Chapter 45 - Just some Coffee Drinkers
Back in Planeptune, Histoire sat at her Office Desk, signing some documents which she had the authority to do… though, that wasn't much. The stacks of unfulfilled papers which dominated the Desk around her spoke for themselves. The Tome Fairy didn't look all too good either, not with the bags under her eyes which showed she had missed the opportunity to sleep to get more work done for more than 3 days. Her movements lost their lustre whilst becoming increasingly robotic the more time passed, as if any extra movement would just be wasted and the inevitable grip of sleep would claim her faster. She had already been drinking cups upon cups of Coffee to prolong her awakened state, since this kind of regimen had been what helped her get her workload done at all.
A sigh, one of the countless ones she had in this room which served both as a control centre and a prison to her, escaped the Tome Fairy's lips. Afterwards, she put down the paper she had been looking over about one of the many problems which dotted around Planeptune's borders, problems which had roots within ASIC fanatics which were causing their usual mischief. Leaning back on her tome yet not falling back down like her body SCREAMED at her to do (if she did, she'd feared that she really would succumb to the urge to sleep~), Histoire reflected on her current state of affairs, her eyes darkening till they resembled a withered old woman who had seen way too much conflict, way more than any sane person ever should. She REALLY needed to take a break, but unfortunately there was little she could do to free up her schedule for some RnR, especially with no CPU or Candidate around. It all fell onto her shoulders as this Nation's Oracle.
Looking at the stacks of unfulfilled documents, Histoire had to wonder how Planeptune had even lasted this long.
She felt glad that Nepgear hadn't seen any of all this when she had spent those days in the Basilicom recovering from her trauma incited by ASIC, if she had seen all this… Histoire didn't want to imagine the level of guilt and shame she would have carried on her shoulders. Even if she had tried to convince her it wouldn't have been her fault that Planeptune had been put under such dire straits, the Tome Fairy knew that child far too well. She'd blame herself, become depressed then lose sight of what she needed to do. This sight, it represented the collective damage which had accumulated within Planeptune, the sickness that wrought its depths and its core without the CPU around to maintain it. Heck, despite her fatigued state of mind, she swore to herself that Vent himself had given her a few looks when the Party didn't notice, looks which pretty much 'screamed' that he knew what this was like, like he had figured it all out.
Shaking her head, Histoire sat up straight, glancing back down at her paperwork. She should have just reached for her Pen, so she could continue working or at least remained awake. However, it was unfortunate but her body seemed to be approaching its limit. Something she became eerily aware of when she found her eyelids starting to close of their own volition despite her protests. Even as she fought them with what might she could muster.
Back when she had been here, Neptune may have slacked off and stuff, but that in comparison to right now would be TRILLIONS of times better. After all, if she was still here, she could at least get force her into this Office and get some work done. It'd be tedious, but things would STILL get done. A small and bitter chuckle surfaced within her at the memories of her dragging Neptune in here, the girl kicking and screaming while IF had her tied up with ropes, all the while Compa and Nepgear would stay out of the way since this would be the norm for them. Those days… Histoire never realized it, but compared to now she would DEFINITELY admit that she'd missed them.
But now? Now that both Neptune AND Nepgear weren't around no more, one being held captive while the other travelled throughout Gaindustri to gather power to rescue her… it felt exactly like what it did back then. Without them, everything in Planeptune felt more… dead, like a tree withering away as the cold grip of death claimed it. To Histoire, there was a STARK difference between the Planeptune with its leaders and one without it, something she had only learned during the beginning of the three years without either… not something she would have preferred, if anything she would rather have not realized it at all. It felt like a cold chill surrounding a dagger of ice, a dagger which plunged into the centre of her very being and twisted it in the most agonizing, sadistic manner possible.
'Now-now Histoire, you're doing it again…' the Tome Fairy thought as she fought off the depressing memories with what little she had left. She then looked around the room, eyeing its contents for what felt like the thousandth time in her life. Anything to distract her from the unhealthy, mind-damaging thoughts which had been growing in potency across time. Maybe she could seek help when she had the chance? Or at least talk to someone… Refocusing on her task, Histoire eyed her office while trying not to think too deeply. The Office didn't look too bad, if a bit small. It had a cube-like shape, with a book shelf located on the left wall. The shelf had tons and tons of books, each one being factual books and not fictional ones like the ones Nepgear reads when she is alone. There was a TV on the rear right corner which had connections to the news, so Histoire could use it to keep in contact with what was happening in the outside world. The floors, walls, Ceiling and frames each had the purple, blue and white of the Planeptune aesthetic, which would be expected of Planeptune's Oracle.
