"Flower Division, at attention."
Blossom Aisen's forces received orders from General Iris this morning. They were being relocated to a position being cleared out by Purple Heart and a Gamindustri Guild squad. Blossom had been as surprised as anyone else when their goddess returned. Now here she was, following behind Purple Heart's attack on lost territory. The soldiers under Blossom's command were excited to see their goddess in person. Blossom shared their feeling, but as the commander of their unit, she had to have the composure befitting an officer. General Iris clearly took to being in Purple Heart's presence with poise, so Blossom would endeavor to do the same. She walked down the aisle between her troops before stopping and turning around with her back to the closed ramp doors.
"As you all know, we've been reassigned from offensive operations to defense." Blossom started off a quick recap of their mission. "I know the change is sudden, but we have our orders. We're to set up a perimeter around the reconstruction site with automated sentries and sensor checkpoints."
"Ma'am, is it true that only Lady Purple Heart and a few Gamindustri Guild members cleared this area by themselves?" One of the recently transferred privates asked a question with their hands raised. "Why weren't we sent in to assist them?"
"It's not always about leading the charge against the enemy, even if that's what we were trained to do." Blossom told the rookie before inputting a series of commands on her forearm-mounted tactical pad. "Aerial drones were cloaked to watch for any incoming monster waves. If they had, then we would have been called in earlier to assist, but that did not happen. Take a look at this recording here."
The tactical pad displayed a wide video screen in front of her. Footage played of Purple Heart fighting alongside Gamindustri Guild members against a plethora of monsters. The goddess had skill and strength in her way with the blade. Boot camp trainees could learn a thing or two from this video on using a standard sword since Purple Heart showed form with each monster she struck down. Blossom expected nothing less from someone who has used a sword for countless years against the enemies of Planeptune. What intrigued Blossom was that Purple Heart's secondary weapon, which was a pistol. The model and frame were standard-issue army sidearms, but the ammunition it fired was anything but normal. Instead of bullets, the pistol fired some sort of energy ball at Purple Heart's foes.
It must be a prototype weapon exclusively reserved for Lady Purple Heart. That was Blossom's initial theory, as she saw the weapon carried virtually no recoil. She only fires a few rounds before following up with sword hits. It must have a threshold of some kind.
"Kicking ass and taking names, that's our Lady." One of the soldiers complimented Purple Heart's battle skills. "I always figured Lady Purple Heart would just be a figurehead for Planeptune. Never thought she could throw down like the rest of us."
"That's disrespectful." A veteran chided his fellow brother-in-arms. "There's a reason why her statues always show her with a sword."
"Sorry, my bad." The soldier apologized with a nervous chuckle. "I always thought the sword was a symbol for the military. That we are her blade or something like that."
"You would all do well to remember Lady Purple Heart carries the same or even higher authority than General Iris." Blossom announced as everyone stiffened at the mention of Planeptune's fiercest army leader yet. "You know how I let some things slide sometimes, but mind your manners around our goddess. Is that understood?"
"Yes, Ma'am!" Every soldier responded back resolutely.
"Commander Blossom, we're setting down now." The pilot spoke over the speakers.
Blossom felt the slightest bump that signaled they were on the ground. She waited as the other soldiers quickly exited the aircraft past her before finally turning around. A leader had to be calm and collected, but meeting the goddess so soon had not been on her agenda today. Blossom had hoped that maybe they would meet at a formal party and introduce herself there. She took a deep breath and exhaled to steady herself before exiting the transport ship. Other aircraft carriers were touching down nearby and offloading their troops, some of whom were the engineers responsible for setting up a defensive line. There were plenty of corpses to be seen that would have to be disposed of. Blossom was sure the government contractors would happily send in their own crew of cleaners since there was a standard rate for monster materials.
Ah, there's Lady Purple Heart. Blossom spotted the goddess speaking to the Gamindustri Guild squad and moved to introduce herself. Stay composed and carry yourself with dignity, Blossom. Just report in to Lady Purple Heart, and that's all.
"My Lady." Blossom straightened herself and saluted once Purple Heart's gaze focused on her. "Commander Blossom, Flower Division. We've been ordered by General Iris to relieve you and start setting up defenses."
