Me: "Hello again, my readers. Well, as I said in our last segment of the ACCC we are going back to following the game's storyline, though I may need to do another free chapter in the near future."
Heero and Neptune: (Enters IC) "It would be best for you to refrain from writing more filler chapters, as it will take longer to finish the main story line."
Me: "But I have to make these fillers! I use them to take care of certain issues that pop up in the story like in the last chapter. If you recall, the two 'stalker ladies' in Chapter 19 didn't make it off of Leanbox, so they were stuck until the Sky Harbor came back. I just thought I would have them do something rather than just have people think they sat around and waited. And if you noticed the reviews and the number of views the chapter received, you would know that the chapter was well received."
Compa: (Enters IC) "Are we getting out major roles back?"
IF: (Enters IC from Lounge) "We'd better. I don't want to play second fiddle to those stalkers."
Lyrica: (Enters IC from secret entrance) "Well, the Author did say we would get more time in the story again."
Me: "Yeah, yeah, I know. I said I would give you your usual time in the story back, and I will. Its only during filler chapters that I may need to shift character time in the story around, though I don't know when I'll need to do another one."
Green Heart: (Enter IC from Lounge) "Since the story is still focusing on Leanbox, I can assume I will still be planning an important role, yes?"
Me: "Yes, yes, you will. Now, enough with the game of 20 questions, we gotta wrap this up folks." (Points to cast) "Let me hear!"
Heero, Neptune, Compa, IF, Lyrica and Green Heart: "Heero, Neptune, Compa, IF, Lyrica, and Green Heart: "HeeroUzuki does not own Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, Hyperdimension Neptunia, Super Robot Wars, or any work pertaining to any of the franchises. However, he does own the idea of crossing over Gundam Wing and Hyperdimension Neptunia."
Me: "I wish, I wish I owned these franchises… Oh well, I can dream. Let's go people. Let our readers enjoy the new update… hopefully."
Me, Heero, Neptune, Compa, IF, Lyrica and Green Heart: (Leave IC)
Ch. 22 Another Betrayal
After the events of the previous day, Neptune, Compa, IF, and Lyrica 'convinced' Heero to rest and recuperate so that his injuries would heal as well as catch up on his sleep. It was the following day and the party was rested and ready for the new day, with Heero hoping to make some kind of progress in regards to finding the Key Fragments that were supposedly hidden on Lastation, Lowee and Leanbox.
Heero was downstairs in the party's safe house, going about his normal morning routine of searching for information. As he went about his business, Heero heard a stomping noise above him, prompting him to glance up at the wooden ceiling. Now, he couldn't see through the planks that held the second story above him, but he knew who it was that was making all that noise. The stomping began to move in the direction of the stairs, and ended with a loud thud followed by IF's voice coming from upstairs, "Heads up!"
Immediately after the brunette called out a purple mass began to tumble down the staircase, an audible thud resounding throughout the building each time it came in contact with one of the steps along the flight of stairs. After a good five seconds, the purple object crashed into the ground at the foot of the stairs… with the object of course being Neptune. The bubbly party leader landed face first onto the floor, though after a few seconds raised a hand into the air and gave a thumbs up sign, "I'm good!"
Compa quickly made her way downstairs to exam Neptune, "Are you okay, Nep-Nep? You should be more careful when running downstairs."
IF, unlike Compa, opted to walk down the flight of steps, "Yeah. I mean, as funny as it is to watch, you might end up waking the neighbors. By the way… I'll give you a nine for the fall, but a two for the landing."
Neptune picked herself up and looked at the brunette with puffy cheeks, "Why you gotta be like that, Iffy? Can't you bump up my score a little more?"
Lyrica arrived downstairs shortly after IF. The cerulean haired girl was rubbing her eyes, trying to wake herself up, "I guess it's my turn to check the mail…"
The songstress made her way over to the front door as the exchange between Neptune and IF continued. Compa, thinking Neptune to be fine, turned her attention to Heero… who was still working, "How are you feeling this morning, Heero? Do you feel any better?"
Heero glanced at the nurse in training and nodded his head in response, "The injuries I received yesterday were minor, so it did not require much time for me to recover."
Noticing that the lone male of the party had been working the entire time, Compa had assumed that Heero had not eaten anything yet. "(This could be my chance to show off a little for Heero.) Why don't I make you some breakfast? After all, you can't work on an empty stomach."
He would have declined, but Heero allowed Compa's words to sink in… and she made a valid point. And Heero wasn't going to lie, he was feeling somewhat hungry. "If it is not too much of an inconvenience."
Neptune looked away from IF after hearing that the party's healer would be cooking breakfast, "I want lots of bacon and waffles and pancakes! And a whole lotta OJ!"
IF took the time to address the pink haired nurse about her breakfast, "Make me some eggs and toast… And don't burn my toast this time."
While Compa had a smile on her face and went about making breakfast for the group, she was fuming on the inside, "(I only wanted to make breakfast for Heero…)"
The front door of the safe house opened and Lyrica walked in with a few envelopes in hand, "Fan mail… fan mail… junk mail… chance for an all-you-can-eat buffet… fan mail…"
Lyrica was scanning through the mail when she found one particular envelope mixed in with the others that caught her eye, "Oh. A letter from Lady Green Heart."
As the teenaged celebrity entered the kitchen, she came across the scene of Neptune scarfing down a plate full of food like she had not eaten in weeks, "This is some deeelicious food, Compa. Keep it comin'!"
While Neptune was seemingly inhaling her food, IF was looking at the toast on her plate with scrutinizing eyes. The only likely explanation for the look on her face would be that Compa had burnt her toast yet again. Across the table from her, Heero was seated in front of a balanced plate of eggs, bacon, toast, a slice of an orange, and some milk. Unlike Neptune or IF's food, Heero's food looked as if it had been prepared by a world class chef. Compa walked over to the table to see what Heero thought of her cooking, "What do you think, Heero? Does it taste good?"
Heero took the time to stop eating to look at the pink haired nurse, "Your skills in the culinary arts is well above average. Still, you do not need to go out of your way to make me such an… extravagant breakfast."
As one could imagine, Compa's cheeks changed to a soft pink at Heero's praise. "It's no trouble at all. Eat as much as you want."
