Chapter 7: End of Night, Breaking of Dawn I
"'Take what is yours, slay all that oppose you', that was the creed the old ones lived by. I promised myself I would not fall to the same lows, but that, among many other promises, were broken."-?
Zed POV
"I'll pass, thank you." I was waiting for him to start something, it was almost impossible for me to keep my composure during mine and Ganache's little chat, to not start a fight as soon as he showed his face, the plan be dammed! Here was a man who played a part in the Ascension project, who made those poor unfortunate souls, as well as Noire suffer so much! If not for the fact that I had to stall for time, I doubt that entire speel would have lasted as long as it did.
Numerous armed soldiers burst through the doors and windows, flooding the room in a sea of black. "Apologies gentleman, but I must ask you to leave." they did not, as expected. The first to attack was cut across the chest, the screech of metal was heard as sparks flew. (So, they are mechanical?) that made things even easier. One thing was evident almost immediately, the troops had numbers, they did not have strength, but they did have numbers. Each one I faced went down the second they were within my attack range.
I could see Ganache head in the direction of Chian's office and tried to intercept. However, I was quickly interrupted by one of the numerous soldiers within the building. (What an annoyance.) even more so was the fact that I was limited in what parts of my arsenal I could use, due to the more confined space and wanting to avoid property damage. "out of the way!" I shouted, dashing in Ganaches' direction and continuously slashing forwards with my luminous blade.
Once again numerous soldiers were cut down, and numerous more took their place. At the very least I was closer, but not close enough. (Any ideas?) (Try creating spikes under their feet, that should immobilise them. Focus and imagine spikes appearing from the ground and piercing them.) I was quick to do as Rex suggested, I could feel the familiar energy of Golden Trillion build up and disperse, the energy forming numerous spikes across the entire ground floor that stabbed through all the soldiers in the building.
The upside was clearly evident, I could get pass them, the downside however was that even more robotic soldiers appeared, these ones having levitation devices that allowed them to float just above the spikes, and towards me. My first thought was to make the spikes taller, but my control over Golden Trillion was not precise enough to do so selectively, meaning I would trap myself if I did so. (Why can't I do it?) (You lack experience and control.) I could only agree to Rex's statement, seeing as I lacked the time to question it.
Acting quickly, I ran towards Chian's office, unfortunately coming in second in mine and Ganache's little race. When I entered the office, I saw Chian being pinned to a wall, unconscious, spears being pierced through her clothes. There was a soldier next to her, the automaton holding a spear to the woman's neck.
"Ganache!"
"Oh, you still live? A pity." he spoke with a grin. He was in front of Chian's computer, I didn't need to be a genius to understand what he was doing.
IF POV
We were getting close to exiting the city. The plan was to get Noire and ourselves to Leanbox, seeing as the land of green pastures was the closest to Lastation at this time of year. Part way through however, Neptune decided to go rogue. "you girls get Nowa outa here, imma' go help Zeddy." she said. "No Nep, stick to the plan." we had a plan for a reason, "I'll go with you Nep-Nep!" not you too Compa! "Are you not listening? I said stick to the plan!" I swear, dealing with those two, it's like dealing with children.
"But Zeddy could be in trouble!" Compa spoke. "didn't he give us those crystals? If he was in any danger, he said he'd teleport straight to us." "What if he was KO'd? Then he wouldn't be able to!" Neptune suggested, and as much as I hate to admit it, she had a point. But still. "we can't just abandon the plan!" "sure we can!" "Neptune has a point." Noire decided to speak up, probably feeling left out. (Girl is tsundere as heck.) "I'm not made of glass y'know, besides, you and Compa should be more than enough to get me to Leanbox." why did she have to make a good point? "Fine, Nep you go help Zed. Compa, you stay with me."
I could feel the nurse pout at being left out.
"Alrighty then! Buh-bye!" and she was off.
Wait, did she forget that she can teleport straight to him using the crystal?
