Karen, Katsuo, Kazuto, IF, Compa, and Falcom have succeeded in rescuing Console Patron Unit: Nepgear. However, significant injuries were inflicted to Karen, Katsuo, Kazuto, and IF, with Karen being brought near death. How will the team fare with such significant injury to morale?
Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from the words that I write and the characters that I create. Credit goes to the original creator of the SAO universe; credits also to the creators and contributors to the Hyperdimension Neptunia series.
Hyperdimension Standard Time: [9:00] June 27th 20XX
After that horrific battle in the graveyard, the last thing I was able to coherently remember was me passing out in the meeting hall of the Planeptune Basilicom before everything began becoming black. I don't know how long it's been since that time, but I've been doing the one thing I can do considering the environment: Wander aimlessly through the darkness. Though it doesn't exactly help that I can't see a god damn single thing aside from that darkness and faint auras, though I hear a familiar voice shouting at me amidst the perpetual darkness I see in front and around me.
"What are you doing?! I did not sacrifice everything to have you keel over on me! GET UP!"
"Ugh...what are you expecting of me? I know full well what happened. If this isn't the afterlife, I'll be joining their ranks soon enough. Just get off my god damn back already." I groan really weakly in face of this woman's anger toward me.
"You are not dead! Honestly, the one reason you're not is because of me! Get your damn ass in gear and fight for survival! I did not sacrifice my own existence so you can die!"
"Then why save me in the first place?" I quietly inquire, wondering why this woman is speaking of sacrificing her own life to save mine. I don't know why I'm acting so submissive right now, when I'm usually brash when people fight me like this, though I guess that this perpetual darkness really dulled me to a state worse than a butter knife.
"Trust me. If I even had an alternative, I would've taken it considering the way you're acting. To answer your question, I told you that I was close to dying just like you were when you were struck by Judge. I merged my life with yours to keep myself alive. Like it or not, we are sharing the same body and like hell I'm going to let you be the primary host if you're going to act like a spoiled brat!"
After this shout from the woman, I can sense this figure creating some kind of weapon and points it toward me.
"Draw your weapon if you wish to live!"
"I can see you are quite eager to shed blood between us. And how am I supposed to draw a weapon I don't possess?" I sigh with me feeling some sort of weapon appear in my hands instantly after I mentioned me being unarmed.
"What the? Ah. Of course. Since my soul entered your body, this weapon considers us both its rightful owner. Well, now we are on equal footing since we wield the same sword."
"Yeah right. I can't handle a sword to save my life." I sarcastically respond since I have never wielded a sword in my real life. My senses are beginning to recover to a degree, since I was greatly dulled from staring at this utterly void darkness.
"Not this sword. Its magic enables its rightful owner to use it like a master."
"Even if what this woman says is true and I can use this sword like a master, I'm still not good with physical exertion or speed. I'm better suited to handling intel and leadership. I need to use my skill with strategies over raw power. Draw this out if possible."
Even though I cannot see a damn thing in the darkness, I close my eyes to heighten my senses and I adopt a defensive stance I've seen Katsuo use a lot though it's rather different because he typically uses a sword & shield mixture while I am using what feels like a one-handed sword and I hear a chuckle from the mystery woman.
"So you're trying to anticipate my moves huh? Smart. But I am not as naive as you think. But, I also know that if I charge in blazing, you'd counter my moves. I could easily make this a battle of attrition you know?"
"But I get the feeling you do not want such a thing to occur." I'd be an idiot if I jumped the gun when I know I'm up against stronger opponents. I'd prefer to use diplomacy and clever thinking to make up for my weak combat capabilities.
"Smart girl. I knew there was a reason why I saved your ass." I hear the sound of something evaporating instantaneously, which I believe are the swords, since I feel a large weight being lifted from my hands. "I just know I will be shooting myself in the foot for this, but I give. Honestly, I was just testing you, and I have a feeling you will be able to handle the trials in front of you. Now get the hell up! Don't squander the second chance at life I gave you."
Hyperdimension Standard Time: [9:30] June 27th 20XX
I wake up somewhat to find my sight is still blurry, but I can see faint outlines of four people near my bed and the teal color of the walls. I hear a familiar voice as soon as my eyes open.
"Karen, you're alive!" Ophelia shouts happily, apparently noticing that I opened my eyes.
"Ophelia? Don't...shout. My ears...are ringing." I weakly say in response to her shout, with my voice being as weak as the time I came out from Alfheim "How long...have I...been out?" I ask weakly, as I rub my eyes as they try to readjust to this new environment.
"You've been out for fifteen days. I feel so guilty that you got hurt because of me." The lilac haired girl says, seemingly about to cry.
"Fifteen days…? Holy crap." I say in my mind, trying to wrap my mind around that "How did I survive fifteen days in that condition? I should be dead." After I finish speaking to myself, wondering how the hell I survived when I practically had my skin cut open by that giant's axe, I look toward the lilac haired girl "Your voice...is familiar. You must be...the CPU...we saved in the graveyard." I say weakly, having apparently been comatose for fifteen days straight and from the extensive injuries I suffered fighting CFW Judge.
"Yes, I owe my life to you and your friends." Nepgear says a little calmly compared to before, though she's still holding a frown.
"It was nothing...we were summoned to rescue you all...eto...is there any food nearby? I'm a little hungry." I say weakly, and embarrassedly when my stomach starts rumbling.
"I'll go get something Karen, let's give her a little bit of room Yuuki. Compa, Nepgear, keep an eye on her alright?" Ophelia asks the two other girls in the room, with Yuuki having apparently been here and follows her, leaving Compa and Nepgear in the room with me.
My eyesight begins to fully heal now and I can clearly see the lilac haired young girl who apparently is Nepgear in human form, wearing a sort of sailor uniform and the cream pink haired girl: Compa. Before, I was lucky to see faint outlines with vague colors.
"Um, Karen, what was that word you said? Eh toe?" Compa asks curiously.
"It's a word of my native language." I try to explain the intricacies of what I said since they don't seem to know Japanese. "Er...how does this work? They can't speak Japanese yet they can speak to me and understand what I say. What's going on here?" I ask myself, wondering what's allowing us to speak fluently.
"I see...hehe." Compa says with a nervous laugh, though I can see her staring at me rather intensively.
"Why are you staring at me?"
"You're carrying a sword that just uh...suddenly materialized. Where did you get it?" Nepgear inquires in quiet shock at the blade.
"Huh?" I stare at the sword which has a blue grip, a gold guard and shoulder, with a shiny silver colored luster on the blade. I notice that it's pretty firmly kept in my grip and the feel of it seems familiar to me somehow "Wait...this is the same sword I used in that dream! It was real?" After I ponder this for a minute or so, I try to get up from this bed to feel a razor sharp pain near my stomach as I try, which I instinctively grip with my free arm. "Agh...god does that hurt."
"Karen! Don't push yourself!" Nepgear exclaims in alarm, trying to force me to lay down again in the bed I've been sleeping in.
"Nepgear; I need to get up and about." I say bluntly and a little weakly as well, as I put the sword on a nearby table.
"If you swear not to push it, I'll help you walk around." Nepgear says with a calm yet surprisingly stern emotion, supporting my left arm as I try to get up again.
"Promise. Anyway, where are Katsuo, Kazuto, Mamoru, and Shino?" I ask, with no knowledge of what happened over the last fifteen days because of how I was comatose.
"Your friends are scattered over Planeptune doing quests, shopping or other things. Katsuo and Kazuto are helping Mamoru with quests to keep their attention occupied. Yuuki has been doing small errands for Histoire to reduce her workload so she can focus more on managing Planeptune and gathering information. Ophelia's already become a valued member of the research division. Shino...mmm...she's been a little distant and depressed." Compa says a calm tone of voice, explaining what my friends have been doing while I was comatose.
"To be honest, Mamoru has been a bit depressed as well. Sometimes when he's here, he talks about someone called Haruka. Who exactly is that?" Nepgear says, adding on to the report from Compa.
