17 Chapter 4: Broken Cosmogenic Arms
A.P. 238/2/21
Sitting on the sofa in his Personal Quarters, Josua was browsing through the request board.
This was the one thing that wasn't expressed in the game in the previous reality. Aside from the fact that Client Orders can be accepted remotely through the request board while aboard the ARKS Ship, there are other things that NPCs can request through the request board that more often than not get ignored by a lot of ARKS operative due to the miniscule pay that it gives for the job they have to do.
Hence, probably why in the previous reality, the game portrays the protag (AKA the Player Character) as someone who helps around, since the protag would do these jobs that other ARKS operatives tend to ignore most of the time.
As he browsed, he spotted a request that's mundane, but made by a person enough to warrant his immediate attention.
"So... It's already in that part huh..." He muttered as he choose to accept the request.
The display then shows the confirmation that he had accepted the request, and then showed him where to find the requester/client. He closed the interface, sat up from the sofa, and changed his clothes to his Kaiser outfit to go and meet the client.
"Sarah, I'm going out for a bit." He shouted a little.
"Okay~! See you later!" Sarah, who was in the bath on the next room, replied with a tad shout as well.
.....
Not long after, he arrived at the Shopping Plaza. He went to the third level of the Shopping Plaza, where the client was at.
Just a few steps away from where he had met Fourie...
A young man was waiting there. His green clothes, scholar-like appearance that gives off the vibes of someone that's not a field person, a pair of glasses, dark green short & messy hair, and green pupils. That is Rojio, the soon-to-be unfortunate person who pokes the hornet's nest and almost died because of it.
Josua approached the young man, much to the other party's surprise.
"Oh... Are you...an ARKS operative? Perhaps you've come to take on my request?" Rojio exclaimed in surprise, seeing someone had actually accepted his request.
"Why else am I here?" Josua shook his head.
"Thank you very much! You're truly doing me a great service!" Rojio thanked.
"Sigh... Let's just get on with it. What's the request?" Josua sighed and went straight to the heart of the matter.
"My request is simple. I'd like you to conduct a geological survey of Naverius." Rojio said, before pausing for a moment.
He forgot to introduce himself to Josua.
"Ah, apologies. I got a little carried away. My name is Rojio, by the way." He apologized.
"It's fine. So, why do you want me to do that?" Josua asked.
"I'm partly curious about its structure, but to be perfectly honest, I'm doing this because my intuition is telling me I must." Rojio answered.
"I am currently studying the structure of planets, but the one planet I'm lacking data on is Naverius." Rojio began explaining.
"I had assumed there would be more information on it, considering it's the first planet every ARKS member goes to. It's quite strange." He continued.
"It's incredible strange that its tropical Forest transitions so suddenly into Tundra. We can't deny that it clearly exists...and yet, something about it just doesn't make sense. The fact that we don't have any data on such a strange phenomenon almost makes me wonder if someone's hiding something..." He elaborated before Josua gave him a pause.
"I understand your curiosity. But..." Josua put his hand forward, signalling Rojio to pause for a moment, and said.
"Oh, I'm sorry. A scholar like myself shouldn't make such a big deal out a mere theory." Rojio replied.
"The first rule of being a good scientist is: if something is suspicious, investigate it! So I think we'll learn a lot from a good look around." He muttered.
"Before I leave... A word of advice: you should try to be careful of the hornet's nest." Josua said, before he bid farewell and left.
Rojio looked at him in confusion for a moment, and then realized something. This expression was easy for Josua to imagine, so the man didn't bother to take a look back at his client and just went on to the lower levels of the Plaza for some preparations and having some lunch beforehand.
.....
"Thank you for your purchase! We hope to see you again soon!" Felicia said.
FYI, Felicia is the clerk of the Item Vendor at the Shopping Plaza's Lobby. She shares the same stall with the Disc Dealer, Illum.
The Item Vendor basically offers curative items (monomate, dimate, trimate), remedies (Sol Atomizer, Moon Atomizer, Star Atomizer), Advance Capsules (A to F), Telepipes and buffing medicines (Shifta and Deband Essences). You can also sell items, buy to and sell from your storehouse (storage).
The Disc Dealer, in the meantime, sells Photon Art discs. But the items sold there are more geared for newbies, since it's mostly (if not, all) level 1s. Even then, more rarer Photon Arts discs could only be found on the field as drops or sold in the marketplace by other operatives. It also offer the other services that the Item Vendor does, like buying items from operatives and the such.
Hence, they only differ in what they sell, while offering same services.
Josua waved his hand and left towards Franca's Cafe after finished stocking up on mates and some atomizers. It had been some minutes since he went down from the third level of the Shopping Plaza.
Mind you, at this point, he keeps at least 10 of each mates, 10 sol atomizers, and five moon atomizer in his storehouse, while also having the same amount in his inventory as well. Since this time around he's actually there, and he could die, he made preparations to ensure such a thing will not come to pass.
After a minute or two, he arrived at his usual seat. Being a customer for all these years, Franca reserved the seat he often sits at for whenever he comes to the cafe. A waitress came to him to take his order. The waitress surprised him as he knew very well who she was: Ulku.
"What would you like to order?" She asked as she handed over the menu.
"The usual. Franca knows." He said with a smile without even glancing at the menu.
"I-I see... The usual is your order? Please wait for a moment." She bowed a little before she took the menu and went to Franca.
The "usual" order he always makes when he just wants to eat something without having to bother looking at the menu is a potato gratin with an iced lemon tea as the drink served at the side. Since it's as simple as that, the order came within several minutes.
"Sorry for the wait. Here's your order: One Potato Gratin with an Iced Lemon Tea!" Ulku came back and placed his order on the table.
"Yep, as usual, never ceases to whet my appetite." He had a dumb big smile on his face.
Ulku, on the side, was holding the tray to her chest. Looking all fidgety, she leaned towards him.
"Umm, dear customer, are you perhaps... An ARKS Operative?" She asked.
"Yep. I'm guessing you're only recently hired that you don't know me?" He nodded and asked back.
"Ah, yes! I've been here only for several months now." She nodded with a smile.
"I see... I always looked forward to being an ARKS operative, you know. So I couldn't help but ask." She said.
"Looked... Forward?" He tilted his head.
"I say "looked forward" in past tense because... I didn't make the cut. Apparently, I don't have the ability to manipulate photons." She shook her head and sighed when she recalled.
At this point, she had yet to be accepted into ARKS under "special considerations". This was still a bit before the whole fiasco. In his heart, Josua sighed. He knew that she had the heart, but simply lacked the talent. Such was the unfairness of the world.
"It's really a shame, but there's nothing I can do. Being in ARKS is no joke, so I won't force them to accept me. Honestly, I'll get over it." Her tone was resigned to her fate, not knowing that it'll be reversed in the near future.
"I suppose... Manipulating photons IS an important aspect, since it'll help in protecting you from Falspawn corruption." He nodded in sympathy for her.
"I'm more worried about my friend, though." She said.
"Why?" He asked.
"He's so introverted and timid, but something suddenly made him fixated on becoming an ARKS operative." Her tone was becoming a bit like a worried mother.
'Gee, I wonder why...' He smirked inside.
"And it turns out he DOES have the talent, so now he's joined ARKS all by himself! It's horrible!" She pouted.
"So... The one with the heart doesn't have the talent, yet the one who without the heart have the talent. Oof." He could only offer his sympathies for her.
That's pure cruelty of a joke by reality alright.
