COI C93
“This is going to get bad for our reputation”
“Reputation!? In the beginning it was always has been”
“You two are the one who is causing this situation. What will that elf say to our guild?”
The leader listens them argue as she never seen anyone being cooperative and at the same time arguing at each other. This is what she could imagine in most online video game, but this is the place where they are in a life and death. All three trying to hold on where Flashes readied for the next group teleportation. While Magnet disoriented the monster focusing on C, and the leader joined the fight against the weak monsters.
C, the crazy bastard is facing the bird, keeps touching on his left back left shoulder to tune the limits of his energy meter. His eager looks as he faces the Stinger Ray. The quiet bird focuses and stared right at him where its movement turned erratic. Its nimbleness is straight and dexterity only relies on teleportation to its own body. The bird charges him in a straight head line. Its body teleports and its beak peck him, he dodges it in lightning speed as the current hits its beak. The current flows to its body as burnt marks appeared when it steps on the ground.
It teleports its body again for another attack. He keeps dodging left and right, getting close to the monsters around them but it cleverly maneuvered over as its body teleported. It hits him as he about to unleash his thunderous knockback. Both of them blown away, but the bird flew off its body and immediately recovers it. C runs out his energy as he slides back in pain from the rocky surface. The bird persists and almost hits his chest. He runs back where the monsters block his path, a beak appeared from the tight space from the surrounding monsters. A flash of light appeared on them and everything stops.
The moment of time as C watches the monsters with only the movement of his eyes, all frozen and the bird’s striking down on him in the air with its massive beak. He sees the body teleporting where its feet are appearing disproportionally. The digital phase covered his body, pixelized, and return back to his team. The flash starts to dim and they slowly returning in motion. The bird slides forward a bit then quickly runs after him. They are still slowed but the bird won’t stop.
Flashes caught him and continue to flash again. They teleported once more to where the bird can’t charge straight. C looks at the back as the bird already comes after them from a far distance. The dimmed flash still remains on it and it still going after the slow effects. His expression starts to get annoyed where he sees its body recovered the burned marks. They vanished once again as they regroup in a higher elevation. Flashes manages to save him, as the others regroup hidden deeper and closer to its nests.
The leader is disappointed after their first encounter.
“Even you have mana control, that bird has mana control too. I am lucky to bring my rune weapons or the roots will come and get us with every use I get”
Flashes warned them “Guys, my batteries are used up. I need to recharge with my mana battery. The conversion process will take long”
He brings out two batteries connecting to the concealed converter. The converter is a prototype and kept overheating when used. It wasn’t meant to use numerous times because he never thought about it. Until C forces him to keep using his camera in strong and effective settings. It requires a lot of power.
Magnet asks her “Can we still use our failsafe?”
“We should use it, but it will drop the loot or the inventory you have to 30% from your maximum inventory slots, I can leave anytime I want but Flashes refused”
He turns to him “I like to remind you that my data is also part in the inventory. Used it, then those data and my devices will be left behind”
“You could give it to her to manage your inventory”
Flashes flinched “Are you crazy?! All of my works making those components and other equipment shared. It was that guy who is wasting it all of my hard work”
C laughs “You have already known what I can do. Acting slow is the least of our worries”
“Enough!” The leader stops them “We have no time to argue and either us used the failsafe from the runes or our own. You will be guessing how fast will they kill you when the failsafe reached the condition or beyond”
The two looks at each other and still give a grief look. None of them responds and quickly make a run for it. Magnet sees the bird moving up from the walls then to the ceiling. That short moments of conversation manage to get here fast.
“How in the hell did people managed to escape that damn bird . . .?”
Magnet used disoriented on top of them. On that exact timing, the bird peck missed with a strong crack sound when it hits the ground. The leader identifies the damage it inflicted and said;
“There’s no way our failsafe will save us when reach critical. That attack is instant kill”
C’s cooldowns end, he uses his electrical skills on the head but its body teleported and kicks him back. He grabs one of the legs and released the currents. Volts coming through the monster and the currents burst in flames. The wooden body teleported except the leg he is holding. Then it swings its body at him as its beak sprung up.
The electrical currents redirect on his left shoulder as his equipment exploded from the short circuits. Mana burst forth from it and spread all around the area. Magnet pushes the bird back and pulls him up and starts running. The roots are starting coming where the leader’s UI showing signs of them coming to this direction. Passing through where the roots already appeared from its stagnant growth. Flashes used the small juice on his camera to slow down the fast-growing roots. They made through and the bird is gaining on them. The roots returned back to its pace and covered the bird’s path.