"Hey Nep!" it was no use; she had gotten too far away to hear me. (That girl can be fast when she wants to.) there was a period of awkward silence once Neptune was out of sight. (Come to think of it, Noire hasn't really talked to Compa and I much.) "So, uh, Compa, what do you do for fun?" said awkward silence was cut short, as Noire spoke again, deciding now of all times would be a great time to start a conversation. "Really Noire?" "i-it's a genuine question!" the next few minutes of walking was joined by a three-way conversation between Compa, Noire and I.
*chirp*
...and Suzaku, seriously, what kind of creature was he?
Zed POV (play Azure Striker Gunvolt OST- Envious Necromancer)
"Why do this? Why cause so much pain and suffering? Those were innocent lives you played with!" I shouted; words driven by a confused rage. "For the sake of research and to further my lady's goals of course! Human subjects give very good results." was that it? "is that all? Mere goals? What sort of goal is worth putting so many through such inhumane experiments! What the fuck is so important that you treat the lives of the innocent as goddammed playthings!" despite my scathing tone,his face still held a mocking smirk, probably being ecstatic at getting such a vulgar response out of me.
The nerve!
"Hmph, a heretic such as you could never understand." "Is that so?" what a piece of shit. "Though I suppose I could satiate your curiosity, you are quite the interesting specimen, after all." I felt my very soul shudder. "My organisation desires to bring back the old ones, the true deities of old! My lady shall make them all submit to her will, so that they may serve her every whim!" was this bastard insane? "And you think that's a good idea? That your precious 'lady' has the power to make all of the old ones subservient?" his fucking smirk widened.
"Why of course! Those four beings you call goddesses are nothing in comparison to my fair lady." (This...this... idiot!) he really believed that. "Really? Then I suppose if this lady of your is so powerful, you wouldn't mind telling me her name, after all what can a mere 'heretic' such as I do?" I was beyond furious at the monster that stood before me, but I wasn't so blind as to give up an opportunity to learn more about my enemy. With any luck he would be arrogant enough to tell me. "Hmm, I suppose I could humour the wish of a soon-to-be dead man." he replied. (Thank fuck for arrogance.)
"Arfoire."
…...what!?
"That is my lady's name."
"But she's dead, I killed her?!"
"As If someone such as you could kill a deity! Foolish boy, full of oneself is what you are!" the tip of my blade pointed towards him, I had just about enough of this farce. "don't be hasty now, any closer, and I'll have my subordinate over there slice that woman's throat. Surely you wouldn't want to cause the death of an innocent human now, would you?" he was right, I hated it, despised it to my very core...but he was right. While I could summon two more blades, telekinetically control them, and potentially get rid of the overhanging threat, I didn't have the confidence in my own reaction time to risk Chian getting killed. "What do you want?" the anger, the absolute fury I felt was reaching the upmost limit, but I had to control myself. "Simple boy, give me back what is mine."
…
…
…
What
Did
He
Say!?
Two blades of vengeful light were summoned, the soldier threatening Chians' life was killed. I lunged towards the creature in front of me. In a single swing his left arm was separated from his body.
"Say that again, I fucking dare you." how dare he think Noires' life belongs to him, how dare he think so little of life. How dare he think himself just!
"AAAAGGHHHH!"
Blood splattered over me
I shouldn't of took any amount of pleasure from his scream.
Yet I did.
"You...you monster!" methinks the insect doth protest too much.
"Shut up." head and neck separated, dispersing into abyssal ash.
…
…
...
"...Zed?... what happened." Chian woke up, amber met blue-green, innocent eyes meeting broken ones. Euphoria, guilt, panic and worry. All at once. Blurred vision, pain,
Then darkness.
Neptune POV
The journey to Chian's took a wee bit longer than I expected. (Curse my low agility stat!) When I arrived, the place was completely surrounded by countless identical people wearing all black. these must have been Avenirs' goons! (Bad guys detected!)I quickly whipped out my sword and got to work. "Sorry underlings, but I got a pudding supplier to save!" (wait a minute, if I save Zeddy, would he buy me as much pudding as I wa-) "Hey! no attacking out of turn, mister!" one of the goons tried hitting me while I was lost in thought, the meanie!
