Everyone woke up the next morning raring to go and further their progress. And after eating breakfast, they made their way to Lowee. After some time, they finally made it to the snow-covered city.
"Here I am, Lowee! And I made it here first, so I win!" Red shouted as they entered the city.
"Calm down there. It wasn't a race, so there's no need to get all excited. But I suppose we should be quick about things." Desmond deadpanned as he entered with everyone else.
"Wow… it's so… cold, bout the scenery really takes your breath away…" Nepgear stated as she looked around the place.
"C'mon, it's not that cold, is it? But of course, I always been a little bit immune to the cold." Desmond asked.
"Lowee is covered in snow all year. We should all buy some warm undies to keep the cold away!" Compa stated.
"Only if we have time to spare. We need to gather info, pronto." IF declared.
"I agree. To the Guild, then?" Nepgear questioned.
"No. Straight to the Basilicom. I haven't heard anything bad about the Oracle here, so we'll be fine." IF answered.
"It is true that the Oracle here is nicer. That doesn't always mean that she'll cooperate 100% with our way of doing things." Desmond stated as he looked at IF. "But, it'll be fine so let's hurry."
The group walked through the streets of Lowee for a bit before Nepgear asked a question "I take it the Basilicom's up this road?"
"It is. It won't be long before we're there." Desmond responded.
"Lookit, everyone! Someone's making a real commotion. Let's check it out!" Red declared while pointing in the direction of the noise.
"We don't have time to get sidetracked, so… huh? That's…" IF started.
"Underling." Desmond interjected as he deadpanned "Why does it always have to be her. Ugh. Let's see what she's up to." The party walked over to be within earshot of what Underling was saying. It looked like she just finished making a sales pitch.
"Why the hell do I have to do the sales pitch grunt work? Passing out flyers and crap. I wouldn't have gotten stuck doing this if it weren't for those stupid brats!" Underling complained.
"Excuse me, are we the brats you're talking about?" Compa asked nonchalantly.
"Ya, the dumb blonde chick, the transforming baby, the snob, the "wifey" musclehead and the electric brute." Underling said without realizing who she was speaking to.
"Snob, huh? I didn't know that having proper manners came across that way." IF stated.
"Transforming baby…? Do I really look that little?" Nepgear questioned.
"Wifey musclehead? Don't be hatin' just because you're not on my hit-that list!" Red complained.
The three looked at Desmond expecting him to say something "Huh? What? She kind of hit the nail on the head. I have electric powers and I can go a little overboard sometimes." The three sweat dropped at the last part of his sentence.
"Uh-huh… H-Hey, it's you all! Oh, what the hell!? When'd you get here!? How'd you find me!?" Underling questioned.
"We weren't loking for you, but this commotion makes you stand out. And now we can't let you get away." IF declared.
"Ya, your yelling tends to be annoying. But it does help in tracking you down." Desmond deadpanned.
Underling was looking around, worried a bit at the situation "Dammit, this could be real bad… Hey, you! Stray kid!"
"Hey, don't call kids strays, they're not animals." Desmond stated.
Underling finally grabbed ahold of a nearby kid "Don't move, you're my ticket outta this mess. Heh, you all better not try anything, or the kid gets it!"
"Back to basics, huh? How cliché." IF said.
"Let her go! She has nothing to do with any of this!" Nepgear shouted.
"Shaddap! ASIC is all about playing dirty, y'know? Now, if you'll excuse me…" Underling responded before running off.
"Wh-What should we do!? Miss Underling just kidnapped a little girl…" Compa asked with concern.
The air grew warmer and clouds started to form in the sky, the girls noticed the weird change in the weather before looking at Desmond whose head was tilted slightly to the side and looked all too calm and almost dead eyes "Hahahahahaha. You don't think you'll be able to get away do you girl." He straightened his head and licked his lips, as a large grin grew across his face "Hehehehe. But I guess it's nice to hunt for your prey every now and then." Then a large bolt of electricity hit him from the sky, he than dashed off in the direction that Underling had gone.
After saying that the girls were… a bit worried. And with good reason, none of them have seen him look this… insane.
'Did he know the girl that was kidnapped? He did stay here a lot during the three years.' IF thought, trying to find a reason for the sudden change in Desmond. "Let's follow him girls!"
