Chapter 122 - Yvoire and Nico

Panting, he could only start panting as he made his way down some wooden staircases.

Jeez, that girl seemed damn persistent to follow him, what the hell?

What, did she seem onto him or something?

Nah, that couldn't be, women were usually frail and dumb like apes, how could one of THEM have known what he would really be doing?

Pft, women were dumb and stupid.

Still, he didn't need to think about her anymore, not when he got a job to do.

He made his way down to the bottommost floor, where the Basilicom housed the dungeons that used to contain prisoners. There used to be a whole load of them as precious 'trophies' from their raids, but thanks to, well, what's been happening, they were practically bare now. That was why there were so few Guards down here.

Not for long, he thought with a sneer.

Lord Mott had given him express orders, and he would follow them to the latter.

He had to go to the deepest floors in the Basilicom, then get everything ready.

Soon enough, the 'feast' would be beginning, and once that happens he will be able to hold his head high in front of his peers.

For the glory of Lord Khorne!

Blood for the Blood God! Skulls for the Skull Throne!


"Wai-Wai-Wai-Wait! No way, whoa! The heck?!" Neptune shrieked, flailing her arms back as she backpedaled, her eyes nothing but white circles as she looked upon the blonde woman before her with a look that could only be described as both baffled and disbelieving. Like she truly hadn't realized who this woman was from the moment that she saw her. She probably wouldn't have bought that, if she A: hadn't seen the symbols, and B: saw Noire as a liar. Noire wasn't the type to lie, and when she did it wasn't really that good of a lie… even though she fell for that lie hook line and sinker. At least this time she had proof other than Noire this time, though, so hey that had to be something, right? "Y-Y-Y-YOU'RE LEANBOX'S CPU?! LADY GREEN HEART?!"

Her reaction, however, had the opposite effect on Vert, whom could only smirk in amusement while hiding it behind her fingers. A feminine giggle escaped her lips, her eyes oozing with mirth at the sight of the drama in front of her. "My, this is an unexpected reaction. But yes, I am indeed the CPU of Leanbox. Why, do you not believe me, Neptune?" she asked her, tilting her head sideways while maintaining her smirk. That hadn't been what she expected, but for some reason, she didn't feel anything like shock towards it. Instead, she found the purplette's reaction to be quite amusing… as well as refreshing. It had been a while since she talked to someone, and the thought of someone like Neptune lowering her head before her felt… weird, to think about.

Not how she expected this whole thing to go, but she'd take what she could get.

"Well… wowee, this is unexpected. I totally haven't prepped any lines for this…" Neptune began, thinking of something to say to clear away this tension building in her chest. Sadly, for her, for once her brain just couldn't come up with anything, so she turned to her failsafe: fourth wall breaking. "Hey, what's the deal author? Vert's supposed to meet me after I recover from poison in canon lore, why change it over?" She asked with an impish pout, looking towards the audience while doing so.

At this, Noire rolled her eyes, having figured something like this would happen. It was both a random, and Neptune, thing for her to do after all. "Don't blame the author, Neptune." She chided. "He probably has his reasons for something like this, plus it makes a change from the whole retelling of canon gig people do for Fanfiction." She then turned to Vert, who looked as if what had happened was a normal occurrence. 'Wow, she's more open-minded than I thought…' the blackette mused, switching which leg would be crossed over the other. "Anyways, this is your chance, Vert, to see for yourself if Neptune's worth getting to know."

Hearing those words, Neptune blinked as her face morphed to one of befuddlement as she glanced towards the ravenette. "Huh? Say wha?"

"I see… you are right." Vert replied, nodding while ignoring the curiosity and confusion of the preteen. There were more important things for her to think about right now, like the preteen for example. "Neptune, as a CPU yourself, even if you do not remember, I have to ask: what do you intend?"

Neptune blinked once more, confusion ringing through her being. "Huh? Again, wha?" she asked, scratching her head. "Uhhhhh, sorry, ya gonna have to run that by me again, cause this Nep's understanding characteristic is at an all-time low right now…" when she mentioned the 'all-time low' part, she had raised her arms and placed her hands in chopping motions, then moved them to her waist, and finally crouching to put her hands at her ankles. Afterward, she stood back up as if nothing had ever happened, making the other two CPUs sweatdrop.

'Is… she serious?' Vert questioned herself, momentarily thinking that this Neptune may not be the same person as whom Noire said she was, before she realized something. 'Oh, that's right, I almost forgot. Since she is sporting the amnesia trope I see in my games, she will likely not be able to endure a political conversation, unlike myself and Noire…' she thought. Though, if she knew Neptune better, then Vert would think she was not adept at those situations at all. "What I mean is, what are your intentions for Leanbox?" Vert clarified further, hoping to get her point across. "Even if you do not remember, you are indeed the CPU of Planeptune. Therefore, should your identity become known, people may start to lose their cool since you are in another Nation than your own. With Leanbox as it is, that fear will likely be worse."

That was the least of the things that could go wrong, but Vert wouldn't say them since Neptune wouldn't get them. One of them would be that, with her lack of a memory, it would be pointless to ask what she thought of the Planeptune/Lastation alliance since she wouldn't be involved with the politics. Having an amnesiac as a ruler didn't seem like a wise decision either, and according to what she had heard from her reps in Planeptune, it didn't seem like they knew of Neptune's return from Celestia. Therefore, it seemed like Neptune didn't have a hand in the political decisions the Nation has made as of late. Not only that, but Vert also concluded this based on the fact that Neptune had come here without much of an armed escort unlike Noire, according to the attendance rosters she had read.

