Previous Chapter: Chapter 1: Starless Sky Next Chapter: Chapter 3
Fiona: Any word from the Steel Dragons?
Raul: Yeah. Just now, they finished their mock battle. They accepted our request, and are sending the Hagane over.
Fiona: That’s a relief. Then he’ll probably be fine. And we’ll be able to see everyone on the Hagane and Hiryuu Custom again.
Raul: Actually, because the final divisions are still being decided on, all the pilots are out of the ship.
Fiona: Aww, really?
Raul: No matter what happens, It’s not going to be everyone from the Shura Rebellion. The Aggressors are in Izu, and…
Raji: The whereabouts of Kyosuke Nanbu and Ryuusei Date are still unknown…
Fiona: …We still don’t know what caused that accident?
Raji: That’s right. The Alteisen Risse and the ART-1 were caught in a wormhole after a mock battle at TLI… The details surrounding that are still a mystery. Dr. Kazahara and Dr. Oomiya think it may have been a wormhole to a parallel world…
Fiona: It’s a possibility. Something similar happened with us…
Raji: As well as the Shadow Mirror, the Einst, and the Shura. This world, for some reason, seems to attract visitors from beyond.
Fiona: Where could Kyosuke and Ryuusei be right now…?
Raul: I think they’re fine, considering them. They’ll definitely come back.
Fiona: You’re right. We should believe in them.
Raul: So, we’re headed for the Hagane. After that, I also want to go see the Hiryuu Custom and Lefina…
Fiona: Won’t we be a nuisance, though?
Raul: Maybe…
Top option: Visit the Hiryuu Custom -> (This is the Lune route)
Bottom Option: Do not visit the Hiryuu Custom -> (This is the Masaki Route)
*So you chose not to visit the lady*
Raul: Actually, let's not bother Lefina.
Fiona: Alright.
*so you don't. Right to the Hagane*
Raul: Well then, Commander Tetsuya Onodera, please take care of him.
Tetsuya: Sure. What will you do next?
Raul: We’re heading for the TLI. This Excellence Rescue is still undergoing testing, so we don’t want to interfere in your exercises.
Fiona: If you need us for anything else later, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Tetsuya: Understood. Be on your guard, though. We’ll investigate those unidentified mechs you gave us information on. We’ll also inform the Federation units in the area. If you encounter those units again, send out a MAD.
Raul: Roger. ‘til we meet again, then.
*Azoooom*
Eita: They’re really trying their best to make it, huh.
Tetsuya: Yeah.
Azuki: Captain, We’ve got a message from Dragon 2. After the Excellence Rescue leaves the staging area, the second round of skirmishes will begin.
Tetsuya: Understood. Send a message to all units. Wait for instructions on standby.
Azuki: Roger.
Tetsuya: Next up is practicing breaking through enemy defenses. We have to make sure our ship is ready.
Eita: The Hiryuu Custom doesn’t have Lt. Kyosuke… We’ll have an advantage.
Tetsuya: But we’re missing Lt. Ryuusei. Without SRX, we can’t fight with our full strength, either.
Eita: …Without them…
Tetsuya: I know. But all we can do for those two right now is pray.
Eita: Yeah…
*beep beep beep*
Eita: There’s a large energy reading from close to the ship!
Tetsuya: !!!
Eita: It’s an ES Wave, but I’ve never seen this kind before!
Tetsuya: Is someone teleporting in?
Eita: No, it’s….!!
*AND THEN A WORMHOLE EATS YET ANOTHER SHIP*
*You get to the intermission menu, but it's still technically chapter 2, so just continue if you would*
“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” – Arthur C Clark
La Gias, the subterranean world phased into the center of the Earth. After helping restore peace to the surface, Masaki returned once more to the place he called home.
But the capital of the country Masaki used to live in, the Holy Kingdom of Langran, had been hit by a major terrorist attack, and without a central governing body, authority began to crumble.
At the same moment, Langran was invaded by the neighboring country of Shutedonias, and the country fell to a state of confusion.
Masaki had chased Shu to the surface, suspecting him as having a hand in the plot, but after the professor’s death, the twists and turns of fate brought Masaki back to Langran.
Now, Langran is host to a three-way struggle between the Langran Army, the Shutedonias Army, and an independent army led by a man named Kirkus…
*On some mountains*
Masaki: So we are… about 30 kilometers south of Ramond Village, in Ruzak.
