Chapter 75 - Investigation
'This is the absolute worst thing that could have happened!'
That thought had been hammering way at Nico's mental fortitude, ever since he heard the news about his comrade having seemingly disappeared. His instincts told him it was likely a kidnapping of sorts though, as he'd had PLENTY of experience in situations like that. He saved civilians from crazed psychopaths, he'd saved children from their abusive relatives looking for revenge, and a whole load of other scenes similar to it. This felt EXACTLY like those past experiences, so his mind had already wired itself into the notion that someone had kidnapped his comrade. He had to curse fate this time, just when he had gone through a whole load of trouble with all the political trouble surrounding that Urgent Quest, then the mental attack he'd suffered at ITS' hands, this had to happen.
The fact that IF had been kidnapped by some unknown party was something that he loathed more than anything. Normally, Nico heavily disliked those who tried to capture and harm the innocent for their own gain. Hell, he'd already built up a reputation based off what he did to people who harmed the innocent like that. However, on the rare occasion that someone tried to hurt those he considered comrades… well, it was safe to say that going ape-shit like those guys who transform into giant monkeys would be considered an understatement.
In addition, this happened when she was smack dab in the middle of a capital city, which meant several things to the male: one, the kidnappers were both brave and bold to kidnap someone in a place filled to the brim with high security. He knew well that MICROSOFT had high maintenance security systems to ensure that criminals don't escape the laws of justice. The security was even tighter when handling hardware and software like bank accounts, laptops, consoles etc. There were various programs built into these pieces of equipment to help protect against viruses, hacking and identity fraud, to ensure maximum service to their customers. To ensure that they kept their faith in Leanbox's CPU.
Two, it meant that her kidnappers had high confidence in their ability to act under the cover of darkness. The night was one of the most dangerous times to be out alone for a reason, as many unsavoury characters would be prowling about, looking for their next victim. Nico knew this, because he himself had used this tactic to hunt down serial killers or other criminals who evaded justice. Not just in Leanbox, but the other Nations as well. Though, it also worked the opposite way too, for criminals can use the darkness as cover to commit their crimes and escape without people realising they were there. It had happened many times in the past, and in human history. One such killer that had used this to his advantage was the one known as 'Nep the Ripper'. A killer that targeted prostitutes under the cover of darkness, yet got away with his crimes by never being found. He even had mocked the ones chasing him by posting some organs to the police in the mail, a nasty piece of work.
That had been one of the many times justice couldn't catch the wicked.
Thirdly, it meant that whoever did this had to have prior knowledge about the security measures of the city, and how to navigate through them. Such information was never made known to the public, only that they existed to prevent people from exploiting them. Whoever did this must have a large support from the higher ranked officials, officials who had access to such knowledge like the Guard force, or the military. They had to have either bribed or done some other underhanded dealings behind the eyes of the law in order to get that information. That was the only thing Nico could think of that could explain how they could have pulled a kidnapping like this off so easily.
If that wasn't enough, there was that strange item to worry about.
Ever since he'd ran into Compa, his Bracer had been coming up with '!' symbols nearly every five seconds. Whenever he checked on it, Nico would find that the item would be radiating some insanely abnormal energy readings, readings that would be mostly happening around Compa herself. It was like it had been reacting to her whenever she was close enough to his Bracer, trying to get out and into the real world to go to her. He didn't know what exactly that meant, but Nico didn't want to test that out. Especially with the stuff with IF going on, something he felt had top priority at this moment.
Then, there were Lucy and Raven's responses to locating this item. While they didn't seem to mind that he was keeping it in his possession, both of them couldn't hide their deeper feelings regarding the crystal from someone like him. Lucy more so than Raven, considering his past experiences with the two. Raven showed little emotion when this thing was involved, at least on the outside. But, deep down Nico saw that she had some small measures of suspicion, confusion and weary feelings towards the item. Considering what she was, Nico could understand this, given her true self.
Though, she had nothing on Lucy.
