Chapter 28: In Which our friendly, Neighborhood characters meet The Beastmaster
"Holy…guacamole!"
The group stared in awe at this strange being, the disturbing man simply staring back, though his robotic face displayed no visible emotion, or at least none that the girls could notice. The horse the man rode upon whinnied, raising its front feet high into the air, its fiery mane glowing beautifully against the setting sun, before landing back down onto the floor, charging across on the other side of the lake, before finally reaching the very corner where the girls stood, allowing them to get an even clearer image of the thing. In what had to be an instant, the mighty steed of many a creature rested before them, standing tall with the might of millions. With a nay, it's rather angered-looking eyes and facial complexion rested, its neck aiming downwards, allowing the mouth to reach the grass. It was definitely a ferocious beast, but during such moments like this, it was hard to imagine it as anything other than just another creation of Mother Nature.
The man, owner of this proud steed and thus tall and powerful-looking as the horse in question, remained on his perch as he looked at the girls with eyes that were impossible to make out, for his head was nothing more than a heavy warriors visor with horns attached to the top, which aimed straight on the head, not towards the sky. His body seemed to be that of an ancient robe, something so strange and foreign compared to his robotic structure of the flesh. It was clear that he could stand up freely from the horse, but seeing as how his body looked so perfect on-top of the beast, it was too hard to imagine him separate. The girls had no idea what to think about this man, but when he opened his nonexistant mouth, it seemed that all of their thoughts were fully answered in complete detail.
He turned his head towards them, and with a slight movement of the hand, he said: "Dear children, do you fail to comply to the fact that the woods in this area are streaming to the brim with daft gents? Surely you must have known that the once tranquil lands of Lan16 have become the world's burden in recent times, yes?" The figure spoke, its voice masked behind the metallic structure of its (probably) face. The horse whinnied, and the man shouted at the top of his lungs a strange noise, which made the horse quiet and still like a statue.
"Um, weird way of putting it, but, well, we knew it was dangerous, but not, oh-Imma-gonna-shoot-you dangerous! That caught me off guard!" Neptune said, pointing at the ground, where scattered remains of the hell they went through lingered about. The man appeared to be trailing her finger, though it was too hard to tell, given he had no eyes, though once he saw the bullets, he quickly looked up at them all. His head bobbed up and down, taking a keen look at each and every one of them, not making a single movement that didn't involve his head. "Hey, uh, buddy, what you doing? Yeah, there are a lot of girls in front of you, but I wouldn't recommend doing anything…you know," Neptune said, honestly not enjoying the fact that the man was focusing more on her little sister and Noire, an act that really grinded her gears.
The man, after looking over all of them, looked to the sky and laughed. "Child, do you really think that I bother with the frame of a human? Even if I had those emotions back within me, I would not have the ability to do anything, as I am missing too many requirements in order to act!" the man said, making himself laugh even harder at Neptune's face, which was giving a rather, er, tense look. Apparently the guy couldn't do funny things that Neptune was implying, due to lack of that specific emotion, yet he still possessed the emotions to laugh, which is truly bizarre, in this author's opinion. "My lady, when you suffer the same fate as I, you will realize that the time spent chasing humanic species is pointless and non-enduring. When you become something like me, you realize that other specimens possess traits far better than whatever a human can hold within its pallete!"
IF shook her head. "Look, I really couldn't care less," she began, having horrific thoughts play in her head over what that guy just said. She had…bad experiences with people that weren't interested in human, but more into…well, other beings. Needless to say, it was never pretty. "Listen, buddy, who are you? Why did you help us?"
The man looked down and petted the mane of the horse, who simply grunted as it waited for its master to grant a specific order, be it flee or fight. "Ladies, I feel slightly appalled that you fail to see who I am. Are you not from here?" he asked, scratching his non-existant chin. Okay, now readers, the heroes from Gamindustri had plenty of choices to act through in this scene. They could have lied and said they lived here all their lives, and simply did not know him, or they could say that they have been sheltered in Corporatol City all their lives, and simply have never traveled this far out of it, somehow explaining their strangely-colored hair, a trait that people of Lan16 never really had. Or, they could easily endanger themselves to this stranger by saying they hail from Gamindustri, the place that The Phantom desperately wants to be made into a parking lot, which could mean that the two devils Mattel talked so negatively about were probably chasing them down in order to, I don't know, kill them. They probably now know what they all look like, so the girls would have no chance in concealing themselves from them, and who knows; this guy just might be one of those devils. You would think that Neptune, Ram, Rom, Gust, or even Falcom or Nisa would be the ones to blurt out that, yes, they are foreigners from Gamindustri, but strangely, the one that revealed this info was none other than the smart one herself, IF.
"Yeah, we came from Gamindustri to stop that Phantom freak. Now, why did you help us?" IF said, making the others make a motion around their necks as though implying that they were being slit. IF looked at them, and nodded as she shrugged. "Hey, I know that might have been stupid, but let's be honest here. No matter what we did, this guy will probably be a boss, and I seriously want to get it over with, so let's just fight now, instead of later." The others were still disappointed with her, but Neptune, Ram, Rom, Gust, and even Falcom and Nisa nodded in understandment, making the others fall over in disgust.
