Chapter three: Encounter
"Share energy, produced by faith can create miracles. though faith Is easily shaken"-?
Once we had arrived at the guild and registered Neptune as an adventurer, we picked out a quest. Said quest was to gather info on a recently discovered dungeon, and after reading through the description I understood our destination was the same cave dungeon me and Compa found the key fragment in.
Though I was initially against doing the quest, seeing as me and Compa had already been through it, I changed my mind once I considered Neptune. Since she was a new to being an adventurer it would be better to show her the ropes in an environment familiar to us. Vitua Forest had only Dogoo's which are a too easy to fight opponent for a proper learning experience.
With our quest decided, we set off.
/
Along the way to the cave dungeon, Neptune initiated a conversation.
"Hey Compa, why are you and Zeddy travelling together? *gasp* are you two dating? Are you gonna try to convince me to join you in a threesome?" Not even I could stay composed when dealing with such an outlandish and random statement, however as I was about to object, Compa beat me to it.
"N-NO! WHY WOULD YOU SUGGEST SOMETHING SO DIRTY NEP-NEP!... though me and Zeddy...hehe." I decided to ignore the last part of her statement, the implications were not something I could understand. "Phew... thank goodness, I was worried for my chastity there..." the strange girl replied. After that strange little chat, it wasn't long before we reached our destination. The entrance of the cave was the same as it was before, though instead of having to fall down a hole to reach it, we instead walked down a spiral staircase that must have been recently installed by the guild.
"Loot and exp here I cooommmeee!" Surprising us both, Neptune rushed into the cave- "OOF" -Before she bumped into something...or in this case, someone. "Watch where you're going!" the person Neptune bumped into replied, clearly not pleased. "Sorry about that~" the perpetrator mock apologised. "what's a kid like you doing in a dungeon like this? Did you get lost or something?" Her (from the tone of her voice) response would have been normal, if not for the fact that she looked as young as Neptune did, the irony was so blatantly obvious that I couldn't help but laugh.
"What are you laughing at?" -which seemed to attract her attention. "Oh, I'm sorry for laughing. It's just I found it humorous that you called Neptune there a child, yet you look no older than her." I answered. She huffed, seemingly understanding what I meant but not wanting to concede, before replying.
"Well despite my looks I'm a veteran adventurer, the names' IF. I was sent by the guild to investigate this dungeon, Now answer my question, what are you three doing here?" Deciding to do the talking (being that I was the most sensible), I told the now named IF of our circumstances. Seeing as our goal were the same, I offered to team up. Seeing the logic, she accepted, and our journey through the dungeon began.
The monsters that appeared were the same ones that were present during mine and Compa's original run-through, though our fights with them were more entertaining now that we had Neptune with us, who made many comments about each one of them. she and Compa shared opinions on the glasses-wearing one though, preferring to stay as far as she could from the humanoid creature.
IF proved to be quite the capable individual as she was able to dispatch small groups of monsters by herself efficiently, her choice of weapon were twin Katars, which she would mysteriously store up her sleeves. How she does it, I will never know. 'wouldn't the blades cut through the fabric?'. The young girl must have noticed my gaze, as she made her way towards me and struck up a seemingly random conversation.
"How does a seemingly well-adjusted young man like yourself end up having to deal with those two? I mean Compa seems nice, if a bit quirky, but Neptune is a new kind of weird."
It seems IF took notice of Neptunes'...Neptuneness(?)
"Would you believe me if I said she fell out of the sky?"
"Did she hit her head on her way down?"
"Possibly?"
"Then yes, that girl is a special kind of strange."
"Knowing her, she'd probably take it as a compliment" Neptune did seem a bit airheaded, not as much as Compa, but enough for that to definitely be possible.
"What about Compa, how did you and her meet then?" I told her about Ban, and how he entrusted me to check up on Compa, despite how he barely knew me as well as the lacklustre information he gave me "All he gave me was a name and the landmass she was on, luckily for me, a local was kind enough to give me directions.". Before IF could begin to talk again, she was interrupted by Neptune.
"HEY GUYS, I FOUND SOMETHING!" Just as the hyperactive girl said, she did indeed find something, that something being the boss door that previously separated the Guard Vermin from the rest of the dungeon. When she opened the door however, instead of an empty room, there lied another monster, though this one was completely different from the spider-like creature that was there before. It was a giant three-tailed fox with a mix of yellow and purple fur, its face and claws were covered in a hard-looking white plating and its sharp fang-filled maw and eyes were purple in colour.
The Guard Vermin looked weak in comparison.
"Get back! that's a Kyuubi!" despite IF's demand, Neptune ran at the beast, rushing towards its face and slicing its face with her sword. since she was using a wooden blade, her attack did nothing but annoy our foe. The resulting roar was earthquake-inducing.
*ROAAAAAAAAARRRRRR*
The fox jumped, leaping over Neptune's small frame, before attempting to swipe at her with its' claws.