Seeing everything which had been her inanimate companions for over countless years, Histoire could only give another sigh, this one being of dejection and hopelessness as she resigned herself to staying confined within this place for another day. A day which seemed to mount itself onto her shoulders like building blocks, each one carrying a whole day's worth of stress and problems which would remain unsolved. 'Sometimes, I wish SHE would talk to me through the connection to the world… it would have been a welcome change considering what I do every day…' Histoire thought, frowning sadly. She remembered the voice whom would occasionally speak with her, a voice whom she had known the owner of for a very long time, longer than even the current generation of CPUs. That voice had, ironically, been her closest companion these last three years, offering her emotional and mental support which she had so DESPERATELY needed during these trying times. However, it couldn't be around all the time due to the conditions needed for them to actually talk to one another, so Histoire often found herself alone with her depression, something which often felt like it was trying to choke the life out of her.
Though, in times of crisis, Histoire still had SOME things to help keep her sanity intact whilst in this 'cage' of hers, something which she soon utilized by logging onto the computer on her Desk. She then set about opening a little bit of software called 'Neptunes' which was a music site which she used to listen to some tunes which she liked. Before he had left, Vent had decided on giving Histoire no small amounts of tunes from his world to listen to if she got bored with all the paperwork, though he inadvertently created another crutch for Histoire to rely on. Right now, she wanted to listen to this interesting little band called the 'Blockheads', as their songs were admittingly quite… motivating.
The first of their songs soon came on, filling Histoire's room with a guitar-based melody… before the song began to play.
(Blockheads – Because of Me)
I keep my eyes shut
For a moment in the this life,
I'll see
All this pain made sense, still
I am proud to keep
All my dreams...
Cause they're shinning for me
But when I wake up
The world just feels grey to me
I am at the same place
I don't really wanna be
Feeling all alone...
I still chase what seems gone
But when I try to stand back up
They pull me back down
And all I fight for begins to drown
Who could save me now?
Since I know
All the steps I take
They are all because of me
Every mess I faced was the
Way it should have been
All the pain I'll take
Will be worth the suffering
My faith will remain
In every moment keep self esteem
In the end you'll reach all your dreams
Am I awake now
I offered every piece of me
And now it seems that
All my wishes became real
I feel weak...
It's hard to believe
Tale or a nightmare
My life should feel right to me
But there's still this emptiness
Inside I keep
Deep in me...
I fell so incomplete
Tell me why
I though I'd be proud
But I can't get it enough
My life has changed back
To what it was
Where is my savior now?
Cause I know
All the steps I take
They are all because of me
Every mess I faced was the
Way it should have been
All the pain I'll take
Will be worth the suffering
My faith will remain
In every moment keep self esteem
In the end you'll reach all your dreams
I keep on pushing
Keep, keep on pushing
I keep on pushing
Can't to stop to push me, NOW!
FUCK!
Can you tell me why
I am not satisfied?
All I am asking is
Who could save me now?
Just myself? Just myself!
All the steps I take
They are all because of me
Every mess I faced was the
Way it should have been
All the pain I'll take
Will be worth the suffering
My faith will remains
In every moment keep self esteem
In the end you'll reach all your dreams
'My goddess…' Histoire thought, sighing to herself again but this time out of a musical high, a soft smile spreading across her lips. 'Never have I been more grateful towards music than in moments like these… I must thank Vent when I get the chance, the songs he gave me have been a superb help. He may not see his world in a bright light, but… I cannot help but believe that they made some sweet tunes.' Histoire had never heard of this band before, and before everything went down she hadn't been too much of a fan of music as a whole. The limited experiences she did have were the talks she'd overheard some of her colleagues going on about which involved their favourite idols. One of the most prominent had been one exclusive to Leanbox…
Even so, her stance on music had soon changed once she began listening to the tunes Vent had supplied her from his world, as like previously mentioned they had provided her a strong crutch to lean on in particularly trying times. She had even found herself bobbing her head and humming to the catchiness of the tunes. It was like they were a drug, embedding themselves into her and putting her on an intense high, though Histoire didn't find this type of high to be unpleasant. Not one bit, which had been one of the other reasons why she had kept at it whilst she got back to work in signing these Documents. The catchiness of the song she listened to as it thrummed through the office, pretty much pulling a Frankenstein and making it feel like the room had come alive.
Moments later, though, did her high get interrupted when she heard a telephone ringing. The Tome Fairy promptly paused the song on Neptunes, mumbling to herself at how unfortunate the timing for this was. Despite these misgivings, Histoire picked up the Phone which was located on her Desk, her face puffing and reddening as she exerted as much strength she could to put it on her lap. She then put its receiver upwards and spoke down into it, trying to keep her fatigue hidden behind a professional tone. "Hello, Oracle Histoire speaking."
"Lady Histoire, I've got some visitors down in the waiting room, visitors whom are requesting an audience with you." Came the voice of one of the Basilicom Attendants. Histoire remembered her by her voice, realizing that this was Naomi, a recent addition to their ranks when her predecessor joined ASIC a couple weeks ago. Knowing that there were dwindling believers in the CPUs soured Histoire's mood again, but she kept it hide like normal. "They said that you would want to see them, as they and I quote 'know important details revolving the red eyed monsters'."
