Holy damn, 100 favs! I'll do a bonus chapter at some point, but right now, I don't think now would be an ideal time to post a bonus chapter.

Draxinus: Derek is not dead due to a mixture of luck, and the fact that not having magic does not mean that a person is fragile.

Omar Zekara: Don't worry, I plan on continuing this story for quite a while.

Ant: Sadly it wasn't a Borderlands reference.

angeldoesmc: Him not having magic will not be something that is swept away easily. I want it to be part of his character.

Derpenkampfwagen: Get productive! I know you can do it.

To Broach or to Put up: Remember folks: More than one waifu will destroy your laifu.

KRKing: The dimension will influence him, but not quite in that way. As for the bullet elements, I have some ideas planned, but they're actually not going to be elemental. Elemental attacks are a little bit harder to do without magic.

Part-Time Prick: I know, right?

Oh, and as a thing that I forgot to mention until now: Thank you Porpol, Author of HDN: Ruination for your beta assistance for this chapter. Along with all of the others before now. We've been assisting each other on our stories and he's been a ton of help, so I think it's definitely warranted for me to recommend checking his out.

It's a terrible feeling, being stuck on a boat for two hours, the entire time basically panicking. I can't fly, and I can't run on water, so here I am, unable to do much more than hope that the boat decides to speed up.

Which definitely isn't going to happen.

And it definitely doesn't help, when my frantic pacing draws attention. It's not like I can actually tell people 'oh hey, I'm just pretty sure the CPU Candidate of Lastation is in deep, deep trouble'. Not without causing a panic. Assuming they believed the crazy person to begin with.

Long story short, that's pretty much the next two hours, as I slowly but steadily wear holes in the floor with my pacing back and forth. Luckily, people seemed to have left me alone after the third or fourth question, probably dismissing me as either a crazy person, or someone who desperately needs to go to a hospital.

Possibly both, now that I really think about it.

Finally, after what feels like an eternity, the boat hits land and I'm the first one out onto the streets. My legs are slamming the pavement underneath me as I rush across the docks into the city.

The sun definitely hasn't risen yet, and the city's asleep, with only the light from the posts dotting the roads illuminating the silent roads.

And only then do I realize that I don't have any idea where Midcompany even is.

Seriously, me? I didn't realize that while I was on the damn boat?

"Goddammit." I groan, face in my hands, before I take a deep breath to calm myself back down.

Okay. I don't know how to get to Midcompany. I know it's south of Lastation, but I don't know how far. I need a map. Where is a shop where I can buy a map? Better question… Which shops would be open this early in the morning?

Wait, I arrived here on a boat. I'd expect people to be able to get maps at a dock, right?

It takes a little bit of searching, but I eventually find an information kiosk. Behind the glass is a rather sleepy-looking girl who seems to have her nose stuck in a book. She doesn't even look up as I approach.

I rap the glass with my knuckle, but receive no response. I tap it louder, to which I am responded to with a gesture of 'one moment' and an annoyed grunt.

"Can I help you, sir?" murmurs the girl, as she slots a bookmark into her page with a nearly-inaudible sigh and gazes up towards me.

"Do you have any maps?" I ask, doing everything I can to avoid snapping at the person just doing their job.

"Yeah…I think we do in the back…" with that, the girl gets up from her seat and begins to rifle through the cabinets behind her. There's a bit of a racket, before seems to have found what she's looking for. She slides a brochure-looking thing under the glass towards me. "Twelve credits."

I flip the thing open. Crap, it only details the immediate area… nothing about dungeons. There are various tourist spots on it though that might be interesting to look at later...

"Do you have anything y'know… wider in scope?" I ask, fumbling my words slightly. "There's a dungeon nearby I need to find. This thing doesn't have information on the place I need to go to. I mean, I'll take this one too, but I really need a more detailed one."

The girl yawns, before she replies, "Sorry sir… but this is just a tourist shop… We don't have things like that…"

"I'll pay you a hundred credits for one." I respond, leaning forwards. "I just need it now."

The girl blinks, rubs the sleep from her eyes, and then blinks again. "Excuse me?"

"It's an emergency. I'm willing to pay ten times the price for a map that'll let me find this place, or if you can tell me where I can buy a map like that at this time of night." I repeat, "Please."

The girl looks at me, blinks one final time, and utters, "Shit, you're serious. You're actually serious?"