"Haruka is a friend of ours and Mamoru's foster daughter. Haruka's parents told Mamoru to protect her through a pre-recorded message before they died. And I barely know Shino compared to the others, but I imagine she misses Earth since she hasn't been through what we've been through, but I'm surprised Yuuki's taking it so well." I say, remembering Earth a tiny bit "Oh yeah, we're apart once again." I say quietly, remembering the people we left behind. I actually begin crying now that I've thought about it "How long are we going to be apart from our friends this time?"
"What are you thinking about?" Nepgear asks me in concern, apparently seeing me cry.
"Katsuo, Kazuto, and I have...significant others back on Earth, alongside the fact we have friends and family back there. I won't speak for my friends, but I'm fearful I may never see any of them again." I say, with a light blush at the start, but quietly and sadly at the rest.
"Oh, I'm sorry...I never imagined you'd be forced to make sacrifices on this scale. I'm sorry Karen." Nepgear says apologetically.
"I won't deny that we may all be suffering trauma from our forced separation, but I'm doing the best I can to suppress that pain in order to do my mission, it's what I did in Aincrad." I say as serenely as I can to calm down the girl.
"Karen, can I ask you about this Aincrad? I heard you were summoned because of that." Nepgear asks curiously, putting me back in the bed rather forcibly. I'm surprised this girl who looks as harmless as a golden retriever is so strong and forceful.
"It's not something I like to think of much, but simply put; Aincrad was the name of the world inside the first virtual game: Sword Art Online. It was a technological marvel for my society, but the creator of Sword Art Online: Akihiko Kayaba; he changed the game where death is just like reality; you die once, you die for good. Just about everyone then was heavily scarred emotionally especially since two thousand people died in the first month. A lot of us feared we'd all die before we even got to leave."
"My goodness." Nepgear states quietly, obviously mildly freaked out from hearing this.
"Everyone went through varying levels of trauma. Katsuo was one of the main reasons I was able to stay strong during Aincrad. I owe him my life multiple times over. Him and many of my other friends."
"You seem to think of him very highly." Compa says with a smile.
"Katsuo's one of my closest friends; I don't think of him romantically if you're going to ask. Even though we spent a lot of time together since we met, we're more like...brother and sister, not...boyfriend, girlfriend." I say casually, with an embarrassed blush at the rest.
"I can understand that. I consider Ge-Ge to be a sister to me even though we're not related. Though, I don't fully believe you. You know, he came in here the most when you were comatose. He was always so worried about you." Compa says happily, still smiling.
"I-I see. But look, I do not think of Katsuo in that way. We're friends, nothing more!" I say in a serious manner, getting the point across that Katsuo and I will never happen.
"Oh really?" Compa asks mischievously.
"I seriously don't think of him that way! I've known Katsuo nearly six years! I don't want us to be any more than friends." I say sternly, I don't want my friends to be divided over a matter as trivial as this, not when we spent six years together. "Anyway uh, I don't want to talk about this anymore. Where was I…? Back in Aincrad...I always presumed I was going to die alone without any family at my side. But I learned something from Mamoru way back then, he told me you can find family among the people you work with. That gave me a new perspective to think about, and I really began opening to my friends around then. Though, my dedication to protect the people I care for made a lot of people consider that I act motherly, even though I don't think of myself that way much."
"Well at least you found a way to help people. But didn't you have moments when you wanted to be on the given end? Where you wanted someone to protect you?" Nepgear asks me.
"Not particularly. I didn't have that luxury back in Sword Art Online. I had to pull my weight as the game's supposedly best strategist even though I was only fourteen. Everyone expected the best of me as leader of Senryaku and as the owner of the unique skill: Sleuth." I say with a deep sigh knowing that everyone had high expectations of me back then and I had to live up to those expectations to get everyone freed. While I was not one to complain, at least in public, I sometimes hated all of the pressure that came with the position I had.
"Oh." Nepgear says with a dejected tone.
"Anyway, as soon as I've had something to eat, I'm going to want to talk with Histoire about something." I say calmly, before thinking of something I want voiced "Hey, I want to ask. How did I survive fifteen days of being comatose when I was bleeding out so badly?"
"Er...that's uh...none of us know how it was possible. You had completely bled out by the time the medics were able to get you treated, but your vital organs were still functioning. I just...um...we were actually getting close to officially classifying you as dead and we'd proceed with our mission as planned." Compa answers with heavy stuttering as she answers my question.
"I-I...if I completely bled out, how in the world am I alive?"
"I don't know to be honest." Compa replies with a simple shake of her head, not knowing how to respond, and the environment is quiet until Ophelia and Yuuki return with food and leave just as quickly.
Hyperdimension Standard Time: [10:30] June 27th 20XX
I finished the food Ophelia and Yuuki brought me and not long afterward, Compa brought a small wash basin, a sponge, and some sort of bottle "It's been a while since you've been cleaned, so let me take care of that. I also need to treat a few scars that you got from from the battle."
After I hear Compa say this, I turn my head toward my arm, sniff a little and I shake my head in minor disgust from the smell "Pee-ew! That smell is disgusting! When did I last have any kind of cleansing?!" I then look toward a nearby mirror and notice that while they seem to have been hidden, I can still see faint signs of every scar my face got during that battle with Judge.
"Er...about four days. We had a rather taxing mission a while ago that exhausted us pretty badly; it kept us away from Planeptune for a while. But let's not think of past events, let's just get you cleaned up."
Compa cleaned me off and applies the tonic to my face, which stings rather bad but I do my best to avoid cringing. She then puts me in a fresh set of new clothing: with me noticing that this new outfit set has a black top, black shorts with a diamond like design on the left side, which oddly has the length of pants, two belts over it, pauldrons with blue gems on the center, a cape underneath the pauldrons, blue socks which appear to have the same kind of gem like what's on the pauldron and my hair color changed to blue, making this set really have a black and blue color set. I'm just relieved that I have a new set of clothes since my old pair basically got torn to shreds. Nepgear then told me about Histoire wanting to see me if I were to get out of unconsciousness. *
"I suppose I ought to go see Histoire now that I've ate."
"That is not necessary, I suspected you were awake when I saw Ophelia and Yuuki running around. Good to see you awake." Histoire says as floats into the room, with her staring at the sword on the table "W-What the? I thought that sword was stolen! How did it get here?" Histoire nearly shouted when she asked this question.
"Glad to be awake. Did anything happen while I was comatose?" I ask curiously, wanting business to start, though I am forced to put that plan on hold for a brief moment to answer Histoire's question "I'm not certain to be honest. It just showed up here."
"I see. Nepgear, Compa, could you both please leave? I wish to talk with Karen privately."
"Alright Histoire. Let's go Compa."
I see Nepgear and Compa walk out of the room as Histoire floats a little closer to me
"Now that we have our privacy, I wish to inform you of our next step: We plan on recruiting the Mascot characters of the four nations here to help build up power so we can fight ASIC. Nepgear and everyone else did not desire to proceed without you if the option existed, so we've been focusing on gathering intelligence on where Planeptune's mascot character is and building our shares for the upcoming rematch in the graveyard while you were recovering. We know where the Mascot is, so as soon as you are ready, I would like for you to go with Nepgear, IF, and Compa to the Virtua Forest Depths."
"What about Katsuo, Kazuto, Mamoru, Yuuki, and Shino?" I ask curiously, wondering how they'll be involved in the upcoming trek.
"Katsuo and Kazuto have set up camp outside the Virtua Forest at my request a day ago, they'll link up with you four when you enter the Forest. Mamoru and Shino are out west investigating unusual rumors of new monsters and I plan on sending Yuuki out there soon to aid them."
"Very well." I say as I walk about a little, trying to get my legs used to walking again.
"Wait, before you head out, I wish to give that sword to you as thanks for saving Nepgear. I wasn't able to give this to you because you were unconscious. I was going to give it to you before you woke up but since you already seem to have it. I guess that it doesn't matter."
