AN: Thanks for reading so far, apologies if this AN gets in the way, but I was unsure if anyone actually read the previous ones.
Also, if I may be so bold, if you could leave a review on this chapter, or any of the other chapters, that would be greatly appreciated.
Anyways, without further ado, the next chapter!
Chapter 8: End of Night, Breaking of Dawn II
"Fight, become as gods, and fight once more. Such was the cycle. For power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."-?
Zed POV
Noire and I followed the letters' directions exactly. Which lead us to a giant tower. The outside was matt black in colour with clear windows on the lower floors, and blacked-out windows on the upper floors. A security guard met us at the entrance, initially leading to some feelings of anxiety. But once I displayed the letter given to me, they let Noire and I pass through, additionally giving us instructions of where we were to go. (My my, how simplistic.) the inside of the building was quite bland, lacking any elegant or extravagant décor, looking as if it were nothing more than an office building. Though I held some semblance of scepticism, being that we were in enemy territory.
Despite my thoughts however, the journey ascending the building was uneventful, every floor we passed was generic, and the number of staff we saw, few. "How curious..." "What do you mean?" Noire asked, clearly hearing what I said. "This building is large in scale, yet the number of staff appear scarce." I replied. "Maybe only high-ranking officials are allowed here?" Noire suggested.
"I suppose that would makes sense, though if that were true, then this little trip of ours is a tad bit more concerning, considering we were invited here." regardless of my feelings we pressed onward. It took Noire and I a few more minutes until we reached our destination, which just so happened to be the buildings' top floor. When we fully ascended the staircase, we were met with a door. (No doubt this is where our mysterious 'friend' resides) "are you prepared?" "Hmph, of course I am!" the resident 'Tsun-tsun' replied, taking up her usual 'Tsun-tsun stance™' (oh...and here I thought she was getting better.)
When we opened the door in front of us, and entered the room, we were greeted by a deep, and unfamiliar voice. "Welcome Lady Black Heart, you too, Sir Zed. Thank you for agreeing to meet with me, especially so considering I know you hold no love for Avenir." the speaker was a middle-aged man with short, slicked back, black-coloured hair. "Pardon my directness, but who exactly are you?" from the sounds of things, he held some sort of position in Avenir's hierarchy. However, what that position was, as well as his intentions, were a mystery to me.
"Ah, forgive me. My name is Singe, I am the co-founder of Avenir. Though I suppose you would know me as Chians' Associate." his reveal was somewhat surprising , considering I had not expected to come into contact with someone so high up. "Strange, Chian mentioned you weren't exactly the 'highest on the corporate ladder' do you mean to say you've been lying?" he smiled wearily in my direction. "Yes. Though in my defence, do you honestly believe she'd trust me if I confessed to my true rank?" I had no reasonable counter argument. "i thought so." Singe replied, taking my silence as a 'no'
"Were...were you aware of the experiments?" Noire asked cautiously. I couldn't blame her, here in front of us was someone who practically owned the company that cause so much suffering for both her and her people. I wouldn't be surprised if the man's life depended on his answer. "Yes, but believe me I had no part in them. If I tried to stop them, there would have been consequences." Singe replied, leading to a look of pure rage appearing on Noires' face. "that's it!? You allowed so many to suffer at their hands, to be put through such inhumane experiments, just to save your own skin!?" she shouted.
"No, not my own. My life would never be worth theirs." the businessman replied.
"Then why?" Noire replied, voice strained.
"For my daughters' sake. Should I have gone against Ganaches' and Arfoires' will, they would have had no qualms with ending her life, or worse, making her a part of their sick machinations. So I made a deal. I would not stand in their way, and they would not lay a hand on her." Singe spoke. "However, by going after her in the search to recapture you, Lady Black Heart, the deal was rendered null, hence my reaching out to you via one of my employees." 'Going after her in their search to recapture Noire'? (Does that mean...)
"Chian...she is your daughter?" I guessed; the businessman smirked. "Very astute, Radiant Prince. Indeed, Chian is my child. It was for her safety did I stay my hand." he replied. (I cannot say I am not relieved.) it was... comforting, to know that not everyone from Avenir was a monster. I did not wish to bloody my hands. "Pray tell, how did all this even start? I can hardly believe that Avenir just appeared out of nowhere and began experimenting on innocents." I asked curiously.
