Interdimensional RED-Coded Contract

-We Shall Fight as One!

As cool as that was, Samantha wished she hadn't actually done that.

Why the hell did I start off with Deadeye?! That thing takes more SP than my Ultimates!

The Fury in her hands felt heavier, as did her eyelids. Her muscles felt like they were made out of lead. She felt tired and had to actually restrain herself from panting, or else she won't look as cool and intimidating as she was. Appearance was everything, especially when the frown on Vert appeared as if she was contemplating a retreat.

...Or she was just confused.

"A what? I didn't seem to catch it, could you repeat that?"

"A ^#%^& & *%#$." Samantha repeated, before realizing her mistake. "Oh, it's censored." Samantha said with the roll of her eyes.

Vert frowned. "You're not making sense."

Samantha dismissively waved her hand. "Well, nothing I can't do about it. I just can't say it." And even if she could, that would still confuse Vert. None of these things existed in Gamindustri.

"Yet another case of that 'magical seal' they put on you?" Vert said.

"Yuppers." Samantha nodded.

The CPU sighed, already knowing that further questioning won't bring worthy intel. "In any case, with that power you've displayed, it seems I'll have to be more serious." Vert gathered SP into her hand, making it glow white. At the same time Samantha thrusted her hand forward, aiming her index and middle finger at the CPU.

"Terai Division!"

"Fay!"

"Executing: P-ATK Down."

A white glyph appeared at the tips of Samantha's fingertips, before disappearing. A magical wave washed over Vert's form. The same thing happened to Samantha. Both parties just casted a debuff on their opponent. Vert lowered Samantha's speed. In exchange Samantha lowered Vert's strength.

The CPU's hand glowed once more. "Assam Link!" This time Vert's magic washed over herself, hastening her. She charged at the brunette, becoming a blur to Samantha's eyes. The Overseer raised her weapon, turning the Fury into a greatsword with a long and wide blade. Her muscles were lagging, slowed down by her exhaustion and Vert's debuff.

Vert's spear crashed against Samantha's Fury, and the Overseer fell back a step. She barely had any time to put up a defense, much less put her strength into it. Vert moved to the left and attacked from there, Samantha again parried it with her blade. The next blow came from above, and it failed like the previous two.

Samantha pulled out a bottle of SP Charger from her pocket and unscrewed the lid with her teeth. Vert flipped to Samantha's back and the brunette turned around, swinging the huge sword at Vert with just one hand.

Vert caught the swing with her spear, while Samantha drank down the bottle's content. The CPU slapped the Fury away and thrusted her weapon at Samantha. The Overseer deflected it with the Fury, before throwing the now-empty bottle at Vert.

The bottle missed and shattered against the wall. Samantha put both of her hands on the Fury and charged forward, taking the CPU with her. "Grrrrr-!" Vert's boots slid on the ground, allowing Samantha to push her back. Vert pushed back against Samantha's charge, but the Overseer simply brute-forced through it.

"-HA!"

Samantha swung the Fury upwards, and Vert used it to launch herself. Once she was airborne she sprouted her wings and flew, keeping herself well above the ground.

Samantha followed her, much to Vert's surprise.

She didn't fly, she just jumped, reaching Vert's level with little effort. The CPU was unprepared for the chasing blow. Samantha swung the greatsword and caught Vert in her side, knocking her aside. The Overseer landed on her feet, unharmed, while the CPU crashed into the wall of a building.

The debuffs and buffs on both of them wore off. Vert stood up and got ready for the next round, Samantha morphed the Fury into its smaller and thinner variant.

"Seems like your accessories don't protect you against stat downs." Samantha taunted. "Meanwhile I'm used to handicaps."

"..." Vert said nothing. She was too busy creating a strategy to take Samantha down. Overwhelming her with speed didn't work, Vert didn't leave even a scratch on her. Another abnormality was the fact Samantha was stronger than her. She was a human and yet could outperform her in terms of strength, a CPU. Merely a moment ago she had the woman at her mercy too.

It was insulting.

At least she could keep her HDD for a quite awhile. Vert couldn't really explain how, but being near Samantha made it easy to keep her transformed. She noticed that when they first met, but back then she disregarded it as a coincidence. Then their second and third meeting happened and she experienced the same thing.

It wasn't a coincidence, simply being near her significantly lessened the burden of going HDD. And Vert will make use of that advantage to its fullest.

...But how could Vert defeat Samantha this time?

Neither of them made the first move. They both got a taste of what the other could do, and Vert realized this wasn't a fight where she could get careless. Samantha will punish her mistakes in an instant. But she didn't know what she could do to counter Samantha's newly found power.

At the same time Samantha pulled out a metallic telescope, a very small one with green lenses. She pointed it at Vert and peered through it. Vert tensed, preparing to evade or parry the attack, but nothing came. Samantha was just staring.

"...I actually expected your stats to be a bit lower, after 3 years of captivity." Samantha said out loud. "But they're not that high either, probably why I lasted so long on my own."

"What do you mean." Vert said, jumping in at the chance to buy herself some time.

"Battle Scope." The Overseer said, waving the telescope for an emphasis. "Shows me stats, resistances and weaknesses of anyone I look through it." She explained. "Your highest one is Health, but that's given considering you're a CPU."

That meant Samantha now knew to which status effects Vert wasn't immune to… and those were just stat downs. At the same time Vert became concerned because now her enemy had more information about her, if they weren't bluffing.

...And considering who she was dealing with, she'll play it safe. The two of them waited for the other to move. Vert wasn't eager to charge head first into an opponent with a bag of tricks, Samantha was curious about Vert's next move.

But as time went on the Overseer realized that Vert might not want to make the first move, she was hesitating. The poor girl was scared to attack, but at the same time she couldn't just run. Just like Samantha. "Not gonna make a move?" Samantha transformed her Fury into a sniper rifle, already aiming it at Vert's head. "Then I'm gonna make mine."

The bullet came too quickly for her to dodge. Vert's head snapped back as the projectile struck her forehead. The CPU spun around, avoiding the second shot, and took off. "Inbetween Spear!" With a wave of her hand the CPU summoned a barrage of spears, which then flew towards Samantha. The brunette gripped the Fury tighter, and bent her legs in preparation.

