Patch Notes (v1.05!)
- Format changed from Traditional British Prose Format to International Prose Format (Quotation Marks and apostrophes changed!)
- Minor spelling mistakes fixed!
- General reading improvements for the readers!
These patch notes have been released at - (15/06/2023)
An Azure's Re;Birth
A dark expanse, as far as the eye could see. The space itself timeless yet full of everything, intersecting possibilities that could or could not have been. Whilst it did not have a name, those who peered through decided it would be named so. The Boundary.
Within the Boundary anything was said to be possible.
Perhaps one took the path on their right, instead of their left? Maybe a Man took it upon themselves to take up arms, instead of let cowardice lead their life astray? Or if a single individual didn't bare their teeth and go against the world's order? It mattered not, it was all there.
Endless possibilities.
One of these possibilities held a new world, history as old as others but seemingly sprouted from one being's actions. And those that resided in this new world, observed this new phenomenon. One with great interest, and the other brimming with newfound hope.
Could this be it? What was needed to change the course that the world was doomed to repeat?
Or was it the beginning of the end. The one that would inevitably end this cycle force the book to close forever.
They could not say. Only watch as a figure stepped through a door, their existence flickering as if fighting to see things through to the end. That's what had been written by the Tomb.
…
The seal felt cold, though time seemed to not entirely escaped Histoire, she couldn't help but feel out of her depth. She was created for this sole reason, to record everything that occurred and without fail. Yet something felt off. Wrong. Different.
Her eyes lit up, the dark blue taking on a lighter hue as she willed her power. Wings fluttering gently as wisps of light emanated from them.
As she reviewed the Tome she sat upon, she read of all its contents in a pace that surpassed the most avid of readers. It all looks correct, nothing tampered or change. So, what was that feeling of discomfort she had experienced just now?
Her eyes stopped at the most recent page. The current exchanges between the Goddesses on Celestia. This day marked the 200th anniversary of the Console War in Gamindustri. Beyond that, the pages were blank.
It only made sense as nothing had yet to occur beyond the current moment in time.
She couldn't fathom that wrong feeling. The closest she felt to that kind of emotion was the… differences and altercations she had between her and Arfoire leading to her sealing. And yet they couldn't compare to the dread.
Histoire sighed. Maybe she was going stir crazy from the time spent in this place. It certainly didn't do her any favours from the lack of stimulation and limited activities she was bound to. Maybe a walk around the deep expanse would help her collect her thoughts better.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The feeling returned, a wave of dysphoria enveloped Histoire. This time not just as a foreboding feeling, but palpable shudders that shook her surroundings.
"Wah?!" Histoire let out a startled cry, the blue light she emanated dissipating as her concentration broke. Her figure grasping onto the tome beneath her as she stood her ground.
Something was off, worryingly so. Never had she once felt such a strong tremor that it could shake the confines of her seal. Something like that reaching to these depths was never a good sign.
Despite this, she felt an etch in the back of her mind. Akin to a hand with a pen in hand, writing something.
Her mind buzzed and her vision filled with static as an onslaught of information forced its way into the Tome.
'Who is this? Why are they doing this? How are they writing in the Tome?!' Frantic thoughts invaded Histoire's mind as she helplessly sat amid the chaos. 'How could this be?'
This sort of breach was unprecedented. How could this be happening, and why only now? Had Arfoire found a way to bypass the restrictions required to rewrite Gamindustri's history?
If this were the case, she had to act sooner than she expected.
Although her attempts to contact the Goddesses often ended in nought, either brushing off her attempts at establishing a mental connection or ignoring her words, she had no other choice but to have them listen.
Whether they liked it mattered not, only that her words not fall on lost ears.
Her eyes and wings lit up once more as rings of runes encompassed her. She didn't like it, having accumulated her rested energy for different plans to determine the best chance of success for her return.
Her channelling grew stronger despite the tremors. The runes grew in size, changing from yellow to blue.
Her vision flickered from the black void to a lush archipelago of floating islands, giant crystals growing out and underneath in a kaleidoscopic fashion. One that she was glad to see was still whole.
Celestia. The home of the Goddesses.
The place looked immaculate as always, the beauty it held stayed the same despite the passage of time. It only served to remind Histoire of what she was fighting for. However, she couldn't dwell on such thoughts.