The moment that Histoire made to deny these visitors, Naomi had said something which IMMEDIATELY caught her attention. 'Red eyes? Only ONE kind of species has those eyes in recent memory, I'm SURE those are who they're referring to!' she thought, partially miffed at the slightly arrogant words which she had heard. Fortunately, she still had the sense of mind to keep a level head, as she soon decided to let them come see her. After all, since Gamindustri as a whole let alone Planeptune knew so little about the Ghouls (the red eyed monsters), any extra information could be of great assistance. She didn't know if this was a prank however, so she would have to be cautious. "Please send them to my office then, Mrs Naomi. I will receive them myself."
The moment that she got an acknowledgement from Naomi, Histoire ended the call and placed the phone back on the receiver with an audible CLICK! She then heaved heavily, leaning back on her book which landed softly on the wooden material of her Desk. Now, all she had to do was play the waiting game… Whelp, not like she hadn't been doing that for the last 3 years, so what's a couple moments?
Meanwhile…
Within the Sealing room, all remained silent as the various parties stared each other down. The air remained as a silent breeze, with none of the previous tension which had been built up throughout the conflict between Nepgear and Underling. As for the occupants of the Sealing Room, all of them stared at the hooded cloak-wearing newcomers with a variety of expressions, ranging from shock, disbelief, confusion and many others. For example, Nepgear's party who remained by the entrance (having recovered from getting shoved aside like ragdolls) looked at them with confusion, along with no small amount of wariness. For one, whilst it did indeed look like they had saved Nepgear from any further beating by Underling's hand, something which they would be grateful for them currently, they were STILL Ghouls. They could tell due to their black and red Kakugan eyes taking place of both their eyes. Thus, they were considered full-blooded Ghouls in their eyes, and considering their past experiences with Ghouls trying to eat them…
"Um, who are these guys?"
Finally, RED decided to be the one to break the silence which dominated the room, leaning sideways to the closest person to her which turned out to be IF and whispering into her ear. The redhead kept her eyes trained on the one who held Nepgear bridal style in his arms, that Ghoul being the middle aged man who stared at the fuming ASIC Hybrid with total nonchalance. Like she didn't even register as a threat in his eyes (though that could be said for the rest of these new visitors), something which set off alarm bells in her mind. If these Ghouls weren't threatened by someone who'd been trained by Seidou Takizawa of all people, just how strong were they? THAT thought didn't do her distrust for them any favours, as if they indeed were stronger than Underling and Seidou, then if they did indeed attack them then they'd be unable to actually do anything. RED firmly believed this, possibly just as firmly as she believed in her dream of obtaining a harem of wifeys, plus she had proof of their strength in the form of them moving so fast that she couldn't have noticed them coming at all.
Still keeping her eye on these new arrivals, IF leaned back towards RED and whispered into her ear, her eyes shining with just as much caution if not more so than the wifey hunter. "No clue, RED. For once, I got nothing, and that ain't a good sign." RED's nod of agreement as well as her slightly shocked expression more than conveyed her agreement to that notion. Out of all of them, aside from Vent IF would be classed as their most level-headed party member. Broccoli may be smart in her own right, but IF had been a Mercenary for the Guild for a longass time, which resulted in her becoming QUITE intimate with the ways of the battlefield and longstanding combat. As a result, she could tell things in tense situations that normal civilians wouldn't be able to pick up, like the fact that these newcomers would be LEAGUES above them in combat ability. In their situation, perhaps they would be able to tell thanks to their seemingly immunity to the oppressive energy in the room, but IF looked more towards their physical bodies and saw the signs there. These guys were fighters, born and bred for combat the likes of which she had never seen before. Though then again, she felt like Ghouls such as Seidou would be well-versed in that kind of scenarios. As such, for someone like her to say what she did, it DEFINITELY didn't count as a good sign.
"Well… at least Ge-Ge is safe from that meanie Underling… I think?" Compa, ever the optimist, tried to say. Although, with the lack of confidence in her voice, one would find it difficult to believe her words. Her eyes shined with concern and worry for her friend, whose state of being did NOT help matters at all. The limp form of Nepgear hanging in that middle-aged man's arms called out to her, and it took every shred of willpower not to give in to her instincts as a Nurse to rush on over and apply some healing Skills on her. For one, like the others believed, none of them knew who these people were, or their alignments. For all they knew, they could have been more enemies, and considering their prior engagements with Ghouls resulted in them nearly getting eaten or being beaten within an inch of their lives constantly… yeah, she along with the others had good reason to be worried. Anxiety swarmed within her gut as Compa placed a hand over her chest to calm her pounding heart, she honestly could attribute it to a freaking jackhammer with the power and speed it was operating at right now.
