COI C177
Yui and Kiege examined the maintenance they have to pull through. They thought it took them an hour, but never imagined how Ironno build his saferooms. Even the adventurers are using it, both of them were not too happy, yet viable still everywhere to search them all.
“Who is in their right scourges mind to build so many rooms?”
“Breathe* Maybe because laugh* it meant for the both of you and Sanquin laugh*”
Kiege makes a joke as they entered another room. Yui was teleporting while Kiege is running her way here. Yui and Sanquin have this territorial mindset, keeps expanding so as proof of their egos.
They have completed almost a tenth of the area. According to the map in every saferooms, the both of them are focusing the most dangerous and critical points. Kiege just got out from the clutches of the ceremonial plant, still able to grow under such extreme exposure to the Jigeram’s light and the purge of the Dexter Guild. There is one suspicion though, Yui saw them purging only its shell, and the main plant is still alive and well to its roots.
“There is always of those people never going to fix it up. Kiege, you walk through all of that, can you describe the situation?”
“Breathe* I don’t know, I can’t do anything to the spirits. How about you?”
“. . . (silent) . . . I guess we should move on and forget it”
Yui checks on the map and see another spot, another critical point, but this one went down. Ironno had been doing something special, underground is not viable to people who are going through a dead end. Did the Dexter Guild request it? Hunches really fits her curiosity as it is also part of the maintenance.
“I guess we go further down”
“Great! Then we will go down there on foot”
“Why! are you wanting to go out there into the wild? I am not going to waste time. We will just using the magic portal to . . .”
“To what, exactly?”
Yui feels no link between here to the other safe room. This kind of condition means Ironno’s saferoom had been breach. It is impossible, Ironno made well improvised barricade. So, this is what Spokesman wanted to ask them for. Taken a look won’t be so hard for her, then again, it will be her turn to train Miyusuki tomorrow. Then there will be this special event, from what the city called autumn anime convention. She doesn’t understand events like that, but the word anime she remembers Tabitha watching it. The schedule will be fine anyway, even those guys should be aching in crutches and still persist doing their work. Crazy bastards, yet hard men of Rune Isles.
Tabitha is in the mercy and surrounded by the Enders, not only they are the people she wants to stay away, but they are what Juela called them respectable course of magic. Secrets of their mastery of different kinds of unique spells, and mainly best for the defense of the bridge. Miyusuki is on her side watching at them reading the paper, the quiet tone of theirs as they carefully read it. The dwarf raises the floor to see at their own height, the curious short thick man has strong interest with it. Reading the scroll out loud had made a strange voice coming from him. The translation broke
“Ylvry, dono seste ehki raganyes ka . . .” The mage shut him up before the channel to occur.
“Don’t say another word, dwarf. The next sentence is your kin’s will rise up to our doom”
“Hah! For you yes, but what that lass brought to us really wants the boy to learn it”
“Groan* Questionable, and seems to be too old to have something so basic to learn”
Miyusuki knows they mention about him, he couldn’t ask how the dwarf starts to speak in different language. In his head, it supposed to be confusing but with Sanquin’s blessings, he feels like he can understand it.
“. . . Do not detest, regain my cast . . .”
The Enders with their own rune translation heard the boy rephrases it on his own tongue. They immediately stop their suspicion and they return the magic scroll. The dwarf signals the men both in and out of the wall. The great voice of the dwarf reaches every Enders around them.
“Honor her name of the divine and night, and also the young lady Ri-E’ash have brought the disciple to test his heart!”
The cheers only spark light around them, as they all teleported away. Every one of them lights up and left a wisp like energy and back to their side of the realm. This realm shows its awry effects as the darkness dim around the bright moonlight.
Once they were gone, Miyusuki starts to appreciate looking at the sky. The realm of no sky and darkness gives many stars outside, along with the two moons and the sun across his vision. The rush made him ignored the strangest of this realm had to offer. Alga gives life and Jigeram negates mana, neutralizing together to keep them safe from the pain and the excess of mana around them. Before they come to check themselves able to use their abilities, and made him not knowing the details what’s going on to this realm. Tabitha watching them leave with such powerful spell, those people she met are somehow listen to her.
