Neplunker Depths - Biome: Crystalline Caverns
Estimated Hazard Level: 2

*THUD!*

Everyone jolted hard in their seats from the impact, the incessant shaking finally ceased to signal the end of their trip back down. In the stillness, breaths slipped out as relieved exhales.

"... At least the ride wasn't so rough this time," remarked Blanc. "Looks like they already came through with the comfier seats."

"Ough. Maybe they can work on comfier armor next," complained Vert. "My breasts still didn't take the trip well…"

"Eurgh…" Neptune groaned quietly. "Good news, I don't think I'm gonna puke. I think."

"Please don't," beckoned Noire who sat right next to her.

The layered doors swung wide in quick succession and the harnesses were raised. Snapping into action, the goddesses rushed down the ramp, flares already in the air to light their surroundings. As light graced their eyes, they found themselves in the recess of a pit, uneven columns rising above them toward higher ground.

"Okay everyone. A significant morkite vein has been detected in your area. Gather the minerals along with whatever of value you discover. Expect greater resistance so please be careful and remain calm. This will be like last time."

"Got it," came the chanting reply as the four got acquainted with the terrain. The M.U.L.E. marched to join them before the drop pod retracted its ramp and was pulled up, its delivery complete. In the darkness below, there was only the four goddesses and their objectives.

Another day, another cave, another mission.

Light cut across the darkness before a head appeared around the corner. Peering around, Neptune searched the shadows to find something twinkling back. A spot of scarlet turned her scrutinizing gaze into relief.

A piece was immediately snatched before Neptune plopped it into her mouth. "Whew. Good 'ol red sugar to soothe the tummy."

"How fortuitous," beamed Vert as she too took a piece of the red mineral-like candy. "Perhaps we'll be in good luck."

Wrenching the formation from the wall, Vert readily stuffed the crystal into the M.U.L.E. with anticipation. But like Neptune, she couldn't resist a chance to indulge herself with just a morsel before saving the rest for back at base.

Encouraged by the sweet taste of the red sugar, Neptune returned to being all smiles. "Ah, feeling much better now."

Catching up with the two, Noire and Blanc joined them in the light. Blanc walked with terrain scanner in her hands, studying their environment as she paced in thought. When she glanced up, she stopped when her eyes caught more twinkling in the darkness.

"Hey, found some morkite here!"

"That was sooner than expected," commented Noire as she followed after their driller towards the crystals. Dark teal glimmers marked a strip on the wall, seemingly without reason or logic. But a find was a find; they were more than content to harvest them no matter how convenient it was.

The choir of crisp crunching ended almost right when it began as all the minerals soon slipped inside the M.U.L.E. "Well that was nothing," remarked Neptune.

"No, but it was a start. There should be plenty more deeper down."

Following the flow of the tunnel, heads turned to the darkness that was yet to be visited. The team walked down the corridor that stretched straight into the earth, curving and twisting like a chute - one which fed the four into the bowels of the depths. The dimensions of the tunnel waxed and waned, sloping up and cresting down. The abundance of hiding places bred the wealth of shadows for riches - or threats - to hide in.

As Neptune led the way with her flares, the others diligently kept pace as their own eyes and flashlights swiveled and spun around them in search of danger or treasure. But in their search, a strange observation just dawned on Blanc.

"Hey Noire, you're wearing a hat now?"

The black-haired engineer looked surprised, her little peaked cap bearing the DRG emblem above the rim bobbing with her head. "You just noticed now?"

"You never told us."

This brought about a snort from Noire. "Well, I figured since we're carrying new items, a little headwear wouldn't hurt this time around. There was mainly stuff used by the workers but I didn't think a hardhat or helmet would've suited me. But with this my hair and head are well-covered!"

A flat expression denoted Blanc's reaction to such a rather impulsive reason. But as she thought it through, a new conclusion reached her. "... Well, I hope they are," she replied sardonically. "Hate to need another trip to the showers like last time."

An embarrassed scowl spawned on Noire's face. Even if Blanc couldn't see it, she could tell what the Lastation goddess was thinking and how uncomfortably close to the mark she was. Amazing how a simple mishap, however unfortunate or disgusting, could leave a scar so deep in one's conscious.

Eavesdropping on the moment, Vert quietly shared some of Blanc's amusement. But as much as she did, it did made her aware of her bare-headed nature, her own luscious blonde hair exposed to the elements. She brushed the top of her head with private worry. When she returned, she would need to consider what, if any, options were available for her…

"... Hm? Hey everyone, there was morkite up there."

Everyone spun back to look up, four pairs of lights causing a meager strip of the dark teal mineral to shine brightly in the crevice it was in. Small as the amount was, it was no denying it was the ore they were seeking.

"Well I'll be!" exclaimed Neptune. "No idea it was up there; must've slipped past me. Nice catch, Vert!"

"You're talking as if the rock snuck past you," mocked Noire.

Blanc ignored the two as she gazed upon the morkite, realizing it was up above their heads. "How are we getting it?"

Reaching out with her pickaxe, Vert tried to strike the mineral. But even as tall as she was, they were just beyond her reach. Undeterred, she readied a swing but this time added a hop. Her tool pierced the morkite sending the pieces tumbling down with a crisp crunch.

With encouragement, Vert repeated the feat, jumping with a swing. More morkite trickled down to fill her bucket. But after a few attempts, her success began to run dry as the remaining crystals withered from her reach and her pickaxe began to hit empty air or worthless rock.

Finally Vert gave up, panting heavily. "All this… all this armor… and gear… is making this so exhausting."

"But there's still a bit more left," Neptune argued. Then a stroke of idea popped in her head. "Hey Vert, lend me a hand."

"Hm? Do you have- H-huh?"

"Try not to move too much," ordered the scout as she clambered up on Vert, hands and feet digging into her suit of armor (which almost made her wonder if that was the point). The gunner squirmed from the added weight of a little goddess as she ascended, Neptune's legs now making its way on her shoulders. Her hand even latched onto her face.

"H-hey!"

"Relax, Vert! If you can carry that big gun and everything else, a lil 'ol me isn't any trouble. Just stay still, this'll be just a sec-o!"

Situated on Vert's shoulders, Neptune readied her pickaxe. With the morkite now close enough for her to touch, she went to work with gusto. The rhythm of ticking pick against crystal returned as did the drip of morkite shards tumbling to the floor.

When the dark-teal ore was finally exhausted from the wall did Neptune hop off. "There we go! Nice teamwork!"

Collecting the shards, Blanc felt them jingle and rattle in her still-weightless can. "This is still only a fraction of what we need."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's keep moving," commanded Noire.

The group resumed their journey, now more watchful and observant for sneaky veins. The tunnel continued to lead them along the single path until, turning a corner, Neptune spotted a familiar glimmer in her light. "Hey, I found more morkite! And it's not high up this time!"

Spurred by the discovery, she hurried towards it, her pickaxe already in her hand. She promptly went to work dislodging the mineral from the wall, filling her container with satisfying clinks.

The other three were about to join her in the mining until Noire, raising her flashlight, stopped dead in her tracks. The other two quickly skidded to a stop as they too caught what Noire witnessed. "Uh, Neptune?"

"Huh, what is it? Aren't you guys gonna help?"

*... Skitter-skitter-skitter*

A chill went down Neptune's spine. "Um, what was that just now?"

Eyes went wide. "Watch out!"

"...! Ahhh!" Neptune screamed as a throng of spider-like critters poured out from purple-pitted holes in the wall beside her, swarming after the scout with many biting fangs. Some even leapt after her, a couple landing on top of Neptune as she scampered away in fright.

