DISCLAIMER: Hyperdimension Neptunia belongs to Compile Heart and Idea Factory.
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I hope you enjoy.
Chapter 20
Sitting in the bathtub, Neptune sighed as she relaxed her body, letting the warm water taking out her exhaustment from the hardwork she had done today.
Ever since that day when Avenir revealed their true intention to exterminate her, whenever the party entered a dungeon to do some quest, Avenir machines will always be there, waiting for them, or to be exact, waiting for Neptune.
"Could this be the true meaning of what that woman said?" Neptune asked herself, recalling what the stalker had said to her on their last encounter.
"This entire landmass will eventually assault Neptune. Don't ever forget that!"
She lost in her thoughts for a a few minutes, and was brought back to reality when someone knocked the bathroom's door.
"Nep-Nep, are you done yet? I can't hold it anymore!" Compa's stuttering voice could be heard from the other side of the door.
Deciding that she's done for now, Neptune stands up, grabbed the towel that she put nearby, and wrapped it around her slender little body.
Opening the door, she let Compa in while she walked towards their bedroom, where she found IF sitting on one of the bed, texting on her phone.
"Watcha' texting there Iffy?" Neptune asked, taking a peek at IF's phone, much to IF annoyance as Neptune's wet purple hair covered her view.
"Can you at least dry your head first? The droplets gets everywhere!" IF complained, looking at Neptune in annoyance.
Neptune complied, and head over to the desk where she used the hairdryer to dry her hair. "So, who is it?" she asked again.
"It's Chian." IF answered. "She told me that she was currently working on the sword's improvement, promising that all of the deficiency that you listed will be fixed." IF explained, still focus on her phone.
"That's good." Neptune replied with a nod while she combing her hair. "Once the improvement's done, nobody can stop this Nep from taking down that wicked evil company!" Neptune said with determination in her voice, along with a confident smile on her face.
"Why are you being so serious all of a sudden?" IF asked, finally put her phone down and looked at Neptune. "Seriously, ever since that day, you're always getting tensed whenever Avenir is mentioned more often than before. What's wrong with you?" IF asked in confusion.
"Because I'm SO MAD at them for what they did to Chian!" Neptune exclaimed, slamming down the comb to the table. "Don't you feel mad at them too?" she asked while glaring at IF.
"No." IF calmly replied. "Not as mad as you are." she answered with a shrug.
Growling a little, Neptune took a breath to calm herself down, before walked over to her bed, where she put her clothes some time ago.
"I'm sorry, it was just... I just can't stand around doing nothing when someone else's life has been ruined in front of me." Neptune said softly while dressing up. "My pain of unable to remember the past, forgetting everything, from my favourite food to everyone that I loved, is barely enough for me to bear. But when it was my friends' lives however-"
Neptune line was cut short when she felt a hand on her shoulder, looking back, she found that it was IF's hand, she was looking at the purplette with a serious expression.
"You've not the only one that suffer in here you know." IF said gently squeezed Neptune's shoulder. "Ten years ago, when I was just merely a small child. Both of my parents died because they were attacked by monsters on their way to home." IF began, while Neptune listened closely. "I was at my home when that happen, didn't know what's going on, and keep waiting for them to be back home. I waited, and waited, and waited, until I eventually tired of waiting and decided to find them." IF took a breath to calmed herself. "It took some efforts and time, but eventually, I learned the truth, and when that happen, I felt like my entire world has died."
IF letting out a soft sigh as she diminished her sentence, it was not easy to share a painful memory to someone else, even though it was her own friend.
"Then... how come you grew up?" Neptune asked in curiosity.
"Well, ever since that day, I swear to myself that one day, I would become strong, and with my strength, I will take my revenge to the monsters that made my life a living hell like this." IF explained, and then her serious expression was replaced with a little smile on her face. "But that was temporary," she said. "One day, a guild agent caught me in the middle of my training, and he said that I have some potential inside me, he invited me to join the guild, and I agree." IF's smile grew larger. "It was in there I grew up and getting stronger. Eventually, I learned that vengeance is too small for a dream, I wanted to do something with more impact to this world. And so, the reason why I fight and kill monster now is because for people safety and not vengeance." IF finished her story with a big smile on her face.
"I see..." Was the only replied from Neptune along with a small nod. Without any word, she wears the rest of her outfit silently.