I cut him across the chest, causing sparks to fly and a screeching sound to be heard. (Are they robots?...Neat!) that meant I didn't hafta worry about holding back. "Wheee!" slicin' and dicin' all the robots was a heckton of fun. Sadly, the author must have hated me, as they just kept on coming, no matter how many I cut down. (This calls for more power methinks!) and more powah there was! "32-bit mega blade!" a super mega awesome sword of absolute coolness appeared and crashed into the ground at ludicrous speed, absolutely decimating the competition!... and the front of Chian's restaurant. (Oops.)
Hopefully she'd accept it as the price for saving her...what do you mean no!? Nep is innocent of this crime!
….
Anyway. "Time to rescue the Zedster!" since the front of Chian's place was destro-I mean cleared out! The place was easy scan over. Unfortunately, a wild Zed did not appear. "Oh Zeddy! Zackery! Zamacral! Where are yooouuuu!" before I could get too desperate, and resort to using my secret weapon, Chian's voice rang out. "Neptune, over here!" her voice was coming from her office. "imma coming!" I moved so fast, sanic the hoghedge would be jealous. "Hey Chia-" she was on the floor, holes pierced through her clothes, cradling an unconscious Zed in her arms.
"What happened." "I...Ganache was here, he tried to threaten me into giving him my computer, then Zed showed up, and Ganache got one of his soldiers to put a spear to my neck to prevent Zed from acting." "What happened afterwards, where is Ganache, is he the reason why Zed is like that?" he was covered in a crimson liquid... blood. (Please let that not be his.) "Zed handled Ganache...the blood is not his own." that was a relief beyond describing, I had seen Zed injured before, I didn't ever want to see it again.
"Why is he unconscious?" I asked. "I don't know, after dealing with Ganache, he just collapsed." maybe he was just tired? He probably had to deal with a lot of Ganache's soldiers before dealing with Ganache himself. "at least he's safe." (I don't know if I could have handled things if he wasn't) a teasing smirk appeared on her face. "Heh, forgot about me, have you? How rude." I could tell she was intentionally wording it that way to try and lighten the mood, and it worked. To an extent.
"Naw, you can just walk it off missy, bein' conscious an all that." from the looks of things, Chian was completely fine. Tis' but a flesh wound! If even that. "Heh, fine. Just don't expect any discounts when this is over with." wait...she couldn't possibly include-" especially on pudding!" that monster! "Noooo, don't do that!" she laughed like a madwoman, what a meanie! "Protect me while I carry Zed out of here, and maybe I'll think about forgetting to do such a thing." "Deal!" pudding was on the line, no way I was going to risk it!
The path out was clear. (For now, at least.) though our movements were slower than normal thanks to Chian having to carry Zeddy. "Hurry up, slowpoke!" I couldn't help but tease. "You try carrying him then, see how fast you walk!" despite her tone, she was smiling good naturedly. There was a few more moments of that sweet banter, before we were interrupted.
*BZZT*
It was another robot, however this one was much bigger than the human-sized ones I fought through earlier. It still had a human-like form but was a bit blockier. "Divinity detected. Activating purge protocol." it spoke, its 'eyes' turned bright red. The sound of gears shifting was heard, followed by the robot in front of us summoning a mechanical sword and shield. "Activating barrier." a blue oval-like structure with hexagonal patterns appeared and surrounded it. "Geez, all this much for lil'ole me?" I joked. Chian however, didn't seem nearly as pleased.
"Now's not the time for messing around kid, destroy that hunk of junk so we can get out of here!" she said. "Yes Ma'am!" I dashed towards the large robot and slashed at its legs.
!
Before I got close enough to hit it, it slashed at me with its own sword, making me use the flat side of my blade to block the strike. "Geez RoboCop, what did they feed you, extra strong Robo-steroids?" the hit delivered by discount android 16 was hefty indeed! Making me have to use most of my strength just to stop it. "Guess I can't mess around." using my full strength I batted away the robot's sword, and jumped backwards, creating some distance.
"Iiitttssss Henshin time!"
A beam of light enveloped my body as I began to assume my goddess form, divine strength filled my body. "I'll show you the power of a goddess!"
Zed POV (play Azure Striker Gunvolt OST- As The Earth Fades Away)
(What...happened?) I was within my mind, that much I could tell, as for why exactly I was there, I did not know. (You snapped. You got so angry at Ganache that you killed him, then passed out due to shock.) I...what!?