"Will he really be okay by himself? He hardly comes to see me anymore. I'm just... kinda worried about him." She was worried.
"If I come across him during missions, I'll try to watch over him. At least until I finish my mission, of course." He offered his help to calm her down.
"You would? I'm counting on you!" She was ecstatic.
"So... What's your friend's name?" He then asked as he was close to finishing his meal.
"His name is Theodor. He's a Neuman, and I think his class was... A Force." She answered after pondering to remember the details.
"Theodor... Got it." He nodded, pretending to memorize it while in fact he already know who her friend was.
Before long, he finished his meal. He paid for the meal, said goodbye to Ulku who immediately went back to serve other customers, and left for the Gate Lobby.
.....
SLASH!
"ROOOAAARRRRRR!!!" A King Yedi roared before it perished, scaring off the smaller Yedis.
Sheathing the blade back into the scabbard, Josua wiped a sweat off his forehead. It's bizarre, since he was in a cold area, yet he could still sweat.
"Brrr..." He shivered as he used his aether powers to manifest a warm, armored clothes over him.
After some time, he finally sighed softly as the warmth sinks in and allows him to continue on. It wasn't as if he required it, but rather, it simply to remind him that if he was in his normal form (Earth form), he'd still require items to help him adjust his temperature.
Mind you, his country of origin on Earth only has two seasons, Rain and Dry seasons. Hence, he never really experienced Winter proper. Aside from the one time in the previous reality when he visited Australia for a holiday, he never actually been to a place like the Tundra region of Naverius.
Far off in the distance, he suddenly heard a sound of explosion.
BOOM!!!
He turned his head towards the source and saw smoke rising from the supposed source. Activating Photon Dash, he immediately ran through the area at speeds that's, at minimum, twice the speed of a normal running ARKS could go. The blue light particles were coloring his traversed path as he went towards the fuming smoke.
It only took him a few minutes to reach the location of the explosion. When he saw the scene, it took him a minute or two to finally connect it together: it's a mix between the game and the anime scenario in the previous reality.
Theodor was accompanied by a Gunner Newman, whose name is Takura. The Gunner was introduced as an anime-only character, being similar to Chroto from the game. The two were in the middle of combat against a group of Falspawns.
"If I remember correctly..." Josua was pondering on the side, as he watches over the two battling the Falspawns.
Takura was meant to die, and Theodor already has a bleak outlook on being an ARKS operative. So it didn't matter if Josua saved Takura or not. The most he could do is to give him another point of view on how to look at being an ARKS operative.
Not long after, the fated event happened. Haddred, the rumored rampaging dragon, came out from a dark warp. Theodore froze up in fear and stumbled down, while Takura was simply fascinated by the rumored dragon.
"ROAAAAARRR!!!" Haddred roared as it formed a black hole to pull in the remaining group of Falspawns towards it.
Before long, various Falspawns were pulled by the gravity of the generated black hole. Once they were all stuck at the center, Haddred then basically pressured (and crush) them before eating the compressed Falspawns. Dark blood was splattered across the white snow as the dragon consumed the dark beings, and it didn't take long before Haddred is done with its meal.
Takura didn't budge even after Theodor try to get him out of the daze. Unfortunately for the Gunner, Haddred looked at the Newman. After staring for some time, it swallowed the Newman whole, leaving naught but his hat and one of his SMG behind.
"ROAAAARRR!!!" Haddred roared before it jumped into another dark warp and disappeared into it.
Theodor slumped onto the ground, as he picked up the SMG and hat of his mentor.
"It... It really doesn't take much for a person to die..." He muttered.
Josua then approached the slumped newbie ARKS operative.
"It doesn't." He intruded into Theodore's muse.
Theodor turned to look at the incoming operative.
"This is why I never really liked ARKS. Being so selfless, putting their lives in danger, even knowing that they may not leave anything behind to be mourned for..." The young Newman mumbled.
"Then why do you bother joining in the first place? This IS a part of the job as an operative." Josua asked, pretending to be dumb.
"I applied together with my friend Ulku. But because she lacked the photon aptitude, I got accepted instead. And because it's the "in" thing to do." Theodor explained.
"Honestly, this scary stuff is beyond me. Wonder if it's too late to back out. Probably, huh...?" He continued.
"Before I say my opinion, I've met your friend over at Franca's earlier when I had my lunch there. She was SUPER worried for you." Josua exaggerated a little, but it wasn't a lie since she was indeed worried about him.
"You did?" Theodor was surprised.
"Yes. Continuing on, I'd say it's not too late yet. You're still green, and you haven't gone too deep yet. Though, I'd say you should consult with your friend on whether you should quit or not." Josua nodded and offered his advice.
"I'll... Consider it. Thank you. Sorry you had to hear all that. I guess I'd better get going..." Theodor thanked him and bid farewell, leaving the scene of carnage.
'I hope he would at least be a bit more resistant towards the idea of joining Luther, though I doubt it...' Josua thought as he sees the young Force slowly leaving the area.
"Putting that aside... I should start putting in more insurances." He muttered.
The glint in his eye was sharp, as he began to build up the plan to counter Luther's maneuvers in the near-future. Be it on saving Zeno or Ulku, he's already constructing it in his mind as he continued on with Rojio's request to survey the Tundra region.
.....
As he continued on treading in the Tundra, he comes across a familiar, yet slightly scary face: Risa. Seems like she also noticed him, given that she looks eager when she saw him coming towards her.
"Hello. Yes, hello!" She greeted.
"Uh... Hello..." He was sweating heavily inside.
"Are you a Hunter? A Ranger? A Force? Well, whatever, I'm not picky." She asked and answered herself, basically.
He was about to answer her when she basically answered herself. Well, that was redundant.
"Anyway, I asked around with the Hunters and Forces, and they said Rangers just don't have enough firepower going for 'em." She pouted a little.
"And they're absolutely right! The foes we're fighting aren't exactly the "one shot, one kill" type." She affirmed them, somewhat enthusiastically.
Not giving him any chance to speak, she continued: "But I prefer it that way. That's the way it SHOULD be."
"And... May I ask... Why?" He felt shivers when she said that.
"I mean, they're enemies, right? I gotta make sure they suffer, and suffer, and suffer, and suffer..." She was making that crazy face again.
"That's why I'm such a gun nut! Big guns, small guns, any and all guns... I don't play favorites, so long as they make things suffer!" She exclaimed in excitement.
'...Scary.' He felt like he wanted to just bolt away from her, but that wild side of her is certainly charming, in a way.
"I notice you're recoiling. Was it something I said?" She tilted her head innocently and asked.
"Uh... Normal people don't torture their foes unless their foe is their nemesis." He answered, with his brows twitching.
Not long after, he bids farewell to Risa and went on with his investigation (he basically ran away). So far, Rojio hadn't gotten the results he wanted, so the two agreed on concluding the investigation for the day and they'll continue on a later date.
.....
A.P.238/2/26
As Josua walks through the freezing Tundra, he would occasionally encounter some native sylvants, most of which are variants from those living in the Forest region. The only exception being the Marmoth [1] (and it's Alpha variant, De Marmoth [2]), a Mammoth-like sylvant that's exclusive to the Tundra region.
Also, Falspawn activity in the Tundra region is much more prevalent compared to the Forest region. Perhaps it's due to the place being closer in proximity with the Ruins region (and the subsequently hidden monument area as well). Hence, aside from native sylvants, he would encounter Falspawns in groups or indivduals. Most of the time, they're usually Dagans, Mikdas [3], or Briardas [4].
