COI C56
Through the screen where the scout probes are barely surviving during the attack in the underground river, they have seen much worse they could ever imagine. The teachers watch it like a movie, beyond the graphic images for anyone to see, but some taken down pictures of the abomination for their creative imagination. The one who took it had made an impressive collection.
“I don’t know what we have just seen right now, this content will never be going to be seen at social media”
“What the actual fuck was that?”
“Oh my fucking god, those are actual rotten corpses and the goblin . . . I’m going to puke*”
The teacher held it in just in time after seeing such grotesque abomination.
“And I thought our world’s atrocities look worse, but those things . . . being stuff by other creatures”
They hide their eyes as the others are observing the details of those abomination. Rituals in flesh and ceremonial items carve through their skins and bones, then the last awful thing they see is the plagues containing parasites. The team didn’t notice what happened during the fight, but they see it. Rusic’s mouth was invaded by some parasite quickly lurking down to his throat. They search about the tribes that made it is wrong for them to see.
“Sul Boyz, a tribe of spiritual connection between the spirits of pestilence. Originated in a world where plagues and diseases are biological as in native animals, but sadly they were summoned to Horsin of their ironically made used cures. The differences are they are trying to tame those plagues in a microorganism size level instead of its actual animal size. It will become of its worse form when exposed to Alga’s light, a crazy discovery in the remains in Rune Isles, they are the most intellectual goblins than the entire tribes co-exist with them”
In the stone slab, gives the parts of detail about the tribe. Alche only gives one logical explanation of why this description is too vague for them to understand.
“Different dimensions regarding sustaining life”
“What did Alche just said?”
“There’s nothing to learn about them, they are already extinct”
“Yeah, but what did Alche said?”
“We can speculate all we want if we have gathered when we control the sphere. For now, at least, let’s continue to see what happened to them”
“. . . We have new tribe incoming; they seem to be weird metallic tribes. That’s a big gap when they remain tribal when they are using steel”
Again, continue researching about the new tribe and its bunker. The search within the slab shows more trivia and managed to have existed until the era of heroes and demons. Lost information was distorted and only written by the surviving tribes are written, but that is needed a spirit to reawaken the writings. The teachers were hoping for a simple description, they don’t want to waste time searching for it with massive results found. At the same time, they wanted to see more on screen where they are now resting near it. They read a bit of the description
“Gatyas, the machinist tribe. Spirits within the iron, the goblins who are against the new era, Unification . . .”
Coral fell unconscious after she is being absorb to the wall, and Haw was with her who got caught through his bracers. Being absorb through a metal wall should have killed them, the massive force of steel covering them like mud. It is too unnatural for it to capture them. He starts to ignore all reasons as he is in the goblin tribe that knows how to use metal. Haw looks around in the dark, they seem to be captured instead taken out but why. A chattering of metals come and go to where it sees him and Coral to his side, it stares at him observing their equipment being magnetized.
Lights start appearing in front of Haw where they are in the tight corner of a room where the other metallic spirits standing idly. They are surrounded and thought it must be their end. For the moment, they stood still as if they were sleeping. A floating metal ball coming in their direction as the ritual starts looking at them, magnetized where Haw’s hand being lock into place leaving the rest of his body freely to move. Coral is wearing fully made armor where her metal like robe and underneath with actual wooden mix plated metal, it is still impressive how it works together by their craftsmanship.
Her shadow appears as he notices it, the spirits turn and see with its light, and it disappeared without even a chance to see its elusive move predictably follow at their backs. Coral is waking up as she can’t move, her groan barely hear anyone as she thinks she still inside the sphere. Not moving at all because of her armor being magnetize, she sees Haw lying down next to her with his bracers stuck on a metal platform. He lied down on his back as she’s in the front, the spirits kept searching on them only to the metal parts that it is trying to find.
