COI C248
“YESsss! Men in ruins are close”
“Man thing?”
“No, no! men are at east coast. They are close nibble*”
“There one is! Alone, light on its head blind us”
“Get him, get him”
The horde of ratmen is near, hunting them and seeking the path to Kinteinnou east continent. Their scheming is gone and missing at the south. After the failed infestation inside the Mihayara district ruins, they’ve reach here. To find what the voices in their master ordered them to do. To search and kill under this mana barren cycle. For what reason, after the pillar of light happened at Isekai City.
R-cord have spotted the enemies. The ratmen had brought the thin ratman back to its feet. Stronger than its dried-up shell, it harnessed a cannibalistic taste among its own. The powers of the daemos rose up into the mist. The essence drove off from this small group of ratmen reserving the influence of their creator. He hears the fake doll falling from the cliff. Plentiful of spirits dropping in their reckless pursuits. Sending themselves right in front of them.
His monocle records the fight between them. The feral were easily beaten and the ratmen were victorious with their demonic magic. It was short lived until he finds live goblins going to their direction. As he identifies those goblins attacking the rat men, he can see magic resisting mantle. Old data opens up on his monocle view about their origins. They are identified as Circoston goblins and they are outside. This puzzled him where his information told they are always attacking at the east coast. Is Mountaiwall losing their border?
Tabitha is calling for his help. R-cord takes aim and sees the enemies already reached them. He takes out his ivory bullet and takes the shot. After it was finished, he calls out to McS4
“S4, S4, threats spotted entering our group”
“Prioritizing the encounter, Cor. I’ll rally them at our disadvantage point”
“Disadvantage point? Have you identified the threat?”
“. . .”
No responds, and an audio activated “Signal lost or on hold”
R-cord didn’t wait to reconnect with McS4. The data inside of his monocle shows anti-magic activities. His team will face them. Circoston goblins are dangerous to face with.
Time moves fast, R-cord is prioritizing his own position here. The survey and the detection he travelled from here has so many loose ends. Tabitha keeps calling for help and as for him deciding which action to take. McS4 somehow made it to their team as message reached him. The nomadic goblins are attacking them. R-cord reads it and finally takes action. With someone there to aid them, he can now do double time. This short moment of distraction caught him off guard. He checks at his health gauge as his age detects returnable brain disease. This is not going to be good.
Tabitha sends her orders
“McS4, use your energy to power up your melee weapons. Juela, take Secius and the others in safe area”
McS4 dropped the Agatheans on to Juela “Orders received”
Juela casts her spell on them levitate them to the air “Got it”
The thin rat man spits out dark tendrils blending into the environment. McS4 blocks it before they reached them. Tabitha flinched a bit then she reactively uses her spell card. It boosted McS4 as his energy gauge is halved to preserve his energy reserves.
Spell card she used is unreadable but the description is clear from what she read. It said adapting any used mana, only released or casted, as it will be contained as spells to counteract the enemies’ mana uses. However, the strength of the mana contained from the enemy will hindered to the card who puts on. Tabitha’s cards are cost efficient and never be useful on the Agatheans nor Juela herself. These cards are meant to her team, and they are from the Dexter Guild.
McS4 sees his systems are reading the card played on him. Enemies’ mana is being collected into his mana tank. The readings are blurred out as it comes from a powerful source. It will hinder him if this used mana is on his body, but on his power armor, he can able to use it. The thin rat man’s hidden tendrils were pulled. It surprises it and pulled towards him hitting it with its own mana. The results were not good. The thin rat man is healed.
The reaction of using the demonic mana caused no damage on it. It swiftly goes through by McS4’s heavily powered arm and forces it down to the ground using its head. The thin rat man strongly holds its own until a pulse coming from his armor disfigured its thin legs. It mends on the ground as crystals are collecting it. The crystals burst out from the ground screaming by the rat man’s mana. The ground erupts as the crystals tried to absorb it. It can’t, and it explodes by the force of demonic essence.
