[13] - Re: Minder


IF shouldn't be surprised. She really shouldn't. She knew how Vert was. She knew how Neptune was. She knew.

And yet,

"Get your hands off her, you thief! She's my citizen!" Neptune was holding her left arm tightly, having transformed for even more strength. IF silently withstood the pain.

"Ara? Your citizen? Is that true, IF? Do you like Planeptune more than Leanbox?" Vert, transformed to keep up, held her right arm. She was pulling her aside, trying to pry her away from Neptune. IF softly groaned. Her arms felt completely numb.

IF tried turning to Histoire, but the fairy simply shook her head with an apologetic smile, and IF hung her head down in defeat.

Neptune pulled, and Vert pulled back. Their eyes were locked onto one another, neither of them backing down as they smiled at each other. Neither of their smiles were pleasant, and IF could distantly hear Nepgear backing out of the room. Another potential escape route had been lost.

IF sighed. This was her life it seemed.

Everything had gone well. They'd docked at a town just west of Planeptune, and she drove Soul Blazer back to Planeptune, with Cave sitting behind her. They got to the Basilicom, notified Histoire, and she was immediately beset by a very hyper Neptune launching herself straight at her.

Neptune was hugging her, and she wouldn't let go. IF didn't really mind.

She told Histoire of what'd happened, and Cave told her side of the story. IF felt her heart grow heavier with every word Cave spoke. She told of a woman with purple hair and a sickly scythe. She spoke of a woman capable of wielding magics she'd never seen before. She spoke of a woman glowing with eerie darkness, and one who called herself 'Magic'.

CFW Magic. One of the leaders of ASIC.

She carefully held her expression tight, but not well enough. Neptune had picked up on her discomfort and asked what was wrong, and she couldn't help but break slightly. ASIC was appearing faster than normal. CFW Magic had struck earlier than intended.

But she'd smiled and told the worried goddess that nothing was wrong. Neptune and Histoire could clearly see her smile was faked, but didn't press. She was grateful for it.

It was then that Vert busted through the elevator, crying her name as she hugged her tight. She then noticed Neptune clinging to her waist, and the smile she had turned particularly cold.

Which led to…this.

"Um. Guys?" She tried. Her words went ignored. "Guys?" She asked, louder this time. Her words remained ignored again. Her arms felt numb. "Guys!" Again, they didn't hear her, and coldness began seeping through her lungs.

She was being pulledpulledpulledpulled-

"LET ME GO!"

"...Iffy? Are you okay?"

IF hugged herself and let herself breathe. The coldness in her lungs remained, an icy grip crushing her chest, and she shut her eyes close. She could remember it-, remember how cold it was as she tried to free herself, gashes and wounds forming as she pulled on the chains around her arms and crying out and praying and-

She held her hands over her ears. She could remember her own voice echoing back into her ears, a reminder that no one was coming. She hated it. She hated it. Being alone hurt.

"I'm…" She tried. Her lungs felt cold, and she took a deep breath. "I'm…fine."

"You're not." She heard someone say. She didn't know who. She couldn't tell. They were hugging her though. It was nice. The person felt warm. "We're sorry. We-, we didn't think-"

"Indeed, we didn't think." Another person said. She felt another pair of arms embrace her, and IF leaned into them. The warmth they carried felt nice. "Forgive me. Forgive us." The voice felt comforting. IF mumbled and leaned further.

The coldness in her lungs slowly receded, its icy grip relaxing. IF sighed shakily. She felt somewhat better. She felt-, she-

She took a deep breath.

"I'm fine." She said. Her voice sounded oddly far away. She didn't know why. "I'm fine." She said again. She wasn't fine. "I'm fine." She wasn't.

"You certainly are not." Another voice. This one was sterner, but no less warm. IF felt a small hand pat her hair, and she hummed gently. The hand was nice. "It's normal to not be okay. There is no reason for you to lie about it."

"...I can't." She admitted. She felt so small all of a sudden. "I need to be strong." She needed to. Everyone needed her. She couldn't-

"No. Not alone." The stern voice was sharp. All the whispers in the back of her mind fell silent. "You are not alone. You have us. You need not to bear it all alone, IF."

