Chapter 58: 59. Preparations at the Table

Preparations were made that night. Arming these people with the feathers of the Righteousness was the first step. It was stronger than the standard issued weapons the Dawn Collection Team possessed save for the Manager’s and the Captain’s.

The Tamer was also given one of these. They were skilled in combat like any other Scarlet Logic personnel, but their wolves were rather… unreliable for combat. Running was their greatest strength.

The second step was turning the accumulated feathers of the Witnesses into protective gear. Frost was by no means a craftsman and fumbled as she tried to thread her steel string through the metal feathers, linking them like chainmail. It was crude and rudimentary, but to the others these vests were a Godsend.

However, Flesh Clots were capable of a maximum of 300 ATT. With the HP of the slaves and the non-combatants in the 100s, the 40 DEF these provided was hardly beneficial. That’s why she wove other acquired feathers into them.

The pale feathers of the Innocents were useless as they provided near 0 DEF. The black feathers whether from the Accusers, the Witnesses, and the One Thousand Eyed Bird itself were much the same. However – the golden feathers that lined the bird’s innards were of value.

Just weaving a couple into their wear caused the 40 DEF to jump as high as 150. Because not all attacks would deal the maximum damage, Frost had finally given them what was the equivalent to a ‘one-hit-protection’ mechanic, meaning they had a second chance to live if attacked.

The Scarlet Logic forces implemented this into their wear. They were like a flock of flightless birds heading straight into the nest of a beast. But unlike the healers of the past, they did not seek salvation. They wished to live. To preserve. To emerge victorious.

With only a few hours before daybreak; the entire group formed a circle as Cara scraped her blade into the bedrock, drawing up a map of Divas Pass. The city was rather large and was home to a population of 70,000.

The 21,000 deaths was merely the number killed by Iscario alone. As for the others they were left stranded in the ruins to fend for themselves against the Hungry.

All of the near 50,000 were considered dead.

The city itself could be separated into 3 distinct rings.

There was the outer layer which was likely untouched. It was here where the group would find refuge. In the event that the infestation became a Plague, the valley was most certainly going to be swarmed by hundreds of emerging Crimson Hunger. Therefore, these mostly in tact ruins were the safest place to garrison.

The middle layer was expected to hold the highest concentration of the Crimson Hunger and was essentially the most dangerous place. From what Cara described; it was a gruesome place where flesh was plastered over every surface. She noted that these people were likely… alive while in that state, but they were better off considered dead.

No amount of healing could reverse their tragic fate. They were transformed at a biological level. Healing magic would only worsen this.

Frost had a vague idea of what to expect and left her emotions to brew until daybreak.

As for the flattened ruins of the city center – it was where the main mass of the Hungry resided.

Destroying the inner mass was vital in defeating the infestation, which had already begun to weave its surroundings to its whims. This was called the Heart. Everyone else was tasked only to survive, while Frost appointed herself the responsibility of defeating this. It was a rather simple plan.

Simple because Frost was not the one who planned the majority of their advancements. All she had to do was fight the infestation. Alone. The others just needed to survive. That’s why she appointed the Manager to lead the others.

Why her?

Because of her experience. Despite the tribulations Frost had faced, her experience and knowledge paled in comparison to this woman. From what she understood from Nav, Managers were the highest rank in any Scarlet Logic Team and required nearly decades worth of combat experience before one could reach such a position.

They did not necessarily need to be strong. They just needed to know the best course of action. Furthermore, there was the problem with Jury and the cat-eared girl. Both were still fast asleep. No matter where she pinched or how hard she shook them, the two did not budge.

The caravans moved again.

The skies became scarlet as the stars steadily faded away. When the light returned the found themselves only an hour away from reaching Divas Pass now. The Scarlet Logic forces moved in their separate caravans. They moved in a great line like an advancing army.

Usa found herself in the company of Frost and the others inside of Via’s caravan. The reason why Frost brought her there was to squeeze some information from this one. She seemed willing to talk.

In the meantime, she caressed over Jury’s head as the other women watched over the cat-eared girl. Everyone was on edge, and the soft snores of these two somehow eased their hearts.