"Fay."

"Executing: Lightning Hands."

Within the blink of an eye Samantha was in front of Vert. The spears summoned by the CPU hit the ground and missed their mark. Vert could only watch as Samantha swung the Fury, now as a sword, and not one but three strokes came at the CPU, with zero time interval. Three simultaneous strikes made with just a single blade.

They came at her from seperate directions. If Vert moved to one side she would be caught, if she blocked one the two other would hit her. Lightning Hands was a technique made specifically to not allow the target to escape, a guaranteed strike.

No escape, no defense.

Hale punched Falcom in the face, she swayed to the right and avoided it. The possessed woman then swung Gehaburn at Hale's wrist, and the australian pulled his hand back. His counterattack came at Falcom faster than she could prepare for, with Saxton Hale uppercutting the adventurer and burying his fist into her gut.

Possessed Falcom was launched into the air. She spun her body into a somersault and landed on her feet, not much worse for wear. Kevlar was a godsend here, with its effectiveness against blunt damage. While each punch would knock her away, a hefty chunk of the force was dissipated by Falcom's jacket.

The CFWs charged in to assist. With Hale distracted and Falcom somehow being able to hurt him, this was a golden opportunity for some payback. Even if they can't do any damage to him, they could at least provide a distraction and create opportunities. CFW Brave moved behind Hale while Magic charged from the front, intending to gang up on the australian with Falcom and Brave.

Then Possessed Falcom attacked CFW Magic.

When Magic flew closer to the adventurer, Falcom turned around and stabbedthe CFW in her stomach. Gehaburn went through Magic's skin and flesh and left from her back. Magic had no time to react, no time to prepare. Falcom hadn't hesitated for a second. Magic's body crashed into Falcom's shoulder before scattering on the ground, leaving a visible trail of blood as Gehaburn was forced out.

CFW Magic was surprised. CFW Brave was surprised. Even Saxton Hale had no idea what was going on. The pink-haired reaper looked at Falcom, her eyes heavy. "...what?" Magic said, her voice becoming weak and hoarse.

"Die, vermin." Possessed Falcom snarled, before stabbing the CFW again. Magic gasped in pain, her body went into shock. Falcom twisted the blade and ripped it out, leaving two sizeable gaps inside Magic's body and a huge pool of blood underneath her.

Then a syringe struck Magic's feet, and suddenly she was fine.

Saxton Hale was behind them, holding Crusader's Crossbow pointed at the CFW. "Girl." He said, voice losing the loud cheer and cockiness it had just a moment ago. He sounded… disappointed, upset even. "She was your teammate. You don't do that." The australian reached into his chest hair, pulled out another syringe and reloaded the crossbow.

Another bolt struck Magic's leg, bringing her to the top of her health. While Magic lay on the ground, surprised by everything, Possessed Falcom charged the Gehaburn with SP. Cyan light coated the purple blade, charging it with icy energy. "Magic Sword Sorcarian!" Falcom swung her blade and sent a barrage of icicles at Hale. The CEO jumped to avoid the first volley, the second and third he slapped away with his fists.

When the last icicle reached their target they all exploded. The explosion left a mark and a small wound on Hale's skin, one that was too small and shallow to bleed but it itched annoyingly. The australian fell back onto Earth, creating a shockwave that blasted everything away. Falcom was no exception. The force rattled her bones, caused her veins to erupt and her legs to give out.

She flew a meter back and rolled to her feet. The moment she was steady her hand started to glow with SP. "Tear!" Green light washed over her body, slowly regenerating her injuries and soothing the pain they caused.

CFW Magic and Brave looked at one another. They had no idea what they should do. Help Falcom beat Saxton Hale? Magic was stabbed for that. Run away? They would leave Falcom alone with Saxton Hale, and Samantha said to not do that.

Hale jumped at Falcom, cracking the concrete as his legs pushed against the ground. Possessed Falcom ducked underneath the australian and slashed back, leaving a cut on his body. It barely even bled. Hale turned around, slapped the Gehaburn away, and punched Falcom in the cheek.

His fist was hard as a brick wall with the force of a truck, the moment it collided with Falcom's face her bones gave out. Her jaw cracked and unhinged. Possessed Falcom fell onto the ground, in pain and with her face broken and covered in blood.

Saxton Hale turned towards the CFWs and pointed at them. He did not look happy. "You two can go. Me and her will have some words."

Magic and Brave shared a look, thinking what to do. Saxton Hale just let them go, this would be a perfect opportunity for Magic to continue chasing Miss Pauling. There was a small problem, though. One that appeared the moment Falcom's sword went through Magic's stomach.

CFW Magic lost the lock-on she had on Miss Pauling and Samantha.

If Magic still had her locks, then she could go straight for Miss Pauling. The Secretary would have nowhere to hide because Magic would always know where she was.

But after Falcom attacked her, Magic was too injured to sustain the locks she placed. Meaning that she lost the location of both Miss Pauling and Samantha. Finding Samantha was an easy task, but if the Overseer lost Miss Pauling then the operation was a failure.

It would be Falcom's fault.

But despite that Samantha ordered them to not let Falcom die. So even if she almost killed Magic, Magic was obliged to keep her alive. If they leave and left her alone with Saxton Hale, they couldn't be certain that the australian wouldn't kill her.

CFW Brave nodded to the side. "Go." Magic realized what he meant; I'll stay. You go alone and find Samantha and Miss Pauling.

CFW Magic nodded and took off, CFW Brave didn't follow. Saxton Hale stared at the machine, waiting for him to move. However he wasn't moving. "I'll stay." CFW Brave said. "We had orders to keep her alive."

"Uh-huh." Saxton Hale mused, nodding. "Well, your job's not gonna be easy, considering that woman" The australian pointed at Falcom, without even looking at her. "is possessed."

Ah. So that's what was going on. Samantha warned them that Falcom mustn't meet any CPUs, otherwise she would get possessed.

"Possessed? Are you sure?"

"Yup."

The CEO turned around and saw Possessed Falcom standing up. Her jaw was fixed and she wasn't leaking blood anymore. Rather her injuries seemed to be burning. With black fire. Her once blue eyes turned jade-green. And the sword she was holding seemed to shine brighter than before.

