I OWN NOTHING IN THIS FANFICTION EXCEPT FOR MY OCs. I DON'T OWN MUCH OF ANYTHING WHEN I THINK ABOUT IT...
Within the high walls of the Lastation basilicom, lady Black Heart was still at her desk. Snoring away with her unfinished papers haphazardly laid about.
Signs of her trying to persist longer than she did to complete her tasks before hitting the hay also laid themselves bare. Although in a less obvious manner. That being the three mugs of empty coffee at her feet. Empty mugs she must have cycled through the night prior.
*Snore*
Continuing her adventures in dreamland, Noire stirs a little. Showing a small chance of her waking up just that second. Putting her snores on hold to raise her head a bit and open her eyes.
*Snore*
Only to damn near instantly close her eyes and expertly shift her neck so that she had her left side touching her table instead of her right with practised ease. Shortly before going right back to snoring away.
The woman had been doing this for hours now. After falling asleep from around 7 am, she had routinely twisted her head on just shy of an hourly basis. Making this the fifth time she'd done so since the clock ran 12:19 pm.
Ever so softly, the oh-so-tired idol and cosplayer by hobby would murmur something in her sleep. Whatever it was, it was just barely above a drunkard's inaudible slur in readability. That tied with just how quietly she was selling herself out made comprehending her words all but nigh impossible in difficulty. But still doable nonetheless.
"No..." Noire mumbled between snores, fidgeting as sporadically as a soon-to-be frostbite victim, "No, you can't do that..." She warned?
Her face was flushed and her face was a deep pink in colour, covered only by her forearms that arced about her face during her windup into going to sleep. Whether the reason for her current state was embarrassment or something else was up in the air knowing the goddess's character. Especially how her words gave very little context to work with. Whatever was going on in that pretty little head was an utter mystery.
But at least she was sleeping peacefully.
* Knock! Knock! Knock!* "Noire!"
* Knock! Knock! Knock!* "Noire!"
* Knock! Knock! Knock!* "Noire!"
Key word being "was", because a few minutes later, a barrage of knocks followed by a sultry feminine voice interrupted all of that.
In response to the sudden loud and unignorable assault of stimuli, the aforementioned Noire received a mild shot of adrenaline. That allowed her to quickly snap to attention and try to mentally slap away the hints of sleepiness that were trying to make themselves known about her posture and facial features. Starting with wiping the near-invisible trickle of spit that hung from her chin and straightening her spine.
"Come in!" She said a moment later, knowing exactly who was behind that well-decorated door despite being somewhat out of it as of right now.
Immediately after, the doorknob is twisted and the door swung open. Revealing a tall and very well endowed womanly figure with long purple hair tied into twin braids that hung at knee-length by a pair of black and blue clips. Wearing what could only be described as black bikini armour that stretched from her shoulders to cover up to her hands, with a boob window the size of Stonehenge, purple highlights and matching thigh highs. She also had a pair of black button clips with a cyan "x" cut into them, power symbols replacing the pupils and irises in her blue eyes and black wrist cuffs.
"Purple Heart?" Noire declared in an asking tone, still swaying a little from her recent recovery from the land of the less conscious. "What are you doing here so suddenly? And in HDD?" She inquired confusedly looking her fellow CPU up and down a few times.
Especially in a few specific areas around the torso and upper legs.
"Noire," Purple Heart acknowledged with a small nod that somehow shook her bountiful bust, "We have a diminutive issue and I'm not too sure whether or not I should tackle it alone." Okay, Gandalf with breasts...
"Huh?" Whether it was the verbal dribble just spewed by Neptune in her Hard Drive Divinity state, or the actual dribble running itself back into existence, Noire was baffled by what she had just heard. "Say that again?"
Purple Heart had to stifle a mix between a giggle and sigh at that. 'Oh the debuffs of running your Nation the way you do,' She internally mused. An amused smile across her lips, the purple-haired goddess leans forward enough to put herself at eye level with the base formed Black Heart. Using her table as a prop.
"There's a new dungeon, Noire, a very dangerous one at that, and it's situated right between our Nations."
Snapping into further awakeness a bit, Noire's eyes quickly widen hearing the transformed goddess. Letting out a small gasp on reflex.
"I see," She stated at first, voice filled with concern, "And how is this new dungeon so dangerous?"
The answer must be obvious to any with more than two synapses: the monsters within the dungeon's walls.
While at first, this guess seemed to be the most correct, one must take in what makes a dungeon isn't only the monsters. But the layout, nature, placement, traps and other hazards. A dungeon's danger level must never be underestimated by only ranking its monsters. And as a frequent player of Four Goddesses Online, Noire knew this all too well.
