A story created by Proximatic / Dan. A crossover between Hyperdimension Neptunia and Nanatsu no Taizai (The Seven Deadly Sins).
. . .
Oh, uh. Sorry, no recap this time. It seems like something happened and now there isn't a recap.
"Aww, what the heck? That's such Horsebird dung! And I know a friend of yours really hates that stuff!"
I know he does. But yeah, my bad. I'll get one next time. It's just been so long, you know? I've kinda lost my touch.
Either way, we now continue from where we left off. . .
Northern Brittania — Afternoon
A piece of paper, quietly held between the fingers of a Gamindustri Goddess, wavered in the delicate breeze passing by like a person on the sidewalk. It was an open invitation to an event, aptly dubbed the "Vaizel Fighting Festival".
"The Vaizel Fighting Festival, eh," the Guardian of Planeptune says, examining. the piece of paper in her hand.
"Hm. . .that sounds like something me and the others went to so we could get my Sacred Treasure back. In fact. . .that's exactly it! I thought Vaizel was. . .destroyed, though," the Serpent Sin follows up, wearing a confused expression - an eyebrow raised and a hand to her chin.
"It says. . .
In the coming days, a Great Fighting Festival will be held in Vaizel. The winner will be given the right to have any wish granted.
Well, well, well! You can't ask for a more tempting prize! I could ask for a lifetime's supply of pudding! Woohoo! Let's get going Diane, come on!"
Excitedly, Neptune jumps off of Diane's hand and runs in a southerly direction. She couldn't help but feel a rush of adrenaline; her eyes were shimmering and glowing with enthusiasm! She's certainly up for the challenge.
"W-wait a second, Neptune!" Diane called out to Neptune, diving in to latch onto her by the Parka Dress.
"O-oi, what's the literally big idea, Diane? Didn't you see? A wish. . .for anything that you want! Like a Game Genie. . .but it isn't actually a game! It's an actual genie! Isn't that just awesome!?"
"Yeah, but. . .even if you wanted to get that pudding, do you even know where Vaizel is?" the Sin of Envy asked, tilting her head with a nervous smile on her visage.
"Oh. Uh. . .nope, not a clue. I'm in the dark like Rom's Darkness Fall!"
"Well, do you want me to take you there? I'm sure you'd be really sad if you lost that opportunity for pudding. . ."
"Of course I do! If I don't get my pudding. . .then I won't be able to share it! And as we all know, pudding is, like, way better when you share it with your friends! Eating with friends gives it a tastiness buff!"
"Hmm. . .if I won, then I would want stuffed animals of all my friends! That way, I won't have to worry about being alone when I sleep!"
"Stuffed animals? Like plushies? I could always ask a certain Plutster to make some for you instead of having to wish for them! Might have a few nepnical difficulties, though, since she's a biiit of a napper!"
Too much of a napper, one could say.
"Oh, you have a friend that can do that? Hmm. . ."
The Serpent of Sin puts a hand to her chin, pondering a bit. What else could she want besides the plushies of her friends?
"If you ask me, the only thing you need in life is pudding! It's tasty, gives you a lot of energy, is the best dessert in the world. . .I mean, what more could you ask for, really?"
"Ooh! I know! I like dancing a lot. . .so maybe I'll wish to be the best dancer ever!"
"Dancing, huh? I've danced a couple of times before! Back aaall the way when Nepgear was a new face to the series. Aaah, those were some good times. Kinda sucked I didn't have the Processor Unit I do now back then, but still!"
"Dancing is really fun," Diane said, swaying left and right, almost as if she was about to start an elegant dance right then and there.
"I know, right?"
"Aw, but I won't be able to become the best dancer if we just sit here and do nothing! So let's get going!"
"Wanna race? I bet I can get there faster than you can surf on some rocks!" the Goddess says, confidently spinning her arm in a circle like a windmill. It's been a little bit since she's actually done some running.
"But you don't know where Vaizel is. . ." Diane's nervous smile came back to her. Neptune's face became slightly absentminded as she stands in a position of take-off.
". . .aaalright, then, let's hop to it like a bunny!"
Diane just chuckled, facepalming a little bit as she picks Neptune up and holds her with a gentle pinch.
"Hmm. . .sorry, Neptune, but I gotta hold on to you rather tightly so that I don't drop you, okay? You'll be fine, right? After all, you're plenty strong if you took on that Ten Commandment from a few days ago and turned out okay!"
Repositioning herself a tad, Diane curled her hand into a fist-like form to keep Neptune in her grasp and not lose track of her. The constant movement will remind her that the Goddess is still there.
"What the?! Aw man, this is like that one time I got trapped in a capsule. . .only this time, I don't feel like the bounty hunter in the Shapeshift Sphere! I just feel like the bounty hunter!"
"Hoooi!" Diane moves forward without hesitation, skipping through the landscape and feeling the wind brush against her hair. She laughs as she twirls around.
Meanwhile, Neptune wasn't really able to feel the same magic of skipping around like this due to her current circumstance; she was being held on to rather tightly, encompassed by Diane's palm. It didn't hurt physically, but it certainly hurt her emotionally.
"This isn't a proper way to treat a protagonist, Proxi-moxie! You should be ashamed!"
I'm not. And I won't be.
"Mouuu. . ."
"Don't worry, Neptune! We'll be there in no time; Vaizel isn't too far from here!" the Giantess cheerfully speaks, continuing to frolic around within the environment; the soft, rustling sound of the grass speeding through the air with each step she takes.
Neptune, being the curious cat that she normally is, pokes her head out of Diane's balled fist to take in the sights of the environment around her. Her eyes glistened at first. . .but then they become slightly dull in the seconds to follow.