Shiro: So that means… We’re definitely back in La Gias, huh.[1]
Masaki: Yeah, that was the original plan, after all.
Kuro: But there’s no one else here… What about Kyosuke and Ryuusei?
Masaki: Well, since we showed up here… They may have returned to the surface, right?
Kuro: Maybe…
Shiro: But still, that trip was crazy, huh.
Masaki: It was rough, but it turned out all right. But even though Kyosuke and Ryuusei were with us, telling the rest of the gang about what happened there would just get confusing. Let’s just keep it to ourselves for now.
Kuro: Got it.
Masaki: Anyway, it’s good we’re back in La Gias, but…
Kuro: We should find someone who can give us some information.
Masaki: …Yeah. We should ask those guys.
Kuro: Who? Ah! There’s a heat source at 10 o’clock! It’s close!
Shiro: H-how come we didn’t notice them?
Masaki: There’s not a lot of spirit energy here. Even the Spirit Radar on the Cybuster has limits.
Kuro: This reading doesn’t seem like it’s from Kirkus’s army. It’s way too small.
Masaki: This feeling of open hostility… It’s probably bandits.
Kuro: Bandits? What if it’s guerrilla fighters?
Masaki: Eh, they only think about making money, anyway. So they’re basically bandits either way. Let’s go, Kuro, Shiro.
Kuro: Got it!
Chapter 2: Summons
Unit A: B-bro! Th-that’s an Elemental Lord! I saw it when I was in the army!
Gold: What? Seriously?!
Unit B: Sh-shit! Let’s get out of here, boss! There’s no way we can win against that thing!
Gold: Wait! This could be our big chance! If we can get that Elemental Lord, I will be famous! We’ll show that bastard Gaddeck! Alright you lot, look sharp! If we pull this off, we’ll be rich!
Shiro: …They seriously think they can win against Cybuster?
Masaki: Well, that’s bandits for you. They’ll chase after any bait without thinking about it. They’re pretty predictable.
Kuro: What should we do, Masaki?
Masaki: Well, we’re trying to get information… But I don’t think we can just ask them nicely. Let’s twist their arms a bit.
Kuro: What do you mean by that…?
Masaki: Watch. HEY BANDITS! You can either surrender, or die here! What’s it gonna be?
Gold: G-gah!? What’s with that forceful shout? It came from the Elemental Lord…!
Shiro: Hey, that was more effective than I thought.
Masaki: So you say, but greed will probably win in the end.
Gold: No, that treasure’s right in front of us! Even if it IS an Elemental Lord, There’s 4 of us! We can do it! If we just destroy the cockpit, it’ll go down easy!
Masaki: Then come get some!
Chapter 2: Summons
Victory: All enemies are defeated.
Defeat: Masaki is shot down.
SR point: ???
*Gold V. Masaki*
Gold: If I can bag that Elemental Lord, yesterday’s problems won’t matter at all!
Masaki: What the hell’s wrong with you? How can you possibly think you can win?
*He dies?*
Gold: Th-The Elemental Lord… It’s a monster!
*he blows up, along with his buddies*
Gold: D-dammit… This again…
Masaki: And that’s why you don’t take an Elemental Lord lightly.
Gold: T-then… M-master, please help us!
Kuro: Master…?
Shiro: What?
Masaki: Don’t tell me, they were bodyguards?
*oh shits it’s Excellen*
Excellen: Hi hi! You rang?
Masaki: Th-that’s!
Excellen: You owe me because of the meal I gave you last night… Well, that’s was the idea, but that’s yesterday’s business. When you balance duty and humanity, you clash with the natural laws of society…[2] Or something.
Masaki: Rein Weissritter! Excellen?!
Excellen: Wait wait wait, that’s… Cybuster? Meaning, the pilot is…
Masaki: Isn’t it obvious who it is?!
Shiro: Why is Excellen here?!
Kuro: What happened?!
Excellen: Uh… I kinda want to ask that myself…
*Masaki lands*
Masaki: So you’re the leader. I have some things I wanna ask.
Gold: How many?
Masaki: Oh, a wise guy, are you? That damn mouth of yours…
Gold: Aaaah! Aaah! No! Stop it![3]
Masaki: Ah, the best way to make someone docile…
Gold: …So what did you want to ask?
Masaki: Why did you abandon her, if you're her bodyguards?
Gold: Abandon, you say… You make us sound like terrible people.
