Chapter 124 - Demonic Invasion PT1
Finally, everything became quiet once more.
Silence reigned supreme in the room, the occupants within it having been reduced to the original three Goddesses (plus one unconscious Chika. Each of them stood within the center of the room, breathing heavily from that fight. The room once again became silent and serene, yet it wasn't the same as before. No, it could never have been the same, especially with the state that the room had been reduced to thanks to the recent conflict. The way that the floor had dozens of craters born from large area attacks, shredding through the furniture (although the one holding Chika had been protected by Panels from the three Goddesses) like teeth through flesh. The way that the walls and ceiling had many claw-like cracks in them from the Bloodletters and their relentless attacks. Some even looked like they had been caused by their Hellblades, if the fiery scorches surrounding those gashes were any indication.
Yet, each of the Goddesses each had their own opinions on the matter.
To one of them, that fight had been like all the other times she had faced them: intense, intense like the flames that several different demonic entities used. Even after fighting them so many times, she could never get over how fighting them always carried that feeling of being one foot away from toppling over the edge of life and into the realm of cold, dark death. Yet, she had kept on going to that ledge, figuratively risking her life on what others would have called suicide missions in order to get stronger. To become powerful enough to stand on her own two feet and be able to protect those she considered precious. It helped that, thanks to training, sparring and fighting in this land, that she had developed sort of a warrior-like personality, especially when she transformed into her HDD state. A mentality that basically involved her wanting to fight strong opponents, only in his case it felt more like she wanted to keep on fighting against enemies of that caliber. She'd probably discover how, if he started fighting against normal monster's hell even the Abnormals, that they didn't have the same 'presence' as these warriors did.
Another one, who had similar experiences to the first, couldn't help but think to herself that she had been lucky. Lucky to have survived another battle even whilst having this 'mortality' about her. Her mortality had been her biggest weakness in that fight, there is a great difference between a CPU and a human. For one, a human's body was much frailer than that of a CPU, which mean they couldn't take nearly as much punishment. They didn't have the necessary endurance, reinforcement from Share Energy, or any of the other perks that a CPU possessed. Not only that but humans didn't have the same physical ability as a CPU, nor any of the other physical capabilities. Not to mention the fact that humanity's Magical energies weren't anywhere near as potent as Share Energy was, and a Goddess was made from the stuff. Humans could train for a long time, to gain power that could only be achieved through hard work and determination, but in the end, it couldn't match up to a Goddess's power. She wasn't even being arrogant, it had been a long-understood fact. For so long, she had assumed the Goddesses to be the strongest race, to be at the top of the food chain. To be the strongest beings. However, with the return of these Demons, these warriors who possess demonic power, it felt like that truth had become non-existent, snuffed out by the flames of conflict. It felt… rather vexing to realize this, more than she had expected it would.
Finally, the third one, the one who had the least amount of experience with these creatures out of the three. Whilst her mind wondered what the hell they were, she had to admit to herself that they were some formidable foes. Foes that not only had she never faced before (there had been FAR too many close shaves than she'd care to admit) but the way they fought, how they swung those vicious, hatred-filled blades if theirs, reminded her of savage animals. There had been little to no strategy behind them, only pure instinctual martial prowess. As she had crossed blades with them, it had become clear to her through her swordswoman nature that those creatures had practiced the art of combat for WAY longer than she could ever have. All her training, all the fights she had been in against not only the other Goddesses, but against the Abnormals, against Spec Ops Agents, she had had to use every bit of that training just to keep herself alive in that fight. It felt like that training had bee the sole thing that saved her skin there if she hadn't because if she had slacked off… she would rather NOT think down that path. Still, the fact that this happened, showed her that she couldn't be too prideful about her training, that there were enemies far superior to the ones she had been facing all this time.
In the end, each one had their own opinions on what had just happened…
Opinions one of them started expressing soon after the battle had been decided. "#HUFF #HUFF'… we… did it…" Noire breathed, heaving heavily whilst bending forwards and placing her hands on her kneecaps for stability... Jeez, fighting those things felt exhausting, she almost lost the battle within to just crumple to the floor. She had moved so much, relied on her instincts and combat training to a level she had not done yet in her lifetime, and thus her body had severely decrease d its stamina. If IT wasn't supporting her with its energy, then she probably WOULD have crumpled to the floor. Even now, her legs continued to tremble, barely able to hold her weight. Since there was little furniture left thanks to that battle, and that the sole usable set had already been occupied by the unconscious mint-green haired woman, she literally had no other option here. "That… was the first time… I've ever been run this ragged…" Memories played out in her mind of when she first fought Nico in his DPU form, but she pushed them aside for the moment. She needed to catch her breath after all that stuff.
