Me: "Hello, readers! So… Chapter 25. This is the chapter where we wrap up the search for the Key Fragment on Leanbox, and I think I've decided on where I'm going to have the party go after this… but before that we're going to need to introduce another character into the party."
Heero and Neptune: (Enter IC) "So we are not going to waste time blinding searching for the mission item anymore?"
Neptune: "Aww, c'mon Heero. All the time we spend searching for the Key Fragments brings us closer together!"
Me: "Well, you won't be blindly searching for the Key Fragment on Leanbox anymore… Can't say the same for the other two landmasses."
Compa: (Enters IC from Lounge) "We're one step closer to freeing Histy! ...Where's Iffy?"
IF: (Enters IC from Hidden Entrance) "…I can see why 5pb loves this thing so much."
5pb: (Enters IC from Left Entrance) "*Pant**Gasp* That's not… funny IF!"
Zero: "Perhaps Lyrica should consider exercising more often or setting up a security system on her favorite entrance."
Me: "Well… anyway, let's wrap up this little segment right here so we can get on with the chapter."
Heero, Neptune, Compa, IF, Lyrica, and Zero: "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: "It's sad when dreaming about owning the franchises is all I can do… Let's hurry up and get this chapter rolling already so I can drown my sorrow in soda."
Me, Heero, Neptune, Compa, IF, Lyrica, and Zero: (Leave IC)
Ch. 24 Three-Six Key
It was the morning after the party had uncovered and stopped the conspiracy on Leanbox, as well as stopped a civil war that threatened to destroy the Land of Green Pastures. The time was 8:30 A.M. and the party was standing outside of a large tower on one of the islands surrounding Leanbox.
Neptune was staring up at the large stone structure, as was the rest of the group, "So Convy is in here? I figured as much, bad guys always hold up in the weirdest place. I betcha she's in there doing the thing with one of her cronies or something!"
The rest of the party gave the preteen questioning looks, wondering just how she could immediately come to such a conclusion. Heero returned his attention to the tower, "Whatever we are planning to do with the Evangelist when we catch her, we must do it today. The Sky Harbor will be open in a six hours and if we fail to catch the Evangelist before then, she may get away and it will be that much harder to find her again."
IF was alternating between looking at her cell phone and the tower in front of the party, "Well, according to my Guild connections this tower only has the one entrance and it serves as the only exit. Unless we're just really careless, we should find the Evangelist."
Compa had an angry look on her cute face, "Miss Convy is so mean! Making everyone fight each other… we can't let her get away with this!"
Lyrica had an angry look on her face that rivaled Compa's in intensity, "Let's make her pay for everything she's done!"
With the entire party ready to raid the dungeon to find the Evangelist who had conspired to destroy Leanbox from within, the group passed through the large stone doors leading into the tower.
The party was greeted by eerie silence as they entered the cave, expecting something to pop out at them the moment they set foot into the structure. Neptune was making binoculars out of her hands and holding them over her eyes as if they would help her see farther, "I see a whole lotta nothing. Convy is here, right? Why don't we get Z to find her? Z can track her down in no time!"
Heero cast a brief glance at Neptune as she prattled on about how Zero would be able to find the Evangelist and help the party navigate the dungeon, "Unfortunately, Zero is unable to help us at this time. Having dealt with the more immediate threat of a war, Zero has returned to her previous work. We will have to find the Evangelist on our own this time."
Neptune's shoulders sank at hearing that Zero would not be helping them, "What? You mean we gotta search all over the place for Convy? That'll take forever."
IF stuffed her hands into her pockets as the party leader bellyached, "We don't have much of a choice. We were lucky that Z was able to help us at all yesterday."
Neptune let out an exasperated sigh as the party began their trek into the dungeon. The walk through the dungeon was quiet, giving the party some peace of mind as they searched for Conversation. It was not long before the party came upon a forked path with one path branching off to the left while was a straight path forward. The group came to a stop in the middle of the branching path, "So… which way do we go? Do we flip a coin? Draw sticks?"
Heero could not understand why Neptune thought that any of those methods would help determine which way the party should go, "We have no way to determine which path is the correct choice. All we can do is choose and hope that we find the target."
The Gundam pilot did not like the idea of leaving the party's success up to chance, but without any form of aid to navigate the dungeon all they could do is guess and hope for the best. Neptune assumed her thinking position with a somewhat serious look on her face, as if she was actually thinking. After a moment, the preteen suddenly pointed toward the left, "I say we go this way. My guts telling me it's this way!"
Lyrica had a look of uncertainty on her face as she looked at the preteen, "Are you sure that's your gut? Or is that your stomach again?"
Neptune turned to the musician, hands on her hips. "I'm telling you guys we should go this way! If I'm wrong, you can take away all of my pudding! But if I'm right, you gotta give me all of your pudding!"
IF snickered at the bubbly girl's overconfidence, knowing that it was a fool's bet, "Alright, but if you're wrong then the moment we get back to our place I'm gonna tie you to a chair and make you watch as I eat all of your pudding."
A nervous bead of sweat ran down the side of Neptune's face at the thought of being made to watch someone else eat her favorite snack, "Hahaha… suddenly, I'm not feeling all that confident about this-"
Neptune's attention was drawn to Heero as he suddenly started walking down the path that the purple haired girl had picked for the party. "And suddenly, I feel great about this way again. Wait for us, Heero!"
The path gave the impression of having several twists, as Heero could see the path bend at the end of the path from where he was. As the party continued along the winding path, Heero found himself questioning why the dungeons of Gamindustri had to feature so many twists, turns and, in the case of the current dungeon, stair cases when they served no real purpose.
As the party began to turn the corner after ascending and then descending the completely useless platform in the middle of the hallway, Heero saw a human sized object came swooping down from the air and was heading straight for Neptune. The Gundam pilot pushed down on Neptune's head so that the object would pass over harmlessly.
When Neptune lifted her head she not only saw what had tried to attack her, but two more creatures that were slowly inching their way towards the party. Slithering toward the group was a pair of 'Dark Cobra', which were exactly that; Cobras… only they were big… as in big enough to eat humans. Floating in the air above the two reptilian monsters was a 'Garuda', a rather large bird like creature with a black feathery body, large wings, a long tail, and four legs, though the forelegs looked like bird feet while the hind legs were completely different in comparison.
Neptune started shaking her fist at the large black bird that had tried to take her head off, "Watch it, you big fat bird! You could really hurt someone doing that!"
Compa looked to Heero as he observed the monsters, "What's the plan this time?"
"It would be best to split the group and have each member engage a different target so that we can end this engagement sooner. It would be best if we deal with a target that we are well suited to handling. Neptune and IF will deal with the two smaller targets. Compa; you, Lyrica and I will focus on the largest of the three, as it may prove difficult for either Neptune or IF to deal any significant damage to it."
The quartet of girls gave a nod as they readied themselves, knowing full well that Heero's plan was sure to lead them to certain victory. Neptune and IF ran at the two Dark Cobra, the former of whom was spouting off all kinds of nonsense as she held her weapon in the air. Heero, Compa and Lyrica focused their attention on the large bird like creature hovering in the air above them, "I will draw the enemy's attention. Compa, you and Lyrica need to look for an opening and then exploit it."
Compa and Lyrica waited as Heero began to get the attention of the Garuda by firing at it with his GN Rifle. A few shots found their mark on the large creature which seemed to anger it, as it immediately dive-bombed after the Gundam pilot. Heero easily evaded the monster's attack while drawing it closer to the two waiting girls. "Make sure that you are ready. You won't have much time to attack."
The nurse in training swallowed hard and Lyrica tightened her grip on Mr. Guitar from nervousness as the Garuda began to descend towards them. Heero stood halfway between the two girls and the flying monster and just as it was about its large beak into him, the Gundam pilot ducked underneath the oncoming bird.
Having failed to land an attack on the Perfect Soldier the Garuda tried to turn itself around so it could make another pass, only to have a hail of syringe fired bullets and bolts of lightning continuously strike its wings. As the bird began to fall toward the ground, Heero broke into a dead sprint with his GN Sword armed, intent on killing the monster before it had a chance to recover from its injuries.
Just as the large creature collided with the tiled floor Heero drove his bladed weapon into its neck, eliciting a shrill *squawk* from the monster before it stopped moving and turned into 'cubes of energy' as Neptune called them, "Target destruction, confirmed."
Lyrica breathed a sigh of relief, relaxing her shoulders as she exhaled, "I was kind of nervous. I didn't know if Heero's idea would work."
Compa lightly pat the singer on the back, "There, there. I know how you feel, but you should trust Heero more. His plans always work."
As Compa tended to the songstress, IF had just finished dealing with one of the reptilian monsters and Neptune finished shortly thereafter, "These monsters aren't all that difficult to beat, but I'd rather not waste any time dealing with them."
Heero nodded his head as the brunette pulled out her cell phone and began to ticker with the handheld device, "Finding the Evangelist is our top priority. Needlessly wasting our time and energy on other enemies in the area is ill-advised."
The party returned to their task of searching the dungeon for the fake Evangelist while hopefully not wasting time on the monsters that they might run into along the way. Which of course was easier said than done, as the group encountered a few groups of monsters throughout their search of the dungeon that impeded their progress and were forced to fight.
Eventually after having Neptune lead the party around in circles for the better part of fifteen minutes, IF, Compa and Lyrica decided it would be best to have Heero lead the party for the duration of their time in the dungeon, and after a few more twists and turns through the somewhat confusing dungeon (at least in Neptune's opinion) the party found themselves at a forked section in the dungeon with one path leading down another section of the dungeon and the other lead to what appeared to be a large room from what Heero could see.
Neptune looked down both paths before pointing her finger down the path on the left, "I betcha it's this way. The bad guys always hold up in the back of a dungeon."
"That is not the case here." Neptune looked back at Heero with a slightly annoyed look on her face. "Heero, as my Destined Lover, you're supposed to agree with me on everything I say."
Heero cast a brief glance before returning his attention toward the path directly ahead of the group, "One; we are not lovers. Two; my job is to assist you in completing your mission. Three; by now you should be able to hear the noise coming from the room ahead of us."
Neptune gave the Gundam pilot a confused look before looking down the corridor and hearing the faint sound of someone grumbling and complaining to themselves. Heero began to walk down the path with the girls in tow, the voice of who they believed to be the fake Evangelist growing somewhat louder as they advanced.
