forestial frustration
[Lastation, Yesterday]
{Noire POV}
She was behind her desk doing what she does best. Her work as a Goddess, the Goddess of Lastation. "The Perfect Goddess" can't afford to slack off if she wished to uphold such a prestigious title. Especially with the backlog of paperwork sitting around her.
If only it didn't cost her a night's sleep.
"Arghh... I've been here since three in the morning and this darned pile's still here at seven..." She sluggishly groaned taking a glance at the near-endless stacks before her. Shortly before wrapping a hand around a large black cup and downing the object's brown liquids. Promptly finishing it with a tired sigh.
That can't be healthy...
As if the shallow rings of faded black around her eyes weren't enough to show how desperately Noire's eye needed a break, the tiny trail of caffeine currently running down the side of her lip and cheek should add up.
'Ever since last year these have been stacking like bricks!' the CPU exasperated in thought opening yet another of the infinitely respawning folders and papers, 'Reports of disappearances, strings of large scale robberies, and even drug dealing...' The too-tired-for-this-shit Goddess groaned mentally. 'Where did half of these even come from?!'
That was the main question for all four Elemental Nations' Goddesses. Where did all these issues come from? It can't be natural, not with how the citizens of Leanbox, Planeptune, Lastation and even Lowee were affected by this random increase in crimes of all kinds. This was especially surprising for the last mentioned Nation since the people there were the supposed kindest of the bunch.
Unfortunately, Lastation got hit the hardest though. While Leanbox wasn't without its fair share of issues, same with Planeptune, seeing the oddball crime-boss pop his head up only to be either found dead or washed up on a police station's front porch looking like a worn-down punching bag more than a highly dangerous illegal ring leader. Lastation had at least five active crimelords to worry about.
Couple that with the increased amount of violent crimes and a sudden emergence and upsurge of corruption amongst the police force and military forces, and you have the perfect storm for a crime equivalent of a Venus Flytrap that couldn't kill its prey.
Illegality seemed to be magnetized Lastation more than anything. And it was the people's Goddess, Candidate, and Oracle who had to deal with it, with the former taking the brunt of the responsibility by choice.
Years of peace, with the occasional small case of larceny every month or so. Nothing too serious since the events of Victory. Only for the past half a decade to pop into the fray. That kind of sudden spike from the word crime being meaningless to nothing but crimewave after crimewave wasn't an easy issue to deal with. But Noire would be damned if she folds to a little challenge such as a couple of particularly special members of her Nation trying to stir up trouble for her.
'I hope Uni doesn't have to deal with anything like this if and when she takes over...' Even when swamped like a bayou, The blackette couldn't help but feel bad for her sister in advance as she thought about what was to happen if things carry on as they were. A painful way of thinking that was.
'She might be strong and capable, but even so,' The Goddess mused breezing through the paper before her, falling half asleep as she did. 'But even I'm having trouble with all this, far less her...'
Noire shook her head. 'No! I'll get to the bottom of this!' She declared with a fist slam to her table and straighten her back to try and wake herself up, 'But first I have to get to the bottom of these,' Just to follow that up with a deflated mental sigh and a swift descent into the "College student" style desk-sleep position, 'After a quick nap...' She was letting whatever was going on around her affect her mental state (more than it already had), what would Kei think?
Perfect Goddess or not, sleep still seemed to be a necessity for Black Heart. And try as she might, that fact couldn't be ignored, refuted, or proven wrong. Neither by the most potent of coffee nor strongest of Monser Energy/RedBull(s) stood a mustard seed of a chance. Only prolonging the inevitable by a few minutes to an hour or two.
Even a Goddess needs her beauty rest after all.
So right there, head to her wooden desk, she went to sleep. Her body was completely drained of energy and tired, her latent Share Energy and determination were the only two things to keep her up until this point. She was way too tired to care anymore, or at least until she wakes up in a good few hours. Possibly when the sun's already long gone if her body gets its way.
'This is going to screw my sleep schedule up so badly,' Is what Noire would've thought had she not already been knocked out to the point of having Adventures snoring in Dreamland.
[Virtua Forest, A Little While Later]
{3rd Person POV}
Yet again we meet the dynamic duo of edgelord and methhead energy in this dungeon specifically. Gynesis and his tracksuit were covered in a mysterious blue liquid while his friend's akimbo blades were the only things on him to share this fluid. It's obvious what was taking place here. They were relaxing in a calm part of the wooded area.
The winds were especially strong in the forest today, blowing hard enough to shake up the trees and their branches bit. The sun provided the air with its genial heat in contrast to the cool breeze. Giving the atmosphere a sense of comfortable warmth even in the shadier areas.
Perfect conditions for monster hunting. Or at least exploring the vast wooded area with a companion. Both of which both males were in the middle of prior to right now if the heterochromatic's state of apparel was anything to go by.
