Chapter 115 - Prep for the Gala
Well… this was an interesting change to her day.
Noire frowned to herself as she stepped out of the Sky Harbour, with a small escort of Lastation officials, some soldiers from the Military and more than 6 Spec Ops Agents surrounding her. It may look like she favoured them more than the military, but in reality, all of them knew how much she had come to respect the Agents and wanted to give them more of a positive reception in the eyes of the public. Especially Leanbox's, if they saw how she viewed them it would hopefully incite them to treat their own Agents better. Though, considering what she had heard from her reliable sources, she had her doubts about that.
She didn't need to even strain her senses to hear the mixed whispers being made In a hushed manner throughout the Sky Harbour, or even in the streets as they made their way towards Noire's prior booked Hotel suite. One that she would be occupying for the duration of her stay. Normally such guests like her would have been given a place of residence within the Basilicom but given the exact… nature of these guests, it was decided that it would be better to have the CPUs in different residences. Justin case things went awry, and one Nation lost their CPU advantage. Noire didn't like the way those assholes in political power put it, but she couldn't say that they were wrong either.
Even if they were weary from conflict, people were still in their 'Console War' mindset. There was no way things would proceed so smoothly without precautions being made. This WAS a big move, one that Noire had NEVER anticipated when she first proposed the alliance talks between Lastation and Planeptune. Then again though, she should have expected something like this to happen, after all out of the four Nations, Leanbox was the Nation that was the least technologically advanced. If two of the strongest Nations in that field banded together, of course they would feel threatened. At least Lowee had access to Magic, they could use that to negate the advantage of technology while they could negate the advantage of Lowee's magic.
In that case, it was like a status quo. Neither of them could fight for long with their best weapons without them being somehow negated through the ensuing conflict.
Still, Noire had to admit to herself that's he had nearly spilled some of her coffee (that she had while watching that… stimulating video, not that it was good mind you!) when she had received the invitation to this supposed 'Gala' that Leanbox was having. She had to resist the urge to snort in derision as herself and her escort walked through the streets, escorted by a small detachment of Leanbox soldiers who looked like white and green knights with swords, shields or spears. Honestly this Gala sounded like one big waste of time to her, why have a party focused around idle gossip when there was tasks to be done, people to protect and lands to rule? At east, that was how she viewed it.
But, this was another Nation, with different views and a different culture to her's. What it lacked in technology it made up for with its homey atmosphere… at least, that was what she had heard but from the looks of the people, that may not be the case anymore. Noire was no fool, she had heard the rumours of how… difficult things are for Leanbox, with what they have to face. She seriously couldn't believe that they were going through something like this without the aid of a Goddess, yet the proof was right here, sitting before her ruby red eyes.
What the heck was Vert doing while the Nation she had founded so long ago crumbled to nothingness around her?
Regarding that invitation though, Noire had thought long and hard about such an idea. She thought about the pros and the cons of the idea of going to tis Gala herself, to bring officials and soldiers into a foreign land of which she didn't trust one bit. She may not have as much of a rivalry as she did with Planeptune, but Leanbox was still an enemy Nation. A Nation that she had to be wary of in case they pulled a fast one on her.
On the other hand, though, making more allies wouldn't hurt, they could pool their resources together to fight off these Demons and the ever-growing threat of the Abnormals. Unfortunately, this deal favoured Planeptune more than Lastation or Leanbox due to it being the most technologically advanced, as well as sporting the highest numbers of both Spec Ops Agents and militia. Lastation meanwhile, had only the things Planeptune had but a downgraded version. They had been trailing behind Planeptune in terms of tech for a long time now, in a bid to be better than them. However, that resulted in them being so similar that they could be one Nation, and nothing would change. The only real difference between them was the hardware for their Consoles and Games, hers being more focused on power and functionality while Planeptune's focused on other areas.
As for Leanbox, they were considerably worse amongst them, all things considered. They lacked the technology that the other two Nations possessed, but out of the three they had the biggest amount of resources both Nations needed for their tech. If they were to join this alliance, a deal could be struck where they shared technology with the Nation in exchange for some of heir resources. She wasn't completely sure on the specifics, but that was why she had her representatives for. The reason why she was even here was simple, the Invitation specifically asked her to come here and join the Gala. Hand written by the CPU herself. According to politics, if on were to reject a Goddess's invitation it could be seen as a grave insult, which was NOT what Noire wanted for her Nation. With the growing Abnormal threat, she didn't need a whole Nation up in arms about her as well.
So yeah, in the end all three had things they could gain, resources for Lastation and Planeptune, technology for Leanbox, and two new allies for Planeptune.
