Chapter 4: Spelunking and a Time Skip
Hey, so I got around to doing a thing. There's really not much to say except expect a collab. chapter or two in the future. On with the show!
Another few months passed before we found an actually solid lead. Noire gave us a call one day, and when Histoire was able to confirm the contents of her documents, the two of us headed out.
"Why are you wearing all of that? Hat's aren't exactly your thing, and it can't be very cool with how hot it is."
"Let me have my homage to one of the greatest adventurer's in movie history." The hat in questions was a tall-crowned, wide-brimmed fedora. To simplify things, I found enough stuff to recreate Indiana Jones' outfit. It was not cool by any means, but damn does it make me happy. I even learned how to one hand a revolver. That process, however, lead to many trips to Doctor Ragland to fix a broken wrist. "Also, it's cooler than you'd think. The hat gives me plenty of shade."
"Do you know how much farther we have to go?" In response to my girlfriend's question, I retrieved the map that Noire had found from my satchel.
"If the map is to be believed, about half a mile west by north-west." The walk was grueling, seeing as how we had to navigate a dense jungle, but once we got there we were not disappointed. "Orcus wasn't kidding when he said these things would be ancient." The stonework making up the structure was cracked and covered with vines and moss. Surprisingly, the intricate carvings could still be made out.
"Look at this." Cynthia said, pointing her camera at a wall near the entrance. Carved into it was a large moon. On a different section was a boar, and above the door was a bow with a notched arrow. "What good do you think this is?"
"There's quite a few gods and goddesses that are tied to all three of these symbols. We probably won't find out until I actually make the contract. Have you taken pictures yet with that block of plastic?"
"Yeah, though most of them are of the flowers that are around. I haven't seen any like them before. There was this one with black berries that was really pretty."
"Please tell me that you didn't eat any of them. If those are what I think they are…well…"
"I didn't eat any, I promise."
"Is…Is that why I feel so sick?" A voice deeper than mine asked. The guy stumbled out of the woods wearing what seemed like an armored cloak that was black with gold trim. A white long sleeved shirt was worn underneath it and matching armor, and beige pants with black leather armor sown into it. To complete his ensemble, he had on brown boots that reached up to the middle of his shins. Now I'm really glad I had studied that book of poisonous plants.
"Probably. Those berries are from a variant species called the belladonna. It's more commonly known as Deadly Nightshade." The man that was slightly shorter than me pulled out a strange looking staff before he was enveloped in a light green light.
"There, that's better." He dusted himself off before returning his focus to us. "What are you doing here? Adventurers are not allowed in any of Lowee's sacred ruins."
"Um…This is Lastation territory though." I commented, before handing him the map and one of the current terrain. "See?" He stared at it for several minutes before seemingly coming to a realization.
"I have wondered much farther from home than I had thought. My apologies. My name is Souji."
"I'm Cynthia, and this is Steven. We're investigating the gods people believed in before the existence of CPUs."
"I see. May I accompany you then? Studying history is a hobby of mine." Souji explained.
"Sure." I said. "Though, we're not just explonig. There's something we're looking for, as well as the various artefacts that are in there. Museums and collectors' will pay top dollar for this stuff."
"That makes sense. Expeditions such as these are not exactly cheap. I am only able to travel as I do because I am funded by Lowee's government."
"Let's get going then. We're burning daylight." Cynthia commanded before entering the dark corridor ahead.
"We better follow her. She's our light source, and she's not just gonna sit around and wait." I commented before giving chase. The fire in my girlfriend's hand lit the dust covered hallways as we ventured on. She was also lighting said dust on fire was we walked. As we checked the various rooms, there wasn't really any treasure. Hell, most of the rooms were completely empty except for a few pieces of jewelry and some stone arrowheads. "Hey, look over there." I said, pointing to the only room that has light in it already. Souji pulled a book out of the folds of his cape-thing. I couldn't help but peer over his shoulder, noting the ridiculous looking symbols contained within it. With our weapons drawn, we slinked into the room only to see something on a pedestal in the middle of the room.
