Chapter 113 - Boy Band Goodness!

This was quite possibly one of the hardest choices she had ever made, this was what one Leanbox CPU thought to herself. The blonde buxom woman sat not on her bed, but at a small Desk that seemed relatively unused compared to the rest of the objects in her room. Unlike everything else, this Desk was more for CPU work, the woman having ordered I in not long after her 'problem' began so she could at least do SOMETHING to keep her Nation from collapsing in on itself. Even though it would only be little things due to her current situation, though with the recent acquirement of Gungnir, much of her problem had already been solved.

Much to her pleasure.

But, after she had parted ways with her in-game potential husband, she had come to a rather difficult decision, one which rivaled that of the decision she made to isolate herself from the rest of the Nation. With the way Leanbox was headed, it would only be a matter of time before the rest of its territories, settlements and eventually the Capital fall under hostile aggression. Be it from the Abnormals, Maghda, or the forces of Chaos from the Overlord Momus faction. Hell, maybe even these rumored men in red which have been sighted more and more recently engaging in random bloody conflicts with these 'warbands' that have been appearing from seemingly nowhere.

However, that was the consensus of the general public. To someone like her, a CPU whose senses picked things up differently to them, she had a whole different viewpoint to the rest of humanity. She was sure that, should they start showing up at the other Nations, the rest of the CPUs would sense them too. Their senses were amplified whenever they were within their own nations after all, as well as when they were in Celestia. They called this perk the 'Divine Blessing', and while Vert remained in Leanbox, she ha d her Divine Blessing active even with her situation.

This Divine Blessing was what allowed her to see what was REALLY happening throughout her Nation, how these forces of Chaos from the Overlord Momus Faction constructed these demonic Hellgates, tall imposing structures that functioned as portals, portals to a place where her senses picked up nothing but foul, twisted energies that warped the very fabric of reality itself. It made her shudder just thinking about what she had sensed. It was these portals from which the men in red came from, small in number but immensely deadly warriors in combat. Able to defeat entire armies of trained Agents and soldiers by themselves like the foundations of war were their blood, their livelihood. This was also where these strange Abnormals came from, well, the stranger ones that kept going n about blood and the 'skull throne'.

It made more chills crawl down her spine at the mention of it, unparalleled fear rushing through her being like cold ice wrapping around every one of her insides.

Aside from them, Vert held great worry about Maghda as well, she had learned of her through looking into the Spec Ops Archives, she had tried to look into the archives of the Basilicom, but information there had been scarce. Nothing but mentions of her name in folklore, myths and legends. Almost like her own people tried to wipe Maghda's existence from history, which was enough cause to worry alone. What she had learned from the Spec Ops community though only added to those worries.

Her new insight to Maghda thanks to their records on New Tristram had been a MAJOR eye opener for her as well as a solid hammer that went to town on the fact of the matters in her brain: the facts that A: she was no longer capable of protecting her nation on her own anymore, and B: they were all in for a whole new league of trouble if these monstrous, insidious beings were anything to go by.

This, adding to the already stressful situation on her shoulders, made Vert want to seek out some time to herself, yet the Basilicom which had served as her sanctuary had then become a cage, a cage of thorns of which she could stand no longer. Thus, her sneaking out became inevitable.

Running into the one person she could trust amongst all others, aside from the select few who knew about her secret, was like a breath of fresh air to her, a light that shined brightly in the dark, dreary and bleak world she had found herself in. Then, when she found herself accompanying Nico on a quest where she would then receive Gungnir as a reward, it had almost been like the answer to her problems.

Gungnir… just the very thought of her new weapon brought a big smile onto Vert's lips, a smile of unrestrained glee that she had reserved only for when she played her Naked Butler games. That weapon practically saved her, it was even more amazing than she had first thought when she first picked it up. Not only did it possess the abilities she had mentioned, but it had what she had dubbed a 'Share Core' which was a special core that constantly generated Share Energy, the very lifeblood of the CPUs. They needed these Shares to maintain their strength and their own existence, without it not only would they become powerless, but they would soon die like wilting flowers out in the scorching desert sun.

This Share Core could act as a… substitute for her, at least until her problem got resolved. Not only that, but not long after she had gained Gungnir, she had found herself facing off against those strange red creatures, and when she had her Gungnir touch their flesh t practically melted their flesh from their bones. It showed her (and the screaming beings) that her weapon was actually capable of hurting them.

Now that she had a somewhat solution to her problem, Vert had felt like she could get some of her problems fixed, like going out there and showing those Monsters the old what for. Using her various Sojutsu Techniques in conjunction with her divine abilities, Vert felt almost invincible.

Keyword there being ALMOST.

The reality of the situation dawned on her the moment they returned from the hidden area to MICROSOFT, the reality that while she had some form of her situation resolved, it didn't resolve all her problems. Leanbox was still dying as far as she was concerned, the monsters were still too numerous for her forces to handle, and these other factions kept on rising to gain power. She had so many enemies now and practically zero allies, which made Vert begin to lose hope once more.

Just before she could lose hope completely though, Nico had recommended a possible course of action Vert could NOT have anticipated, such was the outlandishness that it possessed. It was something that had never before been witnessed in the History of the entire Console War that plagued their world for centuries. A proposal that would, if allowed to succeed change the entirety of Gamindustri as they knew it:

Request an alliance with Planeptune and Lastation.

That was the gist of what he had meant when he had suggested she allow Noire, an enemy CPU, to come to Leanbox's Gala for political reasons. The act of inviting another CPU into another's home territory was a scandal all on its own. Not only would it imply that the invited CPU trusted her enough to forego her Divine Blessing to come to another Landmass unlike her own, but it would also be a risky gamble as well. For if something were to happen to a Nation's CPU then it would be grounds for heavy compensation or all-out war. Something that Leanbox could NOT allow to happen at any cost.

Yet, as she thought about it, Vert could see the logic behind such a move, especially with what's been happening throughout her Nation. Plus, with the male's current collection of experiences under his belt, his words carried more weight than they normally would since he had seen these problems himself. Hell, his entire PARTY had seen these problems if what she ad earned from the Guild's higher ups was any accurate. Not only could she see the logic behind it, she also felt like it was her only option left, the last card she had to play that had the fate of her entire Nation, her people and her life in its hands.

She HATED that.

Vert HATED being indebted to others, she hated the thought of having to rely on others to help protect her Nation, a Nation she had fought for so many centuries to maintain herself. She had been Leanbox's founder, she had seen it grow into what it was today, she had seen its many triumphs and its many failures even throughout the Console War. Leanbox was founded with blood, sweat and tears, it wasn't a Nation which was so pathetic that it would need the help of another Nation to solve its problems.