"So explain to me now, how in the ever living hell did you find a rubber chicken that does percentile damage with a 1.5x multiplier stacked on each hit?" Or demanding an explication on whatever you just read escape Gynesis's lips just there.
Despite his words sounding bitter and a little jealous, the blue-dyed skittles pack didn't look that way. He had a contempt smile from his position of laying on his back carelessly as if he wasn't deep in monster territory. Unlike Mugen who propped up against a nearby tree with a more calculative and focussed countenance.
"RNG must never be underestimated," Was all Mugen had to say for his answer. Casually whipping out a large plastic cock (not that one) and twirling it around in his fingers, squeezing with just enough force to force a squeak or two out of it every twirl.
RNG. Randomly Generated Numbers. A staple part of any adventurer's career, the chances of one obtaining anything of substantial value relied on this heavily. Whether it be a loot drop or treasure chest found. Using a mixture of luck and skill with pure chance, one can get their hands on anything from a frying pan that one-shots anyone who gets flanked by it, to a Worse Wyvern dildo that does a shit ton of base melee and double damage to any female opponent. Not to mention a sword that can absorb any magic and add it to the wielder.
Unfortunately for Gynesis, his luck can be utter garbage at times. Often leading him into disadvantageous or precarious positions where he'd either need to talk or fight his way to get out. And not even his unnaturally high charisma that he never uses gets the former way achieved more than 20% of the time. Also mentioning the fact that it almost always involves either a crime lord or mafia boss. Even all the way out here.
Mugen was leaning on a nearby tree with both his primary weapons at his sides twidling with his toy chicken in a dulled amusement. Basking in yet another successful dungeon run. Gynesis wanted to do something similar, but could only look in confusion from the spot he had chosen to rest in. Which was the cold hard floor. While down there next to his red blade, he pondered about the days he had hope in his luck for anything. 'RNG sucks ass!' He mentally yelled, 'I always get some low tier and beat up longsword. And what I do get is some tricked out bow or other types of items I don't use and end up selling...' He thought out placing a hand under his head and rolling to face his back at his friend.
The male's annoyance didn't go unrecognized. It only took a glance at the poor attempt Gynesis was making to hide his somewhat jealousy through an apathetic mask. 'Didn't I find that other CPU memory on top of the first?' The lad mentally wondered, 'Okay so my can be bearable sometimes.'
"It's not your fault your luck is hot donkey diarrhoea," Mugen smiled, half laughing at the choice of words that seemingly rolled off of his tongue, "I can always lend you a legendary item or two," He offered as if such items grew on trees to him. Which they kinda do.
"Nah," Gynesis near-instantly replied in a dismissive tone, "I'd rather get my first retarded overpowered thing the normal way," He rolled again, this time to face his ally with a wry smile, "It just wouldn't hit as hard since I didn't really earn it, ya know?" Is this skittles pack floating?
That new revelation aside. Gynesis's remark was true. It wouldn't feel nearly as good to obtain a usable legendary item if it was handed to you. After all, if your older brother beat the final boss of that really tough video game, did you really beat the game?
"Hn," Mugen nodded in smiling agreement, resurfacing the fond memories of when he had first obtained a super rare item from a dungeon chest. A thin chain made of gold with a small green gem hung on it. It's said to be capable of negating any and all forms of poisons, how true was that? Mugen wasn't sure but knew better than to Press his Luck with such things. Choosing to wear it everywhere as a warding tool more than anything else since it decreases the chances of low tier monster encounters as well.
There was a brief silence after that. Neither party said a word as they were too caught up in their own thoughts to say anything aloud. 'Home seems to be a good place to set off to. I heard Trinity Marsh's chests are in full bloom this time of year.' The Blue Eyes Black-Haired of the two noted.
Mugen was pondering on where he should dungeon dive. Pondering on his musings too much to notice Gynesis floating all over the place right next to him. Or maybe he didn't care? With the way how the Tumblr OC was spinning in place in silence you could've sworn he needed an exorcism.
"Well now that we're not doing that stupid bet like two days ago," Gynesis grimaced in disapproval as he begins his random spurting, "All of a sudden all of the abominations to nature refuse to spawn..."
Mugen slowly snapped out of his musings. He took a peek at the real world with an onyx onlooker before giving that phrase a proper response.
"Maybe because you've been killing the poor creatures faster than they can respawn?"
"The fact that they can even respawn pisses me off..."
Mugen wasn't lying about that and Gynesis knew it. His face contorted to reflect the discomfort he felt thinking about his victims being able to infinitely repopulate to no end. One of the reasons he mercilessly slaughters them the second he sees even one.
"You don't have any siblings and both your parents are alive," Mugen pointed out nonchalantly, "Why are you acting as if these dog-slimes murdered your entire family in front of you at eight or something?"
True, Gynesis has been a bit of a drama queen when it comes to the little nuisances. It was safe to assume they did some kind of villain creation before the main story began at first, but I guess that was the wrong conclusion.