"Right!" the others said in unison as the ran on.
After a while of running Underling finally stopped after she thought that she had gained a safe distance. "Okay… I should be safe here…"
"Founnnnnndddd yoouuuuuuuu!" Desmond said with sickening growl and an evil grin, as he slowly walked forward.
The rest of the party wasn't too far behind the first to say anything was Red "Halt!"
"Come on! Already!?" Underling questioned annoyed that they got there so fast.
"Let the kid go and you can walk away from this unharmed." IF declared.
"She will let her go. But she is not getting away from here unharmed!" Desmond growled.
"You nuts? This kid's my ticket outta here! Or are you gonna fight me when I got a tiny human shield?" Underling stated.
"Um, well…" Nepgear started as she thought of the situation.
"So what was our plan, again?" Red asked.
"I don't think we thought very hard about this…" Compa replied.
Rom noticed someone in the group and called out "Help me big brother…"
After a few moments, a silence Underling spoke up "Hahahahah! You're all idiots! I mean, really? You didn't even have a plan? Give me a break!"
"I have a plan. It's to kick your ass, ground you into the dirt and then roast you alive, till you're nothing but ash and bone." Desmond stated rather gruesomely.
The rest of the group sweat dropped at the sound, IF then spoke up "W-We're not doing that."
Underling spoke up again "I still can't believe you didn't have a plan. As for me… I think I packed one… Yeah. Okay, come on out! That's your opponent for today. Just remember which of us has the upper hand this time! Hahaha!"
"I do know who has the upper hand." Desmond said in a gruff voice, before striking the machine with lighting from the sky obliterating it with one hit."
"Wh-What the hell!? How the hell did you do that!?" Underling demanded.
"Like I said, you will not leave here unharmed." Desmond said in a voice all too calm and a piercing glare.
Suddenly a voice came from above "Let Rom go, NOW!"
"Huh? From above?" Underling questioned as she was hit by the person who owned the voice.
"Rom! Are you okay!?" Ram asked.
"Ram! Raaaam!" Rom cried as she ran to her.
"No freaking way! Another CPU!?" Underling questioned.
"How dare you make Rom play hostage and make her cry! You'll pay, dummy! C'mon Rom, you activate HDD, too. Let's beat this big jerk all the way to last week!" Ram stated and Rom activated HDD.
"Wh-What in the holy crap!? Not one, but two more CPUs!? This is getting so messed up!" Underling said baffled.
Shortly after that a battle broke out, which was short lived with the overwhelming power of the party plus Lowee's Candidates.
"I'll get you next tiiiiime…!" Underling shouted before starting to run off, but was caught by a pissed off Desmond. In the meantime, the rest of the girls were talking and arguing a bit. IF though had noticed Desmond off in the distance and quickly tried to get to him.
Desmond grabbed Underling by the neck and pinned her to the wall "Who said you could go anywhere? I said that you weren't leaving without some harm done and I don't think they did much harm. Sooooo…" Desmond spoke calmly before he formed his hand blade with his right hand. "What should I do first… tsk, tsk, tsk… should I start by removing your limbs as you scream out before silencing you? Or should I just burn you alive? Hmmmm… so many options. How would you like to die? I'll take your request." He finished with venom in his tone.
"What are you crazy!? Good guys don't go around killing people!" Underling shouted freaking out.
"Hmmm. That's right good guys don't do that… but here's the difference between your thoughts and the real world. There is only evil people and then there is those that silence them. It could be in many different means, they could be jailed, just peacefully stop, put on trial, or killed. So that means that there are no "good guys" just people that need to be stopped and those to stop them. And you making Rom a hostage, just makes me want to put you down even more. So… without any further wait… it's time for your demise." Desmond brought down his blade toward Underling before he was stopped by a loud yell and someone grabbing him.
"Stoooop! Desmond, what do you think you're doing!? You can't let your anger control you! Come on and quit it!" IF said as she hugged Desmond from the back while also trying to hold back his right arm, by grabbing his shoulder. "You told me to stop you before you went and did something like this, so I'm making good on my promise."
