COI C251
“Impossible, why you alone are so strong?!!”
A scream led out but someone filled its mouth with horrid substance.
It coughs “Why can’t I leave this pathetic body? Why can’t I release this body?!”
The enraged voice keeps bashing the man’s ear. The sounds of trickling small glasses and a few drops of fluids incidentally fell on it. The sizzling let it feels the release of its soul from the body. The man stomps it before it gets away and continue to douse more for the loud mouth to roar in agony once more.
“No, please. PLEASE”
Teary voice comes out from the abomination.
The light shines on them as they are underneath the sea. The first entrance to East Coast, there the man stood alone menacingly. Surrounded nothing by the chemicals he had unleashed. Countless lost souls are bound in the flesh they have become the prison of their new immortal bodies. Never heals, never move, nor will they ever free by death. Haw’s body shined over from the sea sunlight. Alone, ever succeeding and dried his own vital resources. What will he do to survive once he runs out?
“. . . What are you doing? AAAH! STOP!”
In archscience, regarding on making chemicals and other important ingredients needed to recreate his weapons. The horrors broke in shock to see what he had done to one of them begging him to stop. The excruciating pain enhances on their trapped body, without even having a brain or nerves to sense it. It is a remarkable study to appease the Dexter Guild’s interest. Yet, Haw perform it too well shows they have already done it before. Even his notes lying around as he quickly performs an extraction on them.
The abomination revealed in their imprisoned bodies. Soak with powerful potions mend together with body and souls. This purpose is to counteract the spirits endless fighting. Next is the regression after effect. Even with powerful healing magic, they can’t withstand forbidden magic. Black magic to become a leach to anything would restore them back to health. His potions possessed such mixture and more if they ever resist it. Finally, is the idea of making them into resources by Haw’s hands.
The loud mouths are crying to no end as this part of the realm have finally sealed off again from the Dexter Guild defense mechanism. More time for Haw to recreate what he had used or more if he can carry new stocks of it. After sometime, he feels tired and annoyed. He stands up acting very annoyed. The desperate cries continue on hoping he will die from this insanity. Haw picks something from his bag, a needle with a tonic, and picks it near to his ear. Now he feels relax and deaf for a time. He continues his work without fail. The abomination left stunned and continue their torture.
The cave. It is hard to believe how many people are here. Circoston invaders, Enders from the Unworthy Guild, Goblins, Rusics, and finally, the Isekai Citizens. All pack up together whereas this place sank to the sea, or by next to the sea shore. No citizens ever heard the news about it dragging this place to the sea. The East Coast, beneath the seabed. No one knows how it end up here. The more questions did add one thing after it sink. What happened to them after that? This pleads both Tabitha and Silfa for them to be alright.
The ceilings of the cave collapses but not buried them whole. Only piles dropped down leaving nothing for the surface to covered it. They look up at the monster never moved an inch and drops horrible amounts of fluids reeks out a strong smell. Protected with their breathers or their helmets. They are getting washed in disgustable rain. When it stops, Juela wipes off the gunk from her body. While Silfa and Tabitha are rubbing it off inside the cave.
“Aw, this is just the first day too. Is everyone alright?” Tabitha can’t stand as she is soaked from the fluids.
“Don’t say anything and just wipe it off whatever we can find here” Silfa takes it hard to rub her shield to get rid of the gunk.
As they cleaned it off, the brown stains remained on their clothes and armor. Juela even brings out some soap to get rid of it.
“It won’t come off. This is must be tainted mana”
“Tainted mana?” Silfa raises questions as this is just a dirt won’t come off.
After another look, Juela remembered something “My bad. This must be the oils Circoston brought”
“Oils? R-cord, do you know anything about it?”
Tabitha checks her clothes covered in brown stains. R-cord has stains himself and tried to test it. His gauntlet switches its texture on its fingers. A snap of his finger and the stains on his gauntlet sets a flame. The unstable flames bursts out marked on his gauntlet damaging it as it fell to the ground in ashes.