Though the power she was radiating was enough to let her glimpse into the land, it wasn't enough for her plans. Her mind sputtered as it overclocked her body's functions to increase her magic output. So much so that she began to vibrate in tandem with the tremors, further disorienting her.
For something like this, it would normally take 3 hours to complete. But from the sudden shifts made to the Tome, she didn't have that kind of time.
'Though my body's hardware may not be in the best of shape, I must try, for the sake of Gamindustri.' Histoire thought, her mind still focused.
In the distance, Histoire could spot 4 different coloured dots. Each dot floated above the ground of Celestia and seemingly docile. The tremors didn't seem to be affecting the main-lands of Celestia, so her only conclusion to what she was experiencing must be deep within the Tomb.
Whilst not close enough to distinguish what they were, the colours gave away their identities. It was clear to Histoire what was happening.
Purple. Black. White. Green. These were the colours of the dots, and the colours of the Goddesses of the Landmasses in Gamindustri.
The Purple dot was CPU Purple Heart, the Goddess of Planeptune, the land of Purple Progress.
The Black dot was CPU Black Heart, the Goddess of The Land of Regality, Lastation.
The White dot was CPU White Heart, the Goddess of The Land of White Serenity, Lowee.
And the Green dot was CPU Green Heart, the Goddess of The Land of Green Pastures, Leanbox.
Each one raring to go and continue their battle.
Not long after Histoire began materialising into the lands, the four colours met in a head on collision. The surrounding grass and tree leaves bristled from the sudden force whilst the crystals glistened brighter, the clashes resounding.
For the average being, the fighting was intense and nigh impossible to follow. As expected of such higher beings. To those skilled in fighting, it was a work of art in motion, each goddess carrying their own sense of elegancy.
Despite that, such a sight was disheartening to witness for Histoire. Having been there when the Goddesses were first created, seeing the path they were led down, it was terrible. Was it too much for them to settle upon peaceful exchanges? Where all Gamindustri could live together, unified, and free to live how they choose?
Lingering thoughts such as these were always on the forefront of her mind. It wasn't always like this, that much was evident, at the beginning of the Console War. Peaceful talks and meetings, exclusivity deals to competitivity amongst one another, even exchanges to better the lives of their citizens.
Those were much simpler times, ones that she wished she could return to.
Though she was the Tome of History, it was never clear as to how things escalated to how they were now. Maybe it was a rise in demand of games by the citizens of each nation, or perhaps it was a result of the 2D-era activists running amok in Lowee and spreading notions of superiority of the past.
She never found out. There was one reoccurring constant though every time she revisited the topic, was the involvement of Planeptune. Perhaps the whoopie-cushion pranks did get a bit out of hand… She couldn't deny that was a primary catalyst. The Basilicom Meeting rooms were never seen the same way ever since.
Histoire clasped her hands together. Her eyes shut close as she focused on each Goddesses locations, trying to establish a connection to their Share Origins.
It was now or never, if she did this now, there was no going back.
With new gust, Histoire's power surged and was ready.
"Well now, there's no need for any of that. We can't have you collapse on us just yet, can we?" A female voice called out, interrupting the imprisoned Tome.
A snap rang out, disrupting the flow of magic and returning the area to the black void.
Having been suddenly stopped at the peak of her spell, Histoire was greeted with the backlash of not finishing the spell, causing her body to overheat as steam poured out the top of her head. Her eyes flickered in and out before powering back down to their normal hue.
"Who are you! I demand to know how you're doing all of this!" Histoire stated, her body aching from the failed cast. "No one has bypassed the restrictions put in place to access this Tomb before, nor have they willed the ability to rewrite the Tome."
"Huh?" Replied the disembodied voice, confusion evident in its initial jovial tone. "I have no idea as to what referring to. All I did just now was answer your call just now."
This didn't make any sense. Just how could they contact her like this in this state? It shouldn't be possible and not to mention suspicious.
"If that is so, then how did you interrupt my spell like that?" Questioned Histoire.
"Oh that? It was simple really, these Ars Magus sure are a versatile thing. I needed your attention, and you seemed quite busy." The voice replied, hints of amusement evident in their tone.
Ars Magus? She had never heard of such a term before. Was it something recently developed by one of the nation's developers? And they mentioned that were versatile, to the extent that it could disrupt her cast mere moments before being used.
She made sure to make a mental note of it.
