Chapter 16 – A Duo of Ice & Hell
3rd Person POV
Meanwhile, in a world separate from Primp and Gamindustri…the situation isn't all that better, either. Much like the other two worlds, the sky in this one had turned into a deep blue space void. With pieces of land floating in its empty space. Looking as lifeless as an eternal soul.
This, of course, has caused monsters from Gamindustri to go on a wild rampage in this world. And most, if not all, have already been destroyed to the core.
There weren't people around. Most had fled to escape the monsters. Some did stay behind to fight against the monsters. But, aside from two people, they weren't having much luck.
"*growl*"
Case in point…this monster currently walking around the nearly destroyed streets of this kingdom.
It was probably looking for food…or something. We'll never know for sure because it can't talk. But it kept walking around. Sniffing the air every so often to search for its next meal.
"*sniff* *sniff* *snarly growl* *monstrous moan*"
"Here it comes. You ready?"
"Yeah. Ready when you are."
"Alright. Follow my lead."
"*confused monster moan* *growl* *long monstrous moan*" The monster thought it heard something. But after it looked around and couldn't find anything, it gave up and continued on its way.
That's when…
"NOW!"
"Tuono!"
*BZZZT*
"*loud painful roar* RAAAWWWGGGHH!" Suddenly, the monster was attacked with a lightning spell. And was paralyzed from head to toe. Unable to move.
"I got it struck down! You're up!"
"*confused growl*"
"You're finished now, you bastard! Metzelei Schlag!"
*POW*
"RAAAWWWGgghhh…"
The monster was then slammed so hard with a giant hammer. Sending it high up to the sky before evaporating into a cloud of digital smoke.
"Woah…nice one!"
"Heh. Thanks. Pretty sure that was my best strike yet!"
The cause of that sudden attack on the monster? It was just a pair of girls. Way powerful than what a first glance would give you.
Probably because…they're not from this world.
Lidelle's POV
"Geez, Blanc. I think you blew that one all the way to the freaking troposphere."
"Hey, can you blame me?! That ugly thing had it coming for what it's been doing around here!"
"Yeah…true."
I was currently talking to this girl named Blanc. Someone I had met after ending up in this other world for some reason. And from what she told me about herself, she's from a different world, too.
It was all…weird and confusing when I woke up. I remember Ridel and that dark blue girl sucking us up into that black hole. I should be dead right now…but…I'm not.
And the strangest of all…I seem to be the only one here. I couldn't find Amitie, Feli, Jarne, or Resta anywhere. I'm hoping that they're still alive somewhere.
Wherever that "somewhere" is…
As we continued looking at the sky and at our surrounding area, Blanc had transformed from having short sky-blue hair and crimson red eyes to having light-brown hair and dark-blue eyes.
Her outfit (which didn't change at all) was a short white & blue dress with a rather big short-sleeved coat over it. with gloves and boots matching the coat (though, the boots had a little white on them) and a puffy white hat on her head.
And finally…around her neck was a shiny crystal with a whole lot of power concealed inside of it.
I know what this crystal is. And how Blanc got her hands on one is still mind-baffling to me. But…more on that later.
"That seems to be the last of them for now." Blanc said to me. "Wanna head back?"
"Yeah. Doesn't look like we can do much out here now. This place is still in…well…y-you know."
"*sigh* Don't bother, Lidelle. I've pretty much gotten over it. Crying's not gonna do a damn thing about it. Now, I'll have to fight back to get my Lowee back."
"You say that…but are you really okay with it?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean…if my home was crumbled apart into tiny little pieces…hurting a lot of the people I care about to the point where some of them even die…and are now floating above our heads in this dark-blue space void…I would be pretty upset. I don't understand how you're so calm about it."
"*sigh* Well, Lidelle…let's just say that I've dealt with shit WAY worse than my entire nation crumbling to pieces."