Thus, none of them dared to make any moves which could imply any hostile intent. That would only serve as a death sentence right now.
"You all do not need to worry."
All of a sudden, the Lowee Mascot spoke from her spot in Broccoli's embrace, causing the others to look at her in shock, surprise and confusion. For a moment, they had been so worried that their friend wouldn't make it through this fight that they had forgotten all about the Mascot. "Your friend is not in any danger, I can tell this is the case because none of these newcomers feel like the other Ghouls do. These feel more calm, composed, not to mention they do not radiate any hostile intent. Their allegiance remains to be questioned, but for now I do believe we can safely assume that they are not allies of ASIC." The Mascot continued, the glow around it pulsing like a beating heart as it explained its beliefs to them. That wasn't to say that it didn't think these Ghouls could present problems for them, quite the opposite actually. It was just looking at the facts that were presented before it, trying to be as logical as possible in this situation.
"That talking Disk thing's right, midgets." Stated the blue haired man, pocketing his hands inside his cloak while narrowing his eyes at Underling. Looked like he had heard them talking with the emotions in their voices being as clear as crystal, which would be something to be expected thanks to the advanced senses his species possessed. He then rolled his neck around, sharp and audible cracks echoing through the dungeon which sent chills through the Party's' spines. "Not like I give a damn cause I don't, but just see us as a third party." He then aimed a downright ferocious glare towards the female who looked very similar to him. "We're no heroes nor are we saints, but we CAN say we're here to help… though if you want proof, wait till we deal with this bumbling child over here." He spoke, gesturing to the trembling Underling who right now seemed to begin foaming at the mouth from how furiously red her face looked. Heck, Lightning arced around her Tentacles as well as her Baton savagely, reflecting the bestial rage which coursed through her being. If anyone got close to her right now, one would likely get shocked to death.
Noticing this same demeanor, the flamboyant man dramatically placed the back of his left hand over his forehead, like he were an actor playing a dramatic role in a play. "Such a sad, twisted sense of humour, lady fate possesses! Oh mademoiselle, how such a look ruins you so!" he remarked with… quite the expression of drama into his words. "This current you does not look even NEARLY as appetizing as you did when we arrived. My GOURMET desires are squealing in utmost anguish!" He said… right before pulling out what looked like a clipboard out of nowhere as well as a pen. He then continued his little 'act', with just as much drama. "I even wrote down the names of the recipes I could have made from you if you hadn't ruined that beauty of yours!"
…
…
Surprise Blanche (White Surprise)
Sanglant Plaisir (Bloody Delight)
Viande de poire sur un baton (Pear Meat on a Stick)
… yeah, he really wrote these things on a clipboard and presented them to the others… and looked absolutely PROUD doing it. He even had a huge beaming expression on his face, like what he was doing wasn't something out of the ordinary. None of the party could grasp on how to react to this man's… mannerisms, but the other Ghouls with him did. Judging by their shared exasperation with him, that is.
"Shu, just stop." The man bluntly told the flamboyant gentleman called Shu. Rolling his eyes at knowing how this would just be a common thing with this man given his… tastes, the blue haired man continued without stopping the savageness from escaping his tone. "You're making yourself looking like an idiot." He then gestured over to the sole female member of their group, who was looking at Shu with killing intent radiating from her body. "You REALLY want to test her after that stunt you pulled a few days ago?"
"Huh? What stunt?"
"You know exactly what, dumbass! You tried to push her onto that beanpole again, groping her boobs!"
"Ah… was that the reason why Madam Touka got so exquisitely beautiful like when she was when I was 18?"
"Geez, ya think?!"
"You two, stop fooling around." Spoke the oldest member of their group, having sensed the incoming brawl from the blue haired man's end. Things didn't need to get any crazier than they already were, sometimes he wondered why the boss of theirs even decided sending them together was a good idea. After all, Shu had already proclaimed himself as the boss's 'Sword' whilst the 'shield' remained by his side, helping him out with different matters. Glancing down at the wounded CPU Candidate in his arms, his eyes narrowed dangerously, causing the others to stiffen for what he might do. "This child needs medical attention, and fast. Her wounds are serious…" he stated after a few seconds worth of silence… before practically teleporting over to where the girls were, electing a couple surprised "kya!"s from them as he proceeded to lay her on the ground before them. "One of you is a healer, right? Tend to her wounds, she may not be dead yet, but she could go into critical condition momentarily."
"H-Huh? R-Right!"
Blinking owlishly when she hears the man's words, Compa's brain soon kicked itself back into gear like a computer restarting as she quickly kneeled before her unconscious friend. Thus, she began the treatment process, with the others quickly closing themselves around her in a protective formation.