*CLANG*
before the hit could land Neptune managed to block with the flat side of her sword, though the strain of having to counter such force was evident on her face, "Geez, you're a strong one ain'tcha." despite her position Neptune still found the time to joke around. "Compa, provide ranged support, aim for the eyes! IF, slice its limbs while I distract it!" After giving the two surprised girls their orders, I summoned one of my blades, rushed behind the monster and slashed at its hind legs. Since my blades weren't blunt or made of weak material like Neptune's was, my action dealt some damage, completely cutting through the white plating but not any of its soft tissue.
If the beast was mad before, it was absolutely livid now. The Kyuubi backed away from us and roared once more before crouching and summoning numerous motes of red light from its tails, which shot outwards before homing in on my location. Before they hit however, Compa managed to shoot the beast in its eyes, distracting it and making the motes of light disappear. 'So, it requires concentration to launch those attacks...' Noticing her interference, the Kyuubi changed targets, rushing towards Compa in an attempt to rend her useless.
"Not so fast!" before it could enter too close a range, IF intercepted. Landing a few hits on its front limbs, her attacks barely marking its white plating, noticing this she called out to me. "Zed, my attacks aren't doing anything!" "Do you have any long-range options!?" I replied, before taking IF's place in front of the Kyuubi, blocking its claws with my blade. "I have limited knowledge on spells." she replied. "that'll have to do, assist Compa in handling long range support." IF did as she was told, running to Compa's side before holding her hand out towards our foe, chanting in a language I couldn't understand.
!
The Kyuubi seemed to not like being ignored, streching its' neck outwards while I had it's claws imobilised in an attempt to bite me. The action went in my favour however, as it gave me an opening to strike its' neck. My attack cut through its fur and some of its skin and muscle, despite this it did not bleed, instead black and yellow fluid escaped its wounds before evaporating into mist.
"DEMON FLAME!"
While my action didn't wound the beast too much, it did provide enough time for IF to finish chanting, her final words summoning a pillar of fire below our opponent, who let out a high-pitched screech of pain. When the flames died down, the Kyuubi appeared damaged, its face, tail and chest having fragments of flesh missing, the areas mysteriously glowing red.
*THUD*
The downside to dealing such high damage was evident when IF collapsed, the spell she casted clearly exhausting her. Seeing no other option, I barked at Compa to grab IF and get out of the boss chambre. "But what about you and Nep-Nep!?" the nurse asked. "we'll be fine, now go!" my shout left no room for argument, Compa complied with my request. "Neptune, you leave too." with the lacklustre weapon she held, she'd be of no use against the Kyuubi, her earlier action proved it. Neptune, however, didn't obey my order.
"Naw, I'll be fine, just let me transform~"
'What is she on abo-
Before I could finish that thought, Neptune was enveloped in a beam of light. When the light died down, she had changed, she was no longer a little girl, but a grown woman. Her outfit was no longer the oversized hoodie she was wearing before, but a skin-tight black and purple outfit. Her hair was longer and was a darker shade of purple. Her weapon was no longer a wooden practice blade, but a large mechanical katana. Most shocking was the change in her eyes, they were no longer purple, but a shade of blue. Instead of pupils, there were symbols reminiscent of the power icon on game consoles.
"Zed, lets end this!" her voice had also changed, becoming deeper and more confident. The smile on my face could not be any wider "lets~" I replied. We blitzed the beast, our attacks akin to a dance of blades. I kept up the offence on its front, slicing at its front legs, damaged face and neck while Neptune slashed at its hind legs and tail, her new weapon able to cut through our foes plating and hide.
Our plan of attack worked for a while, with Neptune and I attacking it at the same time, the Kyuubi couldn't focus on attacking either of us. Eventually the Kyuubi managed to escape our cycle of attack, leaping away from us and roaring in unrestrained hatred for us both. The beast leapt again and dashed around where Neptune and I were stood, then a felt an updraft of wind before a tornado spawned below our feet. Thinking quickly, I grabbed Neptune, summoned my wing, and dashed through the cyclical gale just in time to avoid a barrage of red light. It seems even with its tails damaged, it could still use that infernal attack. Fortunately, it seemed using those two attacks in quick succession proved to be too much for the Kyuubi, as it took a moment to regain its bearings.
"Zed, thanks for the save."
"you're welcome my dear Neptune-"
I took a moment to look at the Kyuubi
"-our foe seems to be tiring, a well-placed slash should be able to finish it off. May I?" She smirked before responding "Not a chance, its mine!" Wanting to indulge the beautiful lady in front of me, I nodded my head in acceptance. Neptune then dashed towards the Kyuubi with great speed, before lifting her blade above her head, intent on finishing the beast once and for all.
The beast opened its jaw, baring its sharp teeth, and bit down on the approaching blade. Using its incredible jaw and neck muscles, it flung the blade and by extension Neptune into the corner of the room, a loud thud and a pained shout was heard when she came into contact with a wall. thankfully When I turned my head to look at her, she seemed barely damaged, it a little out of it.
"Did anyone catch the number of the truck that hit me, and why is everything spinning?" she spoke deliriously 'at least she isn't too injured'.