Noire herself kept silent, watching the two interact with each other. Honestly, even with everything that was going on, this all still felt somewhat surreal to her. It seemed like only yesterday when she, Vert and Neptune were at each other's throats on Celestia. The memories from back then didn't help in negating this feeling either, in fact, they helped spread it through her system like a virus. However, instead, here they were showing little to no hostility towards one another. From what she could tell, it seemed that Vert still didn't know what to make of Neptune's new state of mind, hence why she could see signs of confusion in her body language. Miniscule shuffling, the random twitches of her hands and brows, the works. On the other hand, Neptune looked as carefree as Noire remembered her from their time together back in Lastation. Unaware, or simply not even knowing, about the potentially dangerous situation she had found herself in.

'Still, something's different about them… both of them…' she couldn't help but think, concern laced within her thoughts as Noire eyed the two evenly. She made sure to keep her thoughts hidden behind a mask of blankness, however. 'Neptune's aura seems like its been altered somewhat… its hiding something deep within itself, something I can't quite make out even with IT helping me.' Her eyes then wandered off of Neptune's form and over to Vert's, similar thoughts playing out in her mind. 'Then there's Vert. I couldn't pick up her presence at all when I was back in that main hall and had to resort to asking for help from the locals. That was the Von Kessel family, I believe, some of Leanbox's best troops. But, regarding Vert… there's something within her, too… similar to my situation, actually…'

Whilst Noire had her mental thoughts occupying her, both CPUs waited for Neptune to answer Vert's question. Said preteen definitely wasn't unaware of this, especially when she looked between them to see their gazes firmly fixed on her (for different reasons of course) prompting her to chuckle nervously. "ehehehehe, wow, this is getting kinda awkward again, wow…" she remarked to herself, before she hummed to herself and began to think. It took her a moment, but eventually, Neptune's eyes widened as a lightbulb (both figuratively and literally) switched on above her head. "Oh, yeah, that's it! Its been a while and so much stuff have happened that I completely forgot!"

"Hm?" Vert questioned, her expression being one of surprise when she heard Neptune's… well, rather loud response. Though, if what she was seeing was genuine, then this Neptune seemed to have that as a usual personality setting. "My, whatever do you mean?" she questioned, wanting to get answers out of the amnesiac CPU already. She may be one of the more patient CPUs, but this was slowly pushing it. Hopefully, they would all get their answers by the end of this.

Turning to look at her again, Neptune gave a wide, childish grin. A grin that just screamed innocence and purity as she gave Vert a victory sign while her grin became a toothy one. "I'm here to help people, have fun, kick monster booty and take names! That's me, the Nep-Nep extraordinaire!" she cheerfully bellowed, her free hand on her hip and her legs spread in a V shape. Just like her hand, making her look like some sort of superhero trying to appease the populace.

In this case, the populace being Vert and Noire.

"So… you don't intend to try and take over the other Nations?"

"Huh? No way, that's too boring. I just wanna have fun. Isn't that much better than fighting some weird, stupid war nobody even remembers the point of any more? Plus me and my friends, you guys included, get to save people, so isn't that something to go for?"

Vert had been the one to ask that first question, then Neptune answered it with a question of her own. That answer, however, had been the most genuine thing that the woman had heard from Planeptune's CPU. It made her realize that Noire truly had been right on the money about her. That Neptune truly HAD changed, changed from the person she had once been to the person she is now. Honestly, even though her childish, naive outlook on the world felt like it could become annoying at times, her easy-going nature, infectiously positive attitude, all of that felt a FAR better state of being than before, and thus Vert didn't want that to change. "I see…"

"So?" Vert looked over to Noire, who had a smug look on her face as she looked expectantly towards the CPU of Leanbox. "You believe me now?"

The woman nodded. As difficult it had been at first, it truly did seem like Neptune had changed, and likely for the better. Whatever happened to her post her exile from Celestia had done wonders for her personality. Seeing her like this, it made her realize something else, too. If this was what she had been like when Noire had stayed with her in Lastation, then it was no wonder why she began to see her as someone who wasn't an enemy, someone whom she didn't want to kill. This kind of personality could lend Neptune a friend from nearly any person, her optimism being enough to brighten an entire room of people.

With this in her mind, Vert once again to her seat, and gestured wordlessly to Neptune if she wanted the seat beside Noire. "Now then, with that business out of the way…" she began, watching with no small amount of amusement as Neptune plopped herself onto the seat and began lazily kicking her feet in the air. In comparison, Noire looked like she was sitting next to a cactus, wary of the slightest possibility of being glomped by the affectionate preteen.

Maybe…

Maybe these two could help her along with Nico, as well… maybe even the rest of those energies she had sensed.

One could only hope, right? And right now, she had a LOT of hope building within her chest thanks to this discovery.

"Perhaps… we can have a more civil, relaxed conversation…"


In contrast to the lessening tension between Noire, Neptune, and Vert… the tension between Nico and Yvoire in a completely different room located on the opposite side of the Basilicom, only intensified. Tenfold, even.

The moment that Nico entered the room, Yvoire had been on high alert, quickly getting out of his chair, losing interest in its fate and no longer acknowledging its existence. He would have made to do something more drastic like summon one of the few weapons he kept on him at all times from his Inventory, had Nico not raised his hand in a pacifying gesture and said those words.

That he wanted to talk…

To. TALK.

Yvoire almost wanted to laugh at something so absurd. It was no secret how much Nico despised him, and the feeling was mutual. This hatred for each other stemmed from something that happened deep in their past, but nonetheless the hatred there was genuine. Whenever they were in the same room, it would always be a battle of pure willpower between them under a civil guise, though something like that being used to describe Nico always left a sour taste in Yvoire's mouth. After all, every time Yvoire looked at this boy, looked right into his eyes… He only saw something else, something inhuman.

Whenever he looked into Nico's eyes, he would see something… akin to an animal.

