Interdimensional RED-Coded Contract
Hopeless Boss Fight
"Where is she?"
Blanc smashed her weapon against the barrier, earning an echoing bang with each strike. Her weapon struck the shield again and again, but even with her HDD strength she couldn't leave a mark. The barrier held strong.
Neptune and Noire tried too, as did the mercenaries. All of them attacked the barrier with reckless abandon. Bullets and weapons collided with the magical barrier tirelessly, without a break, but the winning side was still the small dome protecting the last of the Felons - CFW Magic.
Even when Compa used her Canteen to grant Heavy a critical boost. Even when Blanc, Noire and Neptune burned through their SP reserves in breaking through. Nothing worked.
"Get your hands off him, you damn cow!" Blanc roared, putting all of her body into the next strike. This much power could've brought down a tree or broken through a solid wall, and yet it only bounced off the shield like any other strike she has made.
Noire's rapier hit the same spot over and over again. "How strong is this?" Even Killachine armor wouldn't be able to withstand that much punishment, yet this barrier could take that and more.
"Keep shooting!" Heavy shouted from behind them.
The barrier that separated them was transparent and tinted with pink - giving everyone a clear view of Medic struggling against CFW Magic's grasp. He tried to move her fingers away, even jabbed her with his saw. She didn't feel a thing.
A glyph appeared underneath Magic's feet, finally forcing Magic to react. She jumped slightly and put a barrier underneath her feet - stuffing out the Demon Flames underneath her.
Finally Magic had enough, and Medic's neck snapped like a twig. His body fell like a brick and CFW Magic saw anguish on the faces of the rest. Their comrade has fallen - they failed to save him.
The Reanimator fell right in front of Magic and activated, creating a hologram of Medic before her eyes. CFW Magic looked at it for a moment, examining the device and remembering how they used these things to bring themselves back from death - a tactic they used to defeat CFW Judge and CFW Trick. This allowed them to be unmatched in a prolonged battle.
CFW Magic also remembered that their corpses vanished after a moment or two, due to the Re;Spawn System, but after waiting a moment Medic's body was still beside her - while his friends kept trying to get through.
CFW Magic raised her leg. Slowly. She let them see and realize what she was about to do - and their attacks intensified with desperation. They knew what she was about to do. She knew what her actions will cause. She didn't care.
They took Samantha away from her. They destroyed her ticket to Uzume.
So CFW Magic will destroy them.
Her foot stomped the Reanimator, only for some kind of barrier to appear to protect it. The same barrier appeared when CFW Trick tried to do the same thing. However this time CFW Magic shattered the barrier with her next stomp.
The device was crushed, and the hologram disappeared. Medic was gone. He will not return.
The effect was immediate.
"Noo!" Heavy yelled in anger.
They continued their assault with increased ferocity, but even then it didn't do a thing. The CPUs couldn't get through and the mercenaries ran out of ammo. Meanwhile CFW Magic was free to sit here and enjoy their anguish - she had enough SP to sit here until they died of old age.
However she still needed to make them give back Samantha.
However one mercenary didn't stop even after running out of ammo - the big guy with the minigun. Heavy. Once his weapon ran dry he dropped it and marched towards her with his bare fists. She saw the fury in his eyes - it matched her own.
He threw a punch, yet like anything else didn't do anything. "You." That didn't dissuade him, he threw another punch. "Killed." And another. "DOCTOR!"
CFW Magic stared at him, thinking. Heavy stared back, punching. His fists didn't do anything but the mercenary didn't care. The barrier or his own body - one of them will break. In his berserked state CFW Magic has found an opportunity
She opened her barrier, creating a hole big enough just for his hand to go through. His eyes opened in surprise as Magic's hand shot like a bullet - catching Heavy's hand and pulling him towards her. CFW Magic smiled as he fought back, grabbing her wrist with his other hand and pulling in the opposite direction.
To everyone's surprise, Heavy was winning this struggle. Inch by inch CFW Magic was being dragged away - with her forearm already out in the open. Blanc saw this as a chance to finally wipe that smug smirk off her face.
She raised her axe.
And in that moment CFW Magic jerked her whole body, pulling Heavy towards her. Blanc brought her weapon down but the blade didn't dig into CFW Magic, rather it chopped off Heavy's flesh and bone - severing his wrist from the rest of his body.
Heavy screamed in pain, Blanc's eyes widened in shock, CFW Magic dropped the severed palm. "Where did you take her?" The CFW asked. "You will tell me where she is, or I'll kill all of you and go back to summoning Arfoire."
Blanc glared at her. "Fuck off." The CPU spat out. "Get out here so I can kick your ass!"
Compa was already tending to Heavy's wound, but they couldn't reattach his hand - the missing limb was on the other side of the barrier. They had to retreat as Heavy couldn't fight at his full capacity anymore.
The others waited. The mercenaries and CPUs stared at Magic, and Magic stared back. The barrier, despite all that punishment they put it through was still in pristine condition. It was like a prison. Both to keep the mercenaries and CPUs away, and to keep CFW Magic in.