The man looked up to the sky. "Ah, the folk from Gamindustri, standing right before me. The Phantom has notified me that you are all out here to prepare for the next meeting by the end of summer, correct?" he asked. Knowing that the cat was out of the bag, the girls simply complied and nodded in disdain. "I see. Well, I wish you luck on your simplistic quest. I know The Phantom well, and while he is physically weak, he knows his opponents a little too well, and thus, he may prove to be a challenge in the future."
IF nodded again, showing a more, vexed side of her current stature. "Yeah, that's great to know, but you still haven't answered my question. If you know The Phantom well, why did you save us? And, by the way, who the hell are you?" IF asked again, folding her arms, really not enjoying the mystery this guy was giving to the air. The man let out another laugh, this time making the others feel uneasy, as it almost sounded just like The Phantom's.
"My friends, I am The Beastmaster. I am in charge of the forests of the west side of Lan16, one of the major workers for The Phantom himself. I am one of his long-time friends, and so far, I have never failed him once. Normally, I would test to see if you are all worth it by trying to kill you, but those men that attacked you were not working under me. They work for Lady Dpah, who should be up in the HuCard Mountains, not here in the forest. That woman must know her place, but oh well. It would not be fair to fight you while you were preoccupied by other people, so I decided to spare your lives for now, at least until you are fully prepared to face me in the future," The Beastmaster said, petting the mane of the horse once more. At the hearing of this revelation, the girls all felt a sudden pinge of fear run its course through them.
"Y-Y-You're The Beastmaster? One of the Devils? H-Holy crap," Compa said, making the others jump in response, never hearing Compa say anything that could be escewed as dirty (she blushed after saying it, so apparently everything was good because of it). The Beastmaster laughed once more, always expecting the same reaction whenever his name was officially pronounced to the world. It delighted him so; to see humans scared over the power of the natural world around them. Why he considered himself to be a part of the natural world, and not humans, is beyond even this author.
"That is indeed correct, my lady. I do not recall my real name, so The Beastmaster stuck. It describes me well, after all. Maybe one day, you will see the creatures I have made. I watched you kill that Rhinamonstran before, back in the forest, but I will say that he was not a part of my pallete of beasts. No, you will know when you see one of my creations, such as the marvelous steed that I ride upon. Mankind has survived too long on this planet, and I think the animal kingdom deserves the chance to repel them back into hell!" The Beastmaster said once more, pulling the rope around the horse, indicating that travel will commense shortly. The girls were all feeling weird at this point, though fear still managed to plague most of them.
"Wait, why do want mankind to go to hell? Aren't you human, or, at least used to be human?" Neptune asked out of curiosity. Again, The Beastmaster let out a laugh, and Neptune fell quiet once more, afraid of asking any more questions. When Neptune got scared, shit just got real.
"Ah, I was once, but those days are gone. Humans have too many problems that other animals do not sport, and it is clear that one day, humankind will simply eradicate itself off the face of the planet, with or without my input. The creatures all around us deserve to be the true rulers of our times, and I will be the first step into making that dream into a reality. It is why I am known as The Beastmaster, and I hope that one day, our paths will cross without the interference of that blasted woman," The Beastmaster answered longly once more. With that, he began to pull the rope around the horse's neck once more, and with a yelp, the horse began to prance around a little bit, stretching out its leg muscles.
Now, could the girls have done just a little more interrogating? Well, yes they could, but strangely, none of them pursued him any farther than that. Was it that they were all terrified? No, that would be the incentive to continue asking questions, or at least that is just my opinion. Could it be that they couldn't tell if he was armed or not, and that if they simply held him here any longer, there was going to be a dangerous conflict? IF wanted to fight him, but even she didn't act out in any way. Maybe it was just how The Beastmaster spoke; the way Mattel had warned them about back in Corporatol. Who knows, readers; all I know is that the opportunity to take out one of the top men working for The Phantom has come and passed.
Before The Beastmaster took off into the darkened forest, he turned towards the girls once more, making a nod to them. His nonexistant eyes took a stroll down the vision field, resting now on the heroine of Justice, who was currently in preparation for a jump attack, if it is needed to occur, of course. For some reason, the girl was quite odd in comparison to the others, at least by his opinion. While he chose not to interact with her during this scene, with the same being said for her, no matter what words IF had said, his focus was always on the heroine. Something was just…unique, about her. It wasn't necessarily her stance, nor her profession or her lack of proper feminine parts in regards to the chest, but the aura that she had devised around her. It was something that only those that focused hard enough could see, and even then, luck was the final barrier between foresights. Was it her confidence, or her pride, or self-indulgence? Perhaps, in a form of a hypothesis or something of that nature, he saw something else, something that only he could see.
