Well, here we are again. Up north, in the grasp of the eternal winter. This time, our adventure has led us to a forest - though definitely a much different breed than a light growth one like Virtua. This one's the real deal: Huge, ancient trees in every direction, with a canopy so dense that the forest floor is in near constant gloom. Every so often, the sheer weight of the snow above causes a section of the canopy to falter, momentarily casting light into the gloom as snow cascades from above. But as soon as these spots of light emerge, they once more fade as the branches bend upwards once more.

The people we talked to at the Basilicom had directed us here, and the location makes sense. It's a remote wood, too dense and too dangerous for the average adventurer to be willing to brave. Even though it's definitely warmer here with the relatively shallow snow and trees breaking the wind around us, the temperature isn't even close to above freezing. Everyone's bundled up in as many layers as physically possible, save for the twins, who are wearing their usual garb.

But alas, even though we know that the factory's somewhere nearby, we don't know where exactly it is. It'll definitely take some time to find it, since this forest is pretty big. The people we asked said it was three or four acres -

"Um, how big is an acre again?" I ask out loud, breaking the silence of us marching. I know that an acre is an imperial unit, but not exactly how much it is. I'm much more used to square meters.

"An acre is four thousand, forty-six square meters." states MAGES. to my right, whose glowing staff is another appreciated light in this dreary place. "Do you require more significant figures?"

"No thanks." I reply, sighing and rubbing my forehead. "Thank you."

"It is not a problem, assistant."

Alright, so if a kilometer is a thousand meters and a kilometer squared is a a million square kilometers, so this forest is -

Thunk.

Immediately, the entire group jumps to defensive stances - weapons out, and lights quashed. We all glance around, wondering whether it was an attacker, monster, or just a freak pile of snow falling down. Fortunately, it was neither. Unfortunately, it was neither.

"This is so stuuupid!" whines Ram, as she kicks the tree nearest her again, causing yet more snow and the occasional loose puff of pine needles to cascade down around her. Sadly, none of the piles end up anywhere near her. "What's taking so long?! We've been at this for hours!"

It's been… fifteen minutes, according to my watch. I get where she's coming from, but an hour is a stretch.

Nepgear sighs as she gently lowers her sword. With the situation confirmed as a false alarm, she turns to meet the annoyed youngster. "U-um… Well, we know it's somewhere nearby, right? We ran into those… twisted thingies-"

"Shades." provides MAGES., who once more lights her staff. "I distinctly remember that you were with us when we decided upon that classification? Though, I suppose we could be more specific and refer to them as malign divine energy constr-"

"R-right. Those." sharply nods Nepgear, gesturing forwards. It seems that the little time we've spent with MAGES. has already taught her the value of avoiding the technobabble wave. "That means that the place has to be somewhere in these woods!"

There's a pause in the conversation. Yeah, Nepgear… 'Somewhere in these woods' is really not that useful in this situation.

Ram growls in response. "But this is taking too long! Why don't we just fly up and look around?"

"I-I agree with Ram…" nods Rom, turning her head from side to side. She gestures at the sea of trees around us. "I-I'm sure we'll be quick, right Ram?"

"But-"

"Of course we will! Those dummies will never see us coming!"

Before any of us can move to stop them, the two Candidates transform, and shoot straight up. Their silhouettes crash through the canopy, leaving small holes in the branches above.

For several moments, there's an uneasy silence. The rest of the group is left gawking at the two little spots on the forest floor, where the snowflakes are now finally reaching.

Nepgear sweat drops, looking up at the hole in the canopy. "B-but, I was about to say that we already did a flyover last night and didn't find… anything…"

"Wow, those wifeys sure are a handful, huh?~" chirps RED, moving to stand near the falling snow. Already, the branches are bending back down to mend it, repairing the single break in the snowy prison above.

IF rubs her forehead in exasperation. "I'm not sure if it's the cold getting to me, but I… I'm not sure if I even care if we get discovered anymore. I just wanna get out of this forest. What's the worst that could happen? We fight a Felon in woods thick enough that they can't even move? Let's just let those two do what they want for a bit."

"Don't say that, Iffy! You know what Nep-Nep says about tempting fate, right?" scolds Compa, but she doesn't seem too annoyed. "But you're probably right. We should take a break. Everyone's been working really hard, right?"

Nepgear nods slowly. "Um, is that okay with everyone?"

Although there's no further vocal agreement to be had, the group unanimously begins to settle down. Sure, we could keep looking, but if those two are going to put us all at risk to get a fly in, who are we to argue? Besides, if we kept moving, there'd be no way they'd be able to find us again. Then they'd probably just bumble into trouble and need to be rescued again.