While Compa walked back over to the stove Lyrica pulled out the mail from Lady Green Heart, taking a seat at the table before bringing the party's attention to the letter, "Hey, we got a letter from Lady Green Heart in the mail."
When Neptune looked up from her food she looked like a chipmunk with its cheeks puffed up with all the food she had stuffed into her mouth. And of course, it made her words impossible to understand. IF shook her head as she watched the preteen, "Chew first, swallow, THEN speak."
It took the preteen a moment to swallow the mouthful of food. Once the breakfast items had passed down her throat Neptune stood up from her seat, her eyes forming into a half glare, "What is it this time? Is she trying to get Heero all alone again? Well, she can't have him. Heero is spending the whole day with me!"
Compa had just finished putting the pans she had been cooking with in the sink when the purple haired girl began to rant, "Nep-Nep, you don't really still believe that Lady Green Heart is interested in Heero, do you?"
Before anyone could get another word in, Lyrica opened the envelope and skimmed through the letter, "Actually… this letter seems to be for all of us."
The girls stopped their exchange as the group had their attention focused on the cerulean haired singer. "Lady Green Heart wants to see us at our earliest convenience… at least, that's what the letter says."
IF turned her attention to Neptune, "Now, do you really think Lady Green Heart would want to steal Heero if she's going through the trouble of inviting all of us?"
Neptune didn't seem all that convinced, "I dunno…"
Heero received the letter from Lyrica after she was done looking at it, "Lady Green Heart said that she would help us in regards to learning the truth about the Evangelist. It may be that she has learned something."
With their next course of action decided, the group made preparations to head to the Leanbox Basilicom… after Neptune finished her breakfast.
Xxx
The party was waiting outside of the Basilicom, waiting for Lady Green Heart. The party had only been waiting for a few minutes when the large doors of the Basilicom opened and the CPU of Leanbox stepped out to meet the party. Green Heart directed her attention to Neptune, "…It appears Ms. Convy left to go somewhere. What would you like to do now? Play some games?"
Neptune didn't seem to want to stick around and play. In fact, she seemed more interested in going after the Evangelist, "Nopers! We're naturally gonna pursue her and tackle her, police-style! Where'd she go?"
"A dungeon. She went alone, despite it teeming with monsters."
IF felt it necessary to remind the party's leader of their intentions once they found the Evangelist, "Let's just go. We're only testing our hypothesis. Don't confront her just yet."
Compa gave a polite bow to the blonde haired goddess, "We'll go ahead to take care of the monsters. Please relax and take your time catching up, Lady Green Heart."
Green Heart gave a gentle nod in response, "Of course. Be careful, now." The CPU then turned her attention to Heero. "Especially you, Heero. I know you can be reckless for the sake of others. I would be terribly sad if something were to happen to you."
Heero watched the CPU for a moment before replying, "Your concern is appreciated, though hardly necessary. As IF has mentioned, we are only going to verify what exactly the Evangelist is doing here, not to confront her."
"All the same, I want you to be careful."
Seeing as Green Heart would not have any peace of mind until Heero said something that would put her at ease, the Gundam pilot gave a mental sigh. "…Very well. I will endeavor not to engage in any reckless actions."
Satisfied with Heero's answer, Lady Green walked back into the Basilicom while the party began to end for the dungeon. While Neptune was looking back at the closed Basilicom doors with suspicious eyes, IF had her attention focused on the lone male of the party, "So, what do you make of this?"
Heero knew that the brunette was talking to him, but kept his focus forward as he addressed her, "It makes for a good cover. By entering into a hostile environment the Evangelist does not have to worry about being pursued, and can effectively cover her tracks. The fact she is moving to and from such a secluded area may mean that something of importance is there."
Lyrica chimed in on the conversation while Compa looked over at Neptune, who was still eyeing the Basilicom, "So it gives us another reason to go."
Neptune suddenly ran out in front of the party, "Then let's get going, people. The sooner we get there, the better… cuz' it'll get Heero away from Lady Green Heart."
The preteen looped her arms around Heero's right arm and began to pull him in the direction of the dungeon with Compa, IF and Lyrica running to catch up.
Xxx
As with the dungeon the party had ventured to the previous day, the group found themselves in a cave… another one… that looked very much like every other cave-like dungeon they had entered throughout Gamindustri.
Lyrica put her hands on her headphones, causing a pair of antennae's to rise out of them. The thin metal objects began to vibrate for a few seconds before retracting into Lyrica's headphones, "I can't hear anything… do you think she already left?"
Compa tilted her head to one side in perplexity, which oddly enough made her look cute, "What do we do now? Should we leave until she comes home?"
Heero cast a questioning glance at Compa, "Just because Lyrica cannot hear the target does not mean that she has left the area. Even if the Evangelist has left, we should still search the cave in case there is something pertaining to her plans."
Neptune had a gleam in her eyes and her lips curved into a big grin, "Ooooh, we might find a super rare item in here! What're we waiting for?"
The party promptly began their trek into the dungeon that the Evangelist from Lowee had supposedly entered. Heero had armed his GN Sword ahead of time as Lady Green Heart had mentioned that the cave was teeming with monsters. It had not even been a full thirty seconds into the dungeon, and when they followed the first bend the party ran into a pair of monsters. The first was a 'Mist Dragon', and as one could imagine it bore a striking resemblance to a Light Dragon, with the noticeable difference being the color of its scales, eyes and oddly enough, it's teeth, which were all blue. The other was a Night Beam, and as the party knew from experience the creature was not particularly threatening as it was just annoying.
Compa looked frantically between the party, "Umm… th-there's a d-dragon here… what do we-"
Neptune was quick to pull out the Mech Sword Armas, which she had stashed into her hoody pocket, "Let's beat 'em up!"
The blade of the GN Sword fixed to Heero's arm snapped into place over the rifle barrel as the Perfect Soldier prepared for battle, "Roger."
The Mist Dragon reared its head back before throwing out a stream of smoke, causing the party to disperse. The cloud of smoke began to 'melt' a nearby stalagmite, causing it to turn into a small puddle of molten rock. Heero had his gaze fixed on the dragon-like monster, "We should prioritize our targets. This one is the more immediate threat, and should be dealt with immediately. IF and I will deal with this target, Neptune, Compa and Lyrica, you three deal with the second target."