The goddesses snapped their guns into action against the horde. Bullets and buckshot flashed and zipped, the tiny spiders bursting and popping like balloons with no effort. But they flooded out from the holes like angry ants, incessant in their rush to wash over the goddesses with numbers.

Shotgun run dry, Noire scrambled for her pickaxe as they began swarming her. The feel of bites and tiny legs fed into frantic swinging and even stomping. "Ah! Ow, ow! Not my ankles you little twerps!"

"Eeek! Get off of me!" cried Vert. Like her Lastation peer, the creatures swept around her feet, biting and gnashing. But while her suit of armor proved a convenient defense, it did not deter the swarmers from persisting, crawling along the plates and over each other, finding chinks in the armor, clawing at anything that elicited a panicking reaction from the gunner. Even her minigun did little to turn the tide as they steadily made their way to Vert's unprotected head, fueling the goddess's fright.

Somewhere under the writhing mob of legs, Neptune squealed. "AHH! They're eating me! Then they're gonna eat you too! Oh my gaaaaawd~!"

Then with a fierce shout, a cold gale swept over the scene like a thick mist. All became foggy white as breaths chilled and ice formed.

As the freezing cold settled, the biting ceased.

Noire shook herself, dislodging snowflakes and frozen statues of the little creatures before shivering. "Brrr! That… that did the trick…"

Blanc exhaled as she surveyed her handiwork, seeing fields of the frozen critters strewn about in front of them, all captured in the moment gushing from their holes. The statues of the eight-legged pests shattered as she swept them aside with her boot. "Glyphid swarmers," she spat. "I'll be glad when we're not dealing with these annoying assholes."

"That makes two of us," agreed Noire.

"Us three!" came a voice as ice broke, revealing Neptune emerging from under the frozen horde. She panted, scratches adorning her body. "Argh, that was so not cool. The bugs, not your thing, Blanc," she added before sneezing.

"Is everyone all right?"

"Y-yeah," Noire answered, unable to hide her wincing. "For now."

"Ugh… I could use some pudding right about now," groaned Neptune as she clambered back up to her feet. "Or Nep Bull. Or heck, that red sugar stuff."

"I think we could all use a bite right about now," agreed Blanc.

"Um, hello? I seem to be in a little predicament here…" Everyone turned to remember that Vert was still around. Having been nearly covered by the swarmers prior to the freeze, she had been locked in an icy cocoon. Pickaxe in one hand, Neptune helped chip away the frozen bugs, the Leabox gunner slowly regaining movement as limb after limb was steadily freed. And then Vert sneezed before wiping her nose.

"Oh dear, that was frigid."

"Don't complain," muttered Blanc. "It stopped them before they devoured us."

"Yeah, fair," Noire conceded to the point. "At least we didn't wind up shooting each other out of panic."

*Skitter-skitter-skitter…*

Everyone whirled towards the holes in the wall. Solid ice filled the orifices, the skittering of the miniature bugs heard against the blockage. They were all locked inside… for now.

And then faint roars echoed from the darkness. Fearful gazes looked into the empty corridors but wherever they looked, only shadows gazed back.

Without another word or objection, the group beat a hasty retreat.

Entering into another cavern, the team were greeted by an aura of glowing blue. After a quick look to determine the absence of sparkling electricity, they entered the light before coming to a rest.

Neptune plopped down with relief. "Whew! I'm tired."

A weary sigh from Noire complemented the feeling. "Let's take a breather. Agh…"

They settled in under the glow of a blue crystal, their wounds and scrapes still apparent and obvious. Only mere moments had passed since their last encounter and the sense of danger was still strong.

As the M.U.L.E. caught up to them, Blanc casted a cautious glance at the tunnel behind them. "Hopefully they're far enough behind. Last thing we need is to attract more trouble."

"Most certainly," agreed Histoire. "Scanners are showing movement all throughout the caves in response to your presence. I'm seeing small groups wandering in all directions, almost in search of you…"

Vert took position, minigun at the ready as she kept watch of their new surroundings. She could not see them, but her ears could pick up the discreet scampering of legs of the spider-like animals. But of what her eyes could see was the twinkling of light. Flinging a flare out, her suspicions were confirmed as she spotted strokes and spots of colors amid drab gray rocks and spires of marble crystals.

"Everyone, look. There's something to mine around here."

Spotting the glimmers, Noire devised a plan. "Alright. Neptune, Blanc - go get the stuff. Vert and I will keep watch in case of trouble."

"Aww, really? Do I have to go out there?"

"Excuse me, Miss I-Have-A-Grappling-Hook," the engineer argued with irritation. "If you're too scared to do your job then give it to someone else!"

"Okay, fine. How about we swap roles?"

"No I'm not giving you my sentry gun! It's mine!"

Grumbling, Blanc left the two to bicker as she set out, terrain scanner in hand. Venturing from the glowing crystals she charted her own course through light of her flares and carved tunnels from her drills, sounds of motorized chugging filling the air in intervals. Popping out from the earth, Blanc found herself staring right in front of twinkling gems, blue, yellow, and dark teal. Checking her surroundings and finding it all clear, she smiled to herself as she went to work.

Meanwhile, a hook embedded itself onto a wall before a figure in purple zipped by in an instant. Landing with aplomb, Neptune glanced down to find herself above the ground. Where Blanc scoured along the low ground like a mole, Neptune took it upon herself to go after the goods above like an energetic swinger. The discovery of eye-catching glints only rivaled the sensation of flying around with her gadget. "When I'm done with this job, I've got to get myself one of these."

The sounds of cracking rock rang throughout the cavern. Seldomly was a bang of a rifle or a clash of a tool heard to indicate an encounter with a lonesome monster swiftly silenced. Noire tracked the twos' passage through the glow of their flares and headlamps as she settled in. Finding a spot to fortify, she planted down her sentry. Satisfied, she hefted her hammer with pride as her turret swept left and right with its searchlight. "Alright. That should help cover our backs while we work."

"Um, do you still need my assistance?" asked Vert.

"Well I would appreciate it. There's no telling where more of those ugly monsters will stream in from."

The blonde goddess hummed at the valid point as she sat next to Noire. But keeping watch, she couldn't help but see the other two go to work, cracking rock and stone, Blanc's drills filling the air with mechanical growls while Neptune's cheers echoed from every successful find. She fidgeted, her body restless.

Finally she could not contain it anymore. Seizing her pickaxe, Vert rushed forward. "Oh I can't take it anymore! I'm going to scratch that mining itch!"

"Vert, wait-!" But seeing as it was too late, Noire only sighed in defeat. Staying by her sentry's side, Noire was content to remain on watch. But after spotting or hearing no more eight-legged freaks to dispatch, the guard duty turned dull as she found herself watching the other three enjoy the thrills of mining. Even the M.U.L.E. marched forward to join them as three pickaxes blurred into a peculiar melody, backed by a choir of minerals sliding into the depository.

Noire heaved a sigh as her own pickaxe and container sat unused and unfulfilled.

She continued to sit in silence, alone save for the beeping of her turret gun, until at last she got up to her feet. She rested her pickaxe over her shoulder as she marched off. "Oh screw it…"

The sounds of sharp tapping and striking continued to ring diligently as ores tumbled from rock, crystals crunched, and quotas began to swell.

Dumping her container into the M.U.L.E., Blanc wiped the sweat from her brow. "How much more do we need?"

"You're partway there. There should be plenty more further down the caves. Gather everything you can and please proceed to the next area."

"Hey! Hey Vert!"

The golden-haired goddess popped her head up in attention. "What is it?"

Neptune pointed to a strip of morkite on the wall, situated high up over her head. "Lift, please!"

Vert looked to the prospect with dismay, but her worry found a new source upon closely inspecting how high up the dark-teal crystals were. "Oh dear. I don't think I'm tall enough for you to reach them."