The two were polar opposites, in many ways. Powers, personalities, views, etc. There were many things they could disagree on, but when it came to this though, Lucy's emotions trumped hers in being visible. To him, it looked like she hadn't even bothered trying to mask how concerned that item's presence made her. It was so obvious that even a blind man would be able to see that this strange item, which radiated divine energy like that of the CPUs, affected the normally cheerful, seductive woman in a negative manner. Hell, in the last part of their return journey, Lucy had barely made any attempt at seduction towards him, only at the very end when she and him were parting ways. THAT went to show how much this crystal had affected her, and her late seduction almost felt like her way of requesting confirmation that eh would be okay. As if it were her way of expressing her worry over him.
A worried Lucy wasn't a Lucy he liked to see.
Right now, Nico, Compa and Neptune had assembled at MICROSOFT's library. Apparently this one was the closest to their Hotel, and there were very few Libraries in this City thanks to its overall theme being more along the lines of community rather than books, unlike Lowee.
"You sure this is the place, Nicky?" Neptune asked him. She tried to keep up her usual joking self, but that had lasted about 5.5 seconds before she caved in. It probably helped that Nico had made sure they were alone, and that nobody could hear them, before she broke down in worry for her friend. She could only cry at that moment thanks to the guaranteed privacy as well as how it was Nico who she was showing this to. Once again, he provided her the comfort she needed to get what had been building inside her heart to gush out like a dam exploding. Perhaps the reason why she broke down so quickly, was due to how it had been building up for a while, over a day at least. "Iffy coulda gone somewhere else to get a book like a manga store."
"Unlikely on both accounts." Nico responded, shaking his head. "I doubt IF would go to a Manga store to get some reading done. She's more of a hands-on, research type of girl. In addition, this is the only place that's both close to our Hotel, and there aren't any closer manga shops around here. This is the only place where she could have hit the books, anyways." he explained, raising his Bracer and bringing up a Holomap of the entire city.
Compa hummed thoughtfully, a hand on her chin as she pondered what he was saying to them. "That is true, Iffy does seem like someone who would go to a library rather than a manga store, Nep-Nep." She the looked up towards the entrance, a mix of hopefulness and worry in her eyes. "Hopefully we can get some info on where Iffy could be…"
The other two nodded, sharing the Nurse-In-Training's thoughts on their friend's situation. Hopefully they could get some information as to what happened to their friend before she disappeared, like what she had been doing out here in the first place. It had to be of some importance considering how late it had been when IF had left the hotel. If it weren't, then none of them doubted that she wouldn't have pursued it in such conditions in the first place, favouring waiting till morning when there was less likelihood of things like this happening.
With those thoughts in mind, the trio walked into the Library.
Inside, the trio saw that the library had its reception desk up front. The room itself had a rather plain, ordinary look to it. The ground, walls and ceiling were coloured a light greyish shade, instead of the usual Leanbox colours. Not something one would see every day, but none of the trio bothered to pay attention to this fact as they walked up to the brown reception desk, where a woman wearing a formal dress shirt could be seen typing on a computer.
Sensing that there were guests arriving, the woman looked up from her monitor and put on a small smile, one Nico recognised as one used for working. "Well hello there, how may I help you?" she questioned them.
"Um, we were wondering if you have seen someone with brown hair, leafy bow, loads of phones that she doesn't even use, and wears way too much blue?" Compa questioned before Nico could respond.
'That… could have been worded a bit better, I think…' Nico mused in his head, sweat dropping at the description that the Nurse-In-Training gave. It wasn't wrong per say, but he got the feeling there was a bit of negative feeling there, based off worry for the brunette Spec Ops Candidate.
Apparently, he wasn't the only one who thought that as Neptune looked at the young girl questioningly, her eyes showing just what she was thinking inside that noggin of hers. "Uhhhh… methinks that was a bit selective there, Compa-poo."
A small giggle came from the receptionist, her eyes filled with mirth as she regarded the trio. "Oh, it is quite alright. In fact, there was someone who fits that description a few days ago. Hold on, let me check the database." She told them, getting three perks upward from the trio as she shifted on her seat and began typing on the monitor's Keyboard. Neither Neptune nor Compa missed the slight glance she sent Nico's way though, especially when it was aimed towards his torso and carried a hint of appreciation to it. Thus, the result was their feminine instincts rising to attention as caution seeped into their beings.
'Nobody tries to eye Nicky up but me, lady!'