Thus, she had accepted the invitation, and now here she was, in a hostile Nation heading straight to the preparation area for the Lion's den.
Out of the corner of her eye Noire's brow twitched when she noticed several females pass by, civilians it looked like. What got her attention though… were the above-average sized chest areas they sported.
Heck, they constantly jiggled while they passed by as if to just irritate her.
'That's another thing, Leanbox is full of… gifted women. Its no wonder why the men in this Nation are horn as all heck when surrounded by flesh bags like those.' She thought with irritation, doing her best to remain composed in front of her men and the Civilians. She didn't want to risk ruining her image as Lastation's CPU. Her behaviour would reflect on her Nation as a whole, and as a diplomatic visit, this had much more importance than it would normally.
One thing that bothered her more than the Gala and everything surrounding it, were the rumours she had heard about the Leanbox Nobility. None of them seemed particularly friendly, most of them being considered as manipulative snobs who only cared about lining their pockets with credits instead of caring for the people like true leaders do. Not only that, but there have been recent developments through the Nobility that her scouts had learned ahead of time, rumours of great dissent throughout the Nobles. It had begun gradually, but then when the CPU closed herself off and entered isolation not that long ago, it got worse and worse by the day. Not to mention with everything trying to destroy them from the outside… Noire didn't doubt that there may be some insiders too. She would have scoffed if she were alone, but she wasn't, so she held it in…
"Hey, look, those people… aren't they…?"
"That must be Lastation's CPU, Black Heart… Why she's on Leanbox soil I have no clue though."
"I heard she was invited personally by our own CPU to personally attend this Gala. Supposedly this little stunt she's done with Planeptune has drawn our Green Heart's attention…"
"S-Shush, you shouldn't callously address the CPU like that, what if someone hears you?!"
"So what? Its not like anyone's going to complain, after all weren't those CPUs responsible for all of this to begin with? They were the idiots who went and started a multi century long war and left us in the dust for their own gain…"
Noire's ears twitched as she heard some conversations taking place within a nearby group of people, civilians it looked like, huddled close together. They didn't look like the nicest of people, yet they were blatantly shit talking both Lastation and their own CPU with such open resentment that it caused the blackette to stifle a groan of dismay. She wished she could defend herself, but in the end while those people saying that pissed her off to no end, they weren't necessarily wrong either. The four CPUs had a LOT to answer for, this much she knew for a fact.
Like they said, they had been left to fend for themselves for the Majority of the Console War, without their leadership which resulted in them committing their own atrocities, atrocities that could be laid bare before the CPUs' feet. Countless innocent lives were either snuffed out or ruined, sometimes both, because of their stupid Console War. That she had seen for herself back in her own Nation, and it seemed that it was reflected in the others as well. It didn't help that Leanbox's CPU had not been seen outside of the Basilicom before now, and there were a lot of blonde haired, blue eyed and… moderately sized breasted women walking about so it would be hard to identify her out of the masses even if she did come out.
Still, it felt so frustrating hearing all these negative things being said about her and the other CPUS, yet not being able to say anything in her defence lest she make an even worse fool of herself. Noire couldn't allow her own feelings to be shown either, which only added to the turmoil within her heart. Was this what the Spec Ops felt like whenever they were walking through streets filled with people who discriminated against them? Especially those from Leanbox?
"Don't let them get to you, Mrs Noire."
Looking to her left, Noire glanced towards the Spec Ops Agent that had spoken to her, finding that it was a man who looked to be in his mid to late thirties with silver hair two sky blue eyes. The man wore a black smart formal business suit with matching pants, dress shoes, and sported a silver briefcase. The way he walked stated clearly that this guy had experience on the battlefield, had taken more lives than he could care to share, as well as fought in countless battles.
Yet, this man was someone Noire had come to trust ever since she first met him not long after she had parted ways with Nico and Neptune. Someone whom had helped her understand the Spec Ops Program better by going on missions with her, giving her a better picture of how much shit had been really going down in her Nation. His eyes gazed down t her with a mentor-like kindness to them, as if knowing personally what she was going through.
"You can't change everyone's opinions, there will always be people like those out in the world. My bet, those kinds of people are what are running the Overlord Faction from behind the scenes. Even so, you can strive past them to be a better person, to prove to the world that you are not who you once were." He told her, knowingly. He had been glancing about as well, listening in to the rumours and hushed whispers spread throughout the civilian populace about his CPU, though unlike Noire, he had remained calm and composed like they were an everyday occurrence.
Still, Noire had to give him a small, grateful smile. There was so little kindness these days, so she would take what she could get. Plus, she knew this man like a mentor, especially with what he helped her with. "Yes, you are right, Mr Lightning Bolt… Still, its so frustrating that I can't o anything to defend myself since they're right. Us CPUs have made a LOT of mistakes, mistakes that may never truly be forgiven." She told him, sighing sadly at the end.
