Author's Notes: Well hello again everyone! I'm back for the next arc and I'd just like to thank everyone for the reviews. They're very encouraging. Hope you enjoy the latest chapter!
Stage 6. Imprisoned
[Time Skip: Five Days After the Incident in the Tower]
The sound of a rusty door slowly creaking open caught a tired Nepgear's expression, followed by the sounded of someone hitting the stone flooring. "Oomph!" cried Uni as she landed on her side. The black-haired CPU candidate angrily stood up and stared at an unusually distant Blanc. Well, as distant as the usually-stoic CPU could get anyway. "Wh-What's the big idea Blanc? You, my sister, Neptune, and Vert have been fighting like this for days! Now you're locking Nepgear and me up? Why?" Uni's anger only increased when she realized that Blanc was trying to ignore her. The CPU candidate winced when she realized that her arm was slightly damaged from the fall, but she managed to grit her teeth and cling to the jail-like door before her. "Tell me why dammit!" she demanded.
Blanc stared at her with calm, lifeless eyes. "I did this as a favor to your friggin' sister. If you've got a problem with it, tell it to her dammit!" yelled Lowee's CPU. Without warning, Blanc raised her hammer and angrily held it over the caged door. That was when Uni noticed something: Blanc's hands were shaking. "Tch, this shit isn't even worth it," muttered the CPU. Dispelling her hammer, Lowee's CPU began to turn away from the two CPU candidates.
"W-Wait!" called Nepgear.
"Hmm?" Blanc turned around slightly, staring into Nepgear's fearful, purple eyes- eyes that reminded Blanc of joyful memories that she'd rather forget at the moment. "What is it?"she asked with a slight snarl.
Nepgear hesitated for a moment, looking around just to be sure she wasn't seeing things. At last, she asked, "Where are Rom and Ram?" Since Nepgear and Uni had arrived, Rom and Ram had not appeared. Their lack of presence was beginning to worry Planeptune's CPU candidate.
Planeptue's CPU candidate had obviously struck a harsh nerve. All in the room went dead silent as Blanc's shoulders stiffened considerably. Slowly, just barely turning a centimeter with each small footstep, Blanc was turning to face her fellow CPUs' younger sisters. The sheer rage in her eyes was immeasurable- burning so brightly, so dangerously that Nepgear and Uni were compelled to step back a few paces. Their instincts were well on the money when Blanc's fist slammed itself against the door. The echo of her fist against the door's steel echoed throughout hallway, but somehow for all of Blanc's strength, the door did not break. Uni and Nepgear dared not utter a word as Blanc leveled her head to glare at them eye-to-eye. "Don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong. This should be over... soon." The way Blanc said it gave off signs of incredible fatigue. As she turned away, Lowee's CPU said, "Oh, and one more thing: be prepared to take post as official CPUs. If I, Vert, Neptune, or Noire come back; assume that the other three current CPU are dead... That is all." With that she walked away.
Blanc's footsteps echoed throughout the hallway. Step by step, Blanc quietly walked away from the small prison. The echo of each step cruelly assaulted the two CPU candidates' ears as they attempted to process what the older CPU had just told them. Had they been listening closer however, they might have heard the one abnormal sound among the echoes. The sound of a lost CPU whispering, "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry."
Uni sank into the fetal position, her arms shaking with fear. She sat in complete bewilderment. What Blanc had just told them was utterly ridiculous! "N-No way. What is she talking about? That's ridiculous!" yelled Uni. "R-Right, Nepgear?"
Nepgear didn't answer her- opting to stare at the ground instead.
"Nepgear?"
No answer. This time, Nepgear decided to curl herself up into a ball in the leftmost corner of the small dungeon cell.
"Nepgear?"
Again, no answer. All Uni could hear was Nepgear quietly muttering something unintelligible.
Sighing with frustration, Uni strutted over to her lilac-haired friend and sat herself down beside her. "Hey, am I talking to my butt?"
"No, this can't be happening. Not again. Not again," muttered Nepgear quietly. Her entire body shook with tears forming in her eyes. Nepgear's composure gave off the very image of someone who had completely fallen into despair.
