COI C94
Later that evening, C is inside the City Guild under probation as the results are in. His sudden changed of behavior had caused his team to face one of the demons’ puppets. The representative other than Gordon himself, watching him with great suspicion.
“These new members are rather wild when the rise of mana control is introduced”
The staff reaches out from C’s document “It is still safe to say that this is not coming from Stranding Island, Sir. We can now differentiate between Enders and Agathean version of mana control, except for this man who is using modern abilities like his electricity beside lightning”
The representative reads the document and sees he is from Fuku City, a place they won’t have the permission to go there with prior reasons. Looking through the glass frame, he is rather calm now after hearing him to be aggressive. His mana control is too impressive from their observation, from infiltrating to information gathering around him, this man is hard to identify through what magic they cast on him, forced or not. The staff raises her eyes
“This is must be what that Enders researcher is talking about. The ‘imitation’ he clarified as. Do we need to report him?”
He shakes his head “They already did and through a private network, that is not allowed in public”
C is sitting alone as nobody from the city itself have troublemakers. He doubted that there is none, and probably not common to do it on public. Most people don’t want to be notice to society. The public order is getting better but the private sector is always unchanged on that matter. Through his earpiece, the city guild had no idea that he still has it and from the beginning of his quest. Yet, the earpiece is smaller and made out of plastic with an added rune. He leans back and think about the time that Flashes was acting.
Looking back when it was Flashes was the victim of C’s silly game. But there is nothing to prove to defend himself with, even he heard in such a long range between Magnet and Flashes with the man they group up with. It was kind of stupid to hear from him to let them hit him like an amateur. Flashes was right, showing themselves that they are better won’t change people but their personal gain. It will make others suspect them. Trying to play along that they are the newbies will become harder, but they can make things up like they did in Fuku City. He whispers to himself
“Sigh* If only . . . if only my district didn’t let them bring those people inside”
From other side of the window, they heard him. The staff starts to go inside to see how far C would talk. Gordon entered the room where the representative is and cheer his name.
“Hey! King!”
King turns to Gordon with his eyes stared at him awkwardly. The two met as just they both remembered, King replies
“I’m busy here, we are trying to deal with this newbie and his attitude during his first mission outside”
“Yeah, about that, I heard one of his teammates are back and want to call off the incident”
“Call off?! And what’s that look on your face, Gordon?”
“What? You can’t ignore the looks of my face when as your old friend”
“. . . Alright Cdown, sorry for the long wait . . .!”
The sounds of the door knocking where King entered. “. . . Sir!”
He stops her “It doesn’t matter, Cdown’s friends are here and Moira had brought some interesting details inside the underground network”
C looks at the representative as the two stared at each other. C feels an unnerving feeling as King gazes his abilities. The spark of C’s eyes appeared as it effectively resisted, King didn’t hesitate and tries to push on to his gaze. C’s expression has lit up a line of lighting on his skin slowly moving like laser mark.
The way C resists King’s gaze is truly the effects of mana control. Then he switches it to his abilities. The staff noticed C stops moving and she tries to snap out of him.
“Hey! Say to him, he is one of our leaders here. Hey!”
Cdown couldn’t move and the gaze is something he can endure, except for one problem. Through his thoughts as his mouth won’t move either
“Something bit on my neck, and I can’t feel it for some reason. Is that man a summoner? Shamanism or what other magic he pulled off. This can’t be happening. Ugh!”
The staff watches C carried in the air and realized. “Sir! Your pet, what is it doing?”
“Bring him to his friends”
C is being pulled away out from the room and send to the other room, where the leader and the underdogs seated from the upper floors. C was drawn to go there unmoved and the two watched him go first. Gordon sees something behind him and C is being carried over there. He watches C being humiliated to go up as he looks at his friend being childish. Gordon says to King
“I thought I was an ego centric”
“You are, but you said it yourself. Stopping me from the investigation from his mistakes will never be left alone with just that”
“But we need the help we can get now. we are facing demons to be honest”
The leader and the underdogs see C being carried in the air then thrown at the two, Flashes and Magnet’s laps. C begins to move freely as he is laying down. The two pushes him off their laps and he tumble down to the floor.
“Shit!”
Flashes commented on him “I don’t get it how you got there while in the air . . . I . . . Ay?”
Gordon and King stand before them with the staff already receiving the information. King looks at the information first hand and see what Gordon so hyped about. They look at the data through a device and see what happened.
