Disclaimer: I do not own Neptunia series or Valkyria Chronicles. They belong to their respective owners.
I immediately rush for this chapter because I just finished VC4, and I was *censored* salty at the ending! How dare you ruin my 'No deaths' run like that developers!
And if you have read my previous chapters, you know the number of deaths will be reduced drastically. Of the main characters at least.
Let's head to the review:
To GJO1088: Rarely would Kuro taunt like that. He wouldn't like mocking with that kinds of words.
Maybe mentioned only, not the full fight.
That event will happen in this chapter, and a little spoiler: It doesn't matter if the .
I saw the video, and... it's just a 'maybe' case. Don't get your hopes too high.
After finishing VC4, I'm going to guarantee that I'm DEFINITELY going to write the VC4 storyline parallel to the current VC1 in the same story. I'm not letting 'him' die that easily, especially just after seeing that the 'woman' lives!
That's it, for now. Let's head to the real chapter!
Time: Night
Location: Somewhere in Kloden Wildwoods
"I'm worried boss." Largo expresses his concern. "The scouts should have returned already. With Vyse helping them, it would be much faster."
"Maybe they took a long run to be safe." Kuro guesses. "I mean, the Imperial troops could be at any corner."
"Then we should go for a second round. Alicia, Uni, you come with me." Welkin orders the girls.
"Hunting in the night huh?" Preparing her gun, Uni asks in curiosity.
Welkin nods. "If by any chances we find the others, then we return with them. If not, Kuro, you protect the squad until we return."
"Got it." Kuro salutes. Then he says: "Uni, if you're in trouble, call immediately."
"I don't think we will, but okay." Uni replies.
Thirty minutes later
"Hey, we return!" Vyse whispers from the bushes, so that the guns that are pointing at them to lower down. He and the other Scouts then emerge from their hiding spots, as he notices his commander is not here. "Where's Welkin?"
"Currently taking a second round." Kuro answers. "You didn't meet his group, huh?"
"No." Aika replies, then asks back: "So you're taking charge now?"
"I think Largo or Rosie would be better. Welkin told me to protect you only."
Largo just chuckles. "Thought you're already our sec... third-in-command to be exact. The second is Alicia already."
"Hey, I doubt you would like to be under the command of someone who doesn't have any ranks." Kuro then looks up to the sky... "Damn, this is problematic."
Rosie asks: "What have you found?"
"A heavy rain is coming... We better build up some tents now."
"What about the others?" Jann asks in worry.
"Other than Imps, I don't really scare about anything else." Kuro says.
"Then it's settled: We are staying here for the night and wait for Commander's group to return."
Back to Welkin
"A heavy rain is coming..." Welkin finds out the same problem as Kuro.
"Rain, with this clear sky?" Alicia asks in disbelief.
Uni uses the scope on her weapon to check around... "I think Welkin is right. I saw black clouds heading towards us, and..." A blow of wind comes by, and Uni feels the cool feeling of the rain in it. "This kind of wind can only indicate one thing..."
"Let's keep moving and try to find if we could find somewhere to avoid the rain..."
...
"A cottage... an abandoned one." Welkin opens the door, and sees the state of the place. He then walks inside, followed by the Scout and the Sniper. "At least we have a place to stay. You two stay here, I will try to find some woods to light up a fire."
"Hm... I don't think you need to." Uni opens up a small cabinet, and finds a good amount of fuel in it. "But, do we have fire?"
"I have a lighter here." Welkin pulls out one from his chest pocket.
"Wow, this cottage has much more than we thought." Alicia starts checking the back to find some convenient items. "Though... I think we should leave the food behind. Who knows how long this place has been abandoned." Then she hears a giggle from other girl. "You okay there, Uni?"
"I'm fine. It's just... I know this is not Kuro's work, but at the same time, it's so like him to do so."
Welkin: "Kuro?"
Uni: "I will tell you later. For now, let's light up the fire."
...
"So, about Kuro..." Wrapping herself into one of the blankets, Alicia asks in curiosity.
"He always plans so far ahead that, if we find anything that's too convenient, we would instantly think it being his work." Uni replies, then continues: "Though, sometimes he's as airhead as Welkin here."
"I'm not... Yeah I did, most of the time." Welkin scratches his head in embarrassment.