Polarizing them both where to the moment as it trying to touch it, Haw quietly waits for the spirit to touch it. Coral let her shadow to follow what Haw is doing, through her senses into her surroundings, it tells her they are surrounded by metal creatures. The spirit first checks on Haw’s bracer and once it touches through its metallic limbs, he grips his hand and hold the spirit in place but magnetize back to the platform. Haw’s hand returned back on the metal floor including the metal creature itself. Struggling to escape from his grip, the other spirits appeared and help it.
Her shadow appears and cut them off as its spirits were released from its bodies, large sounds from dropping its entire metal creatures to the ground. The magnet pulled the parts toward them as Haw is getting buried alive by the heavy materials slamming down on him. The shadow is searching for the source of the magnetism, there was no power, but the spirits are channeling it without any use of electricity or natural polarization materials. It found the source underneath them, as it taken out with a clean swift. Pile of metal scraps or parts buried on Haw as Coral tries to free him.
“Haw! Are you ok?”
“Yeah, these metals are not heavy. It magnetized weaker than we have. What a strange metal this is” Coral checks on the metals as it is light and remained strong with its thickness, realizing that this metal looks familiar but having this quantity this big. “It’s Aluminium, a big chunk of it too”
“Other types of metal, that’s probably the reason why they are not magnetized at all. I still don’t think those spirits freely use the law of physics when it comes to rituals”
“Heh, since when did you know about . . . never mind, we’re both alright that's more important. We need to get out of here”
Both of them search around the small room where collection of metal parts and other machinery cramped all together, the room is not even suitable for any living being to stay inside as it so cramped as both of them squeeze themselves in or out of the way like they are in the small cracks of the cave. The shadow let her see outside of the room where other spirits moved like gears and mechanically move where the magnet keep them going.
“Industrial complex inside the landmark, Haw, how did we get inside? The exteriors on the other rooms are like factories”
“I have no idea, see anything how it operates?”
“Yeah, it is using magnets to operate. More like no electricity and just using the spirits in order to work it out”
“Spirits within the machine? Treating itself as power source, then we need to search among these scraps that help us open somehow”
The spirits senses one of its metallic kinds that were released from their metal bodies, seeing that the two fights back. Expected by this action how they are trying to steal from them, but in their actual interaction. No living thing would venture forth near the river with the Sul Boyz tribe.
The spirits never sense life but only steel and other metallic properties, it begins to operate the more interactive machines. The metallic creature appeared with its parts installed with a music bow, where its cylinder with its drum moves freely acting like a voice box, and only one of the few awaken speaking spirit. A rare substitute for communication, it will be difficult for this creature to face them. The polarization appeared among the rooms where doors opened in sync like an industrial machine, following up where only it fits for specific procedure of manufacturing.
The two hears something, music coming from the noisy stomps of metal as they tried to find a way to open the “doors”. Something pops out from the metal walls like fits the size of a container, a creature appeared that plays its music. Slowly moving into them as they see it acting shyly, the two already readied themselves as it is trying to play a pleasant tune for them. No expression as it is like toy that was not fully made, a blank head with no face but an impressive body where the rituals are written like ancient alien writings. They stood still as they are trying to understand each other.
The music kept going while it carefully writes along the metal walls, Haw almost ready to fight as he sees the rituals popping up with his bracer, but he didn’t grab the spirit. He stops for a bit and ask Coral
“Do you have your device, Coral?”
“I still have it within my armor, you mean, translate the writings on that wall?”
“Yeah”
“I’m not sure, this language is not translated. I hope it works”
She pulled out her device and begin scanning, rely only the data she had, no connection to the internet and limited access that depends on her personal data.
The small music toy sees their device and interact with it, hoping that there is sound coming from it. Same materials as metal properties, it hopes to communicate. Coral sees a popup to allow unknown source to be download, she looks at the toy trying its best to communicate. Taking the risk of updating her device for the spirit, she hesitated but the sounds of incoming creatures start banging the door. To her surprised, she accidentally accepted it.
“Shit”
The download starts and the alien writings are going into her device. The toy tried its best to extend its ritual to the door. Blocking the entrance, small gaps appeared as it almost comes in, barely.
