In her entire life, there were only a few occasion where Blanc had found herself driven into a corner. Once was during her supposed minster's betrayal and that time when Peashy fought her. The similarities of both situations to the one she had at the present were uncanny. She was at a disadvantageous position, she felt vulnerable, she could easily be overpowered by the opposition, she had no useful companions and all she could and can do was to run away. She somehow felt an odd sense of déjà vu from what was happening.
She held her breath as she stared at the being standing not too far from the vehicle she was in. Bathed in white light was the shape of a humanoid wrapped in a flowing tattered cloak. Its blood red eyes smoldered like the dark depths of hell, staring into her very existence as if trying to erase her just by looking at her. Its right hand let out an ominous dark orange glow, pulsating like a beating heart. It turned its head towards the car, its face hidden underneath its hood yet those hellish eyes continued to stare out.
The movements it made were fluid and smooth, its cloak dancing in the wind passing by.
A Wraith… A monster native to the Shattered Lands of the east, not usually seen where the four nations had absolute control. Details of its existence were unknown other than its deadly speed and monstrous strength being its most prominent features. The few times Blanc encountered one along with her comrades had her experience a very difficult battle that lasted ten minutes with her and three other Goddesses ganging up on two Wraiths.
Blanc clicked her tongue as the presence of her bad luck annoyed her. She expected the Distortion Phenomena to manifest a conflict which she would have to solve in Dom's place due to his predicament; however the Goddess never expected a problem of this scale. The monster's crimson gaze met with her dull blue stare, she didn't show any intention of averting her eyes and merely leaned into the front seat, glaring back at the monster.
In terms of speed, being in a vehicle had its advantage so she would be able to make a quick escape with the ever calm driver on the front seat. She doubted that the Wraith would be able to chase them on foot at top speed and if they didn't do anything to provoke it they wouldn't be pursued. She had to think up of a plan to eliminate it before the festival tomorrow. It was dangerous leaving something like that running around on a night where people would be swarming all over the place. That meant that she had to finish it off before dawn.
"One…"
The CPU raised her eye brow at the soft whisper of the boy on the driver's seat, his left hand gripping the wheel of the car tight while his right hand slowly descended on the clutch.
"Two…"
On the second whisper, 'Niku' pushed the clutch forward and stepped down on the gas while keeping the brakes on. The engine roared to life while Blanc looked outside of her window in alarm. Dust filled the area behind the car as the wheels grinded on the road. With all the noise the car was making, Blanc couldn't help but feel anxious. This could lead to the Wraith attacking them all of a sudden.
She grabbed the driver's shoulder and hissed into his ear, "Stop this nonsense! You're doing it on purpose now! Stop the damn car this fucking instant!"
"I'm going to run it over," replied the chauffeur boy with a grin on his lips, "three!"
Her eyes wide with shock, the Goddess barely had time to realize what was happening, "Wait hold o— OH SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!"
The car shot forward with such force that Blanc was thrown to the back seat in a messy heap. Grabbing on the front chair, she pulled herself up only to witness the Wraith's figure approaching with the speed of a truck. The scenery outside raced by so fast that they were nothing more than a blur. The roar of the vehicle and rumbling of the engine were growing louder with every meter it cleared. The monster merely stood on the same spot despite the speeding car headed its way.
Blanc leaned towards 'Niku' and screamed into his ear, "ARE YOU CRAZY, YOU RETARDED HUMAN?! THAT THING'S GOING TO KILL US!"
"Shut up, I'm doing you a favor!" the driver yelled back as the Wraith was just thirty meters away, "Hold on to something!"
Just as the hood of the car was about to make contact with the monster's waist, it stomped on the ground and performed a powerful jump. The Goddess followed its movements with her eyes, immediately turning her gaze towards their back. 'Niku' cursed under his breath and slammed on the breaks, pulling back on the clutch before vigorously turning the steering wheel to the right.
The car groaned and its wheels let out a shrill shriek as its entire body did a one hundred eighty degree turn before driving off to mow the Wraith to death once again.
"It's on now, you little prick," the chauffeur boy stomped his foot hard and the car sped towards the monster once again. Blanc who was being tossed around at the back like a little doll felt like her world was being shaken by an energetic little kid. It was like being stuffed in a blender with barely any air to breathe. She felt sick from the constant movement and really regretted not putting on her seatbelt.
Looking outside the window, she realized that the car was charging towards the Wraith for a third time and assume that the monster was going to dodge at the last second like it always had.
To her surprise, the thing didn't evade. Instead, the Wraith placed its right hand in front of its body and caught the speeding car by its hood. The resulting collision didn't send the monster flying but merely moved it a few inches back. It blatantly displayed its demonic strength and shrugged off the kinetic energy a vehicle running at sixty miles per hour like it was nothing.
The car tilted forward as the airbags deployed. Blanc grunted when the back part of the car crashed down and her vision was suddenly filled with a white, soft, and silky fabric filled with air. Her head was still spinning and her eyes were still unfocused, it was like she was hit with a confusion status ailment after being hit hard. Just as she was about to regain her bearings, the car suddenly began to move again. By the way she was thrown back into her seat once more, the vehicle was going in reverse.
Her driver beat down the airbag with his arms and moved the car in reverse, putting as much distance as possible between the car and the monster. Blanc noticed the large dent on the car's front and immediately turned her gaze at the Wraith. However once she did, she realized that the monster was no longer there.
"Nope, nope, nope, nope," 'Niku' kept on muttering the same word as his hands flew around on the controls before resting both hand on the steering wheel and turning it, "What the hell is it with that thing?! He stopped the damned car with his bare-hands!"
The Goddess leaned forward and yelled at him, "That's a monster! A monster from my world! Don't you fucking get it?! That's why I fucking told you not to mess with it, you dumbass!"
CRASH
A black silhouette crouched on the hood of the car and punched through the windshield. The boy shielded his face from the shards with his left arm while he used his right to grab Blanc' head and push it back. Being handled so roughly, the Goddess was anything but happy being manhandled but the following scene immediately directed her rage to another being. Her driver's collar was pulled by the Wraith, dragging him out of the car and tossing him into the road.
The Wraith turned its attention towards the Goddess glaring at itself. The situation has finally turned for the worse and it seemed like a fight couldn't be avoid at the moment.
She blinked once and her eyes instantly changed into bright red, glowing with her divine power as she prepared to transform. The monster stepped up on the roof and brought its fist down, punching through the metal with its glowing right hand and tearing the steel off like wet paper.
"Eat this you piece of shit," Blanc released a thin beam of light from her outstretched palm, immediately hitting the Wraith on the head and knocking it off the roof. Just as it fell down, it immediately stood up and punch the window beside her with a pained shriek. Those crimson search lights still fixed on her with boiling hatred.
Sighing, the Goddess moved back in her seat to get out of the monster's reach, "Still not content with that, huh?"
She still in her human form since she decided that it was best to conserve her energy whenever it was possible. She raised her hand in order to fire off another beam of light yet just as she was about to do so, a person suddenly tackled the monster to the ground. Getting over her surprise, she kicked the door in her way open and exited the car. She came across the sight of 'Niku' getting punched in the gut and knocked into the ground.
A number of things happened at that moment.
Blanc saw the driver boy smile while the Wraith turned its head towards her direction. It radiated an aura of pure murderous intent as it clenched its glowing hand into a fist. With a wild roar it took its first step towards the Goddess before going into a dash. That was when a black car passed by the CPU just by inches and rammed straight into the monster, sending it flying into the air and into the ground.
The car spun once and turned its headlights at the fallen monster, three intimidating looking men exiting it and started pulling out their individual lacrosse sticks. One of the men quickly went to the chauffeur boy's side to have a look at his injuries while another went to Blanc's side as if to guard her. Finally, a last person stepped out of the car and walked a few feet away from the monster.
It was Old Lady Hana bearing a cold and stiff expression as she looked at the Wraith with disgust. Of course, the monster merely glared at her with its red eyes in response.