"i suppose you two, of all people, deserve an explanation." Singe began. "Avenir began as a simple automaton business. We would create robots that would aid in manual tasks and assist in labour-intensive work. Our end goal was to ensure that more spent time in the research and development of technology so that could eventually best our rival landmass, Planeptune." that at least explained their excessive use of machines. Though I was still curious on how exactly they went from being a normal business to committing inhumane experiments.
"But it was during the end console war did things begin to change for the worst. Ganache especially, after the goddess being gone for so long, began to resent Lady Black Heart for essentially abandoning us, her people, to the monster hordes. Then one day, he came to me with a proposition, and with someone most evil."
Flashback- a few months before the end of the console war
"Ganache, my friend, what brings you to my office? And who is this woman you've brought with you?" my old friend had come into my office with a white-haired, red-eyed woman. Without sounding too judgemental, the woman had this look about her, for some reason I could not shake the feeling that she was dangerous. Regardless, even though I felt uncomfortable in her presence, this woman was brought in by a dear friend. I would be polite.
"Singe, old friend, I would like to introduce someone. This-" he pointed at the woman by his side. "-is Lady Arfoire, and she is the remedy to all our problems, the answer to all our prayers." ('our problems'?) his words made no sense to me, as far as I knew, our business was doing fine, extraordinarily so! That begged the question, what were these 'problems' that he talked of? "You have me confused, Ganache, what issues? What prayers? As far as I know our business is doing just fine." the smile that appeared on his face scared me, it was not his usual expression of happiness, instead it felt different, more crazed. In that moment I was equal parts concerned for him and frightened of him. What did he do?
"Tell me, do you still believe in Black Heart?" he asked. I gave him the only answer I could, an honest one. "Yes, though times have been rougher since her ascent into Celestia, she is still our goddess. She has provided for us, for our ancestors, for millennia, as such my faith still holds." he laughed, a laugh of... pity? "Singe my friend, that goddess of yours cares not about us, or Lastation, a being such as her only cares for one thing. Power. That is why the console war started, did it not?" he spoke. "Maybe so, but the goddess had cared for our ancestors also, is that not an act worthy of faith?" there was no laugh this time.
"if she cared for us, where is she now? Where is she when monsters break through our precious cities' defences, when they slaughter our loved ones!?" I didn't have an argument for that. We did the best we could to bolster our defences, but sometimes that just wasn't enough. "That is why I choose to believe in Lady Arfoire, she has shown me the truth, that the four goddesses are mere power-hungry heathens!" his voice then softened. "That...is why I would like to offer you a deal." he said. "What kind of deal?" I asked wearily.
"We are going to revolt, the second Black Heart returns, we shall capture her. A heathen she may be, but the blood in her has some use."
….what is he saying!? Revolt? Against a goddess?
"What kind of madness is this? What happened to you, old friend?" I couldn't believe what he was saying. Heresy, pure, unadulterated, heresy. (If he chose to worship another goddess, I would not care, but this?) his face softened further showing what appeared to be genuine pity, and remorse. "It breaks my heart to hear you say that Singe. I had believed you to be my closest ally, my dearest friend. But it seems you too, are too enthralled. Regrettable indeed." what did he mean by tha-
The woman next to him summoned a black spear and pointed it a hairs width away from my throat.
"As much as I enjoy ending the lives of fools like you, we have need of your talent. Now, this is what you're going to do. You are going to work for me. If you keep resisting, and insist on rebelling, then you, as well as that daughter of yours, can kiss your lives goodbye." her crimson eyes betrayed no mercy or remorse, only slight annoyance. Her spear was ever so slightly closer now, barely touching my skin. But that was not what scared me the most.
I had told Ganache of my daughter years ago, he came with me whenever I went to visit her. he was her godfather! Yet he told this vile woman of her existence, to use her as a bargaining chip! "you would use dear Chian like this... why...why Ganache!?" his actions hurt far more than the weapon that threatened to end my life. "as long as you do as my Lady commands, our dear Chian will be fine." he was calm...completely...calm. (That...that bastard!)
