COI C150
Few days have passed since Tabitha’s first triumph. She had formed a group consisting in the mix of citizens and Enders. Faye and Syri are in her group to come along for her training, the two Enders women are cooperating both the adventurers and her progression. Illtended and Altair are slowly learning the threat they are facing the brown red cloud, with Archivist’s help to figure out the hidden secrets as they remove the annoying mobs and go straight to the strongest monsters hiding among the hordes. Their time together also joins with Haw for a time about the east mountain’s monsters. They soon understand that they are facing brain dead creatures.
The next greatest challenge next month is when they meet the monsters in its true potential. The words of reminder to Tabitha from Haw “The group you formed, let them learn before you are going to do your separate ways. The week is long, and it is been more than two days now. Because you have a team able to erase the bomb’s effects, and even enhance the brown red cloud’s integrity. One last warning, don’t judge too little to these Enders. They may have nothing on hand, but the city can’t remove their expertise as they are the descendants who escape the inner realms from Agatheus City”
Altair and Illtended are with the two Enders women, first time teaming up without Tabitha. They the two Enders were relying on Tabitha’s equipment, and today is different, they are such venturing through the ruins. Altair holds a special device made by the Dexter Guild to survey around the area for any signs of monsters. The radar shows massive numbers of monsters, but there are little signs of stronger monsters after that. The last tier of monsters is still here as it defines as the monsters’ puppets.
It seems the brown red cloud had proven to be dangerous. Where there are already signs of health conditions among the Agatheans and the other volunteer Enders. Except these two, Faye and Syri remained normal from what they can see. They look disappointed as usual with their new styles of clothes. Even they could buy on their own but the prices made them grouchy than they have anticipated. Illtended says to them
“I don’t want be the one to ruin the mood. But, is there something you think this city is good for?”
Syri opens up and said “Your technology, that I could say respectfully”
Illtended already sees on her face, not blushing but more honestly disappointed what she and Faye saw inside the Mihayara District. Shops are a little too much for them to see, even Haw was guiding them before. The places they called adult only areas. The most common activities are almost the same but different themes. Honestly, they are curious what other entertainment they could since the world of magic has many possibilities to enjoy themselves.
The women stopped while Altair and Illtended sense something odd from the distance. The Enders from the other group are carrying both adventurers and Horsin adventurers. The adventurers had no signs of injury, but something tainted on them show the markings of the goblin curse. Then the echoes reach here
“D-u-u-u-ck”
The wind turns strong from their backs and Altair sees the winds is moving like a tide. There they could see the remains of the dolls passing through. The winds stops and the bodies scattered everywhere all made out of debris of this city.
The Enders saw the two of their companions unharmed and clean off from any of the brown red cloud. They ask
“Did any of the Enders able to sneak in their own equipment?”
Syri answers “Yes, but it made under the name of the Demyr’Ankr clans”
“The tolerant one, from what they say”
Faye steps in as this conversation made it look like they are superstitious. “Enough! What do you want from us?”
“Nothing, there is danger approaching where you are heading. The ground here is spreading the remains of the spirits doings. Be aware that this is not the spirits from Kinteinnou region”
They watch passed by as they carried as many adventurers as they can. A line of adventurers being carried out. Faye soon realized the numbers of Enders moving back.
“We need to go back too. All of our guild is here, all five banner keepers are here”
Altair uses his traits to see the conditions of the adventurers. All of them are cursed except for the Enders guild, he sees the banner is protecting from dangers.
“Very well, where are we supposed to go?”
Illtended hear him say where, then he brings out his magic item to scout around. Something is clearly not right, the spirits around them are everywhere. None of them have traces coming from the city, these spirits are clearly from the other regions. He is in shock to see his item looks like they are surrounded, and through the dusty fog, there is nothing there.
“What’s going on here?”
“D-u-u-u-ck” The sound of the wailing echoes continues on.
The ruins are under the domain of the spirits, whereas the realms hidden somewhere. The spirits are already seeking it.
