COI C39

Enders Bridge, an accident occurred to Tabitha's first check up in Raker Mawn's guild. She was diagnosed a common disease exist only in Rune Isles, and thought it was nothing serious. Other Enders' guilds that specialized historical records in medicine, they called out to Raker Mawn for caution. As they did, Tabitha was forced in a house arrest and curing her disease. While after a long week of excavating the ores, they still had not returned. The only people they could trust to visit her room is . . .

"How's the dream girl doing? Already sleeping and beating your guardian?"

Kiege entered her room with the book about her diagnose.

"Are you the same girl who stops me from the incident?"

"You mean with a man mentioned about your . . ."

She pauses and tried to remember the ramble of a man with a hat. Then she started to overthink and Tabitha responded

"In my dreams in the archives?"

Kiege slammed the book on her table and said

"Sorry,but hearing a crazy man who one sided the conversation that he listened well but respond in gibberish"

Tabitha look at her strangely, how ironic for Tabitha also shared telepathy with a guildmember that she recognized her without being awake at the time. She opened the book and read different data about her disease.

"A disease originated by the demons. It is not clear how it thrives within the Rune Isles but theorized that neutral mana was its nutrients. Barely differentiate to be a parasite or apart of a demonic ritual to take over someone's body . . ."

Tabitha immediately closed the book and rushed to her.

"Please! Is there a cure? I don't want to be possessed"

Tabitha gives a worried face in front of Kiege. Kiege have experienced it before repeatedly, and she would check herself again.

She said "We have two options, the first one I know and the second one I never could've recommended to you"

"Then tell me!"

A strong desperate plea hearing to Kiege's ear, and the only member, for now, is allowed to get in her room.

Surprisingly, it wasn't that of a hassle for Kiege to her. Rather, this is the first time they met awake.

"Ok, the first option to drink cleansing or holy water. You will know it will work when you have peed dark red"

"What if it was my period?"

Kiege look at her weirdly and admit Tabitha's panic was overdone.

"Sorry" Tabitha apologized and

Kiege continue "Then the nullifying your mana for the entire week procedure. It will starve the disease also made you hungry, any diet regarding to help the blood to recover. The main side effects are feeling of a dying woman in an extreme extend"

"Why didn't you say anything about the side effects in the first one?"

Tabitha was a bit suspicious why Kiege gives what she recommended nothing bad about it.

"We already experienced it in our desperate times in the Rune Isles. The disease was frequent, and the cleansing water is efficient enough instead an entire week of no work. Either way, only the most mana depended might ruined anyone around them or someone contaminated the mana user caused a big problem. Lucky for us, that none of them doesn't have a large quantity of it. According to the book"

Tabitha chose the 2nd option, and the procedure began.

Kiege had to take care of her for now inside Tabitha's room 24/7,

"I thought I'll be bored as a nun taking care of you, but your items you have some entertaining tricks"

Tabitha had experienced a lifeless immovable, still can talk, body.

"This second option was not bad actually, it's like I'm forced to relax and you feeding me one of the best meals that this world had to offer"

Kiege was focus watching something from her device, where the screen of catalogue of videos Tabitha likes.

"Hmm huh, lucky for you that the elder lady's children are still here and spoiled. You have no idea the ingredients she could get by her own connections"

Tabitha felt the emptiness of her mana capacity, where the disease actually eating her in the inside. Her heart beat moving slower than normal. She felt she was going to die at first, but her blood returned to normal as damaged blood cells are replaced. The meals she was given help her soothe her pain, and she never realized how dangerous this disease was leeching off her.

"The people with no mana actually felt it when your mana is drained"

"It depends on the dark blood lurker, it regularly feasting your mana. The main reasons we want it out that the other mana sensing monsters can detect the disease in a dark red aura"

Tabitha read a bit more about it and said to her

"When I read it further, I should've stop there"

"Like your blood started to squirm and searching any mana source"

"Kiege please, don't" It's been 2 days after she choose the 2nd option. Kiege is wasting her time watching on screen, and Tabitha recommend something personal.