"The point is, don't give into your anger, because being angry won't solve anything." IF said before returned to her bed.
After things has settled, the party sleep on their respective beds, ready for another hard work that awaits them tomorrow.
~o~0~o~
Later in the morning...
The girls were just sitting around in the hotel room, when suddenly, IF expression become serious, as she was busy in her phone.
"...No, no, no!" She muttered aloud. "The Sanctuary group driven out by the Parliament... I can't find them anywhere!" she said glaring intensly at the pink phone.
"The Sanctuary serves the CPU and goes on missionary quest, right?" Neptune asked and both IF and Compa nodded at the same time. "Oooh, so if we find 'em, we might get to bump fist with the goddess directly!" Neptune exclaimed energetically.
"You just thought of that?" IF asked with a deadpan look, before shrugged. "Well, it doesn't matter because despite my efforts, I can't locate them... unless..." she closed her eyes and put her hand on her chin. After several moments, IF opened her eyes. "We might have to speak with another heretic to get some answer..."
"You think a heretic would really know anything?" Neptune asked.
"People can't be oblivious to all this information-snuffing by the Parliament." IF answered. "The heretics don't care about that, right?" she asked and Neptune just nodded a little.
"Girls it's time for work." Compa said as she put down her phone. "I heard an old, helpless man is being attacked by creatures outside of town!" she explained, before putting her phone into her nurse bag. "We gotta save him!"
"That must be one of them, what a lucky coincidence." Neptune said with a smile, before stand up, picked her sword and exited the room, followed by her companions.
~o~0~o~
"Well, there they are, waiting for their prey." Neptune muttered as she looked at the Avenir machines that already waiting for them inside the cave they currently in.
"Seems like the monsters didn't get disturbed by their precence at all." IF muttered. "It was like the machines itself was a monster."
"Well, just like Chian said, the entire company itself is monster." Pulling out her gun, Neptune jumped into the battlefield and start firing bullets at the monsters in front of her, with IF backing her up, and Compa stayed in place, sniping the monsters with her syringe.
A giant Cobra snake monster stand up, it stick it's tongue out and hissed, with it's head pointed towards IF.
As she inspect the monster, Neptune noticed the kind of fangs that the Cobra had, and quickly warned her friend. "Iffy, watch out!"
Her guess is right, the Cobra opened it's mouth, and from it, it shoots it's venom, aiming for IF's eyes.
But since she had already warned, IF quickly ducked down to avoid it, and the venoms are only hit her hair. "Ugh, you bastard!" IF pulled out her handgun and used it to shoot the Cobra several times on it's head and mouth. "That'll take some time to clean it up!"
After they killed all of the monsters, they ventured deeper into the cave until they meet a giant humanoid creature, but unlike anything they encountered before, this creature only have one eye, and it's located right above where it's nose located. The creature wears some heavy metal armor, and caries a club.
"The eye, it's weakness must be it's eye." Neptune said to her companions, as they prepared themselves.
"How did you know, Nep-Nep?" Compa asked curiously.
"Well... I played this one game a while ago, in it, whenever the protagonist encounters a creature that has one eye, he always rips it off to kill them." Neptune answered.
"Right." IF nodded, pulling out her handgun, she shoots the cyclops for several times, but all of the bullets that she fired at it all bounce away once they hit it's metal armor.
"Looks like it's another bulletproof monster." Neptune muttered before taking out her sword and jumped into the battlefield.
"I'll be helping Nep. Compa, if you can, try to shoot it's eye, see if what Nep said os true." IF said before following Neptune into the battle field.
"Right." with a nod, Compa put her syringe down, waiting for the right moment to use it.
Neptune ducked, at the incoming swing from the cyclops club, after she avoided it, she use her sword to hit the area that didn't covered by armour, however, it was revealed that the cyclops skin was more thick and harder than they imagine, and so Neptune's sword ended up only managed to scratch the surface of the skin.
"It looks like the skin itself was also really thick and hard." Neptune muttered as she looked at the small damage she aplied to the creature.
With the help of IF, the two girls battled the one-eyed creature, trying their hardest to deliver massive damage at it.
After some efforts and time, the Cyclops has become noticeably tired, it swung it's club down at Neptune who blocked it with her sword.
"Compa, now!" IF yelled at her peach-haired friend in the distance who quickly nodded and aim her syringe towards the Cyclops' eye.