After killing a group of Dagans, he was walking around the area when he meets Zeno there.
"Hey. How are things? Getting the hang of combat now?" He asked.
"I suppose. I'll just take it one step at a time." Josua shrugged.
"Hmm, hmm! That's a good attitude that any ARKS operative should have!" Zeno nodded in agreement, seemingly smug.
"What was your class again? Well, it doesn't matter when you can be anything." He asked and self-answered.
"Must be nice being able to change your photon class aptitude as it suits you." His voice had a hint of jealousy in it.
"I mean... It's great that I can change to whatever class I wanna be, but... It's a pain in raising my proficiency in them." Josua sighed.
It sounds obvious, but yes. Being in person and not a mere game avatar, grinding levels aren't exactly the activity to not get bored at. You gotta spend the time in killing the enemies and gaining EXP directly. It's no longer as simple as button mashing or moving around and whatnot. You gotta consider how long can you sustain it before you're tired, and how many can you gain before that point for the day. Not to mention, it's stupid repetitive, hence you gotta prepare a way to prevent yourself from getting burnt out.
"I guess it's not all sunshine and rainbows, even with your versatility huh... I suppose we all have our difficulties." Zeno nods in understanding.
For those who still don't know at this point, Zeno is part of the 2nd Generation of ARKS operatives. 2nd Gens can have subclasses, but their aptitude is still not that flexible, being that their main aptitude will affect the class that they could pick, and subsequently their subclass as well.
Meanwhile, Josua is part of the 3rd Generation. 3rd Gens are capable of freely changing classes, with their better photon aptitude and capability overall.
"Say, what do I look like to you?" Zeno then asked.
"Hmm... I'd say... Hunter, from just what I've seen of you?" Josua pondered for a while and answered.
" Do I look like a Hunter? Truth be told, my photon class aptitude skews towards Ranger." Zeno revealed.
It's not as if 2nd Gens can't choose classes that aren't really of their photon's aptitude. It's simply harder for them to progress as said class instead of their photon aptitude's supposed affinity.
"But, why choose to be a Hunter?" Josua tilted his head and asked.
"I insisted on being a Hunter anyway, but it ain't easy being a class you're not meant for." Zeno answered.
"I admit, I kinda envy your sheer amount of options." He sighs.
"But hey, no use whining about being a have-not. I'll keep doing what I can do." He shook his head, having accepted his limitations.
"Couldn't you just go back to be a Ranger? Won't it be easier?" Josua asked.
"You say I could just go back to being a Ranger? Heh, I sure could." Zeno chuckled.
"But I wouldn't be able to protect some people if I did. It's gotta be Hunter or bust for me." He elaborated.
"...I see." Josua sighed.
Zeno was really following the words of his mentor to the letter, AKA Josua's words. Perhaps to a fault. Mind you, it's considered Josua's words because later in Episode 2, he'll time travel to the past and meet young Zeno, around one year before his transmigration to this reality.
And if you ask why Zeno doesn't remember what his mentor looks like, well, it's because of Xion wiping everyone's memory of what happened during that year, and of all records regarding Matoi, who was the 2nd Klariskrays at the time, shortly after the incident.
"Man, why's it feel like all I ever do is gripe when I talk to you? Sorry about that." Zeno scratched the back of his head and apologized.
"Nah, it's cool." Josua shook his head.
"It's strange, though... How come it feels so right?" Zeno muttered.
'Hmm... I wonder why...' He puts on a blank smile on his face.
.....
A.P.238/2/28
Two days after he met Zeno in the Tundra region...
It was time for him to go to Zig for maintenance. It wasn't as if it was necessary, since most equipment has some sort of its own self-maintenance feature on them, even when it's not explicitly stated in the game. However, even such a feature wouldn't be able to withstand stresses beyond it's limit. Hence, he would always go to Zig every once in a while for maintenance.
It wasn't hard to find the old CAST. You can find him almost always hanging around the first level of the Shopping Plaza, next to the Item Lab. If not, he's probably in his shop onboard Ship #128: Themis. This time around, Josua was lucky enough to find him near the Item Lab.
"...What do you want? Are you here to mock me?" Zig, who wasn't paying attention, blurted out the question.
"Sober up, old man. It's me." Josua sighed and said.
Zig then finally took a look at the person in front of him and he immediately straightened up.
"Oh, it's you! I thought you were some other sod!" He exclaimed.
"Really now... Putting that aside..." Josua shook his head and took out Gurenbana.
Zig took Gurenbana from Josua's hand and began the preliminary inspection on the weapon.
"Hmm... From one glance, it's still in one piece. So the self-maintenance system works... Next..."
"...This part here needs a small fix, should be easy..."
"...What did you do to make this one almost done for? Now I gotta replace this..."
"..."
After spending some time inspecting the weapon, he sighed puts away the weapon.
"I have to do some small maintenance on this baby, but don't worry, it'll be done in a few hours." Zig said.
"Sure- Hmm?" Josua nodded and was about to end the whole conversation before he noticed Zig's rather dispirited nature.
"What's wrong, old man?" He then asked Zig.
"You got me there, kiddo. After doing your weapon, I simply can't feel the same passion when others came to me and asked me to make them a weapon." Zig sighed and began to explain.
"Passion or creativity used to come to me as easily as breathing...but now, it's back to nothing.
My heart trembled at the decisive battle forty years ago... Then again during the fight for our lives ten years ago! And lastly, when you came to me with Regius' recommendation! For me, there is nothing more exciting than large-scale combat and those as interesting as you!" He continued.
"But, now that the frontline has died down, combined with those rookies that are too predictable, my enthusiasm has died down with it..." He became dispirited as he went on with his explanation.
"Part of me still wants to make weapons, but even now, I have my pride as a craftsman. I refuse to make anything half-hearted!" He exclaimed, still beaming with his pride as one of the best craftsman within ARKS.
Josua nodded with each explanation. He could understand it! Even though Josua was technically not a craftsman, he understands the heart of it since he dabbles in drawing art. Doing things, whatever they are, must be done with a passion. If it's done half-heartedly, it's simply rubbish! It's nothing to be prideful for! In fact, it would only make one feel disgraced or ashamed whenever they see it again or even recalling from just mere memories of it!
"...Sorry, I didn't mean to grumble. For some reason, I find you very easy to open up to." Realizing he was grumbling on, Zig apologized.
"No, it's fine. I understand what you feel." Josua nodded in understanding.
"Would you indulge me about one last thing? If you ever come across something that could stoke the fires of my creativity again, I'd like you to bring it to me." Zig pondered for a moment before he made a request to Josua.
"Hmm... I'll see what I can do. Be sure to contact me after you've finished the maintenance." Josua nodded.
He then bid farewell to Zig and went back to his PQ. Some other idea popped up in his head in the meantime.
'Maybe I should establish an Alliance...' He thought as he went up the elevator.
.....
Some time later...
"Hoaaaahmm.... Maybe it's NOT a good idea to do this while I'm sleepy..." Josua yawned.
Seriously, who does this? Perhaps it's just his whims acting up again or whatnot. Who knows though? Regardless, right now, he's on Naverius, and currently trekking through the Tundra region. The time on the planet is technically still daytime, but aboard the ARKS Ship, it's already around 9 PM or so. Hence, why he's sleepy.
Luckily, he didn't encounter any sylvants while walking through the snowy area. The area was rather quiet.
