The Misadventures of Hyperdimension Peashy

Episode 59

by Derald Snyder

*Overlord's Castle*

"RAYNA!" Etna's voice echoed through the castle. A brown-haired Cleric perked up at the sound of her name, running through the halls to the shop area, where the hospital and Dimensional Gate also resided.

As she approached the Demon Lord, Rayna had to be mindful of the jagged pieces of blue cloth and stuffing strewn about the floor. "My, my, what did that poor Prinny do to deserve your wrath?"

Etna did not respond, her back turned to the healer, her tail twitching back and forth.

Realization dawned. "Master Etna?"

"Yes?" the redhead promptly turned to face the new arrival. "Getting better, Rayna. I didn't have to even clear my throat this time..."

"M-my apologies," the Cleric bowed her head in deference. "For what purpose did you call me, my master?" There was a slight pause before the last two words.

"I need you do to some recon for me," Etna replied. "The Prinnies were utterly useless in gathering meaningful intel, and this one," she kicked a piece of stuffing, "betrayed me outright for a Hero of Justice!"

"Oh dear, the worst kind of betrayal," Rayna shook her head. Backstabbing was a common thing among demons, but some betrayals were more forgivable than others. "So what hero was it that foiled your plans of conquest? ...Master."

"Nisa," the Demon Lord spat the name out in disgust. "Blue hair and red scarf, a mockery of the Prince. You know the one."

"Ah yes," Rayna nodded, "the one who was as flat as y- *ahem* I-I mean, as a pane of glass. A-hem."

"Yes," Etna growled, "turns out that 'Gamindustri' is actually her home world. Which means she knows a lot more about it than we do, and no doubt she's blabbing all about us to her Goddess as we speak!"

"And that is why you need me for reconnaissance," Rayna finished.

"Exactly," her master concurred. "No doubt Nisa's expecting me to send a band of high-level demonic warriors to take her down, but I wasn't born yesterday. She won't be expecting a single Cleric, especially if you disguise yourself."

"So then, what appearance should I take on, master?"

"Casual modern-day human."

"Very well then..." Concentrating, Rayna's clothes suddenly shifted in appearance, changing from the usual tight dress of a Cleric to a pink sweater, dark blue denim skirt, high socks and pink sneakers. "Is this adequate?"

"Perfect," Etna grinned. "Now just make sure your hair covers your pointed ears, then ask the gatekeeper to transport you to MAGES. Lab. Far as I know, that witch that first called me into her world was a bit of a recluse, so you should be alright..."

"Ah yes, the one you captured. Has she proven useful?" Rayna queried.

"Not really. All her experiments have been worthless failures. I even had to get a new microwave, 'cause she screwed up the old one so badly, it freezes food now instead of heating it!"

"What? B-but... how is that even possible?" the brunette sweat-dropped.

*Meanwhile, in MAGES. Lab...*

"Helloooo?" 5pb. called as she entered the the place her cousin called home. "MAGES.? Are you here?" As she entered the main laboratory, the singer noticed that the place was even more of a mess than usual. In fact, as she scanned the area, she realized some items were outright broken, and chemical spills were visible on the floor. (She's not usually this sloppy... does this mean something bad happened?)

5pb. then caught a glimpse of a torn sheet of paper below a table in the corner, with writing visible... Curious, she bent down and scooped up the scrap, eyes going wide as she read the hastily-scribbled note:

'I have made a grave error.

It was I who have unleashed the legions of hell upon Gamindustri.

Forgive me.'

"No..." 5pb. whimpered in dismay. Though the note had no signature, she easily recognized that it was her cousin's handwriting. "Oh, MAGES... How could this have happened?" She sank to her knees in despair, tears threatening the corners of her eyes...

Just then, she heard the sound of a toilet being flushed in a thunderstorm. Standing and turning, her magenta eyes went wide as she saw a brown-haired woman with an ample bust emerge from a portal to stand before her. Though the other's eyes were closed, her head moved up as if to focus on 5pb. "Well, shit."

"KYAAAAAAA!" The singer let loose with a high-pitched scream as she frantically backed away. "Y, You're a demon, aren't you?! G-get awaaaaayyyy!"

"Damn it to hell," Rayna sighed. "She's a bit of a recluse, she said. You should be fine, she said. But noooo, some relative of hers just HAD to come snooping..." Fortunately, she was prepared for this. Turning toward the frightened bluenette, her eyes suddenly opened...

"You never saw me."

"Ah..." 5pb.'s eyes rolled up in her head as she fainted dead away. Closing her eyes again, the Cleric nodded in satisfaction. Now she just needed to rearrange a few things...

The singer's body position was shifted so that only her head rested against the wall, and a cracked beaker was placed by her outstretched foot. (There. Now when she wakes up, she'll believe that she just tripped and knocked herself out.) With that, Rayna quickly made her exit, before any others showed up...