They look at it one last time as it erratically teleported its body on its head trapped with roots. She orders them
“Let’s move, the roots are coming”
C feels his body being electrocuted. This is the first time he didn’t notice how electric flows turned against him. He effectively controls it but it backfires. It was painful and at the same time paralyzing some of his abilities. C looks both Flashes and Magnet where the two whispers something to him.
“. . . I hope you get what you wanted, newbie”
All four of them made it out and don’t know where they are now. A wind blowing in one direction as they look at the wind’s direction, it was coming from the wall. The leader felt relief
“Phew* We’re save” Others were not too keen to hear her said that.
C said “Wind coming from the wall. This is too weird . . . Ow!”
“You idiot, it’s the elves’ magic . . . see”
She pointed out coming from the wind as it brightens in light colored green. A slight of yellow matching the sun as they appeared before them. A female elf who got separated from them have been united. Other adventurers joined with her and said
“If you guys don’t have the information needed from your lousy actions. We will forced cancel your quest”
Flashes grins at C as he looks at him knowing too well, he had the information. He stays quiet letting his face hid but mentally smiling. The leader defends them with her own data given to them.
“I have some, but if these underdogs don’t have a better info than me then please I won’t be reconsidering your decision”
“I will . . . Please send us back away from danger. That damn bird is coming”
Meanwhile, the bird escapes from the roots’ grasp. Its ferocity of its silent tone and capable beak beating a random monster down. It steps on it as it dances, then stops, and resumes stagnantly waiting for the next target.
The female elf said to the leader. “I have been busy with the other so-called monsters. I amazed you all four stay longer than I have expected”
“You’re expecting some of us have the information. But their egos are more annoying than the people here angrily looking at us”
“Such immature men”
“Tell me about it”
Magnet give them the data regarding his abilities. The polarization magic he is using seem had effects on one of the monsters. Portraying that the bird has metal parts on its head, but its wooden frames also reacting to his abilities.
The adventurers said to them “And his powers are under control. Why would they team up with those two idiots?”
“His attributes, electricity, and still a newcomer with only few weeks experience”
“Still follow the law of physics, he is a college student. I heard he was just a part time worker near Chojima District”
They let him go as his past few days, his involvement is very important for the supporting role against the demons’ puppets. Leaving the rest of the two has capable skills too, the obvious thing to see how they behave.
They turned to the two troublesome people. “Cdown and Flashes, I guess you are experiencing enemies knowing well of its threat”
C responded “But we have details right here . . .”
They pick up from C’s UI and see the information. About him fighting against them, he barely survived after that encounter. The problems were nothing serious, and they have to respond this bad behavior getting worse. It wasn’t about being good against those monsters, it is to found about them and its weaknesses. This is not what they are looking for. One of the adventurers slap his face.
“Ow! HEY!” He was being slapped again.
“Back in the city guild you are the runaway weasel, but now here, you are as suicidal like the rest of those dead people foolishly come and go where you pleased. If the elves weren’t been here, you would be as soon as dead or humiliated back to the city guild with your failsafe”
The elves watch him being ridiculed as he didn’t show regret one bit. The leader leans back with them as they said to her “After all that happened in your city, there are still others acting like this”
“I know, but one of our superiors’ thinks would be better this way. We need the help we can get outside of the border for information, uhm, and becoming the example”
The other elf agrees “That would be best, even if the Enders come to understand your modern technology and provide the data you all needed but, even they can’t provide any help with your limited supplies and your supremacy on mana”
“Brother, there is one who . . .”
“Who is the same as the people in front of us?”
“Listen to him sister, I decline for short numbers of servitude will be enough against a mass hordes coming to their city. In all honestly, they are more inclined to help if they weren’t being indifferent”
The leader replied “Indifferent?”
“You will understand when meeting one of them who dislikes your people”
C fights back among the adventurers. A sudden aggression coming from him being lectured to the adventurers he recently joined. The adventurers get shocked from his sweeping lightning kick to the head, thankfully, the adventurer’s armor withstand it. The adventurer forces himself to fight back and grabs him by the collar. C tries to break free as he is easily slammed down to the ground. His aftershock hits him with added stuns or any disability effects. One of the adventurers pulls out a rune baton and hits C’s head. Bonk* C got knockout only a single hit, the runes are no jokes.
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The adventurers said to unconscious idiot “There are things we have to hold back and . . .”
The roots rooted from the ground following them, and with the elves’ presence gathered more strong roots coming their way. The roots stretch forward then slowly withered as they use their dusts. He comes back to C.