With the loss of Medic they were forced to fight, they couldn't leave without his body or Compa wouldn't be able to revive him.
However they couldn't get through that barrier. Medic was locked there with her.
But the answer to their problem came up on its own, because the prison that was Magic's dome opened up on its own.
Sniper fired immediately, with his bullet hitting Magic in the eye… Doing no damage. She didn't flinch, nor was her vision imparied. The CPUs rushed at her together - but The Felon ignored the CPUs and jumped above them - flying towards the more vulnerable targets.
The closest one was the little girl that appeared in the Graveyard not even a month ago - IF. Her skill and agility was commendable, capable of avoiding Magic's strikes with ease - and those trickier to avoid were parried and deflected.
Until CFW Magic landed a hit on her, and her whole dance was ruined. She bore a lethal slash across her side, and Magic would finish her off if Purple Heart hasn't appeared to protect her - tackling Magic to interrupt what would be a killing blow.
Neptune pushed Magic away towards Noire, who drop-kicked her in the ribs. Magic staggered and blocked a blow that came from Blanc.
Magic reached out to IF and summoned a pair of tentacles. The tendrils wrapped themselves around the Guild agent and brought her towards Magic. IF burned the tendrils and freed herself - forcing Magic to find a different target.
CFW Magic flew away from the CPUs and towards the mercenaries. Her target was Soldier. The CPUs chased after her but Magic was faster. The mercenaries backed away as she approached - knowing that they wouldn't last a chance upclose. Soldier knew she was focusing on him, so he aimed his Rocket Launcher at his own feet.
A column of flames engulfed CFW Magic, summoned by IF. The flames hid her out of view and the CPUs surrounded it. CFW Magic was inside and Soldier was safe, backing away as fast as he could.
IF stopped the spell and allowed everyone else to see.
CFW Magic was locked in her own dome again, but with her was Engineer.
Confidence has joined CFW Magic's fury. Their bullets and explosions were nothing but a mere annoyance rather than a threat. They had no chance of even scratching her. Even the CPUs were too weak to face her, they could only buy time.
They were all like cornered rats - easy to slaughter.
"These toys of yours."
CFW Magic grabbed Engineer's reanimator and held it out for them to see.
"They are so easy to break."
The CPUs and mercenaries watched as Magic's fingers slowly dug into the device, bending metal and crushing the circuitry. The hologram that was Engineer's lifeline flickered, before disappearing.
The Reanimator was destroyed, and with it the chances of them bringing Engineer back were gone.
Two were dead, seven remained. And maybe those two other girls if CFW Magic felt like it.
One by one, they will fall. She will make sure they can't get back up. She will make it hurt.
They deserved it.
Neptune's sword and Noire's barrier bounced off the pink barrier, with Blanc angrily smashing her axe against the same obstacle. They watched as CFW Magic mirthlessly chuckled at their struggles, dropping the broken device next to its dead owner.
Blanc stopped attacking and looked back at Medic's corpse. The dead merc was lying there on the grass, with the broken Reanimator left beside him.
She could take him and run. Bring him back to Planeptune so that Compa could revive him.
But that would require Compa actually getting out of here, and who was to say CFW Magic would allow them to just leave? She could destroy the teleporter and cut off their escape route.
The CPUs circled over the barrier, so that at least one of them could intercept Magic from whatever direction she decided to leave. Blanc motioned for the mercs to keep their distance, and the mercenaries were backing off.
Magic's strategy was working wonders. She knew fighting them was a waste of energy, so she directed her attention on the mercenaries. Each death was a blow not only to their firepower but also their morale, as CFW Magic forced them to choose.
They could continue to fight, hoping they might find a way to stop her before she killed them all.
Or they can flee, leaving their dead comrades behind. There will be no guarantee they'll be able to come back for them later.
Hope for a miracle, or cut their losses.
Die together, or live to fight another day.
CFW Magic observed their movements, and the CPUs could see cogs turning in her mind. They knew she was planning something. They were getting ready.
"Hmph, are you going to hide there all day?" Noire taunted.
CFW Magic looked at the CPU of Lastation and promptly ignored her. Noire banged her fist against the barrier to get her attention. "I still remember what you did in Leanbox, you hear me? Those two people died because of you!" The CPU of Lastation shouted.
Her words fell on deaf ears. CFW Magic was more interested in planning her next move than listening to Noire's hysterics. Blanc saw Magic's gaze fall upon her and she braced herself. CFW Magic reached out to her, SP glowing in her palm. The barrier between them fell-
-and then memories started flooding in. Of the battle they carried out three years ago.
Their first fight against the ASIC.
She rushed at Magic from above, while Vert moved in from the side. They struck together, as one, and yet CFW Magic parried their blow, immediately knocking them back with the counterattack. Before Blanc could recover, Magic grabbed her with her tentacles and pulled her back.
"Damn you!"
Right into her awaiting scythe.
Yet again. She used that fucking trick yet again.