"There's a saying that a wise man once said." Looking back to the suit-wearing man, Noire arched a brow when he began speaking once more, this time a nostalgic tone in his voice that was reflected in his gaze as well. The man, Mr Lightning Bolt or LB for short, looked to the side, towards one of the taller city buildings as he recounted words he had heard in the distant past. "One sword keeps another in its sheath. Sometimes, by taking a life, others can be preserved. It's the code the past generations of Spec Ops used to go by. I say this, because you need to learnt hat you need to follow our own path, you have your own war to fight." Mr LB paused his speech to look down at Noire again, who now gave him her full attention. "We all do, some just fight their wars differently than others, so don't be afraid to show your blade if its necessary. Stand up for your ideals when questioned and follow the path you believe is right."
Sometimes Noire found it hard to believe this guy was just a soldier, a rugged soldier who could take apart an entire organisation with nothing but stealth skills and swordplay. Impressive self-taught swordplay as well, Noire had both read his file and seen it for herself, the skills that each Spec Ops had was astronomical to her. "Ufufufu, its sometimes so easy to forget that you're not that one-dimensional, Mr Lightning Bolt, being a soldier and a philosopher must make your wife rather complex around you."
At this, the man just let out a small laugh, the other Lastation affiliates not really minding or caring about the way the two were going on. It was well known that Noire and Mr LB had forged a connection between one another, almost like a mix of mentor/trainee and father/daughter relationship. It was a… slightly weird sight to get used to, but they had seen it a bunch of times already. "I could say the same about you, Mrs Noire. People make you out to be one thing, when you're really another."
Soon, Noire rolled her eyes while a small smirk tugged at her lips. Unlike Neptune when she teased her, Mr LB didn't do it deliberately, he always did it to calm her down when her stress levels were rising. Some might consider this to be inappropriate conduct when n a foreign land, but right now the street the Lastation affiliates were walking through had gotten a little more deserted, so it gave them some breathing room. This definitely felt like a welcome change to the blackette CPU, her worries and anxieties melting away for the time being. It wasn't like Mr LB had any qualms with doing this unprofessionally, as she had no problem finding out how he had a distrust for politicians remarking how they were all 'big promises but all talk, lining their own pockets and approval ratings being all they cared about'.
It was a… refreshing thing to see.
Finally, they managed to find the hotel they would be staying in. Considering the technological advancements of the Nation she was in, Noire didn't expect anything too grand or like that of her own Nation. Each of her representatives, soldiers and Spec Ops Agents would have their own rooms for themselves, something she had booked in advance when she was closing the deals on who to bring to Leanbox with a few Leanbox representatives that had come to deliver the letter to her.
She would NOT have them deal with anything less, that was something she had promised herself when undertaking this task.
As for her, the blackette CPU had her own suite to herself, and while it wasn't like anything she had at Lastation like she thought, it still seemed much better than the average Hotels she had researched on during her free time. Everything was wooden save for the mattress and bedding with a window and door leading to a slam balcony at the opposite end of the room. The bed was located next to the window, with the room being square shaped. There was a tall wardrobe opposite the bed, and a vanity with various tools o it for styling herself for the Gala.
After all, she had to look her best when going to important events like these.
Speaking of these events. Noire reached into her inventory and pulled out what she would be wearing for the Gala, still wrapped in plastic packaging so it wouldn't get any creases in. This formal-wear had been provided for her by one of her benefactors, whom had somehow gotten her exact measurements (she did NOT want to know how, and also hoped that person was a woman not a pervy dude) to create this stylish set of clothes for her. She set it on the bedside before walking to the window, looking out into the city of MICROSOFT while the heels of her boots clanked on the wooden floorboards. She placed her hand on the window while peering out, taking in the sight of the Capital Leanbox city.
'Ugh, these floorboards are so noisy…' the CPU complained to herself, frustration building within her stomach when she slightly leaned on her left foot, the floorboards beneath creaking ever so loudl. There were many things she had seen were wrong with Leanbox, and now that she was all by herself Noire had no qualms about pondering them. She would have had to keep her voice though, as these rooms weren't soundproof, so she didn't want to disturb any of her comrade's downstairs. That would lead to a whole load of cranky reps to deal with ad THAT wouldn't do well for negotiations.
Looking out into MICROSOFT though, Noire had to admit to herself that the City, despite everything she had seen within it, impressed her with how it was still standing despite all these forces hammering away at its boarders. The Leanbox military may not be as equipped or disciplined as the rest of the other Nations', but they did deserve credit for keeping what they did keep secure.
