[3] - Re: Connect


Name: IF | [ Dogoo Slayer ]

Lvl 7 [ 1150/12500 ]

HP: 450/450 | SP: 450/850

Str: 9 | Vit: 8

Int: 15 | Men: 10

Agi: 15 | Tec: 11

A full week had gone by since she first entered this timeline. She was doing…fairly well, all things considered. She'd gotten to level 7 solo, and her skills were growing steadily. She'd almost died to a grandogoo that one time, but she swiftly ignored that.

The increase in stats meant that the outer Virtua Forest had become somewhat of a cakewalk. The normal monsters died to a single swing, and a couple Cross Impacts would completely blow a grandogoo apart. The only one she still had trouble with were the Horsebird Leaders, but that was mainly because they could fly. A single Cross Impact straight onto their body would shatter them.

Moving deeper into the forest would be a sound idea, but she wasn't grinding for Exp at the moment.

[ Dagger Mastery* ]

Rank: Starter | 100%

[48/100 monsters slain with a dagger until Rank UP ]

She needed to slay 52 more monsters with her daggers, and the outer Virtua Forest was filled with monsters she could one-hit-kill.

She continued running, raking in more kills as monsters appeared in her way. There were less monsters than usual, but that was probably because she'd been running through the forest every day for the past week or so. Not that it meant much, since monsters were still popping out of the bushes every minute or so.

After her 87th kill, the ground trembled and IF swiftly jumped back to avoid getting crushed by a grandogoo. The giant slime stared at her, and she silently battered it with a Cross Impact. The grandogoo cried as a giant chunk of its body was flung into the air. She took a step forward and used another Cross Impact, blowing the giant dogoo into tiny little chunks.

[Gained 850 Exp, 500 Credits, and x1 Grand Jelly]

88th kill confirmed. 12 more to go. It didn't take long for the rest of the monsters to crop up.

[Confirmed. [ Dagger Mastery* ] → [Dagger Mastery** ]

[ Dagger Mastery** ]

Rank: Elementary | 0%

The biggest impacts come in the smallest packages, and this one isn't an exception. Daggers were wonderfully powerful, and suited as both a primary and secondary weapon.

Str increased by (+20%) when using a dagger

Agi increased by (+20%) when using a dagger

Dagger strikes penetrate through (10%) of the enemies' Vit

Now wasn't that a beauty? Armor Penetration was one of the best things Dagger Mastery had in its arsenal, and when it reaches Legendary Rank, that Armor Penetration becomes terrifying. Her enemy's armor gets negated by that point.

Taking a quick swig of an SP Charger she bought a couple days ago, she continued running, heading deeper into the forest. Her surroundings grew dimmer and dimmer as the canopy of leaves above grew thicker. Monster encounters grew less common, and eventually petered out completely. Only the sound of her steps accompanied her in the silence.

And soon, she came upon a familiar sight.

A giant chasm filled with towering trees, their roots floating and spreading all across. Yellow orbs of light floated in the air, their dim glow a replacement to the missing sunlight. She took a step forward, and the metallic platform under her clanked against her shoes.

The Inner Virtua Forest. How nostalgic. Her first guild mission had brought her here. It was a simple Item Retrieval mission, but she'd somehow flunked and got herself trapped in a giant wave of monsters that she had to claw out of. Good times.

Something shuffled in the distance. It was a floating blob-like blue jellyfish, with wide empty eyes and lips that would scare all children. A Hoinin. A perfect first trial.

She took a loud step forward, and the hoinin turned to her in surprise. Its eyes narrowed before it sped towards her. Well, perhaps 'sped' wasn't quite right. The thing was as slow as a dogoo. Taking a short breath, she leapt past the hoinin and stabbed it on its back. The thing struggled for a moment before it shattered into motes of light.

[Gained 80 Exp and 45 Credits]

…Huh. The thing died with a single stab. She thought it'd at least take another. Hold on, did that mean she wasted her time one-hitting monsters in the outer forest?

Oh well. What's done is done.

Her bounty list had three more monsters: Fungus, Piranha Flowers, and Spiders. The first was pretty much a giant red mushroom, the second was a carnivorous plant that walked on small legs, and the third was pretty much a large spider.

