Planet 10: Paragon
Vert slowly opened her eyes and saw sunlight hitting the floor of her room. She sat up straight, stretched her arms in her bed and looked around her room. The blue curtains covering most of her windows fluttered from a gust of wind.
Vert slid out of her blue and white blankets and looked on her desk to see a bunch of anime figures on their sides or their back.
"Oh, Chika didn't wake me up? Well, I suppose it is my responsibility… still, how odd."
Vert stretched more and smiled and looked around her room. She looked at more anime figures on top of bookshelves which held rows upon rows of video game cases. She walked over to a door that led her into a bathroom where she proceeded to brush her teeth.
"I should meet Iffy and make sure she's okay. I may have protected her from the fire in LAN Castle, but she might be acting tough again. Then again, she is friends with Compa so I'm sure she'll be healed. Still it's proper etiquette for a wife to be worried about their spouse, hmhmhm."
Vert walked out of her bathroom and picked up her phone. She looked through some notifications and messages as her expression became more and more wary.
"A Lowee lab was attacked by Iris Heart, Lady White Heart and her sisters have gone missing, Ambi's gone rogue, what a disaster. I guess I'll have to send some support over to Lowee now as well. As long as Noire has Planeptune covered, this shouldn't be too difficult."
Vert replied to some messages, then turned off her phone and sat down at her desk. She smiled a little bit as she turned on her gaming console that sat under her desk.
"Might as well complete some missions before I get to work. Quickly, before Chika scolds me. Knowing Cave, she most likely contacted her right after me."
Vert looked at the time on her monitor which said 1:31, then refocused on the game. An hour had passed until she heard a knock on her door.
"Come in." Vert said.
An old man wearing a green cloak and a dark green uniform opened the door and stood at the entrance.
"Still waking up at noon and gaming all day I see." The old man commented.
"Oh, Yvoire! My, what a pleasant surprise, I didn't think you'd return to the Basilicom after your retirement, much less in your uniform."
"I didn't think I would either yet here I am. Such a troubling period, already two missing goddesses and one's gone rogue. Whenever you're ready, we shall get to work."
"Mmhm, I see Chika has filled you in already. I'll be done in 10 minutes."
"Chika… would that be Ms. Cave's nickname?" Yvoire asked.
Vert blinked, then turned her head to face Yvoire.
"Chika… as in Leanbox's Oracle… my sister?" Vert asked.
"Leanbox never had an Oracle past me, it was never necessary." Yvoire said. "As for your sister, I'm sorry to remind you, but Leanbox also has never reached enough shares to produce a CPU Candidate."
"No… no, she only says she's my sister because of how close we are. You- you couldn't have forgotten her, you said you were proud of how Leanbox would be in our good hands." Vert said.
"Have I now? Perhaps my age is getting the better of me. You'll need to give me a refresher once you're finished."
Yvoire bowed, then left Vert's room. She turned back to her monitor but with a much more worried expression.
"This… doesn't seem right… I…"
Vert looked at her screen, saw a small list of unfinished missions, then made a determined expression and turned off her game console. She walked over to her closet, wore her normal green dress, and left her room.
She walked down the light green hallway with small tables, flowers in vases, and various expensive paintings hung on the walls. The carpet was a light purple, and a little girl wearing a green dress and a white mask with a pig emoji drawn on it was vacuuming the carpet.
"ヾ(・ω・ｏ) Ran ran says good morning!" The little girl greeted.
"Good morning Ran Ran." Vert replied with a smile.
Vert walked into the main decorated lobby with stairs leading up to a single decorated throne. Benches were arranged in columns made for people to sit in and large screens were stored above in various places in the ceiling.
Vert looked down the room to see Yvoire standing next to the main entrance.
"We have much to do today, I'm glad to see you willing to work." Yvoire said. "I don't mean to be rude, but Planeptune's previous CPU had placed quite the… expectations."
"I understand Yvoire." Vert replied. "It is the afternoon, I suppose people are expecting me to make announcements on television soon?"
"Without a doubt. From what I can tell, the people are a bit frightened. The news on what happened in Planeptune had spread very quickly and it doesn't help that nobody knows where this "Iris Heart" is."
"There's no way she's responsible for White Heart's disappearance, and there's no evidence to prove that Iris Heart was responsible for what happened in Planeptune. All we have to base our assumptions on are coincidences." Vert said.
"It sounds like you already know what to say. Well then, I shall have everything prepared for your live screening. Take this time to eat, relax, whatever you wish to do."
"Thank you Yvoire. I will be back in an hour."
Vert walked back into the hallway as Ran Ran skipped into the throne room past her. She smiled, then quickly rushed down the hallway with a concerned look on her face.
"Chika… what is going on?" Vert asked herself.
Vert stopped herself in front of a door and pushed it open. She quickly looked around to see a very plain white guest room. Small decorations were found and a game console sat beside a television but that was it.
"No, am I dreaming?" Vert asked herself.
Vert quickly pinched herself and flinched from it. She waited a moment, then looked at her hands. She looked at a clock placed on the wall, then checked the time on her watch.
"No, no everything is… real… It's…"
Vert gulped, then rushed out of the room into her own. She rushed into her bathroom and opened the mirror to grab a small container with pills in it. She poured some water from the sink into a cup and took two pills along with a gulp of water.
Vert shuttered and leaned against the bathroom wall as she took a deep breath. She looked at herself in the mirror and frowned.
"After all that's happened, it's… no, no it's impossible. A prank maybe? How cruel it would be if it were all to be a prank. I'll use this time to search for her, anything about her."
Vert took out her phone and scrolled through her photo album. She looked at various screen shots, pictures of IF, pictures of the other goddesses, and a picture of Cave and 5pb. After some more scrolling, she gave up and walked back into her room.
Vert opened her closet and took out a large binder. She blew away the dust from the cover and opened it to see physical photos. Vert flipped through photo after photo but didn't see a single picture of whoever she was looking for.
"No, I remember this location, this location specifically!" Vert told herself while pointing at a cafe with men serving drinks and meals to other people. "This is… It's where I took Iffy on our last date. Chika insisted on coming along, I remember it as clear as day."
Vert flipped through pages again, blinking, then sighed and placed the binder back into the closet.
"If somebody went through this much effort for a prank, I won't even respect it." Vert threatened nobody in particular. "Maybe it's like one of those anime episodes where I'm supposed to learn how to stop taking things for granted. Yes, that is probably it. It'll all be clear once the day's over."
Vert walked out of her room and straightened her dress. She coughed, did her own hair a little, then entered the throne room.
"I'm ready, shall we begin?" Vert asked.
"Lady Green Heart, we still have a few minutes before our scheduled time." Yvoire said. "If you wished to change your mind from making this live, I'm afraid we are too late for such a change."
"No that's okay, I will wait."
Vert walked up the small stairs and sat on the throne comfortably as she watched Yvoire set up a camera on a tripod. Ran Ran placed lighting around the throne area and walked up to brush Vert's hair.
"Thank you Ran Ran." Vert said with a smile.
Ran Ran hopped off and Yvoire connected the camera with a computer placed on a small table beside him. He looked at his watch, then sighed.
"Concerned for the people are we?" Yvoire asked. "Have no fear, Leanbox has survived multiple crises before. And as far as goddess strength goes, you are certainly not the weakest."
"Thank you Yvoire. But I'm fine." Vert replied.
"Hmm, could it be this "Chika" you mentioned earlier?" Yvoire asked.
"Do you… remember her now?" Vert asked.
Yvoire stared at Vert, then sighed and shook his head.
"I'm afraid I know nobody who bears that name." Yvoire replied. "I shall search the data banks for anyone with that name."
"That would be appreciated, thank you."
