The Eye, Fang and Claw were known as the strongest Moons to grace Elysia. Their names have only reached the ears of few beyond the Nex Megalopolis. The main culprit for this was that not many Moons were being sent out beyond Brandar for the last few months.
This was because the Nexus was undergoing a reform during that time. Furthermore, the number of Moons who were deployed to fight the Corrupted was cut down due to their new roles within Time Reverberation.
Then, there was the War in Grandis that required the Moons to fight on Grandis or defend the Nexus. The aftermath also saw the demand for Lunas skyrocket. With so many injuries and so little Healers to go around, there needed to be a class of people who could provide healing akin to what the Healers were capable of.
Their strength as an Aspiring Moon made them excellent replacements. However, far more complex matters would require a Healer, such as a disease that could not be healed using a Serum.
“Not only are they hoarding the Healers… but they are replacing them with inferior versions?”
This was the sentiment across the rulers and missionaries of the 59 Kingdoms, barring a few exceptions. Hours soon passed, and they were informed personally by the Claw of the Head that they were ready to join the Amalgam at the Stage.
“The Stage belonged to the leaders of the world.” Yanarin whispered.
She was stuck in a trance as they were each escorted by an Aspiring Moon and a Black Wing. The clack of hundreds of feet reverberated in their chests. It matched the pace of their heartbeats as they reached 59 flowery doors.
A deafening mechanical whine caused countless to flinch. They were expecting to be blinded by the creeping rays of the sun. But instead, they were greeted by the enormity of the Nexus.
Yanarin spoke again.
“The world was our audience. If the Amalgam brought 59 Kingdoms to the Stage as its conductor, then what does that say about us? About her?”
Her voice was heard by Mary. Fathoming what Yanarin meant would only instill further fear into their hearts. She shut her heart, twisted the key and threw it aside. The most she could do now was keep her head down if she wished to survive.
“The Stage belongs to the Nexus. That is the statement they are making.” One of her Dukes answered.
It caused the Aspiring Moon – a Luna – to smile to themselves as they escorted them each onto another train.
* * *
Mary wished that this train trip would last forever. Every passing second took months off her lifespan. Vampires could live for hundreds of years so long as they had access to blood. She scrambled through the recesses of her mind, searching as to why they were marked as sinners.
We didn’t wrong the Blessed. As powerful as the Amalgam may be, it’s impossible for her to tell what our intentions were at the time. Are we branded as enemies because we wanted Healers?
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Her mind drew in other reeds to stop her from drowning in her river of thoughts.
The Amalgam didn’t summon the strongest nations of Emvita. If she did, then the likes of the Kingdom of Slimia would not have been invited. The most she could recall was a request she made from a Broker that promised they could bring her a Healer.
“Was it leaked by the Broker? Or, did a Handler meddle with our affairs?”
Brokers and Handlers were the terms used to describe people who took on personal requests rather than using the Guild as a middleman. As one would expect, they were common for illegal and black-market trades. The trafficking of Healers was hardly a sin as Mary believed.
Brokers were informants who operated either independently or with a group, such as a Syndicate, Underground Organizations, Branches and even Ateliers. They were like messengers with seemingly ears everywhere. If one needed information that could not be found by a Guild, then the chances were that a Broker knew it.
Furthermore, Brokers often served as middlemen between two parties. One can imagine them as the equivalent of underground messengers.
Handlers on the other hand were people who managed unregistered Parties, Raids, Assaults and mercenary groups. Typically, a Handler was a powerful Adventurer that was not always registered with the Guilds.
Handlers tended to rely on Brokers for information and the latest scoop. Then, the desperate would come to the Handlers for work. If one were to compare it to a structured organization like Scarlet Logic, then they were the equivalent of a Manager.
* * *
“Someone ratted.” Mary concluded whilst in the safety of the train.
They’d be arriving at Atlas in only minutes now.
“How is it possible that the Nexus knew that we wanted Healers in the first place? I don’t believe for a second that the Amalgam is omnipresent. The deities of the Nexus use Gifts too. Anyone can become a god with a strong enough Gift.”
Mary was among the few who understood the nature of the Beholders. Rules who were also aware sent countless into the Timeless Ruins or, most commonly, into the Maw of the World in search for a Gift that could propel them into godhood.
“… do we have to beg for our lives?” Her face immediately soured.
They were the last words she wished to utter.
Usually, it was other people who begged for their lives at her feet.
Yanarin was the only one who remained levelheaded. If it weren’t for her calm demeanor, then Mary would not have been able to control herself. The fear gnawed at her mind.
And that fear manifested into a blade as the train came to an abrupt stop.
“If it comes to it, then allow me to sacrifice myself for you, my princess.” Yanarin swore an oath upon Mary, causing the girl’s eyes to brighten slightly.
“You’d really die for me, my dearest Yanarin?”
“It is my duty.” Yanarin didn’t see an ounce of concern for herself into those eyes.
But she expected that. After all, if it weren’t for Mary’s family, then she would have been dead a long time ago.
“… And my honor.”
* * *
That demeanor suddenly changed the moment they stepped out from the train.
“They’re going to kill us! I knew it! Raise your arms!”
“A monster of this sort… in a neutral state like this!? Has the Nexus gone mad!?”
“If it jumps at me… then you are to stab my heart.”
“AAAAH! AAAAAH!”
“For what matter are you screaming for!?”
“DON’T YOU GET IT!? WE ARE ALREADY DEAD!”
Immediately, the screams broke through the air as Yanarin shuddered with terror. Surrounding them were hundreds of plump, fuzzy creatures that could be mistaken as a Snow Slime.
But their eyes were real unlike that of a slime – beady, and incapable of showing emotion. Among them stood a one-meter variant. Then, beside those were colossal 3-meter versions that contained exactly 12 golden eyes and four mouths that spanned equally across their bodies.
Yanarin broke into a heavy sweat. Her crimson eyes struggled to comprehend the sight as she instinctively held out an arm to defend Mary, who thought nothing of these creatures.
That was until she saw the face of her normally stoic Advisor.
“Puff Puffs…? Here…? Outside of the Frozen Springs? The Anid Region? Did they come from Gnawer?”
It was as she said.
These creatures were the Puff Puffs.