Excellen: Oh, how scandalous. What kind of person attacks a frail young maiden out of the blue?
Masaki: Frail young maiden, you say …
Kuro: …It seems that today was the second time these bandits have lost…
Masaki: So you lost to her, then you became her bodyguards? Why?
Excellen: Well, while the story could drag on, basically, I wanted to gather information. I was suddenly dragged to La Gias, so things have been hectic.
Masaki: Dragged here?
Excellen: Yep. I had heard about La Gias earlier from you, Masa, but I got more details from Mr. Bandit over there… It probably wasn’t just me who came to this world. It was probably everyone who was drilling with the Steel Dragons
Masaki: What?!
Kuro: Masaki, we really do need information.
Masaki: Yeah… Oy, Bandits. We need information on the state of La Gias. Tell us what you know about the balance of power, and anything relating to Kirkus’s and Shutedonias armies.
Gold: What about information on Feil’s army?
Masaki: Wait, Feil has an army? Lord Feil is alive?!
Gold: Huh? You didn’t know? Prince Feil is fighting the Shutedonias forces on the isle of Reg in Saitzett.
Masaki: I need more details.
Gold: Yes, sir. Please allow me to elucidate this matter.
Excellen: Wait, when did his character change?
Masaki: Who are you, exactly?
Gold: My name is Gold Bagold.[4] Even though I currently appear to be a bandit, I used to serve as the captain of Shutedonias’s self-defense force.
Masaki: You worked for Shutedonias?
Gold: Correct. However, my wife was from Langran. Because of that, I was targeted by the military’s inspection committee… and relieved of duty. And when I heard my wife had perished, I resorted to banditry to make ends meet…
Masaki: …
Gold: However, fighting with you has made me realize my mistakes. I would like to ask something of you. Could I join you on your travels?
Masaki: …Usually you buy a guy dinner first.[5]
Gold: Huh?
Masaki: Nothing. Anyway, you want revenge on Shutedonias? Well, you aren’t a great pilot, but why not.
Gold: Th-thank you very much. I hope to be of use.
Masaki: Well, first, time to find food…
Kuro: Masaki, there’s a reading on the Radar! There’s a distortion in space!
Masaki: A distortion?! Could it be…?
*Shwiiiing*
Masaki: It’s a gate…. Someone was summoned from the surface?!
Shiro: Ah! 3 Elementals are headed this way!
*Yes they are*
Masaki: Mechs from Ruzak, huh.
Torres: Is that you piloting Cybuster, Lord Randal? I am Lt. Zetiquinez of the Ruzak self-defense force. Can you hear me?
Masaki: Yes. It appears that Ruzak has yet to fall under Shutedonias control, then.
Torres: So it is you, Lord Randal. Did you come here to investigate the gate?
Masaki: I stumbled upon it by accident. And my name is Masaki. I don’t go by Randal anymore.
Torres: I… I understand, Lord Masaki.
Excellen: So… Even though Masa’s a lost kitten on the surface, down here, he’s pretty famous, huh?
Masaki: Who are you calling a lost puppy?!
Kuro: Kitten, Masaki, Kitten.
Masaki: Tch. Moving on. Why did the gate open?
Torres: We have been investigating then up till now, but we don’t have any information as of yet…
Masaki: Up till now? It opened before right now?
Torres: You didn’t know? There have been reports of gates opening everywhere lately. It seems someone is summoning a whole lot of surface dwellers to our world.
Masaki: Including Excellen, huh…?
*warnings*
Kuro: A reading on the radar! But it’s not an Elemental Machine! It’s coming!
Masaki: Damn! I can’t identify it on the radar!
Torres: There’s too much interference due to the spirits. Ever since the Harmonious Barrier was broken, things that rely on Spirit Energy have been unstable.
Shiro: It’s coming this way!
*Lions bro*
Masaki: Armored Modules?!
Torres: I regret I didn’t mention it before, but the people called from the surface are often riding machines similar to Elementals.
Excellen: But… Those aren’t federation machines.
Masaki: Could they be…. Neo DC remnants?!
Torres: The Shutedonias Army has been using those machines as mercenaries.
Masaki: Damn! Torres, get out of here! I’ll handle this!
Torres: Please let us help, Lord Masaki.
Neo DC Soldier: Captain Oreg! That’s the Cybuster!
Oreg: I know… And that…
Excellen: Huh? Is he looking at Weissy?