When the party arrived at the end of the corridor, they found an elevated platform in the center of a large room that served no purpose and really had no reason to be there. After taking a moment to check around the platform, Heero motioned for the quartet of girls to follow him up the staircase to the top of the platform.
At the top of the platform was the Evangelist that had stopped her little pouting session when she saw the party, immediately going into her melodramatic laugh, "Haaaah ha ha ha! So, you've finally come. I was waiting for you. I can't let you survive, since you know who the Evangelist is." The woman in gothic clothing focused her attention on Neptune. "The time is now, Neptune. Brace yourself for death!"
Having stated that she planned to kill Neptune, the fake Evangelist leapt into the air and immediately charged toward Neptune. The party jumped out of the way as the woman came crashing to the ground where they had been, with Neptune falling flat on her bottom next to Heero, "Oww! This lady has got some serious issues."
Heero narrowed his eyes at the Evangelist as she readied herself for another attack, "I cannot allow you to harm Neptune, let alone end her life. If you want to get to her, you must first kill me."
The fake Evangelist pointed her sharp glaive at the Perfect Soldier, "I have no business with you, but I'm not one to turn away a death wish, boy."
Neptune started flailing her arms in the air as she looked at Heero, "What? You're not supposed to die, Heero! I mean, yeah it's really sweet and all that you care so much about me, but we can't have an M rated scene if you're dead!"
IF started shouting at Neptune from where she was, which was about ten yards away from where the purplenette, "Nep, this is no time to be talking about that! (Besides, I'm the only one who's going to have any kind of romantic rendezvous with Heero.)"
Compa looked at the brunette for a moment before her cheeks began to swell up, "Iffy, you were just thinking about having a romantic moment with Heero, weren't you?"
The fake Evangelist was standing where she was, watching the spectacle between the party with an irritated look on her face, "I don't know what you're talking about, but you all can see each other in h-"
Before she could finish her sentence, the woman was splashed with water. The Evangelist had a disgruntled look on her face as she directed her attention at Lyrica, who was holding a bottle of water in her hands. "This again?!"
IF scratched the back of her head as she gave the songstress a weathered look, "Lyrica, we went over this before. She's not that kind of witch."
Lyrica tossed the water bottle away, no longer having a use for it, "W-Well, I just wanted to make sure…"
Almost immediately, the fake Basilicom employee went after Lyrica, "I will make you pay for disrespecting me!"
The songstress raised Mr. Guitar up to block the fake Evangelist's attack, "Be careful! You're going to ruin Mr. Guitar's strings!"
"I'll ruin far more than that in a moment!"
Before Conversation could press her attack, she was forced back by Neptune as she tried to hit the Evangelist with the prototype weapon in her hands, "Hey, you big meanie! Stop picking on the meat shield!"
Lyrica gave the preteen an incredulous look, "I'm not a meat shield!"
The party regrouped as the Basilicom employee floated in the air a few yards away, "What's the plan? We totally gotta beat her up real good for what she's done!"
Heero had been analyzing the short scuffle that had occurred between Lyrica and the Evangelist, noting that not much had changed about her since their last encounter, "Lyrica is not the most physically strong, but considering that she was able to hold off her attacker, the target has not made any significant improvements to her combat abilities since the last battle."
Neptune had been getting herself pumped up until she heard Heero say that the party's enemy was going to be weak, a surprised look on her face. "Whoa. So you're sayin' that we're about to beat up a boss level enemy and get boss level experience points, and we're not even gonna hafta do all the boss level work? Why can't all bosses be this easy to beat?"
Compa worked to calm down the overly excited Neptune, "Calm down, Nep-Nep. We need to focus on defeating Ms. Convy. But how are we going to fight her?"
Heero folded his arms as he thought about a suitable strategy for the party to end their battle quickly and efficiently. The Gundam pilot looked back at Neptune, who was trying not to start jumping all over the place at the idea of not having to put in too much work to defeat Conversation, "Neptune, if we were to distract the target, would you be able to get behind and eliminate her?"
The purple haired girl playfully swung the beam saber in her hands through the air, "You betcha! I'll totally beat her in one hit!"
"Neptune will need to circle around the Evangelist so that we can end this minor skirmish. IF and I will serve as a distraction to keep her attention away from you. Compa will go with Neptune to provide support, while Lyrica will focus on supporting IF and myself."
Neptune pumped her arms as the party began to ready themselves for a quick boss battle, "I can already see this ending. Let's get her!"
Heero and IF immediately broke into a sprint to get close to Conversation. Lyrica strummed Mr. Guitar's strings, causing bolts of electricity to ark out and fly through the air toward the Evangelist. The woman in gothic clothing blocked or evaded the majority of Lyrica's attacks, and those that hit dealt minor damage.
Since Conversation had been paying attention to Lyrica's attack pattern, she hadn't even bothered to think about Heero or IF until they were right in front of her. IF had started unleashed a flurry of attacks with her Katars, that either missed or were blocked by the Evangelist, though it was not like she had intended to actually hit. Because her job was to serve as a distraction, she just needed to focus on keeping Conversation's attention away from Neptune and Compa.
When the Evangelist moved to attack the brunette, Heero intercepted her to keep her on the defensive while simultaneously keeping her attention focused on him. While Heero, IF and Lyrica were busy keeping the Evangelist preoccupied, Neptune and Compa snuck around to her blind side, "We gotta make sure to get her on the first try, Nep-Nep."
The purple haired preteen suddenly turned to face the nurse in training, "I know this is a little off topic, but do you remember the name of that bakery we saw the other day?"
Compa looked at Neptune as though she had lost her mind, "Nep-Nep, how can you think about food at a time like this?"
"I can't help it. I saw some really great cookies there last time. When I saw them I was all like 'Neptune, you gotta get some of those!' You know, the star shaped cookies?"
The pink haired nurse looked up in a moment of thoughtfulness, "Now that you mention it… I do remember seeing cookies like those."
Neptune had a big grin on her face as she focused on Compa. "Right? So, after this, why don't we go and get some? We should also get some other tasty treats, too."
Compa was now engrossed in the topic, "But Nep-Nep, if we're going to be eating snacks, then we need something to drink."
IF had stopped fighting long enough to see Neptune and Compa talking amongst themselves and not doing what they were supposed to be doing. The Guild Moderatist picked up a rock off the ground and threw it at Neptune, hitting the preteen in the head. The rock bounce off of Neptune's head upon impact and struck Compa on the forehead before falling to the ground, "Oww! Who threw that?"
When Neptune looked around for the culprit, she saw IF with a disgruntled look on her face while pointing at the fake Evangelist, "…Oh. Right. We're supposed to be doing something important right now."
The purple haired girl looked back at Compa to see the pink haired nurse squatting on the ground as she held her head, "That really hurt…"
Neptune pat the nurse in training on the head as she looked as though she was about to cry, "Buck up, Compa. You're supposed to be my rival for Heero's love, and Heero's got no interest in crybabies."
Compa rubbed her eyes before picking her oversized syringe back up, "Okay…"
Fortunately enough for the girls, Heero and Lyrica had been able to keep the Evangelist's attention focused on them so that she would remain unaware of what they were planning. Heero's GN Sword collided with the woman's glaive as the battle continued, the Evangelist going into another one of her laughing sprees, "Haaaah ha ha ha! It's pointless for you to keep fighting. You have no hope of defeating me."
Heero looked past Conversation before a smirk formed on his face, "Are you sure about that?"
Before Conversation could respond a hail of bullets struck her in the back, followed by a purple streak heading straight for her, "Give up, you weirdo!"
Neptune threw a punch right at the Evangelist as she turned around, hitting her right in the stomach. As Conversation stumbled from the heavy blow, she found herself being forced to the ground by a kick from IF that landed against her right cheek. The moment the Evangelist fell to the ground, Heero, Compa and Lyrica started firing at her and were joined shortly after by Neptune and IF.
The relentless barrage of fire directed at Conversation was quickly generating a cloud of dust and debris that blanketed the area around the Evangelist. Neptune held her right hand over her forehead, her index and thumb in the shape of an L, "Take that, you creepy crony! Betcha didn't see that coming."
As the dust began to settle it was clear that the Evangelist was still alive, since she was moving slightly on the floor. Conversation picked her beaten body up off the ground, then started laughing… again, "Haahaha… I didn't think I'd lose. Looks like those monsters were useless experience fodder, after all."
Neptune had her hands on her hips as she looked at the defeat Evangelist, "We'll keep evolving and growing and learning through each battle! Monsters can't stop us!"
Heero was momentarily surprised that Neptune had said something so wise, but was able to maintain his stoic façade, "…That was rather wise, Neptune. Proof that you are in fact learning."
The preteen rubbed the back of her head while sticking her tongue out in slight embarrassment from Heero's praise, "Heh, I know, right?"
Compa had a starry-eyed look as she watched the party's purple haired leader, "Nep-Nep, you're so cool! Yes, we will evolve and… we will never lose!"
Almost immediately after the battle, IF pulled out her cell phone to look at it, "But, I'm sure we won't be fighting anymore. It's all over. Kinda sad."
Lyrica looked at IF as she tinkered with her pink mobile device, "IF, did you really want the fight to last longer? Or are you being sarcastic?"
The fake Evangelist took off out of the room, laughing as she did, "Haahaha! No need to be upset, I'll come back, time and time again. I'll see you again, someday. Haaaah ha ha ha!"
Neptune started shouting at Conversation as she fled, "You can try all you want Convy, but you'll never beat us!" The preteen latched onto Heero's arm as she continued. "The power of our love makes us invincible. As long as Heero and I are together, we'll always win!"
Heero questioned how Neptune came to such a conclusion, "I fail to see how an intangible variable such as that could lead to victory. Now that we have dealt with the Evangelist, it would be best to report back to Lady Green Heart with the success of our mission."
The party's leader began to pull on Heero's arm. "And after that, we can celebrate with a big party with lots of food."
Having found and defeated the Evangelist, the party made to leave the dungeon and return to the capital city.
Xxx
Upon arriving back at the city, the party headed straight for the Basilicom and were shown to Lady Green Heart's room. Neptune barged into the room without bothering to knock, "Lady Green Heart! We cracked the jaw of that wicked Evangelist!"