The staff warned them, “Please be advised that Flashes’ documents with every memory chip is broad and never not properly finalized for viewing”
The leader responds “I’m sure that’s the case, what about the first one?”
“It was acceptable and gathered useful intel through his geographical expertise. Even the locations of the roots hidden are in such well positioned that even it knows where to grow when mana is exposed. So, about that new info you have”
“Flashes, give her the chip”
He picks it out from his inventory and gives it to them. She places it on the device as it starts to update the previous report.
Gordon’s eyes see the amazement once more as the others. King looks at it gripping his hands and slowly turned and see what C’s reacting. C looks at it without even understanding what’s going on. King pulled himself back as they start preparing. The call from King’s device heard in the room as he quickly heading out.
“Hello, governor?”
“The invasion begins tomorrow. Call all the able bodies to send to the border. The elves found out that one of your adventurers made a fuss about monsters’ crazed incident near their nest”
“I understand, I’ll call out to them right now”
After that special delivery. C was granted pardon but he is under probation and forbids to set to do quest outside of the city for now, while the two of them are called to help the city’s defenses. The leader gives an honorary leave, assigned to the evacuation plan, as she is won’t be able to join the front. Gordon sees the two not accepting his decision. as a leader, he let them be because their leader might have thought the same. King looks at C for the last time out frustration for his luck. The three head outside and moved on back to Fuku City and report to the rest.
“. . . This was the most reckless plan you ever come up with. I won’t be joining the defense with you guys”
“I am more surprised that neither their surveillance spotted my superior devices”
“Superior?! There should be another way to get myself kick off quickly as we had planned for”
Magnet moves behind to their backs. “It wasn’t planned, it was during. Your past components left behind from the other ‘adventurers’. I have gathered the bits and pieces and found out the glimpse of metal on that bird and the rest of those demons’ monsters had eaten it”
C thought it wasn’t surreal once he heard from Flashes about his missing parts hid from the adventurers. Because of that, they were forced to go there themselves as the underdogs to see what caused the missing components. The ‘adventurers’ before them won’t be staying long as their required ranks can’t fit to their ideal roles. It was a hard take and this is something they can’t ignore. C sees Flashes uses his device. He slaps off from his hand.
“What are you doing? That act was over”
“Using someone else’s device, I’m not going to trust you’ll be using his personal account”
“You know that this is my . . . my . . . Yeah, this is not mine”
“Figures”
They made it to the gate and sees the guard checking one of them. They show their equipment and the inspection is underway. C brought out his broken piece from his left shoulder. The guards sigh at him and said,
“Please follow the procedure . . .”
“I . . . gibberish*”
“Alright you two, proceed inside the district”
Flashes and Magnet made it inside and head to the building where they are going to visit. Through the far building where it partially stands now repaired only with magic and earth. They get inside and see the studio apartment of Flashes’ identical.
“. . . Hey, here’s the money . . .”
The man he switches faces with is busy. Having fun playing video games and other pirated goods. Flashes’ identical copy, lazily inside the room doing nothing except used his identity as rent to earn money. The man, chubby man looks at his counterparts, takes the money and proceed back to gaming. Flashes said to Magnet
“That dumbass is lucky that his reputation isn’t worse than I represent him to be”
He closes the door as they move down to the basement. Magnet’s identical is down there as they check on him.
The old man who maintained the basement look at Magnet. “If only you could’ve behaved like he was before”
“I don’t think you could know better hearing his stories”
“I know you made up your stories and mix and max on his . . . Fuck! What a fucking decision did they make out of for the poor boy”
They walk in and see the urn already stored one of the shelves of the other victims of this city. The picture that is next the urn where Magnet’s identical, it is troublesome to use deceased as his cover up but it is better glorifying the useless people here in this district.
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The old man comes with them looking at the picture. “That day really shook up for everyone, wanting to leave that badly, and to some circumstances to stop it because others wanted to stay. This district is becoming dependable on magic now. Lucky for me, an old man, lived a different part of the city. I am glad they are old enough to take care of themselves as I aged here to see as my dying world”
Flashes feels ungrateful in all this, a defector hidden among the people’s faces. He said to the old man “If they did leave, we will be lost in this world like you have expected”
“Yes, I would grateful at first, I started to realize we are the same”
The old man looks at the other urns as they secretly cremate them to continue the help from the government without them knowing.