Emerald, the researchers, and the rest of the high-ranking guilds are stationed near the Taiyou Industries. The Dexter Guild is able to block the rituals inside the vicinity leaving the open spaces as their area of operations. Another phenomenon is happening in this city, it was not long since the Fuku City adventurers pulled back. They never expect the spirits from other side of the region. With their equipment in place and the cooperation with the Enders bringing the unlucky adventurers from the incidents. The city is getting more and more problems since the siege.
The researchers only found what their spirit pets can find. It behaves itself in a state of fear. They able to let them see where and how many they are. Due to the spirits acting up by the presence of the siege battle. It slowly revealing itself the more people are removing the monsters from the bomb effect. A spec, a faint, or even just plain air to dust, the spirits are here by the presence of demonic magic. They see their spirits are fleeing once again as the echoing words reached here.
“Du-u-u-ck”
“Ugh! That noise again, when will the adventurers ready to face that phenomenon”
Emerald hears them complaining the haunting wails that keeps on saying ‘duck’ for days. Along with her is the goblin from Stranding Island, and the reports he gives inside the ruins are already put her with surprises. The spirits are restless “Say, goblin. Are you sure you don’t have nothing else to do about it?” The goblin is wielding his dagger waving it around as he gets bored.
“Huh? I couldn’t tell, the spirits are from the other side of the world. Spirits are here because of the old connection, cursed to never let go, and cursed to never stop”
Inside the train station, where the archscientist is having a meeting with the military corps. X2L, McS4, R-cord, and even the Repair Boy gathered around to set out their reports after their late nights survey in the ruins. The archscientist has no authorization to get involved there because the mission is primarily on the Taiyou Industries. The production is on the demand in this city, as they heard reports of materials needed to keep the city running. Her men are up and ready, and dealing with the spirits is now one of the options.
R-cord explains “The locations I shared with Haw, codename RH-0. It spotted within the ruins. Most to almost all of the monsters are squandering around and falling to its deaths. Its mana drained not by the dusts alone, but the interference between the monsters’ desecrated body. The spirits are obviously responded to that. While the adventurers did face them eventually, there should be warnings because the demonic mana never hides from spirits. However, the spirits are corrupting itself on the demons’ powers. Now they become the scourge and this land as their dens”
The archscientist listens to him in great details. Something like this only occurred when the spirits are restless.
“Where are the people who is going to deal with it?”
“Here we are!”
The Dexter Guild turns around and see the city guild adventurers. Both adventurer and police with her badge still on her. She dashes forward and finally meet Haw’s old team. Thrilling to see them because of the city guild staff stories. Ruby can’t hold herself off and speaks out their codenames.
“R-cord, lend me your documents”
R-cord, without hesitation, he gives it to her directly. A hologram device already places on her hands while she dashes in between. Precise and well landed on her hand, she never thought he responded so quickly. R-cord replies
“Haw sent his regards, there are no new intel. It is just the same. This version will point out the location you’re need to face”
“Oh? But how do you able to throw it on my hand?”
R-cord retract the device with his armored gauntlet. He throws it again to her hand in a different direction. The object thrown in a curved as it places on her hand again.
“Classified, a high-grade equipment is in use”
A smirk on her face to see them in power armor, Haw’s team is in front of her hiding their faces with their helmets. She would love to have a chat with them, but the archscientist pulls R-cord away. Ruby sees the archscientist in a lab labcoat, same uniform from the other Dexter Guild, and with her oval glasses reflecting inside on her lens is the UI version of theirs. The shines on the archscientist’s glasses brightens then went transparent.
“I see you know your way of commands, adventurer. But your tone doesn’t suit with that kind of orders”
Other adventurers come forth as they need to meet the Dexter Guild in person. Silfa and Gemina are here as well with the rest of her guild, the Saint Heroes. Gemina said to Ruby
“You are getting hasty to meet Haw’s old guild”
“Well of course, those gossips in the city guild made it up so much of their stories being . . .”
