Chapter 9: Return to Leanbox
"The Gods, parasites that fed on human faith, and preyed on their bodies and souls. Was it any wonder why I rebelled?"-?
Vert POV
"And you're sure of this, that this group was responsible for all that destruction?" I asked the robed woman in front of me. My guards had let her in, saying she had a message most urgent to deliver. "Indeed, Lady Green Heart, it was them that caused so much destruction to the land of Lastation." she brought up a tablet and showed me a recording. "All I remember was an enormous flash of golden-orange light, then the whole factory was gone!" the man in said recording said, sounding desperately afraid. The recording then showed what I guessed was the site just before, then after, the incident.
The entire factory was gone, nothing remained of its grandeur. "That was the testimony of one of Lastation's factory workers, who was lucky enough to avoid the attack." the woman in front of me claimed. "i find it suspicious that an evangelist from Lowee would be so interested in the affairs and welfare of other rival Landmasses, so tell me, what do you seek to gain from all this?" the woman quickly replied, "the group is a threat, not only to Lastation and Leanbox, but to all the Landmasses, I merely wish for you to aid me In getting rid of a threat to us all."
I was still not completely convinced of her words, but I also could not afford to completely ignore them either. "Tell me evangelist, who are these people you accuse of such crimes?" said evangelist fiddled with the mobile device in her hand, before showing me the screen. "There are a few that comprise the group, the first, and most dangerous of which is a man by the name of Zed." the display showed a man, no, a boy, who had short orange hair and green-blue eyes. "-he has access to a tremendous amount of power, though unfortunately we lack information on its limitations and the extent of said power.
What is known is that it was that power alone that caused the destruction of that factory." the ginormous explosion came to the forefront of my mind, tremendous indeed. "He was not working alone either." multiple pictures were shown on the screen in front of me, all portraits of the supposed criminals. One in particular caught my attention. "Neptune? She was a part of this?" I asked in surprise. I knew she was the reckless type, but wanton destruction was something I had deemed her incapable of doing.
"Indeed. I have proof if you need convincing." (proof?) I shook my head at the thought, surely not... "Then convince me. I doubt Neptune could do such a thing." she was never this underhanded during the console war, and that was something pertaining to a much bigger goal than merely crippling a Landmass-That being the only reason I could think of for such an act. "Then bear witness to the sins of a goddess." the video she showed me depicted Neptune inside of a different building than the previous one, this one looking similar to a restaurant.
"32-bit mega blade!" the Planeptunian goddess spoke, before summoning a giant blade that destroyed the building she stood in, reducing it to rubble. (How could she!?) this was a far more reckless and destructive act than I'd have ever seen her commit before. "As you can see, the goddess of Planeptune has become nothing more than a being hellbent on destruction. Can you not see why I decided to come forward with this information? the threat those two alone pose is far more than one Landmass alone could handle." the evangelist spoke, surprisingly in a calm voice.
"What of the others in this group?" I asked. She had convinced me of their threat, so I wished to know more. "Another among their numbers is someone I believe you know well." she said cryptically, before showing me another image, this one of... "Noire?" the evangelist smiled. "Indeed, the CPU of Lastation is among them." she then brought up another video, this one showing the black-haired Goddess and the man identified as 'Zed' battling and injuring what appeared to be armed forces. "In this video, the two can be clearly seen attacking Lastation security."
(But why? Why would Noire attack the security of her own Landmass!?) "Why would she do such a thing?" I asked. "i do not know, perhaps she has gone mad?" the evangelist answered. Leaving me with more questions than answers. "Is...is there anything else you wish to tell me?" all the negative information being presented to me was starting to feel a bit overwhelming. "Indeed. I have a plan to stop these terrorists." the cloaked woman said. "What is this plan of yours?" I asked.
"it's simple. From what I've managed to gather, the ringleader of this group, Zed, prefers to sway others to his side using his charisma rather than force. You could capitalise on that little fact." she suggested. "How so?" I asked. "Gain his trust, act as if you're on his side, perhaps invite him and his group to dinner, from there all it would take is a few drops of poison in their food, and they cease being a problem." she then presented a vial containing a clear fluid. "This is a very potent poison, capable of killing even a weakened Goddess. Take it."
And I did. I was simultaneously afraid and awed at the fatal power of such a small vial of unassuming fluid. "And you're sure this will work?" I didn't want to attempt to kill them, fail, then have to deal with the aftermath. "Fret not, this poison was tested vigorously to ensure the desired effect" a sadistic smile appeared on her face. "Unless you wish to test its effects yourself?" I shuddered. "No thanks." I replied. "Well then, with our business conducted, I shall take my leave, good luck, Lady Green Heart."
