Chapter 29 - Meeting the Oracle
BOY was RED pissed when he went out of his room.
A second after getting him into her sights, she had been on him like a heat-seeking missile. She had begun drilling into him about stealing her Wifey Goddess's purity when she wasn't looking, while trying to give him a proper thrashing. 2 things stopped her however, one of them being Vent's Rinkaku Kagune, which would snap out and block her strikes, before knocking her away from him. RED would not be deterred however as she repeatedly tried to get onto him, but his Rinkaku would foil every attempt she made.
The other thing was an annoyed IF, who had seemed to calm down from her previous posterior. He had figured it best not to ask about the `dragon's eye comment, much to Rasen's disappointment, since he liked seeing her embarrassed, the damn sadist. She had bonked her on the head when she made to go for another attempt to get on his back, telling her that she herself confirmed that Nepgear hadn't lost her purity to anyone, much to Vent's relief. Although she did question him why his Kagune came out while RED grumbled to herself.
Upon getting the explanation from Rasen, Vent had explained to them that his Kagune had a self-defence mechanism to it, and would automatically defend him against any threat when he didn't command it. That meant that if RED or anyone else tried to kill him for whatever reason, then it would make sure they would never be able to do so again.
This indeed got chills to go down their spines, more so when the Tentacles twitched in their direction.
Nevertheless, they managed to get through the morning relatively intact. At least, the girls did as Vent, despite his Kagune's best effort's, did get a few injuries from RED's fists. Girl was tough, he'll give her that, but they were minor at best and were healed before he and the girls even left the building.
The Party finally arrived at Lowee's Basilicom, and already Vent could see the differences between Lastation and Lowee's Basilicoms. While they were the same appearance wise, like with Planeptune, Lowee's Basilicom generated an aura of friendliness and calmness, while the Lastation one gave a sense of strict working and professional manners. 'Wow, this place feels so much better than Lastation's…'
'You and me both, Master. You and me both.'
Stepping forwards, Nepgear stepped forwards, before turning to address the rest of the group with a twirl, hands behind her back. "All that excitement set us back, but we finally made it to the Basilicom." She said, heaving a sigh of relief. After that stuff that happened with Underling, Seidou and the twin CPU Candidates, it was an honest relief that they managed to get here without attracting more trouble. The rest of the group nodded in agreement, as Nepgear turned back around and spoke. "Pardon us, anyone here?"
IF tilted her head and leaned sideways, whispering into Compa's ear behind her hand so nobody could hear them. "Her intro was better, but don't you think this reminds you of something?"
Compa nodded her head in excitement, though she tried her best to conceal it as she replied with. "Yep, just like Nep-Nep. They are sisters after all." She gave a small giggle, which was followed by IF's chortle of amusement. Vent and RED gave them both clueless look, wondering what they were talking about. Well, RED anyways, but Vent's enhanced senses picked up what they were saying. He was only clueless as to the context to it.
However, he didn't get a chance to ponder on it as they were soon greeted by a figure walking towards them, having come from a nearby entrance. "Yes, welcome to Lowee's Basilicom."
The new arrival was a woman, though at first Vent wasn't sure if she was an adult or a newly graduated university student with her attire. Nevertheless, Rasen quickly confirmed her to be an adult woman judging by the soothing, calm aura she gave off. She was a tall, light skinned young woman, at least in her mid to early 20's, who had very long milk-blue hair, worn in low pigtails held with big orange-yellow circled pieces with short bangs. Her eyes were dark blue with a red square pair of glasses in front of them.
She wore a short white dress under a red, long jacket like robe worn open with gold lining and buttons. The sleeves puff below her elbow and have long cuffs; while at her neck was a collar and red bow with a golden badge. A matching graduate hat was on her head with two long white tassels on opposite ends, while she also had a pair of see-through, frilled stockings and red heels.
When she looked at Nepgear, her eyes narrowed slightly, as if pondering something, before they widened in realisation. "Oh my..." She gasped, putting a hand over her mouth in a ladylike manner. Her voice was silky smooth like her dress, and had a certain soft feel to those who heard it. "Forgive my presumption, but are you planeptune's…?"
'Intelligent too, well I guess she's someone high up, and considering the pattern, I'd say she's Lowee's Oracle.' Vent thought to his mental tenant, who snorted in agreement.