"┗(｀・ω・´)┛Ran Ran sees that time is almost up! Get ready!" Ran Ran said.
"Let us begin." Vert said with a smile.
Ran Ran turned the camera on and Yvoire stood beside it. A bright white light covered Vert and in her place stood a lady with a white bodysuit and armored gauntlets. She had long green hair tied up in a ponytail and purple eyes with white power buttons in the center of them. Her eyelids were slightly more relaxed than normal and she had a calm smile.
Yvoire nodded his head and the lady tapped on her collar which opened up revealing a small mic piece.
"Good afternoon Leanbox, and more importantly, good afternoon Gamindustri." The lady greeted while staring into the camera. "As you could tell, I am Lady Green Heart. CPU of Leanbox and given the title of Gamindustri's heart and body."
Green Heart thought about Chika bursting into the room for a moment before continuing.
"The recent events that took place have done nothing but fill my mind with concerns and questions, that I can assure all of you. First the disappearance of Lady Purple Heart, LAN Castle's destruction, the monster attack on Planeptune, and finally the disappearance of Lady White Heart. After some discussion with the Oracles, Lady Black Heart, and everyone else close to the Sweethearts, no evidence has proven that Iris Heart is related to any of these events."
Green Heart took a deep breath and smiled again.
"Regardless, Leanbox will be properly surveillanced and protected. Any sighting of Iris Heart will be regarded as a potential threat and treated with caution. If found in our nation, she will be met with the strongest members of RRoD and brought in for interrogation. And if she so happened to be responsible for any of these events, she will be punished accordingly. Lastation and Leanbox will be sending support for Planeptune's recovery and assistance for Lowee. Transportation will be online once again in due time."
Green Heart took another deep breath. White light shone from her and Vert placed her hands together.
"Now onto more important business. The country wide Flamestrike: Ascension raids will continue as scheduled. For those of you who don't know, world bosses have been introduced into Flamestrike: Ascension and you can help out by joining me on stream from 7 to 11 at Nepitch where I also stream 4 Goddesses Online from 11 onwards. Don't miss out, or you'll fall behind. Oh, but safety is obviously priority. Don't hurt yourself trying to catch my stream, it's more important that you keep yourself safe now more than ever."
Vert sat in her throne with an awkward smile as Ran Ran and Yvoire stared at her.
"That's… usually Chika's cue to drive me away as she continues with the specifics." Vert said to herself.
"Ah yes, *ahem*" Yvoire said as he walked over to stand by Vert. "Most of you all may not remember me, but I was Leanbox's Oracle. I have come out of retirement to assist our goddess during these troubling times. Any questions may be electronically mailed to me, or brought to me directly at the Basilicom. First of all, guards are stationed at the borders and there will be heroes roaming the streets. Not to worry, they will be paid for their extra services and given well deserved breaks. As for if any of you are to encounter Iris Heart, the procedure is…"
Yvoire went on talking as Vert gave him a concerned look. Once the broadcast ended, Yvoire sighed and turned to Vert.
"Forgive me Lady Green Heart, but perhaps it would be best if you were to solve this "Chika Issue". As you know, I am available and I will help in any way I can, however as I've said before, the name rings no bells. Do you happen to have a picture?"
"I- well… let me get back to you on that. But thank you Yvoire, I best be off now. I should be ready to help the RRoD at a moment's notice." Vert said.
"I'm glad you're putting the safety of Leanbox as your top priority. You've made this old man proud Lady Green Heart."
Vert smiled and bowed to Yvoire who bowed back. She patted Ran Ran's head along the way out of the Basilicom and into the streets of Leanbox.
She stood on a platform that held a small church-like building and a large parking lot in front of it. She walked along the sidewalk until she reached the edge of the platform which was protected by an invisible barrier. In front of her was the full view of Leanbox.
Large platforms with roads and small houses hovered over the ground mostly consisting of highways and ramps that led up or down. Below were large tall apartment buildings with roads and lots of cars driving through and people doing their business. In the middle of Leanbox were two large tower-like structures that were attached together and held a large green crystal in the middle. The towers were white, thin and rectangular while a long black line in the middle had neon green outlines. The structure attaching the two towers was the same shape, color, and material as the towers themselves making the entire building look like a large handlebar.
Vert watched as small thin colorful rockets were shot up out of the tower on her left hand side, and rockets came down on the tower on her right hand side. She smiled as she took out her phone and clicked on a profile picture with Neptune's dumbfounded face.
"Iffy, can we meet at the base of Leanbox's transportation and rocket launch bay? The one closer to the ice cream shop Neptune always liked." Vert texted.
After a moment, the phone revealed that IF had read the message and had begun texting.
"On my way, I'll be right there." IF replied.
Vert smiled as she quickly transformed and shot into the sky. Green light covered her body as she flew through the sky like a comet, then landed on top of a low two story building at the bottom level. There she hopped off the building and transformed back on her way down. She walked out of the alley way and onto the busy sidewalk.
A small crowd was standing in front of the building and they looked at Vert for a moment before moving on and continuing what they were doing. Vert smiled as she headed to a pedestrian crosswalk and walked across the street to the large white tower where she stood at the base in front of the solid white metallic doors.
After a few minutes, IF parked her green motorbike right in front of Vert. She flicked her hair back and smiled at Vert.
"Finally woke up huh Lady Vert? Well, at least Yvoire's back so that makes me a little less worried." IF said.
"Ahaha, well it's all happening so quickly. I am a little worried, but this is not the place to discuss. Shall we?"
"Sure. Oh, but before that, I picked this up for you on my way here."
IF reached into her jacket and took out Histoire's book.
"Wait what?"
Both IF and Vert blinked and in her hand instead was a small yellow box of chocolates. IF blinked a few times again before shrugging and handing it to Vert.
"Thank you Iffy, you're a sweetie." Vert said with a smile.
"Knew you liked these. Well then, let's get going."
Vert hopped onto IF's motorbike and IF began to drive down the road.
"We'll be meeting right outside at Leanbox's main exit." Vert said. "I messaged the group chat that everyone would meet there."
"Right, yeah, are Cave and 5pb. back yet?" IF asked.
"They should be there." Vert confirmed. "Oh, and they're bringing the rest of the group as well."
"The group huh? Remind me, is Compa with them?"
"I believe she had to tend to the wounded in Planeptune." Vert said.
"That makes sense."
IF drove down the roads and weaved through traffic before stopping at a red light. IF pulled back her hair again before turning her head slightly to look at Vert, then refocused on the road ahead.
"So why'd you ask me to pick you up at the launch bay instead of Leanbox's dungeon exit?" IF asked.
"Hmm, would you believe me if I told you it was because I knew you'd buy me chocolates if I did?" Vert asked while putting a piece in her mouth.
"To be honest… as much as I'd hate to admit it," IF sighed. "It is something you would do."
Vert smiled as IF continued to drive on the green light. Once they reached another intersection, IF stopped again. Vert smiled as she held IF tighter and rested her head on IF's shoulder.
"So Iffy… which one of your 9 phones did you bring this time?" Vert teased.
"Really?" IF asked. "Geez… the IF Mate Rose Pink, like always."
The lights came on green again and IF drove down the road. Again at the next intersection, IF had to stop at the red light.
"Man, we're not getting really lucky today are we?" IF asked. "I hope we don't run late."
Vert looked around her at the few cars on the same road as them, then looked down at her box of chocolates and sighed. She stored them through her watch by pixelating it, then hugged IF tighter.
"Alright, what's wrong?" IF asked.
"Iffy… have you ever met a girl… no, no… Chika, uhm, does the name Chika ring any bells?"
IF blinked before looking back at Vert, then looking at the road again.
