COI C254
“Please, save me!”
Mina’s voice continues to use as bait for the rest of the entities. It has reached such a long margin and her own community have reached to their ears. Troubles brewing among them with speculations and argument across their base. The leader is almost decided what to do in this situation, until. Aoi and Sakura made it there, without rest, food, nor water as they run through the night. The leader didn’t give them the time to rest and directly wants answers
“You two, where are the rest of your team?!”
“Cough*”
Can’t even try to give a simple respond, they only show them the talisman they used. The leader tries to hold off his rage. Everyone is worried. They try to nurture them, but the leader stops them. Trying to find the right word to say, he can’t. This accident is coming from the entity. The creation that the one brought them here. This harsh life made them skeptical. They can’t take any chance to find them like this.
“We have lost most of our bases because of those things. Many people from the start lost their lives and haunt us like slaves into these caves. If it wasn’t for them, we don’t have this kind of shelter after what happened. I need to remind you, EVERYONE of . . . sorry. This coast is slowly eating us alive. To escape this hell, we have to make a choice. We all agreed to hide and regroup before we got attacked and redo all over again. We can’t afford to relocate with this large numbers. This is the fourth time. We have to finish this and leave before those bastards find us again”
East Coast, hidden beneath the shores where the caves were pulled into the sea. Protecting them from the horrendous Jigeram’s light and the dusts flowing through all the air they have in these caves. They don’t know if it is good or not, because they look up to the ceiling of their 3rd base was submerged in seawater. Sea creatures with hostile coral reefs have poisoned many people. They don’t know where the others are, and the last time they heard are the calling for help from fighting each other again. While others, who travelled through the caves, have reported many enemies are looking for them. Most of the fake tunnels are gone. Only left are their actual hideouts.
Tabitha and Silfa were glad they have rescue anyone in this forsaken cave. Their search for them is becoming more problematic than they had expected. After so many months, there should be people left who are surely capable to defend themselves. Mina’s cracked voice was healed and told them everything. They were glad at the start, and almost fooled honestly. The first person they have saved was not even real. They turned to R-cord for the full details. R-cord finally reveals the truth.
“Since the beginning. Tabitha, you have given me objectives that always prepared to do. I thought you have known your commands are still in place no matter where or when I must continue”
“I understand, but you giving me someone calling for help in that volume. How am I going to control myself if you give me that kind of recording?”
“It must be a coincidence. The outcome brought me a little vague because there is only one person said it. I am not confirmed because of how it matches the same man who stood before us”
Silfa tsks “He’s right, I can’t admit anything else what happened. Mina, takes us where they are”
Mina looks at McS4 and his fuel tank. It’s transparent container still have the entity’s mana mix with it. The way he is testing it tells her it would be difficult to use for the time being.
“I’m all for it, senpai”
Juela felt flinched for some reason “Better not say that word, please”
The women look at her as she is annoyed calling her that.
Silfa turns to Tabitha “What’s a deal with her?”
“Oh, nothing. It’s probably her bad experience at Isekai City”
“If you mean Mihayara district, I guess so”
Juela sneaks to Tabitha’s ear and said “Right . . .”
A strong tone from her voice as made Tabitha feels guilty.
Tabitha whispers to herself “It’s not my fault, Kiege learns how to use my phone when I wasn’t looking. How is that sneaky vixen knows how to use the history tab”
McS4 and R-cord are walking far to the back letting the women had their time. Both of them analyze the situation. Through the networks they encircle from their patrol, they have prioritized on the young girl.
“Is there any new topic in our current situation, McS4”
“Supplies are in good condition. I have collected two spectral samples”
“Then objective D is complete. Chances to obtain objective E will be under observation”
The rescue team knows about the Dexter Guild’s objectives for the East Coast. From A to C are both Tabitha’s and Silfa’s quests. C is to find them, B is to give them an escape route for all of their people, and finally A to enclose any citizens to enter this place again. Only for Objective A to fully accomplish their task, they need objectives D and E. They have the sample or more if they have better accuracy to get them out of this place for good. E is rather complicated, in order to achieved it. They must know the citizens’ capabilities to get through back here. This is impossible, but they already have it on the list. If they succeeded, then their mission will be complete, and no one will ever go back ever again.