The evangelist from Lowee then walked out of my Basilicom, leaving me to sit on my throne alone. I quickly pressed a button that resided on the arm of my seat, opening up a secure channel. "Yvoire, come to my throne room, I have something to discuss with you." there was an immediate reply. "At once, my lady."
Zed POV
Once Noire and I had rested, we took a quick trip back to Lastation, where we gave Chian the gift from her father. From there we said our goodbyes once more, ending with me rushing to get to Leanbox before the bridge closed.
(Made it!)
Thankfully I was fast enough to just about make it, being that the bridge started closing as soon as I crossed it. From there I continued walking until I met back up with my companions, who were each doing something. Compa was playing with Suzaku, while IF and Neptune were conversing with each other. Despite the overall short timeframe, it appeared they became close friends. "My apologies for interrupting, but I have returned." I announced, causing all three of them to stop what they were doing and look at me.
*CHIRP!* Suzaku appeared the most excited to see me, being that he was the first to come to my side. He began nuzzling my face with his own, while the others began to speak. "Zeddy, welcome back!" "Welcome back, Zed." "Sup' Zeddy!" they spoke in unison. It felt nice to be welcomed, even if I was gone for only a moment. "Sooo Zeddy?" Neptune began. "What took you so long? Did Nowa try to keep you there with her feminine wiles?" she finished, shocking Compa, and causing IF to facepalm.
Our resident Nurse was still surprisingly gullible, it seemed. "For your information my dear, Noire did not try to seduce me, our parting was just tearful is all." I answered. Noire was considerably saddened at my departure, causing me to have to take some time to calm her down, assuring her that we would meet again. This unfortunately had the side effect of our separation taking more time than necessary. "Hmm...oh reaaallly?" Neptune looked at me sceptically. "Indeed, I speak the truth."
Compa appeared to believe me, judging by the look of relief on her face. Neptune however, had a quite different reaction.
"Objection!" the purple-haired girl shouted, pointing the index finger of one her hands in my face. "From all known pieces of evidence, it is far more likely that Nowa was feeling desperate to keep you around, meaning it was more likely that she would try anything to ensure you stayed by her side. Thanks to her Tsun-tsun™ nature, which has been verified by the witnesses, the only thing she would have to offer is herself. Meaning that in the end it is more likely that she tried to seduce you!" the CPU of Planeptune then started to rant, perhaps attempting to imitate a prosecutor.
That is, until IF appeared to have had enough of her antics and flicked her on her forehead.
"Ouch! That was mean of you Iffy!" the girl complained. "don't mess around like that, and I won't have to." IF responded, in a curtly manner. Compa and I laughed at the sight. Truly they were quite the duo. "Ahem." afterwards I coughed intentionally, as to garner attention. "While this is quite amusing, I do believe we have business to conduct?" we had to secure rooms to stay in for the duration of our visit, check with the guild for quests and gather information, both about the key fragments and any information on Arfoire. To put it simply, we had much to do. "But Zeddy~, she started it!" Neptune whined, sounding more like a child, than the goddess she was. "Hehe!" Compa apparently found said purple-haired girls' antics amusing. "He's right girls, pack it in, we have a lot of stuff to do." IF however, was once again the voice of reason.
Personally, though I would never admit it out loud, I found the sight amusing, Neptune's antics felt almost nostalgic. "Awwww...fiiinnneee." Neptune relented... eventually. "Our first destination should be an inn, working hard won't matter if we can't find somewhere to sleep. Fortunately for us, I happen to know a place not too far from here. Follow me." IF's spoke, using her knowledge to our advantage. "Very well/yes Ma'am!" we responded.
Our destination appeared to be a village somewhat similar to the one I stayed in during my first days in this world, except this one was bigger. Containing far more homes and buildings. As we continued traversing through said village to get to our destination, we passed various shops, and businesses, as well as a few parks, both of the field and playground variety. The place looked completely peaceful, quite the opposing sight, compared to when my companions and I first visited Lastation.
(I wonder what Noire would say if she was here to see this.) I thought absentmindedly. However, I was quickly brought out of my musing by a sharp pain in my ribs. "-Snap outta it Zeddy!" I blinked, Neptune? "Hmm, yes?" I asked. "Geez, pay more attention buddy, we're here." doing as she said, I noticed that we were all in front of a building, judging by the sign above its door, it was an inn. "So it seems, my apologies, my thoughts were scattered is all." Neptune smirked smugly. "let's just say you owe me a pudding, eh buddy?" she said, nudging me with her elbow.