"Chika… no, I don't think I remember ever meeting a girl with that name before." IF said.
"Right, right. But then… who always woke me up in the morning and nagged me to work? It wasn't Ran Ran, and Yvoire retired a long time ago."
IF drove down the road. Her expression became more and more concerned as she quickly checked the time on her watch.
"It was me, I was always there to wake you up after you slept through all 18 of your alarms." IF said. "Do you not remember?"
"But I… well, yes we're married obviously it's… obviously we'd live together…"
"Yeah, I was only absent today and yesterday because of work in Planeptune."
"Of course, of course, yes yes. Right that's… that's right."
IF halted at a three way intersection and took a right before driving into a parking lot and getting off. Once Vert hopped off the bike as well, IF stored it through her watch.
"Vert you've been-"
"Yes Iffy, yes I have." Vert interrupted. "Don't worry, that's not the issue. It's something else."
Vert and IF stared at each other for a bit before Vert looked elsewhere and held her hand together.
"I- I think at least." Vert said quietly.
IF sighed before offering Vert her hand.
"Come on, we'll work on it together after we talk to the others. We have a job to do." IF said.
"Right, yes, of course." Vert replied.
Vert held IF's hand as they walked down to the sidewalk, then took a right at the three way intersection and walked out the white and green gates. There they looked at the massive amounts of grassy plains and a few farms in the very far distance. IF stretched her arms and Vert looked down.
"Chika huh, that's her name right?" IF asked. "Not a nickname or…?"
"That's correct, Chika is the name." Vert replied.
"I see. Well, it's starting to ring a bell but I can't exactly remember what it was all about."
"Really? Chika Hakozaki? Light green hair? Red eyes? Black dress?" Vert asked.
"All of those seem familiar but… was it an anime character? A video game character? Someone we met before on an adventure?"
"Well… technically yes according to Neptune…"
The two of them heard footsteps behind them. They turned around to see Cave, Tsunemi, Famitsu, RED, and 5pb. walk over to them.
"Lady Green Heart, Lady Iffy." Cave greeted with a bow.
"Seriously, just call me IF." IF said.
"Hey giiirl! It's been a while!" RED said with a smile.
"That it has RED." Vert replied. "I'm glad to see you're as cheery as ever."
"So where's everyone else?" Famitsu asked.
"Uhm… hello." A voice called out.
The group turned to see a long, grey haired girl walking shyly over to them. She smiled a little and gave a little wave. She had spiked fingerless gloves and a matching red sports bra. She wore large torn up blue and yellow pants and wore a metal neck chain that had the word "Tekken".
"I'm- I'm here, I got the message." The girl said.
"Tekken." Cave said. "That… that's her, correct?"
"Yup, you got it." 5pb. confirmed.
"I suppose only she would be here, at least out of the people with her fairly normal body shape. No offense Tekken."
"No- no it's okay." Tekken replied.
"Is this it?" IF asked.
"Yes, I only address you all because I believe it would be best if the others didn't know." Vert said. "For starters, I know from what Financier said White Heart was either defeated, or traumatized by Iris Heart. That might scare you, however I truly believe that White Heart was taken down by more than just Iris Heart, as the only other time she's been properly defeated even with magic is by Nera. And we all know that Nera had a ridiculously unfair amount of shares. I'm not saying not to fear Iris Heart, but I am saying that I will have to be there to engage her if she's ever spotted. Make sure to not engage her unless I'm there and if you have to, be as defensive as possible."
"Defensive, right. I can do that." Tekken said to herself.
"You will not be tanking any blows." Cave instructed.
"Huh? Oh, right."
"So what's the plan?" Famitsu asked.
"Sadly we don't know her true motive as what Ambi left us with is quite… unclear." Vert said. "But, if she pursuits me, then do not worry because I will be defended by allies. Now, Cave?"
"Hmm." Cave started. "We'll patrol separately for now, but if her location is found or if it becomes night time we have to move as one group. Be sure to always be with a partner or in a crowded area so it will be very easy to report if something happens to you. I shouldn't have to say this, but don't investigate anything suspicious alone."
"That makes sense." RED said.
"Then shall we begin?" Cave asked.
Vert nodded.
"Okay… RED will be with Famitsu, Tekken will be with Tsunemi, I will be with 5pb. and-"
"Actually one moment, Cave. Do you mind if we chat at the Basilicom?" Vert asked.
"No, I don't mind. Then 5pb. stay with Tsunemi until I return." Cave said.
"Yeah- yeah, sure." 5pb. said.
"Well if that's all then let's get out there." IF said. "She could be just walking around doing whatever she wants right now, let's try to make this quick. Lastation is already doing the same thing."
"Hold on, hold on." Famitsu said. "What do we do if we find Ambience?"
Vert and IF looked at Famitsu, then at Cave who cleared her throat.
"If any of you find Ambience, capture her and take her in for interrogation." Cave said. "She's not necessarily a criminal, but she's close. And she knows something we don't. We need to find her."
Famitsu nodded.
"All good? Then let's get out there." IF said.
The group proceeded to split up and walk into the streets of Lowee. Cave and IF looked at Vert who sighed and gripped onto their wrists.
"Brace yourself." Vert warned.
Vert transformed, then flew through the air carrying both Cave and IF in her arms. She landed in the Basilicom parking lot and transformed back to her normal self.
"This week has been… quite eventful hasn't it?" Cave asked.
"Not exactly the worst, but let's hope it doesn't get to that stage." IF said.
"Cave, you don't happen to know a lady named Chika, do you?" Vert asked.
"Chika? Actually that name does sound familiar." Cave said.
"Really? Please elaborate."
"I believe you've mentioned a Lady Chika a few times. Your… companion perhaps? A friend?"
"You've met her right? Where is she?"
"Now that you mention it…" IF interrupted. "I think you did talk about a Chika before."
"Oh good, so you two do remember her. How odd, where could-"
"I've actually never met her." Cave said. "All my knowledge on her is based on what you've said about her."
"Yeah." IF agreed. "All I remember is you saying how she was calling for you and then you would go off to your room."
Vert's heart nearly stopped as she stared at IF. Her pulse then raced as she was practically paralyzed on the stop.
"I always thought that was the name of one of your online friends or something." IF continued. "That's why the name sounds so familiar."
"Actually, I remember her saying that Chika wanted to speak to her in private and she went into a guest room." Cave said.
"Really? Maybe… Vert, were you scared that I would interrupt your call?" IF asked.
"No! No no, wait, hold on." Vert said. "No that's- no, you two- you two haven't seen Chika?"
"In person, no." IF replied.
"Lady Green Heart…" Cave started. "Have you… been to the doctor recently?"
"Yes Cave, yes I have." Vert replied.
"I asked her already." IF said. "So that's not the problem. Unless… did the drug expire?"
Vert took a step back, then raised her arm in front of her torso instinctively in a defensive position. She desperately scrambled through her memory but she couldn't remember how long it was since she had last gone to a pharmacist.
"No, wait! I was cured, remember?" Vert asked. "That's right, there was nothing wrong with me during my last check up so I'm fine now."
"Yeah, but we talked back in LAN Castle, remember? Something still might be wrong…" IF said.
"Right! LAN Castle, LAN Castle. She was there with us, I protected you and her from the fire!"
"Hmm… The only people there were all the goddesses, me, the Oracles, Compa, and Ambi. Although you did have to step out for a bit… to take a call… from someone named Chika."
Vert stepped backwards again looking at IF, then Cave, then IF again. They were both staring back with concerned and serious faces as Vert felt great pain from her heart pounding in her chest.
"IF! Please, if this is some sort of joke I can't take it anymore! She was more than just my Oracle, we were as close as sisters! She was everything that held me down to reality."
