Rapi's 3rd Person POV.
It was strange, she thought.
Her mind recalled how the power her mentor had left her now felt more compliant than ever. The wild wolf she once knew, always ready to pounce at the slightest sign of weakness, had transformed into a disciplined hunting dog the moment she focused on following Commander Sam's order. Not only that, the duration of that form stretched far beyond her usual limit, like it had never existed at all.
Of course, it didn't come without a cost. The expected energy output had fallen to less than half what it should've been, spiking only for a brief, vicious moment—just enough to give Chatterbox a beating it would never forget, as if her power was aware of her desire.
She had been prepared to kneel down from sheer pain when she deactivated that mode. But it never came. The pain of burning alive that she always braced for… didn't arrive. Instead, she only felt a deep exhaustion, the type that set in after a brutal six-hour encounter on a bad day.
It seemed the drawback of using that mode had lessened greatly.
Still, she needed to get a closer inspection soon, if only to assure herself that she was okay. Which would mean meeting her superior and her mother figure, Ingrid—a visit she wasn't looking forward to. Not because Rapi hated her. It's because Ingrid was most likely going to be more worried for her sake than Rapi was comfortable with.
So lost was Rapi in her head that Commander Sam's enthusiastic clapping for Laplace's antics registered to her only as a distant background.
"That's my choice, isn't it? I choose to treat you as human, because to me, you are."
The memory of her talk with Commander Sam at the outpost several days ago replayed in her mind. His clear eyes shone with determination; his smile radiated endlessly with assurance and trust. All of that, combined with how her dual cores vibrated eagerly—like they would leap out of her body any second—now painted a clear picture. One that could possibly explain her mode's unexpected sidegrade.
"It's as simple as that, Rapi. You're human…"
She had found him…
Someone with an unbreakable and unbendable will.
Someone willing to put himself on the line to protect those he cared for.
Someone who reached out his hand for her when his heart was wounded.
Someone who became her ray of light amidst this world's bleakness.
Someone who would search for a way to fill the void within her in this instant, if he knew how much it weighed on her.
Unfortunately, the guilt of being the one forcing him to kill Marian made her think she didn't deserve his help. After all, unlike Anis, she didn't have the excuse of being suppressed by NIMPH's updated directive.
It's not like pulling the trigger would stain her bloodied hand much more.
Rapi knew he would forgive her if she ever explained her reason—her commander was just that kind. But she owed Ingrid too much to let herself take that path. After all, everything related to her secret body is classified by Ingrid's authority.
But that's her rationalization at play. The truth is, neither apology nor confession would turn back time to absolve her of the sin she carried.
That's why deep in her being, she hoped that if she aligned herself with him, if she devoted herself to him, if she used every ounce of her dear friend/mentor's power for him…
She could finally forgive herself…
…and looked into the mirror without seeing an empty-eyed doll staring back…
…
"Ahem." An unfamiliar feminine cough cut through her musing. Rapi shifted her focus back in response, ending her reflection.
"Sorry about the spectacle, Commander." The voice apologized, sounding weary and resigned. With her awareness returning, she saw an orange-haired Nikke approaching her commander. She let out a sigh of relief when she recognized it came from Maxwell, Matis's overworked sniper.
"It's just Laplace being herself," Maxwell explained, directing her gaze toward the blonde with a white winter jacket, who didn't seem apologetic if her grin was any indication. That only caused the former to sigh in frustration. "As you can probably guess, making her follow standard procedure is next to impossible."
"I see," Commander Sam said. Rapi guessed he understood Maxwell's plight as the only sane one in her squad. Drake hardly counted, being just as bad as Laplace half the time. "Anyway, what's your name? Mine is Samseung Jun," he asked while offering her a handshake.
She took his hand. "It's Maxwell, Commander Sam."
"Good to know," He said with a smile. Looking at the other Nikkes behind her, he addresses them all, including the mass-produced models. "By the way, thanks to all of you for arriving quickly."
The surprise on their visor-covered faces was obvious—especially to Rapi. She understood where their disbelief came from. When even unique Nikkes like herself and Anis could be stuck with human-supremacist commanders, what hope did the mass-produced squads have?
Morbidly, most of that type's commanders didn't last very long before either deserting or KIA (Killed In Action).
