COI C267
“. . . It settled. You two have to coordinate with each other to deal with your agendas peacefully. Getting your side of the goal will be either problematic or fruitful. Since you two shared acquaintances with Tabitha, a Raker Mawn Guild member. Ironic how your former drafts always brought them there. Don’t forget what I agreed for the both of you”
Lord Lori’es gives the order to them. All of the guild masters and mistresses were silent at this conversation. Lady Coheld and Lady Constantine were called out by one of the Raker Mawn Guild members.
Sanquin says to Lord Lori’es
“Pardon me, what about the others who have visited Isekai City?”
“You have said enough, Sanquin. You were a former leader of the Not Worthy Guild. Since lived and sided with Eldesune’s Ehan’Se to found this very bridge with the other guilds. I expect the conclusion for Koiich’s missing piece and promise to bring into our side. Her descendants are still alive, and we will not end the E’asta Ankra Delikor’s legacy”
Sanquin gently bows “Sarah Mae will never ignore her children”
Sister of arms founds a book a long time ago. Sarah Mae or what her children calls her E’asta Ankra Delikor. A language too foreign or even understand to be a name or not. She is confident what she found is from one of the Enders who accompanied with them and possessed their historical archives. Which they never given a copy unless it proven to be a bond between them. Non-bloodline she assumes. Tabitha possesses such gifts as well, but not fully trusted to give her knowledge about it.
Yet, she didn’t think about it culturally.
“. . . It was too soon”
And there she heard about the doll. The heirloom doll from Mi’lady’s own words. This information really puzzled her. If this kind of rule tend to be a little messy. There is only one thing on her head speaks the obvious of a woman’s trust.
“They must’ve met them before. The three main families. From what that woman is wearing. I guess she befriended with the Ankr family. More while she also carries my grandmother’s letter. Raker Mawn still holds the diverse members from all the guilds in Enders Bridge”
At the dream state, a message received for Tabitha. Tabitha was puzzled about a message that is clearly they could visit them at this state. When she reads the message, she grins out surprised and different emotions going out as her hands tremble out of joy.
Mina asks them “Is she alright?”
Silfa holds Tabitha’s shoulder “I can see you something coming in really good. Did we forget someone?”
Juela realizes it “Tabitha’s team, I knew someone we forget”
“No, there’s more” Tabitha thrilled with excitement.
“The message here is an escape route plan. We were talking about this at the outpost. They’re trying to find ways how our people to get through from this realm. But I have issues with the idea of not using their resources and using are allies’. If this was not enough, they are going to clear all the enemies from the cycle depths”
“Cycle depths?”
“R-cord called it. Moving platforms and structures elevating and descending like some kind of elevator. It cycles up and down with different forms, easily identifying them by its magic core hiding inside”
Silfa is impressed of his effort “I can’t expect any less from your team. Is there any new information about this place?”
“A lot, exactly. Also, there is a permission”
The girls ask “A permission, what it could that be?”
“Are you going to bet those two would survive out there?”
“Mina, stop making it harder for her. I’ll go with them winning”
“Come on, Toba. I’m the one going to bet that”
“All of us just watch the entire fight with Aoi’s brother. If Tabitha got ourselves out from that mess, you think her team should be competent”
“Uhm, why are you looking like that, Mina?”
“Aoi, if you’ve seen how I met those guys from the start. We’re all going to stop whatever we are doing and just enjoy the show”
“Is there something we don’t know, Mina?”
“Sakura, I don’t need to explain. I want all of you to see when the time we have to join them again”
Back at Tabitha’s expression, she finally responds
“. . . They want to,”
Juela quickly smacks her “Get on with it, I’m sorry but Yui gives me that bright ideas”
Tabitha then suddenly shouted out loud “They are going to use operation paved blood”
Silfa smacks herself in the face. “Eh what? Can you at LEAST! Explain any detail about codenaming. Not a single one I understand you guys when I and Haw got here”
“Sorry, procedures were explained before we were setting out from Enders Bridge. Myrrkei says it’s a desperate magic stage whenever anyone who were defeated will merged into the path of their destination. An immunity to all physical and mana altogether”
Paved Blood, more suitable as the imprisonment road. Dangerous and costly whether it is from allies or foes. The plans what they are trying to do if the situation is desperate and nowhere else to go but to the end of their destination. No breaks, no stops, and no harm. Those are the only things see as importance. The distance from this very depth to the surface is very heavy to stretch the lives and flesh of any living to fill into the pavement. This will take time to finish. This is the last ditched if choose this.
