COI C166

Ironno have brought the passengers from the entire old community from the east and the south. The bus driver never seen so much people going in. The bus and its runes expand further to occupy all these people. The only people who are not here are the southwest, these people from before are from the north west. The amazement of their eyes to see children coming along, not being driven to the influence of the city. The pregnant woman saw for the first time, her actual daughter got in. Both of their eyes stared and Ironno ruined it by pushing them further.

The two separates again once more as the passengers need to find their seats. Going through the next route. Ironno reaches to Tabitha, tearing up and didn’t hesitate to ruin this troubled moment.

“Tabitha, focus! We need to get out from this city, now!”

“Sniff* What happened?”

“Your old communities were not all innocent. They snitch us, and I have to force my way to get them back”

“I thought we should be picking them up one by one when something like that happened”

“That’s not I’m worried about. They were charmed by an unknown magic. They blasted their own people out of insanity”

“What!?”

The one of the victims come forth and told her what happened. “The bastards, they drug one of us and we were nearly succumbed to it. This man helped us clean ourselves from it, but he didn’t have enough and others fell into the influence. We need to get out”

The bus driver hears panic behind the back. Mentioning the dangers that they don’t want to be involved, he begins to drove off to the east of the city. Where the gates that lead to the main highway. The sounds of rubber burning as they are already there.

It was no incident, the people who went to the west side of Fuku City noticed about their disappearance. Calling out the warnings across the groups to seek any suspicious of missing people, it was soon found out that they left in a hurry. They risk themselves to bring out the goods with their illegal production to make them more open about the missing people, and they succeeded. The old communities’ friends and acquaintances were easily brought into the drug as they pinned point where they are.

Racing the bus down to stop their loses to the people they abused, and nothing else they could do but the noise behind their back wanting them back. The old community is being abused by multiple fronts, and south were far worse than they have imagined. The segregation by the cult leader wasn’t being taken effectively due to the blackmails and behind the scene threats. The realm here is different, others tripped down on the floor by accident. The magic they used are limited, especially healing magic. They could do much with only to numb the pain and moved on.

Their devices were no use either, they tried to go back but they can’t and don’t know how to. This realm is different than the rest. Only they could do now is to follow them, trying to find a way to get through this. They figure out where to go, comparing this realm to Fuku City, the only guess they could block them now is east. The bus driver sees them running pass them while others tried to attacked it. The bus’s protective runes able to shield against their magic, Tabitha and Ironno proceeds to go to the front and see what’s going on. Ironno turns to Tabitha and said,

“This is not going too great for your people. If it is true that you have Yui’s cards, give me the “Timber Folks””

Tabitha never heard that kind of card exist, and only gives her deck to him. The cards are being handed over to him giving the permission to allow him to use her cards. He didn’t take the whole deck, but search for it. His serious expression leaves him into a deep concentration. Back and forth looking between her and the enemies outside, moving his hand like Haw, and later finished all the whole deck with fail. He checks again, faster than ever before. The driver starts to move a stern turn as Tabitha loses her footing and Ironno puts his foot on the side to kept him from leaning.

The intense search moves on. The driver took a slow drive and Ironno strictly told him “Keep going, it is better to get out now or returned back to your usual SUFFERABLE lives!”

The old community were in shock to hear him to shout. The shout reaches from the back, they all look at each other out of fear and then look at the window. Their persistence of wanting them back to live their miserable lives. The children are crying as they look at their terrifying eyes. They nod to each other. They look at Tabitha, and she turns to the driver.

“Go . . .” She whispers.

The driver looks at the enemies at front and closes his eyes, so hard, that his foot step on the accelerator, hard enough that the they leaned back from the speed.

The enemies tried to stop it, with all of their magic and runes to slow it down. The bus is superior to withstood their attacks, and nothing they can do to stop it. Until someone sinks the road. The bus fell into the hole, and everyone screams and hold to their dear life. The driver hits himself on the steering wheel as the bus fall down. The enemies are surrounding the bus. No scratches nor dents, they tried to go closer but it made them feel backing away. There is a powerful presence inside the bus or the exterior made them feel helpless, they still persist as the people inside are the people they don’t want to lose.