"Maaan, at least go a little slower so we can have some obligatory filler dialogue! It's not a pair of awesome cute girls if we don't have any of that, y'know?"
"Filler. . .dialogue? Well, I guess I don't mind talking to you. . .and we're not really in a rush. After all, that flyer didn't say that it was happening today. So we can take our time!"
"Like a certain frizzy-haired Stand—I mean, frizzy-haired student!"
Diane, with delicate fingers, lifted and placed the Goddess on her shoulder, giggling and gesturing her comrade to get comfortable, tilting her head and closing her eyes in an energetic manner. Neptune confirms with a nod, nonchalantly laying on her chest and stomach, subtly grasping Diane's garments so as to not fall off from the constant oscillation.
And with a playful skip, the two were back on track to Vaizel (even if they stopped only for a couple of seconds)!
The sun hung high, and the water across a nearby river gently rolled downstream, melodically splashing every once in a while. The creatures and wildlife around them indulged in each other; birds flying in flocks, bunnies dashing around, basking in the beams of light! Even the wind played along with them, eddying with Diane's body and minutely tousling her hair as she strolled around without a care in the world!
Bliss. . .
"You know, I won't lie," the Guardian Goddess started, closing her eyes and folding her arms as thoughts flowed through her mind left, right, and center, "It's a little bit, and yet, I'm still not used to this place somehow. Y'feel me?"
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Shin Megami Tensei V OST — Jouin High School
0:01 •— 3:04
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ᴠᴏʟᴜᴍᴇ: —•
"Eh?" a curious Serpent Sin turns her head to attempt to make eye contact with her compact confidant, iridescent irises singling in on the Goddess.
"It's like when you're moving from one generation of consoles to another! It just doesn't feel right in those first moments! Or when you're switching to a new brand of pudding! Or—!"
The Goddess was, rightfully, interrupted by Diane's recurrent giggling, putting a hand to her lips as if she was holding back some genuine laughter. Even the pinkette couldn't help but giggle with her; it was a tad contagious.
"I felt that same feeling too, you know? Meeting King, and all the others so many years ago? It was like I was stepping into a new home. A new place where I'd be welcomed. Meliodas. . .er, Danchō did the same thing for me a while back," she exposited, twirling one of her twin tails habitually. A faint blush crept on her face as her head tilted forward, ejecting a brisk sigh, reminiscing of those days long past when she had felt welcomed by others for the first time.
Neptune's expression morphed into that of curiosity — albeit, without the thought of prying — stemming from this new information. She knew that Diane and the other Sins were close, but she didn't know that there was a more deep-rooted history between all of them. Perhaps now would be a good time to learn something new about the Giantess, and potentially the other Sins as well.
"When did you guys first meet? I mean, just finding each other and then calling yourselves the Seven Deadly Sins couldn't have just been by chance; it had to be, like. . .pre-planned or something! Or RNG manipulation!" the Goddess exclaimed intending to inquire.
"King and I have been friends for a while. It was hundreds of years ago. . .we first met each other after he got hit hard and was unconscious. So when I found him, I took him home with me so I could care for him," Diane says, eyes relishing in nostalgia.
For some odd reason, Neptune feels as though she's going to hear the rough phrase of "take and/or taking them home" at some point in the distant future. . .
"He really liked to sleep, though. . .and I would keep track of how long he slept! It was a long time every time, too," she said, continuing to spin her hair like yarn around her index finger.
"Hah! Now those Neppitors can see that I'm not lazy! King is! And, like, infinitely so!" she boasted, turning to the fourth wall—no, turning to you and pointing at it. Yes, she is calling you a "Neppitor". Or a Redditor, for those who don't understand the reference.
"But then, one day. . .King left and went somewhere. He was gone for so long, I thought he had just left me. . .or maybe he had died. So I went back to my home in Megadoza and stayed there for a while," the Giantess muttered in an upset tone. She had stopped fiddling with her hair too, and subsequently shifted her arms behind her back.
"He left? Do you. . .know where he went?"
"I don't remember. . .but he said he would promise that he'd come back to me. And when I finally got my memories back. . .I was really happy! He's. . .he saved me once before, after all!"
Hearing the story of Diane having been reunited with the person she had spent a long time with made Neptune smile. Brightly, at that. It's like listening to the emotional climax of an anime. . .and she was all for it!
"What about the others? When did you meet them?"
"Oh! I met Danchō one time when I got into a fight with these Holy Knights who wanted to. . .sell me golden wheat? I think? But Danchō came in and he totally beat those guys up because he thought I was scared!
And then he invited me to a nice lunch after that!"
". . .huh. You have some pretty wacky ways of being you! Reminds me of my favorite tech-nut, nerdy sibling back home! It's like that time when I thought she was gonna take over the world with that super crazy speech about making our successes known to the world or whatever that stuff was."
Something like that. Just as Neptune said that, however. . .she could feel a whimsical whisper whirl around her body.
↳ paused ;;
Shin Megami Tensei V OST — Jouin High School
1:22 —•— 3:04
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She hears her voice once again. . .
. . .
"You've been working so hard, Onee-chan. We should put it in a book and publish it so everyone knows how great you are!"
"Aw, shucks, Nep Jr.! You don't have to do all the hard penmanship for the small things I do for 'em! The only thing that matters is that I get to see their smiles~!"
. . .
Engulfing herself in thought from the waking of winds carrying this interdimensional memory for her, the Goddess had stopped paying attention to Diane's exposition. Instead, just. . .looking out into the sky. As if there was something or someone there, looking down at her in return.
Diane noticed those violet eyes directing their attention to the clouds, with Neptune having a bit of an open mouth. Thus, she gives the Planeptunian a gentle tug on the arm to catch her attention.