"Guess that means our job is done here. Thanks, Blossom." Purple Heart nodded at her before looking to her Gamindustri Guild allies. "My count is at eighty-four, IF."
"Sixty-two." The one called IF responded back before looking to her spellcaster. "What about you, MAGES.?"
"Forty-nine." MAGES. answered and adjusted her hat. "Marvy?"
"Fifty-eight." Marvy looked quite content with her number.
"Looks like the win goes to you." IF said with a sheepish smile. "The odds were not stacked in our favor since we were up against you, Nep."
From what Blossom was able to infer from the conversation, they were keeping a score among each other in regards to their monster kills. It was not an uncommon thing in the army, as many soldiers made bets on who would be the top dog in upcoming skirmishes. The troops in Flower Division knew well enough not to let winning compromise the safety of their unit. Winnings varied between certain parts of people's rations or base duties. Eighty kills by use of sword and pistol in a single battle would be an extraordinary feat for the regular human soldier. That is not even counting the mutated monsters in the land known as 'Virals,' which were tougher and more aggressive variations of normal creatures. Monster herds that attacked Planeptune cities were often composed of those Virals, but luckily it seemed none here had mutated. Blossom doubted a Viral would prove an issue for Purple Heart if this was her kill count in her human form.
Wait, this IF person is calling Lady Purple Heart by a different name. Nep? Blossom realized IF talked more casually compared to the others. IF must be a favored individual.
"Not exactly my win, IF." Purple Heart started, which confused IF. "It would be my win if we were keeping score individually. Your teams worked as one, so all your kills together make for a much bigger total than my own."
"That seems a bit unfair to you, Lady Purple Heart." MAGES. pointed out to the goddess before chuckling or shaking her head. "Or was that the challenge for yourself?"
"You're also in your normal state." Marvy said while maintaining surveillance of the area. "I say you did well even knowing you're having issues with your goddess form."
"Speaking of that, do you want a ride back into the city?" IF followed up with an offer. "We'll be heading back with the job done, and I can show you around the Gamindustri Guild Hub if you're interested."
"Thanks, but I need to stay here." Purple Heart pulled out her notebook-styled tablet. "I'll take you up on your offer to see your squad's workplace another day."
"See you around, Nep." IF motioned her two other members to follow. "I'm starving. Let's go pick up Falcom and find a place to eat. Before you say anything, I'll remember to pick a place with your Doc P this time."
"Ever the kindred spirit, IF." MAGES. nodded in approval at her leader.
The Gamindustri Guild squad departed, and that left Blossom alone with Purple Heart. Blossom glanced at her tactical pad and noticed an incoming transmission from a squad belonging to Moon Division. She put some distance between her and Purple Heart as the goddess seemed distracted with her tablet. Blossom had been looking into strange reports of monster corpse piles. Gamindustri Guild held a pretty tight record when it came to logging their kill counts and setting markers down for sites to clean bodies. When Virals started appearing, they had been recorded by Gamindustri Guild scouts to devour a normal monster's body or reanimate them. Planeptune started making it a procedure to dispose of bodies to reduce the overall threat level of Viral herds growing their numbers before attacking Planeptune. Blossom accepted the call as a video screen of a soldier appeared who quickly saluted Blossom.
"Crescent-One reporting in." The soldier started off. "We've completed our recon."
"Did you find anything?" Blossom cut to the chase.
"We found more corpses trailing along this route." Crescent-One reported as he sent their findings to her pad. "From what we can tell, it's the same as the others. We still believe it to be one lone fighter. There was a deviation near a lake, but otherwise the path remains consistent."
"You still believe they're pursuing someone?" Blossom looked at the data and photos taken.
"I stand by my observation." Crescent-One resolutely believed in their assumption. "Definitely a sword fighter, but there's still something off. There are injuries on their body that looked like shockwaves hit them."
"Do you believe it could be a spell of sorts?" Blossom placed one possibility up in the air. "There are wind spells that can do that."
