Unlimited

Shifty: test, test. Do you copy?

Neon: hey anis, catch!

Anis: holy moly! how'd you end up with such a big snowball?

Neon: the bigger the better!

Anis: no, no, you've got it all wrong. it's not the size that counts in a snowball fight, it's how many you can make. you've got to crank those suckers out as quickly as possible. so…like this?

Neon: ek!

Anis: hahahaha!

Neon: ohohoho!

Rapi:....

Varakiel: Shifty, I heard you correctly. over.

Shifty: good, thank you commander. The density of alva particles in the north is very low, so I won't commence the purge sequence. There shouldn't be any obstacles on the way to the research base, and the route is simple enough. The problem is the ice and snow. I'm unable to give you an estimate on just how much of it there is. so you have to be careful, particularly of the ice, because you know nikkes…

Varakiel: the ice on the ground should be dense enough, we just need to be careful about frozen lakes.

Shifty: Indeed that's a good way to explain it, commander, do mind if I borrow it from now on?

Varakiel:...sure.

Rapi: Then let's go. anis, neon. enough with the snowball fight. it's time to…

*thunk*

Rapi:..

anis: bullseye!

Neon: Nice shot! you didn't use to play baseball by any chance, did you?

Anis: nope, natural-born talent, baby!

Rapi:...commander, let's go..

Varakiel: rapi, as an order, show them how to do a proper snowball!

Rapi: *sigh*.....fine!

rapi then starts a snowball fight with anis and neon.

Shifty:....commander..

Varakiel: I am sure rapi will finish soon.

*thunk* *thunk*

Rapi: There you go I got both of you, now let's go.

Anis: not fair you used the commander as a meat shield!

Neon: I request a rematch!

Varakiel: hahaha…

….

Neon: Crunch, Crunch, crunch, crunch,crunch, Crrruuunnnncccchhhh!

Anis: What are you doing?

Neon: I like the sound the snow makes when we step on it, so I'm imitating it.

Anis: Hey, is this your first time seeing snow?

Neon: I've seen artificial snow before, but the real thing is so much different.

Anis: how about you, commander? is this your first time seeing snow?

Varakiel: not my first time.

Shifty: how is that possible?

Shifty suddenly speaks.

Varakiel: ah….well…before enlisting in the commanders academy, i used to play around too much, i even went to the surface for camping. hahaha.

Anis: wow…even before the academy you were already reckless i see.

Neon: Well the commander is a free spirit kind of person, just like those pilgrims…

Rapi:....i…agree.

Shifty: just this time i will act like i didn't hear anything commander…

Varakiel: hehe sorry shifty, i promise those excursions are prohibited for now.

Shifty: good.

Neon: I can't blame the commander though, the humans in the past used to live like this, so no wonder the commander wants to experience all of it.

Anis: Guess so.

Rapi: That's the reason why we exist…we're here to help him bring back those times.

Neon: oooh, that's a good line! I'm gonna use that the next time someone asks me.

Rapi:....commander, how are you doing? 

Varakiel: don't worry about it, I can handle this coldness perfectly fine.

Anis: seriously what kind of life you used to live before this?

Varakiel: An unforgettable one, let's keep moving.

Rapi: roger.

...

Shifty: rapi. our com signal seems to be weakening. Anything we should be aware of?

Rapi: looks like the snowstorm is really kicking up. Our visibility is short.

Shifty: I'm picking up a bunker in your vicinity. it should be visible on your map, can you see it?

Rapi:...no, I can't see it.

Shity: Then I'll give you the direction and distance. start heading northwest.

Rapi: got it.

Anis: commander, are you all right?

anis turns around and sees varakiel being hugged by neon while he's drinking a cup of…hot chocolate?

Anis: -_- nevermind he's alright.

Neon: the commander is so warm~.

Rapi: really?

rapi then touches varakiel arm.

Rapi: He's indeed warm….

Varakiel: Well, i teached you magic for a reason, use it…

Rapi: That's true….

Anis: right…

Neon: aw…fine.

Varakiel: good, rapi let's pick up the pace,

Rapi: roger!

...

Rapi: We've found the bunker. heading inside now. shifty, do you copy?...communications are officially cut off. commander, let's go inside the bunker and wait out the snowstorm.

Anis: Let me check the inside of the bunker first.

Neon: why bother? look at the size of this entrance. no way any raptures are getting in through there.

Anis: raptures aren't the only thing we should be worried about.

Neon:...

Anis: I'll be right back. you all stay put…huh?....raptures spotted up ahead!

Rapi:...how come!?..

Anis: Damn! We didn't spot them because of the snowstorm!

Rapi: Engaging!

….

