Idol Gunner [Yuri Villainess LitRPG]

-WARNING-

The following track is classified as a Category S Danger by the Coalition

Danger Type - Propaganda

_________________

Netsolnia’s nights were not peaceful. Manta Nak had once made the mistake of thinking that it was safe to go out after the darkness took over, and the result had been disastrous. At least for a seven-year-old. She had been bitten by a strange creature that lived in the deserts around Region Y, and subjected to three weeks of an illness that took every penny their family had to cure.

Ever since then, Manta had made a conscious decision not to stay out in the desert at night for too long. Whenever she had been sent on missions with other people, she was perhaps the most overprepared of the bunch when it came to survival equipment. Multiple layers of clothing to protect her skin, knives on different parts of her body to catch any attackers, and even a small pin that she poked her finger with – just to stay slightly awake.

And so, she was not having a good time right now.

Angel and Neon had been quick to drift off to sleep. Cuddling, the two had decided to use each other’s bodies to keep themselves warm in the cold of the night. Angel had been kind enough to invite Manta to the mix, but that felt a bit too uncomfortable to agree to. On top of that, even if she had gone to them, she would not have been able to sleep.

It was almost childish that she still let that one bad experience dictate her life. Yet, it wasn’t something she could get rid of. Manta had tried many times and failed. The fear of sleeping in this place without any cover around her body was far too high. She would just have to accept that she would not get any rest until they made it out of the desert. That would take about a month of walking.

It was easy to forget just how massive this world truly was because of the advancements they had made. The upper regions regularly used beasts to travel, which helped them move at unfathomable speeds. An envoy would take perhaps a week to come from Region A to Region Y. But if you walked, the same distance would take many months to cover.

Sitting beside her two sleeping friends, Manta watched their hair sway in the soft breeze. It calmed her down. Was it truly the hair, she questioned, or was it just seeing them be together? She could not make up her mind. To accept the former would be too weird. The latter…too sad.

Not because she did not want them to be together, but because she herself…

Child.

Manta felt someone pull her backwards. A sudden, invisible force dragged her down, and her back hit the sand below. She opened her mouth to scream, alert the others, but the force did not stop there. It dragged her further and further, until her body pushed through the sand and was completely swallowed.

Her senses were overwhelmed the first moment, and then washed with a wave of serenity the next. As the darkness consumed her, she realized that she had been here before, and felt at peace.

In front of her was the Goddess in all her twelve-armed glory. Aalarma. Her one true master, and the one she owed a life-debt to.

“Aalarma, Goddess.” Manta knelt down and kept her head there.

“Rise, child.” The benevolent entity ordered. “Do not assume that you are beneath me anymore. Netsolnia faces foes who defy comprehension. They make decisions that seem utterly inconceivable to reason. Do not mistake yourself as a messenger anymore, Manta Nak. We must work together to save your people.”

“I…” She raised her head, but did not know how to verbalize what she was feeling. She hadn’t felt it in a long time, after all. They were to work together, the Goddess had said. Not just anyone, but the Goddess Aalarma. “I am…honored. I do not deserve it, Goddess, but I shall accept whatever you provide.”

“The situation gets more dire with every passing hour, child. It was not my wish to see it get more complicated. But those who would think about themselves before thinking about their people keep making decisions that shall doom us all.” Aalarma explained. “Those in power have made another terrible choice that might further plunge Netsolnia into the pits of doom.”

“Another?” Her eyes lit up. Manta could not explain the sudden surge of adrenaline in her body, and neither did she want to. How could she justify a burst of energy at hearing something like this? So, she held herself rigid and asked with purpose. “What have they done, Goddess? I shall correct it as soon as I reach them.”

“I’m afraid it will be too late by then. Still, we must not stop or falter. Even if it takes three more months, we will bide our time and strike when we can. But listen first. Listen to what your leaders have done.”

“Yes, Goddess?”

“They nurture an off-worlder. Two off-worlders, child. They have taken them in. They give them asylum, and merge them with our blood using their terrible tools of progress. Two of those monsters now permanently breathe the same air as your ancestors, and they do it as free beings. That is the world your leaders are creating, Manta Nak.”

Manta hissed in response. Her fists curled and tightened, her nails digging into her palm as her face creased. How could they do something like that? She felt sick to even call them her leaders. They were nothing more than morons who did not know any better. They saw potential for more power, and took it.

“I believe…” She questioned if she should use such language in front of the Goddess, but then relented to her instincts. “I believe those pigs think they can control the off-worlders, Goddess. They must be under the delusion that they are the ones in charge, and that they can take advantage of the weapons in their hands. But that can never be the case.”