…Their names were rather on the nose this time.

There was the Fenrisulfr as well, but she wasn't coming into contact with that thing any time soon. That giant wolf was far too strong for her to take on right now. The Grandogoo might've been a boss monster, but that giant wolf was leagues above it. She'd need preparations before she dared to fight it.

It didn't take long for the three other monsters to besiege her. They were weaker than she expected. A single slash was enough to slice the Piranha Flower's head straight off its body. The Fungus took a couple good slashes for her to take down. The Spiders were the toughest of the three, needing several powerful strikes on its back until it fell. Not that it meant much.

[Level up!]

She grinned. Level 10 was quickly approaching. If everything went well, then reaching that milestone was her goal for the day. The extra skill slots would benefit her greatly.

Of course, the moment she thought that, fate decided otherwise.

"Kyaa!" A shriek sounded in the distance. A very familiar shriek. She sighed. She should've known better than to set up a flag like that. So she ran, daggers tightly held as she prepared for the worse.

As expected, the Fenrisulfr was there, its jaws wide open as it prepared to maul the person in front of it. A person with long lilac hair and purple eyes. The girl was terrified, but her legs were damaged, and all she could do was slowly crawl back as the giant wolf approached.

And IF saw red.

"CROSS IMPACT!"


Ooh, why did Nepgear think going to the Inner Virtua Forest as her first trip was a good idea!? She knew this place was dangerous for a beginner like her, but Neptune kept egging her on! Ah, why didn't she listen to Histoire instead!?

It was too late now. Her legs were hurt by the giant wolf, and she had no more Nep Bulls to heal her HP.

She was doomed. Her game-over was coming.

But then,

"CROSS IMPACT!"

A shout echoed and the Fenrisulfr was suddenly flung back by a shockwave, crying out in pain as chunks of fur and blood were carved out by the impact. Nepgear watched it all in stunned silence, awed by the strength of the attack before she suddenly found herself carried off her feet and brought away.

"W-Wha-"

"Shut up. Let me focus." The one carrying her coldly replied. Nepgear blinked, finally realizing that she was being carried away by someone, that she'd luckily survived. She was alive. She wanted to cry, but she kept herself silent. The one carrying her needed to focus, and she could still hear the Fenrisulfr chasing after them.

So Nepgear closed her eyes and prayed. She prayed that her savior would make it out alive. Prayed that the Fenrisulfr would slow down. Prayed that all would go well.

And it…did. After what felt like hours, the sounds of the Fenrisulfr's growls faded into nothingness, and she found herself hidden by rows after rows of trees. She was out of the Inner forest. She was safe. She was alive.

Nepgear finally cried.

"Fu-, damn it. Crap. Uh-, h-hey, it's okay." Her savior gently said, and Nepgear clung onto her savior, crying and crying and thanking her for being alive. Slowly, she felt her savior begin to pat her back. The gesture was slow and awkward, as if her savior had never done this before, but the warmth her hand carried was comforting.

Slowly, her tears dried and she finally could see who her savior was.

She was…surprised wasn't quite the word she was looking for. Astounded was a better choice, she supposed. Her savior was a girl with long, brown hair, emerald eyes, and an awkward smile. The girl was young, but the weight on her soul was nearly suffocating. She wasn't as skilled as a CPU as her sister was, but even she could tell the sheer weight her savior carried on her shoulders.

Why? Why did this girl have to carry so much? Why did she need to shoulder so much pain?

Nepgear burst into tears again and hugged the girl. She tried comforting her again, but Nepgear didn't care. With what little control she had she wrapped the Share Energy she had around her savior. She'd never really done this before, but Neptune said that it helped calm people down.

Then,

"H-Huh? Why am I…?" She heard her savior say, and she could see the tears that finally fell from her eyes. She tried wiping them off, but they kept falling. "D-Damn it, not-, not now. I have-, have someone t-that-"

"It's okay." Nepgear said. Her savior turned to her, confused, and she mustered up her brightest smile. "It's okay. You're alive. We're alive. We're okay."