In an instant, he laughed, and it finally occurred to Nisa that the man was now staring at her, and for once, she managed to conquer a little bit of fear right there, not wanting to waste any opportunity in taking this bizarre opponent down. She gritted her teeth, made a small, audible groan, and was now crouching, as though she was sincerely going to charge towards the massive man and the massive horse he rode upon. However, while the rest were in preparation for this attack, Nisa never changed her position, and it appeared that her eyes were more bug-eyed than normal, though no one could pinpoint an exact reason for this. Perhaps I was wrong, and Nisa did have some fear left over, as she realized that, the odds were seriously against her at the moment. The Beastmaster laughed once more, and it appeared that he was ready to leave, though he managed to say through the growing wind:
"My lady, one thing is definitely for sure; you and I must have a rather interesting conversation in the future. Until that time, I bide all of you farewell!"
And with those words spoken, the horse galloped off into the darkness of the wood, illuminating the trees around it with a fiery, red glow, as though to indicate that the steed was truly on fire. When he finally fled the scenery, the whole world collapsed into a heap of deep purple, and nighttime apparently settled in during their lengthy conversation. The girls all had different, unique reactions from one another, all detailing the anger and rather pained thoughts from meeting a man that surely was one of the most trusted individuals under The Phantom's rule.
"Hm…Nisa, I think he has a thing for you," Falcom said, nodding to herself as she flexed her arm out, making sure all of the tendons and muscles were perfectly placed. Nisa's face turned almost the same color as the trees that were illuminated by the mighty steed into the night, her whole body shaking as steam rose up into the heavens. It was quite rare for Nisa to ever get into the state of bashfulness and embarrassment, unless she was the Nisa that belonged to the stories with titles reminiscent of Shakespeare titles. In which case, on the contrary!
"W-W-What on Gamindustri do you mean? I saw nothing that alluded to that! D-Don't just say things out of the blue like that! Don't you have chivarly, Falcom? Come on, don't spread rumors!" Nisa proclaimed her eyes being concealed now by that mighty, red scarf of hers. Her hilarious reaction had made the party laugh, and it was quite relaxing for everyone to finally settle down for just a bit, seeing as how certain death attempted to take them all down twice in under two hours. It was so grand, that they party may have just fully forgotten the fact that there were still men lying on the ground, bleeding to death as their fatal wounds began to take their toll.
"Oh, damn, this is painful! Lady Dpah, save me…save…"
The girls got out of their cheerful glee in order to look at these said men. One that was injured had already passed, moving on towards the pathways of the afterlife, either continuing on towards the mighty stairs into heaven, or plunging into the darkest flames of hell. Either way, the character at least experienced some form of relief from this terrible form of torture inflicted on them. Compa couldn't believe her eyes at this sight, and rushed over to the squirming bodies as fast as that syringe would allow her.
"Oh, this isn't good. Please, just hang on!" Compa begged one of the men; one of the men who, may I add, attempted to shoot her, along with her dearest friends, down for the sake of profit. Still, her oath as a doctor was to treat anybody that needed to be treated, regardless of personal beliefs. She observed the wounds of the body in front of her, requesting a torch from Noire as she investigated the man. Him, along with his remaining friend, were both heavily damaged, as bullets still pierced their bodies, mostly in the torso and neck areas. One of the men got shot straight into the lung, and his only vocal input in this scene were coughs of disgruntlement, as blood occasionally appeared from the bottom of his throat. She had the material to save them, of course, but seeing their heavy wounds, it will take a lot of time, possibly too much, resulting in one of them meeting their end on this marshy field next to the lake. "It's okay, I'm here to help you. Please, just keep your breathing stable."
It is quite amazing that this ditzy girl could be so good at doctoring. When she isn't needed, she could be a very foolhardy goofball, but when someone was seriously hurt, she will switch to a different person almost immediately, and will sometimes not rest until she knows that the person will survive, or at least return to a healthier condition. The man knew she was one of those they tried to kill, but the pain made him not necessarily care, making him allow Compa to feel his chest as her fingers caressed the punctured areas of his clothing and flesh.
"You are going to be okay, sir. Just keep listening to my voice, and tell me anything you need to. I might need your input in order to save you, okay?" Compa said, with the man simply nodding, his neck muscles growing ever-so weak. Compa knew that even with her beautiful gimmick, this man might not make it, seeing as how prolonged the injuries have last, though she will still not yield until she had attempted her very best. Lives are fragile things, and left unattended, they could suddenly fade without warning. A small flicker caught Compa's eye as she watered an injury, and she turned to see the rest of the group forming a circle of fire around them, a rather potent one at that.
"Yo, Compa, get in her soon. The bells might ring, and I doubt you want to end up as zombie chow," IF said, trying to smile for her friend, knowing that she was dealing with a rather scarring situation. Feeling rather sympathetic due to her own loss of Lyrica, she knew that making her at least feel better was the way to go in most situations. Compa nodded to IF, though her mind suddenly became scrambled as…Neptune's scrambled eggs; yeah, let's go with that. She did not enjoy the thought of monsters chowing down on her, feeling as though she would probably give them all constipation due to the amount of moe-girth she had on her being (that is correct, folks; she worried for the monsters, not for her personal, well being). Still, she had to show that she was strong, and not wanting to alarm her patient, she simply nodded and smiled back at IF, and continued to help the poor man. The other man was simply not going to make it, his coughing starting to become lesser and less. Such a sad sight, yes?
