COI C253
One day earlier,
“Puff* pant* cough* Where’s that hunter guy? One of them escaped!”
“Shut up! Just keep running”
“I don’t want to die, not after surviving this long sob*”
“Keep going, we still have one of the camps he left us”
A group of people runs away from danger. The man walks as fast as they run. Hiding his scream inside is their UIs. The egoistic tone reaches out to their ears by the slight of echoes reach.
“You shits think you could’ve getaway thanks to your babysitter. WELL! Then take a look of your pathetic faces. Laughs*”
They reached to the tunnels and stopped where they are at. One of them casts their spell to slow him down at this place. Paused to the moment as their eyes see clear through the dark. They have reached to the entity’s traps.
“Don’t make a sound”
Written through their magic. The warning they look surrounding them whereas the linens are scattered around finding the voices. They pick up a rock and pulls out an Enders chisel then begin carving it. Then they place a rune with and thrown to the other side. Others tried to link their mana on it for a mass teleportation. They made through.
As they reached to the hidden camp, they use what left in their magic to terraform this place and changing tunnels where they got out from. It switches the tunnels as the direction where they come from will be somewhere else. The place they head out is now at the high ground. Without any thought to adjust a bit more from the rest of the channels, they rush back in as others pulling them.
“Ouch, I was busy misdirecting . . . thing?”
He thought the man was far away, but the strange man is already here at the tunnels.
He went silent. His companions warned him
“You idiot. There is a curse item buried here”
“Ah uh, I didn’t mean to. Gosh, how long that phone being buried since she was furious”
“Geez, you two stop it. We have lost so much beside losing a phone without any signal here”
They look at the strange man. A person they didn’t know, but him being alone is a sign to be wary for. After months of surviving, they know someone alone who is a citizen portrayed as dead or worse.
The strange man continues to wonder off as he looks like he found something. The hidden camp had made an amazing protection for any enemy tried to ambush them. They continue to watch him as they bickered.
“A camp that you can make a lot of noise and this thing won’t even notice. You got to admit, I am saying a lot when he showed up”
“He was here even before we ever here. Wait? The strange man leaves this quick? did he find somebody else?”
“Phew* Finally, I don’t care. I’m glad he’s gone”
“Are you kidding me? He was on our tails for days. I hope the patrols weren’t caught again”
“The leader will be very pissed if that happens”
They are not convinced they are in a clear. So they stayed for a bit as their things are all over the hidden camp. A camp fire at the middle where the hunter helped them prepared. All of them are very careful to place up the fire again. This is the fire place created the hidden environment for the camp. It cannot be traced or found from any source of mana type creature. Those who had the smudge from the Enders will see it. If they ever get attacked, the camp will give to the high alert individual to sense the attackers. it would be better to have it for everyone, sadly there are limits.
One of the women looks at the tunnel not so far from their view.
“Have we going to forget about that tunnel over there? If one of us ever say a word negatively . . .”
“Don’t worry about that. Our guy won’t going to cry in front of us, will you? Kenta?”
“Pfft* Alright, you got me. Still, that entity is closer than we have initially thought”
Kenta looks very disappointed of how it got here. He looks to the other four girls. He calls out to everyone
“Mina, Sakura, Aoi, and Toba. We need one of us stay here and look after those monsters. While the rest need to carry their things. Without the hunter guy, we can’t even kill a single freak”
Mina watches her friends pack everything as she is left with her magic bag for her own needs. How long has it been she was alone? This hidden camp gives great comfort for everyone since after so many attacks back in their new and old bases. For the past, since the day they learn how to use magic. They thought this world should be those generic to another world fairytale. It wasn’t, it is far worse. They have realized this fairytale belongs to the demons. She thinks again was it that great to stay in this world (sarcastically). Becoming heroes like the same anime they have watched many times.
“Sighs* . . .”
This wasn’t turned out what they have thought. Rather,
“. . . Why did we leave the city in the first place?”
