COI C87
“FALL BACK TO THE SURFACE! GATHER EVERYONE YOU FIND AND BRING THEM ALL OUT!”
The adventurers shout in each cave network they could find. Many were entering the newly made routes that go deeper to the depths of countless feral goblins were. Monsters should be near the dungeons but feral never once go near that place that were once have predators. They are still had instincts to survive and not going to that direction. Even though it is false, they have their own dens to the east. But it is too far, or probably something made it closer.
Emerald and her team already scour the air from the dusts. They found something deep below the caves as it soon loses signal where the roots started to spring up. They stop scouring and let the dust fall to it, continuing the cycle of its withering state.
“These roots, they are not ordinary and seems to be alive”
“You already know that these roots are in a different species, the trees on the surface are still fine layered themselves hiding within the dense forest”
“I am still in awe how those trees and other hunk plantation using the bulk and thickness of their excess layers to cocoon themselves against the dust”
They look at the other plantation still stretching through like roots managed to raise up to the surface. Barely to get any readings, they found something new of this ‘undiscovered’ geophyte. The weird interaction as it is a hybrid for both fungus and underground stem, it doesn’t need air at all but anything that has mainly focusing on Alga’s light.
“This ecosystem is starting to get on my nerves. This unimaginable food cycle has also unimaginable counterpart, properly balance the rule of nature. I wonder what caused this imbalance”
“It’s hard to say, this world seems to be perfectly logical if we research it from what we define flawed before”
The withered fall in bits of crystal pieces to the ground, the grass lessens its colors and the air feels strong as it weakens them.
“This is must be the version of seasons, nothing much changed throughout the months”
“We’re not sure, but summer lasts as much where the swarms came”
“It’s like Alga is spring to summer, while Jigeram is fall to winter”
“Especially goes if this is a tropical zone, there are no strong weather except rains coming from the east. Its continuous storms but the forest now is covered in crystal. Now I’m wanting to see how it plays out”
Enders are waiting for the employee to give the signal. The adventurer who escaped with her failsafe is with them worrying about her friends. Her nervous expression given away with her shaken body and eyes intensely stared through the cave. Ironno draws out the map she showed to them with her device. A convenient way to go down as for Haw trying to match the map with his old ones. The warrior grew faintly as she took a peek one of the descriptions on his map. She murmurs
“400m below, carcass imprisonment. Preserved dead bodies at far reaches of the undergrown. Not allowed to interact with it”
She breathes heavily as her nervous grew more anxious than she had ever thought. Her body gets weaker as her legs start to quiver. Ironno finishes the map and grabs Haw’s old map. He pointed out to the woman is eyeing on his things.
“Help her a bit, we will be heading out first”
Myrrkei declined “I have done my share of exploration, especially new nuisance coming from below. You guys already know that”
U’ecin don’t like what he just said. They know that Myrrkei is saying ‘dangers’ a lot it. Whereas Ironno’s pickaxe is on his hand and his tools on his sides, he is going to be busy making safe rooms.
U’ecin’s eyes stared at Myrrkei menacingly. The explorer pulls out his potions
“Does this thing can kill?”
Potions with nothing strong or even dangerous as they read it, mainly purposing for hiding and boost to his perception. Finally, Haw, who is still trying to calm her down. Haw felt his presence coming to him, his gaze wasn’t that impressive to be aware of, but she did look terrified to see U’ecin’s eyes. He immediately responds
“It’s no use, my potions had mana. Either which of your target be killed or feed, I’m supposed to be the escapist and support constructor for Myrrkei and Ironno.
The warrior looks away from him, U’ecin has nothing on hand to carry something to defend himself. If he is going to save her friends, she has to lend her weapon even it is something precious in mind. When he is about to leave, hearing his deep breath in disappointed, she stops him
“Wait! You can have mine”
She pulls out from her inventory and gives him a weapon. For how many times that his weapon keep confiscated from the city, providing anything possible to suppress and not pretending to eliminate them. She gives him an actual weapon made with runewords on the metallic blade. It is her memento, a traditional Short Wakizashi.