"is that a no?" the witch spoke, smiling gleefully as she drew her unoccupied finger across her throat threateningly.
I had no choice but to accept.
(I'm sorry...Chian.)
"i...i accept your proposition."
End of flashback
Zed POV
"For what it's worth Lady Black Heart, I am truly sorry for what Avenir had done to you. If I had it my way, none of this would have happened." he sounded truly remorseful for his mistakes. While I could see where he was coming from, it was ultimately up to Noire to absolve him of his crimes. (To commit sinful acts for the sake of a loved one, I too know the feeling.) I ignored Rex's words for now, while they were interesting, I was focused more on Noire, and her response to Singes' apology.
Her face showed numerous emotions; anger, understanding, even guilt, before she gave her response.
…
…
...
"i...forgive you."
I could see the confliction in her eyes. Part of her was probably still angry at him for his omission. "i may not like what you did, but at the very least the 'why' was understandable." she continued. I found it impossible to disagree. To let those horrific experiments be conducted, knowing the harm it would cause to the innocent, was a crime most serious, and that's not including the fact that Noire herself was forced to be a part of them. But at the same time, Singe acted not for himself, but for his child, and while that was something I could not understand as of yet, being that I was not a father, I could at least sympathise.
*THUD*
Singe fell onto his knees. "Thank you, my Lady. I... I know that the pain I've allowed you to go through must not have been easy to bear, and I know that I hold no small amount of responsibility for what you've been through. I can only promise that I will do my upmost best to atone for my crimes." there were tears streaming down his face, be it out of relief, or out of guilt, he wept. He continued to do so for a non-insignificant amount of time.
"Ah, I suppose I should give you information then? I doubt you came here merely to see a middle-aged man cry" Singe said, starting to calm down from his emotional outburst. "it's quite alright Mr Singe, I understand. These events are quite the emotional drain." I spoke, intending to assure the man. "Though information on Avenir would be appreciated." the self-proclaimed 'middle-aged' man smiled at my words. "Before I talk, may I ask a question of my own?" he asked.
"of course." I replied. "How is my daughter, how is Chian? Is she still tinkering with weapons like she used to?" (She tinkers with weapons? I suppose that explains her wanting to use a weapon for the tech expo.) "she's completely fine, though the front of her restaurant is in ruins. She made a weapon for a dear friend of mine, so I suppose she still 'tinkers'." I answered, "I see, it brings me great comfort to know she hasn't grown out of that little habit of hers." Singe replied, a serene smile on his face. (Note to self; converse with him at a later to obtain teasing material.)
"As for the information I have on Avenir, well you two may want to sit down, there is much to discuss." the former Avenir employee spoke. Noire and I decided to heed his words, both of us sitting down on adjacent chairs in front of Singes' desk. "When Arfoire was brought into the picture, Ganache ensured that android production was increased, and he also ensured that they were being integrated into factories and shops, forcefully if necessary. This caused many to lose their jobs. No doubt you've seen the effects of this." I had, the people of Lastation appeared far too easy to anger.
"While I don't know why he did it, or what purpose it served, it's hopefully going to stop now that he's out of the picture." that had me thinking, now that I had calmed down from my rage, was Ganache really dead? (He disappeared into ash, the same as Arfoire, and she's still alive. According to him at least.) that train of thought however, I decided to leave for later, considering Singe was giving information that would be useful to remember. (He is at least taken care of for now, take some semblance of relief from that.)
"Alongside those changes, he also produced specialised androids that were used to kidnap civilians for the experiments. The first 3 subjects were victims of that, the other 10 were failed rescue attempts. I was not told too much about the experiments themselves, only that they were conducted for the sake of 'ascending humanity' and that they involved a substance called 'Ichor'." I felt the emotion of disgust that surrounded Noire. I myself felt no different. "Ganache mentioned something about 'bringing back the old gods' perhaps that was what he meant?" Singe looked confused, either due to my interruption or my words, I could not tell.