The voluptuous CPU sat up from her bed as the party entered the room, "Thank you. I wish we could celebrate right away with a LAN party, but…" Green Heart twisted her head in the direction of the other room occupants. "The Archbishop and Aristocrat's leader are here. This is far more important to the future of Leanbox."
Yvoire turned his attention to the party once he was aware of their presence, "What're these underage girls doing here? Neptune's your archenemy, for crying out loud!"
Green Heart opposed the Archbishop's complaint, "They're a part of this too, so I'm having them attend this meeting. I'll accept no objections." The CPU organized her thoughts on the matter at hand. "The Basilicom's concealment of the truth led to this ordeal. I'll hear your reasoning."
"…The Parliament's revolt is our shame, so I was only trying to conceal all the facts regarding…"
Heero had already entered into a bad mood once he caught sight of Yvoire, and the Archbishop's attempt at lying was working on the Gundam pilot's last nerve, "You claim to worship your goddess unconditionally, and yet here you are attempting to lie to her."
Neptune started pointing at Yvoire with one hand while flailing the other in the air, "Liar, liar, cassock on fire! We heard everything from Jade! You're tryin' to hide the fact the revolt was meant to allow heretics a chance to escape the Sanctuary's oppression!"
The Archbishop of Leanbox was silent. Clearly he had not expected the party to have knowledge of this information, and the fact that they did had put him in a difficult position. Green Heart focused her attention on Yvoire, "Is this the truth? Answer, Yvoire."
After a moment of silence, Yvoire began to speak again, "…That is true. However, it is the Basilicom's duty to subdue heretics! To protect our goddess' reputation…! I will accept any punishment you have, but believe me when I say everything I've done has been in our goddess' best interest…"
Silence dominated the air. Green Heart hung her head, a grief stricken look on her face, "…I am at fault for relying on you to handle everything."
Heero reached behind his back and pulled out his pistol, which he had rarely used since arriving at Gamindustri, "Then there is only one more matter that needs to be dealt with…"
The other room occupants were thrown into a state of panic and worry as Heero pointed his pistol at Yvoire, his eyes hardened into a cold glare. "All that remains is to dispose of you."
Neptune stepped out in front of Heero, "I know he's a really bad guy and all, but do you really gotta shoot 'em, Heero?"
Heero kept his cold gaze focused on the Archbishop, his pistol still aimed at him, "He has already endangered your life once before, Neptune. I cannot allow him to live knowing that he may pull the same stunt a second time."
The Gundam pilot was dangerously close to pulling the trigger of his gun, when Lady Green Heart stepped in-between Heero and Yvoire, "I realize what the Archbishop has done is wrong, but as the CPU of Leanbox, I must take responsibility for what has happened. If you must punish someone, Heero, then punish me."
Heero was momentarily surprised by Green Heart's decision to assume responsibility for what the Archbishop had done, but kept his gun pointed forward… at Lady Green Heart, "You would assume responsibility, despite the fact that you could very well die?"
Green Heart swallowed hard as a cold bead of sweat ran down the side of her face, "…Yes."
Heero could tell that the CPU was afraid, and yet she was still going to stand between him and the Archbishop who had made an attempt on Neptune's life. The Perfect Soldier continued to apply pressure on the trigger of his pistol until a loud bang echoed throughout the room.
Silence filled the room, the only sound that was made was that produced by the empty shell casing hitting the floor. Lady Green Heart's eyes were closed tightly. One second past… then two, and finally three. The CPU slowly opened her eyes and looked down at her person to find that she had no injuries, "He… missed?"
Heero closed his eyes as he holstered his pistol behind his back, "You get a reprieve… this time. I fail to see what Lady Green Heart sees in you after your treachery was brought out into the open. However, she clearly has need of you." The Perfect Soldier focused his gaze on Yvoire once more. "But if you pull anything like this again… I will kill you, no matter what anyone says."
IF breathed a sigh of relief as the tension in the room began to die down, "I was a little worried there… But, this is Heero I'm talking about, so I guess I shouldn't have been worried at all."
After the excitement in the room dissipated both the Archbishop and the leader of the Aristocrats left the room, their business concluded for the time being. Green Heart was sitting on her bed as she contemplated the events that had led up to this day, "My title as CPU meant next to nothing. I could've prevented this if I really took my role seriously."
Neptune stood with her hands behind her head, "Thinking about 'woulda' and 'coulda' won't do anything. But if you admit you goofed up, you can do better, right?"
The CPU of Leanbox was surprised at hearing Neptune say something so meaningful, "…Your optimistic outlook hasn't changed, even after losing your memory. You're right, though. It's time to turn things around. Nep-Nep, you said you were looking for a Key Fragment?"
The preteen blinked once before her face lost some of its color, clearly she had JUST remembered the party's reason for having been in Leanbox, "Oh crap, I totally spaced about that! Histy must be tired of waiting. Do you know where one is?"
"It's guarded by a strong monster, right? I may have an idea."
Jackpot. The party had been hoping to get some kind of lead or hint as to the whereabouts of the Key Fragment on Leanbox, and they may have just found their break. "There's a dungeon Convy used to frequent. Maybe it's worth looking into. I will tell you its location later, but first…" The blonde haired woman stood up off her bed, a playful look in her eyes, "We really do need to celebrate. Let's go to the Red Ring Table. This is the third time I've invited you to a party… Well, the first time was by the Archbishop…"
The thought of a party got Neptune thinking about food, so naturally she wasn't going to turn down the invitation, "Oooh, there's gonna be a whole lotta yummy food, right? We will totally accept."
Compa heaved a sigh at the thought, "It would be nice to relax for a little. I'm really tired."
IF stretched her arms over her head before taking out her cell phone, "I guess it couldn't hurt. Besides, my cell is almost out of power."
Lyrica looked down at Mr. Guitar as she held the instrument in her hands, "And I have to put new strings on Mr. Guitar."
Heero looked over the group of girls and could tell that they were exhausted from the events of the day, "…Perhaps it would be best to put our search on hold long enough to recuperate from our earlier encounter."
Lady Green Heart clasped her hands together, "Then it's decided. Come along, now."
The group made themselves comfortable as the CPU quickly organized a party in the Basilicom. It did not take long for the Red Ring Table to fill with guests and the celebratory party began shortly thereafter.
Peals of bubbly amusement floated through the air as the party goers went about conversing, dining and playing games. Neptune was busy gorging herself on the delectable treats spread out over the table, "I shall eat and eat, till I can't eat no more. Hey Compa, pass me one of those yummy looking cakes!"
Compa looked at the preteen as she went back to eating more of the food, "Nep-Nep, you really shouldn't eat so much at one time. You'll get a stomachache."
IF had a plate of food in her hands and had started going through the various assorted foods when Compa started telling Neptune to slow down, "Let her stuff her face. If nothing else, it does keep her quiet."
Compa looked under the table when it started to shake and saw Lyrica quivering underneath, and the songstress looked like a nervous wreck. "Are you still shy, Lyrica?"
Lyrica was shaking like a leaf as her eyes roamed over the room, "Th-There's so many people here… I don't like it…"
Heero watched the girls as they enjoyed the party (or in Lyrica's case, tried to), "…Perhaps we should consider taking a break from our search for the Key Fragments after we have found the one here on Leanbox."
"There you all are."
The party turned their attention to Lady Green Heart as she approached the group. Neptune swallowed the food she had crammed into her mouth before grinning at the CPU of Leanbox, "Where do you get this food, Lady Green Heart? I wanna get some on the way back to our house."
IF shot a scrutinizing look at the purple haired girl, "Can you stop going on about food for a minute?"
Green Heart waved off the two girls, "Perhaps I can tell you some other time. But first…" The blonde haired CPU took Heero's right hand into both of hers, looking directly into Heero's eyes as she did. "Heero, words cannot express my gratitude for all that you have done for Leanbox."
Lyrica poked her head out from under the table as Green Heart started thanking Heero for his work on Leanbox, "What about us? We helped too."
IF gave a sort of forced smile, "Just smile and take it with some salt. She might thank us, too."
Green Heart kept her attention focused on Heero, not bothering to look at the girls, "I understand that you will be leaving Leanbox once you have found this Key Fragment you are looking for. While I would much rather you stay here, I realize that you have your own matters to attend to."
Heero watched the CPU as she held his hand, "My mission is to assist Neptune, so naturally that means I will not be in the same place for a long period of time."
"Well, I just want you to know that if you should ever find yourself in need of something the next time you come to Leanbox, do not hesitate to come to me, Heero. I will do all in my power as the CPU of this landmass to acquire whatever it is you need." Green Heart looked away from Heero as she concealed her mouth behind one of her hands, "Even if that something should turn out to be… me."
Heero heard the CPU mutter something, but was unable to make out what exactly it was that she had said, "…Could you repeat that? I could not here you because you were talking away from me and muttering."
Green Heart waved her hand in a dismissive manner. "It's nothing. I was just talking to myself."
While the rest of the group had been unable to hear it, Neptune had heard what the CPU had said because she had a sharp sense of hearing when it came to Heero or food… or so she claimed. The purplenette drop her plate of food onto the table before stomping over and grabbing onto Heero's arm, pulling the Gundam pilot away from Green Heart in the process. Neptune gave the CPU a half glare as she held onto Heero, "It's great knowing that you owe Heero a lot and all, but he doesn't need anything from you. The only thing Heero needs is his Destined Lover, me!"
Compa stared at Neptune as she cling to Heero, "Nep-Nep… you aren't still on about that, are you?"
IF pinched the bridge of her nose before shooting an irritated look at Neptune, "We've been over this before. Lady Green Heart is NOT trying to steal Heero. How many times do we have to tell you before you get that into your thick head?"
The CPU of Leanbox stood with a surprised look as her cheeks slowly changed to a soft pink, "Really now. Do you truly believe I would do anything so nefarious? I am merely expressing my gratitude for all of Heero's hard work."
Neptune continued to watch Green Heart with scrutinizing eyes, "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Don't you have other people you could be talkin' to?"
Green Heart watched the unusually hostile Neptune before letting out a sigh, "I can tell when I am not wanted. I shall entertain one of the other guests."
With a bow, the CPU of Leanbox left the party. Before anyone could say anything, Neptune felt a sharp pain in the back of her head, "Oww! That hurt!" The purple haired girl turned around to see IF with her arm outstretched and her hand balled into a fist. "What was that for?!"
"What do you think? You were being rude to Lady Green Heart for no reason! You're just being a child at this point!"