“. . . You won’t be able to continue and your pay will be deducted or lose it after what will the city guild leaders say to you”
C wakes up and swears at the man who holds the baton.
“You motherfucker! We are capable than you have never expect me can do if I . . .!”
Flashes punches him out cold. The aftershock persists as he gets electrocuted.
The leader claps for him “Don’t worry, he deserves it. Now, are you not going to give your info, are you?”
Flashes feels the pain of the shock, even C’s equipment is wrecked but he has so much traits and defenses that he can’t continue hitting on him, if only he has rune weapons like them. Also, his electronic equipment, he fears the short circuit. They look at him downed and disgruntled, they don’t more time to lose as this quest will be over soon. Flashes places a memory chip on one of the adventurers’ hands and said,
“Here! There is also a recording frame by frame but mostly heavily stored in gigabytes”
The adventurers received and couldn’t recognize what type of memory chip is it, except for one “We can handle it. I’m guessing this newbie don’t know how to store that massive power he had into that small chip”
“Oh, believe me, I am not perfect. I just wait until you guys have dealt with him”
The leader rolls her eyes to see the obvious reaction for Flashes, he just waited and recorded the fight before giving it to them.
“Alright, it would be difficult for us here but will you three continue without this idiot”
The two underdogs look at the C knock out without any word to say. Flashes raises his foot to stomp him but the shock overwhelmed him.
The leader steps forward. “Either this two are serious or crazy enough to go back against those monsters. You two, can you really handle without a frontline? I am still willing but the elves won’t be babysitting you guys forever”
The adventurers look at the guy with the baton ready to aim at C. They nodded at him and proceed to execute him with style. The cause of the aftershock emitting to him as he still lied down unconscious and continue to beat his head strongly. The failsafe activates and C disappeared. The adventurers offered them one his teammates. “We thought a rescue mission was needed and thought to bring this returning member”
The leader looks at the adventurer with his rune baton “The returning member? I have never seen him before”
“Of course, you didn’t, back then before the change of plan he was part of the really serious jobs to deliver the materials for the Foundation into the city. He quits after announcing of the postpone then later realized they were replaced after that”
“Oh, I didn’t know?”
“Don’t mention about it, I came back because we need to defend the city”
“Yeah, we’re glad he is back and also able to control his mana”
The elves create the portal behind them as time is crucial for. The adventurers who stood from the start said to the adventurer with the baton.
“I hope you are that guy we all know, Janpu?”
“I have my struggles, but I won’t let others dwells on my doubts”
The adventurer pulled by her from him and said “There is nothing I could trust less from him, but they need to redeem themselves after that sudden change of attitude. Next time we need to send them somewhere dangerous enough they won’t get killed easily”
“Ok. Moira, you are the leader of those underdogs. Especially that electa brat”
“Pfft, can’t get you serious when you named called them?”
She and her team once again continue on their quest.
Flashes hears her name for the first time “Moira? I thought demons will take your soul if they your name”
“Oh, shut it, we all are getting stupid remarks here. About you waiting for the last moment to send data. Did you record it?”
“On the contrary I’m . . . setting up the yes I did moment. But thanks to that asshole, he delayed us too much. All of my inventories are should be useful getting to the nest, I don’t think it will last long when I saw that bird breaks it. I hope the receiver able to send it to me before it gets destroyed”
Flashes turns to the new guy. “Janpu isn’t it? I was hoping for you know how to use electric magic, not those overloaded lightnings that would harm my devices”
Flashes turns around pulled out his cameras. “Well, the battery conversion is finished. Let’s get going. Magnet, please help me on this”
Magnet follows along where Janpu was pulled by Moira. “Janpu, I hope you can deal with those troublemakers”
“There is no need to handle them, I have some abilities to save ourselves from their mischiefs”
“Great, but let me remind you. Both of them are elusive with their gadgets and electro shenanigan”
They stop as they turn around to Moira and Janpu. “This is where we started, I’ll be installing the sensors and other scanning tools. The goal from the quest said to observe their behavior and how it reacted. This is not going to be easy once we got spotted. Janpu, what skills do you have to help me and Magnet to from hide those monsters?”
Flashes’ key chain plush toy begins to move out and installing the small cameras. Janpu sees it as it slips through his pockets. Flashes sees him looking it sharply in the dark.
The swing of his chin down to where his toy should be remarkably unnoticed, and this man able to see it. Both of their eyes look at each other as they both feel communicating to each other. Janpu answered
“You guys needed a tank or someone in the front. Your leader said she will supervise until the moment of your mistakes come by. This is not going to be easy and neither will she and the elf with her. By the look of things, the only way to exclude your mischiefs is to go inside the horde resting”
Magnet stops what he was installing and notice the toy installing the real cameras. The looks of his eyes when he holds the big camera as it starts to react.