"Hey, are you okay?" she asked. Neptune quickly returned to reality after her brief period of spacing out and refocused her attention on her Deadly Sin companion.
"My B, my B! Anyways, uh. . .where were you at?"
;; resuming ↲
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Shin Megami Tensei V OST — Jouin High School
1:22 —•— 3:04
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ᴠᴏʟᴜᴍᴇ: —•
"I met the others sometime after that little lunch thing! I met them when I joined the Seven Deadly Sins! We all became really good friends with each other. . .but then ten years ago, we all split up because we were being hunted by the Holy Knights. We got framed for plotting to overthrow the kingdom, and had bounties placed on us!"
Letting out a descending-pitch whistle, Neptune knocked on her head a little bit, "Sheeesh, those Lowly Knights must've been feeling super peeved that day! Like, "off their rockers, time of the month, stubbed their toe" kind of peeved! I can't imagine why they'd want to do that!"
"It was a trap. . .Hendrickson and Dreyfus set us up and killed the Grand Holy Knight at the time. . .all so they could pin it on us and try to destroy us."
"And everyone just. . .believed it?"
"Mhm."
Neptune raised an eyebrow in both astonishment and confusion. The Holy Knights believed the words of those two like sheep?
"That's not being a Holy Knight, that's being. . .well, stupid! They're stupid! Crazy! Ram's favorite word*!"
* Neptune is referring to the word "dummy", which Ram
likes to say numerous times in her debut game.
"It's a thing of the past, so you don't have to get too worked up over it now, Neptune. Besides, I'm still here! We're all fine!"
"Yeah, yeah, I know you guys overcame that final boss and moved on to the DLC, but. . .it's still kind of infuriating that they just believed what they said without question!"
"Ehehe. . .really, you're getting upset over something that happened in the past. You're always telling me to relax, but you should maybe try to relax yourself! I don't wanna see you being hypocritical, after all."
Staring at her hands and fiddling with her thumbs a bit, Neptune did, in fact, follow Diane's advice. Taking a deep breath in and letting it out, she relaxed a bit more. A more natural, neutral expression was plastered on her visage.
"Gomen, gomen*," she said, putting her arms behind her head as she returns to a lax position; a leg folded over the other and a laidback resting pose.
* "Gomen" is a relative apologizing term in Japanese.
At that moment, Diane had temporarily paused, standing still and staring at the ground. Noticing the sudden halt in locomotion, the Goddess sits up from her position, taking a moment to glance into her Giantess partner's eyes.
"Uhh. . .Gamindustri to Diane? You good in there?" she asked, prodding Diane's cheek a few times to catch her attention.
". . .sorry, I just can't help but feel. . .something weird disturbing the earth. I've felt it a few times, but this one just seems. . .different, for some reason."
"An earthquake or something like that?"
The Serpent Sin nods her head, folding her arms under her chest and staring upwards. What could possibly be causing this sudden disturbance within the earth, yet wasn't an earthquake?
"Earthquakes are pretty rare here. . .they don't happen a lot, and when they do, they happen a couple hundred of years apart. But even I can remember the distinct feeling of an earthquake! This. . .is not an earthquake."
"Could just be some weird fight going on between Holy Knight somewhere waaay off in the distance! You're just bein' such a worrywart, honestly!"
Diane reluctantly shrugged it off, though there was still a bit of worry in her eyes, and her fingers were somewhat curled, as if ready to furl into a fist. But she trusted that Neptune had a good sense of judgment regarding these kinds of situations, and thus she lets it go with a sigh.
"You're right, it's probably me getting too concerned about nothing. Ehehe. . ." she nervously rubbed the back of her neck, continuing their trek. It wouldn't be long, though.
A couple of minutes passed, with the pair continuing their journey to Vaizel, having some small talk on the way. Some typical things, such as how things have been lately, and how they think the others are doing. Normal conversational topics. Their attention would soon be directed elsewhere, though, as a large, semi-spherical rock started to crest the horizon.
Atop the rock was a pair of individuals. Once was a lot taller than the other, whilst the smaller one seemed a little wider for such a short stature. Seemingly more jagged as well, which was. . .unusual. But with the kinds of inhabitants that the world of Britannia has to offer, this isn't so unusual that it's outright freaky.
"Woooah. . .are my eyes deceiving me, or are there two blobs on top of that huge rock over there? I'm talking a big blob and a small blob! It's like we're looking at a mirror match or something!"
Diane seemed to recognize said rock; it was the same chunk of earth she used to flatten Vaizel a month or more ago. As they walked forward some more, however, they noticed a large, tan-colored jumble of flat-topped and well-pathed earth was in front of them, and surrounding the entirety of the rock! Not only that, but it had surrounded a nearby mountain, too! It was. . .a maze.
"Wha. . .wha. . .wha. . .what is all of this?!" the Goddess exclaimed, looking at the maze, seeing all of its various paths and turns like a day at the pudding line.
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Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door OST — Rogueport Sewers
0:01 •— 2:02
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ᴠᴏʟᴜᴍᴇ: —•
"This is. . .this wasn't here the last time I was in Vaizel! When did—?!"
Stopping herself mid-sentence, Diane stares at the ground once more, thinking back to that disturbance she was feeling within the earth just a few minutes ago.
"Was. . .was this maze that feeling from a little bit ago? Was it the earth being lifted so it could create this?"
Diane's jaw essentially dropped, in awe, as she had never seen the earth manipulated on a scale such as this. Creating a large, possibly mile-wide, maybe larger, maze that has so many turns and pathways that it would make Roma jealous.