"Why are you giving me this sword Histoire? It looks extremely important."
"You deserve a reward for your accomplishments, it is also consolation from the injuries you suffered from rescuing Nepgear. Your friends: Kazuto and Katsuo have received gifts as well. This weapon was created and used by a CPU who ruled Planeptune many years ago: Caelus. She entrusted it to me before she perished. I give you her sword: Celeste to you in good faith, I know you will give it the justice it deserves."
"Many thanks, I will not disappoint you Histoire." I say with a bow. "Actually, what about Falcom?" I ask, since Histoire hasn't mentioned her.
"Falcom has volunteered to head to Lastation to gather information on Lastation's Mascot Character ahead of us. By the time you retrieve the Planeptune Mascot Character and head to Lastation, she may know where that character resides."
'Thank you for everything Histoire. We ought to get going." I bow once again, this time in appreciation as I put the sword's sheath around my belt. "Actually I want to ask you something Histoire." I say, remembering what Histoire said about the sword.
"What is it Karen?"
"You said that this sword was used by a CPU? Caelus?" I ask, wanting to try getting a few parts of the puzzle solved.
"Yes, why do you ask?"
"What happened to that CPU?"
"She died many, many years ago, why do you ask?"
"Uh...are you sure?" I ask, knowing that something's not right. Histoire presumed that the sword was stolen which meant that she had it somewhere she considered safe. The fact that Nepgear and Compa said that the sword materialized in my hand is suspicious itself. I know that this sword feels exactly like the one I had in my 'dream' and a woman said that the sword 'considers us both its rightful owner' and Histoire said that the sword belonged to Caelus, one of these Console Patron Units like Nepgear and those other four in the Graveyard. But if that woman was Caelus, why did she say that I'm also its rightful owner? Is it because of how she said 'Since my soul entered your body, this weapon considers us both its rightful owner.' Considering that Compa said I had completely bled out by the time the medics began treating me yet I somehow survived for two weeks and a day. Looks like I owe Caelus my life.
"Absolutely. She entrusted her sword to me before she went into battle and she never returned. I don't know how long ago it was off the top of my head, but it was a very long time Karen."
"Well Histoire, you may not believe me, but I had a dream or something a little while ago. I was fighting some woman who said she merged her existence with mine to sustain her life by saving mine. She also said that I was also the rightful owner of a sword since she did what I mentioned, and well...the feel of this sword is identical to the one in my dream." After I finish this rather uncomfortable revelation, I wait for Histoire to answer as she had her arms crossed in a calm manner, listening to me speak.
"Hm."
"You probably think I'm crazy don't you?"
"Normally I'd say yes, but your story has points where logic flows strong when combined with events I have witnessed."
"What do you mean?" I ask, wondering why Histoire said such a thing, though I'm really thankful she hasn't considered me as a raving lunatic.
"You see, that sword was kept in a top secret underground vault here in Planeptune's Basilicom. No one that's currently alive knew of it save me, and even if someone somehow found it, no one could get into it because of the top secret security programs I had installed into it. I kept a large number of secret artifacts in that vault, that sword being one of them. And despite that, you somehow acquired one of Planeptune's most sacred treasures from our most secure vault. Celeste was created by Caelus' will and she could freely summon it if she so desired. The only conclusion I can come to based on the evidence I have and what you presented to me is this: You must have encountered Caelus in the graveyard and she melded her own life to yours."
"What do you mean Histoire?"
"I am...not certain on this one. If the woman said that the sword considered you as the rightful owner, it definitely does mean that Caelus is alive and is a part of you. This is...er. Look, I'll do what I can to uncover the truth of what's going on here, but for now, I need you to help our world."
"Got it. I'll let you do that." I reply as I get up from the bed and walk out of the room.
"Best of luck Karen. May the goddesses guide and protect you." Histoire says as I walk out.
POV: Histoire
As I see Karen walk out of the room I float around the room nervously "I wonder if I should've told her about what happens if a Console Patron Unit decides to merge her life with another individual." I ask myself, finding my thoughts being plagued with doubts "I can just tell that things are going to be drastically different once this is finished. Not only did Karen manage to cheat death, what Caelus did will eventually force Karen to take up a new destiny, one she may not even want. If I had any remote inkling of this, I would've forced Karen to stay behind. But if I hadn't, we would've lost her. This is a very troubling predicament. It's too late to try to prevent it, so I guess I will just need to help Karen as much as I can, and try to secure what she'll need."
POV: General
I nod toward Histoire with a smile before I leave the Basilicom to find IF, Compa, and Nepgear outside, apparently waiting for me to show up.
"Glad to see you're back among the living Karen. Nice outfit by the way." IF says in the same kind of tone I've grown accustomed to from Rika since I met her years ago.
"Likewise. Rejoining the living is a blessing after the injuries I took back in the Graveyard. I thought I would end up dying then and there." I say with a groan, trying not to sound like too much of a downer right now.
"Well aren't you fatalistic. Anyway, let's get moving. We need to find the Mascot." IF says in the same tone.
"Sure, let's go." I reply seriously to IF.
We exit the city and begin our trek to Virtua Forest when IF talks to me a little bit
"Nice sword there Karen, where'd you get it?"
"Long story." I say with a tone making it clear where I don't want to talk about it right now.
"I get your point, I'll ask later."
Chirper Events:
Lily Rank 3 – Karen + Nepgear
"Ugh, this sword is a little heavy. I never knew that swords could get this heavy, I never had to worry about things like weight in the virtual worlds."
"Are you okay Karen?"
"Depends on what you call okay. Aside from a pistol and the one day I've been awake here, I've never used weapons for real. I did use spears and a rapier once, but that was in Aincrad and Alfheim." I say with a sigh, with my memory flashing back to Vusago Casals in the hospital. I shot him in the chest with the Beretta I held and took his life. That definitely was not one of my happier memories.
"But the way you carry yourself makes it seem there's something else."
"You're perceptive Nepgear, I'll give you that. I'm not proud of myself but...I intentionally took the lives of two people, and I did lead at least a hundred people to death back in Aincrad. Try to cover it as much as you like but I'm as guilty of murder as the people in this one guild named Laughing Coffin. It were a guild full of criminals."
"Karen, I don't know your past, but I know that you are no criminal. No criminal would risk her own life to save me."
"Hehe, thanks for trying to cheer me up Nepgear. I just...It's just tough for me knowing I've been here nearly a month. I know Histoire said time flows differently from this world and Earth; but if time flows faster on Earth; I would never be able to face my friends, who knows if I'd even be able to see them again."
"You have nothing to worry about Karen, we'll make sure you and your friends make it back to your world and make it where you can meet them in a way where they barely notice you were gone." Nepgear smiles while saying this.
"Heh...Arigatou." I smile sincerely at Nepgear trying to cheer me up, with Nepgear keeping a finger near her mouth, feeling confused about my 'unique' speech patterns.
Lily Rank 4 – Nepgear, Compa, IF
IF lightly sighs
"Is something wrong IF? You've been a little off lately." Nepgear asks worriedly.
"It's nothing Gear. It's just that...I'm trying to see things through their eyes. Sure they did agree to help us, but I find it difficult to believe that they're doing this solely for our benefit. I imagine they want to get home as fast as they can, we did take them away from their friends and family after all. I just want to try seeing things as they do instead of my own perspective."
"I do feel bad for Karen and the others. We did force them to help us and abducted them from their friends and families." Compa frowns as she says this.
"Geez, I wanted to have the mindset that everything would be perfectly fine. Now my thoughts are being held up by how we're keeping these guys captive. I feel sick to my stomach thinking about it now." IF sighs deeply, beginning to regret the decision Histoire made.
"I will agree that it's unfair that we're forcing them to help us and how we took them from their world. But we did promise that we'd send them back once they help us." Nepgear interjects calmly.