"What if I jump off of you?"

"Absolutely not!"

Drawn by the commotion, the other two goddesses studied the predicament until Noire snapped her fingers in inspiration. "I got it." Fetching for her solution, it came in the form of the platform gun. Eyes to the morkite vein, the engineer aimed her tool not at it, but rather just below it. A glob of plastcrete later, a ledge materialized on the wall.

Blanc nodded in approval at the solution. "That works."

"No piggybacking on Vert this time," Neptune joked, pretending to be disappointed. "All right, leave this to me!"

Launching herself up with her hook, the scout deftly landed on Noire's platform, finding herself right in front of the morkite strip. On the luxury of solid ground beneath her feet she swiftly went to work prying and breaking the minerals from the wall.

"Whoo! Easy-peasy."

"There's more there," called out Vert, pointing to another cluster strung high along the cave wall.

Another shot from Noire's platform gun and another plate of cheese-yellow popped below it. Neptune zipped up to it without skipping a beat, the pattern now understood. What glittered high on the walls begot a pedestal ready for the scout to tend to. Looks of relishment was unbeknownst shared between the two goddesses, Noire especially.

"Ha! This thing's so much more useful than I thought. With my sentry gun keeping watch and my platforms making bridges and ledges, is there anything I can't do?"

"Carve tunnels," bluntly answered Blanc.
"Cross wide gaps," added Vert.

Noire dismissed the responses with a nonchalant smile. "Whatever. I won't be letting this go."

Having cleared another vein, Neptune hefted the container ladened with goods in her hands. "Okay. Now where's the M.U.L.E.? Hey M.U.L.E.!"

"Mrrrow." The four-legged contraption began trotting along at the call of its name. Everyone watched as it shambled around in search of the scout before it ascended the vertical surface. It climbed up as easily as it walked, steadily making its way towards the waiting Neptune. She stood by in eager anticipation as the M.U.L.E. crawled close.

… And then it stopped just short of where she stood, planting itself on the vertical wall.

Neptune stared blankly as did everyone who witnessed it. But she decided to roll with it. "... Close enough." Carefully, she inched towards the edge, boldly setting a foot on the robot for stability. Tipping the heavy container slowly, Neptune gently fed her findings into the nearest open chute of the M.U.L.E. that seemingly defied gravity and all sorts of logic. She remained thankful that nothing within spilled out from the other openings, however head-scratching it was.

After a few tense drawn-out seconds later, she was finally finished. "Whew! All done."

"And so is this cave," declared Blanc after seeing the gray rocks stripped of any other color. "We should get a move on before anything bumps into us. I've already found a patch of dirt that will lead us somewhere."

This was received by agreed nods from Vert and Noire. "Then it's settled. Let's keep going, get the goods, and get out."

The two fell in to follow Blanc's lead, finding the dug-out tunnels and pathways made by their driller as she retraced her steps. But as the three made haste to continue with the mission, a voice from up high called out to them.

"Hey, um, how am I supposed to get down from here? Something tells me I should've thought of that before…"

The team followed with Blanc at the head, her gaze down busy studying the terrain scanner. Like a detective following clues, she occasionally glanced up to confirm her investigation. In time, she got her familiar bearings and swiftly found what she was looking for. While not an X, a swath of brown compact sediment marked the wall.

She walked up to the dirt, terrain scanner still in her view. "This is our way out. I'm detecting an open chamber on the other side but it's quite some ways off."

"Nothing you can't handle, Blanc," assured Neptune.

"Um, everyone!"

The goddess jumped with a start. "Uwah! What is it, Histy?"

"Scanners have picked up activity from a swarm of monsters. They've found where you are and are closing in as we speak!"

Blanc swore. "Damn. They're onto us!"

"Get the tunnel done!" commanded Noire as she fetched her shotgun. "We'll hold them off!"

The driller turned, quickly consulting the terrain scanner one last time. "Face this way, angle a little that way…" Behind her, the three goddesses formed a perimeter with what little was nearby. Vert lowered her minigun like a ready phalanx, Noire busily redeployed her sentry turret, and Neptune readied her assault rifle.

The roar of twin drills accompanied the tense air. Loud as they were, they barely concealed the faint howls of creatures unseen. The reverberations were coming closer and closer.

"They've arrived! Prepare to fight, everyone!"

The sound of skittering claws began to rise. Everyone braced as they gazed into the darkness, the imminent battleground illuminated only by sparse crystals. Neptune quickly retrieved her flare gun and fired a shot ahead of them. The sun's glare rebounded along the cavern's features and in its passing, the sight of oncoming glyphids flashed by.

Gunfire instantly erupted at the sight of the visible foes. Neptune fired upon the horde in opportunistic bursts, Noire's sentry imitating the pattern upon any monster that crossed its field of view, but none provoked a more terrible droning than Vert's minigun as the gunner unleashed a torrent of lead. Bullets cut into the bugs - the typical ones deemed "Grunts" - in a flurry.

But the swarm would not be stemmed. More emerged from the walls and ground, spitting dirt and pebbles marking their entrances. What started as a stream coming from one direction quickly spiraled out of control as the swarm began flooding in from multiple directions.

Noire grunted as she whipped up her shotgun to the side, pumping lead onto the nearest glyhpids crawling along the wall. They fell with rapid dispatch but anxiety came upon the need to reload as more surged forward to take their place.

The scene was noticed in the corner of Vert's eyes, but with the bulk of the horde present in front the Leanbox deity could not afford to take her attention away from them. She mowed down the first wave but as they fell, the floor beneath them writhed with movement. Her eyes widened at the appearance of the diminutive swarmers that blanketed the ground like water.

"Take this!"

Hurtling a curved stick towards the horde, Neptune watched as the thrown object soared through the air before ricocheting off of the creatures in a blur. With each bounce came sparks that doused the swarm in electricity that stopped them dead in their tracks, the little swarmers instead popping as the voltage proved too much for them.

Catching the boomerang back into her clutches, the Planeptune goddess was greatly impressed. "That's what I'm talking about!"

"Good one, Neptune," quickly thanked Vert before she turned the stunned foes into swiss cheese.

"Come on, is that you've got?" challenged Noire over the punctual blasts of her Warthog. Fighting side-by-side with her turret, she fought the horde like two fighters. Her turret got her back while Noire got the team's, swatting one critter after another. She never rested as she switched between holding back interlopers with her weapon and feeding her sentry ammunition it required, her role active and involved every step of the way.

Loose pebbles sifted to reveal another wave of grunts making their debut. Caught with her shotgun run empty, Noire faced them with a scowl… and with an idea in the palm of her hand.

Unbeknownst to the glyphids, a certain cylindrical object tumbled in front of them. The subterranean monsters gnashed their teeth at the presence of unfamiliar invaders ahead of them until suddenly, one of them appeared right in front of them. How this was accomplished they did not know, but all that mattered was that she was right in their jaws. They bit and slashed at the invader, trying to devour her.

Trying to. To Noire's delight, the L.U.R.E. worked exactly like how it was named. She watched as a contingent of the glyphid masses fell for the elaborate light-show perfectly. And even more amusingly, how said light-show was an impeccable imitation of herself.

She gasped. "Is that really me? Gosh do I look gorgeous. Even the dumb monsters can't help but be attracted by my looks."

The three goddesses exploited this opportunity to continue fighting the horde. Glyhpids fell wherever they appeared before the persistent fire.

Blanc heard the sounds of battle behind her over the din of her drills. She grunted as she pushed the tools onward, the dirt transforming the air into choking dust, her path guided only by hope until-

She heard a roar - one that was very close by.

