Save 9: Only for Her
The only sound that could be heard though the whole dungeon was the sound of water dripping onto the floor, and of Compa slowly petting Neptune in worry. IF and Compa were sticking to the edge of the cell we were thrown in, keeping Neptune's head off the ground while trying to do what they could for her medically. While I... These bars are... I don't know. Fuck, I knew I should have learned more from Muramasa about structural analysis. Come on, idiot. Try and think of a way out of this... I have to! Opening my eyes, I slammed my head into the bars, cringed from the pain before turning around and joining my friends. "Is she alright?"
"...I can't tell very well because of the poor visibility. But, she's definitely very pale and her body temperature is falling." Compa's voice and tone seemed far away. Not that I could blame her. Her friend is... "Arcy. I... Is Nep-Nep gonna die?"
"She won't. We'll find a way out of this, right, Arc?" IF stood up from the dirty floor and huffed. "That girl is way too persistent to die. So let's keep our heads up. First things first, we gotta get out of here." Half of me agreed with her, while the other was getting more and more pessimistic. Especially as I stared at Neptune's pale face. Neptune...
"Dammit, dammit! Agh, if only we could open that fucking door!"
*CHREEK!* Like the goddess above heard my cry, the loud sound of the cell door being forced open immediately afterwards. Turning around, I saw our savior who was smiling at us and had her arms open, waiting for a hug. "You called?" Unsurprisingly, IF took the invitation with glee and ran into Vert's arms, and the goddess seemed to ignore the fact that she was covered in dirt and sweat. "Aw, it must have been hard. I'm so so sorry for what Yvoire has done."
"Sorries aren't going to fix this, Vert." Standing up, I helped Compa get on her feet and gently picked Neptune into my arms. Making sure not to disturb her too much. "Netpune's been..."
"I know. Please, come with me. I have a place where she can get proper rest and we can discuss things in peace." Letting go of IF, the goddess of Leanbox motioned for us to follow her. As we did, I hung around the back of the group, taking the occasional glance at my friend who was laying limp in my arms. Every time I did, my heart sank even deeper. Neptune... you stupid idiot. I really can't leave you alone for five minutes, can I? I... I'll always protect you. I promise, so don't you fucking die!
Upon reaching Vert's room, I gently placed her down into the bed and wrapped the sheets around her. The warmth from the sheets must have helped, because she stirred in her sleep for a moment, before giving a gentle sigh of relief. "This... I knew that Yvoire could be a bit impulsive but, to do this?" Slowly, she fixed Neptune's hair.
"Lady Vert, why did this even happen?! We didn't do anything wrong!" IF angrily asked.
Moving away from the bed, Compa took my spot next to Neptune and began looking over her. "Well..." Very began, placing a hand to her cheek. "Yesterday, Yvoire came to me and told me that an Evangelist of Momus had come to the nation and wanted to speak to me. It's unfortunately a common rumor recently. So, I told him to just ignore it and not to do anything. I never thought that he'd disobey orders however."
"Moomoo? The heck is that? Nep-Nep isn't an evangelist of anything!" Compa said from where she sat. Momus? I haven't heard of it either. Wait... actually... Now that I think about it, it's something that I've come across every now and then. But, only in like rumors.
Vert, being the oldest and wisest of us, began to explain. "No idea!" Nevermind. Why'd I expect anything from these goddesses? "I've only just returned to Gamindustri, so I'm still learning what's going on even right now. But, from what I know, anything involving Momus is a bad sign. Anywhere that name goes, bad things follow... but, then again, it's just a rumor. Some people think it's a cult, others think it's a weird gray Dogoo that gives immense power. So, I don't know why Yvoire took it so seriously."
"Honestly, that shit doesnt' matter." Speaking up, I glared at the goddess. "How do we cure her? And how do we do it the fastest? I doubt that old bastard's poison is going to wait for us so... neptune clearly doesn't have a lot of time left." The words felt bitter in my mouth as I said them, but nonetheless, they were true.
"Neptune...so that's her name." Looking over the unconscious girl once more, she seemed confused as she did so. What? Weren't these goddesses mortal enemies? Noire recognized Neptune immediately, right? No... she recognized Purple Heart. Just what was the console war? "But, that will have to wait. You all were in that cell for the entire night. You need to-"
"I don't need rest. What I need is to make sure that she's around tomorrow to annoy me!"