The women look at it with their eyes wide open. The brown stains, coming from the reefs spreading it like spores, Juela examined it like oil, and set in fire on small spark causing R-cord’s gauntlet burned to a crisp in seconds. R-cord wasn’t fazed by it and got his hand exposed.
“Very interesting, for many years as it muddied the reefs. Its quality remained intact. Juela, your guild members of yours. What else did they mentioned about this?”
“You . . . you somehow made it to spark. It supposed to lit up with a certain flint to make it happen”
R-cord’s gauntlet probably have some property to cause it. These brown stains are clearly made from Circoston invaders’ oil. Then this must be those fire type weapons. If the damage shows it clearly destroys an archscience tech armor. This oil is one of those breakers. R-cord’s hand wasn’t burned with it. His hand is okay. The possibility of how his hand survived made them wonder.
R-cord notices their stare “We need to get rid of the stains or you three will have the worse fate than mine”
Changing the topic had worked on the three. The dangers of their clothes covered in brown stains are instant death sentence to them. They tried other methods to wipe it off. Anything to get it rid of it except using fire. After a few tries, they have given up and tried to use their best items. McS4 claps his armored gauntlet together causing a soundwave.
“AAH!”
McS4 hears them panic. “It is better to find your guild’s messages around here. We are certain that your guild members were here then they must have left something behind to deal with it”
Juela agrees “He’s right. Voldemyr always left some vital information. If I remember correctly, he is been here the longest”
Voldemyr’s tales were talked about among the guildmembers. The one who had told a precise detail about his adventures is none other than guildmember. His telepathy and mind reading abilities have strong accuracy in regards to memory and realism. Sadly, his way of speaking is nothing more of a brain let out to his mouth. Every thought, reaction, reruns, dialogue both internally and externally have all crunched into his one mouth. Endlessly speaking to people, himself, and telepathically at the same time.
If they could find Voldemyr’s stash, they will be able found the way to clean off the brown stains. Tabitha, covered with brown stains along with the rest of her team. R-cord and McS4 have slipped off some of the brown stains as their old armor’s stains have layered out the brown oil. Then Tabitha sees what happened on R-cord’s power armor. Her cards have finally used up and their power armor is powering back up. R-cord keeps looking at his hand exposed to the outside. His arm phases up to his hand creating an energy shield.
Then he shuts it down “What a waste of energy?”
Tabitha is a bit concern “Will it be alright for your hand to be exposed like that?”
“I have my monocle, and a gun. I am still at range when McS4 or Silfa takes the front”
Silfa confidently shows them with her shield “Trust me, all of us are prepared for this, melee or range. All of you guys got yourself sorted out”
McS4 had heard enough and goes out and takes a look inside of the cave. It wasn’t short for a walk as he takes a few steps where he sees rubbles piled up. The cave is strong and there is no rubble in sight. The walls at the sealing are all one hard rock carved through. The rubbles where he sees crumbles when he touches. He checks again whether it collapse or not. All set and nothing to be the problem. Then he smashes through without hesitation.
Tabitha reacts “S4!”
“New area spotted. And, you need to see this”
McS4 goes in. R-cord joins in. The three waited and sees Fae-chan follows through. The doll returns looking at them as it calls them over. Silfa gives an okay to the two as she pulled their hands to them. Once they enter, they see a fight was going on. More like, goblin remains and their ritual objects lie dead. With each ritual: Totem statues, glowing air, and many more shamanistic rituals scattering the shallow holes dug out from the goblins. Their remains show signs both tribal and nomadic altogether.
Yet, they seen bolts in each of them with engraved words shining mysteriously in dark light. McS4 puts a light on it. Archscience light resists the dark light absorbing around it causing the spirits to break free. They sprung out from the elemental body and unleashed unspeakable chants. Fae-chan takes his helmet off as the archscience light dissipates losing the spirits from their freedom. The dark light consumed them back inside. All the rituals it did release turned black and sunk into the body again.
The team watches the bolt repel the spirits and forced it into the body where the bolts are. Large gaping holes and others pierced and stuck to the walls and other places. With little lights they can see, only R-cord sees the entirety of the rituals. From the shallow holes, there more than just one got pierced. R-cord lends his monocle to Tabitha and her friends.