"That sounds like something you said during the first time. What was her name? Bouquet? The one that was supposedly your little sister the first time?" IF asked.
Tears began to form in Vert's eyes as she wiped them away and ran to the Basilicom.
"Oh no…" IF whispered.
"This is the worst time for this to happen." Cave commented. "I'm afraid I won't be able to help you here, I'm not as emotionally intelligent as I wish I was."
"It's fine, let's just go inside the Basilicom. I'll drive you down later, hopefully quickly. If we have to fight Iris Heart while our goddess is in this state… let's not focus on that."
IF and Cave walked inside the Basilicom and Yvoire rushed over to them.
"What had happened out there?" Yvoire asked. "I've never seen Lady Green Heart so distressed."
"We're afraid her uh… schizophrenia might be back." IF said.
"Oh dear… I've never been informed of this. Will she be alright?" Yvoire asked.
"She'll be fine, just let me talk to her. Cave, catch him up on what happened."
"Understood." Cave said.
Vert held her ear against the hallway door and heard IF's footsteps. She clenched onto the section of her chest that held her heart and took loud deep breaths.
"Hey… Vert?" IF called out.
"Iffy…"
"This is what we always feared huh? That it would all come back one day? Look, I'm sorry it had to happen at such a bad time, but we don't have a choice now. We need to-"
"No, you don't understand, this isn't right! She was real, she is real! Someone's messing with me, I know it! This- this can't be true, someone must have altered your memories or- or this must be a nightmare. Or something, but she was real!"
"That's what you said the first time."
Vert covered her eyes as she began to weep. She soaked her white gloves as she dropped down and leaned her head into her knees.
"Vert… open the door." IF begged.
"No, Iffy, no this isn't right. Not again, after all that's happened. The- the other goddesses! They- they must know Chika, they have to, they-"
"The only other one left is Lady Noire and she's really busy at the moment." IF reminded. "She's helping Histoire with some sort of project, if it's really an emergency we can call them."
Vert dried her tears as she slowly took off her gloves.
"How… after everything that's happened… no, something like this has happened before. Who was it… who else… yes that's right, Saturn!" Vert whispered to herself. "Saturn, Nera, Saturn had died in all the goddess's memories but Nera remembered her living. It must be the same thing, it has to be. It must-"
Vert's head, arms, and legs began to shake as she quickly scrambled to take out her phone and scrolled through some text messages she had with Blanc. She scrolled up a bit and saw a picture of Saturn's grave.
"But it didn't affect… it didn't…"
Vert rushed up to her feet and ran into her room. She practically threw her door open and took out her photo album again. She flipped through the pages quickly and aggressively, skimming through and looking for the person.
"Come on, come on. One picture, that's all I need. One picture of her, anything. Anything at all, just one is all I need. Come on! It has to be here!"
After skimming through it twice, she heard a knock on the door. She looked up and stared at it for a moment.
"Lady Vert?" IF called from behind the door.
"Just a minute Iffy! I'll prove to you that she was real, just give me a moment!"
Vert closed the album and tossed it aside as she rummaged through everything in her closet. Drawers, shoeboxes, game console boxes, and files, all were skimmed through and tossed to the ground. IF slowly walked inside to see Vert throwing papers out of a binder and looking through a pile of shoeboxes.
"There's one in here, there has to be! Maybe I kept one in one of my jackets… no, she always hated the cold climates of Lowee. An email then! An email." Vert said.
"Vert…" IF started.
Vert ignored IF and walked straight to her computer where she scrolled through email after email skimming their title and who wrote them.
"Vert." IF said.
"Quiet Iffy, I'm close to it. She'll be here just hold on I-"
"VERT!" IF shouted.
Vert jumped in her chair and turned to IF. IF sighed and looked at Vert with a sad expression as she relaxed her body and shoulders. Vert saw a tear come from IF's eye as she began to cry herself.
"I don't want to believe this Iffy…" Vert said. "Not again, I'm sure it's real this time, I promise. She was everything I could have asked for and more."
IF kept staring at her. She rubbed her eyes a little bit, then hugged Vert tightly. More tears began to come from Vert's eyes as she gripped onto IF's jacket tightly.
"I'm going to find out what happened to her Iffy, she was real. Do you believe me?"
"I believe you." IF said. "And I'm going to help you find her."
"You- you will?!"
"Yeah, we'll find her. I'll help you find her."
Vert closed her eyes and cried on IF's shoulder. IF held Vert and stroked her hair a little bit before looking at the mess she had made. She stared at the album on the floor, the shoes scattered everywhere, and the opened cardboard boxes. She looked up at the jackets and dresses inside the closet and took a deep breath.
"So… where did you see her last?" IF asked.
Vert wiped her tears and sniffed before standing up and walking towards the exit. She held onto the doorknob and paused for a moment.
"Actually, maybe we should rest for now." IF suggested.
"No… no… I don't want to rest now. You trust me, right Iffy? The problem is… the problem is…"
Vert sighed and leaned on the wall next to the door. IF rushed over anticipating Vert to fall, but she didn't.
"If… if it is the… if she really was all a part of my head… then we need to go to the doctor and get me new medicine. If she wasn't, which is what I want to believe, then it must be the same reason why Saturn and the other Planeptune goddesses were revived. Someone, or something must be pulling the strings."
IF crossed her arms and stood still deep in thought.
"Right right, we discussed this in LAN Castle, didn't we? How Histoire and the current goddesses remembered Saturn's death while Compa and I, even Nera a previous goddess remembered her retiring. Weird, do you think it's time travel?"
"Whatever it is, if we find this person, or monster, or whatever is causing this trouble, then we could get them to return things to normal. The problem is, we have no leads. Unless this is the doing of Iris Heart." Vert said.
"We have no physical proof, but she's definitely up there as the number 1 suspect." IF confirmed.
"Then that's what we will do. We will find Iris Heart. But…"
Vert turned and looked at IF with a worried expression.
"If someone has the power to… just change reality, or at least most of it, how are we supposed to compete against that?" Vert asked.
"Well… considering that the goddesses have been mostly untouched, I'd say that whatever they're using is limited." IF said. "Also, something like that must have a huge cooldown or drawback or resource usage if they didn't, you know, do whatever they wanted to do yet. Unless that's what they want us to think…"
Vert made a weak smile and placed her hands together.
"You're too smart Iffy. This is why I'm the gamer and you're the game developer." Vert said.
"Look, you're… you're not bad yourself you know that? Let's clean up this mess before heading out."
"Of course. Oh, but do you mind waiting outside for a bit? I have to get changed."
"It's fine, we're married. I'll just get started."
"Ah, you're right. Well then, excuse me."
Vert stepped over the boxes on the floor and reached for a more turquoise-ish greenish dress that had black outlines and matching sleeves, collar, and hair tie. IF quickly sat on the floor and distracted herself by placing shoes back into boxes.
"I- I'm still gonna turn my back towards you though so- so uh, just- just pretend I'm not here." IF said.
"Didn't you just say it was alright? *Sigh* Blanc was right, even after so many years of marriage you still act almost the same as when we first started dating."
"Don't- don't judge me."
"Hehe, of course Iffy. It's still cute so you won't be hearing any more complaints from me."
Vert smiled at IF as she changed into her new dress. She pulled down the sleeves and quickly grabbed a pair of black and green high heels from the pile and tied them on her legs. She pulled her hair back and looked at herself in a small mirror on her desk. She smiled as she made sure everything was on properly, then looked at the hair tie on the desk. She picked it up and saw it rest in her hand like a ribbon.
Vert stared at it for a while, then clenched onto it and tied her hair. She looked at herself in the mirror, then turned to see the ribbon in her hair. After making sure everything was on properly, she walked over to IF and helped her clean up the mess.