"One of those water drinking birds? Really?" Souji deadpanned. I took a closer look and saw that the plastic toy was wearing a top hat. The foot/platform thing said "SNK CEO" and I couldn't help but laugh. "What's so funny?"
"This is something from back home. I don't know if I'll be able to sell this one."
"Then keep it. We have shelves at home for things like this." Cynthia replied. I pocketed the reference and we moved on. The deeper we went, the more things we found. It was almost like we weren't the first ones to come here, just the first to get this far. And then I learned why. Monsters started to literally come out of the walls, either via ooze or by smashing through them. The first one we came across was swiftly dealt with by some darkness that came flying out of the once again open book. There were a lot of things that reminded me of my childhood in the different rooms. There was a metal backpack that looked like a robot, a stone statue of some kind of animal wearing jeans, and a red crystal in the shape of intertwined lightning bolts. In addition to those, we found even more jewelry and some pieces of gold.
The deepest part of the ruins was a large amphitheater. Unlike the rest of the building, there were no vines or cracked stone. There was, however, many a skeleton laying on the floor.
"Well, I guess we know what happened to whoever made it in this deep." Cynthia commented as she snapped a few pictures. I knelt down, investigating one of the fresher bodies. In the many wounds was an amber colored fluid that was incredibly sticky. In the semi-torn satchel was filled with tons of pieces of gold and gems.
"This is strange." Souji commented. "Besides the bodies, this room is too pristine compared to the rest of the rooms we've been in. And there aren't any monsters coming at us yet, either." I moved on to the center of the room, where there was an empty pedestal. Mounted to the pedestal is a tablet with inscriptions carved into it.
"'If you seeketh my power, prove your ability to overcome challenges well beyond your ability.'" I read out loud. The pedestal then sank into the floor. "Well that's not ominous or anything." The ground shook as the circular stage opened up. From the hole leapt a massive…thing…Its body was a combination of trees and stone, and looked as if it had just gone through a tornado. Vines sprawled across the body of the nature beast and the amber fluid that I saw on the corpse dripped from its gaping maw. A green light, almost the same shade as Souji's healing magic, glowed from deep within it as well as in the holes that were supposed to be its eyes. "Um…This is going to be an issue…I'm pretty sure this gave these other guys a sudden case of dead."
"I've got this." Cynthia said, using some fire magic to try and toast it. Let's just say that all THAT did was piss it off. The beast barreled through the jet of flames and we had to run away from it. "So much for that!"
"Allow me to try!" Souji called out, darkness pouring out of the tome. Looking at the health bar, the spell worked, but it didn't seem to bother it in the slightest.
"Orcus!" I shouted, calling upon my contract with the Roman god of death and the underworld. With my weapon now transformed into a scythe, I lunged at it, taking a swipe at its leg. The vegetation around the cut withered away, only for it to regenerate. Its health didn't increase, but I might as well have gave it a boop on the nose. Angered by the damage, it knocked me into a wall. "What the hell is this thing!?"
"Cederus from the name. Nothing else from there." Souji informed us.
"Then let's not give it time to breath.' Cynthia said, her large knife coated in flames.
"I'm cool with that." I said, using my staff to pick myself up. I couldn't help but feel a bit concerned about the tiny cracks in my armor. The three of us attacked at the same, ignoring the world's turn based fighting mechanics. In about five minutes we were able to get it below its fifty percent point, but not without some problems. Turns out that it's a Dark Souls boss. The glow turned red and it attacked even more aggressively. We also got to find out how good of a combat medic Souji could be. In one hit it was able to wipe out what was left of my armor's durability, and I slammed against a wall for the fifth time that fight. Things got a bit hazy, but that was probably because of the blood I could feel running own the back of my neck. That didn't last long because of the immense heatwave that smacked me in the face. Cynthia had become a literal blaze of glory. Her red hair and tail had turned silver, and her eyes a shade of red similar to the original color of her hair. From her collarbone down, her body was covered in a black skintight suit made of some unknown material. Over her lower arms and legs were a set of gauntlets and grieves that matched the red and gold theme of her regular combat gear. Over her chest was a crop-top style chest piece that looked like the face of some kind of bird of prey. Behind her was two large wings made purely of fire.
