blueteamnovel 70. Hailstorm at Dusk
70. Hailstorm at Dusk
70. Hailstorm at Dusk
One question arose from Frost’s revelation.
If people could become Corrupted, then how come it had never occurred until now? The countless tens of thousands that still suffered in Grandis were bound to have at least one of them become a Corrupted, and yet it was Calfasio and Ignis who underwent this harrowing transformation.
Corrupted had always existed long before the rise of the first Advent. Suffice to say, it was hard for Frost to believe that this hadn’t occurred even once in 350 years.
So, she had to wonder if she possessed some sort of influence when it came to creating the Corrupted in the first place. It would partially explain why Calfasio and Ingis became Corrupted since they were within her proximity at the time.
However, she also had to speculate that it may be caused by the floors opening within the Nexus. She believed that if there were Corrupted created by her, then they would at least bear the Amalgamation Affinity. Wrath and Lament confirmed at least two more floors and Archetypes existed.
In the end, there was no feasible way to explain their Corruption event. Aside from them giving into their overwhelming emotions. Still, it did not change that it occurred within her presence.
Frost muttered random gibberish beneath her breath as she took the liberty to explore the Guild and its functions. Then, she spoke:
“The Guild has its own ranking system for Adventurers. It also incorporates the Arbiter’s Trumpet a little differently.”
She pointed out along the face of a giant billboard. It contained menial tasks ranging from picking flowers to aiding the elderly with their chores. Nothing too serious was plastered here, aside for one giant sign in the center that reminded them to return within the gates an hour before sunset.
“These are probably all the local quests.” Jury noticed. “The bigger ones might circulate over a number of towns using the Warped Stone technology. At least I’d believe so. Is that correct, Nav?”
“Quests higher than Yellow Trickle circulate over multiple Guilds. Anything below is considered a local quest.”
Frost found herself stifling a small laugh. She didn’t think she was so immature to find... yellow trickle such a humorous name.
“... Frost, are you perhaps laughing?”
You’re imagining things. So the color rankings are also slotted into various risk classifications, huh.
From what Nav explained, and from what she gathered from various faces who were more than happy to answer her, the Adventurer ranking system looked like this:
Eternal Night Risk Class – Unbound Ranked – Incandescent Soul – Level 140+
White Monsoon Risk Class – Radiant Rank – White Soul – Level 120 – 139
Black Monsoon Risk Class – Diamond Rank – Black Soul – Level 100 – 120
Violet Hailstorm Risk Class – Platinum Rank – Violet Soul – Level 80 – 100
Red Hailstorm Risk Class– Gold Rank – Red Soul – Level 60 – 80
Blue Trickle Risk Class – Silver Rank – Blue Soul – Level 40 – 60
Yellow Trickle Risk Class – Copper Rank – Yellow Soul – Level 20 – 40
Green Trickle Risk Class – Tin Rank – Green Soul – Level 0 – 20
The Incandescent Souls brought up the question of the Incandescent Colors. She was only aware of the Red Barron, and further asking around of this person seemed to spark confusion.
“The Red Barron died a long time ago, didn’t he?”
“Lady, didn’t he die in Paradise?”
“A-Ah. Oh. I thought you were interested in joining our party. Red Barron?” One person spoke, unable to meet Frost’s eyes as they hovered somewhere below her chin. “... Isn’t he dead?”
“Is that right? Well, thank you for your time.” Frost and Jury promptly left the group of 5 alone, who waved back trying to get them to stay a little longer. “’Dead’, huh.”
I don’t think Iscario would casually bring up the name of a dead man to ravage the women of a village. Unless zombies or the Undead are a thing?
“Perish the thought. The Undead you’re thinking of do not exist in this world. They are not raised from the dead per say. Instead, they are puppeteered as parodies of themselves by the Mycelli; the fungal race, or by other means. A person cannot return from the dead as a corpse.”
But their lingering emotions can return and manifest into something worse. The Corrupted.
“Precisely.”
Unfortunately, her prodding around the Guild bared no fruit. Information regarding this person was non-existent. It also didn’t help that she received varying answers when she asked what sort of powers he wielded.
Fire magic? A swordsman? A Dragonkin? No one knew for sure. It left her starved for wisdom as they further investigated the Guild’s processes, admiring its beauty until they was approached by a short-cut, pale-haired woman dressed in blue robes.
She was a healer no doubt, and the vibrant, cozy smile she wore managed to shock Frost. Having only seen the healers in the from of the Wandering Healer, she was half-expecting her to possess a metal, clawed hand and an ominous smile.
However, this woman was perfectly normal. Human as well.
White Dove
< Intermediate Healer >
Soul Rank: Blue | Atelier: Inflow Direct
LEVEL : 45ORIGIN : Human
HP : 700
ATT : 0MAG ATT : 0ATT DEF : 2,500MAG DEF : 2,500
MP : 1,300
RESIST : 18AGI : 8
“Humans don’t have special racial traits. However, they are the only race that can gain an affinity for healing.” Nav revealed.