That is, until now, and as much as she hated it this was INDEED the case. Leanbox no longer had the capacity to hold off the Monstrous aggression constantly hammering away at her Nation, Leanbox no longer had the access to the large resources it had before, it was more like a husk of its former self, a shadow to what it once was. This was what Vert had come back to, not the proud and mighty Nation she had left behind, nope not one bit. Now, she had come back to see a dying breed, a faint flickering flame that was about to go out.

Something she so desperately didn't want to believe was true, but with the evidence slamming right into her face she had no choice but to acknowledge it.

But, even so, She remembered what Nico had said to her, the words that he exactly told her like they were life lessons which in a sense, they were: If a King doesn't lead, how can he expect his subordinates to follow? Those words, as she thought about them, seemed to resonate within the multi-century old CPU down to her very core, rattling her being and shattering any complaints she had.

To be a proper leader was a tough responsibility, and if one didn't show they were a competent leader then their subordinates would have a bigger chance of rebelling against their leaders, overthrow them an establish a newer, better leader who would do more than their predecessor. It's only a part of nature, it happened all the time back when Leanbox was just starting out. One needed the resolve to do what must be done for the Nation's betterment, the resolve to put a Mask over her insecurities and be the leader that Leanbox, Land of Green Pastures, needed the most in its lowest hour.

All these thoughts, conflicting motions and those promises to herself resulted in this sealed letter with the Leanbox emblem on it, hand written by Vert herself. A letter that would soon make its way into Lastation's letterbox and make its way to the CPU's gaze. Vert honestly had no idea when she had started writing it, was it when she entered her room? Was it when she was sinking into depression? She didn't know, all she knew was that she had wrote the letter and sealed it almost like she had been a drone.

Now, all she had to do was send it.

Yet, before she could, once more worry invaded her heart, contesting with her previous determination to result in a conflicted expression on Vert's features. This letter, of which she had poured her entire being into writing as formally as possible, carried the hopes of not just herself but all of Leanbox. Should it fail t reach its destination… she didn't want to even THINK of what that might mean for her or her people. The CPUs have had a long history of bloodshed thanks to the Console War, so their relations with each other were on practical loathing right now. Yet, the fact that the alliance itself was being made possible through Lastation and Planeptune (two arch rivals) showed that times were changing, and that it was perhaps time to stop fighting and start talking.

There were those who say that the CPUs were responsible for wrecking the world like they have, turning it into a cold, cruel place where only the strong survive. However, In Vert's opinion it wasn't the fault of the CPUs, humans or monsters that the world was the way it was, they were all to blame thus they shared equal responsibility. The only thing is, not many see it that way thus they don't try and change. Vert had see this constantly throughout her Nation, and as she thought this, her eyes hardened, and her determination won the war at last, eradicating her doubts without mercy. Standing up from her Desk (almost falling over from the dizzy spell born from getting up too fast) Vert recovered and began making her way to her door. Gungnir manifested itself onto her back by her will, latching onto it using trails of Divine Energy to tether onto her.

If people won't change without incentive… then she would do herself, then she would MAKE them change, if they wanted to survive the trials ahead.


"Whew, our Quest quotas are done at long laaast!"

"Indeed. It is relieving to know that our workload has been completed to allow us some time to ourselves."

"You two… That was what you were doing?"

It was yet another bright summer's day in the land of Green Pastures, and three young boys were sitting together on a bench in a moderately populated park. Parents with their children came here to relax while watching the kids mingle with each other. Some even went to feed the birds that would swoop down to land in the park, the smell of food being enough to draw them in. Parents of the younger children would guide their spawns in how to feed the birds properly, in case they messed up and wound up with a beak or two biting on their hands. Not a nice feeling and definitely not something the children would appreciate.

There were various amusements throughout the ark, like slides, spinning wheels, climbing areas etc that other children would play with, though these children were of the older variety, the parents of younger kids kept their offspring away from those areas lest they get themselves hurt. After all, a lot of those kids turned out to be more violent and aware of their dominance over the younger generation. It was a fact of life that the bigger kids always try to band together and intimidate the younger, smaller kids into doing things they normally wouldn't do, but do so anyways due to peer pressure.

Yet, this wasn't what these boys were focusing on.

"Yeah well, things haven't been the same recently." A certain mask/goggles combo wearing boy groaned, stretching his arms above his head and groaning in pleasure afterwards. He leaned backwards, placing his hands on the back end of the bench behind him for support while looking up to the skies above. "Ever since Raven and Lucy began giving 'Special Coaching' to someone, they didn't mention who, they've been preoccupied with that and not focusing on their work, leaving us to pick up the slack. I swear, those two are up to something, but for the life of me I can't figure out what that might be,"

'I guess Raven and Lucy have kept it secret from the rest of the team…' Nico thought to himself as he observed his fellow Spec Ops Agent Ivan, codename CYBORG as he complained about their Team's current state of affairs. 'Judging by what he is saying, it looks like they opted to keep everything revolving Compa under wraps. I figured out that Compa and them were training not too long ago when we first began hanging out like this. Though, I can understand why this is the case, whatever that Crystal was, it was divine in nature, and anything carrying divinity other than the four CPUs is very much frowned upon by the Basilicoms, borderline Heresy.'

Nico knew this for a FACT, a fact that was backed up by his own existence. Both as a DPU (which arguably made his situation worse if someone undesirable found out) and as… one of THEM. He himself knew first-hand how fanatically religious that people of Gamindustri were. They would do anything for religion, like burning people on crosses. Blowing up entire villages or setting monsters loose upon those they see as 'heretics'. Leanbox was the most extreme of the four Nations though when it came to this behavior, which only made his own problems, plus that of Compa, Raven and Lucy's all the more extreme. If ANYONE were to find out about them, then things would get complicated real fast and likely will end real badly.

Hence, why those two were so secretive about their identities, heck he had been super surprised when they decided to reveal themselves to him of their own free will, in different circumstances of course.

Still, he didn't fault these two for being concerned, they were all members of Team RAIL, so if two of their members were keeping secrets then it impacted the overall morale of the team. This was basic leadership 101, yet since he knew what was up Nico mentally forced himself to remain neutral. He had given them his word that he would keep their secrets, and if there's one thing about DEATHSTROKE that hasn't changed even though his weapons and Armour have, it would be that he stuck to his word.