He can’t read their writings, and she explains it to him. “I know now that magic will attract those roots, but with this, it will help you get through. I’m sorry I don’t know your preferred weapons but I hope you get them quicker”
The Enders man turn around and left, keeping the weapon as he replies “Then you will get it back with your friends’ hands”
She started crying where Haw continue to calm her down. They begin to leave and start their adventure through the abyss. Ironno has something to say to him, but from how U’ecin carries the weapon. It’s better to honor it than U’ecin’s own selfish thoughts.
Voldemyr and the others stood quietly, looking at the monsters below are coming back to life. The man and the veteran contemplate one another the definition of the demon between powerful and horrifying. Both of them look back at the two girls trying to practice the elven magic for the first time. Rations and supplies were not the issue, but in time for sanitation. This place is going to be unpleasant.
“I understand the terms, but couldn’t imagine it how you told me”
“I don’t have magic to give an illusion example, and this place is not going to get good where the roots covering us”
The man looks up and down and the roots were already there. “That’s for sure”
“Demons always used undead . . . Hmm, in this underground area. The most effective way to use against us is making them into ‘monster’ worm and digging through by collapsing the tunnels”
“That’s . . . I’m not gonna lie but that would the easiest way to get me dead. Is there a demon could do that?”
“Many, but they have too much options based on their experience. Like I have seen through the sphere that many adventurers using the same element in different variations. Too much but little to master”
“. . . About that, there was an incident that weird looking spider machine that suddenly appeared one day. I got to say that’s where I thought demon was like”
“Like I said before, too many variations and ways to have those kinds of things. The best way to go against it by using different types of mana. People without learning or experiencing it, they will learn fast when they got the feel of the fight. I even remember the sniper battle I took against your people”
“Crossbow versus Sniper Rifle?”
“Ok, that was too unrealistic when you said it”
“But have you heard of it?”
“Will a sniper tell a story when they got beaten with a man with a crossbow?”
“A veteran with a crossbow, the dwarves will make a fantastic fairy tale for their young kins”
They both laughs where the monsters are clawing up as the banner tired them back down. Other monsters from above are gone where the radius of their safe area is good enough not to reach them. The two girls still mourn their lost friend and at the same time trying to learn the spell.
“He was one of our spinless friend”
“Please, I don’t want you to insult him anymore”
Support can’t bear to hear the mage always bad talking to him. It was their usual conversation, now he is gone. It felt like mocking his death. The mage apologizes
“I guess I blew it”
“We all are, we should have checked the map. We fuck up, and with Voldemyr’s map connecting them two together . . . We are so dead”
The map shows that they are so close to the depths of the outskirt near east mountain. The unknown rank area where the elves are not allowing them to get in. The east mountain is one massive route that filled all the resources being piled up under one area. If they no longer see the wooden like caves, you are now in the dead zone. Mana there is perishable and consumed by unknown forces. Remnants of battles from the past where demons are the most focus there, undying and sealed to this place but the loots in there is heavily produced with the essence of magic crystals.
The real deal to all people in this region. They were not ready, even they are in the far outskirts. The demon puppets are the one they face. It is pointless to destroy it as it kept reviving itself. Sealed away is the most efficient to go further, even if they are producing magic items out of nowhere. That is there only way to attract fools to free the demon’s puppets unleashed again to attack.
“I never thought we go that far down, slanting directly to the north east to east”
“I hear you, Not using our magic to see we are now attracting the roots making us vulnerable to the final moment”
“SHIT! If only Voldemyr knows about our failsafe and fix this quick”
The mage’s notification pops up to her face after finishing the skill she needs. The mage smiles with joy at her favorite trait, auto starter: learn, a trait that requires instructions or books without requiring resources to learn a skill without needed practice.