Closing in, the passengers hold at each other and cover their heads down from the windows. The magic bolts raining down on the windows as they tried to get through. Tabitha checks on Ironno, continue to search for the specific card. His hands keep shuffling to each card he could find. Heals, buffs, offensive spells, defensive spells, maneuverability, and anything goes like normal mage would use. Ironno finally stops and took one of the cards from her deck. He gives it back to her and ready to open the door. He said to her

“After this, you will rescue what remains after the others. Take your partner and get the rest of them. While we do whatever it takes to fight your chasers”

The card is used and place on the ground. A dense vegetation grew out from the hole pushing the bus out from it, and starts to move out to the portal. The portal opens up. The enemies go in to get out from this realm. The vegetation spread too fast as it entangled them with any sense of mana they have. Others with their spirit calmed down. Along with their runes can’t be out best the wooden vegetation growing around the rune weapons. The overgrown vegetation gives a path for the bus to get through. Leaving all else who tried to go to the portal to be entangled in a slight touch.

Tabitha and the rest of the community watch the vegetation sudden growth grab both of the enemies’ mana and this realm in rapid pace. Their mana turned into vegetation both aura and channeling spells. On her hands with her deck, she didn’t know any card like that. She watches Ironno steps out the bus while the vehicle is moving. Her hands reach out to her, but he slaps it off and drop sliding himself as the vegetation grabs him. The bus door closes leaving her dumbfounded as the portal finally left them out from Fuku City.

Out to the real world, the spy and the securities are waiting near the wooden camp. The Agatheans and the Tais are idling by watching over them. Suspicion out from the outside from Fuku City. The goblins were more worried than the rest of them. The scent was the obvious among them, as if they have harvesting from the ruins but they have no scent of spirits around them. A vehicle comes by, and they get inside. The wooden campers never seen a mobile vehicle this big, and more the feeling as if it is from the Enders. The bus moves on like nothing important to see.

Rusic sits by outside of the ferry, waiting for this called people to migrate to Stranding Island. Along with Maser and the other Agatheans who knew the agreement of these people. There is also one more, Lady Hivites’ servant, the demon elf is waiting for them. This called preserved culture. The people who rarely adapt to this world, if these people weren’t the people she expected. Then their lives were nothing different to those who tried to gather power in this embassy. The sounds of the horn of the bus entered the harbor. The bus unloaded more than a normal vehicle should carry. So many, the demon elf senses their worthless selves.

Lady Hivites spoke to her “Savory, what a fresh untainted taste. It reminds of him who visits us. There are still hope indeed”

Tabitha steps out and sees Rusic, both of them hugs one another. He felt that her embraced is more sincere than his excitement. He hears her whisper “Those three didn’t made it out yet. Do you think they’re all alright?”

“Lass, you won’t be worry about them. A matter a fact, did you see them fight? I bet you see something very disturbing about those three”

“What!? No, I was in the bus during the entire time”

“Oh!? Well, laugh* Let’s bring them out there. I bet you left some behind. You can save them all”

Tabitha wipes off her tears and proceed to finish her job. The sight of these people who are willing to leave Fuku City were outstanding. Weeks of planning, and everything went well. The Raker Mawn guild did their best to distract them. She hopes to see them after this rescue. For now, there is work to be done. She grabs Rusic’s hand and introduce him to her community. Rusic turns around and cheer to the person at the back. She follows where he greets and saw the old man and the girl with them. The girl teleported to her and gives a big welcoming hug. They saved them, and that’s what is important.

An unfinished business from an Enders Guild to be this clean without the Not Worthy Guild’s side. Lord Lori’es is no diplomatic man. He is loyal and that’s all those two city states leader cared for. What will happened to the people who are against the law? Three of them trapped inside the realm. Many of the thugs were able to escape. Haw made it out alive from the center area. The overload sparks on his power armer system had clearly able to take it all. He stands up with his healed foot. The elven potion, Curapen'se, he seems forgotten himself who give him this potion. The taste of elven magic on his gut really made that realm more frightening.

In the first passage, Haw slowly walking to see what happened to Archivist. There are less thugs now than before. They managed to make him to do unnecessary things. Now look around him and saw the air and the rest of everything around it is in black and white. The same immersion like in the black and white zone, but this realm limiting their healing magic. Haw slips a bit and found the dread of lack of healing. Blood, treated like paint and the brush sweeps everywhere as it gotten into a deceptive look as ink. There he sees one of the thugs, bleeding out as the failsafe is blinking him away from this realm. The man turns around to see him standing, he just smiles and disappeared.

Archivist, a martial artist, able to bend magic, and along with Tabitha’s card to boost his strength as equal as the citizens. Haw can’t help himself to feel like he is an enemy. The shades color started darker or lighter. His equipment, fully charged able to scan the people who are moving. One slight turn to his head, a black ink splashes on his face. He raises his potion and the strange man tries to fight back uses the ground to raise into a weapon and knocked him out. The energy shield able to block it. Haw throws the potion on the air and the spray of the fluids on to him.

