COI C172
To the final days to hold east mountain out from this world, the underground fortress is finally breached under the blanket of the dust. The Jigeram had done its worth even before reaching to the next moon cycle. Elyrion, the Mylnoie or high rank officer of the elves have seen the last wall crumble before them. The rubles are remnant of the elven magic preserve the life of this world’s destruction. The Heroes’ secret preservation area before the world is at war. Isekai City will return their siege within due time after the next week or so. It will be unpredictable though. it is because how they too reaching deep within the demons’ hiding in this captured fortress.
Among the group is the Raker Mawn Guld, the shift turns around after two rivals see pass to each other. Sanquin and Yui meet each other, staring the gripes they both have during these long days of work. Sanquin didn’t say anything to her while Yui tries to say something back. The silent, Yui never forget Sanquin visit to Stranding Island. Jealous out from her visit in the fort, possessing an item to contact them there. Kiege reaches down to her short height and said,
“Do you think we can have Voldemyr to be part of our group?”
“We have no compatibility with him, he is a veteran with impressive skills. Do you still think he can coordinate with us?”
Juela comes out from the group, using her scrolls to contact with him. The vision finds him within the other guilds. The manhunt had caged many demons’ puppets. She stops using it as the traumatic mourns coming from the puppets are truly painful to hear.
“I found Voldemyr with the manhunts, he may be a good fighter but he seems to be more dangerous than he needs to be”
Yui shakes her head as she called her group to stop. “I couldn’t say incompatible for nothing, killing the minions are always a nuisance for us strong spell casters”
“But the minions were alive back then”
“Put the fate on the living being is dumb enough as it is, the elven gods had done much worse”
Guild Master Daygen joins along with Lady Coheld with rest of the studists, also known as researchers. They uncover many things inside this underground place. The artifacts they thought had years of civilizations built on it, and disappointedly discovered that this place is what the Heroes wanted to design for. Past historical wars kept this place controlled by their rival faction, the demons. Unchanged and unmoved that the relation remained between the two divided nation. The heroes are gone or missing, and the demon faction still pursue to conquer under the name of the rebellion.
Lady Coheld recite the history of a great changed tide. “It was the late years of Heroes and Demons era. The last days of the impregnable beings disappeared using the first ever known foundation. Named after by the speech of independent individuals, a faith that never broken yet persecuted by his own people. The foundation was the reminder of many powerful demons to regret that day. The soulfates escaped and never returned again to serve this world”
After reciting it, she remembers Isekai City “Hmm, it reminds me Lady Hivites’ foundation as a gift to Isekai City. I wonder what Lord Lori’es have done the trouble to handle them staying”
One of the guild masters responds “Easily changing topics are ya?”
“Being in the dark for so long made me hard for me to understand your kind”
“Well, this place is no ground. Fully submerged with roots, harden roots. We Rusics tend not of use in wood craftsmanship, but this wall. Oh, that marble made wall is sure a good thrashing through, lass”
Another layer of the wall falling down to the ground, the hasty breached keep crumbling down as the supports are carelessly removed to hasten the massive corrupted elven wall to fall.
Yui’s team is here as the noise blocked their greetings. Falling debris* “. . . We are waiting for your orders, guild master”
“Falling debris* . . . to the noise, the magic here is secluded as it is”
Daygen uses sign language to Yui. It is getting louder and the rage of the demons trapped there are desperately raise their protection. “Sanquin had provide a few left overs for you to finish. I don’t know what sort of plan to defend the choke point, and you might be giving you some horrible regards”
“I know that, she knows I was part of a certain guild”
One loudest dropped of the debris fallen to the ground, the protective stone barrier has fallen. The elves are taken the first march get into their lost facility. Tainted by the hands of the demon faction, leaving the remains tarnished from many years of preserved souls during the Fall Era. Dead bodies of Humanesques and Gobins are set on the caverns as structure and supports. The corpses in great foundation, the walls corrupted in blood, the stench filled demented neutral mana, and only the seals remained untouched filled with the promises of restoration.