Tabitha writes back and continue reading the information what R-cord found. She tells Silfa and Juela
“I’m not going to accept this idea. Until that pavement is complete without us or anybody else in that matter. The horror of that road should not be witnessed by anyone. We’ll use this time to plan our own. That will be our last resort”
Juela disagrees too “Thank the gods, and I thought you’re taking the easy way out. We still have the resources to bring them all out”
Silfa turns and look at the young girls “You think they have seen enough. Will that road really going to break them?”
Silfa is confident as she believes those girls will have no problem seeing it. Tabitha has the brain design how to mimic the experience walking through the paved blood. A small dome appeared surrounding the three. Juela backs away not wanting to feel the horrors. Mina and her friends see the commotion and asks
“What’s that?”
Juela explains “Something to test with, will any of you brave enough to get in?”
Toba steps in “Oh why not . . .”
Sakura quickly pushes her “Payback!”
“AH!”
After a few seconds, the small dome faded bit by bit. Leaving only the three paralyzed. The same sleep paralysis as before. Toba is struggling to move. At that moment, Juela answered their question
“I guess this is our last resort”
Dexter Guild’s power armor is projecting inside the camp. Lights in dim green and pixelated texts, outlines and panel boards show decrypted visuals that can’t be read correctly without a secondary equipment, and it continues sending loading output as the encrypted message shows. The rest of the power armor are being separated and categorized as it powered down releasing the concentration of compressed materials hiding inside the inventory matrix or other systems.
One of the Benedictus men tries to lift the big hunk of steel. Pretty light by their strength, but for old man like McS4 wouldn’t be able to carry this long. They’ve seen his body, augmented to the point of unrecognizable human structure from its sharp edges of his flesh. McS4 picks up the equipment wore it as it was worn out and stains that never been used for a while. The touch of this fabrics is different realizing what he is wearing. It is from the citizens. For it to be blessed is hard to believe but he expected it. No holy would let them borrow such an important divine artifact.
“Your machine, will it work like this?”
One of the men points out the set being prepared. McS4 walks to it and turns it on.
“It is set, remember they can exist only for six days. Our agreement?”
“Just pull those accursed souls to you and we will dig where you wanted to go. We can’t help you with the pavement, but we can provide you the foundation of the infrastructure”
“This is good. Then whenever anything lives just bring them to us. We don’t need enemies wondering including those entities. Rub the very supplies of Alga’s light on it and throw the living being into us”
Inhumane, such instruction to force lived the entities. Yet, their experiments have brought great alternation to save any chances to deal with these situations. They are at the near peak of the depths, leaving to climb up to the shore is the live giving question at the East Coast. For the citizens to escape, they have many, but many never said about all of them will leave. This ruthless plan will leave the marks to those who is unwilling the hear the nightmares of its structure. A builder like the Dexter Guild is no problem. Then there’s the Raker Mawn Guild.
U’ecin and Voldemyr are still preparing but gained interest as they eavesdrop McS4 while building the machine relaying his team to his coordinates. The two is waiting as the machine begins to start up. The voice coming from the machine relaying the message before they are being teleported.
First respond begins
“Warning! Interferences are at full 68% Pure absolute mana blocking the multiple routes to the destination. Counter tracking is at full protection. Warning! Increasing! Dangers of travel increasing to 72% . . .”
Then it went silent. Suddenly a sharp rift appears as the body formed right in front of them. They see a part of his hand was not materializing. R-cord appears ripping his exposed hand.
The Benedictus quickly took action and heals R-cord’s hand. His hand recovered revealing his elderly appearance. R-cord pushes them away and inject his hand with nano tech serum. The augmentation is complete as he almost feels the dying age of his flesh. He sees the Not Worthy Guild as he behaves accordingly
“Thanks for the help, but sometimes using healing will not save me. My age will put me my end”
Sister of arms look at the two soldiers
“Corps didn’t replenish since the day of conquering Enders Bridge”
R-cord responds “We have, if the Archscientist approved or shouldn’t reformed the others”
She can’t say anything more. Elderly they may look, if she recognized the bit of their actions. It would be easily to observe who they really are. Now her guess is among the three.
She whispers “Will it be that mechanized soldier, the frontline, or the grenadier?”
The machine reactivates again as another message calling out in morse codes. The sound of beeps have them thought of static noises. R-cord listens carefully as the words can’t fully decipher the message.
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“Rh-0 don’t know how to use it”
This time, the machine keeps powering up and down at random. The difficulty of bringing him down is near to impossible, from such a long distance. This made the machine a bit harder to channel him into this place. Materialization starts to appear, where only shaped as boxes instead of a man. More and more of it begins to show up as the figure is more related to something that the Not Worthy Guild is assigned to do. Tools start to appear, raw materials such as sands pouring out from the machine. Then finally, a large stash of sealed packages dripping down with bodily fluids.
