Graphic scene in this chapter. Read at your own risk, or skip it.
You've been warned.
It had been a few days since her last mission in Leanbox. Her recovery was a tad slow due to the low nation's shares. But Compa's nursing skills and her divine healing powers helped it speed up a bit.
Histoire didn't chew her out like last time, thankfully. Earlier, she had received news from her friend, Cave. She reassured her that Chika was being looked after back in Lastation.
The Guardian...
This name echoed in Nepgear's head and it lingered in her mind like a bad smell.
Little is known about her. Kei tried to look for any records but it proved to be very difficult due to her conceding her identity behind a helmet. Not to mention that she's working with ASIC Remnants and she's also after the cursed sword.
The sword was stored in the most secure place in the whole Gamindustri. Somewhere that would make someone think twice before breaking in.
On a brighter note, today was the day she and Compa would go into the city to do some shopping so she could prepare for tonight's dinner that they had been planning for. She only wished all of her friends could come, but they were busy and some had long vanished.
Like Gust and Nisa...
Nepgear prepared herself and double-checked everything for the trip before she met up with her friend.
"Are you ready to head out, Ge-Ge?" Compa adjusted her handbag.
"Yeah, I think so." Nepgear nodded before she looked around. "Hey, is IF back yet from her mission?"
"No... that's weird." The nurse put a finger on her chin. "Iffy said she'd be back in a few days but she hasn't returned yet. Do you think maybe something bad happened?"
Nepgear shook her head. "No, IF is tough and a trained agent. She can handle herself."
"Okay..." Compa's eyes darted to the floor. "I hope she comes back before tonight's dinner."
"She won't." Nepgear put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "She knows how much it means to you. Come on, let's go before it gets late."
"Y-Yeah, you're right, Ge-Ge." Compa let out a sigh before she reverted back to her usual cheerful self.
Nepgear checked her N-Watch. "Come on, we should head out now so we can get back before it gets late."
"Okay! Let's go." The two gals got out of the building and took public transport to downtown via a trolley. The two enjoyed the ride in silence as they took in the sight of the passing building by the window.
It didn't take them long to reach their destination. The two hopped off and went to the bustling streets on foot. Compa held her hand as they walked. She allowed herself to be dragged by her friend as they walked around the numerous stores the city had to offer.
They spent most of their time window shopping rather than actually shopping. Her friend was interested in clothing and food shops and the discounts and sales they were having, while she was more interested in gadget and phone shops to buy parts for her projects and keep up with the latest pieces of technology that hit the market recently.
They bought sweets and snacks to treat themselves as they walked. They enjoyed the atmosphere of the city and how lovely and full of life it was. The streets were clean and they saw street performers on their way.
Sadly, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. A lot of shops and stores were closed down and were up for sale. Many businesses were shutting down due to the current state of the economy. Many lost their jobs and had a hard time looking for one, especially the people who had to flee from Leanbox.
Many people complained online, mostly chirper, about the current high prices and the increase in housing prices. People have no choice but to just accept it and they have to work long shifts and sometimes work two jobs or more to provide.
They then went to the bustling market and bought vegetables and meat. The smell of various species tickled her nose and her hair, mixed with the sounds of people chattering among shopkeepers that were trying to sell their goods.
After they were done with shopping, Compa suggested they head to the park, seeing as the two had some spare time left. Both friends were still holding hands. Compa's soft skin felt softer than that of any feather pillow. Her preformed scent was captivating like a spell.
It was really nice hanging out with her friend. She really had missed this.
It's one of the moments where Nepgear wishes it could last forever.
Later, they bought wrapped crepe cones filled with cream and berries. The sweet taste of crepe mixed with the bittersweet taste of berries made her sweet tooth happy. The taste was like her mouth had ascended to heaven. Nepgear can't remember the last time she had something sweet but it was nice to treat herself every so often.
The two enjoyed the sweets as they took in the green scenery around them. The sound of a water fountain and the ducks and geese that were swimming on the lake were relaxing. The birds gathered around the people who were throwing breadcrumbs to feed them.
The place was filled with many sights and activities that took place here. She saw people were walking and jogging on the path. Few were walking their pets and playing with them. Some were sitting and enjoying the weather. Some sat up a picnic on the grass and others either were reading or were glued to their phones.
They reach the middle of the park, where a giant statue stands high. The figure was seen holding a katana in her hand with a determined look on her face in her HDD form.
Hello again, sis.
Her hand rested on a gold slap with engravings on a tall stone.