The man breathes the fluids as it turns to fumes. The failsafe activates and the man disappeared. There is no point of stalling now, this place is becoming darker than he had imagined. Haw finds someone from the far distance, moving in the air as the movement is showing like man swimming in it. He runs to that direction and try figure this out. The quest is supposed to stall them, and everywhere he goes turned nothing more than a nightmare. More and more of them use their failsafe giving a cheery smile at the end. This trick, this is the same trick what Sanquin used against the rebellion approaching to the east coast.

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A forbidden technique from what he can remember, a name he escaped intentionally because it is the magic he can’t use. He stops and found one man who escaped from the nightmare. Lying on the wall, taking pictures with his face in disbelief, squirming his words out of frustration.

“Nothing, everywhere I see is nothing what I saw. This is not the man we can’t face it. Hmm? Who’s there?”

Haw shows himself. The thug won’t believe if that person is real or not. He just puts his device on his pocket, already giving up if the person would hurt him or help him.

“Who the fuck are . . . What am I fucking talking to again? Shit!”

Haw didn’t say a word, the thug keeps blowing off steam no apparent reason. All his disappointed expressions are all over him, hands lie down, head keeps low, legs stretch out without a single movement, and his lazy eyes tried to look away without his head moving. Yet, his mouth able to speak in harsh tone.

“If you are one of those double images of that bastard, go with your buddies and head over there”

His hands didn’t point out where, only say it because he thought nothing. Haw moved on as nothing happened.

The realm is small, already he is in the center of it all. He turns around where the man is, but he disappeared. His scanner still finds him but his naked eye could not. It was only a few steps away from him and he can be found with his scanner. It gathers more than that after the few steps, he found some strange signatures. The same details what he had familiar with. Ascendants reading, and it was these dolls entered before him. All have the same features as Archivist’s head. Blank into the mist, the black and white environment clearly hides the true color of these featuring dolls.

It wasn’t the right time to observe where Archivist himself reveal himself without his mask. Haw’s protective head gear censored his face. Haw couldn’t lose the opportunity to see what it hides his face. He removes the head gear and sees his eyes for the first time. Archivist couldn’t see because of his dark arts limited his view. The two steps forwards as both of them hearing footsteps. Archivist didn’t know who is this person yet, while Haw with his power armor is silencing the noise on himself.

The moment they see each other, eye to eye. Archivist quickly shuts his eyes off and revert to his normal eyes. Haw managed to see a glimpse of his technique. Part of his brains were affected by the arts, but the other one seems to feel nothing from it. This interaction led to no harm. Archivist place his hand on his face with relief

“I thought somebody can able to resist it”

“Resist what? I see many of them tasting influence of Sanquin. I honestly doubt it was her, and you and me both don’t know each other’s profession. That’s not important right now, we need to go. You stall enough”

Archivist picks up a card from his armband, both knows that this fight is pointless and the thugs are all left while remained here feeling down for them to gloat their misery. The two left this part of the realm, leaving the dolls putting its work and cleanse it all to those who entered here. It is a mystery if the thugs would remember something like that. Outside of the realm, it is night time and the gangs and thugs are gathering together to found out that the merch are gone. The judgement days, saying out loud without an even concern about Azin getting out. They call the securities, none other than the cult leader’s subordinate.

The spy response to them with the automatic recorder. “Hello, this is the line for security service. If you are reporting about the merch. Then you don’t need for answers. People from the gate had already . . .”

The thug breaks his own device out of frustration. They weren’t the only one who got the news. Others tried different variation to search them. No reach as if they have successfully leave Fuku City for good. It won’t be that easy, there are people out there who were consuming addictive substance. It won’t last long if they are hoping for it.

The thugs who were got caught have their mind broken ties with the mana flow. The gangs have recognized this kind of spell. From what the defectors told them about the rebellion, able to mend and damage the internal bodies of the magic user. They won’t be able to control their emotion over it. Their bosses won’t be happy, and neither would be the cult leader. Fuku City is always under investigated as the people they tried to manipulated left. They don’t have the evidence because it will be involved their reputation. Like drug user, it is equivalent to the drug pusher. No one will be getting out from that shame.

To the last passage, where the gate supposed to be. Blocked by familiar vegetation, as the spirits quell by their energetic initiations. Ironno is keeping more than he had agreed upon. Patience grew thin, and knowledge already in use. To stall is what they wanted, and at the same time. The head security wanted more. Tabitha don’t know about this, and many old communities were saved because of her. To relief them from being involved, and the dastardly response to bring them into the bus in one go. His method is being revealed. His comrades are coming.