Uni cocked an eyebrow and tilted her head. It was almost as if Nepgear were in a trance- her eyes blank and nigh-lifeless. The light in her eyes no longer present, Nepgear continued to mutter the same sentence over and over again. "Nepgear? C'mon, are you okay?" All Uni got in response was the same sentence, but with each passing time that her lilac-haired friend said it, it became more and more filled with anguish. Tears were now falling from Nepgear's eyes for reasons unknown to Uni. Unsure of what else to do, the black-haired CPU candidate embraced her sobbing friend. "This isn't the time to be crying," she whispered. "Come on. We have to find out what's going on here." Growing more frustrated with Nepgear's behavior, Uni yelled, "If we don't, our sisters might wind up dead!" While not meaning to, Uni came herself had become emotional and wound up sobbing in the middle of her sentence. She nearly froze when Nepgear stood up from her grasp.
The Lastation CPU candidate watched as Nepgear stared into space for a moment, her balance slightly off as she swayed from side to side. Finally stiffening, another air of deathly silence flooded the dungeon cell. No amount of time could have possibly prepared Uni for what would happen next however. "NO!" Nepgear screamed as she dashed toward the locked door, yanking on it vigorously while trying to force it open. While she should have realized her efforts were in vain, the lilac-haired candidate refused to give in. While constantly screaming in protest, a desperate Nepgear pounded at the door- falling to her knees as she cried out in despair. Uni could only look on as she watched what Nepgear weakly punch door. "I'll kill you," she whispered in a barely audible voice.
Again the black-haired candidate was stunned, but more-so because Nepgear had been the one to utter such violent words. "Wh-What?"
"I'll kill you," whispered Nepgear menacingly.
Sensing that something was definitely wrong, Uni stood up and tried to make her way to Nepgear's side. "Nepgear? I know you're upset. I am too, but-"
"I killed you once and I can do it again!" yelled Nepgear psychotically.
The demented twist to her voice caused Uni to immediately take a few steps back, her back to the wall as her body began to quake with fear. Suddenly, she remembered something that Alastor had said to her: "You remember nothing little girl, but she will be the death of your precious big sister if you allow her to live!" Uni shook as she tried to quietly digest what Nepgear had just screamed. D-Did she really mean that? thought Uni, Has Nepgear killed someone before? She clutched her head with her right hand as she thought, What if Alastor was right? Did Nepgear... Really kill my big sister once before? Looking at Nepgear, another thought popped into her mind. Or what if that was directed at me? As a terrifying chill coursed through the black-haired candidate's spine, she had to take a moment to shake herself free of the fear that threatened to drive her mad. No, that's ridiculous, thought Uni, Nepgear would never-
The sound of clapping ripped Uni from her thoughts. She immediately turned around to find Alastor sitting comfortably at the poorly-made wooden table situated near the viewing area of the cell. There were two chairs over there- just right for Nepgear and Uni. Staring at the black-haired candidate with unsympathetic eyes, the demon asked, "So? Figured it all out did we? Someone summoned me here, didn't they?" Alastor looked over at Nepgear and shot her a look of interest. "What's with my old master? She looks a bit... downtrodden."
Uni growled at the demon before crossing her arms. "Why the hell would CPUs summon a demon? First of all, I don't know how you got in here, but I'm definitely gonna beat you up! Secondly, when did Nepgear become your 'old master?' Last I checked, you hated her guts and wanted her dead!" The candidate's anger seemed to reach a boiling point when she realized that Alastor seemed to be giving more focus to eyeing her up rather than actually paying attention to what she was saying. "H-Hey, listen to me dammit!" she yelled.
Alastor waved a dismissive hand. "Relax would ya? Am I not allowed to admire a pretty girl?" flirted the demon.