Neptune however, had no such restraints as she plopped herself onto the ground, gently waving her heels left and right whilst holding herself up by putting her arms on the ground behind her. "Whew, I'm beat…" she mused, though if one looked carefully at her, they would see that her level of fatigue didn't seem nearly as bad as Noire's. It only made sense since she spent the whole of the last 3 months training and fighting nonstop. It gave her… more than a few perks to her combat abilities. 'Heh-heh. Bet ya my cannon self, WISHES to be as cool as mwah, mwahahahaha…' she thought, chuckling inside her head at the fourth wall breakings she had done. Hey, she wasn't a gal with limits ya know, she did anything she saw necessary to get a guffaw after all! "That was one heck of a fight, my lungs almost feel like they're on fire…"
"Stop exaggerating Neptune, you CLEARLY look less tired than me."
"Hehehehe, so ya noticed?"
"Be that as it may…" Vert cut in, being similar in levels of exhaustion to Neptune although she had a few Healing Drinks to restore herself. Pus, it helped that she had a gamer's stamina, which would let her stay gaming for days on end before sleep would be needed. After sharing a few with the two thankful Goddesses, the three of them felt like they were at full power once more. Once that was out of the way, Vert dismissed Gungnir and crossed her arms under her bust, and for once she unintentionally made her 'melons' bounce a bit (something both girls VISIBLY noticed). "I think that we ought to discuss what had happened here."
At this, Neptune gave a curious, confused tilt of the head as she looked up towards the CPU. Said woman decided to move to the sole remaining furniture, and since the seats were occupied she used one of the sofa's arms to sit on, crossing one leg over the other. "Huh? Say wha? Whaddya mean, Lady Green Heart? Isn't it pretty obvious what happened just now? We just got attacked by Demons." She questioned, scratching her head with her index finger. In her mind, it didn't make sense that Vert would ask something like that, though that may be because she herself already knew, Vert somewhat had a clue and Noire…
Wait, Noire?
"Demons? Wait, do you mean to tell me that those were…" Noire began, her eyes widening with realization while she had flashbacks of the talks she had with Nico over the phone. He had sometimes said that there were Demons throughout Leanbox that he hunted, and whilst she didn't think of him as a liar (secretive, but not deceitful), it still felt difficult for her to completely believe what he had been telling her. However, with the current experience still fresh in her memory (probably would for years to come, if she were honest. Those things being what they were, DEFINITELY left a lasting impression on both her and this room) she found his words to be quite undeniable. Looking down, her wide-eyed expression got accompanied by the words of disbelief that came out of her mouth. "Now that I've seen them myself, guess Nico wasn't joking around…"
Looking at her, Vert spoke once more. "Whilst I do not like the fact that you doubted my Nicky… I can see where you are coming from. It had been a difficult time for me to deny their existence myself, since we're so used to the CPUs being at the top of the power ladder. It is… most vexing to learn that is not the case." She remarked, shivers trailing down her spine as she remembered the few encounters and battles she had with the Demonic menace. Whilst not as numerous as someone like, let's say, Neptune's encounters with them, it had been enough for her to solidify their existence in her mind. Even with the difficulty believing that they did so at all.
After all, these things DEFINITELY knew how to leave an impression on their prey… if they even survive, that is. Guess those few reports from those who barely survive the demonic menace attacking their homes weren't so unbelievable after all. Still, the most experienced of them regarding the Demons, Neptune, narrowed her eyes at the blonde CPU, a look of ire forming on her features when Vert used one certain word in front of her… and it WASN'T demon related. "Heeeeeeey, Lady Green Heart, why you calling my hubby by that name? That's my nickname for him!" she questioned sternly.
However, all it did was make her look even cuter than she already was. A fact that Vert noted whilst giggling into her hand like a noblewoman would when hearing a joke. "Oh? Is that what you call him? Well, it seems to me that you call my Nicky by multiple nicknames, this 'hubby' and 'Nicky'. Don't you think you could be less greedy and allow me to call him the latter?" Even though in her mind, Vert felt ire rise in her gut at the fact that Neptune called her Nicky by something with a wedding context. Images formed in her mind of her in a wedding dress and Nico in a suit, however, stemmed those feelings of annoyance. "Perhaps we can have this talk another time, however." She spoke, her teasing eyes replaced with serious ones. "For now, let us be off. We need t find out what is going on here."
"Most of the officials should be in the main hall. That's where the Gala has mostly headed after all." Noire remarked thoughtfully, cupping her chin as she glanced downwards, her eyes darkened with thought. "I may not have the most experience with these things, something tells me that they have way more numbers than this. There should be more of them." It seemed so, as these Bloodletters seemed uncaring about their own deaths even as they died. Sure, some howled with pain, but she still got that feeling. Like, death to them wasn't that big a deal. The few reasons she could think of as to why that might be, most of them revolved around there being more of them.
There had to be more, it just didn't make sense otherwise… though something told her logic didn't really apply to these creatures.
Like, it was best not to think about it lest you go mad.
"Yes…" Vert agreed with a firm nod, already standing on her heels and turning towards the entrance, "A lot of military officials are there too, so perhaps hey might have a better idea of what is going on. Not to mention the Guards scattered throughout the Basilicom." Walking to the door, Vert threw it open and stepped outside, looking back to them before wordlessly tilting her head as if to beckon them to follow her.
Both girls nodded in response, each having their own weapons, Murasama and the basic HF Blade, deployed before they began to move after her.