McS4 continues to collect the rat man’s mana endlessly cycling the problem constantly. Tabitha hears his thoughts
“This is a confirmed demons’ puppet”
“Yeah, I know. They mention about it many times”
“There are many differences among those puppets. The tenacity of this creature won’t stop. Unless we use our strong weapons. This also counters us because of the feral spirits will attract it”
Tabitha starts getting it. The chaos of fighting here is a death sentence. They need to move on after each encounter or else more of them shows up.
A glimmer shines on her head. McS4 and R-cord are making contact. She reaches her telepathy onto the both of them. R-cord says to McS4
“. . . Maintain her orders. Forced navigate the enemy’s mana and break a piece of that rat man down”
“I have to use one of my charges, Cor”
“Tabitha, used your commands!”
Tabitha hears R-cord telling her to do. The words of her mouth change to her strict tone. She added with her spell card to boost up her voice in order to hear him in the midst of his fight. Loud and clear
“McS4, I order you to take it down”
No resistance, absolute action, straight on without hesitation, McS4 redirects the mana he took into his armor. The hidden skin crafted by him emerged from the demonic mana. Unbelievable skin transformed into the rat man. Its large essence grows deep into the ground. The ground bursts open where they stand. A secret portal opened for the Horde to attack them from below. Many of its chittering eyes from its empty husks raising their spears and looted weapons.
His made armor starts to become alive and damaging the wearer. The demonic mana is not easy to control and rushes into what it had created. Pressuring down to his power armor, he keeps hold as they are building up so much power. The thin rat man’s head is still being forced down to the ground. Its mouths are wide open trying to consume his soul. The shards spread everywhere from the wild movement of its hidden tendrils. It hits everything and McS4 alike as his old armor dented down by the sheer strength.
Finally, he makes a move. A bright light comes out at the thin rat man’s mouth. Diverting all of its mana that hid within itself. A plant grows out of its mouth forcing into entanglement within it. The threads of light showing light green colors, almost close to the elven magic but it’s shown animalistic feature. Finally, a gun shot fired at them. It hits the neck and lost its strength. It sinks down to its hidden portal joining the rest those tried to climb out. The roots carved in rituals come out of the rat man’s merged skull holding them firm and sealed its demonic powers.
McS4 loses his hide and the item that caused this mysteriously. He steps back and runs back to his team.
“Let’s keep going, we must head to the disadvantage point”
Juela hears him “Disadvantage point, it sounds . . .”
Tabitha agreed “Alright, bring these guys with us, we mustn’t leave anyone behind . . .!”
The ground erupts, the roots are barely holding on as there is no spirits to keep it still. The mysterious item only replicates the ritual leaving nothing to preserved its shamanistic powers.
The rat men emerged bound by the sounds of their horrifying screeches. Countless words occupying with every being teleported here.
“Get them!”
They chant ferociously as their numbers grew only by the size of an average shoe. The rats in pieces squeezing themselves through the tangled roots. The roots darkened from its light green glow as one of the rat men breaks free bringing in its plagues then got trap in crystallized dust. The horde is starting to attract the feral spirits.
Tabitha casts her magic card and gives it to McS4, boosting his speed and carrying capacity. Juela incidentally got hit from the eruption covered in dusts and fell to the ground. McS4 is now single-handedly carried them all onto the top of his shoulders. He receives a navigation from R-cord. The direction where he must go at disadvantage point. R-cord calls out to him
“Go down, at 2 o’clock”
McS4 follows. The rats sprung up from the crystals. They dug through with every demonic mana they carry.
Tabitha and Juela watch him out maneuver all the traps prepared from the rat men. When they turn to see what is in front of them. The feral spirits have returned already fighting the traps. Another shot hits the feral spirit, teleporting them to the small rat horde giving them the clear path at the front. The echoes of R-cord shooting them between them are subtle and loud. The numbers of shot are more than ten times now.