The pair leaped down the side of the hill and in front of one of the many entrances to the maze, staring at the enormous arch that significantly surpassed Diane's figure.
"Who could've created something this huge? This is Planeptune City-level of huge, honestly!"
"There's no doubt in my mind that this was done by someone of the Giant Clan. . .but even I couldn't create something like this!"
"Giant Clan. . .? Who in the Giant Clan would have the super-buffed stats to even make this if you can't?!"
Though, obviously, Neptune's limited experience and time spent with the Giant Clan did not allow her to become acquainted with their most powerful. Diane, taking a step forward and setting Gideon on the ground, cracked her knuckles and formed a confident smile.
"Well, whoever it is, we'll get to the bottom of it in no time! We don't need to do this maze!"
Performing a series of hand gestures and clasping her hands together, the Giantess' fingers touched with the ground. In front of the pair, part of the maze's wall had been transformed into a sinking vortex of sand.
"Sando Wāru (Sand Whirl)!"
After a few seconds, the sand had completely disappeared into the ground. . .and there was a gaping hole in the maze wall. Coincidentally large enough for Neptune to walk through and Diane to crawl through.
"Ohhh, I never knew you could make a horror movie watcher's nightmare come true! I bet someone would really hate to step into that if they weren't strong enough to get themselves out!" the Goddess said, jesting.
Though, before they knew it, the maze wall had started to reconstruct itself, using the already existing wall from the inner arch of the created hole. It regenerated, and it regenerated rather quickly.
". . .or that, that can happen too," Neptune said rather bluntly, and in a bit of a disappointedly deadpan voice.
"Hmm. . .that's weird. I've never seen rocks regenerate like this! Well, if Creation isn't going to get the job done. . .then Gideon will!"
Moving her hand in a fan-like motion, Diane gestured for Neptune to move out of the way so as to not get caught up in the swinging motion of the war hammer.
"Stand back, Neptune. . .I'm blowing a hole in this thing with Gideon if it's the last thing I do!"
"Well, go ahead, girlboss! Get an out-of-the-park on this one!" she cheered like a sports fan. With Diane's trusty Sacred Treasure in hand, she runs forward, gaining some momentum. The force of her swing caused Gideon to whip around minor electricity, and the hammer eventually collided with the wall of the maze.
. . .only for the hammer to vigorously recoil, ejecting from Diane's hands and flying into the sky, spinning slowly. The impact had caused a large, metallic bang that rumbled through the air. Diane herself has been knocked back from the reaction, falling on her rear right in front of Neptune.
"Eyaaah!" she yelled loudly, not realizing that she had lost Gideon.
"Wowie. . .these things must be made of superboss material if they can withstand a strong hit from you and your bronze mallet! I guess it's not as strong as a golden one!"
Sitting up in her position, Diane let out a frustrated huff, folding her arms like a sassy child who didn't get her ice cream.
"Hey, by the way, you know your hammer isn't safe from the laws of gravity, right?"
"Eh?"
Just a moment later, after Diane turned her head and raised an eyebrow at Neptune, the handle of Gideon pierced the earth and started to literally jackhammer itself a couple dozen meters into the ground as a result of the vibrational force maintained by the wall slam. Its reappearance startled the Serpent Sin, who jerked away from it, accidentally pushing the Planeptunian to the ground in the process. They both just. . .watched, as the hammer dug itself into the ground.
For those of you who catch the reference, you have my praise.
". . .well, I found a new construction worker for the Planeptower!"
"Neptune, help me get it out."
"Mouuu, no fun!"
After three or so minutes were spent lifting Diane's Gideon out of the ground, the two decided to enter the maze. Seeing how they couldn't simply break down the wall as a result of its regeneration, they had to do this the ol' fashioned way. But, as soon as they entered, a sense of claustrophobia assailed them both.
Neptune's eyes were continuously shifting to the left and right. As though she was being tricked into believing the maze was smaller than it really is. Diane especially starting moving her body a bit strangely; the unnecessary incentive to try and walk sideways to "squeeze" herself through these "crevices" pervaded her head, despite her taking up less than half of the space of the corridors.
"Jeez, I'm not one for mazes, honestly! They're just so. . .weird! They have too many paths! I had to deal with, like, three of those things at one point a while ago! Can't I catch a break from them?"
"Well, if we can't destroy the walls, what else are we supposed to do?"
"Hmm. . ." a finger curled under Neptune's chin, thinking of possible loopholes that could let them bypass the maze entirely. After all. . .what kind of Fighting Festival includes a maze? Moments of pondering came to an end, and she eventually looks up.
"Ah! I know! Let's do what every three-dimensional maze cheater does and just run on the walls!"
With a leap forward, the Goddess briefly clings to the maze wall, eventually taking another leap to the other wall, slowly reaching the top. Sparkles glimmer in her eyes, as she thinks she has found the answer to all of their maze problems!
But, before Neptune could vault the anvil top of the wall, some of the rock protruded out of the side, preventing Neptune from reaching the top as her cranium came into contact with it.
"NEPU?!"
It was sudden, her eyes turning into white dots after the realization. And then. . .she just plummets back down, right into Diane's hand. She lets out an exasperated groan, sitting up in her spot and rubbing the area where she was impacted.
"Aaah. . .I guess this thing isn't going to let you get out of here like that. . .the recoil damage sure isn't very great."
"Looks like there really is no way around it, huh? We have to do the maze at this point. . ."
"Noooo! It's my worst fear realized; I have to go through another maze. . .and I don't have Nepgear here with me for her nerd power to get through it!" the Goddess says, getting on her knees in a dramatic manner.
"It'll be okay, Neptune. . .ehehe. We'll work together and get through it!" Attempting to reassure the Goddess, Diane puts on a warm smile, giving her some soft pats on the head with her finger.