"...Mm."

The voice huffed. The small hand ruffled her hair playfully, and IF felt herself smile. "It has been a busy day for us all. Take a rest, IF."

"...okay." She mumbled slowly, and she let herself sleep.


"A fear of confinement."

"Eh?" Neptune blinked, still holding the sleeping IF in her arms. "What do you mean, Histy?" She subtly shifted her position, carefully moving IF's head onto her chest. Her armor as a goddess was strangely cold, and she doubted it'd be a comfortable place to sleep on.

Vert looked at the oracle in worry, her hold on IF tightening slightly. She had an idea on what Histoire meant, and she didn't like it.

"It seems IF fears being trapped." The fairy began simply. "IF fears of being locked in a room; something she'd explicitly told me when she first slept here, she fears going on planes, she likes motorcycles over cars, and she hates being trapped and ignored." Histoire frowned. "It's not certain, but it seems she has a fear of being confined."

"...and considering IF said that she didn't always fear planes," Vert continued, her expression grim. "Probably means that it was a fear she gained."

Everyone fell silent at that. They were all worried. When IF had finally been freed, she'd hugged herself, as if to confirm that she could still move. Neptune and Vert could feel the fear and despair and desperation and the tinge of insanity in the girl's heart.

Why? What'd happened to her?

"...I suggest we all rest." Histoire finally said. Neptune and Vert turned up to her, their hands still wrapped around the resting IF. "It has been a…tiring day for us all." They nodded back, and Histoire smiled tiredly. "Vert, you can take one of the guest-"

"I'm sleeping with her." Vert immediately said.

"Me too." Neptune followed.

Histoire stared at the two goddesses, and sighed. She'd expected that to happen. "...Very well. Do rest in Neptune's room. Her bed should be large enough to accommodate you three."

With a silent nod, the two goddesses left with the sleeping girl, and Histoire let herself sigh. The past two weeks had not been kind on her heart, and the moment IF had returned, this happened. Things could never calm down, could it?

She sighed.

Paperwork could wait for the day after. She needed to wind down. Slaying monsters in Junk Box sounded wonderful.


Left thigh. Left knee.

The robot didn't howl. It didn't scream even as its inner wirings frayed and burnt. It simply turned its lifeless red eyes at her and fired. She had only a moment to jump out of the way, and she could only stamp down her cry as bullets dug into her shoulder.

Left kidney. Across the chest.

More sparks flew as her daggers dug through its body, loudly screeching as metal grated against one another. Its injured leg suddenly shot forward and kicked her back. She coughed and glared at it. The robot stared back.

She'd forgotten that it wasn't alive, not truly. An injury like that wouldn't stop it.

Chest. Left knee.

She kicked its injured knee as hard as she could, and she felt a moment of satisfaction as the leg finally shattered. That satisfaction didn't last.

The next thing she knew, she was on the ground. Everything felt hot and cold, her body ached, and she could only stare at her abdomen in horror. The damn thing had punched a hole straight through her stomach.

Chest. Left arm. Left hand. Left-

Again and again. Bullets kept drilling into her. She kept punching it, trying to break it, anything, but her arms were weak. They could do nothing but push the hand aside, do nothing but slightly deviate the bullets' trajectory. The bullets kept coming, closer and closer to her heart, and she could feel herself fraying on the edges.

This was it.

Leftleftleftleftleftleftleftleftleftleft-

The robot stopped. It stopped attacking, and IF could only watch as it stood back up and walked away. She stared at its vanishing back, pain and confusion wracking her mind. Why did it suddenly leave? Was its mission not to kill her? Why did-

Then an answer came into her mind, and she laughed. She laughed and laughed and laughed, manic and maddened.

She wasn't dead, not yet, but she will be. She wouldn't survive this. It didn't need to attack anymore. She would die from her injuries.

So she laughed and laughed and cried and sobbed and laughed. Her hands felt cold, her heart colder, but her mind was ablaze.