Outside of the east mountain, the sky torn asunder. Dusts pushes away while the elven sky befallen down to their greatest prize. Enders and Purissars together, no Tais nor Agatheans, are finally setting their advance inside the forgotten elven landmark. The torrent of the winds pushes down inside the mountain, sending burning mist neither it has flames nor fell in ashes. Elven magic soothed the area with light burning yet flows like water into the air. It only let the indestructible roots to wither. Deep into the bottom where its foundation stood together into the solid grounds at the bed rock.
Many Enders witness again, the second time of the breach, before Isekai City appeared before them at the south. The sky is in a different situation, without the advantage of Alga’s light for the elves, they have to resort with Enders’ specialization on the dusts. Lady Coheld and with her studists (researchers) able to provide them the materials needed against the dusts. The elven magic takes it end toward their kind. The elves are setting inside as the remaining forces are trying to hold.
Little flow of glowing winds moved passed the Enders line, showing signs of battle without a single noise coming out. Flowing light passed them for a few times, then they hear the horns echoing to them. The Enders readied themselves and stationed their position by the entrance. The end is coming, the elven lands are returning into their hands. The Heroes faction will not lose this region, even the heroes themselves are not here. Lady Coheld receives words from her studists that her high ranked departments are ready from below. She picks up the call
“Prepare drilling under the bottom floor, search every hidden artifact concealed by the demon faction”
“Order granted”
The glowing light flowing along with the air as a trail of light, where Yui’s group stationed and saw the light materialized into one of the elves. The elf heals himself as the light fades to his wounds. Kiege reaches out to him
“You seem to be beaten out”
“Old warriors from the few eras ago. For you mortal, these entities are like old rivals returning their grudge against us. Either be daemos, eldesunes or centuries old rusics, these menaces are not that easy to go their dead world”
“Sorry I ask, we just want the details. Turning yourselves into air is something we want to know about your enemies’ might”
“Apologies, I can’t say anything more since I can’t understand the demons’ creations”
The Raker Mawn guild members are preparing for the fight, their assigned location has evidence that Sanquin and the others had fought here with remaining messes still not yet fulfilled. They are waiting for the hindrance who are out from the mountain, words got out that the damn tree outside of Isekai City had produce the numbers of the demons’ puppets frequently. They know where they are coming from, and they led them to come here instead continuing the siege. It is because, the Enders have jammed the magic connecting between the massive tree from here. Hive controlling them to mindlessly come here, gathering their mana as their supplies against the attrition from the Jigeram’s light.
They heard noises coming from the channels, and it was the other elves coming in from scouting. The sounds of their wind instrument are calling out the warning of incoming enemies. The tunes were different, the lesser demons are bringing their own minions to attack. Yui orders her party to spread out. Juela casts her spell at the center choke point. The monsters come in with dangerous equipment as before, loots from the Isekai City brought out as weapons as the screeches of rats coming in scraps.
The rat men appeared again, iron their skulls and body in filth in corpses from Jigeram’s touch. Able to move with their body armored with crystallized mana shelled inside the demonic mana. Their mindless screeches continue on as they saw them.
“Kind things! Man filth sniff* sniff* from dead lands shriek*”
“Must go, must go, to demon kind before old ones escape”
“Maim, kill, take flesh for horde flesh”
The rat men pulled into the trapped and sucked into the center chokepoint. The pikes pulled out form the ground impaling them. The back where ambushed with Kiege and the elf scouts beheading them as swift as possible.
“AAH! Old tricks by demon kind. Fools us again for hundred days, can’t push, can’t dig, can’t live . . .”
The Raker Mawn guild siphons off the magic inside the rat men’s skulls. Its hardened head weren’t strong enough as they already learned about them a while ago. Sanquin left them with a parting gift to all the minions the demons had. Easy to take down at the outside where no reinforcements will come. Juela uses her sash scrolls to fully seal the heads and cleanse it to fully drain what’s left inside of its husks.