"Very well." I had no complaints; the funds Singe gave me should be more than enough for a few puddings. Besides, keeping Neptune as her usual cheerful self was imperative.
The four of us walked through the door of the Inn. The inside was similar to a bar, having a counter, with what I presumed was shelves of Ale behind it, as well as multiple chairs and tables, which were littered around the floor, seemingly disorganised. There was a staircase as well, which presumably lead to the rooms that paying customers stayed in. When we reached said counter, we were greeted by a bartender "welcome, what can I get ya." from there, IF did the talking. "We would like to book four single rooms, please."
The bartender brought up a notepad and looked at it for a moment, before looking back at us with a smile. "Very well, how long will you be staying?" I tuned out the rest of their conversation, deciding to sieve through my own thoughts instead.
(Singe said that there were multiple facilities that held Noire's Ichor, meaning that Avenirs' Accension project could still be ongoing.) (Indeed, we should attempt to gather as much information as possible on their locations at a later date.) (IF prided herself on being knowledgeable, perhaps she might know a local who could help.) (Perhaps, however I do believe that you should refrain from acting for now.)
What?
(Surely handling them should be a priority? You've seen the result of such experiments, so why are you suggesting we do nothing?) I was confused, surely handling the facilities was more important. (You have been through much, to ask more of you, to expect you to act every single time, would be ludicrous. It has barely been a few moments since your battle with the monsters, only slightly more than that since your ordeal with Ganache. You need rest, my friend.)
….
(I...i suppose you're right.) Rex had a point; I had done much since stepping foot in Lastation. Besides, I hadn't had a decent outing with any of the others in quite a while, Neptune especially. (perhaps you could ask her out on a date?) (Hmm...perhaps.) I had no doubts that if I were to ask her, Neptune would accept. If only because it would lead to her getting a lot of pudding.
(should I be jealous?)
(Of the pudding? Maybe.)
"ATCHOO!" said purple-haired girl sneezed. "Bless you Nep-Nep." Compa said, leading to a 'thanks' from the goddess. "Somebody must be talking about me..." she stared at me accusingly. "Guilty." I said, simply. The girl smirked. "it's fine Zeddy, well, as long as those thoughts of yours were pure." she crossed her over each other in an 'X' formation. "lewding the Nep is not allowed!" she shouted, making everyone in the inn stare at us. "Ouchies, Iffy why!?" Neptune shouted. IF had flicked her forehead once again. "don't make a scene then." the brown-haired girl replied.
"Heheh." Compa once again, only laughed at the sight. (is this going to be a regular thing?) (As long as Neptune persists in her tomfoolery, yes.) "Anyways, I've booked us a single room with four beds. It only has one bathroom though, so we'll have to share." Neptune's eyes seemed to glint with mischief. "Don't." the brown-haired girl said, making the glint in Neptunes eyes disappear. Apparently IF knew her well enough to recognise her usual brand of shenanigans before they're enacted. "B-But fanservice! Everyone knows that us four sharing a room has to lead to cliché Harem stuff, its fanfiction 101!"
(excuse my language, but what the actual fuck?) (PFFTT HAHAHAHA, she's quite interesting, isn't she?) I had no idea why, but Rex appeared to find the situation amusing.
"what's a 'Harem'?"
To make things worse, it appeared Compa was unaware of what Neptune was speaking of, Knowing the nurse meant I knew she would, unfortunately, not drop the subject unless her question was answered. "Zed, you answer this. I've got... stuff, yes, very important stuff, to do...like right now." IF spoke, backing away quickly, and leaving me to answer on my own. (that traitor!) to make things even worse, Rex continued his bouts of laughter.
(….if I must...)
10 minutes later.
"Whah!? Nep-Nep, don't be so dirty!" the nurse shouted, face going completely red Immediately after informing her on what Neptune was talking about. (I hope Ban doesn't find out about this.) the nurse's grandfather was a man I dared not trifle with. I feared what would befall me, should he discover that I ruined his granddaughters' innocence. Unfortunately for us, we were still at the counter of the inn, meaning that the patrons residing within heard all of what was said. "Hoo boy kid, let's hope ol'Ban doesn't hear about this, otherwise your arse is grass."