Through her dusted goggles, Blanc nearly jumped at the appearance of glpyhids before her, lunging jaws filling her vision. Her nerves spiked and she reacted with whatever was in her hand: in this case, her twin drills.

*Chugga-chugga-chugga-chugga-chugga!*

She winced as her devices went back to work, spinning drill bits meeting teeth and claws. Then flesh. Roars of the monsters became silent in quick succession before in the end, only the sputtering motors remained. Powering down her drills, Blanc caught her breath as the arachnids' bodies disappeared; no more mandibles or fangs by her face. And better still, an opening awaited her. She found the way out.

Blanc hustled back through her handiwork. "Everyone! I've made it through!"

Heads whipped around at the call of good news. "About time! Let's go!"

"Let's skedaddle!" cheered Neptune.

"The wave is thinning out. This is your chance!"

The team wasted no time making a break towards the carved path. Making way for their M.U.L.E. to squeeze in first, Blanc urged the rest into the tunnel. Neptune and Noire vanished inside under the illumination of flashing gunfire. Blanc gestured to Vert. "C'mon! Get in before they-

"... Huh?"

As the gunfire died down, the silence confounded Blanc more than anything. Expecting an endless horde of glyphids, she saw instead their disappearing forms and a bullet-ridden landscape. With smoke wafting from her gun's three barrels, Vert looked on the now-quiet arena with smug content. "You were saying?" she asked Blanc before slipping inside the dirt path, leaving her Lowee counterpart to grumble to herself.

As Vert and Blanc emerged on the other side, Neptune and Noire lowered their weapons. Their return confirmed the lull that filled the caves. Reunited, all present shared expressions of relief and triumph with each other.

Their scout hopped in a cheer. "Whoopee! Scratch another win for us!"

A devious grin cracked on Blanc's face. "Serves 'em right for those damn swarmers!"

"Swarm? That was barely a fight even with all their numbers," bragged Noire. "Can't believe I put in some effort that time."

"As did I - and I believe I did the most work there," asserted Vert with a daring smirk. "It's only natural that a gunner like myself shine the most in situations like now."

"Whaaat? What about my cool save that time?" whined Neptune. "Didn't you see that? Zip-zip-zappity-zap!"

"Ooh, cool a boomerang. What about that hologram that perfectly captured my image? Can your fancy stick do that?"

"Can your fancy decoy help you earn the most kills? I believe I earned the most especially since I was the one who finished them off."

"Hey! What about me?!" Blanc cut in with an outburst. "I dug our escape route; even had some of those bastards waiting to jump me on the other end. Where's my credit?"

"When you are all done arguing, I would like us to return to the mission at hand," Histoire cut in, her tone laying the law. "How is everyone?"

"Still in one piece," reported back Neptune. The comment was readily agreed by the others once the competitive showboating wore off. They all counted their good fortune to have scraped by that fight without even a scratch, unlike their first encounter with the swarmers.

"We aced it, Histoire," asserted the goddess in black. "If that was the best those creeps could do, then it wasn't anywhere close to getting the better of us!"

"Even five-to-one odds aren't enough for a fair fight!" Vert happily bragged.

"And from the looks of things, we still got plenty of steam to keep going," noted Blanc as she took stock of her inventory. "We can hold off on any resupply for now."

"Good to hear. Please remember not to push yourselves too far."

Neptune pouted. "Aww, I wanted to try some underground pudding delivery."

"You're welcome to pack some yourself next time," lectured Noire. "... Now that I've mentioned it, a small pack lunch isn't such a bad idea."

An amusing thought graced Vert's mind. "A spot of tea even miles below ground, how enthralling."

"Hey," Blanc loudly interrupted. "I think we're getting carried away here. We still got a quota to fill."

"Indeed. When you are all satisfied with yourselves, let's return to our task at hand. Scanners indicate that glyphid activity has subsided, but do remember that while you've cleared out a swarm, many more remain."

The four conceded, happy to know that they had at least won another victory for themselves. Knowing that they could fend off a horde bolstered the CPUs' confidence.

But then the whole world rumbled. The whole tunnel swayed as the earth groaned and grinded against one another. The goddesses braced with disquieting faces until the tremors faded away. They found the timing a little too convenient. Just when they found reason to raise their spirits something cut in to bring them down. To this the guardians of Gamindustri understood: monsters could be fought - the very treacherous earth itself could not.

After a lull, Neptune nervously broke the ice. "So uh, should we get going?"

A great white marble formation sat in the tunnel. Joining a family of purple quartz the crystals sat embedded in the earth, its luster exposed to the dark cavern air. Long had they sat since their ancient creation, forged over the eons beneath the surface. No light, not even from their glowing counterparts, had touched their mirror-like skin - until now.

And it was now that their centuries-long life of sitting inert and dormant came to an abrupt end when a pair of industrial drill teeth plowed them into dust.

The pillars of white gem shattered like ice against a hammer, the pieces littering the ground as Blanc cleared the way. Brisk thanks to the power tools, a path through the fields of quartz formed as they splintered and disintegrated with ease in the goddess's hands. Camouflaged under the constant growl of the drills, marble crunched beneath the soles of boots.

A swinging pickaxe broke apart a jagged piece of the once-pristine crystal. "Sucks that they're so pretty," Neptune admitted as she and the others followed up behind their driller. "All they're good for is getting smashed."

Blanc grunted as she pushed through the choking obstacles, offering no commentary as she bore open a tunnel that meant to be their path. The natural openings were evident but the dull gray surfaces were marred by the forest of crystalline formations that clogged the passageway. Purple and white dust were strewn about the ground like a carpet of glass.

She had consulted the terrain scanner. This was their only route - which meant they were on the right track.

Unfortunately, their only course just happened to be obstructed by worthless crystals. For the past few minutes, their passage had been nothing but carving through one pearly block after another.

Suddenly burning steam jetted out from the motors, the hissing coinciding with a harsh squeal of the drills. Blanc recoiled in grimace at the heat that was now close to scalding. "Ugh. Drill's overheated."

Even when not beside her, Noire could feel the warmth from the tools. "How much more of this do we have to go?"

The Lowee CPU took the chance to bring back her terrain scanner. "Not much further. In fact, we're nearly there. We just need to get through this last bit of quartz before we're through."

Blanc did not wait for a suggestion to be raised, nor was it provided as she hefted her pickaxe. Raising it high over her head, she mustered her strength as a living deity a mighty blow that could tear all asunder. It was then delivered onto the wall of porcelain marble with a furious bellow. "Metzelei Schlag!"

An explosion rocked the caves, swamping the tight confines in dust, dirt, and grounded remains of the crystal in an instant. The earth shuddered and cracked, leaving on a grievous scar once the smoke finally settled and from it, the four miners stepped out.

Eager to be reunited with open space, Neptune raced out to greet it. But what awaited her was unlike anything she had expected as she slowly took in her surroundings with wonder. Light filled the darkness like faraway stars in a night sky. From up high on a rocky land bridge that spanned the length of the cavern, formations of crystal were seen jutting from below in all angles. They were the same gems as seen before, but their sheer size translated into their grandeur and magnificence. Marble towers and columns of glowing blue light grew alongside towering quartz structures that made curious rings and even more fascinating crosses shaped like stars.

No one said a word as they beheld the majesty of the vast cavern. For a moment everyone forgot what they came here for. Even the mechanical footsteps of the M.U.L.E. finally reaching them barely registered.

It was until a voice in their ears spoke up that spell came to an end. "This must be the final cave. If there is any morkite left for the quota, this is where they will be."

Clearing her head, Noire turned her attention back to the mission. "Alright, you heard Histoire. Let's get mining."