~ { In the memory of the CPU of Planeptune, Purple Heart, who lost her life while fighting the Deity of Sin. She'll be forever in our hearts and thoughts. } ~
Some people stopped to marvel at the status, while others stopped to pay their respects to their fallen benovlet CPU. The people were made to believe that their CPUs lost their lives in battle with the Deity of Sin to protect Gamindustri.
Sometimes, things are best left hidden.
Both she and Compa stared in silence at the statue of her sister for a while before her friend suddenly spoke up with a sad smile on her face. "Do you think that Nep-Nep is looking at us from above?"
"I think... No, I know that she's looking down, smiling."
"Right. Nep-Nep would be happy to see us trying our best and having fun, even without her."
"Yeah..." She snuck a quick last on her N-Watch. "Come on, we should head back now."
"M'kay. Bye, Nep-Nep." Compa waved as they left the statue. They took the train on their way back home this time. It was one of the projects she had built a few years ago to provide an easier way to travel around the city.
"We're back~" Compa announced once they were inside the Basilicom. The two sat the groceries in the kitchen before Histoire came to greet them.
"Welcome back, you two. Did you two have a great time?"
"Sure, did." Compa answered. "We went looking at different shops, then we went shopping at the market and finally we stopped at the park and bought delicious crepes."
"That reminds me, is IF back yet, Histoire?" Nepgear asked.
"No. She hasn't come to the Basilicom as far as I'm aware."
"Huh, really?"
"Iffy isn't back yet? Oh, I'm getting worried... What if something really bad happened to her?"
"We mustn't jump to conclusions so hastily." Histoire put a hand on her chin. "There must be an explanation for her lateness."
"Yeah, I agreed." Nepgear nodded. "I'll try calling her."
Nepgear tried calling her on her N-Watch, but after a few rings, they heard a beep.
"Hey, IF here. Sorry, can't come to the phone at the moment so leave a message or don't, I guess. Peace."
"Iffy is not answering. She never misses a single call." Compa turned into a quivering mess.
"This is most certainly not reassuring. Nepgear, you must go and check on her."
Okay, something is definitely wrong.
It was rare for their friend to not answer the phone. She was basically glued to it 24/7 and would throw a tantrum if one of hers got broken.
"Yeah, I'm going to the to check at guild." Nepgear bolted to the doors without waiting for any answers.
(N)
Once Nepgear reached the guild, she began scanning around for any signs of her friends among the many crowds of adventurers but had no luck. She decided to go ask the staff but then she was approached by someone.
"Hey... Nepgear, right?" The man suddenly asked.
"Uh... yes." She studied the stranger for a bit. "I'm sorry but do I know you from somewhere?"
"Yeah, I'm the guy you saw talking with IF a few days ago, remember? My name's Tommy or simply Tom." He pointed at himself. "I'm one of IF's friends here at the guild and also a trusted contact of hers."
"Oh, yeah... I remember now. Um, about IF, have you seen her anywhere? She's not answering her phone."
Tom shook his head. "No, I've noticed her absence as well. It's been a few days since she took a quest alone and she hasn't come back yet. It's very rare for her to be late like this, especially since she hasn't given us head-ups. And now she won't answer her phone. Something bad must have happened."
"Do you know what quest she took?"
"No, we don't really keep track of the individuals who took quests, only the individuals themselves. We won't know the quest that the person took until they come and claim the rewards on one of the staff or the self-service machines with their digital code linked to their profile. It's all digital now."
Nepgear cursed at her luck. It seems all her hopes were crushed but then Tom spoke up again "Fortunately, I can try tracking her phone's signal."
"You can?" Nepgear perked up, a glimmer of hope shone in her eyes.
"Yeah, shouldn't be too hard. Just give me a few minutes..." Tom brought his device and began furiously typing. "Here, I've sent you the location of her phone's signal. You best hurry up before the battery dies. I have a feeling that our dear IF might have gotten herself into a pickle. I've also sent you my number. Call me when you reach there."
She immediately saw a notification coming from her N-Watch. "Okay, I will. Thanks."
She quickly transformed as soon as she left the building. She flew and broke the speed of the sound as she headed out to the marked location.
(N)
She reached a huge field filled with grass and a creek. There was no sign of her friend anywhere, so she began shouting at the top of her lungs. "IF! CAN YOU HEAR ME! WHERE ARE YOU!"
