Lastation. The land of Black Regality.
Welcome home, apparently. Because that's my backstory, and it'd be for the best to stick to it. I do have to say though, with the architecture leaning towards 'Industrial', rather than 'Futuristic' like Planeptune, it's definitely more homey feeling than my last location.
"Wow, Mister Derek, maybe you can say hi to your family while you're here!" cheers Compa, as we all walk into the city limits.
Yeah, Compa, that's not going to happen. Unfortunately, this puts me into a rather awkward position. I could say I'm an orphan, which'd kill the discussion entirely, but would drown me in pity. Same thing if I said I had a big fight with my family, but that'd possibly be even worse, since then I'd be dealing with the girls trying to get me to 'make up' with my folks.
I want to be accepted for being useful. Not because I'm too pitiful to fire. I refuse to sink that low.
I guess my only option is to shove the topic backwards. I can always deflect the topic if it comes up again later.
"Sorry Compa, but I don't think now is the time." I say, trying to leave no room for argument. "It's been a long time since I've seen them anyway, and they're probably pretty busy."
Also, they're in a different dimension, but that's a whole 'nother story. Little steps.
Compa shrugs. "Another time then?"
I fail to fight off my frown. "Maybe."
The streets of Lastation are a lot... dirtier than Planeptune. Honestly, it adds sort of a 'well-worn' feel, unlike the nearly-pathological, surgical neatness that plagues the city of Purple Progress. I can see crowds of people walking up and down the streets, ducking into buildings, alleys, stores. There's more cars on the streets, but also the houses are of different qualities - some are completely run down. Good and bad, in equal parts, it seems.
It actually feels like a city. Sure, the air isn't as clean as it could be, but the city actually feels like it's been lived in, rather than having come straight out of a package from somewhere.
"Ahh... I missed this place." I speak, as I raise my arms behind my back. "As much as I hate to say it, there's something about Planeptune that feels... off, you know what I'm saying?"
"No, not really." admits Nepgear, still facing ahead. "But I think we all like our home nations better, right?"
"Right." I answer, as we slowly trod down the streets. "So, what's the thing we need to do again? You never actually told me."
I already know what's going on, but it'd be handy to get a 'recap', so I know exactly what I'm supposed to know. That way I can pretend to know enough to fit in, but not pretend enough to-
Damn, this is getting way too complicated.
IF is the one to answer my question. "Well, we technically are trying to get ourselves a lead for the current location of Lastation's Mascot…"
I cut in. I don't need the whole backstory… Let's focus it a bit. "The mascot is basically just a chunk of Shares power, right? I don't know much about them, but I read they do... something."
IF shrugs in response. "Damned if I know. All I know is every bit of power helps. Especially when getting the CPUs out of the Graveyard."
I nod. Fair enough.
"Anyway, we… made a deal with Lastation's Oracle - I'm sure you know her - and in exchange for the information, we need to bring her some Hematite, and a Treasure Gem." continues the brunette. "We've already got the Treasure Gem, at least."
"Can I see it?" I ask, honestly curious. The games never properly showcased the mineral, and who doesn't love looking at pretty rocks?
With a nod, Nepgear hands me a chunk of shining crystal. I carefully take it in both hands.
Honestly, up close, the Treasure Gem looks like any other crystal. It definitely feels dense, and it's nice and multifaceted, but otherwise, I'd say it is pretty much just a pretty chunk of quartz. Best use for this thing I can think of is slicing it into wafers, or making a lens out of it.
With a shrug, I hand the crystalline material back. "So, what's the plan for getting this Hematite, then?"
"Well, we're actually out of leads now." admits IF. "Unless you happen to know where we could find some?"
"Hematite…" I scour my memory to the best of my ability. I could say it's in the resort and skip a bunch of back-and-forth, but again, I don't actually know where the resort is. Plus, there's something about the whole thing that feels… off. "It's… unrefined iron, right? Probably Iron Oxide, since iron likes to rust. Save for mining a good chunk of it ourselves, I don't think we'd come across any decent amount of it by mere chance."
Was Hematite Iron two or Iron three? I don't remember… Hopefully, that won't come up.
