Chapter 5 – Mystery

Day 3

Planeptune – Torres' Shop

"Where is he? It's an hour past the deadline!"

"Nep-Nep, please calm down! I'm sure S-Soren has a reason to be late."

"Still, he doesn't strike me as the type to be this late and not call in. Can't you contact him Torres?"

"Sorry, he's not answering his home phone and he doesn't keep a cell phone on him either."

Neptune, Compa, and IF were standing in a corner of the shop waiting for Soren to arrive. As time passed and Soren didn't show up, Neptune started to get impatient and in turn, restless as she started pacing.

That's when the door opened and Soren walked through with a bag in his hand. He nodded to Torres in greeting before spotting Neptune and the others. Soren was about to say something but Neptune beat him to it.

"Where were you Ren? You weren't thinking of ditching us, were you? 'Cause that would go against the party rule!"

"What? No, I just ran into some trouble on my way here!" Soren defended, "A girl was attacked by a Sand Worm and I had to drive it off. Then I had to take the girl to the hospital afterwards, since she was hurt and all. That took awhile, especially since I had to make a small detour." He held up the bag to show them why he made the detour.

"A monster attack?-!" Compa gasped, "Is the girl alright?-!"

"She's fine, it wasn't anything serious thankfully. Anyway, this is for you three, an apology for being this late."

"Oooh, I wonder what it is?" Neptune took the bag from Soren and when she looked inside, she gave a small squeal in delight. "Oooh, look Compa, Iffy, it's a bag of cookies!"

With Neptune distracted by the sweets, Soren went up to the counter where an amused Torres watched the whole thing. "Wow Soren, you may be a bit socially inept, but you do know how to treat the ladies."

"Oh stuff it Torres. Have you heard any news from Sis?"

"Sorry man, still nothing. You know, even I'm starting to wonder where she is. It's been a few months already…"

"Mmm…those tasted good! Do you have any more Soren?" Neptune walked up to Soren, who saw a few crumbs still around her mouth as he raised an eyebrow at her. Compa and IF shortly followed, with both of them each still holding a few cookies in their hands. Neptune looked at them with hungry eyes as she pleaded, "Can't I have just one more?"

"No way, we split the dozen equally already," IF told her before grabbing another cookie and taking a bite. "It's not my fault you practically inhaled them."

Compa looked like she was in the middle of her own blissful world as she continued to eat hers. "…These are so good…so soft…as expected from Alveris Bakery…"

Neptune just pouted as Soren shook his head and returned his attention to Torres. "Anyway, since Sis hasn't shown up on radar, I'll be going with these three to the other landmasses, see if there's any sign of her."

"That's good, we'll need her back here to help with the monsters. Speaking of monsters, another monster hunting request just came in. Something about another Sand Worm appearing"

"Must be the one Ren fought off," IF said as Neptune tried to get a cookie off of Compa, who was being really defensive about it. "If it's already starting to attack people, then it needs to be taken care of."

"So we'll take on this job before heading down to the Sky Harbor?"

"Yeah… Could you give us the info Torres?"

"Sure thing Miss IF." Torres reached under the table and pulled out a slip of paper before handing it over to IF. "The location where the Sand Worm has been seen is on there. Looks like it's the same place where the last one lived."

"Really now? That makes things a bit easier." IF noted as she looked at the paper. "We'll take care of this first, definitely…"

"Let's get going then!" Compa suddenly said, having finished her cookies and was brushing off crumbs. Neptune frowned before turning to IF, whose hands were empty after giving the paper to Soren for him to look at.

"Uuu…I'm still hungry…"

Planeptune – Evil Cave

"Ugh, I know I'm the newest party member, and that I accepted this job too, but shouldn't we get a move on and go somewhere else already?" IF looked at her fellow party members at the entrance to the cave.

"We can't just ignore all the monsters left on Planeptune." Neptune stopped along with Compa and Soren as she spun around to face IF. "We gotta walk this path properly, y'know?"

"This coming from the girl who wanted to rush over to the next landmass yesterday?" Soren asked with a raised eyebrow in amusement.

Neptune looked a bit embarrassed at Soren's words, while Compa kept the conversation going. "A-Anyway, 'slow and steady wins the race', right? Collecting both Key and Jewel Core Fragments is important, but we just can't leave troubled people alone against monsters!"

IF looked slightly miffed when Soren spoke up, "Look at it this way If, at least Neptune and Compa are gaining experience fighting monsters. We don't want to have half-baked fighters facing the unknown, now do we?"

"…I guess you have a point."

The party entered the cave, taking in very familiar sights. That's when Compa turned to Soren and asked, "Um S-Soren, what if this Sand Worm is the same one you fought off before you met up with us?"

"Then it would be very easy to identify. I gave it a gash on it's left side before it ran off, so if it's the same one, we'll be able to tell."

"Considering our luck, it's probably the same one." IF said as she kicked a Dogoo that tried sneaking up on her. "Only one way to find out."

Fighting though the usual monsters, they ended up in the main cavern where they saw the Sand Worm resting, the gash in it's side present. Soren gave a quick scan of the cavern for any other monsters, and gave a thumb up when he saw none.