The group proceeded to the task, quickly finding the closest vein of ores that drew them further into the chamber. They moved along the span of the massive bridge, frequent flares marking the ground they were to tread carefully. Some rolled off over the edge, drawing the goddesses to the immense distance below where the flares became swallowed by the all-consuming field of crystals. Flashes of light lined it in harsh criss-cross patterns.

Ignoring the hazards below, Neptune raised her flare gun. More light beamed from up high as it expelled all of the shadows to reveal a host of minerals dotted along the ground. Many more twinkled from the walls all around them.

Neptune eyed the less reachable goods with greed. "Dibs on all those!" she declared before zipping away to tackle them for herself.

Noire paid the playful CPU no mind as she stuck to solid ground as best she could. She joined the others in hacking away at the earth, unearthing troves of shiny teal along with the occasional glistening fossils and glowing jadiz. On even more rare moments gold was discovered and promptly collected. Canisters swelled and were emptied, the cyclic journey to and from the M.U.L.E. rhythmic. But as quickly as the ores were being gobbled up, the limited space of the land bridge was making things more confined than they were. Passing by her fellow goddesses, Noire felt a claustrophobic tinge, especially when it came to scooting by Vert and Blanc with their more bulky suits.

The droning of drills accompanied Blanc's successes as she mined with ease, turning the earth itself into new avenues. Searching for riches with less competition, Noire peered over the sides to see plenty lined under the ledges. Studying the daunting challenge that was presented, it wasn't long until a solution dawned on her. Taking aim with her platform gun (and careful not to slip over the edge herself), Noire spawned new ground wherever they were. Gingerly sliding down atop the platforms, she smiled at herself when she was face-to-face with the valuable ores.

"Noire?"

She looked up at the sudden call of her name, realizing that Vert had caught notice of her handiwork. "Would you kindly give me a platform for the gold right here?"

"Just give me a sec." Fiddling with the gun, Noire obliged, unlocking a clump of gold for the Leanbox goddess to reach. A quick thanks was given and Noire took it wholeheartedly and with a smirk. She was about to return to her task until Blanc called out for her.

Noire raised her head to see the short goddess pointing to a cube of bismor embedded on the side of a stalagmite. "Hey, Noire. Could use a platform here real quick."

"Couldn't you use your drills to get it?"

Blanc rolled her eyes. "My drills can't make a bridge, smartypants."

"Okay, fine, hold your horsebirds…" Raising her utility tool, a disk of yellow wrapped around the rocky spike. Now with a proper foothold, Blanc readily went to pick away at the precious ore. "Thanks."

"Hmph. You're welcome. Now, to get back to-"

"Hey~! Hey Noire!"

The engineer could only sigh with exasperation. "What is it this time, Neptune?"

"Platforms, please!" Gazing across the chasm, Noire caught sight of their purple scout gesturing up at the resources scattered around the cavern walls.

Noire's shoulders slumped. Mustering the strength to reload her platform gun with a forceful wrench of the mechanism, Noire resigned herself to the fate she was beholden to. Who knew being the engineer with oh so useful gadgets was more work than she anticipated.

Taking a break from emptying her deposit, Blanc was still impressed by the scale of the underground world. "This is the biggest cave I've ever seen. We could be here forever picking this place clean."

"Let's just fill the quota and be out of here," stated Vert as she stepped up with her own full bucket. Her private glances around her agreed with Blanc's opinion. The depths were vast but this was the biggest they've seen. She wondered if there would be more, even more expansive than this.

A grappling hook shot past the two and Neptune suddenly appeared between them, nearly crashing into the startled Blanc and Vert as she poured her contents into the M.U.L.E.

"J-jeez Neptune!"

Neptune did her best to look innocent. "Whoops. Didn't mean to jumpscare you two. Aaaaand inventory empty, time to fill it back up again!" And just as quickly as she appeared, Neptune darted off back to the cavern walls. She landed right back on an orange platform, her experience with the grappling hook becoming more and more natural.

Switching to her pickaxe, Neptune resumed prying minerals. The tapping of a sharp pick against rock became like melody in the air as she chipped away at what the cave had in store for them. When a vein turned hollow did the young goddess shoot off to the next, the distinct yellow ledges marking her path along the vertical cave wall.

Higher and higher did she go, the easy ones already mined and deposited. The higher she went, the more precarious she found herself as the walls began to slowly but noticeably transition into the ceiling. Neptune felt nervous as she inched more and more by the edges of the platforms, the shrinking foothold revealing the increasing height she was in. The field of crystals far below, sparkling with light and electricity, were a sight to behold from a bird's eye view (if a bird were ever present this far underground) but there was no shaking the sensation the sheer drop gave her.

But the riches that lay out of everyone's reach would not stay unclaimed forever.

Thus she continued to mine, filling her hungry satchel with all sorts of valuable minerals. As Neptune carved away the solid rock, the twinkle of a fossil caught her eye. With plenty of space still in her container to spare, she reached out for it. Remembering how little ground she had to stand on, Neptune was delicate in her approach, stretching her hand out as best she could towards the antique object. But with her toes just hanging over the edge, she was dismayed that her fingers barely graced the fossil.

Then inspiration struck. Neptune pulled out her grappling hook and propelled herself right on top of the fossil. Now outside the safety of the plascrete platform, the Planeptune CPU dangled from the ceiling. But this was where the next step of Neptune's gambit came into play. With her other hand, she yanked at the fossil. Yet the artifact refused to budge.

'Oh well.' Fishing out for her pickaxe, Neptune tried hacking away at the rock. The work was a bit awkward as she wasn't used to employing her nondominant hand. Her swings were clumsy, the hard surfaces stubborn against her efforts to loosen the embedded fossil.

Crumbs of stone dripped from the ceiling, prompting Vert to follow them back to the sounds of a pickaxe from high above. Her jaw dropped. "Neptune!"

"Uwah! Bad timing to scare me back, Vert," chided the scout from the ceiling. "I am in a rather tricky spot, ya know."

The commotion brought the attention from Noire and Blanc as they shared the gunner's startled surprise. "What the hell were you thinking?!" they demanded aghast.

"Relax, you guys. I'll just nab this fossil real quick and be back down safely. Long as I don't let go, I'm A-okay!"

"You think you can use your grappling hook once you're done?!" argued Blanc. "There won't be time!"

"Hehe. Now that you mention it… Eh we'll cross that bridge when we get there! I'm almost - done - getting this-!"

The fossil wiggled in her grip as Neptune pulled and strained, each yank enticing her to persist as it jerked slightly. The artifact was on the cusp of becoming hers. If she had just a bit more force…

Neptune took a breath before she gave it one more tug. Summoning as must strength as she could in this one last attempt, even planting her feet to the rocky surface to brace herself, she wrenched the fossil with a bellow.

Then the fossil popped free! At last, Neptune had finally gotten it, the one stinking fossil from the ceiling! The effort invested could finally pay off as-

-As the outcropping the fossil was embedded in also dislodged, more fragments of rock being shed than she anticipated… one of which included the hook she was secured to. Her anchor had been freed from the earth which also meant-

"... Oh nep," was all Neptune could say as she felt the pull of gravity from the pits of her stomach.

Screams erupted as Vert, Noire, and Blanc watched their fellow goddess fall. They tried to race towards her but the ends of the earth forced them dead in their tracks. They could only gape in horror as Neptune fell in between the towering crystal structures and vanished among them.

"NEPTUNE!"

Noire searched frantically for a way down, but Vert beat her to the solution as a cable shot off into the pits. "Let's get down. Hurry!"

The three slid down the zipline, gravity aiding their descent as they slipped through the gaps of the intricate crystal growth. Their rapid plunge belied the extent of the depths that awaited below, light shining from gleaming surfaces all around like mirrors before at last they reached solid ground. Landing with a crunch on top of minerals that grew like weeds, the three spread out.