“I’m just glad my trait wasn’t corrupted”
“Me too, let’s hope your spell works”
The mage raises the bracelet and point to her friend. Speaking her first elven tongue, the magic spell unleashed to both of them link together shared the status effects of the bracelet. Support uses her first elven magic and the bright wind flows around them.
The two are link together, able to use elven magic together. The low tier magic is only given to one person and the buffs they want to be in elven magic is the stealth buffs. Now the two would be able not been seen from the monsters and only worried now is the dead puppet. Voldemyr sees their progress as the man continues to limp with his broken leg, now casted with dust and crystallized except his knee. He would love to get it healed among the two but there is no telling where they need the mana they have left.
Support really wanted to help but Voldemyr stops her. “There is no need, preserve it where there are no roots around you. Time is now not our side and the monster here are gathering the roots”
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They look at the abyss where the man put his flashlight at the sinkhole. The roots are already threading down where the dead monsters all climbing up and get entangled at the same time. Mix with dust and magic, they momentarily covered and pulled out from the roots where they throw the dust on it, attaching their dead bodies as their inner tendrils.
The man couldn’t hold a good horrifying display to react. “Now it gets ugly . . .”
New monsters are formed as it begins to have extra limbs to hang among the roots. Poorly formed by these creatures and one of them fell off from its newly rooted limbs.
“. . . This is god shit amazing I didn’t have to wait long for them to finish”
The mage and the support look away. “Oh shit! that’s it. We’re leaving. Voldemyr please take care of him while we follow what you instructed us to”
“Once you guys made it out, please follow up my request. Even if this is a recommendation. The horde founds a new way out”
Voldemyr carried the man on his back, his short height but impressive strength carried through with his heavy-duty gears. Carry as much of his equipment with no magic item, a true soldier with his densely packed bag. Now put into the inventory of the man with the necklace, he is on the other hand with his leg remained broken had to carry the crossbow. Gently trying to take aim for the first time, a scout with knowledge of basic one to one combat (brawling) at the random drunk fights through his peaceful life. The man watches Voldemyr with his javelin on hand recently made while they are here.
The girls both distracted and nervous, the short man, Voldemyr, carries him as his feet is nearly touching ground. They would love to see what he can do with the plan like that. Their hearts are racing, their chances were told, and the bracelet being grabbed by the mage. Voldemyr throws the javelin at the cloth, with a rope attached to it as he steadies his arm while carrying the man in his back. The plan being told one last time.
“We will be distracting the dead puppet, either successful or not, you two will be bracing yourselves to the surface. Your elven magic is still strong but neither of you have heals without the roots noticing. We’ll be there to help along the way”
He pulls the javelin with the cloth off the wall, crumbling the ground where they stand. The mage uses her elven magic to teleport them both to the cliffs and begin running. The roots around Voldemyr and the man started to root up with the dead monsters along with it. Secretly surrounding without the adventure’s awareness, and Voldemyr’s experience led them advanced without trouble. He leaps to the abyss passing through the reach of the arms and roots around them, the man with the crossbow attached with the flashlight look around and sensing them coming in like flies.
One monster got crushed from Voldemyr’s feet and ram to the side to the other, he starts running up to the trails of roots with arms holding. His cruel stomps to its hand quickly breaking through their dead bones. The man aims at the air where monsters jump at them. The first bolt fires with great force as a ballista, the monster knocks back to the abyss where the girls sneakily hide through the elven magic then a random monster impaled to the wall. Their eyes were shock and hid to the side, monsters keep going down as they continue to move up. They stared at the impaled monster as it twitches.
Voldemyr continues to climb up using the roots, daringly raises his arm for the man to hold onto his chest. The man raises his stat on strength as he uses the crossbow with only one hand. His magic to control the crossbow to reload faster as he took aim. His scouting abilities were able for him to take aim, mostly hit on the body. A random monster throws the crystallize dust at him and drops the crossbow
“SHIT!”