"Hard to tell when anyone from either of our Nations who's gone there is yet to return," That seemed to be a great reason to mark a dungeon as very dangerous, "From C to even S classes have ventured, full search parties have been dispatched, and nothing." Yup, quite dangerous. Suicidal even.
"That's terrible," Lastation's CPU breathed in no small amount of despair from hearing her people disappearing, "How long has this been happening?"
Lady Purple Heart sighed silently before giving her response. Clearly, the answer wasn't going to be nice to hear.
"Around half a year if we count the first disappearance," She admitted bitterly, hanging her head a bit before rising up again, "I would've told you earlier, but Uni gave me news about how backed up you are in your duties."
"Well this counts as my duties too, Neptune," Forgiving her ally's silent apology before she could even verbalize it, Noire shakes her head adamantly, shaking out her sleep as well as showing her disagreement with Purple Heart's seeming need to apologize, "After all, what kind of goddess would I be if I just sit around while my subjects disappear into the Netherealm?"
"Fair point," Purple Heart nodded, "If you're not too busy, we can go now. I've already banned officially going there before coming here, but there'll be that one guy that wants to go anyway."
"Yeah," Noire nodded before standing enthusiastically, "Just let me go ban that dungeon as well."
[Somewhere Between The Four Nations, A Little While Later]
So far, we've only seen one of the twelve (technically twenty-four) currently dungeons. So far it was mostly explored offscreen. This newly introduced dungeon was just one more to that list.
A lush area of forest infested with all kinds of evil critters it was. From the ever too common Dogoo to an elder dragon rumoured to roam Gamindustri with the power to destroy a Nation if not left alone. But that other end of the scale was always seen as a rumour despite Gamindustri's colourful history.
And our duo of female deities had dubbed this area too dangerous to explore. Choosing to throw themselves into the Uncharted area after news a slew of disappearances dawned upon the ears of Black Heart.
And now, here they stand.
Before a pair of massive doors that towered menacingly above the two CPUs. Elegantly intricate in design, many foreign symbols decorated themselves all-around their massive frames. Giving the entire setup an air of mystery and awe not even Noire could brush over.
"Dang, there's no way we could've missed this..." Noire gasped examining the twenty-four-foot tall marble slabs that lead into who knows where.
"We didn't miss it silly!" Neptune huffed energetically, pointing a finger at the makeshift monoliths, "This thing just sprung up one day!"
"Sprung up, huh? Guess we'll have to be careful..." The Lastation CPU narrowed her eyes, "If I didn't know any better, I'd assume we'd be there way longer than usual..."
A few seconds pass of them standing in front of the dungeon's entrance.
"Let's just go in already!" Planeptune's Goddess chimed insistently, "Every great journey starts with one step and all that!"
"Heh, I guess you're right-" Noire tried responding, getting interrupted by a deep and echoing sound.
*THUMP!*
"Was that a footstep?" Neptune guessed the type of sound she had just heard aloud, hoping she was wrong in the back of her head.
*THUMP!*
"A pretty big one..." Lastation's guardian responded undoubtedly through grit teeth when that booming piece of audio replayed itself, "Whatever shoe size the owner of these footsteps is must be triple digits!" She finished half-jokingly.
*THUMP!*
"Triple?! you mean four digits!" Planeptune's on duty CPU quipped back with a draw of her Nep-Sword from... somewhere and assumption of a defensive stance.
Always the prepared one, Noire had already equipped her sword by the second footstep, only needed to assume her offensive poise when her friend made her defensive pose.
*THUMP!*
With one more massive and earth-shaking stomp, the being responsible for the sudden rise in tension had made itself known to its victims. From the depths of the cryptic walls, a colossal snout emerges that threatened to break the top off of the door frames it was escaping from at a snail's pace. One with purple fur and longswords for teeth, blood-stained longswords at that.
"Noire," Neptune started asking calmly the second she laid eyes on the creature before her, "WHAT IN CELESTIA IS THAT THING?!" she finished in a panicked screech and no small amount of terror across her face.
*THUMP!*
The terror only grew from the nightmare fuel that continued to slowly exit its confines. Revealing itself to be on fire. With its wisps and flames dancing about with the exact hue and a little lighter shade as its bright and fluffy fur that gave it a mixed atmosphere of murderous and cute.
"Don't tell me..." Noire tried to question something while readying herself to attack, but ended up trailing off as she calculatingly observed the monster's movements.
*THUMP!*
As more of the behemoth made itself visible, it became clearer and clearer to Lastation's 'Perfect Goddess' what she and Planeptune's Guardian and Planeptune's Guardian was up against. 'It's on fire, absolutely massive in size, covered in purple fur and flames, and is coming out of... is that Nordic writing?!'