"Wow, two MP squads and the strongest Missilis squad, Matis themselves? Talk about some major support," Anis remarked beside her. Of course, that causes the atmosphere to grow more awkward, as the two 'Replaces squads' are not used to being acknowledged.
Giving them a second look, Rapi notices something feels off. Their loadout doesn't fit the standard 'Replace's squad' combat pattern. It looks more like the loadout a team would use on a resource-gathering mission.
Ignoring the atmosphere between everyone, Laplace suddenly points at her Commander with a realization that lights up on her face. "Ah, so you are the Commander Syuen had been talking about!" she loudly exclaims.
"She talks about me?" He asked, feigning casual curiosity.
"More like she complains about you. A lot." Drake added with a dry snort, tossing three bullets in the air and catching them casually.
Nodding her head so fast that it caused her twin tails to flutter like a twin flag, Laplace chirped in. "Mhm! She says you're infuriating, frustrating, annoying, captivating, frustrating, and….." Furrowing her eyebrows as if trying to remember something, Laplace trailed off. Failing to recall it, she continues with a sheepish grin, "Sorry, I stopped listening after the second time she said frustrating."
Not even a second later, as if her brain suddenly recognized what she had just said, she gasped, hands clasped to her chest. "Please forget what I said! She will shorten my hero-ing time if she finds out I just told you that!"
Shaking her head, Drake shares her thoughts, "I don't see the problem. It's not like she ordered you to keep it a secret—" Noticing Laplace throwing her gaze away and attempting to whistle (and failing miserably), Drake's eyes widened. She immediately veered from her initial point, "—she did?! Wait, if she shortened your hero-ing time, would that affect my villain-ing time as well?!" Drake asked, starting to get worried.
"Would you two pipe it down already?!" Before their distress could escalate, Maxwell intervened with a shout. Both Laplace and Drake abruptly froze in place. They turn their eyes to look at Matis's sole brain cell for an answer.
"Syuen is not going to take away your personal time as long as the commander here didn't share it with her. Surely, he is not going to do that. Right, commander?" Rapi would've complimented Maxwell for diverting their attention, if only she hadn't slung it to her Commander.
Her disapproval only increased when Maxwell leaned on Sam, casually draping an arm over his shoulder like they'd known each other for years. Rapi unconsciously clicked her tongue, unsure why Maxwell's casual gesture annoyed her so much.
"Naturally," her Commander said with a disarming smile on his lips. "Besides, informing her will only make her attitude toward me worse."
On one hand, Commander Sam's reasoning brought relief to the blonde and the albino Nikkes. But on the other hand, Rapi is still very miffed at Matis's antics. So, attempting to redirect their focus back to the matter, she questioned Maxwell. "Has Syuen revoked the ban on not contracting an operator during this mission?"
"I'm afraid the answer to that is a 'no'," Maxwell answered, shaking her head helplessly with a mirthful smile. It also prompts her to untangle from her Commander's shoulder to stand alone—a development Rapi noted with concealed satisfaction.
"You all seem used to this. Did Matis never have an operator?" Commander Sam asked in curiosity.
Having recovered from her initial panic, Laplace chose this moment to jump into the conversation. "For heroes like us, there's no need for an operator," she said in defense. "Drake's ability to sense radio waves can detect just about anything. So we clearly didn't need an operator."
"Damn straight!" Drake exclaimed proudly. "But I wouldn't object if we get assigned one. A Villain like me could use a goon or two after all," She added.
"Ignore them. There are several missions where we did have an operator," Maxwell clarified, closing her eyes and shrugging her shoulders.
Rapi, who closely observed her commander, didn't miss how his eyes slowly contracted back to normal, an obvious sign (to herself) that he had finished using his power.
Unaware of what her commander did, Maxwell continues, "But since this mission was about transporting a captured Rapture, Syuen thought that Drake was more than sufficient to cover us without alerting the Central Government too much."
"Sounds like Syuen trusts your squad very much," Sam noted. "Then I assume that the MP squads are here to help move the Storm Bringer, correct?"
Instead of Maxwell, Laplace answers. "Yep! You can leave the matter of securing this location to us!"
Nodding his head, Commander Sam thanked the twin-tailed blonde. He then commanded Anis, Neon, and her to help Matis secure their location. Afterward, he asked the Wardress squad to be prepared in case something bad happened when they moved the tyrant-class Rapture. Only when everything was properly set up did he begin guiding the MP's squads on how to safely salvage, retrieve, and load Storm Bringer parts into the aircraft.