My relief was cut short however as the Kyuubi roared once more, the beast summoning 6 orbs of purple energy around its tails that warped into 6 identical tail-like shapes, flowing behind the beast as if they were extra limbs. Once the 6th tail had formed, the Kyuubi dashed towards Neptune at a speed far outclassing what it could do before, the act surprised me enough for me to accidently dispel my summoned blade. Thinking fast I dashed towards it, wing and swordless-arm extended.
Closer
Closer
Ever closer
'Dammit!'
But still too slow, even with my wing out, in mere moments the beast would be upon-
Can't have that now, can we?
Suddenly from the palm of my outstretched hand launched a feather-shaped energy construct. It collided with the Kyuubi almost instantly, forming a feather-shaped mark.
Focus and steady your blade.
Immediately heading the voice's words, I focused on the now-marked Kyuubi, the same outstretched hand now holding my sword. Wherein I instantly found myself miraculously in front of the beast, my extended blade pierced through its skull. The beast fell instantly, its body becoming limp and glowing eyes dimming into darkness. The corpse disappeared shortly after in a sickly haze of black and yellow.
With the Kyuubi dealt with, I once again dispelled my sword and turned to face Neptune, who was staring at me.
"Are you okay my dear?"
She looked me in the eyes, smiled and began to laugh "That was amazing Zed, you really showed that Fox what for!"She was then enveloped in a beam of light, both her and her weapon returning to their original forms. When the reversion was complete however, Neptune was pouting, very cutely might I add. "However, mister, don't forget that was my kill you just stole, you filthy kill-stealer!" I took her childishly carefree response to mean she was fine. Giving her a hand, she stood up and we made our way back to the doorway. When I opened the door me and Neptune were captured in a tight hug by Compa.
"THANK GOODNESS YOU'RE BOTH OKAY! I WAS SO WORRIED" the loudness of her voice was only matched by the tightness of her grip. "Heh...she's right you know... you had us both... worried to death." IF decided to add her own two cents, still clearly exhausted. Neptune responded before I could. "Don't be such a worrywart iffy, me and Zeddy here are the protagonists~ besides we got this here disk-thingy as a prise~" she then took an item out of her hoodie pockets. The item was as she described a disk. It was pure black in colouration and made me feel a bit uneasy for a reason I couldn't understand.
"Neptune put that down, you don't know where it's been." She didn't listen, instead her gaze was glued to the disk. Her eyes lit up when they identified a red button, and being the energetic child she was, she pressed it. What came next was astounding, as once the button was pressed there was a flash of binary code before a Dogoo appeared-
"Begone."
-before I instantly disposed of it
"Neptune my dear, give that thing to me." maybe it was the glare I gave her, or maybe she actually respected me, but she did in fact give me the disk.
*SNAP*
The black object shattered into fragmented pieces under my grip. "Good girl." I praised, before I gave her a pat on the head. She seemed to preen with the affectionate gesture. IF looked amused at Neptune's reaction and Compa just pouted. "Here, take these. I'm sure the guild would want them as proof of our findings." I gave IF the fragments, since she's a veteran adventurer, the guild might listen to her. "Thanks, I'll deliver them when we get out."
"Huh? whataya' on about?" Neptune asked. "Think Nep-Nep, when you pressed that button, that Dogoo appeared. That means that the disk was what spawns the monsters. And since iffy is an experienced adventurer, she can take the broken fragments to the guild, tell them about what the disk did and might actually be listened to." Compa explained, giving a detailed explanation, much to my surprise. 'So, she's more than a kind-hearted airhead.'
"She's right Neptune, the guild won't just listen to anyone, if I do it, someone who the guild has known for years, they'll be more likely to listen." IF confirmed. Neptune nodded her head, understanding what the 2 girls were talking about. "Anyway, you three, isn't it about time we left this dreary place?" I suggested. """ yes""" they replied, at the same time.
The way back was uneventful, the only noise being the combined chatter of my three comrades. When we reached the exit however, someone was waiting. "I came here to gather allies, but I never thought I'd run into you, Neptune." The second she spoke I felt on edge. Her voice... there was something about it, her words were as unthreatening as they could possibly be, yet despite that her presence kept me on guard.
"You know me?"
Neptune had responded to the woman's words with a question. Her tone was joyous and filled with a sense of relief, which made sense. Here in front of us was someone who might have answers.
"Know you? Silly girl, I know everything about you!"
Despite her insult, I could tell that Neptune was overjoyed. If the situation was different, I would be happy for her, ecstatic even!... but with how things stood I doubt this would end that way. "Well, that's great! Ya' see old lady, I recently lost my memory after falling outta' the sky-which kinda' hurt by the way-so can you tell me anything about who I was? Pretty please, with pudding on top!"
The woman's posture had changed, she hunched over and began to laugh, but not for long. Her apparent joy was cut short as she seemed to realise what Neptune had called her. Her lips had changed from a confident smirk to an enraged snarl.
"you...you little brat...i was going to be nice and tell you something before I ended you...but now I think I'll skip over that."