"Did you watch my preferred movies or books?"

"I won't criticize your taste, Tabitha, those kinds of men won't even recognized you being potential"

"Why!? It’s a good show"

"Whose men battling out for one woman? Nothing goodwill happened to an airhead woman where manchildren destroying everything for her"

Tabitha’s device has an auto translator, making it easier for her friend to read the subtitles. Later they started an argument, as long as Tabitha is getting better, it's safe. Tabitha never thought she won’t get sick because of her high resistance stats. She never known about actual natural enemies of the neutral mana, then again, the monsters in Rune Isles are easy examples. Lastly, she felt like an introvert again with added steps. Remembering back home made her more determine to leave as ever, with only her expression shows mesmerizing look, she hopes to live better there than here.

Back to Isekai City, a few days after their defeat. Haw was personally removed from his group by his women. Leaving everyone else to continue on, until, the main mission starts. Myrrkei is with Ironno observing the strange behavior he did in the sewers. Secretly hiding in the makeshift safe room, the two are focusing their works.

"The lockdowns causing us to do different things now. Ironno, what is it again? From what else you found"

"All projects lead to a halt, the school was Haw's personal quest, searching for a recruit is laughable by the city guild . . ."

". . . The construction project in Stranding Island was stop because the resources were block by the lockdown or to say creatures outside, and lastly, Horsin's criminal practice already reached in our area"

Ironno gives a stern look and nothing for him to do anything but that. Myrrkei had troubles finding a different work besides lecturing the newcomers. The report about the city is good enough where the city can handle themselves until they met the outcasts or defectors, in their term. They are one of the causes to breach inside the city without notice. They both know it, and were restricted by the city's laws.

Myrrkei puts his head circling around and trying to figure out what happened back then, and said to him.

"Like just you said, it was the kick the made you lost focus. Then someone mentioned about blood"

Myrrkei looks away and checks on the board, Ironno's scroll copies. With his eyes changed direction to see both himself and the copies. He thought about the common disease did actually corrupted Ironno's scrolls too effectively.

"A defense scrolls activated, so that room was a saferoom right?"

"Yes, would you let me explained what those scrolls supposed to do?"

"No, but I want to figure out that the dark blood lurker matured"

Ironno watched Myrrkei kept waving his finger at him, saying no . . . don't speak, and Myrrkei is short stepping inside the saferoom.

"Hmm"

Remembering the things he had research before. The scenes were many gang members died and dried out from their bodies, and painting their magic items with their own blood. The police tried to extract it but the samples already died including their own magic items' integrity. Comparing back in Rune Isles, it was possible for it to stay alive within Rune Isles where the blood turned into strange biological goo scavenging any leftover mana from their unconscious body.

"I know I don't want you to say anything for now, but your previous clothes already covered by it"

Myrrkei pulled from the sheets hidden inside a glass container that the clothes turned into that goo.

"It is strange that it interacted differently"

Myrrkei had already sums up the natural causes of this disease and its capability to survive in different environments. A questionable debate of this disease made nothing to prove a unique animal. Yet he sets his mind on the folklore of the daemos, where it is possible to possess anyone with a certain requirement.

"But which tales are true?"

Ironno continued to stay silent and moved towards the glass container where the goo stasis itself inside. His clothes might already consume by it, but his pick axe wasn't destroyed yet.

Myrrkei finally ask him "How far do you remember the incident?"

Ironno stared at the glass with his pick axe next to it. It felt like a dream for him and his senses were blank with blurred moments when return to his senses.

"I could only tell where everything was a mess and I somehow leave my safe area. It’s unnatural for me"

"I would believe so, now how much can you remember?"

Meanwhile, outside of Isekai City, a secret base founded by the Devilishly Rats, a second flag place aside with the main one is the image of a Dark Green Dot. The covered man's gang, where more gangs that survived last night had a humiliating to terrifying defeat. The subordinates gave a reluctant joke

"Heh, I thought we're going NTR someday with those harem freaks. . ." A slap by his shoulder, and the recruits had a depressive look.