Neptune mumbled and grumbled as she rubbed the back of her head to soothe her pain before going back to eating until it was time for the party to leave.
Xxx
After the celebratory party, the group had been given the location of the dungeon that Lady Green Heart thought the party should investigate. It was not long before the group had to stop so that Neptune could take a break. The purple haired girl plopped down on a rock rubbing her forehead with her hoodie sleeve, "It's been such a scorchy hot time lately. Is it summer or something?"
IF had also noticed the change in temperature, wiping a few beads of sweat that trickled down the side of her face, "Hmm, maybe. I wonder it heat from Gamindustri's core is getting more intense?"
Compa had been sitting down next to Neptune, fanning herself in a vain attempt to cool off, "A little rain would cool the air down." The pink haired nurse stood up from where she was. "We should all perform the ritualistic rain dance!"
Lyrica had a confused look on her face as she looked at the nurse in training, "A rain dance? Does it actually work? It would be a little embarrassing… but if it'll do something about this heat, I'll do it."
IF shook her head at the two girls, "Keep that fantasy garbage to Lowee, please." The brunette wiped her forehead as she looked up at the sky. "I should get a parasol or something before I burn."
Neptune had assumed her thinking position as she listened to the Guild member, "That'd just get in the way of fighting! Why don't we get a big fan or air conditioner to pull along with us?"
IF rolled her eyes at the purplenette, "Right. We don't even have a power outlet."
Neptune looked around the party's immediate area before looking over at the nearby town. "Mm-hmm. I guess there's not even a store to get that stuff around here…"
The Guild Moderatist held her head in her hands as she listened to Neptune and Compa, "I don't need their idiocy on top of the heat to frustrate me…"
The party's leader started fanning herself as she looked over at Compa, "Compa, you go to a nursing school, y'know? Isn't there like a medical trick to get cooler, like, acupuncture?"
"Don't expect me to know anything… B-But sure! I know a great way to cool down."
Neptune pumped her arms as she leaned towards Compa, wanting to know to stave off the heat. "Fantastic! So, what d'we do?"
Compa pointed over at a nearby tree. "Let's go sit under a tree's shade!"
IF looked at Compa, her left eyebrow raised, "That's a fairly primitive technique."
"It may be primitive, but it still is a rather effective way of dealing with the excessive heat."
The group of girls looked over at Heero, who was observing the area around them. Lyrica stared at the Gundam pilot as he stood in the sweltering heat with his jacket on, "How can you stand this heat wearing a jacket? You have to be really hot by now, Heero."
Heero looked at the songstress out of the corner of his eye before going back to looking out toward the grassy plain that was before the party. "I have been trained to handle extreme weather conditions. Temperatures such as this are not an issue for me."
Neptune had her hands on her hips as Heero went back to what he was doing, "As expected of my Destined Lover. He's uber tough, so he's got nothin' to worry about. Now, if you'd, y'know, do something to help me with this really scorchy heat… that'd be great."
IF, being IF, agreed with just about anything Heero had to say, "I'd rather have an actual means of cooling off. But that's all we can do now. Let's head over and think about our next move."
The party made their way over to the shaded area, and Neptune immediately plopped down on the ground beneath the shade. After a few seconds Neptune examined the shade, finding it to be somewhat off, "Oh, y'know, this shade's a bit wacky. It's all blue and stuff…"
IF turned her attention to the tree that the group was sitting under, "Yeah. It doesn't even look like a tree. More like an animal."
"The shade's actually a lot bigger than the tree itself. Isn't this totally backwards?!"
A man wearing a gas mask that was passing by stopped to look at the group as they questioned what it was they were sitting under, "This is the shadow of a dragon."
Neptune turned to look at the stranger, and immediately thought he was suspicious, "Whoa! Scary dude alert! You're setting off all my suspicious alarms. You come any closer, and I'll have Heero beat you up."
"I am but a petty manga author. No one suspicious."
IF was also eyeing the man with suspicion, "You're not very convincing when you're wearing a gas mask. Take it off before you speak."
The stranger lightly tapped the side of his mask, "Do not mind this. I cannot go out in public without this mask. You could say I'm a bit shy."
Neptune watched as the mask wearing man held onto his mask as though it would come off at any moment, "Are you that scared about being an uggo? Don't worry. We'll laugh it off of you somehow." The preteen turned her attention back to the shadow that was looming over the party. "So, about this shadow…"
"…To protect this town, the light of people's hearts created this blue shadow of a dragon. It is our guardian. It appeared here now to save you from the heat."
Compa turned her attention to the shadow that was supposedly saving the group from the heat, "Oh, that's so nice. There are so many different shadows in the world…"
Lyrica was lying on the ground underneath the shadow and she looked like she was about to fall asleep, "I'm just glad to… have some shade… from the heat."
IF kept her attention fixed on the supposed manga author, "Well, you said you're a manga author. What kind of manga do you create?"
"Oh, nothing great… I like drawing things where men with spiky hair shout, power up, and have their clothes rip."
A few seconds of silence passed and IF look at the man with a questioning gaze. "That's… modest. What if you're really super famous? A world-famous manga author?"
Neptune didn't seem convinced that the stranger in front of the party could possibly be famous, "Pssh, whatever! If that were true, I'd eat noodles upside-down."
The idea of eating noodles appealed to Compa as she chimed in, "Add some hot sauce to mine!"
Even Lyrica seemed interested in the idea, "Mine too!"
IF looked back at her fellow party members before shrugging her shoulders, "…Yeah. I guess nobody like that would get involved in blue shadows of dragons and stuff."
"…Tch."
Having been dissed by the party, the man in the gas mask walked away. Once the stranger was gone, Heero turned his attention to the group of girls lying underneath the dragon's shadow, "You are all no doubt tired from our little expedition on this landmass. As such, I propose we take a short break from looking for the other Key Fragments once we have retrieved the one here on Leanbox."
Neptune started lying on her back as a lazy look made its way onto her face, "I totally second the notion."
IF rolled her eyes as she rolled over onto her side, "The only reason you're for the idea is because it means you won't have to do anything."
Lyrica sat up from where she was to look at the brunette, "But… it won't be until after we find the first Key Fragment, right? If that's the case… then we'll have earned our break, right?"
Compa positioned herself so that she was sitting on her knees, "We need to work extra hard for our break."
Neptune had a bored expression on her face as she flipped over onto her stomach, "That means we gotta walk through the heat… this sucks."
Heero knew that Neptune was less than enthusiastic about walking through the heat, but it had to be done if the party was to search the dungeon where the Key Fragment may be, "…If it will make you feel better, I am willing to carry you to our destination. Once we arrive, however, you will have to walk the rest of the way."
Almost immediately, Neptune jumped onto Heero's back, "Well, since you offered, I will totally accept. C'mon you guys, pick up those feet! We haven't got all day."
IF grit her teeth as the preteen went on, "…I should slit her throat in her sleep. Where does she get off bossing us around?"
The party left the shade of the shadow and headed in the direction of the dungeon Lady Green Heart told them about, hoping to finally find the Key Fragment.
Xxx
After a five minute walk, the group eventually found the dungeon they had been looking for. The dungeon appeared to be some kind of ruin, tiles with 1s and 0s were strewn around the floor and the walls, while dusty and old, seemed stable enough to support the structure.
The party observed the area, there was not a soul in sight, "So… this is the dungeon Convy came to? The Key Fragment's just gotta be here! I can feel it!"
Heero slowly scanned the passage, though there wasn't much to look at, "…This area is different in comparison to every other location we have searched. Statistically speaking, our odds of finding the Key Fragment here are greater than they would be anywhere else on this landmass."
The group began their search of the dungeon, hoping that the object they had been tasked with finding could be found here. It was not long before the party reached a point in the ruin where the path branched off in two directions. Compa slowly shifted her attention from one direction to the other, "Umm… which way are we supposed to go?"
Even Lyrica had a look of uncertainty on her face before her mood suddenly brightened, "Why don't we just get Heero to decide?"
The four girls turned their attention to the Gundam pilot with hopeful looks in their eyes. Heero's eyes shifted from one path to the other, and then back again, "Unfortunately, my decision on which way we go would be the same as having Neptune or anyone else decide."
Silence dominated the air. After a few seconds Neptune broke the silence, the look on her face suggested that she didn't quite understand what Heero meant, "Eh?"
"While this area is accessible, it has not been explored and therefore, no information exists on its layout. As such, I have no way off telling which way we need to go to find our target."
Neptune hung her head as she could feel her motivation leaving her, "Aww… that means we don't know where to look."
Heero stepped out into the middle of the passage. "Just because we have no clear indication on where we need to go does not mean there is no hope of success. As there are two paths, there is a fifty percent chance that one of them will lead to the target. As for which way we go, I will leave that up to you."
Neptune assumed her thinking position before pointing toward the corridor ahead, "I think we should go thata way! I got a good feeling about it."
With no other option but to guess, the party advanced down the passage directly in front of them. The fact that the corridor lead into a bend just a few paces after passing through the intersection meant that this was going to be another one of those dungeons that featured multiple, pointless bends in its layout.
The party turned the first corner and just as they were about to round the second corner, Heero felt a presence just behind the corner approaching from just beyond it. Lyrica was out in front because Neptune had 'insisted' that she be in front, which made her the most likely target for a monster attack. Heero quickly grabbed the songstress by the wrist and pulled her back as the sharp blade of a sword sailed through the air toward her.
Lyrica had been taken completely by surprise, not expecting to be pulled back so abruptly. The blue haired idol came to a halt against Heero's chest, her eyes closed tightly, "It would appear that this particular adversary is at least smart enough to attempt an ambush."
The party's assailant was a 'Valkyrie', a monster that was humanoid in appearance, though its face was hidden behind a metal helmet. As one could imagine, the creature had arm and shin guards and armor protecting its torso, while a long skirt hung from around the Valkyrie's waist with an opening in the front for its legs.
IF had her arms folded over her chest as she observed the monster, "An intelligent monster… didn't see that coming."
Heero looked down at Lyrica who was still leaning on his chest, "I apologize for having to grab you so abruptly, but immediate action was necessary to save your life."
The cerulean haired songstress had an awkward grin on her face as she hid her face in the Gundam pilot's chest, "Oh… I don't mind at all…"
The lone male cast a questioning glance at the teenaged idol, as he had been unable to hear what she had said, "…What was that?"