“Better make a torch, this here is absorbing the mana out from the bolts. It is not impervious to runes nor archscience. If you still don’t understand, use my monocle”
Tabitha picks out a card used it on herself and the others at her side. The monocle is shared in each of their eye a view to see what happened. The monocle is set in night vision and sees the spirits fell. They thought there are dead bodies around, but it seems they used the bones of dead animals creating bone dummies. The explicit designed both the tribes and the nomads are outstanding. The details show they are high tier materials from the elks, predators, and the roots below the depths, the same roots consuming the mana.
Someone was here. Able to takedown these powerful rituals controlled by spirits. They look at Fae-chan as it is one of other kinds of spirits.
“What kind of spirits do you think used those bodies?”
“Same as yours, and like the rest of the spirits appeared at the Mihayara ruins. They are not feral. It is more dangerous as they are made out of strong animals. Lastly, if I was the same as them. I’ll be easily taken my spirit to those sticks sticking on them”
Silfa never expect something like this. Now it makes sense for her spirit not joining them. Someone like this or like them would be able to take away her spirit like that. Equipped with her new set of armory, weaponry, and magic sets. Powerful it may be, but her attitude of losing anyone from her team is her weakness. To think, Puma and Tora are consumed by one of those bolts or something else. She will definitely lose it. Both Tabitha and Juela hears her taking deep breaths. They consulted her
The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
“It’s ok, that doll belongs to Yui. Right, Juela?”
“Actually, it belongs to Miyusuki. The other recruit”
Juela accidentally grins as she hid her face. They don’t know those dolls are prestige items to the daughters.
They look around a bit until they look at the top. More brutal than stuck to the walls or pierced together like shish kebabs. The bodies are hanged on top show their vengeful faces. They move as what their dangling bodies were. Bits and pieces dangling are left with sharp and weaponized limbs. Comparing them both hanging on the walls and the ceiling. The spirits at the ceiling are more threatening and dangerous from how it carries actual metal weapons. From each view shows their unique bodies, there they can see one single bolt wasn’t attached to any bodies.
R-cord sees their expression as they see something gone. This timed him to shoot it down as he picks a rock and throws it at the ceiling. A precise hit, and the bolt falls down to the ground where the bolt lands spreading dark light. The mist of dark light spreads and seeking for mana to consume. Spirits faded that attached to the bolt are disappearing as they portray trying to escape from it, through the monocle. It is only echoes messaging to the other spirits as it got caught from the bolt. R-cord picks it up and gives it to Tabitha.
Tabitha was hesitated at first, then Juela recognizes the bolt
“That’s Voldemyr’s. I can use foresight to see what happened here. Or we could either use Fae-chan, or maybe Haw . . . Oh yeah, he is not here with us”
Silfa quickly grabs it and said to them. “Let’s do it, we need to see what happened here”
Juela obliged as she picks it from her hand. She looks around the other bolts as all of them had their own rituals sealed. They soon leave. It is risky to use magic where the bolts consumed it.
The bolt is being wrapped with Juela’s sash. A different way to foreseen the past like Haw’s potions. Because of the origin is coming from the same guild. This is much easier to recognize the source without harming the object. After the sash burns, the bolt absorbed it fast. Yet, it didn’t seal away. Because of how Juela knows Voldemyr, the foresight projected right before them. This is when he is running. With someone else running alongside him. Voldemyr grabs the man shirt intensely
“I told you not to follow me”
“I’M SORRY, I’M SORRY” The man regretfully yelled back.
It is the same words when Haw found the piece of cloth. This cry for apology happened when those spirits coming after them. Juela tries to adjust further back. It failed. The object they have is not older than they have expected. This means Voldemyr was crafting while inside or outside of East Coast. The foresight shows in the dark, trying to evade the enemies as the light passing by. They can’t see what happened and how he is able to move through the narrow tunnels as he well prepared for. Then later much fighting beheld as numerous bolt shots roaring loud sided with the clangs of his reloaded bolts.
