"...So Billy and Anby fell into a Hollow. I have to get them out! And I need to get back what I've been commissioned to deliver! It's an emergency, and you're the only one who can help!"
Belle and Wise looked at each other, not even a tiny bit surprised at Nicole once again asking for their help.
"Why don't you make a rescue application with the Hollow Investigative Association?" Said Belle. After all, the Proxies are not the only ones who can help people who are trapped inside a Hollow.
'"I... don't want to make us a target for the Association right now. If they found we'd been involved in Hollow raiding, we'd be in big trouble." Replied Nicole before adding, "And it'd take a small fortune to pay those greedy vultures off! But I can't just abandon my squad, right?"
The Phaeton siblings only looked at her with a deadpan stare. "Leaving employees behind... That does sound a lot like Nicole's style." Said Wise.
Nicole tried to refute him by saying that she had allocated a large portion of her revenue to something she called the 'employee rescue budget'.
After a little more back and forth, the Phaethon siblings finally took Nicole's commission after she agreed to pay her entire bills in one go plus some interest after taking her crew out of the Hollow and retrieving her client's stuff.
After Nicole leaves the video store with Eous to head to the Hollow, Wise and Belle have a little discussion with each other.
"Hey, Belle." Wise started while also checking the HDD to make sure everything was in order. "Do you think we are going to catch sight of that strange Ethereal that has been blowing up in the media lately?"
Belle thinks for a moment, "Oh yeah, the one they called Fallen Angel right?"
Wise nods at her. "Yup, the very same one... Do you think the rumours are true? That if you shout "help me!", the Ethereal will come to your rescue?"
"Hmm... It's hard to say. On one hand, the thought of an Ethereal rescuing people is unbelievable based on what we know of their nature. On the other hand, the fact that there are so many witnesses makes it hard to disprove the sighting." Belle answered.
"I agree. Well, let's put that thought to the side, for now, we have a commission to complete.
The two then waited until Nicole reached the edge of the Hollow. When she does Nicole, Wise communicates with her to put Eous through.
"Okay! Right, little one, off you go then." Giving the little Bangboo a pet on the head, Nicole watches as Eous heads off.
With that Belle activated the H.D.D System, allowing her to synchronize with Eous. Pulling out a smoke bomb, Eous slowly enters the Hollow.
.....
Meanwhile, inside the Hollow, Anby and Billy are still wandering around aimlessly while being chased by a few Ethereals.
"Damn, another fight?! At the rate my ammo's depleting, I can say goodbye to my efficiency bonus..." Complained Billy.
Anby meanwhile is ready to fight some more with the blade in her hand. "Incoming, get ready."
Just before the fighting happened, three smoke bombs rolled underneath them before exploding, releasing a cloud of smoke.
Anby looked at Billy weirdly with him trying to defend himself before their attention was grabbed by a Bangboo. Anby and Billy quickly went over to it before shouting in relief the name of their rescuer. Phaethon.
The group decided to rest a bit while Phaethon did some debugging.
They had a bit of a lighthearted chatter with one another with Billy even asking Phaethon why they didn't join the Association despite having some impressive tools.
Before Phaethon could answer, a loud roar interrupted their conversation.
"That sounds like an Ethereal." Stated Anby.
Billy only groaned in frustration at having just sat down to rest.
With some more friendly banter, the group decided that it was time to head out with Phaethon leading the way.
Yet, as they made their way, Phaethon suddenly stopped them in their track, confusing Anby and Billy.
"What's wrong, Manager? More Ethereal ahead? Don't worry, Anby and I will protect you!" Billy assured Phaethon while doing a cool-looking pose with his guns which brought a chuckle out of Phaethon.
Phaethon only shook her head. "No, it's not that, it's just... I have a feeling like we're being watched by someone."
"I see... So it was not just me who sensed it." Anby said. Phaethon looked at her, urging her to collaborate further. "Ever since we escaped from that superior Ethereal, I had a strange feeling that we were being stalked by something and yet, whenever I try to investigate it, I find nothing."
Billy put his finger on his chin after hearing Anby. "Now that I think about it, I also felt something watching me from time to time. Do you have any idea manager?"
Phaethon only shrugged her shoulder in response. "Well, let's just get out of here for now. We can ponder when we're out of this Hollow."
With that, the group continued on their journey to the exit, unaware of a pair of eyes watching them from a distance.
.....
As they made their way to the exit, making sure to collect Carrot Data and some loot they could find, they encountered a Metro Goblin blocking their path, with a bit of struggle they managed to defeat it along with a few other smaller Ethereals.
Yet, there were a few oddities during the fight that one person in the group decided to speak up on.
"Anby, Billy, do you feel like there is something weird going on during that fight." Asked Phaethon.
"Now that you mention it... I did notice that the Metro Goblin we fought earlier seemed a bit weaker than the ones we usually encounter. What about you Anby?"
"Billy's, not only is the Ethereal weaker, but I also noticed that its body was already damaged which I estimate is rather recent."
That definitely got the group thinking. The fact that the Metro Goblin is damaged rather recently should have been impossible given that there are no other people in the vicinity but coupled with the strange feeling of being watched...
"Manager, do you think it was the work of Fallen Angel?" Anby asked.
Billy questions her. "Anby, do you mean the Ethereal that a lot of people say has helped the victim of a Hollow? The same one that has been blowing up everywhere in the media and online ever since its rumoured existence a few months ago?" Anby nodded in confirmation at Billy's question.