“HEY! Mina!”
Toba shouts at from the other side of the cliff. Their visors look at the abyss, and Juela pulls out R-cord’s monocle to show her friends to see them. Two people waving, can’t see but they know Mina is close by. Kenta and Toba sense Mina is coming this way. They feel odd
“Say, Kenta. We are close to a cliff, right? Mina should sense us by waving our hands”
“And now she is flying over here? She knows this cliff have flying monsters around”
They feel a rumble on the ground they turn where they landed and see Mina is fine.
One of them is definitely from the city. Although she wears nothing casual, but the norms of having western style suit of armor is clearly obvious she is from Isekai City. Along with the Enders they have never seen before. Those two women are clearly from the city from how they dress, yet there is one woman clearly in dark robes. Tabitha is now step closer for the next step of their plan, while Silfa gets to see the people who are trapped here and more. All is left now to head back to the base.
Tabitha and her companions hear the story as they walk through the tunnels. The fake passages are all perish leaving only the others in critical conditions and still viable to go through. The markings of the tunnels show it was built to hide from their enemies. The crumbling caves, falling rocks randomly from the seawater, and the cave structure build from the dwarves are all here collected from the flowing seabed. Yet, there is no full submerging. There is still air remained and the presence of a powerful magic casted here.
Kenta tells them what happened to them “We almost fell into the abyss”
“Abyss?”
“We call it that, because the underground network falls deeper than before”
Toba added “What he said is the caves keep crumbling down. The cliffs you were jump over are where the abyss is. We never know where it leads to”
Silfa comforts them “Don’t you worry”
“But you guys are so few. There are a lot people down here”
“Trust me, you will find out how those two on our backs get the job done”
Mina cheerfully supports her “Yeah, how do you think those guys would beat up those monsters, huh?”
Excited from her tone, Toba won’t argue anymore. They still suspect them to be those bastards possessed unimaginable powers. But it seems like Mina is fine with it. As they reach to the base, multiple people surrounding them with their stone made weapons, and others with their looted equipment. Mina tries to calm down the situation
“It’s fine, they are Enders. You know, the same people like the hunter”
They put down their weapons but some didn’t
“Are you sure, Mina? Why did we hear your voice from the other side of the underground network?”
The leader shows up and stops them “That’s enough. We are done being paranoid here. I have nothing less to be patient here”
Both Silfa and Tabitha show their respects with their cultural introduction. Everybody is a bit surprised of how they introduce themselves then welcome them out of respect. They suddenly accepted them by just introduction. She uses her telepathy to R-cord and McS4. The two only giving their guesses
“. . . Just like that, after being trapped should’ve made them a little crazy”
“Tabitha, are you hearing this? Don’t lower your guards, no one can endure this kind of isolation”
They entered the base. At the entrance, they were stopped right there. The people are happy and all, but they aren’t going to risk it like before. The leader explains it to them
“We are surprised how you introduce us with such manners. We thank you for giving us the help. You clearly are from the city. I am sorry it was too sudden to trust you because how much people reacted who are actually going to save us. But. We are already in the deep end since our last few bases fall apart”
Tabitha responded “It’s fine, we are here to save everyone”
Everybody comes around to hear such news. Their hopelessness still lingers within their thoughts and couldn’t let it out. They have done so many times and caused so much with their efforts to escape. Their faces have gone into a lost cost.