The Not Worthy Guild backs out from the stench
“Ugh! The smell is already here and we’re not even ready to set out yet”
“Cough* rotten flesh or mana. This stings my nose”
“Back away! don’t try to be funny to push each other into that reek”
“To the death pits with that. Just push everyone out from the rot”
Argued voices getting louder as it reaches to the others. The smell reaches to Voldemyr’s scent and took a deep breath then coughs it out.
“Ahem* Chemicals, only one could’ve that expertise”
U’ecin asks “Are you sure? You said he is at only the shell of the coast”
“My tales on the undergrown never have shown fiction. Your time at Rune Isles need to expand this continent”
Silence erupts as the flashing light come out of nowhere. It spread as the sounds of worried survivors felt it. Both of them can feel it too. They shrug it off as the commotion on the other side of the camp begins to rattle out. Then the Benedictus appeared walking away from the scene as they are overwhelmed. They carried their things away from the smell. No words of them mention about the flashing light. This calm reaction after that slowly convince them not to worry. They continue to go their own way.
The time has come, all three gathered without their leader, Tabitha. No sense of reunion, they only show respect one another as they begin to prepare. Haw looks around and sees not a single woman on their team regroup at this crucial operation. This mission is truly a Dexter’s motive. Not a single word from him and hear only R-cord and McS4 talking a bit. The actions must be swift as the time limit on his wristband already writes it off as day one. It’s time to prepare.
R-cord gives Haw his equipment “Take your share. We must efficiently prepare for the worse. Our plan is being ruled out by events of this ruin. Saving lives become a threat to our limited supplies. We must forage, we must scavenge, and we have to coordinate with our rivals. We share the same goal, for now. As for you Haw, what is the reason not following the actual orders of our Archscientist?”
Haw confidently shows them the electronic badge from their guild members at Isekai City. Without any further questions, R-cord’s response is to turn and begin preparation.
Haw stares at the electronic badge. His eyes straight through what he remembered her orders to him. Then it begins to shine a bit revealing that he denied the order. But in actuality, there is a change of plan. He pulls out his botic thief from his vile. It tries to take control of the badge and forced it into a video message. He pulls the badge up and said to it
“Operation: Paved Blood”
It responds immediately, “Noted”
It was the Dexter Researcher voice, then she added “Provide proof for any proof to your leader’s chosen teammate”
It went silent.
At the entrance, it was not long as everyone is prepared. The Benedictus only offered 20 men for the excavation and construction of the foundation ahead, and only Dexter Guild members constructing the paved blood. Sister of arms is looking to see any more volunteers as none of the survivors won’t be any help because of the numbers of traitors might bring. She only nods at her observation. They look at the Dexter Guild not giving a single word as the orders have already been met. This pre-made group had made others confuse to what they are going to do out there, even they carried out the best of their weapons.
McS4 understands the silent and begins his speech for them
“This path is a sinful one, but our God knows this and will lead to good at the end. Remember your brothers, elders, grand masters, and many more of the chapters told of their righteous and trial deeds. None of them are perfect, but God always lead them and not astray. I couldn’t care less to see good man fall because of sins so few. We rescued only a tiny bit, a small bit and let our dread flows as those who are left may betray us. Let them act according to their will and let God judges. It is simple and his miracle will do the rest in our journey”
“Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered,
“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
3 Then Jesus told them this parable:
4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent”
“Remember those words within the holy book, even I have strayed but not forgotten those values. Many of the citizens have betray, and we lead those who are lost and be found again to the safe havens of their city. All of us are just men taking the pride of our history but not the name of our Lord? Speak to the clergy if you are questioning yourself that you lack to study. Put trust with everyone surround you and don’t faulter as God will reward to those who seek righteous. Carry the tools, your blades will rest. Build the road to where the lost will find their way home”
“And to the last time, we will bring hope to those who have not yet know who our God is. Because God is searching for them as he had promised with his begotten son!”
They cheer as McS4 can’t say anything more about the begotten son. The holy book charred to limits of the surviving pages had. The Not Worthy Guild cheers as what left they know about the holy book
“MAY SAINT PETER HELP US!”
And thus, the remains of their guild’s history. Everyone is ready and the challenge have to come through. The first to set out are only three people. Haw, McS4, and R-cord are readying only the weapons from Isekai citizens and new freshly crafted items from Haw’s effort. The sounds of the gate open, and the three moves.
