This chapter won't have a whole lot of fighting, but it will have a bit of character development...I hope. Plus, we'll get a better look at just what sort of madness Perfectio and the mi-go are infecting the people the Universal Century with!
Expansion Scenario Chapter 8 (Janus): Split Priorities! Is Mankind Truly Worth Saving?!
"Rain's gone too?!" Domon cried in dismay when he returned to the Ra Cailum after the battle. Moments after the destruction of Cytomander-Aquila, the crew of Bright Noa's ship had run their usual checks on the safety of everyone inside the ship, and found Rain to be missing.
"We're looking into what happened to her as we speak," Bright reassured the Gundam Fighter as the ship's bridge crew was looking through what seemed to be security camera footage.
"You...only activate those cameras during battles, right?" Domon said uneasily as he watched the footage. "You don't use it to spy on us?" But before Bright could answer, the Devilman member of the bridge crew gasped as he stopped and rewound a video.
"Captain! I've found something!" he said. The Gundam Fighter and ship captain rushed over to his computer screen to see what was happening. But to their confusion, they only saw a portal appear, Rain suddenly go limp, and then get pulled into the portal before it closed.
"She was just...floating in mid-air," Domon said.
"Something is definitely grabbing her," the Devilman said. "But whatever it is, the camera couldn't see it."
"Try switching the footage to another spectrum," Bright suggested. "Infrared, maybe?" The crewman nodded and did so, then replayed the footage. This time, the thing that had grabbed Rain was now clearly visible, albeit in colors based on its body temperature...
It was a mi-go.
Even though Dianna was absent from the Lunar Kingdom's palace, DREAM had permanent approval to use the palace's hangar and facilities for repair and resupply, and took advantage of that privilege to do so.
As Kouji worked on re-calibrating some of Mazinger Z's monitors and gauges, he suddenly heard someone tapping on the canopy. He looked over and saw Kamille, Fa, Loran and Masato standing there.
"Hey, Kouji," Kamille said. "You got a moment?"
Mazinger's pilot gestured for them to wait as he twisted a knob, then watched the gauge. After a few seconds, he opened the canopy and climbed out.
"Okay, all done," he said. "So, what's up?"
"Have you been in contact with Dr. Heaven?" Fa asked.
"I haven't...at least not recently." Kouji said, tilting his head a bit. "Why?"
"Well, back in New Von Braun," Kamille explained, "Fa and I were attacked by something, and it wasn't a demon."
"It looked kind of like a cross between a bug, a crab and a bat," Fa said. "It was about ten feet tall, pink, and it looked like its head had its brain exposed."
"Sounds like one of the creatures that the captains told us probably kidnapped Rain and Miku," the Super Robot pilot said. Masato grimaced – he had found Miku missing upon returning to Great Zeorymer's hangar, and after reviewing the lab's own footage, he had also seen the claws of a mi-go snag his android partner.
"Miku's gone too?!" the Zeta Gundam's pilot exclaimed. "Damn them, whatever they are!"
"But aren't you able to just, you know, make Miku teleport to wherever Zeorymer is?" Kouji asked, surprised to hear Masato's inability to track. "You did that once."
"Believe me, I tried," Masato answered. "But I can't even locate her. Something's blocking the Dimensional Coupler System." Suddenly, to their surprise, Mazinger's projector started up on its own, displaying the image of Kouji's grandfather.
"Kouji!" the projection said. Kouji and the two Newtypes looked over. After noticing that there was no scar over his eye, they realized which one it was.
"Dr. Heaven!" Loran exclaimed. "We were just discussing you!"
"I just finished analyzing the footage regarding the mysterious creatures that kidnapped Miss Mikamura and Miss Haruno from their chambers," the scientist said.
"Footage...from their chambers?" Kouji said, understandably surprised. "They put cameras in our quarters on the ship?!"
"Do you recognize them at all?" Masato asked, ignoring Kouji's comment. Dr. Heaven nodded grimly.
"I believe I do," he said. "My clones have seen them in other worlds, if only in brief glimpses. But there are plenty of ancient texts in my library that allude to these creatures – these 'fungi from Yuggoth' or 'mi-go'."
"Yuggoth?" Fa echoed; "Mi-go?"
"Yuggoth likely refers to the dwarf planet near the edge of our solar system," Dr. Heaven explained; "The one that we call Pluto. It was not discovered until the year 1930 of the old Anno Domini calendar, but it seems the madmen who wrote these texts were vaguely aware of its presence."
"What do you know about these mi-go?" Kamille asked.
"From what I have read and my clones have seen," Kouji's grandfather said, "the mi-go as a species hail from a world that exists outside the multiverse as we know it, and that they are an extremely highly advanced race."
Kouji and the others sighed. That really wasn't much to go on at all.
"Do you have any idea of why they would have kidnapped Rain, Miku, and Dianna?" Loran asked.
"I could not even begin to tell you what they would need them for," the scientist replied. "If those books are anything to go on, the mi-go are usually content to surgically remove a person's brain and place it in a cylinder for later use."
"Surgically...remove?" Masato said, swallowing nervously.