Now that Commander Sam's attention is preoccupied, she would like to have a private chat with Maxwell. Preferably somewhere out of his superhuman senses.
[BR]
Sam's 1st Person POV.
You know you're cursed when even research papers validate your bad luck.
What is the chance of a squad getting ambushed by the Raptures just when their mission is near completion? Surprisingly, it wasn't that high. About 35%, with a margin of error of around 3%.
Yes, there's a research paper on this. I read it back at the Outpost to learn more about the Commander's role. It primarily discusses the survival rate of the novice commander, but it also discusses the chance of an ambush during the mission itself.
The paper concludes that if a novice commander completes the first three missions, they are in the top 5% of their batch and would climb at least one rank during their first year. However, it's a fallacious conclusion made by assuming every commander on the surface faced the same challenge.
Now let's take a look at my track record.
On the first mission, getting ambushed by a Tyrant-class Black Smith. On the second, getting pursued by a freaking Gravedigger in an area infested with several Lord-class Raptures. Then in this mission, my third mission by the way, I get the fortune to fight two different Tyrant-class, with Chatterbox being the very definition of 'Exceptional Rapture'. And between those battles, I also happened to meet Mar—a heretic, not that I knew what that meant back then.
If that is the challenge a novice commander has to face, then their survival rate would plummet to zero.
In summary, either I'm the luckiest Commander to ever exist for surviving all of that, or I'm the most unfortunate Commander who keeps getting jumped by Raptures for some reason.
This matters because somehow, halfway through moving Storm Bringer, its parts, and remaining Chatterbox's parts—including several chunks of its arms—to the transport VTOL aircraft, Drake warned us that no less than two dozen Lord-class Raptures and five hundred Raptures that are either equal or below Master-class slowly encircling us as if they are the biggest Rapture mob flash in history.
I exaggerate, of course. The biggest Rapture mob flash in history probably happened back during the war.
On a side note, what are the odds of meeting someone like Drake just after I created a magic portal specifically made to transmit specific radio wave frequencies? I need to secretly modify the subcore in the future. Or just ask Drake not to share that info with Syuen if she ever finds it.
Yeah, the latter sounds easier. Anyway, back to the crisis at hand.
Lord-class Rapture is a step below Tyrant in terms of strength and size. However, a single Lord class is enough to brush off a squad of regular mass-produced Nikke. This is why most novice commanders would call off this mission and immediately retreat if they were in my shoes right now.
Meanwhile, the remaining commanders have a coin-flip chance between ending themselves or charging foolishly, believing themselves to be superior to a hunk of metal. Quick reminder, normal human-grade firearms cannot pierce Rapture Armor unless they are shot at point-blank range. So you can guess what happened to the Commanders who are high on their own hype.
Unlike them, I have an unfair advantage called [Strategy Trance].
Looking over my surroundings, I start examining our situation.
Rapi and Maxwell are perched on a rooftop, providing sniper assistance on demand. Located in our northwest, Drake and Neon are on lookout duty. Anis and Laplace are also on the same duty in the opposite direction. Finally, we (the Wardress, the Mass-Produced Squads, and I) await at the landing site.
A squad of mass-produced Nikke usually consists of 3 (in some rare cases up to 4) different MP types. This is done to avoid having the same MP-type within a squad, as it increases the chance of both of them experiencing a mind switch. Fortunately, the two 'Replace squads'—whoever came up with that name deserves to be shanked—were sent by Syuen and just so happen not to have any overlap between them.
Regrettably, as Maxwell had confirmed earlier, they (the MP squads) were not here to fight Raptures. I wouldn't want them to either, considering how criminally undergeared they were.
That means if I want to hide most of my capability, I need to construct a meticulous plan—one that takes account of a squad that I know nothing about against the force of more than five hundred Raptures.
But what about the Wardress, you may ask?
I'm not going to throw two emotionally-recovering Nikkes into the grinder. That would be wrong on so many levels, setting aside the moral implication.
Besides, our objective is to bring SB's core and all Chatterbox's parts back to the ark, not destroy every Rapture we encounter. So we need to hold them off enough for the MP squads to finish loading things onto the aircraft and take out every anti-aircraft Rapture for safety measures.