"Yeah, you're right Gear, we're not going to keep these guys here forever." IF says with a forced smile but her mind is speaking entirely different thoughts "I wish I could say this but the odds of us being able to get them back to their own world is incredibly low. I know a few people from other worlds who have been here for years and have been stuck here. If anything, it makes it more likely that even if they keep their word, we won't be able to fulfill our end of the deal. I hope I'm wrong and Histoire finds a way to do something. They may easily see us as liars. We ARE liars at this current time. This is not going to end well..."
Back to story
Hyperdimension Standard Time: [12:00] June 27th 20XX
The four of us: Nepgear, IF, Compa, and myself have made it to Virtua Forest Depths, but we were supposed to link up with Kazuto and Katsuo by now...their absence from this area is worrying me.
"Karen, your friends were supposed to link with us here. Where are they?" IF asks in a slightly pissed off tone.
"That's what I want to know...Katsuo! Kazuto! Respond!" I say through the walkie-talkie Histoire gave me, with it having access to the ones given to Falcom, Mamoru, and the others.
I only get audio silence from Katsuo's communicator, but I do get responses from the others.
"Karen, what's going on?" Mamoru asks worriedly.
"Mamoru, I'm trying to contact Katsuo or Kazuto. They were supposed to link up with myself, Nepgear, IF, and Compa."
"Hmm...we actually lost contact with those two a few hours ago. I just assumed they were outside our communication range. But, if you're contacting me, that's cause for concern. Sorry Karen, but Shino and I are too far away for us to help you." Mamoru says with mixed tones.
"Karen, I'm only an hour away, I'll come reinforce you and find Katsuo and Kazuto." Yuuki says proudly.
"Godspeed to you Yuuki." I say in relief as I shut down the comm channel.
There's an awkward silence between all of us
"Let's go...we have two objectives now. Finding the Mascot Character is our primary objective, finding Katsuo and Kazuto are secondary, not mandatory to our success." IF says rather coldly.
"Why you..." I growl angrily toward IF's ice cold attitude toward my friends, it's as if literal sparks are being made between us "Okay, answer one of my questions IF. What the hell is your problem?! You've been acting like you don't care for the lives of the heroes you all are dependent on!" I say very angrily.
"How would you feel if your home was on the verge of destruction and the only chance you possibly had was to trust foreigners, who would possibly have no desire to truly save your home, doing what you wish solely to return to their own world and for them to possibly take as many shortcuts as possible, making the situation WORSE than it was before!" IF retorts angrily, with me starting to understand her annoyance a little, she is fearful the seven of us won't do what's best for Gamindustri.
"IF, I think I can see why you're angry now. Trusting foreigners with such sensitive situations can be troublesome, even if you know there's no other alternative. Trust me when I say that the seven of us will save Gamindustri from ASIC, the right way." I say, hoping I'm right on this one.
"Exactly, I don't truly have anything against you all. I just...I need to warm up to you all first." IF says quietly, walking further into the dungeon after she finishes speaking.
"Please don't blame IF, Karen. She's just thinking of what's best for Gamindustri." Nepgear says emotionally, with us trying not to fall behind IF's lead.
"I've learned that now. Let's continue onward." I say casually, trying to get used to wielding Celeste instead of my spear.
"Karen, you seem anxious, is something wrong?" Nepgear asks me worriedly.
"I'm not used to using swords. I've always used a spear since I took up fighting with weapons, the only other weapons I used aside from spears were a rapier...and that Beretta." I say nervously, since I'll need to adjust to a whole new fighting style, with me muttering the last part under my breath, not proud of it. I hate using weapons that can only take lives upon use, at least with swords, you can easily spare someone's life.
"I imagine it must be challenging to switch styles like that." IF says with a mild frown.
"It is. But I'm trying to get by so I can be of more use to everyone, I noticed in the battle against the dragons that all of these monsters fight in close range, so my spear won't help much." I say with a frown, while pressing forward with the others.
"Karen, don't push yourself solely to be of use to others. You need to care for yourself first." IF says to me worriedly.
"Hehe...you have no idea how many people have told me that. I always try to do whatever I can to protect everyone, even if I have to drive myself to exhaustion." I say casually, with a small laugh at the start.
"Hm, if you really do want to be of more help, you need to start learning skills."
"Uh...pardon?" I ask IF in a very confused tone.
"Oh yeah, you're new to this world and you spent fifteen days comatose. Let me try to explain. Your talents in the graveyard were good considering the circumstances, but you and the others were just swinging your weapons like crazys compared to the norm here. If you want to commit lasting damage, you need special skills you can trigger at a moment's notice."
"How do I get such skills?"
"Ophelia actually developed technology to help such things. Because of how you all aren't native to this world, you can't naturally learn them without extreme training sessions but she gave your friends gauntlets and they've already developed skills based on abilities they had from their world because of their sensory recording programs. According to her, the gauntlets can automatically create skills as time goes on and they're designed to match the wielder's own capabilities."
"But can't that get out of hand after a while?"
"I guess, but she implemented countermeasures in the form of unit limiters. You can only have eight skills recorded to a unit and unless you switch, it stops there."
"Good to know. I wish I was given one of these gauntlets though." I retort with a mild pout, since I'll be at a disadvantage compared to the others.
"How were we supposed to know? You've been comatose for a little over two weeks and we were getting ready to write you off as dead. Ophelia is rather logical and she didn't exactly want to waste resources creating such prototype technology for someone who won't even be around."
We proceed through the dungeon fighting a few monsters along the way, and while Nepgear, Compa, and IF appear naturally adept with combat, I can be considered a bit of a greenhorn though this sword certainly is what was advertised by Caelus in that dream or vision or whatever it was. This is my first time using this sword yet it feels like I've spent years fighting by her side now. I guess that the special power takes effect when the user goes into battle. When we get to the end of the dungeon, I see some sort of rock formation and a person in front of it. I also notice Katsuo and Kazuto unconscious nearby.
"I think that's the Mascot. The way Histoire described it makes it seem so." IF says casually.
I creep forward a little bit to see that wearing a gray jacket with a mouse eared hood, and I can see a tiny bit of green hair alongside an iron pipe this person is using as a weapon to break that rock formation. I also try to keep quiet as I approach Katsuo and Kazuto.
"Katsuo, you okay?" I whisper quietly.
"K-Karen...gah...dammit." Katsuo whispers in pain as he regains consciousness hearing me speak.
"What happened to you two?" I ask worriedly.
"We set up camp outside Virtua Forest at Histoire's request to await Nepgear's arrival. We were trying to find a way to quickly reach the Mascot with minimal monster confrontation when that girl ambushed us a while ago. She attacked and paralyzed us somehow with that iron pipe of hers...we haven't been able to move at all. Damn...I don't blame you Karen but ever since we saw you nearly die, Kazuto and I have been off our game."
"I see...I'm sorry Katsuo...anyway don't worry, we'll get you two treated as soon as we get that Mascot, just hold tight." I say compassionately, with worry at the start.
I motion to IF, Compa, and Nepgear to move forward, who notice that this person is attacking something repeatedly.
"Stop it! That doesn't belong to you!" Nepgear shouts, trying to stop the person, who's attacking this rock formation.
"Don't bother me brat, who the hell d'you think you are?" The girl says bluntly, turning around to face us.
"What are you doing?" I demanded angrily.
"What do you think moron? I'm killing this Mascot since it's a pain in the ass for ASIC."
"You're a member of ASIC?" IF asks in disbelief.
"My name is Linda, I am the most badass soldier in the entire Arfoire Syndicate of International Crime." Linda says in a prideful tone.
"A soldier? So...like cannon fodder. A peon, or maybe an Underling." IF says nonchalantly, causing Linda to widen her eyes in shock.
"Underling works." Nepgear says in the same tone as IF.
"Pleased to meet you Miss Underling." Compa says in her usual compassionate tone.
"What is with these girls?" I say, shaking my head in disbelief.
I can see that this girl: Linda is pretty pissed about being called Underling three times.
"What did you just say?! Who're you calling Underling?!" Linda states angrily.
"I actually feel a little bad for you Linda..." I say with a small sigh.