"All I know is that I know nothing! It's just another pretty rock to me!" butts in RED, who must've decided that she hadn't talked enough. Well, at least she's honest.
"Well… That doesn't really help us, does it?" sighs Nepgear, shaking her head slowly. "I mean, knowing what it's made of is cool and all, but that doesn't help us find it, does it?"
"Bah… So I guess we're right back where we started…" groans IF, as she lowers her head into her hands. "I mean, I guess we could check out nearby iron mines and see if we can find some, but that'd take a long time…"
A voice from nearby draws our attention. "Excuse me, but did you say you were looking for Hematite?"
It's a city guard, who is rather conspicuously leaning against a nearby building. It's not in the shade or anything - I'd call their location distinctly uncomfortable to lounge around in. They're wearing what I assume to be a standard issue uniform, with a translucent visor covering their eyes.
"Yes!" chirps Nepgear, probably happy to finally have a lead, "Do you know where we could find some?"
"Whoah there, missy, before I tell ya where to find some Hematite, you'll have to do a quick job for me, y'know?" states the guard, not moving from their location.
The girls of course burst into a back-and-forth comparing the behavior of the guard to Kei.
My attention, though, is on the guard himself. He hasn't moved much at all, and his words...
They sound rehearsed. And not even a good type of rehearsed.
It's like he's reading exactly what he's supposed to say off a memorized sheet of paper. Hell knows I've tried to do that before, but even I know that memorizing is no good when doing a speech like this. Heck, if I could see his eyes through the visor of his, I'd probably be seeing them trail left to right.
Let's throw him a curve ball, shall we?
"Excuse me." I say, as I step forward, keeping my tone even and hopefully devoid of mischief, "But do you know how pure the Hematite you are sourcing is? After all, there are different grades of Hematite, for different purposes. We wouldn't want to go through all of this effort for a subpar material, after all."
There's a few moments of silence in return, as the guard pauses. Although I can't see through that visor of theirs, I can definitely feel a sudden awkwardness in the air. "W-whuh… What exactly do you mean?"
"Well…" I muse, thinking for a moment. "If it's for the Oracle of Lastation… I'm sure you know how much of a perfectionist she is. Can you imagine how she'd react if we handed in something cruddy?"
I mime a choking gesture. "I'd rather not do that, y'know?"
"U-uh…" replies the guard, who has begun to move side to side. I've shaken him. Seems he's quite so confident in himself any more. "I-I assure you, it's p-plenty good… B-but in order to g-give you the…"
I shake my head. "Slow down. You're hardly talking clearly. Why don't you take a bit to pull yourself together?"
As expected, the half-useful words of assurance do less than nothing to calm the panicking guard down. The stuttering worsens, but eventually, a location is given - "Rebeat Resort", and a target: Some kind of dolphin. I nod along with every word, doing my best to keep a face of absolute focus, blinking little and saying nothing.
Eventually, I am 'satisfied', and take a few steps backward. I can definitely hear my interrogee let loose a sigh of relief. Turning to my side, I meet the gaze of the girls.
"Errr…" I begin, but I don't have time to say more, before I'm practically grabbed and dragged away by IF.
Oh crap, did I push too hard? Gulping, I let myself be led away from the guard, and around the corner into an alley.
With the rest of the group following, we quickly form a circle out of sight.
"Alright, the hell was that?" whispers the Guild Agent.
Time to defend myself…
"His words. They were too rehearsed. Ever read lines directly off of a page? They were exactly like that." I answer, trying not to lose my cool. "So I pushed a bit more, and I expected him to... y'know... give more information. If he was legit, then he would've been fine."
"Well, that definitely happened, and then some." is the hushed reply from the agent. It's not angry, but almost… disappointed? "I don't know whether or not we can even trust him. I really don't know how I managed to miss that, thanks for covering for me there."
She's not angry? I just completely roasted this guy for no reason, and she's…
Right! She doesn't know Kei probably hired that schmuck. She probably thinks that he could be a criminal!
Nepgear is the next to speak. "But it's our only lead for Hematite. We need to take it."