She also began thinking about the Letter of invitation to this Gala, and the person whom had sent her it in the first place. Noire had no doubts in her mind that Vert wanted to know why this was happening, she half-expected even Blanc, CPU White Heart of Lowee to be making moves against her because of this, but she had heard nothing from her representatives at Lowee, stationed there before her return. Now that she thought about it, she didn't know anything about what was going on in Lowee, nobody did. It was like the entire Nation had closed itself off, isolating itself like a caged animal from the rest of Gamindustri.
If someone were to ask her, Noire would say that Vert had sent this Letter out to her, so they could meet and talk about why she had begun co-operating with her arch rival. According to her past experiences with Vert, though they weren't nearly as numerous as the ones with Neptune, she had come off as arrogant prideful and domineering, looking down on her Nation though she still tried to keep somewhat of a level head. Especially later on in the fighting. Things would probably spiral downhill somehow though, resulting in a brawl between the two CPUs that would level Leanbox even with Noire not being in her own territory. Leanbox was such a small Nation compared to Lastation thanks to the difference in territories on their respective landmasses, small enough that if they were to duke it out, her new skillset would make it so that the entire Nation would lose everything...
She was NOT joking, either.
Within her being, she felt IT stir within her, something she had gained a while back after she had separated form Neptune and Nico. To be more exact, she had gained IT some time after she first began getting these tasks started. IT, which offered her powers unlike any weapon she had gained. A weapon that surpassed the High Frequency blade by a wide margin, a weapon that could very well destroy practically anything that stood in its way. It was almost like it was a weapon designed for those whose conviction would slay armies, a divine weapon unlike any other. She'd been fortunate enough that it chose her as its owner rather than someone evil like these so-called Chaos Gods. Training with this weapon was slow and painstakingly agonizing, for every attempt she made to control this weapon's power feltlike she was struggling to go up a hill with dozes of cannonballs weighing her down.
Placing a hand on her chest, Noire whispered through her mind consoling thoughts, gently soothing its agitation. Her earlier thoughts must have frustrated the weapon, cause it had just now decided to resonate to them. When she felt that the weapon was adequately calm, Noire looked back out into the city, the two images of her two most important people (aside from Mr LB) coming to her head. Her eyes filled with slight longing, betraying her inner desire to see them again. "Nico... Neptune… I wonder what you two are doing right now…"
One of those people, a certain crimson haired Spec Ops Agent, stood within the centre of a hill-like landscape, overlooking the vastness of the wilderness. He couldn't see anything except for grass and fields, perfect for this training idea he had concerning his strongest Devil Arm, which rested on his back, Tethered there by hiss Demonic Power. The demonic sword feasted on that energy eagerly, like usual. It honestly got a chuckle out of him, making him feel like a parent watching their child feed for the first time.
But, that wasn't wha he was here for, nope, no sir. Not when he had an… interesting idea for training.
'Say, Biko. Soul Edge's telekinesis allows it to manipulate the surroundings like lift a canyon pillar into the air, right?'
'Indeed. With how many Souls Soul Edge as devoured, its powers have become quite potent. It would even be possible for it to affect the surroundings just by flaring is power. Why do you ask?'
Nico grinned at this information, a childish, eager grin that could only be matched by an epic-level prankster. His inner child was coming out, for the first time in a long while… and he was letting it. This had been a long time coming, he felt. It had been far too long since he got to try some of these outlandish Ideas into his head. Ideas that have just been sitting there, waiting to be tested but never getting the chance to come out into the light…
Until now.
This one involved Soul Edge's telekinesis, an ability he didn't use very often due to having used its other powers more often. Sometimes he would use it to lock an opponent in place, like an enemy or two, but that was it. If he wanted it for defensive purposes, he manipulated the environment to his advantage like by puling earth from the ground into pillars that would stop enemy attacks from getting to him. He could have it stop attacks from reaching him, then direct them away before going in for the kill. Telekinesis had a lot of potential to it, yet he had always felt that he could have done… well, more with it. Like he was wasting this particular ability.
Until he remembered a little idea he wanted to try out… one that he nearly giggled like a schoolgirl at the thought of. This was going to be the most fun he would have in a while if he could pull it off. While he had other means available when it came to this sword, it didn't hurt to have more. One could find a way to lock some of Soul Edge's powers, so if he had other tricks up his sleeve it would make his survival a whole lot easier… as well as that of his companions. 'Oh, you know. Just a little something I want to try out with it. I doubt I would have bee able to do this with Soul Edge before due to the lack of power, but…'
'Whatever you have planned, I will follow. I am you after all, or rather I am a part of you. We will face our trials as one team, and if this white idiot of yourself gets his ass into gear, it could be possible for him to join the team.'