"That dress is pretty old, I'm surprised you still have it." IF commented.
"All hail the quick-fix." Vert said with a smile.
IF smiled at Vert back before lifting up shoeboxes and placing them back into the closet. After about another half an hour, Vert and IF finally finished cleaning up the room and they walked into the throne room. Cave was talking to someone on her watch until she looked up at the two of them and bowed.
"Lady Green Heart and Lady IF are finished." Cave said into her watch. "Report immediately when you catch her."
"Wait, you guys got Iris Heart?!" IF asked.
"No, but Ambience has been found buying equipment at a shop. She's being chased by the rest of the party, if we make it there fast enough we can help. We are the fastest out of everyone available."
"What has gotten into Ambi?" Vert asked. "Although I don't know her that well, this behavior is quite odd."
"She claimed to have heard Iris Heart speaking to her before running off. Nobody else heard Iris Heart's voice, so…"
"Great, now she's going crazy?" IF asked. "Let's catch her before she hurts anyone."
"Yes, we need more information from her. Where is the party?" Vert asked.
Cave tapped on her watch and it showed a holographic map of Leanbox. She pointed at a glowing green circle on the map and closed it.
"What a coincidence huh?" IF asked. "All the fastest characters were busy here while the slower characters were off chasing Ambi making so she can outrun the team. It's almost like it was planned."
"Well, let us fast travel then and quickly catch her before whoever planned this can do what they want." Vert suggested.
The three of them nodded and rushed outside. A bright white light engulfed Green Heart again and this time she wore a black suit. She had mechanical, bulky, black and green wings along with matching heavy armor pieces on her legs and arms. She gripped onto IF and Cave's wrists and flew down to the bottom level at the location pinned by Cave. They landed in the plaza and looked around.
"Oh hiii! Wow, you girls actually came! That doesn't happen very often for me." RED said.
The three of them turned to see RED and Tekken standing outside a weapon's shop. RED was smiling at them while Tekken was looking around nervously.
"Where is everyone else?" Cave asked.
"I don't know! I went to the bathroom." RED replied.
"Uh everyone else went- went down there." Tekken said, pointing down a street. "I stayed behind to make sure RED wasn't left alone."
"Awww thank you!"
"Catch up you two. Alright, let's go." IF said.
Green Heart back stepped into the street and flew down the direction Tekken pointed. Cave leaped to a traffic light and jumped off it down the same direction. IF summoned her bike and rode it down following the two of them.
Eventually the three of them found Ambience running away from the rest of the group. Green Heart and Cave landed in front of Ambience while IF stopped right by the sidewalk on the street. Ambience nearly tripped, stopping herself as she looked around at everyone surrounding her. She gripped onto a new halberd tightly and shuffled the large cloak she was wearing.
"Ambience!" Green Heart shouted. "Stop running, it makes you look like a criminal."
Ambience stared at Green Heart and took a few deep breaths. She turned back to see 5pb. and Tsunemi catching their breath while Famitsu had her notebook out and a determined face.
"You're holding secrets, that could be dangerous! Tell us before something bad happens!" Famitsu said.
"Hey hey hey calm down is that how you treat a cornered animal?" IF asked. "*sigh* Ambi, what are you doing?"
"Ingrid… okay, alright. I'll try convincing you all once, but no matter what anyone says I'm still leaving alone."
"No you won't." Cave said. "Not only are you still being charged for manslaughter, you also have no right on-"
"Shushushushush, bad cop comes later." IF said. "Alright Ambi, go on. Tell us what you want to say."
Ambience looked down to the left to see RED and Tekken jog over to them.
"Hiya girls! We're he- oh is this a serious scene? Sorry, I'll shut up." RED said.
Ambience looked behind her and saw an alleyway with a broken mirror sitting on a trash can. She sighed and stepped back a little, planting the butt of her halberd onto the ground.
"I have orders from Iris Heart. I made a promise, I have to keep my promise and she'll keep hers." Ambience said.
"And what was this promise?" IF asked.
"I'll… I'd be the hero she wants to make, and she wouldn't hurt anyone else."
"Yeah, a likely story. Come on, do you really think you can trust someone like her?" IF asked.
"That's what I hate. Name one thing she did so far."
"Okay, she set you on fire."
"That was a part of our promise."
"Well then that's good enough, we can't just let her hurt you all she wants. Even if you're technically a criminal, you're still a human. Why would you even make a promise like that to someone like her?"
"Because she would have killed a lot more people if I didn't, that's what I'm supposed to do right? That's my job right? Protect the people? I'm not just a royal guard anymore, I'm a captain and I was given specific orders to stop Iris Heart. Which is what I'm doing."
"You can't protect anyone if you're dead." Cave mentioned.
"Ye- yeah, I mean, even the goddesses wouldn't go through that sort of trouble." 5pb. said.
"There's more to this promise, isn't there?" IF asked. "Tell me every single detail."
Ambience sighed and looked around her feet before looking at IF again.
"The promise was that I would grow into a hero that would be strong enough to defend Gamindustri no matter how painful the process may be. I would endure all of her torments and tortures and in return, she would hold back her sadistic urges and not hurt or kill anyone else."
"And then she created the fog and killed dozens of Planeptune citizens." IF said.
"That was not her."
"Oh yeah? Then who was it?"
"Some… other… look the point is she didn't do any of that."
IF rolled her eyes.
"Okay then, how about Financier's claims that Lady White Heart was hurt by her?" IF asked.
"That was confirmed to be a nightmare, Reinhardt destroyed the forest and leveled a mountain but everything was fine." Ambience said.
"Then the lab?"
"She didn't hurt anyone except she did force the owner to watch what he really was doing which is kind of hurting him, until you realize that they were torturing kids and turning them into monsters in there."
"What did she do to you… in the lab…?" Tsunemi asked.
Ambience stared at Tsunemi for a bit before forcing a cough into her hand.
"An- anyway, look, the point is as long as I don't break my promise she won't break her's and everyone's happy."
"Sounds like a load of excuses." IF said. "She can't be trusted, how about the fire that broke out in LAN Castle?"
"I was, I saw her, she did not set a fire." Ambience replied. "Look she does bad things but she doesn't lie, and I hate that too but trust me on this. I already broke my promise to her by running away from her once, if I break it again she might actually do what you're all scared of."
Green Heart sighed and shook her head.
"You've made a deal with the devil Ambi. But as a goddess of Gamindustri, I'll be happy to help. We can all go and fight her together, put her in jail, or kill her, and no one will ever have to experience any of her torments ever again." Green Heart said.
"That would be fantastic and I would absolutely pledge my alliance to Leanbox if you could do that for me, but no that's not happening. Because you see, she ordered me to go kill her."
IF and Green Heart blinked, then looked at each other, then looked at Ambience.
"Kill her, as in Iris Heart?" IF asked.
Ambience nodded.
"And how exactly would you do that without at least one goddess assisting you?" Green Heart asked.
"That… well… let's just say her plans are unfortunately effective."
"Yeah, we're not letting that happen." IF said. "We're human beings Ambi, we're social animals we don't do well on our own. Hell, all the goddesses have their own special teams to help them fight battles against monsters, why should you do things alone?"
"It's less about strength and more about sending a message on how like, pain makes people stronger or something? I don't really get it myself considering how, you know, a lot of people are really strong without having to go through a super painful process but… come on I'm running out of time please let me handle this."
"Humans grow from conflict." Cave said. "Message sent and received. Now we kill her."
"Come on really Cave?"
