Chapter 6 – Welcome to Lastation
Day 6
Planeptune – Central City Park
"So, is everyone ready to go?"
Everyone stood in the middle of Central City Park, the day being the day when the party would leave Planeptune for Lastation. During the last few days, the party took up various monster hunting jobs to pass the time, as well as earning credits for the trip.
The other three nodded as Soren looked around with a hint of nostalgia. "Huh, to think I would actually be leaving Planeptune. Thought it would be at least another decade before doing something like this…"
"I feel the same way," Compa solemnly said, "Just like when Nep-Nep fell from the sky, it definitely wasn't something I was expecting."
"I wish I could say something too, but I'm an amnesiac, so I can't have a reminiscing moment." Neptune said.
"…Right. We'd best get moving." IF said as the party took her lead and started walking. However, they were just about to leave the park when something went whoosh over Soren's head, making everyone freeze.
"What the heck was that?-!"
Another woosh, and something else flew by Compa, but this time, she saw what it was. "Whoa! What's happening? A barrel just flew right past my head!"
"What the hell is going on?" IF looked at the barrel before turning to see where it came flying from.
"O-Over there!" Compa pointed to a place somewhere across the street. "Those tough-looking people are…destroying a pile of barrels…"
"Are you serious?" Soren looked in the direction Compa pointed out and squinted. "Why are they doing that?"
"That's what I want to know." IF looked also with an unreadable expression on her face.
"Lookit the other side!" Neptune pointed to another area that was close to the barrel-pounders. "Those road pugilists are destroying cheap, boxy cars with their bare hands!"
"I don't know what's more surprising, the scene before us, or Neptune saying an obscure word like pugilists." Soren muttered.
Neptune took a look closer before going on, "I think they're martial artists…from around the world. Oh, here comes a new challenger!"
"…Let's not get involved. Stop staring." IF pulled at Neptune's arm to make her stop staring, with little success.
"I agree, but we'll have to make a detour to get to the Sky Harbor," Soren pointed out, "Those…martial artists are blocking the route to the Sky Harbor, unless you all wanna try to get past them?"
"No way, we're not that stupid." IF replied.
"Oh, there's a cute Chinese girl with really monstrous thighs over there!" Neptune pointed out.
"I just told you to stop staring. Let's go!" IF pulled a bit harder, eventually Neptune started walking, with Compa and Soren quickly following. However, this didn't stop her from looking as they left.
"Whoa, a sumo wrestler, too! I've never seen one in real life…!"
"Uh oh, I think those people are starting to look at us… We better move now!"
Planeptune – Industrial District
"Um, where are we? I don't recognize this part of the city." Compa asked, looking around.
"Seems we've entered an industrial district. Look, there're some employees loading up a truck." IF pointed to a bunch of employees and a truck in front of a storage facility.
"Oh, I see now. The boxes are getting moved on a conveyor belt from the building and people are loading them onto the truck by hand." Neptune observed, before noticing something. "Those boxes are in different shapes…and each shape is a different color…"
"Huh, makes me wonder what's in those boxes," Soren pondered, "I mean, that square box makes sense, but the 'T' shaped one looks kinda impractical."
"Yeah, it must be tough to organize the boxes to fit neatly in the truck without leaving spaces."
Compa just stared, entranced by what she saw for some reason, while IF watched what the employees were doing. "Would you look at that! The employees are rotating the boxes so that they can stack them without any gaps in between them. That's quite a skill to do that so fast and so efficiently."
"Hmm…it looks familiar for some reason. I feel like I've seen this before for some reason…" Soren muttered, when Compa pointed out something.
"Oh, but they've left a long, thin gap on one end of the truck. How will they fill it?"
"Yup, definitely familiar…"
"If they just leave it like that, then the other boxes are gonna be all wobbly and stuff when the truck moves." Neptune said.
"Hmm, a long, thin blue box is next," Compa observed, "They flip it vertically and it…it fits perfectly! The men are high-fiving and saying something that sounds like 'Detris'!"
"Amazing!" Neptune looked like she wanted to go over and celebrate along with the employees too.
"Oh, oh oh oh!"
"What?" Neptune turned to Compa, who looked like she had a revelation.