Once it was done, Yui and her party finished their first wave. Kiege is stretching herself after another mundane work. Frustrated to the point that her supplies are improvised, the best equipment she had are still in reserved and kept in storage under Voldemyr’s watch.
“Can we just have Voldemyr to join our group?”
Yui shakes her head without even looking at her face to face. She casts her spells to gather the rotten carcasses and with the help of the elves to burn it without releasing the toxic fumes.
“Your equipment has a nice collection. It would be better to use better game than rodents”
“Agh! I’m sick and tired to hear those dead cones headed humanoids. What kind of monsters are they?”
The elves answered her “They are creation of the demons, that’s all you need to know. The abomination they created have references in art. Their infatuation on these kinds of creatures were unique at the time. Creatures best underground, meant to fend off against the Gobins and the Rusics within the mountains. There are many different creatures of it. You can’t differentiate them well if you experience them all”
“Then regards about the others, are these stone heads are stronger than previous ones?”
“They’re not strong, but the innovation that fits its characters are more to be scared about”
The detection magic signals the Raker Mawn guild in their position. Yui’s group is being called out to move further. The Enders are repositioning, from their backs, they see their fellow Enders coming in with their highly made equipment. Along with the group is Voldemyr bringing in the stash.
“There is a change of plan, we are pushing ourselves into a new outpost. Guild Master Daygen will be joining us later”
Yui receives a note from him, where Kiege running to the stash bringing along Juela as they are going to suit up without knowing what the plan is.
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Yui reads the note “The attrition is over, bring forth with the best of your abilities. Bring the guild as you see fit under your party. These are your options to fill the works as everything will be over under these assigned territories. I’d advice, you can visit your friend in Isekai City. Both our guild and Dexter Guild had collaborated on something personal. Tabitha had done much impressive work, and lucky in the most end. Be sure take her back to Enders Bridge before the siege returns. The last effort of that city will be belonged to Sanquin’s disciple. He deserved to learn as Tabitha did”
The note fell into dust mixing together with elements between turning to sand, burning it, or fell to ashes into the air. Voldemyr coughs at her action
“Ahem* Oue, I’ve known you outside of the guild. If you try to look dangerous with many magic scourging on that piece of paper, I know what you’re thinking. Your former guild is there, breaking the oath of your people’s legacy”
“Hmph! I couldn’t say otherwise. She is young, handed over the rights of the guild by blood inheritance. The name Thulz’Yulfrit, the Yulfrit’Demyr had so much to argue to whom they give the title to”
“As words are yours, Ms. Demyr’Ankr”
Suited up to the most symbols of any guild put pride on in their uniform and weapons. Voldemyr watches over the drafted Raker Mawn members, since the day of the arrival of Isekai City. Juela, Kiege, and Yui are from the different guilds. They are one of the rarest Enders to treat the newcomers with tolerance, for now. Their pride in their works and to use it on the most dangerous of enemies they will be facing. Kiege and with her special magic lamp, her mechanical tool letting the lamp to rotate made others curious. She is one of the guild members who always pestering inside the archive to make her lamp.
They moved south as remnants of battle left a path by different Enders guilds. A trail beneath the earth smothered on the dusts. The Jigeram’s light leaking down the ground, they reach to the surface where their paths only follow the enemies were. Yui’s group, facing more annoyance than they have supposed to do. It wasn’t the demons’ magic at all. The rituals growing into the wilderness has spread throughout the forest. Where they see the massive ampstalk tree close to Isekai City, and they hear the loud sounds of the train.
There they saw the massive tree took over the tool road, still never retrieve yet in the northeast side of the city. It can be seen from where they are now and another plantation out of nowhere. Enders show up from the direction they see and saw the ritual birds flying over them. Juela pointed out
“Those are the new moon’s familiars. How are they in this region?”