The bolt finally sees the light as it already pierced through one of the rituals. Dangling around as it watches other spirits fell to Voldemyr’s bolts. The darkness consumed as all of the blurred light fell into the bolts. The noise stopped, nothing left to see or hear. Juela back tracks again to see who is the man Voldemyr shouting at. The man has his whole body distorted. Showing the signs that the man is a citizen who resisted being traced. Silfa mentions his name
“Yuta is his name. Why is he come along with him?”
Tabitha thought so too “He even said don’t follow him”
“Strange, Voldemyr rescued the citizens including the roots incident when one of the survivors have to run from the dungeons all the way to East Mountain. I guess East Coast is more dangerous”
As no one knows what really happened. Their best bet is keep going. The tunnels become narrower as signs as it moved from the surface to the sea has shown damages to bring it here. When McS4 is about to take a turn, he raised his hands to stop them.
“Neutrals spotted”
A small gaping holes view as a window to look down. A cavern camped by dwarves. People from Mountaiwall digging through to make new tunnels and resting in their fire place as their lamps at the far edges. One of them are scouting ahead checking for warnings. They found them and use their runes quaking forward through a strike as fast as lightning hits the small hole and Tabitha’s team gets exposed. The dwarves are calling out to them
“Aren’t ya Circoston boys?”
Tabitha answers “We’re not, we are from Enders seeking for the guild”
The dwarves gathered as they carefully take a look at them.
They wore those Rune Isles depressing looking clothes. Wore only dark colored clothes, they were skeptic at first. They cautiously raise their weapons
“Aye. But what is ya wearing soft? Pilgriming under the mud isn’t safe when rocks fall around you”
Juela and Tabitha is not wearing what is recommended so many who ventured at East Coast. Hard armor is the common thing here. Voldemyr is wearing tough leather because of his special made from strong animal hide. Although, both of their ‘soft’ clothes were improved by Haw. Because of how it looks it must be pretty deceiving.
Tabitha’s team felt unwelcomed after knowing they are Enders. The dwarves kept their distance as their eyes are pressing on the two, Tabitha and Silfa. They are not convinced and kept their eyes moving as they almost encircled them. The dwarf warns them
“Keep going, if you tried to sneak on us again. Then the wrath of rune words spelled out to your dead skulls”
The runes turned the camp a mist as they covered in its guise. The team be on their way.
Silfa felt for the first time being hostile by anyone beside the goblins “I have never been intimidated like that. This is the first time those dwarves are using their runes right in front of us”
Tabitha was nervous “Yeah, those dwarves using their runes as soon as they discovered us. We didn’t even try to ask how they are still here”
Silfa turned to McS4 “Do you have any idea who they are?”
“Positive, they are neutrals. Laughs*” McS4 makes fun of them at their first time facing angry dwarves.
Anyone who are trapped here have their reason to be cautious. For them to be out of the open are finding the easy way out in groups. This begs the question how long they have been here?
“Pant* Pant* How far have we gone by. And you two! Stop with the high stamina thing and take care of yourselves. You’ll never know how It will affect us”
Juela can’t seem to walk any further. Among the three women, she should be able to walk much longer. Tabitha, who’s body building with Kiege at her free time. It is not realistic to say when it comes to long walks. Tabitha is usually tired and taking breaks whenever she finished a few fights. Silfa can hold for a journey from her experience, but this is far too long to anyone coming from the shore, to the seabed, then finally here in the cave.
“There is no use of complaining, Lady Juela. Resting is probably best for them both, thus is not mean their motivations are relaxed either. If they want to push farther, then go ahead as me and S4 are meant for this long journey” R-cord answers her.
“Sigh* And I thought we should use your gears to detect the sounds of the Benedictus. Finding them first will helped us finding Tabitha and SIlfa’s people they secure”
Juela says it straight to the point. This made Silfa stops and not realize yet.
“Wait!? Yeah, why didn’t they use it? For tech savvy guild, they didn’t even bother using it. Archscience tech are not affected by magic, right?”
