Chapter 169: 167. Confrontation

The armed Impulse Defenders were made up of Aquatids and Insectids, each capable of producing projectiles whether from the tips of the tentacles, or from other organs. One of the insectids bloated a transparent sack found at the base of their neck and filled it to the brim with an acidic concoction.

“ALL YOUR SERVICES WILL BE REVOKED! STEP ASIDE OR WE’LL DO IT BY FORCE!” An Aquatid woman shouted, wielding 12 halberds in each tentacle leg, preparing to strike with whatever means necessary.

“What the fuck! We’re just here waiting!” One of the Adventurers cried, backing off as the Impulse Defenders swarmed through, pushing them away.

No one wanted to have a giant glass shard embedded into their chest.

“What did we do wrong this time!? We’re not here to fight! I don’t even have a weapon on me for crying out loud!”

“Do we look like we can do anything!? What is wrong with you people!?”

“ALRIGHT ALRIGHT! I’M MOVING!”

“What’s going on?” Frost demanded from the triplets.

“Dunno. But it seems fun.” Cer shrugged, alongside Ber as they escorted them through the clearing made by the Impulse Defenders. “They’re with us. Best watch your mouth around them. They’re our superiors.”

“Higher than you three?” The captain blankly blinked. He was what people would call a Merman, and his skin was tinted in a light blue. He wore a massive suit of armor with tubes that circulated water to keep him functional on land.

“Top of the Blessed chain.” Cer warned, her teeth shooting jolts of electricity.

“Escort them. You. Go.” The captain motioned to the Vice Captain, who was a beetle Insectid that wore an obsidian-like carapace that resembled full-plated armor. “STEP BACK!” He suddenly fired a crystal into the ground as a warning shot.

That was Frost’s final straw.

“What the fuck is going on!?” Frost demanded; her tone so cold that the crowd instinctively froze. She inadvertently inflicted them with Scrutiny as she desperately tried to get to the bottom of this.

No one carried any ill intent. Not even the Impulse Defenders. They truly did not wish to escalate this any further.

So what the fuck was wrong?

“P-Protocols –”

“Fuck the protocols.” Frost’s overbearing presence hung over them. It felt as though they were staring up at her despite her smaller frame. An intoxicating air of dread strangled their throats as all fell silent. “You. You’re the vice captain?” Frost looked over to the woman, and she nodded firmly. “Stay here. You. Come with us.”

The Captain knew in his heart that she directed those words to him. A sharp pain riddled his chest with each word that painstakingly left Frost’s lips. Their turmoil was met with amused smirks from the triplets.

“C’mon big guy. She won’t bite. Unless you’re into that.” Cer strolled off past the open, metal gates.

“A bigger dog’s here, so I’d start moving if I were you.” Ber warned, increasing the man’s inner turmoil as he stared at his own feet, unable to meet Frost’s eyes.

He and his men were awfully aware of who the triplets were. They were wise enough to know that they weren’t deities, but they also knew enough to understand just where they stood in comparison to them.

And If Frost was their superior…

“Listen. I don’t give a fuck on how you run things in ImpulseWorks. The rest of you. Let them wait. They were patient, so don’t even try to point your weapons at them.”

Frost began, motioning the captain to lead them forward.

He stiffly moved as the Impulse Defenders slowly returned to the compound. They were equally as bewildered as the crowd, who clutched at their throats, unable to rid themselves of the chill that had frozen like statues.

Frost’s presence had ensnared their hearts.

“You shot first. At people that didn’t want to fight. I didn’t take ImpulseWorks for scum. So, you’re going to walk us through everything until we reach the Retrofitter.” Frost made it clear who was in charge now.

Seeing weapons drawn to noncombatants struck a certain chord within her. He was lucky he didn’t hit anyone, and that he truly meant no harm. Frost utilized her strength and political power as a Moon’s superior to strong arm this captain, who audibly gulped as they took a long stroll down the streets of a magenta-tinted urban complex.

“… W-We just…”

“Just?” Frost pressured.

“J-Just… We didn’t want to lose another Retrofitter. Three… Erm. Three days ago, we heard news of the death of H7’s Retrofitter. Two weeks ago we lost H8’s. H6 has none… So we prepared for something to happen. P-Please understand. Know that I didn’t wish to harm them.”

“So where’s the Eclipses? They should be on the prowl, no?” Res pressed.

But it was like trying to bleed a rock.

“That’s what we don’t understand.” He uttered through rapid breaths. “One… is currently here. With the Retrofitter. We don’t know what happened to the others. Forgive us. We were just taking precautions.”

Frost allowed herself to calm down. After the events in the Derma layer, she had a zero tolerance to anyone that dared to show violence towards the innocent. She could never forget their sorrow and the helplessness that plagued the weak.