"..." Staring at me, a strange emotion flashed through the goddesses eyes. "May I speak with you, Arc?" Before I could respond, Vert grabbed my arm and pulled me into her personal bathroom. So green. "Arc... I don't know if you noticed but Iffy and your other friend aren't in any condition to fight. And that goes double for you."
"What are you-"
It was then that Vert let go of my arm. Unconsciously, my body began to fall backwards. Before I reached the ground however, the blond woman grabbed my hand and elegantly brought me back up. "You've been wobbly since I rescued you. I don't think you have much energy, do you?"
She... was right. I was running on fumes and I haven't even summoned a single weapon. I.. if the antidote requires fighting then, in all likelihood, I will die. Probably horrifically and painfully. But, even so. Closing my eyes, all I could think of was that stupid gremlin. All she's done is annoy me and piss me off. I swear, my life would be a thousand times easier if I just forgot about all this and let the poison take its course. It'd be so easy. But... "Arcy!"
"If it's for Neptune, I'll do anything. So please... Please tell me Lady Vert."
With a smile, the goddess let go of my hand. "That girl... she's quite lucky to have you. Makes me quite jealous." Shaking her head, she regained the mature air around her. "Well, if you must know, there is a cure-all that I'm sure you're familiar with. A Panacea. It's a common drop from the White Whale monster in Marubaco Forest. It's quite strong however. So-"
"I'll be fine. Thank you, Vert." Not waiting for her to regret her decision, I opened the bathroom door and ran out of the basilicom. Only her... only for Neptune would I do something so stupid.
Neyaaa~
Reaching Marubaco Forest, I was already out of breath and was getting really tired. Dammit, I should have slept last night. But that cell was so gross. Looking at the forest, I noticed that there were a large amount of monsters crawling around. But thankfully, there were also a good amount of trees and foliage to hide behind. So, I did just that, using stealth to go through the dungeon until I found the White Whale monster that Vert had mentioned.
Soon, I found what I was looking for. And... I've definitely bitten off more than I can chew. At a clearing in the forest, a fucking huge floating whale was just hanging out. Eating some leaves off of a tree. What the actual fuck? Just what is wrong with the creatures that inhabit this world? Whatever, I just hope that it doesn't erase me from existence or something. Making my way to the side of the whale, while being hidden of course, I got into the perfect place to get a critical hit and take out the whale by throwing a knife at its eye.
Okay, focus. Printing: Head- Groaning as my entire body was wracked with pain, I forced the last bits of Mana I had into my hand. Hunter! Thankfully, the knife fully materialized into my hand, but I could feel that the structure of the weapon was flimsy. It has to work. For Neptune. Taking aim and making sure that my body was calm and still. I took a deep breath. And let it out as I sent the knife flying. Surprisingly, it actually hit its mark. Marking contact with the whale's eye.
Unfortunately... the knife bounced off its open eye and fell onto the ground. To which it promptly exploded into glass and particles. After that happened, all I could do was stare at the whale and the whale stared back at me. For about thirty seconds, we both stood there in silence. "Sorry about that."
Opening its mouth, I expected the monster to yell or roar. But no, instead... IT SENT OUT A LARGE BLUE BEAM OF ENERGY AT ME! "HOLY SHIT!" Jumping to the side, I was able to dodge the attack, mostly. "Ack!" The very edge of the beam scraped against my right arm, but I was okay. "Hey, that's really rude! I'm just here to kill you and save my friend! So do me a favor and just die!" The adrenalin was definitely pumping, because calling out another Head-Hunter was much easier this time. Yet, I could tell it was just as flimsy. Throwing it won't work this time. I need to actually cut it. Dammit! Running towards the monster, I jumped to the right as it charged another beam at me, this time coming out uninjured. When I got close, it was in the middle of charging another beam. Sliding underneath the whale, I thrust the knife into the underside of the monster, thankfully getting away by the time it started to recoil in pain.