In the quiet night of the twenty eighth of October, the old woman's voice rang out loud and clear, "So you are the psychopath I have been hearing about? You're exactly as I imagined. Violent, bloodthirsty, insane, reckless and foolish. Assaulting the people of this town is the same as assaulting my own family. For that, I cannot forgive you. I shall make you pay for the injuries you've caused my employee, I shall make you pay for even looking at my grandson's precious friend, and I shall make you pay for even breathing even the same air as us humans…. A hundredfold. Men, teach this beast the taste of your weapons."
"Understood," responded the body guards as they charged at the Wraith.
Blanc raised her hand to stop them yet it was already too late, "Hold on a second!"
Contrary to her expectations, the Wraith did not counterattack. Instead, put some distance between the guards and itself with one kick on the ground. It turned around with its tattered cloak billowing in the air as it reached inhuman speeds. The guards didn't give chase and instead went to put their attention to tending to the injured 'Niku'. One of the men pulled out a radio from his pocket and ordered what sounded like a full lock down of the estate.
The direction the Wraith was headed was the mansion.
Blanc blacked out a second later.
When Blanc woke up, she wished that she never regained consciousness. Her eyes opened to the lime green ceiling of her room, her body wrapped in a comfortable blanket with a wet towel placed on her head. The first person she saw at her side was Dom who was silently playing a game in a handheld console. The gender-bent girl told her the time and that she already knew everything that happened from her grandmother. It was a mere hour after her encounter with the Wraith and her collapse.
The sky was still dark outside and the crickets played their little tune as the world around them slept. Dom didn't say much other than to be careful when using her powers, the Share Deprivation was beginning to kick in and she said that she had no intention of letting what happened to Ram be the same for the Goddess. Blanc rubbed her forehead in irritation as she assured her companion that she didn't have to worry.
A servant then came in telling the CPU that she needed to be in the receiving room to answer some of the police's questions. It was understandable since she was considered one of the psychopath's victims, the only one who was conscious during her entire encounter. Dom wished her luck as she exited her room.
The interrogation took two hours into the night.
The first hour was spent asking the chauffeur boy 'Niku' about his view on the encounter. Despite his strange personality the entire time Blanc was with him, he answered the questions given to him with a calm demeanor and a bright smile on his face. It was like the nightmarish experience never happened at all. Blanc was only present to confirm the boy's statements. The police never noticed that he was an under aged youth currently working as a driver.
The next hour was then used to questioning Blanc. Now see here, the Goddess didn't really know how to interact with any other human from the world she was in other than Dom, Dia, the old woman, and the strange chauffeur. So when the burly men in blue with their rugged face and stern attitude started asking her in a rather forceful manner as if she were the culprit himself, she couldn't help but give them a silent message of 'Keep using that tone on me and I'll kill you' while staring at them with her indifferent eyes.
At the side with his face patched up because of his injuries, 'Niku' let out a silent chuckle as he watched two grown men break out in cold sweat at the presence of a young petite girl. They decided to be more respectful and reserved by the next batch of questions.
They were not aware of the Wraith's true nature and they had no business in knowing the full details. She told them on how she encountered the culprit at the shrine after investigating on her own, she told them how the culprit chased her after she and 'Niku' called for an ambulance, she told them how the culprit pursued them while heavily damaging their vehicle with all sorts of equipment.
Telling them that they were up against a monster would either make them laugh or scare them even further. The Goddess was sure about one thing though… That these men had no chance should they encounter that Wraith. By the time the interrogations ended, Blanc was already physically and mentally drained. She didn't get enough sleep even after passing out.
Once she was released, she immediately went back to her room. She wasn't surprised to see that Dom had disappeared where she had left her yet that didn't bother her at all. Her fragile looking body collapsed on the futon as she buried her head on her pillow. She let the Wraith get away and she had wasted much of her power in the process. Her entire existence was beginning to break down and she could feel her power ebbing away.
If she left, would the conflict caused by the Phenomena be solved too? If she left, then would the Wraith disappear as well? Thinking about it hurt her head even more. If that thing was left running around the Real World then it would cause problems for the people of this side. Goddesses seemed to be the only ones not allowed to stay put in this dimension due to the lack of Shares, meaning that monsters who had no need for Share energy to sustain themselves wouldn't be affected and that they could exist in the Real World for as long as they wanted.
That would indeed be a problem.
She changed her position so that she would be facing her ceiling. Raising her hand to her eyes, she watched as her hand become slightly transparent before returning back to normal. She felt nothing at the brief transition yet she wondered how the others felt when they saw their bodies on the verge of disappearing. A sigh escaped her a she closed her eyes to drift off to sleep.
Her worries didn't come to end at that point though. Dom forcefully opened the sliding door open and stomped into her room. The gender-bent girl started to rant and tell her off for sneaking around in the middle of the night and getting herself into trouble. Fifteen minutes into the sudden lecture, Blanc was tired, sleepy, and hungry, so it was natural for her to do the most logical thing possible. She went outside to cool her head, though not before imbedding Dom's head into the tatami mats.
Fatigue got her for a moment yet she kept on walking on the wooden hallways. She eventually reached the rock garden which could be normally seen back when she spoke with Old Lady Hana. Dawn had come and the sky was a cool shade of blue. A peaceful sight to end her hellish night, Blanc really wished that she hadn't went out to investigate.
But if she didn't, she wouldn't be able to confirm Mages' theory.
This was going to be a tricky riddle to solve. At most, she had until the coming night to resolve everything or at least minimize the damage the Wraith would cause at the festival…
A sigh escaped her as she muttered to herself, "The way I am now, could I really do it?"
…..
….
…
That was five hours ago. Blanc merely had a few hours to come up with a plan to subdue the Wraith during the festival. She should be able to come up with one if she were alone, unfortunately, fate seemed to be keen in toying with her at every turn. At the moment, she was currently in a bind. A situation that even with her Goddess powers she wouldn't be able to escape.
"Do I really have to wear that?" she asked while shuddering.
Old Lady Hana stared at her with a look of disbelief while holding up a beautiful orange white yukata in her arms, "Why of course! A lady shouldn't be going to an important event in such a crude dress!"
So you're saying my sense of fashion is crude? Thought Blanc as she looked at her default outfit of a customize shrine maiden clothing before replying out loud, "You don't really have to bother with getting me a dress or anything. I'll be fine. If anything, you could be dressing up your grandchild with that thing in my place."
"No. There's no need to be shy, young lady. You're curious on how our culture works, yes? Then you should be involving yourself in our traditions and abide them if you wish to learn anything," the elder woman moved about as she fixed the surrounding area of the room, the yukata dress still in her arms, "Besides, for a girl as such as yourself, you seem to be too stiff. In the old days of our world, warriors would usually celebrate and sing and dance before marching off to battle. Shouldn't you do the same in the situation you're currently in?"
The Goddess still doubted whether the old woman knew anything at all or not. Nevertheless, she shouldn't let her guard collapse over something like this.
"Now strip," ordered Old Lady Hana.
Blanc's guard shattered as if a sledgehammer had just hit a glass wall. She could still hear the glass fragments fall in the background.
Her jaw hung open while her eyes were wide as chocolate coins, her cheeks were flushed due to the rising embarrassment, "W-W-What the hell?!"
"To use such vulgar language… Just how did your parents raise you?" the elder woman tsked as she placed a hand on the Goddess' shoulders, "Changing into these clothes is quite hard so you'll need help. You won't be able to do it alone, you know?"
"No! I'll do it on my own! Listen, lady, I'm not going to change if it has to come to that!" protested the CPU as she started to crawl away.
"Hush, it'll be over in a minute. Now stay still and let me take off your clothes," Old Lady Hana's grip suddenly tightened which somehow caused the shorter girl to wince, "My, my, such a doll like figure you have."
"Lady, that came out the wrong way! Now let me go! Hey!"
Fortunately for Blanc, nothing precious was taken from her.
…..
….