'Ni-Ni's not someone to be ogled at like a Prize! That's only reserved for his childhood friend!'
Those were their thoughts in a nutshell, meanwhile Nico shuddered as he got a strange feeling. 'Why do I get the feeling I'm standing close to a territorial battle between several Abnormal Monsters right now?' he wondered, before glancing to the two girls. His eyes looked their expressions over, and the answer came to him. 'Oh, right…'
'It appears that a female's heart is just as territorial over mates as a male's can be, Nico.'
'You can say that again, dude.'
After a few minutes of waiting, the Receptionist turned back to them, placing her hands together on the Desk. "Alright, I checked, and your friend seems to have made a visit 2 days ago, looking up books on Abnormal Monsters. To be more specific, she was looking into Ghouls and their biology." A frown marred her features, a pensive one that didn't escape the trio's notice. "Not something that a cute girl like her would be into, but I'm guessing she was affiliated with the Guild or the Spec Ops."
Nico nodded his head in confirmation, while inside he couldn't help the worry spreading through his chest. 'IF was researching Ghouls? Did that have anything to do with the one we encountered at West Wind Valley?' the male wondered. It would make sense that she do her homework on a species that previously wiped the floor using her ass as a broom, it was part of her practical personality. IF was not someone who would take a defeat lying down. She would learn from the experience and be better prepared for the next time she would fight this enemy. That was something he'd learned about her from checking her records before their first meeting back at the Guild.
However, the fact that she was researching Ghouls… didn't really sit well with him.
He didn't know why, but he had this strange tightening in his chest. Like something had happened and it had to do with the secret that he had been hiding. IF was an observant person, Nico knew this due to spending so much time fighting alongside her. When one fights with another on the field of battle, they tend to learn more about one another than words could ever convey. One could call it the 'warrior tongue'. She wouldn't miss details that seemed suspicious and could endanger the Party, including any signs of someone keeping secrets from the rest of them. 'Hey, Biko… do you think that maybe…?'
A pensive hum escaped the lips of his demon persona, his thought patterns not too far off from Nico's own. The teen couldn't be sure on whether or not that was a good thing. '… It is a possibility. That brunette did seem a bit off ever since that last encounter.' He remarked, thoughtfully. 'Young IF discreetly glanced at our direction every now and then ever since, and I also recall her doing so beforehand, as well. Had IF not seen what we were like when facing that Ghoul, she definitely would have taken longer to conduct research, if she suspects anything about us. My advice would be to watch out for any signs of a confrontation from her in the future, Nico. Things may get dicey in that case.'
That didn't sound good… but Nico nonetheless sent a mental nod Biko's way for his input. 'Alright, I'll do that.'
"Hmmm, I see. Do you know where she might have gone next?" Nico questioned the woman. It didn't hurt to ask, and as far as he was concerned, this was a detective case like the ones he got from the Guild. That meant he had to ask every question that he possibly could to gain the most amount of information.
The woman shook her head negatively. "Sorry, but I don't. She didn't seem to be in a talking mood, so she stuck to her books. Left a while later." She told him. Nico's eyes narrowed at this information. Something about that didn't seem right. Call him paranoid, but he just didn't like the way the woman's eyes looked when she told him that she didn't know anything. It was like she was deliberately saying that to avoid getting into trouble. Though, he couldn't pry for the time being with nothing but a hunch, so he'll let her off for now.
"Alright, thank you for your time. We'll be heading out now, enjoy the rest of your day, ma'am."
Once they were outside, the library doors shutting behind them, the trio turned to each other before beginning to discuss what they had learned. In hindsight, not much to their dismay. "Man, that was a bust." Neptune frowned, pouting with disappointment at their lack of leads. "That lady was useless, she didn't know a thing."
"Nep-Nep, don't be too mean to the receptionist lady." Compa chided the preteen, her eyes set in a stern expression. Although, it only lasted a few seconds before she too deflated. An air of depression hung around her as she continued her sentence. "Though, you do have a point. Where do we go from here?"
"Yeah… and let's not forget how she was totally eyeing Nicky up like eye candy, too! The Nerve!"
"Y-Yessie! That was rude, she should know he was taken!"