She also seemed… colder. As if her own personality had changed.

"Very… very possessed."

Saxton Hale wanted a challenge, and it seemed he'll get one. The australian never actually punched a ghost before, nor a ghost possessing the body of a woman.

This, was going to be exhilarating.

Vert crashed into Samantha, cancelling her Skill.

That was a blunder on Samantha's part. Both of them were mid-air and Vert had no time to react, much less stop. When she appeared in front of the CPU the only way for Vert was to go through her.

Vert wrapped her hands around Samantha and flew into the building, crashing through the wall. Vert and Samantha slid on the floor, with Vert on top of the brunette. The CPU raised her fist and punched Samantha in the face. The Overseer briefly flashed green before both of them crashed through the window.

Vert slowly hovered onto the ground while Samantha landed on her feet and then rolled into a crouch. Fay left the Fury and appeared in front of Samantha, sword and shield ready. The Overseer stood up, as if she just wasn't just launched through a wall. She threw away the Fury and it became covered in a pink mist - returning to the Hammer Space.

Vert raised her eyebrow as the same pink mist appeared around Samantha's hands. In her right hand she held the Firecracker, and on her left forearm was a vambrace with a green gem attached into it.

"How are you not dead?" Vert asked. She slammed her through a wall, punched her in the face, crashed through a glass panel and finally she fell from 6 floors. And all of that just ruffled her clothes a little and put some dirt on them.

Samantha shrugged in response, trying to not look like her feet wanted to kill her. "^#^*#$ have superhuman abilities, even one is an army of their own. While we're not immortal like you CPUs are, we're still way more resilient than a normal person." Or even a mercenary. Samantha could even tank a fully-charged headshot from Sniper's rifles with powers like these.

"We? So there are more people like you?" Vert said.

The Overseer forgot that Vert could be very perceptive when she wanted to be. After all she figured out how her teleportation worked and found a way to counter it.

After a moment of consideration Samantha voiced her answer. "...Not in Gamindustri." She would know if there was even one person like her, and there wasn't. Not in NEO Hyper Dimension nor in any other variant of Gamindustri.

"On Earth?"

"Nah."

"...Are you lying to me?" Vert finally asked.

Samantha shook her head. "Nope."

Vert flared her nostrils, looking at the brunette skeptically. "What will you do when you leave?"

Samantha smiled. "Oh, so you're already betting on me getting away?" And for good reason too. The only reason why Samantha didn't booked it yet was because of Magnavox. She didn't know how much she needed to fight to appease her.

Vert scoffed. "As if." The CPU gathered her SP, but Fay was faster. The Fairy thrusted her sword towards Vert and the CPU's muscles tensed in preparation. A white glyph already appeared at the tip of the blade, just as Vert's hand began glowing.

"Executing: Seal Magic."

The glyph disappeared and phantom chains wrapped themselves around Vert. They stayed there for a moment before disappearing into nothingness. Fay frowned, while Vert sent a Sylhet Spear at the brunette.

Samantha put her left hand in front of her and a transparent green heart appeared in front of her. Sylhet Spear crashed against it and didn't leave a thing. The transparent shield survived against the attack.

"She has immunity against all statuses!" Samantha shouted. "Stat downs only!"

Vert was behind her, and Samantha still had her shield active. Because of that she couldn't move. Kindness bounded her to place whenever it was active. Vert thrusted her spear at the back of Samantha's head. The tip of her weapon collided with Overseer's skin and then slid off. Samantha's body briefly flashed yellow where it was struck.

"Executing: Discharge."

A purple orb of appeared above Vert, shocking her with electricity. Samantha shot Vert in the head, lighting her head on fire as well. Fay charged in and slapped the CPU with her sword. She did it again before Vert attacked her with her fist.

Fay raised her shield and blocked the punch. She wasn't prepared for a kick to the head. Fay recoiled, her chin aching, while Vert thrusted her weapon at her stomach. Samantha pushed Fay away and got hit instead, the spear hitting her chest.

Her body flashed yellow once again and Vert's spear bounced back. Vert frowned while Samantha sent a punch at her face. Vert avoided it and sent her own, catching the Overseer in the face. Yet again the area of injury flashed yellow. The pieces started to fall and the gears in Vert's mind started to turn.

"Do you have some sort of barrier protecting you?" The CPU asked.

"Oh, you caught on to that." And Samantha wasn't even hiding it. "It's my health bar if we take video games as an example." This was how she managed to survive all of that, she has a perfect defense against all sorts of damage.

…Though, it didn't protect against the pain.

Vert smirked at the news. Samantha's 'health' was already flashing yellow, which Vert guessed meant that she had more-or-less 50% health. "Then if I reduce your 'health' to zero, that means I win and both of you will surrender, right?"

Samantha snorted from amusement and Fay grinned. True, if Vert broke through Samantha's 'health' then the next blow would injure her. But she didn't know how hard that would be. Fay stepped in front of Samantha, her shield raised. She turned her head towards Samantha and whispered.

"Our Tension Gauge is full, shall we?"

Oh. already? Now if they had a good opportunity then they could show Vert their ultimate skills, their true power. However there weren't any opportune times yet, and also Samantha felt merciful today. She didn't want to put herself through their hefty costs. If anything, both of them should have been gone a long time ago.

Samantha shook her head and summoned back the Fury, with the Firecracker and Kindness returning to the Hammer Space. "Nah, we're leaving. Fay?"

Fay nodded and entered the sword, lighting up the gems decorating it. Vert's eyes widened and she prepared her weapon, her teeth barred.

"Oh, you're not leaving!" Vert shouted, charging up her EXE Drive.

"Spiral Break!"

"Executing: Thunderbird Wing."

But before the CPU could even blink, much less attack Samantha, the brunette was already gone. There weren't any thunderbolts taking her away, the Overseer ran with such speed that she left afterimages behind. Before Vert realized that Samantha just booked it, the brunette was already on the other side of Leanbox.

Hale went onto the offensive, sending his fists at Possessed Falcom. She leaned to the right and Hale's hand bypassed her. She ducked underneath his left hook and leaned outside of an uppercut, bending her body so far back and low that she might as well be touching the ground.