Outside though, well, Noire had realized something almost immediately: She was right… and she didn't like it.
What that meant, was that there were more Demons about… a whole hell LOT more. As in the exact SECOND the three had exited the room, all they saw was red from how Demons spawned from portals, exploding out into it the corridor in a mass of murderous growls, roars, and mighty bellows. The second thing they saw would be the burning orange glows of their hate-filled Hellblades. They came from portals, crawled down walls, fell from the ceilings and rose up from the ground like zombies re-emerging into the living world from the grave, all of them screaming for bloodshed, warfare and slaughter like demented psychopaths on thousands of steroids, a huge blood rage, and overcome with madness… all at the same time.
They could hardly get anywhere without running into a sizable force of Bloodletters, but that wasn't the only type they had found. No, alongside these demonic foes, there were these gargantuan beasts, a mix between beast and brass metal, though it looked more machine than an actual fleshy beast. Their riveted brass hides, covered in needle-sharp spikes, along with its form being adorned with various Khornate sigils, each sigil sizzling with fire, added to its sinister appeal. This toughened exterior allowed it to tank pretty much all but their strongest attacks, with their large hoofs, canine snouts that looked to be equipped with eyes that burn with murderous intent and rows of savage-looking teeth that drip with their victims' blood. Its breath fogged the air with each snort, and it sported a grunt that resounded like thunder while its shod-hoofed kick raked up ash and dirt every time it did so.
Neptune had aptly called them 'Juggernauts'.
Constantly fighting those Bloodletters and Juggernauts would be considered one thing, but then there was the OTHER demon that joined the mix, or rather, a demon in the shape of a human, more so than even the bloodletters. Ironically, they looked almost like the World Eater Legion that had been assaulting Leanbox as the 'Men in red', only their Armour looked increasingly primitive with spikes and wicked demonic symbols etched into them, along with more skulls, demonic-looking maws, and fiercer demeanors. Fighting THOSE things felt more like fighting a Demon than a human, as they showed themselves as savage fighters who reveled in the bloodiest hand-to-hand fighting they could find… which so happened to be fighting the Goddesses. Splendid, huh? Especially with their frantic shrieks, cries, and rampant bloodthirst that would put the craziest of criminals to shame. Not to mention their insane durability which forced Vert to unleash Gungnir on them, and even then, it took more than 20 hits from the Spear to take them down.
For these beings, Vert had overheard them refer to each other as the aptly named 'Khornate Berserkers'.
So yeah, things were literally going straight to hell, as these forces poured into the Basilicom from these portals, ripping through anything and everything in their path no matter what it was. Be it the guards, civilians, nothing would be spared. The Goddesses saw this throughout their journey to the main hall… where they found groups of Guardsmen being excruciatingly painfully slaughtered in the most brutish, barbaric manners possible, their remains being hung like decorations throughout the rooms, corridors, and hallways. Almost like they were proud of what they had done, which resulted in everything being painted crimson red. NOT what Vert wanted to see befall her beloved Basilicom, not one bit. In all honesty, it had been more of a chore to navigate the hallways tanks to the Leanbox CPU losing it. Neptune and Noire couldn't count how many times they had to remind her to get to the people still alive at the Main Hall, each time the CPU heard the dying screams of her subjects it felt like pieces of her soul got torn apart as well. They were her subjects, her citizens, her people. The people she had vowed to protect when she founded Leanbox… and now they were being butchered like cattle, and she could do little to help.
Vexing didn't even BEGIN to describe her feelings.
Finally, they reached the main hall, but they couldn't get in right away. Nope, not when a barricade had been erected before the entrance with a semi-circular space behind it and the entrance to where the Nobles were most likely gathered. The Barricade looked to be manned by the Guardsman, each of them looking to be stained with the blood of countless demonic forces if the corpses on the ground were any indication. Vert chose to ignore the ones that were of her own people for the time being as she, Noire and Neptune walked up to the Guardsmen.
Said military men stood at attention behind the Barricade, their Spears at the ready whilst they saluted the blonde woman. "Lady Green Heart!" they exclaimed, remaining professional though Vert could tell that the joy and relief in their eyes sounded more than a little genuine. It brought a small smile to her lips, seeing that some of her subjects still retained respect towards her.
"At ease men, I and these guests here require access to the Main Hall." She told them, cutting straight to the chase. The combined rage and frustrated resentment from what she had seen while making her way back here filled her being once more, giving her a sense of purpose that took precedence over everything else. "Do you know the situation inside?"
One of the men nodded to her, beginning to speak. "Yes, my Lady. The Main Hall has been secured, we have men at every entrance to it and are doing their best to keep the people calm. We have patrols scattered throughout the Basilicom, but they will take a while to return to the Main Hall. Our commanding officer is Stefan Von Kessel of the Ostermark Order, as we cannot get a hold of Yvoire." He explained swiftly, turning to his comrades and nodding to them. Wordlessly, they complied with the unspoken command, opening the doors to the Main Hall to allow the girls entry.