'I don't know if this is a boon or some foreboding flag.' He sighed inside.
When everything's quiet when there's supposed to be one or two stragglers or the such, it's really disconcerting. In the end, something did happen, albeit a mixed bag one: he met Melfonseanna (Melrandia), who appears to be injured.
'Shit... It's getting closer to THAT part...' He facepalmed.
By THAT, he meant the part where Gettemhult unseals [Elder] and eventually gets possessed by it, becoming [Elder] himself. In the process of unsealing [Elder], he even personally wounded Melrandia. To this day, Josua was still pissed at her for being such a Stockholm Syndrome kind of girl. Perhaps he's not only pissed at Gettemhult for being a retard, but also at Melrandia who wasn't making things any better at that point. The two of them are pretty much equally guilty in that regard.
Melrandia, who noticed him, greeted him: "Oh. It's been quite some time."
"I suppose... And mind telling me what's up with...those?" He sighed and pointed at her wounds.
"Me? This is merely a scratch. It's nothing for you to concern yourself over." She said nonchalantly.
"Nevermind that I asked that. If you're here, then... Where's that guy?"He shrugged and asked.
By "that" guy, he meant Gettemhult, if it isn't obvious already by that point, considering the other party in question is Melfonseanna/Melrandia, and the only guy she'd be with is Gettemhult.
"If you seek Master Gettemhult, he has already gone on ahead. What about him?" She tilted her head.
"He went ahead without regards to your injuries, huh... As expected of the dirtbag." His eyes looked cold as he gazed to the way ahead.
"You mean to say that's a cruel way to treat a friend? What... does that mean, exactly? Are you mocking me?" She suddenly said, feeling offended at his words towards her master.
He turned his gaze towards her, still remaining cold, and said: "Yes."
He sighed heavily, and said with a stern tone: "Because you've never placed yourself as someone who's worthy to be beside the man. So far, I'm only seeing how you're placing yourself behind the man."
Melrandia was taken aback by his response. Never she would thought that she would hear such a words coming from another person.
"If you say I'm wrong, then why be like this? Are you not his partner? His friend?" He then posed the elephant in the room.
She remained silent for a moment, before answering: "I would never presume to be Master Gettemhult's friend. Even suggesting such a thing is absurd."
"This is why he never bothers with you. You know what? Nevermind." He gave up on bothering with her.
"...Excuse me. I've said too much. Please forget all of this." She was silent for another moment before apologizing.
She then continued: "Don't trouble yourself worrying about me. Proceed as normal."
"Hmph. THIS is why you will lose him. Don't blame me for not warning you. Continue down this road, and you WILL lose him." He gave her a blatant warning this time around.
He really wasn't "pleased" with her attitude. Playing victim, feeling guilty... It's one thing to feel guilty, but it's another when you're not bothered to try to improve the situation when you have the power. He never had the chance in the previous world, or rather, even if he were to have the chance, given his lack of power to actually do any difference, it was simply impossible to change anything in that reality.
She was shocked, hearing his words.
"What do you mean by that?" She immediately asked, tugging him while he was walking away from her.
"You need not know. You didn't even heed my words previously. Why should I answer you?" He didn't bother looking back.
He removed her hands off him and immediately activated his Photon Dash, leaving her in its wake, covered by snow and all. He truly won't bother giving her more warnings at that point.
.....
After going some distance away, Josua stopped his Photon Dash and slowed down. He took a breather by sitting down on a nearby stone that's flat enough to serve as a seat for the time being, and taking out a bottle of watter.
GULP! GULP! GULP!
He drank through the bottle in 30 seconds or so. Wiping off the drops of water off his face, he crushed the bottle and put it back into his inventory. He then destroyed it with the inventory's destroy option.
'Never gets old on how this shit is really ecologically friendly.' He smiled as he stood up and began trekking again through the area.
No sooner he had walked, probably after several minutes or so, he heard a massive explosion coming from an area not far from where he was, which took him by surprise.
KABOOM!!!
Just after the explosion's sound had subsided...
"You might be better off waiting a bit longer if you're going past here. Don't let me stop you, though." A girl's voice was coming from beside him.
"Whoa?!" He jumped a little before he saw the speaker.
It was Sarah.
"Sarah! What are you doing here?" He asked her with a smile.
"Josua-nii! I could ask you the same thing!" She looked pleasantly surprised and asked back as well.
"I'm here primarily on a request. So, I take this as part of your routine?" He answered and asked her.
"Yeah. I'm mainly looking out for other operatives that aren't allowed to come here yet." She nodded.
"I see... So, I take it that Maria's also here?" He asked again.
"She's here, yes. But not in this particular area. She's way deeper into the region." She nodded in confirmation.
"Okay. With that out of the way, I gotta ask: Who's making all that explosions?" He tilted his head.
"Don't worry. Those are from ARKS. They'll get tired of it and leave any second now." She said.
Not long after, more explosions can be heard. The sound drowned any chance of conversing as it roared through the area.
KABOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The two had to wait for a few moments until it subsided before they can speak again.
"I swear, that idiot doesn't know the meaning of the word "restraint." Not that it's my problem, of course." She sighed, clicking her tongue.
'Explosions... Ah, it's her.' He pondered for a moment before figuring out the identity of the one Sarah's referring to as "that idiot".
It didn't take long before the explosions stops. In some other areas that were near the explosions, there were probably some avalanches or some massive snows falling off due to the shockwaves.
"The noise has died down. It should be safe to go on now, I think. Good luck, Josua-nii." She said with a smile.
"Thanks. Stay safe on your patrol, okay? I'll see you later back at home." He replied with a smile.
He then went off with Photon Dash as he speeds through the area once more.
.....
It didn't take long for him to pass through the area that seemed to be the source of the explosions prior. As he stopped Photon Dash and walked around, he found the culprit. Or rather, the culprit found him. Who's the culprit? It's the idiotic airhead from the Council of Six, Klariskrays the 3rd [5].
"Hey, bonehead! Yeah, you there-- the bonehead! I'm bored, so talk to me!" The little redhaired loli said, pointing at him.
'Here comes the impertinent brat...' He shrugged as he walk towards the lass.
She then suddenly got closer to him, seemingly inspecting him for some time, until she pulled back and fell into a muse for a moment.
"Huh? Have we met? I could swear we have. My memory's hazy, but meh, what do I care?" She said after snapping back, shrugging her shoulders at her inability to recall their supposed previous encounter.
To be fair, he never met her in this reality prior to this point, so that was actually moot.
"Uh... I don't think we've met before." Basically him saying it out loud.
She was in her own world for a bit. The situation became awkward really fast, so he changed the topic real quick.
"Ahem... I thought you were surrounded by hostiles. What happened to them?" He asked.
It's redundant, yes, but eh, it get's the topic moving.
" Hm? The enemies around here? Oh, I blew 'em all up! Blasted the lot of 'em to smithereens!" She smiled gleefully.
'Megumin! I think I found your twin here!' He screamed inside.
"And I ain't gonna stop there! Nothing's a match for me 'n Clarissa! We'll blow everything away!" She exclaimed, waving Clarissa cheerfully.
"Won't you get tired if you keep doing that?" He raised his brow and asked.
"I get worn out and drowsy when I overdo it, so I try to blow up things in moderation, of course!" She nodded.
"From what she says, it ain't time for me to really show my stuff yet! So I'm just warming up until then!" She was all giddy, seemingly ready to just send everything to kingdom come.