"W-Worse than…THIS?" Now, I'll be perfectly honest…I really wanted to ask Blanc what these worse moments were. But seeing as how I sensed a depressed tone coming from her, I decided against it.
Plus, I'd rather not think of worse things than pieces of the ground shattering out of existence…
"Well…even so, this is still pretty bad. And since both of our worlds have been forced into it all…I'll do whatever I can to help you get your home back, Blanc. A promise made by a friend."
"Fr…Fr-Friend?" Blanc stuttered in shock. Her face actually grew brighter as she had a light blush written across it. But after looking away from me, she managed to get rid of it. "You really think I'm your…friend?"
"Of course. I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it."
"W-Wow…thanks, Lidelle. That means a lot." Blanc grew a small smile on her face.
"No problem, Blanc."
…
…
…
"Although, I gotta say…you do get a lot…angrier…when you're fighting. It's kinda scary."
"Oh, please. I'M scary?" Blanc then grew an exasperated look on her face. "What about you? Never did I think that I would be fighting alongside the Demonic Princess of Hell. Don't you think that's terrifying to a lot of people?"
"Well, my friends back home all seemed to be okay with it. And you didn't react at all when I told you."
"That's because I was mentally freaking out. You had me thinking that I died and went to Hell."
"Well, I do remember a few people having similar reactions when I told them…" I said with a light giggle as I rubbed the back of my head.
"So, I wasn't THAT far off then…" Blanc gained a huge sweatdrop.
*RINGTONE CHIME*
"Oh. That's probably her." I said as I took out my phone (yeah, it still works. I'm not sure how, but it does). "Hello?"
"Hey hey, girls! Just got word that you cleared out most of the area of monsters. Great work!" Said a female voice.
"Thanks. But you know, it would've been a hell of a lot easier if you helped us."
"Now if I would've done that, how would Blanny learn to control her new powers? I'm letting you two do all the work so that you could learn."
"What are you, a freaking teacher?" Blanc asked. "And don't call me Blanny, damnit!"
"Look, can we come back now?" I asked. "We're tired, hungry, and want to know what's going on already."
"Oh, alright. Fine. You two did a good amount for today. Come on back and I'll explain all. Plus, give you lunch."
"If we're talking lunch, can we have deluxe sub sandwiches with every meat, cheese, and vegetable known to mankind on it and toasted to absolute perfection? I haven't eaten anything since yesterday."
"With a request like that, it sounds like you haven't eaten in 10 freaking years…" The female voice said before hanging up.
"Okay, we're in the clear. Let's head back." I said to Blanc.
"*sigh* Finally. I could use a bath after all of this." Blanc then held the crystal around her neck in her hand and stared at it for a bit. "This crystal…never did I think it would contain this much power. It felt like I was completely reborn."
"You don't say…" I said with a nervous sweatdrop.
A Crystal Shard…here of all places. Why did THAT girl have one? And what did she mean when she said that it'll help Blanc out in the long run? I wonder…
The two of us soon reached this small palace that was near the center of this area. There, we met up with a few other people that were in this other world. Seemingly okay as they were just minding their own business.
As to who they are…Blanc seems to know two of them…
"We're back." Blanc said.
"Hey, Blanc! Lidelle! Check this out!" We were then greeted by one of the two people Blanc knew. This one being Ram, a young girl with hair and eyes the same color as hers. Wearing some kind of red ninja outfit with a red bow tying up her hair into an average-sized ponytail.
"What the…Ram, what's with the outfit?"
"Isn't it cool?! Nasos gave us these new clothes to wear! I feel like a total badass!"
"Hey…watch your language."
"You swear, too." I said. "A lot more than she does."
"Not the point, damnit!"
And you just proved my point…
"I like mine too, Blanc." Said another young girl named Rom, who also shared Blanc's hair and eye color. She was wearing a blue samurai outfit with a blue bow in her hair. Not really tying anything up. "It feels different from our regular clothes. Can we keep them?"
"Yeah, come on! Let us keep them, Blanc!" Ram said.