Nepgear also realised what she was going to say next when she trailed off, as she closed her eyes and gave a pleasant nod, a bright smile on her lips. "Yes, I'm Nepgear, the CPU Candidate of Planeptune. We came here today because we want to ask for help." She explained.
Glancing towards IF, Vent noticed the lack of tension on her shoulders, and quickly concluded she wasn't feeling as irked as she was with Lastation's Oracle. Already things were looking up for them, compared to yesterday, at least. This was good since they needed some form of respite from those events.
The woman nodded her head in understanding, an intelligent gleam in her eye that matched that of a detective, but it was brief. "For a CPU Candidate to come all this way must mean there's some very important matter to discuss." She deduced, and would have continued with her current course of speech had she not realised something if the widening of her eyes in realisation and apology was any indication. "Pardon my manners. I am Mina Nishizawa, Lowee's Oracle. How may I be of service?"
'Called it/Called it!'
It took them a short time, but they were able to explain their situation to the Oracle, about their quest from Histoire for the four Mascots, and what they planned to do with their collective powers. In the end, Lowee's Oracle had adopted a serious, stern persona as she cupped her chin thoughtfully, bobbing her head several times during the lecture to show she understood.
When it was finish, she lowered her hand and formed a quick summary. "I see… So you are seeking our Mascot's power."
"So…?"
Nepgear's hopeful expression fell when the Oracle shook her head sadly and with regret. "Unfortunately, there is nothing I can do to help you right now."
'At least she's not acting like a shrewd businesswoman like Kei did…' Rasen commented within his mind, while Compa clenched her fists nervously, her throat tightening at the response. "Uh Oh. Why not?" she asked her.
"Lowee's Mascot has a very important mission." Mina replied, and when she saw the curious looks on their faces, she continued to explain her point. "If it leaves, our nation will be swallowed up by unprecedented chaos. When IF asked what that mission was exactly, Vent almost laughed as he predicted what the woman would say next. "I do apologise, but the importance of its mission is so great that all relevant information is classified."
Vent shook his head, finally getting to say something to the slightly disappointed Guild Agent. "You should have seen that coming, IF. If what we're told is being accurate, then this mission would have to be kept hush-hush to keep people from trying to mess with it, and to be honest she has only just met us, and we're from another Nation. It's like telling a possible rapist where you live and when the doors will be unlocked."
Mina frowned at the boy while IF gave a roll of her eyes yet offered no retort, but nonetheless agreed with him. "As crude as that analogy is, I must admit that it fits with the situation well."
RED however, wasn't having anything of it as she flailed her arms back and forth while single-stomping her right leg on the ground. "But there are bad people out there trying to find and beat the Mascots into a pulp!" she protested.
Seeing how RED was getting more and more frustrated, IF decided to continue the subject away from prying into classified information. She was sure that RED might do something to get them kicked out otherwise, knowing her childish behaviour. "If she can't tell us anything, we'll just have to track it the old-fashioned way."
The old fashioned way, to track it by looking around, asking questions and investigating rumours. While the task was daunting, considering their track record with that method, it seemed to be the only option they had at this point. An idea popped into Vent's head however, one that he didn't mention right now since it wasn't the time.
While the Party was getting ready, Mina offered a small, supportive smile as well as a polite bow. "I trust that no harm will come to it should you find it, so I have no reason to stop you." Those words did settle some of their nerves, though not all of them. It was a small comfort to know that the Oracle wouldn't be hindering their search in any way.
Secretly, she was being way better than Kei was, personality wise at least.
"Okay…" a downtrodden Compa nodded reluctantly, turning to leave with the others.
Watching them, Mina couldn't help but feel a little guilty. Plus, considering how long their journey must have been to get here, she may give them something at least. "It would be rude of me to shoo away such well-travelled guests without giving you something, so…" she patted her chin with her hand's index finger, making the Party turn around to look at her again. "How about a story? Do you know Lowee's lore regarding the Deity of Sin—Arfoire?"
'Arfoire…? So that's the real name of the Deity of Sin…' Vent thought with narrowed eyes. He then placed one hand on the side of his neck, massaging it while another thought came to mind. 'Why does that name sound somewhat familiar?' the male didn't know why, but the moment he heard the word Arfoire, he felt something click inside his mind, and got the feeling that he knew that name from somewhere. Yet, when he tried to pinpoint where he heard that name, all he got was blanks.