'Uhhhhh… how did we go from discussing about IF's lack of leads to her disappearance to the way that woman was looking at me?' Nico wondered, the teen sweat dropping as the girls discussed about an 'important topic' according to them. Sometimes, he wondered just how he had maintained what little sanity he had left with these girls and their abrupt changes in conversation topics.
'The heart of the female is an eternal mystery to the ideals of man.'
'On that, I wholeheartedly agree with you, Biko.'
"Anyways, back to the current topic." Nico spoke up, getting the girls out of their previous funk and getting them to look back at him. "So far, we know that she was looking into Ghouls. Probably due to when we fought that last Ghoul back in West Wind Valley. She was likely trying to glean some information on how to beat them so we don't suffer that defeat any time soon."
Compa frowned at this, playing with her fingers to stave off her nervousness. "So, we don't really have much to go on then." She muttered, once again intensifying the atmosphere in a solemn manner. It didn't look like they would have much luck in finding more clues, unless they figured out something else that IF had been doing. Though, that chance was lower than finding a needle in a haystack.
That was when Biko chimed in with a little something.
'Perhaps I could be of some assistance.'
'Huh? Biko?' Nico questioned, raising a brow towards his demon persona… in his mind, anyways. He'd almost slipped and spoke his name out loud, but thankfully he hadn't. How he'd got a voice in his head that helped him with his powers was not something that could be easily explained, plus it'd be all kinds of awkward.
'With the way your energy looks right now, I had been hoping for a bit longer, however it seems that we have no other choice. Nico, its time you learn about one of the abilities you have as a DPU.' Biko told him, his tone betraying just how serious this topic was for them.
Nico's eyes narrowed at this information. Biko wouldn't say something like that without having a good reason for it. That much Nico knew for certain, since they talked to each other about quite a few things. 'Oh? What's that?'
'Negative emotion sensing. It's an ability that lets DPU's to sense hostility, hatred and other evil emotions within others. This ability can be very dangerous, as those with weak minds can get overwhelmed by the hatred and other negative emotions they sense, twisting them into abominable forms from which there was no turning back. Fortunately, this ability can be turned on and off, to help DPUs get accustomed to it. CPUs can do something similar, but they can only sense positive emotions within people. Since they are constructs of Share energy, which is born from the faith of those that believe in them. DPUs on the other hand, can only sense negative emotions, like rage, fury, despair among others, due to being made of an exact opposite energy. I would have liked to have taught you a bit about this ability first, but time is of the essence here. Just follow my instructions, and you should be alright.'
'Alright…'
Nico didn't like the idea of using an untested ability any more than Biko did. It just begged for something to go horribly wrong, and from what he had been told by his demon persona, this ability going haywire could be the last mistake he ever made. However, like Biko had said earlier they didn't have any other options. IF's life was on the line here, and he'd be damned before he lost any more comrades. That was his oath, and the teen closed his eyes and began following Biko's instructions.
After closing his eyes, the teen nearly buckled, almost opening his eyes from the shock of what happened. In an instant, when the ability was switched on bu Biko's doing, the male had felt like something massive had slammed on top of him, something like a 1000 KG weight. It felt like he was being burned alive with so much heat surrounding him, like he was in the middle of a bonfire or something,
He could feel the heat trying to enter him, pushing through his natural defences. He could feel it embracing him, trapping him with no way out. It was choking him, going straight down his windpipe and filling his lungs which tried their hardest to expel it. The 'heat' was not to be denied, however, as it forced its way in despite resistance, effortlessly crushing it. it filled him to the brim, his lungs, heart, mind, everything within him now had been saturated by this heat, now all there was left to do was-
Was…
What was he doing again?
KILL…
What? Kill?
KILL, KILL…
Killing? Oh, so that's what…
'NICO!'