"I don't believe so. The way the bodies are impacted makes it seem like the force of the air waves attacked them in the shape of a cone." Crescent-One quickly countered the theory.
"Very well then." Blossom could see she reached another dead end in the identity of the mystery hunter. "Return back to base and remain on standby. General Iris may reassign you elsewhere."
"Understood. Crescent-One, out."
War against the monster threat was a constant tug-of-war over territories. Planeptune forces did the best they could to keep the creatures at bay, but unlike the monsters, they could not afford to lose bodies. Oracle Plutia pushed more budget into the military research and development organizations. That led to the automated turrets that could be deployed on the ground or aerial support drones. The manufacturing of these weapons was expensive, but Blossom believed them to be well worth the cost. Parts and machinery could be replaced, but a human life was years of lost time and investment. The turrets were specifically designed to target monsters and only them to avoid any unwanted incidents regarding friendly fire. Blossom remembered that topic being very heavily discussed in the early phases of pushing automated weaponry into Planeptune's arsenal.
"Blossom?" Purple Heart's voice startled Blossom out of her thoughts as she turned to look at the goddess. "I didn't interrupt your conversation, did I?"
"Not at all, my Lady." Blossom quickly answered as she stood at attention. "I just finished up, actually."
"You can ease up, Blossom." Purple Heart held a hand up before lowering it. "I'm not here to talk business. I just wanted to talk and get to know you a bit. I know Iris, and now I know you, but I want more than just that."
"Oh... I'm honored, Lady Purple Heart." Blossom felt tense for a different reason as she felt her cheeks heat up at how Purple Heart made it sound like she was making a pass at her. "Just...please watch your wording. Some people might misunderstand."
"Eh? Misunderstand what?" Purple Heart took a few seconds before realizing what Blossom meant. "Whoops, that does sound a bit like flirting. Sorry about that, Blossom."
"No harm done." Blossom chuckled a little as that ended up being a nice icebreaker. "What do you want to know about me?"
"Tell me anything you're comfortable with." Purple Heart asked as she stored away her tablet. "We're going to be working together sometimes, so I want to know as much as you're willing to give."
Blossom decided to give a simplified explanation of her life's story. Purple Heart seemed genuinely interested in knowing her people. It was admirable, which put more weight on Purple Heart's speech regarding the military as the 'real protectors' of Planeptune. Blossom's family has always been warriors faithful to Planeptune, and Blossom was no different in that regard. Childhood times consisted of training at home with the rapier, but at school she learned to love being an actor. The family had no issue with her passion for theater and voice acting, so long as she continued to train in the ways of their ancestor. Blossom was grateful her family was so understanding and did not force her to abandon that love for acting. When graduation arrived, Blossom made the choice to serve in the military for a few years before pursuing a career in movies and plays.
"My family has always served Planeptune. I'm the first officer in the family tree." Blossom admitted with a bit of pride for herself. "I was trained to become a warrior since I was a kid, but it didn't feel forced to me. I took up acting on the side when I wasn't training."
"You definitely feel like the kind of person who would be the star of the show." Purple Heart said with a nod. "Bet you had a lot of admirers in the past, huh?"
"I did." Blossom felt happy about Purple Heart saying that to her because it was true. The love letters at her desk every few weeks were quite the read. "My teacher in charge of my club wanted me to go on becoming an actor in the entertainment sector. Some agencies scouted me out before, but I turned them down."
"You wanted to follow your family's footsteps." Purple Heart spoke what Blossom implied with her last words.
"That's right. They respected my time when I was having fun acting. Supported me in that regard too since I still did training." Blossom loved her family wholeheartedly. "I figured giving back to the family the only way I could was serving time in the military."
"Well, I'm sure you don't need me to say this, but I think you've done a great job." Purple Heart praised Blossom again, and she found it really hard not to smile. "When you retire, I'll be happy to see how you do when your acting career takes off."
"Thank you, Lady Purple Heart." Blossom bowed her head. "That's for the future, though. We still have things to do in the here and now."
"That we do." Purple Heart's tablet made a noise as she pulled out her tablet to look at a message she received. "Looks like Plutia will be picking me up soon to take me back to the Basilicom."