"Don't do that, last night I thought we can't even get our leader back"

The covered man and his subordinates were busy expand the underground base for the survivors.

Busy on the other stuff the boys who managed to escape where in a special room, a bar, they drank dwarven kegs and easily got wasted of their inexperienced from the outside world.

"I thought leaving the city was a regret, we have people wanted to leave the city after some strange monsters"

"For city girls like us, I couldn't believe that these guys actually facing actual monsters"

The in-service subordinates couldn't grasp what happened there, but they had experienced much darker in the east coast.

"Still quiet after few baby's glasses, huh?" The women came in and saw what the special room looks like. It's like an underground bar like back home.

"Since the great leader is busy expanding this place, do you girls know anything what happened?"

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A few talks later, and they already know who they are facing.

"An Enders with limited tools, I don't know how stupid the government nowadays. Hey any mages, sorcerers, priests or any magicians out there explain them about the magic line" The subordinate quickly changed topic after a few critics, and explain them about what they are experiencing last night.

"The magic line, made from Rune Isles corrupted mana. What I learn that the substances they are carrying actually harm your mana. Its corruption had terrible effects"

The other magic user said to them. "Even you break the magic line, it costs your body to break down, lost your entire mana, and fainted"

"If you guys don't know about corrupted mana, it does that only to mana depended. I could say that people always using their mana"

"What my girl was trying to ow!" The subordinate unleashed something at top of him and landed on his head and she said

"Your girl?"

"I'm glad you admit it, so . . ." He brushed it off and embarrassed her. A small grin is coming from him by looking at her reaction.

"What I am trying to explain here that there's cause and effects regarding your mana pool"

The subordinates tried to explain it briefly, and the phenomenon what they had learn before were too much for the new comers. The man kept explaining until one of them understood.

"I never would've thought how complex mana in this world"

"Like I said, it's the temporary center of all sources here"

"You managed to get one out from the five anyway"

The recruits watched the woman who fights with him earlier had another quarrel. The woman stops and realized how they making a drama between them. The woman gives her partner's last explanation

"You understand that your mana is in your control, and the mana line just solidify your mana flow which you don't have experienced it"

The newcomers learned the basics and give their summary.

"If that happens, you are tangled by it like a lifeless tail. It is the source of everything we need to survive and improved in this world. Our quantity of mana differs from the other Horsins. But for only a month or so, we are no better than them in experience"

"I'm guessing you understand it a bit. You know it's hard to compare us from them. Our proportions are different"

The subordinates had their hard times, and the newcomers had it easier for them. The outsiders had no updated identification while the others had one. They will have different role for the future.

The sleeping boys woken up after their drinks, with the two subordinates are looking at them. Expecting what they want a respond and ask again

"Can you tell us now how you survived?"

"Ok"

"Good, bring up the setups"

The woman slapped him after she heard him. The special room transformed into theatre where a sphere drops down with the lights’ direction.

"Are you going to use it for porn again?"

"You know I don't like stuttered storytellers"

Everyone finds their seats as new ones appeared. The covered man and the others entered the room and saw setups are activating.

The newcomers saw furniture replacing with other theme like aesthetics.

"Did the room turned into a sleep over?"

Covered man replied to them along with the subordinates' comments "These are in-service branch's plans"

"Also the same people pick these from Agatheus City"

"I don't know that this shit even exist"

"We don't like their choice of appliances either"

The newcomers don't know anything about this except in their rooms through their own style, and not actual made from Horsin. They find their strange place to lie down or sit. The man explained to the boys.

"This sphere is very dangerous, by touching it and focus on the moment you remember. Then let it go, it played itself for the rest”

One of the subordinates said it out loud. "Go hentai!"

Many groan what they used for the first time. The covered man didn't see the first test. They have bad impression about it, yet still being useful when their leader shows them the right way.