Deep within his mind, Nico heard sarcastic scoff come from his inner beast's aspect of his mind, the beast itself growling inside his gut. The male had t roll his eyes as well, like that would ever happen. That guy wouldn't allow anyone to control him, not even himself. The thought of this guy acceding to another's will made Nico want to laugh till the end of days.
'Well, anyways, here we go…'
Closing his eyes, Nico focused on Soul Edge, calling upon its power of telekinesis. He felt it reach to his call, rattling over his back. He could feel the vibrations, so he new that he had its attention. Nico then mentally commanded Soul Edge to activate its Telekinesis… on himself. He could feel the surprise radiating from bot Soul Edge AND his to aspects at this move, which only made his crazy grin widen all the more. Maybe he had spent a little too long with the Mad Magician, but hell if he cared.
His theory was this: if Soul Edge could control the environment with Telekinesis or even itself with how it could be used as a separate being like it did with Logan before, then why not have it carry him through the air like some pseudo flight? It was indeed possible, and considering how many Souls his Devil Arm had devoured thus far, the blade's strength should be enough to do this. Obviously since this trick was relatively new he would have to work on it, but hey he only had about what 3 weeks? Yeah, 3 weeks till the Gala, so he had plenty of time especially if he practiced this in his Inner World.
Soon, he felt Soul Edge rumble from behind him, signalling that it was ready, and with one mental command…
WHOOOOOSH!
The teen gasped and shouted when he felt himself shooting though the air like a missile. Everything round him became a blur, making vision quite difficult. The speed he was going right now FAR surpassed anything he did in his DPU From, save for that time he went fall speed to divert Logan's attention from Rinjiin. 'Whoa, whoa-whoa-whoa!' the male exclaimed in his mind, flailing about like a fish. Soul Edge remained tethered to his back, arguably even tighter so it didn't let go of him accidentally.
Looked like flying in DPU form and in human form were two completely different matters.
Frantically he tried commanding the sword to stop its activities, and it did… nearly causing him to impact the dirt below, resulting in him sliding along the ground to make a fissure. Fortunately, his reflexes kicked in, allowing the teen to slam his hand into the ground, and used it to propel himself into a forward flip. Landing with a mighty THUD, Nico slid across the ground for what seemed like an eternity before he came to a complete stop. A trail of dust went by him, his Trench coat clapping forwards from the forces acting on it. All the while however, the teen kept his breathing from coming out as ragged gasps while he tried to calm his racing heart.
Placing a hand on his chest, the teen looked behind him, wanting to see how much distance they had gained… and he had to almost gape at what he saw. Apparently, he had crossed over 1200 acres of land in a few seconds according to his calculations. His eyes nearly flew out their sockets (they did that a lt, didn't they? He blamed this adventure) at this revelation. 'Holy… shit…'
'I do believe that this idea, along with condensing Hellfire to form solid weapons, will require a LOT of work…'
'Yes indeed… to the Inner World, we go!'
Meanwhile, with the OTHER person Noire trusted…
"Hey Iffy, how about this?"
"Looks alright, I guess."
"C'mon, be serious here! I wanna look good enough to blow my Hubby's mind away!"
"Why're you coming to me for advice anyways? I'm not the one who has the most experience with this type of stuff."
"Nep-whaaaaa? Newspaper Scoop: Iffy has never had any fun!"
"THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT, AND YOU KNOW IT, NEP!"
Every one of the heroines were all located in a clothing store, one of the stores that sold party dresses. Thanks to the Gala being about 4 weeks away now, they had to go and get some proper apparel for it by decree of the judge IF. Their casual attires, the ones they usually take for their Quests and daily routines would not be enough, especially for an event like this. They'd stand out way too much, plus they would have been eyed with disdain by a majority of the party guests. None of them (not even Neptune) wanted to look like idiots at that place, thus they had decided to get some proper clothes.
Then, the Party had received word from MAGES. herself, whom communicated to them through the use of a telepathic Spell she had learned that excelled in long distance communication. She hadn't revealed that's he was in casual contact with Nico yet (nobody would want to wake up the wolves with a statement like that) but she did recommend a store they could visit for formal clothes. When IF had questioned how she knew of this store, MAGES looked reluctant to answer at first, but eventually she told her how she had used it herself, since she was supposed to go to the Gala as well. The brunette had to give her sympathies for that, since MAGES. was a civilian, so she would never have normally had to worry about such matters as these. The only reason she did this time was because she was one of the people who rescued her and Stefan from the Hellverse dungeon.
But that had led to this mess….
