COI C55
Myrrkei had written so much of his report after experiencing so much within this city. Since letting someone to deliver to Enders Bridge, it is clear on his mind that it was about the society’s life and entertainment. Now piling up regarding about the city’s situation, it is certain for him to realize how there are many returned back to the city. He suspects someone is infiltrating for a while now. Staring out the industries of Tayiou district, it is where the separate groups of people who are once working this city. He is temporary working here to check the detail as they are collecting as many secrets they need to find.
These previous public services are the one who wanted to leave, they are already researching to the strange activities happened inside Mihayara district to the northeast border. Myrrkei heard words from Ironno is already taking his time to the partial ruins of the tall buildings called Fuku City. Then finally words got out from the other two Enders are helping Haw on something, jealousy coming go through his mind how they are entering the sphere but those two wanted to fight. It’s a given the sphere can’t be that stable as of now. He hopes that the school won’t be sharing to hostile people.
Emerald comes to visit him as she collected the information about the Enders fighting the city guild. She already knew what purpose have done and they already researching to counteract that happened in the city.
“Doctor Myrrkei, is there other ways to face these new threats?”
She shows documents of dangerous looking characters, as he responds every detail about them.
“. . . Other than that, they seem to replicate the strategy of the devil and also the rebellion”
“I know, it feels like they were the rebellion themselves”
“It’s all thanks to that guild who convert them”
“You mean Benedictus?”
“I am indeed question for that, there is something I might add, then again, those threats are really needed to learn about it. I am not proud to see those are against you being a bit sadistic”
“I know what you’re saying, but we managed to take them out”
“Or was it their shortcuts to leave?”
“. . .”
“Thought so . . . Wait . . . laugh*”
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing, they are starting to learn, and I thought it would take longer”
“It’s great that you found out too, now any advice to those who not showing their secrets . . .”
The documents they both read were outstanding to his eyes and hers personally. The city guild starts to plan out the resources they need to make in order to be in par with the Enders. Troubling to both security and luxury in between, it is now the government decision to choose their limited resources or let the city covered in minor crimes to high crime. The rest of the documents have been seen by Myrrkei as they already figure it out to trace mana of each individual, and it all thanks to the Huntsmen.
Back to the simulation room in Sister’s Hope Highschool, the team had no stop fighting. Flooded by countless spirits attacking them, through their possibilities of their equipment and no dangers are happening among them until . . . Coral sees the horde through the hidden contraption made within the cave. Surprised after surprised this is too difficult to fight them with its rituals, numbers, and smaller in size. First is handling them with his wand, collecting the shamanism essence for him to use as spells. The beginning after the attacks of the first wooden dolls they have already warned to the spirits, and they came in like a flood.
The cave inside slowly collapsing down where the rituals hidden inside starts to dwindle. First’s wand, the claw held an orb, had siphoning the rituals to the point of itself deteriorating to the last voodoo magic had. Falling down on the ground as sand as the hard ceiling of the cave lost its shamanistic magic, Coral sees the exposing sky still sheltered from the Jigeram where giant wind spirits held in the air and rained down on them.
“There’s more from above”
“Yeah, this entire landmark is a spirit world”
“Let’s GO!”
First shouted at them to move on, where everything around them changes. Coral is with Haw guiding her without releasing more of her magic, Rusic and U’ecin are dealing in the front to pierce through the horde, and Second watch their behind as more spirits coming at them. In the middle, where First makes a dome for them to hide. Can’t be seen from afar but close enough to his dome will be seen, it is limited for him to think other spells as the horde is too much for him to fight against. Running through where the sun sees them, this is too complicated for them to know any better about the spirits.
They stop as Rusic tells them about the condition they are now.
“We can’t be seen by the spirits through Alga’s light, they will recover as we take it down”
Rusic raised his weapon high and slammed on the ground. The ritual ground appeared as it endures from his attack. First helps him to absorb the rituals into the orb, gathering the mana he needs for the future. Soon the ground tears itself like wood, Coral waited for them to tell her to fight using her sword. Where Haw directs where unknown beasts leaped through the dome. Haw used his bracer to catch them then throw them back out.
It persistent reflexes made it moves back to them. U’ecin took down one of them as they landed on him and gets impaled, quickly absorbing the spirits through his polearm to replicate the abilities on to it. Beasts’ spirits taken within his polearm as he is now had a weapon that is lighter as if he swings it like a feather. Through every attack he made to take down those beasts. Coral helps them by shooting them while they landed and Second casts support magic among them. Haw slowly moving where more beasts are possessing curses within its body. These glowing silhouette beasts are exposing its true forms.