I stepped out of [Strategy Trance] with a rudimentary plan ready to be played.
With the comms, I contacted the only one who owns a drone in our group. "Maxwell," I began calmly, " Can I borrow your drone? I need an eye on the sky."
"Sure thing, Commander. Just use your holopad to access it." She sharply answered.
"Thank you," I said, quickly doing just that. Now that I have a more complete picture of our situation, I am confident that we can finish this mission mostly unharmed.
Naturally, before I could even start sharing my thoughts, a wrench was thrown into my plan.
"Transform: Laplace Heroic Mode!" A certain blonde Nikke shouted so loudly that I could surely hear even without my enhanced senses.
From the drone's camera, I see armor plates suddenly appear on Laplace's body, snapping in place like a magnet. It is then followed by a futuristic plasma launcher shaped like a machine gun manifesting in her hands.
The blue weapon starts shining. Static electricity builds up around her body, jumping between armor plates. "Matis, get ready! Laplace Buster!" She declared, launching a continuous blue stream that wiped out at least a fifth of the horde.
Oh, and it also causes explosions. So many simultaneous explosions.
If we weren't in the middle of a battle where I couldn't afford the slightest distraction, I would have been stunned by the show of power. Thankfully, I have [Strategy Trance] to help me release my frustration and astonishment at the sudden development without compromising our situation.
"Are you out of your mind?! What about the formation? Don't just attack them without Commander Sam's order!" Anis shouted frustratedly over the comms.
"Sorry about that. We never fought under a competent commander before." Maxwell apologized on behalf of Laplace.
Sadly, her apology wouldn't matter much, given what happened next.
"You don't have to tell me that, Laplace! Take this: Thunderbolt!" Getting swept by her counterpart's pace, Drake grandly declared. Several red lightning bolts fall from the clouds as if answering her call, removing another fifth from the original horde.
"Electric Power?! Then I have to reply in kind with my Firepower!" Neon responded energetically over the comms, followed by the sound of irresponsible explosive usage from my northwest.
"Neon…" "Neon!" Rapi and Anis replied, one with resignation and the other with exasperation.
A sigh escaped my mouth as I watched the destruction caused by the hero-villain duo. Still, I feel the corner of my lips tugged upward unpromptedly. Matis is truly Missilis's strongest squad, but two of them are the personification of a loose cannon that is obsessed with being a comic book hero and villain.
Thus, I started forming multiple strategies focusing on supporting and reigning in the two. On the surface, with their assistance, it may look like surviving the Rapture horde suddenly became a trivial task. However, the difficulty of coordinating the two squads has increased exponentially. At least Maxwell is giving me input on how to direct her squadmates better.
[BR]
Sam's 1st Person POV.
Humanity's perseverance against the Raptures is largely attributed to the Ark's strategic placement. Its underground location disrupts the signals and energy signatures that would otherwise allow Raptures to detect its presence, providing a crucial layer of anonymity. Gravediggers are their attempt to find the Ark's coordinates, and so far, none of them has succeeded.
However, being underground means that there has to be something that allows transversal between the Ark and the Surface itself. Enter the purposely convoluted and sophisticated Elevator System. It's a labyrinth of redundant, shielded shafts and decoy tunnels.
When the gate behind us was sealed shut, the weight in my mind lessened. As the elevator starts descending to the Ark, I finally loosen my muscles and allow myself to relax.
Lively chatter between Laplace, Drake, and Neon filled the air with warmth and passion. Each of them presents their own beliefs and principles good-naturedly. It's like they all vibe on the same wavelength but play with different instruments: Laplace with her Heroic Trumpet, Drake with her Villainous Theremin—an instrument played by manipulating an electromagnetic field—and Neon with her Bombastic Timpani drum.
"-And that's why no wall can withstand the might of firepower!"
"I disagree! Entering a room using explosives is not heroic! A hero must always enter a building through its window, after all!"
"Both of you are fools! The correct path is to use the door like a normal person! Nobody expects a great villain to just waltz in like they own it!"
…I take a step back, not wanting to be involved in their discussion.
Far enough from the trio, I see Rapi and Maxwell locked in a rather intense staring contest. Or they want to tear each other apart. I can't really tell as they give off confusing signs. And no, my collections of different diplomas didn't help me understand it either. Especially when their hostility increased after they both looked at me for some reason.