"Nep-Nep looks like she is having fun…" Compa remarked to herself, giggling behind her hand as she watched the preteen and the brunette. Her eyes shined with happiness at having to take a break from training to do something that girls did was a common thing. Th sight before her looked like this: Neptune looked like she was torn like a piece of paper between several dresses and was hounding IF, whom looked completely out of her comfort zone, for advice on which one would best suit her needs (and that of her 'Hubby') to her, it lead to nothing but a pointless struggle, and a source of great annoyance.
The purple haired CPU eyed the BOW with a pout on her face, her eyes glistening with serious intent. She threw her arms downward as she prepared her next response, and not a happy one. "But Iffy, I gotta look my best if I wanna make my Hubby have an M rated Scene with me. A girl's gotta look her best, ya know!" she whined.
At this, IF groaned, face-palming. "Ugh, I do NOT have the patience for this at 8 AM in the morning… Compa, could you deal with this please, I need some aspirin." she complained, the Nurse-in-training nodding happily. Even if her BOW status didn't allow her to get that many headaches, IF still felt like she would get one. It felt almost like a human part of her she had retained even after her transformation, ascension whatever.
"Yessy!" Compa happily replied before heading towards Neptune to give her the advice she sought.
With a sigh, IF sat down on a rubber seat, looking like she had run a marathon for an entire week with no breaks between. "How is it classy types deal with this?" she asked herself, sighing as she looked down at her hands which rested on her lap. Part of her wanted to get back to training or actually do something more useful than this. She had already made several new mutations that she had applied to her weapons and wanted to see those results herself. Shit like this just wasn't her forte, being a child soldier essentially but for no nation and only for herself.
Still though, IF didn't fool herself into thinking that high-ranking people like Noire would have it easier than people like her, who fought on the front lines with weapons, Skills and Magic. She had seen how Noire handled herself near the end of their stay in Lastation, as well as what Nico would have to go through by the time the Gala arrives. Even the classy types have their own hardships to deal with, some of them just had the misfortune of having to go though both sides of the same coin.
The Guild Agent sighed once more, she definitely was out of her comfort zone. IF had rarely been to any fancy parties like this, and during those times she never chose to wear anything fancy, just in her usual apparel. She never liked the atmosphere as she felt like she was being judged constantly. She much rather preferred being on the battlefield than in a ballroom.
She was a mercenary, a soldier, and that was her calling.
As a contrast however, Neptune and Compa seem to be enjoying themselves like normal, like something as important as a Gala didn't register as anything different to them than what they normally do. On a daily basis, no less. To them, it probably as that, those two lacked the sense of danger that IF and Nico had, due to their upbringings and natures. Compa just radiated innocence and purity, hell she probably had that as a personification, in other words she was the manifestation of those two things. Neptune on the other had just didn't care, she just wanted to have fun, try to seduce Nico, and enjoy her life. Something she had been unable to do before thanks to being a CPU.
In a way, IF envied that about them, those two could be so carefree because they didn't get the scope of what was going on. The way they were acting right now, basically amounted to the saying 'innocence is bliss' where they were not aware of what was going on, yet that lack of awareness allowed them to fully enjoy themselves, immersing themselves into doing something they deemed fun like clothes shopping. It didn't help that Neptune had been going on for weeks now about how they needed different apparels for different scenarios, likely so she could try and seduce Nico as well as have fun… she'd probably say something about both being equally as important to her.
"We're done!"
…Speak of the Devil and he shall appear.
The cry of Compa brought the brunette out of her musings, making her raise her head to look in the direction the other two girls she had come here with. Once she did, IF saw that Compa and Neptune had finally chosen their dresses and decided to give them an evaluation. Even though she probably wasn't the best person to ask about such details since she didn't have as much a fashion sense as those two. At least, not in the same way as them.
First up, Compa.
Standing there swishing about while smiling like the rising sun, Compa looked as peachy as anyone could be in a situation like this. She wore a peachy yellow colored dress that went right to her knees, ending at the under-boobs to show a lot of her large cleavage. On her feet were a pair of open toed high heels, while she wore matching cuffs on her hands. Her headband was replaced with a peachy white variant that matched her dress, while sporting a crimson flower on top. She also wore a pearl necklace that had a smaller version of the flower hanging over one of the pearls, further pronouncing the purity and innocence her dress conveyed. In the end, she looked stunning, even to a soldier like IF. Oh, how she could imagine Nico's reaction to seeing shit like this, it would be so priceless.