"Well, let's charge in and take care of it now that it's still weak!" Neptune shouted, getting the Sand Worm's attention as everyone drew their weapons.

Defeating it was a piece of cake in it's already injured state, and with the Sand Worm dead, Soren gave it a kick before saying, "Let's get out of here."

"Haaaah ha ha ha! I've found you, Neptune. I didn't think you actually fell to the world below!"

"Who the heck?" Soren muttered as everyone looked around for whoever spoke.

"Who's there?" Neptune looked around, blade ready, "What's with that melodramatic laugh…?"

That's when a pale-skinned woman wearing what could closely be described as a witch's outfit due to the hat stepped out of the shadows, catching everyone's attention. "Don't mock my snickering! Pushing people's buttons… You've not changed one bit."

Neptune and the others looked confused as the woman brought out a four bladed spear and pointed it at Neptune. "Makes it easier for me to desire your demise. Brace yourself!"

The mystery witch, who she will be called for now, charged right at Neptune with her spear, and she was taken aback by the sudden attack. That's when a clang rang throughout the cavern, and everyone saw that Soren intercepted the attack with Yukihira. "Hmph, what's your deal with Neptune?"

The mystery witch's eyes widened for a second before they narrowed as she tried pushing him back. "Why don't you run along little boy? This doesn't concern you!"

"Like hell it doesn't!" Soren pushed the spear to the side and gave the witch a kick to the stomach, sending her flying backwards.

A flash of light, and Neptune had transformed into her HDD form and charged right at the mystery witch, her blade clashing with the witch's spear. "Looks like you're getting serious Neptune!"

There were a number of shots and the witch was hit in the back by a number of them, showing that both IF and Compa were shooting at her. "Pesky annoyances!" She pushed Neptune back and pointed her spear at them while dodging fire. A red light appeared at the tip and shot off a number of energy bullets, forcing the two girls to dodge.

Soren and Neptune went on the offensive, attacking at the same time, and to their surprise, the mystery witch blocked both of them with her spear, holding it with one hand. She raised her other hand to Soren, and the red light appeared in her hand before shooting off energy bullets, which hit Soren dead on in the chest.

"Soren!" Neptune cried out as he was flung backwards, only to be attacked by the same spell a moment later, pushing her back too.

"You shouldn't get distracted Neptune, unless you want to die that badly!" The mystery witch was about to make a lunge at Neptune, only to spin around and block an attack by IF.

"Who the heck are you?-!"

"Why should you care? I'm only here for Neptune!"

The mystery witch pushed IF back and fired energy bullets at her, just as Soren got back into the game, with Neptune right behind him. The mystery witch blocked the attacks he launched at her, but was caught by surprise by the roundhouse kick to the side, which sent her flying straight towards Neptune, who proceeded to beat the crap out of her, with Compa firing off her syringe every time the mystery witch tried to back away.

Neptune's last attack was blocked by the mystery witch, but it left a deep nick in her spear as she was sent flying into the wall due to the power Neptune put into her strike. Everyone looked between her and the witch with raised eyebrows as Soren commented, "Wow Neptune, I didn't think you had that much power in you…"

"I-I'm not sure what happened…" Neptune looked just as confused as she stared at her blade.

Everyone tensed and readied their weapons when they heard movement where the mystery witch had crashed against the wall. They saw the witch get up and lean on her spear, looking ragged and injured. She gave the party a dirty look as she stepped forward, but found that she couldn't fight anymore.

"Damn it all. You don't even look like you exercise, so why?" That's when a thought hit the mystery witch like a revelation. "Tch, that's right…this is Planeptune…! It's your home turf, Neptune. But it won't be like this next time. Don't forget my words!"

There was a flash of light and when it died, the party saw that the witch had vanished. They looked around to make sure and when they saw that she indeed vanished, they relaxed a bit, though IF looked pretty ticked at what happened.

"What the hell? She came out of nowhere, threw a hissy fit, and left. She must be menstruating or something."

"If that was her throwing a hissy fit, then I'd hate to see what her actually fighting looks like." Soren muttered before turning to Neptune. "She knew you…anything you can say about that?"

"No way, I don't remember meeting anyone like that!" Neptune replied as she turned back into her regular self. "Especially someone who dresses like…that!"

"Still, maybe it's someone from Nep-Nep's past?" Compa guessed.

"Who cares? Let's just get out of here before any more surprises catch us." IF huffed before heading back through the cave.

The others followed her, though it was quiet during their walk out of the cave, since everyone, especially Neptune, was wondering what the deal with the mystery witch was.

Planeptune – Sky Harbor

After checking in with Torres to report that the Sand Worm has been taken care of, the party headed over to the Sky Harbor to check the schedule for when the next landmass would come close. As usual, Neptune got all excited at seeing the Sky Harbor and started point things out. "Ooh, look, the ground here is split! Did this happen during some great war from long, long ago?-! I betcha it was a totally crazy, epic war between some profound sort of darkness and a really great light!"

"…What's she talking about?" IF looked a bit miffed at Neptune's behavior, and even Soren raised an eyebrow at it.

"Sounds like something you'd find in a game to me."