An example was those turned into the slimes by Crimson Hunger. Remembering this, she brought a hand up to touch Ingis. The girl shivered as she gently brushed against Frost’s hand. Ignis’ form hadn’t seen any changes yet. Neither did Snap’s.
But it was only a matter of time before they did.
And if history was anything to go by, they’d probably all grow into something huge just like Jury.
That being said –
“You sound like a mother bird. Are your motherly instincts kicking in for your kind? The healers”
“Motherly? Fatherly more like...” Frost trailed off momentarily as she and Jury moved outside, cherishing the warmth of the afternoon sun. “Justica Arms initiated the rescue of the healers. It begs the question of what they’re like internally. One of their Apostles screwed me over, and another went and started a war with Scarlet Logic. They hardly sound like a coherent bunch.”
“Like a wildcard?” Jury said.
“Exactly that.”
* * *
Little else occurred as the hours elapsed. Snap eventually fell asleep with Ignis, both tucked in by the mini-Frost who vowed to watch over them with a solid salute. Frost took a good look at the two one final time, knowing that they were going to transform in the following hours.
And as she left the Guild she noticed that the town’s atmosphere sharply shifted the closer it became dusk.
The happiness stagnated and slowly fizzled away as the sun steadily turned orange. When the skies became scarlet, and as people swiftly returned to their homes and barricaded their windows with wooden curtains; the Adventurers moved to the top of the surrounding battlements of the town and assessed the situation.
Cer, Ber and Res followed Frost and Jury to a more vacant end of the walls as the crystals underneath began to glow a gentle red. Cer pointed out into the distance as the world was drowned by howling winds.
“Do you feel it? Something tunneling deep underneath?” Cer began as a group containing Pinna and Furio, surprisingly, scoured the darkening plains in the direction of the Nex Megalopolis with a telescope.
They were desperately searching for the ‘strong people’, who had yet to arrive.
“Hearts are everywhere underneath Brandar. But I say that’s bullshit. Countless Heart’s don’t coexist. They tear each other apart like natural predators. It’s an eat or be eaten world out here. Rather than many Hearts, it’s a select few. The apex of the Hearts.”
The sun neared its end as a cacophony of voices rattled the cold air. Shouting filled the town before silence instantly befell them when the sun finally disappeared over the distant ocean.
And then, a trumpet sounded.
A bright, red flame instantly shot out from a horn-like trumpet and illuminated the sky like a flare. The man who blew into it donned holy robes that exuded unbounded divinity.
Augurist
< Of The Third Sphere >
Soul Rank: Green | Atelier: Justica Arms
LEVEL : 1 ORIGIN : Human
HP : 100
ATT : 0MAG ATT : 0ATT DEF : 2,000MAG DEF : 2,000
MP : 0
RESIST : 120 AGI : 5
This man was a member of the Justica Arms who had no other role than to sound the Arbiter’s Trumpet for the people who did not possess the Blessing of the Nexus to receive its warning.
Then, the trumpet resounded once more.
“RED HAILSTORM!” Someone cried out at the top of their lungs before countless pores began to split along the entire stretch of Brandar. It was as if the entire land was a sponge. The ground did not even break. It opened like these pores were its mouths.
//////// < WARNING > ////////
< HAILSTORM >
< THE ARBITER’S TRUMPET SINGS >
“You see Frost, we call the entire surface of Brandar the Epiderma layer. Beneath all the rock, sediment, bones, blood, and history you’ll find a place we internally call the Derma layer. But it’s easier to call it by its traditional name.” Cer hummed as a sprawling sea of Impuritas monsters emerged from these pores.
It was not the Flesh Clots, or the Crimson Hunger as a matter of fact.
It was a completely bizarre creature. So bizarre in fact that Frost did not know if these were worse than the Crimson Hunger. No. Not even a creature at all. What emerged was quite literally a swarm of paper-crafted balls of yarn.
“IT’S THE PAGES! OUR LUCK IS GOOD TONIGHT!”
“USE FIRE! DO NOT FALL IN OR YOU’LL BE TURNED INTO PIECES OF PAPEEEEEER!”
“FIRE MAGES! ARCHERS WITH FIRE SKILLS! IT’LL BE ANOTHER EASY DEFENSE! MOST OF THE WORK WILL BE LEFT TO THE FIRE CRYSTALS!”
Collector
Librarians
< Material Collectors >
LEVEL : 25 ORIGIN : Impuritas
HP : 200
ATT : 600MAG ATT : 0ATT DEF : 0MAG DEF : 0
MP : 0
RESIST : 12AGI : 50
“That place right underneath us is what they call Hell; all created by an endless sprawl of complexes made by the largest Hearts that not even the Corrupted Zone ones can hold a flame to.” Cer’s fang sparked with electricity as she ominously concluded.