"I knooow, but doing mazes is so tedious! It's just like grinding in gacha games, I hate it so much!" Neptune pouts a little bit, her arms down at her sides in a "pushed down" manner. Now she's the sassy child who didn't get her ice cream. Or her pudding.
"I'm sure it won't take that long! C'mon, let's get going," the Serpent Sin says, putting Neptune on the ground and gesturing for her to follow along in her footsteps. Without anything else in mind, Neptune begrudgingly shrugs her shoulders and follows Diane, releasing a sigh in the process.
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Final Fantasy VII OST — Cosmo Canyon
0:01 •— 3:37
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ᴠᴏʟᴜᴍᴇ: —•
The dynamic duo began to move through the maze, with a soft breeze flowing in from above, though they were inundated within shadow most of the time. Despite the atypical nature of the maze's walls, the structure itself seemed to be quite bog standard. There seem to be no gimmicks plaguing the maze itself beyond those oddities. With her arms behind her head, Neptune boringly trudged along, her stultified face and slightly lowered posture making it evident she wasn't having a fun time at the moment.
"Honestly, though, why did they think of a maze before. . .I dunno, literally anything else? We could have done a super-cool pinball game or something, but we just got this instead!" she says, lamenting at the lack of true activity.
"Pin. . .ball?" Diane asks, tilting her head. Being from an entirely different world, she of course does not know what pinball is.
"Meeeh, I'll probably explain it to you once we get to the end of this thingy," Neptune scoffs, eventually tilting her head upward enough to notice their first obstacle; a bolt-like crevice much thinner than the corridors they had been traversing through ever since they entered the maze.
"Oooh, maybe we will get some sort of micro-challenges along the way, after all~!"
With a jubilant prance, Neptune moves along and jumps into the narrow space, weaving her way through without a care in the world; her expression now sporting a more lively and excited tone.
"Aww, wait a second, I'm gonna have to really squeeze through here. . .I'm too big for this!" Diane says, moving her arm in a tad to get a measurement for how thin the crevice really was.
"You got this, Miss Big-Tall-and-Lovely! I believe in ya!" the Goddess exclaims eventually making it through to the other side of the crevice, performing an acrobatic flip and subsequent landing.
"N'aww. . .aaagh, this is too tight for me to move in!" the Serpent Sin shouts, trying her best to maneuver through the space with a strained face. Unfortunately, her physically large and proportionally voluptuous body makes it harder for her to pass through than if she were, perhaps, a dozen or so feet smaller.
"Push through! Think of it like you're breaking the level cap! Or the damage cap! Go, go, go!" Neptune cheers on her companion, jumping up and down and pumping her fists into the air.
"Nnmh. . .hah!"
With a desperate push, Diane slips through the crevice and flops out on the other side, faceplanting into the ground beneath her and stirring up some dust in the process. Rolling onto her back and sitting upright, she places a hand on her head.
"Yaaay, you did it! Woohoo! Good job, Diane!"
As she assumes a standing position, Diane brushes herself off and shakes her head rapidly to remove the dust from her hair, letting out a sigh and pouting a bit.
"Gosh, I didn't think a place like this would have such a tight place that I'd have to move it. . .I usually don't try to go into places that I don't fit in, but I didn't have another choice there!"
"Well, hey, think of it this way! Now you know you can squeeze through places like that if you put your mind to it! Well, for now, anyways," the Goddess said, trying to cheer up the upset Giantess.
"Hehe. . .are you trying to console me, Neptune?"
"You seemed pretty bummed, so duh, of course I am! That's what friends do, after all! Always there to help them with a Pick Me Up!"
"I appreciate it!" Diane says, with a bright smile returning to her face as a showing of gratitude for Neptune's kindness.
Having overcome the first obstacle that stood in their journey through the maze, the powerful pair marched ahead, resuming their trek through the earthbound twists! Who knows what other surprises await them; they are just getting started, after all! With the sun dangling high in the sky above them, their paths were fully illuminated now, with each turn of a corner being just as bright as the last.
Not wanting to make the breeze-centric quietness awkward, Neptune turns her head towards Diane and opens her mouth to speak.
"Say, Diane," she begins, her hands resting firmly within her Parka Dress pockets.
"What got you into dancing in the first place? Was iiit some sort of request from a friend that you just picked up since it was super fun? Or maybe it was a hobby that you started on your own since you saw others doing it?"
Diane placed a finger to her cheek, trying to recall what exactly was the impetus behind her being so invested in dancing.
"Hmm. . .I don't remember exactly, but I think I was told that dancing actually helps enhance the connection between the Giant Clan and the earth!" the brunette exclaimed, with a smile as bright as the lamp above.
"Really? That sounds kinda nice, actually! I mean, dancing to become more with the thing that you're able to manipulate? Sounds like it helps you control your powers and stuff!" the pinkette replied. She had never heard of such a concept. Dancing to become more familiar with something you are born with an intrinsic connection to? Being born with a connection to something is not an idea unheard of in Gamindustri, but to take it even further is certainly new! Her curious expression says all; she wants to learn more!
"I once had a friend who did this as well! And apparently, the King of the Giant Clan from 3,000 years ago did this to increase his strength too! Our power comes from how deeply connected we are to the earth. . .and he would dance in the middle of battle to give himself more power!"
Diane's eyes light up and sparkle as she gives a brief explanation of where the idea of the Giant Clan's dancing came from. A sweatdrop rolls down Neptune's cheek as she puts on a nervous smile, letting out an equally nervous chuckle as they trek along the path, watching each identical corridor come to an end with each identical heel turn.