Yui shakes her head as the rumors were true. “That means my old guild is somewhere here too”
“You mean the Mijihandhyr guild”
“It’s pronounced M’ji Han’dhyr, and I thought it was just a rumor”
Kiege breaks the two’s conversation. A well-equipped woman separates them slightly, using their mana as her strength to push them further without any exerted force. “Would you guys should admire for the battlefield for once, we need to deal with them first”
Something behind them fly over their heads, the ritual birds brought the explosives from their outpost. Raining down both crystallized and feathers, dripping off the crystallized light of the Jigeram. They watched the birds fly down to their doom causing a powerful rain volley to their enemies.
Yui’s party need to move forward as the fog is getting thicker. Thick particles of the crystals dimming their view as the sun only shine into the light blue. Kiege takes the front with the other Raker Mawn guild and suit up their gas masks, equipped only to runes with no magic behind their backs. One of them strikes to the air and splashes of the dusts come out. The spirits already merging with the monsters.
“Hell brought to the infestation”
The guild member spoke out as the monster’s core grasp by his hand, exploded in burst of air, causing a blast radius revealing more of them.
Kiege brings out her lamp, 8 sided frames attached each with a magic scroll. Written by its name ‘Ocesl’, the octagonal lamp shift and spins. She snaps on her gloves to unleash the light within the runes on her finger tips, a slight rub with a spark of ember as she opens the lamp and lit inside. The candle inside is almost ingulfed by the Jigeram’s light as magic candle emits the channeling spell on the frames of her scrolls. She spins the lamp as the interior didn’t move except the frames at the exterior, spinning around like a vertical cylindrical wheel, a random spell unleashed as it stops spinning.
A ray of light shines on her companion, while they force out the monsters hiding in the feral spirits. Her lamp casts a spell and fires at her enemies, a powerful flash of light brought out from the lighting inside, and forcing a spell use with limited use of the paper on the frames. The monsters easily fell of their own husks by her spells while others pierced in within them and pulled out their core with quick succession, within their best armor. They safely taken the minions’ core, breaking it further their reach.
The ceremonial plant from the distance, or what they see as movable tree ents. Moved under the ritual as they are desperate its roots looking for nutrition for their rituals, such creatures exist only to Alga’s cycle. A few of the Enders mages were not too keen to see such a thing in this region. A historical tales about it to be from Rune Isles, but existing to this place will harm the spirits’ ferociousness. Someone brought here, and they surround themselves both the monsters and the feral together. The elves casts away from their elven magic as the ceremonial tree is nourishing with it.
Yui heard from her party about it. “A plant that moves and eats magic. That’s no elven creature, what else it can do?”
“It manifests most of the, no, they keep existing along with the spirits. Powerful magic, they attract to it in order to stay exist. They are from the shamanistic rituals”
“Rituals?! Then why we are here is because”
Juela answers her guessed “Yes, they are searching for the demons. What kind of spirits are they?”
Their guild member regretfully said “Dead ones, there is no Alga here and only Jigeram shower its light crystals from the sky”
The moving tree slowly hunting, fighting against anyone and anything. The Enders are suitable people to fight against this disturbance. The elves are easily taken care the outside of east mountain, the problems they face are gobins’ shamanism. Yui called out to the ritual birds as the birds able to recognize a familiar essence coming from her. The spirits connect to the Enders who stayed in Stranding Island, contacting them about the phenomenon coming out from Isekai City.
“To anyone who can reach me, this is Oue’Jhnr Demyr’Ankr of Raker Mawn Guild. The service recognized to Dexter Guild, is anyone out there?”
“It’s been a while, my beloved cousin”
Yui menacing replied through the spirit “Thulz’Yulfrit! So, it’s true, Lady Coheld is behind this”
“Oh, don’t try to bring businesses or politics in our reunion together, my beloved cousin”
“Sigh* Then you must have met the other Raker Mawn members”
“Sure, I met them. But I rather let them tell you about their misadventures”
“Misadventures . . . What happened to her!?”
“It’s business and I found out before she fell to her own life and death situation”
“That’s! It happened a few months ago. Wait?! You were in Isekai City for that long!?”