"I've never heard any stories about it, no." Nepgear responded with uncertainty, shaking her head as the entire Party listened intently, waiting for the woman to begin her tale. None of them had heard much about the Deity of Sin save for what Histoire had told them, and that she was linked to ASIC in some manner. Aside from that, they knew little about her.
Soon, she began to speak on this subject. "Arfoire is said to have been born in Lowee." She began, but then frowned when something came up in her mind. She drew herself out of it and faced the group once more. "Before I continue, do you know what the Deity of Sin is?" she asked them.
The way she phrased that was ominous, even though there was nothing ominous about her. The atmosphere was tense, like a heavy weight had settled on the room with the watchful gaze of something sinister looming over them. It wasn't a good feeling, for anyone in the room.
"Now that I think about it…" Nepgear thought as she tried to remember anything about the Deity of Sin she may have learned. However, she got nothing, nothing at all. "No, not really." She replied regretfully. If she had known more about the enemy, perhaps what happened 3 years ago would not have happened, or at least they would have been able to alter the events somehow. Knowledge was power, that was a lesson she learned the hard way back then.
IF crossed her arms and furrowed her brow in thought. "ASIC is trying to revive it, so I figure it's some sort of god that'll grant them power." It was a fair assumption. After all, why else would someone want to revive an elder deity like that? To gain some form of power up for their own means. It was the only reason, IF and the others could think of to explain why they would want to revive the Deity of sin. The classic, get revived, get strong, and conquer the world shebang.
That was why they all were shocked when the woman shook her head vehemently, like she was frustrated with the very notion about it. Nevertheless, she responded in her calm voice, though there was an angry undertone about her voice. "No, such a convenient god does not exist in this world. In fact, "Deity" is hardly an appropriate descriptor. The Deity of Sin exists solely to bring destruction and chaos… No mortal can control its power. It is even said that Gamindustri was on the brink of disaster when the Deity of Sin was first born."
"Gamindustri's destruction…"
Images assaulted their minds, images relating to burning wastelands, scorching fires and ruined landscapes. Carnage and destruction would reign supreme, and there would be monsters everywhere. The images sent chills down their spines, their imaginations telling them what would likely happen if they had indeed failed to stop ASIC and their schemes.
At that moment, RED asked, low and behold, an INTELLIGENT question, much to everyone's surprise. "So why would these ASIC people want to revive a big baddie like that?" her question got everyone in the party thinking. They soon realised that's he had a point, why would anybody want to revive something If they didn't get anything out of it?
"Yeah," Compa nodded her head in agreement, voicing out the Party's thoughts into her words. "Wouldn't they be hurt too?"
The answer came to them from Mina, whose face showed concern and a scholar-like disappointment, like a teacher disapproving of how a student would lax about instead of focus on their studies. "ASIC doesn't truly wish to revive it. It's a tool, a ploy, used to increase their organisation's clout. If they had done the proper research on the Deity of Sin, thy wouldn't spread word of it among the public.
'That possibly indicates that the leaders are just using them, only they would be aware of their real goals and the severity of which. It's like in Tokyo Ghoul, where the Leaders of CCG conceal the truth about the way things were run from the public, and crack down on anything that would threaten their rule.' Vent thought, frowning deeply as eh cupped his chin. His teeth clenched tightly as anger started to swell inside his chest like a fiery inferno. 'So many lives ruined… and for a cause that they don't even know the truth of. That is just fucking bullshit.'
'On that Master, we can agree.' Rasen spoke, his voice hard and cold like a stone. There was palpable v anger in his tone. It wasn't that he cared about those working in ASIC, no fuck them they could go get cooked alive in a massive pan for all he cared. No, what pissed him off was the fact that people had the gall to fill the heads of the gullible with lies and deceit, only to toss them aside when they were through.
"Maybe the lower-ranks are being used then." IF theorized, scowling at the thought with Mina nodding her head in agreement.
The woman then spoke. "If so, I question their leader's sanity. This would ultimately lead to their own destruction, as well…" she then shook her head, clearing it of those thoughts for the time being as she cast her gaze over them. "I hope this story help to shed a bit of light on the situation."