Alicia giggles. "At least it's airhead for good reasons." Then she changes the topic. "But Welkin, your father is a General in Military, then why don't you follow his steps, instead of your current interest?"
Welkin: "Ah, that? I actually got influences from him."
Uni: "Oh really?"
Welkin nods. "Anytime he's free, we would take a trip collecting bugs and plants on the mountains, or swimming during the time as well. After an amount of time, it has turned into my love for nature."
Alicia: "A general, collecting bugs... the image is a bit hard to believe."
"It's easy to understand though." Uni says. "Everyone looks at my older sister as an independent person, always working her best to help our country. Though, not many actually knows about her dream of being an actor."
"Wow, an actor? Like Rosie?" Alicia wonders.
"Something like that." The Sniper then notices the Scout looking a bit down. "What's wrong?"
"You two sure have a good family to take care of..." Alicia says, her voice having hints of jealousy.
"Oh... We're sorry..." Welkin immediately apologizes, not knowing that it hurts her.
"It's okay, I am used to it..."
"Kuro used to take care of a few orphans too, so he might already know about your conditions already." Uni says, gaining a little smile on Alicia's face.
"So he did... he's such a good friend, isn't he?"
"He is..." Uni trails off a bit, then says: "About..."
Hours later. Still at night and rain doesn't stop.
*Creak* The sound of the door opening causes Uni to grab her gun and point the barrel towards the barrel, and she faces another barrel of a gun in an Imperial Shocktrooper's hands. His face's covered with the mask, but she has already pointed towards it, because one clean head shot will be easy in the current situation... however, to the girl's surprise, the soldier drops his gun and then falls on the ground, and now she notices the bullet wounds on his back. 'He should have pulled the trigger... but why?' One question subtly passes her mind, however, she throws it into the back of her mind. "Doesn't matter... Have to give him some first aid first."
Uni puts down her gun and pulls the man inside, then uses her leg to kick the door shut, that makes the others wake up. Welkin opens his eyes and asks: "What is..." Though the next words are dead when he sees what presents before him. "Uni, what happened?"
"He's shot. Alicia, can you give me some medicine to fix him up?" Uni orders, while pulling the soldier's helmet off so the man could breathe freely, which shows the face of pain.
Hearing that makes Alicia immediately gets to action as she starts pulling out first aid kit, and pulling out the armor on the Trooper so she could take a good look on the wounds. "The bullet wounds are too deep..." The Scout says in worry, but still tries her best to help the man.
After a few minutes, Alicia has done her best to stop the wounds from leaking blood, but she couldn't stop it leaking in his body. "I'm sorry... I did my best..."
"Damn it..." Welkin curses. A man is dying before him, and he could do nothing to save him.
"I guess that's it, huh?" The Shocktrooper suddenly speaks up, catching everyone's attention. "Dying for the cause of a nation... this time getting shot by an ally no less..."
Uni asks in disbelief: "Your comrades shot you?"
The soldier nods. "I can't stand the fact the Empire has ordered to kill everyone who doesn't follow its cause. So I have shot even the 'allies' to protect the people, and... I guess you can guess the rest..." He then coughs, as more blood coming out of his mouth.
"Stop talking. You need to rest." Alicia orders as she tries to keep the man stably on the floor.
"I'm dying, I can feel it." He then reaches for his note and gives it to Uni. "Please keep it, so I could still be remembered."
Uni hesitantly takes it. "I... I will try to keep it..." However, the moment she sees the cover of the note, she sees a symbol WAY TOO FAMILIAR to her. She immediately asks the man in hurry: "Wait a minute. Where did you get that symbol?"
"W...What symbol?" The man asks, he's trying his best to speak back.
"The one on the cover. The N-word."
"That... *chuckles* you won't believe it, but... I have died before... in another world..."
"... Then that means I could save you!" That outburst from Uni surprises everyone, as she pulls out a flute and then starts playing... with no sounds coming out.
"Uni, what are you doing?" Welkin asks, still watching between her and the man.
Uni doesn't reply and continues her soundless work... at least, to Welkin and Alicia's ears. To the man, however: "Ah, what a beautiful song..." The man then feels the pain slowly fade away, replaced with new energy. "I feel... better now..." The man sits up, and to add up to the surprise, Welkin and Alicia see the wounds having closed up, leaving no traces of wounds whatsoever. The man looks at his hands to see they starts regaining color. "This... is incredible..." Then the song stops, making him to turn to Uni... and exclaims in shock: "Wait, Lady Black Sister? Why are you here, and why are you wearing Gallian's uniform?"