Neptune's cheeks began to swell as she turned her gaze toward the Perfect Soldier, "Hey, how come Iffy gets to pair off with you, Heero? If anybody should pair up with you to beat up the strong monster, it's gotta be me!"
IF rolled her eyes as she listened to the preteen complain, "Isn't obvious? We need to take out the most threatening monster as quickly as possible. If Heero and I work together, we can get the job done faster than if any of you were to pair off with him."
A small frown made its way onto Compa's cute face, "That's not true. I'm sure if any one of us were to pair off with Heero, we would defeat the really mean monster just as quickly."
Heero could feel a headache coming on from the senseless arguing, "I must ask you girls to focus on the task at hand."
Lyrica felt somewhat dejected as she listened to the group pairings that had been laid out, "(I know I'm the newest member in comparison… but why can't I pair off with Heero?)"
Neptune, Compa and Lyrica went about dealing with the Night Beam, albeit begrudgingly, leaving Heero and IF to deal with the Mist Dragon. IF re-adjusted her Katars so as to have a better grip on them, while Heero studied the monster's actions, "If you can get behind the target within fifteen seconds we should be able to either incapacitate, or completely eliminate it within thirty seconds. I will go in first, so that you will not become the focus of its attention."
IF gave a quick nod in response, "(Fifteen seconds? I'll do better than that.)"
Heero ran straight for the Mist Dragon to insure that the large reptile was focused on him. With a loud shriek, the Mist Dragon reared its head back and let out what appeared to be a blue fireball. With his middle, ring and pinky fingers, Heero squeezed the trigger on the handle of the GN Sword and the blade was almost instantly enveloped with a beam blade. The Gundam pilot swiftly brought his bladed weapon up and sliced the projectile aimed at him in half, causing the ball of blue flames to split apart and veer off in two different directions.
IF jumped onto Heero's back and just as quickly vaulted off of his shoulder, and as Heero expected, he did not feel any of the brunette's weight as she jumped onto his back and no recoil as she jumped off of him. IF flew through the air over the Mist Dragon, twisting her body as she began to descend back towards the ground. When the brunette landed she was directly behind the reptilian monster and was looking at its scaly hide, "Heh… getting behind a monster as big as this is too easy."
Heero of course was impressed by IF's efficient maneuvering that placed her behind the Mist Dragon well before his projected time frame, "(This will take even less time than I predicted.) The timing is crucial. Aim carefully."
Within the span of five seconds, a series of brief flashes of curved light enveloped the monster. Heero and IF had seemingly traded places during the five seconds, and a split second afterward the monster collapsed to the ground with several deep cuts all over its body. IF slipped her Katars back into her jacket sleeves, her lips forming into a triumphant smile, "Let's just say we're on a different level. A monster as slow and uncoordinated as this is no challenge at all."
"Your performance was exemplary. Continue to perform this well, and we should be able to complete our task ahead of our original projected finish time."
As one could imagine, hearing Heero praise her abilities cause IF's cheeks to turn a soft shade of pink. "Well, someone has to make up for Nep and Compa's lack of experience and skill. Lyrica won't be able to help out as much until she gets some more experience with this line of work." The Guild Moderatist turned in the direction that the three aforementioned girls were, "Speaking of which…"
Neptune was chasing after the Night Beam, which in turn was chasing after Compa who was running away from said monster. Lyrica was looking from side to side, trying to figure out what she should do, "Compa, stop movin' around so I can bash the monster!"
The pink haired nurse kept running from the tall, stalky monster that was chasing her, "B-But I don't want to get eaten by a monster!"
Heero had no idea how the trio were in their current predicament, or how they were having so much trouble dealing with one monster. IF was just standing next to the Gundam pilot, trying to figure out the same thing, "So… what do we do? Let them clean up their own mess?"
"Leaving them to solve this issue alone would consume too much time. The problem is also quite easy to solve as well." Heero raised his right arm which still had the GN Sword clamped onto it, the blade of the weapon snapped back along the forearm to expose the rifle barrel behind it. With one squeeze of the trigger, a bolt of beam energy shot out and struck the Night Beam, causing the monster to flinch and stop were it was. Neptune was able to get close enough to the monster to strike with the prototype sword she was carrying, "Haaa!"
The beam saber tore into the tall monster's back, quickly rendering it lifeless. Neptune flashed a peace signed at the party after she was sure the monster was dead, "Did'ja see that? I totally one hit that monster! I am pretty strong if you ask me."
Lyrica looked from the party leader to Heero, "But Neptune, Heero was the one who stopped the monster. So technically, you didn't get the one hit kill you thought you did."
Neptune had her hands on her hips as she puffed out her chest, "How little you know, my talented singing buddy. Heero is my Destined Lover, so any hits he gets don't count when I go for a one hit."
The rest of the party could only look at their leader as they listened to her logic. Heero turned around to go further into the dungeon, "How our enemies are defeated is irrelevant. What matters is completing our objective. Now, if we are done then it would be best to return to our investigation of the area."
With the monster dealt with, the group returned to traversing the dungeon. The party soon came upon a split in the path, prompting Neptune to assume her 'thinking' position, "So, which way do we go? Wanna flip a coin or something?"
Heero bent down and picked up two loose rocks from off the ground. The Perfect Soldier threw one of the rocks down the path on the right and waited a few seconds. The girls watched the lone male of the party, trying to decipher his actions, "Whatcha doin', Heero? Are we having a contest to see who can throw a rock the farthest? Seems kinda boring, don't you think"
"I am listening for the echo created by the rock. This will help to determine which direction we need to go." After explaining his reasoning, Heero threw the second rock down the left passage and waited until he heard the rock hit the ground. After hearing the echo the Gundam pilot followed the path on the left. "It took longer for the echo to make its way back here than it did for the other path, indicating that the path on the right is a dead-end."
Lyrica watched as the Gundam pilot began to walk away, maintaining a steady stride as he went, "Leave it to Heero to find his way around a dungeon like this. He makes it look so easy."