"Yes. According to the HIA, there have been a lot of cases of Ethereals showing signs of damage before any of their investigators entered a Hollow in response to a Hollow disaster. It has sparked discussion whether this phenomenon has anything to do with Fallen Angel." Explained Anby to the rest of the group.
Phaethon only shook her head in response, not sure. "Well, whatever it was, it helped us at least. Anyways, we're at the exit now. Full speed ahead!"
"Understood! Full speed ahead! Wait... Ahead? But that's a wall in front of us! Smash it? You wanna smash through it? I don't have that kind of firepower right now..." Exclaimed Billy, looking rather confused at Phaethon's direction.
"Don't worry. Just do what my sister says." A male voice interrupted Billy's speech.
"That voice... Oh! It's the other Phaethon!" Exclaimed Billy.
"You're finally online. Took your time..."
With some assurance from the Phaethon siblings and some rather lacklustre explanation on the nature of a Hollow's exit from Anby, Belle eventually desynced from Eous, making it a regular Bangboo once more.
With no other way out, both Billy and Anby ran towards the supposed exit, with Billy screaming the whole way before finally being muffled by them exiting the Hollow.
Yet, if they had stuck a bit longer, they would have noticed something or rather someone behind where they had just been.
.....
"The oppressive weight of Ether is gone." Anby calmly stated after confirming that they indeed had made it out of the Hollow.
Billy meanwhile, after checking his mechanical body, is ecstatic, letting out a shout of relief. "We're out... We're finally out! Aha!"
Beep. Beep.
The sound of a car beeping its horn caught the attention of the two as they looked to see a car with a very familiar pink-haired girl driving it.
"Phaethon got the time and location spot on... Hey, you two! Get in the car!"
Billy cried out a tear of joy. "Boss!"
With that, they made their way to Random Play where the siblings were waiting for them.
.....
When the siblings get out to their parking lot, Nicole and the rest of the Cunning Hares have already arrived to greet them. "You're here! Perfect timing!"
"That was fast Nicole, did you run a red light again?" Accused Belle. It wouldn't be the first time Nicole ran a red light and she had a feeling it wouldn't be the last.
"No. We just passed a normal green light, R255 in the RGB scale. Oh right, I made sure I wasn't followed the whole way," Nicole assured.
Billy quietly asked what R255 green light looked like which Anby simply answered with, "The same colour as your jacket."
"Nicole, they've both been extracted. I guess it's time to pay up." Said Wise.
Nicole stopped them when she revealed that her client's item hadn't yet been retrieved.
"Don't worry Nicole, we remember. It's just a joke." Said Belle.
Anby then begins to explain the rough location of the strongbox which is located in the territory of a highly dangerous Ethereal which the White Star Institute has registered as Dullahan, a superior Ethereal.
Billy verified Anby's claim. "That's the one! That Red Fang dude was unlucky. His Ether corruption must've been pretty intense, considering he's become such a dangerous Ethereal. Anby and I tried to grab the strongbox, but that guy was so tough! We didn't get the chance before we got extracted." Billy let out a sigh of frustration. "What exactly is in that box? Is it worth all this effort?"
Nicole answered Billy by showing a weird-looking necklace that she managed to snatch from Silver of the Red Fang Gang which the sibling quickly recognised as a mini storage device that has suffered some damage.
She asked the sibling if they could help her export the data for which Wise agreed to use the HDD.
"Great! It's a deal, then! We'll try to locate the strongbox in the Hollow. We'll come find you when we learn something new! Let's just go our separate ways until then. Don't forget to extract the data from the flash drive though!" Reminded Nicole.
Billy and Anby followed suit and said goodbye. Before they officially depart, Nicole begs Belle to open up an alternate Inter-Knot account so they can get a discount which Belle reluctantly agrees.
"Oh and before you go... There is something I want to ask you."
"What is it?"
"Well... On our way back, Billy and Anby mentioned feeling weird in the Hollow. Something about it being connected with Fallen Angel..."
"Oh? You know about that too Nicole?" Said Wise.
"Duh, of course. It's pretty hard when it's the only thing the media has been talking about. Anyways, do you think it's true?"
"To be honest, we are not sure ourselves. The only confirmed sighting of it was a blurry picture of a wing and that's about it. Plus, the idea of an Ethereal actively helping to protect people is..." Belle trailed off, frowning.
"Unthinkable. Isn't it" Billy expressed.
Belle nods at Billy. "Exactly. Every known interaction between Ethereals and humans has always been hostile with no exception. Why the sudden interest?"
Anby decided to answer before Nicole could utter a word. "Nicole is probably trying to claim a bounty posted by the HIA for anyone with solid leads regarding Fallen Angel."
"Anby, don't just blurt out what I am planning to do." Nicole clapped her hands together. "Well, whatever. Not like we're going to find it or anything. What's important now is paying these two" She sighed dramatically.
Wise smirked. "Oh, don't worry. We'll make sure you pay every dennies."
Belle nodded in agreement. "With interest."
Nicole groaned, clutching her chest. "You two are heartless. Anyways, see you both later."
The two siblings watched as the Cunning Hares made their exit out of the parking lot before deciding to call and head back into the store.
.....
When the two reached their storeroom, Wise decided to voice his frustration. "Ughh... I just can't with them. Every time a regular asks for a discount, we have to open an alternate account to bill them, but you must be used to it by now."
"We deleted the last alternate account after we were done with it. You can use my info to create a new account again." Wise instructed.
"Alright." As Belle is making a new alternate account, she had a hard time choosing a name for it even though it's just a temporary account.
In the end, she chose to name it Heliades.