Minutes pass without even so much as a bug passing by. . .the winds have calmed down, no longer whispering their game of Telephone through the air. The sun still shines high above the clouds, pouring down on the terrestrial labyrinth in a waterfall of light. But as the two continue to walk, a growing desire to escape begins to build an aura around them.
"Maaan, how much longer? I could be doing so much more than just taking a stroll through this boring, overused landscape. . ." Neptune says, letting out a groan of utter boredom. Suddenly. . .voices are starting to come from all around them. The voices of confused and. . .mazed individuals who themselves have also entered the labyrinthine structure!
"Hey, do you hear that, Neptune?" the Serpent Sin asks. "I can hear other people! They're on the other sides of these walls, I can tell they are!"
"But Diane, you already saw that we can't get above the walls. . .and if we try to destroy them, they're just gonna heal themselves back to full HP again. It's not like we can get to them without continuing to walk through this place and cross paths."
"Oogh. . .I guess you're right. They're not people I really recognize anyways. . .if it were one of my friends, I would know for sure!"
"C'mon, cheerleader, we gotta get to the end of this thing at some point!"
"Mhm, mhm. . .let's get a move on!"
The voices they heard from beyond the maze walls began to fade away. . .they became whispers. . .and then they became inaudible entirely. Now all on their own for the time being, they resumed their trek through the maze. With each turn, their minds became more and more numb to the same plain corridors after the same plain corners. Left, right, right, left. . .no matter which way they go, it always appears to be the exact same rocky texture and formation as the last. As if they were going in circles, unaware that they'd been lured into such a trap.
Minute after minute passed with seemingly little productivity having taken place; those minutes felt like hours. Sighs were released, sweatdrops were falling, and the sound of their footwear scraping against the dirt was the only sound ringing in the air around them. If they weren't restricted to the tiring, black-and-white-designed confines of the maze, they would be having lunch right at this very moment.
And yet, despite this numb feeling, they press on, knowing that there is a goal that they have to reach; the end of the maze, the huge rock in its center!
Eventually approaching a T-intersection, the Goddess turns her head both left and right, looking at the two corridors that split the standard path. They. . .look identical to each other. There is nothing that appears to be distinct about them whatsoever. They must take a shot in the dark and choose one path or the other.
"Saaay, Diane, which way do you think we should go? I mean, we have to choose one or the other; it's not like we can just erase the lines of the paper and go back to make another choice!" Neptune says, hands on her hips as she tilts her head up to make eye contact with the Giantess.
"Oh, I have to choose? Uhm. . .uhhh. . ."
Diane stood there, a finger to her lip as she continuously moved her head back and forth, glancing at the two paths. . .there really was no way to tell which way is the correct way; they look the exact same no matter what perspective you are looking from!
"I guess. . .we can go left. . .?" she says with a nervous tone of voice.
"Alrighty, left it is, then!"
Pivoting on her heel and turning herself left, the Goddess proceeds to march ahead through the left corridor, with Diane silently following behind her and clutching her Sacred Treasure closely.
"How long do you think it's going to take us to reach the end, Neptune?"
"I dunno. We gotta keep going to find out, don't we?"
"Mmh. . .but it just makes me worried that there's no way out of this place, and that we'll be stuck here forever!"
"Take a chill pill, girl, there's gonna be an end to this! I can just feel it! My protag sense is tingling; it's there, and we're gonna reach it!"
Upon taking another step forward, a cracking sound could be heard around Neptune. As the earth beneath the Goddess began to break away, Diane noticed and reacted quickly, lunging forward to snatch Neptune before she could fall into the forming sinkhole. It all happened so fast that Neptune was taken aback by just how precise Diane's reactions were.
"Woah. . .! What the heck was that. . .?!" she asked in a shocked manner. Peering into the sinkhole yet again after the dust cleared. . .there were spikes. Huge, sharp spikes that extended from the bottom of the hole. If she hadn't been caught by Diane, she could likely have been greatly injured by the impalement.
"It looks like whoever made this maze also set up a trap. . ."
Upon closer inspection, it looks like there were already some objects and even people pierced by the spikes.
They couldn't have visited this path already, otherwise, the sinkhole would have already been revealed. They must have been former inhabitants of this space before the maze, and therefore the spike trap, was created.
"Oh no. . .those poor people. . .they didn't even see it coming!"
"That's horrible. . ."
Holding Neptune in her hand, Diane steps over the pit, with both her and Neptune turning back to glance at the victims of the bloodstained spikes once again. A terrible fate, for sure; skewered by something they couldn't have expected, and buried within a chunk of the earth used in a maze.
"We should keep going," uttered the Serpent Sin, with a tone as devoid of positivity as ever.
"Yeah, we should. . .it's probably better if we try to get through here as fast as possible. . .speedrun-style," Neptune says, her tone being more neutral than depressing or upset. "We don't want to get caught in some sort of softlock, after all."
The Goddess leaps out of Diane's palm, landing on the stone surface below and staring up into the sky. . .the sun now sat at a less harsh angle; time certainly passed, and it won't be too long before it begins to set and the evening sky to show itself.
With every step they took, it felt as though they were sinking further and further into the sediment of a desert; their postures were somewhat slouched to emphasize this, alongside their arms remaining at their sides at all times, feeling lifeless and drained of energy.
But as they make another corner turn. . .they start to hear voices from beyond the wall again!
"Oh, there they are again! And. . .this time they're getting closer," Diane exclaimed, pressing her ear against the rock wall to try and eavesdrop on the approaching voices.
"Ooh, I definitely gotta hear what sort of juicy secrets these peeps are holdin'! As a protag, it's needed for the Good Ending!" the Goddess said, putting her ear against the wall as well, a smile cracking in excitement.