She wasn't okay. Her savior wasn't either. But that didn't matter right now.

Her savior froze at her words, before slowly, the cries she'd held back finally sprang free. The girl cried and sobbed as she hugged Nepgear back, waves of loss and fear and hope and longing crashed out of the girl's heart, and Nepgear took them all in and cried.

This wasn't enough, but no matter how little, she wanted to help this girl who'd saved her.


Ah, today was really too much, IF decided. She thought she could handle seeing Nepgear, save her like a knight, and then be done with it. She couldn't. Seeing her get so close to death was…harrowing, and reminded her of things she'd rather not remember.

IF cried for what felt like ages, and by the end of it she just felt tired. She wanted to just go back to her apartment and drink a nice cup of hot chocolate to wash everything away. But she couldn't. Not now. Nepgear was still shaken from the experience, and there was no chance in hell she was letting her go home alone.

"Shi-, damn it, I didn't mean to cry like that." She said, before turning a (hopefully) confident smile at the CPU candidate. "Sorry about that. You're the one that nearly…you know."

Nepgear smiled, and IF was directly faced the purity that smile had. "Ah, it's fine! There's nothing wrong with crying!" She said, and IF faintly nodded back. This girl really was too kind for her own good. "A-And, um." She stuttered slightly, cheeks growing red as she faced the ground. "T-T-Thank you for s-saving me."

IF stood still for a moment, before she sighed. "...No problem. I'm glad you're okay." She said, only to remember that her leg was still all scratched up. "Ah, hold on. Green Noah!" Green sparkles lit up around them, and Nepgear gasped as her leg was healed. The injury was still there, but it was far better than it was before.

"T-Thank you, miss-...um."

IF couldn't help but snort. "My name's IF, and don't call me 'miss'. I'm not old enough for that." She said, and Nepgear blushed.

"M-My name's Nepgear! It's nice to meet you!" She said back, and IF warmly smiled back. There it was. Those exact words she'd said upon their first meeting, now spoken again in this new timeline she'd found herself in. Strangely, Nepgear's blush grew, and IF let out a small laugh as she patted her head.

"Let's go home, okay?"

"Mm!" Nepgear moved to stand, only to fall back down. "Eh?" She looked down at her healed legs, but they refused to move. She tried shaking them, but the best she could do was to get them to tremble slightly. "W-Why…?" She tried again, but nothing changed. Her legs refused to stand.

IF watched silently, before she scooped up the girl into her hands. Nepgear was clearly still shaken. Might as well carry her all the way back.

"I-IF!?"

She grinned back. "Just hold on. I'll get us back." Nepgear's blush somehow grew even deeper, and IF laughed again. It…really was nice to be able to do this again. They might not be friends at the moment, but-

This was nice.

With the maiden secured, she began her run back to Planeptune, making sure Nepgear remained comfortable and secure in her arms. They occasionally talked on the way, but Nepgear's eyes slowly lowered. All the adrenaline she had was finally fading back.

Softly, in a voice even IF could barely hear herself, she whispered, "Thank you for living."

Because without her, without Neptune, without all those people she regarded as family, who would she have been? Who would've she become? Would she continue living in that empty apartment? Would she continue working on her own? Would she have never gone on all those insane adventures?

She didn't know. She didn't want to know.

But that was the path her previous life had taken, and she was eternally grateful.

It didn't take long for her to get back to Planeptune. The guards at the border were clearly surprised that she was carrying a girl in her arms, but she'd shrugged and told them that she found her in the wild. The guards had come to know her pretty well after all the times she went in and out of Planeptune, so they easily let her in.

The stares she got from the populace were a bit jarring, but they didn't stare for long. With people like Neptune roaming the streets, their tolerance towards the stupid would inevitably raise over time. She soon made it to the Basilicom, and everyone there essentially freaked out when they saw her carrying their CPU Candidate in her hands.

With some reluctance, she let one of the nurses carry Nepgear off, and she was asked to sit and wait by the lobby. She did so and sighed. Today had been a lot, and she couldn't wait to get back to her apartment, have some hot chocolate, and drop asleep on her bed.