"Completely." I respond. "Look, I'll even pay twenty times…"

The girl digs through a previously-unnoticed bag at her feet, before retrieving a rather tattered-looking map. It definitely looks like it's seen some use. "Sorry sir, this is all that I've got. I'll give it to you along with the other one for seventy."

"Then that'll have to do." I reply, authorizing the girl's payment. Three taps later, and my wallet's a bit emptier, but I at least know where I'm going.

"Before you run off," juts in the girl as I turn away, "This isn't some sort of horrifying world-ending disaster thing, is it? Because generally the heroes that stop that sort of thing know where they're going. It'd suck if the world ended while I was here behind this counter. I'd much rather be asleep, you know?"

I pause. "Uhh… No, not that I'm aware of." Does that sort of thing even happen around here? "I'm more worried that my friend is going to get badly hurt, or that she's already hurt."

"Oh good." claps the girl without much enthusiasm, returning to her previous levels of lethargy. "Well, get going then. Don't want to leave them waiting, right?"

"Thank you?"

I'm not quite sure whether to be offended or thankful, but either way, I glance over the map, stow the brochure, and rush off to my destination.

The relatively cold night air is definitely refreshing, and more than a little helpful to keep my stamina up. Unfortunately, it's also nearly pitch-black outside of the city boundaries, what with the fact that there are no light posts to keep the wilderness lit at night. There might be on the main roads, but I'm definitely off-roading it here, if the lack of infrastructure is any indication.

Not even five minutes away from the city, I find myself almost unable to see the path in front of me. The moon's out, sure, but it doesn't mean that it's giving enough light for me to see.

Of all of the nights to have a new moon...

Okay. What do I have that can act as a light…

Dogoo slime is flammable, right?

Carefully, I begin to retrieve a bomb, but I place it back not a moment later. I need something that'll burn for a while, not just explode once and be done.

I pause, before I murmur, "I'm so going to hell for this."

"Gooey?" asks Seamus, as I retrieve him from within my inventory. The poor slime is entirely unprepared for what I'm about to do to him.

"Sorry Seamus, but, well…" I begin, "Are you able to feel pain?"

"Goo?" responds the slime, who blinks at me. Or at least, I think it blinks at me, I still can't really see its expression in the dark. "Dogoo?"

I take a breath, before I flip open my lighter, point it towards the impaled slime, and click the flint. "I did say I'd probably end up doing this at some point all the way back in Planeptune, but I gotta give you credit for not making me do this sooner.."

"Gooeeeeeeeeey!" shrieks Seamus in fear as the flame jumps to him/her/it, and not a moment later, the entire slime is ablaze, radiating light in every direction. It's actually blindingly bright, since my eyes are accustomed to the dark.

I can definitely see now, and it seems like the fire is more or less just sticking onto the slime.

On the downside, I'm not sure if I'll be able to sneak up on anyone, what with the fact that my torch is screaming. I'm not sure whether it's in pain or in just confusion, but either way, I don't think it's enjoying the experience.

Still, at least I can see now, and that's going to have be good enough.

Several times along the path I can see monsters creep near me, but they are easily dissuaded by swinging my burning, occasionally shrieking weapon towards them. I don't blame them.

"I should try this more often." I murmur, to which the response is "Goo Eeeeeeeey!" in a furious tone.

Seamus more or less shuts up ten minutes after the beginning his immolation. I'm not sure if he died or not, but either way I think he is going to harbor a grudge from now on. On the plus side, he's still burning, so he hasn't faded to data quite yet. I don't quite know how I'll put out the fire when I'm done with it, but little things like that can come in later.

Another five minutes of walking later, and I can begin to see the edges of something in the distance.

Step by step, I draw closer to what seems to be a large, abandoned warehouse. It's perfectly square, and I can see a massive folding door on one side of it. Unfortunately, the door's sealed tight, I can't get the thing to budge.

Wow. Yeah, as I gaze upwards, I can see that the building's absolutely massive. What the hell was this place being used for? It looks like it'd fit an entire city block within it… Circling around the side, I come across a much smaller door designed for humans. It seems like this'll be my entry point.

Carefully, I close the distance to the door. The area's almost dead silent, with only the sounds of the ground crunching below my feet, and the occasional whistle of the wind through a nearby unseen tree breaking the silence. From within the building, I can hear the occasional crackle of electricity, or the rustling of wind passing through broken windows.

It's eerie. Every sense in my body is screaming for me to get away from here…

But I made a promise…

And it's too late to turn back.

Let's get this show on the road.

The inside of the building is just as dark as the outside if not worse, with my improvised torch casting long, flickering shadows from the various piled objects.