"If you don't mind me saying, Lady Purple Heart..." Blossom glanced at the notebook tablet. "You seem to be taking all the new tech rather well. I figured you would be a bit more disoriented with everything since you've been gone for so long."
"I'm more confused about things that I'm showing." Purple Heart's honesty stunned Blossom. "It doesn't look like it, but there are a lot of things I don't get. This Nep-Note of mine was probably made in mind for me, so it's very easy for me to understand. Anything else outside of that? I might need a bit of help from Plutia or the Basilicom..."
"And your skill with a firearm?" Blossom asked as she focused her gaze on the advanced pistol holstered away. "You seemed comfortable using that pistol."
"This thing?" Purple Heart held out her free hand as the gun vanished from the holster and appeared in the CPU's hand instead. "It was a long time ago, but before I left Gamindustri, I was a pretty good shot with revolvers when the first few models were being introduced into the army. I still preferred the sword back then, and most people relied heavily on magic too."
Purple Heart probably did not know, but her actions in the past there concerning guns probably had a huge impact on the military. If the goddess of their nation approved of the weapons, then there was merit in creating weapons anyone could use. Planeptune Oracles in the past were definitely stubborn in making sure to normalize firearms for all soldiers. It was a positive action because that helped increase more recruitment because training back then was separated into melee and magic training. Firearm training was for those who lacked the talent in either fighting in close quarters or had no magical aptitude to use spells. It gave warriors who had nothing something, and that was progress for Planeptune. The other nations would eventually evolve their weaponry and make their own firearms, which resulted in their recruitment numbers swelling too. Planeptune would have been at a numerical disadvantage back then if not for Purple Heart's decision.
At least, that's what my family told me on that history...Blossom thought to herself from the stories her grandfather used to tell her before he passed away. If he had been eight or nine years younger, he could have been there when Purple Heart was in Planeptune back then.
"That explains why you're so comfortable using guns." Blossom stated as she rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Would you try using other weapons like assault rifles, shotguns, or sniper rifles?"
"So that's what some of the security staff at the Basilicom had other than just a pistol." Purple Heart showed how out of touch she still was with weapons. "I'll need to look those up later."
"I'm sure you could head to any military base and they would be glad to let you try out anything in their armory." Blossom knew a few firearm enthusiasts in bases who would love to show off their knowledge of weapons to the goddess.
"I might do that." Purple Heart's laughter showed she was apprehensive of the idea. "But... I'm plenty comfortable with this pistol."
On that, Blossom would agree. Purple Heart with just a sword and handgun felt right.
In one of the Gamindustri Guild training facilities, Falcom dueled against a training bot. Lethal weapons were not permitted against training dummies nor used by the robots. It would be very expensive otherwise if all the robots were destroyed by actual weapons or a novice ended up in the hospital if they failed in their duel. Training robots were a Planeptune-exclusive feature thanks to the support of Oracle Plutia as a trade deal. It allowed rookie adventurers such as herself to simulate actual combat without the risk of death. The novice sword fighter clashed and deflected blows with her wooden sword against the training dummy. Watching over the duel was Laxia, one of Gamindustri Guild's training instructors. The woman watched the novice fighter intently as Falcom moved and strafed to attack her robotic foe.
"End duel!" The observant woman shouted as both the robot and novice fighter lowered their weapons. "Falcom, take a break and get cleaned up. You've been at this for two hours already."
"Okay, Laxia." Falcom replied back before moving to put her wooden sword on the weapons training rack. "So, how did I do?"
"You've definitely improved over the weeks, Falcom." Laxia grabbed a water bottle off the table next to her and handed it to Falcom when she stopped in front of Laxia. "You're starting to understand distance to swing time and constant attention to your footing. It's also good you're learning to fight without your shield since you never know when that shield might break on the field."
"Thanks, Laxia." Falcom felt good knowing she improved since her first duel. "I hope I'll finally be ready for actual adventuring soon."
"One thing I would suggest is maybe adding spinning to your blade skills." Laxia raised one finger up and made a spinning motion. "Some of the moves you've tried look like they could use that. Just make sure you get used to spinning; otherwise, the disorientation could be fatal in actual battle."
