NIKKE Xenoverse
Arc 2: Mission 15: Limgrave Travel Part 3
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WARNING! EXPLICIT LANGUAGE FROM THE STORY HERE ON OUT! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED…
Minutes Later; Groveside Cave…
The group arrived at the cave that was marked on the map, Melina and Frieren leading the group. They made their way inside, sticking in a 2 file line through the tunnel and came to a quite sizable open area where a yellow light was hovering a few inches off the ground was flickering. Melina and Suskian went up to it and held their right hands up to it. The light blazed to life and flickered back to normal after a few seconds.
"Okay. That should cover our backs if anything goes south," Suskian told the group as he glanced back at them, "So, what exactly is in here?"
"As we mentioned before, there SHOULD be a bunch of wolves in here and a Beastman Of Farum Azula at the end of this cave," Zen said as she looked further in the cave, "It's not a giant cave, so it shouldn't be that long until we get to the end."
"I don't know, Zen. Something… Feels off about this place. It's not the same feeling we had when we first explored this cave," Scar told her as he looked at her. Irene pulls put a lantern and lights it, illuminating the cavern walls with orange light. Good thing she did… Because on the wall were weird red writings in strange symbols.
"What the bloody hell?" Soju said in confusion.
"Okay, no shit… This wasn't here the last time. I'm damn sure of it," Zen said as Irene went up to look at the letters. Trunks stood next to Irene and also looked at the letters.
"Why do these look almost like…" Trunks said.
"You noticed it too, huh?" Suskian said to Trunks and the purple haired Saiyan nods his head, "Ancient Saiyan hieroglyphics… Very old writings."
"Can you read them?" IF asked Suskian and the hybrid Saiyan nods his head.
"I can. But, it's actually just jumbled phrases… Like Hierarchy and Dark Times… But, nothing super coherent," Suskian said as he looked at the ceiling as the letters seemed to glow darker red, "Give me a few minutes to try and decipher…"
"I'll give it a shot, too. Irene, hold up the lantern to the air for me," Silver Wolf said as she pulls out a pink and purple electronic tablet. Irene did as told and Silver Wolf began filming and recording the writings on the cave walls. Everyone waited as Silver Wolf and Suskian tried to decipher the writings and Suskian stops as he came to one single phrase that stuck out to him.
"…Yamoshi? What is that? I never heard that name or word before," Suskian said and Trunks glanced at Suskian.
"That's a name, actually… But, I don't remember where I heard it," Trunks said and Ruka snapped to attention when she heard the name Yamoshi.
"Did you say Yamoshi? Like, THE Yamoshi?!" Ruka asked as she glanced at Trunks and Suskian. Both men nods their head slowly.
"How do you guys not know this name?! He's the FIRST official Saiyan in history to achieve Super Saiyan God! He made history off that alone!" Ruka continued, "I don't know much about it, but that name stuck with me when Uncle Gohan taught me about Saiyan history!"
"Huh… Why didn't Gohan not tell me about this…?" Suskian asked.
"More than likely that he was just learning about it too," Soju said as he shrugged his shoulders.
"Probably…" Suskian hummed as he rubbed his chin, "But, that's crazy… The very first Super Saiyan God… Why would his name be here, of all places…?"
"And, part of a ritual for a portal, nonetheless…?" Ruka said as she folded her arms.
"…Whatever the reason, it can't be good. I just finished the decipher," Silver Wolf said as she taps on her tablet, "Same for you, Suk?"
"Yep. The name was the last thing that I translated… Let's see… If we can put this together while we're moving along, it will go faster. The mystery will unravel the more we move," Suskian said as he looked at Silver Wolf and then at Irene, "Irene, lead the way. You have the lantern. Trunks, stick with her."
"Got it./Roger," Irene and Trunks said at the same time, sticking to the front of the group. As everyone moved in 2's, Silver Wolf and Suskian brought up the rear and Suskian stared at the walls as the light slowly vanished from the writings.
"…I got a real bad feeling about all this…" Suskian muttered as he shook his head while staying besides Silver Wolf. As they moved, the light vanished… But, not before going over a silhouette in the cave entrance that was watching them with ill intent.
[-]
As they traveled, surprisingly… There were no wildlife in the cave. It was eerie enough on that alone… But, the silence was deafening to them as well.
"Okay, thy is definitely spooked. Where are all the wolves?" Irene asked cautiously.
"…I feel like this is a trap," Rapi commented.