"She?" He tilted his head, clearly playing dumb.
"It's Clarissa, you bonehead! Who else I was referring to but her?" She facepalmed and said.
'Too bad for her...' He sighed.
Although she said it's Clarissa, it's nothing but a mere copy, a mere imitation that Luther made for her. It's power is nothing compared to the real deal. The real Clarissa went missing with the 2nd Klariskrays ten years ago, hence why the 3rd got an imitation. Not to mention, the one who spoke with her isn't Clarissa, but Luther.
"But man, this is fun! I wonder what it'll be like when I go all-out? What kinda havoc am I gonna wreak?" She was grinning.
"You mean to say... You've never gone all-out before?" He asked.
"What? You're surprised I don't know already? Of course I don't! I've never gone all-out before!" She stated it like it's obvious.
To be fair, if a member of the Council of Six actually gets serious, it means the situation is that bad. Hence, if there's no need to do so, they never go all-out.
"Have YOU ever gone all-out, bonehead? I mean, like, ALL out? Like, given literally everything?" She pulled a reverse on him and asked him back.
"Hmm..." He pondered for a moment, before saying, "I have, several times. But most of the time, the situations would prevent me from doing so."
"Huh. If you have, then how are you still alive? Are you messin' with me, bonehead?" She raised her brow, feeling irritated.
"As I said-" He was about to repeat his words before she just went on a tantrum for a moment.
"Whatever, I'm done talking! I'm hankering for a fight again! Watch me blow 'em up with just a fraction of my power!" She stomped before she left without saying anything more.
Not long after, he was alone again. He's really not that good against girls like that.
"Sigh... I should just go back." He muttered as he used a telepipe and left the area.
He went back to the ARKS Ship, deciding that the investigation this time was less than successful. After arriving, he went straight to his PQ, took a bath, changed to his pajamas and went to bed. Sarah would only return after a couple of hours, so no point in waiting for her or anything.
.....
A.P. 238/3/1
The next day...
Literally, only after a few minutes after Josua dropped onto an area in the Tundra region and started walking, a pair of problem came up to him: the twin sisters, Pati and Tia. Well, it's Pati's that's more of a problem than Tia. Tia's more sensible, and more responsible than her sister.
'Here we go again...' He gave up at this point.
"Hey hey! It's me, Pati, the most informed informant of all the ARKS ops, in top form once again!" Pati said with quite the energy in it.
"Is that so? 'Cause it didn't look like you got much useful information to me." Tia, the sister, retorted.
"That's all in the past! My eyes are on the future!" Pati replied back with vigor.
'Uwaah... She's running away from reality...' He had a strange look on his face when he heard her words.
"Oh, but I did get to know an old man I found hanging out in the break room!" Pati then diverted the topic, somehow.
"Old man? Which one?" He asked.
In his head, when he hears the words "old man", he automatically thinks to three possible people, since she's probably referring to someone within ARKS or at least involved with ARKS. It could be Jan, Regius, or Zig.
"I was getting to that. He said he used to make weapons! Pretty cool, right!?" Pati sounds like she found something that was the coolest thing in the universe.
"Ah..." He made a gesture (the one where he lightly hits his left palm that's in horizontal with his right fist), knowing who she was talking about.
"That must be Zig... He's a famous master swordsmith." Tia, who also made the connection, muttered after hearing Pati's more descriptive words.
"For the "most informed informant," I'm surprised you didn't already know who he was." She sarcastically remarked at Pati's incompetence.
"I'm not into that sorta thing!" Pati shook her head.
"...Is that so?" Tia was not surprised by her sister's idiocy.
"Ahem... So, what can you tell me about Zig, Tia?" Josua, who pretty much ignored Pati being retarded, coughed, turns towards Tia and asked her.
"Zig, the master swordsmith, is a hard-headed old man who's been a major weapons maker for forty years. But lately, he hasn't been making anything." Tia began to explain on what she heard.
"It's too bad. People used to say that one day, he would make a weapon on par with the Cosmogenic Arms, but I guess that'll never happen now." She lamented.
"Uh...what are Cosmogenic Arms again? Are those, like, the first Swords that were ever made or something?" Pati then asked. Ignorant as ever.
"That's right. They were prototypes made with no expense spared, but ended up being so powerful they were nigh unusable. The weapons we use now are basically toned-down versions of them." Tia patiently explained.
"But this old man can still make them, huh? Wow, he's really impressive!" Pati finally understands Zig's capability.
" Uh, no he's never made one of those. Instead of talking all the time, maybe you should try listening for a change." Tia facepalmed and sighed.
"Don't sweat the small stuff! Come on, this has been pretty educational for you too, right!? Right!?" Pati then turned towards him and said.
"Uh... That depends." He shrugged.
"Man, if he's that amazing, maybe I should have him make a weapon for me!" Pati's eyes were sparkling at the thought of her possible new weapon.
"You mean the same old man who hasn't been making anything for anyone lately...?" Tia had this 'Ehh...' look on her face while saying that.
"The part on Zig hasn't been making anything for anyone lately... That's slightly not true." Josua said.
"Hmm? Why do you say that?" Tia tilted her head and asked.
"Well... If you want... I CAN show you my weapon. It's made by Zig, so it counts, right?" Josua offered.
Tia's interest was immediately perked up and she nodded in eagerness. Pati, in the meantime, was as clueless as ever. It took her awhile before finally noticing the importance of what he's offering to them: the chance of taking a look at a weapon that's supposedly on par with a Cosmogenic Arm.
He then brought out Gurenbana. The bizarre weapon was iconic enough to warrant Tia's interest, and somehow, it managed to bring in Pati as well.
"Here you go." He handed it over to Tia for her to take a look.
"It's basically a multi-purpose weapon. It can transform into various modes, depending on the situation. It's made specifically for me by Zig, hence others might not be able to use it properly." He narrated as Tia and Pati were ogling over the weapon.
"Also, unless I allow others to even touch the weapon, it won't be usable by others who appropriates it from me without my consent." He added.
They spent 15 minutes with the weapon, basically touching and looking at every nook and cranny of the weapon. After that, Tia was satisfied with it and returned it to him. Pati, in the meantime, had a look of jealousy.
"This baby is pretty much futureproof. It can adapt to pretty much a lot of new classes. Even some of its modes has weapons that aren't commonly used by ARKS ops." He smirked while patting Gurenbana.
"But... How did you get Zig to make it for you?" Pati then asked the million dollar question, surprising both Josua and Tia.
"Thanks to me being part of the top ten cadets of my year in the Cadet Academy. It's part of the perks that we get. Though, others didn't even know who Zig was, hence most of them requested for other items or even weapons, though it's probably not made by Zig." He explained.
"Ah, I see..." Tia finally understood, nodding after getting the answer.
Pati just nods. Whether she actually understands or not is only known to her, despite the fact that she's the one who asked the question in the first place. What an airhead.
"Also, please keep this a secret. It's not known much by others, except for a few, and I'd rather keep it that way until I decide to reveal it myself." He gestured with his index finger on his lips, asking them to not blabber about it.
"Don't worry. Since you're willing to reveal this much to us, we'll keep our lips sealed." Tia assured him with a smile.
"That's right, that's right! We got a pretty hot info from you, so of course we'll keep this a secret for you!" Pati answered with a chipper.
"Thank you, you two." He smiled and thanked them.