"I agree with Cave." Green Heart said. "We get the message, and now we follow her orders. She can't complain about that can she? And she can not defeat everyone here at once, we've fought powerful opponents before but she's another goddess. A goddess of Planeptune at that, none of them have been very powerful. Well, except Neptune, but she's a special case."
"And ya think Plums wouldn't be a special case here?"
"Ambi, just think mathematically." IF said. "She expects you to kill her right? But you plus us means she dies anyway. No matter what you say, we're going with you."
Ambience looked at everyone around her, then looked up at the sky and relaxed her shoulders a little.
"Will things really be alright this way?" Ambience asked herself.
"Ah! Hey, is Iris Heart responsible for the disappearance of White Heart and Purple Heart?" Famitsu asked.
Ambience looked at Famitsu with a confused expression.
"White Heart disappeared?" Ambience asked.
"Yup! We searched the whole castle, all her painted worlds, and her second castle but we could find her anywhere!" RED said. "Not even her sisters were around, Financier was really worried."
Ambience stared at RED then placed her fingers on her chin.
"No, but she was born after Aerial's disappearance so… wait, there must be a second threat then. She could be trying to get me ready to fight whatever second threat there is."
"You're over thinking things, come on let's go already. Show us where she told you to go." IF said.
"No, no, there's no proof that she's responsible, there's-"
Green Heart glared at Ambience and tapped the floor with her mechanical long spear.
"I'm sorry that I have to be so forceful Ambi, but lead us the way or else we will jail you and use you as bait. Your antics are putting everyone's life in danger. Your heroics are admirable, but know your place. You were not born a hero, your stats are not high enough to allow you to wear whatever you wish to battle, they're so low you need to wear proper armor and the only thing even worth any attention is your base HP which is mediocre at best. There are too many stories like yours where a child or a person full of good intentions faces a monster, yet gets themselves killed because they did not get proper help. Do I make myself clear?"
Ambience stepped back a little as Green Heart glared down at her. She stared back at Green Heart for a bit, then sighed and took a deep breath.
"Alright, alright, yeah. Okay, I'm sorry. We'll fight Iris Heart together, but we'll jail her and…"
Ambience looked at Tsunemi who smiled at her.
"We'll try to redeem her. But if we have no choice but to kill her because she's threatening someone's life, we'll do it. Okay, okay… sorry, uhm… everyone."
"And to that," Green Heart started.
Green Heart transformed and Vert smiled while placing her hands together.
"I'm sorry I had to be so harsh on you Ambi, but someone had to pull you back to reality." Vert said. "Now then, lead the way. If we're lucky, we can finish this in one boss battle."
"Oh yay! We're done, now we can get to fighting and doing cool stuff!" RED said.
"Uh- uhm, you okay Ambi?" Tekken asked.
"Thanks Tekken, I'm fine. Could be better though, but if things go well, I'll be happy." Ambience said.
Tsunemi smiled at Ambience while IF sighed and stored her motorcycle.
"Finally, where to Ambi?" IF asked.
"We go down that street towards the northern mines." Ambience said. "That's where she should be."
"Then that is where we shall go. Tekken, RED, 5pb., please stay behind just in case." Cave ordered.
"Okay!" RED said.
"Yes, of course." Tekken replied.
"Huh? Me?" 5pb. asked. "Uhm, sure but are you sure Cave?"
"If we're going into the mines, noise would do more harm than good." Cave said. "Tsunemi is more quiet, so sorry but you will have to be benched for now."
"Alright, be careful Cave."
"Aren't… aren't I supposed to be the bodyguard?"
Vert smiled as she led the group down the street. IF joined her while RED, 5pb., and Tekken walked back. Ambience was about to walk out of the alleyway but then she heard a voice behind her.
"Don't feel too bad." Kurome's voice said.
Ambience looked behind her and saw Kurome in the broken mirror.
"Uhm… excuse me?" Ambience asked.
"They're only doing this because they care about you." Kurome said. "They're your friends, just like how you're willing to get hurt for them, they're willing to get hurt for you. Let them into your life. If you carry a burden alone, you'll fall. But with the help of others, the burden is much easier. Then you can help with their burdens."
Ambience stared at Kurome, then looked around. She then stared at Kurome again and gave a thumbs up.
"Uhm, thanks a lot. That actually helps, thank you for that."
"No problem, now stay safe out there."
Ambience walked forward and followed the group. Tsunemi looked at the broken mirror curiously to see Kurome wink at her. Once she blinked, Kurome was gone and she only saw herself. Tsunemi shrugged and followed Ambience and the group out of Leanbox and towards the mines.
After a few small monster battles, the group reached a large cave. Wooden beams held the ceiling up as the cave itself went downwards, but the equipment that hung on hooks and leaned on the walls were strangely small. Cave looked around the grassy plains that surrounded them, then checked her map.
"This was the place, correct?" Cave asked.
"Yup, she's quiet right now but she told me this is it."
IF stared at Ambience, then crossed her arms.
"What if this is all a distraction to get you away from Leanbox?" IF asked. "Hell, what if she's in Lastation right now?"
"Again Ingrid, she does a lot of things but lying isn't one of them. Even if she likes… technical truths…"
"Let's be careful…" Tsunemi said.
"Wait! Wait! Wait!" A voice came from the dirt path.
The group turned their heads to see Rei rushing over to them carrying papers and panting as she pressed her hands against her knees. She reorganized the papers in her arms, readjusted her glasses, and took a deep breath.
"Uhm, hi, hello uhm… I- I uh-"
"Oh Megami, hey how's it been? How's that witch lady, is she alright?" Ambience asked.
"Right this is… the protest lady Histoire talked about." IF said. "You know her name?"
"Yeah, we met once in front of the Basilicom and another time next to LAN Castle."
"Ah yes you're- you're Ambience right?" Rei asked. "Uhm, well I have something very- very important for- for Lady Green Heart! I uhm, uh, it's- it's an honor your- your grace."
"The pleasure is all mine." Vert said with a smile. "But what could be so important that you needed to follow me all the way here?"
"Well, uhm, it's- it's about Chika. I- I know where-"
"Chika?! You know where she is?! Tell me!"
"Whoa whoa whoa, hold on Lady Vert." IF said. "One thing at a time, can this wait?"
"No, well, she- she's in a sort of- of nightmare dimension… thing." Rei said.
"She's what?! Tell me how to get there, I must rescue her immediately." Vert demanded.
"We can not trust this woman so quickly." Cave said. "Perhaps… she tricked the other goddesses in the same way as well."
"Oh, no no no! I- I'm uh, a part of the Seven Sages actually and-"
"The Seven Sages, you mean the activist group that believes that Gamindustri would be better off without the goddesses right?" IF asked.
"We- well, I mean, yes, originally, but after some- some research I- I believe we should work together against a common threat first. He- here, I have documents on everything I- I can read it out to you and- and-"
"Save it for later," IF said. "First thing's first, we gotta-"
"Hold on Iffy. If what she said is true… then we have to save Chika, I owe her that much."
"Yeah, but-"
Loud squeaks could be heard from inside the cave. Everyone turned to the inside to see a small swarm of large purple rats running out of the cave and down the dirt path.
"What- what the?!" Famitsu asked.
"Monster! Monster!" A rat squeaked.
"It's going to eat us!" Another rat squeaked.
"What is going on in there… hey! What's in there?" IF asked.
"Run for your life! There was a large worm monster tearing through the caves!" A yellow rat screamed.
"A worm monster?" Cave asked. "Iris Heart… doesn't shape shift, does she?"
"Not that I know." Ambience said. "Alright then, shall we go?"
"Yeah… how about Green Heart and I stay here and listen to what this girl has to say while the rest of you go see what's going on?" IF asked. "Make sure to yell out to us if you see Iris Heart."