Miyusuki needs to learn about this realm. A well-balanced realm, enemies are machines and entities hiding in this strange golden world. The more they have to discover the dangers are getting harder. Equal in strength and relies heavily on the logistics. Any sign of struggle with their resistance or anything that they no longer able to fight will leave this world, unharmed but scars your mind of its excellence. It is the training he must face, and the piece of Juela’s sash scroll will provide him the training. As the adventurers restored their base from the attack, they are curious about those two and why they are after them.
But according to S ranks to let them train, yet there are also students and other reasonable encounters that made it look as if there is no interference. Just people wanting to tag along in this strange journey. Miyusuki held scroll firmly
“My training will begin when I’m going to use this piece of paper, right?”
“That’s . . . What the Enders thought, but they seem to be calling out to them mentioning about her and another woman who is called divine and nightly or something. I don’t think we should delay any further. Juela is going into a trouble spot to just help you train, right? We have to start whether you want it too or making this day a waste of time”
The adventurers look at them, others never would’ve thought those two react in the right time. The Enders infiltrate the town faster than they usually would, meanwhile people with serious intention wanting to see the secret of this realm made them want to help out just get through the Enders overwhelming expertise. They whisper to each other
“It’s been months now, what power lies here can be possible as our chances to defend the siege”
“You’ve been saying that, dumbass. Ugh! Why are we so obsessed to travel just to find the solution here?”
“Don’t forget, remember that woman with that girl. They surprised everybody that they are the same people who are taken by those shit heads”
“Fuck! They took so many people back then, and I heard among the rumors they came back and none of the people they took never returned”
“Shit! How long we have to wait? This place is the sure signs where we can save them. Those two, a woman and a girl, made everyone so desperately focusing here instead earn a living”
“Thank goodness we still have our public services, without it, all of us here will be fucked in debts just to bring our family and friends from the east coast”
The noise is getting louder as the same topic keeps going on. Tabitha knows that, but they should earn it rather than given it to them. The consequences on staying had already been their responsibility. If it wasn’t for that decision, many would probably leave and . . . A flashback coming from her memories. Steering up the chains of memories the sole reason they wanted to stay, even abandon their home.
“Why would they care? I can’t live a fruitless life”
“I’d rather face this reality than the reality won’t let me be free. Those people only care because of their own environment and image”
“It’s better here, I finally get away from those bullies”
The temptation to stay is big, and big enough to cause a division, but there should be allowed to go on their own way. Something that stops them from leaving is the person would likely to sabotage the Foundation. Or what she learned in Fuku City made her realized the danger. They don’t want them to leave or this city won’t function. Through the Dexter Guild files given to her, this makes it impossible to have a safe passage. This is not about demons who are going to get them, it is the people themselves will do anything to destroy the Foundation accidentally. However, through the investigation, she found out Elrond’s intention. She hopes that this city will break without causing so many deaths.
“Hey, Tabitha? Are you listening? Hello?”
“Oh? You made up your mind”
“Yeah, and I can go along with this training. I was wondering though. Do you know anyone who can decipher this magic scroll? After hearing the dwarf reading it loud. I think Juela is planning something without even telling us”
“It’s fine, this realm is safe. But then again, this realm really reacts when something happened. I don’t want to see this realm change so suddenly causing everyone to worry”
“That’s where you are wrong, everything around here is changing with possible discoveries”
A man with cat ears sprung up to their sides. Heist appears along with the Rogue. S ranks introduces themselves and saw him in such an inconvenient way. “Ah, it’s the boy who is with Sanquin. I say, I heard you’ve become a guild member”
“Oh, it’s you the man who fell . . . ouch”
“Don’t bring personal details on the table, kid. We both know it was a party. How about you? It’s been a while Tabitha”
“That’s right, sorry I forgot your name was”
The rogue shakes her head “It doesn’t matter short moments like that seem a lot of people to forget. So, I heard you are the boy in training, I assume”
“Well yeah, but without Juela giving me guidance. I only have this”
They show to them the piece of the sash scroll, ripped apart and should lose its quality, but this feeling of magic made them feel a bit cautious. Heist had never hesitated to resist to identify it as he uses his item to check it.