The man seemingly ignored this, as he practically teleported once more back to his comrades, pretty much confirming to them that his speed FAR surpassed theirs. 'Fast!' they all thought, though none of them verbally expressed these thoughts in light of wondering what the heck was going on. "Now that that's out of the way…" the man began, holding up something in his hands as he addressed his comrades. "We can finish up what was started before the main event arrives." He said…
All the while holding the Lowee Mascot in his hand.
Now THIS got a verbal reaction from the Party after a moment's worth of silence. Each of them looked confused for a moment, wondering what they were looking at before their brains rebooted, causing their jaws to drop and their faces to pale. "EH?!" Shrieked the girls in unison with white circles for eyes, before turning to Broccoli, said girl looking down and noticing that they had lost the Mascot right before their very eyes. 'WHAT THE HELL, HOW IS THAT GUY SO FAST?!' They added in their minds, any thought of being able to fight or at least defend against that man (as well as the other Ghouls by extension), whisked away by the harsh winds of reality.
"… What do you want from me? Do you wish to end me yourselves?"
Even so, the Lowee Mascot remained composed and calm, the exact opposite of the Party's reaction to the current situation. The Disk pulsated with its words, and the Man got the feeling that it was looking at him directly. Right down to his very soul, something which the man remained unfazed by as he held it before him. At least about the average distance for two people to have a conversation. "You do not fear us? Interesting, you Mascots do indeed surprise me. Anyways, no, we do not come here for your life." The man replied, somewhat relieving the girls, whilst Underling would have looked at him in confusion had she not been so pissed off. The only reason why she hadn't attacked yet was simply due to her instincts SCREAMING at her that she'd found herself in the presence of superior predators. "What we want to do…"
Pausing and trailing off there, the man reared his arm back like he was about to reverse throw a Frisbee, then chucked the Mascot towards the Seal before anyone could stop him. Not like they could cause A: they were too far from him to do anything and B: his comrades would have blocked their path. "Is to finish all this tediousness." He finished after the throw. The Mascot, surprised still, sailed through the air with a rapid spinning motion and, once it touched the seal… the entire thing became bathed in a white light, causing every occupant to quickly cover their eyes to protect their eyes.
…
…
…
…
FLASH!
…
…
…
Once the light died down, everyone looked towards the Seal after lowering their arms, finding themselves welcomed with the sight of the Lowee Mascot back in its original position. The Seal itself looked to have been repaired back to its optimal condition, as if the previous few chapters' events had never happened in the first place. Not to mention, all the oppressive negative energy in the air had abruptly vanished, forcefully pulled back into the Seal and kept inside with the inactive Killachines. None of them had even gotten the chance to come out during this time, not ONE… what a sad day for them…
Nah, not really.
"The Seal… is everything good?"
IF was the one to ask this in a shocked but slightly hopeful tone as she cautiously stepped forwards. Some of this tension got lost when she no longer felt any weight slamming onto her like before, but she remained cautious of the Ghouls all the same. Although, now that she'd seen what she did, IF would readily admit that she'd prefer to tolerate THESE Ghouls rather than Underling right now.
Floating within the Seal, the Lowee Mascot bobbed up and down in a form of confirmation to the Guild Agent. "Indeed, everything has returned to how it should be. The Killachines have been rendered inactive once more, and as long as I'm here, they shall never be able to return to this world ever again." It explained, no small amounts of relief in its voice as its aura regularly fluctuated.
"… You have got to be shitting me…" Now, seeing this display of prowess as well as what it had resulted in, had done the job of dousing Underling's anger as evident by the lack of lightning around her Kagune. Instead, shock took its place as her mismatched eyes widened to the size of saucers, unable to believe what she had just seen. "That guy's super-fast… and those other two… I don't get why, but they feel as though they're as strong as sensei…" she muttered under her breath… before proceeding to escape the room with her tail between her legs without anyone trying to stop her. She would just tell her superiors of what had happened here, so that things could be altered with these new variables.
Back with the party…
The Lowee Mascots' words brought about waves of relief throughout the rest of the Party as well, judging by their collective sighs and by the way their eyes brightened up like lights on a ceiling. "Yaaay!" Yelled Compa who also proceeded to hop into their air with her arms spread open wide. "We're In the clear!" Such joyous words could do little to describe the level of happiness floating through the atmosphere at the moment, especially since, in the Party's eyes, this may as well be the first time they had managed to win the 'war' against ASIC's Ghouls. Let's face it, through their past encounters it had pretty much been the Ghouls who'd wiped the floor with their asses, to the point where they had somewhat lost some of their morale at one point, especially Nepgear. If someone like Vent hadn't been around, well… yeah, let's not think about that.
Meanwhile, the newest arrivals stayed back for the time being, watching how everything played itself out.
"You all have my utmost gratitude for your efforts." The Mascot declared within its seal, catching the Party's attention once more. "Because of these, Lowee will be saved."