The Tabitha’s team watches their gloomy faces. For being here for too long had made them miserable for the past few cycles. Tired, weak, and little to no knowledge of their powers. Through Sifla’s UI, they are no less than them since the beginning to use their magic tiers affectively. Mana control, mana types, RAPs (Required action points) from the UI, ultimate abilities, and knowledge about the dangers of the surface. Without these, there is no way they could survive. Tabitha hears Juela’s concern through her thought
“They are the same from the beginning. This doesn’t add up. The kinds from Mountaiwall have lost so many lives killing the citizens. What let them be this weak?”
Questions added to her thoughts, she shares it with Silfa and she answers it immediately
“If they are same as before, that means they are just as strong as us but less control with their magic. The people from many city states have figured out our limits and will kill us with their types of mana. A high grades spell will do us good as dead”
Tabitha reaches out to Juela “What do you mean by weak, Juela?”
“Huh? You use your telepathy on me . . . Oh that, this is too much to talk about only by one medium. We should take some rest and figure this out later”
Tabitha asks the leader “I understand your situation. Then would you mind let us rest here? We could talk about it for the next day”
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Mina, Kenta, and Toba are staring at the leader as he gives it an ok. They agreed and call everyone back to the base
“None at all, we hope you understand why we can’t let you in, yet”
The people dragged those inside without giving them a second to respond. Mina says to her friends
“Did he just leave them there? The door is right here. This is where we barricade our enemies from getting in”
Kenta shouts out to the leader “Why are you not letting them inside? Everyone! Give them a chance Oof*”
Kenta got punched and fell to his knee then pulled from one of his people
“We have enough. The only people we can trust are the Benedictus and the Enders”
“Cough* What about them? They have Enders too”
“You three knows about them for only a day. How are we going to trust you guys when Mina becomes what the ghosts mimicking? We can’t take the risk The abyss is coming whenever we like it or not. It almost sank us to the seabed, remember! What about . . .”
The leader stops them again “Enough! If they are going to be our rescuers. They are better be able to face them. I don’t want to rely people who is going to made the same mistake as us. The Benedictus have stopped us from the voices. They almost helped us escape, until . . . Grr* Just forget it. The entrance is one way anyway”
They are at lost. They’ve seen what they can do and to be tested like that will be a waste of their time. Kenta only say it softly
“They can, they can definitely get rid of them”
Later that night, It’s R-cord’s turn to take watch. Tabitha and Silfa are insisting to take watch because of how they did for them, but they didn’t give much rest last night. Thanks to Juela’s persuasion, they stopped insisting and focusing on for the next day. R-cord looks at Juela holding his monocle instead of Tabitha. Either one of the girls are smart or just plain lucky not giving it to her. The monocle is meant to give the major information she needed to understand this realm. On Juela’s hands, Lady Coheld’s true plan will be delayed for a time.
It wasn’t that long he detects threats as soon as he walks out from the entrance. A group of tribes bringing their rituals and other forbidden shamanistic powers. They stood in front of the power armored soldier. These are definitely from Mountaiwall, the goblins showing their tattoos are the indicating that no spirits are here to aid them. Their weapons are mostly looted from the battle remains either from themselves or from Circoston invaders. He sends the signal to McS4
“Threats Incoming”
The moment he sends the signal, the radio waves come alive as the air turned bleak.
The goblins are using dangerous shamanistic rituals. Dreaded by the sheer of their own abilities, something comes out from the back. A cage moving creature imbued heavily with powerful voodoos. The cage is made of wood covered on the inside with blood stains, dried into black, and its mix of both shamanism and neutral mana preventing it from doing any strong spells. The tattoos begin to flow magic distorting their muscles. Forcefully using any spell different strength. The stories about them to able to catch or kill the citizens are right in front of him. His detector finds out their mental state have already gone and influenced by the demon.
Out of their own minds, influenced through the environment of the East Coast. The dwarves were able to withstand it because of their raw pure will. The goblins are not well individuals, their tribe like personality need someone ruthless or resisting the influence. If they don’t, they are intentionally suiciding themselves into the realm’s madness. Now here, a prime example when madness ruled them. Their powers are molded into the mana and their rituals, rituals without their spirits. They are hopelessly consumed just like anyone who are succumbed to their negative emotions, maddening minds, and soulless temptations.