"Thank you, make sure none of those scoundrels enter this room, under any circumstance." Vert stated, nodding her head at the beginning part of her sentence. Then, her words turned icy cold, betraying thee fury coursing through her bloodstream which caused the Guard to nod his head immediately. He didn't want to be on that end of his CPU's wrath, especially with the 'look of murder' she was sporting right now.
"Wow, Vert looks really mad right now. Like, really mad… -_-"
"You can't blame her, Neptune. She just went through something no leader should want to go through."
As the three girls entered, they saw that things didn't look much better in here than the rest of the Basilicom. There was a thick layer of tension throughout the Main Hall, thick enough that if it were possible then it would be cuttable with a blunt knife. Where was once sweet, melody-like music, now got replaced with eerie silence. Kind of like a passionate flame being ruthlessly snuffed out by a fierce snowstorm. The people didn't look any better either, as the Nobles kept looking about with fearful looks in their eyes, sweat trailing down their foreheads whilst looking like they were restraining themselves from practically exploding. The Guardsmen stationed around the edges of the room didn't look too good either if the tense and worried looks were anything to go by. All in all, this was an intense, ominous area to be in, but Vert would rather be here calming her people rather than isolated in her room. Hell, if this had happened back before she got Gungnir, she wouldn't know what would have happened as a result.
THAT was something she refused to think about though.
Looking through the crowd, Vert's eyes cast their gaze through the many shambling forms of the Nobles (who looked like they had been one step away from pissing themselves. To her, that seemed like an achievement in and of itself) until they found the ones that she had been searching for. "Von Kessel!"
Stefan Von Kessal, who had just finished talking to some of the Guards, looked over to see the CPU walking up to him. It put a small relieved smile on his lips, a similar feeling escaping him in the form of a sigh. "Lady Green Heart…" he greeted warmly, though there was a deep, grim undertone in his voice as he walked over to her. Thanks to the commotion, he had quickly donned his Spec Ops Armour and even had Ashbringer on his back. It gave him the look of a soldier prepping for war, not something that would settle the Nerves of the Nobles here. Then again, in his eyes, this was a combat scenario, so they needed to man the fuck up, drop their pussy panties and put on their freaking man pants. "Its good to see you here. We'd feared the worse when we couldn't find you."
"It's alright, Captain." Vert replied calmly with a reassuring tone, her lips curved into a small, heavy smile that betrayed the grimness in it. Her eyes also seemed lighter when the man spoke to her as if hearing a familiar voice set her at ease. It probably did, considering what had been happening so far, plus the situation outside painting a rather bleak picture of the possible scenario they were facing. Still, she had to know for certain, so she could do what she could for the people. "I wouldn't go down so easily, plus the people I'm with are quite capable in their own right. In any case, I would like to know the situation at hand, if you please."
The Captain nodded, his eyes hardening as he switched to a more military stance. Vert partially noted that Elenore wasn't with him, but didn't ask right now since there were more important matters to discuss. "Unfortunately, we know very little, my lady. It all happened without warning, these creatures just popped up out of nowhere and started attacking everything in sight. Our guards have established defensive protocols, however, there were many who were cut off by these creatures. As of right now, we have lost contact with over 60% of our current forces throughout the Basilicom, with the remaining 40% being focused around the Main Hall."
"What of the Guards outside?"
"They've remained outside and are keeping a watchful eye. However, we have noticed that these creatures, whatever they are, have no interest in coming outside. There's no reason or logic behind their movements, its like they're solely here for nothing but the thrill of combat." Stefan replied, making the girls frown. With what they had heard/experienced, with Vert and Neptune knowing this more than the others, then that statement may very well be true. These Bloodletters, these Juggernauts, Khornate Berserkers and World Eater forces all seemed to focus more on fighting itself than anything strategic or tactical. They somewhat resembled ravenous beasts that just prey and kill with the way that they acted, the girls felt. Seriously, they kept going on about their Blood God, Skull Throne, killing, destroying and slaughter, so that comparison felt… more than slightly appropriate.
Frowning deeply at this, Vert cupped her chin and began to think. It seemed that, so far, that Nico and Yvoire were MIA (she refused to think they had been killed, one of them being a Spec Ops Agent and the other… well, yeah), whilst over 60% of the Basilicom's defences were likely either dead, dying or vainly fighting off the enemy. That was what she got from this… plus her RTS games that she played, StarCraft most of all (she freaking LOVED that game, its freaking AWESOME… but this wasn't the time for gushing). "Alright then, I know the details of the situation. Do you have any ideas on how we can handle this?"
Just as Stefan made to respond to her…
"(I believe I can help with that, Goddess of Green)"
"Huh?!" Neptune gasped while everyone else went wide-eyed. Even Stefan seemed caught off guard when they heard a soft yet firm feminine voice echo inside their minds. The Voice, however, felt very familiar to the purple haired and black haired CPUs, however. Thus, they were the first ones to calm down and figure out the speaker's identity. "M-MAGES.! Howdy girl, long time no… well, hear!" Neptune proclaimed, having made to say 'see' but since the Mad Magician known as MAGES., wasn't exactly around… well, yeah. Not a very appropriate thing to say right now. But more importantly… "Um, so, where are you exactly?"