The way he would look at someone with those eyes, a civil look to the casual observer… but if one were to look even deeper, peel back the disguise to look at what truly lay beneath those eyes, they wouldn't see that much humanity in those eyes one bit. They would see many things behind that gaze, darkness, bloodlust, a simmering desire to sink claws into anything and everything around it that it saw as a threat… which was pretty much everything in existence. Yvoire would know, since he'd seen the boy do such things before… to criminals, who dared betray Lady Green Heart's will. It was a fool's choice to call that BOY… though he wasn't even sure he was that even, a human. No, it felt much more appropriate to call someone like Nico an animal, a beast, a beast that could potentially lash out at anything that dared agitate it. If he were to consider what differentiated him from the so-called 'Demons' which were tarnishing Leanbox according to the reports… he'd find very little.

This boy… He may be considered a human at first glance, but that could not be any further from the truth. One only had to look deeper, to look past the mask to see what he truly was deep inside, the truth that for some reason even he tried to hide…

A… motherfucking MONSTER.

"You wish to 'talk', you say?" Yvoire questioned, narrowing his eyes cautiously towards the boy, scowling. He didn't let up on his guard, not for a second. After all, with what he knew about Nico, there could only be one REAL reason he would have come here. Also, what had happened to his guards? Whilst the majority of them had been stationed by the Main Hall to protect the Nobles from external threats (and to resolve any quarreling), there still was a platoon's worth scattered throughout the floors. Security had been airtight, so how could Nico have gotten here without resorting to violence? That was his line of thinking, and considering who was in front of him, he wasn't entirely wrong to be wary. "You are not pulling the wool over my eyes, boy, what need would you have to talk to me? Alone, in my room unexpected?"

In hindsight, Nico wondered about that himself. Judging by what tones were used, Yvoire didn't seem like he knew what had happened to his guards either. No, it was more likely that he had stationed guards outside his room, and the fact that he had got in without as much as breaking a sweat, not even fighting to alert the old man, rung many alarm bells within his mind. Knowing what Nico was capable of thought, he must have figured that IT had to be responsible. Not a bad theory, if it were true since IT was usually hidden from the five senses. Still, it was not true this time, his inner beast was not responsible for this. "Don't worry, as much as we hate each other mutually, I'm not here to kill you." Nico replied, making a hand gesture that showed that he wasn't armed. Rebellion had been stored back into his Void Storage while he had traveled here, all the while reviewing what IF had handed him.

Let's just say, that what she had gave him would be fundamental for his argument with this old geezer.

"If you think about it, if I wanted to kill you, you'd have been dead long before your mind even processed what had happened." He continued to state as a matter of fact. Neither of them could disagree with that statement, as Nico may be the best killer of other people amongst the Spec Ops Agents. Someone who tore apart his enemies without mercy, and left nothing but a pile of bloody corpses, a pile the size of a mountain, in his wake. There was a reason why he had the nickname 'Black Reaper' after all. Another thing that he had in common with the Black Swordsman, Guts now that the redhead thought about it, since they both were cloaked in black and had badassery under their belts. "You and I know this for a fact, don't we?"

The way he stated that, Yvoire felt like he had no choice to begrudgingly nod in agreement, gritting his teeth while schooling himself. He made his features slack, slack enough that they returned to this emotionless, formal façade that he wore whenever he dealt with snobby politics and scandals against Leanbox as a whole. He couldn't be caught with his figurative pants down, not with this 'thing' before him. That would be like just ASKING him to draw ou his claws and run him through, no matter how much he wanted to admit otherwise even in his prime Yvoire admitted to being unable to take Nico down. That kid's claws were greater than his ever could be…

Which was a large reason why he was known as a monster to begin with.

"Alright, let's say I believe you when you say you want to talk…" the old man began, slowly crossing his arms beneath his chest, putting his hands within his robes while he gave an impassive stare towards Nico, who had used is beastly powers to close the door behind them, locking it in place. "What is it that you want of me? Be quick, otherwise, I will call security to this room." He demanded, trying to show that he wasn't threatened by the kid's demeanor.

May as well have not done a thing though, since Nico remained unmoved by the sight. "You did that, and you would have been responsible for the loss of many husbands and fathers." Nico stated dryly as if he didn't believe Yvoire had forgotten just WHO it was that was under the other's mercy. Nico, if that were to happen, if Yvoire were to call security, he would DEFINITELY follow up on his word. Nico never gave his word up lightly, after all. If they were to attack him, they'd forfeit their lives. "But let's not go down the path of blood and carnage just yet. What I want is to ask you for your assistance."

"My assistance?" Yvoire questioned, arching a brow. His face may have been impassive, but his tone did all that it needed to, so his confusion got conveyed. Of all the things that Nico could have asked for, like money, power, or perhaps even a few women or two (goddess knows the brat has a sizable group already), THIS wasn't something that cropped into the man's mind. Not to mention, Nico rarely, if ever, asked for someone's help. He preferred to tackle his problems on his own, so what had changed his mind so? No matter, Yvoire felt that there had to be a reason to this, so he wanted to know what that was. "You have never asked for assistance from anyone before, so why is it that you ask help of me rather than someone you don't absolutely despise?"

Nico's lips tightened, as if to repress something. It was true, the teen didn't like asking others for help, it went against his individuality. He was someone who strongly relied on himself, after all. However, with the scale of the current events, Nico didn't see any other option. Killing all the demonic forces in his DPU form had been one option, but that would not be a realistically viable method of conduct, plus he was only one person. There were likely dozens of Hellgates, each scattered across the Land of Green Pastures. He lacked too much information, therefore he couldn't do that. Plus, there were too many forces at work, forces that would destroy countless lives if he attempted something like that. "Believe me, if I had any other choice, I would do exactly as you say. I would rather be anywhere but here, but then again we can't always get what we want. Though, I'm sure you know this already. Now then, the reason why I'm asking you for help is that I believe that the Nobility need to be reformed."