"what 'old gods' there only exist the four goddesses, right?" it appears he was not 'in the know' "Ah, my apologies, I do believe that was a slip of the tongue, please continue." thankfully he did. "Over the years Avenir have collected full litres of this 'ichor' substance and stored it in numerous facilities across all four of the landmasses. I fear that until all these facilities are destroyed, Avenir's experiments will continue." now that got my attention. "There are more facilities!?" one was horrifying enough. "Yes." Singe answered, before handing me a USB drive. "That there USB drive should contain all the information on all known facilities. While I would not normally be privy to such information, I was able to hack into Ganache's computer while he was out hunting you." well that explained it. "Is that all then, Mr Singe?" I asked curiously. I was getting impatient, I wished to return to the others as quick as possible.
"Yes, though before you leave, I have a gift. Think of it as compensation for my years of inaction." he then pulled out three bags and handed them to Noire and I. ""thank you."" we said, before i swiftly opened one, revealing countless credits. "In those bags should be more than enough credits to last a lifetime." Singe said, surprising me and Noire even more. "How exactly did you obtain these?" I asked curiously. "i simply dipped into Avenirs' coffers." he answered, before pointing at one of the bags, and continuing to speak.
"Before you leave for Leanbox, please give one of those to Chian. Goddesses know I have years of child support to pay off." he joked. "Is there anything else you can tell us?" Noire chimed in. Singe appeared to give her question some thought, before he answered. "Unfortunately, no. Since I initially went against what he planned until Chian was threatened, Ganache did not trust me with information on the innermost workings of Avenir. His computer also had files I could not access, meaning unless we can quickly get into contact with an expert hacker, that data is worthless."
"Thanks anyway." Noire sighed. "Indeed, the information you were able to supply us will be put to good use. Thank you, Mr Singe." the businessman waved away our thanks in response. "Think nothing of it. This is only the beginning of my atonement." he spoke. "Regardless, it is appricia-" I was interrupted by what I presumed was one of Singes' employees, who came into the room, shouting and looking exhausted. "Mr Singe, there's an emergency, monsters have broken through the city walls!" Noire and I shared a glance, our next move was planned.
"Singe, use whatever resources you have to help the civilians evacuate, Zed and I will handle the monsters." Noire said. "As you wish, Lady Black Heart." Singe replied. "You." Noire pointed at the messenger. "Where are the monsters breaking in from?" she spoke. "The westmost gate!" the messenger squeaked out, being intimidated at Noires' directness. "let's go, Zed." "As you wish."
Traversing down the building was quicker than our initial journey due to the urgency of the situation, as was the journey to the west side of the city. It appeared that the monsters had only broken in very recently.
"W-what!? How are there so many!?"
when we reached the outskirts, the sight that greeted us was far from pleasant. There were countless monsters, from almost harmless Dogoo's, to giant brown dragon-like creatures. I could not blame Noire for being somewhat intimidated. "It matters not how many there are, we cannot afford to fail!" I summoned the kings' blades and the suns' wing, preparing for a great ordeal. "You are not fighting alone, and are not fighting purposelessly, we shall fight to protect our people. For that is a Rulers' duty!" if we failed here, countless innocent lives would be endangered. I felt no shortage of pressure, as I expected Noire did as well. But that meant nothing. "We need to lead the horde out of here, there's too much risk of collateral damage otherwise. Once we get them away from here, the rest will be trivial." I spoke.
(Play Xenoblade Chronicles OST- unfinished business.)
"Sounds like a plan to me." and so our plan commenced. Noire would cull the monsters that got too close to, or were already inside the city, while I would lure the rest, as far as I could, away from the city walls. "Revolting creatures, I've fought children more skilled than you!" I shouted, in an attempt to rouse anger from the horde.
*ROAR!*
My words appeared to work on the dragon-like creatures, perhaps they held pride in their battle prowess? Unfortunately, my words were less effective on the smaller monsters, possibly because they were far too unintelligent to understand my slanderous vocabulary. (Any idea's , Rex?) I asked the other soul. (Try this.) as soon as his words registered, an image was conjured up in my mind, as well as an activation phrase. (Much appreciated.) (Think nothing of it.) "My little ones-" motes of golden-orange energy appeared around me. "Light the skys!" the motes of light gathered, transforming into Bird-like creatures that homed in on the smaller monsters, their impact causing the targets to immediately disappear in a flash of binary code.
