COI C114
Flashback in Enders Bridge, Elrond gives her a special item. “Tabitha, this special tool belongs to a special brother of mine. Student, if I can describe him. He is very distant himself from the faith among his brethren and sistren. Always to treat it as its importance, you fear your mana in immense power as of now but with this creature inside, is the strength you’ll need to survive at the start. This friend of yours, will need it against your people. I know all of you are not the same such as we elves. Ehan’Se will give you the guidance to bring you might back from the past you have in this world. My gods had seen you walk your path before coming here”
Tabitha releases those sprites, sparks, whatever they are called. Those lights able to talk with her, like a fairy tale in this post-apocalyptic world. Wisps are commonly called by the elves. Talking about the warnings and some convincing conscience speaking through her head while Archivist battle with the troublemaker, never knew it was an old actual criminal from their home world. The wisps echoed silent voice reach the man not to use his gun and continue to fight without a second thought. A powerful creature continues to convinced her opponent to slowly lowering his power to fit Archivist’s level.
They at the end, completely ignores its existence let the two battle it out. Finally, it was over and he comes to him without any sever damage. The unarmed and unarmored man stood before her as the realm is breaking. Tabitha reaches his hand and escape this realm
“We have to go”
“Wait! I think I got something off from that man’s belt”
Archivist took the sash from him during the mess of the battle. He had no idea why the man’s spell is weak. Leaving him empty to know more what’s going on, even his coin helped him to took control the used mana. The coin has no power to stop magic but turned into a terrain from its destructive force. He thinks that this realm is strange.
One of the Dark Green Dot gang members watches them leave and seeing ancient elven creatures followed them. The fighter sees the realm crumbling and slowly falling apart. This very creature held its existence, if it breaks it will transport all of them back safely nevertheless. A trapped realm that supposed to lure who wants to destroy it. The previous realms were already being wipe out and hoping a chance to caught someone off guard. The fighter goes to the man who is lying down slowly recovering his true strength. The elven magic had already weakened him to that extent. Only the items he is holding were not easily manipulated. The items have their strength.
The man was pulled by the collar and drag on the floor. Doesn’t bother to help him carefully as there is nothing dangerous happen here. All the people who are inside the realm were perfectly safe after their exits. The realm fell without a trace and the writings hidden secretly inside continue to glow out to nothingness. The realm went dark, but never truly destroyed. The owner, the covered man, made this realm. As it continued to pre-exist inside, nowhere to be seen nor found.
The man wakes up back in the base. The fighters and other gang members look at him at the table where he lied down with plates and dishes already set on top of him, the fighters said to him while showing him a picture
“So, this is what you call the disturbing man platter. You’re no woman”
“Sarcastically laughs* Trying to be a comedian eh. There so much physical joke, why are you guys going for the lewd one?”
The gang members were a bit embarrassed and couldn’t say much, and the fighters are looking at them. The man undoubtedly knew
“Hide your porn magazine somewhere else”
The woman comes in and see the commotion, the fighters were so curious about the city life. The gang members who are able to learn and experience to be martial artists, and now they trying to convert such skills and techniques into Judo, Taekwondo, Kung Fu, or any of the original martial arts in their world. She sees him again, defeated for once. She thought he is losing a bit but from what she heard about. The topic about elves is a different story. The man pulls out from the table and said to her
“I guess we can’t do the misunderstanding jokes, are we?”
“If your friend being teleported with us during that incident. I might believe you are going to be center of this joke”
“Laugh* A center on the table, it was ruined by some amateurs making excuses”
The gang members pretend to laugh. The man laughs with them
“Laugh* Fuck you too. Next time if we are in the back alley, I’ll going to introduce you your favorite BL protagonist . . .”
They went quiet for a second, and grabbed their magazine and left
“. . . Then you should’ve kept your shit sealed inside your ass”
The covered man checks all the set of items from the man’s UI inventory. Comparable to the usage of different people, he can see the differences. Disappointed that the sash is taken away, it has the unique form of interaction in the difference between users. They hope the new owner is as defensive as the man who would’ve used. The fighters compared the stealth items.
“The citizen had more use of actual stealth in mind, both only the gloves and the boots had its promises. The sash however, was taken away. One of our companions supervise it and has a big difference on use”
The fighters describe it with different results. The covered man had never seen this kind of tactics being used, it is said by many of past predecessors that a weapon can be different in a different fighting style, and such as this information shows to them. It would be taken them the risk of letting those gang members to use it. Base on mastery though, it would be hard for them to have their own original techniques with it. This UI guidelines have proved to be blocking their creative practice more than he had examined since coming here.