…
Dom set her phone on her right with Histoire's Page on her left. She sat on the floor, staring at the rock garden tired eyes. Her forehead, neck, and brain all hurt from her companion's monstrous strength of driving her head into the floor. If the ground were cemented or tiled, then she would've died back then. Instead of complaining loudly about being slammed into the floor, she settled for going for a walk. Having a cranky Goddess to look after wasn't a fun job, yet by letting said Goddess blow off some steam by sacrificing her body, it would've been worth the pain.
She glanced at the phone and booted it up, her own feminine reflection staring back at her before the screen went white. Staring at a lone video file in the folder, she labeled it as 'important' before switching the phone off. With that, she finally sighed and lied on her back.
"That should do it for now," she muttered as a yawn escaped her lips. With all the hubbub going on in town, it was surprising that they're still going to let the festival go on. The traditions of old people sure are tenacious, so tenacious that it was scary.
Now that she thought about it, Blanc had gone missing once again. She couldn't find her anywhere in the mansion along with Old Lady Hana. A shiver ran down her spine. If those two are missing, then Dom was sure as hell that her grandmother was doing something unspeakable. She should be thankful she hasn't caught her grandmother's attention despite her feminine looks. A sigh escaped her as she realized that she was still a woman. It would be nice if she turned back into a guy at that moment.
She began to break out cold sweat. Wasn't she getting a little too comfortable with her current body? Well, a few days ago she considered it a living and awkward hell yet now she was even casually lazing about like normal. Was this the beginning of her male side's collapse? If so, would the feminine habits she acquired during her time as a girl persist when she turns back to normal?
No… Could she even turn back into a guy in the first place?
"Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap! I want my man card back! This isn't fair! I hate this setting, someone change it please!" panic got the better of her so she began rolling on the floor like a log down a hill. Her insistent babbling bordered to that of a madness mantra that passing servants could only give her a look of pity and a shake of their heads.
It was only when a foot halt her movements did she stop and look up. Blanc's expressionless eyes stared at her surprised ones before her jaw was jammed open as she moved away from the Goddess while crawling backwards. Just what the hell was she wearing?
Blanc wasn't her usual clothes of a black top in her white jacket and orange skirt but a bright orange kimono with a bright blue sash. She did not wear her usual funny hat as well, in its place were two orange hairclips the shape of leaves. All of it complemented the CPU's doll like features, exuding an incomparable beauty. Dom had to blink twice to see if she wasn't dreaming or if this person was the same Blanc she knew. There was no way a cute girl like this could be that vulgar, foul mouthed, violent, ungrateful little midget she had to put up with.
This wasn't in the DLC costumes… thought Dom as she gulped down the lump in her throat.
Now that she thought about it, this girl was a Goddess. Aren't Goddess supposed to be beyond a human's definition of beauty? Shouldn't they be the pinnacle of perfection and grace that just a mere sight of them could make the most blood thirsty warrior kneel down to worship them? She didn't know if it was the work of the Divine powers or just Blanc being herself, but somehow just by looking at the CPU slightly blinded her.
She'll definitely stand out in a crowd.
"Oi, you've been staring at me for the past two minutes. Histoire help me if you dare say anything about me adorable again," the Goddess approached the still stiff gender-bent girl and sat down beside her, "Once you turn back into a guy, I'll crush it with my hammer if you dare say anything now."
C-C-Crush what exactly? Thought Dom as she averted her gaze to someplace else. Staring any longer would be bad for her eyes, "So… what'd you come out here for?"
"Your grandmother heard from the servants that you were going insane. She told me to talk to you since you were looking for me," replied the Goddess as she crossed her arms, "You realize how stuffy this thing is? I can barely breathe! And the skirt is too damn long! Your grandmother had to cut it to my knee so I can move around."
"I'm surprised she even got you one. Shouldn't you be more grateful?" asked the gender-bent girl.
Blanc shot him a glare before snarling, "I never asked for it!"
"Bitch, bitch, bitch… It's your fault for—" Dom stopped short at the deadly look the CPU was giving him.
"You're not going to say 'adorable' are you? Because if you are…" the wooden floor underneath the Goddess' hands uttered a loud gran before snapping.
A pregnant silence soon followed and the two were left with no choice than to enjoy the scenery to pass the awkward minutes. Sometimes, Dom just wanted to be left alone to her own devices. Sure that she was looking for the Goddess a few hours ago yet now she just wanted peace. Even if she shooed away the CPU now, she'll only get an earful for her effort.
"Twelve people, huh? Twelve people… That's three times the number yesterday," Dom had to change the topic before things got out of hand, "man, the culprit sure knows how to add up the body count."
Blanc lowered her head and gripped her skirt, "I… I could've caught him, you know? It's just that my luck kind of ran out."
Remembering what her companion told her earlier, the gender-bent girl said, "That thing was a monster and a high leveled one at that. You expect to win against something you usually gang up on with your friends? Soloing a boss isn't something wise to do in an RPG but when it comes down to it, you'll need a lot of preparations to do before taking it on."
"Preparations? Hah! Just how the hell could I prepare when I can feel my own power being drained from me? I can only transform once now and using two beam shots last night drained me more than usual," Blanc lied on her back and stared at the cloudy sky, "This sucks... I can't fight like this… I'll probably lose the next time I meet that thing and nothing's going to stop it from screwing this world upside down."
"If it's like that, then just wait till the next Goddess comes around and let her deal with it," proposed Dom as she crossed her arms, "If you do that, you'll be safe from thinking too much. Seeing you erratic like that is getting on my freakin' nerves."
At her companion's words, the CPU couldn't help but sit up, "Whoa! I am not letting other people clean up my mess! I'm ending this tonight even if I had to take that thing out with explosives!"
"Hey the explosives thing is going too far, chill out a little," pointed out the gender-bent girl, "Besides, I'll clean it up myself if I have to. Maybe I can send it back the same way I could do to you Goddesses. If I can get a few people to lure to the portal gate, it'll be back in Gamindustri in no time. For now, you should focus on relaxing since your vacation's coming to an end. Even if you do plan on doing anything, the only chance you'll get to be in equal footing with the thing would be tonight. It'll be up to you if you go all out and end it right then and there or lose. However, your safety is still my responsibility otherwise Dia would kill me. Understand?"
A hand grabbed Dom's head and pushed it down, Blanc then said with her teeth gritted, "Get off your high horse, you dumbass! Who the hell do you think you're talking to, huh?! I'm a freakin' Goddess and I'm not going to go around getting told off by a kid like you, understand, you pervert?! I'm going to do what I want when I want and when I do something I get it done! Got that!?"
"Ow, ow, ow! You're breaking my neck!" squealed Dom as she attempted to pry off the Goddess' hands, "I get it already, you're a big girl now! Let me go!"
The CPU sat back down on the floor and crossed her arms, "One of these days, I'm going to rip your tongue out… Geez, it's not like you could do anything against that monster though, you're just human after all. A strange one though. But still. You should be more concerned on what kind of consequences this world would have if news of the Wraith's existence got out, right?"
"I am concerned. But I can guarantee you that once you leave, it won't bother anyone again," assured the gender-bent girl as she placed her arms behind her head.
Blanc however, didn't like how laid back her companion was acting, "How could you be so sure? There's no proof that if I leave, that thing won't hurt anyone anymore. I'm the cause of the Phenomena and the only thing that would stop the event would be to eliminate that Wraith. Do you know something I don't?"
"What gives you that idea?" replied Dom with a sunny smile.
SMACK
When Dom opened her eyes, the Goddess was already walking away and turning around the corner. She was lying on the ground with her body too heavy to move, all she could do was listen to Blanc's footsteps fade away. She could've sworn she just heard the word 'idiot' be snarled at the distance.
"Aw damn… My head hurts… "she groaned as she rubbed her head with her right hand, the soft fabric her bandage tickling her sore head, "She never holds back doesn't she..?"
Now her hand began to hurt too.