"My mother's link to the mortal realm is shaky at best," Gynesis retorted, rotating himself upright to face his friend eye to eye, "Plus, I don't hate them because of what they did to me, I hate them because of how those little devils look so adorable despite their tendencies of- and I quote- 'catching adventurers lacking' in small to large groups" especially young females.
Wow. Just wow.
"Does wholesomeness make you seethe that badly?" Mugen asked in a deadpan, already guessing the answer to come: 'What's so wholesome?'
"What's so wholesome about those globs of pure chaos?" And the dark-haired boy was right on the money as he was accustomed to being. Gynesis had spat those words with a more potent venom than a black mamba as he folded his arms and turned up his nose.
"Takes one to know one." Mugen shot back. Earning himself an ample huff of defiance and deflection from the heterochrome in a whimmed vexation and with a reddened face.
"..." Stewing and without a suitable comeback, Gynesis said nothing further, foreseeing any attempts to continue this back and forth would only result in him getting mixed and punished verbally due to a lack of leverage currently. Much to Mugen's delight, although his neutral demeanour didn't show it much if at all.
So instead, the all-red retard decided on continuing his silent show of apprehension. Mentally going through a jungle gym in a vain attempt to assemble a comeback. Finally concocting one after a long second, he opened his mouth to speak.
"Tylko jedno w głowie mam,Koksu pięc gram, Odlecieć sam, W krainę zapomnienia"
Only for an upbeat yet melancholy-esk song in polish to pound out of nowhere and kill Gynesis's words in his throat. Where whatever he was planning to say would stay for now. Filling the air with a kind of chill vibe that was around before the skittles pack had begun to speak earlier.
The lyrics continued for another verse or two before a wave of realization had sprung up within one of the adventurers.
"Shit." It was Gynesis. Who'd just realized where the music was coming from, "Hello?" He answered holding a purple device that resembled a smartphone within the second.
With one fluid motion. The lad had pulled out his phone, read who was calling and chosen to answer.
And whoever called didn't do so to deliver anything near good news. From a relaxed calm to a refocussed rage. Gynesis's face went through a drastic metamorphosis within the same amount of time it would take one to speak two sentences. All thanks to the reply given to the lad from whoever was talking on the phone.
The air then grew still. As if it didn't dare move, or rather, couldn't. It also became bitter cold and silent. Not a bird chirped and not an insect hummed for quite some time. Coincidentally, a shadow began to envelop Gynesis, unnaturally dark and hiding everything about his face that wasn't a singular glowing eye. Ominously, it pierced the lack of light surrounding the male with a deep crimson that would freeze anything it faced with the sheer amount of malice practically leaking from it.
"Are you trying to kill yourself?" Was next to escape the now shadow covered lips of the positively pissed half-purplette.
Another unheard response came out from the other side of the line. One that Gynesis did not like. At first, his brow furrowed more, but it then readjusted back to neutrality.
"Seven million in cash? I think me and the doc can put somethin' together by tomorrow," The same could be said for the rest of his facial features as well, "Expect me at that bar around midday sharp, and don't forget the help, you'll need the muscle, after all~" He ended on a singsong tone
After his last sentence, Gynesis rudely clicks the call off, not allowing whoever called to continue their conversation forward. It was over to him and that was all that mattered in his opinion. He then turned around to see Mugen also on a call. Well, he was on a call. He promptly gets off after a brief second, as if he knew Gynesis was watching and didn't want him to hear what was being said.
Mugen turned around slowly. His eyes glowing ominously now, Mirroring Gynesis's crimson red with a deep navy blue. He looked serious. Way more than usual, which was a feat to surpass a little in and of itself. His entire being was enveloped in a shadowy mist that formed him into a darkened silhouette of himself. Just like what Gynesis was doing as well.
"Work calls," The black-haired dualist spoke with his voice dead of any emotion at all.
"Literally," Gynesis couldn't resist letting out a chuckle, baring sharpened fangs instead of his ordinary human pearly whites as naturally as he breathed.
"Tch-" Unphased by the display of lowkey creepypasta staring him down, Mugen spins on his heel and turns to begin walking off in some direction, "You'll see me in a day or two," He waved with his back facing his friend.
"Same," Was Gynesis's response, shortly before he disappeared into vertical speed lines with a cloud of dust below where his feet once were.
ALRIGHT!
Wow, in nearly a month late and I ended up doing it again. I had to shave an entire third of this chapter out for uploading "something" sake.
I won't bore you with excuses so I'll just give the bare bones version:
Half a month of low dopamine, then no internet for a week, then no keyboard for another.
I know you don't care but I at least feel like you should know this much.
Anyhow, aside from the chapter I'm releasing this weekend, I'll try to make it a fortnightly update schedule to a weekly one. Whenever I finish the piece at this point.
Anyways
Ciao~
