Chapter 30 – Birth of a Parasite

Blanc's POV

"*moan* This is bad, Blanc. This is really really bad…"

"Lidelle…just get over it already." I said to her as the two of us, along with Neva, were sitting on the roof of Neva's palace.

"Get over it?! Are you mad?! I can't get over something like this! This is a catastrophic crisis on its own level! The biggest threat of my life!"

"Oh, please. Get a grip, will you? Missing a week's worth of Mario Kart is not the end of the world."

"You're just saying that because you still got books to read…" Lidelle pouted.

"*sigh* Aw, geez…"

Never would've thought that the Demonic Princess would be such a Mario Kart addict…

"Um…so, what exactly is this "Mario Kart"?" Neva asked.

"Wh-What is MARIO KART?!" Lidelle yelled in complete shock. "Are you serious?!"

"I'm truly serious. I've never heard of it before."

"No way…well, don't worry, Neva. I'll just give you a quick rundown on the entire history of Mario Kart! It should take about 5 hours at the most!"

"Wh-What?"

"Neva, you just waved your death flag…" I said with a sweatdrop.

It's been about two days since that near-death fight with Ridel. And honestly...I don't remember much of it. I can only recall up to when the weather suddenly got colder. After that...everything is a total blur.

The next thing I knew, I was lying in a bed. Bandaged up on most of my body and wearing more casual clothes. And it turned out that we had all taken shelter at Neva's palace. In an area known to her as the Celadon Kingdom.

...

Come to think about it...the more I think about that day, there is one thing I can fully remember. Using that Crystal Shard to transform into...wh-whatever that form was. To feel that much power all at once...I'm still shocked that I managed to control it all. Especially after that damn lie Ridel spat out.

To know that Ram was never killed in the first place...at least I can put that worry behind me...

"And then 2005 came when the series made a HUGE change by introducing Retro Tracks..."

"Lidelle, cut it out." I said to her after realizing that she was STILL talking about Mario Kart. "You're being annoying at this point and Neva looks lost as hell."

"Oh, come on. I haven't even gotten to the part were Mario Kart Wii had an ENTIRE Mission Mode completely scrapped. That's like a historic moment in gaming."

"L-Lidelle, please...I think I've heard enough." Neva said.

"Okay, then...so, are you willing to play some Mario Kart with me later?"

"Um...I'm more of a Kirby Air Ride person myself."

"Ah, what?! But people only care about ⅓ of that game!"

"It's still fun to me. People really need to stop treating it as "City Trial: The Game"."

"We would if the controls weren't bad."

"You just suck at it..." Neva pouted.

"What?!"

I didn't know Kirby had a racing game... I thought to myself.

"Geez...here you three are." We then heard Nasos' voice as she had opened the window leading to the roof. "What is it with you other-worlders and sitting on the roof?"

"It's more of a cliché than anything." I said. "We just do it for the gags."

"Right..." Was all she said about it. "...Anyway. I've got some new info about the situation going on. So, if you girls wanna hear it..."

"Will this info help me get back home?" Lidelle asked. "It's been close to a week since I've been stuck here and I'm pretty sure everyone's worried about me."

"I get that. And I may have something that could work. Though, I'm not really sure about it yet."

"*sigh* Anything will do at this point."

Oh, yeah...I kinda forgot that there are two other worlds currently being dragged into this mess from Hell. Lowee may be gone at this point...but there's still the Babylon Nebula and Lidelle's world of Primp Town.

...

...

...

"Hey, Lidelle. If we do find a working way to get to your world...you mind if I come with you?"

"Huh? You wanna tag along?" Lidelle asked with a look of pure shock.

"Sure. I mean, why not? There's nothing we can do about Lowee right now. The next best thing is to figure out how to get to Primp Town from here."

"I agree." Neva said. "Finding a way to access Primp Town would be the most beneficial at this point."

"That's true..." Lidelle went silent for a bit. "...I'm just shocked that both of you are willing to help."

"You thought we wouldn't?" I asked.

"Well, what I mean is...the more I thought about these past few days...how Ridel destroyed Lowee, nearly killed Ram, and brought this world to the brink of ruin...just to get back at me...I kinda feel like this whole mess is my fault."

"Your fault?" I then went silent for a bit.

Come to think about it...that Ridel girl was only after Lidelle. The rest of us were only in the way. Despite her working with Kurome of all people.

...

But even then...

"Lidelle...quit believing that crap. No way in hell is this your fault."

"Huh? B-But what about..."

"Look, I know Ridel's responsible for what happened to Lowee. But she's doing it with Kurome. If it weren't for her, none of this would be even happening. So, it's really her demented ass I'm mad at. And I won't stop until I personally see her six feet under!"

I then took some time to calm down.

"But...until that happens...I might as well help my friend save her world. So that it won't be a repeat of what happened to my home."

"Blanc..."

"I completely agree with Blanc." Neva said. "I wish to help my new friends restore their worlds. And take down the villains responsible for it all."