Nepgear shook her head in denial at this however, her hair swaying behind her in response to her movements. "We only did what was right…" she began to say, a soft smile on her face. Although, it then flipped upside down into a frown when Nepgear brought up another topic which lowered the positivity in the atmosphere. "But… this means you can't come with us, doesn't it?"
THAT served to bring the Party's attention to the situation at hand, all whilst the Lowee Mascot bobbed itself up and down, as I to mimic nodding a head since it lacked one. "Agreed. As I mentioned before, my departure would mean the reactivation of the Killachines. Therefore, it is as you have said, young CPU Candidate." It replied, though there was a hint of sadness and remorse in its voice implying its true feelings on the topic.
This earned a nod from said CPU Candidate as well, her eyes carrying no small amount of complex feelings, though they got pushed aside by the look of acceptance that had soon took over. "I had a feeling… not to mention that their return can never happen… sorry for bringing it up…" she mumbled at the end, lowering her head with her fists trembling, although she tried to hide it.
Everyone I the Party hug their heads at that, knowing just how the young girl felt at this moment, since it essentially meant that they had wasted a LOT of time in coming to Lowee, since they'd not be getting anything out of it. That amount of time could have been spent looking for perhaps the Leanbox Mascot or some other alternative solution to their problems, although they didn't believe that Nepgear thought of it this way. No, inside each of them felt a similar way, saving the lives of innocents wasn't ever truly wrong, but still… part of them still felt a bit frustrated over this outcome.
Just then, IF remembered something, evident by the way her eyes widened and her form tensed up as if a light bulb had switched on inside her brain. "Ah, hold on…" she began whilst lifting her head and placing a hand on her hip. This served to get the Party's attention focused on her, as well as that of the Lowee Mascot too, which had been her intention from the start. "Back in Lastation, their Mascot gave us a bit of its power for our use whilst it remained at its post… sort of. So, could it be possible for you to do the same? That way it's more of a win-win situation for all parties involved."
"My apologies, however I lack the knowledge to perform such a technique… huh?"
As the Mascot made to regretfully inform the brunette of that impossibility, somethings started to change for the Lowee Mascot. Just before it could finish its words, the Mascot proceeded to glow in a bright colour which matched its own, a colour which soon shone brightly throughout the room. As a result, the party, as well as the onlooking helpers, quickly covered their faces lest their eyes get blinded by the bright light. This lasted only for a couple seconds, fortunately, allowing them to lower their arms once the light had died down, revealing…
TWO Lowee Mascots.
"…Eh? Huh? Wha?" Compa became the first to speak after a moment of silence, her puzzled expression so easy to fit onto the faces of those gamers who tried to solve complex puzzles in puzzle games. She blinked owlishly several times whilst tilting her head, multiple question marks on her forehead… although similar events became the reaction for the rest of the Party as well. "Whats going on here….? Compa is SOOOOO very confused right now…" she questioned, putting her index fingers on her forehead and rubbing her temples whilst she tried to rummage her brain for any kind of information.
She pretty much summarized the whole of everyone's feelings surrounding the situation right now.
Whilst it wasn't easy to detect, the Lowee Mascot within the seal looked over at its clone, which floated just outside of it. For a moment, it remained silent, although whether or not it did this out of trying to figure out what the hell had happened remained up in the air. Finally however, it began to speak, its voice revealing little of the astonishment it felt inside. "This is… ahhh, I see… seems as though the workings of a Ghoul's Kagune are similar…" she mused, before looking to the rest of them… although that kind of got weird since BOTH Lowee Mascots did the same exact thing. "Everyone, I must apologize, it seems as though I'd neglected to mention that there was indeed another technique I specialize in: cloning. This here is a clone of myself that I must have subconsciously crated out of a psychological desire, one to help make sure you all have the power necessary to save Gamindustri. Its somewhat like the psychological influence that a Ghoul's mentality has on heir Kagune, but instead of an extension of myself I have simply 'detached' a portion of myself and formed it into a separate body that I can command. Although it is capable of free thinking and shares my personality."
After this explanation got given, the second Lowee Mascot, or rather the Lowee Mascot Clone, bobbed itself up and down in the form of a nod. "Indeed, and I shall join you all on your quest." It said, all while floating over to Nepgear and merging with her in a similar way to the previous Mascots.
"… So, in the end despite our hard work in keeping this one alive, it just makes a clone of itself as easy as that?" IF remarked in slight disbelief over the situation as she tried to wrap her head around it. As much as her internal BSinator, which she had honed from listening to Neptune for so long, wanted to call the Mascots out on this, she did have to admit that they had a point with the description. Remembering what Vent had said and shown them about his Kagune, it did seem plausible to compare it to what had just transpired. "…#SIGH# Oh, whatever. All's well that ends well, I guess." She stated in the end, deciding to just roll with it. Plus, how could she complain when they had LITERALLY fought tooth and nail for an outcome just like this, coming close to losing on multiple occasions?
