Two hours later I managed to claw my way out of the room even more exhausted than when I arrived here. Reaching up to the collar I ran my hand along it. Apparently the only time that collar can come off is if Plutia allows it to come off so now it's basically stuck to me.

"So Thomas" I heard Ethan ask and I didn't need to look at him to know he was grinning at my state. "Have a good rest?"

"Yup an amazing rest" I replied sarcastically while I picked myself up "You?"

"Yeah I feel pretty relaxed now" He chuckled "We'd best see Histoire now, if you think you can make it"

"Less sass, more movement" I rolled my eyes before starting off down the hallway.

It didn't take us long to reach the elevator and from there it was only a short trip up before we reached the top of the Basilacom. Ethan teasing me the entire way didn't make it go any quicker.

Entering the main area of the Basilacom I could almost see the memoires I had with this place, from when I first arrived to when Plutia revealed her feelings to me and so forth.

"Ah Thomas!" Histoire called before floating over "Are you feeling rested yet?"

"More or less, but before I forget; Histoire this is Ethan, Ethan this is Histoire." I quickly introduced the two who both greeted each other politely. "So before we start finding out what has happened these last few years let's get comfortable and take a seat first"

Moving over to one of the beanbags I flopped into it with Ethan taking another beanbag and Histoire just sitting on her book.

"So why is Neptune extremely sexy now?" I started off, grinning as Ethan immediately face palmed "And why the land is dead and dying?"

"Well they are linked. After you were removed from this dimension it hit the goddesses hard, resulting in a lot of disarray and so when Arfoire came we were not prepared to fight her. She quickly took control of the people and began gaining power at an extremely fast rate and soon enough we couldn't even risk open combat after she caught Neptune and took her power like she did before. So now Neptune is ageing normally while the other goddesses are struggling to keep their cities from being overwhelmed" Histoire summarized.

"So basically we came in just as it's all going downhill?" Ethan asked

"That is correct" Histoire replied

"Well looks like we have to be the Counter-Strike" I grinned "A Global Offensive!"

"Oh... my god" Ethan face met his hand yet again.

"What's wrong Ethan?" I couldn't help but let the grin widen.

"What is it with you and puns?"

"Hey I'm just so punny!"

"Well know that Vert and Blanc are still holding on but we haven't heard anything from Lastation so we can only assume Arfoire has either taken control or has stopped Noire from leaving." Historie got us back on track "So we must make haste to Lastation as soon as you two are ready"

"True as that is we need weapons" I replied, doing my best to push any negative thoughts on Noire out of my head "I still need to know if I have that link with the girls and Ethan... well he needs some training"

"Hey I can look after myself!"

"When you have a broken bottle in your hand and completely drunk then maybe."

"I never said I was a good fighter"

"Well it would be best to talk to Nepgear about that. D3ath went with Noire to Lastation so it is unlikely she has been beaten yet"

"Well that's good then" breathing a sigh of relief I felt my hand loosen, I guess so that told Historie I was worried.

"And with your link we cannot know for certain until Nepgear also runs some tests" Historie continued "Neptune still has enough power for a shield and a few abilities but she does not get enough shares for advanced abilities and with Arfoire stealing her CPU status she cannot enter HDD mode"

"So looks like we'll be spending a bit of time with Nepgear" I mused "Well we'd best go and meet Nepgear, we have a lot of work to do"

"That you do, she has been working on some of the designs that you had on that tablet so you may find what you need in there" Histoire suggested "I can only assume she felt like it was the right thing to do by completing those designs you handed her"

"Now that is a good plan" I replied getting up from my bean bag "Although this may be a while before we actually can go and help Noire because Ethan will take another three years before we can start with how long it will take Ethan to decide on what he wants"

"Hey it won't take me that long!" Ethan protested getting up.

"Yeah it will" I grinned before turning back to Histoire "Thanks for getting me back here"

"It was the least I could do, I am just sorry we have to ask for your assistance almost immediately" Histoire replied remorsefully

"Hey with everything you girls did for me I think it's only right I help you girls now" I chuckled "Anyway being here is a lot more exciting than back in our old dimension"

Walking with Histoire to the elevator she waited outside as we walked in, she still had a look of remorse on her face but a smile on it as well.