"Yes," Dr. Heaven said. "They've devised a method to extract and preserve brains in such a way that they remain alive. They've even been said to revive the brains of the recently dead." This thought sudden made Kouji start to realize something.
Could it be that the mi-go gave the Vegans...
"Why we couldn't see them on our cameras?" Kamille asked. "Fa and I saw them with our own eyes just fine."
"My conjecture is that they are not made of the same kind of matter that creatures like us are," Kouji's grandfather said, "being that they are creatures of Outside."
"That would make sense," Loran said, shaking his head, "except we could see the Invaders, Deathless Amon and Nyog'Sothep on our cameras just fine."
"Perhaps if I could get a sample from a mi-go corpse," the scientist said, stroking his mustache, "Aila and I could devise an upgrade to your machines' camera systems to account for this. But until then, you'll have to rely on other parts of the electromagnetic spectrum to track their location and movements."
"Thanks anyway, grandpa," his grandson said. Dr. Heaven grinned and ended the connection.
"We were already planning to join you to track down Rain," Masato said afterward, "but kidnapping Miku and Dianna on top of that made this extra-personal for us."
"Glad to have you on board again," Kouji said. "Even if they're not at full strength, the Turn A and Great Zeorymer will be major assets, especially if we have to fight Mazinger ZERO again. And if these mi-go have similar power, we'll need those two to face them as well."
Inside the Ra Cailum's medical ward, Joshua and Rim sat on chairs watching Glacies in hopes of seeing her wake up. However, having been there for hours, it was clear to the siblings that the Ruina general wasn't going to wake up anytime soon.
Suddenly, they heard footsteps coming from the hall. They looked and saw Janus enter the room.
"Hey, you two," Granlif's pilot said quietly; "How's Glacies?"
"She's still out like a light," Joshua replied, "No signs of waking up, either. It's a good thing she doesn't need to eat or drink." Janus sighed and nodded - Glacies would surely reveal the location of Perfectio to DREAM, if the pair's effort to break the King of Ruin's hold on her was indeed successful.
"So, what's the plan?" Rim asked.
"First, we're heading back to Earth so we can report to Maou Dante about everything that happened," Janus replied. "Then we're going to continue tracking Perfectio, as well as start hunting for these 'mi-go'. We find those freaks, we'll likely find Rain, Dianna and Miku."
"The question is, where do we even start?" Rim said with a sigh; "If these things they're really the kidnappers, have the ability to pop in and out pretty much anywhere! Plus, with the terrorist and cult activity AND the Andromeda Country breathing down our necks..."
"If you ask me," Joshua said, "I think these guys are teamed up with Perfectio and the Andromeda Country. We find one set, the other will show to back them up."
"I can't help but agree," Janus said with a nod. "Kidnapping friends of ours sounds exactly like something our enemies would do." Just then, a loud, raucous squawking pierced the air. This was quickly followed by the arrival of a black-beaked parrot the size of a small rabbit with slightly sparkling feathers that seemed to blaze like a fiery sunrise.
"Oh, how pretty!" Rim exclaimed as the bird alighted on Janus' head.
"Oh, hey Ibis!" Janus exclaimed as he presented his finger to the bird, who stepped on it. "Guess I owe you scratching time." He indeed began to scratch the bird's neck, and it bent its head and closed its eyes as it shuddered with pleasure.
"Why is there a parrot on board?" Joshua said, surprised to see this. "And why isn't it in a cage?"
"This little ball of sunshine transported me here," Janus explained, "and is my only way back when it comes time for me to return to the Celestial Calendar." Hearing this, the siblings quickly realized what Ibis' true nature was.
"Is she one of those 'caelceti' the captains told us about?" the pilot of Ganador said. "The one that appeared behind Granlif Ceadei when you first arrived?"
"Yep," Granlif's pilot replied. "But in spite of her size, Ibis is actually still just a baby." Suddenly, Ibis pushed Janus' hand away, hopped off his finger and landed on Glacies' left arm. It then proceeded to sidle up to her shoulder, and then settle next to her ear. Within moments, the three saw the Ruina general's mouth move.
"Unh...Josh...ua?" she muttered.
"Glacies?!" Joshua exclaimed. But no response came.
"Well, the fact that she responded to SOMETHING is encouraging," Rim said.
"I'm just surprised that Ibis took to her like that," Janus said.
"When she wasn't under Perfectio's control," Rim said with a nostalgic sigh, "Glacies was actually a very kind person. Maybe Ibis sensed that." She leaned over and gazed at the Ruina general's sleeping face.
"Wake up soon, Lacie," she said warmly. "We need you more than you realize..."
The Nahel Argama and Ra Cailum arrived back on Earth without further incident, landing safely at Sodom. This gave DREAM's pilots the opportunity to acquaint themselves with the city that had once been Neo-Hong Kong – and Domon, Allenby, Kamille, Fa, Judau and Roux (whose arm was in a cast for the time being) decided to take that opportunity by going out on the town.
"Man, Sodom is sure being built quick," Judau said as he looked around and the tall buildings on either side of him.
"The demons and Devilmen don't need most of the construction equipment we used to need," Domon said. "Many of them are strong enough to lift entire girders themselves, while others can use their powers to perform whatever else needs to be done."
