Well, I've kept you waiting long enough, so...

ON WITH THE SHOW!

Neptunia Guild Files: Fate/book one

A Hyperdimension Neptunia Fan Fiction

by Derald Snyder

Section 27: Jeanne Alter

A trapdoor was opened into a wide underground space, Rider climbing down through said door. "Hey, I think we've hit pay dirt!" Joan, Archer and Saber climbed down after her, looking through the chamber...

"Down there!" Saber pointed. In the bottom center of the room, a sword stood hilt-up in an upraised stone. A short flight of stairs went down from where the trapdoor was stationed to the level area where the sword was, a musty smell permeating the chamber.

"That's it!" Joan grinned giddily. "La Pucelle! No doubt about it!"

"Good thing we got here before Gilles did," Rider sighed, absently brushing a little dust off her jacket and pants.

"Right, I'll retrieve the sword," Joan said, going down the stairs...

"Trace on!" Archer suddenly called, Joan turning to see him pointing an arrow straight at her head! "One more step and this goes straight through your eye!"

"W-what the hell?!" Joan raised her hands in shock, seeing that Saber and Rider had equipped their weapons as well! "What's going on?!"

"Do you think we're idiots, bitch?!" Rider sneered. "Like we would seriously buy your 'cousin from out of town' crap!"

"Indeed, I know for a fact and truth that Jeanne has no living relatives," Saber added. "Fortunately, Archer was smart enough to hint at us to not give away the game..."

"We only played along until now so you'd tip your boss's hand," Archer affirmed. "You ARE working for Gilles, right? So who are you, really?"

Joan blinked a few times, before hanging her head and chuckling. "Heh... so, you had me pegged from the start, huh? Fine then!" Her green eyes suddenly turned gold in color, the woman being engulfed in dark flames! When the fire dissipated, her attire had completely changed, now wearing dark armor with a fur-lined cape, with a distinct armor piece above her forehead. She held a flagpole in one hand as a dark aura surrounded her... "Ahhahahaha! Tremble in fear, fools! For I am the flames of vengeance, the dragon witch! But you can call me... Jeanne D'Arc Alter!"

"...Alter?" Rider sweat-dropped. "I guess it's more original then Dark Jeanne..."

"My word..." Saber shuddered in disgust at seeing such a twisted form of her old friend. "To think Gilles would create something like this..."

"Well, it seems dear Jeanne is too nice and pure," she spat the last word, "to see that justice is properly served! So I'm going to do it for her!"

"You do realize I still have you dead to rights," Archer commented, his bow steady and aimed true.

"Oh, do you now?" Jeanne Alter grinned. "Tell me something... where do you think all those wyverns came from?"

"From you, obviously," Rider snarked. "But don't expect them to save you, none could fit through that tight trapdoor."

"But those aren't the only things you can summon," Saber realized, her grip on her sword tightening... sure enough, the ceiling of the chamber began to crack, before something extremely large broke through, the trio putting up their arms to shield their eyes from the resulting dust cloud! "What the...?!"

"Ohh, fuck me," Rider squeaked as her vision cleared, beholding the shape of a large reptilian creature with dark red scales, standing on four legs with massive wings unfurled from it's back!

"Ahhahahaha! Behold the evil dragon Fafnir!" Jeanne Alter cackled menacingly. "You three may be experienced mercenaries, but to this one, you're nothing but morsels to snack on!"

"Okay, this is bad," Archer stated bluntly. "We're not equipped to deal with something like this!"

"No shit! This is the kind of boss monster that the CPUs would deal with!" Rider cried in fear.

"Your lazy, apathetic goddess cannot save you now!" Jeanne Alter declared. "Now, devour them, Fafnir!" The dragon smashed the ground with it's front paw, causing a tremor that knocked the trio off their feet! Fafnir then lunged it's head at Rider, the woman barely rolling away from it's sharp teeth before she could be eaten! Fafnir then turned to Saber, only for the blonde to swing her sword with all her might, cutting it's snout and making the dragon recoil, roaring in pain!

"Well, at least it's not invincible," Archer observed, his eyes scouring the dragon's body for any chink in it's scales... but then he had to roll away as Fafnir snapped at him next! Dismissing his bow, Archer traced his twin blades instead, slashing wildly at Fafnir's jaws!

"Keep his attention on you! I've got an idea!" Saber called.

"Hope it's a good one!" Archer yelled back, one of his blades finding purchase in the slash wound from earlier, causing Fafnir to rear back, hissing!