It was mid-morning, and instead of training like he had been for a while now (it being about a month before the Gala happens), Nico had received a call from his old comrades in Team RAIL Aiden and Ivan, asking if they could hang out together. Considering that he didn't get the chance to do this very often, Nico had been all for the idea, especially since they were some of the few guys Nico could tolerate. Not only that, but he had been spending a lot of time with the girls lately aside from Training and sparring with them (hanging out with Neptune by eating loads of pudding which he barfed out later, helping Compa with groceries, cooking, cleaning and other household chores she did, conversing with IF about their favorite Animes, Games and Mangas while sometimes going on grand explosive Bike Rides, and meeting up with MAGES. for talks over lunch. Mostly to hear how Tekken was doing or how MAGES. herself was doing. Not to mention his nightly text chats with Noire, making Nico one busy guy), so some guy time may be just what he needed aside from his time with Biko ad his white self.

"You two have it rough…" was all the redhead teen could say on the matter without making himself look suspicious. Though to him this was easy as all hell to pull of with his Skill in hiding behind a Mask. He did it every damn day, after all. "Though I will say that those two have good judgement contrary to their bickering. Its why they are leader and second-in-command after all, you've seen their skills yourselves. If they are withholding information from you, odds are it's for a good reason. If they ever do decide to fill you in on anything, they will do so."

In response to his words, Aiden nodded in understanding, not showing an ounce of his inner frustration due to intense military training. Though, someone like Nico who knew how to get through Masks or Ivan who knew him for a prolonged time length, could see this frustration bubbling madly within. Like the redhead, Aiden too didn't like it when comrades kept information from him, for it wasn't the way of the soldier. Good men died on the battlefield because of this tactic, hence their mutual dislike. Though, both knew that they were hypocrites for this since they both had their own secrets inside, even Ivan. "Indeed, that is true…"

"Anyways, lets not focus on the girls for now!" Ivan suddenly chirped shooting up to his feet and mildly surprising the other two at his sudden burst of energy. "This time is guy time! We don't need no stinkin' ladies interrupting our masculinity!"

Nico and Aiden thought about notifying their third male member that his words earned him more than a few disdainful stares from several females across the park, but in the end decided against it. No need to add to that can of worms.

Because of this Ivan continued as he stood before the two sitting boys, one hand on his hip as he pulled out of his Inventory his Phone. It was an Iphone, one that he liked to use when not on missions. "And I have the best way for us to spend some guy time together! Have you guys heard of Disboard?" he asked them, getting confused shakes of the head in response. "Well, think of it like this social media site for gamers. There's tons of different servers you can join, with loads of funny people who post memes and silly stuff everywhere. There's even servers dedicated to fanfiction and novel writers." He explained further.

'Fanfiction, huh? I think I remember that site… isn't that where lots of writers post their own ideas and twists to their favourite franchises…? Not sure If I should do this, cause most of those fanfics tend to be the same: random OC gets sucked into another world, finds a harem and becomes an edgy edge lord. Not many writers write with originality these days…'

'I cannot help but suspect you are talking about a franchise in particular, Nico.'

'Your suspicions are indeed correct, Biko. Believe me, you do NOT want to know why.'

After that short convo, Nico and Aiden, under the guidance of Ivan, sent up their own disboard accounts with user name ID's and profile pictures. Nico had named himself 'Hunter87' with the profile picture being some fanart he had found of himself one day when he was out surfing the web for anything interesting. Aiden had named himself 'Falcon32' with his profile pic being a well built dark skinned man in his mid thirties, wearing similar gear to him but he had more muscle than Aiden himself. He had goggles over his eyes with metallic bird wings out from his back. Apparently, Ivan's username had been 'Cyborg32' with a profile pic consisting of a man in black combat gear with a mask and goggles, sporting a mechanical arm, suspiciously similar to Aiden's regarding the numbers…

Meh, must be coincidence.


"Oooh, found one!" Ivan exclaimed after a few moments of looking through Servers.

Arching a brow, Nico went to it as well with Aiden following suit. The Server was named 'Anime Boys FL' and it was ran by this person named 'Sempai'. Looked like this server had quite the following too, which must have meant that there were a lot of people who had favored this server and its activities. Said activities must have been committed regularly too, and with decent quality. That was what the two males had on their minds as they glanced to each other briefly, before they locked gazes with their third male member. "What is this?" the redhead questioned.

In response, Ivan looked down at his phone as he made to answer. Unfortunately for him, though… "From what I can tell, this is a server dedicated to anime boys you see in games and, well, Anime and Manga. Probably consists of wild fanarts and fangirls though, doesn't seem like something we would be interested in." Aiden answered before Ivan could with a frown, getting an annoyed glare from the jaw length brunette. A glare that the near-bald soldier-like teen ignored.

"Oh, don't be such a sour puss, Aiden. C'mon, where's your sense of adventure? You can''t be all boring and stuff forever, you know. We have all the time in the world, why not just take a quick peek? C'mon, it'll be fun, lets live a little-!"

Ivan stopped speaking mid speech, his form freezing like a block of ice. His Eyes stared downwards, wide and yet transfixed, at what could possibly be the most horrific thing he could have ever seen. His mouth hung open like when a lion opened its mouth to yawn or roar, only this would show his shock and nothing else. His mind screamed at his body to look away, to avert his eyes from this… sight before him, yet his body didn't respond one bit. It was only trapped like a caged bird within the grip of his phone.

Obviously, this got the others concerned themselves, as evident. When the two males stood from their spots on the bench to walk over and look over his shoulders.

"Huh? Dude, what's the Matter?"

"You seem shocked, CYBORG, what is it that has you so-"

When both saw the picture that had caught Ivan's attention, they soon became the same as him, freezing up with white circles for eyes. Even Aiden, who normally didn't show much emotion. Nico's was the worst out of the three though, and for good reason too. Cause the image that they saw? It was him… a rather well-drawn version being bound, gagged and suspended in the air with multiple bodybuilding men with whips whipping away at him with massive grins on their faces. Hell, the art style made Nico look… excessively handsome, even with his face looking like it was torn between a mix of pain and pleasure. Not only that, but there were similar pictures of Nico in... suggestive poses with some having little to no clothing on, looking quite erotic.

Silence dominated the boys, adding to the depressing atmosphere the two generated. Literally there was this dark aura hanging over them with clouds of depression looming over their heads. Their eyes were shadowed by darkness, even the near-bald Aiden who didn't have that much hair to block his eyes to begin with. Some parents noticed their states and made notes to keep their children away from the 'ruffians' as they dubbed the trio, unaware of what had REALLY caused their depression.

None of them could speak.