To my misfortune, one of the patrons appeared to know Ban. "My apologies kind sir, but were you not here from the beginning? Another friend of mine is responsible for this." the man smirked, "oh I was, but you were still the one to tell her, not that friend of yours." he spoke, before sitting up. Approaching us and giving Neptune a high-five. Both he and Neptune had the smuggest of grins on their faces. "A man of culture I see, sweet!" the purple-haired goddess said. "i was joking kid, no one deserves the old man's wrath. I won't tell a soul." the inn patron stated, smirk still present on his face.
"With that said, I'll be taking my leave now, have fun you crazy kids!" the mysterious man then swiftly left. Not long afterwards IF came back. "Well, that was something." (Was she watching the entire time!?) (It appears so.) I glared at the bow-wearing girl, something she appeared to ignore completely. "Since we're done here, how about we go to the guild?" "Very well/okie-doki/lead the way!"
Our journey to the guild was uneventful, if you ignored Neptune's attempts at sneaking away. 'i wanna go exploring!' she said, although the three of us knew she just wanted to avoid doing work. "Alright girls...and guy, I've found a few quests at our level, what say we take a look through?" IF said, returning from her quest searching. She had a small stack of papers in her hands, presumably the quests she was referring to. Looking through them, they didn't appear too difficult. One asked for a specified amount of ore to be mined and delivered, another asked for a few monsters in a nearby forest to be exterminated.
All in all, they were quite basic, something I found comfort in. I was getting quite sick of all the high-stake situations our little group seemed to constantly find ourselves in. "ah, wait a second, I think there's an issue with these quests." our resident nurse spoke, causing the rest of us to tilt our heads in confusion. "What issue? The objectives are simple enough." IF asked. Compa pointed to a small section of text near the bottoms of the papers. "It says here there's a party limit of 2 for each of these quests." she answered, causing IF to look a little flustered, presumably in embarrassment for missing said text when she picked the papers.
(Hmm, I need to get her embarrassed more often, that expression of hers is adorable.) "Well, I suppose we'll have to pick other quests then." IF said, causing me to panic a bit, these quests were easy and simple, something that might not be guaranteed in others. "Is the two people limit really an issue?" I asked. "Well, not really, but I would prefer us all to stay together, it's safer that way." (dammit!) IF had a point, that didn't mean I would relent though. "Surely such simple quests are of no danger to us? The four of us, even separated in half, are still strong." I said, in an attempt to convince the wind walker. The brown-haired girl appeared to think it over for a moment, before sighing. "Fine, we'll split up for these jobs. However, we'll meet up here straight after, okay?" she spoke, sounding more like a strict mother than an adventurer. "of course my dear." I replied, with a smile.
"So uh, whose going with who?" Neptune spoke, tilting her head questioningly. Unknowingly starting a staring contest between herself and Compa.
"..."
Both of the pair's eyes were locked onto each other. (I can't lose, I need him to buy me pudding!) (I won't hold back Nep-Nep! It's my turn to hang out with Zeddy!)
"..."
Their eyebrows furrowed in concentration, neither side giving in. (you're going down!) (not a chance!)
"..."
Both sides' eyes began to twitch. (come on, blink already!) (never!)
"...!"
(what the actual fuck?) surprising all of us, Compa's eyes shifted into a look that mirrored her grandfathers, an honest to goddess death stare.
"...!"
"Ah fine! Geez Compa, ya win!" the purple-haired girl spoke defeatedly, looking away and losing the contest. "Heheh." the winner of said contest giggled in response, walking over to me. (I was unaware Compa was that competitive.) (indeed, perhaps there is more to her than we originally thought...) "...anyway." IF started awkwardly, unnerved by Compa's competitiveness. "With that dealt with, who's going on which quest?" I felt Compa latch onto my arm. "we'll be taking the ore delivery quest." Compa stated. Her voice was cheerful, but the look in her eyes sent chills down the rest of the groups' spines, mine included.
"Y-yeah, go ahead." IF responded quickly. Her response apparently placating our resident nurse, her eyes returning to normal. "Oh...err I'm sorry everyone, I just wanted to hang out with Zeddy, I guess I let my emotions get the better of me. heheh, oops?" she tilted her head and smiled innocently. The rest of us looked at each other and nodded. We would never speak of this again...ever. "Well, um, see you girls later!" the nurse shouted, before taking her desired quest paper, and running out of the guild hall, dragging me along with her. (Whatever you do, never invoke her ire.) (You don't have to tell me twice.)