Then R-cord calls out to Tabitha. “Use your command cards. I’m running out of bullets”
“What cards? My adapting deck is encrypted”
“Interesting, then can you alter your telepathy. Like Clairvoyance”
Tabitha wasn’t ready to hear R-cord about clairvoyancy. The shock of hearing paused her a bit. The shaking from McS4 escaping both the spirits and the horde had got herself back to use it. She flips her deck and try to use clairvoyance. R-cord sees through her eyes and found it.
“That! Use IT!”
Tabitha picks it up from her deck losing its strength because of the rule being pulled at the middle instead of the top of the deck.
The deck will lose its value if didn’t being picked at the top or shuffling it in order from the cards below it won’t rub each other more than one causing the magic cards to tinder itself from its mana. Tabitha was desperate, and they need to escape. She plays that card barely anything to read of the title and the description. The card flew in the air, and sharpshoots at R-cord from the far distance. R-cord receives the card and takes his aim. The warning of his system calls out to him
“Warning! Secret Weapon has been used. Level 1 fire power is been granted”
R-cord shoots at them, hitting Juela. The bullet empowers her as her body begins manipulating the mana. The adrenalines going through her as the powers of the citizens have been granted. Her sashes were quickly burned to ashes, all of them by the presence of this unforeseen mana. The mana of the citizens, and her knowledge as an Enders made her casts her first spell. She begins to chant. Tabitha feels it. Her UI is detecting someone like her, besides her, and it was Juela. The way she channeling her spell caused many crystallized dusts to manifest everywhere.
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Juela casts her first citizen’s spell. Her first ultimate. A dome appeared, McS4 slammed right on it and moves back almost dropping them. The dome covered with magic writings that match Juela’s sashes. Their enemies collide on the dome, the horde smashing themselves into the dome and the spirits multiplies from the very presence of absolute power. The crystallized dusts are hardening the dome trapping them, and at the same time saved, for now.
McS4 witnessed the secret weapon is used. A sign of the impossibility to waste such a formidable interaction of her cards and the archscience tech. He privately sends his words to R-cord, able to bypass the dusts
“Is it necessary?”
“You’ve wasted yours, and I wasted mine. Don’t let Tabitha wasted hers. Her box contains what our old teammate can formulate it from the city’s knowledge”
Juela is stunned and closed her eyes to feel the magic flowed through her. Her body wasn’t touched by it nor that caused her to react to it. She is glad that this powerful spell can imitate her sashes.
The dome starts to soften its shell. The crack appears and ready to break. In each crack released multiple spells at the same time. The magic that would easily consume from the dust, but Juela’s ultimate. She made it into an exception. The dome finally shatters and explode out phases through or not. The enemies outside are engulfed with endless attributes of spells. The basic elements: water, earth, fire, and air to the advanced such as: light, darkness, lightning, and many other paranormal spells. Nothing they could do to resist it. They are absorbed into the mana as the crystallized dust sealed them after.
The aftermath ended the rat men, but the spirits remain and taking the remains of the rat men as their own. The endless fight continues as they witnessed the never-ending cycle. Juela wasn’t phase by it. More like feared to see of the power of the citizens. The words about them are becoming too surreal and the reason why the Lady of Agatheus wanting them to leave. It is the future they will face someday. Juela turns to Tabitha
“What now?”
Tabitha looks around trying to ignore what she had witnessed. It is definitely an ultimate. Her people will change the fate of this world if they mastered it.
Something dug out from the wall. Crystals fall from it as spirits coming out. One of the spirits are totem creatures. But it didn’t look broken and it is well maintained. The body moves out from wood and leaves still in its sprout. From its wooden body, comes out another spirit. A bird in green glow, a big fat bird. Tabitha recognized the bird. She checks her device and found out is the meme bird who take out the Saint Heroes adventurer. Its resemblance of its menacing, but cute, expression still puts everyone with a smile.
Someone comes out from the hole. A goblin in tribal clothing
“You people are hard to save when you attract a lot. Come here, there is no escape when your people have already done to this place”
McS4 loses his professional attitude and quickly throw them at the hole. Usually, he waits for Tabitha to order him. In this predicament, time is wasting. They have to escape as soon as possible. Both Juela and Tabitha head inside, leaving McS4 watching outside for one more time. There he sees the thin rat man, reawakened.
