COI C256

The man catcher and his men are made through the cave. Large amount of seawater waiting above them, the realm is keeping this place hold. The men have dwelled this place since the Circoston invaders made it into the borders of Mountaiwall. Able to spread their faith, able to fend their attacks, able to stop them reaching the inner realms of Agatheus City, and, and able to bring them to Enders Bridge. They hymn boldly into the dangers outside of the cave. Citizens, goblins, humans, dwarves, and other dangerous creatures lurking out. Random tunes from their mouths telling tales as they sing.

“Oooh where we stand, the land of great legend’s old”

“The land ran, from fire and cold”

“Name from grace, she has an immortal soul”

“Great deeds, no greed, never bid, nor heed”

“To the two factions’ creeds”

“There she walks, proudly and soundly, her land of Del’Montra Esteval”

“Let her creations be forever be eternal, be it all!”

“The high tides where her city rises”

“By sea, by seashore reaches the highest”

“Explore it well as dangers are greatness in tidal waves”

“By people, by her own great people dare they say!”

“The Del’Montra Esteval will never go away!”

“Now we see, sinking into the daemos’ glee”

“Absorbed into the dark seabed, where it shouldn’t be”

“Where our steps with dirty boots, be punished down to our bones to roots”

“Never again ruing her grace, for we will never touched by the sun’s embrace”

“Even our hearts rot where she sees, increasing the punishment from her decrees”

“Demented by our song, because knowing we won’t be here for long”

“Let the day burn us well, ‘til the day we will be ending in hell”

“Let the banner plays its bell, and because there is a fight as well”

Bell rings*

One of them butts into their song, ruining the tales to tell. The man catcher moves aside his men as someone is approaching. Iron steps going this way, able to walk against the secrets of this cavern valley. The man lands to the ground where they step aside. A recognizable armor, the man stood up and says his greetings to his rival

“Greetings, it’s been this long to see an old face for many years”

The man catcher leans to the side as his banner keeps ringing its bell.

“I am amazed that you come all this way here to resolve this matter only to bring the people who are not involved”

His men ready their weapons. The Circoston invaders reveal themselves into the blob of seawater hiding with watery fumes and slimes. They arrived as soon as they see another lone banner. The goblin points out to the bells, the torrent water stops before they hear it. They are hesitant. Same what happened to the tall hill, they moved and scattered as they sense there are more to do. The banner sways from the wind almost ringing its bell. The man bends the wind to push the bell clapper back almost hitting the sound bow.

McS4 couldn’t understand why the man did it. “Since when they fear the banner. There is nothing of importance to dwell such superstition”

The man catcher’s men react “So this is the guy who are from the rival guild”

“I don’t know we could complain as we are so close to fighting”

“Singing to our dooms? No, we sang the legend of the tidal city. It’s hard to convince they are called out like that”

“Oh, by the grace of god, focus on the man in heavy suit over there”

They turned to McS4. It is intimidating from how he wears. Already prepared weapons heavier than their own. Only wearing leather, they could only say one thing to him

“Where is your people?”

They look outside as the banner shields them from the invaders. The guild had made a mark on their minds in fear. That’s what the Dexter Guild thought. These religious men have brought something into their banners. Across the valley where the banners pointed as posts to direct them where to go safely. Spiritual magic to fend off the goblins’ spirits and the men’s divine items. Banners alone have made this way as the protection of other hidden bases for the citizens to seek shelter. But, why did it not work from their old hideouts?

The banner stands where it planted from the Benedictus, under the gazing dim moonlight from Jigeram’s light. It repels the dust before they could take notice of its effects. The people were waiting for the altar to be ready. A young girl holds dearly to the people she trusts. Clinging to the chance to escape this underground network. The Benedictus are setting it up as the banners surround them like a fortress. Cleansing their ailments and the curse that brought them into ruins. They waited as the altar is finally glowing.

The survivors are reaching their end from staying this place. So many died, so many were tricked, and the traitors left them to die as they gain powers they didn’t know about. They look at the altar as the first two people set into it. The man stood alongside with them as he calls out to everyone around them.

“All of you finally brought senses in your heads. To think a large group of people is bringing everyone along to think they could immigrate to the city. Finally, all of us we get to leave. Alright you two, just like they said: Women and children first”

The woman repeats what he said “Women and children first”

When the altar begins to shine on the floor, it emits a powerful force greatly put them into a still, silence bursts forth leaving no sound in place. The altar gives off more power than it should. Giving away it’s struggling to teleport them out. The man quickly finds out. He turns around and sees the Benedictus fights back a group of men sabotaging the altar. The man runs toward them as everyone else begin to start a riot. The banner empowers the citizen around them, enforcing their will to defend this place. But it was too late.