*CHIRP!*
After a few minutes of running, as well as dragging me along, Compa eventually stopped at the entrance to a cave. "Well Zeddy, this is the place. The quest states we're to gather some ore and deliver it to the guild. The description we were given on the paper is of 'transparent bluish crystal-like rocks." she spoke. "Hmm, sounds easy enough, let's get started, shall we?" I replied, causing Compa to smile. "okie-dokie!"
The inside of the cave was eerily similar to the monster cave back in Planeptune, except the walls were covered in light yellowish-green crystals that illuminated the caves insides. "Zeddy look, those crystals are so pretty!" her eyes were wide in wonder at the sight of the glowing rocks. "Indeed, I could procure you one to take with you, if you wish." it would be an easy affair, it would have only taken a small amount of digging to do so. However, the nurse shook her head at my offer. "No thank you, that'd only ruin the beauty of this place." "Very well." (surely you can do better than that?) (I'm trying!) continuing the conversation afterwards appeared to be nigh impossible, even when I was giving it my all.
(try more then.) I did not like his tone. (don't be an asshole.) the word was new to me, but it felt fitting. (Oh, learned a new word, have you? Interesting...) he kept quiet after that, for whatever reason.
Rex POV
Things were going somewhat smoothly for my host, at least in regard to capturing the hearts of people. He may not realise the effects he's had on those he holds dear, but it would come to him in time. Right now, they were merely fond of him, but that could change as time went on. My hopes were on one of the three he travels with; Neptune was especially touchy with him in spars. though this could have just been a ploy to distract him, I personally hoped not. They were so cute together!
This was all good news, great even!
After all, the more he had, the less they could take. The more ties he makes, the harder it will be to break. He had already gained the favour of two goddesses; I was anticipating the favour he'd gain in future.
Unfortunately, not everything was fine, I was constantly frustrated, I knew more than I showed, but less than I liked. This was something I needed to rectify.
My soul was taken from the afterlife, from my resting place besides my loved ones, my wives and children. It was torn apart piece by piece from forces beyond me, and attached onto the soul of someone who was the closest thing to a blank slate as you could get. I knew I held no chance of getting comeuppance on my own, hence why I chose to rely upon my host.
Perhaps he could do what I could not?
I could only hope.
what are you planning, vermillion imperator?
Nothing to be concerned with, observer, now go back to the recesses, where you belong.
Zed POV
Our search was proving fruitless, no matter how hard we looked or how deep we went into the cave, we simply couldn't find hide nor hair of our objective. "Begone." to make matters worse, as we travelled, we came across monsters. while they were not exactly challenging in any sense of the word, the number of them we encountered was an annoyance. "Zeddy, can we take a break? My feet hurt." Compa asked, clearly as tired of all the fighting and searching as I was. "Very well, we will rest for a time and continue our search later." Compa and I sat on the flat and cold floor of the cave, Suzaku deciding to rest himself upon our resident nurse's lap.
(Come to think of it, I haven't really checked on her and the others in quite a while. Best to rectify that.) "So Compa, how have you fared so far? These adventures of ours are quite tiring, no?" I asked, causing said nurse to look in my direction, and smile. "Apart from feeling like my legs are going to fall off, I'm doing fine." she moved herself closer to me, wrapping her arms around me, giving me a hug. "it's nice to finally be able to hang out with you though, we haven't done that in a while, so that's a plus!" the smile that appeared on her face as she spoke was indescribably joyous.
"Indeed, I'm sorry for being so negligent of you, I promise that I did not mean for it to happen." in all honesty I did feel some guilt for my lack of effort in keeping in touch with the girl beside me. I might have been busy to an extent, but even when I was not, I don't remember attempting to interact with her. "Silly Zeddy, there's no need to feel guilty, I'm just happy we're hanging out now." her words were once more said with a joyous smile. Truly, she was a precious soul.
Third person POV- IF and Neptune
"Wheeeeeeee!" "Dammit Neptune, take this seriously! And get off that damn thing!" IF shouted. "Never!" Neptune replied.
The two had followed their quests' instructions and were currently in the middle of a fight involving an Ancient Dragon. Neptune, in all her Neptunian wisdom, decided it would be best to mount the beast. "Okay beastie, your kinda boring me now, buh-bye!" the purple-haired goddess spoke, before impaling the neck of the monster with her sword. "And another one bites the dust!"