"Neva..."

"You see? We're in this together." I continued. "So, quit blaming yourself and let's go kick some evil ass. You get me?"

Lidelle stayed silent for a good while...then broke into a small laugh as she gained a small smile on her face.

"Yeah...I get ya. Let's go crush them all! *giggle*"

Wow...that was the first motivational speech I've ever given. I'm shocked that it worked so well...

"Well, now..." Nasos said. "...now that everyone's feeling better about this, how's about we start discussing how exactly we get to Primp Town from here."

"Oh, right. I kinda forgot about that."

"Um...Lady Nasos. Since Blanc's awake now, should we tell her about...that?" Neva asked.

"That?" Nasos then gained a panicked look on her face. "A-Aw, crap! You mean that! Why did you have to bring that up, Neva?"

"She has the right to know, Lady Nasos. Especially after what you told us."

"Ugh...yeah, you're right."

"Uh...hey. What are you guys talking about?" I asked.

"Well...it's best if you saw it for yourself." Was all Lidelle said to me.

Why do I have a bad feeling about this?


The four of us went back inside after spending close to an hour on the palace's roof. And the first thing we saw was C-Sha seemingly having a conversation with Dongurigaeru.

And I say "seemingly" because...

"Ribbit ribbit ribbit. Ribbit rib-ribbit. Ribbit. Ribbit ribbit ribbit. Rib."

"Wow...you went through all of that and STILL won? You're a lot stronger than you look, little guy."

"Rib-ribbit!"

Wh-What the...how is she able to understand him?

"So, it's just you two here? Where are the kids?" Nasos asked.

"Rom and Ram are off playing with Chu." C-Sha said. "The three of them are really getting along with each other."

"Well, it makes sense since they're similar in ages." Lidelle said.

...

...

...

"Wait...how old ARE you guys?" She then asked me.

"Uh...o-old enough?"

"What does that even mean?"

"W-Well, I know I'm an adult! Otherwise, I wouldn't be the ruler of an entire nation!"

"I'm 15 and I rule an entire kingdom." Neva said.

"Wh-What?!"

"No way! You're 15?! We're the same age, Neva!" Lidelle cheered.

"Really? Wow...you certainly don't look 15, Lidelle."

"Yeah, I get that a lot. Mainly because it's usually my age in human years. In demon years, my age would be..."

"H-Hey, hey, hey! Don't go shattering our brains with that kind of info!" Nasos yelled.

"*whine* Why does nobody want to know?!"

"I can only imagine the multiple reasons..." I said with a sweatdrop.

"Woo!" And at this moment, Rom, Ram, and Chu had appeared out of nowhere and nearly scared the hell out of us. Thanks to Chu's teleportation power.

"Aw, man! That was SO awesome, Chu!" Ram cheered.

"Teleportation...it really is fun." Rom added.

"It can be. But I don't use it often. It drains a lot of Venom's power." Chu said as her pet poisonous butterfly landed on her head.

That butterfly truly is something else...

"There you three are." C-Sha said. "Nasos' got some things to tell us. Mainly about what's been going on as of late."

"What's going on...does that mean I get to show Blanc that?" Ram asked.

"*sigh* Yeah...she is your sister. So, she's gotta know." Nasos said. Still looking upset about bringing this up.

"Okay, seriously. What is this "that" you guys keep bringing up?" I asked.

"Well..."

"*giggle* Just watch me, Blanc! I'm about to go super badass! TRANSFORM!"

Ram then was engulfed in a bright pink pillar of light for a few seconds before reappearing in what seemed like HDD wear.

...

But this was WAY different than how Ram usually looks. And it COMPLETELY took me by surprise.

Not in a good way, either.

"Hey, Blanc...don't I look cool~? *giggle*"

...

...

...

"Wh-Wha...WHAT?! WHAT THE HELL?! WHY DOES RAM LOOK LIKE THAT?!" I yelled in both shock and anger once I saw my younger sister appear in such a skimpy devil-like set of HDD armor. With demonic-like wings, a sharp tail shaped like a heart, and a creepy purple symbol on her stomach.

"W-Well, you see..." Nasos began explaining. "...Donny and I were out looking for you guys and we ended up running into Ram. She was injured from fighting Ridel...and we healed her...a-and then...uh..."

"And then what?"

"A-And then...R-Ram's soul was beginning to shatter so I used my Start of Creation and a spare Crystal Shard I had to save it and then...this happened."

"W-Wait, what? Her soul was shattering?"

Didn't Ridel say the same thing happened to Neptune?

"Ridel managed to pierce through it and left a huge hole. If I didn't do what I did, she would've eventually died. I did what I could at...pretty much the last minute."

...

...

...

"*sigh* Look, Nasos..." I said after thinking about what I just heard. "...I'm grateful that you saved my sister's life and all...but that still doesn't explain why she now looks like an evil slut whenever she transforms."