“You’re correct, it would be easier. However, relying us too much won’t be any good for anyone of you not trying to have this kind of opportunity”
“This is about saving our people. This is a rescue mission not a training. What happened if we don’t able to make it?”
. . .
“That’s right, what happened if they don’t make it!”
A different voice coming from the front. It was distorted and unfamiliar as if many voices are talking in one mouth. They look forward and sees one man coming.
An ordinary man wore the same clothes from Isekai City. Torned, rip, and tear all around his body. Exposed skin covered in dirt. His eyes are gone leaving holes that neither his eye sockets can be seen in detail. The dark blank acted as shades whether the light didn’t shine on him. The man looks at them as if he can see them clearly. His mumbling voices persists to give them trembles
“I am not easily fooled. You two have UIs and already checking me out. Go ahead and examined me. You clearly see I am alive”
Tabitha and Silfa refused to use their UIs. The man is trying to prove himself by showing their UI. The UI crisis had happened recently and the things it did to control them would jeopardize in this unknown place. The man looks at them not convinced. They stand around as if they are from Isekai City. Acting all idle as they know what is going to happened, this way of encountering and confrontation had made him laugh.
“Laugh* No wonder why you can’t get here. This same behavior wasting time acting stupid while everything around us keeps moving. We are not in a television show”
The way he acts are clearly from Isekai City. The absurdity of his attitude as he is also part in the show. The ego centric attitude, the know it all, and better than anyone kind of guy. A jackass from what people called them as. The man continues
“Still not talking, eh? Then how about we should . . .”
His hands reach to Juela. Juela parries it with her heater shield. The mad man grips on the front of the shield instead of the edges. His fingers stretch around the edges as his nails sharpen and scratches it.
Silfa fights back and pulls out her sword. A slight upward to his face. His head moves back but her blade reaches him. Burst of air flies upward and cyclones back into a katana stabbing back at her. The man shifts his body as his hand returns back to normal to grip the katana. As his head shifts back to normal, his black shaded eyes see she blocks it in nick of time. Silfa feels his attacks tilted. The man paused after the retaliation as if he was stunned. Tabitha points at her wand to the man. She casts her wand to push the man back. The man pushes back and slides further away. Then he said
“Hey, you two. Those three girls are getting attacked. What are you waiting for? You call yourselves men”
The man taunts them. They didn’t flinch, rather, they are recording him. Abnormality is showing high to this man’s sanity. However, never estimate those who survive here. Silfa stares down Fae-chan to see any disadvantage to use her magic here. Fae-chan casts first as the tunnel brightens and the stones on the walls glow brightly like gems. This moment takes her chances to use her magic for the first time. A forcefield appeared behind him, and pushes him forward towards her. The man bumps behind him and quickly changes his katana into a bat. It batted out her forcefield back.
“Cheap tricks won’t . . . Oof!” His gut hits by her sword, but couldn’t gutted him through
Silfa strikes upwards to his head. He moves back. Silfa positioned her sword with her handle faced at his face. Her sword strikes down by the handle and pummel him on his face. One hit as he got surprised, second by consecutive strike, then third to the jaw out of his disbelief. He starts to stumble back as the force field caught on his legs. His back sways down to the force field as he lies down. Tabitha comes in with her wand wrapped by a piece of Juela’s sash. The paper made lit up and slams down to his head. Numerous fire types magic burst through his skull in a masterful strike.
He stays down as the three stops attacking him.
Tabitha is confused “That was too easy”
Silfa thought so too “How come this idiot survived? I don’t believe . . .”
Juela keeps watch. The man has his face bruised both physically and magically. The burns and the bruise are all around his pathetic face. Yet, Juela waits for him to react. The moment the forcefield gone. Juela readies her sashes. The man goes full flat on the ground. Almost overreact before to do anything to him. Silfa notices
“He’s down, Juela. There is nothing to worry about”
The team has enough wasted their time. McS4 brings out his power drill and dealt this man. Tabitha stops him
“Whoa there, we shouldn’t be killing him. This guy must be gone mad. It’s not worth it”
The man still lies down and still breathes. Tabitha is showing her bias when it comes to enemies. Their attacks are pretty strong. The man withstands it like any citizens fighting among each other. They behave the same as they were at Isekai City. As he moves away his drill, the man quickly reacts as he pushes the drill further away.