*THWACK*
"Ouchies, what was that for!?" Neptune cried. "For being stupid! The only reason you're not a stain on the ground is because I distracted the monster!" IF replied, clearly not happy with the former. "Aww, don't be like that Iffy, you know you love me~" the aforementioned 'Not-A-Stain' said. "Just...don't do that again, ever." IF sighed, equally tired, and done with Neptune's antics. (seriously, it was just a group of weak mooks to begin with, how in the hell did that thing get here?) "Anyway, let's keep searching, there could be more monsters about. Remind me to mention the Ancient Dragon to the guild when we're done." the brown-haired girl spoke, continuing to walk while her companion did the same at a snails' pace. "what's up with you?" IF asked. "My feetsies hurt, can we take a break?" her companion replied. "Bullshit, we haven't been walking for that long." "But Iffy~" the purple-haired girl begged.
"..."
"Fine, but only because I could use one, remember who kept that damn dragon distracted." IF finally relented, feeling tired herself. "Yay!" Neptune replied, sounding far more energetic than before. "So Iffy, how ya been? Mr bones' wild ride has sure been tough so far huh?" (who the hell is Mr bones?) deciding to eventually ignore the foreign term, IF replied. "I've been doing fine, I guess? I could do without all the high-stakes situations though, we keep getting into those far too often for my liking." Neptune nodded in agreement, before speaking. "I know what you mean, all the drama and mopey sadness we keep getting into isn't really my thing."
Looking at her face, IF could see a solemn expression on the purple-haired girls' face, a look that disappeared as soon as it appeared. "Are you okay?" IF asked, concerned. She had never seen her friend look that way before. "I'm fine, I just want some peace and quiet for a change." her friend replied. (Got to think of something to say, I can't let her be like this.) IF thought for a moment, before coming up with a solution. "Well, that's kind of impossible, you're never quiet." IF spoke.
"...pft HAHAHAH, you got a point there, Iffy!" Neptune said, sounding far more chipper than earlier. The purple-haired girl then moved closer to her friend and gave her a hug. "Thanks for cheering me up, Iffy." "Anytime Neptune." there was a short pause, until.
"i think that's enough rest for now, come on, back to work."
"IFFY WHY!? WE WERE HAVING A MOMENT!"
Zed POV
We had rested for a few minutes before continuing our quest, deciding to split up to attempt to maximise our chances of success. Though despite our well rested efforts, we were still not fortunate in completing our objective. "Where could that blasted ore be!?" I spoke in frustration. We had been looking for a long time, including the time before our break.
*chirp*
"Zeddy, I think Suzu found something!" Compa called out, referring to Suzaku by a peculiar nickname. Walking over to them I realised they were standing in front of a giant door, something that look remarkably similar to the door in the monster cave back in Planeptune. "Do you think the ore might be behind the door?" Compa asked. "Perhaps, but there is also a high chance of a strong foe residing there as well." it was quite the conundrum, maybe the ore was being guarded by a strong monster, on one hand that could have been why we were so unfortunate in finding any, on the other, maybe we were just that unlucky. "What do you think we should do Compa?" considering she was the one most at risk if we went through with opening the door, I decided to let her be the deciding factor. "Hmmm..." she took a thinking pose, head tilted and index finger on her chin.
"let's do it!" I smiled. "Very well, my dear."
!
When I opened the door however, I was greeted by the sight of a monster, a sight that brought very unpleasant memories to mind. Its body was quadrupedal, having four legs with forelimbs armoured with dark grey plating. It had a somewhat normal-looking tail, and black fur. Its main body had its shoulders and back covered in silvery-black and red plating. From its back sprouted two tarnished, yellowish-white fibrous growths that appeared to be both winglike and akin to a cape of sorts.
Its most horrifying feature however, and the one that caused me my incredible discomfort was its humanoid face. Crimson red eyes, a mouth and nose, along grey beard and a crown-like piece of plating on its head made the face a most horrific sight.
Memories of my fight with the thirteenth subject assaulted my mind. Something that was not quite human, but not quite monster. A being suffering agony for being an in-between.
*ROAR!*
The noise was deafening, causing me and my companion to cover our ears.
*CHIRP!*
Suzaku screeched, before flying towards the beast, spewing red and orange flames at its face, and garnering its attention. Acting quickly, I summoned my blade and tagged the beast, teleporting in front of it in an instance.
*CREAAAK*
A high-pitched cracking noise was heard as my sword came into contact with the beasts' face, a glowing red line being made across its nose. The monster glared at me with its human-like eyes and opened its maw.
*CRRRRCKKKK*
The crackling of lightning was followed by a semicircular line of red orbs that sparked with electricity, the constructs being mere centimetres away from making contact.