Nico's eyes shot open with a loud gasp, startling the girls as he quickly clutched at his chest, coughing heavily as he fell to one knee. "Nicky/Ni-Ni!" Compa and Neptune cried out, kneeling beside him with concern etched onto their faces. Their questions on what happened and if he was alright went unheard by the male as he tried to regain his faculties. His mind though, that took a little longer than his body did t recover from its recent experience. 'What the hell…? I felt like I was swimming in an ocean of hot lava for a second…'
'That's what I was afraid would happen.' Biko stated, and if he were to be seen right now, then they would tell he wasn't happy with the outcome. 'It appears our choice of location was too much for your current mental capacity. This city is ripe with negative emotions, mostly discrimination against the Spec Ops Program. When humans are in large clusters like this, their negative emotions tend to accumulate, and that is what nearly overwhelmed your senses. This would have resulted in you permanently losing yourself, becoming a shell of what you once were, guided only by those intense negative emotions. It is a fate that not even a dog deserves.' Biko took a moment, trying to come up with a better way of explaining it which he did a moment later. 'It's like opening a door only to have a whole load of junk fall on top of you. You were unprepared and thus, you almost lost yourself to all the negative emotions. You could say that this ability, in its current state, is your one weakness.'
At earing his explanation, Nico nearly lost all colour across his skin. The thought of having such a weakness… Nico was never someone who had many weaknesses. When he fought, he always held that feeling of being utterly invincible, of being able to win just thanks to his current body. It may seem arrogant at first, but when people began to realise just what kind of body Nico had, if they even got that far since he would usually have killed them by then, they would realise just how little they could actually do to escape his wrath.
Thanks to his condition, Nico had a body that was… different than most. That much was already apparent with his lack of being able to digest human foods, above average senses and instincts. His healing factor, while having not been as apparent thanks to how resilient his body had been to damage (save for that energy attack that had went through his chest – the drugs had been working to keep his powers limited, and they couldn't have done anything to heal him then. The con of having armour that infused you with suppressant drugs.), still held plenty of potency to it. Potency that was considered abnormal even among others of his kind.
That wasn't even taking into account the main weapon IT possessed, the weapon that IT was mostly known for, which was also considered freaky amongst the rest of its kind. Then came the mental issues with IT trying to take over every now and then. As long as he kept that at bay though, then things were all good. IT remained contained, and when people died, they at least died quick deaths.
However, the thought that he now, after so many years of having no weaknesses, now had a chink in his armour, a chink that he himself had little idea on how to repair considering this was about something that he had little understanding over, and it wasn't like he could just read a book on it. Oh hey, here's a manual about every little ability DPUs possess, have a great time! No, this ability was to do with his mind, and his mind was not as powerful as his body was by a long shot. It was strong, yes, but nowhere near the level his body was.
The thought that he had a chink in his armour now… Nico didn't like it, not one bit. This was the first time in a long while, where he felt vulnerable, weak, in danger. Nico didn't like it, like he said before, not one bit. It honestly made him feel more… human. Mentally, Nico only snorted, he had expected the thought of being more human to feel good… it didn't.
He soon got broken from his musings… and not in a fun way, either.
BONK!
"Ouch!"
Surprise etched itself onto Nico's face when he felt a fist cram itself into his temple. He didn't really feel much from the impact, a testament to how resilient his body was, and instead of him going ouch it was a female. 'That's definitely going to leave a mark.' The teen couldn't help but think in spite of this new… revelation, he had. Looking to the source of the attack, the teen saw that the offender was Neptune… who was now clutching her hand, whimpering while her knuckles seemed to swell red.
"Oh, Nep-Nep!" Compa exclaimed as she hurriedly pulled out some supplies from her Inventory to address the wound. While she began treating the injury, applying bandages to it under Neptune's careful scrutiny (even pain wouldn't stop her from stopping Compa from making her into a bandage mummy again.), the young Nurse-In-Training looked over to the surprised Nico. "Ni-Ni, what happened? You just went all silent and edgy on us before you screamed and fell." She asked him, worry seeping from her words.
"I guess that's why Neptune tried to hit me, then…" the male mused, getting nods from the two as Neptune's hand finally got bandaged up… normally, by the way. No chance of getting a mummy preteen today. Mentally, Nico cursed himself, why the hell did he have to use this ability when in close proximity to the girls? Now he'd worried them again. He really felt his pride as a man take a deep hit there, and he did NOT approve.
'In all fairness, I do believe the blame should shift between the two of us. If it weren't for my interference, this wouldn't have happened. I guess the timing could have been improved, also you may want to consider telling them half the truth, so they do not know that I am within you.'
'… Agreed.'