During the thorough examination, the first thing they forgot is the cape. The covered man summarized the reason again, “Did that wisp blurred his mind not using the cape?”
They nodded, and the cover man continues “Then we should be more wary for those secrets. But still, continue where they used the resources demanded. The rebellion had given us orders to do this”
“I want to ask again, how about the people who joined us”
“Their rewards will always be sending them home. The Foundation is still stagnated for some reason. In time we are neutral, and to those demons hiding away from their capital city, Norvait . . .”
He went silent, then they proceed to continue their work. The fighters describe the items “The gloves are used to negate the magic flow, just like the runes when hitting someone with it. Originally, we used it disperse the spells when used as our way of breaking through their magic. But it is too dangerous for them to endure such impact, and require more layers of protection. The boots were used for silent stepping, meanwhile ours are more improved from quiet footings. We can use phantom run”
Phantom run is a term for continues sabotaging, while running or escaping, the swift movement able to go through traps without detecting or activating it. It can be called as baiting for this strategy or more to the most elusive of tricks. The covered man picks up the cape, that turns invisible. It is a surprised to see that this was being used throughout the journey through Chojima District. Scouting through the residence for people who wished to leave, becoming the ghost to listen the people’s needs. Covered man said to them
“Send this cape to the so-called real gang member. Tell him about the deal we discussed”
They follow his order and swiftly go, while the rest continue.
Near Taiyou Industries, the incidents were proven serious. The low ranks were being fooled and at the same time lucky to be alive. The origin of the realm is one of the rare secret hideouts. The police personnel had put it into the classified cases, now they found one more here in this ruin. Myrrkei had easily find them inside the city, where it hid smuggled mana battery, but this time the realm is empty and disappeared. It wasn’t destroyed according to the investigator. Two witnesses are safe, and they were brought back to the factory.
Tabitha never would have thought the infamous suspects, a group of people who nearly killed one of the officers during the lockdown. It traces so well of being dangerous and at the same time bringing illicit materials, not taboo, but dangerous equipment taken and distribute throughout only to Mihayara District. A man who hid his face, able to use martial arts like Archivist. Archivist is relief that they escaped, wondering about the luck he had to survive such attack and the items the man brought.
He said to her “If it weren’t for your wisp, I don’t think I would last long and we should’ve leave earlier”
“When should you back away and flee?”
“About the time he brings out a gun, after one shot, he just stops shooting. I know inside the realm is a bit blurry and hard to see. The man is a citizen, he can use magic to detect me easily. I tell you. He knows what to do but kept himself slow for some reason”
Tabitha’s wisp glows secretly from everyone’s view, she felt the warmth and kept it a secret.
Archivist continues “Those small lights of wisps before, they appeared when you were there. Do you think there is something mystical about it?”
“Yeah . . . well I”
A police officer comes to them reaching out asking for information. The two got busy being interviewed inside the station. Before, the Enders rallied to them when they were asked to go with the police to the city. They were stopped and thankfully they didn’t leave as Spokesman comes to their aids. However.
“I guess your first day has an experience for the both of you. Ahem* You two are playing risky when unarmed, and I don’t want to hear from Tabitha’s special inventory. “I take care both of you” customs, but that’s not how the world works here. Archivist, I understand your thoughts is bind with her. You should realize how they able to survive better than you. Just prepare yourself with their own equipment, even people like us will not dare to enter with our own sets. And you Tabitha . . .”
Tabitha never would have thought Spokesman scolds on them. They were able to survive without any problems, she hears Archivist thoughts about it.
“It’s a first time to hear you being arrogant, Tabitha”
“Sorry, I was a little bit excited when you fight with that man. So, how’s your body?”
“It’s fine, I don’t know how that man become in the same level as me. I don’t want to be underestimate, but from what he is wearing previously . . . He hid something stronger than I admit that shouldn’t do. Spokesman is right”
Spokesman lightly stomps his feet and disrupted their ritual bind. Both of them shivers from the shock, quite a random interaction, and Spokesman sees them are not listening. He said to them
“Sigh* For not having the experience on deception, you two were never been into a lie and will never know what dangers inside. I advised to meet Ironno or Haw on this matter. They have experienced volunteer activities with the police. Myrrkei was the mastermind for all of them to get himself inside into the government. I read from their reports, they have difficulty that you’ll need to know”
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Meanwhile, Manager Kubo is in a meeting with temporary executives and leaders. Where the actual CEOs and other high position staff were not involved during the incident to enter this world. They are already accepting the facts that this city will never return, and hopes that their people to leave this place for good. Forced into politics as the manufacturing industries are being mingled with people who are not fit to become as leaders. However, protecting this city is the top priority as the only place to escape in this world is with the Foundation. They are drawing their own stress where the monsters claimed their facilities.