Neptune walked out in front of the girls, her hands behind her head, "Well, duh. I mean, he's MY lover. So he's gotta be made of a hundred percent awesome."
Compa and IF exchanged glances before looking back the purple haired girl, "I highly doubt that being YOUR lover makes him so good. If anything, I would think being your lover would mean he's useless… and Heero is anything but."
"I'm sorry Nep-Nep, but I have to agree with Iffy."
Neptune pretended to look hurt as she listened to the two girls, "Compa and Iffy have betrayed me and gone over to the evil side… I'm hurt. How can being my lover not be a good thing?"
IF folded her arms over her chest, a questioning look on her face, "I can think of a number of reasons why being your lover is wrong. Want to ask that again?"
While the girls were about to go into one of their spats that had become the norm, Lyrica looked back in the direction that Heero had gone, "Umm… guys? Heero's pretty far ahead of us. Shouldn't we go after him?"
Neptune and IF stopped bickering to see that Heero was indeed ahead of them… very far ahead. The girls broke into a sprint in order to catch up with the Perfect Soldier, "Wait up, Heero!"
After rejoining Heero, the party continued their trek… which was relatively quiet due to the lack of monster encounters, but that did present a source of worry. Considering that the dungeon was supposed to be teeming with monsters, the group should have seen at least a few more besides the ones they had already encountered. The lack of battles meant that the group could focus their attention on scouting out the cave, but it was the lack of said monsters that was unsettling… the party could be attacked at any moment, and they wouldn't know it until the monsters were already upon them.
As they walk through the winding pathways, Lyrica started to giggle for no apparent reason. Compa looked over her shoulder at the cerulean haired girl, "What's so funny?"
Lyrica waved the pink haired nurse off, "It's nothing. Something was tickling my leg, but I think it's gone."
A few seconds passed before the songstress started giggling a second time, which cause IF to look back at the singer, "Seriously, what are you giggling about?"
"N-Nothing… by that I mean I don't know." And again, after a few seconds of silence, Lyrica started giggling. "What is tickling my leg? Seriou-" When the songstress turned to see what was causing the tickling sensation, she froze. What had been tickling her leg had been the long tongue of a 'Serpent'. The creature looked like a snake with the only difference being that it had a bulbous head.
All the color in Lyrica's face drained away as she looked down at the monster that still had its tongue extended. Wavelengths were visible in her eyes, which were only apparent when the songstress was nervous or scared. After a few seconds of silence, she responded the only way she could think of… which was to scream at the top of her lungs, "Kyaaaaaaaah!"
The rest of the party turned around in time to see Lyrica raise Mr. Guitar above her head. "Get it away! Get it away! GET IT AWAY!" Lyrica began to slam her guitar against the snake-like monster's head in a wild frenzy. After thirty seconds of swinging Mr. Guitar Lyrica felt it difficult to swing him the instrument any more… so difficult in fact, that it felt as if someone was keeping her from swinging the guitar any further, "That will do, Lyrica."
Stopping to blink a few times, the cerulean haired teen turned her head to see Heero with his hand on Mr. Guitar, which explained why she had not been able to strike the monster any further with it. Lyrica looked down at the Serpent which was lying on the ground with several welts on its head. "If you were to continue, you risk damaging your guitar."
Lyrica stopped and allowed Heero's words to sink in before turning her attention to Mr. Guitar, a terrified look on her face, "O-Oh no! What if I chipped his bridge?! I'm so sorry, Mr. Guitar!"
"Uh… we gotta a little problem over here." Heero kept his attention on Lyrica as he addressed Neptune, "Define a 'little' problem."
There was a long pause which was followed by IF's voice, which carried a tinge of nervousness, "How about the big, red and scaly kind of 'little' problem?"
Heero had no idea what the brunette meant by what she said until he turned to see a 'Fire Dragon', which looked nothing like the previous dragon-like monsters that the party had come across. The dragon had a long, slim body with glistening red scales, a white underbelly and the stereotypical three digit claws. Long yellow whiskers on its face swayed to and fro as its tail, with yellow wing-like appendages whipped from side to side.
The creature was eying the group, no doubt as a full course meal and Heero was questioning how something so big could have remained hidden, "It would appear that Lyrica's screaming drew it out from wherever it was hiding."
Lyrica tilted her head to one side, "Was that supposed to be a compliment? Or an insult?"
Neptune put her hands behind her head as if she didn't have a care in the world despite the fact that a large monster was in front of the group, "Take it from me, kiddo. Heero totally meant that as an insult. I mean, did you have to bring the monster out of its hidey hole?"
Lyrica's cheeks swelled up slightly at Neptune's jaded remarked, "When you say it like that, it makes me think that Heero was praising me for what I did and you're just trying to make it sound like he meant it as an insult."
Truthfully, Heero had not meant anything by what he said and the girls were blowing it completely out of proportion, "Regardless, we should deal with the enemy first before continuing with our sweep of the area. It will be a hindrance to us if we leave it alone. Compa and I will provide fire support. Neptune; you and IF will focus on engaging the target at close range. Lyrica, you will need to find some way to distract or reduce the enemy's combat abilities."
Each girl responded with a quick nod. Heero and Compa lifted their weapons and took aim at the long dragon monster and opened fire as Neptune, IF and Lyrica moved into position around the Fire Dragon. Lyrica plugged Mr. Guitar into the connection jack located on her headphones and pressed a button, causing the antennas to rise. Adjusting the strings on her guitar, the cerulean haired songstress slowly strummed the electric guitar before she started playing the instrument, which, in the case of the monster, began to emit ear splitting sounds.
The monster writhed as it was forced to listened to the harmful sounds produced by Lyrica's guitar, thrashing about as it tried to make the 'music' stop. Neptune and IF quickly closed in on the disoriented monster, "Nep, you better not screw this up!"
"Right back at ya', Iffy!"
Both girls converged on the Fire Dragon and delivered a set of painful cuts along the creature's slender body. One of Neptune's attacks struck the dragon's short arms, and because they were so thin the attack went all the way through and effectively cut the limb off. The Fire Dragon let out a loud shriek, which was followed by a stream of fire that emanated from the creature's mouth, and was directed at Neptune. The preteen jumped out of the way of the flaming vortex aimed at her before taunting the dragon. "Hah! You missed!"