Desmond stood motionless for a few moments still holding Underling by the throat. He let out a large sigh before getting rid of his hand blade. "You're right, I did say that. Thank you. But I still made a promise that she was not leaving her unharmed, so." He materialized a knife and brought it to Underling's cheek "I'll leave her with a small reminder, what happens when someone attempts to harm someone that I care about. And let it be shown to all of her coworkers in her organization to stop their foolish crap." Before IF could say or do anything Desmond brought the knife down on Underlings face, from just underneath her left eye, to the lower part of her cheek bone as she cried out in pain. "Don't worry, the worst that'll do is scar. Now I suggest that you leave and tell others to keep away and quit ASIC. If not we can just arrest you, then put you on trial for war crimes." He stated as he released Underling "And you better leave fast before I change my mind and kill you."
Underling quickly sped off while holding the left part of her face. "Why did you let her go?" IF asked.
"Like I told her… to get rid of more ASIC members by telling them what we can do. Divide the enemy through fear. That's what I wanted to do. Tear apart any form of confidence they might have. Plant seeds of doubt within their minds, get them thinking. And get rid of any hope they still cling too. I have used this tactic before. I've fought them enough that it can get boring sometimes. So, if I can get some members to leave, the easier it is for me." He responded as he laid his back against the wall.
IF thought about it for a moment before responding "Ok, I see what you mean… I don't think I could do that, forcefully making people fear me. but I understand. Also, why did Rom call you her brother? ... … Did you and Blanc get married without anyone else knowing?"
"What? What are you talking about? I just took place of the older sibling role, taking care of the twins while Blanc has been away. Don't think up something ridicules. I only knew her for about a month, no way something like that would happen." Desmond explained.
"Well, that makes more sense at least." IF stated.
"Hey, thanks for stopping me back there. She might not be the best person in the world but it's not like she's killed anyone. Unlike most of the other ASIC members I've encountered. It's nice to know that I don't have innocent or mostly innocent blood on my hands." Desmond spoke softly, looking directly into IF eyes while holding her shoulder with his left hand for a moment before removing it.
"N-No problem, I'm here for you anytime." She responded with a slight blush across her face.
Desmond nudged IF "Hey, where's Rom and Ram?"
"What do you mean? They were with the… others…?" IF said as she looked toward the party of just Nepgear, Compa, and Red. "Where did they go!?" She called over to the girls.
"W-Well, after Rom was saved Ram started yelling at us about failing to save Rom and that I'm their enemy because I'm Planeptune's CPU Candidate." Nepgear responded.
"So, what happened next?" Desmond asked.
"They wanted to fight so, we fought them and then they flew off." Compa stated.
"Ugh. Those two." Desmond said quietly as he shook his head. "Let's hurry to the Basilicom girls."
"Ok." The rest stated.
The party arrived at the Basilicom, Desmond opened the door as they all walked in. Nepgear was the first to speak "All that excitement set us back, but we finally made it to the Basilicom. Pardon us, anyone here?"
"Hey! Mina where are you… oh, there you are. What's up? It's been a couple of weeks. Everyone this is Mina the Oracle of Lowee… Mina everyone." Desmond said.
"Hello Desmond, it's nice to see you again. Welcome to Lowee's Basilicom." She looked at Nepgear "Oh, my. Forgive my presumption, but are you Planeptune's…?"
"Yes, I'm Nepgear, the CPU Candidate of Planeptune. We came here today because we want to ask for help…" Nepgear answered.
"For a CPU Candidate to come all this way must mean there's some very important matter to discuss." Mina stated. Nepgear gave her the reason why the party was there. "I see… So, you are seeking our Mascot's power."
"So…?" Nepgear questioned.
'Unfortunately, there is nothing I can do to help you right now." Mina said.
"Uh-oh, why not?" Compa questioned.
"Lowee's Mascot has a very important mission. If it leaves, our nation will be swallowed up by unprecedented chaos." Mina answered.
"Mind if I ask what its mission is?" IF asked.
"I do apologize, but the importance of its mission is so great that all relevant information is classified." Mina stated.
"Even to me?" Desmond spoke up.
"Even though you have been a great help to Lowee, you are not originally from here. So, I must refrain from giving you this information." Mina responded.