Was this it? Was this where she'd die? Don't make her laugh! Her heart still moved, her mind still lived. She was alive. She was alive, and she'd make it out. With a manic laugh, she stood up. She turned to the hallway the robot had disappeared into and glared at it, a wide grin splitted her cheeks.

She'd leave. She'd leave this hellhole and tell the tale.

IF sighed, staring at the knife in her hands. This was the fifth she'd broken, and she hadn't even used a skill. Her Str had outpaced the durability of her iron knives. She desperately needed a new pair of daggers to fight with.

It was cold. The small cloak she wore over her shoulders provided barely any warmth against the night. She stood alone on the roof of the Neptower, eyes closed as she brought out another iron knife. She began swinging again.

Neptune and Vert were still sleeping. Nepgear was asleep as well. Histoire was asleep on the dining table, but IF could tell that the oracle was faking it. Had the fairy been truly asleep, the lights on her accessories would've shut down. They were still on when she passed her by. It probably meant that Histoire was watching her right now.

IF didn't mind. That was just how Histoire was.

The cold grip on her lungs still remained, but it was better now. Phantom pains lingered on her arms, but she ignored them and swung.

She hated the cold. It reminded her of being alone, of being chained against a wall, of silence broken by the occasional blow of wind.

She liked snow though, as paradoxical as it sounded. There was something different about the cold snowfall brought. Snow felt like a blanket, a gentle thrum of cold that wrapped around her. She liked it. It reminded her of Lowee.

Ah, she should take a visit to Lowee soon.

She smiled slightly. It'd been a while since she last saw the Candidate twins. They were probably pranking their big sister again, but that was the norm, she supposed. Blanc got angry at them often, but the love she carried for them was far larger than it.

And was it not that love that killed her in the end?

IF grit her teeth as she watched her sixth knife shatter. Her lapse in control had caused her to swing harder than needed, and this was the result. She sighed hotly. She brought up her inventory and pulled out a new one.

She took a glance at her Dagger Mastery and continued swinging.

2%. She just needed two more before Dagger Mastery reached 100%, and the Rank Up would be unlocked to her. She was especially excited for this one. The moment her skill ranked up, her issues on long-ranged attacks would be solved immediately.

She had Spectral Flash of course, but that was a skill. She wouldn't be able to rely on it if she was swarmed by hordes of flying monsters.

So she swung her knife, conjuring enemy after enemy in her mind. She swung and swung. She broke her knife, replaced it, and swung again. Minutes passed. Minutes then turned to an hour, then two, and then more. Knife after knife broke, and she replaced every broken one.

She didn't know how many hours went by. She didn't bother to check. Nor did she want to.

Her entire stash of iron knives had been nearly depleted by the end. She could barely believe it herself. She once had over a hundred, and now she had just under twenty. IF could only wince at the number.

But it mattered not. She got what she wanted out of it.

[ Dagger Mastery** ]

Rank: Elementary | 100%

0/500 Monsters slain until Rank Up

0/10 Boss Monsters slain until Rank Up

10 Boss Monsters weren't all that bad. She could probably camp out at Virtua Forest for a week and get it over with. 500 normal Monsters was a larger sample size, but, again, she could most likely get it all in a week or so.

Not that she was going to spend a week in Virtua Forest. She had patience, but that idea would lead her to madness.

No. She was heading to Leanbox soon, and her plan to camp at Gapain Field was still available. She might as well hit two birds with one stone.

How long had it been since she returned to the past? A month? Two? Less? More? She didn't know. She couldn't really remember. But everything was flying by. Sub-dimensions, ASIC, 'Magic', her level, her skills. Everything was moving faster than before, and IF could barely keep up.

She'd spent nearly a year-, no, two years to get her Dagger Mastery to its third rank, and now she was getting hers in a fraction of that. Why? How? She wasn't leveling up any faster than before, so what'd changed? Why were her skills gaining so much more Exp than before? Why were they advancing so quickly?

…Was it because she'd already advanced them before?

She didn't know, and it didn't matter. This was a benefit, and she wasn't going to look too deeply into it.