A war cry cries out in a soundwave pushing him back. He resisted it as they quickly send out accursed roars. The attacks weren’t affecting him. His ears protected from their loud cries. They send their curses through his mind, but it failed. They use their rituals infested with neutral mana. A spell is cast on their body boosted up to fight him. They lunge forward sending the trails of unbearable strength into their bodies. The first goblin hits him on the chest, his hand burst with an explosion releasing exceeding his limits of mana.
R-cord pulls out his claw pushes the goblin back. The compressor starting to pressurize the air, bringing the claw into a bolt reacting fist. The goblins keep exploding to every part of their bodies. Torn apart to reveal the use of their old rituals. Through his visor to analyze what rituals they have used.
An old text appeared “Sul Boyz”
He responded “Clever”
The compressor is being reengineered and pushes back only by the strong blow from its nozzle. Their bodies blew away like they’re nothing but dusts. Yet it didn’t behave that way, the muck and slimes like body moved as it is grotesque. The goblins returned back to normal as it molds of their melted bodies.
The goblins combined their powers as their mouths opened aimed at him. The vile of their breath squeezes out toxic fumes mixed together with magic. R-cord resisted it, but when he felt his right hand weakened from the exposure. He looks at his hand as it already starts tainted by the disease. Flesh molded into the mana controlling his very flesh down into rotten like state. His augmentation reveals as his bones are left in robotic limb. The diseases reach up to his veins going through his heart then spread elsewhere in his entire body system. He underestimated the values of the Sul Boyz rituals. It is the first time he takes himself in one knee and tries to keep blowing them away with the chunks of their flesh flying.
A forcefield suddenly appears and pushes back the toxic air, and hits them against the wall. A spell channels inside the forcefield and waiting inside channeling more into greater effects. The forcefield erupts destroying the goblins until the mana reconverted back with slither of their own remains from the blast.
“It’s almost worked”
“Silfa, control your mana for the sake of this fight. Don’t feed it”
Juela complains as this the fight they have to take it carefully. Tabitha channels her magic indicating the contamination of their mana.
“McS4 wasn’t kidding. Those goblins are dangerous”
Juela uses her sashes and takes away a piece of paper worth of her magic. Deflecting all the mana trying to break her spell, reaching through R-cord’s body, then pulled him away from danger. The trails of her magic leave a thick smoke made from all the spells caused by the rituals’ curse and diseases corrupting from the presence of the toxifying breath.
“Neutral mana and shamanism combined? This is look like an abomination. Silfa, is there any Haw made you a weapon against them?”
“A few charges. I wished he should’ve joined us”
“We already made our choices. Use it!”
Silfa pulls out a paper and smudges it into her sword. She swings into the toxic air and her sword begin to absorb it.
Tabitha calls out to Silfa “I hope this will work . . .”
She picks the deck meant for Haw and Silfa. The cards she barely understands what it meant for. The details were easy enough, but the playstyle is different. The cards won’t play unless it is used two or more cards. This complicate her to use she thinks can be combined with every use. Silfa feels the effects of Tabitha’s cards. Never have been a boost that helps raise her stats, but also the guidance needed to help her to use it. She draws down her sword on the ground, begin to swing vertically as she swings her body.
Her sword still absorbing as she must strike them quickly. The cards push her to do an ability she didn’t even know how to, spinning vertically while in the air. She feels an action is taking place then rushes forward as fast as her friend’s, Ruby, speed. The goblins were struck as their body absorbed into the sword. All of them takes a strike each, bringing all of them inside the sword. Along with the toxic air, all of their spells were disposed even themselves. Silfa finally stops and sees what her sword drench in goblins’ blood. A disgust from the sheer looks of it along with the gore, but it absorbs it too leaving dusts falling down after its use
“What is this ability?”