"What are you talking about?" Yvoire asked again, now growing slightly more irritated with the heretical words coming out of Nico's mouth. Though, what else could he expect from an abomination like him? "The Nobility are fine as they are, boy. This Nation has thrived for centuries under the current means of government. Its longstanding history up until this point is proof of this." He stated, pride oozing from his words. Yvoire knew this to be a fact, he firmly believed that the governing system was fair and balanced. The Nation's economy flourished like a well-blooming flower, while the Military that he was head of had been just as thriving. Even with the constraints put upon it to keep it under control. He himself had imposed those rules so that the Military wouldn't think of revolting against the current government.

It was this talk that made Nico despise the man so. Seriously, this was one of the main reasons why Nico HATED politicians with as much passion as he did. It was a wonder why a Nation such as Leanbox, which didn't have many of the advantages the other Nations had, still remained standing with bigots like this person in charge. This guy, who always stayed cooped up within his office or his quarters working, believed that the current system was fair and just. A system which was so full of corruption and deceit that it wouldn't even fool someone who had none of the five senses. It felt so disgusting, so sickening that it made Nico want to laugh if he could. How blind could this asshole be? No, wait, that was a question that didn't need an answer, it had been plainly obvious for some time now, that this man's faith exceeded most reason. Especially now, thanks to Vert acting more like a leader for once.

Faith and religion always blinded people, it was a fact of life in Gamindustri, and why those who were more fanatical than others discriminated against the Spec Ops. Just because they refused to submit themselves to some pathetic religion.

"Really? You think that these 'Nobles' are just?" Nico commented dryly, putting his leather gloved hands inside his Trench Coat pockets. If his inner beast was allowed to come out… oh, how it would be boiling in primal fury and disgust at just how naive this man was. Right now, faith was NOT the answer to everyone's problems, no matter what they were like personally, Nico knew for a FACT that the Goddesses weren't strong enough to take on anything like the Chaos Gods, even the greater Demons under their service. The faith in them was just too low at this point. Right now, the only thing people could do right now was to 'rebel' against the injustice, to bear their claws and fangs, and to fight for their livelihoods. THAT has been the way things have been since the dawn of creation, THAT was the way of Gamindustri.

A nod was what Yvoire responded with. "Hmph, yes, they are indeed. I myself have lived in this land for over 70 years, ample time to set an example to be followed for all Nobles. My family HAS been one of the original families, the first few who were founded during Leanbox's beginning. We have always strived to be the best example for the rest of our citizens, we have maintained order for all these centuries, even when our beloved CPU has not been around. So, do not dare to presume that the people we have presided over for all these years have need of reform! They are just as fine as they are!"

'… I wonder, were the past DPUs as blind as this man seems to be? For this man to not notice just what has been truly going on… it is most… vexing, to say the least.'

"Let's change focus then." Nico proposed, mentally agreeing with Biko's assessment. After all, it seemed that pursuing that train of conversation would get them nowhere, with how utterly consumed by his fanatical devotion towards the CPU Green Heart Yvoire seemed to be. It filled him with disgust and disdain for the man, yet that didn't feel all too different from what he had usually felt for the man. Nonetheless, even with all this, he STILL needed to sway the man to his side if what he planned had a chance of working. "You said that you set an example and as such the other nobles must have followed."

Yvoire nodded in resolution, firmly believing his words on the matter. He moved his arms as if making a grand gesture towards his faith as if it were a physical being instead of the concept that it actually was. Something that didn't differentiate him from the rest of his people, unfortunately. As ashamed as he was to admit this, Nico didn't feel much when he saw this simply because he had been expecting it. Truly, humanity had sunken to a new low that they would depend on something as foolish as faith to solve their problems. It was like the ultimate damsel in distress scenario. "Obviously, even someone of as little intelligence as yours must be capable of understanding human words so why make me repeat myself. I showed them all exactly what they should do, taught many of them personally even, so I have no doubts that they must be capable of moving this nation towards their glory of old."

Remaining unfazed by the insult (although internally was a different story), Nico glanced idly towards the window behind Yvoire, before his gaze focused back on the elderly Priest. His eyes showed nothing to indicate the storm of emotions boiling over within his gut. "But, how can you be so sure that they are really moving this nation forward? I mean, just look at how all of them came to this party to play around, while at this very instant you yourself are still working?"

"It is merely some small festivities and I am sure that they must be also discussing important things." The man replied casually, as if talking about the weather. Yet, the firmness from his previous statements so far remained. It was an ever-constant, and he read reports from important festivities like these. Those reports didn't lie and showed how the Nobles conversed both civilly as well as showed progress in making changes. Hell, he even implemented some of them himself, knowing how the overall government of Leanbox needed some of those changes and not others.

At this point, it took all of Nico's willpower not to scoff at what he was hearing. Everything Yvoire said sounded like utter gibberish in his head, if he was frank. Those Nobles, according to his experience, acted like nothing more than spoiled brats who only cared for their own fortune. Yet, because this guy hadn't seen the humanity behind those choices, he didn't see it that way. That was what Nico had come to in his mind, and even now he could feel the pride oozing off this guy in waves. No, it felt more like borderline arrogance, and THAT pissed him off more than one could ever imagine. "The military members maybe but the aristocrats sure ain't doing anything of the sort." He stated bluntly, no more need to sugar coat this shit. He'll say it bluntly and bring the truth barrelling down on this fool.