Haw is seeing things. The ceremonial plant is grown inside the realm, consuming the mana here as it grows. Alga’s light is nowhere to be seen, dare to grew in what it can find. Archivist covered his eyes with a piece of cloth, blinding himself and his senses grew wider. The breath of his mouth blew with mana. The hidden agenda is approaching. This path is destroyed. They have to escape through where Haw get in. The realm is gathering, many thugs and low lives gathered all around. Getting into the trap that neither of these two made and prepared for.

Archivist said to Haw “You’ve seen the realm is what is becoming. Do you kept yourself shut from all that is happening?”

“If you are not Dexter Guild Member, then you don’t know anything than I know”

“Then, without asking to ruin our ties. Why did I did it back there?”

Haw ignores the obvious when his head gear gives the details. Archivist is waiting for an answer, and he said to him the most obvious recorded message.

“Don’t try to testify a Dexter Guild member, your secret motive won’t work on him. And you think the bind can’t be replicated”

It was Sanquin’s voice, they didn’t have the bind together and Haw had reached a message from him. Did Sanquin bind with Haw before? No, this is not what he is thinking. Archivist knows she was eyeing on him since he uses the technique. It is certain, Haw met with her along the way. Haw didn’t say anything and moved on.

“Let’s go, I know you can see without using your eyes. Wearing that hood of yours before has great skills hidden your face”

The two moved on, Archivist stops questioning him. The realization is the head gear. The information it provided is too dangerous to someone among the Enders have been doing side works.

Haw reads the information in his headgear. Sensitive details connecting, and the Dexter Guild themselves are trading information left and right. The obvious was there since the beginning. Archivist didn’t know the tracker on Haw, transmitting the important details. Haw, and why didn’t he dare to ask why? It is all according to whose plan. Enders, loyal as they may be, and the other are their own interest. Either it be true or not, the honest thing they ever had done is not going to Isekai City.

Archivist stops and feel someone’s magic. The same electrical magic equipment, it’s him, joining along with the low lives. This makes him of why defectors are here. Archivist goes to a different direction and Haw follows him. They need to escape this place as they have already done their work. Through the valley of the ceremonial plant, they found their enemies entangled. Unconscious to the dream of the spirits, the realm had become the forest, and where they stood are the low lives mummified. They cornered themselves where the growing branches reach out like hands holding them in place.

Haw pulls out his potions to put them to sleep faster. Archivist steps in front of him as he breaks the entanglement only to one specific man. The large lightning comes out from him and ascend to the top. Then he quickly falls down and get rooted again. Archivist moves to the stranger. The stranger coughs as the rituals tainted on him

“Ah! I can’t? This realm is begging for us to be die here . . .”

His group is overwhelmed leaving him the last person see the light outside from the growing tree. Someone comes to their aid, as Archivist reaches out to Haw and received a potion.

Archivist pours it on to them. The ever-growing tree quickly withered on contact, breaking free to the people who are close with him. The stranger looks at them as they are their enemies, but they hesitated. Archivist pulls out the man who is trying to rescue.

“It’s you, you must be one of the defectors”

C, the original C, is confused by this. Making him thinking something that Hito having connection with, his gripe grew tightly as he is connecting what is going on. He looks at the two Enders, none of them were in his surveillance. Their clothes are different and this man covered his eyes and see the complexion of his skin. Bald and no beard, and the other one is covering his face must be.

Archivist tries to rescue the others, and Haw watches him doing the opposite of escaping. The act Archivist did, what’s with the change of side? Sanquin, what technique did he do? For now, Haw turned around to the man Archivist saved first. The equipment on his back and the electrical powers surging inside in him. C holds his grudge and asked

“Are you, our enemies or our allies?”

“There’s no point in this, you clearly see this realm is being contaminated here. Citizens you are, but we are the first recon to respond this infestation”

“Infestation? There is someone out there who caused it. You people are Enders, right? Can’t you at least stop the man causing this?”

The topic shift and Haw made it looks like they are responding to this incident. The head gear gathered the information. The archscientist gets the data. The look of her face on screen as she read RH-0’s excuse. As they still haven’t finished inside the ruins, but it is sure that they can delay to keep themselves occupied. She calls to the codices,

“Mock action protocol: 8-3-102R fc aK. Outdate order from 6-2-102R fc aK Cyberspace mission”

C sees smoke from where his companions were. The Dexter Guild members are able to get into the realm with their heavy equipment used from the ruins. Haw has to make this all up. The cover up to all their secrets. Ironno, Archivist, and Tabitha’s secret were sealed in such a right way. All the data gathering to make falsifying logic. Without saying a word, he is able to get this failed discovery into separated cases on each of them. Wheatley have the data through the surveillance. Such a great awe to see a test subject able to hide this without being the mastermind of this complicated plot.