Festivals:
An occasion for feasting or celebration, especially a day or time of religious significance that recurs at regular intervals.
A textbook definition from a dictionary.
It was Blanc's first time attending one since the difference of the event itself and the parties her neighboring nations threw was quite wide. The first thing that hit her were the people. There were hundreds of them swarming all over the place, so many that the Goddess felt dizzy just by looking at their sheer numbers. There were families, tourists, travelers, campers, couples, students, old people young people, and a number of people whom may or may not been native to Japan. All of them seemed to be having a good time.
The various shops scattered at the side of the roads which led all the way from the shrine to the town's oversized park were bustling with activity, successfully gathering the attention of the masses so as not to clog up the streets with the bodies of a hundred people. Orange lights matched the autumn theme of the festival and the rowdy noises of the nearby parade in town reached all the way to the shrine.
At the moment, Blanc was back where she first encountered the Wraith. She was at the foot of the shrine's stone steps, at the circular area which overlooked the brilliant lights of the town below. Walking around her were people dressed in similar clothes as her, long skirted and sleeved dresses with bright colors and matching sashes. It didn't seem like such dresses were restricted to girls only though the boys' clothes had their own distinct style.
The food stands that she caught sight in the town were also present at the foot of the shrine. She managed to identify takoyaki, yakisoba, yakitori, grilled lampreys, and okonomiyaki stands from the various food stalls lined up at the sides. Reading a lot of reference books regarding Japanese cuisine seemed to have its perks. She couldn't wait to try them out and decide which ones would definitely sell in Lowee. Maybe she should have them given as free samples along with the products she sells. That way, Lowee wouldn't be only technologically advanced once she reforms the transportation status, the country itself would be famous for its dishes.
A fool proof plan that would force the other Goddess' jaws into the ground.
Alas, she had other things to attend to at the moment. Namely, waiting for her companion to arrive and take her around. Now Blanc was never the type to get herself lost so there wasn't any reason that she should need her so called companion in the first place. In fact, she would be better off on her own since it would be hard conducting an investigation on the Wraith's whereabouts with excess baggage. Unfortunately, her companion was strongly against of her being alone.
If only that fool would hurry up then there would be no need for standing around like this. She had already surveyed the area for the Wraith's energy signature and found the entire shrine free of its presence. The place should be safe for now. She had until dawn. Otherwise if she planned on attacking the Wraith the following night then it would be a sure of fire defeat. This was her only chance… Now however…
A shiver ran down Blanc's spine followed by a wave of a fatigue passing through her.
It all lasted a second and before she could even wonder about it, a familiar person came by and greeted her.
"Yo! Sorry to keep you waiting," called a high pitched voice. It came from a girl breakthrough the crowd dressed in a green jacket with an orange t-shirt underneath. Instead of a dress or a long skirt, she wore a pair of brown pants and orange sneakers. Her long silky black hair was tied into a pony tail and the way she smiled gave off a tomboyish vibe.
She gave the Goddess raised eyebrow before crossing her arms, "Well… Shall we go?"
The reason for the tomboyish part would be the fact that this girl was actually a boy just a few days ago.
"You're pathetic, you know that? You can't keep a girl waiting in this kind of place you know?" replied Blanc with a deadpan look and indifferent tone, she managed to shake off the previous feeling and refused to allow it to show on her face. Her words would normally feel like knives cutting through one's skin yet it seemed like her companion was immune to this abuse having gotten used to it.
The boy turned girl, Dom, let out a tired sigh and scratch the back of her head, "Cut me some slack. I just had to go on a lecture by grandmother on being delicate and stuff. Strange how she's not questioning my appearance anymore though. Did something happen?"
"Like I would know anything. If you're done prattling, we better get a move on. The Wraith could be attacking anywhere. The sooner we search, the more area we could cover," Blanc gave her companion quick look before walking off at a random direction.
"Good grief…" the gender-bent girl followed suit without any more protest.
The two then entered the buzzing crowd. While Blanc was under the mission of 'search and destroy', Dom was more on looking out for her so that she wouldn't get herself into trouble. The gender-bent girl knew from experience that if Goddesses were left alone in a large number of people, explosions were sure to follow. Though, once in a while she would glance at her companion's face. The usually stoic expression the CPU had was there yet her eyes glinted with a curious light.
Without their divinity and strange origins, the Goddesses were indeed just normal girls with personality quirks in the end. Up ahead was the Mikoshi parade with the surrounding people cheering or taking pictures of the festival. Naturally, Blanc was drawn in the commotion and Dom had to follow. The uneasy expression the shorter girl had disappeared the more they walked around. They went down town on foot and they had to catch their breaths once or twice before moving on.
On the way, Dom suggested they got something to drink to cool their dry throats.
"Hey…" the CPU tugged at the gender-bent girl's sleeves, "What flavor should I get?"
The ex-male protagonist raised an eye brow as she stood before a stall that sold crushed ice. Glancing down at her companion, Dom placed a hand on her hip as she responded, "You don't have these stuff in your world? Just pick a flavor that you'll like and be done with it."
"Are you daft? I'm not going to randomly pick out something I don't know about and regret buying it later," Blanc crossed her arms and gave the gender-bent girl a pointed look.
"It's my money you know…" reminded Dom in a pathetic tone before turning to face the menu, "Let's see…"
"What are those things anyway? Why are they putting syrup on ice? Is it like ice cream?" asked the Goddess as did her best to stand on her toes to get a better look, "That machine… I have something like that in our storage facilities though only bigger in size. I wonder how much syrup would it need to be sweetened. The way it's being made is too beautiful to be simply called 'crushed ice food."
"Then how about naming it yourself once you get back home. I'm sure sales would skyrocket if something undiscovered from your world would be exploited," said the gender-bent girl to Blanc before finally choosing her flavor, "Sky River flavor please and get this girl a White Angel… Lots of milk too."
The man behind the counter gave her a smile and said, "Coming right up!"
Taking two empty cups from beneath the counter, the man made smooth and fluid movements while making a mountain of shaved ice on each cup before performing an exaggerated motion of pouring a pure white layer of white syrup and milk on the second cup and blue syrup on the first cup. After placing a spoon on each cup similar to throwing a dart on a board, the clerk happily served the two girls their orders with a smile.
"Order up for two beautiful customers," said the clerk before waving the duo good bye.
Dom held her cup and spoon on either hand, feeling a little down when someone else pointed out her current gender. Blanc on the other hand didn't seem to be paying her any attention and seemed intent on deciding what verdict she should give the flavor she got. In the end, she turned towards the gender-bent girl and gave her the thumbs up. All that they needed were a few confetti and the affect would've been magnified.
They continued their journey in silence before they finally reached the bustling streets of the usually sleepy town. The parade was still going on yet somehow the people's attentions was diverted into another place. That place would be the duo's current location. Apparently, a petite girl with otherworldly looks and breathtaking appearance was enough to glue the surrounding boys and gentlemen's eyes on her. She gave off an innocent charm that sent their jaws dropping on the floor.
The young girls and various maidens on the other hand had their hearts taken away by the dazzling beauty at the girl's side. The boyish air which surrounded her didn't make her any inferior to her companion's looks. It simply made her existence eye catching and it didn't take long for the ladies to swoon after her.
Though that might be making it exaggerated. Dom felt weird having this much attention drawn to her. She wasn't really used to this kind of thing and would dearly loved it if she wore something more inconspicuous to hide from the people's gazes. She had the CPU to blame for this stupid thing.
Suffice to say that Dom and Blanc stood out in the crowd.
They only lingered in town for a few minutes before Blanc confirmed that the Wraith was nowhere near there. The gender-bent girl only thought that it was a waste of time yet she was thankful that they could get away from those admiring gazes. She took note to destroy that one law of genderbending and toss it into the deepest pits of hell.
Heading back to the shrine, the two collapsed on a nearby bench in exhaustion.
"Are you… sure that you're searching for that thing properly..?" gasped Dom as she did her best to breathe in as much air as she could while resting her sore legs.