"Agreed. But, we got no choice here," Frieren said as she was next to Rapi, "Trust that we will prevail over any trap and the rest will come naturally."
"You are surprisingly calm," Rapi said to Frieren as she looked at the short woman.
"Years of experience," Frieren told her as she glanced up at her, "Hmm… You have an interesting soul inside your body, girl." Rapi glanced at her and said nothing to that.
"Ah. Not exactly up to talk about it? Fair enough. I'll leave it alone. But, it does mean you have an affinity to crystal and fire magic. You should take lessons in magic, you know… You look to be a quick study."
"…Suskian has been saying I would benefit from magic in some way," Rapi stated as she looked at Frieren. Frieren smirked as she looked ahead, thinking that she may have found a new student here.
"Suskian… I have a question," Melina said as she looked back at him.
"What's up?" He asked her and saw the serious look on her face, "Something wrong…?"
"Have you noticed… Something missing here?" she asked him as she glanced around. Suskian blinked and widened his eyes, taking a sense with his Ki.
"…Why does… That feel… Like there are no other beings besides us in this cave…? Like, legit… It's not the wolves that aren't here… But, everything in the close vicinity of the cave. There's… Nothing. Ruka, Trunks… Take a sense," Suskian said. Ruka and Trunks sensed with their Ki and widened their eyes.
"Suskian's right. This is DEFINITELY odd," Trunks said as he looked back at the group.
"I knew something was odd. There's NOTHING in the cave except us," Ruka said as she folded her arms.
"That… Or, there's an Android nearby," Suskian said and Trunks narrowed his eyes.
"…Why does it matter that an android could be in this cave?" IF asked.
"Because Androids have no Ki to sense," Trunks said as he clenched his fists, "That's… Worrisome."
"Who do we know are evil Androids?" Suskian asked and Trunks looked back at him, "Not Lapis and Lazuli, which are 17 and 18 of Goku's timeline… The only other Androids I'm thinking of is…"
"21 and Gero," Ruka and Trunks said at the same time.
"EXACTLY. Scar, Zen, Irene… Did you happen to see a woman with fiery red hair and an old man with gray hair walk into this cave?" Suskian asked. Zen shook her head.
"Sorry. I don't think I have," Scar said and Irene hummed to herself.
"Actually, thy remember talking to an old man with gray hair and wearing a big black weird looking hat on his head with this weird logo of 2 R's side by side on it and his weird ass clothes. Forsooth, it was a vexing clothing choice for him…" Irene said and the Saiyans and Soju all freeze in shock.
"That's Gero!" Suskian said as he punched his fists together, "He's definitely in this world! But, why though?! What purpose does he need for being here?! He's a robotics major scientist!"
"…To make an Android in this world, obviously," Trunks growled, "Is he trying to replicate what he did in my timeline?!"
"How would he go about doing that? He would need…" Ruka said.
"Suitable candidates for making evil Androids. But, that was a dime in a dozen for the Androids I knew," Trunks answered as he folded his arms, "Plus, he is somehow in this world… Could the Demon Realm faction you mentioned before have something to do with this, Suskian?"
"More than likely, Trunks. If that were the case, this just got even bigger than we can imagine. If they are capable of crossing dimensions and universes on the fly, how many worlds are they gonna cross over?" Suskian said and looked ahead, lost in thought. Silence befell the group after that, the gravity of the situation hitting them even harder.
"Suskian… I request that you contact your boss and update her on everything. If this is the case for what is happening, we would need more resources to work with. This can't be contained to reclaiming the surface anymore-" Rapi said and Suskian sighed at that.
"I know. But, at the moment… I'm letting Trunks handle that. I'm remaining on your world," Suskian said seriously and everyone looked at him, "If it comes down to it, the problems from your world can spill over into the Time Nest. I can destroy any Raptures that try to go through the portal… But, the Demon Realm seems to be holed up on your world for some reason. And, I'm betting I'm that reason. If they find out that I am off world, then they might do 1 of 2 things… Chase after me, which is a good outcome…"
"Or, they would be petty assholes and lay waste to Rapi's home even worse than what is happening there," Ruka finished Suskian's sentence.
"Plus… I promised that I would help you reclaim the surface on your world," Suskian said to her as he went up to her and held her hands. She stared at him and blinked a few times before smiling small.