"But there are bad people out there trying to find and beat the Mascots into a pulp!" Red commented.
"If she can't tell us anything, we'll just have to track it down the old-fashioned way." IF stated.
"It would be rude of me to shoo away such well-traveled guests without giving you something, so…" Mina started. "How about a story? Do you know Lowee's lore regarding the Deity of Sin Arfore?"
"I've never heard any stories about it, no." Nepgear responded.
"Why haven't you told me this story yet?" Desmond asked.
"You never asked." Mina answered.
"Kinda hard to ask a question, when you didn't know you had the question in the first place. But whatever, continue." Desmond said with his arms crossed.
"Arfoire is said to have been born in Lowee. Before I continue, do you know what the Deity of Sin is?" Mina questioned.
"Now that I think about it… No, not really." Nepgear stated and a few others shook their heads.
"ASIC is trying to revive it, so I figure it's some kind of god that'll grant them power." IF commented.
"No, such a convenient god does not exist in this world. In fact, "deity" is hardly an appropriate descriptor." Mina started. "The Deity of Sin exists solely to bring destruction and chaos… No mortal can control its power. It is even said that Gamindustri was on the brink of disaster when the Deity of Sin was first born."
"Gamindustri's destruction…" Nepgear said quietly with a thoughtful look.
"So why would these ASIC people want to revive a big baddie like that?" Red asked.
"Ya, wouldn't they be hurt, too?" Compa added.
"ASIC doesn't truly wish to revive it. It's a tool, a ploy, used to increase their organization's clout. If they had done the proper research on the Deity of Sin, they wouldn't spread word of it among the public." Mina stated.
"Maybe the lower-ranking members of ASIC are being used, too." IF commented.
"It's tough to tell what their true intentions are without word from the leaders directly." Desmond said with a hand to his chin.
"If so, I question their leader's sanity. This would ultimately lead to their own destruction, as well. I hope this story helped to shed a bit of light on the situation." Mina finished.
"The bad part is that the leaders probably don't care about their own death. At least we know what kind of thing ASIC is trying to resurrect." Desmond stated.
"Wow, I know I'm short, but this is going way over my head. So like, what do we do now?" Red asked.
"Nothing's changed. We just have to beat up ASIC, their leader, and whatever else gets in our way." IF answered.
"You're speaking my language." Desmond said as he cracked his knuckles.
The twins run in from the hallway, Ram yelled out "Mina, food!"
"Hungry…" Rom followed.
"Now, now. Mind your manners, kids. We have guests right now, so could you please wait a bit longer?" Mina responded.
"Guests? Ah! It's the CPU dummy! She's come back to bully us more!" Ram shouted while reeling back a little. Rom backed up slightly as well.
""CPU dummy"? Heavens, child, that is quite rude!" Mina stated.
"Yes… yes, it is. Ram!" Desmond stated, clearly not happy with the hostility toward Nepgear.
"Ahh! Oh, hey Desmond… h-how are you? W-when did you get here?" Ram greeted slightly nervous.
"H-Hi… big brother…" Rom said quietly, still partially behind Ram.
"I heard that you all got in a little spat with these lovely ladies, while I wasn't nearby, for no reason whatsoever. Am I correct?" Desmond asked.
"But there is a reason! She is a CPU from a different nation, that means she's our enemy!" Ram exclaimed while pointing at Nepgear. Rom shook her head, going along with Ram.
Desmond let out a sigh before talking again "Yes, she is from another nation. But that does not mean she is an enemy. Gamindustri is in desperate times, meaning that the nations need to come together to fight back against the evil plaguing the world. Which also means she is not your enemy! You are children, we are adults. If there is a serious situation you should find either Mina or I, so we can figure out what ever is going on. Do you understand me!?" he finished with authority.
Rom nodded timidly, while Ram tried to talk back but only got a word out "But…"
"Are you trying to talk back…? Desmond asked with a dark aura forming around him.
"N-No!" Ram quickly responded while shaking her head.
The dark aura went away as he smiled "Good! Now come here." He pulled them into a hug "It's been a bit. Are you ok Rom? Underling didn't hurt you did she? Because if she did I'll…" he started before calming himself down and stopped that sentence. He let go of the girls and stood back up.