Lyrica's eyes snapped open and her face turned a deep shade of crimson as she pulled away from Heero, "N-N-Nothing! I didn't say anything!"
Compa had a look of determination on her face as she lifted her oversized syringe, "No matter what sort of monster we face, we will find the Key Fragment!"
Heero armed his GN Sword while turning his attention to the Valkyrie, "Before we can continue with our search, we should deal with this enemy first. It would be best not to expend too much time or energy and eliminate the target in an efficient manner."
Of course, that was easier said than done. The Valkyrie was a monster that the party had only JUST come across and it had shown that it was intelligent enough to lie in wait for an ambush. There was no telling whether this was going to be just another monster or if the party was actually going to have to work for their victory.
IF gave a quick nod before slipping her blades out from her jacket sleeves, "Heero and I should be more than enough for this."
"Actually, I was planning on having Neptune assist me in this battle."
Neptune had a smug look on her face as she looked back at IF, who could not believe what she was hearing, "Naturally. My lover will always choose me over the runner-ups."
The brunette began to gnash her teeth at the purple haired girls smug comment, "…Somebody stop me before I punch her lights out."
Heero could tell that the other girls of the party were not at all thrilled that Neptune was boasting about having been picked to help him, in fact, he could feel a headache coming on because of it, "(Remember the mission… the mission.) The reason why I picked Neptune is due to the fact that she is the strongest among the four of you. As we are trying to end this engagement as quickly as possible, Neptune is the obvious choice."
Neptune pulled the prototype beam saber out of her hoodie pocket, "So all we gotta do is beat up the monster, right? Leave it to me!"
Before Heero could stop her, Neptune ran at the feminine looking monster. The Valkyrie slowly lifted its sword and swung it through the air in a horizontal motion. Shortly after it did, a serious of small explosions erupted across the ground that quickly made their way toward Neptune, who immediately started running away, "W-Whoa! That's cheating! You can't do that!"
The purplenette looked like a chicken with her head cut off the way she was running around trying to avoid the barrage of explosions. Heero noticed that the Valkyrie kept its attention focused solely on Neptune as the relentless trail of explosions continued, "It's possible…"
Heero ran at the humanoid monster as the blade of the GN Sword snapped into place over the rifle barrel. The Valkyrie shifted its attention toward the Perfect Soldier, which caused the wave of explosions following Neptune to cease. Heero's large blade clashed with the monster's smaller blade, slowly forcing the humanoid creature back. "So that attack only works when fighting a single target. Against multiple enemies, you can't maintain the concentration needed to use it."
With its attention focused on him, Heero and the Valkyrie engaged in close quarters combat that saw neither combatant overpowering the other. The Perfect Soldier began to devise a new battle strategy to end the battle with the Valkyrie, when the creature suddenly began to convulse and fell over shortly thereafter. Standing behind the now dead monster was Neptune, with a rather displeased look on her face, "That's what you get for trying to attack me! Nobody gets away with makin' me run around for nothing! …Except for food… and Heero… mostly Heero."
Heero put away his weapon, while contemplating why he had even tried to come up with a battle plan when something would happen that would waste the time he had spent planning, "…Now that the enemy has been dealt with, we need to continue with our search for the Key Fragment."
The purple haired girl in front of Heero had a starry-eyed look on her face at the thought of finding the Key Fragment. "Yeah, and we'll be one step closer to freeing Histy and saving the world! That will totally make me a hero."
IF had a grim look on her face as she thought about Neptune becoming a hero, "If she were a hero, we'd all be screwed."
With the monsters dealt with, the party returned to their search for the item they were been searching for… or at least they tried to, as shortly after they arrived at the end of the corridor and turn into the next passage, two flying creatures came swooping down from the air to attack the party.
Neptune fell back onto her bottom as she narrowly evaded the attack from the monster, shouting at it as it flew back to a safe distance, "Surprise attacks aren't cool!"
Compa hid behind Lyrica as the monster's circled overhead, "Protect me, Lyrica! You're the human shield!"
The songstress had a panicked look on her face as she tried to get away from Compa, "I-I'm not a human shield! Let me go!"
Heero watched as the monsters, 'Arch Demons', hovered above the group. The creatures certainly did look like demons, what with the pale skin, the horns protruding from their heads, the tails and demonic wings… the aggressive nature towards humans. The Gundam pilot spoke to IF while keeping his attention fixed on the monsters, "IF. If I were to provide the means for you to reach the same elevation as the target, would you be able bring it down?"
The brunette directed her attention to one of the Arch Demons flying overhead, "You ask bring it down. I ask you: do you want it in one piece? Or in pieces?"
"…I don't care how you do it, I just want it dead." Heero looked back at Compa and Lyrica, the former of whom was still hiding behind the singer. "Compa and Lyrica will deal with the second target."
Neptune flashed a thumbs-up at the trio, "You guys have totally got this. We'll cheer you on from here!"
Compa took comfort in the purplenette's enthusiasm and encouragement, "That's so reassuring. Right, we'll do our best!"
Lyrica slipped Mr. Guitar off of her shoulder now that she was no longer being used as a shield by the party's nurse, "I don't really see Heero doing any kind of cheering, but the idea alone makes me feel pretty good."
A small smile graced IF's lips, "I guess Nep has her moments when she can actually act like a leader."
"And while you guys are taking care of the baddies, I'll spend some quality time with Heero over here."
Neptune had done a really good job of encouraging the girls to do their best, but telling them that she was going to spend time with Heero while they were fighting? Wasn't exactly one of Neptune's brightest ideas. A wave of jealousy washed over the trio of girls were exchanging glances with one another, before looking back at the party's purple haired leader.
Now, they would have directed their jealousy at Neptune, were it not for the fact Heero would defend her. So the girls decided to vent on the next best thing; the monsters. Compa was holding her large syringe with one hand as an angry expression made its way onto her cute and delicate face, "(Nep-Nep's always looking for some reason to hog Heero… it's not fair! I want some alone time with Heero!)"
The wavelengths that normally appeared in Lyrica's eyes when she was scared were plainly visible, though they were moving erratically as the songstress clenched her teeth as she tightened her grip on Mr. Guitar, "(Who does she think she is? Always finding some way to get us to do the work so she can keep Heero all to herself! I just want to beat her to within an inch of her life right now!)"
IF had a cold look in her eyes as her Katars slid out of their hiding places within her sleeves, "(I should have known she had an ulterior motive… why else would she have acted competent? There's no way in hell I'll ever give Heero up to her.)"
A feeling of impending doom came over the demonic creatures as the trio drew closer. Each step the girls took only served to increase the feeling of dread the monsters were experiencing, until they were a few feet away from the creatures that were impeding their progress.
Before the monsters could react, the three jealous girls pounced on them. Heero and Neptune simply stared as Compa, IF and Lyrica mercilessly beat the two demonic monsters and caused damage to the walls and floor of the ruins, "Whoa… isn't that like, overkill?"
"This level of brutality is beyond anything they should be capable of. More importantly, we need to stop them. They may cause enough structural damage that the ruins will collapse on top of us."
Neptune shouted at the three girls as they continued their beating of the two monsters that were past dead. "Hey! Heero said if you guys don't stop that this place will go splat on top of us!"
Fortunately for the Gundam pilot, Compa, IF and Lyrica weren't so caught up in what they were doing that they couldn't hear Neptune, though they only really paid attention because it was about something Heero said. The trio dusted themselves off as they walked away from the two smears on the ground that were once monsters.
Compa smiled at Heero and Neptune after cleaning the dust off her skirt, "The monsters are gone now."
Lyrica plucked Mr. Guitar's strings to clean the dust that had accumulated on them, "Yeah, but now Mr. Guitar is all dirty now… I need to give him a good cleaning when we get out of here."
IF narrowed her eyes at Neptune, who was looking at the mess that had become of the monsters, "Don't try and pull that kind of crap on us again. You're not allowed to run off and do anything with Heero on your own."
The preteen stuck her tongue out at IF, "You can't tell me what to do, you're not my mom!"
While the two girls began to bicker, Heero examined the area in case there were any more monsters in the vicinity. While it had proven useful before the Gundam pilot questioned whether or not the girls' display of brutality would ward off the creatures that inhabited the area, "…We should continue with the mission. I would like to verify whether or not the Key Fragment is actually here."
Heero took off with Compa and Lyrica behind him, and shortly thereafter by Neptune and IF once they stopped arguing long enough to notice that the rest of their party was venturing further into the dungeon. The group was extra vigilant as they explored the ruined dungeon, watching for any signs of monsters, particularly the monster that would was presumed to be guarding the Key Fragment… if it was actually here.
After emerging from the corridor they were in there was yet another forked path, though it was obvious to everyone in the party that they needed to go left, as they could see that the path straight ahead was a dead-end. Heero questioned why it was that there was so many bends and unnecessary room in the layout of this dungeon and every other dungeon the party had come across during their travels. It would be one thing if the dungeons had once been human made structures and used for storage, but most of the locations the party had visited in their search for the Key Fragments were naturally made and were simply nests for monsters.
After another thirty seconds of walking, Neptune suddenly began to heave sighs of boredom, "I'm sooooooo bored! Where's the boss? I wanna find the Key Fragment already."
Lyrica looked around at the dust covered walls and floor, "This place is a little depressing… I'd like to find the Key Fragment and get out of here."
Heero, like the girls, wanted to find the Key Fragment and leave so as to carry out the rest their mission of finding the Key Fragments that were presumed to be on Lastation and Lowee. The Perfect Soldier thought for a moment before an idea came to mind, "It might be possible…"
Compa had been conversing with the girls when she overheard Heero talking to himself, "What might be possible?"
Without saying another word, Heero was surrounded by his HDD disks and picked out the disk with the image of the Exia. A brief flash of light ensued that quickly subsided and the Gundam that bore the development code of 'Seven Swords' was standing where Heero had been. The armor clad Heero turned his attention to Neptune, "Neptune, hand me the Key Fragment that we found on Planeptune."
Neptune was confused as to why her bodyguard needed the Key Fragment, but did not argue. The preteen reached into her hoodie pocket, pulled out the gold object and handed it to Heero. The Exia lowered its head to look at the object in its hand as the suits scanned the Key Fragment.