"(I am at the top of the Basilicom, Goddess of Purple. I am using telepathy Magic to set up a comm link between myself, the Goddesses in attendance, one Stefan Von Kessel and every soldier I can find. Unfortunately, it is not easy to locate them all due to the ambiance of demonic power in the air. With the concentration there is, it's taking all my concentration to do this.)"
One Noble looked outside, his eyes widening as he pointed towards it. "Hey, look out there!" he yelled, making several others follow suit. Outside, the spectators saw what looked like a complex array of Magic Circles, all surrounding this transparent, glassy-looking dome structure. The structure seemed large enough to cover the entire Basilicom, including the outer walls. "What is that?! Are we trapped in here?!"
"Everyone calm down!" Stefan yelled at the top of his lungs. It took a while, but the Nobles eventually did so albeit reluctantly. If one looked into their eyes, though, they would be able to see the palpable fear burning within them. It wouldn't be too hard to push them to their breaking point right now, something Stefan pushed aside to get some extra information from the Mad Magician. "I've heard of you, Mad Magician. I myself have dabbled in what few magic scrolls Leanbox has from our raids of Lowee, thus I assume this is some form of Barrier?"
"(You would be correct, wielder of the Ashbringer. This Barrier is separating this Basilicom from the rest of the city, as to prevent these Demons from escaping this place. Think of it as a pocket dimension I have spontaneously created for this situation. I have been sensing dark forces gathering within this Basilicom, so much greed and malice, that I knew something would go wrong, thus made my preparations ahead of time. DEATHSTROKE is not the only one who plans ahead.)"
The Mad Magician's words took a moment to sink into their minds, but in the end, they managed to grasp what it was that was going on. Apparently, MAGES. had pulled a Nico in foreseeing a disaster happening at the Gala, and thus made preparations to seal the Basilicom within a barrier, both limiting casualties as well as stopping the Demons from escaping into the rest of MICROSOFT. Noire however, had other concerns that she felt needed to be addressed. "Do you know what's been going on then, MAGES.?" She questioned. "What the heck happened? What went wrong, and where did these creatures come from?"
"(Like yourselves, I, unfortunately, know little of what is going on. What I do know, however, is that all this originated from the lowest levels of the Basilicom, most likely some form of Dungeon. It is there, that I am picking up a strong surge of Demonic Power, a very strong, dense surge that is destabilizing the physical plane of existence, allowing the Demons to enter here. I picked it up a couple chapters ago.)"
At this, Stefan blinked, wondering what MAGES. had meant with what she had just said. What the heck did she mean when she said Chapter? This wasn't something like a story, this was real life! Still, this WAS the Mad Magician, so maybe she saw things differently. Couldn't hurt to ask, he thought. Just as he opened his mouth to question her, however, Neptune just interjected while fisting her palm with a figurative light bulb switching on in her head. "Oh! I remember now, something just came to this ol Nep noggin'o'mine!" she exclaimed, her eyes enlarging slightly in realization.
"Huh?" Noire blinked at that, as did the rest of them. Though she wasn't around to show her reaction, none of them doubted that MAGES. wasn't raising a brow or two when Neptune's interjection like that (although Stefan did childishly grumble under his breath about kids interrupting him). "What are you talking about, Neptune? This better not be an excuse to talk about Pudding." The blackette questioned with narrowed eyes. Now obviously wasn't the time for jokes, especially pudding related ones, and if she knew Neptune like she did then Noire wouldn't put it past her to put one in, somehow.
Neptune then gave a hum as a dreamy smile formed on her face "Hmmmm, Pudding DOES sound good ATM, maybe even when its licked off of Nicky's hot sexy body." She mused, earning blushes from Vert and Noire though the latter seemed lighter and Vert had a slight nosebleed at the dirty thoughts running through her noggin. "But no, that's not what I was talking about! I think I know how this all started out!"
"Oh?" Whilst Stefan tried to get that… image, out of his head (probably going to need some brain bleach after this), he focused more on the more important information at hand. The fact that Neptune supposedly had an idea of how this came about, though considering her childish nature he didn't have full stock on this idea. "And what do you think happened then, Neptune?" he questioned, crossing his arms under his chest.
When Neptune made to reply, a soldier came through the crowd and whispered into Stefan's ear while a small snort of frustration formed from his lips. "Goddamnit, these Nobles are NOT helping things…" he muttered under his breath, soon taking off with the soldier to go address the recent problem.
"(Do continue, Goddess of Purple. I will transmit the information of your conversation to Captain Von Kessel as it goes.)"
"Alrightie, MAGES.! Well, I remember it well, I kinda stumbled out of the main hall to get some air, felt a bit queasy after stuffing my face with so many deserts…" she began, chuckling nervously when she remembered hat moment. Not one of her finest, and she felt pretty sure she would have thrown up. "Yeah, not making that mistake again, but anyways, I would have barfed up what I ate had it not been for this stereotypical stranger dressed in black robes and a veil skulking around a corner. I tried to follow him, and it leads to this 5, 10-minute long chase, but I kinda lost him and got lost…"
At this point, Noire figured out where Neptune had been going with this, but it did NOT do her head any favors. She exhaled through her nose, putting an index finger and thumb on the nose's bridge. "Alright, I get it, you got lost and found your way to the meeting room, right? Between me and Vert?" she questioned, getting a sheepish smile from the preteen whilst Vert hummed in thought.