"An Ars Magus you say? Whilst I do not know what you refer to, I would ask that you not do such a thing again. Especially in such a precarious moment." Histoire stated, her face adopting a stern look.
"Ah, I'm sorry about that." The voice took an apologetic turn. "I didn't think it would hurt you, only dissipate and render the spell harmless."
The small fairy let out a sigh as she recuperated herself. Whilst the voice seemed to be sincere about their actions, it didn't help that the ramifications of using such a strenuous spell left a sour taste in her mouth.
All that build-up of magic and Shares was ultimately wasted, leaving her with a small portion of the reserves she had accumulated. At best, it was enough to hold a conversation with a person for three minutes. At worst? Less than thirty seconds.
It was barely enough to cast a few basic fire cast. And even a level one could cast more than that. If Arfoire were to see the stunt she pulled off earlier, she had no doubts that she would be laughing at her misfortune.
Despite her best attempts to hide her frustration, the voice seemed to have picked up on her growing ire.
"Look, chin up lady." The voice consoled, trying to distract her from their previous mess up. "Whilst this may come as a surprise, I have something to show you. Something, if I do say so myself, might be so important to garner your fullest attention."
The feeling of scepticism resurged once more in Histoire, however with her current state, there was not much she could do.
With another sigh, she beckoned the voice to continue as her eyes looked up from their down-trodden gaze.
"Take a look at the next few pages in that Tome of yours. I'm sure they're a page-turner." The voice giggled at their horrible pun, earning an eye roll from Histoire.
Having nothing else to do, her eyes shone once more before opening wide. Shocked at what she was reading before her.
What was this? A 'Conquest Route'? 'Neptune's downfall'? The 'True(?)' Ending? Each title was highlighted on a series of new pages, detailing the story of a Gamindustri yet to come, all with scribbles and citations close to that of a children's book.
It made little sense. None of these things had happened. Yet, they found themselves in the Tome and did not trigger a paradox or the failsafe protocol in place of unauthorised phenomena.
So many questions were being thrown in her face, yet none answered. It was beginning to make her want to scream out in disbelief. She had to remain calm and collected, it was no use to anyone if she gave into her frustrations.
The voice was silent, allowing the small Tome to digest it all. Almost like they were sympathetic to her plight.
What she failed to notice was the page edges, taking the form of blue wisps of flames.
Ragna woke up in a cold sweat. His left eye shot open as his chest rose and down from shallow breaths as he attempted to calm him frantic heart. Where the hell was he?
He tried pushing himself up with his right arm. However, nothing seemed to happen. That was odd, what the crap was going on? He tried again, this time putting more effort while grunting. Still nothing.
Leaning his head, that was resting upon quite the soft pillow, he looked to his right and noticed his arm was bandaged in white sports tape. Last time he checked, he remembered it just being pure black and preferably under his favourite coat.
He gave his body a once over, pushing the blanket off him using him good arm before pulling himself up. His normal attire was missing, leaving him shirtless and only his hakama on. His eye twitched, there would be hell to pay for being put in this situation.
As he sat on the pink sofa, he tried recalling the last moments he could recall. And that was facing down the Amaterasu Unit before punching in the wishes and dreams of everyone, fixing things so that they were right.
'A world where I didn't exist…' He thought sombrely. He closed his eye, reminiscing on the prior events. Jin, Tsubaki, Noel, Kagura, Celica… Saya. All of them beside him, moments away before their toughest enemies.
It seemed surreal, to think that he would go from destroying Cauldrons and being hunted down as a criminal to facing a God and rewriting the world for everyone to live happily.
Honestly, he wouldn't have it any other way. What he fought was well worth the sacrifice, even if he was the catalyst to be sacrificed for their happiness. But that was then, this is now.
Speaking of now, as he surveyed his surroundings, he noticed that the current place he was in was pink. Nauseatingly pink. Something that he'd expect from the likes of Luna and Sena. God he hopes this isn't some sick twisted joke where they kidnapped him and brought him to their home.
But that couldn't be it. He recalled them also being homeless or something along those lines since they followed wherever Master went.
Dismissing those thoughts, the room held more than just pink. It had squid like plushies, a desk stack to the brim with books. Nothing too out of the ordinary from a room that was owned by quite the feminine individual he would guess. What made his good eye go wide was the ginormous syringe that lay next to him, the purple contents inside seeming to bubble.
What kind of person needed a syringe that big?!
