The City of Vocals sung with the voices of countless thousands.

The beat of the music synchronized with the beat of a certain man’s heart. The highs and lows of the vocals; the cadences and the beating drums played in the rhythm of a resounding heartbeat.

Two, four – six hands wagged in tune to the music, mockingly conducting the grand symphony that reverberated beyond his vast, emerald marble stage.

Empty seats of beating hearts applauded him with invisible hands as he took center stage; the light of the benevolent spire blessing him with its glorious light.

The six-armed man wore a green exoskeleton, appearing like an Insectid. Yet at various joints one could find evidence of vulnerable human flesh. Each white-gloved hand eventually fell as he brushed off his black and green coattail suit.

His eyes were hidden behind the grills of his carapace skin as he soundlessly bowed at his audience of hearts, and their bodies which they had freshly removed themselves from. The auditorium housed an incredible 10,000 seats, all of which were brimming with restless hearts.

“Fibrillate. Beautiful quivering. We must beat as one harmonious voice. But it is unfortunate. The hearts looked better inside of you, my beloved audience.” He monologued in what sounded like two conjoined voices.

One was the voice of a melodic human man, and the other was like the chirping of a cicada.

Then, someone applauded him.

A young, terrified girl clapped as she moved from body to body across the audience’s seats, horrified at the sight of countless deaths. This girl was Sana; the healer who was brought along with the Train Core thanks to the aid of the Bloody Herring and the impeccable calculations of fate made by their friends; the Sect of Gears.

“Heal… Heal. Please heal… I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Sana hobbled around, tripping over bodies as she fidgeted over her Serums in sorrow.

“It is disrespectful to speak as an audience member, little dove.” The man, Leitmotif, reminded, causing the girl to jolt into a fit of nods before she suddenly gripped onto her throat and screamed at the top of her lungs.

He inflicted her with heart-wrenching pain. Her body contorted against her will. She was no more than an instrument to him. A small piece in the greater whole that was his marvelous symphony.

“Good instrument.” He dismissed her as something splattered along his beautiful stage. He did not need to turn to see who this person was. “Herring, Herring, Herring. You’ve overstepped your boundaries.”

“There is no overstepping when we can crush the Amalgam right here! HEALER! HEAAAAALER! FIX ME!” The mass of mangled flesh spoke from a mouth that was ripped into a hundred pieces.

His body hardly resembled one anymore. He was a lump of flesh no different from their… less intelligent partners, the Crimson Hunger. The agonized Bloody Herring bounced in a fit of fury as Sana spontaneously rushed down the countless flights of stairs to help from the goodness in her precious heart.

However, Sana was hardly a proficient healer. When she knelt beside him and tried to heal him nothing happened, aside from recovering miniscule amounts of HP. He lashed out at the healer, cursing her for she was from the same flock of the Amalgam that had reduced him to such a pitiful state.

“Unbecoming of people that pride themselves on themselves. Shall I destroy your body and return you to them?” Leitmotif approached him, his leather soles clapping with each step before he loomed over the sack of flesh, awaiting his response.

“DON’T! ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND!? YOU NEED ME TO KILL THE AMALGAM! Sending me back there to them will be a waste!” The Bloody Herring shouted abruptly. “The Monkey Brothers have already forwarded the messages after their death. With us two and that Corrupted; we can kill the Amalgam!”

“Need I remind you that I am in no position to ad lib my performance? We merely required the Train Core and the pieces of the Moons. But you and those chimpanzees managed to delay us!” Leitmotif was impassioned by their failure, causing his chest to swell as the surrounding hearts began to quiver uncontrollably.

“Calm… calm yourself. This Corrupted would kill us all if my desires fell out of rhythm.” He managed to calm himself as he clicked his fingers six times.

At each click a piece of the Bloody Herring’s body was blasted by a thunderous hum. All that was left of him was his upper torso, head and one arm.