Mina had forgotten why they left. The horror she had experienced so far lead her living in hell of this world. The comfort of this hidden camp made her feel relax a bit more. So many bad memories underground, she had struggled to remember what the sunlight is and to feel the warmth beside the campfire. The people who are still alive are the same people she trusted and admired.
The trouble to get here and then get betrayed. Left behind into this mess trying to escape. Those bastards have the nerve to come this way, regret about it, then finally left one by one by their own abilities. She still hears the angry voices from the men’s side. Barely remembered the name was only she reminded of that fugitive.
“Is that pervert really made back to the city? I hope Kenta would stay away from him. Yeah, guys. I hope all of us going to escape sob*”
A noise is coming from outside of the camp. Cautious, she runs to the entrance. An object blinks with lights, a framework looks odd and techier from what she seen thus far. The light beams out and hits her eyes.
“Ouch”
Mina steps back and felt a little daze for a minute. After that beam off from her sight, she looks around and sees a strange view. Blinding by the light always make their vision blurry. But this one helps her see through the dark. When she looks upward and sees Kenta running towards her
“Mina, we need to get out of here. The ghosts are coming!”
A large wave of ghosts hunts down on Kenta. He took a sharp turn and away from her to the next tunnel. Mina stunned as she sees clearly the faces of the ghosts froze in their expression in terror. She froze out of shock, and the entity senses her fear and change target from Kenta to Mina.
“Kenta! Please, save me!”
Kenta heard it out disbelief. Bewildered for how Mina is scared from some ghost, he is forced to flash back to her then carry her out from danger.
“Come here!”
Kenta and Mina made it out. Away from their hidden camp, they go further away to find a place to hide. Kenta leans back on the wall turning his eyes on Mina
“Since when did you genuinely scream, Mina?”
“I was surprised. Here, take a look. This item helps me see better. You could say, it gives me a better clear view on those ghosts. I – I was a bit horrified”
“Really now, I am more scared than you. You think I can surpass you. Laugh nervously*”
Mina surprises him with her UI picture the faces of the ghosts.
“Oh! You . . . Gasp*”
Kenta looks down to check himself. Mina sees it and backs off
“You still wet yourself?”
“What the heck will I know how detail those ghosts are? Those are the same ones outside the realm. Dead bodies and now transparent reanimating what I saw. It is much worse than those insane smiles. They look really intimidating”
The UI framed perfectly and they see entire ghost horde at plain view. Terrifying based only the dangers they have brought to their eyes. Not because of their looks, their very presence stood fear within their mana inside their bodies.
“Is this what the hunter meant about dangerous magic?”
“Last time we didn’t have that issue. This made no sense. How did you ever see them like that?”
Mina shows to him this object.
“This object, this beam of light hits my eyes and I can see better in the dark”
“Wait, let me take a look at it”
Mina gives it to him. Kenta opens up his tools and identify it. It was too difficult to examine it.
“Very powerful, I didn’t expect you could find this without knowing who belongs to”
“Me too, it just tumbled outside the hidden camp”
Their friends appeared as they still carried their baggage.
“Kenta! Why didn’t you rescue Mina? She is calling us for help . . .?”
Aoi finds Mina beside him. Safe and sound, she points out to their friends. Sakura slowly and carefully said to Kenta
“Is that really Mina, right?”
“Yeah? Sakura, why are talking like that?”
Sakura enhances their ears and direct them to where most of the traps are.
“Save me” A fearful cry, heard from different places they know it is a trap. Kenta couldn’t believe what he hears.
He places his head down and said to everyone. “We’re so in trouble”
Sakura says to him again “We can fix this. When the Benedictus come and destroy it, we will might not get into trouble for it”
Mina’s voice is replicated, and her scared tone used as bait for the entity to catch anyone who heard it. This gives big misinformation from her base and her friends. Either be, captured from the Circoston, killed by the dwarves or goblins, or a supernatural phenomenon. This will cause trouble for them as they know what they are up to.