Everyone's stances had changed, each one of us had switched from being relaxed to being ready to fight, everyone except Neptune that is. Maybe it was due to her optimistic nature or maybe she was just that airheaded, but even after the mysterious woman let her true intentions known, she stood still.
"DIE!"
Taking advantage of Neptune's inaction, the woman summoned a weapon- an elegant black spear- and thrusted it forwards, intent on skewering her target.
She wished to harm Neptune-an innocent young girl, someone I cared about...
I could not allow that
not while I could stop it
*CLANG*
"I'm sorry miss, but I'm afraid I can't let you do that."
Before her strike could land, I had gotten between them, the spear being blocked with the flat of my blade. Her attack had some force behind it, requiring quite a bit of my strength to intercept. The woman's snarl deepened at my interruption, she was clearly not pleased-
"Stay out of my way boy, this does not concern you."
-she was absolutely pissed
"hmm~ I think not. You see, I've taken quite a liking to her, I'd rather her not be harmed. With that said... IF CATCH!" I grabbed Neptune and flung her towards where the brown-haired adventurer stood. fortunately, she had reacted quick enough, catching the purple-haired girl in her arms. I turned my head in their direction and spoke.
"you three stay back, I'll handle this." I looked back at the enemy that stood before me "And as for you..." I pushed, my blade knocking her weapon and by extension herself off balance, pointed the tip of my weapon in her direction and smiled.
"shall we dance?"
*SCREECH*
Once she regained her balance, she once more struck with her spear, its' bladed tip intent on piercing my flesh. Unfortunately for her I didn't just stand there and take it. Once more I intercepted her weapon with my own. my swords edge meeting the side of her spears' blade, batting the weapon away.
"Ha! what foolishness!" To my surprise instead of being knocked off balance once more she took advantage of the momentum I provided, spining 360 degrees and swinging her spear with great force!
"Too slow!" The attack would have been devastating, had I not dodged backwards, my action followed by an intentional taunt. After all, an angered foe is an unfocused one. And being unfocused leads to defeat! "Why is an elderly lady like you trying to kill a young lady like Neptune? are you jealous perhaps? Or maybe you have nothing better to do than to throw a sharp stick around like an infant."
All went as planned, as the second I dodged her attack she let out an angered growl before rushing forwards with reckless abandon, how predictable. "DIE!" She thrusted her spear forward in an attempt to stab my heart. "No thanks~" And I avoided the stab, sliding to the left and grabbing her right wrist with my left hand. Then I brought my right arm up and placed my blade near her exposed throat.
"Give up, you've lost. I have no idea why you are here or why you wish to harm Neptune and I do not care, this ends now." My words left no room for argument, I had her cornered, with any luck she would give up and we could all go our separate ways.
…
…
…
"...never."
Except life doesn't always go the way we want it to go. Instead of accepting her loss she decided to knock me off balance, using her unrestrained legs to kick the back of my own, causing me to faulter and kneel in response, my grip on her wrist slacked. A slick squelching sound was what I heard next, followed by searing hot pain.
I had been stabbed
My opponent had taken advantage of my vulnerability and stabbed me in my stomach.
""" ZED!"""
The last thing I heard was the girls screaming my name in concern, before the abyss welcomed me with open arms.
Neptune POV
I was frightened. Seeing my friend get stabbed in front of me. just standing there doing nothing as it happened. What did we do to deserve this? Why was this evil woman after me?
"NEPTUNE! SNAP OUT OF IT!"
IF called out to me, which brought me back to reality. Contrary to how I felt she looked much more composed. Taking a look at Compa, I realised I was the only one losing my mind over what just happened... why?
"ZED JUST GOT STABBED!"
"We know Nep-Nep, but it was a stomach wound, not the heart, as long as we can get him and ourselves away from that meanie quick enough, he'll be fine." Compa's explanation calmed me down, at least to the point where I could think.
"Then how are we going to get deal with her? Zeddy couldn't handle her, and he was stronger than us" IF smirked at me. Clearly, she had a plan. "it's simple, we have the advantage when it comes to numbers and neither one of us is a slouch when it comes to combat. If we all fight together, we can win this!"
Her voice had snapped me fully out of my funk 'Focus Neptune, things will be okay' "" Okay, what's the plan?"" Compa and I asked. "Compa, your job is to get Zed out of here, out of the three of us you're the only one with medical training. Neptune, you're going to help me deal with miss psycho over there."
"" Got it!"" With our plan made I ran towards the mean old hag, iffy doing the same from a different angle, while Compa sneaked towards Zed's injured and unconscious body.
"LEROOOOOOY, JEEEEENNNNKIIIIIINSSSS!"
My shout got our target's attention, as she turned herself away from Zed and towards me, her weapon relaxed at her side.
"oh good, you've saved me some effort."
Her voice was happy, as if her near-murder of my friend was therapeutic. Her face contorted into a wicked smile before she raised her weapon. I stopped moving a few metres away from where she stood 'now to get her a little closer'. "aww~ what's wrong~ your legs too old and weak to move your body over to where little ol' me is standing?"