"I'm… ok." Rom responded.
"Good." Desmond stated.
As Desmond chewed out the twins Nepgear filled in Mina on what happened. "Now I see. They misbehaved and attacked you, did they? I am truly sorry!" Mina apologized.
"No, no. Please, there's no need to apologize…" Nepgear stated.
"No. As their guardian and educator, I fear I must extend my apologies on their behalf." Mina responded. "Now then, what do you say, kids?"
"Lame! Why do I gotta apologize? I'm not saying anything to that CPU dummy." Ram said annoyed.
"What did I just get finished telling you?" Desmond asked a bit sharply.
"Just because we're not enemies, doesn't mean I have to be friends with her!" Ram responded.
"No, that's not what you're supposed to say in this situation. Try again." Mina commented.
"Hmph! They were so mean, and they were all like, "We're gonna attack you for no reason now, hahaha!"" Ram stated.
"We lost… It really hurt…" Rom added.
Both Desmond and Mina looked at the twins with a dangerous glint in their eyes "What. Do. Good little girls. Say?" Mina asked.
"Yes… And we know the truth of what really happened. So, what is it that you say?" Desmond also asked.
"I'm so sorry! Really!" Ram said.
"Sorry…" Rom added.
"Did anyone else just feel a very dark, scary aura…?" Compa questioned.
"I knew Desmond was capable of such a thing. But I guess there's more than meets the eye with Lowee's Oracle, too." IF commented.
"Please don't worry about it. We actually wanted to ask them for help, too." Nepgear stated.
"As their guardian, I must vehemently refuse that request. As you can see, they're still children. But if they wanted to assist you as fellow CPU Candidates, perhaps I could make an exception." Mina responded.
"No! I don't play with dummies!" Ram interjected.
"Uh-huh." Rom added.
"Seems hopeless. Whatever. We said what we wanted and got what we could, so let's go." IF stated.
"I'm sorry we couldn't offer much, but if I may warn you… Lowee has had a recent uptick in crime. Rumors have even begun, saying that it heralds the start of something unprecedented. Do be careful." Mina warned.
"We will, thank you. I hope we meet again soon." Nepgear responded.
The group started to make their way to the entrance. Desmond was still back a few feet with the twins "Be careful you two. Stay out of trouble, and be nice to Mina. If I find out you do something stupid while I'm out… well… Mina probably will have already punished you so, ya…" He finished while rubbing the back of his head. "Anyway, we'll be back before we leave Lowee. Ok." The two nodded and he rubbed their heads. He turned to Mina "Thanks again for your hospitality, Mina."
"You and your friends are always welcome, Desmond." Mina responded as she gave him a small bow. After that Desmond grouped up with the rest of the party.
The party walked through the city streets, until they saw Underling. They decided to follow her to see if she would lead them to the Mascot. But she didn't. Instead it seemed like she was doing menial chores for ASIC. The party stopped her before she could finish her job.
"It doesn't look like Miss Underling is looking for the Mascot at all." Compa commented.
"Maybe she doesn't know where it is? I mean, she's just an underling." Red added.
"Possibly so… If that's the reason, at least we won't have to worry about her smashing the Mascot." Desmond stated.
"I didn't expect this plan to work perfectly, anyway. Maybe we should think up a new strategy." IF said.
"U-Um… Please excuse me for a moment…" Nepgear said quickly.
"What's up? Oh, I bet it's tinkle time, isn't it? The cold makes me pee a lot too, so go for it!" Red declared.
Desmond walked up to Red and chopped her head "You can be quite stupid sometimes, you know that." He turned to Nepgear as Red rubbed her head "Gear, whatever you need to do just hurry. We need to find the Mascot as fast as possible." After that Nepgear walked off.
About an hour and a half later, Nepgear finally joined back up with the party. "I…I'm so sorry I'm late!"
"There's an understatement. How long did you plan to putz around in the bathroom!?" IF asked.
"Seriously, but even as late as you are we need to hurry." Desmond stated.
"Oh, did something happen?" Nepgear questioned.
"We overheard Miss Underling on her cellular telephone! She was saying things like "Mascot," and "Block Dungeon," and other nifty keywords…" Compa answered.