They maneuvered around them where the returning spirits appeared from Alga’s light. There are signs of them recovering their rituals and how the light reaches here, covered through the Jigeram’s but the only magic held the Alga’s light must be from the totems or a goblin spirit. Hardly to see from the other side of the mountain, there is a special protective totem held the light. Countless orbs hanging around and kept the portal of many spirits coming here to fight the intruders. Not by its natural reasoning but the controls of the landmark from the sphere.
More and more spirits kept coming and one of them brought the light. Second tries to grab the light with his magic to burst it opened, the spread of the light blinded them for a moment. Haw missed the grab and getting piled up by the beasts. Coral no longer waits for them to bring out her sword, once unsheathed she feels the rush. The trails of her blade and her shadow playfully appears and attacks them in multiple techniques as it moves. Dashing all around the dome without her interrupting the others. In super speed, she brought them down then up in the air. Doing combos that no creatures have to endure, except here.
The ground starts to fall where the two almost breaking it down. First spread down the ground to go deeper where the light won’t reach, now facing the dark below with the other spirits that won’t heal but menace of its dark domains. Rusic is getting surrounded by the horde, it is no chance of them to continue facing at the surface where the numbers kept coming back. Orbs of Alga’s light kept coming into the point every attack from U’ecin will be revived after. The only one who kept them still, now in the air beating it up with the light restoring them.
First yelled at his team where the final strike on the ground starts to crumble like a withering wood.
“Brace yourselves, Coral! Bring those spirits down with you!”
“Alright!”
Coral gathered them all in one place where her shadow dashing around them, up, down, sideways, even in the inside of it kept it from recovering. The extension of her fights made the spirits ever so growing gathering more dangerous spirits. Yet, they have planned it before, because those uncooperative curse spirits might ruin themselves as they will exist in this chaos.
Shattered down like wood, they fall to the ground as they prepared to brace the impact from below. Leaving Coral in the air gathering as much combo she had to do, then her final strike to where she flies paused within her radius collecting her power slowly and the spirits remained in highspeed retaining the disabilities of the spirits. Filled everything she had for visual purposes, as she finally swoops down bringing the spirits with her. Passing through the others where they are still falling.
Landed first within the dark area where a natural soil felt soft and closely to the river, she is kneeling in one leg with her murasame impaled on the ground risen magical pikes rise up as the fallen spirits are impaled. The sword starts consuming their essence of shamanistic magic and disappears where she stands up and pulled out her sword from the ground. All that destructive aura she emits are now gathered on to her through a deadly display of defeating spirits around her.
She sheathed her weapon where everything around her quickly swallowed up by her sword. Then, the place is clean leaving the shadow with her at her side to ready itself for the next stance to attack. All of them fell down to the soft ground as it is now muddy. Coral’s magic prevents them to get hurt through falling from a high place, but they never fell to their feet. Raising their heads to breathe their first breath away from the sun, Alga’s light, or out from the muddy surface they are in, they are safe from the goblin made architecture built in rituals.
“I should’ve been the one to glide us down, Coral, but you did great collect all those mana from the spirits”
“Thank you First, for once I got scared to see countless spirits coming at us”
“It was planned out; we didn’t mention about this plan that this a what if scenario”
“Really? I could’ve known if you show it to me”
“Really!?”
Sarcastically showing a list of plans of those what ifs, then she quickly gives up as she seen branches of plans that are too complicated of a plan. It reminds her that visual novel games with complicated branches that will lead to a different ending or more difficult secret endings.
They all stand up seeing around as they are in the cave but plants around here within the dark seems to be healthy. Mysteries of its rituals really made the Agatheans want to know how much those goblins had thrive back then. Yet, one of them remain on the mud, then pulled out from there was Haw. Silent, but has marks on his body from the beast. Second comes to him as he sees something odd around his face, he checks on him and there is some colored dirt mixing on his face. Not knowing what it is, as he takes a closer look. Haw turns to face him where the markings start to glow, hidden by the scratches of the beast is the rituals imprinted on Haw’s face.
Second took it for a surprise as Haw punch him and starts to attack wildly.
“Foul spirit! Haw is possessed”
Haw without any special abilities including his potions proceed to attack him with only his bracers. A craft item only meant to counter the spirits, once impressive fists to beat, hold, and block against the spirits are nothing more of hard gloves. It still hurts for Second anyway, and only with his own arms to block his attacks. Everyone sees Haw was possessed as they try to get a hold of him before the spirits might track them here.
