COI C178

Durjn Kings, Juela studied dwarven history. Once you open to call its participation, the price of them keeping existing until the Jigeram’s light is gone. Her sash could only last only 10 mins, but it keeps burning brightly. The runes are no myths to die out to the dust. Her greatest dream to have magic scrolls made out of runes. Never to ashes, forever to light, forever in use, and brought in as a sign of the Dwarven Gods. The shockwave had brought many adventurers out from the battlefield. There is one adventurer who is alone, a mage like her but a strong temper for a moment.

“Why am I the only son a bitch alive here, while those three able to get through with those FUCKING! GOLEM” MRage from Team Platinum is in a raging mood as the only spell caster, compared to Nera, went back here. Juela observes his power, she sees the mana he had were dented. Which means this one had surpassed his mana control and able to bring it out to the open, meaning, he exposed himself with the might of the runes. It is quite amazing that he persists here, but now he is wounded and vulnerable. She let him be as they pulled into the dusty fog.

The divide shows both Alga and Jigeram, it is the greatest sight to see her magic able to bend this realm freely. This is for Miyusuki’s training, and the sounds of the thunders from the other side is ringing the nostalgia among the dwarves. Yet, they are not here, and the adventurers didn’t continue to move forward. There they saw the golems passing by. The golems stop and turned to her. The adventurers step aside and watch them. Juela sees through the crystal body and the runes written in a message for her. The one who casts and received news of interest among the dwarven kins.

They vanished as their bodies fell to dust and collected back to the Jigeram’s side. Gemina reaches out to her “What’s with those golems, they just vanished?”

“Of course, they are waiting for us. They might place a trap for us”

“Ok? So, what lies out there?” “Strange behavior, as if they are play along with a game. I don’t know how this happen. Did anything happen like this?”

“Yeah, there are plenty when we discovered places creating a big mess. Yet, not like this. A big environment changed, and words got out that the machineries here were ceased”

Juela thinks about the two. This is both training and test, if what Kiege said about his trainings were true. Then the biggest thing they need to deal with is the conditions of his actual body, empty out the mana, and show forth the natural endurance and immunity. Unlike for Tabitha, the exposure in Rune Isles had made her feel sick from time to time, those signs were good as it shows she is adapting well. For Miyusuki, he needs to have some natural symptoms to get his body to be healthy after it.

No one knows what is going to happen after the shockwave. Adventurers scattered around feeling hopeless after such random attack coming out of nowhere. One lightning strike or something like that struck down to the ground like an atomic bomb. The explosion was immense, and highly dangerous to people who are easily kicked out or went back to their main entrance. These remaining people witness the golems suddenly stop and begin moving back. Leaving their enemies as it speaks to itself in untranslated voices. Actual Enders dwarves appeared before them and said,

“Keep moving forward, y’all have survive this far and should be facing what you are prepared for”

Prepared for what? They couldn’t believe it because of the shock and why some adventurers pull through a such powerful rune magic. These Enders dwarves keep going back and forth to search the people who survive the runes of their kin. There is one of the dwarves found her.

“Leader of the Raker Mawn Guild, you did very well in this test”

“. . .”

“I know what you’re going to say, but this is your doing and that boy keeps the fire on the scroll, keep moving forward. My kins are spreading the message to keep forward. Survivors are going to face it, as what you have brought them for”

Disappeared to the fog, leaving her and Miyusuki under the smoke of the dusts. Completely consumed by it, and should led them to a death sentence. The Jigeram is the equivalent of a frozen wasteland. Treating it such, it will be easier to expect like exposing themselves bare will froze them to death. This is the logic for the citizens to learn about, and will be cautious for the future of their city. This realm had made everything beyond their expectation. The runes and the dust are able to hold together. Their mana is gone, and only left is the strength of their own will and health.

They saw somebody is coming to their aid. The use of their equipment still able to work, the flashlight rays down to where they pointing in different direction. The familiar uniform they wore, Team Platinum, greeted the two Enders.

“A kid?! WOW! We have a young kid survive the shockwave”

“Nera, stop it. Wait a minute, you’re not one of the city guild members, aren’t you?”

“I don’t think so, and that’s why I wanted to go here. I’m losing track with the others, ugh! My mana is drained”

“Quit it, Nera. Hey! Are you one of those school kids and random citizens interested to look at the town?”

Lycaon stops them “Stop asking stupid questions, if they are here and able to exist beyond the fog of dust. They must be less using their mana inside than what we thought”

Nera looks at Tabitha “No way!? Then you really take care of your body. MRage will get himself annoyed to see a kid here”

Tabitha responds “Uhm, do you know why it happens here?”

