Chapter 2 – Infinite Stratos

"Soren…Soren…"

'Mmph…go away…let me sleep…'

"Please Soren… It's me…Histoire."

'Huh? Histoire…? Oh, you're the magical talking book that's probably a figment of my imagination due to stress.'

"…I am not a figment of your imagination Soren. I am very real. Still I digress, I need your help."

'A job huh…? Never got a job request in a dream before… Alright, what is it?'

"Thank you Soren. The job that I have for you is to free me from my prison. I have been sealed away somewhere and I need help to be freed."

'Hmm, sounds simple enough, but I barely know you. How do I know this isn't some kind of trick?'

"I understand, I should introduce myself a bit more clearly so you can understand. Again, my name is Histoire, a tome of Celestia that has assisted the goddesses for generations. Essentially, I stand for the world's everything and the world is my everything. There is nothing that I do not know since the time of my creation."

'Whoa, hold on a minute. You're from Celestia? And what do you mean you are the world's everything? Doesn't that make you a goddess yourself?'

"No…despite knowing everything, I myself do not have much power over things by myself. It is only part of my functions."

'Grrr…sounds complicated, but it doesn't sound bad. Alright, I'll take this job for now, but where do I start looking?'

"There are four items called Key Fragments that are needed to unlock the seal upon me. You'll know when you find them. By the way, I noticed that you found part of Planeptune's Jewel Core."

'Planeptune's Jewel Core? Is that what that crystal thingy is?'

"Yes. I know that I am already asking you to find the Key Fragments, but I must also ask you to find the four Jewel Cores of Planeptune, Lastation, Lowee, and Leanbox. They will definitely help you in your journey against her."

'Uh, who's 'her'? Mind filling me in?'

"Yes, um… Oh dear, something has happened that requires my attention. I am sorry Soren, but I have to go. I will explain things later if we are reconnected again."

'…I feel like she's left me hanging…'

Day 2

Planeptune – Soren's house

"Mmph, again…and it feels like I forgot to ask something…"

Looking at the clock beside him, Soren's eyes almost widened in shock when he saw the time. "Damn, it's almost noon! I don't remember being that tired!"

After going through his morning routine, Soren went into the living room and spotted the half of Planeptune's Jewel Core on the table where he left it. "Damn, I knew I forgot something. Histoire told me what this crystal is called, but I still don't know what the heck it is!"

Pocketing the crystal, Soren grabbed Yukihira and he frowned as he picked up the blade. "Strange, Yukihira feels kinda heavier for some reason…"

Giving a shrug, Soren left his house, giving another slime a punt kick towards the pond, and headed towards Central City. However, monster encounters were higher than usual as he walked towards the city.

"Jeez, the monsters are really riled up today...just what the heck happened?"

Soren was pondering this so much that he didn't notice the crater he passed by, where a certain purple-haired heroine had crashed into the ground head first. Then again, no one really cares about a trivial detail like that.

Planeptune – Torres' Shop

"Hey Torres, have any jobs for me?"

"Soren, have you heard? The monsters seemed to be riled up about something. The people are starting to get anxious."

"I know, I've encountered more than the usual amount on my way here."

Torres rubbed his chin before he reached down to grab some papers. "Well, there are three jobs today. One's from the Basilicom and the other two are from a company being harassed by monsters. A bit of a low, but with the monsters acting up, I'm sure a few more will come in before the day's finished."

Soren took the papers and started looking through them when the one from the Basilicom caught his eye. He had this sudden feeling that it was important, so it must be one of those plot important jobs.

"Hmm, 'a red spider-like monster has been spotted around one of the abandoned storage facilities. Please investigate and if necessary, defeat the monster'. A red spider-like monster…?" Soren's memory flashed back to yesterday with his fight with the Rabid Vermin. "I'll do this one first then. Something about it reminds me of yesterday."

"I take it that it's about what happened in the Cabrage Patch Field? You were quite vocal about it before you went home yesterday."

"Uh huh, something about the monster's description sounded like the one that attacked me yesterday in the field. Maybe it's the one I already defeated, but considering this story, it's probably another one."

"Ha, good luck hunting then. Are you gonna buy a few healing salves?"

"That…would be a good idea. I'm down to my last one."

Torres smirked as he grabbed half a dozen vials of green liquid from the shelves. "Here you go then, this comes to 600 credits."

