Capítulo 84: Star Rail: Starting with a Lyre, Living off Busking [84] [DDD!]
Last December Double Drop!
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Venti and the others now stood in Polluted Plaza, once a site of honor where the Silvermane Guards had held countless ceremonies of valor.
Ahead of them stretched a shattered landscape, a front line deeply corrupted by Fragmentum energy. Crystallized fragments marked every corner, and spatial rifts here had grown larger than usual, forming peculiar, one-way "drift paths" hidden in the shadows.
These rifts, left behind by Fragmentum's erosion of reality, led to unknown destinations.
They might open onto a snowy wasteland, another corner of the planet, or even the vastness of space itself.
So, from here on, every step required caution.
They would need to remain vigilant, not only for the possibility of lurking Fragmentum creatures but also to avoid triggering hidden conditions that could resurrect information-recording Fragmentum beasts.
Upon reaching the area, Bronya, Gepard, and Pela—three veterans of the Silvermane Guard—seemed to switch into a different mode.
Their expressions were uniformly tense. Pela released her reconnaissance drone, tapping commands on her control panel as streams of data lit up her round spectacles. She rattled off technical jargon, and Bronya and Gepard nodded attentively.
Seele, who'd felt out of place since entering, tugged on Venti's sleeve, looking a little lost.
"Hey—bard. Don't you think they look awfully… professional?"
"…A reminder, those three are some of the finest Silvermane Guards we have," Venti said, shielding his mouth as he whispered in her ear.
Though he looked suspiciously sneaky, it was better than having Seele's clueless comment overheard.
It was like watching Serval repair a machine, then asking, "Hey, what job do you do again?"
Then again, with her rocker attitude, Serval might answer something vague about "metal" or "rock," making it hard to tell if she was joking or serious.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it, but I mean that… that invisible something you can feel on the upper city's main street but can't quite place."
"You mean the atmosphere?"
"Yes! Like I can't even begin to blend in with their atmosphere—it makes me feel unprofessional."
"I wouldn't worry about that, Seele. A king has the skills of a king, and a chef has the talents of a chef. You just haven't had the same formal training, but taking down monsters is second nature for you, isn't it?"
Seele smirked, standing a little taller.
"Of course. I'm the best at that—my boss has been giving me more and more of the combat duties these days!"
"Then we're in your capable hands, Lady Seele."
"Haha, leave it to me!"
Just as Seele was about to break into laughter with Venti, the trio finished their discussion, and Bronya returned, looking relieved but still concerned.
"Hmm? Judging by that expression, did you run into some trouble?" Venti asked, sensing her hesitation.
"If there's a problem I can help you avoid, feel free to tell me."
"…It's not a problem, exactly. It's just that we're debating the best approach."
Bronya shook her head, summarizing Pela's findings.
"According to Pela's data, Stormterror should be on the central rotary disc of the Fortress Mechanism."
"Wow, that's quick work, Lady Pela!"
"Certain 'ladies' should refrain from jokes at critical times like this," Pela said, adjusting her glasses with a serious look.
Venti stifled a chuckle and refocused on Bronya, who nodded and continued.
"The mechanism was originally designed to allow the Guards rapid deployment to multiple battlefronts. Beneath it, a set of constantly running power devices supports it.
"This ensures that if the front line were to collapse, the people in the rear could use the mechanism to seal off the path, buying precious time for evacuation."
As Bronya spoke, a shadow of sadness crossed her face before quickly fading.
"To battle Stormterror here, we'd have to be extremely careful not to damage the power units beneath the mechanism. Otherwise, the disc will jam completely, trapping both us and anyone outside who might need to reach us. It could also disrupt power to the core of the restricted zone."
"So then?"
"With these considerations in mind, we have two options: take a high-stakes approach and fight Stormterror here, minimizing complications, or lead it to the ancient battlegrounds. That area's unique terrain would allow us to form a flexible defense, and if needed, we could lure it into a deadly trap."
Bronya's brow furrowed as she weighed the options.
"Silvermanes in the past used that bottleneck to repel attacks, enabling us to claim several victories. But the downside is significant. While the terrain restricts Stormterror's movements, it does the same to us.
"In such a narrow pass, we'd have almost no room to dodge.
"If anyone is struck directly by Stormterror, they'd likely be gravely injured, or worse."
Both plans came with risks and advantages.
Bronya leaned toward the first option. Though the rotary disc's cross-shaped design limited their movement, it was still intended for battlefield tactics and would provide enough room for a team of four or five to maneuver.
At worst—
She looked at Venti. Judging from his earlier display of using the wind to support others, even a misstep wouldn't necessarily spell disaster.
After taking a quick vote, they unanimously agreed on the plan to fight Stormterror on the Fortress Mechanism. The ancient battleground was simply too restrictive, and luring Stormterror there would be challenging.
Seele was the only one to vote for the trap approach—she didn't mind the risk—but she accepted the final decision without protest.