"I'm sorry, please be patient with her." Compa pleaded, "She really doesn't remember anything…I think."

"Right… Hearing that from a nurse-in-training is reassuring. How long have you two known her?"

"A few days. I found her stuck head-first in the ground, so I pulled her out and treated her wounds."

"S-Stuck in the ground? You pulled her out? So, Neptunes grow in the ground around here. How can I believe that?"

"Seriously Compa, that's kinda hard to believe, even though I've heard this already." Soren looked oddly amused at Compa's explanation. "She must've still been immature by the time you pulled her out, but I still think she tried to kill herself or something."

IF looked at Soren oddly hearing that, while Compa said, "Well, yes, but not from the ground. Like I told Soren, she fell from the sky and got stuck in the ground after, Miss IF."

That's when IF frowned again slightly as she addressed a certain issue. "Huh? Oh, it's been bugging me, but you call me 'Miss'. You don't have to be so formal, but…"

"Iffy, Compa, Ren, hurry up! The view is so stupendous from here. You three scared? Hah, I bet you are. I'm so brave!"

"…I'm gonna take care of Neptune, alright?"

Compa and IF nodded as they watched Soren walk over to where Neptune was standing before an annoyed look crossed IF's face. "I don't like her being overly friendly with me. I feel like she doesn't quite understand her place beneath me."

"…But what about Soren?"

"I'm fine with him. I respect his position as a monster hunter, and I've seen his skill. It's nothing to laugh at. Other than you, at least he doesn't call me by some embarrassing nickname, just says it oddly…"

"If you're so brave, then how about I dangle you over the edge with Yukihira? See how long you'll last? Or should I hold you by your ankles upside down?"

"N-No way! I bet you just want to see up my skirt!"

"Ha, as if! I don't do lolis!"

"What was that?-!"

Soren quickly ran over back to Compa and IF as Neptune quickly followed with a frown. The monster hunter quickly changed the subject by nodding his head towards Compa. "Why not let Compa explain to you what the Sky Harbor is, okay Neptune?"

Neptune's mood quickly changed to one of puzzlement, letting Compa give an explanation. "Nep-Nep, this is the Sky Harbor area, where two landmasses come in close contact with one another. It really doesn't mean the ground is split."

"Oh, I see." Neptune nodded in understanding. "So how should I cross over? Should I jump? Should I shout 'wahoo!' as I do it?"

"Go right ahead, if you want a one-way ticket to the surface." Soren snorted.

"Why not slap on some overalls and a red hat while you're at it." IF added, "Actually, we use a short range teleporter to cross over. We needed the Basilicom's permit to get access to the teleportation pad. Now we can use it anytime."

"People used to use bridges to crossover, until that one accident happened twenty years ago between Planeptune and Lastation." Compa spoke up, pointing to a building nearby that had a large archway.

"What happened?" Neptune asked.

"Well, simply put, both sides forgot to raise their portions of the bridge when the two landmasses started drifting apart." IF explained, "The obvious result was the bridge snapping in two, causing quite the damage. Luckily teleportation technology was already being researched, and five years after that, teleporters were being handed out and installed on all the landmasses. From what I've heard, the Planeptune bridge building is being used as the expeditions HQ now."

"Wow, it sounds so cool! Can't wait to try it out!" Neptune cried out in an excited voice.

"Now that the explanations are all over, let's go see the landmass schedule." Soren pointed towards the largest building that also looked pretty new.

"I thought you said you've never been to the other landmasses." IF pointed out.

"I've seen Sis off often, so I know what the teleportation building looks like."

The four headed towards the teleporter terminal building, and when they entered, they saw that rarely anyone was around, something Neptune pointed out. "Wow, it feels kinda like a ghost town here…"

"Yeah…most people who travel know that a landmass gets close to another every four days. No one knows why either, it's one of those mysteries that people don't think about." IF commented, looking around for the schedule board along with Soren. "People only come by the day before the landmass arrives to see which one it is. Ah, there's the schedule."

The four walked over to the schedule board and looked for the latest landmass to come close. Compa spotted it and pointed it out, "There it is! Next landmass to appear is…Lastation…in two days."

"Aw, we have to wait two days? That's gotta suck." Neptune slumped.

"That's no problem," Soren patted Neptune on the shoulder. "We'll just do more monster hunting jobs in the meantime. With them running rampant, I'm sure even more jobs will show up."

"That's right! We'll be able to help the people much more before we leave for Lastation!" Compa said as she pumped a fist into the air.

IF just sighed and folded her arms before turning to Soren. "So, just wondering, how long have you known those two?"

"Ah, just met them yesterday, like you did. To be honest, it wasn't something I was expecting."

"Me neither, and to think those two managed to rope me into this quest."

"Well, life's like that." That's when Soren spoke up to Neptune and Compa. "C'mon everyone, let's head back to Central City. Maybe we'll find something to past the time."

Everyone nodded and the party left the Sky Harbor, and looked around Central City for monster jobs, eventually going to Torres. When they didn't find anything except a passing by antique jukebox, everyone decided to call it a day and parted, vowing to meet up back at Torres' the next day.