“. . . The plans for the next moon cycle are settled, and for the production for the needs of our people are still in dire demands. We finally have the resources for the productions and our other facilities were able to resupply the defenses”
One of the leaders keeps his head low knowing too well what’s going on. They can’t hold themselves any further because of the news.
“Can we just talk about the problem now? Bandits or criminals are invading our district. I can’t imagine the equipment they are going to steal from us”
“He’s right, we can’t manufacture those machineries in our state. We should . . .”
Manager Kubo interrupts them “There is no need to worry about that, the Enders have brought our equipment safely. They clean, fix, and relocated them in a safe place. They are now at the warehouses were used to be storage for our wood productions”
“Still, how long will our city to recapture the stolen lands from the demons? Such a large mass of land that could hide many dangerous individuals, not because of those monsters, but I heard criminals from Agatheus City are coming here”
Manager Kubo sees them doubting themselves as they recover what they lost. Continue to work in the factories where the Foundation is already finished, thinking about leaving is as much as good idea than to fix this city from ruins. She understands how they feel. Back then, many tried to attempt to leave this world through the Foundation. They were appearing inside Purissarwell after using it. While others teleported to Agatheus City and Mountaiwall at random places. They were lucky that never teleported to Enders Bridge or any other places beyond the Kinteinnou region.
Back to their topic, “We don’t know for sure, yet, I would gladly to protect this city a bit longer. No deaths during the siege are blessings to whom who have love ones lost their lives during our first stay. I know it was months ago, but I am not giving up my life on this. I also understand people who also hated to go back, not everyone lived perfectly”
“We all do, there is no need to bring it up the reasons for it that this world is not ours”
They continue the meeting, as the new orders are under way. The Enders are waiting for the commands as it is close to finish.
A train arrived at the station, there were no people inside but cargoes of supplies. Containment units with Alga’s light, the fuel made by the citizens themselves. Along with other supplies such as hazmat suits and weaponries, the Dexters were readying the equipment to the adventures. The reason for them to gather in such large numbers is here. Spokesman notice them
“. . . It seems they brough the goods, why not watch over them to see how they use it”
Tabitha replied “Just watching them work? It’s that really our punishment”
“Punishment? No, this is your people’s weaponry. I want to remind you what you about to see”
The two walks out from the field computer and watches the Dexters distributing the equipment to the adventurers.
“Alright you all, your orders are here. There is no need for you bring your magic to it as it will protect, destroy, and more importantly it wrecked your enemies in flames . . .”
For the moment, he said to his members “. . . Is this they wanted me to say?”
“No, I think you’re no good at catch phrasing it”
The adventurers received the equipment and instantly wears it through their UI. It gives them the details how to use it and the skills provided through their RAP. Under a few minutes, they already becoming novices without being instructed.
All of the adventurers wear the exact uniform of hazmat suits, but their flame weapons are adjustable and can be modified or customized. They watch them trying to make an improvement out of it, Dexter guild member said to them is not using their magic on their equipment, and now they are persistent to design their weapons to fit their style. Soon the hazmat suits were included to their design, even some idiots trying to make jokes about it and change their appearance and called it skins. After a closer look at it, they are just cosmetics and nothing more as the hazmat suits are immune of their magic, a shell of an appearance.
“Our own flamethrowers, designed by our people and manufactured in Enders Bridge. How are they able to produce it without an industrial factory?”
“You can ask them”
“I don’t want to”
“This looks kind of brand new instead of being a scrap junk. These components are not that easy to be made. Even the tubes are flexible, while the valves on tanks are easy to turn . . .”
“Easy to turn, checked your stats, idiot”
“. . . Whoops, that’s why the tank feels so light”
“I can smell the sea breeze inside of this suit, why is it smell so metallic?”