The black-haired CPU candidate nearly lurched with disgust. "Are you bipolar or something?" While it disturbed her to hear this compliment from a demon of all things, it bothered her even more that this demon had gone from dangerously hostile to openly flirty toward her. That was when Uni noticed something: Alastor's eyes were now blue and his hair was now auburn in color. Save for the blade-like horns, the demon's appearance had changed. Placing a hand on her face, she muttered, "Oh great. He thinks he's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde."
The demon snickered at the CPU candidate's observation. "Well, you've almost got it. You just saw me on a bad day the other time." Summoning the Gehaburn, Alastor added, "Though I have to say that it must be tiring for you to be the strong one all the time." The demon took a moment to stare at the broken Nepgear, who was still trying to punch her way through the door. "You've got it rough kid. My condolences."
Not falling for Alastor's poor attempts at making small talk, Uni summoned her gun and pointed it at the demon's head. "I don't trust you. You tried to kill us, but now you expect me to fall for your cheap attempt at flirting? Dream on buddy!" Despite her tough words, Uni was keeping a close eye on her target. Uni had managed to hit Alastor while fighting him in the tower; however, the only problem was that he seemed completely unharmed by her attack. Eyeing the Gehaburn, the CPU candidate added, "Moreover, you summoned your weapon."
"Hmm, I guess that was a bit of a bad idea. My mistake." Placing the sword on the table, Alastor leaned on his chair and asked, "So if neither you nor lilac-head over there didn't summon me, who did?" Hearing Nepgear dementedly chant that she was going to kill someone, Alastor sighed a bit. "Oh, so that's it." Pointing at Nepgear, the demon said, "Look, do something about her. I can slip my consciousness into this side of me when I'm away from the current CPUs, but if she gets to the point where her malice activates the blade, well; let's just say you'll be the first to die in a room this small."
Uni blanched a little and looked at Nepgear and then back at the sword. Not wanting to believe in Alastor's words, she yelled, "You're lying! You just wanna scare me so that I do what you say!" Seeing the annoyed look on the demon's face, the candidate said, "That's it, isn't it? Look, why don't you get up and leave? If you do that, I won't pump any holes into you." As she made her threat, Uni made care to keep her aim leveled perfectly at Alastor's heart.
Alastor sighed lazily. "Well, I warned ya," he said tiredly. Walking over to Uni, he pointed at Nepgear and playfully whispered, "Better do something about her. Next time she summons me, I may just take her body for a joy ride."
With her mind a tad in the gutter, Uni flushed brightly and screamed, "Absolutely not! I won't allow it! Get out! Leave! If you dare come back, I'll freakin' annihilate you! You got that punk?"
Without warning, Alastor and his sword disappeared with a gust of wind. Uni quickly looked around the stone cell, only to find that Alastor was definitely gone. All that remained was the echo of his laugh. "Fine, fine. I'll leave it for now. Just be careful Uni- I wasn't kidding about her killing you if I come back."
The black-haired candidate shivered at how evil Alastor's playful voice could sound while returning her focus to a kneeling Nepgear. Walking up to her and patting her shoulder, Uni asked, "How in the world did you ignore all of that? He has to be the creepiest man in all of Gamindustri." Nepgear didn't answer, only continuing to mutter that she was going to kill someone. At last, Uni's patience had finally reached its breaking point. Turning the lilac haired girl around and grabbing the collar of her dress, she yelled, "How long are you gonna sit there like that huh? Pull yourself together dammit!"
The thunderous sound of a hard slap echoed throughout the chamber walls. At last, Nepgear stopped her mumbling. In fact, said lilac-haired guardian suddenly looked around with a start. "Huh? What, Uni? What was I doing?" she asked. Removing herself from Uni's grasp, Nepgear summoned her sword. "We have to get out of here," said the lilac-haired candidate.
Uni stood there completely bewildered. "What the hell? You mean you don't remember anything?" she asked loudly.
Shaking her head, Nepgear replied, "No. Did I do something weird?"
The CPU candidate of Lastation took a moment to consider telling Nepgear the truth. In the end, she shook her head with a smile and answered, "Nah, not really. You kinda wimped out on me and started moping in front of the door. That's all." Walking over to the door, she dispelled her gun looked from right to left. "It looks like we've been brought to the very bottom of the dungeon floor. Think you can spring us? I'm not too sure my gun can break this door down without the bullets being sent back at us."
