243. Nearing the Masterpiece

They were alone again, left to face the Impuritas head on while the world fell asleep. The grey smoke concealed the inferno of S4 from the Eye in the sky. Thoughts of the rest of the Nex Megalopolis filled Frost’s mind to the brim.

It kept her away from the others as they gathered by the newfound Ber, ecstatic to see that she was alright. She was slightly shorter than Jury standing at 170cm, a full 10cm taller than Frost. It was funny in a way having to look up at her now, and a part of her already missed the little Ber.

But she knew that this was for the best. There was much more to tackle on moving forward. Such was the nature of life. More than anything, she was happy that Ber’s steam didn’t end. It was reinvigorated, and seeing the faces of her friends were fuel to her heart.

“It’s so fluffy now. Ber. If you’re happy, then we’re all happy.” Ignis said, hugging the giant paint-brush-like tail which was easily larger than herself. A part of her disappeared into the fluffy abyss, causing Ber to chuckle and stroke her head.

“It tickles! Wanna floof it too Jury!? What about you Res? Betcha it’s softer than Snap’s fur!” Ber grinned, striking a bold pose whilst still nude, causing Res to sigh, wondering if it was only her body that changed after all.

But underneath that look of disappointment was the grin of the happiest person alive.

“Mmm. I’m sinking right in.” Ignis rubbed her cheek against it. “You’re not Realized?”

“Re-a-what? I’m still a Demi-human, so I guess not. But you’ll never guess what else I gained! I can hear the voice too!” Ber, like a child, thrust her fists into the air, striking pose after pose before arriving at an abrupt halt. “But Nav’s voice isn’t what I expected at all. Why does it sound like a tin can’s talking to us?”

“… please don’t be mean to Nav.” Ignis said.

“It’s Nav’s voice. I’m sure it’ll one day have one as pretty as ours.” Jury hummed.

“Oh. A new namesake.” It was impossible to tell if Nav was joking, hurt, or speaking for the sake of it.

“There are tin cans in this world?” For some reason, this was what stuck with Frost the most.

“There are singularities being held in the palms of people, and you’re intrigued by the invention of the tin can?”

Nav, do you have to make me feel stupid for asking? Frost sighed, smiling at herself. It’s weird though. Tin cans feel like a modern invention to me.

“Forget I said anything.”

That being said: Cer, after cracking her neck in several directions, studied Jury and Ber’s assets with an inquisitive eye before imparting them with her words of wisdom.

“Good proportions. Nice hips. Nothing like Jury’s singularities, but they’re better than Frost’s. If Jury’s Dwarhelven and you’re Grandis, then Frost is just like Brandar –! Ouch – Ouch!? – Ber!? That was a complement!” Cer ducked and clasped onto her head the moment Ber karate chopped her.

“I know. But… I think it’s a little early to be saying things like that about Frost.” Ber, to everyone’s surprise, defended Frost rather than going with Cer’s flow.

“What – You got all cozied up with Frost now?” Cer grumbled. Despite the commotion she spawned, she never had bad intentions.

Ber ducked down and embraced her sister, pulling her back up to her feet as they both gave Frost a side-long glance.

“… more than that. Hah. Do I really have to spell it out? I mean, it’s no secret anymore. Awwww. Well, I guess I looked up to her. Kind of got jealous. Admired her a lot. Look Cer – and stop grinning already – You too Frost! Wait, is that steam coming from your face!?”

“Huh?”

Frost touched her face, then wiped her eyes as warm clouds of vapor lifted from her cheeks. Tears fell on their own accord, but her flames concealed these shimmering droplets of happiness. From the bottom of her heart, she was happy to hear that Ber was not only ok, but saw her as someone important in her life.

It was a cleanser for Frost’s stained heart. She had killed countless on their warpath through S4, so hearing this from Ber again, all the while the world burnt spawned a warmth that not even her flames could hold a candle to.

“Listen up! It might be funny to you all but I got a Corrupted Persona of my own called the Black Swan! Couldn’t tell you who I got that from~ Jury’s lucky to have you. But I feel just as blessed to have you as someone closer than a lover!”

“… rival?” Jury said, staring down at Ber’s flat belly and smiling as she touched her own. “You’ve already lost.”

“Ber, you Idiot. You still struggle getting the right words out. But – You sound like you’ve gotten more confident in speaking out your mind.” Res, after a long sigh, joined her sisters as all three of them stared at Frost longingly. There was an air of awkwardness due to the nature of their confession, but Frost only smiled.

She already knew what they were going to say.

“Frost. It’s no surprise that we’ve all started to change because of you. Not easy getting trust with Demi-humans like us. But you had an advantage all along. Because…” Res suddenly turned bright red, causing Cer to pat her head.

“What she means to say is that you’re… like her.” Even Cer began to sweat, avoiding outright admitting it until Ber puffed up her chest and shouted it out from the top of her lungs.

“WE’VE THOUGHT OF YOU AS OUR MOTHER! Like a parent… A guardian. Someone that I was able to look up to. Ahaha… How’d we go from a human we met by chance to this? When I realized that opening up became easy. You always listened, and I was jealous when Cer spoke to you on that moonlight lake. Maybe deep down I also wanted to have a heart to heart…” Ber clutched her chest and began to tremble, lurching forward as tears trickled. “And you really did… Go the extra mile… to save me.”

Frost wished she could embrace her. All of them. But so long as her wick was lit then she had to wait until everything died down. There was nothing she loved to hear more than the words of gratitude from someone she helped. As a Nurse, it was one of the few things that kept her going.