However, it seemed that his words may have worked a little TOO well, if what he saw next was any indication. "That, THAT is why I can't stand you and your spec-ops friends so much." Yvoire said pointing directly at Nico. For the first time since this conversation began, the man had let some of his calm demeanor slip, slip like tripping up on a floor of cold ice. Fragile, cold ice at that. Not only his demeanor, but his eyes looked slightly different too. They shone with an intensity that reminded him of volatile flames (and Nico knew flames like that, thanks to knowing and seeing both Primal Fire from Urthemiel, and his own Hellfire).

Looking into his emotional state, Nico noticed that much of his previous emotions have bee switched to furious anger. Anger that coursed through his being and not unlike that of the Chaos God whose forces were ravaging Leanbox as they spoke. That concerned him, but he remained silent. Nevertheless, Nico furrowed his brows in confusion, wondering what the fucking shit Yvoire meant by those words, but the next few managed to show him what exactly the man meant all too well.

"You all always think that the military and strength are the only options, that this is what this entire nation, no this entire WORLD should think about all the time. But, have you ever thought of WHY we allow for some of these nobles to remain ignorant and foolish? To continue to waste away instead of reinforcing further our military? Because it is necessary. This nation was BORN different, we were created as a homologation of many smaller countries and tribes, we were more controllable when our CPU was here. But after she went to fight her glorious battle there was unrest, we could self-implode and become a fat piece of meat to the other three nations. So, we did what was needed, we allowed for the nobles to be freer while limiting their power and put our faith in the military. And do you know what happened? We almost were swallowed WHOLE by the expanding military that after cleaning out the monsters tried to start waging war against the other nations. That is why we lessened the power of the military, because here there is no right answer. All we can do is lessen the trouble and try to safeguard the nation."

That... sounded like he had given up almost at the end. Nico didn't like that, nor did he like how Yvoire basically slandered those whom he represented. He may have… issues with people, but even Nico saw the truth behind what it meant to be a Spec Ops. To them, strength was key to survival, in order to fight the monsters that they do, they had to become monstrously strong themselves. That, unfortunately, labeled them as 'not so different from the monsters they fought' by those that discriminate against them, such as the cold reality that is Gamindustri. Not to mention, thinking back on his history lessons Nico did remember a time when Leanbox was more war-like than it was in current society. It was a nation that specialized in weapons and martial arts the physical aspect of combat, after all. The fanatism in there seemed almost entirely ignored by everything else, with how often he heard it. "Then why not trust on the spec-ops program?"

If anything, Yvoire's emotions turned even more negative when Nico questioned him that way. "And give power, influence, and everything needed for a potential internal war to some civilians who hold no love or respect for our nation and CPU? That could try and destroy this nation or worse without a second thought while being drunk in power? This is a mistake no matter how adamant you are in your biases towards them, you are too innocent." Yvoire retorted as if that was a stupid question to ask, and Nico barely managed to keep his irk in line beneath his blank demeanor. The man shook his head in a disgruntled manner at the thought, as if the very idea insulted him. "That would take away the best parts of what we have and when they see true trouble turn around and go to some other nation? No, this nation needs to be moved forward by the nobility, those who can put the military under surveillance and are capable of not letting the spec-ops do as they please here."

'… I feel disgust welling up inside me.'

'You are NOT the only one, Biko…'

Ugh, seriously it took all Nico had NOT to break his facade. Whilst he remained blank-faced on the outside (something that irritated the old priest though he didn't show it), internally was a WHOLE new ball game. Not only did Nico feel the disgust welling up inside of him, he almost lost it to his instincts as they screamed at him to let them free the 'beast' inside of him through Yvoire's stomach, torso, and all his major organs. Just so that he would see just how pathetic he really was. The male could hear his Inner Beast screaming within his mind, grating on his ears like stones against the edge of a sword, creating sparks along its edges. The teen almost lost it right then and there, but he held it at bay.

Nico knew this feeling, he knew VERY well what this feeling was like, having experienced it more times than he could count. He remembered this feeling from whenever his superiors at the Guild or the Basilicom called him from his work whenever he came back from a difficult or Urgent Quest. Those times had been the most stressful for him, as those assholes 'politely' demeaned his efforts and handed the credit that was rightfully his to someone who either did less than him, or had practically no ties to the incidents whatsoever. Whilst the male could understand WHY they did it, it still didn't limit this feeling of being caged up like an animal that he constantly dealt with.

A feeling he had long since came to accept.

Yvoire sounded like those assholes up top, thinking that because of what happened in the past that they were safe, that they were secure and free from the risk of Nico unleashing his Inner Beast on them. If he did, then not only would they ruin his reputation by labeling him as a criminal, exiling him from any of the major cities across the four Nations, but they would 'convince' the CPUs and his fellow Agents that he had done some crime he had not committed just so that the Agents would hunt him down and make him 'pay'. All the while washing their hands off the dirty deed themselves. Nico regularly dealt with those types of people the majority of his life, a side of his time here that he kept mostly to himself. He hadn't told Compa about it during their time apart (and most certainly not during their adventures), but Aiden and Ivan knew this. Yet, neither of them could help him since they were just Agents like himself.

They were just animals, monsters in the forms of humans meant to howl like dogs and tear humanity's enemies to pieces.

Still, like always Nico held it in. He held back the cries of his inner beast, strengthened the oppressive chains that bound it (and to an extent, himself). Even as he mentally grimaced at its pained howls, how he loathed those chains with every fiber of his being, Nico still knew just how necessary those chains of oppression were. That they were the sole thing keeping him from 'going out of control' and causing damage to him that exceeded most Abnormals. His inner beast was NOT something to be trifled with, nope, no sir. Even now though, he hated those chains despite his understanding of their necessity, more so than anything else. He didn't acknowledge it, but deep down, Nico had one desire, one desire that was more important to him than anything. Not even his own lack of memories or his own sense of self-dependence held a candle to it. A desire that, if realized, could have untold consequences on not only himself but those that he called Comrade.