Ruby looks at their equipment. Power armored and no traces of magic within them. Made it look intimidating by how they carried their weapons.
“. . . Brutal”
They formed up as they discuss about the situation in the ruins. Archscientist gives them the map to where the spirits are being active and following it up where the wailing duck recent activities.
“The city guild has already been to this place. I have heard their ‘luck’ surviving it”
“That’s for us to need to know. What’s happening in the ruins? Our companions are being attacked and leaving on them with the curse”
“Yes, it is because the demon’s power is there. Attracting not only the natural spirits, but the goblin spirits as well. Those who got cursed is must be done by the vengeful spirits”
The goblins spoke about it back in the city guild. Goblin spirits are dangerous than other natural spirits. If the curse is closing into the unnatural forms of the demon’s magic, then it led to the hybrid of shamanism and neutral mana together. These goblin spirits however, trapped in their sane past resolution. It has no sides with the living and go against the forbidden magic itself. Blinded that they cannot see the living turning the ruins into a haunting landscape. The complication of interfering is because of the siege aftermath, and it still lurks within the city with the remnants of the brown red cloud.
The dust also helped ceasing the realms controlled by the demons. It causes more harms than good. The spirits are gone wild to enter forbidden magic and beyond the living’s power. It still has no signs being recreated itself, but the disaster of its bodies spread along the streets. The voodoo dolls or poorly made ‘Kes’thars’ are everywhere, including the figurines and other doll like figures being recycled to its rituals. The goblins can’t help them on this, their own spirits won’t dare to challenge the spirits that are now possessing neutral mana.
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A crate brought by the Dexter guild mechanics. A special equipment meant to remove the rituals around them. They opened it and showed it to them, the archscientist explained
“We are dealing with shamanism, means we’re using it against each other, and this object will fit their rituals”
The object is a glass dome, keeping what inside is a living plant. Not just ordinary plant, a plant possesses Alga’s light. The carved drawings are on the soil as every spec of pebbles on them consist of ritual drawings.
“This is one of the forgotten tribes’ sacred rituals. Found from a world not from here, or was it taken. We don’t know, yet this is the most valuable item that no tribes in Mountaiwall know about except for the spirits”
Silfa looks at it and tries to bring her Puma into the mix. The doll appeared and see the plant. The plant reacted as the carved soil begin to glow and wisps like glow roams inside the dome like a snow globe. Puma can’t recognize the ritual but the spirits inside knows it. The plant changes its color for it understand what it is.
Puma approaches it slowly as it mesmerized the color it emits. Through the colors from a savannah climate, R-cord hears it talking and used his monocle to translate it. Between their translation altogether, from Dexter Guild’s translation and the Isekai City’s translation. The dialogue becomes different as the normal translation has a different accent. Puma and the plant begin to communicate one another.
“Brotha, it’s the legend beast rider Pu’ma”
“Sul Brotha, what is this hiding in the ancestor’s grove?”