"You're a brave man, Suskian… Then, I won't leave your side," Rapi told him with a smile, "You have me, Melina, Silver Wolf, all of Dawnbreaker and your friends in the Time Patrol… A lot of people to help you out. Just promise me… You feel any depression, you talk to one of us about it. Okay? We can't have you losing sight of yourself." Suskian nods his head and sighed.
"Promise," He said softly, "Let's go find Gero and squeeze the info out of him."
[-]
20 Minutes Later…
"Well, this is a blast from the past… So to speak," Melina said as the group arrived to what looked like a wall of yellow fog towering over them.
"What is this?" Ruka asked as she looked up at the wall.
"A boss gate," IF said as she folded her arms, "I remember seeing this all the time when I watched Marian and Vert play Elden Ring when we hung out a while ago…" IF sighed and shook her head slowly before staring at the gate.
"So, what do we do? Is there a way through?" Rapi asked as she looked at the wall.
"Yes. You just do this," Scar said and touched the wall as he walked up to it and seeped through the fog wall.
"…Oh, that's convenient," Frieren said as she went up to the wall, "Welp, tallyho." She went right through the fog wall and everyone followed in a single line. On the other side, there was a HUGE open area that seemed to go on for meters and in the middle of the area… Was a being kneeling on the ground, looking like it was waiting on whoever would walk through the fog wall. It raised its head to the group and stood up, what looked like dust and rust coming off of its armor. It grabs a nearby broadsword and glared at the group through its red helmet.
"Why does this thing look like Igris the Bloodred from Solo Leveling?" Silver Wolf asked as she stared at the knight as it walked menacingly towards the group, holding the broadsword over its left shoulder.
"Selene, scan and give details to opponent," Suskian said as he fits his visor over his eyes. A few beeps and Selene gave a diagnosis.
"Name: Baryon the Pureblood Knight. He is a powerful opponent… That uses Bloodflame magic to power himself up. I advise keeping your distance as to not get seared by the bloodflames. Plus… He is fitted with an Infinite Energy Engine, courtesy of Gero," Selene explained.
"…You're fucking kidding," Suskian groaned.
"What did Selene say?" Trunks asked Suskian.
"…We're dealing with a guy that is rocking the same Infinite Energy Engine as 17 and 18," Suskian said to him and Trunks flinched at that.
"That's… Bad, correct?" Rapi asked Suskian as she held up her assault rifle.
"…Let me put this into perspective. 17 and 18 are strong enough to solo the Z-Fighters in the future… And, they did that with no effort. That's thanks to the Infinite Energy Engine they have that gives them damn near Infinite Energy and Infinite Stamina. They can go on for days without rest… And, now this guy has that inside him," Suskian told Rapi and she glanced at Baryon as a sinister black aura surrounded his body, "And, that's Demon Realm Magic emanating from his body. This bout to get messy…"
"How did Gero replicate an Infinite Energy Engine that quickly?" Silver Wolf asked as she hung back to the entrance, staying out of the fight.
"He's a genius. That's how… Dumb as that sounds," Suskian muttered as he took a fighting stance. Everyone else followed suit.
"Question is, how many did he make?" Trunks asked and Suskian gave him an uncertain look. Baryon stops and stared them down before saying…
"What set you rep, cuz? What hood you from?" He had a deep voice about him, like he was raised in the hood.
"Excuse me?" Rapi asked as she raised an eyebrow.
"You're black?" Suskian asked as he blinked a few times
"I said… WHAT SET YOU REP, CUZ?" Baryon yelled as he proclaimed this with a deep roar that shook the cave, "I'M TALKING TO THE NIGGA BESIDES YOU!" Suskian sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Suskian, I think he's talking to you," Ruka said as she glanced at him nervously.
"Yeah, he's DEFINITELY talking to me. I was raised in N.O., cuz," Suskian said as he tilts his head to the side. Baryon cracked his neck.
"You ain't got a Creole bone in you body, cuz. Run them hands, then," Baryon told Suskian.
"…What is going on?" Zen asked in confusion.
"Wait, how you know what set means? You from Earth?" Suskian asked Baryon. The knight removes his helmet and revealed his handsome dark skinned face with the long dreads that came out of the hood and draped down his back. Zen instantly had hearts in her eyes as she gasped and covered her cheeks in excitement.
"OH MY GOD, HE'S HANDSOME!" Zen yelped in excitement.
"Damn, a nigga can't breathe in that helmet," Baryon proclaimed as he cracked his neck, "Whoo! Aight, then… Y'all gonna catch a cleaner fade now… Specially N.O. nigga right there."