Flashes sees to the man who (both of them) knows it. “I have my own proud moments, but this time, I am using everything I got here. It doesn’t matter how it looks different, yeah . . . whatever”
He starts getting his equipment from his inventory. Quietly on his intention, he signals Magnet where camera he holds start to blink. Magnet teleported next to him, and Flashes said,
“I have so many mana batteries on me and I won’t be letting it to be thrown away or might consumed by those roots on accident. However, if I can make this place into the zone like what I heard from the smuggling realms. Then we might trace us back here in the beginning”
Magnet held an item in his hand, they need it to pull them back here. Flashes begin to distribute one of each of them the camera except for the elf. Limited only with four cameras on hand, the leader feels something off with this camera she is holding. She knows how to open the case of the camera then she saw a marble strapped inside a glass engrave runes.
“Wait a minute, you know how to make glassware?”
“I don’t but I bought it from a functioning market website. It’s very expensive and I thought I was scammed for some reason. Luckily for me, it is the real deal. The one who makes it was an actual person working on Stranding Island”
The elf interrupts them, she never heard any of locals can use citizen’s customs. “That’s strange how can be someone know how to sale it in such a high price you mention”
“That’s the bad part, I don’t know who but someone else commissioned to make it as I have to pay the entire process”
The leader feels his pain “Ouch, I hope that tricks of yours can bypass everything here”
“That’s the real reason why I am an underdog, right Magnet?”
Magnet didn’t respond and proceed carrying his stuff and installing the components through the tunnels. Janpu follows along through the dark with every magic item they have. The leader thought of following them with the camera on hand, but gives it back to Flashes.
“You three will be the one going for it. I think I have enough. From what I am hearing from them that Janpu is trustworthy. I for one trust his words when you guys are coming back”
Janpu looks at her disappointed, she responds “I know that look, but seriously. Going deep is what those two are after to resolve their incident, and it is enough what we got when C did. I know it is bad for me, but I have no obligation join them with that kind of risk”
Flashes sighs and said to her with a deal. “I know what you are saying. What about we make a deal then?”
“What deal?”
“You may think I’m sounding gay but, if we managed to get a vital information inside their nest. C will be excuse for his action”
“. . .” She looks at him strange from after what they did that cause dearly from his equipment, the chubby man wanting that bastard to be with him again. This is absurd
“. . . I’m not going to say to you why you made that deal. How about this . . . I give Janpu the recordings to show how you achieve it if that ‘friend’ of yours should have done in the beginning. Unless it has no value, punishment will be equal to you and Magnet. Can you agree with that?”
“Sure!”
Magnet quickly facing Moira as Flashes pulled him away from her preventing his protest. Janpu received the recordings and begin to follow them. The elf and the leader shared their thoughts in doubts on the matter as the elf already sent her wisp to them.
“I thought we could scare them at least. Your kind is something to be thriving with that kind of people”
“Believe me, my world has most people survive such disasters. Even I will order them to stop, I can’t help myself to take the glory of their achievements”
“So are you . . .”
“In the meantime, this place needs to be secured. Will you help me on this?”
“Certainly”
The elf’s keen eyes see the monsters already on the move. Those three will be providing as much as they can to deal those obstacles. The monsters are heading elsewhere by the distraction of Flashes devices since the beginning. Secretly speaking to each other as their conversation separated from intercoms and verbal communication. Janpu looks at them as he was given night vision form Flashes. Slowly moving forward as they install a trail of Flashes’ signals they need to go back.
Outside conversation: “We passed through a chunk of their numbers getting our way. Will that component you left behind really going to work?”
“It sure is, I used it before with my friends. I can’t believe one of the gangsters used it. I tell you, even the police were investigating about me”
“Sorry, to break it to you, Janpu. Flashes said that because he founds something from the dark web”
“. . .”
“Flashes didn’t say that. What are you saying, Magnet?”
“That’s uh”
“It’s alright Magnet, I know you feel down because he bets with you their problem on to you” Magnet sighs and Janpu knows it.
Real conversation: Magnet complains about Flashes “You should have told them from the start that you have those earpieces”
. . . “It sure is, I used it before with my friends before. I can’t believe one of the gangsters used it. I tell you, even the police were investigating about me”
“Don’t ignore me, if I know where you place the ear piece on me I would’ve . . . Sorry, to break it to you, Janpu. Flashes said that because he founds something from the dark web”
“What are you doing!? Do you want to tell my alternative account too . . .? Shit . . .!”