Neptune stopped for a moment and lifted her nose into the air, "Hey, what's cookin'?"
Compa could clearly see just what was cooking… or rather 'who', and it cause her face to turn slightly pale, "Umm… Nep-Nep?" The purple haired girl looked at the nurse in training and followed her gaze to see that her panties were burning. Almost immediately after seeing the small fire, Neptune let out a yelp and proceeded to run around in circles while flailing her arms, "Put it out put it out put it out! Somebody put it out before my butt gets roasted!"
Heero didn't know why it was that Neptune had not just followed the stop, drop, and roll procedure, "(I suppose it would be due to the fact that most of her brain functionality is geared towards fighting and eating.) Hold still."
The Gundam pilot grabbed Neptune, bent the preteen over and proceeded to pat at the small flame that had singed her underwear. Neptune looked at Heero with a sly grin on her face, "Touching my cute butt right in front of the others? You have no shame, Heero."
Naturally, Heero was not amused by the situation or by what Neptune was insinuating. "I did not do it because I wanted to. I did it because clearly you do not know the procedure to put out a fire on your person."
As with every other time Heero explained a logic reason for a compromising situation, Neptune thought he was just embarrassed and goaded him on. "Yeah, you say that, but really you just wanted to touch some Nep flesh. As much as I totally want you to, I don't think we can do anything really naughty just yet… If you do, our readers are gonna wanna see some more of it."
Heero gave Neptune a questioning look, wondering just what the hell she was talking about. Without saying a word, IF suddenly slapped Neptune upside her head while giving the bubbly girl a dirty look, "Would you stop it already?! This is neither the time, nor the place for your perverted crap, Nep!"
Neptune rubbed the back of her head, nursing the injured area while giving the Guild Moderatist a half glare. "Would you stop being so jelly? I mean, just because Heero is more focused on protecting and loving cute little me is no excuse for you to keep hitting my head, you big meanie face!"
Compa and Lyrica exchanged glances before looking back at the arguing Neptune and IF, "It's pretty obvious to me that Heero was just trying to put out the fire on Nep-Nep's behind… But Iffy still went off."
The songstress next to Compa had an incredulous look on her face, "Shouldn't we… you know, be fighting the monster?" The Fire Dragon that the party was fighting was waiting patiently for the duo to finish their argument… which was unheard of for a monster to do. Heero knew that the fighting between the two girls needed to stop… now. Before he could get a word out, Compa was standing next to Neptune and IF… a smile on her face, though something about her smile suggested that she was not happy, "Nep-Nep. Iffy. Do you know that you're causing trouble for Heero…?"
Both Neptune an IF looked at the nurse in training, who was beginning to emit a powerful, dangerous aura. "You don't want to cause Heero any problems, do you?"
Normally the two girls wouldn't be the least bit intimidated by Compa, but there was something about her smile that seemed… dark and commanding. Neptune and IF broke into a cold sweat… they were genuinely afraid of the pink haired nurse. Compa leaned towards the two girls slightly, maintaining the smile on her face, "Well…?"
Neptune rapidly shook her head, a somewhat fearful look on her face, "Nope! I mean, why would I want to cause trouble for my lover? So seriously… go back to being the sweet and innocent healer… and not the creepy nurse who might give us a bad ending."
IF swallowed hard as she looked at the nurse in training who looked as though she might snap if she got an answer other than what she wanted to hear, "I was just getting onto Nep for causing this. I would never intentionally do anything that would cause trouble for Heero and you know that!"
Even with the two girls replying how she wanted, Compa continued to exude a commanding aura, her smile not changing in the slightest, "So you two will stop now, right?"
Both Neptune and IF furiously nodded their heads, "Yep! We totally get'cha, Compa! Now… please stop being scary, otherwise I might pee myself."
Compa turned her attention to Heero, only now her smile was the sweet, sugary ray of sunshine that it normally was. "I don't think you'll have to worry about these two for now, Heero. If they cause any more problems, just let me know."
Heero was inwardly surprised that Compa had been able to reign in the two girls… and also somewhat disturbed, "I commend your ability to stop these two from wasting time arguing. Now we need to focus on the task at hand."
When the group looked back to where the Fire Dragon was, they found that it was already gone. What's more, Lyrica was gone as well, "Hey, where'd our backup singer and the monster go?"
As the group scanned the area, IF caught sight of a blue haired object shaking behind a rock. The brunette walked over to examine the object and found Lyrica quivering behind the rock. The songstress slowly looked at IF, and she looked like a nervous wreck considering the noticeable wave-lengths in her eyes, "I-Is it over…? Is Compa back to… normal?"
IF looked back at Compa to see the nurse, who had a quizzical look on her face, "As normal as she can be… Where is the monster?"
Lyrica slowly raised a quivering hand and point down the path that the party had been following. "Wh-When Compa turned into… THAT, the monster got scared and ran away."
Compa looked from one member of the party to another as they all looked at her, "Wh-What? I-I'm not scary… right?"
Neptune, IF and Lyrica felt a feeling of dread as they looked at the nurse in training, "(…Compa is scary when she's mad…)"
The party returned to searching the dungeon since the Fire Dragon had run away… the fear of an angry Compa most likely forever etched into its mind. Neptune was complaining about being bored, since there were no monsters popping out to attack them, and the only thing the preteen could see was the rock formations and the numerous crystals lining the cave walls… which was fast becoming boring. As the group ventured further into the dungeon, Heero heard a familiar voice, "Heero, can you hear me?"
Heero came to a stop upon hearing the voice, though he knew there was no point in looking for the source of the voice, since the owner was speaking directly into his mind, "Zero? Do have any information to relay to me?"
Neptune came to a complete stop next to the Gundam pilot and looked up at the cave ceiling, a bewildered look on her face, "Whoa! Who's that? That wasn't Histy."
"It would appear that Neptune is capable of hearing me as well." Compa, IF and Lyrica stopped to look at Heero and Neptune, who seemed to be talking to themselves, "Umm… who are you talking to? Is it Histy?"
Neptune looked over at the three girls. "It's not Histy, but you guys can't hear her? Wow… sucks to be you guys."
