Lowee. The land of White Serenity.

Or as it should better be known, the land of far, far, far too much snow.

Eugh. I can't imagine trying to live here. If I need to shovel my walk in Canada three times a day when it snows there, and that's probably considered light snowfall compared to here?

Hell no. The civilians here must be either insane or crazy strong to keep the snow as thin as it is over these sidewalks.

Either that, or there's robots doing it. That's also a possibility. Now that I think about it, automating this mess wouldn't surprise me.

Oh, and it's cold. Did I mention it's cold? Because it's really cold. It'd probably be even colder, if I hadn't prepared for this.

I bought four sweaters before arriving here. As of right now, I am wearing three of them, one over another, underneath my winter coat. I'm wearing winter gloves overtop of my fingerless ones, and while I seriously doubt I'm going to be able to keep them on if we ever get into a struggle… Seriously, I want to keep as many fingers as possible. As much as I'd like to wear a mask, I'm simply making do with having my jacket pulled up over my mouth.

"Brrr…" murmurs Nepgear, barely recognisable through three scarves, two sweaters, and a winter coat. "We… we should probably find the embassy really quick…"

"I agree. Catching a cold out here doesn't make any sense. We should definitely look for leads, but not out here, not this late." adds the lump of clothing with a green bow sticking up from the top.

It was already dark by the time we arrived, and while a glance at a watch reveals that it's barely a quarter past eight, there's absolutely no argument against beelining directly for the embassy and staying the night. After all, what good will it do us to stumble around in the cold and the dark?

On the plus side, we're all so bundled up that I doubt anyone recognises us at all.

The inside of the embassy here is much like the one in Lastation, except lacking in the decorative fountain. I guess that's a given with the sub-zero temperatures around here… The receptionist blinks at us for a moment, trying to figure out who we are.

As the girls go to sign us in, I quickly strip off my gloves, and begin brushing the melting snow off of myself. The last thing I want to do is end up soaked. A nearby towel is quickly snagged to make this easier - I'm sure they're here for that reason, anyway.

"Derek, the room's ready." states Compa, who I hear walking up to me. "Oh, and Ge-Ge called first shower, then Iffy, then me, then RED."

Yuck. Last shower. It seems Nepgear had already learned her lesson. Oh well, I guess what goes around comes around.

"You all went and agreed on that before coming to talk to me?" I joke, gently putting the soggy towel down on a rack. I can already see someone coming to go get it. Efficiency!

"Oops… Um, sorry, Derek." smiles Compa, but I'm onto her.

With a smile, I shrug.

"If I head out for a quick walk, do you think the guards will let me back in?" I ask. It'd be nice to get a look around, if I can't shower right away. I've mostly got my warmth back, and as long as I'm not out there too long, I should be fine.

"Yeah, but be back soon, I wouldn't want you to get caught out in the cold." responds the nurse, before she turns and heads towards the inner rooms. "I'll go cook dinner, alright?"

Ah… Snow at night.

I bend down, and grasp a handful of the dense, trodden snow. Carefully, I pack it into a snowball, before throwing it off into the distance. I watch the winter projectile fly off, before the darkness of the night renders visibility impossible.

Gamindustri's climate is so much different than home. I mean, back home there were only three weather conditions: cold, wet, and about to rain, but at least there was variation. Unlike here, where a town under a deluge of snow is but three hours away from sunny, near-tropical paradise.

Are there even seasons in Gamindustri? Or do the seasons never change, with the averages only fluctuating? I'd assume that occasionally it'd snow in the other nations, if only for the proper effect during the winter holidays, but even then...

How long can I keep up this farce? It's not the big things that are going to give me away: it's the little things, like not even knowing whether they even use the same calendar as they do back home. If I wasn't living in the now, it'd be a massive problem. As is, I'm just following everyone else's schedules, and they seem to be okay with that.

I sigh, releasing a gout of hot air from my mouth as I do so. At best, I'll be able to adapt within a month, at most. At worst, I'll need to relearn everything, from the basics back up.

Even with my two pairs of gloves on, I can feel my digits already beginning to freeze. RIght, standing around isn't great… I should start walking.

