180. A Slightly Normal Cer

A Corrupted created by Frost’s own trauma.

The thought that such a thing existed caused conflicting emotions to arise. It was a weird, almost motherly feeling. But there was also a begrudging sense of hostility. The Vengeful Red-Hooded Assassin was an A-Classed Threat, and it wielded an oversized anti-materiel rifle.

What boggled her mind the most was how it was only categorized as A with something that could cleave right through the thickest of metal. In fact, a rifle that size would have little issue penetrating a Site’s steel doors.

So what made it so… well, weak for lack of a better word? At least compared to the Corrupted they usually faced.

Apparently, the Vengeful Red-Hooded Assassin was a Corrupted that possessed multiple interaction types. It was non-violent from what the Navigator explained, aside from when provoked or, most interestingly, when a positive outcome was achieved with certain Corrupted.

One of them was G-O-087-07, the ‘Poisoned Apple’. From what Frost understood, the Poisoned Apple belonged to one of the fairy tales from Earth. With the name of the Vengeful Red-Hooded Assassin’s weapon being ‘Fairytale’s Bane’, it became obvious just what Corrupted triggered its violent tendencies.

And most of all, it mirrored Frost’s hunt against the Impuritas.

Unfortunately, this Corrupted was not on this Site, so she couldn’t investigate it further. But she sincerely hoped that it was a friendly Corrupted, just like Snap. Otherwise, it’d have to be put down.

Or Realized.

The Vengeful Red-Hooded Assassin was currently being stored somewhere in the desert Region of Scaldak; a relatively inhospitable, dry hell. Curious, Frost asked the Navigator why they chose a remote area for storage if all Sites required a Nex-rich environment.

It was simple. Accumulation Sites – which stored Corrupted before they were classified – did not need to harvest Nex. They just needed to hold onto them. And besides, Nav’s information about Scaldak was outdated.

While civilizations did not thrive along its sandy dunes, the skies were littered with giant, floating objects. They acted as bastions and cities. They were previously the ruins of ancient Caldera Industries weapons of war, and because of their giant glass-like instruments, anything that roamed the desert during the day was effectively scorched by rays so powerful that they turned the sand into glass.

In short, the region made it difficult for powerful Corrupted to escape unscathed.

Other Sites supplied them with Nex to make up for the demands of the Site Core.

And interestingly enough:

“G-Z7. I’m going to be its Navigator. I think it’s going to be based in Emvita.” The Navigator revealed. “I don’t know if I’ll be enough, but I want to do my best. The Corrupted…”

She wanted to say something more to Frost, but she stopped herself with a small hum. Frost sat beside a sleeping Jury, her head resting on her lap. As usual, her tail kept Frost in place. Jury was a possessive lover. Or maybe she was like a predator that wanted to keep its prey close overnight?

Not that she minded, of course.

“What about them?” Frost wanted to hear the Navigator speak her mind.

“It’s nothing. I always had this weird… really stigmatizing belief about them.” She admitted as Frost listened to Jury’s heart, all the while she watched an analogue clock tick down on the wall. “Don’t mind me. Please get ready. The Overseer is coordinating our Workers. You will be dealing with the brunt of the event.”

They were 60 minutes away from the break of dawn.

Everyone was sound asleep. The soft snores of her friends filled their dim room. The triplets huddled in a corner like a giant mass of fuzz, and Ignis and Ara found themselves submerged in a sea of Snap’s golden fur.

Earlier, before the group rested for the night, the Overseer went over the specifics of tomorrow’s events. The first was that they were expecting at least 2 tribulations. 3 if they required excess Nex for whatever reason.

This all depended on how much Nex was converted into liquid Nex for the day. Once a certain threshold was met, then a Tribulation Event would occur.

Tribulations were essentially Impuritas invasions that spanned the entire Site. While they knew which days to look out for and when this threshold was met – They could only know which Impuritas group would attack ahead of time through Act X’s Crystal Plaque.

