The Capital fell silent for thirty minutes.
The Librarians disappeared for now. Where they went was not known. Neither did they know where they came from, or where the location of a likely Heart of the City resided. Frost had spent enough time here already.
The clock was ticking now.
The Impuritas knew they were here. It was now only a matter of time before the main force in the north were notified. Frost made some minor preparations before her upcoming departure to the next Towers. There was still an hour left in UT before Snap arrived, so they had six minutes.
Firstly, Frost handed a belt-like object to Gerina.
“If you don’t mind me asking… what is this?”
“The Adorned Tale. It’s a Corrupted Item that came from what the Red Baron called the Astral Blaze. It’s what created the battlefield we saw earlier.”
Gerina’s eyes widened. As much as she wished to refuse this gift, she knew that Frost knew better than her. The sacred relic was wrapped around her waist, the glyphs illuminating as the cloth of the suit she wore felt oddly stronger.
“You’ll need this more than me. My coat isn’t strong enough to really warrant it. We need you alive at all costs.”
Frost explained. There was no point in her keeping the Adorned Tale right now. All it did was boost her presence and stats by fivefold. Her base stats were already high enough where even this boost was not worthwhile.
Besides, the majority of Frost’s defense came in the form of her absurdly high HP pool and her Healing magic.
“I’ll retrieve it when we see each other again.” Frost promised before she turned to the others. “Good work everyone. I’m happy you’re all still alive.”
“For now.” Cara bleakly said, saluting Frost with her entire Team in unison. “We’re up against Librarians that can copy and mix people with artefacts. If they’re smart, then they’re adapting as we speak.”
“But that’s where reinforcements come in~!” Usa’s one ear punched the air before forming a salute of its own. “Two Ateliers, right!?”
“Two is right. Inflow Direct and the Golden Index’s Middle.” Anpu slowly said, folding his arms. “But for now, we’ll be receiving Inflow Direct’s seventeenth Administrator.”
“Do you know them?” Frost asked.
“Not personally. Like most, I’ve only heard of Atelier secrets and personnel through word of mouth. I’m only familiar with their legacy. They were resourceful in Inflow Direct’s wars, contrary to their methods that used to see massive losses on their side in their Chapters. The reason being isn’t known, but it’s for this reason that I believe we’ll be in good hands.”
“She will stay here too.” Frost introduced the Taleor, who did not acknowledge them at all. Her eyes were locked with the Hired Arm in what felt like a war on who was closest to ‘Sinder’.
However, this was all in Frost’s mind. In truth, the two knew precisely who they were, and what they represented.
“The past one had white hair?” The Hired Arm spoke, extending her Justica Longarm like how one would reach out for a handshake.
“The future one became so stressed that their hair became black. Metaphorically speaking, since Sinder always had black hair.” The Taleor extended her wooden, old-era firearm Frost barely recognized as a bolt-action rifle of some kind. “So this is what ‘I’ would have turned into. A hired arm parading themselves a representative of a Body. Anna must have many memories attached to you.”
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
They shook hands using their weapons.
“She does. It’s why I often take care of her.” The Hired Arm said, pleasing the Taleor.
“Really? Nice. Then it looks like we can get along.”
Friction between the Alter Me’s is possible, huh.
“Managing them as they become more sapient and self-aware will be required.” Nav warned. “We wouldn’t want an Aberration of Frost situation.”
I hope not. By the way, did I gain any new Corrupted Skills from the Vestment of Goodwill?
“Unfortunately, it’s same case as the Unfair Tale. Therefore, I do not recommend that you wear it.”
I see. So the Affinity of Wrath is more about controlling yourself, huh. Or at least… being true to yourself, maybe?
Wrath was the only Affinity for which manifesting a Corrupted was detrimental. They yearned to be worn rather than giving Frost the discretion to wear them. This was why she and Nav believed that resisting it was the best course of action.
The Taleor stared daggers into the others. Just like Ignis, her intention was different from how she portrayed herself. She was rather welcoming and held out the buttstock of her weapon to shake their hands as well.
Only few knew how to respond to her, including Cara, Lucy and Anpu.
“Rejoice. You have a fragment of the real thing fighting by your side. Don’t get in my way and you won’t have to worry about dying.”
“Can you word that better?” Frost sighed.
The Taleor removed her hoodie, her ears flopping to the side as she tilted her head.
“I’m being genuine here though.”
Suddenly, the ears of all Demi-humans twitched. They sensed a presence at the front doors.
“Speaking of the devil…” Anpu uttered.
Frost could also hear a strange sound emanating from the doors too. The sound of scraping metal announced the entry of an androgynous figure.
“Machine, rather than devil.” The entity spoke with a human voice, although it carried a hint of distortion, like someone was speaking through an old-war radio. “Lacking a soul does make it easy for the ones with flesh to spite us. Don’t mistake us for those other machines.”
A giant, red and purple coat concealed their slender form. Due to how large their coat was it was impossible to precisely tell the dimensions of their body. The hems of their coat reached their ankles, which attached to blade-like feet.
Their voice carried a high-pitch, leading Frost to believe they were feminine. But at times, the pitch would change, making her think otherwise.
In the end, it was a machine – a living one at that.
But they don’t have a soul…
“Yes… other machines. They cry grease and fill their bodies with fake blood thinking it’ll give them a soul. But isn’t that what makes us so, so unique?”
The figure walked on the tips of these blades, stabbing their feet and scraping against the ground to mark their visit. A pair of pale ribbons which were trimmed with red floated behind them like the tails of a dragon, waving to an invisible wind.
“Seventeen to Twenty-Six, all buried and marked as ‘dangerous.’ Sixteen can only exist, they said. But look at them now, reaching into the bottom of the abyss for our help.”
The number ‘Seventeen’ was written in dozens of languages in a vibrant blue.
“But we final ten of the forbidden liquids were always here. Just waiting. Consciously…”
Blue eyes shone from beneath its hood, which was clad in complete darkness. They were only things one could see. Even Frost, who possessed night-vision, found difficulty in peering into that darkness.
But she could certainly see signs of the artificial.
Administrator Qoph
Chapter Seventeen – One
< The Husk That Gives >
Soul Rank: Nil | Atelier: Inflow Direct
LEVEL : 130 ORIGIN : Husk
HP : 1,200,000
ATT : 1,300 MAG ATT : 1,300 ATT DEF : 2,300 MAG DEF : 2,000
MP : 120,000
RESIST : 500 AGI : 50