"Spinning? Is that a good idea?" Falcom seemed confused by the advice.
"A situational suggestion since it's not like you'll always be fighting a single opponent." Laxia explained the reason behind her suggestion. "Fighting against bandits or other scumbags, I would not do that. But when it comes to monsters who have bigger numbers and disregard for their own lives to charge you from all angles, spinning a sword around like you're a ballerina might just save you from a bad situation."
"That's a good point." Falcom understood now as she nodded her head. "I'll be heading out then."
Falcom's squad left on a mission this morning to clear out monsters with the Planeptune goddess. It had been disheartening that she had to stay behind, but those were the Gamindustri Guild's rules. Every Gamindustri Guild squad was evaluated by the missions they took and how many they completed successfully. However, there were restrictions when it came to what squad can take based on the overall experience of the group. In this instance, Falcom had no missions to speak of due to being a new member of IF's squad. Everyone else in the squad had been through missions and rose in rank together, so she did feel a little out of place. However, IF assured Falcom that in time she would be the same as the others in the squad. IF's words to Falcom had been that she saw something in Falcom no one else could.
IF still hasn't told me what she meant by that. She said that I and she carry the same potential, but what exactly is it?
One shower and a fresh set of clothes later, Falcom returned to the training room to find the instructor no longer alone. Marvy and IF were talking to Laxia before Marvy's eyes found their way to Falcom. When Laxia was not available to train Falcom, Marvy was her secondary instructor. The ninja quickly rushed to Falcom to give her a hug. Marvy was the more physically affectionate with Falcom of everyone in her squad. Falcom did not have any issues with it, but she would not openly say she really liked being hugged by Marvy. During one training session with Marvy, the ninja asked if hugging made Falcom uncomfortable and if she should stop. Falcom said she had no issue with the hugs, and the rest was history.
"Sorry you couldn't tag along with us, Falcom!" Marvy apologized while nuzzling her cheek into her. "We would have wanted you to meet Lady Purple Heart and see a goddess in action."
"Rules are rules, Marvy." Falcom simply said in response before looking at the approaching IF and Laxia. "Hey, IF. Where's MAGES.?"
"She's talking to the receptionist about some other matter." IF said before looking at Laxia. "Is Falcom done with her training session, Laxia?"
"Yeah, she had her fill today. Food would be the next best thing for her." Laxia nodded and glanced at her phone briefly. "Good timing too. I have an appointment in the city to attend, and it's going to be a long one. Have a good day, everyone."
"See you around, Laxia." IF waved, and Falcom did the same too, but Laxia already had her back turned to them. Once the trainer was gone, IF looked at Falcom with a smile. "I'm buying today, so we came to grab you for a spot I've been wanting to try."
"Did you make sure there's Doc P this time?" Falcom asked as IF groaned, but she still had a smile on her face. "You know how MAGES. gets when there's no Doc P in a restaurant."
"I do. Goddess help me, I remembered what happened to the microwave." IF facepalmed at the memory of that day.
The three made their way out of the training room to the main hall after Marvy let go of Falcom. MAGES. was very particular about her love for Doc Tear Popper, or Doc P, as it was written on the can. The drink was not bad as Falcom tried it herself, but she could just not see what was so great about it. Falcom learned to never say that in front of MAGES., or she would be in for another history lesson on the origins and greatness of Doc P. Planeptune sold the drinks in various locations, but none so close to the Gamindustri Guild building. According to the spellcaster, Leanbox had much more convenient stores near the Leanbox Gamindustri Guild's facility. Falcom spotted MAGES. exactly where IF reported she would be. The receptionist was typing something into the computer before new information was posted on the quest board.
"You all finished up here, MAGES.?" IF asked, MAGES., who turned to look at them. "Did a new job catch your eye?"
"Something for Falcom to tackle as her first job." MAGES. answered and gestured to the quest board. "A simple recon task in the Virtua Forest with a side objective of collecting Dogoo Jelly."
"Oh! That is a good beginner place." Mary agreed with a nod. "Perfect place to start adding completed jobs to Falcom's record."