His bat flings to the air hitting them as it swings around like propeller. Silfa’s defenses are completely broken through from the multiple swings. Tabitha gets unlucky hits where the bat aims at her head multiple times. McS4 receives the punishment as his armored shoulder denting it. The man stands up as he angrily shouted at them
“Piece of shits! Do you think those attacks will ever work on me? I am not that easy taken out because of a bunch of attacks like that. I am, more than just those useless people trying to use themselves as fodders”
Silfa is grieving from the pain. The man’s attack has the same S tier powers like her, but the mana he uses is not neutral mana. She uses her UI to detect what’s going on. When the UI is open. The man sees her using it and hacked her through. The UI corrupts as it hurting Silfa in the inside. The horrible experience again coming back same as she was lost control of herself. She tries to break free, but the man breached inside of her UI crippling her mind. Almost to the reach of breaking, she tries to fight back. The man provokes her one last time
“Yes, squirm. Just like those women in this very cave”
Silfa gets angry and unleash her wrath. The man takes this opportunity and sneak attack her the moment she releases her ultimate out of rage. She got knocked out from mental shock. The man turns around proceed attacking to the next two women. Tabitha hears what he said earlier. Her cards boosted up to her team. She orders them
“Take this bastard out, NOW!”
The man charges forward. Juela sash unleashes her spells. Multiple magic all around attacking him at the front. He hits her magic dispelling them as heads on.
“So weak”
Tabitha confronts him as she plays her cards on herself. The man looks at her unimpressed. He swings his bat at her dispelling her buffs. The moment he reaches to hit her shoulder. His bat momentarily bounces around until he misses his target.
“What?”
So surprised what just happened. Tabitha’s cards stick on her like glue, nothing can remove it as the cards are played momentarily. It is Tabitha’s opportunity. She uses her cards again on the ground. She lifts him up in the air as the two of them raises their heavy weapons at him.
“FIRE!” Tabitha boldly said it.
McS4 launches his fire power levitating all small rocks around them, then shoots at him like bullets. R-cord takes slow taunting aim to his target. The man being pulverized by the endless shots of rocks. The agony the man screams. The moment of truth to see as most citizens have secretly play. The man uses his secret weapon. By the time his mouth ever says another word, R-cord successfully hits his throat jamming it with noise stopping the man using magic. The spell explodes from the failed magic chant.
Silfa wakes up as her head hurts a lot. Juela comes to aid her as they see the aftermath of the fight. The man’s body is pulverized as the dusty smoke hides his body. They move closer to see what happened to the man. Then there’s a scream for help. A dialect both Tabitha and Silfa recognized.
“It’s them. We need to hurry”
They pulled Juela as they rushed to find them. Tabitha calls out to R-cord and McS4
“Let’s go. We can’t lose the cry for help”
Juela felt the bolt dropped from her bag. She tried to pick it up. Unfortunately, both Silfa and Tabitha are pulling her without hesitation. Fae-chan follows them leaving the two behind. McS4 goes to the bolt. He picks it up and turned to the man freshly beaten from the fight. As the dusty smoke clears, the real form show himself to them. The remains of the skull wrapped around a necklace made by the skull’s teeth. The rest of the body is made of loots from the citizens.
The man begs through his soul “Save me. I am forever trapped in this goblin made body. This is not me. They made me do it. Sorry, sorry. Release me, let me die”
McS4 ends his recording. “Documentation complete. Neutralizing”
R-cord watches McS4 uses the bolt and pierces back at the skull’s hole. A perfect fit as the soul cries out to silent and the darkness sealed the man away.
“This must be the missing ritual hanged on the ceiling. Nice work distracting them, R-cord”
R-cord uses his detection tool to guide them where the survivors are. It was lucky for them the range didn’t reach deeper where citizens should know about.