Oreg: It’s an Einst! Those bastards came to this world, too!
Excellen: Wha?!
Oreg: I’ll pay you back for the pain of this scar!
Masaki: What’s up with that guy? He thinks the Rein Weissritter is an Einst?
Excellen: Well… It does look a little Einsty.
Masaki: Have you met him before?
Excellen: No, I’ve never seen him before… He might have fought against the real Einsts, though, that would explain his grudge.
Oreg: The Einst is mine! Kill the rest!
Neo DC Soldier: Yes, sir!
Defeat: Masaki or Excellen are shot down.
SR Point: Shoot down the Garlion. It will retreat if it falls below 4,500 HP.
*Oreg V. Excellen*
Oreg: The Einst survived their eradication!
Excellen: I’d like to tell you you’ve made a mistake, but it seems useless to even try, huh.
Oreg: As long as you and that machine exist, the Einst will remain!
Excellen: (It’s probably best not to say anything about Alfimi, huh…)
*Oreg v. Masaki*
Oreg: Let’s go, Cybuster!
Masaki: Are you with the Neo DC Remnants?
Oreg: No matter who we are, you’ll still be our enemy!
*Shoot down Oreg*
Oreg: Tsk, any more than this is pointless! Retreat!
*And then the rest die*
Masaki: It’s over…
Kuro: Ah! Masaki, look over there!
Masaki: What? There’s a person!
Shiro: Could it be the person from the surface who was just summoned here?
Masaki: Regardless, we can’t just leave them here. Hey! Are you okay?
Mio: Zzz…
Masaki: What’s this? She’s just sleeping peacefully…
Torres: Lord Masaki, perhaps we should return to our base?
Masaki: Yeah, that sounds good.
*At the base*
Mio: Nnn… It’s already morning…?
Masaki: Hey, you’ve come to. Or rather… you’ve woken up.
Mio: Huh? AAAAH! Who are you?! Why are you in my room?!
Masaki: What? Hey! Calm down! Look! Does this look like your room? Ow ow ow! Don’t hit me!
Excellen: Oh ho, it seems like it’s not only Kuro and Shiro that get feisty when woken up.[6]
Mio: Who are you people?! Why have you brought me here?! I’ll tell you now, my parents are super poor! You won’t get any ransom from them!
Masaki: Uh… Do you really not remember anything about what happened?
Mio: Ah! It’s the kidnapper! Don’t come any closer!
Masaki: You’re so loud! Just shut up and listen for a second! Okay?!
Mio: !
Masaki: Okay. I’m not a kidnapper. This is La Gias. Simply put, it’s a parallel world under the surface of the earth. And you have been summoned here for some reason.
Mio: …
Masaki: We found you passed out. Or rather, sleeping. So we picked you up and brought you here. Understand?
Mio: …And?
Masaki: What do you mean, And?
Mio: What’s your goal here? Ah, I got it! You were dazzled by my beauty and abducted me! And now you want to marry me! You seem like a good enough man, but I hate it when guys come on too strong!
Excellen: Oh my, I had no idea you were that kind of good-for-nothing, Masa.
Masaki: Why, exactly, would I want to marry an elementary school brat like you?
Mio: Elementary school? Hey, I’m 15!
Masaki: What?! No way!
Torres: Lord Masaki, let me explain the rest.
Masaki: …Thanks. I’m bad at dealing with this type of girl. Just look at Lune…
Excellen: Oh, I heard something about that… It sounds rough.
Gold: Oh?
Excellen: Well, I guess you could say she struck down with an iron fist… or two.
Gold: Sound difficult, Lord Masaki.
Masaki: …Quiet, you. Anyway, I’m going to go sort out what we know…
Previous Chapter: Chapter 1: Starless Sky Next Chapter: Chapter 3: Immortal Gorge
[1] INSERT CAT PUN HERE NYA
[2] God, Excellen’s worse to translate than fuckin’ Tasuku. EVERYTHING IS A JOKE THAT DOESN’T MAKE SENSE (I think this is a Yojimbo reference)
[3] I don’t know what‘s going on here, and I don’t WANT to know.
[4] Banpresto. Hire someone new to make up names, seriously.
[5] This is actually a momotaro reference. KIBIDANGO PLEASE also who knows momotaro show of hands alright, that’s what I thought
[6] True Blue Cat Claws? I don’t get Excellen’s jokes. At all. Ever.