There was a brief moment of silence before Zero continued, "So… this is what you've had to put up with?"
Heero folded his arms over his chest, "More or less…" Neptune turned her attention to Heero, her cheeks began to swell, "You know, you're not gonna win my love by being a meanie, Heero."
Silence filled the air once more as Heero gave the preteen an irritated look. "All of this aside… I just thought I would inform you of two things. The first being that the next two rooms you will come across hold nothing of importance or value."
"So it would be best to avoid wasting time checking those locations?" Neptune suddenly had a disheartened look on her face, "What? They don't have anything? No valuable treasure? Laaaaaaame!"
"The other thing I have to tell you is that the individual… Conversation, I believe her name is, is in the area you are in now. She does not appear to be moving from her location, and there is only one way in or out of that area, so you should be able to find her with minimal difficulty. Also, there appears to be another individual with her. With that, I will go back to sorting through all of this and let you continue with your… mission."
Neptune suddenly started flailing her arms, "H-Hey, wait! We don't know your name yet, or why you're helping us and stuff."
"I don't have an actual name, but you may call me Zero. As for why I'm helping you, I guess you could say I'm Heero's partner and I do what I can to help him."
The bubbly preteen had a starry eyed look on her face as she listened to the 'girl'. "So does that mean you're totally gonna start partying with us? Awesome! Zero, huh? I know! I'm gonna call you Z."
Once more, there was a brief moment of silence and Heero could tell that Zero was amused by the purple haired girl. "Unfortunately, I cannot be there physically to help you. All I can do to assist you is provide you with information in regards to the area and provide you with tactical battle plans to overcome the enemies you will be facing."
Neptune looked somewhat confused, so just smiled and nodded her head, "So… you're still gonna help us, right?"
"I will endeavor to do my best to assist you. Now, I will return to my previous work so that you may continue with your objective. Although it is unnecessary, I wish you luck."
After a few seconds of silence, Heero assumed the Zero had gone back to sorting through the events that were transpiring throughout Gamindustri. Neptune turned to face the other three girls in the party, who were looking at her as though she were going insane, "Guys you aren't gonna believe this! Z, Heero's awesome helper said she was gonna help us find the Key Fragments!"
Heero shook his head as he listened to the party's leader, "Zero did not specifically say that she would be able to help us in that regard. However, she will be able to provide us with assistance should the need arise."
Compa, IF and Lyrica were skeptical at first before realizing just 'who's' helper would be helping them, "Well… if it's someone that Heero trusts, then I see no reason to be suspicious. Besides, we can use the extra help."
"What did Ms. Zero have to tell us?"
Heero directed his attention toward the hole in the cave wall that was just ahead of the party, "The next two room that we will come across hold nothing of value. As such, we should ignore them entirely so as to avoid wasting time."
With this new information, the party continued their trek, walking past the room that Zero had told them held nothing of interest. As the party followed the curved path, they could hear the sound of footsteps behind them. Whoever it was that was approaching, they seemed to be moving at a fast walk. As the footsteps drew closer, the party could make out a familiar voice that seemed to be talking to itself, "I'm sure they're here. I don't think they could have gone too far."
"Wait… isn't that…?" While IF asked the question out loud, she wasn't addressing anyone in particular. After a few seconds, the source of the voice turned out to be Lady Green Heart. The CPU increased her stride when she caught sight of the party, "I seem to have made it in time."
Compa was the first to inquire as to why the goddess of Leanbox had ventured into the cave, "What are you doing here so soon, Lady Green Heart? Did you come to help us search the dungeon?"
"Of course. This matter concerns the peace and prosperity of Leanbox. I did say would assist you with matter, did I not?"
Heero examined the CPU and did not see any kind of weaponry on her person. And because she did not want her 'identity' to be revealed, she would be unable to use HDD while in the presence of Neptune and the others, "You appear to be unarmed. Coming here without any kind of weaponry is dangerous, even more so if you are going to be searching this area. It would be best for you to stay behind us, as the possibility of encountering enemies in this area is high."
Neptune flashed a thumbs-up sign to the CPU, "We totally got this, so you can just watch from the back while we beat up the monsters."
Green Heart clasped her hands together, a smile forming on her face, "I already feel safe, knowing that someone as strong and capable as Heero is going to be protecting me."
Lyrica looked at the other girls in the party, "I… noticed that she didn't include us. What does that make us? Useless song lyrics?"
IF gave a weathered smile to the songstress, "Just smile and nod. Lady Green Heart is probably just focusing on Heero because he's the only guy."
Neptune' cheeks swelled up slightly as she looked at the CPU, "Hey, no trying to steal my Destined Lover!" Green Heart waved the preteen off, "I'm just saying that Heero is reliable and would make any girl feel safe and secure."
Heero knew that the CPU didn't mean any harm, Neptune was just taking things the wrong way… which would ultimately end up costing the group time and energy better spent doing something productive, "If you all are done, we need to focus on the task at hand."
With Lady Green Heart joining the group, the party continued their trek into the cave. The group soon cam upon the second room that they would be better off ignoring… and a pair of Fire Dragons in the middle of the path. One of them had a number of injuries along its body, most likely being the creature the party had encountered minutes ago. The other was uninjured, a perfectly healthy monster, which wasn't exactly a good thing for adventures or monster hunters. The two dragons were facing one another, as if in conversation, "Oh, lookit! It's the monster we were beating up on! And he's got a buddy with him!"
Lyrica could only look at the excitable preteen in disbelief, "How can you get excited by that? That means we have to fight both of them!"
Heero analyzed the two monsters, noting that there was some distance between the two of them, "Given the situation, and the condition in which one of the targets is in, I do not believe we will have much difficulty in removing them."
Neptune pumped her arms, an excited look on her face, "So, what's the plan? We gonna charge at them or something? That's what it is, isn't it?!"
IF gave the preteen a questioning look… the 'are you insane?' kind of questioning look, "Are you stupid? We need a real plan! I'm sure Heero has thought of-"
"Actually, that is exactly what we are going to do."
