blueteamnovel 910. A Cnidarian Moon
910. A Cnidarian Moon
910. A Cnidarian Moon
“Umu. Impressive. Amalgam.”
A Seci Response Moon greeted Frost as she moved into another room. An equally impressive chamber sat behind the Stage. It was separated by five wooden doors and a single steel, lattice door.@@@@
As one would expect, this room which was decorated with a few inward-facing sofas and a glass table was the most secure place within the Stage. It served as an isolated room where high-stakes meetings could take place.
While CognitO Filters can already achieve 100% sound isolation, the Kingdoms preferred a natural sound barrier using exactly a 15-meter-thick wall. Additionally, examination magic such as [Clarity – Transparency], [Redvision], and [Echolocation] could not easily penetrate through this natural barrier.
Although, just for good measure, there was a CognitO Filter that isolated this magnificent room.
Frost sat down on the chair furthest away from the seat. Then, she motioned her head for the Moon to take a seat.
“Can I really?” The Moon, who was a jellyfish Aquatid, asked. Her fluency and pronunciation were the most impressive out of the Eclipses.
The only thing she lacked was tonality.
“Please do. Consider it a way to keep the seats warm for our guests.” Frost smiled.
“Umu. Understood.”
Her voice was neutral, and it perfectly matched her expressionless face.
Furthermore, her skin was a translucent pale, appearing like a plastic film filled to the brim with water. Purple bioluminescent beads flowed throughout her body in a slow, hypnotic manner. Attached between each bead was a strand, and within those strands were long cilia that wiggled around like the legs of a centipede.
Sat atop her head was a plump jellyfish cap. It was shaped like the tip of a harpoon, and it had three long flaps that were slicked to the side. Dangling beneath it was a bundle of translucent tentacles that acted as her hair as well as a secondary set of arms.
She glowed with a soft, biofluorescent blue, as did her beautiful ring-shaped eyes. 22 more eyes could be found hidden around her body.
“Are you nervous?” Frost asked as she crossed her legs and rested her chin on a fist. “I picked you to escort me here because you know the layout of the Stage. It’s a maze out there. But for good reason. It makes it a strategically viable place to take shelter should Atlas come under attack.”
“Agreed. It will also depend on whether the attacker is on par with us. Otherwise, these walls are meaningless even if they use Caldera Industries’ construction blends.”
This was Cuboza, a Cnidarian Aquatid that specialized in neurotoxin. Not only that, but Cuboza came from a type of Cnidarian that had the capacity to modify their behavior, which was reflected in how she had learned to speak.
Nav believed them to be from the Box Jellyfish family.
Moon
Cuboza
< Silent Strand >
Soul Rank: Incandescent | Body: Seci Response
LEVEL : 200ORIGIN : Aquatid (Cnidarian)
HP : 24,000
ATT : 4,200MAG ATT : 4,000ATT DEF : 1,100 (+2,000)MAG DEF : 1,100 (+2,000)
MP : 6,000
RESIST : 150AGI : 50
“Respectfully, you did not have to invite me here personally. I can stand outside these doors to guard you. The Three Heads of Security are a better choice, though I am incredibly grateful you’ve chosen me.”
“They’ll be preparing the representatives to join us here. Plus, I want them to screen the Kingdoms. While my decisions are final, I want to ensure that all opinions are heard. I have a strong bias to some of the Kingdoms here.”
“Umu. Could it be the Chlam Empire?”
“Exactly. I have a short history with Princess Perla. At the time I was not aware she was of royalty. Funny how the world works.”
“Hm. It’s easier in the watery depths where I’m from. You can tell friends from foe easily. Except when your siblings get hungry if you’re a shark. Luckily, Cnidarians don’t eat each other. Unless we’re starving.”
“Oh. Would a cannibal Cnidarian be a Sindarian?” Nav interjected, causing Frost to silently laugh.
She found Cuboza endearing, just like all her Moons. The old Frost would have felt unnerved by her high toxicity. Merely grazing against Cuboza would result in a lethal dose. But she had seen and experienced stranger things, so this was entirely normal to Frost.