The weaker ones were dealt with, now for the stronger foes. (This should be far enough.) after a short while of constantly moving and repeatedly insulting the large monsters, the city walls were quite a distance away, barely visible to the naked eye. (Perfect!)
"Bathe the world in dazzling light."
"Bring forth the swelling spirit of rebellion."
"Mine arrow is at the heart, piercing forth!"
"Lux Ballista!"
Unlike when I used the skill before, multiple radiant bows were created. Each one loaded with arrows that sprang forth in a flash of light, piercing through the scaly flesh of my foes. (now that should be all.) I thought, assured in my victory.
*ROAR!*
Unfortunately, while my effort did yield some results, it appeared that some of the draconic beasts were more resilient than the others, leading to their being quite a few of them left. "It appears you're far stronger than I thought, however, you shall all fall regardless." while it was disappointing that my initial attack did not rid me of all my targets, I was not out of tricks, nor would I falter due to a lack of stamina anytime soon. (It appears those little duels with Neptune have yielded results.) "Burn to ash!" summoning another volley of vermillion birds, I launched them towards my targets. "Here you go!" flinging multiples of my feather tags towards the dragon-like creatures, they all became marked. "This is where we part!" focusing on each tag individually, I instantaneously teleported next to each target and slashed them into pieces with my triplet of blades. In a matter of seconds, they all burst in a flash of binary code.
I had proven myself victorious.
"Ha...Ha...Ha..."
Though not without consequence, for while my stamina had improved greatly due to my spars with Neptune, the amount of Septimal energy I used to create all those constructs was far from minimal and was indeed far above what I'd had ever used before. It was because of this fact that I was-in that moment- on my knees in exhaustion. "Still...i must return...to Noire." while I knew she could handle herself; I was not immune to the emotion of concern. I tried concentrating on the crystal I gave the black-haired girl in an attempt to teleport directly to her, but the attempt was for naught. My only guess was that my Septimal energy reserves were too low. So, it was with great effort that I lifted myself up onto my feet and began to walk back.
(a short while later)
When I returned to the city, the place was in a greater state then it was previously, causing my sense of worry to grow exponentially. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on the 'why' of it. The sounds of battle could be heard.
"Heyah!...Taaake this!..." the sounds got louder and louder as I walked towards their origin. "Ha...Ha...Ha" upon reaching the supposed origin of the noise, I was greeted by the sight of an exhausted Noire facing off against two of the same draconic monsters I combated shortly beforehand.
(Play Azure Striker Gunvolt OST- Perilous Pursuit.)
"Need some assistance?" I asked the clearly tired goddess. Her hair was dishevelled, and her body covered in dirt and sweat. Either our plan must not have been too effective, or she had to deal with some particularly strong foes. (or both.) "Of course not...i can handle...this!" there was a pause every few words, she would not fool me, she was clearly at her limit. "there's no need to lie Noire, admit it, you're tired." she merely scoffed and turned her head to the side. (Stubborn one, isn't she?) (Indeed, though if she is that insistent on fighting, I have an idea.) (Oh? Do tell.) I was curious on what exactly that idea of his was.
Unfortunately, I was not fit for combat despite my earlier words. My reserves had returned somewhat, but my stamina hadn't. (Focus on 'gifting' Noire some of your replenished Septimal energy.) "If you insist on fighting, I suppose I will not get in your way. That being said I will not leave you to fight with nothing." I raised my right arm upwards, a brilliant golden-orange flame appearing in my outstretched palm. "Divine one, I grant you, the suns' wing!" an intricate vermilion glyph appeared below the goddess of Lastation, before a wing similar to my own appeared on her back. When she faced me momentarily, presumably to thank me, I noticed there was an orange-coloured section in her hair where her fringe was, and that one of her eyes had turned a bright green. (Is that permanent?) I asked Rex. (No, once you reign in the gifted power, her appearance will return to normal.)
I inwardly sighed in relief; orange was not a colour that suited the black-haired goddess. And I had no doubt that if it was permanent, I would not hear the end of her complaints.
Noire POV-soon after Zed left.
I thought that once Zed had lured most of the monsters away, the rest would be easy.
It wasn't.