Turning away from the Embassy, I begin walking down the streets, past several closed shops, but I pause, spotting something out of the corner of my eye.

There's a distant glow, a flickering light. Curious, I walk closer.

It's another adventurer, male, and slightly older looking than me. He's sitting in front of a barrel, of which the contents are currently ablaze. I can feel the heat radiating from here - whatever he's got going is definitely helping keep the night chill off. He nods towards me as I approach. His voice is gritty and dry.

"Greetings, stranger. What brings you to Lowee?"

I shrug as I take a standing position on the other side of the barrel. The heat from the flames is a welcome respite from the bitter cold. "The people that hired me are here, and I got dragged along for the ride. I guess this is what I get for signing a contract without reading it." I answer, shrugging.

In the flickering light, I get a better look at the man's face. He's caked with grime, and covered with scars. Jagged, uneven teeth complete the image. Geez man, you need to learn to take care of yourself more.

"Lucky you, being able to travel the world. Some of us, we're trapped here." smirks the vagabond. "But you learn to live with it. Either that, or you die out here, in the cold. Hey, got a Dogoo Jelly?"

I blink back. "Uh, yeah. What do you want it for?"

"Pass it over." gestures the man, extending a hand covered in a tattered winter glove.

With only a little bit of struggle, I dig through my pouch, before retrieving one of the many bottles of Dogoo Jelly. With slippery hands, I hand over the bottle.

The man accepts the bottle and raises it to the light, before swiftly pouring its contents into the barrel below.

There's a loud 'whoosh' as the flames triple in height and brightness. I need to lean back to save both my hood and my eyebrows. Barely, I can see the bottle dissolve into data, but the effect is nearly entirely drowned out by the sheer light of the flames.

"Heh. You wouldn't believe how well this stuff burns." chuckles the man, as he lays his palms towards the fire. "Best trick I've ever learned."

I sit in silence for a moment, before I venture a question. "Is the questing just more difficult up here, than it is down in Lastation?"

I get a raised eyebrow in response. "This really your first time up in Lowee? You seem mostly accustomed to the cold, if the lack of shivering is any indication."

"Humor me." I answer.

Just because it's not cold enough for me to shiver uncontrollably doesn't mean that it's not cold enough to make me want to go inside. I'm beginning to regret not getting a balaclava.

"The biggest problem up here, is that the guild only lists quests which directly benefit Lowee." begins the man. "I don't know what caused it, but the CPUs here are plenty paranoid for some reason, and don't want to risk losing a foothold on what they've got. Makes it hard to make a living, for regular people like you and me."

There's a snort from the man as he continues. "'Course, that hasn't helped 'em any. 'Tween the pointless choke-hold on the quests, and the fact that people that need help aren't getting help, I've never regretted turning my back on those two. It's gotten so bad that the 'bootleg' quests have their own section in the back of the guild."

I nod back. Interesting. "So what's your opinion on ASIC, then?"

Another snort. "Idiots, the whole lot of them. But they pay better for less work, and that's good enough for me."

"Any idea what they're up to?" I venture, leaning inwards. The flames are much shorter now, but still brighter than they were before. "I'm a bit out of the loop."

There's a smirk back from the man. "Plan on squealing on me to the CPUs, kid?"

I grin, but keep my voice low, trying to play up my disappointment. "What're those two going to do? Take time out of their 'busy' schedule to investigate some dumb rumor from a hooligan like me? Yeah right."

There's silence from both of us, before the man bursts into laughter. "Just pulling your leg, kid. I've no idea what the higher-ups are doing, but they've been working us grunts like dogs. There's apparently something happening up north, but they won't tell a bottom-leveler like me jack. Still, heavy lifting ain't the worst thing I've ever done."

North… That's the World Labyrinth, right? That's good information, even if it's hard to prove.

"Phah. I tried vending, but the pricks down in Planeptune don't want to buy anything." I spit. The droplets freeze midair, of course.

The ASIC goon laughs at me. "Vending? And I thought I was low on the totem pole. Just how new of a recruit are you?"