Lycaon sees them like they never know what’s going on. Entered this place and fighting dwarf looking golems are really not that mysterious. The spark of light coming from the Enders side, it calls out to the people who are cleanse off their mana.

“I guess we can’t stay here for long. Where are you two going? If you want to see what lies over there or trying to figure out why we survive, then you want to see why?”

Both of them knows what truly happened, if they have caused this event to happen then they have to finished it as they can. Feeling the emptiness of mana, they are like back to once they came, but the presence of thick dusts made them feel a bit scared. The testament of their own strength starts, before they fear the power against the runes, now they fear as themselves as weak and powerless.

Miyusuki feels the weight of this equipment is weighing him, but his own natural strength keeps him more than enough to ache on it instead of grunted over it. “Do you think we can do this?”

The three teammates take turns to pat his head.

Paladin “Oh you don’t know the half of it, kid”

Nera “How cute”

Lycaon “Take advantage here, kid. Your friend over here is not doubting any of it”

Tabitha just smiles without them knowing that she was part in it. Behind the scene she leads the Enders without her being part of the battle. Secretly holding a special item here, the signals were too easily secured and for not being afraid here. Her dwarf subordinate was here, and waiting to come at any given moment, maybe.

They form a new group and travel deep within the dusty fog, many adventurers join along who survive the blast, keeps going to the Enders’ territories. The sight of no people in the Enders side as if they were taken out too like the mechanical monster spider. Only the dwarves they see are here, watching them go through. They wondered further with no fights or ambushes along the way. It made them cautious and their trembling knees are taken a hit on them where the golems stationed near the entrance. The same entrance that blocked behind all the landmarks.

Tabitha thought it was strange, the drawn distance to go here supposed to be far away. How was it so close now? Paladin reminds them

“Oh, I forgot that the terrain moves itself”

Nera frustrates herself of seeing it again “Same goes from the underground, you guys think that the floor is . . .”

“AAAH!” Someone fell near at the entrance, where they look down as the fog clears, a massive hole is in front of them.

“. . . Heh, I guess others don’t appreciate this realm’s trolling us”

“Don’t tell me they want us to, go down there?!”

The sounds of the ringing bell echo up from the hole. It keeps shifting the terrain as the entrance begin to move back away. No one knows how the geography of this realm shifts so much. Tabitha remembers the same thing in the tunnels in her first training. When and how did they do it? The one who is operating, in her mind, is an old man from the Dexter Guild. She can’t express herself how he is able to control it without taken so long to process it. Their computers are ancient, like so slow that she herself would think it was him after a few hours.

Meanwhile, the old man coughs himself and confused by this new interaction. A magic user interference, even the mage who is with him explained the situation.

“We apologized to interfere your work by reactivating one of the landmarks”

“Murmur* Sigh* Then it must mean it reorganize the geographic settings. Which means the Jigeram’s light is under control by the ancestral dwarves. By look of the readings, they have gained interest rather being asked for. Hmm, something did happen to their kins’ gods. Sorry, I wasn’t listening. As long as the main entrance wasn’t breach. There’s nothing to reconcile”

He looks at the screen as the static lines keep going up and up in pacing waves. He focuses the program loading up since the automated pop up on his screen. The computer is not fully overloaded in its memory, and yet slows down for the analysis inside the realm kicks in. The old man was able to gather the quotes written in the runes and also the guardians speaking verbally as he understands it clearly. Ancient tongue plays his ears challenging his elderly skills.

“. . . These men before you, my lads and lasses. I know you can hear me, my kins. Tell your Lord that these people before us are chosen to face the demons’ horde”

The massive hole continues to shift into a structure. They watch the hole forming stairs down below and the middle of it rises up like a pillar or spike roses with a statue at the middle. A dwarf statue poses itself in victory and the runes on its body releases lights coming out sending a message to the citizens.

“Strength by origins, will by their hearts, and freedom is truth. Dared to go down as a sign you wished to face without worries or fear. The weakness must overcome or be enslave by it. Your last opportunity is here, take it or let chances be your fate. In the future there will be no regret as you are the survivor of the king’s clan”

Lycaon gathers the team “A future, eh? This means we are the chosen one fighting the siege”

“It’s about time! I can’t believe MRage won’t be joining us. I am going to show his face with what we can learn from this message”

“There’s one problem, Nera. We have no power and we have to go down there with our own normal selves”

“Shit!”