Voldemyr quickly slides down to grab it, made it in time with the weapon fully loaded. The monster who threw the crystallize dust reached them. Voldemyr grabs it head slam on the wall then to the other horde. Take aim at the line of monsters, the bolt fires and impaled them in a line.
The man sees the monsters tumbling down in a straight line where the bolt fires. Back down to the abyss, where Voldemyr goes back up to climb again.
“That some nice shot you got there”
“Focus! Again, take my crossbow”
The man takes it and try one more time, the horde kept going falling from above as falling crystals keep falling down. Voldemyr starts jumping up from monsters to monsters pulling them down as he bringing themselves up. The madness goes on as they reach the cliff. The man felt the force going up where the sounds of Voldemyr’s raw strength gripping the roots as if it about to crush.
The dead body falls down covered with elven wind light. Those two brought it down to Voldemyr as he had planned. Tempting his eyes looking at that thing, fall down wanting it to be crush beneath his feet. The man stops him
“DON’T! Just like you said, it can’t be killed. That thing is fast”
“It is something I can handle, and you won’t last yourself with that banged up leg”
“Thanks, but SHIT!”
Voldemyr quickly react and grabs something in mid-air. It was the dead body and the roots entangle his arm. He shouted at the man
“FIRE THE RUNE!”
The man changes bolts where they needed it, a shot fires and shred only its body.
The dead body’s severed head continue to cover them with its roots draining their mana through their skins. Voldemyr jumps to the wall as he grabs the head and slams the monster against the wall. The man braces himself as the collision hits him too, its body impaled and pushed down with its rune touched the wall as it turned into stones. The bolt fused with the sinkhole and the dust inside hardens it further. Voldemyr pulls out a bladed weapon cut the roots off them, leaving the skull to fall rolling to the abyss. They are free, now going back down and swing down to the roots again. The man looks at it trapped as it struggles to break free from the rune bolt.
They made it out outside of the sinkhole as they see the dead monsters feigning to attack them. They immediately thrown off the cliff. The two stops there and waited for the dead body to recover.
“Phew* Aw shit that is something I don’t believe we survive in”
“I keep hearing you saying that word. Is it a miracle word?”
“Miracle word!? No, I was just swearing”
“Swearing, huh? Sounds to me a good word when you keep saying that”
“You gotta be shitting me”
“Again, you said that word”
“I told you . . . Ugh, what are you expecting from it?”
“Many things, and this world have many expressions that forms a culture”
“And shit has culture”
“You will be surprised . . . The puppet returns”
Voldemyr jumps back and kick in mid-air. The monster appeared from the dark and immediately gets kick. A bolt shoots once more shred itself apart. The moment it destroys he turns his eyes and see the real one rushes forward up top. He runs towards it as it found something new. The man scout again with his magic and sees the two girls are almost reach to the top. But it is still block as where he senses, and the way he got here was through the small burrow to the sinkhole. The two girls stop to where the roots blocked it and the monster is searching for them.
Even though using elven magic to use it as their stealth, demons’ puppet is one of the most exceptions. The dead body is still the demons’ puppet, it is being guided to whom they don’t know. The scent has caught not from their position but how it reacted weirdly. Weight occurred and breathes are warm, coming through to the top. Same with the two men who are chasing it, demonic magic is now occurring here. It is focusing now to the girls in speed with silence.
“This is it, the place we got inside from all this mess”
“It is still block inside, how can it . . .?”
The support is sensing something is coming, no verification of being spotted and the long route is the only way to get there. The elven magic link shared their senses of battle, the both of them quickly step aside closely to the roots. Waiting for the monster to come, they can hear it coming this way only by sheer noise and roar. The dust is blown to where there are as they feel the exposure. The failsafe is still corrupted as it difficult to get it to work without knowing how.