"Hey, I'm not a slut!" Ram yelled. "Wait, what's a slut?"

"Uh..." Lidelle and Neva had no idea how to answer that.

"R-Rib...Ribbit ribbit."

"Donny's...got a good sense of it, Ram." C-Sha said.

Okay, seriously. How is she understanding him? All I hear is "ribbit"...

"I really don't know how it happened." Nasos continued. "She just...started looking like that after her soul was saved. Maybe there was some kind of side-effect..."

"Huh..." Chu said as she took a look at Ram's stomach. "...now that I look at that symbol, it looks similar to the one for the parasite race."

"Parasite race?" I asked.

"They're a rare race of demons that nearly went extinct years ago. They were known for feeding off the lifeforce of humans. Making them a serious threat back then."

"Is this really true?" I asked Lidelle.

"I...don't know. Not much is known about the parasite race. So, even small stuff like this is..."

"It's totally true." Chu continued. "Years ago, parasites were on a rampage in sucking up human lifeforce. So, Lidelle's dad, Demon King Namanari, went to war with them and wiped a good chunk of them out. Nowadays, only a small few remain. And they don't do much lifeforce stealing, either."

"Hmm...I do remember Dad mentioning something like that when I was younger. But even then, I can't be too sure. How do you even know all of this, Chu?"

"I learned it from Phoenix. He was helping me with a project for school before all of this happened. He's knowledgeable in a bunch of stuff like this."

"Well, yeah. That makes sense since he's a tortured soul."

"A what?" Neva, C-Sha, Nasos, and I asked but were completely ignored.

"So...you really think Ram's a...p-parasite?" Rom asked.

"Well, one way to prove it would be if Ram stole some lifeforce from someone." Chu answered. "That's what parasites tend to do."

"And who in their right mind would volunteer to do that?" I asked.

*RUMBLE*

*RUMBLE*

*RUMBLE*

...

*BOOM*

"RAAAWWWGGGHH!"

...

...

...

"Uh...how about that turtle-looking monster that just barged through the wall?" Lidelle asked after a monster had burst through the castle wall.

Well, that was convenient as hell...

"Yeah...I guess that's fine."

"Oh, yeah! Time to use my new parasite powers! Bring it, Monster!" Ram cheered before flying over to the monster with great speed.

"RAAAWWWGGGHH!"

The monster began firing these water bombs from the two cannons it had strapped to its bag. And Ram dodged all of them by simply flying out of the way. This new parasite form of hers definitely made her faster when it comes to flight.

After dodging all of the attacks, Ram landed on top of the monster and essentially pinned it to the ground. Not letting it move an inch as it tried to break free.

"*creepy giggle* You're mine now, you worthless dirty monster~." Ram said to the thing with a creepy seductive-looking grin on her face.

H-Holy crap, that's unnerving...

"Siphon Skewer!"

*KREEEEENG*

"RAAAWWWggghh..."

"Ooof! Damn, that's gotta hurt!" C-Sha yelled out after we watch Ram inject her sharp tail right through the monster's back. It immediately made it scream in pain...but it slowly went quiet as more of its lifeforce was being sucked right out of it. Until at one point it closed its eyes and went completely motionless.

...

We basically watched that thing die right in front of us.

Damn...that's morbid.

"Ahh~...that was delicious~. *giggle*" Ram said after removing her tail from the now-dead monster's back. The same bright pink pillar from before suddenly engulfed her again and then she had reverted back to her normal self. The wings and tail no longer there.

"Huh? Hey, what happened? Why did I change back?"

"It's probably because you're still mostly human." Chu said. "In that case, you'll probably revert back once you steal someone's lifeforce."

"So, it's not permanent." I said. "*sigh* At least I don't have to worry about that."

"Ugh! That blows!" Ram whined in disappointment. "I wanted to insta-kill monsters with my badass tail!"

"Look on the bright side, Ram. At least your soul's still intact." C-Sha said.

"It would've been a lot worse if I had waited just a few seconds later..." Nasos added.

"*sigh* Yeah, you're right. Thanks again for saving me, Nasos. I really owe you one. Oh! And you too, Dongurigaeru."

"Ribbit!"

What, does Ram understand him, too?

"Anyway..." I said to Nasos. "...so, what's this idea of yours that might help us get to Primp?"

"Huh? Oh, right." Nasos cleared her throat before continuing. "Well...after receiving these Crystal Shards from an old colleague of mine, I've been doing my own research into what these things can do. And it led me to discover a possible way to temporarily connect this world to the other two.

...

That is...if it works."

If it works? How complicated can it be?

Author's Note: The truth behind Ram's new transformation is revealed. She's now part parasite and has new powers that allow her to steal the lifeforce of whoever she stabs. Quite the dangerous power for a kid.

...

H-However old she is. You know, it's really weird how NONE of the Neptunia characters have actual/known ages. I made it as a joke before but now it's kind of a hindrance. It would definitely make things easier if they had some.

Thanks for reading. Later.