It finally made it here, and freed from the roots. Its mouths are feasting on the spirits growing a new form of demonic powers with the feral spirits. McS4 have already confirmed about it. Seeing it a second time is only insulting his guild of their first accurate readings. It charges towards him in a form of ritual smoke. The usual faces of shamanistic creatures were replaced by countless rat faces. The crystal dome from the ceiling fell and crushed it. The head fell again losing its control. Back again as a merged skull. McS4 has the opportunity to scan it. After that, he leaves.
The plague rat man appeared and sees the thin rat man fell again. The voices still creep into its mouth
“Get them!”
from the thousand voices fix into one voice. The rat man speaks
“They are hahahhe-heading to the shores. Those powers a-aa-aren’t worth in the forest. Hymns ones, are out. No, people from the south are here. No!”
Bickering from the plague rat man’s head continue to speak nonsense. As it already taken down the feral spirits and retain their lost pieces of the rat horde. Including the soul siphoning thinned rat man.
Secius wakes up and sees tribal roots underneath the crystal. It carries as if it as it is used as a door. He sees his wisp at his side, meaning there is no harmful dusts around here. His Agathean companions recovered as they are setting up their meals. He sees a goblin is cooking his own meal, only vegetables and other roots. The goblin handed over to the girls. The two added a few meals to the side as they begin to eat. While they eat, they look around and sees the different kinds of spirits connecting along with the trees and other plants.
Tabitha thanks him again “Thank you, I never thought we will be the end when we see those spirits survive a magic like that”
Juela asks the goblin “What is your name? We need to thank you properly”
The goblin sincerely smiles “Why not used your flat paper? You can see me one of those adventurers. They use pictures to identify me”
Tabitha takes a pic of him and sends it to social media. The post is traced and found him with the City Guild. The name was in her city’s language, leaving Juela guessing.
She answered “Train? It’s quite odd for a goblin to be named like that”
“I know, they don’t even try to say my name”
“What is your real name?”
“It’s Train da boyz. Haha”
McS4 laughs from the distance as he heard it. Juela couldn’t understand why. Tabitha knew, because of his goblin name is translated. The word ‘train’ is heard and meant that way. Because of their reliance on translation. Train will always be heard from their ears. Except Juela, she thought it is a goblin word.
Enough from his silly game, Juela continues “Nice to meet you, I am Juela and this is my friend Tabitha. And over there is . . .”
“haha, there is no need for greetings to the rest. Although it is kind of nice to hear people and their adventures. But I must insist to hear more important”
“How important?”
“Good call. I was wondering about my spirits are calling to the gods. I don’t want to pry but the dangers you bring them are sure has reasons”
Tabitha guessed “You mean us getting into the East Coast”
Train felt sad for a bit “Seems like many adventurers still persist of saving them. . .”
Train explains them about the situation of the East Coast.
“The area you people talked about it changed after everyone left because of what you people called dusts. The Jigeram’s light have caused the shore to behave very differently. As far as those people are safe, I confirm you all that they are still there dragged into the sea. Sigh* It isn’t fun when your people couldn’t be able to rescue them because of the price. This price is something that there is a being down there holding them hostage. Yet, they said they were called there. My guess why my rival tribes become hostiles because they are talking to their enemy. Or so I thought . . .”
“. . . So far, the adventurers think they are still hiding among the cliffs. After the Jigeram passing by, they are now at the sea or sea shore. I can describe it as they are dragged down to the sea, but I honestly couldn’t go in like the rest of the goblins. It must be because of how they are able to kill your citizens. I hope it doesn’t bother you from I said”
Tabitha feels anxious “It’s fine, please continue”
“Like I said, life down there was almost a living dead trapped until I head those hymns. Enders singing hymns were a legend among us tribes. They are the people who escaped Agatheus City and fled to Rune Isles, for them being there gives me strange vibes that they are earlier than that”
“But. They were saving them, right?”
Juela answers her “Yes, they are. Did you forget how they appeared in the sphere. The place where you trained?” Juela confronts Tabitha with a reassuring expression.