"Holy fuck…" I mutter.
"So this is her full power." Souji stated.
"I don't even know if that's true. Honestly, starting to feel a little under-classed. And I really can't believe she's my girlfriend." Before our conversation could continue, the beast charged her. She took the hit head on, but instead of being sent flying, she only moved a few feet back.
"Are you two just gonna sit there, or are you going to help me!?"
"We should help her." I said quickly. "I've seen what she can do with a knife when she's angry."
"Let's." I took aim with my revolver, a Colt .44, and fired several shots from where I was, moving up closer. Souji, lacking any physical offensive abilities, stuck to hurling bolts of dark magic at it. Cynthia's knife, which had now turned into a large machete in the shape of a feather, was doing the most damage. The wounds left by the weapon left burned gashes. I don't really remember when, but my staff got snapped in half.
"Rah!" I yelled, jamming the two halves of my broken weapon into its eyes. It let out one last roar before crumbling to the ground, dead. The stone in the room shifted once again, but instead of the tablet there was a green crystal in the shape of a boar.
"I wish…my staff did more…than just heal wounds…"
"I could…really use a nap…" Cynthia said as she collapsed, transformation releasing in the process. I had just enough energy to catch her before we both crumpled to the ground.
"Let's rest up for a bit before we look around some more." Not waiting for a response, I closed my eyes. I opened them again when I felt someone shaking my shoulder.
"Wake up. We've been asleep for hours." Souji stated. Looking around, I saw that the natural light in the room was gone, replaced by some glow-in-the-dark substance. Cynthia had shifted while we slept to her default position, and that made getting up even harder.
"'Tia, wake up."
"Too tired…need sleep…"
"We can sleep when we get home, okay? We can even put on a movie."
"Okay…" The tired girl got up and I grabbed what we came here for.
"That crystal would get us a lot of credits." Souji commented.
"Sorry, but this is what we came all this way for. We can't just give it up or sell it." The man tried to argue, but I crushed it in my hand and my world went black.
"It is good to see that you and your friends have survived my trial. I am Artemis, and I grant you a portion of my power."
"Um, would you mind answering a few questions about all of…this…?" I questioned, waving my arms around.
"Did Orcus not explain? *Sigh* I told them that he shouldn't have been the first of us you encountered…So, what do you?"
"I have fifteen minutes a day and I'm up shit creak without a paddle if it breaks." I couldn't see the goddess, but her facepalm was very, very audible.
"Well, that's not wrong. You can use each contract for a total of fifteen minutes every twenty-four hours. Now, for you "armor" as you call it. It is known as the God-Contract Gear, or GCG for short. As well as the changes it makes to your weapon, it is the manifestation of our power and existence in the world you're in. That being said, if it is broken, you cannot call upon any of us for eight hours."
"Any of you? Shit, that's worse than I thought."
"Yes. Think of it as an incentive to not be so reckless. You can use a portion of a god's power. You, however, are no god."
"Yeah, I know. Orcus also said something about benefits?"
"Out contracts do indeed come with…perks…For example, Orcus, being a god of death, has made you exempt from death by aging. I shall offer you the eyes of a master hunter. They shall slow your perception of time, hitting your target no matter how small the window."
"Kind of like the ARS in Vanquish, right?"
"Yes. The flow of time shall remain the same."
"Cool. So, how does this end? I'm not exactly in the same situation as I was the first time."
"Just blink." I did, and everything returned to normal. I looked down at my left arm to see that a new black mark had appeared. This one was a moon with an arrow through it.
"What was that about? You're eyes turned blank and you started talking to yourself." Souji asked.
"He did that the first time, too, but I didn't pay much attention to it at the time." Cynthia commented. "We were in a big fight."
"I was talking with Artemis, a goddess of hunting from back home. Not that that's done, let's go home. Souji, you're welcome to come with us."