Then she flipped over, kicking the australian in the chin. Then once she was on her feet she pushed Gehaburn into Hale, aiming at his heart. He slapped the blade aside and jabbed Falcom's face. His fist was a blur even to the possessed adventurer, and so it collided with her face.

Hale felt some resistance, but too weak of a resistance. Something was wrong.

His fist went through Falcom's face but there wasn't any sickening crack of broken bones, nor her head flying backwards from the force. It felt like he has struck gello. Falcom's whole body turned into smoke and dispersed, before appearing next to his hand. Falcom clutched her head and took a step to the side. She seemed to be dazed and in pain.

While Saxton Hale was surprised he didn't let an opportunity go to waste. The australian raised his arm and slammed it on Falcom's back with all of his might. This time not even kevlar lining protected her. The blow shattered her skeleton, cracking and breaking several bones within her body. Falcom yelped and fell to the ground.

Upon touching the concrete her body disappeared again, as if her body was made out of smoke instead of flesh and blood.

"Huh. Interesting..." Saxton Hale murmured. So her body was phantom-like. Partially at least. Some damage would leak through but not all of it.

CFW Brave was watching them fight from above, intending to not interfere for either of sides. Saxton Hale was their enemy, while Falcom almost killed CFW Magic. He understood that she was not herself at this moment, which was why he refrained himself from stepping in. It was too dangerous to do so.

Possessed Falcom reappeared a few meters away from the australian. She was leaning on the Gehaburn, her legs shaking and her face twisting into a pained frown. Her hand glowed blue as she gathered SP into it. "Tear-All."

Green light washed over her body, this time staying for a moment longer than before. Broken bones were mended, burst veins were fixed and all of her injuries were fully healed. While normally a Tear was nothing more but a small rejuvenation and a pain killer, Tear-All could be compared to several bolts of Crusader's Crossbow. A burst of healing which mended everything.

That wasn't a technique normally known by Falcom. It was Hilda Gehaburn taking her skills and improving them.

With her health fully restored Possessed Falcom moved into her stance. Her legs were wide apart, both arms gripped the Gehaburn and the blade was pointing at the ground - ready for an upward slash at any moment.

Saxton Hale grinned and moved into a stance as well, bending his arms like a mantis. The two of them glared at each other, seeking an opportunity to strike; a small lapse in concentration, slight misstep, even a moment where their muscles relaxed for an instant.

None of them could find any. They both held a perfect, impenetrable defense.

So Possessed Falcom decided to act first. She filled the Gehaburn with SP and raised it, letting it glow with vibrant colors. Saxton Hale bared his teeth and pounced onto her. When Falcom saw him mid-air, she swung her sword down.

"Luminous Blade!"

A wave of vibrant energy, even stronger than before, washed over the area in front of Falcom. It destroyed everything in its path. The concrete and the wall of a building were gone, reduced to atoms.

Saxton Hale was nowhere to be found.

It was Falcom's time to bare her teeth as Saxton Hale came from above, crashing into the ground. The shock wave slammed into Falcom with full force, rupturing her veins and eardrums. She dissipated again and reappeared behind Saxton Hale, Gehaburn in hand and pointed at the australian.

She thrusted it into Hale's back.

It didn't go in.

While the Gehaburn could break through Hale's skin and even go through his flesh to some degree, his bones were the sword's limit. And Falcom was unlucky enough to stab into his rib.

Hale hissed as he felt a prickle behind him. He turned around and punched Falcom in the face. Her head scattered like dust before she disappeared completely. Saxton Hale scoffed at that. "Alright, this is starting to get a bit annoying."

But the feeling of pain, blood leaving his body, the adrenaline being pumped into his veins. For the first time in ages someone actually left a mark on him. After so long, he was experiencing true danger once more, and it felt amazing.

Possessed Falcom reappeared next to the australian. Hale's fist snapped at her throat and wrapped itself around it. Falcom's eyes widened as she was dragged in front of the CEO. He stared into her jade-colored eyes, seeing how much the Gehaburn's possession was affecting her.

Then he threw her away. Her body hit the concrete before she rolled and jumped onto her feet, like a breakdancer getting up after dance.

Falcom gripped the Gehaburn tighter and charged at Hale once more. His first attack came with the speed of a bullet and with the force of a train, Possessed Falcom stepped away. His second attack was a left hook, powerful enough to destroy a normal person or even a wall, Possessed Falcom ducked underneath it.

Then, an opportunity. His chest was undefended.

It was now or never, she couldn't waste it. She thrusted Gehaburn at him, putting all of her strength into it. The Gehaburn would go through his chest, between his ribs and destroy his heart. This would be her victory. Hilda Gehaburn's first victory after her reincarnation.

The Gehaburn went into Saxton Hale's chest hair, and through it the blade entered Hale's body.

"-Bzzt!"

She heard a loud electrical sound from the inside of him before electricity coursed through her body, paralyzing her. "HuAAH!?"

She didn't know what happened, only that it hurt and she couldn't move.

A hand landed on her shoulder. Falcom looked up and saw Hale's face before he punched her away. She dispersed and reappeared few meters away. Immediately she started casting her skill. "Tear-All!"

Saxton Hale reached into the storage space inside his chest hair - the place where Falcom's Gehaburn has entered. From there he pronounced two pieces of wood, painted red, white and black. One of the pieces even had a car battery taped onto it.

It was a Razorback.

Possessed Falcom stared at the broken shield in bewilderment. Meanwhile Saxton Hale couldn't help it, he broke into laughter. "Pwha ha ha ha ha ha!"

Falcom just thrusted her blade into Saxton Hale's chest hair, and out of all the things inside she broke a Razorback, an item designed to protect against blades. The sheer coincidence was surreal.

Falcom's fist trembled from anger. She almost had him, but he had a trump card that denied her victory. And now he was gloating over it! Fine, she had a trump card of her own.

She charged not her SP, but her EXE Drive into her blade. The purple blade of Gehaburn shone brightly, while smoke appeared all around them. Saxton Hale stopped laughing as he realized that the world was becoming darker, with the Gehaburn becoming the only light source in the darkness.

