-The Backrooms-
Three women walked together down a hall of the realm of The Backrooms that was referred to as 'The Waiting Rooms'. Here on the border of the Waiting Room and the nearby Classrooms was a hazy in-between area that resembled a school library. Books lined the walls, assembled on shelves that stretched up to near the ceiling. Various statues and other pieces of decor sat at the very top of the shelves, wooden figurines and stuffed toys looming over the trio like hunching gargoyles.
"Fascinating place you've got here." said Binah, looking around with appreciation. "You've certainly got some impressive discoveries under your belt already, Loremaster."
"Thank you, Binah!" Loremaster replied with a cheeky smile. "For the last year and a half, almost, studying this place has been my number one goal! It's a bit sad to de-prioritize it, but with its' main mysteries conquered, it's prudent I join you in Titan research. That seems rather more urgent. Now, to my honored guest..." Loremaster glanced over at the third woman in the party. "Allow me to introduce my latest breakthrough here in The Backrooms. Are you familiar with 'lost media', miss?"
"Yeah!" came the enthusiastic reply. "I help searches sometimes. In fact, just last month I managed to dig up a critical lead that helped people find the promo bumpers for the 1996 Kids Blast The Ballot Box awards show hosted by Stereoscope!"
"...Excellent!" Loremaster said, nodding as if she understood what any of that meant. "Anyway. I found out about lost media not too long ago, and I realized it could be entwined with The Backrooms. As I've shared already, I have a growing body of evidence that indicates that The Backrooms are formed and influenced by the memories of people on Earth. The places and things that appear here seem to be connected to half-remembered memories of the past. Which means, this could be a hotbed for lost media! If people remember something but it isn't easily accessible today, it could well be found here!" Coming to another room, Loremaster spread her arms and let her two guests soak in the sight of a personal study, shelves packed with books, discs, and cassette tapes (both audio and video), and a large desk with a computer acting as the centerpiece of it all. "Here, I have collected a large number of interesting-looking Backrooms books and media. I don't have the time to look through it all, unfortunately, but if you'd care to join us at Monarch, miss, I would be happy to give you access to this collection. Perhaps you'll find some new lost media!"
"WOW!" the girl exclaimed, pumping her fists excitedly. "This is the chance of a lifetime! And you're saying all I gotta do to get to use this study is to help you with Monarch? It's a deal!"
Truth be told, she probably would have helped even without this extra incentive, but she certainly appreciated it. After all...
Now she had twice the opportunities to expose the esoteric!
-Piper's Weapons Depot-
Piper always felt most at home surrounded by metal and machinery. Steel grates, fiery forges, rotating conveyors. Whalestrand had been nice, but it hadn't quite scratched that itch for her. Argo, though... this was the place for her.
She had claimed a spot near The Crown Jewel to set up shop, and things were already proceeding well. Once an empty little cave lacking much besides a dropoff point for The Tubes to easily transport her machinery, this lot was now a bustling weapons forge and miniature factory, where Piper crafted her weapons, gear, and robots to arm the Kobbers and other denizens of Argo with the tools they needed to be successful, both in mining and in combat. There was one more thing Piper wanted to do, though. She wanted to do some mining of her own, go hunting for materials, and see if she could make cool new gear using Argo's own natural resources. All she needed was a mining mech that was good enough for the job, and so she'd been working on a big new project. This new machine was the successor to La Machine Maximus. As much as Piper loved the old girl, it was ill-equipped for battling in subterranean tunnels or digging for treasure, so it was largely retired. The new mech would be specially crafted for Argo, and ideal for navigating its' unusual biomes... not to mention it would also come in handy for-
"Ello, neighbor! Crikey, get a load of that thing! Whatcha makin?"
Piper turned, lifting her welding mask to stare at the unfamiliar arrival.
"Huh. So, uh, what do you sell, miss... er, didn't catch a name. I'm Piper, for the record."
"The name's Venus!" said the red-hooded girl, reaching into the picnic basket she was carrying and pulling out a string of firecrackers. She popped a hip provocatively and held up the firecrackers, winking at Piper. "I sell explosives!"
Piper blinked in surprise. "O-oh."
"Explosives are big business in Argo, ya know. Whether it's for mining work, or driving off dangerous local wildlife, or just putting on a fireworks show, you can't go wrong with explosives around here!"
"I think there are many ways one could go wrong with explosives, Venus."
"If you're LAME, maybe." Venus pulled out a match and struck it by running it along her hip, smirking and lighting the fuse on the firecrackers. "But I'm no lame-o. I'm a professional! Don't try this at home!" She kissed the fireworks, then tossed them into the air. They went off in a series of crackling pops, making Piper recoil and Venus titter with amusement.