Shortly after looking at it, Heero handed the Key Fragment back to Neptune then scanned the area. The Exia's sensors began to sweep the dungeon until the sensors looked onto an energy signature further ahead. The Gundam soon disappeared and Heero was standing where he had been prior to the transformation, "To the Northwest of our current position is an object with the same energy signature that the Key Fragment possesses. There is a high probability that our target is in that direction."
The party's leader thrust her arm out and pointed in said direction while striking a dramatic and otherwise unnecessary pose, "Then that's where we're going. Let's go get that Key Fragment!"
With their objective close by the group returned to their trek of the dungeon with renewed vigor, they didn't even seem to care that they had to fight a few groups of monsters along the way. Because they at least had an idea of where the Key Fragment was based on the direction it was in, the party ignored every other path in the dungeon despite Neptune's protests of looking for treasure or hidden caches of food.
As the party began to near where the Key Fragment was presumed to be located, the air grew heavy. Lyrica began to hold her arms as her body began to shake, "I-I-Is it just me or did it suddenly get colder?"
Compa had a worried look in her eyes as she too began to feel cold, "I-It's probably nothing. It might be your imagination."
Neptune had gone up ahead to look past the corner to see who or what lay beyond it, and after taking a quick peek looked back at the two quivering girls, "Nopers! That would be the boss monster's super evil aura. You two better watch out, cuz' he's gonna get'cha! Muahahaha!"
IF shot Neptune and annoyed look as both Compa and Lyrica started to shake even more, "Would you cut that out? Don't forget, we're ALL going to have to fight the monster if we want that Key Fragment."
The group walked stepped out from behind the corner to see just what they were up against, and the monster they came across was definitely familiar. Neptune had assumed her thinking position as the party looked at the large creature, "Umm, why do I feel like we've fought this thing before? You think it's like those stalker ladies or something?"
Heero briefly looked at the purple haired girl before returning his attention to their target, "The Key Fragment we have was obtained from a similar enemy on Planeptune. I would venture a guess and say that like before, we will need to deal with the target in order to acquire the Key Fragment."
The monster at the end of the long corridor was a Guard Vermin, it looked exactly like the first one that the party had encountered on Planeptune. Lyrica swallowed hard as she looked at the intimidating monster that looked like it would charge them at any moment, "Wh-What do we do? H-How do we beat it?"
IF folded her arms as she maintained a serious game face, "Well, Heero said that they fought one of these before. Surely he's got an idea on how to win."
Neptune snapped her fingers as she recalled the first battle against the monster from Planeptune, a grin forming on her face, "Now I remember, we totally kicked that things butt before! Heero came up with an awesome plan, then we transformed and totally owned the boss! We're gonna do the same thing, right?"
Heero remembered the battle as well, and noted how this battle was going to be different in comparison, "Neptune, you seem to forget that during that battle the group consisted of you, Compa and myself. Not only do we have experience in dealing with this type of enemy, but IF and Lyrica are part of this team, which will change the way we deal with the target."
Assuming her thinking position, Neptune looked over each party member, "That's right... we've got two more people partying up with us. Okay, let's take head count. We've got me, the super awesome and pretty sword wielding leader. We've got Heero, the party's super all-rounder and super broken fighter...as well as my Destine Lover."
Heero gave the preteen an annoyed look, "We are not lovers."
Neptune continued with her 'head count'. "We got Compa, the ditzy medic and my rival for Heero's love."
Compa looked around at her fellow party members, "D-Ditzy? I-I'm not ditzy… am I?"
"Next is Iffy, the lazy eyed killjoy and assassin-ish type character."
The brunette glared at Neptune for her description of the Moderatist, "…I'm about to hit you very hard in a minute."
"And last, but not least, Lyrics. The party's music loving, guitar playing meat shield."
Lyrica had panicked look on her face as she slowly backed away from Neptune, "Th-That's not my name! And I'm not a meat shield! I don't want to get hit!"
Neptune pat the musician on the shoulder, "Sure you do! You wanna help out the party as much as the rest of us, and after this boss battle you'll be taking hits for us like never before."
Heero watched as the preteen tried to force the role of 'meat shield' onto Lyrica, who obviously didn't look like she was meant to take a hit, "Neptune's crude and uncalled for head count aside, let's focus on the task at hand. We have more allies then our previous engagement. We have the advantage. Neptune and I will approach the target from the front with Compa supporting us, while IF and Lyrica will circle around and attack from behind. This battle should not take long."
With sword in hand, Neptune pointed at the Guard Vermin. "You better get ready pal. We're gonna beat you up and get that Key Fragment!"
Swinging its large key-like sword through the air once, the monster charged at the party. IF and Lyrica immediately moved out of the way so as to get around the creature while it focused on Heero and Neptune. Compa retreated further back behind Heero and Neptune for the obvious reason of not wanting to be in the path of the boss monster.
The Guard Vermin swung its large blade at the purplenette and her bodyguard, however the wide swing left an even wider area uncovered as Heero and Neptune ducked under the sword swipe and began to close in on the monster, "Remember, don't take any unnecessary risks."
"What risks? We're the good guys, nothing bad is gonna happen to us."
Compa fired a stream of bullets from her oversized syringe at the monster as it tried to bring it's sword back around to take another swing at Neptune and Heero, throwing the creature off balance. The duo took advantage of the opening and quickly attacked the Guard Vermin's exposed torso, with Heero aiming for the upper torso and Neptune going for the abdomen.
Neither Heero nor Neptune were able to get in too many hits, one or two at most before the large monster recovered. The two quickly moved out of the way just as the large key shaped blade of the Guard Vermin descended upon them, narrowly missing them.
Before the monster could chase after Neptune, a ball of electricity struck the Guard Vermin in the back of the head, followed closely by a powerful axe kick from IF that sent the creature face first into the ground. Lyrica breathed a sigh of relief as IF landed on the ground behind the monster, "That was easier than I thought it would be."
The brunette in front of Lyrica readjusted her grip on her blades while keeping her attention focused on the monster, "Don't let your guard down just yet. The boss still has some fight in it."
Just as IF had said, the monster began to get back up and did not look the least bit happy. The Guard Vermin quickly spun around and struck IF with its large blade, and while the Guild member was able to raise her weapons quickly enough to block the attack, IF had been struck with enough force to send her into a wall. The brunette dropped her blades upon impact with the wall and fell onto her stomach, "Damn… that hurt… didn't think the boss would be this strong…"
Lyrica rushed over to the battered IF, while the monster turned its attention toward Heero, Neptune and Compa. The Guard Vermin attempted to take another swing at Neptune, who was looking over at the winded IF. The purplenette let out a small scream as Heero pounced on her, sending both Neptune and himself toward the ground while the large sword passed harmlessly overhead.
Compa aimed her syringe at the boss so as to give Heero and Neptune a chance to move away from the creature, oblivious of the puddle of purple liquid forming underneath her. Lyrica looked over at the trio and saw bubbles starting to form at Compa's feet, "C-Compa, look out!"
The teenaged idol's warning came too late as the Guard Vermin swung its sword through the air, causing bubbles to rise into the air around Compa and burst around her, spraying the nurse in training with a purple liquid. Compa wiped some of the droplets that had landed on her face, "What kind of attack was that? It didn't really hurt…"
Just as the pink haired nurse began to lift her syringe back up, she paused for a moment before dropping the large medical appliance and falling onto her hands and knees, "M-My body… feels really… heavy all of a sudden!"
Neptune looked over at the Compa as she tried to get up off of the ground, and fail with each attempt, "Oh snap… our healer's down."
Heero scanned each member of the team before focusing his attention on the Guard Vermin, "(I expected this battle to be the same as the first… I had now taken into account the possibility that the target would be stronger, or have other offensive options.)"
"Uh… hey, Heero?"
The Gundam pilot looked at the purple haired girl next to him, who wore a nervous smile and uncertainty was evident in her eyes, "We're the good guys, and the good guys are usually supposed to beat the bad guys… right?"
"Generally, that's usually how it works. Though it is not necessarily supposed to be an easy victory. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that we are the 'good guys'. We are doing what we believe will save Gamindustri."
Neptune just kept looking at Heero with the same expression on her face, as what Heero had said was over her head, "Umm, yeah, okay. Anyway, our medic and assassin are down. If the good guys are supposed to win, how come the boss is beating us?"
Heero returned his attention to the enemy that was keeping them from the Key Fragment. "I take responsibility for this. Our current situation is due to poor planning on my part. I had expected the target to have the same combat abilities as the first… My carelessness may very well have put us in considerable danger."
Neptune stood up, a confident look on her face despite the party's dire situation, "It's only over if we give up! As long as we're still alive and kickin', we still have a chance to win! We gotta do this to save Histy!"
He didn't know how it was that Neptune could be so confident when they were fighting an uphill battle, but Heero couldn't help but be surprised at the preteen's vigor. The Perfect Soldier stood up next to the reenergized girl, "My top priority is to assist and protect you in any way I can. To complete my mission, all obstacles must be removed."
Their situation may have seemed desperate, but Heero knew that the party could turn this battle around. The teenage soldier looked over at IF and Lyrica, "IF has incurred a great deal of damage. She hasn't been incapacitated, but she will have to minimize her movements to avoid further injury." Heero then looked over his shoulder at Compa, who would try to stand up and lift her syringe, but would fall back down. "Compa appears to have been exposed to some type of poison that numbs the body, temporarily paralyzing her at random times. While uninjured, the paralysis does decrease her combat effectiveness."
After noting the injuries to Compa and IF as well as their effect on their performance Heero returned his attention to the Guard Vermin, "Our main obstacle is going to be the enemy's weapon. Its size and power is a clear and present threat and, we will need to get in close to break through the target's tough armor and deal any significant damage."
Lyrica was helping IF to stand up as Heero went over what needed to be done for the party to win, "Can we really win…? I mean, Compa and IF are-"
The songstress was flicked on the nose by IF, "Don't count us out… just yet." Beads of sweat ran down the sides of IF's face, clearly it was taking a great deal of effort on her part to stand with the injury she received. The brunette cast a glare at the boss that had inflicted such crippling damage on her. "No one hits me… and gets off scot-free. This calls for some payback… with interest."
Compa was using her syringe to help her stand up, keeping her from falling back to the ground when the poison would cause her body to go numb, "We have to win… to save Histy and Gamindustri."
Heero was engulfed in a flash of light, and was encased in the armor of Gundam Exia once the light had faded, "If we can disarm the enemy and break through its armor, we will achieve victory. Neptune, you will focus on dealing the final attack while we take care of target's offensive and defensive capabilities."