Besides, right now though there was one difference that helped his Inner Beast settle down, helped it deal with the ever-so-hateful restraints on its nature. That difference being that, unlike then, he had a purpose, a plan, a reason to fight this political battle. Before, all he could have done was to nod and accept their decision, to allow them to use him as their Watchdog, their pet, their bloodhound. Now, however, was a different story. Now, he had the means, the desire, and he had changed from the 'mindless animal' from back then. Now he had more than just himself to worry about, hence why Nico calmly spoke as if none of Yvoire's words had any effect on him. "Is that so? Then what if I told you that the Nobility were, in reality, the ones that were bringing Leanbox down from within?"

"I would charge you for heresy and exile you from Leanbox forever, abomination. Not even Lady Green Heart would argue with me on this, you would never set foot on our lands with those disgusting feet of yours." Yvoire replied.

However, if he thought those words would get the teen to settle down on those outrageous claims, then he would be in for a world of surprise when Nico suddenly chuckled, a chuckle without amusement or mirth which he hid behind a closed fist. Though, the shaking of his shoulders gave him away. "Wow, now isn't THAT interesting, cause I'm saying that anyways, AND before you say anymore..." he began, raising a hand to stop the man from interjecting much to his irritation. "know that I have evidence to support my claims."

At THIS, Yvoire arched a brow in curiosity. Well, mild curiosity, as he felt mostly indignation, furious anger and a strong desire to just quash those claims right now. However, something about the kid had stopped him from opening his mouth after he finished speaking. Something that he saw in the kid's light blue eyes. There was... clarity, a clarity in them that should NOT belong to an animal. It was like it knew something that its superiors didn't, and THAT didn't sit well with him. Animals were supposed to remain dumb and follow the orders of their betters. It had been that way since the dawn of creation, so seeing an 'Animal' talking back to him did more than just irk the old priest. "Oh? What evidence do you claim to have?"

"I'm talking about that Urgent Quest to Mojang Village a couple months ago. You know which one I'm talking about, since I and my comrades filed a report on that particular case. How the Abnormals had supposedly 'taken over' the mines that belonged to one particular Noble, Count Mott. I do believe that, according to the Gala's attendance roster, that he was supposed to attend today, but he hasn't for whatever reason. If that isn't suspicious enough, there were Momus followers combined with people who support the Forces of Chaos have taken over the Mines. You and I both know that this particular Count isn't one to let profits go to waste, which begs the question: what is his goal for not only arranging for that Urgent Quest, but he SPECIFICALLY pulled strings within the Spec Ops community to make it so that me and my comrades, Team RAIL, were the ones to go there?" Nico replied, hiding his distaste for the Count.

To him, that was only the start of what he knew about the Count, and that there was so much more for the male to recount for the older man. Though, admittingly there was less evidence against Mott here since the man had covered most of his tracks. Something that Nico reluctantly admitted to himself. Good thing he had more dirt on that though.

"A bold accusation boy, one of which you do not have proof of." Yvoire stated, he remembered reading the reports on that particular Urgent Quest, and from what he had read it seemed that the Village had been overrun by Abnormals. Abnormals that had a fascination with the Silver Steel mines there, and their numbers would prove to be too dangerous to settle without Spec Ops intervention. He had thought about it, and in the end, Yvoire had decided to send a small force of said Agents to reclaim the Mines. They WERE valuable to Leanbox's defenses, after all. "If that is all, then you may as well leave this Basilicom and never return, lest you face my wrath."

At this, Nico grinned oh how he grinned. That grin fits so well on not human, but a beast, as it exposed his teeth which almost seemed like fangs, his eyes gleaming menacingly which made the old man fear for his life. His grin particularly unnerved the older man, as he had thought that the kid may have nothing left to say to support his claims when he denounced that Urgent Quest one. Apparently, not. "Believe me, I have a LOT more. Specifically, the Hellverse Dungeon that was destroyed 3 months back. That was my doing, one of my teammates had been captured by that place's former occupants, I believe you know her as Maghda." Nico commented, Yvoire's eyes widening at the name. "Of course you do, she was once a member of the Basilicom's staff after all. Anyways, she took one of my comrades away from me, and when I went to get her back, I found myself going through the manor of the former King Leoric, you know him since he was a big figure in Leanbox's past history. Once a good king, driven insane by an abnormal. Or better yet, you know him as the undead Abnormal that I defeated myself with another of your Agents. In the end, I also ended up rescuing the head of the Ostermark Order, Captain Stefan Von Kessel, and he gave some interesting information as a testimony against the Count."

This time, Yvoire had a harder time trying to downplay Nico's words, as he even had recorded Stefan's testimony on his right Bracer and had played it as vocal evidence. Not only that, but it had indeed been confirmed that Nico and Stefan had been in regular contact with each other, and in the reports, it had been clearly stated that both of them believed something to be going wrong. It just wasn't hinted at what that was, thus Yvoire had dismissed it.

"Oh, and if you STILL aren't convinced that the Nobles are bringing the Nation down, here have a look at THIS." With those words, Nico pulled out a journal from his Void Storage. Not just any Journal, however, Yvoire realized the moment he saw it. It was a Journal that once belonged to a fallen Noble. A Noble whose fortune had been sucked dry by, you guessed it, Nobles connected to Count Mott himself according to Nico's investigations (which he explained while drawing the Journal from his Void Storage).