Blanc fought against the tendrils but it was for naught. The scythe came too quickly to break free. The blow was dizzying and Blanc fell towards the ground - too stunned to uphold her flight.
Neptune and Noire, instead of being shocked, simply charged at CFW Magic. Taking advantage of the fact she was busy.
It ended just like before.
Together they tried to overwhelm her with rapid strikes, attacking everywhere they could to push through her defenses. She however avoided the initial blows and parried the rest. Her massive scythe moved with impossible speed, and her moves showed supreme combat ability. Her bursts of speed were too fast for them to follow, and her strength easily overpowered theirs.
They managed to push her back with a couple of kicks, and they sent waves of energy to chase after her.
CFW Magic sprung up a barrier to protect herself, strong enough to withstand their attacks with ease.
Noire fell to Magic's own wave and Neptune turned her head to check on her. That single second allowed Magic to get close and grab the CPU by her throat.
"That's all?"
What followed next was an explosion. CFW Magic concentrated her SP within her palm and the energy violently expanded. For a moment everyone around was blinded by light, as Magic and Neptune seemed to be engulfed by the sun itself.
The onlookers covered their eyes from the intense light. The shockwave that followed threatened to sweep them off their feet. The mercenaries stopped shooting as dirt was pushed into their eyes. For a moment it seemed like the wind itself wanted them gone.
Then it stopped. Both the light and everything else.
CFW Magic was still holding Neptune, who was now unconscious and out of her HDD. The Felon dropped her like a sack of potatoes.
The CPUs couldn't fight her.
They were just as weak as three years ago.
They never got stronger. They just used the infinitely respawning mercs to cheese their battles. However today they ran out of luck - they had no Re;Spawn to save them.
Three years ago CFW Magic destroyed the CPUs without taking a hit. It was a humiliating defeat that ended up with their capture and the rise of ASIC. Today the CPUs only managed to fight for a few moments longer - and that's only because she wasn't focused on them.
Coming here was their mistake.
Letting Medic do his own thing was their mistake.
And now they were paying the price.
"Our target disappeared. What do we do now?"
"We wait and see. She could be back at any moment. Let the CPUs and those idiots fight the CFW. They can't die and the more tired Magic is the better."
"They're getting their ass kicked though."
"Doesn't matter. They'll still tire Magic out. Even if we can't get our target we can still achieve secondary objectives."
Nisa groaned as she opened her eyes, feeling like a car ran her over. Her body was sore, her head hurt and her throat was dry. Her limbs barely moved, as if they weighed a ton.
She was in a dark place, preventing her from seeing anything but the vague shapes and silhouettes. However her ears worked fine and were picking up sounds… They were loud. Too loud for her to go back to sleep - and she wanted to sleep so badly.
Finally her brain remembered her situation, and she snapped her eyes open. "What the?!"
She bolted to her feet, feeling her bruises and scrapes screaming in agony.
Everywhere she looked there was chaos. The whole room was trashed; furniture in pieces, cracked walls and destroyed lights. The floor was full of glass and debris - which luckily avoided her.
Uni was lying beside a wall, so Nisa rushed towards her.
She looked… Seemingly fine, nonetheless Nisa checked her vitals. Pressing her fingers to her wrist revealed a steady pulse, and Nisa could feel air coming out of Uni's nose. Her friend was alive and healthy, merely unconscious.
Nisa gently shook her shoulder, calling out her name. "Uni? Uni? Wake up, Uni."
The CPU Candidate murmured something as one of her eyes cracked open. "Nis… a?"
"Yes, Uni." Nisa nodded, shaking her even more. "Wake up! We're in trouble!"
Uni closed her eyes and groaned, stretching her arms and yawning. "My shoulder hurts." She said. "What happened?" The CPU rubbed her face.
"That man- woman- whatever disappeared, CFW Magic went mad and then…" And then Magic exploded and they lost consciousness. She couldn't even recall who had kidnapped their captor. However, judging by the sounds, CFW Magic was fighting them right outside. Maybe Kei sent reinforcements.
"CFW Magic is fighting. Do you think we can help to take her down?" Uni asked, before realizing one important detail. "I don't have a weapon though…"
"I don't think I have any knives either, it will be hard." Nisa patted all over herself, trying to find even one throwing knife she hid. Unfortunately it seemed that the blonde woman had taken all of them. "But we can figure something out! We can fight her!"
"This could've ended really bad for you if we were someone else."
Her captor's words rang out within Uni's memory.
Both of them were without a weapon, against someone that could fight four CPUs and win. Doubt and self-preservation overtook her actions, forcing her to remember other wise words of her captor.
"You charged head-first into an enemy you had to know you couldn't handle."
"No, we need to get away."
Nisa deflated at Uni's rejection. However her fighting spirit didn't budge. "But now we have backup! And she's alone! Look!"
Nisa turned around but Uni grabbed her hand, forcing her to stop. "Nisa, whoever she's fighting, we will just slow them down. Let's leave when we have the chance."
"My finger slipped."