This mattered tremendously. Being in the wrong place at the wrong time was one thing, but being unprepared for the type of Impuritas was another. Depending on the Impuritas, such as the Librarians, a total lockdown needed to occur, and the corridors would then send spinning blades to shred them, or completely close their walls to crush them.

The Paged disease was not something most Sites were equipped to deal with.

In 60 minutes, they would be met with an old Impuritas foe – the Crimson Hunger.

It was exactly during this time when the Herald delivered the next set of missions, as well as the predictions for tomorrow.

One of these missions was to ensure that there were zero deaths today. Normally, these missions were as simple as “have an entire floor spin around five times.”, or “have ‘X’ eat with their mouth closed.”

A telltale sign that things were about to get serious was when a significantly harder objective, like this one, arrived.

Frost drowned in the caressing tune of Jury’s heartbeat, noticing that Cer had suddenly risen awake. The woman yawned, scratched her belly, and dragged herself onto her feet with misty eyes.

She didn’t wear her suit. But she wasn’t going to allow the Overseer and Navigator see an esteemed Moon like herself walk around with her bare feet. Her keen senses had allowed her to locate the room’s Scrying Crystal, which were used as magical cameras.

Her suit hung in the air like a ghost had worn it. Underneath it was the invisible, floating Scrying Crystal.

Currently, Cer was only in a pair of shorts, and a very simple white shirt which she tucked into her shorts.

A sleepy Cer was a rare sight, and her ears twitched whenever she yawned. Her tail dragged behind her like a broom as she roused everyone with a pinch on the ear, including Snap somehow.

"Ceerrrrr. You’re not right next to meeeee.” Ber complained, grasping at Res as their tails tumbled and rolled onto one another.

“Cer… Come back… A-ah… Is it… morning?” Res groaned something similar before she snapped out of her drowsy state, clasping at the air where Cer once was.

Their adorable display did not, however, detract from their sheer, near unmatched power as Moons. Frost enjoyed seeing this side of them, and now that she thought about it, she hadn’t really seen them sleep before.

“… Ugh. Slept?” Cer asked Frost, moving to a porcelain sink where she splashed water onto her face.

“A little.” She answered in a whisper.

“Well, a little’s better than nothing. At least got some sleep. Wouldn’t want to worry her. Or us.” Cer rubbed her eyes before she dipped her tail into the sink. “Getting rid of some gunk in there. Ber wouldn’t stop chewing on it.”

“You three are inseparable, huh? You didn’t want to sleep on the beds?”

“We’re not used to beds. I wouldn’t be surprised if the half-breeds in here don’t use them either.” Cer stated, combing through her tail with her fingers as she stared at Frost through the basin’s mirror. “You’re kind. But you don’t need to look at me like that. It is what it is. Besides, I’d like to see anyone mess with us now.”

“Well, would you consider sleeping in a bed if I offered you to sleep with us?” Frost joked, causing Cer to simply smirk, which caught Frost by surprise.

She completely expected Cer to jump up for joy, rejoice, or blurb out something obnoxious. But her reaction was tame, and just looked at Frost fondly and chuckled.

“It would be like old days for me. But… I don’t think I’m ready to let myself go back. Those two can.” She spoke cryptically right before she disappeared into the isolation room.

There, she shook her tail like how a dog dries itself before she returned with her tail cradled in her tiny arms. She approached Frost and, without any warning, brushed it against her face.

“Ah-haha. What’s gotten into you all of a sudden?” Frost patted her tail away, which only caused Cer to stare up at her with inquisitive eyes. “Is there something on your mind?”

“A lot of things. But love ain’t one of them. Don’t get it all mixed up. I got someone else on my mind, thank you very much.” Cer said in a kidding manner, assuring Frost that she was fine.

Frost only now realized just how brightly red her irises were. They had a subtle glow, and they glistened like rubies underneath the light of her own golden eyes.

“You’re talking about the twins, right?” Frost carefully said, stroking Jury’s head.

