227. The Jester of Speech

< [Vice of Speech] >

< With a sealed mouth, she allowed their words to dress her into a form she despised the most >

< “Jesters. Even in my dreams I could never wear the pale dress I loved.” >

A metallic cranking could be heard within the distance as Ber stood in place, trembling with both palms clasped over her mouth. The attack caused the neon lights to cycle again as black chains were flung into the Jester of Speech’s direction like missiles.

< [Verbal Ensnare] >

< Their words hurt her more than she could ever admit. She wanted to scream her heart out and reject these chains. But they only continued to constrict her. And before she realized it, it became a part of her >

Frost was confused, but she did not allow herself to stray behind. She pushed forward, gauging the Corrupted Ber’s HP as the chains began to ensnare the poor Ber. The Jester of Speech attempted to flee, but the chains dragged it straight towards the tunnel belonging to Caldera Industries.

“Any Conditions Nav!?” Frost cried, chasing the dragged Jester.

< CONDITION: Jester of Speech will enter the next phase when all Atelier Shackles are defeated. If the Jester of Speech’s HP reaches 0, then the Ber’s Emotional State will collapse. She will succumb to the despair and Breakdown >

< The Atelier Shackles cannot be damaged unless they are illuminated >

< DO NOT LET BER DIE! >

Frost’s instantly shifted targets to the Caldera Industries archway. The piled marble pillars and brick were not there for show and played an integral part in Ber’s despair. With no time to lose, she rapidly approached, and her instinct drove her to sever the chain ensnaring Ber.

Chains of Ridicule

LEVEL : 75 HP : 10,000 ATT : 1,500 MAG ATT : 1.500 AGI : 20

Once in biting distance, Frost took the chains into both hands and began gnawing at it until it shattered. The entire length of the chain broke as though made from glass as the Jester of Speech unexpectedly took a whopping 10,000 damage after the fact.

Jester of Speech | HP: 90,000

“Tch – Destroying the chains only damages her!” Frost complained right as the Jester of Speech unleashed yet another attack.

“It’s best if you destroy them as soon as possible then. This may be a test of speed and determination on your part. The Jester of Speech appears incapable of fending for herself… Rather…”

< [Sobered Wail] >

< She only cried in her dreams, so no one had to worry for her >

Much like the Muffled Sob attack of the Unloved Ducking, Frost was blasted away from the Jester of Speech, and thankfully in the direction of the Caldera Industries archway. The shockwave thrashed the entire lake three times, causing bones within Frost’s body to shudder during the Corrupted’s brief cries.

< “Leave me alone…” >

< “Don’t lend me your hand… I’m notorious for biting them.” >

< “I always envied Cer’s long locks…” >

Frost | HP: 28,125

Sobered Wail was only capable of dealing magic damage. Frost wanted to heal herself but quickly realized it was impossible. Healing only restored HP, not MP. However, this did nothing to deter her.

She’d endure hell if it meant to bring Ber back!

“… It’s more likely that she’s actively trying to prevent you from stepping in.” Nav revealed, causing a lump to rise into Frost’s throat as she reached the archway and began to pummel it, removing each and every lump of stone.

Atelier Shackle

Caldera Industries

ATT DEF : 1,000     HP : 25,000     MAG DEF : 1,000

“Just like what she did when I tried to reach out for her, huh. Dammit Ber! Everyone’s waiting for you!” With each punch she laid, the beautiful, 10-meter construct spewed dust as it crumbled around her.

< “The machine sung so loudly. The Stuffed Teddy Bear cuddled so harshly. All the Corrupted we faced were worse than all my nightmares. But I took comfort in battling them.” >

Her assault on the walls grew stronger thanks to her Severe Combo Passive Skill, which slightly increased her ATT with each consecutive blow. In less than 10 seconds, she dealt the final blow by leaping to remove the magical sign, ripping it entirely from the wall. And like a cracker, she devoured it to restore her MP.

She had her own way of healing herself, thankfully.

Ber’s despair penetrated Frost’s heart as the roulette then landed on yet another Atelier; this time being ImpulseWorks. Frost continued to steel herself as her own emotions began to rapidly rise.

“It’s all a reflection of Ber’s present. To think she carried this burden with her all along. Were you fooled as well, Frost?”

< [Vice of Speech] >

The roulette fired again, and black chains ensnared the Jester of Speech once again, dragging it towards the opposite of Ber’s psychological colosseum. Frost gave immediate chase, but as if trying to deter her, the Jester of Speech released yet another attack.