"I was dabbling." I glib, again shrugging. "Not really that involved with ASIC in general, but I do what is needed to make the ends meet. They wanted some schmuck to man a stand, and I guess I was that schmuck."

"Hah! I like you, kid." smirks the goon. "I'll tell ya something interesting. To get at the… 'other' quests, just tell the clerks you're 'playing the field'. They'll direct you right to where ya need to go. It's easier than finding them yourself, lemme tell ya."

I nod one last time as I turn to leave. It's getting late, and I can barely feel my fingers, even with the warmth of the fire. "Thank you, but I should really get going. They're probably wondering where I am, and hell knows if I'm out of this job in this wasteland, I'm screwed. Stay alive out there, old man."

There's a grunt as I leave the man behind. Well, I got some new information. IF will be glad to hear it, I guess.

"Hey Derek, how was your walk?" asks IF, as I stumble into the room, fresh out of the shower.

"Managed to get a bit of information for us, but besides that, cold, slippery, and I'd totally do it again." I answer, as I step towards one of the unoccupied beds. The blankets are thicker and the beds are harder, but besides that, it's pretty much the same as the one I used yesterday.

The other girls are already all asleep. I'm not sure if she stayed up to wait for me, or if she's simply a night owl. Either way, it's good to be able to unload what I've discovered before I forget it.

Taking a few sheets of paper from the front desk, I begin to write down my discoveries, pointing to them as I go.

"Basically, ASIC is doing something big up north. The guy I asked didn't really know much beyond that, though."

"North, huh? I'll get my contacts to check it out." is the answer. Already, I can see her flipping open a phone. "Is that everything?"

I practically catapult myself into an unoccupied bed.. "Apparently there's also a big hubub going about due to some practices in the Lowee guild too, but I'm not sure whether it's just bias, or is actually happening. I'm taking it with a grain of salt myself. Oh, and apparently Dogoos are flammable."

There's silence from IF, before she answers, "I'll look into it. Good night."

"Good night."

Most of the girls are already awake by the time I finally open my eyes. Fortunately, no one is changing directly in front of me, so I have a good enough excuse to wander out of the room towards the showers.

Wiping what few remnants of sleep still remain in my eyes, I enjoy a much-needed hot shower.

OW! HOT!

Okay, too hot. Let's turn it down a bit…

COLD! COLD!

… Damn, how hard is it to work these taps?

Shower over and done with, I dress myself, before making my way back to the room.

And yes, I learn from my mistakes. This time, I knock on the door before I enter.

"Everyone decent in there?" I call through the door. There's a little bit of shuffling, but soon a "Yeah." is returned.

"Hey girls, what's the situation?" I ask, as I step inwards into the room.

"Oh hey…~ The shower's free…~" murmurs RED, hair a frizzy mess as she blinks sleepily at me. "I'm going to go have my shower now… okay?~ Don't leave without me…~" And with that, the redhead stumbles past me, seeking warm water.

IF, as usual, is the one to fill me in. She's only wearing two sweaters, as opposed to the god-knows how many she was wearing yesterday.

"I did some research this morning, while you were still asleep. Apparently, Lowee was hosting an expo of some kind, but it was shut down after an upsurge in monsters forced the vendors and participants out. My sources couldn't confirm whether or not ASIC is active in the area, but it makes sense that they might have some sort of staging area set up there. We should probably check it out."

"Is there any information on what exactly this Expo was about?" I ask. The games never explain.

"I… honestly don't know." answers the agent, face annoyed. "I couldn't find any real details. The place stinks of a cover-up, though."

"What about the Guild issues?" I continue, as I grab a few of my own sweaters, and begin to put them on.

"It's bad, but not as bad as it seems to be being made out to be. They're definitely taxing more out of the rewards for quests to bolster other nations, but they're definitely still giving out the quests. There seems to be a real lack of any activity from ASIC in the guild, though."

"Tell your agent to tell the clerks that they're looking at 'playing the field'. I don't know if those words are a passphrase or what, but that's what the guy yesterday told me." I speak through a mouthful of scarf. I've decided to fully bundle up today.