She flew around the grass field until she stumbled upon a sight of a skirmish in the open area. She dropped down and inspected the site. Her eyes then spot the undeniably phone that belonged to her tomboy friend near a fallen tree. She picked up the device of the dirt and switched it on. The screen had a slight crack with the wallpaper being a much younger IF and Compa. The battery was out of juice and there were many missed calls and unread texts.
She put on her earpiece and quickly called her friend's trusted contact associate. "Hello?"
"Yeah, Hello. I can hear you loud and clear. So, what's the status?"
"Well, I found IF's phone lying on the grass but she is nowhere to be found." She flipped the phone on its side before pocketing it.
"Shit, this is bad. Okay, um... Try looking around the area for anything out of place. There might be clues that could help us."
"Alright." Nepgear went to the first point of interest, which was a fallen tree. She crouched down and closely inspected it by running her hand on it. She rubbed off the burned ashes on her finger. "That's weird..."
"What's what weird?"
"The tree trunk seems to have a burn mark on it."
"Can you send me a picture of it?"
"Sure thing. Hold on..." Nepgear took her phone and snapped a quick picture of it before sending it to the man. She waited a few moments until the message was finally sent.
The man inspected the picture for a bit before he concluded. "Yup, definitely not the work of any monster that I know of."
"It seems to be caused by... an energy attack or something of the sort."
"Really? Did IF get into a fight with a magic user or something?"
"Your guess is as good as mine, but it is highly possible. It looks like there has been a fight that took place here." Nepgear noticed there were a few small areas of burned grass near the area.
"Alright, keep looking for more. We need all the details we can get."
Nepgear stood up and moved to the thick, fallen tree log. Her eyes spotted a piece of leather clothing that was stuck on the tree's branches and what seemed like a trail of dried blood.
She grabbed the piece of clothing and sure enough, it was the same as her friend's. "Found a piece of clothing stuck on one of the branches. It's definitely IF's."
"Is that all?"
"No. There's also blood splatter on the wood." She scooped the blood with her finger and inspected it. "It's dry... maybe a day or more. Hard to tell."
"Well, IF has been missing for a few days now, so that matches up nicely. Well, I think I have a clear understanding of what could have possibly happened."
"You do? Let's hear it then."
"Let's see... based on the data we've gathered so far. It seems like IF got into a fight with somebody, then they used an energy attack that probably missed her and went through and cut the tree, which caused it to fall on her. I could take a guess that she managed to free herself and dropped her phone at some point but the scent of blood and the commotion of the battle might have attracted nearby monsters to her, which could explain why she ditched her phone."
"That sounds plausible but it doesn't exactly tell us where IF is."
"Hang on, I can bring out the data and check the recent monster activity in the last few days in that area." Tom paused for a moment before loud keystrokes were heard on the other side of the call. "Bingo. It seems like there was a bit of a spike of activity around here and near the south, near the mountain. That's your best bet at finding her there."
"Okay, but how am I going to find her there? It will take a very long time for me to cover the whole area, even with my transformation."
"I don't know. Maybe try loudly shouting or shooting in the air until she hears it? Look, IF is strong, but she can only hold on against that many monsters, especially with her current injury. You should hurry before it gets dark. That way, you'll have a higher chance of spotting her."
"I guess you're right. I gotta try at the very least."
"Oh, I should probably mention that once you reach the mountain area, I won't be able to reach out to you since there won't be any signal in there, so you'll be on your own. Watch out for the monsters there. I'm going to prepare a search team just in case."
"Thanks for your help. I'll bring IF safely."
"Don't mention it and I'll be counting on it."
And with that, the call was over. The CPU flew towards the mountain in the distance. As soon as she reached the area, she was greeted with monsters. She couldn't call for help at the moment but she didn't have a hard time dealing with the horde of monsters.
She finished off every monster she encountered along the way and by the time she was done, the sun was hanging low and she was getting more worried by the minute.
She began shouting as she flew around the bottom of the mountain.
"IF! ARE YOU THERE?"
"PLEASE ANSWER ME!"
Nepgear waited for a few moments before she began shouting once more. She then fired a couple of loud energy shots into the air, hoping her friend would hear them.
She then spotted a narrow cave entrance at the bottom of the mountain. "IF! ARE YOU IN THERE?"
She heard her voice echo, then followed by a few moments of silence. Suddenly, she was met with a response as a couple of gunshots were heard inside. Her ears perked at the sound before she rushed inside. "I'm coming, IF."
She ventured deep inside the hole, as it got darker and narrower the deeper she went. She brought up her phone light as she felt the temperature seem to rise a little.