"My money is that she went to the dungeon she mentioned on the phone! Let's get there ahead of her!" Red declared.
"Thank you for saying it, let's get a move on. I might know what dungeon Underling was talking about." Desmond said as he started to run. The others followed.
The party reached the dungeon they set out for, the world labyrinth. They fought into the depths until they found the Mascot.
"Dude! Mascot sighted!" Red shouted as she ran forward.
"We made it here first." Compa commented.
"Good. Let's hurry over to it." Desmond added.
"Who's there?" The disc of white asked.
"Hello. We're sorry to intrude, but we'd like to ask for your help. Could you please lend us your aid?" Nepgear answered.
"Is that… Neptune? No, no… You resemble her, but your aura is unmistakably different…" The disc started.
"You know my sister?" Nepgear questioned.
"You know Neptune?" Desmond added.
"Your sister, huh? I see… You're her younger sister... And how do you know Neptune young man?" White Disc asked.
"I'm a friend of Neptune." Desmond answered.
"I know Neptune very well. She was the one who asked me to stay here, after all." White Disc continued.
"What? Why would Planeptune's CPU give orders to Lowee's Mascot?" IF questioned.
"Lowee has no Mascot. ASIC made sure of that." The disc begun.
"So, then you're from…" Desmond started
"I was originally one of Planeptune's Mascots, until I came here on Neptune's behest. She asked that I ensure prosperity for Lowee, a land that had lost all its Mascots." The disc answered "That said, I cannot help you. It would go against the order that your own sister gave me. Or do you wish to ignore your sister's commands and force me to come along with you?"
"Th-That's… But Neptune's being held captive, so… Um, well, I mean, we should…" Nepgear stuttered to speak.
"Sorry. Perhaps my words were a bit harsh. But that's not the only reason why I must remain here." White Disc stated. "The Oracle of Lowee gave me a very important mission. I cannot abandon this duty, no matter what."
"Can you tell us what this mission entails." Desmond asked.
"Well…" The disc of white started.
"Found ya! You're mine, Mascot!" Underling roared as she interrupted the disc.
"Underling already caught up!" Red spoke up.
"So, it seems." Desmond added with a small sigh.
"What the hell? How'd you idiots find this place!?" Underling questioned.
"Mwahaha! We beat you here after we eavesdropped on your phone call!" Red responded.
"Dude, that's really low… Not very CPU-like at all, y'know!" Underling stated a bit annoyed.
"Not our fault that you yell everything you say to the entire world. You know, there might have been a guy in a coma over in Leanbox that might not have heard you." Desmond mocked.
"Tch. Well, it doesn't matter. I came prepared this time!" Underling yelled.
"Uh-oh! Look at all the Mister Monsters!" Compa said with a little worry.
"Don't worry Compa, there's not that many… I mean sure, there's at least a few dozen here. But it ain't that bad. Anyway, it's been a little bit since I've fought something." Desmond stated as he ran off and started slaying monsters.
"Ya, have fun with that. In the meantime…" Underling muttered as she snuck around to get to the Mascot.
"Tch. This could be bad. Let's get rid of these monsters, quick!" IF commanded as the rest of the party joined Desmond.
After most of the fighting was done, the group looked around to make sure they got all the monsters. Desmond was finishing off the last monster. Then Nepgear spoke up "We did it! Is the Mascot still okay?"
"I…I think the Mascot disappeared!" Compa stated.
"Hahahaha! Disappeared is right! I destroyed it while you were busy fighting my minions!" Underling bellowed, as she gloated over the situation.
Desmond stood over the last creature as he pulled his sword from its corpse as it disappeared into data. "Wait, what?" he questioned as he only partially heard what Underling had said.
Nepgear walked up to the remains of the disc and gathered them together "This…is the disc that housed the Mascot… it's in pieces…"
"I hope you realize what you've done. We won't let you run away this time!" IF yelled.
"Oh? Are you sure you have the time to waste on me? With the Mascot gone, it's gonna be released." Underling stated.
"Um, what is?" Compa asked politely.
"The machine sealed away in another dimension by the Mascot! The Killachine is back, bitches!" Underling yelled while a Killachine started to come out from the other dimension.