Cuboza covers every inch of her skin from below the neck to avoid accidentally stinging people. I don’t want to psychoanalyze her, but it could be why she’s so reserved.
The Moon couldn’t bathe in the public baths alone. Biological limitations prevented Cuboza from living a social life, and it was another task that Ignis was seeking to resolve.
“Amalgam. You didn’t choose those 8 Kingdoms by virtue alone.” Cuboza suddenly said, right as Frost set down a petri dish in front of her. “I knew right away what your intentions are. As expected of you. The ‘helping out the Blessed’ is a cover story.”
Frost blankly blinked.
Eh? What is she talking about?
“Elaborate.”
9 tentacles rested on various parts of the table. Then, she pointed at a tentacle northwest of the petri dish.
“The Bellum Empire is the Nexus’ strategic gateway into the inner northwest of Elysia. The 8 Kingdoms you plan to cut a deal with reside in key territories. As an ex-assassin of ImpulseWorks, I’m shocked... no, it should be a given that you’re aware of using allies as a way to mask your movement.”
“I see.” Frost nodded.
They were equipped to not only murder a Moon, but to debilitate them if they failed. Thankfully, nearly all Moons of the Nexus were under the banner of the Head.
Still, it was worth looking into a Moon-slaying poison.
Frost was curious if she could cure with her nearly maxed [Cure Disease IV], but alas, no number of black particles changed the composition of the Silent Strand. It annoyed her, but she received what she had called Cuboza for.
But she wasn’t satisfied with this at all. It frankly annoyed her that her [Cleanse IV] probably wasn’t enough to deal with most of the Stack either. The difference between the two was that [Cure Disease] removed a person’s illness, Conditions and the effects of a disease, whereas [Cleanse] removed foreign bodies which typically caused the disease in the first place.
It wasn’t anything Healing magic couldn’t fix, especially after hacking the patient in half.
It makes sense, but it doesn’t make sense at the same time. Haaaah. I figured [Cure Disease] doesn’t work on the disease itself. [Cleanse] on the other hand...
Black particles formed on the Silent Strand. Pieces of the strand were taken by the particles. Before long, the petri dish was empty.
“You never cease to amaze me. Scarlet Healers and the Perched are the only Healers I know who can properly deal with my poison.”
“It’s just that your poisons incredibly powerful. Are you able to produce more for me?”
“Umu. I can. Amalgam. You’re smiling suddenly.”
She was right. Frost was grinning from ear to ear. Cuboza thought she was smiling at her, but in actuality, it was because of a prompt that appeared in front of her.
< Cleanse IV has gained a level >
< Congratulations! >
< Cleanse has reached its Mastery Level of 50 >
< Cleanse V has gained a unique effect >
“I just received incredible news.”
It was long overdue, and she wished she had gained this during her battle against the Heart of Ours. Finally, that same power Poena possessed was in her own hands.
< Cleanse V >
< EFFECT: Instantly remove 5 chosen Stacks on self or target in your proximity. If multiple targets are in contact or in your proximity, then 5 Stacks will be simultaneously removed from them all. You may remove up to 100 Stacks at once at 3x the mana cost >
< DISTANCE: 10m: 5 Stacks, 15m: 3 Stacks, 20m: 1 Stack >
< COST: 50 MP >
< MASTERY: Purify >
< Tap the heads of the unwanted ducklings and turn them into beautiful geese >
< EFFECT: Remove permanent Conditions and Stacks born from Corrupted or sources of Qliphoth. Remove all foreign materials from the target, whether it is accessible or not upon contact >
//////// < ALERT > ////////
< It may not remove Qliphoth Corrosion or similar phenomena >
< But you can slow down the process >
< Odd how the Mastery of Cleanse allows you to remove Conditions. But considering it’s limited to Corrupted-based Conditions, it doesn’t make [Cure Disease] redundant >
< Beware that there will be limitations. Not all Corrupted are made equal >
Frost stowed away the poisonous petri dish with a delighted expression.
“Alright. I’ll keep this in my Dimensional Storage. In the meantime, would you mind guiding our first guest?”
“Right away, my Amalgam.”