"Please~?" Both girls were now pleading with their older sister to let them keep the outfit they got on. As they both seem to really like it.
"Oh, what the hell…it's not like we have any other options at this point. You guys can keep the outfits."
"Yay!" Both girls cheered.
"Alright, Rom!" Ram said. "Now that we can keep these outfits, let's test out our new weapons!" She then pulled out this rather huge ninja star with sharp blades on each corner.
"Okay, Ram. I'm ready." Rom said as she pulled out a katana.
"H-Hey! Put those down!" Blanc yelled.
"Oh, no! Blanc's angry again! *giggle*"
"Run away. *giggle*"
"Hey! Listen to me, damnit! I SAID PUT THOSE THINGS DOWN!"
The two twins then ran off as Blanc gave chase to them both. They ran all across the palace going in and out of multiple rooms. While I just stood there and watch.
So, this is normal for them, huh? Glad I'm the younger sibling…
After getting tired of watching for a while, I went over to talk with another person who ended up here. Which just so happens to be…
"So, how are you holding up here?"
"Ribbit."
"*giggle* Well, I'm glad you're feeling alright."
To say that I was shocked to see Dongurigaeru here would be an understatement. Shortly before I met Blanc, Rom, and Ram, I saw him nearly being eaten by one of those weird-looking monsters roaming around here. I managed to rescue him…but man, that monster was tough.
Almost as tough as fighting Ouroboros…
"HA-HA! I GOT 'EM!" Blanc shouted out as she held the two weapons in one hand and the two twins in the other.
"Aw! Mean!" Ram whined.
"Meanie Blanc." Rom whined.
"Nice work, Blanc." I said while giving her a round of applause. "You really showed them who's boss."
"Ribbit!"
"You two could've helped, you know!"
"Well, I could've. But they're your sisters. You have way more experience in handling them. So, it makes the most logical sense to watch you do all the work. Right, Dongurigaeru?"
"Rib-ribbit!"
"Well, aren't you two a couple of smartasses…" Blanc grumbled with an exasperated look on her face.
"Well, isn't it lively in here…I sure missed this feeling."
Coming up to all of us was a girl named Nasos. A blue-eyed girl with pink hair…in a style of two long twintails ending with springs and a shooting star-shaped hairpin.
Her clothes contained a purple dress underneath a green mage's coat. And a pair of yellow boots that probably go way up to her upper thighs. Cause I can't see where they end from there.
N-Not that I'm trying to look up her dress or anything…
A-Anyway…and currently spinning on her finger was a green globe-like sphere. The insane power it has gives me chills from just looking at it. It may be because of it being an "other-worldly" thing…but not even the Crystal Shards or the Zodiac Stones ever gave me such chills.
Just…what IS that thing?
"You! Are you INSANE?! You can't just give two kids such dangerous weapons like these!" Blanc yelled at her.
"Huh? What's the big deal? They told me they use maces and staffs on a regular basis."
"That doesn't mean you can give them giant-ass ninja stars and long-as-hell katanas, you careless bitch!"
"Aw…this just shows that you really care for your sisters, Blanc." I said. "It's sweet."
"Ribbit!"
"I don't need your damn input!"
"Well, anyway…" Nasos spoke again. "…Now that everyone's here and the area's cleared of monsters for now, I can pull up my end of the deal."
"So, you're going to tell us what's going on?" I asked.
"A-And how to get back home?" Rom asked.
"And why did you give me a freaking Crystal Shard of all things?" Blanc asked.
"Yes, yes. One at a time. It's a lot to go through, though. So, I suggest you all get comfortable."
"Oh, in that case, let me go make my sandwich from earlier." I said as I got up from the floor.
"W-We don't have that many supplies to fulfill such a crazy request!"
"Don't worry, I won't use ALL of it. Maybe like…79.9% of it."
"That's still too damn much!"
"Seriously, Lidelle…do you even have a stomach?" Blanc asked me.