"A short while later...*

"I see," Vert nodded grimly. "Well, even if you feel fine, you should check with a doctor to make sure you didn't get a concussion or something... I promise, if we find a way to save her, we will. Thank you for checking, 5pb." With that, she hung up her mobile device. "Well, Nisa, it seems what you feared has been confirmed... MAGES. left a note that pretty much confirmed that she was the one who first called Etna into our world."

"I knew it..." Nicole sighed in despair. "If only I'd gotten a hold of her, maybe this mess wouldn't have happened to begin with..."

"Hey, you can't think like that," Peach disagreed. "I mean, I can totally get you not wanting to get roped into another one of her experiments..."

"What's done is done," Vert concurred. "Right now, we need to plot our next move. If MAGES. is Etna's prisoner, we have to assume she was forced to tell that demon what she knows about Gamindustri... What do you think her next move would be?"

"...Most likely, she's going to send in a demon for a targeted strike, probably against you or me," Nisa postulated. "Wouldn't be surprised if it was a ninja or something, but who knows..."

"I'll see if we can put you under Adrian's escort," Peach said. "Also, you probably should stay away from A-Mac and my family, for their own safety."

Nicole nodded grimly. "Yeah... guess Arthur and I'll be just exchanging texts and e-mails for awhile..."

"We'll also have to maintain the military detail that was put in place at the Basilicom after that terrorist attack," Vert added.

"And I'm not leaving your side," Peashy insisted. "At the very least, I can throw myself in the way if a demon assassin tries to ambush you..."

"Well, let's hope it doesn't come to that," the busty goddess sighed...

*On the streets of Leanbox City...*

Rayna smiled to herself as she left behind the boy she'd left catatonic with a kiss on the lips. When he woke up, his memory would be fuzzy enough that he'd believe the cute girl he'd met was nothing but a dream... Still, he'd been a useful source of information. She had posed as a tourist visiting Leanbox for the first time, and the love-struck boy had eagerly told her everything he knew about the nation and it's Goddess... Etna would be pleased with her, surely...

Stopping at an intersection, the disguised Cleric looked up at the tower in the distance... (The Basilicom, as they call it,) she mused to herself. (Where the Goddess resides, at the point the 'Share Energy' generated from the faith of the citizens is most concentrated...) So she began walking that way, trying to look the part of the innocent first-time tourist...

But a few minutes later, the Cleric hit a roadblock, at least figuratively speaking. "HALT!" cried the armored Leanbox Army soldier as he pointed his assault rifle in her direction. "This is a restricted area! Turn around now, or you WILL be shot!"

"B-but I didn't know that!" Rayna raised her hands. "I-it's my f-first time here, sir...!"

"That just makes you even more suspicious! Leave now!" the soldier ordered.

"Boo hoo hoooooo! You meanie!" The brunette bawled as she ran off...

But once she was out the soldier's line of sight, the Cleric promptly dropped the act, sulking as she slowly walked back the way she came. "So much for gathering any intel there... guess they're still spooked from Etna's- Master Etna's attack at the stadium..." Not that she could blame them, honestly... (Maybe I should wait until tonight, and then try to fly to the Basilicom under cover of darkness...) Having decided, Rayna found a tree to sit under, pulling up her knees, crossing her arms and laying her head down, quickly falling into slumber...

*Later that afternoon...*

"Wakey wakey," a female voice called, rousing Rayna from her sleep. Looking up, she saw a blonde woman with blue eyes clad in white body armor looming over her. "It's getting late, ma'am. You should probably be heading home..."

*yaaaawwwn* "Oh, is it that late already?" the brunette sighed as she roused, seeing another blonde a few feet away.

"There may be demons prowling about," Vert stated firmly. "It's not safe for you right now..."

"C'mon, upsy daisy," Peach grabbed Rayna's hand, gently pulling her to her feet.

"Oh, you are too kind," the other woman smiled...

Peashy gasped as she suddenly felt a stabbing sensation in her stomach and through her back, an energy lance having thrust right through her armor! "Too kind for your own good, that is," the demon whispered into her ear.

"PEASHYYYYY!" Vert cried in horror as her bodyguard collapsed to the ground. "You...! Who are you?!"

"Lady Vert, I presume?" the brunette said as an ornate bow materialized in her hands. Bowing, she proclaimed, "I am Rayna, a Cleric in the service of Demon Lord Etna. She has tasked me with reconnaissance of you and your nation. Clearly your guardian dame leaves something to be desired..." Another energy bolt appeared as she pulled the bowstring taut. "Now I shall gauge your strength, to see if you're even worth my master's time!"

Vert quickly ducked to one side as the demon let loose, the energy arrow narrowly missing and exploding in a sphere of light on the other side of the road. She then invoked her HDD, her spear appearing in her hand. "Etna has vastly underestimated my abilities if she thinks a mere healer can defeat me..."

"Let's just say I'm no ordinary Cleric," Rayna smirked as she prepared another bolt. "Etna chose me for a reason, you know..."

"Very well then! In the name of my fallen bodyguard, en garde!" Green Heart declared.

*To be continued...*