Nepgear nodded. "Just leave it to me," said the lilac-haired candidate. Brandishing her sword, Nepgear focused her energy into the blade. At first the N-symbol near the tip of the blade began to glow a bright blue color, followed by the rest of the blade. While carefully crouching into a proper swinging position, Nepgear took a deep breath to calm her nerves. "Here goes," yelled Nepgear as she swung her blade.
[Astral Saber]!
With a loud crash, the door easily fell to the might of Nepgear's sword beam. The only problem now was that the sword beam had totally toasted the exterior of the wall ahead of them. "Oh no! I ruined the wall! Histoire's not going to like this," lamented Nepgear.
Uni rolled her eyes. "You can worry about that crap later, let's get a move on already!" Grabbing Nepgear by the wrist, Uni immediately ran out of the dungeon cell and took a left in the thin hallway. There was only a choice of left and right for her, but remembering Blanc's path from the top, Uni reasoned that retracing her steps was the best approach. After passing three similar doors, Uni and Nepgear arrived at the end of the hallway where a door was situated. The two candidates looked at each other and smiled. "Ready to pull a jailbreak?" asked Uni excitedly.
"Totally," cheered a merry Nepgear.
The two were just about to open the door when familiar voices entered their ears.
"Uwaaa! Rom, make help me!"
"I-I'm trying, sis. I can't. You summoned too many creatures!"
"Tch, damn it all! Think I could summon monsters to help us fight them?"
"Um, I don't think that's a good id-"
[Magical Mayhem]!
More monsters appeared and they seemed angrier than ever. Rom and Ram screamed even louder, running harder than before in an attempt to escape the band of monsters that were attempting to attack them. At last Uni and Nepgear opened the door, ascended a small set of stairs and found themselves on the next floor. The only problem was that Rom and Ram were waiting for them up there with unwanted guests: monsters and tons of them. Uni blanched as she summoned her gun. "What the hell? Rom, Ram, where did all of these monsters come fro-"
Too scared to hear out Uni's question, Rom waved her wand in an attempt to do something about the group's enemies. "Please work," she whispered.
[Magical Tempest]!
A sudden wind picked up, knocking the monsters off balance, but knocking the girls over completely in the process. All of the girls quickly began to scream as Rom attempted to undo her spell. Turning around to see an embarrassed Nepgear, an annoyed Ram, and an unusually angry Uni; Rom quickly gave them an apologetic bow. "I-I'm sorry everyone! I put too much power into the spell," she said sheepishly.
While Uni did want to scold Rom for her mishap, she soon noticed the monsters were getting up. "Hmph, looks like you're getting off easy today," muttered the black-haired candidate.
Rom huffed and crossed her arms. "Don't pick on Rom, Uni. It's totally not cool to pick on someone who's not even half your size!"
"U-Um, guys, we probably shouldn't fight right now," urged Nepgear while pointing earnestly at the foes before them. As if to emphasize her point, one of the larger monsters roared at them loudly, nearly flipping their skirts as it did so.
Sighing grouchily, Uni muttered, "Whatever." Pointing her gun at the gigantic monster, Uni yelled, "So whaddya say we kick some ass?"
"Yeah!" the other three cheered.
[Rom joined the party]!
[Ram joined the party]!
[Save]?
Author's Notes: And so the little sisters finally get their time in the spotlight! Sorry to any Nepgear fans who may have been disturbed by her unusual outburst. A clarification on Alastor's appearance: think Adell but with blue eyes, reddish-brown hair, and blade-like demon horns basically. On the topic of that, don't worry UnixNepgear fans, he's not stealing anyone, I hope. O_o Guess you'll have to read on to find out, won't you? Hahaha, I'm sorry. That was a bad joke. On any note, I hope to see you next chapter! Hope you enjoyed this one. Ciao~
Red-Drive
Next Time - Stage 7. Lost in the Castle