The two didn't seem hostile toward each other earlier today, at least not to this point. They had been at it since they evacuated from the rooftop, just after we wiped out all of the anti-aircraft Raptures from the horde. Whatever it is between them, I get a gut feeling that I shouldn't get involved with whatever is happening between them, for now.
Then there's Anis with the Mass-Produced Nikkes and the captured Storm Bringer (as intact as it can be brought anyway). They are talking about the Ark's currently trendy music. I also overheard a debate about who the current most popular singer is. Several names are mentioned, with Noise, Volume, and Aria being the most frequent in that order. I took note of how passionate Anis is when she's talking about old singers and idol groups. Perhaps I could buy her their merchandise as a gift?
That leaves Mihara and Yuni with themselves. Or not, as the Wardress duo slowly approaches me. And of course, that's when Celestial Forge triggered and sent me a new perk related to music.
Reflectively stepping into [Strategy Trance] accelerated perception, I analyze the perk.
The name of this perk is based on a song called [Rainbow Notes]. It gives me an understanding of the art of music composition, allowing me to create new songs effortlessly. Not just any song, but a song that's so good that, if sung by a magical being (like a mermaid) or someone with musical magic (like a fantasy bard), it has magical effects. Simply put, it's a musical spell.
But [Rainbow Notes] doesn't just stop there. It also applies to playing and composing various musical instruments, like the piano, and other art forms associated with music, such as dancing, praying, and chanting (a cappella). The only thing this perk didn't grant me is actual vocal training, so I need to actually learn how to sing if I want to maximize this perk.
I can feel [To Do Today]'s sheer glee from acquiring this perk, for the simple reason that they both interact with each other magnificently. [To Do Today] gives [Rainbow Notes] hundreds of songs to start with as an inspiration piece. Meanwhile, [Rainbow Notes] uses the aspect of 'singing your feelings out' and taking it to the next step by recontextualizing it as a magical song. It increases the song's potency several-fold while also influencing the general theme of anything made during that time.
Several other perks also synergize really well with it, but not in a pronounced way, so I can set it aside for future me to deal with later.
Oh, and [Rainbow Notes] also allows [To do Today]'s effectiveness to increase. How much depends on the quality of the magical music I sang. The need to hone my vocal skills suddenly elevates several steps in my priority list.
A stray thought suddenly crossed my mind.
Can I compose a song that heals Nikke?
Logically, it shouldn't be possible as Nikke's body isn't made of living matter. But surely, a good enough arrangement when sung by an attuned magic singer boosted by items and appropriate rituals can make that reality.
Setting aside my desire to explore the limit of [Rainbow Notes] for now, I step out of [Strategy Trance] and find Mihara and Yui standing right before me.
"Lost in your thoughts again, Commander Sam?" The taller Nikke stated with a hint of concern in tone.
"Something like that. But I am fine, really. " Shrugging my shoulders, I reassured her. "How are you two holding up? This mission has been one revelation after another." I said with a mirthful smile plastered on my face.
"Yuni and I are fine, Commander. After all, thanks to your leadership, we've managed to withdraw safely," Mihara smoothly complimented.
"That's more of Matis doing," I shook my head in refusal. Matis's, and by that I mean Laplace's and Drake's opening, caused their number to be more manageable. "I'm just relieved there haven't been any casualties, especially from the mass-produced squad." Which was easier thanks to the fact that they didn't get involved in combat at all.
"Still, thank you, Commander…" Yuni began, her voice sounding more cheerful—just like it did before the fight against Chatterbox. "...both for sending Rapi to aid us and for being there with us," she finished with a wide smile that could be easily mistaken as a smug smirk. In an attempt to improve her communication skills, I suspect Yuni mimics Syuen's expression without knowing what it really means.
"You're welcome, Yuni," I said, gently patting her head. Normally, that would be a pretty rude gesture if you're only an acquaintance. But Yuni craves physical contact as a means of communication, so I patted her head to transmit my affirmation to protect them.
When that's done, I try to pull back my hand, only to find a gloveletted hand putting pressure over mine, while another hand tugs my cuff. Those actions essentially prevented me from removing my hand from her head. They also conveyed Yuni's desire for me to not stop reassuring her.