Tabitha smiles back and continue listening to Train “I’m glad, by the way. I didn’t even say anything bad about them. There also one person though who tried to rescue them at first”
He sewn a thread from the smoke of the fire. Images appeared with his short stature. It was Voldemyr.
“This man had tried. He told me that they are still fine. Including those people brought them here”
Tabitha clenches her fist. Hearing the goblin calmly to say those people who brought them here is absurd. Her feelings grew wildly as everything had happened lead to this. Her mouth bit from the burst of anger she is about to throw out a tantrum if it continues. Juela didn’t stop her as she needs to release it as the tension inside of her heart hardened. Tabitha took a deep breath and listen. Juela is surprised that she keeps herself maintain like a lady.
Train shows more, besides Voldemyr, and there is one more person they are have recognized before. A person they didn’t expect to be here and let alone for him to care for the lives of the citizens. It was U’ecin. What terrifies Juela is he is bringing authentic weapon at his arms. She leans closer as she wants to know about him. Train’s expression showing no fear or hate of him. U’ecin is not in favor to go along with citizens, and he barely make acquaintances with Tabitha when she becomes a guild member.
“This man, you see in the fire. He was here. I met with him to open the path to the shore. As if he knew how those people have gone to. From what he carrying were bags like he was acting like a messenger. When he came back, he brought another bag looks like it was from Isekai City. Bags that are old but there are papers inside of it. Sadly though, I witnessed something disheartening when he carried them”
Tabitha stared at him “What did he do?”
Train shows to her the burned letters “I don’t understand why he did it”
Tabitha takes it from his hand. Her eyes enraged from what U’ecin did make her asks Juela
“Did U’ecin actually burn these letters. I can only see names and addresses. Why did he do such a thing?”
“I don’t know either. U’ecin and I have not talk about our quests since he is focuses on bounty hunting and I am researching magic at the guild tower”
Tabitha loses it, these letters on her hands barely see to read and the piece of the bag torn off from the fire has a plastic zipper. It is indeed come from Isekai City. Her people.
McS4 watches her fueled by rage. The Agatheans, hired, didn’t want to be involved personally. As for Secius, his hand trembles to hear such bad news. Yet he keeps going, one last magic item to be made as their quest is almost over. To what how much sylvs left in his pocket, secretly having more because of the pebblechips he received from the Sister’s Hope Highschool. He thought of coming back to Isekai City. After witnessing a humanesque, a local, possessed such power. How easy must’ve been to people not knowing about their true potential in the near future. Will it be the same or will they become the same people who ventured the East Coast?
After their meal, they went to bed. The next day will be the day to reach the coast. With train to guide through the mountain and the forest, they will face only the last obstacle. The hidden path to the East Coast. Tabitha can’t sleep and only pretend to rest not wanting everyone to worry. Her eyes were wide awake and only keep staring everyone around her. A slight glimpse at the corner of her eyes, she sees someone walking by. It was McS4, for the first time in her journey with him, he removes his power armor for the first time showing his actual body out of the open.
As he finally removed his helmet, he shows himself as a strong soldier. Tabitha was stunned how well built he had to carry that armor, but he wasn’t finished. He removes something from his skin, archscience tech mask molded on his face and body. He removes as if he was in disguised revealing his true body and age. An old man, wrapped around like he is using augmentations. He places his hand on his forehead where it looks like a button. He looks at the Agatheans, including Secius himself. He scanned them then lights up at their forehead. When it is done, he goes back to wear his power armor again.
This shocks her and incidentally used her telepathy on him “What are you doing?”
McS4 knows she is awake and reply honestly “Removing a part of their memory. When your friend uses that ultimate”
“Why?”
“It is better not to ask any more questions. If your friend wants to remember you”
Tabitha felt so betrayed from hearing him. She looks at Juela. sounds asleep. Juela has lost all of her sash leaving her vulnerable to any enemy who will attack her. Only left with her is the wax sigil on her hip. A powerful magic piece that manipulates defend any magic types.
