the boring stuff," Neptune said from beside her sister, "The robots seem to have left."

"Same thing on our end," Uzume could be heard on the device next, "As soon as we took down the boss, things have considerably calmed down."

"I am glad to hear that you have moved so quickly to help out the two cities," Histoire could be heard from the line, as she was in a three-way call between herself and the two parties, "The weather patterns appear to have stopped as well. I have since been able to re-establish some form of communication with Lowee and-"

Blanc was quick to jump into the conversation, leaning over on Nepgear's other side, "Have you heard anything at all yet? Are Rom and Ram okay?"

Histoire stammered a bit, "U-uh, well, I have been meaning to get to that, Lady Blanc. I came across some news items in regards to Lowee. In positive news, it appears that Lowee has largely been undamaged so far from any robot attacks. The local adventurers in the Guild there have held out fiercely, keeping the city and citizens safe."

IF could be heard, sounding relieved, "That's good to hear. Looks like the brothers might be able to head back home after all."

"The Guild?" Blanc winced, "But..."

"I was getting to that, Lady Blanc," Histoire said politely, "Unfortunately, the Basilicom suffered a few attacks during that time. As you know, the robots have targeted anything related to the CPUs, and so that building had to deal with the brunt of the attacks."

"That's not important right now!" Blanc was already impatient, "I'm talking about my sisters! Where are they?"

Histoire sighed, "I was going to say, Lady Blanc, that your sisters were actually not present in Lowee during that time."

"O-oh?" Blanc paused for a second, then snapped, "They weren't there?"

"Correct," Historie said through the N-Gear's speakers, "I've been trying to get more details from the Basilicom, although they appear to be preoccupied with the damages incurred so far. The Guild had more detail, however. It appeared that your sisters, soon after you left, went east to deal with a sudden incursion at the Global Expo."

"The Expo?" Nepgear seemed puzzled, "That hadn't been a place of major problems since the ASIC crisis."

"The Guild received reports of a major incursion of hostile attacks on the populace surrounding the Expo just before the firewall dropped," Histoire exposited, "The Guild sent the request to the Basilicom just as Blanc was heading out. This is only a presumption, but I believe the CPU candidates have gone to the Expo to deal with the incursion."

"Alright, so they're there," IF replied, "We can get in contact with them there, right?"

"Unfortunately," Histoire stated, "Communications with the Expo ended after the firewall dropped. It stands to reason that there is a barrier blocking that way."

"So we don't know if they're alright or not," Nepgear frowned, as Blanc turned away from her, clearly frustrated and concerned for her sisters, but trying so very hard not to lash out.

"You may want to check with Lowee proper first before going in that direction," Histoire said, "I'll still try to re-establish communication lines with as much as I could in Lowee, but it could take a while before I uncover any more information."

"It's alright, Histoire," IF said from her end, "We'll be meeting shortly to regroup and make our way to Lowee right away. You've done a lot for us already."

"U-understood," Histoire cleared her throat, "I'll get in contact if I find anything else. Please, do be careful."

"We will, Histoire," Nepgear smiled weakly, "Try not to overheat yourself when doing all that you can, okay?"

"I most certainly will not overheat!" Histoire scoffed, "But th-thank you for the concern, all the same, Nepgear. I'll be in touch."

"Talk to you later, Histoire!" IF said, as Histoire hung up on her end, and IF finished her part of the call, "We'll see you at the Fields, Nepgear."

"Roger that. Nepgear out," the candidate said before closing the call, and turning her head to check on Blanc.

Both Neptune and Plutia were already checking with Lowee's CPU, who was still not feeling too great.

"I, I told them to stay home in Lowee, to keep an eye on things," Blanc said softly, still dealing with both her anger and concern, "And yet they still went off on their own."

"You heard what happened," Neptune said in an effort to console her, "Something came up, and they had to check it out. It did happen in Lowee, after all."

Blanc winced, "I, I know. If I were in their position, I probably would've moved to check on it myself." She bit her lower lip.

Plutia pondered a moment, then said, "Okay! We just have to go through a few more checkpoints, then. It doesn't matter how many checkpoints are left. We'll get your sisters back."

"I too am worried about the others still behind the firewall, Lady Blanc," Nepgear said as she held a hand to her chest, "I know it can tug at the heart. However, I have faith in them, just as people have put their faith in us. I know they will be alright."

"The usually-worried Nepgear is surprisingly confident," Neptune beamed, "But she's right. Blanc, keep your chin up! Together, we'll reunite the Lowee sisters, and drive these robots away from your nation!"