"Whoa! Wh-What is this thing? It looks… really cool, like a super robot used in war!" Red said as she looked at the thing in awe.
"So, the mission the Mascot had must've been to keep this thing from becoming active!" IF deduced as the party stared at the machine.
"Here it comes! If we can release a ton of these at once, Lowee will surrender to us overnight!" Underling stated. "Go, Killachine! Rid me of these noisy brats once and for all!"
"Get ready!" Nepgear commanded.
…
…
…
"It's not moving." Red stated.
"Pffft. Hahahaha! Your stupid hunk of junk won't work! Maybe you should check your equipment before using it in the field!" Desmond said as he continued laughing and Red joined with him.
"J-Just gimme a sec, wouldja?" Underling asked before walking toward the machine "Yo, Killachine? Hey, dude…" the Killachine didn't respond.
"Maybe it got all rusted from being sealed away for so long…" Compa stated.
"Try calling tech support!" Desmond called as he chuckled.
"Th-That's not funny! Why is this happening? And after that badass setup, too… Move it, scraphead!" Underling yelled as she hit the machine. The Killachine whirled to life as it started moving. "Ya! That's what I'm talking about!"
"Aww, man. That sucks… it's working now." Desmond complained.
"How archaic. It must be an old machine if you can fix it with a couple of solid kicks." IF stated her observations.
"Shaddap! Who cares, as long as it ends up working!? Go get 'em, Killachine!" Underling commanded.
"Ok, everyone get into positions." Desmond stated as everyone grouped back up.
The Killachine roared as it made its way toward the party. Slamming it's weapons into the ground as it neared. "IF and Red, flank it! Compa provide covering fire! Gear you'll be with me!" Desmond commanded the group as he materialized his weapons.
"Ok!" the girls responded.
IF moved right and Red went left, moving around the machine. As they did that Desmond and Nepgear dashed forward and started slashing the Killachine. And Compa shot at it with whatever she shoots out of that syringe of hers. IF and Red attacked the machine from the sides and back but not much was done. Desmond and Nepgear were making a little headway, but more damage needed to be done. Desmond and Nepgear were about to go back for another attack, as the Killachine brought down its weapons toward the two. Desmond created an electric shield to protect them both, the strength of the attack pushed the shield down creating a small ring where the electricity touched the ground. After the shield was lifted he motioned for Nepgear to step back toward Compa, as he did as well. IF and Red joined them.
"Whoa, that's some solid steel!" Red exclaimed.
"Ya, and between the other monsters and putting up that shield… I'm out of juice." Desmond remarked as he could barely make a spark.
"Dang, this is getting us nowhere. We gotta pull back for now and see if the Oracle has any advice!" IF commented.
"As much as I hate to say it, ok… let's go." Desmond added as the party ran off.
After reaching a safe distance they stopped for a moment and Compa spoke up "Phew. We're all safe for now."
"Ya. Let's see the Oracle. If more of those machines appear, we're in for a really long night." IF stated.
"DAMMIT!" Desmond yelled as he punched one of the block walls, cracking it a bit. "After three years of training this power and still I have such annoying limits! I should be able to use it a lot more by now!"
"Calm down. You're still human y'know, you can only do so much." IF stated as the girls moved over to him. Compa checked his hand for injuries.
"IF is right Desmond. I'm a CPU and even I have my limits." Nepgear said trying to help the situation.
Desmond let out a heavy sigh before talking "I know, I know… It's just a bit annoying, not taking down an enemy that is clearly a threat to a nation that I have been trying to protect for the past three years. Let's just get back to Chika and formulate a plan to take that thing down next time."
"Ya! Next time we'll go in there and beat that thing up real good." Red commented.
"Yessy." Compa said before she bopped Desmond on the forehead.
"Hey!?" he exclaimed.
"Don't go around hitting stuff like that. You could hurt yourself, and we don't need you getting injured before we go into a fight. Got it." Compa said stern tone and a serious face.
"I'll try. Can't make promises though." Desmond responded with a half smile. Shortly after, the party made way toward the exit and headed to the Lowee Basilicom.
I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Took a little bit longer to get this out than I wanted too. But all well, at least I got it done. Leave a review and let me know what you think. And as always have a good day.