They couldn't, they just couldn't for they didn't even have the words to express what they were feeling all at once right at this moment. It felt like a cold wind just blew down their necks, sending shivers colder than Lowee's climate a thousand times over down their bodies. Yet, none of them bothered to acknowledge it, not one of them for they had been in too much shock, disbelief, disgust and anger in Nico's case to notice or care. Even more shocking was how there were loads of comments of the positive sorts, some of them so perverse that even the author didn't want to do anything to comment on this further.

'HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! YOU SHOULD SEE THE LOOK ON YOUR FACE, KING! ITS REALLY FUCKING PRICELESS! HAHAHAHAHAHAH AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! OH MY EPIC FLIPPING GOD WITH A MIDDLE FINGER, I NEEDED A CAMERA, SHIT THAT LOOK ON YOU IS EXCELLENT! TOTALLY BLACKMAIL MATERIAL!'

Nico didn't even respond to his white self's demented laughter within his mind, he didn't even register the fact that he had spoken to him, that was how out of it he had become from seeing those images.

Yikes.

"… Ivan…"

"Yes, Nico my man?"

"Let's move on from this thing and never look back…"

"Yeah."

Needless to say, the trio questioned all the life choices they made.


After that… morbidly disturbing set of images of their resident male redhead in some SXM situation (of which they all agreed to NEVER mention again) the trio of boys decided to see if there were any servers that looked much more decent… after Nico gave one hell of a thrashing to Ivan for subjecting him to such… 'horrors'. Didn't help that sometimes he had heard how there were fanboys who posted artwork of the girls they like in such skimpy attires and other lewd situations.

All of them made notes to NEVER visit Neppit in that situation.

A while of scrolling through servers later, Nico noticed one that seemed to be filled by only one person, with little content even posted in it. The server read 'WriterWH' with a picture of… a blueish white background with a pure white star in the middle, big enough to cover most of the cover picture. In the middle, there was a large blue L letter, styled like a certain land that he knew of. 'Does this person come from Lowee? Or do they idolize it from another Country and can't go there themselves for reasons?' Nico mentally wondered.

From what he could tell, this server apparently was only made recently, about a couple days or so according to the first message he could read. That message wasn't anything special, just a set of ellipsis (…) that was typed in 4 days ago. There wasn't much of note, there wasn't anything at all to be exact. But yet, for some reason, Nico felt compelled to take a note of this Server for later. Though he didn't join it right away, Nico kept the username ID in his mind, so he could investigate later. His instincts told him that this would be something that he could do in private later.

Still though…

'Biko, do you get this strange feeling, too…?' The redhead teen asked his Demon Persona. No offence to Aiden and Ivan, but h trusted his Demon Persona more due to all the secrets and knowledge they had shared between each other. It wasn't like he distrusted them or anything but compared to Biko they were just a little… lacking. And he knew that could be interpreted as sorta, maybe, possibly narcissism since Biko was his demonic aspect… Meh, Nico wasn't completely sure on that front, but he did keep it in his head for pondering later.

'Yes… that username ID sounds intriguing… Although there will likely be people all over Gamindustri trying to pose as the CPU herself, just look at our luck with Leanbox's CPU. Odds are, we may be dealing with Lowee's CPU.'

For a moment, the redhead remained silent quietly contemplating this opinion as he thought back to his meeting with Leanbox's CPU for the first time, and that little,…. Revelation that he had been her gaming partner for all that time without his knowing. It was a good point Biko had made, and with the craziness that his life has been in since coming with Neptune on this adventure he wouldn't put it past the deity of life to mess with him like that. 'I would normally disagree and say that this may be a coincidence… but my instincts tell me otherwise, so I'll go with them. Not very often that those have led me astray.' Nico decided eventually, nodding his head in resolution before he made a bookmark on the Server.

That was when he thought of something, something he had surprised himself for not thinking sooner. 'Say, about their situation… do you have any ideas for what the crystal that I gave Compa could have been? I mean, it's a long shot since you specialize in the demonic aspect of knowledge, but…'

'Unfortunately, I do not. Like you, I am not all-knowing like I may seem to be sometimes. There are many gaps in my knowledge that I try to fulfil by examining the Fractured Memories, however it is a slow process. You could say that this is what I do with most of my time outside looking through your senses.'

'Whelp, it was worth a shot anyways. Thanks for being there, Biko.' Nico responded while hiding a disappointed sigh from his comrades. It wasn't like he was disappointed at all with Biko, not one bit. No, what he was so disappointed on was the lack of knowledge the two possessed on the divinity side of things. The CPUs… so little was actually known about them, he thought anyways. All they knew in reality was that the CPUs were deities born to lead their respective territories, born from the faith of the masses on each landmass. Aside from that, most of the things the Basilicom preach every day were merely superstitions, though they don't let people know that in case they start losing faith in their Goddesses and become more of a heresy or a threat. The lack of knowledge on them, what they really were, what they could do, the limits of their powers and their total potential frustrated him. It was like they were all meant to be caged animals, the Goddesses their jailors.

Wait, that may be a bit harsh since he had been acquainted with three of the four CPUs himself. It was true though, that they were indeed a flawed species, but in the end that just makes them more relatable. Plus, with how he knew them to be, Nico honestly couldn't really find it in himself to hate them. At least as much as he used to, since now he had first-hand experience with them. Experience told the male that, much like humanity, the Goddesses were just as flawed as the rest of them.

Just went to show that you can't really judge people based off rumors and speculations alone…

Wow, he felt like a bit of a hypocrite there.

"Argh, looks like there isn't much shit on here that we can look through…" Ivan eventually growled out, annoyance seeping out off his mouth like a river cascading down a hill as he shut off the Disboard tab down. It wasn't long before the others did the same thing, having come to a similar conclusion as their vocal comrade. Annoyance could be seen radiating from those two, as well., making those that labelled them as ruffians look at them more warily than before. None of them noticed this either, that was just how absorbed within their conversation the trio was.

Nico nodded his head in agreement. "Not just that, but thanks to a certain server we didn't get enough confidence to look at any others even remotely interesting for fear of a repeat performance." He added with a twisted snarl escaping his lips. How he had never felt so violated when he saw those images… 'No, goddamnit Nico, stop thinking about them! Great, I'mma having some nightmares tonight…'

'I will do my best to make sure that does not happen, Nico.'

'Please, do…'

Neither of them said anything for a good 10 minutes, all of them thinking that they would need brain bleach to wipe clean those horrible memories from their memory banks. Maybe they could try some memory erasing hammers those sisters used on their big brother whenever he saw evidence of magic that they used or something. Meh, where could they find those though in a place like Leanbox, a Nation that frowns heavily upon Magic yet hypocrites itself by using enchanted weaponry?