Aoi warned them “If she is here, then Toba might be in danger”
Sakura shushes her “Don’t make assumptions like that. I would’ve hated something bad will happen to her”
Their talismans enflame in their pockets. Sakura never expressed so low after saying it. Toba is signaling them to go and help her. Aoi calls out to Kenta.
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“Go and save her, we will be returning back to base”
Mina joins in “Me too, I was supposed to be keep in eye at the hidden camp. I take responsibility how the monster mimics my voice”
The girls look at her sternly. Mina determined whatever she have said. Whether it is dangerous or risky, she is always come out on top because of her involvement with those Enders.
Sakura warns her “Remember, the hunter and the dwarf guy are not here. I hope you know what you’re doing”
They left without saying a word. Aoi and Sakura watch them go where Sakura said to her
“Do you think the hunter will come back?”
“I’m not sure, we give him lots of stuff. He left after everything sink down to the shore. Man, we should’ve let him do it”
“Aoi! Don’t be rash”
“Rash? I guess you’re right. But I’m not going to stop him again when another incident happens”
Aoi starts moving. Sakura checks her device with a new battery attached. Low power remained since the Enders have left them,
“I wonder when we can go back to the city . . .”
Sakura follows her as the sound of Mina’s voice echoes from the other entities.
Kenta checks his self-made magic watch. “Look at the time, we are totally going to miss our curfew”
“Quit joking around, Kenta. Toba is in danger”
As they almost reach to the hidden camp, a sudden jolt of impulse forces through their bodies. They quickly reacted but heavily weakened the moment they use their abilities. These effects made them both weak and their natural bodies began to show fatigue. Sleepiness drowsed their sight
“What just happened? My eyes can’t see straight yawn* So sleepy”
“Sleep magic? No, we are actually tired softly*”
They hear someone is coming. Heavy footsteps with the sounds of metal. This is new to them. It’s been this long when someone else have entered the realm in heavy armor. The dangers who carried such armor are the dwarves. Their heavy armor will sink down like quicksand whenever someone who wore it fell into a trap. Dwarves were the most common victim against the goblins, especially the nomadic tribes. Tired, yet curious to see who it is made them forcefully to sleep.
The footsteps are getting louder as they slowly trying to hide. The fatigue grew as the footsteps come with a beam of light. The ray of light nearly hits Kenta as he fell down due to exhaustion. He steps aside and brings out a sheet. His quiet whispers call out to her, his eyes turned weak with every moment with silent nearly put him to sleep. Mina pulls him to the side and tried to smack him to stay awake. Kenta fell unconscious leaving Mina in a bit of disappointment.
They blend into the wall with the sheet, trying to see what is passing by. A heavy armor that looks mechanical, moving steadily where the man’s head move side to side as if he had found someone. Fully decked in armor with only his hand exposed, that same exposed hand carries Toba left unconscious. The man carries her carefully then suddenly stops. Without moving a single moment, a few seconds have passed left Mina to wonder. The man in heavy armor paused like a statue.
After a few more minutes, Mina hears from Kenta’s bag. It was the object they carry when they run back. The noise is trying to callout but the noise was sealed by his magic bag. The vibration causes the man to move closer accurately with every vibration. Mina tries to stop it, but she couldn’t. The drowsiness steps in as her eyes fell to black. The man pulls out the sheet and found people that wore the same attire from Isekai City. He drops Toba down and huddle them together. There he found his tool and gently pull it out against the magic bag’s protection.
The man stood there, watching. Then there’s a beep on his helmet as his time is up. He stood up and marked them each one of them. The mana they have inside leak and he places it into his scanner. Then he gives them a piece of stick then light it up. The smoky fragrance reaches to their noses as their bodies begin to recover from the impulse. Added with the little help, the stick had given them a vision as they sleep. The calming tone in their sleep turned rugged and their bodies start to sweat. Their expression turned sour as one of them able to wake up.