With the supposed group coming within intelligible range. . .some familiar voices could be heard coming from the other side.
"Sate, sate, saaate! Maybe if we're lucky, we'll be able to find Diane here! I doubt Nep got one of those pieces of paper that fell from the sky. Even if she did, she's a smart enough cookie to not try and fall for something like this," a familiar Dragon Sin of Wrath said.
Processing this familiar voice, both Neptune and Diane looked at each other with widened eyes; Meliodas came to participate in this event too! By this point, days had gone by since the Goddess and Meliodas had seen each other following the former's departure from the group back at Camelot. . .so needless to say, she is smiling with a thrilled aura!
"I don't think Diane would do that either, Danchō!" another familiar voice said, filled with nonchalance. It sounded similar to the Fox Sin of Greed, Ban! He had gone off on his own trail over a week ago by this point. Had he reunited with Meliodas and the others?
"Diane. . .we should try and get their attention," the Goddess suggests, nodding her head with hands pressed against the wall that separated them and the others.
"You're right. . .Daaanchō! Hoooi! We're on the other side!" the Giantess shouts, trying to prompt a response from Meliodas beyond the structure.
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Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 1 OST — Lite Light
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"Hoh? Now that's a voice I can't forget! Diane! I can hear you loud and clear!" the blonde replies, moving closer to the wall and shouting from beyond the terrestrial maze's barrier.
"Heh! I guess you weren't lying when you said that we could probably run into her here!" Ban replied, his voice filled with playful smartassery, audibly smacking Meliodas on the back. He figured that what the Dragon Sin had said was a joke, or perhaps something too hopeful, but being proven wrong, he couldn't help but laugh!
"Itai—!" Meliodas winced a bit from the force of the back slap, letting out a sigh before putting his hands and right ear against the wall.
"Anyways, Diane! Are you on the other side of this wall?"
"Yeah! And I have Neptune here with me, too! I ran into her on my way back home, so I decided to let her come along with me," the Serpent Sin replies, taking a glance back at Neptune and giving off a bright smile, happy to have chosen to bring her along for the trip.
"Wow! Looks like I'm wrong; I was almost certain she'd see through this sort of trick and refuse to come along, but I guess not! Nishishi!"
"Hey now, Meli, just because this seemed like a totally, super-duper, hyper-obvious trap that no protag would ever get baited into walking into doesn't mean I can't have some fun with it," she replies, pouting ever-so-slightly at his implication of her being unable to discern the obvious bait of the proposal.
"Relax, I'm just messing with ya. I'm sure you wanted to have some fun as well!"
"Well, heh. . .I mean, that's kinda why I'm here, yeah! But at the same time I just. . .er. . .couldn't leave Diane alone, y'know? Who knooows what kind of danger she could get herself into, venturing into the unknown!"
Wink wink!
"Aaah, I getcha. . .always looking out for others when you don't always need to look out for yourself. You're a real nice person, Nep!" the Dragon Sin replies, with an unseen smile on his face.
"Danchō, do you know where in the maze you are? We can try and get to you if we go the right way!" the Giantess said, taking a glance to her right and noticing that the corridor eventually turns left.
"Hoh. . .have you tried destroying the walls yet?"
"Well, we tried. . .but Gideon can't break them, and when I try to use Creation, they just regenerate! I don't think there's any way we can break down the walls. . ."
"So it regenerates whenever you break it, huh? Hmm. . .I suppose we can try hitting it pretty hard. After all, that's what Nep told me to do if something doesn't work out the first time."
"Eh?"
The Serpent Sin, in bewilderment, turns her head to look at the Goddess as she knocks herself on the head, playfully sticking out her tongue.
"Mwehehe. . .if it works for me, it can work for anyone!"
"In that case. . .Nep, how about you give it a shot? Why not try that strong attack you did back against Galand?"
"Nani? Nuh-uh, no way, nei, not a chance, no sir, I am not gonna put a ton of energy into one of my strongest attacks just so we can get through this mazey-dazey! After all, it said it was a "Fighting Festival"; there's gonna be some people I gotta throw down with one we get out of here and get to the center! I can't just use a lot of energy for the maze and not the fights!"
"Well then. . .if you're not gonna do it, then I'll just have to punch through this thing before it can rebuild itself!" the Dragon Sin says, pushing a fist into his palm with pride. It's been quite a bit since he last saw Neptune, so he feels quite confident that he'll be able to impress her with just how strong he has become ever since they parted ways!
"Heh! Don't try to steal the spotlight, Danchō! I'm going to do a flurry of high-speed, precise attacks!" Ban shouts, pulling out his weapon; a three-section staff able to be swung like nunchucks.
"And I'm going to do a single, powerful strike to blow through the wall!" Meliodas replies, pulling out his Sacred Treasure, Lostvayne.
"Oh boy. . .I think we should skedaddle, Diane, or else we're gonna be toasted marshmallows if we stay in their way!"
"Right. . .!"
Both Neptune and Diane turn around, moving away from the wall and into the corner of the corridor, decently far where they anticipate Meliodas and Ban will unleash their quarry attack. It's not an actual attack that like. . .creates a quarry or something, I just wanted to be creative with the whole "mineral" theme and such.
The ground beneath their feet begins to shudder, as if an unstoppable force was meeting an immovable object! Cracks in the wall in front of them began to form, with each blow feeling more weighted than the last and creating a more powerful shake as they continued their attempt to pulverize the wall into dust and sand!