Blanc took a deep breath, and eventually spoke, "Looks like, no matter the dimension, you Planeptune girls are unusually optimistic." Trying not to get teary-eyed, she said, "Thanks, you all. Let's go save my sisters."

"Quest complete?" Neptune asked aloud as the two parties reunited at the entrance to Iris Field.

"Looks like it," Thomas said as he turned his gaze east, "I'm glad that all of us made it through alright."

"Get used to it!" Neptune said confidently, surprising Thomas with a pat on the back of his shoulders, "When you deal with some of the best adventurers in all of Gamindustri, there can only be one outcome!"

Thomas' cheeks turned a little red, as he sighed a bit, "I don't know how you manage to keep that spirit up, Neptune."

"Call it a gift," Neptune grinned, "Besides, you've come this far. How you holding up anyway?"

"Sore," Thomas grumbled, "Not sure if I'm just fatigued or tense about all this recent fighting. Fighting mobs is one thing. Boss fights feel like another thing entirely."

"That's... understandable," Neptune paused to think about that, "But don't worry! Now that we've beaten them, we'll likely encounter them again as weaker versions of themselves in later dungeons."

"That doesn't fill me with confidence," Thomas frowned at the possibility of facing those bosses again, even as a weakened version.

While Neptune tried to assure Thomas not to worry about potentially facing even more dangerous enemies in the future, thus making him even more concerned, Plutia was happy to chat a little with Compa about what they had to face.

"So, Compa?" Plutia blinked, "I wasn't paying attention to the phone conversation, but, how did you do over in Randome City?"

"We did what we needed to stop the heavy rain from flooding the city," Compa smiled to her, "We defeated the big bad robot and even had a little help from the local monsters."

"Really?" Plutia's eyes widened, "The monsters helped? That's pretty amazing! What were you fighting, exactly?"

"Oh! It was some sort of weather-making rover," Compa said as she recalled, "It was shooting electricity at us and had help from other robots. We beat 'em up pretty good, though."

"We fought in the cramped sewers filled with poo water," Uzume muttered, overhearing the conversation between the two. She wasn't too thrilled about what she experienced in the sewers down below.

"Uh, yeah," Compa said with a sweatdrop, "It wasn't all that great, either. I'm sure you've had moments like that over in Sim City, right Plutia?"

"Not really," Plutia said as she tried to remember, "We were joining a local school parade downtown, then fought a giant robot ape in the skies. He threw explosive barrels at us!"

"School parade? Giant ape? Skies? Exploding barrels?" Uzume blinked as Plutia giggled at Uzume looking rather shocked.

"Uh-huh!" Plutia nodded, "Neppy even got to ride a llama."

Uzume took that as a shot, looking downcast, "Awww. No fair."

"Tell me about it," Blanc said as an aside, simply confusing Uzume some more.

Nepgear tried to console Uzume a little, "Oh, I'm sure you had a bit of fun over there, right?" Uzume simply glanced down in response.

"Wait a minute, you didn't tell me you rode a llama, Neptune," Thomas, overhearing the people behind him, spoke to Neptune, gesturing back, "Must've been an interesting ride."

"Yeah, the guy's a little sweetie," Neptune nodded, "Really, he's quite a mascot to just look up at some bad goings-on and not really flinch. Maybe you can learn a little from that guy."

"Very funny," Thomas said of the tease, "If he lived in Sim City, I'm sure he thinks of high winds as nothing."

"So he did," Neptune giggled softly, then blinked, "Wait, you knew about Sim City's, er, interesting history?"

"I've been back and forth between Lowee and Planeptune," Thomas stated, "Kind of hard not to notice the disasters that city gets. I try to avoid going around there namely because of the storms. That giant Dogoo attack was... different." He cringed, recalling some memory of that mess.

"Ah," Neptune said, her mind going all over the place with the imagery, "A-anyway, I'm sure your little sewer adventure wasn't all that bad."

"Could've been worse," Thomas muttered as he checked his inventory, "Though I did pick up some books."

"Oooh," Neptune blinked as she saw Thomas bring out the manga from earlier, "Is that the recent issue? Can I have a look?"

"Sure, I had a feeling you might want a look," Thomas said as he handed it over to Neptune, who flipped through some of the book's art.

As Neptune flipped through the pages rather quickly, Blanc slowly inched up to take a look behind the Planeptune goddess' back. During this time, IF was checking her cell phone to see if she could get in contact with anyone else in Lowee. After she was done reading a few texts and sending some responses, she noticed the entire group wasn't moving on.