But as the Gundam Fighter was explaining this, Judau's attention was caught by a building that was neither tall nor new, but short and very familiar.
"Hey, it's that arcade from back then!" he exclaimed. "They rebuilt it!" He eagerly rushed over it, with the others following him inside. Unlike its predecessor, this arcade, as similar to its original as it was, had no gambling machines. Even so, humans, demons and Devilmen littered the place, playing all sorts of machines purely for the fun of it.
The group soon noticed a huge crowd gathered around a particular machine - it was a game with two competitors on separate platforms, each wearing a VR helmet and control cables attached to bands on the joints. This allowed them to control two holographic fighters in the center, which moved as the players did.
"Oh gosh, is that Super Big Battle Bros. Ultimate?!" Allenby exclaimed with a high-pitched squeal. "It has every fighter from the entire series!"
"I'm surprised they're even making new video games anymore," Fa said. "But I guess some things don't change so easily...people still need to be entertained." As they watched, Domon glanced at Allenby with a wry smile.
"Say, you want a rematch?" he asked. To their surprise, Judau overheard this and got between the two Gundam Fighters.
"I remember last time," he whispered, trying not to make the crowd overhear. "The machine couldn't keep up with your speed, and you started a fire!"
"They're going almost as fast as we were," Allenby said. "And the machine's keeping up with their movements just fine." Just then, the game ended, and the holographic familiar mascot appeared - a man with a toupee, a pointy mustache, glasses, a green and red suit, and wearing a snare drum.
"All right!" the mascot said as the two previous players stepped down. "Who's next! Come on, step right up!"
"We'll play!" Domon said as he and Allenby approached. None of the demons or Devilmen moved to stop them...but as they approached the ladders to the platforms, transparent plexiglass walls suddenly shot up from slots in the ground, preventing them from climbing up.
"What gives?!" Allenby exclaimed as they looked up at the mascot.
"Sorry, but I can't allow you two to play!" the mascot said.
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Domon said, annoyed at this interference.
"You think I don't know how you completely destroyed my predecessor and started a fire?!" the hologram replied. This caused the crowd to start murmuring and mumbling among themselves.
"Wow," Kamille muttered, "the mascot remembers them, even in between versions."
"Geez, c'mon!" Allenby moaned.
"No can do," the mascot said in a comically authoritative manner. "For public safety reasons, you two are officially banned from playing any arcade version of Super Big Battle Bros Ultimate!"
"Wow," Roux said. "That's harsh."
"You little weasel," the female Gundam Fighter growled, shaking her fist at the mascot. "If I could actually get my hands on you..."
"Of course," the mascot said, grinning widely as if it enjoyed seeing Allenby angry, "you can play the home console edition, available at stores everywhere."
"Forget it," Domon said with a sigh. "We should just find something else to play..."
Janus and Masakado also took the opportunity to go out on the town, and the former also noticed the changes and similarities between the old Neo-Hong Kong and Sodom. They were wandering in a part of town that was still being rebuilt after Hell King Goldon had flattened it, so it still resembled a slum. Even so, they could see signs of the new order that Maou Dante and Rossiu were striving to build.
"It's the first time I've been to Sodom or Gomorrah since our last vacation, and it's changed a lot," Janus said. "Even this part of town's gotten livelier."
"This is my first time here at all," the masked warrior said. "It is...fairly different from the cities I am used to."
"You're not used to seeing so many demons and Devilmen, are you?" Granlif's pilot said. "I guess I can't blame you. You were wandering the Earth after the war, after all." As he said this, the two passed a trashcan-filled alleyway, and Masakado happened to glance down it, and saw a trio of demons in their monstrous forms surrounding someone. One of the demons was a gigantic bipedal toad that seemed to emanate wisps of shadow; the second was a pale-blue monstrosity with three eyes, three arms, three legs and a mouth as wide as its body filled with sharp teeth the length of daggers; the third was a sickly yellow creature only about three feet tall with an ant-like head, crab-like pincers and hair-like fibers growing from its forearms and back.
Upon approaching closer, the two could see that they had surrounded a lovely human woman with blonde hair in a ponytail, round glasses, sea-green eyes and a nun's habit, albeit one with a hemline just above the knees. There were also two tied cloth sacks on the ground that seemed unusually large and heavy.
Masakado blinked behind his mask, seeing another woman in her place for a fraction of a second.
Sophia...Nate, he thought as a name came back to him. The masked swordsman turned toward the demons and put one hand on his sword. The trio of demons was too busy chuckling wickedly at what seemed to be their prize to notice this.
"You're not thinking of intervening," Janus whispered, "are you?"
"I cannot just ignore that," Masakado replied. Janus grinned and cracked his knuckles.
"Good," Granlif's pilot said. "Me either." But before he could change into his Outside form, Masakado stopped him with his free hand.
"No, you go find some police," the swordsman said. "I'll handle these louts myself until you get back." Janus sighed.
"Just remember not to kill them," the young man said.
"That is not something you need to tell me," Masakado said grimly as he took a step forward, intentionally rattling his sword in its scabbard. Sure enough, the three demons turned around.