He smiled and put up his fists. This was going to be great.

Then Gehaburn disappeared, and all Hale saw was gloom.

"Let's end this."

Saxton Hale wasn't in Leanbox anymore. He was on a large pedestal that was overlooking a dark sky, with stars around him. Underneath his feet was a glyph made out of green fire, spanning across the entire pedestal.

Saxton Hale reached into his chest hair and pulled out a Mann Co. Supply Crate, one of the older series. The CEO placed that crate in the middle of the glyph and stood on it.

"Strike! Mortal Punishment!"

Something appeared from underneath the australian, but all it did was to strike the crate. It shuddered from the onslaught, forced to survive attack after attack. After the third barrage Hale was starting to think that the crate wouldn't survive it.

But then the Skill ended and it was all over. The mystical scenery disappeared and Hale was back in Leanbox.

And there stood Possessed Falcom, more bewildered than before.

"Are you serious?" She asked, flabbergasted.

He took a wooden crate and stood on it, and apparently that was enough to completely nullify her EXE Drive. Her ultimate attack was completely blocked by a flimsy wooden box.

Saxton Hale gave her a goofy smile and stepped down from the box. "Yup. Good old Mann Co.-grade wood." He patted the top of the ruined box. "Quoting a pal I met once before 'One does not simply open a Mann Co. Crate without a key." He then pronounced said key from his storage and inserted it into the crate's lock.

"Let's see what we got!"

The padlock came loose and Hale removed the chains. He pried open the lid and peered inside. Resting atop of the hay was a Fancy Fedora… with miniature planets orbiting around it. The CEO reluctantly grabbed the hat, pinching its end with his index finger and the thumb.

"Ugh, it's one of those. Get that cursed thing away from me." He said as he threw the unusual hat at Falcom.

The hat flew all the way to Possessed Falcom and fell on her head, facing the right way as well. The Adventurer grabbed the hat off her head and threw it at the ground, before furiously stomping it in rage.

Hale was neither mad nor surprised at this behavior. Hell, he would do the same if some stupid idiot gave him one of those… unusuals. However the australian was decent enough to warn her about the potential danger of stomping the hat into the ground.

"Uhh… you might wanna be careful with that thing, girly. Some of those unusual hats carry one of the ancient Aztec curses."

Samantha crashed into a building, leaving a Samantha-shaped hole in the wall.

Needless to say, she was in a lot of pain.

"Oooh ho ho. That one hurt..." She groaned from the ground. Fay left the Fury and crouched next to her, frowning.

"You just… KO'ed yourself." Fay deadpanned. Thunderbird Wing gave her a massive boost to her movement speed, but with little means of control. She could either move at the top of her speed or not at all, and her brain couldn't keep up with the movement, meaning everything was blurry. A sound of glass breaking indicated that her 'health' reached 0, and the barrier protecting her shattered.

At least Samantha wasn't really injured, just too hurt to move.

Fay reached into the Hammer Space and summoned a small sack full of tan feathers. She let the feathers fall on Samantha. The moment the feathers made contact with Samantha they started glowing, and then her barrier, and Samantha by extension, was revived.

"...Were those Archangel's?" The Overseer asked.

"Nope, Cherub's Feather." Fay said. "You good?"

She helped Samantha to her feet. The Overseer felt a bit sore after the crash, but it wasn't the first time that happened.

"I'll live, thanks." Samantha replied. She turned to lie on her back, and reached out to Fay. The fairy helped her to her feet.

"Okay." Fay brushed dirt off Samantha's shoulders. "Now tell me... why are you a woman?" It was a real surprise to her. There must've been some great story to tell for such a dramatic change.

"Magnavox." The Overseer said. "She likes women more than men, so she decided that her universe will be overwhelmed by cute girls. That included turning me into one if I was gonna operate down here, though the 'cute' part is debatable."

…

"...That's all?" Fay blinked.

"Yeah. Pretty much." Samantha shrugged.

That 'great story' Fay was expecting turned out to be a little less great. "World overwhelmed by cute girls. Wow." She parroted, then she blinked "Was that why that green-haired woman was half-naked?" The Fairy asked. "Should both of us go in a bikini to match the locals? We still have a set from our work in %#&!#%*. Although I don't think we have two sets… you might have to go with your boxers and topless. I wouldn't mind at all, you know."

Fay actually didn't mind the change at all. It was still Samuel, although in a different body. While it would take some time for her to get used to it, she looked hot in that jacket and tight pants.

The Overseer snorted. "Keep dreaming. You'll be topless"

Fay grinned and wrapped her hand around Samantha. "Nah, I'm gonna be in a cute bikini while you'll be forced into your boxes." Then a thought occurred to her. "By the way, were you faithful to me?"

Samantha paused as they left the building. This was a great setup, she just needed a good follow-up and delivery. The Overseer closed her eyes, turned her expression grim and said "No. I must admit I've cheated on you…"

Fay gasped, her eyes widening in an exaggerated terror.

"...With my own hand. I'm sorry."

Fay looked at her for a moment, then two, before erupting into a fit of laughter. That caused Samantha to laugh as well. "Of- Of course." Fay giggled, her voice sounding like of an angel's to Samantha's ears. "Of course, with my destined rival. Yeah, alright. I understand." Fay pulled the brunette closer and planted a kiss on her forehead. "You're even smaller now." She noted.

And all humor inside Samantha was gone. "Yes." She deadpanned. Her transformation made her lose 2 centimeters, which was rather aggravating. Fay didn't mind though, and hummed happily as she hugged her girlfriend tighter.

"Alright, what now Sam...uel?" Fay said.

"It's Samantha now." Samantha corrected.

"...I'll just call you Sam." Fay said. "Or Sammy."

"As for now… I was in the middle of an op that went south, so now we're pulling out. Close your eyes and cover your ears while I call the other guys."

Fay did as told while a lightning bolt struck the Overseer. Samantha returned to True Celestia, only for Magnavox to shove a letter into her chest before, quite literally, kicking her out. Another thunderbolt took Samantha back to the place she was before.

"Okay, that was weird." She muttered to herself.

Fay's ears rang from the crash of thunder, despite her attempts at protecting her hearing. "Whaaat?!" She shouted.