"Shut up. Just go back to where you came from and get out of our way, you're standing out too much." IF states angrily, opening one of her phones for some reason.
"Miss Underling, please don't try to sabotage us." Compa says in a ditzy tone.
"If our foe here is just an underling, maybe we can defeat her." Nepgear says casually.
"Guys...I don't think that-" I try to say before Linda interrupts me.
"You guys went too far..." Linda growls angrily "That's it! You've pissed me off now, you'll regret calling me that!" Linda says in a very mad tone.
Linda attacks us repeatedly, causing Nepgear to land on her rear end, and forcing IF, Compa, and myself to our knees.
"Dammit...She's stronger than she looks." I say in pain...this officially confirms that I can get hurt for real in this world, as if the battle with Judge didn't prove it enough.
"Haha, where's your witty commentary now? That was too easy, it's time I kill you all one at a time. First girl to die is..."
"Eep." Nepgear says in a whimper.
"You're first pipsqueak." Linda says with an evil smile, about to attack Nepgear.
"Watch out!" IF shouts, intercepting the blow Linda dealt.
"IF!" Nepgear shouts in surprise to see IF risk her life for her.
"Good...I made it in time...You seem okay." IF says with a nervous smile.
"This is hardly fine! Why did you risk yourself like that? I can't do anything..." Nepgear exclaims angrily.
"I did it because I wanted to Gear...besides...I left you and the others to suffer in that graveyard for three years. I was never able to live with myself for it. I never want to feel that way again." IF says with a frown. "I swore to myself I would defend you to the very end, no matter what." IF says with a serious smile.
"This reminds me a bit of when we met Madoka. Sylvia felt guilty for abandoning her for three years while we were trapped in Aincrad." I say in my mind.
"IF..." Nepgear says sadly.
"Gah; I feel so useless...damn it...I'm letting my friends down again! I need to help my them!" I growl angrily in my mind.
"Do you seek power? Power to save those you hold dear?"
"Huh...? Wait, it's you again?"
"Yes, I'm a part of you after all. I have come to give you a temporary boost of power so you can protect your friends. Just like you wanted." The voice says.
"Why go to such lengths for me Caelus?" I ask this CPU curiously.
"Heh, I guess that you learned about me from Histoire while I was resting. Look, you may be alien to this world, but you hold significant potential. I wish to see how you handle the power I give you."
I begin feeling strange after this statement
"Urk...what...what is this..."
I begin losing control of my body when I find myself enveloped by a bright light and I can see my body transform into a form with a futuristic shrine maiden appearance with metallic angel wings. What I find a little strange is that I can't seem to control my body anymore, not even something remotely subconscious like blinking. In addition to that, I can see my body entirely, not just a small arc of perception.
"What the?! Another CPU?! I thought they all got imprisoned by ASIC!" Linda shouts in surprise to see a new CPU.
"Never underestimate your enemy." I hear Caelus say with a rather angry tone, with her using my body and voice to voice this retort.
"Ah shit." Linda says in defeat.
"Karen...?" IF and Compa say in surprise.
"Prepare yourself! For your life ends here!"
I see my body draw a giant version of Celeste and attack Linda relentlessly. Right when when this CPU would've finished off Linda, I force her to stop, with my body looking paralyzed and holding the sword nearly an inch away from Linda.
"Stop it! I only wanted this power to defend my friends! Not to kill people, whether they are good or evil!" I shout to Caelus angrily, I don't want more blood on my hands after I killed Vusago. Once is far too much for me.
"You can't afford to be finicky in your convictions. If you hesitate, your life is forfeit. However, this is your body, so I will obey your request. But no one must know you have the ability to become a CPU yet as you are still too vulnerable and inexperienced in this world to handle the power of a Console Patron Unit. The only reason you were capable of pulling this was because I forced the procedure to activate, which does have side-effects. However, I must erase the memory of your transformation from everyone here, but if I try to erase yours, I will suffer for it, so you must keep this secret from everyone. I have to say, I'm surprised that I was able to manually trigger this so soon." Caelus retorts with a very stubborn tone, taking Celeste's pommel and slams it against Linda's forehead when it began to glow a platinum white.
"Whoa, what the hell are you doing?!"
"Relax, relax. It's a physical representation of the magic I'm using to erase their memories. I refuse to be gentle against our enemies, but I'll spare them unless the situation is different since this is your body and therefore: Your rules. I'll be gentler with the others however."
"Oh. I see. Thank you for sparing her." I say in a grateful tone.
"It is not important. Know that I will not come bail you out again until you are ready to handle the power of the Console Patron Unit." Caelus states mildly angrily, going to each of my friends and placing my index finger on their foreheads to erase their memory of my transformation, which causes them to pass out.
"Will my friends be alright? I accepted your power solely to protect them."
"Of course, but certain developments must be done. I must turn back time so Linda will fight against you once again and destroy the mascot. This time, against Nepgear so she can unlock her HDD form. It is crucial that she do so."
"Why does the Mascot need to be destroyed?! We need it tosave Gamindustri!"
"Calm yourself. The Planeptune Mascot will not be fully destroyed, you'll still be able to claim the power of the Mascot while evading the notice of the CFWs."
"I don't understand, how would preventing the Mascot's destruction alert the CFWs?"
"Think about your situation Karen Koizumi. If you recover the Mascot at full power, the CFWs will notice and come after you in force. After the experience in the Graveyard, you do not want to go up against any CFW any time soon. You and your companions need more power. Reduce ASIC's shares as much as possible, it will give you a fighting chance when you fight either Judge, Brave, Trick, or Magic. Let the mascot get destroyed and your window of safety will be extended."
Caelus then begins to turn back time, with her leaving one final message in my mind
"I cannot afford to have any of your friends having sensations of deja vu and recalling this event. That is why I erased their memory of this transformation. Also, I only had the ability to go back in time twice, and I just used it for the second time, so I can't help you in this way again."
Hyperdimension Standard Time: [12:00] June 27th 20XX
The CPU that possessed my body turned back time to before the fight began. I'm faking my injured status to maximize the effect of Nepgear's HDD revival. I'm also hiding the possession I went through from this CPU.
"The hell is with this all-girl soap opera? If you want to die together, I'll be happy to grant your request." Linda sneers angrily.
"I will not let you hurt my friends!" Nepgear says very passionately.
"Glad to see your 'get to business' face Gear. So, think you can beat this girl?" IF says with a small smile.
"Absolutely. We'll win this fight, no matter what!" Nepgear says in the same tone.
"Good to hear. Nepgear, if you need a shock to activate your HDD." IF says quietly. "Use my strength to kick start your HDD." IF says, pulling Nepgear close to her. I close my eyes not wanting to see what they're about to do...if anything happens.
When I open my eyes after hearing a flash or something, I see the CPU we saved back in the graveyard. "Good for you Nepgear; do what's right this time." I say with a smile.
"What the hell?! You're a damn CPU?!"
"Make your peace. You will fall, right here, right now!" Nepgear says with pride oozing in her voice.
Hyperdimension Standard Time: [12:30] June 27th 20XX
I saw the battle between Nepgear and Linda go down when I pretended to be paralyzed. When Nepgear finished the battle I 'recovered' from my paralysis and began trying to treat the injuries of everyone else as best I can. I don't have anything I can use to treat Katsuo and Kazuto sadly, because of the special 'Virus' ailment they've been infected with when they were attacked by Linda.
"GAHH! Dammit! You just totally went magical girl on me!" Linda says in shock, with a mild chuckle from me.
"Surrender and retreat. If you do so, I'll forgive you, just this once."
"Yes ma'am...I understand. You honestly me to blabber that! I'll just do what I came to do!" Linda says, rushing to the rock formation holding the Mascot.
"No, stop!"
"Sod off! Screw your damn request! Hiyah!" Linda says angrily, using her iron pipe to smash the mascot character to pieces.
"You had better be right about this Caelus. We're sacrificing the future of Gamindustri here." I say in my mind.