Blanc didn't look too good either seeing her disheveled appearance as she growled back at her companion, "If you can do a better job then be my freakin' guest…"
"We've been running around in circles and there haven't been any reports on people getting assaulted. Besides, it doesn't look like we're searching anyway. You're just using that thing as an excuse for sightseeing," replied the gender-bent girl in a weak manner.
"Hah! Sightseeing?! As if I'll get anything useful from that, you retard! Damn, we just have to keep looking. It's gotta be here somewhere," the Goddess insisted on the notion as she forced herself to stand up. However her legs had other ideas and refused to follow her will. With a sigh of frustration she grumbled, "Just how can these people endure walking around like this? I just don't see the reason…"
"If you're directing that question to me then you're asking the wrong person. I haven't exactly actively participated in festivals unless I'm dragged into them," replied the gender-bent girl.
The CPU lifted her head and said, "So who drags you into them then? That girl back in the city?"
"She has a name you know," reminded Dom.
"I feel sorry for Dia. You're kind of lucky, you know?"
"Ah… right… Your backstory. You barely had anyone with you, right? Fat dude aside and your other ministers, you were all on your own, hm?"
"Weren't you the same?"
"Did that old lady tell you?"
"Wow, you're pretty sharp. Did you eavesdrop?" Blanc crossed her arms as she stared at the sky, the orange glow of the surrounding stalls peeking at the edge of her vision.
Dom let out a snort, "As if. Who wouldn't notice you and grandmother spend most of your time together? So what did you talk about?"
"Not much… Just boring chats…" muttered the Goddess, "You were pretty pathetic from what I've heard."
"Is that so, huh? Congratulations, you're the first Goddess to ever pry on my life story. Were you entertained?" the gender-bent girl put spitefully with every word dripping with sarcasm, "Honestly I don't know where I went wrong. I was just content living my life the way it was and now here I am… Stuck here walking in circles with you…"
The CPU turned her gaze at the people passing by, their laughter and the faint sound of music at the distance filling her ears yet despite the noise; she could hear her companion clearly as if they were alone in a room. Tuning out the rest of the world, the two merely sat on the bench, passing the time…
"So I'm a pain in the ass, huh? Is that what you're saying?" said Blanc.
"No. All of you Goddesses are. You're all freakin' annoying. All of you get under my skin one way or another. You all break my view on my reality on a daily basis with your powers…" Dom uttered a heavy sigh as she said, "I could've lived my life without bothering with you people."
"So why stick to us? Can't you just leave us alone? You aren't under any obligation to help us anyway," the Goddess sat up and stared at her companion with a serious look, "Why bother if you're not going to do anything but whine? Just because you know where we come from and who we are and what we're capable of, it doesn't mean that you and your friend need to get yourselves involved with us. We never asked for your help yet you offered it anyway even when you knew the consequences….. Five Goddesses… Why would you bother helping us to this extent?"
The gender-bent girl did not answer her immediately. When she did, Dom's face was free of any emotion, "'Why' indeed… Didn't I answer this question last time already? Hmm, I guess not. Probably a false memory. Well… It's not like I have a chronic Hero syndrome that I'll go out of my way to help someone. I can't give out a half-assed answer like 'I was bored' or 'I had no other choice'."
"So..?" urged Blanc.
"So it wasn't me who offered to help you all."
"What? What do you mean?"
"That was Dia. If I didn't do what that girl says then I'll be in for a beating of my life. That girl was the first one who jumped into every single problem she saw. She's the one with the chronic Hero syndrome. That time with Neptune, Rom and Ram… Nepgear… She was the one who did most of the leg work. I might've rubbed off her idealism a bit during Peashy's stay… But if that girl didn't exist then I would've abandoned you all like any other sensible person."
"So she's the one responsible on the way you act?"
"You could say that. Because… Just between you and me, I would've liked it better if you all didn't come to my life. It's selfish, but I would've been happier that way."
Blanc stared at her feet as she leaned forward. She didn't know how to feel about that. She didn't consider what her companion would be thinking in the face of getting involved with things beyond her dimension. Living normally… This person was strange to think that way. Looking at it from another teenager's perspective, one would be ecstatic at the idea of another world existing. And yet Dom… She wanted nothing to do with it.
The Goddess thought back on the words she had in her mind during her conversation with Old Lady Hana. About what more could a person like her companion want when involved that looked like something out of a novel. This person wasn't helping the Goddesses out of kindness, Dom was helping them to rid them out of her life.
This was the undeniable truth.
Blanc turned her gaze upwards and stood on her feet, "We'll check the shrine area again. We're looking for a moving target after all so there might be traces of it scattered around there— huh?"
There was a distant explosion and the people around the duo suddenly came to a halt as they were bathed in multi colored lights. The crowd let out gasps of amazement as the sky was filled with colorful starbursts while the two girls merely stared and watched.
"So the fireworks have started, huh? Looks like the place is going to be as lively as ever. Hey, you okay? You don't look so good," Dom tilted her head as she poked the Goddess who seemed to be swaying on the spot.
Blanc felt a throbbing pain at the bridge of her nose which was sending a buzzing sensation into her brain. Her vision began to darken as she fought to maintain her balance. It was then did her companion take the initiative to hold her steady, causing her to look up at the taller girl, "I'm fine. Just a headache…"
"Headache, huh? Look at your legs."
At the gender-bent girl's words, the CPU looked down on her feet and it suddenly felt like there were butterflies in her stomach. The symptoms were getting worse at an advanced pace seeing that random parts of her limbs were beginning to flicker like a candle light. This… shouldn't be possible.
A chill went down Blanc's spine the more she looked, causing her to let out a frustrated growl, "D-Damn… I haven't cleared much yet…"
"Sit down for a while and don't you dare move or wander. I'm going to get some snacks since you're obviously spent," Dom let the CPU sit down on the same bench they collapsed on and patted her head, "Stay. I'll be right back."
"Hold on a sec."
"Hm?"
The Goddess placed her hand on the gender-bent girl's injured one on her head. One wouldn't really notice it due to the black haired girl wearing long sleeved jacket which reached all the way to her palms. Yet Blanc felt the soft fabric of the bandage wrapped around the slender hand.
Dom furrowed her eyebrows and asked in a concerned tone, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine…" Blanc's fringe hid her expression from her companion's gaze, "You go on ahead…"
"Alrighty then. See ya…"
Dom's footsteps soon faded into the noise of the people around the Goddess. She was now on her own sitting on the bench, her fists were trembling as she gritted her teeth. Lifting her head up, she kept a sharp glare at the direction where her companion had gone.
Her lips parted and a low growl escaped them, "So… It's you after all, huh? You little prick…"
Gah… I thought she was just having after effects from coming in contact with that chip. Should've been sharper, if only I've noticed earlier. Shit, how could I screw up this bad..? she thought as she stood up and began walking in a dazed manner towards the path the gender-bent girl took, I managed to get a breather now… So that's why my Shares are going down the drain… It's whenever I'm with her…
Blanc squeezed through a bunch of people and emerge on the other side of the crowd. Looking around, there was no sign of Dom anywhere on the nearby stalls. It seemed like they were both in their limits. Placing a hand on her forehead, the Goddess got rid of the remaining fatigue in her mind through her own will. With this, she should be able to search for her companion.
The far-away beating of drums was now in sync with her heart. The fireworks in the sky were still being shot so that there weren't much people moving about. Somehow, the bright orange lights dimmed a bit and the nearby music grew fainter. The chills she was feeling were increasing at an alarming rate and this was just from Dom leaving her side.
Did that person know? Was Dom aware of everything? Why did she leave unnaturally like so? Was this the reason she seemed so laid back regarding the Wraith's assaults?
She closed her eyes and breathed in a lungful of air. She pooled her power unto one invisible point within the palm of her hand. Raising it into the air, she clenched her hand into a fist which then caused her energy to scatter in all directions. She should be able to find her companion easily this way, it's basically similar to having eyes and ears everywhere. Omniscience, an ability useful when traversing a particularly dangerous dungeon.