There's junk absolutely everywhere. I can see half-filled pallets and overturned boxes… And about half of the boxes still seem to be sealed, but now's not the time to be looting. I can always come back during the day for that.

I delve deeper. The long, featureless entryway soon gives way to a differently-colored section, with numbered doors lining both sides. As I peer through the opened doors that I pass, I can see the remnants of living quarters: tattered beds and shattered dressers, along with the occasional grimy mirror. Was this place a military complex? Or was it just equipped to support residents?

Even further inside, I begin to come across bigger rooms. These ones, at a glance, seem to be computer labs, or something close: rotting wooden doors flanked by shattered glass panes, both revealing row upon row of defiled monitors seated before dozens of shattered chairs.

Displaced glass crunches under my shoes as I quickly comb through them, taking great care to avoid needing to loop back through them. Gazing around on the inside, it's obvious that nearly half of the screens are smashed, and what few computer boxes remain are the bulky sort of things that wouldn't be good for anything more than salvage.

The labs are empty. In fact, the entire complex so far has been empty… I haven't bumped into a single monster since I've stepped into here. I haven't found anything, but the occasional creaking of something moving around upstairs, or the unplaceable groan of failing metal more than make up for the lack of action.

I'm carrying my knife, if only because of the fear I'm beginning to harbor of waking whatever is asleep in here. It's probably nothing… But I'd much rather stay silent.

Finally, the hallway reaches its end, opening up into a massive room. The ceiling above is high that even the flickering light of my torch isn't enough to reach it. Gazing upwards does little besides give me a sense of vertigo.

The ground underfoot is moss-covered concrete, long since worn rough by the elements. I look both ways, before I proceed. I can't help but feel like I'm being watched.

I pass an abandoned, rusted forklift, another large pile of crates, and a overturned filing cabinet, before I see something lying upon the ground. It's about the size of a human…

I pause for a moment, before I rush forward. As I approach, I can see a boxy thing laying on the ground… Yeah, that's definitely her rifle. I pick the weapon up and stow it to give back to her later.

Uni's laying crumpled in a heap on the ground. I take in a breath as I banish my knife and lower the torch to let me check her. She's out cold, but as I get closer, I can definitely hear her breathing.

First look shows nothing seriously damaged nor bent out of shape, so she's probably more or less fine. I can't tell at a glance if anything's broken, but either way, getting her out of the dungeon full of monsters is probably a good idea.

Alright. I just need to get her out of here. Shouldn't be too hard. Do I carry her as is, or do I wrap her in my coat first?

Carefully, I begin to flip her over onto her back, so that I can get a closer look at her injuries.

"Ahem." booms a voice from behind me. The sound of something scraping against the concrete rips through the silence.

I nearly jump a meter in the air, before I step between the unconscious girl and the noise. My weapon's out and ready.

At head level, I can see a greatsword, if the greatsword was designed to be wielded by a giant. Its tip is buried over a foot into the ground, penetrating into the solid concrete. I shake my head as I continue to gaze upwards. Illuminated by the flickering of my torch, along with the dim lighting of dozens of LEDs, the visage of CFW Brave gazes back at me.

I don't know how I managed to miss the giant robot that was in the room with me, but let's be honest here, I think I have a good excuse by saying that I was worried about my friend. Actually, why the hell is he here? Wasn't he supposed to be gone by now?

"What brings a lone person such as yourself, to a place such at this, let alone at such a late hour?" speaks Brave, his voice even, as he looms before me. "I doubt your purpose was as simple as just monster hunting."

I take in a breath. There's no way I'll be able to make it to the hallway in time to avoid fighting him - definitely not while carrying Uni. And there's definitely no way I'd be able to win this fighting: he took down a Candidate in HDD single handedly.

"You seem to be trying to hide that girl lying behind you." states Brave. His sudden interjection pretty much smashes my train of thought, and I wince in response. So much for keeping her hidden. "You are aware that she is an enemy of mine?"

When fighting's not an option… I suppose it's time to talk instead.

I banish my comparatively useless weapon, and shake my head clear. "I don't care. She helped me at my lowest, and I've helped her. If you're her enemy, then I guess…" I murmur, as I gaze down towards the ground.

I gulp down some air. I'm talking to something that quite literally squash me if I tread incorrectly.

Slowly, I turn my eyes back upward, to meet those of the being before me. "If she is your enemy… Then I guess I am too… But right now, I don't want to fight you. Right now, I only want to get her out of here, to safety."

