Incandescent Colors were a breed of their own. Legends amongst legends. Revered at the mention of their name alone. The last Color that awed Brandar and the distant lands was the late Green Conductor whose music revolutionized the meaning of music.

It was more than just the harmonics of sound. Music moved from mere art to a respected discipline as a result. Bards, Conductors and Orchestrators were but a few of the musical professions employed commercially, publicly, and in war. Music applied beneficial conditions and buffs on a much wider scale than most magic at a considerably less cost.

The Green Conductor’s legacy however, never touched on wars. It was but a result of the world’s ingenuity when it came to bloodshed. Where he cast a great light upon the world, there was a shadow of equal proportions. This shadow was the perversive Maestros of Flesh.

Frost still found it hard to put the Colors into perspective. They were beneath Moons, but above the non-Blessed. Heroes better described them. But her face soured when she thought back to the friend of Iscario.

The Red Barron.

There was little information known about his character. He was supposedly long dead and perished alongside the Orange Disruptor in a failed operation against a Corrupted. The consensus claimed that they were assassinated, but Frost knew at least the Red Barron was still alive.

Why else would have Iscario named him outright?

The sheer political weight that a Color possessed could not be understated. While the inhabitants of the Nexus were certainly far more powerful, they were not as tangible as the Colors who interacted with the world directly, hence why they were so revered and celebrated.

Most of the world did not know of the Moons, Stars, Exalted and the Beholders. They only called them the Deities of the Nexus. Divine beings that resided within the celestial rock.

Frost firmly slapped her cheeks at the edge of the pier before she began the first stage of their cleansing operation. She cleansed her mind of the stray thoughts and focused on the task at hand.

After a short meeting with the figureheads of Wharftow, they agreed with Frost’s plan to decontaminate their lake, marine life and to heal all those injured. However, with Frost being the open person she was, she asked for their input.

It was easy to see that there was an underlaying sense of fear between their fascination and wonder. Even if she was a healer, being a Color meant that she stood at the pinnacle of might. But Frost was not a violent person. At least not with normal people.

Her plans were flawed in their eyes, and she welcomed their amendments with open arms. She initially wanted to separate the lake using giant nets created by her near unbreakable steel strands. But there was an easier alternative.

They suggested using one large, sweeping net. The dimensions were a lot smaller than she anticipated, and this was because fishes did not venture past the twilight zone of the lake. Their input saved extra days that would have been wasted if she operated alone.

Firstly, she had healed all afflicted residents of Wharftow within the first hour. The next step was to weave a net large enough to span from one side of the lake to the other. That way, they could herd the fish to a small section whilst she could focus on cleansing them, then moving to cleanse the rest of the lake.

The harbor saw much activity. Portable stoves fueled with magical fire crystals and wooden stalls armed with chopping boards were laid out. They prepared to celebrate with a feast using the 50 boar carcasses.

Not all were to be used, but they still needed to butcher them early and place them into a cold storage to last them the few days until the lake returned to its former glory. Frost remained at the pier with Jury, producing copious amounts of steel string which was passed along to Aquatids who wove them into nets.

Frost’s only role now was to keep her feet in the water and produce her string. Once again, her abilities struck people with wonder as they couldn’t believe that a human of all things, let alone a healer, could produce web like an Anid.

“Human? Anid?” One of the butchers whispered to another.

“She has limbs. She can’t be a Nilinid.” Another whispered back, causing Frost to tilt her head backwards. Her hair fell like a waterfall, revealing her golden eyes as they locked up in place.

They wanted to apologize, but Frost just smiled at them and hummed:

“Human.” She began, assuring them with an upside-down nod. “When you beat enough Octanids you start to understand how they make their string. How? That’s a secret.”

She brought a finger to her lips. Healers couldn’t lie, but her slyness and overbearing presence was nothing like a healer at all. She was an entirely different breed.

A Black Dove.

“Beat Octanids. You’re a healer…”

“What kind of healer lies?”

“Oi. Focus on butcherin’! We ain’t got all day!”

Surprisingly, not many knew how to butcher the Beefed Boars adequately. People ended up cutting themselves due to its immense toughness. Cuts could also barely draw out blood, leading many to scar the meat.

And this surprisingly riled Ber up.

Meat was not commonly consumed by the Aquatids. Regular boar meat and poultry appeared every once and a while to suit the palettes of visiting Adventures, but it was usually the Adventurer’s themselves who butchered their meat. If not, then it was a specialized butcher.

Those butchers, however, were currently drunk on water.

Ber didn’t say a word and left her sister’s side, walking past the crow of incompetency and stared at one of the Aquatid squid women who struggled with the process. She simply stood there, staring at her with what Frost thought was fury.