"Just keep hanging in there…. keep hanging in there…" Compa repeated as she attempted to extract the bullet after managing to stabilize the bleeding. The man was still awake on this world, as evident by his awareness to his surroundings, but he was awfully quiet for having someone poke through him, his life currently at a high stake. Maybe it was because a maiden was touching his body, though seeing as how he simply showed no sign of interest in Compa, that was clearly not it, either. Can anyone in this damn story make something noticeable at first sight?
However, the man suddenly looked directly into Compa's eyes, his face covered in a thick blanket of sweat. "Uni…Uni…is she…in your…gahh!" he said, finally wincing as he felt a sudden tug near his ribcage. Compa held his head, making sure that any coughing that was done will bode well for him in the future of this operation. "Uni…is she with you?" the man fully asked when the pain fully subsided.
This was where Compa became quite concerned for various reasons. It is not everyday that some random Joe randomly knew a CPU Candidate, especially a random joe that was a foreigner, and probably had never even set foot into Gamindustri to start with. He knows Uni? Is he a long-lost friend? No, that can't be right…Uni probably didn't even know about this place until now! Compa thought to herself as she continued to help the man out. She looked over at Uni, who was busy simply sitting on the ground, waiting for the oncoming horde to finally show and ruin everything for everybody. Why would this guy want her? This was truly bizarre, and she had to interrogate this man, in the hopes that she may just find out a dark secret or two.
"How do you know…yeah, she's with us," Compa said, not really concerned with revealing that, just in case this guy might join with them on their quest to find this abandoned factory. The man coughed, holding onto his chest as he felt the worst pain in his life. His eyes seemed to grow horrified as he finally took notice of his partner, who was now lying completely still, his chest never to move again. Compa winced at that sight, suppressing any emotion she could possibly give at the moment, in the hopes that she could still help this man before it is too late. She felt rather guilty over letting the other man die, and she knew that suppressing her emotions will bite her later on, but seeing as how her patient right now is struggling, she chose to risk it. The man coughed once more.
"Uni…Lady Dpah wanted her…something about…mark three…" the man said, before going into a coughing fit once more, barely able to keep himself together, though with Compa around, he was at least able to keep himself alive for just a little bit longer. Compa was starting to get worried now instead of just concerned, and once the man had calmed down, she decided to question further.
"What do you mean? What's a mark three?" Compa asked, finally removing the final bullet. All she had to do now was patch up the opened wounds, and get the man to lie somewhere comfy, so his bones could fully heal with her medicine. She had to admit, she did good for saving this man, though her mind was still hurting from seeing that other man die in agony. The man looked at her once more, his eyes luckily regaining some color in them.
"Lady Dpah wanted…to run an experiment…make her transform…either her or her friend…honestly can't remember," the man said, his voice regaining some composure, an instant relief for a doctor like herself. Still, the words he was speaking were quite the disturbing type, with her own set of mind not fully comprehending what he was trying to say. Why would this man, or Lady Dpah, for that matter, want Uni and this unknown friend? What was a mark three? Why was he telling her this?
"Why are you telling me this, sir?" Compa decided to connect with the previous paragraph. The man sounded as though he made a laugh, though Compa wasn't able to tell in the end. He now looked towards the star-filled sky, with his eyes growing far more larger than before.
"Just in case…you meet her…Lady Dpah is violent, and when…she sees you, she…she will hurt both of them, regardless," he said, smiling towards her. It was a sign of gratitude, that much Compa was able to pick, and she had to admit, she was pretty gratefully for finding this news out, even if she had no idea what it could spell for them in the future. She, along with the others, have not yet met Lady Dpah, but at least she knew that she might go after Uni and a close friend of hers. Unless this man was lying, she at least got something out of saving him. Yeah, she felt bad for thinking that she saved him in order to get information, but right now, the group would probably want that desperately, and she was able to deliver.
She grasped one of his hands, glad to see that he was slowly recovering back to full health. "Thank you very much. I think we can forgive you for shooting at us. Please, though, follow us back to Corporatol. We at Gamindustri will help you on your path to being a better, random joe!" Compa said, with the man smiling again, though pain was still evident in his eyes. For once, Compa had a reason to smile, knowing that she managed to save a desperate life in danger; she had saved the party countless number of times, but she felt especially rewarded when a stranger was grateful for her assistance. It looked as though he was about to say something, and Compa eagerly waited for his response.
Then, the bells began to ring.
