Chapter 57: 58. Decisions Before the Main Course

The events that transpired after Iscario’s betrayal were numerous. The first was the simultaneous destruction of all 72 Relay Sites and Repositories across Brandar. She was under the assumption that only the ones along Grandis were destroyed but that turned out to be far from the truth.

It brought up yet another hurdle in her journey to return to the Nexus. There was no other way to return until the Relay Sites were fixed, and possible tampering or destruction of others along the neighboring regions was highly likely.

Furthermore, an order was given to all Ateliers and Adventurers to evacuate Grandis. Not only were the Blessed forbidden from entering, but so was everyone else; Adventurers included.

The Guilds and the Nexus recognized Iscario as a high-risk threat. The Woe of the Fallen Star risk classification was given to him; the third highest behind Apocalypse and Paradise Lost. From what Nav explained; it required the immense coordination of multiple Moons, Stars, Exalted and Ateliers to subdue a threat of this classification.

A grand ensemble was required, so to speak.

The extent of Iscario’s damage made her curious. The fallout saw the Ateliers scramble in disarray. Still, the knowledge of these people merely scratched the surface of this conspiracy. They were not Blessed and were among the lowest of the low in their respective Atelier.

Their information is still worthwhile, even if it’s only just the gist of things.

But what Frost was most interested in was the situation in Divas Pass.

Clad under the light of the new moon, all caravans gathered close as Frost spoke to the Captain and the Manager a good distance away from the others. There was no wind to carry their voices on this star-filled night.

The tamer: Fran, and the slaves they hauled for collection tried to find comfort in the fur of the giant wolves. The night was awfully cold, and the others could also be seen joining them with pleasant smiles, wanting to wash away their fears with its warmth.

The bunny-eared Usa gave them a side-long glance from the log she rested on before she solemnly spoke.

“Midnight Dragon Team ended up finding a dungeon in the destruction of Divas Pass. It usually takes a few days for an untouched dungeon to transition into an infestation. But it took 24 hours before things went to hell. Imagine our surprise when we got caught up in that mess. 200 were lost then, and nearly 2,000 of our fodders were gobbled up.”

She seemed jumpy now. She squirmed on the log she rested on as if in pain. Her leg was broken, but Frost didn’t think that reaction came from the pain itself.

“Midnight Dragon Team failed to apprehend Iscario and just abandoned Divas Pass?” Frost questioned judgingly.

“Sorry. We don’t operate like your branches. We have only one goal assigned and nothing else matters unless it becomes an obstacle.” Cara said defensively. “What’s right and wrong is redundant to what needs to be done. There’s nothing more I can say. We collect, and the Hungry poses a threat to our mission. Don’t expect much more from us. That’s why we’ll gladly accept your help.”

A unit made up of people as strong as Stars and Moons couldn’t be fucked to help those people out?

“Scarlet Logic protocols. They do not dabble in useless endeavors that stray from the mission’s objective.” Nav explained in its usual cold tone as Frost turned towards the direction of Divas Pass.

So they just went there, realized Iscario ran off, and then fucked off? Frost mentally winced.

“Did people survive initially? Before the dungeon became an infestation?” She asked as calmly as possible.

“They did. Of course there’d be survivors.” Usa said, cleaning her weapon before her ears steadily dropped.

A bad sign…

“What about now?” Frost’s voice deepened.

“Dead… squirming, more accurately. It’s an infestation. A Hungry infestation as well. The dungeon’s turned inside out and has partially converted the city’s center. You can imagine what’s already become of the survivors.” Cara said, ensuring to keep her voice down as the Adventurers keenly watched, trying to read their lips to the best of their abilities.

What happened to them?

“Frost. I… believe I must withhold this information. For your sake. It will be for the best if I reveal it when day breaks. That way – you can annihilate this infestation.” Nav ominously warned. “They’re weak. Very few dungeons reach Monsoon levels of threat. Infestations are much the same.”

Everyone was worried. No. They already knew what laid ahead. This was their chance to leave before things became worse. In fact, they were already separating themselves into two different groups, arguing whether there was anyone left alive given the emergence of the Hungry.

These things were not native to Grandis. Though no one revealed that a dungeon had appeared, many of them already knew this was the case. They were not stupid and neither were they dumb enough to risk their lives for what was already lost.