But she wasn't just asking for comfort–if only it was that simple. It is a silent plea not to leave her, at least not just yet. So I left my hand where it was.
Then again, it's something only someone proficient in "Yuni's speak" could understand. Someone like Mihara and me, for example.
Which is why Mihara stepped up. She wraps her arms around Yuni from behind lovingly, causing the petite Nikke's grasp on my hand to lessen. Not like that helped my situation, as a pair of bountiful pillows rested over Yuni's crown at the same time. Stuck between a head and soft places, I stare at Mihara with a raised eyebrow. But not judging her over it.
She gives me an eye smile in response. With an understanding tone, Mihara states confidently, "Take it easy, Yuni. The Commander is not going to leave yet."
The petite Nikke relaxed, her pink hair brushing against my palm like a soft feather duster. Not finding it in me to reject her, I resumed head-patting Yuni.
At least until I feel the elevator gradually halt.
Hearing the elevator doors open with a low hiss, I give Yuni a small smile as I retract my hand. The arrival platform warmly greeted us with its soft greenish-blue light, curtailing every ongoing discussion.
I can only shake my head when Laplace immediately leaps out of the elevator as if waiting for this moment.
Striking a practiced stance, she lands on the platform passionately."Behold! Matis has once again returned to the Ark!" she proudly declared, her left hand on her hip and her right hand pointing to the ceiling.
"You do remember that we have to go back to the surface after restocking our battery, don't you?" Drake points out, walking out of the elevator right behind her.
"Haah, let's just go. I get enough secondhand embarrassment as is." Maxwell tiredly sighed, quietly mumbling the last part. When our eyes met, the frown turned upside down into a roguish smirk. "See you later, Sam." She added with a wink.
"Later, Maxwell. It was nice meeting you all." I answered, waving my hand.
"Bye, commander!" Said Laplace and Drake together as they all walked away.
One of the Mass-produced Nikke approaches me with Anis. With an encouraging pat on her shoulder courtesy of Anis, she nervously fake-coughed. "Ehm, may I ask permission to deliver the items to the designated location, Commander?"
I give a small nod. "Sure. But before that, take this." Taking out my phone, I transfer some credits to the mass-produced Nikke account. I have enough credits for that, thanks to gathering them three days ago. Also, moving credits around is surprisingly easy since there's an app for it on my phone. "Feel free to get your whole squad some decent food, my treat," I said with a smile.
Dumfounded, paralyzed, and then seemingly transfixed by my demeanor, she mutters incomprehensibly. After several seconds,–realizing what she did–, she immediately bows in gratitude and sincerely thanks me. Which I humbly accept.
She returns to the temporary group with swift steps. I feel a smile tug on my lips as I watch them act more lively, especially when they start waving gratefully. After I responded with my own wave, they started to move toward the designated palace, wherever that is.
Tho one particular Nikke in the mass-produced squads caught my attention. Mostly because while she resembles Product 8-type, her figure seems fuller than usual. Not to the point of an hourglass figure, but more of short stacks. Perhaps some non-standard modification? She also seems to have her grey hair cut short, but that's comparatively normal to the other members of her squad who clearly dyed their hair in non-standard variation.
Coming from my side, Anis whistled. "Wow, they took that better than I anticipated. Credits really do wonders to one disposition," she sharply remarked, voice laced half with amusement.
"They sure did," I said in agreement. "Besides, let's be real here. How many Commanders do you think treat their squad like I did?" I rhetorically asked, already knowing the answer.
Before Anis could follow that up with a quip, Rapi stepped beside me. "Commander Sam… Might I ask permission to temporarily leave the squad for maintenance?" With a calm voice that characterized herself, Rapi asked.
"Granted, Rapi," I said, turning my attention to her. "In fact, we are all going to take at least three days' break before we do another mission. So take your time and return to me when you are ready."
"Understood," she replied.
"Several days off? sing me up!" Anis practically cheered, pumping her hand into the air. "I'm gonna spend it on restocking my sodas and catching up on some shows."
"Ahh, can I join Rapi too, Mentor?" She asked, knocking lightly on her head. "Today is actually... kinda my scheduled maintenance day too, ehehe~."
I chuckled in amusement. "Go ahead. We all have earned some time off."
With that, two members of my squad departed to the Elysion maintenance center, leaving me with Mihara, Yuni, and Anis.