"Neptune!" clamored Noire.

"How can we find her in all of this?" worried Vert as the pillars of marble and quartz blurred together in blue-white glow. Electricity flashed to the tune of harsh hissing that surrounded them as much as the harmless crystals did.

Blanc turned to her terrain scanner for the solution. "There! I have her location. It's this way."

Briskly following after the driller, the three made their way through the rough land, errant shards smashing against their restless feet with the more stubborn ones getting the pickaxe blade. As Blanc led the way, calls echoed through the dense thicket of mineral rock.

"Neptune!"
"Where are you?"
"If you can hear us, give us a sign!"

"...

"... Owwwww."

Noire nearly came to an abrupt stop. "Neptune?!"

"Right… here… Mmmph."

The three continued as they searched for the voice, hoping to draw it out to determine the source. Eyes, lights, and weapons scoured about for a certain purple goddess and any unwelcome denizen that lay below.

"We're getting closer," confirmed Blanc as she checked Neptune's location on the scanner.

"But why does she sound so muffled?" asked Vert.

"Well maybe…" Noire hopped over a quartz ring and then stopped. All tension escaped as a sigh before she finished her thought. "... She's stuck."

A pair of legs kicked about aimlessly as everyone found their scout embedded into the ground. Alive, and presumably well enough, but stuck from the impact.

"Hey, are you here yet?" the faded voice of Neptune demanded. "Come and get me out, this is serious! I uh… I can't feel my pudding."

Seizing the goddess by her ankles, Noire and Blanc yanked Neptune from the ground. She popped from the earth to the tune of a gasp thankful for air and a face covered in grime and dirt. "Whew. That was close. Good thing I'm used to falling from the sky."

"And not on top of me for once," retorted Noire. "Keep this up and this is all your head will ever be good for."

"C'mon, it all worked out, didn't it? I got everything off the high places and I'm A-okay! Speaking of which, where'd they all go?"

Vert gasped. "Oh no. Where did your mineral pouch go?"

"Huh?" As Neptune glanced down at herself, the lack of a cumbersome weight on her was finally realized. Her eyes darted around in distress. "Oh come on! Did it really slip off when I fell?"

"It couldn't have fallen far," surmised Blanc. The team split up to begin their search, for both the fallen minerals and the container full of them. Light amid the crystals was aplenty but the dazzling sheen did wonders to produce seeming illusions and shadows.

Thankfully for Neptune, Blanc's hypothesis was vindicated when she spotted the familiar metallic canister and even the dislodged ores scattered about. She promptly made off to retrieve it with a hurray. "Yay! Guys, I found it! Found it like a treasured memory stick! Now I just need to find the M.U.L.E. and then-"

But right as her hand reached her possessions, a presence graced the edges of her vision. Neptune glanced up to find a strange face of many eyes peering back at her. She jolted back with a yelp, scrambling for something to defend herself. Only then did she take a proper gander at what it was.

A big fat grub wriggled slowly towards her, its fat mandible-like lips sucking the ground to the melody of purrs. It crawled at a snail's pace to the nearest fallen shards where its slug-like body enveloped them, never to be seen again. Then it made its way to Neptune's container where it tried to do the same.

Realizing what was happening, Neptune hurriedly snatched up her fallen pack. She pulled as the unknown bug tried to suck it in, the purring turning into whines. The goddess grunted as she fought against the giant grub for her belongings. "H-hey! It's mine! Let go!"

"Neptune, what's going on now- W-whoa!" Upon witnessing the creature, Noire, Vert, and Blanc skidded to a complete stop. They snapped their weapons up in surprise, anxious as to what this unknown monster had in store for them. Yet as they gawked at the tug-of-war, they became not so certain of the threat it posed.

"Little… help here?"

Stepping forward with a pickaxe, Blanc gave the creature a light whack. It wiggled in agitation and only when she whacked it again did it finally relent. Neptune fell backwards but was relieved that her pack was recovered. The only thing to worry about was that it now felt a little slick and icky from the creature's touch.

Neptune cringed at the sensation. "Yuck… Bad little monster! Hiyah!" She dealt the bloated grub a swift kick with her boot, causing it to squeak. Yet it made no greater reaction as it wiggled about.

The four remained cautious of the new creature until something bumped into them from behind. They jumped away, suddenly noticing that more of these gray-skinned slugs had arrived, their muffled purrs filling the air.

Noire scurried away from them, shotgun tight in her hands. "Yah! What are these things?!"

"Whatever they are, they're… not attacking?" Realizing her own observation, Vert lowered her minigun. True to what she saw, the herd of fat grubs wriggled about, slowly like snails and without paying the goddesses any mind even as they bumped past them.

As Neptune glanced down at her recovered pack, an epiphany dawned on her. "First one I saw, it absorbed some loose minerals. Then it tried to do the same to my bag."

"They eat minerals…?" pondered Blanc, connecting the dots. And when they did, a new realization struck. "These must be the what the miners called 'lootbugs'. They eat nothing but valuable ores and gold, frequently drawn in by the miners' work. They'd suck up everything the miners were after, becoming nuisances."

Hearing this, the Lastation CPU now leered at them, her shotgun now suspicious of the lootbugs. "Great. If they're as much of an annoyance as they're made out to be, then our work only just got tougher. We need to get the goods and get out before they gobble up everything we need-"

"Ah! Look!" Aroused by the alarm in Vert's words, everyone turned to find a series of footsteps coming their way, the sounds becoming the familiar pitter-patter of their M.U.L.E. But what startled them was its appearance. Rather than the conspicuous orange and white of hard metal, the four-legged automaton had now become a trotting amorphous blob. As it drew close, it became clear that the robotic depository had become engulfed by a multitude of lootbugs, their wrinkled ballooned bodies writhing all over it into a conjoined mass.

Remembering how one tried to eat her container filled with their loot, Neptune paled at the ramifications before their eyes. Whipping up her weapon, she was ready for a brawl. "No item-stealing bug's going to mooching off of us!" she declared as she rushed ahead.

"Woah! Hold up!"

An arc of light sizzled right in front of where Neptune screeched to a stop, thankful for the last-second warning that prevented her from become another lightning rod yet again. The harsh hiss of electricity cut across to reveal a route in the shock crystal's network. And it just so happened that it intersected with the M.U.L.E's path. Lightning wrapped around the robot and the lootbugs, static and sparkles appearing around them like vines. The M.U.L.E. continued to plod along, threatening to bring the shocking display to the goddesses like ball lightning.

Everyone recoiled away, taken aback by the encroaching hazard. But in between the flashing lights, they were dazzled to witness the effect the electricity had on the lootbugs. They shivered and convulsed, pained squeaks emanating from them in a whining cacophony. The shaking intensified until at last the lootbugs could no longer hold themselves together, popping one after another. Particles and parts flew out in all directions like spray but upon closer inspection, the display of an otherwise gory effect became a shower of colored gems. Yellow-red, shadowed green, dark-teal, scarlet-red, and lustered gold scattered willy-nilly to the fours' amazement.

And in the midst of the astonishing scene, the M.U.L.E. emerged from the electric field no less for wear. It met the four miners with apparent obliviousness to what just transpired.

Blanc gawked at all the minerals strewn about, painting the cave floors in a messy mosaic. It was hard to believe that this all came out of the lootbugs. And yet…

"... Of course! The lootbugs that eat up stuff we need would also be filled with them!"

"They're practically mineral pinatas," Neptune concluded with her own breath of awe.

With a wave of her hand, Noire urgently gestured the others to scoop up the scattered goods. "Quick, before more of them eat this all up!"

"Couldn't we simply pop them all open?" suggested Vert, the minigun in her hands ominous to the seemingly innocent question posed.