"After you have sorted out what you will be bringing with you may you please return to the Basilacom, I will need to talk to you about more important details of your journey" Histoire glanced at Ethan before back to me, obviously she wanted to talk to me alone and I gave a short nod, conveying that I understood the hidden message.

The elevator doors closed, automatically me and Ethan settled against opposite walls as it began its descent. Ethan had a thoughtful look on his face which often was broken by a sudden look of annoyance before returning to its thoughtful state once again.

"Still stuck thinking what kind of weapon you want?" I chuckled as my voice startled him from his thought process,

"Yeah It's difficult, I can't decide if I want to go Devil May Cry or Warhammer as a Death Jester" Ethan replied chuckling,

"Devil May Cry as in Dante?"

"No No No, like Vergil. I got to play Devil May Cry 4 as him and well... I liked it more"

"Well that must suck considering at the start of this story you were dressed like Dante"

"What? I had never heard of Vergil till then"

"Well I doubt we'll be able to make a dimension cutting katana"

"I'm sure I can adapt, so how about yourself?"

"Well I won't be tanking anything so I might as well work how the White Wolf does"

"Wait... You don't mean?"

"That's a secret Ethan don't spoil it for the readers!"

Soon enough the doors opened and we piled out and almost immediately found Nepgear and Neptune relaxing with Foxie sat close by. Upon spotting us he let out a sharp bark causing the two of them to scramble up; Neptune already formed a katana and looking around wildly before she spotted us and relaxed.

"Well there goes our stealthy entrance" I joked as we walked over "If only Foxie hadn't warned you I could have scared you both awake myself.

Neptune, the mature woman she is, stuck her tongue out at that remark and proceeded to lean against a table close by. Nepgear on the other hand simply smiled at the joke.

"So ladies Ethan and I have come down to ask for your assistance" I started before Ethan cut in,

"Alright to stop Thomas sounding all dramatic we need your help with weapons and armour" Ethan grinned as I shot him a dark look.

"Weapons? You two just got here; is it wise to just suddenly go off into battle?" Nepgear asked, worry in her voice.

"Not yet, but I know I can't exactly sit here long while Noire and the others are in trouble" I replied

"Well thankfully Nepgear has made a few things from that tablet you gave her a while ago" Neptune chimed in "I can take you to them"

"Neptune the set isn't fully ready yet and I had some new ideas!" Nepgear whined

"Sure I'll see what you've made" I agreed before Nepgear could try and stop me. "Sorry Gear but my interest is peaked so now I have to see"

"I guess I'll stay down here then" Ethan chuckled "If I may take some of your time I have a few ideas I could share with you?"

"Be careful with him Gear he's a creepy one" I warned jokingly

"OI!" Ethan growled causing Nepgear to take a half step back at his sudden change

"You know that was a joke chill" I replied "Nepgear what I said was a joke Ethan is nice, just give him time to speak out his ideas okay?"

"Of course!" Nepgear replied with a smile and a nod, her eyes were already sparkling at the thought of new ideas and designs.

"Well I'll see you soon then Ethan when I've seen the stuff Neptune is about to show me"

"Alright well don't advance your relationship too much now"

"Hey no promises"

With a short cough from Neptune, who was blushing, and a tug at my arm we left back towards the elevator. Apparently Neptune decided to store the stuff Nepgear made in her room so once again we went back upwards. It was considerably awkward going upwards but eventually the blush disappeared from her face and we reached the floor where everyone stayed.

"So how did things go with Plutia? From how you look I can guess it went rough?" Neptune joked while flashing me a grin

"That would be the understatement of the year" I grumbled "She's slapped some form of collar round my neck and apparently only she can take it off"

"That sounds kinky"

"That is because it is kinky!

"Well it looks like a good fit"

"How would you know?"

"No reason..."

"Neptune..."