From the beginning of their journey and the advice of the Lord in Enders Bridge have spoken truly. Only her, her team from the sphere, and a few more coming from Isekai City. What else she had to pull through when she at the East Coast? Her minds puzzled whereas there is one item left given by Yui. The sealed chained box. She hopes Juela would be able to say goodbye to her when the time is right for them to separate.
“Juela, I hope you can still be with me without your sash. I really need someone to calm me down before I face U’ecin”
Morning has come, R-cord have recorded yesterday’s report. Lady Coheld is reasonable to hear about it. The archscientist instructs him
“It is predictable what McS4 will do. Who would’ve thought the old man is still operational with his augmentation like you and X2L?”
“Acknowledge, Archscientist, have you reconsidered a reform to replace us?”
“Such as my predecessors who remained inside the hard drive. It will be long for her to finish what she had started. Her city is becoming more independent after the incident”
Lady Coheld sounds concerning after her last words. Independent, her tone is specifically focusing on it. R-cord expects something will happen. The gauntlet he gave to the shield student will have proper upgrades someday. It will be their sign when archscience is being developed in Isekai City. The divide will come soon. The daemos are certain of it. Isekai City will prevail in these moon cycles. Lord Lori’es might change his priority at Rune Isles to Isekai City. Or let Isekai City to divide itself on their own.
R-cord finds his team hidden the remaining tunnel passage of the crystal forest. Their surroundings consist of many battlegrounds left behind from the spirits and the rat men. The battlesight has never ceased leaving the remains of countless dead husks without any new blood. Not only the goblin tribes fought here, it also involved people from Circoston, both humans and goblins, and the dwarves. His monocle receives a message from Tabitha
“Where are you? We are being chased by rat men again. HURRY!”
The call of urgency is on his way. By the time he has to set out, where he stands is supposed to be the entrance. His responds to her
“I am at the hidden outpost. This is where your guild members based”
“. . . Are you sure, Juela? Why didn’t we ever hear it from the guild?”
“Then come here, you will see why”
Someone almost about to open the door form the hidden base. The bright color of the citizen’s power hides inside trying to get out. A voice comes out
“Don’t you dare hold me back, Haw! I am certain there is someone from Isekai City is running . . .”
Tabitha’s team runs down to the cliffs. The rat men were able to find them the moment they walked outside. No use to fight, they must flee. The Agatheans are setting themselves as baits. Train joins them as they individually disguised themselves as bait for the rat men chasing each of everyone. Secius says his farewell
“If you return to Isekai City, I will be there finding work. Let’s see each other at the second moon cycle”
He left without them respond. Tabitha watches him leave, confirming what McS4 have done. The path she chose becomes dark the longer she truly learns this world.
They found R-cord from the distance. The enemies at their back are only a handful now. McS4 turns around and breaks the crystals to block their path. The rat men elusively move around. Their tails and husks were tainted from the Agathean’s potions, bind their carcasses on the crystals. Tabitha’s team finally reached their destination. When they reached the base, the air turns thick. Tabitha quickly uses her card to resist the toxic air.
The plague and thin rat man made it before they enter the secret outpost. R-cord fights back as he reaches out his handgun and starts firing. The knockout blast of his shot pushes them back. The dread of their soul devouring plague combined blow at him, his armor shields him from the toxic gas. He suddenly changes glances between them and his team. Both Tabitha and Juela is being affected from the plague. Their resistances are fine but their souls unwind from their bodies. He absorbed his rat men hide gives them little amount of time to resist it.
McS4 manages to bring them into the door. It opens itself and a forcefield appeared in yellow/gold, then they were pulled inside except McS4 phasing through. McS4 brings out his heavy weapon, a flamethrower, and checks his ammunition filled with rat men’s carcasses. He sent the whole area in a demonic fiery blaze. R-cord is caught from the flames as he moves back. The rat men tried to push forward. They feel the blaze of the fire of their own mana, feasting it and used it against them. Once they about to use it, the flames are gone and they disappeared. At this day, they successfully entered the East Coast.