The purplenette pumped her arms, growing even more confident that the party had a plan to win, "Gotcha! I'll totally beat him in one hit. Just… make sure he doesn't hit me."
With the injuries Compa and IF had sustained, the team was only going to have one shot at carrying out their attack. They could not afford to screw it up. Within a split second, the Exia raised its right arm and fired three shots from its GN Sword Rifle. All three bolt of thermal energy struck the Guard Vermin's shoulders and face, effectively blinding the creature.
Shortly after losing its visibility, the Guard Vermin was struck in the back with another ball of electricity conjured by Lyrica's guitar and a trio of bullets from Compa's syringe that landed right in the monster's chest cavity, though the pink haired nurse was forced to drop her weapon as her body went numb, "Please work…!"
Having been thrown off balance by the sudden string of attacks, the monster could not see IF running right towards it. The Guild Moderatist leapt into the air and drove both of her Katars right into the large creature's back, eliciting a loud roar from the monster as the pair of blades pierced its unguarded back.
IF leapt off of the injured monster before it could even try to shake her off. Upon landing on the ground, the brunette fell down onto her knees and used one hand to keep herself from falling on her face, while rubbing her lower back with the other, "That's all I can do… Don't screw this up, Nep!"
Both Heero and Neptune closed in on the now injured Guard Vermin, and having a propulsion system Heero was moving faster than Neptune was. The large monster swung its sword through the air, causing another swarm of purple bubbles to rise up from the ground that surrounded the Exia. The bubbles burst right next to the Exia, which resulted in a small shower of poison landing on the mobile suit's armor and did not seem to have any effect. Clearly, the poison would only affect an unprotected human body.
The Exia drew the GN Long Sword attached to its right hip just as the Guard Vermin swung its large blade at the Gundam. Both bladed weapons clashed, throwing sparks into the air as both combatants tried to push the other back. Heero clenched his teeth and let out a grunt as he pushed against the monster, "(Unless I can destroy the target's weapon, we have no chance of victory.)"
As the Gundam pilot continued to push against the large creature's weapon, the Exia's chest began to glow a bright green. While this was happening, the GN Long Sword slowly began to cut through the Guard Vermin's weapon until it finally broke into two pieces. Heero tossed his first weapon away and switched to the arm mounted GN Sword. "With no weapon left to defend itself with, all that remains is to break through the armor."
Suffice it to say, the GN Sword would be more than enough to break through the tough natural armor protecting the monster. With a single swing of its large blade, the Exia split the Guard Vermin's tough hide into two pieces with a few smaller pieces flying off in different directions. Just as Heero had finished taking care of his role in the plan, Neptune shot past him, "Here's the big finish!"
The preteen swung the Mech Sword Armas at the monster's now unprotected body, slicing through the creature's soft skin and leaving a large wound. After a few seconds of standing as still as a statue, the Guard Vermin finally collapsed onto the ground and began to disappear.
As the monster dissolved into nothing, a familiar gold object fell to the ground where it had just been. The Exia vanished in a flash of light, with Heero taking its place as Neptune walked over to retrieve the Key Fragment on the ground, "…And so we are done. That was a difficult battle."
Compa and IF picked themselves up, feeling better now that the monster was defeated. Compa dusted off her skirt and retrieved her syringe, "I guess that status ailment is gone now. It felt like I wasn't doing much to help."
IF continued to rub her back where she had been injured, "You're not the only one… I can't believe that monster got me."
Lyrica let out a tired sigh as she helped IF back up, "At least it's over."
While the other party members stopped to catch their second wind, Neptune struck a dramatic pose once she picked up the Key Fragment, "That's another Key Fragment in the bag! We're one step closer to saving Histy!"
Compa looked at the gold object for a moment before addressing the party, "Just a thought… Who's hiding these Key Fragments behind strong monsters everywhere? Why would they scatter the items to release Histy's seal if they wanted her to stay locked up forever?"
Neptune assumed her thinking position after slipping the Key Fragment into her hoodie pocket, "Maybe they were gonna let her out if she was a good girl or they needed her?"
IF had been looking at her pink cell phone when Neptune and Compa began discussing the reason why the Key Fragments were scattered throughout Gamindustri. The brunette looked up from her cellular device, "So they can just seal and release her over and over, just like that? Histy is… a person… right?" IF looked between each member of the party to see if she could get a definitive answer. "…Right?"
No one really knew quite how to answer the Moderatist. Neptune simply scratched her cheek, "That… We'll know when we meet her. She's got a really cute voice, though! I betcha she's like our age!"
IF slipped her phone back into her jacket pocket then folded her arms over her chest. "I hope. I don't want to find out she's a nasty end-boss monster in disguise, you know?"
Heero cast his gaze over to the girl's, "Without knowing anything about her or knowing what she may look like, all you are doing is guessing. Theirs is no way for us to tell with absolute certainty whether or not Histoire is a friend or foe."
Lyrica didn't know a whole lot about Histoire herself. Only what the party had told her; she was sealed away somewhere and that the party was trying to find the Key Fragments in order to release her. However, no one in the group knew if Histoire could be trusted… not without knowing more about her, "…What if she turns out to be a music hating monster? Oh, I don't think I could get along with her."
Compa had a worried look in her eyes, not liking either of IF or Lyrica's ideas on what Histoire could be, "…Th-That would suck. I would most definitely cry if that happened."
Neptune pat the nurse in training on the back, "There, there, Compa. I'm sure we all would cry if that's what Histy turned out to be."
As the girls continued with their conversation, Heero retreated into his thoughts. After all the time and effort they had put in to searching for the Key Fragments (as well as the awkward events that took place during said search), Heero had begun to think that there might not be any other Key Fragments. And yet now they had just obtained their second Key Fragment, which left two more to be found. "(I was beginning to suspect that this was nothing more than a wild goose chase. Now that we have the Key Fragment from this landmass… I suppose this means that there really are Key Fragments on Lastation and Lowee.)"
The Perfect Soldier ceased his train of thought as he thought about Lastation. The Tech Expo was fast approaching, and the party would need to be on Lastation to not only take part, but to win and gain an audience with the Guest of honor; Lady Black Heart. Heero directed his attention to the girls as their conversation began to wind down, "Now that we have found the Key Fragment it would be in our best interest to return to the city and make preparations to leave. The Technology Expo on Lastation is close at hand, and we need to be ready for it."
Neptune looked at the prototype weapon in her hand, remembering who she got in from and why she had received it, "Oh yeah! We gotta go to the Tech Expo thingy. Hey, you think Chian will give us an even cooler, more ba-boom powerful weapon?"
IF gave the preteen a questioning look, "What makes you so sure she's going to give a weapon like that to you? She would be safer just quitting the Tech Expo."
Lyrica hadn't been with the party too long, and had only recently been told about the party's plan to participate in the Tech Expo so as to help Chian and meet with the Land of Black Regality's CPU, "Well… if things are really as bad as you say they are in Lastation, then I don't think this Chian lady will quit… even if it means giving a powerful, dangerous weapon to Neptune."
Heero didn't know whether or not Chian would actually 'give' such a weapon to Neptune, and would not have to be in a right state of mind to do so. The again, with her situation steadily growing worse, she really didn't have much of a choice if she wanted to save her business, "We will have to head back to Lastation before we will receive a definitive answer."
The party's purple haired leader let out a yawn as she stretched her arms over her head, "Before we do anything else, why don't we get some sleep. All this dungeon crawling and monster fighting has made me one tired Neptune."
Compa let out a small yawn as well, and even IF and Lyrica looked tired. Heero couldn't deny that all the time they had invested searching for the Key Fragment had left the girls exhausted, "We should leave this area then. We have what we came here for, so there is no need for us to waste any more time here."
As the Gundam pilot turned around, he suddenly felt something jump onto his back. It didn't take a genius to figure out what had jumped onto the Perfect Soldier, as was evident by a pair of arms around his neck and the striped stockings wrapped around his waist. Neptune had a lazy look on her face as she let out another yawn, "Let's get goin' then. Heero, you will carry me, cuz' that's what a good lover would do."
Heero was slightly irritated with how the preteen thought she could just jump on his back and have him carry her whenever she wanted, "…We are not lovers."
"I don't see why you gotta be so embarrassed about our love, Heero. You love me, and I love you, so you don't gotta deny it. Besides, I'm real tired right now. I think I'd just fall over and fall asleep… well, anywhere."
While she was acting lazy right now there was no denying that Neptune, as well as the other girls in the party had worked very hard to find the Key Fragment. As much as it irritated the teenaged soldier, he couldn't bring himself to make the preteen walk when she was so exhausted, "(…A mule's lot is hard.)"
Having finally obtained the Key Fragment, the party left the dungeon to return to the city and make final preparations to depart for Lastation to continue their search for the Key Fragments.
Xxx
After returning to their safe house, Heero left the girls to take care of procuring medical items they might need for their trip back to Lastation. The Gundam pilot had gone to the park, since it had the closest Amazoo linked mail box for acquiring items through the online shop.
Upon arriving at the park, Heero saw a girl sitting on one of the park benches. The girl in question was light skinned with long mint green hair that began to curl at the ends and was worn in a high ponytail and almond, almost red colored eyes. She wore black and green bow that was obviously what was holding her hair up, a somewhat revealing black dress with matching colored thigh boots and long sleeves that remained unattached from her dress. Around the neck area of the girl's dress was an object that looked like a white pendant with a small green X in the center, and two pieces of purple cloth dangled from the object that looked like the ends of formal ties. The front of her dress seemed almost non-existent, almost like it was just a simple cloth made to be just long enough to cover the front of her thighs, while the left and right side of the dress were significantly longer; the outside of the dress was all black, while the inside was a sparkling green.
The girl let out a loud sigh as Heero began to draw closer. Heero walked past the bench the green haired girl was sitting on, and she let out another sigh. The Gundam pilot didn't know why this girl was sighing so loudly, and frankly, he didn't want to know. Once more, the girl let out an audible sigh as Heero stopped in front of the mailbox linked to Amazoo, this one louder than the last.
As Heero was about to open up the box and retrieve the items he had ordered, the mystery girl shot up out of her seat on the bench and stormed over to the Gundam pilot, "There is a girl in distress here, and you're just going to ignore her?!"