Even though he had managed to get the attention of most of the monsters, there were still quite a few who stayed. This led to me having to fight multiple Ancient Dragons at once. "Heeyah!" I slashed at the nearest monster, damaging its' hide a lot, but not killing it. Individually, Ancient Dragons were known to be tough monsters, but for a group this large, even at my peak, it would have still taken no small amount of effort to take care of. To make matters worse, I was far from my strongest. The console war, as well as the years spent in Avenir's clutches, had made me weak.
*ROAR*
The beast I hit apparently wasn't happy with me, as it roared loudly in presumed anger, signalling its' friends to its side. I was fortunate beforehand, as most of the group was preoccupied with causing collateral damage, but with the Dragons' roar that was no longer the case. (Shit...)
!
One of the rallied beasts attempted to swipe at me, its large, sharp claws dragging themselves through the air like a hot knife through butter.
*CLASH*
Before the keratinous blade-like extensions could contact my skin, I blocked with the broad side of my greatsword. "Tch!" unfortunately, while I could block the attack, the force behind the strike itself was an entirely different matter. The sheer weight behind the Ancient Dragons' attack sent enough force to buckle my knees and shoot searing hot pain through my fingers. As a weakened goddess I wasn't used to tanking hits. "Just die already!" shouting, both in pain, and in annoyance, I shifted my blade and lashed out, striking the preoccupied Draconic beast right in its face.
*ROA-*
Before it could shout once more, I slashed at its' face again, this time through its tough, scaly hide, causing it to perish.
"!"
I wasn't able to celebrate my victory, as the numerous other beasts took quick notice of their fallen brethren, deciding to centre in on me and attack in unison.
*FWOOSH*
Thankfully thanks to my transformed state, I was able to fly, and place myself far above the horde of draconic monsters. whose idea was it to give dragon-like monsters nonfunctional wings? I didn't know, but I wasn't going to complain. Though it did bring its own problems. For one, I had no long-range options, my only weapon was my greatsword. The second problem was related to the previous, since I could not attack the beasts from range, their focus was not on me, but instead on my city, and its citizens. Meaning that while I was safe from their attacks, my people weren't.
Ergo, staying away from the monsters to avoid being ganged up on was not an option. That begged the question, what was I going to do? I lacked the numbers my enemies had, if I went down there, I would be finished within minutes! What's worse was that the longer I spent pondering on my next move, the longer the monsters were decimating my land, and potentially slaughtering my people. I had to act, either way someone was going to get hurt, be it me, or my citizens.
Between them or me, the answer was obvious.
"COME AND GET ME!"
I descended and faced the monsters head on. I may not have the numbers they did, but I wasn't so weak as to not be able to put up a fight.
*ROAAAARRRR*
Its screech was deafening, more so now that I was close by. But I chose to ignore that.
*SLASH*
The edge of my greatsword met the scales of one of the dragons, cutting through its hide, but not its flesh.
So again
And again
And again
More
And more
My blade met its flesh, and time and time again, I was closer to killing the beast.
Until finally.
*roa-r*
The beast was slain. One down, numerous more to go. Though I knew I couldn't keep this up. Using my physical strength and the sharp blade of my sword alone was simply too slow, too inefficient, I would exhaust myself far before they did. I needed to step up majorly if I wanted to get out of this alright. Feeling the arcane energy that flowed through me, I conjured up one of the few skills I was capable of using in my current state.
I leaped into the sky, flipping as I did so, and coated my blade in flames.
"volcano..."
I allowed myself to fall downwards, blade edge pointed in the same direction, putting my foes in its path.
"dive!"
My flaming blade produced an explosion of flames, both fire and blade coming into contact with the bodies of my foes, causing immense damage.
*ROAAAAARRRR*
Most of the horde fell, giving one final roar of anguish. However, I was not done yet. Many had been dealt with, but a few still remained. "Haaahhh...Haaaaahhhh" my skill was powerful but drained me far more than my normal attacks ever could. Leading to me being very tired. So...very...tired.
But regardless.
"Heyah!...Taaake…this!" I shouted, using all the strength I had left to run towards the remaining dragons, and slash at their scaly hides.