She sighed. She wasn't tired, but without her distractions, the wails in her mind returned. They hurled insults at her, twisted her own words against her, and she grit her teeth as she sat down and leaned against one of the pillars surrounding her. She took a deep breath. The voices remained, but they sounded slightly more distant.

She brought out a juice box from her inventory and idly sipped, sitting silently as she watched the sun slowly rise from the horizon, painting the night sky a gentle orange. A new day had come. It didn't bring her any comfort.

Her mind was still plagued with worries, distorted voices whispering into her ears. She felt bone tired. Her lungs still felt cold. Her legs felt numb. Phantom pains flared on her arms. Pain, real and imaginary, coursed through her nerves. She wasn't fine.

But when was she ever really? Even before the end, before that, before she even applied to be an adventurer, she'd never truly been 'fine'.

And that, in itself, was alright, she supposed.


The Neptower had a forge. The Neptower had a goddamned forge.

She remembered every nook and cranny of the tower; she lived in the dang thing for years. There was certainly no forge. It wouldn't be used anyways, since Nepgear was a mechanic and Neptune was…well, Neptune. When was this built? Why?

…She had the sneaking suspicion that Histoire built this just for her, but she swiftly kicked the idea to the back of her mind. Not that she minded. Having a forge was rather convenient.

Her plan was simple. She needed a new weapon. She had two Earth Rippers from the Fenrisulfrs she killed. She had a forge. Put all three in a pot with a couple good hammer strikes, and she'd get herself a new weapon. Hopefully, assuming she didn't mess anything up.

It was scary, she realized. The world wouldn't end if she failed, certainly not, but she'd need to kill two more Fenrisulfrs to gain her materials back, and she just didn't have time for that. She needed to finish it in a single try.

Heh. A single try. It was always like that, wasn't it? She only had a single chance. Only one try. Never another.

…This second life of hers would only last once as well.

Her hammer stilled as the uncomfortable thought filtered through her mind, before she continued molding the Earth Ripper into one solid mass.

She sighed as she placed her first dagger into a bucket of water, watching as the weapon cooled down with a loud hiss. Satisfied, she grabbed the other claw and held it into the flames. Turning red and pliable, IF pulled the claw out and began hammering it down.

She was distracted, she realized. She'd been distracted since the day before. Her mind kept jumping from one thought to another, long enough to build a cohesive opinion yet too short to create anything tangible.

She was distracted, and that was fine. The voices were louder than they usually were, and this provided a comforting distraction.

Hiss!

IF blinked, and pulled out the two newly forged daggers from the barrel of water. She'd…completely zoned out. It could've been dangerous, but all went well, thankfully. She gave the two daggers a thorough wipe before she slid a nice leather hilt onto each dagger.

She held them in her hands and smiled. These would serve her nicely.

As for a name…She didn't have one in mind really. She'd only planned to make a pair of daggers from the two Earth Rippers she had and-

Ah, 'Earth Rippers'. Right, this should do then.

[ Scavenger ]

A pair of daggers forged from Earth Rippers. Machines and golems beware; these are fairly sharp. It'd work fairly well as a shovel, not that you should.

Deal 5% more damage to Inorganic and Machine-type enemies

IF blinked again. That was new. She didn't remember adding anything to create that special effect. Did it get added because of the material she used? The description seemed to be implying that at least.

If that was the case, why didn't her crude crystal daggers have any special effects? Crystal Skulls weren't common-

Could it be because of her Veteran Smith title?

Hmm, questions, questions. She'd ask Histoire about it later. She stuffed her new weapons into her inventory and sighed. She'd be traveling to Lastation with Cave and Vert in a couple hours, and a boat ride to Leanbox on the next day.

She was pleasantly surprised that they weren't going by plane, although she really shouldn't. Vert had probably told Histoire of her aversion to planes. Not that she was complaining. She'd gladly not ride a plane ever.

With a small smile, she stepped into the elevator and pressed the button, humming silently as she watched the doors close. She wondered what breakfast was for today.