"IF, can you hear me?" Her loud echo was met with a flock of bats who flew away in fear. She squeaked and swatted her hand as they flew past her.
Stupid bats. She shook her head and continued on her way.
"IF, where are you?
To her relief, she heard a faint voice. "O-Over... here."
There was no doubt that was the voice of her friend. Nepgear immediately rushed to the source of the voice that came behind a rock. "Hold on, I'm coming!"
Nepgear managed to find her friend at last, but she was met with a horrifying sight. Her back was resting against a rock. Her friend's body got skinnier and her skin was dry. Her whole body was covered in blood and bruises and her clothes had cuts in them. She had her leg stretched out with a belt strapped just on top of it to stop the bleeding. The brunette's whole body trembled as she held a gun in her hand before she raised her head to look at her.
"N-Nep... Gear? Is that... you?"
"IF! IF, Are you okay?" Nepgear rushed to her side.
"Am I glad to see you..." IF managed to smile, but she had a hard time staying awake due to the blood loss and severe starvation and dehydration. "B-But h-how... did you manage to find me?"
"It doesn't matter now. Just save your breath." Nepgear crouched down to her level and grabbed her torso, carefully and slowly securing her on her shoulder while making sure not to touch the injured leg. "Don't worry. I'm taking you back to the city."
"O-Okay..." The agent stretched her arms out so she could be picked up before wrapping her arms around her neck. She let out a painful screech as her leg was dangling in the air. "A-AH! My leg... I-I can't feel it..."
"I got you... Just take it easy and breathe, okay?" Nepgear began carefully going back the way she came until she was out of the dark cave.
Nepgear then flew with her friend on her shoulder, making sure to go at a steady pace as if she were carrying fragile package. Once she was at a signal range, she activated the voice recognized on her N-Watch by yelling, "N-Watch, call Histoire."
The small device took a moment to register her voice before automatically initiating the call a few moments later.
"Nepgear? Hello? I've been worried that—"
"Histoire, I have IF with me and she requires medical attention immediately."
"H-Huh? I-I mean... yes, of course. I'll gather the medical units."
Histoire ended the call soon after. Nepgear quickly checked on her friend. "IF? Are you still with me?"
"Y-Yeah, Agh..." IF was holding on to her like a child grabbing onto their parents. "E-Everything hurts... My body feels like it's on fire..."
"We're almost there. Try to stay awake, you hear me?"
"I-I'll try but... it's getting cold." Her voice was becoming weaker as she had a hard time keeping her eyelids open.
"What happened? W-Who did this to you?" The CPU asked.
"I-It was that woman... Rei..." The tomboy managed to say.
"Wait... You mean Rei. Ryghts?! The same missing woman we've been searching for?"
"Y-Yes, her." The bruntee's breathing was getting ragged and weaker but she tried getting the words out despite the agonizing pain. "I-I was casually patrolling the area until... I saw her. Ugh, when I went to confront her... s-she panicked and unleashed some sort of a powerful attack. It missed me by a hair. The damn tree fell on my leg, trapping me." She winced at the memory.
"I managed... to squirm out but I was swarmed by monsters soon after. I... had to fend them off but I was left with no choice but to flee as they kept coming more and more. I then took shelter inside the cave and hid there. I-I was stranded for days since... I couldn't move my leg. I almost resort to eating... dead bats to survive."
"It's okay, it's over now... You're safe now." She whispered. She saw the city appear on the horizon, which made her increase her speed. "We're nearly there. Don't give up yet."
(Last chance to turn away.)
Rushed through the Basilicom while still holding her friend on her shoulder. "I NEED HELP HERE!"
"Over here, Nepgear." She saw Histoire standing at one of the doors, along with Compa. She wasted no time and headed straight to the operation room. The fairy-sized girl covered a gasp of horror in her hand as she saw the state of the agent. "Dear heavens... Q-Quick, bring her inside."
Inside the room, there was a makeshift bed with medical equipment already prepared, with professional medical staff all around.
The doctor gestured at her. "Set Miss IF on the bed, if you would."
Nepgear gently laid IF on the bed, which caused her to let out a loud groan of pain. She had gotten too weak to form words and she felt herself slowly drifting away.
"W-What happened to Iffy?" Compa felt her whole blood run cold as her body wouldn't stop shaking at the horrifying sight of her childhood friend.
"It's a long story... Can you treat her?" She turned to the doctor.