IF put her phone away and cleared her throat, "Okay everyone, unless we have something important to discuss, we should get going."

"Allllllright, let's hop to it, then!" Neptune exclaimed as she slammed the book closed between her palms, "This time we're gonna get to Lowee for certain! Honestly, for an Act about being in the frozen north, we've had anything but what people link Lowee to-"

Looking rather frustrated with Neptune's treatment of the book, or using it as an excuse, Blanc yanked the manga from Neptune, taking it with her as she led the way in front of the now advancing party. "Seriously, Neptune, I worry you'll damage this issue Tom took his time to purchase. Let's see what it has..." Blanc's curiosity got the better of her as she opened the manga to peruse the contents.

"Um, by all means, have a look?" Thomas blinked as Blanc looked through it as though she was analyzing everything, probably more than need be. "I knew from the person at the store that it was popular, but really..." He said as he slowly walked forward to keep up with everyone's pace, "If I knew there were this many interested, I'd have bought more copies."

"I just wanted to look at the pretty pictures," Neptune shrugged, "Blanc's reading it like she's studying for some test later."

"Any good pictures you saw in there?" Thomas asked, "I didn't read the whole thing yet."

"There's a good one of some lady working over some fancy steampunk thing on page 64," Neptune recalled, "I don't know people could have such broadly-detailed shoulders, but the artist certainly went to great lengths to show 'em." Neptune grinned as she saw Blanc slowly checking the page in question, before fidgeting back to reading.

"Isn't that the light novel about a war set in an alternate dystopian version of Lastation?" Thomas tried to recall, "Avenir Chronicles, I think?"

"Hey, I was just looking at the art," Neptune shrugged.

"Uhh, yeah, I believe that's what it's called," Blanc responded, as she skimmed over to check for herself.

"Nice, I remembered at least one story today," Thomas seemed pleased that he recalled at least one story in the issue.

"Is this what you usually read in your off-time?" Blanc asked bluntly.

"Uh, well," Thomas thought a moment, "My off-time is usually spent fishing. When I read, it's either for work or to get an idea of what people like at the time."

"I see," Blanc sighed a little, as she hoped that the book would provide some more insight into Thomas himself, rather than just being a passing hobby. She then moved to another thing, "You know, Tom, if you would like to work for Lowee in the future, I could allow you access to plenty of Lowee's vast library of books and literature."

Thomas quirked an eyebrow, while Neptune had an incredulous look on her face. Did Blanc just try to offer Thomas a job in Lowee? Before Neptune could think about interrupting, Thomas sighed and answered, "The offer does sound tempting, Lady Blanc, but I must decline."

Blanc was rather surprised by the simple refusal, "R-really? Why not? I mean, I understand if you would wish not to, but I am rather curious."

"Well..." Thomas fidgeting, then his eyes widened as he remembered something from way back, looking back in his inventory, "It's simply because I... I really don't like the cold weather."

A beat later, Blanc cringed, "The weather?"

"Yes," Thomas said as he took out a pair of warm, wool gloves to put on, making sure he can move his fingers freely inside, "I always feel rather weak in the cold, and I can't seem to enjoy it for the most part. Lowee's a lovely place to visit, but... I'm sorry." He wasn't sure how else to phrase it other than his intense dislike of the cold. He then put the hood of his hoodie over his head, and looked to Neptune, "I think maybe this'll help with the cold. What do you think? How do I look?"

"Like you're ready to rob me," Neptune said in mock worry, "Please! I only have so many credits to my name. I urge you not to take it all! I don't know how the markets could handle it!"

"The hood's a bit much, huh?" Thomas said as he pulled the hood back down, and checked his inventory again, "Let me check, maybe I can use this instead."

"We do have indoor heating, if that is the problem," Blanc said, even as she watched the scene unfold near her.

"Uhh, I guess," Thomas murmured in response, "however, I don't know yet. I have a lot to think about right now. Like where the stupid thing is in my inventory. This is what happens when you manually sort your inventory instead of auto-sorting. Eventually you forget which went where." Thomas grumbled some more as he looked through, then stopped, "Here it is!"

Thomas put on a pair of dark purple earmuffs, then looked to Neptune, "How's this?"

"Oooh, nice!" Neptune said as she looked over the pair, "They look so warm and fuzzy. I should've gotten myself a pair!"

"Damnit," Thomas laughed at himself, "I had another opportunity to buy people extra things but I keep forgetting. If we ever shop together again, I'll definitely buy you a pair, how's that sound?"

"No need to worry about that!" Neptune laughed, "Though, I think if my birthday ever rolls around..."