Something like that would be enough to take out the Black Beast, the Six Heroes and even compete with Noel's 'food' from how disturbing the liquid looked.
He shuddered at such a horrific thought. Best to not piss off whoever the owner of that is. Across the room came an alarm by the bed side, the beeping only serving to further annoy the Reaper.
Just as he was about to get up and break the annoying thing, someone else beat him to it.
"SHUUUT UUUP!" Screeched a female voice, the girl's arm reaching up before slamming itself down on the alarm.
Crack~
The alarm broken into multiple pieces, splaying across the room. The sound of wood snapping caused the figure to lift their arm and shift their body towards the bed side, only to be greeted with a slanted cracked drawer.
"Oops…" She said, peeking her head out the covers and exposing her purple haired head.
Ragna and the purple girl stared into each other's eyes for a moment, one with exasperation on his face and the other with a sheepish look.
"Umm, I hold no responsibility for that and aren't liable for any potential lawsuits for the destruction of the furniture and alarm as it would be an attack on my character and that wouldn't be good for me as the protagonist?" The purple girl spouted quickly, confusing the Reaper as to whatever she said.
Just what the hell was even going on at this point?
First he finds himself in the room of, what he assumes, some random girl that decided to kidnap him. Next he finds himself staring down a syringe that could euthanise the Black Beast and send it running just from the mere sight of it. And now he is confronted by a girl with a tendency to destroy her surroundings from the slight annoyance.
None of this made sense at all. And quite frankly he was getting a headache from trying to make sense of it. So, he decided to let things roll.
"What's going on? Is someone hurt?" The door opened revealing a new girl, her voice filled with concern as she held a tray with pudding cups.
The two bedridden looked at the new girl. She had congo-pink hair and a woolly patterned sweater and plaid skirt. Around her neck was a heart choker, her waist equipped with a waist purse with a huge C mark on the front and a headband with a similar C mark embroidered onto it alongside knee high socks with light pink heart frills.
Her face adopted a concerned look, her congo-pink eyes squinting as she entered the room. She made her way to the table in the middle of the room and placed the tray down before glancing at the purple girl's not-so inconspicuous expression.
She turned to the bedside drawer and sighed at the broken items, shaking her head. It looked like she was about to say something but shook her head before whipping out from her purse what looked like a blocky phone with a purple N on the back.
The new girl tapped away at the screen briefly before dragging her finger over the screen and letting out an audible 'pop~' with her mouth. The broken bedside drawer gained a light blue highlight before disappearing into wisps and into the phone.
"Woah?!" cried the purple girl, like she had witnessed witch-craft being performed before her very own eyes.
Ragna's eye widened again at the sight. What did she just do? Was that a Phenomenon Intervention? Sure as hell seemed like one, with how she seemingly just transported that furniture like it was nothing.
This put Ragna on edge, having been on the end of numerous Phenomena Interventions himself. Seemed like it was in his best interest to stay on her good side.
Whilst these thoughts ran on in Ragna's head, the new girl continued to tap away at the blocky phone, swiping a bunch as she made a few faces at the screen. This quickly settled into a happy face as she tapped away at the screen before letting out a 'boop~'.
Another blue light wisped from the phone in her hand before materialising into a newly renovated beside drawer, with a similar alarm but in a different shade of pink.
"Now that's better!" The pink girl gave a smile before pocketing the phone and turned towards both. "Mornin' sleepyheads! Well, it should be good afternoon!"
"Um," started the purple girl. "This doesn't seem to be mine or that other guy's room. He seems to be more into djent memorabilia than Goodbye Dogoo merch… Is it yours? And why am I tucked so snuggly in?"
Pinky put a finger on her cheek, putting on a thinking expression. "Well, it was just last night. I was looking out my window after coming back from a long test from nursing school and noticed a shooting star in the night sky. I thought I could wish upon it to let me pass my next test, but lo and behold when it suddenly came closer and whooshed~ over my house and into my backyard!"
Her face quickly changed to looking more bashful, her hand rubbing the back of her head. "I was a bit scared as it made a big rattle and bang. When I went to have a look, I saw you stuck into the ground, headfirst missy! It was a bit funny looking if I'm honest…" She trailed off near the end of her sentence, avoiding the other girl's gaze.
"And that's what happened!"
"Well that's certainly a short answer. Wait a minute, does that mean… I fell out of the sky?!" cried the purple girl, sweat dropping at the implication of how she was found.
