Pilgrim (chapter)

This article is about the story chapter. For the titular manufacturer, see Pilgrim.

## Chapter Information

### Soundtrack Album

White Snow

"**Pilgrim**" is the sixth Story chapter of *Goddess of Victory: Nikke*.

Finally reaching the research facility to gather information regarding to a Pilgrim known as "Snow White," the Counters squad have to part ways with Unlimited to continue their journey up north.

## Synopsis

With the research facility data in hand, Counters sets off to track down codename "Snow White". The protagonist manages to find her, along with his ever-so-familiar adversary, and an ominous black armor.

### Marvelous Dance

Upon entering the research facility, Ludmilla determines the security system is still up and running, so reaching the data they need won't be easy. However, they can gain entry with a pass. She was unable to grab one while they were running for their lives. After she cocks her gun, Neon offers to blow the door open for them. Given that it's made of a 40-centimeter thick iron alloy, no amount of firepower she can use will be enough to blast through it.

Fortunately, the Protagonist has a pass they can use, more specifically, the one given to him by Mustang. Remembering how the CEO activated it, he performs the same dance, to the embarrassment of his squad. Alice thought he was performing a victory dance for the goddess and joined him. Ludmilla also bogies with them after Alice's request with no issues.

After the trio finishes their dance, Ludmilla and Alice are impressed by his moves. The pass begins to glow so they can now move forward. Rapi appreciates the sacrifice he made to his dignity so they can progress.

### Codename Snow White

The data center of the base was left untouched. Ludmilla tells her Servant to check the nearby terminal and she'll tell them which directory the information about the Pilgrims is stored in. Anis was suspicious about the Queen of Snow since she was ordering them around, so she decided to show them how she got that name. After lightly touching the terminal, it fizzles out and deactivates. As it turns out, Ludmilla has the ability to break any machine she lays her hand on, forcing Alice to handle technology in most other cases. Ludmilla has no idea how or why she has these powers, but the only machines she can safely touch are those already destroyed.

The terminal needs a password to access it so Ludmilla shares it with them; WonderLand. After guiding them through the process and accidentally starting Digital Cop, a classic video game, they have to enter another password, SuperUltraNikke, to access it. Inside the file was a map covering the entire northern region as well as where any Pilgrims have been sighted. The queen has never met the Pilgrims, but has seen some from afar. This map also contains the dates when they were spotted. After analyzing them, Rapi deduces they are on some kind of patrol route, an assessment Ludmilla agrees with. Due to the regularity that they have been spotted, it seems they are bound to meet up soon. There is a chance they can bump into them. The one they are tracking has been given the Codename Snow White. Having the necessary info they need, Rapi suggests that they should rest for the time being. Since there is no ceiling here, Ludmilla will take them to somewhere safer.

### Cozy Rest

After entering the rest area, Servant asks Ludmilla why it seems like Unlimited has been tracking the Pilgrims for a while now. She has two reasons for doing so. The first she would rather not say and the second is that she feels like it's her duty to do so. Though she's vague on the details, she promises to share why that is once the two become closer. To keep him warm, Alice sits directly next to him and he starts to heat up. While it looks like she's wearing a heating suit, Alice is actually wearing a cooling suit. For some reason, Alice's natural body temperature is abnormally high so this suit helps her cool off. Being in her presence, the commander should be able to get some sleep. As his body starts to heat up, Rabbity slowly nods off. He's had a long day and is extremely tired. Through it all, Alice promises to stay by his side. Ludmilla wishes him a nice sleep.

After he wakes up the next day, the commander feels refreshed and active. The Counters continue their conversation about how Rapi can't contact the Ark for some reason. The Alva Particle concentration is too low to cause an interference. Ludmilla shares that this happens to her relatively frequently and figures something may be interfering with communications. There are stories of monsters buried under the ice that may be causing this disturbance, but they are only tales for now. Alice suddenly remembers that they need to check on the "sleeping princesses". Ludmilla wants them to handle that later, but Alice is very concerned since they haven't seen them in a while and may have woken up. Anis was curious about what she was talking about and though Ludmilla grew quiet, she agreed to go check on them.