A lot of Nations are hypocritical, heck just look at Lastation, Planeptune and the events around them?

Speaking of events, Nico decided to get their opinion on that can of worms. After all, it was nice to talk about major events with the few guys he could tolerate, and if he couldn't who else could he talk to? "Say, have you guys heard the news about Lastation and Planeptune?" he asked them, getting looks from the other two guys, before they glance d at each other and then nodded back to Nico. "What do you think? I can't help but imagine the backlash both Nations are going to suffer from this."

"I'd say Lastation will get more flak than Planeptune, honestly." Ivan remarked seriously, crossing his arms over his stomach as his eyes conveyed just how much he had been thinking on this particular topic. "Threw us all for a loop, especially Lucy and Raven, when we heard but back to my point. I'd say Lastation would get the worst of it for multiple reasons. For one, they are a prideful Nation, a Nation who has the slogan 'Lastation only does everything!' will definitely receive some hypocrisy in the media for starting these negotiations. With a direct rival Nation, no less. Another thing they will have to worry about will be how the other Nations would react to this, I can't imagine Leanbox or Lowee being very happy about this. It'll mean a MASSIVE turning point in the Console War, after all. Peace hasn't even been proposed in anyone's minds let alone the CPUs' for centuries, its practically become a forgotten concept."

Aiden then continued the conversation, though his answer was much shorter than the brunette. "Agreed. In addition, there will likely be attempts at sabotage by any interested parties." Both the other boys quickly thought of Avenir or any of Planeptune's officials who would be dissatisfied with this course of action. Though, this was more on Lastation's problem as, compared to them Planeptune has a more stable Government. Ironically their lax demeanours help them make better choices and decisions in regard to ruling, like a well-oiled machine."

Nico hummed in thought on their responses, his eyes glimmering with contentment. He had similar opinions to his companions on this case, yet he still had more to say on the matter. "Well, I'd still say it is a bout damn time these CPUs are thinking with their heads for a change." He commented, and when the two males gave him questioning looks for why he said it that way, Nico gestured to the area around them, at the people they were surrounded by throughout the park, and the boys quickly realized why he was doing this. To keep secrets, something Nico shined through in. "There are problems rising that cannot be dealt with by a single Nation alone anymore. The Abnormals are getting stronger than ever, there's reports of newer, more powerful Abnormals being sighted around mysterious black structures, there's forgotten evils returning, and then there's these men in large bulky red Armour. A possibility for an Alliance is exactly the right path at his point if the human race wants to keep on living."

Both boys nodded in solemn agreement, their eyes darkening with equally solemn thoughts about everything that had been happening so far. Yet, neither of them could compare to how Nico took all this, since he himself was mostly involved with practically every side in this approaching storm. Nico didn't realize it himself, but by associating with the CPUs of different Nations, by travelling with one and getting the attention of multiple enemy factions he had become a Key player in the politics that were going to happen. His name and presence would likely be uttered throughout the mouths of every Noble in Leanbox, many eyes watching him for his next move. It wasn't really too different from what Nico had gone through daily though, so he didn't really notice that much now. Odds were though, that the Basilicom higher ups as well as the Guild were trying to keep knowledge about his existence as under wraps as they possibly could, but at this point they might as well give up. He had done too much in too short a time, it would be impossible to conceal him at this point.

Not sure whether or not that was a good thing…

Well, in light for his knack for secrecy, Nico decided to go with the bad side of his situation.

"Anyways, enough of the serious talk for a moment." Both Nico and Aiden snapped out of their respective thoughts, raising their heads to look at Ivan once more. To their surprise and confusion, the brunette now sported a wide, dopey grin on his face while he quivered, like he was about to burst from this sudden surge of excitement. The two boys lightly sighed in unison in response to this, sometimes Ivan had spontaneous mood changes thanks to his optimistic side. Though, in a job occupation like theirs, some eccentricity every now and then would be appreciated.

Still, they didn't not admit to being curious about what he had in mind this time, and since this was meant to be their day it would be something they would be doing as a trio. "Hey Aiden, remember those things we bought a couple nights ago and brought to our newest safe house?" He asked te Spec Ops Agent with the Codename FALCON. Said Agent raised a brow for a moment, before his eyes flashed with recognition causing a grin to form on Ivan's face.

Only Nico looked lost, and as such Aiden chose to briefly explain the situation like he had done before. "Lets just say, CYBORG here wants to be popular by performing music. Got inspiration by seeing that YouTube vid of you singing at a karaoke. He brought some music instruments with our funds, got scolded by SAMURAI because of it. Put em in our Safe House's basement." At the end, he aimed a scolding look towards the mechanical armed male who just chuckled sheepishly, not an ounce of shame in his demeanor.

Nico could totally see him doing something like that just to get a girlfriend.

"Yup, so what do you say? Wanna get some boy band stuff going? It'll be great, seriously! I mean, can't you guys imagine how much It'd be awesome rocking out for once!" Ivan queried while he tried to convince the others to do it to. However, it didn't look like his efforts were bearing any fruit. Not only were they used to just fighting other Abnormals due to their jobs, doing something as expressive as music seemed like the opposite of what they did.

Aiden had never sung in his life. He didn't express much of his emotions at all ever since he joined the Spec Ops Program, and also when THAT happened to him. There were rare times where he DID express emotion, but like he said, that was rare and even then, it wasn't much. The times where he REALLY expressed emotion were even rarer. It wasn't like that for Nico who had a good singing voice, but he knew little instrument playing skills.

They could already see themselves failing epically.


In the end though, through persistence and sheer annoyance-inducing skills, Ivan had convinced the other two boys to come over to Team RAIL's Safe House to have a night of playing music.

Why did they have to do this?

'You gave him your word, Nico, and that is binding enough.'

Nico could only sigh as his own code was finally used against him, that was what his Demon Persona was telling him, and the way he said I so blankly only seemed to make the fact hit harder with greater impact. He should have expected something like this to happen eventually. Actually, now that he thought on it, Nico had always gotten the feeling this would happen sooner or later. Yet, he had hoped that this day would never have come in a foolish bid for hope. Guess now he knew not to hope for the pointless things, huh?

Thoughts of depression and possible suicide attempts aside, Nico looked upon the Safe House Team RAIL had made their residence in for their stay in Leanbox. He had been meaning to ask them how long they were able to stay on this Landmass, actually. He should ask Aiden that when he got the chance. Still, the house that they had chosen looked like a medieval style cottage, with a nice looking garden and a pathway that lead straight to the front door. There was even a small pond with lily pads on its surface, lily pads that housed either a few frogs and other aquatic creatures. Looked like this place was well-maintained either by Team RAIL or by whoever owned this property before them. He didn't know the logistics and backstory surrounding this place, and he didn't want to.