“AAH! What did I dream of? Heh? Hey! Toba, Mina. Wake up!”
Toba wakes up being shaking from Kenta’s loud voice. “Huh, oh, it was just a dream”
Mina quickly wakes as she sweats all around her body “Pant* A dream, wow! That was some dream”
Kenta asks “Seems all of us are having nightmares, but Toba. How did you managed to get here? You use your talisman”
“Talisman? Wait, I remember now. That jerk found my Talisman and uses it”
“He did, but where is the jerk?”
Mina answers “You fell asleep. I was able to see him carrying you, Toba. He looks like a robot”
Their minds flashes inside their head. The same robot returned back to hidden camp. There is another one coming out as he looked at the direction where they had gone. They know what’s going on.
“No way, did they have an ability to track us down. Aw man, we don’t have a proper equipment to face against them”
Toba cuts him off “Wait, maybe he wants to talk. If I was got caught then I shouldn’t be alive, right?”
Mina nods “Yeah, but this Agrgh!”
Pain coursing in as the unpleasantness pierces through their minds.
They have the opportunity to escape, but this pain in their heads and the nightmare blinded their vision with multiple flashes. It is no use for them to move at this point. They hear a group of people coming this way. Appeared from the dark, there is another entity bringing along with numbers of fallen dead goblins. The ghostly form of their body as their bodies turned to smoke and dust. They turned and see three people before them. The entity materialized as it finds out they couldn’t move. It manifests then bringing all the remains into its own. A body is formed, a large beastly figure comes forth.
The face of the identity has been created matching the common fear from the citizens’ view. The horrifying smiling face with its animalistic expression. Wide open as it spots them. The hands formed out from the air as it stretches out from its aura. The monster, the entity, and the voice releases from its mouth.
“Please, help me!” Mina’s voice calls out to them.
Mina shuts her own mouth for the fault she had done. Her friends see her trembling from her lips as they shut her by their own hands.
They whisper to her “Don’t say another word, Mina”
“This time be yourself, ok?”
Mina nods.
Still tired, they couldn’t move or fight against this entity. Many citizens have tried to beat it but let it seal away by itself with every victory they have. They will able to do it if they could kill it. The entity gets excited, replicating what they fear from the horror stories from their world. It perfectly blends the behavior and begins to attack.
“Sobs*”
A battle cry from Mina’s stolen voice, this is the last they could hear where the scream becomes by the thousands voices from the entity’s actual words.
“gibberish*”
A stream of flames pushes through the entity’s body. Its scream gets louder trying to push back the flames. Single thunderous shot heard from afar, echoing straight into the entity’s mouth. It swallows the flames as it tried to dodge its head. The stream of flames curves and sinks into its mouth precisely. The wild movements it tried to evade it. It couldn’t block nor dodge it. The stream flows into its mouth, the flames turned watery as the fluid begin to drips down from its body. The melting manifestation begins to drop down one by one with each hidden magic ready to release.
They were all watching it perish as it struggles. Amazement glows into their gaze as the flames continue to stream into its mouth. The fire never ceased to go dark, neither their awe. The entity won’t fell to the ground and struggling itself back up with the countless linens trying to help it. The linen pops out as the fire reaches it. Snapped like the sound of twigs, it cuts with every line where the fire touches. Its limits reached whereas the last linen latch to its final strength. Someone grabs it and wrapped it down to its neck.
The bright lights shine through the man’s visor. Wearing a heavy armor, to protect himself from the flame. Carrying a weapon that as big as, no, bigger to any weapon they could think of: Missile launcher, minigun, and anything else they could think off from fictional military shows. The entity dropped down as its mouth opened and tangled from its own last linen. The man aims with his heavy weapon and unleashed more of the streaming flames to its mouth again. The man ends it
“Neutralizing . . .” he calmly says so.