They were that close from dying, back then. One wrong move, one wrong word. They were alive just because Samantha didn't want to kill them.
They might not get so lucky next time.
Nisa looked at her for a moment, before her gaze shifted on the hand that held her. It was shaking. Uni trembled at the mere thought of facing CFW Magic again.
"You're scared." Nisa said.
Nisa cursed their captors for doing this. They took her friend - a proud CPU Candidate, one who would one day rule Lastation, and turned her into a terrified mess.
Uni wasn't even aware she was shaking until Nisa pointed it out. She kept thinking about those cold, dead eyes staring back at her. Samantha didn't even flinch as she almost took Nisa's life - like a cold-blooded killer.
"We could die if we fight her again." Uni said. "We tried fighting them when we had our weapons - when we had the advantage of surprise, and we still lost. They absolutely destroyed us, Nisa. We could've died back there."
"This could've ended really bad for you if we were someone else."
She already had one close call back there, after trying to fight that burly shirtless man. A building fell on her and she had to be hospitalized. Her injuries were so severe that Kei had to call one of the mercenaries from Planeptune.
The only thing she remembered from that moment was the itchiness of duct tape wrapped around her bones, but this moment was different… It burned within her memory. Samantha wasn't looking where she was aiming, she didn't care if she hit Nisa back there.
It was luck. Both of them were alive by sheer luck and their grace.
Nisa gently wrapped her arms around Uni and helped stand up. Together they walked towards the stairs. The steps were cracked and broken, only a few of them could be called 'walkable'. If they weren't careful someone could trip and fall, maybe even injure themselves.
They got out of the basement and saw who was fighting who. Their breath was caught in her throat.
Nisa saw the mercenaries falling to CFW Magic's scythe, with the Felon destroying their Reanimators. The smug and proud murderers finally became the murdered… and the sight of which brought Nisa no satisfaction whatsoever. She hated those merchants of death with a burning passion, but this, this wasn't justice. It couldn't even be called retribution.
It was just a massacre.
Uni saw Noire and Blanc trying to push Magic back, but they were bested by CFW Magic at every turn. At most they could buy a few seconds before Magic killed another person, and they were already on their last legs, looking to soon join Neptune passed out on the ground.
One by one their numbers dwindled, while Magic bore no injuries at all. Nothing affected her, nothing could stop her. She controlled the battle and the battlefield - giving her opponents no hope of winning or even getting out alive. It was an impossible boss fight, with no deus ex machina to save them.
Nisa now realized, even if they wanted to help there was no way they could turn the tide. The difference was too great. CFW Magic was not even taking this fight seriously - she was toying with them.
"Executing: Thunderbird Wing."
They had only a moment of warning before a green blur appeared next to them, moving towards the battlefield. After a moment of shock and confusion a great gale hit their back and threatened their balance.
Where it came from, they could only wonder as they stared at the battlefield.
Samantha put the Fury in front of her, and parried Magic's swing as she launched herself across the battlefield, ultimately crashing into a tree.
Suddenly Magic stopped, all hostility vanishing in an instant. She formed a barrier around herself as the mercenaries and Blanc kept trying to kill her, while her attention fell solely on a single newcomer. A woman in a dark blue jacket, clad in pieces of armor and wielding a decorated blade. Samantha Neikan.
The Overseer glared at her, nursing her shoulder while breathing heavily. "Magic, stand down...! Holy shit, we were only gone for a few minutes!"
She looked around and saw dead mercenaries littering the ground. "Shit." She cursed under her breath. The fool of her ally even destroyed the Reanimators. She already had a metric ton of problems she needed to resolve within a short amount of time, she didn't need more. "Okay, TIMEOUT! CPUs, mercs, all of you STOP! This is no time for that!"
"And who the fuck are you?!" An incensed White Heart glared daggers at her, already furious and frustrated with their inability to stop CFW Magic.
Seeing as the reaper had completely halted her assault, the others turned their attention towards the duo as well, confused, enraged, distraught. Noire was the first to start to connect the dots. "You're the one that Magic wanted back, aren't you? Who are you? What makes you think you have the right to tell us to just stop?"
Faced with looks of suspicion and hostility from three goddesses and their allies, the Overseer sighed and considered her words. "First of all, my name is Samantha Neikan. I've been helping you all from the shadows for a long time. You can even confirm that with Histoire… if she were here. And as to your second question, Noire… I think I can tell you that because Kei is dead."
That double announcement was enough to overwhelm the hostility in the air with shock instead. Many of them recognized the name of Samantha, and the mercs did recall Histoire briefing them on their mysterious benefactor, and how the ASIC had been turned to their side thanks to her. Or so they thought until Magic started massacring them. For the natives of Gamindustri though, it was the other part of the announcement that had their full attention.
"Kei's dead? The hell are you talking about? We just heard her over the phone earlier today!" IF stepped forward and called out this 'Samantha' on her bullshit, but before she could continue, a glance at Noire made her pause. Lady Black Heart, despite being the one most qualified to speak up, instead had a faraway look of disbelief. It sounded so preposterous, she literally just heard Kei earlier… but… What if that wasn't her? Why would Kei betray her afterall, kidnapping Histoire for no reason and then just happening to call her about it at the worst possible time?