“Then, let me read it for you”
Once he translated it, one small word as his eyes studies the scroll and his mouth moves. He can’t stop. ‘. . . Do not detest, regain my cast . . .’ chant must be completed. Heist has little left of resistance.
“What the fuck! Hey anyone stop me before I . . .”
The rogue tries to knock him out, he resisted. Then she silences him
“OUCH!” . . . impossible. Finally forces him to use the failsafe. All failed, and the cat man becomes the channeler of this spell.
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
A large pillar of light casting up to the air, separating between Alga and Jigeram. The light bluish dusts torrent out and the dark green light texturized and empowers Heist.
“All hail and salvations of kings, do not detest, regain my cast! The test of your kins for my selfish writings on your champions’ runes. Call out the depths of the under bedrock, your molten light, and your children of stone and ores. To the very core I dared, bring the test of bravery of the race of not yours. Ascend them all and call out from the great Durjn Kings!”
Heist broke out from the trance, yet still conscious from it. The magic scroll had cursed the reader to speak clearly and fits the chant. Tabitha remembers how the mage had stop the dwarf from the chant. And Heist was affected by it and couldn’t broke off the curse. The word doom coming from her head and they both couldn’t move as the spell unleash. The Jigeram separates the Alga, giving the adventurers the more power than being negated. The incident spread across the realm and the golden valley shrouded into the mist of the light bluish particles all around, forging in and out. Witnessing by many Enders, and all while the dwarves are blowing their horns.
Echoing further away as the new environment arose. The landmarks are reacting and the one that is activated are the dwarf guardians. Brave hearts and will under the runes of steel, they heard a selfish plead. Looking for anyone who is not their kin, the Enders were able to flee from their thunderous steps. The guardians are ready to tender the weak, breaking their bones, and punish who is cowardly. They move, they saw no one, and they are greeted by their kins. Tabitha’s companion is with the giant guardians and said,
“Follow the pillars of our forgotten tower, there you can act your duty”
The dwarves watch their finest ancestral arts going forth. Kinteinnou region is not the best place to forge their Jigeram runes because of its mixture of vegetation here, nor from Circoston because the sandstorms will blow them into the mix. Only the solid grounds of the mountainous valley that died off into Rune Isles. Even their own mountains are only grown by solid ground roots. They watch the legacy of their race’s finest craft moving forward, calling out the kings and champions to test their bravery. The adventurers will gain their true power and more, but they face their equal in Jigeram’s light. Without Enders dwarves joining in, they don’t want to hear the cowards’ cry.
The adventurers are looking at the dark empty sky, shines in array of dark green light. They feel their power is being restored to the conditions they wanted. One after the other, they check their power levels and their UI is showing them to the maximum. Heist and the others who caused it to happen feel their powers, except for Miyusuki, are returning. Tabitha sees the separation between Alga and Jigeram’s light. Makes her wonder what spell did Juela granted to. Miyusuki didn’t have mana because of Sanquin’s restriction, and the light divided as Alga is here and Jigeram to the Enders.
A stream of clouds form and going to the other direction, and at her back hears the voices of adventurers are cheering for their powers returning in this balanced realm. The opportunity is here as they march forward without losing this chance. All of them with a plan to get to, places they wanted to retrieve, and the challenges against the machines of this realm. The large barrage of magic coming over and above them, including the spells and adventurers flying along with it, creating themselves the bombardment charge. Losing sight as it lands behind the wall from the far distance, Miyusuki’s training made everyone involved.