She understood this mindset and did not blame them for being afraid and commended those that still wished to cling onto the hope of seeing their families. Or at least hoped to reach Brandar.

“But the timing makes this precarious.”

As if hearing Nav’s concern, Cara joined Frost’s side and spoke.

“You can feel it too, right? A Plague is brewing. It’d be left to rot as a Corrupted Zone in another month’s time and still see no signs of help. Thanks to Grandis restrictions. It’s out of line for me to say this but –”

She turned to Frost and took the same respectable stance, puffing out her chest.

“Thank you for stepping down to help. If not for us, then for them.”

“My moral compass wouldn’t allow me to abandon them.” Frost assured. “A Plague, hmm.”

“It is the proliferation phase. Dungeons can be seen as living entities to some extent as a result. At least for the Crimson Hunger. Afterwards, they reach the Corrupted Zone classification. It becomes indistinguishable from a Corrupted’s domain and becomes something akin to the Black Forest.”

So the Impuritas origin and the Corrupted have things in common. But the dungeon as an entity doesn’t make sense to me at all. Frost admitted, finding it hard to wrap her mind around a living complex.

But if the flesh-like theme of the Hungry was anything to go by, then she could understand why it would appear like a living organism. The image of living walls of pulsating flesh caused her to begin producing thin strands of string from her fingertips.

She deeply inhaled, masking her rage poorly as all Demi-humans and the Scarlet Logic erected themselves further, their instinct screaming at them.

Frost did not truly understand the true extent of the dangers ahead. But if there was anything to go by; the largest risk was losing these people.

The people that planned to surrender and return to Grandis by daybreak made this easier, but what about the others that remained? The slaves? The people who couldn’t fight?

She gave an inquisitive look to Cer and Usa, and then to Fran. The silence was telling. Everyone partially knew what she was going to say next. The tamer walked up and straightened himself out in utmost respect beside Usa before the Captain rose to her feet and spoke.

“The valley will no longer be safe. We have two options; push forward and defend these people to the best of our abilities or abandon them. Send them back to Grandis. With you here I believe we can push through! If… if it does become a Plague, then it just becomes a matter of wiping everything out, right?”

They’re relying on me. Nav… this thing WILL turn into a Plague, won’t it?

“There is no guarantee, but it is likely.”

Murphy’s Law will absolutely fuck us. I know that much.

“What can go wrong, will go wrong. Knowing our chain of luck when encountering the Corrupted, we may face trouble ahead. What will you do Frost?”

Fight. I am not going to allow them to stay in Grandis. Jury’s also still asleep. We can’t move during the night, can we? These things are most active at night.

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“Imagine the entirety of Brandar beyond the walls of the Nex Megalopolis swarming with these, among other creatures like the Pages, the Gears, the Animals and the Hearts.”

And these things are commonly hunted by Adventurers. By parties I’m guessing, not a rag-tag bunch like us. Alright. ALRIGHT.

Frost steeled herself and spoke with a voice matching her grandeur appearance.

“Entrust the destruction of the Crimson Hunger infestation to me. In return, I trust that you will protect them.”

“With as many lives as we can muster! We’ll return again and again!” Cara spoke through clenched teeth, raising a heavily bandaged hand to her chest. It was slightly larger than the other now that Frost had a closer look.

It didn’t appear swollen or injured. It was simply unsymmetrical.

Nav… they sound like they don’t die at all.

“It may be related to Scarlet Logic’s technology. It is unknown what this is exactly.”

Hm.

“Everyone! As you’ve heard, danger lurks ahead!” Frost announced, unable to hide this truth as all eyes fell onto her. She walked past the shoulders of these three and presented herself before the others. “You’ve seen my strength. My powers to fight against foes unreachable by normal people. But I have also displayed my inability to protect you all. That’s why – I want you all to make your choice now. I promise you defend you with my life, but you must also arm yourself. To protect each other like they are your own. We are threatened by a Hungry infestation ahead.”

They were gripped with emotion.

“So… will you stay to see the light shine over Divas Pass with us, or will you return to Grandis? There is no shame in wanting to live. No shame in being afraid.” Frost’s voice softened towards the end. “No one here has the right to judge you.”