Nepgear nodded, raising a hand and clenching the front of her sailor uniform nervously, yet her eyes held a grim determination to them, as if she had just found out the disturbing answer to all her questions. "A being that acts as a harbinger of destruction… Arfoire… So that's what ASIC worships." Like the rest of them, she too wondered why people would want to worship something like that, but if what IF had said was true, then the leaders should be the ones to be brought to justice.
Her musings, as well as everyone else's, were broken when RED scratched her scalp and brought up a question with a confused look on her face. "Wow, I know I'm short, but this is going way over my head. So like what should we do now?"
Finally, Vent spoke up, turning his head to look at the redhead. "We do what we have always done, RED. We kick ass, take names, and chew bubble gum." As if to signify this pledge, there was some thunder outside.
"What was that, thunder? But the forecast said it would be the usual today…" Mina muttered, but she didn't let anyone hear it. Well, she didn't realise that his enhanced senses picked it up, and Vent made no motion that suggested he heard her.
Meanwhile, RED went over and bopped him several times on the back, a large expression of joy on her face as she thanked the male of the group. "Thanks, Venny! You're forgiven of your trespassing on my wifey Goddess now." She chirped, oblivious to the roll of the eyes that the male did in response to her 'trespassing on my wifey' comment.
"Anyways, there's something I'd like to ask you, Mrs Min." the male spoke, getting the Oracle' attention. "Could you tell us anything you know about the Abnormals? We believed them to have come from ASIC or something like that, since they came just as they rose to power."
Mina nodded her head at his request. "Yes, that is something within my power. You see, Abnormal have long since been part of the Deity of Sin. You could say that these monsters were born from its being, and are fragments of its power. I do not know how connected ASIC is to the Deity of Sin, however, their leader must have done some heinous acts to be able to get them back into this world. Legends say that they fled out of Gamindustri for good when the Deity of Sin was first defeated."
"I see…" So it was getting more and more likely that Arfoire, the Deity of Sin, and ASIC were the result of the Abnormal Monsters out in the world. It didn't change much, but their origins would be an interesting piece of information to know. The image of that one abnormal he fought in the Gamindustri Graveyard when he first arrived came to mind, making him hold back the urge to snarl. That abomination… when they next met, only one of them would be left standing.
The male would have pondered deeper… had it not been for the sounds of stomping boots that caught his attention. The same could be said for the rest of the party as they looked to a back door to the Basilicom's main hallway. 2 blurs came from the door, shooting towards Mina, before they slid to a halt right before her. They even left scorch marks on the ground and trails of smoke.
While the party coughed and waved their hands to clear the smoke from their vision, in a reacted little, like she had seen this many times before, and dealt with the source.
"Mina, food!"
"Hungry…"
2 voices, one they recognised as Rom, and the other sounded younger, aggressive and impatient, spoke from Mina's side, addressing the Oracle directly like they didn't even notice that the Party was here. When the smoke faded, the pair revealed themselves as Rom and a young girl that looked just like her, only with longer hair and pink where blue would have been.
'Oh look, its Rom and Ram!' Rasen exclaimed in Vent's mind as the male cleared the smoke from his vision. He might have unleashed his Kakugan by mistake if that smoke stayed near him any longer.
Mina narrowed her eyes at the two girls, obviously the twin CPU Candidates that had attacked the party afterwards. She then spoke in a gentle, calm and nurturing voice with a hint of sternness. "Now, now. Mind your manners, kids. We have Guests right now, so could you please wait a bit longer?"
While they pouted in disappointment about not getting what they wanted, as all kids do, the CPU Candidates for Lowee wondered who Mina was talking about and looked in their direction. When they saw who the 'Guests' were, they both freaked out, the pink one which Vent assumed was Ram being the stronger of the two when it came to their reactions. "Guests? Ahh! It's the CPU dummy! She's come back to bully us more!" Ram shrieked, pointing her finger at Nepgear.
"Oh!" Rom squirmed, hiding behind her twin sister and quivering in panic. She had her hands on her sister's shoulders for support and was only peeping out with her head from behind her.
Not having expected this reaction, Mina gasped at what they called Nepgear. ""CPU dummy"?" she repeated, before giving the two kids a stern glare. "Heavens, child, that is quite rude!"
