On a busy street in Planeptune, is a small store. It's a little bit rundown, the paint of the building had been chipped away over time, and having a door you had to push to enter and pull to exit, already made this building much older than the others. In comparison, the buildings surrounding this one didn't have to worry about their paint chipping, and were fitted with more high tech things like automatic sliding doors, or CCTV cameras..
Being on a busy street didn't help anything either, because of how it looks, most passersby would ignore it. Inside, is a tall, purple haired woman at the counter, waiting for something.
Her entire day had been rough. Ever since opening the store in the morning, only two people had entered the store. Each of them leaving immediately after seeing how old the interior looked, and thus not giving the woman ample time to try and talk to potential customers about her products.
It's now the evening, and the purple haired woman is humming a small tune to herself to pass the time...
Until a beep came from her N-Gear and she sighed.
It seemed like today would be another day where she had to take Guild missions to make ends meet. But who was this purple haired woman?
It's none other than Neptune. The former Goddess of Planeptune, now powerless and running a small video game shop near where she used to live.
How did it get to this? That's a story for another time.
Neptune walks over to the door and flips her small 'OPEN' sign the other way, now showing 'CLOSED' as she walks into the backroom.
She was lucky to get this property , as it also functioned as a home. While at the outset it was a store, the back of the store has plenty of rooms, kitchen and bath to fit a family inside. And thanks to it being older architecture, she was able to get a pretty good deal on it. Just that… since she wasn't bringing any business. She had to do other things to make ends meet.
Like taking low paying jobs from the Guild board.
Neptune heads into her room to grab her only gear. Which is a bamboo sword and a sheath she manages to salvage from her room in the Planeptune tower. Before she was unceremoniously kicked out from the place entirely.
After she quickly slings the scabbard around her waist and sheaths her sword , Neptune walks out of her room and knocks on the door next to her.
"Junior! I won't be home until later!" she said through the waited a moment to see if Nepgear would give her a response. To which there was none. So she continues on, "Take care of the store and make sure to cook some food or at least order something alright?"
Still no response.
Neptune sighs and exits the store.
Heading to the Guild hall, she looks at the board for any available quests that are yet to be completed. But the ones she's able to do are low tier ones.
Not wanting to stay in the Guild hall for too long, she quickly accepts a couple of missions from the board and heads off towards their designated quest location. Virtua Forest.
However, two people tried to get her attention. But before they could catch her attention, she was already out of the building.
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At Virtua Forest, Neptune checks her N-Gear to see one of the missions that she accepted.
*Kill the Dogoo slimes that are multiplying in the Forest! -3000 c*
"Well… I don't see any Dogoos here so they might be further in." she mumbles as she flicks left on the screen to display the next mission she had taken.
*Investigate weird crystals popping up in the Forest! -500 c*
She shakes her head, "Why'd I even take this? The pay sucks…" deciding not to dwell on it further, she walks deeper into the forest to try and kill two birds with one stone.
She didn't have to walk very far, as she saw one of her objectives right in front of her. It's a small, black coloured crystal, standing upright in a random patch of dirt.
"So is this it? What even is this?" she asked herself while taking pictures from multiple angles with her N-Gear., "Alright. I think I've taken enough pictures. I need to pick it up so I can complete this mission…"
But the moment she tries to pick up the crystal, it shatters upon contact. .
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"What the–!"
The moment the crystal broke, her fingers started to feel something. Like tiny ants crawling from her fingertips all the way to her shoulder. But instead of the skin, it was like they're all crawling from her veins, and stomping with each step. It was icky, gross. The feeling leaves her numb.
And just as quickly as it came, it suddenly stops. Feeling immediately returns to her entire arm, and she falls on her butt from the shock. It didn't take long for her to put two and two together.
"Did that… just surge into my body? What's the meaning of this?"
She takes a moment to feel herself. Nothing seems to be any different compared to when she didn't inadvertently pick up the crystal. But still, what a weird phenomenon. "Well… I'm sure I'll find another one eventually. It shouldn't be too hard to find another since I found one"
But another crystal she did not find. She traveled further and further into Virtua Forest, but could not find another crystal in sight. Try as she might, her search seemed fruitless.
Until she comes upon something peculiar…
It was a group of Dogoo seemingly protecting something. Peeking in between the gaps of their formation, she sees that it's another one of the black-coloured crystals that she was looking for..
"This seems to be the group of Dogoo I've been paid to eliminate." Neptune mused, "Hope I'm not too rusty to exterminate Dogoo..."