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Rusic did it simply, coming to Haw where he brawls his way to Second. The possessed Haw got easily knocked out by Rusic’s heavy weapon, turning into a blunt as he faces his weapon that only have curve without an edge or pick. Too quickly, and quite amusing how the spirits get a hold the most fragile member of the group besides the two Agatheans. First reaches him and absorb the rituals on Haw’s face as his collection of his mix mana pool through his wand. Then he suddenly stops as he stares at the scouting probe, Thean’s parting action on this landmark.
Showing First’s realization by letting the probe watches him using his magic to write a note for Thean.
“I should’ve have known such opportunity like this, you know little too well about ‘my’ intention”
Rusic reads the magic writing in the air as it is reverse in order for the probe to read it properly for the audience. After some careful reading, he too never thought being possessed will be that easy to come by. The two of them look at each other as they assumed that they have a related intention for payback. Humiliation or annoyance, both different but equal of their personal grudges. This is such a preventive moment for Thean’s . . . consequences.
Coral was not involved from the dilemma that Thean did, she admit what he did to bring the equipment for them are too inappropriate especially First’s magical girl wand. Awkwardly, she never believed that Rusic also having some hate on him, how? Haw pulled back up with Second’s help, U’ecin pats him at the back for the next worse stages are happening. He called out to everyone the reminders they have experience watching the Summer Festival Challenges.
“Always remember the possibilities from what you’ve seen through the goblin’s achievements during the summer events, it will partially be involved in our struggles in the future”
Moving on in the underground river, disguised hiddenly under the shallow dark path. Where the rituals have imbued the refraction of natural light and darkness, for giving only to them in harsh conditions within they are now. The rituals are hidden among the walls or ceilings, filled with nature that is all hybrid by multiple different vegetation and shamanistic designs through what magic lies inside. The things they never seen before that is not related to the recent spirits they know about. It’s the writings within this dark path carved by the tribe’s name
“Sul Boyz”
Meanwhile in the simulation room, they skip the unnecessary part of the recordings and found something familiar. Haw got possessed during the fight, a spirit beasts claw its way through him as the mark tainted on his face to rip through something on him. Then the trail of mystic air flow inside to the rip unseen scratches inside of him. The teachers had updated the search from the stone slab from Haw, where they found the sources of this related shamanistic ritual. Thean comes in where he checks on his team, secretly knowing about it but never know the variety.
Quail sees him as she quickly set the video where First gives him the message, by the look of her eyes with disappointed, the two stared at each other as playing a game to reveal to each other’s intention. The others see the video being rewind for him to see that the man what First send to.
“I should’ve have known such opportunity like this, you know little too well about ‘my’ intention”
Thean read it out loud as he’s smiling to his expectation, no doubt, there’s something he wanted to do if that happened. Yet, there’s Rusic, he had giving up the idea to mess around where that dwarf knew how to make pain with his oversize weapon.
“Thean, you knew about those rituals”
“It’s two versus one, I don’t have the advantage to have fun and survive inside that shaman world there”
Quail puts her hand to her eyes for not looking at him in a straight face, a comedic expression where everyone didn’t get it. Only those two and more from the team inside the sphere. Reya asks Quail
“Ok, he received the message. Let’s continue on the screen, Quail”
Quail didn’t do it as she remained annoyed from Thean, the other teacher comes along and set it back to their normal video. Coral is having a conversation with First about the unknown they have that is not yet understand what happened back then.
“. . . Forgotten tribes?”
“Like most fallen civilizations, there are many things they have made before and lost after the next era. Because we are here for the data, the most difficult mission here is how much will they release history of different legends and tragedies”
“I don’t like the sound of that”
“It’s concerning, especially a tribe that is called Sul boyz written here. As long our we have against them, we can fend them off until then”
They stop and sees voodoo heads floating along the river, U’ecin and Rusic quickly raised their weapons as the heads are not made out of materials. Rusic didn’t hesitate what he sees. Quietly or softly, he says it in a raspy voice as he blows his breath
“FLESH”
The heads are actual shrunken human heads, the Agatheans and Coral sense the heads’ mana as it is alive. She is horrified by sensing it, and her shadow initiates out from her control. Through the instincts her shadow impulsively attacks the severed heads, looking distraught as it shows their expression moving a bit, they attack through their mouths as it channels their magics. Her shadow made a good improvement to cut it before it cast on them, and First on the other hand is collecting them, the remains of mana would be enough for him to convert to his control and using it as his.
The front lines: U’ecin, Rusic, and Haw couldn’t reach them where they are above the waters. The spirits filled among the corpses appeared from the riverbank, coming in large mass as they are trying to grab them. Second used his range magic to help them securing the opportunity of the spirits’ advantage. Defeated remains fell to the river and merge the other parts of the dead flesh rituals, such preserve creatures put into the fight where its innards are exposed and burst its plague at them. They are surrounded by its horrible smell and force themselves to move on or breathe the hellish decay.