The reports of the city guild come out to the meeting room. Juela hears the news that the realm shifted and divided the two moons’ lights. Her piece of her sash scroll is used, either be prematurely or prepared. She hopes that the dwarves there will find them before the guardians found them first. The runes are forging under the Jigeram, this is the experience they would never fear against. With their laws placed inside, they won’t die but it will show them the wrath of the ancient runes. The meeting is starting to wane as they are too curious of this opportunity, Gemina tells her
“I think we should postpone the meeting. Would you be available for tomorrow?”
“I am available, but today I need to meet my party”
Tabitha and Miyuzuki thought they could handle themselves going into the new environment. But those two joined along, because of the promise they make from the incident. Either it be a good thing for them or not, the results didn’t show just yet. The Rogue though thinks positively, but the Enders know. Both Tabitha and Miyusuki know. Where they headed is where the safest area for preparing an ambush. A lone tower, where most snipers or scouts laid their eyes there. They reach to the top and see across the distance, between the wave of dark green light and light blue light forming a barrier against each other.
Heist pointed out “What a nice view, that’s some hell of a magic to force me through”
“Click* (Taking a picture) I can’t believe a piece of paper can do such a thing. Hey you two, what were you doing here exactly? I heard that lady mention about training, but this! I just want to get paid while experience the moment”
Tabitha held the used piece sash scroll. It burns slowly as its finest quality let it a slow fire. Before getting here, she remembered what she said to her.
“Bravery . . .” Doubted to her own lips, and made a change of event coming here. Comparing the darkness, this one letting the moons shifted the environment.
As time is wasting, they saw a thunderous cloud coming from the Jigeram side. Miyusuki is worried that the area would be his training. “Am I going to train myself over there?”
“I have spoken with Juela, we just have to face it and survive. Not getting kick out from this realm is your failed training”
“Dumbfounded* Then let’s get it move on or I’ll rather running back to the walls” He said it clearly as he fears the unknown.
Heist comforted him “Don’t worry about it, kid. We can form a party like this. Your partner is a mage and we are two dps, then that leads you . . . the tank”
Slowly realizing the kid’s shaken knees, he reluctantly said it in a positive attitude in the end.
The Rogue nods and pointed to where they have to go “Agreed, then let’s see first our new enemies are going”
“New enemies?”
Tabitha looks at the direction. Golem looking statue, thick as a dwarf in light blue solid texture. Stoned looking, and the first come out from the dusty fog. Heist and the Rogue go down first to prepare the ambush. Miyusuki pats himself on his own shoulder and recite Rusic’s quotes
“. . . We are the lucky bastards with fail safe, for heaven sakes. I must try it all!”
“Did someone in the Enders told you that?!”
“Uh huh”
The golems are basic in structure. A common dwarf statue with a basic one-handed hammer, there short beards and basic plated armor or leather are giving some details made from Jigeram’s crystallize dust, speaking itself. Moving along with the dusty fog, they march as if they were alive, carefully stepping their heavy feet and the lights above their heads made out crystallize dust as lamps. Heist and the Rogue first entered the side of the dust quickly diminishing their mana. They readied themselves with their own runes, the Rogue had the most disadvantage as her copy-cat and other quick-learn abilities won’t be affecting these slow-moving rune statues.
They immediately surprise them. The first multiple attacks hit their critical points. They fell into dust as it shifts itself into smaller than the original. The two continues and eventually took them out, until one left. It didn’t move during the ambush. The Rogue thought this will be easy and throws her daggers on its weak spot. The golem shifts its runes internally as it pierced through the inside. It reacts like any living being to get hit and tilted back, holding on its chest as the wounded animation plays along then return back to its original stance. The runes inside of it shines out and trying to blind them. Heist counters it with a reflect, but something went off from his gestures.