“There are things that you should be with this ‘her’ you mentioned. Since I thought, we are focusing on helping them but the laws here are suicidal for our services. Imagined that your best craftsmanship is not allowed and the demons possessed historical prowess that the elves wanted our city’s help”
“Swiftly cut that tone of yours, you’re the guild mistress and you should learn why they hate that city for a reason”
“Even we shared the same grandparents, I never would’ve guessed that the Demyr clans have impressive sisterhood”
“Let’s be quiet about family affairs and be on our way to end this ancient quest”
“Agreed”
Yui’s cousin revealed the activities of the Dexter Guild. They have more tricks than they have bargain for. The ceremonial plant was supposed to be removed a long ago, but they chose to slow its process and sneak into the city’s secret realms. From what she understands from Myrrkei’s research, those are supposed to be the ill-gotten network of the east mountain. Even though it was only an assumption and guessing that he never mentioned it to the public. After hearing her cousin about her reflection that she never heard of, this makes her more curious to visit her before the siege to begin.
Juela pulls her sash scroll on Yui’s hand. “What are we going to do with the spirits? They seem to run amok rather than their own mass numbers to the east mountain”
Yui sees the problem as annoyance, and letting the spirts to spread without purpose above the Jigeram’s light. Juela didn’t know to let the spirits be will give a divinity to the gobins from Mountaiwall. If it keeps going through the region, they will have the rituals of the dead. She can’t tell her that because it is too complex to understand the rituals of the feral.
“I received the note from our Guild Master, if he wants to stop us then I received another. For now, let’s not think about it”
Their guild members are curious, this is not how their leader reacted as their orders should’ve known what are they are doing here. Yui had to say it clear to them “The guild master recommended me to visit our comrades in Isekai City, in other words. The detour is right there. You think the message is clear if you know him any better, right?”
Juela and the guild members stared to the far reach of the valley in Isekai City. The bomb effects are weakening, and soon the monsters will return to fight again. Or will they?
They said to her “It means to go through in that mess, I assume it will take a few more days. Precisely, already within the 4th moon cycle”
“Does it involved having that tree to be part in that list?”
“Impossible, they are the one should learn how to deal with it instead. Full fledge power coming from their own city, we are not gods they think we are”
One of the Raker Mawn guild member speaks to Yui in such a realistic tone, the ampstalk tree is beyond to their limits as it powered and consumed the energy from that very city. The death of the tree means the death of their city barrier. Isekai City have to provide their own strategy for this.
The elven magic moving passed them with powerful blow as the wind, the fog kept its untouchable texture in view. While they feel the breeze, there they saw more of the Enders Guild coming out from the ground, persisting to take their orders. A magic impulse flowing out from the caves, the magic structures are erecting. Juela says to Yui,
“The guild masters have brought the reserves to the front. We must continue to press forward”
The guild members agreed “Juela is right, we need to get to them. Our comrades are advancing and our statesmen following through”
The decimation of the demonic reinforcements is fierce. The Enders are being ordered by the elves to clear outside of the mountain and farther reach to the underground network, reviewing the important information that the city guild adventurers ventured before. They retraced themselves into what they called the tutorial dungeons. Holding their torches in its brightest forms, chilled into a crystallized shell, and the paths were formed by the desperate roots. There they ventured further that the scent of magic and deep within the hallway.
The city guild adventurers last ditch effort to take out the demons’ puppet. Questioning whether what they did before had great effort to conceal it rather to break free from its torment. They didn’t know, and so they look at the elf who is responsible to keep it sealed.
“Have you come too deep within this gifted domain?” The elf stood in front of the gate keeping the dungeon off from releasing its mana.
“Elder, we have given orders to stretch the elimination of the threats”
“Elder?! I assume you must be known of my legacy. Tell me, did our Lord let his guards here or to the final destination?”
“Elder, we are here only a message”
The wisps appeared surrounding the elf, the light comes out from the dungeon hall. His elven magic speaks in the wind of the night, a tremble only the vision as his powers transparent himself into the light, and dimming closely to the nightly moons. He turns around looking himself as an apparition that never fades but shines in silhouette of his body. The sounds of his voice turned vicious. The sounds of elven war tunes go by through the wind. Countless wisps coming out as the aura of the magic in the dungeon is coming out, the terror is coming out, and farewell told in warning shout
“Ready yourselves, be strong as we all are!”