But instead, it was just annoyance. Not at the woman, but because they were ruining the produce.

“Step. Aside.” Ber ordered. She was tiny compared to them, but her aura could not be matched. The woman instantly backed off politely, leaving Ber with a ridiculously long butcher knife.

She stabbed it deeply into the wood, bending the handle and allowing the knife to wobble. She inspected it with a keen eye.

“Heh. Rejoice. You’re about to witness a master class in the culinary arts! Butcher I! Keep your eyes peeled Frost! You could learn something cool!” Cer hyped her sister up with enthusiasm, causing Ber’s stern face to dramatically soften.

“When was the last time you butchered?” Res asked, a little warry. “Please let our sister do the butchering. It will be faster to rely on her.”

“Just watch. You want to impress the Adventures in your town?” Ber spoke to the small gathering as the sound of cleaving knives ceased.

She took the carcass that was laid upon the stall. Its wooden frame creaked as Ber placed both hands along its belly. Her short height caused the boar to hide her almost comedically.

“Then let me show you a thing or two.”

But no one laughed. They only watched on as the small wolfwoman manhandled the massive boar to one side, and then, with one sweeping movement, she dragged its head straight through the driven blade.

She had used it like a saw blade. The head rolled over to her sisters as blood weakly trickled from its neck. Then, she hopped once, taking the blade and cutting the boar in specific areas that caused it to profusely bleed.

15 incisions were made in what seemed like the blink of an eye, but Frost and her companions had the pleasure of watching it in real time. The crowd was stunned by her expertise, and she was met with an explosion of praise.

Ber didn’t look smug about it. Unlike Cer who was happy that Ber was in her element. She didn’t exactly revel in it either. Her expression didn’t change as she moved from stall to stall, granting them tutorials on how to butcher the Beefed Boar, as well as providing minor tips like:

“Bleed it from the neck. Not from the belly like a fish.”

“You don’t have to decapitate them like a fish.”

“Leave the organs for now. Just let them bleed. The first one will be ready by the evening. Store those ones somewhere cold once they finish bleeding.”

A wolfwoman certainly knew her way around butchering her prey. Ber was kind of like Ignis now. She didn’t show her emotions, but her wagging tail was telling of her happiness. Despite being surrounded by the Aquatid they despised, Ber allowed them to fawn over her.

They were just not allowed to get anywhere near her. She was not exactly talkative either. Frost realized that the triplets never really spoke to anyone outside of their circle. Res answered as she came to join Frost and Jury.

“A perk or a con of being a Moon. We can’t live like normal people. When you spend nearly all your life fighting you forget what ‘normal’ is, so don’t blame her too hard.” Res leaned against Jury’s arm. “I’m kidding. She’s just happy she can enjoy simpler passions again. It’s one thing being a Blessed –”

Res looked up to the Nexus, then, down at herself in the reflection of the lake.

“– And another being a Moon. They sent us on a rescue mission. To save you. We were considered throwaways. Unfit to join the Arbiter’s Council that day. But it turned out to be the best thing that could ever happen to us.” Res wholeheartedly thanked; her voice so sweet that it compelled Jury to pat her head.

The triplets all had a hidden side to them. A real them. Cer on the other hand was harder to decipher. Ignis was slowly gaining her voice, and Frost felt all that closer to Jury. Their time spent here would be worthwhile.

They watched the sun dip underneath the far away walls. The web weaving was nearly complete, and the first round of boar meat was ready to be cooked. Ber, the Aquatid maids of the Guild, Adventurers and Frost took it upon themselves to make something filling.

Frost’s Home Cook was put to shame. The meat was far too tough for her to even know where to start, and she was gladly guided by willing Adventures who fawned over the fact that they were able to help a Color. Their culinary techniques were interesting, and the spices they used came from the kitchens of a plethora of homes, and from their travels in distant lands.

Frost could only help dice the meat and create stocks. Aside from that, she allowed the Adventurers to guide her, as well as a keen Ber who had never seen any of these wonderful spices either. Her powerful sense of smell combined with her Cook III allowed her to create a beautiful spit roast over an open flame.

Her cooking method was primitive, but the flavors spoke for themselves. Five boars were able to feed 500 that night. The feast lasted well into the night and before long, the moon hung overhead right beside the Nexus.

The town slept, and all that was left were the few that cleaned up, and a Frost who remained by the lake alone. She’d be returning to the Guild in the next hour. She didn’t plan to stay here all night. After all, she had a room to share with Jury tonight.

She lost herself in a sea of thoughts, alone in silence.

Would there be any developments? Was she ready for something to happen? Was she clean? Frost stared at herself in the reflection of the calm lake, watching as a small group began moving the net.

It would have reached their side by tomorrow morning.