U’ecin calls out to them
“Let’s move on, we don’t have against the stench . . .”
Continue to call out orders, as First had collected enough of the essence from the spirits and raised bits and pieces of it then fired at them like a projectile. His orb wand fires the bits of the shattered rituals combine with his magic, a cleansing effect, pierce through the rituals of abomination. Turning the rituals of flesh into ashes, purging every shot he could make to nullify the spread, but it kept coming from the river. Second’s turn to make a dome to shelter them from the horrible smell.
Rusic tries his best to break through the front, from the horde kept pushing him back as the hunk of flesh are durable enough as they stack together by thickness and mass. The flesh rituals start to move in with the bones hidden inside the flesh and made a bite on Rusic’s armor. Protected and safe from his armor, the spirit belch or puke at him with its rotten innards. Rusic is coughing out from the disgusting breath of the flesh rituals, the disease had already reached through his nostrils then to his brain and soon took control like a parasite.
Possessed Rusic turns around and bashes U’ecin at the front, as U’ecin backs away from the bare force of a dwarven strength. Hardly for him to breathe where Rusic’s weapon hid some effective runes to weaken him. Rusic raised his weapon high to end him where U’ecin tries to recover. Coral sees them fighting then sends her shadow to stop them. The shadow appeared between the two, Rusic quickly grabs it and punches it through its shadowy body. The shadow got infected by the curse, it quickly disperses where the faded air floating its poisonous air.
Rusic blows his breath with possessed rituals to the air, a strong stench blown at them where the poison spread. Haw takes in by the front trying to use his brace to block it by only one hand and pushes himself further at him to cover his mouth. Slowly affecting Haw’s senses, it already weakening him but managed to grab Rusic’s mouth. Possessed Rusic kicks him on one of his knees as he kneels down, trying to remove holding Rusic’s mouth but his short height can’t make it so. Haw kneels down to almost the same height as him.
Haw’s bracers held the possessed Rusic in place as it can’t remove from his grasp. Rusic is slowly recovering as the bracers' presence weaken the parasite, Haw is leaning away, grabbing Rusic’s face where he removes the parasite from his head. The impressive item is yet again powerful enough to easily taken down the spirits’ rituals and curses. But the plagues Rusic had starts to weigh down. Rusic recovers and grab Haw as he is lying with the disease.
“Curses, EVERYONE RUN!”
The men go ahead first leaving Coral behind.
Coral pulled the abomination to her with her magic, she pulled them all to her where the horde of flesh dragging away from the poisoned victims. Revealing to her sword again, murasame, and ready her stance to dashes to them. A trail of magic around her like leaves falling from out of nowhere, she savored for the moment to her strike and looks around her. This goblin made cave, kept falling from the ceiling where more spirits coming from the Sul Boyz. Permanently a reminder on her head as a demon incarnate. Her shadow returns as the second strike.
Hiding from her helmet from her expression but only her eyes revealed, showing no fear but hatred of what this place is. Forcing herself by adding more of her mana on this stance, collecting so many spirits around her. More magic form her to pull them in and the most hideous things she seen are place on a specific line for her blade or magic trail to purge. Anger within through her shadow, showing her inner demon plays her expression. Rage face of her shadow’s reminiscence, forming behind her like a demon is smiling for her. Then she dashes.
A large explosion heard, and the shake coming from the ceiling and walls made by goblin engineering. Black fires appearing around them, the abominations that got caught by Coral’s magic were blown back forward leaving their trails of fire. These spirits are monstrous and immoral of its desecration of the carcasses and death from a living race. Second is glad to see her exterminate with his satisfying eyes. Holding back since those floating heads appearing before them, it was luck for him with his kind heart to see such people being horridly made by this dead tribe.
“Truly rotten skulls, I am infected”
Rusic swears out of the blue as he shows his worries of not going to stay long in the sphere. Haw had exposed by the poison, short sighted and weak breathing, he is lucky for his recklessness to save them from the disease. U’ecin recovers and hard to believe to see Rusic being possessed that easily. He takes note for himself from what kind of possession ritual was that. Coral walks to them leaving a trail of massive extermination leaving a trail of her version of demonic path.
They turn around and sees the devastation she leaves, a trail of darkness that shows nothing much like actual darkness. Black fire with outlines colored white, the remains being burned match the same color in black fire. The falling debris matches it too, Coral removes the details of the abomination and covered everything with black colored texture and white outlines. The second strike appeared after her and repeat the same as she did, but they see it with more nightmarish face appearing with its maniacally joy. Performing the same pose as she did, they ignored that long pose and continue on as the two are cursed and poisoned.