And yet he still could not die.

“Even after being embraced by your golden Heart that Beholder’s power still latches onto you. What a dangerous power.” Leitmotif kicked him away as Sana could only watch the body crash into the rising audience stands. “Leave him be. Let him witness our song. The stands welcome his tuneless cadaver. This Corrupted must not burst forth until we surface.”

“… The Amalgam is the source of everything. You’ve heard him. That star’s warnings. Think about the power we’d be granted from that Sacred Garden if we turned in the head of the Amalgam!” There was a plan they needed to follow.

A set of guidelines that could not be diverted from.

But the Bloody Herring was insistent to break these rules.

“Carpalis is weak enough. Have you seen that pitiful Demon in person? Fools… Our uncouth masters are all afraid of that thing more than the Amalgam!?” The Herring hoarsely cried again as Leitmotif simply hummed to himself.

He strolled away, leaving Sana to stand idly behind, not knowing what to do anymore.

“Is there anything you know other than to sate your need for immediate satisfaction? You Festivals are worthless. But necessary to weaken her. As little as your writhing instills pain onto that Beholder.” Leitmotif answered before his tone suddenly deepened “Carpalis is dangerous. Unless you have been believing the fabricated nonsense?”

“And the Amalgam is not…? Who will destroy our world!? TELL ME LEITMOTIF!?”

“The Amalgam, my impassioned friend.”

“So why –!?”

“Because there exists a libretto to follow. A steady, predictive flow of events. Please refrain from being an unexpected syncope.”

Leitmotif rebutted, his voice now only an echo as he approached an exit which led to a perch that oversaw the entire city from above.

“It works better in this arrangement. The troublesome Moons and the Amalgam are away from the Nex Megalopolis. The Beholders are stuck within the Nexus. Have some degree of mental flexibility, will you? The Piece of the Fallen Star, when we inevitably find it, will take care of the Amalgam. He must make sure of it.”

“… You won’t… utilize that Big Red Heart?” The Bloody Herring uttered one last time before Leitmotif disappeared into the bleeding lights of the city.

“It’s reserved to obliterate the Golden Index. So won’t you be a good friend and destabilize that Train Core? You must not have any more coins from that lowly appearance. However long it takes will not matter. We just need to keep them away.”

Before Leitmotif could disappear, he then asked one last question.

“By the way, how powerful is that Amalgam?”

For some reason, the Bloody Herring’s mouth quivered before they turned into an unsuspecting smile.

“… weak. They’re terribly, terribly weak… The Moons are the ones to watch.” He uttered truthfully.

“Very well then. Shall we show these Moons what it means to rear their heads to an anointed Star!? Lights! Vocals! Begin the Symphony!” He stood with all arms folded behind his back at the edge of a stone lip.

Beneath him was a kilometer plummet. The way the city was created made it appear as though he was gazing down at a grand auditorium filled with countless musicians. A finger on each hand suddenly grew into his batons as he began stroking the air, and at once; the city itself came alive with music.

Pneumatically operated harmonics shot from the hollow mounds that littered the city as the countless hearts within created a steady, rhythmic beat that resounded within the chests of all corporeal beings that felt it.

“Dirge of the Moons! This shall be the name of my latest Symphony –!”

Suddenly, a rod of lightning struck him. He was thrown into his marble complex as he skidded along, his tailcoat shedding as Sana ran to a pillar for cover. Somehow, from such a grand distance, he was shot at by one of the electrically infused Moons.

Even though he was incapable of taking damage thanks to the existence of his Instruments; he could not help but to be infuriated by their audacity to take such a cheap shot. As steam hissed from his unscathed carapace, he brushed himself clean and spat:

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“Annihilation of the Moons. There will be nothing left of you!”

* * *

< [Beaten Desires] >

< “There were so many things we could have chased. But our legs were crushed before we learned to walk.” >

A musical shockwave emerged from the city. The spectacle could be seen from kilometers away for all those that remained in the Triple Paw Complex. At once, the city seemingly burst to life with music as if granting them an invitation to try all they liked.