"All this whispering is super cool!~" contributes RED, at her own attempt at a whisper. Unfortunately, it's probably closer to a regular person's volume range. "Makes me feel like a super spy!~"
"But it's too perfect." states IF, gesturing slowly. "Right when we're looking for Hematite, in pops this guy, who just so happens to have the answer to our problem? I mean, I can understand coincidence, but there's no way. It must be a trap. A trap, or a scam."
"Agreed, but that's not the point." I interject, ruffling RED's hair as I do so. Maybe it'll calm the redhead slightly. She's bouncing in place, and it's distracting. "Nepgear's right. Even if this is super suspicious, we still need to take our chances. We're not going to have another chance like this anytime soon."
IF groans, but nods slightly. "We'll have to keep our eyes open, then. Do you know the way to this 'Rebeat Resort', by the way?" The last sentence is directed at me, I notice a moment later.
"Yeah, I wish I did." I answer, slightly annoyed. "Unfortunately, I'm not exactly rich, and neither is my family, so I don't know where all of the good resorts are. We should probably track down a map somewhere that shows where all the nearby places are, just for future purposes."
"We done with all the super secret stuff?~" asks RED. "My toesies are super sore from standing on them like this.~"
There's a shrug all around, and we split apart. "I've got some quick shopping that I need to do. Wanna split apart and meet back up in an hour or so?" I ask, gesturing behind myself. Now's the perfect time to grab some fabric for the hilt of my new knives, in addition to maybe scouting out the good restaurants, so I can 'recommend' them later.
"Alright. Meet up in one and a half hours, just south of the Basilicom. There's a cafe right there." states IF, as she retrieves a cell phone from one of her multicolored holsters. "I've got some calls I need to make as well."
"All right! I get to scope out the machine shops!" cheers Nepgear, pumping a fist. "I wanted to check them out when we first got here, but we didn't have the time!"
"I saw a couple of awesome manga places near here!~ I'm going to check them out, okay wifeys?~"
"I'll go buy some groceries." answers Compa, being the reasonable one of us all. "I'll try and get a map too."
With our goals stated, we break off in our separate directions.
Of course, my first goal isn't the shop.
It's back to where the guard was. Quietly, I sneak to a nearby alley, and press my back against the wall. I'm out of line of sight from the main street due to a (rather ripe) garbage can, but I can still hear him.
He's in a conversation with someone, but I can't see who from here. And I'm not willing to get any closer just to get a better look.
"Eugh… Sorry, Miss Kei… I didn't expect the guy to ask me those questions." speaks the guard.
Well, that answers my question.
"It's alright." replies a gruff, masculine voice. Kei, the Oracle of Lastation, I'd assume. Either that, or a habitual six-pack smoker. "His interference was an unknown possibility."
"But are you sure they will do what you need them to do? They seemed rather apprehensive." answers the guard, in a slightly shaky tone.
"Unless they themselves delve into our iron mines, it is unlikely they will come across Hematite. One way or another, they will need to follow your advice." The Oracle's voice drops in volume slightly, as if considering something. "Besides, even if they come across a deposit of Hematite on their own, it is possible to, as the male suggested, to reject their submission as lacking sufficient purity. Unfortunately, that means we will need to come across a more pure sample of our own..."
Planted. They planted the Hematite.
It all makes sense! Why else would Uni go to the exact same place as Nepgear?
Why else would you find a chunk of unrefined metal in the middle of a damn resort?
Eugh. I hate corporate theatre. Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, why can't Kei act like a regular human, and accept 'mutual benefits' as an actual deal? It's like she isn't aware that her little fiefdom out here is at constant risk of existential disaster.
I mean, why go through all of this time and effort just to make herself look like she is in control?
Bah. I'll never understand it.
"Say…" speaks the Oracle. Crap! She's still talking! I need to stay focused.
"He seemed to be wearing Lastation colors… Did he happen to mention where he hailed from?"
Oh crud.
"No, but from what I overheard from his conversation with his companions, his family apparently hails from Lastation." answers the guard.
"Hrrrm." grunts the Oracle. "I will look into this. Return to your post, you are dismissed."
Oh no…
"Yes Ma'am."
Okay. So let's see what the stakes are.