The pink girl nodded in response. Concern evident on her face.
"Now hold on a second," Ragna said, annoyed at the story and getting the two's attention. "I think you're forgetting little 'ole me. That doesn't explain how the hell I also ended up in your room."
Though he looked pissed, which didn't say much as he always looked disgruntled according to others, he was more confused as to how he was sitting a girl's room half-naked like a certain Mad Dog.
The girl that housed the two strangers pouted, crossing her arms. "Well I was about to get to that part mister! We can't spoil all the mystery immediately." She paused, seeming to collect her thoughts and think of what to say next. "However, I will say how I found you was a bit strange. It's a bit hard to explain how it happened…"
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Ragna said, his brow arching in response.
"Well…"
As she raced out her back door, she made her way through the forest, following the path of carnage. Trailing the patch, trees and shrubbery that once inhabited the Virtua Forest lay ruined with bits of their bark splintered.
Coming up to the carnage site, she was greeted by a girl. However, she seemed a bit wrong, considering her head was burrowed within the ground. It was a bit funny looking, like she was a Soul-Sword, or whatever that popular anime that was airing on Lastation's channel.
The girl in question wore a white and purple highlighted mini-hoodie with a purple N motif. Her white and blue knee-highs and similarly coloured shoes and emblemed N adopting the same style as her hoodie. She was as stiff as a rock peeking out from the ground like that, and was she A-posing?
Never had she come across this type of scenario!
Running through her mind, she tried her best to recall the best possible actions to in this kind of situation. Should she use the 'Fireman carry and run like hell' technique? No… That wouldn't work, it was meant to be used for when you're faced with a Fenrir and your party member consumed the wrong potion to negate the effects of dizzy DOTs.
How about the 'Undock and Respirate' technique? No… That was for cartridges that didn't want to start up properly and required a quick dust over to clear the ducts. Though she could swear people claim that did more harm than good on the Internep…
She pondered some more as to the correct technique she needed to apply, using all the knowledge she had acquired from nursing school and her favourite Shoujo manga.
Oh, that's it! The 'Exc*alibur: The chosen one!' technique. Or was it C*liburn? Either way, she nodded to herself and positioned herself by the feet of the girl.
Rubbing her hands together, she grabbed the ankles of the girl and began to pull up. She heaved a bit, surprised at the amount of effort she was applying to pull her out. This stuck girl was deceptively heavier than she thought.
Seeing the ground move at her attempt, the girl put more effort into the pull before unlodging the stuck girl. She fell on her butt in surprise from the sudden release, letting go of her patient.
She picked herself back up, wiping away at the dirt that stained the back of her skirt before looking to where the girl had landed from her slight miscalculation… She hoped she didn't hurt her by accident.
Though, now that she thought about it. Maybe that wouldn't be enough to cause any harm? She seemed to be fine, despite becoming a Sword-in-stone thing. She shook her head, now wasn't the time for that kind of thinking. She had someone to attend to!
The girl didn't land too far, now on her back and looking peaceful. The now identified purple individual looked out of place in the destroyed area.
Just as the pink girl was about to check on the laying girl, the girl on the floor began to snore heavily. This caused her to face-fault at that.
Just how can someone fall from the sky, only to sleep it off? Was she even human at this point?
Picking herself up for the second time that night, she brushed off the dirt and went to pick up her new patient. She'd have to give her a full autopsy, just to make sure there wasn't any problems with her.
Even if she looked fine from a glance, who knows what damage or problems she had? Maybe she was inflicted with light bleed but was only visible from a deep look. Or maybe she had a paralyze debuff that made it so that her movement and attack powered was weakened?
It wouldn't look good of her as an upcoming nurse if she didn't think of the patient's needs first, and it would also help her gain some experience and could possibly even let her level up!
She pulled up her N-Gear and made some notes to the things she might have to do for the autopsy report she would be doing. 'Bandages', Check! 'Blue and Yellow Herbs', Check! 'Nepbull EXs', Check!
During this, a whizzing noise began to sound out, knocking the nurse's note taking aside and causing her to peer up and put away the phone. It was a black and blue void, swirling around ominously. And directly above the laying girl who was still snoring away.
This didn't look good, the nurse thought. She was tempted to pull of the 'Fireman carry and run like hell' technique despite there being no Fenrir to run from.