"Hm...To make it valid by her own merit, we all shouldn't go together on that one." IF concluded before looking at the receptionist. "Reserve that quest for us, please. Members are me and Falcom."
"Understood." The receptionist spoke and typed into the computer briefly. "You have a maximum of two days reserving that quest before it will be reopened for anyone else."
"Yup, we'll be done with it tomorrow for sure." IF nodded and turned to Falcom. "Make sure to get plenty of rest because we'll finish it in the morning, Falcom."
"I'm sure to be out like a light tonight." Falcom said with a grin. "Unless the excitement gets too much for me."
"Ah, to be young and excited again." MAGES. looked wistful as she recalled her old memories. "I would love to experience the first taste of Doc P all over again."
"I'm sure you don't want to experience your first time again with the Leanbox dentist when they found out how much soda you consumed that month." Marvy told the spellcaster with a stern tone.
"What a horrifying experience." MAGES. looked absolutely frightened now as she shivered. "They messed with my taste buds so that Doc P tasted like medicine. Those were horrifying years..."
"It was only a week," IF pointed out.
"The horror!" MAGES. continued unabated by IF.
Falcom laughed, and Marvy joined in as they all left to get some food to eat together. Even though Falcom felt out of place in terms of experience, the group really made her feel right at home.
I love this team.
It felt like the family she never had.
Plutia picked up Neptune in her personal plane to take her back to the Basilicom. Luxury would be the apt word to describe the aircraft's interior. Plutia was not even the one to guide her into the plane but a stewardess. The Oracle was sound asleep in her own bed aboard the transport. Apparently that was the norm for Plutia, according to the stewardess, and that Neptune was free to enjoy the ride back to headquarters. Plutia did work throughout the night while Neptune had been asleep and continued to work into parts of the morning. Neptune had a feeling that Plutia was married to the job while also having the most irregular sleeping schedule imaginable. For the duration of the ride, Neptune remained quiet in a seat and read up on current events in her Nep-Note.
Four Goddesses Online is set to begin developing this year. Two separate modes are planned to be available. Neptune read up on an upcoming game being developed. One is a single-player campaign designed to showcase the powerful technology of VR gear, and the other is the standard MMORPG for PC.
Neptune had no idea what 'VR' gear was, so she looked that up next. It turned out that 'VR' stood for virtual reality, which was basically the gaming world that people could see with some sort of helmet. Hearing that made Neptune feel her age in the century she was gone. The last time she played video games was when pixel graphics were known as the latest ingenuity in gaming. Neptune loved playing games, but it was hard to play when the nations were at war. Maybe once the monster threat was over, Neptune could take some time off from duties as a goddess to retrain herself as a gamer. The VR gear was an interesting piece of hardware from the footage she saw. Neptune only hoped that the VR would not be so realistic, such as if one died in the game, they would die in real life.
Something as crazy as that wouldn't sell well... would it? That was a question in Neptune's head that she did not want to know the answer to. I'm sure the Basilicom can spare some cash for a VR set for their goddess.
"Mmm... pudding..." Plutia murmured in her sleep before yawning as she began to wake up. The Oracle sat up in her bed before setting her eyes on Neptune. "Good morning, Neptune."
"Morning, Plutia." Neptune replied back, figuring that correcting Plutia would be pointless. "Sleep well? Dreamed about food?"
"Eh? How did you know?" Plutia blinked a few times in surprise. "Can you read my mind?"
"Yes, I can." Neptune decided to play a prank on her as she pretended to close her eyes and concentrate. "You are thinking of pudding and how delicious it is! You also want many servings of it!"
"You can hear what I'm thinking!" Plutia looked genuinely shocked and scared, and it caused Neptune to burst out laughing. "Caelus, help! The CPU is reading my mind."
"I am certain that CPU Purple Heart is joking, Oracle Plutia."