“Who knows. Heh. But you know, you really do have nice eyes. I knew from the start you were special but ‘oh no, I can’t possibly break the rules and join you as our one way ticket to heaven.’” Cer complained all of a sudden, mocking her voice as she assaulted Frost and Jury with her tail again, all the while the others finally orientated themselves.

Ber and Res were shocked by Cer’s behavior for some reason. They didn’t step in or say a word, only choosing to observe. Before long, her playful assault subsided, and she just stared up at Frost with mellow eyes.

“Moron. We all could’ve skipped all of this. But I know, I know. ‘I don’t regret anything’… You’re just like…” Her smile suddenly subsided as her gaze fell to the floor. “Tch. Listen, forget what I said. Keep those eyes sharp, will you? I’ll be mad if you lose them.”

Frost patted her head in response. Her sunken ears suddenly pushed against her palm as her tail gently wagged. She cheered up a little, but she never let her face show this.

“Hey. Are you ok? Look, whatever you’re feeling. Whatever it is that’s bothering you… and whatever it is you’re carrying isn’t something I can imagine. You’re really strong, you know that?” Frost praised her as the woman nodded. “Cer. I want you to know that if you ever think that you can’t bear it, then I want you to lean on me for help.”

“On us!” Jury joined, also patting her head as Cer’s tail brushed against them.

A Demi-human’s tail was their most sacred place. Only those they considered closer than family were allowed the honor of stroking it. At times, they allowed children to but that was only during certain circumstances.

It was the hallmark of a Demi-human’s trust, and Cer openly granted them this with a grin.

“What’s with you two? Not you too Ignis. Look, what’s going to weight down a Moon?” She pushed their hands away. “But I’ll consider it. Be honored~ But thanks. Really, you really are just like…” She trailed off purposefully. “Heh. Got you there. Like who? Dunno.”

She returned to her sisters’ side, who could only stare carefully at Cer as if there was something wrong with her. But nothing was, because moments later, they titled their heads and welcomed her with a small smile.

“Isn’t she cunning?” Cer suddenly sighed, revering back to her old self. “Look what she did to us. She has Jury already, but she took Res and me as well! You’re next!” She warned Ber, causing the woman to point at herself.

“Me!? I’m next!? Jury! What just what kind of person did you fall in love with!?” Ber shouted, joining Cer’s cheeky ruse as Frost couldn’t help but laugh alongside Jury, who suddenly embraced Frost and said:

“Maybe it’s you three that want her.”

“Heh. Yeah… yeah. Look at me with contempt.” Cer reveled in Jury’s gaze, which was jokingly scrutinizing.

Cer Syndrome was truly a serious illness.

“Oh no, CER!” Ber exclaimed, shaking her sister to snap out of it.

“Seriously, what the hell is wrong with your brain!?” Res pilled in.

Despite the horrors that awaited, their group was relatively nonchalant. On the other side of the Cognition Receivers, they could hear how the Overseer was becoming annoyed with how little of a threat they saw the Crimson Hunger as.

At the same time, the Navigator tried to picture just what sort of strength it took to laugh in the face of their equivalent of a living nightmare. Ignis and Snap just glanced at each other, and they both shrugged, nodded, and watched the spectacle unfold.

Ara on the other hand, who knew of the threats they were about to face, proudly smiled. Their lax attitude inspired confidence in her.

Either that, or she was just happy to hear the Overseer suffer.

*Snap*

Suddenly, a polaroid slipped into Cer’s shirt.

Frost couldn’t help but to wonder who was in that photograph, certain that she reminded Cer of whoever it was.

* * *

An hour later, the Site issued a warning. A unique siren blared this time. It was a low-pitched rumble as the bright, magical lights throughout the Site flashed red.

//////// WARNING ////////

< TRIBULATION IN EFFECT >

CRIMSON HUNGER

< Dungeon >

< “Gnaw and churn. The hunger must never end.” >

Suddenly, and without any warning, mysterious clumps of flesh began to populate the corridors of each floor. They began as tiny grains of meat before they combined into giant clumps of flesh.

These were none other than the Flesh Clots.