"Hey, watch what you're doing!"
"I watch plenty, Piper! Relax, those are just my basic model of crackers. They're practically kids' toys. A fun trick noisemaker, and not much else. You couldn't do damage with them if you tried. Now, if you want something substantial..." Venus rummages in her basket and pulls out a much more imposing-looking string of firecrackers. "This here's the Venus Special. A hundred of the little ones combined into one big daddy. Now that's a bang worthy of the Venus name!" She swiveled her hips to pop the opposite side, pulling out a match-
"Can we not?!" Piper interjected, holding up her hands.
"Ahaha. Not ready for all this, are you? Very well." Venus put the match and the Venus Special away. "Sooo... you're really not gonna tell your new neighbor what you're up to with that cool robot thing? It's a beauty!"
"Thanks, but... yeah, it's not ready for prime time yet. I want it to be in proper working order before I show it off. Long story short, though, this is my new personal mech for Argo. I'm going to use it to work in the mines and gather materials for my shop."
"Noice." Venus grinned. "Can it shoot explosives?"
"No, it can't shoot explosives."
"Do you want it to?"
"Not really!"
"Good!" Venus nodded. "Don't go hornin' in on my turf!"
Piper rolled her eyes.
Another new Kobber haunt meant another new base of operations for Hoshii Holdings. Like Agama and Whalestrand before it, Argo was now host to Stella Hoshii and her crew. Stella had bought a large empty office building and had it renovated and brought up to scratch, ready to host a portion of her company for the next two years.
Leaning back in her big fancy office chair and biting into a donut, Stella surveyed her little kingdom, looking out the window of her office and admiring the view below. She was located in the big central cavern of Argo, where a lot of the other biggest buildings in the city were. She looked down at all the people going about their days, sighing happily. Another region to set down roots and make more money. With the help of the Kobbers, Hoshii Holdings just kept growing, and before long-
"So, the legends are true. The ultimate corporate fat cat has come to MY turf."
Stella froze. Her human eye swiveled toward the sound of the voice, and she recoiled in shock when she saw who had just come into her office.
"My, my... You really are growing too big for your britches, Stella." said the yellow-tinted catgirl. Next to her, the other girl with the red hair stood quietly at attention, her lobster-like tail swaying gently from side to side.
Stella grimaced, getting up from her desk and leaning on it. "Ankha. Who gave you permission to waltz in here?"
"Oh, I told your secretary I had some important matters to discuss with you. She bought it. Not that I was lying." Ankha strode around the office, the picture of confidence, while her associate remained by the door with her arms folded behind her back. "Looking to expand your little empire again? You're starting to attract attention, you know."
"I'm aware." Stella said tersely. As her fortunes continued to rise, so too did the scrutiny. Stella knew that all too well. With how wealthy and successful she had become now, going from a high-ranking Olympia tycoon to one of the richest people on Earth, Stella had known that she was eventually going to get a target on her back. And who better than Ankha, a fellow cat boomer who had made a fortune in Egypt and also staked out territory here in Ulimaroa?
"I have no intention of just letting you roll up Argo into your portfolio." Ankha continued, pulling out a folding fan and whipping it open with a flick of her wrist, then starting to fan herself. "I was here first, and I don't intend on giving up my investments just because you and your Kobber friends dropped by."
Stella crossed her arms and huffed, her cheeks puffing out. "I have no intention of taking over Argo. I simply plan to do business here."
"Yes, well, good luck with that." Ankha said. "If there's any justice, your 'plan' will end with you run out of town."
"You'd better not be scheming anything illegal, Ankha." Stella warned. "If you're not on the level, my friends and I WILL find out."
"Yes, yes, the Kobbers." Ankha waved a hand dismissively. "Believe me, I have no interest in crossing them. I know perfectly well what happens to people they don't like. I will hold onto my position without need for any foolhardy crimes. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have business to attend to that isn't stuffing my face with donuts." Stella blushed and looked away from her half-empty box of donuts while Ankha walked over to her associate, handing her the fan.
"Lobco, I tire of fanning myself."
"Of course, Boss."
The two departed, Lobco fanning Ankha all the while. After they left, Stella growled, her cat ears flattened against her head. "Ankha, as posturing as ever. She thinks she can keep me out of Argo? She's got another thing coming." Stella grumbled to herself, angrily grabbing another donut and taking a big bite.