“Boss kin, you have witnessed the fall of our great tribes. Our ancestah, we have done what we have followed to the great stories if our brothas lives. For now, you heard dead spirits. Already seeking its domain on the land of the living unintentionally. Without its shaman nor its ceremonial rituals, our kins, brothas, sistahs, and our divine ritual Kanyans. Different spirits are roaming the world sharing the existence of the forgotten souls, the spirits are not our brothas. Pretending to be gobins”
“I have seen it, and my fellow tribesmen are there seeking away from the false spirits”
“That’s not of our concern boss kin. It is the concern to your, mastah. The living is entering the dead lands. Bad spirits, playing along with mana. True spirits don’t interfere the living. That’s why they can’t enter, not by fear as they look like in their forms. It is their worries of their mastahs, because the bad spirits are pushing their companions away. Stronger not because of them. Owned by the daemos, demons’ puppets, they are not dead, they are sleeping. Boss kin, protect your mastah. We are only here to bring order to the true spirits”
The adventurers listened to their conversation is very clear. Already explaining what’s going on inside the ruins. The demons are still trying to held the city on their controls. With or without its magic, there are more than they have given credit than its simple invasion. The archscientist continues
“What they talked about was historical, this plant is the one of many ways to bring order to the spirits to its natural control. What it said is true, it needs its ritual to maintain their spirituality. If it doesn’t have the rituals to guide it through, the powers they possessed against the non-living are engraving. All while your city is within the stage of it. You need to tell the spirit that the city is not dead”
R-cord picks up the dome and gives it to them. Puma continues to stare at it as their translation left its reach. Leaving only to their own translation, the plant says whispering sound in the air while the doll speaks
“Puma”
Gemina sighs in disappointment “Their accents for them sounds a bit more tribal than our translation. Heh, boyz they said and they calling themselves brothers really fits in in their dialogue”
Silfa picks up Puma and said “I would love to hear the spirits with that kind of accent, but I don’t want to update my UI, and probably requires RAP too”
The archscientist watches them go out from the station. Leaving her and her guild talking about the next issue. The adventurers see that they are very busy at the moment. The only important thing now is using the plant to clear off the spirits inside the ruins. As they walked out, the other guilds, like the Sun’s Skies are here waiting for them to come out. S ranked guilds altogether to deal with the hidden threat in the ruins, along with the other high ranked guilds come along.
Silfa looks around and couldn’t find them “Where’s Heist and the rest of them?”
Gemina answered “Probably doing their thing inside the city. The mountain shrine, adventuring in Enders Bridge, or even helping Taiyou Industries. I’m sure Illtended and Altair are definitely been in the ruins for a while”
Later, they stepped forward at the border. Puma hesitated going near the city barrier. It acting like there is a strong wind coming in and kept pushing it back inside. Silfa tries to summon it next to her, then it quickly being pulled back in.
“Du-u-u-ck” The echoes feel differently and something is not right.
The adventurers are preparing the plant to enter the ruins. While the echoes keep going, it was strange as the echoes getting louder and louder when they bring the plant. The plant starts to glow and the wisps like light roaming around it. Dispersing the dusts and forming a ritual dome to where it is being placed. The adventurers formed in a large group as they receive a signal. There was a message from the other adventurers, along with the Enders who are with them. Those were the people who are evacuating as the remaining standing guilds are trying to buy them time to escape.
The contact was suddenly lost, and until now no one is reaching their signals. However, their GPS tracker finds them walking slowly than using magic to escape, and on the other hand, that the people who are buying them remained idle in a specific location. That location is also one of the saferooms made by Ironno. The adventurers, even though has the highest rank. They have to be careful to what they are facing. Shamanism has no weakness against their powerful magic. The stronger they used, the stronger the spirits will come for them. Gordon was the example, leading to the summoning of the goblin spirits.
What are they going to expect for a demon to brought those spirits within this ruin? Without a goblin to bring it here, and without the rituals and essences of the spirit to interact the spirits roaming. This made them wary with their curses and rituals without an object to control. The spirits will use everything around them to even possessed anything when it comes to mind. Only the prepared against the goblin’s spirits, but not the spirits without their goblins.
The dome unleashes barrier as the spirits roam around them starts to purge the air. They could not see how the spirits are fighting amongst each other. They can only tell that the plant and its soil begin to changed color.
“. . . Something is definitely happening, is it the same when Silfa’s doll interact with it?”
“No . . .”
Someone outside of the barrier is coming in. An Enders holding his clothes on his arms as he wearing the Enders usual journeyman’s clothes. Along with his hand carrying a lamp as what lies inside is the ritual item.
The adventurers pulled out their weapons. “Who are you?”
“The same people who helped you getting the monsters to appear. I may look different but I need to wear this. The ruins are getting out of hand here”
A bird comes forth to him as it transforms into an item, a pendant or keychain to some sort. As he waves it hands as the air turns to smoke and formalize a weapon on his hand without a clear edge or shape
“I was left here to wait for the others. Then my guild master sent me a familiar and sneak in some prohibited items you see before me”
The adventurers use their UIs to identify what he is carrying. Blank with the symbols blocking it with his guild’s banner. While they are searching, they want to test those prohibited items.