The corrupted citizens are waiting outside. Excited and humiliated at the same time. The surprise attack put many of them off guard because of U’ecin and Voldemyr. The capabilities of those two have brought them to shame. Hitting where they are not vulnerable and straight down to their most chance of winning. It was their best time led to their defeat. The leader who had faced the man catcher, returned with his body made from an avatar’s body. All of them not taking the risk of their own flesh as it was a miracle for them to recover after drained into the decaying mana. The bolt rots their flesh as they fear it.
“The pain still crawls down on my throat”
“Those bastards really did bring the big guns. If we keep doing like this, where only staying alive beneath the ground”
“Ssh* We can’t let those two ruined the plan. We still have those people being forced to gather here now. Our catch escaped because of it”
“And now we’re all here. Everybody won’t going to miss this”
They look around as hundreds of them gathered their own small armies. Confident with their powers provided by the influence, while others are boldly ready for the fight at the far distance.
The waterfalls have shown which side belongs to. The water flows down in vapor spreading the mana into them, showing their side had won. Further upward is where Sarah Mae’s water forcing itself down to where the camp is. The border pushes even further as they are ready to breach in. The platforms and buildings are connecting itself as once lost city turned into its tidal pilar. The illusion of the tower but refracted by the waters to make it look like it. This impressive marble had fell into the hands of the demon.
Sarah Mae watches her fallen city succumb into the madness of those citizens. Spreading the filthy waters sprouting upward from the seabed. Who knows what the demon spreads its water combining with seawater mucus, salt water, dead fishes, and many more what the bottom feeders drop on? The sounds of their cheers lack any ambition they uphold, only revenge seek in, blinded only to one, and still trapped as there are no signs of them ever escaping.
Her eyes shifted as her fingers touched her face with contemplating thoughts. She remembered, the others who actually escape, yet, they return. Only she knew are the words coming out from their intriguing arguments. It almost tempted her to speak a non-blood related mortal. So close that she knew they are citizens.
“. . . I don’t care if this god of yours give little shits as you cavemen won’t even try to leave this place. All of you either die with it or live long enough that you are just the same salarymen in a black company. Please just die already”
“Ironic”
Sarah Mae puffs it out from what she heard. To die is a curse. To escape this world only to know where they came from. To sacrifice your future as they are the price of their freedom while their offspring down to the descendants of many generations become the flock or livestock of this world.
“That’s why I am here. From the beginning to the end. My children are safe as I live like an immortal . . .”
Tears drip down on her cheek as she remembered someone she had lost. A man and sons who gave their lives for her and her daughters fell to the horrible fate.
Tears soon dries up as rage piled up. Her older sons have drove themselves to a sad end like their father. She remembers that beautiful whistle from her husband. It was the end of her sorrow how he succeeds along with their sons. Their daughters where behind her seeking protection from their mother. It was the last whistle of their victory. Their first defeat was their last existence. That’s when she gained her immortality. Realizing the price to stay in this world for her generations.
The last memory Sarah Mae remembered her husband’s last breath.
“Save our children from this death . . .”
His soul pulled into the abyss where she can see him pulled down by the hands of the demons. The Primarch had took her husband away at his death bed. Her sons have tried and able to save their father from hell. But his soul chained to this world. Never know the origin of his world. Sarah Mae took drastic measure to save her sons from the same fate as their father was.
Time goes by as she begins to feel her aching body aging. Her first taste of death wasn’t the experience as her husband. She remembered her original world. Where her friends and families reaching out to her as they finally found her after years staying in the Horsin world. She almost gives in and remembers her children. Her desperate attempt to pull back into the living. She sees her children, grandchildren, and more. Her oldest sons have found a way to save the others from the whom never known their origin. Sadly, she is the only one knew her origin and she is dying. They have to take the ultimate sacrifice.
Her hands begin to clutch, tighter with every scene of her sons to save their family. One after the other, fell into the worse death as their souls forced into their father’s existing soul turning the very life it holds into a powerful spell. All of her sons turned their father into the vessel ingredient for her immortality. All it should be done in order for their lives to rest in peace. Rage fills within unconsciously down to the core for any sense of monstrous behavior from the demon kind.
She gains her immortality and only saves her three daughters: E’asta, Ankra, and Delikor. Three souls at her side guiding the children of their own bloodline. The sons however lost the connection between their sisters. Leaving separated bond and only hear the voice of Sarah Mae. As the three head family can only called the 1st head from her children’s name and stripped down the few words and only speak in two syllables. This not something wanted to make culture out of. It was something she dearly played with her children. Barely speak a difficult word and speak a bit and beautifully so.