Magnet and Flashes walk out from the building. Cdown appeared to them in a flash. “You met your doubles?”
“. . .”
“Magnet, don’t be like that, you are lucky that you have someone covered your face for free. We have too many useless bunches selling their identity to us defectors to live here than this luxurious district”
Flashes pushes him to the side as they walk past through “They are renting, lucky for us that food and water are free for us and could sell it if we wanted to”
C shakes his head in disgust as he follows them. “The foods are from the monsters we secretly smuggled through our inventory”
They keep quiet and proceed to walk around the Fuku City district.
Tall buildings with countless busy people walking by, they know each of everyone they walked by as ordinary pedestrian on the other half of the population of this district were the loners and rich taken advantage on the defectors. Respectfully so because of their stupid antics of leaving and losing in thousands, then went back crying here to no end of their harassment. The defectors are becoming servant if they maintain their integrity as an individual and trapped here until something change. They went into special back alleys where magic realms hid. They got inside with the other “adventurers”.
A feast in the most creative way, the meal they are having is from the sea monster near the south east of the city. One of them managed to get the size of the monster in their inventory piece by piece, some other crustaceans and shellfish found beneath the sea. They were huge as they spout out the words of their stories. One of them look at the door where Flashes and the others appeared, removing their disguised once they are inside of the realm.
“It’s you, do you find out the cause of your missing equipment?”
“I have, is there any jobs you get during this week?”
“Not much, but I read the news that there will be an attack tomorrow and the elves are holding them off while we prepare”
The defectors cry out of disappointment where the faces of their disguised started spouting out nonsense on the internet. “There they go, spewing the chat with their ideal roles”
“Chew* I really want to beat those guys up and see what it feels like to be in danger. What’s this? ‘I’m going to use my tracker and show you later that night I was there’ . . . What a load of bullshit”
“Low ranks, but has a high survivability. I’m not going to die just for their bickering. That “Mihayara calls the lights turns bad” cringe. Ugh! I’m using the introverts faces giving the ego, while I am acting behave from all this mess”
“It is funny how that what we were back in our own world”
“Shut with that ‘back in my day’ narratives. Lucky to you guys that I have my own device on hand”
“Yeah, we appreciated to share files with you for free. A member from Scraypers, really did much help for us instead the other gangs”
“That won’t be necessary that our gang is need of money and thanks to the business were making to please those suckers inside their rooms”
The Scraypers, the original gangs reside this district. Known for their adaptive labor to do work with demand of high payments. Still known to be the dangerous that who are one of the representatives of the organization.
The ‘adventurers’ talk about what happened to the gangs. “Beside my gang, Scraypers, the Devilishly Rats are still under the struggle inside Mihayara district, where fights are brewing. I couldn’t say I want to join and help our fellow organization. I fear the people who had more options to deal with us than we have ever should. The new identity crises happened throughout the city and only happened regularly in the private area. Not much to mention about your group, but newly formed gangs arose because of the new mana control scheme. When that defense is over, this is going to be start of a new society”
The three underdogs join their conversation. C takes the lead “Yeah, that’s why we were planning to sneak attack them with these disguises ourselves”
“You? It doesn’t matter, are you the same guy with that electrical ability?”
“I am, and I got under probation not to go out of the city. You could say the plan is too stupid that there is nothing go wrong with it”
The other responds “Uh huh, it means you are being tracked . . . what is it?”
“I ask him he is that electrical guy. He will manage it”
“How?”
C won’t say much as he picks up one of the foods on the dish by hand. “Nom* I have my ways, even the GPS on me won’t work”
They look at his ankle if he had one, he showed it to them on his adventurer’s tag. “See, it already implemented. It bugs out as you see it”
The blinks of spark coming from the tag as they don’t know if it works or not. As he is the only one, they knew, going to take action to the new gangs. They have to wait and see. The Scraypers said to him.
“That would be great, let’s see . . . ring* hmm?”
The ring of his phone as it is the sounds of the warning tune. He picks up and reads the details.
“Please prepared for evacuation on the given time for tomorrow. Replied if you received it or it will continue to get louder as time goes by. This is a special warning to anyone who is near at the northern border. We aplogiz . . .”
He stops there said to them. “Do you know about this?”
None of them don’t, but a message pop up coming from their outdated devices. Their employers telling them about the news, they look miserable with the information and links they want to show off to. The ‘adventurers’ were not fond of acting like they are helping the cause. A few calls here and there and nuisance to hear their demands if payment is needed. Flashes stood to Magnet’s phone as he received the warning.