In Nico's mind, he had to hand it to IF, she had indeed pulled through and he didn't even realize it. Whilst walking here, he had decided to see what IF had sent him, and found this Journal. When he'd opened it out of curiosity, Nico had almost flipped his lid when he discovered what was inside, a whole hell LOT of criminalizing evidence against a series of Nobles, and most importantly the ones under Count Mott's employ. Not only that, but Nico discovered that this Noble had been the same one he had overheard those old women talking about while passing them by, the one who specialized in Media. Bribery, plots to 'dismiss' certain key figures of authority, dirty business dealings swept under the rug, assassination plots, theft of honest merchants, taking other people's property without permission, all sorts of criminal activities had been recorded. Hell, there were even entries about feeding information to outside sources about certain key areas important to Leanbox that 'conveniently' got destroyed not long after these chronological entries. Apparently, this Noble had died not too long before IF had found him with a knife to his chest inside an abandoned shack, which likely meant he had been assassinated somehow. But, before he had been killed, the man had seemingly pulled some strings so that he could still make recordings of Mott's deeds. IF must have taken it and kept it in her possession in secret. Who knows what she had to deal with to do that though.

Mentally, he vowed to make it up to her when he had the chance.

Tossing the Journal, Yvoire caught it in his hands before opening it. The moment he did so, his eyes filled with shock and horror when he read the entries. But, after a while, a resigned look appeared on his face. Almost resembled him having finally given up denying something, as the man then moved to the side, walking up to what looked like a stack of wines for the purpose of catching a drink for himself before starting to talk. "Even so, I cannot agree to what you probably want." he said, pouring him a glass after taking said glass out as well as the wine he had selected. The sound of liquid filling the glass up filled the air, being the sole sound to fill the tense silence.

Nevertheless, Nico's patience soon reached its limits with that response. He wouldn't be too good at politics since his patience didn't have that high a limit in the first place. Was the man truly so blind as to ignore all this evidence to the contrary belief that "WHY? Is it some idiocy from the past AGAIN? This is the present old man, you should look at it." Nico answered more than a bit irritated.

The answer he received was a mirthless chuckle as Yvoire turned to him. He held the glass at his side, looking to him without any of the previous disdain in his eyes, At least that showed that he wasn't viewing Nico the same way anymore. "Have you ever stopped to REALLY study this nation, scratch that ANY nation's history for more than its glorious moments?" Yvoire asked, shutting up Nico. Truthfully Nico never really cared much for this, he was busy with what he has to do and his missions. "I will consider this silence as evidence enough. You see, these military families that you oh so love as they seem just and correct, that only want the 'good of the nation' have one thing in common." he explained. "ALL of them came from the most barbaric and salvage of the original tribes, the types that would kill and destroy for sheer and pure pleasure, dying in the flames of war being an honor and any other type of death a shame. Even those you personally know and that you believe could bring the good to the nation have their OWN ideas on what is best for the nation, dangerous ideas and ideals. I don't even know how many times I had to stop them from launching assaults on other nations whenever they suffered problems, and even then some of those raids still happened without my knowledge. By the time I found out, they had already happened and each family had covered its tracks so the blame couldn't be traced to them. War is in the blood of these groups you so callously represent and think are just, it is their history, past, present, and future."

At this, Nico furrowed his brows, taking n this information. If he were to say that he was surprised, then Nico would say he was lying. In the end, it made sense that these families came from such tribes, as he recalled hearing about it in hushed rumors during his investigation. Some tribes were even the origins of the Nobility, as well, though they were primarily the military families scattered throughout Leanbox. "In the end, the main reason as to why I cannot agree to what you want is that it would spell true and ultimate doom to this world. If not on this generation o the next few. A leader, boy, must not simply look at the 'present' at what is right in front of him. He must worry about the future too, to think about what effects their actions may cause. Even your spec-ops that you love so much, I also have evidence that shows how some of them have committed many forms of crime and abuse of authority. Heck, there was even more than one the tried to make a coup-de-tat against this very nation that you are on right now, and the worse was that it was an official mission in the guild, to make this nation fall so as to secure the best resources possible to the group you represent. All for the 'betterment of mankind', all for the 'greater good'."

Pausing his speech when he felt his mouth a bit dry, Yvoire took a small sip of his wine. The beverage's liquid coursed down his throat, wetting it enough for him to continue. "They must have seen us as weak, we had no CPU and we used rudimentary weapons compared to other nations after all, if you add our natural resources we were a fat pie ready for the taking. And yet, we won against those agents every time. AND everytime, your precious guild made us erase all registry of these facts, hide away the shame of what happened in their own very past via blackmail, saying they would remove all their personal from this nation and let it be run over by monsters so that they could take the pieces after if we wouldn't agree to their orders. It has happened more times than you can count, the guild hiding their bad side, the military families hiding their own desires for war and expansion under the guise of betterment of the nation, it is the TRUE history that you and so many others ignore while throwing accusations at us that have to carry it all in the end. You have to understand that you are still too innocent to the world at large. You have never truly experienced what leading mean, how heavy is the responsibility of us that have to deal with the knowledge that any action we take can lead to the death of thousands. Something that a demon or monster would never understand or care, but if you truly are human you should be able to at least hear what I say. If you want to change things, you should know that there will be bloodshed. Can YOU take the responsibility of knowing that you are saving thousands now and condemning BILLIONS in the near future?"