The five girls gave the Gundam pilot surprised looks, and IF had to do a double take as she looked at Heero. "One of the targets is significantly weakened. Not only that, but they are unaware of our presence. We can use this to our advantage and ambush them. By the time they realize that we are here, we will already be too close for them to react or counterattack."
Neptune stuck her tongue out at IF while she pointed at her, "Hah! I was so right! Awesome Neptune: One; Iffy: Zero."
Neptune's taunting caused IF's eye to twitch, "…Somebody stop me before I wring her neck." Green Heart looked at the angry brunette, "Now Iffy, there's no need to get so violent."
"Compa, IF and Lyrica; you three will deal with the already injured target. Neptune and I will deal with the other one. As for Green Heart, it would be best for her to stay behind Compa and Lyrica so that she does not draw the enemy's attention." Heero turned his attention to the purple haired girl next to him, "I will go in first. That should allow you to transform without needing to expose yourself to an attack."
Lyrica had a confidant look on her face as she lifted Mr. Guitar into her arms, "I don't know why, but it feels like we've already won!"
A confidant smirk made its way onto IF's face, "Well, yeah. It's a plan that Heero came up with. There's no way we can lose."
Heero couldn't understand why the girls always felt so confidant with his battle plans. Sure they were sound tactically speaking, but it was only once they were implemented and carried out that they could afford to feel confident about their effectiveness. Lady Green Heart watched the members of the party as they readied themselves for battle, "I take it that Heero is the brains of the group when it comes to fighting."
Neptune had prepared her HDD disk, ready to transform once the fighting started, "My Destined Lover does a whole lot more than that, but he comes up with these awesome plans and we end up beating the baddies real easy!"
IF pulled her Katars out of her jacket sleeves and adjusted them so that the handles fit comfortably in her hands, "You two focus on supporting me. And please don't shoot at me. I'd rather my jacket not have any bullet holes."
Both Heero and IF rushed toward the two unsuspecting Fire Dragons, while Neptune stayed back long enough to initiate her transformation and both Compa and Lyrica focused on providing support for IF so that she could get close to the already injured Fire Dragon without any trouble. Heero had already closed in on the second Fire Dragon, though was finding it somewhat difficult to close what little distance there was left to use the GN Sword. The Perfect Soldier raised and leveled his arm so that he could accurately fire his GN Rifle, "If I am unable to close in, then I will simply have to provide ranged support so that Neptune can."
Heero fired off a quick three shot burst from the GN Sword. All three shots found their mark, but failed to do any major damage. Before the Gundam pilot could fire another burst of thermal energy, a streak of purple and black passed by Heero and was heading straight for the Fire Dragon, "Now that I'm here, this won't take long."
The monster was not given a chance to react to the purple haired swordstress and before the creature knew it, its head had been forced into the ground. Neptune's katana had landed right in the center of the dragon's cranium, which explained why it looked so disoriented as it lay on the ground. After a moment on the ground, the Fire Dragon began to levitate in the air was more and had its sights set on Neptune. The red scaly monster took in a deep breathe, then exhaled a gust of fire at the purple haired teen. Of course, it was a vain attempt to injure the beautiful girl, as Neptune evaded the attack with utmost ease.
Neptune landed a few feet in front of Heero and observed the monster as it thrashed about, "…That attack was hardly difficult to dodge. Is the monster even trying to attack us?"
Heero observed the Fire Dragon as it spew out balls of fire, not bothering to even try and aim its attacks, "I can only deduce that your attack has severely impaired its eye-sight."
"Is that so? Well, I have no intention of leaving the job half-finished. Let's take care of this monster now so we don't have to deal with it later." …Heero definitely preferred working with THIS Neptune. If she could stop flaunting the whole 'Destined Lover' thing and stop her advances toward him, Heero had no doubt that the mature Neptune would be the near perfect, if not already perfect, member of the party to work with, "(…I don't exactly see that happening anytime soon, though.)"
Both Heero and Neptune rushed toward the impaired monster, and because not one of the Fire Dragon's attacks were actually directed at them there was nothing keeping the two teens from getting into close range where they could deal the most damage. Heero jumped to the side and flanked the dragon for the left, Neptune did the same, only she moved to the right. What followed was a series of powerful blows along the monster's abdomen. If it had been only one of them the Fire Dragon might have survived the assault, but with both Heero and Neptune working in unison, the monster had no chance of surviving.
Within seconds the dragon fell to the ground with multiple cuts across its body, only it did not get back up again. Neptune looked down at the now deceased monster before turning her head in the direction of the seconds, which landed on the ground a few feet away with an audible *Thud*, "You three took your time, didn't you? Heero and I fought and defeated the monster that was at full strength, and it took you this long to finish off the monster that was already weakened?"
IF was breathing in and out rapidly, giving the purple haired beauty an irritated look, "Shut up! You didn't have Compa and Lyrica shooting at you the entire time!" The brunette turned her irritated gaze at the aforementioned girls. "And what the hell were you two doing?! I asked you NOT to shot at me! I even said 'Please'!"
"Sorry Iffy, but we didn't know what you were going to do. You just walked right into the path of our attacks."
The trio waited for Compa, Lyrica and Green Heart to catch up before advancing further into the cave. Neptune maintained her transformation after the battle, so her senses were much sharper than when in her normal form, "We've almost reached the end of the dungeon. If there really is anything to be found here, then it should be up ahead."
Heero could also tell that the exit was close by, as he took the time to see the way the rock formations had started to change and how the path was curving, "It would be best to use caution. We have no idea what to expect, and I will not neglect the possibly that there is a trap."
As the party began to turn the corner Heero and Neptune saw the exit, but also caught sight of a certain individual that they had been looking for. Both teens came to an abrupt stop, causing the four girls behind them to stop. The party hid behind a cluster of the stalactites and observed the individual, with Neptune being the first to say anything, though she made sure to keep her voice down so as to not alert the person they were seeing, "Conversation… What would bring her here? It appears she's waiting for someone."
Green Heart looked past the Evangelist and spotted another individual, "Wait, someone else is here. It's a man."
The rest of the group shifted their attention from Conversation to the man who was standing in front of her, and Heero could tell by the 'NPC silhouette' that the man was Jade, "…We're ready. We can proceed anytime. What about the Basilicom? There's no point if they just surrender. Are you sure they'll fight back?"