Gradually, the others began to notice the distraught horror on Noire's face, including Samantha, who felt like a knife just stabbed through her gut, but there was no time to sympathize, taking the chance to approach.
"You realize it too, then? The Kei currently in your Basilicom is an imposter. Miss Pauling herself is parading around as your Oracle. I'm afraid your entire government's been infiltrated by now, and Gray Mann is her next target." Samantha explained, shaking her head. "As you can see, this is no time for this nonsense fights, we need to find and kill her before she does any more damage, and we need all hands on deck for that. So please, stop fighting so we can get the mercenaries back to Planeptune to respawn!"
There was an awkward silence, as Noire was unable to take the string of misfortune anymore, falling to her knees sobbing in grief, while the others just stared back at Samantha. The Overseer looked about at them, at first frustrated with their inaction, then slowly realizing it was something else.
"...What?" She asked, feeling the pit in her stomach grow by the second, before a bloodied Scout stepped up to the plate.
"Yeah, uh, about that…"
"They stopped fighting and started talking."
"Understood. Notify me if any developments happen."
"Well… It looks like Leanbox's CPU is headed towards their location."
"Good. We can proceed."
Fishing a portable welder out of thin air, Samantha delicately welded another component into Engineer's broken Reanimator, while behind her Compa and Fay busied themselves repairing Engineer's broken body. It was a good thing they kept so many random items in their hammerspace just in case, considering the things Compa was requesting of them, but there was no time to be asking questions, they could only trust that the blonde nurse knew what she was doing. Afterall, not only did they have to get the mercenaries back in action as soon as possible, but Samantha also needed to plan their next move at the same time, after taking a moment to process the planet-sized wrench that's been thrown into the gears of her former expectations.
Having just exchanged information with each other, it was only now that Samantha realized the devastation that'd befallen Planeptune, and the sabotage of the mercs' main Re;spawn system. That particular revelation had shaken her up, until Compa stepped up and reminded her that Medic had trained the nurse in his ways of unorthodox medication, and with her medigun still functional and the mercenaries' bodies still mostly intact, she could still save them even without the Reanimators.
Between Fay and Compa's expertise, it shouldn't be a problem to resurrect the fallen and re-register them with the repaired Reanimators. This didn't change the fact one of their strongest fighting forces just lost their main safety net, and since the Re;Spawn system was far more complex than the portable Reanimators, taking the time to repair it was not an option right now.
Time was not on their side, afterall. Last Samantha checked, Nisa and the recently awakened Neptune were trying to console Noire and Uni about the death of their Oracle and friend. In the presence of each other, the CPU and Candidate were doing their best to stay strong for the other, which was touching to see, but that didn't stop the Overseer's heart from twisting. So many had died because she failed to hunt down Miss Pauling, not just people like Cave or Kei but a city's worth of civilians as well, 'NPCs' that the True Goddess may not care as much for, but no less alive, and no more deserving of tragedy.
Samantha had no doubt if Pauling or her minions are left alive any longer, more people will be sacrificed in her grand schemes for power and control, and even one more death could make Magnavox bang the gavel down and strip Samantha off her peaceful life.
She couldn't afford any more losses.
Then there's the matter of Hilda Gehaburn, of course. Neptune had told her about their encounter during the invasion, and how CFW Brave had helped her get away, staying behind to face off against the vengeful spirit. No one knows if he survived, as neither Samantha nor Magic tried to contact him.
There's no doubt that Hilda will come for them again, and Samantha was left with fewer and fewer pieces for her game plan against the Godslayer.
Just as Samantha felt a headache coming on from the atrocious state of affairs, fate apparently decided she didn't have enough problems on her plate. The Overseer got a bad feeling as soon as she saw Blanc stick her head through their tent with an irritated expression. "Hey, Thundertits just showed up and she's asking for you." The CPU said, and all Samantha could do was sigh. When it rains it really does pour, but on the bright side, she had to deal with Vert too eventually. Perhaps now was the perfect opportunity.
"Alright, let's get this over with. Compa, can you handle things on your own for a bit? I might need Fay for this." Samantha turned towards the nurse, who nodded with bright determination.
"Yep! I got everything I need for Mr. Engineer! I think we can even start on Mr. Medic by the time you're done!"
"Good to know. You've grown a lot, Compa." Samantha allowed herself a smile, and shared a nod with her partner before the duo stepped out of the tent, to be immediately welcomed by a spear pointed at her face.
"You." Vert growled.
"Yes. Me." Samantha said calmly, quickly exchanging a glance with Magic and shaking her head. "Look, Vert, I know we have unfinished business but I really don't have time nor patience for this. I've got people that need reviving, and a global disaster to avert. And in case you don't care about any of that," Samantha motioned at the purple-haired reaper, "I got Magic here to help me, and" She spread her arms to show the mercenaries and the CPUs, as well as IF, Uni and Nisa, all staying back leaving the two opposing sides within a circle, "it looks like no one's very eager to help you. You can imagine how this will go."