"Oh, shut up! Now place your hand"

The boys thought they could tell them, instead they are placing their hand on the sphere. After someone touched it, the subordinate quickly pushed the person, who touched it first, away and the sphere reacted. The glow colors only in black and white, like the zone, where the release of fast forward images.

"Hey! what did you?"

The sphere starts quickly gathered the images where the subordinates felt the sphere's influence from the boy's mind. He starts to sweat and the woman who was with her changed expression.

"How you managed to face something like that?"

The man ingulfed himself with tainted of black fluid around his body and feeling a bit drained out. He slammed the sphere on the table where it connects all the systems it needed like a television monitor, sound, and more importantly like a big screen movie. The woman was shocked and grabbed him away,

"AAH!"

The covered man reacted to them "The sphere replicated the user's experiences, don't be afraid"

The woman looks at the boys and said in a worried look.

"It's better to watch it than you describe it"

Everyone take their own seats and some lie down on some mattresses or pillows like it some luxurious brothel. The subordinates watched closely what they had experienced when the portal opened, including the boys. The sphere kept going and it pauses itself, where they are in the sewers in a black and white zone. The gang leader was there with the others follow along with their torso touched the waters. Sounds echoed from the manhole saying

"Go! we don't have much powers left" . . .

"HELP!" and the story begins.

Between stories of Ironno and the sphere, intertwine between stories. Chronologized together as a whole, where both sides witnessed or heard what happened. Ironno drenched on blood causing another blood to flow freely by the dead gang. Covering himself in blood and the scrolls blackened by the dark blood feasting any mana had left. Rushing into them where the flow of the water started to change. The gangs with little to no mana left and with the magic line trailed behind or rolled on to their shoulders. They saw him coming, distorted figure and dripping out.

Myrrkei thinks Ironno was possessed, where he explained that he saw his shadow distorted figure coming up from his shoulder and a weird circular thing acted like an eye. The black and white zone can't comprehend what he saw but art on a paper. Believing what he remembered saying

"U'ecin . . . I couldn't imagine you kept them alive. Neither would Myrrkei's tainted ashes"

Myrrkei had a hunch that he was actually possessed. U'ecin and himself still had the disease, and the folklore where the blood actually remembered what they did once they bleed. When this daemos folklore is true, the possibility to spread in Isekai City will . . .

The gangs with little mana they had, redirect anyone with a small mana consumption. They cast high speed projectiles at it and the monster torn off and pulled itself back to normal like it was punched. The monster is moving closer and the flow of the water turned against them. Its unforeseen arms pulling anything moved forwards, pipes, holes, or cracks. It moved relentlessly.

"SHIT! Our mana is dead and our mana potion won’t restore it"

"Then break it!" They throw against the wall as hard as they could. The glass won't break and the potion didn't drop a dust from it.

Gang leader sinks his hands on the water and cast torrent to pushed the monster away.

"Everyone! Keep going, I'll distract it"

A torrent pushed through the sewer water and the monster held still and slowly moving in. The monster still grew bigger and bigger with more limbs to appear. The gang leader summoned a stone javelin and thrown at it. The monster caught it by its mouth and created mana line linked to the gang leader.

"SHIT!"

The monster pulled him but resisted, and the monster persists by letting itself pulled to him. The torrent kept it away but the line connected it together.

"How this monster gets to this zone"

The gem’s effect activates and forced him to stop his magic. The torrent is gone and the water redirects where the water returned back to its flow. The monster that grabs the stone pike disappeared, including the magic line. The monster continues in a steady pace again. The magic line disappears and lucky for the gang leader to have more time to stall. The magic line was disrupted by the gem, he can't distract him any longer and heard a call from his boys.

"There's a portal here! Hurry!"

The gang leader rushed his way with how much mana he could use. The disruption was too much and made him drop into the sewer water.

The gang leader sprang out from the water and forced to swing to where the boys are yelling

"HURRY!"