"Ay, leave New Orleans out of this! I loved my city!" Suskian frowned, "Even though I haven't been there in a while…" Baryon vanished into thin air and reappeared in midair above Suskian, fist aimed to downward punch him. Everyone was astonished as Suskian instantly blocked the punch and skids back a few feet. The hybrid Saiyan shook his arm in pain and amazement at how hard that punch was.
"Yo! Warn a brother next time?!"
"Why should I? We boxing, ain't we?" Baryon called and raced at Suskian at breakneck speeds. Suskian retaliated with his own speeds to match and clashed fists and feet with Baryon, seemingly dead even with him. The others were about to help when Baryon lands on the ground next to his sword and kicks it at the group, which separated them.
"Nah, 1v1! That's what I want! Keep out, sneaking bitches!" Baryon proclaimed.
"I'm good! Just let me handle it for a bit! He seems to have honor in a 1v1! Besides… Even with the Demon Realm Magic… He feels like he is acting on his own free will, no malice at all! It's weird…" Suskian called as he landed on the ground and looked at Baryon.
"Guess you ain't a regular nigga, huh? You observant," Baryon smirked as he cracked his neck, "I just want smoke, a fair fight! It's all I have known, growing up in the hood!"
"Wait, hold on… Selene said…" Suskian said and realizes something, "Oh. You're a reincarnation, aren't you?" Baryon smirked and nods his head.
"I figured… We'll figure it out afterwards. Want the fade? Let's get it, then!" Suskian said as he cracked his neck and went Super Saiyan.
"Ooh, I'm gonna make a name for myself here!" Baryon called and raced ahead, faster than before. Suskian did the same and clashed with Baryon, creating a Shockwave as they clashed. As they clashed, the others could see that… Suskian was enjoying himself for once, which wasn't foreign to Trunks' group and Melina, but to IF and Rapi, who always saw him serious in battle… This threw both of them for a look.
"Ooh, you're good! I'm finally enjoying myself!"
"Ditto! Feels like I'm letting off steam…" Suskian agreed as he and Baryon lands on the ground and stared each other down. Then, the black mist vanished from Baryon's body and he sighed.
"Huh? Oh, shit! Well, I'm good now! Phew…" Baryon smirked as he stretched his body out. The fog wall suddenly vanished behind Silver Wolf as well.
"That's… Odd. Usually the fog wall vanishes when the boss is Defeated or killed," Melina said as she looked back, "Why did it…?"
"Because Suskian beat the magic out of him safely," Selene said via comms to the Time Patrollers.
"That was… Easier than we thought," Trunks said as he rubbed his chin. Baryon went over to his sword and pulled it out of the ground.
"Apologies for that scare. No dumbass Demon or some old fart gonna be controlling this nigga," Baryon said with a smirk as he cracked his neck, "Power boost wad cool and all, but it felt weird having it in my body and shit. Well, I'm good now. Thanks. You're smarter than you look… What's your name?"
"James or Suskian. Either one," Suskian said to Baryon with a smirk, "You?"
"Guess Baryon is my name now… Originally, it was Trevor," Baryon said as he slung his sword over his shoulder.
"What happened to you? How did you get here?" Suskian asked Baryon as Baryon sheathed his sword on his back.
"Man, I don't know. Last thing I remember is being in the Land of Shadow… Fighting this fine ass woman in a red dress and double swords. Next thing I know, she jumps on me and double stabs me… I black out after bleeding out… Wake up again in a tube with the old fart and a pale skinned man talking… Black out again… And, I wake up when you all got here," Baryon said seriously as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Red dress?" Zen asked as she looked at Irene. Irene pulls out a photo and shows him a woman with fiery red hair and wearing a flowing red dress with twin curved swords at her sixes.
"Did she look like this?" Irene asked Baryon and he stared at the photo in shock.
"Yeah, that's the fine ass woman! Is she a relative of yours?" Baryon asked Irene and Irene went pale.
"Thine… Met my grandmother, Dancing Blades Ranah," Irene said in shock, "She's long dead due to old age." Baryon looked confused as he stared at Irene and then at the picture.
"…Baryon somehow time traveled?" Zen asked in confusion.
"Or, one of the Demons captured him when he was bleeding out on the ground after his fight with Ranah," Melina concluded, "They have been messing with history to achieve different things… But, why capture a long dead knight?"