Paladin checks on the two the back “Are you guys ready for this? It will be dangerous to go down there without safety equipment”

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Miyusuki responds the obvious “That where you were wrong. The failsafe is still active”

“You got a point there, but we don’t have mana here”

Tabitha understands what he is saying. He is just concern about a student joining into a dangerous place, no mana, and no intel about it. Surely that the Enders have provide safety measures here, even the Jigeram’s light is under their control. Lycaon stops Paladin,

“That’s enough, we should be introduce ourselves going down. Calling me mister or sir when go down there would make me ignore you out of frustration”

Nera reacts “Geez, well let’s getting on with it. I hope you guys can handle underground. It’s going to be dark”

They introduce themselves;

“Lycaon”

“Nera”

“Forgottoheal . . . Ouch! Ok, Paladin”

Quick and easy. The two says it in return

“Tabitha”

“Miyusuki . . . I mean . . . call me the shield student”

Nera grins at the kid “Oh, you get your name from a light novel?”

“No, I was given a nickname from one of the Enders. He was a temporary teacher, but he made an impact for us and I get the name from him while he was there”

“Aw, I was expecting you to read a nice light novel. I can recommend you more if you are interested”

“I’m fine, there is so many discontinued I was interested in”

“I can recommend you older . . .”

They set foot down to the massive hole. The dusts solidify as it turns into a long staircase down. The walls turned into wall statues or what they see is sculpted statues showing the story among the dwarves. Every step they see, the history moving in motion, the first dwarven king entered to this new world. They were here to take revenge to a certain demon that looks like one of them. Succeeded and trapped the demon soul of the undying into a rune. Imprisoned the demonic dwarf and sealed into the crowned king’s helmet as their sign of old grudges together.

The runic gem sealed into the helmet, where the soul of the demon forever be the leach of the host. A curse crown, to the dwarves who were exiled by their true home of their world, and cursed to live in this forsaken world, Horsin. The dwarven gods had done lazily to treat Horsin as a banish world among the dwarves’ enemies. More and more of the dwarves banished here and souls trapped into the runes as their heaven and hell, until the world fits the right proportion as runes become a natural resource. The rise of kings who is willing to be cursed to rule his/her exiled kins.

Power, greed, and pride led these exiles into a cult. These religious dwarves still linger to stop them as dwarven gods still watch over them to seek their punishment accordingly. With so many souls bound together forever into the runes, the dwarven gods see this as a reward for their immortal success. Only for them to stop it is to differentiate them from curse to rune worthy words. It was the use of the Jigeram’s light. The branded sky to cleanse life and nurtures the ground and metal to its purest materials.

To their next generations of kings, this Jigeram’s light is a curse to any race who read their stories, but to them, it is their last connection with their gods. Completely separating themselves from their gods lose their might and heart of their origins. The craftsmanship, the forge, the mines, and the kingdom in their mountain core are the greatest of their lives in existence. Still mortal, still have their flaws, and in the end, they are not going to cut off their bloodlines from their own mistakes. Where they reach the bottom, the last scene shows the war where they joined the Heroes Faction.

Nera recorded it all as they went down. “That’s 20 mins in, wow! That’s how much time we got down to the bottom”

Paladin starts to doubt “Yeah, now we know their dark history. I’m starting to want more about this region’s history. Are we really in the right side?”

Tabitha answers him “That was a long time ago, you learn your history back in our world. It is actually the same back in the western medieval ages”

Lycaon quiets them down “This is not the time for tying yourselves in trivia. We are here”

The man who fell is still there without harm, but the fall really made him breaks something in him. The bastard keeps himself existing and saw them passing through.

“Don’t ask, let me ask first”

“Hmph*” Nera strictly replies with no interest

“Hey now! Don’t be rude. I fell because, Agh! It was an accident. The damn floor moves on its own and I step into a hole”

“Then why did everyone before us keep leaving you there?”

“I was unconscious”

Team Platinum didn’t trust what he is saying as no fellow adventurers leave each other behind. Miyusuki steps in and lays a hand to him.

“Oh, thank you, you shouldn’t . . .!”

Miyusuki reaches out with his gauntlet rather his other hand. The man hesitates and said

“Would you just reach with your other hand, that’s one is look . . . crash!”

The man was pulverized by one of the dwarves. Tabitha’s subordinate is here, and both of them look at each other in the eyes. The pretentious expression keeps to themselves and the dwarf said

“You have read the story on the walls. The real one left as we Enders do to the citizens”

More of the dwarves are coming out from the tunnel, not from the entrance, but their own. They show themselves not wearing their equipment, these dwarves are dressed in local clothes and unarmed. Paladin saw it before among the walls.

“You’re wearing the same clothes as if you are being gathered by the king”

“That’s almost right, this place will know us with these clothes”

Nera is confused “Then what are you supposed to do here?”