The monster fights back with the last of its remains sprung out to have any chance to fight back. His armor didn’t flinch and hears him sighs* in disappointment. The man in power armor didn’t move and keeps waiting for it to die. The entity struggled to fight back. Its playful behavior to the citizen was foiled by this man. Not showing any interest what’s going on and showing displeasure as if it’s nothing worth for his time. It finally breaks. To the last body gone to the flames. It disappears, but he wasn’t done yet.
A cylinder container tank drops to the ground and gather the flames he fired. Recollecting the flames back into the tank, recycling it for further use. The man didn’t stop there. He begins raising his foot up and waiting for the entity to emerge. The entity in a pile of goop blackened by the flames and the ashes from its goblins’ spectral bodies. It tries to move away from him, but it feels the impulse. Through his armored boots, the mini-impulse directly beneath him and forced it to manifest there. The entity forces out then quickly stomped destroying it completely. The voices stop.
Mina, Toba, and Kenta feel the impulse and forces them to wake up. All of them bolted up to a stand as if they are electrocuted. It is the best opportunity to leave. They didn’t, they are curious to find out who is this man saved them. The girls look around and see the entity didn’t leave to set up the trap again.
Toba confronts him “Are you the same people who caught us here?”
The last flame falls out and brings back the deem light. Only his visor could light up on them
“Analyzing, confirmation complete” The robotic audio ends
“We are the rescue team dispatched from Enders Bridge requested by Isekai City”
They heard him with their eyes almost bring a tear to one of them. Toba isn’t going to believe it just yet
“You are, are you? How do we sure that you are going to save us?”
“Proof, then how about taking the chance to bring one of you to the camp. It is still dangerous but we will be here for a while”
The man in power armor leaves them. It was so quick that they never going to believe it. Through their own abilities trying to sense the entity again. They couldn’t give in the idea it is clearly gone. Mina has to say it to them
“This is like what happened to the dwarf guy. Yet, it is faster than his own preparation combined”
Toba is not convinced “It was too fast like those people who tried to trick us to be all powerful”
“But . . .”
The two remained skeptic even though Toba was caught brought here. Mina can’t say for sure because of how their intention were. No explanation just all action leaving them questioning what’s going on.
“If you guys won’t believe them, then I’ll be the one be the heads up”
Mina starts chasing after the man, and Kenta reaches out to her but Toba stops him
“She’ll be fine. I got caught, right? Maybe she would be spared just like me”
“That’s not what I’m concerning about. It’s her voice is mimicking by those monsters. We are not sure whether she is fine or not”
Mina follows the man while he ventured places that she is not allowed to go to. Through the caves where many battles fought. Tribes, nomads, Circsoton men, and plenty abnormal phenomenon beneath this shore have shown many trembling steps as she goes on. The girl wants to reach out to him, then something happened from the distance. What she feared are there and the man turns around and waves his hand to come closer. As she reaches towards him, he says to her
“We need a little talk. Are you perhaps real?”
“Yeah, why are you asking me that?”
The man removed a part of his visor and earphone connected with it and gives it to her
“Find yourself out”
Mina wears it and sees the full detail what he meant “McS4, two young women are carrying a young girl who is looks like her. Wounded and tired by view . . .”
Mina removes it and said to him “That’s not me! Wait!? Your camp is where those tunnels are, right?”
“Ah, you people know such a place. Are you perhaps camping there before?”
“Yes, I mean no! We need to get back. Your companions are might be in danger!”
When they reach back to the hidden camp, it was too late. The entity is already at the entrance trying to pry into the hidden camp. This entity is not fooling around, its linens are already cut off and spreading all around the tunnel. This one had already prepared to set an ambush for them. McS4 moves her away. Not saying a word, they have to deal this monster that already prepared to strike inside. Mina stays back and watch the same thing he did with the last entity.