"If you had plenty of time perhaps," mused Histoire. "But I'd imagine you would attract some unwanted attention doing so. The fulfillment of the morkite quota will suffice."

"Good enough for me," quipped Neptune. The four branched off to gather up the spoils, the riches both literal and figurative. No need were there for pickaxes as the trinkets of jadiz, morkite, bismor, gold, and even red sugar were scooped by the hand and armfuls. Their wealth swelled with ease and before long, a pleased announcement was made.

"Excellent work everyone! The morkite quota has been surpassed! Management will be pleased to hear of this result."

Smiles of content were raised by all of the goddesses. "Hm. We aim to please."

"Guess we have these ugly slugs to thank for. Maybe they're not so bad."

"Button on the M.U.L.E. has been activated. When you are ready, the drop pod will arrive to take you back to the surface. Remember that you will have to fight your way to it."

"Will do, Histoire."

"Hey! Still got some goodies to pick up," called out Neptune as she continued to gather the items off the ground. The cycle of collecting and depositing kept her busy and while her efforts cleaned the crystals off the ground, sparse pieces lingered to render the work still unfinished.

Although satisfied with accomplishing the goal, Noire couldn't help but feel the compulsion to follow suit with the Planeptune scout. Shouldering her bucket, she gave in her the temptations. "Alright. Might as well get them all."

"Better in our possession than to leave them sitting around," chimed in Vert as she too gave in to the urge.

With the decision to nab every last piece now by popular vote, Blanc conceded. "Let's wrap this up quick. The sooner we're out, the better."

The work to pluck the last fragments commenced, mirroring the eager hunt before. But this time, thanks to their efforts the payoff became fleeting and scant. Gone were the easy pickings as four pairs of eyes now searched through nooks and crannies for the remaining pieces. The certainty of riches had faded as they found themselves looking on the hope that the final scraps were worth it.

It was that same lingering optimism that drove Neptune on as she looked up and down. Every piece she stumbled upon became an encouragement. Yet as empty space remained in her container, the sensation was felt less and less.

But she didn't give up. Something about finding them gave Neptune a good feeling.

A call came from behind a quartz outcropping. "Hey! I think that was the last of it here."

"Must be the same on my end. I can't find any more."

"Hey Neptune! You finished?"

"Almost," called back the purple-haired girl.

"Come on. We gotta head back while we still can."

"Just a sec!" As much as Neptune admitted that there was no way to find every single piece, let alone know for sure that they found everything, she still felt a tugging to continue. For some strange reason, the hope persisted - even rose! Was it stubborn idealism? Neptune (in all her humbleness) didn't think so. In the flare's light, the scout found nothing but meaningless rock.

Until a speck in the middle of nothing twinkled back

Reaching for her pickaxe, Neptune wasn't sure what it was that was buried in the earth. Maybe it was just an itty-bitty crystal that reflected her lamp. She wondered if they could be this small, yet Neptune found the sparkle unusual. As she chipped away at the rock, the strange feeling only grew, rising to new heights in her heart.

The feeling of… familiarity?

The pickaxe pierced the ground and all of a sudden Neptune was nearly blinded by light. As she shielded her eyes, she considered whether she found more gold. But through squinted eyes, the light wasn't gold nor green or anything. It was every color.

Lowering her arm, Neptune was in utter disbelief at what she just uncovered.

"Neptune?"
"Hey, are you done over there?"

"... Guys? Is this what I think it is?"

"Huh? What did you find?" Reaching their fellow goddess by the trail of flares, the three were perplexed by the sight of Neptune's back turned to them. But intriguing still was to see her frame against a halo of light. They were puzzled yet something about it drew them in. When they peered over Neptune's shoulders, they too became slack-jawed at what was discovered.

"Oh my."
"No way…"
"That… that's impossible!"

"Hm? What is it?"

"Histy, you won't believe what I just found," Neptune replied after mustering her clarity of thought. With a breathless pause, she dropped the bombshell news.

"... It's a neppin' Share Crystal."

Even if they couldn't see her face, there was no doubt what expression Histoire was making. The drawn-out delay painted the picture enough. Finally, a simple order from the Oracle broke the silence.

"Gather as much of it as you can and deposit into the M.U.L.E. There is much to discuss when you return."

Wowzers, right? When Histy of all people gets serious, you know this is the biggest news to ever grace Gamindustri.

"Drop pod departing in T-minus 4 minutes."

Noire groaned. "Come on! How much slower can this go?"

"It's still convenient!" defended Vert.

Blanc ignored the bickering as she rode the zipline up the way they came. Convenient as it was to retrace their progress, the ascent was certainly not speedy as the cable trundled them against gravity. The climb up would have made for a decent chance to find reprieve were it not for the fact that they were racing against the clock.

Peering out from the corner of her eye, she followed the M.U.L.E. as it made its own way up, a trail of green waypoints going up along the crystalline shafts and the walls. She tracked its movement, watching as their mobile depository crawled to its destination.

A familiar figure darted by. Whoops from Neptune coincided with the reeling winch of her grappling hook as she launched herself from one crystal tower to another. "Come on, step it up!" she teased.

An angry fist from Noire shook towards her. "Why you-!"

Reaching the end of the cable, the three goddesses unhooked themselves. Noire hopped off with impatience and already began to run, chasing after Neptune and their M.U.L.E. The team slipped through the hole, finding themselves back in the familiar tunnel that brought them here.

As they tried to keep pace with their mechanical companion, it was pieced together that they were indeed going back the same way they came. Littered flares with their light long spent marked a trodden path that even the M.U.L.E. seemed to follow.

"This might be easy-peasy~!" cheered Neptune as she dashed ahead.

"Don't get think they'll let us off that easily!" The warning came just in time for the ground in front of them to stir. In the flashing light left behind by the M.U.L.E., images of emerging glyphid grunts snarled from the darkness.

Rapid fire from Neptune's gun cut them down as she continued to run, fight and flight becoming the unspoken rule once again as the goddesses ran. Eyeless jaws popping from the dark were swiftly silenced by a bullet or a pickaxe before the team hastened on. Roars of the collective swarm echoed off the cavern walls, howling of the coming onslaught yet to be seen. But their arrival was imminent.

Loose sediment trickled down on their heads, alerting the CPUs to the threat now above. Jaws stretched out from the ceiling in an attempt to catch them, a quick snapshot of a gun or slash of a pickaxe snapping back for their trouble. Glyphid swarmers fell upon them, the weight of tiny mandibles and pincers inciting panic. Reactions were frantic and hasty with the payback without mercy for the critters that dared to ambush them.

"Little shits!" swore Blanc.

"How is it that the smallest ones are the worst?" griped Noire, grimacing at the new sets of bite marks on her face.

"Drop pod departing in T-minus 3 minutes."

The group continued to run on, hauling ass as fast as their gear and armor allowed them. The caves they once traversed was familiar but the terrain stayed dubious in its loyalty, the divine miners forced to mind rocky steps and uneven footing. Every shadow and blind spot became a chance for an eight-legged monster to hide behind as their growls continued to ring all throughout the tunnels.

Panting, they turned a corner and in the aura of the green light, a familiar sight awaited them: the carved opening in a patch of dirt.

Seeing it gave Blanc some encouragement. "Can't be much further now!"

The four wasted no time diving through the hole from their earlier scrape. Surrounded by vast darkness, Neptune fired off a flare. The black shroud banished, what greeted them was not the chamber they once traversed but one transformed. High ground had traded places with the low, flat earth had become jagged and rolling, and on the opposite end of the cave whose length had changed, the outline of the drop pod lay. The route planted by the M.U.L.E. formed a winding thread that confirmed their destination.