Rapi: rapture remnant 1!

Anis: Everybody get back! It's gonna blow itself up!

*boom boom*

Rapi: gasp..!

Anis: What is that sound? It's deafening!

Neon:...ra-rapi! anis! what is that!?

*rumble* The snow is pouring out.

Rapi: It's an avalanche!

Anis: Everybody get into the bunker! move!

Neon: we can't, it's too far!

Varakiel: Damn it!

Varakiel suddenly lifts up anis and neon.

Varakiel: go inside the bunker right now! I can survive the avalanche but it would be a problem if the 3 of you separate.

Anis: Wait, what are you!?

Neon: m-master?

Varakiel: And off you GOO!!!

Varakiel then throws anis and neon to the bunker entrance!

Anis: wahhh!!!

Neon: ahhhhh!

Varakiel then without questioning rapi, he picks her up and throws her too.

Rapi: c-c-commander!!

Varakiel: This is an order rapi! I will be okay, I promise!

Anis: rapi quickly get inside!

Rapi:....damn it!

rapi then with the help of anis goes inside the bunker!

and they close the bunker entrance!

*rumble* 

Varakiel: good…well then mother nature, bring your challenge on.

varakiel then is engulfed by the avalanche.

....

Girl: What's your name?

Varakiel

Girl: Varakiel? That's an unusual name. What are you doing here?

I'm sick.

Girl: What's that? you're sick? makes sense, considering this is a hospital.

What about you?

Girl: Well, I'm sick too. you could say i'm….insane in the membrane.

hehe, i am quite insane too uh….

Girl: oh dear, i haven't properly introduced myself you can call me….

Varakiel: .…

Varakiel suddenly wakes up.

Varakiel: ugh, this body memories? well i guess i'm insane in the membrane too, haha.

???: my queen look, is that someone…sleeping over there?

???:...huh?

???: you can't sleep here. get up.

???:...huh? i can't believe it. they're still alive! alice, let's move them out.

Alice: yes, my queen.

???: you take that end. i'll get the other.

Varakiel: (....i guess it would be rude to say anything now…)

???: um, alice…you really should be a bit more delicate with them. that's it. just grab onto them right there. no, not there! that's a bit of a…sensitive area. there we go. all right, let's move.

Varakiel: (whoever you are, thank you…)

…..

Varakiel:....ugh.

Alice: you're finally awake. I wouldn't sleep out there again if I were you. you're likely to catch a cold.

Varakiel: haha, that's impossible, i am immune to getting sick!....where i am?

Alice: you're in the frozen world of the queen of hearts.

Varakiel: Which queen? the white one or the red one?

Alice: the red one of course!

???: Alice, start making preparations.

Alice: my queen?

???: they've discovered this place, too. We have to move quickly.

Alice: yes, ma'am!

???: you. Tell me your name and who sent you.

Varakiel: i am varakiel…i'm a commander.

???: Just as I expected. from now on, you are to serve me.

Varakiel: Of course.

???: good it seems you know who's on top of the totem pole. so it's settled, then. you shall be my servant.

Alice: oh, happy day! Congratulations, my queen!

???: We've already talked for too long. Let's get a move on.

…..

???: I'm sure you have many burning questions. allow me to explain. We are unlimited. We are on a quest to defeat the evil queen of hearts.

Varakiel: a rapture?

Alice: yes, this place was originally full of grass and trees, but then the queen of hearts brought about a snowstorm. and threw the entire land into turmoil. We are looking for companions. willing to help us bring down the queen of hearts and create a wonderful new world!

Varakiel: That sounds amazing.

Alice: But who are you? What brings you to such a place?

Varakiel: I'm here to defeat the queen of hearts.

???:...phew.

Alice:!! you…my queen! at long last. we've found one. another companion for our quest!

???: calm yourself, alice. I'm the one who brought them here.

Alice: You did?

???: yes. The time where we finally reclaim this land from the queen of hearts's evil clutches is nigh.

Alice: Neato!

???: But I must ask, why did you come here alone?

Varakiel: I was separated from my companions during an avalanche.

Alice: You came with others!?

???: Of course! I wouldn't send for just one person to go up against a foe as formidable as the queen of hearts.

Alice: You truly are wise, my queen!

???: but these snowstorms are really throwing a wrench in the works. the people who came with you, are they human like you? if they are, then i'm afraid there's nothing we can do for them at this point.

Varakiel: even if they were humans i wouldn't allow such fate upon them, but no they're not.

???: oh? such a chivalrous spirit of yours, wonderful, they may be still be alive then. very well. alice! we're going to search for the servant's teammates.

Alice: yes! my queen!

???: the snowstorm seems to have subsided, so we should have no problem finding our bearings. let's go.