"Hmmm, I see… someone dressed in black, huh…?" she muttered, frowning as she pondered this information. Soon enough, a particularly disturbing thought creeped into her mind, one she didn't want to think too much on but it seemed to be the best viable answer to this situation at this point. "Then, odds are Neptune, that you were trailing a representative of the Overlord Momus faction. They must have snuck inside or bribed some of the Guards to 'look the other way' to allow them entry." She remarked, scowling. Again, not something she liked to think about, but it did seem possible. With the way things were, bribery would not be impossible, rather it would definitely be counted as one of the more serious crimes she would have to deal with once her situation got resolved.
"(The Goddess of Purple does have a point. These beasts could only have been summoned by someone who follows one of the sub-religions sprouting within the Overlord Momus faction. It is for certain that you all have heard of them, since they are the talk of the Nation and have been so for the last few months. I believe that, judging by what we have seen so far, that we are dealing with the Chaos God Khorne, the god of warfare, bloodlust, and hatred… among other similar domains. Out of the four, this one is the most adept in martial combat, a dangerous foe to be sure.)"
With MAGES. input, Noire scowled as the picture started coming together in her mind. She did NOT like what she was thinking, either. "From what I can tell then, somehow this worshipper got to the bottom floors of the Basilicom, most likely the Dungeon as you said MAGES., and has begun summoning these Khornate Demons into our world. If that's the case, then we need to head down there and put an end to it before anyone else gets hurt." Part of her quipped that that had already happened with the Basilicom Staff and the Guards, but she ignored it for now.
She didn't want to think about all the casualties that would be resulting from this.
"(Perhaps you all should split into 3 groups. Group 1 will go throughout the Basilicom to take out the Demons whilst Group 2 follows at the rear, evacuating any Staff, Guests and injured Soldiers back to the Main Hall. That way, I can use my teleportation Magic to bring them outside the Barrier and to a safe area being designed by some fellow Mages of mine. I'll start evacuating the Nobles right away. However, this will cause one problem, that being that I will not be able to talk to you telepathically, as this Magic requires my full attention. However, I can say for certain that the Demons will be more and more numerous as you clear the floors down to the Dungeon, and according to my research, this Basilicom has 3 floors, this one, two lower floors, and the Dungeon itself. The lower you go, the closer you get to the enemy spawning area, I'm sure that you all will know what that means as gamers.)"
"Sounds like a plan to me." Vert, Noire, and Neptune looked back to where Stefan had left, to see him having returned to them from his little deviation. The man didn't look very happy, probably due to having to pacify some of the rowdier Nobles that were starting to cause trouble. "Thanks for the information, MAGES., I was able to pacify some of the noisier Nobles with your plan, if you hadn't I would have taken much longer to get this done." He told her with gratitude oozing from his being. He didn't need to look at his men to see that they expressed their own gratitude through their facial expressions. It felt good to know what was actually going on, it allowed them to get their nerves back together.
Now, all they had to do was take back the Basilicom… which would be difficult to do considering how most of it had been overrun by Demons. Demons that were way more superior to humans in pretty much ever physical ability possible, not to mention more combat experience, skill, and prowess. Plus, those Hellblades were no Joke either, each strike from them felt like it would leave an impact on their very beings, not just their flesh. Even now, they could hear the roar of demons as another wave was heard outside the gates.
"(I will begin transporting Nobles out of here one group of 10 at a time. With the barrier in place, this will be all I can manage without compromising its integrity.)"
"No worries, MAGES., any help at all would be deeply appreciated." The Captain of the Ostermark order replied, getting nods of agreement from the rest of them. Several bright flashes happened behind them, something that made them realize that MAGES. had begun her task. Hopefully, she would be able to get them out of there soon, so she could re-establish contact with them. Having any kind of support would be a major blessing for the future battles.
Now, they had to tackle the next problem: the groups themselves. "So, who's going where and doing what?" Noire questioned, frowning deeply. "We can't just have one of us be one group, as much as I am confident in my skills it just isn't that realistic." She queried, much to how her pride detested this notion. After all, Noire DID feel confident in her powers, plus she had a few tricks up her sleeve she didn't show yet, like IT and her HDD form, but even she would be overwhelmed if she bit off more than she could chew. Back at Lastation, Noire had also learned the value of having comrades as well, something that she would never have learned back in Celestia.
"While I would personally prefer to take out the one responsible for this mess…" Vert began, scowling as she gripped the sides of her dress. Her grip looked so tight that if they could see her bare hands, both girls would assume them to be white right now. It looked like the blonde woman was struggling with all her might to remain composed, although it looked to be failing with each passing second. "It is much more imperative that I remain with the group tasked with either evacuating the civilians or destroying the Demons. At least, this way I'll be able to show my people that I do give a damn about them, that I can be a good leader."