"And thus you travelled here alone?" asks Brave. "I did not detect any others arriving with you. In fact, how is it exactly that you knew you would find her here?"

Damn. Well… I don't actually have an answer for that.

"And why are you here?" I retort, hoping to deflect the conversation away. "If she is your enemy, then why would you still be here? Shouldn't you be long gone?"

Brave continues to stare.

"Regardless of why, I'm here." I state, trying to keep the momentum going. I can't help but feel that I'm just digging myself a deeper hole. "Even if nothing had really happened, even if this had all been in my imagination, then I wouldn't regret a damn thing. I've got nothing but time, and I'm getting her out of here. I'd be a terrible friend if I didn't. Now excuse me, I need to make sure my friend is okay."

After several moments of tense silence, I break eye contact, and bend down towards Uni. Carefully, I clench the torch between my shoulder and neck, and slowly rotate her onto her back. She's in terrible shape…

There's no bleeding, but I sort of expected that. But her face… her arms…

I roll up her sleeves to get a closer look, but can't help but wince slightly at what I see.

Her left arm is stained black, and her face is covered in the same rash-like red markings that were on my arms after I blocked a sword with them. I can't see her midsection, but I can only assume that it's in similar condition. The exposed skin feels tender and swollen.

I can only imagine that the ashen stain is supposed to represent burns or something, but honestly, in first person it looks more like a really bad infection, or severe under-the-skin bleeding… The thought of that is enough to make me queasy.

"Shit… No wonder you're out cold…" I can't help but breathe as I move the torch towards her legs. Same condition. "That's gotta hurt…"

"I need to get you out of here." I whisper, even as I rifle through my inventory for supplies. I'm fresh out of heals, so I can't even start to mitigate some of the damage. "This is probably going to hurt a lot, but it's better than just laying here."

Brave is still has not spoken. I can't help but gaze up towards him and spit, "So why are you still here? Are you here to admire your handiwork?"

I throw my free hand over my mouth and nearly trip backwards a moment later. Don't taunt the giant robot!

Brave stands, unmoving for several moments, before he nods towards me.

"I spared the Candidate." begins Brave, his voice calm. "I spared her, for I admired her resolve and determination. Thrice, I offered her surrender, and thrice, she persevered, even though she was vastly outmatched. She showed valor, even in the face of defeat, a trait that I truly wish I saw more in the warriors of today. Even after she fell, I stood watch, for above all, I am a warrior, not a butcher. I had planned on leaving when her companions arrived. I could not merely abandon her to the monsters, nor could I leave her at the outskirts of the town. This was my compromise, to satisfy both my allies, along with my convictions."

The dungeon fades to silence once more, before he continues his speech.

"I have decided. I shall spare you as well. Even in the face of an unbeatable foe, you have not faltered in your choice to protect your helpless companion. But know this: the next time we meet, it will be on the field of battle. I only ask that you speak not of this to your companions nor mine, lest I face repercussions."

"I swear that it'll remain only known to those of us in this room." I swear. "She deserves to know as well."

"Those terms are acceptable." responds Brave, as he draws his blade from the ground below. "I suppose the Candidate deserves to know, if as much as anyone does. Now, my purpose here is fulfilled. I have my own agenda. I wish you luck in escorting your companion to safety."

I let loose a breath. Brave nods towards me one final time, before he slowly backs into the darkness. The lights on his body are devoured by the blackness of the storage one by one, until I am once more alone with nothing more than a torch for light.

Carefully, I move towards where Brave's sword once stood, and wedge the end of my torch into the crevasse left behind.

Once the light is secure, I remove my coat, and carefully move it underneath the unconscious girl. From there, I wrap her in it, and move my arm back underneath her own.

I carefully begin to lift Uni. I'm going to have to drape her over my shoulder.

A sudden crash of something nearby nearly forces me to fumble.

Just on the edge of the illumination of the torch, I can see multiple moving things coming closer… They're small and angular…

Dammit! I don't need to deal with this now!

Biting back a curse, I carefully lift up Uni, before I step forward to retrieve my torch.

On the edges of the light, I can see monsters. Lots of them. Mostly vaders and robots, but there's some other things I can't recognise further in.

And I've only got one hand. Also, I fight using agility with short-ranged weapons.

Really, there's only one choice.

"Dammit!" I shriek, as I stride towards the exit. I can't risk a full run, and I don't think I'd be able to sprint very far while carrying someone. Either way, getting away from the horde quickly closing in on me is a good idea.