Soren fished out the money as he pocketed the vials. "I hope this monster isn't as vicious as the last one, but considering my luck lately…"

"Ah, don't worry. Your sister taught you well enough to survive almost anything, so I'm sure that you'll come out in one piece."

"Almost anything?"

"I doubt that you'll survive falling down into a lava pit."

"…As if I'd go to someplace with one."

Planeptune – Abandoned Storage Facility

"Hmm? From the looks of things, someone's already here, if the open door is any indication…"

Soren was standing in front of the entrance of the abandoned storage facility, a place that really looked out of place on Planeptune. Looking around the run down place, Soren drew Yukihira as he stepped forward.

"Looks like the monsters aren't around. Weird…"

Entering the place, Soren saw the defeated forms of monsters and whistled at the sight. "Looks like someone's been busy here."

Taking a few steps forward, a loud screech came from behind, causing Soren to whip around. He was treated to the sight of another Rabid Vermin, this one looking pretty crazy as drool came from the spider's mouth.

"Shoot, the hallway's too narrow to fight in!" Soren started to back away from the Rabid Vermin slowly as he tried to think up a plan. "Aw screw it!"

Soren whipped around and ran away from the monster as fast as he could, the Rabid Vermin hot on his heels and not very subtle, if the ramming into the walls at every turn was any indication. It was causing so much of a ruckus that part of the facility caved in, leaving only one path for Soren to take.

Deeper inside the facility, our resident amnesiac Neptune in her HDD (Hard Drive Divinity) form was facing a bewildered nurse-in-training Compa after defeating the Guard Vermin and acquiring something called the Planeptune Key Fragment. Under normal circumstances, Neptune would've transformed back by now, but…

"N-Nep-Nep? Is t-that you…?"

"Uh…" That was as far as Neptune got when she and Compa heard the crashing noises the Rabid Vermin was making along with Soren's shouting. "What was that-!-?"

"Oh, sounds like someone's in trouble Nep-Nep!" Compa's shock quickly vanished as her attention became focused on the noises. "We should go see if they need our help!"

Neptune just stood where she was as her eyes narrowed at the sounds. "Are the noises…getting closer?"

Sure enough, the sounds were getting louder as gunshots rang out and Soren's voice shouted, "Ack, damn spider!"

The two girls saw Soren round the corner and run into the large chamber they were in. The monster hunter looked around in a panic that he really didn't notice the two nearby. "Shoot, a dead end, but this place is big enough to fight in."

"Huh? Who are you Mister?" Compa was surprised at Soren's sudden appearance, though Neptune frowned a bit for some reason.

"What the-!-? What the heck are you girls doing here!-?"

"Grraah!"

"A monster!-? Get ready Compa!" Neptune readied her sword and faced the only exit in the chamber.

"Eh? Eh! Another boss fight! Isn't this a bit too much for beginners like us!"

Soren looked between the two, eyeing Compa's 'weapon' in particular before he turned to Neptune. "You with the purple hair, I can see that you're fight capable, but what about her?"

Neptune saw Soren point his thumb at Compa and quickly nodded, "Yes, she can fight."

The person in question was about to say something when the Rabid Vermin rounded the corner and growled at the three. Neptune raised an eyebrow and commented, "That looks like the boss monster we just fought. A palette swap? But it has different weapons…"

"Now's not the time for talk Miss Pur- ack!"

The Rabid Vermin charged forward right towards Soren, giving him only a few seconds to react. He managed to block the monster's blades with Yukihira, but the force of the charge sent him flying backwards into a pile of scrap metal.

"Mister! Take this!" Compa aimed at the Rabid Vermin and fired off energy shots with her…needle gun?

"It's a syringe!"

Neptune was busy sword fighting the monster, and she was having a tough time trying to get past it's guard. "Tch, this is one high level boss monster. What the heck is it doing here?"

"I don't know! My attacks are hardly- kyaa!" Compa narrowly dodged a leg swipe the Rabid Vermin lashed out at her.

"Compa!" Tch!" For her first dungeon, Neptune wasn't expecting someone so tough so soon, even though she did say she wanted to face stronger monsters earlier.

Meanwhile, Soren was trying to get up and shake off his stunned state at the same time when all of a sudden, Yukihira started speaking. [OS reconfiguration complete. Threat level high. Deploying IS Yukihira. Execute, standby ready.]

Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light that blinded the Rabid Vermin and the two combatants that made the latter shield their eyes with their arms. When it faded, Neptune and Compa opened their eyes and were quite surprised at what they saw.

Stepping forward, Soren found himself wearing an exoskeleton that was silver-grey in color. Gauntlets covered his arms past his elbows and his legs were completely armored up to waist, with an armored skirt covering parts of his thighs. An armored vest covered the rest of his upper body and on his forehead was a bandana like accessory that had a diamond shaped jewel in the center. Behind his back were six silver wings with blue lining that floated near his back, three on each side and pointing downwards.

Yukihira gripped in his right hand, Soren looked at himself, puzzled at what was going on as Compa stared at him in disbelief. "Wha…? Mister transformed too! What's going on here?"

"Huh, and here I though I was the only one who can transform," Neptune mused, "But I'm pretty sure it's different from mine…"

"Raawgh!"

The Rabid Vermin was recovering from it's temporary blindness, putting the three on guard. Soren readied Yukihira as he felt stronger than he ever felt in his life. "Okay then, I don't really understand what's going on, but let's test this out!"

Dashing forward, Soren threw a left punch at the monster and to his surprise, the Rabid Vermin actually fell back from it. The three blinked at what just happened as Soren looked at his hand. "Wow, this is some serious power…"

Then he turned to Neptune and Compa, who looked worn out from fighting. "Um, I know this might sound rude, but do you mind backing off for a bit? I don't know what's going on and I don't want you ladies to get accidentally caught up if something happens."

The two just nodded and stepped backwards as the Rabid Vermin got up from the punch with a feral growl. It launched itself towards Soren weapons first, and with a block from Yukihira, the monster's blades actually cracked as an energy shield from the IS flared up for a second. Pushing the monster back, Soren went on the offensive, giving the monster no chance to recover.

What happened next could mostly be described as a curb-stomp battle. The Rabid Vermin was helpless as Soren broke through it's guard with pure strength and proceeded to hack and slash at it.

"Hmm, looks sort of familiar…I wonder why?"

"Nep-Nep?"

"It's nothing Compa, just a nagging feeling I have…"

"Oh! Then it might have something to do with your memory!"

"Perhaps…"

In the end, the Rabid Vermin fell dead at Soren's feet, while he himself collapsed on his knees. "Ugh, w-why the heck do I feel so drained…?"

[Strength enhancer exceeds maximum limits. Adjusting values to more acceptable levels.]

"Well, that kinda explains it."

That's when Soren, Neptune, and Compa, the latter two walking over to Soren to see if he was alright, saw the corpse glow with a purple light, something that made Neptune feel a bit funny inside. Then half a purple crystal fell out and hit the ground with a clink.

Recognizing it as the other half of the Planeptune Jewel Core, Soren tried to move, but his body could barely respond and all he did was shake a little. At the same time, Neptune started glowing making Compa and Soren look as Neptune changed from her HDD form back to her pre-teen loli form.

"Huh…that's something you don't see everyday…" Considering Soren just transformed into an exoskeleton, he's one to talk, not to mention his surprise quota already ran dry for the day.

Compa just stared at Neptune for a bit before her nursing instincts kicked in, and turned her attention to Soren. "Excuse me Mister, but are you hu- eh?"

"Hmm, what?" Soren had an inking feeling where this was going and bit his lip in anticipation.

"Uh, it-it's nothing," Compa looked a bit flustered as she tried not to sound rude. "It's just that, your eyes…you're a...a...!"

A sigh escaped Soren's lips as he struggled to stand. "Yeah, I'm a surface human. I take it you're one of those that heard the rumors."

"Surface human?" Neptune put a finger to her chin in confusion. "What's a surface human, and what's the difference between them and regular humans?"

Soren couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and looked at Compa for an explanation. "Nep-Nep has amnesia from falling from the sky."

"O…kay…?" Soren got the amnesia part, but the falling from the sky sounded pretty farfetched to him.

'Neptune, can you hear me? This is Histoire."

"Histy! Thanks for all the help you provided! What's up?"

Both Compa and Soren looked puzzled as Compa looked around, as if to find someone else. "Histy? Nep-Nep, who are you talking to? Um…there's nobody here except for the three of us…"

"She talks to herself too?" Soren managed to get the energy to at least lean forward and pick up the Planeptune Jewel Core Fragment before giving out a groan. "Ugh, seriously, I'd really like to know what's going on."