The men use their runes and teleported the banners away. Displaced. It scattered away into the caves. The chaos rises up as the influence spread out like wild fire. Everyone loses their mind as fear spread across the altar. Many panicked and fled through the caves. The woman and the child watch the chaos ensures. She hid the girl before witnessing it all. The man jumps to the altar, the same man who is with her, forcibly uses his magic to teleport them faster. Someone at the back, strikes him down with a weapon. Blood gushes out from his mouth.

The woman calls out to him

“WILSON!”

Those same banners, scattered and will not pull out with any necessary strength. The banner keepers are the sole responsible to carry it through. The Benedictus are the one should carry it. Because of the betrayal happened, they fled back bringing the people who are still not possessed by the influence. One of them is Aoi. The young one sees everything that happened. Kenta, Toba, Sakura, and Mina were not there at the time of the altar. They were outside, then the incident occurs. They don’t know what happened, and the people who does know about it. They fell into the corruption.

The altar that stood so much. Fell into ruins, leaving its days to crumble to every visit they make. Aoi keeps visiting it every time she is giving the chance. Stunned from what happened, and she prays there and treats it as a Shinto shrine. Until one day, there is someone coming out from the caves. It was the frequent earthquakes happening at the surface. Shattering crystals moving left and right causing dangerous mana crystallization to whomever possessed any form of mana. The man shows himself to her

“Hey, look at here”

Not long after as many more of them popping out from the dark.

Aoi feels scared as she moves away from them. The group of men surrounding her as their eyes eyeing on her mana. They grabbed her instantly as she felt her body being drained.

“HELP!” She calls for help.

The man moves away and gives them the heads up

“You guys need to finish the job. I’ll distract them while you guys need to finish it”

They hold her down as many tried to absorb all of her mana. Her body begins to aged. Wrinkles spread through her face as her life drains away.

Almost reaching her death, she hears a clang. Her body feels light as if she was free. Clang* Another noise inside the cave, a whoosh of the wind where a projectile flies by. She sees a boy carries a crossbow, and the rest of his body are blurred from her drained eyes. The man gets hit from their magic and the fight ensues. Aoi only hears the fight as her body being covered by crystallized dusts from the magic spell casted. The crystallization on her body begins to cover her up to her head. Not moving, she feels the death is coming to her.

When she wakes up, her friends are here. They didn’t return to their base, but they feel the comfort by the fire. This is the first time in a while, Aoi felt this warmth again. The boy who saved her was thought to be her hero. Where the fire reveals itself, he looks older from what how short he is. A dwarf? A dwarf saved her. After to take another look, she finds out he has no beard. She couldn’t take any guesses any longer as the man with the crossbow covers her eyes and drank something very bitter. Then it went blank.

Into her dark slumber, she sees her memory leashed from an unknown linen. Tangled it up as it blocks her memory to remember it. The flashes of light hit the linen and cuts it off like it was thunder. Her memory sealed after and only hears the voice from her savior

“Sarah Mae will heal you . . .”

Then goes out. Those line is only left from her sleep. Her body trembles it. She doesn’t know what to do it except keeping it inside her mind. Because of that, she remembers a bit of her attackers. Her friends slowly forgotten about it, and she alone remembers it clearly. What is wrong with them?

Now at the present, Aoi hides to the edge of the tall hill where there is cover in place in their camp. She checks her charm and it stops glowing, telling her he is not targeting her. Her breathing is getting heavy. Nervousness and anxiety keep crawling inside her head. She tries to think carefully and remember what the dwarf guy said to her

“. . . If friends become foes, you say? I can relate to that. For you, if you have good companions who are able to fight this influence. Makes sure to make it convenient, from I am going to say to you needs to happen every single time. Either you or your friends will be free again like they did to you. Because a friend of mine knows somewhere you needed to be at the tidal city . . .”

“Hey, Aoi. Why are you hiding here?”

“Ah!”

Spooked from Sakura as she looks worried

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

“Did you find something odd about them, Aoi?”

“You know”

“Just a guess. I felt really suspicious about them. Those two guys though, we should keep our eyes open”

“Gulp* Yeah, should we tell the Enders?”

“No, not now. This camp is too small and a fight break loose here will hurt the kids, especially that woman with that girl over there”

Aoi moves her head to see behind Sakura. The young child is crying and holding Tabitha tightly. Being found for so long really hit them hard.