However just as she was about to expand her search, she instead managed to find the existence of four anomalies…. All headed towards her with great speed….
The Goddess held her breath and spun around towards one of the anomalies' direction. She felt around with her power and a sudden wave of coldness went under her skin. It was as if her stomach did a somersault as she received the feedback from her scattered energy.
The number of anomalies were increasing not just four, but seven… nine… twelve…sixteen… twenty anomalies from every direction.
She was surrounded in a circular formation and yet… There were no suspicious people among the festival goers.
That's what she thought. A flash of red caught her attention which then immediately caused her to turn, her hands clenched into fists with her entire being poised to react to the slightest disturbance. Twenty anomalies to one and there were still some civilians among the people around. She couldn't transform even if she wanted to in fear that the bystanders could be caught in the ensuing fight.
Pain flashed through her mind as the Share Deprivation symptoms began to act up once more. At that moment, a few people came to a halt. Gritting her teeth, Blanc looked up to see what had happened, only to find out rather chilling sight. Twenty or so festival goers had their heads turned towards her, their eyes bright red with their expressions frozen in an indifferent manner.
Looks like the party's about to start for real… she thought as she straightened herself up and let out a short sigh.
One thing that set the anomalies from the crowd though were the masks which they all wore. At a glance, they seemed to be nothing more than random people walking about and enjoying the festival with their families and friends yet to Blanc they spelt nothing but an incoming battle.
Something triggered their attention to be fixed on her. The sight of their stiff bodies earned the attention of the various companions. It would've been strange to see the person you were with stiffen all of a sudden and stare at distance with emotionless eyes. If she thought back to the story Dia had told her about Ram and Rom's incident, Blanc guessed that these people were brainwashed the same way as those civilians that harassed the twins. They're being controlled… By that chip Dom took from the culprit of the incident, Kirika Yoshimura.
Back then, Dia assumed that the chip was destroyed since Dom had told her that he crushed it with his foot. Unfortunately for Blanc, the present situation told her otherwise.
The chip was not destroyed, Dom has it and it was controlling these people.
TAP
Upon hearing the noise, Blanc ducked low to avoid an arm swiping from her back. At that moment, she felt the nineteen other brainwashed people close in on her. Breaking through their ranks would be impossible without injuring at least one of them. Letting out a frustrated growl, she pushed the woman who attacked her before kicking off the ground and jumping into the air. She shot off like a cannonball into the distance, putting a large gap between her and her pursuers.
Apparently, her little stunt didn't go unnoticed. A number of people formed a clearing for her to land, taking out their phones to take her photo. She wasn't exactly feeling photogenic at the moment so she rushed through the crowd before her with the anomalies hot on her tail.
She ran in the middle of the street with food stalls lined up everywhere. She went between two stands and dashed as hard as she could to her right. Behind her, she noticed ten people giving chase, pushing down civilians that got in their way. Looking up ahead, she caught sight of two people matching her speed on either side of her while a few more anomalies were waiting up ahead to capture her. For a bunch of mindjacked individuals, they seemed to be adept in cooperating with each other.
Almost like a pack of wolves hunting down their prey.
"Oi! What the hell are you people doing?! Stop! All of you stop!"
"Hey who told you to run around! You're ruining everyone's night!"
About time you lazy asses got to work, thought the Goddess as a few men in blue got off their patrol cars and gave chase to her pursuers. They've managed to subdue five brainwashed people while the others are still on to Blanc. She ran up the shrine's stone steps as she breathed hard. It seemed like exhaustion was finally catching up to her.
The CPU almost collapsed at the shrine steps once she reached the top, however the sight of her hunters made her force her feet forward. A person who seemed to be the shrine maiden was performing some sort of ritualistic dance before the main shrine. Thinking quickly, she just found herself the perfect distraction. Aiming her finger at the unused fireworks from earlier, the Goddess released a superheated sphere of light into them.
By the time the anomalies caught up to her, the entire shrine was already enveloped in an colorful exploding chaos.
Blanc stood in the midst of the mayhem with a smirk on her face, "Try finding me in this mess, you retards!"
She jumped back into the screaming crowd and exploding fireworks, confident that she would be able to escape her pursuers at last. She dodged a passing woman and child before making her way towards the shrine. The shrine maiden was doing her best to keep the worshippers calm yet her efforts all seemed to be in vain.
Blanc went up to her and grabbed her hand while asking, "Can you tell me a place where I can hide?"
"E-Eh?" the green haired shrine maiden was caught off guard to being held all of a sudden yet once she realized it was just a girl in orange kimono, she immediately relaxed, "W-Well… Why might that be?"
"I'm being chased by a pervert, please I need your help!" urged the Goddess.
That did the trick; the shrine maiden pointed to her right and said, "You can hide at the storage shed nearby. I-I'll be calling the police after this! Yes! That's what I'll do! Lady Kanako is going to punish me for this…"
Muttering a word of thanks, Blanc sped off to the designated direction. She caught sight of the storage shed in question and made haste to get inside. Shutting the wooden door tight, she leaned with her back on the wall as she uttered a heavy sigh. She had never ran that hard in her entire life while in her human form. Usually, she would be exploding with rage and swinging her axe around like no tomorrow.
Sucks that I'm not allowed to do that. Unfortunately I'll have to play by this world's rules for now—MMPH!
A hand clasped on her mouth keeping her from making any sort of noise while another gripped tightly on her wrists to prevent them from lashing out. She tried to force herself free yet something akin to a titanic force held her back. She was caught and of all times too. Here she thought that she had lost her pursuers yet she had never been more wrong. If it had come to this then there was no choice but to go all out.
"Ahhh, that won't be the wisest decision you'll be making this evening," warned a boy's voice, a particularly familiar one too.
The next thing Blanc knew was that she was released before she turned around and brought her fists up. However a familiar face entered her vision as a finger sealed her lips. Overcoming her initial shock, Blanc gritted her teeth and let out a low growl, "You… Just who the hell are you?"
"Hehehe, just how many times have you asked that question? Are you a tape recorder or something?" asked the boy as his face was revealed by the light outside, "I'm 'Niku', commonly known as 'meat'. However that's during only my shifts. When I'm not 'Niku', I'm Adrian Dom's trusted confidant and classmate. A perfectly normal high school student looking to make a living by taking odd jobs, my name is Nick. Happy now?"
I used my full force to break free from his grasp. I should've broken his limbs should he attempted to resist yet not only did he subdue me, he managed to managed to sneak up on me without noticing too, the Goddess' mind was working on full gear now as she process what just happened, What… Is with this guy..?
"Unfortunately, you're only living on borrowed time so I'll get straight to the point. You're looking for Dom? Well he's at that place he always goes whenever he's down in the dumps. If you're really good at remembering, you should what that place is," Nick gave the CPU a cryptic smile as he moved towards the door, "I won't pry any further since I said that I had no intention of getting involved. What happens from now on will be up to you, miss. Good luck because there won't be a save point from here on out."
Before he can even leave, Blanc stepped forth and grabbed his arm and asked, "What are you..?"
"Not 'who' but 'what'? That kinda hurts my feelings," the boy let out a chuckle before exiting the storage house leaving the Goddess behind. A few seconds later, she followed suit and found out that outside was empty as if the boy had never left in the first place.
Blanc pursed her lips as she thought, Only two seconds passed yet he's already gone… That guy… He's not human…
Shaking her head and slapping her cheeks, she immediately dashed towards the east. She finally knew where Dom had gone so maybe she'll finally get her answers. She just hoped she wasn't too late…
The wind sang a sorrowful song at the distance while the trees rustled their leaves as they swayed. Clouds raced in the sky with the stars above them twinkling at the distance. The moon oversaw the bright earth below bearing witness to a lone girl running through the dense woodlands with all haste. Twigs and roots cracked underneath her feet while rarely did she thrust her hands forward to get rid of the bushes in her way. With every step she took, she could feel the chill around her thickening. A numb sensation began to spread all over her head yet she persevered and moved on.
