An RPG maker game based on a dark little tale of woe, fallen heroes, broken friendships, and time travel.
Play as Captain Ness, Janitor Lucas, and more as chapters reveal the twisted fates of those whom all live in a world brought down by a chaos no one saw coming.
What will you find at the end of this tale?
Is there still a chance to save the world and bring everything back to order…?
As they traveled through the Great Dark Beyond, Malus let out a bit of a hum. “Flying through here, I can’t help but feel nostalgic~… One of my first adventures here in Arcadia actually involved marching straight into the Great Dark Beyond, you know~…?“ She hummed.
“…Victoria, you asked before how old I exactly was~… And if you’re really itching for a more accurate answer… All I can say is… I had a lot of time on my hands, as someone who was there to see the Age of the Divine at it’s peak. And I’m someone who tends to get bored rather easily~. This place just so happened to be a pet project of mine I was particularly invested in… No human has ever set foot in it before, so… as it’s owner I’d like to welcome you all to…“
“…M-T’s Underground Sealing Facility: The Cedar Forest.“ As the dropship reached the other side… everyone would be treated to the sight of a massive… underground forest.
“Okay, before you say anything… Yeah. There are trees here that are definitely NOT cedar. Still, cedar trees just so happened to be one of the first trees that started growing here, so that’s what I named it.“
“I……I can’t believe my eyes……” Everybody simply gawked at the sight of a place which by all accounts should be inhospitable to everything. And yet, here it is, right before everyone’s eyes. And of course, as the cherry on top of this unexpected surprise……
“…………No way. You’re……THE Malus?? As in the same Malus who came to this world at the height of the Goddesses of Arcadia’s power?!”
“AHA!!! ONE OF THE FABLED ‘GODSLAYING DOOFUSES’!!!”
“……………………Your brain is so damaged and yet you managed to recall that one buried footnote in Arcadian history?”
“Hehe, it certainly was brave of you to take the initiative and drive away that battleship, Ashley~. You looked like a real hero out there~.“ Alexia said as she started giving Ashley some headpats as well. Meanwhile, as she did so…
“DAZZLING~! TRULY DAZZLING~!“ …Hest was at it again. “If only I had a camera to capture that absolutely captivating moment~! Oh, wait… probably can’t take a picture of you in action… Well, I’ve already burned it into my mind, so I guess pictures aren’t needed~!“ Hest said as he fangir… I mean, fanboy’d over Ashley. “It was like watching a meteor shower~!“
“I-It really was no big deal!!” Ashley got flustered by all the praise she’s getting.
“Focus, people.” Russell rolled his eyes. “Lucas, what’s our status on our defense against the sound wave virus?”
“Doctor Malus’ research was certainly helpful in that regard. Based on her theory that a sound tailored to cancel out the virus before it hits might work, Kat and I are currently working on an ‘active noise control’ deployment system, essentially a Sound Suppressor. Hopefully, we will have it ready before Heliod strikes us again.”
Ashley’s shots hit their mark as her energy shots begin to rain down upon the battleship, dealing damage to it’s hull…!!
Despite the damage done… the ship didn’t seem all that fazed as it simply veered away from her and the dropship. It looks like the battleship recognized Ashley as a big enough threat that it shouldn’t engage.
“…Whew… Well, that should scare it off… for a while. I don’t think this is the last we see of that thing… Still… I wasn’t expecting Heliod and Iron Eden to already have aircraft, let alone battleships… Where the hell did he build that…? I’d like to think the governments of Arcadia would notice something like this…“
“Clearly the Magistrate of the Alto Federation is certainly too focused in the arms race to counter the possible threat of the Dimensional Lords that he doesn’t realize what is happening under his nose, if the Alto Liberation Front and Golden Fire have any indication.” Lucas muttered.
“I’ve been meaning to ask that. Shouldn’t we have a talk with him about that?”
“Now is certainly not the time.” Russell interrupted. “Apex 5, return to the ship. The initial threat is over but there may be more. For all we know, the enemy may be trying to gauge our actual strength and we need to keep many of our cards hidden.”
“Are you just going to leave out the part about how we’re FLYING right now? He’d probably pass out from lack of oxygen before he even gets the chance to land a single punch.“ Madeline snarked.
“LESS SNARKING MORE… ANYTHING ELSE PLEASE, MISS MADELINE-“ Alexia said as she rebalanced herself. “ALSO- ARE THERE ANY TURRETS I CAN MAN ON THIS THING? ANYTHING TO DETER IT FROM TRYING TO RAM INTO US AGAIN!?“ The android asked as the battleship began turning around, most likely preparing to try and ram them once more.
“If you can, get into the cockpit and man Tactical! We’ll have to defend ourselves at this rate!”
“Commander, every second we waste trying to deal with that thing, we risk letting Astaroth get closer to her goal-”
“Commander. Cut me loose.”
“…………………………………………”
“……Very well then. Show ‘em what you got, Apex 5.” Russell gritted his teeth. “Open the bay doors!”
“Hayasum Armor. Online.”
[Voiceprint enabled.]
It was then Ashley was ejected from the dropship itself, along with a rather sophisticated module that enclosed around her.
“You knooooow, I’m still open to using tranqs on him. First time’s free of charge, too. Mostly because I’m in here too.“ Madeline said with a deadpan tone.
“Ahahaha~… Well, if you don’t mind, I think I’m just going to go and take the seat that’s farthest away from mister Murder McGee over here.“ Alexia quipped as she tried to find a seat as far away from Butch as possible. “By the by, never really got the chance to ask last time because of all the seriousness before, but you don’t happen to offer in-flight movies do you?“
“This is a military dropship, not a commercial airplane.” Lucas muttered while at his station.
“It’s fine, Lexie~. I’ve got a nice selection on my phone~.” Victoria grinned.
“Enough. Smokes, take us out. Our destination: the Great Dark Beyond.”
“Oh boy. We’re going to suicide land. Wonderful.”
And with that, the dropship took off and started on its way, all around the planet itself.
Arcadia had gone a long way from being a shattered world, having gone through a global geoengineering effort by all its inhabitants to restore it back to its original Pre-Shattering state which in turn led to new continents, new landscapes and biomes, and ultimately new places of habitation. There are only a few areas in which one can still enter the Great Dark Beyond……and our heroes are about to dive right into one of its remaining scars.
“A-A-ARE YOU SURE I’M GOING TO BE SAFE IN THERE!?“ Hest asked, understandibly worried.
“It’s fine. If needed, I can tranquilize him. I have stuff that can knock out an elephant with just a drop…“
“Now now, Madeline~. There’s no need~. We ARE the guests after all~. I’m sure Apex Team has their own tranquilizers~.“
“You know, stuff like this is why I preferred to go at it solo for the longest time…“ Alexia let out a sigh as she and the rest of the M-T Incorporated crew boarded the ship.
Soon, everyone was onboard and set up in the command room as Russell gave the order for takeoff.
“Lucas, I hope that Butch isn’t being a problem.”
“We’ve managed to calm him down, although I’m not sure how long that will last, given the people we have aboard.”
“WELL. WELL. WELL. AIN’T THIS MY LUCKY DAY? I CAN’T WAIT TO WRING ALL YOUR NECKS.”
“……Nobody is wringing any necks today, not while I’m here.”