Her smug look immediately disappeared "You little pest!" My insult worked, as she moved away from Zed's body and towards me, in the edges of my vision I noticed Compa arriving next to Zed before picking him up and running away.
Now my fight begins!
I blocked the hag's incoming spear with my sword, smirking as I saw iffy appear behind her and slash at her back with her blades. Our shared enemy growled in pain before switching focus, giving me an opening.
"CROSS COMBO"
Calling out the name of the skill, I swung my sword with vigor, all of my enhanced strikes landing. Each hit dealt enough damage to cause Multiple cuts to appear on my targets' chalk-white skin. Her focus changed again, giving iffy an opening to strike...
Inside Zed's mind
To fail so soon... how disappointing, you were supposed to be the arrow of light that pierced through the heart of darkness...yet here you lie, broken and defeated, and by a mere servant no less.
The voice was stoic, almost robotic in nature and was completely foreign to me. 'What is... that voice?'
So they left a fragment to observe your progress? how predictable of such beings obsessed with control.
I heard a second voice, this one more familiar 'Who are you! what the fuck do you want!?' My frustration was evident, the foul language I used seemingly being natural for me.
It seems some of the old you still remain, how amusing. To answer your question, I am Zed, the vermillion imperator, and the original wielder of that power you hold. My soul resides in yours for reasons I cannot yet explain. The other voice, the one mocking your valiant effort is merely an observer, think nothing of it.
With that particular gap in my knowledge filled, my attention was brought to my circumstances. 'I... was stabbed, she caught me off guard and injured me, am I …. dead?' The familiar voice laughed.
Of course not, you were merely injured. The power you now hold will heal your wound in time, the pain just knocked you unconscious. The observer could not calculate your loss in any capacity, thus it's harsh words, feel free to ignore them.
My previous action came to mind, the very same that lead to this situation I found myself in. 'Was it a mistake to show mercy?'
No, it was not, at least in most cases. To show mercy is to be above the anger brought by violence. You did not wish to end Arfoire's life because you disliked the thought of ending the lives of others, even those hostile to your own, that is an admirable trait. However, to show mercy to Arfoire specifically was a mistake, showing mercy to her would only enable her to cause further harm. She is a servant of darkness, intent on worldwide destruction. a minion of the embodiment of evil and a sadistic, depraved woman. She deserves no mercy.
That was the mistake you made.
'Was I supposed to kill her then? You want me to Kill a person?'
You are the light that eradicates darkness. That is your purpose, stranger.
For once, I agree. To kill someone is no easy task, to ask that of you is not something I take pleasure in. However as I have said, Arfoire is not someone who should be granted mercy. Just look at what happened to you. She would show no mercy to those you care for as well, remember that she was going to try to murder your dear Neptune before you stepped in.
What he said reminded me of them, my beloved friends. I may not of known them for very long (IF especially) but they were important to me, they were all I had in this world...
wait
'What happened with the others!?' I was panicking at this point, while I was here, knocked out and unable to help, they were facing that vile woman!
The original light is weaker than fate should have allowed, her fall from the divine realm, no doubt the cause. She, as well as the others. Will fall in time. The servant of darkness holds more power than was shown to you, if such darkness was easily eradicated, we would have no use of you.
Its words were obviously of no comfort, I was nearing hysteria at that point. Soon I would lose all I cared about, everyone I knew, everyone I loved. Would die, and I would be able to do nothing about it.
"That boy, he's obviously trying to goad me. How foolish, but I suppose I'll play along, it's been so long since someone has opposed me so brazenly."
Arfoires' voice echoed within my mind.
That was the truth of what occurred, she was never at your mercy, you were at hers.
I was creeping ever closer, soon I was afraid I might lose my mind. From the very start I was...
That's enough! Begone observer, thy guidance is needed not!
His voice cut through, confident and clear, akin to a knife through butter. the voice of the observer, and the voice of that bitch, were silenced.
Now that there is no longer anything to interrupt, there is something you need to know. Your beloved friends are not dead yet, but they do not have much time. Your control over the power you hold is not yet great enough for your wound to heal quick enough for you to help your comrades, as things are now, they really will die.
I was angry now 'How the fuck is that any different from what that bastard of an observer told me!'
Let me finish. However, I have a proposition for you. Give me control, you may lack the strength to fight, but I do not.
As emotionally compromised as I was, I wasn't dumb enough to think there would be no consequences. 'what's the catch?'
If you remember, I mentioned how part of the old you still remain. I am the stronger soul here, fragmented though I may be. To take control completely, even if for a moment, could lead to you losing that small part of the yourself that remains, whatever might be left of who you once were would be lost, every memory of every loved one, every experience, permanently gone. Whereas before you showed a chance of a full recovery, if you take this deal, that chance will be gone with the wind.
As horrible as it might have sounded, I didn't immediately take the deal. he said it Himself, I could eventually get my memories back, but if I took the deal, they would be lost forever. My only chance of becoming whole again, would disappear. I cared greatly for Neptune, Compa and even IF, but I couldn't just let go of everything I might've known. unknowingly turning my back on all those who I once knew, to leave them all behind forever. Besides, maybe he was wrong, and they would win...