IF nods back at me. "I'll see what they can do."

All we need to do is wait for RED, and then we can leave.

The expo is absolutely full of snow. I don't even understand.

There's a roof.

There's a roof, and the expo is still

Somehow

Full of snow.

Did they manually bring the snow in here?

Just… why?

"Huh?" asks Nepgear, from up ahead. "Huh, Derek, are you listening?"

And of course, I pay more attention to the snow than to the girls talking in front of me. Good job. That's what, three for three?

"Uhh… Sorry 'bout that, Nepgear. What were you girls saying?" I answer, as I scratch the back of my neck sheepishly.

IF rolls her eyes, but Compa answers this time. "Ge-Ge was just saying we should sweep the area, and see what we can find."

"Oh, okay." I reply as I step forwards. "So, what are we looking for? Contraband?"

"Probably that. There's also a chance at finding raw materials for Arfoire chips, or fully built chips themselves. We honestly don't know until we stumble across something ourselves." IF contributes.

And with that, we step into the Expo.

"Incoming robots from the left!" I shout, as I twist under a sharpened metal edge. The triangular bullets shot from one of them might not be as deadly as actual bullets, but they sting like a mofo if they actually make contact.

The monsters here are far too common. What the heck were they even showing here? Exotic ways to die?

Fortunately, the girls and I are able to wipe out this wave, just like the others before them.

We've already killed at least two dozen of the things, not to even mention the vaders, block monsters, and everything else. It's honestly getting tiring: there's only so many times you can kick the bears off of their stupid little balls before it becomes boring.

"There's way too many monsters in here." I murmur, standing myself back up. "And there really needs to be a faster way to kill these things…"

Our only real way of making progress through this… hive… is to clear our way through. All around us, the snow is deep enough to nearly consume our shoes, with the occasional massive snowbank breaking up the white monotony.

Nepgear's in the lead, of course, what with her being stronger than pretty much the rest of us combined. Still, all four of the rest of us are contributing what we can.

"Wait!" calls IF, from her position to my right, "Gear, there's a podium over there. We should make our way over to it!"

I slide backwards out of the way of an incoming block monster, and retaliate with a sideswipe with Seamus, before finishing off the stunned creature with a point-blank pistol double tap to its midsection. In a blink, my target vanishes into data.

Beh, that's shot number five. Time to reload...

"It looks like… Wait a minute…" begins IF, as she goes over the podium before her. "It says that this is a display for some kind of rare metal…"

However, IF's standing before a massive pile of snow. There's no display case anywhere near…

Unless…

"Wait a minute…" I state, as I close the distance, finishing my reload as I do so. "How did the snow get in here? Am I the only one who finds that really, really suspicious?"

IF gives me a sarcastic look. "The snow came from the sky..."

She stops, as she follows my pointed finger skywards, where a glass frame awaits, absolutely covered in snow.

"What." states the agent. "That… then... how?"

If the snow's not here naturally, then…

"Anyone got a shovel?" I ask, but there's confused shakes of heads all around. I guess I'll need to do this the fun way, then.

I gouge a small hole in the snowdrift with my knives, and dig through my inventory to retrieve a bottle of Dogoo Jelly and my leftover black cloth. "Stand back, everyone. No clue whether or not this will work."

Making an impromptu bomb is much, much easier than I thought it'd be. Open the bottle, rip off a piece of cloth, stuff in the cloth, then light the makeshift fuse with my lighter.

Can't say it isn't effective, though.

In a spectacular explosion that for some reason manages to do no collateral damage, the snowdrift is entirely annihilated, revealing a small glass display case mounted atop a polished brass stand. Within the stand is a strange, shining stone, which shimmers in the light of the nearby lamps. It's greenish, like a reflective disc.

The only thing even resembling a blowback is the speckling of snow raining down upon us, the only remnants of the snowbank that had once stood before us. It's almost serene. Somehow.

Actually, this thing in the display is probably the rare metal that Nepgear needs to repair the Mascot.

The girls are silent, as we all stare at the unearthed display.

"What the goodness?" utters Nepgear. Or at least, mostly silent.