"Duly noted," Thomas grinned, as Blanc just shook her head at the sight. After a bit, though, Thomas checked his inventory once more, "I have a scarf too in case the wind picks up again. I'll save that until it gets bad."

"Is that all you got for winter gear so far?" Neptune asked.

"So far, yeah," Thomas grimaced, "I don't know if it'll be enough..."

"Not likely," Blanc muttered as she moved on from the conversation. After a while, Thomas saw Blanc pulling away and called out.

"Uh, Lady Blanc? You still have the book!"

"Here! Catch!" Blanc said as she vented a little by giving it a good toss his way. Thomas was not too swift, unfortunately this time, as the book hit right on the noggin, sending him down for a spell. This naturally stopped the party, who glared at Blanc as a few of the others checked to see if Thomas was alright.

"Second time this adventure Tommy gets clonked by Lowee's CPU," Neptune said.

"Least when I bop him on the head, it was a light tap," Uzume remarked quietly to herself, her eyes staring daggers at the small CPU.

"I-It was an accident! A mistake! Damnit..." Blanc tched and muttered a few apologies to the reeling Thomas. The others soon sighed, knowing it most likely was what Blanc said. Still, Thomas was not going to be rid of his headaches so easily, it seemed.

Indeed, as the group continued down Iris Field, going down the path they went before, Thomas was taking some time to rub the spot where he had been hit. It was not a hammer to the face, but it was still Blanc's sheer strength behind that throw. Perhaps Blanc could become a pitcher with that arm strength, was most likely a thought that crossed his mind. That and his need to rid himself of the headache.

He also had a sense of deja vu, as the group dealt with monsters along the way much like the trip before the strange weather stopped them from proceeding. Meows, Moulin Rouges, and Turtles. He recalled fighting them all before, so it kinda threw him off, to the point where he was more on edge than usual.

When one of the Meows crept up on the back row from the side while the group was fighting, Thomas simply flailed his cutlass to shoo it away. The Meow got confused by his actions, enough for Plutia to swat it away with her plushie.

After the battle, Compa, who noticed Thomas' earlier panic, asked, "Are you alright?"

"Having a dreadful feeling of deja vu with some of these fights," Thomas winced, holding a hand to his chest, "I'm probably just stressing out."

"Oh dear," Compa pondered as she quickly looked over Thomas for anything. She shook her head, "I don't see anything, but perhaps... oh! Right! The monsters likely respawned around here."

Thomas stopped, and blinked several times as his mind went through that, "Respawned?"

"I'm surprised you haven't noticed before," Compa said, "But yeah, since we're going through this place again, we end up fighting similar fights against monster mobs."

Thomas closed his eyes, feeling rather stupid for forgetting, "Right. Sorry, this whole fighting thing is still new to me."

"It's okay," Compa assured him, "Sometimes the monsters we face are a one-time deal only for that area. Sometimes, it's like this. Strangely, the quests we get either involve taking out a rare monster, or fighting a number of these mobs. They just keep coming back."

Thomas nodded, "O-of course. I guess I forgot about the respawning thing for that time. Still, that was not a good feeling, this sense of deja vu..."

Before Thomas could elaborate further, Blanc finally interrupted, saying from the front, "There's Lowee! I can see it right in the distance!"

The two stopped their conversation, as they turned to follow the others to get a glimpse of Lowee in the distance, as they start to feel a bit of snow under their feet. Exiting Iris Field, the party could finally see the buildings of Lowee in the distance, as well as a barrier further to the east of the city.

Thomas could feel the cold Lowee air across his face, and frowned. Although the earmuffs and gloves did their job, he could already feel a twinge on his nose. The cold was already bothering him. If there was any other bright spot to this, it was that it made him forget about the panic attack from earlier, or the headache he's been having. He grumbled a little while getting into his inventory to get the scarf, wrapping it around his neck and the lower part of his head.

"I can't make out everything," Nepgear said as she leaned her head forward to survey, "But it looks like Lowee's holding up pretty well."

"I have a lot of confidence in my citizens," Blanc said bluntly, "Many of our adventurers are fairly strong. I am sure they would not hold back."

Thomas finally walked up to take a look at the view, and felt a little calmer. "No matter how many times I've visited, this view is amazing," he muttered to himself.

Looks like the party has finally made it to Lowee. What sort of dangers await them there? What of the twin CPU candidates, Rom and Ram? Will Thomas not be able to freak out so much? Seriously, the guy needs to calm down a bit. Oh well. Anyway, stay tuned for the next chapter when things will at least pick up.