Just as she was about to do something, the swirling void spewed something out from it and towards the nurse. She let out a high-pitched ' meep!' before diving to the side, a clang resounding beside where she once stood.
She looked towards the thing that was launched at her, staring at it in surprise. It was a sword, a big and beat-up sword with a ribbon on the handle, swaying against the wind.
What was going on?
Before she could ponder further, her vision was obscured temporarily. It quickly slid off her head before draping over her shoulder. A red jacket?
It was too big for her, the jacket almost reaching past her knees. Whoever this jacket belonged to; they were certainly tall. These items only served to further confuse her, just why was this mysterious void spewing out items like it was a rare event drop point?
Not long after the sword and jacket fell, something, or in this case someone fell from it. And this time, directly onto the sleeping girl causing her to let out a noise, something along the lines of "Nepu~!".
It was a man. He had spiky white hair, a pale complexion with green and red earrings. He wore a baggy hakama, black shirt and steel-toed red boots. What tipped the nurse off about the man however was the completely black arm with a red shell on it. It was apparent that he was wearing gloves, however the right arm was different to his left. A prosthetic perhaps? But she had never come across one that was entirely black like his.
It was clear to her that this man was strange, however, despite that she couldn't help but want to help him. He was also unconscious, even though he had a much softer landing than the other girl prior, meaning that something was wrong with him too.
The swirl began to dissipate, its size reducing before vanishing completely leaving only the soft wind of the Planeptune air bristle against the rest of the forest.
Nodding to herself and steeling her nerves, she pulled out the N-Gear once more from her purse and tapped away at the screen. Both the sword and the jacket she had draped over her disappeared in a flash of light, being stored away into her personal hammerspace through her phone. The place where the sword was once embedded left a gap in the dirt as it was whisked away.
It seemed to belong to the man, so she would store them for safe keeping until she could get more information about them and who to give them to.
She turned towards the pile that had the two strange people and made her way towards them.
She set them aside from one another before reaching down and picking up the girl, adjusting her body on her shoulder. She repeated the same action for the man, resting him on the other shoulder before setting off back to her home in a light sprint.
Though it was tough, it was expected of a nurse like her to be able to carry and move bodies at a moment's notice!
However she hoped that the police or army were too busy dealing with the monster infestation. It would be hard to explain the amount of property damage to them…
"… And that's what happened!" The happy nursed ended, giving the ex-criminal a smile.
Ragna's eye twitched in response. "You didn't explain jack shit lady, all you did was dreamily stare off into the distance along the runt over there and didn't respond to any of my calls for the past 3 minutes."
The only reply he got was a sheepish look from the nurse.
He sighed. "Whatever, so what you're saying is that you found us and the runt there and decided to patch us up or something like that?" He received an enthusiastic nod.
"Hey bucko, I ain't no runt!" said the purple girl, objecting to the title the white-haired man gave her.
A scowl appeared on his face.
"Then, you two got a name. Or am I gonna have to keep calling her runt and you Pinky?" Ragna leaned back into the sofa seat, amused by the flushed expression of Pinky and the runt.
"Oh yeah, come to think of it, I never did introduce myself properly. My name is Compa." The nurse named Compa replied to Ragna.
"Hmph! Well, my name's Neptune. It's nice to meet you Compa! Thanks for the save, hopefully we can become great friends! Unlike old-man grumpster over here!" The purple girl named Neptune said, throwing a smug jab towards Ragna.
His scowl deepened, prompting Neptune to become smugger at her successful tease. Normally he wouldn't let that sort of thing provoke him, but he couldn't help but want to wipe that smug look off her. It was like Luna all over again.
"It's nice to meet you, Nept-… Nepee… Nepta-… Nepel… Neput…" Compa stuttered, her words failing her as she tried to pronounce Neptune's name. Ragna's face morphed into one of exasperation.
Neptune wasn't that hard of a name to say, she couldn't be this much of a ditz surely? Then again, Celica too was prone to moments not to dissimilar to this, so it wasn't like it was out of the realm of possibility.
Guess he was going to have to go through this whole song and dance again. Not that he particularly minded, he just hoped that she had a better sense of direction than Celica at least. It didn't do himself any favours being lost hours at an end, and he certainly didn't want a repeat of needing to baby sit her as a result of it.
"Neptuna, Nep-Nep, Nepper, it doesn't matter. You can call me anything!" answered Neptune, smiling at attempts at her name. That seemed to have made Compa's eyes shine brighter. Guess the prospect of a new friend's nickname was important to her.
