422. Eclipses Under New Management

422. Eclipses Under New Management

The Eclipse no longer had a reason to resent the Star. The moment the Herald confirmed what he said was the truth, she released his arm and the blade disappeared from his throat.

“Hah. You take your job seriously at the very least.” The Star caressed his throat. “To think that a Moon trusts a Herald before a Star. A shame that all it took was one Star to ruin our legacy.” He sighed before continuing deeper through the tunnel.

“Stars not all good. War in Heaven proof.” The Eclipse said, following him closely as the Herald idly dragged himself forward, maintaining at a perfect ten meters of distance from them.

“That was long ago. Why blame me for a War I never fought in? Ill stars are only those that stray from the Nexus. The Red Giants are our new traitors. Let’s not fall into their wretched downfall.” The Star suddenly grinned sadistically as they entered the vast, blue-tinted chamber where a Retrofitter once resided. “But it does make me exorbitantly happy to see them grovel at the feet of the Harrowers.”

“Harrowers?” The Eclipse tilted her head in confusion.

She was then answered by a voice that spoke from across the chamber as soon as she entered the light.

“Some Atelier’s personnel. Nothing too serious.” The voice came from a woman with purple hair who carried eyes that pierced through the darkness. Her flesh was tinted a similar color as she donned a pale research gown, going over the rims of the chamber with a checklist in hand. “Don’t use those terms so freely, Star.”

“A Succubus with manners? How rare.” The Star hummed. “No attempt to hide your true form?”

Several giant, dangling instruments shaped like the illicium of an angler fish cast an ominous light upon them. The absence of the Retrofitter caused large patches of darkness to invade the sanctum, and in those places, one could find rusting chunks of moist metal. The rich stench of iron would immediately cause anyone that dared to intrude to drop to their knees, but to them it was but a fragrance.

“Before a Star? Please. What can I possibly hide?” The Succubus chuckled, albeit slightly nervously. “Ahem... So, with all due respect, what brings a Star here to a Retrofitter’s Site?”

The Succubus held a fairly high position within Caldera Industries but worked under the command of ImpulseWorks. She was a Compound Inspector, which was the combination of a Gravity Inspector and a Structural Inspector. Another namesake of hers was also the Head Inspector, at least for H5.

Her role was fairly simple: to inspect all structures engineered by Caldera Industries. Despite how things looked, the chamber fell within acceptable parameters, and she happily ticked off the last of the checklist before burying it within her voluptuous bosom.

“As per the request of the Nexus, I am here to inform the Eclipse of upcoming changes in management. You see, their roles as Assassins no longer have a place in the eye of the Amalgam.” The Star explained to her rather than to the Eclipse like she was a troublesome child. It was clear that the Succubus was in some way the Eclipse’s handler, or at least someone close enough to handle their conversations.

“... Amalgam?” The Succubus blinked with confusion.

“Oh. I forget how woefully ignorant you non-Blessed are.” A long sigh left the lips of the Star. “The Head. You should now be aware of this new body of the Nexus. It serves to keep the Ateliers in line.”

“Me related to this how?” The Eclipse questioned as she pointed at herself with the tip of her barbed tail.

“There’s a Syndicate causing trouble in D9 amongst the reparation efforts. The Head wants someone inside to place them precisely where she wants for an upcoming spectacle. They will serve as both training and an example of the Head’s reach.”

“Amalgam wants an Eclipse to fight a Syndicate? Overkill? Send Association.”

The Star then clarified for the Eclipse:

“It indeed would be overkill. A single Color is enough to take them down. The Amalgam chooses to use a more appropriate force. Healers.”

“... what...?” The Succubus blankly blinked, the shock allowing her to speak over her paralyzing fear. “H-Healers...?”

“Combat Healers.” He corrected, making his exit as he approached the Herald. “The Amalgam’s Black Wings. You will get them into place. Gather them neatly for the first showing of the Amalgam’s reach. Those of us in higher places have no need to fight such lowly organizations.”

“... I’m going to be bait?” The Succubus wondered.

“Whatever you want to call it. The methodology you use is not up to me. We only want results. Oh, but you will be rewarded for your efforts. Now then... to see the faces of the Red Giants.” He hummed, passing by the Herald as he held his glowing finger just before his face. “Good puppet. Be the loyal dog to the Scripts. They’ve been interpreted over and over, and yet you call it the truth? A shame. Loyalists like you would make good Stars in a perfect world...”

Any closer and his eyes would have been plucked. Thankfully, the Star left the Herald alone and proceeded into the darkness, his sole light barely able to illuminate the halls.

“... But this is not a perfect world. Keep this in mind, Herald. Act X will only exist for a predetermined amount of time. When the curtains fall and the show ends, there will be no encore. Your time is limited.”

The Herald trembled, leaning against his blade as he desperately held back the urge to vomit.

“That’s... not true...” He gasped, breaking character entirely.

The Star left them all aside from the Eclipse in a miserable state, and none could voice their displeasure.

“Wanted again... happy.” The Eclipse nodded to herself, softly smiling whilst the other two wretched forward, clutching at their heads and stomachs. “Go now. Hurry. Pain temporary. Death forever.”

“... Yeah. Yeah... I really didn’t want to shapeshift anytime soon. I thought joining Caldera Industries would have spared me from it. Fuck. Shit... I fucking hate it.” The Succubus growled through clenched teeth. “Now that you’re no longer part of ImpulseWorks I guess I can freely say ‘fuck them’ out loud. Dammit...”

“We go?” The Eclipse didn’t seem to understand why the Succubus seemed to hurt as she eagerly egged her to move on.

“... monsters. All of you. Yeah. Let’s go.”