The monster slams itself to the blockading roots where its roots tendrils are swinging to search them through touch. The two with elven stealth magic, phases through the dead body’s roots. Nothing for it to touch as it lingers all around, it tracks back to where they step. Back and forth while the two observe its behavior. Their eyes turn to their exposure status, building up the effects of the Jigeram. The elven magic will soon to waver where their body starts to crystallize. 48% exposure and all of their power levels brought down in half, 52%, 58%, and now 64%. The monster brought the dust along with it as it travels.
The mage loses control of her elven magic as the link breaks. The support was exposed and seen from the dead body. She kept quiet as it turns its head on the mage’s position. Carefully moving at its back, quietly as it moves. Exposed and weaken to use her magic, her own natural reflex tries to hide from it in plain sight as the monster still tracking them and their footsteps. Boldly move over the roots as it stretch leads to the corner, the support barely hid as it turns to the side.
Their mana is concealed by the dust and rely the roots and its demonic influence. Playing around her as it tries to not to notice her, it is something the demon cheats a bit. They have forgotten about it, the dead puppet its name, but they are occupied to see the exit being block. They have no thoughts on this matter, the support is moving to the opposite direction as she accidentally steps a withered root. The dead body intentionally place it there for her to do it. She tries to get away but quickly held up with its roots and start to opens its jaw and feasting through her in a flash.
“NO!”
The mage breaks out of stealth and uses her elven magic. Windy fire burst through and hits the dead body, the dusts are affecting her magic as it is also weakened to nothing. Through the flames of wind, between the support’s legs, a bolt with chain attached hit the dead body then pulled away. The support fell down and sees at the monster pulled back to the abyss, nothing left to see but its roots tendrils being pulled also. The mage pulled her up and quickly runs back to the blockade. Now already 70% and the failsafe is still corrupted, no hope for themselves to escape.
Voldemyr and the man goes to the blockade, pushing away the two. Putting the man on the ground, continue to use the bolts in hand.
“Come here you fucking bastard, I’m waiting for you . . . AAH!”
Screaming both his broken leg and his rage as the crossbow starts to emit its iconic sound. Clang! Boom! Winding Sound! So loud, yet so satisfying to hear from Voldemyr’s ears. The girls remember that same iconic noise from the city guild sphere. It was the monstrous noise that brought everyone to silence.
The dead body, getting hit from bolt as if it was a rifle. Long bolts impaled it to the ground with precise hits. The dust in it turned to the earth as before, the demon presence had finally return to its body. Its loud roar had turn into words, the words that echoed and hidden through the depths of secrets. Voldemyr punched the blockade with his right glove alone. Fast and acts like a sledgehammer, his right hand pulled back as he ordered the man.
“SHOOT IT!”
“AAH!” He turns around and pulled out a special bolt, enticed with magical properties shelled with runes protecting from the dust. It fired and shatters the blockade.
Their eyes widen and their heartbeats pulsing rapidly, the blockade is destroyed and pulled away like it was some weed. They have seen the moment of their salvation. The support fell to the ground as she now reaches 75%, she can’t stand up as the mage is nearly reached her exposure. The man sees something tear off from itself and flying through this way. The head flies with its roots as its tentacles. It reaches for them as he tries to shoot it. The roots shield the heads as it quickly growing faster than it normally would. Closing in to get its prey, as Voldemyr turns around and grabs it.
The tentacle like roots covered him around where he sees the piece of its spine acts like a beak. Penetrating through his armor, the man takes aim
“SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! What kind of monster is this!?”
Voldemyr raises the head up pushing away and slamming it against the wall. The glove he carried with crystallized dust with his other hand to wither the root tendrils. The girls lie down and watch the struggle. The man can’t aim at the right angle or he will impale Voldemyr too. The voice of the dead body blurted out without its lower jaw
“Aah . . . Aah hhhaaeeae!”