A disgruntled laugh escaped Yvoire's lips, Nico frowning deeply at the act while clenching his fists. They trembled, the man noticed, but they didn't lash out. Doubts starting to cloud Nico's mind "Hahahahaha, I guess I am old after all, I've been watching over this nation for the last 50 years, stopping it from imploding in itself due to how everyone seems to want that to happen. Even if you want to change, even if you desperately want to change things, the fact is that this is not something that personal opinion and biases should ever have a hand on. If I let you eliminate all 'evil' nobility there is, then the military families will expand using that void as soon as this threat is over. This nation, this glorious nation that my ancestors and I thought and bleed for so many times, will be finished on the unending flames of war that I would have prepared ample conditions for. Not that YOU, the other Spec-ops or guild agents would care or mind that deeply. You are ultimately mercenaries, you work for a paycheck and if this nation falls you can simply restart your life somewhere else and let life go on. You may feel bad for a while, but your life will move on, it was 'inevitable' and 'not your fault in any way'. After all, it was never your RESPONSABILITY."

This... This wasn't how Nico expected this to go.

Nope...

Not one bit.

This was too much, he couldn't go on with what he planned with all this new information. All the investigation he had done beforehand was to gather evidence against Count Mott, enough so that he could sway politicians to his side enough to allow him the chance to rip into Count Mott's intestines then tear them from his body. If he wanted to kill someone as high ranking as this noble, he would have to get the permission of his superiors first, convince them that this guy didn't deserve to live and that he was a threat to their society. Then, they would sound the horn, and he would howl, to answer the call.

However, now all THIS stuff, stuff about leadership, responsibility, and all that other crap that e he could BARELY grasp, and that was only because he knew a few leaders in his time as an Agent (the CPUs and a few others). There was now just too much information that he hadn't considered, as in the military families themselves, their own ideals for the Nation, as well as the fact that Yvoire HAD been trying to keep the Nation upright for all this time. He WASN'T just sitting around being a lazy prick like he had assumed. The guy definitely had a prick side to him since he kept looking down on Nico, but that wasn't all there was to him. No, there was more to him than that, he wasn't so one dimensional. Which, now that he thought about it, he could kind of see that in the man. Seriously, the guy was old so he had to have seen a lot of shit.

He has similar experiences to Rinjiin for crying out loud.

Now, all sorts of questions Nico hadn't considered before popped into his mind, filling him with a myriad of different emotions the male couldn't even comprehend before. It was like he was getting swallowed by a vortex of different chaotic emotions that he couldn't make heads or tails over. Nico was no leader, he was a soldier, a was someone who fought on the front lines, he was someone who walked the way of the male wasn't someone who was used to being a Leader or a similar role. He was someone who fought on the battlefield, not a tactician. He wasn't charismatic, he wasn't someone who relied on others, no he was not like that. Therefore, for now, he didn't see how he could respond to this situation. All of his previous 'black and white' views now seemed to blend together, it all blended into dull grayish color, making identifying the proper solution to be a nigh-impossible task.

'I believe it would be best to take a rain check on this conversation. With Yvoire, I doubt he will try to exile you at this point, as you have already shown him an ample amount of evidence to prove your claims. He just cannot act on it for whatever reason.'

'I know, Biko...'

With a sigh that seemed more tired than someone his age should be capable of using, Nico turned to head off. "I'll need time to think about it, but its obvious that nothing will be resolved right now. Whatever the reasoning may be, it does seem that we'll be talking again in the future." he told him, getting an understanding nod from the man. Just by looking into his eyes, Nico saw that he wouldn't be exiling him any time soon, which once again confirmed his previous thoughts. Not to mention he read his emotional state, and saw that he didn't feel as vindicated as he did before. No, there was more resignation there instead, replacing those emotions like he had long since accepted something like this would happen. That the Nobility that he had believed in would eventually come to betray his trust like this.

Before he could leave, however, Nico noticed something next to his desk, a Vial filled with strange liquid. 'Huh? What the hell...?' the male wondered, his eyes narrowing at the vial. The moment that his eyes settled on it, the male realized immediately that something about that liquid was unnatural. Every instinct within his being told him to NEVER let that shit get near him, for whatever reason he did not know. Nevertheless, if Yvoire had it then somehow he had to be connected with it. Thus, raising his right arm, Nico pointed towards it and asked the man the question on his mind. "What is that?"

Looking over to the Vial, Yvoire's eyes flashed with weariness, deeper weariness. There was a quick surge in his emotions, Nico noticed, but the male didn't get a chance to analyze them since they vanished as soon as they came. However, just before the man could reply, suddenly...

Things took a whole different turn... a turn for the worse.

SHATTER!

Something shot through the window behind Yvoire, shattering through the window and breaking the vial into tiny pieces. The moment that it did, time seemed to slow down for the two men, for the moment that the liquid within tasted the air, it suddenly... exploded, becoming this large gas cloud that quickly expanded, filling up the entire room... as well as entered the two men through their mouths.

Immediately, they began gasping, coughing and choking, their bodies quickly setting themselves on fire, figuratively, as their lungs desperately tried to expel the foreign gas. However, it became a fruitless effort as they quickly lost the ability to move, as well as remain standing when they fell down to their sides. They soon got reduced to gasping, heaving messes on the ground, hands on their chests and throats to try and deal with the fiery feelings in their bodies.

'B-Biko...! Wh-What...?!'

Nico tried to project his thoughts to his Demon Persona, however it didn't work. It felt like the gas had severed his connection to his Demonic Aspect by infesting ad damaging his brain somehow, though he wasn't sure if that was the case. Actually, he wasn't sure of anything anymore as his vision started gaining black specs. The last thing Nico managed to make out with his darkening vision before his consciousness got lost... was Yvoire's unconscious form.


Chapter end!

Whooo! A cliffhanger, and FINALLY shit is going down! Hahahaha, yes! I've been waiting for this moment for a VERY long fucking time, hell I've been literally drooling at the prospects of what is going to happen next, you have NO idea! hehehehehehe, finally, I can get to the scenes that I REALLY excel in if you've read this far! Expect a lot of epic badassery in the later chapters, guys!

Peace out!