-Argo Grocery-
Ah, Argo Grocery. Called "Argrocery" by certain cheeky people who think they're so clever. This was the most popular grocery store in the city, located in the main hub of Argo. It was constantly busy, with both suppliers and shoppers coming and going from dawn to dusk. Shipments from Erinvale sent here by train and truck were common sights.
Annalynn exited the sliding doors of the store, tote bags in either arm filled with purchases. She started towards her home to put her groceries away, only to hear a familiar voice she wished she hadn't.
"Heyyyy, Annalynn..."
Annalynn sighed and put on a smile, looking over and nodding politely at the woman walking up to her.
"Hi, Urumi."
Urumi Ushizaki. A strange cowlike woman who lived in Erenvale and worked as a fisherwoman, sending all manner of tasty fish to Argo Grocery for sale. Like a lot of things, seafood had to be imported to Argo from Erenvale since there was precious little water in the badlands. Around Erenvale, though, there were some lakes and rivers and most importantly the ocean.
Urumi was a calm, soft-spoken woman who took life one plodding step at a time. Annalynn figured it made her perfect for a career in fishing. Unfortunately for Annalynn, though, Urumi had gotten it into her head that Annalynn was a close pal just because they tended to run into each other a lot, and she was always trying to encourage the girl to take up fishing, much to Annalynn's dismay.
"It was a good haul today." Urumi said, her voice sounding so relaxed she might just fall asleep standing up any second. "Did you buy any of my fish?"
"Ah, not this time..." Annalynn said. She didn't particularly care for seafood. It reminded her too much of her family business...
Wait.
Annalynn suddenly took much more of an interest in Urumi, staring at the objects swaddled in a red cloth that she carried in the crook of her elbow. Before she'd seem Urumi lug around some kind of weird statue, but now she had...
Urumi chuckled, noticing Annalynn's shocked stare. "Oh, you like them?" She reached for the objects and pulled them out of the cloth, showing them off to the smaller girl. Not one, but two Jiggies. "I fished them up the other day. It feels like I've had extra good luck ever since!"
Annalynn made grabby hands unconsciously. "Say, you wouldn't mind... maybe, uh... parting with them, would you?"
"Ooh, I dunno... I like them a lot. They're so shiny, and it feels nice to hold them... Maybe if you go fishing with me, I'll let you have one."
Dammit. Of course.
"S-sounds... good... I'll think about it!"
"Take your time. I know you're really busy, Annalynn."
"Eheh, yeah, always something new to find underground!"
"Cherish that energy." Urumi said, suddenly taking on a more wistful expression. "Someday you'll wish you could go go go like that again, but all you'll want to do is sit and rest... Anyway, nice talking to you!"
Urumi ambled away, Annalynn silently watching her leave. She made a face like she'd just licked a giant lemon. Well, she might have to take up fishing after all... but maybe she can figure something else out to get those Jiggies. After all, not many people knew about Jiggies at all yet. She had time to think on this.
Right?
***
Nearby, four trash cans sat in an alley. The lids of the cans rose up a few inches, sneaky eyes peering out of the cans at Annalynn and Urumi.
"Handy, you seeing this?" came a gruff voice from one can.
"You bet, Randy. How 'bout you, Candy? You picking up what's being laid down?" said the voice from a second can.
"Oh, you bet, boys." said the voice from the third can, this one female. "Looks to me like that blasted Annalynn is falling ass-backwards into treasure again!"
"Yeah! It's ridiculous! That little shrimp was born lucky!" growled Randy.
"Worry not, friends!" said Handy. "This time, we're gonna get the jump on that Annalynn and snag the goodies before she can get her grubby mitts on them!"
"Zzzzzzzzz..."
Randy, Handy, and Candy turned to glare at the fourth trash can. The lid popped off of Randy's can, revealing a squat red snake. He slammed his tail onto the fourth can, jostling it and making a green snake pop out of it. From the other two cans, a blue and a purple snake emerged.
Randy bared his fangs at his fellow snake. "Get with the program, Mike! We've got a treasure to snatch!"
"Nngh... Sorry, it was comfy in there..."
"You can sleep later!" said Randy. "Right now, we have plans to make! Plans to swipe that treasure from that big dumb cow before Annalynn can nab it!"
The four snakes slithered off into the depths of Argo, to plan and scheme.
"We need to look into this."
"A bunch of snakes think they deserve treasure? Don't make me laugh! HA! Oh, too late!"
"That treasure is ours, and no 2-bit snakes or some pipsqueak girl is going to keep us from it! Find out more about that treasure the cow has, pronto!"
"You got it, boss! They'll all rule the day they crossed the..."
"SHADOW WIZARD MONEY GANG!"
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