Then it hit me
Pure anger so great that I felt nothing but. Satisfaction at Ganache being wounded by my hands, and finally getting what he deserved. Chian's voice ringing out, my eyes meeting her confused ones and snapping me out of my rage.
And guilt for what I had done.
Though its existence did confuse me. He was an absolute monster, someone who caused so many to suffer horrific fates. He even had the gall to believe that their lives belonged to him, as if they were mere pets. He was affiliated with Arfoire, someone who was going to murder Coma, IF, Neptune, and myself for no reason whatsoever!
So why did I feel guilty?
(Perhaps that's just who you are? The taking of a life is never easy, certainly for someone such as you who has never had to deal with such a thing until now, a reaction such as this is expected.) he... had a point. Maybe I was just overthinking things? Still, identifying the 'why' of my emotions did not prevent the guilt from existing. Did I do the right thing? I believe it to be 'yes' in the eyes of most. Was Ganache an irredeemable monster who lacked sympathy, empathy and humanity? Yes.
Did I enjoy ending his life, did I take pleasure in his death?... also yes.
However, that was then, but now? Now i hated this feeling. The knowledge that I had to take a life. Perhaps the feeling would fade with time? I would need to wait to find out. (what's the status of my body?) I had an idea, but it would be nothing but beneficial to get a second opinion. (You should be perfectly fine, if a little stressed. It should only be a matter of time before you awaken.)
With my worries, at least for now, taken care of, I decided to ask some questions. (Earlier you mentioned that I lacked experience and control with Golden Trillion, could you elaborate on that subject? Surely if I can conjure up an entirely functioning wing as well as sharp, durable swords, the matter of control should be a non-issue?) I was curious, I knew Rex had never lied to me before, but I was a tad bit confused.
(Your almost instinctual creation of the kings' blades as well as the suns' wing, are more than likely mine own doing. They were my creations after all. Perhaps my presence in your soul made their creation far easier? With you having my soul, while also being weaker than me, the smaller size of the blades could also be explained. After all, when I was alive, the blades I created were far larger in size.)
Discounting how his last few sentences could have easily turned into a 'that is what she said' joke, that Neptune might say, what he said made sense. (So then, the creation of those spikes was more difficult to both make and control, due to them being an original creation of mine, instead of being something you had created in the past?)
(Yes. Though I believe should you continue to create original constructs, your control over Golden Trillion should greatly increase. Not even I had perfect control over the Septima when it first manifested itself in me.)
(Well, I suppose that's one mystery solved.) I thought that was the end of the conversation, and that I would spend the rest of the time waiting to wake up, but it appeared Rex himself had questions.
(What drives you forward? if you don't mind me asking.) well that was certainly different. (Why do you ask?) I replied. (Mere curiosity, I suppose. Our situation is quite unique indeed.) curiosity hmm? (Them.) my answer was simple, that single word described all that mattered. (You mean those girls? Oh my, what a skirt chaser you are! Reminds me of myself during my own adolescent years.) I felt more than a little offended, I was not a skirt chaser! (I am not!) (Correct me if I am wrong, but haven't you flirted with everyone within that little group of yours?)
…
...
Huh, I did, didn't I? (It wasn't intentional, I just did it out of reflex!) Rex appeared to take a moment to think about my...thoughts? before replying. (I suppose that might be my doing also, with you essentially being close to a blank canvas as one can be, it is not too farfetched to presume some of my personality has 'rubbed off' on you, as they say.) well, I suppose that explained things. (…. anyway, do you understand now? They are all I have in this world, is it so peculiar that I hold them in such high regard?)
(I suppose not, though I feel the need to warn you that if you desire to keep those girls safe, you will have quite the fight on your hands. They were to be this world's light, ergo they would be forced into combating the forces of darkness regardless.) his last sentence was slightly concerning, to say the least. (But why? Why must they fight?) I got only a single word as an answer.
(According to the forces that be. Balance.)
Before I could question him on his answer, I awoke.