“Maybe they are metal fans, laugh*”
The low ranks, C to D ranks all gathered in a line. Where someone comes by, a B rank adventurer, is checking in front of them. The woman says her introduction to them
“I am here to supervise all of you, we were the first to survey the dangers inside this mist along with the highest of ranks. I have my experience when going deep inside the ruin, any trace of mana will be scent of those hidden monsters. It is great to see all of you are better equipped and prepared than us. I won’t hold back your fun, but it won’t be fun when you get horded by it. Don’t forget, the suits will force you to use your failsafe. The equipment you have will be left behind as the rules said”
One of the Dexters setting up the example to use flamethrowers, aim to an empty space. Wearing a Dexter’s special lens or oval glasses, he fires it and the flames catch something. Body appeared only in flames as Alga’s light fueled in liquified form drenched and forcing it to appear. The hidden monster is motionless as it is stagnated as it sleeps, the guild member carefully punches it with only his lab gloves. Jabbing it like he is a kid poking a motionless object out of curiosity, it begins to twitch. He dodges it and persist on continue to burn it alive, a finale with a strong haymaker. The monster’s body collapses in ashes.
The adventurer explains to them “You all know you are here for, right? To get easy loot and . . .”
She goes to the ashes and picks up something buried it. A loot, a rare loot that many low ranks envied to get. Magic gems that can only be found to the dangerous east area of the region, close to east mountain. She continues
“. . . this is the materials you need for your personal needs like your home appliances and more. The government have provided you this opportunity to get it, before it gets harder to get in the near future. Don’t waste it as your enemies are made by the demons. UNDERSTAND!”
They excitedly cheer loudly “YES MA’AM . . . Woohoo!”
They proceed to focus on the north, where the factories are dearly in need of recovering. The basic needs of appliances and other utility components to maintain the city. Regarding on the others such as the remodeled facilities to turn into refinery and metalworks, at this time, the best facility is up north. They main objective for them now is to clear the tree debris next to it, that’s their hinderance to power it back up and expand the barrier there.
The low ranks got both excited and nervous at the same time. Without anything left to say, they have to go in march while others treated as another quest to complete. Archivist and the Tabitha follow them, it filled Tabitha with worries to see something out of nowhere appeared before them. She proceeds to keep an eye on Archivist
“Can you still continue on after what happened this morning?”
“I have enough fighting for the day, Spokesman has his eyes on us. Oh yeah, did you ever see his wife?”
“Wife?! Here? I heard him talk about her, rumors about her being clingy to him when the two meet privately”
Lilith watches them leave, and she sees Archivist hinting about her with Tabitha. As long as her identity won’t be circling into confusing from who she really was, acting like a Dexter for now. The ray of light passing through the corner of eyes as she was expecting them to watch over them, secretively. The size of the man phasing through the light, with his energy weapons. A man with less physique looking armor, she said his name
“X2L, doing the side line work with your size and your bloated belly. Sigh* Why of all the fat people in our city, he is the healthiest . . . Healthier than the average soldier. What military rations had feed you with?”
The adventurers reach the north section of the factories, open wide parking areas, empty interiors wept cleaned by the Dexter Guild, and monsters faded hidden to nothing. The B rank adventurer calls out to them
“When the fight starts, the monsters will become stronger the longer you kept them alive. Burn them to ashes instead of cooking them, there will be a mysterious stranger appeared before you when you have trouble. That stranger though, heh, will make you work harder if you get what I’m saying”
The low ranks are gently taking aim, as one of them got spoof as the first spray of the flames hit himself by the sudden splash. A wraith splashed over in the inside as he got washed with it. The wraith wakes up and begin to move around to the air, burning away like a shooting star moving around as it burns. The wraith spreads around the flames to other wraiths materializing. It escalated so quickly by someone took the first shot. They quickly spring to action and fires the flames. The flames spread all around them eternally blazing, leaving the others showered by it.
Their Hazmat suits protect them from the fire, but they are coated with it and leaving burning like it never happened to them. The B rank adventurer, already left setting her position close to the two Enders. She watches the show as the fire turns into the flames of clouds molding through the inside.
“And I thought it would be that easy, wraiths are something”
Tabitha reacted in such horrific view, while Archivist kept himself back with her from the front and pull themselves away from danger. His mask though, reacting differently, the expression of joy through his amazement that he had some childish reaction inside his head. No words, only letting the mask shows it.
The fight was over, as everyone is doused in flames. Rolling down the ashes of wraiths, loots appeared with gems as promised. One by one, they picked it up with glee from the open parking area. They look at the inside as the exterior already in flames, but the flames slowly put out as the building was not burned for some reason. The ashes show the dusts returning back to its original form, proving the madness of its interaction. Alga’s light can’t persist the flames with non-living materials, the factories did have some wooden structure. Then they found out that the Dexter Guild have already layered with protection from Alga’s light. They already planned it from the start.