Juela can’t seem to understand it too “No idea, I’m going to make a list every time we have play Tabitha’s card for now on. Yui really made some strange cards”
They look around as the fight is over. This is the beginning to use their powerful items. With every use, this is not looking good for them as they are keep wasting it after the other. If they keep this up, what else they could do to eliminate their enemies quickly. She begins to doubt
“Are we using our equipment correctly?”
Tabitha answers “I don’t know, my cards can recharge anytime. And, R-cord and McS4 are really using their weapons more frequently than we are at the crystallized forest. Say, R-cord. Was it necessary?”
“If you want to find out, then try asking them”
R-cord points back at the base. Where the people who survived might have known what happened if they fight differently. Tabitha starts to worry if the efforts they have to save everybody with limited resources. They must not waste it. The sight of their fight, they still hear more of them are coming. This is not what they have in mind as they are going to defend this base. Is this really the reality for them to survive? Their faces before have already define them into their heads as they show the same struggle.
“We can’t waste any of our resource to just defend”
“That’s right, just go back inside” Mina and her friends arrive.
Bruised and beaten as they are rushed to get here. She grabs Tabitha’s hand pulled them back to the entrance. They see they have already packed their things into the gate. They closed the gate and sealed it away before the invaders have a chance to get inside. The gate entrance shows infighting, where a big mess is all around. McS4 is already inside, grabbing the leader of the base at the back of his neck. Trying to endure from the powerful hand of McS4’s power armor, he still persists as he calls out to Mina
“If anything happens to this base. Mina, you will pay everything how Wilson have tried to save us”
Silfa felt her heart stops. How long did she remember that name in grief? 10 months, it’s been that long to have only two survivors from East Coast have brought into the city sphere, along with the man wearing a religious armor. The Benedictus. She couldn’t control herself and directly said to the leader.
“Are you perhaps remembered a woman and young girl escaped? A woman crying the name Wilson”
The leader stunned “Impossible, I thought they were dead. Where are they?”
Everyone desperately clings closer to her for any news of those survivors. Sifla shakes her head and tries to confirm first.
“Then you must know a man talking about the Order”
Everyone stood silence, even Mina and the rest of her friends. Kenta drops to his knees to hear that organization. The leader kneels down and apologized
“I’m sorry . . . I’m sorry” Their minds turned dark as their expression literally loses their faces into a fade of black mist surrounding them. The banner shines away from their dark curse as they tried to pull themselves together. Mina and her friends huddled to Tabitha’s team telling them the truth.
“That’s enough. Please! We beg of you. They don’t want to talk about it. Please!”
Their body burns from the shine of the banner. Silfa goes up to the banner and sees the same emblem saved from one of the city guild adventurers.
Tabitha hears their pleas as she pushes Mina away. Feeling terrible of the same cries she had nightmare before when her friend tried to save them. The way how they are burned from the cleansing light of the banner. She knows it won’t cause harm, because she remembers what Myrrkei said to her.
“. . . Carefully, and you need time to understand the rules of the realms. East Coast has a depicted stories to tell by many but one guild. They can’t leave. So perhaps, you need to do the same too”
“This is what Myrrkei said, we can’t easily take them away from day one”
The door knocked by a hundred hands. The horror they realized and how trapped they are. These people have driven mad with regrets have attract those knockings. Tabitha says to her
“Bring us where they were teleported from” She strictly ordered them.
On the next day, the base fell into a deep sleep. Everybody who are gone mad from the guilt put down from their anxiety keeping them away from the influence. This influence was been with them such a long time. It was been this long since they were tricked for coming here. The banner above them shows the remedy of their curse. This is one of the dangers Tabitha have discovered so far. More and more words got out only by these people left standing from the deep sleep: Mina, Aoi, Sakura, Toba, and only one boy, Kenta.