He bids them farewell and went on with his investigation. After spending the whole day in the region, he was done collecting the data for the day. He went back to the ARKS Ship, went straight to his PQ, and got some rest after taking a bath and having some dinner.
.....
A.P.238/3/2/10:30
On this round of expedition, however, Josua brings Afin along for a mission. Around thirty minutes after he landed on the Tundra region, the two came upon an area, in which he spotted a certain someone that they knows very well.
"Hold up." He muttered as he observes Persona from behind an ice pillar, hidden from the other party's view.
"What's up, mate- Whoa!" Afin asked before he got yanked by Josua to the behind of the ice pillar.
Rojio, who usually receives transmissions of data from him, called him up as to him suddenly stopped moving for some reason.
"What's the matter? It seems I've stopped receiving your coordinates. Is something wrong?" Rojio asked.
"Shush." Josua answered as he knelt down, trying to minimize his presence as much as possible from Persona.
"Wait, you're kiddin' me, mate. What is that guy doing here?" Afin, who also knelt down, was surprised to see the mysterious masked guy again and whispered.
"Dunno, but keep it down..." Josua replied as he observed Persona.
The man in question looked at the ice pillar before he left the place shortly after.
"Pardon, but...who was that?" Rojio asked.
"We met the guy some time ago in the Forest. The dude literally attacked us without any warning." Afin explained.
Rojio, on the other side of the comms, pondered for a moment, before he said, "Rumor has it that someone's been seen around the Tundra... Hm. Could that be them?"
"Maybe. But who knows." Josua shrugged as he stood up and went to the place where Persona stood.
"Hey, mate. Whaddya think he was doin' here? Seems to me he's lookin' for somethin'." Afin deduced.
"Probably." Josua answered before he suddenly heard some sort of noise.
"Hnngh!" He closed his eyes at the noise pierced his head, stinging his mind.
"Partner! You 'kay?" Afin went to his side and asked.
"What's wrong? Is something the matter?" Rojio asked.
"Pipe it down. I'm fine... I think... I.. just heard a noise." Josua held his forehead before shaking it off.
"A noise, you say? No, my readings haven't detected anything particularly strange." Rojio was puzzled.
"Just take a breather, mate. We'll continue after a short rest." Afin suggested.
"Yeah... Gimme five minutes." Josua nodded and proceeded to find a rock where he can sit down.
The two sat down for exactly five minutes. After a short break, they stood up and continued on with their investigation of the region.
.....
A.P.238/3/2/11:00
After walking some distance, Josua heard the noise again.
"Grrrhh..." He closed one eye as he held his forehead again.
"What's the matter? Are you all right?" Rojio asked.
"Yeah... It's that damn noise again..." Josua answered as he shook it off again.
"Another strange noise? Sorry, I'm still not detecting it." Rojio shook his head as he came up empty with the results on his analyzer.
"Mate, you sure you're fine?" Afin asked, looking worriedly at him.
"Yeah. I'm good." Josua replied with a nod.
The two of them walked another distance before they went into a cave of some sorts. As they walk into the cave, they saw a bright light in the cave. Or rather, a bright crystal.
"What is that?" Afin asked.
"Dunno, though I might have some ideas." Josua replied as the two got closer to the crystal.
"Oh! Look at that!" Rojio exclaimed as he saw through Josua's POV.
"What exactly is this? It seems...artificial." Rojio said after he ran through some preliminary scans at the crystal.
"Is it something an ARKS operative left behind? No, it feels unnatural." He continued, shaking his head at the thought of it.
"Wait, there seems to be something inside of it!" Afin said when he took a closer look in the crystal.
There seems to be some sort of... A part? Whatever it was, it's sealed within the crystal.
"Hmm... Maybe..." Josua muttered as he reached out at the crystal.
The crystal shines brightly, blinding them within the cave for a moment, before it subsided quickly and in Josua's hands... What seems to be a part of a weapon.
"Based on its parameters, it seems to be a weapon. And yet it has an odd shape. Is it broken?" Rojio pondered.
"Maybe. We could ask ol' man Zig. He oughta know, right?" Afin suggested.
"Yeah. We'll ask him later after we get back. Now, we should leave this place." Josua agreed, and the two left the now-empty cave.
As the two exited the cave, not too far from the entrance to the cave, a figure was standing there. It was the masked person, Persona. Well, not that Afin or Rojio know who that guy is, only Josua (and probably Xion) who knows who Persona is.
The two stopped in place as they saw the masked guy draws out his weapon and proceeds to attack Josua.
"Whoa!" Afin shouted as he jumped away.
Josua, who was expecting it, puts away the broken weapon fragment to behind him, brought out Gurenbana, and immediately activated its sword mode. The canopy flattened and became like a sword's edge, thanks to its ribs restructuring it.
CLANG!!!
"Oi, oi. I know you're a fan, but please, stop being so yandere." He mocked Persona.
"Are you all right!? Who is that?" Rojio was shocked and immediately asked in panic.
"I'm fine. As for this guy... Dunno who he is, but I do know what he wants." He sneered at Persona.
He glanced at the broken staff behind him before looking back at Persona with a sneer.
"Drop that." Persona stoically demanded.
"Hmph." Josua snorted as he pushed away Persona.
"Ugh!" Persona grunted as he jumped back a little.
Before long, Persona jumped to attack him again. This time, however, it wasn't Josua who blocked the attack. It was Zeno.
"Hey, that was too close! Man..." Zeno said before he turned towards Josua and greeted him.
"I was curious so I started following you. So what's going on here?" He then asked.
"Just found something inside the cave on the back. Then this guy jumped me and Afin here." Josua gave Zeno the basic rundown.
"Uh, yeah! We saw him earlier, but we didn't know why he was here." Afin nodded in affirmation.
In the meantime, Echo, who came along with Zeno, looked at Persona with confusion.
"Is that person from ARKS?" She asked.
"It's your job to look up things like that." Zeno reprimanded her.
She then proceeded to open up the ARKS Personnel Database. She used Persona's likeness and searched up the database, only for it to return with no results.
"Ah. Um... I just ran a complete search. Let's see what we've got... Data not found... What do you mean by no hits!?" She exclaimed in surprise.
Zeno, who heard her words, turned towards Persona, and said, "Hey, you. State your name and affiliation."
"...." Persona stayed silent.
"Are you ignoring me with that stupid mask? Lose it ya creep." Zeno mocked.
"Get in my way, and I'll kill you." Persona stoically warns.
"*sigh* Agh well alright. Guess we're doing this the hard way, then!" Zeno sighed and prepares to fight Persona.
"Here he comes! Ready your weapons!" He shouted.
"A-ah! Got it!" Afin yessir'd as he readies his rifle.
"Don't need to tell me twice. Been ready before you got here." Josua said as he readies himself as well.
"I don't suppose running is an option...?" Echo lamented as she brought out her Rod.
The four proceeds to battle against Persona.
.....
(Pardon for the lackluster of a battle. Even in Hardcore, this one is a short-one, hence really hard to make it impressive.)
CLANG! CLANG CLANG!
Josua and Persona exchanged blow after blow with their weapons. Afin was laying down suppressive fire at Persona. With little room to move, Persona had no choice but to keep going at it.
"You're good. Too bad... I'm better." Josua taunted as he slowly overwhelms Persona.
"Grr..." Persona snarls at Josua, but wasn't able to do much anyways in that situation.
In the end, the final hit ended the bout, and it was Josua who won.
CLANG!
Persona was sent up into the air with the final strike. Using that as a chance, Josua switched Gurenbana to its Rifle mode and opened fire.