Neptune POV (play Xenoblade Chronicles 3 OST- A Formidable Enemy)
"Haaah...haaaaahhh." Oh boy was I tired, The hunk of junk in fronta me was just not lettin' up! Every hit I tried to land was blocked by that barrier-thingy. "Hax!...I call...hax..." gee wilikers, I couldn't even make witty comments correctly! "Stop messing around Neptune and scrap that thing!" I heard Chian say. "Rodger Dodger, Chi-Chi!" ignoring how tired I was, I dashed once more towards the Transformers reject; blade extended outwards. "Try this on for size!"
I slashed downwards diagonally. "Victory-" I rotated my blade so that it mirrored my previous slash and prepared to swing upwards. "sla-"
!
(oh poop.)
Before the move could be finished, my precious Sword-Chan broke, snapping in half and returning to its original form, a generic steel blade. "Sword-Chan no!" I glared at the Jaeger wannabe. "you monster! she was innocent!" (Alas poor Sword-Chan, you will be missed.) "Well, I suppose now is as good a time as any. Hey Neptune, catch!" before I could mourn the loss of my precious weapon any longer, Chain threw a sword at me, which, fortunately for her, I managed to catch. "Careful Chi-Chi, I almost became a Nep skewer!"
when I turned to look at her, she had a smug smile on her face...the meanie! "Well, you didn't." (it looks like someone won't be getting spared the full wrath of Ne-)
I quickly brought my new weapon upwards in order to block a strike from my enemy.
"Woah there buddy, ever hear of turn etiquette?" I batted away its blade and slashed at its' sword arm, this time actually managing to push the robot away slightly. "Sword-Chan, you've been replaced. New sword, I dub thee Edge-Kun." the newly christened 'Edge-Kun was awesome! The totally hax barrier surrounding the scrap heap appeared to go slightly transparent, leading me to believe this new sword of mine was suuuppperrr special. "Holy moly Chi-Chi, what is this gizmo made of?" I couldn't help but ask.
"oh y'know a bit of this, and a bit of that, also some magic-absorbing mythril. Come to think of it that barrier is probably made up of magic, hence why the sword made it go transparent." thankfully for any of the confused readers out there, Chi-Chi was there to explain what was happening. (Now for some payback!) "This is for Sword-Chan!" I cried mournfully, abandoning any and all forms of defence and launching myself at the robot, slashing with wild abandon. "Error, barrier down. Initiating defence protocol." it spoke, placing its shield in front of itself. (As if that could stop me!) "RULES OF NATURE!" I slashed right through the shield, splitting it perfectly in half. Before I could finish the job however, the robot spoke again. "Error, shield down, initiating Assault mode." the shifting sound of moving gears was heard as the thing began to change form.
"there's a second phase? Curse you Miyazaki!" its new form was sleeker than before, obviously putting its defence stat at a big fat zero. (at least this way it'll be easier to slice an' dice it.) "COME AT ME BRO!"
Third person POV- IF Compa, and Noire
The other three waifu-I mean main characters, were having a long, deep, and meaningful conversation on their way to Leanboxes' shore. "what's your favourite colour? Noire?" Compa asked. "i have three, those being black, white and red." as I said, meaningful. "Did you girls forget I was here?"…...and IF was there.
After a while of the three girls asking each other even more deep, and meaningful questions, IF decided to speak up.
"How do you think Zed and Neptune are doing?" IF asked, changing the tone of the conversation into something more serious. "Nep-Nep and Zeddy will be A-okay, they're really strong after all!" Compa replied, ever the optimist. "Besides, even if they get hurt, I'll be there to heal them, I even brought my bandages!" she continued, making both IF and Noire shiver in fear. Neptune had not spared the two the dreaded tale of Compa and her 'bondages' after all.
"i agree with Compa." Noire said. "Zed has proven to be one of the strongest people I know." she continued, unknowingly putting herself into a trap. "i don't think that's nearly as much as a compliment as you think it means." IF responded. "what's that supposed to mean!?" Noire asked. "Well apart from him, I don't think you've seen anyone else fight. Me and Compa for example." the windwalker replied. "Huh, for a second, I thought you were about to make a joke about me having no friends." the goddess of Lastation stated, with no small amount of surprise.