The Overseer looked at the letter that was in her hand. There was a message written on it, with beautiful yet easily readable handwriting.

Now that you have your girlfriend back, stop coming in and out of Celestia! It's annoying!

- MV

After Samantha read the letter the paper suddenly caught on fire. With a yelp the brunette dropped the sheet of paper as the spontaneous combustion removed all traces of it. Not even ash remained from the letter.

"That happened." Samantha nodded, and then despite just being warned to not do that Samantha returned to True Celestia. The moment she returned Magnavox slammed a frying pan on her head, before pushing another letter onto her and kicking her out.

"..." Fay kept her eyes closed and ears covered.

"Ow." The Overseer rubbed her head. She raised the new letter and read it.

I… SAID don't come back!

- MV

P.S: Nice fight. I liked how Vert smashed your head against the wall and cut off your legs. Also Deadeye was great.

This time Samantha wasn't surprised when the paper caught on fire for no apparent reason. She threw the paper away and cried over how much her head hurt. Somehow that one blow hurt more than her entire fight against Vert. And that was just Magnavox with a frying pan.

"Yeah! I'm done!" Samantha shouted.

Apparently Samantha abused her powers so much that Magnavox got sick of it. The True Goddess stripped her of her Overseer privileges. Not really, actually, as Samantha still could return if she wished to, but that would piss off Magnavox.

She also enjoyed watching her servant get violently amputated.

The True Goddess of Gamindustri, everyone.

"Apparently I can't teleport anymore." Samantha said.

It also left them with a minor problem; their main way of extraction wasn't useable anymore. They'll have to rely on CFW's flight now, or hijack some other means of transportation. Or, if it was just Samantha, use Fay's skills.

With Fay being here Samantha got a hefty boost in her combat capability, and lost her teleportation and access to Celestia in exchange. Not the worst deal all things considered. Samantha could make it work.

But first, they needed to get to the CFWs and Falcom. They needed help quick.

"You could teleport?" Fay asked.

"More like, go in and out of True Celestia - Magnavox's realm in case you didn't know." Samantha said. "I would go in, change the location where the Gate would lead to, and go out. Apparently it was pissing Magnavox off."

"Uh-huh." Fay nodded, biting the inside of her own cheek. "So Thunderbird as usual?"

"Yup."

Without being even asked to, Fay went back to the Fury and executed the skill.

"Executing: Thunderbird Wing."

Yet again Samantha moved like a blur, leaving after images behind her. She covered kilometers with just two steps, and jumping made the travel a bit safer. She moved into a new position and then stopped dead in her tracks, she took a moment to regain her bearing, find a new target and moved over there. Then the circle began a new.

As annoying and complicated as that sounded, it was a very fast and effective form of travel when moving alone. Within minutes Samantha circled around the whole nation. It helped that Leanbox was designed to look like a grid, if Samantha kept to the main roads she could circle Leanbox again with just 4 moves.

Samantha and Fay were back in the ruined district of Miss Pauling's, hidden behind a fallen building. During the chase the Overseer didn't have much time taking in the scenery, but now… all the damage she caused started to sink in. The brunette whistled at CFW Brave's handiwork.

"What happened here?" Fay asked.

"My plan happened. Me any my allies needed a distraction and… well." Samantha trailed off.

"Someone overdid it?" The fairy finished for her.

"Yeah."

"Were any of those dead people important?"

Gray Mann's robots and some Guild members were gathering the dead bodies and setting them in a neat line, with white sheets to cover them. Each person Samantha either directly or indirectly killed.

...And she didn't even feel a thing.

"I'm not actually sure, but I would say no." These people were working for Miss Pauling. Even if the assassination had been successful, they'd still have to die or else they would just go into disarray and form their own criminal groups, remaining pawns waiting to execute the Administrator's next move, whatever that'd be. They don't belong here. No one would miss them.

...Except their families, their friends and even the CPU herself. Having such a massacre within her nation would surely affect Vert's shares.

Samantha pressed onward, moving towards the last place where she knew the CFWs and Falcom were. It didn't take long to arrive there, and it took even less time to find where they were fighting. Loud crashes, female screams and the sounds of metal hitting something gave out the location quite nicely.

Samantha entered the battlefield and her heart sank.

She saw Gehaburn in Falcom's hands and the blood on that blade. There was also blood on Saxton Hale. The australian was wounded. CFW Brave was flying above them and idly observing the battle, and CFW Magic was missing.

"What the hell happened here?"

"Hey, Brave!"

The Machine looked down and saw Samantha walking towards him. Her gaze was not on him, but on Falcom. Her muscles were also tense, ready to act at any moment.

"Falcom got possessed and attacked CFW Magic. CFW Magic is fine, she went to seek you out."

Samantha's eyes briefly widened before she sighed. "Goddamnit… okay. Anything else?"

"No." CFW Brave shook his head. "...Did you not meet CFW Magic?"

"Not really, and the operation is a bust." Samantha shook her head. "Vert caught me and helped Miss Pauling escape. We're pulling out, but I can't teleport anymore."

"Retreat B?" Brave asked.

"C actually. I found my old friend." Samantha said. "Call Magic here, I'll handle Saxton Hale and Falcom. Fay!"

"Executing: Lightning Hands."

Before Brave could question Samantha, the Overseer was already in between Saxton Hale and Possessed Falcom. She attacked the CEO's fist and the Gehaburn at the same time, throwing both fighters off-guard.

Before Falcom could recover Samantha turned around and kicked her stomach. Her foot went through the adventer's waist as she dispersed and reappeared next to Samantha, her blade raised. The Gehaburn struck the Fury before Samantha's weapon morphed into a pair of gauntlets. With one hand the brunette grabbed the Gehaburn and forced it out of the way, the other punched Falcom in the face.

This time the punch collided with Falcom's cheek, stunning her. Samantha pushed her away and pointed her fingers at the adventurer, a glyph already forming.

"Executing: Bind."

The glyph disappeared and the spell took effect. Falcom quickly found out that she couldn't raise her feet. It was like her shoes were glued to the ground. Her opponents were outside her range, and she couldn't move. Possessed Falcom opted to glare at the brunette woman who did this to her.