"Hey, what's the big idea?" the ant-headed demon said in a rattling hissing voice.
"We're jusplt tryin' t' hafpth a nysh conversation," the three-eyed demon slobbered, spewing foul-smelling spittle all over.
"Do you ruffians not have anything better to do than pick on those you think weaker than yourselves?" the masked warrior said haughtily.
"If I didn't know no betta," the toad demon said to the ant demon, "I'd say he wants t' fight."
"I guess this guy must think he's hot stuff," the ant-demon said. "Let's teach 'em a lesson on why we demons are superior to humans!" With that, they all threw themselves at Masakado at the same time, hoping to overwhelm him.
However, the masked warrior's attackers had sorely underestimated their target – he quickly drew his blade and slashed them dozens of times with incredible speed before sending them flying into the wall behind the woman they were harassing. And if one looked closer, one could see that their wounds were shallow cuts carved in the shape of butterflies.
"Taira-style Jigenryu Ougi...Senko-no-Shinpi-teki Cho!" Masakado said as he sheathed his blade. "There is nothing my blade cannot cut!"
After a few moments, the three demons realized they were still alive, and got up, looking at each other fearfully. They all seemed to understand that if Masakado could do this to them, actually killing them would be simplicity itself.
"This guy's no regular human, boss!" the toad-demon said.
"Thish chickh ain't worsh it if we gotta deal wish shim!" the maw demon slobbered.
"You said it!" the ant-demon cried; "Let's scram!" With that, the three of them dove into the shadows behind the trashcans, making the bins rattle a bit. Masakado curiously approached the cans, and saw that there was nothing there. He turned to the woman he had just rescued.
"You are safe now, Sister," the masked warrior said.
"Thank you for rescuing me," the nun replied with a warm, grateful smile. "May I have the honor of your name?" For some reason, Masakado found his heart starting to beat faster as he got a better look at the woman.
"Masakado," he answered, his mask hiding his blushing face. "And you?"
"My name is Leica," the woman replied. "Leica Crusade."
"A lovely name," Masakado said, making the woman blush a bit herself. Just then, Janus arrived with some police demons in tow – both of them resembled lions with great feathered wings and human faces – one was a man, the other a woman. The demons seemed to be surprised, but Masakado's companion was clearly not.
"I wager you managed to fight them off, pal," Granlif's pilot said. "Though subduing them would have been better."
"I merely gave them a taste of Taira-style Jigenryu," Masakado said in a humble yet proud manner. "It was enough to drive them off. Hopefully they won't cause any further trouble."
"Are you all right, Miss?" the demon asked Leica. "Can you give us a description of your attackers? What happened to them?" She was clearly nervous, but nodded the affirmative and gave a brief explanation as to what had just transpired, including the three criminals' escape. The two sphinx-like police demon nodded once she was finished.
"We know those three," the female demon said. "They've been making trouble in this district for weeks, but they've been able to evade us so far – and now we know why. Thank you for your cooperation. We'll let you know if we arrest them." With that, the two police demons took to the air and flew off. Meanwhile, Janus looked over at the two cloth sacks.
"Those look pretty heavy," he said to Leica. "You want us to help you with them?"
"I'm fine, thank you," Leica answered as she went over to the sacks, picked each of them up with one hand, then slung one over each shoulder with astonishing ease. "But I simply must repay your kindness for saving me. Please, come have lunch with me and my little ones. It's the least I can do."
"If you insist," Janus sighed, acting as if he didn't want to, but also glancing over at Masakado, whose posture indicated a deep disappointment...
As the head of the Colonial Republic of Zeon, Char was essentially the ruler of all Spacenoids. As their leader, the former ace tried as much as he could to be among his people, to stay in touch with the lives he was burdened with guiding. Even though his staff insisted that he go with bodyguards, the former ace pilot knew that the people of Side 3 loved him, and would throw themselves in the path of bullets to protect him...an act he would not hesitate to do in return. He had done so before when he faced Nyog'Sothep, that godly being from beyond time and space capable of devouring infinity itself.
As he turned a corner after purchasing some fresh bread from a local bakery, Char saw some police vehicles, ambulances and a single Geara Doga near a section of thick forest - used as a natural means of maintaining the carbon dioxide cycle. Upon closer inspection, saw some police bringing out some handcuffed men and women in blood-splattered, hooded robes. But his approach quickly drew the police's attention.
"Lord Char!" one of them exclaimed when he saw his leader approach.
"What's going on here? Who are these people?" the former ace asked, gesturing to the robed people.
"They seemed to be involved in the 'King of Ruin' cult that's been popping up," the policeman answered. Char grimaced, then looked into the darkened building, and saw several medical workers bringing out a pair of covered bodies on carts. Having heard that this was a King of Ruin cult was enough to give the leader of the Colonial Republic reason to believe that they were sacrifices.
But suddenly, one of the robed and hooded women gasped and called out to him.
"Lord Char! Lord Char!"