"of course not! …...I'll leave that job to Nep; goddesses forbid I steal her role." If replied a- matter-of-factly.
Zed POV
The first sense I connect to when I woke up was touch, and therefore all the uncomfortableness that came with it. (Why do I feel so...stiff.) thankfully sight was the next sense to return to me, therefore I was quick to realise just 'what' exactly was causing me discomfort. "Solid ground, lovely." then I heard a voice, it was Chian. "Yeah well, sorry I didn't have any beds, your 'majesty'." ah yes, sarcasm. "now now, there's no need to take such a tone Chian." her only reply was a witty smirk.
*BOOM*
My attention was immediately drawn to my right, wherein an awesome sight lied. There was an explosion, of which Neptune-in her transformed form-was seen walking slowly away from. When the explosion died down, a massive heap of metal was seen at its epicentre. "i do believe I have missed something truly spectacular." after transforming back, the purple-haired goddess was quick to reply. " ya darn right." she said, a huge smug grin on her face. "Quite. By the by, what did I miss exactly?" it was Chian who responded.
"The kid here-" she pointed her thumb in Neptune's direction. "-Took care of the rest of Avenirs' minions, including a giant robot." well now, wasn't that impressive. Then again, she did always have much more stamina than I did. (Note to self: buy her some pudding next time I have the chance to...and when I secure the funds.) lacking money was a terrible thing indeed. "Wait... what happened to my store!?" Chian shouted, causing me to take a look around. Indeed, the entire front of Chians' place was nothing but rubble.
We both stared at Neptune
"i resent that! I've committed no crimes!" Neptune said, clearly responsible, but not wanting to deal with the consequences. (Maybe scratch the whole 'giving Neptune pudding' idea.) she was more than likely going to be severely punished, and all things considered, she deserved it. (What kind of goddess causes so much property damage?) the purple-haired girl seemed to try to hold something in, before eventually relenting. "I've committed crimes!"
(Oh my dear Neptune, we already know.) "Neptune..." Chain started, no doubt about to dish out a horrendous punishment, that would forever dissuade the goddess from ever again committing such atrocities. "...you owe me for that." …...what? that was it? "Nooo-wait what? …. really?" the purple-haired girl appeared to share my surprise. "Really." Chian replied. "Considering I could have died if not for you, a lenient punishment is nothing." I suppose it made sense. "And as for you."
The former shop owner walked over to me, and...gave me a hug? (Hmm, well that was unexpected.) "Huh!? Wait, hands off missy, he's mine!" Neptune shouted indignantly. And, after a few more moments, Chian ended the embrace. "Relax kid, I'm not going to steal him from you." (didn't know Neptune was so possessive.) "You better not, he's my Pudding supplier!" (Ouch, my poor heart. Oh, why must you be so cruel, dear Neptune.) "Well, as much as I'd like to continue this conversation, I do believe we have other people to talk to." Neptune's eyes widened.
"Oh snap, the others!" she shouted.
Third person POV- Compa, IF and Noire
The three girls were playing a game of UNO on the grassy shores of Leanbox whilst waiting for their dear friends' return. "Do you think they've forgotten about us?" Compa asked, clearly concerned. "I don't think so. Nep may be forgetful, but she isn't that forgetful." IF replied, while Noire cried in despair at the brown-haired girl using a +4 when it was her turn next.
Zed POV
"Come on Zeddy, faster, the snails are catching up!" Neptune shouted. "Neptune I would move faster if you didn't insist I carry you." after bringing up the fact that we had to reach the others, the purple-haired girl decided to immediately jump onto my back. While I would not usually complain about such a thing, especially now that Neptune had a reason, being that she was tired after fighting 'that cheatin' robutt!'-her exact words. However the fact that she complained about me being slow at the same time, was something that made the experience far more difficult.
"aren't you the super OP male protagonist? Carrying a delicate maiden such as me should be easy!" there she goes again with the references. "I have no qualms carrying you, but I ask that you please cease the complaints. Lest I grow weary of hearing you." her response was immediate. "Heresy! I'm the main female lead." I kept quiet after that, it was not as if she would listen anyway, though I suppose that trait of hers had its charms... food for thought I suppose. "are we there yet?" "no." "are we there yet?" "again, no." "are we-" "no!" …...never mind.