She deescalated with a long, drawn-out sigh. They had turned enough corners whey were now completely isolated. The buildings were abandoned and devoid of all life. But she found lavish furnishings within every window.

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This complex was a Kenophobic’s worst nightmare

No two rooms were ever the same. It was a kenophobic’s worst nightmare, and it brought a sense of dread and introduced a plethora of questions.

When she finally composed herself, she hummed:

“Alright. That makes better sense. Assassinations, huh. Res. Any idea?”

“None. You’re not going to wring much out from an Impulse Defender. They’re just doing their job. Retrofitters on the other hand will have some answers.” She said as they approached a central building, which was no more than a single-floored, inconspicuous warehouse made entirely out of metal.

The architecture was hardly sophisticated. It was built with purpose in mind. This purpose was yet to be seen, and Frost couldn’t wait to begin unraveling the underbellies of ImpulseWorks.

She initially had a good outlook on them, but this soured it. They seemed to have a problem on their hands.

“Could this be what the ARU were talking about? When they said they might be needing your help?” Jury reminded them about the tip they gave.

Frost grumbled.

“I didn’t plan to get straight into action, but if things start to take a turn for the worse, then I’m more than happy to help. For a price.”

Frost realized she could use this as leverage in some way.

“And I’d like to see our perpetrators try to stop us. Look. I don’t give a fuck who anyone thinks is killing off the Retrofitters. I’m already dead set on blaming Scarlet Logic. Haaah. So much for taking a break.” She leaned against Jury, wanting to feel her warmth.

“Seconded.” Res agreed, also ready to blame Scarlet Logic. “Who else is going to be able to take down an Eclipse other than another Moon?”

“Thirded.” Cer said, nodding as she slapped the metal hull of the captain’s armor, causing him to jolt in fright.

“Foruthed.” Ber added.

“Me too…” Ignis didn’t want to feel left out.

“By the way. I’m sorry about that.” Frost suddenly apologized to the man, sticking out a hand for him to take. It was awkward for him to even conceive of touching the hand of a Moon’s superior. “I don’t like seeing people getting killed for no reason. You have a voice. Use it first.”

“… I-I understand. Thank you.” She rapidly nodded, politely declining Frost’s hand.

“See? Isn’t she kind? If you think about, you would’ve already been turned to paste if it was anyone else, huh?” Cer smirked. “Consider yourself lucky. Kind of flattering that you still remember us~”

“… I-I could never forget your faces…”

This man was shaken. What did these triplets do to him?

“See this guy? He’s a Blessed we ended up rescuing on some Monsoon mission. Wasn’t our intention, but one thing turned into another, so we ended up stopping him from jumping into hole in the wall.” Cer explained as they reached the mouth of the metallic structure. “You should’ve seen him. He wouldn’t stop talking about how the hole was made for him.”

“I was under a strong spell. As you can see, I’m just a low-levelled Blessed.” The man then took the lead, finally composing himself enough to trust that his life wasn’t on the line anymore.

I kind of feel bad now. Doesn’t seem like a bad person.

“They are going to be your allies. Best to tread carefully.”

I’ll remember that. Thank you, Nav.

“But a Blessed is a Blessed. That makes you a thousand times better than anyone else. Take pride in that. Heh.” Cer smugly said.

She was highly talkative when it came to other Blessed as Frost found. Cer never really spoke to anyone else, and neither did her sisters aside from rare instances. Of course, that didn’t excuse their rudeness towards others, particularly Atelier members.

The structure had no doors. Only vast openings that begged people to explore. An emphatic light drew them, blinding them momentarily before they were faced with a long, massive corridor that led deep underground.

Every surface was made from metal, and a single light at the end of the tunnel perfectly illuminated it.

“Wondering why Retrofitters like to isolate themselves like this?” Res sensed Frost’s curiosity and answered before she could even open her mouth. “It’s to lessen external interruptions. A single sound can introduce inaccuracies in the process. Passing trains. ‘lightning’ strikes. It interferes with the process.”

“So don’t go moaning when they touch you all over.” Cer gave them a heads up. “And don’t let them know you used to have something between your legs. Trust me. They’ll touch you even more!”

“Grrrr. Fucking perv-fitters.” Ber growled as Snap responded with a similar sounding ‘Brrr’, which echoed ominously all around them.

Frost gulped as Jury took her hand.

If it was only Cer and Ber that warned her, then she’d dismiss them as being morons as usual. But the fact that Res had also warned her raised certain alarms. She didn’t know what to expect, and she could only hope that these three were exaggerating.

But then again… this place was called the City of Lust for a reason.