The Twins would have responded, but Nepgear beat them to it by shakily raising a hand. "Actually, just before we came here…"
Once again, Nepgear explained to the Oracle about what had happened the previous day and awaited her response. Good thing that Mina had taken to it like she did, as it soothed the girl's nerves magnificently, Vent noticed. "Oh, now I see. They misbehaved and attacked you, did they? I am truly sorry!"
'There, now Nepgear had more than one person saying it wasn't her fault. If the Oracle says this, she just has to believe it.' Vent thought, crossing his arms under his chest and nodding to himself in satisfaction.
'Yep, that frown of hers should turn upside down, again!'
As usual, though, Nepgear remained humble and raised her hands in a placating manner before her. "No, no. Please, there's no need to apologise…" she tried to say, but the woman shook her head in denial of that statement.
"No. As their guardian and educator, I fear I must extend my apologies on their behalf." She stated firmly, and with the tone she was using, it didn't look like she would be budging on the issue. She looked more like a concerned parent than a political figure ruling the land temporarily, something that was a sight to see.
Then again, lots of things in this world were amazing to the male, even after all the time he had spent here.
"Now then," Mina began as she looked down at the two children, who were standing beside her at this point. "What do you say, kids?"
Ram huffed derisively, turning her head away from the conversation with her eyes closed. "Lame! Why do I gotta apologize? I'm not saying anything to that CPU dummy." She said, stubbornly.
'Looks like she's resisting, the pint-sized little brat…'
'I'm honestly curious as to what Mina will do to keep them in line…'
To add to her sister's claim, Rom nodded her head firmly, if a little shyly, from behind her 'shield' though it didn't seem that Ram minded that much. The blue wearing girl even still had tears in her eyes. "Yeah, yeah…"
"No, that is not what you're supposed to say in this situation." Mina said, though her voice sounded higher in octaves slightly during that sentence. So, she was using the 'gradually raising your voice as a form of intimidation' tactic? Vent wasn't so sure that would work, but he wouldn't say anything till he saw the end result.
Once again, Ram refused to see that she was wrong as she now was staring right into Mina's eyes, her stubbornness shining through in those blue orbs. "Hmph! They were so mean, and they were all like "We're gonna attack you for no reason now, hahaha!"" she retorted with a scoff.
"We lost… it really hurt…"
That was when things suddenly changed. A brief flash of anger rose within Mina's eyes as… something large, dark and ominous flashed around her. "What. Do. Good little girls. Say?" she asked sweetly, though there was a lack of niceness in her smile. Hell, it looked more demonic than nice, and scary to boot.
'Oh shit!'
'Ho Jesus!'
Both Vent and Rasen nearly did multiple double takes when they saw this, and they swore that they saw the Twins look like they were facing the grim reaper herself. They were quick to change their toon and stood before the party, hands in front of their stomachs with their heads tilted downwards in bows.
"I'm so sorry! Really!"
"Sorry…"
Once their apologies were done, they looked fearfully at Mina, who nodded her head and now had her pleasant smile on her face. It was like her previous mood swing didn't happen at all.
Everyone each had their own reactions to this, as Compa was the first to respond, smiling awkwardly while trying to keep the fear out of her voice. "Did anyone else just feel a very dark, scary aura?"
Vent nodded his head so fast it was a blur, before he responded to the young Nurse. "Yes girl, yes we did." He said, shocked breathless. He had no idea how to react to this as he stared at the woman. It looked like she had more to her than just a politer smile. She had thorns. He was starting to see a pattern here, each Oracle had their own distinctive… quirk, that manifested within and outside their jobs. What, was Leanbox's Oracle going to be some drama queen with a Goddess obsession?
… he just jinxed them, didn't he?
'If I was a YouTuber and I was in a chair, I would have almost jumped out of it!' Rasen shrieked within his mind. If Vent didn't know any better, he would call him out and tease him about being scared. But he didn't since he too felt slightly scared of this woman right now.
Meanwhile, IF was the most calm of the two as she regarded the smiling woman, who was telling the CPU Candidates when to expect food like nothing had happened, with a bead of sweat on her forehead. "I guess there's more than meets the eye with Lowee's Oracle, too."
