Archetype became a word of universal dread amongst the Exalted ever since the Arbiter’s slaughter 15 years ago. A total of 45 Exalted were eliminated in the blink of an eye, their bodies simultaneously collapsing like puppets who had their strings severed.
15 belonged to the Nexus itself. They were unassociated with the Ateliers and served for the benefit of the Nexus. The other 30, however, belonged to the Golden Index. Evergreen, Secur-80 – the Underboss of the Golden Middle – and the remaining Underbosses vividly remembered that day.
Close friends and companions succumbed to the overwhelming might of the Arbiter. The uncaring Archetype who took the reins of the Nexus that day changed the course of history for the better in many eyes, but the Exalted could never forget the terror of bathing in the presence of a being who stood above the shoulders of the Beholders.
The Archetype of Amalgamation was also one such entity.
The Archetype of Hope too had an eerie air about them.
No matter how friendly they seemed or presented themselves as, it did not change that they could instantly erase them with the snap of a finger.
Magus stood by Carpalis’ side, as Frost stood at the other end of the table flanked by an unnervingly emotionless woman with flesh colder than steel and…
“W-Woah. It’s pretty. So this is what a Guild looks like.” Anna’s eyes glistened as her silver eyes wandered the room, eagerly devouring every inch like a giddy child.
… this little girl, who was supposedly another unspecified Archetype.
Evergreen made a strange face as Frost, Magus and Nav greeted each other with pleasantries. She knew Carpalis and the Amalgam were always close, but to see them speak like old friends caused small roots of confliction to sprout. Her image of the Amalgam was someone indomitable.
This was the first time she had formally seen her, and she was expecting a huge, muscular woman draped glorious black feathers. Except she was much smaller than she imagined. Formidable for sure, but not quite like how her underlings propped her up.
Those eyes on the other hand spoke of a different tale. They could only belong to a being like an Archetype, for they carried a power that made it near impossible to study for more than a second.
So, she remained silent and kept a lingering eye on the twin-tailed Archetype.
“It’s so beautiful. You can tell whoever made this put a lot of thought into it.” Anna complemented this invisible person, turning to Evergreen suddenly with a slightly embarrassed face. “U-Um sorry. Am I allowed to touch the books?”
“Hm? Oh! You’re free to do as you please.” Evergreen was taken aback by her sweet tone.
As a lover of cute things, this Archetype ticked every conceivable box. But she refused to be swayed so easily. Surely, underneath those adorable silver eyes and small stature was a monster worse than the Arbiter.
Besides, she was loyal only to Carpalis, and the second cutest thing to exist was the black-feathered child, who happened to be related to the Amalgam. The Innocent. She watched over the group whilst the presence of Secur-80 could be felt from behind the double doors.
Her eyes were calm and peeled as she overheard all.
“Amazing. Is this standard across all the Guilds? That’s impressive if it is.” She asked no one in particular, expecting no one to respond as Frost and the others were too busy speaking with Carpalis.
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Evergreen for whatever reason felt a little sorry for the girl and answered with:
“Every Guild associated with the Golden Index conforms to specific standards. Every room, every book and every minor detail must be perfect. It helps optimize work efficiency. Being surrounded by beauty and neutral pieces helps keeps our employees focused.”
Her answer was as generic as it gets, but Anna seemed to be enthralled by this.
“Mm. I can tell whoever decided on this must have their workers constantly in their mind. I wanted to do this too for people that used to work for me. Maybe that’s why my library feels so cozy. Just like this place.” Anna warmly spoke as she reached for the spine of a book, her eyes narrowing as the rays of light cast over her like a spotlight. “I’m sure whoever thought of this is a wonderful person too.”
Evergreen’s heart shuddered.
She struggled to keep her mind intact in the face of this adorable creature. If one checked her stats, one would find that she took HP damage due to her tentacles pinching her back as to not say anything stupid like ‘Awwww~!’ or ‘Thank youuuuuuu~!’ I love you~!’.
Anna’s popularity was rather unusual. Even the Arbiter couldn’t keep her hands away from her.
That being said:
“Carpalis. I’m so sorry about what happened.” Frost – the Amalgam – spoke tenderly as she held the sleeves of Carpalis’ coat-like dress.
“Frost has been thinking hard about how to make reparations for your disabled arm. An arrangement will not be easy, but I believe it is possible.” Nav assured in its usual monotone voice.
Again, Evergreen felt conflicted upon hearing those words. The image she had of the Amalgam crumbled at the seams, but she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t at least relieved.
“Hehe… It would be nice, but Demons cannot be healed.” Carpalis giggled.
“Carpalis. Neither did we have access to this from where I’m from. There was no magic to miraculously regrow limbs, or technology that could instantly cure diseases. What we learned was the process of healing.” Frost adamantly claimed.
There hadn’t been an iconic situation where her modern understanding of medicine and healing since the defibrillator incident. Everyone had access to healing potions and healers in general so there wasn’t a need to improve in this sector.
In a way, Earth’s methods were considered primitive compared to healing magic. But for Demons and people who could not be healed – then her knowledge was revolutionary.
“We had tools, knowledge and experience cultivated over a course of centuries before we reached a point where we could cure what was considered incurable. Even then, a cut on the stomach wasn’t something anyone could heal in a day or two. It took time. So much care and effort just for what might look harmless to you.”
Frost kindly reached down for Carpalis’ blackened left hand and cupped it gently between hers. The air became sombre all of a sudden. Anna froze as slowly retracted a hand away from the bookshelf, not wanting to disturb the sentimental moment of calm.
It looked like Frost was proposing to Carpalis. It made the Beholder chuckle as she flicked the sleeve of her right arm onto Frost’s head.
“Demons are the kind of breed that take the path of least resistance. It’s ingrained into us. It’s why you find many of us to simply not care. Ahaha… this attitude is poisonous, but it is who we are. Will I be your test subject?”
“Please don’t word it like that.”
“Technically yes.” Nav was far blunter. “However, I believe it will be worthwhile. Your hand has an estimated 60% chance of recovery, and this is based on my biases. I have no other proof to back up my blind faith.”
“Ahaha... blind faith shall be all I need. If it is possible, then I do not see why I would refuse it. I cannot imagine it being worse than my current state. I was considering amputating it. Hehe… I feel like a turtle sometimes when trying to get onto my feet. Hahaha…”
Suddenly, Carpalis brought herself up from the reclining chair. The cracked Faustian Bargain that struggled to maintain its grip around her waist complained with twisted groans. The sleeve on Frost’s head then suddenly flicked to the side as to point in that direction.
“You must also be aware of the Corrupted too, I imagine. Fear not. Evergreen~”
Evergreen nodded and calmly relayed:
“The Corrupted resides in a holding room. It needed to be anchored with an additional Shambling Seal around the neck. It speaks and can understand our language. Amalgam. We believe the Corrupted was asking for you.”
“Do you know what the Corrupted is? We’ll go immediately.” Frost wondered.
Magus then took over as he twirled his top hat around a finger.
“It has no name per say, my friend! But, between you and I, there was a particular fellow who tipped us in. Oh, what a depressing, moody fellow. Demons are quite a saddening bunch. No offence to you, my dear Carpalis!”
“Ahaha…”
“Ahem.” Magus cleared his throat, throwing his hat back atop his head. “Are you aware of the recently acclaimed Nightmare that terrorized H5 not long ago? It’s here, and in form not too dissimilar from your face too! My Amalgam friend, ‘Mimicry’ seeks to speak with you. As for myself, I think I’d rather not be eaten. I’m not like a certain wolf with the stench of a wet dog!”