"This is the company who made that popular puzzle game with the falling objects awhile back!"
"Ah, I remember now!" Soren snapped his fingers. "Sis played this game a lot at home. I heard that there are different versions for it now that came out over the years. It's come a long way since it first came out."
"Ah, I getcha. Even their loading crew must be masters at it!" Neptune nodded.
"I seriously doubt that's got anything to do with it…" IF muttered.
"Well, whatever, let's just hurry on up to the Sky harbor before it gets too crowded." Soren said, with the others following his lead to their destination.
Planeptune – Sky Harbor
When the party entered the main building that housed the teleporters, they found the place bustling with activity, a contrast to the last time they visited. IF led the way saying, "C'mon, I know where the teleporters are."
IF led everyone to one of the teleportation rooms, where they found an attendant standing near the entrance. IF gave their names and the attendant let them through after checking a list on the pad the attendant carried, but the attendant gave Soren an odd look that Neptune noticed. When they were out of earshot she asked, "Hey Ren, why did that attendant look at you funny?"
"It's just a surface human thing Neptune, nothing you need to be worried about."
Neptune was about to ask something else when IF grabbed her by the shoulder and shook her head when the purple haired girl looked at her. Neptune gave up seeing the serious look on IF's face as they entered the teleportation room, where Neptune's attitude changed at the sight of the room.
"Wow, just look at this place! It looks so futuristic and sophisticated!"
"Yes, it's pretty impressive, I must admit." Compa said as she looked around in wonder.
Even Soren looked around the room in curiosity. "This room sure looks amazing…"
"I know right? From what I've heard, this was the result of a joint project between Planeptune and Lastation." IF told them, "Anyway, we need to get on the pad in the center of the room."
The party walked onto the pad, which had a monitor stand on it that said, 'Lastation teleport pad in range. Press here to start charging process.'
"Oooh, can I press the button?" Neptune asked with sparkly eyes.
"No way, you just stand there and look pretty, alright?" IF went over to the monitor, while Neptune just tilted her head in puzzlement.
"Um, are we gonna be okay?" Compa started to get nervous as she stood beside Neptune.
"We'll be fine, I've done this a number of times already." IF replied as she pressed the monitor to start the teleporter.
"You sure Iffy? Wouldn't it hurt, or something like that?" Neptune asked out of the blue.
The other looked at her oddly at the question as IF raised an eyebrow. "Now why would it hurt?"
"This is our first time, so wouldn't the first time hurt, or feel odd?"
Soren coughed oddly as he looked away, while Compa and IF turned slightly pink as the monitor blinked and a message showed, 'Charging complete. Press here to execute.'
"…You're thinking about something else… Though just to warn you three, you might feel a bit disoriented after your first teleportation." IF told the others before pressing the button to initiate teleportation.
"Oh, okay. Boy, I hope I don't feel sick…" Neptune commented before the party vanished in a flash of light.
Lastation – Sky Harbor
A flash of light popped and the party appeared back on the teleporter pad, this one in the Sky Harbor main building in Lastation. IF stood still, but both Compa and Soren stumbled around a bit, while Neptune just fell flat on her butt with an, "Owie!"
IF went over to Neptune's side and held a hand out to her. "You okay?"
"Um, yeah…" Neptune got to her feet when IF pulled her up. "It felt so weird, like I was upside down for a second before being right side up again…"
"…I feel like I just did a back flip twice." Compa said, looking slightly wobbly.
"Ugh, it felt like I was spun around…" Soren muttered, trying to shake off his apparent dizziness.
"Eh, you three will get used to it," IF motioned to the three to follow her. "C'mon, walking it off will help."
The three followed IF out of the teleporter room, and the attendant standing outside the door greeted them before seeing the three behind IF. "First timers?"
"Pretty much."
"Well, they'll feel better soon enough. Welcome to Lastation everyone."
The party nodded in thanks before walking on, the disorientation disappearing by the time the party left the building. Outside, they were treated to the sight of a big city littered with big, black factories as well as other buildings, giving off an industrial feel overall.
Neptune was the first to speak as she looked at the city in fascination. "Wow, this place is all steampunky and spiffy and futuristic! So this is Lastation, Iffy?"