"Now you notice?" Putting the flute down, Uni asks in curiosity.
The man sheepishly scratches his head. " I was in the verge of dying there. I didn't think you would be here..."
"I can answer it, but..." Uni glances at Welkin and Alicia, both having shock and surprise on their face. "We are going to explain to them first..."
"Uni... you know people from Empire?" Alicia says in disbelief. "I thought you..."
"I didn't know him, personally." Uni denies. "But, I can guess his story. And Welkin, let me ask him a few questions to confirm first before I could explain everything."
"...Alright." Welkin complies, though a bit hesitantly.
"Thank you." She then turns to the Imperial Shocktrooper. "First, I want to ask about your name, in the past."
"It's Jonathan, First Lieutenant of Planeptune's Military. I was on the mission to find out a way to defeat The Corrupted Goddess. However we were ambushed by a group of Viral Beasts, and one by one we were killed. I was about to be killed as well if he didn't come..."
"And I assume that's Kuro, right?" Uni connects the dots.
"You know him? How?" Jonathan asks, extremely surprised that the CPU Candidate has already died at that point...
"I think I understand now. Thank you, Jonathan." Uni says, as she turns to the Gallians. "You two remember about our conversation, talking about us not being human?" The two nod. "Well, let me shed the light on the matter. Kuro was human, however, to the point Kuro met Jonathan, he is already dead."
"He died? But then, this Kuro..." Alicia says fearfully.
"The same. Kuro managed to regain some life force, but he's still counted as dead." Letting the two absorb the info, Uni continues: "About me... I'm a CPU Candidate, or Console Patron Unit. Or a better word to understand... I'm a Goddess, my title is Black Sister."
"A...a goddess..." Welkin repeats, extremely surprised. Then, he says: "No wonder. It could explain much about your weapons and..."
"No. You guys can actually make it yourself. Just don't expect the same level of power as Kuro's weapons." Uni jokingly says. "Anyway, Jonathan was from a timeline that my sister, my friends and I had died to defeat an evil force. However... it seemed it wasn't enough to stop it..."
"Before continuing, lady Black Sister..." Jonathan interrupts. "But if you're dead, then why..."
"As I said before, timeline. I am from a different one than yours. We just started trying to find some ways to save our sisters when Kuro came and helped, like how you met him. And he told us what happened to your old world... and it's not very pretty..."
"Figured." Jonathan sighs. "Even that wouldn't help... but if you're here..."
"Kuro is currently with the rest of these two's squad, protecting them as we speak."
"... *Sigh* If that's the case, then I think I would be your prisoner, huh?"
"Let me call Kuro and ask for his suggestions."
Back to Squad 7
"Worried about your brother?" Kuro asks, as he's reading the book next to Isara, who's trying to sleep but can't do so.
"Yes, I am. Wouldn't you be the same about Uni?"
"Both of us have faith in our beloved. Though, I doubt anything could hurt Uni badly..." His phone then rings up. "Speaking of the devil..." He presses the call button and answers: "Hey Uni. Having a good rest in that cottage?"
"I, knew, it..." Uni's voice indicates the 'I know you too well' thought of hers, then she follows: "Yes, we are. Also, we found one of your friends from the Empire."
"...Huh? I haven't made any friends from the Imperial Army... at least, not yet anyway." That catches Isara's attention, and he turns the volume up so the girl could hear the conversation.
"Does the name Jonathan ring any bells?" That makes Kuro stop and think for a second...
And he answers: "Patch him through." He opens the camera up...
"Yo, Kuro! You fixed that half dead face of yours?" The moment he sees Kuro's face, Jonathan immediately makes that comment.
"... *Chuckle* You could say it like that. It's good to see you reincarnated, Jonathan."
"Reincarnated?" Both sides have people asking that question.
"Yeah, reincarnated... you could call for a better time, Uni."
"I would. However, since he's an Imperial Unit, I want to ask you about what we should do about him."
"Well... I have one plan that needs me to go directly into their base... but with Jonathan, maybe I don't have to."
Jonathan smirks. "I just got out of death twice man. Don't send me back to the battlefield that fast."