The survivors are taking in the Juela’s meal like it was a feast they never have in months. The kids were coughing from how much they missed the food. The woman says to them

“Don’t eat so fast. It won’t go away”

Busy crying over food they have never ate normally have drove them in such an emotional state. The two men enjoyed their meal then talk to Silfa what happened

“So that’s how it is. But it is reasonable why, people had gone insane for the past months since we sink into the seashore . . .”

They explain further as Juela listens to their discussion. They said many were scattered and others eventually going deep down from this very cavern. The survivors are divided into three groups. From the caves are the people who are planning to leave when they found a way to get them all out to the shore. People who joined the Benedictus relocating their bases here and down below. Lastly, the group who are wondering around here trying to find a way to use the ruins they found to get out of here.

The last part made Juela curious “That last part you said, you think there is a way to use the ruins. There is no possibility to understand the use of their structures and magic”

The man shakes his head “That’s not what we see when those guys who are attacking us. Have you ever seen them coming in and out from those caves?”

“We have passed through a bit, there are battles all around leaving between them with the Mountaiwall people”

“Right, I forgot about that. Still, I’m still wandering how did they come here”

The man hits his partner “Don’t try giving up. He didn’t mention about how we found a gateway down there”

He points down where the massive hole is. To their surprise a ruined structure begins to rise. It slowly going up as they tried to figure out how it behaves like that. Then they look all around as the entire sand dunes are mounding upward where many small hills showing up. The man continues

“I guess you people never been here. Let me clarify, this place is a city in ruin. Don’t know how what it is, but clearly there where you could see . . . Hey look, over there!”

They see a group of people coming out from the surface. More Circoston invaders sprung up. Last time they only see 4 humans, but this is look like a handful of them.

The other man continues “Just like we said before, we got caught because they teleported where we tried to teleported out. If you don’t believe me. Try ask her”

Juela and Silfa looks at the woman who are holding the two kids while Tabitha holding the young girl talking to each other. Juela first leaves and talk those two. Silfa turns to the two men and said

“If you said where true, why not wait for a bit? We could need a magic structure to escape this place”

“Well, about that we . . . OUCH”

“It’s fine, after what happened. I don’t think we can continue after so much loses”

Tabitha notices Juela comes to see her “Oh, Juela. I have news for you. We have really different stories to tell. So, can you say it from the start? I don’t get what you’ve said down in the ruin”

“Sigh* Like I just said. That’s their ideas. Those people who are with us are definitely not same people I know. They are acting strange when they reach the so-called magic portal. But in a ruin that old, I can’t believe one of them able to use it. There this one woman, I remember, actually survived. She has this rune breaking magic, she wasn’t been with us in such a long time, and she was here a few days ago, directing us there. Giving us instructions . . .”

Juela sees Tabitha is having trouble understanding. Or rather, she is not convinced what they are explaining to them. Comparing from what woman told to them and what Juela heard from those guys. This plays a different question to all of them. She uses her sash and wipes something off to the kids. Their resistance to magic block her spell. It nearly bursts out in flame from the immature counter spell. But one child allows her to use it. It was Tabitha’s little friend.

Through her magic, she finds blank emptiness inside the child’s mind. Only she can see is a fog that only describe as their mind are at lost. Children’s mind will show sad expression whenever they have a symptom like that, always cautious and afraid, and if this kind of problem into the child’s mind means. Juela softly spokes to herself

“Either we trust them or not, Voldemyr and U’ecin’s notes are the only things will make these sense. Ok, the altar part is definitely mean something important. If only we can find U’ecin’s first”

Juela becomes impatient and decides to make something. She leaves them behind as the day reaches night.

McS4 and R-cord didn’t come back. Only messages between the monocle or Tabitha’s telepathy are the only left they could get about this place. Tabitha is contemplating from the reports shared between each other. All of it are true. Both Silfa and her side of the story. McS4 have found the Benedictus, sort of, and told her the man’s side of the story is true. Meanwhile R-cord is struggling to go back up where numerous invaders are coming out to the surface hiding through the thick water. The woman said is true, traces of new comers are definitely come here. The one she mentions who break runes are shown these automatons broke down easily without a single chance to fight back.

Tabitha calls out a meeting with her team. The issue they have now are the numbers of the invaders are here. They need to move or they will be stuck here without any hope whether they have the chance to escape. Juela shows her the survivors’ condition including Mina’s team. Silfa have test them by their experience. It was a bit finicky

“I thought Juela made a mistake about their conditions. Until I remember citizens using magic as their source of needs. That’s why they are a little stumble here and there. Tabitha, you know what to do”

The entire group gathers around. Tabitha have decided

“Today, our two members didn’t come back. If it wasn’t for them, these people should’ve died. However, we are planning a rendezvous into the ruins”

Everyone is shock. Tabitha expects it

“There is no other safer way to meet up with the Benedictus. That is the only way to meet up with them. Also, we have one of our team members found hidden notes inside the ruins. It will be very important for us to find it ourselves. If anybody refuse, then please leave”

They didn’t answer, only silence. The two men are thinking about it. Before Tabitha conclude this idea, the man was able to call out his concern

“I forgot to mention, have you ever heard about people here being possessed”

“Possessed?”