The new voice that spoke from Plutia's tablet entered the conversation. Neptune distinctly remembered Plutia and Iris mentioning the name Caelus during dinner. Plutia and Iris kept the details vague, but the three of them had been on an adventure together. If it were not for Caelus, Iris would not even be among the living right now. In a way, Neptune owed this AI for saving a friend and asset to Planeptune. Of course Neptune was curious about what they went through, but it seemed like something they were not ready to speak about. Neptune was not expecting them to share all their secrets right away, only a day after meeting their goddess. She was just happy that the home she returned to welcomed her back so readily.
"What Caelus said. I don't have any mind-reading powers." Neptune finally settled down her laughter. "By the way, this is my first time hearing you, Caelus."
"When I am not attending to Oracle Plutia, I am assisting the cybersecurity team against any incoming attacks to our systems. It is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance, CPU Purple Heart." Caelus responded back to Neptune. "A total of one million and two hundred thousand attacks have been prevented today."
"A million in a day?" Neptune's eyes widened at such a number before looking at Plutia. "Is that a normal number?"
"During the Console Wars, it was reported that over a quarter of a million attacks can happen in a time span of one to three months." Plutia said as she looked at her tablet. "Information warfare is just as important as the physical battles in the real world. Intel can really save a lot of lives."
"I can imagine. Knowing is half the battle." Neptune nodded in understanding before smiling bashfully. "I know nothing about all that tech stuff, so I'll leave that to the experts in the Basilicom and Caelus to handle that."
Neptune could say with one hundred percent certainty that she would not learn anything about that. She was all for learning new things, but knowing about internet battles and security was too much for her. Neptune belonged on the physical battlefield more than the one on the computer. Looking at her Nep-Note, she decided to look up what Plutia muttered in her sleep. The 'pudding' was apparently a dessert made of custard and other various ingredients. It looked very delicious and something worth trying out if Plutia dreamed of it in her sleep. The flight attendant returned with a cart of treats. One of them was the pudding Neptune just researched, and now her curiosity was piqued.
"By the way, Neptune." Plutia picked out a cup of pudding for herself with a spoon to accompany it. "I saw some videos this morning. One of them showed you falling in the city while you were flying."
"My CPU form failed on me during the flight. I could see distortions before I lost my CPU form." Neptune explained as she also picked out the same treat Plutia picked. "You already know it was not the first time it happened."
"Caelus, what do you think?" Plutia looked down at her tablet.
"The best course of action is a visit to the Share Core for an evaluation." Caelus responded. "CPU Purple Heart, I will need to connect to your HDD form's data when you get there."
"How do you plan on doing that?" Neptune wondered if it was even possible to do such a thing. "I didn't even know that was a thing."
"Caelus is why Iris is able to transform the way you are, but there is a flaw in it when it comes to making Iris transform." Plutia explained as she ate a spoonful of pudding. "So tasty! Um... Where was I? Oh yeah! The flaw is incompatibility with Shares, which is why Iris told you before she cannot stay that way for long."
"So you're saying Caelus could make anyone a CPU in appearance?" Neptune widened her eyes at the implication that Caelus could make an army of CPU lookalikes.
"Sadly that isn't the case." Plutia shook her head. "I asked Caelus to try myself and a few other trusted soldiers, but to no effect."
"Human compatibility is a rarity, and Iris showed the most promise." Caelus spoke up, and Neptune could hear pride in her tone. "If she were any more compatible, Iris would be your fellow CPU."
For as long as Neptune was alive, she never once thought of another goddess working alongside her. Neptune always assumed she would be the first and last goddess Planeptune would have. Time away in Celestia and fighting the other goddesses changed her point of view on the matter of time. It was a weird thought to have, but maybe having a successor would not be such a bad idea. Iris would have been a good candidate, but Caelus already said as much that choice was out the window. Neptune hoped to find someone worthy enough to be called a CPU Candidate. They would have to be a person of strong will and eternal love for Planeptune. Not to mention it would be an eternal duty since they would no longer age.
"I'm sure there's someone out there, but that's for another time and day." Neptune decided to end that topic there as she opened her pudding cup and took a taste with her spoon. If Neptune's body could have, it would have ascended to Celestia from the taste. "Whoa! This pudding...is amazing!"
"I knew you would understand, Neptune!" Plutia looked absolutely elated to find a fellow pudding lover. "Pudding is one of the greatest sweets ever made."