However, I wasn't faster on the recovery than it, because by the time I caught my breath and turned around, the monster was flying towards me, faster than I could react to it. The monster's snout crashed into me and threw me towards a nearby tree. "AGHAG!" Coughing up some spit and- AH! M-My... my ribs... Trying to move, the pain threatened to knock me out and my breathing became haggard again. I forgot about that! Stupid past Arc getting hurt like a dumbass!. Ugh. Trying to summon another knife, I came up empty. "Dammit... I really am useless in the end..." Closing my eyes, all I could think about was her for some reason. How I'm disappointing her. But then again, knowing Neptune, she'd say something like "Hey dummy, that's what happens when you eat too many ribs!" or something like idiot... I'm not gonna hear her say some stupid shit again. I...
Staring down the monster as it changed another beam, I accepted my fate. All in all, at least I had some fun in the last few wee- "Sylhet Spear!" That was, until a long, green spear impaled the monster from behind. Slowly, the monster began to dissipate and showed me my savior. "Ah, good thing I came here in time. You're looking worse for wear, Arcy~" Vert said in that sultry voice that pulled me in the first time I met her. But this time, I realized that she was doing it to fuck with me.
"I'd like it if you were a bit faster, oh wonderful goddess." Using a nearby stick to prop myself up, I glared at the blond woman as she walked over to the dropped item. A single bottle filled with light blue liquid. "But, thank you, Vert."
Getting closer to me, Vert gave me a small smile and patted me on the head. "Well, I wanted to give you the chance to be a hero. You did well, Arc. Neptune would be proud." I hope so...
NE- I'm running outta ideas here
By the time Vert and I got back to her room, my wounds had mostly healed. I had some difficulty breathing still, but nothing that a good night sleep wouldn't fix. "We're back~"
"Arcy! Bad boy! Don't go running off without us!" Bonking me on the head lightly with her giant syringe, Compa glared at me like I was a child who got lost in the store. "I know you wanted to help but..."
"Relax Compa, as long as he's fine, it's alright. Plus it all worked out, right Lady Vert?" Stopping my lecture, IF grabbed Compa on the shoulder. As she mentioned, Vert took the antidote out from the middle of her breasts. Why? And handed it to Compa. "There we go, now let's save that idiot."
"Y-Yeah! Let me get ready first." As Compa ran to her bag to get ready, I made my way to the bed that Neptune was sleeping on. Looking down at the girl, I couldn't help but feel like a waste of space. I mean, how can I not? I couldn't stop Neptune from being poisoned, I couldn't save her from being thrown into a cell for a night, I couldn't even get her cure by myself. And I have the gall to think that I'm the only sane person in this group? What does being sane matter if I don't even have the power to save the people close to me. I'm far too weak to even be around them, I'm an idiot. "Okay! Ready to go! Arcy, here ya go!"
"Huh?" Turning to the nurse, I realized that she was handing me a small vial with some of the antidote in it. "W-Woah, why me?"
"Well, you did your best to get it, right? It only makes sense that you give it to her." The way she said it was like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Even though I ended up getting rescued? I... "Arcy, you did your best to save Nep-Nep. That's what matters, right? Plus, I think she'd be happy to see you!"
Not thinking of an argument, I grabbed the vial and stared at it. "Fine. Thanks Compa." Her dumb grin made heat rise to my cheeks for some reason, so I turned my attention to Neptune. Taking in a deep breath, I focused and bent over the girl. Opening her mouth, I slowly dripped down the antidote into her mouth. Hearing her unconsciously swallow the solution, I stood back and waited. And waited and... "isn't she supposed to wake up by now?"
"Hmmm, she should." Tilting her head, Vert hummed in thought until she gasped. "Wait, could it be that Neptune can only be awakened by true love's kiss?!"
"...Then Arc should probably do it." HUUUUUH?! Turning on my heel, I saw IF smirking at me and the thought, it seems. "I mean, you two must be bound by fate. You crashed into each other like lovers after all."
"SHE LITERALLY FELL FROM THE SKY AND ALMOST KILLED ME!"
"Close enough." Ugh. "But seriously, at least try it. Unless you just want to see one of us kiss Neptune. Pervert." Deciding that arguing with her would just be bad for my already deteriorating brain, I just let out a sigh and turned back to the girl.
"Fine... Sorry about this Neptune." But if it's to save her... bending over her, I inched my way closer to her. Soon, her lips and mine were mere centimeters apart. W-Was Neptune always this cute? Ugh, this isn't right! If we're gonna kiss I want it to be more special. Wait, what the hell was that thought?! Agh! Fuck it! "Ne-"
"AHHHHH! Are you trying to take my first?!"