"Is that, a Garmr [ɡɑrmz̠]?!" The blackette spat out and pointed at the creature when the image finalized in her mind.
"A Gar-what?" Neptune asked curiously and confusedly, all shreds of fear evaporated from her entire demeanour.
*THUMP!*
Another footstep brings the hellhound closer to the two girls.
"A Garmr, basically Norse Cerberus," Noire clarified and oversimplified with a matching lack of any negative emotions.
"But it doesn't have three heads..." Neptune was quick to point out the most obvious of the dissimilarities between the two Heckpups, "Plus even with its nightmare teeth, it's kinda cute..."
"I said, basically, geez." Noire huffed, "Plus yeah, you're right. It is kinda cute."
*THUMP!*
The Garmr has fully emerged itself now. Mere meters away it had stood from them now.
"Let's try not to antagonize it too much..." Noire recommended with a shaky voice.
"Agreed," Neptune nodded, "Who knows? It might be friendly?" Ever the optimistic one, aren't you?
Letting out a low growl, the beast began lowering its gaze to meet those of the only two bipedal beings before it. Its blazing and infernal eyes locked onto theirs since the second sunlight had hit them. Scanning the duo for a long second in silence.
While still in a defensive/offensive stance respectively, they steeled their nerves for any sign of attack the Guard Dog may unleash. So far, the most hostile thing it's done (and is still doing) was release a low growl that shook the girls to their bones.
Quite literally too.
"What's it doing?" Neptune asked, hoping Noire knew as much about Nordic folklore as it took to answer.
"Not too sure..." That wasn't very good to hear...
"I think it's scanning our power levels," Planeptune's Patron Unit chuckled, "Cuz my urge to pet it is over 9000!"
"..." Well said.
*THUMP!*
Garmr at first refused to move outside of what it had already done to get to before them, in turn, Noire and Neptune mirrored that. Filling the air with a thick enough mist of tension to become visible for a long second as both parties stood. That was before the colossus decided of taking a seat on the floor and ceasing its growls. Resulting in the latest *thump!*.
The huge dog then laid down-
"Whoa!"
"Kya~!"
In such a way that it nearly crushed Noire to ash and smothered Neptune with its flame covered fur. Neptune, being how she is, cartwheeled into a back handspring, into a reverse gainer to the side to skilfully evade death by third-degree suffocation without a scratch. And Noire did a similar manoeuvre, staring with a double back handspring into an Olympic Gold medal-winning quadruple backflip.
"Hey!" Noire snapped with her hands on her hips after having to jump the furthest out of the way.
"Dang, that thing's fast as frick!" Neptune observed and exclaimed from her new position.
"And that wasn't even it attacking either," The blackette pointed out, Why did it even do-" She tried to ask aloud but was interrupted.
"You said you wanted to pet me?" A new and all-knowing sounding voice interjected from nowhere in particular to answer the unfinished question. Coincidentally, the beast's flames began to simmer down.
Although while not out completely, its mane and everywhere from the neck up diminished from a raging forest fire to a lit match stick in comparison. Throwing both sword wielders for a loop.
"Eehh?!" Neptune was first to verbalize a response, sounding more dumbstruck than usual. Not only because of what was said but where the words had come from, on top of how they sounded. A mix of a warm and friendly tone with a hint of danger.
"Wait wha?" Noire tilted her head in confusion.
"I may be on duty, but you two aren't too weak, so I'll allow it," Oh shit. Well, that was easy!
"No way! For real!?" From scared to confused to excited, what an encounter this has been... Then again, this has been a pretty average Friday so far (minus the whole giant dog sent to protect hell asking to be pet bit of course).
"There's no problem on my part, it has been some time after all," Did this Garmr just verbally shrug?
"Yippie!" Needing no further encouragement than that, the pudding lover jumped forward and began her assault on the willing walking purple-fire blaster.
Despite the beast towering over her just a second ago, the Planeptunian wasted no time. Starting from the side of its neck, Neptune began scratching the Garmr lovingly while humming something. Moving her fingers up and down the side of the thing's neckline from just around its jaw up to around the ear she stood next to. All while said digits didn't burn or singe. 'Ahhahaa, ah that's hawt!' Neptune giggled in her head as she enjoyed greatly what she was doing, Instead of the hot and burning feelings expected of touching a living forest fire, it was a warm and welcoming aura coupled with soft and giving fur.
'I guess even a Gamire or whatever is still just a dog when it comes down to it...' She internally mused, 'How did I even hear her anyways?'
"Long story short Neptune, I was gifted a short-ranged telepathy," It responded wordlessly and sounding soothed from its makeshift massage, "And can you go behind my ears next please?"