That resolution didn't last long. In the first place, he hadn't lied before, why would he lie now? besides, I'd be responsible for the deaths of 3 innocent girls if I didn't go through with the deal, I wasn't heartless! 'For what it's worth, to all those who once knew me, I'm sorry...'
'I ACCEPT YOUR DEAL!'
Before the abyss took me, I heard his voice once more
Your friends will be safe, that I promise.
Compa POV
I was exhausted, I was only halfway to my house. The fight with Mr fox and carrying Zeddy around had really tired me out. But I had to keep going, if I didn't Zeddy would bleed to death. I didn't know him for long, but he showed himself to be a good person, he wasn't put off by my air headedness and even fulfilled my grandfather's selfish request. He was nice to talk to, even if he was a little flirty. I could easily say he was a good friend of mine. that's why...
'i won't let you die!'
I was a nurse in training after all, it would eventually be my job to help people. But this was still no easy task, my mention of exhaustion was not exaggerated. My arms and legs both felt as if they would give out any second, every muscle in my limbs burned and ached.
Distracted by the pain racking my body, I tripped, Falling on to my knees. Zeddy fell from my arms and landed on the ground. As I got myself up and went to go pick him back up however, something weird happened.
He stood up, his wound covered itself in radiant golden-orange flames that quickly disappeared, revealing the affected area to be now fully healed. My shock went further as I noticed there were other changes. His eyes, which were once greyish-blue, were now a light green and his hair, once a light-brown was a light orange with green tips.
His now green eyes looked cloudy and vacant for a second before they brightened considerably. His wing appeared behind his back.
Then he was gone, rushing towards where Nep-Nep and iffy were.
Arfoire POV
The sight of Neptune's damaged and exhausted form was cathartic, the sight of her friend a bonus. My plan had gone quite smoothly. the interruption of that boy and his vile light mattered not in the end, he was taken care of and soon so shall Neptune. It surprised me that she was here, I originally thought that she had been killed by the other three. Then again, I suppose that was a good thing, now I have the pleasure of doing the deed myself. That boy was foolish enough to believe mercy to be an option, and even more foolish to not notice my acting. I had to stop myself from bursting with laughter when he had thought to of beaten me.
The same went for the two in front of me. They were smug and oh so assured of their victory, they believed that numbers would be enough, that I could be defeated. What kind of monster would I be to ruin their good mood? so like any decent citizen I played along, and so, Just like the boy, they fought. Unaware of my plan. When they finally exhausted themselves, when they, with all their disgustingly pure hearts believed themselves to be victorious.
I stopped holding back
I unleashed the umbral power bestowed upon my flesh by my master and crushed them beneath my heel. The abyssal blood that flowed within me sang at their destruction and I couldn't help the smile that stretched across my face.
But not everything could go my way apparently. Their faces, that by now should've been drowned in a wave of despair, held strong resolve. Why?
WHY?
I had beaten them. They were completely at my mercy. Their bodies were broken! Why did their faces show such an emotion! Then from out of nowhere, despite her defeated form, Neptune spoke.
"Do you really think... that you have won?"
It was just a simple question really.
One.
Small.
Insignificant.
Question.
She was barely able to utter the words with her body as it was. But I found myself enraged just the same. "of course, I've won! stupid girl, you and your precious friend beside you are done for, just like that boy!"
Her response angered me further
"he'll be back...Zeddy wouldn't go down... that easily."
"he'll...stop you."
The other one joined in as well, despite her body being in an even worse state.
I wasn't normally easy to anger. But the disgustingly resolute and determined look she had on her face was the equivalent of a slap to the face. But I couldn't let her know that. "You speak as if you'll be alive to see it. That boy is far too weak regardless of if he survived."
Show intent and give the slightest bit of hope.
"You know Neptune, I know a lot about you. Who you were, what you've done, your friends, and your enemies. I know it all. It's such a shame that you won't live long enough for me to tell you. As much as I am a fan of granting dying wishes, you were particularly rude."
I placed my spear above her heart and her face, as well as the one of her friend displayed the most beautiful expression of all.
Pure and utter helplessness.
Where was your boyfriend now, wasn't he going to save you?
I could barely contain myself, this was it. She would soon be dead, and I would be laughing. I wished to savour this grand moment of victory, therefore my spear only inched further and further towards her chest, as opposed to the swift strikes I was capable of.
Neptune's friend attempted to move in some vain attempt to stop me, but she passed out once more before she could do anything. A shame, her reaction would have been amusing.
Closer.
Closer.
Yet ever closer.
Until only the smallest of gaps remained.
Then that too, disappeared.
The sharp tip of my spear contacted her skin, and I slid the blade across her flesh.
Her screams were the equivalent of concentrated dopamine to me, her shrieks of pain lapping at my auditory receptors again, and again. Blood of the purest gold seeped out of her recent wound; the sight combined with her pained shouts almost making me lose my control of my barely contained laughter.
I wished it would never end!
Then suddenly things changed, as from out of nowhere a great light emerged.