Eventually, after an unspecified, but dreadfully long time, the three of us reached the outskirts of Lastation. Wherein Neptune and I decided to say our goodbyes to Chian. "Bye Chi-Chi, totes sorry about your restaurant!" Chians' eye twitched. "Goodbye Chian, best of luck to you." I spoke. "See you later, make sure to return at some point, yeah? I'll have my restaurant back in no time!" the shop owner responded. With our goodbyes said, we started our journey across the lowered bridge that temporarily connected Lastation and Leanbox.
At least we were supposed to. "'Radiant Prince' Zed I have an invitation for you." the one who spoke looked suspiciously like the shop assistant that Noire and I met on our outing. She handed me a letter, then left. (How curious...) "well, that was random...annnyywaaay, what's the letter say? Come on, open it!" Neptune said, ever impatient. Opening the letter, its' contents read as such: ''Radiant Prince' Zed, I wish to talk, bring Lady Black Heart.' the rest of it was directions of some kind, followed by a 'kind regards.' and a name: 'Singe'.
Now the question was, who was this 'Singe', and how did he know about Noire? "Any ideas on who this 'Singe' person is?" "Nope." Neptune replied, as Chian decided to refrain from answering. (Well, that complicates things. What do you think of all this, Rex?) he, as always, was quick to respond. (Considering that the messenger was someone who we know was kind to Noire, it might not be a trap, this 'Singe' person could be an ally. Something we are in short supply of. I recommend summoning Noire over here and going through with what the letter says.) and with that, I had my answer.
"Neptune, teleport to the others, then tell Noire to teleport to me." the purple-haired girl looked shocked. "We can do that!?" (Did...did she forget?) (It seems so.) "Yes. Focus on the others, the energy in the crystal I gave you should resonate with the ones I gave them, focus on that, and you'll be with them in an instant." she must have done as I said, as she was nowhere to be seen a split second later. Not much longer after that, Noire appeared. "You rang?" she said, and I gave her the letter. "My my, not going to ask how I am? How rude." the black-haired girl only smiled. "Neptune said you were fine; besides I knew you would be okay; my prince shall not fall so easily." she replied. (Oh my, she's getting better at this.) Rex said. (Indeed, I am quite proud of her.)
Normally Noire would act 'all tsun-tsun' as Neptune would say, the fact that she didn't showed progress. "What do you think of this?" I asked, handing Noire the letter. "Seems fishy, but it asks for us both and has no threats written in it. I'm fine with going." she replied. "Well then, shall we get going, my lady?" the black-haired girl giggled cutely. "Indeed, we shall, my prince."
CHAPTER END
A third voice speaks.
New intentions perhaps?
Or does the darkness wish to take back the light?
AN: Since no one appeared to dislike the AN's, I decided to keep them in for future chapters, as it allows me to communicate with all of you somewhat.
I loved writing Neptune's dialogue, the fact that I don't have to worry about sticking to a refined speech pattern helps a lot, also references!
Also, on an unrelated note, who else is pissed that the steam version of SVS got censored? In a game where you can see the main characters' Knickers when she jumps, apparently swears are a no-no. That's not including the censoring of 'bastard sword' to 'brute sword', do the people at IF and Compile Heart not know history? bastard sword is an actual classification of sword!
Who is the censorship for anyway? Kids aren't the ones who play Neptunia!
…. anyways.
Thank you all for reading. the fact that there are at least some people who seem to enjoy what I write, despite my lacklustre talent, is something that warms my heart.
Finally, if any of you don't like the AN's and preferred them to be absent from future chapters, or have any questions that aren't too spoiler-y feel free to PM me.
Preview
"Welcome Lady Noire, you too, Sir Zed, thank you for agreeing to meet with me, especially considering I know you hold no love for Avenir."
"Tell me, do you still believe in Black Heart?"
"It matters not how many there are, we cannot afford to fail!"
"just die already!"
"Illuminate the world, Golden Trillion! Erase this blanket of shadows with the purest light!"