"And you, lady, you stay there and think about what you've doing!" Samantha jabbed her finger at her. Then she turned towards Saxton Hale… who was just standing there and patiently waiting. Samantha was silently glad that he did so, it would be bad if she had to avoid attacks from opposite directions. "And what the hell happened to you, mister?"

"I just had the best fight I've had in a long time." Saxton Hale said… before stepping to the side. "...And you might wanna watch out, missy."

"Luminous Blade!"

Samantha had no time to react as Fay left the Fury and outright tackled Samantha away. Not even a second later a wave of energy passed through the spot she was standing, destroying everything in its path.

Samantha and Fay hit the ground and Fay immediately got up. She reached out towards Possessed Falcom and summoned a white glyph. "Executing: Seal Magic."

Transparent chains wrapped themselves around Falcom. They stayed on her only for a moment before they faded out into nothingness. Possessed Falcom ignored whatever effect that magic did and charged another Luminous Blade.

...But she couldn't.

No matter how hard she tried her SP wouldn't listen to her. Falcom tried and tried but each attempt at getting her SP to listen to her failed. Whatever that blonde fairy did, it prevented her from using her Skills.

"Thanks for the save, Fay." Samantha said.

With no way to move, nor with any ranged options Possessed Falcom stabbed the Gehaburn into the ground. The adventurer rested her hands on the pommel and glared at Samantha and Saxton Hale. "She's taking it pretty well." Fay noted.

"Yeah." Samantha said.

"Well, that's one way to handle it." Saxton Hale said.

The Overseer took a step towards Falcom. The adventurer gripped the sword and raised it a little, her message was clear: take one more step, and you'll die. Samantha didn't take another step. Instead she reached out into her Hammer Space and summoned the battle scope. Samantha checked her stats while Fay looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"You seeing anything interesting?" The fairy asked.

"...Some sort of weird buff, but nothing more. Also decent combat stats." Samantha said. Decent combat stats, although a bit higher than normal. Very good health, piss-poor luck. A good balance between stats, typical Falcom profile. The exception was one icon Samantha couldn't recognize, and she theorized it was the Gehaburn's fault.

Out of curiosity Samantha turned around and checked Saxton Hale stats. The results were surprising.

"Defense: Yes... Okay." Saxton Hale's stats were abnormally high, reaching S+ rank in every department. His defense in particular was so high that the Battle Scope refused to rank it. It just said 'Yes'. Yes, he has defense. Or rather 'Yes he is the defense.' The CEO chuckled as pink mist appeared around the Battle Scope, returning it back to the Hammer Space.

"That's some interesting gear you have there, missy." The australian pointed at Samantha's Fury. "A morphing sword and a scope for diagnostics? Pretty rare and good gear." Then he gave her a predatory grin. "Wanna fight?"

Samantha rolled her eyes. "Not really that rare where they come from. As for your offer, sorry to decline, but I've already had my share of fighting today anyway. I think you might have too. Also, the police will be here at any moment, and I for one don't want to get arrested."

The australian winced and sucked some air through his teeth. He looked around and all he saw was destruction. "Oh yeah." He said, as if he just remembered that they exist. "I probably shouldn't stick around for too long. See you later!" And with that the australian left the area, jumping over the buildings.

Samantha and Brave stared at the empty space for a long time.

Then the Overseer turned towards the robot floating above them. "Why the hell didn't we think of that before? We could've avoided that fight!" The brunette asked him.

"I don't know. Why?"

Samantha shrugged and faced Possessed Falcom. They both stared at each other long and hard, each one having no idea what to do with the other. Finally Samanta sighed deeply and pinched her nose. "...Goddamnit. Not really much time left, eh?" She turned back towards CFW Brave. "What are you staring at? Call Magic here, I can't do it myself anymore. We're leaving."

"I did. She's coming." CFW Brave said.

"Oh."

Samantha dropped the topic and stepped towards Possessed Falcom. The adventurer was alert in an instant, ripping out her weapon and holding it in front of her, ready to block any attack that brunette would send at her. Samantha pointed her finger at Falcom and the glyphs appeared.

"Executing: Paralyse."

An arc of electricity left Samantha's hand. It went into the Gehaburn, through the handle and into Falcom's body. She fell like a brick, unconscious. Samantha stepped closer and force-fed Falcom some sleeping drugs, before scooping up her body. At the same time CFW Magic came back, her gaze was immediately landed on Samantha.

"Miss Pauling?" The Leader of ASIC asked.

Samantha shook her head. "Vert got me, MP dissapeared. Do you have a lock on her?"

This time CFW Magic shook her head. "No. Unfortunately it broke when she stabbed me." The reaper pointed at Falcom in Samantha's arms. The Overseer wasn't even surprised at this point, it was just another thing in the smoking pile of bad luck.

Today was just a total catastrophe, huh? Samantha didn't even have the strength to sigh. The only thing that went well was Fay, and speaking of the blonde-haired fairy. "Retreat C. Fay, get on her back." She nodded towards the reaper.

Magic raised her eyebrow at Fay. "A new friend I see." She noted. "CFW Magic."

"My name's Fay." Fay nodded and started climbing on Magic's back.

"Old friend actually. Say hi to my girlfriend." Samantha said as she secured Falcom's unconscious body to CFW Brave, tying them up with rope and handcuffing the adventurer for good measure, using the cuffs she stole earlier. Once that was done she grabbed the handles on Brave's back and gave a thumbs up to Magic.

"Your girlfriend?" CFW Brave said as they were taking off. Slowly the things on the ground became smaller, and soon they matched the rooftops' level. "So you prefer girls." The robot added.

"Yes." Samantha curtly replied. She was still a man at heart, just because Magnavox forced her to switch genders it won't mean that she'll suddenly start liking the other side. It was nice to know that her change of gender seems to not bother Fay at all.

What an understanding and amazing woman.

CFW Brave hummed in reply but said nothing. Not like it was anything uncommon in this world of inordinate amounts of cute girls. The Overseer looked back at the ever-shrinking Leanbox. Even from here she could see the damage and fallen buildings, repairing that will take a lot of time and money.

Ah, Vert was following them.