"Land Of Shadow…" Suskian muttered as he rubbed his chin, "Why have I heard that na-"
"Wait, hold up. Land Of Shadow is the other realm from the DLC in Elden Ring! I think that place is in the past or something. I don't know, it was never confirmed… But, the only way to get there normally is by Miquella's dead corpse in Mohgwyn Palace…" IF explained as she claps her hands together.
"Oh, yeah! I remember now!" Suskian said as he looked at IF, "Good catch, Iffy. So, that means… They have a wide range of people to pull from… Anywhere now. Baryon, umm… You probably don't know, but I have to ask. Was there any sorceress around here or some weird circles popping up anywhere?" Baryon shook his head at this and Suskian sighed.
"Didn't think so. Welp, is this the end of the dungeon?"
"Normally, yes," Scar said as he nods his head and looked around and stopped when he saw another opening nearby, "But, that DEFINITELY wasn't there before."
"It must've opened after the fight and we didn't notice it before," Trunks said as he looked at the opening.
"And, the same feeling of magic holding the portal open is coming from down there," Frieren said as she held her staff in front of her, "I'll lead the way this time."
"Ill guard Master Frieren," Suskian said and he and Frieren moved ahead of the group, "You coming with us, Baryon? Or, are you good here?"
"…I got nothing better to do. Why not?" Baryon said as he followed the group further into Groveside Cave.
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Some Time Later; Groveside Cliff…
"What the hell…? What is all this…?" Suskian said as the group made their way into a new cavern that was an open area with a ceiling that was miles high above their heads and several series of pathways that cross crossed to other holes in the walls and below was a flowing river beneath the pathways.
"Now, this seems like a labyrinth…" IF said and Frieren silently scanned the surroundings for the right way to go.
"Anything, Master?" Suskian asked her softly and she sighed.
"…The signal is weak here. I can't get a pinpoint on where to go," Frieren said seriously as she opened her eyes and glanced up at Suskian, "It's… Not impossible, but very difficult. I need a few minutes…" Then, a loud roar pierces through the cavern and everyone went on alert.
"What was that…?" Zen asked.
"Thine think it be a dragon…" Irene said as she looked at Zen.
"In a cave like THIS?! Don't dragons HATE caves because of how tight spaced it is in here?!" Zen asked.
"Well, that was never confirmed nor denied," Irene said as she shook her head.
"Just great…" Irene said and out of one of the holes in the wall, a HUMONGOUS black bear with scars all over its body charged out and towards the group.
"Or, it could be a Runebear… Both aren't favorable."
"That's bigger than any Runebear we have ever seen," Scar said nervously.
"Scatter! Rapi and IF, protect Silver Wolf!" Suskian ordered.
"Roger!" Rapi called and took Silver Wolf by the hand and hops onto a nearby platform with IF following behind them.
"Aight! I'm about to let loose! LEEEERRRRROOOOYYYY JEEEEEENNNNNKKKKIIINNNSSSSS!!!!!" Baryon yelled as he raced at the bear and tackles it to the ground. The bear roars and knocks him back, making Baryon skid to a stop. He got back up and cracked his neck, smirking as he did so.
"Bring it on, Smokey! I'm about to burn you to a crisp!"
"Tarnished: Remembrance Blade: Rellana's Moon and Fire Twin Swords!" Suskian called as he jumps into the air and conjured up 2 light great swords into his hands. He stabs into the ground where the bear once laid as the bear quickly got back up and roared at Suskian. It swiped at him and he parried the swipes with his swords. Baryon unsheathed his sword and bashed the bear in the side with the sword, sending it flying back.
"Flame Pillars, I call thee!" Irene called and slammed her hands down on the ground. Several orange pillars of fire shot out of the ground and pushed the bear back. Melina and Trunks charged in and began slashing and stabbing at the bear with their weapons, making the bear once again go on the offensive. Then, more roars were heard from the caves and more Runebears ran out of the holes in the wall.
"Oh, of COURSE!" Suskian and Scar yelled at the same time.
"Split up into groups!" Suskian yelled to the others, "Melina, with me!" Everyone went into their own groups: Suskian, Melina, and Frieren in one group; Trunks, Ruka, Soju, and Baryon in one group; Scar, Irene, and Zen in one group; and IF, Rapi, and Silver Wolf in another group. The groups quickly rushed into the different caves past the Runebears while the bears chased after them…
To Be Continued…