A nod came from Noire, understanding flashing through her eyes. She could definitely relate to Vert on this one, the way she looked right now had reminded her of what she felt like during the early stages of her revolution in Lastation. Though she had gotten further than Vert, it wouldn't hurt to lend her a helping hand. They WERE after all supposed to protect the people they governed, and it wasn't like Noire didn't care about the people victimized in this attack. Not that she'll ever admit it, anyway. "I'd say you should go with the third group, that way you can assure the civilians who will likely be panicked from what is happening, in addition to any wounded soldiers who are feeling down. Your presence would be a huge motivator for them."
So far, that seemed like a solution, but then Stefan had other ideas. Ideas that he soon interjected with before the two CPUs could continue. "How about instead we go with three groups, we each have three groups, one for each floor. One group will be clearing one floor each, the second group not clearing floors will be helping evacuate those who can't fight, while the third group provides rear guard support. Each floor we rotate group roles to ensure maximum combat potential. The third group can be in charge of provisions, to keep the HP and SP of the first group."
Both Noire and Vert looked to each other, silently debating on the Captain's strategy. So far it sounded solid, and the man had more experience with this type of warfare than either of them thanks to the Console Wars that were 'oh so useful'. Although, it didn't do their pride as deities any favor since that Console War had basically forced them to rely on humans for advice and guidance. It felt like they had put each other on emergency life support or something along those lines.
The flashes that indicated people being teleported out of the Basilicom and outside the Barrier continued on
"Alright, we can do that." Vert relented, Noire silently doing the same as she looked to the side. Neptune just looked like she wasn't paying attention, though neither CPU bothered to do anything about it. Just from their interactions with her, they both realized that Neptune wasn't one who would be fit for these types of talks. Instead, she would be the one who helped fight the enemy on the front lines. Now, all that they had to do was to decide who would be in which group, as well as take volunteers for these said groups while keeping this place the most defended spot in the Basilicom. Not going to be easy. "Now all we need is to decide who goes where. We all agree that a CPU needs to be in one group each, right?"
Noire nodded her head in agreement, already pulling out her Phone to call Mr. LB. "Yeah, that would be a good idea, perhaps we CPUs should be at the front of the fighting so we can tank most of the damage. Then, we can take two others each, preferably people who are strong enough to fight against these Demons. So far, it seems that Leanbox's Military, in addition to ordinary humans, can't compete with these creatures in terms of sheer power. We'd be pretty much treating them like lambs being sent to the slaughter." she remarked, scowling when she remembered the state many freshly murdered guardsmen had been in at the hands of the Khornate Demons. Not a pretty sight, and most CERTAINLY not a sight she would want to share with anyone.
While it was true that the Military's job was to protect the Nation and her interests, it would be pointless sending them towards an enemy who had the powers needed to wipe them out in one fell swoop. Not to mention that they needed to protect the Nobles until MAGES. got them out of the Basilicom, which according to her would take a while, in addition to any survivors that they find on the floors. There would be bound to be people needing help, and on that front soldiers would be able to help, unlike against Demons. Demons that have proven themselves to do some... rather perverse stuff to the corpses of their slain enemies. Thus, the needless sacrifice would NOT be on their agenda today, not if they could help it.
"Well, we'll help as much as we can."
"Yup-Yup! It'd be wrong for a Nurse-In-Training to not help people!"
"We will lend our assistance, too."
Several voices, nearly 10, broke into their conversation. Turning to the source, Neptune and the other CPUs found themselves staring at the forms of Team RAIL, IF, Compa, Guts, Isaac, and Mr. LB. All of them were in their default outfits, none of them were in their suits/dresses anymore, whilst each of them looked ready to fight the incoming enemy.
Neptune's eyes brightened at the sight of her friends, quickly rushing over to them both and glomping the two girls, pulling them into a hug. "Iffyyyyy, Compaaaaa! Its so good to see ya alive and kicking, my gals!" she chirped happily, hopping up and down.
Her affectionate gestures made a similar response come from Compa who beamed at her, whilst IF gave her a lopsided smirk. "We're not dead or in danger of dying, Nep. If anything, we should be the ones worried about you, running off like that." she stated, getting a sheepish laugh from the preteen. Shaking her head, the brunette looked over to Noire and Vert, her eyes flashing into a serious gaze. "MAGES. told us what was going on before beginning the evac process. We can help you repel the enemy since we have our own experiences with them." she explained.
Vert and Noire hummed at this, before eventually nodding. "Alright then, we'll do that." Vert stated, summoning Beninuki and thus gesturing towards Stefan with it. "I'd make the groups myself, however, I'm not as experienced with this. Thus, I will delegate that task to Captain Von Kessel here, who has more than enough of it." she proclaimed, the said man nodding in acceptance.
"Acknowledged, my lady." he told her, putting a hand to his chest where his heart would be and lowering his head in a form of reverence. Afterward, Stefan looked towards the others, his eyes casting their gaze over them. "Alright, to start I do not see the issue with the Grouping. Neptune, you and your party members will be Group 1. You'll be the first group, meaning you'll clear this floor of Demons. You all have prior experience fighting together, thus it would be best to keep you as one unit." He spoke, getting cheerful nods from Compa and Neptune while IF just nodded with a smirk.