I can't hear her however so I'm guessing she truly does not plan on coming again.
"No...the mascot character..." Nepgear says sadly, walking among the shards of the Mascot.
"Hahaha, I'm done here. It's time for me to move on to Lastation. Later losers!"
"Get back here! Dammit she got away." IF growls angrily.
"Do not fret Miss CPU Candidate." The mascot: Purple Disc says serenely. "You do not need to worry either, I know of your interaction with the CPU: Caelus. I will not tell anyone until the time is right. Although I do not know much about it, Caelus took a significant risk in merging her life with yours. Not only is her life now dependent on yours, your own genetic makeup has been altered, to the point where you will eventually become a CPU as well."
"I see. So I'm going to become a CPU like Nepgear?" I ask curiously.
"Since Caelus merged with you, yes. While you still need time for your soul and body to adjust to Gamindustri, but when the time comes, you will be able to accept the immense power of a Console Patrol Unit. Of course, the process will be painful if you do not acquire the necessary components beforehand." Purple Disc says serenely, before moving on to talking with Nepgear.
"H-How are you able to talk?!" Nepgear asks in shock.
"I wasn't fully destroyed, only broken into pieces. I'm slightly angry at the fact I was broken in my sleep however. Miss CPU Candidate, I would like to entrust what remains of my power to you and your allies." Purple Disc says, transferring her power to Nepgear, with me feeling an increase in power as well.
"Amazing...the power of the mascot is this powerful?"
"Why do I feel stronger as well?" I ask myself curiously.
"Nepgear, I have no idea what is happening in our Gamindustri since I was in a deep sleep. However, I have little doubt that you and the future CPU will use the remnants of my power wisely." The mascot character says, apparently indirectly referencing me.
"She's gone...geez, that was...exhausting." I say with a few mild pants.
"I'm a little embarrassed over what I had to do to activate your HDD Gear." IF says nervously.
"This is unfair, only Iffy got to be lovey-dovey with Ge-Ge." Compa says with a pout.
"L-Lovey-Dovey...dear god..." I say, developing an embarrassed blush at the mere mention of 'Lovey Dovey'.
"Compa, it wasn't lovey-dovey, it was...never mind, let's go report to Histoire. Let's get outta here." IF says. "Actually, what she did mean by 'future CPU' at the end of that speech? Is there a new CPU somewhere?" IF states, pondering her thoughts.
"Let's not worry about it...Let's..." I try to say, before falling to the ground, the effect of Caelus' time travel apparently had a drastic effect on me though I've never even had the opportunity or inclination with any kind of time travel.
"Karen!" I hear Compa and Nepgear shout in surprise.
"What's the matter with her?!" IF asks worriedly, seeing me being lifted by Nepgear in her HDD form.
Nepgear puts three fingers near my neck which feel ice cold, making me squirm a little bit before I hear her talk.
"Her breathing is weak, but her pulse is just fine. She may have been pushing herself again." Nepgear says anxiously.
"Damn it Karen, you really need to try to learn to cut loose sometimes." IF says with a sigh, taking the walkie talkie from my pocket. "Yuuki, where are you?" IF asks, talking through it.
"I'm outside Virtua Forest, I was chasing a green haired girl, but she got away from me. What's your status?"
"Karen collapsed from exhaustion, Kazuto and Katsuo are infected with viruses and can't move. We're going to get out of this dungeon in a minute, and when we link up with you, we're going to use fast-travel." IF states calmly, though she is holding back mild fear from our conditions.
"Wait, wait, wait...there is...FAST-TRAVEL in this world?! I spent an hourRUNNING here!" Yuuki shouts in a very angry tone.
"It's not as convenient as you think, to use it, you need to enter the town or dungeon at least once. The whole teleport network works by scanning people's biometrics. Like I said, you need to enter a town or dungeon atleast once to use the fast travel network."
"I'll believe you this time, but if you're lying, I am so going to kick your ass IF!" Yuuki shouts angrily.
Hyperdimension Standard Time: [18:00] June 27th 20XX
I wake up, finding myself in the same teal colored medical wing, with Nepgear, IF, and Yuuki beside my bed.
"Karen, what happened out there? You suddenly collapsed on us." Nepgear asks worriedly.
"I was just a little tired. If I can get a decent rest, I'll be all better tomorrow." I say, making a little white lie, trying to ease their worries, even a little.
"It's tough for me to believe it since you collapsed on us twice since you arrived but...I'll give you the benefit of a doubt this time." IF says in a slightly worried tone.
"Try to cut her a bit of slack you guys. I've been speaking with the others, and they're all feeling heavy weight on their hearts since they arrived, even myself. We just need time to adjust to this new world." Yuuki says with a small frown.
"But I heard that you guys were trapped in other worlds before, how is this any different?" IF asks curiously.
"First of all...only myself, Katsuo, Kazuto, and Mamoru had that experience and IF; before now, we knew our world was on the other side. During Aincrad and Alfheim, the fact we knew our home was still there and we could one day return kept us going. This time, we're trapped in a different world, and there's no clear indication we can go back." I say rather pessimistically. Although I didn't say that it was absolute freaking hell being trapped in these different worlds, my tone makes it damn clear that while we worked together to keep ourselves from spiraling into depression, our time in virtual reality was among some of our worst experiences.
"Oh." IF says sadly, knowing the full extent of our problem now.
"I'm going to try getting some rest, if you all don't mind." I say sheepishly.
"Karen, I know you've spent a lot of time sleeping here, but I hardly think you should be living in the medical wing. We actually prepared a room for you here in the Basilicom, same with your friends. Ophelia helped us decorate it to your liking since she said she knows you the best out of everyone in your group." Nepgear says calmly.
"I see" I say, with a small nervous laugh following it. "I suppose that since we were childhood friends, she can make such a claim."
"If you need some help walking about Karen, let me know." Yuuki says with concern.
"I think I'll be fine." I say with a meek laugh, trying to ease their concern.
"You truly are a noble soul, I have repeatedly seen you put others before yourself. While you were resting, I read the reports on you and your friends, you always went out of your way to protect and guide people, while helping them gain the confidence to stand on their own feet and persevere." Purple Disc says calmly.
"You make me sound far more noble than I actually was. Sure I was able to truly help a small group of people, but for every person I helped, I caused the death of ten to twenty." I say quietly.
"Even so, I know that you have never let your failures stop youfrom doing what was right. You may have been responsible for the deaths of many, but you always pushed forward. That is why you were summoned to this world, your enduring determination in the face of adversity is your strongest gift. You desired to learn the strengths and weaknesses of your foes so you could protect those dear to you."
Hyperdimension Standard Time: [18:30] June 27th 20XX
The four of us: Yuuki, Nepgear, IF, and myself are outside a purple tinted door not far from the main chamber I first saw Histoire in.
"Karen, as long as you live here in Planeptune, this will be your room." IF says nonchalantly.
"I don't want to impose, I'm fine with staying in that medical wing." I say modestly.
"Karen, do you ever consider desiring more? From what I've seen of ya, you just seem to represent self-sacrifice." IF asks curiously, making a small sarcastic laugh as well.
"I have no problem with making sacrifices for the benefit of those around me."
"Either way Karen, you wouldn't want to disappoint Ophelia, do you? She was the one who oversaw this." IF says with a mischievous tone.
"Curse you..." I say with a little anger over the fact that IF is making a guilt trip over this.
I open the door to find a large room with dark blue walls, with a great deal of futuristic style furniture inside. Despite that, the aura of this room is identical to the one I had back on Earth which does help put me at ease. I suppose Ophelia went to great lengths to make this room feel like home to me.
"Wow." I say, lost for words, entering the room alongside Nepgear, with IF and Yuuki going elsewhere.
"Histoire and Ophelia had a thought that maybe creating an environment from your world would help put you at ease. All of your friends have gone through this as well." Nepgear says calmly.
"I heard we plan to go to Lastation soon, when will that be?"