"Well then, now that this business is settled…"
Just then however, before then Party could rejoice further the three new arrivals that had appeared before, stepped forth in unison, registering their presence once again. This time, the Party all looked towards them, and a new atmosphere overcame the Sealing Room. A thick level of awkwardness and tension filled the air, as the two sides stared one another down. On one side, On the other side, Nepgear and the girls, although they did feel grateful towards them for helping them return the Kilachines to their slumber, they still nonetheless had ZERO idea on who these guys were. Whilst one thing they did know was the fact that they were Ghouls, and that fact alone warranted some deep levels of caution from them due to prior experiences with them, since they hadn't directly attacked them any it left the questions regarding their motives up in the air.
"S-S-So, um... thanks for the help, I g-g-guess...?"
The one who broke the silence? Nepgear, and she looked just as flustered as she usually was whenever she got put on the spot. Plus, as team leader she felt that she should be the one to thank these Ghouls for their assistance, despite her fears and doubts about them. The purplette even lowered her head in a Japanese style bow with her hands clasped together in front of her crotch area. "We really do appreciate it."
"Ah, Merci, madame. This gratitude shall be humbly received by mwah." The... flamboyant, over the top Ghoul whom had went by the name Shu, responded with a dramatic flair, holding his left arm in front of his chest with the right thrown upwards. With his head being previously lowered, Shu lifted it up so they could see his eyes, which remained in their Kakugan forms and as such, couldn't help the mild sense of discomfort when looking at them. Didn't help that he had this... this smile about him, one which had both a sense of dread, nervousness and fear, like he were simply eyeing them as if they were helpless little rabbits, and he himself was the hungry fox eager to dine on their flesh. "Hearing that the lot of you lovely ladies are alright, ahhh, words alone cannot express the relief I feel inside."
Before the man could continue, one of his comrades, the sole woman of the group with her hood having been lowered, revealing her blue hair and eyes, reached forth and pulled him away from the Party. "Simmer down, Tsukiama, you're on that creeper mode again." she stated, much to the other man's dismay. She then turned back to the girls when the man managed to recompose himself with the others of his group. "Sorry 'bout that, he gets that way quite easily. Have to get a bit tough to keep him in line at times." she then shook her head as she glanced to the entrance, her eyes narrowing whilst transforming into her Kakugan. Any thoughts of her going to attack them got dashed before they even became prevalent with her following words. "In any case, you lot need to scram, fast. We weren't here to save you, no, that's only a secondary objective."
"Huh? Then why are...?"
SLAM!
"Eek!"
Before IF could question the woman about what she intended to do here, something she doubted had anything to do with the Mascot, A startled squeak of fright escaped Compa and Nepgear's mouths when something slammed into one of the room's walls, breaking through it and showering the space around it in a wave of blood. Blood that didn't belong to the cause by the way. What that was, nobody could tell since it got concealed by a cloud of smoke born from the previous collision, although it wasn't long before the sickening stench of blood filled the room like the stomach-churning stench from a junkyard. RED, Compa and Broccoli covered their mouths, their faces losing a lot of color rapidly, in order to try and fight their urges to vomit. Meanwhile, Negear, IF ad the Ghouls all tensed up, their instincts SCREAMING at them that something... ominous, if this bloodlust in the air similar to a wild animal going on a blood frenzy, was any indication.
"... This."
The moment that the woman spoke that one word, the remaining Ghouls lowered their hoods to reveal their true faces: a boy with similar facial features to the woman, whilst the oldest of them looked to be a man with grey hair, with a stubble beard over his chin. Though these didn't remain so for long since they each took out what looked to be varied 'Masks', and put them on, much to the girls' surprise.
The woman looked to have a white rabbit Mask
The guy with similar facial features wore a black rabbit Mask.
Tsukiama Shu seemed to wear a Mask shaped like a white and red crescent moon.
Finally, the oldest member of the group wore a black mask which had the shape of a Raven.
None of them had a chance to comment on why they were wearing Masks at this point though, since they had already seen their faces, because several appendages burst out the smoke, lunging towards the Ghouls who quickly dodged by jumping all over the place. The appendages didn't relent though as they quickly gave chase seeking them out as if they were organic seeker missiles which the Ghouls all responded by unleashing various crimson constructs from their bodies, wildly lashing out to deflect them away from their positions as they landed on the ground.
At this point, the appendages sunk back into the smoke, and it took only a couple seconds before the smoke got wiped away by something within... something which sent waves of shock and horror through each of the Girls.
"H-Holy..."
"Is that...?"
"VENT?!"