“You are one lucky bastard”
Magnet returns his gaze with dumbfounded look “That escalated quickly for over a phone”
“Helping a need of an ungrateful fat ass that made him a famous documentarian with my own devices. While taking his face to just get the materials in Mihayara district”
After that commotion, they continue their free feast. More and more of the disguised adventurers coming here to celebrate and others for the free meal. The news of the upcoming attack will greatly help them to be recognized to the introverts as they gain rewards first hand. Mix and doubted it would be fully rewarded when shared with them. Others have an exception to have people supporting the cause, while the rest are more doubt, they have ignored those people in such a long time. C received a message from his old device, his identical and proceed to leave.
Cdown calls out to his friends. “I’ll be going now. My double is calling for me”
Magnet couldn’t say anything and Flashes look at him in the eyes and said in the most cautious tone.
“I just remembered. We are the bad guys who are plotting to control this city for this faction or others wanting to leave as a reward. Let’s talk about it after ‘your’ fight, I am not still convinced”
C pulls away as their group weren’t that crack up to be. Flashes starts to get lonesome and used by his identical. From what they said before, these people were the same from the beginning being transfer here to this world. Not for C, he saw something he don’t want them to know. The man he took, was human.
He goes to where the man he disguised as. Into the tall house complex. Somewhere in the commercial store at the ground floor and above is where the residence is. One person resided here and the employee greeted him.
“Welcome, thanks for shopping here. What do you like?”
C takes to the aisles and grab some snacks on the way, then he goes to the counter and get some drinks and other stuff. The clerk brings the necessary things he ordered and greeted him with a welcoming smile. He left then turns around at the alley where there is a door.
The necessary things he is holding is the key given by the clerk. The welcoming smile she shows to him was a desperate thank you for bringing the supplies for the owner. He was here for the longest, and neither was a gangster nor a defector from the very start. The young woman is a clerk because of the incident, and C gives up his device for a reason. This called sympathy is a hoax to his eyes. When he opens the door, climb up the stairs, and knocking another door. The drinks on his hands face disguised of the owner’s face. The owner opens the door and look at his own mirror.
“It’s you, great, great, come in”
C comes in, a tall building where he stands inside as the room is three story open building with glamorous wide window to where the morning sun’s set. But to this new environment sets in where late morning can see through. The owner grabs his drink as he gives it to them.
“Please my dears, prepare the drinks. My guess work for the trouble bringing it here”
“Oh, don’t be modest dear, I won’t leave your belly empty giggle*”
C watches them as others follow through in rows. One woman after the other, beautiful and glamourous form up, they have their nice features in every man’s preference.
Voices are identical to a specific voice actress the owner loved and others more. C can’t recognize them all but these women are surely taken from stereotypical figures of most hentai from what he sees so far. The owner sits down as C joins at the opposite side, other women look only to the owner and only focuses on him with their faces with desires, mischiefs, and innocence. The creep looks at him hearing about the news.
“I heard you were under probation. I received from my device that you acted rashly”
One of the women pours his drink to his cup others doing it differently, where one of them drinks it and let her mouth savor it for a kiss.
No decency for the guest had to see it. The owner care less but want to see him jealous. The voice of a familiar person he knew is below the floor. The owner said to him again
“I understand it is difficult for you, but I don’t want my debts to pile up and let my wives be working like that cheating woman I met down”
C looks at his wives all closing their eyes smiling that they are still able to see him. The twisted bastard had shown so much collection that even more coming to see them together. He continues
“I lend you my identity to have good score of my tribute to society. I’m guessing you were planning a comeback after that incident”
C slowly responds “Since when did I mock your success?”
All of the women around them stared furiously as they stood still watching them. The auras of their presence are becoming excessive that C had nothing to fear with that man’s mana. The flow of current through his skin as he is protecting himself from the negative effects. If the owner wants to hit him now, the defensive trait is active and stun him back without any harm. C continues
“You demand only the supplies for your store. I don’t even get paid for your demands”
“True, but all expenses had been given to her. I have thought of something to avenge my expectations of her but you solve my time wasting outside. That’s the payment you received. Got it?”
They continue to drink as C watches the bastard clinging erotically with the women. The magic on this room emitted a densely aroma of magic of the owner’s illusion, the women he made through the spectacle from adult video game references. Even the words they said match from what C believed dialogues from the games.