Coral checks her device again and sees a blank icon, the spirit had not imprinted of what that technology required to show. There is nothing else for her to do as they are trapped leaving Haw stands guard the door. She opened the app and the music it plays starts to talk.
“Hello, my fellow big metal boss. It is strange how that two looking bracers floating around without any polarization. Anyway, our boyz sense invisible thing hurting them. It must be that you two are probably alive, it is weird how you are at the dark levels where the most hideous creations are kept here because of their aggression”
She didn’t understand the start about being metal, but she wore metal armor that’s what she was thinking. More importantly her device somehow communicates with it, not only it translates but the voice matches the tune of the music box. It must be something she downloaded by mistake, she replied
“You can’t see us”
“I can see you but not that guy with only bracers leaning against the wall”
Coral figured it out, they don’t have to fight and have to sneak their way without wearing metal. It’s like they are metal detectors. She continues.
“Yes, we are humans, do you know the way to escape this bunker?”
“Sure, but if you are living beings. You will be facing those monstrosities outside; I don’t know you could survive and let alone see you”
It is enough for her to accept it, and Haw hears their conversation as the two look each other in the eyes almost next to each other. They have to change clothes where both of them in this tight room. Coral instinctively looks for the scouting probe if they are going to change clothes, but nothing was there and the shadow already scouting far where they are not that far where the team is right now.
“It’s ok, we can make it”
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“If you must, then I’ll be helping you with this”
Through the spirit’s polarization it pulled out a hidden door inside the metal platform, the metal boulder held a magnetic ball carved in rituals. Cleaning out the rest of the dangerous rituals and secret curses, it only can do now is to polarize around them.
“Take this, if you are alive then they can’t see you but if not, we will become one . . . ehehehe”
It’s evil laugh coming from tunes of the music box make it sounds so cute. Coral recorded the conversation as the music box made it comfortable to hear it again.
It leaves when a metallic limb appeared where it entered and quickly closed it. She grabs the orb that was a size of a basketball and turns into a size of a baseball, wondering what rituals inside that thing to be that massive. Haw warns her about the idea to hide themselves.
“Remember Coral, never use your UIs or your inventory out of the open. There is no telling what we are attracting in this landmark”
“We are also too close like almost touching, there is no other way we could fight in this tight corner”
“You managed to use your shadow to fight them”
“Haw, you were covered by Aluminium metal parts. There will be going to be heavier metals that will squash us”
Haw stares the small gap where even bigger size metal creatures waiting outside, the chance of being crushed by their weights if he removes the spirits inside of it. The bracers have powerful effects on spirits but not in natural materials when the spirit left. He sighs and starts to remove his bracers, and he brings out the magic bag where his clothes put. Not going to look behind him, but Coral embarrassingly tugs his arm.
“Uhm, my clothes are in my inventory”
“. . .”
“Don’t give me the silent treatment, and let me borrow your clothes”
“I’ll give you the clothes what Thean gave to us on the first landmark”
“Deal!”
Coral picks up his bag and quickly pulled out the clothes.
Her shadow comes along and help her removed the armor set she is wearing, slowly trying to remove it in this tight space. Behind her where Haw is also undressing,
“You pervert, why I . . .!”
Haw’s body shows signs of the poison surging in, showing his neck and his bare back colors of veins with curses mist appears as he sweats. Their skins touch as Haw leans forward and away from her.
“Sorry, I want to see what is happening with my body” “No! your body starts sweating with strange color”
“Let it go, Coral, it never existed in our world now”
Coral fully in her underwear and kept looking at his bare back, feeling a bit anxious for this surprised moment and him having to check his body. Her shadow gives the shirt and letting it dress her as she gazes at the curse plagues on his body. Haw looks at his own body to see how much left he could fight on with this curse slowly building up, it is almost time for the 1st phase to end as they are almost close to the controls of this landmark. Coral starts a random conversation as she still putting up some clothes on and tying up her long hair.