IF is thinking, Compa is checking to make sure no one is hurt, and RED is smiling at me.

"That explosion was pretty!~" she chirps, eyes full of stars.

"You think there's more stuff in the other piles of snow?" asks Compa, as she takes a closer look at the encased metal.

"How many bottles of jelly have you guys got?" I query, as I turn to the Candidate. "We might find something interesting, if we keep blowing these piles of snow up."

BOOM

BOOM

BOOM

Honestly, this is really fun.

Really, really fun.

We're on our eighth snowbank so far, and we've uncovered three displays, and two lockers. The lockers, of course, were full of Arfoire chips, unredeemed credits, and other merchandise, probably stolen.

The displays, on the other hand, contain a sample of damascus steel and something called 'unobtanium'. Amusingly enough, despite what we tried, none of us were able to pick up the unobtanium.

The crowbar definitely came in handy, too. With the lockers frozen solid (not to mention locked), we could only stare at the unearthed treasure in confusion, at least until I remembered my brand new toy.

Frozen or not, aluminum (or whatever these things are made of) lockers tend to not do well when forced open with a crowbar. Only one of the lockers showed any resistance at all, and Nepgear was around to provide help, sooo…

We've split the credits (My share of what we've found is four thousand!), repossessed the probably stolen goods to return to their owners at a later point in time, and are currently building a large pile in one of the cleared areas of all of the random Arfoire garbage we keep finding. As is, the pile's pretty big, and is only getting bigger. We're not quite sure what to do with the stuff yet, since only about half of it is unsalvageable. The rest of it is just raw materials, or half-built chips.

Right now, it's all on the tarp that we pulled out of one of the lockers.

Of course, when the girls weren't looking, I swiped the rare metal, but we need that later anyway, so it's not like it's really stealing.

After all, plot items can't be traded or sold, only used, right?

One last snowbank that I can see. Just going to plant the charge…

"Prepare for the breaching charge!" I shout, as I dramatically jump over a snowbank to get into cover. I mean, it's not necessary to do, but man, this is so much fun!

RED of course has seen the light and is joining me in my shenanigans, laughing the entire way. She leaps over the snowbank, landing quickly and covering her ears.

Nepgear is alternating between obsessing over the various recovered mysterious gizmos and beating back the encroaching nearby monsters, IF's tallying up the acquired items, and Compa's over in the corner, helping Nepgear out.

The last snowbank disintegrates with a resounding KRAKBOOM, revealing one final ASIC cache. Nice, that makes three of them.

With a flourish, I sink the crowbar into the lock area, and pop the door open. No credits in plain sight, unfortunately, but there are more than enough chips and parts in here to justify emptying this thing. I stuff my hands into the locker, and retrieve a handful of chips. Let's put these with all of the others.

"Hey wifeys, can you help us with this one?~" ambles RED from somewhere behind me. "There's a lot of stuff in here…~"

It takes a minute for us all to fully empty the last locker: it must've been a pretty big cache. Still, we get it done, and at the end of it, we all sit down on the tarp to rest. I retrieve my thermos of miso soup, before shrugging and passing the warm beverage around.

No use not sharing, after all.

"So, what do you think we should do with these chips?" asks Compa, as she pulls out a handful of sandwiches, including the one that she hands me. It looks like it's on gluten-free bread, which is definitely reassuring. Mmm… ham and cucumber.

A nearby crunch of boots on snow from somewhere nearby draws our attention upwards, away from our impromptu picnic.

"See, Rom! I told you we'd find ASIC meanies if we came here!" yells a shrill voice. It's right behind us. "We just had to follow the kabooms!"

Oh no.

"Yeah, Ram, but I didn't expect to see so many of them…" answers the quieter voice.

"Huh?" is the near unanimous response from the four girls, as they all draw their gazes upwards.

I don't know how, but we've somehow managed to set ourselves up to make an even worse impression than there was in the games.

I didn't know that was even possible.

Still, even in the face of certain failure, I find within myself the strength to enunciate the right words.

"Shit." I utter, mouth still full of delicious sandwich, as I stare into the eyes of the twin Lowee Candidates.