He then gestured to Team RAIL, his eyes going over the four of them. "You four each have great records for solo missions, yet your potential fully shines when you are together, which makes you Group 2. You four will handle the second floor while Group 1 moves to help evacuate any survivors and injured soldiers. That way, Group 1 can recover their stamina somewhat for future battles should the need arise, although their primary role on the second floor is escorting." He got nods of agreement from the four, before turning to Noire. "Lady Black Heart, I read reports of the incident at Lastation, and they show you have experience fighting alongside Team RAIL. You have more experience with Neptune's group, however, since you're a CPU it would be best to spread out our heavy hitters to amplify each group's combat potential. Therefore, you will be joining Group 2, along with your Bodyguard Mr. LB, or should I say Raiden?"
"Either or is fine, Captain." Mr. LB, or Raiden, responded with a curt nod, grasping his suit and throwing it off him like those super villains who shed their disguises to reveal what they truly look like. An illogical tactic, but since when has Gamindustri been logical? When he did that, everyone got a look at what he wore beneath... and all of them couldn't believe what they saw.
"Duuuuude..."
"How interesting..."
Ivan and Aiden whispered those remarks to each other, staring with wide eyes (though the latter's wasn't nearly as big as the former's) at Raiden's form. Without his suit, Raiden showed himself to be almost completely a machine, save for his face, and even then his jaw, chin and bottom half of his mouth looked mechanical. His form had a humanoid shape to it, with a mass of plates, springs, cogs and other mechanical parts making the body what it was. His feet looked like they were heels, with sharpened toes for kicking which seemed to be the same for his hands. It definitely sported that futuristic vibe to it that oddly enough had a mix of Lastation and Planeptune to it. In his hands, was a High-Frequency Blade looking exactly like the one Noire used.
'Hmph, looks like they're surprised.' Noire thought, unable to hide a smirk whilst she observed everyone's reactions to Raiden's true appearance. 'Raiden here's a Cyborg Ninja, originally human but was captured by these people called 'the Patriots' and used as a test subject for exoskeleton enhancement surgery, turning him from a human into a superhuman Cyborg Ninja.' At the mention of his past, Noire frowned to herself but made sure nobody saw it. 'He doesn't say much about his past, and I wouldn't pry it from him, but even so, he has one of the greater records of missions completed in my Nation's Branch of the Spec Ops Program.' The thought that someone like him would be helping both her and Team RAIL though, filled her with no small amount of relief. Noire may be a Goddess, but this guy had faced odds way bigger than her, and with all his advantages he had been able to kick her ass more times than she could count.
Stefan recovered first, turning to Isaac and Guts. "Now, Group 3 will be you two and Lady Green Heart. It's fortunate that you guys came here like I requested, thanks to your experiences with the demonic forces, otherwise, we would have had a harder difficulty covering our flanks. Your group will be the rear guard since yours is the smallest unless we get promising volunteers. Though considering how few our numbers are, and every wasted moment leads to more good men getting axed off, that isn't very likely. At least, in this case, the enemy will be more focused on our front but make no mistake, our rear will be our Achilles heel. Your role will be to provide the rear guard, like I said before, for the first two floors, then you will lead the charge on the third floor, with reinforcement from Group 1 which will have rested somewhat from combat. Once the floors have been cleared of survivors, two groups will remain behind to stop the Demons from entering the Dungeon while one goes in to shut this whole invasion down. I must remain here to coordinate what few men we have left and see to it that these Nobles along with injured staff and soldiers be evacuated safely. I pray that you all are successful in retaking our great Basilicom from these fuckers."
Chapter end!
Alrightie, another chapter done!
Things are FINALLY getting heated as Stefan shows why he is a Captain and a well-known military leader. He co-ordinates and manages the cast into groups of three to get the best results possible for their counterattack. Also, if you haven't noticed, practically EVERY CPU has a special power-up of some kind, something that'll make them look way more of a badass character type than just fanservice (seriously, I know Neptunia's a game for male demographics, but in my opinion, guys are attracted to two things: fanservice and badassery).
Also, about Nico and Yvoire, don't worry I have something planned for the two of them, but it'll be known only AFTER this invasion is dealt with. Believe me, it's a really fucked up situation, more for one than the other though. If you're all wondering why Yvoire got written like he did a couple chapters ago, its because in the game he's been seen as a comic relief character, but in here, where the scale has been increased with a lot more serious vibes to it, I wanted him to be seen as someone whose doing what he thinks is right. The guy DOES care for Leanbox, and he is willing to do what it takes to keep it safe which doesn't make him a bad person per say. Shoutout to KingCarlos though for helping me with this one, he's quite experienced with politics and what a Leader's life is like. Read his stories, and you'll see.
Also if you haven't seen it, there's a new poll on my profile. its nothing much, just want to hear your thoughts on the cast, it won't affect the story very much.