"I must decline. Lady White Heart is expecting a report from me." Perhaps some other time." Cynthia pulled out her phone at his response, opening up her contact list.
"Let me get your number so we can let you know when and where."
"I…do not have a phone…"
"What about a house phone?" I asked him.
"It seems like I will have to write a request for a phone of some kind…"
'Holy shit, does he get all of his info from a pigeon!?'
"Here." Cynthia said, scribbling on some paper before handing it to him. "These are our numbers. Give us a call when you can."
"I will. Goodbye." The three of us tiredly trudged our way home, him heading north while we went west.
Eventually, three years had passed since Neptune and I had gotten to the Ultradimension. In that time, a few things had happened. We found two more temples. One of them was Anansi, the African god that used cunning and trickery to obtain all of the world's stories. The spider-like god allows me to learn something's story if I spend enough time in contact with it. He said that I could do the same for people, but I'd have to be using his GCG. Then there was the other one. There were no trials. Hell, there was barely any exploration. Just Mark Pellegrino laying across a red leather couch. That's right, bitches. I signed a contract with the devil himself. Hellfire is fun, and that's all I have to say about that, except for the fact that I can't actually use his GCG. Something about the fact that he was in the cage in hell and he wasn't actually a god, though he did say he was talking to someone about it. When I asked him why HE would do something like this, the response was "I was bored". After that bit of exploration, Souji actually followed us back to Planeptune. That lead to the best first encounter with Neptune that I'd ever seen.
*Flashback*
"This is Planeptune's Basilicom? The pictures do not make it seem nearly as tall as it is." Souji commented.
"Just be glad there's an elevator. There was a day Plutie decided that the two of us were going out the day it was broken. So many stairs…" I said to him.
"I thought you were dating Cynthia?" He questioned, confusion all over his face.
"He is. Because of an odd technicality and some paperwork that she did while he was unconscious, he is her brother." Cynthia explained.
"Is that…legal?"
"Who are we to question a CPU?" The wolf girl countered as we entered the elevator. The solid light platform still out me on edge, seeing as how you could see the black abyss as we rose up. Once the door opened, we were greeted by everyone's favorite tome fairy.
"Greetings! You must be Souji. I am Histoire, Oracle of Planeptune."
"How is she speaking in emoticons?" He asked, turning to us.
"Am I seriously the only one who can't hear or see or whatever the fuck these emoticons are!?" I shouted.
"Well hey, guys! Wait…Who's the stud?" Neptune asked.
"M-Me?" Souji stuttered out, turning quite the interesting shade of red as his serious persona shattered.
"Yes, you." Oh no. Neptune, please. "Mm…Momma likes…" She practically purred, running a finger down his chest.
"I, um, bu-, wah-?" He was clearly broken, fumbling his words.
"Hahaha! Oh, that was a great! The look on your face was priceless!" Neptune cried between bouts of laughter.
"Of course she'd prank someone like this." Cynthia muttered.
"A prank?" Souji asked, more to himself than anyone else. "I see…Neptune, CPU of Planeptune, this means war."
"Challenge accepted."
*Flashback End*
We never would've thought that the two of them would be dating by the end of that month. It involved a lot of pies, some very slow "clean-up", and a very angry Plutie. I didn't blame her, seeing as how the two got pie all over the dolls of us she made. She came over for a few days to calm down after her wrath was dealt out. It was also not the last time she stayed over for a while. Hell, the room that was originally mine became hers for when she needed it. Last night was one of those times. This morning was the one that I found out that my sister is lonelier than she lets on. Let me put it to you this way. Spooning my girlfriend is fine, but spooning my girlfriend while being cuddled by your naked sister is not. Maybe I should stop sleeping without a shirt on, then I wouldn't know about that fact. It took the better half of a half an hour to worm my way out of the two's grasps. I couldn't help but chuckle and take a picture as they latched onto each other.
"I need a shower."
*One cold shower and a contemplation about my life choices later*
I went down the stairs of the house the two of us had gotten a mortgage on and started to make breakfast for the three of us. An American classic of pancakes and bacon.