"Compa's Love Heart!" Compa pushed the plunger, and send the pink heart towards the Cyclops, accurately hit it right on it's eyeball, making it cried out in pain while clutching it's face.
"It's time." Green energy appeared on IF's hand. "La Delphinus!" A white circle rune appeared below the Cyclops, and then a pillar of light erupted in the center of it, engulfing the beast.
After the light fade, the Cyclops was still alive, but didn't have any energy left to even stand.
Neptune climbed to the top of the fallen beast, pulling out her handgun she aimed it's eyeball, and pull the trigger, killing it.
Jumped to the ground, she looked around the cave and couldn't find any monsters exist. "Looks like we cleared this area. Let's go guys." her companions nodded, and they continued their search.
~o~0~o~
Walking down a tunnel, the party spotted what it looks like to be a tent, made out of leather, in the distance, along with an old man, sitting in front of it, with a wodden stick rested on his legs.
They approach him, and when the old man noticed their presence, he tensed up.
"Who might you be? You're not here to sightsee... What do you want?" He immediately asked with his guards up.
"As expected, another heretic. I'm glad you seem able enough to carry on a normal conversation." IF muttered softly.
"We're looking for the Sanctuary group who got the boot by Parliament. Watcha knoe about that?" Neptune asked, trying as nicely as possible.
The old man made an 'oh' expression, before clearing his throat. "I heard they relocated to Colline, where the old Basilicom used to be..." he explained.
"What a convenient answer!" Neptune exclaimed softly. "So easy! We got all the info we needed right off the bat."
"...Are you not thinking of returning to the town?" Compa asked.
"Returning? No point." he shook his head. "The messenger isn't revealing itself. We've all been forsaken." he said with a serious expression.
"The... messenger? Why are you waiting for this person? What will the messenger come and do, anyway?" Compa asked with curiousity.
"The messenger would have taught us the way to salvation, away from Overlord Momus's clutches..." he explained, before sighing. "But it's useless now."
The party only nodded a little at the answer.
"...Is there anything else?" he asked and the party shook their heads. "Leave if you're done." he said, pointing the stick towards the way the party comes.
~o~0~o~
It was nighttime, and the party decide that it was the right time to go to the old Basilicom, where the Santuary group hides from the Parliament.
"Man, it really cold out here." Neptune muttered, crossing her arms, shivering under the cold temperature of Lastation's night.
"I-It's really dark and creepy here. W-Why did we have to go at night time? Can we just go tomorow?" Compa complained, clinging to Neptune's arm, apparently she was afraid of the dark.
"Can you two just stop complaining and keep walking?" IF said in annoyance.
"B-But it really is creepy, who knows what kind of thing that would showed up?" Compa retorted.
"It'll be fine, nothing weird will showed up-"
Before IF could finish her sentence. There was a rustling sound coming from a nearby bush, and from the bush, a man dressed in a police-like attire emerge.
"Tch! Y-You girls! What're you doing here? You're not Bravo Team..." the strange man said, and now that he was completely out of the bush, the party could see that he was carrying a gun.
"Whoa! Right back at ya! You're in a crazy police outfit and you got a neato gun..." Neptune said, backing away a little bit, fearing that the man was going to do something not good with the gun.
"Fools! This place is dangerous. You should run!" he said.
"Wh-What do you mean?!" Compa asked nerveously.
"I'm from S.R.A.T.S., a special forces unit invertigating some evil-sounding deaths of residents." He explained himself. "I've lost my team, though..." he muttered. "Must be those zombie dogs! If you're not a master of unlocking, you should pay attention or you'll get eaten!"
"Secret forces? Zombie dogs? Have you been playing too much of something?" Neptune asked in absolute confusion.
Ignoring her, the man continues. "One warning. Ammo is limited, so make sure you aim for the heads!"
He then walked past them, looking at them for the last time. "I'm heading out now. Be careful, ladies. Man, I'm itchy. Itchy. Tasty. G-Good luck!"
And with that, he walked away, leaving them in total confusion.
"Uh... okay..." the party said unison.
After a few minutes of walk, the party spotted a building in the distance, it looks pretty worn down and was just a few years before collapse.
"That must be it." IF muttered, approaching the building.
"I hope someone is really there. That place looms way too haunted for normal people to live." Compa muttered, in a low tone.
When they got in front of the building, they didn't see any lights coming out from the windows.