. . . Janpu heard the miss transmission “Flashes didn’t say that. What are you saying, Magnet?”
“That’s uh”
Flashes sneakily grins at the front “Janpu, if I tell you the truth. This scumbag had double communications if I have proof”
Everyone turns silent as they go further in. Deep within the cataclysm of hordes preparing to the surface, its hungers grow. Many monsters attracted and eaten one another to grow strong. Flashes used his remaining converted energy to hid among the monsters’ presence. Janpu and Magnet held firm to the cameras as they took footage new monsters they have hardly been seen. No demons’ puppets on sight, but the sight of these creatures is more natural. Different from those dead rooted abomination, these monsters look healthy but at the same time menacingly strong.
Well-groomed beasts with furs thick and evolved through the demon’s magic. Other creatures killed were brought back to life continuously transforming. This is no horde of mindless abomination, but fine beasts. Monsters fighting monsters with little mana it had as the roots garnered around them as if it was harvested for these creatures. Heavily in the look in size and figures that can be describe like apes. Magnet looks around where there are still no monsters coming their way. They mentioned that this place is impossible to get here by stealth.
Flashes checks his radar and found something is interrupting their signals. A loud roar jamming the signals. This is the time they need to go back. Without a single response, he immediately tracing them back until the signal link breaks. Where they stand out of pure awe, the bird pecked the one of the signals hid within the walls. No hesitation, it strikes first. Janpu quickly retaliates by slapping it to the side of its beak. It does nothing and pushes him down to the ground.
The birds move erratically as it focuses on Janpu. Denting through his rune armor like a massive hammer sledging through with its every peck. Flashes is fixing the signal where Magnet gives him the spare signals collected while phasing through the link. Janpu casts spells on the bird’s body as it immediately teleported its legs to the ceiling, compelling itself to breach through his rune armor. Desperately to get it link again, Flashes was able to fix it then teleported once more. They disappeared whereas the bird is able to find them. The pixelated particles left a trace in fast speed, the bird’s head has Flashes’ parts and continue its hunt.
They appeared again being disrupted with another demons’ puppet. The stone golem swipes them and pushes them to the wall. Janpu still laid down when he was attacked. The two was constraint from the golems, the dirt raised and covered them. Janpu uses altered powers, rose up as his magic changes. His eyes turned yellow and his pupils turns pure black. He touches the golem and everything surrounding it stops. The two is trying to break free. Through their earpieces
“This is getting bad. We need to get out of here”
“I was wondering where those monsters went, they are waiting for us at the back”
They hear the bird is coming to their direction. They can see Janpu is stopping the golem from moving. The monster is carved with runes from demon writings. Janpu bound his power to it but the secret owner stops him from letting its monster being controlled. Janpu hears the voice of the monster, loud and ringing through his head. But words reach him as he understands what it said.
“YOU’RE NOT ALONE!?”
That surprised expression takes his opportunity to break himself free from its magic. The two made it out as Flashes fixes the components as fast as he could, while Magnet faces the Stinger Ray.
Shouting at the monsters who are coming to them gathered from his roaring chants.
“ATTRACT!”
Forcing everything from the environment and the feint mana to absorb into one place, put everything in one place. Magnet traps them and holds them close, distracting them away from his group. Janpu almost getting pulled by the polarity but Magnet pulled to him. They surrounding them in mass droves and see the numbers of demons’ unique creations are here. Magnet says his ultimate
“Magnetized Meteor!”
A monster was able to breakthrough from the attract spell and stings Magnet before he casts it.
Janpu couldn’t see the monster as it being clump up with the rest. Flashes jumps to them with the signals all fix, he grunted his breath and swearing his way as he uses it. One last route to take them out of there. The monsters remained trapped from the Magnet’s attract spell. Spell stops and all the monsters acting wildly around them and to each other, a strong demonic presence comes by and stop them. The rest of the monsters continue to chase them but the demons’ puppets are going back to the nest.
The leader and the elf see them lying on the ground as they immediately stands up and run.
“What happened?”
“Just RUN! We got it what we came for”
The elf hears the footsteps in drove and pulls the leader to join with them. “This is not the good time, let’s retreat and listen about their progress later”
She nods and follow them out. Magnet collected Flashes’ components, Janpu slowly returning from his forms, and Flashes found out something more than monsters’ behaviors. As they run, they didn’t notice that their failsafe corroded without them knowing. If they follow through the cheat, but cheats can’t win against a demon.