Candidate Rebirth
AN: no AN!
Chapter 5: HDD
It had been two months since Chloe had first entered real combat, and she had made over a dozen excursions since, mainly in the company of her sister, but there were a few times she was dropped off with IF, and she had been making good progress, in both skill, and levels.
She had also made progress at leaving the basilicom, and now could make it both to the guild next door, and to the city borders, although she needed to be with her sister to do so.
She still hadn't entered the city, but was edging towards doing so. Vert decided that she would put off the official announcement until she was semi confident walking the city. It was looking like it would take six months more, or perhaps more in the event of a regression.
Today the two were going to a slightly higher level area than normal Halo Mountain, because Chloe wanted to test herself. She had her own guild license, and was starting to take quests using it.
She also decided to try some more obviously feminine clothing. She was wearing a knee length green skirt, a white blouse, with a green non-constrictive corset, and white stockings. She was also wearing her now standard cloak, and a pair of sensible boots.
She was doing well, killing wolves, and other monsters. Even when some went viral increasing their stats she still managed to with, with Vert only providing support with items.
And then it happened, seven Fenrir Wolves spawned. The two were surrounded, and they were just high enough level that Vert couldn't kill them as quickly the rest of the monsters in the area. And she was set upon by four of them, which while within her capabilities, took time to defeat.
That left three for Chloe.
She found that she couldn't deal enough damage to the three to get one to back off enough to switch targets before being hit.
Within minutes, she hit the ground bleeding, and her clothes pretty much shredded.
She panicked when the one directly in front of her snarled and Lunged at her mouth open for a fatal bite. Then it happened, a bright flash illuminated the clearing, and the Fenrir was sent flying back.
The flash of light, when it cleared drew everybody's attention to the now reveled figure.
The girl, no now woman, was floating several inches off the ground. She, instead of having a figure that was well on the way to matching her sister's, now was that of a tomboy with minimal curves, her now leaf green hair complemented her now blue eyes.
Her outfit consisted of a skin tight spandex bodysuit in whites and greens a M.C. Escher type pattern that seemed to move when she stood still, and she had a pair of metal boots, and gauntlets, as well as a chestplate. On her back she had two pure white mechanical angel wings.
She also had two huge metal arms, that looked like they only started from a little above the elbow. (EN) One of which was floating by her left arm, the other was pointing in front of her fist forward.
One of the fenrirs she was facing shook off the effect first, only to be met with a backhand from the left 'arm'. As if it was the signal, that battle recommenced. Green Sister's third Fenrir met a double fisted downward smash, that finished it off.
Now Vert was facing two badly inured fenrirs, and Green Sister had two moderately injured.
Green Sister grabbed one of the two using her arms and smashed it into the other, knocking the two down in a heap.
At this point Vert had finished the last of her set, and was about to go help her sister when Green Sister intoned unemotionally, "Shadow Blow." and one of her metal fists glowed black, and smashed into the piled up wolves, killing them both.
"You unlocked your HDD, good, sorry about not helping, these things don't normally spawn in such numbers," Vert said.
Green Sister turned towards Vert and Vert took a step backwards. Her sister's eyes, they were emotionally dead. "Are you okay?" Vert asked cautiously.
"I am moderately injured," came the monotone reply. "It would be best if we head back."
Vert was disturbed and horrified by this HDD, and she really didn't do a good job hiding it. Even more so than Iris Heart. Iris still had emotions, likes and dislikes, but her sister... she seemed dead inside.
Vert shook her head, and said, "Agreed, I need to report this to the others, do you feel up to flying back? Or do you need to change back and be carried?"
"I am unsure I have the energy to fly back," came the reply, but before Vert could say anything, she continued, "But it would be advisable to try."
Vert looked at her sister in confusion, before changing to Green Heart. Why would it be advisable to try, and possibly fail?
"Very well," she said, then entered into her HDD form, and the two headed back.''
Green Sister's transformation dispelled five feet above the balcony, and Chloe hit the floor hard.
She then looked at the now untransformed Vert and ran back to her room.
"Dammit!" Vert yelled. She was not expecting her sister to run from her. She ran after her sister, she would NOT let an issue fester. She wasn't quite sure what the problem was but she had a suspicion it was response to her...
Fuck, it was her response to Green Sister. She didn't hide her emotions well enough.
She ended up at the hall that contained both her sister's and her rooms, just as Chloe's door slammed and the click of the lock could be clearly heard.