She dashed forward, lunging at the group of Dogoo. Raising her sword, she slams down on the nearest Doogoo, destroying it on impact, causing the others to scatter. Neptune quickly picks up the crystal from where the destroyed monster was and puts it in her inventory.
"Okay. One down. Umm…" she glanced at all the Dogoos approaching her to try and count them all, "Agh! I can't count them all! Whatever… I'll get rid of them all. Just need to manage my stamina."
Neptune swung her sword at the nearest approaching Doogoo. It turns into pixels scattering the rest once more. She looks for her next target. However, the Doogoos that had just been moving away from her, formed a circle around her.
The Doogoos approach, victory over their enemy plastered on their cute innocent face. At the very last moment, she jumps as high as she could, over the circle. She swings her bamboo sword the moment she lands, turning some of Doogoos into bits of miniature cubes. A few dozen more left.
"Damn..." Neptune mumbles. She was already running out of breath. Sweat forming on top of her head. That one attack took a lot out of her.
"I'm already tired? Well that's what I get for not keeping up with my training. Who knew that even two weeks of not training or working out would lead to this?"
She shakes her head, "I'll finish this here!", and rushes to the remaining group.
Neptune had long forgotten what she had called this combination of moves, but she had tweaked it slightly to make it more suitable for the enemies she was commonly fighting. Those being Dogoos.
She did another long sweeping motion, to group the rest of the Doogoos. Then made an uppercut, launching them into the air. She jumps again, raises her sword, and swings it down as hard as she could, slamming them down in an attempt to finish them off.
Unfortunately for her however, after all that effort put into those series of slashes. Neptune had only managed to kill about seven or so of the blue slimes, leaving five, heavily damaged, Dogoos left for her to deal with. Another problem arose at that moment. That stamina that she had so little of? She had exhausted it all, and now Neptune stood barely, shallow breathing as she had stabbed her bamboo sword into the dirt to support herself.
"Ugh… r-really? Is this how badly I'm-"
Neptune falls forward, having completely knocked herself out from fatigue. With the five remaining Dogoos approaching her, it seemed hopeless for her as the Dogoos would likely melt away her clothes in a vain attempt to get back their shiny, crystal like object, and then give up and leave Neptune in the battered state she would eventually be in.
Except, it wouldn't end that way.
Neptune stands up suddenly, a blank look in her eyes as she stares at the group of Dogoos. She raises her hand in the air, like she had in the past, power welling inside of her. And when that feeling of power comes to its peak she mutters , "Transform…"
A dark bubble appears and encases Neptune. The Doogoos jump back a little, their monster instincts warning them of something. Something is happening. Something is coming.
Then the bubble pops..
And what emerges from the bubble is her. The former symbol of the Planeptune. Her long purple hair flaps behind her, her eyes sinisterly stare at the enemy before her. Something dark and sinister and ominous aura exudes from her.
Oh, but it's her. It's her alright. But what exudes this darkness around her? Is it how she's presented? Is it how her leotard suit is now replaced with almost nothing? Is it how her private parts are the only thing that's covered? Or Is it the circular symbol on her chest?
Purple Heart wasted no time. She quickly sliced through the Dogoos with her the Doogoos tries to run away, but she dashes towards it and cuts it where it stands. Another jumps, directing all of its energy into tackling her from behind. But she swiftly and simply turns, catching it with her hand, and crushes it with her fingers. The slime exploded all around.
Shivers quickly run down the slimy bodies of the 3 remaining Doogoos and they run away in fright.
She gives chase, but her face suddenly meets the ground. Crashing onto the forest soil like a broken airplane toy. She tries to push herself, but her arms give out, slamming her face on the ground.
Pain suddenly emerges from her chest. Her chest feels hot like she's being branded by a hot iron. The pain comes in waves; she gasps air in between. She sees white everytime a wave comes in. She holds herself, trying to contain the pain. She squirms, turns, drives her nails through her skin. Anything and everything to distract her from the hot burning sensation she feels.
"C-ca-canc-el…!" in between breathing she instinctively said.
And just like before, a bubble suddenly embraces her. And just like before, it quickly pops after a few moments.
Neptune returns to her normal self. Her tired eyes looking up to the sky between the leaves and branches. The gusts of wind blows, gently blowing away her consciousness as her eyes close.
"Why's she knocked out on the grass…?"
"Who knows? But we can't leave Nep-Nep like this. Something must've happened. I'm sure she'll tell us when she wakes up. Well… that is if she doesn't leave right away."
"Yeah. We can only hope. Right, Compa?"
"That's right Iffy. We can only hope…"