"Yeah, it's also has a known title called The Land of Black Regality, ruled by the Console Patron Unit Black Heart. The land is mostly obscured by industrial factories." IF explained.
"So, is the land like this because of the goddess, or did the people do the developing themselves?" Soren asked.
"Pretty much the latter. The CPUs are here for our protection, but it's really up to the humans to develop the civilization. I'm not really sure if any of the goddesses have a say in how their land is developed."
"Aw, that's so realistic." Neptune pouted, "Compa, what're your thoughts on this place?"
"These factories and chimneys…remind me of an industrial revolution." Compa replied as she continued to take in the sights. "Though, I'm not really familiar with this kind of thing."
"Really? I suppose it's not really appealing to mainstream girls." IF commented, "I like it. What about you Ren?"
"I think it's pretty cool," Soren replied, "But on a side note, seeing all these dark factories kinda makes me feel a bit depressed inside. Other than that, I find Lastation interesting."
"Understandable, you're not the first person who said that this place looks kinda depressing at first glance. Anyway, let's head over to the Basilicom, see what info we can get."
Lastation – Basilicom
"Um, 'scuse me! I wanna get some information on monsters. May we come in?" Neptune shouted as the party stood at the entrance to the Basilicom.
"Uh, is it a good idea to let Neptune be the one doing the greeting?" Soren whispered to Compa and IF.
"Well, I'm sure Nep-Nep will be able to make a good first impression on the Basilicom people." Compa replied.
IF nearly snorted as she muttered, "Or her loud mouth will catch their attention…"
That's when a slit on the door opened, revealing a Moderator's face looking down at them. "Monsters? What are you going to do with this information?"
Neptune was about to reply when Compa beat her to the punch. "We're searching for items called Key Fragments and Jewel Core Fragments. We must defeat strong monsters to get one, at least when it comes to Key Fragments. Not so sure about Jewel Core Fragments…"
"Defeat monsters?" The Moderator scoffed at them, "Don't be ridiculous. Even the Lastation Defense Forces are having trouble keeping the monsters in check. The damn things multiply like rabbits these days… Anyway, you're nothing more than children. Go home!"
IF and Soren just raised an eyebrow in silence, while Compa looked shocked as she tried to prove her words. "Y-You shouldn't judge us by our appearances. We've defeated lots and lots of monsters already! Nep-Nep and Soren here can transform and become really super strong. We'll show you!"
"Transform? What on earth are you rambling about? If you want to play magical girls, go somewhere else. You're a distraction."
IF didn't look one bit amused by the Moderator brushing them off, as well as Soren, but he kept his head turned to the side so the Moderator couldn't get a good look at him. IF folded her arms and looked at the NPC in the eye. "…This Basilicom is a bit arrogant. Shows what kind of leader Black Heart is when you meet the people who serve her."
"We're not like those who suck up to Black Heart! I don't care what people say, but don't confuse us for them. You brats better scram already, or I'm going to have to hurt you!"
"Oh? Have you seen our stats? We're probably way stronger than you!" Neptune taunted.
The Moderator just gave a huff before closing the slit with a slam as IF shook her head. "Don't bring that up to an NPC. Let's just come back later. We can't waste time just standing around."
Neptune just sighed when Soren suddenly spoke up. "Hey, did that guy just call me a girl?-!"
The girls looked at him as Neptune assured him, "Don't worry Ren, you're good-looking, but definitely not bishonen enough to be mistaken as a girl."
"Oh jeez, thanks." Soren replied in a deadpan voice. "Let's just get out of here before we get another ear lashing from someone else."
Lastation – City Streets
The party walked down the street as they wondered what to do, with Compa voicing their thoughts. "What should we do now? We couldn't even get into the Basilicom…"
"He didn't hafta be such a party-pooper," Neptune frowned, "I guess people are different everywhere… Sometimes the world is just cruel."
"Sometimes? Boy, that's an understatement." Soren muttered as he watched a couple of kids pass by them.
"Yeah, but did you hear the way he was talking?" IF asked them, folding her arms, "He really crossed the line talking about their CPU like that."