Frost felt her chest tighten as the shockwave met with them along the barren wastes leading to the maw of the City of Vocals. She kept everyone close, with a Touch of Gold tightly wrapped around their waists to act as not only a tether, but as their lifeline.

The Scarlet Healer dangled along one of these tentacles, thirsty for the prospect of healing as they rapidly approached the undefended gates, following a steep incline as they were marveled by just how large this city truly was up close.

“Status Nav!?” Frost called out, wondering if they were hit by an unexpected condition or effect.

“Various stacks of Heart Wrench. The resulting condition of these stacks will be Stolen Heart. I will be monitoring the number!” Nav exclaimed as Frost swung the Scarlet Healer around to each one of her companions.

“Heal! Cure! Get better and spill some blood!” Poena erupted in laughter, utilizing a far more potent version of Cleanse.

Clouds of glowing light showered them, removing the negative Stacks for good. While Frost possessed one of the strongest forms of healing magic, her diversity in the discipline paled in comparison.

The Heart Wrench stacks, and Stolen Heart Condition were at the very least a tier 4 disease and required immense healing capabilities to cure. The Scarlet Healers were among the few that were equipped with such power given their arduous tasks that revolved around them sinking deep into the Derma layer, and, according to Poena; even deeper.

“At least she’s being kept on a leash. Everyone! 20 seconds!” Cer called out, enjoying Frost’s unbounded speed. “This is it… This is it! Do or die! Throwing ourselves straight into a head on collision course. Heh. Aren’t you just like the Nexus!? You don’t give a damn and flash us the raids!”

“Bash the Instruments and target the Host thingy, yeah!? Res had a clean shot on it!” Ber exclaimed.

“No damage can be dealt until the Instruments are all gone! 10 seconds! Straight through the gate!?” Res cried, glancing over at Frost.

“Forget the gate! We’ll be making our own gate! Focus your attacks at the walls!” Frost was not so stupid to willingly approach from the only point of entrance.

While it did seem to be the case; Frost had all the AGI in the world to reroute her course off to the side. 70 AGI was already insane. The Diamond Counter-buffed Jury and the Bloody Herring’s teetered on the realm of impossibility; and Snap’s may as well be teleporting.

The towering walls dwarfed them much like the ones of the Nex Megalopolis. But no matter the thickness of the wall; her raw ATT made it trivial.

The dozen meter thickness of the wall was easily eaten apart by a bombardment of electrical maws and golden tentacles, paving way straight into the largest layer of the city. The sound of panic instantly ensued as they emerged from the gaping hole, finding themselves within a bustling world of terrified people and carapace abominations that dragged them along like slave drivers.

Instruments (Vocals)

< Bass >

LEVEL : 5 ORIGIN : X

HP : 100

ATT : 5 MAG ATT : 5 ATT DEF : 0 MAG DEF : 0

MP : 0

RESIST : 5 AGI : 5

Suppressors

AFFINITY: Civilization

LEVEL : 120 ORIGIN : Trauma

HP : 15,000

ATT : 2,200 MAG ATT : 3,200 ATT DEF : 1,500 MAG DEF : 0

MP : 2,000

RESIST : 150 AGI : 40

They did not even have a chance to react. Jury’s speed combined with her combat prowess rendered them into nothing but ribbons. A still beating heart fell from their bodies and began to roll, as if cowering now that they were exposed to the world.

The hearts themselves had only a quarter of the total HP of their bodies, and at once, Jury finished them off as the crowd scattered. The Instruments trembled as Frost closed in to investigate them, cowering at the sight of their bloodshed.

Frost did not share a single word and checked if there was any feasible way to save them. There, on their necks, she found a thin tendon-like strand that connected them to their masters.