With their plan set, the team moved deeper into the front line. Fragmentum creatures lay scattered along the path as if a massive force had crushed them, leaving behind only shattered remnants.
The closer they came to the Fortress Mechanism, the more they felt the tremors in the ground.
A mounting tension filled the group as they neared the site. To prevent Stormterror from escaping, someone would have to stay outside to activate the mechanism, sealing the area and locking them in with the beast—a true fight to the death.
The best candidate to activate the mechanism was Pela, who could provide backup from a distance.
As an intelligence officer, Pela's strengths lay in analysis and reconnaissance rather than direct combat. Her small frame wouldn't stand a chance against the aftershock of Stormterror's attacks.
With a look of determination, Pela watched her team enter the battleground, and they soon came face-to-face with their target.
Stormterror.
The dragon's massive form occupied nearly a third of the disc's surface, with the remaining space divided into four cross-shaped gaps.
The dragon's blue body moved with surprising agility for its size, and at the center of the disc, two Fragmentum monsters stood—a pair of twin bosses, the Flame of Exocosm and the Ice of Exocosm.
These creatures, unnatural twins birthed from the Fragmentum, drew energy from the world's foundational structure. One blazed with a core of stellar flame, while the other's armor reflected the dark depths of the cosmos.
In any other battle, such a pair of bosses would cost the Silvermane Guards dearly to eliminate.
In Belobog's first counteroffensive a decade ago, a twin threat like this had claimed the lives of several officers and left the Guards fighting swarms of crystal creatures in a brutal struggle.
Yet now, like frightened quail, the twins huddled together, cornered by the immense dragon.
Stormterror, whose body was once pure wind elemental, now exuded an overpowering pressure, corrupted by the Fragmentum seed embedded in its neck. The space filled with swirling dark green wind vortices, forming a bridge between sky and earth.
Before the group's eyes, Stormterror let out a furious roar, dyeing the sky in a murky green cyclone. Sharp gusts condensed within the wind field, slicing toward the twin Fragmentum bosses in a relentless barrage.
In an instant, the armor that had once shrugged off the Guards' attacks shredded like paper. The twins' bodies lay exposed, weak cores pulsing within.
The energy they controlled—their once-commanding flames and ice—were caught up in the gale, released only to be scattered by the winds.
The two elements intertwined, forming massive fire and ice tornadoes that offered them no protection, instead consuming each other in a brutal clash.
With their energy depleted, the twins stood vulnerable. Stormterror struck, pinning the Flame of Exocosm beneath one taloned claw while sinking its teeth into the Ice of Exocosm, shattering its icy body with ease.
As shards of ice scattered, the Flame of Exocosm, trapped beneath Stormterror's claws, was flung through the air, passing the team and crashing into the disc's stone wall.
Its form crumbled, never managing a single retaliatory strike.
Then Stormterror opened its Fragmentum-corrupted wings and roared skyward. The sound reverberated through the wind field, scattering waves of tangible pressure.
Before this overwhelming power, the team felt as small as ants. Even a brush with the smallest vortex would likely grind them to dust.
At that moment, even Bronya felt a pang of doubt, wondering if they'd underestimated the danger. But then—
A gentle melody rose, cutting through the terror as a familiar lyre soothed the mind and body, transforming that crushing fear into a resolve to fight. Stormterror, too, paused, the fury in its eyes dimming as it focused on Venti with a mix of confusion and resentment.
"…You… it's you… Barbatos…"
"Hm?" Venti's eyebrows lifted in surprise. Although his powers had grown, there were limits, and creating a full-fledged dragon with a consciousness of its own was beyond him.
After all, summoning a wind construct to take the shape of a dragon was one thing, but creating true life was another matter entirely.
A creation without sufficient essence couldn't bear such power. But Stormterror now exhibited the beginnings of "sentience," as though it had taken its first step as a living being.
Could it be the result of Fragmentum's corruption?
Venti could only wonder, though he greeted Stormterror as though seeing an old friend.
"Hi, Dvalin. How have you been? I brought some friends to help you out!"
Stormterror didn't respond, only repeating Venti's divine name in a bewildered murmur.
"…Barbatos… Barbatos…"
Everyone turned to Venti, surprised by the name, but he merely shrugged.
"As they say, a bard must have many names. Is it so strange to have a stage name or two?"
"Whatever you say, but can you explain what's going on here?" Seele huffed, rolling her eyes.
"In short, Fragmentum energy is corrupting Dvalin, filling his mind with toxic information and driving him to madness."
Venti's tone was suddenly scholarly.
"So, is there any way to save him?"
Bronya asked, her gaze unwavering. Facing a calamity like this wasn't a risk to be taken lightly. Though she wouldn't back down, she wanted to prevent needless sacrifice.
"It won't be easy, but it's worth trying. After all—"
A glint of exhilaration lit up Venti's eyes.
"I can't deny that even I'm feeling a bit fired up."
As the bard's words faded, a pure, harmonious breeze rose around them, flaring their robes with a new determination.
"It's time, everyone!"
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