The blond Newtype nearly did a double-take when he heard the voice – for it was one he knew rather well. He approached the woman and removed her hood, revealing her face. It was a woman in her mid-twenties with shoulder-length light-brown hair and green eyes. However, her hair was messed up and matted with blood and gore, while her eyes were still wild and bloodshot.
"...Nanai?" Char gasped as his recognition became laced with horror. "Nanai Miguel?"
"You know this woman, sir?" the police officer asked.
"She was...a valuable member of my staff," he said before turning back to the woman. "Did you kill those two people, Nanai?"
"N-no," Nanai stammered in reply, "i-it was Her child...the Black Goat's child! We merely presented the sacrifices, and Her child accepted them in Her name. Besides, they were just Earthnoids!" Char scowled with rage when he heard those last two words, even as he sensed the wicked truth in Nanai's words.
"The Black Goat?" the officer said, surprised to hear this. "You're not with the King of Ruin?" Meanwhile, Char turned toward one of the bodies and silently ordered them to let him see.
"Our goddess rules over fertility," Nanai said with a disturbingly innocent smile; "Those who worship her are blessed with vast fertility and unending joy." As she said this, one of the medical workers removed the tarp on the corpse. Char gasped when he saw it – he had expected something brutal, but not like what he saw was beneath the cover.
The body was that of another young woman, barely recognizable as such because of massive wounds caused by what seemed to be gigantic hooves and suckered mouths. No child of the Gold Moon could inflict such injuries, and he knew there were no demons or Devilmen in this particular colony.
"Even if you didn't kill them," Char said as he turned back to Nanai, allowing the ; "Why did you offer them up at all? They were humans too!"
"We did it for the future of humanity," Nanai replied in a horrifically eager tone, "and I did it for you in particular, Lord Char!" This made both Char and the policeman recoil in horror.
"If we pleased Her," the woman continued; "mankind would never fear traveling through space, for her blessings would..."
Throughout her entire rant, Char could sense that these words were made from genuine belief. Nanai truly believed every word she spoke was true...that sacrificing innocent people to this 'Black Goat' would somehow save mankind.
"Take her away," the Newtype said with pity in his voice, "and get each of these poor souls a thorough psychiatric evaluation." The officer nodded, yanked Nanai up and hauled her toward a police car.
"Lord Char, please!" she cried as she was shoved into the backseat. "We must accept the Black Goat's love if we are to survive!" Once she was in, the policeman and one of his coworkers got in the front seats and drove off.
I don't know what you are, Black Goat, he thought as he gazed at the rather ominous-looking woods; But I will stop you, your children and your cult from twisting any more good people like Nanai...
The three demons that had accosted Leica slinked out of some shadows, seething with resentment. They were now in the city's old underground, in what was once a subway tunnel. How it had survived Hell King Goldon's rampage was of no concern to them – they were just glad to be in the darkness again, where they had greater power.
"Freakin' humans," the ant-demon grumbled as they walked down the road. "I can't believe they are any as strong as us."
"You said it, Laragorb," the toad-demon said. "Ain't the boss is right, Curlyx?"
"He shure ish, Moebilush," the maw demon slobbered. "De only reashon we didn't get t' wipe 'em all out is becaush Mashinger ZTPERO shided with the humanspth."
But as they approached what was once a large junction, they noticed that there was a substantial congregation of demons there, surrounding what seemed to be a sphere of black flesh the size of a small house with random body parts peeking out from within. Anyone who had seen Nyog'Sothep or the Invaders might have been disturbed by the resemblance.
Standing atop this sphere of mad flesh of was a malformed, angel-like demon with differing skin tones going down their body from the left and right sides of their body, with the right side being purple and then other being off-white. It had long blonde hair on one side, and pairs of black wings on their upper and lower back, wrists, and ankles. It had horns on its head, with the one on the left side being bigger than the one on the right. Finally, it had a single exposed breast, making it appear to have a split gender.
Almost like a demonic version of Baron Ashura.
"Hear me, fellow children of the Silver Moon," the Ashura-like demon said. "I am Asura, and I bring you tidings of hope, and the promise of renewed fertility!"
"What's this runt going on about?" Moebilus croaked.
"Let's listen," Laragorb chittered. The three demons used the shadows to quickly move to the edge of the crowd.
"Fellow children of the Silver Moon," Asura began, "why do you put up with the humans? Why do you suffer those weak, feeble beings to live? They are the ones responsible for the Earth's current state...and yet Maou Dante insists that we respect their lives, lest we act as if cursed by Deathless Amon!"
"Shaddap!" another demon from the crowd yelled. "Deathless Amon was a curse!"
"Was it?" Asura replied. "When we had Deathless Amon within us, we were free from the chains of so-called morality. When the cells of Deathless Amon ruled, our fertility, and the Earth's fertility, was more than it had even been!"
The black-winged demon put its hand against its heart.
"Now this world, OUR world, is dying!"
Some of the demons in the crowd began to walk away, seemingly disgusted by Asura's words – but plenty continued to listen - including Laragorb, Curlyx and Moebilus.
"However, there is one who can restore the fertility of the Earth and the Demon Tribe," the two-faced demon continued, "my goddess, the Black Goat of the Woods. With her help, you can free yourselves once more and restore the Earth to its full glory..."