She now had a method to heal people beyond the physical realm. Heal, but not cure. This was the most important part, but knowing Ber, she’d do just fine.

“I did what anyone of us would. I’m just the only one that can. Geez… Ber. Welcome back.”

“Welcome back!” Jury celebrated.

“Mm. Welcome back. I was worried. You’re important to us.” Ignis spoke muffledly through the fur of Ber’s tail.

“Welcome back… Welcome… back…” Res shed tears once again after hearing Ber’s confession.

“Welcome back. I knew all along Frost wouldn’t let you go. The Blessing of the Nexus doesn’t feel like a blessing at all compared to having you around. But maybe that’s what the real blessing is. The Blessing of the Amalgam, huh?” Cer grinned.

Ber’s genuine smile was like a star, showering the others in happiness as they reached out to pet and touch her. Jury threw on one of Frost’s coats. It was the old one she had worn before she repaired the Coat of Prejudice. She could have sworn she slipped it into her own Dimensional Storage, so she had to wonder how on Earth Jury ended up with it.

“Hm? I opened my Dimensional Storage at the same time you did.” Was Jury’s cheeky explanation. “I’m kidding. I bought a black pair of my own. I wanted to match you, but I think wearing black is a bad omen for me.”

Jury disliked wearing the color black due to the feathered garments she once wore back inside of the Black Forest. She fitted Ber into it, knowing that it was only a matter of time before it’d become shredded.

The black fur coat somehow fit Ber, but not quite as much as they hoped. Jury unfortunately didn’t have any dresses for her, and they promised that after this, they’d all help Ber find her perfect outfit.

Frost wondered if she could collaborate with ImpulseWorks for Ber’s apparel. Maybe even Act X for their strings. Revisiting a Retrofitter would also be a good idea, because Ber’s gauntlets seemed a little too small for her hands.

Res was still awkward around Ber, all the while Cer adored Ber’s transformation, staring up at her, proud like a parent. These happiest moments were destined to end, however. When everyone gained their bearings, they finally began to move into the direction of the staging grounds as the Archivist revealed everything she oversaw regarding the Expositionist.

* * *

The Impuritas groups and their connected Ateliers were as follows:

Crimson Hunger – Scarlet Logic.

Sect of Gears – Act X.

Blood Festival – Golden Index.

Maestros of Flesh – ImpulseWorks.

Librarians – Inflow Direct.

Memento Mori – Chained Theocracy.

Infecta Rot – Unknown.

Fractured Nilhim – Unknown.

The Broken Thorn – Unknown.

And not to forget, the Aberrations which were in a league of mystique of their own. Frost theorized that each Atelier had some kind of Impuritas counterpart. If the Aberrations weren’t one, then there was one more still missing.

Granted, she didn’t know much about these other Impuritas groups to begin with, but from what the Archivist revealed, they were less inclined to believe that she was their largest threat. It felt odd hearing that Impuritas of all things possessed some sort of rational thought process, although, she expected them to be equally if not as unhinged in their philosophical bullshit as any Impuritas group.

These thoughts cycled through her mind as they scaled escarpment after escarpment. S4 was massive, and they climbed from its harrowing depths towards the beacon of light that was the City of Spades. Looking back, they realized just how fractured the landscape was, and how porous it had become no thanks to the wars and the Complex Hearts.

In the far distance she managed to spot the dot that was her Hired Arm, and she could have sworn she saw her salute. By the dawn of the 3rd day, they arrived at the last summit where the City of Spades itself resided. Surrounding it was an urban complex far more compact than any of the cities they had seen.

Gothic styled homes endlessly ran, each identical to the last. It was like an old English city, with wide main streets and alleyways that had no end. It was a maze, and Frost was surprised at how pristine things appeared as they rushed through its cobblestone streets.

But it did not take long before they saw the first signs of deterioration. Broken windows, barricaded doors, and walls decorated with blood became prevalent until things became increasingly worse.

Ruined homes, charred buildings, piled skeletal remains, empty prams – It became clear that a tragedy had befallen this place, and judging from the bones, Frost could tell that it occurred within the last few days.

The stench of death was utterly intoxicating.

She had to ask Jury to feel for the consistency of any untouched remains they came across, and thankfully, she had no qualms getting her hands dirty. The closer they moved towards the center of this outer city, the more the heartbeat Frost had been hearing since entering the City of Spades resonated.

Soon, the streets were wrapped in a blanket of flesh. The squelching of their boots, and the silent whimpers of those conjoined with the mass glued to every surface of the city caused Frost to begin setting it all alight.

She resented that there was no other way to save these people.

The heart she sensed throbbed unlike any other. The Complex Hearts did not reach this level of loudness. Even up close they were relatively bearable. But this… this was on an entirely different level, and Frost had to wonder if it was the Masterpiece.

Nav and the Archivist navigated them through the landscape until they reached a certain sewer line. And there, as expected, they were met with the Their Bodies, as well as an entire mass of Crimson Hunger abominations.

They were not going to let them through that easily. However, they did not know what they were dealing with in the first place. Ber, with violently sparking claws, sent an electric slash into the gaping entrance, obliterating upwards of 30 of the monstrosities, leaving behind a mountain of singed flesh.

“Let’s show them what our flock can do!” Ber grinned.

“You mean pack, right?” Cer was also fired up, baring her fangs spitefully. “Heh. Let’s show them what it means to pick a fight with a Moon! Masterpiece – HERE WE COME!”

With her rallied cry, they sprung into action and laid hell upon the Crimson Hunger.