"I d-don't see any lights... Maybe Mr. Heretic was wrong. I think we c-can still go home." Compa stuttered, her grips on Neptune's arm tightened, and her legs are ready to ran back home.
"Don't even think about running away with your butt between your legs!" Neptune said as she pulled Compa who was trying to get away, towards her. "You've got me here." and then, without any hesitation, Neptune approached the door and knocked several times. :Excuse us, we're coming in!"
The door opened, and when it fully open, a man with a gun on his hand appeared before them.
"Stop! Are you part of Avenir, or are you from the Parliament?!" the man asked, her finger on the trigger.
"Whoa! Wh-Wh-What's up with this?" Neptune asked in surprise as more men appeared, holding them at gunpoint. "Do we look like bonanza sisters or something?" she asked.
Once the men's realize who was they pointed their gun to, they lowered their guns.
"...Oh, just a few little girls." someone that could be their leader, muttered. "I'm sorry. We're not used to visitors." he explained. "Are you selling cookies?" he asked.
"No." Compa shook her head. "You all seem so tense. Is someone trying to hurt you or something?" she asked.
"Very much so." He said with a nod. "Avenir's automated weaponry have already paid a visit to a few of us." he explained.
"What? Why whould they do that?" Neptune asked. "Wouldn't taking over the Basilicom would be enough for them?"
"They'll never rest until every one of us are dead." he said in a very serious tone. "Even after driven out, the public eye still believes we're part of the Basilicom's system." he gestured the party to come in, and they complied.
With the man leading them, the party entered a large room with round walls made out of glass. At the end of the room, there was a smaller room with a broken statue inside of it. The said statue was missing it's upper half, leaving only it's legs.
"Wow! The outside looked like it was about to collapse, but the inside it's no different from the other Basillicom." Compa muttered while looking around the room.
"We remodeled this room. We couldn't possibly welcome the goddess in such a filthy place." he explained. "We typically don't use this room for guest, but I'll make an exception."
"Question!" Neptune yelled while raising her hand. "Who's statue is this?" she asked while pointing at the half broken statue.
"It's the statue of the Lastation's goddess of course." he answered.
"I see..." Neptune replied softly.
"Something's wrong, Nep?" IF asked.
"I don't know, but these legs are looking familiar for some reason." Neptune answered, closely inspecting the Black Heart statue's legs.
"Maybe it's just your feeling." IF said with a shrug.
"Maybe..." Neptune replied, deciding to ignore it for now.
"We came here in hope of meeting the goddess and talk with her about Avenir, but looks like we can't." Compa said softly. "Is there anything else we can help with?" she asked.
"We'd like the assistance, but we have no solid proof of Avenir's activities due to... many reasons." the man answered.
"What about Chian's factory? It was totally crushed by Avenir. That's a whooper of proof!" Neptune pointed out.
"The Parliament will go and conceal the entire incident." he answered. "If anyone defies them, they'll be driven away like us." he then sighed heavily. "Their military and political might is engulfing Lastation from both sides."
"So there is no hope then..." Compa muttered.
"No, of course there is." the man said. "We're thinking of a countermeasure. As soon as we can find a connection between Avenir and the Parliament..."
"We worked with Avenir a few times. I remember a Basilicom member substituted once to explain our job to us." IF explained, cutting the man in mid-sentence.
"Oh, that's right." Compa exclaimed with a nod. "They were saying something scary stuff like 'dead or alive!' for some monster tissue and stuff." she explained.
"If that's true, the equipment made from the monster's tissue could be our proff." he said with a smile. "If only we could get such thing."
"I know!" Neptune raised her hand. "All those mechanical meanies that comes after me is Avenir's product, right?" Compa and IF nodded. "Then I'm sure they'll poop one out if we keep bustin' 'em up!"
"Avenir is coming after you?" the man asked in confusion.
"Well, apparently one of their employee said so, I didn't even know why would they targeted, Nep." IF explained. "But that's not the point. I don't know the odds of such a peculiar drop, but that's the only way to go about this."
"It sounds like a lot of work, but if it's for justice, I'll do it." Compa said with confident. "Even small efforts can be the seeds of great success!"
"Thank you for this invigorating discussion. We'll await your return with the hardware and expose those cretins."
The party nodded.
To be Continued...
I got things figured out in my head now, so there will be no delay for the next chapter.