The corridors are alive now, as I sprint through the hallway, but I'm not letting it slow me down. I kick a few vaders out of the way, and bash away a robot with Flamin' Seamus, but I don't bother landing anything lethal. There's no time to loot, so there's no point in trying.

Step by step, I can see the entryway approach. I think I've managed to lose most of the monsters, so I'm finally able to lower my speed to regain my breath.

The sky overhead, while still dark, is beginning to color with the beginnings of the sunrise. It's enough to see, at least. I stare at my still-lit torch for a moment, before I wander over towards the grass and smother the flame within it.

I mean, I could just stomp on it until it's no longer on fire, but he's done quite well as a torch, so I see no reason to hurt him further. "Gooo…" it murmurs, the moment the flame finally is quenched.

Finally, I stow the now-extinguished Seamus back into storage. I'll buy him a treat or something later.

"Uni, do you think you'll be able to wake up anytime soon?" I ask, but the lack of response is more or less expected.

I let loose a groan. "Lastation… Here I come…"

The sun has risen by the time I arrive back. The walk was more irritating than difficult, and strangely, I don't pass anyone on the way back.

The city soon is before me, and I make haste towards the Basilicom.

I think I make it about a block into Lastation before a guard in armor stops me. The uniform's really unisex though, so I can't tell if they're male or female. Their face is entirely concealed by their helmet.

Mostly because I'm obviously carrying an unconscious person over my shoulder.

"Halt!" shouts the guard, who points their polearm towards me. "State your business!"

So, what does someone say if they're caught obviously smuggling in an unconscious person?

"You might want to bring me and the person I'm carrying to the Basilicom. Trust me, you don't want to start a panic here." I say. Uni still hasn't woken, but she's definitely shifted about. "Tell Oracle Kei that the annoying guy from a week ago has important information for her. She should understand."

The guard blinks at me, before they retrieve a walkie talkie, and relays my information. There's a small pause, before a small sigh emanates from the guard.

"The Oracle says to let you in, and that she has several questions for you." groans the guard. "To confirm, you are the man known as Derek, correct?"

"I am indeed Derek. But besides that: she cussed me out, didn't she." I respond.

"Oracle Kei is the picture of composure." replies the guard. "But yes, she definitely did. Come along now."

The inside of the Basilicom is abuzz with activity as I step inside. Strangely, none of them seem to pay attention to the obviously-human bundle over my shoulder. I'm quickly directed towards the big room from before, and then left alone.

Alone with a rather annoyed-looking Kei.

"What is your purpose for demanding to see me?" states the Oracle. She then glances towards the body over my shoulder. "Why are you carrying around an unconscious girl? Should I even ask?"

"Do you have a soft surface I can lay Uni down on?" I respond. I flip back the hood of my jacket, revealing Uni's face beneath.

Kei stares at me, and then at Uni's face. Her mouth opens and closes several times, before she shakes her head and returns back to her usual posture.

"I cannot even begin to fathom just how, or why you are carrying the CPU Candidate, but at this point, I will let it go." groans the Oracle. "I will direct you to her quarters, but know that I will have many questions for you."

"Bring medical supplies too. She's in bad shape." I respond, flipping the hood back on. "But yeah, you can see why I didn't want to have her be revealed in the middle of a town… Can you imagine what'd happen if people saw their unconscious Candidate being carried in by some random guy?"

Kei shakes her head, as she opens the door to enter the Basilicom proper. "Her human form is not widely known to be a Candidate by the general populace. While it would still be dangerous to Lastation as a whole, it is not as disastrous as if she was still in her Goddess state."

It's a bit of a walk to get to Uni's room. Several times, we pass contingents of staff, who seem to calm down quite a bit after Kei speaks to them for a moment. Did she mobilize the entire Basilicom?

Finally, we reach the required room. Kei unlocks the door, before she gestures for me to enter.

I nod my head, before I carefully lay Uni down onto the bed. I remove my coat from the unconscious girl, and am directly back outside of the room.

"I will call medical staff to treat Uni. In addition, I will rescind the order to locate her." states Kei. "Follow me. I still have questions about the situation. Have you ever been through a debriefing before?"

I blink, before I take the obvious joke. "I'm sorry, but no, I'd prefer it if my briefs remained on."

Kei stares at me with her usual look of dawning irritation, but she responds, "Very funny. I need to know what exactly happened, how you came across the Candidate, and how we can prevent this sort of thing from happening in the future."

"Sounds good." I reply, and with that, I'm lead back to the conference room.