"*giggle* Maybe…" Was all I said with a teasing smile.
Blanc's POV
"I'm back."
"You sure took your ti…wh-what the…?" I froze in shock once I saw the monstrosity that is Lidelle's sandwich.
It's freaking taller than her!
"Whoa! That sandwich is HUGE!" Ram yelled with excitement.
"A-Are you really going to eat all of that, Lidelle?" Rom asked. "I-It looks rather dangerous."
"Don't worry, Rom. If there's one thing I can do better than playing Mario Kart is eating large potions of food. Time to eat!"
And then the five of us had the uncomfortable pleasure of watching Lidelle snarf down a sandwich that was nearly twice the size of her head with zero thoughts of slowing down.
"*BURP* Ah, that was good…"
"Woah…" Both Rom and Ram were completely amazed by the spectacle.
"So, uh…is she always like this?" I asked Dongurigaeru.
"Ribbit…" I couldn't understand what he said…but the fact that he gained a sweatdrop makes me believe that I was right.
This girl terrifies me for all the unusual reasons…
"My God, your appetite's scarier than those monsters…" Nasos mumbled to herself. "*clears throat* A-Anyway…now that everyone's all settled, time for the explanation."
"This oughta be good…" I mumbled to myself.
"First off…where you five ended up. This place…this world, really…is known as the Babylon Galaxy."
"The Babylon Galaxy…can't say I've heard of it." I said.
"Yeah, me neither." Lidelle added.
"That's because it's purposely hidden from other worlds. Blocked from sight…even from the most powerful of telescopes. And it's usually my job to keep this world hidden."
"Seriously? Wait, who are you, really?"
"To put it plain and simple…I am Nasos. Queen of the Stars. And with this orb known as the Star of Creation, I keep the constellations in order and out of danger. As well as control the power of the Zodiac itself."
"Th-The Zodiac? You mean the 12 astrological signs, right?"
"Yes, that's it. I'm surprised you know about them, Lidelle."
"Well…it was only recently. My friend Feli told me about it once. And then that same day, we met Resta."
"R-Resta?" Nasos gained a shocked look. "You mean the Scorpio Princess Resta? With the Zodiac Stone known as the Scorpio Citrine?"
"Yeah, that's her. You know her?"
"Of course. This is the world she came from."
"Woah…I'm in Resta's world…" Lidelle looked like her mind was in shock from hearing this part.
"Not to be rude or anything…" I spoke. "…but how does this Zodiac stuff relate to what's going on?"
"Oh, right." Nasos continued. "Well, you see…a few days ago, this world was invaded."
"Invaded?" We asked.
"Ribbit?"
"It was out of nowhere. A bunch of robots led by some purple cliché witch showed up and started destroying buildings in the Scarlet Kingdom, the kingdom Resta rules. She tried fighting them off. Even teamed up with the other princesses. But eventually, they convinced her to flee. That witch was after her Zodiac Stone specifically and a princess's number one duty is to protect that stone at all costs. And so, she took the chance she was given and fled from this world."
"And ended up in Primp Town…where she met me and my friends." Lidelle added.
"It was soon after that is when the other princesses lost the fight. With each other their Zodiac Stones stolen from them, the power was used with the witch's own power to bring the Babylon Galaxy out from hiding and start fusing with the worlds known as Primp Town and Gamindustri. Causing some areas to crumble and collapse due to the excessive amount of gravitational force being brought on by three separate worlds. It's extremely unstable at this point."
"Woah…"
"Ribbit…"
"I see…" I said as I thought on the matter. "…so all of this started with an invasion, huh? Led by a purple witch…"
"Blanc…" Rom said to me. "…that purple witch…do you think it's really…"
"*sigh* Yeah, Rom. I do. It's that nuisance bitch Arfoire again."
"Arfoire? Who's that?" Lidelle asked.