"Sure!" Neptune chirped doing exactly what was asked.
"Ahhh~" The massive wolf couldn't help but let out a massive sigh of relief thanks to the purplette's nimble fingers. It went as far as to wag its tail that was flame covered- no, inferno encased- no, 100% alight and blazing bright as it swayed and swished involuntarily in the air behind it. "You're welcome to join as well Noire," The hellhound encouraged after letting out its suspire.
"Huh," A little surprised after hearing her name called from the tree she was leaning on (Don't ask what she was doing all the way over there, I don't know either), Noire began walking over to the mythological being hastily with a tinge of red on her cheeks, "Well if you insist." She'd shrug before hopping atop the beast's head, looking like a jockey riding a horse, before patting directly in front of her gently. 'How's that Ms Garmr?' Noire would ask after beginning her own assault.
"Hmmmmm" Was her only response alongside a more vigorous tail wagging. Those were the only answer the blackette needed to hear though because she then leaned forward and switched up her strategy of battery upon the animal. By passing her hands up and down in a "snowman" kind of motion.
Which seemed to work if yet another pleasant exhale from the Garmr was anything to go by.
By basking in the sensations of smooth and warm fur within their grasps, Noire and Neptune had gotten themselves lost in the relaxing atmosphere. That had quickly built itself up and replaced the tension that smogged the air all but five minutes ago. Staying like that for a few seconds.
"Alright, that's enough," A few seconds that quickly turned into a few minutes until Ms Garmr decided she'd waffled enough.
"Ah man~" Neptune whined still wanting to caress the behemoth before her.
"Well we were here for a reason after all," Noire sighed in disappointment.
"The black-haired one has a point, goddess," The goliath nodded as it began to sit up, much to our Lastaion resident's sudden discomfort.
"H...Heeeyy!" She'd exclaim as gravity took its course and made her slide down the Heckpup's back, getting guided by the mass of purplish hues until she ended up getting slingshotted off by an enormous tail of fire. Launched and flung by physics until she instinctively caught herself and recovered her footing right next to an amused Neptune.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" She asked the second Neptune's mischievous grin had caught her eye.
"Oh, nothing!" The hoodie enjoyer chuckled unconvincingly.
"I'm on fire aren't I?" Noire pieced together with a cocked brow after feeling an increased heat coming from outside of her body.
"Your entire back is covered in purple, Noire," Neptune observed barely holding back a laugh, "It looks cute!"
"These don't affect my clothes, right?" Noire was quick to question, praying the answer was a negative.
"Aside from being impossible to remove, nothing of detriment shall take place. They're simply cosmetic," The Garmr's voice was swift to fill the concerned CPU in on her situation.
"Good, good..." She cooed in contentment.
*FWOOM!*
The air quickly became hot. Unbearably so. With the source being all too obvious. The sound especially caused the girls to tense up instinctively as the sight of the Hellhound's fur reigniting caused them to sweatdrop. Although it, alongside every other form of moisture, near-instantly evaporated and left the server.
"These flames will more than damaging your garments. They can burn through the likes of even lava, as nonsensical as it sounds," The wolf growled in a much more menacing way than it initially spoke, "But I won't use them as I was assigned only to test any who wish to pass." It finished dimming the purple inferno to a more bearable torch.
"I'm guessing we're gonna have to fight," Neptune nervously chortled pulling back out her sword.
"You'd be right, purple-haired one," It nodded, "Although I sense quite a massive reserve of power coming from you two, I must still ensure that power is accessible enough to survive entering these gates."
"So those that went missing fought and lost to you?" Noire asked preparing her blade for battle.
"Pfft, no" The doggo immediately refused, "They just got lost, those are still alive somewhere since I can feel their energy."
"And those who you let pass?" Neptune asked this time, now back to her defensive stance from earlier.
"Those... I'm not too sure as once you enter, I can no longer sense your energy from outside or the edge where I reside."
"I see," The two CPUs answered in near unison.
"Jinx!" Neptune all too speedily capitalizes on this as an opportunity to catch Noire off guard. Who just stood there for a quick second
"Let the battle begin!" The Garmr growled, assuming an attack position of its own.
Alright!
I've made ten chapters of this and only gotten radio silence up until this point. I know it can be annoying when an author basically begs for reviews for clout but that's not why I ask for them.
Hell, I didn't even know that reviews bump up fics on here until I was told so in the making of chapter five.
I try to improve with every chapter release and delay that follows, but without any outside critique whatsoever I can only fell like this thing's going down in quality...
That's enough yammering for now. Nobody's here for that.
Although it would be interesting to hear what ya'll think will happen to Gynesis or anyone else in the further chapters. Especially that lightning user.
Anyways.
Ciao~