A determined look materialized on Neptune. "Let's go, everyone!"

Spurred by the escape in their vision, they started off. Around them, rock was overturned to reveal the next host of grunts to bar their way. They moved to intercept and the battle resumed in earnest.

Neptune and Noire darted about, their feet light and hands swift with their respective guns. Rapid beats of a GK2 and the steady booms of a Warthog shotgun became their songs as glyphids converged around them. The scout proved slippery as she zipped away right from their jaws whereas the engineer was more content to blast heads away from those who dared come close.

While the two were in a rhythm of their own, Vert and Blanc ruled the arena with fire and ice. The Lead Storm sent the bugs awash in pouring waves of bullets while the icy breath of the Cry Cannon stopped them dead cold before they were promptly shattered. Grunts afar felt the fiery rain while those that managed to creep close now faced the wrath of the driller and her pickaxe smashes. The four plowed their way towards the drop pod, advancing and covering each other through fire.

They reached an impasse, a final barrier between them and the drop pod that loomed ahead. Seeing the last obstacle as an affront, Blanc rushed up to it with a satchel charge primed in hand. "Fire in the hole!"

The rock wall exploded in a brilliant display. Without even waiting for the debris to finish falling, the team hurried through the opening. The beeping emerald light left by their M.U.L.E. was their guide through the choking smoke.

But then a different green glow made itself known on the other side.

The goddess quartet felt the deep steps before they burst into the clearing. When they did, they immediately skidded to a stop to comprehend what lay before them. A sight never before seen but one which they instantly recognized as danger.

A truck-sized glyhpid, familiar in shape yet more hunched and imposing in posture and plates that rose high with the body. And draping the skin and carapace was a sickly all-green coloration. It was a hue that made no sense in the dark caves, but this behemoth had no intention of hiding its presence as it unleashed a roar.

Noire was flabbergasted. "What is that?!"

"Who cares, just shoot it!"

A series of gunfire rang out. Bullets and buckshot pelted the monster, some stinging its face. A barrage however brief was an effortless strike - even overkill - against an ordinary glyphid grunt. But when the monster's carapace withstood the fire, it occurred to the CPUs that this was no common goon. This was an enemy of the next level.

The giant green glyhpid bellowed in response to the shots and began making a beeline straight to the goddesses, each stomp harsh and agitated. It charged close before the great gaping maw of teeth suddenly spewed forth a glowing green sludge. The team scrambled out of the way of the rancid splash, their formation wavering before this new foe. But they quickly found their retreat readily infested with more bugs as the swarm caught up to them. They needed a solution and they needed one quick.

Priming her last L.U.R.E., Noire heaved it. Another hologram duplicate of her appeared to draw the nearest enemies away, yet the giant boss seemed not fooled. Its eyeless jaws remained locked on the miners, ready to spray more of the toxic liquid.

Neptune's face turned pale. "Uh, any ideas?"

"Weak point! That's things got to have a weak point!" Blanc hurriedly exclaimed.

Vert stepped forward with her minigun spinning ready in her hands. "Go find it! Hurry!" A torrent of bullets poured out from the bulky gun to rain upon the big glyphid. Fire from Noire's hastily-erected sentry joined in on the storm as did scattering shots from Noire herself. While its thick armor did much to deflect and absorb the fire, the pain and annoyance considerably slowed the creature. With it stunned, Neptune and Blanc took their cue to circle around the monster now oblivious to their movements.

The Leanbox and Lastation deities maintained their fire, their attacks now visibly chipping away at the glyphid's armor. But once agonized by the stinging sensations, the giant monster now became fueled by it as it started to power through the gunfire. Grimacing at their opponent's stubbornness, Vert and Noire continued shooting until the minigun screeched dry with steam forcefully vented out. "Oh no, not again!" the gunner whined.

Noire shot a glare at the overheated minigun but as her own shotgun ran emptyty, her expression turned to dread. The glyphid, now given a lull from the barrage, took its chance to claw madly towards the two. From its hungry maw, green septic trickled and dripped as the beast readied for another breath attack.

Vert thought quickly until she remembered something that she never got the chance to use. Until now.

Acting fast, she tossed it out just in time for a tide of bright sickly goo to cascade.

The poisonous slop poured out like a faucet on max, splashing everywhere as the giant multi-legged boss swayed its head from side to side for good measure. The sludge was toxic and putrid, yet Noire felt none of it on her suit or skin. For in her astonishment, an ethereal blue shield stood between them and the monster's attack. It glimmered in a bubble, the energy wave humming from an armored disk that lay by Vert's feet.

Audacious smiles were shared between the two as the Shield Generator neutralized the attack and even discouraged errant glyphid grunt or swarmer from encroaching. "Now this is power!" boasted their gunner in green.

Meanwhile, with the boss's attention still honed on their allies, Neptune arrived behind the beast with a rolling three-point landing. She had seen more of this armored monster, seeing the chitinous plates that held up bullets all around it. But now at the flanks, she spotted an incongruity: a prominent bright-green bulbous abdomen. So conspicuous it was that even Neptune understood what to go for.

Her GK2 thumped to tear up the target. The big glyphid tensed up and flinched, its attention now diverted in light of intruders having now found the weak spot. Catching it turn around, Neptune tossed her Stun Sweeper. All voltage went solely into the creature, jolting it stiff to her delight. "So it works on you just fine! Okay, Blanc! Hit it!"

Uttering a mighty battle cry, Blanc eagerly took up on the offer. Descending upon the monster's backside, the goddess of Lowee delivered her trademark wrath through her twin drills. While not a hammer or an axe of godly proportions, the jagged and barbed teeth of the power tools conveyed her inner fire well enough to finish the job. By the time she was done, there was hardly anything left of the tank-like glyphid.

Blanc rose up from her handiwork, stowing her drills with a satisfied hum as Neptune joined her for a high-five. "Fatality! Winner: Blanc!"

"Thanks to us two!" declared Noire as she and Vert ran up to them. The blonde looked upon their latest foe with a passing glance, relieved that another challenge had been conquered. Yet up close, she couldn't help but wrinkle her nose at it.

"Ugh. And I thought its breath was bad."

"Yeah, a real stinker that one was," Neptune joked. "Maybe it should go take a… a…"

Her punchline trailed off as she coughed. Before any of them realized it, the four of them were hacking and wheezing. The air had turned an insidious smokey green as the stench caught before rose and wafted as a miasma. Any moment to dwell on their victory was gone as the goddesses staggered out of the pestilent cloud. Curses were uttered amid coughs that lingered with them.

A metallic clang was heard nearby. "The M.U.L.E. has been secured," announced Histoire. "Make a run for it, everyone! Drop pod departing in T-minus 1 minute!"

"Y-yeah!" With no time to waste, the four made a break to the drop pod, the hatches already opened and interior long awaiting. Desperate to flee the noxious air, they made haste up the ramp with the subterranean horde hot on their heels. In the instant the foot of the last goddess stepped inside, the ramp was retracted and the doors sealed shut.

Another instant later, the capsule was off and away. It ascended through the ceiling, slipping into the darkness. The horde continued to gnash and claw at them even as they only swiped at empty air. It disappeared, yet they still sensed it hurtling through the miles of rock. They loitered, croaking and howling, and only when the vibrations faded into nothingness did they finally relent and disperse.

The caves went back to being calm, the only disturbances to be the routine quakes that reshaped the depths. But calm as it was, it was never quiet. The bugs scattered back through the lower Neplunker system, carrying with them the calls to their innumerable brethren in a multitude of hives and nests down below.

The message they shared was a warning that these intrusions were far from over.

Assignment 2 - Crystalline Caverns
Objective: Secure Morkite Quota
Mission Status: COMPLETE