Walking up to Chloe's door, she knocked.
All she got was a muffled, reply, although Vert could guess what was said.
"Sister, open up. We need to talk, I'm not angry at you, nor am I disappointed, but we can't let this fester."
Five minutes passed...
Ten...
At fifteen she Knocked again.
At thirty she was about to break down the door... when the lock clicked.
Two minutes passed and Vert sighed, and took the door unlocking as an invitation.
Looking into the room, that had the lights off, and the light from the windows dimming due to the setting sun, she saw her sister sniffling in her bed, while dressed in her nightclothes, with tear tracts down her face.
Vert climbed into the bed, and without a second thought, took her sister into her arms. Her sister teared up and started crying into Vert's chest, and Vert just held her while rubbing her back.
"Why?" Chloe sobbed. Vert braced for the condemnation, when Chloe continued, "Why did I turn into that... that... that... THING? I hate it!"
Vert sighed, and rubbed her sister back some more before answering, "That was your HDD, or Hard Drive Divinity, in short your Goddess Candidate form. I'm sorry for my reaction, I just wasn't expecting your personality change to be similar to Plutia's. Not that your form was like Iris heart, but more the super extreme personality change. Don't worry about it, I'm sorry I reacted so badly in my surprise. It was just seeing my sweet shy sister turning into..."
"A monster?" Chloe said softly.
"No, more like a robot. No emotions, just logic," Vert answered soothingly.
"I'm not going to use it again," Chloe said snuggling closer to her sister.
Vert sighed, and said, "You will." Chloe looked at Vert in shock, and her next words made Chloe think, "There will come a day, maybe not soon, that someone important to you will be in danger, and you will use it to save them, because you have no choice. It may not be tomorrow, or even in many decades, but the power boost will be needed someday."
Chloe wanted to deny it, but the thought of Chika dieing because she was too afraid of her other form made her vow to only use it if absolutely necessary.
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The next day saw Chloe waking up in her sisters embrace, and while in the comforting embrace she thought of the previous day, and she frowned. It wasn't just the look her sister gave her that drove her to run, it was almost as if...
She started cursing loudly, which woke up Vert, whom cuffed her to stop the foul language.
"What caused you to start that this early?" Vert demanded, upset that she woke to her sister cussing.
"I just realized a problem with my HDD," came the apologetic answer, and at Vert's look she continued, "All the emotions I SHOULD have felt, hit me all at once when I changed back."
Vert's eye's widened, and Chloe, whom had been doing so much better running like that made sense, if all the fear, both of the combat, and of being rejected, hit her at once... she probably couldn't handle it yet.
"I'm suspending your field training for now. I need to hold a conference with the others. That many high ranked, for the area, enemies spawning at once, in the same location, is not normal. I will also be putting out a APB to the guild cautioning hunters of the event," Vert said, and then continued, "I will allow you to go to the lower ranked areas, but you will be accompanied by someone that I will select since this is going to be a time killer."
Chloe nodded, and stood up to collect her bath stuff, and her clothes for the day, which disappointed Vert because it was back to the tomboy style outfit.
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Two weeks later the person Vert contacted to accompany her sister came.
The door to the meeting room opened and she came in.
The young woman was wearing a white and green vest, shorts, gloves, and shoes and a black and white hat. The hat let her dog ears show, and her shorts let her dog tail out. Her tanned skin had yellow lightning bolts on it.
"Chloe looked at the girl with a great deal of curiosity, and then Vert spoke, "Cyberconnect2, I was wondering whether you would mind being a semi-permanent partner to my sister, so that she won't be alone when she hits the field, she's growing quickly in experience but she's still a beginner."
Cyberconnect2's eyes widened at the offer, and then the implication of the statement hit her, Leanbox finally had a candidate.
"Of course! Leave her to me! Come on, let's hit a field so we can get a feel for each other's abilities." Cyberconnect2 said.
"Ummm sure,' Chloe responded, "Just let me get ready."
After getting dressed in what she had made into her current standard for combat outfit, she followed her new partner out to the guild to get some low level quests.
It was looking to be the start of a good friendship.
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Chapter end.
EN: Plachta'a weapon from Atelier Sophie: Alchemist of the Mysterious Book
EN2: what did everybody think of Chloe's 'combat outfit' (AKA what she wore at the start of the chap) and her HDD?
EN3: Shorter than planned, but I did all my goals for the chapter.