The dusts around them solidify where the runes shift it into solid. It holds himself in place as he gets hammered to his hip. The loud runes shatters that hold him and fell to the ground in one strike. The unbearable pain as if he was hit by a sledge hammer. The golem slowly winded up back to its weapon preparing another strike. The Rogue comes in, shooting at its back and charging in with a strike to its neck. The golem grabs her body from behind out of luck, carries her up in one hand then slams her to the ground. The Rogue held herself where the impact hits her knees first to the ground. She looks up as the hammer is already swing into her.
A card is been played and a barrier appeared on top her. The hammer hits and shatters it and blows back to the golem. The shattering barrier blasts back to it and blown back to dust, the whispers on its runes had spoken in a sound of thunder. The dusts vanished by the flash of the runes, disappeared before them. The dusts remained on them where Tabitha comes to their aid along with Miyusuki almost made it with his shield raised to his side. His gauntlet turns on and absorbed the energy of the runes. The dust hardened his gauntlet during the process then breaks it as he clenches his fist.
Tabitha spoke out “You got yourself in a difficult situation”
“I don’t know, it was easy but first but it all went downed hill when it countered us”
“You are in the Jigeram, yet still you can resist a bit longer in a limited time. Let’s head back out from the dusts”
“Hey! Miyusuki help me carry me, my knees are slammed and I need a healer”
“Ok, let’s see how this gauntlet can do”
They made it out only slight edge of the dust. The rogues recovered so fast, but the trauma of the fight lingers in their wounds, especially the Rogue’s numbing knees.
“Oouch, it still hurts” Heist feels his hip in trembling state.
“Damn, still can’t let my knees stand straight”
The two of them are feeling a bit discourage and the stats they have are damaged, more than that, the rune magics are already weakens their integrity. Ancient runes are more dangerous than the normal runes, it mostly their values and their state of mind will be affected. The strange phenomenon is to negate their magic, it includes their buffs to boost their confidence. Their will depends on their might, this makes it harder for people with adaptive power spike who didn’t bring themselves the discipline needed.
It wasn’t the pain that made them doubt, it was both the dust and the runes words. The rune words they didn’t know they are forged in dust. It’s the forge wrath of their dwarven gods. Smiting down on their enemies and beaten their souls with mental debuffs. The Rogue is the first one taken the effects.
“Geez, I feel like shit!”
The doubts are cleaning on to her, made her feel stubborn as she was.
“AAH!”
The scream wasn’t in pain, it speaks out arrogance. The hammer nearly slams on her made her feel woozy after.
“I can’t, you guys go ahead”
Meanwhile, Heist is feeling it worse than before. “AAH! The pain won’t stop, I am wide and awake. The pain is so cruciating”
Barely he says excruciating, Heist is bearing the pain as it won’t stop. Miyusuki watches him suffer until he forces himself out. Tabitha did her best to use her cards on them, but the pain perfected to their flesh. The runes had made them feel the worse, making him and Tabitha hesitate.
“What did Juela trying to train me for?”
“I don’t know, but I’m sure everyone among the city adventurers is relying too much of their mana”
“But they were practicing their mana control for a long time”
“Sigh* We can’t stop now. Juela will . . .!!!”
A thunderous assault marching within the dust fog. Many adventurers fell into the runes as they persist of going forward. Tabitha frightens a bit, but never backs down. She walks to it and reach Miyusuki’s hand.
“I train myself in order to be strong, how about you? Is exercising the rest of your training is good enough for you?”
Miyusuki hesitated at the moment, and sees Tabitha acting strong. Seeing her injured at the hospital really changes her, and how about himself. He reaches her hand and start to wonder through the dusts.
Strange shooting star, flashes lightning across the fog. The loud thunders heard throughout the battlefield. It lands at their backs like a shooting star erupting large volts straight down as lightning strikes. Another of those golems, but the runes are forged fierce and dangerous than before. Carrying out a long handle with a massive hammer head, not made out of crystals and forge into with ancient stone. Rune writings all over, smaller in details and brightens in each layer sparking in immense power. The golem is smaller than the hammer but the same size bigger than the previous golems.