“Yeah, you seem to be able to remember using that word. How about you guys?”

All of them remained silent and the man thought so. Even the man beside him didn’t say a single word. The man explains further

“In case you didn’t know about this place, or your friend even mention about it. I’m guessing they don’t want to know”

Silfa confronts him “What are you saying?”

The man gives a serious look “What I am saying here, we have problems with people who are not in their right heads. More so, who are being part of a cult even. What you see around not even mention a single word about it because of how influenced they were. You three seem to be calm about it”

Telepathy sends her telepathy to the others. “Did you hear all that?”

McS4 and R-cord didn’t respond.

Silfa reacts “McS4 and R-cord are probably busy”

Juela guessed “They are probably sleeping”

“But we really need them to tell us whether he said is true or not”

Tabitha reluctantly replied. “We are on our own then”

Tabitha just nods at him. “You’re right, we know about it. That’s why I have to use this card”

She plays a card for Silfa & Haw. A sudden force of their strength drains down drastically. Sleepiness to the extend as their bodies loosen a bit. The man tries to ask them, but too tired to move his own lips. Tabitha explains to them

“All of us needed a nice rest, so don’t try even bother to complain about it. If what you said is true, then this is the right action to deal with the possessed”

The cavern’s ceiling fell dim as darkness shaded through. Everybody go to their own sleeping area whereas the banner is away from them. Aoi never felt so relief that Tabitha has magic like that. Feeling at ease and calm where she can see the charm blinking lowly. Tonight, it becomes another safe night. When dark comes, a shade of magic bends through from the invaders. The men can see one place is not shrouding the area. The tall hill. It mocks them not going up as their magic can’t reach there. The goblins use their flying ritual trying to see above. When they reach to the top, a gunshot hits them and fall down to the ground.

The men were able to catch them and see the goblin lost their flying rituals. The goblin points out from the massive hole where they come out from. They quickly give up as they continue to wait as the ruins begin to emerge up to the surface.

“Soon, we can see what our daemos ordered us to get here”

“What about the undergrown?”

“They were purged. Even we tried to get it. The elves have cleared it and no daemos have ever return with their puppets intact”

“But there is one elf who . . .”

“There is no need to talk about it. He said what he said, and it scattered into the otherworlders city. Here, is where we needed to find what are left”

Sakura senses a troubling aura. It is clear from her own instinct. It is clearly those two men. She knew Aoi is afraid of someone and it has to be them. Memory seeps into her mind to remember. The influence whispers her head trying its best not her remember certain parts. She feels a headache and stops. The soothing spell card helps her feel relax again and fell asleep soon after. This phenomenon was exposed easily with Fae-chan. Huddled by group of children as their new sleeping buddy, its eyes directly focusing and guarding these children.

The next morning, loud spells piercing through the top of the cavern. Everybody wakes up. Tabitha hears a distress signal from R-cord.

“Emergency evacuation. The invaders now know your area. They are building up a massive spell together. You have to bring them out of there”

Everybody looks around as the horizon being fog by the thick seawater. When they look up, they see men gathered into the air channeling their bending. Large cesspool of mana diluted down to the sands putting into a dense amount of this realm’s mana.

The ceiling cracks, seawater burst down with immense pressure from the seabed. The men target at the tall hill. A stream of high-pressured water beam down towards the hill. Everybody wasn’t ready to evacuate. As the first attack hits them, the banner brightens up and shield them. The seawater surrounds them and quickly turned to ice. The ice inside turns to pikes internally crushing them with it. Trapped, they have nowhere to go. The children held the doll tightly. The doll hears a voice, its hands try to reach the ground.

Another attack hits them, the seawater starts to compress and harder than before. The shield won’t hold for much longer. Silfa uses her forcefield out from the surface. It flattens as the force of the benders have strengthen by their divine items.

“It’s no use, I can’t shield you all like this”

Tabitha calms down and listens her team’s thoughts. McS4 left stunned from what he saw. R-cord was chased down the moment they used that ability. Silfa had no other way to fight it back. Juela is thinking as she expected their team has the key to escape this.

Both their mind switches to the doll. They look at the doll as it is trying to touches the ground. Tabitha calls out to the woman

“The doll! Place the doll on the ground!”