"W…Wow, Compa…" IF barely managed to get out, such was the amount of awe that she found herself in. Not only did Compa look great, but she swore that her skin was bathed in this pure white aura as well, an aura either of happiness or something else, the brunette couldn't figure out due to being so totally blown away. "Y-You look freaking great!" she exclaimed after a moment of gawking at the Nurse-In-Training. Several guys passing through the store also gave her looks, looks of lust that made IF send a sharp glare their way to keep them away.
Compa giggled cutely, unaware of the looks she drew to herself with the beauty she was radiating like an aura used for battle. This felt like such a nice change compared to breaking a sweat during training, something she had done for the last few months already. She felt like she was close to unlocking this power's full potential, she had unlocked its 'core' energy already, so it shouldn't be long now. She was close, so close she could almost taste it. Nevertheless, these thoughts disappeared from her mind as she gave a light hop, her boobs bouncing slightly as she responded unknowingly giving a few onlookers' nosebleeds. "Hehe, thanks Iffy, that's sweet!"
"Hey, what about me?! C'mon Iffy, get with the program! You're judging two hot gals not one!" Neptune's whiny voice broke the atmosphere, making IF develop a twitching brow while Compa just giggled again at the cuteness displayed in front of her. Neptune pouted on her end, flinging her arms downwards with multiple tick marks over her head. "Mou…! Compa has such a lead over little old me…!" she whined… before an edgy smirk formed on her lips. "Well, at least the human me, anyways."
IF rolled her eyes at that, while unbeknownst to the two girls Compa sneaked a few glances towards her chest, images of Purple Heart's chest appearing in her mind… before she quickly shook those thoughts off her mind. 'Nope! Not he time, Compa! Not the time, not the time!'
Now, it was Neptune's turn, and now that she was being looked over, the preteen couldn't help but give a childish grin and a peace sign while placing a hand over her hip. It settled some of IF's irritation, before she focused on what the bratty CPU had chosen for her apparel. Neptune wore a simple red dress that reached her thighs, a pair of matching heels with red straps adorning her feet. The dress left her shoulders bare and hooked itself over her cleavage showing the area above it as well as her shoulder blades. She wore a neckless of pink pearls around her neck, with a bracelet on her right wrist. The dress clung to her petite form, making her look absolutely adorable. "How do I look, Iffy? Do I look fabulous?" she asked with a grin, doing some poses that showed off he outfit, several onlookers again noticing this and flying back via nosebleeds.
"Whatya think, Iffy?" the preteen questioned, either not knowing what she had just did or simply didn't care. If she were to be asked, IF would say that it was a both of both, knowing how much of a troll Neptune was.
The Guild Agent rolled her eyes at this, waving a dismissive hand to the side. "I guess it's alright, for you, Nep…" she remarked, making Neptune pout again at the lack of awe that her dress had put her in. Though, in IF's mind she only hid her awe so that it didn't inflate Neptune's overly sized ego any higher. Goddess knows how much it inflated since the revelation that she as a CPU. "Now let's get dresses for me now." she suggested, recalling how aside from MAGES. message, they had been persuaded (read: forced) to wear fancy getup's by their resident childish CPU, using the promise of baffling a certain Spec Ops Agent as incentive.
With that, IF began to search for dresses. While she did so, the innocent nurse looked around for any signs of the man they crush on. "Say, Nep-Nep, have you seen Ni-Ni around?" she asked with confusion and slight concern, looking around to find their resident DPU. If he was here right now, then she would have been even happier than before to show off her outfit, as even though she didn't notice the looks, Compa definitely knew that she would attract attention when they reached the Gala. She'd say she was only selectively oblivious or something along those lines
"Well, I last saw him before we headed out, so I guess he's training?" Neptune replied, confused. "Hmmmm, ah ha!" her eyes widened as a metaphorical lightbulb switched on inside her head,
This caused the girl to blink owlishly in surprise. "Huh? Nep-Nep, what is it?" Compa asked, "did you figure out where he is?!"
Looking back at her friend, Neptune responded with a dumb shake of the head, "Nope, I just realized…" in the next moment, Neptune suddenly threw off her clothes like a villain shedding their disguise, revealing her to be wearing a dark grey trench coat and hat like a detective, holding a spy glass, "it's time for Go-go gadget Nep-Nep to take the stage!"
Compa could only smile weakly at her friend as she ran off to find lost party member. "Oh Nep-Nep, as random as usual…"
"So... IT is nearly TIME..."
In a cave, the being that was cloaked in darkness, save only for some piercing eyes that would haunt anyone's nightmares, looked over to Arfoire herself as she worked on something that it didn't care for. They had already gotten the majority of the items that they would need from this Nation, though the woman wanted to get rid of the CPUs immediately after. It had to step in before all its hard work in grooming her to be a better warrior was for nothing. That would not be allowed, no matter what would happen. Not to mention, there were some things in the other Nations that could be useful to them, if the memories of the geological layout of these landmasses were like it remembered. Odds were, they weren't but it didn't shy away from a challenge. This would be NOTHING compared to back then...