"I'm concerned about Lady Green Heart's absence, but… On the other hand, it's more convenient. I'm sure that narrow-minded Archbishop will do whatever it takes. He's the one responsible while the CPU is gone."
The group was having difficulty making out the conversation between Jade and Conversation. They wanted to be able to hear even just a little better, but knew that if they were to get any closer that they risk revealing their presence. Neptune was listening intently from where she was, hoping she could hear something of importance, "…I can only gather bits and pieces. Sounds as if Jade and Conversation are not strangers."
Lady Green Heart glanced over at Neptune, "Do you know that man?"
"…He saved Heero, Compa, Iffy and Lyrica when they were imprisoned at the Basilicom. We owe him quite a bit."
Heero narrowed his eyes at the Aristocrat, "I still do not trust him. There is still too much we don't know about him and his motives." Neptune cast a brief glance at Heero before returning her gaze toward Jade and Conversation. "…And Heero does not trust him. Not that I blame him, I still can't bring myself to fully trust him."
The group ceased their chatter so that they could continue listening to the conversation between the two individuals, "We've transported most of the weapons from Avenir. They won't know who's who. If it's okay, let's raid my home tomorrow. Once we spread word that it was the Basilicom's doing, the Aristocrats won't be able to sit quietly…!"
"The Basilicom's advantage is the sheer number of people, but you have firearms from Avenir gained through the Guild… Weapons from Lastation should appear future-proof to the people of Leanbox stuck in an ancient, medieval lifestyle."
Jade nodded his head in agreement with Conversation's statement. "Yeah. Thanks to that, our leader's more confident than ever. I owe a ton to the Guild in Lastation."
Neptune may not have been able to hear the entire conversation, but she was able to hear every word of what Jade just said, "He lied. To both his leader, his father… and to us." The swordstress tightened her grip on her katana. "Let's crush him right now…!"
IF had a panicked look on her face as she looked at Neptune, who was ready to jump out and attack the Aristocrat, "Stop, stop it! We have to do something about that raid before anything else."
"IF is correct in the course of action we should take. While we could capture these two, our time and effort would be better spent dealing with the more immediate and threatening problem. We can deal with these two at another time."
Compa and Lyrica were in agreement with the Gundam pilot, "Heero and IF are right. Shouldn't we focus more on saving the people of Leanbox than beating up Jade? I mean, sure he's a bad guy, but the civilians are more important than him."
"Please Nep-Nep, just let it go for now."
Neptune wanted to deal with Jade now rather than wait until a later time, but if Heero was opting to forgo apprehending the Aristocrat and Conversation in favor of dealing with the raid, then it was clearly more serious than the treacherous Jade, "…Very well. But only because the raid is the more clear and present danger of the two available choices. However, if we should encounter Jade again, do not think that any of you will be able to stop me from getting rid of him."
Heero could sympathize with the purple haired swordstress, he too wanted to rid himself of Jade for his deception, "Rest assured, if we run into him again, I have no intention of restraining or stopping you."
"Why not head back? We have enough evidence now. I'm not good at being quiet and whispering for so long…" Heero, Neptune and the others looked at the CPU of Leanbox Clearly she was ready to leave. The party began to leave the area, making sure not to alert either Conversation or Jade. As the group neared the entrance of the dungeon, Neptune turned to face the group so as to address the matter at hand, "So, he's willing to sacrifice his house to trigger a battle with the Basilicom. Who will he use to raid his own house?"
IF seemed to have a good idea as to 'who' would raid the home of the treacherous Aristocrat, "Probably the Guild. We've got to do something, or the people will start fighting without knowing the truth."
Green Heart had a serious look on her face as she addressed the party, "I'll return to the Basilicom. Please, go and take care of those Aristocrats!"
Neptune shifted her gaze toward Green Heart, "What of the Evangelist? She's Jade's accomplice. We can't let her get away with this, either."
"Leave her to me. Now, let's hurry!"
The party along with Lady Green Heart departed from the dungeon and headed for their destinations as fast as they could, knowing that a battle between the Aristocrats and the Basilicom would ensue if they did not hurry. As the party made for the Aristocrat's mansion, Heero retreated into his thoughts, "(What does that Evangelist hope to gain from this…? Clearly she is the master mind behind everything going on here in Leanbox. The question is: What is she after?)"
Xxx
Me: "Chapter 23… done! First, I would like to apologize for the late update. I was skimming through my computer and found the Halloween special I had been working on, so I devoted some of my time to work on that."
Heero and Neptune: (Enter ACCC) "So you weren't slacking off, Author man? I totally would have gotten onto you if had been goofing off and stuff, but I'll forgive you if you've been working on the story and what not."
Heero: "As long as you are working on the story, then I suppose you can afford to be somewhat late with the updates."
Compa, IF and Lyrica: (Enter ACCC from Lounge) "So are you going to be working on the bonus chapter now, Mr. Author?"
IF: "He'll probably have to multi-task. He can't just work on one chapter, what with Halloween coming and all that."
Lyrica: "I need to get a costume then! Preferably one that I could wear to go on stage for a concert."
Me: "Now, now, let's not all get worked up. I still have to finish it first. And I'm only going to post the chapter on Halloween night… wouldn't be much of a special if I posted it before then." (Looks to readers) "I should also address one more important matter. I have been getting some reviews and PMs about putting in more bonus chapters into the story. Listen, I'M the guy writing this story. I decide whether or not we need a bonus chapter. If I think the story needs a bonus chapter, I'll type one up and update the story with it. If I DON'T think we need one, then you guys are just going to have to wait until I DO think we need one."
Neptune: "Whoa… I don't think I've seen Author man actually get mad at the readers. It's kinda scary."
Me: "Ugh… I think I just gave myself a headache. One of you, I don't care who, but one of you… wrap up this chapter for us. I need to get some Ibuprofen, some water, and then I need to work on the next chapter."
Neptune: "Read and review this awesome chapter! Just… don't leave any reviews asking for more bonus chapters… Author man… gets kinda scary when he's mad."
Me: "Alright, you jokers, let's go."
Me, Heero, Neptune, Compa, IF, and Lyrica: (Leave ACCC)