It wasn't really anything of his business anyways.

Still though, this cottage-like safe house felt quite nice, it had a home like feel to it that few other places had. It reminded him actually of Compa's house back in Planeptune. He hoped that it was alright, Compa had said to him once when they left for the trip to Leanbox thats he had done enough chores for the house to be good for a long trip. He just hoped that 'long tip' extended over months and not weeks like they had expected.

Walking inside with Aiden beside him, Nico followed Ivan through a side door that was close to the Safe House's main entrance, so Nico didn't have much of a chance to identify the house's interior. They went down these long set of wooden stairs though, and when they reached the bottom Nico and Aiden became witness to the Safe House's underground basement. There wasn't much different about it than when compared to any other basement, there were tools neatly arranged throughout the area, varying in size, shape and function, whilst the smell seemed like a normal basement smell (To Nico's sensitive nose anyways).

"Come on, come on guys, hurry up! You're being such slowpokes!" Both boys turned to look where Ivan was standing, and when they did the two boys saw that he stood before a set of instruments lying against one of the Basement walls. There was a Drum Set, some Guitars and a Keyboard. The Drum set was the largest of the instruments, the Keyboard looked like it could be used as a portable stand, and while Nico did not know much about Guitars, he had once seen a you tube video where these Guitars were used. Think the guy who used them called himself JY or something, and he called them Sting Ray Guitars. Though to be honest, he liked the Guitars, they looked quite nice. 'Oh yeah, there's that as well.' Nico thought when he noticed a microphone attached to a tall stand.

...Spec Ops Agents usually had a large sum of money...

"Well, what are you guys waiting for?" Ivan questioned, his grin so wide that it could potentially split his face in two. The teen's eyes shone with excitement, and even then Nico got the feeling that those eyes couldn't show just how much excitement he had inside. The guy was actually talking while hurriedly setting up the equipment, something that surprised the other two boys. They didn't expect him to even know how to work the equipment (even setting u[p amps for the Guitars and other pieces of equipment Nico and Ivan hadn't noticed till he pulled them out). "Choose a musical instrument, already! I'm going with the Drums myself, I've always liked those."

Aiden arched a brow at this information. "Since when did you like drums? I was not under the assumption you knew much about music in the first place, CYBORG." he questioned in confusion, while Nico had similar emotions but to a lesser extent. After all, it was rare to talk about personal things in one's life when you were a Spec Ops Agent, even Ivan knew this. This was mostly to do with how quick and often they tend to get involved in high risk missions, the risk being so high that it was a pure form of suicide.

In response to his colleague's question, Ivan looked to the side as he scratched his jaw nervously. "Well, you can thank my pops for that." he replied, though the two boys saw him trying to hold back a wince as he did so. Neither could blame him, since nobody wanted to remember the death of a family member. "My pops always had a thing for instruments, he had originally wanted to play the drums as a profession in a band, but then he got an injury when he was younger. He didn't say what it was, but it stopped him from playing like he used to. Didn't stop him from teaching me how to do so, though. But between us, I'd guessed that he wanted me to succeed where he couldn't, do the things that were denied him. I guess I don't have to worry about disappointing him, huh?"

The way that Ivan explained that, with cheerfulness and nonchalance like it was no big deal did NOT fool the two boys in the slightest. They had experienced Ivan's antics for a couple years now, so they knew when he was trying to fake his emotions in front of others. Ivan may be seen as a kind, lovable and funny guy to mot, but that was only a facade, a mask to hide what he really felt deep inside. Aiden had only been the second person to notice this, mostly due to how little experience he had with emotions and how to express them.

First person to notice had been Nico, but then again, that's not really a surprise at this point, huh?

"Whelp, anyways! Enough of that depressing crap." Ivan cheerfully quipped, and both boys decided to play along. They knew an attempt to change the subject to something else when they saw one. "I got the drums, so you guys choose something else. There's the microphone, Keyboard or Guitars." The brunette stated, gesturing with his hand to the remaining instruments while he himself began setting up the drum kit.

With that given, Nico and Aiden stepped towards the instruments, giving them each a look over while wondering which one to play. For Aiden, his eyes fell upon one of the Sting Ray Guitars, and found themselves quickly locked on it. No chance of escape for this Spec Ops Agent. Aiden wasn't one who had much experience with playing one of these things, after all he had raised himself as an orphan on the streets for most of his life. Back then, he had only one thing on his mind and one thing only: survive. He had to focus on living through the next day let alone find some fun in life. Fun back them didn't even exist to him, especially not after the orphanage he lived in once got shut down. Back then, it was fight to survive or die, something that influenced his mentality even to this day.

But, the moment that he laid eyes on one of those Sting Ray Guitars, he didn't know why but he felt some form of... connection between them. He didn't understand it himself, but something about those Guitars drew him in like a moth to a flame. It wasn't all that strong a pull, yet Aiden felt no desire to pull himself from its grip. In fact, he wanted this connection, he wanted it badly. Was this what it was like to want to do something... fun? Was that what it was called? Aiden wasn't so sure anymore, but what he did know for certain was that he wanted to get his hands on one of those Guitars.

When he stepped towards them to make to reach out for one, he noticed another arm reaching for the other Guitar, making him glance sideways to see that apparently Nico had a similar idea to him. The reason? He had seemingly decided to go with the other Sting Ray Guitar. Guess they really were quite alike in this situation, Aiden couldn't help but note to himself. He did not feel much from this realization, only like a brief spark of it, but in the end that was why he looked up to Nico the way he did.

Most people don't even give him THAT much a reaction, Nico had the most reactions from his emotions. He could FEEL more when he was around the guy. Team RAIL came a close second, though.

Picking up their respective Guitars, Aiden and Nico shared a glance after they went and lifted the straps over their heads. Once they had a better grasp of their instruments, the two turned back to Ivan, who had finished setting up his Drum set. Looking up when he felt their gazes, the brunette grinned merrily as he gave them a thumbs up. "Great, you chose your gear! Honestly I kinda figured you two would go with those, you two always struck me as the types, you know? Even if you never touched one of these in your lives. Believe in yourselves and you'll do fine, do't worry! Also since Nico has a talent for singing due to the karaoke..." he trailed off, wiggling his eyebrows in Nico's direction. Said redhead looked away and tried to not blush in humiliation, thinking about that event which got put on YouTube. "I'd think he'd do best having a Guitar and singing through the mic, as our lead singer."