RATATATATATA!
The barrage of fire damaged Persona quite a bit.
"Guhaaaa!" Persona gargled as he was barraged by a bullet rain from Josua.
In the meantime, Zeno had waited below Persona with his Sword, ready to pull a Rising Slash. Echo, in the meantime, has been restricting Persona's movements since the start of the battle with numerous Techniques, aside from Afin who's been firing his Rifle nonstop.
As Persona dropped to just the right height, Zeno unleashed his charged Rising Slash.
"HOW ABOUT THIS!" He shouted as he rotates in the air while slowly rising from the ground, each slash from his sword forming a wheel attack of some sorts.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!
"Guh!" Persona grunted as he dropped onto the ground.
He quickly bounced back up, only to find himself facing Zeno's edge. He quickly somersault back to avoid it. But before he could give himself a moment to change his stance, a crackle of thunder was resounding above him. A thunder strike was coming towards him, and with it at the speed of light, he had no way of avoiding it. Thus, Echo's Zonde hit Persona directly. The zap was enough to fry the man, but it didn't kill him.
"Uwaah... He's a tough one." Zeno whistled.
Standing on one knee, with his sword stabbed to the ground to support him, Persona tries to get back into a fighting stance, but his injuries were simply too severe to ignore. He struggles to get up, and was barely able to do so. Thus, the battle came to an end with his defeat.
.....
A.P.238/3/2/11:30
"HIYAAAAHH!" Zeno shouted as he attacks Persona, but the other party blocked his attack.
For some reason, the weapon fragment at Josua's back started shining, which attracted the attention of the people there, Persona included.
"You're wide open!" Zeno exclaimed as he got an uppercut slash at Persona.
Surprisingly, his attack got through and managed to land a quite a damage at Persona's mask. It wasn't enough to shatter the mask, but it's certainly enough to leave a lasting damage, it being a gash at the left eye part of the mask.
Persona jumped back as he touches the damaged part of the mask, some of it still falling off.
"Tch!" Persona clicked his tongue.
But it wasn't as if Zeno got off easy either.
"Whoa there! You even chipped my sword!" Zeno exclaimed as he saw his Sword's edge crumbling a little.
"But you aren't looking so hot either." Zeno sneered at Persona, who was not looking too good either.
"...Damn you!" Persona cursed, though whether it was directed at Zeno or Josua remains unknown.
He then jumped away, leaving the area. With the whole situation resolved, everyone else finally let down their weapons. Afin dropped onto the ground, panting, clearly the stress still got to him. Zeno and Echo approached Josua, who seems to be the source of the whole fiasco.
"Phew, that was nuts. You okay there?" Zeno asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Can't say the same for Afin over there though." Josua replied, pointing at Afin who was sitting on the ground.
"I'll go take a look at him." Echo said before she went to Afin to check on the young man.
"Anyways... You've got some stamina, leaping into a brawl right then and there. Props." Zeno complimented.
"Eh, keeping myself in shape every once in a while helps." Josua shrugged.
"So, was that masked joker after that junk you got there?" Zeno asked.
"Yeah. Seems like this thing here is why he's here. Also, earlier, I heard some weird noise, and seems like it's coming from this thing. You heard it as well?" Josua nodded as he brought forward the weapon fragment and asked.
"You heard a weird noise? I didn't." Zeno shook his head.
Echo, who had finished checking (and treating, if any, injuries) on Afin, stood up and went to the two of them. Hearing Josua's question, she answered, "Neither did I."
"No, I didn't. I didn't pick up anything either." Rojio, who also heard the question, answered.
"Well, save it for the lobby. Let's get outta here." Zeno ended the topic for the time being, clapping his hands.
"You got the data you wanted, right, Mr. Scholar?" Zeno then asked Rojio on comms.
"Yes, I have plenty of data now." Rojio affirmed.
"But how did you know what my request was?" He then asked, confused on how Zeno knew of him asking Josua and eventually catching up to Josua.
"Well, y'know how it is... A senior's always gotta know everything their junior's up to." Zeno came up with the excuse.
Echo had a strange look on her face as she turn towards Zeno, and said, "Except I'M the one who looked it up."
"Ugh, don't blow my cover! C'mon, let's mosey!" With his cover blown, Zeno could only force the conversation to end by rushing everyone to go back.
After that, they all board the Gateway Ship and went back to the ARKS Ship. In the meantime, Josua who rarely checks notifications on his HUD finally notices some new notifications.
"Obtained Weapon Fragment - Shaft."
"You can now invite Zeno as your Partner."
"You can now invite Echo as your Partner."
'It's coming together, alright...' He thought to himself as the Gateway Ship soon approached the ARKS Ship.
After disembarking, the four bid farewell as Zeno and Echo went together to write up the report, while Afin said he wanted to take some break and will be hanging around in Franca's for some lunch.
Meanwhile, Josua returns to his Personal Quarters to get some rest. While the whole thing was short, it really gets to you mentally. He spent hours in the bathtub to relax himself before he gets out to go and find Zig.
.....
A.P.238/3/2
Shortly after his break, Josua dressed himself up and went to the Shopping Plaza to find Zig. While on the way, he met up with Afin.
"Yo, mate? I reckon you're headin' to find ol' man Zig?" Afin asked.
"Yeah. Feel free to tag along." Josua affirmed as he continued walking down the stairs from the third level of the plaza to the first floor.
A few minutes later, Josua reached Zig's usual hanging spot, along with Afin following behind him.
"Oh, it's you. Are you here to show me something? Something that might stoke my fires again?" Zig, who noticed him, greeted him and asked.
"Yeah. This should be interesting for you." Josua nodded and gave him the broken weapon fragment.
Zig was stunned for a moment as he examined the fragment in his hands.
"What is this thing!? Its form is riddled with excess, and yet, it's greater than the sum of its parts..." He said.
"How was something shaped like this ever made? For that matter, how did they even refine this kind of material!?" He was shocked as he examined the minute details of the fragment.
"Told you, he's the right man for the job." Josua said to Afin.
Afin nodded in agreement, as he tries to keep himself from laughing at Zig's insane fanboying over something like a weapon fragment.
Zig then looked at Josua, basically grabbed him by the collar, and asked, "T-Tell me, where did you get this!?"
"Calm down, old man. I'll tell you." Josua patted Zig's hands that were grabbing his collar.
"A-ah, yeah. Sorry about that." Zig scratched his head in embarrassment.
"I found this inside a crystal in a cave on the Tundra region of Naverius. The crystal's probably made of ice." Josua gave the short summary.
"...You found it inside...ice? But that's... And yet... Oh, never mind! I can't worry about the details. I have work that must be done!" Zig was stuttering on a few words before he was suddenly on fire.
"Would you lend me a piece of this broken weapon? I may just be able to repair it. Don't worry, I'm not looking for anything in return! There's something about this broken, fragmented weapon that calls to me... I have to see what it's supposed to look like!" Zig practically begged Josua.
"Chill, old man. In fact, since I know you can repair this thing, I'll lend it to you." Josua chuckled and said.
"The fires inside me that I thought had died out are back with a vengeance!" Zig was all fired up.
"Whoa... Is this the return of the legendary ol' man Zig?" Afin seemed excited.
"Who knows..." Josua shrugged.
"Hehe... Hehehe! I cannot wait. This'll be fun!" Zig was all smiles at this point.
"What are you going to look like when you're back to your true self? I'm so excited I can hardly stand it!" He was already all over the fragment.