"It matters not! La Pucelle is now mine!" Jeanne Alter declared as she leapt Fafnir's back, holding said sword above her head with one hand. "Now, prepare to burn!" The sword was engulfed in flames-

-only for it to be knocked out of Alter's hand by Rider's chain! "Maybe I can't fight a dragon," she growled, "but you're fair game, Alter!"

"Damn you!" Jeanne Alter growled as she leapt down to engage Rider, only for her opponent's chain to wrap around her leg, Rider pulling and making the dark warrior fall flat on her back!

Meanwhile, Saber had raised her sword above her head... "The gathering breath of the star. The shining torrent of life," she invoked the incantation, her sword engulfed in a bright yellow aura! "EXCALIBUR!"

The energy wave nailed Fafnir dead-on, the evil dragon crying out in pain as it was engulfed in a pillar of light! When said light faded, Fafnir collapsed, bleeding from several points on it's body! While it was still breathing, the dragon was clearly no longer able to put up any resistance.

"No way!" Jeanne Alter cried in disbelief. "How could... since when were you able to do that?!"

"Since only recently," Archer answered for Saber, who had fallen to her knees from fatigue. "It's over, 'Alter'. You've lost."

"Not yet, she hasn't!" a male voice cried out, Gilles himself suddenly appearing on the scene. "It seems you're having a bit of trouble, dear Jeanne..."

"Gee, you think?!" Alter grunted as she finally got free of Rider's chain and righted herself. "How was I supposed to know Saber could do something like this with her sword?!" she pointed at the fallen Fafnir.

"Artoria did this?! Hmm, most impressive, I must admit," Gilles observed with a hand to his chin.

"Gilles!" Saber gasped out, Archer kneeling at her side, "Why are you... doing this?! You know Jeanne... would never want this!"

"Yes, I have finally accepted that," Gilles conceded, "which is why I have created a new Jeanne that shares my righteous indignation against those who have wronged us, killed our family and friends with no remorse! Why should we show them mercy when they gave us none?!"

"It's been years since that happened! I think the damn statute of limitations has been run out here!" Rider retorted.

"SILENCE! You could never understand my suffering, my anger!" Gilles cried with berserker tears leaking from his eyes. "If you dare to stand against me, then you shall be the first to be consumed! Arise, Fafnir!" Darkness flowed out of his magic tome and into the dragon's wounds, which promptly closed up, Fafnir promptly rising back to his full height and roaring!

"Oh, COME ON! That's cheating!" Rider protested, backing up in fear.

"Dammit, this is the definition of a hopeless boss fight!" Archer grunted as he tried to pick Saber up.

"Why do think I called you here to begin with?" Jeanne Alter laughed, "So we could nip you in the bud before you could try and stop us!"

"What?!" Saber gasped, "You mean that phone call was..."

"Yes, dear Artoria, it was I," Alter said in a perfect imitation of her counterpart's voice. "Not a bad actor, huh?"

"Enough banter! Finish them, Jeanne!" Gilles ordered.

"Screw this! I'm making a tactical retreat!" Rider cried, turning tail and running back to the trapdoor and squeezing through it.

"Rider!" Archer cried after her in dismay.

"Ahahaha! What a coward!" Jeanne Alter laughed, La Pucelle once again in her hand. "Well, two out of three will do fine! Burn them to ash, Fafnir!" The dragon obeyed, expelling a massive fireball from it's jaws-

"Rho Aias!" Archer intoned, the fireball crashing uselessly against a shield that materialized over them.

"Heh, not bad, but you're only delaying the inevitable!" Alter cackled, raising La Pucelle over her head, intense flames surrounding her! "You won't be able to block this one, because it'll consume you from all sides! La Grondement Du Haine!" She brought the sword down, Archer and Saber hugging tightly as the flames closed in rapidly...

"Luminosité Éternelle!"

...but then the couple was enveloped in a protective aura, not even feeling the heat from the flames that licked at their bodies! "What?!" Jeanne Alter screeched in shock, she and Gilles looking up...

...and sure enough, there was a familiar face standing at the edge of the hole in the ceiling created by Fafnir, Nero and Tamamo flanking her sides, the woman's flag held high as it glowed with power!

"Jeanne!" Saber cried in recognition and relief.

*To be continued...*

Whoo-hoo! The calvary's here! Stay tuned for the exciting resolution next chapter!