"Well..." Nico wanted to argue with that one, but he couldn't find any way to argue with Ivan on that. He DID have after all evidence to prove he had a knack for singing (to his eternal chagrin).

Aiden then asked an important question, one that Nico mentally cursed himself for not thinking about himself due to that embarrassing moment in his life. "Since you have all this equipment prepared, I assume you have an idea as to what we will be singing? By we, I mean DEATHSTROKE."

All Ivan did was grin.


By the time the evening came to the rest of Gamindustri, it had happened. Every citizen who had been browsing about online, hoping to find something interesting, or continuing their own businesses, soon got a notification on their inboxes. When they clicked on it, being the curious beings that humans were, they all got a rather exciting treat... well, exciting for the ladies anyways when they saw a band of 3 boys standing in the middle of what looked like a basement, each wearing various rock clothes.

One wore a leather jacket under a blue shirt, the words 'REBEL' emboldened in red on the centre though it was restricted by his jacket. He wore spikes shoulder pads, arm guards, black finger less gloves, dark blue jeans and red sneakers. He had styled his crimson hair into a backcombed messy look, dark eye shadow around his sharp light blue eyes that seemed to illuminate his darker features. He had on his face a Mask that covered his lower face, sporting a Frankenstein appearance with bolts and a lipless mouth twisted into a grin. He wielded a black Sting Ray Guitar while standing before a tall stand with a Mic.

Another wore a similar getup, consisting of a shredded red T shirt with dark jeans that were shredded at the knees and white sneakers. He had similar fingerless black gloves on his hands, with spiked black shoulder guards. He also had some plating on his knees, back and chest, with a full on mask over his face that looked reminiscent of a skull. His brown hair had been styled into a Mohawk style, with his blue eyes clear for all to see. He stood in the centre of a Drum Set, with some drumsticks in hands that looked ready to play.

The third had a near-bald hairstyle, so he didn't have a particular hairstyle like the other two. Instead, he wore an all black getup: a Black shirt beneath a leather jacket, with matching jeans and boots. For a Mask, he wore one that covered his lower face with Goggles over his eyes. He wielded a similarly colored Sting Ray Guitar.

These are what the viewers noticed, before they heard some music and clapping sounds beginning to play, a song being sung by the one with red hair:

I'm American made, Bud Light, Chevrolet

My momma taught me wrong from right

I was born in the south

Sometimes I have a big mouth

When I see something that I don't like

I gotta say it

We been driving this road

For a mightly long time

Payin' no mind to the signs

Well this neighborhood's changed

It's all been rearranged

We left that change somewhere behind

Slow down, you're gonna crash

Baby you were screamin'

It's a blast, blast, blast

Look out babe you got your blinders on

Everybody's lookin' for a way

To get real gone, real gone

Real Gone

There's a new cat in town

He's got high paid friends

Thinks he's gonna change history

You think you know him so well

Yeah you think he's so swell

But he's just perpetuatin' prophecy

Come on now

Slow down, you're gonna crash

Baby you were screamin'

It's a blast, blast, blast

Look out, you got your blinders on

Everybody's lookin' for a way

To get real gone

Real gone

Real gone

Real gone

Well, you can say what you want

But you can't say it 'round here

'Cause they'll catch you and give you a whippin'

Well I belive I was right

When I said you were wrong

You didn't like the sound of that

Now did ya?

Slow down, you're gonna crash

Baby you were screamin'

It's a blast, blast, blast

Look out, you got your blinders on

Everybody's lookin' for a way

To get real gone

Well here I come, And I'm so not scared

Got my pedal to the metal

Got my hands in the air

Well look out, you take your blinders off

Everybody's lookin' for a way

To get real gone, real gone

Real Gone

Real Gone

Real Gone

No one could deny that there was nothing but pure passion in the song these three made. They had no idea how long it had taken, or the practice the three boys had to do to be so good with their instruments (by the way, there was a LOT of training involved, Nico MIGHT have cheated and used his Inner World to practice with his own made up version of a Guitar), but the amount of passion and raw emotion their singer put into the song threw everyone into shocked silence. If anyone who knew these threes saw this video, they would be purely flabbergasted... among other things.

By the time the song ended, the reaction... well, it became cataclysmic, AKA a viral hit.

People literally began losing their minds over the song they had listened to. It began getting thousands of views and comments by the hour. The Song spread through the internet and media's attention like wildfire, unknowingly to the three boys bringing people's attention away from their own problems. All across Gamindustri people listened to the Lyrics and had their own reactions. Men found themselves enchanted by the song's fast-paced nature, especially those who competed in races which involved living life in the fast lane. To race with such intensity was to feel the rush of being on the line between life and death, and to a racer there was no better feeling.

Then there were the fan-girls reactions...

Whilst some felt a similar way to their male counterparts, the amount of fan art, hot steamy doujins and hot yaoi memes on the internet about Nico and these two boys will be skyrocketing through the roof by the end of the day. There will be fan art, doujins, fanfictions, and all types of things on the internet released from the minds of the depraved. Yet, even so, it would be a better thing for them to do than to have the population worry about their future. It would not only increase their fame amongst the public, but also increase the favor they would gain too. They may not have done it for the fame and recognition (though it took some convincing from Ivan to Nico and Aiden) but this may as well have been the best move they could have made. Both for themselves and the people around them.

Though, there were certain... individuals who had their own... specific reactions.


Neptune took one look at the Video, and her eyes became that of a bugs while her mouth started drooling uncontrollably. Luckily, she had her phone positioned in front of her face and away from her drool.

"Nicky... sexy... must have... Must. Have. Now!"


'Wha... what is this weird feeling building up in my neither regions...?'

That was what Compa thought to herself as she looked down at the phone, the phone that Lucy was holding. Apparently one of her contacts (though she had said it was one of her many 'playthings') had shown her a link to the video, and once she clicked on it Lucy could only stare wide eyed. That only lasted a second though, before she began giggling like a dirty old man, muttering about things she would 'do to that handsome stud Nico' while Raven just stared emotionlessly at the video. What she was feeling the Nurse-In-Training couldn't tell.

But, the moment she saw Nico with the two male Team RAIL members singing with such passion and expression, she just couldn't help but feel this hot sensation within her loins. Her Nurse training taught her the inner workings of the body, so...


IF could only stare wide eyed after killing off a bunch of monsters with her Tentacles and Tendrils returning to her. The former reformed into her arm while the latter receded into her. Yet, she didn't even acknowledge this, her eyes staying glued to her screen. "Holy shit... Nico..." she muttered in shock, awe and... more than a little arousal at hearing his singing voice.