Seeing this, Josua and Afin decided to leave the old man alone, since it seems like there was no need to linger there for the time being.
.....
A.P. 238
After giving the fragment to Zig, Josua decided to visit Matoi for the time being. Afin came along as well, since it's been awhile since he visited her.
"Ah, Ms. Filia, could you please bring Matoi out? We want to see her." Josua said after he opened comms and contacted Filia, while walking towards the Medical Bay at the Gate Lobby.
"Josua? Sure, I'll bring her out in a moment." Filia nodded before closing comms.
A few minutes later, the two reached the Medical Bay at the same time as Matoi was brought out by Filia.
"Oh, good timing. I'll leave her to you two then. Call me once you're done." Filia said before bidding farewell and went back to her station.
"Yo, Matoi!" Afin greeted her.
"Hello..." Matoi greeted back nervously.
"You don't remember him? He was with me when we found you." Josua said.
"No, no. I remember him. It's just... I rarely see him, so I was kind of nervous..." Matoi held her hands back and just twirling around.
"Sorry, I was still trying to get my bearings as an ARKS op. I'll try to visit you along with Josua more often in the future." Afin apologized.
"No, it's fine. Thank you for visiting." Matoi shook her head.
"So, how have you been?" Josua asked.
"Well, I still can't remember much, but- Urgh..." Matoi said before her head started to throb.
"Oi, Matoi, are you sure you're a'right?" Afin asked.
"C'mon, let's get you sit down." Josua guided her with Afin to the row seats in front of the Medical Bay.
"Don't force yourself, okay? Like I said before, take it slow." He pets her head with a worried look on his face.
"Sorry. Yeah. I'm good. Just a little headache there. I won't push my luck. I couldn't even if I wanted to." Matoi said while holding her head for a little while.
"What he said. Be sure to take it easy, 'kay?" Afin also sounded his worry.
"I'm sorry you two had to see that after coming to check up on me. I'm sure I'll be fine with a little rest." Matoi said.
"Sigh... As long as you listen..." Josua continued to pet her head.
The trio spent some time together, probably for around an hour. After that, both Afin and Josua bid farewell and had Filia take Matoi back to her room in the Medical Bay. The two then went on their ways, with Afin spending his time in the Shopping Plaza while Josua went back to his Personal Quarters.
Sarah had returned, and so did Maria, for the first time in a while. The trio then had their dinner, discussing the events for the day. Most of the story on action, however, came from Josua.
"You said that you found some sort of a weapon fragment in a cave in the Tundra? And that mysterious masked person attacked you again after you exited the cave?" Maria raised her brow.
"Yeah. Good thing Zeno was there, he helped in resolving the thing faster than expected." Josua nodded as he puts in a spoonful of fried rice from his plate and into his mouth.
The dinner for the day was some egg fried rice. It's homemade, not with some premix or whatnot. Apparently, Sarah made it based on some YouTube video she saw.
"Seems like he was there for that thing. Hence why I saw him earlier before." Josua continued after chewing and gulped down the spoonful of fried rice in his mouth.
"Wait, you said that Echo searched for that guy in the personnel database and no hits on his identity? So is he a hostile or not?" Sarah then asked.
"Oh, he's definitely a hostile. As to whether he's an ARKS or not... Who knows... I mean, he might be Luther's secret henchmen for all we know." He shrugged and puts in another spoonful into his mouth.
"Sigh... Yeah... That could be a thing too..." Sarah sighed helplessly.
"I suppose we'll have to see then." Maria shook her head.
.....
A.P. 238/3/26
More than three weeks had passed since then. Josua went on another expedition to the Tundra. This time, however, he's just gathering some resources. After mining some minerals, he was walking around the area when he heard a shout.
"Ugh... Wait, don't go! Haddred! Damn it!" The voice demanded in distress.
'Hmm? Haddred? Ah...' Josua, who heard the voice mentioning the specific name, immediately recognized who it was.
He ran towards the source of the voice and arrived at the scene in question after several seconds of running with Photon Dash.
"G-Gah... I have to hurry...and catch him!" The source of the voice, Quna, muttered.
However she wills it, she was simply injured and her movements will not allow her to catch up regardless.
"Oi, you okay?" He approached her and asked.
Quna turned around after she heard his voice and saw him coming to her.
"You... Don't get in my way. I don't need healing." She snarled.
"Zip it. Just let me do this." He said as he casted Resta on her.
"It's more important that I...! I have to... put an end to him...to Haddred!" She denied as she tried to move towards the supposed direction where Haddred went.
"Just stop it, okay? I get it. But you won't get anywhere with these wounds, and it'll simply be your shackles should you find him." He retorted.
Quna finally stopped and let him heal her. Her wounds were quite severe. He sighed as he continued casting Resta on her. It took some time until she was fully healed.
"...Sorry. I lost my cool for a second there." She apologized.
"No, it's fine. I understand your feelings." He sighed and shook his head.
"I don't sense him in the surrounding area. Continuing the search here would be useless. I'm withdrawing." She said after sensing around with her photons.
"Wait." He said as she turned around and was about to leave.
"You want to end him, I get it. I might not be your senior in ARKS, but I'm certainly one in terms of life. I'll tell you this: it'll be pointless if you die before you achieve your objective. Learn to take care, okay?" He gave his advice.
Quna was stunned for a moment before she sighed softly, and said, "Thank you... For your words. I'll keep them in mind. Excuse me."
She bade farewell, activated her cloaking and left.
Sighing helplessly, he went on with the expedition and then left after finishing it within the hour.
.....
After returning to the ARKS Ship, Josua went to the Shopping Plaza, as he felt it might be time to meet her again. And his hunch is correct. The plaza is somewhat empty when he arrived, and he saw Xion standing in front of the monument, as always.
"A new Divergence Matrix has been born. A reality that was possible precisely because you arrived at the path you were supposed to." She said before she turns around.
"You will bear witness to many things both hereafter and henceforth. Previously, as well." She said.
"However, you must not avert your eyes. You must learn the truth and arrive at a solution. That is something only you are allowed to do." She continued.
"At this time, I can say nothing, because there is no meaning in saying anything more. I ask only for your faith." She concluded.
She said that all in consecutives, and he only had the time to say something after the end of the last words.
"Xion... I... Know of the past, and the future." He said after deciding to try and be a bit more forthright.
"And the solution that I have... Might lead to a parallel result. Though, know that I always have faith in you, now and forever." He continued, trying to keep himself from dropping any tears as he said this.
"Thank you, for your faith in I and Us." She said after silently pondering and looking at him softly.
She knows what he intends to do. Yet whether it will bear fruit or not remains to be seen. She then disappeared from his view, leaving him alone in front of the monument.
Episode 1, Chapter 4: Broken Cosmogenic Arms END.
Note:
1. Image for reference: https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/phantasystar/images/2/29/Pso2id_malmoth.png/revision/latest/top-crop/width/360/height/450?cb=20200326171611
2. Image for reference: https://i0.wp.com/bumped.org/psublog/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Malmoth.jpg
3. Image for reference: https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/phantasystar/images/1/12/Pso2id_micda.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/340?cb=20200323020614
4. Image for reference: https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/phantasystar/images/2/2b/Pso2id_breeahda.png/revision/latest/top-crop/width/360/height/450?cb=20200323020428
5. Image for reference: https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/phantasystar/images/7/78/Claris_Claes_Profile.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20180427005635