Both Compa and the man looked at one another with fear in their eyes as the bells rang eerily across the night air. It was all but quiet with the exception of the man-made creations, but once reality apparently sunk in for everyone around that lake, noise began to fill the air. Trampling was the first noise, soon followed by howling and panting, which numbered in the near thousands, in regards to everyone surprisingly hearing the exact, same noise. It was too dark to see anything, but the group knew that the monsters were storming from the forest in all directions. At least they made the fire, though unluckily for them, Compa and the man were outside of the ring. That is simply not a good thing, readers.
"Shit, Compa, get over here, quick!" IF yelled, readying her throwing knives in case the shit hits the fan. The group made sure each and every light source was completely lit (thank god for the splintered wood from all of the bullets. It was like fuel was readily handed down to them), and braced for the hell that would possibly last throughout the entire night. Compa and the man were still frozen in fear, and while the monsters were invisible through the thicket of the forest, the noises continued to escalate to a high degree. Compa would have probably high-tailed out of there by now, but actually being in a situation involving zombies made her think rather differently than normal. Besides, she had a live patient with her, and running would simply doom him to a death that would be most unpleasant. His injuries were not helping matters, and it was clear that if she were to survive this, she will have to drag his body towards the ring of fire, and fast.
"Damn it, move your ass, Compa!"
Compa quickly grabbed the man's shoulders, and began to drag him away from his resting point, slowly crawling towards their point of sanctuary. The monsters were growing closer and closer, and while they still remained unseen, she knew that it would only be a matter of seconds before millions of zombies rushed toward her. With the injured patient's life in her hands, she had to survive this, or die trying. It was a rather dark decision played in her head, but right now, a doctor has to protect his/her patients, and if she had to die because of it, then so be it. "Oh, I don't want to die, doc," the man said, feeling blood starting to ooze once more, one of his wounds opening due to this haste. Compa continued to drag him, but knew that he was a heavy burden, making their movements too slow for any form of survival.
It was around this point that IF had to make a choice; either let her friend continue this futile effort of dragging the man towards them, possibly risking all of their lives in case they bump into a fire and ceasing its burning, allowing the zombies to get them, or running out into the dark, grabbing Compa and leaving the man behind, and hope for the best. She knew that Compa would hurt herself over her patient being left to die, but from IF's point of view, his wounds were too serious, and seeing as how they were opening after the surgery, it was definite that life for him will surely not last that much longer, regardless of what Compa did. IF didn't want the man to just die like this, but if Compa continues to drag him, they will both be zombie-chow, and in mimicking the darkness that is a choice made by some mother during a world war, IF had to think quickly. Damn it, Compa, how do you always wind up in these messes? Lyree, I hope this won't disappoint you…
As Neptune tried to hold her back, IF ran straight towards her friend, who was only halfway towards the fiery ring. "Compa, come on!" IF yelled as she wrapped her arms around Compa's waist. Compa felt this sudden tug, and though she at first thought it would benefit both her and her patient, she soon realized that the force the hands were making on her were trying to make her let go. "They're coming, Compa! Come on, let's go!"
"I-Iffy, no! I can't leave him behind! Stop it, Iffy!" Compa shouted as she tried to hold onto the man with her life. The man shrieked as he felt his body get lower on the ground, Compa's comforting hands leaving his shoulders. "Iffy, stop! Please!" Compa begged, but IF was not complying. She continued to tug at the Doctor, and finally, after quite an intense struggle, the doctor was freed from the possession of the fallen rebel. The rebel shrieked as he hit the ground with a thud, and he tried with all his might to stand up on his own, two feet, but his weak frame wouldn't allow it, and he was left shambling about in the dust of the marsh. Compa was now literally being dragged towards the ring by her best friend, who only wanted her to be safe.
As they closed on the fiery ring (Neptune and Noire were outside of it, ready to defend IF and Compa. Neptune was going to run for the man, but Noire held her back, knowing that going out any farther would be a suicide mission), the monsters finally made their appearance, appearing on both sides of the lake in all directions. They howled and screeched like Orangutans, and proceeded to run towards the group at full velocity. "Oh shit, oh shit!" the man yelled as he tried to reach for his gun, which lay scattered over near a tree too far from his location. "Doc, don't leave me! Doc!" he shouted, but by the time he said doc the second time around, the monsters were already surrounding him. Neptune and Noire took out two of them each before retreating back into the flames, and they both helped IF and Compa into the ring, with Compa trying to escape IF's clutches. If IF was not as strong as she is, Compa may have just broke through and attempted to save the man.
"Oh…I can't watch," Blanc said, surprised that she actually felt disgusted at seeing murders committed by zombies; she loved zombie flicks, but actually being in one was not boding well with her current tastes. She held Ram and Rom close to her (both were completely confused about the whole ordeal, so Blanc hoped that they wouldn't be scarred from this slaughter that was about to take place). The zombies all stopped at the flames, backing away as they observed what on Gamindustri this fire truly was; the girls were all thankful for this, but at the same time, the clearing the zombies made allowed the girls to see the monsters take out the man. It was a terrible sight, with his voice raising high in the air as the zombies took turns transforming his body into a bloody carcass. All of them winced and turned away, with Compa breaking down and falling to the floor, bawling her eyes out. No, this wasn't genuine moe-crying, but the most depressing form of tears anybody could ever shed upon this very world. Eventually, his screams were muted, and the zombies all looked at the group now, surrounding the fire, like it was a gift from the heavens. The girls readied their weapons in case they broke through, but eventually, the crowd died out, as each and every one of the monsters ran in its own direction.