"Oooh! Fight! Fight! Fight!"
While others watched warily what may become a fight between Vert and Samantha, Neptune cheered from the sidelines, eager for a distraction from the atmosphere's severity. However Samantha ignored the audience, as she tried really hard to pass that intimidation check. She wasn't really in the mood to kick Vert's ass. "I'm asking you nicely, Vert. Please, stop."
Samantha let her observe the area, weighing the pros and cons and calculate her chances. She was a smart woman, she should realize that this wasn't an advantageous situation for her.
...Samantha will politely ignore the fact that Vert has a record of breaking her plans at the worst possible time.
Moments passed as the Overseer of Neo Hyper Dimension, and the CPU of Leanbox stared each other down - with the former keeping her weapon ready for a possible conflict. Neptune stood silent now, grinning as the anticipation gnawed at her.
Finally, Vert turned towards the CPU of Planeptune. "Neptune, can I ask for your assistance?"
"Huh?"
Neptune looked at Vert with a dumbfounded expression, her cheering pausing. Meanwhile Samantha's thoughts turned into dark, crazy rambling and swearing as Vert actually tried really hard to piss her off.
"I ask you and everyone with you to help me take her down. She's a danger to Gamindustri as a whole - just look at what she did to my nation."
Immediately Samantha put a cork on this whole thing. "Neptune, let me remind you that I've helped you wake up, effectively made ASIC a non-issue, and I'm hunting the person responsible for sieging your nation and kidnapping your Oracle. And I'm trying to save your mercenaries too."
Coincidentally, both of them shoved the decision onto the third party and put her on the spot. Neptune looked between them, gears in her mind turning.
Vert saw that Neptune was hesitating to answer, so she continued. "She destroyed my Nation, Neptune. People died."
"What about your nation, Neptune? And besides, you'll have to fight me and CFW Magic again."
"Okay! Okay! Jeez..."
They both shut up as Neptune clapped her hands, looking annoyed that people were demanding an answer. She turned not to Vert, but to Samantha - pointing her fingers at the brunette. "Alright, first off… Why did you do it?"
"...The Leanbox thing?" Samantha asked.
"Yeah." The CPU nodded.
"I was hunting down Miss Pauling, trying to get her before she tried anything. I gave Vert a letter telling her my plans but she destroyed that without reading it!"
...Though even if she did read it, that might not change anything. There wasn't a person that wouldn't be mad for effectively commiting terrorism.
"Uh-huh. So you basically admit it." Neptune said calmly. If Samantha's confession affected her in any way, Neptune didn't show it. "Second. Why are you helping us?"
"Because my boss gave me a goal, my life and Fay's hinges on it, and helping you is the easiest way to achieve that goal."
"What is that goal?" Neptune pressed.
"Peace, essentially." Samantha shrugged.
"She's lying to you!" Vert screamed out in the background.
"Peace, huh? You know, that didn't strike me as creating peace." Neptune said.
"Look, I did what I had to do, alright?" The brunette said. "It was either that or allow that actual terrorist to slowly convert Leanbox into her stronghold. She already overtook a whole district by the time I found her, and at least MOST people still there were replaced with her people already! Look at what she's done because she got away, I could've prevented that if not for her getting in my way might I add!" Samantha glared daggers at said green-haired CPU, "By the way, Vert. I probably saved Chika's life by doing this."
"What nonsense are you even talking about now?!" Vert returned the death glare at the mention of her own Oracle, but her prospective recruit paid her no heed.
"Mhm." Neptune simply nodded at Samantha's words and fell silent, processing the information. Neither of them knew what she was thinking about, but both left her alone - lest she might rule in the other party's favor.
Neptune turned towards Vert. "Sorry Vert, but that's a no from me. Not because I don't believe you, I mean, Sam basically admitted to it, buuut we, like, almost got Game Over'ed by Magic again just now, and it sounds like Sammy and Fay here got CPU-levels of power too. Now I'm all for a good boss battle, but sometimes maybe it's better to try a different route, you know what I mean?"
Samantha - 1 Vert - 0
"Before you ask, no, I'm not interested in whatever spat you two have." Blanc chimed up the second Vert's betrayed glance turned towards her, "You two can deal with it on your own time, we have bigger fish to fry right now."
Vert turned towards the last CPU for help, only to be met with a look of tired depression and a shake of the head. "...We have bigger priorities right now. I'm sorry, Vert."
Samantha - 3 Vert - 0
Vert deflated at the rejection, tightly gripping her staff to quell the anger rising. She had a chance to pay back for what this terrorist has done, only to find out no one was on her side.
If she got here earlier then that might have changed, but alas - Vert was forced to abandon her desire for revenge today. "Fine. Still, what are you even doing here?" The CPU of Leanbox asked.
"I'm still trying to hunt Miss Pauling." Samantha answered. "You?"