Kei is potentially going to discover that I am not a Lastation native. What does that mean for me…
Okay. Heretics in the first game… They formed the guild, right? People who worshipped the goddesses of a different nation? So… I'm…
For crying out loud, if they try to tempt me with the same deal Yvoire or whatever the hell his name was gave IF in the first game, I'mma cut a bitch.
So I'm technically a heretic of Black Heart (Or Black Sister), and that's probably what they'll find.
Well, either way, it'll raise some questions, but at least it'll explain why I can't meet my family. Won't be able to dodge the pity train, but at least it'll avoid the instant game-over inducing questions. There's nothing that'd cause them to pin me down and interrogate me about how future events will happen, thus causing a cascading collapse of the plot which would probably cause Criore to dub me her champion.
Or y'know, dimensionally deport me. That'd also suck. I need a dimensional green card at some point.
So, I've confirmed Kei is in fact orchestrating this entire pointless thing from the shadows. I have that, at least. Can't reveal it just yet, but I definitely have a tiny bit of leverage to defend myself, should the worst come to pass.
I really wish I had more ground to stand on. As is, I'm defending an alibi that doesn't need to exist, against an attack that has really no reason to ever happen. I swear, someone should get Kei some medication for her OCD.
Oh well, I guess I better get my shopping done… It's not like standing around here will help me accomplish anything more.
Also, maybe I should clean myself up. This garbage can really reeks.
Eight centimeters square of waterproof black material cost me a solid ninety credits. Thread and a bunch of needles, another sixty.
Being able to wear my jacket in the rain again without soaking my shirt? Priceless.
The actual fabric for the knives, on the other hand, only set me back fifty credits, and I've still got more than enough to go around. I might have to find another use for it. Anchoring the fabric is going to be a pain, but I think I'll just glue it.
I went with grey, mostly because I think it'll look nice with the bleached-yellow chitin.
Also because it was on sale for fifty percent off. That was also a factor.
What? I'm allowed to be frugal.
Needless to say, I've got enough spare grey fabric to make myself an entire pair of pants, if I really wanted to. Too bad I don't have a sewing machine, so I'm going to have to do this by hand…
I should maybe pop into the guild, see what quests are kicking around. After all, even when following Nepgear around, there's nothing stopping me from having my own objectives as well.
At least, as long as they don't conflict. I think sticking with her is still worth a bit more than making a quick buck.
"Hey, been waiting long?"
I look up from the knife I am putting the finishing touches on. The gang's all here, it seems.
Nepgear's rifling around in a large bag that I can hear jangling from here, probably full of cogs, sprockets, and all sorts of other doodads. RED's carrying around a brand new R-18 yuri manga, and Compa is just sitting down, slowly drinking a coffee.
"Nah, not long. I'm just finishing up my knife, see?"
I even got it done faster than I had expected. With the hilt in place, it's finally ready to be used!
It's definitely no carving knife: with a blade that curves slightly inwards, and a blade that resembles a driving wedge, the knife is definitely for stabbing, far more so than slashing, which suits me perfectly. I already patched my left sleeve as well: while my needlework isn't going to win any beauty contests, it'll definitely make a difference when we head up to Lowee. I've had snow in my sleeves before, and let me tell you: It's no fun.
"I managed to buy us a map." answers Compa, as she retrieves a sheet of paper from somewhere. "It has all sorts of places on it, but Rebeat Resort is right… here!"
We all lean forwards.
In addition to the locations of Rebeat Resort, Septent Resort, Midicompany, and the like, there's also places never explored in the game. Crash Canyon, Olympus Falls, Spyro Mountain… There's dozens of these places, and those are just the ones I can recognise the references of! And the game never touches them!
I can't help but be slightly curious about what lies in these places. Perhaps… One day, after all of this is done, I might check them out myself. But I need to reach that day, first. We still have a job to do.
"Alright." answers IF, drawing me out of my reverie. I can see the agent circle the location with her finger. "We should head out to Rebeat Resort while we can, while there's still plenty of daylight. Keep your eyes open, though. We have no clue what's ahead of us, so be prepared for anything."
With one final group assent, we pick ourselves up, and head for the hills. Or ocean, in this case.
Of course, not before I order myself a lemonade to go.
What? I'm thirsty.