The three would-be bandits seemed to lean in as if to hear the preaching demon's words better...
"Another cult?!" Bright, Simon and Amuro exclaimed when they heard the news from Char, Lordgenome and Maou Dante in a teleconference aboard the Ra Cailum, having delivered their own report on the situation on the Moon.
"This one seems to be associated with an entity called 'The Black Goat of the Woods'," Char explained. "However, this cult seems to be somewhat more passive in nature. Instead of causing chaos, mayhem and destruction, it seems to be more oriented towards fertility...not that it stops them from sacrificing innocent people."
"Fertility?" Simon asked.
"In spite of Shin Dragon successfully cleaning the Getter Rays from the Earth's atmosphere," Lordgenome explained, "the planet is still in a precarious state as far as being able to sustaining civilization."
"The cultists that have been captured by the Colonial Republic's law enforcement have all mentioned this," the former Red Comet added, "it's likely that they believe this 'Black Goat' can restore the Earth's fertility, and ensure the survival of mankind when it comes time to migrate beyond the solar system."
"Do you know who or what this 'Black Goat' is?" Bright asked.
"There is a 99.98712% chance that this Black Goat is another Outer God," Lordgenome answered. "During our battle against Nyog'Sothep, Tru'nembra mentioned a 'Black Goat of the Woods Shub-Niggurath'. And based on the records in the Chouginga Dai-Gurren's database, Shub-Niggurath is worshiped as a goddess of fertility...in all of its forms."
"What do you mean, 'all of its forms'?" Amuro asked.
"Fertility is simply the quality of being able to produce offspring through reproduction," the biocomputer continued. "An infestation of locusts or an out-of-control growth of mold are just as much manifestations of great fertility as a bumper crop of foodstuffs or giving birth to twins or triplets."
"Whatever the case, now we've got two Outer God cults to deal with," Dante said grimly; "a king of rampant destruction and a queen of out-of-control growth."
"We know that the goal of the King of Ruin cult is to allow the leader of the Ruina to fully manifest in this world," Amuro said thoughtfully. "But what would Shub-Niggurath's cult be up to? Could they be doing the same thing, but for their own goddess?"
"Does it matter?" Simon said, pounding his fist on the table; "They're both killing innocent people and likely plan to cause another worldwide catastrophe! They need to be stopped!"
"Agreed," Dante said; "The problem is how we deal with this. As the ones with the burden of governing, Char, Rossiu and I have much to consider – what the cult's appeal is, how to educate the public about its true nature...and who the Black Goat's real agents are and how to deal with them..."
Janus and Masakado followed Leica through the streets of Sodom for almost an hour before finally arriving at their destination – an old church at the edge of the city. There were holes in the roof, broken glass and some fallen columns, but the structure was mostly intact, retaining a sort of quiet, almost holy serenity.
"George! Colin! Alison! I'm back!" Leica shouted as the trio entered the building's vestibule and she dropped the bags. She had been on guard for the whole trip, even with the two men following close behind her. Only when the nun stepped across the church's threshold did she finally drop her guard.
"A church, huh?" Janus said to himself, looking around. "I'm amazed anything survived that quake back then." Meanwhile, three children had come running into the room – a boy with tanned skin, short blond hair, aquamarine-blue eyes and a single fang-like tooth protruding from behind his upper lip, giving him a mischievous air; an innocent-looking girl with neck-length black hair, the same aquamarine-blue eyes and pale skin; and an androgynous boy with dirty blond hair, poppy-orange eyes and a shirt like Leica's habit, except it only reached his waist, which exposed a pair of shorts.
"Sis!" they cried in excited unison. This suddenly perked Masakado up a bit.
"Hello, little ones," Leica said sweetly.
"You are...not their mother?" Masakado said. The three children looked at each other and laughed.
"You thought Sis was our mom?!" the tanned boy said. "Man, what an idiot! Does that mask..." But the boy was cut off when Leica grabbed his ear and pulled at it.
"George!" Leica scolded as the boy squirmed. "Don't be rude to guests! Apologize to him!"
"Okay, okay!" George whined. "I'm sorry, mister! I'm sorry!" But Masakado merely chuckled in amusement while Colin and Alison, the other two children, snickered a bit at George at being chastised so.
"And I thought I told you two not to laugh at George's punishment," the nun then said firmly, her eyes suddenly locked on Colin and Alison. There was no obvious attempt to intimidate the two children, but they immediately stopped snickering.
"That's better," Leica said with a warm, motherly smile as she turned to open the sacks. To the surprise of the two men, she extracted what seemed to be a a stuffed orange dragon toy with two horns and a tail that appeared to be on fire, though it had a missing eye and several tears in its cloth, exposing the stuffing within. She handed it to George.
"Awesome! A Lizardion!" George cheered as he took it. "Thanks, Sis!" Next, she removed a stuffed toy resembling a burly turtle with claws, sharp teeth, red hair, yellow limbs and a spiky shell. However, this toy was missing on of its feet as well as a few spikes. She gave this one to Colin.