"I'm not going to tell you."
"Okay." Samantha nodded. "Uni, can you tell me why Vert's here?"
"...K-Kei called her to help us… The real Kei..."
Samantha 4 - Vert 0
The disapproving, disappointed and also slightly confused look Vert sent Uni was cathartic to watch, while Uni was both too ashamed and depressed to look back. Traumatizing the poor girl had its benefits.
"Well, there's nothing left for you to do here, Vert." Samantha said. "Everyone is dead, the equipment is fucked and the HQ is basically gone! But why don't you stay a while and listen? I've got a few interesting updates for you."
Once they ensured that no one was going to cause any problems, else Magic would force them into a time out, it went pretty smoothly. Resurrections resumed, with Fay helping Compa with the final touches - providing the necessary electricity to finish resurrecting the dead.
For reasons which neither Samantha nor Fay bothered to ask, Fay had to electrocute someone twice before they actually revived them. Compa always killed them when they moved the first time.
While the duo, and soon with a very proud Medic's help, continued working on the last remaining bodies, Samantha and Engineer resumed work on the Reanimators, repairing what they could and replacing what they couldn't.
By now, some of the mercs, Neptune, Uni and even Nisa were watching them work with intrigue, curiosity and wariness (mostly in the mercs' case), while CFW Magic watched over them from above like a hawk, making sure that no one tried anything. Making sure that she wouldn't do anything were Blanc and Noire, while IF and Heavy kept their watch on Fay.
Trust was minimal and the atmosphere tense. Vert didn't trust Samantha and Fay, Nisa didn't trust the mercenaries and CFW Magic wasn't trusted by anyone but Samantha and Fay. More than a few of the group were ready to fight at a moment's notice.
In the meantime, even as they worked together, Engineer felt both awe and jealousy at Samantha's ability. The skill and speed of that woman was amazing. In just a few minutes Samantha fixed what would take him hours of work and, more importantly, years of looking for the parts, even teaching him on ways to speed up the process as they went. Aside from the expertise that must've taken who knows how many decades or even centuries to hone, one of the greatest advantages Samantha held was her ability to simply summon parts and tools out of thin air, accompanied by pink mist. Magic he assumed. Very handy one.
"'Scuse me, ma'am. That pink fog… is it magic? Do you cast to create parts?"
"The pink fog is a skill I'm... not really allowed to talk about. Sorry, but that's confidential." Samantha answered. "I'm just that good. Here you go, the last Reanimator."
"Not allowed?" Engineer asked as he took the Reanimator out of Samantha's hands.
"Yup." Samantha moved her head back and closed her eyes. "There's a seal on me, and if I try to say anything I'm not allowed then it just censors me. *&%$%) Just like that."
Engineer hummed as he took the Reanimator off Samantha's hands and examined the repairs. The Reanimator looked brand new - even the case was straightened out. These repairs looked like the work of a professional with access to a specialized workshop, while she had a bare table… and a wide array of tools and components she could just summon out of thin air, granted, including ones Engineer has never seen before.
"It's really OP, though." Neptune said. "You basically spawned a table and chairs like a survival game protagonist." There was a beat of silence, before Neptune gasped dramatically. "Is that it? Are you actually a survival game protag? Did you come out of Digcraft?"
A bead of sweat ran down Samantha's forehead. "Not allowed to talk about it, you can stop asking."
"What about those shares then? You like… radiate them. How did you achieve that?" Noire said.
To the CPUs around, Samantha was like a sun - shining brightly and making them feel better just by being close. Those weren't some weird emotions like in a harem anime, but rather the fact that just sitting at the same table pumped them with more shares than their nations ever possessed.
In fact, if any CPU stole the table or the chair Samantha was sitting on, they could sustain themselves for quite a while.
Samantha shrugged at the question. "Blame my boss. I'm like that by just talking to ^$#... Did you seriously censor your gender? Really?"
That was not directed at them but rather at heavens - where Magnavox observed her from True Celestia.
"Is your boss a CPU? That seems like the only plausible explanation." Vert asked.
"...Not allowed to talk about that." Samantha answered.
"You're way less helpful than we thought." Blanc deadpanned.
"I know, right?"
So far every pressing question they had was shut down with Samantha admitting she can't answer it. This infuriated them as every time Samantha was involved there were just more and more questions appearing, and now when they had a chance to get some answers, she just stonewalls every attempt at getting to know something about her.
"Where is your boss? What's her name?" Noire asked.
Samantha covered her face.
"Can't talk about it?"
Samantha nodded.
Noire, and also several other people, groaned in annoyance.
Also Engineer already nope'ed out of the conversation and went elsewhere. He was currently distributing the repaired Reanimators to his recently revived teammates, while watching how Fay used her own bare hands to electrocute his dead teammates.
Other mercenaries are also gone because this scene would have too many characters talking.
"So what can you tell us?"
Samantha counted on her fingers. "Current events, past events, my thoughts on the situation, et cetera. Things that have to do with 'down here' in Gamindustri, you could say."