"Eh? You two can't hear her? Histy, can you talk to Compa and Mister Stranger too?"

'I apologize, but at this time you are the only one I can speak with like this,' Histoire told Neptune, 'However, Soren knows who I am, but I cannot communicate with him for some reason.'

"So…ren? Who's that?"

Soren narrowed his eyes when Neptune said his name. "Okay missy, how do you know my name?" Only a small amount of people knew his name that the number could be counted on one hand. "I usually use my initials SF when it concerns monster jobs and the like."

"Oh, so you're Soren. Histy says that she knows you, but can't talk to you right now for some reason."

"Histy?" Soren looked puzzled as Compa looked a bit upset that she was being left out. "Histy…Histy…wait, do you mean Histoire?"

"Histoire? Who is that?" Compa asked.

"Uh, I'm not sure." Soren admitted, "All I know is that she's a magical talking book from what I can remember what she told me."

'…He makes it sound like I am some magical girl toy or something...' Histoire communicated, 'Anyway, please pass my words on to your friend and Soren when I am through. Also, I do not think I am comfortable with the name 'Histy'.'

"Sorry Compa, Mister Soren, I'll just tell you two what she says later. Anyway, Histy, I found something weird an shiny just now! Also, some strange purple crystal thingy came out of a boss monster Mister Soren totally curb-stomped."

'…I assume you are to referring to both the Key Fragment and the Planeptune Jewel Core Fragment, I assume. The first item is an important part needed to release me from this seal I am under.'

"Seal? Where you at, anyway?"

'I am not sure. Someone has locked me away somewhere in this world. Please, please…release this seal and save me!'

Neptune looked shocked for a moment before Histoire went on, 'In each of the four landmasses, you will find a key Fragment. First, please collect these items.'

"Four Key Fragments? If I do this fetch quest, I can save you, right? So…where are they?"

'Unfortunately, I have little information on that. I only know there is one on each landmass. You have already collected one of them. Each piece is guarded by a strong adversary, a monster no doubt. Find the fragments by defeating these foes.'

"So, I get that I hafta save you, but should I really do all this for someone I don't even know?"

'It is only natural to feel that way. Others did not trust me either, even Soren felt that way at first, but he eventually accepted to help me.'

"Really? Mister Soren did?" Neptune looked at the man in question, only to earn a raised eyebrow from the man himself.

'Yes, both you and him are my last and only hope. Please do this and save me!'

"Hmm, it's tough for me to say no, but finding all these thingies sounds like a real bore-chore. Are you sure you need my help?"

'Are you concerned? There is no need. I am sure that you can do this, especially with someone as experienced in monster hunting as Soren by your side.'

"No, I mean, I'm gonna do this all to just save one person…? Can't it be like, to save the whole world?"

"She can't be serious, can she?" Soren muttered to himself.

'Fufu…how honest. As I said, I am the world's everything and the world is mine. Saving me is tantamount to saving the world, or at the very least Gamindustri.'

"Huh? Really? Oh, well, okay then! Don't stop there, pump me up some more!"

Both Compa and Soren looked at each other, a bit disturbed to see Neptune get all excited over something they couldn't tell.

'By defeating the various monsters in order to obtain the pieces, you will save countless lives all across the world.'

"Killing two birds with one stone huh? I like it! Anything else to boost my drive?"

'I wish I could add one million Credits to your savings…but that is a little beyond my control. However, all I can say is that the more monster hunting jobs you take, the more Credits you will earn.'

"Still, that's so much! I better get my stomp on!"

"…Nep-Nep, why are you so excited?" Compa looked like she had mix of worry in her as she started to feel left out again. "I can't hear anything… I don't hear this person's voice…"

"You know, seeing someone talk to themselves like this is a bit creepy, even though you know that someone is actually communicating with them." Soren commented.

"What are you two talking about? I…I want to be included too… Nep-Nep…" Compa started to get upset, while Soren just quietly edged away from her the best he could while still in his IS.

"Oops, I'm so sorry, Compa! Let's go have something to eat and I'll talk to you about it for hours and hours and hours!" Soren watched as Neptune gave Compa a hug trying to comfort her. "But Compa, Histy's voice will never reach a cry-baby. Just look at Mister Soren. C'mon, buck up, kiddo."

