Re;birth Hacker

Apocalypse: A Saviour's Sorrow

The world has become unstable to the tides of fate that have pulled us closer to our demise. As if the gears of time had completely stopped, so too have I lost my way in search of the solution. Only a singular hope remains...

The atmosphere in the Basilicom had changed, not even the once titled 'Theme Breaker' Neptune, could lift the spirits of those in the room. Histoire clears her throat. "The Deity of Sin has returned." Nepgear lowers her head. "I'm so sorry... It's all because we unknowingly..." Mina shakes her head. "Don't apologize for something you couldn't have known. All we can do now is devise a new plan of attack." Kei nods. "Whatever the plan, the end goal is set--we must defeat the Deity of Sin." Noire looks to Kei. "Straightforward, but true. Do we even stand a chance against her, if we struggled against the Four Felons?" IF sweatdrops. "It's sad, but that's a good point. At this rate we've been going..." The group tries to figure something out, but nothing comes to mind. Neptune breaks the silence, "Oooh, I think this is what you call a brain freeze... My noggin isn't knockin' out any good ideas!" Nepgear looks to Neptune. "Um..." ~ "What's up? Think of a winner?" ~ "Well... Remember the rumors about that cursed sword the person in Lastation mentioned to us?" IF looks to Nepgear. "Didn't they say it was capable of defeating the Deity of Sin?" ~ "Yes, that's the one! What if we found that sword?" ~ "Are you being serious right now? It was a rumor, Gear. Even if it were real, we have no actual leads." ~ "B-But, researching it is better than doing nothing at all, right?" Uni sighs. "It stinks of desperation, to me." Noire nods. "The likelihood of us winning is pretty pathetic right now, though." Chika looks to the others. "The rumor does intrigue me. Allow me to do some research about it on my own." Kei nods. "We're short on time, so we may as well assist with the accumulation of pertinent data." Histoire looks to Nepgear. "We will contact you once we learn anything of substance." ~ "I'm really grateful." Neptune looks to the others. "Let's get our snoopin' and sleuthin' on, kiddies!"

Our research had led us to a man on the streets of Planeptune who knew about the sword. Apparently, the sword had been located deep in the Gathering Castle, also known as Lan Castle. So, it's literally some sword in the stone bull$#!%.

(Location Update: Lan Castle)

We approach the pedestal deep in the Gathering/Lan Castle, a sword plunged deep into the stone. Nepgear walks up to the pedestal. "So...do you think this is it?" Neptune pouts. "Lame. Color me disappointiwinkle. It's rusty and cobwebby and probably has tiny insect poo on it." Noire nods. "Yeah. Hard to believe it's supposed to stop the Deity of Sin." Nepgear looks to the two. "But, maybe if we polish it and give it a good sharpening, it'll turn into a really neat sword." Vert shakes her head. "I am not one to enjoy grasping at straws..." ~ "Still, let's try cleaning it a bit. If it's still junk, then we can try to come up with a new plan. Okay?" Nepgear pulls the sword out from the pedestal, a small glow of purple resonating from the sword's blade.

Despite what I had believed, our decision could have been described as foolish. There was a reason why the sword was labeled 'cursed.'

Nepgear finishes polishing the sword, its blade adorning a dim purple aura. "There. Nice and shiny and pretty." Neptune nods. "You done good, Nep Jr. But it still looks like any old sword you can buy at a store." Blanc looks at the sword. "I don't sense any special powers coming from it, either." IF nods. "Like I said, it was just a rumor." Nepgear pouts. "Aww... Did I just waste everyone's time...?" Nepgear's N-Gear starts ringing, prompting her to answer. "Oh, phone call! It's Histoire. Hello, this is Nepgear." ~ "Nepgear! Is it true that you have obtained the sword?" ~ "Y-Yes, but it doesn't seem to be anything special..." ~ "You have not used it, have you? Is everyone still all right?" ~ "Yes, we're okay... All I did was give it a little elbow grease and cleaned it up..." ~ "I see. Thank goodness. I contacted you in time, then." ~ "Um, in time? What's wrong? I've never heard you in such a panic before." ~ "I will explain in time. For now, return with the others to our Basilicom. And no matter what, used the utmost of care when handling that weapon." ~ "Um... Okay..."