"Okay then! How about Nep-Nep? It's nice to meet you, Nep-Nep!" Compa said, matching Neptune's zeal in happiness. Compa's eyes snapped back to Ragna, adopting a pensive look.
"I almost forgot, but what is your name Mister?" Her question prompted him to look at her, her head tilting to the said as her finger pressed against her mouth.
Right, he didn't introduce himself. Apparently he was more out of it than he thought, considering he felt as if he wasn't 100 percent himself at the moment. Excluding the obvious out of use Grimoire and eye he had at the moment.
It certainly didn't help that he felt like a third wheel in all of this, with how fast these two girls seemed to have clicked together. It was almost impressive how well they got along in such a short span of time.
He closed his eye and sighed before opening it again and spoke, "The name's Ragna."
The two nodded at Ragna. They were about to turn back to each other again and continue their rapport, however he stopped them.
"So, Compa right?" He started, earning another nod from the nurse. "May I ask why I'm half-naked here? Pretty sure I'm the only one here that's missing their clothes as Neptune over there still seems to be fully clothed. Hell, I'm pretty sure she still has her shoes under that blanket of yours."
"Huh? There's no way in Nep that's possible!" Neptune yelled, throwing the blanket off of her in a quick motion only to realise. Yes, she did in fact have her shoes on. "Compa! How could you forget to at least take my shoes off, wouldn't it get your bed dirty!"
Having been called out, Compa looked to the side with a blush. "Well I kind of forgot to give your turn for a look to see what may be wrong with you. I only was able to start with Mr. Ragna since he seemed to be the more roughed up." She poked her fingers together as she continued to explain, "Though I couldn't get further because well…"
Her face turned even redder; however it was obvious to what she was implying. "I thought you were a nurse. Shouldn't you be fine with seeing me shirtless for this kind of work?" Ragna questioned.
She poked her fingers together again, "I've only ever bandaged female patients, you're my first male patient and I kind of… Eep!" She covered her face with her sleeved hands, refusing to look at him. Despite the clear embarrassment, he did notice throughout the times she was talking with him, she did glance down at his figure for a few seconds before breaking away.
Whilst the sentiment was certainly new, never having had someone show interest in his body, outside of the Grimoire he had for a hand. He felt sorry for the nurse and tried to steer her back on track.
"Ooohohoo. Mr. Exhibitionist Casanova here trying to go for the Compa route. I didn't know you were like that. Should I be wary of my own chastity as the main heroine?" Neptune chortled, letting out a weird lewd laugh.
"Tch. Don't make this weird, ya damn runt. Like hell I'd be interested in a kid like you anyway." Ragna said, his eye squinting. Neptune seemed to have taken offense, looking as if she were ready to pounce him and throttle him.
Compa quickly seemed to have 180'd and turned her attention back to Neptune, stopping Neptune from following through with her attack on him. At least she didn't look like she would pass out from embarrassment anymore, though a small blush still lingered on her face.
"Since I checked over Mr. Ragna, and checked his status with my N-Gear, it's time for your turn Nep-Nep!" Compa said, smiling.
"Whilst I don't look like it, I guess I could be scraped up. Strange, I feel like I got sandbagged…" replied Nep, looking down at herself in wonder, observing her arms and legs.
"If that's so, then let's start by getting those clothes off of you!" As Compa stated this, Ragna felt a chill run down his back. Oh hell no, he didn't like where this was going.
Not wanting to be apart of any of this, he scrambled to his feet and ran out the door, yelling to Compa to "Call me when you're done with that shit."
Though he didn't wait for a reply, he slammed the door behind him with his good arm before walking down the stairs in the corridor. The corridor had a similar pink tinge that her bedroom had, and that motif was apparent with the rest of the home.
Making his way down the living room, he found the kitchen and decided to relax there until things died down.
The kitchen was a standard homely kitchen, had the basic necessities with some trinkets to liven up the place evident by the potted plants by the windowsill, the derp looking cat clock that read '2:49pm', the mindless buzzing of the radio and the photos of Compa in her nurse attire alongside, what he assumed, were her fellow classmates.
He sat down on one of the chairs and leaned back into it, the wood material felt rigid against his skin. He'd need to ask Compa for his shirt back, least he end up more annoyed than he should be. Not only that, but he'd also need to ask where on the Hierarchical Cities he was.