McS4 checks his tank, the fuel is still mix with the entity’s mana remains losing its quality to search powerful mana source to fuel on. Mina notices as he tries to check the fuel tank. She sees as if there is a problem with his weapon. McS4 comes back to her, he leans down and to her and gives her a note. Mina sees the note written in their language. She gets surprised and looks at him almost spill out of her mouth. As she tries to write him back, he already jumps into the entrance slipping through the Entity’s blockade.
“How? He must’ve telling the truth after all. Let’s see what it says”
“It is certain that the girl they rescued is not real. We’re not going to prove which is which and you have to cooperate with me at your own risk. When entity starts to move away from the entrance, you have to scream the same words that ‘demonic creature’ said before. Never add new words or we will never be going to differentiate from you to them”
Mina starts shaking and looks at the Entity from afar
Trying to scream with magic is a death sentence where the entity will likely track down who said it. Because of how spread its linens are, there is no telling where it lies around. Mina have to scream as hard as normally can. The thought of screaming louder than it made her questioning is a good idea or he just messing with her. Doubting keeps sprouting as she tries to calm her down. Then she felt a little faint, her feet almost lose her step and she falls down halfway.
“This is our chance. They are here to rescue us. We need to get out here before they will come find us instead”
Mina waited, she waited as she watches the entity beginning to get itself inside. It tries to squeeze through as it slowly sipping into the hidden camp. She waits for the right moment to yell out to the top of her lungs. Deep breaths ensure her confidence with each passing breath and worriedness after each blow from her nose and mouth. Anticipating for the right time, she breathes one more time, then it happened. A powerful shock come out of nothing. She feels a complete silence and couldn’t feel anything. The silence hurt her sense of breathing and lies down like she felt nothing. This horrifies her and have yell out in this silence. Nothing, this horrible feeling made her want to scream more. No sound at all, the complete silenced wreck her and starts begging out of pure will.
“PLEASE!”
Many of them come out from the camp, all of them trying to save the baited girl out from the entity’s illusion. Mina told him about that girl is not real. She tries to reach to them but the silence persists inside of her. The tunes of terror coming from the fight, this is the only thing she could hear. Trying to get her senses back, she tried to reach out to them as her movements can’t feel anything. She fells down more than once and still dared to warn them. Mina watches the man dragged and sucked into the entity. Lights start beaming out and blinded them, an explosion erupts then darkens after that in those short moments.
McS4 walks out from it and walks towards the young girl. Tabitha and Silfa reach out to another survivor as they felt dumbfounded.
“Wait a minute, you look like the same girl we save earlier”
Silfa asks “The girl we saved before, was it your twin?”
The young girl remained stunned as if all that happened at the same time. Tears in her eyes dripped down as she cried loudly. She hugs them both with both of her hands gripping with the use of her own magic. They felt it, but they felt an overpowering strength. The young girl continues to cry more until her voice cracked.
It's finally here, Mina hoped that these people will save them from this horrible long year experience. They were trapped here because of being tricked. The time they stayed here caused many survivors to commit such atrocious acts. No one know whether they are alive or not, this realm had brought so many goblins to hunt them down to their very lives at stake. Leaving them to suffer because of the trickery they have done. Maybe this time, she will be finally break free from the demonic influence.
Mina uses her talisman to signal her friends. To gather them here as they need to discuss about this situation. The Journeywomen have successfully found the people they are looking for. Now it is the time to best use of their resources. What lies inside the cave have brought these citizens much suffering. Its secrets, its damnation, and its consequences are forged into one. Everyone will finally get to leave this place, once and for all.
Meanwhile, the unknown figure lies hidden beneath where the citizens are trapped. Deeper and far enough so it can no longer influence them, for now. Time is the essence as it watches the moon still not come to restore its powers. Be patience to all who are here at the East Coast. The Journey ends, and the new tales to explore. It is in their time limit to escape or take advantage what it hides within this hybrid realm. It begins its plan, to spread the influence to the Isekai citizens once again.