[BR]
[SPOILER="Chapter 8.1"]
[SPOILER="12 rolls (special rule, lowest cost)"]
Notes (Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch) (300CP)
•While mermaids are superior singers, humans invented the art of song to begin with. You are now gifted in the art of music composition, and can creatively piece together the notes and lyrics for new songs effortlessly. In fact, your songs are good enough such that, when sung or played by a magical being such as a mermaid, or someone with magical music like a fantasy bard, they have magical powers of their own. And the greatest thing about music is that it is a treasure that can be shared with anyone. You can teach your songs, even magical ones, to companions and other pupils willing to learn. Please also note that the perk also applies to other musical forms outside of singing, such as the piano, as well as other things such as dancing, prayers, and spell chants.
*Personal note: This perk didn't grant perfect singing voice, so you still need to train it. But other things like playing an instrument, coming up with great dance moves, coming up with harmonious and beautiful sounding chants and prayers, etc. It basically made you good at anything except actually singing the song. Creating a Music Video is also something within this perks capability, so go wilds.
•*Including small part of Idol culture, but not the merchandising that didn't involve music.
[SPOILER="Extra note"]
•*Campione also count as a magical being, but it's important to note that they aren't a mermaid, so they may be better than magical human, but not as good as a mermaid. Then again, its not like they can't learn music magic.
•*The song have magical properties, not the singer. So anyone with Music Magic can uses this.
•*Nikkes count as music magic user to a varying degree depending in how trained they are at singing. But some are just more blessed in this field than the others (The singer trio squad). Tho it's a trainable skill.
•Some Nikkes also count as Magical Being on par with Mermaid, making their song at least twice as potent compared to normal music magic user.
•*To learn music magic, one has to be able to correctly sing the magical song correctly first. Then either pour magical power into the song or evoke the correct emotion when singing it. The stronger the emotion, the stronger the effect, but there's celling on the effect, influenced by the song quality.
•For example, a healing song can't be used to resurrect recently dead (brain stop working) no matter how good its played. Another example is how buffing someone with a song is limited with how much the target can handle and how good the quality is. Important to note that even the greatest song a mermaid can sing wouldn't affect a Campione, unless its singed by Mermaid god or Music god.
/SPOILER]
/SPOILER]
Unchosen Perks
[SPOILER="11 roll"]
-The Man who understood Infinity (Desolate Era Part II - The Chaosverse) (800CP)
-A Spark of Genius (Girl Genius SB) (600CP) (Kek at how funny this happen)
/SPOILER]
/SPOILER]
[BR]
Author Note: Unlike Canon where it's ambiguous how long Yuni and Mihara had been together. In here they only had been for less than three months. Yuni's communication skill hadn't deteriorated to the point her bond story needed to happen. And Sam can pick up the faintest sign Yuni transmitted, as the result of CF perks inserted into his memory. Sam only 'needs to give her slight encouragement. This also benefitted Mihara as their way of communication became smoother.
There's also the fact that unlike canon, Mihara didn't get mind wiped. Which mean Yuni's villainous arc didn;t get to happen yet.
Unbreakable Sphere has given me an idea of what to do with SB's core. Something very appropriate in Nikke-verse. The Dual core system lore is just what I need, especially the involvement of Syuen's sister.
The fact that Core dust, made of Rapture's core, can be used to increase Nikke's core energy output is just perfect. Considering this with the fact that compared to canon, this Rapi didn't get her body destroyed in the second mission, her cores theoretically has better output than in canon, which allows the shenanigans in several chapters ago.
Tho going deeper in the logistics of core dust is something I want to do in the future, if only to possibly make Counters, and any Nikkes under Sam's command, stronger. Tho that will also be accompanied by either weapon systems like the second gen Grimms model, or like the futuristic equipment of the Pilgrim Inherits. Increased energy output will not mean anything if there's nothing that takes advantage of it.
The existence of forbidden library, and its active librarian imply that most knowledge of Grimm models and other relevant information is not truly lost, so a perk that take advantage of lost knowledge would have unexplainable missing pieces, as if the perk itself confirmed that such knowledge is not truly lost.
On a side note, I'm glad that K is finally going to be released from NPC Jail, which could mean I can finally use their squad more in story. Especially for my planned licence to kill event speedrun arc.