“So uh, this landmark, what’s it called again?”
“It’s called Canyon Tribe Cliffs, a memorial place where the most goblin ancestral monuments are place here. It depends on the layers of height like canyon, where the most natural and powerful are shines on the surface while the dangerous and deadly below the ground. I have no idea why this bunker to be part the other two, but it can be dangerous of its metals lying on top of wooden made canyon”
“Yeah, and about that strange interaction with my device and its ritual. Do you know something like this?”
“No, and yours are interacted with neutral mana. The past had success somehow”
“Yeah, I guess . . . Hey!”
Haw remained looking away as she got surprised, looking back to him she thought he would accidentally see her. Already worn and only her long hair is being tying up into a bun from her shadow.
“Sorry, but the app I got from it. It disappears, well that worries me if it got malware”
“Malware?”
“Forget what I just said and let’s go”
Coral uses the orb and starts to expand and opens the door. The metallic creatures go in without noticing them, their equipment hid in his magic bag as they escape the room. More creatures line in wait, where the music toy waving goodbye tuning itself away.
The orb polarizes the tight spaces in order to move properly, the radius it forces away making the spirits moving around them. It didn’t even notice them as they thought the boulder is moving through its rituals. One step slowly from the two, Coral’s shadow brightens their surroundings with white light but only silhouette appeared before them. The appearance what they saw looks aesthetic than what she thought, like it was drawn in scratch but pleasing to see like its grim but appealing. Haw follows her slowly as he pointed out that the door the way out is in front of them.
Coral is holding the orb and they surrounded by movable heavy machinery, being careful around here made her cautious and the sounds of those metallic creature moves frantic as their harvests were lost. The noise echoes powerfully as she is deafening by the noise. Giving it to her shadow next to them as both of them covered their ears, yet she wants to take her steps slow. Haw looks at her in agony by the sheer noise when the spirits moving inside the tight room.
Meanwhile, small metallic toys scan the ground for any strange creature inside its bunker. The toys found one as it busily continued to track them, both worried and annoyed, they persist to find the missing metal and moves around the unknown tracks. Being silly with limited parts it had, and the spirits install them some eyes as they found something. Lens and ritual made eyes attached on their body or heads if they have one, see the intruders. Getting to act wildly and even runs away from them for being a toy, the metallic creature moves around blindly as they can be.
Steadily and quietly reaching the door, the noise is getting louder. Haw looks behind them, where the polarization kept them from being crushed. Large moving creatures trying to reach them with its size and parts being installed, having limbs, sensors, and weaponry being attached these metallic creatures. Coral’s shadow opens the door as it retracts itself back, Coral turns around to Haw and ask him, then she saw the metallic creatures are turning into robots.
“Oh shit, Haw what's happening here?”
“Scourges! They found us!”
“Damn it! The door opens too slowly”
Both of them unarmed and the equipment they have are hidden in his magic bag, the things they have to do to face inside the room as it is crushing the room. The orb helps them keep safe, showing only the dome appeared around them, and the only hope they could do is to open the door. Coral nervously swears
“Shit! Shit! Shit!”
Haw sees them trying to use their newly installed limbs to piston its attack on the orb, rapidly hitting then slowly when touch through the orb’s polarization. The motors inside of the piston burst off because of malfunction release inside of its mechanism.
The room opens a small cylindrical pipe to the orb, Haw turns to see it and saw something is coming out from it. A small projectile coming from the pipe as it looks like a metal ball, the polarization kept it from moving forward and the fire coming from the pipe kept it going. The metal ball, carved in runes, starts to shine molten red. Coral sees it while she checks on Haw, the metal ball slowly picking up heat and unstable motion erratically where it should polarize away, but it kept going. More of those pipes appearing from the metal walls as they persisted toward them.
Not letting them release their hands from their ears, it is their fate with her shadow. The door opens a bit as they look surprised and happy to finally open. Slowly getting it open as the metal balls appeared with its molten risen rituals, they need to get out of their as they wait for the door to open. The door starts to open faster as their faces grew intense where the shots start to shine even brighter. There is no time for them to know when that metal ball will begin to explode and Haw pushes Coral to the small gap of the open door.