### Sleeping Princesses

In a secret lab in the base, the sleeping princesses are still sound asleep inside capsules scattered around the room. Alice wanted to introduce her new friends to them and started by showing them Princess Blue Hair. The Counters were shocked at what they were looking at; a Nikke with the top of her skull missing. Alice continues by greeting them with Princess Yellow Eye, who's lower body was severed from her top half and is also missing part of her skull. Alice shares that they will awaken these slumbering beauties some day and they will go to Elysium together. Though they don't do much now, Alice shares milk and cookies with them from time to time. Mentioning that causes Ludmilla to ask Alice to fetch her some. She eagerly goes to fetch some with a smile on her face.

Rapi realizes the truth, the sleeping princesses are the Nikkes Unlimited have "rescued" on the surface. Though they appear deceased, they are still alive, somewhat. From all her time aiding Nikkes, a common pattern Ludmilla comes across are Nikke's with their brains removed. If their brain stops functioning, a Nikke will permanently die. For the best chance of survival, they intentionally remove their own brains and store them in safe places, hoping for a miracle. That being for someone else to find it and return them to a body. Doing so is Unlimited's top priority. The brains of the sleeping Nikkes are kept safe and sound and it's thanks to them that dozens of Nikkes have been revived. There have been a few sad cases among the bunch. Though their brains can inhabit a new body, mental breakdowns and amnesia have occurred as well, but they all survived in the end, an outcome Ludmilla is happy with. Neon can tell how much she's been through, but the Queen doesn't regret a single second of it. She had no intentions of showing them any of this, but at least they have an idea about the worst-case scenario. She apologizes to the Counters for showing them such a horrific sight, but all it did was make them respect Unlimited more.

While she appreciates their kind words, she has something else to share with them. As of the past few years, finding lost Nikkes is becoming more and more difficult. Ludmilla doesn't know why that is, but she is aware the survival rate inside the Ark hasn't changed. Alice interrupts their conversation to warn her Queen that they are out of milk, only for her to notice some staining her lips. She knew she was caught red-handed.

### In Pursuit of the Pilgrim

Since the Counters need to find the Pilgrims, they will leave Unlimited who will remain at the research base. Unfortunately, their objectives from here on out and they need to focus on finding more lost Nikkes. Now that they have their home again, they must continue to fulfill their duty and to care for the sleeping princesses. Anis admits to have misjudged Ludmilla, but she just knows how to separate her priorities and her personal desires. She tells Alice that Rabbity and his companions will be leaving to continue on their quest, something she can tolerate and she promises to wait for him. Ludmilla also wants to see them again to see how their story ends. Before they can take their leave, Ludmilla offers them some words of wisdom.

"Encountering something unfamiliar can feel like two worlds colliding. They seem utterly alien to you, and with that comes a fear of the unknown. But you must never destroy each other. No matter how insurmountable your differences may seem. No matter how much it seems your fear will consume you. You must learn to appreciate the world of others, even if you have to give up a piece of your own. What you must never do is destroy someone's world, for all of them are precious, as all of them are someone's home."

Servant understands what his Queen is conveying to him and she wishes them luck. With that, the Counters continue their search for the Pilgrims.

### A Familiar Smile

The group has reached the checkpoint found on the map Ludmilla gave them. Rapi feels confident the Pilgrims will pass by this area today. She was about to suggest that they take cover for now, but Neon draws their attention to a humanoid figure whose back is turned to them in the distance. From here, it seems like this is the Pilgrim they are searching for and though this seems like a huge coincidence, the commander feels that luck seems to be on their side for once. Anis wants to call out to her, but Rapi wants to... open fire on her instead? Though Neon was glad Rapi was thinking more like her, she felt shooting a random Nikke was a bit too far. She then mentions that there are no footprints following the Pilgrim, something the others also find odd. The protagonist also has his suspicions, so Rapi suggests that they scope things out before they make another move.

Suddenly, a loud bang rings out and the figure in the snow explodes. Sensing this as a trap, Rapi grabs the commander's hand and tells him to run. Another avalanche starts to form, but this time, the Counters can avoid it. This time, Rapi won't abandon him. While their hands were locked, an unusual sound can be heard as her arm swings in the other direction. Their hands separate and he stumbles and falls, rolling down the snow slope. As he starts to stand up, he becomes overwhelmed by wave upon wave of snow crashing over him. A familiar face with a familiar smile comes to his rescue; Chatterbox. It's been a while since their first encounter with the Rapture and in his grasp, the protagonist blacks out.