Once Mina had told them when to expect food, she turned back to them just in time to hear Nepgear brush off the twin CPU Candidates' earlier offence. "Please don't worry about it. We actually wanted to ask them for help, too." She explained, remembering what Histoire said to them before they began their journey.
She also should have remembered Histoire saying that they wouldn't co-operate at first, for Mina shook her head fiercely before giving her response. "As their guardian, I must vehemently refuse that request." She then gestured to them with a single hand. "As you can see, they're still children. But if they wanted to assist you as fellow CPU Candidates, perhaps I might make an exception…"
"No! I don't play with dummies!"
"Uh huh…"
Before Nepgear could even get her hopes up, the twin girls ruthlessly shot down the request from the CPU Candidate for Planeptune. They didn't think about it, nor give her any time either, which more than explained what they wanted. Probably thinking about both food and their previous battle.
IF sighed at this, she hated to admit it, but she now agreed with Kei on why she said good luck with these two. She then facepalmed at the situation, dragging her hand down her face afterwards. "Seems hopeless. Whatever. We said wat we wanted and got what we could, so let's go." She told the others.
"I'm sorry we couldn't offer much, but if I may warn you… Lowee has had a recent uptick in crime. Rumours have even begun, saying that it heralds the beginning of something unprecedented. Do be careful." Mina warned them.
Everyone else was already leaving, with RED happily bounding to the door and opening it for everyone. Turning back to the Oracle, Nepgear did the same posture as the twins did before and gave a respectful bow. "We will, thank you. I hope we meet again soon."
After the Party left the Basilicom, they began walking across the streets, heading towards the Guild building. They planned on having some quests done while they planned their next move. After all, less ASIC Shares the better. "Ugh! All that talking for nothing!"
That was RED, and she clearly wasn't happy as she had been ranting like this for a while, arms behind her head and pouting angrily. She remembered what they had gotten out of their trip to the Basilicom, and it was less than ideal. Though, even she had to admit they did get one good thing from this: Information, information about the Deity of Sin, its origins, and its connection to the Abnormal Monsters. That information would help them in the long run, to understand what ASIC was thinking or at least the leaders, since it seemed that even the organisation itself was being used.
Even so, it wasn't what they came for, which meant they had to go about this the long way, and considering their previous attempts in Lastation and Planeptune…
"What should we do now…?" Compa questioned as she looked around, watching people walk the streets. Some of them were couples, but all of them wore very large, woolly outfits reminiscent of what the twin CPU Candidates wore. She then looked to IF, wondering if she had a plan for this situation, it was her idea to go to the Basilicom after all.
Noticing the look that Compa was giving her, IF raised her hands and took a step backwards. "Don't look at me." She said, before noticing something out the corner of her eyes. Her eyes twinkled as she got an idea, and pointed to what she saw. "Oh, but hang on. Look." She exclaimed.
The party looked in the direction the brunette was pointing, and to their surprise they saw Underling walking through the crowds. It looked like she was thinking hard about something, harder than anything they'd ever seen her think before.
"Whoa!" RED shouted loudly, before the group shushed her. After a meek apology, the girl quickly went on with what she wanted to say. "Didn't we just send her packing?!"
'For once, I agree with the lesbo redhead. This is unusual, even for ASIC.' Rasen commented, before his presence receded into the shadows of his mind. Vent pondered on his words, but couldn't get a proper conclusion since the discussion took his attention back like a thief getting even with another thief for stealing his loot.
Nepgear hummed in thought, watching Underling move. "Is she trying to stir up trouble again?" she wondered. She thought it were a reasonable thing to do, since ASIC was all about low-handed tactics.
"Maybe." IF responded, but she wasn't done yet. It was time to explain her idea to the rest of them. "But remember, she's been looking for the Mascots too, right?" she questioned, getting nods from the others. They remembered how they kept encountering Underling on their journey for the Mascots.
The Planeptune CPU Candidate nodded, asking what she was getting at, prompting IF to explain. "I'm saying, if we follow her, maybe she'll lead us right to the Mascot." She said, finally revealing the idea. "She's been doing that to us, so it's only fair that we switch roles for once."
'Like it, tracking enemies to their hideout has the same principle.' Vent thought, nodding to himself in satisfaction, while Compa frowned with doubt about the plan. "Um, will that really work?"
"If it looks like it won't, we can think up a second plan as we go."