“We don’t have much time, these two are frail from the curse”
“Can you cleanse it?”
“These curses didn’t even exist; this dead tribe is probably the only one who can make it”
Coral worried for the two as their skins show colors within their face, Second tried multiple ways to cleanse them. Failure after failure as they walk through the cavern where the river is still next to them. It will be a matter of time as they will face them again. There’s another way that they will leave the river, Coral rushes forward as she is no longer wanted to stay near the river.
“I’m not going to see those monsters again, First! Please don’t tell me otherwise”
U’ecin and First were about to go there, she seems to make it more convincing from her reaction. They said to themselves
“And I thought I fear from her powers. U’ecin, I still don’t believe how your equipment handles her power”
“I used much from the Soulfate crystals forged together . . .”
U’ecin looks at First’s terrified reaction, the prediction of him to believe that soulfate crystal as it was to be, then this landmark of data will appear the notorious legends of this world had summoned.
“. . . Make sure to finish it or we will have to do it all over again, differently”
First checks the branch list, the 1st branch phase is almost over. The plan is predictable as it is traditional to most goblins, he hopes he will find them soon or those abomination will find them with their plagues from its deteriorating bodies. Coral found something as she eventually steps something metallic, a metal floor found inside the cavern where there is an underground bunker carved in rituals. Still nothing was here, others are catching up and sees the bunker. Not knowing why, the spirits are not here yet and no trace are coming to them.
It is a great time for them to rest, the urgency from Rusic and Haw’s condition are not serious but from shamanistic curse it depends how far it wanted to spread. Thanks to Coral’s action to wipe out those spirits clean out from spreading the plagues, it made the two time to stay longer inside the sphere.
“For once I thank you lass, I have time to stay here before the sickness kicks my head laugh*”
“Me too, at least we need to finish this and continue on for the next landmark”
Coral heard them giving their gratitude, she felt embarrassed because all the thing she did is using the most epic moves she remembered in anime and games.
“Embarrassingly laughing* Oh my, never thought I got thanks from you guys. This equipment you gave me had already say thank you”
U’ecin smiles a bit and First pointed at him,
“This guy gets it, smiling of your greatest work, huh”
“I don’t know what to express, giving a woman a most once created legendary item and letting her play with it or she has some impressive innovation of her magic skills”
They all laugh as they need a break after what happened. It is like an adventure but with an unrealistic mission. All revealed and knew what to do, at least they are having fun after that intense start.
Sealed away from the bunker, the spirits heard from their footsteps on its metal floor. Normal materials touching on its metallic floors as there is nothing to get interested about. Feeling much of those other spirits wandering their area that is nothing for them to make rituals under the iron stronghold. Then something solid touching the floor, weapons where place on the floor, and one unique item resting on the floor. Clothe . . . no, it’s metal linen sheet. A strange craftsmanship but it’s still metal. It’s magnetic interaction slowly raising up as it yearns metal.
The spirits grew interested by the new properties of metallic matter lied rest in front of their bunker. The spiritual boulder slowly moving close to the bunker walls to prepare the magnetism. More and more spirits start to gather as they are going to steal the metal properties of the team’s equipment. All of the team where busy talking, where Second’s familiar senses something weird.
“Is something wrong?”
Second turns around as he stared at the bunker door. The metal spirits where spook and accidentally pulled them in. The boulder starts to pull all metal around it.
Rusic quickly retaliate and used his heavy weapon and slams on the ground as he getting pulled. U’ecin helps Rusic as his weapon too is getting pulled, First uses his magic to cleanse off the shamanistic magic. He saw Haw’s bracers are being pulled to the bunker and Coral’s entire body as well. Second helps First to stop the ritual being pulled them into the bunker. No magic appeared outside but the boulder uses the magnetism inside of its magic, controlling both shaman magic and polarization at the same time. Another unique tribe that negates both magic and Alga’s light dependence.
“HAW!”
Coral shouted his name as he tries to pull her out. Her entire body slammed onto the bunker's wall as Haw’s hands start sink into it. The magnetic disabled magic around them where Coral noticed the rituals written in runes appeared. It is unbelievable as she can’t use her magic, and with Haw being sink in. She slowly sinking into the wall, and the spirits appeared to see what they have caught. Slowly and carefully bringing them alive as her last glance to see Haw’s entire body sinks into the wall. Losing much of herself to be devoured inside, they have entered the goblin bunker.