*SCREEEEEEEE*
Unfortunately, due to my exhausted state, my blade only scratched the skin, creating a loud and obnoxious screech. "Ha...Ha...Ha" normally I would be furious with myself for doing so little to the draconic beasts, but I was way too exhausted to care. "Need some assistance?" a familiar voice asked, bringing me out of my thoughts. (Zed?) "Of course not...i can handle...this!" I replied. I was so close. (I'm a goddess for goodness' sake! I shouldn't have to keep relying on others!) I ignored his offer, instead focusing completely on the two remaining Ancient Dragons. (But...can I really do this?) my pride as a goddess as well as my own stubbornness demand I finish this by myself, I appreciated Zed for rescuing me, but that didn't mean I enjoyed having to be saved. But even I wasn't foolish to believe I could handle the rest of the monsters. (I am a goddess; I should be able to handle a few meagre monsters...but...can I really?) Eventually, the battle between my pride/stubbornness and my logical side ended with the side of logic becoming victorious.
Though before I could utter the words for assistance, Zed spoke.
"There's no need to lie Noire, admit it, you're tired." he said. "If you insist on fighting however, I suppose I will not get in your way. That being said I will not leave you to fight with nothing." he continued, before starting to chant. "Divine one, I grant you, the suns' wing!" as soon as he finished speaking, I felt a comforting warmth at my feet. Looking down I noticed an intricate-looking golden-orange glyph. Then I felt a sudden rush of power enter my being.
(What...what is this?) I turned to look at my orange-haired friend, surprise and confusion entering my mind. "The beasts are yours to handle, my dear." he spoke, gesturing to the two monsters with one of his hands. "Now." he stared straight at me, a massive smug grin on his face. "Show them their place!" I couldn't help but copy his smug appearance. I didn't know exactly what he did, but I felt stronger than ever.
Zed looked as if he were waiting for me to finish up.
…..and I didn't want to disappoint him.
Zed POV
Noire, now empowered by the light of the sun, proved to be far more than a match for the two remaining beasts. Slicing through their hides as if they were made of soaked paper.
"Begone!"
With one final slash of her blade, the last of the monsters was dealt with, leaving only Noire and I. "So...how did I do?" the now black-haired girl asked, the radiant energy of Golden Trillion returning itself to me. "Splendidly indeed, my dear." I answered, staring into her exhausted-looking eyes.
"Good." she replied.
The girl looked as if she would pass out any second. But judging from the newly formed crowd of Lastationites, she had to hold on a little while longer. It wouldn't help at all if the goddess of Lastation passed out right in front of her people. (Hmm, I do believe this calls for a distraction.) Noire wouldn't be able to rest with the crowd watching, so all I had to do was do something to grab their attention. Fortunately, I was quite adept at garnering attention.
Distancing myself from Noire, I began to speak loudly.
"People of Lastation, you are safe now! Thanks to the valiant efforts of our Goddess, all the vile beasts have been slain! I am Zed, a Knight of Lady Black Heart, and I have a boon most wonderous to gift you all!" flaunting my wing, a radiant flame appeared in my opened and raised palm. "Illuminate the world, Golden Trillion! Erase this blanket of shadows with the purest light!" a sphere of flaming energy shot high in the air, leaving a trail of light in its wake. With a snap of my fingers the sphere rapidly expanded, parting the black clouds, and forming something akin to a miniature sun, that radiated warmth. "This comforting warmth is what you strive for, is it not!? To bathe in the light of the sun!? Avenir, a company I'm sure you all know well, is responsible for your suffering. Your precious sun was blocked by their greed!"
A cacophony of agreements was spoken loudly by the crowd, I was getting through to them.
"Our precious Goddess has been fighting all this time, in an attempt to thwart their dastardly plans. But we require your aid as well! Fight back against Avenir, and you will bathe in the light of the sun once more!"
The crowd shouted wildly in mass agreement, praises of Noire and myself rang fourth from their mouths before they all went their separate ways, presumably to make plans of their own.
With the crowd now dispersed, the black-haired goddess passed out cold, leading to her almost face planting the ground, if not for me catching her. "Rest well." I spoke with a smirk, placing the girl on my back. She had fought hard; it was only fair she should get some time to recover.