"Oh, how about I stay and listen while you go?" Famitsu asked. "I'm a reporter, I want in on this dimension stuff, if it's all true. You're more of a fighter anyway."
"You sure? You okay with that Lady Vert?" IF asked.
"Well I don't mind, but I'm a little more concerned about all the rats heading down the road to Leanbox. I hope this doesn't cause any problems…"
"Priorities first. We will face the worm monster, then retreat if Iris Heart is spotted." Cave said. "Lady Green Heart and Famitsu will stay behind and listen to the whereabouts of this Chika."
"Alright, let's go in." IF said.
IF saw that no more rats were running out of the cave, so she rushed into the cave along with Cave, Tsunemi, and Ambience. Vert and Famitsu turned back to Rei who flipped through her documents as she readjusted her glasses.
"So, uhm, you- you know how Histoire spoke to- to you about a- a dimension machine earlier, correct?" Rei asked.
"She did?" Vert asked.
Vert looked down at her phone and looked at a bunch of unopened messages from Histoire.
"Oh, she must have messaged me while I was busy… hmm, how do you know about this?"
"Oh- oh, I- I must have interviewed Histoire while she was- was texting. For- forgive me, I'm sorry, I- I didn't know." Rei apologized with a bow.
"Now now, no need to apologies. So, other dimensions hmm? And I assume that is where Chika went?" Vert asked.
"Right- right, uhm, if- if the other goddesses have gone there as well, we do not know, however I- I have managed to confirm that- that Chika was there by- by using this device." Rei said while pulling out a grey device with an orange swirl on it.
"Such a small device… what does it do?" Vert asked.
"It- well, it creates a temporary portal to the other dimensions. I- uhm- here, here is the blueprint, you- you can see that it's official!" Rei said.
Rei handed the device to Vert and the blueprint to Famitsu. Famitsu took a picture with her phone while Vert looked around the device. She looked at the long wordy blue print with arrows pointing at various different parts indicating their purpose.
"I- I also have- have a long- long article written about how- how the device scientifically works, would you like that?" Rei offered.
"No thank you." Vert said.
"I'll take it!" Famitsu said happily.
Rei handed Famitsu the stapled document and she skimmed through it.
"So how do you know about Chika?" Vert asked. "Everyone else seemed to have forgotten her."
"We- well, I- I was exploring the other dimension by- by a special request from- from Histoire since this device only works with one or two people. I- I met her, and we talked for a bit but then we- we were attacked. Un- unfortunately I- I got hurt pretty badly so- so I had to retreat but she- she spoke a lot about you so I decided to come to you for- for this."
Vert scrolled through Histoire's texts and nodded.
"I see…" Vert said. "Hmm, and Neptune is in this other dimension as well. So if they meet, she should be in good hands. You really believe that we should work together to face this threat?"
"Of- of course, I- I'm really sorry if I bothered you with- with my protests, they won't happen again, I promise."
Vert sighed and looked down at the orange device.
"Well then, I shall find Chika and protect her. Here, could you show me how it works?" Vert asked.
"Oh- oh, of- of course, uhm, one moment please."
Rei took the device back and turned around. She aimed the device up and her boots suddenly anchored her into the ground.
"Hmm, is that necessar-"
Rei pressed the button on the device and a portal opened up sucking in Vert, Famitsu, and Rei's glasses and documents.
"This- this portal is really strong!" Vert exclaimed before being pulled into the portal.
"Wait! Wait wait wait!" Famitsu yelled.
Rei covered her face and made sure the rest of her accessories stayed on her until the portal closed. She looked up, looked around blinking, then sighed as she took off her boots and walked towards Leanbox wearing smaller shoes.
"Two more, and I will achieve my dream." Rei said to herself. "It'll all be over soon."
Meanwhile IF was running back to the entrance of the cave. She was about to make it, but a large meaty corpse of a giant yellow worm monster landed in front of IF. IF stopped, then turned around. Her heartbeat accelerated before she even saw Iris Heart's eyes glow in the dark as her body was faintly lit by the lights hung on the cavern walls.
IF whipped her arms down extending out her black blades. Cave drew her scissors and Ambience pointed her halberd at Iris Heart with her arms up in the air. Iris Heart smiled, then shook her head at Ambience.
"Ambi, I thought I told you not to bring any friends. Well, I suppose we could postpone our date to another time." Iris Heart said.
"Why didn't you talk to me or try to convince me to ditch everyone by speaking into my head?" Ambience asked.
"Hmhmhmhm, nothing I said would have convinced you, not with Green Heart around. I know you wouldn't disobey a goddess like her, but enough about that. Will you give me the fair 1v1? Or are you planning on killing me with those friends of yours?"
"Is there a difference? Isn't the point of all this to teach us to fight against authority that's wrong, and that conflict makes people stronger?"
"Mmh, not really. I guess we'll need a little bit more time together. Well then, enjoy."
Iris Heart tossed a red crystal at them. Ambience dodged it and looked at Iris Heart with a confused expression. The group then heard the sound of flesh being torn. They turned around to see large fungus rapidly grow out of the worm corpse. Roots swirled together and took the form of a worm monster the same size as the corpse. The corpse finally faded into experience as the fungus worm dug into the ground.
Ambience looked down, but the second she did Iris Heart reach forward and grabbed her by the collar. She then threw her deeper into the cave and started to walk down to follow.
"Hey! Don't you-"
Iris Heart quickly turned around and whipped her chain sword at IF who quickly blocked it with her blade. Iris Heart retracted her sword as the worm monster dug out and bit at Tsunemi. She dodged it as Cave slashed at it with her scissors.
IF was about to run after Iris Heart, but then she heard the beams supporting the cave up snap. The cave began to rumble as small pieces of rock and debris fell down.
"Is she stupid?! We're right next to the exit while she's going deeper down into the cave!" IF called out.
IF took a step forward, but then large boulders fell and landed in front of her. She stumbled backwards a bit then Cave grabbed her and ran outside with Tsunemi. The cave collapsed and they stared at the entrance of the cave.
"Why would she-"
The fungus worm's head rushed out of the cave entrance pushing all the boulders aside as it dug into the ground. Once it did, roots started to grow at the group's feet.
"We have to kill this monster first, Iris Heart comes after." Cave said.
Inside the cave, Ambience aggressively thrusted her halberd from the top. Iris Heart parried it and slashed at Ambience's side, but her ribs tore through her cloak and repelled the sword as Ambience brought her halberd down on Iris Heart. Iris Heart quickly pulled back after being hit on the head, then smiled at Ambience.
"If you wanted to die then why did you drag me away from everyone else?" Ambience asked.
"If you use others, I get to use the environment. If you ask for a 1v1, I'll give you a fair 1v1. That's the only way to make things fair, isn't it?"
"Aren't… aren't you expecting the same results anyway?"
"Hmm, you don't understand me, do you Ambi? Tell me, what am I to you?"
Ambience took a deep breath, then held her halberd close to her torso.
"Let's see… you're a sadistic monster of a goddess who hurts people because she believes that pain makes people stronger, is that it? Cause that's what I'm getting from you." Ambience said.
"Not quite, how about we delay our fight till next time? I think we should just talk."
"I appreciate the offer but I'd much rather kill you now than hear whatever you're planning on telling me because the result is going to be the same, unless you're not planning on dying."
"Like a highschool girl cramming a whole subject's worth of knowledge down in one night, you don't really know a thing. You just want to get the 100 and move on with your life. Too bad, so sad, you won't be happy if you do things that way."
"Really? Cause I'd be really happy right now if I was sitting at home watching anime."
"One small chat, then you get to kill me." Iris Heart offered.
Ambience looked around as the lights flickered, then shut off. She took a deep breath as she saw Iris Heart's eyes glow in the dark. The lines on her suit shone as well along with her sword and processor unit.