Though he could make some educated guesses, he'd rather hear directly where he was so he could think of a plan of what he should do next. Afterall, he shouldn't exist now. Meaning no one knew who he was. That much was clear as they seemed to not have freaked out when he mentioned his name, not even an inkling of suspicion towards the man named similarly to the criminal with the highest bounty to their name.
As Ragna was lost in thought, the radio turned on louder with a beep, breaking him out of his slump and look towards the device.
"Hellooo~ Gamindustri! It is me, your favourite radio MC of Hi-Five Radio , 5pb.! It's been a while hasn't it? Since I haven't done one of these in a while, I thought I'd change how I start off this program. Like it? Either way, we're taking messages from our listeners right now~."
Gamindustri? What the hell is that?
The radio rambled on, mentioning how they took on any messages across all of Gamindustri, be they from Leanbox, Lastation, Lowee or Planeptune. The last name being suspiciously similar to Neptune's…
All right. What the crap was this shit.
Seeing that he was out of the loop and out of things, he felt like getting fresh air would be a good idea for him. Being cooped up like that wasn't doing him any favours. Neither did the suspicious moans originating from upstairs that sounded awfully like Neptune. He shuddered.
Maybe it was best he stepped out.
He looked around the kitchen before finding the back door near the windows, stepping out to the afternoon air.
Nothing seemed that out of the ordinary for this 'Gamindustri' he thought. Just a whole lot of trees and nature so far. Barely any clouds out too, allowing for the sun to kiss his skin. It felt nice.
Soon, a giant shadow cast over him. When did that cloud come? He didn't notice any big clouds in the sky so what wa-
Ragna looked up, annoyed from the sudden shadow. His face soon changed to one of disbelief. It was a floating rock. No, it more was akin to that of a small island. One that housed patches of green and a large structure atop it with water pouring out from the holes at the bottom.
It became apparent that this wasn't one of the Hierarchical Cities. It didn't show signs of any Ars Magus being used to keep it afloat, just that it was naturally meant to float. At least, that's what it seemed to be.
The wind blew harder against his chest, however despite the increased cold, he couldn't stop staring at the island before him.
Where am I? he thought.
Word Count: 7003
Started: 02/06/2023
Final Draft: 08/06/2023
A/N:
Hey, this is sort of a pseudo-return to this site and my attempt at making a Blazblue and Hyperdimension Neptunia crossover fic. Hopefully this initial prologue to this story I want to tell is at least interesting to both fandoms.
Now the question is, why did I decide to make a crossover fic between these to series'? Well, why not. Thought that it'd be interesting to do as I love both series with a passion, having followed the Blazblue series for years since Calamity Trigger and Neptunia back with mk.2. And writing that just reminds me how old I am and damn it hurts.
Currently in the initial foundation stage of delving and trying to find a mixture of incorporating both franchise's own jargon and mechanics to sort of jive with one another. More specifically with Blazblue's own laundry list of terminology as well as trying to re-educate myself on Neptunia lore and vice versa. And to say the least, it's been a challenge for the research aspect. I'm certain I've already made some minor inconsistencies or incorrect usage of terms, and I'll gladly fix them in post or in the next update, but I'm at least confident with the direction I want to take this story and also the timeline for each respective franchise's story.
Whilst I am confident in my own ability to at least attempt to rightly do each series justice, this will be somewhat of a slowburn story as though I do like how each go about presenting their stories, I would like to attempt to flesh out to an extent the characteristics of the Neptunia cast specifically. Much as their trope and characteristics build their original personalities, I want to take a bit of a mix of a grounded approach alongside fleshing out some inconsistencies or world history to make it more lived in.
Is that to say that Neptunia's lore is bad? No, not at all. I just want to give the series more substance and love it deserves for how big it is.
Either way, whilst I do want to endlessly go into the titbits of my choices in writing and usage of plot devices. That'd kind of spoil any plans I have down the line and would like to just gauge and evaluate people's reactions and criticism for this piece and work on from there.
My plan for updating this story is hopefully, and ideally, a weekly or biweekly basis. How long will I stick to this plan? Who knows, like I said it is just a goal I want to attempt to do as to help build my consistency with writing again. As I currently just work until things happen in between that.
Once more, I hope you enjoyed this first chapter and look forward to writing more for this story. 'Till next chapter.