I saw it in the corner of my eye, and even as distracted as I was by my actions, the illumination was simply too bright to ignore. And as my attention was brought to the irritating interruption, I heard an equally sickeningly confident voice.
"My apologies, but I will have to stop your right there, those little ones are under my protection."
Despite the polite tone in its owners' voice, there was a great amount of barely restrained wrath held within its words.
I laid my eyes upon the intruder
"you... I killed you!"
The irritating boy from before was back, though this time there was something different about him. The colour of his eyes and hair had changed, but even more confusing was his tone, it lacked the imitated confidence from before. Now in its place was genuine self-assurance.
It made my blood boil
"i see you are as wicked as your career demands, that kind of dedication would be admirable if you were to of chosen differently, alas things aren't as I would like them."
As he talked, I felt my earlier rage awaken once more
"Servant of darkness, one who abides by the Vile Gods' law, you have committed a great sin. What you have done can never be forgiven. Pray to your depraved lord...for only the darkest pit of the underworld awaits you."
Golden-orange energy surged around him as he spoke, the very sight I found repulsive. Then he spoke once more.
"Luminous swords point towards heaven"
As he continued to speak, the energy that surrounded him increased in intensity.
"Regret cannot stop their revelation"
The energy began to take form.
"Accept your righteous ruin!"
A plethora of giant radiant blades surrounded him.
"Rexcalibur!"
Then everything went dark.
Zed's POV
Once my glorious blades cleaved her flesh, her form dispersed into black ash. The vile woman that dared to shed the blood of the innocent, was now gone. I turned my gaze to my companions who lied injured on the floor and began to chant once more.
"Luminous wing of the sun god.
Shed thine divine feathers.
So that all wounded shall be revitalised.
Healing feathers!"
Quills made of light detached themselves from my wing before floating down and landing on the bodies of the wounded. the second the feathers touched their skin all their wounds disappeared. The two bodies that were once writhing in pain were now soundly sleeping.
"Zeddy!"
I turned around in order to see the owner of the voice and came face to face with Compa. Her face displayed just how concerned she was, despite how much she tried to keep herself composed. Not wanting her to worry any longer than she has I quickly explained the situation.
"Everything is okay Compa, Neptune and IF are fine, and I've put an end to that witch, she won't harm another soul."
The look of absolute relief on her face brought a smile to my own. Compa then walked over to where IF and Neptune were before attempting to lift Neptune over her shoulder, before her body was raised an inch, she was dropped, though not on purpose. While Compa had shown to be surprisingly robust, it seems all the fighting and rushing about had made her exhausted.
"Get on my back, I can carry those two in my arms while I take us to your house."
She must have been absolutely shattered, as she walked over to my back, attaching herself to me using her arms and legs, she fell asleep almost instantly without saying a word. Smiling at her actions (and how surprisingly cute they were) I picked up both IF and Neptune with one arm each and flew towards Compa's house. The journey didn't take long, due to the enhanced speed and flight my power bestowed upon me. Once we were inside I gently place Neptune and IF on the couch before going upstairs and placing Compa on her bed.
With my mission complete, I sat down beside the bed and closed my eyes.
Inside Zed's mind
It is done, your friends are safe.
He had returned to the space within my (our?) mind, his words were comforting. At least my sacrifice was not in vain. 'Thank you' I stated, with as much gratitude as I could muster, while I was unconscious the entire time he had control, I trusted his words.
The Servant has been slain, it appears the wicked ichor in her veins was no match for the power of light. But do not rest yet, your journey has only just begun.
The almost-robotic voice of the observer made itself known, its words not comforting at all. 'There will be more?'
Did you think your journey over? You have slain a mere servant; the embodiment of darkness still awaits you.
As much as I loath to agree with it, the observer has a point. But do not fret you are not alone, nor are you powerless. You will grow more accustomed to my power as time goes on and I will be glad to give you advice on how to better use it.
My journey wasn't over, I could accept that, but there was still a lot I felt I needed to know. 'What exactly is my journey? Why was I sent here?'
Light and dark exist in a balance, that balance was upset due to the selfishness of the deities of this world, and you were sent to correct it. That is why you are here and why you have the power you wield.
Its words confirmed what I had suspected, someone or something took me away from my original world, my family and friends, erased my memories and forced a great task upon me. I was livid, absolutely livid...but what would that achieve? What and or whoever sent me here must've held a great deal of power to both erase my memories and send me here. A being like that was something I could never go against. As angry as I was at what that being did, I could do nothing about it, and I doubted I ever could.
But a small part of me realised that not everything had gone to shit, I had power now, something that a lot of people would kill to have. Not only that but I also had friends I could rely on, both Compa and Neptune were good people with good intentions. Zed was right.
Wait...
'What should I call you, or rather what will you call me?' I asked him, while he had an obvious name, it was also I name that I went by. It wouldn't take a genius to understand how that would lead to confusion in the future. He laughed before he replied.