It swings over itself and lands on top of them. Both of them dodge away as they begin to fight. They look at it as still didn’t land the hammer on the ground yet. Still winding up in a slow pace to reach it high. Tabitha uses her cards while Miyusuki punches it with his gauntlet. The dusts burst out and the body crumbles. They look up as the hammer still reaching to the top. The lightning static through its body and reforging its crystallized body back to its form. The voice of the golem calls out with foreign tongue, it able slams its hammer on the ground with one flash strike.
Hitting nothing, it blasts on the ground with runes erupting into shockwaves. The two feels their mana quickly breaks away and the spell of the runes kick into their very mind. The horrific pain surges through as Tabitha almost scream out from the shocking pain. Miyusuki shakes and fall to the ground and with his body numb by the shock. Falling both of them to the ground, the runes writings inflict fear and horror through their sense of touch. The trauma pulls them in, and they stiff themselves out of fear. It feels like dream of paralysis, yet their body surges through the pain. Miyusuki felt the nightmare in him.
Slowly moving and trying to fight against the golem. The golem speaks rather fighting, by its own hands as it touches him. Quickly static on his limbs, rapidly shaken nonstop. He looks at the dust formed golem, keeping his focus together. The falling lightning strike persists but didn’t continue to strike them both. The desperation to try to free from this frozen tilt. Tabitha was able to break the paralysis. The golem didn’t bother to attack her seriously as its runes erupted again by its thunderous motion of its feet. The dusts cloud formed by its small movement, covered herself in dust, and quickly burns off her preserve mana.
The golem speaks again, and turned to him. Tabitha feels the runes are mysteriously disappearing, and her body feels a bit tired. Her internal mana is completely gone, her original body exposed and the Jigeram has no effect on the people with no magic. Yet, the breathing is difficult and made herself hard to breathe. Miyusuki tilting his body as he brings out his rune shield. The golem interacts with it as the dim dark spark coming from both of them. Two dwarven runes communicating, it made the golem move fast as it quickly slams its large hammer to him.
The thunderous wails hit on his rune shields, pulsing without missing the gap in impact. The large hammer keeps going in such fearsome size, hammering his shield as he barely keeps himself straight. He fell down on the ground keeps his shield strong, the gauntlet enforced his body to endure it until it suddenly turns off.
“No!”
He feels the impact as he reacts. Tabitha tries to use her magic card but the dusts solidify her deck holder. She raises her wand and swing it at it. The golem slips and hits on the ground, causing another shockwave. Miyusuki is trembling and needs to stop it as the force really ringing in his strength.
The shock numbs his limbs and only throwing the rune shield as his final attempt. It hits the golem and darkness looms in and the clouds turned thick. A soft sound of lighting and thunder, the rune words blown out from the aura. Tabitha and Miyusuki feel it to the first time without using their resistance. The static jolt coming through their body, leaving them paralyze without harm. The mana breaker runes activate causing further through the battlefield. The adventurers with Alga’s light blown up their internal mana core and forced out from the realm. Leaving to people who are not highly dependent on mana.
As it clears, the dusts pulls back and the golem looking at the fallen citizens able to withstand the great test of their bravery. They look at Miyusuki, not from their eyes but through their runes. The rune shield is ringing like a bell, a nostalgic bell as if their champion’s shield was war crying in their stead. The sash scroll still has more of its magic containing their existence.
“The boy is not finished” The golems speak in their tongues as they retreat. The remaining survivors watch them go, the unbelievable still remain balanced.
The claws on the ground, with only three of their team standing. They badly mouth at their teammate out of fun.
“MRage just got kicked, laugh*”
“Nera, what the actual fuck?! You got out alive!”
“Says you! You, worthless healer”
“Lycaon, what happens to the others”
“Same as always, mana dependent. I can’t say much that those golems are really made out of dust”
Nera points someone lying on the ground “Hey Paladin, there’s more people beside us here”
He looks at the direction as it is farther than she thinks “You got yourself a nice long distance”
Team Platinum, chosen by the dwarves’ test of Durjn Kings.