“I know the city won’t allow your people to bring your equipment here. Could you set an example so we could understand why?”
The Enders holding only two items, the smoke weapon and the lamp with ritual item inside. It’s like testing the blade of the knife or the testing disease on their very flesh. Their curiosity is profound to his worries.
They persist. They have sealed one of the mobs in their crystal gems and show it to him
“What would you say that you could use your weapon on this?”
“In this environment, you clearly see my weapons are absorbing the ruins. I am using ritual weapons, not from your spirits but from the feral spirits. I’ve bringing this because there are other ceremonial items in the goblin tribes still follow the traditions in the afterlife”
“Yeah, but we don’t mind at all”
The Enders raises his eyes to look at them strangely and said,
“It means I’ll alert the rest of the spirits”
The adventurers called out to them “This is not the time to test something the city tried to avoid”
The adventurers continue their search as their surrounding is being clouded less in its light bluish fog. It grew denser and denser to the mist of grey, closer to lighter than white ashes, but nearly close to smoke like the Enders wielding it. He raises his lamp high and then swings it around. The smoke shifts to where he goes, the lamp’s starts to mark up on its frames as it drew itself an eye.
The Enders turns it around to check on the frames. The adventurers taken their steps and soon they saw them. A silhouette of bodies walking towards them, they thought it was numerous but it was only Tabitha and Archivist. The adventurers thought it was them, but it was that girl who ventured to Enders Bridge. They reach to them, then they see her complexion. Worried and scared as she warns them
“You guys need to go back! This place is not safe”
“Whoa there, we are the rescue team”
Ruby comes to her aid. Tabitha had no injury but she sees something they have not witness yet.
“What’s happened?”
“Kes’thars! Possessed dolls! We found a bunch of them hiding in the remains of the monsters. They are using the corpses as their own bodies”
She pulls out her device and shows it to them. The video plays and it happened as they share the video in their UIs. All of them see the recordings that happened underground. It happened before the signals cut off.
It all started when Tabitha and Archivist take their separate ways with other four. It was request by Ironno along with Rusic. “Why can’t we just rely on ourselves? She must be busy preparing for her journey. I don’t want a woman have a hard time going through these dangerous tunnels”
“She is still a Raker Mawn guild member, or that Archivist is assigned with her. I need him more with his expertise with Circoston origin”
“Right? Then we discussed before is clearly meant for him instead of her”
Tabitha excuses herself “Uhm, may I ask why you need Archivist’s help?”
“Lass, sigh* I guess you can bring him here. We’ve been finding weird rituals lately”
Archivist has knowledge on goblin spirits, but there are exceptions. Those without a guidance, most spirits weren’t born raised under the civilization, there can be spirits that lived in the wild. There are some souls of the goblins can manifest itself back to the wilderness if it chooses so. From one and many to his knowledge, he was required to offer them help because of Haw’s absence. They went down deep into the tunnel and the entrance they found on the walls are piled with junks. Hidden within the dirt are the remains of the monsters.
Rusic explains to them “You remember this, back when we set our first adventure with the boy. Yeah, you remember it. It looks different because of the pile is on dirt beside the place they piled up the corpse”
This tunnel shows the remains being sided on the walls, like it makes a small hump whereas the bones hidden beneath the junks and debris. Tabitha gulps
“Then that means those strange rooms were”
Ironno stops her by banging his pickaxe on the metal scraps.
“It was already reported before you even enter the ruins. Back then, there was nothing to worry about at first. Then there’s an interaction between mana and spirits”
They continue to go down as more remains lying on the floor. They don’t know where they are and why it is so deep. The only place they know at Mihayara District that this must be the underground water or sewer system. They soon reach at the parking lot and there is another hole. This hole is crawled opened. Rusic comes in and slams his hammer on the ground. The shockwave on his runes focused on the area he is hitting. It collapses and able not letting the tunnel fell over with it.