"*Chuckle* It's not that dangerous. I want to ask you to give a message to Jaeger."
"Oh? Then you're lucky. I am directly under his command."
"Then it's good. I will send it towards your phone. Better check it. For now, I will close the call. Uni, explain everything."
"You got it." The call then stops.
Kuro puts his phone back and sees Isara's curious eyes. "Yeah, I think it's time for you to know..."
"My phone?" Jonathan asks in curiosity. "This world doesn't have that advanced technology..."
"I think he meant your old one. You have regained your pocket dimension, mind you."
"Oh?" Making a pulling move in his pocket, Jonathan pulls out his phone from his past life. "It's true..."
"Before this could go further..." Alicia demands. "We would like to ask you, a lot, about your identity. You said you're a Goddess, but are there any proofs for it?"
"Of course." Uni's body then glows up... and replaced her place, a girl with white hair tied into two drills, her pupils are green, her outfit is a black bodysuit, black arm wears and leg wears. "I am Black Sister, and this is my Goddess form."
Feeling the power emitting from the Goddess being even stronger than the fire, Alicia has no choice to but accept it. "... I... have to believe it huh? But, why did Kuro talk about Jonathan being reincarnated?"
"Yeah, I did die." The person in question answers. "I only saw Kuro before I died. I left him something that might help our current situation before. After that... we have to ask Kuro to know more about it."
"He could only protect it for above a decade before everything went to downfall." Uni says. "Anyone managing to escape the place or reincarnated like you confirmed it. Then he made another portal and went to our world with his children and Histoire."
"Histoire... well she's a tome in the first place... wait, children?" That makes him drop his focus on his phone and look at the CPU. "He married?"
Uni nods. Welkin then asks: "Wait... he looks like he's just about twenty... then how old is he, really?"
"Two centuries old, could be more." Uni says nonchalantly.
"TWO HUNDRED YEARS OLD?" Everyone in Squad 7 has heard the conversation and entered the tent (much to Kuro's annoyance) and has asked several questions.
"No wonder you call me 'boy' back then." Now Largo understands. "Though, that wasn't really a good taunt."
"I know. Anyway, what do you want to ask next?"
"Your wife... or wives if all of those rings are for marriage." Aika points her fingers towards Kuro's left hands, which has three rings in his middle fingers. "Don't tell me you have left..."
"All three are living happily, mind you." Kuro knows what she's saying. "Two hundred years old in my case, but they're just about fifty, well forty in the case with my third wife."
"... You married them that young?" Rosie still doesn't understand the current status of his.
"Okay, let's get started from the beginning. I met my first two wives when I was 22, with them being in the same age. Two years later I married them, and a year after that, we got two kids, one for each. After raising them for ten years, they got teleported ahead about... eight years counting my children's age. To me, it's nearly thirty years, because I had to stay in a place where one years meant one day in my children's place. And... well... about my third wife's case... she devoted herself to me after I managed to save her mother and her nation. And also to not get confused, that's love as well. Not the 'you know what' in your mind, okay?"
That drops the current matter... only to be brought up again: "They don't even get upset when you go out that long?"
"... What feels like seconds to them is years to me. And they already knew from the beginning, but they accepted it."
Jann coos: "They really love you if they can withstand it."
"Okay, back to the current situation a bit." Rosie interrupts. "About that Imperial... what do you want him to do?"
"Just want to ask him to send a message to Jaeger. I don't want to kill him, considering he's helping Maximilian just to find a way to help his country to be independent, like Gallia."
"Does Maximilian even know that?"
"He does, Isara. However, as long as Jaeger is useful, the Prince won't kill him. He does have a little honor in not backstabbing people... at least, if I have checked it right."
"Who?"
"Maximilian."
"Back to the guy, Jonathan isn't he? May I ask if you could even trust him? You said you met him for just a few minutes in the past."
"He was dying, and he gave me his mission, I accepted it and completed it. I think that's enough to gain his trust to me. And due to what I am now, he could even trust me even more."
"And what are you now, other than being just a half-dead person?" Largo asks, thinking that's just that.
"A CPU."
"Kuro is also one?" Now that makes Jonathan exclaim in surprise.
"Then what do you think how he got his normal looking appearance back?" Uni says, then scratches her head nervously. "Of course, he fooled us in the beginning though, saying that the Dark form was his transformation..."