And so, after just a bit of looking around for a good spot, the group settles down near the roots of the biggest tree: the spot with the least amount of snow. I begin to move towards them, before I pause, and turn around.

"Hey, does anyone mind if I go grab some kindling for a fire? If we're going to camp for a bit, we might as well do it in comfort." I ask, gesturing behind myself.

"Just be safe, alright?... And come back if you hear anything!" replies IF, second part almost an afterthought. "Someone else should probably go get some firewood, too."

"I'll make bird noises if we're in trouble!~" smiles RED. "Ca-caaaaw!~"

Well, that's as good of a permission as any. Nodding to the group, I draw my tools, and head out.

Yet, not even ten seconds after the leaving site of our new camp, I feel a tap on my shoulder. Needless to say, I flinch.

"Hey! Watch it!" pouts Uni, staring at the handgun gun once more pointed at her. This happens a lot, doesn't it... "Watch where you aim that thing! I swear, you brandish weapons at me more than you do the monsters!"

Sheepishly, I lower my gun. "Sorry… I just…"

Uni rolls her eyes, though her tone seems a little bit harsh. "You were worried and on edge, since you went off by yourself, right?"

"If you wanted to come along, then why didn't you just say you were coming with me, then?"

That gets a pause for a moment, before Uni shakes her head quickly.

"Just… You said you were getting kindling, right? I know it's probably not really hard, but we shouldn't go off alone. You know how dangerous it can be." She shrugs her shoulders, not meeting my eyes. "I'll keep watch, you do your thing."

I nod slowly, and awkwardly. I mean, I didn't invite her, but I guess she's right. We are rather close to danger, and pairs are good for safety.

I can accept that explanation.

Soon enough, I find a suitable dead bush, and begin to trim some sticks from it with my knife. It's not ideal - I'd much rather have a machete for this - but it's the best thing I've got. I trim a few of the thicker branches, and the springier dead bits.

In about a minute, my task is done, and I slowly get up, holding my handful of chosen twigs. It's time to head back to the others.

The camp is already almost set up by the time we arrive back. Marvy and Nepgear have scavenged some generic-looking triangular firewood, IF and Compa are laying out towels for taking a seat on, and MAGES. is carving something into the dirt that I seriously hope is a defense ward. RED has even helped out this time, as she returns moments after we do carrying a handful of medium-sized rocks. That earns her a headpat for her good work.

Smiling to the others, I show off my findings, before we come together to assemble a crude firepit. With the rocks, the wood, and the quickly gel-doped twigs as kindling, we have all of the ingredients for a merrily-crackling fire pit.

The moment the fire's lit and the flames are up, it's almost like the entire tone of the forest shifts. Gone is the everpresent paranoia and fear of being ambushed, and instead, it's more of a slight wariness, as we relax around the source of heat and light before us. We're safe for now.

With everyone finally able to get comfortable, Compa begins to hand out refreshments, which likely were planned to be distributed later, at a better location. But they're definitely being appreciated here, as evident by the near silence of the camp, save for the crackling of burning wood, and the occasional sipping of thermoses.

With everything set up, all we need to do is wait. I take a seat, and begin to warm my hands by the fire.

"I swear, if those two get us in deep trouble…" grumbles Uni, as she takes a deep sip of her drink. She's seated beside me again for some reason, though her eyes are on the branches above. "I think I'm beginning to understand the jokes you were making about this place."

I shrug in response. "Could be worse. Count your blessings while you still have them."

Speaking of blessings, my thermos is just full of mediocre tea. If I were to guess, it's some kind of black tea, although I don't think black tea usually has sugar in it. Personally, I've always preferred mint, or berry, but right now, I guess any kind would do. I'm not complaining about the free warmth.

I take a swig, hold it in my mouth, and slowly swallow, before breathing out a sigh of relief. That hit the spot.

"Worse how?" is the reply. "This is pretty bad, and at least a fight would get the blood pumping. They've been up there for quite some time, right?"

"At least they're just impulsive and acting like kids. That means they might someday learn." I shrug again. "And besides, it's better that we're down here, than up there."

"Hrm?"

"If we were up there, we'd be having to deal with the wind as well. Didn't Compa lose her hat earlier?"

"... And we spent ten minutes chasing it down. Right." Uni shakes her head sadly. "I don't think I like Lowee."

"Amen." I sigh, taking another deep sip of tea. "Be glad you live where it's warm."

After ten more minutes of blessed relaxation, it seems our little break has come to an end. I spot Nepgear and IF debating something out of the corner of my eye, before the purple Candidate nods, stands up and clears her throat.