With a howl from the wind, Meliodas swings his sword in a powerful, energy-infused stroke. At the moment of unleash, an explosion blows through not just the wall to their left, but also the wall to their right! Both Neptune and Diane were amazed by them being able to destroy the maze's wall before it got the chance to regenerate; the latter moreso, given that even her power to manipulate this very same earth couldn't do so.
As both the Fox Sin and Dragon Sin walk through the hole that they had just created, the others that were with them, yet stayed silent the other time, also followed them! The Grizzly Sin of Sloth, King; the Goat Sin of Lust, Gowther; the King of Camelot, Arthur Pendragon; the third Princess of Liones, Elizabeth; Hawk. The pig. And. . .an unknown, seemingly middle-aged man wearing glasses and an outfit more suited for a date or a special occasion rather than simple casual wear.
"Woooah! Everyone else is here too?! I. . .I didn't expect the others to show up!" Diane shouted in surprise. Looks like there's more than one hidden treasure that she and Neptune stumbled across over the course of the day!
"D-Diane!" King shouted, floating up to the Serpent Sin with concerned eyes. "Are you doing okay? You weren't hurt by any of the traps, were you?"
Diane shook her head no, eyes shimmering and directing their attention to Neptune soon after.
"We only came across one of them, but even if we came across more, I'm sure Neptune would have been able to keep me safe! After all, she's pretty strong and helpful!"
Neptune, feeling a warm sense of pride and faith, places her hands on her hips and minutely pushes her chest out, chuckling with confidence.
"Huhu~! Well, I am the protagonist after all; it's my duty as a good girl to make sure that all of my friends and pudding are safe!"
"Neptune. . .thank you for looking after Diane. I hope she. . .didn't cause too much trouble for you."
"Eh?! King, what's that supposed to mean?!"
"I-I was just making sure that she didn't have a hard time making sure you were doing fine!"
A sweatdrop begins to roll down the Goddess' forehead as she disengages herself from the conversation, walking over to Meliodas with a pleasant smile and her hands in the pockets of her Parka.
"Yo, Meli! How've you been since we last saw each other?"
"I can handle myself, King, I wouldn't give my friend trouble! She was super nice all the time!"
"Nishishi. . .I guess you've already noticed that me and the others have gotten stronger, right? After all, we've had to prepare ourselves for the Ten Commandments if they ever decided to come back! But I guess you already beat me to it by sending them packing halfway across the country when you saw 'em again!"
Neptune, confused as ever, raised an eyebrow and tilted her head.
"Eh? You mean. . .you mean when I faced off against those two Commandments in that small town or something? How'd you know about that?"
The Fox Sin walks over and proceeds to put a hand in Meliodas' hair, ruffling it in a jesting manner.
"I bet it was just him guessing! You're one of only two people that we know who's strong enough to send those Ten Assholes running!"
"W-well, sort of that. . .but I could also feel a strange holy power clashing with the power of Darkness that the two of them held. It was faint, but it was enough to make me believe it was you. It was similar to what I felt back when we first fought, and when Galand tried to finish you off."
As Meliodas puts his hands behind his head, he gives off a toothy grin, closing his eyes and laughing a bit.
"So I could only assume that it was you!"
"Danchō. . ." the middle-aged man said quietly, slowly walking up behind him. "Who is this young girl? You never told me anything about her. . .is she a new friend of yours?"
"Oh, Escanor! I forgot to introduce you to Nep!" Meliodas replies, turning around and gesturing to the Goddess.
"Nep? Is that her name? Hmm. . .I feel as though I have heard Ban and King speak about her."
"Well, to be more precise, her name is Neptho. . .Nephy. . .Nepyra. . ."
"Neptune, Meli. . .Neptune," the Goddess says, attempting to correct him. She's all too used to people mispronouncing her name too many times. . .
"Ah, Neptumor, that's right!"
Neptune releases an exasperated sigh and facepalms. . .he is never going to get her name right, is he?
"Nep, this is Escanor, the Lion Sin of Pride!" Meliodas says, steering to subject to Escanor.
"H-hello there, Neptune. . .this is our first time meeting," the Lion Sin said in a nervous, quivering tone.
"Uhhh, you okay, old dude? You seem kinda scared or whatever."
"A-aaah! Please forgive me," he shouts, clasping his hands together and getting on his knees.
"Oh, don't mind that, Nep. . .he's just like this whenever the sun doesn't shine or whenever he's wearing those glasses that Merlin gave to him. His power increases dramatically whenever the sun rises, though, and he becomes so full of himself that he makes the Ten Commandments' arrogance look like modest self-esteem!"
"Danchō. . ."
"There, there, Escanor," the Fox Sin says, patting him on the back. "You'll get your chance to talk back to him soon! Haha!"
"Sate sate sate! Now that introductions and reunions are out of the way. . ."
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Metroid Prime 2 OST — Dark Samus Appears
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The group turns towards the hole blown in the second wall that, surprisingly, leads to the center of the maze. In front of them was the huge rock that Neptune and Diane had seen before they entered the maze. . .and on top of it were those two dots that Neptune had spotted as well.
The wind fluttered by, no longer howling nor screaming as if squeezing through a small gap in a window, but gently moving along the conveyor belt of rotation, with the sun now hanging at a lower angle and beginning to dampen the sky with a citrus gradient.
With an upclose view. . .one of them appeared to be a cyan-skinned Giant, with a white cloth obscuring their head, and the other was surrounded by green, almost moss-like tendrils with bloodstained tips that covered everything except their head. But this sinister presence, and overwhelming feeling of bloodlust stemming from the two of them. . .
"I-is this. . .?!"
Meliodas looked up at the shadowy pair, a frown forming on his face.
"Now is your only chance to back out. . ."
". . .those two. . .they're from the Ten Commandments."
End of Chapter 14.
To be continued.