"Hey, do you have any more of these in that cart?" Neptune asked the stewardess.
"I'm afraid not." The flight attendant shook her head. "Our time to resupply this plane is in a week."
"Lady Purple Heart, Miss Plutia, we will be landing on the Basilicom's pad shortly." The pilot announced the end of their trip. "Once we refuel, we'll be ready to pick you up to your next destination."
"Ah, right." Neptune set down the empty pudding cup and looked back at her Nep-Note. "Tonight I have an interview with Famitsu News."
"That's right." Plutia said before looking at her own tablet. "You should get cleaned up and head to the Share Core so Caelus can help you out with your HDD. After that, we'll meet back here on this plane, and I'll have a dress made for you."
"Thank you, Plutia." Neptune counted herself one lucky goddess to have an Oracle that designed such great clothes for her. "Should I be worried about anything at Famitsu News?"
"Not at all. Famitsu will be conducting the interview herself, and she's a trusted ally to the Basilicom." Plutia waved off Neptune's worries. "Just relax and have fun with the interview. Do what you believe you want the public to see you as."
What I want the people to see me as, huh?
Neptune had an idea of what she wanted to show. Unlike the speech she made on the fly the other night, Neptune would be spending more than just a few minutes on the television. There will definitely be questions, both political and personal, mixed in. An hour-long interview at best or three at worst. Once the plane landed and the attendant guided them out, Neptune made her way back to her room. Today marked her second day back in Planeptune, and nighttime was soon approaching. Neptune stopped a thief, met a schoolgirl called Nepgear, fought alongside IF's squad, learned about Blossom's history, and now she was off to be on the news. There was so much more to still do that Neptune honestly wanted to just fall asleep on the bed.
...Or maybe have another cup of pudding.
Plutia might just have given her an addiction.
Hello there, Nep Readers! Welcome back to the first updated chapter of 2025!
Congratulations to another year of Nep. I hope there's many more new and exciting chapters for this story to come.
I just want to say that I did not plan on releasing chapters every Sunday. Someone pointed that out to me and that was totally coincidental!
Chapters will come out when they're ready to do so. As much as I'd like to have a consistent release schedule, this story is more a labor of love for Neptunia than any sort of professional upkeeping.
As you can see from this chapter, we are introduced to two more characters and more scene deviations. If you've read the original story, you should know what that quest IF and Falcom reserved.
Now let's move onto the reviewer responses from the last chapter!
Lyrista: Compa's death was indeed sudden, but I believe the original's author intent was to make a point of the mortality of characters. To set the tone for their story that any character, major or supportive, could die at any given moment. Whether I change that or not...is up in the air! Spoilers!
Neptune does meet Nepgear ahead of Kurome, but Kurome's interaction with the "not" CPU Candidate. So another scene deviation to look forward. As for the importance of this meeting...Spoilers, ha ha! Hate to be a broken record, but that's all I can say for the current developing chapters.
But thank you for your understanding about reviews. They're like an author's 'Shares' if one was a CPU too if we put it in Neptunia terms. I hope to see you review for this chapter as well! Thank you as always for your continued support!
Tony Anderson: Thanks for being interested in this remade story! I hope you stick around to see what's to come in later chapters.
Project 0mega: Funny you mentioned that about technology changes for Neptune considering bits of it would be explained in this chapter. You wouldn't happen to have mind-reading powers, would you? Jokes aside, thanks for leaving a review! I hope I can keep your interest enough to comment on the next chapter.
goldenFoxSpirit: Don't underestimate the power of the protagonist! Jokes aside, there's really no way to go around her high adaption rate other than that Neptune is...simply built different, ha ha! Sorry, but us normal humans have to grind for that aiming skills in games.
Unlike the original story, Nepgear here will interact more with Neptune. Whether there's significance in it or not is spoilers to find out next time.
Okay, that's all the reviews at the time of this chapter update.
As always, thank you for all your reviews and I hope to talk more to you soon in the next chapter. It goes without saying, but I always like hearing what people say in their reviews, no matter how small or big the comment is.
Happy reading!