“Go! We can fit through the gap, Hurry!”
Coral squeezes her way outside the door and her shadow helps her push her out, the ritual on the door turns rough and try to rub on her back inside. Inside of the bunker starts to shine molten where Haw getting blind by it, the orb held it without trouble, but they never know if the explosion can be polarized. The shadow pulled Haw out of there with Coral where the two squeeze together, no ripping coming from the door as it is only rough and strong friction pulled them in. Reaching to the highest temperature where they can’t bear the heat anymore and the sounds of the metal balls start to expand.
The explosion was off and more other metal balls follow up as well, the residue spilled out from the door where a ritual emits in the air. The spirit is formed in molten color where a head appeared and starts laughing, no voice but a form of smoke animating it, nonetheless. Coral and Haw made it outside where both of them where safe, her shadow covered for them as it reappeared to her after its bits of the shadow being torn off by the heat or light. The door didn’t close but something was odd for them where they feel something is not right.
The stench is here, too familiar from before. It can’t be within Coral’s eyes and Haw’s ringing his head and trying to recover from the blast. The abomination is here staring at them with its deformed figure and shredded by the explosion, fell to the ground where its rituals being purged by the other ritual. Haw turns and see the door remained open, and this is the first time in his stay in Isekai City to ever rejoice such a succeeding degree.
“Archscience Conquers ALL!”
Coral turns as he never said something like that. Second’s familiar appeared and rescue them both, being pulled together where the team is already struggling to get out of here. The horde of flesh already blocking the path they wish to leave, thrilling them up to see them back where they almost regretted to come back to them. The familiar did its best where Second hugs it but phases through.
“Glory to the gods, you’re all safe!”
Second getting pulled by First as he already struggling to push back the large abomination forcing its parts of its body through his barrier.
Coral shouts in excitement, but her equipment is with Haw. Haw tries his best backing to them where the fight is too intense for him to pull out the bag. Dragging and pulling where the barrier starts to breach by them, they are trying to escape from this corner where Haw announced his success.
“They’re here!”
“Hahah! Are you now?”
“No! Woni’es, he meant those metallic tribe”
“. . . No kidding? Everyone let’s leave here before they mosh themselves to us”
“Eh younglings, getting too old than us?”
They bickered among each other, already surrounded and nothing else they could go instead the wall of ritual flesh close to them. A ballistic ball coming to the wall where a horde of metal creatures coming to their direction. It quickly burst through as they quickly leave. Chaos assured among themselves where the tribes found each other, and most goblin traditions show themselves in different groups will always have to be . . .
“Metul! Metul! Metul!”
“Bodies r burning good, idz dem!”
Both hordes meet where the flesh rituals are not too happy to see them while those metallic rituals already geared up with its weapons, they thought they could catch their missing stolen metal, but they are free from the bunker. The sounds of steam engines and ritual energy sparking without logic, their empty expressions weren’t made but their actions and calling within the words of the spirits are enough for the flesh spirits to hear.
“Idiutz are out of the water, ATTACK!”
“Blind hordes, there are intruders here”
“Well, we don’t see no spirits or metal”
It begins, the final stage of the 1st phase is done. Because of this place will attract the spirits, there is nothing else for the goblin spirits to rally themselves where this fight is too good not to ignore, including the remaining scouting probes. The teachers had decided to let them stay and watch the fight, their curious sight expand further where one of the metal spirits grab one of them and attached to their bodies. Sharing both view for the spirit and the probe, it is easy for them to see how they act out as machines. The fight is truly chaotic and much more noise it says in spirits.
“Gatyas tribe! Stop this or we won’t be getting rid the intruders”
“Silly dead bits want to stop, where is it?”
“They are alive!”