"She's this annoying old hag who keeps trying to destroy all CPUs and Gamindustri for no apparent reason." Ram said. "We've beaten her countless times and yet she never gives up! I bet she's the reason why Lowee's in fucking pieces right now!"
"Ram!" I yelled.
"What?! You know it's true, Blanc! It's 100% true! That mean old hag destroyed our home and killed our people! Lowee is GONE because of her! And you've been playing along like as if nothing freaking happened!"
"Tch! Th-That's not…"
"You were there! You saw everything! You saw how the ground was tearing apart into many pieces! You saw how buildings were crashing down on everyone! Rom and I saw it, too! We saw people being KILLED by the very land they lived on! The sight of it all…even now…it stills torments my mind and it'll continue to do so for the rest of my life!"
Ram then went dead silent. A rare thing for her to do. But then I saw tears run down her face and her body shake with absolute terror. Possibly from the memories of a day ago running through her mind.
"*sniff* S-So, why, Blanc…wh-why are you so calm about this? WHY AREN'T YOU FUCKING PISSED?!" And with that, Ram had finally broken into full tears. With Rom and Dongurigaeru trying to comfort her to the best they could.
Meanwhile…I said silent. Not knowing what to say.
Come on…say something! You know how she's feeling right now! You know it to the damn core! So just…say SOMETHING! You're her big sister, aren't you?! SAY SOMETHING!
"I…I'm going outside." I said in a sad mellow tone as I headed for the door.
"D-Don't you want to hear the rest?" Nasos asked.
"Maybe later. I'm not in the mood."
Damnit! That's not what you were supposed to say!
*LATER INTO THE NIGHT…*
"Here you are. Figured you were up here." Lidelle said to me as I was currently on the roof of the palace. Looking up at the multiple pieces of crumbled up ruins in the void-colored sky.
"How'd you know I was here?"
"Well…going up to the roof when you're sad is a pretty cliché thing to do. A lot of people do it for some strange reason."
"*sigh* Yeah, true."
That was pretty much it for that conversation. But as I kept looking at the sky, Lidelle came up and sat next to me. So, I knew that another one was coming up soon.
Might as well take the lead…
"So…how's Ram holding up?"
"Doing better. She went to sleep shortly after she stopped crying. Rom's with her for comfort."
"And what about Nasos and Dongurigaeru?"
"They're making dinner. I would've helped…but Nasos pretty much banned me from the kitchen after that sandwich I made earlier. She was pretty pissed with how much stuff I used."
With a sandwich like that, who wouldn't be? I gained a mental sweatdrop.
"I see…"
We then went back to stare at the sky again. The light breeze being the only noise currently roaming around the area.
…
…
…
"H-Hey…Lidelle…"
"What's up, Blanc?"
"What happened before…when Ram was crying about our home being destroyed…should I have said something?"
"Huh? Well…I-I'm not really sure. What do you mean by "say something"?"
"I mean…should I have told Ram the truth? How I am pissed that Lowee is gone."
"*sigh* So, you are upset about it…"
"Not just that. I'm…I-I'm also…*sniff* I'm also traumatized, Lidelle." I then…for the first time in who knows how long…I broke into tears.
"Traumatized? You?"
"I mean, who wouldn't be? I bared witness to it all…normal and innocent citizens being crushed to death…MURDERED, even…by the same place they called home. Th-There was so much…s-so much blood and tears…coming from the same people who were begging their CPU to rescue them. And I couldn't do a DAMN thing! I was too scared to! The monsters had us three almost slaughtered and my mind was filled to the brim with fear! If it wasn't for that star-shaped portal appearing in the nearby grasslands, we've all would've been killed with the rest of Lowee!"
…
"S-So, you could say…ending up here was a freaking lifesaver." I said softly after calming down only just a little.
"W-Wow…Blanc, I had no idea. But if that's how you truly feel about it, why couldn't you tell Ram that?"