…..

alice: Hey, your eyes are different from each other. pretty cool!

Ludmilla: They are indeed different. good observation alice.

Varakiel: These are legendary weapons.

Ludmilla: You don't say?

Alice: You can use that to take down the queen of hearts!

Ludmilla: But of course, do you think I would recruit any ordinary person?

Alice:...my queen, could they be the rabbity?

Ludmilla: What makes you think that?

Alice: I don't know, I just feel it. I mean, what are the chances of us crossing paths with a human who just happens to possess two legendary weapons?

Ludmilla: Well, why don't you just ask them then?

Alice:um, excuse me….are you…the rabbity? the rabbity who is destined to help us topple the queen of hearts and take us to the world of elysium?

Varakiel: why? yes, after all i not only brought just one legendary weapon but two, the queen of hearts has no chance.

Alice:!! finally! I've been waiting for so long! Together we'll go to elysium!

Varakiel: Next stop, elysium!

Alice: yes!

Ludmilla: There's a bunker up ahead. you must be tired. you can rest there for a while.

Alice: How are you feeling. rabbity?

Ludmilla: They have just come here from another world. I'm sure they are exhausted. they need to rest

Lily: (*giggle* she's not wrong.)

Varakiel: Hehe, you're not wrong there.

Alice: you're so considerate of others, my queen.

Ludmilla: And don't you forget it! All right, let's walk for a little longer then. This place is teeming with raptures, some of whom are lords. stay frosty.

Varakiel: Well it's already frosty here.

Alice: *giggle* the rabbity is funny too.

...

then varakiel, alice and ludmilla enter a bunker.

Ludmilla: nice digs. better than i expected. you should be able to rest here. Alice, I have something I want to discuss with my servant. Could you excuse us for a moment? 

Alice: no problem, i'll see if there are any of the queen of hearts' underlings nearby.

Ludmilla: Thank you.

Alice runs out.

Ludmilla:....

Varakiel: I hope she doesn't get in a lot of trouble.

Ludmilla: nothing she can't manage she is a strong child. allow me to reintroduce myself. I'm ludmilla. My squad goes by the name unlimited. The girl with me is alice. we're responsible for rescuing nikkes who are lost on the surface and sending them back to the ark. you could say we're sort of like pathfinders. if you ever find yourself lost on the surface, go north. I'm sure you've heard about that old chestnut. well, that's because north is where you'll find unlimited. However, this is the first time we've saved a human. Anyway, where are you heading?

Varakiel: me and my squad are going to a nearby research base.

Ludmilla: hm….i don't know what your goal is, but that place is a no-go. That research base now belongs to the raptures. That's why we've been reduced to becoming wandering nomads.

Varakiel: has it been occupied by raptures?

Ludmilla: no, something different. they've…changed it. it's been changed into something else entirely.

Varakiel. I see, but we still have to go there.

Ludmilla: why?

Varakiel: I am on a mission to find the pilgrims.

Ludmilla: That doesn't sound like any ordinary mission a commander would be overseeing. Why are you looking for the pilgrims?

Varakiel: One of them, Snow white was hunting a rapture called chatterbox. This rapture has been manipulating Enikk to let nikkes get corrupted and destroy us from the inside.

Ludmilla:...that sounds horrible, so the future of the ark depends on your quest…

Varakiel: it also is to avenge a friend of mine who was involved in this conspiracy.

Ludmilla: Was this friend a nikke?

Varakiel: yes.

Ludmilla: So you consider nikkes to be your friends? the relationship between a commander and their nikkes couldn't be any clearer. master and slave. Tell me, do you refer to them as your friends just so you can get more use out of them? Or are you so arrogant that you actually believe they're honored that you address them in such a way?

Varakiel: none of them, to hell with the ark and their view of nikkes, they can rot in hell for that, if it wasn't for the nikkes i would have abandoned the ark a long time ago. i see nikkes as my friends, my family, my equals, between humans and nikkes there's only one difference, their strength.

Ludmilla:....seems that you're very serious about this. you don't even care if i were to report this, you really care about nikkes, i can see that…..all the information on the pilgrims is inside the research base. if you can manage to reunite with your teammates and recapture the research base, you'll find all the answers inside there. I want to know, just how strong are your teammates?

Varakiel: Together we are unstoppable.

Ludmilla: great answer!...there's one more thing. alice…

Varakiel: We will fight alongside you two. we'll defeat the queen of hearts together.

Ludmilla:...haha, if we were in a movie right now, you'd make for one hell of a hero! alice! Let's go!

Alice: huh…wh-what? oh, yes, ma'am!

Ludmilla: I guess I woke her up.

...