I took the golden-orange crystal I gave her earlier off of her person, before using its power to teleport to my remaining companions.
3rd person POV (Compa, Neptune and IF)
The original trinity of wai-I mean main characters were playing Uno. "-and then I slashed that Gundam-reject until it exploded!" Neptune was regaling her 'besties' with the tale of when she fought the Jaeger-wannabe. "oh and-" she placed a +4 into the pile of cards. "sorry~" this act caused IF to almost have an aneurism. (that's the sixth one in a row, what the hell is with her luck!?) the windwalker thought despairing at her atrocious luck. "Better luck next time Iffy!" Compa cheered, attempting to cheer up her friend. Unbeknownst to her however, the cheering only aggravated the brown-haired phone enthusiast further.
(Compa, I swear to Green Heart!)
"Pfft, no need to be so stressy Iffy! Ya just gotta believe in the heart of the cards!" the goddess of Planeptune shouted cheerfully, giving a peace sign with both her hands. Making Compa laugh, and IF fuckin' seethe.
Yes, the emphasis, as well as the swear, was needed.
"Hey Iffy, ever wonder why we were given so little screen time in this arc?" Compa asked, questioning the will of the creator. "No, bad Compa, no breaking the fourth wall." Neptune said, surprisingly being far quieter than normal. The purple-haired girl could not allow anyone, other than herself, to see beyond the veil. In her mind, only the protagonist held that right.
Their conversation was quickly put to an abrupt halt, by the immediate appearance of Zed and Noire, who appeared in a flash of golden-orange light. "Zeddy/Zed!" the girls shouted, being surprised at the sudden appearance of the two. "we're back my dears." Zed stated with a smile, unknowingly being influenced by Rex's flirtatious nature once again. "Y'know, you really need to stop referring to every girl you see as your 'dear' it sends the wrong kinda message." Neptune responded. Zed, on his part, merely smiled. "No." the girls all looked at the orange-haired boy in confusion.
"No...?" IF questioned. She understood his flirtatious nature, but also couldn't understand 'why' exactly he acted that way. "Are you really complaining? Or just curious as to why?" the wielder of Golden Trillion asked, not understanding the point. he saw no problem with how he referred to the girls, they were 'dear' to him after all. "I mean, do you like, love us or somethin'?" Neptune asked with a massive shit eating grin.
(She knows exactly what she is doing.) Zed thought, before smirking inwardly. (I'll play along, this may be interesting.) "Why of course I do." the Stranger replied, going along with the purple-haired girls' scheme. "Oh my, how lewd~" Neptune spoke, squirming in a way that appeared quite peculiar to the sole male of the group.
"Wha- Zeddy!?"
"Can it Nep!"
"Wha- Pervert!"
*chirp?*
Neptune and Zed laughed at their confusion, while Compa blushed up a storm in both confusion and embarrassment, IF shouted with a small amount of redness on her face, Noire defaulted to her Tsundere act, and Suzaku chirped, sounding confused at the reactions of the others.
(indeed) Zed thought. (this was worth it.)
END OF CHAPTER
Indeed, 2 have been saved.
The connections, made,
But the vengeful move in the shadows.
An: and that's the second arc concluded. For this (as well as future) arc(s) I don't think I'll include interludes, instead I'll try to pace things well enough to have the funny moments mixed in with the serious. (Like I tried with this chapter and the last.)
Also, to those that may think Zed's attachment to the girls is far too deep for this early in the story, know there are reasons for it that go above the simple premise of giving my MC some waifus. This will hopefully be more obvious in the next arc, where I'm hoping to show the perspectives of other characters more.
Question for the audience; what did you think of the story so far? While I have recognised a few faults of my own that I plan to rectify, such as a lack of screentime and development for characters such as IF, and Compa, I'm curious about your opinions.
Next Arc Preview.
"""Neptune!"""
"i was interested in medicine from a young age-"
{You wish to protect them, correct? Then call me, call upon my true name, and they will live.}
"Zed, stop!"
They tried to take her from me, my everything.
"Where's your killer instinct? Now is the time!"
So I will take everything from them.
"Will you really cause harm to so many innocents, just for the sake of revenge?"
"The future...I leave...in your hands."
{Choose, child of the God Eater.}