He turned around and the monster can now climb on walls with its numerous limbs. What he saw where it can now use magic, with the raised of the pick axe. His mana disrupted and dripped on by its strange fluid.

He shouted his boys for his one last words. "RUN!"

The leader fell into its one attack, and blood fell out from his throat. The blood got contaminated and enlarged its body again. The disrupted effects fell into it, with only a short time it will be activated again. The monster replicated the dead leader's ability and leap towards them.

The screen from sphere shows only where the one got pulled inside to the portal, leaving the remaining others rushing in. A monster reached inside the portal and its true color formed by the exposed natural light, dark blood, splashing everywhere. One of the subordinates beat it with a stick, infused by Alga's light,

"BEGONE DEMON!"

The monster's limb was torn off by the light and immediately grabbed the wielder and pulled him in. Screaming from the other side, where put to silenced and the subordinate will be the last victim. The portal got corrupted by the monster. The subordinate held the stick firm and struggled away from it.

Almost broken free, his head soon quickly get caught and slammed his head down then drag back into the portal. Others were focusing the remaining survivors away from the portal and can't help him because of the tight room. The subordinate pulled into the portal in such a rush, trailing blood along like a brush painted its path. The portal disappeared where his head almost reached it. The dark blood was separated and now freely crawling any mana sources. The subordinate breaks free and spitting it out from his mouth, he pulled out a cleansing water and drink it on the spot.

Finally, he touched his uvula and vomits it on the same spot. Dark blood fluid bursts out his mouth while the other blood crawling up to his head or away.

Then he said this "You have no idea that your existence was the cause of this new pandemic"

Many walked away and others go back in to cleanse the blood. The survivors can't describe it and the other subordinates never seen the disease becoming more dangerous. The sphere ended there where everyone from Isekai City saw something horrendous inside their own home. Those who are not, even their healers, had to review again and said to themselves

"Get the history book"

In Enders view, Myrrkei observed the glass container again and gives a good sigh. Believing that this thing managed to have a nice feast, and explained to Ironno

"You know, you'll have died back then"

"I don't have mana"

"I guess, but this thing . . ." Pointed inside at the dark blood lurker

"Looks like it is incubating, like most daemos newborne would happened"

Ironno had no knowledge regarding to daemos race, and seeing Myrrkei looking more serious to understand the situation.

"We have no choice to warn the city . . ." Again, Myrrkei placed his fingers on his head or face, tapping away.

". . . Let's have separate investigations, I'll be the first to tell them. You'll report to Lord Lori'es through our guildmaster Daygen. There will be no hesitation on this, if something happened to me or even I magically back to Enders Bridge. You are free to respond what chaos lies here"

Ironno listened and recall the people he found with the dark red aura. He felt the little temptation to kill, it is still a mystery how he was possessed. Ironno realized and said to him out loud

"MAGIC LINE!"

Myrrkei gives in a suspicious look and disagreed on that claim.

Myrrkei said "Magic line? Impossible, it only tracks trail of magic used like projectile"

"Their magic lines are different, I remember seeing them carried around like a rope"

"I have to keep it mind, I'll ask them about it"

Myrrkei left the make shift safe room and saw a few people waiting for them. With their tracking device, they found some strange sources coming inside.

"We detect monster lifeform from here. Please cooperate"

Ironno heard them outside and look at the glass container. It is too soon for him show up and he opened the other door then leaved. Ironno was teleported to the sewers, the same way he got in there in the first place.

He was not in the zone, and he proceeded to move quietly then made a report to Enders Bridge. The authorities saw the container and found what they detected.

They ask him "Since when did you bring this monster?"

"I found it left behind outside of the zone, I brought it here for seclusion"

Later the container was taken away and Myrrkei joined them for further questioning. He thought he would be heading to South Shore Bay, but they took him on an opposite direction. They move into a strict private district, Taiyou, the industrial zone close to the east road. Not the small zone from southeast coast but the main district. Once inside, he saw another hospital.