"Well, I was testing out this new ability I got after going Berserker Mode. Apparently, my energy seemed to have stabilized greatly since then, so I should be able to use some more of my powers. My Demonic weapons are also available and safe for me to use at this point." Nico explained, getting an affirmative hum from his demon persona when he mentally prompted him for confirmation on that fact. "What I just used was negative emotion sensing, basically it's what it says in its name: I can sense negative emotions around me. Anger, sadness, all those negative emotions you can think of, I can sense them." Then, the male lowered his head as he gave a deep frown. His eyes shone with how troubled he felt inside. "Though, I should probably start small, as these emotions can potentially overwhelm me and thus, twist me into a horrible abomination. Unlike the Berserker mode, this would be permanent, and I would have to be put down."
Neptune and Compa both shared a collective gasp in horror at the thought. Both of them dreaded the prospect of having to actually kill the object of their affections if that scenario were to ever occur. The thought of having to kill someone alone was enough to send them into shivering messes, but to ill someone they loved? Someone they had fought alongside and called a comrade? All because he had twisted himself into a monster beyond all hope of recovery?
That sounded like fuel for nightmares.
"Well, you better not go wild on that, buster!" Neptune bellowed harshly her eyes flashing with pure rage as she poked him in the chest. Nico didn't feel anything from it, like before, but the act itself was more than enough. The underlying worry in her eyes was also icing on the cake for him. "I never wanna see you turn into a monster from your own power again, ya hear?!"
"Th-That's right! Please be more careful from now on, Ni-Ni! We.. don't want you to get hurt…"
Compa nodded resolutely in agreement, both girls getting right in Nico's face as they stared him down. The amount of raw emotion, the passion, desire, pleading and sadness in them served its purpose of stopping any and all thoughts other than those of conceding to their demands from circling through Nico's mind.
Wow… just when did these girls get so good at getting to him?
'… Is this one of those 'rhetorical questions' you talked to me about before?'
'Sorta.'
'I see… Oh, by the way, that attempt at using Negative Emotion Sensing has offered us a boon.'
'Oh?' Nico thought to his demon persona, curious. That attempt nearly killed him, and Bik says that something good came out of it? Whatever that could be, he'd like to know what it was he'd almost risked his life for. 'What is it, then?'
'I was able to isolate a trail of Negative emotions, mostly primal, animalistic bloodlust, leading out into the city. It was not an easy process; however, I do believe it originates from where IF was indeed kidnapped. It is possible that this trail could lead us to where she is being held.'
Now THAT was some interesting news. The thought of a possible lead from that risky move made it feel slightly less of a stinger to him than before. It would only work more, if they actually found out where IF had been held. 'Interesting, I'll check it out with Nep and Compa. Odds are, they're gonna want to come with me to save IF, and honestly I don't think I have the willpower to refuse them at this point.'
Just before Nico could tell the girls what he found, the trio's ears perked up when the heard a group of citizens, huddled together like a bunch of street kids hanging out at the supermarket. They were speaking in hushed whispers… to them, anyways, The rest of the trio could hear them just fine, as could various citizens whom happened to be passing by the area.
"Hey, have you heard? Those Cultists are at it again?"
"Again? What do you mean again?"
"They've been taking followers to this Dungeon called 'Hellverse' I think, it's like one of their bases north of Mojang Village. Apparently, they've turned themselves into some sort of battle cult these days, since some say that they wear fur clothes now and wield powers not belonging to any normal person."
"Sounds like a load of bollocks to me, dude."
"I'm serious! These Cultists call themselves the 'Northmen' for some reason, though they also form a large army called the 'Forces of Chaos' who worship sub deities to Overlord Momus, called the Chaos Gods. Don't know much about them, only that they're a big deal nowadays."
"Wait, I think I've heard something like that from somewhere…"
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
The group soon dispersed, all walking away from them while chatting about these 'Northmen'. Nico's eyes narrowed at this information, his eyes shining with a contemplative light to them. 'These Northmen… they sound remarkably like those men me and Team RAIL encountered back at the Mines. The forces of Chaos, huh…? Well, I guess you could say that name fits them. Though, I'm a little worried about these 'Chaos Gods'. I don't know why, but just hearing them sends uncomfortable shivers down my spine.'