"HGRAO!" Opening her eyes, Neptune's first act when she woke up was to hit me with an invincible wake-up dragon punch! As my back made contact with the floor, I glanced up to see Neptune shadow boxing. "You... ugh, I'm too tired to get mad..." Just as I sat up, I was glad to see both IF and Compa tackle the goddess into a bear hug.
"Huh? What's going on guys? Did someone die?"
"WAAAAAAH! NEP-NEP!"
"I-It's fine now. Just... it's fine."
"Uhhhh. Okay. Huggies!" Shrugging her shoulders, the idiot gave back the hugs while I stood in the corner with Vert. Neptune... Clutching my chest, I had to stop myself from outright crying at the sight before me. Even if the first thing she did was punch me, I'm so fucking happy to see her up and about. "Um... I'm happy we're all hugging, but who's that? Don't tell me you guys got some 'Entertainment' while I was asleep? Arcy, I expected better from you!"
"Ugh, let me explain."
Nepoon!
By the time that we finished explaining everything, our food was absolutely destroyed. Of course we didn't get food from the Ballicom, you must be insane to think I would put anything that came from this place into my body. Instead, we got some Box-Eats and thankfully Vert footed the bill. "Wow, to think that you suffered so much, I hope we get along from now on Neptune."
"Nepoblem!" She said with her mouth full of pasta. Swallowing the food, she nodded her head at her new friend. "But I'm just glad that we don't have to fight ya! Nowa came at me like vroom! It was crazy!"
"Hm, I'm assuming that's Black Heart. From what little I remember, she did seem like the most brash one of us." Wait, from what she can remember? I expected Neptune to have amnesia, sure. But why have both Vert and Noire say some similar things? "Either way, I would much rather put the Console war behind us and simply live a peaceful life."
Deciding that I should just ask her about that later, I changed the topic in my head. Turning to Neptune, who was sitting right next to me, I bowed my head to the goddess. "Neptune, I just wanted to say, I'm sorry about letting you get poisoned." After a few seconds of staring at me, Neptune puffed out her cheeks, and laughed at my face. "Oh, come on! I'm try to be serious here!"
"Kyahahaha! D-Dummy! Stupid! Idiot!" Grabbing my shoulder, the girl who I risked my life for laughed harder. I should have poisoned her myself! Coming down from her laugh, I glanced at my friends who were looking at this situation. IF and Compa were just smirking at me and Vert looked on curiously. "Ok... hahaha! Ow, ow! My side hurts... a-anyway! Don't worry about how the system works, buddy! I'm alllllll good! Plus, you saved me right?"
"No, I didn't. Vert... Nevermind. I'm sorry, alright?"
Instead of laughing or making a joke, Neptune began to growl at me. "Stop being a silly billy, dummy wommy! Don't blame yourself." Grabbing both sides of my face, she began to pull at my cheeks and ignore my yelling. "Seriously... don't worry." letting go, she gave me a small... yet a powerful smile. This one felt weird. It lacked the usual unhinged energy she had or the usual smugness as well. It felt...genuine. "You risked your life for me, and I'll always remember that."
"Nep-"
"AAAAAANYWAY! Jumping out of her seat, the girl stretched. "It's getting late! So lets get some rest guys!"
Without waiting for us, she skipped out of the room, leaving the rest of us stunned. That smile... Neptune, I-
"My my my. It seems like she raised your flag, Arc~" Vert said with a seductive tone and a strange smirk. "As expected from a protagonist."
"I-I'm the protag here! Not her!"
"Keep telling yourself that, buddy." What the fuck, IF?!
"Hehe."
Ugh, well... honestly, I wouldn't mind if it was her. W-Wait, I didn't mean-
AN: Hello everyone. How have you been? I've been decent, a little busy. I'm trying to find a new job atm to replace the once I'm at right now. I'm just fed up with it, so I'm going through a little stress. But, it shouldn't affect my updating. Well, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Edison Estalla Cutipa: Glad you liked that chapter! I wanted to flesh out the first meeting with Vert a bit better than I had before, I hope I achived that. Thanks for reviewing.