"…Fine, I understand…"

'Wait Neptune,' Histoire's voice called out to her, 'There's a few other things I need to mention, like the Jewel Cores.'

"Oh yeah, you said something about that. Something about the purple crystal that Mister Soren picked up?"

Soren looked at the Crystal Fragment in his hand before reaching for the other half in his vest pocket, his armored one opening up to get at the one inside. Putting the two in one hand, he saw that they started to glow faintly as Histoire told Neptune, 'Like the Key Fragments, there is a Jewel Core on each of the landmasses. However, like the Planeptune Jewel Core you see in Soren's hand, they have been broken up into fragments. I don't know the exact number, but you can find them by defeating adversaries. Also, to put them back together, it requires a certain...person to make them whole again. The Planeptune Jewel Core is responding to you Neptune, so all you have to do is take hold of them and focus.'

"I see…" Neptune parted from Compa and went over to Soren, holding out her hand. "Excuse me Mister Soren, but Histy says that you need to give me the Jewel Core Fragments so I can make them whole again."

"Really…" Soren looked sceptical, but he knew enough about Histoire that she wouldn't make something up. He handed her the two halves and Neptune closed her eyes to focus. The purple glow grew brighter and for a second, Soren and Compa thought they saw a shadow of Neptune's HDD form appeared behind her before it and the glow faded.

Neptune opened her eyes and opened her palm, revealing a completed Planeptune Jewel Core. "Ooh, so pwetty…"

'A different…person is required to put back together each Jewel Core, Neptune. Please remember that. The Jewel Cores will '

Soren was about to say something when his IS made a beeping noise before it's voice came up. [Extensive diagnostics scan completed, displaying status report]

A screen appeared in front of Soren and what it said follows:

Infinite Stratos – Yukihira (1st Shift)

5th Generation Operating System

Operating Subsystems:

Energy Shield – operating at 50%

AI Regulator – operating at 90%, minor discrepancies detected

Fold-Out Armor – inoperable, offline

Preset Recreation Program – online

Technique Observation Program – corrupted

Power Enforcer Program – corrupted

(Salvage of both programs underway, if impossible then deletion will be executed)

Strength Enhancer Program – fragmented, operating at 25%

One-Off Ability – offline

Hard Drive Memory – corrupted, recovery at 2%

Preset Weaponry:

Yukihira Type 3 – operating at 15% due to reformatting

Other four Preset Weapons data has been corrupted beyond recovery and has been purged from data. Will be using Preset Recreation Program to create optimum Preset weapons

"...Oooh, how futuristic-looking!" Neptune commented with stars in her eyes.

Soren nearly jumped finding both Neptune and Compa on each side of him, looking at the screen with fascination. Compa read the title like she tasted a new dish she's never seen before. "Infinite…Stratos…? Wow, sounds like some secret weapon Planeptune came up with!"

'Infinite Stratos? Why does that name sound familiar…?'

"Histy?"

'I am sorry Neptune, but I must cut our connection now. I must find out more about…Infinite Stratos…'

"Alright, see you Histy!"

At the same time, the screen closed and Soren gave off a flash before his IS disappeared, reappearing in his regular clothes. "Okay, now that that's over, how about we introduce ourselves properly? I'm Soren Fu…uh, just Soren for now."

"Well, I'm Neptune, and this is Compa," Neptune introduced herself and Compa. "And let me be the first to say, welcome to our party!"

"Huh? Really?" Compa looked a bit nervous all of a sudden.

"Jeez Compa, you're acting like he's going to bite you or something."

"N-no, it's nothing like that!" Compa gave a bow and tried to compose herself. "Y-yes, welcome to our party Mister Soren."

"Uh, just Soren is fine you two."

"Then, as being part of our party, I'll call you Ren for short."

Soren looked at Neptune with a raised eyebrow at the sudden nickname. "Okay…"

"Alrighty then, let's go off and find mysterious items, save Histy, and kick numerous monster butt!"

'Oh by the goddess, what did I get myself into now?'

Notes: Here's chapter two, and just to mention, I'll mostly be following that video walkthrough on youtube by pinrose331 with a number of changes, so I'm sorry if I happen to miss anything outside the storyline, though there are a few things I'll deliberately leave out.