"U-um! Attention everyone! If Rom and Ram don't return in another five minutes, I'm going to fly up and try to find them, alright?"

Uni stands up too, hands on her hips. "Hey! Don't think you're the only Candidate here, alright? I'll go with you too!"

Great. Well, at least we have a plan. They can hopefully find the twins before-

Two light thumps on the canopy above cause us all to jump again.

"See Rom! I told you I knew where they were!" speaks one of the voices up above.

"But I told you earlier that-"

"See! I'm right!"

IF huffs, looking up. "Look who's back. Took them long enough."

"Did they get lost or something?" asks Compa, tilting her head to the side. "Nep-Nep always did get lost a lot…"

With a crunch of breaking branches, the roof a few meters to our left collapses and the two Loweean Candidates descend down, looking proud of themselves. Ram begins to speak, before she blinks, staring at us for a moment, and then at the fire.

"Hey! Why are you dummies burning stuff? Don't you know that fire is bad? Mina told us so!"

"Because you took a long time?" quips back Uni, raising an eyebrow. "Besides, it's just a little fire, right?"

"We only took a long time because Rom got lost!" "Nuh-uh!"

The two twins don't even turn towards each other as they lightly argue with one another.

Nepgear shakes her head, trying to divert the argument. "N-never mind that. Did you find the factory?"

"Yes, we did." smiles Rom, as she and her sister both transform back to their natural states. "It's um… It's not too far away, but we were all walking the wrong way."

And with that, she points off to the side. According to the search pattern we were using, we wouldn't have gone there for another hour, at the very least.

The group lets out a collective groan.

"Dammit." murmurs IF, running her hands through her hair. "I-I guess you two did the right thing?"

Miracle of miracles, huh?

"Of course we did!" smiles Ram, raising her arms above her head. "C'mon! Let's go beat up these bad guys!"

"Yeah!" cheers Rom, but then she sobers up just a bit. "But um… Please remember to put out the fire when you're done, okay?"

With the way forwards finally visible, it's time to make our way. Here's to hoping we aren't walking into a trap again.

Oh. And we remember to put out the fire. What? We're not savages, after all.

The factory is every bit of what I imagined it to be: a huge, metallic, boxy structure, with a massive garage door. Were it located anywhere besides this forest full of ancient trees, it'd have towered over it all: instead, here it merely dips just below the treeline. There's no clearing, no path, no nothing: Whoever built this designed it to have as little of a trace as physically possible.

We've definitely found something of value. There's no way they'd dump this much into just a mere warehouse.

With the group on high alert, we march forwards, expecting resistance, yet… we meet none.

With bated breath, we take positions around the front entrance. No movement, no response… No shouts of intruders, nor blares of alarms. There aren't even any monsters nearby.

Searching the garage door is met with nothing of note. It's not meant to be entered. At least, not meant to be entered by humans. That leaves only one option.

Gulping, Nepgear walks up to the human access door… and with the gentlest touch, turns the handle.

Rattle rattle.

The rest of us exchange awkward glances.

Rattle rattle.

Nepgear looks back at us, awkwardly. "D-do I try to force it?"

"Try to force what?" asks Compa, tilting her head to look at the stuck door.

"It's locked." states Nepgear. "D-did any of you see a key?"

"No?" "No." "Can't think I have." "Sorry." "Nope!~"

"Can't you just tear down the door?" asks Marvy, tilting her head. "I heard that you did that in Leanbox, right?"

IF shakes her head. "We could, but there's no way we'd be able to do that quietly. They'd hear us, and escape with whatever it is they're hiding in there."

"Could we melt through the deadbolt?" I venture, walking up to examine the door jamb. There's barely anything exposed here, but enough heat might do it?

That gets blank stares back.

"U-uh… We should probably check around, to see if we find a key or something!" sputters Nepgear, frantically trying to mentally delete my attempt to just bypass the rules of the world again. "Maybe someone left it under a rock or something?"

Compa nods. "Alrighties! Split up, everybodies!"

With that, the group breaks apart, beginning to circle the huge factory. I volunteer to stay near the front, since I have a vague idea...

"You think they'll find anything?" asks Uni, who has stuck around with me again. "I-I guess we're headed back to Lastation after all…"

I shrug, checking under the doormat, just to be sure. "They could find something… but honestly, I want to take a look at the lock on the door."

A pause.

Uni's response is equal parts impressed and confused. "Wait, can you pick locks? I didn't know that was something you could do."

I shake my head. I definitely have no experience, but who knows? I've heard that some locks are better than others, and that the worst of the bunch can even be defeated by amateurs.