### Meeting

While unconscious, the commander's head starts to pound and his body is freezing cold. As he comes to, he is reunited by a familiar gnarly mug. Had he discovered the trap the monster had set up for him, they might've had a chance to stop him, but hindsight is a skill he lacks. Given that Chatterbox hasn't killed him yet, he knows the Rapture has some use of him alive. While he has no intentions of indulging Chatterbox, he laughs because his lack of cooperation is a nonissue. The protagonist demands to know why he kidnapped him, but he has a few questions of his own. This of which is if any of the "imposters" he’s working with have been "enhanced" in any way, a question he doesn't know the answer to. As he starts to break his finger believing his captive is lying to him and after torturing him a bit, the protagonist confesses that they have been. He then asks where he hails from to which he responds from the Ark. He then asks if he was ever sick as a child, something that sounds familiar to him. Having gotten what he wanted for now, Chatterbox plans on taking his hostage somewhere else, but refuses to tell him where. He does warn him however, that he's in for a bumpy ride.

### The Pilgrim: A

While in Chatterbox's clutches, the protagonist wants some answers from the Rapture. He becomes annoyed by his nosiness and threatens to put his knowledge of the human body into practice if he continues to bother him. In response, he threatens to self-detonate if he doesn't cooperate. Chatterbox knows full well doing so would kill him, but his hostage bluffs that it's not that hard to plant a bomb in someone's body. Though the monster knows what he's doing, the protagonist also is aware there's a reason he's being kept alive. The monster was impressed by the human's actions, but assures him he has ways to prevent himself from causing harm to himself. Since Chatterbox has no idea how he intends to blow himself up, he's not worried about whatever he's got planned.

Stopping in his tracks, Chatterbox concedes and offers to answer one of his questions and only one of them, but agrees to answer two after the commander's insistence. Having bought his squadmates some time, he has some questions that will keep Chatterbox distracted. His first was about his involvement with the research base and the map they found. He admits that he was the one who planted the map there, knowing what his plan was from the start. He boasts that luring them there was all too easy, even for him. The second question was if there is a mole in the Ark. His response is that there is indeed one. The protagonist wants to know more about his captor, but he's already reached his two question limit. He again threatens to blow himself up, but by this point, Chatterbox is certain he is bluffing. He's also certain that his Nikkes aren't coming for him because they can't track him. At this point, his life serves no purpose to him. To him, the only outcome of this war is for all human life to go extinct. Tired of Chatterbox's drivel, the protagonist prepares to kill himself, but while amused by his ploy, the monster has a hole blown into him.

Close by, the Pilgrim he has been searching for has again come to his rescue, annoyed that her quarry is still alive. This time, she intends to finish this. She fires more of her ammunition into Chatterbox and he bolts away. The stranger stands before him checking to see if he's okay. Calling her by her Codename, Snow White, she was surprised to hear that name after such a long time. She offers to lend him aid and he's more than willing to accept it, on the condition he forgets her existence. The Pilgrims must remain a myth to the world until the surface has been reclaimed. Chatterbox was enraged the same Pilgrim has interfered with his plans again and said Nikke is ready to finish him off for good.

### The Pilgrim: B

After their second clash, Snow White has done some significant damage to Chatterbox. Severely wounded and reeling, the Rapture falls over in agony. Snow White wants to have a "quick chat" with her "friend" and with the monster at her mercy, she wants some answers out of him. He tries to beg for his life and she demands to know what malevolent force brought him into being. Though Snow White is disgusted by his begging, he's not afraid of what the Pilgrim intends to do to him, but rather his Queen.

After Chatterbox's pleading, the skies split apart and a mechanical manifestation descended towards them. A Nikke encased in Rapture armor with intentions of pure malice towards the human race, has come to meet them and her presence causes the protagonist to tremble. This Nikke is disappointed in Chatterbox, but has come to save him nonetheless. After meeting the one who had injured her companion, Snow White knew who she was now up against. The Heretics are Nikkes who have given up their duty to protect humanity and have sided with the Raptures and their Queen. She doesn't care much for the Pilgrim's harsh truth and would prefer to be known as Modernia. Knowing that she has drawn out one of the Rapture Queen's lieutenants, Snow White is one step closer to their leader. Modernia wants to execute her where she stands, but refrains from doing so to save Chatterbox. She promises to not forget her face but Snow White wants to take her down as well. In an instant, large Raptures emerge from the ice below the ground at Modernia's command and attack the Pilgrim. Snow White blasts her way through them in order to take out the Heretic.

## Character appearances

* Protagonist
* Rapi
* Anis
* Neon
* Ludmilla
* Alice
* Chatterbox
* Snow White
* Modernia (***Debut***)