"It's Bowsha! Thank you, Sister!" Colin said happily. Finally, Leica pulled out a plush toy of a green, cartoonish dinosaur with big red shoes and a tiny saddle on its back. It was singed in numerous places, and it was missing its tail. This one she handed to Alison.
"Thank you for the Zoshi doll, Sister," Alison said politely as she hugged her new toy.
"Now, I have to unpack everything, then prepare lunch," she said. "You three go play with your new toys until I call you." The three nodded and hurried off, clutching their gifts as if they were the most precious things in the world.
"Where did you get those?" Janus asked. "It looks like you dug them out of a landfill or something." Leica looked shamefully aside, and the young man realized his faux pas.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" he exclaimed. "I didn't really think..."
"It's quite all right," Leica said sadly, "I'd rather depend on God and my own two hands than to go beg and plead with His enemies, even if I have to rummage through garbage." She dug through the sack and started pulling out what looked to be old-looking tools for construction and carpentry – hammers, nails, saws, and even some power tools.
Janus was about to say something else, but thought better of it. It was clear that she had her reasons.
"George, Colin and Alison...they all lost their parents to the Demon Tribe two years ago," the nun continued. "They would never forgive me if I began relations with the monsters that took their families away."
"Sister," Masakado said, "I assure you, they are not all like that. In fact, the majority of them are like those police..."
The nun suddenly whirled around and glared angrily at them.
"Do you know what it's like, having no demonic powers on Earth now?" she said; "No wings to carry you aloft?! No vast strength or mental power to carry heavy burdens?!"
She's not whining about herself, is she? Janus thought.
"Underneath the facade of law and order that Maou Dante tries to create," Leica continued, her frustration building rapidly as the air around her started to crackle; "This world is one ruled by strength alone."
It's not herself she's worried about, Masakado thought. She's concerned about...
"It's a world that these children stand no CHANCE in!"
As the word "chance" left Leica's lips, she suddenly changed – her body suddenly became encased in what seemed to be white, almost angelic-looking mechanical armor with long bluish-white hair extending from the back of its helmet, while numerous arrow-shaped bits winked into existence behind her.
Understandably, this transformation startled the two men, even considering what they had already seen. For a moment, the two believed that Leica was a Devilman, but Janus quickly realized that it was not the case.
That energy, he thought, his senses quickly reading the aura the armored nun was emanating. It's just like those of Atik Yomin's soldiers!
Leica gasped when she realized what had happened, and immediately willed herself back to her normal form.
"I-I'm sorry," she stammered. "I guess my secret's out. I'm actually a hideous demon."
"You are not hideous at all," Masakado said, taking the nun's hand in a gentlemanly manner. "You shone brilliantly, like one of God's angels." Leica blushed a bit, surprised that anyone would regard her that way...plus, she couldn't remember the last time she had been treated like a lady.
"Listen, how about we give you a hand with the repairs?" Janus suggested. "Even someone with your abilities can't do a big job like this alone."
"Th-thank you," the nun replied, composing herself. "But we should have lunch first. I invited you here for that reason, after all." Masakado and Janus nodded...
The full moon illuminated the way as Fudo, Miki, Dorango and Lucifer – again opting for the form of Ryo Asuka – enjoyed a stroll in a forest a fair distance from Kamina City. However, the matters they were discussing were rather grim – the two Devilmen were filling in the former Atik Yomin general on what had exactly happened in their lives between his death and his restoration to life.
"And that's what happened," Fudo said in conclusion.
"I see," Lucifer said thoughtfully, "so this 'Cadney' took the role I usually took."
"What do you mean?" Miki asked.
"In every prior pass through the time loop," the fallen angel answered, looking down at the ground in shame, "I was the one who caused mankind's paranoia to reach critical mass. By planting the lie that anyone could become a demon – that there was no such thing as a Devilman - I caused the death of that loop's Miki, often causing Akira to fight me...and when that happened, he would inevitably lose, simply due to the difference in our power."
"Was it really my survival that broke the loop, Ryo?" the catgirl Devilman then said, humbly. "If you ask me, it was Tara and her Hymn of the Sabbath Light that did it. It broke the curse of Deathless Amon, restoring the Demon Tribe's humanity, after all."
"Perhaps," Lucifer replied with a slight smile. "Never once in all my millions of passes through the loop did the Demon Tribe ever come to regret its past actions, and seek to atone of them. This world has begun on a path that I never thought possible."
"I dunno," Dorango said; "This King of Ruin sure seems to want to make sure things end the way they usually..."
But suddenly, Fudo's ears twitched, and he shushed everyone. After a few seconds, the four could hear the sound of some sort of chanting coming from a distance – a guttural, ominous sound that was harmonious only on a level ears attuned to sounds outside the normal range of mental hearing might be able to discern.
"I don't like the sound of that chanting," Dorango said uneasily.
"It's Aklo," Lucifer said grimly. "The tongue of the Outer Gods. It's probably some ritual."
"No doubt one involving the sacrifice of innocent lives," Fudo said angrily. "We gotta stop it! C'mon, guys!" With that he darted away, his ears following the sound, while Miki and Dorango remained hot at his heels, while Lucifer hung back, hoping he wouldn't have to use his full powers...