Actually, sleeping here…didn't sound too bad…

"Excuse me, are you IF?"

She blinked, before she nodded at the guard who'd called her. She stood from her seat and stretched, before she followed him. They walked over to the elevator at the back of the lobby room, and the doors opened for her to enter. "Please enter. Lady Histoire is waiting for you on the highest floor."

She stifled a wince. She'd met Nepgear, and now Histoire? The exhaustion in her bones grew heavier by the second. Still, she steeled herself and nodded, stepping onto the elevator she'd grown so familiar with. The door closed behind her, and she waited as she began to ascend the tower.

She let her eyes close. The ride would take a minute at best, enough time for her to get a quick rest.

Ding!

The ride ended all too soon, and IF silently groaned as she pushed her back off the elevator wall. With a small jolt, the elevator stopped and opened its doors. She winced slightly. She somewhat forgot that the higher floors of the Neptower were covered in windows.

Slowly, she stepped out and was met with that oh-so-familiar sight. Of a room in white and purple, covered with little trinkets and gadgets. Of a room bursting with energy and life. Of a room she'd considered as her second home.

If she closed her eyes, she could almost picture how everything once was. She'd exit the elevator, bone tired from another mission only to get dragged into some game by Planeptune. She'd then inevitably fall asleep, only to wake up to Compa's cooking. Then they'd eat dinner and laugh and talk and-

IF took a deep breath. There was no point in remembering that right now. She had a Histoire to meet.

Normally, Histoire would be in the office room, toiling away at the mountain of paperwork and silently complaining about Neptune's lacking work ethic. But it seemed today was different. Histoire was at the dining table instead, a tiny cup of tea in her hands as she sat beside an unusually serious Neptune.

She walked closer and Neptune turned to her, eyes growing wide before she smiled. "Are you IF?"

She blinked. So Neptune was in her 'Goddess' mode, huh? That was fine. It'd make this conversation faster. "I am." She said, standing just behind one of the chairs. She would've taken a seat, but she was a stranger at the moment.

"Please take a seat, Ms. IF." Histoire said, and with a small smile she took a seat. It was coincidentally the exact seat she'd claimed as her own. "Please forgive me for calling you despite how tired you are."

IF huffed. "It's fine. Sleep can wait." And she desperately wanted to see them, wanted to confirm that they were still as her memory told her, that those memories of the future were true.

"I see." The oracle said, before she bowed. "Thank you for saving our CPU Candidate." She said, regret clear in her eyes. "If only I'd reasoned her against going-"

"No!" Neptune shouted. "Don't you dare say that, Histy! If anything-!" Neptune stopped for a moment, before she continued. "If anything, it's my fault. I shouldn't have told Nep Jr. to go out at all."

"But Neptune-"

"No! No means no, okay?"

The two stared at one another for a full minute, before Histoire sighed. Neptune was as stubborn as a mule. Once she believed in something, getting her to back down was near impossible. "Very well. I'm sorry, Ms. IF, we didn't mean to-"

Histoire's words stopped as she looked at Nepgear's savior. She was smiling at them, and the warmth in her eyes was clear for them to see. "...You two are really close, huh." The girl whispered. She could feel the longinghappinessregretsadnesshopedreamslove she had, and Histoire found herself frozen.

Why…did she stare at them like that, and why did such an expression hurt so much?

She shouldn't be like that. She should be happy. She should be together with her family.

Histoire knew they'd never met. Her database was hardly ever wrong, and she knew that the two of them had never crossed paths before. Yet, there was an undeniable feeling of familiarity, as if she was seeing someone she hadn't met in a long time. She subtly turned to Neptune, and the goddess most likely thought the same, her eyes completely entranced.

"We are." Histoire finally said, and IF gently sighed, resting back onto her chair as she smiled.

"That's good." She closed her eyes and knew no more.


From what I remember, CPUs don't have the capability to read someone's emotions, but it sounded right to me. After all, since they gather Share Energy from the populace, then something like emotions should be transmitted as well, right? Besides, it gives Neptune and Nepgear a reason to get attached to the poor girl faster, because god damnit she needs it.