The Enders feel the mana, it wasn’t the mana from the dungeon but a familiar mana nonetheless. This is not the right place to fight here, and what’s worse the power is only leaving the after shock of its spells. They retreat outside as it chases them. The darkness chases them in silence, their footsteps are only the loud beacon of warnings calling out to others to escape. They made it to one of the Ironno’s saferooms. It wasn’t enough they have to escape with every tool the have. The darkness is slamming the entrance with rapid speed, quickly breaking in as the room changing colors. Somehow, they escape. The dungeon is too strong for them, and that elf was the one who single handedly hold it.
More and more Enders are breaking the mana link to the east mountain. The domain is breaking through where the elves are the only front is happening inside. The daemos from the demon faction had seen their fall since before Isekai City ever appeared. They watch over their holdings to the south were lost thanks of their ambitions, some realms keep hidden and hide most of their old creations. Now it is not the time for them to hoard them for the invasion. To retrieve their true colonies of its army, one of them arrived to the rescue are the remnants of men from called earth.
Symbols of its resources in a form of rat men, under the fool design of their skulls. The same designs among the strong headed beaks. This is the wooden birds’ grandfathers of creation. The rat men were the one of the rare few minions able to reach here for the defense, sadly its true owner can’t able to control them in this place.
“Allies from desert lands, can’t reach here. Strange phenomenon coming from erect stone cities. Screeching, scattered hordes and collections of souls scattered away into the abyssal states called Isekai City”
“Yes, yes. Otherworlders have same scent as the heroes. Weird people that treated their master’s powers as theirs. Mad people who stay while wise people must leave. Dare to live among the domains of secrets”
“Secrets no more, collections shared between allies and bad ones. We can’t trace all of our horde. Our minds can’t speak through memory. Agh! Our master break links because of the light blue thing from sky”
“Blue thing force servants to think, think is madness at us on our flesh rotten, feel pain, sufferable cause all minions turning monsters. We must defend this old war. Last message from master”
Traitors and the Circoston daemos are losing their contact on the captured domain of the elves. For so long since the Fall Era, they have finally taken back one of the Heroes’ greatest landmarks. Their puppets are now start to think to themselves without the strings of their masters holding up their sanity. Without them, they are just monsters recreating their own hell with it. It was a failure from the start, but they predict Isekai City to come forth and took one their own hiding among their realms of secrets.
The voice still whispers to them forcefully. She is playing along with the residence of that city. The siege and everything else will eventually fell. The only thing they could done better is letting the citizens fell into the influence. The heroes should not return again and passed down their legacy to them. The realm they tried to hide from them is still locked from the public. The daemos who hide in Fuku City sends her message
“My side is growing here with only the wicked and the pathetic. I have the mana from them, it is proof the existence brought them here. The longer they stay, the chances his return. I preserved the realms, take it as much as you can. Corrupt everyone”
The demon faction hearing one of their kind is worrying, or was her voice wasn’t convincing enough to say to corrupt them.
“She is at it again, for a friend of an Agatheans, she is more of a traitor than a friend”
“Opportunity is weighing in her, and the predictable defeat is already there for us. Will our collections come back into our shelves once again? Our controls are going to be gone soon”
“Their souls are in our hands. It will be embarrassing of their own past life going and acting up again as another Armageddon”
“Hehe, yet my rat men still able to hold their dignity”
The laughter coming from a hypocrite. The rat men were fully fledged out coming from one of the otherworlders. This daemos didn’t know how to make them and replicate the lore it has. As they watch to the last mana destroying the links, it will create chaos. The people in Kinteinnou region are forced to do so. It is because the daemos have the advantage when it reaches 4th moon cycle. Without Alga’s light cleaning off their empty husks, and the only thing to fill the empty husks are their own mana. Cutting it off is the last option they will regret.