"*sniff* W-Well…t-to be honest, I struggle to become close with my sisters. Like really hard. 9 times out of 10 I'm yelling at them for doing pranks or scribbling all over my manuscripts. I'm always alone…separated from them unless some crazy event happens thanks to a certain lilac-haired dumbass that I know of. So, there's rarely any bond between them and myself."
"I see…" Lidelle went silent for a bit. "…you know, Blanc. You remind me of me and my brother."
"H-Huh? You have a brother?"
"My older brother, Satan. The current Ruler of Hell. We're…not exactly all that close, either."
"How so?"
"Well…for me, I'm mostly living the life of a regular girl. With a few exceptions due to my title and all. My brother, on the other hand…" Lidelle then grew an exasperated look on her face.
"Is it really that bad?"
"Well, he doesn't take his job seriously most of the time and is often chasing after a girl I know of to become his fiancé. So, yeah. It's kinda that bad."
"Damn…no offense, Lidelle, but he sounds like a douchebag."
"Yeah, that's how a lot of people describe him as." Lidelle gained a sweatdrop. "But during the serious moments we have, he's always there for support. And it's because of that is why I love him despite his flaws."
"I see." I went silent for a bit. "S-So…if I admit my flaws…in this case, my trauma…to Rom and Ram, would my bond with them grow just a little?"
"Whose to say. The emotions of a human being are the most difficult things to comprehend. There's no telling how it'll end up."
"R-Right…" I grew a sad(der) look.
"But…"
"But?"
"But if you need any advice on how to do it, I'm fine with helping you out."
"Seriously? You'll help me?"
"Of course. Friends help each other, don't they?"
"Fr-Friends?" I froze in shock again. Hearing that come out of her mouth made me think of what was said earlier.
"…I'll do whatever I can to help you get your home back, Blanc. A promise made by a friend."
She really sees me as her friend, huh? But that word…why do I react with total shock whenever I hear it? Do I…Do I not have any friends? Am I just as much of a friendless loner as Noire? I never gave it much thought, but…if that's truly the case…
…
…
…
"You're right, Lidelle. Friends do help each other. And with that in mind, let's help each other all the way through. That fine with you?"
"You bet it is, Blanc. We'll help each other till the very end. As friends should."
We both shook each other's hand with the biggest smiles on our faces. Agreeing 100% that the two of us friends are going to fix this mess together. One way or another.
So, this is what the feeling of friendship feels like…Noire is seriously missing out.
It was a heartwarming moment and a good way to end this first chapter of us as friends.
But then…
"Ribbit ribbit! Ribbit ribbit!"
"Huh? Dongurigaeru, what's wrong?" Lidelle asked the frog as he hopped over to us in a fit of panic.
"Ribbit ribbit! Rib rib ribbit! Riiibbit! Ribbit! *puff* *puff* *puff*"
"Wh-What?! A-Are you serious?!"
"Ribbit!"
"Uh…what did he say?" I asked.
"Bl-Blanc…y-you're not gonna like this, but…Ram is missing."
"Wh-What…a-are you…"
…
"ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS?!"
TO BE CONTINUED…
Author's Note: The introduction of Lidelle & Blanc's side of the story. As the two girls bond with each other while fighting against the monsters in…Resta's world?
The name of Resta's world…being the Babylon Galaxy…comes from the Babylonians who created the Zodiac in the first place. So, using it as the name of the world made perfect sense.
Nasos is a character from Puyo Puyo Quest. The same game in which Resta and the other princesses (excluding Revati) are from. I've been wanting to use her for something for a while. And since her character is based on stars and constellations, I figured now was the best time. Plus, she's also one of my favorites.
And the outfits Blanc, Rom, and Ram are wearing are from various games in the Neptunia series. Blanc's is from Neptunia Virtual Stars (the latest spin-off in the series) and Rom & Ram's are from Cyberdimension Neptunia: 4 Goddesses Online. Just felt like changing their clothes and such. Like the others.
Thanks for reading. Later.