*FWOOSH*
*BOOM*
*ROAAAAARRRR*
The monster roared in pain as a projectile was shot directly into its' face, exploding on contact and dispelling the orbs of lightning. When the smoke cleared the beast turned around, coming face to face with Compa. "i got your back Zeddy!" I smiled inwardly, of course she wouldn't just stand there and do nothing. "Very well, let's take him on together then, shall we?" she nodded.
"Aim for the eyes, keep it distracted, I'll handle the rest."
(Play Shin Megami Tensei IV Apocalypse OST- midboss theme)
Acting quickly, I continuously slashed at the beast once more, making shallow cuts into its forelegs. The beast then leaped backwards in an attempt to create distance, before roaring once more, creating a spread of crimson lightning orbs around its body. There were no gaps in between each orb, and they were ground level, meaning if It were to finish its attack and launch them, Compa, someone who couldn't fly or teleport, would inevitably get hit. (it does not take a genius to understand that those orbs aren't exactly safe.)
"Compa, brace yourself!" I tagged Compa, teleporting towards her, before quickly throwing another feather-like tag towards our foe. Thankfully the orbs were created a small distance away from the beast itself, so by teleporting directly next to the thing, Compa and I were able to avoid the attack-
*CRRRRRK-BOOOOOOM*
-just in time for them to be launched outwards and explode.
*GRRRRRRRAAAAAAA*
The beasts' crimson eyes bore into my own, apparently it was not pleased that I had avoided its attack, seeing an opening I thrusted my sword into one of its crimson orbs, and a roar most deafening rang out.
*ROOOOOAAAAAAARRRRRRRR*
Ignoring the loud sound, as well as my pained ears, I let go of Compa and we began our assault. With me acting as the main damage dealer, as well as Compa and Suzaku acting as distraction and supporting fire, we were managing quite well in fighting back.
"Compa, Suzaku, give me a second!" at my call the nurse and draconic beast launched a fury of attacks at the beast, distracting it long enough for me to pull off a strike of my own. Snapping my fingers, the area under the monster was covered in spikes that pierced through its feet.
"Luminous swords point towards heaven."
"Regret cannot stop their revelation."
"Accept your righteous ruin!"
"Rexcalibur!"
A trio of giant, radiant blades appeared above our foe, before quickly descending-
*FWOOSH*
*CLANG*
Shocking all three of us, the monster in front of us seemed to shrug off the spikes I created, leaping upwards and swiping the summoned blades away, as if they were naught but flies. Thinking quickly once more, I began a different chant.
"Bathe the world in dazzling light."
"Bring forth the swelling spirit of rebellion."
"Mine arrow is at the heart, piercing forth!"
"Lux Ballista!"
This time, the beast moved out of the way, before catching the launched projectiles in its human-like mouth, and biting down, crushing them.
*ROOOOOAAAAARRRR*
Alongside its deeper cry came gruesome physical changes to its body. A sound of tearing flesh and muscle tissue was heard as the cape-like structure on its back began to shrink, and two new appendages burst forth from its back, creating a shower of black and yellow fluid that quickly dissipated into mist.
The new appendages were long and arm-like, coloured pitch black with angry-looking red cracks. At the ends of each of them were a triplet of red and black blades akin to the Grim Reaper's scythe.
!
The beast suddenly thrusted both bladed limbs at me, thinking quickly I blocked the strike with the broad end of my blade.
"...tch!"
The weight behind the blows was immense, making my knees buckle and taking all of my strength to hold back.
*FWOOSH*
*BOOM*
A cacophony of projectiles exploding could be heard as Compa attempted to once again garner the beast's attention. I heard the crackle of fire as Suzaku attempted the same with his flames. Their efforts were for naught however, as our foe did not budge a single inch. Pure unadulterated hatred could be seen in its eyes as it glared at me.
"Change...of...plans...get...out of...here!" if I could barely hold a single strike back, with both Compa's and Suzaku's attacks losing any and all effectiveness, continuing to fight the thing would be useless. It would simply crush us after tiring me out.
I heard not the shuffle of footsteps.
"Did...you...not...hear me?...i...said...get...out of...here!" with a shout, my legs finally gave way, and I collapsed, my body hitting the floor in an instant.
!
And the blades I'd been holding back, pierced my body.
The pain was immense, I could not focus on anything else.
Just the searing
Stinging
Blinding
Pain
"ZEDDY!"
*CHIRP!"