"Your girlfriend?" Neptune asked. "Have you kissed her?"
The other CPUs glared at Neptune for asking the question, while Neptune waited for an answer with a goofy smile on her face.
"We had sex, yes." Samantha deadpanned.
"Oooh, yuri!"
If she only knew.
"End of topic." Noire demanded. "Now."
Fay called a thunder to strike another of the mercenaries, and whatever Samantha wanted to say was drowned out as he started screaming at the top of his lungs. Not out of pain or fear… For no reason actually.
"I'm alive again! AAaaaah"
"Good to see you again, Soldier!" Samantha called out. "That should be the last of them. All the mercenaries are back alive and the Reanimators are repaired. Now then..."
Pink mist appeared yet again around her hand. This time it wasn't a tool or a component, but a belt. A military green belt with pouches attached to it.
"Noire, I'm going to entrust you with this. Don't lose it."
She slid the belt across the table, and it stopped right in front of the CPU of Lastation. Feeling curious, Noire took the belt and opened one of the pouches, peering into its contents. Neptune and Uni, who were sitting beside her, leaned in to also take a peek.
The inside of the pouch was full of orbicular devices taken out of a sci-fi movie. They were mostly white with some blue detailing, and each of them had a button. None of them recognized what it was, and Noire had no clue why Samantha gave her that.
"What are-"
"Those are Battle Scanners. You press the button, throw them like a grenade, and after a moment they'll send a pulse that will reveal any cloaked and disguised person. It also works through walls."
With how often Miss Pauling's goons were using disguises and cloaking devices, it would be almost impossible to find them without any help. Any suspects could disappear or change face on a whim. Normal methods of investigation are useless against them.
But with this… Noire could have her revenge.
"Why?" The CPU asked.
"Use them to clean your Basilicom. Find every one of Pauling's bastards running around, and… well, you know what to do."
One press of a button and every snake slithering around will be revealed, ripe for extermination. Samantha was done playing around. Now she had the support of the CPUs, the mercenaries from another world and IF, Compa and Nisa.
This time she'll succeed. This time it won't end like Leanbox.
"...Thank you. I'll use it."
Noire put the Battle Scanner back into the pouch, before wrapping the belt around her waist. The military green clashed with her black dress, ruining the whole image and making her look... not good. Neptune wasn't afraid to point it out.
"You look silly with that."
"Shut up."
"We're all in position. How are things on your end?"
"They're getting along and not suspecting a thing. Be warned, our target has countermeasures against cloak and disguise. Warn HQ."
"Well… We'll see how effective those countermeasures are."
Samantha heard a quiet thud coming from next to her. She looked at what it was and found a small wireless speaker lying by the leg of her chair. The design looked like it was made in Lastation.
"What is that?" Blanc said.
"A speaker-?"
Another object appeared, this time smashing right in the middle of the table. The sudden crash spooked everyone, even the Overseer. It was a bar of silver metal. It looked beautiful, it shone brilliantly, the CPUs couldn't tear their gaze away. There was a choir singing in the background that only they could hear.
They recognized this metal.
Neptulium.
Blanc felt the effects coming in. Her hand reached into her own pocket to pull out a pair of glasses - only for a bullet to destroy her sole protection - leaving her vulnerable to the effects of this beautiful, precious material.
"CPUs!"
A voice came out of the speakers, making the CPUs freeze at the stranger's command.
Samantha crouched and picked up the speaker, squeezing her fist to crush the device. Unfortunately the order still came through before she managed to destroy it.
"Kill them!"
The CPUs transformed without delay, showering everyone in a blinding light.
It was time for Round 2.
Interdimensional RED-Coded Contract
Hopeless Boss Fight
You expected Hilda Gehaburn but it was me, Neptulium!
This chapter… I had to rewrite this chapter THREE TIMES. For two different reasons. Then I sent it to my editor and he ALSO needed to make a rewrite, because of stuff I wrote in the next chapter (mainly what actually happened to Samantha). This is why it took so long to make.
At least we're one step closer to the ending.
I've also gone back to chapter 40, where Samantha and Machias were questioning each other, and added the explanation on how Miss Pauling even managed to kill Cave.
Because some people were triggered.
I really wanted to do something with Nisa and the mercs, but there's always some other more important stuff getting in the way. However I might actually do something in this battle. I already have a workable outline for later.
So what do you think of this chapter? Please let me know.
Responses:
- Mad Android
Well. I got nothing to defend Magnavox. She's the one in power and could do whatever she wants. You're getting erased out of existence.
- MysteriousNuclearBirbs
No. I'm not going to magically reset the whole world and undo everything. That's the lazy way. I'm riding this trainwreck to the end and beyond.
You still didn't give me a good reason why Kei was important to this story. This one. The Red-Contract. Not Re;Birth 2.
- TigerTrainerXD
The accent cuts out because I simply didn't do that. Writing accents is hard and sometimes I slip.
Thanks for keeping watch though.
- saur12667
Thank you for your kind words.
- Harmless Orange.