The dwarves look at her and said nothing, but one, it was Tabitha’s subordinate, let himself be to be alone with them and said,

“Confidence, thrived as you are weak. As our ancestors were” Then he left

Lycaon taps everyone by the shoulder as they still busy watching them going in.

“You all heard him, and we don’t have the strength or the magic to get this far. I think this is going to be an experience that we never expect. Never give up, even you have nothing else in you. Those Enders have already proven to us from time and time again. We should at least try to struggle a bit and don’t lose yourself in this world. I won’t give up, even I have to fight with all I can carry. Just like you kid”

Miyusuki puts his confidence what he had; throwing daggers on his belt, his rune shield at his back, and the gauntlet to his left hand. The shifting gauntlet upgrade on it made him versatile. He feels rather relief than powerless, Team Platinum shows him how what is take for them to keep going. They lost one teammate . . . Nera hits him

“Ouch! What was that for?”

“Don’t go and day dreaming there. You and that partner of yours didn’t even give a sight of conversation with those Enders. I don’t know the both of you, and your first time here. I want to see you guys what you can do”

Tabitha broke her silent “We are ordinary people now. What do you expect?”

“Really?! Ok, treat this place nothing but a puzzle house. A game if you will. Ah never mind, I didn’t expect you guys to talk back”

Lycaon smacks Nera at the back of her head, the usual punishment when Nera gets more unnerving when it comes to talking. Nera knocks her head down than it is use to. Her hands grasping her head as her defenses are gone.

“What the hell! That’s hurt!”

“Sorry, I guess I gotten to use to discipline you guys” Lycaon’s hand shakes as it is trembling. It seems like his old physical condition is acting up.

They continue to move on and see the adventurers already waiting at the entrance. They removed their equipment and place it at the corner. Only wearing casual clothes or close to their underwear. They see Team Platinum is coming in their way.

“It’s you guys, you should be wearing more appropriately than your heavy equipment. This challenge is really tricky for all of us”

“Take a look at the distance”

The adventurers are spending their time using their devices to record what happens here. The golem is big and gives little room to go through the corridor, others follow the scheme of letting others to distract it while they went in. Sacrificing the other team to advance.

Lycaon looks at them as if there is no option. “Looks like they are using the less fit as bait to go through. Even the overweight reveals their true body weight can do much as being a fodder. I am not impressed to use someone like that. If this is real, they are just the same sons of bitches who brought the people to the east coast”

He turns around and checks on Tabitha and Miyusuki, the two looks like they need to lose some clothes from their lose ends. “You think you can go through with more speed”

Tabitha responds “I can’t say, but there is no trying at first”

The two didn’t removed their gears, including his team. The face with attitude made them all better.

After the adventurers tried their turns, the people who left behind are stranded by the entrance. Paladin takes the front while the four of them lean against the wall on tight corners. The golem is waiting for them as the first attempt begins. Paladin picks up a shield on the floor and tried to block it. The first swing strikes as the runes brightens up. The shield didn’t anything but enforce the impact on to him and pushed him back. Lycaon catches him and divert the force into a full round swing. Lycaon loses his grip and still able to throw his teammate back at it.

Nera runs to the side as the golem leans to block her route. Nera stops as the moment it nearly slammed her against the wall. Tabitha took the other side and made it through. She steps on a rune as the golem swings back to her. Miyusuki comes to her aid and uses his rune shield. The force enforced as the two pushes further in. Nera sees the opportunity to slide in. Lycaon sees the golem’s hand reaching to him and Paladin, a magic comes out at their backs and bounces them in. They made it to pass through the golem. Tabitha did a little cheat that her wand.

Team Platinum sees the cheeky girl having an item to get through luckily. It doesn’t matter anymore. They need to move on. Nera looks at the wand, already covered in dust, yet easily pull them in. However, it was kind of lucky. Since the golems are impervious against their magic items. They don’t know Tabitha’s wand has special runes and materials to help her control her abilities. Compared to the Team Platinum’s set of gears. She is holding the safest item inside the tight corridor.

The next one, it is harder than the single golem. In open spaces, this time the golems are carrying heavy equipment. Runes with their big boom sticks. A sling type weapon, they are using range. Projectiles firing causing an explosion, the force knocks them back out instead of hurting them. The runes here are different, it’s like a game for them and letting the participants force to the back whenever they get hit. Lycaon watches them trying to get through. Once again, they repeat the same tactics. One after the other, they use someone as bait and made themselves into a shield or platform. They made it, but losing more than their whole groups.

“Could you use your wand over there?”

Tabitha looks at and tried to use it to that direction. Lycaon signals her when the time is right. Testing if it works, Paladin goes in and the projectiles came after him. The wand helps him move to dodge but the explosions are too many and surrounded him, and it pinballing him back to the start.