A nostalgic memory, a clueless deception. It made itself realize Haw is acting upon.

“Wow . . .”

That’s all of what Wheatley can say about this. Surprised by such great fathom, too deep where he is got into and brought this explanation to a possible conclusion. Patience is key for this mystery to be solved in an alternative. Dexter Guild is going to do it. The promise they have not to be involved, they returned without hesitation. The cult leader will be mad about this. However, the guild will have something to pay in ‘reparation’.

C didn’t believe it at first, but he has no knowledge how or who did it. The call was about a bus trying to escape with the merch, or what they truly called in-debts, addicts, or worthless people. It was obvious it was the Enders who done that. Yet his suspicion kept crawling in his head, remembering the words of the doll.

“You need to do it soon, or everyone around you will leave you. They need to be punished . . .”

“Hey!” Haw reaches his hands. C smacks his arm as the sound his power armor breaking. The sudden reaction put him in shock as his body literally reacted with great strength.

Haw doused him with another potion, and removed the remaining wooden branches clinging to him. C didn’t realize what is coming to him, and the others were didn’t care how they interact. They too are acting disappointed. They look at the far distance to see such a lost. Others who still have their merch, feeling distraught. Saying out loud in front of Haw.

“They escaped?! They are really gone, then, no! They shouldn’t have left, heh. They still can’t live without their meds. Right? Right?! They shouldn’t be staying out without their meds!”

C looks at Haw with his broken arm. Haw didn’t scream in pain. The grunted noise sounds like he is being annoyed. He said to C “If you have a problem when your people are being abducted. Try to call out to your city . . .”

Haw said it without knowing, and everyone look at him with grave intention. Their hands are twitching to hear someone says the government will help them. This foolish Enders thought they were abducted, but in reality, they own them. His people should know his place not to interfere the life of their city, especially in Fuku City.

The sounds of the siren called into the realm. The Fuku securities are here. Haw’s power armor is turning on the same siren noise from them. The low lives, and the other thugs were not expected him to be part of the Fuku securities. Then again, none of them knows how what’s going on anymore. They disappeared, there is no more secret to hide anymore. Haw and his head gear had already found out. The wearer didn’t know the codes, but it seems a certain demon know about them. Haw has someone left to find, Archivist is behind him and said,

“You’re lying”

“Then explained to them where did this goblin forest come from”

“It was Ironno, it is all make clear if they know about it”

“Like they did to me to find out the truth?”

The silence for both sides, Ironno found them a while back. Seems like Archivist didn’t keep his side to be nosy around their business. Tabitha gets her reflection, Ironno did his part both her and the three women, Archivist takes advantage on Tabitha’s magic card to the full extend, and Haw is the one who is cleaning all of this mess for them. Surprisingly, Haw knows it all for simple reason. His head gear, he has knowledge to decode such information.

All three are here, and so the pathway where Haw get them away. Haw said to them “No matter what you’re going to say. The conclusion will always be for the Dexter Guild favor. The Raker Mawn guild will always be respected”

Ironno sees that the guild draft for Isekai City has an agenda. Now he is wondering about as Kiege, Juela, and Oue have something to do with their own old guilds. Sanquin, she is different than the rest. Even Ironno himself is not fully convinced about this city. While Archivist thought otherwise, but he won’t ask. Since, he was not invited to go to Isekai City with guild master Daygen.

Archivist and the rest made it out, he is waiting for the near future about the incident. What he did before was meant to stall, but never estimated their prowess. Losing to such incident and barely survive all that, he never knew of himself using that technique. Tabitha’s magic card did what it supposed to do and he felt envy for a bit to have such power. Holding his own hands are the mana he bends, the mana the enemies have. All have the common neutral mana. With little left to observe through his mana control, he finds out how easily Sanquin found out about his personal studies.

Meanwhile Sanquin, she is having an in-between conversation with Lady Hivites herself. The demonesses were having a nice chat one another. The Raker Mawn guild’s secret, only the eleven knew. Lord Lori’es kept his words for those two leaders, and Lady Hivites is the one while the other keeps to themselves. Lady Hivites takes a look to Tabitha’s work

“I see, those are the underlings”

“Such hard grace that will be soon yours, old friend”

“Old friend? Hmm, I guess don’t mind. Continue their addiction will take a lot of work. Raker Mawn Guild and the Dexter Guild are doing what your Lord promises”