The structure had a different look where the old buildings were rebuilt together. The other facilities were rebuilt itself into adapting this new world. They got in and he couldn't recognize anyone who is inside. More experienced, mature, and near close to elderly people looking at him strangely. They look at him suspiciously and he felt anxious a bit, he sighs and whispered to the authorities.

"Are you the people who wished to leave?"

They remained silent and place him into a room alongside with the container. An old woman looks at the case and scans it with her device. She places it on her desk alongside with her laptop.

She said to him "Can you explain why you brought a demon?"

She pointed out the container with her carrying a seal showing from an elven origin item. Myrrkei will cooperate with them after this one serious question.

"The seal of Ehan'Ra, what makes her trust you?"

The old woman shouldn't believe it once she shows him the seal. After investigating multiple people from Agatheus City, this is the first time she found someone from Enders Bridge can clearly see the seal calling it seal of Ehan'Ra. The seal glows like the sun well, it was so long to see it again for Myrrkei to remember. Time is going short, and it's her job to found out this strange monster inside or will be the doom of her city.

Back to the rebellion, the recruits saw the horror of the sphere. The screams were mumbled when the monster reached them, even the subordinate fought back was easily being handled after being attacked by its weakness. The subordinates on stage gives an amazing applaud, alone, while the woman with him looks at him acting so dark.

Clapping for himself and said "Amazing! Even I can't go back there. It's like this world is an actual apocalypse"

He lied down on the pile of cushions and hiding his depressive face. The woman who was with him pulled up his face and saw his honest expression.

"I think you have gotten too far for jokes"

"The longer they live, the more chances they found ways to kill us all"

The covered man stands up and approached on stage, he looks at the sphere and turned to his gang.

"My subordinates know and why we are here near Isekai City. Trying to persuade all of you to leave this world, you know some of us are from the rebellion, and none of you weren't summoned here then stop our world's problems. However, reality struck intentions from each of one of us. In the end, enemies are still enemies. This is the first time I saw a new phenomenon when a someone had mana as thick as metal and not light as air. Powerful and dangerous to other low magic user . . ."

". . . Even if your people managed to enslaved us . . ."

The recruits gave an oof from their heads, they look around for anyone who had a grudge on them but none of them react.

". . .but you people are not one of them, not all people are the same. Besides, even my own countrymen from the west continent will kill you anyway once you entered this world" Everyone is listening and the outcome between people or worlds play black and white. Seeking peace is faint and near fictional to the Horsin's ears, but they heard more closely about going back. True or not, others tried the least numbers approached.

"We heard that a powerful structure will bring you all back home, removing all trace from this world to yours, permanently broken connections, and never going to return this world again. Some of us believed it, even heard rumors before of calling to leave this world. Now, things changed but many of you who joined us think differently. I have no promised to bring you back, but when my countrymen found a way to breach your city. These recruits will guide you to that structure and you outsiders will opened it and leaved as soon as you can. We will handle the power source"

The subordinates cheered and the recruits don't let themselves hope for that. One of the recruits talk to an actual rebel, which they wore a rounded badge made out of red chalk, and said

"Do you actually believed your leader?"

She pulled out her badge write it on the table. She picks it up and a flat surface mended with her chalk writings into a piece of paper and said

"No, but fighting against you would be meaningless where more future otherworlders would come anytime"

The recruit look at her in fear and she continued "I just agreed when we are fighting another wave, it's better for you people to leave"

The survivors received a paper sent by the subordinates written by the red chalk and they read. "Creation: Room (1)" The subordinate said to them as they already made a magic scroll for next one.

"Place it on areas do you wish to make a room of. Sorry I was being hasty but you guys sleeping on the corners ruined our tight spaces"

Everyone is tired and don't wish to move, they thought it was comfortable here and one of them said "How about a sleep over here?"

The covered man couldn't say anything and said "If want it, be my guess. I'll be in the other rooms instead. People who wished to leave were lost or forced to live in it, and now in secrets to their way to escape.