In a forest clearing, the scene was as gruesome as Fudo and company feared – the ground was littered with the bloodied and shredded corpses of people, the children of both Gold and Silver Moons. The only ones who seemed to still be standing were a number of hooded and robed demons with a symbol resembling a goat skull painted in blood on their backs. They surrounded what looked like a gigantic, gnarled tree easily a hundred meters high. All around them was twisted black vegetation covered in thorns and unearthly flowers.
"Ever Their praises, and abundance to the Black Goat of the Woods," one of the robed people, a hunchbacked demon, said; "Iä! Shub-Niggurath! Iä! Shub-Niggurath! The Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young!
As the robed person continued to repeat this, something burst out of the woods, slamming into the cultist and sending him flying into the massive tree in the center...a very, VERY angry Fudo. Miki, Dorango and Lucifer arrived shortly after, and looked around in horror at what had been wrought.
But it was Lucifer who was the first to speak up. He changed into his angelic form, in hopes of getting these wayward children of the Silver Moon to see sense.
"What is this madness?!" he exclaimed. "Are you so enthralled by the King of Ruin that you commit these atrocities again?!"
"Lord Satan!" one of the robed demons exclaimed excitedly as if she hadn't heard the angel's words at all, or even cared that one of their own . "Have you come to give thanks to our beloved goddess?"
"Goddess?" Miki exclaimed. "You don't worship Perfectio?"
"No," the speaking demon replied. "We worship the Black Goat of the Woods, who gives fertility to all! These sacrifices are our thanks to Her, who gives us the ability to be fruitful and multiply!"
At this point, the tree in the center of the group suddenly began to stir, its branches starting to wiggle and waver like tentacles. It then rose to its hoofed feet, and let out a distorted, sibilant cry resembling the bleating of a goat in agony. It opened numerous toothy maws that dripped green ichor, giving off the stench of a newly opened grave.
"Of course, She usually prefers to have one of the Dark Young accept the sacrifice in Her place," the robed demon continued as the monstrosity lumbered forward. "And for interfering in our ritual, this beloved child will..."
Her words were interrupted when several energy blades whizzed over her head, slicing through the tentacles of the approaching creature. This was followed by a series of cross-shaped lightning bolts, several blasts of ice and a barrage of flaming crescents. The monstrosity shrieked and bleated before toppling over. The assembled robed cultists gasped in horror as the Dark Young flailed its hooves wildly before melting into a pile of viscous, foul-smelling goo.
"You dare slay one of our goddess' beloved children?!" the cultist snarled angrily. But before anyone else could act, the ground began to tremble as something monstrous began to seep up from beneath in the form of a viscous, metallic goo before forming into a cohesive shape:
The Devil Gundam.
However, there was something else present – a cloudy mass of mouths, tendrils and hooves that surrounded the monstrous mobile fighter like an aura. The surviving cultists gazed in awe and elation at the colossus before turning toward Fudo and his friends.
"You fools are in for it now!" the lead cultist cackled; "The Black Goat Herself has come!"
It seems Shub-Niggurath has yet to fully manifest in this world, Lucifer thought as the Outer Goddess' avatar loomed over them. She must be using the Devil Gundam as an anchor...but why?
The Devil Gundam took several steps forward as the cultists cheered. The nanotech menace looked down, almost as if unsure of what to do. Then, to everyone's shock, numerous Gundam Heads burst from the ground, each one swallowing several cultists whole before withdrawing into the earth.
The monstrosity then turned and gazed down at Fudo and company for a moment. It then melted into the mass of gray goo it had originally formed from, which slithered back into the ground. As it departed, another mass of black, twisted vegetation formed in the spot where it had stood.
"Why...didn't it attack us?" Dorango said after a few moments of silence. "It attacked its own worshipers instead."
"Who knows?" Fudo said. "That thing's mind is alien beyond our comprehension...right, Ryo?"
Something...or someone is inside the Devil Gundam, Lucifer thought. But that Outer God's power is preventing me from seeing who. Could it be someone Akira and Miki knew?
Sorry this one took so long. I didn't have a huge amount of plot to work with, and I was distracted by other things too. Anyway, next time...
-DREAM's campaign to rescue Nunnally from the clutches of Zilkhstan is coming to a head as they prepare to siege the city of Grahlbad with the aid of the Dinosaur Empire! Of course, Shamna won't go down so easily, and is prepared to pull out all the stops to ensure her victory, including calling forth all of Keisar Ephes' Million Favored Ones! Can DREAM overcome such a foe with a minimum of collateral damage? Find out in Expansion Scenario Chapter 9 (Tara): Nunnally Rescue Mission! DREAM vs. Zilkhstan!
-As DREAM continues its search for Perfectio and the kidnapped Rain, Dianna and Miku, they get word of a mass kidnapping by a Shub-Niggurath cult, and move to rescue the hostages before they're sacrificed to the Black Goat of the Woods! But can DREAM prevail against a foe who cannot be viewed through the cameras on their mecha? Find out next time in Expansion Scenario Chapter 9 (Janus): The Whisperers In Darkness! Face The Fungi from Yuggoth!