“Laugh* Living bits with dead bits? Idiot spirits are good spirits now”
“Argh! The horde like you can’t even see life, they have desecrated so much to us”
“Sul boyz? Desecrated? These spirits need boss”
“Ooh, ooh, I be there boss”
“No way, they need boss that won’t rot brain”
“Brain? What’s that?”
“Thing that goes Brrr-rrring!”
“No no, the thing . . . uh? . . . Attack!”
“Groan* Why part of the horde”
The metal spirits unleashed their arsenals on to the abomination, the enjoyment of themselves broke free from the bunker and start mayhem against their own spirit kin. A group of machines come in start purging them down as they yell at everything.
“My arms are not ready!”
“Kick them then, you dotes!”
“The rusts are coming”
“Kill them before they splatter their innards at us”
“But big boyz, where surrounded”
“That’s why we’re here you dotes”
“Their things are getting jammed my gears”
“Bring those little toys as canon fodders!”
“Uhm big boyz? They just move over them”
“I can see that, armed up the bombs!”
“Bombs! Who had it?”
“The toys!” “. . .”
“Rarrgh bump*”
“. . . The toys were blown away (crushed)”
“AAAAH! I’ll just do it myself with you as my weapon”
“The boss will be surprised that we are in the action, ehehe”
The scouting probes were destroyed during the fight, but it was something they couldn’t regret to see what is happening. Watching the metal spirits as idiots, and the Sul boyz being a zombie pandemic, they rather let the Gatyas to be their side besides the Sul boyz. Until the last scouting probe that stayed to see the fight, it is an accomplishment to where they see it like a weird parody of zombies and robots battling out. One of the teachers who made the probes show his accomplishment to another lost creation, he said
“It’s worth it”
The team survives another attack, and the hordes are kept fighting at each other. Either it was stupid for the spirits to being hostile one another or the spirits never once feel lost because of its eternal existence, the team is glad they are united again.
“I’ve never could believe that you two survived, even we are outnumbered. Second made a great decision”
“I’ve never believed it too myself, after getting captured by an unknown tribe”
“Haw you too? For me, we could get out of here in one piece when I learn those spirits can’t see living being like us”
“Such an intriguing assumptions Coral, for goblins like that, they must be from another world that there is no significant form of life”
A stray metallic projectile hits Rusic from the back while they run away. His armor shattered and the bones quickly breaks and burns, they come to heal him, but his armor had a hole, and he can’t wear it anymore because of a big dent to his armor. His back endured the impact leaving U’ecin impressed
“Dwarves, still survive getting hit like that”
“Hah! Never could I imagine breaking that easily, that metal thing come right at me”
Rusic stares at the metal projectile as he sees the rituals are almost identical as runewords, still weak, and strong enough to dent with that size.
Rusic removes his helmet where everyone could see his poisoned face and the last remaining scouting probe sees it. Already closing in with the curse where his stubborn body endured the symptoms from the parasite. His eyes look close to dead and remained as he is when had to say to them with their eyes are in shock.
“I’m guessing I’m hideous now, don’t worry, it is almost over”
Leaving his equipment behind as he wants to continue on, soon after they prepared somewhere safe for the controls’ location.
They found it, and it is easily differentiated from the goblin’s architectures. No goblins used an obelisk to be this clean without drawings and goblin rituals with it, except Coral that this is her first time seeing something that identifies as a landmark's controls. Coral walks closer to the obelisk. A cave appeared and pulled it away from them.
“What the fuck!”
She never known, but they already expected it. A light shine on them as they see the portal in read.
The sounds of woods breaking itself from the portal, it shredded wooden pieces are coming out form the red portal as if it is meant to enter and not exited. A wooden dummy, not a scarecrow, yet it did form itself a body. Its wooden frames with a mask with only one eye glowing red, its body grow itself back after being shredded by the portal. It made itself a bow and a body of a normal man, too disturbing how it looks, cursed and more threatening where its aura never meant to co-exist with the living but fused together. U’ecin stares at it confidently where the legend is called
“Man from Soulfate”