"Hey, Steven?" I turned to see that my girlfriend has awoken. Oddly enough, she was still in her pajamas. Normally she takes a shower, changes, then comes down, yet here she was in a short black silk nightgown with matching thigh-highs.
"What's up, 'Tia? You never come down in your PJs."
"Plutia is in the shower. Speaking of her, how come I woke up cuddling her?"
"I needed out of there. Incest is not wincest. Also, someone needed to make breakfast."
"Good morning…" Plutie greeted sleepily, hair still damp. We returned the greeting and I continued to make food.
"So, I have plans for today. Does anyone else?" I asked.
"Noire invited me over once she heard that all I can really do is bake. Something about teaching me how to cook." Cynthia stated. "What do you have planned?"
"Well, I found a tackle shop, and realized that after all of these years I haven't gone fishing once."
"Fishing?" Cynthia asked.
"Yup. Even got some hard cider for while I do it. I would've gotten beer, but then I remembered that beer tastes like shit." I paused, putting a hand to my chin as an idea came to mind. "Hey, Plutie, are you doing anything today?"
"Histy wanted me to do work, but I don't exactly want to go home yet." She replied.
"Want to come with me then? I think I grabbed a spar rod."
"Of course. We don't really get to be together much, do we?"
"Nope, and that's why I asked." With that decided, I grabbed everything we'd need and headed out. I did have to make Plutie go back to the Basilicom to get something more fitting. A dress blouse and stockings with flats is not appropriate for this, after all. After she changed into jeans, a t-shirt, boots and a light jacket, we headed to a lake Cynthia and I had found on one of our earlier excursions. It took a while to teach her how to set up her pole and even longer to get her to be patient, but eventually we did just get to sit there and talk. And talk we did. Especially when she had a few in her. Someone doesn't handle her alcohol well.
"All I'm saying is that…*hick*…that she doesn't get how I feel when *hick* they're all over each other. Can't she see *hick* that it hurts me…?"
"Sometimes people don't see the things that are right in front of the time." I did have to take a second before continuing. "How come Cynthia and I don't bother you?"
"Why…Why would I feel jealous of *hick* my brother? When are you going to ask her?"
"I don't know. The original plan for today was to come out here and think about it, but spending time with family is important." There was a tug on her line, and it was obvious that it wasn't anything like the little ones we'd caught so far. "Plutie, you have a bite." Her eyes widened as she dove for the line. As she reeled it in, the pole bent more and more. It took both of us to finally get the damn thing out of the water. It was as long as my arm! "Hot damn! I don't think we have a bucket big enough for this one!"
"We could just through it back." It seems like the adrenaline sobered her up.
"Sure, let's do it." Tossing the large fish back after taking a picture with it, we went back to Planeptune, stopping at a restaurant because I forgot to pack lunch. "So, do you want to check in or just head back to my place?"
"I'll go home with you. I…don't want to see Neppy right now."
"She's you're friend. I'm sure she'd understand if you just explained it to her."
"I know, but…after seeing how she teases Noire, I don't want that to happen to me, too…"
"Alright, I understand. Can you get one of the buckets? My hands are full." I had made a deal with a street vendor yesterday because I don't particularly care for fish. Also, having pocket change is nice. The two of us split the money and flopped down on the couch, putting on a tape. You have no idea how weird it is going back to tapes after so long. I think the last thing I had watched on tape was either the gen one Transformers movie or Gundam Wing Endless Waltz. It was just the two of us because I think Noire plans on keeping Cynthia all day. Poor Noire. She's gonna have to call the fire department once she tries anything complicated. There's a reason that apartment from years ago kicked us out and we had to take out a mortgage on this two story. I had to try really hard not to laugh at Noire's angry phone call. Plutie, at the time, did not have such restraint and promised to punish her when she got home. That night I think was the first night I spent alone in years, and there was no sleep to be had. The screams and sounds of pleasure kept me up.
A few more days passed, and a repeat of the morning conversation happened.
"So, what's on the agenda for today?" I asked, biting into a slice of banana bread.