'Indeed. I may not possess much of a heart considering what I am, however these 'Chaos Gods' send me into shivers just thinking about them. Just saying their name makes me feel like I have a blade at my throat, poised to chop my head off with no way of repairing the damage.' Biko commented within his mind, and both repressed the urge to shudder. Nico himself shuddered for another reason, Biko was a large standing rock to the male. Someone who didn't show fear or a recklessness that most warriors possessed. He was someone that the teen could go to for support, wisdom and guidance. if these Chaos Gods could make someone like Biko tremble, then they were seriously bad news. Also, if they were that bad, how bad was Overlord Momus?
"Did you hear that guys?" Neptune questioned, turning to the other two while bouncing on her two feet. Her eyes shone with excitement, the previous thoughts about Nico's safety having vanished from the forefront. When Neptune was depressed, just use the possibility of adventure and exploration to fill her happy meter back to maximum. "Looks like we got ourselves a new Dungeon to explore."
Compa thought about that for a moment, before she settled on a frown. "Um, Nep-Nep… I'm not sure this should be the right time for exploring Dungeons." She remarked, thinking about IF's situation. "I mean, we have to find our friend, Iffy. shouldn't we be focusing on rescuing Iffy?"
"Don't you see, Compa?" Neptune responded, her grin still plastered on her features. Compa still looked concerned though, so the preteen went and elaborated for her. "The plot says we'll be going there, so that must mean Iffy is there. It's not like we have anything else on where we should be going, anyways."
"True…"
Nico watched the conversation for the time being. Searching through Neptune's features, the male noticed it. It was only for an instant, and he didn't doubt that Neptune did it intentionally, but she briefly lowered her 'Mask' towards him, showcasing what she was really feeling inside. Her eyes, which were filled with eagerness to explore, expertly hid the deep unease and worry that she was sporting deep inside. She probably felt like wanting to blow apart everything just to find a clue to her friend's location, Neptune always cared about her friends. Even if she saw them as 'rivals' or whatever, Neptune still stuck her neck out for them when it counted. How she must be feeling right now… Nico understood. He understood because he had felt similar several times in the past. Wen comrades were captured or going through horrible times, it took all he had to keep his cold self afloat.
Back then, he may have been a machine in terms of not showing much emotion, that much was true. He had been a cold, calculating, near heartless killing machine. He'd not hesitate in tearing someone apart either on or off the battlefield. Hell, sometimes he enjoyed it so much that he would smile when he did so, only to scold himself in disgust for enjoying it in private. Nico didn't refuse the notion that he was a monster, hell, he'd repeatedly stated before how he would follow the path of the monster to the very end. He'd been set on this path against his will, but there was no turning back now. This was his path, and he would walk it till he couldn't walk anymore.
But… there were times when his inner self shined through the Mask, exposing cracks that only appeared when he was around people he gave a damn about. As much as he tried to be, Nico never could remain completely heartless for long, there would always be times when his lips would smile in a genuine manner like when he would phone Compa, or when he was around people he trusted. For a while, there was only his mother that he trusted, but then Lucy, Raven, Aiden and Ivan came along, and now he had a whole bunch of girls that he trusted and cared for deeply. In essence, he had way more trusted ones than he did before, hence why he didn't put on his coldness as much as he used to.
'HOW FAR YOU HAVE FALLEN, KING. BECAUSE OF YOUR OVERRELIANCE ON YOUR FRIENDS, YOU HAVE BEEN SEVERELY DULLED, YOUR INSTINCTS BLUNTED, YOUR CLAWS RUSTED. WHEN WILL "YOU" RETURN, KING? THE "YOU" YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE? IT IS CLEAR THAT YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO RELY ON THAT PATHETIC EXCUSE OF A POWER, SO… NOW THERE IS ONLY ONE DOOR.'
Yet, the words of IT rang throughout his head constantly, like a nagging parent trying to prove a point. A point that Nico was beginning to see… even if he refused to look at it. Shaking his head, the teen interjected into the conversation, "Neptune's meta-antics aside, t's the best thing we can do right now. Let's go to this 'Hellverse', who knows we could find something we can use to find IF's location." In his head, he added 'hopefully, that trail Biko detected leads to this Hellverse…'