Well, not that her perseverance lasted that long due to her summoning her hammer and demolishing the surrounding obstacles.
"Damn… The hell is with all of these trees?" Blanc swung her hammer as she dashed through the forest, obliterating three thick trees with on blow, "Feels like some prick left them here on purpose. Just where the hell is that lake? It should be around here somewhere…"
Planting one foot on the ground, she launched herself into the air, her body piercing though the dense roof of leaves and flying into the sky. She managed to jump a full building's height with her own strength alone so she should be able to see afar from her current location. While she was airborne, the Goddess looked at every direction around her. To the south were dark farmlands and lone cottages of the farmer, the town which she came from was at the east behind her, the north led towards the mountain ranges ten leagues from the forest, her destination was located northwest as her eyes spotted a large liquid mirror reflecting the moon's image.
A few seconds later she was back on the ground. Using the moon as a marker as well as the increasing chill around her, she determined the lake's location and distance. She continued smashing trees out of her way as she navigated through the forest. A few minutes later, she arrived at the lake.
Taking cautious steps towards the shore, Blanc rested her oversized hammer over her shoulder as she looked around. She contemplated whether to scatter her energy to search for Dom yet decided against it knowing what she was up against. It would've been better if she preserved her energy if anything happened.
Contrary to what Nick (previously 'Niku') said, the lake was empty and devoid of any activity. The wooden boat Blanc previously boarded with her companion was still on the shore they left it. Seeing that it was the only object out place in the scenery, the girl approached it with her footsteps muffled by the grass. Running a finger on its weathered sides, Blanc held the boat as she sighed.
Turning her gaze at the lake's still waters, she said, "If this were a novel, this part would be the climax of the story, where the Protagonist would go all out with the person responsible for the strings of unfortunate events. In this case, would it end in a duel where the winner will decide the ending? Tell me, Adrian, does that make me the Protagonist and you… the Villain? Doesn't matter… I'm going to get rid of that chip anyways… I just hoped I could've read the foreshadowing to avoid this plot. Right… Dummy?"
The Goddess turned to face the person thirty feet away from her. A person whom had just emerged from the shadows of the forest. Who she saw was the familiar figure of Adrian Dom's gender-bent body wrapped in a cloak with the face obscured by a hood.
Dom stared at the CPU with her red eyes and emotionless face. The bandage on her right hand was gone, revealing the pulsating orange glow of the Arfoire chip imbedded in her skin. Dark veins snaked from the chip all over her hand giving it a corrupted look. She stepped into the moonlight without saying anything, her expressionless face soon broke into a tired smile.
Finally, she replied, "You're right… Though this is partially my fault… Or rather... I arranged the whole thing…"
"The… Whole thing? You mean you were aware..?" Blanc didn't seem all surprised yet she asked anyway, "That rules out brainwashing then…"
"Heh, don't be mistaken. The chip has some effects on my mind too," the gender-bent girl lifted her hand to show the fragmented chip in her hand, "It's more along the lines off… 'Me not thinking straight' rather than 'brainwashing'. So… Should I tell you a few things about this chip to report back to your world..?"
"By all means," the Goddess merely tilted her head with a quiet voice.
Dom's smile increased as she began to pace around, "That's what I also thought when I encountered Kirika, when she said that it was the Arfoire Chip controlling her to go great lengths to exact her vengeance against Dia. It turns out it wasn't the case. The difference between her chip and my chip was that hers was a complete one, a whole chip bearing what was left of the Deity of Sin's power in the mk2 world. The information left in that chip probably gave her the knowledge about the dimensions, Gamindustri and you Goddesses. But there was nothing controlling her in the first place, you know?"
Blanc tightened her grip on her hammer yet she remained silent.
"Instead of the theory of mind control, it's more on the method of showing the host's true intentions. The power of the chip digs deep into the host's subconscious and brings about their greatest desires, thus overriding the consciousness of the host's mind with its influence all without the host noticing. A reason why Kirika was under the impression that she was still sane and normal despite having a parasite live in her body."
The gender-bent girl picked up a flat pebble from the ground and tossed it into the lake, watching it skip above the water before sinking.
"Another reason why I didn't notice anything changing despite being alert. Before I knew it, it was already too late and I was just a there for the ride. Though I gotta admit, it doesn't half bad, you know? The Deity of Sin's lingering hate with anything involved with the Goddesses grants the host superhuman abilities in exchange for a few prices. Its sole goal is to eradicate any CPU it comes across by any means necessary, using the host's knowledge and memories as a weapon. And of all people it could've possessed, it got me, someone who knows every minute detail about you CPUs…."
"I see… what can I do then?" the Goddess stared at her companion with great intensity.
Dom lifted two fingers and said, "One… You can get this chip off of me and everything about me would be reset. I'll lose my memories regarding the CPU and the changes that happened to me would be reverted back to zero, meaning that I'll go back into an insensitive prick. I'll be able to live a normal life then without getting involved in the Distortion Phenomena and I'll be home free… Or…."
Dom stared at Blanc with her crimson eyes and gave her a sad smile, "You can let me kill you…"
...
….
…
So that's what she's on to about… Looks like she gave two options that'll let her gain her goal in the end… Typical… the Goddess gritted her teeth as she lifted her hammer from her shoulder and held it with her two hands, You… You…. You escapist bastard!
"Is that your final answer?" asked the gender-bent girl.
"I'm going to beat the crap outta you and after that I'm going to tear that thing off your goddamned hand even if I have to rip your arm off!" Blanc roared furiously as she brandished her hammer, "After that' I'm going to make you fucking remember!"
She then charged in with her weapon raised. Swinging so fast that her hammer was a blur, Blanc half expected Dom's body flying away from her sheer brute strength. She was fortunate that she didn't fully such results that she managed to evade an incoming punch from the gender-bent girl's right hand. Planting her feet on the ground, she swung her hammer once more with enough force to create a gust of wind. Her weapon was too fast for the human girl to evade so she settled for minimizing the damage on her guarding arms.
Once she was pushed back, Dom rushed forward before leaping over the Goddess' weapon. Landing behind the shorter girl, she grabbed the CPU by the back of her kimono and roughly threw her into a tree. Grunting in pain, Blanc noticed her opponent closing in and immediately lifted her hammer.
There was a tiny shockwave resonating from the tip of the hammer as it was caught by Dom's glowing hand. With a smirk, she sent a vicious kick at the Goddess' gut before grabbing on the hammer's handle. Dazed from the attack, Blanc reacted too late from having her weapon taken from her that she didn't have enough strength to tug back. The hammer left her hands and she was immediately slammed by it into the tree, the sound of the thick trunk cracking behind her.
Footsteps echoed within her hazy mind as Dom came close. A moment later, a hand grabbed her by her collar and slammed her into another tree before another hand slowly choked her. Blanc had her feet dangling beneath her so she couldn't use anything for leverage to escape. Air was leaving her lungs the more she struggled and her opponent seemed to be intent on killing her for real.
"What's wrong? Aren't you supposed to be the most powerful strength-wise? Yet why the hell is your ass getting kicked by me?!" Dom gritted her teeth as she tightened her hold on the Goddess' windpipe, "You know what I wanted most, right?! I never wanted to be involved in your weird shits! I need you to fight back! Erase my damned memories! I don't care anymore! If you don't fight back then I will really kill you!"
"Fuck off…" gasped Blanc as her entire body began to shine. A powerful force threw Dom's body backwards into the ground with the CPU breathing heavily at the tree's roots.
"Yeah… I'll only fuck off when I get what I want… There isn't anyone here that could help me other than you though," the gender-bent girl stood up, "Why don't get serious too and end this?
The Goddess leaned on the tree trunk to support her weight. She threw her opponent a disgusted glare as she snarled, "Stop pretending… Stop pretending to be something you're not…"
"What are you talking about?" asked Dom with a tilt of her head.