"We'll go in a few days, Katsuo and Kazuto need time to recover from their viruses. I hear that you three helped saved me alongside Compa, IF, and Falcom. So, I asked Histoire if I could travel with you all specifically. She agreed, but either way, we need to wait for those two to heal."
"Geez, I don't know about Mamoru, Yuuki, and Shino, but god, the three of us are becoming freaking accident prone since we entered this world." I say with a disappointed sigh.
"Karen, is there a reason for that?" Nepgear inquires, apparently wanting to know why that is.
"If I were to guess, it could be because I nearly died back in the graveyard. Seeing a leader go through such a thing can devastate morale." I say, trying to think of a reason why Katsuo and Kazuto, some of our absolute best, have been so off their game since the Graveyard.
"Oh yeah, IF and Compa told me that you were badly wounded and near death." Nepgear says sadly.
"Yeah. It's why I was unconscious for so long after we saved you. According to my memory, Judge was three centimeters away from killing me permanently, it just barely missed my heart." I say sadly.
"Oh my goodness." Nepgear says, panicking somewhat.
"Gomen Nepgear, I didn't mean to scare you." I say apologetically.
"Gomen?" Nepgear asks, tilting her head in confusion.
"It means sorry." I say calmly, before sitting down at the computer desk in this room.
"You have such a strange language." Nepgear states frankly, walking toward me and sitting down at another chair nearby.
"Ehehe...a lot of people say that." I say with a nervous laugh. "Hey Nepgear, could you tell me about this world of Gamindustri? After all, I haven't learned much of this place since I spent a majority of time unconscious...haha." I ask curiously, with a nervous laugh.
"Well, it's a little tough to say, but the first goddess created Gamindustri who knows how long ago. This continent currently is comprised of four landmasses: Planeptune, led by my sister: Purple Heart; Lastation, led by the CPU: Black Heart; Lowee, led by CPU: White Heart; and Leanbox is led by CPU: Green Heart. All four of them are trapped in the graveyard." Nepgear says casually, with her crying at the end.
I get up and lightly embrace Nepgear because of the fact she's crying "Don't worry Nepgear, I will make sure your sister and the other CPUs are freed from ASIC. Although my friends and I were summoned here against our will; We will not give up until they are all free and ASIC is defeated." I say compassionately to the nervous Nepgear.
"You really do act like a big sister or mother Karen." Nepgear says with a small smile.
"It's a blessing and a curse. Not that I mind granted, but at times, I did want someone who could fill a big brother position. Sometimes being the maternal parent was a pain in the ass." I say with a mild sigh.
"Oh, I see. Karen, I know what you said, but um..." Nepgear says, muttering a good bit.
"Speak up Nepgear. If you mutter, I won't be able to understand what you want."
"I...I was wondering if I could be your sister." Nepgear asks me sheepishly.
"A sister...Nepgear, you sure that's what you want?" I ask in mild concern, something like is not something you should do on a whim. I'm actually surprised that Nepgear asked me this. I never really anticipated that this girl would want to be my sister.
"Yes." Nepgear says with a serious nod.
"Hmm; Nepgear, not that I'm not honored, but I'd recommend sleeping on it, I want you to be a hundred percent sure on this. It's not something you can simply undo later on." I say solemnly, starting up the computer to do research on this virus ailment, since I need to know how I can deal with it quickly, especially if we're in combat zones, away from proper medical facilities.
"You may be right." Nepgear says quietly, with Nepgear beginning to leave the room, which I notice.
"Actually Nepgear, if you're heading out, think you could try contacting Ophelia if it's not an inconvenience?" I ask her, since I have a strong feeling that Ophelia's technological expertise will provide what I need.
"Sure, she should be in her room." Nepgear says calmly, walking out.
I hope that Ophelia can get one of those gauntlets made for me since I'm really at a disadvantage compared to the others. I think I may become a full healer, since my aptitudes in combat is rather pitiful compared to my friends right now, though I may try taking a similar approach to Asuna, who is a Berserk Healer. Of course, considering that I can fight like a master with Celeste in hand, I suppose I have multiple options.
After ten minutes pass, Ophelia walks into the room
"Nepgear said you needed to talk to me, is there something you need?" Ophelia asks casually.
"Ophelia, I was wondering if you could design a gauntlet for me like you did for the others. Like them, I need some sort of edge in this world." I say seriously.
"Sure, I can do that, but I just need a bit of time to adjust one of our existing gauntlets to fit you. But don't worry, now that you're up and about, we'll get you ready to fight in no time."
"Thanks. I was practically useless in battle, I want to rectify that as much as I can."
"No worries. I'll make sure you can properly fight before midday tomorrow."
Hyperdimension Standard Time: [20:00] July 1st 20XX
During the last three days while Katsuo and Kazuto were recovering from their viruses, we've been building up Planeptune's Shares to a stable 20%, with ASIC controlling 70%, and the last ten are divided between Lastation, Lowee, and Leanbox. I've been training with IF and Yuuki since we got the Planeptune Mascot to build up my stamina and strength with my offensive and magical skills while Kazuto and Katsuo are recovering from their viruses.
Although magic exists in this world, the definition of 'magic' is a lot more technological compared to the standard in virtual worlds like Alfheim that I'm accustomed to. I just finished a training session with IF, with Yuuki and Nepgear watching the both of us. I can't compare to IF's attack speed with her two Qatars, but I'm getting decent at blocking individual strikes with Celeste.
"You impress me Karen, you're getting stronger every day. You nearly kicked my ass last time." IF says with a casual laugh.
"You're being modest, I'm still rusty with swords." I state casually, trying not to sound too egotistic when I talk with her.
"I'm not, you truly are getting better. Though I won't exactly deny your skill is rusty but...that one maneuver you pulled off yesterday was pretty good. How did you do it?"
"Beats me, it just came to my mind and I took a gamble." "I shouldn't even try to explain how I know that move, she wouldn't believe me even if I told her." I say in my mind, with her referencing a maneuver I did when Caelus possessed me back in Virtua Forest.
"Karen, if you're up for it, want to try a match against me and Nepgear?" Yuuki asks with an eager smile.
"A two on one? Hardly seems fair but I suppose I'll give it a try." I say with a mischievous smile.
Yuuki and Nepgear enter the dueling ring with IF being the one who spectates this time.
"To make things fun, here." Yuuki says, tossing a sword my way, with me recognizing the sword as Anduril, the sword she uses with her left hand.
I grab the sword to take up a dual sword combat style, though the stance is very clumsy because of the weight of the two swords and the new feel of this style. It also doesn't help that I can only use Celeste so well because of the special magic impregnated into the blade which allows its true owner to fight like a master.
"Urk...heavier than I thought." I say with a moan of handling dual combat "Um...I'll pass." I say nervously, returning the sword to Yuuki.
"Fair enough, we'll stick with single blade combat." Yuuki then casually sheaths Anduril.
We spread out in the ring with Yuuki and Nepgear on one side with myself on the other end. I draw Celeste while Yuuki draws the sword she kept: Arctia, and Nepgear draws her Beam Cutlass.
Nepgear is the first to charge at me, but her style is more generic compared to the ones we use in the virtual worlds back on Earth. She quickly activates one of her skills: Mirage Dance though, which I'm barely able to block from the fact skills are incredibly powerful in this world, and when she finishes the skill, I'm brought into a weakened state, but I'm still plenty strong from all the extensive training I've had over the last few days.
"Impressive Nepgear, but it's time I show you what I've been working on during my training." I say with a smile as I begin to activate the first skill I developed with my gauntlet "Rain of Destruction, come forth from the cosmos! Dark Saber!" I shout, slashing at Nepgear eight times, then I jump back in the air, form an X pattern causing it glow black, followed by a sphere after the X is made, which I then follow with a slam to send it toward Nepgear. When the skill hits her, a dark inferno envelops her, causing consistent and devastating damage to her in this match. After the skill ends, Nepgear is rendered unconscious and forced out of the ring, leaving only me and Yuuki in this training match.