...She won't ever catch up to them, but the attempt itself showed how persistent the CPU was to get her hands on Samantha. Any future operations in Leanbox is going to be a hassle.

Though Miss Pauling lost a lot of her forces today, she was a devious woman… who was backed into a corner. The next few days are going to be dangerous. Miss Pauling could do something drastic, Gray Mann could do something drastic, even Vert could do something drastic. This was a major event that won't go unnoticed by anyone.

And then there was also Falcom's problem.

The adventurer was tightly attached to Brave. Handcuffs and rope weren't the most comfortable solution, but they were secure. And that's what mattered. Once in a while her limb would twitch from the electricity that went through her. She would stay like that for a good hour.

Samantha ruffled the woman's head.

"My lack of foresight brought this upon you…" She whispered to no one. This whole operation could have been salvaged if Magic still had her lock on Miss Pauling, but she lost it because of Falcom. Samantha wasn't really mad at her for destroying the last hope of salvaging this mission, but she would have to do something very drastic very soon.

The Gehaburn problem cannot continue.

"Magnavox is going to chew my ass for this."

INVENTORY:

Fury - A heavily decorated weapon that seems to be more of an ornament than a thing used in combat. It's a magical artifact made out of gold and green marble-like material. It's Samantha Neikan's most versatile weapon and Fay's home. It can morph into various weapons at the user's will. Can only be wielded by Samantha Neikan and Fay, and it will electrocute anyone else who tries to hold it.

Stats:

The weapon's durability regenerates at a steady pace, even in combat.

Does not require ammunition.

Weapon's volume and mass can be readjusted at any time at wielder's discretion.

Can transform into a wide array of weapons.

When Fay is nearby it grants the user the Hammer Space passive skill.

When Fay is linked with the Fury the wielder has access to Fay's magic and skills.

The wielder's performance lowers as their SP's supply lowers. The wielder is tired when their SP is below 10%.

Covers the user with a barrier, protecting them from harm and acting as their secondary Health Bar, taking 100% damage onto itself. If the barrier's HP drops to zero the user is stunned and cannot act. Healing items and abilities will replenish the barrier's health.

Tension Gauge is unlocked.

When Tension Gauge is low the user's damage output is lowered.

When Tension Gauge is high the user's damage output is increased, and the user can link himself with Fay for a temporary boost in stats and access to ultimate skills.

Hammer Space - The user has an infinite number of inventory slots, and can change loadouts at will without going to the Resupply Cabinet. The user can add a weapon into the Hammer Space by physically touching it.

Kindness - A silver vambrace with a green gem inserted into its plate. A kind soul rests the gem, and it will protect the user from harm whenever they want it.

Stats:

When the shield is deployed it nullifies any and all damage from the front. The shield has unlimited health and cannot be penetrated by normal means.

When the shield is deployed the user is bound to a spot and cannot move or turn around.

Cherub's Feathers - A small bag filled with tan feathers, harvested from a magical bird native to Samantha and Fay's home. It glow when a Fencer touches them. A single-use consumable item.

Stats:

On Use: Target is healed for 15% of its max health.

On Use: Target is immediately cured from stun.

Battle Scope - A small metallic telescope with green lenses. A consumable item with unlimited uses.

Stats:

On Use: Reveals target's stats, resistances and drops.

...

And many, many more items still hidden within Samantha's Hammer Space.

Interdimensional RED-Coded Contract

-We Shall Fight as One!

One more chapter before the end of Leanbox, but I have 2 more chapters to give. The next chapter I shall reveal Sam's backstory and her drawing I commissioned.

While the chase segment had many TF2 elements, I feel it would be appropriate to give Neptunia's gameplay elements some love too.

Samantha's Lighting Hands was inspired by Assassin's Swallow Reversal from Fate/Stay Night - Unlimited Blade Works, it… basically looks the same as in Fate. And Thunderbird Wing is a self-buff ability.

Responses:

YORCHspartan117

I hope I met or even exceeded your expectations for the fights in the last chapter, as well as in this one.

Out of all custom weapons so far, Gehaburn is definitely the strongest. While the Fury is also powerful and versatile, it doesn't stand a chance to the raw strength of the defense-piercing sword. I tried to kinda justify how could it kill a CPU when lore-wise they're invincible. So I gave them ability to harm invincible targets, which logically speaking would extend to Übercharge as well.

...And Defense and Mentality are Neptunia stats, not TF2 ones (even though it technically should pierce through battalion's resistances). The Gehaburn is so broken it will ignore 50% of your defenses, which is sole reason why Falcom has been able to actually hurt Hale.

As for the increase in stats after killing a CPU… think of the Eyelander. Every head gives you more speed and max HP, increasing your survivability. A Gehaburn would be a sidegrade that increases your offense instead. Every killed CPU would make you faster and deal more damage, but without Max Hp increase.

...But unlike the Eyelander, the Gehaburn doesn't lower the user's Max HP.

I'm actually glad you can't distinguish who is the hero and who's not… because they're both right. Vert wanted to protect her citizen from getting killed, so she stopped Sam. Sam wanted to protect the world as a whole, so she committed a mass genocide just to kill one of the most dangerous people on the planet.

This isn't a story about heroes vs. villains, not anymore. All of it became a complicated mess than to one genderbent boi/gurl.

And I love it!

As for the leg scene… I can't defend it, I forgot that's how it was supposed to be healed.

Doom King of Latveria

...explain to me, in detail, where the hell do you see a harem here? I sent you a PM asking about it but I received no answer yet.

As for Sam's role… she's an exposition character and my way to throw a wrench into everyone's plans. If it wasn't for her we would have a formulaic story; travel to new location, do some crap there, fight a CFW and rescue the CPU. Rinse and repeat. Samantha is there to make the plot more interesting and jumpstart things into the motion, allowing me to shorten the plot and get the damn show on the road.

That's the point of her. Her role IS to complicate the story, so that I'll have more interesting plot to write on.

And I have absolutely ZEROidea how do you see her as 'harem protagonist'. Samantha is at odds with a good chunk of characters she's in contact with, and the rest don't see her as romantic partner. She has only one love interest.

So how the hell is that a harem?!

- Harmless Orange