The floor opens up and see something Archivist afraid of. “This is something we can’t let it out”
Rusic didn’t want to tell him but “I disagree, comparing the size that the horde is able to breach. I say this place we found is one of the examples”
“How many more did you found?”
“Hardly we can’t search underground with that kind of hole”
Tabitha pointed out “What is that?”
Archivist responds “Let’s just say the monsters siege your city had interfere the shamanism way, but there is no goblin alive to tame this massive numbers of spirits. This must mean the demons manipulate the dead and tricking them to merge with theirs”
The thing they saw on the hole is a taxidermy added with attaching some abnormal parts to the body. The body of the feral goblins, loses its tendrils, and added the demonic nature with magic. A dried-up body preserved horrifyingly with a gem impaled both of its eyes. This is like any demonic ritual and not shamanistic one, most tribal rituals are offered alive then kills it, while the demonic ritual is damning and outright horrendous dead. The way it was impaled its eyes and its mouth wide opened show it was tortured. A monster shrieking in pain.
As the room they are in are full of lifeless entity all over the place, Rusic pulls out his rune weapons with Ironno ready on his side.
“Well Lads and Lass, we should go the other way”
Tabitha’s deck holders are unlocked, she picks out the special deck and she reads a new type of deck.
“Here!? I thought you need Archivist to check on it”
Archivist raises his foot up then steps down on the floor, he bends the floor to shift into a weird humps and curves on the floorings. They see the grounds moves slightly as he holds them off underneath. Tabitha is shaken was is happening to this place as the floor quakes.
Ironno needs to act fast “We need to split up. You two, I made a mistake without realizing it sooner. Take Tabitha out from here while we fend off these creatures”
Tabitha picks up a card and throws it on to them. The buff given to them have boosted up their resistance, then she added one more with her special card. Tabitha and Archivist left in an instant, only by running as her spell couldn’t use teleportation magic.
“I can’t use my magic here?”
“Magic is filled with demonic presence. The spirits here are gathering it mindlessly. These spirits are feral”
The tunnel walls that left behind the remains are starting to form, of all the rituals that supposed to wall off against incoming enemies, this one is trying to trap them. The spirits used the monster remains with the ashes formed like wraiths. Archivist uses his magic to bent the ashes away in a few simple blows. He bends the air it back inside the tunnel. More and more spirits are transforming into squirming rodents chasing them in a tight space. Tabitha uses her cards to blocked them, the wall is raised but it was easily consumed by the tunnel walls.
Magic here is being consumed as she lost in thought that when her magic is absorbed. The bind helps her rethink and quickly buffs up Archivist. Through the tight tunnel as he fighting his way and spells added with Tabitha’s help, he used a strong gust with his martial arts. Two hands in front and forced the remains away from them, then turns around as Tabitha moved passed him cast another gust to the other side. All cleared. He proceeds to bend the wall into a carved magic circle.
“Tabitha, infused it with your magic”
The magic circle is formed and they sucked into it. The room once again being filled with the ashes, a strong wind that manifest itself into a dust storm inside the tunnel. The spirits chase them through the magic circle. While they are in the magic circle, the pathway shows a wormhole leading them up to the surface. The fast moving through the magic wormhole trying to run away from the chasing spirits. Archivist holds her hand as they watch all around them being surrounded while the wormhole takes them far away from their reached. They continue moving inside the wormhole for hours as it was relentless for the spirits keep chase.
The video ends there, and the adventurers look at them with cautious. Tabitha was in shock of how many spirits are chasing them nonstop. Then they look at the dome that contains the plant,
“Did the Dexter Guild know about this?”
She asks with a tired expression
“The city officials knew about it. Haw and the others wear keep on tract on it”
“Then why didn’t they respond it earlier?”
“Because they didn’t know how faster it grows during the eradication, all of us didn’t know that”
They look at the fog already in white ashes. They are entering they never thought would happen.