I actually had some inspiration from magic from the Imp race of Alfheim Online and converted it into melee attacks to create this skill.
"You truly are brutal Karen." Yuuki says with a laugh "At this rate, you should be able to handle anything in your way, even those nasty CFWs. But before that, let's see how you fare against me!" Yuuki says proudly.
"Bring it on." I say proudly, with me knowing that she recreated the OSS she had in Alfheim: Mother's Rosario, into an actual skill in this world, with none of the hassle required unlike in Alfheim.
"Flower of Eternal Life, Mother's Rosario!"
"Rain of Destruction, come forth from the cosmos! Dark Saber!"
Our two skills intersect heavily and when they end, we both collapse from the power of those amplified skills. Not long after though, I can see IF and Nepgear approach the both of us
"You both okay?" IF asks rather nonchalantly.
"Hehe, I'm fine." I say with a laugh and a few pants.
"Same here." Yuuki says with a mild pant, but happily as well.
"It's starting to get late, let's eat some dinner and rest for the night." IF says casually.
"Ugh...it's a shame I missed that match. Karen versus Yuuki for real, I'd pay to see that." I hear a voice say from the distance.
I get up somewhat and notice Katsuo slowly walking toward the four of us.
"Katsuo, you're awake!" Yuuki and I say happily.
"I've actually been awake an hour now, but Compa and Histoire only let me walk around a little while ago. Compa actually used her syringe on me twice...ow." Katsuo says casually, and in mild pain at the end.
"I noticed you limping somewhat...did she?" I ask somewhat worriedly.
"Well, it's not the absolute worst area to receive pain but...how do I say it...I got my ass kicked."
"Ooh...ouch..." I say in a depressed tone, knowing where he got injected with the syringe now.
"Yeah. I thought Kana was scary when she got mad. Compared to her, Compa is a nightmare. Why is it that the ditzy girls are the most dangerous?" Katsuo says, shivering in fear.
"Somehow, I'm not fully surprised that Compa would try something like that. She's very serious about her work as a nurse." IF says seriously.
"I learned that the hard way." Katsuo says sadly, rubbing his rear end.
"Anyway, I need to get to sleep, I've been training my ass off." I say, yawning a little.
"Agreed, since Kazuto and Katsuo are feeling better, we'll need to head out tomorrow morning, we've been giving Underling too much time, she could've already found the Lastation Mascot." IF says worriedly.
"Well, I've been considering something Shino said a while back, or rather, before I went into battle at the graveyard, if this world truly does works like a video game, the further you get, the more difficult it becomes to get the thing you're looking for. Besides, enemies like Linda only ever manage to destroy one max." I say confidently. My parents run a video game graphics company so I naturally would be expected to know a fair deal about games.
"Hmm...perhaps you're right, besides, I hear that Mascots are extremely well hidden from everyone, even from Oracles." IF says nonchalantly.
"If you're worried about the Mascot, why don't you contact Falcom? You guys sent her to find it right?"
"Good point, but either way, she'll probably be sleeping right now." IF states calmly.
"Speaking of which; I seriously need rest." I say, before walking to my room.
Hyperdimension Standard Time: [6:00] July 2nd 20XX
The six of us: Myself, Kazuto, Katsuo, Nepgear, IF, and Compa are in the inner sanctum of the Basilicom, facing Histoire, Mamoru, Yuuki, Ophelia, and Shino. The six of us are about to leave Planeptune to go to the nation of Lastation to the east of here.
"It's been a while coming, but we're finally about to begin the next phase of the operation against ASIC. I need you six to go to the nation of Lastation and link up with Falcom, then find the Mascot. I need Mamoru, Yuuki, and Shino to remain here in Planeptune to perform quests to increase the shares available for the nations of Lastation, Lowee, and Leanbox, while trying to reduce ASIC's shares as much as possible. Build their global shares up to fifteen percent minimal, doing so will allow the CPUs to recover their strength quicker when they are freed." Histoire says calmly.
"Histoire, do you have any idea how long Karen and the others will be gone on this assignment?" Mamoru asks casually.
"It'll take a few weeks to reach Lastation by ship. Falcom informed us that she does not know the location of the mascot, but she is searching potential sites based on what you all uncovered during the search for Planeptune's Mascot Character. Ultimately, this journey may take up to six months depending on how long it takes to find the Mascots."
"A few weeks?! Histoire, we need to find these mascots fast. Can't you simply open another portal? That'd save us tons of time. And if it takes weeks to get to Lastation, why can't we simply go on foot like Falcom?" Katsuo nearly shouted when he heard of the time needed to reach Lastation.
"Normally I could open a portal for you all to get to Lastation instantaneously, but it would consume a significant amount of Shares, and we need to maintain as much power as possible until we recover the CPUs. I am sorry, but we cannot afford to waste Shares freely. And to answer your second question, CFW Magic and Brave have set up a barricade of the surrounding regions in addition to the fact that Falcom didn't go on foot, she fast-traveled since she's been to Lastation."
"Histoire, forgive me if my knowledge is wrong on this, but can't we simply make a new CPU to make things simpler for us all?" I ask curiously.
"I have never heard someone 'becoming' a CPU before, all of the CPUs have always been as such, but then again, my memory of the days of old would need time to recall. I should investigate the matter." Histoire says, putting a finger on her chin, pondering the thought.
"Karen, all of you, before you leave, I need to give you these." Ophelia says, pulling out four gauntlets and three computer chips.
"What are those for?" IF asks curiously.
"These gauntlets are improved versions of something we used in Earth's virtual worlds. I upgraded the original prototype designs with new features I placed in these computer chips. I wanted to give something familiar to my friends, the way you trigger these is the same as Aincrad and Alfheim. It took a lot of time to make it work that way, but I perfected it for these. Alongside the virus cure schematics, I've been developing these ever since I was placed in the research team."
Ophelia installs the computer chips into the dark red gauntlet that Katsuo owns, Kazuto's black gauntlet, and my own; while giving the violet one to Nepgear, the blue one to IF, and the orange one to Compa. She then inserts the computer chip into my silver gauntlet. There is also a bright red one as well, with me wondering who she made it for.
"Those computer chips will upgrade your gauntlets' computer programs to that of the others and will allow me to remotely install upgrades to all of your gauntlets from the comfort of the lab here in the Basilicom. Each gauntlet has a portable communicator and many other features that I can inform you of later. That spare gauntlet is for Falcom when you find her, you can also use these gauntlets to freely communicate with any of us." Ophelia says calmly.
"Why are you giving us these Ophelia? We can learn skills naturally." IF inquires, staring at her gauntlet with figurative stars in her eyes however.
"You guys need all the help you can get."
"Best of luck all of you. Mamoru, I'll leave you in charge in my absence." I say with a bow.
"Don't you worry. I'll be sure we're all in one piece when you return from your journey."
The six of us depart the room after giving our farewells to head to Planeptune's docks so we can take a ship to Lastation.
POV: Histoire
"Hmm...I think I may like that challenge." Ophelia states quietly and optimistically.
"What challenge?" Mamoru asks curiously, seeing stars in Ophelia's eyes.
"I have two inventions I'll need to make while Karen's away. I want to find a way for us to return to Earth without depending on the power of Shares, the second is to find a way, if possible, to create Console Patrol Units. Histoire, if possible, I would like for you to tell me as much about these CPUs, it could help."
"I will need time to determine if such things are even possible. While I do so, do what you've been doing before now."
"Sure. Yuuki, Shino, and I will head out within the hour to start doing quests to build up Shares." Mamoru says casually.
"Complete as many quests as possible, and if there truly are no more, I will send you to Lastation to handle quests there. You will travel together and build up shares while your friends handle finding the mascots."
"That seriously makes it seem like they have the easy end of the stick. While we're working our butts off doing quests, all they need to do is wander until they find the Mascot." Shino says with a small sigh.
Author's Notes: The outfit I described is in my photobucket and if you look through the pictures I have there, you can quickly find the concept that I'm drawing upon.