"Did…did we win?" Vert asked, seeing the chaos of the monsters all around her, thankful that the fire trick truly worked in their favor. How long this particular duration will last for the zombies to roam was not known, but all of the girls decided that right now, there was no time to think. Compa continued to cry her eyes out, pounding her own head a couple of times as she even swore under her breath. IF tried her best to console her, but she knew that it was as futile as trying to drag that man back towards the fire. The rest of the group felt guilty for letting him die, with Nisa simply sitting down away from everyone else, feeling like a total waste of a person for letting another person fall in a gruesome way. What type of hero was she? The Goddesses all remained silent for a little bit, knowing that the man did try to kill them, but as what Compa apparently went through, his life was at least worth it. At least he probably found some form of peace in the great beyond, though no one wanted to think of that right about now.
Chapter 29: In Which Uni and Nepgear seem to bond a little bit
If you looked near those trees over there, past the heavy smoke currently being made, you could see the blue light, the brightest object in the sky so far. Yet, oddly enough, it was flickering in-and-out, as though it was running out of fumes. That was strange for such an eerie light…
"Yeow!"
Nepgear awoke a little bit later from a light-sleep to the sound of Uni yelping in pain. She saw her friend sitting near the border of the ring, where a couple of zombies continued to run about in the dark, though most have now lingered off towards better areas for hunting. As quiet as a snake going into a base filled with gears and metal, Nepgear crawled towards her best friend from another nation.
After the whole horrific scene with the zombies appearing, the group simply decided to sleep, hopefully to at least relax their minds just a little bit, in case the morning brings on even more delight than now. However, in order for sleep to occur, someone had to stay awake in order to keep watch, as well as make sure the flames did not die out during the night. Cave and Falcom were quick to volunteer, but somehow, Uni managed to persuade them to sleep, allowing herself to be the watchful soul of the night. Nepgear quickly joined soon afterwards, and thus, our two CPU Candidates were the guards of the heroes from Gamindustri. Seeing as how Nepgear was drifting off to sleep before, this might have been a terrible decision on the group's part.
Anywho, with about an hour since the monsters appeared, Nepgear felt relief from finally being away from too many zombies, though the memory of that man being chopped to pieces, and Compa breaking down in a violent manner in response, made Nepgear want to curl up into a ball and simply cry her soul out of her body. Why were they going through so much hell on this landmass? All she wanted was to be back home, away from the terrors of this place, with absolutely no risk of the planet falling apart at all. Man, she would love that, but since she is a CPU Candidate, she had to remain strong, and thinking thoughts like that would probably lead to morale dropping in an instant. If that were to happen, they will all be goners. Just be strong, Nepgear. Neptune always said that, so I have to!
She snuck up behind Uni, and without a moment's hesitation, glomped the unsuspecting tsundere with relatively strong strength. Uni, who was looking out towards the forest ahead of her, yelped as she felt the calm, gentle, and warm arms of Nepgear slip around her waist. She actually almost fell straight into the fire in front of her, but Nepgear managed to hold onto her tightly, rendering that possibility impossible. "Nep, don't do that! There's still zombies out there, just so you know!" Uni yelled, folding her arms above Nepgear's, feeling embarrassed at this situation, though she was still glad that no one else was awake to see this. Nepgear, in spite of the turmoil that plagued her mind, managed to crack a cheerful smile, and she nuzzled her head on Uni's shoulder. Uni blushed rather…hard, not knowing why Nepgear was doing this unexpectedly. This was way, too strange for even her.
"Sorry, Uni, I just wanted to make sure you were…" Nepgear began to say, before she looked down at Uni's arms. The dried wounds were at least healing up considerably, but what caught Nepgear's attention were the new lines that stretched from Uni's elbow to a few inches in front of it. Uni noticed that her arms were the focal point of Nepgear's sight, and she quickly broke free from Nepgear's hold, folding her arms close to her dirt-stained battle dress. Nepgear was shocked, and she soon noticed the strange object that contrasted greatly against the purplish grass below them. It was covered in some form of liquid, which Nepgear was able to pin-point quickly. "Uni, why-"
"I could have saved him, Nepgear. Why the hell didn't I?" Uni randomly asked, looking straight into the flames next to her countenance. Nepgear had to be honest here, she was expecting a reaction that was related to how a tsundere would react to being embarrassed; she was surely not expecting this strange tone from the otherwise semi-stoic CPU Candidate. Still, she couldn't believe that Uni would go on and do this again, and for what damn reason? Regardless of what Uni really wanted, Nepgear crawled over towards her once more. While Uni shoved her away the first time, she dared not resist Nepgear again, and she simply accepted the fact that Nepgear was now hugging her from behind.