Indeed, according to the horrified Nepgear, Vent slowly stumbled forwards, his arms hanging in front of him whilst his head remained hanging as well although to say he looked like he'd come from a war zone would pretty much be understating the severity of is condition. Furthermore his clothes looked like they had been through a meat grinder, with his right pants leg having been shredded up to the thigh whilst the left lacked the material to cover beneath the kneecap, whilst both had varying sized holes through them. His feet lacked any footwear, leaving him barefoot although it didn't look like he noticed or cared. As for his hoodie, well, one couldn't call it as such anymore since it lacked a hood right now, plus the centre torso looked to be bare and exposed to the open air around him, leaving only thin strands connecting to the pouch over his abdomen. The left sleeve now only covered down to bellow his shoulder, whilst the right looked to be in a similar boat...
Exposing the copious amounts of bloody gashes that donned his body like medals won by Olympic athletes. Some looked rather shallow, whilst others looked rather deep with copious amounts of blood running down his four limbs even as they slowly proceeded with their regeneration process. Something which pretty much confirmed those wounds to have been made from a Kagune-based attack.
But that wasn't what got them all so horrified, what WAS? Whelp, the various appendages protruding from him of course!
From his back, protruded a dark reddish semi-circle wing with a spiky structure, a single circular stream of gas-like RC Cells spiralling over that bodypart. Furthermore, From his right shoulder, a single black pulsating muscular arm that a professional Bodybuilder would be envious of protruded, being slightly longer than Vent's own arm whilst ending in a large two-parter blade that had some similarities to a Saw with its edge. Thirdly, the entire head looked to be covered by a helmet of sorts, one shaped similar to a human skull but with a long, spear-like horn protruding forth from the forehead, and whilst they couldn't see the eye sockets, the onlookers still got a good look at the lipless mouth filled to the brim with sharp teeth. From the space where his Rinkaku usually popped up, protruded a pair of black Tentacles that had large crimson armoured claws. A long, crimson Tail with a black underside protruded from the base of his Spine, ending in a large, circular black barrel which OBVIOUSLY had the purpose of ranged attacks.
"Haaaaahhhhhhhhhh...!"
Slowly, the male released an exhale, a thick crimson gas leaving his mouth as the helmet's 'jaw' opened to mimic his facial movements, his hunched form repeatedly inhaling and exhaling deeply. The Tail behind him swayed too and fro behind him in a slow, deliberate manner, all whilst the third arm he sported twitched in a dangerous manner. Then, after a few breaths got released a low growl escaped his lips, as he raised his head to allow the helmet's sockets to be seen: showcasing one fake Ghoul eye and the wild, crazed and insanity-filled Kakugan of the Ghoul that Vent Sported in the other... although the 'fake' Kakugan moved about like it were a real one.
"Tch, looks like the brat's completely lost it...!"
"Touka, Ayato, be wary. Looks like this thing's only 50% complete, just like how HIS had been, which makes things worse on our end."
"No need to tell ME uncle, might want to direct that look to my idiot brother, though."
"Oh shut it, sis!"
"My, I wonder how a rampaging Ghoul under such a beastly Kakuja will taste... Ohhh! I never got to taste such a delicacy before when our leader was like this back int that lab! Its making me all jittery just thinking about it!"
"Calm down, Tsukiama, here comes the beast... lets codename him ARAGAMI for now."
"Guuuuuhhhhhhh... grrrrrrrrrrr... GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! GRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGHHHHHHHHHH!"
A loud roar shook the room to its core, as the furious, insanity-riddled Vent leapt forth like a predator bouncing towards its unwary prey.
Chapter end!
Hey y'all, didn't expect an update for this story, did you? I'm just working on what I feel like now, cause I suck at keeping frequent updates it seems.
In any case, finally I get to work on something I've been designing for a while. Actually, for those whom had already guessed it, Vent's incomplete Kakuja originally had a far different design with a Yu Gi Oh monster's appearance used for the base. However, I instead decided to go with an alternate one based off the same series that the Vier weapon was inspired from, since I recently completed the game and the monsters in that series really made me take a liking to them... save for one Kyuubi variant, that thing gave me a LOT of do overs.
For anyone whose interested though, its the God Eater 2 Rage Burst for the Vita that I used for inspiration here, the monsters I used being the Arb Aberrants encountered near the end. Here's a summary of the design choices:
Vent's Ukaku: The wing from Blood Rage only coloured red from RC Cells instead of Oracle Cells... hmmm, actually that might be an interesting powerup later down the line...
Vent's Rinkaku: The arms of the Magma Gawain but black and red instead of white and orange.
Vent's Koukaku: based off the Arm of the Yaksha Tivra's with the end being the literal base Buster Blade form.
Vent's Bikaku: The tail of the Caligula Xeno but with a Blast Gun for a tip, whilst also having the same beast's head for a helmet.
For all you God Eater fans who played this game, I think you all know what I'm talking about when I say these guys' names.
Anyways, hope you all liked, and I'll see you all later.
Peace Out!