“A-Apostle. Slayer of Corrupted! Did you want to talk to me alone? I’m sorry if I’m not cut out to be a Captain. Things happened and I winded up in this position.” Usa suddenly apologized. The tension must have gotten to her.

“It’s fine. I don’t meddle with the affairs of other Ateliers. You should look after yourself.”

“What? Oh. You’re… really funny. Haha. Us? Scarlet Logic? Beholder Marduk would probably kill you for saying that. I mean! N-Not that it’s a threat or anything!” She suddenly stood up, wincing in pain before the caravan rocked her back down. “Ugh… Usa here! Captain of the Dawn Collection Team!”

“Calm down. You’re a Scarlet Logic Captain.” Frost spoke calmly as the girl stared at Jury, almost in fear.

Yeah, she’s definitely not disciplined like them. How did she become a Captain?

“Likely because of her skill. Perhaps an affinity for Atelier magic.”

What a lousy criteria…

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“Is there something wrong with my friend?” Frost asked.

“That’s… no, she’s not the 11^th Apostle. We would’ve been dead already. Remember the last Atelier war? Or… maybe not. It was only against the 11^th Branch and us. You guys were assigned here in Grandis since the start I heard.”

Ah. So she’s afraid of Jury’s mantle. The grey feathers are worn by Galia’s 11^th Apostle. I didn’t think the Ateliers would fight each other.

“Proxy wars are more common than you think. The Ateliers exist like giants on thin ice. No one wants to overstep their boundaries, lest they all fall. And neither does anyone want to step on another’s toes. But sometimes it is unavoidable.”

And the Ateliers made a city together. Beautiful. Frost mentally sighed with immense sarcasm. Nav. Any idea on what’s wrong with Jury? We’re… almost at Divas Pass.

“Unknown. It is likely to be caused by the Library in her dreams.”

Frost could only stare at the sleeping face of her closest friend. There was no telling what was going on, and it frustrated her that she couldn’t do anything to help. The problem with the infestation was already enough for her.

“Usa.”

“Yes! Reporting!”

“Have you heard of the Library? The one that appears in people's dreams?”

“No… No I haven’t.” Her ears drooped for some reason.

Her guess is as good as ours. Tch. I can’t carry Jury with me and fight. That’s my problem. I have to leave her in their care. My feathers have been rustling every time they speak. Plus, this isn’t a situation where we can afford to doubt each other.

“Frost… will we be alright?” Hellen had to ask, clutching onto Alice’s hand tightly.

“Usa here will look after you. She’s from one of the Ateliers of the Nexus. A servant of a deity.” She announced, causing the pink-haired bunny-woman to raise her ears proudly.

“What can I say? 3 Rep. cycles in only my first year of officially becoming a Dawn Team member. You can’t even tell that I’m all that different from my last iterations!”

“Uhuh. Because that makes sense to us.” Another Demi-human uttered. “Do… all the Ateliers just fight?”

“Uh… no? I don’t think so. You got one that makes weapons, and another that has a train that goes straight to hell. But I like to think we’re the most normal. A-apart from you Justica Arms people!”

Those two sound like complete polar opposites. A train that goes straight to hell makes no sense at all. And isn’t she saying this too casually? Everyone can hear her.

“Please do not ask me. I have no idea either.”

Frost shut her eyes and softly sighed.

“I like to think that no one’s normal. At all. Usa. I want you to watch over these two for me.” She motioned to the sleeping duo.

“They’re almost comatose. You said you met with a Wandering Healer. I wonder if they were administered Serum S.”

“And if they were?” Frost inquired.

“Well, that’s frankly impossible since no one’s survived Infusion S in the last 20… y… years… hey… A-Apostle?”

“I’ll ask again. And if they were?”

“They inevitably become a Moon or higher! Leave them to me!” Usa exploded. “Alright! I’ll die as many times as you want to get them back!”

“You don’t have to die –”

“A fourth time won’t matter! I just have to prove I’m better than this iteration of me!”

Huh?

Frost tried to make sense of this throughout the duration of the hour. They spoke like they really could just return from the dead. Knowing the absurdness of Elysia and the technologies of the Beholders; she could not help but to suspect that this was the case.

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