"Hey look we're here at my room"

"Neptune you don't get to just leave this topic that easily!"

"Going in now!"

With a shove she pushed me inside and stumbling forward I managed to avoid crashing into the edge of her bed, looking around I took in the room. It was a pretty stereotypical gamer girl room, games scattered everywhere and stuffed toys in a pile on the bed, a wardrobe occupied one corner and the bed the opposite one; against one of the walls hung a large TV but it had a fine layer of dust over it showing it hadn't been cleaned in a while.

"Sorry for the mess" Neptune spoke up absently as she made her way across the room towards the wardrobe, she didn't seem at all fazed about the mess.

"It's fine I guess" I replied, carefully picking my way around the room to avoid standing on anything that could break or get me into trouble. Now I understand why my mother used to tell me to clean up my room.

Looking up from my careful movement I could see Neptune had already opened the wardrobe and had pulled out a large box, which had wrapping paper all over it and a stereotypical bow on top of the box.

"What's that?" I asked confused and curious

"A present" She replied simply, holding it defensively to her chest as she moved over to the bed. "Sit down we can open it here"

"Okay" I shrugged and sat down beside her, the bed was soft and surprisingly bouncy compared to some of the other beds. After an awkward moment she pushed it onto my lap and struggled to find something to look at beside me.

"Well welcome back" She mumbled, finally meeting my eyes "I really missed you"

"I missed you too Neptune" I replied in a similar embarrassed tone and held her hand; giving it a soft squeeze.

We weren't exactly used to these cute and close couple moments really. Yeah we were committed to each other but we were two goofballs who spent more time playing jokes on each other and others to vocally say our feelings, actions speak louder than words you could say.

Anyway with the romantic moment out of the way I looked down at the box and debated whether I should give it an experimental shake or not, shrugging I began lightly pulling at the ribbons to keep the bow intact before starting on the wrapping paper. Neptune made the odd joke but kept relatively quiet throughout the unwrapping process.

Soon enough I was left with a simple brown box with the words "So when can we have that dance?" written across it in purple; looking up at Neptune she began awkwardly whistling and paying sudden interest in the clouds outside the window.

Pulling off the lid I looked down at the contents and felt a lump well in my throat slightly. Inside the box sat an almost exact replica of Jet Stream Sam's sword from what I used before. Pulling it out I gently pulled the blade out and was surprised when there was no physical blade but instead what looked like a hard light blade; its violet blade not reflecting the light as I looked at it closely.

"Neptune I don't know what to say..." I started before she chuckled

"There is more to it than just a blade but we need more space so let's head down what's left of the training area" Neptune replied getting up, after sheathing the katana and getting up I followed her to the elevator.

The elevator ride down was a lot less awkward than when we went up, that may be because we spent the time hugging and generally enjoying the pleasant air between us but hey I am not complaining.

Soon enough we had reached the ground floor and into the training area and Neptune had not lied about the state it was in. Rubble littered the area and some of the walls had giant holes in them, combining that with the dead grass and trees in the area it was clear to see a major fight occurred here and I can only assume this is where Neptune lost.

Pulling out the blade I gently let the sheath settle on the ground before I started giving it some practise swings, it felt perfect. The balance was perfect and the blade's length was at the optimal reach so it wasn't too long or too short. Soon enough I was getting back into the swing of things (Pun intended) and everything felt natural again.

"Seems like you're back in business" Neptune chuckled, she was holding what looked like a belt.

Walking over she helped put the belt around my wait and surprisingly the sheath automatically attached to it without needing me to attach it myself.

"Its a magnetic lock" She explained "It's something Nepgear made to go with this so instead of having to wear something specific you can wear anything you like"

"Now that is going to be really useful" I nodded.

"Now try rotating the hilt, we incorporated a system I call 'revving' it'll allow you to do some special moves"

"Did you just take time to explain special moves to me?" I looked at her with an eyebrow raised

"Just get on with it" She prodded my cheek with a finger.