“It cannot, child. You are right.” Aalarma hummed. “The off-worlders do not answer to any higher power. They do not even answer to each other, Manta Nak. I have attempted to communicate with them, and found them to be wholly illiterate. They know nothing of courtesy, or kindness, or love for the other. They are a plague upon existence itself, child. And now…they stand on Netsolnian soil!”

“Unacceptable!” Manta snapped. “I’ll take care of them, Goddess. I will go there and find out what is happening. That shall be my mission, and I shall answer back to you when it is done. They will…I will not allow them to destroy my people. I will protect Netsolnia, Goddess. I will protect your precious lands.”

“I know, child. I have always known. But now, I am free to rest. You have proven yourself capable of leading this world, and that brings peace to my heart. I made the right choice by giving you my powers, Manta Nak.”

“I…” Manta gulped. “I could never accept such kind words, Goddess.”

“Alas, I thought you would accept whatever I provided?”

“That-!” She tried to save face, but was compelled to stop as she noticed.

The Goddess was quiet, but Manta could make out a smile on her featureless face. She somehow knew that Aalarma, of all beings, had been trying to pull her leg. Not wanting to make the Goddess look bad, then, Manta gave her a little chuckle in return. Apologizing to her for refusing the kindness, she moved back and bowed back down.

“I will not let you down, Goddess. I promise you that.”

“I know, child. I know you will not.”

The Goddess vanished, and the darkness swallowed Manta whole once more.

_____________

“I thought someone wasn’t a huge fan of sleeping in the desert.”

Neon crouched down beside her, blocking out the bright light of the morning star. Angel sighed beside him, arms crossed, while he himself grinned like an idiot. What else could she have expected from him? Telling Neon a weakness like that had been a mistake on her part.

She grunted and pushed him away before standing up.

Manta could not believe that she had actually fallen asleep here. It must have been the Goddess’ doing. She appreciated it, of course, but it did not change the fact that it was dangerous. If one of them got bitten, there would be hell to pay. No doctors or medical facilities in sight anywhere meant death was certain.

“And I still don’t.” She yawned and looked up at the sky to get her bearings.

Once they had confirmed the direction they needed to move in, the three did not waste any time.

“The Elders in the upper regions have entered some form of truce with two of the off-worlders,” Manta explained to them as they walked. It was probably better for them if they knew everything. “For now, we can forget about them. We need to find out more about these two before making a move.”

“Wait. I’m sorry. Off-worlders?” Neon asked.

“Right. You weren’t there when…” Angel clicked her tongue. Her sour face showed that she did not like to remember that day. Seeing the envoy kill the Governor must have been tough for a girl like her. “Anyway, that’s true. Some sort of portal opened up somehow, and these aliens came through. They’ve already killed millions.”

“Millions?!”

“That’s the estimate.” Manta nodded. “I know, but there’s no time to cry about it. The Elders are using their position to keep themselves safe. They throw the weaker soldiers away as fodder while they make their plans. But now, they’re trying to form an alliance with those monsters. Who knows what’s on their mind?”

“You think they want to go to their world? Maybe they want to see where these off-worlders live.” Neon suggested.

He was right. Manta had not thought about it, but that was a potential answer. The aliens had advanced technology. More advanced than anything the Netsolnians had or knew about. If the Elders got their hands on these objects, then their rule would be absolute. They could do away with the region system and take control of all of Netsolnia.

“That’s certainly disturbing.” She had to say. “All the more reason to get there as fast as possible.”

“As fast as possible is still three months.” Angel reminded her.

“Three months is nothing. We just need to hope those two monsters are difficult to deal with. If they end up breaking up or causing trouble by the time we get there, it would be ideal.”

“We lose the chance to find out more about them, though.” Neon pointed out.

Manta shook her head. “That’s good. We don’t need to know about any of them. I don’t care to know about them. If they’re gone by the time we get there, it means the plans of the Elders did not work. That’s what matters. Protecting Netsolnia comes first, and that makes everyone in the upper regions an enemy.”

“Anyone in a high position…of course.” Angel made sure to correct her.

“Y-yeah. Obviously.”

Manta gritted her teeth and looked ahead. There was nothing but desert as far as her view stretched. One day, that desert would give way to the rocky plains of the upper regions. That would then give way to the boulders which housed the entrance to their underground cities.

One day, three months from now, they would reach the home of the people who had destroyed theirs. Manta could not wait for that day. She was going to take her revenge, chase these monsters back into their ugly world, and save Netsolnia from its threats. Then, perhaps, her life debt to Aalarma would be paid. Her destiny would finally be complete. Manta could not wait.