"What do you mean? Goodness, Uni, why would you do this again?" Nepgear asked, feeling tears beginning to form around her tear-ducts. Uni didn't turn her head to face her, not wanting to see the saddest thing the world has ever known. She continued to poke at the grass, ignoring the blood that now rested in a bed on her arm. For a while, minus the new sniffling made by Nepgear and the continued sniffling of a sleeping Compa (damn, I'm seriously depressed now), everything was quiet; even the zombie-like creatures appeared to grow silent as the two of them lingered on in the awake world. Nepgear couldn't help but cry into Uni's shoulder, with Uni trying her best to not care in the slightest.
"Nep, I'm a CPU Candidate, and hell, I have a gun. Why didn't I try to help that guy, you know? I just sat down and watched as he was freaking eaten alive! What a good candidate I turned out to be," Uni said with a monotone-like…tone. She looked over at the others, who were currently in a slumber that was too hard to actually remain in, as evident in the fact that many continued to shift about. Nightmares will be the common thing amongst these girls for days to come, possibly months, even years. Nepgear rested her head on Uni's shoulder, remaining silent for a little bit longer, crying silently to herself as she looked down at the wound on Uni's arm. "I…I didn't want to do this again, Nepgear, but I just…I felt like I deserved it. I'm just tired, that's all, of everything that's happening."
Nepgear and Uni remained still as a couple of firebugs flew about the flames, with the zombies occasionally getting closed to the flames, though they quickly retreated back into the forest after realizing that hey, fire for them is a bad thing. I don't care if you're tired about all this, why would you hurt yourself? Just talk to me! Nepgear shouted in her head, the words wanting to come out of her mouth, though she reluctantly held them back, not wanting to cause an argument that could possibly awaken the rest of the cast. Strangely, though, she did do something that she hoped would make Uni feel a little bit better. From her sleeve, she pulled out a rather spiffy-looking handkerchief, which apparently, she carried just in case she needed it. I must say, this was completely unexpected, but then again, it is Nepgear, and she is known for doing the weirdest, most innocent things.
"Hey, what are you doing, Nep?" Uni yelled as she saw the piece of paper wipe away the blood on the arm, which caused a slight, stinging sensation to run its course through Uni's nerves. Still, she did not attempt to stop her friend from doing this, and she remained quiet as the handkerchief wiped away the red liquid that could make even a strong man sick to the stomach. Once the major excess was gone from Uni's arm, Nepgear tossed the paper into the fire next to her (which caused it to raise slightly in delight), and proceeded to glomp her friend with the greatest strength imaginable. Again, Uni just accepted it. She had to admit, Nepgear's hugs were always the best, and no, don't think like that, you damn reader! Uni would kill me if she saw me supporting something that shouldn't be supported by her standards!
"Uni, I'm ashamed too," Nepgear said, smiling as her tears ran down those cheeks of innocence (boy, that sounded weird to type), "but I couldn't do anything, even if I had the courage to do so. That poor man…Compa tried her best, but I think she knew it probably wasn't going to work. I hate thinking like that, but no matter what we could have done, he wasn't…g-going to make it." Nepgear turned her head slightly to fight back the full onslaught of tears. Uni still remained silent, though it did seem that her face did relax just a little.
"I think the only one who could have saved the man was Blanc, but she wouldn't run out there because she didn't want to leave her sisters behind. She was crying herself to sleep before, remember? And Cave has a gun too, but she didn't do anything, either. She was afraid of hitting Compa. Uni, I thought everyone talked about this! Please, I hate to see you blame yourself," Nepgear said as she went on to bury her head into Uni's shoulder once more. Uni was still silent, though she did have a visible tear running down her face. It was one of those tears that made one reflect on life, for some reason.
"Yeah, well, I should have done something, Nepgear. Everyone said not to blame themselves, but what do they know? My gun was loaded, and unlike Cave, my gun's easier to handle. I could have taken out a few zombies, let IF or someone go out to them, and save their lives. Noire did something, and your sister did, too. I have no excuse, Nepgear. I don't," Uni said, relinquishing Nepgear's hold (albeit gently at that) as she decided to lay on the ground, taking care to move her self just a little bit so that her hair had no chance of catching on fire.
Nepgear brushed away the tears on her eyes, flicking them over to the fire for good measure, and decided to lay next to Uni, hoping to at least keep her hurt friend company until the bells ring once more. Uni sighed, really not enjoying this company, but she decided not to complain, as Nepgear was already sad, and making her any sadder would probably lead to a crime against humanity and Planeptune. "Uni, I have no excuse, either. If I wasn't so scared, I would have run out there and helped Compa. Yet, I think because Neptune went out and helped Noire, I was afraid of leaving her, so I stayed behind to make sure she was okay. Maybe you didn't leave because, I guess subconsciously, you didn't want to leave Noire. I mean, that's just what I think," Nepgear said, feeling a sweatdrop form on her head as she realized that Uni could easily yell at her for making such a profound comment. However, Uni did not do this, but she did look over at the sleeping Noire, who was holding onto her rapier like a teddy bear. Isn't that a bit dangerous to do?