Heero turned to face the girl, narrowing his eyes as he did, "What exactly do you want from me?"
The girl in front of Heero was starting to act like a child, despite being a teenager. "I want you to ask me why I'm acting so depressed and listen to my problem!"
"Who are you? And more importantly, why should I care?"
A grin began to spread across the girl's face as she gestured to herself, "Who am I, you ask? I am Chika Hakozaki, Oracle of Leanbox and Lady Green Heart's most devote follower." Chika's eye twitched for a moment, clearly irritated by something. "…At least, I'm SUPPOSED to be the Oracle of Leanbox. I'm only the Oracle in name right now because I was told to take a break from my work. I'm not allowed to do my job until my break is over."
Heero couldn't understand what this girl's problem was. If she was taking a break shouldn't she be happy, "I fail to see the problem for your state of depression. If you are supposed to be on furlough, shouldn't you enjoy our time off and recuperate before returning to your work?"
Chika began to get more and more irritated as she continued with her ranting, "I WAS enjoying my vacation, but realized that it's absolutely meaningless without being able to see my Lady Green Heart!"
It was then that Heero knew why it was this girl was depressed, "(…She's obsessed with Green Heart. I suppose that would give her cause to be depressed. Though I still don't see why I have to be the one to listen to her.)"
"What's more…" Chika suddenly looked as though she was about to burst into tears. "I have learned… that my dear Lady Green Heart has… fallen in love with an adventurer!"
The image of Green Heart running away with a random adventurer plagued Chika's mind, causing the Oracle to clench her teeth in anger, "It makes me sick to think that some adventurer can just come to Leanbox and steal the heart of my Lady… Whoever this adventurer is, they can't have her! I was here first!"
Heero watched the seething Chika. He didn't want to waste any more time here, but Chika wouldn't just let him walk away, "...You have to cause for concern."
The Oracle of Leanbox suddenly focused her attention back on Heero, "No cause for concern? Some person that I know absolutely nothing about is trying to steal Green Heart away from me! I have every right to be concerned!"
Even with Chika raising her voice and acting like a child, Heero maintained his composure. "The position of Oracle is important to the overall functions of the Basilicom, isn't it?"
"Of course. As the Oracle, I serve directly under Lady Green Heart, and govern Leanbox when she is not available. Everything I do is for Green Heart and I have a plaque to prove my devotion to her!"
The Gundam pilot continued with his explanation of 'Why' Chika did not need to be depressed, "As an important individual to the Basilicom, you are more likely to remain here in Leanbox than to go traveling. Adventures tend to travel to other landmasses in search of work, and are not very likely to stay on one landmass for an extended period of time."
Chika had a blank look on her face as she listened to the Perfect Soldier. Why hadn't she taken the time to think of any of this? When the facts were laid out, Chika really had no reason to worry about an adventurer stealing Lady Green Heart, "You have a point…"
"As I said, you have no need to be concerned. You should use this time off to rest and recover before returning to your work, so that you will be able to work at your best."
After taking a moment to process what she had been told, Chika finally started to smile, "I guess I really was worried for nothing." Heero was finally able to take care of what he had set out to do and stored the parcels from the mailbox into his backpack. The Gundam pilot slipped his arm through the straps of his bag and began to make the trip back to the party's safe house. "Hey, what's your name?"
Heero stopped and looked over his shoulder at Chika, knowing that she was the one talking to him, "…Heero Yuy."
"Well Heero, I certainly enjoyed this little talk of ours. Maybe we'll meet again someday."
The Perfect Soldier simply nodded in response before heading for the exit of the park.
Xxx
Just as Heero had arrived walked into the party's place of residence, Neptune was pushing the entire party out. The reason behind this was because there was a special sale going on in Planeptune… the sale was for a limited edition pudding, of all things.
The party had arrived in one of the parks on Planeptune when Neptune came to a complete stop, her eyes darting all over the place, "I know that shop is around here somewhere."
Heero was standing behind the preteen with his arms folded, "May I ask why it is we are here on Planeptune?"
Neptune turned to face Heero, an excited look on her face, "I told you before Heero, there's a special going on today for a delicious limited edition pudding! We need to get some cups before they're all sold out."
Lyrica gave the purplenette a questioning look, "Are you sure we really need pudding? I mean, it would be one thing if it was something we actually need, but…"
"Silence, Lyrics! You don't know what you're talking about! This isn't just pudding. It's a really special pudding that is rarely sold, and I gotta get some now!"
Compa watched the preteen as she began to lecture the cerulean haired musician on pudding, "Nep-Nep, shouldn't we go to Lastation for the expo?"
IF was checking her cellphone as the girl's conversed, "Compa's got a point. We need to get to Lastation so we can get ready for the Tech Expo, then win it so we can see the goddess."
Neptune waved off the nurse in training, "We can do that any time, but this is more important!" The purplenette pointed toward the other end of the park. "Now, you go look over there and see if you can find the pudding vendor, Compa."
The pink haired nurse had only been able to take ten paces in the direction Neptune had pointed in when a familiar voice got her attention, "I find you!"
Compa turned to her left to see Gust running up to her, a smile on her face. The nurse in training couldn't help but smile back at the small girl, "Gust! Were you looking for us?"
"Yes. I have favor…"
As one could imagine, Compa was curious as to what sort of favor the young alchemist could have for the party. "A favor? To ask us?"
Gust had a somewhat awkward, yet serious look on her face as she looked at the pink haired girl, "I want to join party, so I travel with you."
A concerned look made its way onto Compa's face. Asking the party if she could join them was sending up all kinds of warning flags, "Why? Did something happen?"
The small smile that spread across the young girl's face as well as her calm demeanor suggested that there was nothing wrong, "I want to gather ingredients around world and make items to help world… I thought it help traveling with you, who find Erde Crystal." A serious expression made its way onto the alchemist's face, clearly she was set on joining the party. "I won't be trouble. Promise. Please, let me come."
As one could imagine, hearing Gust's request to join the party and travel the world with them only gave Compa more reason to be concerned about the young girl, "Our journey isn't always safe. Sometimes, we get ambushed by a pale, weird-looking lady. Is that okay?"
Gust gave a smile to reassure the nurse in training, "Goth no problem for Gust."
Not knowing whether or not it would be a good idea to allow Gust to join them, Compa turned to the party to see what they thought of the idea, "What do you say, Nep-Nep? Heero? Iffy? Lyrica?"
Neptune was clearly excited at the idea of Gust joining the group, "She's totally welcome! The best things while traveling are buddies! More the merrier! Just don't eat my secret snacks."
Heero maintained his usual stoic façade as he looked at Gust, "There is no denying her ability to synthesize useful medical supplies. Gust is also quite knowledgeable in regards to the land, which should make navigating the landmasses much easier and increase the overall success rate of our main obective."
IF had a small smile on her face as she checked her cellphone, "I've no objection, either. She can help manage the finances. Heero already does enough as it is, so we can at least take some of the work off his shoulders this way."
Lyrica was hiding behind IF, still incredibly shy around people she had never met before, "I-I-If everyone thinks… it's a good idea, th-then… I guess its okay."
Having heard no objections from any of the other party members, Gust took it as a sign that she had been accepted into the group. A big smile spread across her face in sheer delight, "Thanks!" A grin made its way onto the little girl's face as she directed her attention toward Heero. "As of now, Heero is Gust's assistant."
The color in both Compa and IF's faces began to drain away as they thought back to their first encounter with Gust on Lowee, "H-Hang on now, just because you're in our party now doesn't mean you can go experimenting on Heero."
Compa rapidly threw her head up and down, "That's right! We prefer Heero just the way he is!"
Gust gave the two girls a quizzical look, "Gust not experiment on Heero. Assistant too important to use as test subject. Heero will help Gust to make new potions and other items."
Neptune clapped her hands together to get the party's attention, "This is really great and all, but we got something really important to do right now, guys." The purplenette pointed at Gust, a serious look on her face. "Gust, your first task as a member of our party is to help us find the pudding shop selling the limited edition pudding."
The small girl blinked a few times before pointing toward the park exit. "You looking in wrong place. Pudding shop near other park near center of city."
Neptune could hear the sound of innocent puddings crying for her inability to accurately determine where the pudding shop was. Neptune immediately started pushing Heero and Gust toward the park exit, "Hurry up guys! We gotta get to the pudding shop before they run out!"
Compa, IF and Lyrica watched as Neptune began to push the lone male member and the new girl out of the park towards the center of the city. IF slipped her cellphone back into her pocket and blew a strand of hair out of her face, "It's amazing how hard she'll work for food."
Xxx
Me: "Well, finally got Chapter 25 out. The Leanbox Key Fragment has been found, Gust has joined the party and I was able to work Chika into the story. All in all, I'd say this was a pretty good chapter."
Heero and Neptune: (Enter ACCC) "We finally found that Key Fragment. I'm telling ya, it was a lotta work trying to find it."
Heero: "It may have been time consuming, however we have made definite progress in completing our mission."
Gust: (Enters ACCC from Lounge) "Gust finally play bigger role in story. Gust is very happy!"
Green Heart: (Enters ACCC from Break Room and latches onto Heero's arm) "How sad. You're already leaving Leanbox, and I haven't even given you a proper tour of my landmass."
Neptune: (Grabs onto Heero's other arm) "Yeah, well, we got a lot of work to do. We can't stick around for long. You know, world needs saving and stuff."
Me: "Okay you two, let's stop before you do something that we'll all regret… Say, where are the others?"
Compa, IF and Lyrica: (Run into ACCC) "Sorry we're late… Lyrica's special entrance isn't working lie it should."
Lyrica: "*Pant**Gasp* I shouldn't have to do so much running…"
Me: "Well, we're about to wrap up this little ACCC segment to work on the next chapter, so…"
IF: (Has irritated look on face) "So we came all the way here for nothing?"
Me: "Not necessarily. Our readers at least get to see you again before we leave and work on the next update." (Points to Gust) "Gust, as the newest member of the party and because you didn't get much time in this chapter, you get to wrap up for us."
Gust: "Leave it to Gust!"
Me: (Points toward exit) "On to the next chapter!"
Me, Heero, Neptune, Compa, IF, Lyrica and Green Heart: (Leave ACCC through Left Entrance)
Gust: (Faces readers) "Read and review chapter, and watch for next update. Hope to see you all!" (Leaves ACCC through Left Entrance)