"Histoire asked us to come over for something. She never said why."
"Alright. Let's go see what's up." Once we got to the CPUs' living quarters, we were greeted by Histy mid-rant.
"Lastation!" The tiny voice shouted.
"Oh, yep, that's the ticket. Noire's such a workaholic, huh? She can't make any friends 'cuz she loves working too much." Okay, it's time to sass the Nep.
"Well, she probably makes more friends doing work than lazing about her bedroom."
"He does have a point, and Historie is correct." Souji commented, walking in from where I assume the bedrooms are without a shirt on. Plutie looked incredibly bothered by this.
"You stayed the night here?"
"He did more than that." Plutie replied to Cynthia, her voice matching the look on her face.
"Why didn't you come crash at our place, then?" I asked.
"I've already been over for a few days this week. You both deserve to be alone, and it was too late at night before I realized."
"Ah. You know you're more than welcome anytime, right?" I got no audio response, just a huge hug.
"Thank goodness you two are here. These two refuse to do their jobs as CPUs, and Souji is not helping!" The fairy cried out. This seemed to be the straw that broke the camel's back.
"Maybe I'd be more willing to fucking work if these two hadn't have kept me up all night!" The sadist screamed. "Maybe I'd come out of my room more if these two didn't look like they were about to record a porno every time they're in the same room together, not even caring if I was in the room!"
Silence. Dead. Fucking. Silence. No, even the dead weren't this quiet. Before anyone said anything, she equipped her processors and flew away. Neptune had tears in her eyes and Souji's head was hung low.
"Do you three realize how much you hurt her?" Mouth, what are you doing? I didn't tell you to say things. "She tries so hard, yet you push her like she hasn't done anything." GOD DAMMIT! "You don't take her into consideration when you do these kinds of things. Just because you two love each other, it doesn't mean that you don't have to abide by social standards."
"I…I am a terrible friend if I couldn't realize how my actions were affecting her…" Souji muttered.
"While she hasn't done as much work as I expect, what she has done has been very beneficial. Perhaps I have been too hard on her." Histoire said, more to herself than anyone else. Neptune was just frozen, warm fluid running down her face in a steady stream.
"'Tia? Can you go find her? Plutie isn't in a good way right now. She needs someone and I can't fly."
"No problem. She'll be in good hands." Transforming in a flash of flame, I could see her take off out of the corner of my eye.
"…didn't know…I didn't know…" Neptune repeated this over and over, slowly curling into a ball.
"Neptune." I interrupted. "You couldn't have known. I didn't even know until she told me the other day when she got drunk while we were fishing. People are too complex for someone to just understand by looking at them, but YOU have to realize that this isn't a video game. This is life, and no one can just do what they want because they're "the protagonist". There's a saying back home that was called the golden rule. "Treat others the way you would like to be treated." Now, come on. By the time 'Tia finds her, she'll probably be cooled down enough for you to be able to apologize." I held a hand out to help her up. She took Souji's instead and the two left. "I went too far, didn't I?"
"Maybe, but it's what we needed to hear. You're an outsider, someone who is exempt from the way this world works." Histoire replied. "It is time that we stop thinking about this like a game, even if it really is one. Isn't that right?"
"How'd you know?"
"I am the world, and it is me. Since the moment I was created I understood everything about this world, and how it was represented in others."
"Well, they went to fix their mistakes. I should go fix mine while I'm at it. They can get on my nerves sometimes, but those two are my friends and I don't want to lose them. And I feel like Plutie is more willing to hold back if I'm in the way."
"Best of luck to you, Steven."
"Thank you, Histoire, and sorry for the metaphorical slap to the face."
"Apology accepted. Get going, you have a lot of running to do"
"Don't I know it."
I finished this! Yay! Though, I wish I had gotten it done sooner. And I did it again. I had a plan for this chapter, but I seriously went off the rails this time. Ah well, I still like what I did. I really do like showing more sides to the game's characters than what we see, so it's fine by me. Don't know how you'll all like it, but what happens, happens. Until next time, see ya.