The man in white simply nodded. "Don't worry, my lady. Your friend is in good hands."
The doctor began examining the wound before he hummed. "A lot of blood loss, not to mention that the wound is severely infected... I'll try saving as much as I can but sadly, we have to amputate."
"W-What...?" IF suddenly jolted awake, unsure of what she heard. "What did he say... amutate it?"
The doctor sat his medical tools on the table before he turned to the young nurse. "Compa, my dear, if you would..."
"Sorry, Iffy..." Compa nodded before grabbing her friend's shoulder and injecting a syringe, which made her wince before the effects of the anesthesia kicked in and she immediately knocked her out cold. "It's for your own good."
The nurse then began undressing her, leaving her with only her tank top as she began monitoring her heart rate by hooking her to the machine. The device produced a rhythmic beep sound.
"You might want to leave, Lady Nepgear. This will not be a pretty sight."
"I-It's fine. I'll stay here with IF."
"As you wish, my lady." He reverted his attention to the young nurse once again. "Compa, be a dear and give me a hand, will you?"
"Okay." Compa helped the doctor by getting hold of her let and began wrapping a rubber rope above the wound and tightening it so as to stop the bleeding. She then began thoroughly sterilizing the wound to the best of her ability to prevent or at least minimize the infection from spreading any further. Finally, she put on sterile drapes all around except for the wound before she moved aside as the specialist surgical team began surrounding the girl and turned on the light above.
Before they began, the doctor checked the pulse near the wound and checked areas for reddened skin to determine where they'd be planning to cut. After marking the area with a black marker, they began performing the surgery.
They started with a scalpel with blades and began removing all damaged tissue and crushed bones while leaving as much healthy tissue as possible. They then began sealing and tying the blood vessels and nerves to minimize phantom pain in the future. Soon after, the surgeon switched to the charriere bone saw and began cutting using 'a circular amputation' to cut through the skin, muscle, and bone all at the same point, while Compa occasionally helped wipe the sweat from the surgeon's forehead as they worked.
They managed to successfully amputate the leg after a long and tedious process. Compa then safely put the amputated leg on one of the medical waste containers.
"Goodness..." Nepgear felt nauseous at the sight of the fresh-cut limp. She covered her nose, as the smell of the fresh blood and infected leg was too much for her.
The surgical team began carefully cutting and shaping the muscles and smoothing the bone around the stump until it had a well-padded end so it would be able to have an artificial limb or prosthesis attached to it in the future. The surgeon began closing the wound with stitches or surgical staples.
It was torture for Nepgear, being forced to watch the disgusting sight of her friend's leg being cut like buttered meat. She fought the urge to throw up and the sounds were horrifying as they led to her brain filling the gaps in her head. It felt like the hours passed slowly, with the only source of noise being the sound of flesh beings and the beep coming from the heart monitoring machine. She fidgets in her seat and begins shifting in various positions as she waits for the operation to finish, silently praying that her friend will be okay until the staff and her nurse friend are done.
She was thankful that it was finally over.
"Is... she?" Histoire slowly asked as she eyed the unmoving girl lying on the bed.
"Iffy will be okay." Compa began placing sterile dressing on the wound. "Poor iffy... We've done all we could."
"Now, she needs a blood transfusion as soon as possible for the blood loss." The doctor concluded. "It's nice of you to stay, Lady Nepgear and Ms. Oracle. But we can take care of the rest. We assure you that Miss IF here will make it."
"Very, well. Me and Nepgear would take our leave. You have our deepest gratitude."
"Thank you. You did a good job, Compa." Nepgear gave her a quick pat on the shoulder before she left with the oracle. As soon as they got out, Nepgear leaned on the wall for support as she felt her stomach turn and her legs couldn't support her weight any longer.
"Heavens, are you well, Nepgear?" Histoire rushed to her side but she brushed it off. "Yeah, yeah... I'll be fine. I just need a minute with myself."
Nepgear left without saying a word and used the wall to anchor herself.
Author's Notes
Damn site DNS got broken. I was in the middle of working on this chapter when the site suddenly went down. Talk about bad timing. Thankfully, I backed up the chapter and resumed working on AO3 from there until the site was fixed.
Poor Iffy. Had to replace the role of Neptune meeting Rei. with her. I had to do it to her.
I hope none of you got traumatized too much, because if you think this is too dark, then too bad. This is nothing compared to what's to come in the future.
Next chapter: Red Ring of Death.
Nepgear meets up with Chika to discuss some potential problems.