"It's worth a shot. Besides, in the worst case scenario, I'll just wreck the lock and they have to buy a new one." I admit. "That'd be what, a hundred credits of damage they'll need to pay?"

That gets a slight smile back.

"Now, uh… You got a spare hairpin?"

Fortunately for me, she does, in fact, have a spare hairpin. Unfortunately, it's still a hairpin, and I still have no idea how to pick a real lock.

Carefully digging through my inventory, I pull out a strip of metal I'm willing to sacrifice, and my knife. Slicing a strip thin enough to serve as a tensioner and bending the hairpin to serve as a tool, I slowly and carefully begin to work at the lock.

The hell am I supposed to listen for? Something something, click on one or something?

For several minutes, I'm just standing there, prodding at various parts of the lock's internals. I'm keeping tension on, at least…

"Hey. Did you find… Wait, what's Derek doing?" I hear IF behind me. "Since when could he pick locks?"

"Uh… He's just trying, I think." admits Uni. "I'm not sure myself."

"Oh, um, alright." responds IF. "We found nothing, so we were about to have a group meeting to figure out where to go next. This seems like a dead end for now. Do you want to-"

Click? I think that was a set? God, I wish I had the Lock Picking Lawyer's tutorials right about now… I'm not sure whether what I'm doing is right at all. At least I know where the… four? I think there are four spots that sink into the lock. Four cylinders… If I remember correctly, that means it's a cheap lock, right?

"U-um… I think you girls can handle deciding where to go without me. I'll keep watch here, alright?"

"Fine by me. See you soon." I hear IF walk off, leaving me and Uni to work on the door.

With that, there's silence for a minute, allowing me to force a single pin into what I hope is where it's supposed to be.

"How's it coming along?" asks Uni, leaning forwards. "Any progress yet?"

"Slow. Painfully slow." I grumble, sighing. It's then that I twitch accidentally, and I hear the pins of the lock all fall back into place.

"For the love of…" I hiss at the reset lock. That was a lot of work! Grumbling, I pull out the hairpin, and gently put it away. I've already ruined it. Might as well keep it, since it survived me working with it. "Screw it."

If at first you can't pick it open, rake it till you make it. Is that a saying? It feels like it's a saying.

Wearing a face of what I can only assume is defeat and disappointment, I pull out another few strips of metal, before cutting them with my knife to the shape of a wave rake. I definitely ruined a few of them, but at least a few turned out decent.

And then comes the raking. Back and forth, I move the piece of metal, trying to see if I can feel it bounce over the inside of the lock. C'mon… I just need to be lucky.

"Uh… Are you just trying to wreck it n-"

"Shhh." I whisper, focusing. "Just gotta get lucky…"

I growl a bit, and pull out the rake. Too large, the teeth are missing the spots. Time to make another. I even pull out the pin again, to double check the distance between the pins.

"Are you s-"

I shake my head, as I glare at the second rake. It's going in, but not deep enough. But I think I almost have it.

"I-I'm okay with us going back to Lastation! You don't really need to-"

Clunk. Thonk. Griiiiiind.

The lock under tension slowly rolls to the right, and the massive deadbolt retreats into the door's frame.

There's silence.

"Phew." I sigh, gently taking the improvised tools out of the door. "That worked."

I take a look at the final rake. Seems I'll be keeping this one. Maybe other doors are set up the same way?

"T-that worked?" echoes Uni, staring at the door.

"What worked?" asks Nepgear, strolling up behind us.

I turn around, to find the rest of the group approaching. "We've decided to go to Lastation. If this door won't open then-"

"B-but we did get the door open, see?" sputters Uni, gesturing at the door. "I heard it click open and everything!"

I nod, and force a smile. "T-thank heavens for cheap locks, am I right?"

With that, I awkwardly turn the knob of the door, before pulling it open, towards us.

The group blinks at me, and then at the open door ahead of them. RED whistles. I can't help but feel like I need to say something, anything.

"Uh… Um… Ta-dah?"

Nope. Too cheesy. Damn.

Keeping my mouth shut, I step to the side, allowing the group to close the distance. One by one, they take turns peering inside. Despite being the one to open the door, I'm near the rear of the line. As such I need to put up with the various gasps, and murmurs of disbelief, before I'm finally able to take a look at what's causing that reaction.

Never mind, I think I understand now.

I see three… Four, maybe five? Five production lines, all atop of conveyor belts. Each machine attached to each belt works away tirelessly, each performing their own function at a breakneck speed.

And as my eyes trace down the line, they come to rest at the destination: massive crates, already near halfway full. Emblazoned upon them, labels. Big, black, unmistakable labels.

'Arfoire Chip, Version 8.3x'.

Jackpot.