Using any and all willpower I had, I spoke. "get...out!" judging by the lack of footsteps, it seems the foolish girl didn't listen, instead deciding to stand in place. Turning my body in her direction, I saw the shock, the absolute horror on her face. (shit, what are we going to do?) I asked Rex.
(would you like me to handle this?)
it was a simple question really, one with an answer that was getting more and more blatantly obvious. 'yes' would be the best answer to secure my survival, that much was clear.
But I didn't want to.
I was lucky last time, back then I had nothing I could remember on the line, this time however, was completely different. Every moment I spent with Neptune, Compa, IF and Noire was on the line. My precious memories of them all would be lost forever if I were to simply answer 'yes'.
"now my noble steed, to pudding!"
"of course! We're a party after all!"
"i suppose I owe you even more now."
"it's beautiful...thank you."
Could I really sacrifice all of that? I know how petty it sounded, to anyone else, memories like those were just that, memories. But to me those simple memories were everything, there were proof of who I was, of the precious people I loved so much.
Could I really give up so much of myself?
Despite all this, my answer was the same as it was in the beginning. After all, what were memories compared to experiencing the real thing?
(ye-)
*FWOOSH*
*ROAAAAAAAAAaaarrrr...*
Before I could answer fully, something strange occurred. The monster that had just proven unbeatable, had just almost mortally wounded me, the very same creature that me, Compa and Suzaku could barely scratch, was engulfed in golden-white flames, before reducing to ash.
Compa POV
"Change...of...plans...get...out of...here!" Zeddy was barely able to speak as he held back the blades, but that was not what froze me in place, it was the fear. When the monster had changed states it gave off a feeling of absolute terror. Causing my body to refuse to move, no matter how hard I tried, forcing my eyes to the side I could see Suzaku was the same.
"Did... you...not...hear me?...i...said...get...out of...here!" blood splattered everywhere as the monsters' blades tore through Zeddy's torso.
Yet my body refused to move.
{vis potestatem? Dabo tibi fortitudinem meam.}
A voice rang out in my head. (who are you?) I asked, before I could answer however, my right hand moved on its own, my palm opened up, facing upwards, and a golden-white flame appeared. I wasn't able to inspect it for long however, as my hand shifted again, this time to face the monster that had just injured Zed, before in an instant.
*FWOOSH*
*ROAAAAAAAAAaaarrrr...*
The flame shot out of my hand and towards the monster, disintegrating it completely, leaving behind crystal-like objects. (What... what just happened?) ignoring the strange events, I rushed over to Zeddy. Looking at his body I was able to see golden-orange flames coat his body, just like the time when he was injured by that mean old lady. In a matter of minutes, his body looked completely healed. Not a moment after, he began to stir.
Zed POV
The nurse stared at me for a moment, before bursting into tears. "there's no need to cry my dear, I'm perfectly fine." I wasn't, my entire body hurt, and I felt phantom pains in my chest from my previous injury, but she didn't need to know that. "What happened, what was with that flame?" she looked nervous, but responded nonetheless. "I don't really know; I heard a voice in my head. I couldn't understand what it was saying. Then the flame appeared in my hand, flew forwards, and killed the monster." she said. I looked towards where the monster once was, noticing numerous crystalline objects.
"Are those the crystals we were looking for?" Walking over to the objects and inspecting them, it appeared to be the case, they matched the description. To 'sweeten the deal' so to speak, the beast just so happened to drop a key fragment, which I quickly pocketed. "Since we have acquired what was needed, how about we head back?" the nurse nodded, and we were off.
The journey back to the guild was somewhat uneventful, if you ignored my state of mind that is. I was equally confused and concerned. The fact that Compa had heard a voice in her head and used a flame strong enough to kill that dammed thing wasn't exactly comforting in the slightest. An ability that powerful had to of had a steep price.
I dreaded to think what exactly that price was.
END OF CHAPTER
An: first off, I'm sorry that this chapter took so long. I had begun to lose confidence in myself to write anything halfway decent, even by this mess of a fic's standards. Special thanks to 1killerextreme, whose timing was impeccable in motivating me to continue writing this chapter.
While chapter release will be much slower than the early days of this fic, I promise that this will be finished. I have pages and pages of notes detailing plot points and character interactions, and I don't want to waste them.
Next chapter preview
"Erm, would you like to go out with me today?"
"So, sir, why did you call for me?"
"Because I am running out of time."
"DO IT!"
"What...what have I done."
"Zeddy, we got an invitation from Lady Green Heart!"