“Wow, check out these loots”
“They are all unidentified”
“Yeah, but these loots can be mean something to the researchers, right?”
“But they’re still unidentified”
“He’s right though, they are unidentified and it is as a whole. Comparing only pieces of it, we are not holding scraps but actual magic items, these can be artifacts”
The owner of the android comes to check on the loots he had and gives it to her. His android, Sumi, analyzed it
“Yes sir, it is in full condition and corrupted. You need a stronger identify item to . . .”
Her expression turns worrisome as she moves closer to him, then she puts herself back inside his inventory. The owner’s look surprised as he looks around.
Inside the factory, there is something going on. Many adventurers run through the cleared windows as they are trying to escape from something. It wasn’t terrifying through their voice, neither they are excited about it. They yell out in rage to their own group
“Greedy motherfucker, you keep it going just to get that big thing inside of it”
“I thought it would be easy to get it . . . AAH!”
“Shut the fuck up, if we lose this, we don’t get the equipment they gave us. FUCK! My loots”
The monster comes in pieces with parts of its body rebuilt itself, the adventurers look at the threat as its power level suddenly become stronger with every part being installed. They focus on it and unleashed their flames. The monster being burned as its outer layer starts to melt. It drops down to the ground as it rolls around the dusty pile. The flames removed and quickly reattached to its plated body. It persists on until it retaliates with one quake on the ground. The remnants of dusts raised up and block it momentarily then the flames pushed through. The monster disappeared.
Everyone huddles up, sticking closer, letting themselves watching for the large threat. Another quake shaking on the ground, the first mechanical swings come across to the flames as it directly hitting them one by one. One fell sweep to hit their legs as everyone tripped, while others try to jump over it, the other arm comes along sweeping their heads down. The adventurers from the sides continue the attack as more wraiths are spreading the fire, it starts to get hectic no matter others fell to their feet and seeing such distraction to flourish the areas in burning nova.
Wraiths coming to them in terrifying wails, the adventurers are already out of positioned as the ashes and smokes blocked their view. Their hazmat suits were able to see through the smokes of Alga’s flames, but the dense ashes of wraiths remain are pulling it from the ground blinded them as it burns. The mechanical monster spray them with industrial/motor oil and mix polluted water. The flames were able to vaporized the water, but the impurities hardened their suits like mud to hard solid dirt. Then the oil slipped them to the ground as the wraiths dive down like birds to their prey.
The stubbornness of the adventurers is trying to fight through this menace, whereas more wraiths are returning their strength. The slight fumes being released of concentration of the flames as the presence of demonic magic are struggling to restore what it had lost. A brown red cloud is being compressed through the flaming wraiths as it begins to form. The monster lands down on it as its body is molded into runes. The monster begins its first roar, a powerful mechanical roar, it screams like the horn of the truck while it ceasing the flames on its body.
A large ray of light comes from behind it, without any hesitation, lasers formed and aimed at the runewords. Erasing it completely in high tier precision, the man in power armor comes along with his energy melee weapons. Cutting through forward, then polarizes himself back cutting the rest of the parts of the mechanized body. Stopped beneath to its feet, the warrior reaches his hands piercing through the core inside. One powerful tug inside of its components, displacing it in the inside. The monster’s body quickly deformed as its parts misalign and all structures broken.
The warrior grips something in the inside and pulled it out in one swoop, tearing everything that it tries to hold it. The monster collapses and the brown red cloud quickly dispersed to nothingness. Through the remaining wraiths slowly building up as the flames removed, the man charges forward using his energy utilities and pulled them closer in one place. All forced into one specific place, the warrior overloaded his armored hand together causing a chain reaction to explodes when both hands meet. A ground shakes with a rippling wave, the wraiths fell.
Piles of loots fell to the ground where the lying low ranks adventurers see it. The idiot who caused it all try to reach it, but the loots being pulled into one place. A force pulled in to the warrior as he gathered it all, putting everything on to him as he carries the pile up. The ray of light shines on it as it is being teleported away including him, he was being beamed away with the loots they have tried to get. Disappointed, while others eyeing on the person who did it recklessly. The B rank adventurer walks toward them with a grin on her face.
She picks up something from her inventory, a megaphone “How is it feel when you lost those large chunks of loots before you? Another mistake like that you will lose every opportunity you will get, but you still have Dexter Guild make your toys wink*”
Tabitha watches them being disappointed, not even for the first hour to loosen themselves on the rewards. They acted what she had expected to some people who have not fully concern about the dangers. She needs to get stronger too when anyone of them turned for the worse.