"Okay… okay fine, alright, let's talk."
"Hmhmhmhm."
Ambience reached out her arm and touched the stone wall next to her. She proceeded to lean on it while Iris Heart's eyes stared back at her.
"First thing's first," Ambience said. "Are you going to try to justify why you hurt me? Because being whipped like that? Having my ribs tear right out of my chest? Yeah those were not very fun."
"I won't say what I did was right, but I always enjoyed our time together, Ambi." Iris Heart's voice responded. "Even if you messed up, as I expected, it only gave me an excuse to be a little more… extreme. I enjoyed it a lot."
"See? Sadistic monster."
"You heard Uranus haven't you? I'm not like other goddesses, I don't even think I am a goddess. But one thing's certain, I am still human. And as a human, it's my responsibility to do what's right, if I know what's right. Wouldn't you agree, Ambi? Isn't that what a hero would do?"
"Where are you going with this?"
"Only through trials and problems do people grow, everyone knows that. But also… you have to take more action. Take action against me, take action against bad people, fight, struggle, lose. Learn, fight, win. Do everything you can to defeat me, because I'm wrong and I'm bad right? I know I'm a sadist, but I still want to protect Gamindustri just like all the other goddesses do."
"If you want to do that so badly why don't you just make yourself stronger instead of me?"
"Because you're not a sadist, you are a perfectly fit human being."
"Your excuse for torturing me and causing all this chaos is ridiculous. You're strong enough, why not just find a way to have your sadism suppressed and fight those battles yourself?"
"Well… it would be quite a shame if we were to be just a little bit too short in terms of power, wouldn't it?"
Ambience's heart skipped a beat as she heard that statement. She held her head and grinded her teeth as she turned away from Iris Heart's eyes.
"That's not just it, look how much you've grown!" Iris Heart said happily. "Aren't you stronger now? You don't run away anymore, you actually stand a fighting chance, don't you prove me right?"
"We would have gotten the same results through strategy, hard work, and the will to be good." Ambience stated. "With none of your useless tortures or disgusting experiments, we would have been fine. Nobody needs to suffer for power, at least not on purpose."
"But every story needs a problem for the hero to overcome right? To make the hero strong enough to defeat the villain, they have to suffer. And through that pain, they grow strong enough. Am I wrong Ambi?" Iris Heart asked.
Ambience clenched her halberd tightly. She glared at Iris Heart and took another deep breath.
"That's still not an excuse, even if you're right it's not good, it's like… it's like giving up your soul for power. Even if you save the day, you still gave up your soul. It's not right, it's just not."
"Oh? Am I wrong? Well then, when the next real crisis comes around, when another boss monster shows their face, fight it then. Prove to me that someone else could have done the job, without tough trials." Iris Heart said.
"Alright, who's it going to be? You know, don't you? You know who the next big evil will be?"
"Of course, it will be me, I am the biggest threat, aren't I?"
Ambience stared at Iris Heart and saw her power buttons begin to glow yellow. Ambience couldn't see Iris Heart's smile directly in the dark, but from the way her eyes were shaped she predicted that Iris Heart's smile grew wider.
"I believe I'm doing good in the world, I'm making a hero! I'm making good in the world, but you think that's wrong, right?" Iris Heart asked. "Then kill me, kill me and establish your own way of doing good and conquering evil. Kill me then prove me wrong! Prove me wrong Ambi! Show me why I shouldn't use such extreme methods, but I won't listen while I'm alive! As long as I breathe, I'll believe that my extreme sadistic ways are justified! I believe that their ends justify the means! But you don't want that right? You don't want others to suffer like you did right? So come on Ambi, kill me before I kill others just to motivate them! Kill me because I'm evil!"
Iris Heart's chain sword crackled against the stone walls and Ambience's halberd. She looked at Iris Heart to see her laughing a little bit, then saw her turn and give Ambience a smaller smile.
"I didn't like you bringing your friends today Ambi." Iris Heart said. "But I'm glad you did. Because from now on, our fights will be getting very very violent. Hmhmhmhm, but after this is all done, how about a date in purgatory?"
Ambience stared at her in confusion while pointing her halberd at her.
"A middle ground in the afterlife between your heaven and my hell. Doesn't that sound romantic? You'd either get to tell me all about how wrong I was and how much better Gamindustri was without my methods, or that I was right and you were mistaken. And I would listen, listen like a good little girl. I'd listen, and listen, and listen, and once we're forced to go back, we'd both go back happy knowing that the world is a better place now. Whether it would be thanks to you, or thanks to me."
"Let me guess, we're going to Lastation next?" Ambience asked.
"You'll see me there, and I'll be ready for you. And one more thing, I don't hate any of the goddesses. In fact some of them are pretty cute. I was thinking of using them instead and replacing you but… it wouldn't have made as much of an impact. But they're live proof, aren't they? Trauma made them stronger, it gave Green Heart a beautiful mind. I want to give that to you, I want you to make the right decision one day despite everything telling you not to. I want you to be a good girl."
Iris Heart turned and walked through the caves. Once Ambience felt Iris Heart's presence gone, she rested on the wall and sat down on the ground. She sighed, then took out her phone and turned on the flashlight function. She looked around, stood up, and walked down through the rocky tunnels.
"I hope everyone else is alright. Damn it, it makes sense but she can't be right. People getting hurt and overcoming challenges is one thing, but getting hurt on purpose? That's like… well I guess it's like purposely running for the sake of getting better at it… basically… training…"
Ambience shook her head and looked forward through her flashlight. Small red crystals and abandoned equipment was seen scattered across the floor. Ambience stared at a red crystal and confirmed that it was the same one she saw in the lab.
"No, no the way she does it is too extreme. There's a line that shouldn't be crossed, even if it's… worth it… that… no, that… ugh, no she's not right, she's not, she can't be. Even if she is, this is bad, it shouldn't happen, it's bad. No, ugh… for now, I'll find my way out of this cave. I'll regroup with everyone else, then I'll have to have a long discussion with them. Geez…"
Ambience checked a very small map nailed to the wall, then proceeded to wander through the cave tunnels with her phone flashlight guiding her path. She supported herself up with her halberd as she took deep breaths until she found a tunnel leading upwards to sunlight.
"That's… no, was that how this cave was shaped? Hold on…"
Ambience ran up the rocky slope and climbed out of the tunnel. She looked around her to see workers wearing protective gear and gas masks pull away large boulders together.
"Someone came up! Is anyone else down there?" A woman asked.
"No, no, did any of you see Iris Heart?" Ambience asked.
"Iris Heart? No, we haven't seen her. Is she down there?"
Ambience looked behind her. She stared deep into the mine and sighed.
"No, she's not down there." Ambience replied. "I don't think so at least."
The woman looked at Ambience from head to feet and turned around towards the dirt path.
"Lady Black Sister!" The woman called out. "Another one, but she's in good health."
"Black sister- Oni?" Ambience asked.
Ambience carefully stepped over some rocks and walked past a few people. She saw Uni behind yellow tape and poles who stared at Ambience.
"What were you all doing in a mine like this? This is a steal energy crystal mine, wasn't Green Heart with you?"
"A steal energy- oh. Oh no, what happened to Ingrid and the others?" Ambience asked.
"You mean IF and everyone else? They're being taken to a hospital. They won't die, but they'll need a day to recover. Now, mind telling me what's going on?"
Ambience stumbled backwards a little bit, then sat down on the ground behind her. She looked up at Uni, then at the sky, and sighed before relaxing her neck. She held her head and pulled on her hair a bit. She then looked at her bare hand to see small specks of red crystal stuck to her fingers.