Alicia: "So the appearance of his we're seeing now..."
"Is him if he's not dead. Also, calling him CPU is both right and wrong at the same time, because he's using the power, but not letting it fuse into him."
"Why not? I mean, it's a logical sense..."
"To normal human. However, the power of CPU is a complete counterpart to his Dark power, so if he combined them, he would end up killing himself. Luckily he knows how to control them at the same time, and that also makes him more powerful than any of us."
"So that's how he could defeat the Valkyria..." Welkin then remembers the face-off between them and the General of Empire.
"You know, it's a bit too late now." Uni notices the sky being super dark. "How about we rest and then return in the early morning?"
"You still dare to return, mister Fritz?" A captain notices the desert man walking towards the camp, with the Imperial soldiers pointing their guns towards him.
"Our men were killing innocent people who wanted nothing of this. I can't just stand there doing nothing to stop it."
"We're currently in Gallia's territory..."
"And yet these Gallians helped me treating with the wounds, despite us being enemies. If even enemies could sympathize with each other, then no nonsense killing would happen."
"..." The captain can't really argue with that. They are under the order to kill, doesn't mean they want it. "Very well then, I will..."
"Sorry captain, but once this is done, I'm not going to be under your command." Jonathan interrupts.
"... With guns pointing at you, you sure have a sharp tongue. What do you want?"
"The one who saved me was the mercenary. He wanted me to send a message towards General Jaeger."
"... Give us your armor and weapons, then you can go. He's inside."
"Thanks. And Goddesses bless you, Captain."
"Goddesses?" The Captain asks back with confusion, but Jonathan doesn't reply back. "Strange... wouldn't it be Valkyrias... Never mind."
...
"Hm... interesting..." Jaeger is reading the message with total focus. "He said he could help me with our independence... and he's planning to do it even when I'm trying to kill him... *Laugh* Okay, miser Fritz, whatever you and he are planning, I'm likely to take apart with. What do you want?"
Jonathan just chuckles. "Please, sir. The name Fritz is dead, call me Jonathan from now on. I have no roles in this plan of him, but since I'm under your command, he asked me to do it for him. Also, please give a death certificate towards my family, so they won't have to wait for me."
"Well, I could do that easily. But, shouldn't you do that yourself?"
"Sorry, but I'm going back to the people I could serve with free will. It's been a pleasure serving you, and may the Goddesses protect you and your people."
"Thank you. And I'm assuming those 'Goddesses' are the ones you could do so."
"Indeed, sir." The former Shocktrooper then draws out a button, and grabs the phone on the table, making the message disappear. "It's time to say goodbye." He presses the button, and he's enveloped in a bright light before disappear completely.
"... *Chuckle* This is going to be interesting." Jaeger says to himself. "Let's see if you could keep that promise, mister Kuro."
Time skip
"So he returned back to Planeptune?" Uni is at the shooting range, along with Kuro and other Snipers to test out the new upgrades for them. Right now their guns could hold ten bullets at the same time, and some of the guns are semi-automatic, so they won't have to take their eyes off the scoop.
"Yeah. He returned as a military man again. Though, that gives the Jonathan of our world a heart attack."
"*Giggle* Yeah, I know." She then temporarily turns back to see the girls behind the parameter. "Care to tell what they are after?"
"*Groan* Don't, just don't. After those stories got leaked, they're all over me just to ask 'experiences' about dating or so."
"And yet nothing about the other things?"
"They just ignored everything. Even the part of 'I could end everything'."
"Well, since you said that it would make them be dependent on us, and that's not Gallia-like."
"Ah yeah, I did say so..." Reloading the gun (out of habits), Kuro continues: "About our next mission..."
"A collaboration with the Rangers from Federation. But from what I heard, most of them are from Gallia itself."
"..."
"You know who, don't you?"
"Yeah... and I just got some notices about... these Rangers, having one member short in the future."
"... So you're going to stop it?"
"Yeah... at least, not me directly."
Chapter 8 end!
I wrote this chapter down in one day, indicating how really pissed off I was when I saw the ending. And I'm sure I will rage again once I finish VC2 (know the ending, just don't want to get through it at the moment).
As you can see, the next event will be the meeting between Squad 7 and Squad E. See you in the next chapters!