The entrance begins to open and she lies glared down at her descendants to foolishly trying to open the gate without being prepared. They were busy, continuing their preparation. A fight broke out and magic turns in circle. The spells turned solid and able to put into reaction. Her eyes shook from the spells become interactive. Able to wield it with its intense strength and destruction. No explosion but the element provides its impact, burnability, blunt, sharpness, and breakability. All in complete sequence.
“What did I just witness?”
Stone bullets shooting at them. One of the three throws a vile from specific range and spacing, fading to dust as it turns to dirt. They grabbed the dirt and fling around to blind the others before they could land a hit. Easily disarming them, carrying powerful strength trying to not dropping their weapons.
“Pathetic”
They may be old, but their years of military experience easily pinpoint their weaknesses. Heavily depended on their mana, and the bodies are nothing with its husks. They advance and predicting their moves.
Immense spells drilling down to their bodies, only to have citizens’ clothes as their protection. The enemies thought they are martial artist, but only one move without their agile movements, they are unlikely. Certain points in the corrupted citizens’ mana breaks, weakening the link to their sources. Enemies from afar managed to knock them down. Haw quickly throws his potions to curve the ground up as they slide while lying down in motion returning them back upright. R-cord said to his team
“Again, pathetic. Bring the materials, we don’t need to test their strength. All of them are nothing but pure husks to build”
The first victim gets pulled in. McS4 hits the right points at the man’s body dropping a limb and poured down to the ground with unknown fluid. The husk drew blood like ink spreading all around the floor. Another range attacks, as the potions were thrown at their direction fogging their view. The enemies tried to push on into the fog. When impact reaches them, body parts went flying into the air shrouded with the gust of wind. The fog clears swiftly showing the wind being controlled among the three.
The enemies use wind blade, exploded into the gust as the dusts, refined crystallized dusts, loses their control of their magic. Then the dusts turned moist melting all that possessed heavy concentration on mana. Continuing the dread filled all the demon’s mana into the blood like ink. The leader stands as he tried to contact the others who fell down.
“Why can’t any of you revive your avatars?”
“They are melting down the magic the avatar possessed. I have never seen someone able to do that”
The leader walks back as this is nothing they could’ve handle. This one is different, too different. They can’t bring their avatars’ bodies back. It sinks forever on the floor.
The Pavement begins to level the ground, stretching in a line like a road. The moving platforms are link by the blood forcing it to stood still. Others tried to go on the road, left their bodies melting away merging into the blood like pavement. They begin to stutter themselves back.
“What is this?”
“The blood is eating our mana”
“We have to regroup. Our avatars are useless to face it”
“Fall back!”
Random corrupted citizens calling out to retreat. The leader tries to stop them, but they are too afraid to lose their avatars too.
He looks at the three men. With only by second, McS4 heads first as the leader barely dodges him. He leans to the left as the moisture from the vile spread on his knees. R-cord reacts and throws a rock at his left hand. Disrupting the leader’s hand to safely lands on the ground. He fell on the moisture as the exposed part of his body begins to erode leaving the face melting dripping down the old residue of the stone body. Slowly dropping like sands as the materials lightly touched it seeping down inside continue to fall apart with its residues. Mana absorbed into the blood leaving no words to spout from the leader’s mouth. Lost connection as his real self-revealed hidden on the seabed.
Others like him wandering what they have faced. “What in the world those people wearing casual clothes?”
“How is that possible that our magic easily manipulated after getting passing through those smoke and mirrors?”
“They are always ahead of us. Are we still going to trust . . .?!”
A flash of light blinded them, they turn and see the statue with only its torso remained. They look at it with disgruntled look on their faces.
“We have to finish what it had ask for”
They look at the remains of the mechanical spider. And they said
“To bring him out, the one who brought us here”
Sarah Mae sees the outstanding results those three had done. It was impeccable. No enemies had been able to harm them. Those potions and vile have put a greater advantage than she had thought. But those actions alone won’t deceived her from what the floor painted in red. The structures are stuck like glue on the blood like pavement continuing attaching more to where she can’t observe from afar. It continues to climb up until it stops where the blood like ink dries up its edges.
Now more people got out from the entrance bringing in excavation tools and materials going up where the ink goes. To the very best of those men willing to risk their lives to save those citizens. For months, she only sees them in battle. Today or night, they are digging up to the surface. Creating a path to where the road be. The digging continues. Is there anything she didn’t know about? She sees the Not Worthy Guild hating it. This road they are making, is it powerful enough to destroy the demon? But why going up?