They were the exemptions from the influence because they were young kids at the time, one year close to be influenced by the monster below. With this luck, they didn’t have the guilt what they don’t know happened to their escape. Sakura speaks more than just them
“. . . Even we are excepted from the curse. Many adults tried to guilt trip the kids too. We too thought so too. Until someone reasons us out from the influence . . .”
They stop where they could not recognize anymore. The place they have almost escaped is now in ruins.
Tabitha directs R-cord to survey around the perimeter. R-cord didn’t use any equipment to find it out. Already on the ground, he sinks in his exposed right hand and feels the warmth of the ground. Pain stings on his hand then gently moves as the pain worsens. He feels thee stone rugged his skin, then something there and pulls it out. A piece of cloth shows in front of them. Juela recognizes what it is.
“Voldemyr’s hidden rags”
R-cord gives it to her as she cleans off the dust. The rags reveal to have written in stitches. Language that is too hard to read because he didn’t write it well.
Fae-chan comes out from Silfa’s inventory. “Fae-chan?”
Silfa watches it going closer to the cloth. Juela gives it to it. The doll begins to cast its magic into the cloth. Then a message reveal to them
“. . . This is beyond belief. The people are not fully one. This betrayal had cost the guild preparation leave this wretched place. These homogenous ideals are just the façade in order for the traitor to abuse it. Sarah Mae magic. Her influence is the only thing that held any empathy that these people succumb to the influence. I must send this message to Isekai City. Their siege should’ve been done by now”
Fae-chan reverse the message back “. . . They lost another base, this time they dragged into the coast. It is a matter of time they will be nowhere for them to hide. Also, U’ecin was here. The survivors are keep mentioning him the slayer of their enemies. This could be a good example from what Myrrkei said to me is true”
Back even further “. . . This is the place. How its demonic hands crushed this place by merely the hands of the people they rescue . . .” Then silence, after only long minutes of pauses. There nothing else to call it out
Fae-chan reaches to the beginning “. . . Oue wants to place it here. I guess she planned to come here because why only two people made it. This altar has a secret stone compartment. It’s better to place it here”
The team hears that Voldemyr place this cloth preserved into the altar. The Benedictus’ altar. What he describes was and now. In ruins, the leaks of seawater already drench this place by the walls. The ceiling is nothing but crumbling stones piled up together ready to collapse. This is where it all started their escape. Their chance lost from strange reason and the guilt of those people have caused it to happen.
Silfa says to her team “Whether it is a good time to tell us what happened”
They didn’t know, and they did try to ask. They become broken like they showed before.
“Thank goodness” Juela feels relief.
Everybody turns to out of confusion.
Silfa asks “Why are you acting relief all of a sudden? You see that their way to escape was destroyed”
“It’s not that. Hearing what Voldemyr from the start reversing back to the beginning. You hear about their progress. There is a way to get rid of the influence, right?”
“Right, but we don’t know what magic is that. Sarah Mae magic, what he is on about. R-cord, do you know such a magic exist?”
“I haven’t, if such magic really exists to prevent the influence. Then we have to use it”
Drips of water falling into their heads. They look up as it is collapsing. Aquatic reefs sprouting out as one of them fall to the ground cracking like an egg. Everyone evacuates as soon as they can. When they made it out, the water pours down and fumes release inside the seawater. The realm’s slime appears drowning the caves as it fills up. McS4 reads his scanner and sees where the seawater is flowing about.
“Here takes a look at this”
They watch the screen showing where the water is going. It didn’t go down like any water should. It floats up sealing any holes from the surface as it pushes down entirely to the depths.
They continue to explore through the caves, by the time they see the surface at the end of the tunnel. What they saw outside is where the same got inside to the East Coast. A huge cavern, a realm that looks like valley underneath the sea. The sun gazes down barely reaching here as they reach deeper than they should be. The cliffs where they can see, begin to shift slightly upward and the cavern downward. Where the valley roses up the rocks and the hard roots sprung out from the sands. It is confirmable truth that they are sinking.