The woman sees the kids holding the doll tightly. The doll is reaching the ground with everything it had as it struggles to get loose. The woman grabs the kids tightly and lays down to the side. Both comforting them and letting the doll touches the ground lying sideway. The light comes out from the ground raying upward as the ground turned solid. Water springs upward and they begin to sink down.

The water roses upward shielding to the surface as the banner fell down with it. Later the water is getting dirtied as it solidifies as normal ground. The solid falls down as they elevate downward to the unknown. Another high-pressured stream finally breaks through the shield and pierces through the ground. It hits them as the solid ground shatters and they fall. Silfa uses her forcefield to catch them all as they fall even faster to escape from the invaders’ strong attack. They made it to the ground, accidentally crushes what lies down there. Pulverize everything leaving no remains what left there.

The smoke clears, the dark room lights up as it detects life for such a long time. Each lantern, both cracked or empty, shines the entire room scattering across the ruin. They struggle to stand up from the fall, the first one who stood up is Silfa with her forcefield turns into a light orb to move around to see clearer from the distance. To what she discovered are walls moving waters both vertically upward and downward. From its clear watery flow, she finds an Enders object within.

Silfa goes to the wall of waterfall then reaches through the object. When she touches the water a sudden stroke of force forces down her hand as if the strong current pushes her down like speeding car.

“Ouch! This looks deceiving. Hey Tabitha! I know you are not totally down on the ground and check this. There is an Enders design patterns inside the waterfall”

Tabitha groans as she struggles to stand up “Then would I mind if you just land us safely?”

“Shut up, this is important”

Tabitha goes to her and sees the design behind the water “What the?”

Juela comes along and sees the object inside the waterfall. She takes a long pause as she is focusing at the object sharply. This object reminds her something

“Tabitha, would you be a of help to uses your wand to touch it?”

Silfa warns her “I better not, my hand just pushes way like I got smack by it”

Tabitha stares at her wand. It was used as a mace for a time and never been used to cast spell. The waterfall calmly falls down and gives warning to those who uses their hand to go through it. Yet, Juela suggests to use her wand. But she starts to doubt if it will break her wand. Undoubtedly, she places her trust to Juela and do it.

The wand touches the waterfall. The water splashes around and hits the ground. The hard durable ruins quickly erode when the water touches it, washing it away like it is mud. However, the wand didn’t break. Tabitha carefully phases through the waterfall and uses her magic to grab the Enders design pattern. She pulls it out cleanly as the drop of water on her wand and the object quickly dries out and pulled the moist back into the waterfall. A pattern that looks like a rag with beautiful pattern designs. This design has the same art style from Yui and her community.

Tabitha brings out her device and hopes it matches. It did and words come out as the message is being translated

“There she walks, proudly and soundly, her land of Del’Montra Esteval” Tabitha reads it out loud.

Juela recognizes the name “Del’Montra Esteval? That is Yui’s ancestral origin, her ancestral city. That can’t be. The city should be at the south of elongated mountain isles at its ridges. How is it here?”

They tried to investigate about this place. Sadly, they have no knowledge of how it was. Only they knew is a city and a name. Its history is gone like the rest into the Isles of Rune Isles.

Aoi heard them, the name of this place called Del’Montra Esteval.

“The tidal city”

She whispers to herself as the sound echoes quietly through the falling waters. It starts to ripple itself downward. The voice of the young girl, preteen, moves the secrets between its vertical waterways. The silent waterfalls are starting to give a sound. The water falls and splashes to nowhere. These soundwaves made it up to where they are and reach to Aoi’s ears. Aoi’s head begins to ache. Something inside her head shaken and ready to break, as she is about scream out of pain. It cracks. Aoi feels the influence went silent inside of her.

The moment when it is over. She calmly remembers what happened. Her past, the time that happened. Her memories are starting to recollect. She remembered her friends shared the same fate as hers. The time when many people turned against each other. A man comes closer to her and said

“Hey, are you ok?”

Aoi sees the man, not the same man she feared. Her lips move almost slip a name she almost recognized. Resisting to remain who she was before. She quietly backs away.

The man reaches out his hand until the other guy stops him

“What are you doing? You see as if you recognized her”

“She is still a child. You know me and her are the one who takes care of them. Of course, I’m worried”

The guy moves him aside as he goes to Aoi

“Go back with the others. Those people at the surface, sort of, are not done chasing us down. We need to get ourselves out of here. This place is one straight down from here”

The guy stops and only there. He whispers “Fuck, why I have a feeling that girl didn’t give off the same cowardly expression”