“. . . You’re better than my husband . . .”
a sound released from one of them as they were now getting impatient, others start leaving clothes behind but hid under a bed sheet where C could not see their naked bodies. The owner grins drunkenly as he has the privilege to feel them under their sheets. C had it enough and stands as he finishes his last drink.
“I told you what I am planning to do for tomorrow. I’ll be bringing the goods you have ask for”
“Uh Yeah, that’s it . . . Huh? Oh yeah, if you are getting cuck by me. You can have the bad woman underneath my home, right girls?”
They all cheered as he left, the door closed and the sound of multiple moaning coming from it. C’s eyes look terrified rather disgusted. The owner is capable to bring those women to life, but C saw in him that he can’t imagined. The accessories inside the owner’s house filled with idols and other delusional magic items. He read it before about them, one commentator he read dire consequences while he was trolling back then. The irony of his fun.
He walks back down to the store as she is about to close up. She looks at him in the eyes as her eyes are nearly filled in tears. The clerk invited him in as he goes in with her. She locked the door and bring him to her room. Her room was nothing but a storage room with bed hidden under the long table. She said to him
“How long am I going to be trapped with the lunatic?”
“As long as it didn’t change much inside this district”
“Fuck sob* If only my grandmother wasn’t in the hospital with him, I willing to kill myself from this torture if she dies”
C can’t say anything during this moment as the clerk leans close to him.
The clerk cried “Why of all people that my fans are sickos except for you? Sob* After that never have to leave from this world, everyone takes advantage of me and I was nearly raped multiple times. That man above me thought he was a kind and gentle fan but he is nothing but one of those creeps. Is doing adult voice acting is wrong or the opportunity they never had to take it because they have magic now? My friends and the other girls who reside here, they were stalk and taken away. The society don’t want to help us because of our work. Sob*, please tell me”
C don’t know either, the clerk is alone as he is the only person she could trust.
Anything left for C now is to removed his disguised when entering the store for not to be traumatized. Those repeating sobbing and conversation they had before had lost meaning to her ears. It’s been months now as C need to continue this and the promise of opening the foundation to let them leave. The Clerk pulls him to her bed, where the sounds of moaning going through from the ceiling. The magic writings from the owner left there to make her suffer, the voice of her characters, the lewd noises, and other stuff she said in the dialogue return to haunt her. C uses his abilities disperse with limited amount of time. He only said to her,
“Sleep now, there nothing to hear”
She continues to sob as she finally fell asleep. It’s been like this for everyday now. He had scheduled to help her sleep. Every night he had to do this and every day he has to get what the bastard wants. His original device given to her as her original device is hacked and corrupted by stalkers who somehow managed to get connection through the public service. The clerk finally sounds asleep, he stands up and hear the moaning again. The effects wore off us such of his abilities under cooldown. The only room where the noise is as he heads out to the store. Men or summoned creatures are searching for her outside. They have powers to see inside but not in the storeroom.
Police department had their troubles against private owners and neglected response regarding to harassment. With magic, it gets crucial by the day. There are other women he knows who needed help, and he heard rumors among the Enders that would gladly eliminate the stalkers around them, but the last report of him was he was driven out from the city. He had too many people accidentally killed. Those killed people had connections with stalking. The women through the social media secretly ask among the female police that there is anyone of the Enders who is willing to kill them. There is one, but C never proceed to find out.
He lays his back on the fridge, getting the parts he needs to remake the equipment he lost. Thanks to the probation, he can have another night to fix it and a proper sleep. Flashes had made stupid plans for him, but it gets crazier when Flashes uses C as a prototype. C admitted it but Magnet told him not to apologized. A criminal like him doesn’t deserve an apology as all of three of them are criminalized of. He speaks to himself
“I am a hacker, Magnet and Flashes are legitimate defectors. I’m glad the Scraypers didn’t give the full details”
He looks at his stats with the cooldowns of his abilities. C needs the indicator when his abilities and techniques are ready. The action points system fills the illusion of mana control, but he slowly getting used to it and let himself progress further. Now, he was able to nullify the magic writings on the ceiling a little longer. He steadily stops using stats to exceed the use of his abilities. His tired body slowly gain improvement and his agility is matching most athletes. A sign of prayers as he brings out an incense on hand, sparks it with his fingertips, he prays during his nightly hour.