Their title transformed into the ‘Denizen of the Singing City’ upon severing them.

Slaughtering them was unnecessary much to her relief. However, she envisioned that not all would be spared. With how compact the city truly was; and how destructive their powers were – the number of casualties could easily number in the tens of thousands.

These people needed to get out of the city if they wished to live.

And so, she screamed out at the top of her lungs:

“GET OUT OF HERE IF YOU WANT TO LIIIIIVE!”

Songs began to resonate from every direction as they navigated through a sea of climbing termite mounds; built to house upwards of hundreds of people at once. The screaming tunes muted her voice as they briskly followed the sounds, all the while Frost and Res sent waves of attacks at the walls to create as many routes of escape as possible.

Suppressors infested this crowded layer like roaches. At every conceivable mound there were at least several of them, each with a collection of Instruments whose very music inflicted 3,200 MAG damage at every 5 second interval.

The Triplets would have found themselves at the mercy of this Corrupted if it weren’t for Frost. That being said, if they were swift enough to kill the Suppressors and neutralize the Instruments in short order then they’d be fine.

Because as soon as the immediate proximity was cleared, and the innocent souls scurried away in horror – They immediately ceased taking all forms of damage.

< “Unsanctioned desires are a poison. We shouldn’t reach for the stars when they only exist as bedtime lullabies. Instead, let us reach for the tangible things around us while we still can.” >

“So what’s the deal with music and a heart!?” Cer shouted as they navigated further into the city; Frost’s tentacles scraping against the maze of termite mounds as Poena reveled:

“It’s paradise! It’s paradise! So many injured. So many to heal!” Poena and Frost’s tentacles were used to touch people and heal them along the way.

The light of her one hundred glowing tentacles rivalled the star’s. While devastation followed her visage like a shadow; few realized that this enigmatic being was not as manevolent as they appeared.

The few that stood by, and the even fewer that peered through the safety of their hollow homes clasped at the place the tentacle had touched and watched on yearningly.

“Hell if I know! The Corrupted voice isn’t saying anything about music! It’s all about how desires are a poison!” Frost yelled, swerving them into a minor city square where beautiful pillars draped in green cloth rose.

People gathered by these pillars unwillingly as if herded by the shepherds that were the Suppressors. Frost could not even begin to connect the dots regarding this Corrupted. Bass as the people? Suppressors as the players of those living Instruments? Desires?

The full picture was still yet to be unveiled.

“Poison!? It does look like it, doesn’t it huh!?” Cer cried as electrical explosions tore the square apart. At the same time, Jury swooped in to rescue and sever their ties.

“Focus Little Wolf! You can’t bite and talk at the same time!” Jury scolded.

The bodies of the Suppressors and their hearts were then devoured by Frost remotely using Punch with her tentacles. They acted like an external mouth, devouring their bodies at a mere touch. Some were swiftly transformed into coins, whilst others were made into the Etched Coins.

In a way, their strength was as frightening as the Corrupted. Every single one of the Suppressors could pass as a Monsoon Corrupted. To kill them like they were nothing spoke volumes of their power.

< Etched Coin >

Heart of Ours

ACTIVE : Beaten Desires

EFFECT : Strengthen those in tune with your heart. The higher your desires, the stronger they become. Inflict 20 stacks of Heart Wrench to those whose desires oppose the great majority.

Fizzled into oblivion; merged with the great hearts of civilization; and we still found ourselves reaching for the phantom lights above.

There was no mistaking it. Frost was able to steal the skills from the Corrupted minions! Even though the Suppressors could use other skills, this was the one she gathered from their corpses.

Additionally, she gained a unique ability.

< Stats from the Suppressor Gained >

< Unique Ability Gained >

< ABILITY : Heart of Suppression >

< EFFECT : Know what can vanquish the flames in their heart >

< Only one desire matters >

< “They gagged on their aspirations, realizing the futility of it all in the face of a greater strive.” >