"Did you see how Noire looked at me when we were talking? She glared at me, Nepgear. Glared at me. She probably wanted me to help her fight, but I didn't. She must be disappointed in me, right? I want to satisfy her, but damn, why can't I? What Lastation Denizen can't do everything? Man, she's going to let me have it tomorrow, isn't she?" Uni said, chuckling a little bit to herself as she now looked back towards the sky, where only a few stars could be seen due to the heavy smoke that was currently being generated. Nepgear nodded, knowing that she did see Noire make a face towards Uni, but goodness, it couldn't be out of anger! She knew Noire well, and Noire would never make her sister worry quite like this. Sure, she may have been rough the past couple of months back in Lastation, but she would never be this mean. Surely Uni must have misinterpreted the face!
Cuddling next to the CPU Candidate of Lastation (who blushed at this movement, not really sure if Nepgear truly knew that what she was doing could be eschewed as something else), Nepgear gave her friend a warm embrace. "I'm sure Noire didn't mean anything bad. If she did, I'll protect you from any argument. I know you don't deserve it," Nepgear said as she cuddlied with Uni. Uni had to say that while she was hesitant with her doing this motion, she had to admit, she actually enjoyed it. Again, Nepgear always gave the best hugs.
"R-Really?"
"Of course. What are friends for?"
"W-Well, don't think I'm going to need your help all the time! I can take care of myself, whenever I feel like it!" Uni replied, making Nepgear smile as she saw the old Uni finally reawaken from the depression. For a little bit, Uni just talked about what was going on Lastation, and Nepgear chose to listen, liking to hear Uni sound happy rather than that monotone-style she had whenever she was depressed. It made Nepgear feel rather good inside, you know? It was just a pleasant feeling.
"Crap, what are we doing? I almost fell asleep! I'm supposed to be keeping watch!" Uni said as she immediately sat up, with Nepgear following suit. Both of them stood up and, against all odds, actually laughed to themselves, feeling slightly foolish for almost messing up on the job, even though Nepgear already did by sleeping before, but this author chose to keep his mouth shut. They walked over to the flame nearby, making sure it was still completely lit up. It was a strange sight to see two friends just hanging out like it was natural, you know, with thousands of zombies still wandering about, desperately wanting a chance to, I don't know, eat them? Ah, what do I know?
"Hey, Nepgear?"
"Hm? What's up, Uni?"
"Don't bring this up to anyone. You know, the arm-slicing?"
Nepgear nodded to her friend as she picked up a stick and threw it into a firebed. "Okay, Uni, as long as you promise me that this will never happen again. You worry me when you do things like this," Nepgear said as she still tried to keep a peaceful deposition. Uni, however, looked down at the floor, and Nepgear thought that she was going to cry. That wouldn't work out, now would it?
But Uni did not cry. Instead, she actually walked up to Nepgear and, with the biggest surprise this author has ever witnessed, hugged Nepgear back. Even Nepgear was caught off guard, but she hugged Uni, making sure that the CPU Candidate knew she was cared for. "I won't do it again. Never. Heh, you are my best friend…sorry that I worried you," Uni said, which must have taken a lot of courage to say, given that she is both from Lastation, and a tsundere at that. Nepgear patted her friend, smiling as she felt glad that they could work something out.
"I will always be your best friend, Uni. Always."
But as Nepgear said that, she could've sworn something was watching them, something that wasn't zombie nor animal. She thought she saw glowing, white eyes far off into the forest ahead, and the light radiating from them managed to illuminate the body somewhat, making the body look feminine, robotic, and snake-like. It was tall, that was for sure, but Nepgear couldn't make out a lot of it, for as soon as she saw it, it vanished into the darkness, with the zombies continuing to roam about the land until the next bell.
This was certainly going to be a much more painful adventure, but Nepgear chose to keep quiet. Though they keep telling me to hide the subtext, it is getting harder and harder with each scene.
High above, the blue light returned to its normal shine, becoming one of the stars high up in Celestia herself.
This is taken from The Phantom's book "Neptunian Theory: The Destruction of Man and Planet through the trivial matters of Godly dissolution;" Page 84, para 4:
"…That is why the is currently still active somewhere around the world. It was supposed to be sealed away when Akklayas fell two millenias ago, but somehow, it has the chance to still exist in this world. It is the third deadliest thing in existence, next to the Ultra-Goddess Formation, and the third dragon of the apocalypse, which rests somewhere within the bowels of Planeptune. Where could this Goddess be, I have to wonder. Dpah has gone on and made it her life mission to find this individual, and hopefully awaken the form, so that she can somehow suppress it. I am reluctant to allow her to do this, but if there is a chance to stop the end of the world, then I believe I have no other choice. She says that the only way to awaken the is to cause the individual to grow so angry, to the point that all emotions are simply replaced with anger. This could occur in many ways, from destroying a home town, to ruining the life of the person, to killing off their most cherished of loved ones…"