We face an unknown threat. I don’t want to lie and tell them that things will be perfect. They’re aware of my limitations. There is only one of me in the end.

Unsurprisingly, the slaves didn’t budge. They had no one else to rely on. No where else to go. Fear could not grip their hearts, for they were greased with the tragedy of their pasts. They could only walk forward on these bloodied paths hand-in-hand with each other.

The Adventurers were wary. Frost’s words pushed away at least half of them to one side along another two Patrons. In the end, they were left with a dozen of the original 50 that initially tagged along since the very beginning.

They had lost much during their travels. So many of which she never knew the names of.

“… we wish you farewell. Whatever happened to them… I at least wish you can spare them from those Hungry.” One of the leaving Patrons sincerely begged from the bottom of their heart, clutching at the reins of the horse in pain. “Those fuckers… eat everything… become one with everything… everyone’s already dead. Avenge them. Please… avenge them.” They nearly broke down.

“Why do the deities sleep on the people here in Grandis? What did people like us do wrong? Nothing… We didn’t do anything.” Another question Their anger did not go unnoticed. But they retained the capacity to hold their tongue against Frost, knowing that she did not mind the taste of blood.

Frost didn’t know how to answer that. Her silence caused the man to choke up and surrender. The reason why she didn’t say a word was because her feathers did not ruffle.

She didn’t exactly know the entire situation in Grandis. They had only travelled through a very small section of it.

“That’s it then… let’s go. There is no hope for us beyond here. Grandis be damned. Those monsters spilled over the borders and killed our families. The King of Puritas was right… there are no deities. Only impurities.” They bordered the caravans, saying not another word before they departed.

In their absence, Frost turned to the those that remained.

“Calfasio. Hellen. Alice… and you, old man?” She called out the only non-combatants of the group, aside from the slaves.

“A rackety sack of bones won’t see much action with the Hungry.” He laughed.

“You decided to be buried in flesh than 6 feet in soil?” Furio jabbed.

“I wish to see this to the end. I’m curious is all. I’ve seen many things in my long life. I want to see something spectacular at least before I pass.” He knew he was going to die and accepted this as his final resting spot. “Like a candle. They burn the brightest when they’re about to fizzle out.”

“A candle…” Calfasio repeated this for some reason.

“We’re all candles, wouldn’t you say!?”

“Shut up meat shield. Battle-axed woman, use him.” Furio growled.

“It’s Anna! Know my name at least!”

To be fair… I’ve referred to her as the battle-axed woman for some time now. At least they seem to ‘get’ it. That tomorrow might be their last. I don’t want them to be afraid. It’d rather they fought with the conviction to live. So…

Frost pulled a giant, bladed feather of the Righteousness before their very eyes. It hardly cut into her flesh as she began to weave steel strands around the base, creating a handle. But she knew that this could quite easily dismember any one of these people if mishandled.

As well as their upcoming foes.

“Nilhinid…?” Usa questioned from behind.

Intrigue filled them as she presented it like a blade and handed it over to the fox-eared woman.

“No one is going in unarmed. As you know, you cannot rely on me to protect you. That’s why I want you all you take my armaments to protect each other. And… to protect Jury for me.” Frost announced as the woman took the blade.

It was light. Incredibly light for its size and the strength it boasted. Even a frail woman like her was able to wield it with ease. It would also help to combat their fatigue if the battle stretched on.

“What kind of a weapon is that? A Corrupted weapon?” Usa questioned.

“Partially. It has no anomalous properties like one, but it is sourced from a fallen Corrupted.” Frost revealed, causing the Fox-woman to brandish her weapon beneath the stars in reverence.

“Woah… T-thank you. I promise… to meet your expectations.”

“I just want you to survive. All of you. Don’t do anything heroic.” Frost smiled her as she prepared another weapon.

“Mhm. Thank you!”

“A fallen Corrupted…? Which one? There’s plenty in Grandis. I can think of 5 that are bird-related, including the Dozen Winged Bird.” Fran, the tamer, curiously asked.

Frost grinned and looked towards the caravan containing Jury. She felt like she could hear her heartbeat as she closed her eyes and passed this weapon on to the next person.

“The One Thousand Eyed Bird. I’m sure you’re aware of the tale of the Black Forest.”

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