Well I suppose I can allow you to keep my name, I have already lived a full life, while you have not. besides you've already taken my name as your own, it would be strange for you to change that partway through, yes? For now, I suppose you can call me whatever you'd like.
Before I could reply, he added a bit more to his statement.
However, I would like a decent name, one befitting someone such as I.
So I began to think. His speech pattern indicated that he was either incredibly delusional or royalty.
Royalty?
Male royalty?
Rex?
Rex!
'Would the name 'Rex' be good enough?'
'Rex' hmm...good enough. Very well then from now on I shall be called Rex.
With that conundrum out of the way, I question I had regarding my abilities came to mind. 'What exactly is 'Golden Trillion'?'
I could almost feel the smirk he must have had.
Golden trillion, in essence, is the power of the sun. Though to be more specific it is the power of nuclear fusion. As you have already demonstrated you can create constructs out of the energy you produce as well as heal others, though there is much more to it than that. The ability originated from my world as a 'Septima', which were in simplistic terms high level psychic abilities. A Septima can evolve over time with use and the will of its user. There were even records of Septima's evolving into greater powers, turning their users into an ascended being known as a 'primal dragon'. Though you won't have to worry about that.
'why do I have it?'
Septima's can be extracted from a person and implanted into another, though the process is painful and is only successful if the recipient is compatible. Though I do believe your case to be special.
'You mentioned having a 'fragmented soul', what did you mean?'
It means exactly what it means, my soul was broken, then attached to yours. It wasn't exactly pleasant, in fact it was excruciating, but I could do nothing about it.
'Who could've done something like that?'
The very same beings who brought you here.
His words only reinforced what I already knew, that whoever sent me here was not to be fucked with. Before I could continue my train of thought, my benefactor spoke once more.
Now then, as much as I would like to continue our chat, I do believe that you are waking up.
Zed POV
My body ached, not enough to stop me from moving, but enough to make moving a little uncomfortable. 'Whatever Rex did... I hope it was worth it' And it seemed it was, as when I Looked to my left, I saw Compa, who was sleeping soundly on her bed, not wanting to disturb her but also wanting to check on the other two I swiftly and quietly left the room and headed to the ground floor. Upon reaching the living room I noticed both Neptune and IF sleeping on the couch. Similar to Compa they looked like they were sleeping well. It was then I had an idea.
'Why not make breakfast?' The idea seemed random at first, at least until my stomach rumbled and I realised how hungry I was. Looking through the cupboards I scrounged up the ingredients to make a somewhat decent breakfast and began cooking, reminding myself to pay Compa back for the ingredients I used at a later date.
The meal didn't take too long to prepare and before I knew it the food was ready. Once I had set the table, I went to go wake the girls up... only to realise they were already up and staring at me. "Good morning, is something wrong?" Neptune responded first "You can cook? Sweet! Make pudding!" 'i just made you breakfast, and the first thing you do is demand that I make you something else?' IF's reaction was much better "You can cook huh? Bet you're everyones favourite when it comes to camping trips."
'Jokes on you, I've never gone camping!...not that I can remember anywa-dammit!' Ignoring how my inner retort failed, I looked at Compa, her reaction to me cooking us all breakfast was quite humorous, she pouted. "Zeddy, I wanted to make breakfast." The look of dejection on her face was almost enough for me to feel guilty... almost. However, I didn't want her pouting all day, so I apologised.
"My apologies, I just wanted to surprise you all, y'know give you something to enjoy after yesterday's oh-so-enjoyable experience." the mood quickly soured.
"That woman... she's gone now, right?" IF replied first, a solemn look on her face. Neptune and Compa didn't say anything but the look on their faces was the same. I initially didn't know how to reply, after all it was Rex who saved them, not me. Thankfully before too long said being decided to speak up (in my head anyway) 'yes, the witch is dead, were you not listening earlier?' 'Must have if I missed that little tidbit'. Not wanting to see that specific look on the girls' faces, I quickly responded.
"Yes, that vile witch is dead, she cannot harm anyone anymore...i made sure of it." the next thing I knew both Neptune and Compa were hugging the life out of me while IF stayed put, but looked as if she also needed some form of support. Not being completely heartless I gestured the two girls attached to me to follow my lead as I went over to IF and gave her a hug. Reminding them of that witch and what she did to them was obviously a bad idea.
"everything's fine, your safe now" I whispered into her ear, hoping those words would soothe her pain. And eventually it seemed to do the job as a few minutes later she broke off the hug, whispering a quick "thank you" as she did so. Neptune and Compa did the same not long after. Once I told myself to ask each of them how they felt in private later, I brought attention to the meal I had prepared, hoping that it didn't go completely cold.
"you three hungry?" apparently, they were, because as soon as I mentioned the food they sat down at the table and dished themselves up a portion each before digging in. I followed suit quickly after, not wanting Neptune to eat all of what was left.
Honestly the experience of eating with friends was perhaps the best thing that's happened to me since I arrived in this godforsaken place. It was an event I knew I would treasure for life, even if it was something that would normally be insignificant in the eyes of most.
CHAPTER END
Should humans look towards the divine for answers, or should they find them themselves?