< [Repressed Thoughts] >

< Despite the name ‘Goldilocks’, Serum G has little to do with the Midas Conversion Procedure. But following the same principles of ‘value’, the Demi-Human was forever preserved as her current self. Never to upheave the past. Never to reach for a new horizon >

Strangely enough, the flavor texts seemed to carry knowledge from beyond Ber’s scope. The last time Midas was mentioned was as far back as the Greed Counter fight. She briefly wondered what the reasoning behind mentioning this was.

< “I wanted to forget it all…” >

< “The sweet liquid bliss kept us sane for so long. As it does for many Moons like us. Ascension into the Nexus is not a form of salvation, because it never cured the root cause of our suffering.” >

Suddenly, the claws of the previously fought hands of the stuffed teddy bear arose from the depths of the lake and attempted to swipe at her. They had no HP and were merely manifestations of this attack. When both paws failed to strike her, they disappeared without a trace, allowing Frost to smoothly reach the Jester of Speech where she gnawed the chains.

Jester of Speech | HP : 80,000

< [Sobered Wail] >

Once again, the shockwave caused Frost to struggle reaching the Atelier Shackle. But her conviction only further strengthened, as her feet dug into the lake as though it were soil and held her ground as she refused to allow it to thrust her back.

“The fact that Ber of all people’s crying like this makes me sick to my stomach. You were always in on the antics with Cer. But was that all a façade?” Frost grieved, baring her teeth as she took on ImpulseWorks’ Atelier Shackle, pulverizing it until every fragment of stone sunk into the depths of the shallow lake.

“I don’t want to believe that our Ber was never truly happy. Maybe never in those last 30 years, but what about now!?” Frost grew emotional.

She refused to believe that Ber’s smiles were never genuine. Ber’s trauma was deep, and it was further exacerbated by her Corrupted form. But Frost thought about Ber’s recent moments and shouted in frustration that in spite of Ber returning to her old self, the stigma of Serum G, her role as a Moon and her past kept her chained in place.

Each Verbal Ensnare attack added more and more chains onto the Jester of Speech, wrapping her up like a cocoon.

Frost shattered Atelier Shackle after Atelier Shackle, becoming rabid in her approach as she desperately wished to see a Ber unchained by the agony of the past and the duty of the present. As the Amalgam, Frost shouted at the top of her lungs as she obliterated the 6th Atelier Shackle, blood pouring down the side of her lip due to the concussive force of Sobered Wail.

“BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEER! I AM NOT GOING TO LET ANYONE BESIDES YOU DICTATE YOUR FUTURE! NO ATELIERS –!”

< [Sobered Wail] >

Frost | HP: 23,450

The 7th Atelier Shackle fell unceremoniously. Frost refused to us her magic, which to begin with were not entirely helpful in this situation. Even Conflagrator was useless compared to her tried and true weapon – her knuckles.

“NO CHAINS –!” Frost screamed as the roulette landed on Act X, leaving only Justica Arms as the last archway standing.

By now the Jester of Speech’ chained cocoon appeared like a giant egg, and she could no longer move or be seen anymore. The only attacks she could feasibly use were Sobered Wail and Repressed Thoughts, the latter of which was entirely useless against a determined Frost.

< “Every Blessed carries a weight. Ours was too heavy, and so we required Serum G. Just so we could continue functioning as healthy Moons...” >

< “We all knowingly took Serum G as a compromise. To remain together. I was the one who suggested it, and thus poisoned us to this perpetual torment of under aspiring. But whenever I saw those pristine dresses I could not help but to feel a crushing pain in my chest.” >

< “Was it so wrong that I wanted to become beautiful? I castrated that aspiration… and regretted it for the rest of my life, laughing and playing the role of the Jester alongside Cer.” >

Frost, for the 8th time, severed the Chains of Ridicule and was assaulted by the shockwaves of Sobered Wail. It was enough times where her ears began to constantly ring, and it became a reminder that she was entirely ‘mortal’ in this conflict. No healing magic could ever dream of restoring her physical wounds so long as her HP was replaced with MP.

She was certain that a few organs were busted, but she had been through enough already to trudge through.

“NOOOOOO IMPURITAS –!” The 8th Atelier Shackle fell, and she dashed for the final one, pushing through with every ounce of power. Despite her wounds, Frost was still relatively fine. She possessed virtually unlimited stamina even in this form, and she used it with every strand of conviction in her impassioned chest.

< [Verbal Ensnare] >

For the last time, the Jester was assaulted by the chains. However, and much to her surprise, pale chains suddenly ensnared the ever-growing cocoon. The pale chains finally solidified its appearance as an egg as it wove itself in between, wriggling like parasitic worms.

“AND NOT A SINGLE CORRUPTED IS GOING TO TAKE YOU AWAY FROM US!” Frost shattered the pale chains and at once, the ‘egg’ suddenly began to shudder as it took its place in the center of the lake with only a sliver of HP remaining.

Jester of Speech | HP: 10,000