Someone is coming out from the destroyed blockading roots, with a small sword at hand. Runed and strong, the blade cuts through the roots breaking free from its grip from Voldemyr. He turns around and sees U’ecin, both of their eyes see better days as they look at each other. U’ecin pushes him forward, and take the two girls with him, he looks at the man who carries Voldemyr’s crossbow. Without realizing U’ecin is leaving some one behind as he hastily retreats. The dead body comes to them as Voldemyr uses its severed head to hit the body.
It shatters and release its dust. Voldemyr used his body to block the dust from the man being exposed. The sound of flash as the blockade is starting to regrow. A magic scroll being used and the man sees Ironno pulled him to safety. He thought he was saved, but through his scouting abilities. Something was not right. The demonic energy comes through the roots and quickly closed, leaving Ironno’s limbs trapped in midway. His face froze at the blockade as he screams out of frustration.
“AAH!”
With a broken leg and someone nearly rescued him and Voldemyr. He gathers all the materials around him, as plan B is commencing.
Voldemyr kicks the dead body to the wall as he begins to escape. The look of the man’s eyes sees something like this happened, left behind for a second to think, it gets faster and faster as he still thinks he could manage to escape. Aiming at the monster as it dodges, he looks down after he took a shot. It gets tougher and tougher as they stay with this monstrosity. He raises his head high and scream to the echoes of the abyss.
“I SHIT YOU NOT! FUCK YOU!”
The bolt chained link attached to him as it pulled himself away to Voldemyr as he catches him.
The root blockade sealed as Ironno breaks a little opening to free from its grasp. He used his free hand with his pick axe and few scrolls in hand, weakening the roots as far he could. Leeching enough mana to weakening it and not letting that monster get to this side, feinted sounds of fighting as the crossbow sending loud sounds from the other side. Echoing since they follow it through their search, Ironno failed to rescue the one who is lying on the ground. He didn’t have enough speed or stamina to get here in this tight path as he was busy securing the saferooms near to this place.
The girls were speechless, except repeating the same words over and over again.
“We made it . . . We actually fucking made it”
“Laugh* We made it, oh my fucking god we made it”
During that time, U’ecin didn’t hesitate but to give the small sword back to them. Surely enough that the warrior described them perfectly. They recognized it as their eyes are gleaming with tears. After a little while
“It’s . . . Thank god. She did bring help”
“Thank you so much. I don’t think we have survived that”
U’ecin stood silence letting them speak out to ease their stressful escape.
Ironno responds “You guys are lucky that someone we know is guiding you this far”
“YES, YES! We’re so grateful . . .”
U’ecin silences the mage with his hand, their exaggerated relief brought his head haunting him with their noisy gratitude. Ironno continues
“Ehem, by how you react. You seem to be the one that your friend sent us. But this is not the time to make noise. Let me finish building the escape route and there you should be reuniting with her”
They quiet themselves out as they check who are not with them, their worried faces expand wider to see someone is missing.
“Where’s that guy and Voldemyr?”
U’ecin sighs “They are part of the failed plan. You know what that plan is, don’t you?”
“We do, but I don’t know exactly will it work and that we didn’t know that the monster has already awaken its demonic magic already”
The other girl answered “The plan is getting back to east mountain, the undergrown, that’s the plan”
They showed it to U’ecin, he understands “Without you guys, then”
“It would be difficult to plant a safe zone if the monster grows stronger though”
Meanwhile, the man and Voldemyr ventured through the underground network escaping everything that was happening. “You almost had it when I breakthrough the blockade”
“Demons my ass blocked it, and I thought I’m dead when I didn’t know we were in the deep depths or outskirts of east mountain”
“Now we are heading to that very place now, with you”
“Sigh* As long as you promised me to find the coordinates of the root hearts with ‘my’ device as proof. Then I’m willing to talk . . . Heh, this man of culture”
“Man of culture, that’s something new from just saying . . .”
“Huh up up up, I’m being responsible here. I won’t be the one who ‘educate’ you what I swear”