Shrugging I gripped the hilt and gave it a twist, sure enough the hilt twisted before returning back to its initial state, looking down at the sheath I noticed previously closed vents had opened slightly.

"So the first rev will get you a simple power boost when you swing it out of the sheath" Neptune explained, miming pulling it out in a slash.

Doing that it felt like a less powerful version of what it used to do before, firing out with a hiss, the vents ejecting some steam before closing again. Taking the initiative I returned the katana back into the sheath before giving it two twists, the vents gave a louder growl and opened even further.

"Two will result in excess energy being stored in the blade, this then can be launched outward" Neptune explained again,

Gripping the sheath and katana tightly I pulled it out and a large slash of energy shot forward before colliding with the wall at the far end causing a small crater to form in the wall, the vents let out more steam once more before closing again.

After returning it the blade to its scabbard once more I gave it three twists and almost let out a shout in surprise and as the sword full on growled at me, sounding more like a wolf than a vent or a sword.

"Uh why did you do that?" Neptune stepped backwards slightly looking at the growling sheath.

"What do I do!?" I almost shouted back

"I don't know Nepgear never told me!"

In a panic I pulled at the blade and the sword launched out like it used to before when the trigger was pulled, the blade seemed longer and almost immediately after it started it stopped; the blade was normal, the sheath was no longer growling but steam was venting out, leaving a cloud of mist at my feet.

"We need to talk to Nepgear about this" I somehow had kept a hold of the katana during the swing so I gently returned it to its sheathe.

"Well there is another mode for this weapon still" Neptune replied quietly, making a circle in the ground with her foot.

"Why do you sound so apprehensive about this?"

"Well... this mode was actually my idea, I thought maybe you would want something a little more than what you have at the moment" Neptune grinned, spreading her arms outwards.

"So do you want to tell me how to activate this super secret mode then?"

"Maybe"

"Maybe?"

"Depends"

"On what?"

"Not going to say"

"What the- Neptune!"

"I'm kidding!"

"So?"

"Well first pull the blade out, then press two buttons located on the top of the sheath and the bottom of the hilt"

Following her instructions I found the buttons and pressed them, the hard light blade disappeared leaving just a hilt and guard.

"Now place it on top of the sheath, you may want to hold the sheath for this."

Raising an eyebrow I pulled the sheath off its magnetic lock and held it out in front of me, looking at the top what looks two small pillars had extended upwards with two holes on the opposite side; similar pillars and holes had appeared on the hilt so shrugging I lined them up and fitted it on top of the sheath. Almost immediately the hilt locked up and the sounds of gears turning at a fast rate could be heard from within before the hilt itself extended, one side going forward slight before ending at a spike while the other extended forward before slowly curving downwards; the sheath began extending as well.

When all the extensions were finished it had the look of a scythe, the blade then being coated in the same hard light as before, giving off a low humming sound.

"Holy... Neptune you have out done yourself" Gazing at the scythe I noticed something carved onto the new grip. WolfFang

"WolfFang huh?" I raised an eyebrow to it

"Well I thought that as Foxie is a fox you could be a wolf..." Neptune once again fell back to slowly drawing circles in the ground again.

"So I can guess the wolfish sounds aren't just for artistic description then?"

"No..."

"Well thank you, anyway how would I turn it off from this mode then?"

"Well there should be another button on where the sheath is which will begin rewinding the process so you'll need to grab the hilt before it falls off the katana before it hits the ground"

"Oh right"

Pressing the button the sheath quickly retracted inwards and I barely had time to put my hand around the hilt before it detached itself. Returning the hilt to the now normal sheath I turned and embraced Neptune resulting in "Nepu!?" before she relaxed and hugged me back.

"You're the best you know that?" I grinned

"I am the main character~" Neptune grinned back "Now then, we should really start getting ready. We do need to save Lonely Heart at some point"

"That would be a good idea" I chuckled taking a step back but still holding her hand "Nepgear also mentioned something about a set so it would be a good idea to collect all of that first"

So with that we turned back and went inside the Basilacom. I've barely been back one day and things have become very interesting.