"You said it yourself… This world… This is reality… So stop pretending that everything is just a fucking game!" yelled the CPU, "You're running away, you cowardly asshole! If you run away now then that's like saying that you just acted like you cared for us! I'm talking about Dia dragging you to help every time we appeared, I'm talking about those times when you were there to talk to us, to accompany us, to assure us that this fucking world isn't a terrifying place! You were there, you and Dia! Tell me, were those times all just lies?!"
The wind picked up as energy began to hum in the air. Blanc's body began to shine with blue light once more.
"I fucking hate you… When that purple idiot butted her nose into my life things changed for me. When I came to this world I think I changed again. I'm not going to lose you. I'm not going to let you turn that kindness you showed us into something empty. The kind of people I hate most are liars," the Goddess gritted her teeth as she clenched her fists, "And you're lying right now…"
BOOM
Wrapped in pure blinding radiance, Blanc's body was soon obscured from Dom's view. The resulting shockwave was strong enough to make the surrounding trees bend and the lake's waters create large ripples. The orange leaves from the withering trees were swept up by the sudden gust and were now circling the brilliant light as if guided by an invisible conductor.
Dom had to shield her eyes to keep them from being blinded. Her ears were ringing from the rising humming of the surrounding energy while the hair at the back of her neck stood up as she was near the transforming Goddess. The lights eventually died down and she lowered down her arms as she beheld Blanc's true form.
White Heart stood at a distance with her grand axe standing at her side. The roaring winds made the long strands of her hair fly around. She gripped her axe tightly before dashing forth. Too fast were her movements for Dom's eyes to see. She could only dodge the axe by a hair's breadth by diving to the side. Just as she was about to recover from the fall, a humming noise reached her right ear while she could feel the nearby warmth of hot metal.
The fight was over in an instant.
"Well? Here," the gender-bent girl sighed as she brought up her glowing hand. Stuck in her delicate palm was a jet black circuit chip surrounded by an eerie orange glow. She stared at the CPU's face for a moment before noticing the axe beside her neck tremble slightly.
Blanc gritted her teeth in her mixed emotions. Hate, rage, sadness, relief, a storm of emotions fought it out in her mind to be the most dominant one. With this, she should be able to solve the Phenomena… But at what cost?
"Serious, get on with it… I don't got time for your sappy speeches," grumbled Dom, "I only got a few seconds before I lose my sanity again. Now hurry up before I choke you to death again…"
"You're retarded, you know that?" the CPU pulled her axe away and reached for her companion's hand with her own. She expected the chill she had been experiencing to intensify when she held Dom's hand yet it was surprisingly warm. Holding on tight, she used the remainder of her energy to burn away the chip to a molecular level, all without hurting the gender-bent girl.
Once she let go, the chip imbedded on Dom's hand disappeared, breaking off into tiny pieces before vanishing. The light died and what was left were two girls sitting in the grass with an axe lying beside them. One girl was glowing with light blue power yet her body was gradually turning transparent due to the lack of Shares. The other girl was returning into her normal form of a guy.
Soon, Dom turned back to normal while White Heart continued on staring at the grass.
Silence reigned at the lake for a few moments yet it was the newly reverted boy who broke the ice, "You know… I'm going to miss being a girl… It showed me how hard it is to be a woman…"
"…."
"Well… At least I won't have to go through that again, aye? I think that's enough adventure for one lifetime."
"…."
"Oi, say something. It's not like I turned back into a dude that you're not going to talk to me again, are you?"
"Dumbass… Are you really okay with this?"
"It's a one way trip. Nothing I could do now. Shouldn't be long and I'll lose everything…"
"You had the chance to be involved in something extraordinary and you blew it… You must be some special kind of stupid."
"So what if I am?"
"…."
"Tell Neptune I said hi by the way. Well, that is… If you see her. Come on now, let's get you home," Dom uttered a tired sigh before standing up, brushing the dirt off of his pants and taking off the cloak he had. He folded it into a bundle before tossing it at the quiet Goddess before offering his hand, "You'll catch a cold."
White Heart stared at the hand in front of her for a few seconds before taking it.
Her attention was then turned towards the boy dressed in the green hoodie and brown pants as he took out a piece of paper from his pocket. After a few seconds, a shining purple portal came into existence, its interior similar to that of a swirling mass of clouds spinning endlessly. She was so immersed in looking at the portal's appearance that she was caught off guard by the sound of Dom collapsing on a nearby tree.
He clutched his throbbing forehead before looking up and saying, "Well? That thing's not going to be open forever and I'm starting to lose my memories. Get going…"
White heart said nothing and looked between him and the portal before her. Somehow, a bursting pain flashed across his mind which made him cringe and grip the nearby grass tight. The Goddess continued to stare at him as he struggled to remain conscious. Her lips uttered inaudible words before smiling and traversing through the purple light.
Not knowing how to reply, Dom gave his answer anyway, "You're welcome then."
And then everything faded into black.
"Hey, wake up. You're ruining the scenery."
Opening his eyes, the first thing he saw was the sky. It was clear with not much clouds hanging around. A flock of birds flew overhead and into the distance, disappearing into the horizon. Looking down a bit, he then beheld a calm lake surrounded by grassy green shores. At the edge of his vision was a wooden boat he used to use back in his childhood days. The scent of the nearby trees gave him a lungful of refreshing air. Just by smelling the air gave his sore body newfound energy. His head felt light as he rubbed the last traces of sleep from his eyes.
Though Dom had to ask himself this question, How did I get here?
"Oi, woke up, sleeping beauty?" asked a familiar voice and the boy immediately found Nick sitting under a nearby tree.
Dom rubbed his forehead as he sighed, "How long was I out?"
"Eight hours. Didn't move you since you were too heavy so I left you there for two hours with a couple of beetles crawling on your head," replied Nick in a casual tone. He then raised eyebrow as he found his friend staring at the distance and asked, "You okay there? The guards at the estate forced some alcohol into you so I'm half expecting you to puke right here right now."
"Hey… Did something happen last night?" asked Dom.
Nick paused for three seconds before saying, "No. Nothing happened last night other than you passing out here. Are you still dreaming?"
Dom stared at his hands and replied, "I don't know. It feels like I've been dreaming for a long, long time. I think I saw an angel..."
He then stood up and stretched his arms while saying, "I'm going to sleep on proper bed. You staying here?"
"Yeah, you go on ahead. I'll stay here," Nick gave his friend a two fingered salute before Dom left the lake's shore. Once the boy was out of sight, he reached within his pocket and unfolded a piece of paper while shaking his head, "yeah… Rest up easy, Dummy. You deserve it…"
{BLANC ARC, COMPLETE}
{PLAYER 1 HAS DISCONNECTED}
{PLAYER 1 HAS DISCONNECTED}
PLAYER 1 HAS DISCONNECTED…
Nicolas Notes:
Hello everyone and how is your day? I hope we aren't feeling a little gloomy. Nine days have passed since the previous chapter and and I have noticed the alarming decline in reviews. While they are precious to be a treasury of tips or well of morale, it is still up to you folks to convey your thoughts. As much as possible, I'd like to hear them or if the way the story is going is to your liking. If not, then I'll still be willing to lend an ear. Decent conversations are rare these days.
With this chapter, the Blanc Arc has concluded. I feel like I left a few questions unanswered but I do hope I'm wrong. If not, then I'll be requesting your assistance again, friend. I could be blind to my own work you know and forget things that should've been important. I do hope to include and finally resolve the loose ends by the end of the fic.
Dom's memories are erased and he's out of the game. That leaves the other one who has been mentioned twice during the chapter yet did not make an appearance. i sometimes wonder when I'll be able to get the steering wheel from Jesus and have things go as I like it. Well people we're half way through! Just four more Goddesses and we're done! Damn, I'm getting pretty excited am I?
Thank you as always for taking your time to read this fic. Thank you also for those who have been supporting me silently at the sidelines!
Until next time!
Yahoo~!