This felt WAY different from when she first heard him sing back at Lastation. Unlike back then, there was so much more joy, relief and expressive intent behind his singing. It looked like he was much more ALIVE as he sung throughout the video. Perhaps the song itself was also a cause, but goddamnit did Nico have a talent for freaking singing?! The way he strung that Guitar like a pro, too made her ears nearly cream themselves. She didn't even know if that was even possible with what she was right now, but this singing definitely nearly made it happen.

Plus, with how bright and vibrant Nico looked right now, singing a song with his fellow males, IF just couldn't stop the arousal inside of her while her inner BOW screamed at her to track the stud down, pin him under her and have her way with him. The song he was singing sounded like it was electro music, and he definitely seemed to have a knack for it. Maybe he could do the same for other songs too, but regardless, she just had to curse Nico under her breath. Things like this REALLY strained at her ability to keep herself under control.

At this rate, she might not last...


"My, this is truly an unexpected yet welcome surprise..."

While tilting her head from side to side to the beat of this new video many of her online friends recommended her so suddenly as she played some more MMO's to relieve some stress, Vert practically beamed radiantly at the sight of Nico singing joyfully with his two male companions. The attire he had chosen to adopt for this took her breath away, as well as filled her head with... some naughty images of him in her butler outfits.

She could imagine it now, Nico rocking out with his buddies in those outfits, singing funky music like this in front of so many fans... possibly letting people get close to wrap his well-sculpted body around in their embrace...

NOSEBLEED

If anyone came into the Leanbox CPU's room, they would only see how she had fallen unconscious with a large nosebleed and a massive, perverted grin on her lips.


In Lastation, Noire just gaped as she watched the music video that she had been sent a link to by some of her fans. She sat in her office, having been picking up some documents to look over when she had noticed the link in her Emails. She had noticed these were excitable fan-girls who had sent her the link, but being the great CPU she was, Noire had decided to humor them by clicking on the link. What she saw both stunned her into silence and nearly made her drop some documents she held onto the desk.

Since it was nearly evening, she didn't want to do that, not one bit.

But, soon enough as that song started playing, Noire forgot about everything else just for this moment.

She remembered how some of her people had said that had witnessed a guy fitting Nico's description sing at a Karaoke, how he had made many girls hearts swoon with his apparent skill. Part of Noire felt jealous that she didn't get to hear it for herself, not that she would admit this to anyone mind you. But right now she was simply located in her room so she didn't have to downgrade her feelings.

Right now however, she found herself finally receiving this wish... and boy, what a sensation it was.

She should have asked him to sing as a professional in Lastation, it would definitely bump up her Nation's shares with how good his voice sounded. His voice, combined with the funkiness of the beat in this song, made Noire want to just get up and start dancing the night away, to hell with everything else. That was how good it felt to her ears, and if she had a chance she would probably put the song on full blast for the entire Basilicom to hear... Wait, maybe that wouldn't be such a good idea, but you know what she wanted to say!

Still, it looked like Nico was having a fun time... she wondered what it would be like to be able to meet Nico over at Leanbox...

Just then, a knock sounded on her door, and Noire hurriedly closed the link, fixed herself, and prepared to receive this guest of hers...


MAGES. furrowed her brows as she looked down at her phone, hearing the song Nico was singing while tapping her heeled boot to the beet. She sat in her bedroom, having taken her coat off to expose the dress shirt she wore beneath it. She had been in the middle of getting ready for bed after an exhausting day of researching and Questing (while training with Wabbajack, can't forget about Wabbajack) when she had heard some commotion was going on throughout the internet for a while now. She tracked down the source...

And found Nico jamming it out with two fellow males.

'Hmmmm... it appears the throes of musical talent have infused their infinite wisdom upon this fortunate soul...' she thought to herself, mildly blushing a bright pink. She normally wasn't one for music, that was more of her sister's thing, but she could appreciate good music when she heard it, and right now was one of those times. The fact that the boy that she was growing fond of was the one singing only added to the song's appeal. So, she had the song play while she got ready for bed, bobbing her head to the beat. 'I wonder, what would it be like if my sister and DEATHSTROKE would eve meet...'


"AAAAAIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

"D-Dear?! What, what is it?!"

In a house within Planeptune's central city of SEGA, one happy mother squealed with joy at her Phone, seeing the video of her adoptive son jamming it out with some male friends from Team RAIL. She could see the joy shining through their eyes, mostly Nico's though, as they played, even that ever stoic kid looked like he was enjoying this... slightly. But she just focused on how Nico looked, and couldn't help the motherly pride flowing through her. Hence the squeal.

When her husband came in to check on her, worry evident on his features, Helen just grabbed him, dragged him to their room and rocked his world the entire night.

All in all, Nico Ivan and Aiden just made a SMASHING hit...


Chapter end!

Alrightie, another chapter done!

Several things:

The stuff with Vert is something I've been wanting to do for a while. In this fic,Vert has to be more aware of how dangerous her position is, and how she is being boxed in by so many other factors that she can't afford to hide away any longer. This will definitely affect the Gala and the canon poison Neptune segment of the Leanbox arcs, but how that will be so will be revealed in time. Though I guess you guy can put theories in the Reviews section, it'd be nice to hear what you guys think.

The song I chose here was Real Gone from Cars, only I chose the version sung by Billy Ray Cyrus (do not own myself). I liked that one best, and since its a guy singing it I can have Nico singing it as well. This has been a long time in the making, since its been established that Nico is a good singer, and he can use the Inner Word to practice playing a Guitar, it would stand to reason why he would do such a thing. This may be the near-end point of the casual chapters, then we get to the Gala and back to the main action again! Can't wait, honestly. Originally I had chosen a different song, but in the end its genre was too different so I went with an earlier choice.

Also, the Disboard thing was something I thought of as a means to introduce how scary fan-girls can be, cause in these games its usually the guys who are seen as more perverted. So, I'mma make it so that there are just as many girls who like their man-service. Its only natural after all, there's girls who like that sort of thing.

Aiden and Ivan get a bit more character development in this chapter too, don't worry I have plans for these two, I've just been focusing on Lucy, IF, Vert and somewhat MAGES. Those two have had to pickup the slack since Raven and Lucy have been focusing more on Compa than their Team, not something that should be happening but considering what is going on with her, its understandable. Plus, once Noire gets back into the picture, I'mma going to showcase a few things with her, too. Hehehehehe...

Hope you like the chap, review it, tell me what you think, peace out! :)