Everyone was silent as their frustration ran through their minds. That was until Neptune spoke up. "Hmm, maybe we should ask around town about the monsters."
"Ah, that reminds me!" IF took out one of her cell phones and started pressing buttons. "Torres gave me a list of contacts we could meet on each landmass. He said that they're friends of his that run in the same business as he does."
"Wow, really? Maybe we should've gone to them first instead of the Basilicom." Neptune thought up with a finger to her chin.
"That's a good idea. Since we don't know much about Lastation yet, we could ask Mister Torres' friend about it, as well as about the monsters in the area." Compa said with a nod, "This is just the beginning, so let's take our time, explore, and learn!"
Soren stifled a laugh as he smiled at Compa's words. "That sounds like a good plan Compa. Lead the way If."
IF nodded and the party followed her deeper into the city, with their first day in Lastation off to a rocky start.
Lastation – Item Shop
"Hello? Is anyone in?" Neptune called out as the party entered the shop.
"Hold on, I'm coming," A male voice called out before the shop keeper appeared at the counter. "Hello, and what may I do for you ladies and gentleman?"
"Um, we're here because Torres said you could help us?" IF started off, while Neptune and Compa looked around. Soren just stood behind IF, though he too looked around with interest, seeing what's for sale.
"Oh, so you're the group Torres mentioned," The shopkeeper looked at each of them with interest. "He said to expect a group of monster hunters consisting of three girls named Neptune, Compa, and IF, along with Arf's lil' brother, Soren, but I wasn't expecting you all to be so young!"
"Oooh, are these cookies delicious?" Neptune held out a tin that said 'Bait' on it, with a picture of cookies below it.
"If you're a monster, then yeah," The shopkeeper replied with a grin, "Anyway, call me Terrance, owner of this little establishment."
Neptune looked like she ate a lemon as Compa put the cookies back on the shelf for her. IF just smirked as Soren turned to look at Terrance. "Did Torres tell all of you that I'm Arf's brother?"
"Ah, we've known about you for awhile now. The man never stops to talk about how you're gonna be a kick ass monster hunter like the Fiery Maiden Arf."
Soren gave a sigh as IF shifted the conversation back to business matters. "I'm IF, and I heard you also deal with information and monster bounty requests. First, can you tell us the current situation in Lastation? It feels…off from the last time I was here."
"Sure thing Miss IF. The main issue here is the monsters, with a sudden increase happening over a month ago. The Lastation Defense Forces are having a tough time dealing with them and keeping the peace at the same time, stretching their resources to the very limit. The monster bounty requests started coming in a lot more, though Lastation doesn't have many monster hunters around; most are on Lowee and Leanbox. The other thing is about a company called Avenir. All I can say is that you'd better be careful around that company. I really can't say anymore than that, but take a look around, you'll probably figure it out for yourselves."
"Wow, things don't sound so good around Lastation." Compa frowned.
"You must be Miss Compa, and that makes Miss Purple Hair, Neptune, right?"
"How did you know?" Neptune asked.
"Torres told me that Miss Compa has a nice…figure, and Miss Neptune is a bit excitable from what I've heard."
Compa blushed hearing Terrance's compliment, while Neptune just tilted her head in thought. IF and Soren just sighed as Terrance said, "Look, here's an inn you can stay at while you're in Lastation. Rates are decent so you'll be able to stay there for a while even if you don't do any monster hunting jobs. It's close by too, so you can drop in for information and items too. Come back later or tomorrow, there's a few jobs waiting."
"Thanks Mr. Terrance, we appreciate it." IF replied as she led the others out the door. "We'll get ourselves settled in before we take any jobs on."
"What? We can take on a job right now! I'm ready to go!" Neptune shouted.
"Go right ahead then. Don't blame me if you get lost on your way back because you rushed into things."
"She has a point Nep-Nep. We really should familiarize ourselves with the layout of the city at the very least." Compa added.
Soren just nodded as Neptune slumped a bit, but had an understanding look on her face. "Alright, I guess we could just explore for now."
When the party left the shop, Terrance had a grin on his face as he looked at the door. "Heh, Torres was right, those four are interesting. I have a gut feeling that they'll do something to help Lastation's situation."