"Looks like." Arfoire nodded her head while immersing herself in her work, glancing up at the calendar which showed that there would only be a few more weeks till the Gala... till the moment EVERYTHING would begin. They have worked hard for this moment, so everything had to be perfect. Now, not only will that pathetic CPU Green Heart be finished off, the Capital of this ruined Nation will finally fall and those Pesky brats along with that upstart DPU will be able to do nothing about it. "With the poison I found from one of the few records I could find of your era, it should put that bratty DPU out of commission."
"IF it WORKS... while WE are on that MATTER... which POISON did you CHOOSE...?"
It had been something that the being had been wondering about for a while, what kind of Poison did Arfoire chose from the DPU Era? There were dozens of them out there thanks to that fat oaf Nurgle, some were weak and others were strong enough to utterly eradicate a DPU down to their souls. As with any godly entity, DPUs are immortal, in which that they will live forever. However, these warriors can be killed on the battlefield, but this is usually due to a more powerful demonic being, and the longer one lives the stronger they become. However, even if they 'die' it is only their bodies that are killed. Their powerful souls remain and they float about in the Devildimension until their energies can be recovered enough to reform their bodies. Essentially the DPUs are immortal across multiple planes of existence, making truly killing them a near-impossible task. That is why the older DPUs are terrifically feared and respected across the Devildimension, for they have had the experience and combat prowess needed to survive for as long as they have in a dimension where only the strong survive. There have been times where Items have been made that can severely weaken a DPU's power, however most of these items have been lost to time, their use practically vanishing after the end of the DPU era.
Not only that, but one of their most powerful abilities is that they possess what is known as 'Bio Boost', which constantly increases their power the more they fight opponents, as well as train in their Inner Worlds. This Bio Boost activates instantly the moment a DPU is actively fighting or training, and it will keep increasing the DPU's power, energy reserves, strength, speed, other physical attributes and resistances. With their immortality being how it is, a DPU can become strong enough to destroy entire galaxies and more with ease. This is the largest reason why the older a DPU is, the stronger they are, as they have been in constant conflict and evolved to new levels, gaining abilities and powers along the way.
If Arfoire had chosen the WRONG Poison however, then their newest DPU would most certainly adapt to it so that it could never be used against him again. The power of a Bio Boost is not to be messed with, not to mention in human form, DPUs have some minor physical, mental and magical art resistances. These are born through conflict and develop over both time and over the countless battles a DPU engages in on a daily basis. When they turn into their DPU Forms however, these resistances are enhanced through their demonic powers to inhuman degrees, their development boosted as well. This means that when they return to human form, these additions are retained as though they never transformed back.
So yeah, the difference between these fake Goddesses and the DPUs of its time... is pretty big.
And if the OTHER powers a DPU had back then were taken into consideration the gap is exponentially bigger.
Arfoire looked behind her at him and, instead of outright saying it, she procured a Book from her Inventory and tossed it to him, already open to the page she had gotten the poison from.
Catching it, the being looked at the poison, and the second it did, a sinister snake-like laughter escaped its lips. A laughter that, after hearing so many times, Arfoire managed to build an immunity to it although it still made minor chills crawl up her spine.
"YYYYEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSS...! This POISON will do NICELY...! It shall INCAPACITATE him INSTANTLY! That FOOL will not KNOW what hit HIM...!"
While laughing, part of the being told it that there was still a chance that the upstart DPU would be able to survive this poison. This poison wasn't the typical destruction poison, no, this one was way worse. This one focused itself on doing much more than that. Usually when afflicted with this poison, DPUs would perish, but those who survived emerged significantly stronger for it. Therefore, with the way this upstart has been developing it would be a 50/50 chance for them to win.
It was all a game of luck at this point.
Chapter end!
Here you go guys! The last chapter before the Gala FINALLY comes in. Now, be warned, the next one might be later than normal because I have to write ti wit the help of King Carlos, whose got way more experience in writing politics than me thanks to reading so many Wuxias. I'll be relying on him for a lot of the next chapter, so if the next update is slower, you all know why.
Also, can someone tell me how royally fucked the Goddesses would be if they were to encounter the Chaos Gods or heck, ANYTHING from the warhammer franchise? Those guys are the definition of OP, seriously.
Anyways, read, fav, follow, review the usual, and thanks those who do review. It really makes me smile knowing people are actually reading this. Seriously, never imagined I would get this far.
Now then, peace out! :)