Tabitha reacts “It won’t work against runes, even I have to push your friend”

“No, it’s good, since everyone is knocking back to the start. Why not we coordinate with them? I remember a certain formation that requires a group of people. I just hope it will work”

The golems saw they a forming up tight group coming at them. Their projectiles changed, and made it less piercing. The test of bravery and recklessness, it was meant to endure the punishment they bring. By the look of these people, they still have not enough to taste defeat. All they have to do is to bear all the punishment on their bodies, ripped and cut off the mana on them. As signs of their dependency were symptoms. They look at them as they are still resisting, the eyes of their bravery come forth to realize it was a test. The runes, their test is not having a demon inside of them. Except one boy under the trust by one.

“LET’S GO!!!” They charge and endure the punishment of multiple raining projectiles. It hurts, yet they keep moving forward without breaking their formation. Their normal bodies feel the aches and the tiresome encumbrances all around the dust. It was stupid as they collide one another being pushing themselves back. They persist they use the front as human shield as the others, but this one is different. Lycaon takes the lead as they shift one another to face the front. Miyusuki is with Paladin as the projectiles ramming at them. He fell down but pulled by Nera’s arm and send to the back. The slow-moving tortoise without a shell. The knockback wasn’t enough to push them all. Tightly moving forward as they are under the golems’ range.

Lycaon’s crazy idea had made many adventurers in awe how they use their own body. Others couldn’t bear the pain as they lied down to the corridor. The crazy stunts made them more disadvantageous as they put themselves on the floor. Team Platinum has endured and still able to walk. Miyusuki checks on Tabitha as she too is able to walk. He sees something odd as she pinned points on her body, as if she can do acupuncture with her fingers. Tabitha learned this from Archivist, redirecting the pain without mana, and it’s not working because of her inexperience. In the end, she moves failing to ease the bruise.

They made it into where the rest of the adventurers made it to the end. A small obelisk made out of runes. They have something on them as the rune words are floating in the air following them. The adventurers spot them

“Whoa? There’s more of you guys. Good! Try to get yourself your runes here. This is the reward we get to made this far. I don’t know what’s going on, but this will help us for the siege”

Tabitha thought this was meant to help Miyusuki, and these guys are taken something as a reward. What is Juela’s real plan? They all gathered and took their share. The ones who didn’t get back themselves to the wall.

Nera wasn’t convinced. “Reward? This is too predictable. There is no way they could thought of this, this is understandable if it is from us. But dwarves doing this is not I have in mind”

She is right, the obelisk shines the runes as it starts to crumble. Many of them take advantage and collect as much as they want. The source of this structure soon starting to collapse. The dwarves hiding behind the crystallized runes watch their greed flourishing the last test. Force to unite because of a common enemy, and end where their true intentions lie.

The adventurers know what’s going on and started to leave. One of them intentionally left with using the rules of the realm. He left leaving behind the runes.

“Figures”

They know the rewards won’t be that easy to gain and started to run back out from the hole. Tabitha can’t run as fast as she could. She tells them

“I think I can’t go on, Miyusuki, you did great. I’ll see you . . .?!!”

Miyusuki drops his equipment and helped her carry on his back. Team Platinum watches him trying to help her out, dropping his runes and equipment on hand. He wants to prove himself that what Lycaon said and did, not letting anyone left behind.

Nera gets his stuff and continue to run back. There are more people injured who tried to go through the projectiles. They give the able bodies some runes to help them carried the load out. While the others thought it was finished and left by using the rule. Then they saw Miyusuki carrying Tabitha on his back. The chance to see how adventurers should help one another after what they going through. They would like to try this moment too. Others followed his example as Miyusuki shows his body that he shouldn’t be carrying with the bruised body of his. Lycaon saw it, the dwarven gods are helping the poor boy to realize his heart.

So did with the others, as they run up. The tunnels collapsed. They tried their best to get out of here without any harm, but many of them were out. It is harder for them to get out with such a tight gap. The golems are gone and they received the blessings of the dwarven gods. Wanting to see how far they could muster and care to their brethren. To the last man who fell, others tried to help as soon as one of them got let’s go the runes and carried them as if it is real.

The chosen people get what they needed for the returning siege. The runes at their backs and the heart of the people they test to see. Imperfect such as them, and the eyes they are looking at are the one who lead, follow, and unite for this final escape. They made it out. As the scroll fully burns off without them knowing, returned back to the usual realm it was. Miyusuki feels the ache of his body carrying Tabitha up from the longest stair he had going up. He falls down in exhaustion and left the city sphere.